Return On Investment?

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Three defensive players were signed to big contracts this past offseason:
Troy Polamalu--4 years, 36.5 million
LaMarr Woodley--6 years, 61.5 million
Lawrence Timmons--6 years, 50 million

Were these good investments?

Per their production, one year in, doesn't look so great. Hopefully all will rebound and have huge seasons next time around.

Your take? Would we have been better off letting one or two of these players go and using the money elsewhere?

[pittpete]

8.3 million for Timmons' sack was worth every penny :lol:

[RuthlessBurgher]

Woodley and Timmons are young and talented. Good teams don't let young and talented players just walk away. Both are just entering their prime. Woodley was 26 at the start of this season (27 now), and his contract runs until he's 32 years old. Those are the best years of a player's career. Timmons is still just 25 years old. He'll still be in the prime of his career when this current contract expires at age 30. He'll be young enough to negotiate a 3rd contract when this one expires. Meanwhile, Troy is arguably the best ever at his position (and frankly, Ronnie Lott is the only other player that could make a legit claim for that title). He's at the peak of his career right now at age 30 (hasn't shown signs of slowing down yet), and should still be an effective player when this contract ends at age 33. Drafting well and then re-signing your own players is what has kept this team a consistent contender since the merger (minus a few lean years in the 80's). This is how a good team spends its money, rather than making a huge splash by signing a marquee big name free agent from another team (who may or may not fit in your system). Personally, I still applaud the work that Kevin Colbert and Omar Khan pulled off last season.

[sd steel]

I'm guessing there are 30 some other teams who would made the investments if we passed on them. Wood was hurt but has proven his worth. Timmons played out of position alot of this year but Lebeau said that he was the key to why this defense did well this year aside from the injuries, and if you really even have to ask about whether Troy was worth keeping I would question if you watch Steeler football.

As far as money is concerned, there isn't a player in the NFL that is really worth the huge sums of money that they are making, But if you are asking whether these guys are key to our future success I would have to say yes.

[steeler_george]

Timmons did have high expectations this year, but worth the money great talent. he played a lot at OL too this year, and I wonder if he was placed more in coverage rather than blitz

Pol was great, but without the splash plays we are all use to.

Woodley at one point was sack leader in NFL before his injury that lingered.

[flippy]

They were all better than the investment in Colon.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

They were all better than the investment in Colon.

$$$
Add Colon into the discussion.

[steeler_george]

But it was more based on the fact, that we had no depth at tackle going in. Hotel was cut, Starks was also injured, Hills never panned out, and J. Scott was a defintely not the answer as we saw the limited snaps he received this year.

I am curious how they address the OT position this year.

Starks and Colon again finished on IR.
J. Scott is going to be cut to get under the cap.
THAT LEAVES ONLY GILBERT, WITH OUT ANY QUESTION MARKS, GOING INTO FA/DRAFT !

[BradshawsHairdresser]

But it was more based on the fact, that we had no depth at tackle going in. Hotel was cut, Starks was also injured, Hills never panned out, and J. Scott was a defintely not the answer as we saw the limited snaps he received this year.

I am curious how they address the OT position this year.

Starks and Colon again finished on IR.
J. Scott is going to be cut to get under the cap.
THAT LEAVES ONLY GILBERT, WITH OUT ANY QUESTION MARKS, GOING INTO FA/DRAFT !

I don't think this team can address all it's needs solely through the draft; cut some dead weight in order to pursue a decent OL help in FA.

[Oviedo]

But it was more based on the fact, that we had no depth at tackle going in. Hotel was cut, Starks was also injured, Hills never panned out, and J. Scott was a defintely not the answer as we saw the limited snaps he received this year.

I am curious how they address the OT position this year.

Starks and Colon again finished on IR.
J. Scott is going to be cut to get under the cap.
THAT LEAVES ONLY GILBERT, WITH OUT ANY QUESTION MARKS, GOING INTO FA/DRAFT !

I don't think this team can address all it's needs solely through the draft; cut some dead weight in order to pursue a decent OL help in FA.

