PFT reports Hampton won't be resigned (As we all already have known)

Pro football talk reported that we obviously wont resign Casey Hampton this year. I found it interesting that he said he wants to play 2 more years. I thought he might retire, but he had a decent year this year. Gonna be sad to see him somewhere else if he gets signed by another team.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/28/casey-hampton-not-expected-back-with-steelers/

 

I wonder if this means McClendon is about to get a promotion? I also wonder if this was part of the changes Colbert was talking about.

 

I wonder what the market will be like for him. He started out slow but improved as he got healthier but still isnt the force he was. Is there a team that needs a temp starter at NT? Possibly (esp a 3-4 team with no solid NT or a young guy...or a team JUST switching to the 3-4 like the Saints/etc). Or would he settle on being a backup somewhere? Who knows? Lots of questions I'm curious to know the answer to.

 

thats the first place i thought of gp. new orleans. he may be alot of help to them during the switchover.

 

Good I would rather have McClendon start he can actually make plays in the backfield. Hampton said he wanted to play one more year he will probably be like Hines Ward was last year get released then retire.

 

x2... it's time to put the younger legs in NOW while we can still afford them.

 

What if he would settle for being a backup here? I wonder if they would bring him back for the vet minimum if no other team offers him anything at all? After all we still don't know what's gonna happen with Ta'amu right? Does this mean they are planning on drafting a guy to play nose tackle?

 

Well, this is the time of the year when the player's perceived value normally turns out to be much higher than their actual value is proven to be. I've got a feeling a few Steelers' free agents may be back hat in hand once free agency begins.:hello:

 

That's pretty much what I was going to write. I'd hate to see him retire somewhere else, but if he really wants to keep playing, I wish him the best.

 

McClendon will do well in snacks void though he had little play time seen the potential in ps. When the dust settles i think snack retires in B&G.

 

I know its the right move...but I have a soft spot for Casey (with his helmet that barely fits his head)

 

that is where he keeps those twinkies incase hostess went under. it adds protection from concussions. like airbags. ya gotta love the big lug.

 

Not the force he once was, but still has game left in him. Everyone around here seems to think he's done just because he's not an unstoppable Godzilla-esque monster anymore like he used to be. Yeah, he gets blocked sometimes now, like everyone else. Definitely a lot more than he used to. But when you play at a certain level, your skills can diminish and still be good enough to be effective. He's an NFL caliber player, and if he came cheap enough, we'd be smart to keep him and let him battle it out with McLendon in a truly open competition. They are both effective and damn near opposite types of nose tackles, Casey a clogger and Steve a penetrator (hee hee). I thought last year we should have worked McLendon in more just to throw off the defense; a change of pace. Like throwing in Amos Zereoue for Jerome Bettis. Amos wasn't near the talent Jerome was, but popping him in sure messed with defenses. I think that would work this year, too. Why not NT by committee? If there's any position on the field where you should be able to rotate guys in and out every series or so, it's DL.

Also, let's not forget that it's important to have two quality nose tackles for short yardage defense. Hampton/Hoke was a pretty dominant force for a lot of years at the goal line, and McLendon is making plays there too. Ta'amu is a big question mark who sure as hell wasn't ready the last time we saw him, and everyone else is an even bigger question mark, or not on the team yet. Hamp/McLendon will be formidable, and McLendon/? leaves us potentially vulnerable.

And I'm sure Casey would offer a big hometown discount like he's done in the past, but depending on offers he gets elsewhere, the Steelers might ask for a discount that's just too big for him. In that case he'll be off to some other team, any old random team, possibly one that wears read uniforms with birdies on their helmets, in a hot climate, maybe even a desert, maybe in the southwest, maybe in a state that starts with the letter A.

 

I'm all for bringing him back at the league min. Big Snack has been a franchise player for us for years, He is and always be part of the Black and Gold. That said I would love to see him back up McLendon and retire a Steeler kinda like Hokie did.

If he moves on because he still wants to start and I beleive he can start just not at a PB level, then I wish him the best. Either way thanks for the memories Snack; I've enjoyed wathcing you play!!!!

 

hate to see him go but he has been a shell of himself the past two years. maybe this is good news for kesiel. i cant imagine them letting both go. i have said in other posts. i would like to see mclendon move to de with heyward and draft jenkins to play nose. have kesiel and hood as top backups. i think that group culd help free up woodley and the other lbs

 

McLendon has been learning NT for years, and is quite good at it. We all think so. We're also somewhat stacked at DE. Keisel and Hood are some expensive backups. Why move him? He's good where he is. Not to mention it takes time to learn that position, even for a NT, and delaying Steve's success at this point seems pointless.

 

i understand ur point. i also think he is a beast and at de he will see alot less double teams. one on one i think he can be very productive. at nt he probably gets doubled 70% of the time. i think its time we start getting the most out of our talent. not tryin to delay his progress just trying to get the best out of what we have