By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
An unhappy Alan Faneca glances at new offensive line coach Larry Zierlein during the Steelers' minicamp drills yesterday at the team's South Side facility.
Alan Faneca, among the most decorated and respected Steelers over the past decade, turned hotter than his long mop of red hair yesterday. He stood up from the seat in front of his locker and issued the kind of passionate words usually reserved for an opponent.
Only in this case, Faneca's foe is Steelers management.
"This will be my last year as a Pittsburgh Steeler," Faneca declared, his left hand shaking slightly to betray his emotion.
Faneca, among the best offensive linemen in club history, ended three months of silence by ripping into management for not being fair to him in contract negotiations.
He said he repeatedly has asked to be traded, does not believe he wants to serve as a team captain for a fourth season and cannot predict what kind of focus he might bring to the team and its new coach in 2007.
Faneca, 30, has one year left on his contract that will pay him another $3.375 million on top of the $1 million roster bonus he received in March. He wants a new contract that would pay him closer to the $7 million annually that other guards have received recently as free agents. He said the Steelers' offer is not even among the top 10 that NFL guards make.
He said he has lost any hope a new contract will be forthcoming before he becomes a free agent next March.
"There is no progress," Faneca said of contract talks. "They've been crystal clear in the fact they're not going to sign me this year, and that's it."
Faneca said the only reason he showed up for this three-day minicamp is that it is required by NFL rules. If a player skips required attendance -- games, practices or an event -- he can be fined $5,000 daily plus lose a prorated portion of his signing bonus. In Faneca's case, his prorated amount for 2007 is $1,597,750.
"No, I don't want to be here," Faneca said flatly. "It's a matter of them being able to do what they can monetarily and come after me. That's the only reason I'm here, on that chance that they would."
Faneca will depart Pittsburgh Sunday night when practices end and said he won't return until training camp, which starts July 23.
"I've been asking since February to trade me, to let me go," Faneca said. "I've done my piece, I've done my time, I've done everything I can for this organization.
"I lived and breathed Steelers football for nine years and gave them everything I had, helped them win a Super Bowl. In my mind, I've earned the right to be treated fairly. To make me go out there this year, play football with no security ... for what I've done for this organization, in my mind is not right."
Faneca's six Pro Bowls are more than any guard in team history. He made one of them even though he agreed to switch to left tackle during the 2003 season because of injuries.
Faneca repeated that he was not happy when Russ Grimm was passed over to be the next Steelers head coach, and with the release of linebacker and fellow co-captain Joey Porter in March.
"What am I to think? What are the guys in this room to think? If they can do it to me and everybody else and let Joey go and do things like that, what does that say to the rest of the guys?"
Faneca said he's talked to "everyone," including Art Rooney, Dan Rooney and Kevin Colbert, in the front office.
None of those Steelers executives would comment on what Faneca said yesterday, but coach Mike Tomlin took a pragmatic approach.
"Negotiations and the CBA and the things we're going through right now with him are not unlike probably things other people in other cities are going though," Tomlin said. "It's an emotional deal for him, and rightfully so -- it's his livelihood. That's what he does.
"But from an organizational standpoint, we're going through the contract negotiation process. We're not talking about it a great deal publicly because that's our policy.
"Along the line, he's going to express some frustration, but as long as he does what he's supposed to do professionally, which is come to work for mandatory minicamps and play football at a high level like he did today, then we move forward."
Receiver Hines Ward, who went through his own protracted contract talks in 2005 and held out 10 days at the start of training camp, does not like the way things are shaping up in the Steelers' locker room for 2007.
"It sets a precedent," Ward said, "because other guys look at Alan as 'Wow, this guy is a great citizen, he does a lot for the city of Pittsburgh, he's obviously a Pro Bowl player. He's done everything you ask him to do.' The younger guys just sit back and look at that situation.
"It's different now; there's no question this locker room is totally different. You lose a locker-room favorite like Joey -- not having Joey on that field is different. It's a different feel. God forbid if Alan's not out there.
"You can't put a value on leadership and being a veteran. Alan is the first guy to get here, the last guy to leave. He's worked just as hard as anybody on this team," Ward said.
"He paid his dues, he put in his time and he's a productive ballplayer. ... If he's upset, Wow! But, at the same time, he's a professional. He's here. It's not like he didn't show up."
(Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com.)
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