- Things have been quiet here at SteezBros. One excuse is that we are in the dullest of times for football. The draft is still two months away and free agency is yet to begin. Or maybe, I've just been busy at work and am suffering from a bad cold. Or really, I'm lazy.
- There are many interesting developments in Steelerland. It appears that my top two priorities for free agency, Bryant McFadden and Nate Washington, were not Kevin Colbert's top priorities. Neither has been contacted by the Steelers front office. Ditto, Marvel Smith. All three have likely seen their last days in black & gold. As a result, Pittsburgh will need to draft a cornerback and sign a veteran wide receiver. The front office's top two priorities seem to be Max Starks, who received the franchise tag and will hopefully sign a long-term deal to lessen his cap hit, and Chris Kemoeatu, whose agent is currently in contract negotiations with the organization.
- The NFL combine took place last week. I tried to feign interest in this meat market, but couldn't stand more than 5 minutes of NFL Network coverage. I couldn't draw any logical conclusions from watching 5th round tight end prospects running the shuttle drill while Warren Sapp discusses his performance on dancing with the stars. I'll leave that analysis to the experts. But developments regarding two of the top left tackle prospects could impact what the Steelers do in the draft. Andre Smith, a left tackle from Alabama that was expected to be a top 5 pick, showed up out of shape and went AWOL without telling anyone. He also missed the Crimson Tide's Sugar Bowl game due to breaking team rules. His draft stock is plummeting. Who knows if he will last to the 32nd pick? Even if he does, the Steelers may not want to risk drafting a questionable character guy into an extremely close locker room. The other left tackle that is falling is Michael Oher. Oher was the left tackle at Ole Miss and the subject of Michael Lewis's book, the Blind Side. His strength was questioned at the combine and he has also been labeled as a character risk. Don Banks at CNNSI has him falling out of the first round. Both players could drastically improve the talent on the O-line.
- Obviously, I want the Steelers to draft offensive line in the first two rounds. But even if one of the two prospects above were available, the Steelers may decide that Max Starks is the left tackle of the future. If that's the case, I'm hoping we draft interior lineman. Kendall Simmons, Darnell Stapleton, and Chris Kemoeatu could not open any holes in the interior line and the short yardage running game has struggled because of it. Kemo let up the most sacks of any interior lineman and Simmons/Stapleton are both average to below average lineman. All of the top centers and guards will be available at the 32nd pick.
- But maybe there is another option. Jeff Saturday, the Pro Bowl center from the Colts, is set to become a free agent on Friday. I haven't even entertained the thought of the Steelers signing Saturday. He doesn't fit the mold. He's old (34 yrs old), he's expensive (3 time pro bowler), he's a big name, and he plays a position where the Steelers have a solid (ok, average) starter. But today, in the Tribune Review, John Harris writes that Jeff Saturday has told his agent that he would like to be a Steeler. He also said that he would play any position on the O-line if he were a Steeler. If this is the case, maybe Saturday would take a cheap, short term deal to try and win a Super Bowl in Pittsburgh. His signing would immediately improve the line in talent and experience and would allow a rookie drafted this year some time to study under or with one of the best in the game. I still say it's very unlikely (and completely irrelevant if he won't take a major pay cut), but at least it keeps me entertained during the dullest of times in the NFL.
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