Pittsburgh Steelers set to implode

[Purple_ICE 81]

[quote name='dhstandard' timestamp='1360282336' post='1349677']
[url="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000137098/article/james-harrison-could-go-in-steelers-march-cap-purge"]http://www.nfl.com/n...march-cap-purge[/url]

14 Million over cap. Will probably lose every free agent and need to cut some key players who won't take less money. Let this be a lesson in why we don't restructure contracts. Can't wait for them to implode.
[/quote]
I posted a thread about this last year, I said I wouldnt be surprised if Pitt finished 3rd or 4th in 2012, and turned into the new Browns of the AFC North in years to come, although no one believed me and said Pitt will still be good.

After seeing how they went out and pretty much said we would rather take Antonio Brown than Mike Wallace is pretty crazy, wallace may have demanded a lot but now he is a s good as gone. They also have a huge lack of skill players all around. Rothelisburger has no one to throw to, Brown got injured last year showing how idiotic it was to sign a 6th round pick to a hefty contract after 1 season of decent production, when you could go out and spend a little bit more on a player who has put up 3 productive seasons and has the talent to be a top WR in this league. It was just dumb to see them do that, they just let their most talented young offensive player walk out the door and is sure to ink a deal with Miami, or Clevland, or many WR needy cap friendly teams.

The Steelers never make big splashes in the draft, and constantly try and restructure and hold on to the little talent they have left until times like last season and now where they have to cut and dismantle their team in order to break even and then have not much room to work with.

I feel like the Steelers/Ravens rivalry is coming to a stalemate, I feel our team is lightyears better than theirs. IMO our new rival is New England who we have played 4 times in the past 2 seasons anyway including 2 title matches. The Browns have a young talented up and coming team, and I wouldnt be surprised if they made a splash this year in the AFC North.

I remember when the NFC West was the weakest divisions in football, hell the Seahawks got into the playoffs with a 7-9 record, the 49ers were garbage and now look at them...arguably one of the BEST divisions in football. Its only a matter of time before crappy teams like the Browns, Chiefs, Lions etc rise to the top, all those top 5 draft picks and coach changes soon will have your team a lot better.

In my opinion the Steelers will eventually clean house and start fresh, maybe not firing Mike Tomlin but everyone else around the FO. Rebuild time for the squeelers

[Sizzlebshu]

[quote name='Purple_ICE 81' timestamp='1360576725' post='1354199']
I posted a thread about this last year, I said I wouldnt be surprised if Pitt finished 3rd or 4th in 2012, and turned into the new Browns of the AFC North in years to come, although no one believed me and said Pitt will still be good.

After seeing how they went out and pretty much said we would rather take Antonio Brown than Mike Wallace is pretty crazy, wallace may have demanded a lot but now he is a s good as gone. They also have a huge lack of skill players all around. Rothelisburger has no one to throw to, Brown got injured last year showing how idiotic it was to sign a 6th round pick to a hefty contract after 1 season of decent production, when you could go out and spend a little bit more on a player who has put up 3 productive seasons and has the talent to be a top WR in this league. It was just dumb to see them do that, they just let their most talented young offensive player walk out the door and is sure to ink a deal with Miami, or Clevland, or many WR needy cap friendly teams.

The Steelers never make big splashes in the draft, and constantly try and restructure and hold on to the little talent they have left until times like last season and now where they have to cut and dismantle their team in order to break even and then have not much room to work with.

[b]I feel like the Steelers/Ravens rivalry is coming to a stalemate, I feel our team is lightyears better than theirs. IMO our new rival is New England who we have played 4 times in the past 2 seasons anyway including 2 title matches. The Browns have a young talented up and coming team, and I wouldnt be surprised if they made a splash this year in the AFC North.

