KC’s Sunshine Band

Kevin Colbert, the Steelers’ Director of Football Operations met the media this week and the focus was on the impending free agency period which his team will have crucial decisions to make about some key players. Colbert has always had a positive nature and in this latest Q&A session he was upbeat and positive about dealing with guys like Casey Hampton, Ryan Clark, and Jeff Reed. The sit-down with Colbert follows.

Steelers.com

• The deadline for applying the franchise and transition tags is Feb. 25. Are you negotiating with any of your own players who can become free agents on March 5?
  “We’re still in the process of evaluating outside free agents, which will go until Feb. 19, and I don’t anticipate any serious negotiations until we’ve completed all of our evaluations. Then we’ll know what we’re dealing with internally and externally. We are finished with evaluating our own guys, and now we have to look at what free agency might hold.”
• There doesn’t seem to be much time between the end of your evaluations and the deadline for applying the franchise and transition tags. Is that the case?
  “There will be time. Right now we’re not looking at it as being up against the clock.”
• Who among your own unrestricted free agents do you want to bring back, those unrestricted guys being Charlie Batch, Rocky Boiman, Casey Hampton, Ryan Clark, Nick Eason, Joey Galloway, Travis Kirschke, Willie Parker and Deshea Townsend?
  “The three starters – Casey Hampton, Ryan Clark and that includes Jeff Reed as the starting placekicker – will be the priority. And then with any of the depth guys, we’ll see where they stand and where we stand as we move into the free agency period.”
• Casey Hampton seems pretty adamant about not have the franchise tag put on him. Is that a factor in your decision-making?
  “Not really. Our stance on any tag is that we don’t like to use them, but we’re never going to say we’re not going to use something that has been collectively bargained as a tool in this process. You have an extra tag this year, but the mind-set is that we really don’t want to use those. We’d rather be able to do something on a long-term basis with the people we choose to keep.”
• If you come up to the deadline and don’t have a deal done, do you then have to use the tags?
  “Again, we always will have that at our disposal.”
• Do the tags buy you more time to get a long-term deal done?
  “Sometimes, if you feel you have made progress prior in your negotiations to that point. Sometimes you’ll be at an impasse, and you may feel you’re not going to get a long-term deal done. So you go into it saying it’s a one-year deal.”
• Have you determined what tenders you are going to give to your restricted free agents, with those guys being Carey Davis, Willie Colon, William Gay, Daniel Sepulveda, Matt Spaeth and Darnell Stapleton?
  “No. We’re still in the evaluation process of other free agents. Once we get through that, we’ll better understand the moves we want to make on our own free agents, with the possibility of tags, or long-term deals or what tenders we might put on guys.”
• Are there any of your own free agents you definitely will not bring back in 2010?
  “We haven’t ruled anybody out, no. Sometimes they’ll rule themselves out by signing elsewhere, or over the course of free agency maybe we sign a player from another team that might eliminate somebody. But right now, we don’t know what we’re dealing with.”
• What kind of pool of free agents is it going to be, based on all teams having an extra tag this year?
  “It’s not as deep as it has been, because there are a lot of players now who are restricted free agents and would have been unrestricted free agents under the old rules. It’s a much deeper restricted free agent market than it’s ever been.”
• With this being an uncapped year, do you see this as an opportunity for the Steelers to do more in free agency?
  “No. We will operate as we always have. We will operate as if we have a salary cap. You don’t know what you’re going to be dealing with, because nobody has been in an uncapped year since 1993. No one knows how this will play out, and then when there is a new deal you don’t know what the rules are going to be. You don’t want to have to un-do something that you just did. You can’t predict, and that’s why we have chosen to approach this as though we do have a salary cap. In our thinking, that’s a common sense way to approach things.”
• So then, what’s your cap number this year?
  “You’ll sit back and try to predict what the cap would have been. We’re really doing a lot of guesswork, and it’s not a hard cap, but more of an approach. It’s going with the things that make sense within your own team dynamics.”
• Is it your opinion an uncapped year will not result in a free-for-all among teams?
  “It’s hard to predict how other teams will operate, and we don’t concern ourselves with that as long as we’re doing business the way we feel is best.”
• Will that approach put you at a competitive disadvantage?
  “We don’t know.”
• What are your priorities, position-wise, going into the offseason?
  “This sounds generic, but I don’t think there is any position, except for quarterback, where we couldn’t improve the depth. That’s what we’re looking at here, depending on what happens as free agency unfolds. If we lose some starters, maybe we have some starters in-house and maybe we don’t, but I think you’re looking at adding depth.”
• If all 22 starters from the end of 2009 are back, is it your assessment that all of them are good enough to be starters in 2010?
  “If you begin the next season with the same starters with whom you ended the previous season, you might expect the same results. We were a 9-7 team. Sure, some players will improve and some players will regress, and you always hope the improvements out-weigh the regressions. Then you hope the players you add will improve the depth and competition.”
• Where is the process of extending the contracts of Santonio Holmes and LaMarr Woodley, guys going into the final years of existing deals?
  “That’s most likely beyond free agency and the draft. That far down the road gets even more unpredictable in terms of what the rules might be.”
• Will you bring Charlie Batch back?
  “The starters are the priority. Charlie Batch has been a very important part of this team, and we certainly hope he remains a part of it.”
• Have any of your own prospective free agents said he wants to explore his options elsewhere?
  “Not to my knowledge.”
  

