billsfan905 Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Ironic that a 4th round pick in 2014 was signed off our practice squad a year later and is now a #1 corner for a top 5 NFL team, while we are sitting here with a gigantic need at corner. Another example of our failures to develop talent, and nearly always expecting our draft picks from rounds 1-4 to be immediate starters. Ross Cockrell would be pretty nice to have right now........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBonhamRocks Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Agreed. Smart guy with size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 He's not their #1 corner The reason he isn't here is because he was drafted for Schwartz's D, didn't show anything in camp, got hurt and didn't fit Rex's D at all. He never would have made it off ST. Pitt signed him off our PS. He's a zone corner and fit their D. He'd fit ours now, yes. I think he's ok, but he's constantly dogged by their fans. Hindsight is great though. This is what happens when you constantly change schemes and coaching staffs. Hopefully we can start some stability now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan905 Posted March 15, 2017 Author Share Posted March 15, 2017 Per rotoworld: DKPittsburghSports.com reports Steelers restricted free agent CB Ross Cockrell is drawing "plenty" of interest. Reporter Mark Kaboly doesn't name any teams. Cockrell was somewhat surprisingly tendered at the original-round level, which is the fourth round in this instance. Teams might view that as a reasonable price for a player who has emerged as a decent No. 1 corner over the past two seasons. It's possible the Steelers are prepared to match any offer Cockrell receives on the open market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swnybillsfan Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 wasn't he here when cb db was a strength for our team? seems like we had quantity AND quality in the defensive backfield for a while. and it wasn't that we thought he was bad, he was just further down the depth chart with a lot of talent above him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clemfield2622 Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Technically, he wasn't signed from the PS. They snagged him on waivers before he even made it there. Rex thought they could "sneak" him on, but Pitt picked him up. If he was on the PS, Buffalo would have had right of first refusal to offer a roster spot to keep him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 He's not their #1 corner The reason he isn't here is because he was drafted for Schwartz's D, didn't show anything in camp, got hurt and didn't fit Rex's D at all. He never would have made it off ST. Pitt signed him off our PS. He's a zone corner and fit their D. He'd fit ours now, yes. I think he's ok, but he's constantly dogged by their fans. Hindsight is great though. This is what happens when you constantly change schemes and coaching staffs. Hopefully we can start some stability now. There was no excuse to not make a home for him in the secondary. He was an ascending player and looked good at the end of Schwartz time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan905 Posted March 15, 2017 Author Share Posted March 15, 2017 wasn't he here when cb db was a strength for our team? seems like we had quantity AND quality in the defensive backfield for a while. and it wasn't that we thought he was bad, he was just further down the depth chart with a lot of talent above him. Yes but that's exactly the kind of thing Whaley has been missing out on....... when he thinks things are good, guys become expendable. No vision for the future where Cockrell could become a top corner when all of our corners are walking? Gilmore, McKelvin, and Robey are gone now, and Darby took a step back in 2016. I'm sure this has a lot to do with having 7 defensive systems in the past 7 years, but it also doesn't make sense that we have absolutely no long term vision at any position. Similar to us neglecting WR for years now. There was no excuse to not make a home for him in the secondary. He was an ascending player and looked good at the end of Schwartz time. Not to mention he was a 4th round pick less than a year prior......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4merper4mer Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Yes but that's exactly the kind of thing Whaley has been missing out on....... when he thinks things are good, guys become expendable. No vision for the future where Cockrell could become a top corner when all of our corners are walking? Gilmore, McKelvin, and Robey are gone now, and Darby took a step back in 2016. I'm sure this has a lot to do with having 7 defensive systems in the past 7 years, but it also doesn't make sense that we have absolutely no long term vision at any position. Similar to us neglecting WR for years now. I knew we'd figure out a way to blame Whaley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo86 Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Guys who didn't fit Rex's D: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan905 Posted March 15, 2017 Author Share Posted March 15, 2017 I knew we'd figure out a way to blame Whaley. Whether it was Whaley's or Rex's (whoever had control of the roster), it was a gigantic organizational failure. Which is ironic when we're desperate for a CB and WR and both Cockrell and Kamar Aiken are prized possessions right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Technically, he wasn't signed from the PS. They snagged him on waivers before he even made it there. Rex thought they could "sneak" him on, but Pitt picked him up. If he was on the PS, Buffalo would have had right of first refusal to offer a roster spot to keep him. i doubt they would have. He can't play man coverage. If it was Schwartz or McD, sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan905 Posted March 15, 2017 Author Share Posted March 15, 2017 Nobody fit Rex's D. Again....that hire set this franchise back several years. More so switching systems every year has set our franchise back. Whether it was Shwartz, Rex, Pettine, or Wannstedt........... this switching of systems every year has gotten us nowhere. We're asking franchise players like Dareus to do different things every year and having him add or shed 30 pounds a season. You wonder why these guys start to give up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Whether it was Whaley's or Rex's (whoever had control of the roster), it was a gigantic organizational failure. Which is ironic when we're desperate for a CB and WR and both Cockrell and Kamar Aiken are prized possessions right now. Rex should have made a wholesale change to his D because he had this 4th CB on his PS that could only play zone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yungmack Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Yes but that's exactly the kind of thing Whaley has been missing out on....... when he thinks things are good, guys become expendable. No vision for the future where Cockrell could become a top corner when all of our corners are walking? Gilmore, McKelvin, and Robey are gone now, and Darby took a step back in 2016. Turmoil in the coaching ranks is more than likely the real cause. Whaley's been here for Gailey, Marrone, Wrecks and now McD. Each of them had different needs in players. Give Whaley some steadiness at HC and then we'll see if he's any good or not. My guess is he'll do just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 I'm glad the kid has done OK in Pitt thus far but his skill set is limited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan905 Posted March 15, 2017 Author Share Posted March 15, 2017 Turmoil in the coaching ranks is more than likely the real cause. Whaley's been here for Gailey, Marrone, Wrecks and now McD. Each of them had different needs in players. Give Whaley some steadiness at HC and then we'll see if he's any good or not. My guess is he'll do just fine. But can't you flip that and suggest that Whaley hasn't hired the right coaches either? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agent 91 Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Isnt zone coverage a strength of his? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmanfan Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 Whether it was Whaley's or Rex's (whoever had control of the roster), it was a gigantic organizational failure. Which is ironic when we're desperate for a CB and WR and both Cockrell and Kamar Aiken are prized possessions right now. Loss of a 3rd or 4th CB does not qualify as a gigantic organizational failure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted March 15, 2017 Share Posted March 15, 2017 (edited) Isnt zone coverage a strength of his?yes, it is all he can play. He hasn't developed past that. Though not sure the Steelers have tried. Artie Burns on the other side has a much larger skill set. Edited March 15, 2017 by YoloinOhio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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