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Pittsburgh Steelers Column
By:
Dave Savolaine
7/21/10
The “C-Block”: The Steelers’
Average Offensive Line
Before I get into the issues the
Steelers have with their offensive line, here's a quick
recap of this year’s Steeler draft picks:
1st Round – OC/OG
Maurkice Pouncey, Florida
The team passed on potential LT Bryan
Bulaga to take the top OC (and possibly the top OG) prospect
in the draft. As the Steelers have done with their defense,
they’re rebuilding the offensive line from the middle out.
Pouncey is versatile & figures to see the field a lot in his
rookie season.
2nd Round – DE/OLB Jason
Worilds, Virginia Tech
A fast, athletic pass-rusher who, if
nothing else, is a rotational guy now, a future starter, and
insurance should the team lose Lamarr Woodley to free agency
after this season (unlikely, but it could happen).
3rd Round – WR Emmanuel
Sanders, Southern Methodist
Fast, fast, fast. With Mike Wallace
moving to the outside, Sanders will compete with the
resigned Antwaan Randle El and the newly signed Arnaz Battle
for the #3 WR spot.
4th Round – DE/OLB
Thaddeus Gibson, Ohio State
A pass-rusher that flashed brilliance
on some plays & not on others for the Buckeyes. Since the
Steelers’ depth (and future starting positions) at OLB are
lacking, the team loaded up at the position. This also
works out well for improving the athleticism on special
teams.
5th Round – OG/RT Christ
Scott, Tennessee
Huzzah, another investment in the
O-line! Scott saw some time at LT during OTAs, but his
future is on the right side of the line. He suffered an
injury earlier this year, but should be ready for most, if
not all, of training camp.
5th Round – CB Crezdon
Butler, Clemson
A needed infusion of talent at the CB
position. The Steelers’ CBs didn’t get an INT the whole
season until the last game.
5th Round – ILB
Stevenson Sylvester, Utah
Smallish for the ILB position in a 3-4
defense, but there’s no denying his wheels nor his
collegiate accomplishments at Utah. With the Steelers
four-deep at ILB (Farrior, Timmons, Foote and Fox),
Sylvester will have to find roles on special teams and
defensive sub-packages until space on the depth chart opens
up in future seasons.
6th Round – RB Jonathan
Dwyer, Georgia Tech
Big, physical back who will compete
with 2nd year players Frank Summers and Isaac
Redman for the short yardage back role.
6th Round – WR/KR
Antonio Brown, Central Michigan
Antwaan Randle El is whom Brown has
been compared to a lot this offseason, and he’ll get to play
alongside him. Press reports indicate that Brown has
impressed the coaches so far & may be putting RB/WR/KR
Stefan Logan’s roster spot in jeopardy.
7th Round – DT/DE Doug
Worthington, Ohio State
A big D-lineman who will get a look at
the DE position in the 3-4 defense. He isn’t big enough
(yet) to project to the NT position. But if he can follow
Brett Keisel’s path from 7th round pick to
special teams to a starting job, his future is bright
indeed.
The Steelers also traded the 5th
round pick they acquired from the Jets for Santonio Holmes
to reacquire CB Bryant McFadden from the Cardinals. If one
looks at McFadden as part of the Steelers’ draft day gains,
then the whole group looks very good. In addition, as per
usual, the Steelers grabbed a few very solid undrafted free
agents who will get legitimate chances to make the final
roster. The most prominent UDFAs this year include OLB
Lindsey Witten, OG Dorian Grant, OT Kyle Jolly and FB
Demetrius Taylor.
With this draft haul, the offensive
line roster sans the injured Willie Colon looks like this
(with presumed starters in bold):
OT: Starks, Foster, Scott,
Hills, Jolly
OG: Kemoeatu, Pouncey,
Essex, Urbik, Grant
OC: Hartwig, Legursky
It’s a group that’s high on depth and
low on starting talent. Drafting Pouncey was a step in the
right direction, mind you, and no one can really plan for a
starting OT to be injured and lost for the season. As
depth/developmental players, Foster and Legursky have been
praised quite a bit & may end up seeing the field a lot more
this season. Urbik is still young and just a year away from
having been a third round draft pick (just like 3rd
rounder Essex and 4th rounder Colon before him:
see a trend of mid-round O-linemen here?) and even he could
get it together this year. But returning starters Starks,
Hartwig and Essex were part of a line that was not able to
protect the quarterback nor consistently open running
lanes. Big Ben was sacked 50 times last season (2nd
worst in the league), and the Steelers’ offense was ranked
19th in rushing (down from 3rd two
seasons ago) and 21st in 3rd down
conversions (down from 1st two seasons ago).
The Steelers appear to be headed
towards another season of mediocre offensive line
performance, and it will be up to new offensive line coach
Sean Kugler to change that and bring this unit back to
respectability. Since bringing in a free agent O-lineman,
or trading for one, is seeming like a more remote
possibility every day, Kugler needs to find a starting five
out of this group that can handle the Baltimore, Cincinnati
and Cleveland defenses twice a year (yes, even the Browns
have a decent defense now.) It’s possible that Foster,
Urbik, Legursky, Scott, Grant or one of the others has an
outstanding training camp and makes Kugler’s job a lot
easier. But the Steelers cannot depend on that happening &
it will be up to Kugler to make the best line possible out
of these ingredients.
And if the Steelers do not manage to
find a winning O-line formula this season, the consolation
prize will be a high draft pick in 2011 and in 2012
if there is no football season next year (supreme deity
forbid.) In the long-term, Pouncey is an important building
block and it would not be surprising to see a couple of the
Steelers’ current O-linemen develop into quality starters.
However, I have no idea which ones can/will make the move &
the Steelers need to keep looking to early rounds of
the draft (i.e., the 1st or 2nd, not
the 3rd or 4th) if they want to return
to the days of Alan Faneca, Wayne Gandy, Dermontti Dawson
and Marvel Smith.
