Truth & Rumors > NFL

Steelers eyeing Bengals' DE

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Many folks believe that the Bengals blew it last year when they made DE Justin Smith their franchise player instead of stud OL Eric Steinbach, who signed a big money contract with division rival Browns. Smith would draw some interest on the open market and the one team who could come calling is the Steelers. I'm told that Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is a big fan of Smith and has always thought that he would be a better pass-rusher in a 3-4 defense which they run in Blitzburgh.

Dayton Daily News

Justin Smith , Otto Greule Jr./Getty Images Justin Smith , Otto Greule Jr./Getty Images
February 11, 2008  09:33 AM ET

Hurry Pitt! Get an average player on our bottom feeding defense! Hurry!

February 11, 2008  10:36 AM ET

I usually lean on the side of NOT throwing my two cents in when it comes to the decisions the steelers make on defense, but something doesn't feel right about this possibility....

February 11, 2008  12:05 PM ET

Blitzburgh.....huh.....well i guess they forgot the blitz this year

February 11, 2008  01:07 PM ET

LeBeau knows his stuff and if he likes Smith, then ok. Too bad he comes from the Bungles though.

February 11, 2008  01:59 PM ET

so lets get this straight, the article claims pitts is suddenly willing to spend 8-10 million to get a soso FA.

yeah right, pitt won't even spend 8-10 million to keep a future hall of famer. and the article is even farther wacked for saying anyone in cincy cared about losing Eric Steinbach. the browns over-paid him.

February 11, 2008  01:59 PM ET

Well, Kimo came from the Bengals and that worked out well. He wouldn'ty start, but we lack DE depth, as was horrifically proven when Aaron Smith went down. It's a depth signing and I'm all for it. But I'd rather see them go all out on getting Faneca back (I know, nearly impossible)

February 11, 2008  02:32 PM ET

who wouldwe replace with him? we have smith and the diesel. we dont need anohter d end, what we need is a taller reciever

February 11, 2008  04:25 PM ET

He'd be good for depth at both DE positions, look what happened when Smith went down against the Pats. We went from being an all-world defense to being a joke with that one injury. Also, he'd probably take a paycut to come to a real franchise and get out of that emberassing JV squad excuse of an NFL franchise known as the Bengals.

WHO DEY???? WE DEY!!!!!! Congratulations on still being a laughing stock in the league despite having a top 7 quarterback. Maybe the NFL can change its format to something like the Euro soccer leagues and have the worst teams be demoted. That way we would all be free of the Bengals and their consistently terrible and non-competitive teams.

February 11, 2008  05:06 PM ET

fleckpsu06:

While I certainly think the Bengals are a bunch of underachieving babies, they haven't had a losing season since 2002 so your demotion example is pretty stupid.

February 11, 2008  05:17 PM ET

theroc5156:

They went 7-9 this year.

February 11, 2008  05:49 PM ET

Thanks you Zattac:

theroc5156. They've been to the playoffs once in the last probably 20 years, so despite maybe not having the leagues worst record, that large sample size of being A JOKE should warrant a closer look from Roger Goodell to hopefully push them down to the Arena League. Besides, they'd be a way better AFL team because nodoby there plays defense.

Also, I was really just saying that to anger all of those Bengals fans out there that still cling to the notion that they might not be the absolute worst team in the AFC North. WHO DEY???? WE DEY BIT**HES!!! HAHAHAHAHA YOU"LL ALWAYS BE THE REDHEADED STEPCHILD AS LONG AS THE STEELERS ARE AROUND!!!!!

February 11, 2008  05:52 PM ET

Oh and PW,

Everybody overpays for O-lineman in the NFL Today. Maybe they gave him a bit too much cash, but he was a huge reason why da' Brownies overtook the Cincinnati Tabby Cats as the second-best and maybe next year the best team in the division. They're going up and the Steelers are going down, but at least we fluctuate. The Bengals are forever down. WHO DEY??? WE DEY WE DEY WE DEY WE DEY go back to the 'QUEEN CITY' you bunch of queens.

