Steelers Arm Chair GM Part One

By Jeffrey Burton

I walk into the 2010 Season Strategy Meeting. I’m the new guy, the new General Manager. In the parlance of the Steelers that is like being part of a triumvirate, with Head of Football Operations Kevin Lambert and Head Coach Mike Tomlin. They’ve been talking and stop when I enter the room, stand up and smile and come over to shake hands. Kevin says, ‘Have a seat we’re waiting for Dick and Mr. Rooney.” I glance over at the chair at the head of the table. Dick LeBeau comes in and shakes hands with me and smiles and nods at Mike and Kevin. ‘They invite Dick LeBeau to these meetings.’ I had no idea who Dick was when they first mentioned it. I make a mental note. We chat for a few minutes and then we hear Mr. Rooney coming down the hall talking on a cell phone. “Yes Mr. President, I’ll discuss the matter with them when I get back. Thank you Mr. President, give my best to Michelle and the kids. Good Bye.” He hands the phone to an assistant who promptly leaves the room.  He shakes hands with all of us and the meeting begins…

That imaginary meeting happened around a month ago. It’s hard coming in to an organization and directly acting to remove people from their positions. I got two out of the three things I was asking for and now we have new Offensive Line and Special Teams coaches. I could tell as soon as I started about Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians that it was a battle best left for another time. Our attention has now turned to the Free Agent market.

The Philosophy

What we should be looking for are good veteran players that have a couple of years left as we let our younger players develop. We will not be looking at any Exclusive Rights Free Agents or Restricted Free Agents. This is simply not the Steeler Way. All players will be given a chance to compete. There are areas lacking in depth where even if we do draft for that position, will need a year or two for player development. Players toward the end of their careers will probably be willing to take a reasonable salary to be in an organization that will work to make them winners.

Defense

LB

Antonio Pierce, ILB, Giants. Age: 31.

Before the Plaxico Burress incident in which Antonio took Plax’s gun across state lines, was considered a high character guy. He wasn’t charged so, I guess his participation is a non-incident. He is injury prone and isn’t the same player he once was, but he could serve as a quality reserve on a team that we hope will be competitive late in the season. Linebacker depth is a concern.

DL

The fantasy is we give New England’s Vince Wilfork the money that Casey Hampton will be looking for and boda Bing, boda boom, Betty Boop! We are set at Nose Tackle for years and can concentrate on a CB with the round we would have spent in the draft for a NT. This will never happen, soooo:

Ryan Pickett, NT, Packers. Age: 30.

Ryan Pickett thrived as a run stuffer alternating with B.J. Raji in Green Bay’s new 3-4. He will receive less and less playing time as the Pack will want to use their 2009, Ist Rd. pick Raji more. He would be a perfect fit in rotation with Chris Hoke as we bring up a player from this draft. I think Casey Hampton wants to exploit the uncapped year in free agency. Good Luck, Big Snack. It never seems to work out for players that leave the Steelers for a paycheck, (Allen Faneca is the lone exception I can recall. Oh and Rod Woodson, man did we blow that one) but you’ve been a great Steeler for many years so all the best, unless you go to a team in the AFC North of course.

Richard Seymour, DE/DT, Raiders – Age: 30.

The former New England standout has spent a miserable season in Oakland. He is used to being in a winning franchise. An offer from the Steelers could be attractive to him. He is at the wrong end of his career to be in a perpetually rebuilding franchise. If Seymour is amenable he could compete across the line from Aaron Smith. This is a bit of stretch, but grown men have been known to gnaw there own legs off to get out the hell that is the Raider Nation.

CB

Dunta Robinson, CB, Texans. Age: 28.

Robinson would probably be very interested in being a Steeler. He’s bit of a risk because of his injury history and his holdout last year. Our conditioning program has helped a lot of other players stay injury free, so it should work for him as well. He would give balance to the CB position and allow us time to see if last year’s picks, Keenan Lewis and Joe Burnett develop. I like Joe despite his uneven play in his rookie season. I see Joe as a replacement for Deshea Townsend in the nickel (he’s a natural ball hawk) and depth in the return game. Keenan is on Coach Tomlin’s bad side because he didn’t play well on special teams and he got torched my Mike Wallace in practice. I want to see what he can do as CB and the rest of the CB’s in the NFL had better get used to being torched by Mr. Wallace, because that’s coming, baby.

