While free agency is utilized as a means to build rosters by most of the other 31 teams in the NFL, rarely do the teams that lean on it as a crutch succeed.  Fans only have to think back to the 2011 Philadelphia Eagles to be reminded of how quickly a free agent-based team can falter.  In a sport where team chemistry is essential, the mixing of various high-profile free agents can be disastrous.  Personalities and egos get in the way of the ultimate goal of winning football games, and usually the end result is not pretty.  Regardless of past precedent, free agency is a part of football and every off season we see big names changing teams.  This year, the Steelers have used free agency to bring in TE Leonard Pope and re-sign backup QB Byron Leftwich and WR Jerricho Cotchery.  All three moves are sound transactions that help lay the foundation for the depth that a championship team needs.  Leftwich has proven that – when healthy – he is a fine backup to Ben Roethlisberger.  Cotchery played well in 13 games for the team in 2011 and will now take a larger role in the offense with Hines Ward gone.  Leonard Pope is being brought in as a backup TE, after working with new offensive coordinator Todd Haley in both Arizona and Kansas City.

Even though they rarely sign free agents, the Steelers have made signings that benefited the long-term performance of the team.  Vice Versa, they are not immune to the occasional “stinker” signing, a player who brings no value to the team and usually lasts a season or two before moving on to someplace else.  Tonight we will take a look at the best and the worst of Pittsburgh Steelers free agent signings.

Top Five WORST Pittsburgh Steelers Free Agent Signings

RB Duce Staley was signed prior to the 2004 season

5.  WR Quincy Morgan, one-year $585,000 (2006) – Morgan was brought in to be the #3 WR in 2006 after a stint with the Cleveland Browns.  He is on this list because he simply never amounted to much in his time with the Steelers.  Signed to replace WR Cedric Wilson, who seemed to fall apart towards the end of the 2005 season, Morgan was expected to solidify the receiving corps and provide solid special teams play.  Back in 2002, Morgan had been the Browns top target, catching 56 passes for 964 yards and 7 touchdowns.  He would never regain that form, and by the time he reached Pittsburgh, he seemed lazy and disinterested.  He lasted one season and only caught 8 balls for 119 yards all season, while having fumbling problems on returns and drop problems on offense.  The Steelers simply did not resign Morgan after the season.

4.  RB Duce Staley, five-year $14 million (2004) – This rankings may rile a few feathers in Steeler Nation.  Staley was signed prior to the 2004 season after a solid run with the Philadelphia Eagles.  The Steelers envisioned Staley as a back who could spell Jerome Bettis and possibly even take over once Bettis hung up the cleats for good.  The team signed Staley to a very odd five-year contract, and got a decent 2004 season from Staley (707 yards rushing, 4 games with 100+ yards rushing).  Unfortunately, that was pretty much all they got from him.  Injuries sustained during the second half of 2004 required offseason surgery, and Duce was never really loose again in a Steelers jersey.  He came back in 2005, taking a $1 million cut in pay to remain in Pittsburgh – then only had 38 carries during the Super Bowl season.  His job was pretty much lost once RB Willie Parker established himself as the starter, and Staley was only able to play in one game in 2006 before being deactivated and released.  All told, Staley played in 16 games for the Steelers, and never came close to living up to the five-year $14 million deal he signed in 2004.

3.  QB Kent Graham, three-years $5.1 million (2000) – The Steelers had given QB Kordell Stewart a chance to be the starting QB in the late 90′s, but Stewart could never find his way.  His brutal play would cause the fans of Steeler Nation to turn on him during the 1998-1999 seasons, and in the offseason the team went out hunting for a quarterback to challenge Stewart for the starting job in 2000.  Kent Graham had been with both the New York Giants and Arizona Cardinals prior to signing with the Steelers on February 28, 2000.  He was the anti-Kordell in many ways, a pocket QB with absolutely no mobility and who made even worse decisions in the heat of the moment than #10.  The Steelers plugged Graham in as their starting QB for the season opener against Baltimore.  He completed 17 of 38 pass attempts and looked horrible while doing so.  The team went 0-3 under Graham to start 2000, and eventually pulled him to reinstate Stewart under center.  Stewart rallied the team back to a winning record, only to be injured in a game against Oakland at Three Rivers Stadium.  Graham marched back out onto the field and promptly threw a horrific interception that Oakland CB Eric Allen walked into the endzone.  Stewart came back into the game and rallied the Steelers from a 17-7 deficit to win 21-10, despite working on one leg the rest of the game.  That was the last time Kent Graham wore a Steelers jersey, and the fans rejoiced.

