Post Browns Mock

[SteelerDayTrader]

I don’t think this team has what it takes. Players that don’t deliver in big moments and coaches that struggle to play winning football against good teams

I don’t see any unit this team can really exploit good teams with consistently.

OLB is probably the Steelers best unit and strong suit mentality wise. Say what you will but they simply do not get it done when it comes to closing out tough games. Good players good coaching. They haven’t ever been able to close things out in big moments against good teams. Not putting all the Steelers failings on them just pointing out this is the Steelers best unit and they disappear too much when it matters

I’d put the DBs as the next best unit. Beanie Bishop Donte Jackson and Deshon Elliot is one helluva add in one season. Jackson is a FA after this year. The Steelers have ALOT of must sign contracts coming up. It won’t be easy. The Steelers being who they are I think it’s very possible Jackson gets a big contract at 30 years of age.

After the DBs not much left as far as fairly solid units but ILB has improved and been mostly better than I expected particularly Queen and Wilson. It’s a high injury position and the best ILB Roberts will be a free agent and 32. The Steelers ZERO depth here of any kind

Every other unit on the Steelers has some serious flaws

When I get down to tandems that can begin building solid units those are hard to find as well

I like McCormick. Moore and Jones are improving and not horrible

Washington and Austin have some traits you can win with given an offense that uses them well

Warren is a decent to better spare part

Pickens is the best player on the team and the only one opponents have to worry too much about. In a better offense he’d be a OPOY candidate. He’s gonna take a HUGE contract to stay in Pittsburgh

Russ Wilson is a QB you can win with. The OL particularly in the middle has really let him down in big moments at times

Tomlin is a good coach. Like all the rest he has his flaws. When his playmakers are making plays he looks good. When they aren’t he looks bad.

Truthfully I’m not completely sure how this team gets over the hump but I do know this. They just don’t have enough guys that can slam the door late. Argue bitch piss moan all you want. The players have to get it done on the field and they don’t. If they did all the little minutiae most of you argue ad infinitum wouldn’t make much difference

Offensively the Steelers need to do notably better. They aren’t good enough to go far in the postseason. Defensively the Steelers need to do notably better. They aren’t good enough to go far in the postseason season

I expect this team to make the playoffs and MAYBE eek out 1 win

Wow do I hate the top of this draft for the Steelers needs. Please fucking trade down and grab some high ceiling monsters that give you good value AND STAY AWAY from reaching for need Khan. You got that ?? This team isn’t good enough on either side of the ball and has damn few genuinely remarkable players AND has several must sign big contracts coming up. Don’t fuck this up reaching and don’t fear trading down


1. Trade down for 2 3 5

2. Kenneth Grant DL Michigan
High motor big man that makes plays vs run and pass. Might run a sub 5.0 40 at 330+. Don’t get your tits in a knot about 2 down vs 3 down player in the 2nd round. The Steelers D gets crushed vs the run late far too often. Happens more than it should earlier with better teams as well. I’m not ready to blame all that on Benton or even Heyward but the Steelers DL has to do a lot better. Take a BIG swing with this guy.

2. Trade down for 3 4

3. Jalen Royals WR Utah State
Well built fast hands catcher who will go up and get it

3. Nick Singleton RB PSU
Decent speed and grind ability

3. Elic Ayomanor WR Stanford

4. Bryce Foster OL Kansas

4. DeMonte Capehart DL Clemson

5. Trade for 6 7

5 Trade down for 6 7

6 Damien Martinez RB Miami

6 Trey Moore OLB/LB Texas

7 Maliq Carr TE Houston

7 Bru McCoy WR Tennessee

7 Chantz Williams OLB/LB Charlotte

7 Trace Ford OLB/LB Oklahoma



1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 7

[K_C_]

Have the Steelers ever traded down 2 or 3 times in a draft?

[SteelerDayTrader]

Have the Steelers ever traded down 2 or 3 times in a draft?

They’ve only ever been winners with 2 QBs their fans their coaching staff and their ownership hated and sabotaged at every turn

Maybe they should realize almost all of their success has been mostly accidental/lucky and wholly in spite of themselves ??

[K_C_]

Have the Steelers ever traded down 2 or 3 times in a draft?

They’ve only ever been winners with 2 QBs their fans their coaching staff and their ownership hated and sabotaged at every turn

Maybe they realize almost all of their success has been mostly accidental/lucky and wholly in spite of themselves

Not exactly answering my question.......