I remember when the NFC West was the weakest divisions in football, hell the Seahawks got into the playoffs with a 7-9 record, the 49ers were garbage and now look at them...arguably one of the BEST divisions in football. Its only a matter of time before crappy teams like the Browns, Chiefs, Lions etc rise to the top, all those top 5 draft picks and coach changes soon will have your team a lot better.[/b]

In my opinion the Steelers will eventually clean house and start fresh, maybe not firing Mike Tomlin but everyone else around the FO. Rebuild time for the squeelers
[/quote]
This happens every so often in every sport. Teams cycle. the NFC West has been feeding at the top of the draft for years accumulating talent so the division and teams will obviously get tougher. The AFC North, not so much recently. They have been doing the best with what they have, but even still they are usually feeding on lesser talent that teams picking at the top.

The Steelers wont be the Browns for years to come. They will have a down year, but will come back. The reason the Browns are the Browns, is because despite picking at the top of the draft for years, they manage to make horrendous picks, and thus accumulate mediocre talent. The Steelers FO doesnt make those mistakes.

[Purple_ICE 81]

[quote name='Sizzlebshu' timestamp='1360582015' post='1354205']
This happens every so often in every sport. Teams cycle. the NFC West has been feeding at the top of the draft for years accumulating talent so the division and teams will obviously get tougher. The AFC North, not so much recently. They have been doing the best with what they have, but even still they are usually feeding on lesser talent that teams picking at the top.

The Steelers wont be the Browns for years to come. They will have a down year, but will come back. The reason the Browns are the Browns, is because despite picking at the top of the draft for years, they manage to make horrendous picks, and thus accumulate mediocre talent. The Steelers FO doesnt make those mistakes.
[/quote]
Im not saying the Steelers will be horrendous for the next 3 or 4 seasons, but I think they will have to clean house sooner or later, whoever keeps running the restructure train has to be kicking themselves now, thats a bad mistake to make for owners and general managers. Also their current talent is lacking, and like I mentioned if they could have kept Mike Wallace atleast they could keep the arial attack going, now they have Antonio Brown, Jerricho Cotchery and Emmanual Sanders in their receiving corps. Also they havent drafted much talent in the draft the past few seasons. They draft o-line every year..their first 2 picks last year were o-lineman and Ben Rothelisburger got beaten and battered this year, that has to say a little something. And the fact that they cant find youthful replacments and have to constantly hold on to veterans by restructuring and wasting future cap space definitely shows signs of a poorly run FO. They havent crashed just yet...but they are spiraling out of control, and Rothelisburger cant do everything for the team.

[Sizzlebshu]

[quote name='Purple_ICE 81' timestamp='1360583511' post='1354209']
Im not saying the Steelers will be horrendous for the next 3 or 4 seasons, but I think they will have to clean house sooner or later, whoever keeps running the restructure train has to be kicking themselves now, thats a bad mistake to make for owners and general managers. Also their current talent is lacking, and like I mentioned if they could have kept Mike Wallace atleast they could keep the arial attack going, now they have Antonio Brown, Jerricho Cotchery and Emmanual Sanders in their receiving corps. Also they havent drafted much talent in the draft the past few seasons. They draft o-line every year..their first 2 picks last year were o-lineman and Ben Rothelisburger got beaten and battered this year, that has to say a little something. And the fact that they cant find youthful replacments and have to constantly hold on to veterans by restructuring and wasting future cap space definitely shows signs of a poorly run FO. They havent crashed just yet...but they are spiraling out of control, and Rothelisburger cant do everything for the team.
[/quote]
Thats a given though and it happen to every franchise eventually. Cleaning house is just a natural part of staying competitive.

Sanders and Brown are fine for a receiving duo with Cotchery as a #3. Brown was actually better and more effective than Wallace imo. Wallace just had a lot more flash and big play ability.

The reason Roethelisberger got beaten and battered this year was because a lot of o-line pieces got injured

Max Starks was coming off an Achilles
David Decastro went down in pre season
Pouncey was out for a stretch
Gilbrandt was out for half a season.

