Steelers Morning Huddle 3/11/2014
By Kim Myers
Aug 10, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley (56) on the sidelines against the New York Giants during the first half at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
Steelers season goes all year long so whether we’re looking ahead to the start of free agency, predicting the possible draft choices, or looking around for mentions of your Black & Gold we’ve got you covered. Here’s what’s being said about your Pittsburgh Steelers around the block.
Steelers to release Woodley
ESPN is reporting that the Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to release LaMarr Woodley when the league year opens on Tuesday afternoon. He’s set to be designated as a post-June 1st salary cap casualty but he’ll be able to sign with another team immediately. The post-June 1st designation means a decreased cap-hit the Steelers will incur for cutting him. So that’s the end of that. Woodley was once the highest-paid defensive player in Steelers history and now will be the highest-paid cut in Steelers history. I’ve always liked Woodley and I hoped he would have returned to his 2008-2011 form at some point but it didn’t look like it was going in that direction.
Big Ben’s contract should be a priority for Steelers
Trib columnist Dejan Kovacevic thinks that the Steelers should be focusing primarily on extending/restructuring the contract for Ben Roethlisberger. The team has a history of extending the quarterbacks’ contracts while there are two years remaining and Ben is in that same position now. On top of that, Ben seems grossly underpaid in comparison to the quarterbacks on his “level” in the league. While Kovacevic does raise some valid points about the benefits to both Ben and the organization should they come to terms now I don’t see a reason to turn this into this summer’s Ben controversy. Seems like the man can’t just play some golf and prepare for the new year without constant speculation that the other shoe is about to drop. For the past two summers it’s been all about whether or not he’ll be able to get along or continue to get along with Todd Haley and now the attention seems to have shifted to the contract situation in spite of both Roethlisberger and Colbert and the Rooney’s all stating their desire to have Ben retire a Steeler. I’m not saying that we all have to have blind unwavering faith and devotion to the franchise, but sometimes it’s just not cool to go looking for problems where there might not be any.
Steelers looking for CBs in free agency
Could it be possible that the Steelers are looking to replenish a position in which they are thin at via free agency? That’s what ESPN’s Scott Brown says. We know that the Steelers have expressed interest in Tennessee’s Alterraun Verner but he also says that they’ve looked into Carolina’s Captain Munnerlyn and Miami’s Nolan Carroll to add some depth and experience in the cornerback position. Naturally your first thought goes to could it be that the release of Woodley could create enough room for the Steelers to be more active than expected in free agency?
What are your thoughts, Steeler Nation? What do you think about the release of LaMarr Woodley? Do you think the Steelers not extending Ben’s contract this summer is a sign of trouble? What cornerback would you like to see added to the Steelers roster?
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