Steelers notebook
Mathis wins out over Moore PITTSBURGH – Who says there’s no room in the NFL for the little man? Not the Pittsburgh Steelers, who chose 5-foot-10 Terance Mathis over 6-4 Herman Moore in what had become a free-agent showdown between record-setting wide receivers.
The Steelers on Thursday signed Mathis to a one-year contract for $775,000. Because it’s a one-year deal and Mathis received a signing bonus of only $25,000, the Steelers will be charged only $450,000 against the salary cap, according to a new league rule designed to promote the signing of veterans with 10 years or more experience.
Mathis, 35, is a 12-year NFL veteran with 666 career receptions for 8,591 yards and 61 touchdowns. He’s also a co-holder (with Carl Pickens) of the record for single-game receptions against the Steelers. Mathis caught 12 passes in a 1999 game at Three Rivers Stadium.
Last season, his eighth with the Atlanta Falcons, Mathis caught 51 passes for 564 yards and two touchdowns. He was signed a day after visiting the Steelers’ practice facility and two days after the Steelers hosted Moore, the former wide receiver with the Detroit Lions.
“What it came down to was, really, who was the best fit,” said Kevin Colbert, the Steelers’ director of football operations. “Having lost Bobby Shaw … we drafted Antwaan Randle El and Antwaan will be a big part in replacing Bobby. But we don’t know how quickly that will happen.
“We really liken this signing a lot to Mike Jones from last year. Mike was brought in to fill the gap until Kendrell (Bell) was ready, and, of course, Kendrell exceeded our expectations and bypassed Mike. But it was good to have Mike there even when Kendrell beat him out as a starter. Mike was still there to support him and help him learn. I think Terance will give us both the on-the-field, actual playing and be able to help Antwaan with the transition as he learns the (slot) position.”
The Steelers began making plans to sign Mathis in February, when the Falcons released him. The Steelers waited until the draft was over, then decided there was no need to rush and hoped Mathis would remain available until after the June 1 cuts were made.
“When Herman was released, we decided to pursue both Herman and Terance,” Colbert said. “In the end we felt that Terance was the best fit for what we need right now and we’re very excited to have him join our team.”
The signing gives the Steelers 79 players on their roster, not including the six playing in NFL Europe that are exempt from being counted toward the 80-man limit.
The Steelers can sign another player, but Colbert said Thursday that player wouldn’t be former wide receiver Will Blackwell, who’d been practicing with the team this spring. Coach Bill Cowher also weighed in on another roster move that won’t be made.
“There has been speculation about us signing a veteran player and then consequently cutting Troy Edwards,” Cowher said. “That’s absolutely not true. It has nothing to do with the cap. The cap will give us nothing whether he is here or not here. I think it is about bringing in a receiver that can help a very young group of receivers that we have.”
Thursday marked the final day of the Steelers’ spring practice schedule. They’ll break until July 24, when they’ll begin training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe.
“I think the last three weeks have been very good. It has been very competitive,” said Cowher. “I think there is a legitimate excitement that exists on the team from the standpoint that they understand the expectations and they understand the opportunity, particularly when you look around and still see a lot of the same faces coming off the field that came off last year.”
CASEY AT THE PLATE: His nickname among teammates last year was “Big”, as in Casey “Big” Hampton. But they may be calling him “Bigger” Hampton this year.
The second-year nose tackle has been told to report back to training camp at his rookie weight of 318 pounds. Earlier this week, Hampton weighed in at 331.
“And that’s down a bit,” said one Steelers official. “He was up to 340 last month. That was a little much. He’s still moving well, but we’d like to see him at 318.”
NORM! Even though Cowher hasn’t watched him perform yet, his first impression of new kicker Todd Peterson was a good one.
“When I talked with Todd, the one thing that I liked was that he reminds me a lot of Norm Johnson,” Cowher said. “He is a kind of a veteran guy who has been there, who is very, very confident in his own abilities and I like his demeanor. So, I think we will be fine with him.”