Steelers WR Mike Wallace deserves Larry Fitzgerald money

[steelz09]

Worth Of Mike Wallace: A Comparison To The Elite NFL Receivers

Friday, June 29th, 2012 by Jeremy Hritz

It’s the end of June and Mike Wallace still has yet to sign a contract with the Steelers. Although teammate Ike Taylor has now said on two occasions that Wallace will be in camp, there have not been any formal updates on the progress of a new contract.

Back on March 21^st, 49ers beat writer Matt Barrows reported that a 49er’s team source said they inquired about Wallace but were turned off because "he reportedly wanted" a contract that exceeded the one of Larry Fitzgerald, which is worth $128.5 million over eight years. Whether or not that is true we just don't know. The Steelers do not have a reputation for paying big money for wide receivers, and in fact, they have a history of letting them walk (see Yancey Thigpen, Antwaan Randle El, Nate Washington and Plaxico Burress). If Barrows’ report is accurate, it could be the primary reason for the delay.

The question has since been debated of whether or not Wallace is worth such a contract, but an interesting question is does Antonio Brown make Wallace less valuable to the Steelers?

To draw a valid conclusion here, we need to look at other top receivers in contract years and the second and third receivers on those teams. For the purpose of this article, we will take a brief look at Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, and Calvin Johnson.

Firstly, Wallace’s production is very comparable to Fitzgerald’s in his contract year (Fitzgerald: 93/1137/6-Wallace: 72/1193/7. However, when looking at the number two and three receivers for Arizona from Fitzgerald’s contract year, it is apparent those players, Breaston and Doucet, were not as effective as Brown and Ward. So even with Fitzgerald drawing primary coverage, Breaston and Doucet combined could not equal Brown’s performance (it has to be noted that they had Derek Anderson and John Skelton throwing the ball). This makes a case for Brown’s effectiveness.

When looking at Andre Johnson and Calvin Johnson in their contract years, their stat lines eclipse that of Wallace. Andre Johnson outgained Wallace by 376 yards and three touchdowns, while Calvin Johnson outgained him by 488 yards and ten touchdowns. The second and third receivers for Houston did not achieve what Brown and Ward did, yet Burleson and Young had more receptions and seven more touchdowns for the Lions.

Is Wallace asking for too much money? When considering the performance of Brown, the answer to that question may be yes. While the counter argument will be made that Wallace absorbed coverage that freed up Brown, what to make of his production after he established himself as a legitimate receiver?

Another point to made is that you Wallace’s drop in production cannot completely be attributed to coverage schemes. If bolstered coverage always accounts for a decrease in production, then what to make of Andre Johnson, whom with less-than-stellar number two and three receivers, was still able to rack up nearly 1600 yards and nine touchdowns (I’ll acknowledge Owen Daniels here who had 40 receptions for 509 yards and five touchdowns, but tight ends are not our focus).

So what does it all mean in the end? The Steelers probably feel confident about the abilities of Brown to be the primary receiver in the event that Wallace doesn’t sign long-term, considering the depth that they have at the position. Consequently, they are not willing to part with exorbitant money to pay him in the range of any of the receivers mentioned above. While Wallace has proven his value by stretching the field, he has not proven himself to be a complete receiver like Fitzgerald or either of the Johnsons.

The amount of money that Wallace allegedly wants would make him the highest paid Steeler, but in reality, only the most important and critical players should be paid as such. While Wallace is a tremendous talent that has made several huge plays in his first three years, he is not as vital to the team as is Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, or LaMarr Woodley. When either of these players misses a game, it impacts the win/loss column, and Wallace just isn’t in that category yet.

[URL]http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/jason_worilds_should_be_ready_by_training_camp_exp ects_to_stay_put_outside/11125595[/URL]

Wallace shouldn't even be listed in the same sentence (except this one) as Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson or Andre Johnson. They are better overall receivers and it's not even close. They are also much more difficult to defend. Another thing people fail to mention in all the "stats talk" is the QB. Look at Fitzgerald's current QB situation. Andre Johnson has been playing hurt and Shaub is no "Big Ben". Neither is Stafford. Stafford has almost missed a considerable amount of games.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Wallace shouldn't even be listed in the same sentence (except this one) as Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson or Andre Johnson. They are better overall receivers and it's not even close. They are also much more difficult to defend. Another thing people fail to mention in all the "stats talk" is the QB. Look at Fitzgerald's current QB situation. Andre Johnson has been playing hurt and Shaub is no "Big Ben". Neither is Stafford. Stafford has almost missed a considerable amount of games.