While on the topic of free agency, many of you know about the Black and Gold philosophy regarding outside free agents. With that in mind, a report surfaced this morning on that subject.

USAToday.com, With or without NFL, Steelers will impose own salary cap in 2010
The NFL may not have a salary cap this season. The Pittsburgh Steelers will. The Steelers, one of the league's most popular and successful franchises, plan to follow a self-imposed cap in 2010 and won't take advantage of the lack of a collective bargaining agreement to add more quality free agents than usual. Director of football operations Kevin Colbert acknowledged the Steelers could be at a competitive disadvantage, especially if big-revenue teams decide to spend freely. "We will operate as we always have. We will operate as if we have a cap," Colbert said Friday. "You don't know what you're going to be dealing with. First of all, no one's been in an uncapped year since 1993, so it's a whole different era and no one knows how this will play out. We don't know, if there is a new (labor) deal at any point, what the new rules are going to be." The Steelers also "don't want to have to do something to undo what you did" should the next labor contract contain cap-like restrictions, Colbert said. Unless a new labor deal is reached by this fall, NFL teams will be free to spend any amount they want on salaries without restrictions for the first time since Steelers owner Dan Rooney played a major role in designing the cap system used from 1994-2009. Last season, the cap was $128 million and the floor was $111 million, meaning every team had to spend at least that amount. The Steelers will calculate what the cap would have been this season and then spend roughly that amount. "We're doing a lot of guesswork here," Colbert said. "It's not a hard and fast invisible cap, but more just the approach — things that make sense within your own team dynamics." The Steelers don't believe this will be an especially attractive free agent pool, but that didn't enter into their thinking, Colbert said. "It's a commonsense way to approach things," he said.


After missing the playoffs by going 9-7 a season after winning the Super Bowl, the Steelers need depth at every position except quarterback, Colbert said in his first interview since the season ended. Colbert said they aren't putting a priority on any area. With most of their top players under contract, the Steelers theoretically could begin next season with largely the same team that lost five in a row late in the season. Colbert hinted that won't happen. "I think if you enter the season with the same group you ended the season with, you might expect the same results because we're a 9-7 team at this point," Colbert said. Nose tackle Casey Hampton (FSY) recently said he will be unhappy if the Steelers prevent him from becoming a free agent by tagging him as their franchise player at a cost of about $7 million, or approximately what they paid him last season. The Steelers prefer to sign players to multiyear contracts, but Colbert said keeping a player for a single season can be a logical way of doing business. Hampton will be 33 in September and has had weight problems. "Our stance on a tag, any tag, is we don't like to use them, however we're never going to say we're not going to use something that is collectively bargained," Colbert said.

