The Steelers have officially lost another cornerback.
Twelve year veteran Ike Taylor announced his retirement on Tuesday. It’s a move that many were expecting – especially for the Steelers, who never spoke of Taylor when talking about the 2015 season.
The last several seasons were certainly a decline for Swaggin U, and eventually he was replaced by a combo of Antwon Blake and Brice McCain once he was burned several times after returning from injury.
Don’t get me wrong, I like and respect Ike. Quite a bit actually. Not to sound too facetious, but I don’t think there’s been a better ‘shut-down corner’ who was so successful yet had hands of stone.
It was the thing Steeler fans would point out and razz about him the most. But, at the end of the day, Ike did his job by effectively keeping his cover man off or low the stat sheet.
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It was something we came to count on and perhaps took for granted. Or, perhaps as fans who have lived in the culture of a fantastic defense for so many years, we expected more splash from our #1 corner.
The era of Swaggin U is over, but I would argue that happened years ago. If the Steelers were able to draft corners better than a drunk guy making ‘good decisions’ at the bar, Ike would have been relegated to ‘mentor’ rather than a desperate plea for help.
It’s a shame that the Steelers have had such a decline in their secondary and the old guys aren’t able to retire out on top as they rightfully deserve. That’s just part of the business, and really, that’s just the front office’s fault for allowing this team to get so old for so long.
So what does this mean moving forward?
If you’ve been paying attention since February, you’ll know the answer is, ‘Not much.’
Ike was really never an option, the defense is still starving for good corners after letting Brice McCain walk and refusing to sign any other outside free agent worth the asking price.
William Gay is still at the top, followed by Blake, then Cortez Allen, then… uhhh… well… that’s what the draft is for, right?
What’s next for Ike? He hasn’t said yet. I could see him moving into the coaching role. Not necessarily for the Steelers, but I see him being a good teacher once he’s no longer concerned with focusing on his own training and maintenance.
Swaggin U is officially boarded up.
Excited to see who will be schooling next.
Next: 2015 Regular Season Mock
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