SteelerWatch

Former Steeler Joey Porter was charged with misdemeanor battery over the weekend following a fight with fellow NFL player Levi Jones. Jones was treated at the scene for his injuries.

Porter’s fight helps his former team — Jones currently plays for the rival Cincinnati Bengals. Making the incident twice as interesting is that this is the first time in a year a Bengal has been on the right side of the law.

The Steelers retained some depth at cornerback today, re-signing cornerback Chidi Iwuoma to a one-year deal. Iwuoma played with the team from 2002 to 2005 before being cut prior to the start of the 2006 season. He was re-signed in December and played in two games before a wrist injury landed him on injured reserve for the the remainder of the season. He’s been largely used as a special teams player.

Details of the deal aren’t yet available but the contract may be worth the veteran minimum of $595,000.

DRAFT POTENTIAL:
- Day 1: ONE WORD: NO.
- Day 2: LATE, BUT IT WILL HAPPEN.

Ah, the meat of the defense.

For a 3-4 defense, the middle linebacker position is vitally important. Because of the smaller number of linemen, the MLBs must be built larger but still have big-time speed. They’re called on to be the primary run stoppers and are often asked to drop into coverage. They play the spies on the defense, watching a quarterback’s every move. Each one is required to cover his side of the field on outside runs. And, at least in defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau’s zone-blitzing scheme, they are called on to take a shot at the quarterback, too.

Compare that to the middle linebacker in a 4-3: in this defense, they are fast and often much smaller than their 3-4 counterparts. With only one on the field at a time, they are more often than not assigned to coverage rolls, taking on backs in the flat or tight ends over the middle. The speed is needed for more than coverage, though. On running plays, they need to be able to run down carries that go outside the tackles. This means they are responsible for an area of the field that stretches from sideline to sideline. However, because of the single MLB on the field, their job is often diminished and is viewed as more of a support role.

Right now, the Steelers do not possess a 4-3 MLB. The closest they could come is Rian Wallace, but his lack of NFL experience would hinder that idea. It’s more than likely the team will at least attempt some 4-3 plays this season, and it’s a good bet they will simply accept the slight disadvantage they would face with either of their current starters — James Farrior and Larry Foote — filling the role.

From a 3-4 perspective, though, the team is as stout as always. Farrior led the team in tackles again last year, as he did in 2005. Larry Foote was second on the team both years. There hasn’t been much production from the other guys on the depth chart, because these two have been relatively healthy over the last several years.

Okay, that’s the good news. The bad news is the two will combine for over $7.5 million in cap dollars. That’s a lot of money. And Farrior, one of the most important players from a defensive perspective, is entering his 11th season. That doesn’t leave him with many productive years left. Foote will be entering his 6th season and has really started to hit a groove on the field, so he won’t be much of a concern. However, the backups have very little experience. Clint Kriewaldt, an eight-year veteran and a career backup, has just 63 tackles in his career. Rian Wallace has just nine in two seasons. Wallace was a 5th round draft pick and Kriewaldt wasn’t drafted.

The good news is that the Steelers at least have some depth. That’s more than they can say at some other positions, particularly on the offensive line and outside linebacker. They’ll draft someone for the position, but it won’t happen before round 6 unless they make some moves to get more picks. Chances are they won’t look at anyone in free agency, especially given the bloated salaries being negotiated this offseason. They’ll draft someone with potential, possibly from a Division II school. Coach Mike Tomlin will be looking for versatility because of the multiple looks the team will undoubtedly have this season.

Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin was present at the Pro Day workouts for the Uiniversity of Arkansas yesterday, where defensive end Jamaal Anderson (a sure first-round pick) and Keith Jackson worked out.

Anderson moved his 284-pound heft 40 yards in 4.75 seconds. What’s impressive, though, is that he managed to get that same 284 pounds 32.5 inches straight up in the vertical jump workout. Anderson would be a great fit in either a 3-4 or a 4-3, but is more suited for 3-4.