If Dunta does not work out:

Rod Hood, CB, Titans. Age: 28.

Hood got benched by Fisher and would probably jump at the opportunity. His replacement actually played worse so who knows what’s up there. Rod would be a good addition for a position of need adding good veteran stability on the opposite side of Ike Taylor.

FS

Want to re-sign:

Ryan Clark, FS, Steelers. Age: 30.

Ryan is the perfect compliment to Troy and very underrated. His vision and closure in centerfield allows Troy to roam free. He rarely lets a play get behind him and is quick and hard hitting in the secondary and on run plays. Ryan wants to stay in Pittsburgh and I think we should make it work and let him end his career as a Steeler.

Longshot:

Darren Sharper, FS, Saints. Age: 34.

Darren Sharper is someone we could go after if things go south with Ryan. He has shown no let down in his playing due to age and is a nasty hard hitter. Just look at what he did to his friend Brett in the NFC Championship Game. He actually would be an upgrade from Ryan for a couple years while we groom his replacement. He will be on a Super Bowl high however and will probably not want to leave his new teammates. The Saints would be crazy to let him go as well.

We will be looking for Safety help in the Draft more to come in Part Two.

Offense

OL

Eugene Amano, G\C, Titans. Age: 28.

Despite Ramon Foster’s capable play when Chris Kemoeatu “went down” with injury we need plenty of work on the offensive line. Chris is a washout at LG. With 50 sacks and 77 QB hits and lord knows how many hurries the offensive line is the biggest position of need for the Steelers. We will need both FA veteran players and draft picks to create competition.

Update: As I posted this blog Amano had reached an agreement to a five-year deal with the Titans. There is really no one else we are interested in pursuing, so I guess we are going to rebuild the O-line in the Draft.

Willie Colon (RFA), RG, Steelers. Age: 27.

I had to put everybody in a hammerlock, but I finally convinced them that Willie is not, has never been and will never be an NFL quality tackle. He whiffed for 8 sacks last year and outside rushers seemed invisible to him. I like him at RG where his toughness, pulling and trapping ability will put him in a comfort zone to succeed. If we find a fit for LG in Free Agency or the Draft perhaps Ramon Foster could compete at RT and we should go to the Draft for that position as well. To pursue the older UFA OT’s available could create an age imbalance on the offensive line similar to the defensive line.

WR

Chris Chambers, WR, Chiefs. Age: 32.

We have Joey Galloway right now as our veteran reserve receiver, but Chris has more in the tank. He’s a steady possession receiver who could be a good check off option for Ben. He would be worth a workout.

RB

Chester Taylor, RB, Vikings. Age: 30.

Chester Taylor is like the super-sized Mewelde Moore. He is the best reserve RB in the league. With Willie Parker headed out of Pittsburgh and into Palooka Land, we could get a hard running, great catching, savvy veteran to be a 3^rd down back, multi-purpose guy and insurance policy. With Mike Tomlin’s interest in attracting quality under used players from Minnesota this seems like a good fit. And yes the regular sized Mewelde Moore will be utilized as well. Chicago’s Adrian Peterson is a possibility here as well. And…I am very interested to see what we can get out of Stefan Logan and Isaac Redman at this position.

PK

Jeff Reed, K, Steelers. Age: 31.

This one is difficult. As a place kicker in the swirling winds of Heinz Field at Three Rivers (my new name), Jeff has been a rock. As a football player his attempts to tackle people running back his kickoffs are pure NFL Follies and his off field behavior that used to be chalked up to being a crazy-ass eccentric kicker are turning increasingly darker. I haven’t found out if he has been given “The Talk”, but there are few players that need it more. Piotr Czech (pronounced Petor Check) will be back in camp, but he has to show he can be consistent. My thoughts are to sign Jeff and if things get weird deal with it later, but one year at a time, no more and if he needs to be cut, he’s cut and we keep in touch with kickers for a stop gap situation. There are plenty of dependable veteran kickers available now which is good because there’s nothing coming out of college this year, accept maybe Aaron Petry who’s coming off a leg injury.

