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View Full Version : Cook: Re-signing Taylor becomes a priority



stillers4me
05-01-2011, 01:19 PM
Relax.

So the Steelers didn't get the cornerback they needed in the three-day NFL draft? They are going to re-sign Ike Taylor.

They had better re-sign Ike Taylor.

The Steelers know that. That's why they didn't reach to take a corner with the No. 31 pick Thursday night in the first round. They could have taken Virginia's Raz-I Dowling, who went to the New England Patriots at No. 33, or Texas' Aaron Williams, who went to the Buffalo Bills at No. 34, but they didn't have either valued as a first-rounder. They made the right call taking Ohio State defensive end Cameron Heyward, who should help them for years.

The Steelers knew they have Taylor to fall back on.

They also didn't take a cornerback Friday night in the second round, although we'll never know if they would have picked Miami's Brandon Harris, who went to the Houston Texans three picks before their selection. Florida offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert was their choice. It never hurts to collect big, talented offensive tackles.

Again, Taylor is there to be re-signed.

The Steelers did get corners in the third and fourth rounds -- Curtis Brown of Texas and Cortez Allen of The Citadel -- but it's hardly reasonable to expect them to step in next season and be more than special teams contributors. They went as late as they did in the draft for a reason. There's much greater chance each will be a Keenan Lewis -- a bust so far after being the Steelers' No. 3 pick in 2009 -- than, say, an Ike Taylor.

There's that name again............

Read more @ http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11121/1143306-87-0.stm

Godfather
05-01-2011, 03:29 PM
We need to keep Ike...if the two corners we just drafted are good, Ike can move over to free safety when Clark retires.

Moose
05-01-2011, 05:20 PM
Good to hear that Ike's signing is in the future...we definitely need him.

steeldawg
05-01-2011, 08:40 PM
We need to keep Ike...if the two corners we just drafted are good, Ike can move over to free safety when Clark retires.

Ike taylor is 30 and Clark 31 probably retiring around the same time

steelreserve
05-01-2011, 09:26 PM
Ike taylor is 30 and Clark 31 probably retiring around the same time

Not to mention, the odds against both CBs turning out well enough to be eventual starters are astronomical. We seem to spend mid-to-low picks on DBs at least once a year, with about a 10-15% success rate. I'm really becoming convinced that out of all the positions other than QB, CB is the one where there really is a marked drop-off (as in, usually gone from the team in 3 years) outside of about the first 50 picks, and few gems in the late rounds.

Iron Steeler
05-01-2011, 09:42 PM
Does this mean i should shut the door on my Nnamdi Asomugha dream?

suitanim
05-02-2011, 05:05 PM
This is a serious issue. Ike is so important to what we do that I'd venture to say that without him we could lose several games, maybe even more. McFadden is a decent 2, and Gay, as we all know, is best served playing situationally as a nickel back, without too much responsibility. I like the draft picks (I think Brown will contribute immediately), and I like some of our other young guys, but we NEED Ike. His ball skills suck, and that's exactly why we can afford him. If he could actually catch, he'd have 25 more INT's and Al Davis would sign him to a 300 million dollar contract.

But he can't catch, and he'll stay a Steeler (I think) because of it. Our worst worries should come from division rivals who know how good he is. It's also not good to hear him say that he's giving no hometown discount and the FA is like "hitting the lotto". But I still think we'll keep him.

43Hitman
05-02-2011, 05:15 PM
yeah I don't see anyone offering more than we will. The fact that he can't catch is probably our saving grace.