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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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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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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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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Alameda Ta'amu Pleads Guilty, Tries to Make Amends

Pittsburgh Steelers reserve nose tackle Alameda Ta’amu pleaded guilty yesterday to three counts of reckless endangerment, resisting arrest and driving while under the influence.

In return for his guilty plea Ta’amu was sentenced to 18 months probation, four days in DUI housing, and 150 hours of community service. Ta’amu was found not guilty of fleeing and evading in a drunken rampage on Pittsburgh’s South Side that saw Ta’amu damage four cars injuring one passenger and nearly run over four police officers on foot.

Ta’amu Apologies, Attempts to Make Good

After receiving the verdict Ta’amu offered to make amends stating:

I know what I've done is wrong. I'd do anything to make it right. What I did affected my whole family. I've got to keep learning from my mistakes. So far, I think I've done a good job of staying away [from alcohol].

The Steelers initial response to Ta’amu offense was to suspend him, although the team waived him during the season. He was resigned to the regular season roster for the season’s final game.

The Steelers drafted Ta’amu in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft, trading up to get one of the last pure nose tackles on the board. Immediately after making that move, pundits rushed to project him as Casey Hampton’s successor, but such enthusiasm cooled when Ta’amu looked lost in training camp and struggled in preseason.

The Steelers have made it clear that Ta’amu, should he make the team, will remain on a short leash, as the team as already parted ways with its 5th round draft pick from 2012, Chris Rainey, for his own off season legal issues.

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Steelers Prepare to Say "Good Bye" to Big Snack Casey Hampton

Ed Bouchette, the Dean of the Steelers press corps., has observed that lever to the success of 3-4 zone blitz can be found in the nose tackle’s knees. History proves his point.

The 1998 and 1999 Steelers started both seasons off playing dominant defense despite the absence of studs like Rod Woodson, Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene, Chad Brown and, in 1999, Carnell Lake.

The operative phrase is "started both seasons." In both campaigns the defense fell apart late in the season and in both years the defense's decline can be traced directly to the deterioration of Joel Steed’s knees. (Steed in fact retired after '99.)

Since 2001 the Pittsburgh Steelers have consistently posted one of the NFL’s best defenses. Big Snack Casey Hampton was drafted by the Steelers in 2001. Those two events are not coincidental.

As a rookie Hampton who only needed 5 weeks to beat out incumbent starter Kendrick Clancy.

Neither the Steelers nor Hampton have looked back since. Casey Hampton has quite simply anchored some of the best defenses in Steelers history.

Trying to measure the impact of nose tackles in the 3-4 is kind of like trying to measure the influence of B2B marketing in corporate revenue streams – you know you need a good nose tackle, but its hard to put a number on his performance:

• 3-4 nose tackle’s don’t pull down eye popping statistics
• They rarely make the ESPN highlight reels
• Quarterbacks are seldom said to “fear” nose tackles

Yet the 3-4 nose tackle plays an essential role, by disrupting and cogging everything the opposing offense wishes to achieve.

Casey Hampton has never had as many as three sacks in a season, never had a tackle total above 45. But he’s been one of the best 3-4 nose tackles in the business during his time in the NFL, and this video (available 3/3/13) show just how poor of a guide statistics can be at times:



When the Steelers have needed him, Casey Hampton has stepped up, and perhaps no bigger moment reveals that than his sack of Matt Hasselbeck in Super Bowl XL, which not coincidentally was the first play on the video.

Can the Steelers Keep Casey?

Casey Hampton has started for 12 straight years with the Steelers, an impressive run by any measure.

Alas, all things come to an end.  The quality of the Steelers run defense began to slip in 2011 and Hampton was injured in the Teebowing the Steelers suffered vs. Denver in the playoffs.

Many fans thought that Hampton was done, and he only returned for his 12th season after agreeing to a pay cut. Casey Hampton clearly showed by the end of the 2012 season that he has something left and he’s a free agent.

The Steelers will most certainly allow Hampton to test the free agent waters where he’s likely to get an offer, and he’ll likely play his final football in colors other than Black and Gold.

That will be sad, but it will be an unfortunate necessity – knowing when to let go of aged veterans is just as important to a team’s development as is evaluating youth. And unlike the situation the Steelers face with James Harrison and Jason Worilds, Steve McLendon is ready to step up.

