Steelers football blog

Steelers sign Timmons in time for camp

Mike Tomlin's first training camp as Steelers' coach is off to a good start - and the team doesn't hold its first practice until Tuesday. The Steelers assured that all of their players will be in camp on time by agreeing to contracts over the weekend with their two remaining unsigned draft picks, including first-rounder Lawrence Timmons.

The five-year deal with Timmons, which includes a signing bonus of just over $8 million and could be worth as much as $15 million, was reached late Sunday afternoon. A day earlier, the Steelers agreed to a three-year contract with cornerback William Gay. The fifth-round draft pick received a $106,000 signing bonus and his base salaries are $285,000, $370,000 and $460,000. Continue

Steelers sign rookie tight end Spaeth

Another one down, a big one to go. A busy week for the Steelers continued Friday when they signed third-round pick Matt Spaeth to a three-year contract. The 6-foot-7, 270-pound Spaeth last season won the Mackey Award, which is given to the top tight end in Division I-A college football. He left Minnesota as the school's all-time leader in receptions (109) and receiving yards (1,291) by a tight end.

The Steelers raised some eyebrows when they used their third-round pick on a tight end, but offensive coordinator Bruce Arians has said he likes using three-tight end sets. Starter Heath Miller, Jerame Tuman and Spaeth will allow the Steelers to do that this season. Continue

Steelers reach deal with No. 2 pick Woodley

The Steelers will have at least one of their prized linebacker prospects in camp on time. The team and second-round draft pick LaMarr Woodley reached an agreement on a four-year contract Wednesday. Woodley played defensive end for Michigan last season but will be converted to outside linebacker. Terms of the deal were not released.

The Steelers have come to terms with five of their eight draft choices, and they are close to an agreement with their third-round pick, Matt Spaeth. The tight end is expected to be in camp, which starts Monday at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, on time. Continue

Steelers sign seventh-round pick Baker

The Steelers have reached agreement on a three-year contract with seventh-round draft pick Dallas Baker, a wide receiver from Florida. Baker, 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds, will receive a signing bonus of $39,750 and base salaries of $285,000, 370,000 and $460,000.

The pace also has quickened on negotiations for a long-term contract extension for safety Troy Polamalu. The Steelers are hopeful an agreement can be reached with Polamalu by Sunday's 4 p.m. reporting deadline to St. Vincent College for training camp or soon thereafter. Continue

Timmons' agent, Steelers exchange proposals

The Steelers have exchanged contract proposals with first-round draft pick Lawrence Timmons, and a deal could be completed before the opening of training camp, agent Drew Rosenhaus said.

"We've both exchanged proposals, and I hope to meet with the team at some point in the near future," Rosenhaus said Monday. "Things are progressing at a good rate, and I'm still hopeful of getting a deal done before camp starts." The Steelers open training camp Monday at St. Vincent College -- the earliest start for any NFL team. The Steelers face the New Orleans Saints on Aug. 5 in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. Continue

Wait and see with signing Steelers' Timmons

Want to be the first to place your head on the chopping block? Go right ahead. Agent Drew Rosenhaus took the plunge once already. He probably won't be so quick to do it a second time. Rosenhaus represents tight end Greg Olsen, the No. 31 overall draft pick, who became the first first-rounder to sign. Olsen inked a five-year, $10.6 million contract with the Chicago Bears on July 3. The deal includes almost $4.9 million in bonuses and is about 10 percent higher than what last year's No. 31 pick received.

Rosenhaus' other first-round client, Florida State linebacker Lawrence Timmons, still hasn't signed with the Steelers, who open training camp July 23 at St. Vincent College. Rosenhaus told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review in May that "we have all the confidence" Timmons will be signed before camp starts. Continue

Steelers' LeBeau has plans for draft picks

Napkins, envelopes, random pieces of paper -- none have been safe around Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau lately. It is hardly uncommon for LeBeau (or any coach for that matter) to commit the ideas that are constantly swirling around his head to paper -- or whatever happens to be the closest thing on which he can write.

But LeBeau said there has been one significant difference between the creative impulse that followed the NFL draft and countless ones that preceded it. The Steelers' taking outside linebackers Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley with their first two picks has really brought out the mad scientist in LeBeau. Continue

Agent promises Timmons won't hold out

Wildly successful agent Drew Rosenhaus has never experienced a player holdout he didn't enjoy. But he has good news for Steelers fans who are concerned about his bad-guy reputation for holding teams hostage during contract negotiations. Rosenhaus guaranteed that first-round draft pick Lawrence Timmons will be signed in time for the start of training camp in July at Saint Vincent College. "We have all confidence that Lawrence will be signed before camp starts," Rosenhaus said.

