Vets rooting for Faneca?

[Crushzilla]

Florio posted this earlier today, kind of a no news thing, and beat to death here, but its a slow news day. Figured I'd put it up if no one saw it.

STEELERS VETS THINK FANECA SHOULD GET PAID

Though there are indications that new Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is in the process of winning over the team he inherited from Bill Cowher earlier this year, Tomlin still has a long way to go before he's viewed as being firmly in control.

Case in point -- we're hearing that most if not all of the Steelers veteran players believe that Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca is getting a raw deal in the pay department from the team.

Last month, Faneca spoke out regarding his dissatisfaction with a demeanor so emotional that team chairman Dan Rooney later expressed concern that Faneca might keel over. Faneca basically said that the team is lowballing him, and that he will leave the franchise after the 2007 season, when his current contract expires.

Not many of the blue-collar types in the Steel City shed tears for Faneca, since in comparison to the average men and women who are the backbone of this country (and the legs, feet, arms, and hands) Faneca's name might as well be "Bill Gates." Still, in the locker room, the guys who have put in their time with the team tend to agree that the franchise should do more for Faneca.

On one hand, it's understandable. The players who have been with the team for several years can see themselves in Faneca's shoes: a long track record of loyal service, a birth date putting them on the wrong side of 30, and one last realistic shot at a big contract before it's time to call it quits.

On the other hand, the players need to realize that there is a hard cap on the money that is available for their salaries, and that a seven-year, $49 million contract to Faneca would only mean less money for the rest of them.

Besides, should anyone be shocked by the fact that the Steelers won't break the bank for Faneca? They've never broken the bank for anyone. They never will. Part of being a true Steeler is being willing to take less money there than might be available elsewhere. It's one of the reasons that the franchise can accumulate so many above-average players; by not having a ton of cap space tied up in two or three superstars, there's more than enough money available to ensure that all of the starters would really be starters in other cities, and that the depth chart really does have depth.

http://www.profootballtalk.com

The last paragraph kind of sums it up to me. I don't see anything changing for one guy.

[Atlanta Dan]

Players always think vets are being lowballed - if I was Hines Ward (my pick for the unnamed "vets" who support Faneca in this story) I would be rootin for Faneca since it is Hines paycheck at risk after this season.

Players take care of #1; no player going to stay with a team unless they think it is in their interest to do so, and managment negotiates contracts the same way.

Hines & Alan need to rent The Godfather - it's not personal, it's strictly business.

[Stlrs4Life]

Well, once again, it comes from PFT.

[SteelCityMan786]

Originally Posted by Stlrs4Life

Well, once again, it comes from PFT.

once again, I'm more likely to believe a REAL Source.

[fansince'76]

Even if it's true, so what? Brady was quite vocally angry when the Pats' FO not only let Givens walk, but Branch as well. We'll survive. And which of the vets are willing to be cut from the team to make cap space for such a move? Not many, I'll venture to bet.

Edit: And another thing that pisses me off is how Tomlin's name gets mentioned every time this subject is brought up. Hello, it's the Rooneys who sign the checks, not Tomlin!

[onthebus36]

Originally Posted by fansince'76

Edit: And another thing that pisses me off is how Tomlin's name gets mentioned every time this subject is brought up. Hello, it's the Rooneys who sign the checks, not Tomlin!

No doubt! Coaches can talk to players and get them to come to camp (like Cowher with Hines) but they don't negotiate salaries or write contracts. If anything, Tomlin deserves credit for reaching out to Faneca and getting him to minicamp rather than blame for the contract situation.

[SteelerMurf]

any player is gonna root for Faneca or any other player to get paid more

[The Duke]

Originally Posted by fansince'76

Edit: And another thing that pisses me off is how Tomlin's name gets mentioned every time this subject is brought up. Hello, it's the Rooneys who sign the checks, not Tomlin!

I noticed that too, it's like if these unreliable sources like PFT are always trying to put the blame on the young rookie coach.

[onthebus36]

Last year, I started copying all the "top" football writer predictions and comparing them to things they said later in the season. My fav was John Clayton who predicted Daunte Culpepper would take the 'fins to the Super Bowl only to later state that it was doomed from the start and they should have take Drew Brees. (No duh...)

I mention that because these same people will be making similar predictions aobut Tomlin.

We should start an archive of preseason Steelers predictions and see what writers are closest to getting it right.

[revefsreleets]

If I was a veteran player on this Steelers team, I'm pretty sure that I would do whatever I had to do to appease Faneca. He's going to be a Steeler this year, no matter what, and he's still one of the best at his position (although the Steelers know he's starting to slip a little, or else we wouldn't be talking about this) and the team needs him to play to the best of his ability if they are going to make a run. If I was Hines Ward I'd tell him he was worth Peyton Manning money to get his head into the game.