The Steelers did not have a NT on the current roster to replace the Pro Bowler.  Most believed that if Hampton didn't sign a long-term deal, the Steelers would franchise him and most likely draft his replacement in Tennessee's defensive tackle (DT), Dan Williams.  Hampton was against the franchise tag, saying that "there would be problems" if the Steelers did franchise him.

The NFL's elite 3-4 nose tackles are both a hot commodity and a rare commodity especially with more and more teams switching from the 4-3 to 3-4 defense.  This is a win-win for both sides.  The Steelers can now concentrate on other 1st round draft needs including a safety, linebacker or offensive tackle.  It is very likely that the Steelers philosophy of drafting the "best player available" will happen to be one of those 3 positions of need.

Casey Hampton's contract includes 3 years, worth $21.3 million and includes a $6.5 million signing bonus.

Casey Hampton (NT) - The Steelers 33 year old nose tackle, Hampton is an unrestricted free agent.  The Steelers would like to sign Hampton to a long-term 3 year contract  but negotiations have not initiated an agreement between the two parties.  Although against Hampton's request, the Steelers are expected to place the franchise tag on  "Big Snack" Hampton for a 1 year contract with a payout of approximately 7 million.  It is expected that the Steelers and Hampton will continue to try to work out a long term contract.  If a long term deal cannot be agreed upon by the 2010 NFL Draft, expect the Steelers to seriously think about drafting Hampton's replacement.  The ideal candidate at this time appears to be Tennessee's DT, Dan Williams.

Jeff Reed (K) - Another high priority unrestricted free agent is Jeff Reed.  Although Reed has had his fair share of off the field troubles, Reed has been a staple of consistency at Heinz Field.  Heinz Field has proven to be one of the most difficult stadiums in the NFL to kick at, but Reed has excelled in field goal accuracy.  He has struggled in kick-offs which has been a "pain point" for the Steelers especially during the 2009-10 season.  With that being said, Reed is an underestimated player that has been clutch for the Steelers both during the regular season and post season.  The Steelers are expected to transition tag Jeff Reed for 2.6 million.

Although the NFL looks geared up to enter the 2010-2011 as an uncapped season due to the laboring agreement, the Rooneys, Kevin Colbert and the Steelers front office indicated that they will manage this season as if it were capped.

The following is a look at current Steelers players of interest for this offseason:

Willie Parker - Unrestricted free agent (UFA).  Parker is unlikely to get resigned unless he comes back very cheap.  Parker is looking for a starting role but isn't going to see that in Pittsburgh.

Deshea Townsend - The Steelers won't sign Townsend long-term but would like to bring him back for cheap.  Although, he's towards the end of his career, Townsend replaced William Gay late in the season.  Towsend provides depth and experience in the secondary.

Casey Hampton - Hampton must be the Steelers top offseason priority.  Although Hampton warned the Steelers not to use the franchise tag, the notion is that the Steelers are likey to tag Hampton regardless unless the two can agree on a fair 3 year deal.  The Steelers don't have a replacement for Hampton.  Chris Hoke is older than Hampton and is on the downside of his career.  It's doubtfut that Hoke can holdup for an entire season.

Josh Reed - Reed is very consistent at Heinz Field which is considered one of the most difficult stadiums in the NFL for kickers.  The Steelers would like to bring Reed back for a decent price despite his off the field troubles.  Reed does struggle with kickoffs which has consistently put special teams coverage in bad situations.

Ryan Clark - Another priority for the Steelers.  Clark is aging at 30 years old but is consistent and plays well with Troy Polamalu.  The downside is once Polamalu got injured, Ryan Clark was exposed and really struggled.  I see the Steelers signing Clark or Hampton but not both.  The Steelers could be looking to draft Clark's replacement in Texas' Earl Thomas or University of Southern California's (USC), Taylor Mays.

Willie Colon - Like it or not, the Steelers feel that Willie Colon is one of the better right tackles in the league.  He has been consistent and has played in every game the past 3 years.  Due to the labor agreement, Colon is setup to be a restricted free agent again and likey won't get a long-term offer until next offseason.

Tyrone Carter - The Steelers will most likely not offer the UFA, Tyrone Carter a contract.  Carter struggled in filling in for the injured Polamalu and his time is likely over in Pittsburgh.

More Steelers Draft and Free Agency (FA) information coming soon.... stay tuned!

Here's a list of action items that the Steelers should focus on during the bye week:

• Can the Steelers struggling pass defense stop Brandon Marshall and Kyle Orton?
• What should the Steelers do about Jeff Reed (i.e. and his fight with a fan at Heinz Field)
• What are the Steelers alternative approach without Casey Hampton next year (i.e. Hampton mostly likely won't be signed to an extension)
• Should Ryan Clark play against the Broncos with his medical condition? Should he even travel with the team?
• Is Lawrence Timmons injury prone (i.e. the next Kendrell Bell)? He needs this buy week to heal his sprained ankle that he suffered against the Minnesota Vikings. Timmons' injury is to his opposite ankle that he already injured (high ankle sprain) earlier in the season
• Should Limas Sweed see more playing time compared to Shaun McDonald?
• Should Mendenhall see more carries than approx. 15/game?

