Looks like William Gay is coming back

I still think it's a step backward but the more I think about it ,watching Curtis Brown play last season, William Gay may be necessary.
Eventhough he is signed he still has to earn a spot,all players considered Gay will probably be 4th on depth chart, if Lewis signs.

Yeah if anything Gay is here to compete with or replace Brown as the 4th or so corner, not because Lewis is leaving. Even if Lewis came back they had to add depth to the corner spot after last year.

I still think it's a step backward but the more I think about it ,watching Curtis Brown play last season, William Gay may be necessary.

Exactly!  Getting Gay is fantastic for the Steelers!  He already knows the defense and played very well in the Nickle. He won't be staring with Allen, Taylor, and potentially Lewis coming back next season unless the Steelers have injuries like last season. 

Brown looked pretty bad last season. I don't think anybody can argue that Gay isn't and upgrade over Brown at this point.  Hopefully Brown gets it right this season.

Eventhough he is signed he still has to earn a spot,all players considered Gay will probably be 4th on depth chart, if Lewis signs.

Good point rarebreed, but what about all the players considered straight?

Good point rarebreed, but what about all the players considered straight?

Ok STL, you caught me, my grammar is terrible. Feel better now ? 

  Some nice, cheap insurance.

Good point rarebreed, but what about all the players considered straight?

Ok STL, you caught me, my grammar is terrible. Feel better now ?  

I feel fine, but apparently you have a problem with Gay people?  They are only good enough for the #4 positions?  Looks like you need to join us in the 21st century for a change!

Ha Ha Ha, are you a professional clown are just practicing ?

The deal is 3 years $4.5 million with a $500K signing bonus.

Let's hope if the Steelers win another Lombardi this idiot does not wear a NY Yankee hat to the Steelers Victory Parade. 

think about my cbs id, now figure out how much I love those NY Yankees......  (first clue is that I am a Red Sox fan)

Ha Ha Ha, are you a professional clown are just practicing ?

Surprisingly, I do not get paid to make comments like these!  What a crazy, mixed up world!

IMO ...

Ike 1000 snaps, Cortez 1000 snaps, Gay 400 snaps

is greater than ...

Ike 1000 snaps, Lewis 1000 snaps, Cortez 400 snaps

I want the ballhawk on the field and that's Cortez. When you factor in what we would have to pay Keenan it cements it for me. Honestly, if they were to sign Keenan I would probably want them to cut Ike at this point so that he is completely off the books for 2014. I don't think that makes us better in 2013 but it gives us about 10M in cap relief in 2014.

Here's my take on this signing.

William Gay developed into a serviceable nickle back in Pittsburgh, but he wanted the money and a chance to start. Arizona gave him the money and the chance to start, where he was exposed for his limitations. Now, he has a chance to continue his career where he can be successful -- as a nickel back.

He adds depth in the secondary for the Steelers, but won't be shadowing the opponent's best receiver. 

This will not keep the team from pursuing Keenan Lewis. I expect them to try to re-sign Lewis and draft at least one DB. They'll probably grab a safety first, but they also need to be looking for Ike Taylor's eventual replacement.

William Gay developed into a serviceable nickle back in Pittsburgh, but he wanted the money and a chance to start. Arizona gave him the money and the chance to start, where he was exposed for his limitations.

I don't know why people continually beat up on this guy. He most certainly DID NOT get exposed in Arizona. He played pretty well individually and the secondary in Ariz played very well as a unit. The Cardinals finished 5th in passing defense last year and they were #1 in opposing QB rating.

He actually did so well in Arizona that he hit all the escalators in his contract and his base salary jumped from 1.4M to 3.2M. The Cardinals are in cap hell, have holes up and down the roster, lots of free agents and guys on the final year of their contracts and cannot afford to pay 3.2M to a B player on a one year contract so they released him.

Listen, I like Keenan, he has long arms and does a good job defending, but you would think the guy who was targeted the most in the NFL as you pointed out would have more then one INT.

