FanHouse Casey Hampton

The old days of Pittsburgh being known as a team unwilling to spend the big bucks need to buried and forgotten. Pittsburgh capped off an extremely busy offseason of signings by re-signing defensive end Brett Keisel to a four-year contract extension.

By re-signing Keisel, Pittsburgh now has re-upped James Harrison, Max Starks, Heath Miller, Chris Kemoeatu, Trai Essex and Hines Ward during this offseason. While that still leaves a significant number of Steelers heading into the final year of their contracts (Casey Hampton, Willie Parker, Ryan Clark, Willie Colon and Jeff Reed are the most notable) it is a clear sign that Pittsburgh is willing to spend the money to keep the bulk of the Super Bowl champs together.

If Casey Hampton doesn't get a contract extension from the Steelers, his own words this weekend probably sum up why.

Hampton did finish his run test at camp this year, unlike last year, but he then told the beat writers covering the Steelers that he didn't change his routine this offseason to try to get into better shape. He says he's in the same shape this year that he was last year, when he wasn't allowed to practice until he had lost some weight.

Back in 2005, Heath Miller slid down draft boards because of concerns about a sports hernia that had needed surgery after his senior season.

That proved to be an opportune injury for the Steelers, as it meant Miller, the top tight end in that year's draft class, slid to the 30th pick in the draft. And it proved to be a red herring of an injury, as it hasn't bothered Miller during his four-year NFL career, until now.

The Steelers had a pretty lengthy to-do list for the offseason, but a little over a day before training camp starts, they've managed to check off nearly every key task.

The announcement that tight end Heath Miller has signed a six-year extension worth $35.3 million does a very good job of getting the Steelers ready for training camp. Since the Super Bowl, Pittsburgh has re-signed or extended the contracts of James Harrison, Chris Kemoeatu, Trai Essex, Max Starks, Heath Miller, Charlie Batch and Hines Ward assuring that most of the team that won last year's Super Bowl will be around for years to come. And they also managed to get all of their draft picks signed before training camp.

If the Steelers have any plans to extend the contracts of any veterans, they won't have to worry that chief negotiator Omar Kahn will be distracted by signing draft picks.

Nearly a week before training camp opens on July 31, the Steelers have already signed every one of their draft picks. First-round pick Evander Hood became the final draft pick to sign when he agreed to a five-year deal with the Steelers on Sunday.

Casey Hampton is heading into the final year of his contract, but Steelers coach Mike Tomlin isn't exactly taking it easy on the Steelers nose tackle.

Last year, Hampton showed up too fat for training camp (well fatter than normal), so Tomlin sat him out of practices until he melted away some of the extra pounds. He ended up playing his normal key role as the anchor of the Steelers' defensive line, but that hasn't earned him a pass from Tomlin. When asked if Hampton is in better shape this year, Tomlin could have easily said something like: "I'm sure he will be because Casey's a professional," or something like that to send a message while also going out of his way to not needle the big man.

Instead, he made it clear that he's not going to coddle Casey.

If you're coming off an 0-16 season, having any NFL starter want to join your team is a reason to celebrate. But what are the Lions getting in new middle linebacker Larry Foote?

Foote is a quality run-stuffer, which is why he's been a starter for the Steelers for five years, even this past year when the Steelers had 2007 first-round pick Lawrence Timmons ready to step in and play. He doesn't take a lot of false steps, likes contact and is a quality guy in the locker room and the community.

Who moved to the head of the NFL class during the draft? Find out with FanHouse's team-by-team 2009 Draft Grades.

One year removed from a 10-win season, and on the heels of a four-win effort, owner Randy Lerner decided change was in order. He fired head coach Romeo Crennel and general manager Phil Savage and brought in Eric Mangini and George Kokonis.

If the first draft under the new leadership is any indication, the Browns will use the last weekend in April to restock the roster, and eschew high-priced, quick-fix free agents. The previous regime had a healthy mix of the two: Gary Baxter, Eric Steinbach, LeCharles Bentley and Donte' Stallworth were signed as free agents; Kamerion Wimbley, Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn were all high-round draft picks.

Last week, word leaked that the Ravens asked the league to not consider them for a prime-time game in Pittsburgh next season, presumably because they're 0-3 under such circumstances, and if pressed, would prefer to lose in front of a regional audience instead of national one. Fair enough.

Every week during the season we focused on an aspect of line play with Between The Lines. So for the Super Bowl, we're focusing on all aspects of the battle of the line of scrimmage. Today, we look at the Steelers' defense.

There have been many times this postseason when Larry Fitzgerald, Kurt Warner and the Cardinals offense have looked unstoppable. On Sunday, we'll find out how true that is. There many matchups to watch, but it's safe to say that if the Cardinals can block the Steelers' pass rush, they likely will pull off the upset. If they can't, Pittsburgh will be bringing its sixth Super Bowl trophy back to the Steel City.

Warner has averaged 286 yards passing per game this season, but now he'll be facing a defense that has allowed more than 300 yards of total offense only twice in 18 games. Warner and an offense with three 1,000-yard receivers will be one of the Steelers' D's toughest tests, but this is not a defense that is untested.