So we’ve got some decent news to talk about today. Which is stunning because it’s Wednesday, and I usually don’t have anything important to say regarding anything Pittsburgh related. Anyways, let’s move on to what has happened involving Pittsburgh over the past few days.
First will start with Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. He had his contract extended for 3 years just recently. It’s good news, because the Steelers need some kind of normalcy going on around those parts. I’m happy to have the guy, and here’s to many bountiful years in the play-offs and and Super Bowl.
So here’s what Pittsburgh Post Gazette had to say about the signing:
Tomlin’s new contract will carry him through 2014. His previous contract, signed when the Steelers hired him in ’07, had one year and an option left. The five-year deal was worth an average of $2.5 million annually.
Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers have not yet announced Tomlin’s new contract and financial terms were unavailable.
Steelers president Art Rooney, who negotiated the deal with his coach, is on vacation and could not be reached for comment.
In similar circumstances, Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt, with two years left on his first deal, signed an entirely new five-year contract in February that reportedly will pay him an annual average of between $5.5 million and $6 million.
All is well and good on the head coach front. So how about the player front? LaMarr Woodley was told he would not be given an extension. This is alarming news to me, and I do not like this one bit. Woodley has been the player that has shined throughout the past two years. I mean sure it make take a few games for him to pick up, but there’s no need not to re-sign him. He’s really valuable and he’s a defensive monster.
According to ESPN, this is what was said or speculated even:
The Pittsburgh Steelers have decided not to give outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley a contract extension before the start of the 2010 season, a source told ESPN.com on Monday. Woodley is in the final year of his rookie deal and will make $550,000 this season, making him one of the NFL’s best bargains.
It’s extremely rare that the Steelers negotiate with players during the season, which means Woodley would be set to become a
The Honest Truth about LaMarr Woodley
free agent next March. The source added that it’s highly unlikely the Steelers would change their stance on Woodley between now and September. Pittsburgh is primarily focused on filling its right tackle position and could spend money there following the season-ending Achilles injury to Willie Colon.
Woodley is facing the same dilemma as a lot of NFL players seeking extensions this offseason. New rules during the uncapped year have made things complicated. The league’s 30 percent rule, in particular, is the biggest hurdle.
By rule, Woodley could only make a maximum salary of $598,000 in 2010, which is a 30 percent increase over last season. The subsequent salaries could only go up 30 percent for the life of the contract. That means a substantial bulk of an extension would be put into bonuses, which the Steelers are not interested in at this time.
A one-year franchise tag for Woodley also is a possibility, although there are no guarantees that the use of a franchise tag will be included in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Woodley, 25, has been one of the league’s most dominant outside linebackers during his first two years as a starter. He has combined for 25 sacks in that span and made his first Pro Bowl last season.
All around, if he’s let go, I will not be a happy camper. It’s just one of things, that yea it could be business, but the situation is that he was a bright spot on a typically bad defense last year. Just don’t let him go, or I just may cry.
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Moving on to hockey, we’ve got some really awesome news to report. The Console Energy Center will host the 2013 Frozen Four, and RMU(Robert Morris University) will play hosts to the sporting event. That’s just so awesome, and I urge everyone that can to buy tickets to watch some of the best in college play some great hockey.
KDKA Reports:
The Consol Energy Center has landed yet another big event before officially opening its doors.
The NCAA awarded the 2013 Frozen Four to Robert Morris University.
The hockey version of the Final Four is expected to bring more than 15,000 visitors to Pittsburgh.
It’s also a big boost for the national image of Robert Morris’ hockey program.
The Frozen Four comes to Pittsburgh on April 11-13 in 2013.
It will mark the first time the Frozen Four has returned to the eastern part of the United States since Columbus, Ohio hosted the event in 2005.
Boston College has appeared in four of the last five national championship games, having won in 2008 and 2010.
It will be the first time the state of Pennsylvania has hosted the event and will be the first time the NCAA has held a national championship in Pittsburgh.
I’ll be getting tickets the day they go on sale. I can’t wait to see Boston College, Robert Morris, Miami, and other hockey power houses go at it. Good times!
July 21st, 2010 at 10:06 PM
I enjoyed reading your blog ~ thanks for posting such cool material.
July 28th, 2010 at 11:41 PM
I enjoyed reading your blog ~ thanks for posting such cool content.