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Royals: RHP Brad
in Balance Discussion Mon Sep 10, 2018 8:40 amby hong wei • Farseer | 232 Posts | 2320 Points
PITTSBURGH STEELERS (13-4)
OPEN CAMP: July 26 Dolphins Durham Smythe Jersey , Latrobe, Pennsylvania
LAST YEAR: Steelers won second straight AFC North title and third in four years as "Killer Bs" trio of QB Ben Roethlisberger, WR Antonio Brown and RB Le'Veon Bell received plenty of help from rookie WR JuJu Smith-Schuster and defense that gave up big plays but also led NFL with 57 sacks. Still, Steelers had trouble when pushed by quality teams. They let second-half lead get away at home against New England, loss that cost them home-field advantage in playoffs. And they couldn't find way to beat Jacksonville, which won at Heinz Field not once but twice, including divisional playoff upset in which seemingly offensively challenged Jaguars put up 45 points.
IMPORTANT ADDITIONS: S Morgan Burnett, LB Jon Bostic, rookie S Terrell Edmunds, rookie WR James Washington, rookie QB Mason Rudolph.
IMPORTANT LOSSES: Offensive coordinator Todd Haley, defensive backs coach Carnell Lake Matt Kemp Jersey , WR Martavis Bryant, S Mike Mitchell, CB William Gay, S, Robert Golden, LB Arthur Moats.
CAMP NEEDS: Steelers promoted longtime QB coach Randy Fichtner to take over play-calling duties after Haley's successful if occasionally turbulent six-year stint ended in January. Fichtner doesn't expect to give offense massive overhaul, though he will be forced to experiment during camp at running back with Bell unlikely to show while he waits to sign one-year franchise tender. One year after finding potential star in Smith-Schuster, Steelers hope they've done it again with Washington after record-setting career at Oklahoma State. Race to fill injured inside linebacker Ryan Shazier's spot is wide open, with Bostic and Tyler Matakevich getting first crack at lining up next to Vince Williams. Secondary is also being overhauled with Mitchell, Golden and Gay gone.
EXPECTATIONS: Steelers once again expected to be class of AFC North. While Roethlisberger thinks he can play another handful of seasons, Pittsburgh's window could be closing faster than he anticipated. Front office failed to reach long-term agreement with Bell, meaning this will likely be his final season in Pittsburgh. Steelers have proven they can be productive without him Authentic Braden Smith Jersey , but elite? That's tough sell, putting onus on them to get it done this season. Better play in secondary would help. So would some consistency at outside linebacker, where Bud Dupree remains enigma as he enters fourth season.
The Jacksonville Jaguars used the NFL draft to build for the future, not necessarily this fall.
They used every pick on down-the-road starters instead of filling pressing needs.
It's a luxury rarely seen in Jacksonville, which made the AFC championship game in January after a decade of failure and futility. The Jags return 18 of 22 starters from a team that led the NFL in rushing and ranked second in total defense.
Top executive Tom Coughlin and general manager Dave Caldwell liked the team's makeup enough that they actually made a best-player-available pick in the first round when they added Florida's Taven Bryan to a defensive line that includes Pro Bowlers Calais Campbell, Malik Jackson and Yannick Ngakoue.
"We want the competition. We want it as much as we can get it," Coughlin said following the three-day draft Saturday. "That's the one thing in our game that makes everybody better. These people were drafted to be football players, whether it's a starter or whatever. It takes everybody."
Bryan was the first of several Jacksonville draft picks expected to be backups as rookies.
The Jaguars envision LSU receiver DJ Chark (second round), Alabama safety Ronnie Harrison (third) and North Carolina State right tackle Will Richardson (fourth) as eventual starters, but neither of them is considered a plug-and-play guy.
"If they come in and play that is a bonus, too," Caldwell said. "We are not just going to say Authentic Bo Scarbrough Jersey , 'Hey, take it easy for the next two years.' Those guys have to come in and compete. ... Competition is great. The more depth you can have and be prepared for any situation then the better off you will be."
Here are some other things to know about Jacksonville's draft, which included Nebraska quarterback Tanner Lee (sixth round), Wisconsin linebacker Leon Jacobs (seventh) and Mississippi State punter Logan Cooke (seventh).
TAKING A CHANCE: The Jaguars took a chance with the 129th pick on Richardson, who was suspended twice in three years at North Carolina State.
The 6-foot-6, 306-pound Richardson started 30 games at right tackle for the Wolfpack. He was suspended for the first two games last season for what he said was a marijuana-related violation. As a redshirt freshman in November 2015, he was arrested for allegedly driving while intoxicated. He was suspended one game for that and served a university-imposed suspension for the 2016 spring semester.
"Ideally, we don't like any baggage," Caldwell said. "We don't like to have to answer these questions on a day like today, but we also understand some of these players have a past and hopefully they grow from their past and become fine, upstanding citizens. The time that his discipline ended to this point and time in the draft and all the research and background checks and everything we've done on him has led us to believe that hopefully that's behind him now. Time will tell, and it's up to him to make sure that he holds his end of the bargain up."
Richardson will compete at right tackle with 31-year-old Jermey Parnell Youth Derwin James Jersey , and if he doesn't win the job, would be the team's swing tackle in 2018.
DEVELOPMENTAL QB: Jacksonville added a third quarterback when it drafted Nebraska's Tanner Lee in the sixth round. Lee will compete with Cody Kessler for the backup spot behind Blake Bortles. Coach Doug Marrone said the team would be open to keeping three QBs on the roster.
The 6-foot-4 Lee has a big arm, but he completed just 57.5 percent of his passes in 2017, with 23 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He transferred to Nebraska after three years at Tulane. Jaguars offensive assistant Eric Price served as Tulane's offensive coordinator during Lee's time on campus.
"We know the kid very well, his makeup, his intelligence, his drive, his attitude," Caldwell said. "He's going to fit in well with Blake and Cody and that quarterback room. He's an accurate passer when he has time like most of them. He was under a lot of duress this year at Nebraska. We feel like he can come in and he's got a high ceiling because of the arm strength at the accuracy and the quick release."
STILL NEEDED: The one position the Jaguars failed to address in the draft was tight end. They parted ways with veteran Marcedes Lewis in March, leaving them to rely on Austin Seferian-Jenkins in 2018.
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