Good Tuesday to you my Steelers’ friends!
Yesterday was a busy day for the Steelers as several players either were in town or are headed into Pittsburgh. The most notable is Dont’a Hightower, the former Patriots’ linebacker who is scheduled to roll into town this week. Realistically, Hightower is probably out of the Steelers’ monetary range but that doesn’t mean you don’t take the time and see what the player and his agent are thinking. He’s likely to demand over $10 million per season. Considering the Steelers wouldn’t pay that to Dre Kirkpatrick, you’d think this would be a swift “nice meeting you, so long,” but don’t be surprised if the Steelers find a way to do this.
Davon House, cornerback from Jacksonville is visiting as well. He’s primarily a boundary corner who would probably come cheap after starting just four games for the Jags in 2016. He’s over 6′ which is a significant ‘plus’ for him.
The Steelers have also entertained wide receiver Justin Hunter. While he hasn’t had the pro career some thought he would, he could be the type of veteran signing the Steelers make for insurance. “Insurance” you ask? Well, yes. With Martavis Bryant still not re-instated and not giving anyone a ton of confidence, Hunter could be the policy the Steelers are looking for.
Tweet of the Day… Not a lot of shoveling for Uncle Charlie!
Up early for nothing. Some snow i got. #HighlyDisappointed pic.twitter.com/KMzJJUl9tp
— Charlie Batch (@CharlieBatch16) March 14, 2017
Le’Veon Bell underwent surgery on his groin. Yes, that hurt just to type it… He’s expected to be on the shelf for about six weeks and from what I’ve learned this is a rather routine type of procedure.
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You will hear more and more about the issue of ‘painkiller abuse’ in the NFL and why anyone is surprised by this is a bit stunning. We saw this coming with Brett Favre’s struggles and we’ve heard more and more about it in recent years. This could be the opening the ‘medicinal marijuana’ advocates are looking for.
Our very own Chris Garman (SteelByDesign) chimed in yesterday on Ray Fittapaldo’s Live Chat…
SteelByDesign: The Steelers brining Donte Hightower in makes me scratch my head a bit. He’s a good 3 down linebacker, but my guess is he’s going to get somewhere around 8-10 mil per year on average. He’s an upgrade over Vince Williams, but he’s not 8 mil per season better. Your thoughts?
Ray Fittipaldo: Right. It’s tougher to connect the dots on this one because it seems like the plan all along was for Vince Williams to take over for Timmons. The Steelers would be weakening the Patriots if they signed Hightower, but they usually don’t operate that way. They sign a player to a deal in free agency if it’s a good move for them, not to weaken another team.
I’m probably in the minority on this and I really like Vince Williams but I don’t think the intention was for him to ‘take over’ for Timmons. He may be forced to but I honestly don’t think this was the plan.
Have a great day Steeler Nation!
