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Fan Comments
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The following articles are listed in the order they were received (with the most recent entries at the top). This isn't a "guestbook" format... I read and manually insert every message, so you may not see your submission show up immediately. Thanks a million for your comments, people!
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Submitted by Tommy "Fleetwood 'N' Julio" Coleman
In response to Barry Fox, Huntley has to play third down because Bettis can't play more than two
downs in a row before his "breathing disorder" kicks in. Look, I'm not the
type of person to knock our current players... my main problem with Jerome is
his "shameless self-promotion!" It's fine to market yourself, but not at the
expense of the team (flying to L.A. to do "Wheel of Fortune" during a short
week in post season) or saying "it's all about one for the thumb" when
you can't get a one yard gain on 4th and 1 and 1st and goal from the one,
all season long.
Your assestment of Huntley as a scat back is not correct, in my opinion. He is
big and bad and 6.1+ yards a carry ain't too shabby. Amos Z. is more fitting to the
"scat" back mold. Which brings me to my main point... Running back is the one
position the Steelers have depth at and can afford to maneuver
with! Bettis is the best value for trade bait. His contract $ amount and last
year status does not help, nor does the "UNTIMELY" surgery on his ankle.
Jerome can't be the man without a "DOMINANT" O-Line, and that started to be a
problem with the loss of Justin (A is for attitude... NASTY THAT
IS )Strzelczyk and the retirement of Will Wolford. Oy Vei!
Now, if they DO re-sign Bettis, think how nice it would be to have Stockar
McDougle blocking for him. And Chad Pennington throwing and...etc.,etc., etc. Either way,
Keep the faith,
Tommy
Submitted by Barry Fox
Huntley is not a bad back when he's not coughing up the
ball, but no way is the starter. I want to take you to back
a few years when the Redskins had a great offensive line and two good backs.
Ernest Byner was your power runner, and Ricky Ervins was the backup. Though
Ervins was fast ,he could not hit the holes like Byner. The Steelers have Bettis
as the power runner and huntley as the scat back, but Bettis has to start. I
don't care what anybody says... Huntley is not a every down back. He is great on draw
plays and third downs.
Submitted by Keith Thomas
Tim & Sandy,
Congrats on the birth of your new son! He's a fine looking baby . I hope Sandy and Craig are both doing well
also.
So, what're your feelings with these suddenly "free agent-aggressive"
Steelers? Boy, does that sound strange to say. Overall, I'd say the best
move so far was the signing of Kent Graham. This guy is definitely no
superstar, but I really think he will push Kordell when training camp
rolls around. Also, the signing of Tylski sounds like a pretty solid
move on the offensive line. However, the signing of Kimo Von Olehoffen
and Cris Sullivan don't make up for the loss of Orpheus Roye in
my opinion. I still say losing Roye will come back to haunt them
before it's all said and done. What's up with this Bettis/Huntley
situation? I can't see the Steelers being able to afford both of these
guys. Now that Huntley has signed his 3-yr deal with a $1 million
signing bonus, one has to wonder if they're getting ready to unload
Bettis. If they do, I feel like they're making a big mistake. I'll
agree that Huntley has shown some flashes, but the guy has never proven
it over the long haul.
Tom Bragg
http://community.webtv.net/francoharris/TomsPittsburgh
Submitted by Keith Thomas
Tim,
Do you know if the rumors about dumping Bettis are correct? I think that would be a huge mistake.
Huntley is not a 20-25 carry a game back, and I'm still not convinced he
can be the game-in, game-out starter.
Bettis may not have the O-Line in front of him blocking that he needs,
but he's the only legitimate Pro-Bowler we have on Offense
I really hope they are not planning to dump him.
Later,
Keith Thomas
Submitted by Jim Grant
Tim, baby, and all... I know you are busy,but I need help...
What the f*ck is going on in the 'burgh? Who is running this vessel? Are
you kidding? Huntley is out for picks or a player according to Rooney, THE
OWNER... now the BUS is out. What the f*ck is this bulls*it? One guy says
one thing and the coach now says Bettis is out. What the f*ck are we? The
LA Clippers" Directionless??? How did we fall so far so fast? I'm
adamantly pissed! I love the BUS... and now he is gone? Why? Richard
Huntley? Are they smoking crack, or what?
