I do have a few questions that will only be answered in camp this year and here they are:

— Can Tony Hill or Jason Capizzi make that big step this year?

I think this is a big question going into this year because if this OL will ever get back to being a top-knotch OL unit, Willie Colon cannot continue to start at RT. Call me crazy, but I believe Capizzi has the feet, size and ability to start there and solve a lot of this team’s ills in pass protection. I don’t know how he’ll do in the run game, but he has had 3 offseasons including this one to work on his strength. He and Starks could end up being those young bookends that many of us hope the Steelers will someday acquire in the draft.

— How will the 9 to 10 roster spots in the secondary shake out?

I think our secondary has gone from a weakness 2 years ago to a potential strength now. The Steelers have quite a few bodies now who have started football games (Ike, Gay, Deshea, Ratliffe, Carter), young draft picks (Burnett, Lewis), special teamers (A. Madison), and young players waiting for their chance (Roy Lewis, Mundy). Tomlin likes both Roy Lewis and Mundy at safety, and it makes me wonder if both have a solid camp would they let go of the underwhelming Tyrone Carter. Fight for roster spots are going to be tough.

— How will the LB corps and DL roster spots shake out?

The LB spots are going to be highly contested, especially if the three rookies from this past year (B. Davis, Donovan Woods, Patrick Bailey) take a step fwd. And that doesn’t include the battle between Foote and Timmons. I know people are probably discounting Donovan Woods, but I went to that first game against Buffalo at home this past year and he was the best special teams player on the field that day. He then hurt his hamstring, Patrick Bailey came on and the rest is history. However, if the team smartly moves to try and decrease Deebo’s role on special teams and with Timmons probably moving to a starting position, an extra position on special teams for a LB will open up. Time for Davis to show something or he could be moving out. I don’t think both Eason and Kirschke will be back next year, unless they keep 7 lineman. A guy who I am interested to see with an offseason under his belt is DE Jordan Reffert that they signed last year, brough to camp, cut and then resigned to the practice squad mid-season before releasing him again. He’s 6’4, 295, and flashed a little bit during preseason. I remember even Dale Lolley saying that Reffert looked like a big kid with a good motor. He’s athletic and strong, so if he puts it down, he’ll at least put himself in the conversation. I agree with Steeler.lifer that its probably too much to expect for Harris to win a roster spot as a sixth-round pick. I think if he shows anything he could end up on the practice squad.

— Will the best 5 WR please step fwd?

The Steelers WR position looks a lot better now than before the draft, but their is still some interest on who will be the 5 the team keeps (only 4 will be active on game day).
Sweed is saying all the right things but he has to make a gigantic leap from this past year, where he looked like a bust. I’m the official starter of the Mike Wallace bandwagon here. From what I’ve seen from his game film as well as at the Senior Bowl, he catches the ball pretty well. I think he is an extremely raw route runner, but the only route he’ll need to know how to run next year is go deep & keep trying to get open when Ben scrambles. Don’t close the door on M. Nance if he shows some chemistry with Ben and makes plays. Sweed hasn’t closed the door on anything for that spot.

— Who will be the 3 TEs and 1 FB?

This isn’t one of the more sexy questions, but the Steelers need to find a TE that they can put on the line of scrimmage who can block. I like Heath Miller’s ability to do that, but I want someone with those type of hands out there running patters. We all know Matt Spaeth can’t block his own shadow. What he did at the goal line in a couple of games this past year still has Gary Russell cursing at him. The Steelers 7th round pick D.J. Johnson is a longshot at best, but if he can block well at the line of scrimmage and catch the ball, who knows? I like having McHugh as a FB/TE. He’ll probably be the lead block for the Tank on goal line or short yardage situations. The Steelers signed R. Powdrell from USC as a FB, so he’ll get an opportunity. He played 3 years as a LB before making the switch to FB, so special teams will be big for him. I believe Carey Davis is history. And to the front office and scouting department, THANKs for the TANK.

