Steelers make moves

The Steelers were unusually active early in free agency on Monday.  Ordinarily, the Steelers sit out the first several weeks of free agency, and then after the dust settles, they come in and scoop up a few of the leftovers.

But that was not the Steelers’ approach yesterday.  Instead, the team made some early moves that probably surprised most fans.

The most important of those moves was re-signing safety Ryan Clark.  This was a move that I have been calling for, so I was very happy to see it happen.

The team gave Clark a new 4-year, $14 million dollar contract.  Clark had visited with the Miami Dolphins, but after a few days of free agency, I guess his agent determined that the offer that the Steelers had on the table was a fair one.

Steelers safety Ryan Clark

Even more surprising than the Clark signing was the announcement that the team has reached an agreement with former Steelers receiver and return man Antwaan Randle El.  I certainly didn’t see that one coming.

Randle El was the Redskins’ second leading receiver last year, but he never lived up to the contract they gave him.  He was one of the best return men in recent Steelers history.  However, with the season that Stefan Logan had, combined with the fact that Joe Burnett and Mike Wallace were both very good return men in college, i never expected to see the team bring him back.

But bring him back they did.  Randle El is scheduled to be in Pittsburgh today to sign what is reported to be a 3-year deal.

In addition to players who have previously worn the black and gold, the Steelers also signed two newcomers.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Will Allen and San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Arnaz Battle were also signed to 3-year contracts on Monday.  Both players will strengthen special teams, as well as add depth at their respective positions.

Apparently, the Steelers still aren’t done.  Former Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Jonathan Scott is scheduled to be in Pittsburgh today, and it is believed that he is also prepared to join the Steelers.  If he signs with the Steelers, he will be re-united with Sean Kugler, his position coach from the Buffalo Bills.

As if all of that activity weren’t enough, the Steelers have also contacted former Steelers linebacker Larry Foote about rejoining the team.  Foote voluntarily left the team after the 2008 season because he wanted an opportunity to be a starter.  But after playing one year in Detroit, he may be willing to reconsider that stance.

Monday was definitely the single busiest day of free agent signings that I can remember in Steelers history.  And they many not be done yet.  I guess missing the playoffs was the wake up call that the Steelers needed.

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The Steelers’ Challenges (Part 2)

This is part 2 of a series on the Pittsburgh Steelers off-season challenges.  In part 1, we discussed the Steelers’ safeties.    In this installment, we are going to take a look at the Steelers’ cornerbacks.

The cornerback position was definitely a weak link in the defense.  Quarterbacks feasted on the Steelers cornerbacks all season.  Moreover, much ado was made about the fact that the Steelers cornerbacks had not accumulated a single interception for most of the season.  In fact, their first interception didn’t occur until the very last game of the season.  That is an almost unheard of statistic in the NFL.

The Steelers’ interception total was 25th in the NFL last season.  The prior season, they had 20 interceptions and were 6th in the NFL.

The Steelers’ defense went from being #1 against the pass in 2008 to #16 in 2009.  That’s a big drop.  They went from giving up 23 passes of 20+ yards in 2008 (best in the NFL) to giving up 46 of them in 2009 (15th in the NFL).

As I mentioned in part 1 of this series, a defensive backfield is an interdependent unit.  Each piece relies on the others.  If one component is out of place, the others have to compensate, which takes them out of place as well.

It is obvious that Troy Polamalu’s injuries had a significant impact on the secondary.  I already showed that Ryan Clark actually had a very good season in Troy’s absence.  But the cornerbacks weren’t so lucky.

Ike Taylor had his worst season since becoming a starter.  He had fewer total tackles than he’s ever had.  He had his lowest number of passes defensed, and he tied for his lowest interception total.  All in all, it wasn’t a good season for Ike.

But Ike has been one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL for some time now.  He has regularly matched up against the best receivers in the NFL and held his own.  I am not prepared to write off Ike Taylor just yet.

