The Steelers continue to make piece meal free agency moves and could — and they most certainly should resign Will Allen before all is said and done. They could possibly add a corner at a bargain basement veteran minimum price.
- But by and large the table is set.
And a lot of Steelers Nation is not happy about some of the choices the team has made, although their M.O. has been the same as it always has been:
- Look to fill a few holes,
- Do some bargain hunting,
- Refuse to overpay,
- Invest in resigning their own players
Most fans wanted the Steelers to sign a corner and/or an outside linebacker and the Steelers appeared to be interested in doing either of the two things, but ultimately found the market too expensive.
The Steelers did of course sign DeAngelo Williams to back up Le’Veon Bell (and start in his place when his suspension for a DWU becomes official).
Steel Curtain Rising Readers Speak
The Steelers had 14 unrestricted free agents heading into the 2015 off season in addition to two aging roster veterans who were on the bubble.
The decision to resign or let a player walk is always an emotional one, and one that fans often do not understand. Yours truly can remember a moment, in 1993 or 1994, when the internet was in its infancy seeing a fan lay into Dan Rooney and Tom Donahoe for resigning Dermontti Dawson while he still had 1 year on his deal. If memory serves, the fan wrote:
- “Dan Rooney needs to understand that the point of free agency is to sign guys from other teams, not your own.”
Of course Daniel Snyder spent his first dozen years as owner instructing his coaches and personnel staff to do just that, and the results speak for themselves. Oh, and during that time Dermontti Dawson has been elected to the NFL Hall of Fame.
- Still, the poll that Steel Curtain Rising ran during February and March is revealing about the wants of this little corner of Steelers Nation.
With that in mind, how does the Steelers 2015 Free Agency scorecard stand up against the desires of fans, or at least against the desires of our readers here at Steel Curtain Rising.
James Harrison, Arthur Moats, and Matt Spaeth found a lot of love from visitors to this site, and the Steelers came through, resigning each player. Brett Keisel, Jason Worilds, and Brice McCain also found a lot of love, but none will return to Pittsburgh in 2015.
- Readers also reaped a ringing endorsement for Troy Polamalu back.
This came in spite of one article arguing that it the ideal situation would be for Troy Polamalu to retire, and another saying that Will Allen presented a wiser choice for a veteran safety back up. It’s hard to say goodbye, and yours truly won’t be too upset of Polamalu came back at the veteran minimum.
As for the rest of the depth chart, Ike Taylor has found little love here, and probably rightly so as his phone isn’t ringing in Free Agency.
- The rest of the depth chart didn’t evoke much passion from our loyal readers, although the restricted free agents remain popular.
Finally, Clifton Geather’s name got left off of the poll and he was completely left out of the Steelers 2015 Free Agent focus. This was an honest oversight, but yours truly also didn’t think there was any chance he’d be back. Well, the Steelers resigned Geathers and he’ll get his shot this summer at Latrobe.
Make Your Voice Heard Steelers Nation
Voting in a poll is one thing and we thank everyone who took the time to vote (and please vote in our current poll on the Steelers needs heading into the 2015 NFL Draft. But polls are one demensional, and say nothing about why you felt/feel as you do.
So take a moment to leave a comment, and let fellow fans know your thoughts about what decisions the Steelers have made in 2015 thus far.
Thanks for visiting. Click here for more of our Steelers 2015 Free Agent Focus.