Rashon Harris

Lowest Priced Steelers Jerseys

The 6-4, 300 pound rookie defensive lineman from Oregon had the frame to pack on a few more pounds and potentially move to nose tackle in the Steelers 3-4 defensive front.  With Casey Hampton unsigned going into the regular season opener against the Tennessee Titans, Hampton is very unlikely to be signed to an extension.  Hampton has made it very clear that if he hits the "open free agent market", he won't be in the black and gold next season.  The Steelers won't overpay for Hampton and some other team will (i.e. Raiders, Washington, etc).  With aging Chris Hoke as the only other option at NT, Sonny Harris would have been a welcome, young addition to that lineup.

Since being hired in 2000, Kevin Colbert has had 1 OL player drafted in Round 1 (Kendall Simmons 2002). 1 2nd

Kevin Colbert

round pick was used on OL (Marvel Smith (2000). 2 3rd round picks have been spent on OT's (Starks & Essex), 3 4th rounder's were spent on OL (Hills, Colon, Nkwenti) & 7 picks spent on OL players beyond the 5th round (Only Kemoeatu & Okobi of any real note). What does it mean? Probably nothing. But it seems that Colbert run organisations place OL value in the middle rounds instead of the high rounds.

You think that this trend only began once he joined the Steelers? He was at the Lions before that- Jeff Hartings being the only 1st round OL & Aaron Gibson the only 2nd round OL to be picked on his watch.

Since 2000, 10 'skill' players (RB's, WR's, DB's & QB's) have been selected in the first 2 rounds. In only 2 years since 2000 have the Steelers NOT spent a top 2 round pick on a 'skill' position.

Since 2000, 11 LB's have been selected by the Steelers. Only in 1 year was no LB selected (2006).

Since 2000 only 3 players have been selected on Day 1 (first 3 rounds) that did not play for a good sized foot ball program- Trai Essex (Northwestern), Ben (Miami OH), Ricardo Colclough (Tusculum).  Conversely- 5 FLORIDA STATE players have been selected in the top 3 rounds in that time frame (The highest of all schools for the Steelers). FLORIDA STATE & GEORGIA are the two schools to have the most players selected by the Steelers since 2000 with 5 a piece. TEXAS is 3rd with 3. (This DOES NOT INCLUDE UDFA).

Since 2000 only 2 DL's have been selected in the first 3 rounds- Casey Hampton in 2001 & Kendrick Clancy in 2000. 9 DL's have been selected in Colbert's reign. The latest 2- Ryan McBean in 2007 & Orien Harris in 2006 were both 4th round selections. (To balance this- the DL has been set for the Steelers for some time).

THE BREAKDOWN
Since 2000

QB- 5 selected- 1 1st round pick & 4 5th round picks.

RB- 5 selected- 1 1st round pick, 1 5th round pick & 3 7th round picks.

WR- 9 selected- 2 1st round picks, 2 2nd round picks, 1 3rd round pick, 2 4th round picks, 1 6th round pick & 1 7th round pick.

TE- 5 selected- 1 1st round pick, 1 3rd round pick, 1 5th round pick & 2 6th round picks.

OT- 7 selected- 1 2nd round pick, 2 3rd round picks, 3 4th round picks, 1 6th round pick.

OG- 3 selected- 1 1st round pick, 1 5th round pick, 1 6th round pick.

C- 3 selected- 1 5th round pick & 2 6th round picks.

DT- 3 selected- 1 1st round pick, 1 3rd round pick, 1 7th round pick (Please note- Casey Hampton, selected in 2001, has started for 8 years with Chris Hoke his back-up most of that time- no real 'need' for this position).

DE- 6 selected- 2 4th round picks, 2 6th round picks, 2 7th round picks.

OLB- 7 selected- 1 1st round pick, 2 2nd round picks, 1 3rd round pick, 2 5th round picks & 1 6th round pick.

ILB- 4 selected- 1 2nd round pick, 1 4th round pick, 1 5th round pick, 1 6th round pick.

CB- 6 selected- 2 2nd round picks, 1 3rd round pick, 1 4th round pick, 1 5th round pick, 1 7th round pick.

S- 4 selected- 1 1st round pick, 2 3rd round picks & 1 6th round pick.

