Tuesday News from the P-G

Hooray, Fast Willie Parker is going to get on the field this weekend. This can't happen soon enough for me, its already tough enough to justify taking him #1 overall on my Fantasy Football team. It will be interesting to see how long Tomlin keeps the starters in this next game. Usually the third preseason game is the one where the starters get most of the work. However he treated last game just like the first so this one will probably be played like their second game, which means maybe the starters will see a quarter.

However this article about Faneca seemed like nothing more than a stir up the shit with the disgruntled player.The article, titled Faneca debates versatility question, basically asks Faneca if he was asked to move to left tackle because of injury would he. He says yes, because he would do anything to help the players on the field. But first he expresses some doubt about it. Is it really necessary to fan this flame? It really does seem like asking a disgruntled player a question hoping to escalate an already tenuous situation. When the player doesn't take the bait you go ahead and try and escalate the situation anyway. Maybe Bouchette is making his move to try and get with the New York Post? Or maybe I'm crazy, and people actually care about this.

Omar Khan is Awesome

I think it's fair to say that most Steeler fans weren't exactly thrilled to see that uberagent Drew "No Comment" Rosenhaus was the representative of first-round draft choice Lawrence Timmons. But apparently ubersalary cap guy Omar Khan is just that good, as Timmons signed a five-year deal today worth between $12 million and $15 million, depending on incentives. Just over $8 million of that is guaranteed, and it appears to be right in line with what last year's 15th overall pick received. And most importantly, all of the Steeler draft choices are now signed and will report to camp tomorrow, along with The Disgruntled Alan Faneca (yes, that's his official name now, at least here on IWIWAR). So far, so good, for Mike Tomlin.

So Far So Good for Coach Tomlin

Mike Tomlin has handled the Alan Faneca situation perfectly, at least to this point. He can’t cater to one player no matter how much he needs him, but he also doesn’t want to piss him off. This article demonstrates the balanced approach he is taking perfectly. He makes sure to compliment Faneca, calling him a real pro and then points out that he has no control over contracts. And, as has been pointed out, both Ben and Troy have big paydays coming up, and while neither may be as good as Faneca right now they are both younger and are the respective faces of the offense and defense. Those are the economics of the NFL today. It will be an interesting drama to watch play out and while there isn’t much hope of Faneca being a Pittsburgh Steeler after this season, it seems like Mike Tomlin is going to get a good full season out of him.

Alan's Pulling Guard Out of Town

Pro Bowler Alan Faneca made it official today - he wants out of Pittsburgh. Faneca reported to the team's mandatory minicamp (along with Troy Polamalu and Clark Haggans, who had also missed the voluntary session a few weeks ago) but expressed his displeasure with the team and said he wants to be traded. That seems unlikely to me, because if the Steelers were going to deal Faneca, I'd imagine that he'd have been gone by the time of the NFL Draft in late April. No matter how you look at it, this is not a good start for Mike Tomlin.

Side Note: Check out the P-G's caption of the photo of Faneca and new o-line coach Larry Zierlein in that story that I linked to above. Glares? Really?

Is Faneca On His Way Out?

John Clayton is reporting that Alan Faneca wants a trade out of town on Saturday. He is both unhappy with his contract (only one year left) as well as the fact that Russ Grimm was passed over for Head Coach and the way that Grimm’s departure was allegedly handled. Faneca has been one of the best linemen in the league at any position for years. I thought he had an off year last year, but so did a bunch of other guys on the team. He hasn’t always been thrilled with the team but he has always been the anchor of that line. I certainly hope the Steelers are able to sign him to a long term deal and allow him to retire a Steeler, but past history tells us that won’t happen. At the very least I hope that he plays through this season and leaves on good terms. But this issue leads me to another point

It says a lot about the draft this year that with Alan Faneca wanting a trade my biggest fear is that the Steelers will try and move up in the draft. The upper levels of the draft seem to be minefields that can cripple a team for years. Look at the Browns and the issues they have had at the top of the draft with Tim Couch, Courtney Brown, et al. When a high level draft pick busts it can hurt the cap for many years and it can become a cycle. Even if the pick is a success, the rookies make far too much guaranteed money which lowers the value of almost any contribution they make. It is getting close to teams being penalized in the draft process for finishing poorly. There is talent throughout the first round but those high picks make so much more than the 18th or 25th pick. With that in mind, why wouldn’t the Steelers trade down (assuming they can), sign the sure thing Faneca to a long term deal with a $10 million signing bonus and get what they can out of him rather than sink that same money into an untested rookie in the draft.

I think Colbert has done a great job in the draft but this year we will see how much was him and how much was Cowher. It will be a real test for the organization and we won’t know how it has worked out for years. But no matter what, I hope there is a happy ending for the Faneca story, either with Steelers or with the Steelers getting value in return from him and Faneca being happy somewhere else. He deserves at least that.

Q & A With Ben

Here's a semi-interesting article where he at least addresses Tomlin, Faneca's absence and the loss of Joey Porter. Not a ton of news but it certainly seems like the players are walking on eggshells about Faneca.

Faneca Skips Minicamp

Alan Faneca didn't show up for Mike Tomlin's first minicamp today. Though the workout is voluntary, that's never a good sign for a team leader with a new coach. I must say, though, I'd be a lot more worried if Faneca's rants in the past had come to fruition. Remember, after all, that he is the one who criticized Ben Roethlisberger when he first moved into the starting role, and if he had his way, Tommy Maddox's front yard would probably have a lot more trash on it.