Review of Stillers' Early Moves in Free Agency (Mar. 7th, 2004)

 

The free agency period began March 1st, and it's a good time to see what the Stillers have done pre-FA period, as well as the first week of FA.

 

First, the line-by-line listing of moves, then followed by commentary.

 

- Signed CB Terry Fair.� Another Lion signed by Lion Lover Kevin Colbert.� Fair was a fair signing, in that he may provide some veteran competition during camp, and if this team has shown the past 2 years that it needs much more of a single ingredient, it's competition.� On the other hand, this was another bottom-of-the-barrel signing by the Stillers which, were it an aberration rather than the prime methodology, might be more palatable.�

 

- Released DeWayne Wash and Mark "Feet of Stone" Bruener.� A classic case of addition by subtraction with 2 over-valued, under-performing caphogs sent off to the unemployment line.� Washington is actually trying to start a new career as a football referee.� Seems like a rather odd career move for a guy who -- due to horrible technique -- was penalized more often than former NHL'er Dave Schultz, and for a guy whose vision is no better than Mister Magoo's.� Supposedly there's "some interest" in Bruener, whose only claim to fame is being the slowest TE in the entire NFL the past 6 years.� "We have interest in him as a blocking tight end," Bill GM Tom Donahoe said, "and we're eager to have him in for a visit.".� No kidding, Tom�saying "blocking TE" in regards to Bruener is redundant, because he sure as hell isn't a pass-catching TE.�

 

- RFA minimum tenders of $628K to:�

 

���� �Bailey:� A worthwhile tender, especially given the severe lack of depth at DE.� New England has made an offer about twice the RFA tender on Bailey, and the Stillers must either match, or receive a 6th rounder in compensation.� I'm ambivalent on this one; I can live with either decision.� Due to the noted shallow depth at DE, I'd prefer to keep Bailey, especially because the Stiller front office has shown a poor ability to get anything of value in round 6, and anyone they do acquire anywhere in the draft will require at least a 2-year apprenticeship under the Supreme Lord of Coaching, Billy Cowher.�

 

���� �Hoke:� An absolute travesty of a tender offer.� I'd already noted in my Offseason Analysis, "Hoke, as in JOKE.�� Do not tender.� Do not resign.� Do not allow to enter the city limits of Pittsburgh ever again."� What was so hard to understand?� The team would have been better off bringing in a scrub from nearby Grove City College than bringing back a sorry sack-o-dung like Chris Joke.�

 

���� �Iwuoma:� A very worthwhile tender.� Provides depth in the secondary and is acceptable on spec teams.�

 

���� �Nkwenti:� A very worthwhile tender.� Should be given every opportunity to compete for the starting RT job, and going into camp, should easily be considered the starter over FatOliver Ross and Todd The Turnstile Fordham.�

 

���� �Okobi:� Another very worthwhile tender.� Could start if Hartings is released or is hobbled.�

 

���� �Vincent:� Yet another very worthwhile tender.� Should serve as the primary backup at either guard spot.�

 

- Restructuring of Jerome Bettis' contract.� Aside from the RFA tender to Chris Joke, this was the absolute worst move thus far in the off-season.� The Stillers made good progress in cutting away the dead wood in Bruener and Washington.� Bettis should have been the next cut of dead wood, but instead the Stillers, led by Billy Cowher's pacifier-like attachment to The Tubby Tailback, stubbornly clung on to The FatBoy for yet another season.� The worst aspect of retaining Bettis is the inevitable bench rot suffered by any and all young RBs on the roster.� Sure, the young RB will get a token SG draw, and a token screen pass, once in a while, but make no mistake, The Tubby Tailback will get the vast bulk of the work.�

 

- Signed TE Matt Cushing to a 1-year deal.� A classic "panic deal" done before the FA period even began.� And why the panic over a guy like Cushing, who's been cut more often than a pig in a slaughterhouse?� It makes little sense, but in the Stiller panic mode of thinking, they were afraid of losing UFA Dan Kreider, and Cushing was the only backup.� Because this coaching staff is literally terrified at the thought of using a rookie or any other player who hasn't gone through a 2-year apprenticeship, they rushed out like rabid wolves to sign Cushing, the guy who knows the ins and outs of unemployment compensation better than the employees at the State Unemployment Office.� I don't mind having Cushing around; rather, it's the thought process and the opportunity cost of time & effort that really annoys me.� While the Stillers were scheming to re-sign Cushing, other teams were out working critical deals for the likes of Jevon Kearse, Corny Griffin, et al.�

 

- Signed FB Dan Kreider to a 4-year, $4M deal.� Another "panic deal".� Cushing is the only backup to Kreider, and really, Cushing isn't a full-time FB.� So, with little depth, and a terrifying fear of using some other FB who hasn't gone through a least a 2-year apprenticeship under Billy Cowher, the Stillers rushed like rabid wolves hours before the FA period began and signed Kreider.� I love Kreider's hitting ability -- the guy has won a fair share of Hard Hat awards -- but blocking FBs aren't the cornerstone of championship teams.� It'll be great to see Kreider knocking heads in a black-and-gold uniform this season, but the opportunity cost of the extra dollars concerns me.���

 

- Signed WR Chris Doering to a 1-year deal.� This was an acceptable deal.� I'd advocated doing this very move in my Offseason Analysis.�

 

- Allowed UFA LB Marcus Washington to slip through their fingers.� The Stillers highly coveted Washington, and had him in for a visit.� The Stillers liked him so much that they played their usual game of fiddle faddle, and off Wash went to the nation's capitol, where Snyder and his boys had Wash signed to a contract within a couple of hours.�

 

- Signed Clark Haggans to a 4-year, $10,2M contract:� Retaining Haggans certainly isn't a bad thing.� The man has shown some aptitude at LB, and he served acceptably as the spec teams captain.� The money is a lot more than expected, however.� The Stillers upped the ante created by the Lions by inked Hag to a 4-year deal, which is quite a bit of money for a guy that Billy Cowher has never allowed to even compete for a starting job.� This deal will be a bargain if, and only if, one thing happens in June: Jason GilDong is cut.� Haggans is much stouter at the point of attack than GilDong; he's every bit as adept at loop rushing as GilDong; and Haggans clearly has better hustle, better desire; better intensity, more toughness, and more football awareness and savvy than does Big Jason GilDong.� Furthermore, if Jason is cut, the defense won't be "led" by a "defensive captain" like a complete coward named Jason GilDong.� If GilDong is retained, then this move was an absolutely horrific waste of money.�

�

- Signed Punter Chris Gardocki to a 5-year, $6.3M contract.� This obviously means the end of Josh Miller, and quite obviously, that's a good thing.� But lavishing a punter to such a fatty contract, when holes abound all over the place?� Absolutely preposterous.� Sure, Gardocki is better than Josh The Shitbag. �Most NFL punters are.� Few punters take the time to read Paul Tagliabue's signature on the pigskin the way Josh did.� But lavishing a punter when so many other positions are in need of improvement is pure folly at its worst.� And who was behind this folly?� None other than Little Billy Cowher.� Said the Post Gazette, "Coach Bill Cowher led the recruitment of Gardocki. He called him twice since free agency began Wednesday."� Great.� If only Billy had spent just 20 percent of the time spent on this foolhardy pursuit (of Gardocki) toward signing Marcus Washington, the ex-Colt LB might be a Stiller.� I've no problem with replacing Miller -- my Ace of Spades article last spring had called for his removal, as did my Offseason Analysis last month -- but replacing him with an even bigger cap hog is pure stupidity at its worst.� I'd noted in my Offseason Analysis, "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."� I jumped the gun; obviously, the Stillers haven't learned the lesson that 99% of all punters are no different than 99% of the grains of wheat growing on the same farm in Iowa.�

 

Synopsis:� Once again, for the 9th season in a row, the Stillers ventured into the offseason FA period with no better a plan than the drunken wino sitting on the corner of Liberty Avenue and Wood Steet in downtown Pittsburgh.� The grab-bag mentality pervades this FA period thus far, with no purpose, no plan, and no coordination.� As my esteemed colleague Steel Trap noted, you've got to target your priority(s) before the FA period begins, and then go after him (them) like hell asunder.�

 

If you really want Dexter Jackson badly, then you go out and get him.� If you really want Marcus Wash badly, you go out and get him.� The Stillers made the good initial move to get Marcus into town, but then they farted and fiddled thereafter.� They should have hammered out a deal while he was there, rather than the Mayberry RFD approach of taking him around to meet every ballboy, every cook, and every janitor in the building.� Furthermore, they should have given Marcus every assurance that Jason GilDong would be sent packing, or better yet, they should have proven that point beyond all doubt by cutting GilDong and showing Marcus that the LOLB job -- and all the glory of the LOLB spot -- was his and his alone.� Marcus's agent was surely all too aware of Billy Cowher's love affair with Jason GilDong, and as such, Marcus most likely looked at the Stillers' offer with a jaundiced eye, fearing that he'd be a rotting bit-player behind a salary-restructured Jason GilDong.�

 

The lavishing of Clark Haggans -- a man who has never once been allowed to compete for a starting job in 4 NFL seasons -- is another grab-bag move.� The only saving grace of this move is if Jason GilDong is forever cut from the team, but if GilDong is somehow restructured like FatBoy Bettis, this move will be a colossal waste of money on a backup LB who will see maybe 5 snaps per game on defense.�

 

The retention of Bettis simply shows that this team is too afraid to cut the apron strings with the past.� The team could have vastly improved the RB spot, but instead will plod along (pun intended) for yet another season with the slowest, most one-dimensional starting RB in the NFL.�

 

The Gardocki signing clearly shows a front office that has no azimuth of where they are going and how they intend to get there.� The hiker who traverses several miles on foot through forests and plains with no map and no compass is likely to walk aimlessly in circles.� So it is with the Stillers, who have no map and no compass, but instead are making some moves for the sake of making moves, with little forethought to making real improvement to this football team.

 

The offseason is still young, and there's more ground to be gained.� Some worthy vets will be cut, and the draft looms in April.� But without a plan, an azimuth, and a compass, it's seems unlikely that the Stillers will make great strides in the right direction this offseason.�

 

 

(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�.)