OT: The Pittsburgher Thread: New Quarter Backs for the Handball team!

[Buddy Bizarre]

I hate Tomlin. How do you feel about him?

I heard he's never had a losing season, so that must make him the best coach in the league right?

 

[WickedWrister]

I'm a little surprised. 6.7m for that 5th year doesn't exactly break the bank and given how much praise he's received from Tomlin/Rooney I thought the organization was higher on him than outsiders are.

Doesn't mean they can't work on an extension for less than that 5th year option price tag.

Fields gets declined, no surprises there.

 

[xlm34]

Not sure I agree with declining the fifth year option. Najee may not be what you want from a first round back but locking up one of the better running back duos in football for pretty cheap seemed like kind of a no brainer.

 

[Buddy Bizarre]

Not sure I agree with declining the fifth year option. Najee may not be what you want from a first round back but locking up one of the better running back duos in football for pretty cheap seemed like kind of a no brainer.

Steelers will likely be in the market (FA/Extension to Fields or Wilson/Draft) to sign a QB to a high number next season. Why pay a premium price to a position that's fungible? Save a few million dollars to allocate elsewhere.

I've been on the Harris hate train since his rookie year, so I'm kinda biased

 

[WickedWrister]

I probably would've picked it up and let him walk after 2025. But at the same time I understand the thought process and not wanting to get stuck holding the bag when Najee inevitably falls off, which could happen sooner than we think. He'll be 27 next March.

 

[Peat]

I'm a little surprised. 6.7m for that 5th year doesn't exactly break the bank and given how much praise he's received from Tomlin/Rooney I thought the organization was higher on him than outsiders are.

Doesn't mean they can't work on an extension for less than that 5th year option price tag.

Fields gets declined, no surprises there.

After Tomlin's first presser of the year, I thought it was signed sealed and delivered.

After Khan started speaking, I felt a lot less sure. A lot more equivocal.

Which allows for an awful lot of speculation as to the power dynamics in the Steelers these days.




On a tangent - is David DeCastro the last Steeler drafted on the offensive side of the ball to have a good second contract here, or have I missed a guy?

 

[ImporterExporter]

You punish the enabler not the enabled.

Considering Tomlin hired Canada (because he got his kid a scholarship at Maryland), yeah, you're spot on.

Blaming Canada makes sense. He's not fit to coach at the college level let alone NFL.

However, Tomlin is the asshat who brought him in and kept him until the public outcry got to the owner.

 

[Goalie_Bob]

On a tangent - is David DeCastro the last Steeler drafted on the offensive side of the ball to have a good second contract here, or have I missed a guy?

I think you could basically say that. They have had some good offensive players get 2nd contracts but they aren’t with the team.

 

[Peat]

I think you could basically say that. They have had some good offensive players get 2nd contracts but they aren’t with the team.

Yeah. Possibly unfair to notice a good use of a franchise tag as with Bell? And you can add Villaneuva as an undrafted guy I think.

But even so, doesn't feel great.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I think running backs are far too dime a dozen for me to be mad about them declining Najee's 5th year option, even if $6.5 million isn't a lot for it.

Both Warren and Harris are UFAs after this year, so I'm curious to see if either gets re-signed. You don't want to have to use another high pick on a RB next year at the draft IMO, but you probably also don't want to pay those two $10 million combined to keep them.

 

[Peat]

I think running backs are far too dime a dozen for me to be mad about them declining Najee's 5th year option, even if $6.5 million isn't a lot for it.

Both Warren and Harris are UFAs after this year, so I'm curious to see if either gets re-signed. You don't want to have to use another high pick on a RB next year at the draft IMO, but you probably also don't want to pay those two $10 million combined to keep them.

I believe all the stuff saying "don't pay your RBs" but if the Steelers are serious about running teams to death, I'm not sure what the alternative is here. Particularly when I'm not sure you're going to get fantastic results out of just one or the other of those guys. Warren has a real Tony Pollard vibe to me - deadly on a count, just a guy as a bellcow.

And I think that's at least 9 teams paying their top 2 RBs 10m this year (based on yearly average) so is it really too much for the Steelers to pay if they're planning to be a top 5 rushing team?

 

[bigdaddyk88]

I think running backs are far too dime a dozen for me to be mad about them declining Najee's 5th year option, even if $6.5 million isn't a lot for it.

Both Warren and Harris are UFAs after this year, so I'm curious to see if either gets re-signed. You don't want to have to use another high pick on a RB next year at the draft IMO, but you probably also don't want to pay those two $10 million combined to keep them.

I fully expected them to extend Warren like they did Willy parker they have to tender him 3 million to get 2nd from another team could’ve given him 10 million over 4 seasons like willy Parker similar situation
I thought for sure they would extend Najee conner makes 7 million a year and we aren’t paying anyone on offense that’s a skill player

 

[Shaftception]

I'm a little surprised. 6.7m for that 5th year doesn't exactly break the bank and given how much praise he's received from Tomlin/Rooney I thought the organization was higher on him than outsiders are.

Doesn't mean they can't work on an extension for less than that 5th year option price tag.

Fields gets declined, no surprises there.

This actually makes perfect sense. You're just not seeing things the way Tomlin does.

