Steelers’ needs at LB won’t be easy to find
From the notebook of a sportswriter who can鈥檛 think of a worse call that decided a bigger game than the pass interference call not made in New Orleans:
n But then someone on Twitter called it the worst since 鈥淏en was gifted a TD in the Super Bowl.鈥�
n Sigh. That third-down play at the quarter-inch line, which replay actually couldn鈥檛 determine either way, is a battle that won鈥檛 end.
n What Steelers fans could take away from Sunday鈥檚 semifinal round is that they beat the Patriots and were on their way to overtime in New Orleans, but that it just wasn鈥檛 meant to be. Nothing, it seems, has gone right for the Steelers since Ryan Shazier went down.
n I remember watching the 鈥�85 Bears in the NFC Championship Game and how it began snowing at the exact time Wilber Marshall was returning a fumble against the Rams to clinch a spot in the Super Bowl. The announcer said that it was the spirit of the late George Halas breaking through at that moment. Halas had been dead two years and 10 weeks but I believed in the guiding hand from above.
n And so I believed 鈥� perhaps foolishly, or naively 鈥� the same would happen with the late Dan Rooney and his Steelers. The anniversary of his passing will be two years on April 13, so you wonder if he鈥檚 been up there saying 鈥淲hoa鈥� at times, in order to say 鈥淕o鈥� in the near future.
n Some of the setbacks the past two seasons have been that hard to understand.
n OK, back to earth. Now that New England has put the running game back in vogue, I鈥檝e finally settled 鈥� at least for this week anyway 鈥� on the primary position of need for a defense that has two primary positions of need: a linebacker who can stuff the run and also get deep in coverage. In other words, they need a Jack Lambert, a Jack Ham, a Derrick Brooks or a Shazier for their cover-2.
n And, of course, those aren鈥檛 easy to find. I have my doubts as to whether Devin White can fall anywhere close to them, or whether Devin Bush is that guy.
n Although, I should admit that I haven鈥檛 watched Bush closely yet. He鈥檚 only 20 years old. He grew up in southern Florida and played at a major power-five university. In fact, Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert have had great success with Michigan linebackers. And Bush鈥檚 father played safety in the league for eight years. He sounds exactly like a Steelers pick. They鈥檙e not afraid of 5 feet 11 inches, but from my memories of watching the ball in Michigan games, he isn鈥檛 going to get down the seam and cover tight ends.
n I could very well be wrong, and just reading over his bio has made me more optimistic about him. I鈥檒l begin checking him out this week.
n I respect the fact that Daniel Jeremiah has mocked Bush to the Steelers, but by the same token I鈥檓 worried that Mel Kiper has done the same. And if Peter King steps into this and tells me he likes Bush 鈥� the way he told us, guaranteed us, that Bud Dupree was a top 10 talent 鈥� then I鈥檒l back off for sure.
n If Bush isn鈥檛 worthy, trading up for White might cost more than the Steelers are willing to pay. That, in my opinion, is more 鈥淭he Steelers Way鈥� than any of the behavioral conduct we鈥檝e associated with that cliche over the years. They just don鈥檛 overpay 鈥� and that philosophy has served them well.
n Even, I suppose, if windows are closing.
n It鈥檚 funny, because I feel confident the Steelers can get one of the two players who鈥檝e convinced me early in my 鈥渟couting鈥� process that they can fill the right cornerback position, as well as be available at pick 20. I鈥檓 fairly certain either one of the 5-11 corners, Byron Murphy or DeAndre Baker, will be there. It鈥檚 rare that 5-11 corners are drafted in the top 20, let alone two of them.
n Height has never been something that鈥檚 prevented the Steelers from either drafting or playing athletes. Except that I have a hunch they would like a defensive lineman to join Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt up front as 鈥渟hot blockers.鈥� I think that鈥檚 how Big Dan McCullers has lasted this long with them. It鈥檚 an underrated layer of pass defense to go along with rushing and covering.
n The need for a linebacker and a cornerback is probably too strong for the Steelers to consider a defensive lineman in the first round, but their entire defense seems so fragile and dependent on the health of both Heyward and Tuitt to ignore a chance to grab another quality big man. Perhaps they can get lucky and find another Tuitt in the second round.
