They Must of Been Looking for an Excuse -- UPDATE

Update
According to an item from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the fact that James Harrison wanted to have his son baptized sufficiently explains the alleged incident in which he was involved, at least so far as the Steelers are concerned.

According to a quote from the article, Dan Rooney said:

"What Jimmy Harrison was doing and how the incident occurred, what he was trying to do was really well worth it . . . [h]e was doing something that was good, wanted to take his son to get baptized where he lived and things like that. She said she didn't want to do it."

Really? That's why James Harrison is still a member of the team but Cedric Wilson isn't? I don't know whether to question the veracity of the statement, the logic behind it, or both.

Original Posting
I came across the report about the alleged incident involving Cedric Wilson and his girlfriend -- not that one, but the new one -- too late in the day (i.e. I was too tired) to write about, deciding instead to take on the issue of domestic violence and Pittsburgh Steelers after a few hours of sleep. Of course as we know now the Steelers cut Mr. Wilson rather than wait to see how the whole mess turns out.

With the alleged incidents involving James Harrison and Mr. Wilson approximately ten days apart the obvious question is why cut one but not the other? Frankly I am hesitant to hazard any guesses . . . but here goes.

• Salary: Mr. Wilson's cap value ($2,404,302) in 2007 was fifteenth highest on the Steelers, while Mr. Harrison's ($1,446,630) was twenty-fourth. Not a huge disparity, but a million dollar difference may have been a small (teeny-tiny) consideration.


• Available replacement: This seems the more plausible explanation. Nate Washington made progress last season (he is a restricted free agent, so re-signing him now becomes more of a priority), and with a host of wide outs already on the roster (e.g. Dallas Baker, Jeremy Bloom, Willie Reid) and the NFL draft just around the corner, replacing Mr. Wilson must seem a much less daunting task than replacing the team's Most Valuable Player from last season.

Of course a statement from the team -- not very likely, at least not yet -- would clear things up nicely. To that end, an email from Pittsburgh Steelers Fanatic to Steelers' spokesperson Dave Lockett was not immediately answwered.

February 2009 Could Get Ugly

An article in Wednesday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette contained a couple of nuggets which correct points made here, and elsewhere.

First off, the 8-year deal signed by Mr. Roethlisberger is not an extension but a brand new contract (i.e. the final two years of his old deal were voided), meaning that he is signed with the Steelers through the 2015 season.

Secondly, instead of reducing his number against the salary cap the new contract actually increases his number for the 2008 season. Furthermore, as Ed Bouchette points out in the article, "[Mr. Roethlisberger's] salary leaps to $8.05 million in 2010. He will earn $11.6 million annually through the 2014 season. He will earn $12.1 million in the eighth and final year of the new contract, 2015." Which got us to wondering just what that might mean for future seasons (putting aside, temporarily, the collective bargaining battle that lies ahead for the league and the player's association) -- specifically next off-season.

So we went to the good folks at KFFL to find out just how many free agents the Steelers might have next February. While most of the names are not those of Pro Bowlers there are enough here, combined with the big dollars being paid to Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu (the two of them will account for more than $12,000,000 of the Steelers' $116,000,000 payroll), to make us wonder just what's going to happen. Here's a look at former Steelers, the 2009 edition:

Player	Position	Status
Charlie Batch	QB	UFA
Najeh Davenport	RB	UFA
Carey Davis	RB	RFA
Willie Reid	WR	RFA
Cedrick Wilson	WR	UFA
Jon Dekker	TE	RFA
Willie Colon	OL	RFA
Jerremy Parquet	OL	RFA
Marvel Smith	OL	UFA
Jason Capizzi	OL	RFA
Ryan McBean	DL	RFA
James Farrior	LB	UFA
Bryant McFadden	CB	UFA
Anthony Madison	S	RFA
Anthony Smith	S	RFA

A list of 15 potential free agents is a daunting thing, and considering that of those at least nine started games in 2007 we begin to get an idea of just how tough things could get.

As Steelers fans it is our nature to see the glass as at least half empty, so it's important to remember that the salary cap will increase next off-season -- our guess is that an additional 6.5% of spending will be permitted -- but how many of the players on the list will $7,540,000 bring back?

I have to admit to being a big fan of James Farrior, but he will be 34-years old next January. As a result of all the factors at work it seems certain that 2008 will be his final season in Pittsburgh. Additionally Cedrick Wilson, who has been something of a disappointment, will turn 30 in December -- bye, bye Ced. Najeh? Charlie? It definitely doesn't look good for them, at least right now. And Marvel Smith has probably already got his boxes ready for packing.

On the other hand the restricted free agents -- especially Messrs. Colon, Davis, Madison, Reid, and Smith -- all can be expected back (i.e. barring an insane contract offer from another team) in Pittsburgh.

Ahhh, but all of that can be put aside for now -- what with the draft . . . and training camp . . . and an entire season to be played before any of this comes to the fore. But, like you, we're not happy unless there's something to worry about.

Getting Draft Ready -- Assessing the Wide Receivers

In 2006 the Steelers' passing game grew by nearly 23% over the previous season (2006: 4,026 receiving yards, 2005: 3,104), and for the first time since 2001 the top four pass catchers on the team were all wide receivers. So as is the case with the team's running backs, the wide receiver corp would also appear to be an area of strength for the 2007 Steelers.

Leading the way again next season will be Hines Ward; and though his touchdowns in 2006 were nearly half of his total in 2005 (6 v. 11), has not had a 1,000 yard season receving since 2004, will turn 31-years old early next month, andhis salary cap number will be $5,918,000 (and escalates from there in 2008 and 2009) Mr. Ward is every bit the heart and soul of the Steelers as Jerome Bettis was in their most recent Super Bowl season.