4/14/10
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Holmes Gets A New Home
A few quick thoughts
on the Steelers’ trading of WR Santonio Holmes to the Jets
for a 5th round pick:
- Instead of trading
for a 5th round pick this year, why not trade for a 4th
rounder in 2011 that could be conditionally raised to a 3rd
rounder if Holmes reaches certain statistical milestones
(i.e., 70 catches and/or 800 yards)? A couple reasons why I
feel strongly about this: 1) I fully believe that the team
will need more picks in the 2011 draft than they will in
this one in order to counter likely significant free agent
losses after this season; and 2) the team should expect no
comp picks in 2011 after signing Arnaz Battle, Will Allen,
Jonathan Scott and Larry Foote. The Steelers already have
ten draft picks this April & arguably do not have ten open
spots on the final roster: why not use this trade to build
for the future?
- Why don't the
Steelers try to make trades with teams that historically
have overpaid for players? To this day, I can't believe the
Redskins traded Champ Bailey AND a 2nd round pick for
Clinton Portis. Maybe the Steelers did reach out to teams
like the Redskins & didn't find any takers. And I realize
that the trade market tends to undervalue wide receivers, as
was demonstrated by Randy Moss being acquired for a 4th
round pick. But I can’t help but envy teams that manage to
take advantage of one-sided trades & wish that the Steelers
could “get in on that action.”
- The Steelers now
have four picks in the 5th round (151, 155, 164 & 166, the
latter two picks untradeable since they are compensatory
picks). With that many rolls of the dice, the team *should*
be able to draft a solid player or two. But here is a list
of players the Steelers have recently taken in the 5th
round: CB Joe Burnett, RB/FB Frank Summers, QB Dennis Dixon,
OG Cameron Stephenson, CB William Gay, QB Omar Jacobs, TE
Charles Davis, LB Rian Wallace, DE Nathaniel Adibi, QB Brian
St. Pierre, RB Verron Haynes, OC Chukky Okobi, LB Clark
Haggans, QB Tee Martin, TE Jerame Tuman, WR Malcolm Johnson,
DB Jason Simmons, RB George Jones, etc. From the looks of
this list, the Steelers have gotten a few keepers over the
years & arguably have a reasonable percentage of success
with 5th round picks when compared with other teams around
the league. But only Clark Haggans and William Gay jump out
as players who have spent significant time as starters.
Several of these players are no longer in the NFL. By
trading Holmes for a 5th round pick, they essentially said
"We'd rather have Malcolm Johnson or Charles Davis or [your
favorite 5th round pick here] than Santonio Holmes on our
roster.” In other words, they’d rather have a player that
probably won’t start at their given position (and certainly
won’t start for a couple years if they ever do start)
instead of having a legit #1 WR who can stretch defenses
(when he’s not suspended or leaving in free agency.) Is
that a statement that most Steelers fans would make? That's
a debatable point. When it comes to trading picks,
sometimes people forget that these picks actually translate
into players. In recent years, the Steelers have not done a
stellar job drafting in the later rounds (5th
round included), so they better do all they can to make this
draft count.
- Sure, Holmes is
self-destructing with unwise off-the-field actions, sure,
Holmes was facing a four-game suspension, sure, Holmes was
tarnishing the team’s public image,, sure, the team needed
to send a strong message that they will not tolerate
reprehensible behavior, and sure, Holmes only had one more
year under contract. The reasons to cut bait now are
self-evident. But the Steelers likely would have gotten no
less than a 2012 5th round comp pick for him after he left
in free agency. With a team that’s not too different from
one that won a Super Bowl two years ago (with Holmes as the
MVP), are the Steelers that unwilling to keep Holmes in the
hopes of one more title shot? Or do they feel Holmes is a
replaceable player, specifically by rookie standout Mike
Wallace and returning WR Antwaan Randle-El? Or replaceable
by a rookie to be named later this month? Is a 5th
round pick in hand worth that much more than a 5th
round pick next year? I guess that depends on what you do
with the 5th round pick. Regardless, having
Holmes start 12 games for your team probably would do a lot
for offensive production and, consequently, the team’s
chances at making the playoffs. I’m sure that’s something
that Steelers fans will chew on as the upcoming season gets
underway, especially since the Steelers’ window for winning
another Super Bowl won’t stay open forever. |
3/10/10
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Believing in Miracles,
Part II
Last summer, I thought I had witnessed a once-in-a-decade
off-season miracle happen for the Steelers when OT Max
Starks agreed to a four-year contract extension that
solidified one OT position, as well as saved the team a lot
of money and cap space, even though Starks had a number of
compelling reasons not to agree to an extension.
I guess miracles sometimes strike twice.
NT Casey Hampton, whom I had all but written off as being
signed by the highest bidder (which surely would not be the
Steelers), signed a three-year extension for roughly $21
million with $11 million guaranteed. That’s about how much
he would have been paid under the franchise tag, but
probably much less than he would have gotten in the open
market. With this extension, the Steelers have their
starting NT for next season and are not desperate to use an
early draft pick on a NT. Granted, they may still spend an
early draft pick on a NT, but now they have more freedom to
select the best player available.
Speaking of freedom to choose the BPA, the Steelers have
made several other signings that may free the team further
from having their hands tied in this year’s draft:
·
WR Arnaz
Battle (49ers) – three years, $3.975 million: Battle can
provide WR depth and help with kick coverage units;
·
FS Will
Allen (Buccaneers) – three years, $4.495 million: Allen can
provide secondary depth and help with kick coverage units
(former ST captain for the Bucs in 2008);
·
OT
Jonathan Scott (Bills) – terms undisclosed: Bills’ former
O-line coach now holds same position with Steelers, so he
knows what Scott brings to the table;
·
FS Ryan
Clark (Steelers) – four years, $14 million – Another miracle
since several press reports suggested the team’s starting
free safety was as good as gone in free agency;
·
WR
Antwaan Randle El – three years – Strictly a depth WR now,
although offers an additional punt returning option should
things become desperate.