Other Interesting Stuff

I hope Bret Favre comes back for another season. The NFL will be less fun without him. And shame on the Saints for tattooing him with a bunch of unnecessary hits, most being borderline penalties. The reason most of them weren’t called was because of Favre’s well-deserved reputation for toughness, but that shouldn’t be taken into account by the referees.

I’m sad that Kurt Warner retired, but glad he did it. He’s had a career that seems like something out of a Hollywood movie. If he is not a first ballot Hall of Famer nobody is. He doesn’t need to take anymore concussions and has a beautiful wife and family and life to enjoy. On the Cardinals side his decision takes away an uncomfortably Green Bay like situation. Now they need to see if Matt Leinart can get out of the hot tub and on to the field.

I have had my DVR of the Senior Bowl playing in the background as I do other things.

Dan LeFevour is a potential star Quarterback when he joins the NFL. He displayed all the skills in that game an NFL QB needs playing against the best competition of his life. I’ve heard others say he will have to adapt of a pro-style offense, well that has already happened. He’s one of those guys that just have that winners shine and I think and hope that will translate at the next level. He was by far the best QB at the Senior Bowl with Smiling Zac Robinson in second, the uneven Jarrett Brown in third, Sean Canfield in fourth and Tim Tebow bringing up the rear. Oh I just checked my notes, Tony Pike; he was in that game too.

A related matter

Anybody that thinks Colt McCoy won’t be an outstanding NFL Quarterback is sharing Jeff Reed’s drugs. He reminds me of Matt Ryan whose side I was on, after watching him play  one game. Whoever passes him over for Tim Tebow will live to regret it.

Next blog we look at the Draft and the premiere of my Little Big Board.

Go Stillers!

Steelers – Bengals Preview

A win over the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this season put the Cincinnati Bengals on the national radar as legitimate playoff contenders. Another victory over the defending Super Bowl champs will put them in the driver’s seat to win the AFC North for the first time in four years.

The Bengals look to sweep the regular-season series over the Steelers for the first time in more than a decade when they visit Heinz Field on Sunday.

Cincinnati has won six of seven, including a 23-20 upset of Pittsburgh on Sept. 27 on a touchdown pass from Carson Palmer to Andre Caldwell with 14 seconds remaining. The Steelers haven’t lost since their visit to Cincinnati, and are tied with the Bengals for the division lead with 6-2 records.

While a Bengals win this weekend would give them a sweep of the season series for the first time since 1998, and put them in control of the North, Palmer tried to keep this matchup in perspective.

“It’s a game,” he said. “We’re not going to look too far ahead of who’s on the schedule, who’s left, worry about playoff implications, worry about home-field advantage. We don’t need to be thinking about any of those things. … They’re in a must-win situation. We feel we’re in a must-win situation.”

Pittsburgh has regrouped by winning five in a row since that loss – aided by the return of Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu, who missed the earlier matchup with the Bengals due to a knee injury. The Steelers are 4-0 this season with Polamalu, including a 28-10 win at Denver on Monday night in which he intercepted his third pass.

“To me he’s one of the best players in the game, and when you add that guy you’re only going to get better,” Palmer said.

Palmer and the Bengals are looking to improve to 5-0 against division rivals after beating Baltimore 17-7 last Sunday. Palmer threw for 224 yards and one touchdown while Cedric Benson recorded his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season, finishing with 117 yards and a score on 21 carries.

The defense, meanwhile, gave up a season-low 215 yards total offense.

“Today was a statement game,” said receiver Chad Ochocinco, who caught five passes for 66 yards in his fourth straight game with at least five receptions. “I want every game to be a statement game.”

Benson is making a loud statement that he’s become one of the game’s top running backs. After rushing for 747 yards and two touchdowns last season, Benson is one of only two backs – along with Tennessee’s Chris Johnson – to average more than 100 yards per game in 2009. Benson has scored in each of the last four games, averaging 117.5 yards in that span.

