See You Ike: No Tears Shed When You Leave

[MadSteel]

Re: See You Ike: No Tears Shed When You Leave

If Ike wants to go, the Steelers should let him get his big payday.

He is 31 and the Steelers make very few exceptions on paying players of that age, huge money. Especially considering that one of his best attributes in his speed and lets face it... speed is slowed by age.

Thats probably why Ike wants this big payday, because he knows what the Steelers know.

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: See You Ike: No Tears Shed When You Leave

Betrayed By The Ones We Love: When A Free Agent Signs With A Bitter Rival

by Anthony Defeo on Jul 3, 2011


On Friday, Penguins fans learned that former star forward Jaromir Jagr would not be returning to the team after a decade-long absence. Jagr, instead, committed the sin of signing with Pittsburgh's most bitter hockey rival: The Philadelphia Flyers. Most Pens fans that I know were ready to welcome Jagr back even though his relationship with the team was strained for many years. When it was announced that Jagr would instead be playing over in Philadelphia, the general sentiment was, "Once a jerk, always a jerk! Good riddance to bad rubbish!"

Soon after, however, Pens fans received more bad news: Max Talbot, one of the most popular and charismatic members of Pittsburgh's recent playoff and Stanley Cup teams, also signed with the Philadelphia Flyers.

The reactions to both signings were pretty potent but I think Talbot's departure to Philly was a little tougher to swallow.

Most fans couldn't understand how a player that accomplished so much with the Penguins' organization could even think about signing with the Flyers.

Of course, this is nothing new in sports. It's been happening for as long as free agency has been around. I remember back in the 90's when Raiders' legend Marcus Allen left to sign with their most hated rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs. Back then, I thought, "Wow, that's incredible! How could he do that?" But of course, knowing the bad relationship that had developed between Allen and Raiders' owner Al Davis, it was probably an intentional slap in the face to Davis and the entire organization.

A more recent example in pro sports was Johnny Damon, one of the heroes of Boston's 2004 World Series victory, leaving the Red Sox to sign with the rival New York Yankees after saying he would never, ever sign with New York no matter how much money they offered.

In most cases, a high-profile free agent has several options so why go play for a rival?

I know it's a business, but I think we, as fans, like to believe that the rivalries are just as important to the players as they are to us. When we see our favorite guys out there day-after-day, week-after-week, and year-after-year playing in absolute wars against a hated opponent, we want to believe that the last thing they'd ever want to do is play on the same team as the "bad guys".

For instance, one of the things that Talbot was most famous for during his time in Pittsburgh was his fight in a playoff game at Philadelphia and his subsequent "shhhhhhhhhhhh!" to the Flyers fans as he left the ice. That fight was seen as a momentum-shifter in the game as the Penguins came back and eliminated Philadelphia on the way to eventually capturing the 2009 Stanley Cup.

"Shhhhhhh!" t-shirts were made; Talbot even issued another celebratory "Shhhhhhhh!" to Penguins' fans during the team's victory parade. Now he's going to be playing for the Flyers? Ouch!

Talbot was far from a great player with the Penguins but he was the hero of game 7 of that Stanley Cup win over the Red Wings with his two clutch goals.

Antwaan Randle El wasn't a great player when he played for the Steelers the first time around, but, like Talbot, he was one of the most popular players with the fans and a Super Bowl XL hero after his famous touchdown pass to Hines Ward that sealed the victory. Imagine if Randle El would have signed with the Patriots instead of the Redskins.

I sure wouldn't have liked it very much.

Someone mentioned that Talbot going to the Flyers is like Woodson winding up in Baltimore in the late 90's after he left Pittsburgh. I think that's a bit of a stretch and a little revisionist history. In the years that Woodson was with Baltimore, the Jaguars and Titans were regarded as the Steelers most-hated divisional rivals in the then AFC Central. I don't think Steelers fans started looking at the Ravens as "Enemy Number One" until after Woodson had already left Baltimore.

Ike Taylor is up for free agency once this lockout ever ends. If he cannot come to an agreement with the Steelers and instead decides to sign elsewhere, is there a team that you would absolutely not want him to sign with and if he did, would you ever be able to forgive him?

Has there ever been a Steeler that has signed with another team that you simply could not stomach?

[url="http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2011/7/3/2257422/betrayed-by-the-ones-we-love-when-a-free-agent-signs-with-a-bitter"]http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/20 ... h-a-bitter[/url]

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Re: See You Ike: No Tears Shed When You Leave

It all comes down to money. . .and performance expected for money invested. Which tells me that Ike will most likely not be back with the Steelers.

The Steelers outsmarted themselves on this one by failing to negotiate a year ago. They could have gotten a reasonable deal at that time.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: See You Ike: No Tears Shed When You Leave

It all comes down to money. . .and performance expected for money invested. Which tells me that Ike will most likely not be back with the Steelers.

The Steelers outsmarted themselves on this one by failing to negotiate a year ago. They could have gotten a reasonable deal at that time.

They likely would have done so, if they had know what the parameters of the new CBA would be. How can you determine where someone would fit into a future salary cap that has not been determined yet?

