NorthernBlue

How did those difference makers help out the Steelers this year?

So McTrashniels hired him, a noted 'tough guy', or as some here have called him, a 'butt', to go along with hiring Eberflus, whom while I love, is also a bit of a yeller... What kind of totalitarian coaching staff was that dude trying to make? REAL glad we ended up with Reich. Best of luck to DD though. While I think the Oline performance was more the talent and scheme, 18 sacks is nothing to scoff at and he deserves credit.

Do y’all remember the first 2 plays of the Houston game? First play - 0 yard catch for Mack. Second play - 2 yard loss. We faced 3rd and 12 right away. But Luck found Hilton for the first. We went 6/6 on 3rd downs in the first half vs Houston. Vs KC? 0 for. Right after that 3 yard loss, Mack picked up 10 on an outside run. Ebron dropped a pass on 3rd and 3. We lost this game on 3rd down.

Boston won’t sign here after his last visit to Indy, and Kupp is the rams most reliable target and their main slot weapon. Their offense took a major mid season dip when he got hurt. They won’t trade him.

A consistent edge rusher, a pocket pushing DT, and a true WR2 is what we need in order to reach that elite team status. On top of that, another talent at safety, plus LB and Oline depth won’t hurt. I honestly don’t think corner is as high of a need. If we have a strong front 7, in this Defense, we can make do with our current group. That being said, I’d still draft a corner with a mid to late pick (someone with a high ceiling) to develop. Moore, Wilson, and Desir I think are a solid group.

Take in what Chicago gave up to get Mack (2 firsts), and what the Cowboys gave up to get Cooper (a first), and yet the Colts ended up doing better than Chicago, and equal to the Cowboys this season. All 3 of these teams I feel like are in that borderline 'good but not elite' tier of football teams. Yet the Colts are going to have an easier time reaching that 'elite' status compared to Dallas and Chicago because we still have our draft picks and FA money. Dallas and Chicago are pretty close to their ceiling. Indy's is still miles above.

Ballard did say he wants to be 2 deep on the Oline, but with Dline and WR being our biggest 2 needs, and the influx of talent we can get at the end of the first and start of the second, I think that's where we go.

Antonio Brown is 30. He's gonna be 31 when next season starts. You really think he would give you six years of all pro production? 1, sure. 2 Why not? But 6? No way. And if you hit on that first round pick, you'd have a cost controlled youngster for 4 years.

I'm in the 'don't splurge for big names' camp, but with all the extra picks and money, we can definitely go after one high profile guy and not have it effect our cap space too much. *cough* Landon Collins *cough*

So they'll have the 25th/26th pick, along with the 34th? Lots of options there. Could even trade back/up.

The number one thing we needed to accomplish this season was making sure Andrew Luck was okay. Not only is he healthy, he's had his best season as a pro. Next year, with more weapons, and entire offseason to get better, I think Lucky has an MVP coming up soon... We have the Quarterback. We have the coach. We have young stars to build around. We've shown we can battle and BEAT the good teams in this league (HOU, DAL, TENN), now we gotta take the next step, and beat the elite teams (KC, NO, LAC). Looking at our schedule...we'll have tons of opportunites to do that......

Rams looked REALLY good against the Cowboys today. The offensive line looked like they did in the beginning of the year. Goff looked comfortable. The defense made some plays. I don't see why they couldn't walk into the Superdome and upset the Saints (unless Nick Foles has something to say about that ). Rams are being slept on honestly. They looked poor down the stretch and it felt like everybody gave up on them, but lets not act like the 3 teams they lost to (Saints, Philly, Bears), aren't also really good.

What about Golden Tate? He'll be 31 by next season, but he's good for around 700-800 yards. Not a bad 2nd option. Pick up a WR with one of the 2nds (or heck, even the first if there's a player you really like), and you'll have: TY, Golden Tate, draft pick, Cain, Inman, Pascal/Rogers (camp battle) And then Doyle, Ebron, MAC, Travis/Hewitt as the main TEs. That's pretty young and deep if you ask me. And you'll still have plenty of resources to build on the Dline and secondary.

I remember when he had a really egrigious special teams error last season (I think he decked the PR after a fair catch), I was like "cut this dude". 16 months later and he's our best corner. Him, Desir, and Wilson really balled out the second half of the season.

No matter what, we have got to invest heavily in the Dline. Hunt, Woods, Sheard, and Autry are fine players, but they're 31, 31, 29, and 29 years old respectively. Gotta build that young talent on the front. Keep controlling the LOS.