At Least For The Rest Of This Offseason...

[Discipline of Steel]

I think it shows we intended to sign someone at those positions and therefore the aforementioned must have been viable options at one point.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

So do you dislike the Steelers bringing these guys in? or that the fans thinking that they have no chance in signing them - thus it is a PR move? I just don't see it as a PR move. Why waste the time and energy? They probably glean a lot of info from these guys coming in. What's their health, their football IQ, how they see themselves contributing, etc.

It could just be plain old information gathering, same as the combine, pro days for rookies. These guys are just vets.

I respect your opinion. I think that in a rare case, when the player is coming off an injury, they genuinely do want their own physicians to check them out. But otherwise--and this would cover the vast majority of the professionals that they look at--I think they already know if they really want to sign the player (or have a realistic chance of doing so) before they ever bring them in.

[steelsnis]

I think that the Steelers, like other NFL teams, do a LOT of things to cater to what they think their fans might want.



I did read his post. But there were no "Steeler contracts" given to Delmas, Carrington, or MJD. How do the contracts given to the other guys "prove" that the Steelers were serious about trying to sign Delmas, Carrington, or MJD?

Do you honestly think the Steelers (or any other team) intends to sign every single person they bring in for a visit? These visits are interviews. Do companies plan to hire every single person they bring in for an interview? Absolutely not! Some aren't a great fit but you might be interested in meeting them and getting an idea of who they are. Some price themselves out of a job immediately. Some are great fits and the interview solidifies it. He11, some guys come in for Colbert and Tomlin to gather info on for possible future deals/trades, etc. Tons of reasons to meet with a free agent.

We're nuts if we think teams only do things to appease the fans. It's a multi-billion dollar business, no one is doing thingsfor the sake of appearances.

[SidSmythe]

I honestly think someone like MJD is brought in for 1 reason. Not to sign a contract but to kick tires.

Lets say June 1st rolls around and the Steelers were the only team that gave him a serious look.....then who would MJD turn to for a 1 yr contract when that time comes?? It's a long shot but obviously it was worth a try for the Steelers who were SERIOUS about adding a veteran back

[steelsnis]

I honestly think someone like MJD is brought in for 1 reason. Not to sign a contract but to kick tires.

Lets say June 1st rolls around and the Steelers were the only team that gave him a serious look.....then who would MJD turn to for a 1 yr contract when that time comes?? It's a long shot but obviously it was worth a try for the Steelers who were SERIOUS about adding a veteran back

Exactly right. It's all about gathering as much information you can about as many players you possibly can.

[hawaiiansteel]

there were no "Steeler contracts" given to Delmas, Carrington, or MJD.

I think it's very possible that with Delmas and Carrington that we were serious about the possibility of signing them but brought them in more with the idea of checking them out physically and where they stood injury-wise.

[steelblood]

The Steelers are notoriously frugal with ufa spending. It is the right approach especially when you don't have much cap space.

[Slapstick]

I did read his post. But there were no "Steeler contracts" given to Delmas, Carrington, or MJD. How do the contracts given to the other guys "prove" that the Steelers were serious about trying to sign Delmas, Carrington, or MJD?

Because we all know that those positions needed to be addressed...if they had brought in MJD, for example, and then signed no one at the RB position, your argument may have some merit...

[feltdizz]

When I go shopping for a big ticket item I like to window shop. Some may see it as wasting time but I've been able to find some great deals by walking into places I didn't plan on buying from. I think the Steelers are doing the same thing.

I like to see the prices on what I WANT vs what I can AFFORD.

[phillyesq]

I think that most of the Steelers visits were absolutely serious. Maybe they didn't like the medicals on Carrington. He visited a lot of teams before he signed with the Rams. The Raiders will overpay anybody they can find and he didn't sign there. Maybe it was a health issue. Maybe they didn't think he was worth the price.

They passed on Delmas but signed Mike Mitchell. Delmas has a higher cap hit this year, but the Steelers gave Mitchell more money overall. Delmas may have been a fallback.

As for MJD, maybe it was a courtesy visit - I believe that his agent also reps a current player, but I can't remember who. He stayed for 2 days, so they had to be serious about something.

I highly doubt that the Steelers voice interest in players to appease the fanbase. I think that even with FAs from other teams, the Steelers set a price, and the guy either signs for the price, or doesn't.