Steelers 2011 free agency

[jpele]

Here a list of our FA's who do you keep and who do you let walk ?

Potential FAs:
OT Willie Colon (5), ......walk
QB Dennis Dixon (3),.....walk
DE Nick Eason (8), .......walk
OG Trai Essex (6),.........walk
ILB Keyaron Fox (7),.....keep
CB William Gay (4),.......walk
CB Tuff Harris (3),.........haven't seen enough to make a decision
OT Tony Hills (3),..........walk
NT Chris Hoke (10),.......depends on our draft plans
CB Anthony Madison (5),.walk
RB Mewelde Moore (7),...walk
OT Jonathan Scott (4),..keep
P Daniel Sepulveda (4),...keep depending on asking price
TE Matt Spaeth (4),.......walk
PK Shaun Suisham (5),....lets see how he works out
CB Ike Taylor (8),..........he's the best we have at corner,keep
LS Greg Warren (6),.......keep
OLB LaMarr Woodley (4)..depends on asking price,I thought he would have a better showing in a contract year.

The rest of the AFC North>>>HERE<<<

[SnakeEyes43]

I would like to see Dixon as a back up here for a while, and I would say let Fox walk, he hasn't shown much this year, even on ST. Tuff has been injured most of the year so idk there, and Scott is starting to show his worth so he seems like a re-sign. Ike and Sep I would like to see back, and Woodley of course, but I have a feeling he might take big money else where. I hope not but I have a bad feeling about Wood going somewhere for the $$. Everything else I pretty much agree.

[jnes1216]

Definitely keep Sepulveda and Madison, those two aren't going to break the bank. D Sep is a stud and Madison is key to spec team coverage.

I'd like to keep Colon, Fox and Eason as well. The last two have provided good depth.

I would let Moore walk, the others I am indifferent.

[JensK]

Letting Colon go would be a big big mistake. We're really thin on quality linemen already, letting the second best one of the go would be amazingly dumb. He can't possible ask for top 5 money coming of an injury like that.

[Mr. Goosemahn]

Here a list of our FA's who do you keep and who do you let walk ?

Potential FAs:
OT Willie Colon (5), ......walk
QB Dennis Dixon (3),.....walk
DE Nick Eason (8), .......walk
OG Trai Essex (6),.........walk
ILB Keyaron Fox (7),.....keep
CB William Gay (4),.......walk
CB Tuff Harris (3),.........haven't seen enough to make a decision
OT Tony Hills (3),..........walk
NT Chris Hoke (10),.......depends on our draft plans
CB Anthony Madison (5),.walk
RB Mewelde Moore (7),...walk
OT Jonathan Scott (4),..keep
P Daniel Sepulveda (4),...keep depending on asking price
TE Matt Spaeth (4),.......walk
PK Shaun Suisham (5),....lets see how he works out
CB Ike Taylor (8),..........he's the best we have at corner,keep
LS Greg Warren (6),.......keep
OLB LaMarr Woodley (4)..depends on asking price,I thought he would have a better showing in a contract year.

The rest of the AFC North>>>HERE<<<

Hey guys, first post here, I know KTrain from another forum, happy to join the community.

Here's my take on the upcoming season:

OT Willie Colon (5), ......walk
I say keep, we don't really have great OT depth while he might not be an elite tackle, he's solid. He's improved over the years, too. And with the big injury he suffered, his price tag will go down a bit.

QB Dennis Dixon (3),.....walk
I'd say keep. We've got our clear #1 in Ben and Leftwich will probably be the backup for a while, so Dixon as the #3 is more than fine by me. Plus, he likely won't command that much money anyways. Also, I think he's a RFA, which complicates things a bit more for him.

DE Nick Eason (8), .......walk
I say keep and then re-evaluate the situation after the draft. If we don't acquire better talent, either through the draft or free agency, then keep him for another year.

OG Trai Essex (6),.........walk
Agree. For starters, he doesn't really fit our scheme that well, I think he's a bit too finesse for us. He's battling not one but two guys for his starting job, which is not that good to hear. Those two guys also happen to be younger than him, and offer position versatility too (Legursky can play center and Foster can kick out to RT).

ILB Keyaron Fox (7),.....keep
Agreed, good special teams player and good ILB depth.

CB William Gay (4),.......walk
If he wants big money, then get him out. If not, keep. Gay is inconsistent, but as a nickel corner he's not as bad as he was as a starter. And we don't really have much depth at CB anyway.

CB Tuff Harris (3),.........haven't seen enough to make a decision
More than likely walk. I believe he was a training camp body and if we add any more DB talent (which I believe we will), he's gone.

