Lamarr Woodley Officially Franchised, Colon Unlikely to Return

Lots of Steeler free agent news to pass along on a Wednesday afternoon in February:

Steelers Sign Flozell Adams

The Steelers have made a big move on the eve of training camp, signing plus-sized OT Flozell "The Hotel" Adams as a replacement for Willie Colon.  It's a two-year deal, with financial terms not yet available.

The 6'7", 335-pound Adams, 35, visited the Steelers earlier this month, as did fellow free agent Chester Pitts. Pitts also signed on the dotted line today, joining Pete Carroll's Seattle Seahawks.

Adams started all 16 games for Dallas in 2009 and was released this past offseason. He was due a $2.5 million roster bonus in April and base salary of $5 million in 2010. He was a second-round pick of the Cowboys in the 1998 draft and had the longest tenure of any Dallas player at the time of his release.

Adams had an eventful 2009, when he was fined $50,000 for an altercation with Justin Tuck in December and a hat trick of fines in consecutive weeks to start the season. So it looks like we may have some controversy to look forward to.

The arrival of Adams may push Max Starks from left tackle to right tackle, where he started in 2005 and 2006. Regardless of how the pieces fall into place, this was a move the team had to make, from a depth standpoint. As long as Adams can contribute (and I think he can), I'm hopeful that this will turn out to be a good signing for the team.

Introducing "The Hot Button"

I'm pleased to announce that effective immediately, I'm writing a second weekly feature for 93.7 The Fan, and the debut installment is available right here. It's called "The Hot Button", and it's basically a pumped-up version of our weekly Paris Hilton-hosted polls, but with more of my opinions and takes on topics beyond Pittsburgh sports.

In our first run, I take a look at several controversial topics in the sports world, including an extended look at the courtship of LeBron James, Carlos Zambrano's well-publicized  and controversial dinner with Ozzie Guillen, the NFL going to an 18-game schedule, Stephen Strasburg's All-Star credentials, and how the loss of Willie Colon might affect the Steelers in 2010. 

Much like in the MH version, you can vote in online polls, and as always, you can also tell me how wrong I am in the comments section.

The Hot Button [93.7 The Fan]

Flozell Adams is in Pittsburgh

OT Flozell "The Hotel" Adams, a five-time Pro Bowler who goes 6'7", 338 pounds, is in Pittsburgh as we speak and could be the replacement for Willie Colon, says Mark Kaboly of the Trib.

Adams, 35, started all 16 games for Dallas last year and was released this past offseason. He was due a $2.5 million roster bonus in April and base salary of $5 million in 2010. Adams was a second-round pick of the Cowboys in the 1998 draft out of Michigan State and had the longest tenure of any Dallas player at the time of his release.

Adams had some colorful moments in 2009, as he was fined $50,000 for an altercation with Justin Tuck in December and a hat trick of fines in consecutive weeks to start the season. If he does indeed become a Steeler, he won't be a very popular one among their opponents.

Two Steelers Have Surgery Tomorrow

Not only will OT Willie Colon have season-ending Achilles surgery on Wednesday, but the Steelers also announced that rookie OT Chris Scott, the team's fifth-round draft choice, will also have surgery tomorrow to repair a foot injury he suffered while working out at the University of Tennessee. It is unknown how long Scott will be out of commission, but it doesn't sound great.

To recap the offseason, that's two players (Sweed, Colon) out for the season, one (Roethlisberger) suspended for 4-6 games, another one (Holmes) who misbehaved his way out of town, and a rookie who got hurt working out. Whoever is working that Steeler voodoo doll is doing one heck of a job.

As far as replacements for Colon go, Ed Bouchette feels that newly-acquired Jonathan Scott, who was signed in the offseason from Buffalo, will take Colon's place in the lineup. Scott started eight games for the Bills last season and will be reunited with incoming line coach Sean Kugler, who coached Scott in Buffalo. Bouchette also names Trai Essex, Ramon Foster, and Kraig Urbik as potential replacements for Colon.

