Looking towards the 2013 season

Well, it's the day after the Super Bowl, the 2012-13 football season is officially over. And what a crappy season it was for Steelers Nation. Mike Wallace holds out of training camp and then goes on to have a rather crappy season. Ben Roethlisberger gets hurt right as the offense starts to get on a roll. We lose to the Cleveland Browns....the FREAKING BROWNS!!!!!!!!!! We miss the playoffs. The Super Bowl is a real punch to the gut...either the 49ers tie us with six Super Bowl wins or...our arch enemy, the Baltimore Ravens win it. The Ravens win it, and Ray fricking Lewis rides off into the sunset on top.

So I, for one, am glad that this season is OVER!

Now everyone is tied at 0-0. Everyone is in first place. It's time to look at the 2013 season for the Pittsburgh Steelers....and that starts with the offseason.

The Steelers have a good amount of free agents. Lets take a look at the list.

Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA's)
Mike Wallace, WR
Rashard Mendenhall, RB
Will Allen, S
Charlie Batch, QB
Plaxico Burress, WR
Larry Foote, LB
Ramon Foster, G
Casey Hampton, DT
Brandon Johnson, LB
Juston King, LB
Byron Leftwich, QB
Doug Legursky, OL
Keenan Lewis, CB
Ryan Mundy, S
Leonard Pope, TE
Max Starks, OT
Greg Warren, LS

Restricted Free Agents (RFA's)
Jonathon Dwyer, RB
Steve McLendon, DT
Issac Redman, RB
Emmanuel Sanders, WR
Stevenson Slyvester, LB

Exclusive Rights Free Agents (ERFA's)
Baron Batch, RB
DeMarcus Van Dyke, CB

Now the RFA's and ERFA's I am not worried about whatsoever. It's been years since one tendered has been signed by another team. If nobody went after Mike Wallace in free agency last year, then nobody is going after our restricted guys. Nobody on that list is going somewhere else if they get tendered by the Steelers.

Now the UFA list is one that is split into three sections: Guys I don't want back, guys I want back, and guys I want back for the right price.

Guys I Want Back

Max Starxs, OT  - Max Starks isn't an elite tackle. The Steelers know that, the fans know that, and Starks himself knows that. However he is a good tackle. And if he wants to come back, and we can make the contract work with us always being up against the salary cap, then I welcome him back with open arms. Marcus Gilbert is an injury risk and Mike Adams had an up-and-down rookie year that ended on IR. Starks would compete for a starting job and at the least be an excellent backup at both tackle positions.

Plaxico Burress, WR - Burress returned to the Steelers when wide receiver depth suffered due to some injuries. Burress accepted a lesser role in the offense. With how he left after the 2004 season, many fans didn't want him back. I feel he had to earn not only the trust of the fans, but the trust of the team. I think he earned it and would be a good third receiver on the outside, moving Sanders or Brown to the slot in three-receiver sets.

Keenan Lewis, CB - Going into last season there were a lot of questions about the starting corner spot across from Ike Taylor. Keenan Lewis plays phenomenal and honestly showed that he could be a #1 CB in the NFL. If the Steelers want to remain one of the top defenses in the NFL, they have to lock Lewis up.

Doug Legursky, OL - This guy is like the little engine that could. He's an undersized offensive lineman that can play guard and center. He knows he's not a starter, but a guy that can play either guard position and center is a valuable guy to have on the team as a backup.

Guys I Don't Want Back

Mike Wallace, WR - I was hoping Mike Wallace would have one hell of a season and truly earn the big contract that he coveted last offseason. Instead, he whined all offseason and then held out of training camp...and he's been here long enough to know that the Steelers will not negotiate with a player not in camp. Then there were times during the season that he wasn't even trying. Giving up on routes, not blocking down field, not fighting for balls...hell not even trying to knock them down so they aren't intercepted. Then, in the season finale which meant little more than pride because the Steelers were eliminated from the playoffs, Wallace showed his true colors....he held himself out of the game to avoid a possible injury going into free agency. That's not something that a Pittsburgh Steeler does.

Rashard Mendenhall, RB - Mendenhall was a first round pick who had a few good years. In the regular season finale of the 2012 season, he tore his ACL. He came back this season and just imploded. He fumbled the ball three times in a mere 51 carries. Then for the game against San Diego, when he was told he wouldn't be active for the game, he chose to no show on game day. Being deactivated isn't permission to not attend the game. I feel that he wants to be gone, and the Steelers shouldn't even offer him a contract.

