How Important are Wallace's negatives?

[SanAntonioSteelerFan]

Despite what I assume was a heroic effort by the coaching staff, he remains a 1-trick pony - awesome at taking the top off.

But IMO there are an awful lot of negatives, and I don't just mean the unreliability of his hands (an example, though not the only one, was the drop last night just before the TD catch).

For example, I noticed last night that he let the team down BADLY in the flat at least twice - asked to block someone so a screen or a RB can get by, and failing miserably. THEN, he walks away with the body English of "I don't give a F--'". Doesn't turn back to look at the play, doesn't help his pancaked team mate off the ground.

Also - Wolfley on the radio last night said his body English actually HURT the Steelers on two plays. He was supposed to line up wide as a decoy, but his mopey body English made it clear he wasn't expecting to get the ball, so the LBs keyed in on the middle of the field and broke up a pass once and stopped a run real short once.

As you can tell by the way I'm writing this, I have serious doubts about Wallace's value, especially in this time of $$ needed to fill other positions of need (OL, DB, NT ... LB?).

Do you guys disagree, or maybe not?

[Oviedo]

Important enough that he won't get more than $10M from the Steelers.

It's becoming clear that Wallace may be a luxury we can't afford long term. Maybe franchise him for another year and use his butt up but not long term. We are about to have real and immediate needs at Strong Safety, OLB, ILB and probably still on the OL. Since there is no cap bump until 2014 we need every penny we can get to replenish those positions.

[pittpete]

Id rather use the $$$ on a desparately needed CB.

10 million on Wallace for a year can be spent else where.


We survived after Plax and we survived after Holmes.
I bet $$$$ we'll survive after Wallace.

[phillyesq]

Wallace has a lot of flaws, and his inconsistent play and drops the past few weeks have been troubling. However, I think this offense will suffer without him. Wallace, Brown, Sanders and Cotchery is among the better WR groups in the NFL. Change that to Brown, Sanders and Cotchery and suddenly the Steelers have a very mediocre group of WRs.

[Oviedo]

Wallace has a lot of flaws, and his inconsistent play and drops the past few weeks have been troubling. However, I think this offense will suffer without him. Wallace, Brown, Sanders and Cotchery is among the better WR groups in the NFL. Change that to Brown, Sanders and Cotchery and suddenly the Steelers have a very mediocre group of WRs.


You can get an excellent college WR early in any draft especially with so many teams in college playing pass happy spread offenses. These young WRs are coming out much better prepared for sophisticated passing offenses. Plus Cotchery is way under utilized in our offense. If Wallace goes we get a very capable, quality WR more time on the field.

[feltdizz]

I noticed Wallace's weak azzz blocks too...

I also noticed in the Philly game when Mendenhall scored Brown was whooping it up with Mendenhall in the end zone. I'm not sure if Wallace was on the field on that play but he damn sure wasn't up in Mendenhall's face congratulating him.

Wallace is starting to remind me of some of those WR's who don't give a damn when we score unless he is the one with the ball. Maybe I'm nitpicking but if he want's big money he needs to act like a captain/mentor and lead by example.

[SidSmythe]

I'd be perfectly happy moving forward with Brown, Sanders, Cotchery and another 3rd round draft pick.
He's not worth $10million ... everyone's replaceable

[RuthlessBurgher]

If Pro Bowl voting took place today, only 3 Steelers would deserve any sort of consideration (certainly no one on defense, OL or RB). Ben with 10 TD passes in 5 games, Heath with 4 TD catches in 5 games, and Wallace who also has 4 TD catches in 5 games. Ben's our leader, Heath is Mr. Reliable, and Wallace is our deep threat. And yet Steeler fans dump loads and loads of crap on our one true big play weapon on offense. Why? Because we are guessing what he wants to be paid in the future? What about the present? The fact is we are paying him $2.7 million this year...less than Larry Foote is getting, never mind Larry Fitzgerald...and he's given us 21 catches for 345 yards and 4 TD's. What about the past? He made $1.7 TOTAL for his first 3 seasons and gave us 171 catches for 3206 yards and 24 TD's. There are so many guys on this team that you could legitimately complain about this season...but Wallace is far from the guy who should be getting skewered...he's PERFORMING at a BARGAIN PRICE for us AGAIN. There are plenty of players who aren't living up to what they are being paid right now, but people seem to be obsessed about whether Wallace is living up to what he might be getting paid at some point in the future.