Schaub's started all 16 games twice. In those seasons, he threw for 4770 yards with 29 TD's and 15 INT's in 2009 and 4370 yards with 24 TD's and 12 INT's in 2010.

Stafford's started all 16 games once. In that season, he threw for 5038 yards with 41 TD's and 16 INT's in 2011.

Ben's best seasons were (yardage-wise) 4328 yards with 26 TD's and 12 INT's in 2009 and (efficiency-wise) 3154 yards with 32 TD's and 11 INT's in 2007.

I'm not saying that Schaub and Stafford are better than Ben, but those stats show that neither of them are scrubs by any means.

[steelz09]

Schaub's started all 16 games twice. In those seasons, he threw for 4770 yards with 29 TD's and 15 INT's in 2009 and 4370 yards with 24 TD's and 12 INT's in 2010.

Stafford's started all 16 games once. In that season, he threw for 5038 yards with 41 TD's and 16 INT's in 2011.

Ben's best seasons were (yardage-wise) 4328 yards with 26 TD's and 12 INT's in 2009 and (efficiency-wise) 3154 yards with 32 TD's and 11 INT's in 2007.

I'm not saying that Schaub and Stafford are better than Ben, but those stats show that neither of them are scrubs by any means.

I guess they both belong ahead of Ben on the top 10 QBs in the league list so we can hear more whining. Seriously though, do you think a team would have given up a 1st rounder in this years draft if Fitzgerald, C. Johnson or Andrae Johnson could be had? I think so. Wallace? Not so much.

[steelz09]

Schaub's started all 16 games twice. In those seasons, he threw for 4770 yards with 29 TD's and 15 INT's in 2009 and 4370 yards with 24 TD's and 12 INT's in 2010.

Stafford's started all 16 games once. In that season, he threw for 5038 yards with 41 TD's and 16 INT's in 2011.

Ben's best seasons were (yardage-wise) 4328 yards with 26 TD's and 12 INT's in 2009 and (efficiency-wise) 3154 yards with 32 TD's and 11 INT's in 2007.

I'm not saying that Schaub and Stafford are better than Ben, but those stats show that neither of them are scrubs by any means.

Wait, I thought running attacks couldn't be 'had' in this "passing league". See Houston.... See New Orleans. Last time I checked, they had pretty good running attacks.

[hawaiiansteel]

Can Mike Wallace Be Happy Playing In Pittsburgh?

July 2, 2012
By LG



Lets face it Mike Wallace wanted the Pittsburgh Steelers to show him the money this off-season. The Steelers haven’t done that. The question is Can Wallace be happy playing for a team that doesn’t think he is worth the kind of money he wanted?

Wallace is a talented receiver, the Steelers have always took a hard stand when it comes to contract negotiations. Pittsburgh has had a rich history in picking guys who turn into NFL star receivers, Wallace is one of those guys.

Training camps start this month and Wallace is still a Steeler. Will He come into camp and play his heart out for a team that doesn’t want to pay him?

There is no question about the fact Wallace can help the Pittsburgh Steelers win. Why the Steelers won’t pay him the money he thinks he is worth is anyone’s guess.

The Steelers made a lot of changes in the off-season to their offense. The Steelers will come into this training camp with lots of new things in place. If Mike Wallace is truly UN-happy in Pittsburgh, you have to wonder what his resolve will be.