Jackson, whose father is former All Pro tight end Keith Jackson, ran the 40 in 4.85 seconds, which is more than acceptable for a 305-pound defensive tackle. If Tomlin is looking at Jackson, it’s looking more and more like he wants to start building a four-man line. The Steelers already have Casey Hampton, the best nose tackle in the league, and Chris Hoke behind him.

While it’s possible Tomlin may be planning to draft Jackson and prep him for taking over the number-two spot behnd Hampton in 2008 when Hoke’s contract runs out or just cutting Hoke this year, it seems more likely that the push for a 4-3 defense is on. We’ll keep an eye on this one.

Every now and then something happens that just needs to be shared, football or not. Today’s entry for Not Football, But… is news that our Penguins are staying put — or so the sources say. I won’t get too excited just yet, because sources have an amazing way of being wrong (for instance, saying Russ Grimm had already signed a contract and would be announced the coach the following day). However, it is good to know that NHL commish Gary Bettman was able to step in and put an end to the squabbling.

Normally I’d save this for another time, but I was prodded on by my friends over at the Post-Gazette’s Blog-N-Gold. They are in agreement with a few other bloggers in the nation that 2007 will be Alan Faneca’s last season as a Steeler (a little more link love for my biggest supporters). I respectfully disagree.

Let me get one thing in the open now: I am not a former NFL player. Thanks in part to injuries and part-time jobs, I never played in high school. Thanks to a mom who stunted my growth, I never played in college — unless you count being defensive captain of an intramural team that lost the championship in the final minutes. I don’t have the credentials that some others in the community possess.

However, there are four Steelers who simply cannot go away. I don’t care if you have to cut other starters in order to pay them. Those four are Troy Polamalu, Casey Hampton, Ben Roethlisberger and Alan Faneca. They are the four most outstanding players on the team. No disrespect to Hines Ward — he’s the best receiver on the team, but the depth and future they are building at the position are setting the team up for success in the passing game for years. Losing Ward would be huge, but not as big of a loss to recover from as would be losing one of the aforementioned studs.

Think about it: Faneca is the anchor of the line, especially now that Jeff Hartings has retired. There needs to be a clear-cut leader, to act as the glue that holds any cohesive offensive line together as a single unit. Who is going to play that role without Faneca? Marvel Smith? Great player, but he’s not the leader that Faneca is. And no one in the city of Pittsburgh could hold a straight face if they were told that Kendall Simmons or Max Starks was to be named a team captain. All levels of hilarity, disbelief and pure shock would undoubtedly ensue.

The only hurdle to keeping Faneca around would likely be whether or not Mike Tomlin can win his respect. Faneca was the most outspoken Steeler after Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm left for warmer climes, and it will take some work to make him a believer. But I don’t think he’d want to jump ship at this point in his career — not with the potential for greatness that still exists on this team.

DRAFT POTENTIAL:
- Day 1: DEFINITELY
- Day 2: THEY MAY TAKE ANOTHER

If the nose tackle is the grunt in a 3-4 defense, then the outside linebackers are the glamor. Most of a team’s defensive production comes from this position. OLBs are the Swiss Army Knives of a defense: run stoppers, pass defenders and pass rushers. While nearly every defensive position on the field performs these same duties at one time or another, they don’t see such an even mix.

For several years, Joey Porter has been the Steelers’ go-to outside linebacker. He did it all on the field and had a reputation for being ferocious. On the Ladder of Nastiness, he stood just a single rung below Jack Lambert and Greg Lloyd, who personified Steeler defense. No one on the team talked a bigger game, and unlike a lot of players around the league, Porter backed it up — most of the time.

Now, Joey Porter is gone, having been cut in a salary cap move and subsequently signed with the Miami Dolphins. That leaves a big hole, but not as big as some people think.

Porter survived last season based largely on his reputation. His play slipped, primarily in pass coverage and run defense. While registering a team-leading seven sacks and two interceptions in 2006, the normal crispness in his play never seemed to be there. Missed assignments and blown coverage plagued his play all season, and a pulled hamstring sidelined him for the final two games of the season.

