Our fans are much like Vinny Cerratto so why do we hate him so?

[Mike Bass]

We complain so much  about Vinny Ceratto, yet and still, each and every off season we talk about getting the same types of players that made him unpopular but when he makes these moves and hurts the team, we are ready to axe him.

Each and every year we look at the glamour picks, whether it is good for the team or not with a glow in our eyes. What's good for another team may not be what we need. This is how we ended up with Antwaan Randle El .

As much as I want a better back up for Portis, I think that we should think about the sacrifices that we would have to make to offer anything to the best available FA rusher this season. First off  if the runner is a Darren Sproles type (young and hot at the moment) he will be looking to make a team as a number one back....Are we trying to replace Portis?...I think not... we are trying to complement him with another good back....Secondly, the money that we will have to pay the top ranked FA back will take away from the more pressing, positional needs like a offensive lineman or a defensive lineman. What is the point in having two great backs with no line to run behind?...Yes, lets get CP some help but we do not need another premeir back to do this....A player such as Dominic Rhodes will suffice without demanding our team to empty their wallets.

The D-line needs help but where at on the line?...Are we not getting pressure up the middle or are we not getting  what we need from the ends? If the ends are doing their parts but are not getting help from the middle, what good is wasting money on a Peppers or a Suggs going to do us? Carter is not a bad end, Jason Taylor had been the best since 2002 before joining our team, Chris Wilson is a pass rush specialist who for some reason can not get to the QB so there has to be reasons for these guys not getting to the QB and I think that it lies in the middle of the line.

QB's are not taught to run towards the ends but instead  are taught to drop back. Therefore it would seem that if we could get a hard push from the middle  that more pass plays would be disrupted. This would also give our ends, which are usually the faster linemen a more exact route to the QB. A Rocky Bernard may be worth looking at here for both the cost of getting him may be right down our alley and he is an upgrade from what we now have and too we have the 13th pick in the draft to upgrade this position even more.

Then there's the O-line, I think that we, universally know that this is our biggest weakness but we hardly speak of these guys in any of our discussions on who we most want in the off seasons because they do not get the TD's, yards, catches and/or the press clippings. I think that the biggest part of our FA money should be spent right here. IMO a heavy push should be made at Jordan Gross but I know that he will be well sought after and we will probably have to do without but there are other options like Jahri Evans from the New Orleans Saints. The draft will also help this group..... How are we going to be able to stabilize this group if their is no concentration on it?

We have to realize that all that glitters is not gold and just because we may have seen a player have a good week for another team doesn't mean that he is a automatic fit for our team. I would, for one season, like to see players brought in with their hard hats in hand  and willing to get down in the trenches and get after a QB or to pancake a D-lineman or a linebacker who's coming after ours.

We have to start and finish with the lines this off season, maybe with a trickle of the flash somewhere in the middle but certainly not with flash being our main concentration.

[AlexandertheGreatestFANEV]

Interesting post, Mike. IMO, Vinny's decisions may be so heavily criticized because people are led to believe that Dan Snyder is using him as a pawn in order to get the players HE thinks the team needs. With that in mind, ALL of us could be potential owners of this team but things probably wouldn't be much different. I don't know everything when it comes to the game of football and the business of the NFL, but the dramatic change in focus since the 90s from playing the game and winning championships to big salaries and individual playmakers bringing people to games (at these new high-tech stadiums) has obviously affected this team. Furthermore, this new mindset has caused us as fans to be critical at some times and supportive at others, and it's a vicious cycle especially with how the team is now.

To get back to the point, you're right on MB with needing guys like London Fletcher and D-Hall in your lineup who can play with fire and help the team win. We also need the young guys we do have such as Chad Rinehart and the young receivers to come in and play. Hopefully with the continuity under Zorn, we'll start to see changes. 

