Steelers 2013 Roster Analysis, Defense: Defensive Line

Steel Curtain Rising's breakdown of the Steelers 2013 roster continues with a look at the defensive line.

Starters:  Brett Keisel, Steve McLendon, Ziggy Hood
Back Ups:  Cameron Heyward, Al Woods and Loni Fangupo

Strengths: Once a monument to the aging of the Steelers defense, this unit has seen incredible renewal at each position.

Weaknesses:  The nose tackle is the fulcrum that the success of the 3-4 defense rises and falls upon, as Ed Bouchette has said. He's right. Steve McLendon out performed Casey Hampton on a snap-per-snap basis in 2012. Can he keep that level consistently? Likewise, while this unit has gotten younger, can the youngsters prove they gotten better?

The Skinny: Like other areas of the team, the defensive line remains a question which could go one way or another. Ziggy Hood had a strong preseason by all accounts. Does the fact that he is starting mean that he's finally sustaining some development of a player, or does it simply mean that Cameron Heyward is likewise a disappointment?

Click here and scroll around to read analysis of other position areas on the Steelers 2013 Roster.

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Pittsburgh Steelers 2013 Preview: 4 Challenges Mike Tomlin Must Overcome

The Steelers 2013 home opener is just days away and coming off of an 8-8 season there has never been as great a split either inside or outside Steelers Nation as to what the Pittsburgh Steelers true prospects for a coming season are.

• There are good reasons for this. The predicted salary cap Armageddon instead became the salary cap equivalent of the Loaves and the Fishes.

The Steelers scouting has been under assault. And for good reason, as the 2008 draft class is now a total bust. Yet, as Ivan Cole of Behind the Steel Curtain has pointed out, the Steelers saw teams take restricted free agent runs at not one, but two players in the form of Emmanuel Sanders and Steve McLendon.

Yes, these 2013 Pittsburgh Steelers are a hard nut to crack, with professionals and bloggers alike sparing over the meaning of an 0-4 preseason start. No one really knows what to expect.

Rightly or wrongly, the man who will be held most responsible for the Steelers success or failure in 2013 is Mike Tomlin. And to that end Tomlin has four very specific challenges he must meet. (Click on the link below for a specific challenge for scroll down to read them all):

Tomlin’s First Challenge: Develop Talent
Tomlin’s Second Challenge: Fill the Leadership Void
Tomlin’s Third Challenge: Take on the Trap Games
Tomlin’s Fourth Challenge: Keep Things on an Even Keel


Tomlin’s Challenge: Develop Talent

Kevin Colbert pooh pawed the departure of the likes of Wallace, Rashard Mendenhall and Keenan Lewis as "losing players from an 8-8 team." He promised change. He wasn't kidding.

Colbert didn't simply sit back and let other teams overpay for newly minted Steelers free agents ala Tom Donahoe, he let go overpriced and aging superstars like James Harrison, snake bitten studs like Willie Colon, and dependable standbys like Max Starks depart. He also cleared the ranks of the supporting cast, but allowing Doug Legursky, Will Allen and Ryan Mundy to walk.

• In their place he's assembled a smart 2013 draft class, mixed with some first year players, 2012 draftees, and undrafted rookie free agents.

Mike Tomlin has long defended "The Standard is the Standard" by explaining that merely qualifying for an NFL roster automatically puts a player in the top one have of the top 1% of people that play football.

• Kevin Colbert has given Tomlin cart blanche to prove it this year.

One of Art Rooney II's implicit criticisms of Mike Tomlin after the 2009 seasons was that the team needed to develop talent faster. The delayed development of Lawrence Timmons comes to mind as one example.

To that end, Mike Tomlin has done a better job since then (see Antonio Brown in 2010 and 2011 as one example).

• 2013 will provide a far bigger test.  

Tomlin needs to find a way for these youngsters to grow up fast.

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Tomlin’s Challenge: Fill the Locker Room Leadership Void

At some point after the Steelers 1998 disastrous trip to Detroit that included Phil Luckett's infamous "heads is actually tails" incident, a fan wrote into the Steelers Digest and offered something long the lines of "Cowher needs to realize that this team lacks the playoff veterans of years past, and needs to take the team by the collective collar."

• The fan dead right of course, because so many players quit down the stretch in 1998.

Bill Cowher unfortunately did not get the lesson, and the late season meltdown in 1999 year was more spectacular. Lee Flowers even called out teammates for quitting.

Now fast forward to 2012. In the blink of an eye during the 2012 off season, the Steelers lost Hines Ward, Aaron Smith, and James Farrior, three acknowledged leaders both on and off the field.

As 2012 wore on and inconsistency became habit forming, it became clear that the leadership void was real.

• To his credit, Mike Tomlin seems to have readily realized that and acted accordingly.

Gone is Scotty Montgomery, a young coach feeling his way in the NFL. In his place is Richard Mann, someone who has been around enough to have coached for the Baltimore Colts, old Cleveland Browns, and Baltimore Ravens.

Tomlin hasn't stopped there, asking Ben Roethlisberger to take on a more active leadership role. He held the first training camp with live tackling since Chuck Noll began his "Life's work," and he and Colbert have been unsentimental in wielding the axe to the roster.

• On paper all of these are the right moves.

But ultimately it is performance on the field that will determine whether or not these moves bear fruit.

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Tomlin’s Challenge: Take on the Trap Games

Its become cliché in Steelers Nation to say that Mike Tomlin teams have an issue with trap games. But unlike Warren Sapp’s dictum of "Old, Slow and Done" the trap game charge stands up to scrutiny.

