May 21, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley (56) participates in drills during organized team activities at the UPMC Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Today is the last day of this Organized Training Activity.  The Steelers will be back at after the Memorial day Weekend.

The Steelers continue to post interviews from some of the players.  Heath Miller patiently told reporters that he didn’t have any answers for when he would play.  I’m sure he is tired of the questions, but his presence on the field will be missed and we can only hope he comes back at 100%.  Ed Bouchette, of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, gives his take on the interview and notes:

The knee is a funny thing, especially when the torque of playing football on it rips apart three different ligaments. It happened to Miller in the next-to-last game of 2012 when the anterior cruciate, medial collateral and posterior cruciate ligaments tore in his right knee.”

Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review looked at Heath Miller’s status and discussed how the Steelers did not pressure Miller to return by drafting a tight end:

Despite the importance of Miller in the Steelers’ offense — he had a team-high 71 catches and eight touchdowns while making the Pro Bowl last season — their only move to at least temporarily replace him was to re-sign Matt Spaeth. They did not draft a tight end.”

I don’t entirely agree with Robinson’s assessment.  Yes, the Steelers are a loyal team.  The best current example is that they haven’t outright released Sean Spence even though he isn’t ready to come back and start training yet.  However, the Steelers did pad their depth at the tight end position by signing Zack Pianalto and resigning David Johnson.  Heath Miller means a lot to this franchise, but they acknowledge they might need a different player at that position with some added depth if Miller isn’t 100% for the whole season.

LaMarr Woodley also stopped to answer reporters questions.  He answered multiple questions about the “anonymous person” in the locker room and how he felt about the comments.  When asked if he was in good shape this year, he gave a tongue-in-cheek response:

I’ve got to talk to the anonymous person about that. They have all the answers. Whoever the anonymous person was, we have to find him and ask him about that.”

Alan Robinson offers his perspective on Woodley and his approach to this year.  Woodley faces a lot of scrutiny because his productivity is down over the last two years.  Personally, I think the reporters need to let the “anonymous person” go.  They have their soundbites from Woodley.  Let’s let Woodley speak on the field.  Steelers’ fans want to see the familiar Woodley side-kick when he makes a sack a few more times this season.  It is probably too much to hope to see it during every game, but I hope that Woodley’s goal.

Isaac Redman showed up at the OTAs 10 pounds lighter, according to Mark Karboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.  Redman worked out with a speed and agility specialist over the off season.   With the changes in how the teams can work out the players, the players have to take more responsibility for their off-season conditioning and how they show up at the training activities.  I like that Redman gave it so much effort.  I think some players aren’t as motivated or don’t understand that they can’t just show up, walk onto the field and play at a high level.  Redman feels he put in the right effort during the off season and looks to prove it on the field.  That’s what I like to hear!

Mike Florio, of the NBC’s Pro Football Talk, has been heading up the network’s Mount Rushmore nominations.  I hadn’t seen anything about this before until he did an assessment of the nominations from the Steelers.   He noted that the Steelers have a lot of nominations and that it is impossible to narrow the list down to 12 let alone to 4.  I completely agree.  Just from the Steel Curtain era alone, there are tons of great nominations.  If you want to take a look at all the nominations and possibly add some, go here.  The results are going to be announced during one of their shows in June.

That’s it for today.  What do you think Steeler Nation?  What do you think is the most positive aspect from this first OTA?  Sound off!

Adrian Robinson could be asked to play more on the Defensive side of the ball this year. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Regardless of how Woodley performs, the Steelers might be set to rely on a group of largely untested players at Outside Linebacker in 2013.

To his credit, Jason Worilds has performed well in spurts as a pass-rusher (10.0 career Sacks) during his career in Pittsburgh.  But the soon to be 4th year man out of Virginia Tech has missed his fair share of time due to injuries, and must prove to the team that he can stay healthy and contribute heavily in a starting role.  Furthermore, Worilds must prove that he can be stout and the point of attack, and set the edge against some of the League’s best Left Tackles the run game like Harrison did.

