Take a look at the Pittsburgh Steelers roster and gone missing are many familiar faces. Winning is the only the thing that the Pittsburgh franchise knows and understands and they know that falling short of the Super Bowl is not acceptable. Gone are the antics of James Harrison. Gone is most of the offensive line, a unit whose play was as scary to Steeler fans as the Terrible Towels are to opponents. Gone are underachievers like Ziggy Hood. Indeed looking at the Steeler roster, which is still under construction as free agency and the draft have yet to take place, many faces are new but the philosophy remains similar. The Pittsburgh Steelers off-season got off to a tumultuous start when former offensive coordinator Bruce Arians was said to be retiring only to sign on with another team after Pittsburgh released him from his contract. New GM Boik14 recovered nicely though with a swift hiring of former Raider Head Coach Hue Jackson as Offensive Coordinator, a position Jackson formerly held with the Cincinnati Bengals. Jackson had a lot of fans in the Raider locker room, just not in the Oakland front office. While Steelers ownership had previously complained about Bruce Arians pass heavy play-calling (amid accusations that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was influencing the play-calls) new GM Boik14 has spoken to Steelers owner Art Rooney and explained that the NFL nowadays is a pass heavy league and while we are working to make the offensive line better to run the ball more effectively, priority number one is to keep Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger upright to make plays downfield. Here is a quick review of the Steelers off-season moves to date: - The Steelers have recently placed the Exclusive Franchise Tender on WR Mike Wallace for slightly more then 11.9 Million. Wallace is a huge part of Offensive Coordinator Hue Jackson's gameplan and one of the reasons that Jackson was so elated to accept the OC position on Mike Tomlin's staff. As a premier vertical threat Wallace has already put himself in the Steeler record books to go with names like Swann, Stallworth, Ward, etc. - In Pittsburgh's biggest and maybe most controversial move so far they have unloaded All-Pro linebacker James Harrison in a trade that netted them second-year receiver Titus Young, an explosive run-after-catch player who will make the Pittsburgh WR corps a more difficult matchup then it already was. The Steelers also obtained Running Back Jahvid Best and Guard Rob Sims. Best will add an element of explosiveness to the Steeler backfield that hasnt been seen since Willie Parker's prime as well as a good set of hands out of the backfield to replace free agent Mewelde Moore. Sims is a tough Guard who can play in space and was ranked 14th out of 77 Guards by Pro Football Focus. Harrison's toughness will be missed as will Larry Foote who was also moved in the deal but it was a trade the Steelers felt compelled to make. The Steelers also added the Lions 3rd and 5th round picks in the blockbuster 6 player/2 draft pick trade which cleared over seven million in cap space for the previously cap-strapped Steelers. - The Steelers have traded Free Safety Ryan Clark to the San Diego Chargers for Inside Linebacker Donald Butler whose youth and hard hitting style has the Steelers front office buzzing. In a move that seems to have flown under the radar around the league Butler will bring to the Steelers defense a downhill style of play and a player who can get in the oppositions backfield. Pittsburgh also acquired OLB/DE Travis LaBoy in the deal who was then shipped out to Seattle. - Pittsburghs most pressing need this offseason was their offensive line. They have added young veteran LT Russell Okung from Seattle to man Ben Roethlisberger's blind side. Okung has been adequate to date in Seattle but still has a lot of untapped potential. Entering just his third year in the NFL, Okung still has the ability to establish himself as a premier LT. The Steelers were upset to move Inside Linebacker Lawrence Timmons to get the deal done but felt it necessary. The acquisition of Donald Butler made it an easier pill to swallow. The aforementioned Travis LaBoy and underachieving Ziggy Hood were also shipped out in the deal. - The Steelers have restructured the contract of LaMarr Woodley to save them 2.7 million against the cap. - The Steelers released over twenty-five players including former starters Willie Colon Blow, Bryant "Toast" McFadden, and Jonathan "Turnstile" Scott. The moves saved the Steelers over twenty-four million in cap space. - Tight End Julius Thomas has been acquired for former starting Guard Chris Kemoeatu. Kemoeatu is known for his ability to pull but unfortunately he just is not good at anything else anymore. Thomas has good down-field speed that can threaten the seems of a defense and has athletic ability that makes him an intriguing prospect. His small school background showed at times last year with Denver but he also displayed flashes of the play-making ability that makes him an appealing prospect. - The Steelers have traded their fifth, sixth and seventh round round selections in this years NFL draft for a player they absolutely loved coming out of college, Jerry Hughes. We believe that Hughes has been miscast as a 4-3 Defensive End and believe that in the Steelers 3-4 alignment he can utilize his explosive first step better. Hughes has tremendous burst off the line which has the Steelers front office buzzing. We believe we may have found a starter and the next in a long line of great Steeler pass rushers. - The Steelers have acquired Cornerback Walter Thurmond III for Running Back Jonathan Dwyer. Dwyer is a player the Steelers did not really want to move but the acquisition of Jahvid Best made it a lot easier to cope with. Dwyer was previously a sixth round pick. Walter Thurmond will add valuable speed and ball skills to the Steelers secondary. Now entering his third year in the league, Thurmond looks to be recovered from ACL surgery which caused his stock to tumble during the NFL draft. Previously heralded as a potential first round pick, Thurmond tumbled all the way to round four because of the injury. Thurmond graded out adequately as a fourth CB in Seattle, a role he will likely assume in Pittsburgh as well. - Just yesterday the Steelers acquired Cornerback Sam Shields for Running Back John Clay. The Steelers were previously high on Clay's tough, rugged style but the fact that the Steelers were able to bring back Restricted Free Agent Isaac Redman with the Exclusive RFA tender made Clay expendable. Shields has started before for the former Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers but mostly excelled in a Nickel Role. While Shields is a bit of a smurf, his speed and ball skills were two things needs in the Pittsburgh secondary. Shields will see time in the slot and on the perimeter vs the opponents faster WR's. The Steelers are excited with the start to their offseason. They have acquired talent at positions of need, gotten much younger and cleared out over thirty-two million in cap space to date. The Steelers look likely to be poised to be major players in free agency once again where GM Boik14 has twice previously been elected by his peers as the Best in Free Agency. In a talent acquisition business, GM Boik14 has done exactly that, acquire talent. Art Rooney hasnt been this excited since his last Irish Jig.
