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(12/23) The Cincinnati Bengals have given the Steelers a nice Christmas present. They beat the Cleveland Browns today to give Pittsburgh its AFC North title since 2004. It was a game that Cincinnati tried really hard to blow in the 4th quarter, but in the end, Derek Anderson (and his 4 INT's) wanted to lose it more. This is great news for the banged up Steelers. They have to go on the road to Baltimore next week against a team that would love to beat up on them. Now that game is essentially meaningless. The only thing it may determine is the difference between a 3rd seed and a 4th seed, but that isn't enough motivation to not rest the starters after a quarter or two. This is a big break for the Steelers, who certainly haven't done much lately to deserve any breaks. We will see what the post-season holds for this team in a few weeks. Congratulations to Mike Tomlin. He had huge shoes to fill, and he continued the proud Steeler tradition by capturing the franchise's 18th division championship, which now breaks the tie with San Francisco for most ever.

(11/12) The Steelers are riding high. They just completed a huge three-game sweep of their division, they currently hold the #2 seed in the AFC, and with the exception of a few problem areas, they are playing great football. Best of all, their next two opponents - New York and Miami - have a combined ONE win between them this season! (and that one win came because only those two teams played each other). However, the NFL landscape is often tricky. Just when you think things are looking great, the roof can easily cave in. In November of 2005, the Steelers had a 7-2 record and everyone was talking about how we would match up with the undefeated Colts a few weeks later. This season the Steelers have a 7-2 record and everyone is talking about how we will match up with the undefeated Patriots on December 9. But in 2005, everything fell apart in a hurry. Granted, the Steelers rebounded from that to amazingly win the Super Bowl, but it certainly is not a situation they want to get themselves into again. Much has changed since 2005 - the defense is better, the o-line is worse, the special teams is still shaky - but the big difference is the QB. Ben Roethlisberger was banged up and rusty during that bad stretch in 2005, and he hadn't yet morphed into the truly elite player that he is today. That being said, the next few weeks will still be a good test for rookie head coach Mike Tomlin. He certainly strikes me as a guy who isn't about to let his team lose its focus. This has been a really good season thus far. Now we get to see how it plays out in the stretch run. I personally can't wait.

(11/7) The Steelers are now officially at the halfway point of their 2007 season, and so far there isn't a whole lot to complain about. They are all alone in first place for the first time in three seasons, and they have been playing solidly on both sides of the football. It is especially encouraging when you compare where we are now to the halfway point of last season. The Steelers have an inverse record and their quarterback is once again playing like the guy who won a Super Bowl two years ago. Much of the credit goes to new head coach Mike Tomlin. I am not sure anyone truly understands the enormous pressure he was under. Granted, most experts picked the Steelers to finish around 8-8 again, but that doesn't mean that us spoiled Steelers fans will not demand perfection anyway. Tomlin has instilled the discipline and passion that was lacking from last year's squad, and the results speak for themselves. The Steelers are not on the same level as AFC rivals New England (who is right now?) or maybe even Indianapolis, but they still have 8 more games to establish themselves as possible contenders. We will see how that plays out, but for now, here is my annual look back at the first half of the season.

(8/30) There has been much consternation this week over Jerome Bettis' new book and the "controversial" revelations which he makes regarding his time with the Steelers. I personally think it is all overblown hype, which of course is great for Bettis because it will help him sell more books. In the book, the Bus reveals that he was ticked off about potentially losing his job to Richard Huntley and later losing his starting role to Amos Zeroue. Ok, no big surprise there - I'd be ticked off too if Amos Zeroue outplayed me for a role. He also said he faked the timing of an injury in the summer of 2000 to avoid being cut. That's kind of interesting, but not a really big deal. He was indeed injured - he just made it look as if the injury happened during camp instead of earlier. Had he admitted to completely faking an injury to get out of playing in a regular season game, that would have been headline-worthy. He also mentions how he thought Kordell Stewart got a bum rap from the Steelers. He is wrong on that point, but he is entitled to his opinion. So maybe I'm not getting it, but I don't see what all the fuss is about. Keep in mind that the sole purpose for putting anything provocative in the book is so that people will think it is interesting enough to buy, but even still, I just don't think any of the nuggets which he shares are particularly mind-blowing.

And while I'm writing, here are some other random thoughts:

• Kudos to Peter King for making an issue out of the pre-season games in his MMQB column on SI.com this summer. It's about time someone finally pointed out the absurdity of the NFL making us season-ticket holders pay for tickets to meaningless games where some of the starters don't even bother to dress. I hope he keeps pounding away on the NFL until some kind of change is made or until the pre-season is shortened.
  
  
• It looks as if Sean Mahan will win the starting center job over Chukky Okobi. What does that say about Okobi? Five years as the backup just to continue being the backup? This is definitely not a good thing for him. He should have won this job outright, not conceeded it to a guy who has played most of his career at guard. Not to take away anything from Mahan - Jeff Hartings was a veteran guard who came here and did a great job at center after all - but Okobi may never be capable of being a starter if he can't make it this year.
  
  
• Be sure to check out the Dermontti Dawson link in the new spotlight section on the right side of the home page.

• Quick - name the most underrated player on the Steelers. To me, this is an easy choice - it's Marvel Smith. Sometimes you forget how long he has been a key part of the offensive line. I was watching some old pre-game footage that I shot at Three Rivers Stadium, and they were introducing him as one of the starters. I had no idea he had been here that long. He has been a steady rock who has operated mostly in the background. It's only when he is hurt that we fans realize his value. In 2003, the Steelers stumbled to a 6-10 record thanks in large part to a crumbling o-line. Not coincidentally, Smith missed most of that season with a pinched nerve in his neck. In 2005, the Steelers nearly had their run to the Super Bowl derailed by a sudden three-game losing streak late in the season. Smith was inactive for two of those games and had to leave the other one in the second quarter. Once again this summer, there are questions buzzing around the stability of the line, and once again it seems to revolve around Smith's health. I think the line will eventually come together, but it's a good time to point out how vital Smith's presence is to this offense. He has become a great left tackle, and he did that after playing his first three seasons on the right side. He deserves WAY more credit than he gets.
  
