SB Nation - Chris Hoke

NFL Preview: Former BYU Cougars

sroufe — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:42:32 -0000

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh greets former BYU quarterback John Beck (12) as he comes back to the sideline after a first half touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons during their exhibition NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Amis)

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With the 2009 NFL season kicking off tonight in Pittsburgh, it's appropriate to provide a brief preview covering former Cougars playing professionally. There are currently 12 former BYU players on NFL rosters, including rookie WR Austin Collie who finished second on the Indianapolis Colts in receptions during the preseason with eight catches for 69 yards. Two former Cougars should also be playing tonight however in Chris Hoke and Brett Keisel, veterans and long-time Pittsburgh Steelers. (Not a coincidence that last season's champions rostered three BYU alums - the most in the NFL.)

Other players of note include John Beck (reunited with Cam Cameron, the former Miami Head Coach who drafted him) in Baltimore. Beck is QB Joe Flacco's backup along with Troy Smith. Interestingly, Todd Watkins has made the Raiders' roster after struggling to make teams in Arizona and Atlanta. (Of course, his speed certainly didn't hurt his chances with Al Davis' obsession. See: Heyward-Bey, Darrius)

Former BYU linebackers Bryan Kehl (Giants) and Brady Poppinga (Packers) should see a lot of action this season. Last but not least, Fahu Tahi (who signed an offer sheet to return to the Bengals this offseason, but had the offer matched by the Vikings) will get a chance to block for not only Adrian Peterson, but Brett Favre as well.

After the jump is a comprehensive list of those currently playing professionally, their years spent at BYU, and their current teams. Who will you be paying the most attention to this season?

NFL

(2004, 2007-08) Austin Collie, WR, Indianapolis Colts (Rookie)
(2004-05) Todd Watkins, WR, Oakland Raiders
(2003-06) John Beck, QB, Baltimore Ravens
(2003-06) Daniel Coats, TE, Cincinnati Bengals
(2002, 2005-07) Bryan Kehl, LB, New York Giants
(2001-04) Brady Poppinga, LB, Green Bay Packers
(2001-04) Aaron Francisco, S, Indianapolis Colts
(2001-04) John Denney, LS, Miami Dolphins
(1999, 2003-05) Fahu Tahi, FB, Minnesota Vikings
(1998, 2000-01) Brett Keisel, DE, Pittsburgh Steelers
(1998-01) Ryan Denney, DE, Buffalo Bills
(1997-00) Chris Hoke, DT, Pittsburgh Steelers

Free Agents

(2006-08) Travis Bright, OG (Dallas Cowboys) (Rookie 2009)
(2006-08) David Oswald, OT (St. Louis Rams) (Rookie 2009)
(2006-07) Kelly Poppinga, LB (Arizona Cardinals)
(2005-08) Ray Feinga, OG (San Diego Chargers) (Rookie 2009)
(2005-08) Dallas Reynolds, OG (Philadelphia Eagles) (Rookie 2009)
(2003, 2006-08) David Nixon, LB (Oakland Raiders) (Rookie 2009)
(2003, 2006-08) Fui Vakapuna, FB (Cincinnati Bengals) (Rookie 2009)
(2005-06) Jonny Harline, TE (Cleveland Browns)
(2004-06) Cameron Jensen, LB (Seattle Seahawks)
(2004-06) Zac Collie, WR (Philadelphia Eagles)
(2002-04, 2006) Curtis Brown, RB (Oakland Raiders)
(2002-04) Shaun Nua, DE (Pittsburgh Steelers)
(2002-04) Scott Young, OG (Cleveland Browns)
(2000-03) Scott Jackson, OG (Houston Texans)
(1998, 2001-02) Reno Mahe, RB (Philadelphia Eagles)
(1996-98) John Tait, OT (Chicago Bears)
(1993, 1997-99) Rob Morris, LB (Indianapolis Colts)

CFL

(2005-06) Aaron Wagner, LB, Saskatchewan Roughriders
(1997, 2000-01) Ben Archibald, OG, Calgary Stampeders (New Orleans Saints)
(1996-97) Ben Cahoon, WR, Montreal Alouettes
(1996-97) Omarr Morgan, CB, Saskatchewan Roughriders (St. Louis Rams)

UFL

(2000-03) Colby Bockwoldt, LB, Florida Tuskers (Cleveland Browns)

AFL

(2003-06) Jake Kuresa, OT, Utah Blaze (New Orleans Saints)

(Should there be any errors or additions please feel free to correct me in the comments below.)

