The Pittsburgh Steelers Dick LeBeau bullish on Shazier, Tuitt

Shazier defender in the weak side of starter in the offseason since the start of the practice, and he has all but won the starting job because of the speed the Ohio State product and Lawrence Timmons can provide in the middle of the defense. Dick LeBeau has a high opinion of Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel. The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator is similarly impressed by a couple of rookies he sees on a regular basis. LeBeau, in fact, couldn’t say enough good things on Wednesday about inside linebacker Ryan Shazier and defensive end Stephon Tuitt. LeBeau expects Shazier, a first-round pick in May, to start this season and for Tuitt, a second round selection, to play a lot. “I don’t want to overload their plate but I would say they’re ahead of schedule,” LeBeau said. “They’ve been very much a pleasure for the whole coaching staff mostly because of the type of people they are. They’re very open to coaching. They’re hard workers and they know they’ve got a lot to learn and that’s not always the case.” LeBeau is enamored with the physical ability of both players as he tries return the Steelers’ defense to the NFL’s top tier after it finished 13th in total defense last season. Shazier, the 15th overall pick of he 2014 draft, runs like a defensive back. His athleticism also translates well to an NFL game is that is becoming more wide open. The 6-foot-5, 303-pound Tuitt has a unique blend of size and athleticism, and it is probably only a matter of time before he supplants Cam Thomas at left defensive end. “Even though I knew he could run, when I see him in person I am surprised by his endurance and his speed and quickness,” LeBeau said of Tuitt. “I don’t know if I’ve seen a guy that big move like that. Now does that mean he’s going to be a great player? No, it doesn’t. There’s a lot of other things that come in there. But he seems willing to try to acquire that knowledge and those skills.” Shazier and Tuitt will play in their first preseason game on Saturday night when the Steelers visit the New York Giants. To say LeBeau is excited to see how each player fares in the 7:30 ET game is an understatement. “I think those two guys are going to give us a lot of speed at a position that doesn’t necessarily feature speed. We’re going to be fast at inside ‘backer.” As LeBeau said, hese young guys I don’t want to overload the expectations but at this stage they’re doing a good job, I’m glad we’re going to start playing some games, It would be easier to make the evaluation process, may identify some of the areas we need to focus on.