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.
