Stillers Offseason Outlook -- Feb '04
This annual offseason outlook is a thorough examination of
the team's status and stance as one season ends and another beckons.� It's inherently intended to be thorough, and
deep/wide in breadth & scope. This isn't a USA Today, 5-sentence-glossover
that you often see in various magazines, newspapers, and so-called
"in-depth" or "insider" Steeler coverage.� Rather, it's a fairly long read, but it
should be well worth your time.� (Click here to read last year's
Offseason Outlook.)� As a prelude,
consider reading the fine work of my esteemed colleague, Steel Phantom, in his
superb two-part series -- 2004 O-side Overview
and 2004 D-side
Overview.� Both of these splendid
articles serve as complementary articles to this writer's annual Offseason
Overview, and readers wanting to get the maximum depth and breadth would be
well served to read all 3 of these articles in concert, as well as Phantom's
latest gem, Money
for Nuthin'.�
A brief editor's note: This year's version of the Offseason Outlook is a bit pessimistic; probably more so than any previous version.� Optimism is fine, but gimlet-eyed realism should rule here, and that's precisely what this article is intended to address and analyze.�
The cornerstone of last year's Offseason Outlook was
comprised of two key essentials:
���� 1.� Make the hard decisions
���� 2.� Upgrade, upgrade, upgrade
���� 3.� Needs assessments for the �03 season
Last February�s concern about needing to make the hard
decisions obviously fell on deaf ears.�
I'd stated then that Bruener, Bettis, Gildon, and Alexander all needed
to be shown the door.� Sadly enough, not
a single one was evicted, and despite all of their wondrous
"leadership" and "their teammates are really fond of them"
and "everyone looks up to them", the 2003 Stillers were a sorry,
timid, meek, soft, underachieving football team.�
Upgrading also fell on deaf ears.� The Stillers' idea of "upgrade" was signing a career
scrub, Todd Fordham, to play RT.�
Fordham was handed the starting job on a silver platter, and then played
RT so horribly and wretchedly that it evoked horrific nightmares about another
short-armed, turnstile-like mannequin named Chris Conrad.� Two years ago, Tampa added Dilger,
Jurevicious, and Pitman to an already talented team, and when the dust settled,
they were hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.�
Nearly a year ago, the Panthers added Delhomme and Davis to their 7-9
team, and when the dust settled they were 4 seconds away from taking the Pats
to OT in the Super Bowl.� Obviously, the
French-like willingness to stand pat and do nothing to upgrade the roster was a
horrific mistake -- for the third consecutive year -- that has
become an annual comedy for the fans in Pittsburgh.� Basically, the comedy goes like this: the Stillers are victimized
by lousy veterans who serve no purpose; Cowher claims "changes will be
made"; and then these same worthless, lousy veterans are kept around for
yet another season of futility.�
This year's offseason keys are as follows:
���� 1.� Make the hard decisions
���� 2.� Upgrade, upgrade, upgrade
���� 3.� Scheming the Schemes
���� 4.� Sow and Grow
���� 5.� Needs assessments for the �04 season
Making the hard decision remains a key for this
offseason.� A key tenant of good
management is making the right choice, no matter how hard it might be.� Two years ago, the Stillers had the
once-in-a-blue-moon opportunity with the expansion draft to expose some
overpaid players and rid themselves of a sal-cap albatross or two (or three).� Before that expansion draft, I had recommended these
players for inclusion on the �exposed list�: Bettis, Bruener, Duffy, Combs,
and Flowers.� The inclusion of Flowers,
and especially Bruener and Bettis, was met with a host of guffaws, whines, and
babble.� �How can you recommend to get
rid of Bruener and Bettis?� No way can
the Steelers compete without these two!�, the cries went.� The Stillers then went through the vast
majority of the season, as well as virtually all of the playoffs, without either
of these two cap-wasting clods.��
Flowers �led the way� in feeble futility and shoddy pass coverage, which
greatly led to the team�s demise last year in the playoffs.� The Stillers had the perfect opportunity to
cut ties with over-paid oafs, and then use the recouped money to improve.� Instead, the team got soft, nostalgic, and
timid, and instead of making the hard, but certainly correct, decisions, they
wimped out and clutched onto this trio like a baby doll.�
As history has taught us time and time again, those who
fail to learn from their mistakes, are doomed to repeat them again.� The Stillers have a chance to cut the fat
and improve this team, and the fat cutting should include some or all of the
following:
- Bruener:�
The poster boy for what ails this front office and what prevents this
team from ever making the leap to the next level.� Sure enough, we�ll here cries and bellyaching about �Bruener is a
team leader" and "He's sacrificed his salary before for the
team" and other assorted bromide.�
This is stating what should be done, and in this case, Bruener should be