Why is all this s*it going down? How can we get rid of the BUS for HUNTLEY?
Please e-mail me with with... an explanation... GURU... gran22@hotmail.com. WHY???
Jim Grant
Submitted by Tommy "Fleetwood 'N' Julio" Coleman
911!
Keep Huntley!
Trade Bettis!
Draft Stockar McDougle!
Stai? injured alot but productive when healthy.
Submitted by Jim Grant
I was originally against a free agent signee at quarterback. I felt we
should go with 'Czak because I didn't want to spend a ton of money.
However, I like Graham it is an upgrade over 'Czak for certain. Also, I
think he can be a competent starter. He has a strong arm and has had some
success. Perhaps he can take some pressure off of the Bus and with a
semblance of a passing game, I still believe this is a playoff team. I
also agree with the Rooney's on one point of free agency... not throwing wild sums of money at people (a la Orephus Roye)...the money he
got for 4 1/2 sacks is ridiculous. With these moves and a decent draft,
they could be on to something.
Jim Grant
Submitted by Bob Carapella
TIM, YOU ARE 110% RIGHT... THERE IS HOPE FOR US YET. MAYBE 8-8 NEXT YEAR.
I LIKE THE FACT WE HAVE BROUGHT IN WILLIE CLAY AND LARRY THARPE TO LOOK
AT. AT LEAST WE ARE LOOKING FOR TALENT... THIS WOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED
WITH DONOHUE AT THE HELM. NOW, WHAT WE HAVE TO DO IN THE DRAFT IS AS
FOLLOWS: IF PLAXICO BURRESS OR COREY SIMON OR CHRIS SAMUELS ARE GONE BEFORE
WE DRAFT, WE SHOULD TRADE DOWN AND GET ANOTHER 3RD ROUND PICK AND TAKE EITHER
DEZ WHITE, OR TRAVIS TAYLOR OR SYLVESTER MORRIS. AFTER WE DO THIS WE SHOULD
PACKAGE SOME DRAFT PICKS MAYBE A 3RD 4TH AND 5TH PICK AND GET ANOTHER 2ND
ROUND PICK. AND TAKE IN THE 2ND ROUND BOTH MARIO EDWARDS CB AND OR MAO TOSI
OR ROBAIRE SMITH DEFENSIVE ENDS. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
Submitted by Keith Thomas
The Steeler's free agency woes in the 1990's are well documented.
What's not is well documented as the successes. First, in the early
days of Free Agency, the Steelers did a great job of signing veterans
that the WANTED to keep before they became free agents. (Rod, Lloyd &
Barry Foster in 1993, Thigpen in 1995, Dawson in 1994 and 1996, for a
few examples).
And they also got some good players through free agency. Just who?
Well, consider:
Kevin Greene, John L. Williams, Tim Lester, and Will Wolford (all
quality, if not pro bowl caliber starters) were brought in by free
agency in the early 1990's.
We all so got some strong role players like Chris Oldom, Johaythan Hayes
and Cortney Hawkins through free agency.
But lately all we've had are lemons: Wayne Gandy, Donnel Wolford,
Travis Davis, Anthony Brown etc....
As you might suspect, I was skeptical of the Steelers latest activity in
the Free agent market. Esp. for signing that guy from the Bungles.
So I asked a friend of mine out in the Queen City what he thought of
this guy.
This is what he told me:
Keith:
Here is another edition of Bengal Bits:
I think the Steelers got a lemon in signing Kimo vonOelhoffen. This guy
was mediocre at best. He was not a starter at the beginning of the season
and played about half of the time. I think he was lucky to hold his own on
the Bengals defensive line. The radio talk shows today were shocked at the
money the Steelers gave him. Don't expect much from Kimo.
My buddy Paul knows his Benglas the way I know my Steelers, so unless
he's mistaken, or unless this guy's got DNA that's programed to make him
play farther up stream on the Ohio River, it looks like me might have
the second coming of Keith Gray.
And apparently we're looking at some backup lineman from New England
named Sullivan. (Know anything about him Matt?)
But it looks like we're brining in busts.
Well, what else can be said?
We've already lost our best player to the Clowns. Although I do think
that the 30 mil. for six years is WAY TOO much for Roye. Still, the
Post Gazette made a good argument that if we'd have done more to sign
him earlier, we'd might have kept him for far less.
