Titans pay heavy for Hope: The Titans ended up giving an Adam Archuleta contract for Steelers safety Chris Hope. He'll make $5 million a year and get $10 million in guarantees. The Titans were looking to get more athleticism on their defense. Hope will help in coverage. Linebacker David Thornton gives them a linebacker with great range.If this is true, then Hope did exactly the right thing by telling the Steelers to stuff their $2.5 million a year offer. (By the way, given how the free agent safety market played out, $2.5 million is an absurd amount of money.) Interestingly, Jeff Fisher had this to say about his new safety:
[Hope's athletic ability] "is going to allow him to do whatever we need him to do — cover the slot receiver or play around the line of scrimmage. He was basically a line of scrimmage linebacker in (Pittsburgh's) nickel and dime packages, so he has the instinct to do those kind of things."I like Fisher and I think he's a good coach, but I don't recall Hope covering a lot of slot receivers, unless he changed into jersey #20 on the plays in question. Furthermore, if Tennessee uses this strategy against the Colts, I suspect Stokley could have a 200-yard receiving day. And I'm not just singling out Hope here; that applies for just about every free safety in the NFL. Either way, Hope got his money, the Titans got a safety and the Steelers got a bargain with Ryan Clark. Everybody's happy.
CPW
... Yesterday, DJ pointed out a CPW-worthy Bob Smizik offering even though it wasn't Steelers-related, and now the flood gates have been opened. In today's Tribune-Review when have this gem from Joe Bendel:
Restricted free agent cornerback Ike Taylor, who received a $1.55 million tender from the Steelers, has attracted interest from other teams. If one of those teams signs Taylor to an offer sheet, the Steelers would have to match it or would lose Taylor and be compensated with a first-round draft choice. The Redskins could be one of those teams.Maybe I missed something, but unless the Redskins were given another first round pick recently, they don't have one due to the fact that they traded it to move up in last year's draft to get Jason Campbell. I don't know how the rules work for restricted free agency, but maybe Washington can sign a RFA this year and give up the pick next year, although that seems hardly fair when discounting the value of a first round pick a year into the future. Whatever the case, this is worth knowing, and hey, maybe even worth reporting.
In a less egregious example (but still a CPW), Mike Prisuta offers this:
The Steelers have also enlisted free safety Ryan Clark from the Redskins to replace Hope, hoping Clark becomes this year's Cedrick Wilson.Nothing wrong with the first paragraph, but things get a little muddled thereafter. In the 30 seconds it took me to look it up, there are the vitals on Clark and Hope
Clark isn't Hope -- he isn't as big, strong or fast -- and won't be even if Clark blossoms in his fifth NFL season, as the Steelers suspect he might. But at the very worst, the Steelers have assured themselves of a veteran presence at the position.
Clark is not a headliner or physical specimen, but he's started in the league. His forte is carrying out his assignments with precision. And with Troy Polamalu lining up at strong safety, Clark carrying out his assignments might be enough.
Name Hgt. Wgt.So yeah, Hope is bigger than Clark by a whopping one pound, but I'm not sure how Prisuta knows he's stronger or faster. And even if he is, according to the Redskins, Clark is a great tackler, something Hope has not been on occasion. As far as being fast, Hope ran a 4.6-forty at the Combine. I couldn't find numbers for Ryan Clark (he may not have been invited), but 4.6 ain't blazing. In fact, other than Brent Alexander, there probably aren't a whole lot of safeties in the league running too much slower than that. OK, maybe Prisuta's column wasn't that bad, but I'm not sure why he thinks Clark can't pick up right where Hope left off -- namely, setting the defense (which he did in Washington), and patrolling centerfield, especially after Gregg Williams spoke so highly of the guy and the Redskins spent a year trying to work out a deal.