These signings put the Steelers six-deep at WR with Ward,
Holmes, Wallace, Randle El, Battle and Sweed (although Sweed
might get traded or cut) and four deep at safety with
Polamalu, Clark, Mundy and Allen. It’s still quite possible
that the Steelers draft a WR or safety this April in order
to upgrade talent and depth. Now, however, they don’t
need to use an early-round draft pick to do it.
So where does this unexpected flurry of free agency activity
by the Steelers leave the team’s “needs”? Positions that
still need emphasis in the upcoming draft include:
·
OT:
Behind Starks and the RFA-tendered Colon, the team has just
newcomer Scott, Hills and possibly Foster or Essex for
depth, and there’s no guarantee that Colon gets signed
long-term;
·
CB: the
team desperately needs a starting CB opposite Ike Taylor &
the solution doesn’t look like it’s going to be found
in-house;
·
ILB:
James Farrior’s eventual replacement may need to be in this
draft class;
·
Interior
O-line: with the loss of Darnell Stapleton, the team needs
options in case Urbik, Foster and Legursky fail to develop
into above-average starters.
·
NT: even
with Hampton’s extension in mind, he’ll be 33 this season &
the team has no youth developing at the position.
Positions that likely will be addressed later in the draft
include:
·
RB:
Parker is gone, so there’s room for another RB, particularly
a fast one who can bounce outside and possibly return kicks;
·
QB:
Batch may not return, so it may be time to develop another
#3 QB behind Dixon (and the controversy surrounding
Roethlisberger at the moment may spur the team to draft a QB
earlier rather than later);
·
TE: if
the team isn’t sold on Spaeth anymore, they may bring in
another TE to compete with Johnson for the spot behind
Miller.
·
OLB: the
depth behind Woodley and Harrison currently offers very
little with regards to pass rushing.
·
Punter:
This is entirely dependent on the health of Sepulveda &
whether he signs long-term.
The other big issue for this off-season is the annual
extending-players-with-one-year-left-under-their-contract
extravaganza. Players that will be free agents next year
include Santonio Holmes,
Ike Taylor, LaMarr Woodley, Willie Colon, Trai Essex,
Keyaron Fox and Mewelde Moore, so the Steelers have some
big questions to answer concerning the future of the
team. |
12/12/09
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Now That The Season Is
Over….
…, and let’s face it, Steeler fans, it is over, the Steelers
can start looking ahead to the offseason (and this article
will look mostly at team needs and free agency.) The number
of circumstances necessary for a 9-7 Steelers (if they were
able to achieve that record) to make the playoffs is
mind-boggling, and honestly, after getting manhandled by the
Browns, I don’t see the Steelers ending the season with a
three-game win streak.
How did a team that was 6-2 become 6-7? Injuries to Pro
Bowl DE Aaron Smith and SS Troy Polamalu certainly didn’t
help this season. Cruddy special teams play also played a
big role. Getting Polamalu and Smith to return healthy &
returning the ST to 2008 form will make a big impact towards
returning the Steelers to the playoffs. And those two steps
won’t require any draft picks or offseason moves (other than
hiring a new ST coach).
As I'm sure we all agree, keeping Ben Roethlisberger upright
next season is going to have to be a major offseason
priority. For all the positive press that the offensive
line received earlier this season, they got shellacked by
the Browns. Let’s face it: if Hank Poteat can sack your QB,
your O-line needs help. In addition, the rushing game was
largely being set up by the pass. If we don’t want opposing
pass rushers to pin their ears back and blitz every other
down, the team is going to need to resolve its deficiencies
in the running game so that: (1) the play-action pass will
have some impact; (2) the team can control the ball and the
clock in the 4th quarter; and (3) defenses will
be kept honest rather than blitzing both the pass and the
run.
However, despite still being ranked 3rd against
the run & 12th against the pass league-wide, it
actually is the defense that needs more work this offseason.
DEs Ziggy Hood and Ra’shon Harris are still works in
progress, so Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel need to stay
healthy and productive for at least one more year. Free
agent NT Casey Hampton likely will go to the highest bidder,
so drafting or signing a monster nose tackle becomes a top
priority. The starting four LBs are set, but the depth
behind them is Keyaron Fox, Rocky Boiman, Andre Frazier and
Patrick Bailey. Fox has shown he can play & Boiman has been
productive in the NFL, but more competition for LB depth
spots is needed. And besides the oft-injured safeties
Polamalu and impending free agent Ryan Clark, and the
suddenly inconsistent CB Ike Taylor, the rest of the
secondary is either inexperienced or nothing to write home
about. Tyrone Carter had one really good game this season
against Denver, but an upgrade at safety certainly is
possible. Deshea Townsend and William Gay have had an
up-and-down season, to put it mildly. A stud DB that will
compete for a starting job in 1-2 seasons is a high
priority.
So once again, I end up recommending that the Steelers focus
on drafting an OT, NT and FS/CB early. But what about free
agents? The Steelers don’t have a history of signing too
many high-priced free agents, but the team did a good job
last year in picking up WR/KR Shaun McDonald and CB Keiwan
Ratliff, both of whom have made contributions this season.
Similar moves could be made to round out both the WR and CB
positions next season, especially if it looks like WR Limas
Sweed or one of the rookie CBs (Joe Burnett and Keenan
Lewis) aren’t going to work out. A backup LB with
significant special teams capabilities (lke Boiman) could be
brought in.
However, this could be the year where the Steelers make one
big free agent signing. It could be the resigning of Casey
Hampton, or replacing him with Ryan Pickett or Vince Wilfolk.