• Its time for the Steelers to set Hampton free.

Should he get no interest and be willing to play for the veteran minimum then the Steelers could consider welcoming him back, but at the end of the day the Steelers need to focus on the future and not the past.

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Steelers Cut Alameda Ta'amu Sign David Gilreath

The Pittsburgh Steelers made a slightly surprising roster move ahead of their Monday Night Football game at Heinz Field vs. the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Steelers cut one-time Casey Hampton heir apparent, 4th round draft pick Alameda Ta'amu and used his roster spot to activate wide receiver David Gilreath from the practice squad.

The injury that Antonio Brown suffered in the Steelers victory over the New York Giants will keep him out of the Chief's game, and leaves the Steelers without their number 2 receiver. While Jerricho Cotchery and Emmanuel Sanders filled in admirably for Brown, the simple math reveals that the only 4 wide receivers healthy remain on their active roster.

David Gilreath is in his second year in the NFL, having spent time with the Chargers, Colts and Bills during the 2011 season. He caught on during the Steelers 2012 off season and impressed in training camp. Gilreath's preseason game vs. the Colts was a particularly strong outing for the young receiver  but he could not reproduce his success in subsequent outings and Gilreath found himself on the Steelers practice squad.

Farewell to Alameda Ta'amu?

The move to cut Ta'amu amounts to a minor surprise. Alameda Ta'amu is facing DWI, disorderly coduct and a battery of other felony charges for leading the police an an extended chase through the South Side. The Steelers did suspend him for 2 games, and took a lot of public criticism for not cutting him outright.

Clearly, the Steelers do not fear losing him via the waiver wire.

In all likelihood, Ta'amu will be resigned either to the active roster or practice squad once Brown returns to full health. But clearly this young rookie is regarded as expendable at this point.

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Steelers Suspend Alameda Ta’amu, Resign Crobin Bryant

The Pittsburgh Steelers made two roster moves today. One was expected, the other came as somewhat of a surprise.

The Steelers first move was to suspend Alameda Ta’amu for two games following Ta'amu's arrest for drunk driving and fleeing police. While the move was expected, it did open the door to potential controversy.

After the Steelers shipped Santonio Holmes off to the New York Jets for his transgressions, they put the rest of the locker room on notice that anyone else who ran afoul of the law would be out.

A two game suspension is a real punishment, but pales in comparison to the threat of the waiver wire, especially when you consider that Ta’amu was basically a project.

Steelers Sign Lineman

Ta’amu had not dressed for a game, so he’ll hardly be missed this weekend vs. Cincinnati. However, the Steelers almost certainly will be without the services of Marcus Gilbert and Marukice Pouncey, both of whom were injured in the loss to Tennessee.

A roster move on the offensive line was widely expected, and still may materialize.

However, that has yet to happen, as the Steelers resigned defensive lineman Corbin Bryant.

Corbin Byrant played on the practice squad of the Steelers throughout 2011, but Bryant was activated when Aaron Smith went on IR, and he played in the Steelers victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Byrant had a strong training camp, joining Steve McLendon, LaMarr Woodley, and Chris Carter as the only defenders to register a sack during preseason. It was a mild surprise that Bryant did not make the team’s practice squad.

The move to sign him to the active roster is somewhat puzzling, given that he takes the roster spot of a man who never dressed. But it also suggests, at least potentially, that Mike Tomlin is not happy with the performance of the defensive line in general, and might at least be interested in seeing what Bryant can do.

Practice Squad Moves

Possibly anticipating their next move, the Steelers signed Jaques McClendon to their practice squad, and waived 7th round pick Jamie McCoy to make room for him.

Observers have speculated that the Steelers will activate offensive lineman John Malecki from their practice squad for the Bengals game to shore up a unit at which they are dangerously thin.

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Alameda Ta'amu Arrested Felon Charges Pending

The 2012 season has not been kind to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the team's defensive line has earned its fair share of the blame.

One potential source of help may now be off the table, as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting that the Steelers 4th round draft pick Alameda Ta'amu was arrested on the South Side this weekend after attempting to flee police both by car and the by foot. The incident led to the injury of a young woman and damage of several vehicles. Court documents indicate that Ta'amu allegedly had been driving drunk.

