The Carolina Panthers must have liked what they saw of Sonny Harris Thursday night as much as I did. The Panthers signed Harris to their 53-man roster.
The Steelers did get pretty much everyone else they wanted back on their practice squad, which will be TE Dezmond Sherrod, C A.Q. Shipley, RB Justin Vincent, RB Isaac Redman, WR Tyler Grisham, DL Steve McLendon and LB Donovan Woods.
Talk me down from the ledge - was cutting Harris a tragic mistake?
ReplyDeleteI suppose they could always try to send a draft pick to Carolina to get Harris back if they really want to.
Dale,
ReplyDeleteI told you Harris could play before you even realized he could. When I blogged about how surprised I was with what he showed against the Skins, you said that one game wasn't going to beat out Eason or Kirschke.
Well, he played well the whole preseason and should have been on this squad. Tomlin has repeatedly said he wanted to get young and bigger at DE and they draft one in the 6th round that surpasses everyone's expectations.
And you cut him for Nick Eason and Travis Kirschke? That's just stupid. You got a young kid with that type of talent for cheap for the next 4 years that John Mitchell can mold. Kirschke and Eason are nothing more than backups in this league and both are in the last year of their deals.
Normally I agree with the Steelers personnel moves, but I think they made a mistake this time. Good young 3-4 DE are hard to find in this league and the Steelers just gave Carolina one for free.
Funny that you say a young 3-4 DE are hard to find because Carolina was a 4-3 team last I checked. I don't see why a 4-3 team wants a 3-4 end. Or is Sonny Harris able to play as a 4-3 end?
ReplyDelete4-3 DT
ReplyDeleteI agree for the most part, datruth. But Kirschke and Eason are ready to play now and this team has a legitmate chance of repeating. If a starting DE goes down, experience is going to be the key. As you just said, 3-4 DE's need grooming and I don't think Harris is ready to play yet, or he would be on the team.
ReplyDeleteAs Dale pointed out last post, this is a deep team and keeping guys like Logan, make the numbers tougher in the overall scheme.
I wouldn't call it a mistake just yet by the FO, but a tough decision that might come back to bite them, sure.
Harris is a nice player but he wasn't helping us this year..to say he would is ludicrous. We are in the midst of possibly winning another championship in the next 2 or 3 years and need to take advantage of the opportunity. I would rather have Kirschke or Eason coming in for one of the DE's this year. Nothing against Harris, but he's taken on the dimensions of LC Greenwood in some people's eyes. He's a 6th round pick with both known and unknown potential and probably a lot of fatal flaws that haven't been exposed in an actual NFL season.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it hurts to see him gone, and would like him on the practice squad, but remember the guy only had one year of college experience. it's not like he was going play much this year, especially with Ziggy ahead of him. Steelers have a knack for finding these guys, and I'm sure they'll do it again next year when they're concentrating on D-Line again. Really like Colbert/Tomlin's drafts so far.
ReplyDeleteWould have been more bummed if Redman had been claimed, but as an undrafted running back, chances of that were admittedly slim. Redman's a rookie I think CAN help the Steelers this year if he makes it off the practice squad. Happy we won't have to watch Russell & Davis run up the back of Kemo on goal line drives, only to fall down at the 1-yd line.
You've got Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel starting at DE, you've got Ziggy Hood backing up Smith and Travis Krschke/Nick Eason backing up Keisel. Sonny Harris was a promising DE but promise doesn't always translate into a starting DE.
ReplyDeleteHarris was a luxury that a talented team could not afford. Stefan Logan and a few other young talents had to be placed on the active squad or they too would have been snatched up. I think we'll be just fine and quite frankly the Carolin Panthers are signaling to me that their defense is flawed if they need a rookie like Harris on their 53 man roster.
Hey !!, we still have the great Tyrone Carter who needs Sonny Harris....Dumb move by coach Tomlin.Dave W. in Las Vegas.. GO STEELERS!!!
ReplyDeleteAny ideas on who the 8th PS player will be? Maybe an OT prospect?
ReplyDeleteMaybe Terrance Taylor who was cut by Indy?
Do we really need Justin Vincent? I would think they spot could go to some position of greater need. Maybe Roy Lewis?
I've gotta to agree with Patrick on the Roy Lewis over Justin Vincent. Since this was the week to cut offensive coordinators It would be a great time to promote Ken Anderson... someone that knows how an offense should be operated. Dave W.in Las Vegas. GO STEELERS!!!
ReplyDeleteMcLendon is listed at 6-4, 280. Isn't that a little tall and a little light to play NT? Will they try him at DE too?
ReplyDeleteInteresting, Bouchette reports that Carolina claimed Sonny Harris off waivers, while Scott Brown reports that Carolina signed Harris after he cleared waivers.
ReplyDeleteThere's a big difference. Who is right, and whose reporting is inaccurate?
McClendon measured 6'3'', 305 at his Pro Day. Roy Lewis wasn't signed to the practice squad because Seattle added him to their regular roster.
ReplyDeleteCarolina is really hurting at DT. I'm hoping they try to sign another veteran and let Harris go so that he can come back to where he should have never left, Sixburgh.
datruth does make a good point about exceeding expectations. I don't know how much more Harris could have done to make the team. Which suggests barring injuries he had little to zero chance of making the team to begin with. If so, why waste the pick and several months of everybody's time? Unless they're still drafting for the practice squad, apparently learning nothing from 2004. There are still depth issues along the OL and at safety and OLB. Seems they would've been better off throwing a body those positions. At least there's a legit chance that one of those could stick and help. Ramon Foster is proof of that.
ReplyDeleteDale,
ReplyDeleteDo the Steelers have any interest in trying to bring back Bruce Davis for the practice squad, or have they determined that he can't be salvaged?
No interest in Davis. They've seen him for two years now and realize he doesn't want to hit anybody.
ReplyDeleteAs for Harris, Datruth, we're talking about a late-round defensive lineman. He's not a make-or-break player.
Dale, you are looking at it as just a late round draft pick. I'm looking at it as a young prospect with a lot of tools and promise at a position that the team has been looking to get better and younger for years.
ReplyDeleteWith the way players are released in the NFL, especially late round rookies, maybe Carolina will decide to go with a veteran DT instead and release him. Who knows? Just thought by keeping him then they don't have to waste draft picks next year looking for another young 3-4 DE with one already on the roster.
Anyway, it's done, so I'll let it go.
I'm not saying you're wrong or right, I'm just telling you what the team's thinking was.
ReplyDeleteThey feel like they have seven linemen who can help them win another SB this season.
I would have had no problem cutting or trading Kirschke, but he did play well this preseason.