Nobody hated Bradshaw or Roethlisberger. They left everything they had on the field, were great for a long time then got old, struggled some and their careers came to an end.

That happens to every football player, even great ones.

Did you ever see the score from Dan Marino's last game? Marino's career ended at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1999 Divisional Playoffs in an ugly 62-7 loss.

62-7.

Bradshaw's arm fell off against (I believe) the Jets and Ben got destroyed by the Chiefs in a playoff game.

Even the careers of sure-fire Hall of Famers can end badly.

[Ice]

I think you've nailed it that the first two picks are going to be DL and WR in some order, and if they let Najee go (oh, who am I kidding...) then RB won't be far behind, but (and I know this is what you want them to do, not what you think they're going to do), they'll stand pat for those top three picks. Or trade up. We seem to have acquired more of a penchant for that than trading down in the last several years.

If you really nail WR and DL, and Russ doesn't lose too much more to Father Time in the offseason (same with Heyward on the DL), than you might really have something in 2025.

[tbsteel]

Truthfully I’m not completely sure how this team gets over the hump

And that's the thing, it's not. It's all over but for the shoutin'.

Tomlin was the right hire in 2007 for a veteran team with a young franchise QB. He was the perfect choice and motivator that could push the right buttons for that mostly veteran, battle-experienced group to get the absolute best out of them.

And he had a great, unbelievable run those first five years.

But as the veterans on that team started to decline, and then ultimately retire, with players like James Harrison, Hines Ward, Troy, and others moving on, the scenario changed. This team went from needing a bulldog motivator who can keep the ship on course and on time to needing more innovation given the changing dynamics of their team. An innovator that from an x's and o's standpoint could be flexible enough to morph the overall vision of the scheme into highlighting the strengths of the roster while trying to diminish its weaknesses.

For awhile, it was fine because we had a legendary, HOF QB in his prime who could basically run the offense on his own. Despite Tomlin's natural conservative tendencies, Big Ben had mostly free rein. But in key moments, Tomlin's stubborn, super conservative nature would rear its ugly head, despite that not being what was best for what the team was at that time. The days of 2008 playoff games where two TDs were enough were long gone. And overall, we saw the schematic flaws usually late in the year and certainly in the playoffs with our defense -- a unit that was consistently not prepared and simply out-coached in those moments.

So a few more years pass and our HOF QB starts to wear down and then ultimately age out. Big Ben starts to lose the free rein he had the offense starts morphing more and more into what Tomlin is more comfortable with and prefers. And now we've gone from needing the young motivator that can push the right buttons on a veteran team to get the best out of them, from needing the innovator who can schematically take advantage of our roster strengths while diminishing our weaknesses, to now needing a true team builder, a guy who is confident enough that they can start at the ground floor and build up from there, but also be innovative enough to be able to overcome the initial weaknesses of the roster.

Tomlin was a fantastic option for the young motivator for pushing the right buttons at the right time for a veteran team, he was not a good option for the needed flexible innovator that could alter the scheme of the team to highlight its strengths while diminishing its weaknesses, and he is a terrible option and an absolute dead end for what we need now, a true team builder that can start at the ground floor and build it up from there while being innovative enough to overcome the weaknesses of the roster.

IMO, it won't happen, but our best option for next year's draft is trading out of the first round altogether for a first in 2026 and extra mid round ammo, hopefully getting some additional draft ammo via the compensatory formula after the 2025 FA season, ripping off the band-aid and bottoming out next year, and bringing in a new coach and staff along with a young QB who can both grow together.

BTW, I'm officially nominating this for "Post of the Year" in my yearly awards thread to come.

[SteelerDayTrader]

Have the Steelers ever traded down 2 or 3 times in a draft?

They’ve only ever been winners with 2 QBs their fans their coaching staff and their ownership hated and sabotaged at every turn

Maybe they realize almost all of their success has been mostly accidental/lucky and wholly in spite of themselves

Not exactly answering my question.......

Nobody hated Bradshaw or Roethlisberger. They left everything they had on the field, were great for a long time then got old, struggled some and their careers came to an end.

That happens to every football player, even great ones.

Did you ever see the score from Dan Marino's last game? Marino's career ended at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1999 Divisional Playoffs in an ugly 62-7 loss.

62-7.

Bradshaw's arm fell off against (I believe) the Jets and Ben got destroyed by the Chiefs in a playoff game.

Even the careers of sure-fire Hall of Famers can end badly.

I’m really not in the mood for your dumbass wrong bullshit


However


I do think it’s notable Tomlin did EXACTLY what you were screaming and yelling for all week with Justin Fields


Boy did that turn out well !!!