February 11, 2008  08:49 PM ET

umm last time i check...its the BENGALS in week 16 that knocked off the "Brownies" haha the "Brownies" is your mascot...a grandma's favorite dessert is your mascot good one... Plus...The bengals O-line was injured for most of the year and let me add...we played our practice squad linebackers for the last 8-10 games of the year and STILL went 7-9! what do you expect to do to the "BROWNIES" when there completely healthy? EXACTLY! If the Bengals had half of the injuries the browns did this year, there wouldn't be a race in the AFC NORTH... And what i can remember in week 16 "because i was there on the browns side 10 rows up..." Derek Anderson whined like a little girl he is after his fourth pick.....hummmm wounder who the browns are going to get in the first round O WAIT they don't have a pick, because they wasted on a useless five year 20 million out in the garbage BRADY QUINN, because the browns just signed derek for another 5 years.... well see how good your browns are next year

February 11, 2008  11:51 PM ET

Hey baseball king Im not a Browns fan Im a Steelers fan. You losing Ohio franchises can keep it amongst yourselves, you're really just a pair of gnats on Pittsburgh's shoulder. Oh, and LAST I REMEMBERED, the Steelers knocked you little kitties out of the playoffs last year and then MURDERED YOU twice in '07.

Even if the Browns are bad next year, that doesn't change the fact that CINCY IS A LAUGHING STOCK!!! Terrible franchise, from top to bottom. Lewis has no control, Chad will TEAR you apart.

WAAA WAAA WAAA INJURIES WAAA WAAA WAAA!! Keep crying, as long as you're a Bengals fan nobody will ever respect your opinion.

February 12, 2008  12:19 AM ET

Actually the Browns are names after one of the guys that started the NFL and then started the Browns, so it's not that bad of name when looking at it from a historical perspective. But the Bengals should look at getting a whole new Front Office, that's where the franchise needs to upgrade. When a team has been as bad as they have for so long, that's the only place to look.

February 12, 2008  01:44 AM ET

if you consider yourself a fan of professional football and don't know that the browns are named after the great paul brown, maybe you should follow the steelers or the cowboys because you know absolutely nothing about the nfl...loser

February 12, 2008  03:16 AM ET

Still the number one rated defense....even though we forgot the blitz.

February 12, 2008  03:24 AM ET

Has Pittsburgh won more SB's than cincy has been in the playoffs. If not, its close.

February 12, 2008  04:22 AM ET

ok....when was the bengals ever on top??? ok if you called going to the wild card 3 years ago with a 9-7 record is on top, then yes they were on top. OK idiot... the bengals has had 1 winning season since 2002 and there suppose to be on top? haha whats funny is, the bengals stink again for another year, but they were known to be on top? i thought the patriots were on top...or 2007 SB champs Colts on top.....hummm yeah were having issues and i dk when if it ever changes.... See its people like you fleck that talk trash and don't even have information.... oops i'm sorry you had to hurt carson in 06 to beat us..... and yes i am going to whine about our injuries.... why shouldn't i.... practice squad LINEBACKERS!!!! ANTHONY SCHLEGEL!!!!!!!!!!!! HAHA ARE YOU KIDDING ME! whats funny is yeah you have little bragging rights because your team went to the playoffs, but you accomplished as much as the Bengals did....the main goal in the NFL is winning the SB and you didn't that this year.... If Pollack comes back from his neck injury, Thurman and Landon gets healthy and if we have a decent line, then yes you can tell me were on top, but dude since 2002, the bengals haven;t won more than 10 games, but thanks for giving us the priviledge to be known as one of the top teams....

 
February 12, 2008  06:09 AM ET

fleck, you should watch the nfl games rather than reading about it. seriously. your 2 posts are more emotional than fact.

as for how great the browns are now, how'd they do in the playoffs? oh thats right, the bengals knocked the browns out before they reached the playoffs.

as the bengals trouble this past season, it had nothing to do with any of your comments. it came from having 10-12 LBs out for the season.

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