Steelers 2011 Free Agents Player Analysis: Willie Colon

2010 Salary Estimation: $2,521,000 Base - $2,521,000 Cap Charge

Analysis: We continue on with our breakdown player by player of each of the Steelers 2011 free agents and up next up for analysis is tackle Willie Colon. If you are looking for a player that was hit hard by the labor situation this past offseason, you certainly need not look much further past Colon. Because no new collective bargaining agreement was agreed upon by March of 2010, Colon lost out on becoming an unrestricted free agent as he did not have enough years accrued to meet the requirements set forth in the rules of the 2010 uncapped season. Instead, Colon was deemed a restricted free agent and the Steelers tendered him at a first round level. The first round tender meant that if any team had tried to sign Colon away via free agency, the Steelers had the option of matching the contract offered or receive that teams first round 2010 draft pick as compensation. Subsequently no teams made a play for Colon and he signed his one year tender to play for the Steelers in 2010. At that time he was slated to be the Steelers starting right tackle. More bad luck was on the way still for Colon as he suffered a torn Achilles in late June while doing agility drills. The injury cost Colon the entire 2010 season before it even started and he was placed on injured reserve. The Steelers went on to sign veteran free agent Flozell Adams to replace Colon at right tackle. Colon stayed around the team during his rehab and contributed as much as he could from the sidelines.

Colon was hoping to build on his 2008 and 2009 seasons in which he was regarded as the Steelers top lineman according to Pro Football Focus. His downfalls in both of those seasons though were the number of times he was penalized. In 2008 alone, Colon was flagged 13 times: 6 times for false starts, 5 times for holding and another 2 flags for lining up in an illegal formation. In 2009 he was flagged 7 times, 4 of which were for holding and the other 3 being for false starts. Over the course of 2008 and 2009 Colon also was Mr. Reliable as he only missed a handful of plays in that 32 regular season game stretch.

Future: With the uncertainty still surrounding the NFL labor situation, the Steelers have once again placed a first round tender on Colon, should the years accrued needed to be an unrestricted free agent remain at 6. The tender is expected to carry a price tag of around 2.773 should that come to fruition. Colon would once again miss out on free agency if that were to be the case. Should Colon wind up being unrestricted, you have to wonder how many teams would be willing to throw big money at a guy coming off of a torn Achilles. Leading up to the tender, there had been no contract talks between the Steelers and Colon's agent Joe Linta according to reports. The Steelers also still have Adams under contract, although he has not said whether or not he will return in 2011 for his final year under contract or retire. The Steelers are also expected to draft a tackle in the early part of the 2011 draft, further adding to the confusion. It seems right now that the Steelers are willing to let Colon walk via free agency should he end up being unrestricted or at the very least, let him test the waters. If he ends up restricted, he will undoubtedly sign his tender and it will then be up to the Steelers to see where he fits on the line in 2011. There is some speculation that Colon might be asked to move inside to right guard should that be the case, especially if Adams decides to return. Adams is however scheduled to earn 5 million in 2011 and could be asked to take a pay cut should he decide he wants to play one more season. If Adams were to refuse, the Steelers might be better served to try to re-sign Colon to perhaps a two or three year deal, assuming he looks to be recovered from his injury and release Adams. Personally I think Colon has a few more seasons left in him and after going back and forth with this since the season has ended, I think it is in the Steelers best interest to try to keep him. It very well may come down to how his free agent status plays out though and the longer the lockout last, the better chance he has at being back in black and gold for at least one more season. Colon certainly would be a bargain at nearly 2.8 million should he end up up restricted once again. It will be a while before this situation plays itself out it seems.

