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So u want the old fashioned run stuffer? ... thats what i was getting at ... i think the Butkus, Singletary, types may not be in such high demand in that they were great against the run but not so good against the pass and at blitzing ...

Is there really a place for the run stuffing type LBer in todays nfl? ..

Has it evolved so much it’s rendered the run stuffers extinct? ...

Shobert has really opened my eyes to this ... is he the “new” breed of MLber in the nfl? ..

Whats your “definition” of monster lber ... the game has changed so much since we’ve been around it ..

does everyone think one of our top priorities is really replacing our pro bowl middle linebacker??

I guess your are talking about junior?

If so his old man was pretty damn good as well.

Been looking at quarterback classes for what seems like forever.

It will be nice to get a break and look at other positions.

DJax is the type of WR who would pair nicely w/Landry. He has that deep speed and big play ability.

So much to be positive about ... EVEN IN THIS LAST LOSS ...

Many many positives in that game getting drown out by the L ... its a real shame were not talking about that anywhere on here ...

PLEASE keep Hue out of this thread fellas ...

Lets focus on some football in this thread if we can ...

I couldn't agree more. We're finally starting to see this young talent develop, and they're beginning to show that they have all the makings of a very good football team.

We're talking about a 2-4-1 team. That isn't lost on anyone. But it is painful how close this team is to being 6-1 in spite of being led by rookies or second year players at most core positions.

Personally, I think that's why people are so damn frustrated. Every play, every moment is under such intense scrutiny because from all games except the Chargers, just one or two plays were ultimately the difference between a win or a loss.

Throughout that, two undeniable conclusions are being sadly overlooked.

1. Perhaps most importantly, this team packs some incredible young talent. Ward, Mayfield, Chubb, Harrison and Avery are just an incredible collection of rookies. They have been so good, flashed so much potential, and are all players at key positions. If this is what they look like now, imagine what they look like with time, experience and development.

Meanwhile, some other young players from the Sashi era are making their mark. Garret, Ogunjobi, Peppers, Higgins, Schobert and Ogbah have all shown continued improvement.

Then there are some older additions like Mitchell, Randall, Tretter and Collins have all played well thus far.

Simply said, this team isn't lacking talent - and the vast majority of that talent is young, hungry and almost certain to get even better.

2. This team has improved. They've improved a lot. The 1-15 season was a disaster. The 0-16 season was worse in record only. Much of the struggles extended to injury and a rookie QB in over his head. The team was better, but couldn't overcome themselves.

This year, however, this team could frankly be sitting up the top of the standings. Difficult schedule, horrible officiating and a dependence on some very young players. In spite of this, the team has clearly improved leaps and bounds.

For the life of me, I cannot figure out why people are so mad at a young team who has clearly improved by a significant margin. It hasn't extended to winning, but I think anyone would have to be incredible pessimistic to think this development won't evolve in to consistent winning.

At the end of the day, only two things matter to me:

- The roster is better.
- The roster is poised to contend.

As I said all off-season, I also think it's important to remember that the Steelers and Ravens are getting a lot older, a lot quicker. The AFC North is showing signs of slowing, and the Browns are poised to make some serious moves.

I can understand if people want the coach, or anyone, gone. It is what it is. I cannot, however, understand why this season has inspired so much anger and hostility. I cannot remember a time when this team's future was so bright, and so close to being bright.

No doubt, and that starts today. Like I've said, beating the Steelers away is like waking up on Christmas with Sasha Grey in your stocking. Okay, not quite that good, but still good.

With that said, I feel like the pressure on the coaching staff is cutting off your nose to spite your face. Ultimately, the coaches aren't why this team is losing. The team is losing because young players aren't consistently enough making plays. I feel like it's fair to say they will develop enough to make those players.

And firing coaches, no matter how green the grass is, is a destructive action. Learning a new system and trying to adapt the existing players to a new way of playing supersedes perfecting the existing execution. Fixing these annoying miscues like false starts and illegal formations don't come for overturning the organization, they are caused by it. The headscratching plays are only headscratching because they've not yet made it into the coaches "Well, damn, that doesn't work" folder.

I think we can all agree that winning is the remedy to these overturns - but I feel like we're still pretending this losing isn't systemic of these overturns. It is.