I mean really it was a patchwork o-line due to injuries. They will likely hit the o-line again if Warmack/Lane Johnson falls to them. Their o-line should these rookies pan out, will be very young and strong for years to come so I like what they are doing personally. Injuries just got them this year.

We are no better at finding youthful replacements. Remember when Suggs went down. Same deal with Harrison and others for them. But guess what, they still managed to be an effective defense (top 5 this year with multiple key injuries like Polamalu and Harrison). They definitely don't have a poorly run front office and if you think that you're likely insane. They mismanaged the cap and set themselves up for a rebuild when Ben retires, which they would be due for anyway since they wouldnt have a qb

[Purple_ICE 81]

[quote name='Sizzlebshu' timestamp='1360585817' post='1354214']

We are no better at finding youthful replacements. Remember when Suggs went down. Same deal with Harrison and others for them. But guess what, they still managed to be an effective defense (top 5 this year with multiple key injuries like Polamalu and Harrison). They definitely don't have a poorly run front office and if you think that you're likely insane. They mismanaged the cap and set themselves up for a rebuild when Ben retires, which they would be due for anyway since they wouldnt have a qb
[/quote]
I feel like Courtney Upshaw is a good OLB and will get better this offseason, and could grow into a Suggs replacment down the road. The reason the Steelers stay atop the defensive ranks is because they have arguably the best d-coordinator in the league Dick Lebeau who can turn a practice squad into all stars, and is used to getting around the Steelers constantly banged up defense, and they still have playmakers on defense besides Harrison and Polamalu. Im not saying the Roonies and Kevin Colbert have not been good, because obviously they have put together some Superbowl teams. However like you said, there comes a time when you have to think about the future, and you cant tell me that constantly restructuring contracts is not poorly managing the team? Its [i]mis managing[/i], its making risky decisions-if we restructure so and so, maybe we can make a SB run. Its not the fact that they have done it, sometimes it might pay off, but they have been doing it. That has resulted in terrible cap situations the past few seasons and the loss of many good players like Mike Wallace and more to come. And in a division where we just won the SB, and the Bengals are establishing themselves and the Browns arent far behind, I would be worried if I was a Steelers fan.

[Sizzlebshu]

[quote name='Purple_ICE 81' timestamp='1360587125' post='1354220']
I feel like Courtney Upshaw is a good OLB and will get better this offseason, and could grow into [b]a Suggs replacment [/b]down the road. The reason the Steelers stay atop the defensive ranks is because they have arguably the best d-coordinator in the league Dick Lebeau who can turn a practice squad into all stars, and is used to getting around the Steelers constantly banged up defense, and they still have playmakers on defense besides Harrison and Polamalu. Im not saying the Roonies and Kevin Colbert have not been good, because obviously they have put together some Superbowl teams. However like you said, there comes a time when you have to think about the future, and you cant tell me that constantly restructuring contracts is not poorly managing the team? Its [i]mis managing[/i], its making risky decisions-if we restructure so and so, maybe we can make a SB run. Its not the fact that they have done it, sometimes it might pay off, but they have been doing it. That has resulted in terrible cap situations the past few seasons and the loss of many good players like Mike Wallace and more to come. And in a division where we just won the SB, and the Bengals are establishing themselves and the Browns arent far behind, I would be worried if I was a Steelers fan.
[/quote]
Not shot in hell. Suggs is an insane type of player. Talent wise, Upshaw doesnt even compare. Thats not to say Upshaw isn't a good player or wont grow to be a great player, but Suggs is insane. He is in a class of his own.

I referred to talent replacement and no matter your d-coordinator, losing talents like Harrison and Polamalu hurt.

Im fine with the Steelers restructure because they are restructuring into a rebuild period that is always coming. Roethelisberger will likely only play for 3-4 more years which is when these contracts start coming off the books. Furthermore, the salary cap spike was expected this year which is when a lot of this money is coming into play in these deals. The fact that the spike got pushed back to 2015 further screwed the Steelers. However, this is why you dont restructure on assumptions.