In 2007, Tomlin's rookie year, the Steelers dropped games to the Jets and Cardinals. In 2009, the dropped games to the Bears, Browns, and Chiefs. In 2012 the Steelers gave away "Gimmies" to the no-account Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans, and San Diego Chargers.

One criticism of Tomlin made in mid-2007 was that the Steelers played down to their competition under their new coach.

Since than that observation has been proven to be true... at times.

• At other times this has not been an issue.

Note that during the Steelers 2008 Super Bowl season, the Steelers dropped regular season games to the Giants, Colts, Eagles, and Titans -- all playoff teams. Yet that team made it into the playoffs with a first round bye because they won the games they were "supposed" to win, in addition to defeating the Ravens.

In 2010, the story was similar, with the Steelers losing games to the New Orleans Saints and getting spanked mightily by the New England Patriots. Yet that season they also beat the teams they "should have" beaten.

• The 2011 Steelers were a far inferior version of their '08 and '10 predecessors, yet the '11 Steelers avoided the trap game.

The ability of a team to take all opponents seriously is directly related to a head coach's ability to mentally prepare his players. At times Tomlin has been adept at doing this; at others his ability has failed him.

Tomlin cannot allow that ability to fail him in 2013.

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Tomlin’s Challenge: Keep Things on an Even Keel

Chose your cliché. "Start fast, finish strong." "Go the distance." Whatever.

Tomlin's less successful teams have had another nasty habit -- peaking near mid season.

• In 2007 the triumph of the 75th Anniversary game was followed by a 4-4 finish and first round playoff loss to Jacksonville
• In 2009 the Steelers dominated a Denver team that went into the game at 6-1 and finally looked like a defending champion - then followed with a 5 game losing streak
• In 2011 the Steelers enacted some vengeance by defeating Tom Brady and New England, only to follow it up with a home loss to Baltimore

In 2012 the Steelers won three straight games, getting stronger with each, then limped to victory over the Chiefs before dropping games to Baltimore and Cleveland. Then Charlie Batch rallied the team for a stunning road upset over the Ravens in Baltimore. The 2012 Steelers, it seemed, had arrived...

• ...Except that they went and lost 3 of their next 4.

To be 100% fair to Tomlin, injuries played a large part in several of these late season drop offs. However, to quote Tomlin himself "Injuries are no excuse."

And he's right. Injuries certainly didn't cause force the fumbles, kickoffs returned for touchdowns, coverage lapses, and interceptions that marked some of the '07, '09, '11 and '12 signature losses.

• Like the trap games, this is a demon that Tomlin vanquished in 2008 and 2010. In 2009 he also pulled the team out of an 0-5 nose dive.

In 2013 it will be essential for Mike Tomlin to keep his players mindset focused on the long term.

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Preparing for the “Unknown Unknowns”

Every NFL season brings a certain X-Factor, a certain amount of unpredictability. Think ever reliable Jeff Reed sudden descent into mediocrity in 2010.

Steelers Nation already knows that a younger roster with desperately thin depth, particularly on the offensive line, will test the Steelers.

• But 2013 will present the Pittsburgh Steelers with additional trials that no one can anticipate today.

But if Mike Tomlin can master the four challenges discussed here, he'll have given the Steelers a shot at also overcoming the unexpected.

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Steelers Free Agency 2013: Colbert's Salary Cap "Loaves and The Fishes"

The debate in Steelers Nation as Pittsburgh entered the 2013 off season was whether the Steelers were in “Salary Cap Hell” or merely “Salary Cap Purgatory.” No one on the roster not named Ben Roethlisberger appeared safe.

Now that the dust has settled, it is clear that while the Steelers have/had cap issues, Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin pulled off the NFL Salary Cap equivalent of the “Loaves and the Fishes.”

• How’s that you ask? Read on young Padawan…. 

(Note Steel Curtain Rising has a strict “no politics, no religion” editorial policy but hopefully you will excuse this deviation as the metaphors are irresistible.)

“The times, they are a changing….”

It’s true that Steelers Nation has not experienced such off season roster upheaval since the 90’s. Back then, in the pre-Heinz Field days, free agent exoduses became an annual rite.

The process was agonizing. Tom Donahoe and Bill Cowher would draft and develop players, only to lose them as soon as they reached free agency.

What happened this off season is both similar and different. In the ‘90’s cash flow was the culprit, whereas during the Steelers 2013 off season it was lack of cap space, forcing Pittsburgh to swallow hard and cut contributors whose age, injury status, and cap values made them expendable.

Let’s look at how deeply the axe swung:

Steelers Salary Cap Casualties:
James Harrison, former NFL Defensive Player of the Year
Willie Colon, cut two years into a four year contract

Contracts Not Renewed by the Steelers:
Casey Hampton
Charlie Batch
Byron Leftwich

Steelers Players Poached in Free Agency:
Mike Wallace
Rashard Mendenhall
Keenan Lewis
Max Starks
Will Allen
Ryan Mundy
Doug Legrusky

Painful? Doubtless.

Consider this:  EVERY player that Pittsburgh lost in free agency, cut or declined to bring back started a game for the Steelers in 2013. Six of whom were full time starters.

In 2013 the Pittsburgh Steelers not only said good bye to a lot of talent, experience, and locker room leadership, but they also abandoned a fair amount of potential.

These loses will be felt. How badly? The answer to that question lies in what the Steelers did to compensate.