William Gay, on the other hand, is a different story.  Gay seemed to be targeted on a weekly basis by opposing quarterbacks.  He got burned so often, I started thinking that he was microwave popcorn.  He was the first starting cornerback for the Steelers to record no interceptions in a very long time.

Gay’s number of passes defensed was much lower than what Deshea Townsend averaged back when he was the starter.  Moreover, his number of tackles was much higher.  This was indicative of the fact that receivers were catching far more passes against Gay, so he was getting more opportunities to make tackles.

CB William Gay

Going into 2010, Gay is going to have to improve his performance, or he will have to be removed from the starting line-up.

What should the Steelers do?

The Steelers aren’t likely to make any major changes through free agency.  It’s not their style.  Besides, Dunta Robinson has already been signed by the Atlanta Falcons.  Lito Sheppard is still out there, but the Steelers won’t sign him.  The Patriots’ Leigh Bodden would also be an upgrade, but the Steelers won’t sign him either.  None of the other free agents are particularly interesting.

The Steelers spent two draft picks last season on cornerbacks, so it is hard to imagine them taking one in the first round this year.  However, if there is one thing that I’ve learned about the Steelers, it’s that it is impossible to guess what they will do in the draft.

Should the Steelers decide to select a cornerback, there are a few that might be attractive in the draft.  A handful of them might even be able to step in and contribute right away.

Joe Haden (Florida) – Haden is widely considered to be the best cornerback in the draft.  He ran a slower than expected time at the NFL Scouting Combine, and has dropped on some draft boards.  This might actually make it possible for Haden to still be available when the Steelers make their selection at pick #18.  If he is available, the Steelers should definitely consider taking him.

Kyle Wilson (Boise State) – Wilson is not good enough to be taken at pick #18, but if he is still available in the second round, he would be a nice pick for the Steelers.  Wilson’s ball skills are not stellar, but he is a very good athlete who is very capable in run support (which is important in the Steelers’ system).

Patrick Robinson (Florida State) – Like Wilson, Robinson is not good enough to be selected at pick #18, but he would be a nice second round selection.  Robinson is a gifted athlete who has relied on his athleticism, and has not put enough time into developing proper technique.  That worked at the college level, but may not work in the NFL.  Robinson is athletic enough to shadow most NFL receivers.  He is probably the most “boom or bust” cornerback in the draft.

Perrish Cox (Oklahoma State) – Cox is a talented athlete with nice size and speed.  Like the previous 2 cornerbacks mentioned, he would be a second round consideration, but not a first rounder.  Cox led the NCAA with 19 passes defensed, but character issues may scare the Steelers away (Cox was suspended from the Cotton Bowl for missing curfew).

Personally, I believe that the biggest impact in the Steelers’ defensive backfield is going to be due to improvement by last year’s draft picks.  Joe Burnett and Keenan Lewis both have a lot of potential.  They will each have a full year in Dick LeBeau’s system under their belts, and should be much more capable of contributing than they were last year.

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The Steelers’ challenges (part 1)

Well, the NFL Combine has started, and free agency officially began at midnight on Thursday.  So draft season has officially begun.  It’s time to take a look at exactly what the Steelers need, and who is out there to help them meet those needs.

We are going to start out with the Steelers’ defensive backs, and work our way through all of the positions on the team.

First up, the safeties.

This past season was one that the Steelers would like to forget.  And the defensive backs would probably like to forget it more than any other group of players.  Oh wait, I forgot about the special teams guys.  Scratch that last comment.

Okay, so BESIDES the special teams players, the defensive backs probably want to forget this past season more than any other group.  I’ll talk about the cornerbacks in the next installment in this series, but today, I want to focus on the Safeties.

I hear many fans saying that without Troy Polamalu, the rest of the Steelers defensive backs got exposed as the sub-par players that they really are.  I don’t agree with that assessment.

More than any other unit except perhaps the offensive line, the defensive backs live and die as a unit.  When one part is out of whack, the rest of the unit suffers.  This is what happened when Troy Polamalu went down with his injury.

