Aloysius said:

Fantastic story about this kid and the wonderful people who took him in.

The kid has a ton of potential given his limited experience, plus he seems very driven I think. That would be as long as money don't change him, but he seems to love getting better as a person and a player.

Nobody can tell me this isn't eating at Colbert not having a real center. He knew this draft was his chance but it didn't happen. No longer are the Stillers the only team that get how important a big time center is.

Small price to pay picking last after winning it all.

Aloysius said:

The Steelers could have been trying to trade up for Oher, but Wood's also a distinct possibility. The Falcons brought Wood in for a pre-draft visit, so the Steelers may have been trying to move up ahead of Atlanta to get their guy.

I so BADLY wanted Oher especially after reading "The Blind Side" now I'll be almost forced to sorta pull for him as a Rat Bird. Thanks for the info though and it was definitely Oher or Wood IMO.

The Steelers could have been trying to trade up for Oher, but Wood's also a distinct possibility. The Falcons brought Wood in for a pre-draft visit, so the Steelers may have been trying to move up ahead of Atlanta to get their guy.

Aloysius said:

I see why someone would read that and think the Steelers had both guys rated higher than Mack, but it just doesn't make sense. If you're going to downgrade Mack, it's because you think he can't handle big defensive tackles...which is something Unger is even worse at. And I get the position versatility argument, but Mack showed at the Senior Bowl that he's capable of playing guard at the next level. Unger, by contrast, showed up with scouts thinking he could play anywhere on the line, then had tackle scratched off the list when his arms measured out at at 32 1/2" and had center seriously questioned when he got mauled by Brace & Raji.

Seattle is actually a very good fit for him, as they're moving to a zone blocking scheme and are planning on using him initially as a backup at left guard and center. As I think Sobo at the OBR said, Unger could end up being the best interior lineman to come out of this draft, but he could also be a huge bust if he's put in the wrong situation. In my view, Pittsburgh would have been one of those bust-producing places.

Most likely, the Steelers had Mack and Wood both rated very highly, perhaps with Wood given a slight edge. But because we took Mack, the Bills - who really, really wanted Mack - ended up taking Wood instead.

Different Q&A but I can't find it and it's driving me nuts. Believe me I'm not going to come anywhere close to saying something bad about Mack, he's going to be a great center and I would have loved to have him in the black and gold. I just don't see the point behind the "we got em and you didn't" attitude when the Steelers typcially get their man or at least one of them each and every draft. The Q&A I read was Colbert talking about the draft board not Arians but Arians was involved in the other exchanges. As far as Unger was concerned they obviously didn't think he was a first round type of gamble which is why they passed on him at 32.

Q&A: Bruce Arians

Q: You wrote down the names of Wallace and Kraig Urbik three weeks ago and then sat back and watched them come to you. What moved you to do that?

A: Well, as an offensive staff we do it every year. We put down our dream drafts. If we can get these five guys out of this draft, it’d be the perfect draft for us. In the first round we loved Max Unger and we loved Eric Wood, especially Eric Wood, and then Ziggy Hood was way too good to pass up and we tried to go back up and get Max. As things fell to us, Kraig is a guy who’s just a blue-collar, tough, Wisconsin lineman who can play a couple of positions. Smart and tough is what we’re looking for, and both guys are extremely healthy. They don’t have any nicks on them. So it was real clean for us.

I see why someone would read that and think the Steelers had both guys rated higher than Mack, but it just doesn't make sense. If you're going to downgrade Mack, it's because you think he can't handle big defensive tackles...which is something Unger is even worse at. And I get the position versatility argument, but Mack showed at the Senior Bowl that he's capable of playing guard at the next level. Unger, by contrast, showed up with scouts thinking he could play anywhere on the line, then had tackle scratched off the list when his arms measured out at at 32 1/2" and had center seriously questioned when he got mauled by Brace & Raji.

Seattle is actually a very good fit for him, as they're moving to a zone blocking scheme and are planning on using him initially as a backup at left guard and center. As I think Sobo at the OBR said, Unger could end up being the best interior lineman to come out of this draft, but he could also be a huge bust if he's put in the wrong situation. In my view, Pittsburgh would have been one of those bust-producing places.

Most likely, the Steelers had Mack and Wood both rated very highly, perhaps with Wood given a slight edge. But because we took Mack, the Bills - who really, really wanted Mack - ended up taking Wood instead.

ROF,LMAO ! Way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Ooooooh, he must be an expert - he went to Kent State.

ROF,LMAO !

@snatch98 said:

Really? So across the nation there are thousands of fans that just arbitrarily choose to spend their Sundays rooting for a team that has been rebuilding for half a century? That's the dumbest thing I've read in all of sports. Perhaps you should re-evaluate your statement.

If this was '81, or '89, I might actually entertain the notion that that wasn't the dumbest thing I've ever read in my life. As it stands, you're 20 years late. And still an idiot.

Start dumping Vinegar into the Susquehanna to douche the stain away.

Fairweather, Frontrunner, Roidmongering Refpaying impacted pubic pus sacks.

DWJ!

@snatch98 said:

It's called a rivalry....and I think you're taking some here a bit too seriously. Is it really a surprise to you that a rival would jump at any chance for the slightest "gotcha?" If so, then perhaps you need to take a step back to recognize that you and I (along with everyone else here) aren't playing the games. We're just fans (abbreviation of "fanatic") and you should take it as such.

....either way I'll dig up those links.