Again, we used to do that very well, why can't we do it now?
Look at the bright side, we still have a shot at signing Mike
Tomzack... (Yes, I AM saying that with a healthy does of sarcasm.)
Later,
KT
Submitted by Bob Carapella
TOM BRAGG, YOU ARE RIGHT, EXCEPT YOU GAVE ARE AWFUL FRONT OFFICE TO MUCH
CREDIT. AND SINCE DAN ROONEY RUNS THIS SHIP OF FOOLS, A FITTING TRIBUTE TO
HIM WHEN HE GETS INTO THE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME WOULD BE A BRONZE BUST 40%
SMALLER AND 20% CHEAPER SINCE THIS WOULD PRETTY MUCH SUM UP HOW HE SPENDS
HIS MONEY TRYING TO GIVE US THE CHEAPEST PRODUCT ON THE FIELD. I THINK I
WOULD FALL OVER DEAD IF THE STEELERS EVER WENT AFTER A TOP NOTCH FREE
AGENT. LET ME GO ON RECORD AS SAYING WE FINISH 4-12 AND THE CLEVELAND
BROWNS FINISH AHEAD OF US. HERE WE GO STEELERS , HERE WE GO, CHEAPER THAN
EVER, DON'T YOU KNOW.
THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
BOB
Submitted by Mick Milne
How did we get here? All of a sudden we are coming off a nightmare season and the next one looks set to be the same.
Tomczak has been around about two years too long and the smell is starting to get bad. Kordell has had his chance and should
not get another, especially with what he's costing us. What about Anthony Wright? He could do no worse,
surely. Coach Haslett goes to New orleans and the first thing he does is sign Jeff Blake, whilst we sit and watch. Even a Brit like
me knows that if your QB is no good, then you may as well stay at home, especially when the cheerleaders are more talented
than the offensive line. I just hope Cowher and company know something I don't... otherwise, it's gonna
be another long season. Also, I am unsure about the Sullivan signing, but at least he's still fairly young, but what about the ex-Bengal
van Olhoffen? You've gotta be kidding me.
Nice site by the way
Mick Milne
Submitted by Alvin Johnson
The Steelers need players that will bust their butts for four quarters
and not be little whiney asses. Also, the Rooneys need to dig deep in
their pockets and learn if your gonna win in this league. You've got to pay
and keep free agents, not let them go to rival teams in your own
division that can come back to haunt you! I think Cowher is an awesome
coach, and I mean "coach," not babysitter! If half the team would play as
hard as they whined or would quit thinking, "That's alright... I still get a
check," then maybe they would be in the post season! Get off your dead
stiff asses, Rooneys, and listen to us fans... pay the free agents and give
Bill a team to work with ok!!!!!!!
Alvin Johnson
http://community.webtv.net/steeler4/THELORDISWITHYOU
Submitted by Jimmy Grant
Let's face it, folks, we better hope for a stellar draft and then get ready to
dig in. I predicted it already... it will get worse before it gets better.
I understand Rooney to an extent. I mean, $30 million for Orepheus Roye's 4
1/2 sacks? Too much. Then again you have to wonder... 41FA's lost
since free agency started. I'm actually starting to wonder how committed
he is to putting a winning product on the field? Is that a possibility we
have to consider???
Submitted by Rich Knight
I am right there with you in your frustration over losing Orpheus, but there is no way the Steelers could have
hoped to match the offer the Browns gave him. Also, Orpheus is good, but he ain't worth that kind of money.
Surely you can agree with that, so save your real anger for the 2000 season when we win an all-time low 4
games.
[Note from the Webmaster: You're absolutely right, Rich... $30 million for "Orfice Boy" is WAAAY outta line. But that's not my beef. What makes me crazy is that we didn't get him to sign a long-term contract LAST year when he was a RESTRICTED free agent. The time to sink your "contractual hooks" into a young, promising player is BEFORE he becomes unrestricted. Time after time, we fail to take care of 'bidniss, instead choosing to simply tender our restricted FAs with a 1-year deal, and then the following year, they're unrestricted and test the market. We all know what happens next, bruthas & sistas... bye-bye, black & gold.