Timmons, the Florida State linebacker who was the 15th overall player selected in this year's draft, will participate in his first official team function -- a mandatory minicamp Friday-Sunday at the Steelers' South Side facility. Continue

NFL draft speaks volumes about current Steelers players

The Steelers may not be precisely sure where their new additions fit in. But the NFL draft and the team's reaction to it was revealing in regard to how some players are being perceived. Punter Chris Gardocki, for example, is a goner. Dan Kreider, while in no danger of being let go, is going to play less of a role, as the Steelers diversify on offense and begin to rely more on their tight ends than their fullback.

Najeh Davenport and Verron Haynes, who technically isn't back on the roster but appears to have been offered an open door, have been rubber-stamped via the Steelers' decision not to draft a running back. Continue

Steelers' new punter already a hit on TV

There's a highlight of him from 2004 running under his 51-yard punt and then smacking North Texas return man Johnny Quinn to the turf. "Maybe the best hit we've had since I've been around here," gushed Baylor coach Guy Morriss at the time. "The kid bugs me every day about being a linebacker, and I understand why."

At 6 feet 2 1/2, Sepulveda is taller than the Steelers' first-round draft choice, linebacker Lawrence Timmons, and at 229 pounds just five pounds lighter -- and faster, considering Sepulveda has been clocked running the 40 at 4.43. Continue

Steelers had their reasons for TE pick

On a day in which the Steelers introduced top draft choice Lawrence Timmons at a news conference, the debate surrounding their No. 3 pick remained thick with dissenters. It's not a question of Matt Spaeth's talent or production or character, but what in the world the Steelers were doing drafting another tight end on the first day?

This is a team that has relied on its ground game more than any team in the NFL the past three decades, that has a new coach who said his primary goals are to win by attrition (to run and stop the run), one that drafted a pretty fair tight end in the first round just two years ago, and hasn't drafted a running back in the top three rounds in this century. Continue

No. 2 pick Woodley has right attitude

For a team that has produced some of the greatest players at the position in National Football League history, the Steelers have drafted only three linebackers in the first round in their 75-year history. But it isn't that rare for the team to pick players at the same position in each of the first two rounds, as the Steelers did when they drafted Lawrence Timmons of Florida State with their No. 1 pick and followed with Michigan's LaMarr Woodley, a defensive end who will be converted to outside linebacker.

The previous time the Steelers used their first two picks to take players at the same position was 1987 when cornerback Rod Woodson was drafted in the first round and cornerback Delton Hall was taken in the second. "This is a great day for me," linebackers coach Keith Butler said. Continue

Steelers draft WR Baker with team's last pick

The Steelers used their first pick on the second day of the NFL Draft on a punter and their final one on a wide receiver from the defending Division I-A national champions. In between, they added a defensive end, an offensive guard and a cornerback. The one position the Steelers did not address in the two-day draft was running back. The Steelers tabbed Baylor punter Daniel Sepulveda with their first pick in the fourth round (112 overall) Sunday and took Oklahoma State defensive tackle Ryan McBean (132) with a compensatory pick near the end of the round.

They followed with those selections with picks of Rutgers guard Cameron Stephenson (156) and Louisville cornerback William Gay (170) in the fifth round and Florida wide receiver Dallas Baker (227). Continue

Steelers bolster defense with first 2 picks

Chuck Noll valued "quick-twitch fiber," and Bill Cowher sought players who were able to "seize the moment." Mike Tomlin shed some light on what he appreciates Saturday with the selection of Florida State linebacker Lawrence Timmons with the 15th overall selection of the NFL draft. "He has what we call the 'R-H Factor,'" Tomlin said, assessing his initial first-round pick as head coach of the Steelers. "He's a runner and a hitter." The Steelers acquired another such player in the second round, 46th overall, when they picked Michigan defensive end LaMarr Woodley, who will be converted into an NFL outside linebacker.

Their third-round pick (No. 77 overall) was 6-foot-7, 270-pound tight end Matt Spaeth of Minnesota. Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians likened Spaeth to incumbent Heath Miller because of his field-stretching ability and because Spaeth had to establish for scouts that he was over a shoulder injury during the evaluation process. "We got a steal," Arians said. Continue

Steelers tap Michigan LB in second round

The Steelers drafted another outside linebacker in the second round today when they took LaMarr Woodley of Michigan. The position was the biggest need on the ballclub before the draft began and the Steelers attacked it by taking Lawrence Timmons of Florida State on the first round and Woodley on the second.

