• The 2013 N.F.L. Salary Cap ($120.6 Million in 2012) was recently reported to be $123 Million.

• Keenan Lewis could leave as a UFA this month.

• Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau only plays younger players in “Break Glass in Case of Emergency” scenarios.

Right now, I am essentially indifferent to the fact that Gay is back in The Steel City.  I mean, at least the guy has been able to force Turnovers over the last two years (4 INT’s, 4 FF’s, 1 FR).  You know, Turnovers, something the Steelers’ Secondary could not force on a consistent basis last season (6 combined INT’s in 16 by Pittsburgh’s Defensive Backs in 2012).  I understand that many will point to his struggles in Arizona as a reason why he should not have been signed.  But I honestly cannot fault a guy for getting picked on as bad as Gay did (726 Yards Passing Allowed) last year when:

• He was a Starting Cornerback instead of a Nickelback with the Cardinals.

• Pro Bowler Patrick Peterson played on the opposite side of him.

Pittsburgh’s move to bring the six-year veteran from Louisville was actually a pretty significant one though.  In fact, one could argue that Gay’s acquisition highlights just how little faith the Steelers’ brass and Coaching Staff have in the guys behind Cortez Allen on the depth chart at Cornerback: Curtis Brown, Josh Victorian, and DeMarcus Van Dyke.

Brown is now “On Notice.” Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

Backup Cornerbacks “On Notice” With Gay in Town

Curtis Brown

Gerry Dulac of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette actually Tweeted the following in the aftermath of the Gay signing, and I believe that he captured the acquisition’s meaning perfectly:

Steelers signing of William Gay is more about Curtis Brown than Keenan Lewis

 

Things have not been easy for Brown since he came to Pittsburgh, especially when most believed that he would be the first of Pittsburgh’s Corners drafted in 2011 to make a significant impact on the Defensive side of the ball.  Oddly enough, it is the then-raw and inexperienced Cortez Allen who has received a significant amount of playing time over the last two years.  In fact, if Lewis leaves, Allen will be first in line to take over the #2 Cornerback spot.

Brown was basically abused and picked on when the Steelers took on the Chargers and Cowboys last year in Weeks 14 and 15.  I cannot necessarily blame the poor guy, especially since he had been forced to rot on the bench for the entirety of his career up until that point (2012: 28 Tackles, 2 PD’s).  Experienced or not, Brown looked lost, and San Diego’s smaller and shiftier pass-catchers particularly took advantage of how fast the game seemed to the poor Cornerback.  With William Gay in town again, Brown will be forced to fight for reps to stay on the field in “Dime” situations if Lewis stays.  Unfortunately for the former Texas Longhorn, he will have more competition than the veteran Gay to fight off this Summer.

Josh Victorian

Victorian to his credit made the team off of the Practice Squad, and was receiving a good deal of playing time by the time the regular season finished.  Like Brown, Victorian had his fair share of issues against the Chargers, and looked over-matched on a fade route TD pass.  The former Louisiana Tech Bulldog was at even more of a disadvantage the following week when Miles Austin and Dez Bryant were taking it to him up and down the field in Dallas.  Victorian (2012: 10 Tackles, 2 PD’s) did show some signs of improvement against Cincinnati and Cleveland during Pittsburgh’s final two games, and has the potential to be a valuable “Dimeback.”  With Gay in town now though, it certainly appears that Victorian will once again have to fight for a roster spot once Training Camp begins.

DeMarcus Van Dyke

Acquired before the 2012 regular season began, I actually believed that DeMarcus Van Dyke could have been a Free Agent steal for Pittsburgh if he was given time to learn the Defense and develop.  A 3rd Round pick in the 2011 Draft, Van Dyke struggled during his first and only season in Oakland, and was eventually released after only one year with the Raiders.  Unfortunately for Van Dyke, he only played in 9 games last season before he sustained a season-ending shoulder injury versus Dallas.  Worst of all though, DeMarcus was almost exclusively used on Special Teams (2012: 3 Tackles) and was eventually passed by Victorian on the team’s depth chart.  Of the three players I mention today, Van Dyke’s journey to a roster spot will likely be the toughest due to his lack of experience on the Defensive side of the ball with the Steelers.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I believe that Gay’s deal (3-year $4.5 million) makes sense from both cost and football-insurance purposes.  With the cap moving up, the Steelers should be able to afford a small-cost and small-risk deal like Willie’s.  Remember, Pittsburgh has yet to restructure LaMarr Woodley’s “albatross” of a long-term deal.  Furthermore, the team also has the option of either releasing or restructuring expensive veterans like James Harrison and Willie Colon too.  I should also mention though that the Steelers brass’ have created significant amounts of “cap room” after they massively restructured the deals of Lawrence Timmons, Antonio Brown, and Ben Roethlisberger over the last month too.

