FA preparation is in full swing

[BlitzburghRockCity]

Troy is a must for this team if you ask me. The Steelers will never overpay for anyone but when it comes to a player like Troy, they will offer more than what Troy would probably want to stick around.

The dude does it all and does it all well. Before the 2006 season Troy was unstoppable, then he had the knee injury and the concussion, and the entire team sucked. This dude is an absolute gotta have, must need for us. I'll take him over any safety in the league.

[Black@Gold Forever32]

How long do we have hampton for? hes the foundation of the defense and we dont want to lose him as much as we dont wanna lose troy. It would absolutly kill me to see troy play for someone else....it would kill me, i want troy and smith to play together for years to come.

The Steelers just resigned Big Casey before the 2005 season started. But Casey is hitting 30 and I remember when Joel Steed the Steelers Pro Bowl NT in the mid/late 90's when he hit 30 he started to decline. Its all the wear and tear that 3-4 NT go through. I'm not saying Casey will decline but its something to keep an eye on.

[BlackGold4vr]

26 -32........Those seem to really be the prime years of NFL players. Seasoned with experience and physical skills haven't yet started to diminish. Players who can still play at the top level who are in their late 30's are a rarity. Bruce Smith comes to mind. He was a freak! Nothing is more painful than seeing one of your teams icons refuse to face the facts that their skills are diminished and leave to play somewhere else. Franco Harris to Seattle. Emmett Smith to Arizona. Jerry Rice to Denver........oops (He got cut in training camp and didn't make the team!) embarassing!

[BlitzburghRockCity]

That's one thing that Im so glad we never have to worry about; the Steelers picking up some aging veteran just because of what he did years ago no matter what his name is. If he can't contribute now on the same level he did 5 years ago then just keep on walking...