In another blatant attempt to fan the flames of the so called feud between Big Ben and Hines Ward, the Post Gazette's very own instigator, Ed Bouchette, ponders aloud the impact of losing Plaxico Burress. Let me paraphrase Ed's underlying message...the Giants are in the Superbowl and the Steelers are sitting at home for one reason - the free agency loss of Burress. Yeah, right. You all remember Ed Bouchette, he's the guy that fueled the great Anthony Smith "guarantee" controversy.
I, like many, believe that we took a big step backwards with our receiving corps after losing Burress, and I think the addition of Ced Wilson was really not a good replacement since Wilson is more a Ward/El type slot guy, and not a big downfield weapon. However, we must first remember that we actually won the Superbowl without Burress, or any other tall wide out, for that matter. We must also remember that had we retained Burress, we probably would have lost Ward through free agency, we would have passed up Wilson, and we most likely would not have opted to trade up to draft Santonio Holmes.
Let me further complicate the debate, by throwing another what-if at you. Let's say the team breaks open Dan Rooney's pigg bank and manages to extend the contracts of BOTH Burress and Randle El in the summer of 2004, then opts to let Ward move on after 2005. The team then decides to draft Holmes to fill the loss of Ward in 2006. This leaves you with a corps that looks like this: Burress, Holmes, Randle El, and Nate Washington. This quartet would seem pretty dangerous, although it would lack the sure handed clutch guy.
I think this debate will rage on throughout the summer, or at least until the Pirates throw out the first pitch. Then the Post Gazette will have a new target to overly scrutinize.
like any good journalist, Bouchette asks us to ask ourselves "what if???"
6 comments:
better yet - Quincy Morgan, Wilson, Washington, Lee Mays, and then Kordell (for the 5 WR packages)
Now you blame the media for Ben's stupidity. When will you just accept that the Steelers are the second best football team in the state?
Well let's see...the eastern half of PA boasts the Eagles...home of no world championship trophies, bottom of their division, sitting out of the playoffs and wishing they got to see the second (or is he third) string qb to get into the game....
...and Temple...
maybe you meant Temple and it was a funny.
when did this blog become a review of the post gazette?
no gazette today? Versatile Vrabel?
48 years since the Eagles won a championship. Chuck Bednarick (sp?) was a beast though, probably the best two-way player ever.
-'Noll was the runner up'-good stuff.
EB is normally a solid beat guy, I think it's more of the demand for Steelers' news that leads to the non-story, stories about the Steelers in the off season.
Let's not forget about the Pens, a much more pleasant distraction than Ben vs. Hines.
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