Savage Beatings Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Just heard a little bit ago on ESPN that they think Joey Porter will be let go... speculated that it might be a move to try to get him back for less money. No link yet. Anyone else hear about this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disfunction Junction Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 He was released. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disfunction Junction Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Dolphins and Patriots are the first teams that come to mind that would want Porter right away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorttynaz Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Just heard a little bit ago on ESPN that they think Joey Porter will be let go... speculated that it might be a move to try to get him back for less money. No link yet. Anyone else hear about this? He just was... Steelers cut Porter, Haynes to get under the capBy John Clayton ESPN.com After two weeks of internal debate, the Pittsburgh Steelers decided to cut ties with one of their most recognized players -- linebacker Joey Porter. Haynes Porter Porter and running back Verron Haynes were released Thursday as the Steelers got under the salary cap. But the decision to release Porter wasn't as much a cap move as it was a change in direction. A three-time Pro Bowl performer, Porter turns 30 on March 22. And with new coach Mike Tomlin taking over for Bill Cowher, the Steelers were looking to go in a different direction with their linebacking corps. Porter is one of the league's most outspoken players and is willing to verbally challenge opponents. His approach at time did not mesh well with the Steelers' image. Over the past couple of days, Pittsburgh shopped Porter in trade discussions and there was some interest. In the end, the Steelers decided to give him the chance to find a new team instead of sending him somewhere he might not want to go. Porter was entering the final year of his contract and there weren't any plans to sign him to an extension. Porter was scheduled to make $5.225 million this season. His release, and Haynes', save the Steelers $6.065 million of cap room. Because Porter is still a productive player, some people in the organization wanted to keep him. On Thursday, management decided to move on. James Harrison is expected to take over for Porter at outside linebacker. John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godtomsatan Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Porter is more bark than bite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleseeya Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Ny giants anyone ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grits and Shins Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 Joey who? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjpro11 Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 i will agree that he is on the downward side of career.. maybe not that much.. but he's definitely not getting any better.. im upset though because he was a personal favorite of mine. people complain about talking, but there were enough porter spamshirts on people's backs to show me that he was really liked in pittsburgh. im pretty sure the possibility of resigning for a cheaper price was haynes.. porter will never wear black and gold again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 (edited) I was not a hugh fan of Porter. Going into the off season I think the Steelers only had something like 150K of cap space or some other extremely low figure. Cutting Porter now will save them some cash. This may also be another sign of the Steelers actually starting to incorporate a 4-3 scheme into their defense as well and Porter, IMO, is not a LB that will excel in a 4-3. He is a 3-4 OLB all the way. Last season if he would have played half as good as he talked smack he would have been in the pro bowl again. Unfortunately for him he was all talk last season. I also read that he was a threat to hold out this year for camp. If they would have kept him the Steelers would have paid him a 1 mil bonus and still possibly have him as a no show for training camp. Edited March 2, 2007 by max Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 I was not a hugh fan of Porter. Going into the off season I think the Steelers only had something like 150K of cap space or some other extremely low figure. Cutting Porter now will save them some cash. This may also be another sign of the Steelers actually starting to incorporate a 4-3 scheme into their defense as well and Porter, IMO, is not a LB that will excel in a 4-3. He is a 3-4 OLB all the way. Last season if he would have played half as good as he talked smack he would have been in the pro bowl again. Unfortunately for him he was all talk last season. I also read that he was a threat to hold out this year for camp. If they would have kept him the Steelers would have paid him a 1 mil bonus and still possibly have him as a no show for training camp. Very well said Max. I've said on here numerous times that Porter was one of my least favorite Steelers. Don't get me wrong, he accomplished a lot for him. His run in the playoffs last