Other 2011 Steelers Free Agents Analysis

Matt Spaeth
Shaun Suisham
Trai Essex
Mewelde Moore
Doug Legursky
Greg Warren
Dennis Dixon
Tony Hills
Chris Hoke
Ryan Mundy
Anthony Madison
Keyaron Fox
Nick Eason
Jonathan Scott
Daniel Sepulveda

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Best Player Available Likely To Be Steelers Draft Plan In 1st Round Of 2011 Draft

The days of March are clicking off the calendar and there are only 44 days now until draft day. The Pro Days are also winding down and the Steelers will soon be entertaining draft prospect visitors down at the South Side later this month and into April. In my recent post about 1st round tackles drafted from 1995-2010 I showed how just because you might need a tackle while drafting late in the first round, it might very well not be the best course of action. David Todd and I even elaborated more on this in the latest episode of the Terrible Podcast.

Without a doubt, we can pretty well safely assume the Steelers will at least spend a pick on both on an offensive lineman and a corner somewhere in the upcoming draft, but to lock them into definitely drafting either position in the 1st round is pretty foolish. When you pick late in drafts, you have to let the draft come to you. The Steelers are notorious for neglecting a perceived need by us, the fans, and we have often seen instances where it appears they have taken what they considered the best player on the board as it relates to scheme and overall need. Let's look at the 2009 draft for example. The Ziggy Hood pick surprised a big majority of Steeler Nation, me included. Now we knew a quarterback, running back and tight end would not likely be their number one pick and you could possibly even throw in the linebacking position as well when you look at the state of the team at that time. Most of Steeler Nation was clamoring for an offensive lineman and cornerback in the first round of that draft. What a surprise. They did however draft two linemen and two corners in that draft.

Was defensive end a need in that draft? Somewhat, sure. The Steelers certainly needed some depth at the position behind Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel. When you look back at that draft board and who was selected, Hood was the 2nd true defensive end off the board after Tyson Jackson was picked 3rd overall by the Chiefs. Now some might argue about Aaron Maybin, Brian Orakpo and Robert Ayers, but these players were all transformed into outside linebacker types by the teams that drafted them. Peria Jerry was projected 3-technique guy as well. Hood by most accounts was primed for being a 5-technique guy and a perfect fit for the Steelers 3-4 defense. Considering the defensive scheme and the somewhat need the Steelers had, Hood was easily the best player available on the board for the Steelers with that pick.

Too often as fans we get caught up looking at what we deem are the biggest needs for the team and instantly try to correlate that with the mock drafts and player rankings. Too many times we overlook the big picture as well of what player fits what scheme. This is done quite a bit with defensive players more than offensive players, but offensive line blocking schemes and types of offenses certainly play a role as well in matching best fits.

Let's go back to just last year. The Steelers probably had a little easier time in narrowing down there first round big board as they were picking 18th overall. Guess who the first center/guard type that was that drafted in 2010. Yep, Maurkice Pouncey. Now the Steelers had likely envisioned him as a guard first with the idea of eventually moving him to center. We all know how that ended up. They got a guy who could play both positions and play them well. Can you say best player off the board that also met a need? Jackpot. Would the Steelers had the success they had in 2010 with Justin Hartwig playing center? Probably not and you probably agree.

As I eluded to in my underclassman cornerbacks post, that is a mighty risky thing to do based off history. I'll admit that Brandon Harris sure looks impressive in not only his combine work, but also his play on the field with Miami. He might even climb further up the draft board come April. If you look at the top 5 tackles and cornerbacks this year with perceived first round grades, the top 3 if not 4 might very well be off the board by the time the Steelers pick if they do not trade up. Would the Steelers draft the 5th best tackle or 5th best cornerback on the board if that were the case? Are the Steelers tackle and cornerback positions such a dire need that you just take the best of the rest in round 1? I think the answer is no. It is also highly unlikely that a first round tackle or corner could come in and contribute instantly even if that were the case. Especially the corner position in a Dick LeBeau defense.

Now just because best player available is the talk here does not mean that the Steelers should draft running back Mikel LeShoure, who could still be on the board when the Steelers pick. He also is considered the 2nd rated running back in this years draft. It also does not mean that they should draft Jake Locker should he fall. There is a place where BPA (best player available) meets a team need, especially when a first round pick is concerned. I expect the Steelers to once again to use that strategy unless they trade up. No reason to think otherwise.