Don't believe me? Keep your eye on what the Steelers do with RB Richard Huntley. If they don't sign him to a MULTI-YEAR contract instead doing their usual 1-year "you'll be gone after next season" deal, I'm gonna pluck my friggin' eyeballs out. Huntley is a player that we need to KEEP. He's extremely talented and has produced every time he's been given the opportunity. More than any other player on our roster, I think Huntley is the one most likely to explode next year. I hope I'm wrong, but I'd be willing to take bets that he ends up signing a 1-year contract... it happens every damn time. God, I'm sick of being a "farm team" for the rest of the league (speaking of farms, that's kind of a nice segue into my "chickens drowing in a downpour" theme, isn't it?).-- McMillen & Wife]
Submitted by Tom Bragg
It is becoming increasingly hard to be a Steeler fan these days.
Not only that, but it is very hard to pull and root for an organization
that is proving more and more everyday that they are simply not commited
to winning anymore. As Tim McMillen stated (and I totaly agree), for
the first time in my life I am embarrased to be a Steeler fan. I
have been a Steeler fan all of my life, going back to the mid-seventies.
I have one entire room of my home devoted to nothing but Steeler
memorabilia. So make no mistake... I am by no means a fair weather fan.
How can a team go into an upcoming season without a number one QB on
their roster? The answer is, you can't. Guess what? Our Steelers
are going to attempt this. Four candidates for the job and none of the
four are no where near capable of leading this team through a sixteen
game season! Kordell Stewart - after two consecutive years of the worst
QB play in recent memory, this guy's career in Pittsburgh is all but over.
Mike Tomczak - a good player whose better days are behind him. At 38
yrs. old, this guy needs to get on with life's work. Anthony Wright - a
young, inexperienced kid thats never played a down in a meaningful NFL
game. Pete Gonzales - same as Anthony Wright, a forgotten man by the
organization. Where in this field do you find a competent QB to lead
your team through an NFL season? The Steelers have stated publicly that
they will not pursue a QB in free agency and will go with the current
players already on the roster. Does this truly sound like a team that
is committed to winning? Hardly.
Secondly, this is in reference to
the article submitted by Dave Potts. The comment you made in your
article about the Steelers losing so many linebackers because we couldn't
have played them all anyway makes absolutely no sense. Three of those
players mentioned were PRO-BOWL PLAYERS! Chad Brown, Kevin Greene and
Greg Lloyd were three of the greatest linebackers in recent memory. You
dont replace that kind of talent with cheap bargain-basement
replacements. When you do, the results are 6-10 seasons. Another
point concerns the comment about Wayne Gandy. If Gandy is currently our
best offensive lineman, then we are in deep trouble. This guy, when he
wasn't abusing referees, was beaten like a DRUM on many occasions last
year. If that's the best we have, then we had better hang it up now.
Finally, the time has come for Dan Rooney to do what his former head
coach used to say... get on with your life's work. Rooney is completely
out of touch with what it takes to win in the NFL today. Until he stops
his practice of not wanting to spend some of his many millions and
trying to replace Pro Bowl talent with cheap imitations, the Pittsburgh
Steelers will never be anymore than they currently are. A very
mediocre football team with a very mediocre front office!
Tom Bragg
http://community.webtv.net/francoharris/TomsPittsburgh
Submitted by Art Lyon
What else is new?! ANOTHER young player that we developed and is ready to explode on the
football scene is lost to free agency. We lost the veterans and All-Pros in the past, and lately,
we are losing the youngsters that are three or four years learning the trade and ready to be
really productive! Roye's development reminds me of Searcy. A huge, energetic body that just
needed to learn. Well, he has, and now another one has gone to a division rival. THIS SUCKS
and I can't take it anymore either! What is the stinking plan? Does anyone have any idea?
br>
Later Days
ART
Submitted by Dave Potts
Tim,
First, the suck up: Great website! You should have been the Visa's Steeler Fan
and should have gone to Canton. Then again, I know you would have made the
statement that you won't go until Swann goes!!!!!
