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Thread: Painful Cuts Ahead

  1. #1
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    Painful Cuts Ahead

    Painful Cuts Ahead



    James? Troy? Or both? (Shamus/Getty Images)

    By Jim Wexell
    Publisher SteelCityInsider.net
    Posted Jan 19, 2013

    To come into cap compliance by March 12, the Steelers are going to have to cut some fan favorites. Jim Wexell breaks down the numbers provided by SCI capologist Ian Whetstone.

    I apologize up front, because no one signed up here to read about football from an accountant’s point of view.

    But it’s better than reading about Manti Te’o, isn’t it?

    Ah, you’re getting my point.

    So buck up and follow along, because every year at this time we need to take a look at the numbers behind the makeup of the Steelers’ roster. And now is that time.

    First of all, give a heartfelt thanks to GM Kevin Colbert, who spoke to a select group of football writers this week and told them he was going to blow up the team.

    Well, he didn’t say exactly that. He put it this way: “If we don’t change the roster that produced 8-8, we’d be silly to expect a better result if we have the same group of guys … We’re not married to any of these guys.”

    To blow up or tune up, that is the question.

    Of course, we can let the numbers be our guide, and right now, according to Ian Whetstone, the resident capologist at SteelCityInsider.net, the Steelers have 44 players under contract at a cost of approximately $133.2 million.

    By March 12, the start of the league’s fiscal New Year, the Steelers must pare that total salary number to $121 million for the top 51 salaries.

    To get to 51, let’s add exclusive rights free agents DeMarcus Van Dyke ($555,000) and Baron Batch ($480,000) and extend original-round tenders of $1.386 million to restricted free agents Jonathan Dwyer, Steve McLendon, Isaac Redman, Emmanuel Sanders and Stevenson Sylvester.

    Yes, the Steelers could lose McLendon or Redman without draft-choice compensation, but they could also match any offer made to them.

    That would bring the cap total to a little more than $141 million, so the Steelers would need to cut approximately $20 million by March 12 just to avoid penalty.

    In the ensuing weeks and months, they would then need to clear enough room to sign their draft picks and any of their following free agents:

    Will Allen, Charlie Batch, Plaxico Burress, Larry Foote, Ramon Foster, Casey Hampton, Brandon Johnson, David Johnson, Byron Leftwich, Doug Legursky, Keenan Lewis, Rashard Mendenhall, Ryan Mundy, Leonard Pope, Max Starks, Mike Wallace and Greg Warren.

    Now, sorting through that long list of free agents is a column in itself (and I swear I’ll write that column if I hear the name Te’o one more time), but for now let’s stay focused on the numbers. Please.

    Now, since the draft class will cost about $3 million, and they’ll want to put aside about $7 million to keep some free agents, it looks like Colbert, Mike Tomlin, Omar Khan and the Rooneys will need to pare about $30 million total to get ready for next season. And this is where the fun stops.

    Here are the veterans who, if cut, would provide the most cap savings:

    James Harrison ($5.1M), Troy Polamalu ($4.9M), Ben Roethlisberger ($4M), Heath Miller ($3.8M), Ryan Clark ($3.5M), Brett Keisel ($2.8M), Ike Taylor ($2.5M), Ziggy Hood ($2M), Willie Colon ($1.2M), Shaun Suisham ($1.1M) and Jerricho Cotchery ($1M). (They could pull one or two of the aforementioned $1.4 million RFA tenders as well.)

    The total savings if all were cut would be approximately $32 million, or $2 million over our target.

    And remember that the minimum wage of a potential replacement is $405,000, so multiply that by the 11 vets we just cut and now we’re still looking to find an additional $2.5 million to pare.

    That would leave the Steelers with someone just as bad as Tim Tebow – only with less experience – as the starting at quarterback, so what’s the point?

    There has to be a better way. And there is.

    As Colbert said, the Steelers will cut players, but also extend and restructure contracts. Thankfully, Ian Whetstone’s numerical wizardry provides us with that insight as well.

