Steelers (2007) (1 Viewer)

[Lutherman2112]

Faneca, after fervently ripping into Steelers management on the first day of camp, became upset at a comment someone made and skipped the first practice Saturday, only to return Saturday afternoon after a talk with his coach and finish up yesterday.

From an article today. What was the comment and who was it made by? Why is AF acting like such a whiny little #####??

I could be wrong on this, but from what I read of this Observer-Reporter article, it sounds like he missed the Saturday morning practice to meet about his contract. He probably didn't like what he heard, but he still returned to practice.http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Story/...ut_then_returns

Steelers' soap opera: Faneca leaves, returns

By F. Dale Lolley, Staff writer

dlolley@observer-reporter.com

PITTSBURGH - The Alan Faneca situation just continues to get stranger by the moment.

A day after venting about a lack of progress in talks for a contract extension with the Steelers and saying this would be his last season with the team, Faneca skipped the team's morning practice session on the second day of its three-day, mandatory minicamp.

Faneca was apparently meeting with team officials to discuss his situation, but nothing was resolved.

"I still stand by what I said yesterday," said Faneca, who returned for the afternoon practice.

"It was just talk."

Team officials are likely concerned how Faneca's unhappiness might play in the locker room, where he is a popular figure an a team co-captain.

 

[Lutherman2112]

SI's Peter King sat down with Tomlin:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writ...lers/index.html

Brett Keisel, a Pittsburgh defensive end, told me last Friday that the Steelers, during the first two minicamps, were "still running coach LeBeau's defense, with a few new wrinkles. We're going to stick with what we do and what [LeBeau] has created, it looks like.''

I asked Tomlin if he had any trepidation, in his first shot as a head coach, in running a defense -- at least part of the time -- that he hasn't used before. "None whatsoever," he said. "For five years I was at the mecca of defense in Tampa [as secondary coach], first with Tony Dungy, then with Monte Kiffin when Tony got fired. Now I'm with the godfather of zone pressure. It doesn't get any better than this. I feel I've been exposed to the two most significant defensive schemes of the last 25 years. We'll figure out the best way to play defense with this team.''

 

[Memphis Foundry]

According to Adam Schefter on Total Access tonight, Faneca got hacked off because Mike Tomlin gathered the team around him early on Saturday morning and kicked off the talk by saying he wanted to address the team and didn't want to hear about any distractions. Then he mentioned Faneca by name in that context. Schefter cited an unnamed team source as providing him with the info.

 

[Godsbrother]

According to Adam Schefter on Total Access tonight, Faneca got hacked off because Mike Tomlin gathered the team around him early on Saturday morning and kicked off the talk by saying he wanted to address the team and didn't want to hear about any distractions. Then he mentioned Faneca by name in that context. Schefter cited an unnamed team source as providing him with the info.

If true Tomlin probably shouldn't have singled Faneca out but that is no excuse for AF to have a hissy fit and leave practice.

 

[Frenchy Fuqua]

Finally some promising news from mini-camp! This was talked about earlier in the offseason but it's great to read that Tomlin and LeBeau will indeed take advantage of Keisel's athleticism.

Steelers' Keisel loves new role as rover

STEELERS MINICAMP

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Forget whether the Steelers will run a 3-4 or a 4-3 defense. Are NFL offenses ready for their 99 alignment?

It does not yet have a name, but 99 might be appropriate given the tasks the player wearing that jersey number will be asked to do in some new defenses.

Defensive coordinator **** LeBeau hopes that Brett Keisel can do for his front seven what strong safety Troy Polamalu does for his secondary -- a do-it-all from all over the field. Keisel still will be listed as the team's right defensive end on the depth chart, but in new defenses LeBeau introduced at the minicamps, he can wind up anywhere, before the snap and after it.

"He's just technically a roving linebacker is what he is," LeBeau said. "He's moving around, depending on where we put him and tell him where to end up. He won't always be just rushing as he is as a defensive lineman. We think he can cause some offenses some problems."

Think Mike Vrabel and former Raven Adalius Thomas of New England, or Junior Seau in his heyday. All three of them are linebackers. Keisel is a 6-foot-5, 285-pound end with a linebacker's mentality and athletic ability. He led all Steelers defenders with 23 quarterback pressures last season playing in a 3-4 scheme designed for the outside linebackers to pressure the quarterback. His 5.5 sacks ranked third on the team, 1.5 behind leader Joey Porter (who had 12 pressures).

Kevin Colbert, the Steelers' director of football operations, said the defense did not put enough heat on quarterbacks last season, so using Keisel in this manner is a way to try to get more pressure, plus confuse the quarterback.

Keisel served as an emergency backup outside linebacker the past two years and can play there if they need him.

"He's shown us the athleticism that lets us know he can operate in space and yet present some pretty good problems size-wise up there at the line of scrimmage," LeBeau said. "We're going to try to take advantage of his particular talents there."

In the new defenses, Keisel can line up in a three-point stance at right end and, at the snap of the ball or just before it, jump up and rush from the left -- or middle -- or drop into coverage. He can stand up in his initial alignment anywhere along the front, then switch into something else.

"I love it," said Keisel, who cut his teeth on special teams before he became a full-time starter last season. "I think it just really causes the offense problems. They don't know if I'm rushing or if I'm dropping into coverage. They don't know where I'm rushing from. They don't know if I'm containing or coming up the middle. It causes a lot of problems for them.

"We'll do it out of the 3-4, do it out of the 4-3, we'll do it out of everything."

His teammates seem to love it as well.

"They just have him moving around, trying to get the offensive linemen to know where he's at all times," left outside linebacker Clark Haggans said. "Sometimes he's blitzing inside, sometimes he's coming off the edge."

Keisel said he takes his inspiration from Polamalu, who can cover an entire field even before the snap. Polamalu has lined up outside of left end and at the snap of the ball speed around right end to blitz.

"He comes up and acts like he's doing one thing and does the complete opposite," Keisel said. "He's the master at it, no question."

If Keisel can pull it off, it will give a new meaning to disguising defenses.

"When the defense is called, I know where I'm supposed to be at the finish at the snap of the ball," Keisel said. "We're just experimenting with some things right now and, hopefully, we'll run them right and we can use them."

LeBeau has used players in a similar way in the past, but never in his two tenures with the Steelers. He has to go back to the late 1980s, early '90s to a player named Skip McClendon with the Cincinnati Bengals, who was 6-6, 300. But McClendon only had eight sacks in his entire career.

Baltimore has done it a lot, although with Thomas gone to New England it might prevent the Ravens from effectively deploying those types of defenses.

"It's a lot of what Baltimore did last year, they caused offenses a lot of problems," Keisel said. "Hopefully, we can do the same thing."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. )

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

According to Adam Schefter on Total Access tonight, Faneca got hacked off because Mike Tomlin gathered the team around him early on Saturday morning and kicked off the talk by saying he wanted to address the team and didn't want to hear about any distractions. Then he mentioned Faneca by name in that context. Schefter cited an unnamed team source as providing him with the info.

If true Tomlin probably shouldn't have singled Faneca out but that is no excuse for AF to have a hissy fit and leave practice.

whether he did it by name or not, everybody knew exactly who he was talking about. AF needs to man up. Since when do o-linemen whine to the media??

 

[Franknbeans]

According to Adam Schefter on Total Access tonight, Faneca got hacked off because Mike Tomlin gathered the team around him early on Saturday morning and kicked off the talk by saying he wanted to address the team and didn't want to hear about any distractions. Then he mentioned Faneca by name in that context. Schefter cited an unnamed team source as providing him with the info.

