Steelers Strongest Position?

Good morning,

What is the strongest and deepest position on the 2015 Steelers?

You can make a case for several: Wide receivers, offensive line or, with the one player they have at each position, quarterback or halfback.

Here’s another, over on defense: Inside linebacker.

Lawrence Timmons made the Pro Bowl last season and Ryan Shazier may be their next Pro Bowler on defense. Those are your starters. Behind them are two players who could start elsewhere, in fact they started on the AFC North champs and/or played quite a bit last season, Sean Spence and Vince Williams.

Williams left the field yesterday with a hamstring injury. Before that, he was bringing it at camp.

“I brought it last year too,’’ Williams reminded me at lunchtime on Thursday. “I just want to do it in the games. I want to go out there and make these preseason games count.”

The first one will not, of course, for Williams (A healthy Timmons probably won’t play either). But once he gets rolling again, Williams is a hard-hitting inside linebacker who is smart. He would make an ideal middle linebacker in a 4-3 defense.

If Spence had not gotten hurt at the end of his rookie preseason, Shazier might not even be here by now. They loved how Spence looked that year, quick and all over the place. He would probably be in his second or third season starting.

There also is veteran Terence Garvin, a good special teams player trying to make his move at the position as well. He will wear one helmet with a mic inside Sunday night to get the plays from the coaches. Jordan Zumwalt, who spent his rookie season on injured reserve, also has shown he might belong.

All six cannot belong, though. They may keep only four inside linebackers. Whoever it is, that position will be at the very least the deepest on defense.

Some Ask Ed questions:

--- YOU: Is Ian Wild suddenly in the mix for a roster spot? With all of the injuries to the safeties does he now have a legitimate shot at making the final 53? I don't recall watching him play in the CFL. Even though I live in Toronto I don't watch many games. After meeting him at the Steelers Youth Football camp in Slippery Rock I did find some of his CFL game highlights on YouTube. What impressed me most was his special teams play. He was the long snapper and he regularly made tackles downfield. And, he played both safety and linebacker in the CFL. Someone compared him to a Swiss Army knife: able to do lots of things. This versatility could just be the key for him making the team.

ED: It’s a long way from the CFL to the NFL, as departed linebacker Shawn Lemon quickly learned. Wild has a shot but there are people in front of him like the two starters and Will Allen to begin. Then there is the seventh-round pick, Gerod Holliman, who they really are warming up to.

--- YOU: Tomlin said that neither he nor any player would attend the induction. Why?

ED: For one, Jerome Bettis is scheduled to be the final speech, which could come really late. The Steelers do have a game the next day and they are staying about 45 minutes away from Canton. It’s my understanding that Ben Roethlisberger and James Harrison, two of Bettis’ teammates, will attend, but then neither will play Sunday. Joey Porter also will go as well as a bunch of people from the Steelers front office, etc.

--- YOU: Thanks for another great chat today. What's your take on Brady and his availability for week 1 against the Steelers?

Ed: I still believe it’s 50-50, although the revelations that keep coming out about how Roger Goodell botched the whole thing favors Tom Brady.

--- YOU: In your chat [a few weeks ago], you listed Dri Archer ahead of Josh Harris to make the roster for this season. It looked to me like Harris showed more promise last season. What am I missing?

ED: The fact Archer was a third-round draft pick last season and they won’t give up on him in his second season is part of what you may be missing. Plus, I know he had one long run called back by penalty, but where did you see the promise from Josh Harris? He carried nine times for 16 yards in the regular season after leaving the practice squad when LeGarrette Blount was released. Ben Tate, signed only days earlier, then started ahead of him in the playoff game before Harris was given 9 carries and gained 25 yards.