Faneca facing reality with Dolphins' Porter

[SteelersWoman]

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt.../s_539899.html

By John Harris
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, November 27, 2007

If I'm Alan Faneca, I'd notify Steelers management right away of my willingness to play for the black and gold next season -- if I haven't done so already.

If I'm Steelers management, and I witnessed the Miami Dolphins defense toy with what passed for an NFL offensive line Monday night on the cow pasture disguised as Heinz Field, I'd be all ears.

Surely, Faneca, the six-time Pro Bowl guard, experienced a pang of nostalgia and a hefty dose of reality when he came face-to-face with former teammate and current Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter.

Porter played his first NFL game in Pittsburgh when he wasn't wearing a Steelers uniform. Big contract aside, No. 55 -- who played his best game of the season against his old team -- is a telling example of life away from the Steelers.

A salary cap casualty, Porter has a big, new contract with Miami. He's also still seeking his first win of the season with the 0-11 Dolphins following the Steelers' ugly 3-0 win.

The Dolphins stink -- no matter how hard and inspired they played last night.
As for Porter -- who was known as a leader and a winner with the Steelers -- he may be forced to finish his career playing for a loser.
This isn't the legacy that Porter was anticipating. Nor is it how Faneca envisions his career ending.

An unrestricted free agent, Faneca has indicated on several occasions he wants to finish his career with the Steelers. By most accounts, that's unlikely to occur.

Last spring, Faneca expressed anger and remorse that the Steelers didn't offer him a contract extension at a price tag he believed he deserved. Faneca went so far as to say the offer he received was insulting.
Since that time, however, Faneca has softened his stance and expressed a desire to remain with the Steelers.

That leaves one remaining loophole for Faneca, who needs to find a way to get back in the good graces of Steelers' management.
To do so, he must be willing to accept a contract extension for lesser numbers than he was seeking.

There's no way that management will pay top dollar for an offensive lineman who turns 31 in December -- no way, no how.
Observing Porter upon his return to Heinz Field should have been therapeutic for Faneca.

To be sure, Porter needed to leave the Steelers to obtain the contract he desired, but at what cost?
They say money doesn't buy happiness. In Porter's case, it hasn't bought him a single victory in 2007.

Faneca could potentially face the same dilemma: remain with the Steelers and play for less money, or leave the Steelers for more money and fewer victories.
Going head-to-head against his former teammate last night may have provided Faneca with some insight into his own future.
It just may have shown him that, at least upon first glance, playing with a new team for more money isn't all that it's cracked up to be.

[BlitzburghRockCity]

That is the cruel reality of former Steelers who went on to play for other teams. The vast majority of players never see the amount of success they had in Pittsburgh and unless you've already got your super bowl wins and you're just playing for the love of the game; most times players are better off staying with the black n gold.

[DIESELMAN]

At the beginning of the season, we all talked about Faneca's fate, whether he should stay or move on. I always thought that if we had somewhat of a good season, Faneca would face the reality of staying with a winner or leave and take his chances like Joey did. Time will tell, I believe he has a few more years left in the tank and I hope he stays, whether its for less money, thats for the Rooneys to decide. Given our OL problems, this could get interesting.

[BlitzburghRockCity]

I wonder what he is thinking these days about staying in Pittsburgh; I half wonder though that the problems with the OL and all the criticism that it's getting this year if that might be the last straw that makes him leave even if he is reconsidering.

[floodcitygirl]

To the best of my knowledge Joey Porter wasn't offered anything by the Steelers, so I don't know how it can be implied that he walked away for more money?

[Iron City South]

Faneca will command a very lucrative contract elsewhere. He'd be a fool to accept anything less at this juncture of his carreer regardless if he went to a team that was 1-15 or 15-1

.... take the money son, the ride is almost over. You'll never make this kind of cash again in your life outside of football. Joey may not like losing in Miami, but when it's time to stop by the pay window at the office on Monday morning, Dr. Feelgood holding the checks immediately dishs out a cure for what ails him.

[AZ_Steeler]

To the best of my knowledge Joey Porter wasn't offered anything by the Steelers, so I don't know how it can be implied that he walked away for more money?

Porter was talking in the media about what he expected so the FO had an idea of what he wanted and they knew they weren't even going to come close to what he wanted.

[MDSteel15]

Any player that wants to leave the Steelers for more money should learn from 2 GREAT example. 1st would be the player that had the all-time great career when he left, Neil O'Donnell. Yeah, how did the $25 million work out with the Jets, Bengals and Titans? And 2nd, Yancey Thigpen, what did he last? Three years with the Titans with a best season of 600 yards! I was a big fan of both these guys but can not for the life of me figure out WHY when they already make a shit-load of money, and they ALL do, when they are playing for a winning team do they think they need so mouch more when they haven't won a SuperBowl!! I know AF was there for XL but why leave? He's set for life and has a possible chance within the next couple years to win another SB and make his bid at being a Hall of Famer. I just don't understand.......

[Iron City South]

Any player that wants to leave the Steelers for more money should learn from 2 GREAT example. 1st would be the player that had the all-time great career when he left, Neil O'Donnell. Yeah, how did the $25 million work out with the Jets, Bengals and Titans? And 2nd, Yancey Thigpen, what did he last? Three years with the Titans with a best season of 600 yards! I was a big fan of both these guys but can not for the life of me figure out WHY when they already make a shiat-load of money, and they ALL do, when they are playing for a winning team do they think they need so mouch more when they haven't won a SuperBowl!! I know AF was there for XL but why leave? He's set for life and has a possible chance within the next couple years to win another SB and make his bid at being a Hall of Famer. I just don't understand.......

Here's the fundamental question at the root of every player that comes into the league, "Am I in this to make as much $$$ as I can ... while I can, or do I just want to concentrate on being a great fooball player and play for the love of the game?"

My guess is that 80% of the 1600 or so NFL players will choose the latter of the two. Your examples above are players that were going into their 2nd and 3rd contracts. On the average, an NFL player has a 10 year career in this league (some more, some less), but on the average 10 years. When you know your window is closing in terms of how many years you have left , it then becomes a "dash for the cash" because in the back of every players mind is "retirement." They want to continue their lavish lifestyles long after they are gone and their last contract is, in their mind, the last opportunity to subsidize it.

[BlackGold4vr]

I wonder what he is thinking these days about staying in Pittsburgh; I half wonder though that the problems with the OL and all the criticism that it's getting this year if that might be the last straw that makes him leave even if he is reconsidering.

It's just as well that he leaves. You cannot start rebuilding a pourous offensive line around a 10 year veteran on the downside of his career. They need a youth infusion with some great blue collar workhorses with a passion for the game and a lot of heart. A little bit of an attitude couldn't hurt either. Drafting O-lineman early is not a guarantee that they will be good. Many great O-lineman can be drafted in the later rounds but the prospects with the greatest chances of making an immediate impact and playing as rookies are the ones drafted on day 1 of the draft. I think we need 2 of those next year.