If true Tomlin probably shouldn't have singled Faneca out but that is no excuse for AF to have a hissy fit and leave practice.

whether he did it by name or not, everybody knew exactly who he was talking about. AF needs to man up. Since when do o-linemen whine to the media??

Agreed. Faneca is getting no slack here and his agent isn't helping the situation. From this article...

At the root of Faneca's anger with the Steelers, Rick Smith said Monday, is his belief the team took advantage of the fact the Pro Bowl guard has been a consummate professional and, until recently, a solid company man.

"It's just absolutely 100 percent not right, and that probably is bothering Alan absolutely more than anything else in this whole deal," Smith told the Tribune-Review on Monday. "What else could Alan Faneca have done since he's been a Pittsburgh Steeler? This is a blue-collar kid from a blue-collar background who epitomizes absolutely everything what a Pittsburgh Steeler should be about."

Here's what else, shut your pie hole and handle this behind the scenes.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Cook: Tomlin turns negatives into positives in first testSTEELERS MINICAMPTuesday, May 15, 2007By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-GazetteThe career of one of baseball's great managers was made on a spring-training day in 1991 when Jim Leyland jumped in the face of Pirates superstar Barry Bonds in Bradenton, Fla. Bonds, the National League's Most Valuable Player the year before, had been sulking through a workout, acting like a spoiled brat because he wasn't happy with his contract. Leyland, though seething, let him go for a while -- he doesn't like putting his laundry out in public -- but he finally erupted on Bonds in front of the television cameras when he saw Bonds show up coach Bill Virdon."If you don't want to be here, get the hell out of here," Leyland screamed.No one ever looked at Leyland -- or Bonds, for that matter -- the same way again.They looked at Leyland in a much better light, the respect for him clear and estimable because of the way he stood up to a star player.I'm thinking maybe, just maybe, the past weekend at Steelers minicamp will prove to be the same sort of career-defining moment for new coach Mike Tomlin.No, there was no juicy public confrontation between Tomlin and pouting All-Pro guard Alan Faneca at the team's South Side headquarters. There merely was a brief, quiet chat during lunch Saturday after Faneca had followed up his angry tirade Friday against Steelers management and its negotiating tactics with him by missing a mandatory practice Saturday morning.There's also no guarantee Faneca will respond the same way Bonds did. Bonds had an another MVP-caliber season in '91 and led the Pirates to a division championship. Faneca's bitterness might carry into training camp and the season, although it's hard to imagine it affecting his play because he has been such a terrific team guy and still must feel an obligation to give his best for his teammates if no longer for the Rooneys.But that doesn't mean Tomlin didn't do a fabulous job handling a very difficult situation.This couldn't have been the way Tomlin wanted to start his head coaching career. It's tough enough that he's a young coach replacing Bill Cowher, a legend of sorts around here. Now he had to face this kind of distraction at his first mandatory team function?It didn't seem fair.Then again, who said life is fair?One of the reasons the Steelers released linebacker Joey Porter after last season was that management felt he might be a disruptive locker-room force heading into the final year of his contract. But the team couldn't release Faneca or trade him for less than equal value; he, arguably, is the Steelers' best player and is in the prime of his career. Management knew he was unhappy with his contract status but couldn't have imagined him going off like he did Friday. He said, among other things, that he wanted to be traded and didn't care to what team and that he couldn't see himself being a team captain for a franchise that clearly didn't want him. He didn't back off from his earlier comments that he wasn't happy the Steelers picked Tomlin to replace Cowher instead of one of Cowher's former assistants, Russ Grimm or Ken Whisenhunt.Welcome to Pittsburgh, coach!Tomlin never flinched.He never lost his poise, not once.Much like Leyland, but in a very different way, he left no doubt that he was the man in charge and that this ugly little episode wasn't going to change that.Man, he was impressive."It's part of the territory in today's NFL," Tomlin said, shrugging.The man is 35 -- only 5 years older than Faneca -- but he showed, at least in this instance, that he's wise beyond his years. He made it a point to treat the great Faneca with the proper respect. "Everything I've heard about him is he's a professional. ... It's an emotional deal for him -- and rightfully so. It's his livelihood." But, at the same time, he made it clear the Steelers were going to move forward, preferably with Faneca, but without him if necessary. "This is a lesson for us as a football team. Adversity is part of it. Distractions are part of it. ... The standard of expectation is not going to change regardless of what's going on."Cowher couldn't have handled it better.Tomlin still has much to prove as a coach. He must prove he can build a team, draft the right players, sign the right free agents. He must prove he can motivate his guys and get the best out of them all season long. He must prove he and his staff can do the X's and O's better than the coaches on the other sideline.Tomlin still must win his first game, for heaven's sake.But as far as standing tall in the tough times and not wilting under the pressure?That won't be a problem for this guy.He has already proven that.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

According to Adam Schefter on Total Access tonight, Faneca got hacked off because Mike Tomlin gathered the team around him early on Saturday morning and kicked off the talk by saying he wanted to address the team and didn't want to hear about any distractions. Then he mentioned Faneca by name in that context. Schefter cited an unnamed team source as providing him with the info.

If true Tomlin probably shouldn't have singled Faneca out but that is no excuse for AF to have a hissy fit and leave practice.

whether he did it by name or not, everybody knew exactly who he was talking about. AF needs to man up. Since when do o-linemen whine to the media??

Agreed. Faneca is getting no slack here and his agent isn't helping the situation. From this article...

At the root of Faneca's anger with the Steelers, Rick Smith said Monday, is his belief the team took advantage of the fact the Pro Bowl guard has been a consummate professional and, until recently, a solid company man.

"It's just absolutely 100 percent not right, and that probably is bothering Alan absolutely more than anything else in this whole deal," Smith told the Tribune-Review on Monday. "What else could Alan Faneca have done since he's been a Pittsburgh Steeler? This is a blue-collar kid from a blue-collar background who epitomizes absolutely everything what a Pittsburgh Steeler should be about."

Here's what else, shut your pie hole and handle this behind the scenes.

and they are telling half truths. Fanaca has said some #### in the media before, even prior to that bull#### he spouted off about the coaching decision.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Finally some promising news from mini-camp! This was talked about earlier in the offseason but it's great to read that Tomlin and LeBeau will indeed take advantage of Keisel's athleticism.

Steelers' Keisel loves new role as rover

STEELERS MINICAMP

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Forget whether the Steelers will run a 3-4 or a 4-3 defense. Are NFL offenses ready for their 99 alignment?

It does not yet have a name, but 99 might be appropriate given the tasks the player wearing that jersey number will be asked to do in some new defenses.

Defensive coordinator **** LeBeau hopes that Brett Keisel can do for his front seven what strong safety Troy Polamalu does for his secondary -- a do-it-all from all over the field. Keisel still will be listed as the team's right defensive end on the depth chart, but in new defenses LeBeau introduced at the minicamps, he can wind up anywhere, before the snap and after it.

"He's just technically a roving linebacker is what he is," LeBeau said. "He's moving around, depending on where we put him and tell him where to end up. He won't always be just rushing as he is as a defensive lineman. We think he can cause some offenses some problems."

Think Mike Vrabel and former Raven Adalius Thomas of New England, or Junior Seau in his heyday. All three of them are linebackers. Keisel is a 6-foot-5, 285-pound end with a linebacker's mentality and athletic ability. He led all Steelers defenders with 23 quarterback pressures last season playing in a 3-4 scheme designed for the outside linebackers to pressure the quarterback. His 5.5 sacks ranked third on the team, 1.5 behind leader Joey Porter (who had 12 pressures).

