Steelers are setup to sign Ike

[steelz09]

I think the Steelers are setup now to sign Ike. They drafted Gilbert in the second and he will likely play RT.

That means that Gilbert will be setup to be the RT of the future. Now what does that do? That means the Steelers won't spend all the money on Colon. And Adams won't play beyond 2011.

With the money freed up longer term, Ike is now obtainable.

The Steelers had a decision to make. Sign Colon and let Ike walk or sign Ike and let Colon walk. They definitely couldn't sign both especially with players like Timmons, Woodley, etc getting ready for new contracts.

I think the Gilbert pick is writing on the wall. Steelers are going with Ike.

[Steelgal]

Re: Steelers are setup to sign Ike

Agreed... Here was a tweet from Wexell last night

"I'm hearing good things today about the chances of re-signing Ike. That's all I've got for you. Sorry to leave it short."

[Lebsteel]

Re: Steelers are setup to sign Ike

I have confidence that the Steelers will not pay a 31 year old CB a ridiculous sum of money for too many years....maybe a 4 yr deal worth $28 mil? More than that, I'd pay a much better and younger corner like Asomugha a few more mil per year.

[Shawn]

Re: Steelers are setup to sign Ike

Good post , and I agree. Ridiculous money? I would say Ike's contract will be in line with 4 yrs/32 million. Is he worth that? Absolutely.

[flippy]

Re: Steelers are setup to sign Ike

Ike's got a special bond with Rooney. There's no way I see him leaving. All this talk about him leaving is just his agent trying to get his client the best contract possible.

And I don't care about Ike's age. He's in perfect shape always. If he loses a step, he'll still be faster than everyone else. Plus he's the best tackling corner in the league and fits our defense perfectly. We just need some guys that can cover in the slot and we got one in Brown.

[SteelCrazy]

Re: Steelers are setup to sign Ike

I think the Steelers are setup now to sign Ike. They drafted Gilbert in the second and he will likely play RT.

That means that Gilbert will be setup to be the RT of the future. Now what does that do? That means the Steelers won't spend all the money on Colon. And Adams won't play beyond 2011.

With the money freed up longer term, Ike is now obtainable.

The Steelers had a decision to make. Sign Colon and let Ike walk or sign Ike and let Colon walk. They definitely couldn't sign both especially with players like Timmons, Woodley, etc getting ready for new contracts.

I think the Gilbert pick is writing on the wall. Steelers are going with Ike.

I think you figured out the Steelers front office......Makes sense to me and I hope it is dead on. You know this is a copycat league. so you may be getting a few calls to be a GM but you'd have to move to Detroit or San Fran.

[JUST-PLAIN-NASTY]

Re: Steelers are setup to sign Ike

Don't pencil in Gilbert at RT just yet. He has some skill to be our RG. Koogs liked how he moved in positional drill and Gilbert has G experience at Florida. He is capable of pulling and hitting targets in space as well as getting to the LBs. He's not a soft 330 pounds like Foster.

If Burton or Cannon are still on the clock at their 4th, things could get pretty good quick. If it is Cannon, theres your RT and Gilbert plays G. Colon walks and use his money somewhere else. If it is Burton, the CB situation could look pretty good if Ike is retained.

[NJ-STEELER]

Re: Steelers are setup to sign Ike

Agreed... Here was a tweet from Wexell last night

"I'm hearing good things today about the chances of re-signing Ike. That's all I've got for you. Sorry to leave it short."

good to hear

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: Steelers are setup to sign Ike

Agreed... Here was a tweet from Wexell last night

"I'm hearing good things today about the chances of re-signing Ike. That's all I've got for you. Sorry to leave it short."

If Wex is sorry about leaving it short, he should choose a social media that does not limit his correspondence to 140 characters.

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: Steelers are setup to sign Ike

Cook: Re-signing Taylor becomes a priority

Sunday, May 01, 2011
By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Relax.

So the Steelers didn't get the cornerback they needed in the three-day NFL draft? They are going to re-sign Ike Taylor.

They had better re-sign Ike Taylor.

The Steelers know that. That's why they didn't reach to take a corner with the No. 31 pick Thursday night in the first round. They could have taken Virginia's Raz-I Dowling, who went to the New England Patriots at No. 33, or Texas' Aaron Williams, who went to the Buffalo Bills at No. 34, but they didn't have either valued as a first-rounder. They made the right call taking Ohio State defensive end Cameron Heyward, who should help them for years.

The Steelers knew they have Taylor to fall back on.

They also didn't take a cornerback Friday night in the second round, although we'll never know if they would have picked Miami's Brandon Harris, who went to the Houston Texans three picks before their selection. Florida offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert was their choice. It never hurts to collect big, talented offensive tackles.

Again, Taylor is there to be re-signed.