Willie Colon Expected to Miss the Season

If the word of NFL.com is worth anything (and I think it's pretty safe to say that it is), RT Willie Colon tore his Achilles' tendon and will miss the entire 2010 season. 

Especially considering the team's re-commitment to the run in 2010, this is a very significant blow.  But where does the team go from here?

Adam Caplan of Scout.com, who broke the story this morning, lists Flozell Adams, Mike Gandy, Levi Jones, and Damion McIntosh as the best available UFA tackles on the market. He also names newly-signed Jonathan Scott, Tony Hills, and Trai Essex as internal replacements, and also floats the possibility of a switch from the left side to the right side for Max Starks.

Whatever happens, this is another very formidable obstacle for a team that absolutely, positively did not need one.

Prepare Yourself For Bad News About Willie Colon

Willie Colon has had an offseason he rather forget about, and that just got worse with the news that he just left the Steelers' practice facility on crutches. The fear is that Colon injured his Achilles, and if that's the case, you can scratch him from the lineup in 2010, says Scott Brown of the Trib.

The Steelers just issued a release on the situation, in the words of Kevin Colbert: “It is confirmed that offensive tackle Willie Colon has suffered an Achilles injury while working out today. He is still undergoing further evaluations by Steelers’ medical personnel and we will not have anything more to release at this time.”

It doesn't sound good, especially for a team with little depth at the position and little room for incidents like this.  Let's just say that I'm not tremendously optimistic that this story will have a happy ending for the Steelers or Colon.

ROETHLISBERGER SEXUAL ASSAULT INVESTIGATION DVDs TO BE AIRED ON WPXI

Law enforcement agents will release more than 50 DVDs containing audio, videotaped interviews, and photographs from the completed investigation into allegations that Ben Roethlisberger sexually assaulted a 20-year-old college student, reports Rick Earle of WPXI, who is in Georgia. As you well know, no criminal charges were filed against Roethlisberger in the case.

The DVDs will be released at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, and WPXI plans on airing the material, including audio and video interviews with the accuser as well as the questioning of members of both groups.

Also on the DVDs are photos from the investigation at the Capital City Club and interviews with Steeler lineman Willie Colon and Roethlisberger bodyguard/Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Ed Joyner.

As far as other Pittsburgh TV stations go, WTAE has an article on the subject and urges readers to "Stay with Channel 4 Action News and ThePittsburghChannel.com for more coverage on Wednesday after the DVDs are released," which leads me to believe that they'll be airing them as well. KDKA has a similar story on the DVDs and prompts readers to "Stay with KDKA for the latest developments." 

In short, it looks like we'll have much more to talk about on Wednesday than simply re-hashing Stephen Strasburg's 14 strikeouts against the Pirates on Tuesday.  

Roethlisberger Sex Assault Investigation DVDs To Be Released [WPXI]

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"ZERO TOLERANCE"...OR MAYBE NOT

ROETHLISBERGER UPDATE

So much for Corey Haim's untimely death totally knocking Big Ben out of the news today. A new KDKA report said that Roethlisberger did speak with police in Milledgeville the night of the alleged assault and told them there was no sexual intercourse between himself and the alleged victim.

The report went on to say that Roethlisberger concedes that he did have contact with the woman that was not consummated and that afterward the woman slipped and fell, injuring her head.

----

In other case news developing today...

Officer Anthony J. Barravecchio and Pennsylvania State Trooper Ed Joyner, two off-duty cops, were part of Roethlisberger's entourage that night.

The lawyer for one of the officers, Michael F. Santicola, claims both cops were "completely sober" during the night in question and are "cooperating" with the investigation, although neither man has been contacted by police. [TMZ]

Steeler Willie Colon, who was with Roethlisberger on the night of the alleged incident, did not witness anything, according to his agent, Joe Linta. Linta added that Colon was on the dance floor and not close by Roethlisberger when the assault allegedly occurred.

