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The Following Players - Please pick up your Uhaul Truck & Last Check


The following players have uhaul trucks waiting for them in the Heinz Field parking lot

Ike Taylor - Very disappointing to see the highest paid non catching and tackling cornerback disappear

*  Big Snack - Thank you but not at $4.0 mln for a 2 down player

James Farrior - You aged like 10 years right before our eyes and turned into Larry Foote

Trai Essex - Received a starting job by default, trust Ramon Foster is waiting to take your job right now

*  Tyronne Carter - If you were any slower you would be an offensive lineman

Deshea Townsend - Thank you my man, you've had some good years.  You do know that you were playing tackle not touch football

 

Ben, love your ability to make a play.  The day you learn to dump the ball to the running backs/TE or throw the ball away and not take a sack we will almost unstoppable.  Learn the game, sometimes is just better to get what you can.  Also, teams have figured us out.  Play man to man with 2 deep safeties and it's a wrap.

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TOTALLY AGREE WITH THE NAMES TO GET SHIT CANNED!

Every day brings future to past, every breath leaves me one less to my last. DT

by usmcsdi69 on Dec 11, 2009 11:04 AM EST reply actions  

You got kicked out of the Marines didnt you? Or Shit Canned is it?

by Michael Uhlhorn on Dec 11, 2009 4:29 PM EST up reply actions  

Ike Taylor? Uhh false

Even if you don’t think he is a “shut down” CB like I don’t, he is still an above average cover corner.

Big Snack, you have no idea how valuable a NT is. The good ones are few and far between, and Casey is one of the few very good ones. His endurance is less than desirable but there are not many big guys who can move that well and eat blocks. He ain’t going nowhere if we don’t draft a good NT.

Farrior should definitely be replaced as a starter, but NOT kicked off the team. That would be ridiculous to get rid of him.

Come on, Man!

The Hell that Tomlin & the Steelers have unleashed on me this December is indescribable.

by John Stephens on Dec 11, 2009 11:44 AM EST reply actions  

It would also increase his cost to the team

He signed a 5 year contract with a$ 5 mil bonus ($1mil/year). His base salary next year is 2.85 mil so add one mil from the bonus and his cap hit is 3.85 mil. Cut him and his entire remaining bonus is amortized (paid now) and his cap hit is 4 mil. He may end up our highest paid backup next year but I don’t see him being cut (and I actually see him recovering form this year to return to form).

"The superior man blames himself. The inferior man blames others." Don Shula

by SteelCage on Dec 11, 2009 12:10 PM EST up reply actions  

Ain't no man scarier than James Farrior

I am very saddened by Farrior’s decline, but Ray Lewis has been declining for the past three or four years. Farrior is still vital for his intelligence and defensive acumen as the signal caller in the defense. Reduce his role and what he is asked to do, but he needs to be on the field. Improve the players around him, stop dropping the coverage so deep, and then next year people will forget that Farrior was supposedly declining.

Troy Pull-a-muscle? :(

by sctx109 on Dec 11, 2009 12:16 PM EST up reply actions  

Have you been watching Ray Lewis?

Because if I never saw his actual prime, and just thought he was any other player, I’d say he was in his prime right now.

'I’ve learned to become a flat-liner. There’s a lot out there that’ll make your heart jump if you allow it."
-Coach Tomlin

by NYSteelersFan4 on Dec 11, 2009 12:21 PM EST up reply actions  

Ray lewis

depends on guys around him to keep blockers off him, he can’t take on blockers himself, hold up the blocker and make a tackle. rem when they drafted Ngata at NT, the year preivously he was complaining about not having help in front of him. I can play behind Ngata. His days are done.

by ColinP on Dec 11, 2009 12:55 PM EST up reply actions  

As if no other linebackers rely on the other players around him...

You can’t discredit his play because of the people around him. If that’s the case, perhaps Farrior wasn’t that good all along. Maybe it was Hampton, Smith and Foote that made him good at all.

Ray’s always in position to make a play, and makes them more often than not. He roams from sideline to sideline, maybe not as fast as he used to, but he still does. He makes most of the adjustments in his defense and knows the game as well if not better than any other ILB in the league. He’s not Ray Lewis from 2000, but he’s still a damn good linebacker.

'I’ve learned to become a flat-liner. There’s a lot out there that’ll make your heart jump if you allow it."
-Coach Tomlin

by NYSteelersFan4 on Dec 11, 2009 1:22 PM EST up reply actions  

I know that...

But he’s still an above average MLB in the NFL, in my opinion.

Like I said, if I didn’t see his actual prime (when he may have been the best ILB in football in the last 25 or so years) and just thought he was some guy out there, I’d think he was in his prime now. Does that make sense?