Now the unpleasantness: stop your whining about free agency!!! Unless you
want football to turn in to baseball where the deepest pockets win, please
shut up now about free agency and the salary cap! We lose people not
because of free agency, but instead because of the salary cap. Every year WE
ARE AT THE CAP! We CAN'T spend any more. As far as "getting around" the
cap, just look at the Cowboys, 49ers, Vikings and a few others. They can't
keep ANY of their players because they "got around" the cap over the past 4
years. They also didn't win any titles then either. Just look at Jones
this past weekend spending $6 million a year AND two #1 draft picks for a
receiver. They still won't get near the Super Bowl and screwed their future
by giving away picks and tying up their salary cap. I'm glad the Steelers
don't make that mistake. By the way, over the last 4 years, the teams on
the upswing are teams that haven't gone crazy with free agency; Denver, Tenn
(except for Yancy and he hasn't been worth it), Rams, Colts, TB etc. Even
teams like GB, SF & Dallas have won Super Bowls, not because of free agency,
but instead by the draft and picking up bargain free agents that nobody
wanted. Most teams that spend big $$ on free agents, those players don't
live up to the money and the teams have been strapped.
Now for the players we lost; how many outside LBs can we have played anyway?
So we lost Brown, Greene, Nickerson, Lloyd, Emmons (we will) etc. Didn't we
always find great replacements pretty cheap? Yancy was a bust. Woodson was
no longer a CB but safety and not worth the money. Love... bust. Neil and
the Jets... bust. Charles Johnson... bust with Philly. By the way, how much
would it have cost us to keep all of these free agents? What "tricks" would
we have had to do to keep them? What would our cap situation be like, the
49ers?
Just read the article you have on your website about how much the 70's
Steelers would be worth today. They estimated last year that it would be
worth $91 million. Remember, we able to keep that team together for a
number of reasons, the most important was that all of the owners were of
limited means and were cheap. They didn't want to spend the money on free
agency. They had their own "salary cap". There wasn't the Snyders, Jones
and others that didn't care if they lose money each year as long as they
win.
Now for the future: unlike you I think the future will be good for a number
of reasons. The past 2 years are actually a blueprint why. Why did we
fail? 2 main reasons why. The first one is the players quit during the 2nd
half of the seasons. This can be corrected by the 2nd reason. Our
offensive line was devastated by injuries. No team will ever win without a
set offensive line, period! Our lineup was constantly changing. All great
offensive teams have had a line that played together for some time. Check
out all the good teams, the line was never injured and played together for
years. Now as far as our team, if DD comes back to his all-world play, our
interior line will be set with him flanked by Stai and Faneca. They now
will have played together for a number of years. Add Gandy (who rated out
as the best lineman last year) playing another year next to Faneca, now you
have 4/5ths of the line being able to play as a unit/team. Add Bruener and
you have 5/6ths. As far as right tackle, hopefully someone will step up
(Farris?).
If our line stays healthy, they can now play as a unit and then the Bus can
run. They will also be able to protect Steward and give him some time.
Remember, Mark Rypien and that over the hill RB were all-pros with the hogs
in front of them. Emmett ran well until his line got hurt and then improved
when they returned. Denver still ran well when Davis got hurt and with no
QB, I think it was the O-line playing as a unit.
As far as the rest of the offensive; great deep backfield, Edwards coming on
as a receiver and the rest will be good 3rd, 4th receivers, role players.
As far as the defense, they played great until they were on the field too
long and as the season went along. Played great except for the mental
lapses (part of quitting). If the offensive line starts running like they
can, the defense won't be on the field that long. Chad won't be coming off
an injury this year. Shields should fill in well with playing time. Porter
should improve the rush (which we need!). Staat now with some experience at
NT on 3rd down should also improve our 3rd down pass rush. Although, the
defensive line is still a big worry for me. Losing Roye was a killer. If
Steed can't make it back, we might be in for some trouble.
Now for our needs, a 2nd receiver, OT and DL help (with or without Steed).
The draft can be a big help since we are drafting so high. Before you
scream, just listen to the logic first; we don't need a WR in the first
round, although I wouldn't pass on Burress if he dropped. Either Simons
(DT-FL St) or Chris Samuels (OT-Alabama) would fill in our major holes.
Also, those positions are shallow in the draft this year. WR is another
story, a very deep quality crop. 7 of the top 30 (23%) rated players (from
Kiper) in the draft are WR. 10 of the top 34 (30%) are WR. This means that
a lot of quality WR are going to be dropping in the draft because of
oversupply and other teams needs. We can easily pick up a great quality
receiver with a high 2nd rd pick and maybe another with the high 3rd rd
pick. This way, we don't have to stretch with any of our first 3 picks, all
quality players that we'll probably lose in 4 yrs anyway. However, they can
fill in our needs.
