What to do with Beachum???

[Oviedo]

You should keep at least Williams and/or Spence to replace Timmons. I see no reason why you would voluntarily make one of your deepest positions your weakest. Both Spence and Williams are only 25 y/o and a lot cheaper than Timmons at 12.5 million this year and 11.5 million next. In addition to that, Timmons is going on his 9th season. That's a lot for a ILB.

Timmons is the best player on the defense and one of the most versatile. You don't let him go for one of two very average players in Williams and Spence. We are trying to make this defense better not tread water of take a dip. Williams and Spence will be much easier to replace with a young player from one of the next couple of drafts (not talking another #!) or even someone like Zumwalt than Timmons would ever be,

Until Timmons shows he isn't the best LB on the team talking about letting him go is dumb.

BTW--Timmons was 20 when drafted and turned 21 his first season with the team IIRC.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Vince Williams is the Ramon Foster of the defense, so it's no shock that Oviedo is advocating letting him go. You need guys like him who are hardworking, reasonably priced pieces to be the glue among your high priced superstars.

[Eddie Spaghetti]

Vince Williams is the Ramon Foster of the defense, so it's no shock that Oviedo is advocating letting him go. You need guys like him who are hardworking, reasonably priced pieces to be the glue among your high priced superstars.

spot on ruthless

[Oviedo]

Vince Williams is the Ramon Foster of the defense, so it's no shock that Oviedo is advocating letting him go. You need guys like him who are hardworking, reasonably priced pieces to be the glue among your high priced superstars.

I haven't said get rid of Williams but I have said you don't get rid of Timmons then take a step back to Williams. Wiiliams is a valuable back up not a starter like Foster, but to suggest that you replace Timmons with Williams is just plain dumb. The hread was about making financial decisions and that means weighing talent and contribution to investment. Timmons is much better than Williams not just a little bit.

[phillyesq]

The Steelers are fine this year, so you don't part with Timmons, at 29. It isn't really a question. Next year, at age 30, is Timmons worth an $11.8 million cap hit, vs. Vince Williams/Spence and $8 million to be spent elsewhere? And if he is, what do you do with him after next year?

The Steelers recent bout of cap woes was caused by giving too many third contracts. How much do you want to continue paying Timmons, particularly if Shazier becomes what we hope he will?

[RuthlessBurgher]

I haven't said get rid of Williams but I have said you don't get rid of Timmons then take a step back to Williams. Wiiliams is a valuable back up not a starter like Foster, but to suggest that you replace Timmons with Williams is just plain dumb. The hread was about making financial decisions and that means weighing talent and contribution to investment. Timmons is much better than Williams not just a little bit.

Your words for both Spence and Vince above are "Nope, let him go." I agree about Timmons and I hope we are able to work out an extension for him to make him more cap-friendly for the future, because after multiple restructures, Timmons' cap hit is a POWER OF TEN greater than that of Williams, and that simply can't be the case going forward...he's not THAT MUCH better.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

The Steelers are fine this year, so you don't part with Timmons, at 29. It isn't really a question. Next year, at age 30, is Timmons worth an $11.8 million cap hit, vs. Vince Williams/Spence and $8 million to be spent elsewhere? And if he is, what do you do with him after next year?

The Steelers recent bout of cap woes was caused by giving too many third contracts. How much do you want to continue paying Timmons, particularly if Shazier becomes what we hope he will?

The answer to these questions are we have to wait until next year and the following year to see. He will have to crash and burn this year in order to suddenly not be worth his pay. After next year, his contract is up. We can determine then what a 31 year old Timmons is worth, and hope that the valuation that his side comes up with falls in line with the valuation that the Steelers come up with.

[Oviedo]

Your words for both Spence and Vince above are "Nope, let him go." I agree about Timmons and I hope we are able to work out an extension for him to make him more cap-friendly for the future, because after multiple restructures, Timmons' cap hit is a POWER OF TEN greater than that of Williams, and that simply can't be the case going forward...he's not THAT MUCH better.

