SteelerWatch

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.

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.

Punter Andy Lee will remain in San Francisco, after the 49ers chose to match the offer sheet tendered by the Steelers.

With only three punters available in free agency who played in the NFL last season, the team will likely be forced to either take Gardocki for another mediocre season or look to the draft to fill the position. Because they were willing to cough up a 6th round pick for Lee, it seems pretty likely that they will continue to entertain the idea of “a draft pick for a punter” but may use it in a more straight-forward manner than they tried with the San Francisco restricted free agent: they may actually draft one. Unfortunately, there just isn’t much out there to look at, so it’s a good possibility that we’ll be looking at another season of punts that barely make it 40 yards — but no one will block any!

Note: This is a little late, as the news has been out for three days, but I’m posting this for the sake of complete coverage at this point. Besides, nothing has actually happened yet, so it’s not like I missed some huge, earth-shaking turn of free-agency events. After all, we’re talking about a punter here.

Chris Gardocki has long been considered one of the best punters in league history, but time has clearly caught up to him. Now, in an effort to revitalize a position that really needs some major revitalizing, the Steelers are attempting to woo punter Andy Lee away from San Francisco, offering him a reported $7.1 million dollar deal that covers the next six years with a $1.66 million signing bonus.

Lee is a restricted free agent, meaning the 49ers can match the offer and re-sign Lee any time until Tuesday. If they choose not to match, they inherit the Steelers’ 6th-round draft pick as compensation. Now for my take.

$7.1 million is a lot to spend on someone who will be on the field six to ten times per game — and that’s on a bad day. During their 2005-2006 playoff run that ended in victory, the Steelers had Gardocki on the field about two times per game. However, the position needed a big-time upgrade, and good punters aren’t as easy to come by as decent receivers or above-average outside linebackers. I guess the front office figured that, if someone was getting Gardocki-like money to punt, they better be putting up better than Gardocki-like numbers.

Good call.

A bottle of chianti and some strawberries? Nope, a different kind of tender love. Max Starks and Brian St. Pierre have been offered tenders, meaning the Steelers retain Right of First Refusal for the two players. By offering the tenders, the team has the right to match any offer sheet submitted by another team. If the players sign the tender sheets, they are effectively signed to the amount offered for the season and are no longer available for free agency.

The Steelers may be eligible for compensatory draft picks depending on the amounts offered in the tenders, if they choose not to match the offers made by other teams. Compensation for Starks is a first round pick, while St. Pierre would be worth a 5th round pick. The pick is essentially transferred to the Steelers from the player’s new team, so anyone making an offer to Starks must already have a first round pick available. With the wealth of offensive linemen available in the draft this year, it would be in the team’s best interest to consider letting Starks — the new owner of the Captain Erratic title ever since Tommy Maddox left — go to a new team.

Letting go of Joey Porter wasn’t something most of us wanted to see, but we all expected it at least to some extent. But Mike Tomlin and the rest of the Steelers’ coaching staff made a huge mistake yesterday in letting Verron Haynes go.

No, really. It was dumb.

Re-signing Najeh Davenport was a big deal because the team desperately needed to go into the season with a one-two punch in the backfield. As much of a gem as Willie Parker turned out to be, he just doesn’t have the size we need for short yardage. It’s not what he does and, when he was originally tried out in the starting lineup at the end of the 2005 season, it’s not what he was ever intended to do. That’s why Davenport was here to begin with.

But Haynes is a talented back who made an impact. His 4.2 yards-per-carry average is outstanding for a third-down back, and he had the best hands in the backfield. He played well on special teams, he hit hard, he was fast and, if Parker and Davenport are the one-two punch, he was the left hook opponents never saw coming.

But more than that, he was good depth at an important position. Now if Davenport winds up injured — and he will wind up injured, it’s just a question of when — we’re back to relying on a single back. That is, of course, unless the team makes an offer to John Kuhn, which makes my whole argument largely a moot point. But signing Davenport makes that possibility a lot less likely.

The Steelers moved early on Najeh Davenport, signing him to a two-year contract that will pay him $2 million, including a $405,000 signing bonus. This should squash John Clayton’s annual assertion that the Steelers will once again sign T.J. Duckett to fill the void left a year ago when Jerome Bettis retired. Davenport played well in the system last year before being injured, and figures to play a more prominent role this season, if he can stay healthy. Which, of course, seems to be a lofty expectation for him. Here’s hoping some Iron City Beer will help beef up his relatively fragile frame.

During Bill Cowher’s tenure in Pittsburgh, the Steelers had a long list of linebackers who had a bit of a bad-boy image: Levon Kirkland, Jason Gildon, Kendrell Bell, Joey Porter. Friday ended with the release of Porter, and now the group has a more anonymous, preachers’ kids feel.

Sure, Clark Haggans has a nasty streak in him, and Larry Foote has his post-sack Stomp dance, but there’s just no one left to fear.