We still have some great players with very good players in the support
position. While we do have a couple of holes (which team doesn't) and we
don't have as many quality backups that we once had (who has any depth) we
still have a very complete team. The few holes we should be able to fill
with our first 2 or 3 picks, but this season, like all others, depend on a
healthy offensive line. We do have quality players up front and if they can
stay healthy, we should be in great shape. If not, well, no team ever
survives without an O-line.
Keep up the good work with the website and have fun with the kiddies. Try
and get some sleep.
Dave Potts
Steelers fan in Jersey
P.S. - Just a little bit of good news... Jacksonville hit their peak and will
start to go down hill. They came out of nowhere by picking up on a few
cast-offs, the draft, and having a ton of money for free agents. Now they
had to re-sign those players who became stars. Now they are "re-working"
everybody's contracts to stay under the cap and sign a couple of their
players. They are losing all of their depth and the cap will start to
kill them in the next couple of years (I think Brunell's cap is now $12
million for 2001). They can't pick up anybody, they have to dump Paup (who
was not worth the money and still will have $3.5 million in signing bonus
that has to go against their cap, $1.5 in 00 and $3 in 01).
Also, they won't go too far next year for the same reason that killed them
every year so far, no defense. I hope you're not like most people who
actually believed that they had a defense this year. Every year they had a
defense ranked 26th or worse. This is because of a lack of talent. At the
beginning of the year they came out with a new system and it worked for a
while. Well, welcome to the NFL. Give people time to study what you do and
they will find a way to eliminate that advantage. In the 2nd half of the
season, people adjusted and now they were left with just the talent of their
defense, which sucked. Now during this off-season, people will be able to
break them down even more. Therefore, their defense will suck and people
are learning how to attack their offense, just look at their production this
year compared to years past. They will still be above average this year,
but they will plummet (like the Patriots) in the next couple of years.
Submitted by General Destruction
I tell 'ya, man, if there is one thing you can depend on the Steelers to do year in and year out, it's f*%# up a wet dream! The one
guy that was vital to keep in a Steeler uniform was Roye. Instead, they let him go just like all the rest, and what's worse is, to a team in
our own f%$#ing division. Wworse still is he's going to the Browns! Give me a f&#%ing break here, huh?! $#!t, we
haven't even persued any of the kick ass free agents out there. Man, what the hell is going on here?! The Cowgirls have signed
Galloway, Redskins have signed B. Smith, Falcons have signed Ambrose and Jefferson, Saints have signed Blake. Then there are
the teams who locked up their players with the franchise tag, while we haven't done $#!T! Now I've found out that
we're not going to go after any QB's, and instead are planning to hang onto Tomzak. BULLS#!T! Meanwhile, all these other f$#%ing teams
are signing all these damn free agents that are going to kick our asses this up comming season. I'm fed up with pouring my heart
out supporting this team and facing these other punk ass fans (Cowgirls, 69'ers, etc.) who don't know $#!t about football or
their "team." Yet those teams are winning and these $#!theads are jumping on the band wagon year after year. While real
fans like us are kept waiting year after year. It seems to me that the Steeler organization don't give a $#!T about us at all. All
I do is bleed f%#*ing BLACK & GOLD every year. Well, it's never going to change and I'm never going to stop being a
Steeler fan, so I'm going to stop bitching.
See Ya next time... this is General Destruction broadcasting to deep within enemy
lines (Cowgirls territory).
Submitted by Jonathan Pasterick
I've never been one to be too pessimistic about an upcoming season.
If anything I'm overly optimistic. However, having just read the article in
the Tribune-Review about the Steelers making no attempt to get a free-agent
QB in the offseason, to put it mildly, the future is not rosey. I'm not sure
how this team can look at the QB play over the past two seasons, and
conclude that they are fine with Kordell Stewart, Mike Tomczak and Anthony
Wright as their three QBs. To be blunt, if they go into the season with
those three, their QB situation will be a complete f***ing joke, and they
won't have chance one of making the playoffs next year. I am absolutely
mystified at how they can look at Kordell Stewart's performance these past
two seasons and still be comfortable that they don't have to bring in any
competition in case he falters, except for 800 year old Mike Tomczak, who
makes Methuselah look spry. Did the organization watch the same team I did
last year? Did they not learn from the St. Louis Rams that a solid QB is a
MUST to succeed in this league today? It has now become laughable how cheap
this team has become, and how they have completely abandoned any serious
effort to contend for a Super Bowl. With this decision, the organization
has ostensibly decided that they have no intention to contend for anything
next year except the No. 1 pick in the 2001 draft. That's not fair to the
fans.
