YOU are Tomlin

TUESDAY, 17 JANUARY 2012 07:49 WRITTEN BY ED BOUCHETTE

Good morning,

It's your turn. I've had my say in chats, slogs, You & Me, on radio, in print. Now it's your turn to determine what the Steelers will look like in 2012. Today, the return of You Are Mike Tomlin. It's in your hands (in this exercise, we will put aside any thoughts that Kevin Colbert and Art Rooney II might have some influence on how the roster looks next season).

You have many decisions to make, big and small. There is no time like now to start making them:

Hines Ward -- Keep at lower rate, release so someone like Tyler Grisham can take his place, encourage to retire. And, if you release him, how would you feel if he signed with, say, Baltimore or New England?

James Farrior -- Again, keep, release, retire.

Casey Hampton -- Keep at a lower rate, trade, release, he ain't retiring.

Aaron Smith -- Try it one more season, retire or release.

William Gay -- Re-sign, let him go and turn to Keenan Lewis, or even one of the '11 rookies.

Mike Wallace -- Longterm contract or one-year tender.

Ziggy Hood -- Stay at end, move to nose tackle and start Cameron Heyward at end.

Max Starks -- Re-sign, let him test the market and re-sign if he gets nothing else.

Marcus Gilbert -- RT or LT.

Chris Kemoeatu -- Stay or go.

Willie Colon -- Put him back at RT or move him to guard.

Rashard Mendenhall or Isaac Redman -- Share the job or give it to one and split the carries 2-1.

Guards -- Who are they?

Punter -- Daniel Sepulveda or Jeremy Kapinos, or someone else.

No. 2 tight end -- Weslye Saunders or go get one.

Whew, that's enough. I'm exhausted looking at all the decisions YAMT must make.

Backup quarterback -- Byron Leftwich, Charlie Batch or Dennis Dixon. All are UFAs. Who do you sign, who do you not?

Onto some stuff:

-- My boys at 93.7 this morning have been discussing John Elway's statement that Tim Tebow deserves to be the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos entering training camp. Well, of course, he does. That Steelers game was either the best thing or worst thing that ever happened to the Denver Broncos.

Tebow cannot pass accurately on a regular basis. Yes, he did so on occasion against the Steelers. He just cannot do it on a consistent basis, especially the outs and the intermediate passe that consume the majority of throws a quarterback must make. I don't know that you can teach that and, if you can, not with a starter.

Steve Young was a backup for years in Tampa and then San Francisco before starting and that may have been the best thing to happen to him. We watched Tebow throw 100 passes or so before the playoff game in Denver. No quarterback throws that many passes. Tebow's not going to have that chance as a starter. Pro football no longer allows that kind of time.

-- Send your You & Me questions to platefloor@aol.com . The PG has changed its mail system and until I switch over, I won't get your mail if sent there.

man, im glad i dont have to make those decisions

Hines Ward -- Keep at lower rate, release so someone like Tyler Grisham can take his place, encourage to retire. And, if you release him, how would you feel if he signed with, say, Baltimore or New England? Keep at a lower rate, but attempt to restructure his contract to this year only, not two years.

James Farrior -- Again, keep, release, retire. If he won't retire, then I release.

Casey Hampton -- Keep at a lower rate, trade, release, he ain't retiring. I'd try to trade, but most likely keep him for one more year at a lower rate.

Aaron Smith -- Try it one more season, retire or release. Try it one more season, I think Smith has a lot to offer the younger Steelers and can still be an impact player, but his role would be reduced.

William Gay -- Re-sign, let him go and turn to Keenan Lewis, or even one of the '11 rookies. Let him go.

Mike Wallace -- Longterm contract or one-year tender. See what plays out in the FA Market. He dropped off production and he went backwards in his route running. If no one takes him, then make it a one-year tender

Ziggy Hood -- Stay at end, move to nose tackle and start Cameron Heyward at end. Move to nose, put Heyward at end.

Max Starks -- Re-sign, let him test the market and re-sign if he gets nothing else. Let him test the market, we need fresh blood on the O-line, not players that perform great one game and then swiss cheese the next.

Marcus Gilbert -- RT or LT. LT

Chris Kemoeatu -- Stay or go. Buh-bye

Willie Colon -- Put him back at RT or move him to guard. RT

Rashard Mendenhall or Isaac Redman -- Share the job or give it to one and split the carries 2-1. Share the job. Not like we're running much now, but having a change of pace back could help the offense out tremendously.

Guards -- Who are they? Legursky and either FA or rookie, yes I'd put a rookie there.

Punter -- Daniel Sepulveda or Jeremy Kapinos, or someone else. Kapinos, Sepulveda is hurt every year and I don't want to risk Kapinos going somewhere else when he's been great for us.