"Willie, although he was in the building, had no knowledge of the incident and his name should not be brought up about this incident again," Linta said. "The first knowledge he had was when he was stopped when leaving the place to be asked some questions." [SI.com]

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ROETHLISBERGER UPDATE

Here's what's new since the last update:

--TMZ reports that Roethlisberger was "buying round after round for his friends and some of the bar patrons" at a bar called "The Brick" around 11:30 PM, and left around 1:30 AM. Roethlisberger's night concluded at a club called Capital City, where the alleged incident occurred.

--According to SPORTSbyBROOKS, Steeler lineman Willie Colon was part of Roethlisberger's entourage. Colon also joined Roethlisberger at the quarterback’s 28th birthday party at an Atlanta nightclub called Mood on Tuesday night. Jerome Bettis was also present at the Tuesday party.

--Milledgeville police held a news conference Friday evening where they confirmed that Roethlisberger is part of the investigation. Roethlisberger has not been charged.

--According to police, the alleged victim is a 20-year-old female student from Georgia College & State University. She has been treated and released from Oconee Medical Center.

--Roethlisberger's agent, Ryan Tollner, issued a statement:

"Last night, Ben and his friends met a group of women and everyone mingled together throughout the evening," Tollner says. "We have spoken to law enforcement. Based on information currently available, an allegation was made against Ben, which appeared to be dismissed after a preliminary investigation last night. Obviously, given the prior accusation against Ben, we are skeptical of motive, but we will continue to cooperate with everyone involved."

--Roethlisberger owns a home on nearby Lake Oconee, which is located roughly 30 minutes north of downtown Milledgeville, where the alleged incident occurred.

--Deadspin states that whether guilty or innocent, Roethlisberger has been branded for life.

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TODAY'S HEADLINES

Pens win "Olympic rematch": Ryan Miller and Marc-Andre Fleury were reduced to observers, but the Pens still pulled out a 3-2 win over Buffalo at the Igloo last night.

The game opened with an Olympic ceremony where the Penguin fans were classy as usual, giving a thunderous ovation to Miller - even louder than the ovation given to Crosby. And while Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff wanted to give Miller a break after the Olympics, I think it was a tremendous lost opportunity for the game of hockey to not take advantage of Sunday's momentum and feature a Crosby-Miller rematch last night. That wouldn't have made headlines or anything.

The Pens got goals from Sergei Gonchar, Ruslan Fedotenko, and Pascal Dupuis, and a 26-save effort from Brent Johnson in goal, besting former Penguin Patrick Lalime. But the game comes second in Pens discussions today, as all anyone wants to talk about are the recent acquisitions of Jordan Leopold and Alexei "Poni" Ponikarovsky. and today's deadline. Ray Shero has done it again, or at least that's how it appears. [PG]

Steelers tender offers to Colon, Sepulveda: The Steelers continued making moves to keep their own, tendering offers to OT Willie Colon and P Dan Sepulveda yesterday. So if another team makes Colon a contract offer during free agency that the Steelers fail to match, Pittsburgh gets a first-round draft pick as compensation. Colon is the only lineman to start every game under Tomlin and would make $2.521 million under the deal.

Sepulveda's deal calls for a salary of $1.176 million in 2010 and the right of first refusal if another team makes an offer. The Steelers would not receive any draft compensation if he signed elsewhere.

Thursday is the deadline for the Steelers to make one-year-tender offers to DB William Gay, TE Matt Spaeth, FB Carey Davis and OL Darnell Stapleton, so there may be more news on this front very soon. [Trib]

Pirates 2010 Preview, Gallo-style: DJ Gallo previews the 2010 Pittsburgh Pirates in a way that only DJ Gallo can at the Sports Pickle. Say what you want about the Buccos, but at least they managed to hold off the community college this year! [Sports Pickle, MLB.com]

I can see why these are on thpe clearance page: From reader Greg V. comes this screenshot of the Dick's clearance page, featuring things every fan would want, like a Tyler Palko Pitt jersey and a Pirates winter hat. But are the Masumi Kuwata 2007 Pirates replica jersey t-shirts still available?