Troy is one of the best safeties in the NFL.  Losing him is not easy to recover from.  Tyrone Carter tries his best, and he is a competent backup, but he is not Troy Polamalu.

All indications are that Troy is recovering nicely from his injury, and will be ready to go next season.  I hope that’s true, but the reality is that Troy has missed 30% of the Steelers’ games over the past 4 seasons.  2008 was the only season out of the past 4 that Troy was able to play all 16 regular season games.

So while many fans are saying that the Steelers need to draft a safety to replace Ryan Clark, who may leave in free agency, I think they need to draft a safety to backup (and potentially replace) Troy Polamalu.

Don’t get me wrong.  If Troy is healthy, then I definitely want him in the Steelers lineup.  But I’m just not sure that it’s a safe bet to assume that he will be healthy.  Recent history shows that he won’t be healthy 30% of the time.  In 2009 he was unhealthy 70% of the time.

I’ve had numerous conversations this past year with Steelers fans who disagree with me.  They think that Ryan Clark played terribly this past season, and that the Steelers need to let him walk in free agency.  What they don’t understand is that they are wrong.  The Steelers need to be concerned about every safety on their roster EXCEPT for Ryan Clark.

Ryan Clark quietly had the best season of his career in 2009.  He had career highs in tackles and passes defensed.  He also tied his career high in interceptions (but had his highest total as a Steeler).  He was tied for the team lead in interceptions, and was second on the team in total tackles.

So why do so many Steelers fans think that Clark had a terrible season?  Moreover, why are they anxious to see him leave?

Meanwhile, Tyrone Carter will be 34 years old next season.  Carter has been a capable backup, but surely the team could find a younger player to fill the same role.

Ryan Mundy is a young safety, but he has never started a game.  In his two years with the Steelers, he has accumulated 25 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  That’s not enough to make me feel confident that he is the safety of the future.

So the only Steelers safety that I feel completely confident in is the one who may be leaving in free agency.

Looking at the available free agents, Ryan Clark is the 2nd best safety available.  Only Darren Sharper is more talented than Clark.  So Clark very likely will receive offers from other teams.

What should the Steelers do?

The Steelers have too much uncertainty at the safety position.  They need to do everything in their power to sign Ryan Clark.  In fact, they should have done so before the free agency period began.

The Steelers never participate in the initial free agency period.  Moreover, they never sign high profile free agents.  So there is little chance that they will pursue Darren Sharper or Antrelle Rolle.  They are the only two free agent safeties who are in Clark’s class.  Any other free agent safety will be a step down.

So if the Steelers lose Ryan Clark, they will be left with Troy Polamalu and little else at safety.

This year’s draft has quite a few talented safeties that the Steelers could be interested in.

Eric Berry is the best safety in this year’s draft.  But he will be gone long before the Steelers’ selection comes around.  So there is no need discuss him.

Earl Thomas out of Texas is a very real possibility for the Steelers.  He is a natural free safety, and he has the versatility to play some  cornerback in a pinch.  Thomas would look great in black and gold, and he should be available  at the 18th pick.

Taylor Mays is another name that is often mentioned by Steelers fans as someone that they’d like to see the Steelers select.  I don’t agree with that opinion.  Taylor Mays is a freakish athlete.  But he’s not a very good safety.  He reminds me a bit of the late Sean Taylor.  Like Sean Taylor, Mays is huge for a safety, and looks more like a small linebacker.  But also like Sean Taylor, Taylor Mays is lacking in his coverage skills.  Moreover, Taylor Mays is a natural strong safety.  That’s Troy Polamalu’s position.  The Steelers greatest need is for a free safety to fill the void that may be left by Ryan Clark.

In Taylor Mays, the Steelers would get a player who hits like James Harrison, covers like William Gay, and catches the ball like Ike Taylor.  Only one of those three things is good.

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The Combine Fallacy

The NFL Scouting Combine began on Thursday.  It is an annual ritual in which scouts, coaches, and team general managers come to Indianapolis to watch potential NFL players do a bunch of things that have almost nothing to do with football.