Chris Carter’s 2012 season ended on I.R., and he will be looking to get his career “on track” in his third professional season.  Overall, Carter has yet to record a single Sack at the N.F.L. level (11 Tackles total), and he looked completely over-matched when he started in Harrison’s place to begin last season.  2013 could be a “make-or-break” year for the former Fresno State Bulldog from a performance-perspective, because he is sure to have some young and hungry competition nipping at his heels.

Before he spent all of his 2012 season on Special Teams, 2012 UDFA Adrian Robinson did a solid job during the Preseason period as a pass-rusher.  Granted, the former college Defensive End’s skill-set at the position was a bit raw, and he was playing against fellow backups.  Yet Robinson’s relentlessness and tenacity off of the edge were welcome sights to me and fans alike.  Thus, if Linebackers Coach Keith Butler can help to develop other aspects of Robinson’s game like “setting-the-edge,” playing in space in pass-coverage, and using his leverage better as a pass-rusher, the former Temple Owl could definitely be a “diamond in the rough” for the team to turn to once he is ready to play.

Finally, do not forget about the potential addition of a high Round Draft choice at Outside Linebacker either.  Although it has never been in the Steelers’ nature to select Outside Linebackers in the early Rounds of the Draft (Chad Brown at #44 in 1993 is highest in 20 years, and he played ILB as well), they could very well be forced to go in that direction early this year if a talented player is available for them to take in Rounds 1-3.

As I have stated before, the possibility exists that a number of talented Pass-Rushers could fall to Pittsburgh at #17 overall due to injury, scheme-fit, off-field, or poor workout reasons.  Thus, Jarvis Jones, Damontre Moore, Barkevious Mingo, or Bjoern Werner could be available for Colbert & Co. to take in Round 1.  Even if the Steelers elect to fill their Pass-Rusher needs in on Day 2 (Rounds 2 & 3), there could be a wealth of talented players available for them to select from in the forms of Corey Lemonier, Jamie Collins, and Brandon Jenkins.

The competition for playing time with Harrison absent is sure to be open to any and all able bodied players at the position.  Thus, it is conceivable that any Rookie selected (high or low) could be asked to play out of necessity, especially if Worilds and Carter cannot stay off of the “Injury Report” instead of in the lineup.

Final Thoughts

Over the last two decades, a “transition strategy” has always seemed to have been in place when Pittsburgh’s Outside Linebackers have left town:

• Chad Brown replaced Kevin Greene when he left for Carolina in 1996.

• Jason Gildon replaced Brown when he went to Seattle in 1997

• Carlos Emmons replaced Greg Lloyd when he was released in 1998.

• Joey Porter replaced Emmons when he signed with Philadelphia in 2000.

• Clark Haggans replaced Gildon when he was released back in 2004.

• James Harrison replaced Porter when he was released back in 2007.

• LaMarr Woodley replaced Haggans when he left for Arizona in 2008.

I understand that it is early in the offseason.  But what truly scares me though is the fact that the Steelers do not exactly have an iron-clad “transition strategy” in place at Outside Linebacker.  Granted, I have faith that this franchise can find an “answer” like they have so many times before.  Yet the uncertainty and inexperience surrounding the position could be cause for alarm amongst the Front Office and Coaching Staff alike.

Who do I believe has the best chance to will step up alongside Woodley as a starter this year?  I have no idea.  If Worilds stays healthy, he will likely have the best chance.  But as long as “Deebo” can be replaced in the productive/statistical aggregate, any duo, trio, or quartet that emerges will be fine with me.

All I can say is that I am certainly interested to see what transpires, and who emerges at Outside Linebacker over the next calendar year.

Stats Courtesy of: Pro-Football Reference and ESPN.com

Players Contract Info. Provided By: Spotrac.com

Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown and his hat toured ESPN studios to discuss the locker room drama.

