End-of-season player exit meetings are not something that we are often privy to as outsiders of the football world. Generally, we only get a glimpse into that world when a player is asked by a reporter how the meeting went, if the player is willing to discuss it.
Still, it’s not generally a hard concept to grasp, and we have a pretty good feel by now of how Mike Tomlin and his staff likes to operate, and we see all the game film, so it’s not an overly difficult project to simulate. If we were to administer the end-of-season player exit meetings, it might go something like this.
Player: Guy Whimper
Position: Guard/Tackle
Experience: 8 Years
The signing of Guy Whimper in the offseason may have been one of the most chided free agent signings in Steelers history, despite the fact that he was signed for a veteran-minimum contract and was intended to serve as a game-day inactive.
But this is the Steelers’ offensive line, so you know that wasn’t going to happen. In total, Whimper made two starts, once at left guard in place of Ramon Foster and once at right guard in place of David DeCastro. That is not an insignificant statistic, because Whimper has been a tackle by trade throughout his career.
His position flexibility this season saved the Steelers at times when they had nobody else to turn—except when even he was injured against the Buffalo Bills, which ultimately resulted in the following lineup at game’s end, from left to right: Mike Adams, Kelvin Beachum, Fernando Velasco, Cody Wallace, and Marcus Gilbert.
Whimper started the following week at left guard against the Detroit Lions, and frankly was mismatched against that fierce front, as the entire line was. It was easily his worst performance of the season. He had more success filling in at right guard against the New England Patriots a few weeks prior.
His best performance of the season, however, was a 48-snap fill-in job at right tackle in the first game against the Baltimore Ravens, during which right tackle Gilbert went down early with a leg injury.
Though he did give up one sack, his work in pass protection, primarily against Elvis Dumervil, was a huge part of the Steelers’ ability to win that game, and he also showed well in the run game.
In total, Whimper played 270 snaps on offense, quite a significant total for a player who was essentially on the bottom of the depth chart. For somebody just learning the guard position, he showed that he has room for growth as a flexible reserve lineman, and likely did enough to show that he deserves to be re-signed with the potential to improve his play in the interior. Let’s just hope this year that he doesn’t have to actually play.
Previous Articles In This Series
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – QB Ben Roethlisberger
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – WR Antonio Brown
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – WR Emmanuel Sanders
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – TE Heath Miller
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – T Marcus Gilbert
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – G David DeCastro
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – G Ramon Foster
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – T Kelvin Beachum
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – RB Le’Veon Bell
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – C Fernando Velasco
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – FB Will Johnson
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – DE Brett Keisel
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – NT Steve McLendon
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – DE Cameron Heyward
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – OLB LaMarr Woodley
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – OLB Jason Worilds
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – ILB Lawrence Timmons
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – ILB Vince Williams
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – CB Ike Taylor
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – CB William Gay
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – S Troy Polamalu
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – S Ryan Clark
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – WR Jerricho Cotchery
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – RB Jonathan Dwyer
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – QB Bruce Gradkowski
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – C/G Cody Wallace
Steelers End Of Season Player Exit Meetings – TE Matt Spaeth