[URL]http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/can_mike_wallace_be_happy_playing_in_pittsburgh/11133506[/URL]

[hawns]

It's a shame, Todd Haley's offense could help him blossom in some of the intermediate routes that he has not been as productive running, but if he holds out he will probably be utilized to still be a one-dimensional threat and not be able to command the Fitzgerald money that comes with being an all-around threat. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money, even if that means only (only?) playing for $2.7 million

[Oviedo]

It's a shame, Todd Haley's offense could help him blossom in some of the intermediate routes that he has not been as productive running, but if he holds out he will probably be utilized to still be a one-dimensional threat and not be able to command the Fitzgerald money that comes with being an all-around threat. Sometimes you have to spend money to make money, even if that means only (only?) playing for $2.7 million

That's the point I made when this all started. Wallace is missing out on what he needs to do to really be worth more money. Working out on his own is OK for cardio but it won't help him with the technique improvements he needs to have to really be great. Add to that he is now behind everyone else in learning offense, not insurmountable but needless for the needless and unproductive holdout he went through. The Steelers aren't going to cave so he is wasting his time not being here.

IMO all Wallace did is open the door for Brown and Sanders to prove to the Steelers they don't need to spend a huge amount of money on Wallace.

[hawaiiansteel]

Report: Steelers, Mike Wallace still not making any progress

JUL06 2012 WRITTEN BY PAUL JACKIEWICZ



According to Len Pasquarelli of The Sports Xchange, there’s been very little negotiating and no progress made between the Pittsburgh Steelers and wide receiver Mike Wallace.

I get the feeling that Wallace may decide to hold out for most, if not all of training camp. But sooner or later he’ll show up and play this season. I don’t see him holding out for the entire year. At the end of the day, he needs to make money just like everyone else.

[URL]http://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/report_steelers_mike_wallace_still_not_making_any_ progress/11168699[/URL]

[Oviedo]

Report: Steelers, Mike Wallace still not making any progress

JUL06 2012 WRITTEN BY PAUL JACKIEWICZ



According to Len Pasquarelli of The Sports Xchange, there’s been very little negotiating and no progress made between the Pittsburgh Steelers and wide receiver Mike Wallace.

I get the feeling that Wallace may decide to hold out for most, if not all of training camp. But sooner or later he’ll show up and play this season. I don’t see him holding out for the entire year. At the end of the day, he needs to make money just like everyone else.

[URL]http://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/report_steelers_mike_wallace_still_not_making_any_ progress/11168699[/URL]

Another piece of proof on how Wallace is wasting his time. Accomplishing nothing. The Steelers control him and until he bends to their will why should they negotiate with him.

[RuthlessBurgher]

No progress between Steelers, Wallace
Posted by Mike Florio on July 7, 2012, 9:31 AM EDT

To no surprise, the Steelers and receiver Mike Wallace remain at impasse.

Len Pasquarelli of the Sports Xchange reports that “there has been no progress, and, in fact, very little negotiation” between the team and the player, who is a restricted free agent.

There’s no reason for any progress to be made, because there’s no specific date before the launch of camp on which the two sides would move toward their bottom-line positions. Unlike franchise players, who have a July 16 deadline for signing multi-year deals with their current teams, the Steelers and Wallace can work out a long-term contract at any time before the Tuesday after Week 10 of the regular season. And if Wallace signs his one-year RFA tender before that in-season deadline, a multi-year deal can be done at any time thereafter.

Of course, not signing the one-year offer represents Wallace’s primary hammer for a long-term deal. But the Steelers have yet to show an inclination to give Wallace the kind of money he wants.

Wallace reportedly will sign the tender when he “has to.” The question remains when he believes he has to. Technically, he can hold out of training camp and the preseason and still get the full $2.77 million for 2012. But if he does that, he’ll be woefully unprepared to function in a new offense led by former Chiefs coach Todd Haley.

But once Wallace signs the one-year tender, his leverage for a multi-year contract disappears.

And while the Steelers didn’t use their own hammer on June 15, the day on which they could have cut his offer by more than $2 million, don’t look for the Steelers to blink. They know Wallace will want to have a big year as he approaches unrestricted free agency or the franchise tender. If they sit tight, he’ll likely eventually take the money early enough before the September 9 trip to Denver to ensure that he won’t be lost in Antonio Brown’s dust.

Then again, some would say that’s already happened.

[URL]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/07/07/no-progress-between-steelers-wallace/[/URL]

[flippy]

We won a SuperBowl with Ward, ARE, and Cedrick as our top 3 WRs.

