The Steelers Nation

[Davide]

un'aggiunta per gli steelers:

Making only their second foray into the free agent market this offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday signed unrestricted defensive end Nick Eason, who played the past two seasons for the Cleveland Browns.
Expected to add depth and flexibility to the defensive line, Eason signed a one-year contract, believed to be for the league minimum base salary.

The only other unrestricted free agent signed by the Steelers this spring was offensive lineman Sean Mahan, formerly of Tampa Bay, who will contend for a starting spot at either center or guard. The Steelers traditionally rely more on the draft than on free agency to build their team and that philosophy will not change under first-year coach Mike Tomlin.

Eason, 26, is coming off the most productive season of his career, having notched 23 tackles in a backup role with the Browns in 2006. He is a good fit for the Pittsburgh defense because he has the kind of size the Steelers want at defensive end in their 3-4 front, and can also slide inside to tackle on occasion.

Pittsburgh last week lost top veteran backup Rodney Bailey, who signed with Arizona as an unrestricted free agent, and Eason will ostensibly replace him on the roster.
 

[Plaxico]

Sarà sicuramente una partita carica di emozioni, sia per Porter che per ogni Steelers Fan...vedere Porter con una casacca che non è la nostra sarà dura, ma è la vita, e anzi spero che Starks gliela faccia cagare tutta.

Credo toccherà a Marvel Smith piallare Porter 

In ogni caso cambia l'HC ma la società non cambia mai. Preso Eason, ovvero un altro Mr. Nessuno. Come sempre si spera nel draft...

[Cobain]

Credo toccherà a Marvel Smith piallare Porter 

In ogni caso cambia l'HC ma la società non cambia mai. Preso Eason, ovvero un altro Mr. Nessuno. Come sempre si spera nel draft...

Vedere Marvel Smith fare male a Porter mi provocherà un misto di godimento (-> ) e tristezza (-> ) !! Comunque è vero, non cambieremo mai, nella nostra offseason emeriti sconosciuti e tanta qualita nel draft, sperando non cambi il vento...ho voglia di vedere degli Steelers che rompono i culi e mettono il groppo in gola agli avversari quando escono dal tunnel

[whatarush]

Insomma abbiamo preso questo Eason che dovrebbe essere il sostituto di Rodney Bailey, recentemente approdato ai Cardinals. Contratto di un anno al minimo salariale, il ragazzo avrà la possibilità di giocarsi le sue chance al training camp per fare il roster. E Travis Kirschke potrebbe farne le spese.

Anche perchè mi aspetto che dal draft arrivi almeno un altro DLineman, e tutto lascia supporre che possa essere un Day 1 pick. Ieri in visita a South Side c'erano Amobi Okoye e Adam Carriker. Se Frisco passa su Carriker, io dico che il prodotto di Nebraska alla #15 è un no brainer.

At the NFL Scouting Combine in February, Carriker spoke with Steelers defensive line coach John Mitchell.
"He said he's watched film of me, and he said I reminded him of one of his D-ends right now (Aaron Smith)," Carriker said.

La linea Aaron Smith - Casey Hampton - Adam Carriker ha tutte le potenzialità per essere dominante.
 

[Cobain]

La linea Aaron Smith - Casey Hampton - Adam Carriker ha tutte le potenzialità per essere dominante.

eh sarebbe bestiale, della serie "non scendete nemmeno in campo che tanto non serve" !! Scherzi a parte, non credo che Frisco farà pass over su Carriker, ne che arrivi alla 15, però mai dire mai...

[pandu86]

grande notizia su Willie Reid tratta dall'articolo di Ryan Wilson per SteelCityInsider.com

This is great news:
Reid has fully recovered from a foot injury that sidelined him last season and should be able to work his way into the wide receiver rotation, something that will keep him active on game days.
Not only does this solve the Steelers' punt-return problem, it also means I don't have to think things like, "hey, maybe Pittsburgh should think about drafting Ted Ginn because he's a great return guy." Yes, I admit it, I had those thoughts, but they were fleeting. And it's hard to blame me -- did you see the cast of characters the Steelers paraded out for punts last season? Anyway, I welcome Reid's return. He solves a special teams issue and I also hope he can be in the mix for the third or fourth wide receiver job. I know he's raw, but in the five training camp practices I saw, he didn't drop a pass during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills. Now, I have no idea if he can run routes, beat press coverage, or find the soft spots in a zone, but he can catch, and that alone should move him ahead of Cedrick Wilson on the depth chart.
I checked my notes from training camp, and here's what I wrote while watching Reid field punts:

Reid again showed a knack for making players miss and then reaching full speed in a matter of steps. And just so you know, some people think Reid is actually faster than Holmes.
Glad you're back, Willie.

hester who?

