Offseason Recap

The Steeler's defense of their sixth NFL title began this past weekend as the Steez headed to Latrobe for the start of training camp. As with the Steez, the Steezbros have been, for the most part, off for the summer but we are hoping to jump back in with both feet with camp starting. For the first post of the new season we are going to take a look back at what has occurred this off season.



The Roster
The Steelers entered the offseason with a number of free agents on the offensive line, but very few anywhere else. The major concern was addressing a host of players that entered the 2009 season with only one year remaining on their contracts. With uncertainty on the collective bargaining agreement, many expected the team to have a quiet offseason, but it has been anything but. Here is a rundown of the signings, the non-signings, the releases, and the draft.

SteezBros is late to start its coverage of training camp. We expect to receive our fine from Coach Tomlin any day now.

O-line Continuity - After winning the Super Bowl with an O-line that was described by one analyst as the worst ever in the Super Bowl, the Steelers decided that what the line lacked was not talent, but continuity. The franchise tag was placed on Max Starks, but the team negotiated a long-term contract that negated the tag. Chris Kemoeatu flirted with the Jets, but was re-signed. Willie Colon signed a restricted free agent tender. Even jack-of-all-trades back up Trai Essex was signed for two years. Here is a quick summary of the contracts:

Starks - 4 years, $26.3 million ($10 million guaranteed)

Kemo - 4 years, $20 million

Willie Colon - 1 year, $2.2 million

Essex - 2 year, $2 million


Thoughts: Overall, the Steelers were in a tough position with the O-line. The talent wasn't great, but there wasn't much depth either. I can't say I'm that excited to invest so much money on a sub-par offensive line, but let's hope the unit improves with another year playing together. After franchising Starks, the team negotiated a great deal to provide cap relief and long term stability. Kemo didn't do much to warrant a $20 million contract, but maybe the mental errors will be eliminated after a full year starting. Keeping Colon with a RFA contract was a no brainer. The real steal might be Essex, who is a strong candidate to start at right guard.


Keeping the Core Intact - Entering the offseason, the following players had only one year left on their contract - James Harrison, Hines Ward, Heath Miller, Ryan Clark, Brett Keisel, Casey Hampton, Willie Parker, and Jeff Reed. Yikes! But despite a tight salary cap, the front office went to work.


James Harrison signed a below-market, back loaded deal of 6 years - $52 million (Consider Bart Scott got $48 million over 4 years and Terrel Suggs got $63 million over 6 years with $38 million guaranteed). Heck, he earned that much with the immaculate interception. It should be fun watching Silverback abuse left tackles and quarterbacks for the rest of his career.


Hines Ward will also retire a Steeler. He signed a 4 year, $22 million contract. Ward will earn that money with his on-field performance, but the Steelers get even more through Ward's mentoring of young receivers such as Santonio, Limas Sweed, and Mike Wallace.


Heath Miller signed a contract that will make him one of the league's highest paid tight ends. The 6 year contract is worth nearly $36 million. This is one of the few contracts where the team paid a market price, but I sure am happy to keep Heath in black and gold. Now let's see if we can get him some more catches.


Thoughts: These three signings keeps part of the core together for the long term and limits the number of players that will reach free agency next year. I expect the team to re-sign Jeff Reed either this year or next. Hampton's situation will be determined by his play this year. Clark's will be determined by how much $$$ he demands. Ditto Brett Keisel. But it sounds like the team is trying to retain both. Realistically, I think Fast Willie is gone unless Mendenhall is a complete bust this year.


Depth is Important - Keyaron Fox, Arnold Frazier, Charlie Batch, Anthony Madison, and Sean McHugh re-signed to provide depth.


So Long, We'll Miss You - Bryant McFadden and Nate Washington played major roles in winning Super Bowl #6. But both were too expensive to keep. McFadden signed a two year contract, $10 million contract with Arizona and Washington signed a six year, $27 million contract with Tennessee. It's hard to fault these guys for getting the big pay day the Steelers could not provide. Both guys will be missed.


Ditto for Larry Foote. Foote had one year left on his contract, but heard the footsteps of Lawrence Timmons. Foote was probably going to lose his starting job, so he asked to be released. The team released him and he was quickly signed by his home town Detroit Lions. Foote was an important part of the Steelers defense and helped the team win two Super Bowls. We wish him well in Detroit.