As much as I hate to say this, because it kills me to do so, if
these are the three quarterbacks they enter this season with, I look for a
record of no better than 6-10 next season. That is as optimistic as I can
be. It may be much worse.
Jonathan Pasterick
Submitted by Tom Bragg
The Pittsburgh Steelers are like the old Huey Lewis song from the
eighties... "I WANNA NEW DRUG." They obviously are on some type of drugs
when they are worried about re-signing two average at best backup
players in Will "no-thrill" Blackwell and Mike Vrabel of all people. At
the time of this writing, the Steelers have made no attempt whatsoever to
resign un-restricted free agent Orpheus Roye. This is literally an
INSANE move considering Roye is without question the best defensive
lineman they have. Not only that, but Roye is one of the better up and
coming lineman in the league. This is a player that is VITAL to their
defense but no real attempt has been made to re-sign him. Instead, our
very confused Steelers are trying to re-sign a couple of STIFFS in
Blackwell and Vrabel -, both of whom have done virtually nothing since
they came to the Steel City! It's these types of front office moves
that are killing this once great franchise. One would think that this
organization would finally wise up and learn from its past mistakes, but
unfortunately, they never do. If this upcoming free agent signing period
goes like all the rest, it will go something like this; The Steelers
will sit back on their collective asses and wait until all of the
marquee players have been signed by the other teams. Then the Steelers
will go out and sign one or two average (at best) players that will not
even be on the roster two years from now. Makes a whole lot of sense,
doesn't it, folks ?
Tom Bragg
http://community.webtv.net/francoharris/TomsPittsburgh
Submitted by Keith Thomas
To get through this life, one needs a sense of humor.
And one needs also to look at the bright side of things.
Seriously, you do.
Accordingly:
Free agency starts at midnight tonight. One good thing is sure. The Steelers won't lose any more Pro Bowlers this year...
we've hemmoraged them in the past, but we won't lose a one this year...
...because we haven't got any to lose!
Seriously, if reports out of Pittsburgh are on target, we'll lose Roye. He's our best defenseive
line man, although that's not saying much.
Still, even with Tom Donahue gone and the revenue from the new stadium on the way, the
Steelers aren't (suprise) planning any bold moves in free agency.
Not that I think they should spend like the 49ers used to, you've seen what happens then.
But this team is hurting in so many places, a few million here an there keep Roye, sign a fullback,
try to bring back Rod to teach Shields the saftey position etc... could go a long way.
But you know how the story goes.
Later,
KT
Submitted by General Destruction
Well, we should deffintly go after some of those kick ass defensive line free agents like Brackens, Rice, and Porcher. Don't forget
we need some WR help also, like J. Galloway for instance. We really need to improve our offensive line and Lomas Brown
is available. How about TE help? Ben Coats is floating around out there. This year we need to go after some competant free
agents help to improve our lack luster team. We'll never see those glory days if we don't start getting some balls and go after
good free agents instead of depending on developing rookies. Don't get me wrong about rookies, but everyone knows it takes
about 2 to 3 seasons for rookies to start comming on, unless your luky enough to have Kurt Warner or Payton Manning on
your team. We need QB, DB, DL, OL, WR help badly, but some extra LB, RB, TE, ST additions wouldn't hurt, either. Lee
Woodall is out there, speaking of LB help. I think we should focus on the small amount of free agents on the team that are
worth keeping for a change. Free agency couldn't hurt us that much anymore considering that all our best FA/Pro Bowlers are
on 23 other teams. I really don't have a best answer except we need to get our heads out of our asses and get down to business
and start going back up to the Super Bowl and stop freaking around! Well, that's all for now... this is General Destruction
broadcasting to you from deep within enemy territory ( Cowgirl Country ). See ya next time.
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