The 5th year option is usually in a team's economic interest to take advantage of, since what your typical 1st round talent would get on a second contract in free agency would normally be higher than the 5th year option in most cases.

Thus, in order to make sure his protégé that Tomlin has been pretty open about grooming to be the next locker room leader after Heyward retires, who just last year audibly championed the runningback's are underpaid movement, gets paid what he feels he's worth, clearly must've influenced Kahn to instead decline the relatively cheap 5th year option, in order to re-sign him sooner at a price tag that would better keep his future team leader...how did Tomlin put it? Fat, sassy, and spoiled?

Admittedly, I may have gone too far in a few places.

 

[Night Shift]

I heard he's never had a losing season, so that must make him the best coach in the league right?

Baby he's the greatest 'Jackie Gleason'

 

[Peat]

Wild stat where I don't know if it means anything but maybe down the line we'll go "aha"

 

[Peat]

Also in random tweets - I've never heard of the guy before but it's looking like some random journo from the internet might have got this one nearly a month before



edit: And since this backs up my own speculation



But the dissenting opinion:



edit:

Also a fine sobering article on a previously feted draft - https://www.post-gazette.com/sports...diontae-omar-khan-tomlin/stories/202405010074

 

[Peat]

Also DJ Chark signed elsewhere. Not great quality, but weren't many better left.

 

[Night Shift]

So Tomlin is mad because Najee was calling him out about in house rules. Just...LOL!

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Also DJ Chark signed elsewhere. Not great quality, but weren't many better left.

A lot of Steeler fans hated the 2019 draft, ranting that they gave up way too much for an undersized ILB, that they should have taken DK Metcalf to replace Brown, etc

Even when they took Roth a lot of fans wanted them to be bold and move up for Rivers/Eli.

The last two drafts are the first time I can rem fans and the “experts” all loving the Steelers drafts.

We’ll see if that’s a good omen or not.

 

[Peat]

A lot of Steeler fans hated the 2019 draft, ranting that they gave up way too much for an undersized ILB, that they should have taken DK Metcalf to replace Brown, etc

The last two drafts are the first time I can rem fans and the “experts” all loving the Steelers drafts.

We’ll see if that’s a good omen or not.

Well 2019 got love from the experts. So did 2022, looking back to confirm my memories. 2021 didn't get universal love but that's because they took a first round RB.

From a quick look, I think the acclaim might have been closer than you're remembering. Which suggests maybe the problem with the last Colbert drafts were more development than identification, which does also just happen to be what I already thought anyway.

 

[bigdaddyk88]

Also in random tweets - I've never heard of the guy before but it's looking like some random journo from the internet might have got this one nearly a month before



edit: And since this backs up my own speculation



But the dissenting opinion:



edit:

Also a fine sobering article on a previously feted draft - https://www.post-gazette.com/sports...diontae-omar-khan-tomlin/stories/202405010074

I could see this an analytical approach since teams draft 16-25 on average have only picked up 55 percent of the 5th round options since 2018.
I don’t think Tomlin is mad I think Najee looked at the FA class bext summer and said pay me this year he knows that he and warren both fa next year are going to see 500 touches amongst them
They aren’t paying any skill players on offense I thought for sure warren Daniel muth and Najaee would all get extensions

 

[Mr Jiggyfly]

Well 2019 got love from the experts. So did 2022, looking back to confirm my memories. 2021 didn't get universal love but that's because they took a first round RB.

From a quick look, I think the acclaim might have been closer than you're remembering. Which suggests maybe the problem with the last Colbert drafts were more development than identification, which does also just happen to be what I already thought anyway.

I just meant the fans, not the so called experts.

Fans I knew and the airwaves/article comments were filled with angry Steeler fans in 19 and 21.

“Trading up for a tiny ILB is crazy”

“They drafted this Johnson kid to replace AB when they could have kept their first and gotten that freak Metcalf when he dropped!”

“Metcalf is a top ten talent and they could have taken himmmm!”

“Why would they take a RB with their first! YOU DONT TAKE RBs IN THE FIRST!”

“Pat Frammermouth! That Oklahoma center was right there!”

It was pretty bad after those drafts from the fans.

 

[End of Line]

I could see this an analytical approach since teams draft 16-25 on average have only picked up 55 percent of the 5th round options since 2018.
I don’t think Tomlin is mad I think Najee looked at the FA class bext summer and said pay me this year he knows that he and warren both fa next year are going to see 500 touches amongst them
They aren’t paying any skill players on offense I thought for sure warren Daniel muth and Najaee would all get extensions

Keep Warren, draft Judkins/Henderson out of Ohio State next year. Success.

 

[bigdaddyk88]

Keep Warren, draft Judkins/Henderson out of Ohio State next year. Success.

Warren has to prove he is bell cow and stop fumbling
A 2nd round tender for him is 4.3 million but 2.6 for the right of first refusal so offer him. Willie Parker was a udfa and got 13.6 over 4 in his first Steelers contract
They have to draft a Cb2 DL Wr2 and safety next season

 

[Night Shift]

I don’t think Tomlin is mad I think Najee looked at the FA class bext summer and said pay me this year he knows that he and warren both fa next year are going to see 500 touches amongst them

He's Mad. His face always gets red when current and former players call him out.