Warm and fuzzy feelings about “cap compliance” aside, Gay’s signing basically illustrates exactly what Dulac’s Tweet alluded to: the utter lack of faith this team and Coaching Staff have in Brown, Victorian, and Van Dyke at this point in the offseason.

Do not get me wrong, all three of these players must step up their games’ if they want to remain with the Steelers in 2013.  As professionals on a veteran Defense, they simply are not going to be handed playing time for sub-par play.

Who knows though?  All three of them could take Gay’s acquisition as a challenge, and use it as fuel to play better this year.  Thus, a stellar offseason workout and Preseason performance by somebody could force the Coaching Staff to keep them around for depth purposes.  Unfortunately, I am not sure that any of the aforementioned players will be able to stay in Pittsburgh if they struggle in 2013 like they did in 2012.

Readers: Do you like the move to bring Gay back to Pittsburgh?  How many of these three aforementioned players will be cut?

Stats Courtesy of: ESPN.com Team Page

There's an opening on the RB roster. If Batch wants to fill it, he needs to start showing he can tonight against the Colts. Credit: Vincent Pugliese-US PRESSWIRE

Injuries for the Steelers are already causing roster shuffles during the preseason.  Some players have already been locked into roster spots.  That said, this preseason game against the Colts will be a big barometer of how the team is progressing in certain areas – especially the Haley and the offense.  It’s also a time when some players who are now given an opportunity to shine while in the spotlight.

There are a few key players whom I feel have a chance to seize the moment they’ve been given by playing in tonight’s game against the Colts: Chris Carter, Will Johnson, Mike Adams, Curtis Brown, Baron Batch.

Chris Carter: With James Harrison and Jason Worilds out for a while, someone will need to line up opposite of LaMarr Woodley.  Deebo has been plagued by injuries for the last two seasons.  Perhaps the scoped knee will help him for the better, but the Steelers may see the exit of one of the most feared LB’s in the NFL happen sooner rather than later.  Carter was drafted last season and saw limited action.  Steven Sylvester and Adrian Robinson will also be hungry to step up this week against the Colts, but Carter is in a better position to turn heads should he have a solid game and maybe wrap his arms around Luck.

Will Johnson:  Johnson has been showing all camp long that he is a consistent ball carrier and run blocker.  With David Johnson out for the season, Will is in prime position to lock up the FB spot.  He needs to shine in order to push guys like Jamie McCoy and Jason Ford out of the picture.  He also needs to put a lot of confidence in Haley that he is indeed the one for the fullback spot.

Mike Adams:  Adams struggled in the first preseason game against the Eagles.  Max Starks has been signed and had been practicing.  We probably won’t see any of Starks at all this week against the Colts.  That means it’s time for Adams to step up and show that he was deserved of that pick by the Steelers in the second round of the draft.  If he can’t impress this week and show signs of improvement, then Starks will quickly work his way into that spot.  Adams is sure to be tested against the Colts’ OLB’s tonight.

Curtis Brown:  Brown gave up two touchdown passes against the Eagles last week.  At the start of camp he, Cortez Allen and Keenan Lewis were all in the running for the #2 corner spot after WWW (Will Willie William) Gay left the Steelers.  Lewis is locked at the #2 spot now, and Dick LeBeau told reporters that Allen is the nickel back.  And while that means Brown is at the bottom of the roster, he still needs to show he is worth something to this defense if he doesn’t want to be just stuck in special teams for the next season.  The Steelers are bound to have numerous dime looks this season, and Brown should be able to fill that spot over someone like Cromartie-Smith (even though Smith is a safety).

Baron Batch:  Redman is out against the Colts.  John Clay is shelved.  Mendenhall is off the PUP but won’t have a game situation for a while.  Chris Rainey already showed last week that he will be worth keeping around.  The running backs list will get cut down by Week 1, and Batch needs to make sure he can stay on the roster.  The young man turned heads early in camp last season but went out with a season ending ACL injury.  He has yet to have the same type of performance as last season.  It will be the Batch, Dwyer and Rainey show tonight.  If Batch wants to remain on this team, he’ll need to have a good night tonight.