Marvel Smith and his faulty back also left the team. Anthony Smith went to Green Bay. Byron Leftwich wanted a chance to start. He signed with Tampa Bay. Kendall Simmons was released. His poor play will not be missed.


Overall, the Steelers only lost three impact players -all of whom are replaceable. Foote was losing his job to Timmons anyway. Willie Gay, who split time at CB#2 last year, will take McFadden's spot. And hopefully Limas Sweed can take over for Nate.


Boring, but effective, Draft - There weren't any starting positions open for our draft picks, so the team drafted for the future. The FO ignored cries for an early-pick offensive lineman and took defensive lineman Ziggy Hood. Hood made the average age of our defensive line drop by a couple years and is already receiving rave reviews for his work ethic and motor. He'll likely rotate in a couple spots this year and potentially take over a starting spot next year if Keisel or Hampton leave. After trading away our 2nd round pick, the Steelers grabbed Guard Kraig Urbik, WR Mike Wallace, and CB Keenan Lewis. Urbik was expected to compete with Darnell Stapleton for the starting right guard position, but probably needs some time to develop. Mike Wallace, who ran a 4.3 at the combine, will provide an element of speed at the WR position, but will likely make the most impact as a kick returner. Other rookies include Joe Burnett, a CB with kick/punt returning capabilities, Frank Summers, a short yardage back, AQ Shipley, a center with short arms, and David Johnson, a blocking TE.


The draft wasn't overly exciting, but the Steelers drafts rarely are. If Hood can provide depth and Wallace or Burnett can provide a spark to special teams, this rookie class will make enough of an impact to improve the Super Bowl champs in key spots.


Goodbye Mr. Rooney - The team had two major stories regarding ownership. One, several of the Rooney brothers sold shares in the team to an investor group led by Dan and Art Rooney that also featured John Stallworth and a family that is well known in my part of rural Pennsylvania. As long as the operations are still Rooney-led, I'm a happy man.

Two, Mr. Rooney, AKA Chairman Dan Rooney, accepted the well-deserved position of ambassador to Ireland. Art Rooney has effectively been running the team for a number of years, so wholesale changes are unlikely. But the players are sure to miss Mr. Rooney, a man who is missing his first Steelers training camp in 68 years.


Distractions - Up until two weeks ago, this offseason was pleasantly devoid of distractions. Sure, Santonio Holmes was loving the spotlight, Big Ben was tearing up Bethpage Black, and the team won an ESPY for best game, but these were all fun perks of being a champion.

However, two weeks ago, an employee of Harrah's filed a civil law suit claiming that Ben Roethlisberger raped her at a celebrity golf tournament in 2008. The timing and details of the story (no criminal charges are being filed, only a civil suit) are odd, but that shouldn't take away from the seriousness of the charges. Big Ben publicly denied the claim and vowed to clear his name. This won't affect Big Ben's playing status in 2009, but may alter his mental status. We'll monitor the details of the story as they develop and see if this distraction has a serious effect on the Steez.



Ok, we're caught up. Anything we missed?

Ben Roethlisberger Sued for Sexual Assault

According to multiple websites, a Civil Complaint, not criminal charges, has been filed in Nevada against Ben Roethlisberger for sexual assault among other claims. Check out Mondesi's House for a more in depth look at the situation and for more links. Also, ProFootballTalk has a few pieces about the situation where they take a close look at the actual complaint that was filed in Nevada.

Here is another interesting link to a TMZ article regarding Big Ben's accuser.

For most Pittsburgh fans, Ben's partying antics are well established as is his love for the ladies. Many pictures have surfaced on the net through the years of Ben with various women at bars as well as the multitude of rumors that fly around the Pittsburgh bar scene.



I love Ben the football player, but Ben the person is a totally different story. To me, personality wise, he comes across as a dbag. He is cocky and seems to think he is above everyone else. He thinks he can score any chick out there and that is is a privilege for them to hook up with him. But do these stories make him a sexual predator? As always we will have to wait until all the facts come out and this plays its way through the legal system. Interestingly, no criminal charges have been filed as of yet. Also suspicious is that, the suit was not filed for almost 9 months after the incident occurred. And check out the TMZ article above regarding the mental state of his accuser.

