Steelers Sign Troy Polamalu to 4 Year Extension

Troy Polamalu has a knack for saving games at the 11th Hour. The Steelers it seems, are about to repay him in kind.

The Post-Gazette, as well as numerous other sources are reporting that the Steelers have reached an agreement to extend Troy Polamalu’s contract through the 2014 season. Steelers Digest confirmed the report, indicating the Polamalu signed the extension prior to boarding the team's charter for Baltimore.

Change of Heart?

When news broke that the two sides were negotiating, Steel Curtain Rising weighed in against making the move now, simply because it seemed questionable to commit big, guaranteed dollars to a player with mounting injuries.

Moreover, the Steelers had given indications that the “vault was closed” after having dished out hefty signing bonuses to stars such as Ike Taylor, Willie Colon, LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons. It made more financial sense to wait.

Obviously Art Rooney II, Omar Khan, Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin thought differently.

Reversal of History?

As everyone knows, the Steelers didn’t draft Dan Marino who went to Miami, and it took 20 years and a kid from Miami, Ohio to live down that mistake.

The back story of rumors about Marino’s involvement with drugs along with contradicting confirmations and rejections by Chuck Noll and Art Rooney Jr. are also well known.

But the back story runs deeper.

After the Steelers selected Gabe Rivera in the first round of the 1983 draft, John Clayton, then writing for the Pittsburgh Press, suggested to Dan Rooney that the Steelers get Marino trade back into the first round by packaging Cliff Stoudt and some picks for Miami’s first.

Word is that Chuck Noll and the other Steelers coaches embraced the idea, until Rooney mentioned its source, which killed the deal before it even got started.

Jim Wexell, of both Steelers Digest and Steel City Insider has suggested several times this off season that the Steelers dare not make the same mistake with Polamalu that they made with Rod Woodson.

Did someone on the South Side lend their ear to Wexell?

I have no inside information that this is the case, but it is an interesting enough possibility to throw out there.

Good Football Move

How the Steelers arrived at the decision to resign Troy Polamalu is less important than why they resigned him.

And that reason is simple.

Every generation boasts a handful of players who possess the rare combination of athleticism, skill, dedication, and “on the field presence” that allows them to change the course of games with a single play.

The Steelers of the 70’s had at least a half dozen – something you’ll never see again. Rod Woodson was one such player.

And so is Troy Polamalu

Although I questioned the wisdom of when the Steelers should resign Polamalu, it was always a question of when and not if.

Troy Polamalu is truly a special player and the Steelers have just taken steps to ensure he plays his entire NFL career in Pittsburgh.

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Steelers Negotiations with Polamalu Puzzle

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writer Ed Bouchette dropped a minor bombshell this morning when reported that the Steelers are attempting to secure a long term deal with All Pro starting strong Safety Troy Polamalu.

The move is puzzling for many reasons.

The Steelers wrapped up an aggressive free agent signing spree when they locked up Lawrence Timmons a few weeks ago. All indications were that the Steelers were done until the 2012 off season.

That seemed to be a prudent move on many fronts, not the least of which is financial.

Troy Polamalu is one of the greatest game-changing players in the league today, and a healthy Polamalu is an essential part to any Steelers plans to dominate via defense.

The key word is healthy.

Troy Polamalu as been likened by From Black to Gold author Tim Gleason to an European sports car that dominates the road it rides on but is all too often in the shop.

Polamalu has been injured often in recent seasons, and his explosive style of play combined with his 30th birthday do not figure to make him more durable in the future.

Any agreement between the Steelers and Polamalu would come with a hefty signing bonus, one that the Steelers would be left on the hook for were Polamalu to be injured during the upcoming season.

The Steelers cannot afford to lose Polamalu, but they will be able to use the franchise tag to keep him under contract for 2012.

Like Jerome Bettis and Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu is one player for whom ever effort should be made to allow him to retire as a Steeler. But neither a football or a business case exists to justify the Steelers attempt to sign him before the 2011 commences.

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Steelers Resign Lawrence Timmons the Right Move

“Follow the money” implored “Deep Throat” the inside source of the Watergate scandal.



If you want to know what the Pittsburgh Steelers see as the strength of their team, look at where they put their money.

• James Farrior signed for five years and 18.25 million dollars in 2008



• James Harrison signed for 6 years and 51 million dollars in 2010



• LaMarr Woodley signed for 6 years and 61.5 million dollars earlier this month

And today the Steelers announced that they’d signed Lawrence Timmons, starting inside linebacker, and the first pick of the Mike Tomlin era for six years and a cool 60 million dollars, including 18 in bonuses.