Opposite the defense from Porter is Clark Haggans, who is older than Porter but seems to just now be hitting the prime of his career. Haggans registered 21 more tackles than Porter, and only one fewer sack. Unfortunately, someone had to be a cap victim this season. Haggans’ smaller cap number, combined with his productivity and less wear and tear, made it a no-brainer. He is viewed by many as having more left in his tank, and is simply more affordable.

Behind these two are James Harrison and Arnold Harrison (no relation that I’m aware of). Both wound up on injured reserved in 2006, but the two played well in the little time they were on the field. Of them, James has the most experience by far, having played in every game in 2004 and 2005 and 11 in 2006 before being injured. Arnold has seen action in just seven games in his career.

In the immediate future, expect the 2007 starters to be Clark Haggans and James Harrison. They are prototypical Steelers linebackers and both have the speed to drop into coverage. Harrison is a better run stopper than Porter was, but lacks the instincts Porter has to penetrate the pocket when his number is called for a pass rush.

Down the road, though, we may see more of Arnold Harrison. He has excellent speed for a 3-4 OLB, and shows potential for a smooth transition to the 4-3 defense we’re all speculating Mike Tomlin would eventually like to use. The position would transfer more to containment on the outside, which was not Porter’s forte. Both Harrisons, as well as Haggans, have the speed and tackling abilities to excel in either defense, and Arnold Harrison may have the best run-stopping abilities of all three.

When draft day rolls around, the Steelers likely will take an outside linebacker on Day One. They have no depth at the position now that Porter is gone and desperately need backups. They’ve already brought in a free agent for discussions, and may well wind up signing him. Expect at least three OLBs to be added to the roster by training camp for a total of six, with four likely making it through the September cuts.

The Steelers didn’t have to deal with another team’s Right of First Refusal this time like they did with punter Andy Lee and the 49ers, and they wound up adding to an offensive line that was suddenly in disarray after years of stability and superb play.

Sean Mahan, formerly a starter for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at left guard, signed a deal that is, as best as I can tell, worth about $17.5 million and puts him in black and gold until 2011. His versatility will certainly serve to shake things up even more on the line, potentially making it a three-way battle for the center position with heir-apparent Chukky Okobi and Kendall I-snapped-a-little-in-preseason Simmons. Simmons is the one feeling the biggest squeeze, because he will potentially be battling for both the center and right guard positions, as his play in 2006 did anything but guarantee him a spot in the 2007 starting lineup.

To make matters even stranger, Mahan could possibly be considered for right tackle as well, where Max Starks either needs to be benched or to have someone light a fire under his rear. Last season Kendall Simmons was bad. But Max Starks usually made Simmons look like an All-Pro.

How do you tell a team is strapped for cap room? When they wait almost a week to bring in their first unrestricted prospect, and when the first four of them are Floyd Womack, Alex Bannister, Colby Bockwoldt and Sean Mahan.

In their defense, the Steelers are looking primarily for depth, with virtually no turnover among the starters from last season. The only 2006 starters no longer with the team are center Jeff Hartings (retired) and linebacker Joey Porter (free agent, signed with Miami), and only about five of the other positions are likely to be unsettled before the end of training camp.

The players they are looking at aren’t exactly the sort of guys you build your team around, but wile the names might not be that big, the possibilities are intriguing.

Womack and Mahan are both left guards, and both were 2006 starters. Both are versatile enough to be moved to other positions on the line with little adjustment, which is a good thing because the team has a nearly guaranteed starter at left guard with Alan Faneca. However, the team is looking to upgrade at right guard after Kendall Simmons struggled at times early in 2006, and either player would be an upgrade at right tackle as well, where Captain Erratic (Max Starks) often was a liability rather than an asset. Starks, a restricted free agent, was offered a tender that will require any team that signs him to give their first round pick to Pittsburgh. Teams looking for a perrenial All Pro at right tackle aren’t likely to look toward Starks, but a team that is desperate for a young, powerful player with NFL experience to immediately step into the starting lineup could be willing to make such a deal. Think Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans or Oakland Raiders. If nothing else, Starks could become trade bait once training camp begins.