Kevin Colbert, the Steelers' director of football operations, said the defense did not put enough heat on quarterbacks last season, so using Keisel in this manner is a way to try to get more pressure, plus confuse the quarterback.

Keisel served as an emergency backup outside linebacker the past two years and can play there if they need him.

"He's shown us the athleticism that lets us know he can operate in space and yet present some pretty good problems size-wise up there at the line of scrimmage," LeBeau said. "We're going to try to take advantage of his particular talents there."

In the new defenses, Keisel can line up in a three-point stance at right end and, at the snap of the ball or just before it, jump up and rush from the left -- or middle -- or drop into coverage. He can stand up in his initial alignment anywhere along the front, then switch into something else.

"I love it," said Keisel, who cut his teeth on special teams before he became a full-time starter last season. "I think it just really causes the offense problems. They don't know if I'm rushing or if I'm dropping into coverage. They don't know where I'm rushing from. They don't know if I'm containing or coming up the middle. It causes a lot of problems for them.

"We'll do it out of the 3-4, do it out of the 4-3, we'll do it out of everything."

His teammates seem to love it as well.

"They just have him moving around, trying to get the offensive linemen to know where he's at all times," left outside linebacker Clark Haggans said. "Sometimes he's blitzing inside, sometimes he's coming off the edge."

Keisel said he takes his inspiration from Polamalu, who can cover an entire field even before the snap. Polamalu has lined up outside of left end and at the snap of the ball speed around right end to blitz.

"He comes up and acts like he's doing one thing and does the complete opposite," Keisel said. "He's the master at it, no question."

If Keisel can pull it off, it will give a new meaning to disguising defenses.

"When the defense is called, I know where I'm supposed to be at the finish at the snap of the ball," Keisel said. "We're just experimenting with some things right now and, hopefully, we'll run them right and we can use them."

LeBeau has used players in a similar way in the past, but never in his two tenures with the Steelers. He has to go back to the late 1980s, early '90s to a player named Skip McClendon with the Cincinnati Bengals, who was 6-6, 300. But McClendon only had eight sacks in his entire career.

Baltimore has done it a lot, although with Thomas gone to New England it might prevent the Ravens from effectively deploying those types of defenses.

"It's a lot of what Baltimore did last year, they caused offenses a lot of problems," Keisel said. "Hopefully, we can do the same thing."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. )

Are offenses ready for the 99 alignment?You guys will have to set me straight. I don't think any offensive coordinator is going to be frightened by Brett Keisel in coverage as a rover. Truth be told, no offense was all that bugged wondering whether Adalius Thomas would play in coverage or not. Who is Keisel going to cover that the nickel corner (whether McFadden or Taylor) or one of the Steeler safeties couldn't cover just as well? If the idea is that he could rush or cover, how is that much different than the LeBeau zone blitz concept anyway?

And saying that Keisel's 22 quarterback pressures from inside will translate to a stud roving rusher is stretching it too.

Is Keisel really that athletic? Really?

The most telling comment in that piece is LeBeau saying he could do it out of the 4-3. IMO, the team is slowly softening up a rabid 3-4 fan base for the inevitable switch to a 4-3, Cover-2.

 

[kevinray]

Finally some promising news from mini-camp! This was talked about earlier in the offseason but it's great to read that Tomlin and LeBeau will indeed take advantage of Keisel's athleticism.

Steelers' Keisel loves new role as rover

STEELERS MINICAMP

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Forget whether the Steelers will run a 3-4 or a 4-3 defense. Are NFL offenses ready for their 99 alignment?

It does not yet have a name, but 99 might be appropriate given the tasks the player wearing that jersey number will be asked to do in some new defenses.

Defensive coordinator **** LeBeau hopes that Brett Keisel can do for his front seven what strong safety Troy Polamalu does for his secondary -- a do-it-all from all over the field. Keisel still will be listed as the team's right defensive end on the depth chart, but in new defenses LeBeau introduced at the minicamps, he can wind up anywhere, before the snap and after it.

"He's just technically a roving linebacker is what he is," LeBeau said. "He's moving around, depending on where we put him and tell him where to end up. He won't always be just rushing as he is as a defensive lineman. We think he can cause some offenses some problems."

Think Mike Vrabel and former Raven Adalius Thomas of New England, or Junior Seau in his heyday. All three of them are linebackers. Keisel is a 6-foot-5, 285-pound end with a linebacker's mentality and athletic ability. He led all Steelers defenders with 23 quarterback pressures last season playing in a 3-4 scheme designed for the outside linebackers to pressure the quarterback. His 5.5 sacks ranked third on the team, 1.5 behind leader Joey Porter (who had 12 pressures).

Kevin Colbert, the Steelers' director of football operations, said the defense did not put enough heat on quarterbacks last season, so using Keisel in this manner is a way to try to get more pressure, plus confuse the quarterback.

Keisel served as an emergency backup outside linebacker the past two years and can play there if they need him.

"He's shown us the athleticism that lets us know he can operate in space and yet present some pretty good problems size-wise up there at the line of scrimmage," LeBeau said. "We're going to try to take advantage of his particular talents there."

In the new defenses, Keisel can line up in a three-point stance at right end and, at the snap of the ball or just before it, jump up and rush from the left -- or middle -- or drop into coverage. He can stand up in his initial alignment anywhere along the front, then switch into something else.

"I love it," said Keisel, who cut his teeth on special teams before he became a full-time starter last season. "I think it just really causes the offense problems. They don't know if I'm rushing or if I'm dropping into coverage. They don't know where I'm rushing from. They don't know if I'm containing or coming up the middle. It causes a lot of problems for them.

"We'll do it out of the 3-4, do it out of the 4-3, we'll do it out of everything."

His teammates seem to love it as well.

"They just have him moving around, trying to get the offensive linemen to know where he's at all times," left outside linebacker Clark Haggans said. "Sometimes he's blitzing inside, sometimes he's coming off the edge."

Keisel said he takes his inspiration from Polamalu, who can cover an entire field even before the snap. Polamalu has lined up outside of left end and at the snap of the ball speed around right end to blitz.

"He comes up and acts like he's doing one thing and does the complete opposite," Keisel said. "He's the master at it, no question."

If Keisel can pull it off, it will give a new meaning to disguising defenses.

"When the defense is called, I know where I'm supposed to be at the finish at the snap of the ball," Keisel said. "We're just experimenting with some things right now and, hopefully, we'll run them right and we can use them."

LeBeau has used players in a similar way in the past, but never in his two tenures with the Steelers. He has to go back to the late 1980s, early '90s to a player named Skip McClendon with the Cincinnati Bengals, who was 6-6, 300. But McClendon only had eight sacks in his entire career.

Baltimore has done it a lot, although with Thomas gone to New England it might prevent the Ravens from effectively deploying those types of defenses.

"It's a lot of what Baltimore did last year, they caused offenses a lot of problems," Keisel said. "Hopefully, we can do the same thing."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com. )

Are offenses ready for the 99 alignment?You guys will have to set me straight. I don't think any offensive coordinator is going to be frightened by Brett Keisel in coverage as a rover. Truth be told, no offense was all that bugged wondering whether Adalius Thomas would play in coverage or not. Who is Keisel going to cover that the nickel corner (whether McFadden or Taylor) or one of the Steeler safeties couldn't cover just as well? If the idea is that he could rush or cover, how is that much different than the LeBeau zone blitz concept anyway?

And saying that Keisel's 22 quarterback pressures from inside will translate to a stud roving rusher is stretching it too.

Is Keisel really that athletic? Really?