lauded for his years of service and then politely sent packing.� On any other team in the NFL, Bruener would
have been cut at least 5 years ago.�
- Bettis:�
It�s time to move on and put the Fat Back onto the waiver wire.� Sure, the Fatboy can still contribute
elsewhere in the league.� However, for
what he consumes of the salary cap -- not to mention the consumption at the supper
table -- it�s far too much for an injury prone, totally one-dimensional
back.� And Cowher's love affair with The
Tubby Tailback means that no other RB will ever get a fair shake at the
starting chores as long as Cowher's favorite pacifier, Jerome Bettis, is
lurking on the sideline.� Read my recent article for
a more in-depth look at why Bettis needs to be show the door ASAP.�
- Alexander:�
It's laughable that Burnt Alexander is still with this team.� Few fans recall that Burnt was picked up off
the junk heap to serve as an easy filler for Travis Davis.� Burnt was acceptable in his first season as
a Stiller, but 2001 clearly showed that this man was far too slow, too
immobile, and too little of a ballhawk & playmaker to start as a FS for a
team desiring a title run.�
Unbelievably, the NFL's slowest safety is STILL the starting safety in
Pittsburgh, with little end in sight.�
I'd asked in last year's article, "Why on earth would anyone want
to keep him around?", and presumably, it's because Brent is like having a
coach back there at safety.� Quick --
someone call Jack Butler, Donnie Shell, and Mike Wagner, and see if any or all
are available.� They, too, would be like
having a coach back there, and each is probably no slower than Burnt
Alexander.���
- GilDong:�
Thanks to one of the very worst contracts in Pittsburgh sports history
-- and this includes the one given to Pirate outfielder Derek Bell -- the
Stillers are now stuck with a cap-eating albatross roughly the size of an
800-pound gorilla.� His outlandish,
outrageous contract has huge cap hits through 2006, to include a whopper of a
hit at nearly $7M in �06.� The largesse
of this contract -- and the $6M bonus -- makes it somewhat painful to outright
release The Gilded Dong, but it's a simple matter of fact that GilDong is going
to have to be cut this summer or next, because the cap drain relative to the
pitiful production is simply too much for any team to bear.� The team might also be able to peddle
GilDong around the league to a team that might be bamboozled by his career sack
stats, although admittedly a trade of GilDong for a mere 5th round pick would
make the trade of $24 worth of trinkets for Manhattan look meager in
comparison.� What I wrote last year in
this article still holds true today:�
"Often forgotten during the team�s defensive malaise in �03, was
the fact that GilDong was supposedly the defensive captain and �leader�.� Defenders in this type of leadership
position are supposed to lead by example with hard-hitting,
mean-spirited, blood-thirsty, always-hustling-like-a-demon kind of play.� GilDong gave this team none of that.� In fact, he never has, and obviously never
will.� Severing ties with this caphog
and overly poor leader would instantly improve morale, intensity, and the
overall effectiveness of this defense."�
What's particularly hilarious in the case of GilDong, is the
media and fan base claims of, "Oh, now that Jason Gildon has slowed
down, he's a liability, blah blah blah."� Like the farce behind Jason's "big bullrush", this
blather about Jason "slowing down" is the biggest bunch of baloney
since Billy Clinton's "I didn't inhale."� This isn't a 39-year old Jerry Rice we're talking about.� Just look at Jason and his career.� To his credit, Jason has, unlike Fat Jerome
Bettis, kept himself in superb physical condition.� He's lean, lithe, "cut", and in-shape.� Furthermore, Jason has never, ever been
injured.� NEVER.�� In ten (10) seasons in the NFL, he was
listed ONCE on an injury report as being probable with a "strained
knee", but that's it.�� He's never
even so much as limped off the field with a stinger, a bruise, or a
sprain.� The reason for his incredible
health is, of course, Jason's penchant for avoiding contact at
all costs.� So here you have a superbly
conditioned athlete who avoids contact at all costs, thereby vanquishing the
myth of, "Jason has slowed down the past couple of seasons."� Fact is, Jason was never fast to begin
with.� Jason merely benefited from DONG
SACKS, not from any kind of electric speed, brawn, or quickness.� He's no slower today than he was 5 (five)
years ago, so the blather about his "losing speed" is nothing more
than media, feel-good bullshit in a feeble attempt to cover up for their total
lack of awareness regarding how piss-poor of a signing Jason was in the first
place.�
������
- Kimo:� Last year's
edition stated, "Of all the players I�d recommend for severance, this is the
one that I�d like to have back, albeit at a reduced salary."� I'd like to ditto that statement.� Kimo had a fine 2003 season, but is getting
long in the tooth and consumes a massive amount of cap dough.� Just like last year's recommendation, I'd
prefer to have Kimo take a salary cut and then serve as the team's primary
backup and "platooner", which is nearly nonexistent except for the
very-average Rod Bailey.
