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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Watch Tower: Steelers Cut Down Day Varium

Perhaps its because of the lock out, perhaps its just a one time thing, or perhaps its because it’s a new trend, but the 2011 version of cut down day was some what of a non-event compared to it’s the 2010 edition.

News of the Steelers final cuts leaked out in drips and drabs last year, with rumors poping up on Twitter and other blogs about “so and so says is Tweeting that such-and-such’s agent his shopping him now that he’s been cut….”

This time around the Steelers simply released the names of the cuts in one foul swoop.

But they did it in two waves, leaving some room for drama.

To that end, kudos to Scott Brown of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review for going out on a limb and hazarding a guess on the identifies of the “Final Five” (ah, now that had a nice ring to it for Battlestar Galactic fans in Steelers Nation.)

We single out Brown because he was the only member of the professional press to hazard such picks.

For the record Brown was right that the Steelers would opt for Wesle Saunders over tight end John Gilmore and that Jarrett Crittenton would be the odd man out on the defensive line. He missed Crezdon Butler and Tony Hills’ departure and predicted that Arnaz Battle would get the boot.

Post-Gazette beat writer Ed Bouchette discussed possibilities surrounding “The Final Five” in PG Plus but stopped short of making his own pick.

The Mystery of J. Crittenton

The Post-Gazette’s reporting of the Steelers final five cuts was a tad bit confusing because they only reported that the team had cut “J. Crittenton.” Wondering who “J.Crittenton” was I went to Behind the Steel Curtain (a site which I occasionally write for) and they also were listing him as “J.Cirttenton.” (The PG has since corrected the page.)

Fortunately, the Tribune-Review had his full name (Jarrett) in its report. Score another for the Trib. Watch Tower only points out it as an example of how mistakes, even trival ones like this, can get magnified on the internet.

Practice Squad "Unimportant?"

Ed Bouchette raised an eye brow in his PG Plus article discussing the Steelers 53 roster stating:

We won't speculate here on the practice squad because it means so little and they also may sign players cut from other teams, not just their own.

Given that the likes of James Harrison, Chris Hoke, and Isaac Redman, to name a few, have done apprenticeship on the Steelers practice squad, Bouchette’s characterization of the practice squad as something that “means so little” is a little surprising.

In the same article, however, he did predict that Crezdon Bulter would sign with another team and Butler indeed did sign with Pittsburgh West aka the Arizona Cardinals.

Gerry Dulac Shuns Speculation

This edition of the Watch Tower began by praising one professional writer for having the guts to predict the identities of “The Final Five,” and it is going to end by praising another who decided to follow suit.

At the end of his Wednesday chat, Gerry Dulac surprised with his response to a question about the up coming cuts:



That’s the attitude of an old school journalist who came up the hard way, banging out article on a typewriter and calling them in. As fun as making these kinds of guesses and predictions might be, it is refreshing to see journalists committed to basing their reporting on facts.

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Steelers Sign Ivy, Grisham, & 6 Others to Practice Squad

The Steelers filled out their practice squad by signing rookie running back John Clay, tight end Jamie McCoy, offensive tackle Trevis Turner, and Guard John Malecki. Tyler Grisham will return to the practice squad for a third season.



On defense the Steelers added defensive lineman Corbin Byrant, linebacker Mortty Ivy and Defensive back Da’Mon Cromartie Smith.



Conspicuous by his absences was Keith Williams, the team’s 6th round pick in the 2011NFL draft. Very early in camp Williams had been discussed as a possible starter at guard, but faded as training camp and preseason wore on.



Tony Hills was not brought back, but numerous reports have confirmed that the Steelers attempt to switch him to guard amounted to the 2008 4th round draft pick’s final chance to carve out a role for himself on the team. A rough ending for someone whom Jim Wexell, writing in Steelers Digest, once hailed as the "next John Jackson."



The Steelers did lose Crezdon Butler, Pittsburgh’s 5th round pick in the 2010 NFL draft, whom they certainly would have wanted to add to the practice squad. Butler however was signed by Pittsburgh West, aka the Arizona Cardinals, where former Steelers defensive backs coach Ray Horton is defensive coordinator.



Speculation remains that the Steelers might continue to tinker with their roster. Weslye Saunders made the roster and many are already saying he could be another in a long line of Kevin Colbert's undrafted rookie free agent coups.



Saunders, however, is much more of a pass catcher than run blocker, and the Steelers not only expect their tight ends to block, but would also like to free David Johnson to line up in the backfield as an H-Back.



The smart money says the Steelers sight tight with Saunders.



There has also been speculation that either Max Starks or Flozell Adams will get a call on September 12th. when the Steelers can sign them to their roster without being forced to pay them for the entire season.



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Steelers Cut Tony Hills, Crezdon Butler, Jeremy Kapinos, John Gilmore, and Jarrett Crittenton

The 2011 Pittsburgh Steelers final roster cuts are in. To get to 53 men, the Steelers cut punter Jeremy Kapinos, veteran tight end John Gilmore, undrafted rooke free agent Jarrett Crittenton and in two surprise moves, veteran guard/tackle Tony Hills and sophmore cornerback Crezdon Butler.



The departure of Butler is surprising because he recently had a strong preseason outing against Atlanta, although he had a difficult night against Carolina.



Daniel Sepulveda will again start the season as the Steelers punter. The Steelers have flirtered with letting him go for some time, but just can't seem to pull the trigger -- even a moster performance in preseason by Kapinos couldn't pus them to do it.