That's great. Bring your links all you want. I'll still give more credibility to Aloysius's assessment than I will to any of that. I'm just making an assumption here, but I'm guessing you pop in here every once in a while (consistent with your posting activity,) but don't really read the board either frequently or thoroughly. The only reason I bring that up is that if you were to do so over a period of time you would realize that Aloysius is the one who owns all the short buses on which he places many of the supposed draft "gurus" and scouts.

When Aloysius speaks, people listen...and for good reason.

@snatch98 said:

You're right...post-draft it isn't blowing smoke - it's called responsible PR. What are they supposed to do, say "We couldn't get the guys we were really targeting, but please don't tell that to the players we actually drafted?"

I'm not saying I'm definite about how it actually was one way or the other, but I'll give more credibility to Aloy's take on it than I will to some phantom links.

@ytownbrownsbacker said:

But hey, if this guy was in the war room with the coaches and they said they liked Wood and Unger better, you have to believe he is telling us the truth. Especially after the fact.............................LOL

Good find Aloy.

What part of links were posted on my steeler board confirming what I'm saying don't you understand? Hey if it makes you feel better to think Mack was the most coveted player in round one fine. I'm not losing sleep over it. I'm just posting what I've read and the Steelers certainly wouldn't blow smoke POST draft sooooo hey sleep tight.

But hey, if this guy was in the war room with the coaches and they said they liked Wood and Unger better, you have to believe he is telling us the truth. Especially after the fact.............................LOL

Good find Aloy.

Aloysius said:

Could be pre-draft disinformation, but the specificity of the report suggests it very well may be accurate info.

Everything pre-draft is smoke and mirrors and you of all people should know and understand that best. I've read on more than one occasion Eric Wood was rated ahead of Mack and Loadholt wasn't on the radar at all in round 1 or 2 from what I've read.

It's becoming more apparent that the Pittsburgh Steelers are leaning towards an offensive lineman with their pick in round one. We alerted you to the teams affection towards Phil Loadholt and another, expected name has surfaced in conjunction with the team. Sources have told us Kevin Colbert, the teams Director of Football Operations, is hoping to pull the trigger on Alex Mack at the end of round one and is really excited about the Cal center.

Could be pre-draft disinformation, but the specificity of the report suggests it very well may be accurate info.

Aloysius said:

Unger doesn't seem to be a good fit because he's a finesse, zone-blocking lineman who admitted that Haloti Ngata used to kill him in practice and got destroyed by Raji & Brace at the Senior Bowl. Unless the Steelers are hiring Alex Gibbs to be their OL coach and/or are moving out of the AFC North, I don't see how he's at all a fit for your squad.

Love how the guy moves, but I have a hard time believing that he was rated higher than Mack on the Steelers' draft board. Maybe Wood, but not Unger.

Like I said it's just what I read. I'll try and dig up the link from my message board at some point tonight or tomorrow. I know for a fact they had Wood rated higher and I'm pretty sure Unger as well. If you've ever tried following Tomlin you'd read that he LOVES his position flexibility and Unger possessed that flexibility. I'll try and dig up the link.

Unger doesn't seem to be a good fit because he's a finesse, zone-blocking lineman who admitted that Haloti Ngata used to kill him in practice and got destroyed by Raji & Brace at the Senior Bowl. Unless the Steelers are hiring Alex Gibbs to be their OL coach and/or are moving out of the AFC North, I don't see how he's at all a fit for your squad.

Love how the guy moves, but I have a hard time believing that he was rated higher than Mack on the Steelers' draft board. Maybe Wood, but not Unger.

Aloysius said:

That said, I don't get the logic of saying we somehow stole Carey from the Steelers. They drafted two corners before we took Carey, so there was little chance they were going to take Carey in the 6th or 7th round.

Hopefully, he'll show them they made a huge mistake in passing on him.

What do you mean he isn't a fit? He has great position flexibility and several coaches have said they tried trading up in to the second round to draft him. Why doesn't he fit in to the Steelers scheme? I personally didn't want him at all but a few coaches have now said they had both Wood and Unger rated ahead of Mack. I'm only repeating what I've read.

AND I love the Corners we drafted they should both contribute immediately and Burnett is one hell of a ball hawk and punt returner. We needed DB depth more than the depth Carey would have provided. Lewis the other corner is a huge DB with great strength. I wouldn't change a thing about the Steelers draft.

That said, I don't get the logic of saying we somehow stole Carey from the Steelers. They drafted two corners before we took Carey, so there was little chance they were going to take Carey in the 6th or 7th round.

Hopefully, he'll show them they made a huge mistake in passing on him.

I believe they have had their ego's bruised by Mangenius!! Mangenius vs Stoolers 1 - 0

I understand what you are saying.

@calfoxwc said:

**********************************************************************

ROF,LMAO.

The Browns dynamically improved their defense and their offense, and special teams.

The Steelers added some depth.

Whoopie doo, Steelers !

You should pay attention. You won't sound so slow.

Depth is key and something you could use. We already have the core team that won us another Superbowl and now our RB from our last draft along with added power on the lines, RBs, WRs, and special teams. You picked up some good players in the draft, but until you do anything with them, they are just rookies. Potential, yes, results, no. Thump your chest Cal. You are one of those I was talking about.

**********************************************************************

ROF,LMAO.

The Browns dynamically improved their defense and their offense, and special teams.

The Steelers added some depth.

Whoopie doo, Steelers !