Steelers Game By Game Preview of the 2009-2010 Season 1/2 posted by Rob Preston

As OTA's and minicamps progress while training camp begin to roll over the horizon, America's favorite sport nears its regular season.  While nobody knows how well teams will do in a season with the randomness of injuries and several other factors, it's always interesting to look ahead at the schedule and prognosticate.  Unlike most people, I'm not going to give just a win or loss for each game, rather I'm going to predict how many times the Steelers would win if they played a team 10 times.  For instance if the Steelers were playing a very crappy team, I would say 9/10 or 10/10.  At the end i will add up the wins and divide by 10, giving us how many wins they will have this season.

Week 1 Titans at Steelers

A great season opener with two teams that have plenty of history as well as new found bad blood.  The Titans are coming off a very disappointing post-season last year after earning the best regular season record last year.  While the Titans should still be a good team, they are losing quite possibly the most dominating DT in the game, Albert Haynesworth.  Unfortunately when the Titans "stomped" the Steelers last season, Haynesworth didn't play either, so no real gain there.  The big question will be Kerry Collins, and I think his arm will just about fall off.  I'll give the Steelers 6/10.

Week 2 Steelers at Chicago

The 2009 Bears will be a team to watch in 2009 with the addition of Jay Cutler.  With his ability to throw the ball down the field, Devin Hester may finally be able to reach his potential as a burner at WR.  The Bears will also be returning their star RB, Matt Forte, who impressed last season with over 1,200 yards.  Their defense should be solid as always, but the major question will be chemistry with Cutler and the WR's.  By week 2, will they have enough time together to have their timing down?  Probably not.  I give the Steelers 8/10.

Why Ben Roethlisberger Will be the Next Comeback King posted by Rob Preston

During the 2008-2009 season, an encouraging pattern appeared.  The Steelers would start the game well, at some point fall behind, and in the 4th quarter, Big Ben would engineer a game winning drive.  This phenomena reared its head during the regular season, but in the biggest game of the year, Super Bowl XLIII.  Why is the leader of such a sub par offense (22nd in the league during the regular season) the engineer of so many come from behind wins? When examined, two major reasons can be found.

The biggest reason can be seen when you look at the common strategy of teams who have a lead late in the 4th quarter.  Teams always want to milk the clock by running the ball.  What do the steelers do best?  They stop the run. This gives Ben plenty of chances to have a game winning drive at the end of the quarter.  While having a chance is always nice, a clutch quarterback still needs to make the plays to win the game.  So why did the 17th ranked passing offense always seem to come through?  Ben's mastery of the no-huddle offense.

While Ben's numbers do not inspire much awe, falling below 20th in most major passing statistics, his numbers in the no-huddle are amazing. Whether it be against an elite defense like Baltimore, or on the biggest stage during Super Bowl XLIII, when Big Ben starts using the no-huddle, good things happen.  Could it be because he has less time to think and is more instinctive?  Who knows?  Who cares?  While Ben may not be the most glamorous QB in the league, he fits the Pittsburgh mantra perfectly, he takes his licks all game, and in the end he finds a way to get the job done.

Trouble Ahead for the Steelers posted by Rob Preston

Coming off a super bowl victory last season, hopes couldn't be higher for the 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers, as they should be.  While the team is returning 20 out of 22 starters from that super bowl run (only losing Larry Foote and Bryant Mcfadden), things begin to look bleak as we look at the possible roster a year from now.  In 2010, the Steelers will have an alarming number of key players that will be free agents if these players do not re-sign.

In all, twelve Steelers will become free agents, seven of them being unrestricted.  If unsigned, the Steelers would lose players like Willie Parker, Casey Hampton, Deshea Townsend, Heath Miller, William Gay, Ryan Clark, Brett Keisel, and everybody's favorite kicker, Jeff Reid.  With the signing of James Harrison, who will be 32 by the start of the 2010 season, the Steelers may have put themselves in a hole salary cap wise (assuming a new CBA is put into effect and 2010 is not an uncapped year).  With the Steelers right up against the cap, and rookie signings not taken care of, little wiggle room will be available to give these potential free agents a new contract.

