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Thread: The end of an Era

  1. #1
    Pro Bowler

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    The end of an Era

    Please note: I'm the guy that wants people fired during the game. "how did he miss that tackle, bench him!!!" are words that come out of my mouth often during a game. More swearing if there is booze involved so please take this with a grain of salt.

    It's time we recognize that we've come to the bitter end of a great era of Steeler football that really started in 2003-2004. We've been to the Superbowl three times, winning two, put together 7 winning seasons and have had a lot of fun poking fun at the teams in our division that couldn't quite get over the hump. Those days are gone, age, inflated contracts and injuries have decimated us the last few years. Herculean efforts by Big Ben are no longer able to will us to victory, oftentimes they don't even make us competitive. It's time to change things up.

    1.) Do you dangle Ben? He's going to be a $22M+ a year guy in C3. Do you do it and hope that you have some young guns on the team that pull it all together or do you juuuuust see if someone will give you their next two 1st round picks for him? He's only 32, I say we do everything in our power to re-sign him.

    2.) I think it's the end of an era for Troy P. He's been the proverbial "Steeler guy" through his career and when he's good, holy cow is he still good but I fear his cap hit next year and am afriad we cannot pay him his $14M. I think as a fan, I'd want to ask Troy to take a substantial pay cut and let him finish as a Steeler, my guess is that he won't do it and will be gone.

    3.) After watching his play this year, is there any way to get out of Woodley's contract? He just seems to have decided that he's rich and that he's not going to try anymore. I don't think we can get out of his cap hit and when we re-signed him, I was thrilled that we re-signed him but he hasn't seemed to play well since. There's a piece of me that wants to offer Worilds a three year, Steeler friendly deal and play him and Jones next year and if no one will give us 5th round pick for Woodley we just release him. I don't think we save on the cap by doing so next year but wow he's been bad.

    4.) I've been a fan of Ike Taylor every since we drafted him in the 4th round and we figured he was "raw". I hoped beyond hope that DeMarcus Van Dyke would prove to be the same guy, boy was I wrong. Ike may be in the same fashion that Troy is next year. Too old to be a 10M+ cap hit. He's been a fantastic Steeler, if the dude could catch there'd be no such thing as Reevis Island, it'd be "Ike's playhouse" or something. But we are in re-building mode and a re-building team is not a place for a 34 year old $10M corner. Time to offer him a substantial pay cut or let him walk away and get younger.

    5.) Ziggy - let that guy walk. Maybe a 4-3 team will pick him up to be a backup.

    6.) Keisel - Ask him to sign a one year deal? Do we have a choice?

    7.) Sanders - hindsight always being awesome, we should have take NE up on the draft pick. Had we known we'd be 2-6 after the 9th week, we could have just let the young guys taken their lumps.

    There's so much more, but I need to actually start work.
    go to [URL]http://www.thebreastcancersite.com[/URL] to donate a free mammogram a day to women without health insurance.

  2. #2
    Legend

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    Agree on all points.
    "My team, may they always be right, but right or wrong...MY TEAM!"

  3. #3
    Legend

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    I still think Ben, Troy, Ike, and Woodley are talented football players. And you don't have to throw out the baby with the bath water. It's really a contract question. If we can afford them, keep them, if not let them go. I'd try to get some money back from all of them.

    Ben and Troy are still 2 of the most talented players in the history of the game and I don't see their skills diminishing yet. I think you try to keep them and get them some help and try to win now. The NFL used to be a league where it took many years to build and turn around a club. But nowadays, teams go from the top to the bottom in a season and vice versa. Those 2 are the key to any quick fix we could possibly get out of this club. Letting either go would be an admission that we're giving up on next season.

    I say you never give up. Play to win now. A lot more needs to be fixed of course.

  4. #4
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    Good thread.
    Personally i really really really hope we get rid of Woodley. Simply can't stand that lazy fat ass anymore. All that money totally ruined him. We need to get rid of him. His cap is only dead money, nothing else.

    As for Troy, i would like to see him being around another 2 years. However, obviously not under his current salary. So i hope he'd accept i a paycut, i am quiet optimistic he would. I think the only team Troy is interested in playing besides the Steelers are the 49ers. I doubt the'd pay him 10 million plus, though.

    As for Ben, i have already made my statements in other threads. In my dream scenario Ben would accept a paycut of 50%. He would still be an incredibly rich man at the end of his career, and at the same time he'd be a legend forver if he took one for the team. If Ben insists on his contract, time to say goodbye.

  5. #5
    Legend

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    great points..

    I think we are definitely coming to the end of an era but I think it's LeBeau's era. It's time to move on...