    According to Ian, a reasonable four-year contract extension (with a $35 million bonus) for Roethlisberger would provide about $3.5 million in relief. And full restructures of Timmons, Miller and Antonio Brown would provide another $10.7 million.

    As for the cutting of veterans, it doesn’t appear as if they’ll be able to avoid cutting the 35-year-old Harrison, bringing the target total to $19.3 million.

    Colon and Cotchery are two more painful cuts, and the total’s now at $21.5 million.

    That gets the team into compliance by March 12, but every signing thereafter would require an equal and opposite reaction.

    Some will call for the cutting of Polamalu, I’m sure, or possibly Clark, Keisel and/or Taylor.

    That’s not my thinking, but then again it’s not my money. It’s just my column, and I probably should’ve used the space to write about Te’o. It would’ve been less depressing.

    [URL]http://pit.scout.com/2/1259102.html[/URL]
    Steel Maniac's Time-Based Prediction: Lamar Jackson will be a bust and total flop in the NFL.

    What Actually Happened: Lamar Jackson became the youngest two-time NFL MVP winner ever.

    Gloat gloat gloat


    Boom........

    Hahahahahahaha

  2. #2
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    Need to do it now and quit trying to get blood out of rocks. Say good bye to Hampton, Harrison and Foote for sure. Tell Troy, Ike and Kiesel they have to play for less. Dragging this out won't help. Get young players on the field and see what we got so we can make informed decisions going forward.

    Sometimes you have to take one step back to take two steps forward.
    "My team, may they always be right, but right or wrong...MY TEAM!"

  3. #3
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    Chadman read that article & couldn't help think they Wexell ommitted a few options on purpose.

    First things first- the Steelers can & will restructure contracts. Ben, Woodley, Timmons & possibly Brown would save them close to $20m if restructured. That's huge. Restructuring Colon saves nearly $3m.

    The cuts will not be deep. The losses, through FA, might be significant, but actual players cut will be minimal.

    Now- just throwing this idea out there...Heath Miller is 31, coming off severe knee injury, and costs near $8m against the cap. Cutting, or trading Miller saves nearly half that against the cap.

    You might be thinking Chadman has lost leave of his senses, after all, Miller is coming off a career season... but a quick look at the history of TE production under Todd Haley offenses shows that.... well.... any TE does well under Haley. If they could sign a suitable pass catching TE who is significantly younger, at around the $2-$3m a season, the Steelers could save near on $2m this year. Id Miller REALLY worth $8m?

    What if the Redskins Fred Davis was catching passes? He's 27- sign him for 4-5 years.... or the Giants Martellus Bennett..or the Titans Jared Cook... or the Raiders Brandon Myers... Chadman is not convinced the drop-off in the standard would be that significant from Miller to any of these guys under Haley- and all are younger...
    The people that are trying to make the world worse never take a day off, why should I?

    Light up the darkness.

    2024 Draft
    1. Kool-Aid McKinstry CB
    2. Sedrick Van Pran-Grainger OC
    3. Malachi Corley WR
    3. Maason Smith DT
    4. Matt Goncalves OT
    6. Trevin Wallace ILB
    7. AJ Barner TE

  4. #4
    Pro Bowler

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    Chadman,
    While your analysis seems reasonable regarding Heath Miller, getting another pass catching TE in Haley's offense might work but you forgot one thing. Heath Miller is more than a pass catching TE, I would hate to see our line without him as he is a tremendous blocker.
    Getting a TE like him isn't easy, one who has all the tools in the box.

  5. #5
    Legend

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    Quote Originally Posted by supersteeler View Post
    Chadman,
    While your analysis seems reasonable regarding Heath Miller, getting another pass catching TE in Haley's offense might work but you forgot one thing. Heath Miller is more than a pass catching TE, I would hate to see our line without him as he is a tremendous blocker.
    Getting a TE like him isn't easy, one who has all the tools in the box.
    Miller is a fine blocker- but dude caught 77 passes this season. He wasn't in blocking anywhere near as often. And it's not like he's the second coming of Mark Bruener as far as blocking goes..
    The people that are trying to make the world worse never take a day off, why should I?

