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PLAYER MOVEMENT

Unrestricted Free Agents

Player	What to Expect / What Happened
RB Jerome Bettis	He'll be back. He may get more money somewhere else, but he is a hero in this town and there is no way he's going to give up the chance to retire as a Steelers legend.
WR Will Blackwell	He would've been gone last year but an injury saved his job. He returned a kickoff for a TD against San Diego last season, and that was the first time he's done anything remotely significant since 1997. He's gone.
LB Mike Vrabel	Speaking of guys who haven't done jack squat since 1997! His time with the Steelers is up as well.
WR Courtney Hawkins	Has the old man finally used up all nine of his lives with the Steelers? I hope so, but you never know. He was actually starting by late season! Still, if the Steelers want a veteran WR, they should go sign one that's a bit less broken down than the Hawk.
OT Shar Pourdanesh	Big mouth offensive lineman always had some funny quotes, but the Steelers have already indicated that he will not be back. Shar cleaned out his locker at the end of the season and said he would not be back.

Other Possible Departures

C Dermontti Dawson	The Steelers have to make a decision on he is scheduled to make a $1 million bonus this year. They will either have to cut him or believe that his hamstring injury is no longer an issue. Dawson is going to go down as maybe the greatest center ever to play pro football. It will be very sad if he does not finish his career here. He has played for the Steelers for the past 13 years. The only other Pittsburgh athelete who has been here longer is Mario Lemieux!
QB Kent Grahm	He may be a salary cap casualty. The Steelers better be careful though. I wouldn't have too much confidence in Kordell. Then again, Grahm proved that he will never take us anywhere either.
RB Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala	He is such a promising player, but he is always hurt. With Jon Witman and Dan Kreider competing for the FB job, and Zeroue and Huntley backing up Bettis (assuming he re-signs), Fu may be squeezed out.

2001 Draft: An Early Look

Ok, no more receivers!! The Steelers draft 16th overall this year. One of the worst things about finishing right in the middle of the pack like the Steelers did last season is that you get nothing out of it. If you're good, you make the playoffs and get a shot at the Super Bowl. If you suck, you get a high draft pick. The Steelers got neither, but I actually think they might do better drafting lower. After all, the last two picks were high and they were both busts (so far).

The Steelers most obvious need is still in the defensive line. They haven't had a solid pass rusher there since Ray Seals. After that, the needs are less defined. You can never have too many offensive linemen. The Steelers biggest weakness is still their passing offense, so yes, another WR in the first round is a possibility, but don't count on it.

As for QB, look for the Steelers to continue their trend of drafting someone in the low rounds who can push out Tee Martin for the all-important "never gets to play" spot. However, if they are serious about getting a QB, there are plenty of available quality veterans that could backup and if necessary, replace Kordell (Trent Green, Rob Johnson, Troy Aikman, ect). Also, I know no one is watching the games, but there are some decent NFL castoffs playing well in the XFL right now. The Steelers could even get one of them for cheap. But whether they sign or draft someone, don't worry about the QB position too much. Baltimore proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that even if you have one of the most pitiful QB's in the NFL, you can still win a Super Bowl. I'll have much more on the draft come April.

2001 Opponents

This will be the final year for the AFC Central division as we know it. Next year it will revert back to a four team division, most likely excluding Tennessee and Jacksonville. Our division is BY FAR the toughest in pro football. The Ravens and Titans were the two best teams in the AFC (if not the entire NFL) last season. The Jags are not dead yet, and the Steelers climbed back into the mix last season. The rest of the schedule will not be easy either. The Steelers also play the three best teams in the NFC Central, the Bills and Jets, and - big shock - a game at Kansas City!! C'mon!!! This will be the 7th time in the last 10 years that we've had to play at Arrowhead. They haven't been here since 1989! The official schedule won't be released until later, but the first regular season game at the new stadium will of course be against our oldest rivals, the Cleveland Browns.

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