I’m taking a short break from my series of things which are ruining the NFL to weigh in on the dumpster fire that’s going on with the Steelers right now.  By now we’ve all heard the comments from the still unnamed Steelers player who called LaMarr Woodley out for being a scooch too hefty and not as productive this past season.  As uncharacteristic as that is, an anonymous quote from a Steeler bashing another Steeler, the fallout seems even worse.  The Steelers 2012 locker room has been exposed for having a lack of leadership, personal agendas, and overall dysfunction.  How did the Steelers turn into the New York Jets?  Can this be fixed?

The biggest excuse that was given as the reasoning behind why the 2012 Steelers were predicted to finish 3^rd in the AFC North was the void left in leadership positions without longtime Steelers Hines Ward, Aaron Smith, and James Farrior in the locker room.  That and they’re all old, which it seems like the Steelers have been called old for the past 5 years.  I and I know I wasn’t the only one, downplayed the “leadership issue” at the start of the season.  I never thought for one minute that a team that still had Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark, and Heath Miller would have any issues with leadership.  I never thought they’d have issues in the locker room at all.  I thought that the whole idea was blown completely out of proportion because Ward, Smith and Farrior collectively hadn’t been on the field the past seasons due to injury or other reasons so how could their absence from the locker room cause any problems? Apparently I was all wrong.

Another cause of how this mess could have happened could be attributed to what Antonio Brown said this week was “certain” players being called out midseason for their contract issues citing Troy Polamalu as addressing other players by saying,

“It’s not about money or contract issues; it’s all about being together.”

Brown also stated the locker room was “different” than previous years.  While Antonio Brown was still unwilling to name names in referencing who was being called out for focusing on their contract issues it doesn’t take a detective to figure out that Mike Wallace’s hold out and impending realization that he’d be gone to free agency to the highest bidder at the end of the season, along with his uncharacteristic disappointing play, played a big part in the locker room dysfunction for the Steelers.  Think about the last time a high profile wide receiver for the Steelers held out during training camp for a long term contract.  Hines Ward held out in the summer of 2005 for a long term deal to allow him to retire as a Steeler and the Steelers went on to win Super Bowl XL that following February, as quite possibly one of the closest-knit teams the franchise ever had thanks to the collective effort to get “The Bus” back to Detroit to retire a champion.  This season we had Mike Wallace, part of the “Young Money Crew” holding out of signing his RFA tender during almost the entire training camp and therefore forfeiting his opportunity to negotiate with the Steelers for a long term deal considering the fact that the Steelers have a long standing rule of not negotiating contracts once the regular season begins.  Wallace reports to the team just before the season starts and has his worst statistical season of his career, partly due to not being targeted with the lack of deep balls thrown, but still not the kind of performance you’d think someone who thought they were underpaid would put forth.  Makes you wonder if he wasn’t targeted in the beginning of the season because he just wasn’t acclimated to Haley’s offense in time?  Was Wallace too concerned the entire season about his money that he never properly learned the new offensive scheme and therefore didn’t perform well enough in practice to have his number called in game situations?  Wallace reportedly turned down an estimated $50 million offer from the Steelers and I think he’s part of the reason the locker room was a mess this year.  The Steelers do not have a history of bringing their contract disputes into the locker room with them, that’s just not the way.  Call Woodley out all you want for getting fat and not performing after he got his contract but he sure as hell out performed his previous contract and never caused any kind of distractions while he was awaiting his deal.  It’s pretty clear that Wallace made “getting his money” a bigger priority than the team’s objectives.  Fortunately, if you can really call it that, Steeler Nation won’t have to worry about the Mike Wallace distraction for 2013 because even before free agency opens up he’s as good as gone.  If he turned down $50 million to stay with the Steelers and teams like the Miami Dolphins are willing to throw as much as $60 million at him, you can pretty much replace your #17 jerseys now.

