(7/27) Former Steelers QB Mike Tomczack is calling it a career after 16 seasons in the NFL. He re-signed with Pittsburgh today in order to allow him to retire as a Steeler. Tomczack began his career with the Super Bowl-shuffling Chicago Bears in 1985, and he played for the Steelers from 1993-99. He signed with Detroit last year but broke his leg in the pre-season and never played a down for them. His last NFL appearance will end up being the Titans game in 1999, in which he threw for over 300 yards. I gave Mike Tomczack a nice eulogy when he left last year, so I won't do it again. However, I will say that the sign-and-retire thing was a great move by both sides. This is another first for the "new-look" Steelers. This is something I hope they are able to do with some other players (i.e. Rod Woodson, Carnell Lake, Levon Kirkland, Gary Anderson). Tomczack is now expected to go into broadcasting here in Pittsburgh, following the lead of fellow former Steelers QB's Terry Bradshaw and Mark Malone.

(7/20) Times are changing in Pittsburgh. With their new stadium, their PSL's, and their $24 per game parking, the Steelers no longer have any excuses for being cheapskates. So they are using the extra money to secure the future of some of their veterans. Starting cornerbacks Dewayne Washington and Chad Scott have both been signed to long-term deals. Washington's deal was for 5 years, $20 million. Scott's was for 6 years, $25 million. Both received hefty signing bonuses of more than $5 million. This was a big step forward for Steelers management, who five years ago would've waited until after the season to negotiate, only to watch both their starting CB's leave via free agency. This is also big for the defense. Washington and Scott give the Steelers something they haven't had for at least a decade - two solid starting cornerbacks. They are both under 30 too, which means they should probably be playing along side each other for at least the next five years. Last week, coach Bill Cowher's contract was extended for 3 years in a similar move. It's good to see that the Steelers have finally woken up and stepped into the 21st century.

(7/19) The Steelers open training camp this weekend. First round pick Casey Hampton will not be there, as he tries to work out a deal with the Steelers. The other 79 players will all be there, some competing heavily for open jobs. Here is a look at some of the position battles:

• Fullback: Jon Witman (Penn State sucks) is back from the dead. That makes me so sick. He should not be getting a second chance. Dan Kreider should easily win this job.
• Backup QB: Kent Grahm, Tee Martin, and Tommy Maddox all battle it out to see who will not be allowed by Cowher go into the game when Kordell starts sucking. The Steelers are so obviously trying to dump Grahm and his big salary. All Martin and Maddox have to do is not super suck.
• Free Safety: This is between last year's starter, Brent Alexander, and new acquisition Mike Logan. They are saying Logan is faster and better, but don't count out Alexander yet. His presence made a big difference last year after Scott Shields destroyed that position.

(6/16) Ok, we knew this was coming. God forbid the Steelers follow the classy lead set forth by the Cleveland Browns last year when they named their new stadium after the team's founder and sold the naming rights to the gates. Art Rooney's children apparently didn't think that was a great idea, so instead of naming the stadium after their beloved father, the Rooneys sold the naming rights for the new stadium to Pittsburgh-based Heinz for $57 million (haha - real funny, losers). The new stadium will be called Heinz Field, and the stupid puns are already starting to come in. Art Rooney II said that Kordell Stewart will "pour on the points next year." Hahahaha - oh man, that is too funny. And they were also talking about the "red zone". Get it? Because ketchup is red?? Man, the comic relief just never ends! It's almost as great as all those Jerome Bettis "Bus" jokes. Bettis is injured - the Bus has a flat tire. Bettis runs for a touchdown - the Bus didn't make any stops... But I digress. I didn't expect the Steelers to actually be classy enough to name the stadium after Art Rooney. After all, they already took the "screw the fans" route when they sold PSL's. Whatever, it will still be an amazing stadium.