- DeWayne Washington:�
Clearly DW's time has come and gone.�
This is a no-brainer of a cut.�
- Charred Scott:�
Chad is on incredibly thin ice.�
His exorbitant salary is yet another albatross, while his play the past
2+ seasons has been clearly sub-par.�
Because Chad is younger and more skillful than DW, I'd be willing to cut
and then re-sign Chad to a small deal, under the up-front acknowledgement that
he'd only vie for time as a #3 CB &/or a backup safety, not
a starter.� If Chad's ego can't handle
that -- and I have severe doubts that he can -- then he just needs to be cut
and bid adieu.�
- Hartings:�
The aging center has given the Stillers a few good seasons, but it's
time to cut bait.� Hartings, formerly
known as "The Savior" upon his signing, has achy knees and an achy
contract to boot.� Simmons or Okobi
should be able to man the spot adequately enough, and the team can rid itself
of yet another monstrous cap hit.� And,
if you're one of the minions who think Hartings is such a savior, ask yourself
this:� "Who were the starting
centers of the last 5 Super Bowl champs?"�
Then ask yourself once again why Hartings was ever considered as such a
great savior.�
- Fordham:�
This guy is a pile of dung, plain and simple.� He has no skill; has no upside; and serves no purpose.� Should be shitcanned as soon as is
practicable.�
- Josh Miller:�
Only a band of simpleminded, nostalgic idiots pays their mediocre punter
over $1M per annum when holes abound all over the place.� Cut, and then either resign to much lower
dollars, or find a suitable replacement at half or even one-fourth
the cost.� Lesson learned: unless your
punter is as reliable, consistent, and superb as a Ray Guy, do not ever lavish
with a fatty, 7-figure per annum contract.�
- Amoz: I can certainly live with having Amoz serve on the
roster in '04, but not at the salary he's currently consuming.� This is a player that the Stillers have good
leverage against.� Not many teams will
be frothing over signing him, and as such, he'd be willing to take the pay cut
instead of joining the ranks of the nation's unemployed.
To be sure, these are all �hard� decisions.� Decisions like this always are.� And it�s surely �harder� when you�re talking
about Billy Cowher�s most favorite players, notably Bruener, Bettis, and Gildon,
all of whom Cowher loves like his own child.�
Those of us in management and leadership positions know full well that
it�s more difficult to make the �hard right� than the easier wrong.� It�s entirely up to the Stillers to swallow
pride, love, charity, and hospitality if they want to improve this team in this
day of the salary cap.�
And because of the tight fit against the ceiling of the
salary cap, a team cannot upgrade unless it either drafts some outstanding
players, or it pares away overly pricey fat and frees up money that can be used
to procure better players.�� Because the
NFL draft rewards the poor teams and punishes the teams with better records,
the Stillers cannot throw all their hope into the draft.� Without the hard decisions, you end up
losing out to opportunity costs.� With
only so much money, you can�t buy an apple if you�ve already spent money on a
candy bar.� You can�t sign a top-notch
D-back if you�re frittering money away on a glorified 3rd tackle.� You can�t afford to upgrade your house, or
your football roster, if you�ve got money tied up in frivolous other ventures
that give you little or no return.�
Making the hard decisions -- if they are, in fact, made -- serves as the
necessary foundation for UPGRADES.�
Unless a team is well under the sal cap, upgrades cannot happen until
hard decisions are made and expensive fat is trimmed from the budget.�
And if you think that "loyalty" and "taking
care of your people" should drive the train, just look at the world
champion Patriots, who just declined to exercise their option with RB Antwain
Smith.� Smitty carried the load at RB
for TWO Super Bowl titles by the Pats, and some 8 days after the 2nd Lombardi
Trophy was won, he was basically shown the door by the Pats.� Now that's what you call making the
hard decision. Belichick could have easily pulled a Billy Cowher and
claimed "loyalty" and "we owe it to Antwain" and
"Antwain has served us well" and all the bullshit that Cowher has
