Pittsburgh Steelers 2011 Free Agents Analysis: Doug Legursky
by Michael Bean on Feb 17, 2011 5:05 PM EST
in 2011 Steelers Free Agency
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PrintLet's continue with our overview of each and every Pittsburgh Steelers player whose contract expired after the 2010 season. We've got a number of guys to discuss whose future hinges on a number of interrelated and complicated factors. Here's one though that's not at all difficult to wrap our heads around: Doug Legursky.
The back story: Legursky joined the Steelers as an undrafted free agent rookie in 2008. Much to the chagrin of the infamous former BTSC reader Robert Ethan, Legursky didn't quite make it out of camp that year with a spot on the 53-man roster. The Marshall grad however was signed to the practice squad early in the '08 season after Marvel Smith was placed on IR with a back injury.
Legursky did make the team the following season in '09, appearing in 8 games with no starts. It wasn't until this past season that Legursky really had an opportunity to make an impression on his coaches, teammates and fans. Legursky played some at guard, was deployed in jumbo packages as a lead blocker around the goal line, and finally, filled in for the injured Maurkice Pouncey at center in the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl. His performances against the Jets and Packers garnered solid reviews, and almost certainly cemented his status as someone the Steelers would like to bring back.
'Free' but not really:
Though Legursky is a free agent, he's not really free at all. Why? Because he's an Exclusive Rights Free Agent, which means he has no more than two accrued NFL seasons. ERFAs can only sign with their prior team, provided the team makes a qualifying minimum offer. In other words, unpack your bags Mr. Legursky, you're hanging around the 'Burgh for at least another season. The question though is whether or not the Steelers decide to offer more than just the bare-bones one-year minimum deal to Legursky. I doubt it, but it's a possibility for sure since he'd only become more expensive to retain once he became a restricted free agent after this season.
What I'd do: I've seen this idea thrown around, but would it make sense to maybe use Legursky at center and Pouncey at right guard? That would give the Steelers a pretty solid interior to their offensive line in '11. Even if the Steelers do draft a guard early on in this year's draft, it's not a slam dunk that he'd be ready and able to play at a high level as a rookie. Maybe, maybe not. We know though that Legursky can hold his own, and I doubt Pouncey would struggle too much making the transition to guard. Perhaps in '11 you move Pouncey back to center and roll with your second-year guard then?
Not likely, I know. So what about Legursky's value at guard? It's harder to say. What we do know is that the dude is strong as an ox, and pretty darn nimble and quick to boot. Legursky set weight room records at Marshall in the squat (705 lbs) and hang clean (430 pounds). Ridiculous. And to think he's probably gotten even stronger and certainly more agile, flexible and explosive since joining the Steelers.
Color me a believer be it at center or guard. He'll turn 25 this summer meaning he's young and inexperienced enough still to believe that his best football is ahead of him, yet old enough now to have learned the nuanced mental aspect of his craft since leaving college.
Even if Legursky is a guy the Steelers believe in, I suppose there's no reason to offer him more than a one-year minimum deal, which would be somewhere in the 400-500k range I believe. I would tell Legursky to work hard this offseason, whoop some ass in camp and the preseason, earn a helmet, and a nice two-year extension is his at some point early in the '11 season.
Previous Free Agent Breakdowns:
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The Big Legursky
is a gamer. C, RG, T, FB…I bet he can kick too. A valuable member of the 53. Sign him. It won’t cost much.
When You Run The Ball Good Things Happen
he made a lot of money on superbowl sunday
with no cba in place who knows what exclusive rights may be tendered
i guess what i am saying is if he is lowballed
he reserves the right to sit out a year-which may not be a bad idea in a strike shortened year
IMO He Won't Sit
Legursky is borderline NFL. If he sits he may never stand to play in the NFL again. Lots of rookies from college entering the talent pool every year. I think he is worth a bit more than the minimum and I think his versatility makes him worth it.
When You Run The Ball Good Things Happen
He's a real keeper
With a name like “Legursky,” he had me at “hello…”
His play was icing on the cake. He’s like a utility infielder… seems he can do anything. (If I may mix sports metaphores.)
hehe, true.
too bad maddens not around to talk about him.
Freel free to email me anytime at behindthesteelcurtain@gmail.com with questions, suggestions, complaints, etc, or to just say what's up. -Michael Bean (Blitz)
by Michael Bean on Feb 17, 2011 6:14 PM EST up reply actions
But can he long snap?
If you buy a foreign made product you give money to a person who will not be buying an American made product that you get paid to make. Think about it next time you're at the store.
good question
Freel free to email me anytime at behindthesteelcurtain@gmail.com with questions, suggestions, complaints, etc, or to just say what's up. -Michael Bean (Blitz)
by Michael Bean on Feb 17, 2011 6:15 PM EST up reply actions
has to be better than Deebo
I think someone in Pittsburgh is recovering from being hit in the head by that long snap
Players who should be in the Hall of Fame: Pat TIllman, Dwight White, Donnie Shell, L.C. Greenwood, Ray Guy, Steve Tasker, Jack Butler, Greg Llyod, Andy Russel, Cris Carter, Kevin Greene, Curtis Martin, Willie Roaf, Andre Reed and Jerry Kramer
"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." Martin Luther King Jr.
Canal Street Chronicles resident Steelers Fan
by WVPiratesfan on Feb 17, 2011 6:56 PM EST up reply actions
I see no reason to screw up a good thing in Pouncey by moving him to guard
Keep him at center. it’s the most important line position and hes got it mastered. I hope they give Doug serious looks at guard in training camp. I say sign him now. At worst he’s a quality depth guy and at best he’s a real good starter somewhere who wont get any cheaper than he is now.
+53
In an earlier post on Monday, this is what I wrote about a similar scenario, which also involved drafting Mike P at G:
“On to the issue: why? Beyond the Maddenesque "if it ain’t broke…", I’m not sure Legursky has proven anything beyond a magnificent stopgap job at C. Methinks Kugler did a masterful job at helping the Big L, including with line calls (Kemo?), but would it hold up during a season? Not so sure. Other questions: is Big such a liability at G that we only can house him at C? How much would we leave on the table by moving Pouncey at G? If we do get the twin, would splitting them besides the C remove some efficiencies?
Also, Maurkice just got elected at the Pro Bowl as a rookie C; we’d have to be out of our minds to move him, unless his replacement turned out to be the second coming of Bruce Matthews. Then again, speaking of Matthews and his multi-faceted excellent career at many OL spots, if any athlete could pull that kind of versatile excellence, with his tremendous potential, it would be Maurkice."
""I can never make up my mind if I'm happy being a flute player, or if I wish I were Eric Clapton." Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull)
by Flying Polamalus on Feb 18, 2011 9:03 AM EST up reply actions
Sign him to a 3 year deal
Maybe around $2M total. I think he’s proved to be worth more than a one-year min, if he develops into a solid starter in a couple years, lock him up with low to mid level starter money after two years.
by WolfpackSteelersFan on Feb 17, 2011 7:34 PM EST reply actions
Other than great versatility, which does have a lot of value to this coaching staff...
I’m not sure we’ve seen enough of Legursky to really make a call on whether he’s worth a multi-year deal yet. I don’t disagree with Wolfpack’s idea really and I wouldn’t complain if they did as he suggests, but I would like to see some more from him to warrant anything more the the minimum right now.
I was not impressed with him at guard really. He was servicable. He has a cool role in the redzone occaisonally, but in reality, quite a few backup linemen could do just as well, and I’ve seen DT’s be just as effective doing the same thing.
He’s been average in my mind, but to project him as a starter on this team any time soon is a bit premature in my opinion. Pouncey is our center as far as I’m concerned, and I’d rather not see Legursky at guard unless we are in a real pinch.
I have not yet begun to procrastinate.
My sentiments exactly
Proud fan of Pittsburgh's professional sports teams and the Pirates too.
by Black&GoldTrain on Feb 18, 2011 12:25 AM EST up reply actions
I would say sign him to a 2 year 1.1 million dollar deal
That way we have him for at least this and next year so we can develop a rookie guard into a starting role and not be forced to thrust him there right away. A rookie and Doug could compete for the starting guard spot this year and then next year the rookie can start and Doug can spell him. If he proves his worth in the next two years we could think about giving him like a 3 year 3 million dollar deal after the 2 year contract.
by seton hall and steelers on Feb 17, 2011 7:59 PM EST reply actions
Just the minimum I think
We don’t know what, or if there’s going to be a salary cap yet. And I assume he’ll be a restricted guy next year under a new CBA anyway? That’s the point to look at locking him up longer term I think. Legs is quality depth with starting potential at this point. I would certainly go with the ERFA minimum right now but once we know what the CBA is going to be it might make sense to offer him a 2 or 3 year extension before the 2011 season kicks off as well.
I dunno
I think he played well enough in the SB, (albeit at C), to warrant some kind of financial reward above the minimum. I know that Raji didn’t make any noise in the big game. Personally, I’m not really impressed with Kemoeatu. He’s a penalty machine, and I think that he has really under achieved. Although, to be fair, I guess I’m comparing him to Faneca. Maybe let Legursky have some reps at LG? I don’t think O line depth is that bad, although I do want a high draft pick spent on an O lineman. Legs is a very valuable piece to the depth and overall quality of the O line. There is no reason to believe that he won’t get better next year. Also, I see everyone wants to resign Colon, but, what’s the guarantee that he’ll ever fully recover from the achilles injury?? Simmons never did.
I hope you die in a fire, that was set accidentally, by someone you love.
-Jim Norton
You are not alone with your thoughts on Kemo
I think as the season wore on he looked worse. Especially in the playoffs where he looked like Incognito out there, hitting people way after the whistle and in a borderline dirty fashion.
by John Stephens on Feb 18, 2011 10:42 AM EST up reply actions
he's been a stud
Jets game and SB were special, he surprised all of us — me for sure — with how well he did. Lots of promise for the future, esp if he can play guard, too.
I say sign him as long as they don't have to overpay for him which they won't because they almost always seem to make the right move.
This line needs all the quality it can get and even if he’s a quality depth guy, it would be worth it. Justin Strelzyk had a pretty nice career as a utility lineman.
legursky deserves a shot at starting IMO
but not over pouncey. legursky is good but pouncey is downright special. see if legursky can play guard. he would be worth the price we can get him at for depth alone. would he be worth anything in a trade?
by steelerintexas on Feb 18, 2011 12:59 AM EST reply actions
Correction
I accidentally clicked the wrong spot in the poll, so I will amend it her. by all means keep Legursky and give him more than the one year minimum. He served us well in many capacities. He will only get better. He is versatile as a backup Center, Guard Tackle and a blocking back. He may pan out as a starter at Guard and he showed that he can hold his own at Center in keeping BJ Raji quiet and a non entity in the SB.
Exclusive Rights
That means he can’t go anywhere, why would you sign him to a longer deal than that?
Let him play out his time in that status, then talk longer-term deal. Only proven Steelers players get multi-year extensions, and if the team is going to likely tag LaMarr Woodley, why would Doug Legursky get a long-term deal? 1 year, 500k is fair for a guy who hasn’t even earned an NFL pension yet.
Because he's been gold and he's earned it, and it's the Steeler way....
He’s done everything he’s been asked to do – and more. He’s kept his mouth shut when others ahead of him have crapped their pants, and – when he was called on to step in the breach, he performed brilliantly.
A big part of the Steelers’ success is that they treat their people fairly – and show them that loyalty is a two-way street. If the Big Legursky wants to two multiple year contract, by all means…..
I’ve often said that a successful football team needs both bricks and mortar. The bricks are the big stars. The mortar is the other guys….and if you don’t have enough mortar, the house falls down. Teams like the Redskins concentrate only on the bricks, and by the fifth game of the season – when injuries strike – they fall apart. Year after year. And the Steelers keep going because they have enough mortar to patch things up. Legursky has been part of the mortar that held the Steelers together the past two years.
Also, Neal, occasionally mortar has been known to cure and somehow become bricks. Like Deebo, who was simply a special teams guy fighting to stay with the team. After watching Legursky in the last two games, I’m not so sure we’re not seeing an OL stalwart in the making.
Dougie is a keeper. A long-term Steeler in every way. Even his name. There’s something right, and something comfortable about having a Polack with the strength of Hercules on the offensive line. Treat him right at this early point, and watch him stick around for a great career. Pay the man, Artie. He’s part of the family.
I would kill everyone in this room for a drop of sweet beer.
- Homer J. Simpson
by Homer J. on Feb 18, 2011 8:25 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
agree whole heartedly
To me a “quality” back-up is a guy who can fill a position without the position becoming a hole. Doug Legursky in my mind has proven himself to be a quality back-up and deserves to be paid like one.
You took that analogy and ran with it, didn’t you? Haha
I’d tend to agree with NYSF4 and some others. I recall people earlier in the season cursing Legursky’s name when we got stopped on a few shots from the 1 yard line (Saints game maybe?). He completely whiffed a block and got pushed back on another that were primary contributors to us being stopped on those downs. Now, I won’t go and condemn Legs and say he is awful because of that, but at the same time you cannot say he deserves a long term contract because he played well in just two games. He has been on the 53 for 2 years and played well in 2 games (albeit big games). I would think we should see more from him before we lock him down to something.
by John Stephens on Feb 18, 2011 10:51 AM EST up reply actions
The Dude abides
Have to agree with Homer J’s statement – the better the mortar the longer the house stands
5 words you may never hear.."Bungals win the Super Bowl"
Limas
How is Mr. Sweed doing? Still hoping for him to make his mark someday.
Times like these call for a big Lebowski....
Not a man, a way of life. The dude abides, indeed.
I would kill everyone in this room for a drop of sweet beer.
- Homer J. Simpson
Legursky is turning into a true Steeler
Resign him for a minimum 2 years for 1.4 m. Dont give him a minimum worth contract, he played well in the AFCCG and the Super Bowl.
"Franco made that play because he never quit on the play. He kept running, he kept hustling. Good things happen to people who hustle."
Legursky deserves a two year deal.
He’s done everything the team could hope for. I truly believe that Trai got the starting job back because veterans don’t lose their jobs to injuries as he stated in the press. So that was a happy locker room deal. In my opinion Legursky easily out classed Trai RG but the coaching staff doesn’t consult with me. By the time it was time for Trai to sit Foster got enough looks and Legs seemed more valuable as a versatile player.
I would give him his two year deal and then let him explore FA. I truly believe by that time he’ll show the world that he deserves to start and play at a high level. It’s fair and the way the Rooney’s perform.
This is one of the rare times Michael is acutely wrong.
We have in Legs quality backup at ALL OL positions and a serviceable starter when needed.
He is a known skill set to Kugler and fills a unique role in our underutilized jumbo package.
The big stage was not to big for him. He is a youngster who WILL get better with further experience and coaching. (maybe even a lot better)
Anything up to a 4 year deal at less than but close a million is a good deal for the franchise and show the Rooney’s loyalty to players that perform.
If he grows in productivity like a normal third and fourth year player that is money that is earned. More productivity is a bonus and if we go on a drafting binge of OL talent like we always seem to have at LB and he doesnt improve then he can get cut.
I just do not see any downside to paying him much more than the minmimum
greenpittsburgh
too bad maddens not around to talk about him.
by Sandra Salvatore on Feb 27, 2011 6:41 AM EST reply actions
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