Steelers Free Agent Spending in 2013

The conventional wisdom is that the Pittsburgh Steelers are an inactive team in free agency. In the 2013 off season the Steelers were active, but many of Pittsburgh's free agent moves happened slightly below the radar.

Steelers ’07 Draft Class Revolving Door (former players reacquired):
William Gay
Matt Spaeth

Unrestricted Free Agents Resigned by the Steelers:
Ramon Foster
Larry Foote
Plaxico Burress
David Johnson
Greg Warren

Restricted Free Agents Resigned:
Emmanuel Sanders
Steve McLendon

Unrestricted Free Agents Retained via Tender for 2013:
Isaac Redman
Jonathan Dwyer

Steelers Free Agent Additions:
Brian Moorman
LaRod Stephens-Howling
Guy Whimper
Bruce Gradkowski

For a team supposedly on the precipice of Salary Cap disaster, the Pittsburgh Steelers made a lot of moves during the 2013 off season.

In pure quantitative terms, the Steelers came out ahead, signing/resigning 15 players while saying good bye, in one form or another, while losing 12.

• Quantity is one thing. What about quality? Did the Steelers come out ahead? 

That’s a more difficult question and one with a more nuanced answer.

Colbert and Tomlin’s Loaves and Fishes Salary Cap Miracle 

Measured in terms of raw football talent, it is impossible to argue that the Steelers weathered their most difficult free agency period since the Donahoe years and came out ahead.

Anyone who tells you that Plaxico Burress’ value to the offense is equal to or better than that of Mike Wallace is missing a few fries from his Happy Meal. Ditto any attempt to equate William Gay's value with that of Keenan Lewis.

• But success in the free agency era goes beyond questions of raw talent.

Yes, you need good players to win and great players are essential to winning big. This is true in any era. When asked about Steelers success, Dan Rooney’s stock response is “You have to start with the players.”

But success in the salary cap era doesn’t come down to who has the best talent, but who can get the most for their salary cap buck. And in that respect the Steelers have potentially positioned themselves to come out ahead.

• Take the Steelers situation at cornerback.

Without argument, the threesome of Ike Taylor, Keenan Lewis, and Cortez Allen beats the threesome of Taylor, Allen, and William Gay.

But the money the Steelers saved in not resigning Lewis didn’t just go to Gay. It allowed them to resign David Johnson and bring back Matt Spaeth. Now Johnson and Spaeth are marginal roster contributors to be sure. But that’s the point.

Assuming that Cortez Allen is the real deal and that Ike Taylor doesn’t slow a step, then the trio of Allen, Taylor, and Gay at CB combined with Speath, Johnson and David Paulson holding down the fort at tight end in Heath Miller’s absence arguably delivers more value for salary cap dollar than Keenan Lewis would have.

• The same can be said of Mike Wallace.

Had the Steelers really wanted to, they probably could have kept Mike Wallace.

But at what cost? Certainly Plaxio Burress wouldn’t have been resigned. Emmanuel Sanders either wouldn’t have been tendered or would have been allowed to go to New England. Either Jonathan Dwyer and/or Isaac Redman would have been gone too. AND LaRod Stephens-Howling probably never darkens any doors on the South Side either.

To go with a baseball analogy, Mike Wallace is a legitimate home run threat on any down and defenses must plan for. The Steelers will miss his contributions.

• But football is a team game, and the Steelers are calculating that they can make up for losing this home run threat with a series of base hitters.

Such strategies come with risks. Losing Ike Taylor for the year and fielding a Lewis/Allen corner tandem is quite different than fielding a Gay/Allen corner tandem. The same can be said for several other position areas, most notably offensive line and wide receiver.

• But making such calculated risks is part of life under the NFL’s salary cap. 

On paper Kevin Colbert has made a series of excellent “best bang for the salary cap buck” decisions. Soon Steelers Nation will know how those decisions play out on the field.

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Watch Tower: Coverage Lapses Call into Question Role of Daily Newspapers in the Digital Age

Regular readers of Steel Curtain Rising’s Watch Tower know the column has been particularly harsh on the mainstream press lately. While the Watch Tower’s purpose is to cast a critical eye on the Steelers press converge, that doesn’t mean such commentary needs to be negative.

• In fact, in many cases that Watch Tower has been quite complementary. 

But there’s a pattern of non-coverage of important stories emerging here, and one that deserves deeper discussion.

Add Moorman to the List

Recently the Watch Tower took aim at both the Post-Gazette and Tribune Review’s decision to completely ignore Doug Legursky’s defection to the Bills.

And for good reason, the decision to let Legursky leave could come back to haunt the Steelers given the need to protect Ben Roethlisberger. The motives behind the Steelers decision deserve to be discussed.

• Unfortunately, this non-coverage is not an isolated example.

Former Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl Punter Brian Moorman signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on April 30th. The news was picked up by a mix of professional and fan based sites, ranging from Behind the Steel Curtain to NBC’s Pro Football Talk.

However the news first appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in May 25th. In an ironic twist of word smithery, Ray Fittipaldo lead’s went like this:

The under-the-radar signing for the Steelers this off season came two days after the draft ended and barely made a ripple in the news cycle…. 

Was Fittipaldo attempting to make amends for his paper’s omission a legitimate news story, or was it just coincidence?

Steelers Nation will probably never know, but the issue raises some very relevant questions as to the purpose and role of the sports pages of the traditional dailies in the internet age.