It could be signing a starting CB to play opposite Taylor,
like Richard Marshall or Leigh Bodden. It could be a safety
to free up Polamalu to make plays, like O.J. Atogwe or
Antoine Bethea. With so many starters still present from
the team’s last Super-Bowl-winning season, the Steelers may
be one or two key cogs away from making another run at a
title.
I’d
also like to draw attention to a very good article by
Blitzburgh at Behind The Steel Curtain on the Steelers’ cap
situation this season. Long story short, the league-wide
salary cap went up a little over $10 million, but the amount
the Steelers owed to its core players went up by more than
$20 million, making the team rely on cheaply-paid youngsters
to be productive in depth and rotation spots. Sure, every
team relies on rookies and young players, to some degree.
But the automatic increase in salary to the team’s
star players is striking. On the positive side, the
experience the younger players are getting this season may
pay dividends in the coming years. Here’s the article:
http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2009/12/9/1192678/a-closer-look-at-the-steelers. |
10/24/09
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Where It’s At (without two turntables or a
microphone)
Here’s just a quick overview of where the Steelers are right
now in regards to next year’s draft:
What The Steelers Currently Appear To Need From The 2010
Draft:
O-line, Nose Tackle and Free Safety
Here is the O-line as it looks for next year pre-draft:
RT: Willie Colon (RFA in uncapped season), Ramon Foster
RG: Darnell Stapleton (RFA after this season), Trai Essex,
Kraig Urbik
C: Justin Hartwig, Doug Legursky
LG: Chris Kemoeatu
LT: Max Starks, Tony Hills
That’s eight O-linemen definitely under contract for next
year, with a strong likelihood that Stapleton and Colon will
be retained. So the issue isn’t numbers: it’s talent. And
while the O-line seems to have performed decently in recent
weeks (Big Ben is taking an average of 2.6 sacks per week,
but hasn’t taken more than 3 in the last five games & he
generally has had time to throw, not to mention signs of
life in the running game), there’s little doubt that this
group could use a boost in talent & not simply depth. Three
sacks per game x 16 games = 48 sacks: that’s not good. Even
with the improvement in O-line play, there’s no way the team
can be satisfied with an average-at-best O-line. As a
bonus, the Steelers’ tendency under Tomlin has been to let
early-round draft picks develop for a year or two before
starting. Given that the Steelers have enough starting
O-linemen for next season (and possibly beyond), any
O-lineman drafted in 2010 will have the same chance to
develop that Timmons, Mendenhall, etc. have had.
As far as the D-line is concerned, the Steelers did a good
job of investing in it during the last draft, picking up DEs
Ziggy Hood (who may get consideration as a NT) and Ra’Shon
Harris. Brett Keisel signed an extension this offseason &
Aaron Smith is signed through 2011, plus there’s Nick Eason,
so the DE spots are covered even if Travis Kirschke leaves
as a free agent. Nose tackle, however, is another matter.
Casey Hampton is a free agent after this season & Chris Hoke
is a free agent after 2010, and both of them are over 30
years old. One way or another, the Steelers will need to
invest in a young NT this offseason. Ideally, Alabama’s
Terrance Cody will miraculously drop in the first round to
where the Steelers can draft him, but I’m not counting on
that miracle. Other defensive tackles that may be around at
the end of the first round include Marvin Austin (North
Carolina), Arthur Jones (Syracuse) and Jared Odrick (Penn
State), although anything could happen to their draft
prospects between now and April. In addition, none of these
three currently is the space-eating NT that Cody could be,
so it may take time for these three if they are chosen by a
team with a 3-4 defense to find their best position.
The third priority, it seems will be to get a stud free
safety. Polamalu is a sure-fire Pro Bowler when he’s
healthy, but he hasn’t been reliably healthy. Ryan Clark
has done a great job replacing Chris Hope, but both he and
Tyrone Carter will be free agents. There was much
discussion in the press about signing Clark to an extension,
but that did not materialize by the start of the season (and
the Steelers don’t negotiate contracts during the season.)
I have read that the Steelers’ coaches and/or front office
are enamored with Ryan Mundy. However, what I haven’t read
is that the Steelers are considering starting him at any
point this year. It’s possible Clark will be resigned &
that he will stay healthy for the foreseeable future. Even
if that does happen, the Steelers will have a roster spot
open if Carter is not resigned & they really could use the
“next big thing” playing alongside Polamalu (and spelling
him, when necessary.)
What
the Steelers Currently Don’t Appear To Need From The
2010 Draft:
Defensive End, Tight End and Quarterback
Regarding defensive ends, see above. With Aaron Smith,
Brett Keisel, Ziggy Hood and Ra’Shon Harris, the team is in
good shape.
The tight end position is deep as well. Heath Miller just
signed a big extension, Matt Spaeth will be a restricted
free agent that can be brought back affordably, and rookie
David Johnson has shown a lot of promise.
At QB, the Steelers have their starter in Roethlisberger and
their developmental #2 QB in Dennis Dixon. Charlie Batch is
a free agent, but he may resign depending on how he feels.
If he doesn’t resign, the Steelers will be looking for an
experienced veteran for the depth chart, not a rookie. If a
real stud QB drops for some reason into the late rounds, the
Steelers may take a flyer on him. Otherwise, free agency is
where the Steelers will meet their QB needs.
What The Steelers
Currently Could Use But Don’t Need From The 2010
Draft:
Wide Receiver, Inside and Outside Linebackers, Cornerback
and Running Back
At wide receiver, the Steelers are set through at least 2011
with Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes and Mike Wallace. Limas
Sweed won’t be a free agent until 2012, but he might not
even last that long with the team (i.e., he might get traded
or even cut.) Shaun McDonald might get brought back as a
free agent if both sides wish it to be the #4 WR. There’s
also Tyler Grisham on the practice squad. However, I could
see the Steelers using a mid-to-late round pick on a tall WR
that can develop as a possession/blocking WR. After all,
Hines Ward won’t be around forever.