QB Kent Graham was brought in to challenge for the starting QB job in 2000

2.  PK Todd Peterson, four-years, $3.925 million (2002) – The Steelers were looking for a veteran kicker to come in and replace departed Kris Brown, who has signed with the Houston Texans prior to the 2002 season.  Peterson was considered a solid kicker, owning a 79.8 accuracy rating – good for 13th in NFL history at the time.  He was a massive failure in Pittsburgh.  Unable to master the Heinz Field quagmire, Peterson had a horrific start with the team, hitting on only 12 of 21 FG attempts and having three kicks blocked in 10 games.  Peterson injured his ribs in a game against Tennessee on November 17, and was placed out of action.  The Steelers held an open tryout for kickers and ended up signing a little-known former North Carolina kicker named Jeff Reed.  Reed came to the team and immediately paid dividends, kicking three FGs in his first game and making 17 of 19 in the final 6 games.  Peterson had officially lost his job with the Pittsburgh Steelers.  During the offseason of 2003, the Steelers bought out Peterson’s contract and sent him packing.

C Sean Mahan was the worst free agent signing ever for the Pittsburgh Steelers

Summary

The Steelers list of bad free agent signings is not easy to compile.  The team has made many great signings, but few bad ones.  I think the five listed have viable reasons to be considered the worst signings the team has made, at least in the post 1990 era.  Morgan, Staley, Peterson, Graham, and Mahan were all busts as Steelers free agent signings, and there is no debate about that.  Now onto the good stuff.

Top Five BEST Pittsburgh Steelers Free Agent Signings

FS Ryan Clark was originally signed in 2006 and hs been a key part of the defense ever since.

5.  FS Ryan Clark, four-years $7 million (2006) – The original signing of Ryan Clark was a move made out of necessity, as starting FS Chris Hope was an unrestricted free agent and signed a huge deal with the Tennessee Titans.  Clark has been undervalued in Washington and New York, despite leading the Redskins in tackles in 2004.  He played in 13 games for Washington in 2005, registering 57 tackles and 3 interceptions.  The Steelers were in the market for a safety to play along side Troy Polamalu, a player who would allow the talented Polamalu to be more of a “freelance” player – roaming the field making tackles and interceptions.  Clark became just that, a solid safety who would combine with Troy to give the Steelers the best safety tandem in football and help lead the team emotionally as they went on to win Super Bowl XLIII and another AFC Title in 2009-2010.  Clark has been a fantastic Steeler player, making his first Pro Bowl in 2011 and becoming a fan favorite with his interactions via Twitter and in the community.  He has become a leader on the defense and a true leader in the locker room.  He has been a starter since 2006, and re-upped with the Steelers in 2010 for another four-year deal.

4.  C Jeff Hartings, six-year starter, contract terms undisclosed (2001) – Jeff Hartings was a career offensive guard with the Detroit Lions when he became a free agent after the 2000 season.  The Steelers signed him to play Center in the offseason before the 2001 season and he went on to be a major piece to the dominant Steelers run of 2001-2006, including being a part of the Steelers Super Bowl XL championship run.  His play continued a tradition of Pro Bowl play at the Center position for the team, and he was a reliable, 2x Pro Bowler, and started 89 games for Pittsburgh before retiring after the 2006 season.  Besides his play on the field, Hartings was a major part of the locker room and was very active in charity events during his time in Pittsburgh.  His arrival in 2001 stabilized the offensive line situation, and his presence in 2004 allowed rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger to begin his career with a solid veteran center – something Ben has said many times was a major factor in his early success.  After Hartings retired, the team went through an era of Sean Mahan and Justin Hartwig before drafting Maurkice Pouncey, who has gone on to become another Pro Bowl center for a team that will soon have two centers in the Hall of Fame (Webster and Dawson).  Hartings was the man who allowed that tradition to continue.  An all-time great free agent signing by any team.

C Jeff Hartings was a 2x Pro Bowler for the Steelers during his 2001-2006 run with the team.

