Jalen Ramsey during Wednesday's minicamp session on the South Side.
Steelers assistant head coach/secondary coach Joe Whitt Jr. might not have intended to compare Jalen Ramsey to Charles Woodson last week at OTAs, but Ramsey doesn't appear eager to shy away from the comparison, either.
"It means a lot. I've had a lot of pride in and throughout my career, being versatile, being able to do different things," Ramsey said after Wednesday's minicamp session at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "Charles is definitely one of the best, if not the best ever to play the game. I want to be in the positions that he was once in when he was playing, and then obviously ultimately be in the Hall of Fame one day like he was. So, yeah, he's definitely somebody I look up to, knowing that I'm around the coaches who he was around in some of his best years is pretty cool."
Whitt's main intention was to illustrate the way defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will weaponize Ramsey this season. As Woodson did for the Packers during McCarthy's glory years in Green Bay, Ramsey is set to be a key "chess piece," as Graham described earlier this offseason, bouncing around from the slot to safety to outside cornerback to the "money" position, which is a third-down, Will linebacker position.
Ramsey's accomplished a lot in his career. When all is said and done, he'll make a great case to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It's not always easy for those kinds of players to accept new roles, especially after a season in which Ramsey openly said he wanted to be the guy who followed around the top receivers on opposing teams.
Now, Ramsey is freely handing that title to Joey Porter Jr.
"Joey is CB1. Joey's the guy," Ramsey said. "The growth that I saw from Joey last year, throughout the season to the end of the season, what he did, what he meant to the secondary, and what he meant to the team was huge, I thought personally."
That's a big deal. And, it could mean the secondary is in a great spot to be the most dangerous it's been in a long while. With Porter and Jamel Dean on the outside, Ramsey can align anywhere and be a menace. He can also be used more often as a blitzer, which has always been one of the more overlooked areas of his game. Even last year, Ramsey had a career-high three sacks. With the way he's going to be used, he could have even more.
It's still early. The defense is still being installed, and training camp will provide another opportunity to build on that foundation. There's a long way to go to see how everything will play out by the time the season starts in September. The important thing is that Ramsey is being exactly who he's expected to be: A team-first player diving into whatever role he's asked to play.
THE ASYLUM
Ramsey embracing versatility, Woodson comp
GREG MACAFEE / DKPS
Jalen Ramsey during Wednesday's minicamp session on the South Side.
Steelers assistant head coach/secondary coach Joe Whitt Jr. might not have intended to compare Jalen Ramsey to Charles Woodson last week at OTAs, but Ramsey doesn't appear eager to shy away from the comparison, either.
"It means a lot. I've had a lot of pride in and throughout my career, being versatile, being able to do different things," Ramsey said after Wednesday's minicamp session at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. "Charles is definitely one of the best, if not the best ever to play the game. I want to be in the positions that he was once in when he was playing, and then obviously ultimately be in the Hall of Fame one day like he was. So, yeah, he's definitely somebody I look up to, knowing that I'm around the coaches who he was around in some of his best years is pretty cool."
Whitt's main intention was to illustrate the way defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will weaponize Ramsey this season. As Woodson did for the Packers during McCarthy's glory years in Green Bay, Ramsey is set to be a key "chess piece," as Graham described earlier this offseason, bouncing around from the slot to safety to outside cornerback to the "money" position, which is a third-down, Will linebacker position.
Ramsey's accomplished a lot in his career. When all is said and done, he'll make a great case to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It's not always easy for those kinds of players to accept new roles, especially after a season in which Ramsey openly said he wanted to be the guy who followed around the top receivers on opposing teams.
Now, Ramsey is freely handing that title to Joey Porter Jr.
"Joey is CB1. Joey's the guy," Ramsey said. "The growth that I saw from Joey last year, throughout the season to the end of the season, what he did, what he meant to the secondary, and what he meant to the team was huge, I thought personally."
That's a big deal. And, it could mean the secondary is in a great spot to be the most dangerous it's been in a long while. With Porter and Jamel Dean on the outside, Ramsey can align anywhere and be a menace. He can also be used more often as a blitzer, which has always been one of the more overlooked areas of his game. Even last year, Ramsey had a career-high three sacks. With the way he's going to be used, he could have even more.
It's still early. The defense is still being installed, and training camp will provide another opportunity to build on that foundation. There's a long way to go to see how everything will play out by the time the season starts in September. The important thing is that Ramsey is being exactly who he's expected to be: A team-first player diving into whatever role he's asked to play.
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