[Mike Bass]

Interesting post, Mike. IMO, Vinny's decisions may be so heavily criticized because people are led to believe that Dan Snyder is using him as a pawn in order to get the players HE thinks the team needs. With that in mind, ALL of us could be potential owners of this team but things probably wouldn't be much different. I don't know everything when it comes to the game of football and the business of the NFL, but the dramatic change in focus since the 90s from playing the game and winning championships to big salaries and individual playmakers bringing people to games (at these new high-tech stadiums) has obviously affected this team. Furthermore, this new mindset has caused us as fans to be critical at some times and supportive at others, and it's a vicious cycle especially with how the team is now.

To get back to the point, you're right on MB with needing guys like London Fletcher and D-Hall in your lineup who can play with fire and help the team win. We also need the young guys we do have such as Chad Rinehart and the young receivers to come in and play. Hopefully with the continuity under Zorn, we'll start to see changes. 

Alex, I think that you are right in a way but I do not think think that it is completely Danny that Vinny is listening to. I think that trying to fit players into coach after coach after coach systems causes player personnel problems. We have to keep, at least some players from each regime and this is probably not making for the right mix.

Vinny made some very good choices in his tenure with the 49ers so I know that he knows what it takes. With that said, I do wish that we had a stronger voice in the front office than Vinny seems to want to have.

I kind of defer to the fans up there about how things are ran otherwise by Danny because I know that you all are more affected than I am.   

On the subject at hand though, It puzzles me how much we pine over the top players at positions totally away from what the teams needs are but if we sign these fantasy players, at the end of each year, we are complaining about how stupid the team was for getting them. I know that the FO should know better but it seems to me that we should also have  memories that last longer than from January to November.

Don't get me wrong, when I say "we", I mean "we"...I was a fan who during Pittsburgh's Superbowl win telling my Steeler's fan friend "how much I am going to love seeing Randle El in a Redskins uni"...The wish that I made that night came true and he has never let me live that one down.

[UK_Skinfan]

Consistancy is hard when the Coaches change from season to season.  We do need some "Workman Like"  players rather than the  one hit wonders.... Like I said consistancy in performances and effort from the players we aquire and retain.

Id be able to live with no in commings at WR and CB as long as we use our picks and FA on both lines and invest that way maybe with a slower rebuilding process than we would all like. 

Hard decissions are just that HARD  but it would be easy to get a WR in FA and pay him big time, and ignore the trenches again, thats not the way to go and we all know that.

Lets hope we look at the big picture and not just short term......

[Hitman21]

Great points Mike..I could agree more. We really need those guys that bring there lunch pals to work and Grind it out day in and day out,letting there work do the talkin not there mouths.  The steelers have always for the most part had defenses like that,blue colar guys that just come to work.  I firmly believe that if we can shop well and get QUALITY GUYS not the Shining Stars we will be able to make all our other peices better.


Our Lines on D and Offense really have been and Was are Down fall this year and if we can inprove those to side of the abll we will be head above heals better that this year. Look at the other teams in the East we really can have the upper hand if we make the Right Moves.

[Mike Bass]

Great points Mike..I could agree more. We really need those guys that bring there lunch pals to work and Grind it out day in and day out,letting there work do the talkin not there mouths.  The steelers have always for the most part had defenses like that,blue colar guys that just come to work.  I firmly believe that if we can shop well and get QUALITY GUYS not the Shining Stars we will be able to make all our other peices better.


Our Lines on D and Offense really have been and Was are Down fall this year and if we can inprove those to side of the abll we will be head above heals better that this year. Look at the other teams in the East we really can have the upper hand if we make the Right Moves.

Definitely Hitman, we are gonna have to get players who are gonna make the lines look better rather than getting players that our lines are gonna make look worse than they did on other teams. It seems as though we never get players with the attitude and/or meaness that it takes to dominate other lines on game day.

Like Uk said, the decisons are "hard" but I know that NFL people are being paid well enough at their craft to figure out when their people are not getting the job done.

I can ,somewhat understand if we had lines that where not as good as other lines but are almost there but it is different when the lines are just not getting it done PERIOD and the whole football world knows it.