OT: The Pittsburgher Thread: Camp Tomlin

[Captain Hook]

Found this article about him.

Brandon Boykin: Not starting story "getting real old"

He's talented and athletic, arguably the best slot corner in the NFL. But he's on the shorter side, or at least according to parameters set by the Eagles, and it probably has made cracking the starting lineup a difficult task as Boykin enters his fourth season.

"Probably the same. Just keeping it 100," he said Tuesday after practice. "It's two years running with this story and it's getting real old for me, and I'm just going to continue to be the best slot in the NFL. I feel like I am. I feel like my statistics show that and that's what I'm focused on.

I also hope this acquisition doesn't mean Golson's injury is really bad.

 

[Captain Hook]

 

[ImporterExporter]

Boykin is a legit find for a low round pick. 25 and can cover. This means the Steelers don't trust the secondary and possibly that Golson is hurt pretty badly.

Really happy to have Boykin coming in. Our CB group needed an upgrade.

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

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.

I wouldn't say he is a bad pass rusher. He's avg. He's a tweener between being a starter and a good backup.

I wouldn't write McCullers off because of where he was picked, given where they found guys like Beachum and Brown.

I think Thomas will be a hell of a player, or a guy with tons of potential pissed away because his body couldn't hold up to his style of play in the NFL.

 

[OnMyOwn]

He'll start here. Pretty much becomes our best corner. I like it

 

[TNT87]

Just found out about this on here. I like this move by them.

 

[Al Smith]

Boykin a much-needed upgrade over any of the other CBs in camp, it would seem. Not bad for a fifth.

I guess it could mean Golson's injury is serious, or it could be the Steelers planned on trying to pick a veteran up all along, and this just happens to coincide with the injury.

 

[Captain Hook]

Yeah, I like the move too. Seems like a no brainer given the fairly low cost.

As I said earlier, I am a bit worried that it may be a bad sign about 2015 2nd rounder Senquez Golson's shoulder injury. Given how similar he and Boykin are as undersized CB's with good ball skills, it almost seems like a replacement move. Steelers have been quiet about the specifics and severity of Golson's shoulder injury so far though. We'll just have to wait and see.

Best case scenario to me is that Golson can get healthy before the end of the year and that long-term Boykin replaces our other smallish CB William Gay. Boykin is entering the final year of his deal but so is William Gay. Seems logical to let Gay go after this year and re-sign Boykin instead since he's so much younger and obviously has better upside. Gay has been surprisingly solid since returning but Boykin just turned 25 and Gay turns 31 in January.

 

[Asuna]

I remember Boykin being one of the better Eagles cornerbacks...I wonder why they sold so low on him. Oh well. Good job by Colbert to get Boykin. He should help a lot.

 

[TNT87]

Martavis Bryant will undergo a procedure for an infection in his elbow. Will be out about ten days and will miss the HOF game.

 

[OnMyOwn]

I remember Boykin being one of the better Eagles cornerbacks...I wonder why they sold so low on him. Oh well. Good job by Colbert to get Boykin. He should help a lot.

He was unhappy and all but asked for a trade. He was going to walk after this season. Plus NFL values are so strange. Good players go for 4th and 5th rounders all the time it seems.

 

[AgentM]

Love the Boykin trade. Like OnMyOwn said he is the best CB on our roster and should start. We might have gotten really lucky here by getting a really good player at a great price thanks to Chip Kelly wanting to totally turn over his roster. Kinda like the Pens getting Kessel cheap

 

[ColePens]

The one article said the Eagles didn't want to start him because of his height? I'm glad the Steelers got a hold of that one. That is huge.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

Boykin a much-needed upgrade over any of the other CBs in camp, it would seem. Not bad for a fifth.

I guess it could mean Golson's injury is serious, or it could be the Steelers planned on trying to pick a veteran up all along, and this just happens to coincide with the injury.

Kelly on Sunday told reporters that Boykin appeared "stunned" by the trade when the coach delivered the news.

"He was disappointed," Kelly said. "I think he really liked it here, very close with his teammates."

The third-year coach admitted the timing for Boykin wasn't ideal but that the Eagles had developed better depth at corner with three rookies and the Steelers had "actively pursued" Boykin, dating back to the draft. Kelly said the Eagles turned down the Steelers twice.

Kelly said the offers from the Steelers kept getting better. The Eagles received a fifth-round pick in the 2016 draft. If Boykin plays more than 60 percent of Pittsburgh's defensive plays this season, the pick becomes a fourth-rounder.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/1...comments-philadelphia-eagles-coach-chip-kelly

Of course, the lead on the story was clarification of comments Boykin made about Kelly.

 

[nsvoyageurs]

They tried to get Boykins since around the Draft; have had their sights on him for a while. This is a definite upgrade over what they cuurently have.

It does appear Golson's injury must be more serious than they've let on; wouldn't surprise me if they put him on the PUP list to start the season, meaning he'll miss the first 6 weeks. Wouldn't shock me if he ends up on season ending IR.

 

[Captain Hook]

It is interesting how long they've targeted Boykin. I guess they just see him as a good fit for what they want to do under Keith Butler.

Cortez Allen had another pick in camp today. It probably says more about how bad our QB's not named Roethlisberger are but Allen has been having a great camp. Doran Grant had a pick and an overall good day at camp too based on reports.

There's also just a gut feeling I have about this Anthony Chickillo kid. He was a late rounder this year and never really got going to his full potential in college because he wasn't a very good fit for what Miami does schematically. He seems like a good fit for the Steelers though.

 

[djt153]

hasn't using late round picks to draft Miami kids been a winning strategy over the past five or so years? seems like they really manage to coach highly regarded kids down

 

[nsvoyageurs]

It wouldn't surprise me if they pick another CB early in next year's draft; in today's NFL, you can never have enough good CB's. Besides, Allen still needs to show he can bounce back; Golson is hurt, the rest of the CB's are best suited to be nickel/dime backs. They seem to be going after a different type of cornerback with Keith Butler the Defensive Coordinator than they did with Dick Lebeau. (It wouldn't surprise me if they switch to a 4-3 defence within 2-3 years; definitely within 5 years).

Good to hear Allen has had a good camp. Need to save those INT's he's had in camp for the regular season/playoffs.

 

[djt153]

also, how do you get an infection in your elbow if you havent had a prior surgery? i am the farthest thing from a doctor so maybe this happens all the time and im simply ignorant

 

[The Old Master]

also, how do you get an infection in your elbow if you havent had a prior surgery? i am the farthest thing from a doctor so maybe this happens all the time and im simply ignorant

ingrown hair......sounds stupid, but it doesn't matter how or what if it got infected

 

[Captain Hook]

 

[Big McLargehuge]

He was born to be a Steeler.

 

[JTG]

Haha. Typical. What's a Steelers rookie if they don't have a season ending injury?

 

[DanielPlainview]

On the plus side, Doran Grant seems to be doing well.

http://www.steelersdepot.com/2015/0...-how-will-golsons-absence-affect-doran-grant/

 

[Mr Jeff Jimerson]

Love the Boykin trade. Like OnMyOwn said he is the best CB on our roster and should start. We might have gotten really lucky here by getting a really good player at a great price thanks to Chip Kelly wanting to totally turn over his roster. Kinda like the Pens getting Kessel cheap

Comparing Boykin to Kessel. You, sir, have failed.