Good news! The Steelers are finally acting a little more like the Steelers. On the first day of free agency The Home Team is sitting tight. No big moves (coming or going). No mismanaged firings, retirements, or cryptic statements to the press, and that’s the good news. The Steelers have historically not hopped into the free agent market too early, much to the national media’s dismay. Pittsburgh was criticized for bringing in “cast offs” like Kevin Greene, John L. Williams, and more recently, Charlie Batch and Mewelde Moore. All of those fellas helped the Steelers win playoff games and/or Super Bowls. The Steelers don’t dive into free agency; they prefer to use it more like the kiddie pool and just wade around. So, as of 0900 this day, not much to report from free agency.
The same cannot be said for Pittsburgh’s AFC North division rivals. Here is a brief rundown on some of the players that have will be wearing different colors next year:
Well…. Frosty Rucker will be wearing the same colors (sort of) but in a different town. Rucker went from the Bengals to the Browns (jealous???)
In other news from the Mistake on the Lake, the other Peyton (he of the disgruntled Hillis variety) is moving on from the Browns to the Kansas City Chiefs. Best of luck to you and your amazing agent for somehow making chicken salad out of chicken shit. The Browns have also released O lineman Eric Steinbach.
How ‘bout them Ravens! No, really. What’s up with the Ravens? Oh, (TCSFB) have lost not one but two defensive starters! Linebacker Jarret Johnson and D lineman Corey Redding have split Charm City for greener money. That should free up some money on defense for Baltimore to pay for Suggs’ dental work. Offensive lineman Ben Grubbs is chatting with New Orleans about future employment. I wish him all the luck in the world.
The division still looks winnable for the Steelers and that is a good thing. If memory serves, it is far better to win the division than to get in as one of them Wild Card teams. The first wave has hit the shore and the cabana is still standing. Let’s hope we can ride this storm out.