Steelers cut Larry Foote

[madmike77]

I think the Steelers would have liked to keep Foote, but Foote wants a starting role. Timmons started to take snaps away from Foote last year and Foote would have been a full-time backup this year.

Foote's solid against the run. He's not great against the pass, largely because he's just not that fast. Timmons isn't quite as effective against the run, but he's an excellent pass defender - much faster and far more athletic than Foote.

Foote might end up in Detroit - he played his college ball there and has stated in the past he wouldn't mind going back. If the Lions came calling I have a feeling he'd sign with them.

That said, I think he'd consider any team that promised him a starting role.

 

[Synovia]

If he isn't going to try to break the bank, I say give him a call. He's only 28 and still productive.

Which is why either, this doesn't make any sense, or hes really not that good.


Farrior is 34 and is making more money. If Foote was still good, Farrior would be replaced, not him.


I like Foote, and feel like he'd be a good Bruschi replacement, but at the same time, I trust the steeler's evaluations of linebackers.

 

[Deus Irae]

Which is why either, this doesn't make any sense, or hes really not that good.


Farrior is 34 and is making more money. If Foote was still good, Farrior would be replaced, not him.


I like Foote, and feel like he'd be a good Bruschi replacement, but at the same time, I trust the steeler's evaluations of linebackers.

Yep..... they nailed it on Vrabel.

 

[PatsChamp88]

He has NOT been released yet the steelers are trying to trade him!

 

[mgteich]

Belichick will judge how well Foote would fit in our 3-4, not the Steelers. The patriots have signed many, many players that others have cut, and have traded for others. Just because a player doesn't fit into another team's plan doesn't mean he can't produce for the patriots.

If he must be promised a starting role for the next couple of years, then Belichick doesn't want him. On the other hand, Foote must believe that he can show that he would be more productive than our current ILB's not name Mayo.

 

[NE_Paddy]

Maybe somebody like Box-O-Rox can help out on this with a bit of x's and o's, but I don't think a successful Pittsburgh ILB would necessarily be a successful Patriots ILB. The Steelers run a different 3-4 to us....or am I mistaken?

From what I can see, their linebackers tend to be smaller and faster than ours right across the board. Our guys tend to be about 10-20lbs heavier.

Still Bill's the 3-4 expert, not me. So if the shoe fits, Foote goes in it.

 

[eom]

I think he's making 3m, has said he won't take a pay cut, wants to start, and would prefer detroit.

I think this myth is busted.

 

[jmt57]

Based on this article in a Pittsburgh newspaper, Foote was/will be a cap casualty. I remember reading about a week ago that Pittsburgh currently had the least amount of cap room of any NFL team - under $500k. The Steelers wanted him to take a pay cut, and Foote did not want to do that.

They were going to release him this morning, then decided to wait as they pursue last-ditch efforts to trade him.

"It was my doing," Foote told the Post-Gazette. "I wanted to go. They were trying to trade me.''

Foote has one year left on his contract that was scheduled to pay him a salary of $2,885,000 in 2009. There was much speculation leading up to the Super Bowl that the Steelers might release him or ask him to take a reduction in pay because of that salary and because 2007 first-round draft choice Lawrence Timmons is behind him. Foote indicated during Super Bowl week that he would not take a pay cut.

He thought last year Timmons might take his job. Today, he sounded as if he were sure of that.

More importantly, from a Patriots perspective, is Foote's comment regarding playing time.

Larry Foote played a lot of football as a starting inside linebacker for the Steelers the past five seasons, and in a strange twist, his search for more playing time will cause them to release him.

Foote said he wants to continue his career as a starting linebacker where he can play more often and asked the Steelers to accommodate him. After finding no offers in a trade over the weekend of the draft, sources on the club say they plan to release him sometime after this weekend's minicamp, which Foote will not attend.

If Foote was not happy with his role in Pittsburgh, why should we believe he would be happy in New England?

"James Farrior never slows down, and Timmons came in and I can't grow here any more. They turned me into a two-down linebacker last year. I was stuck in a role.

"I love the team, I love winning, but you can't keep being unhappy. It got to the point where they were not giving me a chance.''

 

[Rob0729]

If Foote was not happy with his role in Pittsburgh, why should we believe he would be happy in New England?

Well, he would have a far better shot at starting in New England. Bruschi is winding down his career. Guyton has yet to prove he is a full time starter. There is no guarantees that McKenzie will either. If he is upset because he is losing his starting role, there is a chance he could end up being a starter for the Pats for several years if he ends up in New England.

 

[Synovia]

Yep..... they nailed it on Vrabel.