While all of us NFL fans know the Steelers’ GM, Kevin Colbert,  knows what he's doing, and that the Rooney's have a great resume when it comes to evaluating whether or not to keep a player, it does look like there are troubled waters ahead.  They haven't let this problem go unnoticed though; making additions such as 1st round draft picks Ziggy Hood and Rashard Mendenhal from the last two drafts.  These picks should eventually more than plug up the possible holes in the 2010 roster, but  even with additions such as these, a glaring problem rears its ugly head at the corner back position. 

Tuesday Thoughts posted by Justin Bahr

Chris Perry along with 5 other players were cut yesterday in order to make room for the players drafted this past weekend.  While I was never a huge Perry fan, we did waste a 1st round pick on him and I always wished eh would succeed and become a franchise back if not a 3rd down option…yet that never came to be.  With his release his fate as an NFL rusher is pretty much sealed.

One of the 5 other players cut was an OSU favorite of mine, Mike Doss.  I don’t quite understand this move as we didn’t draft a safety at all to fill the void left by his release.  While Trent Morgan was drafted at cornerback, I don’t see him as a potential safety option what so ever.  Doss’s release has led to  some speculation that this means Roy Williams will be signed, yet I highly doubt we will move in that direction.

The release of Gary Russell means that there is high belief that one of our two running backs (Vakapuna was a fullback that can be converted) will make the roster and be the 3rd back behind Benson and Watson.  I believe that back will be Bernard Scott, yet due to his off the field issues if he has any altercations during camp or at the beginning of the season I see him having a one strike policy, and being let go.

With all of the moves in the past week I can’t help but be excited for the upcoming season.  On a “bad taste” note, I am also excited Troy Palamalu happens to be on the cover of Madden.  As we all know of the Madden curse I can only hope it stays true and causes the Steelers to have a week secondary this season!

Pittsburgh Steelers 2009 NFL Draft Recap posted by Ryan Parish

      Well the 2009 Draft has come and gone. Although it didn't go the way many expected I think the Steelers still had a good draft. Mizzou DT Ziggy Hood was the Steelers first pick and he will be a solid force up the middle for many years. He more than likely won't start this year but that'll give him time to develop.

     They also picked up OL Kraig Urbick from Wisconsin, WR Michael Wallace from Mississippi, Keenan Lewis CB Oregon St., Joe Burnett, UNLV RB Frank "The Tank" Summers, one of my Ducks... DT Sonny Harris, Pittsburgh native Penn State C A.Q. Shipley, and wrapped up by drafting Arkansas St. TE David Johnson.

     Look for Wallace and Burnett to compete for special teams duties. Both were good return specialists in college and should suceed there at the NFL level. Also Wallace andLewis, childhood friends, are reunited after attending seperate colleges. They both originally sign on with Oregon St. but Wallace jumped ship after their H.S. coach became an assistant at Mississippi.

    Surprisingly the pick that has me most excited is 5th round pick  Frank "The Tank". It's been a couple of years since "The Bus" retired and the Steelers are now adding a "Tank". Last year it was painstakingly obvious that the Steelers did not have a very effective short yardage game. That led the Steelers to cut Gary Russel, the supposed short yardage guy and kick/punt returner (which still has me scratching my head). Summers is a beast. Don't believe me? Watch the clips from the links below:

Greatest catch in Steelers history, Santonios' Catch over the Immaculate!! posted by Michael Aspiotes

           Which catch do you think is the greatest? All the old boys still go with the Immaculate. No surprise there, but I dont think they give Santonios' a chance. I think Santonios' Catch is not only greatest in Steeler history but, all time NFL history!