No. 2 tight end -- Weslye Saunders or go get one. Saunders

Whew, that's enough. I'm exhausted looking at all the decisions YAMT must make.

Backup quarterback -- Byron Leftwich, Charlie Batch or Dennis Dixon. All are UFAs. Who do you sign, who do you not? Time to draft Ben's replacement, with our O-line, Ben isn't going to have too many more great years and we need to groom someone now.

AND FIRE ARIANS!

Hines Ward -- Keep at lower rate, release so someone like Tyler Grisham can take his place, encourage to retire. And, if you release him, how would you feel if he signed with, say, Baltimore or New England? Keep at lower rate, restructure his current contract for one year.

James Farrior -- Again, keep, release, retire. Keep. He's still valuable as a player, as he finished second on the team in tackles. He can at least serve as a mentor for another year or two.

Casey Hampton -- Keep at a lower rate, trade, release, he ain't retiring. If he doesn't make an effort to get himself in the best of shape, trade him off.

Aaron Smith -- Try it one more season, retire or release. I would like to see him around for another year, but he'll likely retire and take a coaching job here at Pittsburgh.

William Gay -- Re-sign, let him go and turn to Keenan Lewis, or even one of the '11 rookies. Re-sign the man, he's done good this year. He's definitely improved, and Kennan will be on and off with him next year i'm sure.

Mike Wallace -- Longterm contract or one-year tender. One year tender. He's a deep threat, but that's about all he's proven to me.

Ziggy Hood -- Stay at end, move to nose tackle and start Cameron Heyward at end. Stay at end.

Max Starks -- Re-sign, let him test the market and re-sign if he gets nothing else. Max isn't going to get anything else. Just don't see it happening. We'll re-sign him, or he'll just sit on the couch for a while

Marcus Gilbert -- RT or LT. That's something that'll be determined in the camps. Either or.

Chris Kemoeatu -- Stay or go. Get the HELL out of here. God this guy annoys me. No, but seriously. Keep him around as a reserve, but DO NOT start him unless absolutely needed. Needs discipline.

Willie Colon -- Put him back at RT or move him to guard. Put him opposite of Gilbert, start at guard if needed.

Rashard Mendenhall or Isaac Redman -- Share the job or give it to one and split the carries 2-1. 60-40 Mendenhall if his ACL injury doesn't have a lasting effect.

Guards -- Who are they? Unless we draft some, your guess is as good as mine.

Punter -- Daniel Sepulveda or Jeremy Kapinos, or someone else. Release Danny. Sign Kapinos. Although Kap is old, Dan's been injury prone.

No. 2 tight end -- Weslye Saunders or go get one. Wes.

Whew, that's enough. I'm exhausted looking at all the decisions YAMT must make.

Backup quarterback -- Byron Leftwich, Charlie Batch or Dennis Dixon. All are UFAs. Who do you sign, who do you not?


We just picked up Jerrod Johnson, a 6'5 240 QB. He's not very good at throwing the ball, so i'm not sure what we'll use him for. We'll probably draft a good solid backup in the later rounds, and re-sign Charlie. Surprisingly, I don't think Charlie's done just yet, he did well when called upon, and always has.

#1 Fire Arians

Mach1 wrote:

#1 Fire Arians

I normally don't agree with this argument, purely because I think it's a team effort, but I have to agree. Seem's to me that Ben just wants him their for his leniency, and that's just not going to cut it. I just hope he retires.

bayz101 wrote:

Mach1 wrote:

#1 Fire Arians

I normally don't agree with this argument, purely because I think it's a team effort, but I have to agree. Seem's to me that Ben just wants him their for his leniency, and that's just not going to cut it. I just hope he retires.

Retires or moves on to another franchise. I heard the bucs are still looking for a head coach.

Hines Ward -- Keep at lower rate, release so someone like Tyler Grisham can take his place, encourage to retire. And, if you release him, how would you feel if he signed with, say, Baltimore or New England? This is the hardest for me. I love Hines and want him to retire a Steeler, but even if he restructures for less money, he'll still be 5th on the depth chart and a guy like that really needs to contribute on special teams to be worth the roster spot at that point. I'd still want to keep him for a year if he'll restructure, but no more. He deserves one more shot at a Super Bowl with us. He just has to fully accept his bit-part role going forward and understand this is his last year with us.

James Farrior -- Again, keep, release, retire. Retire and retain Foote as a backup/starter, depending on the draft.

Casey Hampton -- Keep at a lower rate, trade, release, he ain't retiring. Attempt to trade. If no takers, release him. We can make due with McClendon/Hood/draftee/free agent.

Aaron Smith -- Try it one more season, retire or release. Retire or release. He's done and just doesn't accept it yet. It's Hood/Heyward time!