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BULK CHANGES COMING FOR 2010 STEELERS

As Ed Bouchette pointed out in today's PG, the Steelers are looking at a very unsure future, with nine starters becoming free agents at the end of the season, and little cap rooom to work with.

The pending UFAs following the 2009 campaign include tight end Heath Miller, halfback Willie Parker, nose tackle Casey Hampton, defensive end Brett Keisel, tackles Max Starks and Willie Colon, free safety Ryan Clark, center Justin Hartwig and kicker Jeff Reed.

Bouchette thinks the Steelers' first priorities will be Miller, Reed, and Clark, because of the drop-off in depth at their respective positions. The team wants to sign Starks to a long-term deal, but that's looking more and more like an impossibility, mostly because he would command a signing bonus in the $15 million range.

The one bit of good news is that a new CBA could be reached before next year's free agency period, which would convert players such as Miller and Colon into RFAs instead of UFAs. Teams would be allowed to franchise two players instead of one, which means they could potentially keep Miller, Colon, and two franchisees.

But even in that best-case scenario, the Steelers will probably have to replace no fewer than five starters in 2010. They've already started preparing for this day with draft picks like Rashard Mendenhall and Ziggy Hood, so expect the team's starting nucleus to get much younger and more cap-friendly in a hurry.

Bouchette on the Steelers: Team on a budget [PG]

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LOOKS LIKE BIG BEN BEHAVED

It appears that Big Ben and his merry band of brothers' Super Bowl celebration in Vegas went off with no hitches on Friday night, which bucks the trend of other recent Steeler-related bar promotions. That's a good thing.

The big guy happily posed with Trai Essex, Darnell Stapleton and Willie Colon, a trio of linemen who hopefully prevented anyone from tackling Roethlisberger on Friday night. Newly-signed lineman Chris Kemoeatu was not in attendance, presumably because he was home counting all his money, which takes longer than you'd imagine. And center Justin Hartwig was probably busy thanking his lucky stars that Jeff Saturday decided to stay in Indianapolis. But all in all, it looks like the Super Bowl 43 champions were having some good clean fun...at least from these pictures.

A Few Photos From Last Night's Victory Party... [Big Ben News]

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KENDALL SIMMONS NOW A FORMER STEELER

In the "minor surprise" category, the Steelers cut loose offensive lineman Kendall Simmons on Thursday after six seasons with the team. The 2002 first-rounder ruptured an achilles in the fourth game of the 2008 season and was placed on IR. They also cut linebacker Mike Humpal, a sixth-rounder in 2008 who found himself on IR during training camp last season.

On the plus side, the team has retained three restricted free agents: tackle Willie Colon, CB Anthony Madison, and TE Sean McHugh, as well as exclusive-rights free agents Carey Davis and offensive tackle Jeremy Parquet. The signing of Madison is probably another clue that the days of Bryant McFadden in a Steeler uniform are over.

Facing the start of free agency tomorrow, it looks like several Steelers could have new homes- and fast. OT Marvel Smith says he will be close to 100% after missing ample time due to a back injury. And Nate Washington could be taking his big-play ability and inconsistent hands to either Tampa, Nashville, or St. Louis. Who's Tampa's QB going to be next year, you ask? Oh, that's right, they don't even know. I know I'd rather catch passes from an unknown than Ben Roethlisberger.

As for incoming free agents, I wonder how Jeff Saturday's "I want to be a Steeler" proclamation will be received in Indianapolis, where he just re-signed for three more years. That was a fun rumor while it lasted for about 10 seconds. At least it was sincere.