Byron Leftwich, QB - Leftwich has been an injury waiting to happen. He can't even hold up for one game. He's not young, nor do I feel he understands the game well enough to be of any help to Ben Roethlisberger on the sidelines. I would much rather draft someone in the third round or so and groom them to not only be the #2 QB, but possibly one day take over when Big Ben walks away from the game. Leftwich isn't worth the roster spot that he would take off.

The rest of the UFA list, I would take back at the right price. None of them would be guaranteed a starting job, and most would be just depth at various positions and play special teams.

The 2013 NFL Rookie Draft

It's now time to start really looking at the NFL draft. So here are what I feel are the teams' biggest needs, in no particular order.

Backup Quarterback - The Steelers don't have a guy who's young and can step in for a game or two if needed, nor do they have anyone that they are grooming behind Ben Roethlisberger. I think it's time to get someone, and the draft is the perfect place to do this.
Outside Linebacker - James Harrison is on the wrong side of thirty and played all last season with a bad back, not to mention he could be a cap casualty this offseason. LaMarr Woodley had hamstring issues again. I don't believe the team has the next great Steelers outside linebacker currently on the roster. Maybe they can find that guy this offseason.
Offensive Line - In the past three seasons the Steelers have taken the following offensive linemen in the first two rounds: Maurkice Pouncey (center), Marcus Gilbert (tackle), David Decastro (guard), Mike Adams (tackle). These guys should be the core of the offensive line for years to come, should turn that part of the team into the strength. However, I think we might be able to draft a better player for left guard. Foster isn't that good, in my opinion. Willie Colon can't stay healthy to save his life. And Doug Legursky is nothing more than a backup. Maybe a second round guard can be taken to put nothing but first and second round picks making holes for the run game and protecting our franchise quarterback.
Safety - Troy Polamalu is a constant injury risk. There have been rumors floating around the Twitterverse that Ryan Clark might be released this offseason, though nobody can say why. The team needs to find a young playmaker at one of the two safety positions to at least groom behind the Polamalu/Clark combo we currently have.

The Division is Still Attainable

A week ago, after getting beat badly by the San Francisco 49ers 20-3, many members of Steeler Nation were thinking that we are looking at likely the #5 seed in the AFC Playoffs. The night before, the Baltimore Ravens were blown out by the San Diego Chargers, and if the Steelers could just beat San Francisco; they would be in the driver's seat for not only the AFC North crown, but also the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs.

Big Ben Roethlisberger was hobbled, almost a one-legged quarterback. There wasn't enough zip on his throws and the ball sailed, causing him to throw three interceptions. He also fumbled the ball while being sacked, unable to be as mobile as normal due to a high ankle sprain.

On Christmas Eve, Ben rested. Charlie Batch started at Heinz Field against the St. Louis Rams. I was confident we could win this game with Big Ben, I was just hoping Batch could get through the game without breaking like a fine piece of china. I got my wish, and the Pittsburgh Steelers shut out the Rams 27-0.

The Baltimore Ravens also won their game against the Cleveland Browns. However the Ravens allowed the Browns to come back from a 20-0 hole in the second half and get the score to 20-14. On fourth-and-two, the Ravens lined up as if they were going to run a play in hopes of getting a Browns player to jump offside. The entire world knew that Baltimore was not going to run a play, but rookie first round draft pick Phil Taylor jumped offside anyhow, giving the Ravens a first down and allowing them to run out the clock since Cleveland was out of timeouts.

Both the Steelers and the Ravens hold an 11-4 record going into the final week of the regular season. Due to a season sweep of the Steelers, the Ravens hold the tie-breaker and technically have the division lead. The only way the Steelers can take the division would be for the Steelers to win and the Ravens to lose in the final week of the season.

The Steelers play the Browns. Even without Roethlisberger, the Steelers can beat the Browns next week. The Ravens play the Cincinnati Bengals, a team who is still fighting for a Wild Card berth in the AFC playoffs. The Bengals are playing very good football, and I think they have a great shot at beating the Ravens which would put the Steelers into the playoffs as the AFC North Champions and the #2 seed in the AFC.

Steeler Nation, it is still a possibility that the Steelers end up with a first round bye. While we do not control our own destiny, we have to rely on the Bengals of all teams to get us the AFC North crown. Otherwise, we've clinched the fifth seed and will likely not see a home playoff game in the playoffs.

Get those Terrible Towels waving, the Steelers could walk off of the field in Cleveland next Sunday AFC North Champions!