Next Year

[steeltheone]

Originally Posted by teegre

Thank you for this thread.

Too much "woulda, shoulda, coulda" and "Fire (person)!!!" threads.

WALLACE
The dude bugged me to no end this year, but I still think that he gets resigned. The Steelers have repeatedly stated that their primary goal is to re-sign him... and I see it being given a legitimate attempt. I see him (finally) accepting that original offer: 5 years, $50 million.

KEENAN LEWIS
He is priority #1 in "my" mind. I think that eh is more important than Wallace... but, I think that he is the second FA that they target (after Wallace). 5 years, $37 million.

DRAFT
NT is debatable. So is LG (if The Colon i released, then LG could be a target).

OLB should be addressed, and ILB could be addressed.

Both safety positions need to be addressed, and this is the year to do it (although, I only see one being drafted this year).

CB... I like the CBs, but only if Keenan is brought back. Ike has one more year in him, and Keenan & Cortez are the future. Curtis Brown has shown flashes of being capable, but also moments of WTF!?! I could see a late-round CB being taken, to fill in and/or fight for the fourth CB spot.

RUNNING BACKS
I am not a fan of Spinny, but he has moments where he looks great. Dwyer I like, but he can not play an entire series, let alone an entire game. Redman has shown flashes.

The options appear to be: "RB by committee" or "draft a full-time starter."

I say use the RB by committee for one more year, and draft Marcus Lattimore (& rest him for a year). Why? AP came back better... and Lattimore's knee injury was twice as bad... so... he should come back twice as good (like 2,300 yards... right?).

There is some tongue in cheek, but I am quasi-serious about Lattimore.

Where does this 87 million come from?

[teegre]

Originally Posted by steeltheone

Where does this 87 million come from?

Omar Khan is a cap genius. He will find the money.

My guesses as to where:

1. I am sure that BB will restructure (or even give $2-$3 million back) in order to keep Wallace.

2. Older players who get cut (eg Casey the Hutt).

3. High-priced players ( LaMarr) restructuring.

et cetera...

[lloydwoodson]

Originally Posted by jiminpa

All good points even the ones I disagree with, but this one jumps out at me, specifically Ziggy. The next time he gets pushed so deep he needs a passport to go any further he needs to just stay in whatever zipcode he ends up in. If we can afford Casey we need to keep him and The Beard. There's no one behind them as good, and the younger guys need to beat them on the field for their spots, cap permitting.

Ziggy is better at penetrating than holding his ground. He would be a beast 4-3 DT. I don't think he is as bad as people make him seem.

Casey needs to go. He had a much better season this year than last but is largely unnoticeable.

Hampton sure celebrated like a maniac when he was bullying the 3rd string rookie Bengals C though.

[TRH]

Wallace and Mendenhall will both be gone. Very little chance they come back, if any.

I think they'll make every effort to make Keenan Lewis a big deal. No possible way we can afford to lose anything in this porous secondary - and he's proved to be a big playmaker. That would be a huge hit to the team if he wasn't signed.

[lloydwoodson]

Originally Posted by TRH

Wallace and Mendenhall will both be gone. Very little chance they come back, if any.

I think they'll make every effort to make Keenan Lewis a big deal. No possible way we can afford to lose anything in this porous secondary - and he's proved to be a big playmaker. That would be a huge hit to the team if he wasn't signed.

I agree Wallace will be gone. Mendenhall should be kept if possible. Mendenhall is coming off a knee surgery and the rest of the league will be wary of his status. He didn't show much this season. Mendenhall still has something left in the tank but who knows how much.

The fact is he is a rd 1 pick and the Steelers should not get into the habit of burning a high draft pick every 4 years on a running back. High picks should be used on positions of longevity.

Mendenhall will be cheap to rehire (he has been the best value on the team imo).

[FrancoLambert]

Casey's got to go.
McClendon was talked up big time coming into this year and when he played you noticed him. He can run, has a motor, and seems to play with some fire.
Can't see things getting better with another year of Hampton at NT.