If A Free Agent Leaves But The Papers Don’t Covers It, Does It Make A Sound?

The Mooreman’s signing is only the latest in a series of news stories that have gone un or under covered by either the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and/or the Tribune Review.

• Last year Mewelde Moore signed with the Colts with only a brief mention in PG Plus.
• Steve McLendon was wooed by the Packers, which was reported by the Post-Gazette, but the decision to resign him was not, save for something on PG Plus. 
• The Tribune-Review ignored the McLendon story, save for a brief mention on Twitter
• Doug Legursky’s departure went uncovered by both dailies
• Isaac Redman’s decision to sign his restricted free agent tender went unreported, save for mention on Twitter by the Tribune Review’s Mark Kalboy
• News of Mooreman’s signing appeared in the Post Gazette almost a month after it happened, the Trib ignored it completely

While much of this non-coverage involves free agent signings it extends to other areas. For example, the major dailies all dutifully reported the decision to put Justin King on injured reserve. Information on the nature of his injury was absent. (Granted losing Justin King in June isn't quite like losing Willie Colon.)

Former Steelers coach Bill Austin passed away earlier this off season. While the Tribune Review’s Alan Robinson wrote something on his death, the Post Gazette published a Bloomberg News article written by someone else who listed Ed Bouchette as a contributor.

There’s a pattern here.

Trying to Find Rhyme or Reason

Let’s give the devil his due, and discuss possible reasons for why these stories got no coverage, because they do appear to be deviations from editorial policy.

For example, the potential and then actual departures of Will Allen and Ryan Mundy were fully covered by the major Pittsburgh dailies. Both moves were legitimate news involving minor players.

• In contrast, however, both Moore’s departure in ’12 and Legursky’s loss in ’13 arguably represented losses of more significant contributors. 

One possible explanation is that both Allen and Mundy’s departure’s occurred in heat of free agency, where as Moore and Doug Legursky left after the draft during the NFL’s only true off season when attention ebbs.

• While that fact may mean decreased public interest in the stories, it does nothing to make them less newsworthy.

Similar (potential) explanations exist for the non-coverage of Isaac Redman and Steve McLendon’s signings. Both occurred days before the NFL Draft, an event whose coverage has taken on monstrous proportions of its own.

• But again, does this justify non-coverage? 

Hardly. Losing McLendon would have all but forced the Steelers to draft a defensive lineman in the first or second round.

By a similar token, reports indicated that their were at least some parties on the South Side who were concerned that Bruce Arians would attempt to lure Isaac Redman to Pittsburgh West. Had Arians done so at the last minute the Steelers almost certainly would have lost “Redzone Redman.”

The fact that this possibility went off the table when Redman signed his tender was news. It deserved coverage.

What Is the Role of a Daily?

Steelers fans of course had myriad other means to learn of this information, via Twitter, fan sites, ESPN and sports talk radio.

But if that is the argument/explanation for not covering stories like that then the counter question becomes quite caustic:

• What is the purpose of the sports section of a major newspaper?

Most dailies (at least the Pittsburgh dailies) don’t offer the types of in depth analysis pieces that you find on fan based sites like Behind the Steel Curtain (full disclosure, I also write for BTSC).

Presumptively the reason is because they feel their focus should be on more traditional “news” stories that can be tied conversations with the newsmakers themselves.

That’s a defensible position from a purely journalistic perspective, although one that is likely not a sustainable digital age strategy for two complimentary reasons. First, fan bases’ appetite for “content” on their favorite teams remains nearly boundless. The second relates to the bottom line – profitability and page views go hand-in-hand in the digital world.

• But the traditionalist journalism argument completely falls flat when dailies simply begin ignoring legitimate news stories. 

Because if the dailies fail to make themselves “one-stop-shops” supplying all of the basic news about a particular team in an objective format (as opposed to team websites) then fans both can and will stop visiting their sites….

…The Watch Tower very much wants to see traditional newspapers make the transition to the digital age, and in that vein it suggests that the editors of the Post-Gazette and Tribune Review have a little soul searching to do.

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Steelers Sign 15 Undrafted Free Agents, Including Mike Golic Jr. and Nik Embernate

“Day 4” of the 2013 NFL Draft at the South Side when the Pittsburgh Steelers added to their 2013 Draft Class by signing 15 undrafted rookie free agents, and it was a group heavy with offensive lineman.

Steelers 2013 Undrafted Rookie Free Agents:

Nik Embernate, guard of San Diego State
Chis Hubbard, guard of University of Birmingham
Mike Farrell, tackle of Penn State
Mike Golic Jr., tackle of Notre Dame
Ivory Wade, center of Baylor
Brian Arnfelt, defensive end of Northwestern
Cordian Hagans, defensive end of Louisiana-Lafayette
Athony Rashad White, defensive tackle of Michigan State
Omar Hunter, defensive tackle of Florida
Curtis McNeal, running back of USC
Luke Ingram, long snapper, of Hawaii

Seeking the Next Silverback, FWP

Dubbing this group “The Steelers 2013 Undrafted Rookie Free Agent Class” might seem slightly grandiose, as the vast majority of these kids are doing little more chasing a pro football like version of a Rudy like dream.

But with Kevin Colbert, the Steelers have mined the undrafted rookie free agent pool for gold, with talents like James Harrison and Willie Parker to show for it. And while those are the best two examples the Steelers can present, they are far from the only two.