Colbert, largely responsible for assembling the Steelers teams that won the Super Bowl during the 2005 and 2008 seasons, is unsigned past this season. The Steelers generally prefer to sign a key figure before he enters a contract year, but Colbert said his situation is a low priority. If former Steelers coach Bill Cowher returns as a head coach, it is believed he wants Colbert to be the general manager. "Anything to do with my personal status, I wouldn't talk about at this point or at any point. That's really not for me to discuss," Colbert said. "I'm totally happy in my position, at this point."

The word circling around Hampton these days is “franchise.” Will the Steelers place it on his head? Kevin Colbert seems to think it probably won’t happen. With that in mind, another column regarding the tag was posted this morning.

Mike Florio, TheSportingNews.com, 10-Pack: NFL players who might, or might not, wear franchise tag
On Thursday, the window for application of the franchise tag slid open. In two weeks, it'll slam shut. In the interim, teams have the ability to apply the franchise tag to one player who otherwise would be an unrestricted free agent. So let's take a look at 10 players who might, or might not, end up wearing the franchise tag at some point between now and Feb. 25.

3. Casey Hampton
Another guy who wants no part of the franchise tag is Hampton, a nine-year veteran who has nearly eaten his way out of the league on multiple occasions. But he's a rare commodity — a large man (6-1, 325) who's also strong and athletic, and he fills an important role in a 3-4 defense. For that very reason, the Steelers can't afford to lose him, even if it means using the franchise tag to keep him in place, against his wishes.

While it may seem there hasn’t been much news, that doesn’t mean there can’t be a full team report. Let’s now get to that.

USAToday.com, Steelers Team Report
Hines Ward and his teammates — and even former teammates — are still trying to figure out what went wrong when they lost five straight last season to tumble from 6-2 and virtually out of the playoff running. Ward was in Miami before the Super Bowl and got together with linebacker James Farrior and former teammates Joey Porter and Jerome Bettis. "It was discouraging to lose to Cleveland, Oakland and Kansas City," Ward said. "That leaves you scratching your head. The other day at dinner we reflected on that and everyone was scratching their heads: How in the world did we lose those games?" Ward helped judge Dog Bowl 2010 in Miami and he was not happy about going in one year from Super Bowl to that. "Oh, man, it definitely stinks, to be honest," said Ward, who said he's still disgusted by what happened to last year's Super Bowl champs. He left town as soon as the season ended. "I got as far away as I could from Pittsburgh," he said. "It's been a long year. We started off 6-2 and I just knew we had our chances. It's still upsetting to me." Ward will have a new wide receivers coach once Mike Tomlin gets around to hiring one. He also may lose some teammates who were keys on the team, especially on defense. Free agents include nose tackle Casey Hampton, free safety Ryan Clark, halfback Willie Parker and kicker Jeff Reed. "I don't know who we'll bring back, there are a lot of veteran guys with great leadership in the locker room who might not be there next year. You wonder where guys will end up. "Those guys are locker room favorites everyone likes them. I'd like to see them all come back. In this business, guys come and go and try to get as much money as they can; you can't knock them for that. That's the business side of the profession in the offseason."

NOTES, QUOTES
Reports continue to suggest that Mike Tomlin was going to fire Bruce Arians at the behest of management, but after quarterback Ben Roethlisberger pitched to keep his offensive coordinator, Tomlin changed his mind. "I never went to Mike and said we have to fire Bruce," Steelers president Art Rooney maintained. "Mike never came to me and said we have to keep Bruce under any circumstances. We talked about every member of the staff. Mike was comfortable that we needed to make some changes, but that wasn't a change we need to make. And I'm certainly comfortable with that. I think we've had good success under Bruce."

No Steelers player made the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but two popular coaches were elected as players. One is current defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau and the other is their former line coach Russ Grimm, now with the Arizona Cardinals.

The team hired a former scouting intern as their pro scouting coordinator to replace Doug Whaley, who left to become assistant general manager of the Buffalo Bills. Brandon Hunt, a Pittsburgh native and former player at nearby Indiana University of Pennsylvania, returns to the team where he was an intern in 2005 and 2006. He has been a pro scout for the Houston Texans the past two seasons.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I think we learned something about Mike and what we learned I think is positive for the future." — President Art Rooney II after his team finished the season with three straight victories under coach Mike Tomlin to finish 9-7.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
The Steelers signed three players to their roster the past week. CB David Pittman was a third-round draft pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2006 and played in the UFL last season. Adam Graessle punted and kicked off at Pitt and also was in the UFL last season after he was signed and released by Green Bay. WR Brandon London appeared in 14 games with the Miami Dolphins in 2008 but was released before the 2009 season.