I don’t want to spoil the linebacker capsule in the Before the Draft series (defensive coverage begins Monday), so I won’t go too much into detail, but Mike Tomlin needs to make one of his top priorities finding a linebacker who other teams will fear. The blue-collar work ethic in Pittsburgh is vital, but losing Porter meant losing the team’s pulse. That’s not to say I never figured this would happen, or even to say that I didn’t think it was actually the right move, but the locker room just isn’t going to be the same unless someone vocal steps up to lead. Maybe it’s Anthony Smith, the high-stepping, receiver-taunting safety who held the ball up to his ear to make sure everyone chasing after him saw him heading to the end zone for six points. Cowher put the kibosh on that sort of attitude, at least with everyone but Porter. And it was because he let Porter be his ornery, vocal self that this defense had the swagger and attitude of an unstoppable force, even when they were down on their luck,

I dread thinking where Porter may end up. The Ravens released their top linebacker in a salary cap move; maybe Porter takes a pay cut to avenge his release. Unlikely, because he likes his money. But there’s a chance.

I expect to see him on San Francisco, more likely. Or, perhaps, in Philadelphia. I shudder to think that, but they have cap room and could move him to defensive end in their 4-3 defense. Or, he could follow so many other Steelers to New England.

I knew it would be a sad day to see Joey in another team’s colors. While I felt it was the right move to make, part of me wishes it didn’t have to come to this. It’s that part that’s afraid that there’s no longer a bad boy in Pittsburgh to be feared.

Well, Joey, we’ll miss ya.

It’s looking more and more like the Steelers are going to release Joey Porter prior to March 6, when he’s due a cool mil for a roster bonus. His age (30 on March 22) and last season’s perceived decline in play undoubtedly have the minds in the front office spinning right now, but can the Steelers really afford to lose him?

If Troy Polamalu is the face of the Steelers, and Alan Faneca is the voice, Porter is the attitude. He’s no-frills, speaks his mind, and he’ll rip you apart if you’re not wearing black and gold and you’re holding a football — and the football part is usually optional. He does his job, and he also puts a little adrenaline into Pittsburgh’s pulse.

But is he really worth the $6 million-plus he’s due this year?

On the other side of the linebacker corps. is Clark Haggans who, like Porter, turns 30 this year. His price tag is more than $2.5 million less than Porter’s this season, and he’s got less actual playing time under his belt, meaning he’s not nearly as dinged up. Porter missed several games in 2006 with injuries, has been shot in an off-field incident in Denver, and likely will be asking for a lot more money after the season is up. He was already unhappy heading into 2006, but was talked out of a lengthy hold-out.

The problem here is his reputation. He’s loved in Pittsburgh, not so much for what he’s done, but for what he says during the days leading up to big games. He has a tendency to absorb most of the media attention when the team is headed to the national stage, leaving the rest of the team to stay more focused on the task at hand. It works for Joey because he got such high intensity that his performance seems to improve when he’s been in a battle of words from Monday through Saturday. Because of the aura that surrounds him in the eyes of Pittsburgh fans, it’s hard for us to justify letting him go.

But from a football perspective, what kind of hole would he leave? I’ts probably safe to say that his presence on the field has elevated Haggans’ performance, partly because of his ability to motivate his teammates, but largely because he attracts the most attention, often leaving Haggans in the weaker matchup. I’m not completely sure Haggans is ready, or will ever be ready, to be the leader of an historically stellar group of linebackers. Neither is James Harrison, Porter’s likely successor if he is sent packing. While Harrison played great until his season ended in injury, his biggest claim to fame thus far has been the hit he laid down in Cleveland on Christmas Eve 2005 — not on a Browns quarterback, but rather a Browns fan who broke bad on the cops trying to chase him down.

There’s always the hope of doing with Porter what was done with Aaron Smith: a restructured contract that costs less now but a whole lot more in a few years, when Porter’s age has become an even greater factor.

The clock is ticking in the Steelers’ front office, and they know it. They officially will have five more days to decide what to do once they close shop tonight. There really are only three likely possibilities:

1) They have no intentions of releasing Joey now, and will wait out the final season of his contract to decide what to do;

2) The restructuring of Smith’s contract was an indication that they are trying to free up money to be able to keep Porter — and a mess of other players who will be 2008 free agents — around town;

or

3) Bye bye, Big Guy.

Defensive end Aaron Smith has been signed to a five-year contract extension, putting him solidly on the line through 2012 2011. 21

The standout defensive player’s contract details were not announced, but his salary cap number for 2007 is roughly $6.8 million, so the contract he signed was undoubtedly enormous. However, the contract may have included a restructuring of his 2007 numbers, or a drop in base salary for the next few years to keep his cap number lower for 2008-2009. More details to follow.

Update #1: The Post Gazette reports the final year of his current contract was nullified by the new contract, potentially saving the Steelers a lot of money this season by eliminating his ginormous 2007 cap number.

Update #2: The new contract is believed to be worth $25 million over the next five years, including $12 million between the 2007 and 2008 seasons. No specifics were given and it’s not yet clear whether the $25 million includes a signing bonus. The new deal means Smith will likely finish his career in Pittsburgh.