ST- 1 selected- 1 4th round pick

By Round-
1st round- 1 QB, 1 RB, 2 WR's, 1 TE, 1 OG, 1 DT, 1 OLB, 1 S (6 'skill', 3 'non-skill')

2nd Round- 2 WR's, 1 OT, 2 OLB's, 1 ILB, 2 CB's (4 'skill', 4 'non-skill')

3rd Round- 1 WR, 1 TE, 2 OT's, 1 DT, 1 OLB, 1 CB, 2 S's (5 'skill', 4 'non-skill')

4th Round- 2 WR's, 3 OT's, 2 DE's, 1 ILB, 1 CB, 1 P (3 'skill', 7 'non-skill')

5th Round- 4 QB's, 1 RB, 1 TE, 1 OG, 1 C, 2 OLB's, 1 ILB, 1 CB (7 'skill', 5 'non-skill')

6th Round- 1 WR, 2 TE, 1 OT, 1 OG, 2 C's, 2 DE's, 1 OLB, 1 ILB, 1 CB (4 'skill', 8 'non-skill')

7th Round- 3 RB's, 1 WR, 1 DT, 2 DE's (4 'skill', 3 'non-skill')

You will notice a heavier weighting on 'skilled' players in the first 3 rounds, while there is a heavier weighting on the 'non-skill' players in the middle rounds.

Round 5 is weird- 4 QB's?? It would seem that Colbert uses Round 5 to grab the 'BPA' more often than not, while leaning towards playmakers early & 'grunts' in the middle.

This might all mean nothing. After all, the Steelers have been set in many positions that appear to be 'negleted' for a number of years (Casey Hampton, Aaron Smith, Marvel Smith, Jerome Bettis, Hines Ward, James Farrior, Alan Faneca, Kendall Simmons, Jeff Hartings, etc)

But then again, if it's used as a guide to Colbert's 'draft weighting', we might find our guessing to be a little less 'random'...

Post provided by Chadman at the Planet Steelers Forum

Pittsburgh's defense doesn't exactly match up well against the high-powered Cardinals offense featuring Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Bolder and Steven Breaston.

Kurt Warner will pose a significant challenge against the Steelers.  Why you may ask.  The Steeler defense was ranking #1 in every statistical category but haven't faced a passing offense like the Cardinals.  However, the Cardinals have not faced a defense even close to the Steelers.  This is a very intriging matchup to say the least.  Warner has the quickest release in football (putside of Tom Brady) which  may neutralize the blitzing of LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison.  Then, if the Steelers send additional blitzers such as Troy Polamalu, Deshea Townsend, Lawrence Timmons, James Farrior then this could expose the secondary.  Kurt Warner has the experience and field vision to find the open receiver and pick the Steelers apart.  Very few quarterbacks we have faced, have the ability to do that; Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, and Kerry Collins to name a few.  Kerry Collins was very successful against the Steelers being very accurate and having loads of time to throw the ball.  It will be up to the Steelers defense to get to Warner quickly and early to force him into a few quick turnovers.  The New England Patriots gave the Steelers a very good blue print on how to get to Warner.

Expect Dick Lebeau to have a few tricks up his sleeve to make it a miserable day for Warner.  I see the Steelers getting 5 sacks, 2 interceptions, and holding the Cards offense to under 300 yards before becoming the only team in Super Bowl history to have 6 Lombardi Tropheys.

Here We Go Steelers!

1. ESPN

ESPN Magazine is having a story on the Steelers defense. The entire Steelers is on the cover of the magazine (see below).

2. Sports Illustrated

The Sports Illustrated cover features LaMarr Woodley, the Steelers 2^nd year pro, knocking Joe Flacco to the ground. Both of these will make a great addition to your Steelers memorabilia. Be sure to pick up your copies today. Check out a video of the Steelers ESPN cover shoot:

This is nothing new as Hampton has had similar problems in the past regarding his weight and in-shape status. What is new is that Mike Tomlin set an example of Hampton by placing the 4-time Pro Bowler on the physically unable to perform list (PUP). Kudos to Coach Tomlin for making an example of the veteran Pro Bowler. Hopefully, publicly humiliating Hampton for being too fat will be a motivational tool for the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive anchor.

Hampton showed up at training camp listed at 6-0 325 but looked about 6-0 350+. This comes as a disappointment because Hampton should know better. He has completed these sprints before and he knows what it takes to finish them. Now, instead of practicing he has to focus on losing weight.

I understand Casey’s argument; I’ve done this for 7 years… When will I ever have to run 100 yards? Well Casey, hopefully never but that’s not the point. The point is you shouldn’t have eaten yourself overweight and out of shape. Hampton was injured for half of last year and he isn’t getting any younger at 30 years old. Additionally, the Steelers defensive line is extremely thin (not literally) and we can’t afford any injuries this year. As for his comment about making the pro bowl last year, he and Polamalu made it off of past reputation. They did not make it due to their on field productivity. He should take some notes from James Farrior. Farrior is a workaholic and works harder with age because he knows that it’s going to take that much more conditioning to compete with the younger players in their low 20’s that this league is now producing. Casey has had a knee problems and last time I checked carrying an additional 25 pounds will not help matters.

Let’s hope for Casey and the rest of the Steelers that this is a wake-up call. Thanks goodness the season his upon us. Here’s to a successful and injury-free training camp -- Camp Tomlin part 2.