spewed in the contracts with Bettis and GilDong.� Instead, Belichick made the hard decision and waved goodbye to
Smitty, so that his team could trim some money from the salcap and quite
possibly upgrade at that position.� Had
Billy Cowher been Smitty's coach, he would have eagerly exercised the option,
and perhaps even lavished Smitty with a few more million dollars, all the while
driving away competition at RB and the eschewing the idea of drafting a
RB.�� Belichick also made the hard
decision to cut Lawyer Milloy just before the '03 season, despite cries of,
"But Milloy is a team leader". This is precisely why Belichick will
be fighting for titles in the foreseeable future, while Billy Cowher spends his
January's at home pouting about "injuries" and "there's a fine
line" and "we were real close".�
Upgrades are needed at the following positions:�
�- Safety:� As bad as this position currently is, the
solution is fortunately sitting right on the Stillers' bench.� Chris Hope and Troy Pola should start,
period.� I wouldn't mind bringing back
Mike Logan for depth and insurance, but obviously at a reduced cost.� The safety spots have been mired in a
pitiful state of being for far too long.�
This should be an easy upgrade, and the results will have a very
positive effect on the defense.
- CB:� Ike Taylor and
D. Townsend should be considered starters for the time being, but the draft
should attempt, if possible, to snare a topflight CB or, at the very least, a
very solid, capable CB.� This position
has been ignored for far too long; it's time to move on past the DW-Scott era
and into something more reliable and effective.�
- LOLB:� The rest of
the LB corps is set, but LOLB is a complete joke, with a current LOLB that
can't rush the passer, can't stuff the run, and can't cover.� Zo Jackson has an incredible wingspan to go
with very astute instincts, and he should be given first priority for the
starting job.� RFA Clark Haggans, if
re-signed, also deserves a look.�
- RT:� ABF --
Anybody but Fordham.� If not Nkwenti,
then a FA must be signed, or an OT selected in the draft.� Ross is acceptable as a veteran 3rd tackle, but
hardly as a starter.�
- DE:� The DL depth
is outrageously thin, and if Kimo is cut and not re-signed, the depth and
long-term outlook at this position is not rosy.� Bailey is an okay player, although his run-stuffing is a bit
weak.� No depth behind Bailey and Smitty
exists at all.� Keisel was supposedly
going to be another great savior, but an injury shelved him for the entire '03
season.� DE Chris Hoke is an absolute
joke.� An upgrade to the starting RDE,
& depth at DE, would be extremely advisable. �
- RB:� Clearly, the
team needs better production than Amoz and The Tubby Tailback.� They don't need a 250-pound back, nor do
they need someone who runs a 4.4 forty.�
What they do need is a RB that has instinct, skill, pass-catching
ability, and a nose for the first-down marker.�
Note that this draft is well stocked with RBs, and also that the
Stillers have a truly outstanding history of plucking RBs in the middle rounds
and getting outstanding production.�
- TE:� Reimersma is
an acceptable TE, but only when healthy.�
He received the un-coveted 2003 China Doll Award for his
malingering and loss of playing time due to one malady after another.� Then again, because this is a team that, by
nature and design, totally ignores the TE, perhaps it simply isn't worth the
opportunity cost to upgrade this position.�
Why spend big money on a ski jacket and thermal underwear if you live in
Miami?�� The same theory could apply to
the Stiller TE spot.�
- Backup NT:� For a
team that proclaims how utterly important the NT position is, they treat the
backup at this spot with all the disdain that they treat throwing to the
TE.� They don't need -- and can't afford
-- a sterling backup here, but they at least need a modicum of competence and
capability, which they've clearly not had the past 2+ seasons with Kendick
Clancy.�
The Schemes:
The Stillers suffer from overly poor schemes, especially on
the D-side of the football.� The
Stillers staunchly and stubbornly insist on playing the 3-4 defense, but unlike
the great 3-4 defenses (today's Patriots, the Broncos in the late 70's, etc.)
