Brown for Wallace Turned Out OK

Good morning,

Where would the Steelers be had Mike Wallace accepted their offer in 2012 and stayed? They would be without Antonio Brown because they never would have given two wide receivers top money and Brown would have signed elsewhere as a free agent after his big 2013 season, when he caught 110 passes for 1,499 yards. That year, Wallace caught 73 for 930.

Brown did even better last season with 129 catches – second most in NFL history -- for 1,698 yards (fourth most ever) and 13 touchdowns. In Miami, Wallace caught 67 passes for 862 yards.

In Minnesota this year, Wallace has nine catches for 101 yards trough two games while Brown again is the talk of the NFL with his league-leading 328 yards receiving on 18 receptions.

Here is what Hall of Famer Lynn Swann had to say about Brown while taking a swipe at Wallace on the NFL Network Sunday morning:

 “He’s reliable because he doesn’t drop the ball. We’ve had receivers in Pittsburgh who had great speed who could do a lot of good things but they went down to Miami and they didn’t make all of the catches they should make. He is a much more reliable guy and he gives you more confidence that if there is an opportunity you give him, he’ll take advantage of it.”

Granted, Brown has a possible Hall of Famer throwing him the ball too and Mike Wallace has not had nearly the same numbers since he left the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger. But even the eye test tells you who is the far superior receiver.

It was a good thing for the Steelers that Wallace turned them down.

Onto some Stuff and then your Ask Ed questions (chat today at 1:30):

--- The Steelers aren’t the only ones who have been trying to bolster their secondary. The Baltimore Ravens yesterday sent Miami a late-round draft choice in 2016 to Miami for cornerback Will Davis, who had a torn ACL last November after the Dolphins drafted him No. 93 overall in 2013.

--- Dan Rooney walked into the 49ers locker room after the game to say hello to Homestead native Jim Tomsula, San Francisco’s rookie head coach.

“It was obviously an honor,” Tomsula said. “He just wanted to come down and tell me I was a good kid: ‘Keep working, you’re going to have good days and bad days.’”

--- A brawl between fans of the Steelers and 49ers erupted at a Buffalo Wild Wings in suburban Los Angeles Sunday. See it here.

--- Ask Ed:

--- YOU: Just read your blog from today. I agree that Heyward and Tuitt both had great games yesterday but how can Pro Football Focus possibly grade them higher than Ryan Shazier? I don't expect you to explain their grading algorithm but do you have any clue as to how they reach these conclusions? It's not the first time their rankings have looked questionable. Thanks

ED: I’m not sure the criteria they use but I do know they have several people assigned to each game so that when you see their ratings, it’s not compiled by just one person. When Maurkice Pouncey was making Pro Bowls, PFF also did not rate him that highly, although they gave him good ratings for 2014. I did think that Shazier started off slowly Sunday and missed some tackles and plays. I also thought that Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt played at a high rate on Sunday – just because Shazier had more tackles does not mean he played a better game. Let’s just say all three played well and leave it at that.

--- YOU: Hi Ed, after seeing the whooping the Pats put on Buffalo, should we fans take a softer stance on the D's performance in game one? Again, I love the style of play from Blake in run support. What is your take on him?

ED: This defense is so different, so young that I always thought it would take them time and they might improve as the season progressed.

--- YOU: Will Martavis Bryant remain on a heightened drug testing schedule for the rest of his career or does the frequency of the testing 'reset' to match the frequency of a person who has never tested positive at some point?

ED: He will be subject to random testing the rest of his NFL career.

--- YOU: If the Steelers decided to cut, Cam Thomas (or any other veteran), replacing him with a PS player or a new to the team FA, would the Steelers still be responsible for all of Thomas's 2015 contract?

ED: Yes, provided Thomas would file for the one-time benefit that all vested veterans are entitled to, even if another team picked him up and paid him more. It also would count against the Steelers salary cap.

--- YOU: I guess I'm the only one who doesn't feel like Blake played so poorly last week. He was no worse than any Seahawk in the Super Bowl, he was active in run support, and I don't believe Gronk was his responsibility on any of his receptions. How wrong am I? The safeties, on the other hand, ....As a follow up, why not just shadow Gronk with Shazier? He's going to get his catches vs anyone, but at least have someone pay attention to him.

ED: I don’t think Antwon Blake will ever be the next Rod Woodson, but he is growing on me and I like how he hits. I agree with you on Shazier covering Gronkowski. I thought that would be the plan.