OT Tony Hills (3),..........walk
Agree, he's done nothing in three years and he still doesn't even dress for games. Had a nice outing or two in pre-season, but that's it. I thought he'd be better than he ultimately wound up being.

NT Chris Hoke (10),.......depends on our draft plans
Agree, but most likely keep. Isn't expensive, is underrated as Hampton's backup, and doesn't have as much wear-and-tear as Hampton does. Plus, rookie NT's rarely come in and play at a high level, so it'd be nice to have insurance in case we do draft a NT and Hampton gets injured.

CB Anthony Madison (5),.walk
He's a major keep for me, based solely on the fact that he's arguably our best special teams player. The last time we let him go, we suffered multiple return TD's (what was it, 6? can't remember exactly, lol). We brought him back after the Colts released him, and we didn't allow a return TD the rest of the season. We've allowed very few ever since.

RB Mewelde Moore (7),...walk
At the beginning of the season I would have agreed with you, no questions asked. Now I'm a bit less sure if I want him gone. We've got Mendenhall already and Redman keeps improving, so Moore might soon find himself without a spot though. I think keep for training camp and see how Dwyer works out. If Dwyer progresses as coaches hope he does, then Moore is gone, if not, then keep Moore as the #3 back for another year.

OT Jonathan Scott (4),..keep
Not a fan of him at all, but based on the limited depth we currently have at tackle, I'll hesitantly say agree. Suggs absolutely raped him today, it was painful to see.

P Daniel Sepulveda (4),...keep depending on asking price
Keep, Sepulveda is a pretty damn good punter. He's no Shane Lechler, but he makes good, long punts when they count, it's a shame he tore his ACL today. Plus, he's a better punter than what we'd get in FA (most likely).

TE Matt Spaeth (4),.......walk
Don't know if he's still a RFA, because if he is, I say keep him. If he's not, then yeah, walk. David Johnson is our FB and backup TE (had a pretty good game today considering the fact that he was just thrown into the fire after Heath went down). I'm really hoping the Pats let Alge Crumpler walk with Hernandez and Gronk developing, because he'd be a great fit for us.

PK Shaun Suisham (5),....lets see how he works out
Wasn't a big fan of the signing, but he's been money so far, and clutch too. Game winning kick in OT, and 4 40+ yard kicks to boot.

CB Ike Taylor (8),..........he's the best we have at corner,keep
Agree. Aside from his hands of stone, Taylor is actually pretty good. He has lapses of concentration of time, but he's still pretty good. And, as you mentioned, we really don't have anyone else.

LS Greg Warren (6),.......keep
Agree. While LS might not be particularly hard to find, Warren is very reliable and LS don't ask for a lot of money.

OLB LaMarr Woodley (4)..depends on asking price,I thought he would have a better showing in a contract year.
Most definitely keep, but it will depend on the money he wants. I agree with you on the fact that he hasn't been as dominant as I expected him to be, but he hasn't been playing really bad, either. He'll likely get the money though, he's a key component of our defense and he's young.

[SChip]

P Daniel Sepulveda (4),...keep depending on asking price
Keep, Sepulveda is a pretty damn good punter. He's no Shane Lechler, but he makes good, long punts when they count, it's a shame he tore his ACL today. Plus, he's a better punter than what we'd get in FA (most likely).

IMHO...this is a guy that I would dump faster than that nut case I took to the prom years ago. I'm not sure of his salary but as a 4th round selection, he makes more than the average punter and he hasn't really impressed anybody a whole helluva lot so far. That being said...the real kicker ( pun intended ) for him is the 3rd ACL injury. If we need to find a fill in punter for our regular punter every year then let's just go ahead and get a good reliable one and be done with it, just cut our loses and move on....and hey, maybe we can save a buck or two to put toward someone else .

[NT93]

[QUOTE=jpele;383105]Here a list of our FA's who do you keep and who do you let walk ?

Potential FAs:
OT Willie Colon (5), ......walk

keep Colon for RG. This also has "starter" quality depth for Tackle - can't say enough about depth.

QB Dennis Dixon (3),.....walk
wait and about Dixon.

DE Nick Eason (8), .......walk
If they draft a good player, or get one, then I would let him go or be last on depth. Steelers like him though, so he will be back.

OG Trai Essex (6),.........walk
poor conditioning is his pink slip. He had potential, but he wasted it.

ILB Keyaron Fox (7),.....keep
ST captain, so keep.

CB William Gay (4),.......walk
gone, better be.

CB Tuff Harris (3),.........haven't seen enough to make a decision
can't comment

OT Tony Hills (3),..........walk
can't comment

NT Chris Hoke (10),.......depends on our draft plans
I like Hoke, so if they can sign him for 2 years, that would be good. He is depth at NT and end, very valuable, not to mention he is solid. I always like it when he is out there.

CB Anthony Madison (5),.walk
keep if reasonable

RB Mewelde Moore (7),...walk
If Tomlin is here, so will Moore. I like Moore, but Redman is better - simple. Redman picks up blitzes well and runs hard. Dwyer can take Redman's current spot.

OT Jonathan Scott (4),..keep
Possibly keep Scott. Oline coach likes Scott, so he will be back. Mixed feelings about Scott, could be last on depth - can he play guard?

P Daniel Sepulveda (4),...keep depending on asking price
walk. he always gets hurt, and there have to be many punters out there close to as good. A kicker replacement during the season is not something I would like to do, and they have done it a few times with Daniel. Sorry.

TE Matt Spaeth (4),.......walk
keep if salary is decent if there is a cap

PK Shaun Suisham (5),....lets see how he works out
He has only missed 1 FG, and I think the hold was to blame - keep him!

CB Ike Taylor (8),..........he's the best we have at corner,keep
Keep if reasonable. If he is offered top 5 salary and there is a cap, then it might be a tough decision. I don't like seeing players leave that have been solid, and he has been solid.

LS Greg Warren (6),.......keep

OLB LaMarr Woodley (4)..depends on asking price,I thought he would have a better showing in a contract year.
Keep, even at Harrison salary. If he plays the highest price game, he will be gone more than likely. A bummer, because he is solid. This would be a bummer, since grooming a player for this position takes a few years , then after training him, he's gone. It would be a shame, since him and Harrison are perfect.

Much of the above hinges on the draft. I think they should sign as as many as possible before the draft.

--- Added 12/30/2010 at 11:34 PM ---

Letting Colon go would be a big big mistake. We're really thin on quality linemen already, letting the second best one of the go would be amazingly dumb. He can't possible ask for top 5 money coming of an injury like that.

Colon will probably get a one year deal to see where he is at. The injury he got is serious, and he may not be close to what he was. It could be his application for a position at Guard, which he is more suited for. He would be perfect next to Flo - run right.

[Farrior Fan]

Anyone who wants to keep Fox hasn't watched a Steelers game this year. When he isn't getting a costly penalty he is busy being irrelevent. I don't care if Farrior retires, dump Fox.

Ike- without him this year we are even worse at stopping the pass. If we let him go I will become a Patriots fan.

Hoke- gotta keep him. Casey is getting old and Hoke filled in and really played great when snack was out.

Memo - other than catching out of the backfield he does nothing well. Hell, I have good hands - sign me I can fall down when someone breathes hard on me.

Sushi - unless he misses 3 fgs in one game and loses it for us I say we keep him. I'll bet the guys are loving having a guy that they can count on again. Wish he could kick it deeper on kickoffs but I will settle for a guy than can put it through the uprights.

D Sep - Keep him. Yes we won a SB in spite of Mitch Berger. I just hate going to high school games and thinking "why can't we get that kid? he can kick better than the Steelers punter."

Trai - I say keep him, we need depth - that is the only real reason


Hills - he must suck because other than a few preseason things I never hear about him and he never plays on sundays

Greg Warren - do you want Silverback snapping again?

Colon- I'm still not sold on Willie - the guy was born offsides, but I swear everyone of the coaches love him so they must see something

[BlitzburghRockCity]

Dixon will be back in 2011. The team will need to decide how much longer they want to hold onto Batch. If Lefty wants to go elsewhere then Charlie will stick around as the 3rd QB behind Dixon.

[coach]

Not sure how I feel about Woodley. I definitely want to see him stay. The difficulty I have with this is that he will get big money because he desrves it. He is a game- changer.
If we put all that money into a few players, we lack depth and have to live with a sub-par secondary and a O line that can't stop anyone.

I think the upcoming draft and these FA decisions will tell us a bit about how the team plans to build for the future. I love our rich tradition of great linebackers and stopping the run, but I would be quite happy to see the O line and secodary improve at the expense of status quo.

A few more points per game would take some pressure off the D and I think there is some truth to the oft quoted "the league is becoming a passing league." I am tired of watching teams dink and dunk us.

I think we will continue to be in the running for AFC North Division champs and/or wild card contender for years. We need to build to compete with Indy and NE in latter rounds of playoffs.