(6/15) The Steelers have signed QB Tommy Maddox of the Los Angeles Extreme, first and only champions of the now defunct XFL. Maddox, who was the league's MVP, is trying to make a triumphant return to the NFL after several years of being away. He was drafted by Denver in 1992 as the successor to John Elway. That didn't work out too well. He played for the Giants after that, and the situation got worse. I saw an NFL Films story about him last year, and he was actually working as a salesman or something, so it would be nice to see if he can parlay his XFL success into a possible backup (or dare we say starting) role with the Steelers. It's pretty obvious that the Steelers are looking to dump Kent Grahm and his big salary, so much so that they actually tried to sign Scott Mitchell a few months ago! This is MUCH better than signing Mitchell or Trent Dilfer, because Maddox is cheap and he is just looking for another shot. Maybe he'll have a lot to prove, like Doug Flutie did when he returned to the NFL after 9 years in the CFL. However, this is not the XFL, so he will have to step it up a level. With Maddox in, former Pitt QB John Turman is out. Turman was never a great QB at Pitt and probably won't go far in the NFL, but I still hope he catches on somewhere else.

(6/7) I can't wait for the day when Al Davis is out of pro football for good. The controversial Raiders owner never stops crying about everything, and usually the Steelers are somehow to blame. This time he's upset because he lost his $1.2 billion lawsuit against the NFL, in which he claimed that he was forced to move his team back to Oakland after a 13 year stay in Los Angeles. During the trial, the other owners were critical of Davis. Dan Rooney, whose Steelers have been on bitter terms with the Raiders for decades, called Davis a "lying creep" (which he is). Now Davis is blasting Rooney, as well as Browns president Carmen Policy, calling them "two punks who cheated flagrantly on the salary cap". Awwww, poor baby lost his big lawsuit! Listen Al, it's not our fault that you moved your team from Oakland to LA and back to Oakland again, and then failed to get money for all your "troubles". Why don't you grow up and take responsibility for once in your life? But no, that wouldn't be like you. After all, it's not like you or your team has ever made a mistake. Everyone knows Fuqua touched that ball, right?? It's all just a big conspiracy against you.
Also: The Steelers officially cut Scott Shields and Richard Huntley. They are also no longer pursuing Yancey Thigpen, because they re-signed another great WR - Will Blackwell! Yeah, good move there. When he is not hurt for 14 games a season or dropping passes or not getting open in the secondary, he can really be a threat!.... The NFL extended it's collective bargaining agreement through 2007, and the new deal is supposed to be more cap friendly to veteran players. I'm glad, because personally I think this offseason has been one of the biggest jokes in league history with all these long-time veterans being cut. Jerry Rice playing for the Raiders?! C'mon.

(4/28) The Steelers "salvation army" policy of never signing back former players has apparently been thrown out the window. WR Yancey Thigpen is in discussions to return to Pittsburgh. Thigpen was a two-time all pro during his six seasons with the Steelers, but he left after the 1997 season to sign a huge contract with the Titans. That deal never worked out well for either party, and Tennessee released him after last season. I think it would be great to have him back. Yes, I know - he can't stay healthy for more than 4 minutes in a row. That's been the problem his whole career. However, if he could stay healthy, he could really help improve our core of young receivers. The Steelers so desperately wanted a veteran WR last year that they went out and re-signed the Hawk, a broken down receiver who just recently became eligible for social security. While a Thigpen return would help the youngsters, the person who it would really benefit is Kordell Stewart. Anyone who watched a game in 1997 knows that Kordell is in love with Thigpen. He hasn't even come close to the success he had that year with his favorite target. Thigpen was in town the other day for a physical, and I'm sure Kordell is doing everything in his power to lobby for this signing. We'll see what develops.
Also: Two players that definitely will NOT be on the team this year are RB Richard Huntley and S Scott Shields. They were both told by Bill Cowher not to show up for the Steelers mandatory mini-camp, so that is a pretty good sign that they're done. In Huntley's case, it came down to a choice between him and Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, who was a restricted free agent being pursued by New England. The Steelers went with Fu, giving him a three year contract extension. Much like Erric Pegram before him, I think Huntley really got the shaft here. He could've signed a nice deal with Miami last year, but he stayed here under the premise that he would compete for the starting job, only to watch the Bettis-loving Steelers never use him. In the Steelers defense, Huntley had some injuries that really killed his chances, especially early in the season. However, I still think he is a really good RB, and I still would've been ok with sacrificing Bettis (and his huge salary) for him. I like Bettis and everything, but Huntley just seems to have more depth to his game than the Bus. God forbid that we ever have a back who doesn't run the ball straight up the middle every time. I think he will catch on with another team and do very well. As for Shields - well, if you've been reading my site at all during the past year, you know what I think of this piece of crap. Chalk it up as yet another second round bust for the Steelers (see Blackwell, William or Staat, Jeremy). This guy was supposed to be a huge presence lurking in center field. He could've been the next Mike Wagner or Gary Jones, but at 6-4 he was afraid to hit people!! Oh yeah - he also couldn't cover ANYONE (typically not a quality you look for in a defensive back). Good riddance.

