HometownGal
01-12-2008, 09:47 AM
I'm sad to see him go, but the writing appears to be on the wall.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08012/848753-87.stm
Accept it: Faneca is out the door
Saturday, January 12, 2008
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
There appear to be a number of misconceptions out there about the Pittsburgh sports teams, notably that the Pirates actually might win again in our lifetime with their new management team, that the Penguins are surging in spite of their knucklehead coach and that the Steelers still somehow will find a way to keep All-Pro guard Alan Faneca. It is that third fallacy that we will address this morning.
There's just no way.
No, the Steelers won't make Faneca their franchise player and keep him for one more season by paying him the average salary of the top five NFL guards, a figure that could be in the neighborhood of $8 million or $9 million. That's a very exclusive neighborhood. That's also why the Steelers generally don't believe in the franchise tag. It's a tool that's used to buy time to sign a would-be free agent to a long-term contract. The Steelers get the players whom they want at a better price without using it.
They clearly have no serious interest in keeping Faneca for the long haul despite coach Mike Tomlin's assertion this week. They proved that last spring when they -- according to Faneca -- lowballed him and offered a deal that wouldn't have ranked him among the league's top 10 highest-paid guards. Knowing that, the franchise tag would infuriate Faneca. He wouldn't just skip the offseason workouts. He would hold out in training camp. Tomlin doesn't need that headache starting his second season.
Beyond that, the Steelers' salary cap can't afford the enormous all-at-once hit that such a contract would provide. That sort of hit for a franchise quarterback is fine, not so much for a guard, no matter how terrific he is.
There's also no chance that Faneca will give the Steelers a hometown discount to stay. It's almost laughable when people say he might take less from the Steelers because he and his wife, Julie, love Pittsburgh so much and, admirably, are deeply involved in charity work here. If that's true, why do the Fanecas move back to Louisiana as soon as each season ends?
That isn't to suggest Faneca is doing anything wrong. He owes the Steelers nothing. He fulfilled his contract to the team and did it well, making his seventh consecutive Pro Bowl this season. Now, he has put himself in position to use the system to his benefit. More power to him. Football is a brutal game. His career could end on any play. He should go for every dollar he can, while he can.
Faneca was wrong last spring to expect free-agent money when he still had a year left on his contract. A player can't get truly big money until he hits free agency. Well, Faneca is there now. He gambled this season that his performance wouldn't slip and that he wouldn't be seriously injured. He won big on both fronts. Now, teams are expected to line up in a bidding war for him. The Steelers are wrong if they think he should take less to stay here. He shouldn't show them any more loyalty than they showed him last spring. Even Tomlin acknowledged: "Free agency is about dollars and cents. I've never seen it be about anything but dollars and cents."
Losing Faneca will be difficult for the Steelers. He was their only star player on what was a bad offensive line. Although he turned 31 Dec. 7, he showed no signs of slowing down or breaking down. His fifth All-Pro selection this season is testament to the former, the fact he hasn't missed a game since the 2001 season to the latter.
But the Steelers largely have been successful over the years determining when is the right time to part with one of their all-time greats. Just last year, they made the wise decision to release linebacker Joey Porter. James Harrison took over Porter's position and the team didn't miss a beat. Although it's fair to presume Faneca has considerably more left than Porter, the franchise will survive and move on without him. The franchise always survives.
The sooner you accept that Faneca is gone, the sooner you can start coming to terms with the fact that Michel Therrien is a pretty fair hockey coach and that the Pirates never will win as long as Bob Nutting is their owner.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08012/848753-87.stm
Accept it: Faneca is out the door
Saturday, January 12, 2008
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
There appear to be a number of misconceptions out there about the Pittsburgh sports teams, notably that the Pirates actually might win again in our lifetime with their new management team, that the Penguins are surging in spite of their knucklehead coach and that the Steelers still somehow will find a way to keep All-Pro guard Alan Faneca. It is that third fallacy that we will address this morning.
There's just no way.
No, the Steelers won't make Faneca their franchise player and keep him for one more season by paying him the average salary of the top five NFL guards, a figure that could be in the neighborhood of $8 million or $9 million. That's a very exclusive neighborhood. That's also why the Steelers generally don't believe in the franchise tag. It's a tool that's used to buy time to sign a would-be free agent to a long-term contract. The Steelers get the players whom they want at a better price without using it.
They clearly have no serious interest in keeping Faneca for the long haul despite coach Mike Tomlin's assertion this week. They proved that last spring when they -- according to Faneca -- lowballed him and offered a deal that wouldn't have ranked him among the league's top 10 highest-paid guards. Knowing that, the franchise tag would infuriate Faneca. He wouldn't just skip the offseason workouts. He would hold out in training camp. Tomlin doesn't need that headache starting his second season.
Beyond that, the Steelers' salary cap can't afford the enormous all-at-once hit that such a contract would provide. That sort of hit for a franchise quarterback is fine, not so much for a guard, no matter how terrific he is.
There's also no chance that Faneca will give the Steelers a hometown discount to stay. It's almost laughable when people say he might take less from the Steelers because he and his wife, Julie, love Pittsburgh so much and, admirably, are deeply involved in charity work here. If that's true, why do the Fanecas move back to Louisiana as soon as each season ends?
That isn't to suggest Faneca is doing anything wrong. He owes the Steelers nothing. He fulfilled his contract to the team and did it well, making his seventh consecutive Pro Bowl this season. Now, he has put himself in position to use the system to his benefit. More power to him. Football is a brutal game. His career could end on any play. He should go for every dollar he can, while he can.
Faneca was wrong last spring to expect free-agent money when he still had a year left on his contract. A player can't get truly big money until he hits free agency. Well, Faneca is there now. He gambled this season that his performance wouldn't slip and that he wouldn't be seriously injured. He won big on both fronts. Now, teams are expected to line up in a bidding war for him. The Steelers are wrong if they think he should take less to stay here. He shouldn't show them any more loyalty than they showed him last spring. Even Tomlin acknowledged: "Free agency is about dollars and cents. I've never seen it be about anything but dollars and cents."
Losing Faneca will be difficult for the Steelers. He was their only star player on what was a bad offensive line. Although he turned 31 Dec. 7, he showed no signs of slowing down or breaking down. His fifth All-Pro selection this season is testament to the former, the fact he hasn't missed a game since the 2001 season to the latter.
But the Steelers largely have been successful over the years determining when is the right time to part with one of their all-time greats. Just last year, they made the wise decision to release linebacker Joey Porter. James Harrison took over Porter's position and the team didn't miss a beat. Although it's fair to presume Faneca has considerably more left than Porter, the franchise will survive and move on without him. The franchise always survives.
The sooner you accept that Faneca is gone, the sooner you can start coming to terms with the fact that Michel Therrien is a pretty fair hockey coach and that the Pirates never will win as long as Bob Nutting is their owner.