OFFSEASON STRATEGY
First up for the Steelers is to sign a couple of impending unrestricted free agents. The only UFAs they will try to sign before March 5 are Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton, starting free safety Ryan Clark and kicker Jeff Reed. Reed will be their first priority. If they cannot sign Hampton to a multiple-year deal, they could franchise him. Clark will not be franchised or transitioned and is unlikely to come to terms by March 5. Two veterans will not get offers before March 5, although the team might be interested in them if they do not get good offers elsewhere. Halfback Willie Parker and cornerback Deshea Townsend have been important members of two Super Bowl champions but they no longer are starters and would have to return as backups. Starting right tackle Willie Colon will stay a RFA if there is no new CBA and they will issue him a high tender, as they did last season when he first became a RFA.

TEAM NEEDS
1. Offensive line: One reason the Steelers cannot run when they want is the blocking. They get no push from their front line. They have to develop a tackle at the very least and need to find their future centers.

2. Defensive line: They addressed this last year with DE Ziggy Hood in the first round, but they need to restock a line that has grown old. Another end and nose tackle are a must.

3. Defensive backs: With FS Ryan Clark likely leaving as a free agent, they have no one to replace him. Their CBs are below average as well.

MEDICAL WATCH: No surgeries known.

FRANCHISE PLAYER: None

TRANSITION PLAYER: None.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS
QB Charlie Batch is a reliable, when healthy, backup and that is the crux because he missed all of 2008 and ended 2009 with a broken wrist. He wants to return.

LB Rocky Boiman was a late edition to try to save their drowning special teams. He's not likely to return.

SS Tyrone Carter won't get a contract from the Steelers again unless he finds nothing from anywhere else.

FS Ryan Clark would like to return and the team wants him back but they are not likely to settle on a price before free agency begins.

DE Nick Eason, if he's willing to return at a minimum salary, could re-sign.

WR Joey Galloway was a late signing after Limas Sweed was placed on IR. He did not dress for either game and he is not likely to be invited back.

NT Casey Hampton is a priority to keep one way or the other. They will try to negotiate a new deal but it's more likely they will have to put the franchise tag on him.

DE Travis Kirschke, although he turns 36 this year, has been dependable and could re-sign if he does not go elsewhere, especially if they get nothing at the position in the draft.

RB Willie Parker has seen his last days in Pittsburgh. They would love to have him back as a backup to Rashard Mendenhall but he wants more playing time than that.

K Jeff Reed could be their next signing because he not only is a priority, he's the most signable of their free agents.

CB Deshea Townsend thinks he can still start in the league and the Steelers have no plans for him to do that. If he finds nothing of his liking in free agency, they will offer him a contract to return.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS (*indicates restricted because of uncapped year)
*OT Willie Colon will be tendered at the highest amount, as he was last season, his third as their starting right tackle.

CB William Gay had a disappointing first season as a starter but not bad enough that they want to lose him.

P Daniel Sepulveda was middle of the road and not likely to receive a high tender. He was drafted in the fourth round.

RB Carey Davis is listed as their starting FB but rarely played and may not receive a tender.

TE Matt Spaeth is No. 2 behind Heath Miller. He plays a lot but rarely is used as a target and he's not a good blocker.

OG Darnell Stapleton was their starting RG until an injury put him on IR. Could receive a lower tender.

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS
LB Patrick Bailey was their rookie of the year for his special-teams play in 2008 but dropped off last season.

PLAYERS RE-SIGNED: None.

PLAYERS ACQUIRED: None.

PLAYERS LOST: None.

Mock drafts are still popping up.