the Stillers don't use the 3-4 in a way that takes advantage of the 3-4
defense.� Confusing?�� Ok, consider this comparison.� Consider the fellow who buys a Porsche 944,
only to use cheap gasoline, cheap spark plugs, cheap non-Z rated tires, and he
even stuffs a rag in the exhaust pipe whenever he drives it.� This guy may as well drive an AMC
Gremlin.� So it is with the Stillers,
who use a 3-4 defense, yet do nothing with their 3-4 defense that
the 3-4 was designed to do in the first place.�
The 3-4 was designed for versatility and disruption.� The versatility is supposed to be in the
LBs, all of whom are supposedly capable of stuffing the run, harassing the
passer,� and helping in pass coverage,
with the OLBs especially adept when it comes to coverage.� The disruption comes from versatile LBs who
can attack from all angles and all spots on the defense.��
The Stiller version of the 3-4 has none of these
attributes.� KenBell often sits on passing
downs, all so that 340-pound Casey Hampton can "clog the middle" some
7 yards away from the QB.� Joey Porter
is adept in coverage, but is tasked to do it so often that he's become a
non-factor in the pass rush, despite being the team's best pure pass rusher.� And then there's Jason GilDong, a 1-trick
pony who does nothing but loop rush, and is a total liability in run-stuffing,
pass coverage, and even pass rushing if the opponent tasks just 1 man to
block him.�
Disruption to the opposing offense?� Absolutely none.� Confusion created?� None
whatsoever.� This Stiller 3-4 defense
has digressed into an overly predictable, stale scheme in which The Vanilla
Defense initiates nothing, attacks nothing, and pressures nothing, while
opposing offenses dictate the pace, the flow, and the attack.�
It's time for this stale, flaccid defense to either be scrapped -- in favor of the 4-3 -- or revamped in order to promulgate an atmosphere of attack, intimidation, harassment, and disruption.� I've long advocated the scrapping of the 3-4, since I haven't seen Billy Cowher use it correctly since the halcyon days of 1994-1995.� Of course, since we're dealing with the most stubborn man on the planet, scrapping it probably isn't a viable option.�
If not scrapped, this defense certainly needs updated and
enhanced.� The first step, as noted
above, is to cut the 1-trick pony and supposed "team captain", Jason
GilDong.� When you have a so-called
"team leader" who plays with all of the intensity and nastiness of a
high school cheerleader, it rubs off on the rest of the defensive mates.� Furthermore, the Stillers might actually get
some versatility, disruption, and harassment out of the LOLB spot, which they
clearly haven't had since 1995.� The
next step is getting Porter out of so much pass coverage chores, while also
ensuring that Kendrell Bell is on the field for at least 90% of all snaps.� Porter needs to be unleashed -- from all
over the field, not just at ROLB -- upon the QB, and Bell needs to be used much
more as an interior, delayed pass-rusher, of which he's shown a tremendous
knack.�
Once the scheme of the front 7 is straightened out, the
scheme of the secondary needs ironed out as well.� The Stillers represent a bizarre paradox: they insist on acquiring
big, strong CBs, and then refuse to allow these big, strong CBs to jam and
punish and manhandle opposing receivers at the line of scrimmage (LOS).� I'm not advocating a Lester Hayes-Mike
Haynes scheme in which every play involves the CBs up at the LOS,
but it needs to occur more than 2 times per game.� Otherwise, get rid of the fetish with big, strong CBs and start
acquiring some that can line up 12 yards off the line and still cover today's
quick, speedy receivers.�
Offensively, the scheme suffers from a
two-fold fetish with two players: Fatboy Bettis and Hines Ward.� Bettis is the most 1-dimensional starting RB
in the NFL, and it kills this offense's ability to exploit teams with simple
flare passes and downfield passes to the RB.�
Ward is a terrific all-around WR, but the offense has grown -- as is
Billy Cowher's penchant -- far too dependent on Ward.� Between serving as a blocking wingback and then catching pass
after pass over the middle -- all the while taking loads of punishment -- Ward
is over-tasked by an offensive scheme that is attached to him like a
pacifier.�
It's high time for this offense to diversify.� They need to break away from the foolhardy,
archaic 1-dimensionality of Fatboy Bettis, and they need to expand the passing