So what’s a bigger problem for the Steelers, the fact that an anonymous player called Woodley out or the cavalcade of players going on talk shows now to talk about how crappy everyone was in the locker room this year?  Just this week Ryan Clark, Larry Foote, and Antonio Brown have all come out to talk about the locker room dysfunction.  First Clark called the anonymous player “a coward” on the NFL Network.  Then Larry Foote suggested that it might have been a coach rather than a player who made the comments, and Antonio Brown was all over ESPN on Wednesday to describe all the issues the Steelers had.  What the hell?  Who’s going on Dr. Phil then?  How did it get to this level in the first place?  I think when you’re the Pittsburgh Steelers and you finish 8-8 and miss the playoffs there are bound to be some issues that arise.  It’s way easier for the players to be a “brotherhood” when you’re winning than when you’re losing.

Ryan Clark takes part in the Steelers dysfunctional locker room world tour visiting the NFL Network.

Can the problems all be traced back to the head coach?  I have to admit I often defend the criticism of Mike Tomlin when it’s stated that he’s got a lack of control over the team, particularly when he’s compared to Bill Cowher, but this kind of unrest can only lead back to the head coach.  Tomlin either didn’t put the right message in the right player’s hands or didn’t give the players the direction they needed.  In some ways the Steelers are as old as people claim they are but in other positions they are relatively young, and quite possibly immature.  The “next man up” mantra has served the Steelers well for many seasons but this season not so much because the next man was often unprepared to fill the shoes of his predecessor.  The Steelers running back situation in it of itself was a dumpster fire this season and you had Rashard Mendenhall getting suspended one game for failing to show up for a game he wasn’t dressing for.  Tomlin was widely criticized for benching RB after RB during the monstrosity of a game that was Week 12 in Cleveland where everybody and their mother was putting the piggy on the ground but was he trying to start a fire in an otherwise ineffective group?  When you think of the Steelers lacking leadership, not only can you blame it on the head coach but you might as well blame it on the players you most expected to have stepped up in those leadership positions.  Ryan Clark is a very outspoken member of the team and did seem to step into a leadership role this season, his comments on the NFL network regarding the anonymous player ripping Woodley,
“That shows that this team that is normally close, you had the Joey Porters, the Alan Fanecas, just down the line, leader after leader, this team was close-knit.  It shows there is a fracture in that.  I think that is the most disappointing thing about that coming out.”

Kevin Colbert addressed the media on Thursday while attending the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.  He addressed the situation regarding anonymous sources,

“Whether you win a Super Bowl or finish 8-8, there is no 100 percent harmonious locker room.  I don’t care where it is.  I think it’s more likely to happen when you go 8-8, but quite honestly, I’m not concerned about our locker room.  Coach Tomlin and I have had the opportunity to speak to our players, sometimes more than once, since the season ended.  We have a very good finger on the pulse of where we stand from a team standpoint.  We’re comfortable with that.”

Bottom line is the Steelers having locker room issues like these is about as common as ESPN’s NHL coverage so it’s going to be blown out of proportion no matter what is going on but you’d think that some of these problems are going to take care of themselves.  The players’ comments basically point to Mike Wallace and Rashard Mendenhall being the biggest distractions in the locker room and neither are likely to be wearing the Black & Gold in 2013.  Ron Cook, of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, who initially reported the anonymous quotes, has said that the comments were made by more than one player and several coaches and not at all intended to demean or ridicule him but rather fire him up.  When it comes down to it, LaMarr Woodley’s gut was not the sole reason the Steelers went 8-8 last season and we all know that.  His lack of production and injury problems have definitely contributed to the Steelers pass rush being listed on milk cartons along with missing children but definitely wasn’t the only reason the Steelers missed the playoffs this year.  I feel like the Steelers need to straighten these issues out immediately, well as immediate as they can without even the 2013 roster being anywhere near set, but the very people making the comments bashing the anonymous player and describing the problems in the locker room are the ones that need to step up.  Antonio Brown might want to focus more on not putting the piggy on the ground and maybe not run backwards 20 yards into the endzone since he’s likely the Steelers #1 receiver now.  Steeler Nation expects a lot from their team and we know they expect a lot from each other.  There’s a simple solution to all of this drama and in lies in the immortal words of the dearly departed Crazy Al Davis; Just win Baby.