James Walker, ESPN.com, AFC North Blog
McShay's latest mock draft ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay provided his latest mock draft Insider following the Senior Bowl. Keep in mind a lot can change after the NFL combine, other workouts and free agency. But here is how the AFC North fared:

Steelers Pick: No. 18
McShay's selection: Dan Williams, NT, Tennessee
Analysis: The Steelers taking Williams here would make sense. Pittsburgh usually drafts for needs a year or two down the road. Williams would not need to start right away if the Steelers put the franchise tag on Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton. While contributing next season, Williams could be groomed to play full time in 2011. A cornerback would be the ideal scenario for Pittsburgh. But outside of Haden, there does not appear to be an elite cornerback prospect to take high in this year's draft.

Can the NFL improve? One writer believes so.

Joe Concha, FoxSports.com, Top 10 ways to make the NFL even better
Ways to rock the NFL's world

Over 106 million people watched this year’s epic Super Bowl (that makes three high-quality games in a row for those scoring at home). Nothing wrong with the product the NFL’s is putting on the field with numbers like that, right? It would be like telling James Cameron how to direct a movie or Brooklyn Decker how to be perfect. But believe it or not, there are actually plenty of ways to make a great league even better. Joe Concha explores 10 not-so-atomic alterations.

#10 of 10. Mandatory Super Bowl rematch at losing team’s city
Speaking of big ratings, wouldn’t it make perfect sense for a Saints-Colts rematch in Indy for the first Sunday night game of the season? The promos practically write themselves: “PEYTON MANNING HAS A LITTLE SCORE TO SETTLE WHEN THE WORLD CHAMPION SAINTS MARCH INTO INDY FOR A DATE WITH THE COLTS!!!!” For once, the new Hoosier Dome has noise surpassing that of a weekday New Jersey Nets game in February, and some good old-fashioned home-field advantage mixed with palpable vengeance makes for a great reason to call in sick on Monday. And if you’re the league, simply mandate a Super Bowl rematch every year and make it as traditional as the Patriots and Colts meeting each year (which the NFL says only happens by accide ... uh, right).

#9 of 10. Move Jacksonville to Portland
When I asked my friends at a Super Bowl party which city deserved an NFL team, one answered without hesitation, “Detroit”. But seriously, wouldn’t it be nice if Portland – a city with exactly one pro franchise it supports religiously -- were the beneficiaries of the Jaguars' inevitable move to somewhere? It’s obvious the whole J-ville thing isn’t working despite the team’s moderate success since joining the NFL in 1995 (six playoff berths, two trips to AFC title game). Seven of their eight home games were blacked out last season, and season-ticket holders dropped from 42,000 in '08 to 25,000 to '09. Ominous signs for a team that is consistently in playoff contention. New name: Portland Brewers (and more you dismiss it, it should be known that Portland has the largest number of breweries of any city in the world).

#8 of 10. Fans brave the cold weather
Roger Goodell recently said he found the idea of the 2014 Super Bowl at the Meadowlands intriguing. As someone who is writing this wearing two Snuggies from his chilly apartment in New Jersey, here’s an open letter to the Commish: You will DESTROY the integrity of the biggest game of the year if you decide to play any game outdoors in East Rutherford in February. Ask anyone: A 20-degree night in the swamp feels like -20. The wind is unrelenting. Passing games will become extinct (Ask 0-for-playoffs-at-home Eli). Fans (the passive ones who can afford tickets) will be miserable and half will leave at halftime if the game isn’t competitive. As for the argument that the best games ever were played in the snow, I give you the last three Super Bowls played under perfect conditions. Give a Super Bowl back to the Rose Bowl where it belongs instead.

#7 of 10. Change pass interference to only a 15-yard penalty
There was a Monday night game last year, an important one for both teams, between the Ravens and Packers that sums this argument up nicely. Both are solid defensive teams (the Packers implosion in Arizona in the playoffs notwithstanding). And all an overzealous officiating crew did was assess NINE pass interference calls for 205 yards, or 68 more yards than Joe Flacco threw for in 36 attempts for the game. I get that fans want more points, but it’s like the NBA: they don’t want more points via foul shots, just like they don’t want flags to set up one-yard TDs based on the assumption a ball would have been caught in the end zone if the receiver’s path to the ball hadn’t been impeded (particularly if Braylon Edwards or Roy Williams is involved). 50-yard penalties that decide games? Madness.

