OnDaChainWax
☠️ Banned ☠️
It was showing that there is a team that follows, word for word, your spoken philosophy. I mean, it was pretty point blank. You (and others) repeatedly have stated its more important to keep what you know instead of going after cheaper options that you do not know about. Stephen Jones said that damn near identically. If you cant see the connection(and the results of that philosophy) then i dont know what to tell you.
And great for the Steelers, they are a model of success, a very well run franchise. Now, ugh, were you going anywhere with that? No? Alright, but i like the Steelers example, so if you dont mind, lets examine them:
Despite spending a 3rd round pick on some scrub called Hines Ward, the Steelers spent the 8th overall pick on a receiver named Plaxico Burress. A mere 2 years after that, and a whooping 4 years after the Ward selection, the Steelers turned around and spent a 2nd round pick on Antwaan Randle El. After a few years it was clear ole' Plaxico was a bit of a nutjob so they shipped him off right before winning a Superbowl ring. Immediately after that they allowed Antwaan to seek greener pastures. Why did they do this?
Well, it could have been because they had some capable receivers in Ward and tight end Heath Miller, but i like to think its because they felt they could spend yet another first round pick on a receiver in the draft. Which they did. Named Santonio Holmes(who they traded up to get no less). Who became their Superbowl MVP for their second ring in 4 years. By that point they still had the ever capable Ward, the reliable Miller, the potentially game breaking Holmes, and the former 2nd round pick Limas Sweed. Pretty set receiving core, certainly they wouldnt consider upgrading it further.
But wait...the Steelers then drafted some little know receiver from Mississippi in the 3rd round. Some deep threat who left the Steelers for a lot more money from some Florida team, his name escapes me at the moment. Anyways, after Holmes proved difficult, they shipped him off to the Jets. After that, despite still having Ward, Sweed, former 3rd round deep threat whose name i totally forget at the moment, the Steelers packed it up and never spent another draft pick on a receiver again....oh, wait a minute, they did the exact opposite. They spent a 3rd round pick on a guy named Emmanuel Sanders(and a 6th on Antonio Brown, but thats not a high selection so i'll ignore it). In a complete coincidence, they were back in the Superbowl but, respectably, losing in a shootout against the Packers.
And then in 2013 they spent a 3rd round pick on Markus Wheatan. Yeah, i know thats sort of tacked on at the end.
According to you and others, the Steelers should never have invested in anyone after Hines and Burress. They shouldnt have traded away troubled players right before they went off the deep end. I mean, they were established, everyone else was unknown. Yet, they kept investing high draft picks in that position year after year.
Seriously people, first Detroit and now Pittsburgh. You all have to start picking better examples.
Winning teams give up on players when its in the best interest of the team to do so. Winning teams have the expectation of being able to replace that player. Winning teams understand how to scout. Winning teams understand they arent walking out of the draft with a "bunch of unknowns" but players they have studied for years and have a reasonable(if not complete or foolproof) understanding of what they can become. I vote we follow their model instead of doing what Dallas does: hang onto older, more expensive, players simply because "they are known". If someone is foolish enough to offer us anything above a 4th round pick for Hartline, you pull the trigger without hesitation. If its a 2nd round pick, you agree to the deal as quickly as possible so you can get off the phone before the other team hears you burst out laughing.
We aren't one player away from a Superbowl. Hartline is not going to make or break our season. Years of atrocious drafting have left us bereft of talent, this is going to take time to fix. The best way to get talent is the draft and the more draft picks we have the more chances we have of improving this roster.
Also, Hartline is turning 28 this season. Still in his prime, but distinctly not 26. Not to mention his age has nothing to do with him being an extremely average receiver who could be easily replaced with a vastly cheaper and younger player.
The Steelers had the worst offensive line in football and a mere average defense that could not stop the run when they needed it most, all of those years, and they still had the brass balls to concentrate on WR anyways.
Whats that you say? Quite the opposite? Oh.
Your post has excellent information (and sarcasm) but whats your point?
You wax poetic on WRs yet contradict yourself by saying we are not one player away hence, replacing one player- Hartline- is not going to make a difference, right?
You list all of the great options the Steelers had in place while continuing to roll the dice for the next best young receiver but isnt that the very reason why they could afford to continue to the roll the dice, because of those other options?
If we get a 2 for Hartline, that 2 should be used on the offensive line or a saftey or a LB. As you correctly stated, we are not one player away and we are damn sure not one WR away.
So what are the other options incase we dont hit on a 3rd round Hines Ward (seeing as that happens so very often)? Where's our Heath Miller?
I know we're bored but this is the problem with Dolphin fans. This is why there are so many bandwagon fans. Too many fans are like little children. They like shiny. Your post was shiny. :baby talk: and wook at our wittle yungrobbin and ldaniel7. You wike de shiny dont chu? Gwood wittle boys.
How many fans out there want a 1st round pick that is not an offensive linemen? They want shiny. We have zero necessity for shiny. We have no business, other than boredom, to be discussing trading Hartline, to be trying to fix a position that doesnt desperately need fixing and replacing a player that doesnt nearly need replacing.
Luxury- important word that word. Luxury. Say it with me. Luxury.
Today, we dont have the luxury to get Steelered out on WRs. We dont have the luxury of discussing Hartline. We dont (and didnt) have the luxury of Dion Jordan shiny. Until that day, why dont we shut da f- up about trading the best hands on our football team.