What are your thoughts, Steeler Nation?  Are you worried about the Steelers locker room problems spilling over into 2013?

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‘Dude! I’m telling you the buffet there is AMAHHHZING!’
Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The reality of the situation with the Steelers salary cap is not IF a linebacker will go, but which one?  Since last week, James Harrison has been walking around with a target on his back after his comments about not willing to take less money to stay with the team.  The choice of letting a player like Harrison go didn’t seem like it was far off from the right solution.  That was then…. this is now.

Ron Cook took the other side of the linebacker formation to task in a write up over the weekend.  Cook interviewed an unnamed Steeler player who said that Woodley was “awful.”

“He tells us he works out, but we didn’t see it. He wasn’t in shape. That has to be a reason why he was always hurt.”

Pretty harsh criticism, but it’s pretty much confirming what I think a lot of us in Steeler Nation were thinking over the course of the season…. hell, two seasons.  Woodley is known to be overweight for his height and position.  Based on what we’ve seen as far as overall injuries in the NFL go (and it’s way up) since the new CBA, it’s up to the player’s responsibility to keep in shape during the offseason.  The CBA creates a less than ideal situation for teams trying to keep players in shape and football ready, and they are close to powerless to enforce anything outside of the OTA’s and camp.  Woodley’s portliness and proneness to hamstring injuries (two in two years since the new CBA) puts him high on the ‘suspicious people’ list of folks who may not be putting their all in the offseason and their workouts.  Conditioning is huge, and if you aren’t in time, it could rock your world for the worse.

So what does all of this have to do with Harrison and his future?  Simply put – keep Harrison and dump the extra weight (literally and figuratively) of Woodley.  Woodley (aka Little Big Snack) was on route to have a great season in 2011.  But, a hamstring pull in week 8 kept him out for the rest of the season.  Woodley was again plump when arriving to camp and this is where it seems the unnamed teammate’s criticism takes hold.  Woodley again injured his hamstring and struggled all season to fully heal.  Woodley’s base salary is $1 million less than the entire cap hit the team will take if they keep Harrison.  Woodley is set to cost the team over $13 million in 2013

Harrison on the other hand will cost just over $10 million in cap space.  Harrison, though 7 years older than Woodley by the time the season starts, appears to have the drive to play his best football no matter the time or situation.  Harrison suffered a knee injury that required surgery in the offseason.  It was a long road to recovery for Harrison, and he was far from 100% at the start of the 2012 campaign.  He continued to work hard all season and improved as the season went along.  The last third of the season, Steeler Nation began to witness glimpses of the Harrison of old – better attack, better pursuit, and better tackling.

The striking difference between the two players is work ethic.  Harrison trains and plays like he wants ‘it’ more.  Woodley, though he appears intense in game situations, is in contrast apathetic to his training and development.  Woodley caught a case of the contract extension blues.  I don’t mean to make such a brushoff statement – but what other reasoning could it be why Woodley who was so productive early on, plateaued and then nearly fell off last season?

Dumping Woodley would save at least $3 million for the team and give a clear and purposed opportunity to Jason Worilds – who plays more naturally on Woodley’s side of the field anyways.  Should the Steelers outright release Woodley?  No way – he still has value, and could be traded for a valuable a 4th or a paired up 5th and 6th round.  It’s possible he could garner a 3rd round pick, but if he was worth that much, I wouldn’t really be making the case of keeping Harrison over Woodley – catch my drift?

Harrison wants it more.  Why not reward him and ditch the Woodley weight?  Maybe that’s why he refuses to take a pay cut.

What are the chances of the Steelers trading off Woodley?  Would dealing Woodley and keeping Harrison be a better option for the Steelers in terms of cap space and player worth on the field?