3.  DE/NT  Kimo Von Oelhoffen, four-years $11 million (2000) – When the divisional rival Bengals allowed Kimo Von Oelhoffen to walk away as a free agent after a very productive 1999 season, it was the Steelers who quickly signed the veteran defensive lineman and plugged him in as a starter – first at NT and finally at DE.  Kimo would go on to start all but one game from 2000-2005 and was a major part of the dominating defense that allowed the Steelers to win Super Bowl XL.  Unfortunately, non-Steelers fans will always remember Kimo for his accidental hit on Bengals QB Carson Palmer in the 2005 AFC Playoffs that shelved the young star QB and essentially ended the best season the Bengals had in a decade.  In Pittsburgh, we remember Von Oelhoffen as a gentle giant, a man who would always walk out of the stadium with his young daughter on his shoulders and sign autographs for every kid who wanted one.  On the field, his play was unquestioned, as was his work ethic.  Accumulating 19.5 sacks and 200+ tackles during his time in Pittsburgh, Kimo was unstoppable at times.  His mentoring of Aaron Smith, Brett Kiesel, and Chris Hoke spearheaded the next great Steelers defensive line group.  Incredibly fun to watch play, Kimo would go on to finish his NFL career with the Jets (2006) and Eagles (2007) before retiring in 2008.

2.  OLB Kevin Greene, three-year $5.35 million (1993) – The oldest signing on this list, Kevin Greene was already an established pass rusher before coming to Pittsburgh on a three-year deal prior to the 1993 season.  He immediately became the starter opposite OLB Greg Lloyd, giving the Steelers their first “Blitzburgh” experience.  Greene would rack up 12 1/2 sacks in 2003, then really turned in on in 1994, leading the entire NFL in sacks and helping take the Steelers to their first AFC Championship Game of the William Laird Cowher era.  In 1995, he again led the team in sacks and was a force on the team that win the AFC Title at Three Rivers Stadium and went on to play in Super Bowl XXX.  Greene only lasted three seasons in Pittsburgh before moving on to Carolina in 1996, but his presence on the Steelers during the formative years if the Cowher era gave legitimacy and swagger to a team that was young and needed a leader.  He made two Pro Bowls as a Steeler and was named to the NFL All Decade Team for the 1990′s.  When he retired after the 1999 season, he had accumulated 160 sacks and is universally considered one of the greatest pass-rushing linebackers of all time.

ILB James Farrior, the greatest Steelers free-agent signing of all time

1.  ILB James Farrior, three-years $5.125 million (2002) – James Farrior was a 1st round pick by the New York Jets in the 1997 NFL Draft.  He spent 1997-2001 with Gang Green, being used sparingly and never truly finding a position to call home.  The Jets used him at OLB and ILB, but for the most part considered him a bust as a high draft pick and were more than happy to get him off their payroll after the 2001 season.  Enter the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The Steelers signed Farrior and immediately installed him as the anchor of their defense at ILB.  He paid dividends from day one, recording 82 tackles in 2002 and becoming a major force against the run.  He got even better in 2003, registering 141 tackles and 1 interception.  From there, he simply became the leader of the best defense in football and a key ingredient in three AFC Championship teams and two Super Bowl winning teams.  The unquestioned leader and captain of the Steelers vaunted defense throughout his time here, Farrior played in two Pro Bowls and was named the Steelers MVP after the 2004 season.  In 2004, the team extended his deal with a five-year $16.5 million deal, followed in 2008 by another five-year deal for an astounding $18.25 million.  After 10 seasons in the middle of the Steelers defense, Farrior was released this offseason and looks to be on his way to retirement – barring an injury that would allow the Steelers to bring him back into the fold.  Farrior has made it clear he will not play elsewhere, and if the Steelers no longer need his services, he will happily walk away from the game after a 15-year career.  Few players have ever been as universally loved and respected by Steeler Nation as #51 and his signing in 2002 will go down as one of the greatest free agent signings in the history of the National Football League.

Summary

The Steelers have utilized free agency to bring in many players over the years, and there were a few that didn’t make the list but could easily be considered solid signings by the team.  RB Mewelde Moore, OG Duval Love, DL Ray Seals, OT Wayne Gandy, PK Norm Johnson, RB Erric Pegram, CB Willie Williams, and many others have contributed to the Steelers after coming in via the free agent route.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will never be the Washington Redskins (Thank God).  Free agency is simply a way to bring in an occasional player to help the current roster.  The Steelers draft and develop players better than any team in football, and they remain loyal to their players until they feel the time is right to move forward.  The free agent signings of S Ryan Clark and ILB James Farrior were key to the mini-dynasty the Steelers put together from 2005-2010.  Kevin Greene was the player who got the mid 90′s Steelers over the hump and into their first Super Bowl since the 1970′s.  All in all, the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to do things their way – and it is hard to argue with a formula that has produced more winning seasons, more Super Bowl Championships, and more Hall of Fame players than any other in professional football.