A few other Steeler links:

--Friday will be declared "Myron Cope Day" in the City of Pittsburgh, and Luke Ravenstahl will appear with Stan, Guy, and Chris Mack on ESPN 1250 at 11:15 to talk about it. [ESPN 1250]

--Santonio Holmes waived his right to a preliminary hearing on a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession on Thursday. [PG]

--Diving deeper into the events of Jeff Reed's infamous Sheetz evening... [Deadspin]

--Ed Bouchette gazes into his crystal ball for a Steeler free agent forecast. [PG]

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MEET WILLIE COLON, HELP FIGHT LUPUS

Just in to the Mondesi inbox, an event just scheduled yesterday that I hope you will consider:

In an effort to encourage registrations for the Lupus Loop 5K on Saturday, Willie Colon of the Pittsburgh Steelers (and a few of his teammates!) will be holding an autograph signing.

Time and location:

Wednesday, October 15th 6:30-8:30pm

Dick's Sporting Goods

Mall at Robinson

Willie's mother Jean suffers from Lupus and Willie has been active in the local community promoting the Pittsburgh Chapter of the Lupus Foundation of America. More information on the 5K on Saturday is available at: http://www.lupuspa.org/pittsburgh_events.htm

NEWS AND NOTES

--Here's a list of local high school football stars from Western PA. If anyone ever tells you this isn't the first city of football, point them to this link. [KDKA]

--Speaking of Western PA high school football dominance, the Gateway Gators are ranked #6 in the country. [Rivals]

--Viggo Mortensen recently shot 'The Road' in Pittsburgh - and said this about the city in winter: "It's tangible, the misery and hopelessness and the bleakness. It gives you much more to work with if you're filming in that world instead of a green screen." [Dave Dameshek ESPN Podcast]

--The Pirates score 15 in a rare rout of the Dodgers. I love consistency. [PG]

--Fred Taylor's kid is 5'11", 205, and the starting RB for his high school varsity team. He's also in 8th grade. [Rivals]

--Today's Bill Cowher pipe dream...and this is a good one...Cowher and Michael Vick in Kansas City. [Arrowhead Addict]

--Tale of the tape: Yankee Stadium vs. TRL [SI Extra Mustard]

--Willie Colon talks tough about the Eagles' D-line. I like where this is headed. [PG]

--Could the current economic crisis trickle down to the NCAA tournament? [Awful Announcing]

--East Allegheny's Monte Ashby thinks he could run for 500 yards against Brownsville this weekend. "For real." [Varsity Blog]

--Pitt basketball got a verbal from J.J. Richardson, a 6-foot-7, 235-pound combo forward from Hightower High School outside Houston. [Trib]

--Here's 10 things overheard during Yankee Stadium's final week. [FanNation]

--Forgot to mention this sad video of Jake "The Snake" Roberts' meltdown the other day. [TMZ]

--Empty Netters takes you to Penguins camp. [Empty Netters]

--Wristbands: not just for the wrist anymore. [NY Times]

--ESPN's Power Rankings for Week 3 are out. You can't complain about the Steelers' slot too much. [ESPN]

--The RCS Power Rankings Averages are also out, and once again, you'll enjoy where we're at. [Real Clear Sports]

--Who has the best pizza in Pittsburgh? [PG]

--The Wu-Tang Clan's RZA lost a chess match to the NY Times' chess columnist. [NY Times]

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TASERS, TOWELS, AND TENDERS

What's new in Steeler Land? Plenty.

--Tim Worley was the last Steeler running back chosen in the first round, some 19 years ago. He started a grand total of 22 games in three seasons and has gone down as one of the biggest Steeler draft busts of all time. And guess what else? He just got tasered (with video).

--Dan Rooney's endorsement of Barack Obama has been well-chronicled. And a few more members of the Steeler family, including Franco Harris, Dwight White, Robin Cole, and Edmund Nelson were out at the "Steeler Vote For Change Blitz", in a number of local counties.

A predictable result of the rallies is the Steeler-related memorabilia, including this rare "Obama Terrible Towel", a hot item on the eBays these days.

--Max Starks, seen most recently playing basketball at Monessen High School, finally signed his one-year, $6.9 million tender, making him the second-highest-paid Steeler behind only Ben Roethlisberger. He goes into camp trying to win back his job from Willie Colon.