The Steelers Linebackers. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

What We Learned This Week in the NFL Offseason:

• Steelers name new WR Coach
• Longtime minority Steelers owner Rita McGinley passes away at 94
• Franchise Tags will be handed out this week
• Steelers Linebackers in question

The Steelers offseason has been busy so far not just with the impending salary cap hell we’re about to get into once the league’s 2013 year officially starts but also with having to replace position coaches.  First was the offensive line coach as Sean Kugler left the Steelers for the head coaching job at UTEP and after Scottie Montgomery left the wide receiver coaching for Duke, the Steelers were left with their 3^rd position coach to hire for this offseason.  Tomlin selected Aliquippa native Richard Mann to coach their wide receiving corps.  Mann has a tall order ahead of him as the Steelers WR corps is about to get awful thin once free agency begins and Wallace signs with whatever team offers him the biggest pile of money.

The Steelers ownership has always been about family.  The Rooney family have been the majority owners the entire 80 years of the franchise and in 1946 shares of the team were sold to the McGinley family when then minority owner Bert Bell left the Steelers to become NFL Commissioner.  Imagine that for a second, a commissioner that used to own part of the Steelers.  What a wonderful, magical thing that would be.  Ok back on track.  Sadly, the Steelers family lost one of its original members this week as Rita McGinley passed at the age of 94.  McGinley was originally from Braddock, Pa and has loved the Steelers the majority of her life.  She often made it out to the games at Heinz Field and was even at training camp in Latrobe as recent as last year.  McGinley was most known for her love of the Steelers and for her charitable contributions in the city of Pittsburgh.  Steelers president Art Rooney II commented on McGinley,

“She was an all-around great lady who was extremely generous with her time and financial wherewithal.  Many organizations benefited from her generosity down through the years.  She was a wonderful person and someone we will miss very much.”

As we inch closer to draft time and the free agency period many teams are gearing up to pass out franchise tags on the players they’d rather not have enter the free agency market.  Last season a record 21 teams tagged players and the speculation is that the number of teams tagging players will be high this year as well.  The Steelers most likely won’t be tagging anyone as they’re already in over their heads with the salary cap situation and the only viable choice to tag would be Mike Wallace and that wouldn’t be very smart considering how much that tag would end up costing as well as the fact that Wallace could very well hold out again if tagged as he’s made it no secret he’s after a long term deal.  The franchise tag guarantees that other teams cannot negotiate with that particular player, but also gets them the average of the top salaries for that position.  The Ratbirds will most likely tag Joe Flacco in their process of eventually signing him to whatever long-term deal they’re going to overpay him for.  Along with franchise tagging, scouting combines, and free agency beginning teams are also starting to release veterans.  Already the Colts have announced that longtime pass rusher Dwight Freeney, who is an UFA, will not be pursued by the team and the Green Bay Packers have released Charles Woodson, their longtime CB.  Won’t just be the Steelers having to make difficult decisions to part ways with players you’d never expect to put on a different uniform.

This week the Steelers Linebacker corps came into question as a story was leaked that James Harrison is not interested in taking a pay cut in order to remain with the Steelers as well as some “anonymous” quotes from inside the Steelers locker room knocking the training and efforts but forth by LaMarr Woodley.  First off, when did we turn into the Jets?  An anonymous player?  Really?  We’re better than that aren’t we?  Actually, it’s not that hard to imagine the locker room in some kind of turmoil considering that’s what an 8-8 season will get you.  No one complains if you’re winning.  As far as James Harrison, I’ll believe he’s not willing to take a pay cut when he says it directly, or when he’s signing with another team.  Harrison is going to be about a $5 million salary cap this year if nothing is done with his contract.  He has had some injury issues but was about a zillion times better than his LB counterpart, LaMarr Woodley last season.  Two seasons ago Woodley signed a six year $61.5 million contract and has amassed less than a half dozen sacks and gone up probably two or three pant sizes in the period since.  Since signing his contract, Woodley has been plagued by hamstring, groin, and ankle injuries, which are injuries most commonly attributed to bad training.  I’m not one to ever question a players effort but it’s just too easy to take shots at the tubby Woodley after signing that giant contract and playing and looking how he has the past 2 seasons.  The Steelers are stuck with Woodley’s contract but hopefully not his gut if he can finally turn it around and go back to being the terror on QB’s he once was.

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