Pouncey won't be around after his rookie contract

[BigNastyDefense]

Now hear me out before you go all "he's at least the second best center in the AFC/NFL" at me!

I agree, when he's healthy he's at least the second best center in the AFC if not the entire NFL.

However, he can't stay healthy. He's always hurt. Every single year he's hurt. Be it a freak accident like today, or a sprained ankle...he's been hurt every single year at some point. With that being the case, unless next year he goes injury free and plays as good as we know he can, and I don't think that happens...

I think the Steelers let him walk at the end of his rookie contract. That is if he doesn't get cut before it/

[steeldawg]

That's what happened with mendenhall and he was a first round pick.

[60_MINUTES]

I use to like him but to be honest no more than he's on the field. Take his free Arron H. Hat and move on. He's not worth the money he will want. He's never on the field

[86WARD]

If anything they may be able
To use it as bargaining chip...lol.

[Psycho Ward 86]

he's only missed like 4 games in 3 season

[steelreserve]

He's beat up every season. Maybe not missing a ton of games the past 3 years, but I can't even count how many times he's been limping around week-to-week and then had to come out after a couple series and then we only have one other backup lineman active. Also, paying a lineman $8M a season is not what we need to do when we have all kinds of other issues going on.

[Seven]

I can understand the frustration, but I disagree. I don't think they'll let him walk.

[jb500ex]

He's a actually graded out as the 16 th ranked center in the league in his last two years. He's very over rated not a pro bowl cAliber player. He was absolutely horrible in pre season and he's not that big of a loss. Time to move on for good without the thug wanna be

[ALLD]

Keep him as a back up, otherwise he is not able to stay healthy enough to be the regualr starter.

[TheRuneMeister]

What on earth are you people talking about? Can't stay healthy? The guy had one of is fellow linemen dive at his legs full clip. This is in no way related to being injury prone. This is a horrible play DeCastro, and shameless coaching. Any player, hell, any person would have gotten hurt.
This thread should be looking at DeCastro and the o-line coach.

[Master Blaster]

The majority of comments are why players scoff at fans. Most of the comments are based on ill informed, over emotional, knee jerk reactions.

[Psycho Ward 86]

The majority of comments are why players scoff at fans. Most of the comments are based on ill informed, over emotional, knee jerk reactions.

yeah i mean jesus. a lot of these people sound like they think we can just turnstile through good players at whatever monetary convenience. EARTH TO STEELER FANS we havent been drafting well enough the past couple of years to do that. seriously? our O-line has been our weakness for countless years and were going to let it get even worse behind a future hall of fame quarterback in his twilight years? we need to find a way to keep pouncey

[X-Terminator]

The majority of comments are why players scoff at fans. Most of the comments are based on ill informed, over emotional, knee jerk reactions.

This. So much.

[steeldevil]

This thread is stupid. That was totally pounceys fault...

Wow...

[steeldawg]

It's not a ridiculous question, yes he is not injury prone but a major knee injury to a lineman is a big deal. So the steelers will have to make a decision if they want to make the long term risk in pouncey who I'm sure will command some pretty good dollars.

[Master Blaster]

It's not a ridiculous question, yes he is not injury prone but a major knee injury to a lineman is a big deal. So the steelers will have to make a decision if they want to make the long term risk in pouncey who I'm sure will command some pretty good dollars.

They signed pro bowl veteran free agent, Jeff Hartings to replace Sean Mahan knowing he had issues with his knees. Hartings left knee was damaged from the get go because he didn't have much cartilage left. His knee was essentially bone on bone, yet he was signed. If you remember, Hartings rarely practiced on Wednesdays because Cowher would give him the day off due to his chronic knee problem. I don't see the Steelers not re signing Pouncey unless his knee doesn't rebound.

[steelreserve]

I think the issue with re-signing him is as much about our cap issues as anything else. I just don't see us having enough in the budget to do it. That money went to Woodley and Timmons, and there's not much we can do about it. True, we probably COULD reorganize our whole cap to keep him, but I don't think it's a very good idea to get yourself into that level of long-term debt to give a lineman a $40M-$50M contract, which is probably what it will take.

