"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I screamed, my wife standing behind me cleaning a few things up before we headed for bed last night.
It was moments prior that I had seen that the Steelers had cut Max Starks. Even now, I don't know why I reacted that way. I knew as well as anyone that the fall-off from Starks to Jonathan Scott, who finished out the season at left tackle last year following Starks' season-ending neck problems, was negligible once Scott got his Heinz Legs under him.
Maybe it was me mourning the loss of one of the cooler nicknames on the team: Tacklus Maximus. Maybe it was sadness to see one of the few remaining Cowher draftees take the Long Walk Home. I'm not sure what it was, really. But, in the light of morning, I see it for what it really is: a shrewd move to clear cap space, knowing they have three capable starting tackles -- assuming Flozell Adams returns, that is.
Gone also appear to be Mewelde Moore, whose contributions will be missed but who is likely to be replaced by rookie and all-around great guy Baron Batch, Dan "Robopunter" Sepulveda, who has found every way possible to tear ACLs, and on-again-off-again-Steeler Antwaan Randle El. ARE, of course, fell down the depth chart last year faster than Alice fell down the Rabbit Hole, and found himself above only Arnaz Battle while looking at the taillights of two rookies -- outstanding rooks, to be sure, but rookies nonetheless.
The biggest news was the re-signing of Ike Taylor, which means two things: 1) the biggest threat to the Steelers' season has been averted; and 2) I still have tangible links to one current Steeler, one former Steeler and Bill Cowher. Mostly shallow links, I admit, but sometimes the ego needs a-strokin'. That second item may be meaningless to all but one of the more than six billion people on this planet, but I don't much care.
So that leaves us with intriguing possibilities here in the early portion of a started-but-not-yet-begun, abbreviated period of free agency. Tomorrow will be interesting, as teams can actually begin signing the contracts to which they have committed without committing. We'll see how many guys jump ship at the last minute, realizing at the eleventh hour that they actually do not yet have a contract to honor.
Here are my thoughts on just a few of those possibilities.
Plaxico Burress back in black (and gold)?
Half of me says, "bring it!" knowing that he and Ben worked well together for a season. The other half says, "oh, hecks no!" because the man was dumb enough to 1) carry a gun without a license, 2) bring it into a nightclub, and 3) shoot himself with it. I have known since I was five how to use the safety switch on a gun, and also how important that little feature was. How bright do you have to be, exactly, to possess that knowledge? Clearly brighter than our old friend, Plax.
Tiki Barber to the...
Just kidding. This idea was stillborn. In fact, the only person who actually thought the Steelers were interested in Tiki was -- wait for it -- Tiki! Seriously, the team is carrying six RBs into camp already. There is no room at this inn for a washed-up runner with chronic fumblitis.
Signing another studly CB
Yeah, umm...no.
Anybody worth a darn will be gone by Saturday morning, and at a premium price. This team has a lot of intriguing prospects in the secondary this season, including two drafted rookies and second-year guy Crezdon Butler. In limited playing time, he always seemed to find the ball. And, besides, the Steelers took care of their two biggest problems at corner in one day: they resigned Ike and let William Gay walk. Those two moves right there improved the group, like, sevenfold.
Um, that's all. The team has no other real holes to worry about in free agency, which makes the rest of the period a luxury. If they find the right guy at the right price, they will sign him. If not, they are no worse off. Both lines are loaded with prospects, and with the amount of potential on both sides of the trenches, I don't really feel any anxiety going into training camp. Now, if a vet or five goes down for the year, like they did in 2010, I will revisit any and all predictions. But, until such a thing becomes necessary, there is no sense dwelling on it, regardless of the fact that some of our players could have graduated high school with our coach. And I mean Coach Dad.
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