The most telling comment in that piece is LeBeau saying he could do it out of the 4-3. IMO, the team is slowly softening up a rabid 3-4 fan base for the inevitable switch to a 4-3, Cover-2.

He's a great basket ball player from what I hear... that being said I imagine Keisel off the line will not be that common of a sight for us. I think LeBeau's just happy he doesn't have to drop Smith back into zone on blitzes like he used to.

 

[Steel Mike Tomczak]

Cook: Tomlin turns negatives into positives in first testSTEELERS MINICAMPTuesday, May 15, 2007By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-GazetteThe career of one of baseball's great managers was made on a spring-training day in 1991 when Jim Leyland jumped in the face of Pirates superstar Barry Bonds in Bradenton, Fla. Bonds, the National League's Most Valuable Player the year before, had been sulking through a workout, acting like a spoiled brat because he wasn't happy with his contract. Leyland, though seething, let him go for a while -- he doesn't like putting his laundry out in public -- but he finally erupted on Bonds in front of the television cameras when he saw Bonds show up coach Bill Virdon."If you don't want to be here, get the hell out of here," Leyland screamed.No one ever looked at Leyland -- or Bonds, for that matter -- the same way again.They looked at Leyland in a much better light, the respect for him clear and estimable because of the way he stood up to a star player.I'm thinking maybe, just maybe, the past weekend at Steelers minicamp will prove to be the same sort of career-defining moment for new coach Mike Tomlin.No, there was no juicy public confrontation between Tomlin and pouting All-Pro guard Alan Faneca at the team's South Side headquarters. There merely was a brief, quiet chat during lunch Saturday after Faneca had followed up his angry tirade Friday against Steelers management and its negotiating tactics with him by missing a mandatory practice Saturday morning.There's also no guarantee Faneca will respond the same way Bonds did. Bonds had an another MVP-caliber season in '91 and led the Pirates to a division championship. Faneca's bitterness might carry into training camp and the season, although it's hard to imagine it affecting his play because he has been such a terrific team guy and still must feel an obligation to give his best for his teammates if no longer for the Rooneys.But that doesn't mean Tomlin didn't do a fabulous job handling a very difficult situation.This couldn't have been the way Tomlin wanted to start his head coaching career. It's tough enough that he's a young coach replacing Bill Cowher, a legend of sorts around here. Now he had to face this kind of distraction at his first mandatory team function?It didn't seem fair.Then again, who said life is fair?One of the reasons the Steelers released linebacker Joey Porter after last season was that management felt he might be a disruptive locker-room force heading into the final year of his contract. But the team couldn't release Faneca or trade him for less than equal value; he, arguably, is the Steelers' best player and is in the prime of his career. Management knew he was unhappy with his contract status but couldn't have imagined him going off like he did Friday. He said, among other things, that he wanted to be traded and didn't care to what team and that he couldn't see himself being a team captain for a franchise that clearly didn't want him. He didn't back off from his earlier comments that he wasn't happy the Steelers picked Tomlin to replace Cowher instead of one of Cowher's former assistants, Russ Grimm or Ken Whisenhunt.Welcome to Pittsburgh, coach!Tomlin never flinched.He never lost his poise, not once.Much like Leyland, but in a very different way, he left no doubt that he was the man in charge and that this ugly little episode wasn't going to change that.Man, he was impressive."It's part of the territory in today's NFL," Tomlin said, shrugging.The man is 35 -- only 5 years older than Faneca -- but he showed, at least in this instance, that he's wise beyond his years. He made it a point to treat the great Faneca with the proper respect. "Everything I've heard about him is he's a professional. ... It's an emotional deal for him -- and rightfully so. It's his livelihood." But, at the same time, he made it clear the Steelers were going to move forward, preferably with Faneca, but without him if necessary. "This is a lesson for us as a football team. Adversity is part of it. Distractions are part of it. ... The standard of expectation is not going to change regardless of what's going on."Cowher couldn't have handled it better.Tomlin still has much to prove as a coach. He must prove he can build a team, draft the right players, sign the right free agents. He must prove he can motivate his guys and get the best out of them all season long. He must prove he and his staff can do the X's and O's better than the coaches on the other sideline.Tomlin still must win his first game, for heaven's sake.But as far as standing tall in the tough times and not wilting under the pressure?That won't be a problem for this guy.He has already proven that.

Terrible article, comparing Tomlin to Leyland and Faneca to Bonds.....Terrible.Comparing the Pirates to the STEELERS....unforgivable.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Cook: Tomlin turns negatives into positives in first testSTEELERS MINICAMPTuesday, May 15, 2007By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-GazetteThe career of one of baseball's great managers was made on a spring-training day in 1991 when Jim Leyland jumped in the face of Pirates superstar Barry Bonds in Bradenton, Fla. Bonds, the National League's Most Valuable Player the year before, had been sulking through a workout, acting like a spoiled brat because he wasn't happy with his contract. Leyland, though seething, let him go for a while -- he doesn't like putting his laundry out in public -- but he finally erupted on Bonds in front of the television cameras when he saw Bonds show up coach Bill Virdon."If you don't want to be here, get the hell out of here," Leyland screamed.No one ever looked at Leyland -- or Bonds, for that matter -- the same way again.They looked at Leyland in a much better light, the respect for him clear and estimable because of the way he stood up to a star player.I'm thinking maybe, just maybe, the past weekend at Steelers minicamp will prove to be the same sort of career-defining moment for new coach Mike Tomlin.No, there was no juicy public confrontation between Tomlin and pouting All-Pro guard Alan Faneca at the team's South Side headquarters. There merely was a brief, quiet chat during lunch Saturday after Faneca had followed up his angry tirade Friday against Steelers management and its negotiating tactics with him by missing a mandatory practice Saturday morning.There's also no guarantee Faneca will respond the same way Bonds did. Bonds had an another MVP-caliber season in '91 and led the Pirates to a division championship. Faneca's bitterness might carry into training camp and the season, although it's hard to imagine it affecting his play because he has been such a terrific team guy and still must feel an obligation to give his best for his teammates if no longer for the Rooneys.But that doesn't mean Tomlin didn't do a fabulous job handling a very difficult situation.This couldn't have been the way Tomlin wanted to start his head coaching career. It's tough enough that he's a young coach replacing Bill Cowher, a legend of sorts around here. Now he had to face this kind of distraction at his first mandatory team function?It didn't seem fair.Then again, who said life is fair?One of the reasons the Steelers released linebacker Joey Porter after last season was that management felt he might be a disruptive locker-room force heading into the final year of his contract. But the team couldn't release Faneca or trade him for less than equal value; he, arguably, is the Steelers' best player and is in the prime of his career. Management knew he was unhappy with his contract status but couldn't have imagined him going off like he did Friday. He said, among other things, that he wanted to be traded and didn't care to what team and that he couldn't see himself being a team captain for a franchise that clearly didn't want him. He didn't back off from his earlier comments that he wasn't happy the Steelers picked Tomlin to replace Cowher instead of one of Cowher's former assistants, Russ Grimm or Ken Whisenhunt.Welcome to Pittsburgh, coach!Tomlin never flinched.He never lost his poise, not once.Much like Leyland, but in a very different way, he left no doubt that he was the man in charge and that this ugly little episode wasn't going to change that.Man, he was impressive."It's part of the territory in today's NFL," Tomlin said, shrugging.The man is 35 -- only 5 years older than Faneca -- but he showed, at least in this instance, that he's wise beyond his years. He made it a point to treat the great Faneca with the proper respect. "Everything I've heard about him is he's a professional. ... It's an emotional deal for him -- and rightfully so. It's his livelihood." But, at the same time, he made it clear the Steelers were going to move forward, preferably with Faneca, but without him if necessary. "This is a lesson for us as a football team. Adversity is part of it. Distractions are part of it. ... The standard of expectation is not going to change regardless of what's going on."Cowher couldn't have handled it better.Tomlin still has much to prove as a coach. He must prove he can build a team, draft the right players, sign the right free agents. He must prove he can motivate his guys and get the best out of them all season long. He must prove he and his staff can do the X's and O's better than the coaches on the other sideline.Tomlin still must win his first game, for heaven's sake.But as far as standing tall in the tough times and not wilting under the pressure?That won't be a problem for this guy.He has already proven that.