(4/21) The Steelers have signed free agent ILB Mike Jones, formerly of the St. Louis Rams. He will replace Levon Kirkland in the middle. The Steelers would have liked to have drafted LB Dan Morgan from Miami, but they figured he would be gone by the time they got to pick (they guessed right - Morgan was selected #11 overall by the Panthers). Jones is an 11 year veteran, and the Steelers like him because he is a good cover guy. The defense had problems last year covering short passes over the middle. Jones has been a solid starting LB for some time now, but his claim to fame will always be the tackle he made at the one yard line to preserve the Rams victory in Super Bowl XXXIV. It was one of the most memorable tackles in NFL history.

(4/18) C'mon!!!!! Could you slap us fans in the face a little harder?! The Steelers are reportedly about to make their worst ever signing, as they are in serious discussions with free agent QB Scott "Suckass" Mitchell. This is beyond pathetic! Mitchell is by far the WORST quarterback in the history of pro football. Ask anyone from Detroit what they think of Scott Mitchell. They'll probably kick you in the mouth just for saying his name. What the HELL is Kevin Colbert smoking??? Didn't the Steelers witness first-hand how bad this guy sucks? Like every other team in the league, we destroyed him when he was with Baltimore and more recently Cincinnati. Why would they do this? I just don't understand it. If you want someone to compete with and hopefully replace Grahm (and his high salary) as the backup, that's fine. But let Tee Martin have that shot, or draft someone, or sign ANYONE else besides Scott Mitchell!!! I'd rather have Brister back!! Hell, what's Rick Strom doing these days?! I'm so SICK of the moron Steelers signing crappy players and then with the help of the even dumber local sports media, passing them off as quality veterans, when in actuality they're either too cheap or too stupid to sign decent free agents. Well they sure seem to scraping the bottom of the barrel this time. If that son of a bitch so much as enters a game for the Steelers - even to hold for an extra point - I am ripping my season tickets in half.

(4/13) It's official - the first game in the Steelers new nameless stadium will be Sunday night, Sept. 16 against the Cleveland Browns. Unfortunately, the Steelers decided to steal a bad idea from the Pirates and hold the actual first two games at the stadium during the pre-season. So technically the stadium will open when the Steelers take on the Lions in August. Also featured on the 2001 Schedule is a Monday night home game against Tennessee on October 29. That is going to be quite an event. The whole city will be involved in that one. The schedule is pretty rough this year for a team that missed the playoffs. In my opinion, our division still has the best two teams in the conference (maybe even the league). Then our non-divisional games feature the likes of Minnesota, Tampa Bay, Buffalo, and the NY Jets. There is a severe lack of "easy wins" on this year's schedule!

(4/5) LB Levon Kirkland has found a new home with the Seattle Seahawks, the team that ranked dead last in total defense last season. The Seahawks have had a thing for signing former Steeler stars over the years. First it was Franco Harris, then Chad Brown, and now Kirkland. The Steelers apparently tried to sign him back at a reduced salary, but Kirkland said he wanted a "fresh start" instead. I don't blame him after the way the Steelers botched his release. Kirkland found out he was about to be let go by reading it in the newspaper. That's a real nice way to treat your defensive captain and two-time team MVP, huh? The Steelers were highly criticized by the fans around here, and they deserved to lose Kirkland for good. I hope he has a great season in Seattle, just to stick it to Cowher and Rooney.
Also: Chris Mortensen of ESPN is reporting that Kordell Stewart has not shown up for spring drills yet because he is still pissed at Bill Cowher for benching him during the end of the 1999 season and the start of the 2000 season. Awwwwwww. Poor baby. I hope he can use some of that $4 million he will make this year (at the expense of Kirkland and Dawson) to dry his eyes! Ok, I know that's a bit unfair - what the hell does Chris Mortensen know? Stewart may not be pouting at all, and if he were really that upset about his situation, he would have asked for a trade or release by now. However, I still wouldn't put it past him. In addition, Mortenson says that Terry Bradshaw has convinced Stewart that the fans of Pittsburgh will never forgive him, no matter what he does in the future. Oh yeah, let's listen to Bradshaw, the guy that can't show his face in this town without someone telling him to go to hell. If Stewart is going to continue to act like a baby rather than a professional, then he really shouldn't be playing in a town like Pittsburgh. The fans here have not and will not put up with such adolescent behavior.