Woodley played defensive end the past two seasons at Michigan but the Steelers will convert him to a 3-4 outside linebacker, much the way they did with other college defensive ends, including their starter on the left side, Clark Haggans. At 6-1 1/2, 266 pounds, Woodley is an inch taller and 32 pounds heavier than Timmons. That's why they will put Woodley on the strong or left side and Timmons on the right. Continue

Steelers take linebacker Timmons

The Steelers today fulfilled their biggest need on their depth chart when they drafted outside linebacker Lawrence Timmons of Florida State with the 15th overall pick. The selection, made at 3 p.m., was long anticipated as a possibility and became more apparent as other players the Steelers coveted were drafted before their turn.

Timmons is a 6-0 1/2, 234-pounder who opted for the draft after his junior season. Two defensive ends the Steelers would have loved to take with their first-round pick were gone before they had a chance. Jamaal Anderson of Arkansas was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the eighth pick and Adam Carriker of Nebraska went 13th to the St. Louis Rams. Continue

Steelers hold the 15th pick, Pitt's Darrelle Revis seems to be their man

They can call it the NFL draft all they want, but today the Steelers will play poker, and they are among the ones ready to deal. With the 15th pick in this draft, the Steelers reside in an ideal spot to trade. There will be a handful of teams willing to offer a prized draft choice to swap places with them in the first round, and Jacksonville is at the top of that list. The Jaguars want Pitt cornerback Darrelle Revis more than anything. Jacksonville picks 17th, two spots behind the Steelers. The Jaguars know the Steelers also like Revis and could draft him if they stay at No. 15. Continue

Not all linebackers and defensive ends are created equal

The Steelers, led by new coach Mike Tomlin, have made it sound as if switching from their customary 3-4 defense into a 4-3 can be done as readily as calling it from the sideline. Maybe so, if you have the personnel. The Steelers, as constituted today, do not have the personnel to line up in a 4-3 with any consistency. Pressed on the matter, Tomlin admitted as much.

The Steelers will have to draft some defensive linemen this weekend if they want to even think of using a 4-3 with any regularity in the coming season or perhaps 2008. Their coaches have noted that the Steelers often used a four-man line in the past under Bill Cowher. But those defenses were used only in passing situations and were nothing close to resembling a 4-3 Tampa 2 system that Tomlin has coached for his six years in the NFL. Continue

Steelers' second-round picks don't always produce

As with every team, talk of the upcoming NFL draft regarding the Steelers is dominated by whom they will take in the first round. But the pick the Steelers make in the second round, assuming they keep the 46th overall selection, also is shaping up as a critical one.

The Steelers have needs at multiple positions, and history -- their own and the rest of the league's -- shows that great players can be found in the second round. Hall of Fame linebackers Jack Ham and Jack Lambert were Steelers second-round selections, as were Pro Bowl linebackers Levon Kirkland and Chad Brown two decades later. Continue

This time, Steelers looking for starters, not depth

For a team that professes the NFL draft should be about acquiring talent rather than filling needs, the Pittsburgh Steelers certainly have been predictable lately in the early rounds. A receiver, or a defensive back. A defensive back, or a receiver. Of their top 15 picks in the last eight drafts — they dealt away their second-round pick last year — the Steelers chose five receivers and four defensive backs. During this time, five of their first-rounders were receivers, cornerbacks or safeties.

Despite all this stockpiling at only a couple of positions, the Steelers go into this weekend's draft under new coach Mike Tomlin with a familiar but longer-than-usual list of needs. Yes, wide receiver and cornerback are among them, as are a pass-rushing defensive lineman or linebacker and an offensive lineman. Continue

NFL teams rarely fumble draft secrets

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin had just given (gasp!) an actual opinion about a draft prospect, Pitt cornerback Darrelle Revis. Kevin Colbert, the team's director of football operations, then was asked about another highly regarded local product, Penn State and Hopewell's Paul Posluszny, at what loosely qualified as a news conference Monday.

