WHO'S FAULT IS IT II

Unfortunately I'm going to have to reprise this feature for a second consecutive week. I didn't want to have to do it again all this year, but unprecedented events occurred this weekend in Steeler Nation. 1. They lost to the BenGals. 2. They lost a second consecutive game and they barely beat the Titans. They need a little home cookin' and a lot of Troy Polamalu back in the lineup. Troy won't be back for another 2 weeks at the minimum though. So who's fault was this most recent loss.

Was it Ben's
Can't lay the blame on this one for Ben. He played well and despite a pick six he put the Steelers in position to win. He even was able to do what the running backs can't seem to do and score a rushing TD. He had 1 passing TD also and should have had 2. Not Ben's fault this Sunday.

Was it the Running Backs fault?
That's singular because for some reason Willie got all the carries and Rashard was nowhere to be found. Willie did a good job and had a very good run the second time he touched the ball, so much so that you wonder why B.A. didn't rush more often. Probably because Frank Summers was not active and David Johnson went out early with an injury. Either Rashard is in the doghouse or Tomlin wanted to send a message that Willie was the number 1 back and he could carry the load. The announcers eluded to Mike Tomlin sending a message to Mendenhall that he needs to have a sense of urgency in practice as well as games. Is it possible that Rashard isn't the hardest working guy in the training room. He was pretty much a no show after his injury last season until the Super Bowl. But, no the running game wasn't the problem this game.

Was it the Receivers' faults?
Did anybody see that guy in a number 14 jersey masquerading as a player. Could that pass be thrown any better, could he be any more wide open. Uh, Ben could you please carry that ball down to the end zone and put it in that guy's hands, because it's not getting there any other way. Do you think Santonio is still a little dazed from that Super Bowl catch? That gives him a pass for several games, but please wake up Santonio. It looked like from reactions that he should have been looking for the pass that turned into a pick six. I had flashbacks to Neil O'Donnell getting picked off and Andre Hastings looking around with a dazed look. Hines provided his usual stability, but he can't bail the receivers out forever. Mike Wallace did a great job on those 3rd downs but he needs to stop falling down. Ben did throw it low to avoid any chance of a INT.

Was it the Defenses fault?
I'm going to lump them all together for this. The Steelers had a 20-9 lead in the 4th quarter and needed a stop on one of two drives. James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley are getting little to no pressure on the quarterbacks and although they did not allow any huge runs they were giving up first down after first down on the run. Where is the pressure this year? Troy is sorely missed and Benson would not have had that TD run if he was in there. I have a feeling JH and LW will break out of this, but it better be soon.

Was it the Special Teams fault?
They gave up a long return on the first kick, but it did not lead to a score. Jeff missed another field goal, but that didn't hurt them as much as last week. Stefan had a good return to set up a TD, but he also for reasons unknown, wasn't in position to even make a fair catch on a punt and let it go another 15 yards until it stopped rolling.

Was it the Coaches fault?
The defense is not getting off the field like it should and not providing any pressure. I'd say part of that falls on the coach's but Tomlin, Lebeau, and Arians can't catch the wide open balls in the endzone.

Was it the referees?
They are harassing Hines Ward with all these penalties. It is ridiculous. He needs to blindside one of them and knock some sense into them. Oh yeah, and maybe they get some of the blame for Harrison not getting any sacks. Divert some of your attention to Harrison.

Gotta point my finger for this one to
1. That receiver guy that dropped the TD. I will not refer to him by name until he redeems himself somehow, and if he pulls that stunt again he might move to 4th on the depth chart and not see any more pt unless there's an injury.
2. The defense. They let the Bengals score 2 TDs in the fourth quarter and gave them way too many chances on that last drive. The Bengals controlled the clock as the Steelers did many times last year and did not give Ben any time to make that 2 minute drill drive to win the game.

Steelers Rule!!!!!

Carter Fined

Adding insult to injury, Carter ailing from the Chicago game with a thigh injury was hit by the league for his hit on Greg Olsen. From a fan's standpoint that hit was worth it. Apparently they thought he led with the crown of his helmet. Didn't look like it to me. It looked like he was watching him the whole way.

Obligatory Referee Blasphemy
10 for 80 yards, the refs stunk, obviously for the Bears . The Steelers need to clean this up.

Should Ryan Play in Denver?

