Polamalu, Faneca due for big contracts
By John Harris
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, March 10, 2007
In Mike Tomlin's first group interview with local print reporters after he became the Steelers' new coach, he made a point to mention three players the team can't do without.
Tomlin said Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu and Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton will thrive in any defense. And he said perennial Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca is an automatic starter.
Among them, Hampton, Polamalu and Faneca have been voted to 12 Pro Bowls.
By stating the obvious, Tomlin identified three impact players the Steelers can not afford to lose.
But like it or not, the Steelers may be without at least one after next season.
Hampton is signed through 2009. The Steelers have two more years before they have to redo Hampton's contract.
Faneca and Polamalu are a different story. Their contracts expire following the 2007 season. Given that Steelers management normally tries to lock up players they intend to retain the year before their contract expires, this offseason is critical.
Fortunately for the Steelers, management doesn't often face a situation like this one, when the contracts of two elite players expire in the same season.
Compounding -- and confounding -- matters is free agency.
FULL STORY
Harris: Polamalu, Faneca due for big contracts - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Steelers Polamalu, Faneca due for big contracts
Steelers Polamalu, Faneca due for big contracts
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