It's also not just this injury that makes him "injury-prone." Yes, this was a freak accident, we get it. But before that, he's been trying to fight through a high ankle sprain or wonky knee probably more than half the time he's been here - basically damaged ligaments left and right, and now here's a big one. It is a risk that you need to consider. Overall, I don't think everything adds up in favor of keeping him.

[TomlinSteelTribe]

I think the issue with re-signing him is as much about our cap issues as anything else. I just don't see us having enough in the budget to do it. That money went to Woodley and Timmons, and there's not much we can do about it. True, we probably COULD reorganize our whole cap to keep him, but I don't think it's a very good idea to get yourself into that level of long-term debt to give a lineman a $40M-$50M contract, which is probably what it will take.

It's also not just this injury that makes him "injury-prone." Yes, this was a freak accident, we get it. But before that, he's been trying to fight through a high ankle sprain or wonky knee probably more than half the time he's been here - basically damaged ligaments left and right, and now here's a big one. It is a risk that you need to consider. Overall, I don't think everything adds up in favor of keeping him.

Exactly, even though we should be talking about actual football (but who wants to after THAT game), the cap issue can't be overstated in regards to our present roster/situation. To the comment above about not drafting well: Um, maybe not so much on the OL, but everywhere else the FO has made some good picks. When you're picking 3rd rounders with Pro Bowl potential, that's called good drafting (ala Mike Wallace and Keenan Lewis). Maybe Wallace was a locker room cancer and the team wouldn't have re-signed him regardless of whether the space was there or not. But I'm certain they wanted to keep Lewis. In today's pass-happy NFL you can't have enough quality CBs.

Pittsburgh's FO has always been adept at deciding which vets to give the (usually) big 3rd contract to. After the SB victories, perhaps they were a little too generous (see the Ravens' offseason for a diametrically opposed approach). Now, we no longer have the money to keep the guys we drafted, the ones who actually emerge as legit playmakers. It's not the drafting, it's the cap situation. And the catch-22 there is, a lot of that is BR7's contract. He's paid like a top-3-or-so guy. But does he play like one? With his style of qb'ing, have we already seen the best he has to offer? Is there reason to believe his play might decline some in the coming years? I hate to be chicken little here, but I believe those are questions that need to be honestly considered. You can't win in the NFL (typically) without a good-to-great qb. But can you win in the NFL with a good, yet declining qb who is paid like he's elite, to the detriment of your roster and development of quality young guys?

[steeldevil]

The reason he wouldn't be back isn't injuries or anything like that.

It's sad, but its more likely that if you know going in every year tht your OL is gonna be cursed and suck, them why pay guys more than league min if you aren't gonna get more than league min production from the unit?

It's essentially flushing money down the toilet.

You can say that the FO shouldn't think like that, which they shouldn't I guess, but its the truth.

[Master Blaster]

I think the issue with re-signing him is as much about our cap issues as anything else. I just don't see us having enough in the budget to do it. That money went to Woodley and Timmons, and there's not much we can do about it. True, we probably COULD reorganize our whole cap to keep him, but I don't think it's a very good idea to get yourself into that level of long-term debt to give a lineman a $40M-$50M contract, which is probably what it will take.

It's also not just this injury that makes him "injury-prone." Yes, this was a freak accident, we get it. But before that, he's been trying to fight through a high ankle sprain or wonky knee probably more than half the time he's been here - basically damaged ligaments left and right, and now here's a big one. It is a risk that you need to consider. Overall, I don't think everything adds up in favor of keeping him.

FYI, the cap is supposed to see its biggest increase in two years in 2014.

[steelreserve]

The reason he wouldn't be back isn't injuries or anything like that.

It's sad, but its more likely that if you know going in every year tht your OL is gonna be cursed and suck, them why pay guys more than league min if you aren't gonna get more than league min production from the unit?

It's essentially flushing money down the toilet.

You can say that the FO shouldn't think like that, which they shouldn't I guess, but its the truth.

There's a ton of truth to that. The OL is a lowest-common-denominator thing. Having one or two All-Pros playing alongside journeyman bums is going to give you the result that the entire line plays like journeyman bums. You either spend a lot of money and draft picks on it and be solid across the board, or you might as well not bother. Like you said, doing it halfway is just like flushing money down the toilet.

