Just sitting on the sideline waiting for Del.

TSS just had to do it!

Nice one TSS!! Something I would have not given much thought too but its another small thing that makes the STEELER organization the best in sports.

Yeah I totally think that the punter is one of, if not the most, important positions on the team. I'd gladly spend three picks on a punter if I had to!

Just by the sheer presence of Sepulveda on the bench last year we were able to win the Super Bowl. Need further proof that punters are mega-important? Look no further than Tennessee, no Hentrich = 0-6! Imagine if the Raiders lost Lechler, they'd be 0-6 too!

I'm with Del on this one. Sep's a good punter but not crucial to the win/loss column. And who will ever know what our coaching staff could've done with any of those other 6th rounders drafted. I may be mistaken but I thought Jacob Ford started for the Titans and played very well against us last year.

Oh well, what's done is done. We have Sep and I enjoy watching him punt for us. We'd be 5-2 with or without him though.

 

quoting pitterpatter:

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You forgot to mention the fact that he sat out a year due to a preexisting injury.

All in all, I don't see why people really get all that upset or happy with this pick.

However, I do like the trend it started, the Steelers using their late picks on guys who they consider strong Special Teams contributers.  They've used many picks on guys who may or may not start at their prospective positions, but are pretty safe bets for special teams play.

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we have had 2 kicks returned for TD's this year.  

First,  I'm not a big Sepulveda fan (or a fan of any punter for that matter),  but I will ackknowledge, he is a good punter, but it's not clear to me that he's one of the top 10 in the NFL.   Better than Berger?  No doubt, but having the worst punter in the NFL was not a barrier to winning the SB.

But,  TSS's argument, as I read it, seems to be:  the guys who we'd have drafted in 4th and 6th round, stunk, so it was a brilliant move.   That may be true.  But in reality the Steelers made the trade to get a punter.   Whether there was a Pro-Bowl QB, LB, RB or DB taken after the fact, would not make Sepulveda a better or worse punter.    If there were a Tom Brady or James Harrison available after,  would that make picking Sepulveda a bad move?   You could just as easily argue that luck not brilliance makes the move look 'not 'bad' after 3yrs. 

 The argument gets made that Sepuleda ain't just a punter, he's a football player!   He's blood and guts and makes plays.   Ok, he had a great highlight film at Baylor.   But so far in his NFL career he's made 2 tackles in 23 games.  If he were your typical wimpy (bad word) punter, could you tell the difference? 

The Browns went to great lengths to get Zastidul from the Ravens when they came back to the league....their thinking was the team is not going to be very good...and they will be punting often.

 

HACK

since he cost  two picks why not letting try to kickoff also ? --double pick double job ---he would kick deeper than reed and make the tackles if needed

quoting GB_Steel:

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Yeah I totally think that the punter is one of, if not the most, important positions on the team. I'd gladly spend three picks on a punter if I had to!

Just by the sheer presence of Sepulveda on the bench last year we were able to win the Super Bowl. Need further proof that punters are mega-important? Look no further than Tennessee, no Hentrich = 0-6! Imagine if the Raiders lost Lechler, they'd be 0-6 too!

I'm with Del on this one. Sep's a good punter but not crucial to the win/loss column. And who will ever know what our coaching staff could've done with any of those other 6th rounders drafted. I may be mistaken but I thought Jacob Ford started for the Titans and played very well against us last year.

Oh well, what's done is done. We have Sep and I enjoy watching him punt for us. We'd be 5-2 with or without him though.

 

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Yeah, and I'm sure Harrison will do for a long snapper too, oh wait, we lost that game to the Giants didn't we?!

Very good post and as I've stated before I'm always open to Del's argument because it is an interesting subject, and a radical departure from traditional thinking. That high school team is just one of the current systems that are actively practicing this type of thinking. It is a change, and as people, we fear that so I always keep that in mind. Nevertheless, your post and analysis is a good one on this subject and I'm not ready to throw 4rth down punting away just yet.

I really dig this debate.

 Punters ar a dime a dozen, we could find a sevicable punter

if we made an attempt. I have to go with what the one poster

said, I too don't think Sepulvda is a top ten punter.