OT: The Pittsburgher Thread: Camp Tomlin

[Double-Shift Lasse]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/1...al-settlement-leveon-bell-pittsburgh-steelers

The NFL Players Association and the NFL are negotiating a settlement that could reduce the suspension of Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell from three games to one or two, sources tell ESPN's Dan Graziano.

No formal hearing on the settlement has occurred, but at the time of Bell's appeal, his attorneys and the union argued that he was being punished under the league's new drug policy for an offense that occurred under the old policy. The arbitrator encouraged the sides to work toward a settlement, and it's believed an agreement could be reached and a reduction in his suspension announced in the next week or so.

 

[djt153]

i wouldnt mind him being suspended for two games just to limit the wear and tear. first game of the season is always a crapshoot and the steelers should be okay vs the jaguars without him. packers game seems like a good one to have him back

 

[Captain Hook]

Looks like Brady will likely drag this thing out through a legal process and be able to weasel his way into the opener while it's held up in court.

 

[djt153]

whatever makes the nfl look the dumbest is my preferred outcome at this point

 

[Al Smith]

i wouldnt mind him being suspended for two games just to limit the wear and tear. first game of the season is always a crapshoot and the steelers should be okay vs the jaguars without him. packers game seems like a good one to have him back

These words should never be uttered for a Tomlin-coached team. Plus, IIRC, we barely beat them last year.

 

[Shockmaster]

i wouldnt mind him being suspended for two games just to limit the wear and tear. first game of the season is always a crapshoot and the steelers should be okay vs the jaguars without him. packers game seems like a good one to have him back

Umm, he's suspended for the first two REGULAR SEASON games. That means he'll miss the games against NE and SF and will be back against STL.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Al was right...we're almost better off with him missing against good teams than against bad teams.

Tomlin's top 50 flaws are alternating playing down to the competition and time management 25 times each.

 

[djt153]

Umm, he's suspended for the first two REGULAR SEASON games. That means he'll miss the games against NE and SF and will be back against STL.

haha oops!

 

[AgentM]

On my way home with friends from the Chelsea/Barcelona gam in DC right now. I've never had so much fun at an exhibition level sporting event before. I really wish we had an MLS level team in the Burgh!

As for the NFL suspensions I find it deliciously funny that Brady's is still 4 games and Bell's is down to 2. This bumps Bell up on the Fantasy projections and might jump him up to #1 again

 

[djt153]

On my way home with friends from the Chelsea/Barcelona gam in DC right now. I've never had so much fun at an exhibition level sporting event before. I really wish we had an MLS level team in the Burgh!

As for the NFL suspensions I find it deliciously funny that Brady's is still 4 games and Bell's is down to 2. This bumps Bell up on the Fantasy projections and might jump him up to #1 again

the mourinho presser after that match was EPIC. love him or hate him, he is a force of nature at deflecting attention from his players and absorbing it himself.

 

[AgentM]

the mourinho presser after that match was EPIC. love him or hate him, he is a force of nature at deflecting attention from his players and absorbing it himself.

I haven't heard/seen it yet, what did he say??

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Sadly the only way I can see the MLS in Pittsburgh is when the MLS inevitably expands to the point where promotion/relegation is a necessity...you can't have a 40 team league, and that's clearly where this is heading.

Glad you had fun at the game...would have loved to go to the Galaxy/Barcelona game, but I wasn't willing to deal with 6 hours in gridlocked traffic for an exhibition game between Barcelona's subs and LA Galaxy II.

US-Mexico for the berth to the Confed Cup will be at said Rose Bowl on October 9...that's going to be a very interesting experience.

 

[AgentM]

Sadly the only way I can see the MLS in Pittsburgh is when the MLS inevitably expands to the point where promotion/relegation is a necessity...you can't have a 40 team league, and that's clearly where this is heading.

Glad you had fun at the game...would have loved to go to the Galaxy/Barcelona game, but I wasn't willing to deal with 6 hours in gridlocked traffic for an exhibition game between Barcelona's subs and LA Galaxy II.

