Tag: Ryan Shazier

Steelers defender was second best LB over past two weeks, per PFF

Payton Wilson has emerged as a standout in the Steelers’ linebacker room, offering hope for the future of the team’s strong defense.

In a stacked Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker room that features the impressive run-thumping talents of Elandon Roberts and the do-it-all, well-rounded Patrick Queen, rookie Payton Wilson has shined the brightest over the past two weeks.

On 21 defensive snaps in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens and 32 snaps in Week 12 against the Cleveland Browns, Wilson has performed as the second-best linebacker in the entire NFL, according to PFF.

Wilson’s speed, agility, and play recognition make him an imposing force in run defense, but his true talents appear to lie in pass defense. Over the past two weeks, he allowed just three receptions for seven yards, and NFL QBs had a dismal average passer rating of 36.5 when targeting him.

The linebacker position has been an area of concern for the Pittsburgh Steelers ever since LB Ryan Shazier suffered h is career-ending spinal cord injury in 2017, and it is exciting to know the future of this strong Steelers defense can rely on the impressive LB room led by Roberts, Queen, and the emerging Wilson.

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Ohio State football recruiting scouting report: Garrett Stover

Ohio State football recruiting scouting report: Garrett Stover #GoBucks

Ohio State football had another dominant recruiting class and landed a consensus top-five class in the country. Once again, the class features serious star power and was able to snag some amazing talent on the defensive side of the football including an extremely impressive linebacker from its own backyard.

Name: Garrett Stover

High School: Big Walnut (Sunbury, OH)

Height: 6 feet, 0 inches

Weight: 214 pounds

Position: Linebacker

Strengths

Garrett Stover has surprising speed and unique explosiveness likely hitting the 4.45 seconds range in the forty-yard dash, which should translate to an ability to handle Big Ten speed. He is just an overall excellent athlete with the strength and power to see the field early as well. Given his size and athleticism, versatility will also be a key trait for Stover as he may see some time at safety in addition to linebacker.

NEXT … Weaknesses

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Steelers legend Ryan Shazier says he’d play tomorrow if he were healthy

Ryan Shazier has never lost his passion for playing football.

Back on December 4 of 2017, then Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier saw his career end on a freak spinal cord injury while making a tackle. Shazier’s comeback has been nothing short of inspirational even if he never got well enough to return to football.

But Shazier said that even after everything he went through if he were deemed healthy tomorrow, he would come back and play football. Shazier spoke in an interview and made it clear he would want to return to the Steelers.

“100 percent.” Shazier said, “If I could, right now, wake up tomorrow, and they say, ‘Hey Ryan, you’re 100 percent healthy,’ I would call coach (Mike) Tomlin.”

Shazier was a phenom for his short NFL career. His passion for the game and the ability he showed on the field put in a very small group of players. The fact that even now, after all of the trials and tribulations he’s been through to recover, Shazier would return to football if given the chance speaks volumes about him.

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Steelers futility at ILB illustrates just how special Ryan Shazier was

Will the Steelers ever find another Ryan Shazier?

When inside linebacker Ryan Shazier went down with his back injury in 2017, we could have never imagined just how difficult it would be to replace him. Steelers writer Chris Adamski shared this list of the players the Steelers have tried to replace Shazer with to no avail which brought it perfectly into focus just what a special player Shazier was and how lucky Pittsburgh was to have him.

This list is in addition to Devin Bush who the Steelers made a huge trade-up to get in the 2018 NFL draft. He never saw a second contract with Pittsburgh. Every year when the NFL draft comes around, we hope the Steelers will commit to a top inside linebacker, even after the failure of Bush.

This season, the Steelers have brought in three more potential replacements and we will go out on a limb and say none of them will be anything close to Shazier.

We don’t offer this as a criticism to the Steelers front office. It is more to illustrate just what a special player the Steelers had and how every player coming in will be held to that standard. When Shazier was drafted, the comparison that was made was to Lawrence Timmons and it took no time for Shazier to exceed expectations.

Shazier casts a huge shadow and it is probably time to move on from the hope that picking up castoffs in free agency will ever be that type of impact player and focus on building the rest of the defense to account for his loss. Then, maybe someday another generational player like Shazier will fall into the laps of the Steelers.