“Nothing to do with Football?!!!”, you say,  “The 40 yard dash has everything to do with football.  We need to see if the guys that we draft are fast!”

That statement might be true if you were Al Davis.  But for the rest of the sane world, the 40 yard dash is a useless measure.  How often does a football player run 40 yards?  Not many.  How often does an offensive lineman run 40 yards?  Never.

Don’t believe me?  Let’s take a look at the season that just ended.  During the 2009 regular season, Peyton Manning completed a total of 8 passes for 40 yards or more.  That’s right, 8.  Out of 571 pass attempts.  That’s 1.4% of his passes.  Drew Brees completed 11 passes for over 40 yards.  Kurt Warner completed a whopping 3 passes for 40 yards or more.

We all know that Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians is in love with the long pass, but even Ben Roethlisberger only completed 14 passes for 40 yards or more.  That’s out of 506 pass attempts.  Starting to get the picture?  NFL players don’t run 40 yards.

A waste of time

Even kick returners and punt returners don’t break many returns for 40 yards.  And when they do, is it ever in a straight line?  Do they ever start from a track runners’ starting position?  Nope.

How about the shuttle run?  Does that drill emulate anything that you’ve ever seen in a football game?  Didn’t think so.

Same with the vertical leap.  When was the last time you saw a player jump straight up in the air from a standing position?  What insight will we gain about Terrence Cody when we see that his vertical leap is an awe-inspiring 4 millimeters?

And I don’t even want to talk about how stupid the Wonderlic Test is.  Click here to see a sample Wonderlic Test.  Now tell me what the #$%*&@!# that has to do with football?  What would you have done if your job had made you take that test before they hired you?  Does the term “go postal” sound familiar?

Yet despite how silly the NFL Scouting Combine really is, it has become a made-for-TV event that is aired on NFL Network.  People actually stay home from work so they can watch this crap.

Message boards all over the internet will be littered with discussions about how fast a certain receiver is, or how many times a certain linemen bench pressed 225 lbs.

I remember a couple of years ago the Steelers picked up a guy named Mike Kudla who did an amazing 45 reps on the bench press.  Steelers fans on message boards were doing backflips over the guy.  I remember several Steelers fans even predicting that Kudla was a sure Hall-of-Famer.  Unfortunately, Kudla never played a regular season game in the NFL.  It’s too bad the NFL doesn’t use a bench press competition to determine the winner of overtime games.  If they did, Kudla would still be in the league.

I also remember Steelers fans tirelessly advocating that the Steelers select Jarron Gilbert with their first pick last year.  Most of them had never actually seen him play.  Not a single down.  But what they had seen was a YouTube video of Gilbert jumping out of a swimming pool.  Yeah, players do that all the time during the course of a game.  In case you’re wondering, Gilbert started no games this season, made appearances in 4 games, and accumulated a total of 1 tackle.  So much for jumping out of swimming pools.

It’s one thing when casual fans make the mistake of falling in love with workout wonders.  But it’s a sin when NFL officials do it.  That’s exactly what happened last year when the Oakland Raiders made Darrius Heyward-Bey the first receiver drafted.  Heyward-Bey ran a blistering time in the 40 yard dash, and that was all Al Davis needed to see.  However, if Davis had bothered to review actual game tape of Heyward-Bey, he would have noticed that he can’t catch.  That’s a bit of a problem for a wide receiver………..even if he is fast.

Fortunately for Steelers fans, Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin don’t seem to fall into the trap of falling in love with workout wonders.  They are very disciplined in their approach and seldom make early round draft mistakes.

I just wish they could say the same thing about their later round picks.

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Steelers sign Hampton, tag Reed

First I want to thank all of my readers for being patient while I was on hiatus.  Writing this blog takes a lot of time, so I usually take a vacation from the end of the season until the start of the NFL Scouting Combine.  The Combine starts today, so Steelers Today will officially start our 2010 coverage.

