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Steelers' defensive end hasn't signed a contract

Friday, July 19, 2002

By Gerry Dulac, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Defensive end Aaron Smith will not report to training camp next week unless he signs some kind of contract with the Steelers, his agent said yesterday.

	Key Dates WEDNESDAY -- Players report to training camp at St. Vincent College AUG. 8 -- First preseason game vs. New York Jets, 8 p.m. SEPT. 1 -- Rosters must be down to 53 players SEPT. 9 -- First regular season game, at New England Patriots, 9 p.m.

Smith, a two-year starter who has rapidly developed into the team's best defensive lineman, has not signed a one-year, $1,227,000 offer he was tendered in February as a restricted free agent.

If he and his agent, Peter Schaffer, do not agree on a new contract before Wednesday -- the first day of training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe -- Smith will not report with the other veterans and rookies.

"He's not going to go to training camp without a contract," Schaffer said from his office in Denver.

Schaffer is hoping to get a new contract for Smith that is similar to what the Steelers did when they signed outside linebacker Joey Porter to a new deal after tendering him the same one-year offer as a restricted free agent.

But if Smith does not get a new contract, his only option is to sign the tender and become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2002 season.

"I have a good relationship with the Steelers and we're talking," Schaffer said. "But negotiations are like pregnancies -- you either are or you're not. There ain't no almost in this game.

"He doesn't have to sign the tender. It's a free country. In Aaron's case, he doesn't have to show up [until] he signs a contract."

Smith, Porter and running back Amos Zereoue were all tendered the same offer, which would require other National Football League teams to surrender a No. 1 draft choice if they signed one of the restricted free agents.

But Smith has refused to sign the offer, hoping to get a new contract in the wake of his surprising and improved performance the past two seasons. Smith, a former basketball player, was a fifth-round pick in 1999. After becoming the starter in Week 2 in 2000, he has gone on to lead all defensive linemen in sacks each of the past two years, registering four in 2000 and seven in 2001.

The Steelers signed Porter and Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca to contract extensions in the off-season, preventing them from becoming unrestricted free agents next year. Smith would appear to be next in line.

"This whole thing won't get done from lack of effort, either on our part or the Steelers," Schaffer said. "We've been in good faith negotiations for six months. There's no master plan to keep him out of camp.

"To be honest, I haven't even thought about Aaron not being at camp because we're trying to make an offer. But, at the same time, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Verron Haynes will be tried at fullback when the Steelers open training camp. But his agent wouldn't be surprised to see him get a shot at halfback before the 2002 season is over.

Haynes, the team's fifth-round draft choice from Georgia, signed a three-year, $1,005,000 contract yesterday with the Steelers, leaving No. 1 pick Kendall Simmons as the only rookie who hasn't signed or agreed to a deal.

Haynes received a $100,000 signing bonus and will have annual salaries of $225,000 this season, $300,000 in 2003 and $380,000 in '04.

"I think you'll see him get a few carries," said David Joseph, Haynes' agent. "I think he was an undervalued player, going on the fifth round. One scouting director told me he thought Verron was the best running back in the draft."

The Steelers drafted Haynes, 5-9 1/2, 226 pounds, to be a backup to fullback Dan Kreider. But they also are intrigued by his running ability, especially after he gained over 100 yards in each of his final four games last season at Georgia.

Haynes began the 2001 season at fullback but switched to tailback when the Bulldogs had injuries at that position. In his final four games, he gained 192 yards on 26 carries against Mississippi, 207 yards on 39 carries against Georgia Tech, 122 yards on 24 carries vs. Houston and 132 yards on 27 carries against Boston College in the Music City Bowl.

Haynes averaged 5.15 yards per carry in \his career at Georgia, second only to Herschel Walker on the school's all-time list.

"And I'll tell you this, nobody is going to outwork him," Joseph said. "He gets up and runs everyday at 4 a.m. because he doesn't want anyone else doing what he does."

Nonetheless, the Steelers envision Haynes to be very similar to one of their former fullbacks, Tim Lester.

"He is comparable to Tim Lester in size," said running backs coach Dick Hoak. "When Tim came out of college, I thought he was a tailback. Tim may be 230 at the most. This guy weighed 226 at the combine. When Tim left here, he probably weighed 240 to 242. So he is starting right about where Tim Lester started, as far as his size."