Basisphilosophie » Tomlin and the rest of the organization had spent

Between Joshua Dobbs T. J. Watt Jersey , Mason Rudolph, and Devlin Hodges, their on-field play will determine who wins the reserve role in 2019" Commentary2019 Preseason Week 2: Steelers vs. ChiefsValuing experience vs. pedigree in the Steelers battle to backup Ben RoethlisbergerNew,46commentsBetween Joshua Dobbs, Mason Rudolph, and Devlin Hodges, their on-field play will determine who wins the reserve role in 2019EDTIn the Steelers first preseaon game, all three quarterbacks vying for the backup position were given an opportunity to showcase their skills at various points in the game. Joshua Dobbs got the first opportunity against the Buccaneers on two drives resulting in three points. Mason Rudolph was given twice as many drive chances resulting in 17 points. To finish up, Devlin Hodges had four drives yielding 10 points. While all three faced various levels of competition, their overall play would be safe to qualify as “satisfactory.”With three more games to earn the position, the main question moving forward will be how the playing time will be distributed. Josh Dobbs started game one based on his experience and the fact he held the job last season. There is a good chance Mason Rudolph will start Week 2 if Ben Roethlisberger sits out like he is expected to do. Whether or not Hodges gets a chance to start the game in Week 4 is anybody’s guess.So what determines who gets the most snaps at quarterback in both preseason games and in practice? In a close battle, whoever gets the most in-game chances may be who very well wins the job. With opportunity being such a big factor Jerome Bettis Jersey White , what determines the breakdown in playing time? In my opinion, the two driving forces are a combination of experience and pedigree.Experience is pretty much self explanatory. Josh Dobbs already has two seasons under his belt with the Steelers, so he holds the advantage in this category. Rookie Devlin Hodges is obviously at the bottom of the list. With all other things being equal, experience will be the determining factor.Another factor which sometimes take precedence over experience is the notion of “pedigree.” As described by BTSC podcaster Lance Williams, pedigree is determined by how the player became a Pittsburgh Steeler. If signing as a free agent, the pedigree factor is pretty much determined by salary. When the Steelers signed two free agent wide receivers in 2019, Donte Moncrief has a much higher pedigree than Johnny Holton merely based on the contract each was offered by the Steelers. Moncrief’s higher pedigree instantly gives him an easier track to the 53-man roster. As for draft picks, where they were selected determines their pedigree.While experience appeared to be the driving force behind the order the quarterbacks appeared on Friday night, pedigree may be more of a factor when it comes to the final depth chart when the Steelers make their roster cuts on August 31. Not only was Devlin Hodges not drafted in 2019, he wasn’t even an initial undrafted rookie free agent in Pittsburgh. It took an invitation to Steelers’ rookie minicamp for Hodges to get a contact with the Steelers. As for Joshua Dobbs, he was drafted 135th overall in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft. When it comes to fourth-round picks, they can be hit or miss. Since 2010 James Conner Jersey White , the Steelers have drafted nine players (not including 2019) in the forth round with four players not playing more than 8 games in Pittsburgh. So while fourth-round picks generally make the team initially, there isn’t necessary a need to keep players drafted in the fourth round or later if they are not proving they deserve a spot on the roster.When it comes to pedigree, Mason Rudolph leads the way among the current players battling for the backup quarterback position. Drafted 76th overall in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft, Rudolph has just as much in common with the Steelers’ second-round picks than he does his fellow third rounders. With the 79th overall draft pick from the Martavis Bryant trade with the Oakland Raiders, the Steelers traded up three more spots to secure Rudolph. With the Steelers usually drafting toward the bottom of each round of the draft, when the Steelers acquire a higher pick it almost acts like a pick from the previous round much like Diontae Johnson‘s selection at 66th by the Steelers in this years’ draft. Even in his own draft class, Rudolph was taken exactly the same distance behind second-round pick James Washington as he was ahead of third-round pick Chukwuma Okorafor.A case could be made that Mason Rudolph’s pedigree is even higher than his draft position. Many Steeler fans have written off the possibility of Rudolph taking over the starting job after Ben Roethlisberger simply because he wasn’t drafted high enough. What some fail to realize is Rudolph was projected by some as a first-round pick. The fact the Steelers got a steal with Rudolph when they drafted him 59 spots ahead of Josh Dobbs the year before should be taken into consideration.So how much does pedigree matter compared to experience? I believe it is a lot. If the Steelers were to cut Devlin Hodges, nobody would think much of it. If Josh Dobbs were to be released, fans would complain more about “wasting the pick” rather than letting go of the player. But as for Mason Rudolph, his pedigree all but guarantees him a spot on the roster. So even though Josh Dobbs currently has the experience advantage, Mason Rudolph’s pedigree may soon bump him ahead when it comes to the allotment of playing time. ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) — The Oakland Raiders agreed on a deal Saturday night to acquire prolific but disgruntled receiver Antonio Brown from the Pittsburgh Steelers and will give him the lucrative new contract he wanted.A person with direct knowledge of the trade told The Associated Press that the Raiders finalized the deal with the Steelers and will give Brown a new three-year contract worth $50.125 million instead of the $38.925 million he was owed by Pittsburgh. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal can’t be completed until the new league year starts Wednesday.Pro Football Talk first reported the deal and says Pittsburgh will get third and fifth-round draft picks from Oakland.The trade makes final what became a very messy and very public divorce between Brown and the team that helped turn the sixth-round pick into arguably the greatest wide receiver of his generation.It also gives the Raiders a high-profile addition for second-year coach Jon Gruden after trading away two of the team’s biggest stars last year in edge rusher Khalil Mack and receiver Amari Cooper.Oakland got extra first-round picks in those trades but didn’t need to give up any of its four picks in the top 35 in the upcoming draft to acquire Brown Womens Jerome Bettis Jersey , who has topped 100 receptions and 1,200 yards receiving in each of the past six seasons. The Raiders have had only one player reach those marks in a single season in franchise history, with Hall of Famer Tim Brown accomplishing the feat in 1997.Brown now gives quarterback Derek Carr his biggest offensive weapon since entering the league in 2014 and the Raiders a legitimate star before they move to Las Vegas for the 2020 season.The Raiders’ top wide receiver last season was Jordy Nelson, who had just 63 catches for 739 yards.Gruden has always admired Brown from his time as a broadcaster and had nothing but praise for the receiver before the teams played last December.“He’s the hardest working man, I think, in football,” Gruden said. “Hardest working player I’ve ever seen practice. I’ve seen Jerry Rice, I’ve seen a lot of good ones, but I put Antonio Brown at the top. If there are any young wideouts out there, I’d go watch him practice. You figure out yourself why he’s such a good player.”Brown was obviously pleased with the development, posting a picture of himself in a Raiders uniform and a video with Carr at a Pro Bowl with the caption “Love at first sight ” on his Twitter account.Brown is no stranger to drawing headlines for both his prolific on-field production and his off-the-field antics, including livestreaming from the locker room after a playoff win over Kansas City in January 2017 and getting pulled over for doing 100 mph in the northern Pittsburgh suburbs last fall.The sometimes tumultuous relationship between the only player in NFL history with six straight 100-catch seasons and the franchise that made him the highest-paid player at his position in the spring of 2017 reached a breaking point in late December.Steelers coach Mike Tomlin benched Brown during the regular-season finale against Cincinnati after the wide receiver went radio silent in the final 48 hours before the game. Brown arrived in a fur coat Jerome Bettis Jersey , hung out for a half and then disappeared from view until well after his teammates had cleaned out their lockers following a 9-6-1 finish that left Pittsburgh on the outside of the playoffs for the first time since 2013.When Brown did resurface, he began engaging in a series of increasingly antagonistic acts designed to expedite his departure. He went on Instagram with former Steelers linebacker James Harrison during Tomlin’s season wrap-up press conference. He decried quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s “owner’s mentality” and chastised Tomlin for disciplining him in Week 17, no matter that years downplaying Brown’s off-the-field eccentricities.Brown officially requested a trade last month, but not before photo-shopping his familiar No. 84 onto a San Francisco 49ers jersey or using his hyperactive social media feeds to indicate not only his displeasure with the Steelers but also his interest in signing a new deal with whomever should acquire his services.Even with his benching in the finale, Brown caught 104 passes for 1,297 yards and a franchise-record and NFL-high 15 touchdowns. His last performance in a Pittsburgh uniform might have been one of his best, a 14-reception, 185-yard, two-touchdown masterpiece in a road loss to New Orleans.A week later, the player who once said he wanted to retire a Steeler didn’t even suit up against the Bengals. Just over two months later, he now finds himself heading to the second act of a career that’s on a Hall of Fame trajectory and the Steelers have a hole at receiver and more than $21 million in dead money on their salary cap.