Eat shit and die

[SteelerDayTrader]

Truthfully I’m not completely sure how this team gets over the hump

And that's the thing, it's not. It's all over but for the shoutin'.

Tomlin was the right hire in 2007 for a veteran team with a young franchise QB. He was the perfect choice and motivator that could push the right buttons for that mostly veteran, battle-experienced group to get the absolute best out of them.

And he had a great, unbelievable run those first five years.

But as the veterans on that team started to decline, and then ultimately retire, with players like James Harrison, Hines Ward, Troy, and others moving on, the scenario changed. This team went from needing a bulldog motivator who can keep the ship on course and on time to needing more innovation given the changing dynamics of their team. An innovator that from an x's and o's standpoint could be flexible enough to morph the overall vision of the scheme into highlighting the strengths of the roster while trying to diminish its weaknesses.

For awhile, it was fine because we had a legendary, HOF QB in his prime who could basically run the offense on his own. Despite Tomlin's natural conservative tendencies, Big Ben had mostly free rein. But in key moments, Tomlin's stubborn, super conservative nature would rear its ugly head, despite that not being what was best for what the team was at that time. The days of 2008 playoff games were two TDs were enough were long gone. And overall, we saw the schematic flaws usually late in the year and certainly in the playoffs with our defense -- a unit that was consistently not prepared and simply out-coached in those moments.

So a few more years pass and our HOF QB starts to wear down and then ultimately age out. Big Ben starts to lose the free rein he had the offense starts morphing more and more into what Tomlin is more comfortable with and prefers. And now we've gone from needing the young motivator that can push the right buttons on a veteran team to get the best out of them, from needing the innovator who can schematically take advantage of our roster strengths while diminishing our weaknesses, to now needing a true team builder, a guy who is confident enough that they can start at the ground floor and build up from there, but also be innovative enough to be able to overcome the initial weaknesses of the roster.

Tomlin was a fantastic option for the young motivator for pushing the right buttons at the right time for a veteran team, he was not a good option for the needed flexible innovator that could alter the scheme of the team to highlight its strengths while diminishing its weaknesses, and he is a terrible option and an absolute dead end for what we need now, a true team builder that can start at the ground floor and build it up from there while being innovative enough to overcome the weaknesses of the roster.

IMO, it won't happen, but our best option for next year's draft is trading out of the first round altogether for a first in 2026 and extra mid round ammo, hopefully getting some additional draft ammo via the compensatory formula after the 2025 FA season, ripping off the band-aid and bottoming out next year, and bringing in a new coach and staff along with a young QB who can both grow together.

BTW, I'm officially nominating this for "Post of the Year" in my yearly awards thread to come.

I used to see a really hot Puerto Rican girl in Reading

I mean a fucking gorgeous young beautiful woman

WAAAAAAYYY outta my league lol

She would routinely ask me for cash not for sex but when she needed something lol

I ALWAYS gave it to her lol


My point ??



I’m weak lol


I can’t root for my team to lose !! Ever !! lol


I don’t believe any coach in the NFL is really much better than any other


There are those that have their guys and are winning and those that don’t and they losing and trying to survive until the planets align for them


I dont blame anyone rational for being fed up either


We are all weak in some manner. Especially in regards to things we really have a deep affinity for


I need to start hanging out in Reading again


Lol

[K_C_]

They’ve only ever been winners with 2 QBs their fans their coaching staff and their ownership hated and sabotaged at every turn

Maybe they realize almost all of their success has been mostly accidental/lucky and wholly in spite of themselves

Not exactly answering my question.......

Nobody hated Bradshaw or Roethlisberger. They left everything they had on the field, were great for a long time then got old, struggled some and their careers came to an end.

That happens to every football player, even great ones.

Did you ever see the score from Dan Marino's last game? Marino's career ended at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1999 Divisional Playoffs in an ugly 62-7 loss.

62-7.

Bradshaw's arm fell off against (I believe) the Jets and Ben got destroyed by the Chiefs in a playoff game.

Even the careers of sure-fire Hall of Famers can end badly.

I’m really not in the mood for your dumbass wrong bullshit


However


I do think it’s notable Tomlin did EXACTLY what you were screaming and yelling for all week with Justin Fields


Boy did that turn out well !!!



Eat shit and die

Um…Fields led as many TD drives as Wilson.

Sorry if that hurts, but it’s true.

That should scare everyone.

Russ needs to really ball out vs Cincy.