I thought this was going to be all nos, but someone decided he should play. I voted no, and I don't think he should take a chance with his life after what happened on his last visit. But, if a specialist in his disorder would give him a clean bill of health and say he is not in danger of further issues than maybe he would choose to play. I think the risk is too much, and it sounds like the Steelers feel the same way. We'll wait and see. Hopefully Troy will be back by then.

How many?

How many wins will the Steelers have. The Poll Results are in and the fans expect 11-12 this season. 13-14 and 15-16 were tied for second place. Not a bad season, that is if it leads to the Super Bowl. We expect those wins on a regular basis now.

WHO'S FAULT?

The one that got away? That would be this game. I'm introducing this new feature to the blog, it's called who's fault is it? Instead of a report card I'll tell everyone who's fault it was that the Steelers lost the game. Hopefully this is the only edition of this feature. So......


Was it Ben's fault?

No, Ben continued his hot streak he ended last week's game with. He was only sacked twice and started of with a TD pass to Matt Spaeth. He threw a few errant passes that didn't make it into his receiver's hands one landing in the defenses hands, but overall played decently.


Was it the Running Back's faults?


They didn't get the ball as much as they probably should have with the weather. But, this game was considerably better than the first. Mendenhall chipped in a long jaunt to set up a TD and Willie had a few decent runs. The bad thing about Running Back by committee is that none of them get in a good groove. Mewelde continued to contribute consistent play. So, no not the Running backs faults.


Was it the Offensive Line?


They provided very good pass blocking and opened up a few holes for the Running Backs to slip through. Can't blame it on them.


Was it the Receiver's?


Well, in the second half after it started raining they (SH) started dropping passes and stopped getting first downs. That's kind of important when you're depending on the passing game to take you down the field.


Was it the DBs faults?

Last week Cutler threw 4 TD's. This week he threw none. In the tying TD drive by the Bears they gave up a long pass to the Bears Olson which put them in good position to score. In short they didn't get off the field when they needed to.


Was it the D-Line and Linebackers fault?


The linebackers didn't come up with any sacks and like the DBs didn't come up with stops in key situations to get themselves off the field. They didn't give up a lot of rushing yards, but did give them up when they needed a stop.


Was it the Special Teams?


Well, I really hate to point fingers especially at a guy that has won many games more than he has lost for the Steelers, but Jeff Reed had 2 chances to win the game and he was 0 for 2. Have to put the blame for this one on Jeff. We still love ya though Jeff.


I really have to wonder if Jeff is 100%, though. He did win the Titans game, but other than that he has not had that many kicks that looked good. I really don't care if they look good or not if they go through. But, if you're barely getting them through or missing 2 in a game there is cause for concern.


Another note: Lots of complaints about the field conditions. Some say it was worse than Heinz in December. Nice to hear complaints about someone else's field.


Up next: BenGals preview

STEELERS-BEARS NOTES

It looks like da Bears have a lot to look forward to in this game. I assume the Bears like to watch a good football team play. So, if that logic holds they'll enjoy watching the Steelers come to town and taking them apart.



QB

Advantage

Steelers - Roethlisberger 2 interceptions 1 TD last week, Cutler 4 ints. Cutler is a legend in his own mind. If I were Josh McDaniel I wouldn't think a second thought about getting rid of him.



Offense

Toss up

The Bears O Line is probably a little better than the Steelers, but the Steelers have the better QB and a corps of talented receivers. Look for the Steelers to improve their running game against the Bears. If Willie doesn't play better look for more passing from Ben and more of Rashard. If Rashard doesn't play better, we may be seeing more of Mewelde Moore.



Defense

Steelers
The Bears are built on defense, but so are the Steelers and last week the Bears lost part of their foundation for the season, Brian Urlacher. They have another guy in Ogundleyahanfad, or something like that is their big pash rusher so he will assume the bulk of the load for Chicago. But, losing one of their big playmakers doesn't help. Of course the Steelers lost one of their big playmakers also last week. But, the Steelers still have James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley as their playmakers and Tyrone Carter will fill in for Troy. The Steelers still have the same defense as last year that was No. 1 in the league minus Troy and Bryant McFadden.

Special Teams
Gotta give this to the Bears
This should be an interesting battle between Stefan Logan and Devin Hester. Logan is supposed to make the Steelers return game 100% better this year and Hester is the league standard in returners, though last year wasn't his best.

