Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

Mike Wallace continues his holdout as the 2nd week of Steelers training camp gets underway.  Many fans are upset with Wallace, and believe that he’s being selfish by holding out.  Others think the Steelers are being cheap, and that they should just go ahead and pay Wallace.

But regardless of which side of that discussion you come out on, the basic question remains; do the Steelers even need Mike Wallace?

I’ve heard analyst say that now that the Steelers have given Antonio Brown a 5-year contract extension worth $42.5 million, they don’t have enough money left to pay Mike Wallace anywhere near what he’s seeking.  Moreover, even if Mike Wallace were willing to accept a contract exactly like the one that Antonio Brown signed, the Steelers would probably be reluctant to invest $85 million into two wide receivers.

More importantly, if you look at what the Steelers have been doing in training camp, it doesn’t look like it’s tailored to fit Mike Wallace.

If we take a look at what Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley did while he was in Kansas City, it relied heavily on short passes, many of them going to the running backs.  Dexter McCluster, Haley’s primary receiving threat out of the Chiefs’ backfield, caught 46 passes last year.  Even fullback LeRon McClain caught 14 passes out of the backfield.  By comparison, Rashard Mendenhall only caught 18 passes last year.  And Isaac Redman also only caught 18 passes.  So McCluster caught more passes out of the backfield than Mendenhall and Redman combined.  More importantly, McCluster had 328 receiving yards.  That’s more than Emmanuel Sanders had, and almost as many as Hines Ward compiled.

Offensive coordinator Todd Haley

And after the first week of training camp, that is also what the Steelers offense has looked like.  Haley has emphasized the running game and short passes, and he has stated that he wants Ben Roethlisberger to get rid of the ball quicker.  He has stated that he likes the potential that he sees in Baron Batch and Chris Rainey.  He doesn’t sound like he’s at all concerned that Mike Wallace isn’t in camp.

One of the problems with the long catches that Mike Wallace was known for is that those plays take a long time to materialize.  It takes a long time to get 4o yards down field, even if you’re as fast a Mike Wallace.  But Haley wants to keep Big Ben’s shirt clean by having him get rid of the ball quickly.

If you look at how often the Chiefs threw the ball deep, it looks very different than the Steelers looked under Bruce Arains.  The Chiefs only completed 39 passes that gained more than 20 yards.  The Steelers, on the other hand, completed 60 passes of over 20 yards in Bruce Arians’ offense.

Arians liked to use Big Ben’s arm, and fast receivers to “take the top off the defense”.  Haley prefers to gain favorable match-ups of  fast running backs against comparably slower linebackers in open space.  And Chris Rainey and Baron Batch seem to be perfect weapons for that philosphy.  Mike Wallace, not so much.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not saying that Mike Wallace wouldn’t help the Steelers.  Part of Antonio Brown’s success was undoubtedly due to the attention that Mike Wallace commanded from the defense.  Also, short passes to Chris Rainey or Baron Batch will be much more effective if Wallace is drawing a cornerback and a safety deep down the field.

But Emmanuel Sanders is capable of catching long passes too.  He’s not as fast as Wallace, but he’s fast enough.  So is Toney Clemons (should he make the final roster).  So even without Wallace, I doubt that the Steelers’ offense will grind to a screeching halt.  In fact, I think it will be just fine.

I don’t think the Steelers need Mike Wallace.  Just like they didn’t need Santonio Holmes…..or Plaxico Burress….or Yancey Thigpen.  But I certainly think that they’re a better team with Mike Wallace than they are without him, and I want to see him wearing black and gold in 2012 and beyond.

In a move that was widely expected, the Pittsburgh Steelers gave their top wide receiver a 5-year contract extension.  What wasn’t expected was that the wide receiver would be Antonio Brown instead of Mike Wallace.

Wallace has been holding out from training camp in hopes of pressuring the Steelers into giving him a new contract.  Unfortunately, history has shown that pressuring the Steelers doesn’t work.  Just ask Franco Harris.

Brown was the Steelers MVP last season, and he was scheduled to become a restricted free agent next year, just like Mike Wallace is this year.  But unlike Wallace, Brown said that he would participate in all team activities when his time comes.  He made it very clear that his approach would be different from Mike Wallace’s tactics.

As a reward for his contribution, the Steelers gave Brown a 5 year contract extension worth $42.5 million.  The contract included an $8.5 million signing bonus.

Steelers WR Antonio Brown

That had to feel like a punch in the gut to Mike Wallace.  But the team made if very clear that they wouldn’t negotiate with him until he reported to training camp.  Yet Wallace stubbornly refused.