At the linebacker positions, the Steelers have their top
three set through at least 2011: James Harrison, Lamarr
Woodley and Andre Frazier on the outside, and Lawrence
Timmons, James Farrior and Keyaron Fox on the inside.
Donovan Woods currently is on the practice squad & many
thought he was going to make the roster, so consider him in
the mix. That leaves one spot for the next developmental
LB.
At cornerback, Ike Taylor is a starter through at least
2011, and rookies Keenan Lewis and Joe Burnett are signed
through 2012. William Gay will be a restricted free agent &
Deshea Townsend (whom some thought might move to free
safety) is an unrestricted free agent after this year. I
anticipate that at least one of these two (probably Gay), if
not both, will be brought back next season. However, if
Townsend doesn’t come back, there’s a #3 CB spot that’s up
for grabs & it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Steelers
draft a CB to compete for that spot. However, they may
decide to plug in a free agent like Keiwan Ratliff instead.
At running back, it’s quite possible that Willie Parker is
not resigned. If that is the case, Rashard Mendenhall and
Mewelde Moore would be the top two running backs. Isaac
Redman, who already has made the jump to the roster once,
currently is on the practice squad, but he’ll be very much
in the running for a roster spot next year. Frank “The
Tank” Summers hopefully will return better than ever from IR
to compete as well. However, if running backs like Tim
Hightower and Javon Ringer can be had in the 5th
round, it may be possible that the Steelers bring in a
running back of that caliber late in the draft. It’s also
possible that the team looks for ways to include KR/PR
Stefan Logan into the running game.
Summary:
If the Steelers do not draft players at two out of their
three need positions (O-line, nose tackle and free safety)
with their first three picks, I will be a sad panda.
|
7/1/09
|
Do You Believe In
Miracles?
When I
read that Max Starks signed a four-year contract extension
that saved the Steelers roughly $3 million in cap space for
the 2009 season, I clearly heard the voice of Al Michaels in
my head, shouting, “Do you believe in miracles?” An
extension that was supposedly impossible for a myriad of
reasons suddenly happened. Starks gets $10 mill. in
guaranteed money (not much more than the $8.45 mill. he was
guaranteed under the franchise tag) and four years of not
having to look through real estate listings in other
cities. The Steelers, however, get some stability at one OT
position as well as a new total of roughly $8 mill. in cap
space, which is more than enough to sign all the rookies
(only DT Ziggy Hood remains unsigned after OG Kraig Urbik
signed a three-year deal on June 29) as well as the
possibility of extending another priority free agent or two
and/or signing a decent free agent, if needed.
I note
that Willie Colon and Heath Miller would be restricted free
agents next year rather than unrestricted if the league does
not approve a new collective bargaining agreement.
Consequently, the team may decide to work on extensions for
those players after they deal with other impending
free agents such as FS Ryan Clark, NT Casey Hampton, kicker
Jeff Reed, DE Brett Keisel, RB Willie Parker and/or OC
Justin Hartwig. Or perhaps Miller and Colon would agree to
more affordable contract extensions so as to avoid
restricted free agency: I guess we’ll see.
Here’s
an updated version of the current Steelers roster after
recent cuts. Again, veteran players in normal font, players
that will be 30+ years old underlined, draft picks in
bold, undrafted free agents and camp players in
italics:
QB:
Roethlisberger, Batch, Dixon, Reilly
RB:
Parker, Mendenhall, Moore, Redman, Vincent, Logan
FB:
Davis, Summers
WR:
Ward, Sweed, Baker, Nance, Black
WR:
Holmes, McDonald, Wallace, Williams, Grisham
TE:
Miller, Spaeth, McHugh, Sherrod, Johnson
RT:
Colon, Foster
RG:
Stapleton, Essex, Urbik
OC:
Hartwig, Legursky, Shipley
LG:
Kemoeatu, Parquet
LT:
Starks, Hills, Capizzi
DE:
Smith, Kirschke, Harris, Reffett
NT:
Hampton, Hoke, Paxson
DE:
Keisel, Eason, Hood, McLendon
OLB:
J. Harrison, Frazier, Woods
ILB:
Timmons, Foote, Korte
ILB:
Farrior, Fox, Schantz
OLB:
Woodley, Davis, Bailey, A. Harrison
CB:
Taylor, Ratliff, Madison, (Keenan) Lewis
CB:
Gay, Townsend, Burnett, (Roy) Lewis
FS:
Clark, Mundy, Richardson
SS:
Polamalu, Carter
K:
Reed, Czech
P:
Sepulveda
LS:
Warren
Given
this depth chart, Heath Miller, Casey Hampton and Ryan Clark
look the least replaceable, followed by Jeff Reed (a
consistent kicker in a tough stadium, but not an
irreplaceable, “elite” kicker in the league.) On the TE
depth chart, Spaeth is still developing and McHugh is
nowhere near the receiving threat that Miller is. Behind
Hampton are some decent fill-ins in Hoke and Paxson, but the
team would surely miss a top-tier NT like Hampton should
they not have his services after this season (even with his
recurring weight issues and advancing age.) Behind Ryan
Clark is Ryan Mundy, a late-round draft pick from last year
who has receiving strong reviews from Steelers coaches but
is not yet the player that Clark is (when Clark is
healthy). While the Steelers have spent draft picks at the
TE position in recent years, nose tackle and free safety
have been somewhat neglected positions the last couple of
years. As such, the Steelers may not have a lot of choice
when it comes to signing Hampton and Clark to extensions if
they want to keep the current Super Bowl window open beyond
this upcoming season. But the extra cap space from the
allegedly-impossible Starks signing likely will take care of
at least one of these players. Now, more than ever, I
believe in miracles. |
5/6/09
|
An Offseason To
Remember
The
draft is done, yet the Steelers may have made their biggest
improvement shortly afterward in signing WR Shaun McDonald
and CB Keiwan Ratliff. Both players provide veteran depth
to replace the departed Nate Washington and Bryant
McFadden. Washington and McFadden may be more fully
replaced by draft picks WR Mike Wallace and CB Keenan Lewis,
but having Ratliff and McDonald around will give the rookies
a little time to develop.