Coaching
Steelers
Might as well just say this now. Steelers will win this every game.
Lovie Smith is good but Mike Tomlin and Dick Lebeau have won Super Bowls.

Score
Steelers 27-10

Oh, Ohlendorf

Ross Ohlendorf finished his first year with the Pirates at 11-10. As the optimist, it's another reason the Pirates have to look forward to next season. Ohlendorf, ended up as the Pirates most reliable starter and had some pretty good numbers on this young team

Here's a breakdown of his starts over the season.
29 Starts
Earned Runs per start
0-2 Runs - 14 times
3-4 Runs - 10 times
5+ - 5 times

That tells me that in 14 starts he put the Pirates in a position to win the game. It also tells me that if he was playing for a team with a decent offense he would have put that team in a position to win in 24 games and only in 5 games did he give up 5 or more runs. If all the Pirates Pitchers would have pitched that well I think we would have been looking at at least a .500 season. I'm looking for good things to come from Ohlendorf. There's no reason to put him out there any more this season and risk injury. He's shown what he can do.

A Sign of Things to Come

Optimism is hard to find with the Pirates, but I'm always looking for some somewhere, anywhere. Well, guess what? LYNCHBURG WINS! LYNCHBURG WINS! That's right, Lynchburg won 8-7 yesterday to sweep the Carolina League Championship. Is this a sign that the Pirates farm system is looking up. Well, it's a sign that Lynchburg is good so I'll say yes.

Congrats to the Hillcats! Hope to see you in Pittsburgh sometime soon, and bring the championship with you.

Bonus

A bonus poll for those interested. Predict how many wins the Steelers will have this year.

Wins and Losses

Here's the prediction you're waiting for. How many games will the Steelers win this year?

19, no, not so fast. Let's take a look at the schedule.

9/10 Titans W 1-0 Close, but the homefield advantage tips the scales
9/20 at Da Bears W 2-0 Da Bears aint that good and their new QB threw 4 Ints last week. Too bad Troy can't enjoy one of those tasmanian devil pick 6 ints. Those are fun.
9/27 at the benGals W 3-0 Is there any question why Gals is a part of their name.
10/4 Chargers W 4-0 Uh, there's this guy named Norv Turner that keeps getting head coaching jobs, strange thing is he is a horrible head coach. Home field advantage again is the difference plus Norv is bad. By the way, Ben 2 Phil 0 (Super Bowl Wins)
10/11 at Lions W 5-0 No explanation necessary
10/18 Browns W 6-0 Browns may be 0-6 after this game. They're rebuilding again. Mangenius, not.
10/25 Vikings W 7-0 Adrian Peterson could be the difference in this game, but home field wins the game again. Brett Favre, meet James Harrison. Could be Favre's last game of the season. Troy P. returns and intercepts 3 Favre passes.
11/1 Bye W 8-0 The Steelers win without even playing a game.
11/9 at Denver W 9-0 Can't see Kyle Orton beating the Steelers.
11/15 benGals W 10-0 See above and add Home field to the equation.
11/22 at the Chiefs W 11-0 The Chiefs are rebuilding, Haley's not a bad coach, but firing your OC right before the beginning of the season. Not a formula for success.
11/29 at Ravens L 11-1 I'd like to predict the perfect season, but the Ravens are good and Flacco has a season under his belt. They lost Ryan and a few others. Let's see how the defense plays out for them. I know Ray Ray is old and I never was overly impressed with him. Only win because this game is on the road.
12/6 Raiders 12-1 Again, no explanation necessary. Look up plastic pants in the dictionary and you'll find a picture of Al Davis. Eccentric is an understatement.
12/10 at Browns 13-1 They may have improved from the first meeting, but not enough. By this time Derek Anderson will have replaced Brady Quinn and then Brady Quinn gets another shot.
12/20 Packers W 14-1 I'm not sold on Aaron Rogers and this game is in Pittsburgh.
12/27 Ravens W 15-1 Home game, Steelers even the season series
1/3 at Dolphins L 15-2 In Miami, the starters rest for the playoffs. Could easily be a W.

Don't want to jinx the rest.
Just kidding about the Bye week, by the way.

To play or not to play

It seems like a simple question. The last time Ryan Clark was in Denver, it led to him not playing the rest of the season. The mysterious Mile High factors caused complications with a blood disorder and also caused them to have to remove his spleen and gall bladder.