Terrible article, comparing Tomlin to Leyland and Faneca to Bonds.....Terrible.Comparing the Pirates to the STEELERS....unforgivable.

I know. Bonds is arguably the best player of all time in his sport and fanaca wont smell the HOF.

 

[Emeril]

The most telling comment in that piece is LeBeau saying he could do it out of the 4-3. IMO, the team is slowly softening up a rabid 3-4 fan base for the inevitable switch to a 4-3, Cover-2.

The draft pretty much cinched that. Woodley could have been a pick under the 3-4, but no way Timmons would have gone #15 if they were going to be playing 3-4 exclusively going forward.

 

[Godsbrother]

I know. Bonds is arguably the best player of all time in his sport and fanaca wont smell the HOF.

Bonds is also one of the biggest jerks in his sport.

 

[3C's]

I know. Bonds is arguably the best player of all time in his sport and fanaca wont smell the HOF.

Bonds is also one of the biggest jerks in all of his sports.

fixed

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

I know. Bonds is arguably the best player of all time in his sport and fanaca wont smell the HOF.

Bonds is also one of the biggest jerks in his sport.

A year of AF pulling this stuff and he will be right up there with him.

 

[Steel Dillo]

Steelers offense moving to a smash mouth version of the Colts scheme.

Per article at Yahoo Sports

Should be interesting to say the least.

 

[SteelerMurf]

Steelers offense moving to a smash mouth version of the Colts scheme.

Per article at Yahoo Sports

Should be interesting to say the least.

Can't wait.

 

[chris1969]

Steelers offense moving to a smash mouth version of the Colts scheme.

Per article at Yahoo Sports

Should be interesting to say the least.

Can't wait.

Same spread offense that Arians failed with in Cleveland and Balt.

 

[Godsbrother]

Steelers offense moving to a smash mouth version of the Colts scheme.

Per article at Yahoo Sports

Should be interesting to say the least.

Can't wait.

Same spread offense that Arians failed with in Cleveland and Balt.

Actually the Browns offense in 2003 was pretty good, especially considering what he was working with. When did Arians ever coach in Baltimore?

 

[Lutherman2112]

Steelers offense moving to a smash mouth version of the Colts scheme.

Per article at Yahoo Sports

Should be interesting to say the least.

Can't wait.

Same spread offense that Arians failed with in Cleveland and Balt.

Baltimore?I think you're judgement is suspect, given that Arians never coached for Baltimore. Might want to check out the Browns' offensive scoring in 2002. They did that without a running game and a QB that is no longer in the NFL.

 

[3C's]

Steelers offense moving to a smash mouth version of the Colts scheme.

Per article at Yahoo Sports

Should be interesting to say the least.

Can't wait.

Same spread offense that Arians failed with in Cleveland and Balt.

Actually the Browns offense in 2003 was pretty good, especially considering what he was working with. When did Arians ever coach in Baltimore?

Steelers offense moving to a smash mouth version of the Colts scheme.

Per article at Yahoo Sports

Should be interesting to say the least.

Can't wait.

Same spread offense that Arians failed with in Cleveland and Balt.

Baltimore?I think you're judgement is suspect, given that Arians never coached for Baltimore. Might want to check out the Browns' offensive scoring in 2002. They did that without a running game and a QB that is no longer in the NFL.

 

[Godsbrother]

As an aside I caught the last 30 seconds of Mark Madden's commentary this morning and he was saying something about Faneca being pissed about Polamalu's contract situation and that Troy's signing with the Steelers was "what God wanted"-- did I miss something?

 

[C & C]

As an aside I caught the last 30 seconds of Mark Madden's commentary this morning and he was saying something about Faneca being pissed about Polamalu's contract situation and that Troy's signing with the Steelers was "what God wanted"-- did I miss something?

Not as far as I know. I took it as Madden reading into the situation and putting his "spin" on it as usual.

 

[Godsbrother]

As an aside I caught the last 30 seconds of Mark Madden's commentary this morning and he was saying something about Faneca being pissed about Polamalu's contract situation and that Troy's signing with the Steelers was "what God wanted"-- did I miss something?

Not as far as I know. I took it as Madden reading into the situation and putting his "spin" on it as usual.

That is what I figured but I missed the beginning of the commentary. I thought maybe Polamalu's wife called Madden and told him she now likes Pittsburgh and Troy was allowed to sign with Steelers.

 

[The Hank]

As an aside I caught the last 30 seconds of Mark Madden's commentary this morning and he was saying something about Faneca being pissed about Polamalu's contract situation and that Troy's signing with the Steelers was "what God wanted"-- did I miss something?

Not as far as I know. I took it as Madden reading into the situation and putting his "spin" on it as usual.

That is what I figured but I missed the beginning of the commentary. I thought maybe Polamalu's wife called Madden and told him she now likes Pittsburgh and Troy was allowed to sign with Steelers.

 

[Sheriff66]

Tomlin handles situation like a vet

Joe Starkey writing for ESPN....good stuff.

 

[Sheriff66]

As an aside I caught the last 30 seconds of Mark Madden's commentary this morning and he was saying something about Faneca being pissed about Polamalu's contract situation and that Troy's signing with the Steelers was "what God wanted"-- did I miss something?

Not as far as I know. I took it as Madden reading into the situation and putting his "spin" on it as usual.

That is what I figured but I missed the beginning of the commentary. I thought maybe Polamalu's wife called Madden and told him she now likes Pittsburgh and Troy was allowed to sign with Steelers.

 

[wefcpa]

If true, I think it is a good thing to see Tomlin asserting his authority.

http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/10181816

ON GUARD

What might have caused Pittsburgh's perennial Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca to briefly leave the team during minicamp last weekend were the comments of the Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, one player said today.

The player said that, at the May 11 team meeting, Tomlin singled out Faneca and said the Steelers did not want to put up with distractions like the one the guard was causing. Some players were surprised Tomlin cited Faneca, a six-time Pro Bowl selection.

Mike Tomlin's words of guidance might wind up backfiring on him.

The comments are thought to be the ones that caused Faneca to leave the minicamp that he hesitated to attend anyway. Today, the Steelers declined to address what Tomlin said in the team meeting.

Faneca is not planning to return to Pittsburgh for the May 22 organized team activities, nor will he be at anything voluntary. Once practice becomes mandatory the way it does at training camp, then Faneca is expected to show up in Pittsburgh.

But as Faneca said this weekend, this will be his final season in Pittsburgh. He has one year remaining on his deal and there are no more contract talks between he and the team -- only bad feelings.

And Faneca is not the only unhappy guard. Jacksonville veteran guard Chris Naeole is in a similar situation to Faneca.

Naeole has two years remaining on a contract that is scheduled to pay him $1.8 million this season. Naeole has started 142 games in this league and wants to be paid for his services. But Jacksonville has hesitated to give him a new deal and, like Faneca, Naeole has little choice but to stay away from voluntary drills and report only for mandatory ones.