The move to cut Tony Hills draws even more surprises, given that Hills was in contention for the starting right guard spot just a week ago.



John Gilmore's departure is less of a surprise and amounts to a huge vote of confidence for Weslye Saunders.



Practice Squad Candidates?



The Steelers will most certainly attempt to bring Crezdon Butler back via the practices squad.



It will be interesting to see if Tony Hills makes the practice squad. Although drafted in the 4th round of the 2008 NFL draft, Tony Hills has only played in 3 NFL games, which may leave him eligible for the practice squad.



The Steelers can sign 8 players to the practice squad and may begin doing so tomorrow.



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Steelers Put Byron Leftwich on IR – Did They Err?

In addition to cutting a score of so of players Friday, the Steelers made an additional roster move by placing back up quarterback Byron Leftwich on the injured reserve.



Placing Leftwich on IR comes as no surprise in the wake the broken arm he suffered against Atlanta.



But did the Steelers make the right move?



Leftwich is now lost for the year.



The motive fueling the Steelers move is obvious. Mike Tomlin likes Bryon Leftwich, and Bryon Leftwich likes playing in Pittsburgh. He liked it so much that he considered sacrificing a chance to start by staying in Pittsburgh after Super Bowl XLIII.



That start only lasted a few games, and Tampa traded Leftwich back to the Steelers for a song prior to the 2010 NFL draft.



Tomlin sees Leftwich as his long-term back up, much the way that Bill Cowher viewed Mike Tomzack in the 1990’s.



Steelers Nation has a lot to like in Bryon Leftwich. He’s former franchise quarterback whose settled in comfortably into his role as second in command.



While thoroughly immobile, Leftwich has an absolute cannon for an arm. Bruce Arians always need worry that Ben Roethlisberger, Charlie Batch, and Dennis Dixon will under throw Mike Wallace on deep route.



Such worries will never exist with Leftwich.



Nice as that is, the stark reality of the situation is that the broken arm reunited Leftwich with an old friend – the injured reserve list.



Credit goes to Nice Pick Cowher for pointing this out a few days ago.



Since joining the league in Leftwich:

• Missed 5 games in 2005 with a broken ankle
• Started six games then went on IR with a broken ankle in 2006
• Injuries kept him inactive for 13 games for Atlanta in 2007
• Finished 2009 on IR after starting 3 games

Unlike Nice Pick Cowher, Steel Curtain Rising has a favorable impression of Leftwich’s skills, although one must concede that Leftwich would get killed behind this line.



Before Leftwich got hurt in the 2010 preseason finale, Charlie Batch was the odd man out. No one in the Steelers organization ever questioned Batch’s skills, leadership, or commitment to the team.



Tomlin’s preference for Batch over Byron had everything to do with the former’s fragility.



The Steelers of course take no risk in putting Leftwich on IR other than being on the hook for his 2011 salary.



But one has to wonder if Tomin errs by not giving Leftwich's durability deeper consideration before annointing him as the Steelers long term back up quarterback.



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Steelers Cut Ivy, Warren, Bryant, Williams and Grisham – 5 More Face Ax

The Steelers cut 21 players today, paring their roster down to 58. 5 more cuts must be made by tomorrow night. Topping the cuts were:

• Linebacker Mortty Ivy
• Defensive lineman Crobin Bryant
• Cornerbacks Donavan Warren and Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith
• Offesinve tackle Kyle Jolly and Keith Williams
• Wide Reciever Tyler Grisham

Also cute were: Baraka Atkins, Mario Harvey, Chris McCoy, Brett Greenwood, Macho Harris, Colin Miller, Armand Robinson, Wes Lyons, Jamie McCoy and Swayze Waters.



Candidates for the Steelers Practice Squad?



Mortty Ivy, Crobin Bryant, Dovanan Warren and this year’s 6th round pick Keith Williams are all likely practice squad candidates.



Tyler Grisham and Kyle Jolly spent time on the Steelers practice squad in previous seasons and could conceivably be back.



Who Do the Steelers Cut Next?



The Steelers still need to make five more moves. Word is that Steve McClendon is pushing Chris Hoke for a roster spot, and Justin Kaprios could very well likely spell the end of Daniel Sepulveda.



Likewise, Keenan Lewis might find himself being asked to return his playbook. Either way, the Steelers coaches will make some tough choices in the next 24 hours which, while unplesant, is a good problem to have.



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Steelers Defeat Panthers 33-17 to End Preseason

Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Heath Miller, Rashard Mendenhall, James Harrison, James Farrior, Troy Polamalu, Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton and Bryant McFadden did not play the Steelers final preseason against Carolina, but in the end they didn’t need them.



It never pays to put too much stock into preseason, but the Steelers second-line players dispatched the Carolina Panthers with relative ease tonight to the tune of 33-17.



The Steelers-Panthers preseason game of course was not show in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but a quick look at the stat sheet indicates that a couple of people had a pretty good night:

• Jonathan Dwyer ripped off 88 yards, including a 50 TD, on 13 carries



• Emmanuel Sanders caught 4 balls for 60 yards in his first preseason action – a good sign



• Arnz Battle caught four balls, which will help him make a case for a roster spot



• Monte Ivy led the team in tackles, and registered a sack



• Jason Worilds also recorded a sack



• Steve McClendon – believed to be in a position battle with Chris Hoke, also recorded a sack



• Keenan Lewis also defensed a pass

Tyler Grisham only caught one pass for ten yards, which while bad for him might just allow the Steelers to keep him on the practice squad.



The most important news is that on injuries are apparent.



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