 

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Fortnite Tournament features eight former Ohio State stars

#FortniteGame Tournament features eight former Ohio State stars #OvMFortnite #GoBucks

This Sunday, streaming superstar and Michigan football fanatic, NICKMERCS has partnered with Columbus’ own, eFuse and Epic Games to host one of the most exciting Fortnite tournaments in history and the first tournament to feature both current and former Ohio State and Michigan football players for up to $55,000 in prizes.

“Gaming deserves a place in rivalries as grand as this,” said Matthew Benson, CEO of eFuse. “Alongside our partners are Epic Games, we’re going big with a tournament featuring the rivalry’s biggest names, putting real money on the line and broadcasting this out to millions of viewers. Our proprietary platform was built exactly for major moments like this and we can’t wait to see how the gaming community responds.”

“Football and gaming have long been synonymous,” said Zach Beebe, Founder of NIL Management, a management and consulting agency supporting college football’s top stars. “The Rivalry Week Fortnite tournament is celebrating the past while looking to the future and building new traditions within gaming and modern entertainment. Our collegiate clients are super excited and can’t wait to battle. This series will be one for the history books!”

It gives me chills to think of this rivalry extending to yet another arena and my mouth dropped when Team Ohio State was announced. There will be 16 players on the roster, with eight being former stars and eight being current ones. To get you ready if you’re into this sort of thing (and you should be) here are eight former Buckeye stars jumping on the sticks to defend the great state of Ohio.

The tournament will air Sunday, November 20, at 7 p.m. ET on NICKMERCS’s MFAM Gauntlet Twitch channel: twitch.tv/mfamgauntlet.

Top five NFL combine vertical jump performances by Ohio State players all time

Top five NFL combine vertical jump performances by Ohio State players all time.

The 2022 NFL scouting combine took place in Indianapolis, Indiana, and it always provides a unique, stress-inducing showcase for future NFL players. The combine is typically the most important part of the pre-draft process for many NFL prospects and serves as the most important job interview these young men may have in their lives.

Any seasoned NFL scout will tell you the combine is not the end all be all and is just a part of the process, but fans love the idea of the underwear Olympics and seeing some of these freak athletes accomplish insane feats in the bench press, shuttle run, 40-yard dash, vertical jump, and broad jump.

The following are the top five vertical jump performances by former Ohio State football players. We are only tracking numbers from the NFL scouting combine and not from pro days and only numbers since the NFL scouting combine moved to Indianapolis in 1987.

More Buckeye best NFL combine performances: Bench Press, Shuttle, 40-Yard Dash.

*THIS YEAR’S PERFORMANCES WILL NOT BE INCLUDED

Ryan Shazier’s advice for struggling Devin Bush: ‘Dive into the playbook’

Ex-Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier knows what Devin Bush is going through and how he might be able to turn things around.

Devin Bush has had a rough go of things in the NFL. His transition from college to the pros was a bumpy one, and just when it seemed things were starting to click, Bush destroyed his ACL.

October 18 marked one year removed from Bush’s devastating injury on a non-contact play versus the Cleveland Browns.

The average time a player returns to action is 12 months, though some players believe they are not 100 percent until as many as three seasons post-injury.

Since his return, Bush has failed to make an impact. By the looks of it, he’s not mentally or physically fit to play the game. There are points where it seems having him on the field hurts the Steelers more than helps them.

Quarterbacks are picking on Bush in coverage — and succeeding. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s allowed 34 receptions on 41 targets for 306 yards, 11 first downs and two scores for a passer rating of 114.

Defending the run, Bush’s PFF grade is 27.6. He’s tackling poorly and has shown an inability to shed blockers.

Been There

Bush’s predecessor, Ryan Shazier, has some thoughts as to what could be going on. “I’m not surprised that Devin is not having the year that everybody expected,” Shazier told Steelers Wire. “I think Devin is still getting used to having something different about his body that he didn’t have before.”

Shazier certainly empathizes with Bush and understands what he’s going through.

“I remember when I sprained my MCL and was wearing a knee brace, I felt like I was the same player but I knew in the back of my head that my knee was not what it once was,” Shazier said. “That’s one thing Devin is just learning how to deal with right now. He’ll turn it around.”