The poll question revolves around whether Ryan should play in Denver this year. They are already short one starting safety, but the obvious is life is more important than football, even Steelers Football.

Should he play?

A Little Help, please

I was going to come up with some nicknames for Mike Wallace, ala Fast Willie Parker, and have a poll to see what everyone's favorite was, but decided to ask everyone for their suggestions. So, I'm putting it out there for my readers. Give me your suggestions.

RECAP

Ben was a little rusty, "nervous" as he put it at the beginning of the game or the Steelers might have been up 7-0 on the first drive of the game. Ben had Mike Wallace, the rook, wide open on the right side of the field and had he put a little more on it, the speedy Wallace would have been in the endzone before you could say TD. Wallace needs a nickname, by the way. By the end of the game Ben was back to Super Bowl form completing a string of passes, missing only one.

Stefan Logan showed why a roster spot was kept open for a returner by returning the opening kickoff for 39 yards. He might want to change up his returns here and there though. He tried several times to outrun the kicking team to the right side of the field. He did it successfully, but teams watch film and see tendencies. He also lost a punt and 15 yards later in the game. Pretty happy with him overall though.

Troy Polamalu was AWESOME coming up and nailing Chris Johnson on the 2 yard line for a loss at the beginning of the game. Then, that interception. Lynn Swann, who was at the game by the way, has nothing on Troy. He Skyed to get up to break up the pass, but then he reached up and grabbed the pass, LEFTHANDED; AMAZING. I think Tyrone Carter or someone else will be on the field goal team from now on. Let's just keep Troy on defense when he comes back. Unless we need somebody to play safety when Ben's kneeling down at the end of games.

Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward, and Mike Wallace provided great receiver play. Holmes and Ward each topped 100 yards and Santonio scored the Steelers only TD before the end of the first half. Mike Wallace, who apparently impressed Tomlin and B.A. enough that he took over the 3rd receiver position from Limas Sweed, made a crucial catch in OT to put them in field goal position. Although Hines fumbled in field goal position at the end of regulation I think we can absolve him of that misdeed. He has made a few plays in his career to win a game or 2. Plus, any Steeler fans knows Hines well enough to know that after that fumble that Ben could throw every pass his way in overtime and he would not only catch anything near him and get them in field goal position but he would not fumble 100 out of 100 times after that.

Some would disagree, but I like how the Steelers stuck with the run, to a point. That 3rd down attempt right before the game tying field goal was pathetic. They were passing it all over the field then tried running it up the gut 2 times. It didn't work. They need to keep trying to run it, because Ben can't win them all with his arm... or can he?

It was nice to have Sepulveda back. He gave the punting game distance when needed and was accurate when needed. He also got lucky with a good roll on another.

Jeff Reed, just another game winning field goal. No big deal. I can't say this enough, re-sign this guy. Suspend the rule about extending contracts during the season. If he isn't re-signed it will cost the Steelers at some point next year. I remember when they took the hard line with Gary Anderson and he continued to be productive for another 20 years. Not really, but I don't think they should have let him go.

I hate to say it, but the Titans looked good. Their defense stuffed Willie and Rashard. Our offensive line did not run block well, and there were very few holes for those guys to run through. Willie had a few chances to get more yardage, but it looked like he hit the wrong hole, make that mousehole, because if they were there they were small. It seemed like he could have bounced it outside a few times but didn't. Remember, he played very little this preseason and I expect him to get better as the season progresses. The O Line needs to run block better, though. The pass blocking at the end of the game was excellent and Ben had all kinds of time on the OT drive.

Grades:
OFFENSE
Ben: B+
2 INTs, 1 TD, 2 game winning drives (credit him with 2 since Hines fumbled)

O-Line: C+
3 Sacks in the first half, 2 BHBTLS (new stat - Ben holding the ball too long sack), poor run blocking the whole game, pass blocking improved dramatically in 2nd half.

Running Backs: F
No holes, but you have to make holes occasionally. Long of 8 yards, stopped on 3rd and 2 in the red zone to pick up a first down.

Receivers: A+
Two 100 yard games from Hines and Santonio, a big catch from Mike W. and Heath's dependability.

DEFENSE:
Defensive Line: B+
Dependable as usual, Casey Hampton had a pressure, Aaron Smith had a pressure. Were not as effective against the run as the Titans, but still held them to 86 yards, and one was a cutback run of 32 yards by Johnson.