In a
previous article, I bemoaned the youth of the receiving
corps. McDonald adds seven years of experience in the
league as well as another kick returner option to the
roster. He could step in as a #3 WR until one of the
youngsters steps up. Ratliff also adds experience behind
Taylor, Gay and Townsend (who may end up playing safety)
where little experience was present.
Here is an overview of the roster heading into the summer
(with veteran players listed ahead of rookies until a change
is warranted.) Veteran players in normal font, players that
will be 30+ years old underlined, draft picks in
bold: undrafted free agents and camp players in
italics:
QB: Roethlisberger, Batch, Dixon, Reilly, McCabe
RB: Parker, Mendenhall, Moore, Redman, Vincent, Logan
FB: Davis, Summers
WR: Ward, Sweed, Baker, Nance, Black, Goodman
WR: Holmes, McDonald, Wallace, Williams, Grisham,
Foster
TE: Miller, Spaeth, McHugh, Sherrod, Johnson
RT: Colon, Foster
RG: Stapleton, Urbik
OC: Hartwig, Legursky, Shipley
LG: Kemoeatu, Parquet
LT: Starks, Hills, Capizzi
DE: Smith, Kirshke, Harris, Reffett
NT: Hampton, Hoke, Paxson
DE: Keisel, Eason, Hood, McLendon, Bradley
OLB: Harrison, Frazier, Woods
ILB: Timmons, Foote, Korte
ILB: Farrior, Fox, Schantz
OLB: Woodley, Davis, Bailey, A. Harrison
CB: Taylor, Ratliff, Madison, Lewis
CB: Gay, Townsend, Bryant, Burnett
FS: Clark, Mundy, Richardson
SS: Polamalu, Carter
K: Reed, Czech
P: Sepulveda, Johnson
LS: Warren, Estermeyer
While all the starters from last season are pretty much
going to be the starters next season (longshot possibility
that Urbik beats out Stapleton at RG), here are some
interesting battles for roster spots that could play
important roles in the long-term future of the team:
-
Who will return punts and kicks? It
is in the best interest of the team not to have starting WR
Santonio Holmes returning punts if at all possible. Shaun
McDonald and/or Mewelde Moore can handle punt return duties
until draft pick Joe Burnett is ready. For kickoff returns,
Mike Wallace likely is the KR of the future. Two others
whose best chance to make the team lie in their KR
abilities: Stefan Logan was a speedy RB for the BC Lions
last season & Jayson Foster has returned to the Steelers’
roster after a brief stint on the practice squad last year.
Long story short, it should warm the hearts of Steelers fans
to know that, one way or another, a fullback will not be
returning kicks for the team next season;
-
After J. Harrison, Woodley and Davis,
there’s an open OLB spot. It will be interesting to see
which of the OLB options makes the strongest case for a
roster spot;
-
OT Ramon Foster and QB Mike Reilly are
the two most highly-touted undrafted free agents among the
Steelers’ UDFA acquisitions this year. Considering the
team’s past success with UDFAs, it will be interesting to
see how each of them does & to speculate what must happen
(directly or indirectly) for either of them to make the
roster;
-
CBs Fernando Bryant and Keiwan Ratliff
provide experienced depth to the secondary, but will be
battling draft picks Keenan Lewis and Joe Burnett for roster
spots. It seems likely that either Bryant or Ratliff won’t
be on the final roster. And is Anthony Madison
automatically the odd man out, or can he beat out the
players mentioned above?
-
Can either DT Evander Hood or Ra’Shonn
Harris play nose tackle in a 3-4 defense? Or defensive end,
for that matter?
-
Will either Kraig Urbik or Ramon
Foster be looked at as a possible right tackle? It is not
clear what the RT depth behind Willie Colon is right now.
-
Can draft pick TE David Johnson beat
out Sean McHugh to be the #3 TE/blocking TE (which likely
would save the team a little money and cap space)?
-
Will RB/FB Frank Summers bump RB/FB/TE
Carey Davis off the roster, or will both of them have roles
for this team?
As far as an overall draft grade, I’d give this class a sold
“B”. The group has talent, speed, strength, no reported
major character or work ethic problems, and manages to cover
the team’s most pressing needs rather well. There isn’t a
pick in this draft class that stands out as a bad one
(although obviously that assessment may change over time.)
The annual debate regarding “picking for need vs. picking
the best available players” is somewhat moot here since the
team didn’t make any major reaches (i.e., the team chose the
players at around where most pundits had them generally
going in the draft) & still managed to bring in players at
positions of perceived need (talent on offense & youth on
defense). Just looking at the above pseudo-depth chart (not
created with any inside information about where the team has
each player ranked), I think most Steeler fans should feel
pretty confident that the final roster is going to be very
solid.
I
could nitpick and complain that the Steelers chose DE
Evander Hood over OT Eben Britton and NT Ron Brace in the 1st
Round, or that the team didn’t pick CB Kevin Barnes or Asher
Allen, WRs Derrick Williams or Mike Thomas, NTs Vaughn
Martin or Sammie Lee Hill, or OTs Troy Kropog or Xavier
Fulton in the 3rd Round. But had any of the
Steelers’ pick been different, it would have caused dominoes
to fall differently throughout the draft, so it is pointless
to speculate what could have been. The players the Steelers
obtained in this draft look very good on paper (especially
for picking so late in every round), and that’s all anyone
could ask for in May 2009. |
4/11/09
|
Getting Better With
Age
Most teams in the NFL seemingly strive to get younger every
offseason, cutting older veterans and stuffing their depth
charts with youngsters. There are obvious advantages, both
short-term and long-term, for doing this: development of
future starters, lower salaries, less wear and tear & less
chance of injuries, etc. But is it ever advantageous for a
team to try to increase their age at a position?