          I receive the Sporting News and in it they surveyed 20 former Steelers. They ask all sorts of questions. The first of which was as follows.....  BETTER CATCH: FRANCOS' OR SANTONIOS'.                             
                                   FRANCOS                    15
                                   SANTONIOS                   4
                                   TOO CLOSE TO CALL      1            

Only 6 More Days! Who do the Steelers Draft? posted by Ryan Parish

        I don't know about you guys, but with only 6 days left until the biggest event of the offseason and I can hardly wait. This is the time of year we get to see some new faces added to the roster and see who the future stars of the Steelers are going to be. The Steelers rarely add players through free agency, as evidenced by this offseason, and this is the payoff for fans who've been waiting all offseason for news on the Steelers.                                                                                  

        Pittsburgh has 9 draft picks this year and will definately be looking to address the OL, DL, and CB. There is also talk of drafting a WR who will eventually fall in to the 3 reciever set once Hines Ward is gone.  Personally I would like to seem them address the OL first as that was the biggest weakness last season. Then depending on who is still available I would definately look to add depth on the D before addressing the WR position. Now on to who'll they'll draft.

       1st Round: If I were calling the shots for the Steelers I would definately go OL here. ESPN's Kiper Jr. and McShay are currently projecting the Steelers to go CB here but I would disagree with that.  As of now the O-line's likely starters are: Justin Hartwig, Chris Kemoeatu, Max Starks, Willie Colon, and Darnell Stapleton. I like Hartwig, Starks, and Colon, but Kemoeatu and Stapleton are replaceable in my opinion. Plus Hartwig is aging and drafting a rookie who can eventually be his successor would be a wise move.

Breaking Down the Ravens Schedule, part II posted by Brent Englar

So, ten weeks and nine games into the season, what is it fair to say we have? One probable loss (at New England), four TCOB games (i.e., no excuse for losing, not if you want to be Super Bowl champion: home against KC, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Denver), and an equivalent number of toss-ups (at Cincinnati and Cleveland ... mostly because they're division games, at Minnesota, at San Diego). Leaving us with an intriguing stretch run that features two games against the Super Bowl champions, one game against Peyton Manning and his flying circus, and one game against a team that could very well be looking for its first victory since December 2007.

WEEK 11: VS INDIANAPOLIS (2008 record: 12-4): We haven't beaten the Colts in 6 tries. Any reason to believe it'll happen this time around? For starters, it's an ordinary, Sunday-afternoon home game: no playoffs, no prime time, no special meaning for Baltimore fans to get worked up about---just two teams gunning for a victory late in the year. The Colts will be coming off their annual prime time slugfest with New England. So we might be just a little bit fresher (though we'll be coming off a Monday-nighter against Cleveland). Betting on the Ravens in this series is getting to be like betting on the Cubs to win it all ... still, we've got to get a W one of these years. Don't we?

WEEK 12: VS PITTSBURGH (2008 record: 12-4): Well, we asked for it, and we got it---a prime time game at home against the Steelers, after consecutive years under the lights in Pittsburgh. Which basically means we'd better show up and win, before Joe Flacco and John Harbaugh start seeing James Harrison and Ben Roethlisberger every time they close their eyes.

The Patriots Strike Back! Belichick and Pioli end their silence on SpyGate posted by Mike Dussault

Well I think this is something all us New England Patriots fans have been waiting for... Bill Belichick to finally address all madness that has been going on about Spygate ever since two days before the Super Bowl against the New York Giants. It's no coincidence that Mike Reiss of the Boston Globe got the story. The Boston Herald, home of Judas Tomase, the paper that has an "unnamed source" that claims the Pats taped the Super Bowl runthru, last updated their Pats page with an Alge Crumpler story. 
There's some juicy stuff about why the Assistant Golf Pro was fired, how the hoodied one misinterpreted the rule, if he's ever taped a walkthru, and how much use were the tapes that they were using. Anyway here's the link, good to see the Pats aren't taking this lying down any more....
http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2008/
Also I'd like the record to show that when the Patriots were at their darkest moment this week with SpyGate it was the Pittsburgh Steelers who stood up for them. I will remember that Steeler fans.Continue reading "The Patriots Strike Back! Belichick ..."

