My Take on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ $61.5 Million “Mistake”
Where do the Steelers Go?/Conclusion:
I know that I should accept the fact that Woodley’s contract has been signed and nothing can change what has already happened. Yet I feel that there were so many reasons why the team should not have signed Woodley to a massive contract that it incenses me to no end that nobody criticized the move at the time or even criticizes it now!
To think that the $61.5 million (or $51.5 if they had franchised LaMarr) should not have been invested in the protection of the franchise’s $100 million investment that is Big Ben is downright ludicrous, plain and simple. QB is the most important position on the field in the N.F.L., and it does the Steelers absolutely no good to have Big Ben protected by below average players and lying on his back after every pass play. $61.5 ($51.5) million is logically not meant to be spent on a 2nd rate “one-trick pony” Rush-Only OLB which displays poor skills in pass coverage, can’t shed blocks, and for whatever reason cannot get to the opposing QB even when faced with one-on-one matchups against supposedly weaker competition.
I personally have this horrible feeling that this contract will undoubtedly come back to haunt the Steelers in one or both of the following scenarios. Either Ben is going to find himself hurt because no money was spent on the Offensive Line, or Woodley is going to flame out and evolve into an even more unreliable and replaceable defender than he currently is and the Steelers will have to eat the contract. I earnestly hope that I am wrong and that Woodley has a fire lit under his ass and he begins to revert back to his 2008 form as soon as possible. I just wanted to illustrate to you the readers the “double-edged sword” nature of a such an expensive contract being awarded to a player like Woodley and what sorts of effects it can have (and has had) on the Steelers.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my article and I await your positive/negative feedback.
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