Sorry you’re having a bad day today.

Turn that frown upside down!!

[Steelperch]

Have the Steelers ever traded down 2 or 3 times in a draft?

They average 4.6 trade downs in your average STD November mock draft

[SteelerDayTrader]

Have the Steelers ever traded down 2 or 3 times in a draft?

They average 4.6 trade downs in your average STD November mock draft

Perch

Damnit


Tell me that isn’t a great draft !!! lol

[cop1211]

I love a good trade down, even though it won’t happen.

2.WR
2.DE
3.OG
3DT
3.CB (slot)
4.OT
4.QB
5.RB
5.S
6.WR
6.OLB
7a.ILB
7b.RB
7c.DE
7b.CB

They resign Wilson, Harris,Jackson.
Free agents signed, a Good DE.

[Jizz Mop]

Best thing to do would be to trade out of every pick before the 7th round and accumulate 18 7th round picks

It would be a great first step to adding the necessary talent to get us over the hump

Team Jizz

[SteelerDayTrader]

Best thing to do would be to trade out of every pick before the 7th round and accumulate 18 7th round picks

It would be a great first step to adding the necessary talent to get us over the hump

Team Jizz

Who fucking liked this dumbass post ??

@Steelperch I suspect YOU !!

I have NO IDEA how you can continue prop up jizz fucking mop of all people ???

lol

[SteelerDayTrader]

The Steelers have zero idea how to work a draft. Every fucking year they have at least 2 or 3 WTF picks

Conceding those dumbfucks probably won’t trade down much if at all here’s what they SHOULD do if they play it straight

1. Malaki Starks S UGA
Well built with 4.3 speed. Will hit can cover and make plays on the ball. Could play any DB position for the Steelers. Some ST experience. The Steelers have 3 pretty good safeties right now. This guy is genuinely the ONLY player I like in the 1st based on traits/measureables which are elite. Sometimes you just gotta go BPA and say fuck it. In all honesty Fitzpatrick hasn’t really delivered for a while and often seems to be a big part of the Steelers collapsing late. Both he and Elliot are gonna get big contracts somewhere . Draft Starks and help your cap and hopefully get notably better performance as well. Don’t fuck up a first round pick reaching for need. Particularly when this elite talent might help stem the tide of your perennially collapsing defense and you genuinely need some young hungry energy. If your your not gonna trade outta the first Starks is THE guy. The ONLY guy worth it IMO. Could be a Troy type player.

2. Kenneth Grant DL Michigan
High motor big man that makes plays vs run and pass. Might run a sub 5.0 40 at 330+. Don’t get your tits in a knot about 2 down vs 3 down player in the 2nd round. The Steelers D gets crushed vs the run late far too often. Happens more than it should earlier with better teams as well. I’m not ready to blame all that on Benton or even Heyward but the Steelers DL has to do a lot better. Take a BIG swing with this guy.

3. Jalen Royals WR Utah State
More RB type build than typical WR. Will go up and get it. 4.3 and good to better COD skills

4. DeMonte Capehart DL Clemson
The Steelers DL hasn’t had ANYONE string together several solid games in a row since Javon Hargraves left. Think about that. The Steelers DL has played a major role in every single one of their collapses against questionable teams. They simply DONT get it done on a fairly regular basis. This is nothing new for Heyward who has made a career of coming up short. We all had high hopes for Benton. He doesn’t seem like much of a difference make right now. Capehart has elite traits and measureables. Should sub 4.9 at 315+ at the combine. The first step to build dominate units is to build dominate tandems. Capehart and Grant together will be a problem for the rest of the NFL. I’d much rather really fix 1 problem than half ass 2 or 3 and hope it works out. At least then you can scheme to strengths.

5. Bryce Foster OL Kansas
Some sites have this guy going in the 6th. I won’t be surprised if he doesn’t make it out of the 3rd. Well built and athletic with a lot of experience. The biggest reason the Steelers can’t score TDs is the OL is soft and lacks big moment strength. Particularly in the middle.

7. Damien Martinez RB Miami
Warren is ok but starting to show signs of fading mostly from overwork. If the Steelers want to win games being a run focused team they need to carry AT LEAST 4 RBs who can challenge a defense both running and receiving. Martinez is a bigger back with some speed who looks like a Steelers fit.

