I was actually blown away by the notion that we would even think about letting Heath get away. He is as clutch as they come. He definitely can be a playmaker given the opportunity. I'll be the first to admit, that I did not like the selection when we drafted him, but he has definitely surprassed all of my expectations and has become one of the most underrated offensive weapons in the league. He's also as tough as nails and extremely strong. I hope we do everything possible in order to keep him. There's other guys I would get rid of first.

That being said, I am still a huge fan of Matt Spaeth. I was a fan of his in college, loved it when we drafted, and continue to enjoy watching him with the Steelers. People will always harp on his blocking skills, but for every mistake he makes in the blocking game, I could show you 4 excellent blocks that opened up running lanes. At 6'7 270, its obvious he loses the leverage game at times.

Let's not forget that like Heath, Spaeth was also the Mackey award winner for the nation's top TE. I thought it was an absolute steal when we got him in the 3rd round. Like Heath, he slipped due to injuries following his senior year and being unable to fully participate in the post college activities.

Spaeth does have incredibly soft hands. While he has made some mistakes (see 2nd Baltimore game last year on goal line), Spaeth has filled in very nicely when Heath is out of the lineup. He also got some TDs in his rookie season. The guy can be a red zone threat for sure. To the poster that thought the defense was surprised when they threw to Spaeth, I could not disagree more. Spaeth is always covered, and I think any defense would make sure keeping a 6'7 TE with his skills in check is important.

So, I would think it would be a tragedy should Heath Miller not be a Steeler in the long-term, however, I think Spaeth is a very good TE. Not as good as Miller, but definitely a quality player.

 

Heath Miller is going no where.

We're in the driver seat with his contract and we're in no rush to do anything.  This off-season is the 'nice' time to do it (one year left on rookie contract), but with the upcoming CBA uncertainty (Miller could be a RFA next year) and the fact the franchise tag on tight ends is so low we can easily wait until next year to do something long-term.

The delay in signing him long-term has more to do with 'power' at the negotiating table as much as anything.  A deal will get done eventually that will be fair for both parties.

quoting SteelCity_NB:

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I was actually blown away by the notion that we would even think about letting Heath get away. He is as clutch as they come. He definitely can be a playmaker given the opportunity. I'll be the first to admit, that I did not like the selection when we drafted him, but he has definitely surprassed all of my expectations and has become one of the most underrated offensive weapons in the league. He's also as tough as nails and extremely strong. I hope we do everything possible in order to keep him. There's other guys I would get rid of first.

That being said, I am still a huge fan of Matt Spaeth. I was a fan of his in college, loved it when we drafted, and continue to enjoy watching him with the Steelers. People will always harp on his blocking skills, but for every mistake he makes in the blocking game, I could show you 4 excellent blocks that opened up running lanes. At 6'7 270, its obvious he loses the leverage game at times.

Let's not forget that like Heath, Spaeth was also the Mackey award winner for the nation's top TE. I thought it was an absolute steal when we got him in the 3rd round. Like Heath, he slipped due to injuries following his senior year and being unable to fully participate in the post college activities.

Spaeth does have incredibly soft hands. While he has made some mistakes (see 2nd Baltimore game last year on goal line), Spaeth has filled in very nicely when Heath is out of the lineup. He also got some TDs in his rookie season. The guy can be a red zone threat for sure. To the poster that thought the defense was surprised when they threw to Spaeth, I could not disagree more. Spaeth is always covered, and I think any defense would make sure keeping a 6'7 TE with his skills in check is important.

So, I would think it would be a tragedy should Heath Miller not be a Steeler in the long-term, however, I think Spaeth is a very good TE. Not as good as Miller, but definitely a quality player.

 

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it seemed like after the TD drop on the slant that spaeth dropped , ben lost faith in him at the goaline.    his mistakes come at critical times.   the complete whiffs at this stage of his football career , and not just the pros, should not be happening.   i liked spaeth coming in.  i thought he was a much better blocker then what he has shown.  we have always had good TE's in pittsburgh.  that won't change.  a fair deal for both sides will get done for heath.   spaeth could be in a battle if mchugh shows more this year.  he's 6-5 265.   not alot of diffrence between he and spaeth either.  spaeth did play fairly well when miller went down.

heath miller is as under-rated as they come. he rarely drops the ball, he is a very good blocker. if you watch him on run plays he has extremely good footwork when it comes to blocking and he is a very good he can provide big plays as well as picking up first downs on a regular basis.

Everyone chillax!! Heath will be hear for years to come. With all this worrying I'll be done by training camp.