(4/2) A month after cutting his sorry ass, the Steelers have re-signed FB Jon Witman (Penn State sucks). C'mon!! I thought we were trying to dump the loser players! Although Witman signed for considerably less than his previous $1 million salary, I still don't want him back here. He sucks, and Kreider is going to be our FB next year, so what's the point? I also like how they sign back Witman but haven't done anything about Levon Kirkland, who is still sitting out in unwanted free agent land. If they're going to re-sign pieces of Nittany Lion trash like Witman, the least they could do is re-sign the heart and soul of our defense.

(4/1) The No Fun League is at it again. Boosted by the failure of the XFL, which threatened to force the NFL to loosen up a bit, the powers that be are once again taking more measures to ensure that their product is less enjoyable. At their annual owners meetings all they did was make more ridiculous rules like the one that bans bandana wearing. Now they are coming after the fans. The NFL recently began targeting fan web sites. They have sent out warnings to sites which use NFL logos and other materials which they deem to be copyright infringement, and have even gone so far as to have their lawyers send cease and desist letters. I'm not sure who exactly they are going after. I have not been hit yet, but several other Steeler fan sites have been. This is beyond ridiculous. Doesn't the league have better things to do than to go after loyal fans? Why do they do stuff like this?? Sometimes I wonder why we even bother. The NFL needs to re-evaluate the way they treat their fans. I find it rather ironic that the league which has a murderer as its Super Bowl MVP somehow makes us out to be the bad guys.
Also: The Steelers signed safety Mike Logan from Jacksonville. He will provide some depth at free safety next season. Brent Alexander played solidly at that position last year, but his backup Scott Shields was a complete waste of space (not to mention a horrid disgrace to Mel Blount's number).... The schedule should be out in a few days, but the Steelers have already announced that the first regular season game at the new stadium will be in week 2 against the Browns. The game will be a Sunday nighter, much like the one that opened Cleveland's stadium two seasons ago. The Browns hope to maybe score points this time.

(3/9) It's been a real crazy off-season in the NFL thus far. Just about every team has been forced to cut long-time veteran members, and the Steelers are no exception. Just one week after releasing future hall of famer Dermontti Dawson, the Steelers waived the man who has been the fixture of their defense for the last nine seasons - LB Levon Kirkland. It can be argued that Kirkalnd is not quite the force he once was, but he's still one of the better inside linebackers in pro football. His release can be attributed to the fact that he was the highest paid LB in the league, and the Steelers needed cap room to sign free agents. One of those free agents is OL Jeff Hartings (Penn State sucks), formerly of the Detroit Lions. Hartings received a six-year deal worth $24.25 million, including a $5.75 million signing bonus. He will replace Dawson at center, even though he is a guard and has never played center in his life!! The Steelers sure are asking us fans to show a lot of good faith here. Last year, when our team was a complete joke, I begged them to start cleaning house. So what do they do? They wait until we become competitive again and are ready to move into a new stadium! Hartings is a solid lineman, and he is young. However, his job will be to play a position that only three different men have played in the last 40 years. That's quite a legacy to live up to, especially for someone who has never played the position before, but we will see how he manages.