Brown, Cotchery, and Sanders are better than that group. I think it would actually be good if Wallace didn't show up for 10 games to get Sanders some more playing time. Then he can come back fresh when everyone else is worn down and help us win a SuperBowl.

[RuthlessBurgher]

We won a SuperBowl with Ward, ARE, and Cedrick as our top 3 WRs.

Brown, Cotchery, and Sanders are better than that group.

I don't think we can really say that yet.

Comparing Ward and Brown is no contest at this point. Brown has had one quality season with 69 catches for 1108 yards a 2 TD's. Hines had 9 seasons in a row with 69 or more catches from 2001 to 2009. Hines surpassed 1000 receiving yards 6 times (and had a couple of other 975 yard seasons as well). And Hines equalled or surpassed Brown's career TD catch total in every season except for his rookie year, when he was more of a special teamer than a receiver.

Cotchery vs. Randle El is interesting, because their career numbers are so close. Jerricho has 374 catches for 4751 yards and 20 TD's in 8 NFL seasons, while Antwaan has 370 catches for 4467 yards and 15 TD's in 9 NFL seasons (plus rushing and passing production as well).

Sanders is thought to be oozing with potential, while Wilson is almost universally looked down upon by Steeler fans, but the fact is that their average NFL season is almost exact (25 catches for 332 yards for Manny, 25 catches for 338 yards for Ced...the only difference is that Manny averages 2 TD's per season in his short career, while Ced averaged just over 1 TD per season).

[hawaiiansteel]

No progress between Steelers, Wallace

Posted by Mike Florio on July 7, 2012



To no surprise, the Steelers and receiver Mike Wallace remain at impasse.

Len Pasquarelli of the Sports Xchange reports that “there has been no progress, and, in fact, very little negotiation” between the team and the player, who is a restricted free agent.

There’s no reason for any progress to be made, because there’s no specific date before the launch of camp on which the two sides would move toward their bottom-line positions. Unlike franchise players, who have a July 16 deadline for signing multi-year deals with their current teams, the Steelers and Wallace can work out a long-term contract at any time before the Tuesday after Week 10 of the regular season. And if Wallace signs his one-year RFA tender before that in-season deadline, a multi-year deal can be done at any time thereafter.

Of course, not signing the one-year offer represents Wallace’s primary hammer for a long-term deal. But the Steelers have yet to show an inclination to give Wallace the kind of money he wants.

Wallace reportedly will sign the tender when he “has to.” The question remains when he believes he has to. Technically, he can hold out of training camp and the preseason and still get the full $2.77 million for 2012. But if he does that, he’ll be woefully unprepared to function in a new offense led by former Chiefs coach Todd Haley.

But once Wallace signs the one-year tender, his leverage for a multi-year contract disappears.

And while the Steelers didn’t use their own hammer on June 15, the day on which they could have cut his offer by more than $2 million, don’t look for the Steelers to blink. They know Wallace will want to have a big year as he approaches unrestricted free agency or the franchise tender. If they sit tight, he’ll likely eventually take the money early enough before the September 9 trip to Denver to ensure that he won’t be lost in Antonio Brown’s dust.

Then again, some would say that’s already happened.

[URL]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/07/07/no-progress-between-steelers-wallace/[/URL]

[flippy]

I don't think we can really say that yet.

Comparing Ward and Brown is no contest at this point. Brown has had one quality season with 69 catches for 1108 yards a 2 TD's. Hines had 9 seasons in a row with 69 or more catches from 2001 to 2009. Hines surpassed 1000 receiving yards 6 times (and had a couple of other 975 yard seasons as well). And Hines equalled or surpassed Brown's career TD catch total in every season except for his rookie year, when he was more of a special teamer than a receiver.

Cotchery vs. Randle El is interesting, because their career numbers are so close. Jerricho has 374 catches for 4751 yards and 20 TD's in 8 NFL seasons, while Antwaan has 370 catches for 4467 yards and 15 TD's in 9 NFL seasons (plus rushing and passing production as well).

