Feb 09 2009
What’s next for the Pittsburgh Steelers?
It has now been a week since the Pittsburgh Steelers were victorious in Super Bowl XLIII. The 2008 NFL season is over, and fans across the country will have to find something to do to pass the time on Sundays. With the offseason underway in the NFL, fans cannot help but wonder, what’s next for the Pittsburgh Steelers?
What will be next for the Pittsburgh Steelers is free agency. The Steelers are fortunate in the fact that their coaching staff will virtually remain the same for the 2009 season. There are however, some issues the Steelers will have to address in free agency. Let us begin with the offensive linemen. Chris Kemoeatu, Marvel Smith, Max Starks and Trai Essex are all now free agents. It is highly unlikely that the Steelers will be able to re-sign all of these players, but it is difficult to evaluate which players will stay and which will go. It is probably a safe assessment to assume that Max Starks will not be with the team next year, due to his limited role last year and his high salary.
Cornerback, Bryant McFadden, and quarterback, Byron Leftwich, are also free agents. Expect the Steelers to re-sign McFadden, who made great strides at his position last season, but still has plenty of room to grow and improve. Byron Leftwich will probably not be a Steeler next season. Leftwich showed the rest of the NFL that he can be successful and that he deserves to be a starter for another team. Expect Charlie Batch to once again be the backup quarterback for the Steelers at the start of the 2009 NFL season.
By Michael C. Smith