On top of that, if you have a team that is competitive every year, and your QB is coming towards the end of his career, that may be the exact time you'd arguably want to restructure to make a super bowl run because when your qb retires, you will undergo a rebuild more likely than not.

Im not saying the Steelers didnt mismanage their cap, but I dont think you've looked at their situation long term enough to make that distinction.

On Mike Wallace, they chose to given Brown a deal over him and paid him money that Wallace wanted signifying that they didnt want Wallace when they didnt have to do it as Brown wasnt a FA this year.

The Steelers have looked towards the future in terms of their draft, to get back on topic. They just have not done it in a sexy way. Look at their last few first rounders.

4 of their last 4 picks have been devoted to strengthening the trenches. Decastro, Heyward, Ziggy Hood, Pouncey. None are flashy picks but show a clear understanding of planning for the future.

[Purple_ICE 81]

[quote name='Sizzlebshu' timestamp='1360588390' post='1354231']
Not shot in hell. Suggs is an insane type of player. Talent wise, Upshaw doesnt even compare. Thats not to say Upshaw isn't a good player or wont grow to be a great player, but Suggs is insane. He is in a class of his own.

I referred to talent replacement and no matter your d-coordinator, losing talents like Harrison and Polamalu hurt.

Im fine with the Steelers restructure because[b] they are restructuring into a rebuild period that is always coming[/b]. Roethelisberger will likely only play for 3-4 more years which is when these contracts start coming off the books. Furthermore, the salary cap spike was expected this year which is when a lot of this money is coming into play in these deals.[b] The fact that the spike got pushed back to 2015 [/b]further screwed the Steelers. However, this is why you dont restructure on assumptions.

On top of that, if you have a team that is competitive every year, and your QB is coming towards the end of his career, that may be the exact time you'd arguably want to restructure to make a super bowl run because when your qb retires, you will undergo a rebuild more likely than not.

Im not saying the Steelers didnt mismanage their cap, but I dont think you've looked at their situation long term enough to make that distinction.

On Mike Wallace, they chose to given Brown a deal over him and paid him money that Wallace wanted signifying that they didnt want Wallace when they didnt have to do it as Brown wasnt a FA this year.

The Steelers have looked towards the future in terms of their draft, to get back on topic. They just have not done it in a sexy way. Look at their last few first rounders.

4 of their last 4 picks have been devoted to strengthening the trenches. Decastro, Heyward, Ziggy Hood, Pouncey. None are flashy picks but show a clear understanding of planning for the future.
[/quote]
Ray Lewis is in a class of his own, but thats not to say we will go out and draft a Minter, or a Te'o, or Brown in order to compensate for his loss of production. No one will be able to replace Suggs, or Lewis, or even Reed for that matter its about finding new talent in order to make up for their loss, and make a name for themselves.

As a general manager you dont just assume that a rebuild period is coming, that is something you want to avoid when your QB is still playing great and is fairly young and under contract Ozzie explained restructuring recently, you restructure in order to keep a few veterans and push for a quick SB win. The Steelers have been restructuring a lot over the past 2 or 3 seasons and that has been hurting them the past few seasons as their cap has been god awful and this year they are -$14M to start off the offseason and have a lot of free agents.

Dick Cass the Ravens president explained in the state of the Ravens address there will likely be no salary cap spike in the foreseen future, or nothing huge fore that matter

The Steelers explained last offseason that they very much wanted to keep Mike Wallace. They knew that they had no type of cap to work around and offered Wallace the $28M contract they gave to Brown, which is severely underpaying Wallace due to his 3 year 3200+yds and 24TD resume that he had to work with. Wllace held out and the Steelers were like...ok here you go Brown you had 1 good year so we will pay you. This furthermore proves that they lost a key part of their offense because they didnt have cap to work with due mainly to veteran contract restructures. The Ravens are low on cap even before we sign Flacco it doesnt mean we are going to offer him something then go after someone else if he doesnt accept it.
Wallace isnt a huge need like Flacco is, but I bet you the Steelers would love to have kept Wallace a 26 year old pro bowl caliber receiver.