[pandu86]

drafteremo un RB settimana prossima?

The Steelers are looking for a complement to Willie Parker in the draft. On the roster are journeyman Najeh Davenport and youngster John Kuhn. If the Steelers don’t draft a back next week, they’ll probably add Verron Haynes. Here’s what the Steelers see in the draft prospects:

So you want a big, fast running back and you don’t want to pay too much for him. Okay, here’s Chris Henry.

He’s 5 feet 11, 230 pounds and he ripped off a 4.41 40 at the combine. It matched Adrian Peterson for the top 40 time and Peterson is a top 10 pick. Only four backs weighed more than Henry at the combine, and their 40 times weren’t even close:

· Nate Ilaoa, Hawaii, 245, 4.84.

· Tony Hunt, Penn State, 234, 4.68 (pro day).

· DeShawn Wynn, Florida, 232, 4.55.

· Tyrone Moss, Miami, 231, 4.79.

Hands down, Henry is the draft’s best power-speed combination this side of Peterson, and he just might be available in the middle of the third round.

Why?
Nebraska's Brandon Jackson could be a nice fourth-round fit. (Photo: Getty Images)

“All I know,” said one veteran NFL scout, “is that the coaches at Arizona say they won’t miss him. That ought to tell you all you need to know.”

At least that tells the Steelers what they need to know. The Steelers don’t mess around with bad apples, and perhaps Henry is one of them. The only nick on his resume, though, is a one-game suspension early in his career for academics.

After backing up Mike Bell as a sophomore, Henry was part of a three-back rotation last season at Arizona and apparently he didn’t care for it. Henry did emerge as the starter, and put up a 191-yard performance against Oregon, but didn’t think much of the team’s new spread offense and opted to leave school early.

If Henry didn’t like sharing the load, or working in a spread, he may not fit the Steelers, who already have an established starter in Willie Parker, and, with new coordinator Bruce Arians, will be working out of a spread more often this season.

So while Henry’s running away with the Rookie of the Year award for the Denver Broncos, the Steelers could be utilizing one of the following behind Parker:

· Antonio Pittman of Ohio State was one of two running backs to visit the Steelers’ offices. He’s 5-10 ¾, 207 and ran a 4.42 40. He’s a breakaway back but doesn’t breakaway from many tackles.

· Hunt of Penn State is a power back the Steelers need as a complement to Parker. Hunt closed out the Outback Bowl in Jerome Bettis-like fashion and followed it up with an MVP performance in the Senior Bowl.

· Brian Leonard (6-1½, 226, 4.54) of Rutgers would be ideal for Arians’s one-back sets. He’d also provide depth at . and has great hands, but probably ran himself out of the Steelers’ second-round range with his combine time.

· Brandon Jackson (5-10, 210, 4.56) of Nebraska emerged from a rotation system by the end of the season, but an injury limited his exposure in bowl season. He still decided to come out for the draft as a junior and is an interesting sleeper.

Another big back, Michael Bush, has probably been moved off the Steelers’ board since he recently had the rod in his leg replaced in a second leg surgery.

There are some interesting second-day prospects who’d fit the Steelers’ need for a bigger complementary back: Jackie Battle (6-2, 239) of Houston ran a 4.42 with a 41-inch vertical jump at his pro day; Ilaoa has Bettis-like feet and hands, not to mention a Bettis-like gut; and Ronnie McGill (5-11, 213) of North Carolina and Dwayne Wright (5-11½, 228) of Fresno State have been effective when healthy.

Wright also visited the Steelers and a knee injury that cost him almost two full seasons appeared fine in his 295-yard finale against Louisiana Tech.

At ., the Steelers need to begin the search for Dan Kreider’s successor. The 30-year-old is coming off of a wearing season and is playing in the final year of his contract. New running backs coach Amos Jones told Alabama . Le’Ron McClain (6-0, 256) at the combine that he’s the best lead blocker he’s seen in years.

Steelers’ value board:

BRIAN LEONARD, Rutgers, RB/FB, second round.

TONY HUNT, Penn State, RB, third round.

BRANDON JACKSON, Nebraska, RB, fourth round.

Le’RON McCLAIN, Alabama, FB, fifth round.

RONNIE McGILL, North Carolina, RB, sixth round.

[pitt]

faneca salta il minicamp.

Six-time Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca, who has not participated in any of the offseason conditioning workouts, missed the beginning of the Pittsburgh Steelers' first full-squad minicamp under rookie coach Mike Tomlin on Friday and is expected to boycott all three days of the weekend practice sessions.

The team's top lineman and a fixture at left guard since moving into the starting lineup midway through his rookie campaign, Faneca is reportedly upset with his contract. The deal runs only through the 2007 season, at a base salary of $3.375 million, and progress toward a possible extension has been slow.