"You got your one," Colbert said, making the room break up in laughter. The irony of the NFL Draft is that as much speculation as it generates -- mock drafts bloom like flowers at this time of year -- and as much of a media spectacle as it has become, it is still largely shrouded in secrecy. (Pitt Tribune)

Steelers unlikely to go up in draft

The Steelers are more likely to make a trade and move down the ladder in the first round from their No. 15 position than move up. Or so they say. Kevin Colbert, the team's director of football operations, also said they would consider trading players -- and that presumably would include unhappy guard Alan Faneca. "Sure, we're open to everything," Colbert said. "You never say never on any given situation. If you say you wouldn't do it and then all of a sudden someone proposes something crazy, you have to consider it." Continue

Pitt cornerback Revis interests Steelers

The Steelers, like most teams, don't like to talk about which players they are interested in drafting. But coach Mike Tomlin did acknowledge the team would have an interest in taking Pitt cornerback Darrelle Revis in the first round of the draft Saturday. "He's definitely a viable guy," Tomlin said Monday during a draft briefing. "I don't think his name is too far (down) on any of the 32 (draft) boards." The 5-11 1/2, 204-pound Revis is widely considered one of the top cornerbacks in the draft and a sure first-round pick.

The Steelers might look for a cornerback early in the draft, and they are well aware of Revis. They share a practice facility with Pitt, and director of football operations Kevin Colbert said the Steelers are especially diligent about evaluating draft prospects from schools that are nearby, such as Pitt, Penn State, West Virginia and Ohio State. Continue

Steelers look for versatility in first round

The last time the Steelers had the 15th pick in the NFL Draft, they took a pass-rushing outside linebacker who tormented opposing quarterbacks in college. As for Huey Richardson working out in Pittsburgh, well, not so much. He lasted about as long as a "Huey Lewis & the News" concert, and the Steelers haven't used their top draft pick on a linebacker since they made that colossal mistake with Richardson in 1991.

It would be heresy to Steelers fans to suggest that history will repeat itself Saturday. The Steelers taking a player like Richardson -- with the emphasis being on player -- at No. 15 overall would make sense, since they could use a pass-rushing, outside linebacker in the wake of Joey Porter's release. Continue

Tough to tell who Steelers are targeting in draft

Two weeks before the NFL draft, it's safe to assume the Steelers won't select Penn State linebacker Paul Posluszny with their first-round pick. Posluszny would be a popular choice. He's a Western Pennsylvania high-school football star and Butkus Award winner who has former Steelers linebacker Jack Ham's seal of approval. And the Steelers do need to begin grooming a young outside linebacker who can be effective in a 3-4 or 4-3 alignment. Trouble is, the Steelers just aren't showing Posluszny much love.

At least not when you consider the team hasn't invited Posluszny for an interview, according to agent Mike McCartney, nor has it given him the personal attention they've bestowed upon fellow linebackers Lawrence Timmons (Florida State) and Jon Beason (Miami). Timmons has interviewed with the team, and Beason's interview is scheduled for next week. Continue

Illinois State WR Laurent Robinson visits Steelers

Illinois State wide receiver Laurent Robinson, who improved his draft stock with an impressive performance at the NFL Scouting Combine, visited the Steelers South Side facility Thursday. Robinson (6-2, 199) ran the 40 in 4.38 seconds at the Combine and had a 39-inch vertical jump.

He caught 86 passes for 1,465 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2005, but was limited to 40 catches for 718 yards with seven TDs last season after missing four games with an ankle injury. (Tribune-Review)

Steelers interview OT Brown

Penn State offensive tackle Levi Brown visited the Steelers' South Side facility Wednesday. He's the first projected first-round draft pick to meet with team officials during the final round of interviews for the upcoming NFL Draft.

Brown (6-foot-5, 321 pounds) who should be among the top 10 selections in the draft, isn't expected to be available when the Steelers pick at No. 15. But he's a big-time talent, and the Steelers have a history of moving up in the draft. Last year, the Steelers traded up so they could draft wide receiver Santonio Holmes in the first round. Continue

Steelers entertain Oklahoma St. prospect McBean

The Steelers continued their interview process with prospective draft picks yesterday, inviting Oklahoma State defensive tackle Ryan McBean to their South Side facility. McBean (6-foot-4, 277 pounds) started all 13 games in 2006 and recorded 25 tackles, seven tackles for a loss and 4 1/2 sacks. (Tribune-review)

Two college prospects visit Steelers

The Steelers entertained two college prospects yesterday, the first day NFL rules permit players to visit teams before the April 28-29 draft. Running back Antonio Pittman of Ohio State and defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis of Hawaii spent time visiting the coaches and scouts at the Steelers' UPMC facility.

