Taylor signs five-year deal
PITTSBURGH – Ike Taylor made two interceptions at Sunday’s practice. News bulletin or evolving young cornerback? “I’ve got hands now,” Taylor said. “I was saying that to myself: Two picks, wow, it must be the money.”
It’s gotta be the money.
Taylor, the Steelers’ cornerback who says he dropped 12 interceptions last season, signed a five-year contract that will keep him with the team through the 2010 season. Taylor’s deal is worth $22.5 million and includes a $6.4 million signing bonus.
“I’m happy,” said Taylor. “I’ll be in Pittsburgh the next five years and that’s where I wanted to be at. So I’m here, I’m staying, I ain’t going nowhere. This is where I wanted to be.”
Taylor promised reporters several times during training camp that he’d sign with the Steelers before venturing into free agency next March. He said he wanted to pay back the fans, his teammates and most importantly Dan Rooney.
“That’s my guy. I call him Pops,” Taylor said. “Any type of question I have he’s the guy I go to. I look at him as a father figure and go to him with any type of questions.”
Taylor said he and Rooney became close towards the end of Taylor’s rookie year. Now, Taylor said, he wants to upgrade Rooney’s wardrobe with some of his bonus.
“He’s old school. He don’t like to change too much,” Taylor said. “I got him into flip-flops to be comfortable. I want to get him into some shorts, but I’ve been working on that for two years and it hasn’t worked out.”
Taylor intercepted only one pass last regular season, but picked off two in the playoffs, including one in the Super Bowl. He’s only been a starter at left cornerback for one season, but during that season was responsible for going man-to-man with opposing No. 1 receivers such as Chad Johnson, Marvin Harrison and Muhsin Muhammad. Taylor is expected to play a key role in Thursday’s night’s defense of Miami star receiver Chris Chambers.
Injury Report
Hines Ward returned to the practice field after missing three weeks of training camp with a hamstring injury. He ran well and reported no soreness afterwards.
Tight end Jerame Tuman did not practice, but sprinted on the sideline and said his hamstring felt better.
Center Chukky Okobi did not practice because of a minor knee injury suffered in the last preseason game.
Practice Squad
The Steelers signed eight players yesterday to their practice squad and all eight worked with the team at training camp, as did the ninth practice-squad player, WR Marvin Allen, who is part of the International Player Development Program.
The players signed back were TE Jon Dekker, DE Orien Harris, RB Cedric Humes, QB Omar Jacobs, FB John Kuhn, CB Anthony Madison, DE Shaun Nua and OT Brandon Torrey.
New Running Back
The Steelers traded a conditional draft pick Saturday for Patrick Cobbs, who was New England’s leading rusher this preseason.
Cobbs is a 5-foot-8, 210-pounder who times in the 4.6 to 4.7 range but who is said to play faster. Cobbs led the nation in rushing as a sophomore at North Texas, the school that produced “Mean” Joe Greene.
“Yeah, Joe Greene talked to me a couple times,” Cobbs said. “I thought a couple teams showed interest in me, but unfortunately on draft day I was sitting at the house and even after draft day I was sitting at the house and I was getting ready to head to Montreal when I got a phone call from New England and they gave me a shot and it landed me here.”