Packers sign Anthony Smith

As far as I know, the Pittsburgh newspapers haven't reported this yet, but the Green Bay Packers have signed free-agent safety Anthony Smith to a multi-year contract. Smith will be coached by former Steelers' safety Darren Perry, who I believe coached Smith when he was a rookie in Pittsburgh. In an earlier post, I wrote that Smith was one of the most underachieving Steelers' players in memory.

Should the Steelers tender Anthony Smith?

We’ll soon find out how the Steelers feel about safety Anthony Smith, a restricted free-agent who may or may not be entering his fourth year with the team. It’s quite possible that the Steelers have given up on Smith and won’t tender him an offer, which would make him an unrestricted free-agent and almost certainly lead to his departure from Pittsburgh. After all, Smith didn’t dress for any of last season’s postseason games, an indication that he has fallen to the bottom of the depth chart.

On the other hand, the Steelers might offer Smith a “low” tender, which would pay him $1.01 million in 2009 if he remained with the team — in effect giving the young safety one more year to prove his reliability. In that case, if another team offered Smith a contract, the Steelers would get a third-round draft pick in return if they elected not to match the offer. Theoretically, the Steelers could offer a “medium,” “high” or “highest” tender (which would bring back better compensation in the draft should they lose him), but it’s almost inconceivable that the Steelers would risk committing more than $1 million to a backup safety, no matter how great his upside potential.

In my estimation, Smith has been the most disappointing Steelers’ player in memory. Sure, there have been bigger busts than Smith, but the frustrating thing about Anthony is that he has flashed the ability of a Pro Bowler. As a rookie, he made several big plays, despite seeing limited action. And the hits he delivered made him look like the hardest-hitting Steeler — pound-for-pound — since Greg Lloyd. But since his rookie year he has regressed badly, and it’s clear that the team doesn’t trust that he will play within Dick LeBeau’s defensive scheme. We’ll soon find out if Mike Tomlin is willing to give him one more chance.

Pittsburgh 11, San Diego 10

First time in NFL history a game has ended with this final score. The Steelers can consider themselves lucky to have escaped with a win considering the number of penalties the team committed and the initially shaky play of the offensive line.

A few notes: It was a bad decision by Mike Tomlin to attempt a field goal following the first drive. He must know that no kicker has ever converted a 50+ yard field goal in the history of Heinz Field, and with the weather and field conditions today, it's unlikely that was going to change. But one can't blame the Steelers for not sneaking Big Ben on 4th and goal at the end of the first quarter. No reason to put his shoulder in further jeopardy in that spot. Finally, Anthony Smith didn't do himself any favors getting called for fair catch interference.

With the victory The Steelyard is 7-3 on the season and 33-10 all-time.

Replacement of Porter now complete

The Steelers replaced LB Joey Porter's playmaking skills months ago, with James 'Silverback' Harrison well on his way to a Pro Bowl season. In fact, Harrison earned AFC Defensive Player of the Month honors in November, thanks in part to his "career game" against the Ravens. But until this week the Steelers hadn't found a replacement for Porter's "mouth," a role that the quiet-as-a-mouse Harrison could not embrace. But safety Anthony Smith appears to be more than willing to step into Porter's shoes and yap away. This week Smith delivered what I would describe as a qualified guarantee that the Steelers will beat the Patriots on Sunday.

I would imagine that Smith's teammates probably sighed when they got wind of the second-year DB's pronouncement. And Smith probably got called to the principal's office right away. Head coach Mike Tomlin reports telling Smith something along the lines of, 'Write your own checks, but don't write checks for the whole team.' Well said.

But in this case, does Smith's guarantee make much difference? I doubt it. New England is already plenty motivated to keep its unbeaten streak alive, and except for Steelers' fans, no one knows anything about Smith. Of course, Pittsburgh supporters hope that Smith has the opportunity to "introduce" himself to Randy Moss & Co. on Sunday with one of his punishing hits. After all, Smith arguably hits harder (pound-for-pound) than any Pittsburgh defender since Greg Lloyd. Anyway, the Steelers are 14-point underdogs, so no one is really expecting Pittsburgh to win. I doubt Smith is being calculated but he is using one of Porter's old tricks; by keeping the attention focused on himself it allows the rest of the team to prepare for the game in relative peace.

Low Expectations For Timmons and Woodley?

In "The Way We Hear It" section of the new issue of Pro Football Weekly, the PFW editors question whether Steelers' first-round pick Lawrence Timmons or second-round pick LaMarr Woodley can be impact players as rookies. Steelers fans don't have particularly high hopes for Timmons, because he's young, inexperienced, and suffered a serious groin injury at the outset of minicamp, which makes everyone wonder if he was in shape when he arrived at camp. Fans seem more optimistic about Woodley, but the PFW blurb notes that "at least one source close to the [Steelers] observed that Woodley’s reaction time was a little slower than it needed to be in some of the workouts."

Why is the status of the rookies so important? One could argue that aside from the health of QB Ben Roethlisberger and the performance of the offensive line, the most important factor in determining the success of the 2007 Steelers will be the play of the rookie class. Last season Pittsburgh got virtually nothing—nothing positive, at least—out if its rookies during the early part of the season. Only after first-rounder Santonio Holmes and third-rounder Anthony Smith began to make plays did the Steelers begin winning games. And other than punter Daniel Sepulveda, Timmons and Woodley would seem to be the most likely rookies to make an instant impact. Click here to read the PFW piece.