Steelers move to address leadership void after losing Farrior, Ward

By Scott Brown, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — It is impossible to quantify, yet ill-advised to ignore.

That is why leadership was taken into account before the Steelers released longtime captains James Farrior and Hines Ward as well as Aaron Smith, another veteran that commanded respect from his teammates.

It is also why the Steelers' anticipation of what happens off the field may rival the competition that takes place on it leading up to the 2012 season.

"It will be interesting to see whose team this becomes because James Farrior was the team leader, not just the defensive leader, so we'll see who steps up," Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said. "To me it's wide open, but it's something you can never predict because you never know who is going to show up when it's really required."

That is not the only reason why leadership looms as such an X-factor with the Steelers.

Turnover may be inevitable in a league where the average career span is less than four years, but the Steelers' offseason purge cost them three captains.

Farrior, an inside linebacker and defensive quarterback, and Ward, the Steelers' all-time leading receiver, had been captains for a combined 15 seasons. Arnaz Battle, released before Farrior and Ward, joined them as a special teams captain last season.

"I can't sit here and say, 'This is our leader,'" Colbert said. "We're looking for that right now."

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I think it's obvious who the leader on the team is ... Ben. That's why I was upset with the way he handled Arians' dismissal. He wasn't acting like a good leader. Without Ward and Farrior, the leadership role is going to fall even more on Ben.

As for the defense, I guess it falls to Clark and Harrison. Although Harrison is more of a silent assassin than a vocal leader on the field.

It'll be interesting to see who steps up to fill the void.

I agree with your points Wally. Clark, Harrison and Polamalu lead this defense, Ben leads the offense.

Personally I don't think that Harrison is a locker room leader. He's definitely on the field leader with his raw emotion, but I'm not so sure he's the leader Colbert is talking about.

As for Polamalu, he's the silent leader, and as great as he is, I don't think he truly wants to be the 'leader' either.

I can see Woodley taking over, and really feel he's got the attitude and personality to take over.

stlrtruck wrote:

Personally I don't think that Harrison is a locker room leader. He's definitely on the field leader with his raw emotion, but I'm not so sure he's the leader Colbert is talking about.

As for Polamalu, he's the silent leader, and as great as he is, I don't think he truly wants to be the 'leader' either.

I can see Woodley taking over, and really feel he's got the attitude and personality to take over.

I agree that Troy and Harrison lead by example but aren't really vocal leaders. And I completely forgot about Woodley. But you're right, I can definitely see him stepping up to fill the leadership void.

Wallace108 wrote:

stlrtruck wrote:

Personally I don't think that Harrison is a locker room leader. He's definitely on the field leader with his raw emotion, but I'm not so sure he's the leader Colbert is talking about.

As for Polamalu, he's the silent leader, and as great as he is, I don't think he truly wants to be the 'leader' either.

I can see Woodley taking over, and really feel he's got the attitude and personality to take over.

I agree that Troy and Harrison lead by example but aren't really vocal leaders. And I completely forgot about Woodley. But you're right, I can definitely see him stepping up to fill the leadership void.

I can see Woodley being the vocal "rah rah" leader and Polamalu being the heart of the defense. Who on this team has more respect and credibility than Troy? I also wonder if Troy took a backseat to Potsie for all these years because James was already entrenched in that role and Troy respected that and wouldn't step on his toes. Now with Farrior gone, I could see Troy realizing there is a void there and a need for him to fill it.

Troy certainly hasn't shied away from speaking his mind about league policies, decisions, fines, and rules. I don't think he'd be as silent as everyone thinks if he felt he needed to step up and take the reins. I, for one, would love to see Troy fill that role of defensive team leader. He could set a great example for Woodley or someone else to pass the torch to when he decides to call it a career.

Let's not forget about Clark I think he has what it takes to be a leader
And he's defenitly more vocal than Troy