Monthly Archives: March 2014

Ryan_Clark

Ryan Clark Signs One Year Deal With Redskins

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Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark has signed with the Washington Redskins, according to ESPN.

The former LSU safety was signed by the Giants as an UDFA in 2002, and played with the Redskins for two seasons before becoming a Pittsburgh Steeler. The hard hitting veteran safety has 827 tackles, 15 interceptions, five forced fumbles and 3.5 sacks over his 12 year career.

Clark had a meeting with the Redskins a few weeks ago, and just returned from a visit with the Seahawks last week. The Jets, Ravens, and Panthers were among other teams who expressed interest in him. I would assume that Clark will try to wear #21 with the Redskins, in honor of Sean Taylor.

The outspoken defensive back will surely be missed, and his monster hits on opponents were the things of legend. Thanks for the memories, #25.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E5c0uQEafs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZSIXCdBd6o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbDS5WKhdwM
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steelers draft

Report: Pitt DT Aaron Donald Had Pre-Draft Visit With The Steelers

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ESPN reports that former Pitt defensive line standout, Aaron Donald, had a pre-draft visit with the Steelers last week.

Aaron Donald is 6’0″, 285 lbs, but don’t let his lack of prototypical size fool you. As they say- he is a grown ass man. Donald was the most decorated defensive player in 2013. The Pitt senior won the Rotary Lombardi Award, Nagurski Award, Bednarik Award, and was named First-team All-ACC. He finished the 2013 season with 9 tackles, 11 sacks and 28.5 tackles for a loss.

Having said all that, I wouldn’t get too excited. While Donald did play in a 3-4 during his first 2 years of college, he’s just not really a good fit in a typical NFL 3-4. From a technical standpoint, he’s very good. He has excellent use of hands, has a number of moves in his repertoire,  and great footwork. He mainly lines up at the 1, 3, and 4i tech in Pitt’s defense. 4-3 teams will no doubt be interested in him in the 1st round.

Here are a couple of his games from last year if you haven’t seen him in action. Enjoy.

*Update- I figured I’d update this since I’ve had some questions regarding his visit. Teams are allowed to host up to 30 prospects for pre-draft visits. Local prospects do not count towards that total.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mI1y-Z9AvYk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Tdcxwpg1OpA

Ryan Clark Had A Visit With The Seahawks

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The National Football Post reports that Ryan Clark had a visit with the Seattle Seahawks. Clark confirmed the news on his Twitter account.


Clark met with the Panthers, and was said to be in negotiations with the Redskins a couple weeks ago, but a deal never materialized. Other teams, including the Ravens and Jets, were rumored to be interested.

The Seahawks wouldn’t be interested in Clark as a starter, and he has said in the past that he wouldn’t return to Pittsburgh in that role. Perhaps the stalemate of free agency is changing his priorities a bit.

Cortez Allen contract

A Look At LeGarrette Blount’s Contract Details

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The general details of newly signed Steelers running back LeGarrette Blount’s contract have been released. The two year deal is for $3.85 Mil, including a guaranteed signing bonus of $950,000.  The deal also includes a performance incentive of $150,000, which Blount can earn if he gains 800 yards in the upcoming season.

While I do not know the specifics yet, it’s possible that his signing could move the salary cap needle as little as $785,000, leaving the Steelers with over $600,000 in salary cap space (ball park). Here’s a look at how it could likely be set up, and an explanation of the cap estimate.

[table]

Player, Year, Base Salary, Signing Bonus, Salary Cap Number

“Blount, LeGarrette”, 2014, “$730,000”, “$475,000”, “$1,205,000”

“Blount, LeGarrette”, 2015, “$2,170,000”, “$475,000”, “$2,645,000”

[/table]

While I can’t promise his 2014 base salary will be quite that low, you can be certain it will be structured similarly. Using this model, after displacing a low minimum salary from the top 51 (420 K), the salary cap impact  right now would only be $785,000. The Steelers are currently sitting at a little over $1.4 Mil in salary cap space. So, the signing of LeGarrette Blount could leave the Steelers with just under $700,000. I’ll update this when this year’s base salary number is available. However you cut it, this was a good signing at a good price.

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LeGarrette_Blount

LeGarrette Blount Signs Two Year Deal With Steelers

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The Steelers have signed former Patriots running back LeGarrette Blount to a 2 year deal today. The veteran running back flew into Pittsburgh last night, and had his visit with the team today. Blount is 6’0″, 241 lbs and rushed for a total of 772 yards with 7 touchdowns last season. He had a tremendous game against the Colts during the playoffs, running for 166 yards and totalling 4 touchdowns.

The terms of the deal aren’t yet known of course, but the Steelers weren’t the only team interested in Blount. The Patriots were interested in re-signing him, and the Ravens were said to be interested before the news of Ray Rice’s indictment yesterday. Earlier today, there were reports of other unnamed teams expressing interest in the running back as well.

One Patriots beat writer reported that the Patriots wanted to retain him, but not at the price the Steelers were willing to go. Obviously, that doesn’t make a lot of sense as the Steelers have little cap room to work with. The Patriots aren’t exactly swimming in dough, but they have more room to play. Another Patriots beat writer reported that New England only offered him a one year deal.

Blount has rushed for 2,711 yards and 20 touchdowns, while averaging 4.7 yards per carry over his four NFL seasons. Blount is a sledge hammer of a back, and a good blocker, but won’t be a part of the passing game. He also brings experience as a kick returner, as some of you might recall from last year’s game in New England. One very interesting note: Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post reports that Mike Tomlin recruited Blount personally, and was instrumental in his signing.

