Back to the off-season. Since my Sundays will be deplete of football for the next seven to eight months, I must find something to fill the void. My favorite distractor is frisbee golf. For those of you who do not know about frisbee golf, it is just like regular golf, except you use a frisbee...which places it on the sports evolutionary-scale somewhere between tiddley-winks and marbles.
Because my brain is already in the mind-set of frisbee golf, I will use the vernacular of that sport while writing my Steelers season review / off-season preview. I will evaluate each position on the team using "par." The higher the "par" the harder the position is to fill. The score is an indicator of how well theSteelers have drafted/filled each position; the lower the score, they better they have done.
Hole #1: Quarterbacks
Par: 7 - This is the trickiest and most coveted
position to fill in the NFL. Every year, there are
several "can't miss" prospects at this position, who
are drafted in the first round...only to be out of
football three years later.
Score: 1 - The Steelers pulled off a "hole in one"
with their selection of Ben Roethlisberger. Starting
off 14-0 as a starter says it all. Either Maddox or
Batch will depart in the off-season, and since Tommy
is already under contract (and was the starter even
when Batch was healthy) the smart money says that
Maddox will stay. Maddox does not have the arm
strength that Ben possesses, but Tommy is a dependable
back-up.
Hole #2: Running Back
Par: 4 - Most teams have a starter and a
change-of-pace / third down back. The Steelers have
two power-backs..and a mid-sized back...and a change
of pace back.
Score: 5 - Age and injuries have made this a trouble
spot for the Steelers. Despite being the leading
rusher on the best rushing team last season, Bettis
might retire.* Additionally, Duce Staley and Verron
Haynes can not seem to stay healthy. Willie Parker is
a gem, but he is more of a third-down back than an
every-down back. Considering that the Steelers ran
the ball 61% of the time last season (the highest
percentage since the 1982 Bears), running-back is a
position that must be addressed and upgraded every
year. Hence, look for the Steelers to address this
position early in the draft...even as early as the
first round.
*(note: I must say that I dearly hope that Bettis comes back for one more season...even if it means that his role is reduced to merely being the goal-line back. Needless to say, the man's value to the Steelers is more than just what he does on the field.)
Hole #3: Fullback
Par: 3 - Most teams see this as an afterthought. For
example, even in the best years, only six fullbacks
are drafted.
Score: 2 - Dan Kreider is best known for moving the
linebackers out of Bettis' and Staley's way, which is
good, because that is exactly for what his job
description calls. Since the Steelers are a run-first
team, the fullback position is very important. And,
they have a good one.
Hole #4: Wide Receivers
Par: 6 - Similar to the quarterbacks, this is a
position that seems to be difficult to fill. It
generally takes a receiver a full year to adjust to
the NFL, with last year being an aberration.
Score: 5 - Hines Ward is the epitome of what a
football player should be. He plays hard. He plays
hurt. And, all the while, he plays with a smile on
his face. On the flip-side, is Plaxico Burress, who
does one of the following things when the ball comes
his way: drops it, falls down, false-starts (which
negates the play), spikes the ball (before he is
downed), steps out of bounds, or tips the ball up for
an interception. And, of course, there is his
ubiquitous pouting. (Note: reading between the lines
will inform you, the reader, of my stance on whether
or not the Steelers should re-sign Burress.) For
those of you who still want Plaxico to play in
Pittsburgh, remember that the money Plax is asking for
could be used to extend the contracts of Ward and
Randle El...and probably Verron Haynes, as well. It
might just be my opinion, but if I were the Steelers'
front-office, I would rather extend those three
aforementioned players (who actually try hard) than
any one player (especially one who short-arms
touchdown catches, because the ball was on his "wrong
side").
