Good Thursday to you Steelers’ Fans!
As we broke down the day three selections by the Steelers on the Steel City Blitz Podcast last night we got around to seventh round pick Joshua Frazier of Alabama. The conversation that ensued ended up being more about Dan McCullers. “Big Dan” was surprisingly brought back by the Steelers albeit for one more year at a very low cost. In the rare instances where McCullers brings everything he has, he’s unstoppable. The problem is that this show of force is rare. Enter Frazier who at 321 pounds will likely be McCullers’ main competition. Frazier is pretty one-dimensional in that he’s a run-stopper only but that might be enough for Keith Butler and Mike Tomlin. After seeing the defense struggle to stop the run and keep blockers off of the linebackers, Frazier may indeed work himself into that last roster spot on the defensive line. If he can perform at a more consistent level than McCullers then ‘Big Dan’ may finally be on the way out.
Speaking of the Steel City Blitz Steelers Podcast presented by 26shirts.com/Pittsburgh… We discussed the draft, Ben Roethlisberger’s comments about Mason Rudolph and we even discussed Prom. Ya, you read that right. Listen in right here.
Tweet of the Day #1… Just make sure no one steals it.
RT if I should bring back riding the bike to practice! pic.twitter.com/aw9JvqFIyS
— JuJu Smith-Schuster (@TeamJuJu) May 3, 2018
While it came as no surprise, the Steelers placed Ryan Shazier on the Reserve Injured/Physically Unable to Perform list. He will earn his $8 plus million but will not count towards the Steelers’ 90-man roster heading into camp. For those suggesting that the team should cut Shazier in order to save money that isn’t how it works. He would still be owed that money. The Steelers actually did a little more work on this this morning per Adam Schefter.
Tweet of the Day #2… Class Organization
Steelers converted $8.26M of LB Ryan Shazier’s $8.718M base salary for 2018 into a signing bonus, meaning he will receive the money immediately, per @FieldYates. Nice gesture for a beloved player.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 3, 2018
There are few teams and organizations I hate like I do the Cowboys but I have no problem telling you that Jason Witten was an easy guy to like. He formally announced his retirement this morning and will no doubt be an excellent TV personality. Witten was a “pro’s pro” from the time he entered the league through today. Just sad he had to be a Cowboy!
From Steelers’ Mouthpiece Gerry Dulac’s chat over at post-gazette.com…
Tim from Big T Country: Hi Gerry. What I’ve been reading I think Coach Tomlin didn’t agree on some of the picks. Your Thoughts. ThanksÂ
Gerry Dulac: I don’t know where you’ve been reading, but I suggest you stop reading that person
This is yet another reason why fans can’t rely just the newspaper guys. I can tell without any doubt that this entire draft had Kevin Colbert’s hands all over it. That doesn’t mean Tomlin didn’t have input but he did not hold the final decision on any selections from what I’ve been told. Besides, does Dulac really believe that coaches and GMs agree on every single selection? That’s a fantasy world.
Have a great day Steeler Nation!
2 comments
I all fairness to McCullers he could be awesome we just don’t know. The sample size is just too small. What the Steelers haven’t pick up on is there is a way thru NE. And it’s by rotating your D-line it works. And the Steelers unwillingness to sub guys out works against us. Maybe Big Dan is just what we need we just don’t know it. BTW the gravedigger didn’t look too hot last year.
I like the optimism Bob but the fact he rarely got a helmet last year was pretty much an indictment of his poor effort. We’ve seen him be a beast but he just doesn’t flash that enough. I agree about Hargrave. He’s not drawing the double teams we thought he would.