Home 2014 Season Steelers Free Agency Failures Fall Directly on Colbert

Steelers Free Agency Failures Fall Directly on Colbert

by Steeldad

There’s a really good chance that we’ve all been there before. We head out to the store with a very set amount of money in our pocket and we know that we have to find great value in whatever it is we are buying.

We can’t afford the top of the line but we there’s no need to settle for the clearance aisles either. We need a product that will be productive and will do it’s job when called upon. This product will be just another soldier in our drawer that will will function well yet it may have some limitations.

Heading into free agency this past offseason, Pittsburgh Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert was in this very same predicament. He needed to find value and functionality in players that would fit nicely on the Steelers depth chart.

What Colbert unfortunately found was knock-off items. Instead of going to the local chain store, he went to the clearance section of the local dollar store and returned with players that that have offered very little in the way of value or production. So bad was Colbert’s shopping experience was that he’s now already cut one of them free.

Running back LeGarrette Blount was cut loose by the Steelers yesterday following his behavior in Nashville. Reports have circulated that Blount had worn out his welcome in the Steel City for some time and that many players saw this coming.

Colbert’s two other major signings were defensive lineman Cam Thomas and safety Mike Mitchell. Neither of these players have lived up to the billing that many hoped they would.

Thomas has spent the better part of his Steelers career on roller skates getting pushed all over the line of scrimmage. This has not been a surprise however at least not to me. When his name came up I immediately chatted up Chargers’ blogger “Booga P” who told me not to expect much and that Thomas was pretty much a disappointment there in San Diego.

Mitchell is the one who has surprised me with his unbelievably poor tackling and even worse coverage skills. Mitchell has forced two fumbles and has no interceptions through 11 games.

To make matters worse for both himself and the organization, Mitchell took it upon himself to respond to fans who were less than friendly towards him on Twitter. Mitchell even direct messaged some of these fans and even told one to “go kill himself.”

While I personally don’t feel it’s proper to attack athletes on social media, Mitchell should have known better than to respond. The Steelers have told him to avoid social media for the time being.

If you’re keeping score at home, Kevin Colbert went 0 for 3 on his three big free agent signings for 2014. I could try and be fair and tell you that Mitchell is still a work in progress and may yet come around but I don’t feel that way.

Compare Colbert’s free agent gaffes to his 2014 draft and you’ll see that it hasn’t been that great of a year for him. Perhaps this will finally be the moment where the Rooney’s allow someone else to do their shopping because it’s evident Colbert is not very good at it.

Marc Uhlmann writes for and co-owns www.steelcityblitz.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteelDad and the website @SCBlitz. Check us out on Facebook at facebook.com/steelcityblitz and on Fancred.com. You can hear him weekly during the season on game day on the Trib-Live Radio Steelers Pre-Game

photo courtesy steelers.com

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3 comments

Vittorio Di Stazio November 19, 2014 - 9:42 pm

I understand why your upset Marc but lets be honest here there wasn’t that many options to choose from that were at best reasonable. The Steelers are not the Big FA spending type team far from it. I said before the season that the D would be fine. they have been fine for the most part and that’s what I expected. I knew the D would struggle heck everybody knew that. Just because guys like Shazier, Tuitt and McCullers got to play doesn’t mean the D gets back to there old form. Is Mitchell what the Steelers hoped for no not really but then again other than this season I have never heard of his name except when he was mentioned on NFL Network’s Top 10 list. With Blount I had hoped he would have learned his lesson when he got here but he didn’t and now he got cut and rightfully so. When you look at the FA class ask yourself this question: what player(s) can they get with out overpaying that guy at his position? Should this FA class being playing better you are absolutely right on that mark. Will they get better: honestly I don’t know what answer to give you guys that would sound positive.

Mario Lopez November 19, 2014 - 9:56 pm

under no circumstance can Colbert be allowed to oversee another offseason & the 2015 Draft. Every Steeler fan knows Steelers are primarily built thru the draft w/ minimal FA signings & Never will the Rooney’s make the HUGE splashes that other teams make in FA signing SuperStars to big contracts. the last 2 real FA signings that amounted to anything was James Farrior & Ryan Clark. Every signing this past offseason was out of pure Desperation by Colbert on account he & his scouting staff so many MISSED & draft busts. Case in point 2014 3rd rd pick Dri Archer, when so many other positions SCREAMED more importance they wasted that pick on a 3rd down scat back @ best & Archer has disappointed in every facet. Colbert must go MUST …

Vittorio Di Stazio November 19, 2014 - 11:41 pm

I don’t mind Archer I really don’t. I do wish they could find a way to use him more in the offense. Colbert is not the only guy who has say in the Draft and FA you the fans know that. Every team goes by the same mantra: Take the best player on the board. You may somebody that the Steelers should pick but they along with every other team in the league take the best guy available. Everybody screamed CB but pay close attention to the CB’s taken now a days. How many CB’s taken in the first couple rounds have succeeded? What is Kyle Wilson doing in NY these days? How about Dre Kirkpatrick and Morris Claiborne? Both early round picks and now after a few years in the league? Sure Revis and Peterson have done well but that’s at best only 2 guys. Just because you want a certain CB does not mean the Steelers get taken, or did anybody think that the CB they wanted is taken already and have to go in a different direction for that particular pick. I ask everybody who pays attention to the draft be smart when you think that the Steelers should take a CB.

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