William Gay -- Re-sign, let him go and turn to Keenan Lewis, or even one of the '11 rookies. Re-sign for 1 year. He played well most of the year under Carnell Lake's tutelage and the backups haven't done quite enough for me to feel comfortable going into next season with any as a starter. I'd like to see him bridge the gap as one of them finally steps up and takes the starter's job from him next year. Oh, and load B. McFadden into a cannon and fire him into the Atlantic Ocean!

Mike Wallace -- Longterm contract or one-year tender. Long-term contract. Sander's injuries concern me or I may be inclined for just a one year tender.

Ziggy Hood -- Stay at end, move to nose tackle and start Cameron Heyward at end. Stay at end. He will still have versatility if needed. We can draft a NT to backup McClendon as starter.

Max Starks -- Re-sign, let him test the market and re-sign if he gets nothing else. Re-sign. A no-brainer IMHO. We are desperate for O-line talent and he's at least serviceable.

Marcus Gilbert -- RT or LT. Stay at RT. Starks at LT.

Chris Kemoeatu -- Stay or go. Is this question even serious? *Cue flushing sounds*

Willie Colon -- Put him back at RT or move him to guard. Move to RG. I'd like to see this O-line give it a shot and stay healthy. Left to right: Starks, Legursky, Pouncey, Colon, Gilbert.

Rashard Mendenhall or Isaac Redman -- Share the job or give it to one and split the carries 2-1. Share the job until one can prove he's clearly and undeniably better than the other. The competition should make both better and keep them healthy and fresh.

Guards -- Who are they? Legursky and Colon. Draft another backup and you also still have Foster as a backup.

Punter -- Daniel Sepulveda or Jeremy Kapinos, or someone else. Kapinos all day. Sepulveda is more fragile than dried up eggshells. It's fucking ridiculous already.

No. 2 tight end -- Weslye Saunders or go get one. Saunders. He shows promise.

Backup quarterback -- Byron Leftwich, Charlie Batch or Dennis Dixon. All are UFAs. Who do you sign, who do you not? Sign Leftwich, retire Batch, let Dixon walk. Draft another capable backup QB in the later rounds to learn (just not from Arians!).

Hines Ward -- done

James Farrior -- done

Casey Hampton -- done

Aaron Smith -- done

William Gay -- one more year

Mike Wallace -- let him go if you re sign Cotch and another TE

Ziggy Hood -- Stay at end, Cameron Heyward at end.

Max Starks -- re-sign if he gets nothing else.

Marcus Gilbert -- RT

Chris Kemoeatu -- done

Willie Colon -- guard.

Rashard Mendenhall or Isaac Redman -- keep Isaac

Guards -- need at least one more

Punter bye, bye Daniel Sepulveda keep Jeremy Kapinos,

No. 2 tight end -- Weslye Saunders and get one more.
.

Backup quarterback-- go get the next big Ben

Hines Ward -- Keep at lower rate, release so someone like Tyler Grisham can take his place, encourage to retire. And, if you release him, how would you feel if he signed with, say, Baltimore or New England?Gone unless he's willing to play for the the vet minimum and as a #5

James Farrior -- Again, keep, release, retire.gone

Casey Hampton -- Keep at a lower rate, trade, release, he ain't retiring.keep, have to restructure

Aaron Smith -- Try it one more season, retire or release.gone

William Gay -- Re-sign, let him go and turn to Keenan Lewis, or even one of the '11 rookies.keep

Mike Wallace -- Longterm contract or one-year tender.Place a 1st round tender on him and enjoy the extra 1st round pick

Ziggy Hood -- Stay at end, move to nose tackle and start Cameron Heyward at end.Despite what some people claim veteran bias didn't keep Hood on the bench, he's been average.

Max Starks -- Re-sign, let him test the market and re-sign if he gets nothing else.Unless we can snag a capable left tackle in the draft bring him back

Marcus Gilbert -- RT or LT. RT

Chris Kemoeatu -- Stay or go.gone

Willie Colon -- Put him back at RT or move him to guard. Right Guard, his natural position

Rashard Mendenhall or Isaac Redman -- Share the job or give it to one and split the carries 2-1.Trade him on draft day or start Redman and use Mendy as a change of pace back

Guards -- Who are they? Let Foster and Legursky slug it out over LG Colon RG

Punter -- Daniel Sepulveda or Jeremy Kapinos, or someone else.kapinos

No. 2 tight end -- Weslye Saunders or go get one.Saunders

Whew, that's enough. I'm exhausted looking at all the decisions YAMT must make.

Backup quarterback -- Byron Leftwich, Charlie Batch or Dennis Dixon. All are UFAs. Who do you sign, who do you not?