When it comes to the issue of keeping tight end Heath Miller, the Steelers are faced with this question� Is signing Miller necessary? He is one of the most underrated tight ends in the NFL. His size (6'5') mixed with his soft hands and good speed makes him a nice target for any quarterback. Unfortunately for the salary-cap strapped Steelers, it also makes him a hot commodity on the free-agent market. -- Steelers Examiner

The title of this on Fox Sports was Steelers TE Miller may become a salary cap casualty.

Please tell me this is BS.

From the same article...

There's no doubt Heath Miller is a valuable piece of the offense but he’s not irreplaceable. Matt Spaeth is a capable replacement. This is a team that historically does not use the tight end very much so why pay him big money when it could go towards signing other key players?

Miller may not be a luxury the Steelers can afford.

I think there is much more of a chance of Big Snack being a cap casualty than Big Money is!  Whoever wrote that article celarly does not watch the black and gold religiously like the people on this board.  IMO, Miller is one of the top 7 most valuable players on this team.  And as far as we can tell, he's humble so likely won't try to break the bank.  And to say Spaeth can do just as good a job?!?!?  Laughable.  Miller is a better blocker than 2 of the O-lineman.  Spaeth is a revolving door.

I say less than a 2% chance #83 doesn't resign.  Maybe by camp.

 

   I was going to post the article also. My take is it's off season and some overweight beat writer had to stir the pot and write something. He mentions Hampton,Townsend,Gay,Willie,Reid,etc. and hasn't a clue on how valuable Heath is. Cap casulties are usually over 30 or previously injuried or 10 yr vets all of which are not Heath. There are alot of people going before Heath...including Townsend and others in my opinion.

quoting 7+83=7:

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   I was going to post the article also. My take is it's off season and some overweight beat writer had to stir the pot and write something. He mentions Hampton,Townsend,Gay,Willie,Reid,etc. and hasn't a clue on how valuable Heath is. Cap casulties are usually over 30 or previously injuried or 10 yr vets all of which are not Heath. There are alot of people going before Heath...including Townsend and others in my opinion.

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true that

I have to agree that there are a bunch of people going before Heath. What I don't understand was the rush to lock up Colon & Kemo. The two of them are terrible and yet they are tying up somewhere in the neighborhood of $8 million/year. That money should have first been spent to lock up Miller and Keisel. I would be a lot more comfortable worrying about how we were going to lock up our OL starters than worrying about the capable athletes that actually make a psoitive contribution to the team.

I don't know, you can't keep everyone. Heath SHOULD be one of the higher paid TE's in the league. Yet we severely under utilize him. Would we get our money's worth if we sign him to top TE money?

I know people hate Spaeths blocking, but he can catch just as well as Miller can.

Also keep in mind, this is the same team that let go of Eric Green...

If Miller had any ounce of ego in him he would want to get out of Pittsburgh as soon as he can so he can finally become the star he is capable of being.

The fact the Heath is so under used is why Hampton is much more important to the team than he is...

quoting kevdude86:

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I have to agree that there are a bunch of people going before Heath. What I don't understand was the rush to lock up Colon & Kemo. The two of them are terrible and yet they are tying up somewhere in the neighborhood of $8 million/year. That money should have first been spent to lock up Miller and Keisel. I would be a lot more comfortable worrying about how we were going to lock up our OL starters than worrying about the capable athletes that actually make a psoitive contribution to the team.

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agree colon and kemo are overpayd , but if there is no salary cap next year , we can give miller the money we want ,or not?

^^ Sure, but Jerry Jones or Dan Snyder will be ready to make it rain.

I've tossed and turned over this. I will really hate to see Heath go. But he will deserve it. He deserves to be paid bigger money and he certainly deserves more chances to score TDs.

Not that he'll score much with Jason Campbell throwing to him, but you catch my drift.

It is tricky. He seems very loyal, and has won two super bowls with the Steelers. He is a huge part of our running game, but we all know how underused he is in the passing game. He has probably the best hands on the team, and is very underrated after the catch. He always gets the most yards possible. I personally can't believe we allow him to go with only 2 or 3 catches per game. He should be pulling in 6 or 7. He's better than Jason Witten; he deserves more recognition than Jason Witten.

It depends what he wants. If he wants more fame, more catches and more touchdowns, he'll have to leave. He could probably also make more money elsewhere, too, although I don't think Pittsburgh will completely stiff him. They seem to understand that he is crucial to us, even if they don't throw him the ball.

And yeah, that article was complete B.S. Just a very bored writer.

quoting FreeTibet:

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It is tricky. He seems very loyal, and has won two super bowls with the Steelers. He is a huge part of our running game, but we all know how underused he is in the passing game. He has probably the best hands on the team, and is very underrated after the catch. He always gets the most yards possible. I personally can't believe we allow him to go with only 2 or 3 catches per game. He should be pulling in 6 or 7. He's better than Jason Witten; he deserves more recognition than Jason Witten.

It depends what he wants. If he wants more fame, more catches and more touchdowns, he'll have to leave. He could probably also make more money elsewhere, too, although I don't think Pittsburgh will completely stiff him. They seem to understand that he is crucial to us, even if they don't throw him the ball.

And yeah, that article was complete B.S. Just a very bored writer.

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A smarter, more creative OC might be the answer to that.