game beyond the 8-yard slant to Hines Ward.�
Sure, they have Plex Burress, but Burress hasn't been utilized to the
maximum extent possible.� He needs to be
used downfield, and the offense needs more integration and production from
Randle El at the #3 WR spot and whomever from the #4 spot.� This past season, the #4 spot was a
neglected wasteland, and El was used far more as a trickster than as a
pass-receiving weapon in the passing game.�
While we're discussing the offense, I'd also add that
integrating the TE into the passing offense should occur.� But after witnessing 9 (nine)
consecutive seasons of pedestrian involvement by the TE, I've become convinced
that, under Billy Cowher's Neanderthal leadership, the TE is never going to be
much more than a glorified 3rd tackle.�
Sow and Grow
This is this Offseason Analysis' biggest concern.� Along with winning games, the coaching
staff's primary job is to shape and ameliorate the younger core of the team for
current and future productivity and effectiveness.� Almost unbelievably, this is an aspect that Billy Cowher has not
only totally neglected, but also has literally gone out of his way to refuse
to do.�
Added to the incredulousness is the incredibly perverse
paradox of the Pittsburgh Stillers when it comes to human resource
management.� The Stillers believe in
building through the draft, with a small addition of bargain-basement and
mid-priced free agents.� This concept is
certainly acceptable and pragmatic.� The
flaw resides in the execution of this concept.�
Building via the draft and skimpy free agent acquisitions inherently
means that you've got to grow what you sow; you've got to groom and develop
what you've got.�
However, the Stillers don't come close to grooming and
growing.� They treat their rookies like country
bumpkins from Estonia who have never seen a football before, much less played
it on a competitive basis.� The staff
then disassociates itself from any youngster that hasn't memorized the entire
playbook by the first day of training camp.�
By the time the season starts, the rookie is banished to the bench, with
no chance to ever see non-special teams playing time unless a rash of injuries
hits the team.�
After the rookie season of neglect and bench rot is
completed, the self-licking ice cream cone is also completed.� Billy Cowher claims the rookie is
"still trying to learn the scheme" and "get a feel".� Then the rookie enters his 2nd season, but
since he's never played before, Coach Billy Cowher maintains, "He's still
trying to learn the scheme and get a feel."� Come the 3rd season in which the guy has rarely ever played, the
Supreme Lord of Coaching Billy Cowher proclaims, "He's still trying to
learn the scheme and get a feel."�
And the self-licking ice cream cone gets licked and licked into perpetuity.� This is why a Hank Poteat ties up a roster
spot for 3 (three) seasons without ever playing more than a grand total of 10
or 12 plays at CB, and then, come the playoffs after his 3rd NFL season, he's
thrust into playing time due to a slew of injuries and gets beaten like a
red-headed stepchild.� Some will claim
Poteat just wasn't any good, but the follow-on question remains: "Why on
Earth was the sorry sack o' shit kept around for 3 seasons�?", and sadly,
there is no answer, other than the fact that the Great Billy Cowher chose to
keep him around.�
I've long annotated the absurdly excessive bench rot
suffered by rookie, 2nd-year, and 3rd-year players under the supreme tutelage
of Billy Cowher.� Longtime readers here
should be well aware of the bench rot suffered by Mike Vrabel, Earl Holmes,
Amoz Z, DeShea Townsend, Chris Hope, Clark Haggans, Zo Jackson, Nkwenti, and
numerous others.� Even Hines Ward rotted
his rookie season behind an illustrious superstar WR named Courtney "Pee
Pee" Hawkins, and Joey Porter rotted behind Carlos "The Tupperware
Man" Emmons.���
As noted in the recent Trib Review article on Feb. 17th,
"Every team will conduct (Combine) interviews with 60 players
where coaches can look for character flaws and what Cowher likes to call
"that look in their eye." Gregarious outside linebacker Alonzo
Jackson caught Cowher's attention in his interview last year and became the
team's second-round draft choice."�
Yes, Jackson caught Cowher's eye so strikingly that he spent the final
14 games of the season standing on the sidelines, dressed in street
clothes.� But Cowher really liked the
look in his eye.