• In 2008 Darnell Stapelton was part of an unrestricted rookie free agent crop and started in Super Bowl XLIII
• 2009’s undrafted rookie free agent crop yielded Ramon Foster and Isaac Redman
• In 2010 Steve McLendon got his first playing time after cutting his teeth as a rookie free agent

And just last year fullback Will Johnson and safety Robert Golden made the team as undrafted rookie free agents.

Clearly the odds may be stacked against these young men, but the Steelers will certainly give them a fair shot.

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Steelers Draft Samford DT Nicholas Willams in 7th

The Pittsburgh Steelers finished the 2013 NFL Draft the way they started their 2009 and 2011 drafts:  by picking a defensive lineman.

The Steelers used their 7th round and final pick to take Samford defensive tackle Nicholas Williams. Williams is tall, coming in at 6’4” and weighing in at 310 pounds. It is unclear exactly how he fits into the Steelers system, although the site NFL Draft Scout projects him as a defensive end in the pros.

7th round picks face an uphill battle to make it into the NFL, but Williams is fortunate in that the only depth the Steelers have behind Brett Keisel, Steve McLendon, Ziggy Hood, and Cameron Heyward is Al Woods and Alameda Ta'amu.

Like the site NFL Draft Scout, CBS’s pre draft site projected Williams as a 5th round pick. Clearly he fell, in spite of his 8 sacks recorded last year.

It has been the Steelers custom of late to draft defensive lineman late with hopes of developing them, but that has not worked out so well (and as Ziggy Hood’s stunted development shows, drafting them early has not worked out so well either.)

However, Brett Keisel joined the team as a 7th round pick in 2002 and blossomed into a strong starter. Have faith Nicholas Williams, it can be done.

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Steelers Draft Needs: Past Failures Make Defensive Line a Priority in Pittsburgh

After his first season as Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin declared that the team needed to get “Younger and stronger” on the defensive line. The Steelers didn’t use a premium pick on the defensive line in now maligned 2008 NFL Draft, but they picked Ziggy Hood in the first round in 2009 and Cameron Heyward in the first round of 2011.

In 2012 they traded up to get one of the few ‘pure nose tackles’ remaining in the draft and they just extended nose tackle Steve McLendon for 3 more years.

• Those moves must mean the Steelers are set on defensive line and need to worry about that in the upcoming draft. Right?

Guess again.

In spite of (or perhaps perversely because of) their heavy investment of first round picks in defensive lineman in recent years defensive line remains a serious need area for the Steelers in the 2013 NFL Draft.

The unit is led by Brett Keisel who defied father time and played well last year, particularly in the later half of the season. But Keisel is an unrestricted free agent. More importantly he’s 34.

Should Keisel play at the level he played at in 2013 the Steelers could bring back. But if the Steelers do that and if Keisel oes return in 2014 in anything more than a Jerome Bettis ’04-’05 elder statesman type role then what will that say about the men drafted to replace him?

• Those of course would be Ziggy Hood and Cameron Heyward.   

Of the two Ziggy Hood is the greatest concern. He played well as a rookie in spot duty in 2009, was a little shaky entering the starting line up in mid 2010 but came on strong late in 2010 and during the playoffs. In short he had the look of a player who was establishing himself as a quality starter.

• Unfortunately that Ziggy Hood has been seldom seen in the two years since.

Hood has played four years in the NFL and coaches are suggesting that his natural position might be nose tackle, which doesn’t speak well about how they see him as a defensive end.

• But no worries, there’s always Cameron Heyward.

Yes, Heyward, the son of legendary Pitt running back Craig Heyward.

Heyward who, on a snap for snap basis, out performed Hood yet cannot seem to wrest the starting job from him. It is too early to for the Steelers give up on Heyward, but not too early for them to hedge their bets, especially with Ziggy Hood looking destined to be no more than an average starter.

• Those two realities in and of themselves mean the first round would not be too soon for the Steelers to think about drafting a lineman.

But the Steelers don’t need to just worry about replacing about finding Ziggy Hood and Brett Kiesel’s replacements in this draft, they also must find build depth.

Behind Hood, Hewyard, McLendon, and Keisel the Steelers have:

• Alameda Ta’Amu, last year’s 4th round pick who looked lost in camp and is currently on probation
• Al Woods whose has benches as a practice squad player and back up for parts of three seasons
• Hebron Fangupo, who? Yeah, we asked the same question

Suffice to say, defensive line remains a high priority for the Steelers in the 2013 NFL Draft

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Watch Tower: Breaking Down Emmanuel Sanders Coverage, Non-Coverage of McLendon and Redman Stories

Emmanuel Sanders signing, a run on Steve McLendon, Isaac Redman staying in Pittsburgh. And that doesn’t even count the 2013 NFL Draft. It has been a busy few weeks in Pittsburgh, and this edition of the Watch Tower shines its light on how those stories were (or weren’t covered) by the Steelers press corps.

Money Don’t Buy [Emmanuel Sanders] Love

Don’t blame Emmanuel Sanders next season if he pulls a Greg Lloyd like black out of the Pittsburgh media, because if the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Pro Football Writers Association were calling the shots, Manny Sanders would be an New England Patriot now.

Jim Wexell of Steel City Insider set the tone when news of New England’s interest in Sanders broke:

Can't agree with anguish of #Steelers fans. And I really can't understand the Patriots here. Give me the third-round pick for Sanders.
— James C Wexell (@jimwexell) March 16, 2013

Ed Bouchette wrote a full length story declaring that keeping Sanders would be a bigger risk for the Steelers than letting him go, and labeling the choice a “no brainer.” For Mark Kabloy of the Tribune-Review, the one year nature of the Sanders tender was the deal breaker.