Linebackers: B
Never really got to Collins, but he threw the ball away everytime they got close. But, that's just as good as a sack. James Harrison continued to be held and the refs continued to ignore.

Defensive Backs: B-
Troy played amazingly while he was in. Collins played well and found the open receiver consistently. Gave up a catch and run before the half to set up the tying TD.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A
Stefan was a definite positive addition with an immediate impact on the 39 yard kickoff return. Did botch a punt return that cost them 15 yards of field position. Sepulveda was effective with distance and accuracy. Didn't allow any excessive returns. Jeff Reed is "the man."

Next up Da Bears.

A WIN IS A WIN

The running game wasn't pretty, the passing game didn't start off well, but in the end it was a W in the win column and the Steelers start the season of 1-0. Tune in later for recap of the game.

1 MORE DAY

Less than 24 hours before gametime and STEELER NATION is pumped. I can feel the vibes in the air. Here is how the teams stack up for the inaugural game of the 2009-2010 season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the Tennessee Titans

Final Rankings for the 2008-2009 season
Steelers
Offense
Passing 17th
Rushing 23rd
Defense
Passing 1st
Rushing 2nd

Where should I start? Well, let's start with focal point of the Steelers since the '70s. The Defense. In the 1970s the Steelers had the most feared defense in the league. They were overflowing with talent at nearly every position. They had the fearsome Linebackers, Ham and Lambert, they had the lineman Joe Greene, LC Greenwood, and they had the cornerbacks and safeties, Donnie Shell and Mel Blount. These guys were as we know a team of the ages. I love to go to youtube and watch the video of Lambert slamming Cliff Harris to the ground after he pats Roy Gerela on the head for missing a field goal. Classic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkBJMdlTBWg
This version of the Steelers defense that owns 2 Super Bowls of its own is creating a legend of it's own. James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley (a short timer but key contributor t0 the 2009 Super Bowl), Brett Keisel, Aaron Smith, Troy Polamalu, Deshea Townsend, Ike Taylor. Harrison continued to prove to the Ravens they should never have let him go when they had a chance at him. That return right before halftime was UN-BE-LIEVE-ABLE.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoxSFBHbA80
That was then this is now, but guess what? Expect to see much of the same this year. That defense, well it's back, except for 1 guy, Bryant McFadden. McFadden was the starter for a big part of the season last year, but when he was injured William Gay played so well that McFadden couldn't displace him when he became healthy again. Not to mention the fact that they have this other guy named Townsend that's been around the block a few times. The Steelers also picked up a nice option to give Aaron Smith a break if needed when they picked Ziggy Hood in the draft. The defensive line that anchored that number 1 defense is still intact and ready to go again.
The Offense actually detoured from its normal formula for success. That was mostly due to the injuries incurred by their top 2 tailbacks, Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall and the loss of Kendall Simmons and Marvel Smith to injuries. Parker and Mendenhall are back and mostly healthy, although Willie didn't play too much this preseason due to hamstring problems. That does not sound too encouraging for his outlook this year, but we'll see. Mendenhall is out to prove that he is worthy of the number 1 pick last year. He got very little playing time due to that dirty play by Ray "Over the Hill" Lewis which knocked him out for the season just when he got his first start. Ben is Ben. I have heard National sports commentators line up saying he is not in the top 3 QBs in the league. Yeah, those 2 Super Bowls were just luck, he had no part in them getting there. I'm sure any old QB, John Kitna, could have just as easily won those 2 games and those playoff games and those regular season games. Oh, yeah, any old quarterback could have won those 2 playoff games on the road in Indy and Denver to get him to Super Bowl XL. Wake up jokers. This guy is a winner. Phillip Rivers would have been on the IR for the year if he wrecked his motorcycle. Drew Brees, how many playoff games has he won. Payton Manning, maybe, but he's still a Super Bowl shy of Ben. Brady has won 3 but let's see how he reacts to his injury this year. They lost Nate Washington, but I'm guessing that Limas Sweed is going to fill in for him quite well, and if he does have the dropsies, they drafted this guy named Mike Wallace that's as fast as greased lightning, and if he can't fill Nat's role they got a guy that catches anything thrown to him in Shaun McDonald. So, I don't think Nate's going to be a big loss.