When the MCL sprain sidelined Shazier for three games midway through the 2016 season, Vince Williams stepped in and had some monster games. Behind Bush on the Steelers depth chart is safety-turned-linebacker Marcus Allen and Ulysees Gilbert III.

Shazier’s advice for Bush is to try to refocus his energy from his knee to his opponent.

“I think with Devin is when you understand that you’re not 100 percent healthy or you might be a hundred percent healthy, but you have doubts on your mind when it comes to your body, just focus on the plays a little bit more and on what the other team is going to do.”

“Knowing what the other team is going to do gives you much more advantage than just your athletic ability,” Shazier added. “Devin should try to dive into the playbook a little bit more than he probably is already doing.”

“When it comes to football, it’s an every-week type of thing. If Devin catches a pick every game for the rest of the season, everybody will be like, He’s the greatest linebacker ever.”

Shazier’s football career came to a sudden halt on a routine play versus the Bengals on Dec. 4, 2017. He suffered a devastating spinal cord injury which left him paralyzed. Today, he’s a walking miracle.

“Walking Miracle” will be available on November 30.

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Ryan Shazier on Von Miller trade: Aaron Donald and Von Miller on same D-line is ‘not fair’

Former Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier talks about the Rams trade to the Broncos for Von Miller.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier was speaking with Steelers Wire, promoting his new book “Walking Miracle,” when news of linebacker Von Miller’s trade broke.

In exchange for Miller, the Rams agreed to trade 2022 second- and third-round draft picks to the Broncos.

“The Rams do a good job of tricking everybody into the trades that they want,” Shazier said with a laugh.

A big trade by the Rams this offseason involved the acquisition of quarterback Matthew Stafford from the Detroit Lions.

Los Angeles and Detroit swapped quarterbacks Jared Goff for Stafford. The Lions also received two first-round draft picks (2022, 2023).

“They’re pretty much going all-in on winning the Super Bowl this year. I think they have the team to do it,” said Shazier. “Von is a playmaker and to have him and Aaron Donald on the same D-line is not fair. With Jalen Ramsey in the back — that’s a Pro Bowl team.”

Shazier is happy for Miller, especially knowing his new team gives him a legit shot at a Super Bowl.

“I think it’s awesome for Von,” he said. “Denver understands they have a young team, they’re not going to win the Super Bowl this year. With Von coming to the end of his career, I think the Broncos are trying to give him the respect of sending him to a team that’s good.”

“It’s a win-win for everybody.”

Shazier’s football career came to a sudden halt on a routine play versus the Bengals on Dec. 4, 2017. He suffered a devastating spinal cord injury which left him paralyzed. Today, he’s a walking miracle.

“Walking Miracle” will be available on November 30.

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Top ten highest drafted outside linebackers in Ohio State football history

Who are the top ten highest-drafted outside linebackers in Ohio State football history? We run through the list for you.

The 2021 NFL draft is over and we witnessed Justin Fields be selected in the first round, but the next highest former Buckeye drafted was outside linebacker Pete Werner in the second round. It got me thinking how many more outside linebackers in Ohio State history were drafted that high or higher.

To determine the highest-drafted outside linebackers was not as easy as quarterback, because a few of the players listed played defensive end at Ohio State, but were drafted with the intention of playing outside linebacker. Same with some of the players that primarily played on the inside during their NFL career as they were draft with the intent of playing on the outside.

Ryan Shazier throws major shade at Antonio Brown

Ryan Shazier was a teammate of Antonio Brown in Pittsburgh and knows how difficult the wideout can be

One of Antonio Brown’s former teammates with the Pittsburgh Steelers issued words of caution about the turbulent wideout.

Former Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier described Brown as selfish in many ways.

“The biggest thing for me on Antonio is he’s all for attention,” he said on The Ringer NFL podcast. “He’s super about attention, man — on the field, off the field.”

Shazier, whose career ended with an injury suffered during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017, questioned the sincerity of Brown’s friendship.

“I don’t know if he’s bipolar and all that stuff, but like, one day me and him would be cool. Then, if you don’t say something he wants to hear, then he’s mad at you,” Shazier said. “Like, bro, I don’t have time to suck up to you and be your best friend. You don’t want to hear what I’ve got to say? I’m trying to tell you for your advice from my past experience, you know what I’m saying? And I just hope he doesn’t do that over there.”