Dale Lolley honed in on Sanders injury history and also against the short-term nature of the deal, although Lolley should be credited for reporting on a split between the front office and the coaches on what to do about Sanders (although ESPN's John Clayton broke the news, duly cited by Lolley.)

To find Love for Sanders, you have to go to Peter King of Sports Illustrated who devoted points 6 and 7 of his “Ten Things I Think I Think” of his MMQB column to the Sanders situation. First he blasted New England for its half-hearted, short term offer to Sanders, and praised Sanders, citing his team-high 14.2 yards per catch average.

Ivan Cole of Behind the Steel Curtain also wrote a strong defense of the Sanders signing, although BTSC’s readers voted overwhelmingly for the Steelers to take the pick and let Sanders walk (full disclosure I also write for BTSC.)

 So You Say Sanders Had Multiple Suitors…

After the Steelers matched New England’s offer for Sanders, Dale Lolley immediately told his readers to expect a long-term deal to be worked out.

• Not so fast, shot back Sanders agent Jordan Woy, indicating that Sanders had “several offers” from NFL teams.

Ed Bouchette followed up the story, writing:

Whether he plays for them beyond that is problematic, and the Steelers had to know that when they decided to keep him for another year. 

The New England Patriots weren't the only ones to offer Sanders a contract in free agency, and the Steelers might not be able to keep him beyond next season. [Emphasis Added]

Woy’s statement is woven in pure agent talk. Of course he’s supposed to say his client had plenty of offers (although if that’s the case, then why sign the one that is only for one year?)

But were there really teams lining up to throw money at Sanders? The average fan has no way of knowing, and relies on beat writers for that insight.

• Unfortunately, Ed Bouchette offered none. 

He writes as if the multiple offers for Sanders were a matter of fact, yet gives his readers zero indication as to whether he has verified this claim with any sources, be they named or unnamed.

The Watch Tower has praised Ed Bouchette for his journalistic acumen before and no doubt will again, but the Post-Gazette’s readers deserved more from the “Dean” of the Steelers press corps on this one.

In fairness, though, Bouchette at least covered that aspect of the story whereas the Tribune Review appears to have ignored it.

McLeondon Coverage and... Non-Coverage

Steelers Nation got a jolt last week when news broke that the Green Bay Packers were working out starting nose tackle Steve McLendon, in news broken by the Baltimore Sun via Twitter.

Both Mark Kalboy and Ed Bouchette commented on the story via Twitter. Behind the Steel Curtain wrote a story on the visit and then a follow up suggesting that the Packers might simply be trying to pressure their own nose tackle B.J. Raji into extending his contract.

Ed Bouchette followed with a story on PG Plus, but readers of the regular Post Gazette online got nothing. (As PG Plus still refuses to take my money, I am unable to comment on the quality or depth of Bouchette’s story.)

In contrast, the Pittsburgh Tribune Review printed nothing on the story. A look at their main Steelers page as of 2:00 pm Eastern on Saturday 4/20/13 reveals nothing at all on Steve McLendon. Nothing on his visit to Green Bay, nothing on the 3 year deal that the Steelers signed him to.

• There’s not even a comment on their Steel Mill blog.

The Trib’s writers did comment on McLendon via Twitter to be sure, but offered nothing to readers hungry for more than 140 character bites of information on a story with major implications for the Steelers defense in 2013.

• The Tribune Review earns a big, black mark for its non-coverage of the McClendon story.

If You Happened to Want to Read More about Redman...

The other X Factor in the Steelers restricted free agent situation was Isaac Redman. They’d been rumors that a team might make a run on him, but nothing serious got published to that effect and probably for good reason as Redman signed his restricted free agent tender on Thursday evening without getting an offer.

• Not that you would have found out about it by reading the Tribune Review, Post-Gazette, or even Behind the Steel Curtain.

Mark Kalboy did report the news via Twitter, but Redman remains a popular player in Steelers Nation, and his assured return means that he figures to be a major part of the Steelers rushing offense in 2013 and those two facts should have warranted more substantial coverage.

Steelers Black Out News on Visits in Advance of the 2013 NFL Draft 

Early in the month news of the Steeles pre-Draft visits flowed freely, and it was clear that they were evaluating a lot of linebackers.

• Then suddenly, the news stopped.

This is not the first time the Steelers have tried to keep their pre-draft visits secret. Ed Bouchette shared this news with his readers a few off seasons ago on PG Plus, although if memory serves, he was able to uncover and publish the identities of several visitors.

Perhaps he did the same this year on PG Plus. Again, as PG Plus won’t take Watch Tower’s money, I have no way of knowing.

Jim Wexell did report on Twitter that Sio Moore visited the South Side on April 11th:

Sio Moore visiting today. Talked to him at combine. He wore glasses and seriousness reminded me of a Singletary, Kirkland. Great 3rd rd buck
— James C Wexell (@jimwexell) April 11, 2013

The average fan has little way of gauging whether it is easy or hard for reporters to find out who is making visits to the Steelers in advance of the 2013 NFL Draft if the Steelers refuse to announce those visits.

But readers should have been informed of the news black out, instead of simply suffering a sudden stop of information.

Ta’amu Takes a Cheap Shot from Steelers Depot

Shortly after news broke that Alameda Ta’Amu had pleaded guilty to a number of counts stemming from last fall’s drunken rampage on the South Side took a cheap shot.

