Aaron Smith to IR

Just saw it on the home page.
http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/ ... e552da576e

Can we afford to keep him around? This is three seasons in a row. As much as I love the guy, I think his time is over.

 

here we go another 6 milion for nothing , unbeliaveable he was not restructured before the season :banghead:

 

Shi....

A few thoughts occur.

1) I actually posted on the other board how this was the first injury of his I could recall that didn't result in IR, but only a few games missed. Guess I heard wrong.

2) This will hurt us. A lot of people think he wasn't doing anything anyway, but they're wrong. He was still good, was getting better, and gave us phenomenal depth. Now we're back to a Nick Eason quality #4.

3) Good thing Heyward is as good as he is. We need to work him in more now.

4) We did extend him for a year, but I would not be surprised if he just retires.

5) He will never get the credit he deserves, ever. He's a first ballot Hall of Famer in my opinion. But it's the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Best Players, so Elvis Dumerville has a better chance.

 

Thx for your years of great play Mr. Smith, you will be missed.

 

Smith is my faviorate current STEELER player.Had the opportunity to meet and chat with him his rookie year in Da Burgh.Posed for a pic with my than 10 year old son.Aaron is a class act and gave his heart and sole to the team every play!!

Time to call it a career Aaron.Hood and Hayward will make you proud.Retire a STEELER and wait for your well deserved HOF induction!!Thanks for the memeroies!

 

Not good... might have been his last year. We need to make some cap room after this year and dont see us keeping him around for 6 million. Thanks for the great play when your healthy though! hell of a player! Time for Hood to step up.

 

Yep, looks like the end of the line(oops, no pun intended).
Difficult to conceive how under-rated he was, and how some Steeler fans 'dog him out' for being injured.
He was definitely a very key player for quite a while, and will be missed, hopefully, not too obviously missed.

FInd Casey's replacement, then we have the future.

 

Stick a fork in him.

 

Think he is done. Wish we would have kept Gibson last year. As Smith has played like 2 games since and seems done.

Smith was a great Steeler

 

It's obvious his 35 year old body is worn down and just can't handle the grind anymore. Definitely a Steelers' HOF player. I would be surprised if he doesn't retire.

 

I posted this on the ?b?r?o?k?e?n? other board but I doubt I will get many replies.

I'm sorry to see this happen, but I'm glad the front office didn't let him hang around the entire season like last year on a what-if. Does anyone know how a player on IR effects the cap? Will the team get some of this money back to sign another player?

 

I was wondering the same. Or if he could retire mid-season.

Does this mean Corbin Bryant gets moved up into the squad, or do we pick up an FA?

 

Damn, that is a bad way to start off a Sunday. Looks like this is the end for Aaron. Thanks Big Guy! Even though your last three years have been a dis appointment, you were an absolute beast of a DE for us for a decade.

Good luck in the next phase of your life and thanks for tall the memories

 

Ditto.

 

Aaron and Heath epitomized what it is to be a Steeler to me. Quiet, unassuming, guys who did their jobs and didn't get the flashy highlight film plays but were great none the less. He will be missed. Thanks Aaron for all you have done for the team.

 

Aaron Smith has commanded double teams and kept o lineman off our linebackers for years. He was truly a selfless player and a perfect Steeler.

That being said, I am very excited to see Hood and Heyward pick up the slack. I think Hood is a monster who is only going to get better the more experience he gains from playing. The Steelers have been consistently great longer than most squads because they rarely miss on first round talent, and I doubt Hood and Heyward will be any different. So while Smith will be missed dearly, we've got two young guns chomping at the bit. Makes me wish I was still playing ball!

 

A true warrior but his body just won't hold up for him.

 

So long, it's been fun while you were here.

3 out of the last 5 years on IR and basically collecting a BIG check while sitting at home. No thanks. Smith is not Joe Greene. It is over.

No way he is on the team next year unless they release him (after IR) and then resign him for the minimum. And then at that, I would not be in favor of it.

This IS what happens when you play longer than your body allows. Injuries upon injuries that if you were younger, you might have been able to work thru.

As the saying goes, "the mind is willing but the body is weak."

Hopefully, he will see that he is done and won't leave it to the team to put him down.

rutan

 

Great player, no doubt, but don't see it translating to a date with the Hall. If Dawson with many All Pro selections can't get in, no way Smitty gets in. He'll most certainly be missed, he knew his role in the 3-4 better than any other and did it well for a long time. Shame that injuries took him down.

 

http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/642/aaron-smith

It was his neck injury that ended his season.