Steelers Sign Offensive LIneman

Good morning,

Some post-Super Bowl Stuff, then onto a few Ask Ed questions. Chat today at 1:30.

— The Steelers today signed guard Cole Manhart, an undrafted rookie last year who was on the off-season rosters of the Eagles and Saints before finishing on the practice squad of the Oakland Raiders. Manhard started three seasons at left tackle for the University of Nebraska-Kearney. 

--- As Steelers linebacker James Harrison contemplates whether to return to play another season at age 38, Kevin Greene offers up some advise. Greene retired after 15 NFL seasons with four different teams. He played his final season at 37 years old and recorded 12 sacks in a 4-3 defense in Carolina.

Harrison will be 38 this year.

“Actually, I had a pretty decent year my last year,’’ Greene told me. “I wanted to go out on a high note and be productive.

“I don’t know where James is and the scheme of things. I look back at my career, the Super Bowl escaped me but I had a peace about my production and what I brought to every team I played for, not only production but leadership.

“I wanted to call my shot when I wanted to leave the game. I didn’t want a coach to tell me, ‘Kevin we’re going to cut you, Kevin you’re too slow.’ I wanted to go out on my own terms.

“I was 37 and I went out as a starter playing all three downs.

“That’s the best any athlete can hope for -- play a long, productive career, healthy, play a lot of games and call his shot. I played my passion out.

“I don’t know where James is as far as peace on his career. He’s done good things. That pick-six in the Super Bowl totall changed the course in that game, a giant immense game. It was awesome.”

Greene said one of the biggest things a player like Harrison must consider when he’s deciding if he should return for one more season at his age is “if he can still be productive and play.’’

Harrison did that last season at age 37. Greene did it at the same age, then decided enough was enough.

--- People seem to forget that while, yes, the Steelers could have beaten the Denver Broncos and could have beaten the New England Patriots and could have won a seventh Lombardi Trophy, that was still a long way off from actually doing it. They were lucky to be playing in Denver after the Cincinnati Bengals gifted them that playoff win in the first game. And if that did not happen, this post-season talk around the Steelers might be how they again went one-and-done in the playoffs.

--- Or, maybe everyone still would be complaining how the Steelers did not make the playoffs for the third time in four years. Think about that. The Steelers received a gift to even make it into the playoffs thanks to the New York Jets and their quarterback bumbling in Buffalo. When all was on the line for the Steelers and things were in their own hands, they turned in their worst performance of the season in a loss to depleted Baltimore in game 15. And, by the way, that fumble by Fitzgerald Tussaint in Denver? It counts every bit as much as the fumble by Jeremy Hill of the Bengals in Cincinnati that gave the Steelers their unlikely comeback try.

--- Count me among those who did not think Cam Newton’s non-play on his own fumble was so egregious. He seemed stunned at first by the fact he fumbled, then moved to go after it, then hesitated. The hesitation was enough time to allow the ball to be knocked backward. But in real time, that hesitation seemed natural for a quarterback not used to pouncing on footballs the way defensive players are taught and have ingrained in their DNA – especially when those players are moving forward toward the ball to begin with.

--- Tony Dungy’s election to the Hall of Fame will rightfully begin the comparisons between his record and those of other coaches who won maybe just one Super Bowl, as he did. Ray Fittipaldo did a good job here yesterday comparing Dungy’s record to Bill Cowher’s. One thing, however, that is overlooked in those comparisons and is a big reason Dungy was elected: He was the first African-American coach to win a Super Bowl, plus he had an excellent coaching career and winning percentage with two different teams.

Don’t kid yourself in the hurdles Dungy had to overcome because of that. We still see that racism today in many reactions to Mike Tomlin, whose record is among the best of active NFL coaches. Dungy was a trailblazer and as such deserves to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

And now onto Ask Ed:

--- YOU: Hi Ed, I had a chance to view a recording of Troy P’s Polynesian HOF induction. He mentioned all of the football teams he played for except the Steelers, instead saying NFL. I have heard that the relationship between Troy and the Steelers is strained, what can you tell those of us who care about these kinds of things?

ED: My understanding is that it is strained and Polamalu has not shown up for any of the events the Steelers have had, including the 10th anniversary of Super Bowl XL. Apparently, he disagreed with the Steelers about their retirement plans for him last year.

--- YOU: As a youngster in the 1970’s I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to the Steelers kicking game. When you watch NFL Films, especially the Super Bowls, the Steelers kicking game comes off as brutal. Bobby Walden dropping snaps, both on punts and FG’s, Gerela missing short kicks. Was this just a function of the era? Were they actually good? I know Gerela led the league in scoring at least once. What are your thoughts?

ED: The kickers back then were not nearly as good as they are today; Gerla was considered generally among the better ones. However, there was no excuse for Chuck Noll hanging onto Bobby Walden for so long. The Steelers were so frustrated by Walden that they even had a punter tryout – without Noll – at their Yonkers race track in New York one summer with the winner guaranteed a chance to compete in training camp at Saint Vincent.

Noll even went for it on fourth down late in Super Bowl X rather than chance that Walden would somehow mess up the punt – it came on fourth-and-nine at the Dallas 41 with 1:28 left; Rocky Bleier picked up only two yards and Dallas got one last chance to try to pull it out with a first down at its 39 with 1:22 to go and trailing by four. Walden fumbled a perfect snap on a punt early in the game that led to a Dallas touchdown and Chuck Noll did not want to chance it again.