n And that would make free agency the source for the linebacker or cornerback the Steelers don鈥檛 grab in the first round. But, geez, the list of quality free agents sure is a sparse one. Maybe some of you can pick a gem or two from this list. I don鈥檛 watch enough NFL aside from the game I鈥檓 covering. The guys who stand out to me are Darqueze Dennard and Bradley Roby, both cornerbacks.
n Teryl Austin might be an in for Dennard. Or, hey, maybe he鈥檚 an out. Austin didn鈥檛 get along with Bengals defenders very well, did he?
n That might be what I respect most about him, though.
n Speaking of recruiting free agents, when will Tomlin鈥檚 charisma begin paying off in that area? When will he reap what he has sown in meeting with all of these draft prospects over the years? He bragged about meeting Jalen Ramsey as a Florida State recruit while down in Tallahassee scouting Vince Williams.
n I hear that may have helped in signing Joe Haden after the Browns cut him. How about finding him a partner the same way?
n I used to hear Kelvin Beachum was 鈥渢he kind of guy you鈥檙e always going to be trying to replace鈥� until Todd Haley told me that wasn鈥檛 true. Of course, the Steelers did replace Beachum, but that had more to do with an ACL injury at contract time. But I bring up the point because I wonder if Mike Hilton is a guy they鈥檒l always be trying to replace. Will they want more size, more speed, out of their slot cornerback? Or will Hilton鈥檚 savvy and toughness look a heck of a lot better with a solid No. 2 cornerback in place?
n I鈥檒l shoot for the latter right now.
n The richest vein of talent at pick 20 will probably be edge rusher. And, yes, I鈥檒l accept that as a need for the Steelers. But not a primary need. Especially since I believe a championship-caliber cornerback will be available there.
n But, you have to look them over anyway, and in my initial glances this week I鈥檓 impressed with OLBs such as Brian Burns and Montez Sweat. But when I start thinking about how the Steelers have changed that position since the heydays of Joey Porter and James Harrison, I begin to get that same headache I鈥檝e had the last eight years or so while watching tape of Jarvis Jones and Dupree.
n It鈥檚 pretty much become a four-man front, and lighter OLBs such as Burns, who used to be perfect rushers off the edge of a five-man front, might not be able to stand in there against the run. But heavier, more stiff 4-3 edges, such as Sweat, aren鈥檛 going to cover as well.
n Again, I haven鈥檛 looked over the rest of the deep crop of edge rushers, but I think you understand my headache with this position and agree that while Dupree doesn鈥檛 provide all that much of either rush or coverage, he鈥檚 not the weakness that ILB or CB are right now.
n Maybe in the third round. And I think the days of finding Peezys in the third round are 鈥� if not over 鈥� much more difficult. But I was impressed with the combination of run defense, pass rush and coverage ability from D鈥橝ndre Walker of Georgia. They use him in the exact same way the Steelers use their OLBs.
n And, yes, that brings us back to Jarvis Jones, and now I apologize for your headache.
n Georgia does show off a couple of offensive players who made me feel better: Mecole Hardman looks like a perfect fourth-round slot receiver/ return specialist and Evander鈥檚 son Elijah Holyfield looks like an ideal running back.
n So many holes. And I watched the way Demario Davis ran the Saints鈥� defense and thought how he would鈥檝e been the perfect inside linebacker in free agency last year and how it wouldn鈥檛 have cost much more than $8 million per season for a guy who looks like the Saints鈥� version of James Farrior.
n That would鈥檝e been one less hole they have today and that鈥檚 why every move is so important.
n Easy to say now, of course. Maybe I鈥檓 just feeling this way because of the pressure put on a team that doesn鈥檛 make the playoffs. I鈥檓 just a guy trying to get inside their heads and I can feel that pressure.
n That鈥檚 why the quote by Heyward 鈥� 鈥淚 hope this hurts a lot because it鈥檚 going to be a long offseason鈥� 鈥� was the perfect quote to end a season in which nothing seemed to go their way.