Free agency begins but the Steeler FO does not:

 

 

Rust never sleeps; this should be common knowledge here, in that withering hamlet once known as the Steel City, but evidently is a truth without consequence down at Steeler HQ.� One week into the FA period and it�s entirely clear that Cowbert and the rest (somehow) have come to believe their own line; you know: a bounce here, a break there and that (sorry) 2003 crew would have been a sure-enough playoff power.� While many other teams, including division rivals in Baltimore and Cincinnati, have added to their talent aggregate, the Steeler brain trust mainly has occupied themselves in retaining players on the fringe of a roster that has contended seriously exactly once over six prior seasons, a group that, from any rational projection, is headed down.��

 

Here are the Steelers� primary moves to date:

 

• They have tendered their own RFA (Bailey, Iwuoma, Nkwenti, Okobi, Vincent and Hoke) for 3.77M total, a figure that is going to rise.� Reportedly, the New England Pats have offered Bailey a 1-year deal worth 1.3M; beyond doubt, the PS will match because, behind Bailey, they have nothing at all on the D-line.� So, 4.44M.� That�s six players but no starters although, presuming Bailey does return, his 1.3M will exceed the cap charge for 6-7 projected starters including (Alex (and Hope), Bell, Simmons, Tuman (but not JR), Kreider and Maddox (or Batch)).

 

• �Continuing on their preferred low impact regime, the FO re-signed former 4^th string TE Matt Cushing and #4WR Chris Doering.� IMO, Doering is a nice complementary player; Cushing is a non-factor who could be had any time, or not at all.�

 

• Spurned by Marcus Washington, spurned by Carlos Emmons, they resigned veteran never-going-to-be Clark Haggans for an average of 2.5M/year for 4 years.� That�s nice money for a stopgap, and make no mistake, Haggans is merely that and nothing more.� On the plus side, this should signal the end for Jason Gildon; on the downside, as LOLB was declaratively job #1 in FA (as the Marcus Washington frenzy clearly showed), it is absolutely apparent that Zo Jackson is an unreconstructable bust.� Look, you can think of Haggans as a bridge player; you might imagine the PS limping on with Gildon until Zo got ready but as for Washington, well, the FO regarded that player as a cornerstone.� That so, Zo is out of the picture.

 

• Retaining the Bus (bad move) and getting Dan Kreider for fair market (good move), it�s clear enough that smashmouth is back in town.� That�s good, you�ve got to move the safety to throw the ball but the fact of the matter is that, as constituted, the PS still doesn�t have the horses upfront, and they don�t have a RB either.� So, you can be pretty sure that the opening picks will be RB and RT, one way or the other.� Forget QB, forget DE and unless Steven Jackson is off the board at 1.11, forget CB too, on the 1^st day anyway.����

 

• They�ve signed punter Chris Gardocki, presumably to compete with Josh Miller.� Gardocki has had Miller-like numbers on the field, and is getting Miller-like numbers in contractual terms.� So, no change, in any respect.� It is worth noting that, back in 2001 when Miller got his deal, this writer compared that (favorably) with a similar pack Gardocki had inked with Cleveland, one of the more stupidly profligate organizations in football.

 

That�s twelve players to include those fixtures on the game-day inactive lists: Nkwenti, Hoke and Cushing, additionally, with Bettis and Kreider in the fold, the PS have locked down all (11) starters from their 22^nd ranked 2003 O-side juggernaut.� Elsewhere, other teams acted with greater purpose; considering just two positions, here of (greatest) need, those being OT and CB:

 

Franchise and Transition players, league-wide:

 

	Franchised	Transition	Remarks
CB	Champ Bailey Chris McAlister Charles Woodson	None	The struggling Skins franchised Bailey to deal him; that may be true of the Raiders (and Woodson) too.� However, the rising Ravens franchised McAlister to contend for a championship.
OT	Walter Jones Orlando Pace	John Tait	The Pack would have franchised Chad Clifton too but were able to reach a long-term agreement.
Other	SS Donovin Darius DE Darren Howard OLB Julian Peterson	None	Peyton Manning maybe was franchised for a minute or two.

 

OT and CB are broadly acknowledged as impact positions.� That 6 franchise (and transition) tags were used for CB or OT (of eight to ten such tags league-wide) confirms that point.� Since franchising at any given position will limit the remaining field there, any team with need in those areas ought to be ready to roll right as the FA bell tolls.� Well, many teams were, but the PS was not.

 

FA Action Week 1, CB and OT:

 

	Remaining with 2003 team	Off the market, new team for 2004	Who is left	Remarks
CB	Chris McAlister William Peterson Ahmad Plummer Fred Thomas Charles Woodson	Champ Bailey David Barrett Fernando Bryant Reggie Howard Shawn Springs Damion Sydney Jason Webster Antoine Winfield	William Bartee Adrian Beasley Ray Buchanon Terry Cousins Mario Edwards Artrell Hawkins Bobby Taylor Troy Vincent	Sam Madison may be on the market soon; Madison is a few months older than Chad Scott so, like Taylor and Vincent, figures as a stop- gap.
OT	Chad Clifton Walter Jones Orlando Pace John Tait* Ryan Diem	Derrick Deese Matt Stinchcomb Todd Wade	Zeus Brown Damion McIntosh Adam Meadows Solomon Page	*� Tait has gotten a 6-year, 33M offer from the Bears; KC has a week to match.� McIntosh is going to the Raiders; Meadows visited the Boys and Fins.� It looks like Page or no one at all.