As for Kirkland, the talk once again surfaced that maybe the Steelers would bring him back cheaper, but like Dawson, that was probably just said to help soften the blow to fans. I guess we all need to realize that this is the way things are in the NFL today, and that these moves will probably benefit the Steelers in the long-term. If they can free up salary cap room and get some younger free agents in here, it will help them remain more competitive, especially since we have a long list of free agents next year. However, as a fan, I think this is all very hard to swallow. Dawson was the captian of our offense, and Kirkland was the captain of our defense, and now they're both gone. There is a lot to be said for veteran leadership, you know. When we were 0-3 last season, which players do you think were most responsible for turning around the losing attitude of the team? Troy Edwards and Plaxico Burress?! Kirkland was a guy who the fans here worshipped. No one was cheered louder when they were introduced at home games. He played so well for this team over the years, and if not for the incompentence of Neil O'Donnell, he would've been the hero of Super Bowl XXX. You root for these guys for years. You love the fact that they stayed here and were loyal Pittsburgh Steelers, only to see the Pittsburgh Steelers tell them their services are no longer needed. Well, they can say it's a business all they want, but something needs to be done about the state of pro football. Call me old school, but it just doesn't seem right to let these guys finish their careers somewhere else, especially when that's not what they wanted. The veteran players are certainly paying for the free agency they so desperately coveted in the early 90's. I will really miss Levon Kirkland, and I wish him the best wherever he goes from here.

(3/1) The Steelers have unofficially come to terms with their only big free agent, Jerome Bettis. The Bus will get a new five-year contract that will pay him a signing bonus of around $6 million. After his production declined in 1998 and 1999 (mostly due to injuries), Bettis came back last year to have a solid season. He has rushed for over 1,000 yards in all five of his seasons with the Steelers. There was no way he was going anywhere. By finishing his career with the Steelers, Bettis has secured his place in Steelers history as one of the all-time greats. Besides, in what other town is he going to have his own mustard or his own TV show? He has always proven that he is a loyal Steeler and a great running back, and it's good to have him back.
Also: There were probably more big-name players around the NFL cut this year than ever before. People like Dana Stubblefield, John Randle, Doug Flutie (big mistake Mr. Donahoe), and former Steelers Yancey Thigpen and Leon Searcy - all released in cost-cutting moves. Besides Dawson, the Steelers also released two other veterans. DE Kevin Henry, who has played here since 1993 and started since 1996, was released. Henry was a decent but never a great lineman. However, his place in Steelers history is secure thanks to one play. On December 13, 1997, Kevin Henry made one of the most memorable plays in recent NFL history when he picked off Drew Bledsoe, leading to the most improbable Steelers victory since the Immaculate Reception. Twenty years from now Steelers fans will still remember him just because of that play.... After five seasons of doing nothing, Jon Witman (Penn State sucks) and his $1 million salary were also released. It's about freakin time too. I wanted this to happen two years ago, but the Steelers decided that he fit Kevin Gilbride's scheme better than Tim Lester (another reason I wasn't sorry to see Gilbride go). Like everyone else who has come out of Penn State, Witman was overpaid and overrated. He became expendable last season when he broke his leg, and Dan Kreider came in and played well enough to earn him Steelers rookie of the year honors. Kreider will now be the full-time starter in the backfield.

(3/1) It is a sad day for Steelers fans. Center Dermontti Dawson has been released. In his 13 seasons with the Steelers, Dawson went to seven Pro Bowls and established himself as not only one of the greatest Steelers ever, but also as one of the greatest centers to ever play pro football. He was also the last remaining player from the Chuck Noll era. After playing in ever game from 1988-1998, Dawson injured his hamstring, forcing him to miss much of the past two seasons. The injury, coupled with the fact that he was scheduled to receive a $1 million bonus that would have counted against the cap, was the reason for his release. This was no bitterness whatsoever from either side. Dan Rooney praised Dawson, saying, "I don't know that we ever had anybody who did more for the Steelers or that we thought so much of." Dawson, being the class person that he is, said that he understands the decision and will miss Pittsburgh. "I could not have written it up any better, the way my career has gone," Dawson said. There is still a slight chance that the Steelers could bring him back, but don't count on it. Some other team will probably snatch him up, and if they don't, it will be because of his hamstring, and that means he will retire. It's a real shame that the current economics of the NFL don't allow for a guy like Dermontti Dawson to finish his career with the Steelers. I think I can speak for all Steelers fans when I say that Dawson will truly be missed. It is rare in today's world of pro sports that an athelete plays here as long as Dawson did. Just to give you an idea of how long he has been here - there is only one Pittsburgh athelete who has been here longer, and that is Mario Lemieux! He was also a Steelers center, a position on our team that brings with it a great deal of history and pride. After all, we've only had three players at that position in the last 40 years!! Dawson is a future Hall of Fame member and one of the greatest players ever to put on a Steelers uniform. When Mike Webster left in 1988, I remember thinking that no one would ever be able to fill his shoes. Now I wonder how anyone will even begin to match the legacy of number 63.

