The Facts:
GM Kevin Colbert, normally a very patient man, ran out of patience with holdout WR Mike Wallace in a very short period of time. And, in this case, one man's lack of patience transitioned into another man's payday. If Wallace wasn't going to take the $40 million plus the Steelers allocated for Wallace,
Brown was very happy to take it. This is the first time the Steelers have given this much money to a player with a body of work so thin. Three career starts, two touchdowns, a couple of thousand yards receiving and on returns paid off in one of the biggest contracts in Steelers history. If Wallace is to ever get the payoff he thinks it deserves, it might have to be in another team's uniform.
Reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune Review
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
That became apparent when Brown received his contract extension last week while Wallace continued his holdout. As noted
in the previous item, the Steelers valued the more versatile Brown more than the more one-dimensional Wallace. But it goes beyond that. According to ESPN, Brown, despite not starting until late last season, had the second-most first down catches on third down plays. He was eighth in the league in receiving yards from Week 7 on. During the same period, Wallace was 32nd in receiving yards and 44th in receptions. Anybody watching the Steelers on a regular basis could have seen the transition -- if not statistically, then simply in Brown's emergence as the team's best receiver. Whether it was route-running, making the tough catches and showing a level of concentration we didn't think he had, Brown looked like a true No. 1 as the season wound down.
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