year, especially against the Colts can't be forgotten. However, he never fit into the Steelers image. I always wished he would simply shut his mouth and play the game. The fact is Harrison is just as athletic, and has shown signs of brilliance when given the opportunity. The thing that you said that I completely agree with is that Porter HAS to go to a 3-4 team. He still has some solid years left, and would be a good pick-up for a team running a 3-4 defense. I don't neccesarily think this points to the Steelers moving to a 4-3. I think they know they have a player in Harrison. He has been groomed for some time, much like Gildon was behind Lloyd. It is his time to show what he can do. As for Haynes, I'm a little surprised. This could be a hugh thing for Willie Parker though. If Parker is left in on 3rd downs his value goes up considerably. I never understood taking Parker out on 3rd downs anyway, as he is made for those situations. I like Haynes, and if he is not resigned, he will be missed. This may open the door for John Kuhn, who played with my brother-in-law at Shippensburg and has shown some solid skills. Kuhn can also serve as a backup FB, which may help him in making the team. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 (edited) As for Haynes, I'm a little surprised. This could be a hugh thing for Willie Parker though. If Parker is left in on 3rd downs his value goes up considerably. I never understood taking Parker out on 3rd downs anyway, as he is made for those situations. I like Haynes, and if he is not resigned, he will be missed. This may open the door for John Kuhn, who played with my brother-in-law at Shippensburg and has shown some solid skills. Kuhn can also serve as a backup FB, which may help him in making the team. I was a little surprised by the Haynes cut as well. One thing to keep in mind is that Tomlin stated before that he wants to get another big back on the roster. Haynes while effective is not a big back. I agree with you on Parker. I also think that this will provide an opportunity to keep Parker on the field on 3rd downs. Keeping Parker in the game on 3rd down could be a very good thing and get him more involved in the passing game. He is the one Steeler that could take the screen pass on 3rd down the distance from anywhere on the field. Another thing to consider with the release of Haynes is that Tomlin didn't have much recent game film to go off of as Haynes was hurt a bit last year and with the overhaul of the Offensive coaches there wasn't going to be a ton of supporters on the staff to defend Haynes because most of them are now coaching elsewhere now. Edited March 2, 2007 by max Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaP'N GRuNGe Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Did Porter take all the HGH with him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjpro11 Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 i dont know about keeping willie in on 3rd downs.. it looks like we are about to resign davenport.. i trust davenport to block a lot more than willie... at least at this point in parker's career. he just isnt that solid of a blocker. davenport can catch on 3rd downs as well. as far as porter goes and replacing him.. harrison is only a year younger than porter and not good in coverage.. its time to look for that next great linebacker for the steelers in this draft. a new porter, a new lloyd, gildon, brown, the list goes on. we need some youth at that position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 i dont know about keeping willie in on 3rd downs.. it looks like we are about to resign davenport.. i trust davenport to block a lot more than willie... at least at this point in parker's career. he just isnt that solid of a blocker. davenport can catch on 3rd downs as well. as far as porter goes and replacing him.. harrison is only a year younger than porter and not good in coverage.. its time to look for that next great linebacker for the steelers in this draft. a new porter, a new lloyd, gildon, brown, the list goes on. we need some youth at that position. I think you are discounting the fact that Parker and Harrison haven't been given a lot of opportunties to prove they can block and cover respectively. I still think IF Parker can prove he can block, some of the positive he could give on 3rd down in the passing game could be HUGH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shorttynaz Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 One thing to keep in mind is that Tomlin stated before that he wants to get another big back on the roster. Jamal Lewis is available... How would Steeler fans embrace him if he were to go there? Not saying that he will, just curious.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowboutthemCowboys Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 Jamal Lewis is available... How would Steeler fans embrace him if he were to go there? Not saying that he will, just curious.. I was kidding my Dad ( a rabid Steeler fan) about this last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 (edited) Jamal Lewis is available... How would Steeler fans embrace him if he were to go there? Not saying that he will, just curious.. Nope, don't want him..... Edited March 2, 2007 by Menudo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowboutthemCowboys Posted March 2, 2007 Share Posted March 2, 2007 saw on espn bottomline that the Steelers re-signed Najeh. 2 year deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
max Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 Browns, Bengals and Dolphins among first teams in Porter hunt Saturday, March 03, 2007 By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Teams lined up quickly by yesterday to enter the Joey Porter sweepstakes, including two of the Steelers' AFC North Division rivals. Cincinnati and Cleveland were among those who talked to Porter's agent, Jeff Sperbeck, along with Miami and others. "We're weighing the various levels of interest and where the terms of the contracts are," Sperbeck said yesterday. No visits by Porter are scheduled and likely won't happen until next week "when we have it narrowed down and decide who has the most interest and the fit that's best for him," Sperbeck said. Porter would like to top the $5 million salary he was to receive this season from the Steelers before they released him Thursday in what Kevin Colbert, their director of football operations, labeled a salary-cap move. The Steelers cut Porter five days before he was due a $1 million roster bonus, but they paid a $1 million roster bonus to guard Alan Faneca that came due yesterday as part of his $4,375,000 salary in the final year of his contract. And, while they were busy extending defensive end Aaron Smith's contract earlier in the week, there has been no such progress made with their All-Pro guard who has been to the past six Pro Bowls. There does not appear to be a new contract for Faneca on the horizon. Colbert admitted releasing Porter left the Steelers thin at outside linebacker, but they did nothing as free agency began yesterday to try to fill the gap and likely won't for a while. The Steelers planned to take their usual methodical steps in free agency, preferring to concentrate on their players and the draft rather than make a big splash into the free-agent pool. "History will probably repeat itself," Colbert said. "There's not a lot of great players available. Even at that, you still have to let this thing settle in a little bit because there will be other players getting terminated, just as Joey was terminated." If they do sign an outside linebacker in free agency, it would more likely be a younger player who would not cost much. They also took a big interest in the outside linebackers and defensive ends at the combine workouts in Indianapolis last week and could make one their first draft choice. New coach Mike Tomlin has not said whether the Steelers will stay with a 3-4 defense or switch to the one he has coached throughout his NFL career, the 4-3. They also could play both. Tomlin has said the talent on the team will determine the structure of the defense. Absent another signing or a rookie stepping in, James Harrison likely would move into Porter's job at right outside linebacker, unless Clark Haggans is switched from the left side. Harrison has played in 44 games and started eight in his three-year career. Arnold Harrison is the only other outside linebacker on the roster with NFL experience, and he gained it briefly in his first season in 2006 with two starts before he went on the injured-reserve list Oct. 31 with a knee injury. Starting inside linebacker James Farrior played a season on the outside with the New York Jets. The Steelers also pretty much took themselves out of the market to sign another running back after they came to terms with Najeh Davenport on a two-year deal Thursday for $2 million. It's more likely they will draft a halfback than sign a free agent. One of the surprise moves they did not make came when they kept punter Chris Gardocki on the roster. He is 37 years old and has a $1 million salary in 2007. As for Porter, if his play slowed down last season, his emotions did not, and a team might value that. His leadership as part of the package, especially if he were to go to a team such as Cincinnati. Porter, though, is suited more for a 3-4 defense, which the Bengals do not run. But they do run it in Miami and Cleveland, teams against which Porter had big games last season. "Well, of course [we're interested]," Browns coach Romeo Crennel told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "Everybody should be interested in Joey, particularly 3-4 teams. But along with that, you also have to look at what it's going to cost for some of these guys, and Joey's coming out late. He's into it late, so we'll have to see how that plays out and see how he would fit with the team." The Browns started first-round 2006 draft choice Kamerion Wimbley in the spot Porter played with the Steelers. "On that right side, we do have a young player that we like quite a bit on our team right now," Crennel said, "but we might be able to put him over there [on the left] or put Joey over there." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjpro11 Posted March 3, 2007 Share Posted March 3, 2007 anywhere but cleveland joey.. they will run your career straight down the ground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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