Take the Steelers’ receiving corps. Here are the wide
receivers and tight ends along with their ages for the
upcoming season (with two ages given if their birthdays
occur during the season & starters in bold) and their
games played/games started (to the best of my knowledge):
WR Hines Ward – 33 –
184 GP/165 GS
TE Sean McHugh – 27 –
36 GP/14 GS
TE Heath Miller –
26/27 – 72 GP/71 GS
WR Dallas Baker – 26/27 – 8 GP /0 GS
WR Martin Nance – 26 – 1 GP/0 GS
WR Brandon Williams – 25 – 23 GP/0 GS(?)
WR Santonio Holmes –
25 – 48 GP/36 GS
TE Matt Spaeth – 24/25 – 30 GP/5 GS
WR Limas Sweed – 24/25 – 11 GP (?)/0 GS
TE Dezmond Sherrod – 24 – 0 GP/0 GS
While the Steelers’ defensive line sorely needs an infusion
of youth, it appears the receiving corps could use an
infusion of experience. With the loss of
soon-to-be-26-years-old Nate Washington in free agency, the
only WR the Steelers have over the age of 25 with any
starting experience is 33-year-old Hines Ward. Behind Ward,
Miller, Holmes and McHugh, there’s a lot of question marks
in this receiving corps.
It has been suggested by “experts” that wide receivers tend
to bloom (if they ever bloom) in their third years in the
league. If that’s the case, this may be the year that
Dallas Baker makes a significant improvement (Martin Nance
was a UDFA that year as well), but the Steelers may have to
give Limas Sweed and Matt Spaeth another year to develop.
Santonio Holmes and Brandon Williams were both drafted in
2006, so while they are both young, we *may* get a sense of
their respective ceilings by the end of this season. But it
seems like the Steelers are dealing with a very young
receiving corps & all the uncertainty that goes with it.
The
defensive line has the opposite problem: too much age. The
draft offers a simple solution for that: a chance to bring
in younger players to develop as depth players and/or future
starters. But trying to add age to the receiving corps
would involve either signing a free agent (which seemingly
is never the Steelers’ first choice) or trading with another
team (which doesn’t happen a whole lot in the NFL.)
Traditionally, the Steelers have been a team that has built
through the draft, but the team also has made free agent
signings that have made significant impacts on the team over
the years. Just last year, the under-the-radar signings of
RB Mewelde Moore, OC Justin Hartwig and LB Keyaron Fox
played important roles in getting the Steelers to a Super
Bowl victory. With improved depth in the backfield, better
OC play and much better kick coverage, the Steelers were
able to significantly address obvious shortcomings &
position themselves for a title run. If the Steelers can
manage to bring in just one more experienced WR, possibly
one that can return kicks, the passing game will look a lot
more potent going into training camp & one more hole will be
patched.
In
this particular case, maybe the draft isn’t the answer.
Bringing in another WR that will take 2-3 years to develop
may not be the best option for the Steelers, especially when
their window for winning the Super Bowl is open right now. |
2/27/09
|
Freedom Isn’t
Free, And Neither Are Free Agents
Okay, teams:
on your marks, get set, spend! Except for the
Steelers, who rarely ever do in free agency. But
let’s take a quick look at the lay of the land for
the Steelers anyway.
Steelers FAs
likely to sign elsewhere:
- OT Marvel
Smith - Someone will be willing to take a chance on
his back lasting one-two more seasons.
- CB Bryant
McFadden - Young, skilled, expensive.
- OG Chris
Kemoeatu - Even if he's not the best on the market
at his position, he's certainly being publicly hyped
out of the Steelers' price range.
***Update:
Kemoeatu resigned: five years, $20 mill.***
- WR Nate
Washington - See Kemoeatu.
- QB Byron
Leftwich - His stock only got better with a few
starts with the Steelers & a Super Bowl ring.
- OT Trai
Essex - What do you want to bet Russ Grimm scoops up
this OT that he drafted in the first place?
- P Mitch
Berger - Journeyman likely will land somewhere once
again.
So that would be seven free agents signing
elsewhere, with at least five of them commanding
significant contracts. That gives the Steelers
significant leeway to sign some free agents of their
own without losing future compensatory picks
(remember: the maximum number of comp picks is
four.) I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Steelers
sign free agents for the offensive line (OG Derrick
Dockery? OC/OG Jason Brown would be ideal, but the
Steelers won’t be the highest bidder), wide
receiver/kick returner (Justin McCareins? Mike
Furrey?) and possibly defensive back (Would Chris
McAllister, Patrick Surtain or Sam Madison want to
take a one year contract for another shot at the
Super Bowl?)
Steelers FAs
Likely to resign:
- LB Keyaron
Fox - He was very productive here & I think the team
would want him back.
- LB Andre
Frazier - He's got a good gig here.
- QB Charlie
Batch - Pending his health, of course.
- OT Jeremy
Parquet - He'll get another chance to make the
roster.
***Update:
Parquet given exclusive rights FA tender***
- LB Arnold
Harrison - He'll get a chance to show he's recovered
from his ACL injury.
With the
options the Steelers have at linebacker, that may be
the one position that doesn’t get addressed by the
team this offseason.
Steelers
restricted FAs likely to get tendered:
- OT Willie
Colon - The team's needs on the O-line dictate a 2nd
round tender, at minimum.
***Update:
Colon given first round pick RFA tender***
- CB Anthony
Madison - He has been a valuable backup & as a
former undrafted free agent, the team would get no
compensation if he signs elsewhere with less than a
2nd round tender.
***Update:
Madison given low RFA tender***
- S Anthony
Smith - Here's a candidate for a low tender. He'll
provide depth for another year & we'll see if
another team wants to give up a third round pick for
him.