The Steelers did get corners in the third and fourth rounds -- Curtis Brown of Texas and Cortez Allen of The Citadel -- but it's hardly reasonable to expect them to step in next season and be more than special teams contributors. They went as late as they did in the draft for a reason. There's much greater chance each will be a Keenan Lewis -- a bust so far after being the Steelers' No. 3 pick in 2009 -- than, say, an Ike Taylor.

There's that name again.

Some have speculated Taylor's price has gone way up for the Steelers because of the way their draft unfolded. Certainly, they need him now more than ever. It's hard to imagine them going into next season with Bryant McFadden and William Gay as their only veteran cornerbacks. It's not as if there's one out there in free agency whom they can afford or who fits into their defensive scheme, which requires a corner to tackle on run support as well as cover. You can forget about them signing Oakland Raiders free agent Nnamdi Asomugha to a huge deal. It's not their way to sell out for any free agent.

Taylor would be a fool not to use any leverage he has to his financial advantage. NFL careers are so short. A player has to make his money while he can. Taylor made it clear at the Super Bowl that, as much as he loves playing for the Steelers, giving them a home-team discount isn't necessarily a given. "You only get one shot at this kind of money. It's like hitting the lotto."

But Taylor might not have quite as much leverage as he and his agent think. The Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens took cornerbacks in the first round -- LSU's Patrick Peterson, Nebraska's Prince Amukamara and Colorado's Jimmy Smith, respectively. The Patriots got Dowling, the Bills Williams. The Texans traded up to get Harris. That's six fewer teams to bid on Taylor. The delay of free agency until after the draft because of the NFL lockout hurts him and all other veterans in his situation.

Of course, it only takes one other club to blow away the Steelers with an offer for Taylor. If that team steps up, the Steelers will let him go. They do not overpay for any player. You can't overpay. That's a rotten way to do business.

The guess here is Taylor will not get that outrageous offer. He has played eight NFL seasons without making a Pro Bowl, mainly because he can't catch the football. It's fair to think his value is greater to the Steelers than to another club because he knows their defense so well.

"I always get the other team's best receiver," Taylor said at the Super Bowl. "I'm used to it. Look at my tape. Look at anyone else's tape. I'm just as good if not better than anyone you pick."

As for all of those dropped interceptions?

"How do you define a shutdown corner?" Taylor asked. "Isn't it keeping the guy from catching the football? I think I do that as well as anyone."

The Steelers know what Taylor can do. They also have a pretty good idea what it will cost to do a new deal with him. They had preliminary discussions with him and his representative before the lockout put an end to such talks. They are not afraid of the number they will have to put on a contract for him. The feeling among people in the organization is they will get a deal done.

They had better be right.

Read more: [url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11121/1143306-87-0.stm#ixzz1L7hATU6f"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11121/11 ... z1L7hATU6f[/url]

[steelblood]

Re: Steelers are setup to sign Ike

Ike's got a special bond with Rooney. There's no way I see him leaving. All this talk about him leaving is just his agent trying to get his client the best contract possible.

And I don't care about Ike's age. He's in perfect shape always. If he loses a step, he'll still be faster than everyone else. Plus he's the best tackling corner in the league and fits our defense perfectly. We just need some guys that can cover in the slot and we got one in Brown.

Ike is a big physical corner. If he loses a step, he can still be a very good #2 corner later in the final year or so of his contract.

[aggiebones]

Re: Steelers are setup to sign Ike

I never understood the complaints about him. Yes, it would be nice if he could catch. But he is top end on the rest of the skillset for a CB. None are perfect. He does a pretty good job of preventing the other team from moving the ball. He's a very valuable member of our team.

[Oviedo]

Re: Steelers are setup to sign Ike

I never understood the complaints about him. Yes, it would be nice if he could catch. But he is top end on the rest of the skillset for a CB. None are perfect. He does a pretty good job of preventing the other team from moving the ball. He's a very valuable member of our team.

If he could catch he would be a WR. That is why most DBs are on that side of the ball.

[grotonsteel]

Re: Steelers are setup to sign Ike

In my book Ike Taylor is a good CB who gets tremendous help because of the pass rushers Steelers have. I would give him a contract of 4yrs- 28-30 million dollars. If he signs fine else i would go after CB like Carlos Rodgers or Jonathan Joseph from Bengals once CBA is signed. I think they are equally good or better than Ike.

[Oviedo]

Re: Steelers are setup to sign Ike

In my book Ike Taylor is a good CB who gets tremendous help because of the pass rushers Steelers have. I would give him a contract of 4yrs- 28-30 million dollars. If he signs fine else i would go after CB like Carlos Rodgers or Jonathan Joseph from Bengals once CBA is signed. I think they are equally good or better than Ike.

Both Rodgers and Joseph would want much more than the number you identified.

Also, don't forget the defense has been made so complicated that new players can't learn it and contribute early so anyone you bring in probably wouldn't be as good as Ike.