“We used to be an air-it-out, explosive offense, and when you play in Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Baltimore and Cincinnati, you get to those December games and you can’t throw the ball 40 times,” Palmer said. “You have to be able to run the ball. We are at a good point now.”

Pittsburgh is coming off a short week following the victory in Denver, where the Steelers scored the game’s final 21 points after trailing 10-7 in the third quarter. Ben Roethlisberger threw three TD passes, two of them to Hines Ward.

Strong defense made Roethlisberger’s heroics possible. The Steelers picked off Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton three times – two of the interceptions by safety Tyrone Carter.

“We have guys that are designed to be great,” coach Mike Tomlin said of his defensive unit, which has forced nine turnovers in three games since Polamalu’s return. “They play hard every time they come out, regardless of their opponent or story line if you will. Those guys are committed to being great every time they step in the stadium.”

The Steelers defense will be seeking redemption for its last performance against the Bengals. They failed to record a takeaway in that contest, and allowed 100 rushing yards for one of only two times this season.

Pittsburgh had won the previous five games in the series against Cincinnati, including a 27-10 home victory last season.

Ben Roethlisberger will host WWE’s Monday Night Raw

By MJD

As it turns out, there will be two NFL quarterbacks surrounded by overwhelming hype, fawning announcers and media-whoring nonsense next Monday night: Brett Favre on ESPN, and Ben Roethlisberger on USA. Roethlisberger will serve as a guest host on WWE’s Monday Night Raw.

Large Benjamin will call the shots on Raw for a week; making matches, creating stipulations and maybe throwing a flying clothesline at a bad guy or two. The WWE brings in a different celebrity every week for the job. Shaquille O’Neal’s done it, Jeremy Piven’s done it, Bob Barker’s done it and Reverend Al Sharpton did it last night.

In a move that took me by surprise a bit, Ben Roethlisberger’s doing it, in-season. Maybe it could benefit the Steelers, though. Maybe we’ll hear him say something along these lines: “COMING UP TONIGHT! It’s the BIG SHOW! Against MARK HENRY! On Raw, in a LUMBERJACK MATCH … and in a special stipulation, the winner starts at left tackle FOR THE STEELERS NEXT WEEK!”

Here’s more, from the WWE themselves:

Next week’s special guest host for Monday Night Raw is no stranger to pressure situations and making snap decisions.

Just hours after leading the Pittsburgh Steelers against the San Diego Chargers, Ben Roethlisberger, quarterback of the defending NFL Super Bowl Champions, will guest host Monday Night Raw at Wachovia Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., this Monday.

And he’s not coming alone. Roethlisberger, the youngest Super Bowl winning quarterback in NFL history, will be bringing protection in the form of his Steelers’ offensive line teammates to Wilkes-Barre.

 

“Snap decisions.” Whoever wrote that has obviously never seen Roethlisberger drop back and hold onto the ball for 45 seconds.

Anyway, if you come back for our weekly Monday Night Live Blog, I offer you this promise: We’ll have our usual coverage of the Favre-fest on ESPN and bonus coverage of Ben Roethlisberger piledriving his way through Raw. It should make for quite an evening.

“Out of Gas” Willy Parker

Once known as “Fast” Willy Parker for his blazing 4.3 speed the Pittsburgh Steeler half back is now rapidly earning a new nick name, that being, “Out of Gas” Willy Parker.

A feel-good story, Parker is the lovable undrafted speedster that won the Steelers fans hearts with a 75 yard TD scamper in Super Bowl XL. The unwanted runner out of North Carolina that led the Steelers in rushing four seasons in a row.

Back to back seasons mared by injury and the fact he is closer to 30 then 19, has Willy getting closer and closer to his NFL expiration date. His contract is up at seasons end and lurking in the shadows is a former first round draft pick. The question on every fans mind though is, “How much does Parker have left in the tank?’

To make things even worse Parker’s first two games of the 2010 season have been nothing to write home to mom about. In both outings he has looked hesitant and like a man with no vision. He has been tentitive and missing holes the offensiveline is creating for him.

Parker hasn’t played a full season since 2006. His average yards per carry has decreased every year he has been in the league, bottoming out at 3.8 yards per carry in 2008.