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Be sure to get the best Steelers coverage year-round here at Nice Pick, Cowher

As the newest Staff Writer here at NPC, I wanted to take a few minutes to introduce myself to our readers.  My name is Jeff Snedden, and besides being a lifelong fan of both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pittsburgh Pirates, I am also a freelance sports writer who has contributed at several online outlets since 2009.  I have lived my entire life in western Pennsylvania, and I understand the importance that quality sports reporting holds to the fans of our beloved teams.  A quick look around the FanSided Network shows that every team in professional sports has loyal fans who support their tams through thick and thin, but the greatest fans are right here in Pittsburgh.  The Pittsburgh Steelers are an integral piece of the fabric of our community, and I hope to bring my special blend of writing to the masses here at Nice Pick, Cowher.  This is one of the premier sites on the net for Steelers information, quality writing, and original content.  I am proud to be able to be a part of it, and I look forward to ensuring that our readers are entertained and informed on a daily basis.

The Pittsburgh sports community is a “family” as much as it is a “nation”, and together we form the greatest fan base in all of professional sports.  I am thrilled to be a part of it and look forward to interacting with our readers as much as possible.  Please follow me on Twitter and Facebook, as I will always post new articles up on both of those outlets directly after publishing on NPC.

It has been a strange offseason for the entire NFL, and our Steelers especially.  As we head into the 2012 NFL Draft, and then to Latrobe for Camp Tomlin 2012, it should be an exciting time to be a Steelers fan.  Thank you for reading, and I look forward to being a member of the NPC family.

Jeff Snedden

First, let me apologize for my erratic posting schedule the past week or so.  I’ve been waylaid by the Avian Flu so haven’t felt much like posting as you may well imagine.  I’m starting to feel a bit better so I should get back to my Pittsburgh Steelers Report Cards and other stuff in short order.

Anyway, in between trips to the bathroom, I saw on Friday that the Steelers placed the Franchise tag on LaMarr Woodley.  This is interesting for a few reasons.  Not the least of which is the salary cap implications.  Last season, Mister Woodley made $550,000.  Next year, he’ll make a cool $10 million.

The use of the Franchise tag on Woodley as well as Michael Vick and Peyton Manning seems to indicate the owners think it’ll be part of the next CBA.  Maybe, maybe not.  It’s well known the players hate it and if they walked in to the meeting room and said “Get rid of the tag and you can have your 18 games” it would likely be gone before the owners could start smiling like a butcher’s dog.  Thanks Mike Lange.

Also expected to be part of the next CBA is a salary cap.  This is where Woodley’s new salary presents an interesting situation.  The last cap (in 2009) was approximately $127 million.  The Steelers’ payroll back then was about $120 million.  Since then, the only significant salary which has come off the books has been Fast Willie Parker.

Everybody else has gone up.  James Harrison went from $1.4 million to an estimated $7 million+ next season.  Ben Roethlisberger‘s contract extension signed three years ago is also going to increase his cap hit by about $2 million.  Factor in Woodley’s salary going up almost 10x and that leaves the Steelers with precious little cap room assuming the new cap is determined the same way as the old one (as a percentage of revenues).

Therein lies the problem.  The owners are trying to roll back player salaries by changing the method revenue is shared much like they do in hockey.  In simpler terms, they want the players to accept a smaller share of the pie.  Since the size of the pie determines how big the cap is, a smaller slice by extension would equal a smaller cap. Good for lousy teams like Detroit or Carolina who only have a few highly paid players on the roster.  Bad for the Steelers who have already committed big money to their stars.

Since we have no idea when the CBA will be ironed out and what it will say, this is all speculation.  But it does open up a pretty big potential can of worms for this team.  Do they use whatever scant space left under the cap to bring back Ike Taylor and basically go into next year with the exact same team?  Or do they lose Ike because they can’t pay him enough?  If they lose Face Me Ike, are you prepared for B-Mac and Willie Gay to be your starting corners?  The thought of that gives me the chills.  Or perhaps that’s the bird flu.  Either way, I’m pleased Woodley will continue to be part of the best defense in the NFL but I’d be lying if I said I’m not worried about the cost.