 

[Sheriff66]

Cook: Tomlin turns negatives into positives in first testSTEELERS MINICAMPTuesday, May 15, 2007By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-GazetteThe career of one of baseball's great managers was made on a spring-training day in 1991 when Jim Leyland jumped in the face of Pirates superstar Barry Bonds in Bradenton, Fla. Bonds, the National League's Most Valuable Player the year before, had been sulking through a workout, acting like a spoiled brat because he wasn't happy with his contract. Leyland, though seething, let him go for a while -- he doesn't like putting his laundry out in public -- but he finally erupted on Bonds in front of the television cameras when he saw Bonds show up coach Bill Virdon."If you don't want to be here, get the hell out of here," Leyland screamed.No one ever looked at Leyland -- or Bonds, for that matter -- the same way again.They looked at Leyland in a much better light, the respect for him clear and estimable because of the way he stood up to a star player.I'm thinking maybe, just maybe, the past weekend at Steelers minicamp will prove to be the same sort of career-defining moment for new coach Mike Tomlin.No, there was no juicy public confrontation between Tomlin and pouting All-Pro guard Alan Faneca at the team's South Side headquarters. There merely was a brief, quiet chat during lunch Saturday after Faneca had followed up his angry tirade Friday against Steelers management and its negotiating tactics with him by missing a mandatory practice Saturday morning.There's also no guarantee Faneca will respond the same way Bonds did. Bonds had an another MVP-caliber season in '91 and led the Pirates to a division championship. Faneca's bitterness might carry into training camp and the season, although it's hard to imagine it affecting his play because he has been such a terrific team guy and still must feel an obligation to give his best for his teammates if no longer for the Rooneys.But that doesn't mean Tomlin didn't do a fabulous job handling a very difficult situation.This couldn't have been the way Tomlin wanted to start his head coaching career. It's tough enough that he's a young coach replacing Bill Cowher, a legend of sorts around here. Now he had to face this kind of distraction at his first mandatory team function?It didn't seem fair.Then again, who said life is fair?One of the reasons the Steelers released linebacker Joey Porter after last season was that management felt he might be a disruptive locker-room force heading into the final year of his contract. But the team couldn't release Faneca or trade him for less than equal value; he, arguably, is the Steelers' best player and is in the prime of his career. Management knew he was unhappy with his contract status but couldn't have imagined him going off like he did Friday. He said, among other things, that he wanted to be traded and didn't care to what team and that he couldn't see himself being a team captain for a franchise that clearly didn't want him. He didn't back off from his earlier comments that he wasn't happy the Steelers picked Tomlin to replace Cowher instead of one of Cowher's former assistants, Russ Grimm or Ken Whisenhunt.Welcome to Pittsburgh, coach!Tomlin never flinched.He never lost his poise, not once.Much like Leyland, but in a very different way, he left no doubt that he was the man in charge and that this ugly little episode wasn't going to change that.Man, he was impressive."It's part of the territory in today's NFL," Tomlin said, shrugging.The man is 35 -- only 5 years older than Faneca -- but he showed, at least in this instance, that he's wise beyond his years. He made it a point to treat the great Faneca with the proper respect. "Everything I've heard about him is he's a professional. ... It's an emotional deal for him -- and rightfully so. It's his livelihood." But, at the same time, he made it clear the Steelers were going to move forward, preferably with Faneca, but without him if necessary. "This is a lesson for us as a football team. Adversity is part of it. Distractions are part of it. ... The standard of expectation is not going to change regardless of what's going on."Cowher couldn't have handled it better.Tomlin still has much to prove as a coach. He must prove he can build a team, draft the right players, sign the right free agents. He must prove he can motivate his guys and get the best out of them all season long. He must prove he and his staff can do the X's and O's better than the coaches on the other sideline.Tomlin still must win his first game, for heaven's sake.But as far as standing tall in the tough times and not wilting under the pressure?That won't be a problem for this guy.He has already proven that.

Terrible article, comparing Tomlin to Leyland and Faneca to Bonds.....Terrible.Comparing the Pirates to the STEELERS....unforgivable.

I know. Bonds is arguably the best player of all time in his sport and fanaca wont smell the HOF.

 

[Frenchy Fuqua]

Impact of Hutchinson's '06 deal

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/10183442

By Pat Kirwan

NFL.com Senior Analyst

(May 15, 2007) -- Two months ago, a prominent NFL general manager warned me that escalating contracts were going to really affect the business of football.

"Managing our locker rooms is getting more difficult all the time," he said, "because players with less credentials than the best players at their positions are getting deals that are throwing everything out of whack."

Well, no better example than at offensive guard.

If Alan Faneca signs somewhere else, Pittsburgh should blame Seattle.

Last year, the rules changed when Steve Hutchinson, Seattle's exceptional offensive guard, got a transition tag from his team. That tag gave any other team the right to negotiate a deal with Hutchinson and have the player present it to the Seahawks to match. The Vikings broke the bank to get Hutchinson's services and changed forever the value of an offensive guard.

In years past, a guard was not considered a position to be paid like a left tackle, but since the guards (and centers) were grouped with the tackles in the "tag" process, it was only a matter of time before guards would get paid big.

As we entered this offseason, a number of personnel people told me the Hutchinson deal would not be the impetus for more mega contracts for the guards. Wrong! Eric Steinbach, Leonard Davis and Derrick Dockery all hit a jackpot off the Hutch deal.

The Steelers are really the first team to feel the effects. There's no way the Steelers want to lose the best guard in football, Alan Faneca. In fact, according to his agent, there was an assumption that when Faneca reached the last year of his deal, which is 2007, that both sides would sit down and iron out an extension. Keep in mind when Faneca signed his current deal, it made him the highest-paid guard in the league.

Now the Steelers are looking at what it will take to keep Faneca and will not pay at that level, even if it is for a future Hall of Famer.

The subject of trading him comes up and you have to ask, why trade him? The Steelers are confident Faneca will play at a high level this season, and when he leaves for "greener" pastures, the Steelers will receive a third-round compensatory pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. If you trade him now for a second-round pick, you lose the use of his services in 2007 and wind up gaining compensation that might only be 30 picks higher than what they would get anyway.

Next year, Faneca will be paid and his age will not be a factor. Watch the game tapes, because this 30-year-old will probably play four more seasons at a very high level. It just won't be in a Steelers uniform.

Had Hutchinson never gotten a transition tag from the Seahawks, a lot of NFL offensive guards would have never been paid what they are getting right now. Next year, Faneca is probably going to rewrite the record book for paying guards and young players behind him will be the next to benefit.

Five years from now, maybe it's Ben Grubbs of the Ravens or Justin Blaylock of the Falcons or Arron Sears in Tampa. Someone or all of them have a chance to get paid a salary no one ever thought was possible.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

Keep in mind when Faneca signed his current deal, it made him the highest-paid guard in the league.

That really jumps out at me. AF's quotes last week about "doing time" and whatever else really is falling on deaf ears for me and I am a guy who normally will take the side of the player.

 

[5-ish Finkle]

There's no way the Steelers want to lose the best guard in football....

When did Steve Hutchinson get traded to Pittsburgh? As much as I love Faneca as a player, Hutch is better at this point. Faneca wasn't totally the same Faneca a season ago.It's pretty clear to me that the Steelers aren't going to deal him. Hopefully, he doesn't go Derek Bell on the team and perform "Operation Shutdown II: The Sequel." Doubtful, since he'll want to have all the leverage when he hits FA. What better way to do that than make another Pro Bowl?

 

[Godsbrother]

There's no way the Steelers want to lose the best guard in football....

