Baby Ben

[SissyBoyFloyd]

Examine that Kolb interception closely. It was a bait and switch tactic that a good high school QB should recognize. Kolb goes to line of scrimmage and sees CB back off WR. Kolb changes the play. With no CB to guard the WR, the only option is for the inside cover to switch to outside coverage. Kolb had plenty of time to see what was happening, but throws his weak ash pass anyway for as easy an interception you will see this year.

Skelton should be given the starting job today so as to give him all the reps he needs and build his confidence. For the rest of the year, this should be Skelton's team. Period!

Now, that S.D. rookie QB looked awesome. What an arm and surprisingly the confidence and understanding of the routes I would never have expected. Great pick and probably our future at QB if Skelton doesn't pan out in long run.

RIP - Kevin Kolb, as far as I am concerned. I have open mindedly seen all I need to see of him this year. I was hoping last season was a aberration, but obviously not. He is just not right upstairs to be a QB in the NFL.

 

[Russ Smith]

I just hope if Skelton is the guy they decide it soon and start to tweak the offense to suit him.

 

[red desert]

As a blocker, would your job be easier if the position of the QB in the pocket was predictable?

Skelton moves only enough to avoid pressure. Kolb is halfway down the visitors tunnel when pressured.

Levi could push his blocking assignment to the parking lot and damned if Kolb hasnt already run there....

That's funny.

 

[red desert]

I just hope if Skelton is the guy they decide it soon and start to tweak the offense to suit him.

Shhhh! Not until after my Fantasy Football draft this Friday. I can still snag Skelton with a 7 or 8th round pick. After Friday, who knows...

 

[kerouac9]

I just hope if Skelton is the guy they decide it soon and start to tweak the offense to suit him.

Good luck with that.

 

[Catfish]

I would like to point out that-----Skelton, being stronger at bigger is not 'afraid' to get hit. Kolb, on the other hand, seems so fragile, that EVERY hit is a potential injury. That is not acceptable in my opinion, as strength can be acquired, and John Lott is just the guy to help Kolb do that. Kolb has not done one thing to improve his core strength since he has been here. He should be working after hours to improve this, but apparently does not see this as a problem. He also apparently doesn't see flushing waaay out of the pocket to be a problem either. He seems to have shown absolutely no progress in either matter this whole year he has been here. That is inexcusable in my opinion, especially considering the money he is being paid.

I would have to think that any improvement he makes, must come because of getting stronger through his core, so that he can take an occasional hit. Only then will he be willing to stay in the pocket to do his job. His failure to work on core strength is very telling in my opinion. You can't fix what you fail to recognize.

 

[Darkside]

To expound on this, I'm not saying Skelton is more calm in the pocket it's just that he doesn't have to move his body to establish throwing lanes like Kolb does so it allows him to keep his feet steadier in the pocket. It also allows him to see IMMEdiately when a player comes open while Kolb has to navigate his throwing windows and sometimes he will naturally miss a player coming open because the linemen is blcoking the view of them.

I really thought Kolb gave us the best chance to win games, but he really makes it hard for me to continue saying that, especially after last night. And I was already starting to come around when he couldn't separate himself from Skelton in practice.

Which leads me to: I think Skelton plays better in live games than practice. His skill set doesn't translate well in practice. I think with no pressure, no rush, and all the time in the world during practice, that he over-thinks everything he's being taught. He tries to be perfect. In games his skills come through and he thinks less.

Going back to what you're saying: Skelton showed me something last night. Even though his passes weren't always where they should be, he was really surveying the whole field every play, consistently. His footwork looked light-years better than I've seen. Much lighter on his feet--for him--bouncing on his heels, which is great for his timing and rhythm. And his hip rotation was like night and day compared to last year. One of his throws from the pocket for a first down was across his body with dudes draped all over him. No room to maneuver. Very difficult throw but he was able to swivel his hips enough to make the play. I don't think he makes that play last year.

I'm not saying Skelton's taking us to the playoffs or anything like that. I do think he should move ahead of Kolb in the depth chart as of right now. If he can hold on to it the rest of the preseason I think he deserves a chance to start. I'm still concerned about his accuracy, but Kolb makes our Oline look horrendous and it doesn't matter if he's more accurate if he has no time to throw or is running for his life every play. Skelton (as of now) at least gives us a chance. He'll make mistakes that will drive a person insane, but at least he's back in the pocket, upright, surveying the field for a guy to throw to--and right now that's better than Kolb racing backwards toward our own goal-line.

 

[Skumbag]

I see a bit of a conspiracy here. Kolb with zero protection = him put on the injured list. This pushes what everyone including Whis wants... Skelton at the helm. Whis can't be blamed for Kolbs performance if he's riding the pine in a body cast nor can he be blamed for making the wrong decision for QB. Skelton plays and if it goes sour, Whis pulls the "wish kolb could have stayed healthy" card. If we start winning, Whis looks brilliant.

 

[slanidrac16]

I would like to point out that-----Skelton, being stronger at bigger is not 'afraid' to get hit. Kolb, on the other hand, seems so fragile, that EVERY hit is a potential injury. That is not acceptable in my opinion, as strength can be acquired, and John Lott is just the guy to help Kolb do that. Kolb has not done one thing to improve his core strength since he has been here. He should be working after hours to improve this, but apparently does not see this as a problem. He also apparently doesn't see flushing waaay out of the pocket to be a problem either. He seems to have shown absolutely no progress in either matter this whole year he has been here. That is inexcusable in my opinion, especially considering the money he is being paid.