With the season over, I find myself with a frightening lack of structure.  It was nice knowing every Monday I could recap the previous afternoon’s game and every Friday I could roll out Know Thy Enemy.  So in that vein, I’m starting a recurring feature whereby I look at every area of the Pittsburgh Steelers, evaluate their 2010 performance, and assess their outlook for 2011.  I’ll still post relevant Steelers news and talk a little about the ongoing labor strife but this will give us a little something to talk about from now until the draft.

We’ll start by getting the most insignificant part of the team out of the way.  I know some people don’t like it when I say kickers aren’t real football players so allow me to explain.  The average guy off the street would get killed trying to play linebacker.  They would have no chance at wide receiver.  But my schlub of a brother, whose greatest athletic accomplishment is two years of J.V. soccer, has successfully booted a 40 yard field goal to win a free meal at Benihana.

In fact, my favorite non-Steelers moment of the season was when Ndamukong Suh attempted an extra point.  The Big Fella had nice form and was only about a foot and a half away from an exact copy of Shaun Suisham‘s hideous conversion in the Super Bowl.

Speaking of which, did anybody else catch the Punt, Pass, And Kick girl whose dream is to be an NFL kicker?  Frankly, I wouldn’t be shocked if it happened.  My cool physics professor at CMU once broke down the mechanics of kicking and “leg strength” is actually a misnomer.  Acceleration of your leg through the kicking motion and the angle which you strike the ball are just as important.  And we all know women, at least the ones who make the best girlfriends, are much more flexible than men.  So I fully expect to see the NFL’s version of Gina Carano take the field before the end of the decade.

Anyway, back to Suisham.  He did a pretty good job for the team after replacing drunk malcontent Skippy Reed midway through the season, converting fourteen of fifteen field goal attempts including eight of nine from 40-49 yards.  His kickoffs were more than satisfactory as well.  The only question with him is how he responds to pressure.  Suisham is infamous in Washington for missing an easy kick against the Saints and shanking two easy ones in the playoffs for Dallas.  He kicked the game winning 41 yarder in OT against the Bills so I’m willing to chalk his previous failures up to playing for cursed franchises.  Yeah, he had a shaky Super Bowl but a 52 yarder isn’t automatic for any kicker so I fully expect him to be back next year.

The punting situation is a little more interesting.  Daniel Sepulveda, who suffered his second season-ending injury in three years, is a free agent.  His replacement, Jeremy Kapinos, was adequate at best.  Then you have to factor in that the Steelers used a 4th round draft pick on Sepulveda.  Kevin Colbert may re-sign him just to prove he didn’t waste that pick.  Obviously I don’t have access to Sepulveda’s medical reports but if he’s healthy, I would imagine he’ll be back.  Otherwise, the job is likely wide open to whomever the Steelers bring into camp this fall.

I cannot finish this post without talking about actual football players so let’s talk returners.  The three-headed monster of Manny Sanders, Antonio Brown, and Antwaan Randle-El shared duties at various points throughout the year.  We’ll eliminate ARE from this discussion because he’s basically the football version of a DH.  Or, in his case, Designated Fair Catcher.

Which leaves us with the youngsters.  Sanders began the year as a return man and handled the duties fairly well.  Then Brown was given a shot and responded with an 89 kickoff return for a touchdown.  By the end of the season, Brown had “won” the job and I expect that to continue going forward.  He narrowly missed breaking a few after that and his 27 yard return in the AFC Championship Game was crucial in sealing the victory.

Oh, one final point about special teams.  Mike Tomlin has learned from previous years where he refused to have “special teams specialists” and would cut guys who excelled as gunners because they couldn’t play during the game.  A big part of our improved coverage this year was because of guys like Anthony Madison and Arnaz Battle.  Although one guy who better not be here next year is Keyaron Fox.  Fox’s dumbass antics in the Super Bowl severely hampered Big Ben’s chance to perform the superhuman heroics only he can perform.  It was not his first offense as his dumbass penalty in the Ravens game was what pushed the team back inside their 5 where a few plays later Ben was sacked and fumbled.  If your only job is to be a special teams ace and you suck at it, pack your bags for Kansas City because that crap don’t fly in the ‘Burgh.

FINAL GRADE FOR 2010:  B

Breaks down as follows:  Kickers: C+ (Skippy gets an F, Suisham gets a B+), Punters: C  Returners: B+ and Coverage: B+

Don’t judge.