The most important news coming out of the Steelers organization is the signing of Casey Hampton.  I was certain the Steelers would use the franchise tag on Hampton.  After all, Hampton will be 33 years old this coming season, and he has struggled with physical conditioning at times.  Because of this, I thought the Steelers would place the franchise tag on Hampton to get one more year out of him.  In the meantime, I thought that they would draft a nose tackle to become Hampton’s long-term replacement.

But instead of doing what I anticipated, the Steelers have signed Hampton to a 3-year contract that is worth more than $21 million.   ChaChing!

Nose tackle Casey Hampton

By signing Hampton, the Steelers were left with the option of using the franchise tag on Ryan Clark or Jeff Reed.  The team chose Jeff Reed.

Reed’s agent was probably looking for a huge payday for his client, since the Oakland Raiders reset the price of kickers when they gave Sebastian Janikowski a ridiculous four-year, $16 million contract with $9 million guaranteed.  That’s waaaaaaaaaaaay too much to pay a kicker.

By franchising Reed, the Steelers will have to give him a one-year contract at the average of the highest 5 salaries at his position for 2009.  That will be much cheaper than matching the Janikowski dollars that will now become the asking price for decent kickers.

By making Reed the franchise player, the Steelers get a first-refusal right to match any offer sheet given to Reed by another team.  If the Steelers choose not to match the offer, they would receive two first-round draft choices as compensation.

With Hampton and Reed both locked up, Ryan Clark becomes the only veteran free agent still to be signed.  Word is that the Steelers have not even started negotiations with Clark’s agent.  This may be an indication that they may be considering taking a safety in this year’s draft.

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I’m in the tournament

Sean’s Ramblings (a very good blog that I highly recommend) is holding their second annual Best Pittsburgh Sports Blog Tournament to determine which Pittsburgh sports blog is #1.

There are some great blogs in this tournament, and I am honored to be nominated as one of the best of the ‘Burgh.

The tournament is set up just like the NCAA tournament.  There are two brackets.  Steelers Today is a #6 seed, and I am up against Bucs Dugout, a powerful #3 seed.  I’m asking my readers to go and cast a vote for Steelers Today so I don’t get completely embarrassed.

To cast your vote, click here and then scroll down to the box that has Steelers Today and Bucs Dugout.  Hopefully,  while you’re there, you’ll check out some of the other great blogs that have been nominated for the tournament.

Thanks for your support.

Dick LeBeau named to Hall of Fame

After waiting for what has probably seemed like an eternity, Dick LeBeau was finally voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. LeBeau was added by the HOF veterans committee after being by-passed for Hall of Fame induction for decades.

LeBeau played cornerback for the Detroit Lions from 1959 – 1972. He played 170 consecutive games at cornerback, which is an NFL record at the position. LeBeau had 62 career interceptions, which was third most in NFL history at the time of his retirement. His numbers have been surpassed by several players since then, but he is still among the top 10 in interceptions in NFL history.

LeBeau played in the Pro Bowl in 1965, ‘66, and ‘67. He also was named Second-Team All-Pro 3 times.

After finishing his playing career, LeBeau turned to coaching, and has coached in the NFL for 37 years. LeBeau is best known for being a coaching innovator, and is credited with creating the zone blitz, which is now common in the NFL.

Dick LeBeau

Also being inducted in the NFL Hall of Fame class of 2010 are two other players with Pittsburgh connections, Russ Grimm and Ricky Jackson.

Russ Grimm played his college ball at Pitt, before joining the NFL’s Washington Redskins. Grimm was part of the Redskins famous “Hogs” offensive line. Grimm made the Pro Bowl four times, and played on 3 Super Bowl championship teams. Following his NFL career, Grimm also spent time as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers before leaving for his current position with the Arizona Cardinals.

Like Grimm, Ricky Jackson also played his college football at Pitt. In the NFL, Jackson played for the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers. Jackson played outside linebacker for the Saints from 1981-1993, where he made 6 Pro Bowl teams. He played his final 2 seasons at defensive end for the 49ers.