July 28, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Keenan Lewis (left) receives instructions from Steelers defensive backs coach Carnell Lake (right) during training camp at Saint Vincent College. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

I’m a fan who loves defense.  And when I say defense I mean sacks and turnovers.  I love seeing a run stuffed at the line of scrimmage by the wall that was Casey Hampton, Brett Keisel and Aaron Smith or LaMarr Woodley break free on the outside and head straight towards the quarterback.  I can’t get enough of Ryan Clark lighting up receivers that dare cross the middle of the field and Polamalu flying around to wherever the ball might be.  Last season however, the Steelers ranked at the top for a different style of defense.  While they had low sacks and turnovers than in recent years, they made up for it in defense against the passing game.  With the departures of Willie Gay and Bryant McFadden at CB opposite Ike Taylor, the open spot has created a three man battle at camp for the starting job.  Between Cortez Allen, Keenan Lewis, and Curtis Brown, who is making their way to starting opposite Taylor in Denver on September 9^th? (more…)

Some good fortune in the Draft helped Pittsburgh land two potential OL starters (Mike Adams, David DeCastro) plus a DL contributor (Alameda Ta’amu).  Still, the Steelers lost a ton this offseason, mainly due to cap issues.  Replacing Hines Ward, James Farrior and other long-time vets will be just as hard in the locker room as on the field.  The Mike Wallace situation also could be a massive distraction this year. 

 

Grade:

Cookie Monster and Chris Burke like "C's," Dom does not. Image Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org

Normally I understand how members of the media “pop-off” and say controversial things to gain more readers and stir the proverbial pot (cough*Warren Sapp*cough).  Yet in Burke’s case, I believe I need to put my “Two Cents” in and wonder aloud about his offseason grades.  So ready yourselves NPC readers, because today I would like discuss my issues with the “C” offseason grade given by Burke to the Steelers and why.

Introduction

To be completely fair to Burke, I believe that the criteria which he used to measure and grade each franchise and their specific successes/failures during the offseason was well-done and a fair way to grade each team’s offseason exploits, activities, and efforts to improve their franchise as a whole:

 

Our offseason grades take into account the 2012 draft grades, what’s occurred in Free Agency and trade markets, and any extraneous off-field circumstances (bounties and non-bounties alike).

While this is a completely sensible way to evaluate and grade team’s offseasons, I do not understand how Burke came up with a “C” grade for the Steelers if he actually followed the specific guidelines he laid out above.  In fact, some of the negatives Burke alluded when he discussed Pittsburgh’s 2012 offseason to might not even be considered huge losses or negatives at all if one looks at the structure of the Steelers’ roster entering 2012 and organization as a whole.  Don’t believe me, readers?  Let’s take a look and you can find come to your own conclusions:

Not-So Negatives

Loss of (Veteran) Players Might Not Be So Bad, and Leadership is All Over Roster

Larry Foote will be a key player in a leadership role this season. Mandatory Credit: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

Do the losses of Aaron Smith, James Farrior, and Hines Ward hurt to see as a life-long fan of this team?  Of course.  These guys were some of the most integral players in the franchise’s recent history, and three of the biggest reasons why the team won two Super Bowls.

But you know what?  Their releases are not what you would call important in terms of what they would bring to the table in 2012 from an “on-the-field” perspective.  And if you wanted to take things a step further, one could even argue that these moves were “addition by subtraction” in a salary cap and productivity senses to boot.

In case you did not notice Mr. Burke, Smith missed over 30 regular season games from 2009 to 2011, was a non-factor for the Defense last year, and spent too much time on the sidelines to help the Defense in any significant capacity.  As for Ward, his production on Offense declined so steadily last season that by December Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery had jumped ahead of him on the depth chart and his snaps decreased as the season progressed.  And Farrior, like Ward, was a shell of his former self last year, became an even bigger liability in pass coverage, and was thus a Two-Down player at best at this stage in his career.

As for the loss of the released veterans’ locker room presence,  Burke’s language suggests that they were the only veterans on the Steelers’ roster which led the team or mattered one iota.  Yet I must ask:  Do the names Ike Taylor, Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark, Larry Foote, Brett Keisel, LaMarr Woodley, Willie Colon, and Heath Miller ring any bells?  I am sure that a follower of professional football like you would have heard of a veteran Quarterback named Roethlisberger, right?

So as you can see, despite the fact that three of the team’s most important veterans are gone, the Steelers’ 2012 roster is not bereft of experienced players which can bring leadership to the youngsters this season and beyond.  Because of this, these talented and mature players which I alluded to above are more than qualified to become adequate team leaders and do exactly what Ward, Farrior, and Smith did over their careers’ in the Steel City: impart their wisdom on the young players and become professionals.  Thus, the franchise will likely not lose any sleep over the “leadership vacuum” being filled.