And as far as the Steelers draft, all I am saying is that it seems like they draft o-line every year and every year Rothelisburger gets hurt. One of them gets injured, another needs time to develop...whatever the case may be they obviously have yet to find protection for Rothelisburger and your right if they keep drafting dud like...injury prone-esque players regardless of maybe Pouncey I wouldnt be surprised if Rothelisburger retired soon, dude gets his nose broke, ankles broke, foot broke, ribs broke.

[Sizzlebshu]

[quote name='Purple_ICE 81' timestamp='1360589935' post='1354249']
Ray Lewis is in a class of his own, but thats not to say we will go out and draft a Minter, or a Te'o, or Brown in order to compensate for his loss of production. No one will be able to replace Suggs, or Lewis, or even Reed for that matter its about finding new talent in order to make up for their loss, and make a name for themselves.

[b]As a general manager you dont just assume that a rebuild period is coming, that is something you want to avoid.[/b] Ozzie explained restructuring recently, you restructure in order to keep a few veterans and push for a quick SB win. The Steelers have been restructuring a lot over the past 2 or 3 seasons and that has been hurting them the past few seasons as their cap has been god awful and this year they are -$14M to start off the offseason and have a lot of free agents.

Dick Cass the Ravens president explained in the state of the Ravens address there will likely be no salary cap spike in the foreseen future, or nothing huge fore that matter

The Steelers explaines last offseason that they very much wanted to keep Mike Wallace. They knew that they had no type of cap to work around and offered Wallace the $28M contract they gave to Brown, which is severely underpaying Wallace due to his 3 year 3200+yds and 24TD resume that he had to work with. Wllace held out and the Steelers were like...ok here you go Brown you had 1 good year so we will pay you. This furthermore proves that they lost a key part of their offense because they didnt have cap to work with due mainly to veteran contract restructures. The Ravens are low on cap even before we sign Flacco it doesnt mean we are going to offer him something then go after someone else if he doesnt accept it.
Wallace want a huge need like Flacco is, but I bet you the Steelers would love to have kept Wallace a 26 year old pro bowl caliber receiver.

And as far as the Steelers draft, all I am saying is that it seems like they draft o-line every year and every year Rothelisburger gets hurt. One of them gets injured, another needs time to develop...whatever the case may be they obviously have yet to find protection for Rothelisburger and your right if they keep drafting dud like...injury prone-esque players regardless of maybe Pouncey I wouldnt be surprised if Rothelisburger retired soon, dude gets his nose broke, ankles broke, foot broke, ribs broke.
[/quote]
This may be the most incorrect statement I have ever read. In fact, it is the whole point of being a GM. When the quarterback is aging, you assume a rebuild is coming soon, because the fact is teams cant win without one. Its just that simple. So to max out on the remaining value of your quarterback, you should try to create a superbowl run/attempts that will occur while he still has a useful life because when you lose him/he retires you will rebuild unless you have a quality back up, which if you do, comes back to my point of a GM having to assume a rebuild was coming when they lost their QB and as a result drafted a new one who could be a starter (Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Kapernick, etc....)

The Steelers sure would have loved to keep Wallace...at the right price. Their cap was not the main reason why they wouldnt sign Wallace. Wallace was just asking for too much imo.

On top of all that, let's say they did want to keep Wallace. At what expense? Harrison? Polamalu? The fact is even with Wallace that Steelers offense isn't capable of carrying the team. You're not even considering that. Another thing you're neglecting is the fact that you have to set limits on what you are going to pay players. Teams get into long term cap trouble by constantly buying players at retail value. If they had payed Wallace what he wanted, youd be saying it was a terrible contract (10+ million) and it is. So basically you traded one cap hell for another.