You also forgot Ike Taylor in your original messge. We are paying premium prices on defense and then complaining about the offense.

I totally agree that we need to part ways with some veterans like Farrior, Smith, Hampton, Foote, Bmac, etc and use some of that money to get a good OL. We need to invest in this area and quit giving LeBeau a garage full of Ferrari's and then complaining that Arians isn't doing enough with Honda Accords.

[RuthlessBurgher]

But it was more based on the fact, that we had no depth at tackle going in. Hotel was cut, Starks was also injured, Hills never panned out, and J. Scott was a defintely not the answer as we saw the limited snaps he received this year.

I am curious how they address the OT position this year.

Starks and Colon again finished on IR.
J. Scott is going to be cut to get under the cap.
THAT LEAVES ONLY GILBERT, WITH OUT ANY QUESTION MARKS, GOING INTO FA/DRAFT !

I don't think this team can address all it's needs solely through the draft; cut some dead weight in order to pursue a decent OL help in FA.

You also forgot Ike Taylor in your original messge. We are paying premium prices on defense and then complaining about the offense.

I totally agree that we need to part ways with some veterans like Farrior, Smith, Hampton, Foote, Bmac, etc and use some of that money to get a good OL. We need to invest in this area and quit giving LeBeau a garage full of Ferrari's and then complaining that Arians isn't doing enough with Honda Accords.

Last time I checked, Ben Roethlisberger, Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, Heath Miller, and Rashard Mendenhall ain't exactly Honda Accords. And it's not like we can complain that the front office is ignoring the OL anymore...high picks in back to back years were spent on Pouncey and Gilbert.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Perhaps none of the three gave a great return on investment in year one, but isn't the bigger question whether or not there is reason to believe that they still can moving forward?

Not to give excuses for their 2011 seasons, but rather some explanations as to why there is reason to believe that 2012 will show improvement.

Start with the biggest ticket:

Woodley started off slowly (as usual) but then suddenly became nearly unblockable. He had 1.5 sacks in his first four games and then 7.5 in his next 4. He was also getting a lot more pressure in those second four games. After this burst he only played in two more games - in a limited capacity - prior to the playoffs. It is a logical assumption that Woodley never healed. Now he has a full off-season to rehab it and should enter the 2012 with as much promise as he had entering this season.

Timmons, it seemed, was poised to make a splash entering this season. The problem here is that he never got his game into a rhythm. He played every LB position. The problem with playing out of position is that you spend more time thinking than letting your instincts take over. I think that his play improves as he steps back inside.

As far as Troy goes, he is a gambler and you get what you get. When he gambles and loses he looks bad, but when he wins it looks spectacular. A couple of more winning gambles next year and he is back to his All-Pro form.

Ike had a great year up until the end. He was the #1 CB on the top passing D in the league. A league that otherwise did not create turnovers, nor pressure the QB as they had in the past. Yet Ike still held up against every challenge until the end.

My bigger problem was with the contract given to Colon. I never bought into the hype, and he was already coming off of a serious injury. An injury that is serious enough for most players, let alone one who must dig his legs in against 300 pounders on every play. Big risk prior to the signing, and the issues that fell him were far more predictable than those that hurt Woodley and Timmons.

[Shoe]

Well, since this is a hindsight is 20/20 thread... as it relates to Woodley, one could argue that they could've let him walk and still been in the same shape we are now. If we did, Worilds would've played the majority of the season, which he did anyway. Next year, Chris Carter should make a jump in his development, and I personally expect him to become the next in line of Steelers OLBs. He would've/could've served in that capacity next year, and possibly take over the Harrison the year after.

We would save $60m in cap, allowing us to spend elsewhere. I'm not saying they necessarily should... even though I've bashed Woodley this year... I'm just saying that an argument could be made. Timmons and Polamalu would be tough to justify.

[SteelCrazy]

My question is, What kind os shape is Willie Colon going to be in if he can play next year (See last 2 years)? He has missed 2 years, basically and not much of training camp this past season. I would bet he is far from playing shape.