[squidkid]

If Pro Bowl voting took place today, only 3 Steelers would deserve any sort of consideration (certainly no one on defense, OL or RB). Ben with 10 TD passes in 5 games, Heath with 4 TD catches in 5 games, and Wallace who also has 4 TD catches in 5 games. Ben's our leader, Heath is Mr. Reliable, and Wallace is our deep threat. And yet Steeler fans dump loads and loads of crap on our one true big play weapon on offense. Why? Because we are guessing what he wants to be paid in the future? What about the present? The fact is we are paying him $2.7 million this year...less than Larry Foote is getting, never mind Larry Fitzgerald...and he's given us 21 catches for 345 yards and 4 TD's. What about the past? He made $1.7 TOTAL for his first 3 seasons and gave us 171 catches for 3206 yards and 24 TD's. There are so many guys on this team that you could legitimately complain about this season...but Wallace is far from the guy who should be getting skewered...he's PERFORMING at a BARGAIN PRICE for us AGAIN. There are plenty of players who aren't living up to what they are being paid right now, but people seem to be obsessed about whether Wallace is living up to what he might be getting paid at some point in the future.

he's a bargain because he chose to be a bargain. anyone who actually watches wallace on the field instead of on high lights or the stat sheet knows that wallace is not performing at the 10+ million per that he and some fans want him to get paid. i am fairly certain the the organization noticed how he fell off last year and how he has acted during the off season and now on the field and are comforted with their decision not to pay him the ridiculous amount he demanded. wallace acts like a little bitch on the field when he doesnt get the ball...period

[SS Laser]

No doubt Wallace makes the steelers better at times. I loved watching him for his first 3 years being a 3rd rd pick and kicking ass. But I was at the game and his blocking was sickening. The BA like offence with 3 or more WR screens, Wallace never even moved his man. Also his run blocking was not there. On a running play if possible forget Wallace blocking and just have him do his run very fast thing and hope the DB chases him and does not notice the hand off. :) Time to move on. Just like the other diva WR's the steeles let walk. Let the Jets pay him a boat load of money and see if he will at least try to block. :)

[phillyesq]

Ruthless - great perspective.

Ovi - if you replace Wallace, that is a pick that you aren't spending on the defense. Every additional need created is one that needs to be filled. Moreover, WRs generally do not contribute significantly as rookies. Even the good ones, it often takes a few years. I'm you somehow attribute that to DL, but that is pretty consistently the case throughout the league.

I don't want to overpay Wallace, but if he walks for nothing, it hurts the team. In no way is it a benefit.

[ikestops85]

Ruthless - great perspective.

Ovi - if you replace Wallace, that is a pick that you aren't spending on the defense. Every additional need created is one that needs to be filled. Moreover, WRs generally do not contribute significantly as rookies. Even the good ones, it often takes a few years. I'm you somehow attribute that to DL, but that is pretty consistently the case throughout the league.

I don't want to overpay Wallace, but if he walks for nothing, it hurts the team. In no way is it a benefit.

Ovi doesn't think we need any players on defense. He thinks the players are great ... that we just need to get rid of LeBeau and switch to the 4-3 and our defense will magically become awesome.

[stopplayn]

Wallace is a receiver and he is SELFISH. Sorry. Did you see Ben after the game? He mentioned that someone was very SELF LESS and looked over his shoulder (Like that person needs to be more selfless). I think (assuming) that player was Wallace. Ben is smart. He knows that Wallace is the key to this offense. If you take Wallace out and condense the field then you wont have much success. To get the underneath stuff you have to have Wallace (threat) on the field. Take him out and watch what happens.