Theres a big difference between not resigning a guy, and cutting him to save $2M.

 

[Synovia]

Well, he would have a far better shot at starting in New England. Bruschi is winding down his career. Guyton has yet to prove he is a full time starter. There is no guarantees that McKenzie will either. If he is upset because he is losing his starting role, there is a chance he could end up being a starter for the Pats for several years if he ends up in New England.

As opposed to Foote, who HAS PROVEN that hes NOT a full time starter. Yes, Timmons is a first round pick, but he was specifically drafted to replace Foote.
'

If Foote was that good, it would be the 34 year old James Farrior being asked to take less money.

 

[PittPatriot]

He already has two rings form the Steelers, what else can they offer that he hasn't already gotten in Pittsburgh?

That's true...we don't have many SB champion vets that come along in FA. Most of OUR guys take their rings elsewhere for more $.

 

[Deus Irae]

Theres a big difference between not resigning a guy, and cutting him to save $2M.

And that difference means nothing in the context of my response.

 

[PittPatriot]

I know people are always saying we should sign recently cut players, but Foote does seem like a decent fit here. Also, he has had great production his entire career. Even with splitting time with Timmons last year, he still put up good numbers:
Larry Foote Stats, News, Photos - Pittsburgh Steelers - ESPN

The issue will be what we do with McKenzie, Guyton, and Bruschi if we want to bring on another ILB

Foote was a teammate of TB at UMich...I think they have a pretty friendly relationship. Maybe that could sway him to come to the Pats...

 

[Synovia]

And that difference means nothing in the context of my response.

Your response was that they blew it on Vrable.


My response is that Vrable wasn't good enough for them to resign, or worth the money to resign. Theres a difference between "not good enough to pay FA money for" and "not good enough to warrant roster space, so we'll cut him and eat his bonus", and thats totally relevant.


Vrable wasn't good in the steelers system. The fact that he was good, after a couple of years of development, in a dissimilar system, isn't really relevant. The vast majority of linebackers to leave the steelers have been terrible afterwards.

 

[Deus Irae]

Your response was that they blew it on Vrable.


My response is that Vrable wasn't good enough for them to resign, or worth the money to resign. Theres a difference between "not good enough to pay FA money for" and "not good enough to warrant roster space, so we'll cut him and eat his bonus", and thats totally relevant.


Vrable wasn't good in the steelers system. The fact that he was good, after a couple of years of development, in a dissimilar system, isn't really relevant. The vast majority of linebackers to leave the steelers have been terrible afterwards.

Vrabel, Porter, Holmes, Kirkland, Greene.... it's not as if Vrabel is a lone example of a player who wasn't "terrible" afterwards, although Kirkland was at the end of his career and didn't last much longer.

 

[unoriginal]

Vrabel, Porter, Holmes, Kirkland, Greene.... it's not as if Vrabel is a lone example of a player who wasn't "terrible" afterwards, although Kirkland was at the end of his career and didn't last much longer.

You forgot Chad Brown.

 

[Deus Irae]

You forgot Chad Brown.

Nice addition, thanks.

 

[jmt57]

If Foote was not happy with his role in Pittsburgh, why should we believe he would be happy in New England?

Well, he would have a far better shot at starting in New England. Bruschi is winding down his career. Guyton has yet to prove he is a full time starter. There is no guarantees that McKenzie will either. If he is upset because he is losing his starting role, there is a chance he could end up being a starter for the Pats for several years if he ends up in New England.

That may indeed be true that Foote has more of a chance to start in New England than in Pittsburgh, but those are not his only two choices. What happens if or when the Pats were to take him out in nickel packages, like the Steelers did?

It's not just that he is unhappy about possibly losing his starting job in 2010; he said he was unhappy being a two down linebacker last year in Pittsburgh - despite being a starter on a Super Bowl winning team. If his main priority is to start and play as many downs as possible, then the most likely destination would be a team like Detroit. Unless he changed that outlook, I don't see why he would choose the Pats over the Lions, or why BB would want to bring him in.

 

[Synovia]

It's not just that he is unhappy about possibly losing his starting job in 2010; he said he was unhappy being a two down linebacker last year in Pittsburgh - despite being a starter on a Super Bowl winning team. If his main priority is to start and play as many downs as possible, then the most likely destination would be a team like Detroit. Unless he changed that outlook, I don't see why he would choose the Pats over the Lions, or why BB would want to bring him in.

The problem is that Larry Foote IS a two down linebacker. Hes terrible against the pass, and thats exactly why they brought in Timmons. If he came to the Pats, he'd be coming out on third (and sometimes on 2nd) for Guyton.