Pittsburgh steelers he long lockout might have benefited the Pittsburgh Steelers more than it did most teams. They have a veteran coaching staff, a veteran lineup including quarterback and few open spots, particularly in the starting lineup -- and they were one of two teams that played football into February. "I think having a veteran team can be an advantage in a lot of different circumstances," said Art Rooney II, the Steelers' president. "But it's hard to predict." They are not without a few problems and other potential issues, but as such things go the Steelers' troubles are minor compared to even others in their division. The Cleveland Browns have a new coaching staff and the Cincinnati Bengals may have a new starting quarterback.
We're a veteran team so a lot of guys didn't participate that much in offseason workouts," linebacker Larry Foote said regarding the practices many players organized during the lockout on other teams. "This is the weekend we were supposed to start training camp anyway. Thank God it all worked out with the lockout. There was a lot of anxiety. We had an extra month and a half more than other teams besides Green Bay, so I think we're ahead of a lot of teams right now." The Steelers have two big moves to make: sign their best cornerback, Ike Taylor, to a new contract so he does not flee as a free agent; and decide what to do at right tackle. Flozell Adams started every game at right tackle last season and at 36 he believes he's capable of doing it again. He might because it did not seem as though they Steelers were going to make a big pitch to bring back previous starter, Willie Colon, a free agent who missed last season with a torn Achilles. Adams has a $5 million salary due this season.
Obviously, my heart is in Pittsburgh," said Colon. "I want to be here, but things happen, the business side takes over and we'll have to wait." Colon was the team's starting right tackle in 2007, 2008 and 2009. He was set to start his fourth consecutive season when his Achilles tendon tore in June 2010. It's not likely the Steelers will go outside to sign many free agents for several reasons: They rarely sign many, especially the bigger names; they have few holes to fill, and they prefer to sign their own, especially with the limited amount of time available to assimilate new players into their offense or defense. There's also the matter of the $120 million salary cap. The Steelers, as currently constituted, would be far over.
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