Mike Wallace or 1st Round Pick

[Shawn]

Wallace would be gone but I could run behind that line. Well, once or twice.

Shoot maybe even a guy like me could run behind a line like that.

[steelblood]

I think you make valid points and that would certain relate to why Parker lost his speed so quickly. With that said, when watching an athlete what I have noticed is that other skills may still be intact but they lack burst, top end speed as they age. That is supported by the medical literature that speaks of sarcopenia (muscle loss) associated with aging tends to be type IIa muscle fibers which are fast twitch. It's likely why you will see a fighter like George Foreman lose speed but not knock out power.

So, when it comes to WRs who rely mainly on stupid speed to be dominant...I stand leary. They are possibly one injury, or one more season away from losing a step...and when that was what made them special...they are no longer special. Combine that with long term high money contracts and I could understand the Steelers leaning in a different direction.

I agree with Doc. Signing Wallace long term makes me very nervous. I also feel that his duck-footed running style and thin legs leave him more exposed to potential injury. When Wallace begins to lose his speed, he will become very average as most of the rest of his game is average. He could keep that speed for another 5 to 7 years. But, for some reason, I've overly concerned that he won't.

[Oviedo]

I'd keep Mike Wallace. We can draft a LB and get a decent OL later.

I think most of us agree to keep Mike Wallace but the real question is "at what cost?" The "cost" question is central to the argument. I don't care what other teams have spent on WR this off season, IMO it doesn't mean that we should do something stupid too.

Mike Wallace for <$8M per year is a GO for me; Mike Wallace for >$8M per year is a NO GO for me

[Sugar]

I think most of us agree to keep Mike Wallace but the real question is "at what cost?" The "cost" question is central to the argument. I don't care what other teams have spent on WR this off season, IMO it doesn't mean that we should do something stupid too.

Mike Wallace for <$8M per year is a GO for me; Mike Wallace for >$8M per year is a NO GO for me

I was simply responding to the thread. If given a choice between Mike and an additional first round pick I would choose Mike and it's not even close. While I'm cool with the BPA philosophy of the Steelers, I hope that they can find an ILB in round one but I don't think another draft choice is needed.

I don't worry about the cost. Colbert and Khan will figure that out.