We had it figured out to two different extremes before - 2004-05, had a good line that we spent a lot of money on; the rest of the offense was just good enough to get by, and it was a winning combination. 2008-10, we spent all our money on the other offensive positions and were good at them; the line was barely good enough to get by, and it was a different winning combination. 2011-present, we're spending half on each, and neither is very good.

[ALLD]

You have to start thinking if you are BB, do you want to continue to take all the hits in Pittsburgh? If I had to stand behind a bunch of traffic cones every season I would want a trade before I got killed, Pittsburgh Steelers or not.

[TomlinSteelTribe]

You have to start thinking if you are BB, do you want to continue to take all the hits in Pittsburgh? If I had to stand behind a bunch of traffic cones every season I would want a trade before I got killed, Pittsburgh Steelers or not.

I hear ya, but I also doubt Big Ben would get hit a significantly less number of times playing in someone else's uni. He's used to escaping pressure from earlier in his career, and even in Haley's "quick-hitting offense" still doesn't consistently read/react to the blitz properly. It's a chicken or the egg type question, but don't think BB isn't a part of the issue.

[steelreserve]

FYI, the cap is supposed to see its biggest increase in two years in 2014.

Yeah, and so what? Everybody else gets the same increase we do. The only difference is they AREN'T starting out the offseason $20M over the cap every time. We get back to break-even, everybody else has a bunch of extra money to spend, so the end result is we still get outbid for our own free agents. The only practical difference for Pouncey's situation may be that he commands $10M instead of $8M and we can't pay him anyway.

[tube517]

FernandoMania will sweep that jive gangsta outta here!!!

[KeiselPower99]

Ive never been the biggest Pouncey supporter I say keep him but add a proven backup!!!!

[Psycho Ward 86]

Yeah, and so what? Everybody else gets the same increase we do. The only difference is they AREN'T starting out the offseason $20M over the cap every time. We get back to break-even, everybody else has a bunch of extra money to spend, so the end result is we still get outbid for our own free agents. The only practical difference for Pouncey's situation may be that he commands $10M instead of $8M and we can't pay him anyway.

This.

see what happens when you draft badly and cling onto veteran players past their prime? you lose the emerging young talent you already have and get stuck with a bloated salary and old players who often cant play anymore

[steelreserve]

This.

see what happens when you draft badly and cling onto veteran players past their prime? you lose the emerging young talent you already have and get stuck with a bloated salary and old players who often cant play anymore

In fairness, some of the hanging on to older players looked to me like pulling out all the stops in order to keep your Super Bowl window open another year or two. I would credit that with getting us to the Super Bowl in 2010 - it actually worked, except that we lost the game. But right now, boy, are we paying for it, no ifs ands or buts about it.

[86WARD]

Draft/sign a stud Center, move Pouncey to Guard.

Pouncey - STUD - DeCastro ... You won't need tackles...lol.

[BigNastyDefense]

So wait, was I just called stupid in this thread?

Pouncey hurt his ankle his rookie year in the AFC Championship game and missed the Super Bowl.

The past two seasons he has been hobbled by knee/ankle injuries at various points in the season. When he's hobbled, he's very ineffective.

I never said this most recent injury is his fault. DeCastro dove/fell into the back of his knee. But now he has to have reconstructive knee surgery. Even though this was a freak injury, he just can't stay healthy.

- - - Updated - - -

They signed pro bowl veteran free agent, Jeff Hartings to replace Sean Mahan knowing he had issues with his knees. Hartings left knee was damaged from the get go because he didn't have much cartilage left. His knee was essentially bone on bone, yet he was signed. If you remember, Hartings rarely practiced on Wednesdays because Cowher would give him the day off due to his chronic knee problem. I don't see the Steelers not re signing Pouncey unless his knee doesn't rebound.

Excuse me, but what the fuck are you talking about?

Jeff Hartings was signed in 2001 and played center for us from 2001-2006. Before that he was with the Lions. And yes, he did have knee issues. But he was never unreliable because of it.

Sean Mahan was signed in 2007 to replace the retired Hartings. Hartings wasn't signed to replace Mahan.

Please, at least look up the facts before you go spouting off.