Ta’amu was unfortunate enough to have a friend tweet an old photo of him holding a liquor bottle in the back seat of a car.

• Ta’amu made matters worse by being dumb enough or at least inattentive enough to retweet it.

The website Steelers Depot pounced on the move, suggesting that Ta’amu was out the night before “celebrating” his relatively light sentence, and later updating the post suggesting that the fact that Ta’amu had his “friend” take down the photo was an admission of guilt.

However, as Neal Coolong of Behind the Steel Curtain pointed out, the photo was taken during the day and during the spring or summer, lending credibility to Ta’amu’s insistence that the photo was an old one.

Steelers Depot’s suggestion little more than a cheap shot, and BTSC deserves credit for calling them out on it.

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Isaac "Redzone" Redman to Return to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2013

The ink had barley dried on Steve McLendon’s new contract when news broke Steelers Nation could officially stop worrying about a run its remaining restricted free agents.

Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review reported via Twitter that the Isaac Redman had signed his restricted free agent tender, binding him to the Steelers for 2013.

#Steelers RB Isaac Redman signed his RFA tender. Steelers backfield as of 4/18 is 1) Dwyer, 2) Redman, 3) Batch 4) Johnson (FB). Have to add
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly_Trib) April 18, 2013

NFL Trains Its Sights on Steelers Restricted Free Agents

Its been 3 years since an NFL restricted free agent had gotten an offer from another team, but the Steelers found themselves at the focal point of not one but two restricted free agent poaching attempts.

The first one involved Emmanuel Sanders, with New England making an offer to Sanders which the Steelers ultimately, and surprisingly matched. Then followed the news that Steve McLendon worked out in Green Bay, prompting the Steelers to quickly Steve McLendon offer him a three year contract.

Rumors and rumblings had it that there were also teams interested in Isaac Redman.

• Those fears can now be put to rest.

Redman of course joined the Steelers as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2009, and quickly achived cult-hero status for his exploits in preseason and in goal line drills, earning himself the name “Red Zone Redman.”

Redman of course made the key touchdown in the Steelers stunning come from behind victory vs. Baltimore in 2010, and by 2011 had proven himself as a capable NFL back up. Redman’s best shot at a stardom came in 2012 with the injury to Rashard Mendenhall, however Redman himself was injured during the first part of the season, and did not recover until late in the season.

• Redman will now get a second chance and, if the Steelers are smart and cap space allows it, they’ll offer him a multi-year deal during training camp.

No Isaac Redman is not the second coming of Franco Harris or Jerome Bettis. But he’s a gritty, scrappy back who like Merril Hoge and Mewelde Moore before him, has a motor that simply does not quit.

Fortuantely that motor will be running for the Pittsburgh Steelers for one more year.

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Steelers Sign McLendon, Proactively Keep Him From Packers

My what a study in contrasts.

When word leaked that Emmanuel Sanders had visited the New England Patriots, the Steelers Braintrust calmly watched as confusion spread about his signing, debated the pros and cons of keeping him, and matched the offer at the 11th hour.

• While the Steelers value Emmanuel Sanders, clearly there is another restricted free agent who was "more equal" than Sanders.

When news broke that starting nose tackle Steve McLendon had worked out with the Green Bay Packers it sent, in Dale Lolley’s words, “shockwaves” through the front office.

• Less than 24 hours later, the Steelers had resigned Steve McLendon to a 3 year deal.

According to reports published by Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, McLendon’s deal is for 7.25 million dollars and includes a 1.67 million signing bonus. The move likely spells the end to Casey Hampton’s time in Pittsburgh – Dale Lolley commented that Hampton’s agent expects his client to land an offer during training camp.

Steve McLendon joined the Steelers practice squad during the 2009 season, and saw his first action in week 2 of 2010, earning his stripes vs. the Tennessee Titans in what was one of the finest defensive performances in franchise history.

McLendon worked his way past Chris Hoke in the starting line up, and by training camp 2012 many fans felt that McLendon was outperforming Hampton. Hampton started all 16 games for the Steelers in 2012, but McLendon got plenty of playing time, and when he did he disrupted.

This was one player the Steelers needed to bring back, and they’ve taken care to do just that.

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Hidden Costs of Resigning Emmanuel Sanders: Batch and Legursky Could Ben Done in Pittsburgh

After almost a month of intrigue, confusion, and debate, Steelers Nation now knows that Emmanuel Sanders will remain a Pittsburgh Steeler, for 2013 at least. By matching the New England Patriots 2.5 million dollar restricted free agent tender, the Steelers gave themselves a new lease on their draft pick from the 3rd round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

• But signing Emmanuel Sanders came at a price.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have next to nothing left below the NFL salary cap.

Some of the consequences are obvious. The Steelers cannot sign Ahmad Bradshaw before June 1st without either cutting a player or mortgaging even more money against future salary cap years with a restructure.

Likewise, should another team make a run at Isaac Redman and/or Steve McClendon (and the Green Bay Packers could be signing McClendon as you read this) the Steelers would face the same unwelcome choice of losing a prospective starter or accumulating more unwelcome salary cap equity towards salary cap hell.

Alternatively, the Steelers could rescind their restricted free agent tender to Redman, as Behind the Steel Curtain’s Neal Coolong had suggested.

• Those are the known consequences that everyone else is discussing.

There’s also the unpleasant possibility that the decision to keep Sanders will end Charlie Batch’s and Doug Legursky’s tenure with the Steelers.