US-Mexico for the berth to the Confed Cup will be at said Rose Bowl on October 9...that's going to be a very interesting experience.

Won't that be a good thing if soccer gets to that point though? I mean to get there shows a big growth in interest across the country and economic feasibility. Though I don't know how teams that bounce up and down like a Hull City deal with those drastic changes in revenue.

Thanks it was a very cool experience! We got a hotel about 2 miles from FedEx Field so we walked past the post game traffic/parking lot haha. Took about 30/40 min to get home so it wasn't bad.

I went to a U.S./Canada game in Detroit once but it was very tame. I can't imagine the atmosphere and antics in the stands of a US/ Mexico in Southern California.

 

[Al Smith]

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/07/27/nfl-training-camp-tour-blog

Peter King's impressions from a day or two at Latrobe.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

Won't that be a good thing if soccer gets to that point though? I mean to get there shows a big growth in interest across the country and economic feasibility. Though I don't know how teams that bounce up and down like a Hull City deal with those drastic changes in revenue.

Thanks it was a very cool experience! We got a hotel about 2 miles from FedEx Field so we walked past the post game traffic/parking lot haha. Took about 30/40 min to get home so it wasn't bad.

I went to a U.S./Canada game in Detroit once but it was very tame. I can't imagine the atmosphere and antics in the stands of a US/ Mexico in Southern California.

I've been warned about having bags of pee thrown at me...so that'll be fun. South & Central American fans tend to take things a little too far when it comes to stuff like that...they were throwing flares at the refs in a group stage match at the StubHub Center because the side ref made the right possession call that wasn't even close.

Those tactics keep our fans away...which gives them the home field advantage. We can't let that happen. Getting anything more than a 50/50 split this close to the border is effectively impossible, though...hell, without the border there's enough Mexican National Team fans to fill four Rose Bowls here.


As for the future of the MLS...we're in an odd position because other national leagues don't have a country anywhere near as large and spread out as the US does (to say nothing about Canada). The Russian & Chinese leagues are both centralized...so...yeah. The standard 20 team cap isn't going to come close to covering ~370 million people...but the higher you go the harder it is to get a league to actually work...so either it gets regionalized (bad idea in my book) or it expands to the point where promotion/relegation is a necessity...which will surely make those who bought franchises and built stadiums super happy.

The MLS is still a single entity structure, so...it is possible. The NASL (2nd on the pyramid) may be the biggest hurdle to overcome, as the NASL sees itself as an alternative to the MLS and not a subservient league, while the MLS and USL (3rd on the pyramid) are similar to the way the NHL and IHL were, with a mix of farm teams and independent teams. Anyway, Pittsburgh won't get serious consideration until the MLS is pushing 30 teams, so promotion/relegation really is the best hope...I just hope they change that stupid Riverhounds name when/if it ever happens.

 

[End of Line]

On my way home with friends from the Chelsea/Barcelona gam in DC right now. I've never had so much fun at an exhibition level sporting event before. I really wish we had an MLS level team in the Burgh!

You can always root for the Columbus Crew, we even have black and yellow

US-Mexico for the berth to the Confed Cup will be at said Rose Bowl on October 9...that's going to be a very interesting experience.

Ughhhh why...

Wish every USA/Mexico game was in Columbus.

 

[TNT87]

So Kraft had no problem defending Goodell and praising him during the Ray Rice incident but now when things don't go his way he his sniveling like the little ***** he is. He figured he could manipulate everything because he believes the Patriot organization is above the NFL. When it comes to intergrity Kraft, Brady and Patriots don't know the meaning of the word. This is the guy who couldn't bury his dead wife fast enough so he could be with his gold digging young girlfriend. I'm so sick of that team and the way they think they that the fans are a bunch of fools when they come up with their BS. The Deflater

 

[Big McLargehuge]

You can always root for the Columbus Crew, we even have black and yellow



Ughhhh why...

Wish every USA/Mexico game was in Columbus.

Every American does...but CONCACAF wants a semi-neutral site...and the ability to sell 93,000 tickets.

