Antwaan Randle El Follows Kordell Stewart's Footsteps; Mike Wallace Update

First Kordell Stewart, and now Antwaan Randle El. The second former Steelers wide receiver/quarterback/rusher in almost as many months to announce his retirement. I fully expect to hear of Mark Malone's announcement of his retiring as a Steeler player any day now.

My first thought when I heard about this back on July 6th? "Ya mean he isn't already?" He then announced officially Monday, July 16th. Ok.

 

Look, I appreciate all that Randle El did for the Steelers. He was, in a sense, the second coming of "Slash." He returned kicks and punts, was a serviceable wide receiver, ran the ball on occasion and also played quarterback. There, as a matter of fact, is where his memory shall be closely guarded. As El is the only wide receiver in NFL history to throw a touchdown pass in a Super Bowl. (Something for which Steelers fans will be eternally grateful.) -http://t.co/JbAR9AyN

It's just that I don't know why a wide receiver who had 370 receptions, 4,467 receiving yards and 15 receiving touchdowns (21 total when adding returns) in nine total years feels the need to "announce" his retirement. Or am I too cynical?

The next stage of El's life will apparently be in broadcasting, as he’s going to work for the Big Ten Network as well as some preseason work with the Washington Redskins. Being that he's a very intelligent and articulate man, I'm sure he'll do very well in this next endeavor.

~

On Saturday, ESPN posted that the Pittsburgh Steelers are confident that a deal for Mike Wallace will be reached soon. I thought it over and, since we can't go a day without hearing about the speedy wide receiver, I decided to jot a few thoughts down. There is enough wiggle room to garner such confidence, but will we see it come to fruition?

The Steelers could afford a salary cap hit of about $4 million or so in 2012. As was noted in a previous blog, the current numbers show the Steelers at $3.73 million under the cap. A deal for Wallace could be written in such a way so that it could be restructured in the next couple of years, a la Timmons and Woodley. The thing, therefore, to concentrate on in this or any contract reached is the true guaranteed amount, not the total average per year of the agreement. For instance, the actual value of Vincent Jackson's deal is $13 million over each of the first two years. That's it. Despite all those fives, it's a 2-year, $26 million deal.

So, while I have faith that Omar Khan could make the numbers work, it's a question of whether they're numbers that the Steelers are interested in paying. Though it could be structured various ways, you'd be looking at $11 million a season no matter how much smoke there is and no matter how strategically the mirrors are placed.

The good thing is that Wallace already counts $2.74 against the 2012 cap as it is. Sign him to a long deal and that will go away. Cut Jonathan Scott and another $2 million plus ($2.2M?) is freed up. There's almost $5 million right there, the amount for the salary cap hit mentioned earlier. So, albeit very tight and full of Chinese arithmetic, it's possible. The question is whether it's probable.

