Kevin Colbert, the Steelers' director of football operations, was talking like a man who had just finished gorging himself on five-course meal of talented free agents when he said, "We're going to back away from the table."

In truth, Colbert had done nothing more than partake of a tasty appetizer by the name of Duce Staley. Colbert and the Steelers were, in fact, moving away from the table with almost an empty stomach. A team that needed to be gluttonous in its pursuit of free agents was too worried about its weight -- which in this case is the salary cap.

It's understandable, perhaps even wise, to be concerned about the cap. But that does not alter the fact this has been an unproductive free-agent season for the Steelers, a team badly in need of an infusion of talent.

That talent gap wasn't lessened yesterday by the re-signing of backup center Chukky Okobi or last week when the Detroit Lionizing of the organization continued with the signing of free-agent defensive tackle Travis Kirschke.

Staley is an upgrade but the Steelers made no significant move to improve themselves at cornerback or the offensive line, generally believed to be their weakest positions.

The fanfare surrounding the signing of Staley was a bit much considering that his best season was in 1999, that he has run for 1,000 yards once in the past four years, that he has averaged less than 4 yards per carry three times in the past five years.

The Steelers might have been better served by drafting a running back and using the money they gave Staley, a $4 million signing bonus, to go after a cornerback -- by far the team's greatest need.

The Staley signing also came with a negative twist.

After Jerome Bettis agreed earlier this month to a contract that reduced his base pay from $3.75 million to $1 million, saving the Steelers $3.5 million under the salary cap, he made a point of saying he would not have agreed to the new deal if it did not include a legitimate chance at winning the starting job. Bettis had been reduced to a substitute by coach Bill Cowher early in training camp last year and did not want that to happen again.

"Coach assured me I will get an opportunity," Bettis said shortly after he agreed to the new deal. "Now, what I do with it is up to me, but the opportunity will be there and that's all I can ask for."

The opportunity most decidedly will not be there. There's no way Bettis gets an honest chance to win the job, not after the Steelers gave Staley that $4 million signing bonus.

Which means Cowher either lied to Bettis or Bettis is the most gullible man on the planet. Or both.

In Staley, the Steelers have a running back who wants and needs the ball. There's little or no room for Bettis in such a system. He, too, thrives on work. Using him to replace Staley for a series or two during the game would not be productive.

Bettis might be a good insurance policy if Staley gets hurt. But the Steelers, who look to be a long shot to make the playoffs, might be better off grooming a younger back to replace Staley in a few years.

The Steelers went hard after outside linebacker Marcus Washington, offering a signing bonus of about $5 million, before losing him to the wild-spending Washington Redskins. The move, the biggest the Steelers made in free agency, acknowledged what was widely known: The team has an acute weakness at outside linebacker.

When the Steelers countered the loss of Washington by signing their backup, Clark Haggans, to a contract that included a $3 million signing bonus, the Steelers not only didn't get the second-best linebacker available but they probably overpaid for the man they got.

The need to sign Haggans points out what a major mistake the Steelers made in taking outside linebacker Alonzo Jackson with their second draft pick last year. When they took Jackson with such a high pick, the Steelers clearly seemed to be saying Haggans, who had been a backup for three seasons, was not part of their future. But when Jackson showed so little and couldn't even get onto the field, the Steelers went back to Haggans, the man they had so much as written off 10 months earlier.

There were several free-agent cornerbacks who significantly could have upgraded the position for the Steelers. But they chose to go after a lesser talent, Artrell Hawkins, who later signed with Carolina. Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent are still out there, but the Steelers apparently have no interest.

Which means the Steelers will be looking for a cornerback in the draft. They also be looking for an offensive lineman, preferably a right tackle, and a quarterback they can begin to groom to replace Tommy Maddox.

With so much left undone, the Steelers would have been wise to stay a bit longer at the free-agent feeding table.