State Of The Steelers Roster: The Defensive Line

Blitzburgh — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 12:25:34 -0000

Like I did last year on BTSC, I again plan to take a crack at breaking down the state of the Steelers roster heading into the free agency period and the build up to the NFL Draft. The objective is to take a look back at the most recent play by position, the ages and contract statuses of the relevant players at that position, and then make some reasonable evaluations of what the Steelers front office may do moving forward in the immediate and intermediate future. Let's start it out with a look at the unheralded but consistently impressive defensive line.

TOP 5 STEELERS DL IN 2008

Player	Age	2008 Cap Hit	2009 Cap Hit	Years Remaining
Casey Hampton	31 (Sept)	$ 5,378,043	$ 6,652,000	1
Aaron Smith	32 (Apr)	$ 4,755,760	$ 3,950,000	3
Brett Keisel	30 (Sept)	$ 3,151,340	$ 4,998,000	1
Chris Hoke	32 (Apr)	$ 1,481,240	$ 1,675,000	3
Travis Kirschke	34 (Sept)	$ 983,360	$ 1,300,000	1

There's more...quite a bit in fact...after the poll and the jump. Hold off on voting until you read on however. Seriously. Mike Tomlin disapproves of short-cuts. So should you.

Yikes. I'll take some Infusion Of Youth for $500, Alex.

In all actuality though, we're in pretty darn good shape in 2009. Provided the DL doesn't get ravaged by the injury bug any more so than it did early on in the 2008 season, this DL is a very safe bet to anchor another top 5 rush defense and again pave the way for special statistical seasons for our attackers on the outside - Wood and Deebo.

Let's see...Keisel's got a good year in him in 2009, regardless of his future after that. When healthy he's still got a motor that runs with the best of them and can disrupt some things in the passing game with his vertical leap and above average sense of timing. Aaron Smith again proved his truly special durability and value in 2008. Casey Hampton recovered from an abysmal start to his year after showing up to camp out of shape. By year's end, after coming back from injury and benefiting from some needed rest at the end of the season, Hampton again helped anchor one of the NFL's very best rush defenses - not to mention occupied blockers alongside Smith so that James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley could do their thing against single coverage most of the time.

Still, you can count on replacements being secured for Kirschke, Keisel, and as we'll debate later, even Hampton in this coming Free Agency period and in the Draft. And of course, there will be intense competition for one of the final 53 roster spots and practice squad spots amongst a crop of undrafted free agents and former practice squad journey men that our scouts feel are worth keeping an eye on. That will all play out as it will. But by looking at the top 5 on our depth chart above, it sure looks like the Steelers will use two of their top five picks on defensive linemen, be it at DT or DE.

2008 KEY DL RESERVES - Age; 2009 Cap Hit; Years Remaining; 2008 Cap Hit

Nick Eason - 28 years old; $678,000; 1 year remaining; $667,300

Orpheus Roye - 36 years old; 2009 Free Agent; $485,000

Reserves Analysis:

A special shout out to Nick Eason, who played in 15 games this year and did all that was asked of him, beginning with a highlight game in Week 1 against the Texans registering 4 tackles and 1/2 a sack. Obviously I don't see the Steelers extending Eason for multiple years, but who knows exactly what might happen to him in 2009 and 2010 more notably. It depends on a myriad factors, including but not limited to our Draft decisions this year; the development (or lack of) from 'project' type young'ns, what he'd be willing to sign for, etc. We'll see. After seemingly being frequently frustrated with Eason in 2007, I distinctly remember Eason doing much better in 2008, as well as reading several reports about how he had impressed his coaches with his progress this past year. So hopefully he'll be ready to go again in 2009 if called upon. And if that's all we can count on from him, I'd be more than content and satisfied with his tenure in Pittsburgh.