Many had assumed that it was Mike Wallace’s agent, Bus Cook, who was telling his client not to report to camp.  But according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, it is Wallace who has been calling the shots.

Perhaps Wallace should let his agent do what he pays him to do.  After all, Wallace’s approach clearly isn’t working.

It would appear that the money that Brown received was originally earmarked for Wallace.   But since he didn’t report to training camp, and didn’t give any sign that he was willing to budge on his demands, the Steelers gave that money to the next player in line for an extension; Antonio Brown.

Frankly, Brown was the better receiver for most of last season.  While Wallace ended the season with more yards, Brown consistently showed himself to be the more versatile receiver.  He ran better routes, got open more consistently, and was more elusive after the catch.

It’s unclear whether the Steelers even have enough salary cap room to extend Wallace, even if he does report to training camp.  He may have to settle for the $2.7 million tender offer that the Steelers offered him.

Hopefully, Wallace will report to camp, sign the tender offer, and play this year like a man who expects to be one of the most sought after free agents next year.  Because it’s looking more and more like this may be the last year that we see Mike Wallace wearing a Steelers uniform.

Fans will get their first look at the 2012 Steelers on Friday at Saint Vincent College.

As training camp begins, here are a few positional battles that fans should be keeping their eyes on.

Keenan Lewis vs. Curtis Brown vs. Cortez Allen

Everyone knows that Ike Taylor will be starting at cornerback for the Steelers this year.  But what’s not certain is who will be starting opposite him.  Keenan Lewis is the most experienced of the trio.  He probably will enter training camp as the leading candidate.  But Coach Mike Tomlin can’t seem to stop raving about how good Cortez Allen is.  He’s touted both his size and athleticism.  But Curtis Brown was a demon on special teams before he got hurt.  That got everybody’s attention.

Personally, I’m not sure of which of these 3 will emerge as the starter.  But I feel very certain that regardless of who wins this battle, he will be an upgrade over William Gay.

Max Starks vs. Mike Adams

Left tackle may be the most important of the offensive line positions.  But it’s also been the most confusing over the off-season.  Initially we were told that Marcus Gilbert would be moving to left tackle.  But then the Steelers drafted Mike Adams, and it was announced that he would likely be the starter at left tackle, and Marcus Gilbert would remain at right tackle.  And then the Steelers signed Max Starks, who was the starter at the position before getting injured.

Starks is slightly taller and heavier than Adams.  And of course, he has actual experience as a starting left tackle in the NFL.  But Adams is younger and probably has quicker feet.  This should definitely prove to be an interesting battle.

LT Max Starks

Chris Rainey vs. Baron Batch

Baron Batch was the star of the 2011 training camp and preseason.  And then he got hurt and was lost for the season.  Chris Rainey was a speed demon with great hands who was a human highlight film in college.  Both will be competing to play the Dexter McCluster role in Todd Haley’s offense.  Both have great hands, and the ability to gain lots of yards after the catch when they receive the ball in space.

But with Rashard Mendenhall, Isaac Redman, Jonathan Dwyer, David Johnson (who the Steelers announced would be moving to fullback), and John Clay, all vying for roster spots, it’s possible that either Rainey or Batch may not even make the final roster.  So this battle will be particularly important.

Stevenson Sylvester vs. Larry Foote

Foote is the veteran who knows the Steelers’ defense like the back of his hands.  After all, he started in it for six years before being leaving as a free agent in 2009 due to the emergence of Lawrence Timmons.  Because of his extensive experience, the Steelers coaches feel comfortable handing James Farrior’s spot to Foote.  In particular, they feel confident that Foote can serve as a defensive captain, and call the defensive formations based on what he’s seeing from the offense.

But Stevenson Sylvester isn’t willing to let Foote have the position without a fight.  Sylvester believes that as a 3rd year player, he’s ready to step into Farrior’s old position.  Sylvester lost weight over the off-season in hopes that it will allow him to play faster than he did last season.  Even before he lost weight, Sylvester was probably faster than Larry Foote.  But the question in coaches’ minds is whether he understands the defense as well as Foote does.

Casey Hampton vs. Alameda Ta’amu vs. Steve McLendon

Casey Hampton was signed for one more year, even though he’s 34 years old and he suffered an injury at the end of last season.  He’ll start out the season on the PUP list.  But even when he’s healthy, does anyone actually believe that he’s still the player that he was 5 or 6 years ago?  I certainly don’t.

