Steelers' Gay wants to stick around

[mesaSteeler]

Steelers' Gay wants to stick around

By staff and wire reports

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Cornerback William Gay, one of more than 15 Steelers players who were free to negotiate with other teams as of 4 p.m. Tuesday, said he hopes to stay with the team.

"They expressed interest that they wanted me back, which is good because I want to stay," Gay said Tuesday on TribLive Radio, shortly before the start of the NFL's new year and the free-agent signing period. "I hope I'll be in a Steelers uniform next year."

Gay is an unrestricted free agent and the fifth-year veteran is coming off his best season as a professional. The 5-foot-10, 190-pounder tied for the Steelers lead in interceptions (two) last season and tied for second in passes defended (13).

Gay, who started every game after overtaking Bryant McFadden in the second week of the season, also recorded 56 tackles, the sixth-most on the team.

The Steelers terminated McFadden's contract last month, but they are high on second-year cornerbacks Cortez Allen and Curtis Brown.

The team has little flexibility under the salary cap, and it will have to make more roster moves to sign free agents -- its own and any from outside of the organization.

The Steelers, who didn't make any moves on the first day of free agency, are less than $2 million under the cap. Spending limitations at the end of the NFL lockout last year didn't stop the Steelers from signing a handful of their own free agents, including Gay.

"I want to do everything that I can to stay and hope the Steelers are willing to do everything they can to keep me," Gay said, "because I love competing with these guys."

Pair of Broncos sue NFL

Two Denver Broncos players are suing the NFL to overturn their drug suspensions, saying the league violated protocol in collecting urine samples from linebacker D.J. Williams and defensive lineman Ryan McBean and then refused to clear the players even after the collector was fired.

Williams and McBean, suspended without pay for Denver's first six games of the 2012 season, filed their suit Monday in Denver District Court.

Williams' lawyer, Peter R. Ginsberg, said the league contends the urine samples the players provided to an NFL specimen collector for testing in August weren't from a human. But Ginsberg said the specimen collector watched Williams void directly into the specimen bottle, so it would've been impossible for the specimen to be non-human.

NFLPA asks for delay in bounty punishment

The players' union wants the NFL to delay announcing any punishment to the New Orleans Saints for their bounty program until it can conduct its own investigation.

NFLPA spokesman George Atallah told The Associated Press that "We asked the league to hold off on any punishment until our information gathering was completed."

Packers DE suspended

The NFL suspended Green Bay Packers defensive end Mike Neal without pay for the team's first four games of the 2012 regular season for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances.

In a statement, the NFL says Neal will be eligible to return to the Packers' active roster on the day after the team's fourth regular-season game of the 2012 season.

Read more: Steelers' Gay wants to stick around - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt...#ixzz1p5plCTH5

[stiller39]

Great to hear he wants to come back. He had a good year last year as the lights finally came on. Lets sign Gay and draft some young safety behind Troy.

[steeltheone]

The only way he stays is if he takes a hometown discount..

[Atlanta Dan]

Can he play wide receiver?

[LayingTheWoodley56]

I've been saying since late this season that we should definitely bring Gay back to resume his starting cornerback job. Our needs are at OL, DL, and LB - I don't understand why people saying we have a need at cornerback. We have Ike and Gay, and the two second-year players mentioned above in Brown and Allen who we have high hopes in the future for, plus Keenan Lewis (if no one else picks him up.) We have much bigger needs than cornerback, for God's sake we had the number one pass defense last year!

[FrancoLambert]

I hope he stays too.
His progress this year is undeniable. Think of how our opinion about him has changed in just a year or two. He knows our system. He's always been a pretty good blitzer.
It would hurt our depth at CB just when it looks like we may be developing some depth at that position who can contribute and develop into "starters in waiting."

[Fire Arians]

gay is ok, just don't make him cover speedsters like torrey smith

[Fire Arians]

Originally Posted by Atlanta Dan

Can he play wide receiver?

no, but antonio brown can play corner

[casteeler]

Originally Posted by Fire Arians

gay is ok, just don't make him cover speedsters like torrey smith

Ha, I love it.

[ETL]

Pay Gay.
Okay?