I’ve finally managed to pull myself together enough to write about the Pittsburgh Steelers without having to blink back salty yet manly tears.  It’s time to lock memories of Super Bowl XLV in the same box as Super Bowl XXX and never speak of either again.  Rather let us turn our attention to next season.  Provided the greedy dickhead owners and high-living meathead jocks ever agree on a new collective bargaining agreement so we have a season.

Let’s start with the coaching staff.  Pittsburgh West Arizona wasted no time trying to poach yet more assistants from our staff.   Unfortunately for Ken Whisenhunt, the Steelers denied him permission to speak to LB coach Keith Butler.  Butler was given a new deal last season and word around town is he has been promised the defensive coordinator job when Dick LeBeau retires.   And if the Rooneys promise you something, take it to the bank and open an account.

So the Cards will have to settle for secondary coach Ray Horton, who is also interviewing with the Cowboys.   Maybe he can teach Whiz’s corners his fabulous technique of backpedaling at the snap so every receiver gets a nice comfy five yard cushion.  I sure hope this Butler guy is worth the hype when he eventually ascends to the top job.  Although that won’t be in the immediate future as LeBeau has told his men he is definitely returning for next season.

Which leaves us with Bruce Arians.  B.A.’s contract has also expired and he’s really done precious little to earn a new one.  People seem to have forgotten the stretch in the middle of the season where we scored two offensive touchdowns over three entire games.  In an ideal world, B.A. would be gone although the labor issues may prevent any changes.  If there is a lock out, it would be stupid to bring in a new offensive coordinator since they would have very little time to work with the players over the off-season.  Then again, the Steelers could promote from within since the plays aren’t really the problem but rather the Einey, Meany, Miney, Moe Method he uses to call them.

Roster-wise, Hines Ward (34), James Farrior (36), and Aaron Smith (34) are all reaching retirement age.   All three have said they plan on returning for one more go-round, with Ward scheduled to have multiple surgeries this week.  Hines and Farrior are not as effective as they used to be but aren’t at the stage where they embarrass themselves out there.  Smith is the question mark.  He’s due to make about $6 million this year which is way too much for a guy who gets hurt all the time.  Smith is a good man but the emergence of Ziggy Hood makes him kind of expendable.  I can see the Steelers asking him to renegotiate to a much smaller cap hit and, if he refuses, releasing him ala Joey Porter.

The Steelers have a list of free agents which I will get into when/if the free agency period ever begins.  Suffice it to say, the list is headed by LaMarr Woodley and Ike Taylor, both of whom we absolutely need to keep.   Woodley is a young stud linebacker who’ll be a fixture on the outside for years to come.  Taylor, whether you like him or not, is by far the Steelers best corner.  They’ve already started talking with Face Me Ike so I can see them signing one and Franchising the other.

Unless talks completely break down and Taylor leaves via free agency, I wouldn’t expect the Steelers to do anything except dumpster diving for free agents.  Paying high-priced mercs is just not their way.  So anybody dreaming of Nnamdi Asomugha in Black and Gold should just put those thoughts out of their head.  If he pulled a Bettis and told the team he’d play for a winner for a meager contract, maybe, but he’s not going to do that and the Steelers don’t have the cap room to pay him what he’s worth.

Would you let Woodley and Taylor go in exchange for Asomugha?   The Steelers wouldn’t but that is the choice you have if you’re in the Sign Nnamdi! camp.  For the sake of argument, let’s say you make that trade.  Then you still have B-Mac on the other side and instead of him getting targeted 15 times a game, he gets thrown at 20.  And you lose Mister Woodley in the process.  I love Asomugha as both a player and a character guy but it makes no sense.

If the salary cap returns (as expected) and the Steelers keep Woodley/Ike (as expected), that gives them very little wiggle room.  They may sign a few unloved veterans to either fortify the offensive line or play nickel but I wouldn’t expect any major roster additions to come through free agency.  Picking at the ass end of the draft, they’ll likely go Best Player Available which means I can see them taking anything from a corner to a young safety to groom behind Clark/Troy to another young defensive linemen (remember, Ziggy was our pick after our last Super Bowl).  We’ll examine both free agency and the draft in more depth in the days to come but suffice it to say, I don’t expect major help to come from either.

It’ll be more of the same from the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2011.  Can they rebound from arguably the most devastating loss in this core group’s history?  Can they stay healthy?  Can Big Ben stay away from drunk sluts?   They’ll be plenty of questions heading into the off-season but remember this group was good enough to still be playing when 30 other teams were sitting at home.  And that’s good enough for me.