State of the Steelers

So... I was basically ready to take a huge nap and only post a couple things about the Pens -- taking the occasional break to complain about the Pirates -- and maybe post my March Madness predictions. But, as we've established, my predictions suck.

Then I read this: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4909876.

As the headline states, the Steelers are looking to self-impose a salary cap for the 2010 season. They intend to be fiscally responsible. And that's cool. But, there are a few things in the article that were kinda glossed over that jumped out at me.

1. Casey Hampton is 33. I realize that, in the Information Age, we are all one Wiki search from learning anything about anyone, but I could've sworn that dude was 31. Now, the Steelers don't tend to sign anyone on the wrong side of 30 to an extension unless they play defense and their name is James. Casey does not have that luxury and Kevin Colbert is probably pretty leery about signing someone to an extension when they're on the wrong side of 30 given how the James Farrior extension worked out in 2009. The interesting thing is that it's possible that Hampton could be tagged. I was not a big fan of the Max Starks tagging and I will not be a big fan of the tagging if Hampton is tagged. Since he's now 33, I don't think he's worth a longterm deal. He's fat and he may not fit into future plans, so it would be unwise to tie too much money into him given the tumultuous climate.
2. Kevin Colbert is not signed beyond 2010. How could this happen? We signed Roethlisberger to an extension when he was signed through like 3014. They'll probably start working on a Tomlin extension soon. Omar Khan, who handles the salary cap, will probably be signed through 2015 at some point even though it looks like there won't be a cap in 2010.
3. OH MY GOD, THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE A CAP IN 2010, THE STEELERS ARE SCREWED. The answer to that statement is "No" on so many levels, but that's a subject for another post. Let's just hope that people are ready to talk about the Collective Bargaining Agreement, because I've been thinking about it since the last one got jammed down the throats of the owners.

But, ultimately, Colbert is right. The Steelers were 9-7 in 2009 and they missed the playoffs. They need to approach the offseason like a 9-7 team that missed the playoffs. Forget the fact that they won Super Bowl XLIII (they did, btw), they have bigger fish to fry in 2010.

The issue -- as is always the issue -- is that they won't be active in free agency. They'll sign some role players and some guys that can contribute on special teams (I hope), but they won't make that big signing that makes headlines unless they sign one of their guys to an extension. And I hope that guy isn't Casey Hampton. I love him, he's great, but he's not worth a four year deal because he'll be 37 at the end of it.

There will be more draft updates and signing updates to come, but the important thing to keep in mind is that the Steelers know that they have a 9-7 team that missed the playoffs. They will make changes.

Stay tuned. Could be an interesting offseason.