NFL: Steelers moving on from Casey Hampton?

LATEST CASEY HAMPTON RUMORS Casey Hampton showed this past season that he still has some football left in him but are the Steelers ready to move on? Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette wrote this morning that yes they are, writing “it appears the Steelers are prepared to move on without him {Casey Hampton}.” Hampton last season made $2.85 million and has all intentions on playing next season. Steve McLendon is the top replacement for Hampton and has shown some flashes in limited playing time. The Steelers also have Al Woods on the roster and fourth round pick Alameda Ta’amu ended the year on the practice squad but it’s still no guarantee the Steelers keep him around.

Three Takeaway’s from Steelers – Giants: Pass rush from the edge came alive in 4th quarter

THREE TAKEAWAY’S FROM SUNDAY’S 24-20 STEELERS WIN 1. DOMINATING AT THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE: The Steelers are suddenly a team where there is some buzz about them in the AFC when discussing the top teams in the conference. The sense around the league is that Pittsburgh has the look of a football team that is peaking and two areas that standout over the past three to four weeks is Pittsburgh being a team that is dominating at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football. Pittsburgh gave up four sacks against the Giants but against the pass rushers New York has on the edge, that is going to happen. Where Pittsburgh’s O-line dominated was in the trenches, opening up huge holes

The Latest Steelers Camp Rumblings II

LATEST RUMBLINGS — The Steelers coaching staff felt last year that no off-season due to the lockout really hindered 2010 2nd round pick Jason Worilds who didn’t make that big jump from year 1 to year 2 like the Steelers hope high draft picks do. This year it’s been another lost off-season for Worild’s who has been sidelined for months due to wrist surgery. Worilds has started camp on the PUP list and is still believed to be at least a good two to three weeks away from being fully cleared. As good as Chris Carter has looked in camp, there’s no signs right now that he could actually step in for a James Harrison or LaMarr Woodley if the

NFL: Hampton calling the Steelers bluff?

Contract negotiations between Casey Hampton and the Steelers will heat up in the next 7-10 days and word from Casey Hampton’s camp is that Pittsburgh has no interest in offering a deal close to Hampton’s market value. Hampton’s camp is in fact calling the Steelers bluff, about the Steelers all of a sudden acting like the 32 year old nose tackle is a priority. Steelers front office executive Omar Khan and Eric Armstead, the agent for Casey Hampton, met during the early stages of the senior bowl last week. The two sides are expected to meet again next week following the Super Bowl. A deal in the 3 year – $22.5 million range with $9.5 million in guarantees has been

NFL: Hampton seeking more than $9.5 million in guarantees

Off-season Buzz The Steelers focus will quickly turn towards defensive tackle Casey Hampton in the coming weeks and to some extent right tackle Willie Colon, who the coaching staff regards as the Steelers best offensive lineman. Hampton, 32, is coming off his best season of his career and is in line for one last pay day. The Steelers did not make an offer prior to the 2009 season but have had a change of heart and will make Hampton a priority. The pressure will be on the Steelers lock up Hampton to a long-term deal before free agency begins. “If they let me get to free agency, everybody knows what it’s going to be,” Hampton said in September. “There ain’t

Scouts favor Keisel over Hampton

Keisel, Hampton have one year remaining on their current contracts There has been a growing sense since the Steelers drafted DT/DE Ziggy Hood with their first round pick that Brett Keisel will be the odd-man out as the Steelers have not held any substantive talks on a new contract with Keisel’s camp. Infact, the Steelers have also held minimal talks with defensive tackle Casey Hampton. Hampton, 31, enters the season with a $6.6 cap hit and has not been a dominating force down the middle since the 2006 season. The Steelers drafted Ziggy Hood with the idea of him eventually moving to defensive end which would put Brett Keisel’s future in doubt but scouts around the league favor the 30

Latest Rumblings from Monday’s OTA workouts

Mike Tomlin’s top project this off-season is wide receiver Limas Sweed. Tomlin is very high on Sweed and expects him to make a significant jump from year 1 to year 2. Project #2 is 2008 third round draft pick Bruce Davis. Davis has bulked up this off-season and the Steelers have hopes of him making strides in year 2. There continues to be some rumblings that Davis needs a stronger commitment to be a successful NFL player. Big off-season for him Hines Ward approached the Steelers in late March, expressing a strong interest in working out a two year extension before the season. The two sides will talk as training camp gets closer. No progress on the Max Starks front.

NFL: Steelers to turn attention to Starks, Miller

With James Harrison locked up, the Steelers focus has now turned to Left tackle Max Starks. The two sides have been in negotiations since March but talks have yet to reach the serious stages. Starks is due 8.451 million for the 2009 season, the average of the top five highest-paid tackles in the NFL. The Steelers want to get that cap hit in the $5.5 million range but the difficult task is giving Starks enough guaranteed money to satisfy him as he is due a guaranteed salary of $8.451 million this season. Talks will pick up later this week according to sources with the Steelers and the Steelers would love to get a deal done by the middle of May.

The Latest Steelers Buzz

A lot of buzz going around right now that the Tennessee Titans will be the team that comes to Heinz field for the NFL’s Thursday night season opener in 2009. The San Diego Chargers are believed to be the second choice at this point. The opportunity will be presented to the Baltimore Ravens for a rematch of the AFC Championship game to open the 2009 season but it is likely that they will decline like the Denver Broncos did in 06. Steelers 2009 Schedule Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings Away: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Detroit