It's pretty clear to me that the Steelers aren't going to deal him. Hopefully, he doesn't go Derek Bell on the team and perform "Operation Shutdown II: The Sequel." Doubtful, since he'll want to have all the leverage when he hits FA. What better way to do that than make another Pro Bowl?

Exactly. Which is why Faneca should just shut up.The reason he is po'ed is because he is afraid that if he gets hurt or plays poorly he will be out a ton of money on the next (probably last ) contract of his career. Sorry Alan, you can't have your cake and eat it too. You want a guarantee? Negotiate your best contract deal with the Steelers and get the biggest signing bonus you can. You want to be the highest paid guard? Then roll the dice and play out your contract with the Steelers and become a FA next season.You can't have it both ways. The Steelers have bigger fish to fry (Polamalu and after that Big Ben).

 

[Fiddles]

This guy seems like a class act with a great head on his shoulders. Liking him already.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ys-w...o&type=lgns

Rookie diary: LaMarr Woodley

By LaMarr Woodley, Special to Yahoo! Sports

May 17, 2007

LaMarr Woodley

Editor's note: LaMarr Woodley, a Michigan defensive end selected in the NFL draft by the Steelers to play linebacker, will share his introduction to the league with Yahoo! Sports through periodic diary entries leading up to the 2007 regular season.

It's been a long few weeks. I've gone through the NFL draft, the first minicamp of my career, and I'm just trying to get myself healthy and get ready for training camp. I'm anxious to get started. This has been the longest process of my life. You would think something like this is going to be easy, but it really isn't.

It all started on draft day when my cell phone was cutting off all day. I tried to get it fixed in the morning, but it kept shutting off. So I was really nervous, looking at my phone during the whole draft, wondering if it was still on and waiting for a team to call. When the 46th pick came up, I really didn't think the Pittsburgh Steelers were going to take me, but then my phone rang and I recognized the Pittsburgh area code.

Someone on the phone asked, "LaMarr Woodley, how would you feel about coming to Pittsburgh?" I don't even know who it was. Even now, I still have no idea. A name was given, but I didn't hear it. Pretty soon, I was talking on the phone with coach after coach after coach. I don't even know all the people I was talking to. I had my family all cheering and some people were running after me, but I was waving them away because I was talking to the coaches. It was kind of crazy.

After a while, I went out and got a chance to talk to my family. We all hugged and laughed. Then my brother, Tony Tatum, from Atlanta played a highlight video he had made for me that said I was his hero. My brother is a backup singer on tour with R&B artist Keith Sweat, and he was singing on the video. It was a very touching moment.

That night, I went to bed and slept well. I was tired, and the long wait was over.

In the days after the draft, I went to the YMCA in Saginaw, Mich., every day and worked out. I want to drop about 12 pounds and get down to 260. The Steelers sent the defensive playbook out to me, too. I really didn't understand it at first, coming from a defensive end standpoint. I'm moving to linebacker and was looking at it from that viewpoint, so I wasn't getting it at first. But I will be working hard on that all summer.

I also went to my high school a few days after the draft – Saginaw High School – and spoke to some students about the experience. There were a lot of football players there. I just talked to them about how to handle yourself on and off the field and how to keep your reputation clean.

You can never change where you're from. When you come from a place like Saginaw, you play with heart. And you can never teach heart. I was telling them that and trying to encourage them. So much is going on in the city where young kids don't believe in themselves anymore. So I want to go back there and be a positive role model.

Last week, I drove to Pittsburgh in what turned out to an interesting trip. It was a long drive, like 4frac12; to five hours, but the more confounding aspect of the trip was the toll booths, which I did not anticipate. I got to the first one, and I didn't really have any money on me. I asked if they took a debit card and they said they could only take cash or check. The toll was $7.50, but I only had like four dollars in my pocket. The next thing you know, I'm trying to scrape together another $3.50 in change. Thankfully, I had a thing filled with some coins. Then I came to another toll booth, and the lady told me it was another $3. I couldn't believe it. I asked again if they would take debit. I thought maybe she would feel sorry for me and let me go through. She was like, "Nope, cash or a check." So I went back to the coins and counted out $3. This went on for three more toll booths.

After that, I headed for my financial advisor Marty Blaze's house when I got to Pittsburgh. I knew his street and address, so I entered it into the navigation system in my car. The problem was he actually lives in another little city near Pittsburgh. So I ended up on the right street but in the wrong city, outside of some stranger's house. So I call Marty and I was like "Man, I'm outside your house." And Marty was like, "I don't see you." He's telling me to pull around the corner and park. When we figured it out, I realized I was like 20 miles away from where I needed to be.

As for minicamp, I was one of the first ones here, along with some of the offensive linemen. I was excited to get going. When I got out there, I was trying to remember everything in my head. I realized how tough it was going to be to move to linebacker. I remembered some of the plays, but I was pretty much just out there running around and doing what I could. I was rusty in the linebacker drills. I even fell down at one point.

It's like a whole new world on the field. I'm reading offenses, learning new words and trying to remember all the plays. I'm memorizing it pretty well, but I think that's why I've been out there playing slow. I'm thinking all the time and I think that's why the speed of the game feels faster than it really is. If you come in with the knowledge, it will slow down. But the first practice was definitely eye-opening.

Then I hurt my hamstring on the first day of minicamp. I'm sitting there on the sidelines thinking, "Man, these dudes probably think I'm soft and the coaches are probably disappointed." I didn't know if people thought I might have been faking it. All this stuff was running through my head, and I just wanted to push myself to go back out there again even though I was hurt. I knew if I did that I could hurt it a lot worse, and I didn't want to be sitting for weeks trying to heal. So I sat out and iced it up even though I really didn't want to. Basically, I just spent the first three days of camp asking questions and going through mental reps in my head.

I can see that I'm going to really like my coaches and being here. Coach Mike Tomlin is really laid back. You can really talk to him. Some other coaches, it can take time to get comfortable with them. But I think he's going to be really cool. I'm just trying to get to know all of them and let them know me.

Now I've got my goals ahead of me. I want to get this hamstring healed. Then I want to lose that weight and get the plays down. I'll have to go look for a place to live in Pittsburgh. Right now I'm in a temporary apartment that was set up by the team. I'm not going to go crazy. I'll just look at a few places and see what it's like. It's not like I'm a first-round pick and I have all of this money to spend. I'm smart with my money. I'm going to find a place that's affordable for me.

What I know for sure is I'm staying in Pittsburgh right up through training camp. That's the only way I'm going to get better. There is no time for a rookie to take a vacation. I have the rest of my career to think about things like that. Right now, it's time to focus and work my way to the top of the position. I know I have the heart. Now I just have to work to catch up with everything else.

 

[Memphis Foundry]

There's no way the Steelers want to lose the best guard in football....

It's pretty clear to me that the Steelers aren't going to deal him. Hopefully, he doesn't go Derek Bell on the team and perform "Operation Shutdown II: The Sequel." Doubtful, since he'll want to have all the leverage when he hits FA. What better way to do that than make another Pro Bowl?

Exactly. Which is why Faneca should just shut up.The reason he is po'ed is because he is afraid that if he gets hurt or plays poorly he will be out a ton of money on the next (probably last ) contract of his career. Sorry Alan, you can't have your cake and eat it too. You want a guarantee? Negotiate your best contract deal with the Steelers and get the biggest signing bonus you can. You want to be the highest paid guard? Then roll the dice and play out your contract with the Steelers and become a FA next season.You can't have it both ways. The Steelers have bigger fish to fry (Polamalu and after that Big Ben).