7.
Trace Ford OLB/ILB Oklahoma
Trey Moore OLB/ILB Texas
If the Steelers don’t take a shot at adding some depth with outlier measurables/traits at the 2 positions they literally build the entire team around I really wouldn’t know how to respond other than WTF. When you have a chance to grab potentially high upside players for almost zero draft capital you do it. Particularly when your two most important units lack quality depth. I’d be pretty happy with either Ford or Moore in the 7th. I probably wouldn’t bitch if this pick was a RB like Kaytron Allen or TE like Maliq Carr either. Outlier traits in some respects.

[jebrick]

Have the Steelers ever traded down 2 or 3 times in a draft?

They’ve only ever been winners with 2 QBs their fans their coaching staff and their ownership hated and sabotaged at every turn

Maybe they realize almost all of their success has been mostly accidental/lucky and wholly in spite of themselves

Not exactly answering my question.......

Nobody hated Bradshaw or Roethlisberger. They left everything they had on the field, were great for a long time then got old, struggled some and their careers came to an end.

That happens to every football player, even great ones.

Did you ever see the score from Dan Marino's last game? Marino's career ended at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1999 Divisional Playoffs in an ugly 62-7 loss.

62-7.

Bradshaw's arm fell off against (I believe) the Jets and Ben got destroyed by the Chiefs in a playoff game.

Even the careers of sure-fire Hall of Famers can end badly.

People really hated Bradshaw his first 3-4 years. That is why they had Jefferson Street Joe Gilliam start the season in 1974.

But for the OP. I am up in the air whether Grant falls to the Steelers even if they do not trade down. If he is viewed as a 2 down player than yes, the 2nd round is where he will be taken. If he is viewed like Ed Oliver ( now on the Bills) he could go much higher. I tend to think of him as the later in the games i have seen him play but I have not kept track of how often he is pulled.

I think Deone Walker (Kentucky) is the same and is higher ranked by draftniks for the same position. He has been truly dominate in games but again, his future is a 2 down player if he stays at 340.

[K_C_]

They’ve only ever been winners with 2 QBs their fans their coaching staff and their ownership hated and sabotaged at every turn

Maybe they realize almost all of their success has been mostly accidental/lucky and wholly in spite of themselves

Not exactly answering my question.......

Nobody hated Bradshaw or Roethlisberger. They left everything they had on the field, were great for a long time then got old, struggled some and their careers came to an end.

That happens to every football player, even great ones.

Did you ever see the score from Dan Marino's last game? Marino's career ended at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1999 Divisional Playoffs in an ugly 62-7 loss.

62-7.

Bradshaw's arm fell off against (I believe) the Jets and Ben got destroyed by the Chiefs in a playoff game.

Even the careers of sure-fire Hall of Famers can end badly.

People really hated Bradshaw his first 3-4 years. That is why they had Jefferson Street Joe Gilliam start the season in 1974.

But for the OP. I am up in the air whether Grant falls to the Steelers even if they do not trade down. If he is viewed as a 2 down player than yes, the 2nd round is where he will be taken. If he is viewed like Ed Oliver ( now on the Bills) he could go much higher. I tend to think of him as the later in the games i have seen him play but I have not kept track of how often he is pulled.

I think Deone Walker (Kentucky) is the same and is higher ranked by draftniks for the same position. He has been truly dominate in games but again, his future is a 2 down player if he stays at 340.

Oh, I remember. I watched Bradshaw (at Soldier Field in Chicago) almost lose to a bunch of college seniors at the College All Star Game. This was after the Steelers won their first Super Bowl and Joe Gilliam replaced Bradshaw and led the Steelers to victory. Brad wasn't beating anybody that night. Also, I wouldn't say fans hated Bradshaw. It's more like, they didn't believe in Bradshaw and frankly, he gave them a lot of reasons not to believe in him.

Dude would do some of the dumbest things I've ever seen. He would run out of the pocket and simply fumble the ball without being touched (Brad did that multiple times) and would regularly not seeing linebackers dropping into coverage.

Basically Bradshaw taught me that while QB's can look very awful, sometimes they will figure it out and thrive.

That's why I continued to root for guys like Kenny Pickett, Mark Malone, Kent Graham, Mason Rudolph and any QB the Steelers drafted. Sometimes these dudes take awhile to develop.

No point in rooting against them and sometimes they figure it out, like Bradshaw.

[anpsteel]

Have the Steelers ever traded down 2 or 3 times in a draft?

They’ve only ever been winners with 2 QBs their fans their coaching staff and their ownership hated and sabotaged at every turn

Maybe they realize almost all of their success has been mostly accidental/lucky and wholly in spite of themselves

Not exactly answering my question.......