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My mom picks the Super Bowl winner

I know that there are a lot of gambling degenerates out there.  You know who you are.  You’re the guys who just can’t seem to enjoy a game unless you’ve got your entire 401K  riding on the results. 

Since you have so much riding on the game, I’ve decided to help you out.  I know someone who knows just about everything.  Whenever I need advice, it’s the first place that I go.  That’s right, I’m talking about my mom.

To be fair, my mom isn’t much of a sports fan, but I think the gambling losers……errrrr, I mean gamblers might benefit from her insight.  After all, gamblers will usually take advantage of any insight they can get their hands on.

So because I always try to meet the needs of my readers, I am going to have my mom share her insight on the big game.

Steelers Today:  Hi mom.  Thanks for agreeing to to this interview.

Mom:  Anytime, son.

ST:  Let’s start out by finding out who is your favorite team of all time.  You can pick a team from any era.

Mom:  Oh that’s easy.  Luke and Laura.

Luke & Laura

ST:  Luke and Laura.  That’s a pretty good pick.  They did make a great team.  But personally, I prefer Sonny and Carly.  (Bonus points to any Steelers Today readers who got that reference).

But let’s get right to the matter at hand; the Super Bowl.  Do you know which 2 teams are playing in this year’s Super Bowl?

Mom:  Oooh, I know that one.  Ummmmmm, the Saints.

ST:  That’s right Mom, the Saints are in the Super Bowl.  Do you know who the other team is?

Mom:  I’m not sure.  Is it the Steelers?

ST:   I wish.  But no, the Steelers won’t be playing in the Super Bowl this year.  It’s actually the Colts who will be playing the Saints.

Mom:  Oh, Okay.

ST:  Can you name any of the players from either team?

Mom:  Shaquille Whatshisface?

ST:  No, Shaq won’t be playing in this year’s Super Bowl, but that was a pretty good guess.

So let’s get right to the matter at hand.  We’ve got a nation full of gamblers who are looking for an edge in picking tomorrow’s winner.  That edge is you, Mom.  So tell us, which team is going to win tomorrow?

Mom:  The Saints.

ST:  Okay, you heard it here first!  The Saints are going to win the Super Bowl! 

And what do you think the final score is going to be, Mom?

Mom:  2-0.

ST:  2-0?  That’s an odd score.  Oh wait, I understand.  Two home runs by the Saint, right?

Mom:  Exactly!  How did you know?

ST:  I know you well, Mom. 

But let’s talk about something a little more close to home.  Since the Steelers aren’t in the Super Bowl this year, I want you to tell me which Pittsburgh team will be the next one to win a world championship, the Steelers, the Penguins, or the Pirates.

Mom:  The Pirates.

ST:  The Pirates?  That’s a bold pick.  Care to explain?

Mom:  I like Willie Stargell.  He’s such a great player.  I think he can lead them to another championship.

Willie "Pops" Stargell

ST:  Ummmmm, you do realize that Willie Stargell is………… Oh nevermind.

Now that I think about it, probably the ONLY way the Pirates will win a championship is if Willie Stargell comes back and leads them to it.

Well that’s all the questions I have for you.  Thanks for agreeing to do this interview, Mom.

Mom:  You’re not going to print this in that stupid blog, are you?

ST:  No Mom, I’d never do that.  But thanks for the encouragement.

Mom:  You’re welcome, son.

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The Casey Hampton question

Probably the biggest question facing the Pittsburgh Steelers this off-season is what to do with nose tackle Casey Hampton.

Hampton is an unrestricted free agent this off-season.  As an unrestricted free agent, Hampton is free to negotiate with any NFL team, and the Steelers would not have the option of matching the offer.  Moreover, unlike with restricted free agents, the Steelers would not receive compensatory draft picks if another team were to sign Hampton.  He would just be gone.  And the Steelers would get nothing in return.  Kind of like when Alan Faneca left the team as an unrestricted free agent.

