Idle thoughts from an often idle mind ...

Jason Gildon and his paycheck have played their way off the Steelers. It would be one thing to say his substandard performance last year was an aberration, but his level of play has declined steadily over the two years. So the news that the Steelers are actually considering bringing him back, even at a drastically reduced rate, came as a surprise.

They might just be constructing a safety net. Consider this: Clark Haggans will soon be an unrestricted free agent. If they fail to re-sign him, and they cut Gildon, not only are they left with untested Alonzo Jackson (shame on them for not testing him at the end of last season) as a starter, their outside linebacker tank would be absolutely empty. They would have no depth at the position, other than shifting James Farrior back outside, which they certainly don't want to do after he performed so well in the middle. So, they might only be considering Gildon as an insurance policy.

If they sign Haggans, they could cut Gildon whenever they please and free some cap room for 2005. The discussions with Gildon might not represent a commitment to him playing a role, prominent or otherwise, this season. The talks might only be for paper purposes -- to get far enough under the cap to sign other free agents. One would hope so. Gildon's return, even as a backup at whatever price, wouldn't just be a step in the wrong direction, it would be a step in no direction.

Would Cleveland seriously consider releasing or trading Tim Couch given Kelly Holcomb's serious shoulder injury, which could keep him out for the entire season?

For the draft experts who downgrade Philip Rivers because of his three-quarters throwing motion, what do they think Couch does? He's closer to being Kent Tekulve than Roger Clemens.

You can question a lot of things about Maurice Clarett, but his decision not to work out at the NFL combine shouldn't be one of them. A poor workout costs you rounds in the draft, and thus hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many players choose to hold private sessions for interested teams. It's the smart thing to do. What wasn't smart was Clarett's showing up and looking like a poster boy for pizza and doughnuts. What he needed to do was show up at Indianapolis and give the appearance that he could have worked out if he had wanted to.

Certainly there are questions about this guy, given his past, a past that hasn't included playing football the past 13 months. But, to automatically conclude he's a substandard human being because he chose not to display his wares when he wasn't prepared to do so, is very closed-minded. Such comments from certain people, however, weren't at all surprising. We've heard them before. It comes from the "I don't make mistakes, so you must be mistaken" school of thought.

Out of curiosity, I, too, would like to see Craig Wilson get 500 at-bats. Is he capable of hitting 30 home runs if given the opportunity? His home runs to at-bats ratio suggests yes, but that's just mathematics. Some players produce at that rate because they don't play regularly. Lee Lacy was a .300 hitter in a part-time role for the Pirates. Fans and media clamored for him to play every day, to which Chuck Tanner always responded, "If I played him every day, he wouldn't be hitting .300!"

Sometimes increased playing time exposes a player rather than elevates his production. Maybe the Pirates feel that way about Wilson, although you'd like to see him get a chance to fail, rather than be limited by management's assumptions.

That having been said, with Jason Bay's shoulder possibly not allowing him to start the season, Wilson could become the Pirates' left fielder. Jason Kendall, about to turn 30, is going to need more than a handful of days off. They'll face left-handers 20 to 25 percent of the time, so Wilson gets 30-35 starts at first base. And, if he tears it up in those at-bats, who's to say Randall Simon isn't the one who sits most of the time?.

And what exactly was Dave Littlefield supposed to do, not sign Raul Mondesi just because he/we wanted to see Craig Wilson play more? No one knows what Mondesi will produce or how he'll behave. But signing him and Simon makes the Pirates more formidable, even though it might cost Wilson playing time.

I don't care how he pitches this spring, Oliver Perez has to be a part of the starting rotation. If you say you're rebuilding, then rebuild.