I got an email the other day from Steelers fan Bill W., who's been reading this blog for almost as long as I've been writing it (and yes, that's the textbook definition of a masochist). He had some thoughts on the Steelers' impending free agency situation. And since it's a little too early to start talking about the draft (yeah right), this seems like as good a time as any to get another perspective (just in case all these weren't enough). So, here goes:*Hartings - big renegotiate or walk;... I think almost everybody here is in agreement on Hartings. He needs to take a humongous paycut, or we'll be talking about Chukky Okobi playing center next season. The thing is, if Hartings stays, it probably means Okobi's gone since he's slated to make $2.5 million in 2006. The last month or so I've been pimping Ohio State center Nick Mangold, but after some fishing around, I found out that of the 32 starting centers in the NFL last season, only three were taken in the first round. And two of those, Mr. Hartings, and Pete Kendall of the Jets, were drafted as guards (Cleveland's Jeff Faine was the other first rounder). On average, NFL centers are drafted in the fifth round, as in five point zero. What's more, six of the starters were signed as free agents. So my point, after initially being OK with the whole Mangold-to-the-Steelers-in-the-first-round scenario is this: re-sign Hartings at Jerome Bettis bargain basement prices, or go with Okobi. LeCharles Bentley shouldn't even be an option unless he's willing to sign a ridiculously lowball contract. And before anybody hops on the Bentley-to-replace-Simmons-at-guard train, let's not forget that Simmons got a lot better in the second half of the season, and in the playoffs in particular. I don't know how much sense it makes to replace him with Kemoeatu getting buried on the depth chart.
*Townsend - could he play safety? - I like him on the field - let Hope test the market;
*Keisel - He looks really good - pursue aggressively;
*Kimo take less and back-up or ... ;
*Duce - this could be his year - we need a big guy;
*Batch - definite keep - shouldn't be hard;
*Randle El -Is there some way we can keep him?;
*Morgan - keep at a fair price;
*And please get Ike signed up long term.
*And one question, since I can't make up my mind: How good is Foote?
... My first reaction to the Deshea-to-safety suggestion was "no way." But after thinking about it, it's not a bad idea. Townsend's decidedly undersized for a free safety, but he's also a sure tackler, good against the run, and great in coverage. And, like Bill mentions, it keeps him on the field. I disagree with letting Hope test free agency outright, though. I think the Steelers HAVE to make him a competitive offer and then go from there. But if Hope is looking to cash in (and honestly, who can blame him?), Pittsburgh might've never had a realistic shot. And then the questions becomes, "who's going to play safety now?" Obviously, drafting a safety early is an option, but there's a lot of responsibility that goes along with playing centerfield (just ask Chris Hope; it took him three years to see the field, and that was with Brent Alexander in front of him), which means that the Steelers would see the dividends later rather than sooner. And that doesn't solve the immediate problem of not having a free safety. I also suppose Pittsburgh could bring in a wily free agent, but there's still the issue of learning the defense, and you'll have to pay a premium for anybody worth a damn. I mean, I suppose we could scare Lee Flowers out of the mothballs for one more run, but that kinda defeats the purpose. So we're back to Mr. Townsend.
You don't hear a lot about cornerbacks successfully making the switch to safety, so I don't know if Deshea would be able to do it. I do know he's tough, can tackle, can cover, and knows the defense as well as anybody on the team not named LeBeau (and Kreiwaldt). And given the choice between him, Stuvaints and Logan, I think I'll take Deshea. Plus, this strategy could allow the Steelers to take a safety early, and groom him for the starting spot in 2007. Of course, this could all be avoided by re-signing Chris Hope, but that's easier said than done.
... OK, can we all agree that Keisel has to be re-signed? Or does he? I have no idea how Eric found this this article on Winnipeg Blue Bombers DE Gavin Walls, but whatever -- it's pretty interesting. This Walls character was the CFL's 2005 Most Outstanding Rookie and is being courted by the Steelers and the Vikings. He's 26-years-old, 6'2", 235 lbs. I'm not sure what Pittsburgh would do with him since he's about 30 lbs. lighter than either Porter or Haggans and about 70-80 lbs. lighter than Kimo or Aaron Smith. Who knows, maybe he's the 2007 starting free safety.
... I'm of the opinion that Duce could also have a big year in 2006. Like my buddy Andy said last season, Duce was pretty damn good in 2004 when he was able to stay healthy. Yeah, I know, that's a big "if'. And he'll be 31 when the season starts, but if nothing else, he should be healthy heading into training camp -- something he couldn't say last August. Staley's supposed to make a couple million next season, and some people have suggested he might be asked to take a paycut, or worse, Pittsburgh might cut him outright. Renegotiating is one thing, but I'm not sure releasing him is such a hot idea. Even if they can re-sign Verron Haynes, that means that the Steelers either have to draft a running back and throw him into the mix immediately, or sign a free agent and that will probably end up costing more than keeping Staley. Of course there is one little teensy weensy problem. Duce may not want to renegotiate his deal if he keeps getting bling-jacked at strip clubs in his hometown at four in the morning. Honestly, who wears $100K worth of jewelry? Wouldn't it just make more sense to wear a shirt that reads: "I am a professional athlete. I make a shitload of money. My wallet is in my back pocket. Mug me."?
... I also think it's safe to say that we all agree that Batch is a priority. It'll be interesting to see how many other teams make him a legitimate offer. I mean, the Cardinals just gave Kurt Warner a three-year $18 million deal that includes $7 million next season. Yep, with that move, you're looking at a team bound for the Super Bowl.
I think I like Randle El for the same reasons Bill does, and that's mainly a sentimental one. We've discussed countless times that Randle El ain't really a #2 WR. He's more of a #2.5 or #3 (and he's only a #2.5 because of the trickeration factor). Still, he's a great punt returner, but I don't think that's enough to break the bank. In fact, I know it's not. I know I shouldn't do it, but I love looking at mock drafts just to see who all the chuckleheads think Pittsburgh should take with the 32nd pick. In the last week there has been some Sinorice Moss talk because of the inevitable loss of Randle El. Yeah, I'm not a big fan of that idea. If you think Roethlisberger had trouble finding Randle El and Wilson downfield because of their Webster-like attributes, then let me introduce you to Webster's little brother: Sinorice. And not only is he a miniature, he's ranked as the third (or fourth, or fifth) best receiver in a class full of mediocre wideouts. Pittsburgh would be better off re-signing Morgan and going with what they have. Now, if I didn't get so worked up looking at these mock drafts, this wouldn't be an issue, but where's the fun in that?
Finally, Bill asks about how good Larry Foote is. Personally, I think he's the perfect compliment to guys like Haggans, Porter and Farrior. That is to say, he does a lot of the dirty work while those guys make the plays. Yeah, I know, he won't remind anybody of Kendrell Bell (who it looks like might be looking for work -- and as Israel says, "Know when to walk away, know when to run"), but that might be because Bell wasn't good enough to stay on the field on third downs, and he didn't really know how to do much else except "run to the ball." (In fact, I talked about this back during Week 15, and if I recall, most people were Foote supporters. Kinda like Dr. Scholls. Ba-da-pa!) And don't forget, Foote had an unbelievable interception in the AFCC game, tackled Mewelde Moore for a safety in the Vikes game, and knocked the crap out of Aaron Shea to end the Browns game. It could be a lot worse. By the way, can Foote play free safety?
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