Steelers LB's (1 Viewer)

[redman]

Who out there is aware of the Steelers LB's contract situations and the team's likely plans for these players. What I note is that the LB's, while all competent players, are not elite or "studs" by any stretch, which means that the team could easily cut them and replace them with younger players, which BTW would be true-to-form for the Steelers.

Anyone got any thoughts as to which starters are the most likely to get replaced in the lineup by somone else?

 

[ConstruxBoy]

I'm not sure of Foote's contract situation, but I'm waiting on Rian Wallace to replace him in just that situation. The Steelers do a good job at that.

 

[Birdie048]

I would think the knee issues Farrior is experiencing will have an impact on his ability to keep his starter role.

Could not find a link, but there was a report of "degenerative knee" problems with him. Team wanted a 2nd opinion and never saw it again.... It was a one-liner on yahoo sports in late January. The SB was all the hype then so it was downplayed alot...

 

[redman]

I'm not sure of Foote's contract situation, but I'm waiting on Rian Wallace to replace him in just that situation. The Steelers do a good job at that.

Me too.

But with a 3-4 defense, there are four spots in a good defense that feeds tackles to its LB's, so I'm frankly interested in all of them.

 

[Jene Bramel]

I agree with CB and Redman, the player to watch is Rian Wallace. Leagues where 3-4 OLB have increased value should watch James Harrison pretty closely too.

Although he didn't get any significant inseason PT (Kriewaldt filled in when Farrior was out in 2005), Wallace was impressive during preseason. He was working at OLB last year at points when Porter and Haggans were both dinged. Kriewaldt is better suited as solid depth and he is a great special teams player. Farrior is solid, but turned 31 in the offseason, has the aforementioned knee issue, and just saw his base salary go from 665K to nearly 3M (he signed for 07 and 08 at 3M plus). Foote's base salary is in the 2.1M - 2.8M range between now and 2009. I don't think he'll be going anywhere for awhile.

On the outside, Bill Cowher has serious for James Harrison. He played extremely well when Haggans was out early with an knee injury. Haggans and Porter are both signed through 07, but the Steelers gave Harrison (an undrafted free agent) a contract extension through 2009 this spring despite his not being eligible for free agency for a number of years yet. That is pretty telling. Cowher also like Andre Frazier on the outside, who's shown some improvement after converting from DE.

I'm sure there are some Steeler homers (Bloom!) who can add to this.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

You guys hit on the high points. I havent seen quite enough of Wallace to anoint him the next starter at ILB, but the opportunity is there. The Steelers will lose little to nothing at OLB when Harrison takes over. Andre Frazier also made leaps and bounds in his development last year. Mike Kudla could be an interesting guy if they can develop him. I wouldn't be surprised to see them spend a high draft on an ILB next year, or bring in an FA they like. I dont think there's much net gain from Foote to Wallace, and that's a position where they could use another difference maker.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

You guys hit on the high points. I havent seen quite enough of Wallace to anoint him the next starter at ILB, but the opportunity is there. The Steelers will lose little to nothing at OLB when Harrison takes over. Andre Frazier also made leaps and bounds in his development last year. Mike Kudla could be an interesting guy if they can develop him. I wouldn't be surprised to see them spend a high draft on an ILB next year, or bring in an FA they like. I dont think there's much net gain from Foote to Wallace, and that's a position where they could use another difference maker.

So you think Foote/Wallace is just a wash and there isn't much more athleticism and play-making that Wallace would bring to the table?

 

[Jene Bramel]

You guys hit on the high points. I havent seen quite enough of Wallace to anoint him the next starter at ILB, but the opportunity is there. The Steelers will lose little to nothing at OLB when Harrison takes over. Andre Frazier also made leaps and bounds in his development last year. Mike Kudla could be an interesting guy if they can develop him. I wouldn't be surprised to see them spend a high draft on an ILB next year, or bring in an FA they like. I dont think there's much net gain from Foote to Wallace, and that's a position where they could use another difference maker.

So you think Foote/Wallace is just a wash and there isn't much more athleticism and play-making that Wallace would bring to the table?

Hard to tell on my end. Heard good things on Wallace in preseason, but despite all the Steeler difficulty with injuries at linebacker in 2005, he was barely used. His upper body strength was knocked a little bit last year before the draft. Foote has been a pretty solid ILB, although not spectacular. Training camp should give a good indication of whether Wallace can make the leap or whether he becomes another Alonzo Jackson (although that may be a little harsh).

 

[ConstruxBoy]

You guys hit on the high points. I havent seen quite enough of Wallace to anoint him the next starter at ILB, but the opportunity is there. The Steelers will lose little to nothing at OLB when Harrison takes over. Andre Frazier also made leaps and bounds in his development last year. Mike Kudla could be an interesting guy if they can develop him. I wouldn't be surprised to see them spend a high draft on an ILB next year, or bring in an FA they like. I dont think there's much net gain from Foote to Wallace, and that's a position where they could use another difference maker.

So you think Foote/Wallace is just a wash and there isn't much more athleticism and play-making that Wallace would bring to the table?

Hard to tell on my end. Heard good things on Wallace in preseason, but despite all the Steeler difficulty with injuries at linebacker in 2005, he was barely used. His upper body strength was knocked a little bit last year before the draft. Foote has been a pretty solid ILB, although not spectacular. Training camp should give a good indication of whether Wallace can make the leap or whether he becomes another Alonzo Jackson (although that may be a little harsh).

Cool, thanks Jene!

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

You guys hit on the high points. I havent seen quite enough of Wallace to anoint him the next starter at ILB, but the opportunity is there. The Steelers will lose little to nothing at OLB when Harrison takes over. Andre Frazier also made leaps and bounds in his development last year. Mike Kudla could be an interesting guy if they can develop him. I wouldn't be surprised to see them spend a high draft on an ILB next year, or bring in an FA they like. I dont think there's much net gain from Foote to Wallace, and that's a position where they could use another difference maker.

So you think Foote/Wallace is just a wash and there isn't much more athleticism and play-making that Wallace would bring to the table?

Hard to tell on my end. Heard good things on Wallace in preseason, but despite all the Steeler difficulty with injuries at linebacker in 2005, he was barely used. His upper body strength was knocked a little bit last year before the draft. Foote has been a pretty solid ILB, although not spectacular. Training camp should give a good indication of whether Wallace can make the leap or whether he becomes another Alonzo Jackson (although that may be a little harsh).

I think wallace was more of a hitter/mean streak LB than a versatile playmaker like Farrior, who can blitz, be effective in his coverage drops, in addition to having a presence in run defense.Jackson was a failed DE to OLB convert who they took in the 2nd. Goo was a solid college LB on a horrible team (Temple) who fell a little b/c of character issues (temper related). So Im not sure the comparison works.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Jackson was a failed DE to OLB convert who they took in the 2nd. Goo was a solid college LB on a horrible team (Temple) who fell a little b/c of character issues (temper related). So Im not sure the comparison works.

True. Should've been more clear than the "too harsh" comment. Just meant that Wallace may be another LB that won't pan out to be what was hoped.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Jackson was a failed DE to OLB convert who they took in the 2nd. Goo was a solid college LB on a horrible team (Temple) who fell a little b/c of character issues (temper related). So Im not sure the comparison works.

True. Should've been more clear than the "too harsh" comment. Just meant that Wallace may be another LB that won't pan out to be what was hoped.

Since he was a 5th rounder, making the team and contributing on special teams is already enough to make his pick worth it - not to belabor the point, but Jackson was a reach in the 2nd, and that made his being a bust sting even more.