[Purple_ICE 81]

[quote name='Sizzlebshu' timestamp='1360590273' post='1354252']
This may be the most incorrect statement I have ever read. In fact, it is the whole point of being a GM. When the quarterback is aging, you assume a rebuild is coming soon, because the fact is teams cant win without one. Its just that simple. So to max out on the remaining value of your quarterback, you should try to create a superbowl run/attempts that will occur while he still has a useful life because when you lose him/he retires you will rebuild unless you have a quality back up, which if you do, comes back to my point of a GM having to assume a rebuild was coming when they lost their QB and as a result drafted a new one who could be a starter (Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Kapernick, etc....)
[/quote]
Why would you assume a rebuild is coming when Ben Roethilisberger is 30 years old under contract...a very fair contract I might add... until 2016, and playing at a high level still? If anything he needs better pieces around him- a better o-line, receivers, running game etc. He still is one of the top QBs in the league, even though he has no o-line and constantly gets hurt, he lost his best receiver, and they have no running game. He still has what it takes to get the Steelers to the Super Bowl in the future, my whole original point was that the Steelers front office is not doing something right. It makes no sense to assume Rothlisburger is going to retire soon and that they need to get in rebuild mode, he is not some average QB who is old and washed up and if they dont hurry up soon he will fall off the wagon...if the front office would stop restructuring contracts and focus on adding skill positions which the steelers very much lack they would be in way better shape. You even pointed out that even when some of those restructured veterans are injured the defense still produces. The Ravens have restructured recently too, just not as much as the Steelers have. And thats why Ozzie says its good to restructure in the short run but in the long run you are screwed, you think the Steelers are looking at their negative cap situation and saying its fine we are going to rebuild soon...???

[Purple_ICE 81]

[quote name='Sizzlebshu' timestamp='1360590273' post='1354252']
The Steelers sure would have loved to keep Wallace...at the right price. Their cap was not the main reason why they wouldnt sign Wallace. Wallace was just asking for too much imo.

On top of all that, let's say they did want to keep Wallace. At what expense? Harrison? Polamalu? The fact is even with Wallace that Steelers offense isn't capable of carrying the team. You're not even considering that. Another thing you're neglecting is the fact that you have to set limits on what you are going to pay players. Teams get into long term cap trouble by constantly buying players at retail value. If they had payed Wallace what he wanted, youd be saying it was a terrible contract (10+ million) and it is. So basically you traded one cap hell for another.
[/quote]

Thats exactly what everyone said about the Ravens this year, that Flacco and company couldnt carry this team to the super bowl...and they did just that! I feel icky when I say this but Rothelisburger is a hell of a good QB people underrate him because of his terrible o-line that he has every year and his lack of offensive skill players like when they won the super bowl in 2009 and Mendenhall was good and they had some better receivers. Give Roethelisburger time to throw and he will dominate you, and give him some quality players to throw to (although he makes players WRs better) and he will be able to lead the team. I will always dispise Ben Roethelisburger in my heart of hearts but as a fan of the NFL in general I have to point out that Roethelisburger is a great QB and still has the skill to lead his team to the super bowl. And with Mike Wallace, he had 3 good seasons of work to boast, and a lot of production. He deserved to get paid 10M a year, he is a young pro bowl caliber wideout the fact was they couldnt afford him, if they had the funds they would have kept him...they offered him like 7 million a year which is 3 or 4 million off from what he deserved. Its not like Wallace put up 1 or 2 fluke-like seasons, he played consistant ever since his rookie year, and deserve to get paid accordingly

[Pats]

[quote name='marylandmike12' timestamp='1360450411' post='1352207']
that's weird coming from a pats fan
[/quote]

why I don't like steelers and I don't mind the ravens

[black blood purple passion]

[quote name='Pats' timestamp='1360613733' post='1354644']
why I don't like steelers and I don't mind the ravens
[/quote]

I despise the pats, I don't mind you haha.