In his first two games this season as the feature back, Parker rushed 27 times for 66 yards (fewer than 3 yards per carry). His workload nearly doubles, with how often Rashard Mendenhall and Mewelde Moore have carried the ball. Could Parker be running on empty? Is it time for Mendenahall to be handed the torch?

It was Mendenhall who displayed the blazing speed Parker is noted for when he blasted through a hole on the right side for 39 yards in the third quarter of Sunday’s 17-14 loss at Chicago — the Steelers’ longest run of the season.

Mendenhall’s run set up Ben Roethisberger’s 2-yard touchdown dive, which gave the Steelers a 14-7 lead. In all, Mendenhall accounted for 52 of the 69 yards on the scoring drive.

Surprisingly, Mendenhall never touched the ball again.

After finally making a couple of plays against the Bears, it would be nice to see the coaching staff feature Mendenhall in the future so he can make more plays that help the team move the chains. The time is near, the time is now.

A reduction in carries is what can help Parker now, not running him until the wheels come off like in seasons past. If “Out of Gas” Willy is to continue to help this team, it is time for Mendenall to be the work horse and Parker the clean up hitter. Let the bigger back lead off and wear down defenses then bring in the speedster to run away from them when they are winded.

Ward approaches 10,000 yards

Ben Roethlisberger, trying to shoot a fist-sized basketball into a garbage can in the Steelers’ locker room yesterday, stopped and popped at the top of the key, which happened to be within earshot of Hines Ward’s locker.

“One seventeen is the magic number!” Ward said, his tone slightly higher.

“For what?” Roethlisberger replied as he dropped another into the bucket. “I don’t need that many yards.”

Ward shook his head and laughed, “Don’t worry about it, you’ll find out.”

Soon enough, perhaps Sunday, Ward will catch passes worth another 117 yards, and that will put him in yet another exclusive club, where the required membership fee is 10,000 yards receiving. here are 31 receivers in NFL history who have reached that number, and Ward relishes becoming No. 32.

“That’s a big deal,” Ward said, almost to himself. “Ten thousand yards? That speaks volumes. When I first came into the league, there was no way 10,000 yards, 800 catches was a goal. I just wanted to play.”

He has 808 receptions after the most productive opener of his career when he caught eight passes for 103 yards, the only time he has hit 100 in an opener in his 12 seasons.

“Ten thousand yards! Not too many people in this league can say they caught 10,000 yards,” Ward said. “Catching 10,000 yards here is like catching 12,000 somewhere else.”

He has caught them from seven starting quarterbacks — Kordell Stewart, Mike Tomczak, Kent Graham, Tommy Maddox, Charlie Batch, Ben Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich — plus two others, Jerome Bettis and Antwaan Randle El.

“Jerome threw me a touchdown pass in Three Rivers on a halfback pass and, of course, Randle El threw me a touchdown in the Super Bowl.”

That last one did not wind up in the hands of a fan wearing a Steelers No. 86 jersey, as so many other of his touchdown receptions have. Ward kept that one, and it holds a prized spot in his trophy case. The ball that he uses to cover his 10,000th yard will have a similar spot.

His climb up the wide-receiver charts while playing in mostly a run-oriented offense is remarkable, and while No. 32 on the NFL all-time list might not seem impressive, he can shoot up quickly.

If he gets another 1,000 yards this season, he can approach the top 20 all time, and if he gets another 1,000 in 2010 he can approach the top 15 — although there are active players ahead of him such as Joey Galloway, Tony Gonzalez and Torry Holt.

But Ward has so much more than those players — two Super Bowl rings and a Super Bowl MVP. Not bad on a franchise that celebrates Super Bowls and traditionally gets there on the ground.

The Steelers keep evolving with the no-huddle offense, and the more successful they become at it, the more tempting it is to use it.

After seeing it work when it counted in their past two games, their overtime victory against Tennessee and the Super Bowl, why not use it more?

“Well, we’re not Buffalo, we’re not the K-Gun of Jim Kelly,” coordinator Bruce Arians said. “But we could be; we could be very easily.”

Arians said Roethlisberger and the rest of his offense are so comfortable in the no-huddle that most of the offense now can be used with it.