Each team is permitted to have 30 player visits until April 20. The players normally do not work out during their visits; some take physicals. Pittman stands 5 feet 11 and weighs 207. He rushed for 1,233 yards last season with a 5.1-yard average and 1,331 yards in 2005 with a 5.5-yard average. Alama-Francis is 6-5, 250 and scouts say he ultimately should play end in a 3-4. He had five sacks last season and 10 in 2005. He led Hawaii with 16 quarterback pressures last season. Continue

Steelers study first-round options

What the Steelers have done during the free-agent signing period -- or, better put, what they haven't done -- is more proof that the team prefers to replenish its roster the old-fashioned way. To that end, director of football operations Kevin Colbert and coach Mike Tomlin will meet today with team scouts in what will be the first of what figure to be many discussions about what strategy the Steelers will take into the NFL Draft.

Last week, while Colbert and Tomlin were at the NFL owners' meetings in Phoenix, college scouting coordinator Ron Hughes and others in player personnel started putting together a list of players that the Steelers would have interest in as second-day draft picks or undrafted free agents. Continue

FSU LB appears on Steelers' draft radar

So much for rumors and innuendo. The Steelers will leave the speculation and guesswork of next month's NFL Draft to prying media members and the team's vast legion of fans. The Steelers deal in facts, and the facts tell them Florida State linebacker Lawrence Timmons is a strong candidate to be taken with their first-round pick (No. 15 overall). How much do the Steelers think of Timmons?
Count the ways:
• Steelers coaches, scouts and front-office staff observed Timmons at the NFL Scouting Combine in February.
• Coach Mike Tomlin and director of football operations Kevin Colbert observed Timmons at Florida State's Pro Day on March 15. Continue

NFL gives team 2 more draft picks

The NFL issued the Steelers two compensatory draft choices in the fourth and fifth rounds. A pick in the fourth round is the first of the compensatory choices -- the 33rd in the round and No. 132 overall. They also received the first compensatory pick of the fifth round -- the 33rd in the round and No. 170 overall.

The two extra picks, along with selections in each of the seven rounds, gives the Steelers nine choices in next month's draft. Last season the Steelers lost Chris Hope, Antwaan Randle El and Kimo von Oelhoffen in free agency and signed Ryan Clark. (Post-Gazette)

Steelers stay with proven free-agent formula

He is a Pro Bowl linebacker in the prime of his career. He is versatile enough to play in any defensive scheme. And Adalius Thomas probably has only a slightly better chance of landing in Pittsburgh than a spaceship, even though the Steelers are a team in transition and have a need at linebacker.

Thomas is the marquee name in this year's free-agent class, but the Steelers' approach to this phase of player acquisition typically has been a restrained one. Which makes them unlikely to get into the bidding war that is sure to ensue over Thomas and other premier free agents such as cornerback Nate Clements when the signing period begins Friday. Continue

Draft will determine if it's 3-4 or 4-3

What kind of structure the Steelers use to play defense this season could come down to simply whether they draft someone such as Jarvis Moss or Paul Posluszny. Each suits the 4-3 defense more than the 3-4, which is the kind the Steelers have used for nearly a quarter of a century. Coach Mike Tomlin said he will let the talent on his team dictate which defense they play, but it will be him and Kevin Colbert who decide what talent they pick in the April draft that could lead them in one direction or the other.

Pick someone such as Moss or Posluszny and it signals a 4-3. Moss stands a tad taller than 6 feet 6 and played defensive end at Florida. Mel Kiper, in his first mock draft, picked him for the Steelers at No. 15. The Steelers interviewed him at the NFL Combine and talked with him about possibly playing linebacker, as many teams have. In reality, the 250-pounder is a perfect, pass-rushing defensive end in a 4-3. Continue

Steelers must work to make most of top pick in draft

Like finding a needle in a haystack. Somewhere, among the 300-plus college players attending the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, is the Steelers' first-round draft pick. That much we do know. Along with what we don't know. In fact, what we don't know right now is more than what we do know.

We do know the Steelers need help at several positions, mostly on defense. A fire-breathing, pass-rushing defensive end such Clemson's Gaines Adams or Arkansas' Jamaal Anderson would be nice, but both will be gone before the Steelers select with the 15th pick. If the Steelers want to draft a defensive end in the first round, they might have to dip down in the talent pool for Florida's Jarvis Brown or Nebraska's Adam Carriker. Continue