(2/28) Ok, I know I haven't updated the site for a while, but nothing has really been going on recently. That miserable old bastard Modell and his murderous linebacker won the Super Bowl, making the Ravens just the second team ever out of our division to win the big game. Also, Three Rivers Stadium was blown up, which was kind of cool. Now the Steelers are gearing up for the annual free agent signing period, which begins this Friday. The biggest free agent is Jerome Bettis. Reports are filtering in that a deal is already done for the Bus, who would be a fool to leave Pittsburgh. Reports are also saying that Dermontti Dawson's 13 years with the Steelers are almost definitely over. Dawson has been hurt the last two years, and the Steelers could save $1.6 million under the cap by dumping him. That would be incredibly sad - but I'll wait until the Steelers make a decision before I begin to eulogize one of the greatest players in team history.
This is going to be an important off-season for the Steelers. Everyone has gotten real sick of hearing the Rooney's complain about not being able to afford players. No one buys it anymore. They're not the Pirates. This is the NFL. There is revenue sharing and a salary cap, which means that almost every team operates on the same level. Now they have a new stadium (thanks to us taxpayers) and no big free agents to worry about re-signing other than Bettis. That's not to say that they should go out and throw money away like the Redskins. The Giants and Ravens (and the Redskins) proved last year that the draft is still the best way to build a quality team in the NFL. Free agency should only be used to fill holes on an already solid team. The Steelers were one game from the playoffs last year, and dipping into the free agent market just a bit could help them take the next step. Here's a closer look at what lies ahead for the Steelers, including their free agents, other possible roster moves, the draft, and their opponents for next season.

(1/27) Every year before the inductees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame are announced, I always put up an article on this site explaining why Lynn Swann should make it, and then every year when he gets screwed over, I put up an angry article trashing the moron sportswriters who failed to elect one of the greatest wide receivers ever because all they see are black and white meaningless statistics. Well, this year I didn't even bother. I had just about given up, because I has seen enough of those idiots come out and publicly make such ignorant statements as, "But he only had 336 career receptions". Then this morning, it happened - after 14 years of being screwed over, Lynn Swann was finally elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame!! I don't know how it happened. Most likely it was a weak class - the other inductees were players like Mike Munchak and Jackie Slater, and coach Marv Levy, who lost four Super Bowls in a row. Or maybe it was just the fact that Lynn Swann was a clutch performer, a great pass-catcher, a guy who is on EVERY single NFL Films highlight reel, and above all, a winner. I have a hard time believing that the Steelers would have won four Super Bowls without him, especially Super Bowl X, which Swann almost single-handedly won. Whatever the reason, it's about time that the pro football world finally acknowledged an all-time Steelers great. Swann joins eight of his teammates (including Chuck Noll) from the 1970's teams in Canton. If you're not proud to be a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, something's wrong with you! The 2001 Hall of Fame inductions will be held on August 4. Anyone want to take a road trip to Canton?

(1/8) After former Redskins head coach Norv Turner turned down his offer, Bill Cowher promoted Mike Mularkey to offensive coordinator. Mularkey was a TE for the Steelers from 1989-91 and had been their TE coach since 1996. He was passed over twice for this job - once for Ray Sherman and again for Kevin Gilbride. Cowher finally decided he would give Mularkey a shot at running his offense, something that no one has been able to do successfully (at least in Cowher's view) since Chan Gailey left.... Cowher has also hired a QB coach. The Steelers have not had a QB coach since 1973 and are one of only 9 NFL teams that did not have one this season. Tom Clements got the job.... The Houston Oilers have choked yet again in the playoffs! I really thought (and still think) that the Titans were the best team in the NFL this year, but they lost at home yesterday in their first playoff game. The AFC Championship Game now features two teams - Baltimore and Oakland - that lost to the Steelers this year.... Long time Steelers announcer Jack Fleming died last week. Fleming was the Steelers play-by-play man from 1965-93. Every football fan has heard his voice because of his famous call of the Immaculate Reception. He also called all four of the Super Bowl wins. Jack Fleming was 77 years old.

Click here for 2000 News Archives