Batch entered free agency already on the bubble, that much was clear when the Steelers signed journey man Bruce Gradowski. One of the general lessons of the 2012 season was that the Steelers needed to inject youth into the depth cart below Ben Roethlisberger. A specific corollary to that was that Byron Leftwich simply could not be relied upon.

Gradowski’s signing ended part of the issue, but that still left Batch. Kevin Colbert had indicated that the Steelers might bring Batch back, depending on their luck in the draft.

• Now it is perhaps as much as a numbers game is a question of chance.

A late or mid-round rookie signal caller will cost less than Batch, and that might force the Steelers hand alone.

No Love for Legursky? 

Then there’s the question of Doug Legrusky’s status. As Steel Curtian Rising predicted in his Free Agent Focus piece of Legursky, no team has tripped over itself to offer Legrusky a contract.

• Legursky figured to be the Steelers to bring back if they wanted him.

The assumption was that they did. Yet, he remains unsigned, apparently a lower priority that Stevenson Sylvester. OK, the decision to resign Sylvester was driven by lack of depth.

But shouldn’t depth figure into the Steelers decisions on offensive line?

If the Mike Tomlin era has proven anything to Steelers Nation, it should be that you can never have enough good offensive lineman. An Doug Legursky is has shown that he is more than a capable guard or center who can and has come in during heat of a game and provided stability.

• Yet he remains unsigned, and likely will need to remain available and unsigned until after June 1st.

Salary cap purgatory means that the Steelers must make tough choices and gamble with some personnel decisions.

They made such a gamble when they only offered Emmanuel Sanders an orginal round tender. That move cost them another million dollars.

It may also end up costing them two proven veteran back ups.

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Steelers Worst Nightmare Comes True: Steve McClendon Works Out with Packers

Could the Steelers worst nightmare be about to come true come true? For three years, nary an offer was made on a restricted free agent in the NFL. Part of that is due to the lockout uncertainty regarding the CBA.

But another part of it was due to the fact that for whatever reason, in today’s NFL draft the potential and promise held by picks seem to more valued than experience.

Doug Legursky and Ramon Foster joined the Steelers as rookie free agents. When they reached restricted free agency a year ago Pittsburgh rolled the dice that they could offer them original round free agent tenders which would have entitled the Steelers to zero compensation.

The Steelers gamble played off in spades. They left two proven players virtually unprotected, got both men back, and both where there when the Steelers needed them to start.

This year the Steelers made the same gamble with restricted free agents Emmanuel Sanders, Issac Redman, and Steve McClendon.

• After at least one false start, the New England Patriots made a run at Sanders, forcing the Steelers to pony up and match the offer for Sanders.

With three days left before the restricted free agent signing deadline Steelers Nation crossed its fingers, held its collective breath, and prayed that no team would make a move on either Redman or McClendon.

• Unfortunately now one has.

Behind the Steel Curtain is reporting that the Green Bay Packers have worked out Steve McClendon.

BTSC’s source is a tweet from Ravens Insider, but Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Mark Kalboy of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review have commented on the Twitter feed, lending credibility to the story, although neither of the two dailies is carrying the story on their website, or is there mention of it on ESPN.

Ed Bouchette, however did go so far as to suggest this:

“@nollschooled: @edbouchette Packers gonna pay McLendon more than Hamp is gonna cost?” ... Steelers tendered Mac more than Hamp wd cost
— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) April 18, 2013

While Casey Hampton did show he had something left and appeared to get stronger as 2012 progressed, the Steelers have said they were not planning to resign him.

Steelers Hamstrung by the Salary Cap

It promises to be a stressful 48 hours on the South Side of Pittsburgh. The Steelers have no money to match an offer for Steve McClendon's. And unlike Emmanuel Sanders, there is zero depth at nose tackle as the only other nose tackle they have under contract is Alameda Ta’amu, who recently pleaded guilty to a number of charges tied to a drunken rampage from last October.

If an offer for McClendon does materialize, the Steelers would have no choice but to cut a veteran player and/or take another step towards ensuring that they reach salary cap hell by restructuring yet another contract.

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Steelers Roll Dice, Only Offer Original Round Tenders to Restricted Free Agents

The Steelers are banking that dice don’t have memory, at least when it comes to restricted free agents. Facing salary cap pressures, the Steelers have given original round tenders to restricted free agents Steve McLendon, Jonathan Dwyer, Emmanuel Sanders and Isaac Redman. Pittsburgh has opted not to offer tenders to Stevenson Sylvester or Jeremy Kapinos, making both men unrestricted free agents.

By offering the men original round free agent tenders the Steelers both preserve their right to match any offer given to these players and the signing team will have to give up a draft pick from the round the player was taken in.

• In Jonathan Dwyer’s or Emmanuel Sanders case, that means any team signing him would essentially have to trade the Steelers their 6th round or 3rd round pick.

However, since both Isaac Redman and Steve McLendon were undrafted rookie free agents, the Steelers would get nothing should either man leave the team, although they still retain the right of first refusal.

Given that both men have ample experience, either man could garner attention, thereby putting the Steelers at risk of losing their project starting nose tackles and running backs. However, a year ago the Steelers made the same gamble last year with (then) restricted free agents Ramon Foster and Doug Legrusky, both of whom had starting experience, and neither man drew much interest from NFL teams.

The cases of Sylvester and Kapinos are more nebulous the Steelers could bring both men to camp, but clearly show no interest in paying either man more than the NFL veteran minimum.

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