Special teams should improve dramatically with the return of Daniel Sepulveda and the addition of Stefan Logan. I'm thinking they'll gain a few yards in field position each game and hopefully Logan will break a few.

One of the great things about the Steelers is consistency. 3 coaches in almost 40 years, the same family owning the team, a laundry list of Hall of Famers. I think they have the recipe for winning down pat.

Titans
Offense
Passing 27th
Rushing 7th
Defense
Passing 9th
Rushing 6th

Believe it or not I know a little bit more about the Steelers than I do about the Titans. But, here goes.
The Titans were consistent throughout the season last year which shows in the defensive rankings. They were the number 1 seed and would have had the home field advantage throughout the playoffs if it had not been for the Steelers best friends, the Baltimore Ravens, and Joe Flacco knocking them off and creating home field advantage for the Steelers which helped them clinch the AFC championship. They had a key loss in the offseason in Albert "I'm going to kick you when you're down" Haynesworth. He took the cash and fled to greener pastures in Washington D.C. I would say he was their best defender and I'm thinking their defense is going to suffer from that loss.

Their offense is anchored by the running game which features Chris Johnson and LenDale White. Johnson, a rookie, last year provided the featured back they needed which took the pressure off their quarterback. White provided the power rushing game to go along with Johnson's style. A good combination which showed in their number 7 rushing game. Their passing game was less than effective, but part of that was the change in mid stream from an ineffective Vince Young to Kerry Collins. Young has yet to settle in as a starting QB which led to the Titans replacing him after injury with Collins last year. He did not relinquish the job and played well enough for the Titans to extend his contract for 2 years, the same amount Vince has left on his. This should get interesting.

The Titans have 2 former Steelers on their team in Chris Hope and Nate Washington. Nate could give some tips for the Titans, but maybe he'll drop a few balls thrown to him by KC if he plays. He's questionble for this one due to injury.

The Titans did win the meeting last year, but that one was in Tennessee. This one is in Hines' field.

Look for this to be a close one. The Titans defense is their strength and see above for what the Steelers pride themselves on.
Defensive Advantage: Steelers
Offensive Advantage: Steelers
Uh, Ben, Hines, Santonio versus K. "this is my 10th team" Collins and Chris Johnson. 'nuf said.
Special Teams: Toss up
Titans have a good kicking game and who knows what Stefan will do in his Steelers premiere.

Coaching: Advantage: Steelers
Fisher is the longest tenured coach in the league and has been to a Super Bowl but Mr. Tomlin has one of those Lombardi's in just 2 seasons. Oh, yeah and there's that LeBeau guy. He doesn't hurt their chances.

Score:
17-10 Steelers
Got my terrible towel warmed up and I'm hearing Myron cheering!

1-9 IN THE LAST 10

The poor play continues. This time ZD gave up 7 runs in the first inning and the Cubs took the second game of this series at PNC Park by the score of 9-4. Once again to add insult to injury. One of those guys that the Pirates decided had no future with them held them to 4 runs. Tom Gorzellany, who pitched fairly well in relief when returning to Pittsburgh earlier this year was the Cubs starter tonight. Wouldn't it be nice to have a reliable lefty in the bullpen. It seems Zach is wearing down. In fact it seems like the whole team is wearing down. Their home record is still above .500 but it won't be for long if this play continues. It seems like the only thing to talk about is the play of the Legend. Another Home Run tonight, he's up to 19. Too bad this story doesn't follow the storyline of the Natural. He needs to hit a shot into the lights. That would be great. Or maybe the team needs some patches on their uniform. Something to wake these guys up.

2 DAYS

Two days to go before the beginning of the football season. From the looks of the team in the preseason they are primed and ready to go. I think there were 2 problems the Steelers encountered in their final cuts.
1. The Steelers found a player that they could develop and possibly provide backup depth on the defensive line. They drafted Ziggy, but they need some fresh young studs in that position. Sonny Harris was that player. He was a 6th round draft pick and performed well in camp and looked to be a player. Apparently Carolina thought so also and signed him to their 53 man roster. The Steelers tried to get him through waivers to put him on the practice squad but Carolina got to him first. Once a player is put on waivers any team can claim him and he cannot go back to the team that put him on waivers unless he is unclaimed.

