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For all you naysayers see the paragraph in bold and underlined below 
Also interesting Starks comment.
Also interesting Starks comment.
By Jim Wexell
SteelCityInsider.com
Posted May 26, 2009
Draft day has come and gone and the Steelers have, reportedly, made all the right moves toward repeating as world champions.
TUESDAY, MAY 26
3:30 p.m.: In Saturday's Tribune-Review, Max Starks said that he hasn't been offered a multi-year deal yet by the Steelers. Today a top source with the Steelers said the Steelers have indeed offered Starks a long-term deal.
"He should communicate with his agent better if that's what he's saying," the source said. "I'd like to see the context in which he was quoted."
The Steelers are confident the sides will come to an agreement on a long-term deal with Starks before training camp. The source said the team isn't involved in any other serious contract negotiations because of Starks' current $8.4 million salary and its strain on the cap.
"We need to get the number down," he said. "And he's getting married and wants long-term security."
* OTA Session V was the workout in Washington D.C., and for Session VI the attendance was down a bit. Still out are the two starting safeties, as well as backup Tyrone Carter. So Roy Lewis and Ryan Mundy played with the first team at safety. They got help from cornerback Keiwan Ratliff, since emergency safety Deshea Townsend was also out. Hines Ward mentored a WR corps that also missed Santonio Holmes. Limas Sweed and Dallas Baker were the starting wideouts. Martin Nance returned to practice, but in a limited capacity. Defensive linemen Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel were also absent.
* Because of rain, the team practiced indoors and the punt return session was hampered. The roof is only so high, so Joe Burnett, Stefan Logan and Shaun McDonald had to pretend to catch a lot of kicks.
* Yes, I'm reporting on phantom punt returns by three guys who weren't on the team last year. You get it all here at SteelCityInsider.com.
* The rookie D-linemen -- Ziggy Hood and Sonny Harris -- did some work in a 4-3 alignment, bringing up the question again of whether Mike Tomlin is looking to convert to his more familiar 4-3 Chuck Noll defense that he learned from Tony Dungy in Tampa. Hood, after all, is better suited for a 4-3, so maybe that's what's on the back burner, particularly if Casey Hampton and James Farrior are in their final year or two.
* The opposite of Catch of the Day: Steven Black, two-time winner in the only two days of the award, dropped a pass today. Otherwise, the best Run After the Catch of the Day came from rookie Mike Wallace, who went high to haul in a short pass before darting down the sideline. He made a few jukes and showed enough quickness to get a pat on the hat from Tomlin.
* Willie Parker's spending a lot of time working on his receiving. He was off to the side with a coach today and looked like Ike Taylor a few springs ago.
* Speaking of the backfield, Rashard Mendenhall is looking beastly. He was Hard Charging Rashard today, with his knees up high and those big, thick forearms wrapped around the ball in an agressive looking-to-hit-someone posture.
SteelCityInsider.com
Posted May 26, 2009
Draft day has come and gone and the Steelers have, reportedly, made all the right moves toward repeating as world champions.
TUESDAY, MAY 26
3:30 p.m.: In Saturday's Tribune-Review, Max Starks said that he hasn't been offered a multi-year deal yet by the Steelers. Today a top source with the Steelers said the Steelers have indeed offered Starks a long-term deal.
"He should communicate with his agent better if that's what he's saying," the source said. "I'd like to see the context in which he was quoted."
The Steelers are confident the sides will come to an agreement on a long-term deal with Starks before training camp. The source said the team isn't involved in any other serious contract negotiations because of Starks' current $8.4 million salary and its strain on the cap.
"We need to get the number down," he said. "And he's getting married and wants long-term security."
* OTA Session V was the workout in Washington D.C., and for Session VI the attendance was down a bit. Still out are the two starting safeties, as well as backup Tyrone Carter. So Roy Lewis and Ryan Mundy played with the first team at safety. They got help from cornerback Keiwan Ratliff, since emergency safety Deshea Townsend was also out. Hines Ward mentored a WR corps that also missed Santonio Holmes. Limas Sweed and Dallas Baker were the starting wideouts. Martin Nance returned to practice, but in a limited capacity. Defensive linemen Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel were also absent.
* Because of rain, the team practiced indoors and the punt return session was hampered. The roof is only so high, so Joe Burnett, Stefan Logan and Shaun McDonald had to pretend to catch a lot of kicks.
* Yes, I'm reporting on phantom punt returns by three guys who weren't on the team last year. You get it all here at SteelCityInsider.com.
* The rookie D-linemen -- Ziggy Hood and Sonny Harris -- did some work in a 4-3 alignment, bringing up the question again of whether Mike Tomlin is looking to convert to his more familiar 4-3 Chuck Noll defense that he learned from Tony Dungy in Tampa. Hood, after all, is better suited for a 4-3, so maybe that's what's on the back burner, particularly if Casey Hampton and James Farrior are in their final year or two.
* The opposite of Catch of the Day: Steven Black, two-time winner in the only two days of the award, dropped a pass today. Otherwise, the best Run After the Catch of the Day came from rookie Mike Wallace, who went high to haul in a short pass before darting down the sideline. He made a few jukes and showed enough quickness to get a pat on the hat from Tomlin.
* Willie Parker's spending a lot of time working on his receiving. He was off to the side with a coach today and looked like Ike Taylor a few springs ago.
* Speaking of the backfield, Rashard Mendenhall is looking beastly. He was Hard Charging Rashard today, with his knees up high and those big, thick forearms wrapped around the ball in an agressive looking-to-hit-someone posture.
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