The second leading receiver in 2006 was rookie Santonio Holmes, and the magnitude of that achievement cannot be overstated, especially considering the tempestuous period between his selection by the Steelers in last year's draft and the beginning of training camp. After a slow start (i.e. 5 receptions for 73 yards in the team's first four games) Mr. Holmes came up strong as the season progressed -- his yardage per catch improved by nearly four yards per catch over the final eight games of the season as opposed to the first eight -- becoming the first #2 receiver on the Steelers to accumulate more than 800 yards receiving since Plaxico Burress did so in 2003.

Cedric Wilson was #3 in receiving on the team, after being #4 in 2005. Despite the improvement in standing his receiving yardage increased by only 53 yards (459 v. 504); and the view from here is that his production so far into his tenure with the Steelers does not justify the $2,900,000 salary cap hit that the team will take if he is retained for 2007, especially considering that -- despite his late season foot injury -- Willie Reid is waiting in the wings.

Finally, at the #4 receiving spot was Nate Washington. Considering that Mr. Washington has one career catch coming into 2006 it is dificult to judge 2006 as anything but a success -- 35 catches for 624 yards is a good first season (inconsistent though he may have been). Mr. Washington, who was a bargain last season at $350,000, is a restricted free agent.

Continuity amongst the skill position players is one important factor in offensive success. For example, the more time together a quarterback and his receivers have the more effective the passing game will be. The view here was that some of Ben Roethlisberger's struggles during the first half of the season were the result of miscommunication(s)/misunderstanding(s) between the quarterback and his young receivers (combined with double coverage for Hines Ward). While Cedric Wilson may be vulnerable to being released, as the result of his high cap figure (relative to his performance), it appears that another season with the same group of receivers will certainly serve the Steelers well.

The Struggle for Answers

The collapse of the 2006 Pittsburgh Steelers is as shocking as is it frustrating. In this piece by Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers' players begin the long, hard search for an explanation (pay special attention to Cedric Wilson's myopic comments).

"Defensive end Aaron Smith, as frustrated as any Steelers fan, groped for a solution Sunday moments after his team slinked to its lowest point of the season at 2-5.

'We have to change something,' he said. 'Something's got to change.'

They will change into their home black uniforms Sunday against Denver; that is a start for a team winless in four games on the road this season. Heinz Field will never look so good to them. But, as they proved in a debacle against Cincinnati in the season's third game, they can throw victories away at home just as easily as they can on the road.

The only change coach Bill Cowher is likely to be interested in is better play from a team that in three of its five games has dominated its foes on offense and defense only to lose because of turnovers or bad special teams performances.

'We play well and we just don't win the game,' said receiver Cedrick Wilson. 'It's real tough. Hopefully, we can get it together. We still have a long season ahead of us. We're not out until they say we are, and they haven't said so.'

Yet the Steelers are on their way to perhaps the biggest Super Bowl hangover yet. Their 2-5 start ties for the second-worst record after seven games by a defending Super Bowl champion in the game's 40 years. Only the 1-6 start by the 1987 New York Giants was worse. Those Giants, though, played in a strike season in which three early games were played by replacement players. The Giants of '87, who finished 6-9, get an asterisk.

If the Steelers don't win soon, they could go down as the biggest loser for a defending Super Bowl champion.

The other Super Bowl teams that started like the Steelers 2-5 finished this way: the '81 Raiders 7-9, the '82 49ers 3-6 (another strike season), and the '99 Broncos 6-10.

At 7-5 last season, the Steelers' playoff hopes were in critical condition. At 2-5, it might not be worth even talking about. They would have to win nine in a row to equal their 11-5 record of 2005, go 8-1 to finish 10-6 and have a reasonable shot at making the playoffs, or 7-2 and hope that 9-7 squeezes them in.

'We just have to get some wins,' said linebacker Clark Haggans. 'We need to get them in a hurry, too.'

The abyss might be too deep already. No team in Steelers history started with as few as two victories in its first seven games and went on to make the playoffs. They were 2-5, then 2-6 in 2003 and finished 6-10. They were 1-6, then 2-10 in 1988 and ended 5-11. They started 1-6 in 1986 and ended 6-10. They were 1-6 and finished 1-13 in 1969.

Including this season, they are the worst seven-game starts under Chuck Noll and Bill Cowher since Noll took over in 1969.

'I never thought we'd be in this position, but it's the position we're in,' said defensive end Brett Keisel. 'What would shock me is if we don't fight our way out of this somehow. That would shock me.

'Everyone needs to look in the mirror and see what they need to do better to help this team win.'

But that has been a standing order for the past month, or ever since they slipped to 1-2 after losing to Cincinnati. They've tried all the psychic gymnastics to pull them out of their dive and yet they keep losing.

'We've been trying a lot of things, you know?' Keisel said. 'It just doesn't seem like the ball is bouncing our way right now. We just have to keep fighting.'

Hines Ward mentioned the bouncing of the ball as well, as if the Steelers are getting paid back this season for what they accomplished over their past two.

'Last year, all the balls were bouncing our way,' Ward said. 'This year we're not getting the same bounces. We have to find a way to adjust and keep fighting and hopefully they will.'

Interceptions, though, don't bounce, and Ben Roethlisberger already has thrown as many in his six games as all of last season -- 11. The team's 18 turnovers in seven games are just three fewer than they had in 16 last season.

Their turnovers are up, their yards on the ground down and their special teams have turned terrible. If the bounces aren't going their way, it might not be the product of luck as it is just plain poor play.

'We're still in our Super Bowl reign,' rookie receiver Santonio Holmes said. 'We can't let down because of our record. We have to keep fighting every week.'

Perhaps he meant Super Bowl pain."