Further Disappointment from a Fourth Round Pick

The Steelers traded up to grab Ta'amu in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft, with many commentators immediately suggesting that Ta'amu was a successor to Casey Hampton. Although no one was projecting him as a starter, many felt he would get significant playing time almost immediately.

However, Ta'amu struggled in training camp and by the middle of the preseason many were already labeling him a "project."

• Ta'amu has not dressed for any of the Steelers five 2012 regular season games.

Most people in Steelers Nation (and many outside it) have the impression the Steelers do not tolerate players with off the field discipline problems. The reality, however, is mixed.

Historically the Steelers have parted ways, with a number of players who've run afoul of the law, such as Tim Worley and Bam Morris. Players such as James Harrison, Santonio Holmes, and Ben Roethlisberger were ultimately given second chances (although Roethlisberger of course was neither arrested nor charged with a criminal offense.)

It remains to be seen the Steelers will do in the case of Ta'amu.

Suffice to say he can not be endearing himself to Kevin Colbert, Mike Tomlin, and Art Rooney II.

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Ziggy Hood Poised to Lead Steelers Defensive Line

The Steelers overtime playoff loss to the Denver Broncos left a lot of bad memories for SteelersNation. At times the 2011 Pittsburgh Steelers played with so much promise, at other times they were maddeningly inconsistent.

But the playoff game also saw a changing of the guard on the defensive line. Long time anchor Casey Hampton went down with a ACL tear. Brett Keisel also fell injured. That left Ziggy Hood, Cameron Heyward and Steve McLendon on their own. Literally.

• The results were not pretty. 

Tim Tebow had his way with the Steelers defense. And although some of that does fall on the shoulders of the secondary and Dick LeBeau’s staff, the Steelers defensive lineman didn’t feel that they’d done their part.

As Joe Starkey points out in the Tribune Review, Ziggy Hood didn’t pout, he went out and did something about it.

Check out this video of Hood pulling a 1200 pound sled.



And if that’s not enough for you, check out a longer version of the rest of Hood’s workout:



If Ziggy Hood doesn’t have a break out year it won’t be for lack of preparation, because Hood clearly has the look of a man on a mission.

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Gilreath, Clemons, and Cromartie-Smith Headline Steelers Practice Squad - Jerrod Jackson Left Off...

Having cut their roster to 53 men, the Pittsburgh Steelers completed their eight man practice squad, which includes:

John Malecki, offensive linemen
Ryan Lee, offensive lineman
David Gilreath, wide receiver
Toney Clemons, wide receiver
Jamie McCoy, tight end
Marshall McFadden, linebacker
Damon Cromartie-Smith, safety
Josh Victorian, cornerback

Conspicious by their absence are defensive lineman Corbin Bryant - who saw active service with the Steelers last year, running back DeJuan Harris, and of course quarterback Jerrod Jackson. Each of these men either looked sharp in preseason. However, the Steelers practice squad picks closely mirror the areas of need on their depth chart.

For the first time in recent memory, the Steelers are only carrying 5 wide receivers on their active roster, explaining the presence of preseason star David Gilreath and 7th round draft pick Toney Clemons.

As the Steelers current and past experiences have aptly demonstraited, you can never have too many offensive lineman familiar with your system, hence the presence of Malecki and Lee.

The Steelers are likewise thin at cornerback, likely explaining Josh Victorian's presence, and Damon Cromartie-Smith gives the Steelers options at safety.

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Steelers 2012 Draft Need Matrix

Unlike other sites, Steel Curtain Rising has no inner Mel Kipper Jr. to channel. Here you’ll find no mock drafts, analysis of hypothetical trade values, or doomsday scenarios.

Those are all great, and to my fellow colleagues in the blogging community, I say have at it!

But I make no pretense of pretending to know or even have an educated guess on who the Steelers should pick and who they should avoid in the draft. College football is not shown here in Buenos Aires, even if you have Direct TV, and even when I lived in the United States, I never followed it. Nothing against it, just never had a rooting interest. (Now, if Loyola Maryland ever gets a football team... Watch out.)

