Steelers 2011 Projected Starters Defense

[Shayn•Da•Pain]

Defensive starters

LDE: Aaron Smith / B
[I']Underrated, and is a very solid DE. He's a leader. Near the end of his career, and Ziggy Hood proved to be a worthy replacement last year.[/I]

NT: Casey Hampton / A-
Once considered the premier NT in the NFL, Career is winding down, but he's still a force.

RDE: Brett Keisel / C+
Brett has developed into a solid 3-4 DE. He does his job well and makes it easier for Harrison to get to the QB.

LOLB: LaMarr Woodley / A
Elite class OLB. LaMarr will get a long term deal soon, but he's franchised as of today.

LILB: James Farior / B
Oldest player on the defense, but he's still great. Larry Foote is still on the roster in case old man winters collapses.

RILB: Lawrence Timmons / B-
He's not quite in the elite class, but he's still very good.

ROLB: James Harrison / A+
The best overall OLB in the game today. Period.

CB1: Bryant McFadden / D+
The dude is super slow and can't cover. He tackles well though. Desperate need to resign Ike Taylor, AND/or pick somebody else up in FA.

CB2: William Gay / F+
Outright sucks. Can't cover, slow, and no hands.

FS: Ryan Clark / C
Not bad, not great, just plain old average.

SS: Troy Polamalu / A+
Best in the business.

[Senser81]

If James Harrison is an A+, is Clay Matthews an A++?

[Aso]

I'd say Casey Hampton shouldn't be an A. He's no longer as dominant as he once was and now doesn't play passing downs at all. Plus Brett Keisel I'd put around a B+. I feel like he turned a corner last year as a 3 down player in the absence of Aaron Smith.

[Shayn•Da•Pain]

If James Harrison is an A+, is Clay Matthews an A++?

Go fuck yourself for overrating Clay.

Clay: 60 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 1 INT, 4 PD, 2 FF
James: 100 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 2 INT, 5 PD, 6 FF

Clay: 0 DPOY
James: 1 DPOY

Recrods
Clay: none
James: Longest play in Super Bowl History.

3.5 more sacks than James does not equal a better player when all things are considered. James is still a dominant pass rusher, and better against the run than Clay. He's for damn sure a harder hitter and more disruptive overall.

I know you're on the CMIII bandwagon right now, and you just LOVE to troll me. And I'll admit Clay is fucking awesome. I personally love the guy TBH, he's worth an A+ himslef. But don't you dare tell me James isn't A+.