Roger Goodell will most certainly look at the situation to determine whether it warrants a suspension for Big Ben. Unfotunately for Steeler fans, Goodell does not need a criminal conviction to impose discipline. I think everyone needs to take a wait and see approach in this case, ever mindful of the Duke Lacrosse case where everyone jumped to conclusions that were erroneous and people's lives were adversely affected. If this women's claims are true, I feel for her and she deserves whatever damages she is awarded. However, the main remedy in a civil suit is a money award and that could be motivation enough to file a frivolous suit against someone with the resources of a Superbowl winning QB with the hope of a settlement. But like I said, let's wait and see.

Max Starks Signs Long-term Deal

The Steelers announced that Max Starks signed a four-year deal today. The initial report did not include the value of the contract, but John Clayton at ESPN.com is reporting that it is for $26.3 million over four years. The team can now revoke the franchise tag from Starks that would have paid him $8.5 million in 2009.

The new contract provided both sides with something it strongly desired. For Starks, it was long-term security. For the Steelers, it was cap relief. As a result of the signing, Pittsburgh cleared about $3 million from its salary cap - money that will likely be used to sign one of the many pending free agents. Dale Lolley, a sports reporter covering the Steelers, speculates that the front office is targeting Heath Miller as the next player to receive an extension.

I have mixed feelings about the signing.

THE BAD

It's rare for Kevin Colbert and our beloved front office to place themselves in a bad spot financially with a non-superstar player. But that's exactly what they did with Max Starks. After Starks lost his starting job to Willie Colon in 2007, rumors were flying that Starks and Tomlin didn't get along. What other explanation was there for losing the starting right tackle job - after winning a Super Bowl no less- to Willie Colon? With the coaching staff's preference for Colon, it seemed likely Starks would leave in free agency or sign a small contract worthy of a back up. Inexplicably, without any reports of demand for Starks (since this blogger is privy to that sort of information), Kevin Colbert chose to apply the infrequently used transition tag, which guaranteed Starks $7 million for 2008. At $7 million, Starks was the second highest paid player on the team behind Ben Roethlisberger. Tomlin had little input on this signing because, despite the front office's belief that was worth a big contract, Starks started the 2008 season as a back up. A $7 million back up.

In hindsight, the signing of Starks was huge for the Steelers. Marvel Smith was injured early in the season and Starks played admirably at left tackle for the rest of the regular season and playoffs. The offensive line struggled as a whole, Starks included, but his play at left tackle helped us to win a Super Bowl. Nonetheless, the offensive line was still the biggest weakness of the team. Some in the media called it the worst line to ever win a Super Bowl. And I've been hardpressed to find a single scout that ranks any of the Steeler lineman among the top half of the league. In my opinion, Starks was the best offensive lineman on the team, which isn't saying much, but he is nowhere near one of the best in the league.

After this past season, Starks was once again a free agent. The Steelers had three free agents on the offensive line, Starks, Kemo, and Colon. To maintain a semblance of continuity on the line, the team needed to keep several of these lineman. Starks was top priority. But instead of aggressively pursuing a contract before free agency, the Steelers slapped the franchise tag on him, guaranteeing that he would be paid like a top five left tackle. Now I wanted to keep Starks, but guaranteeing him $8.5 million when the team was already tight with cap space didn't seem smart to me.

However, the new contract lessens the cap hit to less than $7 million per year. It's much better than $8.5 million in 2009, but still a lot to pay for an average left tackle. The Steelers now have more than $11 million tied up on the left side of an offensive line that was one of the worst in the league. Color me less than excited.

THE GOOD

Considering the position they were in, the front office did a terrific job negotiating a contract extension. Max Starks had most of the leverage in this game, because at worst he could play 2009 for $8.5 million. The Steelers knew they would have to pay more than the $8.5 million in guaranteed money, and provide a lucrative salary, or Starks could walk. The deal, which offers only $10 million in guarantees and decreased his salary to less than $7 million per year, was even better than I thought possible. The team now has cap space to go after other important players. $7 million per year is still a lot for an average player, but the salary cap keeps increasing, and as a result, so do player salaries, expecially at the coveted left tackle position.