  
• I'm going to stick by my "pre-season means nothing" mantra, but if the Steelers defense puts us thru yet another year of not being able to get off the field on 3rd down, I'm going to throw up.
  
  
• It's shaping up to be a tough call at running back. Carey Davis has looked impressive, even making nice special teams plays. Rookie Gary Russell may have too much potential to pass up, especially if the rumors about him being coveted by Cincinnati are true. Verron Haynes is still old reliable and has appeared to healed from his knee surgery. Dan Kreider is still a great blocking back. So if you keep five RB's, and FWP and Davenport are locks, who do you cut amongst the other four? And if you are wondering why I kept Kevan Barlow out of that mix, it's because he apparently wanted his career to come completely full circle by crapping out his potential in Pittsburgh just like he did early on in college.
  
  
• Steely McBeam?!? Could this thing become any more of a train wreck for the Steelers? In their defense, I will say that the one thing that is being overblown is this whole concept of "the Steelers are ruining their tough, blue-collar tradition by having a mascot". That is kind of ridiculous. For one thing, they had a mascot when I was a kid, and no one complained then (of course, that was during the 1980's when there was a lot more to complain about than the mascot!). Also, having a guy in a costume doesn't somehow make us any less of a "tough" team. I just think they chose a really stupid mascot, inexplicably made it frightening to young children, and gave it the worst name possible - that's all. BTW - I still think Freakish Bert is a better name.
  
  
• I guess it's the end of the road for Michael Vick. He took a plea bargain today which basically means he admits to everything. All I can say is "wow". This is unprecedented - for an NFL star of his magnitude to throw his life completely in the toilet for something so dumb. I always knew Vick was a fraud, but I never realized what a despicable scumbag he truly was. Good riddance. The NFL is a better place without people like him.

To his credit, Wilson is being a real trooper throughout this ordeal. "I don't know. I don't know…. I just have to focus on the balls I get, I guess, because there ain't a lot of them, I'll tell you that much," Wilson said during a rant to the media. Wow, what a character guy. No wonder this team was only 8-8 last season. If there were more Cedrick Wilsons on the team, we would be back in the Super Bowl for sure.

(7/29) Although this is a Steelers site, I wanted to use this space to pay tribute to the career a true NFL legend. RB Curtis Martin, who announced his retirement from pro football this week, is on a short list of my favorite all-time non-Steelers (Joe Montana, Barry Sanders, and Larry Fitzgerald are the others on the list). When he came to Pitt in 1991, he had already established himself as a local star at Allderdice even though he hadn't begun playing football until his senior year. He battled injuries during his first two seasons at Pitt, but he was poised to make an impact by his junior year.

Unfortunately for Martin, that year marked the start of the disastrous "Johnny Majors: Part Two" Era at Pitt. I would need a separate article altogether to even begin to describe the depths that the program sank to during this time. The 1993 season - optimistically marketed with the theme "Back to the Future" by the Pitt PR department - quickly went downhill for the Panthers. Just to gove you an idea of how horrific that year was, here are some of the scores by which Pitt lost: 63-21 (Virginia Tech), 63-28 (Ohio State), 44-0 (Notre Dame), 35-7 (Miami), and 33-0 (Boston College). I had season tickets that year and I remember most home games being over by about the 2nd quarter. I was always tempted to leave but I stuck around for one reason only: to watch Curtis Martin. The guy would reel off 70 yard runs even when many of his teammates had long since given up. He finished the season with over 1000 yards and was also the team's leading receiver.

The following season started well. On opening day, Martin rushed for 251 yards and helped Pitt nearly pull off a monster upset over Texas. However, in the season's second game (against Ohio), he suffered an injury and missed the rest of the season. Because he had only played in one complete game, Martin was eligible for a medical redshirt, but he decided to try to enter the NFL Draft. Many fans (including me) thought it was a bad move for an often injured runner from a terrible program to enter the draft too soon, especially when he fell down to the third round (where he was selected by the New England Patriots). I tried to catch some New England pre-season games in 1995 because I honestly thought it would be the last time I would ever get to see him play.

Martin proved everybody wrong though. He won the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and was named to the Pro Bowl in 1995, and the next season he helped carry the Patriots all the way to the Super Bowl, steamrolling the Steelers defense in the AFC playoffs. New England lost the Super Bowl, and unfortunately Martin would never get that close to a title again. Regardless, his consistency over the next decade was nothing short of amazing. He rushed for over 1,000 yards in his first 10 professional seasons, a feat previously accomplished only by one other player. He became the 4th all-time leading rusher in league history.

Perhaps his most impressive feat was winning the rushing title in 2004 when most people thought he was washed up (I still remember mocking the person who took him in our fantasy draft that year only to watch him later knock me out of the playoffs). Martin rushed for a career high 1697 yards in what was his 10th season. He became the oldest player ever to win a rushing title. The Jets, whom he had joined in 1998, made a Super Bowl run that year only to see it come to a tragic end at Heinz Field in the infamous Doug Brien game. Martin's playing days had come full circle, as that hometown playoff game would mark the end of the road for the productive part of his career. He missed much of the 2005 season and all of the 2006 season with what would turn out to be career-ending injuries.

Much like his New York counterpart Tiki Barber, Martin was a quiet and classy superstar. It's hard to imagine someone who played for a New York team being underrated, but that was the case throughout his entire career. Perhaps it was because he never felt the need to invent a crazy touchdown celebration. Perhaps it was because he didn't see the point in shooting his mouth off rather than just playing football to the best of his ability. Perhaps it was because he never drove drunk or dealt drugs or funded dog fights despite the fact that he came from one of Pittsburgh's worst neighborhoods.

Instead, Martin chose the Christ-like path of humility. He tried to use his fame to help others. He gave money to people in need. He paid for funerals. He talked to kids about not getting into trouble. He spoke at churches and led Bible studies. He was not the prototypical star athlete. Had he been Deion Sanders or Michael Irvin or Terrell Owens, his every move would have been front page news. He would have been called the greatest running back ever by the sports media. But he didn't want that, and more importantly, he didn't need that.

Curtis Martin retires with 14,101 yards and 90 touchdowns, numbers that should guarantee a Hall of Fame spot in his first year of eligibility. He is now talking about becoming an NFL owner, which I think would be tremendous. He will be missed on the football field, but I have a feeling that Martin, who never really wanted to play football in the first place, will move on to bigger and better things in his life.

(7/20) It looks as if the Steelers are very close to extending the contract of safety Troy Polamalu. He would have been a free agent after this season and no doubt would have received a massive offer from more than one team, so this is huge for the franchise. Polamalu has become the team's best player on defense, which is almost unheard of for a safety. The numbers aren't out yet (the deal is expected to be announced next week), but he is well worth whatever the Steelers are paying him. It stinks that this signing and the anticipated extension for Ben come at the expense of losing Faneca, but that is the trade-off of a salary cap structured league.

(7/20) Since training camp starts next week, now is a good time to start looking at the issues surrounding the Steelers this year. In Part One earlier this week, I addressed several questions. Here is Part Two:

Who will start at center?
In the current era of free agency, you rarely find a situation where a player is groomed to take over a starting job for five seasons. But that is exactly what the Steelers have been doing with Chukky Okobi. Yes, Sean Mahan, Kendall Simmons, and Marvin Philip are in the mix as well, but there is no reason why Okobi shouldn't win this job. It will be an important job as well. Remember that the Steelers have really only had FOUR starting centers since the mid-1960's!

Besides center, are there any open position battles?
There are a few possible battles. Youngsters Anthony Smith and Bryant McFadden will almost definitely challenge veterans Deshea Townsend and Ryan Clark in the secondary. Willie Colon may mount a challenge to Max Starks at the crucial right tackle spot. Kevan Barlow, Verron Haynes, and Najeh Davenport will all compete for the backup RB job behind FWP.

Who is most poised for a breakout season?
Last year FWP went from a guy whose long-term starting skills were being questioned to one of the elite runners in the NFL. Is there anyone who figures to do the same this season? The most likely candidate is Santonio Holmes. After working out the normal rookie kinks last season (like bad routes and fumbles), Holmes really started becoming a big part of the offense near the end of the season. The final play of 2006 saw him literally run the Bengals right out of the playoffs. If the offense is more pass-happy this season (as Arians claims it will be), then Holmes has a chance to really become a key part of it. The other player who could have a breakout season based on the new offense is TE Heath Miller. On defense the best candidate is probably James Harrison.

Can we stick a fork in Ricardo Colclough?
Not necessarily. Colclough has skills, which is why the Steelers traded up to get him in the second round of the 2004 draft. He is definitely down to his last chance though, especially since the new coach wasn't the one who drafted him.

Does the 2007 season ride on Ben Roethlisberger?
In short, yes. Everything doesn't completely ride on Ben - obviously any football team needs more than just a high-performing quarterback - but he is the most important player on the team right now, even more so than all-pro RB FWP. He has been on the verge of becoming an elite QB ever since the 2005 playoffs. Last season he was slowed by the bike crash and appendectomy, but this year there won't be any excuses. Even with that turmoil in 2006, the Steelers still won when he played well. Make no mistake - this is the Season of Ben. The Steelers will either rise or fall based on how he performs.

Which player (if any) is most likely to get himself into trouble under Roger Goodell's tough new policies?
At this rate, it may just be kicker Jeff Reed. He hasn't done anything yet, but he seems to be asking for trouble by allowing his drunken escapades to be documented. At least he isn't funding dog fights I guess.

How high should we set our expectations for the 2007 Steelers?
Many fans seem to think that this will be a mediocre season, but why? Granted, there are some major changes and issues to be addressed, but that doesn't automatically mean bad things. Remember that this team finished the season on a 6-2 run last year, with their only two losses coming against a player they never could beat anyway (Steve McNair). Is it so unreasonable to expect this team to be competitive, especially in a fairly weak division? (Baltimore is another year older, Cincinnati has become the laughingstock of the league, and Cleveland just plain blows).

Do all these questions mean that the pre-season is no longer meaningless?
No, the pre-season is still worthless. And I will never back down from this stance.

(7/17) As many of you know, I never usually have too much to say about training camp. I feel that the whole summer season is incredibly over-hyped, and that nothing really matters until kickoff of week 1. That being said, I must admit that this year's camp is very intriguing. The Steelers have a new coach for the first time in 15 years, and they have a lot more unanswered questions than usual. So as training camp gets underway next week, let's take some time to delve into those questions:

What will be different with Mike Tomlin in charge?
Expect a more grueling camp from the new coach. He has already said that he is going to take a more serious approach to summer workouts than his predecessor. Cowher liked to take it lighter and the players seemed to appreciate that, but Cowher's teams almost always came out slow when the regular season started. Tomlin is tougher in general, with his "news" accountability updates. Reportedly the players have been responding well to this.

Tomlin will also not be beholden to any veterans. During Cowher's first few camps, he shocked people by cutting long-time veterans from the Noll era and by giving more unproven players the chance to start. Tomlin may do the same if he feels that it would benefit the team, and I say more power to him. The Rooney's gave him this job - which is arguably THE most prestigious coaching position in pro sports - so he could make it his team. For better or for worse, that is what he should be doing.

Which rookie (if any) will make an immediate impact?
The Steelers will be looking for a pass rush contribution from at least one of their first two draft picks. So far it appears that second round pick LaMarr Woodley has been making more of an impression than first rounder Lawrence Timmons, but in his defense, Timmons has been hurt. Either way, one of those two guys should be able to help improve the defense. The other draft pick who figures to contribute right away is fourth round choice Daniel Sepulveda. He has already been designated as the new starter, so the pressure will be on for him to make a smooth transition to the NFL.

Can James Harrison fill the void left by Joey Porter and his beloved "leadership"?
If Harrison can get blown off the line by the opposing team, can make an occasional sack when unblocked, and can embarrass the team with stupid off-field crap, then he will have made up for Peezy's loss. In all seriousness, I have been saying for three years that Harrison is a star in waiting. I think (and hope) that he will prove me right this year.

Will the Alan Faneca soap opera cause any distractions?
Let's hope not. Faneca is clearly ticked off that the Steelers are not willing to reward his years of great service with a huge contract, and he should be ticked. The Steelers clearly do not want to throw their salary structure into chaos by paying top dollar for an aging guard, and they shouldn't do that. This is a situation where you really can't fault either side (although Faneca's constant whining hasn't exactly endeared him to fans). Hopefully the players - the guys who always talk about how they understand that football is a business - will recognize that fact. As for Faneca, he is a professional and one of the best players in Steelers history. For all his hurt feelings, there is no way he is giving anything less than 110% this season.

When will the defense switch to a 4-3?
It definitely will not happen this year given the personnel that the team currently possesses. That does not mean that Tomlin and Dick Lebeau won't try to incorporate mixed sets however. Other teams have already been doing this, and it makes sense that the Steelers would follow their lead.

Which 2006 starter (if any) is most likely to be cut at the end of this summer?
Cedrick Wilson. That is an easy one.

Will the offense really be any different this year?
Bruce Arians seems to think so. He has a lot of "crazy" ideas, like throwing passes to the tight ends (gasp!), using no-huddle, simplifying the playbook, and introducing new sets. All of this stuff sounds great on paper, but we'll have to see how it plays out in real life.

Will next month's meaningless Hall of Fame Game between the Steelers and Saints finally bring healing to the city of New Orleans?
Yes. Every time the Saints line up for a snap, they are single-handedly rebuilding New Orleans. At least according to ESPN.

Stay tuned for Part Two on Friday, where we will address burning questions concerning the center position, breakout potential, and Big Ben. In the meantime, let me ask you this question: do you think Jerome Bettis reads this site? Check out what he said this week about Bill Cowher's coaching future, and then read what I wrote about the same topic almost a month ago. Coincidence??

(6/22) There have been rumors this week that Bill Cowher is already talking to teams about a return to coaching. The group of teams he is supposedly talking to includes the Redskins and - gasp - the Browns. I'm not fully convinced that Cowher is coming back at all, but if he does, my bet is that he would go to New York to coach the Giants. It makes the most sense. The Giants are the Steelers of the NFC. They are an old franchise steeped in tradition and owned by the same family for decades. He would be getting into a very similar situation there as he had here, and John Mara wouldn't be quick to fire him if things went awry. I also think the Giants are planning for this. Why else would they have kept The Crybaby on as head coach for another season? That team is an absolute mess. They are in desperate need of leadership. They only brought back Coughlin so they could pursue Cowher next year - I'm sure of it. As to whether or not Bill takes them up on it, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

(5/12) RB Kevan Barlow had an up-and-down career during his four years at the University of Pittsburgh. He was a talented back who struggled with fumbling and with a coach whom he hated. Despite not getting along with Walt Harris and his pass-first philosophy, Barlow put together a great senior season in 2000. One of the best Pitt games of this decade was the 38-28 victory over WVU in Three Rivers Stadium that season where Barlow racked up an astounding 272 yards and 4 TD's. After graduating, Barlow played a few years with the 49ers, once rushing for over 1000 yards. Now with him looking for work and the Steelers desperately needing depth at the RB position, Barlow is returning to his hometown via a one-year contract that will pay him $595,000. This is really a good thing for both he and the Steelers. Barlow will have new life as a backup in the city where he has the most success, and the Steelers get added help behind FWP and The Dumptruck. This franchise has done well in the past by bringing in hometown veterans to fill spot roles (i.e. Mike Logan, Jim Sweeney, Charlie Batch, ect), and I think Barlow will work out as well.

Also: I was really hoping we could avoid the drama of the Alan Faneca situation, but that is proving to be impossible. Faneca has never been shy about speaking his mind, and this weekend at minicamp he really let loose. "This will be my last year as a Pittsburgh Steeler," Faneca stated firmly. "I've been asking since February to trade me.... I lived and breathed Steelers football for nine years and gave them everything I had, helped them win a Super Bowl. In my mind, I've earned the right to be treated fairly." He also apparently stormed out of camp at some point over the weekend. In case you don't know what he is so upset about, Faneca is in the final year of his contract and the Steelers have not given him a nice new deal (at least not yet). On one hand, the players need to understand that they can't have it both ways. They want to be free agents and wouldn't blink twice over leaving their team for more money, but then they act all betrayed when the team won't give in to whatever they want. In Faneca's situation, the money he truly deserves is astronomical. Over the off-season some guards who are not even close to Faneca's talent level got some very fat contracts, so it's no wonder that the Steelers are being stubborn on this one. On the other hand, Alan Faneca is one of the best offensive lineman ever to wear a Steelers uniform. He deserves to be rewarded, and I can understand why he is hurt. I just hope we can move on with the season and leave this drama behind.

(4/30) Some random thoughts from last weekend's NFL Draft:

• I'm still having trouble trying to digest the 3rd round selection of TE Matt Spaeth. In all fairness, when we fans all started whining that the pick was stupid because "they never throw to the tight end", the "they" that we are referring to will be spending next season in North Carolina with his family. The new regime may in fact have dramatically different ideas for the offense. It's funny how everyone was all worried about Mike Tomlin overhauling the defense with a Cover 2 scheme. What I really think he and Bruce Arians are trying to do is overhaul the offense so that it is centered around Ben Roethlisberger and FWP. I think they want to spread things out to take advantage of Parker's speed, and they want to dump the fullback on most of their sets. This would not only explain why they took Spaeth, but it would also make some sense out of the fact that they shockingly didn't draft a single RB (we better pray that FWP stays healthy). Something tells me everything is going to change big time from the Cowher/Noll style of offense that we're so used to. Maybe I am reading too much into this, but it certainly seems to be a possibility.
  
  
• Not sure why there was so much consternation over the Daniel Sepulveda pick. The Steelers clearly needed a punter. This guy was a two-time Ray Guy Award winner and apparently very good at pooch punting. So what's the problem? It was the 4th round - who else were we going to pick up in the 4th round? Should we have taken a WR like we did two years ago when we got burned with the Fred Gibson pick? They needed a punter, and they got a punter. So I ask again - what's the problem?
  
  
• Has there ever been a bigger draft day disaster than Brady Quinn? The guy is sitting there all day looking like the pretty boy that he is with his Barbie doll girlfriend waiting to be the #3 pick in the draft, only it doesn't happen. Then Miami shocks the world and takes Ted Ginn instead of Quinn. So they move him to the commissioner's "private quarters" because the endless shots of his fake reactions are getting to be too much to handle, and the whole time ESPN keeps flashing this old picture of a 4-year old Brady all decked out in his little Browns uniform. It was absolutely painful to watch. He ended up in Cleveland anyway, which is so fitting for that franchise. The truth was that Quinn was overrated because he played for Notre Dame, but it's still a shame that he had to go thru all that.
  
  
• In case you missed it on Friday, the Steelers announced plans for celebrating their upcoming 75th season in the NFL. The festivities will include cool throwback uniforms, an all-time team, and fan events. But the real highlight of the day was the unveiling of the freakiest looking mascot you will ever see! This guy looks like Bert, only if Bert got fired from Sesame Street, gained a bunch of weight, was forced into working part-time in a steel mill, and became a drunk. Yikes. What were the Rooney's thinking on this one? If he comes anywhere near me at Heinz Field next year, I am running the opposite direction. The best part of this whole thing is that there is a contest to name Freakish Bert, so I'll let you insert your own joke here.
  
  
• Click here for a full recap of the 2007 draft.

Here is the full schedule. Some other random thoughts while we're here:

- What a proud day for WVU yesterday when two members of their 2004 team (which lost the Big East title to Pitt by the way) officially became the poster children for NFL thugs. Pacman Jones was suspended for an entire season while Chris Henry was suspended for half of a season. Great job, losers. Way to turn out such fine talent down there at your piece-of-crap "university". Make sure to burn a couch in their honor tonight.

- Let's go Pens! My beloved hockey team makes their triumphant return to the post-season tonight. Even if they don't make it past round one, I'm just thrilled that they are back in the playoffs and even more thrilled that they will be staying in Pittsburgh for a long time to come.

(3/6) Some random thoughts for this week:

• Here was Hines Ward's response to the Joey Porter release:
  
  "[Alan] Faneca called me, some of the veteran guys, my phone has been blowing up like, 'What the hell are we doing?' A lot of guys are questioning what's going on, kind of worried about the makeup of this team, where we are actually going to go. As a veteran guy, you look at [what happened to Porter] and you worry a little bit because you lay it out on the line to try to do what's best for the team and then you see players get cut."
  
  First off, let me preface this by saying that Ward and Faneca are both Steelers legends. They play harder than anyone and deserve all the respect in the world. That being said, that was a completely asinine statement! C'mon guys - you know better than anyone how the NFL works now. You can't have it both ways. You can't ask for free agency and then act like the team is not loyal. Last year Antwaan Randle El signed with Washington. Imagine if Art Rooney would have come out and said something like, "What the hell is this guy doing to the team? We laid it on the line by drafting Antwaan, giving him opportunity in this league, did what was best for the team by involving him in special teams and trick plays, and then we see him walk out on us." Better yet, why didn't Ward and Faneca say that themselves if they are so concerned about loyalty? This is the system the players wanted. There are positives (like Randle El being able to get way more money than he is worth because it's an open market) and there are negatives (like veterans who must be let go when their on-field play drops below what their current salary dictates). It should also be noted that in this case the Steelers did Porter a huge favor by not making him play out his contract, allowing him to sign with Miami for big money when he could have gotten much less by staying here for a lame duck season.
  
  
• CB Deshea Townsend, who like Ward and Faneca was part of the Class of 1998, was charged with assault after an incident over the weekend at a Station Square bar. A guy is claiming that Townsend and his buddy punched him in the face. Townsend claims that there was an altercation, but that his only involvement was trying to break things up before they got worse. I'm inclined to believe Deshea on this one. First and foremost, the guy has been on the team for 10 seasons and has never once gotten in trouble. He's not Pacman Freakin Jones (who is reason #804 why WVU is a joke). The guy also claims that he was "approached" by Deshea and that he called 911 but no one came. Also, police at the bar witnessed some of the fight and apparently did not think it warranted any kind of action. It was only after the dude came to the Zone 3 police station that Deshea was charged with anything. I could be wrong, but I fully expect this to go away quickly.
  
  
• The Steelers have made an offer to former Pitt punter Andy Lee, who is currently a restricted free agent for the 49ers. San Francisco has seven days to match the Steelers' offer, and if they don't, they get a 6th round draft pick from us. Lee is a good punter who already has three years experience kicking at Heinz Field. If the Steelers do not get him, it's still an excellent sign that the team is trying to replace Captain "I make $1 million and can only punt the ball 30 yards but I never ever had one blocked -- at least not blocked backwards".

(3/1) On January 2, 2000, the Steelers were in the process of wrapping up a miserable season when rookie Joey Porter decided to make a statement. Down 40-22 to the eventual conference champion Tennessee Titans, the young linebacker sacked QB Neil O'Donnell, stripped him of the football, picked it up, and ran 46 yards for a touchdown. The play got the Steelers back into the game, and although they still lost in the end, Porter showed his teammates and coaches that he could be a dominate player in the NFL.

Eight seasons and several Pro Bowls later, Porter's tenure in Pittsburgh has come to an end. The Steelers announced today that they are cutting Porter, who would count $6 million against the salary cap next season if they were to keep him. This move was hardly a surprise and one that this web site has been campaigning for during the past two seasons. Like many other great Steelers linebackers (David Little, Greg Lloyd, Jason Gildon, ect), J. Peezy was WAY past his prime and was no longer worth the big salary. His antics had also become extremely tiresome. Getting kicked out in Cleveland, needlessly pissing off the 2004 Patriots (by foolishly saying that the New England dynasty was "not on our level"), bowling over an injured/defenseless Todd Heap, calling Kellen Winslow a fag, making headlines for owning killer dogs - it was just too much for the typically classy Steelers organization, especially for a guy who only seemed to be getting sacks when no one blocked him.

Although I am happy that he is gone, I don't want to focus too much on the negatives. Porter came to Pittsburgh in 1999 when the team was in the tank and the defense had lost all of its pride. He boldly told Bill Cowher that the team had selected the best linebacker in the entire draft, and then he backed it up. He helped the Steelers rebuild back into a playoff team and eventual champion. He led a brash defense which became the best in the league. He was at the center of a huge rivalry with Baltimore, going so far as to risk death by calling out The Murderer as he prepared to board his team bus. There were big games which Porter absolutely dominated (like the 2004 game against New England and the 2005 AFC Championship against Denver).

There were also times when his antics did come in handy. While his Sports Illustrated title of "Most Feared Player" was definitely overstated, he did have a knack for getting inside an opponent's head. The most famous incident occurred prior to Super Bowl XL. Seattle TE Jerramy Stevens made a seemingly innocent comment about how the Seahawks wanted to send Jerome Bettis home a loser. Porter blew the comment way out of proportion, calling Stevens "soft" and bringing a storm of attention on a player who was hardly expecting to be the focus of the media. It proved to be a brilliant manuever as Stevens dropped a number of passes which hit him right in the hands.

Joey will no doubt find a team for 2007. His best years are behind him, but he can still pull out a big game here and there. The Steelers will move on as well, giving younger players like James Harrison more opportunity. Porter will be viewed right now as a player who wore out his welcome, but hopefully in the long run, he'll be remembered as a fiery warrior who helped revive the proud Pittsburgh tradition of tough, physical defense.

Also: In a somewhat surprising move, the Steelers also released RB Verron Haynes, who had been a serviceable 3rd down back the past few seasons. Haynes is easily replaceable (although the team is extremely thin at the RB position now), and the move was made in order to get the Steelers under the cap. One thing I will miss about Verron is his pre-game warmup. While most of the other players spend the time stretching, Haynes dances the ENTIRE time while the Hienz Field scoreboard blares hip-hop music. It's really quite fun to watch. One benefit for Haynes if he doesn't get picked up by another team (or brought back by the Steelers at a cheapo price) is that he is well on his way to becoming a media guy. He already had multiple talk shows here in Pittsburgh.

(2/28) The Steelers defense under new head coach Mike Tomlin is starting to take shape, and it appears that one of the key players in it will be DE Aaron Smith. The Steelers awarded Smith with a new five-year contract. He would have been a free agent at the end of the 2007 season, as will some other players on the defensive unit (most notably Porter, Haggans, and Polamalu). Obviously the Steelers new administration feels that Smith fits into their planned system, whether it be a 3-4 zone blitz or a 4-3 cover 2. The next big move will be to decide what to do with J. Peezy, who is due a fat roster bonus if the team doesn't cut him by March 6. I'd be shocked if he is still a Steeler on March 7, but we'll have to wait and see.

(2/2) We've all been talking about what an enormous task Mike Tomlin has in becoming just the 3rd Steelers coach since 1969 after the two guys who preceded him did so well. However, there is one other job within the Steelers organization which carries the same kind of prestige and longevity: the position of center. Since 1964, the Steelers have only had four centers (FOUR!). Ray Mansfield was a solid center during the pre-Super Bowl years, Mike Webster was a Hall of Famer, and Dermontti Dawson played in seven Pro Bowls. When Jeff Hartings (Penn State sucks) joined the Steelers in 2001 to replace Dawson, he had only played guard. I thought it was a bad signing at the time, but boy was I wrong. Hartings went to multiple Pro Bowls while anchoring a line which, this past season excluded, has consistently been one of the best in pro football. Now he has chosen to retire after 11 years of getting his knees beat up on. Hartings, who is a Christian, is reportedly going to start a non-denominational church in Salt Lake City. That's awesome, and I wish him all the best in retirement.

Now the pressure of carrying on the legacy most likely falls to Chukky Okobi, who has been the team's backup center for the past six seasons. In this modern era of free agency, it's not often that you see a backup player remaining on a team that long. I'm not sure if that means the Steelers really wanted to keep him for when Hartings retired, or if it means he really isn't very good and no other teams wanted to pluck him from our roster. I guess we will find out next season. I will say this: don't be shocked if the Steelers select a center on the first day of the NFL Draft this spring.

(1/25) Random thoughts on the hiring of Mike Tomlin now that we have had a few days to let it digest:

• The one thing everyone keeps saying about Tomlin is how he has this great "presence", and you can see that whenever he gets in front of the media to talk. This guy looks and sounds like a leader. He seems to carry himself with class and humility. Now granted, these are all just first impressions, but I can see why it was difficult for the Rooney's to say no to him. I'd much rather have a guy like Tomlin - who like Cowher in 1992 just seems to have SO much upside - rather than a recycled head coach like so many other teams often hire.
  
  
• Interesting move retaining Dick LeBeau as defensive coordinator. Does that mean we stick with the 3-4 defense? I was kind of surprised that everyone just assumed that Tomlin will want to go to a 4-3 just because that is what he has coached before. Bill Cowher coached a 4-3 in Kansas City and didn't try to bring that system here. I also believe that the Steelers defense could make the conversion to a 4-3 cover 2. Sure, there would be some pain, and yes, we need some rush ends in the system to be able to do that, but everything else fits. I don't buy the theory that Polamalu would lose his freedom because the strong safety is key in the cover 2 defense (see John Lynch, Bob Sanders, Mike Brown, ect), so Troy would do well. And for the folks who argue that the 3-4 is built around our great linebackers, the crop of guys we have now are not irreplaceable. James Farrior is getting old and is clearly not as dominant as he once was (plus he played strongside LB in New York's 4-3), Clark Haggans never blew anyone away, Larry Foote could make the transition to MLB in the 4-3, and you all know what I think about Joey Porter. It doesn't look like Tomlin will make the switch - at least not yet - but if he wants to go for it, I'd be all for it. The defense has been on a steady decline ever since the latter half of the 2004 season. Everyone remembers how great they were during the 8-game Super Bowl run, but few people recall how during the first 12 games of that season, they couldn't get off of the field on 3rd downs. We also saw them give up NUMEROUS big plays this past season. Tinkering with the defense may not be such a bad thing after all.
  
  
• I was blown away by the mass panic and overreaction of some Steelers fans after the Tomlin announcement. People talked about how they were "dismantling" the team and asked where the "loyalty" was in not hiring Grimm. I actually think it showed a lot of guts for the Rooney's to look beyond the organization. They found the guy who they believe will be the best coach. There is nothing wrong with that. It's also funny how quickly everyone forgot the 2006 season when they talked about tampering with the makeup of a "championship" team.
  
  
• One thing I won't criticize are the fans who are saying that Tomlin only got the job because he is black. While I TOTALLY disagree with that theory, I can't blame people for thinking that. This is what happens when you try to implement affirmative action-type policies. It just creates resentment and destroys the credibility of a person like Tomlin who is, by all accounts, a superior candidate for a job regardless of his race. I just don't get all this skin color nonsense. I don't understand why you wouldn't hire someone because they are black, or why you would make a business interview someone who is black. Both actions seem equally racist to me. I don't understand why it is acceptable for the media and corporations to keep a count of how many minorities are in a certain group. I thought we were supposed to ignore race and treat everyone the same. Same deal with the media pimping the Super Bowl as the battle of the black head coaches. Why can't Lovie Smith and Tony Dungy just be great coaches? I thought it was considered racist to single out someone's skin color as making them different, but in this case it is ok? Maybe I am just naive, but this all seems absurd, and I KNOW there are many people out there who wholeheartedly agree.
  
  
• Tomlin's staff is starting to fall into place. Bruce Arians, the team's wide receivers coach, was promoted to offensive coordinator. Arians previously held that job in Cleveland and did a decent enough job given what he had to work with (especially in this game). Ken Anderson, who played the Steelers twice a year for so many seasons as QB of the Bungles, was hired as the new QB coach. Meanwhile, secondary coach Darren Perry resigned - not sure why, and since I don't have much else to say about Perry, here is a picture of him getting smoked by Terrell Owens.
  
  
• Russ Grimm has a new job in Arizona doing the same thing he did here, but I'm not sure where he goes from here in terms of advancing in his career. He has been interviewed and passed over for head coaching jobs for several years, and now the team who he has been with since 2000 rejected him. That doesn't say a lot about his perceived ability to lead a football team. I hope something works out for him, but right now his coaching stock has to be pretty low. You never know though - teams rejected Tony Dungy for years too before Tampa finally hired him, and that turned out pretty well for him.

So now Tomlin prepares to do the impossible: fill the shoes of a legend who did so well in filling the shoes of another legend! This team is less than a year removed from winning a championship. Much will be expected of Tomlin. Fans were tough on Cowher and they will be even tougher on the new guy (my angry yinzer talk-show prediction after he loses his first game: "Why didn't the Rooney's pay more money to keep Cowher here?"). This much is clear - the most prestigious job in pro sports today now belongs to a 34 year-old with no previous head coaching experience. There is no franchise in pro sports with more fans or a prouder tradition than the Pittsburgh Steelers. I wish Tomlin the best of luck. He'll be under enormous pressure, but I think (and hope) that he will do a fine job.

(1/14) When offensive coordinator Ken Wisenhunt turned down the Oakland job last year, most people assumed he was coming back to become Bill Cowher's successor. When Cowher retired as expected, it almost seemed like a certainty that either Wisenhunt or assistant head coach Russ Grimm would get the job, with Wiz being the favorite. Well, that's not going to happen. Wisenhunt has been hired by the Arizona Cardinals. The details haven't come out yet, but I'd have to guess that if the Steelers really wanted Wiz, they would have made him the offer by now knowing full well the Cardinals were closing in on him. I'd also have to think that Wisenhunt would have told the Rooney's that he would have chosen the Steelers job over the Arizona job if they were ready to give it to him.

I really thought that the Steelers would want to keep the consistency of the past few years going by making Wiz the coach. Obviously they are going in a different direction. They may have chosen Grimm instead, but if that were the case, why haven't they offered him the job yet? And why are they bringing in Chan Gailey?? This process is much more interesting than I thought it would be.

Will the Steelers bring Gailey back? Will they hire the token guy, who like Cowher in 1992 is young and full of entusiasm? Will they do something off the wall like wait to see if the Chargers can Marty Schottenheimer after he blew yet ANOTHER huge playoff game today? (side note: I cannot believe it's going to be Colts-Pats in the AFC title game! What a crazy, crazy season this has been). If I had to wager a guess, it would be this: they want Ron Rivera. Since the Bears advanced to the NFC Championship Game today (eat it, Seattle!), the Steelers cannot interview Rivera again until after Chicago's season ends. They may just wait for that. Rivera seems to be a good fit. He has helped build amazing defenses in both Philly and Chicago. Unlike Wiz and Grimm, he is a defensive coach, and you know that is what the Steelers would prefer. Again, this is all speculation. I guess we'll just have to wait to see how this plays out.

(1/11) Time for some random thoughts:

• Everyone seems so certain that Bill Cowher will return to coaching in two or three seasons. That may very well be true, but I keep thinking back to when Barry Sanders (maybe my all-time favorite non-Steelers player) announced his retirement. Everyone laughed it off. They said the same things that they are saying about Cowher - Barry is too young to retire, he is too competitive to stay on the sidelines, he just wants a fresh start somewhere else, ect. Every time a team needed a running back, the rumors started to swirl that Sanders was their man. But the whole time Barry Sanders never flinched. He was indeed done with pro football. Now, I'm not saying that Cowher will take the same route. I'm just saying that no one knows for sure.
  
  
• Now that the Steelers have apparently wasted everyone's time with the token interview of Mike Tomlin, can we PLEASE put an end to this absurd (and completely racist) Rooney Rule? If you don't already know, the NFL requires teams who are searching for a head coach to interview at least one minority. It's called the Rooney rule because Dan Rooney was the architect behind it. While it may have good intentions, all it really ends up doing is turning black head coaching candidates into token interviews. This not only wastes their time, but it also insults and misleads them. I wish the NFL would quit trying to show everyone how politically correct they are.
  
  
• The Steelers face a fairly easy off-season this year in terms of free agents, but next year is going to be HUGE. Four prominent starters - Joey Porter, Aaron Smith, Troy Polamalu, and Alan Faneca - are going to be eligible for unrestricted free agency unless the Steelers can work out a deal with them beforehand (starters Kendall Simmons, Clark Haggans, and Dan Kreider will also be in the same boat). If you read this site regularly, you already know what I think about Porter, so I'll be happy when he is finally gone. Troy could probably be franchised - something the Steelers haven't done since they put the tag on Carnell Lake over a decade ago - if for no other reason that the average salary of the top five NFL safeties are not that much. That would leave Faneca and Smith. If the Steelers are forced into choosing between them, they have to re-sign Faneca. This past season proved how absolutely vital the offensive line is to the success of the franchise, and Faneca ranks right behind Mike Webster and Dermontti Dawson as the best o-linemen in Steelers history. No offense to Smith, who is maybe the most underrated player on the team. Hopefully they will find a way to keep them both.
  
  
• All season long I've been getting more and more annoyed with the media worship of the Dallas Cowboys. This is nothing new of course. After all, it was the media who propagated their image as "America's Team" during the 1970's (because apparently back then, "America" was all about losing multiple Super Bowls to the Steelers). However, this year they took their love to new extremes. We were force fed daily stories about the Bill Parcells-Terrell Owens relationship even though nothing significant really happened (especially when you compare with TO's previous two teams). Then when Tony Romo took over at QB and beat up on a few bad teams, he was anointed as the best quarterback since Johnny Unitas. The media put Romo on a pedestal and jubilantly proclaimed that the Cowboys were Super Bowl favorites. Then it all fell apart. Dallas lost three out of their last four games, barely squeezed into the playoffs, and then blew the Wild Card Playoff game to another team who was going into the tank (Seattle) when Romo botched a perfect snap on a game-winning 19-yard field goal attempt. You may have thought that disaster would have marked the end of the media worship, but you would have been wrong.
  
  All this week we have been bombarded with stories about the "controversial" k-ball. For those who don't already know, back in the mid-1990's the NFL wanted to curb the success of the kicking game, so they introduced a bunch of rules that they thought would make for exciting kick returns and encourage teams to go for touchdowns rather than field goals. Rules included shortening the kicking tee, moving kickoffs back five yards, and using the k-ball, which is a new ball taken right out of the box (because in the past, kickers would get a hold of the game ball before a game and work it in so it would be easier to handle). Kickers, punters, and long-snappers have long complained about the k-ball but have received almost zero attention - until now, that is.
  
  How could Romo have mishandled such an easy snap when he is the greatest football player of our generation? Could it be because of this slippery new ball that they MADE him use?? How unjust!! Nevermind the fact that at least two other playoff games since the introduction of the k-ball - the 1999 NFC Divisional Playoff game between the Redskins and Bucs, and the 2002 NFC Wild Card Playoff game between the Giants and 49ers - have been lost on botched snaps with NO mention whatsoever about the impact of the k-ball. Nevermind the fact that multiple playoff games have been lost on missed field goals (Gary Anderson, Nate Kaeding, Doug Brien, Mike Vanderjagt, ect) since the the introduction of this ball. Never once was it the k-ball's fault. But because it happened to the beloved Dallas Cowboys and their Golden Boy QB, now all of a sudden it's a big deal. I really have nothing against Romo or any of the other Dallas players (except Owens), and I can't stand the whiny Seahawks, but I am so glad Dallas is done because I can't handle any more of this media love affair. It's just gotten beyond ridiculous.