Over a year ago this writer wrote several articles on
exactly why the Steelers shouldn't renegotiate Tommy Maddox' contract.� Back then my argument was quite simply that
the Steelers had all the leverage in the negotiation, and even during the
pre-drafting of Roethlisberger era, Maddox' value didn't warrant ripping up a
contract that had 3 full years remaining.
Well after reading the diatribe from Ed Bouchette in the Post-Gazette the other
day on all the reasons why the Steelers should ante up for Hines Ward, I have
decided to chime in on this issue.� You
might recall the Bouchette article in which he grabs at certain facts and draws
comparisons between Ward and Harrison.�
Bouchette's premise is that Harrison plays in a
pass happy offense, while Ward plays in a run-oriented offense and Ward puts up
a similar number of catches.� Therefore,
in the Bouchette Theory Ward deserves similar type money.� Well at stillers.com we strive to peel back a
layer, so the one major flaw that Bouchette failed to point out is that Ward
(over the past 5 years) has been thrown to a considerably higher percentage of
his team's pass plays as opposed to Harrison. In fact, dating back to 2001 I'm
willing to bet that Ward was thrown to a higher percentage than any other WR
(perhaps Moss might be the lone exception).�
This important fact is what fails Bouchette's arguments.� Now then if you assume that Ward and Harrison
are thrown to roughly the same number of times, and have a similar number of
catches, the only variable statistic would be the YPC (yards per catch).� Well if you measure elite WRs, that's the one
category where Hines simply doesn't measure up.�
Well that and TD catches.� This
was merely an attempt to surround Bouchette's piece with the ALL the
information available, not in any way to denounce Ward.
As for the impending negotiation with Ward, let me first state that I love
Hines Ward as a player.� I love his
desire, hard-work, tenacity, and everything he stands for.� Having said that, if Ward is looking for
Moss/Harrison type money, the Steelers' organization needs to, for once, stand
tall in the face of a tough negotiation.�
The fact is, as much as I love Ward, he's not in the league of the Big
Three (Moss, TO, Harrison).� In fact,
this season we're about to truly find out how explosive a player Hines really
is as he gets to wear the mantle of "WR that other teams most fear"
when we line up on sundays.� In the past,
Plaxico played that role more often than not.�
I'm not intending this to be a silly Plax versus Hines debate.� Plax was immensely more talented, but Hines
was the harder worker and the better overall player.� However, I believe that Hines is not a true
elite (elite meaning one of the special few who impacts a game not only by
making possession catches, but also by commanding lots of attention) WR, and he
needs an attention grabber opposite him to be successful.� Keep in mind too, that Hines thrived when
Maddox, he of the scattershot arm, was the QB - who loved to checkdown to his
safety valve at every opportunity.� Only
once Big Ben took the reigns did we finally see a QB with the ability to stand
tall in the face of a pass rush, and get the ball down the field to our
vertical threat (the other guy in the debate that I haven't started).� Perhaps this year Hines will prove me wrong,
as he'll have either Randle El or Cedric the Entertainer opposite him.� But the fact is the Steelers are in a very
strong position during these negotiations.�
Hines and his agent know full well that Hines' inadequacies (he's not a
vertical threat, atleast not an elite one) could be discovered this
season.� The Steelers still have one year
remaining on Hines' contract.
My recommendation:
If Hines and his agent play
hardball and want Moss/Harrison ballpark numbers, then you let Ward play out
his existing contract.� If he steps up
with a great season in spite of his weak supporting cast at WR, then you ante
up next offseason because he proved it.�
However, if he has a mediocre season, you let the market determine his
worth.� We can then find out exactly what
a 30 year old possession WR is worth.
If Hines and his agent are amenable to it, my negotiation stance for this
offseason would be something in the ballpark of $7-8 million for the signing
bonus, with a total contract value of approximately $25 million for 5 years (or
perhaps $30 million for 6 years).� You
give him the large signing bonus and backload much of the deal.� This way Hines gets guaranteed money upfront
versus his scheduled base salary for this year of about $1.7 million.� If these numbers aren't palatable to Hines
and his agent, then they can roll the dice on seeing how the season plays out.
Obviously, there is the question of public perception regarding such a
negotiation stance with one of your valuable team leaders.� Well I know of a team that basically
jettisoned noted team leader Lawyer Milloy and still managed to win a couple
Super Bowls.� In fact, let's suppose that
3 years ago Teddy Bruschi asked for Ray Lewis money, you can bet your last
dollar that Bill Belichick would have politely shown Bruschi the door.� The New England Patriots and Bill Belichick
have proven time and again, that they know what they're doing - whether it's on
the field, during the draft, or negotiating in the offseason.� This is why New England allows noted team stars like Milloy and Law to leave
and doesn�t miss a beat.� The Hines Ward
negotiation could give the Steelers' front office a chance to make this writer
believe that they are striving to be like the Patriots and perhaps some day
become a world champion.� Or they could
just throw Randy Moss type money at a 30 year old possession WR and watch
Belichick chuckle as one of his worthy competitors just set themselves further
back, thereby making his life a hell of a lot easier.