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Thursday, September 03, 1998 By Bob Smizik, Post-Gazette Sports Columnist
Rod Woodson, perhaps the greatest cornerback in Steelers history, will line up against his old team when the National Football League season begins Sunday. Woodson is a Baltimore Raven these days, his second team since leaving the Steelers after the 1996 season.
Woodson was on the speaker phone yesterday, the obvious choice as the opposing team's designated interview of the week. At one point in the interview, Woodson, who left the Steelers when a contract agreement could not be reached, did a little reminiscing.
"It's unfortunate," he said of the team's well-known talent drain, which sees first-class talent leaving annually through free agency. "Not just myself, but a lot of players have moved through the Steelers organization and are playing elsewhere and doing very well. It would have been interesting to see . . . if everybody would have stayed here how good we would have been over the years."
Interesting, to be sure, since the Steelers have lost 22 starters to free agency since 1992. Some left for more money, others because they were no longer wanted. But if they had stuck around, what a team this would be.
How about Hardy Nickerson joining Levon Kirkland at middle linebacker and Chad Brown lining up with Jason Gildon on the outside? Depth on the offensive line, a concern this season, wouldn't be with Leon Searcy and John Jackson still on the roster. Wide receiver wouldn't be a problem with Yancey Thigpen in uniform.
Of course, Kordell Stewart, if he was still here, would be one of the top wide receivers in the league, what with Neil O'Donnell at quarterback.
That's only one of the things cockeyed about Woodson's view of the present. The entire roster would be playing for about 60 percent of its market value in order for the Steelers to stay within the guidelines of the salary cap.
The fact is the Steelers have done exceedingly well despite losing so many starters to free agency. They've been in three of the past four AFC title games. They've been to one Super Bowl. They haven't won any, but winning a Super Bowl is not the measure of a successful season.
Woodson had been critical of Tom Donahoe, the Steelers' director of player personnel, in a Baltimore Sun story earlier in the week. He didn't back off those comments yesterday.
"I don't dislike anyone in the Pittsburgh organization. Mr. [Dan] Rooney is a very good person. Bill Cowher is a very good person. Tom is a good person. I'm disappointed in Tom the way he has handled himself over the last year or so in things he said in the paper about players."
If Woodson perceives Donahoe as treating players as replacement parts in an ongoing business, he might be right. Why shouldn't Donahoe look at players in such a light. The players are the ones who reinforce such a belief.
Brown and Searcy, to name two, couldn't wait to leave.
More will follow. The Steelers have five players who will be unrestricted free agents after the season - cornerback Carnell Lake, free safety Darren Perry, tight end Mark Bruener, wide receiver Charles Johnson and kicker Norm Johnson.
The Steelers traditionally terminate contract talks once the season begins, which means they have three days to work out deals. They won't, since the only one they're talking to is Lake.
"We're working on it," Lake said yesterday. "We have a ways to go. I know they have a policy that they don't like to negotiate once the season starts. Obviously, if they make that decision, I'll have to abide by it."
Lake said if he was unsigned at the end of the season and eligible for free agency, "my chances of staying are less."
Perry indicated earlier in the summer he thought he might not be re-signed, and if the Steelers made little attempt to sign Thigpen, how hard will they go after Johnson? Although his price won't be so steep.
Bruener is a player they'll likely keep. They could make him their franchise.
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