Smith Done For The Year?

Mike Tomlin said at his press conference today that end Aaron Smith may have to have season ending surgery on a torn bicep. Ouch! That would mean Eason and Travis Kirschke would have to step up, much like Chris Hoke did a few years ago. Not sure if any ends are on the practice squad (or the street for that matter) but another injury to a key starter is not what we need heading into the Jacksonville game and the playoffs. Maybe Tomlin can get Woodley into the game more to help pass rush? Who knows how this will shake out? Hopefully we'll get better news later tonight or tomorrow morning.

Smith Gets New Deal, 3-4 Staying

Aaron Smith staying around to retire a Steeler or at minimum play another 2-3 years in the 'Burgh signals what the short term plan is for new coach Mike Tomlin. Finding a solid replacement for Smith would be hard for the next few years. It's not that he's untouchable and we should be grooming a replacement - it's that this team is still equipped to win it all with the current lineup and a few tweaks. I don't personally feel that a tweak is needed on the defensive line at this point. Hampton and Smith have played a lot of games together and Keisel played well last year. I also think the contract is a decent enough deal with the cap going up to $90 million dollars. Don't get me wrong, this doesn't excite me nearly as much as it will when Polamalu or Roethlisberger is resigned - but when you look at the makeup of the team, the DL starters are set in stone and with Hoke signed, Hampton is backed up sufficiently. Maybe the plan is for the contract to really be a 2 year deal and be looking at a younger player, but the cap will keep going up making the later part of the contract still acceptable when he gets to it. The bigger question is - what to do with Joey Porter? I remember the Steelers kept Greg Lloyd late in his career and let Chad Brown walk. It turned out to be a bad decision in retrospect. Also, after it was clear to Steeler Nation that Jason Gildon just didn't have it any more - he was retained past his prime and hurt the team badly in my estimation. Porter can be an enigma. He completely destroyed Manning in the playoff game during the Super Bowl run, but he also disappears completely from other games. I'm hoping that when he does disappear, it's because he's being doubled allowing someone else to make a play. There is no doubt that he's also one of the emotional leaders of the team - but his emotions also cause many issues. At times last year I was surprised that he wasn't yanked from a game until he calmed down. Porter will be interesting because we can afford to pay him what he's due this year and then let him walk - although he might hold out. We could keep him for the next 3-4 years only if the money is right - and he won't like what I think is right. He's on the down side of his career and even if he maintains his current level of play for 2007 and 2008 - I'd hate to be paying him $4 million dollars a year in 2009 just to watch him be too slow like Gildon was near the end. James Harrison has to start at some point. Why not this year? Could Porter be traded on draft day? You bet. I won't be surprised by anything that happens concerning him and I'm not sure what I want to happen to him right now. I'm loyal...but not Bill Cowher loyal. I love it that on a player's poll of 350+ current players, Peezey ranked #1 for most feared player. I like intimidation. I don't like stupid penalties. I think The Dog feels his time is over. I'm tempted to have him play this year for what we owe him and then decide what to do. Look, if we are resigning Troy and Ben this year - Porter has to go. Of all the players that we need to keep, I'm just not sure he fits into those plans. I will hate to see him go. You know he'll probably also tell tales out of school once gone. I wish they could agree on a fair contract where he would play this entire year and then start to come in more just to pass rush in later years. I don't think that will happen. I'm predicting it will get ugly and he's played his last game for the Black-n-Gold.