(When you're coming off a Super Bowl victory, it's so much easier to give a salute to guys like Eason than when your team came up short, is it not? Ha! Kidding aside, he was a contributor in many ways to this Super Bowl, even if those ways were smallish in magnitude. Eason played some ST as well don't forget. But yeah, point stands..much easier to be pleased with reserve contributions when you win!)

As for Roye? Good signing. Good risk-reward play by the Steelers brass. Surely some younger player will at least have the chance to knock him out of the mix in 2009, but if Roye decides to stay in shape and play again in 2009, he'll surely find an opportunity to do so on someone's depth chart, be it in Pittsburgh in an emergency role or elsewhere.

Not yet mentioned: Scott Paxson. A DT that the Steelers acquired undrafted out of Penn State. Hopefully a year with the Steelers strength and conditioning coaches has helped Paxson put on some serious weight and strength to that 290 pound frame of his that he entered the league in.

<aside>Wow, just realized that I referred to a 290 pound person as undersized. RIDICULOUS</aside>

There's no way to really know just yet, but what the organization thinks of Paxson could have some bearing on the ranking of the Steelers numerous contingency plans that they head to the war room with when the 2009 Draft is held in New York City a few months from now.

SALARY COMPARISON ACROSS NFL

The following is an ordered list of DTs ranked by their 2008 cap hit. This is just me providing you with consolidated information to get a better idea of what kind of scratch we're talking about market value wise when evaluating the likelihood of certain Steelers players being extended. Their ages are included as well. There are no clear as day patterns here or anything like that - there's a wide mix of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd contract type players here and lots of different conclusions can be drawn.

DEFENSIVE TACKLES / NOSE TACKLES

Dan Klecko (PHI) - $10,651,720 (28 years)
Pat Williams (MIN) - $8,400,124 (36 years)
Albert Haynesworth (TEN) - $7,250,003 (27 years)
Cornelius Griffin (WAS) - $6,166,333 (32 years)
Tommie Harris (CHI) - $6,031,862 (~26 years)
Kris Jenkins (NYJ) - $5,900,000 (29.5 years)
Marcus Stroud (BUF) - $ 5,668,706 (30.5 years)
CASEY HAMPTON (PIT) - $ 5,378,043 (31.5 years)
Rocky Bernard (SEA) - $ 5,066,626 (~30 years)
Gerard Warren (OAK) - $5,000,000 (30.5 years)

I don't even want to know whyy Dan Klecko earned close to $10 in bonuses last year, so let's consider that an insane outlier and just look at the rest of the list. Pat Williams is getting paid because all he does is clog gaps. Just like Casey Hampton. Even at the tender age of 36 though. Williams signed that big deal with Minny when he was 33 years old, which would roughly be the same for Hampton when he becomes a free agent in 2010. What it's really going to come down to is two things: 1) Will Hampton accept a deal that continues to pay him in the top 10 at his position, rather than the top 5 or top 3 even? If the answer is a yes then it may just come down to 2) If he shows up to camp in shape. If he does..as in like, really in shape and eager to pull his weight in a run at a repeat, then it very well could happen.

Onward.