#6 of 10. No more blue line on my TV
The first-down yellow marker running across the field? Great idea. Revolutionary. Don’t know what I ever did without it. But do I REALLY need to know where the line of scrimmage is at all times? Besides the QB throwing the ball call after crossing the line of scrimmage (which happens about as often as a safety), is there really any reason for this? Just way too much crayola on my already-outdated flat screen TV. And while we’re at it, get rid of the “yards to go before we’re in the kicker’s range” line as well. Did you see the way most kickers all morphed into Shaq at the foul line this year? Unless it’s the end zone line, there was no line close enough to be considered in range, especially if it’s Nate Kaeding in (insert playoff game here).

#5 of 10. Last licks in overtime
Here’s a fix to what could have been a disastrous ending to the Super Bowl (if the Colts tied the game at 24, which everyone including every Saints fan expected to happen) and what was a disastrous ending to the NFC Championship. Letting a coin toss decide a season cheapens the product for no reason. Some argue that defenses should just stop the team getting the ball first, but stats prove otherwise. In the past 10 years, 61% of teams who won the coin toss in OT have won the game -- a HUGE advantage that cannot be ignored. The NFL’s position is that games would go on too long, with more injuries into play. Of course, this is from the same league who wants to extend the season to 18 games, a complete contradiction. Let's not use the college format, but at least allow the other team a chance to tie the game. The excitement and strategy that would go into such a format would be outstanding, particularly with win-or-go-home coming into play.
Doug Pensinger - Getty Images

#4 of 10. Ban commercials after kickoffs
There's nothing more frustrating as a fan (besides enduring contrived laughter during pregame shows after bad jokes) than a momentum-sucking commercial break after a kickoff that follows five other commercials after a scoring drive. It's one play (usually an uneventful one unless Josh Cribbs is involved) followed by a cutaway of a QB running onto the filed, only to be met with the network's theme and a quick fade to black. You already got up to replenish your snack, bladder, drink, plants, whatever during the previous break 45 seconds ago, only to be made to sit through another block of ads that have a 94.6% chance of featuring Peyton Manning or Tracey Palmer, Sprint 3G user and irritating Steeler fan. Running in traffic is a better option to pass the time.

#3 of 10. Bengals should build courtroom adjacent to locker room for all players named Jones
It's already been quite an eventful offseason for the AFC Central champs. Matt Jones, who definitely prefers coke over Pepsi if his arrest record is any indication, has signed with the team. This follows reports of model citizen Pacman Jones working out with the Bengals earlier in the week. If Cincy can get Levi "I got arrested after getting clocked by Joey Porter in a Vegas club" Jones back from the Redskins, the foundation for an outstanding sequel to The Longest Yard (italics) could be in place. Current Bengals LB Dhani Jones (pictured) should be worried.

#2 of 10. Single digits allowed for RBs and WRs
Since the young-players-wearing-numbers-between-11-and-19 thing is already getting old (yet still has the stench of preseason players about to be cut), why not expand the rule to include some cool-looking single digits as well? No. 9 would be the first to be swallowed up (by Jordan Shipley), followed by No. 5 (Reggie Bush, pictured, in .05 seconds), likely followed by No. 1 (insert any Cowboy WR here). The USFL allowed the rule to be waived and made a relative star out of Anthony Carter of the Michigan Panthers in the process. By the way, what's the deal with no notable player outside of Brandon Stokely taking No. 14? Did Keyshawn Johnson hold a double-secret conference call banning the number? If you have an answer

#1 of 10. Add two more teams each conference
What's the point of winning a division if a bye week doesn't come with the territory? Example: The '09 Pats (pictured) win a tough division and are rewarded with a home playoff game, one week after the end of the season. Yippie! Injuries aren't given time to heal (Brady's ribs), their opponent (Baltimore) already has momentum after having to win the final week just to qualify and the AFC East champs need to win three straight just to MAKE the Super Bowl. But by adding two to each conference, division winners get a week off while four wild cards fight for the scraps. Having 16 teams isn't such a far-fetched idea (See: NBA, NHL), so why not expand the format? As we've said a few times in this space before: Admit it, you'd watch.