I would have to think that any improvement he makes, must come because of getting stronger through his core, so that he can take an occasional hit. Only then will he be willing to stay in the pocket to do his job. His failure to work on core strength is very telling in my opinion. You can't fix what you fail to recognize.

Nice take.

I'd like to add that Skelton seems to have a bit of swagger and although Kolb may be faster or quicker than Skelton , JS seems to know how to move within the pocket to buy that extra second. It also take more than a shove to bring him down.

 

[WildBB]

Nice take.

I'd like to add that Skelton seems to have a bit of swagger and although Kolb may be faster or quicker than Skelton , JS seems to know how to move within the pocket to buy that extra second. It also take more than a shove to bring him down.

You get it, well done.

Baby Ben.

 

[JeffGollin]

I would like to point out that-----Skelton, being stronger at bigger is not 'afraid' to get hit. Kolb, on the other hand, seems so fragile, that EVERY hit is a potential injury. That is not acceptable in my opinion, as strength can be acquired, and John Lott is just the guy to help Kolb do that. Kolb has not done one thing to improve his core strength since he has been here. He should be working after hours to improve this, but apparently does not see this as a problem...

Yes, Skelton is big enough to shrug off some hits that Kevin can't.

Yes, Kevin is an injury risk every time he takes off with the ball.

But we don't know what Kolb's workout regimen is or isn't; and it's unfair to slam him for lack of conditioning effort.

Also, the Little Ben monicker is kind of lame - while he's somewhat bigger and stronger than average, he's not nearly as "tank like" in his build as Big Ben.

 

[Darkside]

I agree he doesn't look like a tank the way Ben does, but they're both pretty large:
Ben: 6'5 241
Skeletor: 6'5 243
(Flacco: 6'6 245)

Granted, everyone carries weight differently, but I think they're all much bigger and stronger than average.

 

[splitsecond]

Yes, Skelton is big enough to shrug off some hits that Kevin can't.

Yes, Kevin is an injury risk every time he takes off with the ball.

But we don't know what Kolb's workout regimen is or isn't; and it's unfair to slam him for lack of conditioning effort.

Also, the Little Ben monicker is kind of lame - while he's somewhat bigger and stronger than average, he's not nearly as "tank like" in his build as Big Ben.

That's because Skelton hasn't spent 8 years in Pittsburgh eating cheese fries, drinking, and chasing after sewer rats.

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

I just hope if Skelton is the guy they decide it soon and start to tweak the offense to suit him.

"THE SYSTEM WORKS."

 

[WildBB]

I agree he doesn't look like a tank the way Ben does, but they're both pretty large:
Ben: 6'5 241
Skeletor: 6'5 243
(Flacco: 6'6 245)

Granted, everyone carries weight differently, but I think they're all much bigger and stronger than average.

Baby Ben just has to do that he's a younger version. He has a long way to develop. He has a chance if given the opportunity. I think this team can win arouond him. Much like the Steelers have done. A big play here and there.

He's also athletic enough.

 

[JeffGollin]

Skelton is bigger and stronger than Kolb, and he seems better at shedding tacklers.

But to refer to him as "Baby Ben" seems a bit of a reach (My perception is that Roethlisberger is about 20 - 25 pounds bigger and even more physically able to shed tacklers than is Skelton).

 

[BigRedRage]

Skelton is bigger and stronger than Kolb, and he seems better at shedding tacklers.

But to refer to him as "Baby Ben" seems a bit of a reach (My perception is that Roethlisberger is about 20 - 25 pounds bigger and even more physically able to shed tacklers than is Skelton).

As mentioned earlier, skelton is 2 pounds heavier than Ben.

 

[JeffGollin]

As mentioned earlier, skelton is 2 pounds heavier than Ben.

My bad.

Skelton is listed at 244 lbs on the Cardinal website

The Steeler website shows Roethlisberger at 241.

Skelton is listed as 6-6. Ben is listed as 6-5.

But I'll still stick to my perception - Despite the size parity, Big Ben seems to "play" a bit bigger and tougher than Skelton.

 

[CardLogic]

I agree he doesn't look like a tank the way Ben does, but they're both pretty large:
Ben: 6'5 241
Skeletor: 6'5 243
(Flacco: 6'6 245)

Granted, everyone carries weight differently, but I think they're all much bigger and stronger than average.

As mentioned earlier, skelton is 2 pounds heavier than Ben.

Maybe when he came out of college, but...

There's no friggin' way that Rothlisberger was playing at 241 the last couple of seasons; he has been at least twenty pounds heavier than that.

 

[kerouac9]

Maybe when he came out of college, but...

There's no friggin' way that Rothlisberger was playing at 241 the last couple of seasons; he has been at least twenty pounds heavier than that.

I think he looks bigger because he's wearing flak jackets and stuff to protect his body. Because he takes so many hits, he wears a lot of protection. Makes him look a lot thicker.

 

[Stout]

My bad.

Skelton is listed at 244 lbs on the Cardinal website

The Steeler website shows Roethlisberger at 241.

Skelton is listed as 6-6. Ben is listed as 6-5.

But I'll still stick to my perception - Despite the size parity, Big Ben seems to "play" a bit bigger and tougher than Skelton.

I look at the two players in the pocket, using their deceptively shifty feet to avoid the rush, and using their strength to shed tacklers, and they seem pretty much like clones. Big Ben will escape the pocket and prolong plays further than Skelton has shown, but other than that, they seem to have the same physical attributes in the pocket.