Mike Wallace Situation 

While the Wallace situation “could” have been a massive distraction, why would you even put it into the equation to measure your offseason grades?  With this in mind, I must ask one simple question: Is Wallace’s contract situation resolved?  No, wait, let me check, carry the two, oh no, it is not.  Has Training Camp started yet?  Oh, wait, no.  Heck, Wallace has not even sat out any preseason or regular season games as of right now.  So let us all just calm down before we get ahead of ourselves and start hitting the “panic button” and downgrade any significant progress in the matter at hand.

In fact, just after you published your “grades,” it was reported by Jason LaCanfora of CBS.Sports.com that Wallace and the Steelers are moving closer to agreeing upon a long-term deal.  There might even be a chance that Wallace will be ready to go for Training Camp next week.  Sure, learning a new Offense might be a bit tough on Wallace.  But if the Steelers can get him into Training Camp and signed within the month of July or even mid-August, it should be more than enough time for a Pro Bowler like Wallace to come in and at least have a decent grasp of the new system.  And while Wallace still needs to hone bits and pieces of his game (route-running, blocking, etc.), he still runs a 9 route better than most in the League.  Plus, Wallace and Big Ben have more than enough pass-catching weapons around them to help out while he adjusts accordingly to the new Offensive system.

Overlooked Positives

Steelers Used Free Agency Period Sensibly

Pope could be an under-the-radar pickup for the Steelers this season. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

To his credit, Burke actually highlighted the Steelers’ 2012 Draft as being one of the better ones in the League (A- Grade).  But anybody that has any sort of vague understanding of what the Steelers’ needs were entering the Draft would have to give Colbert and Co. credit for addressing their most dire of needs.  You know, from the Offensive Line (DeCastro, Adams, Kelvin Beachum), to the Inside Linebacker position (Sean Spence), to Nose Tackle depth (Ta’amu), and the 3rd-Down Back (Chris Rainey).  But what Burke (as well as the rest of the media) might have overlooked is how the Steelers found two solid yet unheralded Free Agents (Leonard Pope and Brandon Johnson) which addressed other needs on the team as well.

At least to me, performance in the trade and Free Agency market should not be based on how much one team spends, but on how they spend their money.  In fact, the two moves which the Steelers made during the Free Agency period should pay dividends this season in a couple of areas where Pittsburgh needs some help: blocking in the run game, a tall pass-catching option in the Red Zone, help on the Special Teams units, help in pass coverage from the Linebacker corps, and help on 3rd Downs to boot.

Were the moves to acquire Pope and Johnson “sexy” from a headline garnering standpoint?  No, but that is not in the Steelers’ “Baller on a Budget” and frugal yet savvy style.  Overall, the Steelers saw ways to improve their ball-club in Free Agency, worked it out financially, and made the moves accordingly.  No over-spending, no big-contracts doled out to outsiders with question-marks, and low-risk/decent-reward investments.

Have Young and Developing Depth Ready to Step-Up

While the Steelers’ purse strings may have been limited in the area of signing Free Agents, it likely would not have mattered because the team already has a great deal of young depth ready to step up and play on their roster this season.  And as I outlined months ago in this post, the Steelers have a youth movement (especially on Defense) to look forward to now and should be poised to strike as early as this season.

I mean, is it really Pittsburgh’s fault that they have players like Ziggy Hood, Keenan Lewis, Cortez Allen, Curtis Brown, Steve McLendon Isaac Redman, David DeCastro, Mike Adams, and Cameron Heyward on their roster and ultimately believe they can step up this season and beyond?  No.  In fact, the eventual (and hopeful) development of these aforementioned players should be considered a huge plus for the organization because it required Colbert and Co. to not be pressed to look outside of their franchise for help at these specific positions.  But most importantly, the Steelers did not have to use the high-priced Free Agent market or any other means besides the Draft to help address these needs at all.

Will there be some “growing pains” in 2012 with these younger players?  Absolutely, and we should ready ourselves as Steelers fans to see some over the course of the season.  Yet what Pittsburgh’s Coaching Staff does and has done as good as if not better than all of the teams in the League over the last four decades has been developing talent to fill the shoes of departed players.  Just take a look at all the players which have stepped up during the last ten to fifteen years or so and subsequently replaced some of the departed talent on this franchise (especially on Defense).  Sure a few of the names might be changed this season, but the talent is ready and waiting to fill the void and should be put on display this season.

