Good news: Larry Foote is an NFL starter, which is all he wanted. Bad news: he went from the Steelers, twice Super Bowl champs in the past three years, to the Lions, winners of exactly zero games in 2008.
In Detroit, Foote will have to adjust to playing middle linebacker in the 4-3, and despite suspect pass-coverage skills, he'll upgrade the defense. (Given that the Lions were one of the worst units in the league, it would be hard not to. Point taken.)
One of the reasons the Detroit Lions didn't prioritize linebacker at the draft was their belief that the Steelers were on the verge of releasing Larry Foote, and that the Detroit native and former University of Michigan star wanted to sign with them. If that was the plan, it worked. The team announced this morning that Foote has agreed to a one-year contract to fill its hole at middle linebacker.
The 28-year-old Foote, a two-time Super Bowl champion with Pittsburgh, is likely to start at middle linebacker ahead of DeAndre Levy, the Wisconsin linebacker the team picked in the third round of this year's draft. Levy, who played outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense in college, would then spend this year learning the middle linebacker position as Foote's backup.
In its effort to rebound from the worst season in NFL history, Detroit is hoping a hometown hero can provide some optimism.
A little more than 24 hours after he was cut by Pittsburgh, Detroit native Larry Foote agreed to a one-year deal with the Lions. Foote said that he expected to sign his new contract on Wednesday -- and he will immediately inherit Detroit's starting middle linebacker position between Julian Peterson and Ernie Sims.
As expected, the Steelers finally got around to releasing linebacker Larry Foote today. The team's 2002 fifth-round pick hadn't missed a start since 2004, but with the emergence of Lawrence Timmons, Foote became expendable. In fact, last season, Foote was a two-down player, coming off the field in passing situations. And that, along with Timmons' progress and Foote's $2.9 million salary for next season, was enough for the Steelers to make a change.
Foote never made the Pro Bowl during his seven-year career, but he was an integral part of the defense, particularly after Dick LeBeau returned as coordinator in 2004. He was one of the team's most consistent players, and that, along with his age (28), means he won't be out of a job for long.
According to Pro Football Talk, citing a league source, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be cutting inside linebacker Larry Foote in a move that will reportedly save them nearly $3 million against the salary cap. Foote has been a regular starter since the 2003 season after being selected by Pittsburgh in the fourth round of the 2002 draft, and has been the definition of "solid." There's nothing flashy about his game, but he always manages to get the job done.
His exit will open the door for 2007 first-round draft pick Lawrence Timmons to start next to James Farrior, in a switch that will manage to make the best defense in the NFL more athletic and explosive.
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.
Like usual, the Steelers will likely be sitting out the heavy bidding when free agency starts. But on the day before free agency, when many teams are dumping veterans left and right to create cap room, the Steelers have no one on the roster who deserves to be cut.
If you want further evidence that the Steelers front office generally knows what its doing, take a look at this rough estimate of the Steelers salaries. There is only one player on the roster whose contract is much bigger than his on-field production. And while Kendall Simmons ($4.67 million) is overpaid, with just one other experienced guard on the roster, Simmons is going nowhere.
After a slow start, Super Bowl XLIII finished with an explosion of big plays, capped by Santonio Holmes' incredible sideline TD grab to give the Steelers the 27-23 win, as well as Pittsburgh's sixth Super Bowl championship. Relive the big game with our live blog recap.
A decade ago, a Steelers inside linebacker opted to leave Pittsburgh, and a year later ended up in Detroit -- Earl Holmes was never heard from again. Could history be about to repeat itself?
Larry Foote, a starter with the Steelers for three seasons, supposedly would happily leave Pittsburgh to come back home to play for the Lions. A friend of Foote's told the Detroit Free Press that Foote is hoping to come back to Detroit before too long, even if that means playing for the worst franchise in pro sports.
Good news: Larry Foote is an NFL starter, which is all he wanted. Bad news: he went from the Steelers, twice Super Bowl champs in the past three years, to the Lions, winners of exactly zero games in 2008. 
One of the reasons the Detroit Lions didn't prioritize linebacker at the draft was their belief that the Steelers were on the verge of releasing 
In its effort to rebound from the worst season in NFL history, Detroit is hoping a hometown hero can provide some optimism.
As 
According to Pro Football Talk, citing a league source, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be cutting inside linebacker 
Like usual, the Steelers will likely be sitting out the heavy bidding when free agency starts. But on the day before free agency, when many teams 
A decade ago, a Steelers inside linebacker opted to leave Pittsburgh, and a year later ended up in Detroit -- Earl Holmes was never heard from again. Could history be about to repeat itself?
