Reality.

Alan Faneca is no longer with the Pittsburgh Steelers opting instead to join the Jets. I guess when it all comes down to it, as much as you like to think otherwise, it really is all about the money. What other conclusion could there be? I had hopes for Alan to finish his career, if not with the Steelers, with some dignity, on a good team. That opportunity seems gone as Faneca’s Jets were 4-12 last year (yeah so the beat the Steelers, bleh).

One thing that I’ve always hated about free agency is that it strips playes of their identity, it kills their fan base and it cheapens the legacy that they built with a former team. Take Randy Moss for example. Who is he? Is he a Viking, is he a Raider, is he a Patriot or is he… Unfortunately, despite the fact that he’s a amazing player and will be considered one of the greatest WR’s in history he has no identity and no one would want to claim him. The same goes for Terrell Owens. Very rarely can a player forge a legacy with more than one team. Reggie White is the only example I can think of. For this reason, I am so thankful that Jerome Bettis made the choices that he did. And it paid off. He could have left, demanded to be traded, tried to prolong his career with another team, but he valued his identity and personal history. And if you think that his decision wasn’t financial…it was. He knew that by identifying with Pittsburgh and carrying that identity into retirement he insantly became more marketable for the rest of his life. He could have squashed that and signed a deal for another year or two leaving his image less desireable and much less marketable.

Alan got the money now. But he won’t be making any lasting memories with the Jets in the minds of the fans. I think that we can rest assured that Alan Faneca will always be remembered as a Steeler. But not with the same love and admiration given to Jerome.