I guess we can disagree on the difference between Timmons and Williams. Williams is Larry Foote (-). He is not as good as Foote and he has serious deficiencies in pass coverage and blitzing compared to Timmons...the latter maybe because he isn't asked to do it or maybe because they know he isn't good at it.

Timmons is our best player on defense with Heyward. Williams may be the 8th or 9th best and likely will be mostly a back up starting this year. Him stepping in for Timmons is a step or two backwards.

[ikestops85]

I guess we can disagree on the difference between Timmons and Williams. Williams is Larry Foote (-). He is not as good as Foote and he has serious deficiencies in pass coverage and blitzing compared to Timmons...the latter maybe because he isn't asked to do it or maybe because they know he isn't good at it.

Timmons is our best player on defense with Heyward. Williams may be the 8th or 9th best and likely will be mostly a back up starting this year. Him stepping in for Timmons is a step or two backwards.

I think we all agree that Williams is a step back from Timmons but the point is you can't have all stars. So, if Shazier is going to be our Farrior I have no problem with Williams or Spence being our Foote. You need those types of players to win in this league. Every team has some stars so it's the fill players that can make a big difference.

[birtikidis]

I think we all agree that Williams is a step back from Timmons but the point is you can't have all stars. So, if Shazier is going to be our Farrior I have no problem with Williams or Spence being our Foote. You need those types of players to win in this league. Every team has some stars so it's the fill players that can make a big difference.

Sure you can, in Ovi land. I mean that's the only reason DL was ever any good. He had so much talent that a retarded monkey would have had a good defense.

[Shoe]

I guess we can disagree on the difference between Timmons and Williams. Williams is Larry Foote (-). He is not as good as Foote and he has serious deficiencies in pass coverage and blitzing compared to Timmons...the latter maybe because he isn't asked to do it or maybe because they know he isn't good at it.

Timmons is our best player on defense with Heyward. Williams may be the 8th or 9th best and likely will be mostly a back up starting this year. Him stepping in for Timmons is a step or two backwards.

Timmons may be our best player, but that is more an indictment of our D than it is an endorsement of him. You may value you clearly above a guy like Williams, and you are probably right. But at the same time, they're BOTH the same type of guy. i.e. Neither is a lead-dog, a guy you (as a defense) would hang your hat on. Timmons is a role-player, just like Williams. Now granted, he is an excellent role-player, but he still is a role-player. And he's as good as he's ever going to be at this point (i.e. a borderline Pro Bowl player).

It is all about value. No one is saying Williams is better. But is a cheap Williams (don't know how much he commands at this point) better than paying top-dollar for Timmons? That is the question. I lean toward the former.

[Slapstick]

Timmons was All-Pro in 2014.

[BradshawsHairdresser]

Timmons was All-Pro in 2014.

Probably deserved to be before that.

[Slapstick]

Probably deserved to be before that.

QFT (10 characters)

[RuthlessBurgher]

Kelvin Beachum will let “business people” take care of contract

Posted by Josh Alper on July 27, 2015, 7:25 AM EDT

Coach Mike Tomlin and General Manager Kevin Colbert have newly signed contract extensions with the Steelers to go with slightly older ones signed by defensive end Cameron Heyward and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger this offseason.

Left tackle Kelvin Beachum said he’s “really happy” for his teammates, but he’s not going to make waves when it comes to his own contract. Beachum is heading into the final year of his rookie deal and his third year as a starter on an offensive line has developed into a major strength for an offense that has high expectations.

“I’m here to play football,” Beachum said, via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “Let the business people take care of the business stuff.”

The Steelers have other contract issues to sort out in 2016 and the years to follow that will make it tough to hold onto everyone, but it wouldn’t seem to make much sense to extend Roethlisberger after a terrific season fueled in part by great blocking up front and then let one of his chief protectors walk away.

[URL]http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/07/27/kelvin-beachum-will-let-business-people-take-care-of-contract/[/URL]