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Friday, February 14, 2003

By Ed Bouchette, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

The Steelers have held no serious talks with any of their prominent free agents, and it appears all of them will go on the market when the signing period begins two weeks from today.

	On the market The list of Steelers free agents. The Steelers do not have to be compensated for unrestricted free agents. Unrestricted TE John Allred QB Charlie Batch TE Marco Battaglia TE Matt Cushing S Lee Flowers OT Wayne Gandy LB Mike Jones WR Terance Mathis P Tom Rouen TE Jerame Tuman Restricted DT Kendrick Clancy DE Clark Haggans FB Dan Kreider CB Hank Poteat

Kevin Colbert, the team's director of football operations, said club officials would like to re-sign all of their impending free agents -- under certain circumstances. One player agent, who asked not to be identified, scoffed at that statement and said the team has shown no interest in signing any of its players whose contracts have expired. Other agents have said they have had little contact from the Steelers about their clients since the end of the season.

Of the Steelers' 14 free agents, 10 will be unrestricted, four are restricted and three are starters. The number will grow to 15 when they release quarterback Kordell Stewart before Feb. 28 to save his $6.3 million salary, which they need to come under the $75 million cap that goes into effect that day.

Of the three free-agent starters, strong safety Lee Flowers said he does not expect the team to re-sign him. Offensive tackle Wayne Gandy likely will sign elsewhere, perhaps with Miami, and fullback Dan Kreider will be restricted.

"We have not heard anything from the Steelers," said Kreider's agent, Jon Feinberg. "They said at the end of the season they were interested in doing a deal. Dan wants to stay in Pittsburgh. We're biding time, waiting to hear back from them. He's really looking forward to a long-term contract there."

The Steelers must send one-year contract tenders to Kreider and three other restricted free agents -- linebacker Clark Haggans, nose tackle Kendrick Clancy and cornerback Hank Poteat -- in order to maintain their rights to match any contract they might sign in free agency.

While Colbert expressed an interested in keeping all of the players, he said the team will move more slowly this year.

"At this stage, we're evaluating the whole free agency thing. We like our team. That was a good team we had last year. To get as far as we got, we had to be a good team. But to get where we ultimately all want to get, we have to continue to make decisions to try to get there."

The Steelers have few of their own to re-sign, unlike last season when they were busy.

"Obviously, we have to be concerned about positions that are available to leave," Colbert said. "You have to look at all of those situations and figure out how you can keep as many guys together as you can. We want to improve, we want to get younger. We want to get some young players coming up in the system."

They already have players who could fill the vacancies of Gandy and Flowers. They believe Oliver Ross or Mathias Nkwenti can replace Gandy, even if it involves moving Marvel Smith from right tackle to left and putting Ross or Nkwenti on the right side.

Chris Hope, drafted in the third round last year, could replace Flowers.

Colbert expects the signings all over the league to go more slowly this year. In the past, there was a flurry of signings as soon as the bell rung at midnight on the eve of the first day of free agency.

"I think that mind-set has changed in the league because the cap has caught up to everybody," Colbert said. "I think the cap has slowed down the whole process. Everybody's going to be more selective. It's not like the 12:01 signings are the thing to do anymore.

"The other factor is there might be a whole new crop of players that become available after Feb. 28 because teams have to do certain things to get under their cap."

That is where players such as Stewart will fall.

"You may have your eyes set on a guy we really want," Colbert said. "Then all of a sudden, a team cuts a guy and you say, 'Oh, wait a minute.' I think that slowed the whole process down. It used to be, teams could wait until June 1 to take care of their cap problems, now it's kind of accelerated to where some have to do it now. There used to be a crop of players on June 1 available, now they're available on this first date."

By releasing Stewart, the Steelers will have just one experienced quarterback on the roster in starter Tommy Maddox. They recently signed former Robert Morris player Tim Levcik, cut in training camp by Miami as an undrafted rookie last year.

The Steelers want a veteran to back up Maddox and a young player somewhere in the mix.

"We're always going to want to have a veteran in place at backup -- always," Colbert said.

That could be Charlie Batch, who signed a one-year deal with them in June after Detroit released him. While Colbert said they would like Batch back, as with their other impending free agents, they have not talked about a contract with him.