 

[JTG]

I think this is overly optimistic. Last season the Steelers had 2 legitimately good players on D. The rest are either young and unproven or old and bad. Their pass rush consists of a rookie and JJ who showed nothing in 2 seasons. Furthermore, the Steelers may realistically have the worst secondary in the league.

I too have high expectations for Shazier and Tuitt for this year, and Dupree eventually, but the others are far from sure things.

This team is probably a 10 win team, but the D is a major weak point. Not to mention we don't know how the D will do under a rookie DC. Lebeau was nothing short of a miracle worker last season.

It is overly optimistic, for sure.

And we DO have the worst secondary in the league. Gay and Allen. Hopefully the young guys catch up to speed faster than we are anticipating.

One thing with the corners we drafted - we have FINALLY drafted zone corners. For decades we have drafted press corners and asked them to play zone.

I see the potential there though, especially if we find a way to get after the QB on defense. That's the great equalizer with a terrible secondary.

 

[Captain Hook]

Cortez Allen has supposedly been great the first few days of camp. I've all but given up on him but man it would be huge if the switch finally went on for that guy. Unfortunately the 2nd round CB Golson is out with a shoulder injury right now. Hopefully it's just precautionary.

I'll reserve judgement on the defense. There's just too many question marks to know how it's going to play out. The offense should be really good though.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Wait, who are the old guys on the Steelers defense that were being referenced above?

Debo and .... Gay?

It's gotta be one of the youngest defenses in the league. I think Gay is the only projected starter right now over 30 unless someone is slipping my mind.

Tuitt McL Heyward
Moates Timmons Shazier JJ
Gay Thomas Mitchell Allen

But ya, Mitchell and Allen need to rebound and Thomas needs to step up or woof woof...

 

[JTG]

I really hope Shamarko comes in and just lights it up. The guy has put his time in.

 

[Ziggyjoe21]

Wait, who are the old guys on the Steelers defense that were being referenced above?

Debo and .... Gay?

It's gotta be one of the youngest defenses in the league. I think Gay is the only projected starter right now over 30 unless someone is slipping my mind.

Tuitt McL Heyward
Moates Timmons Shazier JJ
Gay Thomas Mitchell Allen

But ya, Mitchell and Allen need to rebound and Thomas needs to step up or woof woof...

Moates, McCullers and that secondary... brutal.
The fact that this D wasn't the worst in the league last season speaks volumes about Lebeau.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Moates, McCullers and that secondary... brutal.
The fact that this D wasn't the worst in the league last season speaks volumes about Lebeau.

Moates is a really solid player. What is your issue with him? Dupree should be getting half of his snaps anyway if he flashes at camp.

McCullers is a monster that puts guys on roller skates, buts he's raw and needs to learn to keep his pads low. Not sure what he has to do with their ****** D because he barely played last season.

I'll give you the secondary.... errr... they could be brutal. Gay had his best season of his career last season at least, but he's still Gay so...

I think Thomas will be a beast, and I'm not sure what Mitchell is. Allen I used to have high hopes for but his confidence has been shaken and a corner with no confidence is a corner with an X on his back.

 

[Ziggyjoe21]

Moates is a really solid player. What is your issue with him? Dupree should be getting half of his snaps anyway if he flashes at camp.

McCullers is a monster that puts guys on roller skates, buts he's raw and needs to learn to keep his pads low. Not sure what he has to do with their ****** D because he barely played last season.

I'll give you the secondary.... errr... they could be brutal. Gay had his best season of his career last season at least, but he's still Gay so...

I think Thomas will be a beast, and I'm not sure what Mitchell is. Allen I used to have high hopes for but his confidence has been shaken and a corner with no confidence is a corner with an X on his back.

Moates is a solid back up but he's a bad starter. Can't pass rush at all. One of Dupree or JJ really need to step up.

We'll see about McCullers. I don't have high hopes for late round picks but he has potential.

I know nothing about Thomas so I can't comment. He was always injured or benched behind Troy. I hope he's good.