[Pats]

[quote name='black blood purple passion' timestamp='1360620943' post='1354800']
I despise the pats, I don't mind you haha.
[/quote]
haha, well get used to pats vs ravens afc championships for a few more years to come with steelers on the downfall, broncos and peyton overrated and chokers and the texans just never being good enough

[flaccopoe]

Now we have the Bengals and Brows to worry about!

[black blood purple passion]

[quote name='flaccopoe' timestamp='1360683654' post='1355413']
Now we have the Bengals and Brows to worry about!
[/quote]wait why are we worried about the browns?

[flaccopoe]

[quote name='black blood purple passion' timestamp='1360684373' post='1355422']
wait why are we worried about the browns?
[/quote]

Their offense is steadily improving and their defense isn't too shabby.

[black blood purple passion]

[quote name='flaccopoe' timestamp='1360684620' post='1355425']
Their offense is steadily improving and their defense isn't too shabby.
[/quote]

agreed on their defence, but their offence needs yet ANOTHER first round pick spent on QB hahahahaha, When will they learn. Mind you we snagged Flacco with a late first, so maybe they just need a better scouting department.

[DMH_in_WA]

Browns worry me because they are almost $49million under the cap for the coming year. They could afford a number of free agents at this point to try and turn that ship around. Don't forget, the Steelers are pretty much going to have to have a fire sale to get under the cap. I'm betting they don't re-sign Mike Wallace. The Pats are not likely to keep Vollmer. And while its far fetched, with that kind of money they could probably make a run at getting Alex Smith from the 49ers for cash and draft picks.

Even a broken clock is right twice a day .... they are in a great position to finally get over that hump. Do I think they will? Well, they're still the Browns ... but you can never tell in the NFL.

[gotekiraven]

[quote name='Clutch Ravens' timestamp='1360290721' post='1349820']
I get that, but it would just take away a lot of the joy we get when we beat them. Curb-stomping them every time just wouldn't be that good, in my opinion. It's just like I get no real joy out of beating the Browns because, well, they're the Browns.
[/quote]

As much as I hate the Steelers, I have to agree. It's no wonder New England fans now see the Ravens as their rival, because we play them well and the Patriot fans know that their division is so weak. We take joy in beating good teams. I hope the Steelers never win another Superbowl, but I at least hope they get their act together.

[SteelersCanada]

Remember when this happened in 2005? I do. The "March Massacre" in 2005 was supposed to set us back years. Oh, but we won the Super Bowl the year after.

Don't let facts get in your way, though.

[runamuk]

I never count the steelers out , but they seriously need to address a backup qb. Ben does get hurt and wow lol they need some young blood at that position .

[runamuk]

[quote name='DMH_in_WA' timestamp='1360746814' post='1356450']
Browns worry me because they are almost $49million under the cap for the coming year. They could afford a number of free agents at this point to try and turn that ship around. Don't forget, the Steelers are pretty much going to have to have a fire sale to get under the cap. I'm betting they don't re-sign Mike Wallace. The Pats are not likely to keep Vollmer. And while its far fetched, with that kind of money they could probably make a run at getting Alex Smith from the 49ers for cash and draft picks.

Even a broken clock is right twice a day .... they are in a great position to finally get over that hump. Do I think they will? Well, they're still the Browns ... but you can never tell in the NFL.
[/quote]i tend to agree with this if they get a good qb or even a good game manager say like an alex smith they have a beast at running back add some more pieces with all that money this division could get harder then what it already is. how do you get 49 million under the cap? well it explains why they don't succeed often

[ravensdfan]

[quote name='Miami Hurricane' timestamp='1360529984' post='1353206']
The funny thing is I saw a comment the other day on an espn article that said Ozzie had put the Ravens in cap hell with his moves and that he was certainly no Colbert... They then proceeded to say Joe was a below-average QB that would be overpaid by OZ. But the best part was when they said the Steelers were set up great by Colbert to make a run next year since they weren't in cap hell like the ravens. Lol
[/quote]

Um...aren't they like $14 million over the cap already? lol They might not be ready to implode but they are in some serious trouble right now. They might be sitting a little better if their key draft guys had turned out better last year. As it stands, most are still question marks. We'll just have to see how it plays out.

