Up Close With PSR
John Clayton

Pittsburgh native and Duquesne graduate John Clayton joined ESPN in 1995 as an NFL analyst and commentator and is seen, heard and read across nearly all of ESPN's outlets. His segments appear on SportsCenter, Sunday NFL Countdown, NFL Live, and the NFL Draft. He also regularly contributes to ESPN.com, ESPN Radio and ESPN The Magazine. Clayton began his career with the Pittsburgh Press working as the Steelers beat writer from 1976 to 1986. Clayton and PSR's Tony DeFazio discussed the Steelers upcoming season as the team was winding up its preseason.

PSR: Are the Steelers better off heading into this season with Tommy Maddox as the quarterback than they were last season with Kordell Stewart at the helm?

JC: I think so. His talent just fits the system better. They need a quarterback who is quicker in his delivery and decision making so he doesn't need to run around like Kordell did to make plays. They've got a very complex offensive system where Plaxico Burress is obviously the main guy: a guy who can catch just about anything and who has a good relationship with Maddox. Add in two workhorse type receivers who are former quarterbacks who know how to weave through zones. All they need is somebody to drive the car. Maddox's ability to make quick decisions, move the football, and move the chains is really ideal.

PSR: Are the Steelers a better running team with Amos Zereoue starting over Jerome Bettis?

JC: I still think Jerome's the better back. I don't think Amos did anything to beat him out, other than try to stay even with him. Under the circumstances, however, it's better for Amos to start the season. I do think that Bettis will ultimately win the job back.

Right now, the offensive line is in flux and it's going to be in flux for probably a month into the season. At the center position Jeff Hartings hasn't had a lot of chance to play because of his knee, Marvel Smith is learning the left tackle position, right tackle is uncertain, and at right guard Kendall Simmons is still trying to regain the lost strength from dropping 30 pounds to diabetes. I just don't see that run group coming together and blowing people away until early October. What's needed is not an offense where you have Bettis going behind a fullback, because there are probably not going to be consistent holes. A little more elusiveness and deception is needed, so I think starting the season with Amos is a smart decision particularly with games up front against Baltimore and Tennessee.

If you're going to try to run a straight fullback oriented offense into the Baltimore Ravens the first game of the season, you're going to be banging your head against the wall.

PSR: Is the offensive line solid enough to protect a fragile Tommy Maddox?

JC: Ultimately, yeah, if they stay healthy. That's a big question because when you see the uncertainly at right tackle, it makes you wonder. Losing Wayne Gandy took them down one tackle and you can see them struggling. Oliver Ross was expected to step in and Todd Fordham is really just a journeyman. So you wonder if they're deep enough at the tackle position if they have an injury.

When you look at the talent, they've got two $4 million guys on the inside in Faneca and Kendall Simmons, who, once he gets his strength back is a very good young guard. Marvell Smith is still uncertain at left tackle, but he was solid at right tackle. I think the talent is there for this to be a very good line, but it's a thin line that can't take too many injury hits.

PSR: One offensive area that's not a question is the receiving corps. Can Burress and Hines Ward challenge Swann and Stallworth as the Steelers' best-ever, and where do they rank in the NFL as a unit?

JC: It's a legitimate comparison, but it's hard to compare eras. When you go back to the Swann-Stallworth era, they were only going to get about 4-6 opportunities to catch the ball during the game.

Certainly in Steelers' history, there have never been three receivers as good as these three guys. It's ridiculous to say that Hines and Plax are as good as Swann and Stallworth because you're talking about two Hall of Famers; and it's too early to call these two guys Hall of Famers. But when you throw Randle El in there, that group of three guys as a unit is better than any group the Steelers have ever seen.

I think it puts them in the upper echelon of the league, not necessarily number one. I think the Steelers have to rank in the top six or seven as far as three-receiver groups.

PSR: The defensive secondary was widely considered the downfall of the defense last season. First round pick Troy Polamalu was added to replace Lee Flowers, but that's the only change. Did the team do enough to address their problems in the secondary?

JC: Probably all they could do. You only have one first round choice available. I think they needed speed at safety more than they needed a replacement at cornerback.

The move was smart in that they get a speedy safety, which had been missing. The middle of field was void when Lee Flowers was there because he simply was not a cover-safety. Look around the league and see that most teams have cornerback issues. Cornerback play around the league right now is very tough to get consistency on.

Did they do enough? I think they did all they could, so it's probably not enough, but you can't go and replace everybody who is coming off a down year. You just have to try to augment them as best you can.

PSR: Any predictions as to where this team will end up?

JC: They have a great chance to win the division, win 11 or 12 games and get a one or two seed. If this team underachieves, they can still win 10 games and win the division by a game or two.

PSR: Who do you see challenging the Steelers in the AFC and what NFC teams are your favorites to reach the Super Bowl?

JC: I'd say Tennessee and Indy are battling for a potential one or two seed. I see Oakland and Kansas City very close to each other in the west, and I think New England has a slight edge over Miami. I think it is going to be hard, though, for anyone coming out of the east to end up with more than 10 or 11 wins.

In the NFC, I think the Rams have the best chance to go to the Super Bowl, along with Tampa Bay. I think Philly's probably a third seed in the NFC, and Green Bay probably should be a second seed, but their defense is very suspect right now. The Packers are similar to the Steelers in that they are in a division where they probably should go 5-1 or 6-0.