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Maurice Jones-Drew Agrees To 3 Year Deal With The Raiders

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Maurice Jones-Drew has agreed to a three year deal with the Oakland Raiders according to a league source. The deal hasn’t been officially announced yet, and the financial details haven’t been disclosed.

I mentioned last night that the Raiders were hosting Jones-Drew for a workout, and both sides were looking to move quickly towards making a deal. The former Jaguars running back was a Raiders fan growing up, and even mowed John Madden’s lawn as a kid. Jones-Drew was originally rumored to be looking for a contract that averaged $3.5 Mil/year, though reports later contradicted that figure.

The Raiders have over $14.5 Mil in cap space currently, and the veteran running back will likely be the new starter ahead of Darren McFadden. The courtship between the Steelers and MJD never really made a whole lot of sense. The team is short on cap room, and MJD is likely looking for more than 40 touches next season.

LeGarrette Blount is in town for a visit today, so we’ll soon know how that unfolds. If I was a betting man, I’d wager the Patriots re-sign him shortly after his visit here.

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Coach Tomlin And Kevin Colbert At Manziel/Evans Pro Day Today

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As you may have expected, Head Coach Mike Tomlin and General Manager Kevin Colbert were in attendance for the Manziel/Evans Pro Day today. At the center of media focus today was obviously QB Johnny Manziel. The main interest of Steelers staffers today though, was of course,  WR Mike Evans.

Evans and 5 other receivers fielded passes in shorts and t-shirts while Manziel donned pads and helmet during the event. The QB took all snaps under center and connected on 61 of 64 passes. After the showcase, he credited his receivers for making him look good. “I got to give a lot of credit to those six guys because they ran their hearts out and really helped me look good,” Manziel told the Houston Chronicle.

75 Scouts were in attendance to watch the festivities. Mike Tomlin was 1 of 8 coaches and Colbert was 1 of 8 GM’s. Oddly enough, the Dolphins and Browns were the only two teams that were not represented today.

The event was televised on ESPN and NFL Network. Here’s a look at some of the highlights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKDhZTYOZQY

Steelers fans will most likely only be interested in this part of the clip- the 60 yard pass to Mike Evans in the endzone. Thanks for stopping by, and as always, be sure to share with your friends.

ManzielLastThrow

320px-Maurice_Jones-Drew_ESPNWeekend2010-066

Maurice Jones-Drew Visits Raiders Tonight

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Free agent running back Maurice Jones-Drew will fly to Oakland tonight to meet with the Raiders. According to mainstream media outlets, the two parties could make a deal quickly.

 

Up to this point, the Steelers are the only team the running back has visited with. Though, it was reported last week that his representation was going to be meeting with teams at the owners meetings in Florida.

Over the course of the last couple days, it has been reported that the Patriots and Dolphins are not interested in him, making the Steelers and the Jets the only two teams known to be “in the hunt”. Jones-Drew grew up a Raiders fan and still keeps residence in the area. He even mowed John Madden’s lawn as a kid.

The Raiders have over $14 Mil in cap space as of this writing. The Steelers, around $1.4 Mil. I think the dots connect themselves.

DE Jackson Jeffcoat Has Pre-Draft Visit Scheduled With The Steelers

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Former Texas Longhorns defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat has a private workout scheduled with the Steelers, according to Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram.

Jeffcoat is the son of retired NFL defensive end Jim Jeffcoat. Steelers scouts were on hand today at Texas’ Pro Day to see Jeffcoat, who measured in at 6’3″, 253 lbs. The former Ted Hendricks Award recipient stood on his combine numbers, which can be seen here: http://thesteelersfans.com/2014-nfl-combine-results-defensive-line/

Jeffcoat is a flexible defensive lineman, who will have his hand in the dirt at 5 technique on one play, and be standing as the Will linebacker on the next. In 2013, he registered 82 total tackles (40 solo), 13 sacks, 4 passes broken up, 15 QB hurries, 2 FF, 1 blocked kick, and 1 interception. There are some questions about his durability. In 2011, he suffered a rupture of his left pectoral muscle. The following season, he missed time due to a ruptured right pectoral muscle.

The defensive end is most likely to be selected late on day 2 or on day 3 in this year’s draft. Here are a couple games of him in action. Thanks for stopping by, and as always, be sure to share with your friends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ZZHlmo_Q0aM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XBdTBsyE-Sc

 

Report: Steelers And Bills Agree To Joint Training Camp Practices

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The Buffalo News reports that the Bills and Steelers have reached an agreement that will have the two teams participating in joint practices in Latrobe this summer. The agreement cannot be finalized until the NFL signs off on the arrangement, and not before preseason schedules have been announced.

While unusual for the Steelers, teams often hold joint practices and scrimmages. Just last summer the Patriots and Bucs held joint practices, where Tom Brady had an infamous injury scare. The last time the Steelers did something of this nature was under Chuck Noll’s watch in the early ’90s. Then, it was the Redskins who would come to Latrobe.

Bills coach Doug Marrone proposed the idea this week at the owners meetings. Bills General Manager Doug Whaley used to work in the Steelers’ scouting department for years.

About the practices, Whaley said, “One, it breaks up the monotony of camp. Two, it gives you a chance to evaluate your players against other players in practice setting.

“After all summer of going up against the same guys, you might slip into a false sense of reality. This will set the bar a little higher.”

The arrangement will include 3 joint practices in Latrobe this summer, and then the Bills will host at St. John Fisher College next summer.

Thanks for stopping by, and as always, be sure to share with your friends.