Good Monday to you Steelers’ Fans.
The Pittsburgh Steelers did not use Sunday as a day of rest as they signed former Rams’ linebacker Mark Barron. He comes to the team on a two-year $12 million deal. His signing almost assures the cutting of Morgan Burnett who wants out but has yet to be given his walking papers. The skinny on Barron is pretty simple. He’s an immediate upgrade in terms of his coverage ability and should fill the ‘dime LB’ role quite well. This does not mean the Steelers suddenly aren’t looking for a linebacker in the draft. It just means that they’ve helped fill a vital role the team has been desperate for.
I’m not going to do MMQB the privilege of posting a link to them here but I’m going to assume you’ve seen Robert Klemko’s ridiculously awful piece on Ben Roethlisberger. Klemko wanted to delve into just what makes Roethlisberger a “bad teammate.” His two sources were Josh Harris, a guy who played in two games for the team and Isaac Redman who was walking back his comments before the article was barely a minute old. If this was the best that Klemko could do then he never should have ran this article. It was lazy, desperate and reeked of being nothing more than an attempt to slam Big Ben. Think about it. He writes for one of the great publications of all time in Sports Illustrated and that’s what he went with? Where were his editors? Did no one come to him and say, “Robert man, you’ve got two sources. One is shaky at best and the other has an axe to grind.” This is where sports journalism is today.
Tweet of the Day… OK so not a good year for Burgh Area Hoops.
This is the first time since 2000 that not one team among Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia, or Robert Morris made the NCAA tournament.
— Guy Junker (@GuyJunkerWTAE) March 17, 2019
Sunday meant that Bud Dupree’s $9.2 million option kicked in and like many of you I’m not crazy about it. The production, or lack there of, does not even closely warrant this type of money. The Steelers must have felt there were no other options for them which again, I disagree with but hey, I’m not running the team.
The single biggest question mark about the Steelers’ Draft right now is what if both Devin White and Devin Bush are gone by the time the Steelers go on the clock or have a chance to trade up? My guess is that Cornerback, Safety, Wide Receiver or Tight End are the options.
Former Ravens’ defensive lineman Haloti Ngata retired this weekend. Some of the battles he and the Steelers’ offensive line had over the years were everything football is about. Ya, he was a Raven but I respect the hell out of guys who play the game hard like he did.
Final thoughts on Le’Veon Bell, now a NY Jet… Bell bet on himself and lost. Not only will he never be able to make up the $14.5 million he walked away from last season but he ended up getting a contract that was far less than what the Steelers offered, twice. Bell has already spun things to make it all sound like he worked a master plan but facts are facts and frankly, I’m just fine with him being gone.
Have a great day Steeler Nation!
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