Steeler's Beat 2-15-08

STEELERS BEAT

By Richard Briggs
February 15, 2008

*Football season is now over, with the completion of the Pro Bowl this past Sunday. I had the game on, but I didn’t pay that much attention to it. The Pro Bowl is anticlimactic after the Super Bowl, especially this year with the Giants’ upset of the Patriots. Now that the football season is in the books, it’s time to take a look at the offseason.

The Steelers will have a lot to address during this offseason. First and foremost is the offensive line. This line is a patchwork and it has to be taken care of if this offense is going to be the least bit productive. Alan Faneca will be gone via free agency. Sean Mahan was not the answer at center, and Max Starks may be allowed to leave as well. There is no one the roster to fill the void that Faneca will leave when he departs. I blame this on the Rooneys and, to a lesser extent, Kevin Colbert, even though he has to work in conjunction with the Rooneys. If they had no intention of signing Faneca to anything close to what he deserves, then this should have been addressed in the 2007 draft. This position will be protection for Ben Roethlisberger’s blind side, so it is vital the Steelers get someone who can step in and keep Ben out of harm’s way, and that will not be an easy task. Cohesion and chemistry are vital to an offensive line. The Steelers better be doing their homework.

The defensive line is also aging. Too many players are going to start being, or already are, on the wrong side of 30. This also includes members of the linebacking corp. Clark Haggans could also be gone, which will probably make room for both Lamarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons. Those two will be injecting new blood into a defense that will badly need it. Both offensive and defensive lines are in a state of flux and transition, as well as the linebacking corp, and don’t think Head Coach Mike Tomlin won’t be addressing this matter as the team enters the free agency period and starts preparing for the draft.

Another matter will be a contract extension for Roethlisberger. It will not be a matter of if but when he is awarded a contract that will not only make him the highest paid player in Steelers’ history, but also one of the highest paid players in the league. If players such as Tony Romo and Marc Bulger can command the kind of money they have signed for, what does that make Ben worth? After all, those two haven’t even sniffed a Super Bowl, while Ben has already won one and will most likely add to that collection before his career is over.

Another area I would like to see addressed, actually there are two, is that of finding a bruising, pounding running back to take the pressure off Willie Parker and who can help chew up the clock and hurt opposing defenses late in games. I believe that, until this is addressed, there will be a weakness in the running game since Jerome Bettis retired. Willie Parker is still your starting running back and still your feature back. However, we need a big back to add as a “closer” when it’s time to use ball control and run out the clock.

The other area I would like to see addressed is another wide receiver. Right now, Santonio Holmes is the only deep threat the Steelers have. Hines Ward is most everyone’s hero, and with good reason. However, he came in the same draft as Faneca and he is not getting any younger. It is likely the contract he signed a couple of years ago will be his last with the Steelers. Nate Washington and Cedrick Wilson are serviceable, but Ben needs another weapon at wideout. A dual threat will keep defenses honest and will allow the running game to flourish.

The final item is the secondary. This is the youngest, and most vulnerable, unit on the field. Outside of Troy Polamalu, who will be going into his sixth season, this unit is still very green and still vulnerable to the big play. Whether that means this group needs to grow into its skin, or shoes, or that maybe who is back there is not the answer, remains to be seen. But one thing certain, this will be an interesting offseason for the Steelers as they prepare for the 2008 season.

*With the end of football, baseball is now just right around the corner and pitchers and catchers reported on February 14 (Valentine’s Day). That means the Pirates will be looking to stall 15 consecutive seasons of losing. I am not a betting man and it’s a good thing I’m not because I would not bet anything on the Pirates having a winning season, let alone a .500 season.

Now that Kevin McClatchy is gone, your new hierarchy is Owner and CEO Bob Nutting, President Frank Coonelly, General Manager Neal Huntington, and Field Manager John Russell. While the new faces make for a new kind of optimism, the real fact remains the same. The product on the field must improve or nothing else really matters.

Coonelly has spoken about changing the culture of the franchise to a more positive one. He has changed slogans from We Will to Beat ‘em Bucs (no doubt a throw back to the 1960s, which I do not have a problem with) and he has resorted to using the P on the Pirates caps as their primary logo and relgated the angry Pirate to a secondary role. Again, I understand the moves he made, but the real problem is the product on the field.

First, the farm system needs to be overhauled and the home grown products need to be brought up when ready. No more waiting for someone to come around. If someone in Triple A is ready, bring them up and put them on the big stage. If you are spending that kind of time and money on a draft pick, let’s see what they have. Add to that the Pirates passed up a huge prospect in catcher Matt Wieters in exchange for another pitcher in last year’s draft tells me all I need to know about this franchise. Instead of giving the fans a winning product on the field made up of dynamic players, it is spending very little money and expecting to get dynamite from a pop gun. Sorry gentlemen, not going to work.

However, as long as fans continue to fill the seats at PNC Park, expect more of the same. I went to PNC for the first time in its existence last May to help chaperone a junior high field trip and I have to say I was most impressed with the ballpark. It certainly lives up to its billing. We have the best ballpark in America right here in Pittsburgh and arguably the worst baseball team. What’s wrong with this picture?

What hurts even more is that I used to love watching baseball on television, especially when my dad was alive. Now, it is an exercise in futility, and that bothers me. But, the sport has changed and there are no longer any colorful characters to watch. The sport is too antiseptic for me and I cannot sit and watch an entire nine inning game without doing something else while the game is on. However, I will do my best to bring this writer’s opinion about the state of the Pirates and the 2008 season as it unfolds.

*Admittedly, and without reservation, I am a huge NASCAR fan, and the 50th running of the Great American Race, the Daytona 500, will be take place this Sunday afternoon. That is where my attention will be directed.

*Finally this week, we all know that we have one red hot hockey team in our region. The Pittsburgh Penguins have been tearing it up on the ice, even without Captain and center Sidney Crosby who is nursing a high ankle sprain. Another superstar has emerged in Crosby’s absence in the manner of Evgeni Malkin. He is creeping up the points list for the Art Ross Trophy and could very well claim it with the tear he is on. The Penguins are now leading the Atlantic Division as of this writing and stand second in the Eastern Conference standings. We will be keeping track of the Penguins as they march toward the Stanley Cup playoffs.