***Update:
Smith not given RFA tender, now an unrestricted
FA***
- TE/FB Sean
McHugh - He contributed in a number of ways & a low
tender would result in a seventh round draft pick.
***Update:
McHugh given low RFA tender***
In my humble
opinion, this year’s draft for the Steelers may be
decided by whether or not a legitimate left tackle (Eben
Britton, Michael Oher, William Beatty, etc.) is
available when the Lions pick at #20. I honestly
can see the Steelers trading up with the Lions to
get ahead of the Eagles at #21 and snag a franchise
left tackle, if one is available. Whether the
offensive linemen named parenthetically above are
true left tackles or not is a matter of opinion, but
if the Steelers have the necessary opinion, that’s
all that matters. Max Starks and Tony Hills are
whom the team is currently depending on to protect
Big Ben’s blindside, and that isn’t terribly
comforting considering how many times the franchise
QB has been sacked the last few seasons. Starks can
be moved inside or to the right side, as can
restricted FA Willie Colon. In addition, the team’s
need for a future starter at left tackle is not
matched by the supply of starting NFL left tackles
in free agency, so the draft is the team’s best hope
at improving at the position.
In draft news
that may be of interest to the Steelers,…
CB/KRs with
rising stocks:
Darius Butler,
Connecticut – 43-inch vertical jump shows he can win
jump balls
Ladarius Webb,
Nicholls State – Has the tools & the Steelers are
not shy about CBs from small schools (Ike Taylor,
Ricardo Colclough, etc.)
Coye Francies,
San Jose State – Did 24 reps on the bench press,
addressing strength/lack of weight issue decisively
CB/KRs with
declining stocks:
Bruce Johnson,
Miami (Fla.) – Just six reps on the bench press
raise concerns about abilities in run support
Vontae Davis,
Illinois – While he has all the athleticism you
could want, bad technique is a big concern (both on
film and at the Combine)
D.J. Moore,
Vanderbilt – Had a terrible Combine all-around
If the
Steelers can kill two birds with one draft pick
(i.e., a replacement for Bryant McFadden and an
additional KR/PR option besides starting WR Santonio
Holmes), I believe they will.
|
|
1/31/09
Our Lines, Our Lines, We’ve
Forgotten Our Lines
So far, the Steelers’ drafts
during the Mike Tomlin Era have shown an emphasis on linebackers and
skill position players, and there’s nothing wrong with that…unless
the team’s biggest needs are on the offensive and defensive lines.
This may be the year where the Steelers’ coaches and scouts take
whatever steps they need to take in order to address the lines.
That may mean trading up in the draft. That may mean swapping
players with another team. That may mean being a significant
participant in the free agent market. But after the Super Bowl is
over, the team will face a troubling reality about their depth
charts in the trenches & there will be significant work to do.
Once the free agent period
begins, here is the Steelers’ offensive line depth chart (with
parentheses around players whose contract situation is not entirely
clear to me):
RT – ???
RG – Kendall Simmons, Darnell
Stapleton
OC – Justin Hartwig (Doug
Legursky?)
LG – (Jeremy Parquet?)
LT – Tony Hills (Jason
Capizzi?)
Unrestricted Free Agents
– LT Marvel Smith, RT/LT Max Starks, OG Chris Kemoeatu, LT Trai
Essex
Restricted Free Agent -
OG Willie Colon – Best suited to be a backup at RG and RT. He has
shown flashes, but has also been mediocre as a starter. Could
certainly be brought back for depth, if nothing else.
Practice Squad – OC
Doug Legursky
It seems clear that the
Steelers have no choice but to bring back Colon for at least one
more year. The team has no one else penciled in at right tackle.
If Colon is given the minimum tender, it would cost another team a 4th
round pick to sign him.
It also seems clear that the
offensive line will have to be addressed early and often this
offseason. Of the remaining linemen on the roster, only Hartwig and
Simmons can be inked in as starters (depending on Simmons’ health,
of course) and Colon may be better suited to play guard than
tackle. Consequently, the Steelers will need to address OT at least
twice, as well as add one more interior lineman.
On the defensive line, the
Steelers have three very good starting players in Aaron smith, Casey
Hampton and Brett Keisel, along with a solid NT backup in Chris Hoke.
But, as I’ve mentioned before in this column, all of these players
are over 30 years old & there’s no young depth to support them.
Orpheus Roye is an unrestricted free agent, Travis Kirschke is over
30, and Nick Eason has been an average journeyman at best. Scott
Paxson has been on and off the roster and practice squad for some
time now.
How did the defensive line
come to this state? Here’s a look at the D-linemen drafted by the
Steelers over the last ten years (not counting DE/LB “tweeners”
drafted to play OLB in the 3-4 defense):
2008 – None
2007 – DT/DE Ryan McBean (cut
last summer; currently on Broncos’ PS)
2006 – DT Orien Harris (cut
before first season; started one game for Bengals)
2005 – DE Shaun Nua (cut alter
two seasons; currently a free agent)
2004 – DT Eric Taylor (cut
before first season; currently with Edmonton Eskimos)
2003 – None
2002 – DE Brett Keisel
2001 – NT Casey Hampton, DE
Rodney Bailey
2000 – DT Kendrick Clancy, DE
Chris Combs
1999 – DE Aaron Smith, DT
Antonio Dingle
What happened to the Steelers’
ability to draft defensive linemen after 2002? All three of the
team’s current D-line starters were drafted by the team, but there
isn’t a single D-lineman on the roster that was drafted since 2003!
Was there a change in the coaching or scouting staff? Did the team
not consider the defensive line a priority for draft-related
resources? Was the team considering a switch to a 2-5 defense?
After emphasizing linebackers
and skill positions in his first two drafts, Mike Tomlin & Co. will
need to make a statement about their commitment to strong defensive
and offensive lines during this off-season.
|