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I can't help but draw the weird parallel between the Steelers' current position in free agency and the second of three movies in the original Star Wars trilogy.
"Empire Strikes Back" ended with the rebellion at its lowest end. They lost a future general to Carbonite and a backstabbing friend, another future general was still oddly in love with his sister and their enemy appeared to be getting stronger.
The Steelers have now lost, or are preparing to move on from, seven players who started games in 2012 - James Harrison, Mike Wallace, Keenan Lewis, Rashard Mendenhall, Ryan Mundy, Max Starks and Casey Hampton.
They've given deals to Ramon Foster, Larry Foote, Plaxico Burress and Greg Warren. Han Solo in Nikes, Bruce Gradkowski, and Lando with Dreadlocks, William Gay, remain their lone free agent acquisitions.
Master Yoda may still have a trick or two in that Degobahnian swamp hut. The team is still looking to make a move or two, and these moves could be official as of today.
The two biggest are the talks with running back Beanie Wells and outside linebacker Victor Butler, but now that the big money guys (read: wide receivers) are off the market, more affordable options are attracting a good amount of attention.
The Steelers, unlike years in the past, look to remain active, and could see one or more of the players they've lost replaced from the outside.