DEFENSIVE ENDS

Julius Peppers (CAR) - $ 14,137,500 (28 years)
Aaron Schobel (BUF) - $ 8,723,555 (~31.5 years)
John Abraham (ATL) - $ 8,501,920 (30.5 years)
T-Sizzle Suggs (BAL) - $ 8,475,000 (26 years)
Jared Allen (MIN) - $ 8,002,531 (~27 years)
Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila (GB) - $ 7,726,828 (~31.5 years)
Jason Taylor (WAS) - $ 7,500,000 (34.5 years)
Luis Castillo (SDG) - $ 6,989,380 (25.5 years)
Mario Williams (HOU) - $ 6,881,720 (24 years)
Richard Seymour (Pats) - $ 6,836,720 (~29.5 years)

23rd. Aaron Smith (PIT) - $ 4,755,760

41st. Brett Keisel (PIT) - $ 3,151,340

Well, first of all, let me acknowledge that we're talking about a bunch of players playing in different schemes - some in the 3-4; some in the 4-3. Their perceived value as measured by contract$ is consequently different, with 4-3 DEs being the guys who get the kind of pub that the LaMarr Woodley's and James Harrison's of the 3-4s get.

Nevertheless, we can still all agree on these two things - Aaron Smith's a total bargain. He's infinitely more durable than Richard Seymour, who's basically considered the gold standard for 3-4 DEs. And he makes less money. And oh yeah, he's better than him too.

As for Brett Keisel. While valuable and an integral part of our defense in his peak years of 27-30, I don't think he's worth the coin to keep into his 30s given what we know about the Steelers scouting personnel and their ability to find outstanding talent. Hey, Brett Keisel was a 7th rounder himself don't forget.There's one possibility that hasn't yet really been discussed amongst Steelers Nation and that's this: it's not likely, but we may start seeing players taking less money, slightly that is, to go to teams with dynamic young coaches that are creating environments that players want to be a part of. Money talks, BS walks. I hear ya, believe me, but with the economic climate the way it is and with the uncertainty surrounding the Collective Bargaining Agreement's pending expiration...well, let's just say expecting recent years' trends to hold is not the safest of bets in my opinion.

CONCLUSIONS:

Let's count our lucky stars that DE Aaron Smith is locked up through the 2011 season, when he'll 35 years of age. I honestly wouldn't be the least bit surprised if Smith remains productive until he's closer to 40 than 35. He's so durable. 2007 was the first year of his career that he missed even one game after tearing his biceps against New England.

What about Casey Hampton? Well, let me just say this first. I think that it's too frequently that we immediately discount the possibility of guys in their 30s coming off their second contract to get extensions. 'The Steelers just don't do that' is what's usually said. Well, that's true but not universally. There's another myth out there that the 'Steelers are cheap and don't pay their older players.' Also not true. Here are the Steelers league rank in terms of payroll the past five years: 2008: 6th; 2007: 9th : 2006: 23rd ; 2005: 10th ; 2004 22nd.

The reality is the Steelers seem to be flexible with their spending limits. We've seen that with James Farrior, who signed a long term deal with substantial guarantees. And we're about to see it with James Harrison, who most would have said a year ago at this time was likely to be headed elsewhere after the 2009 season. Myself included. I'll hold off on fleshing this out, but let's just say I believe we're entering a four year window where the Steelers can legitimately achieve dynastic greatness. As in perhaps two more Super Bowls; and being a touch more conservative, let's just say the opportunity to host playoff games and make a run for the next four years as Ben enters his prime years, Santonio takes his game to the next level, Woodley and Deebo continue to reign terror on the league, our offensive line gets cleaned up, etc. etc. There's one area on the team where there's less certainty about 2-4 years down the road and that's the defensive line. We've got Aaron Smith for the run at greatness. I'd imagine that someone will get drafted on Day 1 this year to fill in for Brett Keisel in 2010, as well as a 2nd Day selection or two to compete for jobs with guys like Kirschke, Eason, Paxon.
Shoring up the offensive line, finding a replacement for Keisel, and since so many of you want to see B-Mac let go, a CB to fill in for him, AND for DeShea as he gets well into his mid 30s..well, there's only so many picks we have. (This is why we need to re-up either B-Mac or Big Snack..period. Can't let both walk and expect to accomplish our other goals this Draft.) So as it relates to Big Snack Hampton, I'll stop here and just say that I hope we find a way to keep him around to help us achieve those lofty goals floating out there in our most optimistic of projections. Guys like Snack don't grow on trees. In fact, they don't even come around every year; or five years really. He's that good when healthy. And at just 31 years of age, I hope like hell we at least keep the door open for re-signing him late this summer. What I'd do? See what kind of shape he shows up to Latrobe in after a summer of basking in Super Bowl glory. He was embarrassed last camp. Show up ready to eat, figuratively speaking on the field, then sign the dude and let him retire a Steeler and make a run at Canton having worn just one jersey.