Basically he’s not what he was, but he’s still better than most.

'I’ve learned to become a flat-liner. There’s a lot out there that’ll make your heart jump if you allow it."
-Coach Tomlin

by NYSteelersFan4 on Dec 11, 2009 4:49 PM EST up reply actions  

On Farrior

The most interesting thing about his decline is that he has not adjusted to his reducing speed. He should be taking different angles to guys going outside but he still seems to be taking the angles as if he were fast. Hopefully he can fix that

The Hell that Tomlin & the Steelers have unleashed on me this December is indescribable.

by John Stephens on Dec 11, 2009 1:20 PM EST up reply actions  

His weight...

I said it weeks ago. How much did Farrior weigh last year? I’ve read he was around 220 for most of the year. I know what my eyes saw, he looked straight up small for his position last year.

Age combined with a heavier frame equals loss of speed. He’s smart enough to adjust, he just hasn’t yet. I bet he’s not the same player we see this year next year. I hope I’m right.

'I’ve learned to become a flat-liner. There’s a lot out there that’ll make your heart jump if you allow it."
-Coach Tomlin

by NYSteelersFan4 on Dec 11, 2009 1:25 PM EST up reply actions  

Still up in the air. And there is a lot more ins and outs to the uncapped year than most people know. Its not going to be the roster routing by Dallas and other money teams that everyone thinks its going to be.

The Hell that Tomlin & the Steelers have unleashed on me this December is indescribable.

by John Stephens on Dec 11, 2009 1:30 PM EST up reply actions  

Think...

the loss hurts and is downright embarassing, but we don’t need any knee-jerk reactions. we may not make the playoffs, but this experience may prove to be the best thing for the team in the long run.

by ncmt40 on Dec 11, 2009 11:53 AM EST reply actions  

Ike?

No matter what you think of Ike, he is young and the best we have at his position. He did not play poorly last night. If you call one long pass play a poor game you know you have a good CB.

Also don’t agree with Carter. If he leaves, Mundy is the backup safety. That’s going from bad to worse.

Casey Hampton has fallen almost as far as James Farrior. I saw something last night I have never seen from Hampton. The Browns ran up the middle for about 3 yards to get a first down and there was a pile of bodies at the line. Hampton came reeling out of the pile on his butt. I have never seen Hampton get knocked back so far he was on his considerable sized butt. He gone. But who replaces him? Methuselah Hoke?

by CarlWeathersMustache on Dec 11, 2009 12:02 PM EST reply actions  

Draft picks

I think we are talking about getting rid of players in the offseason, not with three games left. The Steelers need to draft a safety and a nose tackle to replace Carter/Clark and Hampton.

by Steelin on Dec 11, 2009 12:16 PM EST up reply actions  

Problem is

There’s a handful of guys that, whether by age or poor play, need to make their way to the door.

However, you can’t just replace a NT like Casey Hampton without (most likely) using a first round draft pick or several years of training a lower pick. He is still a very good NT, despite his flaws.

Ike Taylor, if I recall correctly, normally covers the best receiver on the other team and usually does a decent job of shutting them down. Sure, he’s not the greatest in the league, but I like that attitude — besides, you don’t have too many proven players on the squad right now that are better than him.

As it looks right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if all of our top picks were O-line, D-line and secondary.

by smashtheguitar on Dec 11, 2009 12:09 PM EST reply actions  

Just thinking out loud, please consider these guys worth expelling…

Tony Hills- Never had it, never will
Charlie Batch – Think about becoming a quarterback coach?
Matt Spaeth – Can’t catch, can’t block…What is your position again!?!?!
Limas Sweed – Dwight Stone/Nate Washington Award Winner
Willie Parker – You were great, I bet you could hook up easily as a second back somewhere.
Travis Kirshcke – Nearly as old as me

BA – This offense doesn’t work in Pittsburgh weather, or with Pittsburgh fans. 3rd and 1 is NOT a passing down.

by skyeandangus on Dec 11, 2009 12:15 PM EST reply actions  

My apologies - May the following also join the above

Tony Hills… 3 years and zero. Hoping for the best and received the least

Limas Sweed… couldn’t catch a cold in Calgary without clothes on

Matt Spaeth… How could I forget about the non blocking TE who gets zero passes thrown his way… Okay maybe 20 over a 16 game season

Willie Parker – Has lost 2 steps and any vision to find a hole.

Wiliam Gay is Deshea not a starter. Please get it right for next year.

Also, please do not tease us and beat Green Bay next week looking like world champions.