Sanders is thought to be oozing with potential, while Wilson is almost universally looked down upon by Steeler fans, but the fact is that their average NFL season is almost exact (25 catches for 332 yards for Manny, 25 catches for 338 yards for Ced...the only difference is that Manny averages 2 TD's per season in his short career, while Ced averaged just over 1 TD per season).

Fair enough and interesting stats. I was thinking collectively moreso than player vs player. In the collective sense, given that the young Steelers are still on the upswing, I'd give the current batch the edge.

Re: Ward vs Brown - Of course Brown is only 2 years and Hines is HOF bound (even though AB's jersey's already in Canton). Hines clearly has an edge in his route running, blocking, red zone production, and playoff performance. Brown's more dynamic with speed, elusiveness, YAC, YPC, and hands. And he's clearly really early in his career with a lot of upside. Not ready to anoint him as better than Hines, but it's possible he could be on that path if he stays healthy, productive, and keeps getting better.

Re: ARE vs Cotch - As much as I love ARE for his TD pass in XL, Cotchery is the better WR. Size wise and skill wise, Cotchery is built more like Ward and can move the chains like Ward on 3rd downs. He's a polished and reliable route runner. And Ward in his prime is 2x better, so I'd really think it would be fairer to compare Cotchery vs Ward's skillsets. And ARE and Brown are about the same size and I'd say Brown is already 3x better than ARE.

Re: Wilson vs Sanders - I don't think it'll be close. Sanders in his first 2 injury plagued years was as good as Ced was at the peak of his career. The only edge I'd ever give to Ced is his ability to complain about pass interference every time he didn't catch the ball. But of course, it's all oozing with potential for now.

As a unit, I remember back in the XL season, Ben had to hold the ball forever. Ward, ARE, and Ced couldn't get any separation whatsoever. Now we've hopefully got an improving line and WRs that are much more explosive and quick collectively. We're not going to have Ben waiting a minute for Ced to juke himself out of his own jock strap with his electrifying "start/stop" move.

It'll all be a moot point when Wallace comes back. Wallace, Brown, Cotchery/Sanders are way better than Hines, Ced, ARE.

[Oviedo]

No progress between Steelers, Wallace

Posted by Mike Florio on July 7, 2012



To no surprise, the Steelers and receiver Mike Wallace remain at impasse.

Len Pasquarelli of the Sports Xchange reports that “there has been no progress, and, in fact, very little negotiation” between the team and the player, who is a restricted free agent.

There’s no reason for any progress to be made, because there’s no specific date before the launch of camp on which the two sides would move toward their bottom-line positions. Unlike franchise players, who have a July 16 deadline for signing multi-year deals with their current teams, the Steelers and Wallace can work out a long-term contract at any time before the Tuesday after Week 10 of the regular season. And if Wallace signs his one-year RFA tender before that in-season deadline, a multi-year deal can be done at any time thereafter.

Of course, not signing the one-year offer represents Wallace’s primary hammer for a long-term deal. But the Steelers have yet to show an inclination to give Wallace the kind of money he wants.

Wallace reportedly will sign the tender when he “has to.” The question remains when he believes he has to. Technically, he can hold out of training camp and the preseason and still get the full $2.77 million for 2012. But if he does that, he’ll be woefully unprepared to function in a new offense led by former Chiefs coach Todd Haley.

But once Wallace signs the one-year tender, his leverage for a multi-year contract disappears.

And while the Steelers didn’t use their own hammer on June 15, the day on which they could have cut his offer by more than $2 million, don’t look for the Steelers to blink. They know Wallace will want to have a big year as he approaches unrestricted free agency or the franchise tender. If they sit tight, he’ll likely eventually take the money early enough before the September 9 trip to Denver to ensure that he won’t be lost in Antonio Brown’s dust.

Then again, some would say that’s already happened.

[URL]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/07/07/no-progress-between-steelers-wallace/[/URL]

Why do these morons keep thinking Wallace has "leverage?" Wallace has nothing. The Steelers control him for the next two years. He had better be worried about being lost in Brown's dust, because Brown is hungry and can easily prove he is a better all around receiver than Wallace.

If Wallace keeps acting the a$$ trade him just like the Pats did to Deon Branch who thought he was the sh!t too.