What I can do, however, is give you an analysis of the Steelers needs. If you’ve been following, you’ll know that I’ve broken down the Steelers by position area, evaluating what they need at tight end and quarterback, running back and wide receiver, offensive line, defensive line, linebacker, and secondary.

But how does that all fit together? Well, that’s what Steel Curtain Rising's annual Steelers draft need matrix is all about. If, in a given situation the Steelers find multiple players of the same grade on their draft board, who do they pick?

Mind you, the Steelers, at least since Kevin Colbert arrived, have rarely allowed their draft decisions to be driven by need. But, for as much as they might protest to the contrary, need does come into their equation, even if its not the prime consideration.

This year’s draft matrix has an odd shape, thin at both ends and fat in the middle.

Steelers First Tier Draft Needs

The Steelers have to urgent needs. They need to continue to rebuild their offensive line, and they need to begin grooming a successor to Casey Hampton.

Fate might complicate that mission in this draft, as we are told there are few quality nose tackles. And that’s where this gets tricky.

Because the Steelers only need one nose tackle, yet they need to field five offensive lineman and could conceivably upgrade any of the the four exterior line positions, with a quality first round pick.

And while the Steelers need at guard is greater than it is at tackle, I lump to two together, because if the Steelers get a good tackle Willie Colon can make the oft-discussed move to his so called natural position of guard (which he has never played.)

So the temptation to reach for a nose tackle, given the dearth of talent in this draft, has got to be great.

But the Steelers First Tier Draft Matrix goes like this:

Offensive line takes priority over nose tackle, by a nose (pun intended)

Second Steelers Draft Needs

The second tier is very fat indeed. For once you can believe Kevin Colbert when he says that everything (or almost everything) is fair game after the first round.

That’s because while the Steelers don’t have many gaping holes to fill, just about every position area either has depth issues, age issues, or injury issues.

Still, it is possible to sort out some information from the noise.

Safety takes priority over inside linebacker, which takes priority over outside linebacker, which takes priority over running back, which takes priority over cornerback, which takes priority over wide receiver, which takes priority over defensive end.

Wow, that is a complicated web to unweave. But here goes. The Steelers are aging at safety, and their only young back up will be a free agent this time next year.

With question marks about both Jason Worilds and Stevenson Sylvester, inside linebacker gets the nod over outside linebacker because of Lawrence Timmons inconsistency.

You could make the argument that running back and outside linebacker should be switched, I will not argue, but I lean that way because the Steelers have bodies at running back and the NFL favors that pass more and more every year.

The need for a good corner is evident as is the need for good wideouts. The corner gets the nod because they have less proven talent that wideout.

Lastly, the Steelers don’t have tons of depth at defensive end, particularly if Ziggy Hood is to move to nose tackle for some portion of the 2012 or 2013 season. But with 2 out of the last three first being defensive ends it is hard to put this higher in the pecking order.

Steelers Third Tier Draft Needs

Tight ends takes priority over quarterback.

This one should be pretty self evident. IT would be great if the Steelers could get a tight end similar to those that New England has. But they have more pressing needs to address.

Ditto quarterback. I’d love nothing more than to draft a guy, bring him along and “develop” him the way coaches used to (at least on paper.)

But the Steelers have spent a couple of three 5th round picks on quarterbacks (Tee Martin, Brian St. Pierre, Omar Jacobs, and Dennis Dixon). With the exception of Dixon, none of them did more than hold a clipboard (which, well, isn’t a bad thing to say about your third string QB). In the case of Dixon, if the Steelers really saw some him as a viable long-term back up, they’d have resigned him instead of Charlie Batch.

Day to Dream

We of course don’t have “draft day” any more, its now “draft days.”

But you know what I mean.

There may be more pomp and circumstance surrounding the NFL draft than there should be. There is certainly too much pontification, and too many definitive day after pronouncements.

So be it.

The NFL draft is something special. It’s a day a that opens the door to hope for fans from every NFL team. It’s the day when some team is going to make a move that changes or cements its future for the next decade.

It’s a day when a select group of young men realize the dream that all of us had the first time we touched a Nerf Football in the back yard and called out some random snap count.

What a day indeed.

Enjoy it.

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Steelers Draft Needs at Defensive Line

Having discussed the Steelers draft needs at tight end and quarterback, running backs and wide receivers, and offensive line, we now turn our attention to the defensive side of the ball.