Also, do not play Troy until Sept 2010

by 72Steeler on Dec 11, 2009 4:43 PM EST up reply actions  

Give Sweed one more chance

The last three games of this season are a perfect time to get Sweed some extended playing time and see what he does. If the answer is nothing, he is expendable. But it would be nice to see what he can do with more than one chance every few games.

by Steelin on Dec 11, 2009 12:19 PM EST reply actions  

Agreed

He’s got impressive stature and quickness. If he could learn to catch in the NFL, he could be a very nice addition to an already loaded group of WRs.

by smashtheguitar on Dec 11, 2009 12:22 PM EST up reply actions  

I agree 99%

As long as he isn’t downright awful, he should be given the chance to finish his rookie deal at least.

'I’ve learned to become a flat-liner. There’s a lot out there that’ll make your heart jump if you allow it."
-Coach Tomlin

by NYSteelersFan4 on Dec 11, 2009 12:22 PM EST up reply actions  

Sweed was the 5th WR last night, PS player Grisham was ahead of him ...

That’s all you need to know about Sweed’s career in Pittsburgh thus far — A BIG BUST!!!!

by datruth4life on Dec 11, 2009 4:27 PM EST up reply actions  

What about..

william Gay…this guy couldn’t cover my 7 year old daughter.

by ColinP on Dec 11, 2009 12:56 PM EST reply actions  

I think it Gay sacking is assured.

I will be surprised shocked if he comes back next year.

by Han on Dec 11, 2009 3:12 PM EST up reply actions  

He'll be back

As stated in upabobs post 2010 Free Agents: Looking Ahead he is relatively cheap and still a viable option as a 3rd CB (he played very well there last year) or possibly back up safety.

The Hell that Tomlin & the Steelers have unleashed on me this December is indescribable.

by John Stephens on Dec 11, 2009 3:22 PM EST up reply actions  

Gay is a keeper, he's just a backup safety and special teams gunner

The Steelers need to have him and A. Madison as their special teams gunners next year. Gay lost a lot of money this year. If he would have had a good to somewhat very good season, I think the steelers would have extended him. Still think his best position is free safety.

by datruth4life on Dec 11, 2009 4:30 PM EST up reply actions  

Farrior looks much worse because of no Aaron Smith or Troy

He was doing fine when they were both in the lineup because he didn’t have to cover so much ground. I think he probably should retire on his own, but he can still play. He still puts a lot of blitz pressure on opponents’ QBs, he just can’t cover like he used to.

by Billy52 on Dec 11, 2009 2:59 PM EST reply actions  

Losing close games isn't an indication of a rebuilding team

If we were blown out every game, then I would say major changes need to happen. Some guys need to be replaced, but most of our players just need to play better. A rebuilding team can’t beat the Broncos and the Vikings.

We’re just not playing good enough. Hopefully our draft picks from the last two years will pay off next season along with the upcoming draft/free agency period.

by StoneColdSteel on Dec 11, 2009 3:06 PM EST reply actions  

Depends

We are losing close games to horrible teams. Some have to go to send a message to keepers. Play every game like its your last!

by AP1 on Dec 12, 2009 10:12 AM EST up reply actions  

If Troy and Smith miss 2-3 games instead of 9

We are a play off team, BA will hopefully be gone and this off season brings us some draft picks we desperatley need. Do you honestly think picking 25 or higher every season wont catch up to you?

Either you fill holes by free agency or you do it with the draft like the Steelers do, we are dominate for years then have a bad year and regain in the draft. Just one of the down years, no need to freak out, is it hard now yes but i dont see this happening year after year

by daburgh73 on Dec 11, 2009 4:32 PM EST reply actions  

Another Good Point

Our D is baverage without Troy and below avg once Aaron is out… We need to move up and draft the Berry kid from Tennessee. He’s a monster all over the field.

Plus, we need an offensive coordinator and line coach who can do the following.

  • Teach Ben to throw it away instead of taking a sack
  • Teach Ben to dump off to TE’s or RB’s more often
  • After 12 games, we shouldn’t be fooled by the same blitz

Also, Mike my brother, stop talking and start changing right now. I love how other teams are playing man to man on WR’s and covering using 2 deep safeties. Get it together

by 72Steeler on Dec 11, 2009 4:47 PM EST up reply actions  

you hit the nail on the head!!

Excellent response! I have been saying this for awhile! BB should throw to the backs, if nobody is open..The empty back field sucks! Always have a back in there. It will keep the defense honest that it could be a draw, or screen!

by nycsteelerfan on Dec 11, 2009 6:15 PM EST reply actions  

I’m not sure why I’m seeing so much difference to everyone else regarding Big Snack. I’ve been downright impressed with him this year. He’s seemed to me to be giving his all every down he’s on the field. I can see him having a Pro Bowl season

by mojo88 on Dec 11, 2009 7:50 PM EST reply actions  

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