The Steelers drafted Alameda Ta’amu to be heir apparent to Hampton’s position.  Ta’amu is even bigger than Hampton.  But Steve McLendon isn’t content to allow this to be a 2-horse race.  McLendon played admirably as a backup last season, even though at 280 lbs. he was under-sized for a nose tackle.  But reports say that McLendon has gained weight and is closer to 320 lbs. now.  Moreover, starting center Maurkice Pouncey says that McLendon is actually the strongest of the 3 potential starters.  That’s high praise coming from a guy who has practiced opposite all three players.

Jonathan Dwyer vs. John Clay

We’ve already talked about Chris Rainey versus Baron Batch.  But that’s not the only running back battle that fans should keep their eyes on.  Jonathan Dwyer and John Clay will also be battling.

Dwyer was drafted as a highly touted player coming out of college, but he hasn’t lived up to expectations so far.  He’s had difficulty learning his assignments, and he has battled weight issues.  Both issues have earned him a place in Mike Tomlin’s doghouse in the past.  But reports indicate that Dwyer is finally maturing as a player.  He apparently worked very hard during the offseason, and reported to training camp in good physical condition.  But Clay isn’t going to go down without a fight.  Clay was signed as an undrafted free agent last year, and he played surprisingly well when given the opportunity at the end of last season.  At 6’1″, 248 lbs, Clay runs like a bowling ball, and should prove to be a capable backup behind Isaac Redman as a power back in the Steelers’ red zone offense.

Regardless of which of these position battles you think will be most interesting, it’s clear that this is going to be a very interesting training camp.

The Steelers arrived at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA yesterday.  That means that training camp is officially underway.  It also means that it’s time for me to end my annual summer hiatus from blogging.

This first installment of the blog for the new season will be dedicated to catching up on all of the things that have happened since the draft.

All draft picks sign contracts

First round pick David DeCastro was the last of the Steelers’ draft picks to sign his contract.  But sign he did.  So now all of the Steelers’ picks are in training camp, and ready to compete for playing time on their new team.

Mike Wallace doesn’t sign

While it’s great to know that all of the rookies will be in camp, it’s discouraging that Mike Wallace still hasn’t signed his $2.7 million tender offer, and is holding out for a long-term deal.  The Steelers have said that they will cease negotiations with Wallace until he reports to training camp.

Unfortunately, Wallace has said that he won’t report to camp until he has a long-term contract.  So it looks like Wallace and the Steelers are at an impasse.  We’ll all be watching closely to see which side will blink first.

WR Mike Wallace

Reports say that Wallace has been working out, and is in good physical condition.  However, the team is implementing a new offense, and Wallace needs to be in camp learning the new offense.  This is likely to be the biggest drama during training camp.

Steelers sign Max Starks

Last year Max Starks missed training camp and the first 4 weeks of the season due to injury.  The Steelers finally brought him back when it became obvious that Jonathan Scott was woefully inadequate as a left tackle.

Starks is injured again, but this time the Steelers signed him prior to training camp.  Starks will start training camp on the physically unable to perform (P.U.P.) list.

Steelers release Jonathan Scott

One day after signing Max Starks, the Steelers released Jonathan Scott.  Yay!!!!!!!!

For those who are Jonathan Scott fans (all 3 of you), Scott signed a contract with the Detroit Lions.  So no need to worry about his future.

Mike Tomlin gets contract extension

The Steelers announced that head coach Mike Tomlin has received a contract extension that will take him through the 2016 season.

Most fans understand that head coaches for the Steelers usually have very long tenures, so nobody should have been surprised by this move.  After all, Tomlin has led his team to 2 Super Bowl appearances in his first 5 years with the Steelers.  That’s the same number of Super Bowls as Bill Cowher led the team to in his 15 years as Steelers’ head coach.

Offensive line changes

Marcus Gilbert was announced as the new starting left tackle for the Steelers.  Then he wasn’t.  Rookie Mike Adams would instead be the starter.  Then the team signed Max Starks.  Now nobody knows who will start at left tackle this season.

Willie Colon was going to return to his position at right tackle.  Then he wasn’t.  The Steelers announced that Colon would be moving to left guard (I’ve been saying that Colon should be playing guard for years now, so I’m glad the Steelers finally listened to me).

David DeCastro was going to be the next Alan Faneca and line up at left guard.  Then he wasn’t.  The Steelers announced that they’d keep DeCastro at the position that he played in college; right guard.

It’s obvious that the Steelers offensive line is a work in progress.  Nobody will know who the starting line-up will be until the Steelers break training camp.  And even though his name isn’t being mentioned very much right now, don’t be surprised if Ramon Foster is a starter before the season ends.  The team always counts him out during training camp, and he always seems to win a starting job by mid-season.