Steelers have that empty feeling
PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Steelers watched from their easy chairs or their vacation spots Sunday as a New England Patriots team they easily defeated during the season won the Super Bowl for the third time in four years. Were they left with an empty feeling after going 15-1 during the best regular season in franchise history, only to lose to the Patriots in the AFC championship game for the second time in four seasons? Absolutely.
Instead of being the home of Super Bowl champions, as it was during the 1970s, Pittsburgh has become only a stopping-off point for winners en route to their final destination. For the fourth time in 11 seasons, a visiting team claimed the AFC title in Pittsburgh.
Wide receiver Hines Ward hopes those memories of losing drive the Steelers during their offseason, just as their determination to atone for their 6-10 season in 2003 drove them a year ago.
“It’s just the worst feeling ever,” Ward said. “It’s just a sick feeling to sit out there and watch those guys celebrating.”
Emotions aside, the Steelers are two weeks into an offseason that promises to be as eventful as that of a year ago, when they accelerated their turnaround by signing free agent Duce Staley and drafting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
With the free agent signing period upcoming in three weeks and the draft following six weeks after that, the Steelers have many decisions to make. Among them are whether they should:
-Bring back Bettis? Jerome Bettis’ retirement decision may hinge on how strongly the Steelers signal they want him back. The NFL’s No. 5 career rusher agreed to a $2.7 million pay cut this season but, after having seven 100-yard games in eight starts, may not be so generous this time.
With $2.15 million already committed to Staley in 2005 salary, the Steelers may not have much more than the $1 million they paid Bettis last season available for what effectively is a No. 2 running back. If he wants much more money, Bettis may have to go elsewhere to get it, something he has always said he wouldn’t do.
-Bring back Burress? Roethlisberger has all but pleaded with coach Bill Cowher and director of football operations Kevin Colbert to bring back wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who is eligible for free agency. The Steelers could tag him as their franchise player, but that would cost an estimated $7 million – likely, too much for a team already committed to re-signing four-time Pro Bowl receiver Ward.
“Time will tell,” Cowher said.
-Burden Big Ben? It wouldn’t seem necessary to tinker with a quarterback who just went 14-1 as a rookie. But after throwing 10 interceptions in his final five starts, Roethlisberger admittedly needs more work to get himself to a championship level. He’ll likely spend much of the offseason studying the zone defenses he increasingly saw and eliminating the flaws (poor footwork, repeatedly overthrowing his receivers) he showed late in the season.
-Overhaul the offensive line? The Steelers started the same unit all season – All-Pros Alan Faneca and Jeff Hartings, plus Pro Bowl tackle Marvel Smith, guard Keydrick Vincent and tackle Oliver Ross. But with right guard Kendall Simmons (knee) returning after missing the season and tackle Max Starks seemingly ready to start, Vincent and Ross likely may leave through free agency so they can remain starters.
-Scuttle Scott? Cornerback Chad Scott was the Steelers’ highest-paid defensive player at nearly $4 million, only to wind up as Willie Williams’ backup after being injured for two months. The Steelers could create cap room by releasing Scott and plugging in 2004 second-round draft pick Richard Colclough.
-Bid bye-bye to Bell? The Steelers all but signaled their intentions of letting former defensive star Kendrell Bell walk by not activating him for the AFC title game when he was healthy. Larry Foote lacks Bell’s big-play skills, but played solidly all season and seems likely to return as a starting inside linebacker.
The Steelers also must adjust to a less-favorable schedule in 2005, facing the Patriots and Colts among others. After playing nearly their entire 2004 season on Sunday afternoons, the Steelers are likely to play two or three Monday night games and a couple of Sunday night games. They may also have games moved after the season starts since the league can now shift games to Monday nights to prevent unattractive late-season matchups.