Faneca also publicly questioned the franchise's choice of Tomlin as the successor to former head coach Bill Cowher. The nine-year veteran noted earlier this spring that he felt the job should have gone to offensive line coach Russ Grimm, who was a finalist for the position. Grimm subsequently left the Steelers join the staff of another former Pittsburgh assistant, Ken Whisenhunt, who is the Arizona Cardinals' new head coach.

Team officials have not commented on Faneca's absence.

The Steelers paid Faneca a $1 million roster bonus early last month, but he has steadfastly avoided the offseason program. Since attendance at this weekend's minicamp is voluntary, he cannot be fined for missing it.

Tomlin will convene a mandatory minicamp next month, over the Mother's Day weekend, and Faneca will be subject to fines if he does not attend.
Faneca, 30, was the team's first-round choice in the 1998 draft, one of only nine guards chosen in the first rounds of the past 10 drafts. The former LSU standout, who has been a team captain for the past three seasons, has missed only two games in his career and has started in 137 of 142 contests in which he has appeared.

spero che faneca non si comporti come briggs e si rifiuti di giocare se non gli verra' offerto un ricco rinnovo di contratto.

[Davide]

faneca salta il minicamp.spero che faneca non si comporti come briggs e si rifiuti di giocare se non gli verra' offerto un ricco rinnovo di contratto.

per quest'anno il contratto ce l'ha...non dovebbe permettersi di fare certe caxxate... ha 30 anni ed essendo l'ultimo anno di contratto con gli steelers se proprio vuole una barca di soldi non credo che l'anno prossimo avrebbe dei problemi a trovare qualcuno che lo ricopre d'oro visto il suo valore
...e non capisco neanche la polemica che ha fatto sull'ingaggio di Tomlin...sono scelte che non spettano certo ai giocatori commentare...

vedremo al minicamp obbligatorio il prossimo mese cosa succede...per me si presenta

[Cobain]

si in effetti faneca, con l'impatto che ha sulla lega e sulla squadra potrebbe avere atteggiamenti diversi, non ci sono dubbi che sarà in campo e darà il massimo quest'anno, ma poteva partire da subito a dar na mano al nuovo coach con atteggiamenti diversi, come ha detto Hines Ward signori, "It's time to move on":

April 21
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: "The Steelers took the field yesterday with Bill Cowher in Raleigh, N.C., Joey Porter in Miami and Alan Faneca in limbo. The effects of all that will linger, Hines Ward said, but he declared it time the new Steelers under coach Mike Tomlin move on."

Cosi si fa Hines

[Bears54]

si in effetti faneca, con l'impatto che ha sulla lega e sulla squadra potrebbe avere atteggiamenti diversi, non ci sono dubbi che sarà in campo e darà il massimo quest'anno, ma poteva partire da subito a dar na mano al nuovo coach con atteggiamenti diversi, come ha detto Hines Ward signori, "It's time to move on":

Cosi si fa Hines

Hines è un signor giocatore, stranamente per un giocatore NFL plurimilionario pensa prima di dar fiato alla bocca.

[pandu86]

è deciso...gli Steelers andranno su Marshawn Lynch 

[Cobain]

è deciso...gli Steelers andranno su Marshawn Lynch 

ma zitto !! Cmq, tornando al capitolo Faneca, oggi Tomlin ha fatto sapere che parlerà al giocatore..alla fine si risolverà tutto con una bella stretta di mano e Faneca in campo a sbattersi per noi, ma si poteva evitare sto incidente di percorso, un coach nuovo andrebbe aiutato in tutto e per tutto, sopratutto se sei un senatore, e sopratutto se la dirigenza che ha scelto quel coach è la stessa che ti ha portato a vincere un anello...

Pittsburgh Tribune Review: "Mike Tomlin said he will try to reach out to Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca before the Steelers hold their next minicamp in three weeks... Faneca skipped the first of two minicamps the Steelers are allowed this year and is apparently unhappy with his contract situation."

[pitt]

colbert dice che se verra' fatta un offerta per faneca e' pronto ha prenderla in considerazione,arizona e' una delle squadre che sono interessate e dove faneca ritroverebbe gli ex steelers grimm e whisenhunt.

The Steelers are more likely to make a trade and move down the ladder in the first round from their No. 15 position than move up. Or so they say. Kevin Colbert, the team's director of football operations, also said they would consider trading players -- and that presumably would include unhappy guard Alan Faneca. ... There have been rumors the Cardinals would like to acquire Faneca from the Steelers and reunite him with offensive line coach Russ Grimm and new Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt.

[stepmarbury3]

faneca e thomas hai cardinals