Steelers Needs at Defensive End

The Steelers drafted Ziggy Hood with their first round pick in 2009 and drafted Cameron Heyward with their first round pick in 2011, therefore they can't possibly be thinking of drafting a defensive lineman early in the 2012 NFL Draft, right?

Not quite.

Yes, the Steelers have worked hard to stock themselves to inject youth into their defensive line, and while Ziggy Hood and Cameron Heyward both need to develop more, the team has good depth when you pair those two with Brett Keisel.

But Brett Keisel turns 34 this year, and the Steelers have very little in terms of proven talent behind their top three defensive ends, as evidenced by the playoff loss vs. Denver (although any 3-4 team that loses both a starting end and a nose tackle is going to struggle.)

We should also note for the record that the Steelers have Al Woods under contract. Woods hasn't done a whole lot, but Mike Tomlin appears to like the guy.

The Steelers need to continue to stock their bull pen at defensive end, but realistically they won’t look to do so until relatively late in the draft.

• Priority of defensive end for the Steelers in the 2012 NFL draft: Medium/low

Steelers Needs at Nose Tackle

Casey Hampton has been the rock upon which the Steelers defense of the last decade has been built, figuratively, if not literally. Alas Casey Hampton’s time in the NFL is coming to an end. Coming off an ACL injury, he agreed to a massive pay cut.

While Casey Hampton's paycut assured that he will make the team in 2012, one can also read into it that if Hampton had not agreed to the pay cut, the Steelers may have simply cut him. It is conceivable that Hampton might have another year in him, assuming he avoid injury in 2012, but either way “Life’s Work” is fast closing in on Big Snack.

Besides Hampton, who might not even start the season, the Steelers have Steve McLendon, who signed in 2010 as an unrestricted rookie free agent. McLendon looked solid in the time he has played, but it’s doubtful he can be counted on as a long-term answer.

The Steelers also have Corbin Bryant and Elisha Joseph on their roster at NT. The former was a training camp phenomena, for a while, the later remains a total unknown.

All of this points to the Steelers urgently needing to groom a successor to Casey Hampton, ASAP.
Word from the Draft Nicks is however, that the nose tackle is especially thin in the 2011 NFL Draft class.

The Steelers shouldn’t and probably won’t reach to fill this need. And that’s a good thing, because when you reach, Troy Edwards happens. But that doesn’t alter the reality that in an ideal world, the Steelers would address nose tackle very early in the draft.

• Priority of defensive end for the Steelers in the 2011 NFL draft: High

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Casey Hampton Accepts a Pay Cut

The Pittsburgh Steelers made their first big move in free agency and, true to form, the move was wholly contained within the South Side.

Starting right nose tackle Casey Hampton, still recovering from an ACL injury suffered in the Steelers playoff loss to Denver, has agreed to accept a pay cut.

Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette described the move as a “restructuring” while Dale Lolley of From the NFL Sidelines and Scott Brown of the Tribune-Review described the move as a cut.

According to Brown, Hampton agreed to take a 2 million dollar salary reduction and forgo a 1 million dollar roster bonus.

Brown also reports that this move brings the Steelers to 6 to 8 million below the cap – this number is significant, because previous reports had pegged the Steelers at 1.5 million to 2 million below the cap.

Either way the additional cap space is welcome. The move could allow the Steelers to seal Mike Wallace to a long term deal; it could likewise free up money for Jericho Cotchery, William Gay, or a free agent from another team.

Home Town Discount, or Homegrown Prudence?

Casey Hampton’s had been rumored to be the next cap casualty and/or a candidate for a salary cut. The fact that Hampton agreed to play for less is slightly surprising, given that he is in the final year of what is likely his final NFL contract.

However, he will be 35 when the season starts and is recovering from a serious knee. On top of that, the Steelers run defense had a below par year in 2011 – for Pittsburgh – and while it would be grossly unfair to finger Hampton for all of this, the nose tackle is the fulcrum on which the success of the 3-4 defense rises and falls.

Kevin Colbert had indicated that he wanted and expected Hampton back during the NFL scouting combine, but rumors of Hampton’s expendability nonetheless persisted.

By agreeing to a pay cut, Hampton all but ensured that he will be drawing a pay check for the 2012 NFL season, and pocketing a extra million in change beats making nothing.