Not in this defense. The way the defense is run I dont really expect many interceptions until we start getting pressure on QBs again and even then I would expect LBs and safeties to eat most of them because they are gonna be on bad throws/tipped balls. The low interception numbers from our corners is a product of the scheme, you can go all the way back to 2004, the starting corners have never got many picks, the nickel guy has a better shot, look at Deshea Townsend, when he went to nickel he made some plays even in his old age. Our corners dont jump routes, they let them have the underneath and tackle, banking on sometime during the long drive one of our LBs will get to the QB or the QB will make a mistake on 3rd down getting them off the field.

The turnover problem can pretty much be blamed on the lack of pressure. No pressure, no floating ducks for Polamalu to snag. 

Interceptions from starting corners:

2004: 5 or 6, not sure if Ike got his pick as a DB or the LCB. (4 Townsend, 1 Chad Scott)

2005: 3 (2 Townsend, 1 Ike Taylor )

2006: 5 to 7 (McFadden 3, Taylor 2, Townsend 2) 

2007: 5 (Taylor 3, Townsend 2)

2008: 3 (Taylor 1, McFadden 2)

2009: 1 (Taylor 1, Gay 0)

2010: 4 (McFadden 2, Taylor 2)

2011: 4 (Gay 2, Taylor 2)

2012: 1 (Taylor 1, Lewis 0) 

 

Not in this defense. The way the defense is run I dont really expect many interceptions until we start getting pressure on QBs again and even then I would expect LBs and safeties to eat most of them because they are gonna be on bad throws/tipped balls. The low interception numbers from our corners is a product of the scheme, you can go all the way back to 2004

While there is some truth to this I think you're ignoring the obvious changes LeBeau has made in the last two seasons. Keenan led the league in Passes Defended last season. We've never had a CB do that under LeBeau. How many of those should have been picks? I bet I could go back 20 years and never find another guy led the league in PDs and not have an INT. Ball skills are real and we have two DBs that possess them - Cortez and Troy.

Ball skills are real and we have two DBs that possess them - Cortez and Troy.

Watching C.Brown at the combine, he was one of the best at ball skills. What has happen to this guy ?

Brown does seem to have good ball skills, but it is hard to see when he is getting beat and can't play it.

While I agree Keenan should of brought a couple picks down, it was a down year for picks even by the low standard set in past years, my point was if you dont take many risks, you normally arent going to get many picks. The starting corners are basically never asked to take a risk and jump a route. A lot of getting interceptions is being in the right place at the right time and the scheme just doesnt give the top 2 corners many chances to be in that right place because they are told to keep the WR in front at all costs and it works. The one time you see LeBeau paranoid about a run game, Demaryius Thomas got behind them and  took one to the house to end the season. 




 

That's fair Killa but I think you're discounting the changes LeBeau has made in the last two seasons. We've seen a lot more press and a lot less zone. Both Lewis and Ike have had opportunities and they just don't look natural attacking the ball. I don't recall Keenan's combine but you can usually see who has them and who doesn't. It will get Honey Badger drafted pretty high even with all his problems because no DB had ball skills like him this year. Its a god-given talent.

I hear you SteelCityKilla on the scheme we play, but yes our corners should still have more then one or two total INT's the whole season.  I have personally heard Coach LeBeau joke about our corners having no hands.  Did you ever think he teaches our corners this scheme becuase he know's they cannot catch and doesnt want them taking unnecesary chances?  Believe me, Coach T and LeBeau would love a corner or any DB for that matter that can catch the ball.  Troy is really the only one with hands.  Ryan Clark is so so and we no Ike has the worst hands of all time.  They love Cortez and they love him because he has some ball skills.  You can teach anybody to stay back, dont get beat deep and tackle the ball carrier in front of you.  What you cannot teach is athleticism, instincts and playmaking abilities.  We need a corner that can do this.  Anyways I enjoy debating with your guys. 

Like I said before and now seconded by Rarebreed ( thanks bud ), Gay played very well in 2011 and now its official according to his agent Gay has re-signed with the Steelers!