Final Thoughts

How a franchise which was given an “A-” 2012 Draft Grade, have had their most important players stay out of trouble, unloaded veteran and expendable players with huge contracts and/or diminishing/expendable skill-sets, possess more than enough experienced players on the roster to fill “leadership vacuum,” remedied a couple of extra needs in Free Agency, and have some developing depth ready to break-out in 2012 be given a “C” offseason grade by the very person which graded the Draft?

Even if one takes into account some questions which the Steelers face heading into the 2012 campaign (Safety depth, RB by Committee and Who Emerges, Wallace not being signed immediately), they cannot significantly or conceivably diminish the numerous positive things which this organization has done over the last six months to warrant just an “average” grade for their efforts.  Heck, if I wanted to, I could go into the number of different ways that Todd Haley will be an upgrade over Bruce Arians in the Offensive Coordinator department.  But for the sake of brevity I will leave that stone unturned for now.

I am not sure how you arrived at a “C” grade for the Steelers’ offseason Mr. Burke if you indeed evaluated Pittsburgh’s offseason by the criteria you outlined in your article, but hey, you are entitled to your opinion and I enjoy your work along with the work of the rest of the football writers on CNNSI.com.  But when you hand out these grades next time, you might want to try to follow your grading scale a bit more closely or pay attention to all of the offseason moves made by franchises.  Otherwise, people might be inclined to poke a few holes in your argument and raise some questions as to how and why you arrived at your conclusions.

What say you “Steeler Nation?”:  Does Burke have a point?  Is it a “C” offseason?  Am I full of hot-air?  Or is he?  Post your thoughts and grades below.

For all your Steelers news and discussions follow us on Twitter @nicepickcowherC, follow me on Twitter @DominicDiTolla, and like us on Facebook.

The only man known to be able to tackle Rob Gronkowski.....

Better yet, could Cortez Allen be better than Ike Taylor?  That’s a question that wasn’t posed, but was actually suggested by Ike Taylor himself during his weekly radio spot on Trib Live Radio.

During his segment, Taylor spoke highly of Allen, as the two are training together during this offseason.  Taylor said that Allen is mature and has the drive to continually improve himself.  He also had this to say,

‘This dude could be way better than me – if he can stay healthy.’

Say what you want about Face Me Ike and the stiff arm against him that put the Broncos into the next round of the playoffs last season.  But, the guy is really good.  He deserved the contract that he signed last season and lived up to the hype of getting paid that kind of money.  He’s a great shut down corner, and Allen is wise to learn from such a strong minded veteran.  Speaking of mentality – that’s one thing Taylor pointed out that Allen will need to break through if he wants to be one of the greats.

‘Yeah, everybody’s got the physical attributes.  Yeah, there’s a lot of guys that can catch better than me, but upstairs – mentally – that’s what separates the good guys consistently and the great guys.  Mentally can they do it for 16 weeks?’

All too true.  It doesn’t take an MIT genius to play corner, but it does take someone with mental fortitude to play up against some of the great receivers in the game.  There may be a bunch of plays where that player’s number isn’t called, but on the one play it is, you have to be mentally tough to stay focused and continue to have excellent coverage on your guy.  Taylor is like that for the most part.  Will Allen surpass his mighty professor?

Allen is the front runner in challenging Keenan Lewis for the #2 corner spot on the team.  The running back situation along with the Mike Wallace ‘thing’ might be big news for fans during camp in a few weeks.  But don’t forget about the emerging young’ins in the secondary who will be looking to capture spots on the roster after William Will Willie But Just Don’t Call Me Bill Gay’s departure.  Cortez Allen and Curtis Brown are in their second year, and Keenan Lewis will be entering his 4th.  That’s a fairly young trio considering Lewis has only started one game.

Be sure to watch these gentlemen if you are at camp this summer.  And keep an eye out for all the tweets from the media and reports as the team works out and players begin to seize opportunities.  I loved that the Steelers were able to draft Allen in the fourth round of last years draft.  The saying goes that most players need a couple of seasons to fully learn and apply Dick LeBeau’s defense.  Allen was a fast learner while he played numerous snaps in the nickel and dime roles.  As was Curtis Brown.  Both of these players have a shot of surpassing Lewis.  My money is on Allen.  He’s the faster guy with better hands.  He’s mature, as noted by Taylor on his show, and just might give Taylor even a run for his money…. soon.

Follow me on Twitter @NicePickCowherC