Oh and the wishes for a Corner are ridiculous. We could have REVIS on the team and he would be ineffective. Lebeau's scheme calls for a ZONE corner. Revis would suck in Lebeaus scheme.

[stopplayn]

9ers/Cowboys had the best corner of all time and ALWAYS let him play man. In fact Prime wouldnt even go into the huddle. If Sanders played for Lebeau he wouldnt be as effective because he would be in zone. That ZONE hurts Ike and most of the corners we have.

[hawaiiansteel]

Oh and the wishes for a Corner are ridiculous. We could have REVIS on the team and he would be ineffective. Lebeau's scheme calls for a ZONE corner. Revis would suck in Lebeaus scheme.

zonal defending calls for a CB to defend offensive players in the CB's assigned part of the field or zone, why wouldn't Revis be good at that?

[stopplayn]

Because his skills are best suited in man to man. He is hands on, he plays off of what his opponent does. Asante Samuel is the opposite he NEEDS to be in a zone. He would be perfect for Lebeaus scheme. Revis would grow bored in a zone. Its not challenging to play a zone. After all the zone was created to let slow players compete. Ryan Clark would be out of a job if he had to play man to man.

[NJ-STEELER]

If Pro Bowl voting took place today, only 3 Steelers would deserve any sort of consideration (certainly no one on defense, OL or RB). Ben with 10 TD passes in 5 games, Heath with 4 TD catches in 5 games, and Wallace who also has 4 TD catches in 5 games. Ben's our leader, Heath is Mr. Reliable, and Wallace is our deep threat. And yet Steeler fans dump loads and loads of crap on our one true big play weapon on offense. Why? Because we are guessing what he wants to be paid in the future? What about the present? The fact is we are paying him $2.7 million this year...less than Larry Foote is getting, never mind Larry Fitzgerald...and he's given us 21 catches for 345 yards and 4 TD's. What about the past? He made $1.7 TOTAL for his first 3 seasons and gave us 171 catches for 3206 yards and 24 TD's. There are so many guys on this team that you could legitimately complain about this season...but Wallace is far from the guy who should be getting skewered...he's PERFORMING at a BARGAIN PRICE for us AGAIN. There are plenty of players who aren't living up to what they are being paid right now, but people seem to be obsessed about whether Wallace is living up to what he might be getting paid at some point in the future.

more TDs in 5 games then our "better all around WR" has in his career

[NJ-STEELER]

Ovi - if you replace Wallace, that is a pick that you aren't spending on the defense. Every additional need created is one that needs to be filled. Moreover, WRs generally do not contribute significantly as rookies. Even the good ones, it often takes a few years. I'm you somehow attribute that to DL, but that is pretty consistently the case throughout the league.

t.

this is what a lot of people dont get. and its not like we go out in free agency to replace them, either

could have signed plax for the salaries of chucky okobi and El. instead he goes and we're drafting a WR in the 1st round in holmes. keep plax and maybe that pick becomes nick mangold and we have a stud center since '06. domino effect

[stopplayn]

Plax was leaving. Ben fought hard for him to stay. We were letting Ben manage games and we hardly passed the ball. Plax was the 2nd option in a system that featured the run. He could go to the big Apple and become the #1 guy and get more money. Why would he want to stay?

[Oviedo]

Ovi doesn't think we need any players on defense. He thinks the players are great ... that we just need to get rid of LeBeau and switch to the 4-3 and our defense will magically become awesome.

Well for the purpose of accuracy, all theplayers aren't great but we do have some very good ones. My argument for the 4-3 has always been based on the fact that if you don't have great players you can replneish the talent pool quicker playing the 4-3 because you eliminate 2-3 year "conversion" projects in the front 7.

However we can just let LeBeau keep doing what he is doing and I'm sure "majically" they will become awesome again because they were 5 years ago. That way no one has to disassemble their basement shrines to LeBeau and they can keep hoping and wishing.