For their part, the Steelers also avoided putting themselves in a position where the would HAVE to draft a nose tackle in the top 2 or 3 rounds. (With that said, the Steelers must get serious about finding and grooming Hampton’s successor.)

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Aaron Smith Says Good Bye to Steelers Nation

When the Steelers cut Aaron Smith, there was some speculation that he might head off to Pittsburgh West aka the Arizona Cardinals.

While no one has ruled that out explicitly, Smith himself seems to be strongly signaling that he will hang it up.

As reported by Post Gazette Steelers beat writer Ed Bouchette, Aaron Smith took out a full page ad in the Post Gazette to say good bye and thank Steel City Fans for their support.

Steel Curtain Rising's editorial policy is normally not to publish verbatium texts from other sites. But in this case an exception is being made because Smith's message shows just how much of a class act he was and how great the Steelers orgaization remains.

According to Bouchette, the following text can be found on page D-7 of the Sunday March 11th Post Gazette:

Dear Steelers Fans,

As of today, I am no longer a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I leave the field and Steelers with no regrets, and am grateful to have played for such a tremendous organization. I feel truly blessed to have spent my entire professional career in the best town, playing for the most loyal fans who have loved and supported myself and my family.

The last 13 years of our lives have been special because of the people who cheered me on, and I am truly fortunate to have been a part of the Steelers, the City of Pittsburgh and the Steelers Nation. You have opened your arms and your hearts to us as a family and we will never forget that. Your support, enthusiasm, love and dedication are gifts I will carry with me my entire life.

I may no longer be on the Steelers active roster, but I will always be a Steeler and will never forget the people who made it all worthwhile -- the fans, the Rooneys, the front office, the equipment guys and trainers, my teammates and family. Thank you for supporting me over the last 13 years, and I hope you will support me in whatever future path life will take me on.

We plan on making Pittsburgh our home and I will endeavor for the rest of my days to find a way to thank each and every one of you personally for all that you have done and meant for me and my family. You cheered for me for 13 years and now I cheer for you for the rest of my life. You will always be in my heart, thoughts and prayers. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to have the job of a lifetime. You will always be in my heart.

Your friend always,

Aaron Smith and Family, No. 91

Good Bye and Good Luck Aaron

As Bouchette points out, Alan Fanaca is the only player he can remember taking out an ad in the newspaper to say good bye to the fans. Oliver Gibson, a nose tackle the Steelers drafted out of Notre Dame in 1995 did something similar when he left for Cincinnati in 1999, by publishing a letter to the editor in the Steelers Digest.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a franchise which yields nothing to anyone else when it comes to the legacy of their defensive line. In 13 years of play, Aaron Smith earned the right to have his name spoken in the same breath as Ernie Stauntner, Joe Greene, L.C. Greenwood, Ernie Holmes and Dwight White.

This is truly a touching way for Smith to end his time as a Steeler. Aaron Smith, Steelers Nation thanks you for your contributions and your sacrifices and wishes you the best!

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Kemoeatu Activated, Harris Waived

The Pittsburgh Steelers made two roster moves in the wake of their preseason loss to the Washington Redskins. They activated starting guard Chris Kemoeatu, who had opened camp on the physically unable to perform list. To make room for Kemoeatu they cut 2009 7th round draft pick Sunny Harris.



Chris Scott had been drawing rave reviews throughout camp and was believed to have a serious shot at one of the starting guard positions. But Scott performed poorly in the preseason opener.



Perhaps the Steelers had planned to activate Kemoeatu all along at this point in training camp, but with Kemoeatu active Chris Scott will get fewer chances to start.



The decision to waive Sunny Harris likely spells the end to this young man's NFL dream. Drafted in 2009, Harris impressed a lot of folks in the Steelers organization, and Ed Bouchette even drew comparisons between the decision to cut Harris to the Steelers decision to cut Dwayne Board back in 1979.



Carolina prevented the Steelers form keeping Harris on the practice squad, but he did not last long on Carolina's active roster. The Steelers brought him back after Aaron Smith's injury, but cut him again in training camp last year.



Harris popped around a few practice squads last year until returning to Pittsburgh's when Aaron Smith went on IR again.



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