Steelers continue the purge: Smith, Kemoeatu, Farrior to be released along with Ward

Originally posted by AB83Rules:

Originally posted by ImaMod:

Originally posted by AB83Rules:
They are screwed. What hurts them is when they redid those deals of Ben, Woodley, Taylor, etc.. They added so much money into 2013 and beynd. They added 8M more for Ben when he reduced his salary by over 8M.

I agree, theyre basically pushing their problem from this year to the next couple of years

Yep, they are hurting themselves big time. Same said about what Oakland does, they are 19M over, might be more since Branch was tagged

lol - the wording was that he "will" be tagged. I can't wait to see the news tomorrow when all of the names come pouring out that they are cutting or restructuring in order to get on the right side of the cap. Just to franchise Branch they'd have to clear or restructure $25M.

good. no sevenburg

Originally posted by sfout:
IMO this is their version of "The Great Salary Cap Purge" of 9er lore. If they lose Wallace to an RFA offersheet they will have their backs against the wall to extend Antonio Bryant or they could slide back to the pre-Big Ben days and be another mediocre team again.

the difference is how well the Steelers are run. You have an excellent coach in Tomlin, Colbert is still there.. they still have Ben and a couple other WRs besides Wallace who can ball. They are simply getting rid of guys in their 30s. I still expect Pittsburgh to be elite, they still did make the playoffs without Ben you know

does this help them getting mike wallace?

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:
does this help them getting mike wallace?

somewhat kinda

Sign Chris Kemoeatu and stick him at right guard. Two Polynesians on the OLine? Beast mode.

Sign Smith

Originally posted by ImaMod:

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:
does this help them getting mike wallace?

somewhat kinda

I think they are dead even or about $3M under the cap now. They need to get at least $5M under just to sign Mike Wallace and Ramon Foster to RFA tenders. Foster is a must for them, he only allowed 3 sacks all season and protecting Ben is about as paramount as giving him weapons. They also need to create enough space to re-sign Jerricho Cotchery, William Gay, Byron Leftwich, Mewelde Moore, and maybe Max Starks. Then they have several other RFAs that are vital to the team: H-back David Johnson, Doug Legursky, and Ryan Mundy. IMO that is at least another $15M they need to clear on top of the $5M for Wallace and Foster. Steelers are screwed.

Originally posted by ImaMod:

Originally posted by 49ersalldaway126:
does this help them getting mike wallace?

somewhat kinda

No. Any team that signs Wallace to an offer sheet will be well aware of the Steelers' cap situation. They know the first year cap number will need to be exorbitant, and will make it impossible for the Steelers to match.

There will be no point in wasting your time negotiating a deal if you weren't 100% sure you would land Wallace. Too many other top tier players will be flying off the boards.

Originally posted by okdkid:
No. Any team that signs Wallace to an offer sheet will be well aware of the Steelers' cap situation. They know the first year cap number will need to be exorbitant, and will make it impossible for the Steelers to match.

There will be no point in wasting your time negotiating a deal if you weren't 100% sure you would land Wallace. Too many other top tier players will be flying off the boards.

yep like I said above, I dont even think the Steelers can afford a $5M first year salary for Wallace so if some team comes along with a $10M signing bonus or something exorbitant the Steelers well be left to sulk in the dark as their best receiver in years walks away.

Steelers will be 10-6 and still make the playoffs, with ben carrying the team as usual. They draft so well, even if they cut these dudes, they will just replace them for cheap.

Originally posted by bigmike55:
Sign Chris Kemoeatu and stick him at right guard. Two Polynesians on the OLine? Beast mode.

2 or 3 years ago, I would have been right there with you! I used to love Kemoeatu and thought he'd be a great mauler for us. But last year, and even the last part of the year before, he just hasn't been the same player. Has had some injuries, lost his starting job, and even when in the game - seems to make more mistakes than good plays.

James Farrior was just cut this morning.

The purge continues, as they Steelers attempt to get back to a healthy standing underneath the cap.

Originally posted by ChazBoner:
another Smith? Bring him in.

I agree. Should bring in Hines as well, on a 1 yr deal, to coach up KW and Crabs. Smith would be a good addition on a 1 yr deal...barring health issues and his age, this guy is sooo underrated.

Originally posted by sfout:
James Farrior was just cut this morning.

The purge continues, as they Steelers attempt to get back to a healthy standing underneath the cap.

I could see Farrior going to the Eagles