The good news not related to cap space is that the Steelers have the left tackle position set for the next four years. Even though Starks wasn't incredible at left tackle in 2008, he is a relatively new starter at the position. He has less than two seasons practicing there and has the tools and size needed to develop into a good player that can protect Big Ben's backside. It also provides the Steelers with some continuity on the O-line going into 2009. Continuity is one of the most important factors in offensive line play. I still think the O-line needs to get better players on the interior and right side of the line, but all of the signings this year will enable the team to transition (add Kraig Urbik and Shipley if they develop nicely) without making wholesale changes.

OVERALL

Given the position of the front office, they did an incredible job getting a contract in place early in the offseason. The extension provides long-term stability at the left tackle position, and it provides the team with cap room that was desperately needed. I wasn't thrilled with how the team handled the contracts for Max Starks in the past, but this was the best for which the Steelers could have hoped.

Steez Cafe

The other day my roommate who plays football for Pitt took me to the UPMC Southside facility where Pitt and the Steez practice to eat lunch at the Steelers Cafe knowing how much I love the Steelers and that I would really enjoy seeing them. We got down there and walked through the indoor practice field and across the parking lot full of luxury vehicles, most populated by models made by Cadillac. I quickly pointed out Max Starks Black Hummer as I saw him drive past my house in it last week. We then walk into the Steelers side of the complex which I have never been in (I've been in the Pitt side a few times with a field trip or a friend who plays) with no resistance from the guard at the door. We then walked in to the cafeteria and ordered a sandwich and me being a Steez Cafe virgin not knowing how things worked took a bunch of shit for not knowing what I wanted and changing my mind from the Lunch Lady behind the counter. She was extremely nice and knowledgeable though. She told us that the Steez were practicing at Heinz Field today and that they should be returning very shortly and will shower up and come eat. Sure enough as we looked out the window four buses were pulling into the facility. If the buses were blue, our coach eight million years old, and our players college athletes playing in the middle of nowhere it would have been exactly like Happy Vally. The first person of the buses was Mikey T with Bungy attached directly to his hip much like JoePa and Zach Mills or Michael Robinson. The next player off the bus who was almost attached to Ben's hip was Jeff "Skippy" Reed (might have thought he was a Sheetz towel dispenser). Then the masses unloaded from the buses and every player you could think of was there except for Tone. As we continued to eat some coaches I didn't recognize filed in and the first player in the cafeteria was Ben. As the players and coaches had just received their new rings which are literally twice the size of the XL ring I was hoping that one of them would be wearing the ring but alas no dice. Ben was wearing a nice pair of capri sweatpants however. He quickly grabbed a cup of soup and a water and tried to dart out. A guy asked him about how he thought he would play at Bethpage and Ben excitedly answered that he'll find out this weekend. He genuinely seemed to be pumped about getting to play the Open course much like anyone would be. Apparently playing on the greatest stage of one sport doesn't prevent you from getting giddy about playing a practice round on another. Overall it was a cool experience and it was nice to get to see the players but nothing too exciting just a little insight that the guys are really just regular guys that happen to get paid a shitload of money to play football.

Santonio Holmes Cleared of Drug Charges

Per PFT, the drug charge against Santonio has been thrown out because the arresting officer did not have probable cause to pull over Santonio's vehicle. Thankfully, this means that he most likely will not be suspended by the league next season. He already was suspended for one game by the Steelers which he served last season. There is an outside chance the league could impose some sort of penalty, financial or otherwise, due to the fact that a small amount of pot was found in his vehicle. Under the league's personal conduct policy, there is no requirement for a conviction to impose discipline on a player for conduct that violates the policy.

Bling Bling

Championship!

BUNGY INJURED IN OTA

Ben injured his knee today during a voluntary workout today. According to the Post Gazette he "limped heavily" during and after practice. He was not seen wearing any brace or support after practice however. Is this just another embellishment by Bungy ala his broken toes his rookie year or are he and Mikey T (who both declined to comment after practice) just downplaying this as it may be significant? Personally I am not too worried. Any other opinions?