So what should the Steelers do?

Before we answer that question, we first have to establish just how important Casey Hampton is to the Steelers.  Of the 5 key free agents (Hampton, Ryan Clark, Willie Colon, Willie Parker and Jeff Reed), Hampton is by far the most important.  This is true for two key reasons.  Firstly, the nose tackle is the foundation of the 3-4 defense.  I wrote an article last year that explains this fact (click here to view the article).  The second reason that Hampton is so import is that finding a replacement in the draft is exceedingly difficult.

I don’t want to talk about the NFL draft yet, but I will say that I think this is a very bad year for nose tackles.  I like Tennessee’s Dan Williams.  I think he is going to be a 1st round draft pick.  I’m not as fond of Terence Cody, from Alabama.  Fans have been slobbering over Cody on Steelers message boards.  However, Cody has issues.  While he is a gargantuan player (6′4″, 370 lbs.), he has always struggled with conditioning (translation: he’s a fat slob who gets winded much too quickly).  At best, he is a two down player.  I can just see coach Tomlin placing Cody on the physically unable to perform (P.U.P.) list……..permanently.

So understanding how important Hampton is to the defense, and realizing how hard he will be to replace, the Steelers have a limited number of options.

NT Casey Hampton

The option that Hampton would prefer is that the Steelers offer him a long-term contract.

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Ken Zuckerman, an agent for Priority Sports & Entertainment, said a player of Hampton’s caliber might command a five-year deal worth as much as $40 million on the open market.

Zuckerman also said that almost half of that money would be guaranteed.

The problem is that Hampton will be 33 years old next season.  A five-year deal would lock him in until he’s 38 years old.  He is very unlikely to play that long.

Assuming the Steelers don’t want to make a long-term commitment to Hampton, but want to maintain his services until they can find a suitable replacement, they could always place the franchise tag on him.

A franchise tag would prevent Hampton from hitting the open market when the free agent signing period begins on March 5, 2010.

Rather than hitting the open market, the Steelers would retain Hampton’s services for one year, and would be obligated to pay him the average of the top 5 salaries made by defensive linemen in 2009.  That figure hasn’t yet been released by the NFL Players Association, but last year the cost of franchising a defensive tackle was slightly more than $6 million.  Hampton counted for $6,652,000 against the Steelers’ salary cap last year, so franchising him wouldn’t cause much of a change.

However, Hampton has gone on the record to let the organization know that if they apply the franchise tag to him, “it will be a problem”.

Hampton knows that this may be his last opportunity to get a long-term contract, and he doesn’t want to lose it.  A franchise tag would delay a long-term deal for an additional year and reduce his chances of getting one.

If the Steelers did place a franchise tag on Hampton, they would have to choose whether to use the exclusive or non-exclusive franchise tag.  The exclusive tag would prevent Hampton from negotiating with other teams.  The non-exclusive tag would allow him to negotiate with other teams.  However, the Steelers would have the right to match any offer that he receives, and if they decline to match the offer, they would get two first-round picks in return.

Another option available to the Steelers is to place the transition tag on Hampton.  The transition tag is similar to the non-exclusive franchise tag.  The transition tag allows the player to negotiate with other teams, and gives the Steelers the right to match any offers that he receives.    However, if they didn’t choose to match the offer, they would get no draft picks as compensation.

Hampton has publicly stated that the Steelers promised not to place the franchise tag on him.  If so, then the Rooneys might feel obligated to uphold their promise.

I don’t know whether any promises were made to Hampton or not.  But if I were the Steelers, I would definitely not use any option that allows Hampton to walk away without any form of compensation.  That’s what happened to Alan Faneca, and is probably what is going to happen to Willie Parker, and I think that is poor decision making.

If I were the Steelers, I would place the non-exclusive franchise tag on Hampton.  That way, if the Steelers did commit to allow Hampton to test free agency, they would still be upholding their promise.  However, if Hampton ended up leaving, the Steelers would get two first round picks as compensation.  That would allow the Steelers a lot of flexibility in the 2011 draft.