Charlie: The Best of the Batch

     Charles D'Donte Batch was born on December 5th, 1974 in Homestead. Pa. The son of Lynn Settles - her pride and joy. Charlie, as he's commonly known, was age seven he started playing Midget Football. He'd eventually take those moves to Steel Valley High School where he lettered three times in football as well as twice in basketball. He was even an All-State third-team and Pittsburgh Press "Fabulous 22" pick as a senior in 1991. Simply put, he had become a well-known athlete in Western Pennsylvania sports. Nothing has changed.
     Charlie Batch has been with the Steelers' organization since 2002 where he was reunited with current Steelers GM, Kevin Colbert. He has served as the Steelers 2nd or 3rd string quarterback since that time and has a 4-2 record when starting. He is currently in battle again for the Steelers back-up role, this time with Dennis Dixon.
     Dennis Dixon was always a highly desired player. Cincinnati wanted him and Atlanta worked hard to get him into their fold. He was highly sought after and many wanted him coming out of Oregon. For baseball.
     Dennis Dixon had a promising career in baseball as he was initially drafted in the 20th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft. But Dixon opted to grayshirt (attend school part-time and retain eligibility) for the 2003 season and played his freshman season in 2004. Then following his junior year at Oregon, Dixon was picked by the Atlanta Braves in the fifth round of the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft. Dixon felt that his first love was football and, after stints with two Atlanta Braves rookie league teams, returned to Oregon for his senior football season in 2007. The next year Dixon was taken in the 5th round (156th overall) by the Pittsburgh Steelers and it was speculated that he could be used in the manner that the Steelers used  Kordell Stewart or Antwaan Randle-El, a college quarterback turned NFL receiver.
     Fast forward four years and there is no sign of baseball as Dixon decided that football was the game of choice, but there is no sign of multiple positions being played either. Instead Dixon is only playing quarterback and he has a chance to the no. 2 ahead of Charlie Batch. But he shouldn't be.
     The more I watch of Dixon and the more I think about it in general, I just don't think he'll ever be a successful starting quarterback in the NFL. Sure, he has talent and potential. But talent can be wasted and potential can be a dirty word. Dixon simply doesn't come off as having the needed tools to succeed in the NFL. There are several reasons for this as well. Dixon has the tendency to rely too much on his natural ability instead of learning how to go through his checks. So, instead of going through the full progression, he'll check down one, then check down the second and then he looks lost. His career numbers bear this out as he has only completed 59% of his passes and only has one touchdown against two interceptions.
     His instincts leave a lot ot be desired also. Being able to feel the rush is essential for any good quarterback, a quality he just doesn't seem to have. Despite his seemingly having those skills in college, they obviously didn't graduate wiht him. Throwing short when under duress, moving out of the pocket too late to avoid a sack, moving too late to be able throw the ball away, and not knowing where he is on the field causing him to throw the ball after he's passed the line of scrimmage are all qualities an effective-to-elite QB has to know to be successful. Qualities he simply doesn't have.
     His scrambling/running ability haven't saved him either. Though known for such skills at Oregon, we've only seen a glimpse of it while he's been in the league: November 29, 2009 against the rival Baltimore Ravens when he ran for 27 yards on three carries, including a 24 yard touchdown naked bootleg run. Other than that there hasn't been much there either. Dixon simply hasn't seemed to produce as had been expected by myself and many others.
     That leaves Charlie Batch to be the back-up in the Steel City, a role with which I do believe Batch is familiar. It's a role that Batch held a few times over the years since arriving in Pittsburgh in 2002, and one he should hold again this year.
     Now, don't get me wrong, I understand that Dennis Dixon is younger, faster and possibly stronger than Batch at this stage in their careers, but what Batch has in the way of experience and familiarity with the system speaks more loudly. He has a winning record as a back-up for a reason and even opened up a previously stagnant offense under Dixon last year at Tampa Bay, and almost pulled out the game against the Ravens.
     But there's another reason why Charlie Batch should be the no. 2 quarterback. It's the reason that was delineated at the beginning of this article: Batch is beloved in the community. It's not only for his play over the years, either, but because of his giving back to the community. His organization "Best of the Batch." and "Project C.H.U.C.K."-an annual youth basketball league in Homestead-are fixtures in the area and part of what make him a beloved figure.
     Batch established his Best of the Batch Foundation in 2000 primarily to serve underprivileged youth in the Pittsburgh area. Charlie proudly takes a very active hands-on role in this not for profit organization.
     As was mentioned at the beginning of the artcle, Batch is from the area and now regularly visits the schools in the Steel Valley School District and around the city of Pittsburgh to speak to the students of all grades. He also attends functions presented by the community, and is always in attendance for the events that Best of the Batch organizes. Plain and simple, he is an intregal part of the team and also the city.
     Don't take my word for it, though. You can see and read all about him and his organization at the links provided below:
http://www.batchfoundation.org/overview.html

http://www.batchfoundation.org/charlie.shtml

http://www.bestofthebatch.org/
     Whether, then, it could be considered for the sake of the team, for the sake of the city or for the sake of Batch himself, he should be the no. 2 QB behind Roethlisberger. He's a veteran with savvy and experience enough to carry the team for a short period, if needed. He has an established rapport Roethlisberger as it is. Also he's familiar with the need to stay physically and mentally sharp enough to be called upon to go in at a moment's notice. He's been there and he knows what it takes. In more ways than one, he's simply the best of the batch.

HINES WARD : HALL OF FAMER?

Written by Jason Robinson

  The image is etched in my memory: Ben Roethlisberger gets the ball from Jeff Hartings the center, turns right and pitches back left to Fast Willie Parker. It's a sweep left and the Seattle Seahawks have to respect Parker's speed. As Parker runs he hands the ball to Antwaan Randle El on the Reverse and, with help from a key block from Roethlisberger, Randle El throws the ball to an open Hines Ward for the touchdown. Ward skipped into the end zone, smiling as he always does, sealing the victory in Super Bowl XL. Ring number five, one for the thumb. Hines Ward was the MVP with five catches for 123 yards and a touchdown, plus one rush for 18 yards, and it was the first time I truly gave thought to his being a candidate for the Hall of Fame.

    Since then Ward has been the real man of steel as one of the Steelers truest leaders and unquestioned captain of the wide receivers. His play over the years has caused him to have virtually every Steelers receiving record. The only Steelers' records he doesn't have are receptions in a single game, receiving yards in a season, receiving yards in a game and 100-yard games in a season. All the important numbers, though, he has. He even has the hardware: two Rings in three Super Bowl appearences, including the aforementioned MVP award. So he's an all-time great from a Steelers standpoint, but the real question is whether he makes the HOF or not.


    When I think of someone worthy of the Hall of Fame I think of someone truly great. Like Peter King once said, "This isn't the Hall of Very Good." Well said, and well received. Well, then, what is "great?" We could use the dictionary definition for the word, but for these purposes it essentially means someone who is or does something that is large or prodigious in proportion, has significant impact, value and worth, has influence on others and leaves behind some form of legacy. In the case of the NFL, it would also mean being the best for a period of time. That means we can't just look at numbers. You can skew numbers to fit whatever you want. I could throw Terrell Owen's numbers at you and present them in such a way to make you think he's the greatest thing since Stretch Armstrong. *sigh* I miss that toy. It was just so cool! Stretch him all around anything I wanted. But I digress... Anyway, the truth is that Owens has great numbers to be sure, but he also has been a pariah wherever he has played. He's torn teams apart and, on top of that, you never had to worry about your popcorn in the playoffs because he's never won a significant playoff game. So is he truly great? No.

    Not that the HOF necessarily takes character into consideration, but being arrested for Cocaine possession, i.e. Michael Irvin, is something that happens outside of the game. Derailing and/or breaking teams up, though, directly deals with the game itself. So that means that one such as the aforementioned Owens would fail when graded against that particular criterium. Does Ward? How, in fact, does Ward fair against the criteria set up in general? As I alluded to before, numbers are only one part of this. In fact, as far as I'm concerned, he has the numbers to warrant having his smiling bust in Canton despite never being the absolute best any given year. So let's look at the proposed definition and go from there.

    Part of the definition proposed was "someone who is or does something prodigious in proportion." Hines Ward has certainly had a prodigious career as he holds all of the most significant of Steelers receiving records as was mentioned before. He has been a key component to reaching the playoffs 7 of the last 10 years and to reaching the Super Bowl three times in six years. He is a four-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl MVP and still one of the best blocking WRs in the League.

    Another criteria put forth was one's impact, value and worth. The "impact" Ward has had on players over the years is well documented. Ed Reed found this out in a 2004 when he wasn't paying close enough attention to his surroundings and was knocked out cold by a legal block by Ward. So clean and devastating was the blow that Ward immediately signaled to the Ravens' sideline for them to come get him. If it had been a cartoon there would have been little birds flying around Reed's head. After the game Reed was asked what he thought of the hit. He said, "(snore)". Then there was the, again, legal block on Keith Rivers in '08. Rivers also neglected to keep his head on a swivel as to what was going on in his vicinity and paid for it. The block so jolted Rivers that it broke his jaw. You can find Rivers at the downtown Cincinnati Jamba Juice drinking his dinner if you want to ask him his thoughts on Hines Ward's blocking ability. I bring these examples up because they and others resulted in a rules change by the NFL that is affectionately (ahem) referred to as "The Hines Ward Rule." That, ladies and gentlemen, is impact. The value and worth part of that is simple: he's incredibly valuable to his team as he not only does whatever is needed for his team to win, but they see that this is the case and have voted him captain or team MVP multiple times.


    The influence and legacy that Ward will leave behind is summed up in a series of names: Burress, Randle El, Holmes, Wallace, and, soon to surely be added, Sanders and Brown. All of whom are at least Super Bowl participants and two have Super Bowl game-winning touchdown catches. His influence on them is great. These receivers to a man have spoken extremely highly of Ward and his influence, work ethic and leadership on the field and in the locker room. He is greatly respected and admired as a football player and as a man. When I watch NFL Films replays of practices, games or otherwise and I see the other receivers standing there listening to him as if to a father, I can't help but to smile. When the word "honor" is used in conjunction with Hines Ward, it isn't contextually, "Yes, Your Honor." The honor, admiration and respect for Ward is real and is boundless. Even when opposing players hate him, they still have to respect him. That, my friends, is greatness.

    So, yeah, I could have thrown out stat after stat to make a case for Hines Ward to don a yellow jacket, but he's greater than the sum of his parts. Pure stats don't do him justice, because he's a Hall of Famer on and off the field. Will he get in on the first ballot? I'd have to say no, but I believe that a Hall of Famer is simply a Hall of Famer. So expect to see him up on that podium, oh, sometime in early 2020's. But expect him nonetheless.