Nobody hated Bradshaw or Roethlisberger. They left everything they had on the field, were great for a long time then got old, struggled some and their careers came to an end.

That happens to every football player, even great ones.

Did you ever see the score from Dan Marino's last game? Marino's career ended at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1999 Divisional Playoffs in an ugly 62-7 loss.

62-7.

Bradshaw's arm fell off against (I believe) the Jets and Ben got destroyed by the Chiefs in a playoff game.

Even the careers of sure-fire Hall of Famers can end badly.

That game against the Jets... I was amped when Terry came in (everyone was) replacing the ineffective Cliff Stoudt.

He managed to provide the spark, and get a couple scores, and then he left the game due to the same injury that had him on the sideline in the first place.

You could feel that it was over. Right then... watching the game. What a bummer that was

[K_C_]

After watching OSU dismantle my beloved Indiana Hoosiers and where the Steelers will be drafting.....

I have a feeling Emeka Egbuka will end up in Pittsburgh.

Dude just looks like a Steelers receiver and he might be there in the second round.

Egbuka runs a 4.3. That'd help and at 6'1" 205, he's plenty big enough for the AFC North.

Might even take him in the first.

[jebrick]

After watching OSU dismantle my beloved Indiana Hoosiers and where the Steelers will be drafting.....

I have a feeling Emeka Egbuka will end up in Pittsburgh.

Dude just looks like a Steelers receiver and he might be there in the second round.

Egbuka runs a 4.3. That'd help and at 6'1" 205, he's plenty big enough for the AFC North.

Might even take him in the first.

I have seen him drafted to the Steelers a lot in mocks ( which mean nothing ).

I would also look at Devin Neal (Kansas) on day 3. He also looks like a Steeler back

[Deebo]

Not exactly answering my question.......

Nobody hated Bradshaw or Roethlisberger. They left everything they had on the field, were great for a long time then got old, struggled some and their careers came to an end.

That happens to every football player, even great ones.

Did you ever see the score from Dan Marino's last game? Marino's career ended at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1999 Divisional Playoffs in an ugly 62-7 loss.

62-7.

Bradshaw's arm fell off against (I believe) the Jets and Ben got destroyed by the Chiefs in a playoff game.

Even the careers of sure-fire Hall of Famers can end badly.

People really hated Bradshaw his first 3-4 years. That is why they had Jefferson Street Joe Gilliam start the season in 1974.

But for the OP. I am up in the air whether Grant falls to the Steelers even if they do not trade down. If he is viewed as a 2 down player than yes, the 2nd round is where he will be taken. If he is viewed like Ed Oliver ( now on the Bills) he could go much higher. I tend to think of him as the later in the games i have seen him play but I have not kept track of how often he is pulled.

I think Deone Walker (Kentucky) is the same and is higher ranked by draftniks for the same position. He has been truly dominate in games but again, his future is a 2 down player if he stays at 340.

Oh, I remember. I watched Bradshaw (at Soldier Field in Chicago) almost lose to a bunch of college seniors at the College All Star Game. This was after the Steelers won their first Super Bowl and Joe Gilliam replaced Bradshaw and led the Steelers to victory. Brad wasn't beating anybody that night. Also, I wouldn't say fans hated Bradshaw. It's more like, they didn't believe in Bradshaw and frankly, he gave them a lot of reasons not to believe in him.

Dude would do some of the dumbest things I've ever seen. He would run out of the pocket and simply fumble the ball without being touched (Brad did that multiple times) and would regularly not seeing linebackers dropping into coverage.

Basically Bradshaw taught me that while QB's can look very awful, sometimes they will figure it out and thrive.

That's why I continued to root for guys like Kenny Pickett, Mark Malone, Kent Graham, Mason Rudolph and any QB the Steelers drafted. Sometimes these dudes take awhile to develop.

No point in rooting against them and sometimes they figure it out, like Bradshaw.

I was born in 78 so I didn't see much of Bradshaw except in highlights. But I'm guessing in between his massive brain farts you saw some elite trait like arm strength and toughness in him, yes?

That's why I knew KP nor any of those other dudes you mentioned wouldn't amount to shit. The great ones have at least 1 elite thing that makes them stick out. I went to the Steelers /Lions pre season game back in 2004. Was the first professional snaps Ben had taken and I knew he'd be something.

Because between the idiotic things rookie QB's do, they show flashes in some area. Sure I'll root for Fields or whoever else the Steelers trot out there. But I'm under no illusions that JF will ever be anything except mediocre.