Staley Hurts Positioning With Steelers

Duce Staley reportedly lost $100,000 worth of jewelry at 4:00 AM in a fight at a gentlemen's club earlier this morning. In my opinion, Staley was already on the fence as far as making the team next year. He's already taken a boatload of money from the organization and has not produced much in return. Duce started out the 2004 season on fire before being injured before the Eagles game in week 7. He came back for a brief appearance in the playoffs but the team belonged to Bettis (again) by then. This year was much worse as Duce barely suited up. I was literally shocked to see him in uniform at the Super Bowl. I distinctly remember Bam Morris being arrested shortly after the Steelers appeared in Super Bowl XXX. He was caught with enough marijuana in his trunk to get an entire university high. He was summarily released by the Rooney's who do NOT put up with questionable characters who may bring disgrace to the franchise. If Plaxico were more like Hines Ward, he might still be a Steeler and own a Super Bowl ring. Ever since Joey Porter got shot (as a bystander) outside a bar in Colorado, Bill Cowher has preached responsibility to his players. He tells them to make the right choices and not put themselves in positions where they might get into trouble. He also tells them all the time to watch out for opportunistic types and distance themselves from troublemakers. Staley getting into a fight at a strip club did nothing to make his stock rise in the organization. I like Duce and I'd like to see him be able to fill Bettis' shoes next season, but his toughness and willingness to play hurt have always come into quesiton. Stay tuned. When he gets motivated, he is hard to tackle. I clearly remember him being a force in the Eagles NFC Championship game against Carolina a few years ago. It was taking 3-4 Panthers to tackle him every time he touched the ball. I haven't seen it yet in a black and gold uniform.