[feltdizz]

Re: See You Ike: No Tears Shed When You Leave

It all comes down to money. . .and performance expected for money invested. Which tells me that Ike will most likely not be back with the Steelers.

The Steelers outsmarted themselves on this one by failing to negotiate a year ago. They could have gotten a reasonable deal at that time.

I think they weighed both scenarios and decided not to resign him a year ago....

[sentinel33]

Re: See You Ike: No Tears Shed When You Leave

Geez

couple months ago I thought there was no way we wouldnt sign him.
now he's pretty much out the door.

Hope he finds what he's lookin for. always appreciated Ike. dude worked his way up from 4th round pick to big payday. he deserves it. just to bad that the steelers wont be able to offer him the type of contract he's lookin for.

I also think the steelers are, again, playin it well.

Ike is great here in pittsburgh because he is surrounded by playmakers. he will be asked to do more elsewhere. should be interesting.

Hope C. Lake is as good on the sideline as he was on the field.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Re: See You Ike: No Tears Shed When You Leave

Geez

couple months ago I thought there was no way we wouldnt sign him.
now he's pretty much out the door.

Hope he finds what he's lookin for. always appreciated Ike. dude worked his way up from 4th round pick to big payday. he deserves it. just to bad that the steelers wont be able to offer him the type of contract he's lookin for.

I also think the steelers are, again, playin it well.

Ike is great here in pittsburgh because he is surrounded by playmakers. he will be asked to do more elsewhere. should be interesting.

Hope C. Lake is as good on the sideline as he was on the field.

Carnell might be the best DB coach in the world, but you can only do so much with mediocre talent. The best chef in the world can't make filet mignon out of tuna fish.

Will the Steelers survive losing Ike? Sure, but I think they're going to have to make a major adjustment to the way they play this season. Gonna have to crank up the offense and put more points on the board, because they're likely going to give up a lot more.

Long term, this could be turned into a positive IF Steelers can learn how to maximize offense's capabilities and IF some of the young CB's can develop.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Re: See You Ike: No Tears Shed When You Leave

It all comes down to money. . .and performance expected for money invested. Which tells me that Ike will most likely not be back with the Steelers.

The Steelers outsmarted themselves on this one by failing to negotiate a year ago. They could have gotten a reasonable deal at that time.

I think they weighed both scenarios and decided not to resign him a year ago....

I think they thought either Keenan Lewis would be ready to step up by now and/or that they would be able to get Ike on the cheap this offseason. They found out they were wrong on both counts.

Look, they've made more good decisions than bad in recent years, so I'm not going to rag on them too much....but I have to wonder about spending all that money last offseason to re-sign backups like Larry Foote and Antwaan Randle-El, while at the same time choosing not to negotiate with their #1 CB. Major boner, IMO.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Re: See You Ike: No Tears Shed When You Leave

It all comes down to money. . .and performance expected for money invested. Which tells me that Ike will most likely not be back with the Steelers.

The Steelers outsmarted themselves on this one by failing to negotiate a year ago. They could have gotten a reasonable deal at that time.

They likely would have done so, if they had know what the parameters of the new CBA would be. How can you determine where someone would fit into a future salary cap that has not been determined yet?

Didn't stop them from signing other players to long-term contracts last offseason.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: See You Ike: No Tears Shed When You Leave

It all comes down to money. . .and performance expected for money invested. Which tells me that Ike will most likely not be back with the Steelers.

The Steelers outsmarted themselves on this one by failing to negotiate a year ago. They could have gotten a reasonable deal at that time.

They likely would have done so, if they had know what the parameters of the new CBA would be. How can you determine where someone would fit into a future salary cap that has not been determined yet?

Didn't stop them from signing other players to long-term contracts last offseason.

What players? In a cap free environment, they signed good locker room guys but backup types like Antwaan Randle El, Larry Foote, Byron Leftwich, and Bryant McFadden. Once the cap was reinstated, they could easily dump guys like this if they have outlived their usefulness (no huge bonuses that could come back to bite us in the @$$).

They did not sign anyone to big money cornerstone contracts that would require eight-figure signing bonuses like LaMarr Woodley or Ike Taylor, because they knew they would need other guys who would want eight-figure signing bonuses shortly thereafter, such as Lawrence Timmons, Troy Polamalu, and Mike Wallace. You need to know what your overall budget looks like before you can start splurging on big-ticket items.

[steelernation77]

Re: See You Ike: No Tears Shed When You Leave

Woah seriously? Ike has been a good corner for several years and an integral part of our D. Sometimes this board pains me.

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: See You Ike: No Tears Shed When You Leave

Woah seriously? Ike has been a good corner for several years and an integral part of our D. Sometimes this board pains me.

Signing Taylor looms as Steelers' top priority

Wednesday, July 06, 2011
By Ray Fittipaldo, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor is an unrestricted free agent.


When the Steelers did not sign Ike Taylor to a new contract before last season it left open the possibility that their starting cornerbacks for 2011 could be Bryant McFadden and William Gay.