“That package has tripled in size now, and it’s damn near the whole offense,” Arians said. “It’s evolved to where he can almost use 80 percent of the playbook in it, and he’s gotten very proficient at it.”

The Steelers have laid out plans for their running backs Sunday in Chicago, and they are similar to the one they used against Tennessee.

Willie Parker will start and play two series, Rashard Mendenhall will play the third series, and they will rotate that way. Mewelde Moore will continue to play in passing downs.

“Anytime Willie gets tired, he can come out,” Arians said. “If we get into a very long no-huddle mode, Mewelde is the no-huddle guy and we’ll rotate from there. In short yardage, goal line, whoever’s in the game.”

Lawrence Timmons went through a full practice yesterday, even though he “tweaked” his sprained left ankle in practice Wednesday. It remains unknown whether he will play and how much if he does.

Limas Sweed did not practice at all yesterday, and it’s likely he will not play. He left practice Wednesday with a mid-foot sprain. Veteran receiver Shaun McDonald should dress in his place Sunday against the Bears.

Lions, Tigers and BEARS, oh my!

Week two of the NFL season is only a few days away so its time to take a look at the Pittsburgh Steelers up coming opponent, the Chicago Bears.

Coming into this game the Bears are 0-1 after losing 21-15 to the Green Bay Packers in week one. A loss which saw Jay Cutler pitch 4 interceptions for the first time in his career and his offensive line give up a pair of sacks while allowing the Packers defense to harass Cutler all day.

The Steelers on the other hand, defeated the Tennessee Titans in over time 13-10 in what was yet another game in a long line of games, that Ben Roethlisberger found a way to win it late.

Big Ben would overcome a slow start, non-existing running game, fumble by Hines Ward and an injury to Troy Polamalu to pull out the win by driving his team into field goal position during the opening drive of OT.

Two solid quarterbacks playing on solid teams but with completely different outcomes which leads us to this week two match up as the Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Chicago to face the Bears.

On paper this game should be won by the Steelers handedly. What is on paper does not translate to the field of play though. Each team has solid QB’s, both have nasty defenses and both have their star player out of the game. For the Steelers it is Polamalu, for the Bears its Brian Urlacher.

What the Steelers have over the Bears would be known playmakers at the WR spot. The Bears on the other hand seem to have a more cohesive offensive line. Bottom line these are two pretty equal teams playing for the same thing, the only difference is the Bears are in a must win situation already thus far on the season.

 Keys to the Game:

1. Stop the run – The Bears have a solid back in Matt Forte who had a great rookie campaign just one season ago. Even with the addition of Cutler in the off season, Forte is the key to the Bears offense. If the Steelers can stop the second year half back then they can also force Cutler into more of the same mistakes he made verse the Packers.
2. Keep Cutler cold – The heat is already on Jay Cutler in the windy city as the fans are not impressed with his first performance as a Bear. Heat is not the issue though, keeping Cutler on his toes and out of rhythm is. If the Steelers can keep Cutler from warming up and playing the way only he can by blitzing him, then this game is over before it even starts.
3. Buy a vowel – The Steelers showed some inconsistency last week as the offensive line and running backs did not seem to be on the same page. One way to fix this would be to implement the I-Formation more into the game plan. I always say when in doubt, lead block. Ok maybe I just made that up, but the Steelers need to bring back the FB and find ways to utilize the I-Form into their offense to be able to jump start their run game.
4. Starters in waiting – With both Polamalu and Lawrence Timmons most likely out for this game the Steelers will need back ups T. Carter and K. Fox to fill some pretty big and probably smelly shoes. Though second string they may be, on Sunday, they are starters and must live up to that honor for the Steelers to have a chance to win.
5. Return of the Jedi – Up until recently this key would be about stopping the Bears great returner, D. Hester. With the addition of Stefan Logan as the Steelers kick and punt returner it is now about winning the return battles. Not only must the Steelers contain the Bears return men they also need to unleash there own hidden gem. Did I say return enough?

Prediction:

In what could tune out to be a better game then many predict, the Steelers will prevail in this one 21-10. Also look for Rashard Mendenhall to get more looks on the ground as Pittsburgh try’s to get the run game back on track.

Lendwhale White talking trash again

http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/sports/towel-talk-tempts-white-stir-pot-again

Sunday, September 6, 2009

By Terry McCormick

Who knows if LenDale White has put his foot in his mouth?  But White said Sunday that, given the chance, he won’t hesitate to put his foot on another Terrible Towel Thursday night at Heinz Field.

White was one of at least three Titans involved in last December’s Terrible Towel stomping incident after a 31-14 victory over the Steelers in Nashville.

When asked about the subject in preparation for the opening game, he did not mince words about the topic.

“I think we made it a lot more fun for this year,” White said. “With all that being said and everything we did last year, the towel stomping, whatever, it definitely made it fun in the setup for this year.”

NBC, which is showing the game nationally, has already picked up on the hype, showing White and linebacker Keith Bulluck’s antics in the aftermath of last year’s game in their pre-game promo ads.

And while Bulluck and Jevon Kearse are downplaying the incident leading into the game at Heinz Field, White isn’t backing off of what he did a year ago.

“If it happens to be there, I’m gonna stomp all over that mo –,” White said, cutting himself off before finishing the sentence with a profanity. “If there is a towel in the stands, I will stomp on it. I don’t care who gets mad. … If they throw a towel at me, I’m going to kick it and stomp on it. If you don’t want your towels [stomped], keep them out of my face.”

Asked about the atmosphere he and his Titans teammates will face because of the incident, White says, “It will be loud one, a loud, mean, evil one.”

While Bulluck received a taunting Terrible Towel and an anonymous note in February from a Steelers fan gloating about the team’s Super Bowl victory, White said fans are taunting him via Twitter.

“They talk about me every day on Twitter. They hate me,” White said. “They hate me, I can’t use ‘He Hate Me,’ they hate me, the whole world, no matter what I do. But they do love me. If they had me at running back, they’d love me, now. They wanted me at running back, that’s probably why they hate me now. They hate me because they love me. That’s what it is.”

White was even wearing a Pittsburgh Pirates hat on Sunday, but not, he said, for any purpose other than it matched his yellow earrings and black shirt.

While White continues to embrace the incident, Kearse said he has moved past the matter.

“I’m not even paying attention to that anymore. It happened. It’s in the past,” Kearse said. “That was last season. It happened last season, so what? If they want to use that as motivation, let them go ahead and use that as motivation. I mean, rah, rah, rah. We stomped on a towel, so what? That’s what we were supposed to do in our house.”

Steelers Final Cuts – Open Thread

Since information is going to be coming very quickly over the few days or so regarding the Steelers cuts, Piitsburgh Blitz decided to make an open thread that can be update as we find out more information. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers organization was forced to make some difficult decisions this afternoon when they needed to cut their roster down from 75 to 53 men. 

Initial reports of the players cut are Carey Davis, Bruce Davis, Sonny Harris, Anthony Madison, A.Q. Shipley, Jason Capizzi, Isaac Redman, Justin Vincent, Donavon Woods and Scott Paxson have all been reported to be cut by Mike Biers.

The only real disapoinment by me is “Redzone” Isaac Redman who lead the team with three touchdowns and 145 yards rushing in the pre-season and seemed to shore up the short yardage spot.

We predict Redman to be offered a practice fodder contract or get picked up by another team and Shiply to be signed to the PS as well. We will keep updating as new information comes in so check back often guys and feel free to post comments when you hear something new as well.

Updated with entir list:

The team put tight end Sean McHugh on their reserve-injured list and cut 21 players to get down to the NFL roster limit of 53 players the team announced today. The Steelers’ cuts included: quarterback Mike Reilly, running backs Carey Davis, Isaac Redman and Justin Vincent, wide receivers Dallas Baker, Tyler Grisham and Brandon Williams, tight end Dezmond Sherrod, offensive linemen Jason Capizzi, Jeremy Parquet and A.Q. Shipley, defensive linemen Sonny Harris, Steve McClendon and Scott Paxson, linebackers Bruce Davis, Tom Korte, Andy Schantz and Donovan Woods, defensive backs Roy Lewis and Anthony Madison and kicker Piotr Czech.