 

 

Oddly enough, the PS invited in no OT; of four CB they did invite, all signed elsewhere, most ahead of their visit here.� That�s Barrett, Bryant, Howard and Thomas. �The quality among CB remaining resides with +30 vets who, if they possibly can, will sign with contending teams (and if not, figure as stopgaps only).� Otherwise, Bartee, Edwards or Hawkins would be marginal acquisitions (at best) when considered as upgrades.�

 

Then there�s the Marcus Washington fiasco; here�s an excerpt from ESPN�s Len Pasquarelli, from his recent Tip Sheet.�

 

�� The Steelers� failed pursuit of unrestricted free agent Marcus Washington does not bode well for strongside linebacker Jason Gildon, who soon could be released.� The Steelers desperately wanted to supplant Gildon with Washington, an emerging star who played his first four years in Indianapolis.� During his Thursday visit, the Steelers tried to force his hand, tell him that they needed his answer on his interest in the team before he left town.� Washington considered the suggestions heavy-handed, left for his visit with the Redskins, and will sign with them.�

 

And did, additionally:

 

�� The team will also attempt to resign Clark Haggans, who is said to be seeking a deal worth an average 2.5M per year, perhaps an unrealistic aspiration.��

 

Well, Haggans� dream came true; reportedly, the Lions were negotiating with him, and maybe the NYG too.� Faced with losing that player to Mr. Colbert�s prior employer, or to the charge of their former D-coordinator, the PS FO broke out in some collective full body flop sweat.� Swabbing that, they sought to transpose their terrors to Washington, and his advisors.�

 

This situation could have been avoided; had the FO dumped Gildon in a timely fashion, then they could have had a deal in place with Haggans before turning to Washington, the man they must have regarded as Kevin Green�s true successor.� However, timeliness is not a component in this groupthink, as the Washington snafu exhibits.� On the surface, the consequence, that being that Marcus Washington will play for the Redskins, not the Steelers.� Below that, the cause; in their negotiations with Washington, the PS FO revealed themselves as both arrogant and inept.�

 

Per Pasquarelli, the PS tried to put the screws to Washington and his crew but, you know, if you�re going to do that, you�d better have some torque.� The PS did not; Washington had other visits scheduled, notably to DC, lair of Dan Snyder and all that freaky dot com cash.� The PS had no juice but they went Soprano on Washington anyway; unsurprisingly, that player, or his agent, told them to go and get stuffed.

 

Who wouldn�t?� The FO messed this thing up completely.� First, they were slow on the Gildon/Haggans swap; then, rather than being reasonable with Washington (considering his view, what he�s looking to accomplish in the negotiation), they tried to drop the hammer.� So, this is what you�ve got at the controls: the slow, the rude and the stupid.��

 

Too bad because this could have been an easy sell as, in outline, consider this:

 

�� Look Marcus, you�re a very good of player; if you weren�t, we wouldn�t be interested.� We understand you�ve got other visits scheduled and, hell, that�s a business thing.� You�ve got to do what�s best for you.� We know you�re going to DC tonight and you know we can�t match that kind of money.� But here�s something to consider:

 

<Show Lavar Arrington highlight tape>

 

�� Marcus, you�re a strongside OLB. Lavar Arrington is a strongside OLB too.� You may be as good a player but you�re not the same kind of media superstar and, believe me, there�s not going to be room for two, not at the same spot anyway.� So, you can get crazy money but, you know son, on the field it�s going to be hind tit, and nothing more. Here�s what we�ve got.�

 

<Show Kevin Green highlight tape>

 

�� Marcus, the strongside is the star side here.� You know we will make you rich and we know you can be the guy.��

 

< Show Jason Gildon highlight tape>

 

�� See what we mean?� We made him a tiny tin god.� We can do the same for you and, if you can manage to maintain a football position on run downs, rather than collapsing into some fetal crouch, well, you�d be doing us a solid.� Look, this is really simple: in DC, you�ll have more money than you can count but, on the field, you�ll be, pretty much, a spare part.� Here, you�ll be rich enough and you�ll be a star for damn sure; maybe, an immortal.� Make your trip tonight, we�ll call you tomorrow.� Godspeed.�

 

Something like that, but instead the Steelers treated Washington as if he had sought them out, rather than the reverse being true.� Of course, that�s not the real insanity, but this is.� The sitting braintrust imagines that stability, rather than change, is the nature of things.� How else can you explain diddling with all those Hokes while the FA talent pool drains of all quality?�

 

That�s a funny thing, if you�ve got no rooting interest; otherwise, not so much.� This football franchise is named for an industry, which fled Pittsburgh as the gods Isis and Amon skipped Egypt.� Their grounds are on the site of a mill, now as inconsequential as the temples under Aswan.� Their offices are hard by the Mon, once regarded as the Nile of Steel.� Yet, as did the pharaohs, they imagine that constancy is the norm and change an aberration.� Now, as constituted and to the extent that they are revered here, the PS FO could be described as the Clown Court of Appalachia, with their head, the Pharaoh of Procrastination.�������

 

