Free Agency, Other Stuff

First of all, I'm going to save us all a lot of time and not talk about free agency as it relates to our beloved Steelers. I'm not going to waste time writing about it, not going to waste your time reading about it, and I'm not going to waste the Rooneys time because I know they check this blog regularly and I don't want to cause them any anguish by thinking, "Hmmm... Should we sign this guy? Brad seems to think it's a good idea..."

Second of all, I'm a little surprised that we re-signed Najeh Davenport. I know there weren't any better options out there, but he really didn't impress me last year. And I thought there was either going to be a draft pick that would come in and compete for a roster spot, or that we'd go find someone else. Ya know, someone like Duce Staley.

And... Weidman's happy he didn't buy a Joey Porter jersey after last season. I told you there were some tough decisions to be made this year and next year, right? I told you that Porter might be one of the guys to go, right? I told you that there was no way Cowher would've made the tough decisions, right? So there you go. Cowher's gone and so is Porter and the Tomlin era can begin.

I'm just nervous that he's going to sign with Cleveland or with the hated Ravens. Now wouldn't that suck? Having to play a pissed off Joey Porter two times a year? Yeah. I'm not a fan of that. Both teams play a 3-4. Both teams could probably use him (especially Cleveland, who might just sign him so they don't have to play against him). I think he's gonna pull an Earl Holmes, sign with the Brownies, and that's going to begin the slow, painful death of his career.

Don't get me wrong, I love Joey Porter... It was time for him to go. Can't put it any other way.

The Aaron Smith extension was huge. Any big, dumb looking white guy that eats up blockers is okay in my book. Probably paid a bit too much for him, but then again, it's a brave new world out there with all the cap space available. Eighteen teams have $15 million or more in cap room (no, none of them are the Steelers).

Ever go to the bar with a big wad of cash that you know you don't need to save and doesn't need to be spent on anything else? Ever wake up the next morning next to a crack whore covered in oatmeal and realize you bought everyone in the bar Irish Car Bombs at last call? That's NFL owners. Only the crack whore might be covered in tapioca. You know, 'cause it's classier.

Salaries are going to spiral out of control. At least at first. When the dust settles the rich, spoiled owners will eventually collude (nothing wrong with it, since anti-trust laws don't apply to them), put their collective foot down, and figure out a way to keep football salaries from becoming like baseball or basketball salaries. Nate Clements is going to be a rich man. So is Adalius Thomas. Ditto Eric Steinbach.

After owners and GMs see what happen to salaries this off-season, signing guys to extensions early is going to be a MAJOR priority.

Everything in the NFL universe will get back to normal eventually. The owners are too strong and the players union is too weak. It was the other way around for baseball and basketball, which is why those sports are where they are right now.

Two other things I wanted mention, but I wanted to wait a while to post them:

1. Jim Wexell, the guy that got me to the Combine, shared a shitty hotel room with me, and was kindly enough to drive me back to the Burgh when fucking Northwestern cancelled my flight broke this story that states the Steelers are not going to the Tampa 2 defense that Tomlin loves so much. They're sticking with the 3-4 for the foreseeable future. The signing of Aaron Smith helps confirm that, but they're also looking at a bunch of 3-4 type guys in the draft. Which means it's at least going to be the defense of choice for the next 4 years or so. Can't say too much about it, but I was there right after he broke it, it's from a very reliable source, and we talked about it on the drive back. Just trust me. The Zone Blitz ain't going nowhere.
2. Ever wonder why Duce Staley stuck around so long? Even after I offered his job to Weidman for half the price? The Steelers told him they wouldn't be the team to cut him and they kept their word as long as they could. Again, can't say more than that, you're just going to have to trust me.