The 6-foot, 5-inch Bannister could give the Steelers some altitude at wide receiver, where Nate Washington currently is the king of height at a relatively meager 6-feet, 1 inch. He has very limited experience on offense, though, with a total of nine catches in four career starts since 2001. However, he made the Pro Bowl in 2003 on special teams, and could serve as a replacement for Sean Morey if he isn’t re-signed.

The most intriguing visitor, however, is Bockwoldt. In a city known as the NFL’s Linebacker Factory, history has told us that if you aren’t at least 250 pounds, you aren’t a Steeler linebacker. Bockwoldt tips the scales at a comparitively featherlike 237 pounds, and comes from a 4-3 defense. If the Steelers sign him, look for more moves to be made in the draft to transition the team further away from its traditional 3-4 defense, something that sports pundits across the nation have speculated since Mike Tomlin was named the head coach.

Expect more visits in the coming weeks from players you’ve likely never heard of. The Steelers are traditionally quiet in free agency compared to other teams, and given the tight salaray cap situation and next year’s impending exodus of free-agents-to-be, they need to act fast if they want to build the depth that will be necessary to prevent a dramatic slide to the bottom of the league.

DRAFT POTENTIAL:
- Day 1: MAYBE LATE
- Day 2: VERY POSSIBLE

Defensive end, like most positions on the roster, is unstable at best. The two starters, Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel, are signed through 2011 and 2009, respectively. Both players had good years, with Keisel completing his first season as a starter after taking over for the departed Kimo Von Oelhoffen. But depth is quickly becoming a problem for the Steelers, and defensive end is one of the places it will quickly rear its ugly head.

Backup left end Rodney Bailey is currently an unrestricted free agent, and the team has made no effort, or even signaled any intention, to re-sign him. On the right side of the line, the team has a lot of money wrapped up for 2007 in backup Travis Kirschke, who is scheduled to make $1.6 million to sit the bench and play special teams. On top of that, Kirschke is possibly in his last season in the league — he’s a 32-year-old, 10-year veteran with a slim chance of becoming a starter at this point in his career. Certainly not in Pittsburgh, and probably no where else.

The starters, however, are worth their money. Keisel signed a $13.1 million contract before the 2006 season and Aaron Smith just signed an extension that will pay him more than $24 million through 2011.

The only concern with the starters at this point is Aaron Smith’s age. 2007 will be his ninth season, and at age 30 is reaching the point when most guys in the trenches begin to consider retirement. His age aside, however, Smith has been one of the Steelers’ most consistent, dependable players since he was drafted.

While only two years younger than Smith, Keisel has nearly 40 fewer games under his belt and, obviously, 40 fewer contests in which he could have picked up dings and dents. The undrafted free agent — which is becoming a bit of a trend for Steeler starters — finished 2006 with 56 tackles and 5.5 sacks, both good, solid numbers in a 3-4 defense where the linebackers get the vast majority of the statistical action.

With a potential switch to a 4-3 defense looming on the horizon, both players may have to slim down and speed up a little in order to fit properly into the scheme. Getting smaller isn’t all that hard; getting faster is, especially when Keisel and Smith are 28 and 30 years old. Expect at least one defensive end to be drafted or picked up in free agency, and you can be certain he will be closer to 270 pounds than 300 pounds.

This year’s draft has a strong class of defensive ends, with at least five expected to go in the first round. Unfortunately, the Steelers have far more immediate needs to fill, because Gaines Adams or Jamaal Anderson would be a good fit in black and gold — although Adams would likely be moved to outside linebacker, at least for now, because of his smaller size.

As for free agents, the best prospect of the year never even hit the market: Philadelphia made it a major priority to re-sign Juqua Thomas, and they accomplished that. There are some young players available who may work as development players, but there are no current standouts available.

Expect the Steelers to start swinging away from the huge roadblock defensive ends and more toward the smaller, faster variety that works best in the 4-3 defense Mike Tomlin covets.