Steelers restructure Woodley, free up 6.5mil

[grotonsteel]

What's the news with Aaron Smith ? Does he plan on coming back , is he wanted back and what kind of coin is owed to him ?

Sorry, but bringing Smith back would be a waste of the $1-2M likely required to keep him. Anyone really think he still could play in more than 8 games?

Last i read somewhere Aaron Smith wants to come back. I think Aaron Smith re-negotiated his contract last season.

One thing though people have issue with OC, QB, OL, Db coach why does no one talk about D-line coach J Mitchell??

He has not developed a single young D-lineman in 4-5 years as far as i know. Ziggy Hood has regressed. We don't know about Heyward. We have no one behind Casey.

Steve McClendon maybe a started but we have not seen enough of him. Any other DE in the wings???

[RuthlessBurgher]

MarkKaboly_Trib via twitter:

Is there a person within the #Steelers organization more important than Omar Khan?

Oh, I don't know...maybe Art Rooney, Dan Rooney, Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin, Dick LeBeau, Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu...need I go on?

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Like this every year. If we scrimped and saved like in the past and were able to bring in a nice OL, people would complain that we let some stud like Vrabel go.

Can't have it both ways. Signing your own still costs alot of money. We have successful players with 2 SBs, so they cost money. Our drafts compared to most are successful and 4 years later, they need resigned.

Our group does an incredible job considering who they have to pay for.
Look at Indy. They dump soo much in Manning that they lost all the players around him. Now nothing there. Pittsburgh doesn't bottom out and we are a threat every playoffs barring big injury bug like this year.

I wasn't really complaining in my OP, just making a comment. I realize our chances of going after a proven OL in FA are slim, and I understand why...I was "wishing" out loud. And I agree that our FO does a pretty good job managing the cap. I do fear we overpaid for a couple of players, but then, one of them has agreed to restructure, so that's helpful.

When I said "it's a nice start," I meant just that...we're just getting started. Undoubtedly, there are some difficult cuts to make in the coming weeks. That's the way it is when you've got a bunch of aging stars.

Don't know if using Indy is a good example, though. We have what, $110 million invested in our franchise QB? And if he goes down, do you really think we have a lot of success? We might not go 2-14, but I'd guess we'd be nowhere close to 12-4, nor playoff bound. "We are a threat every year barring big injury bug"? Couldn't Indy say the same thing over the past seven or eight years?

[fezziwig]

What's the news with Aaron Smith ? Does he plan on coming back , is he wanted back and what kind of coin is owed to him ?

Sorry, but bringing Smith back would be a waste of the $1-2M likely required to keep him. Anyone really think he still could play in more than 8 games?

Last i read somewhere Aaron Smith wants to come back. I think Aaron Smith re-negotiated his contract last season.

One thing though people have issue with OC, QB, OL, Db coach why does no one talk about D-line coach J Mitchell??

He has not developed a single young D-lineman in 4-5 years as far as i know. Ziggy Hood has regressed. We don't know about Heyward. We have no one behind Casey.

Steve McClendon maybe a started but we have not seen enough of him. Any other DE in the wings???

excellent points of view from both you guys. i never pay too much attention to position coaches but, your correct with what has he done to turn these young guys around or to have them make the next step. maybe it's the learning curve or something but, i would like to see a flash of why we grabbed these players at the number one spots.
to me ziggy this season should be more of a force in his third season. heyward too should shine somewhat if he is given the chance. i wish we could have gotten smith from the bengals before he went to the niners, that dude tears it up.

yes, aaron smith is done in my opinion and i forget what the stats are on him for how little he has actually played these past few years due to injury.
maybe they'll keep him as a backup or something because he is a vet and hoke is now gone but, you have kiesel for the vet influence and possibly hampton too if he remains with the steelers.

[steelsnis]

What's the news with Aaron Smith ? Does he plan on coming back , is he wanted back and what kind of coin is owed to him ?

Sorry, but bringing Smith back would be a waste of the $1-2M likely required to keep him. Anyone really think he still could play in more than 8 games?

