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Thread: I think this is a dumb argument. What do you all think?

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    Senior Member Array title="Mojouw has a reputation beyond repute"> Mojouw's Avatar

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    I think this is a dumb argument. What do you all think?

    https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...-bell-nfl-news

    The author makes an interesting point that the Steelers avoid guaranteed money like the plague. Other teams are not - at least in the early days of free agency. However, the author appears to be failing to account for talent. Like at all.

    Do you want your team to give a WR with 90 career catches the same cash as Antonio Brown? I certainly wouldn't.

    The author specifically focuses on the piles of cash that Hitchens, Williamson, and Davis got at ILB. Nowhere does he mention that Hitchens has to come off the field on passing downs. Davis often as well. Anyone remember Williamson having an impact in the Titans game last season? I don't. In fact I do remember their rookie LB making most of the plays. Gee....wonder why dude got released....

    Finally, think about the play level of those three linebackers. Now think about them being paid 9-10 million per year. Now watch this draft breakdown of about the 10th or 12th ranked ILB prospect in the draft -- http://www.steelersdepot.com/2018/03...-genard-avery/

    Ok. What would you rather do:
    A. pay 9-10 million per year with cash up front to guys that have limits to their game
    B. Roll the dice on the draft and get a guy that can play all 3 downs and both the run and the pass?

    But, sure. Let's be salty about contract structures and the fact that the 2018 Steelers defense will likely be a bit worse for rolling with a rookie. I mean why would a GM consider anything past 2018? Sure the 2019 and beyond defense would be far better and the cap sheet looks better....but screw that....

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    Senior Member Array title="steelreserve has a reputation beyond repute"> steelreserve's Avatar

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    Re: I think this is a dumb argument. What do you all think?

    I think it's more like, we are very careful about who we give $9M or $10M a year to in free agency. Almost all of the players who get that kind of money are our own guys. Which prevents us from spending big in free agency very often. We do it to fill catastrophic gaps with OK to above-average players, not go out and try to get superstars.

    The other thing that no one ever talks about is that all our big-money contracts basically are guaranteed anyway, because we are perpetually restructuring them from the first offseason. If you're on a big long-term deal here, you are basically uncuttable until the final season because it will mean something like $15 million in dead money to dump you before then. The only time you don't get restructured is if you REALLY fucked up. So then what is the argument - that we should be guaranteeing that free agents be highly paid if they show up and do nothing? Well, I guess that's another reason why we tend to give that kind of money to our own guys, since we've had 3 or 4 years to consider whether they're likely to be worth it.

    I also don't think the defense will be "worse" this year by having a rookie linebacker. The rookie will probably be better than Moats or Spence. Maybe it would have fewer growing pains if we also got some big-ticket free agent, but I don't think it's worth what we'd get in return.

    I'm much more confident in a rookie's ability to start at linebacker, by the way, than at safety. So that's the position that would be better to address with a free agent (while also drafting someone for the future). And what do you know, there just happen to be a ton of safeties on the market this year.
    See you Space Cowboy ...

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