— Who could be this year’s rookie free agent gem?

How about OT Ramon Foster from Tennessee? He’s 6’6’’, 325 lbs. and has played 4 years at an SEC school, winning OL rookie of the year in the SEC his freshman year. He didn’t get drafted for a reason, but he wouldn’t be the first OL for that to happen to and carve out a good career for himself in the NFL. I don’t expect him to make the roster, but he could win a spot on the practice squad for a year or two, and then you could have something. I wish we had a better OL coach, but we have what we have.

— While thinking about which veteran to extend, how about extending the coach?

The Steelers used to extend Cowher’s contract when he had 2 years left on his deal, so how about seeing what the team can do with Tomlin? If they wait, the price will only go up. I’d look at giving him a 4-year extension right now. He’s surpassed all of my expectations in his first 2 years and seems to be getting better. If (or when) he wins that second title this year, then you are talking about highest paid coach in the NFL territory then. Let’s lock him up now. Agree?

— How many draft picks will the Steelers have next year?

And I know it’s only a couple of days after the draft, but this team should be looking pretty good for the 2010 draft. The team’s free agent losses this year are B. McFadden, Marvel Smith, Nate Washington, B. Leftwich, Anthony Smith and has only signed one outside free agent, CB Keiwan Ratliffe to a one-year vet minimum contract. I think they will receive at least 3 compensatory picks. Which means the Steelers could have about 10 draft picks next year. But before that, they have to take all of us here on a little trip to 7TH HEAVEN!!!!!!

Thoughts?

according to a transcribed version i saw, he said “I was rooting for my team. I was rooting for us.”….. it really struck me because he didnt say, i was rooting for the steelers. so he basicall implied he already feels like a apart of the team.

he has such a great attitude

Guys, Larry Foote made many big plays during his time with the Steelers and contributed greatly to their two Super Bowls. We thank him for his play and wish him well.

But the bottom line is you don’t draft them no. 1 to sit. Especially someone with Timmons type of talent. Foote, with us, is a 2-down LB that didn’t play special teams and had a salary cap value of $3.93M. With his release, the team will free up $2.9M, which is valuable room when you have a draft class to sign as well as several veterans to extend.

Your 2 starters are Timmons and Farrior with Keyaron Fox being your 3rd starter in waiting. The competition will be who is the 4th inside backer. I think it will be Donovan Woods because that will allow the team to have another good special teams player active on game day and he can also play OLB in a pinch.

Foote was a good pickup and player, but this is the NFL. The Steelers have to begin the process of turning this roster over. He probably won’t be the last. Thoughts?

…at least until Harrison crunches him into a ball and stuffs him in his own locker.

That should keep him quiet for the next 5 years of his career.

A few people have commented when they expect to see Tomlin make the 3-4 Steelers D into his Tampa 2. Well, the transition has already started, but not like you think.

In case any of you haven’t noticed, Tomlin wants his 3-4 ILB to be 3-down players, which means the team is now targeting smaller ILB with speed that can cover, ala Lawrence Timmons, Keyaron Fox, D. Woods. He also wants his safeties with the flexibility to be able to play corner. So, you don’t have the typical 3-4 monster-sized LBs that Cowher had or the strictly inside the box safeties like the team had under Cowher (that is why Anthony Smith was sent packing, that and not being able to keep the ball in front of him).

So, that’s why players like Timmons, Gay, Roy Lewis, and Mundy will become the norm on this team rather than the exception. Speed kills in the NFL and Tomlin wants as much as possible on the field, on offense and defense. The NFL is changing and the Steelers remain ahead of the curve.

Guys, this is off-topic from the Steelers, but I noticed a QB from West Texas A&M was drafted, and now a WR from said school was signed as a free agent by the 49ers. WTA&M, for those who don’t know, is the school where Ryan Leaf was the QB coach before that recent pain killer scandal. Just an observation.