[gotekiraven]

[quote name='flaccopoe' timestamp='1360683654' post='1355413']
Now we have the Bengals and Brows to worry about!
[/quote]

The Bengals are young and hungry and the Browns are gettting better, but they aren't prime time players yet. The Browns would only worry me if they went out and got a good QB. I don't thnk that will happen.

[flaccopoe]

I've predicted the Steelers' decline since last offseason. Their players are too old and their QB gets hit too much.

[GrimCoconut]

The Steelers have a lot of depth they have built over the years. I still think they will be competitive. I think they should eventually draft another QB due to durability issues with Ben. They could have a dominant OL if their picks pan out. This is a nice WR class so they can reload with the loss of Wallace. It's also a good DE/OLB class, so they can part with Harrison.

Ironically, the Steelers could cut Polamalu, Harrison & Woodley and still be OK. They can draft guys who are really good in these areas. The draft is deep with them.

I won't be surprised if they are back in it again next year. They need a RB, though.

[gotekiraven]

[quote name='flaccopoe' timestamp='1360993095' post='1359112']
I've predicted the Steelers' decline since last offseason. Their players are too old and their QB gets hit too much.
[/quote]

Ben has had to come back from injuries durnng the season for the last two years now. Maybe the era of Big Ben is starting to come to and end in Pittsburgh. Also, I believe when Bruce Arian was fired by Art Rooney, Ben's playing level declined noticeable this past season.

[DMH_in_WA]

[quote name='GrimCoconut' timestamp='1360993494' post='1359113']
The Steelers have a lot of depth they have built over the years. I still think they will be competitive. I think they should eventually draft another QB due to durability issues with Ben. They could have a dominant OL if their picks pan out. This is a nice WR class so they can reload with the loss of Wallace. It's also a good DE/OLB class, so they can part with Harrison.

Ironically, the Steelers could cut Polamalu, Harrison & Woodley and still be OK. They can draft guys who are really good in these areas. The draft is deep with them.

I won't be surprised if they are back in it again next year. They need a RB, though.
[/quote]

This. People need to stop writing the Steelers off like they're gonna be the Chiefs or Jags. They have way too much depth and way too much pride to collapse like that. They played without Polamalu, Harrison and Roethlisberger and will still competitive. Don't expect anything different.

And the better we do, the more rivals we seem to be collecting. It use to be Ravens/Steelers ... now you add in the Pats and while we don't play them often, you know Indy, Denver and San Fran ain't none to happy with us. Then you add in being Superbowl Champs (hot dog I love the way that sounds) and EVERYONE is gunning for us. Finally, our opponents next year are no joke. Yea, don't count anyone in the AFC North out ... a couple bad moves this off-season and a couple bad bounces in the regular season and it might be bad for us.

[berad]

[quote name='SteelersCanada' timestamp='1360986009' post='1359046']
Remember when this happened in 2005? I do. The "March Massacre" in 2005 was supposed to set us back years. Oh, but we won the Super Bowl the year after.

Don't let facts get in your way, though.
[/quote]

Who got released with that? I don't see any significant change in the rosters from '04 to '05.

[PolishRifle]

At the very beginning of the last season Roethlisberger had a MVP type season and the Steelers tend to draft well. Their cap situation is certainly way more messed up then ours, but I'll wait and see if they are really going to implode.
If Flacco continues to operate on the level he played at in the playoffs we might pull ahead in the AFC North though and with a really good draft maybe even in the AFC in general.