In the interim, the Steelers could use Chris Hoke as the starter.  Hoke is no Hampton, but he fills in admirably when Hampton needs to take a breather.  He actually started 12 games in 2004 (including 2 playoff games) when Hampton tore his ACL.

By utilizing the non-exclusive franchise tag on Hampton, the Steelers would potentially maintain his services for 2010, but they could also select a nose tackle in the draft.  Since very few Steelers defensive draft picks are able to play in Dick LeBeau’s defense during their rookie year, this plan would allow the Steelers time for a rookie to learn the defense.

Of course, I’ve learned over the years that it is impossible to guess what the Steelers are going to do in the draft.  I’m sure the Steelers will do something that I never even thought of (like sign Hampton to a 3 year deal and draft a tight end in the first round of the draft).

But of course that is why this time of year is so much fun.  The Steelers always keep us guessing.

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Give new coaches a chance

Fans can be tough sometimes.  And Steelers fans in particular are a very demanding bunch.  So I wasn’t surprised when I started getting messages from Steelers fans complaining about some of their new coaching hires.

“Why did the Steelers hire a coach who got fired by the Buffalo Bills?  The Bills suck!”  That was a pretty typical comment when the Steelers decided to hire Sean Kugler as their new offensive line coach.

“Al Everests coached one of the worst special teams units in the NFL last year!  Why would the Steelers hire him?”  Fans didn’t seem to be too happy after the Steelers hired Everest as special teams coordinator.  Everest was fired by the San Francisco 49ers after his special teams unit ranked near the bottom of the NFL in punt coverage and kickoff coverage.

“Why the @#$&%# did the Steelers promote their wide receivers coach to be the new quarterbacks coach??!!  Couldn’t they even find a guy who was a quarterbacks coach?”  That was a typical response when the team chose wide receivers coach Randy Fichtner to be their new quarterbacks coach.

QB coach Randy Fichtner

My comment would be “Give the guys a chance”.  If you stick around long enough, you’ll probably eventually get fired in the NFL.  It’s just what happens.  Sometimes it’s the coach’s fault, and sometimes it isn’t. 

Remember, Bill Belichick was a failure in Cleveland.  Now he’s considered to be a genius.  Brian Billick was hired as the Baltimore Ravens’ head coach because he was perceived to be an offensive guru.  Yet throughout his tenure, the Ravens were a defensive team, and the offense was mediocre at best.

Players also play a big role in a coach’s success or failure.  What if you were the quarterbacks coach for the Oakland Raiders, and your future was in the hands of JaMarcus Russell?  Prepare to be fired.

Sean Kugler was let go by the Buffalo Bills, but actually the entire staff was let go.  That included Bobby April, who is considered to be one of the best special teams coaches in the NFL.  Kugler is considered to be a capable offensive line coach.  His Bills team gave up a lot of sacks this past season, but that was primarily because they had so many injuries that he had to use a different line-up for almost every game.

Al Everest was fired because he used a reverse on a punt return without getting Head Coach Mike Singletary’s approval.  That play resulted in a fumble that contributed to a loss to the Seattle Seahawks.  But prior to last season, Everest’s 49ers special teams units have always been excellent in their coverage.  Moreover, he is considered to be a master motivator.  In 2002, when he was with the Arizona Cardinals, Everest was voted NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year when his team had 3 touchdown returns, and 5 blocked kicks.

Fichtner has no NFL experience as a quarterbacks coach, but he has served in that role at the college level.  He was quarterbacks coach at Memphis from 1990 – 93, Arkansas State from 1997 – 2000, and back at Memphis from 2001 – 2006, where he also served as offensive coordinator.

Lets remember that these guys aren’t unknowns.  They have experience.  Moreover, Coach Tomlin, Kevin Colbert, and the Rooneys think they are the right men for the job.  So let’s give them a chance. 

Besides, can they be any worse than what we had last year?

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