Which of these players are a factor next year?

[Oviedo]

I was looking at the practice squad/IR and wondered how many of these players are a factor in making the final 53? My thoughts:

Injured Reserve:
Batch-probably past his time. Should go into coaching.
Clement, DT-probably just a body
Dekker, TE-good bye
Harrison-in the mix for OLB
Humpal-may make Foote expendable as a cap casualty
Mendenhall-no brainer, major impact
Sepulveda-no brainer, major impact
Simmons-not likely to go anywhere, starter or back up
Marvel Smith-likely gone unless he signs for vet minimum
Greg Warren-likely gone

Practice Squad:
Marv Allen, WR-gone
Dallas Baker-maybe stays in Nate leaves, likely gone
Legusky-just a body
Roy Lewis, CB-could be a factor when Bmac leaves and Anthony Smith is cut
Mundy-will make the 53 as primary back up to Ryan Clark
Nance-just a job because of buddy Big Ben
Sherrod, TE-likely just a body
Justin Vincent-just a body
Donovan Woods-may be a factor and push someone off theroster

By my count you could have to clear up to 9 players from the current 53 if guys off the practice squad can step up and players coming back from IR. That is a big change on any roster and it doesn't even factor in draft choices.

Anyone on the current 53 who is content with having a ring had better watch out.

[Oviedo]

I think this quote from Tomlin will prove telling come late next August


"The thing I'm going to sell to our football team, we're not attempting to repeat," the second-year Steelers coach said at a news conference today, barely 10 hours after the Steelers' come-from-behind, 27-23 victory in Super Bowl XLIII last night at Raymond James Stadium. "That special group of men in that locker room last night at the end of that game, that's gone forever. There will be 53 new men in there. A lot of the faces will be the same, but nothing stays the same in this game. Those that remain, the roles will change. Some will ascend, some will descend.

"Our focus will be about being the one at the end of the season. I think repeating and defending Super Bowl championships in today's NFL is something of a misnomer. When I walk down the hallway [at the Steelers' offices] and look at the champions of the Steelers from the '70s, it's the same faces in the same positions on those photos, in terms of the Steel Curtain and so forth. That's not the reality of today's NFL, to be quite honest with you. We'll start with a new group of men --- hopefully a lot of them will be the same.

"You won't hear me say 'repeat' or 'defending,' because it's brand new. This group will always be special to me. But, you know, sometime soon, that group will assume its place with others in history. And they'll be just that, history."