Posted on 01/29/2006 5:59:56 PM PST by smoothsailing
Construction work
F. Dale Lolley
Staff writer
Sunday, January 29, 2006
PITTSBURGH -- Alan Faneca, Hines Ward and Deshea Townsend joined the Steelers as rookies in 1998, working their way through some lean years over the next three seasons.
They were joined in 1999 by Joey Porter, Aaron Smith and Jerame Tuman.
That those six players are still with the Steelers seven, eight years after they were drafted is no small feat.
Over the years, the Steelers became known as a team that drafted well but were unwilling to give its homegrown talent big contracts once they reached free agency.
As a result, players such as Chad Brown, Leon Searcy, and Mike Vrabel were among many who were allowed to leave when their original rookie contracts ran out.
After suffering through those lean years (1998-2000), when Pittsburgh went a combined 22-26 and missed the playoffs three times, the Steelers changed their philosophy.
In 2001, the Steelers re-signed Smith, a stalwart defensive end and cornerbacks Chad Scott -- along with Dewayne Washington, a former free agent addition -- to new contracts. They sent a message to the younger players: Perform and get a big payday in Pittsburgh.
And the Steelers have done a better job in recent years of not allowing their homegrown talent to leave without a fight. As they prepare to leave Monday morning for Detroit, site of Sunday's Super Bowl XL, 37 of the 53 players on the roster -- nearly 70 percent -- were either drafted or signed as rookies by the Steelers. And of the 22 starters, 19 have spent their entire careers with Pittsburgh.
By comparison, nearly half of Seattle's roster was signed as free agents or added as rookies this season, while 30 players (56 percent) have spent their entire careers with the Seahawks. Seattle signed 12 veteran free agent players prior to this season.
The Steelers think they are going about things in the right way.
"I think that has a lot to do with why we're so close as a team," said Townsend, a fourth-round pick in 1998. "Even the guys who were drafted by this team as starters, Jeff Hartings, Kimo (von Oelhoffen) and James (Farrior) are guys who have been here for a while. There's a trust that we have in each other because we've played together for so long."
With the exception of rookie tight end Heath Miller, second-year right tackle Max Starks and cornerback Ike Taylor, the rest of Pittsburgh's starting lineup consists of players who are in their second year as starters. And Miller, Starks and Taylor were drafted by the Steelers. Unlike a player who joined the Steelers as a free agent, they didn't need to spend a lot of time learning a new system. The Steelers system is the only one they've known as professionals.
"It does make a difference," said free safety Chris Hope. "You look at our secondary, Troy (Polamalu) and me both became starters last year. Then you have Ike. Even though he didn't start last year, he's been here three years. And Deshea, he's been here the longest."
The last time Steelers head coach Bill Cowher coached a team to the Super Bowl, 1995, he did so with many players he inherited from Chuck Noll's regime. This time, these are all his players.
"These guys, we've been together for so long now. These are your guys," Cowher said. "We've been through the thick and thin. Even through the course of this year, the tough times, the wavering that could have taken place, the uncertainty that sat there at times. To be able to fight through that and overcome a lot of the adversity that we were faced with: whether it be injury, challenges, the games that we had to go through. There's a bond that you create with these guys."
Ward, Townsend and Faneca are former draft picks who have been with the Steelers the longest. Running back Jerome Bettis holds the honor of having the most tenure on the team, having come to Pittsburgh on a draft-day trade in 1996. Corner Willie Williams was drafted by the Steelers in 1993 before leaving as a free agent following the 1996 season.
Those five are basically the only ties this current crop of Steelers has to Cowher teams that made the playoffs in each of his first six seasons in Pittsburgh.
They have taken it upon themselves to continue many of the traditions.
"I can look around here and still see Dermontti Dawson," said Ward. "Those guys were the players when we were younger who set the example for us. Now, it's up to guys like me, Jerome, Alan, Deshea, and Joey (Porter) to do that for these guys. That's the way it is here."
The Steelers have also done a great job in recent seasons of identifying star players in the first round of the draft. Polamalu (2003) and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (2004) would have to be considered two of the best players at their position in the NFL, while Miller could soon reach that status.
That gives the Steelers three home runs in their past three drafts, though director of football operations Kevin Colbert, who oversees the drafts, continues to stay in the background. Colbert, whose scouting department has signed or drafted 17 of the starters through the draft or as rookie free agents, hasn't clashed with Cowher like former director of football operations Tom Donahoe did.
"It's a selfless organization and the people that are here have no egos," Cowher said. "That's the way this football team has been. Everyone is in it for the same thing and that's to win a championship and be as good as you can be. When you have people pulling in the right direction and not worrying about where the credit is being deflected, that creates a very healthy environment."
A nice story. Makes me glad I'm a Steelers fan!
Steelers should prevail......... and keep their edge. But, you all know how ugly Super Bowls can be after the layoff.
HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO!!!
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