What's alarming about this asinine rotting, is the very fact
that NFL rosters see at least a 25% turnover every
year, due to retirements, cuts, career-ending & career hobbling injuries,
free agent losses, and salary cap casualties.�
Only a myopic idiot would refuse to groom and grow youngsters, but
that's exactly what Billy Cowher has done -- or hasn't done -- in the past 6-7
seasons.� When he entered the league, he
was the fortunate recipient of limited free agency and a roster stacked with
future Hall of Famer Rod Woodson and stars like Lloyd and Dawson.� The offseason strategy has changed, but not
Billy Cowher's; the dimbulbed Neanderthal thinks he has 5 years to groom a
player.� Fact is, a player is eligible
for restricted free agency after his 3rd season, and unrestricted free agency
after his fourth.�
This organization needs to get away from the asinine theory
of rotting the bench for 2 or 3 years of an apprenticeship, and into the
mindset where expectations are such that rookies arrive with the
expectation that they need to be prepared to kick ass and crack skulls from the
very first day of camp, not midway through their 3rd NFL season.�
The other benefit of grooming and growing is that it
promotes competition among the players on the roster.� And competition significantly reduces complacency.� As we saw in 2003, the biggest enemy of this
team wasn't opposing teams, but the complacency of the players and coaches
themselves.� What's sickening is that,
unlike injury, complacency is a self-inflicted wound.� Billy Cowher promotes the paradigm of complacency among the
teams' veterans, by way of zero competition from younger players
who are deemed as "not mature enough" and "haven't grasped the
system" and "still getting a feel" and other such lard-filled
poppycock.� Just look at Big Jason
GilDong, who -- after having done very, very little his first 2 NFL seasons --
was handed the starting LOLB job on a silver platter when Kevin Green departed
after the '95 season.� That's 8
consecutive seasons of never, ever having any NFL competition for
the starting job.� That breeds
complacency, and that's a major reason why you see Jason avoiding contact, turning
his back to blockers, and playing at half speed week after week after
week.�
Most players expected to go high in the first round have
their silent prayers in terms of whom they don't want to be
drafted by.� Pitt WR Larry Fitzgerald is
praying he isn't drafted by Billy Cowher.�
Otherwise, he's destined to 2 years of "learning the ropes"
and "getting a feel for the scheme" behind the likes of Lee Mays and
Randle El.�
I stated above that player development is my biggest
concern, and that's because this team's personnel strategy is built upon player
development, yet Billy Cowher turns a jaundiced eye to the distasteful chore of
grooming and growing.� Based on what
we've all seen from Cowher the past decade, I see little hope for improvement
in this area.�
Needs Assessment:
Offense:�
- As noted above, RB needs an upgrade.� They don't need a Gale Sayers, but they need
a solid back that can give them better ground production and some receptions as
well.�
- RT.� ABF -- Anybody
But Fordham.� Either a legit, starting
caliber RT -- not an imposter like Fordham -- needs to be signed in free
agency, or a draftee brought in to compete with Nkwenti &/or Vincent.�
- #4 WR:� Not only do
the Stillers need some sort of production from this spot, but they also need
depth in case Ward, for example, goes down with injury.�
* Note that I don't include RG as a need.� Simmons was hampered last June by elbow
surgery and the sudden onslaught of diabetes.�
He won't have surgery to deal with, and his body and diet should
adequately adjust by the summer of 2004.�
Vincent and Okobi are also acceptable interior players.�
Defense:�
- CB.� Duh�a
no-brainer.� Even if Townsend and Taylor
can start -- and that's just a 'maybe' -- you still need a capable nickel CB,
plus you need depth, plus Townsend is no spring chicken.�
-� LOLB.� A massive need that has long been overlooked
and continues to be overlooked to this day.�
I can very easily live with Haggans getting a smallish contract and then
be given a crack -- not handed the job on a platter, but a crack -- at the
starting job, along with Zo Jackson.��
- Backup ILB:� Foote
has no business being on this team's roster, and Kreiwalt, despite being a very
good spec teamer, isn't capable of filling in effectively at ILB in case of
injury.�
- DE.� Already noted
above.� This is a glaring weakness in
terms of depth, and could be a hideous problem if Kimo is cut.� And, even if one more season is coaxed out
of Kimo, a glaring hole could be present in 2005.�
Spec teams:�
There�s always room for improvement on a Billy Cowher-coached special
teams.