    Light up the darkness.

    2024 Draft
    1. Kool-Aid McKinstry CB
    2. Sedrick Van Pran-Grainger OC
    3. Malachi Corley WR
    3. Maason Smith DT
    4. Matt Goncalves OT
    6. Trevin Wallace ILB
    7. AJ Barner TE

  6. #6
    Pro Bowler

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    Quote Originally Posted by Chadman View Post
    Miller is a fine blocker- but dude caught 77 passes this season. *He wasn't in blocking anywhere near as often*. And it's not like he's the second coming of Mark Bruener as far as blocking goes..
    I get what your saying, could that be one of the reasons our run game suffered?

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chadman View Post
    Chadman read that article & couldn't help think they Wexell ommitted a few options on purpose.

    First things first- the Steelers can & will restructure contracts. Ben, Woodley, Timmons & possibly Brown would save them close to $20m if restructured. That's huge. Restructuring Colon saves nearly $3m.

    The cuts will not be deep. The losses, through FA, might be significant, but actual players cut will be minimal.

    Now- just throwing this idea out there...Heath Miller is 31, coming off severe knee injury, and costs near $8m against the cap. Cutting, or trading Miller saves nearly half that against the cap.

    You might be thinking Chadman has lost leave of his senses, after all, Miller is coming off a career season... but a quick look at the history of TE production under Todd Haley offenses shows that.... well.... any TE does well under Haley. If they could sign a suitable pass catching TE who is significantly younger, at around the $2-$3m a season, the Steelers could save near on $2m this year. Id Miller REALLY worth $8m?

    What if the Redskins Fred Davis was catching passes? He's 27- sign him for 4-5 years.... or the Giants Martellus Bennett..or the Titans Jared Cook... or the Raiders Brandon Myers... Chadman is not convinced the drop-off in the standard would be that significant from Miller to any of these guys under Haley- and all are younger...
    Fordfixer agrees with Chadman you have lost leave of your senses

    Molon labe

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  8. #8
    Legend

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    I'd actually EXTEND the contract of Miller (as well as Ben) to provide cap relief.
    Steeler teams featuring stat-driven, me-first, fantasy-football-darling diva types such as Antonio Brown & Le'Veon Bell won no championships.

    Super Bowl winning Steeler teams were built around a dynamic, in-your-face defense plus blue-collar, hard-hitting, no-nonsense football players on offense such as Hines Ward & Jerome Bettis.

    We don't want Juju & Conner to replace what we lost in Brown & Bell.

    We are counting on Juju & Conner to return us to the glory we once had with Hines & The Bus.

  9. #9
    Legend

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    Quote Originally Posted by RuthlessBurgher View Post
    I'd actually EXTEND the contract of Miller (as well as Ben) to provide cap relief.
    At what point will Miller's cap value not be equal to the production though?
    The people that are trying to make the world worse never take a day off, why should I?

    Light up the darkness.

    2024 Draft
    1. Kool-Aid McKinstry CB
    2. Sedrick Van Pran-Grainger OC
    3. Malachi Corley WR
    3. Maason Smith DT
    4. Matt Goncalves OT
    6. Trevin Wallace ILB
    7. AJ Barner TE

  10. #10
    Legend

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    Quote Originally Posted by fordfixer View Post
    Fordfixer agrees with Chadman you have lost leave of your senses
    Realistically- this could have been said years ago..
    The people that are trying to make the world worse never take a day off, why should I?

    Light up the darkness.

    2024 Draft
    1. Kool-Aid McKinstry CB
    2. Sedrick Van Pran-Grainger OC
    3. Malachi Corley WR
    3. Maason Smith DT
    4. Matt Goncalves OT
    6. Trevin Wallace ILB
    7. AJ Barner TE

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