2. The other surprise was that the Steelers will go with a rookie blocking back in their first preseason game. Frank Summers somehow beat out training camp sensation Isaac Redman for one of the Running Back positions. Frank will be a blocking back and I think he will end up with the short yardage duties eventually. David Johnson is the other blocking back. He performed well in training camp and impressed the coaches with his blocking skills. But, for a team with one of the most sacked QBs you would think they would want some stability blocking for him.

3. The third surprise is that Bruce Davis was cut outright and there didn't seem to be any effort to sign him to the practice squad. It actually is not that big of a surprise because he never did seem to catch anyone's eye as a playmaker but they did spend a 3rd round draft choice in 2008 and he did not pan out. He is one of those projects where the Steelers tried to convert a pass rushing defensive end in college to an outside linebacker. Not the first time this experiment failed. Hope he doesn't turn into Mike Vrabel II with another team, because he certainly turned out to be Alonzo Jackson II with the Steelers.

The Steelers made an attempt to sign Jeff Reed before the start of the season, sounds like it was a pretty feable attempt, then the gave Justin Hartwig a contract. I'd like to have both, but I'm worried ahead of time that they're going to have to find a kicker that can figure out how to kick in Heinz Field. Jeff is a pressure kicker and has come through in the clutch many many times. Please figure out how to resign him.

BTW, former Steeler Anthony Smith, was cut by the Packers. According to sources Smith performed well in camp and was thought to have made the team. Do you think maybe he said the wrong thing to the wrong person... or maybe he hit the wrong person. Aaron Rodgers didn't turn up on the injury report recently, did he.

Tomorrow night will be the preview of the season opener. HERE WE GO STEELERS!

Poll Results - Ziggy's Sacks

Time's up for this poll and the peeps expect Ziggy to come up with 4-6 sacks this year. 2nd place was 1-3. I'd be happy to see him with 4-6, but being selfish I'd like to see double digits. If James and LaMarr can get double digits and Ziggy can get double digits in a backup roll that would be quite a feet.

Next poll is still in the works, but will be coming soon to a blog near you.

WALK OFF

A walk off single tonight by the Legend ended the 9 game losing streak. The Legend of the Legend grows by the day.

Revised Roster

I was a little off on Joe Burnett, but he made the team. Stefan Logan surpassed him in return duties so I thought they might put him on the PS.
Tony Hills must have shown enough to stay on the roster to prove himself this year.
Very surprised that Carey Davis was cut, and the other blocker/TE Sean McHugh was put on IR and is out for the season. So they enter the season with David Johnson another FB/TE hybrid that played well in preseason but I didn't think they'd go with an unseasoned rookie to block for Willie, Mewelde, and Rashard, not to mention Ben. Watch out for flying Linebackers Ben. Donovan Woods was signed to the practice squad. Thought they'd put one of their young Linebackers there if possible, but I though it would be Bruce Davis. No word on what will happen to him.
Anthony Madison was cut due to lack of space on the roster for a mostly special teams specialist. Stefan probably forced that move.
Ryan Mundy made the roster. Thought they might give him another year on the Practice Squad for seasoning, but he played well the last preseason game.
and
Unfortunateley Sonny Harris was signed by Carolina. He played well this preseason and I was surprised he didn't make it. They gotta take the 53 they think they'll need.

Got Isaac Redman on the Practice squad in case of a RB injury and AQ Shipley signed up for the PS also.

The story of The Legend

Chuck Finder of the Post-Gazette wrote this great article about The Legend if you haven't read it already.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg09247/995481-63.stm

PROJECTED ROSTER

Here's what I think the 53 man roster will look like. Let me know what you think.
QBs
Ben Roethlisberger
Charlie Batch
Dennis Dixon

Running Backs
Fast Willie Parker
Rashard Mendenhall
Mewelde Moore
Carey Davis
Frank Summers
Stefan Logan

Wide Receivers
Hines Ward
Santonio Holmes
Limas Sweed
Mike Wallace
Shaun McDonald

Tight Ends
Heath Miller
Matt Spaeth
Sean McHugh
David Johnson

Center
Justin Hartwig
Doug Legursky

Linebacker
James Harrison
LaMarr Woodley
James Farrior
Lawrence Timmons
Keyaron Fox
Andre Frazier
Arnold Harrison
Patrick Bailey

Cornerback
Ike Taylor
William Gay
Deshea Townsend
Keenan Lewis
Anthony Madison
Keiwan Ratliff

