This is a surprising move, but the Steelers had to do it because they were right up against the salary cap.  Porter played in 14 games last season and he made 55 tackles, sacked the QB 7 times, had 2 interceptions (one he returned for a TD) and he defensed 3 passes.  Even more important than his play on the field was his ability to fire up his teammates and intimidate the opposing team.  Porter played in 122 games in his 8 years in Pittsburgh and he made 461 tackles, sacked the opposing QB 60 times, intercepted 10 passes, defensed 33 passes, forced 18 fumbles and recovered 8 fumbles.  This is a loss that will hurt the Steelers on and off the field just like last season when Jerome Bettis wasn’t around.

James Harrison will start in Porter’s place next season for the Steelers.  He played in 11 games last season and made 20 tackles.  He has played in 44 games with the Steelers and he has made 110 tackles, intercepted 1 pass, defensed 5 passes, forced 1 fumble and recovered 2 fumbles.  His best play ever was on December 24th, 2005 in Cleveland when he tackled a drunk fan!  He’ll find NFL running backs much harder to deal with next season.

The Steelers tried using Verron Haynes as their 3rd down back last season and it just didn’t work out.  He then missed the last 9 games due to an injury.  Haynes played in 7 games last season and he carried the ball 15 times for 78 yards (5.2 ypc) and he caught 18 passes for 95 yards (5.3 avg).  The Steelers will have no problem replacing Haynes.