So what position would BPA meet some need with the Steelers at 31? Guard perhaps? Although old for a rookie, Danny Watkins could likely be had there at 31. By many accounts he is the 2nd best interior lineman in the draft. He could likely even contribute in his rookie season at right guard at some point. What about linebacker Martez Wilson? His skill set is pretty amazing and he could cut his teeth on special teams early on. There is a chance he could be on the board at 31 as well. Those are just two off the cuff examples.

As you move forward now with your draft expectations, I think you will see that the Steelers certainly could disappoint those that have tackle and corner as an automatic position the Steelers will draft in the 1st round. Put you Kevin Colbert hat on for a few days and measure the other team needs against best player available method along with the skill set of the players in relation to the Steelers offensive and defensive schemes. You will likely see the bigger picture and method of the Steelers draft madness as it relates to the best player available and overall team need.

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Steelers 2011 Free Agents Player Analysis: Matt Spaeth

Tight End Matt Spaeth - Steelers 2011 Free Agent
Free Agent Classification: UFA (unrestricted free agent)
2010 Salary Estimation: $1,101,000 Base - $1,101,000 Cap Charge
Analysis: We continue on with our breakdown player by player of each of the Steelers 18 free agents and up next up for analysis is tight end Matt Spaeth. Spaeth was a restricted free agent last offseason and the Steelers brought him back in 2010 on a one year tender of slightly more than a million dollars. Spaeth is primarily used as a blocking tight end in the Steelers two tight end sets and occasionally gets a target in the passing game. Make no mistake though, Spaeth is no threat to starter Heath Miller in the passing game. In 2010 Spaeth got off to a rough start against the Falcons and Titans, but got more consistent in his blocking as the season progressed. Spaeth was targeted just 18 times during the regular season and caught just 9 balls. He likely will be most remembered for final two offensive plays against the Jets in week 15. Spaeth had an opportunity to win the game for the Steelers, but could not come up with either pass from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. On the first of the two, Spaeth appeared to cut in front of intended receiver Emmanuel Sanders in the back of the end zone and the pass went through his hands. He bobbled the second pass in the left corner of the endzone on the games final play. Spaeth had started in place of the injured Miller in that game and did have a touchdown catch earlier in that contest to his credit. Spaeth also played on special teams in 2010 and had just one tackle and was also used on the kickoff return team in addition as an up-man.
Including the playoffs, Spaeth logged nearly 550 snaps on offense in 2010. He missed two games due to a concussion he received in the Raiders game and David Johnson received his share of the work in both of those games he was out. The Steelers won both in his absence. As far as his pass blocking goes, I had Spaeth responsible for 2 quarterback hits and 5 pressures allowed on the season.
Future: Spaeth is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason as he now has 4 years accrued under his belt. Because of the uncertainty with the labor situation and CBA, the Steelers placed a low grade tender of around 1.275 million on him in case the free agency rules of the 2010 season are used once again. If that happens, Spaeth would then be considered a restricted free agent and almost certainly would not receive a contract offer from another team that the Steelers would have the choice of matching or getting that teams 2011 3rd round draft pick in exchange. Even if Spaeth is deemed unrestricted, as scheduled, it is hard to see other teams lining up and fighting for his services. The Steelers very well could address the tight end position in the April draft either way, so if Spaeth does some how end up back in training camp with the Steelers, he almost certainly will have competition for a roster spot. It is evident by the tender placed on him, that the Steelers at least think enough of him to give him an opportunity to win a roster spot. However he should not be considered a lock to make the final 53 man roster at this point.
Other 2011 Steelers Free Agents Analysis
Shaun Suisham
Trai Essex
Mewelde Moore
Doug Legursky
Greg Warren
Dennis Dixon
Tony Hills
Chris Hoke
Ryan Mundy
Anthony Madison
Keyaron Fox
Nick Eason
Jonathan Scott
Daniel Sepulveda


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