    Ben? What can I say... he plays ugly ball but we were somehow tied at 24 in the 3rd quarter. Fire the OL coach and draft an LT and see what happens. I would try to restructure Ben's deal to save some cash. I wouldn't dangle him tho... could be a real eye opener to how average the rest of the league views him. I have a hard time believing a team would give up a ton for Ben given how he plays the game.

    Troy... restructure or let him go...

    Ike.. I believe he restructured already but let's be real... he isn't a lock down corner. He's good but you could get decent production at half the cost.

    Woodley... hmm... not sure about him.

    Clark.... hello ESPN.

  6. #6
    Legend

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    Quote Originally Posted by Töm87 View Post
    Good thread.
    Personally i really really really hope we get rid of Woodley. Simply can't stand that lazy fat ass anymore. All that money totally ruined him. We need to get rid of him. His cap is only dead money, nothing else.

    As for Troy, i would like to see him being around another 2 years. However, obviously not under his current salary. So i hope he'd accept i a paycut, i am quiet optimistic he would. I think the only team Troy is interested in playing besides the Steelers are the 49ers. I doubt the'd pay him 10 million plus, though.

    As for Ben, i have already made my statements in other threads. In my dream scenario Ben would accept a paycut of 50%. He would still be an incredibly rich man at the end of his career, and at the same time he'd be a legend forver if he took one for the team. If Ben insists on his contract, time to say goodbye.
    I'd trade Woodley in a minute. Get a 2nd or 3rd round pick for him.
    "My team, may they always be right, but right or wrong...MY TEAM!"

  7. #7
    Hall of Famer

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    We've been in a 'Era" since Chuck Noll was hired. We're the Empire and it will continue..... Look up the stats on this team since 1970. For example- most wins, most div. titles, most Championships played in and won...SB trophies.... on and on......
    6- Time Super Bowl Champions......
    IX X XIII XIV XL XLIII

    2012 MNF Executive Champion






  8. #8
    Pro Bowler

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    Has Golden played much this year? I haven't seen many games because of work and haven't noticed much being said about him. Shark, looks like a player. Is the next starting safety even on the roster? Brown?
    go to [URL]http://www.thebreastcancersite.com[/URL] to donate a free mammogram a day to women without health insurance.

  9. #9
    Pro Bowler

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    Someone that knows tons more about cap room mentioned in another thread that at least next year there's nothing really to do about Woodley. He "Sanchez'ed" us...
    go to [URL]http://www.thebreastcancersite.com[/URL] to donate a free mammogram a day to women without health insurance.

  10. #10
    Legend

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    Nice ramble, Jim. Looking at your points I would say...

    1) Ben has two years remaining on his contract. The bonus portion of that (I believe) is approx. $13.6M. The team has to swallow that whether it is a trade, release, retirement etc. I can't see them doing that in a trade for picks, the only way I can see that is if they trade for a young QB. The savings portion would be $12.1M for 2014 and $11.6M for 2015. You don't restructure a player as many times as the Steelers have in order to dump him before the end.

    2) 2014 is his last season under contract so the numbers are straight forward. Cap hit = $10.8M and salary is $8.25M. Your dead money cost to get rid of him is about $2.55M. I can't see him returning next season at that number. I also can't see them giving him an extension unless it is disguised as a reduction i.e. sign him for two more years at $2.5M per, and turn much of his $8M salary nest year into bonus so that you have him for three more years at a cap hit of $5M per year. saves you $5M next season, but you continue to worry about his injury situation for three years. My best guess is either he is gone or he takes a drastic cut like they wanted Harrison to this year.

    3) Woodley is signed for three more years, and he was restructured this past off-season. That means that $5.4M of salary was pushed into the future as a bonus hit. His annual bonus charge is around $5.59M, which means that getting rid of him means that the team eats close to $17M in cap hit. Even doing something after June 1 isn't feasible. Like it or not, Woodley is a Steeler for at least one more year, more likely 2-3.

    4) Ike just did a restructure a week ago. He is here next year. Period.

    5) Hood is a FA after this season. I believe you get your wish on that one.

    6) I can see the big deisel retiring after this disastrous year. No reason for a guy who has participated in three Super Bowls to stick around to witness this.

    7) Sanders will probably be gone. I can see them grabbing a bigger WR in the draft to play opposite Brown. Hopefully some team goes big after him and we can get a decent compensatory pick after next season.

    Other points:

    Heath. Our favorite TE will be in the last year of his contract, so cutting him will save us over $6M in his salary. If we are starting over, then savings without additional cap costs comes in handy.

    9) McLendon. Since we seem ready to move on from our other two starters from day 1 this year, why not make it a clean sweep? We save $2.4M on a guy who has proven that he is not a starting NFL lineman. Whether we finally make Ovi happy and move to a 4-3, or try new players, McLendon is no answer.

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