Clark 5'11" 205
Hope 5'11" 206
... The Steelers took a stroll in the way-back machine and signed Rodney Bailey yesterday. He'll backup Brett Keisel now that Kimo's in New York. We've gone round-and-round about who Pittsburgh should draft (and I suspect we will continue to do so), and there have been some discussions about a defensive end. The position is certainly less of a need now, but one thing that's been overlooked in all the yammering is the progress of Shaun Nua, the Steelers 7th round pick from a year ago. He didn't dress for a game in 2005,but he has a chance to follow in the other 7th round pick from BYU's footsteps. Pittsburgh can bring him along slowly the next couple of seasons, get him to pack on some weight, and use his speed and quickness as a pass rusher to cause some problems up front -- just like Mr. Keisel.
... Something else worth mentioning about free agency: raise your hand if you've heard teams clamoring for Quincy Morgan's services. Me neither. In this Boston Herald story about the Pats' need for a number two WR now that Givens' is a Titan, guys like Keyshawn Johnson, Nate Burleson, Josh Reed were listed as potential targets while, "San Diego’s Reche Caldwell, Houston’s Jabar Gaffney and New Orleans’ Az Hakim would seem to lack Patriots toughness, while Peerless Price and Rod Gardner are coming off woeful seasons." The point is this: unless something changes, teams don't seem to be knocking down Morgan's door and it's realistic to think that he'll be back. Deshea Townsend might be another story, especially since the Patriots have their grubbly little fingerprints all over him (that sounds dirty). But, instead of screaming that the sky is falling, I'll just wait and see how this plays out. Even if Deshea leaves, and I think it would be great to have him back, I'm guessing the Steelers have a plan. Plus, it could be worse, we could've just signed Antwaan Randle El, Brandon Lloyd and Adam Archuleta to $30 million contracts.
Well, it's the start of the NCAAs which means two things: (a) Carolina will be trying for back-to-back titles, and (b) I really, really, really hope JJ Redick leaves Duke without a championship, that way when he's hired as an assistant, he'll have something to talk about with Dawkins, Collins and Wojo.Anyway, here are a couple of interesting things I came across yesterday:
... Yep, I admit it, I had the very first Air Jordan's. I was in sixth grade, and I paid (alright, my mom paid) $65 for them. I remember my dad almost going through the roof when he found out how much they cost. Anyway, things have changed ... a lot ... and UNC is one of the few teams that get the new AJ models throughout the year and the newest models just in time for the tournament.
... I didn't realize this until last week, but Tyler Hansbrough is 20 years old. I didn't think it was a big deal, but hey, what would people do if they couldn't bitch about seemingly innocuous stuff? Anyway, Adam Lucas writes for Tarheelblue.com and he has heard enough. His rant might be the funniest thing I've read in a while:
"... can someone please explain the obsession with Hansbrough's age? Yes, he is 20 years old. Is this the 21-and-under league? He has a late birthday and was held back one year in elementary school, something that's very common. Has the extra year somehow turned him into a phenomenal basketball player? No, hard work and talent have done that. The Mailbag staff heard a TV commentator (which makes you wonder where he heard it, since it's highly unlikely he was perusing the team bios in the media guide) say over the weekend that because of Hansbrough's age, he was a "more experienced" player. Huh? What kind of experience? An extra year of snack breaks and swish (if they even still have that) in elementary school? Do other players not get to be 20 years old? That extra year on the playgrounds of Poplar Bluff sure has honed many an NBA superstar. Hansbrough scored 40 points against Georgia Tech's Ra'Sean Dickey, who turns 21 six months before Hansbrough. If age is so important, why didn't those extra six months of experience enable Dickey to stop Hansbrough? By the way, Duke's Eric Boateng is only 17 days younger than Hansbrough. His wealth of experience has enabled him to play a grand total of 48 minutes this season, get 12 rebounds, and score 14 points. Imagine how productive he'd be if he had only been born 17 days earlier."Take that nerds.
OK, more tomorrow. I'm still not sure if I'll do an Offseason Round File, talk about basketball, or talk about something else entirely. I guess you'll just have to wait.
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