Thoughts?

-MB (Blitz)-

behindthesteelcurtain@gmail.com

Poll

Casey Hampton gets re-upped before Week 1 of the 2009 NFL season, assuming he shows up to camp in much better shape than last year.

True

573 votes

False

248 votes

821 votes | Poll has closed

Opponent Scouting: The Steelers

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 03:00:06 -0000

Blitzburgh at Behind The Steel Curtain is answering questions in our FanPost area. When you can, jump over there and read some of his answers on key match-ups for Sunday's game. In this post, we'll scout the Pittsburgh Steelers, a team that has been more of a nemesis for the Colts than New England, going back 40-plus years.

Hines Ward is not afraid to get dirty.

Steelers Offense

I've been writing all week that the Colts have never won in the city of Pittsburgh. that is actually not true. They did win there once, 40 years ago. Just to put that into perspective for you, the last time the Colts won in Steel Town Johnny Unitas was quarterbacking them, Terry Bradshaw was in college, and Peyton Manning wasn't even an itch in his daddy's pants. It is pretty safe to say that, for the past 40 years, the Steelers have OWNED the Colts, regardless of whether they are in Baltimore or Indy. The Colts are, I believe, winless all-time against the Steelers in the playoffs. The most recent playoff lose was one of the most gut-wrenching games I've ever witnessed.

One of the reasons the Steelers have beaten the Colts for so many years is their offense: Ball control, physical line, control the clock. However, since they hired former-Colts QB coach Bruce Arians as their offensive coordinator two years ago, the Steelers have adopted a variation of the Manning-Moore offense (or M&M offense, if you want to get cute and adopt a nickname for it). This offense puts more emphasis on deeper drops, long pass routes, and big plays down the field. The Steelers use Hines Ward, who is still one of the top 3 WRs in all of football, in a role similar to Marvin Harrison's role for years in Indy. The running game is less "physical," using cutback runners like Willie Parker to gash defenses for big yardage. I use "physical" in quotes because game analysis morons often confuse "physical" with "big, fat guys that run into people." Gone are the Bam Morris or Jerome Bettis-type RBs in Pittsburgh, but to say Willie Parker is not "physical" is simple ignorance. Parker is a tough runner who can make people miss and run over people. His running sets up the play action passes that lead to big plays down the field.

The weakness of this offense is the offensive line. It is not a dominant, physical line. But that doesn't mean it is "bad." Ben Roethisliberger, who has developed into an elite NFL QB, still holds onto the football too long. This has exposed him to several devastating hits from defenders. It is also why he has been sacked so often, which in turn is why he is nursing several nagging injuries. Ben's back-up is Byron Leftwich, and if there ever was anyone worse at holding the ball too long and taking sacks, Leftwich is that guy. Though he played well last Monday night against the Redskins, our old friend Fatty McButterpants likely still has his old tenancy to stare down receivers and take stupid hits. Pressure on the QB is vital. Without it, the Colts are dead.

Steelers Defense

The Steelers might have the best defense in all of football. Everyone talks about Tennessee's defense, and for good reason (they are 8-0 after all). But they have shown a tendency to give up rushing yards of late. The Steelers dominate the point of attack. For all the love Albert Haynesworth gets, it is my opinion that Casey Hampton is a better player. Unlike Haynesworth, Hampton plays hard on every play. When Hampton has been hurt, his replacement, Chris Hoke, is also a helluva NT himself.