�Jeff Reed suffered
from the ol' sophomore jinx, missing several makeable FGs in what was a
terribly subpar season.� To make matters
worse, Reed had surgery just a few weeks ago on his hip.� In a rare fit of farsightedness, the
Stillers signed kicker John Markham, who will play in NFL-Europe this spring
and then report to training camp.� I'd
be worried about any kicker coming off hip surgery, so I'm not counting on Reed
at all.� Markham is a wild card, with no
prior NFL experience.� Because of the
factors surrounding these 2 kickers, the Stillers really need to consider
adding a veteran kicker, perhaps after the June 1st cuts.�
�
The spot of Kick Returner can always use a madman willing to
run hell-bent up the crease.� Ike Taylor
showed some flashes last season, although, if he starts at CB, he would need
someone to help share the KO return chores.��
A couple headhunting coverage-men -- preferably LBs and DBs
with some speed -- wouldn�t be too bad of an idea.��
Coaching: �The shakeup soon after the '03 season ended means the staff is set
for now.� Mularkey and Lewis are gone;
Whisenhunt and LeBeu are in.�
The major weakness among the coaching staff is obviously
none other than head coach Billy Cowher.�
Despite any and all of the cap maneuvering, shrewd drafting, and free
agent signings, this team will not, and cannot, seriously consider itself a
Super Bowl contender with Little Billy at the helm.� Sure, it can win the lowly AFC North, and it can provide a stiff
challenge in the playoffs, but realistically speaking, that�s about it.� The Titanic was a fantastic ship, perhaps
the greatest of its kind ever built at that point in time. It had the finest
equipment, the finest crew, the finest accommodations -- yet boneheaded,
incompetent leadership allowed it to run into an iceberg and sink.� So it goes with the Stillers, who have
enough talent and experience to be a good team.� However, like the Titanic, they suffer from such poor,
incompetent leadership such that neither a great ship nor a great team can
overcome.� The largest and most
immovable roadblock to this team�s hopes of winning the Super Bowl, rests squarely
on the shoulders of Billy Cowher.�
Stillers free agent outlook:
UFAs
Clancy:� Do not sign,
even for the NFL minimum.� His run
stuffing is absolutely horrendous and he has no redeeming qualities
whatsoever.� Like Hank Poteat, this is
another classic example of the Stillers stubbornly keeping a clearly inferior
player on the roster for 2 years more than was ever warranted.�
Doering: �I'd like to re-sign him at a very moderate contract.� Doering should have no leverage whatsoever,
and should be willing to accept any offer.�
He's got good size and showed some nice hands and instincts at
times.�
Haggans:� Re-sign to
moderate dollars.� This guy should draw
very minimal interest around the NFL, so there will be no need to lavish the
way the Stillers did to a Jon Witman or Mark Bruener or Schlosh Miller.�
Kreider:� Make every
attempt to sign, but do not lavish foolishly.�
Kreider is far better than the sorry likes of Wittman, but you can't
lavish a blocking FB with an absurd deal of like $2M per year.�
Logan: �I like
Logie's skills and instincts, but he slowed down last season, and he's getting
a bit long in the tooth.� Try to re-sign
for small dollars; if not, bid adieu.�
Schneck:� This is a
very interesting proposition here.� I'm
not one to lavish big money on a specialist like a long snapper.� Having said that, I'm all in favor of making
every reasonable attempt to re-sign Schneck, because his work makes the
kicker's job that much easier.� The guy
is very, very good at what he does.� In
fact, he's liable to draw the most interest amongst all the Stiller UFAs.�
�
RFAs (can be
offered 3 tenders -- high, mid, and low -- all of which are 1-year deals.� Or, they can be re-signed to a multi-year
deal if the team is so inclined.) ��
Bailey: �It could be
argued that Bailey should be allowed to depart, but due to the dearth of depth
at DE, he needs to be offered the minimum tender.� No other NFL team will match this tender.�
Hoke: �Hoke, as in
JOKE.�� Do not tender.� Do not resign.� Do not allow to enter the city limits of Pittsburgh ever again.
Iwuoma: A gritty spec teamer and backup CB who is worthy of another season as a Stiller, albeit with a low tender.�
Nkwenti:� Assuming his back is ok, sign to a low tender.� It's plausible that another team might be
willing to match the low tender, but his total lack of playing time in 3 NFL
seasons -- except for the Denver game -- probably precludes any other team from
pursuing him.� An alternative here is if
-- and I said if -- this team thinks
Nkwenti can start at RT, they could lock him up into a 2-year deal right now,
in order to preclude him becoming available as a UFA after the '04 season.�
Okobi:� Like Nkwenti, his meager PT, combined with a
low-priority position of center, means no one else will have an interest.� Offer him the low tender.�
Vincent:�� Ditto as Okobi and Nkewnti.� Another bench-rotter who won't draw much
interest around the NFL.� Offer the low
tender.�
Exclusive rights
Reed:� Tough
call.� Reed is coming off a lousy
season, and had hip surgery to boot (no pun intended).� But the risk and cost of signing Reed is
pretty small, so it's likely that he'll be re-signed.�
(I'll preview the Stillers draft outlook in a separate
article in the near future.)
Still Mill and Stillers.com -- the
only nationally read coverage on the Pittsburgh Stillers that has accurately
predicted the how's and the why's of the past 3 Stiller playoff losses