For those of you keeping track at home, that averages out to about a quarter of the 120 million dollar salary cap paid out to the starting linebacking corps.



The Right Move



As a rookie Lawrence Timmons had difficulty getting on the field due to some nagging injuries. Although he failed to break the starting line up in his sophomore season, he nonetheless made his share of “Splash plays” – his work in relief of James Harrison in the Washington game sticks out.



Timmons graduation to the starting line up in 2009 fell below expectations, but who didn’t fall short of expectations in 2009?



But in 2010 Lawrence Timmons came into his own.



While James Harrison and Troy Polamalu (rightly) filled the highlight reels for their eye popping plays against Tennessee, Timmons was flying around and seemingly in on every play and played a key role in shutting down Chris Johnson.



The Steelers defense played one of the best games in its history that hot and humid day against Tennessee, and the game also served as a metaphor for Timmon’s season. Guys like Harrison, Polamalu, and Woodley got most of the accolades, but Timmons led the team in tackles.



Locking Timmons up for six more years is the right move.



The Right Move II



In reporting Timmons signing, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s Ed Bouchette concludes that the Steelers have finished with their signings for the year. (The Steelers have had a contract negotiation black out since 1993.)



That means that Troy Polamalu and Mike Wallace, both in the final years of their contracts, will have to wait.



That too is wise on the part of the Steelers braintrust.



For as strongly as Steel Curtain Rising defended Troy Polamalu against the “overrated” charge this past summer, the truth is that Polamalu has missed games because of injury in four of the past five years, and he’s finished the functional equivalent of two of those in IR.



Make no mistake about it, the Steelers defense cannot be great without Troy Polamalu, and it would be a tragedy should wear any other uniform before beginning his “life’s work.” But the Steelers will have the option to franchise him at season’s end, and after making an honest assessment as to how much Polamalu has left in the tank.



Mike Wallace will be a restricted free agent next spring. The Steelers do run the risk that some other team will make an inane offer that they cannot match, but it is a risk worth taking.



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Steelers Resign Trai Essex

Throughout the preseason there has been a lot of speculation that the Pittsburgh Steelers would welcome back one of their departed offensive lineman.



They surprised Steelers Nation today by doing just that.



Early in the day Ed Bouchette reported on PG Plus that Trai Essex stopped by the South Side to pick up his AFC Championship ring. While Bouchette did not rule anything out, his post made it pretty clear nothing else was afoot.



As it turns out, Bouchette was wrong, as the Steelers resigned veteran tackle/guard/tight end? Trai Essex to a one year deal. To make room for Essex, the Steelers waived unrestricted rookie free agent Nevin McCaskill.



Prior to Essex's return, it was widely expected that the Steelers would either bring back Max Starks and Flozell Adams, both of whom they waived ealier this summer in salary cap moves.



Essex is a lesser player than both Starks and Adams, but he does bring versitility, or as Mike Tomlin likes to say, "position flexibility." Essex can step in at either tackle or guard position, and last year lined up as a blocking tight end on a number of occasions. Indeed, Ed Bouchette has even suggested that the Steelers resign Essex and use him as the number two tight end.



With the Steelers offensive line in a state of flux, it will be interesting to see if this is the final move that they make.



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Steelers Sign Jerricho Cotchery

The last time Jerricho Cotchery was at Heinz Field, he was catching passes from Mark Sanchez and putting the New York Jets within striking distance of pulling off one of the AFC Championship game’s biggest comebacks in history.



With the New York Jets focusing on more expensive toys, Cotchery’s final choice came down the Steelers and the Ravens.



Cotchery chose the Steelers yesterday, coming to terms with the team. He will not join the team for workouts until Sunday, however.



Terms of Cotchery’s deal were not disclosed, but one must expect that the signing came on the Steelers terms given that he left Latrobe without and offer only to return.



Roster Spots at Risk?



Cotchery provides immediate depth for the Steelers at wide out. Entering camp wide receiver appeared to be one of the Steelers strong points, but lingering nature of Emmanuel Sanders injury is cause for concern.



Limas Sweed, who separated his shoulder last week, did not figure to make the team barring a gang busters performance in the preseason, is the most threatened by Cotchery’s arrival. So too, however, are Arnz Battle and Tyler Grisham.



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