Last i read somewhere Aaron Smith wants to come back. I think Aaron Smith re-negotiated his contract last season.

One thing though people have issue with OC, QB, OL, Db coach why does no one talk about D-line coach J Mitchell??

He has not developed a single young D-lineman in 4-5 years as far as i know. Ziggy Hood has regressed. We don't know about Heyward. We have no one behind Casey.

Steve McClendon maybe a started but we have not seen enough of him. Any other DE in the wings???

I disagree with you on that one. IMO, the nature of the 3/4 defense is that the 5-technique defensive ends go largely unnoticed. Because a huge component of their job is to occupy blockers at arms length long enough to read the play and free up the backers as opposed to single-mindedly rushing the QB, their performances tend to get downgraded a bit more than they should.

I think back to the 2005 season when Kiesel had a really good playoff game vs. Denver (as a backup). Everyone was really high on him, but when he was made a starter in the next couple of years everyone complained that he wasn't getting it done. Now he's an invaluable member of the D-Line.

I have no problems with Ziggy's progression thus far and from what I've seen of Heyward, he looks to be a keeper as well.

It's a very specific role that is played by these guys, and in this scheme, I think they do it well.

[Mo_Steel]

Like this every year. If we scrimped and saved like in the past and were able to bring in a nice OL, people would complain that we let some stud like Vrabel go.

Can't have it both ways. Signing your own still costs alot of money. We have successful players with 2 SBs, so they cost money. Our drafts compared to most are successful and 4 years later, they need resigned.

Our group does an incredible job considering who they have to pay for.
Look at Indy. They dump soo much in Manning that they lost all the players around him. Now nothing there. Pittsburgh doesn't bottom out and we are a threat every playoffs barring big injury bug like this year.

Here is an inter webs that looks back at last three drafts and who still has all, who totally dropped the ball and who just rides merrily along. Having trouble adding tags around this link from tablet, cursor won't move to where needed now can't remove brackets.

[] [/] [url="http://www.drafttek.com/ConsolidatedNFLDraft-stillWT.ASP"]http://www.drafttek.com/ConsolidatedNFL ... tillWT.ASP[/url]

[Slapstick]

Apparently, Mitchell is a victim of his own success...

He makes Smith, Hampton and Keisel into ten-year stalwarts and gets slammed for it...

[fezziwig]

Maybe I view things wrong ? I always think number one picks should be impact and that really isn't the case.

I do remember everyone falling in love with Kiesel but when he became a starter........whew ! get that bum out of here. good thing us fans don't get our way.

[Chadman]

Bagging Mitchell is a bit rough- he's overseen possibly the best 3-4 DL of the last 10 years, and it's been the cornerstone of the #1 Defense for how many years running?

As for not progressing any DL- well, Smith, Hampton & Keisel have been set for a number of years- who did you want to replace those guys? If anything- we should praise Mitchell for turning a proven 'nuffie' in Nick Eason into a solid rotational footballer, for helping an undrafted undersized NT in Chris Hoke be a 10 year vet, for taking an undrafted NT from Troy & having him step into the rotation and not stand out as a poor player in McLendon.

This new-found belief that Ziggy Hood has regressed is interesting- where is the regression? He stepped in as a starter 2 years in a row- the DL & Defense hasn't missed a beat. He's not a sack-artist, but he holds his point well & doesn't stand out as a poor player. What are you expecting? 12 sacks? From our 3-4 DE's? Fact is, for a 3rd year player- Hood has slotted in to a stable, excellent Defense, and not let anybody down.

This board cracks Chadman up- Pouncey gets hurt- we question him as a player & consider him a career injury threat. Hood doesn't obliterate his opposition- he's regressing. Sanders gets 2 seperate injuries, he's injury prone & likely a bust. Wallace gets consecutive 1000 yard seasons, but has flaws in his game- trade him, he's a bum...

The team is well placed going forward in a number of positions. Thankfully the coaches are oblivious to the obvious imposing doom overshadowing all their recent draft busts.

[fezziwig]

then settled, mitchell is the new whipping boy.