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Pittsburgh Steelers Column
By:
Dave Savolaine
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.
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7/1/09
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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.
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