Yep. Besides, if the rumors are true, the Steelers were offering $6.3 million per season over three years vs. the $8 million per year that Faneca wanted. And that was rumored to be their opening offer. I'm sorry, but boo freakin' hoo. And for the team's sake, I'd much rather lose Faneca and plug in our third best guard (likely Mahan) than lose Polamalu and put in Clark, or lose Roeth and put in Batch. That's just trivial VBD math to the sharks here.

 

[Steel Mike Tomczak]

AF has clearly made the choice to sell out and perform in relative obscurity the rest of his career after 2007, personally I think he knew it would come to this, which is why he tanked 2006, and I expect him to do little better this year. He does wanna make some highlite reel material, but if I were Ben I'd keep an eye on AF's blocking assignments.

 

[Steel Mike Tomczak]

"Now I've got my goals ahead of me. I want to get this hamstring healed. Then I want to lose that weight and get the plays down. I'll have to go look for a place to live in Pittsburgh. Right now I'm in a temporary apartment that was set up by the team. I'm not going to go crazy. I'll just look at a few places and see what it's like. It's not like I'm a first-round pick and I have all of this money to spend. I'm smart with my money. I'm going to find a place that's affordable for me.

What I know for sure is I'm staying in Pittsburgh right up through training camp. That's the only way I'm going to get better. There is no time for a rookie to take a vacation. I have the rest of my career to think about things like that. Right now, it's time to focus and work my way to the top of the position. I know I have the heart. Now I just have to work to catch up with everything else."

Great....the kids already hurt, he hasnt even put on pads yet or got rammed by McGahee or Lewis....

Whats Chad Brown doing.....or Greg Lloyd for that matter.

 

[Lutherman2112]

Steelers Owner/Chairman Dan Roooney responded to Faneca's comments.

http://kdka.com/topstories/local_story_137152301.html

"They've made it crystal clear," he added, "that they have no intentions of signing me this year."

Responding for the first time to Faneca's comments, Rooney told KDKA's Ken Rice in an exclusive interview that he wasn't happy about the public statements.

"I wasn't pleased with it; but you know, I don't know whether they were contrived," Rooney added, "I think he really feels that way. He's very emotional."

Rooney went on to say that he's actually concerned about Faneca's health.

"I worry about him. I was concerned that he might get himself so worked up that he could cause himself some harm, medically."

As for whether or not Faneca will be with the team after this season, Rooney responded, "We've always said that we're open to negotiate."

Still, he admits that the Steelers just can't meet Faneca's salary demands. "His agent says that if we got together and did certain things we could do it," Rooney added. "Well, you know, that gets down to paying him what he wants and we just don't think we can do that."

In response to Faneca's assertion that he's "earned the right to be treated fairly" after nine years of giving his all, Rooney told KDKA, "You definitely try to be fair. I think fairness, of course, is in the eye of the beholder."

"It's easy for a loser to pay more money than it is for a winner because we have players at every position that are quite good... We can't pay every player on the team the highest money that they got."

When it comes to matching what other teams pay their players, Rooney told the story of former Steelers Linebacker Andy Russell. When Russell told Rooney he deserved as much as a linebacker on another team, Rooney told Russell that the owner of that other team doesn't know what he's doing and he's a jerk!

 

[Fiddles]

"Now I've got my goals ahead of me. I want to get this hamstring healed. Then I want to lose that weight and get the plays down. I'll have to go look for a place to live in Pittsburgh. Right now I'm in a temporary apartment that was set up by the team. I'm not going to go crazy. I'll just look at a few places and see what it's like. It's not like I'm a first-round pick and I have all of this money to spend. I'm smart with my money. I'm going to find a place that's affordable for me.

What I know for sure is I'm staying in Pittsburgh right up through training camp. That's the only way I'm going to get better. There is no time for a rookie to take a vacation. I have the rest of my career to think about things like that. Right now, it's time to focus and work my way to the top of the position. I know I have the heart. Now I just have to work to catch up with everything else."

Great....the kids already hurt, he hasnt even put on pads yet or got rammed by McGahee or Lewis....

Whats Chad Brown doing.....or Greg Lloyd for that matter.

ya guy might as well retire now.

 

[Fiddles]

Peter King's SI piece on Tomlin

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writ...0521/index.html

 

[wefcpa]

Peter King's SI piece on Tomlin

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writ...0521/index.html

Great article. Thanks for posting it.

 

[Steeler]

"Now I've got my goals ahead of me. I want to get this hamstring healed. Then I want to lose that weight and get the plays down. I'll have to go look for a place to live in Pittsburgh. Right now I'm in a temporary apartment that was set up by the team. I'm not going to go crazy. I'll just look at a few places and see what it's like. It's not like I'm a first-round pick and I have all of this money to spend. I'm smart with my money. I'm going to find a place that's affordable for me.

What I know for sure is I'm staying in Pittsburgh right up through training camp. That's the only way I'm going to get better. There is no time for a rookie to take a vacation. I have the rest of my career to think about things like that. Right now, it's time to focus and work my way to the top of the position. I know I have the heart. Now I just have to work to catch up with everything else."

Great....the kids already hurt, he hasnt even put on pads yet or got rammed by McGahee or Lewis....

Whats Chad Brown doing.....or Greg Lloyd for that matter.

You read that entire thing and came away with this reaction?

 

[3C's]

"Now I've got my goals ahead of me. I want to get this hamstring healed. Then I want to lose that weight and get the plays down. I'll have to go look for a place to live in Pittsburgh. Right now I'm in a temporary apartment that was set up by the team. I'm not going to go crazy. I'll just look at a few places and see what it's like. It's not like I'm a first-round pick and I have all of this money to spend. I'm smart with my money. I'm going to find a place that's affordable for me.

What I know for sure is I'm staying in Pittsburgh right up through training camp. That's the only way I'm going to get better. There is no time for a rookie to take a vacation. I have the rest of my career to think about things like that. Right now, it's time to focus and work my way to the top of the position. I know I have the heart. Now I just have to work to catch up with everything else."

Great....the kids already hurt, he hasnt even put on pads yet or got rammed by McGahee or Lewis....

Whats Chad Brown doing.....or Greg Lloyd for that matter.

You read that entire thing and came away with this reaction?

You're not surprised by that are you?

 

[Fiddles]

"Now I've got my goals ahead of me. I want to get this hamstring healed. Then I want to lose that weight and get the plays down. I'll have to go look for a place to live in Pittsburgh. Right now I'm in a temporary apartment that was set up by the team. I'm not going to go crazy. I'll just look at a few places and see what it's like. It's not like I'm a first-round pick and I have all of this money to spend. I'm smart with my money. I'm going to find a place that's affordable for me.

What I know for sure is I'm staying in Pittsburgh right up through training camp. That's the only way I'm going to get better. There is no time for a rookie to take a vacation. I have the rest of my career to think about things like that. Right now, it's time to focus and work my way to the top of the position. I know I have the heart. Now I just have to work to catch up with everything else."

Great....the kids already hurt, he hasnt even put on pads yet or got rammed by McGahee or Lewis....

Whats Chad Brown doing.....or Greg Lloyd for that matter.

You read that entire thing and came away with this reaction?

You're not surprised by that are you?

 

[Memphis Foundry]

Peter King's SI piece on Tomlin

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writ...0521/index.html

Great article. Thanks for posting it.

Outstanding.

 

[Gold Mike Tomczak]

Woodley has a good attitude and all. Hes a smart kid. Just the kind of guy you want in the sideline wearing Steeler sweat pants.....

 

[AhrnCityPahnder]

We're going to run out of metals and metal alloys at some point.

 

[Fiddles]

We're going to run out of metals and metal alloys at some point.

please make it happen quickly