Pittsburgh Steelers camp notes: It’s almost time for the ‘Turk’

Defense

Defensive starters across the front line and pretty much in the secondary aren’t really debatable but the rotations and the backups are fodder for the average fan to discuss. The elephant in the room is the inside linebacker position that seems to be in flux because of the showings in camp as well as the first game that have left many sitting uneasy. Vince Williams, Jon Bostic/Tyler Matakevich, whichever pairing is called to man the middle is crucial to the overall success of the defense.

The run game, the running back out of the backfield game, the tight end game, the receiver crossing pattern game and of course the blitz game all rely on the skillset that the ILB requires.

Shaziers speed, quickness and football IQ masked a lot of mistakes from the defensive line and the other inside linebacker position which is why he is sorely missed. Read and recognition skills or lack thereof have been eyesores both in camp and in the first game.

Lets see how the ILB performs moving forward to further assess if there is a pattern of ineptness or if the skills show gradual improvement. Guys like Huguenin, Matt Thomas and Galambos and L.J. Fort are what is left in the cupboard and it is possible that a diamond may come out of this rough. However, something tells me within the next two weeks a quality inside linebacker will come available that will be an upgrade to what we currently have much like when James Farrior came from the Jets out of nowhere.

What a signing that was. If we can shore up the inside through personnel or scheme or both, the defense will be decidedly better and wont be prone to giving up big plays.