Taylor will be the Steelers' top priority in free agency when the lockout ends, but that does not mean they will be able to come to terms with the best cornerback on their roster.

Taylor, a nine-year veteran, is an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team once a new collective bargaining agreement is reached. He is the Steelers only starter from last season who is an unrestricted free agent.

Willie Colon, the starter at right tackle in 2009, is likely to be an unrestricted free agent once the lockout ends but he missed last season with an Achilles injury.

Taylor, a starter since 2005, is generally regarded as one of the top four free-agent cornerbacks set to hit the open market. Oakland's Nnamdi Asomugha is the consensus top cornerback with Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals Jonathan Joseph and the New York Jets Antonio Cromartie in the next tier.

The NFL's usual free-agency period, which happens in March, did not take place this season because of the lockout. As a result, there likely will be a shortened period for signing free agents.

A target date for the lockout to be settled is July 15, which would give free agents about one week to sign before teams go to camp. The Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams are scheduled to start training camp July 23. They are the first NFL teams to open camp this year because they are playing in the Aug. 7 Hall of Fame game.

Taylor's agent, Joel Segal, would not comment on whether he spoke with the Steelers about a new contract before the lockout began, but he expects a quick resolution once the shortened free-agency period begins.

"The free-agent period will be fast," Segal said Tuesday. "Teams are going to be prepared. Deals will be done at a rapid rate."

Taylor, who previously stated his desire to retire as a Steeler, completed the final year of a five-year, $22.5 million contract that he signed in 2006. Segal also would not comment on where the bidding for Taylor's services might start, but he said Taylor is "one in a handful of top cornerbacks" in free agency.

Here is how Taylor stacks up against Asomugha, Joseph and Cromartie.

• Taylor is the best of the bunch in run support with 481 career tackles. He has 11 career interceptions but never has been selected to the Pro Bowl.

• Asomugha is a four-time Pro Bowl selection, has 11 career interceptions and 310 tackles. He entered the league the same year as Taylor, 2003.

• Joseph, who entered the league in '06, has 14 career interceptions and 272 tackles, but has missed 12 games over the past three seasons with injuries.

• Cromartie, who also entered the league in '06, has 18 career interceptions and 207 tackles. He made the Pro Bowl in '07.

If the Steelers can't sign Taylor to a new contract, it is unlikely they would sign another player from the first tier of free-agent corners, assuming they command comparable dollar figures, because of the comfort level between the Steelers and Taylor and Taylor's knowledge of the defense.

If Taylor signs elsewhere, the Steelers could be interested in the next tier of free-agent cornerbacks because the other corners on the roster with experience besides McFadden and Gay are Crezdon Butler and Kennan Lewis.

The second-tier free-agent group includes Drayton Florence, Chris Carr and Carlos Rogers. Florence is a nine-year veteran who has played for San Diego, Jacksonville and Buffalo. Carr is a seven-year veteran of the Raiders, Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens. Rogers, the No. 9 overall pick in '05, spent his first six seasons with the Washington Redskins.

The Steelers drafted two corners in April -- Curtis Brown of Texas in the third round and Cortez Allen of the Citadel in the fourth.

Read more: [url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11187/1158422-66-0.stm#ixzz1RIJP2vYF"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11187/11 ... z1RIJP2vYF[/url]

[D Rock]

Re: See You Ike: No Tears Shed When You Leave

Drayton Florence would be serviceable for a year or two, and probably fairly cheap....seeing as how he has become a journeyman now.

[hawaiiansteel]

Re: See You Ike: No Tears Shed When You Leave

Steelers Insider Ed Bouchette On The Fan

July 6, 2011



PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) – 93.7 The Fan’s Steelers’ Insider Ed Bouchette joined The Fan Morning Show Wednesday during his vacation to guest host and talk about the Steelers.

Bouchette thinks free agent cornerback Ike Taylor will end up staying with the Steelers.

“But I’m not gonna say 100 percent,” Bouchette said about the Steelers’ 2003 draft pick. “Ike Taylor is obviously their best cornerback, but he’s become Mel Blount over the past two months. I don’t put him in that category. They don’t wanna lose him, but it’s not like they are gonna lose a big piece of the puzzle, I don’t think.”

Steelers tackle Willie Colon is expected to be an unrestricted free agent, and the Steelers could be without him and Taylor.

Colon ruptured his Achilles tendon last June and because of that, Bouchette doesn’t know what teams will be interested in him. But Bouchette believes Colon won’t be a Steeler anymore.

“He wants to stay, really wants to stay,” Bouchette said about Colon. “However, he’s coming off an Achilles injury, and is there someone out there that is going to give him some big bucks? I don’t know think so.”

As for the NFL Lockout, Bouchette said if there is a deal made this week then training camps can start on time.

“If they don’t, it’s gonna be a little iffy,” he said.

[url="http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/07/06/steelers-insider-ed-bouchette-on-the-fan/"]http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2011/07/ ... n-the-fan/[/url]

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: See You Ike: No Tears Shed When You Leave

What is "I don’t know think so" supposed to mean?