Roethlisberger Lawsuit Kept Steelers From Signing Vick

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that he opted not to pursue quarterback Mike Vick due to the existence of a civil suit against starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during a halftime interview on NBC’s Sunday Night Football with Bob Costas. “Given some of the things that my quarterback was going through, I didn’t think it was the appropriate time to add another quarterback to the mix,” Tomlin said. “He’s going through somewhat of a trying time with the civil allegation, a case against him. I didn’t want to do anything that was less than supportive to Ben.”

Source: ProFootballTalk.com

Woodley hopes for another ‘hit the wall’ season

PITTSBURGH (AP)—Flash back to the Super Bowl, and it may have seemed that the Steelers secured their sixth NFL championship when Santonio Holmes tiptoed along the sideline to catch Ben Roethlisberger’s last-minute touchdown pass, a dramatic ending to a score-or-lose Pittsburgh drive.

They hadn’t. Not then.

There was one more pivotal play to go—LaMarr Woodley’s sack of Arizona’s Kurt Warner that resulted in a fumble the Steelers recovered, allowing them to run out the clock.

The Woodley sack hasn’t replayed nearly as many times over the last seven months as Holmes’ catch, not that Woodley minds. All season, it seemed, he was repeatedly upstaged by someone on his own team.

Woodley also would have led most teams with his 11 1/2 sacks, yet it was Harrison who won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award by making 16.

“Sometimes when it’s you that’s not getting it, it’s somebody else out there who’s getting sacks,” Woodley said.

While Woodley hasn’t quite reached the national recognition level of Harrison or safety Troy Polamalu, he has needed just two NFL seasons—only one as a starter—to become one of the league’s best outside linebackers.

Woodley was a part-timer in 2007, yet only three other current-day NFL linebackers Shawne Merriman, Terrell Suggs and DeMarcus Ware had more sacks in their first two seasons than Woodley’s 15 1/2 . The Bears’ Brian Urlacher(notes), for example, probably is a better-known player than Woodley, yet he had fewer sacks (14) in more games (32, to Woodley’s 28).

Again, not that Woodley cares that much. The former Michigan star already has a Super Bowl ring and is convinced that unless injuries or other unexpected difficulties intercede, there is enough talent on this Steelers defense to win multiple titles.

The Steelers, for example, lost former starting inside linebacker Larry Foote to free agency, yet they have former first-round draft pick Lawrence Timmons ready to replace him. Timmons had five sacks as a part-time player— sound familiar?—last season.

Coach Mike Tomlin referred to that depth Thursday as having “starters, and starters in waiting.”

There was little waiting around for the 6-foot-2, 265-pound Woodley, who had two sacks in the Steelers’ only playoff game during the 2007 season. He started last season by getting 9 1/2 sacks in his first eight games.

Woodley slowed during the second half, when he missed a game to injury and had two sacks in seven games, and he began hearing that he was hitting the proverbial end-of-season wall. Because the NFL season is about 25 percent longer than any college season they played, many younger starters tend to slow up near the end of the four-month regular season grind.

“That hitting the wall stuff? That’s kind of funny to me,” Woodley said. “I didn’t hit a wall.”

As opposing offenses began to realize that he was a player “you might have to worry about a bit,” as Woodley said, he didn’t see as many open pass rushing lanes to the quarterback. But while his statistics declined, the Steelers still went 6-1 in their last seven games.

Woodley’s production picked up again in the playoffs, when he became the first player to have multiple sacks in each of his first four postseason games. Counting the playoffs, he finished with 17 1/2 sacks in 18 games.

“People said you hit a wall when you’re not out there continuing to get sacks,” Woodley said. “We were still putting pressure on the quarterback, your team’s still going out there winning, how can you say that you hit a wall? I was able to put pressure on and a few quarterbacks threw interceptions and we capitalized on that on defense.”

If Timmons plays as a starter the same way he did as a backup, and 33-year-old inside linebacker James Farrior keeps performing at his usual level, the Steelers might again have the NFL’s best defense. Woodley will be disappointed if they don’t.

“That’s one reason our defense is good, there are so many big-time players who can make big plays in big games,” Woodley said.

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