FanPost

It is time to forget about "Young Money" and focus on "Smart Money"

In the last few seasons, wide receivers have been some of the most polarizing figures in Steelers Nation. Hines Ward was cut and considered going to Baltimore. Plaxico Burress made amends and returned. After being cut by the Jets, and with the Steelers having a perceived need of wideouts, many thought Santonio Holmes could return this season. However, recently, no two receivers have drawn the ire of disgust more than Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders.

Mike Wallace burned his bridge with fans by holding out of camp, then having a less than stellar season. The fans and the front office knew Wallace was not going to play for less than elite money. He had elite speed and stats, but he did not have the elite skills of other wide receivers. His market value was overinflated. He proved to be the "one-trick-pony" that he was called. He doesn't seem to be having the same success that he had with Ben Roethlisberger. Ryan Tannehill is no Big Ben, which shows that his talent alone only goes as far as the quarterback throwing him the ball.

Emmanuel Sanders, on the other hand, thinks he got an upgrade at quarterback. First, the hated New England Patriots tried to sign him last season, but the Steelers matched the offer in order to give him a chance to earn an extension. Sanders put up relatively pedestrian numbers and dropped some key drive-killing passes. So, Sanders decided to take his talent to Denver, where Peyton Manning will be throwing him the ball. The fans weren't too upset to see him go. They were more upset that the front office didn't try to keep Jericho Cotchery, which put the Steelers wideout depth very thin. However, many fans have been angered by recent comments Sanders made about Peyton Manning being a better leader, etc. Well, Peyton is a control freak, and he's always had that coach-player like power. Ben or any other Steelers player would never have that kind of power. Here in Pittsburgh, they don't let one player dictate things. Coaches coach, players play. His comments don't bother me, but I think reports of Ben being "hurt" are more due to Sanders trying to make people believe that his talent was stunted in Pittsburgh, as opposed to him underperforming.

I guess my point is this: they kept the right guy. Antonio Brown was phenomenal last season and everything I have seen this off-season indicates he will be just as good, if not better this season. The front office didn't panic and overpay Sanders or overpay Cotchery. They knew they might have something special in Marcus Wheaton. They signed a cheap, but still useful Lance Moore. They kicked the tires on Darius Heyward-Bey, and drafted Martavius Bryant. While fans were hoping Moye would come on strong this off-season, few thought Justin Brown would be a lock to make the team as a #3 or #4. My hunch is that the front office knew they had replacements all along.

Antonio Brown is smart money. He worked hard, he didn't complain. He didn't hold out. He came to work, and did his job to the best of his abilities, and pushed to get even better. I didn't expect him to be as dominant as he was last season. I didn't expect him to be one of the top receivers in the league. He exceeded just about all of my expectations.

While the front office has kept the wrong guy or kept a guy too long in the past, the release of Woodley shows that the front office is now out the get the most out of every dollar. This will be challenging in the next few years, as Ben's contract is coming up, and he will be near his mid-30's and will still be one of the top 5 players in his position.

The Steelers need a lot more "smart money" guys not "young money" paper chasers. They need guys focused on honing their craft and being the best, instead of figuring out how to get paid, squeeze more money out of teams, and inflating their true value. Forget about "Young Money" and anything they say...they didnt know how well they had it in Pittsburgh. They got what they wanted: paid. One sold out to go to a crappy Dolphin team with a lesser quarterback. The other sold out to to play 3rd fiddle for a drill sergeant on his last legs with a 1-2 year window before the team implodes. Smart money is on the Steelers being in contention for another ring by then.

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