NFL: Spygate is Dead, Arlen Specter: I Want to Make Roger Goodell Look Dumb posted by Mike Dussault

I'm going to make a promise to myself that this will be the last time I post anything on SpyGate until some kind of actual new evidence comes forth. As far as the NFL,  Commissioner Goodell and at least the Pittsburgh Steelers are concerned the issue is dead. Here's what the Steelers had to say about the taping of their defensive signals in 2004 (which Arlen Specter is still OUTRAGED at):

 "We consider the tapes of our coaching staff during our games against the New England Patriots to be a non-issue. In our opinion, they had no impact on the results of those games. The Steelers fully support the manner in which Commissioner Goodell handled the situation and the discipline that he levied against those who violated league rules. We are confident that the Commissioner has taken appropriate action in his investigation of this matter, and will do so again if new information arises which requires further investigation and or discipline."

None of this is deterring Specter from threatening to hold Senate Hearings. Apparently he cares more than the teams that the Pats supposedly cheated against. I guess he's fine with the government spying on the American people (see wiretapping), but if an NFL team spies on another NFL team LOOK OUT! So if other teams aren't outraged by Spygate, why is Specter? Well, as we've stated in the past one of Specter's largest donors is Comcast, the cable company that is currently in a stalemate with the NFL over putting the NFL Network on their service. The battle has been at a stalemate for nearly two years (Time Warner Cable is another cable service at odds with the NFL). Could it be that Specter is out to make Goodell look bad? That the Patriots and SpyGate are just a pawn in ultimately cracking the NFL's will to put their network on basic cable and not on a Sports Tier? Here's what the Daily Show had to say about it:

Steelers give franchise LT Starks new 4-year deal

Offensive tackle Max Starks has signed a four-year contract that keeps him with the Pittsburgh Steelers through the 2012 season and frees up several million dollars in salary cap room for the team.Starks, the starting left tackle, was designated as the Steelers' franchise player on Feb. 20 - less than three weeks after they won the Super Bowl - and he initially accepted a 2009 salary of $8.45 million. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Steelers OT Starks signs 4-year contract (AP)

Offensive tackle Max Starks has signed a four-year contract that keeps him with the Pittsburgh Steelers through the 2012 season and frees up several million dollars in salary cap room for the team. Starks, the starting left tackle, was designated as the Steelers' franchise player on Feb. 20 -- less than three weeks after they won the Super Bowl -- and he initially accepted a 2009 salary of... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Steelers sign 3 more draft picks; 3 still unsigned

The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed a trio of draft picks to three-year contracts.The Steelers signed receiver Mike Wallace, defensive end Ra'Shon Harris and center A.Q. Shipley on Thursday. Six of their nine picks from this year's draft are now under contract.Wallace was a third-round pick out of Ole Miss. Harris was selected in the sixth round out of Oregon and Shipley in the seventh from Penn State. [read full article]

From FOXSports.com News for NFL

Steelers sign trio of draft picks (AP)

The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed a trio of draft picks to three-year contracts. The Steelers signed receiver Mike Wallace, defensive end Ra'Shon Harris and center A.Q. Shipley on Thursday. Six of their nine picks from this year's draft are now under contract. Wallace was a third-round pick out of Ole Miss. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

4 Red Wings look to win 1 for the thumb (AP)

The Pittsburgh Steelers "won one for the thumb," at Ford Field in 2006, when they beat Seattle for the franchise's fifth Super Bowl. If the Detroit Red Wings beat Pittsburgh on Friday night about a mile away at Joe Louis Arena, a quartet of players will become the first to win five Stanley Cup rings with the team. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports