hawaiiansteeler
10-19-2015, 10:06 PM
Steelers' Beachum at peace after ACL tear that could cost him millions
By Mark Kaboly
Monday, Oct. 19, 2015
http://triblive.com/csp/mediapool/sites/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls?STREAMOID=TGYWW YoxcuKv3zF2o2TacM$daE2N3K4ZzOUsqbU5sYsCikfDwsFrogT 94er098JkWCsjLu883Ygn4B49Lvm9bPe2QeMKQdVeZmXF$9l$4 uCZ8QDXhaHEp3rvzXRJFdy0KqPHLoMevcTLo3h8xh70Y6N_U_C ryOsw6FTOdKL_jpQ-&CONTENTTYPE=image/jpeg
Kelvin Beachum could only crack a smile, and you have to give him credit for that considering in a blink of an eye, he potentially lost millions of dollars.
Beachum tore the ACL in his left knee during the first half of Sunday's 25-13 win over Arizona and was placed on season-ending injured reserve Monday — two months before a certain payday that would have guaranteed him millions.
“It is what it is, man,” Beachum said Monday. “You can't worry about that type of stuff. That stuff will take care of itself when it is time to, and I said that from the get-go. I am a football player and this is one of the things that happen when you play football. It's part of the game.”
Beachum is in the final year of his rookie contract that paid him an average of $530,000 a season. The Steelers and Beachum weren't able to agree to an extension before the start of the season and Beachum had no choice but to play out his contract and test free agency in March.
Left tackles who started 34 consecutive games, including playing every snap like last year, are worth a lot. The top 12 left tackles in the league make anywhere between $8 million and $13 million a season. Beachum likely would have fallen in the lower end of that number.
A knee injury like Beachum suffered typically take a year to fully heal, and it's unlikely a team would offer big money to a player with such uncertainty surrounding him.
“(Sunday) was tough just dealing with the whole issue,” Beachum said.
“It's terrible,” guard David DeCastro said. “You hate to see something like that happen, but we have to move on.”
Enter Alejandro Villanueva.
The Steelers will transition from the smallest left tackle in the league to one of the biggest.
Villanueva, a former Army Ranger who was just moved to offensive line a little more than a year ago, is 6-foot-9, 340 pounds and will take over the position starting Sunday in Kansas City. The Steelers added veteran tackle Byron Stingily on Monday to provide depth.
“He's going to be just fine,” Beachum said of Villanueva. “I will be here to help him — a shoulder to lean on and somebody to talk to.”
Villanueva was signed last preseason after spending time with the Eagles as a defensive lineman. The Steelers moved him to tackle and put him on the practice squad as a project.
This year, the Steelers tested him as much as they could during the preseason. Villanueva played a team-high 232 snaps in five preseason games.
to read rest of article:
http://triblive.com/sports/-topstories/9288758-74/beachum-steelers-acl#ixzz3p4bs6poh
By Mark Kaboly
Monday, Oct. 19, 2015
http://triblive.com/csp/mediapool/sites/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls?STREAMOID=TGYWW YoxcuKv3zF2o2TacM$daE2N3K4ZzOUsqbU5sYsCikfDwsFrogT 94er098JkWCsjLu883Ygn4B49Lvm9bPe2QeMKQdVeZmXF$9l$4 uCZ8QDXhaHEp3rvzXRJFdy0KqPHLoMevcTLo3h8xh70Y6N_U_C ryOsw6FTOdKL_jpQ-&CONTENTTYPE=image/jpeg
Kelvin Beachum could only crack a smile, and you have to give him credit for that considering in a blink of an eye, he potentially lost millions of dollars.
Beachum tore the ACL in his left knee during the first half of Sunday's 25-13 win over Arizona and was placed on season-ending injured reserve Monday — two months before a certain payday that would have guaranteed him millions.
“It is what it is, man,” Beachum said Monday. “You can't worry about that type of stuff. That stuff will take care of itself when it is time to, and I said that from the get-go. I am a football player and this is one of the things that happen when you play football. It's part of the game.”
Beachum is in the final year of his rookie contract that paid him an average of $530,000 a season. The Steelers and Beachum weren't able to agree to an extension before the start of the season and Beachum had no choice but to play out his contract and test free agency in March.
Left tackles who started 34 consecutive games, including playing every snap like last year, are worth a lot. The top 12 left tackles in the league make anywhere between $8 million and $13 million a season. Beachum likely would have fallen in the lower end of that number.
A knee injury like Beachum suffered typically take a year to fully heal, and it's unlikely a team would offer big money to a player with such uncertainty surrounding him.
“(Sunday) was tough just dealing with the whole issue,” Beachum said.
“It's terrible,” guard David DeCastro said. “You hate to see something like that happen, but we have to move on.”
Enter Alejandro Villanueva.
The Steelers will transition from the smallest left tackle in the league to one of the biggest.
Villanueva, a former Army Ranger who was just moved to offensive line a little more than a year ago, is 6-foot-9, 340 pounds and will take over the position starting Sunday in Kansas City. The Steelers added veteran tackle Byron Stingily on Monday to provide depth.
“He's going to be just fine,” Beachum said of Villanueva. “I will be here to help him — a shoulder to lean on and somebody to talk to.”
Villanueva was signed last preseason after spending time with the Eagles as a defensive lineman. The Steelers moved him to tackle and put him on the practice squad as a project.
This year, the Steelers tested him as much as they could during the preseason. Villanueva played a team-high 232 snaps in five preseason games.
to read rest of article:
http://triblive.com/sports/-topstories/9288758-74/beachum-steelers-acl#ixzz3p4bs6poh