Casey Hampton will eat you.

With their dominat NT and DE play (Aaron Smith is good too), the Steelers are able to turn loose their LBers. Pittsburgh's defensive play makers are their LBers, and they might have the best group in football. They rush the passer with their outside linebackers, in particular James Harrison, who has 10 sacks.

Surprisingly, Pittsburgh does use a similar cover scheme the Colts use, and for good reason: The famed "Cover 2" was honed in Pittsburgh back in the 1970s. As AOL Fanhouse explains (surprisingly) well:

The cornerbacks are coached to fly up in run support, strong safety Troy Polamalu is as much of a linebacker as a defensive back, and the four starting linebackers are all strong enough to shed blockers on plays run at them, but also fast enough to track down plays run away from them.

Polamalu is in the same relative league as Bob Sanders, though Bob likely gets the slight edge (I don't see Defensive Player of the Year on Polamalu's resume). That doesn't take anything away from Polamalu. Where Bob is probably the best hitting and tackling safety in football, Troy is the best coverage safety. He can run with WRs, and just as Bob's coverage skills are under-rated, Troy tackling skills are often overlooked. Polamalu is a very tough matchup for Indy as he will cover Dallas Clark, play in the box on run downs, and blitz... often. Knowing where Troy Polamalu is at all times is paramount to beating Pittsburgh.

Special Teams

To put in mildly, the Steelers special teams have been a train wreck of late. They just cut their injured punter, Mitch Berger, a few days ago. Though they rank OK in Football Outsiders special teams rankings, Blitzburgh says:

Our return game is awful, simply awful. The Steelers are 30th at kick returns with an avg of 20 yards and our punt avg is worst in the league with an average of 5.3. We have tried varied personnel returning but just can’t get it done. Last game we blocked a punt, and personally I’d like to see us try that more, but it probably won’t happen too often.

The Steelers do have a very good FG kicker who knows how to kick at Heinz Field, a stadium referred to as the "black hole for kickers." Their coverage units have also been good.

Coaching

Mike Tomlin is one of the best young head coaches in football for one reason: A lack of ego. When hired two years ago, rather than come into Pittsburgh and institute wholesale changes, Tomlin did what very few new coaches do: He left well enough alone. Tomlin, a former Tampa 2 coordinator mentored by Tony Dungy, retained the tried and true zone blitz scheme that Steelers coordinator Dick LeBeau has perfected. Tomlin even kept LeBeau on staff. Please understand, players needed for a zone blitz scheme are completely different than players needed for a Tampa 2 scheme. But rather than scrapping the battle tested system and making players fit to his philosophy of defense, he reversed the process.

Tomlin learned the zone blitz instead of making his players learn the Tampa 2. My, how refreshing.

Tomlin has also shown a knack for smart game planning and discipline. The Steelers commit few penalties and rarely beat themselves with boneheaded plays in crunch time. They do not lose their composure and play hard on every down. That says all you need to know about Tomlin.

Conclusion

Tough, attacking-style defense that shows multiple looks regardless of down and distance. Able to create pressure with their front line (Hampton and Aaron Smith are very good), with their LBers, or even their secondary. They have the best coverage safety in football, and their CBs are deceptively good. Their offense is similar to the Colts, but relies more on deeper drops and more plays down the field. Ben Roethlisberger is hurt and has taken too many hits this season thus far. Willie Parker is returning to form, and the WRs are as good as it gets.

This is a tough match-up for the Colts, but not an impossible one. Key to defeating Pittsburgh is pressure on the QB. Roethlisberger has crumbled this season in the face of consistent pressure. The offense is also turnover prone of late, with 5 in the last two games. Stopping the run and pressuring Roethlisberger will allow the Colts offense time (and field position) to move the ball against a very, very tough Pittsburgh defense.

This is a mega big game for both teams.

UPDATE: Willie Parker has now been ruled out for Sunday's game.