Safety
Troy Polamalu
Ryan Clark
Tyrone Carter
Ryan Mundy

Nose Tackle
Casey Hampton
Chris Hoke

Defensive End
Aaron Smith
Brett Keisel
Travis Kirschke
Nick Eason
Ziggy Hood
Ra'shon Harris

Tackle
Max Starks
Trai Essex
Willie Colon
Ramon Foster

Kicker
Jeff Reed

Punter
Daniel Sepulveda

Long Snapper
Greg Warren

Practice Squad: If another team doesn't pick them up
Isaac Redman
Dallas Baker
A.Q. Shipley
Bruce Davis
Joe Burnett
Roy Lewis
Tony Hills
Donovan Woods

Cuts
Quarterback
Mike Reilly

Running Back
Justin Vincent

Wide Receiver
Steven Black
Tyler Grisham
Martin Nance
Brandon Williams

Tight End
Dezmond Sherrod

Center
Alex Stepanovich

Linebacker
Tom Korte
Andrew Schantz

Cornerback
Derrick Richardson

Nose Tackle
Scott Paxson

Defensive End
Jordan Reffett

Defensive Tackle
Steve McClendon

Tackle
Jeremy Parquet

Punter
Dirk Johnson

Kicker
Piotr Czech

I switched Ryan Mundy to the roster at the last minute and put Donovan Woods on the Practice Squad which may not be possible, but I tried.

AND THE ROLLER COASTER CONTINUES DOWNWARD

It seems like it was yesterday that the Pirates went on such a modest winning streak. That's over now and they've lost 2 series in a row to teams they should at least come out .500 against. The Brew Crew and the Reds just swept the Pirates on the road.

On the somewhat positive side...
The Legend hit number 18, a solo shot which also turns out to be the franchises 10,000 home run. Lots of guys behind those home runs. Who is the Pirates leader among those 10,000. It's not Garrett, but if he keeps up this pace he might end up high on the list.
Willie Stargell 475
Ralph Kiner 301
Roberto Clemente 240

Also, Neil Walker in his first start had his ups and downs.
Made some plays at 3rd, went o-4, made an error on a tough play.
We need some help at the plate Neil. Watch some GJ video.

SPECIAL TEAMS

I could go through and name everyone that will be on special teams this year, but that would just be a waste of time. Instead I'm just going to write about a few guys that will hopefully make the difference in special teams for the Stillers this year.

Stefan Logan: Not related to Mike. This guy has provided some spark to the return team in preseason and appears to have made the team. The Steelers drafted 2 other guys that they hoped would provide the kind of the returns that the Steelers have for the most part lacked since Antwaan Randle El. Santonio fits what they want but it was apparent last year they didn't want to risk injury to him in the return game. They only put him out there when they were hoping to break one. He did it a few times, but that was last year. Anyway, in the 2nd preseason game Stefan provided some thrills and continued that theme last week. Unfortunately he doesn't provide a lot of depth at other positions. He's a little guy that was used as a running back and receiver in the CFL. He could be used at those positions here but will probably be used in the 6 receiver set for the Steelers. Just kidding. He will probably be the 6th receiver in case others go down.

Joe Burnett/Keenan Lewis/Mike Wallace: Out of these three possible returners I'd like to see Mike Wallace get in there. He has the need for speed, and he could run right past the fastest in the NFL. Joe Burnett hurt his chances of returning punts by having the dropsies.

Jeff Reed: Has been rested quite a bit in the preseason and Piotr Czech has kicked well in his absence. Reed has had an ankle problem due to "stepping in a hole" at St. Vincent, OK? But, Czech hasn't kicked in 15 degrees at Heinz Field. Jeff Reed is the king of that and let's hope the Steelers can find some cash to resign him. Because before him there were a few guys that proved it aint easy to take into account all the mysterious forces surrounding those goal posts.

Daniel Sepulveda: Does anybody appreciate a good punter after last season's replacement. I don't know why they didn't try a few other guys out for the job. The one thing that could be said for them was they didn't get any important ones blocked. Some of their punts only went five yards but at least for the most part they went forward. Welcome back Daniel. He should be good for some added field position this year.

James Harrison: He's a terror on the field whatever he's playing. If he wants to play special teams I'd let him. I wouldn't put it past the other teams to run out of bounds to avoid him.

Keyaron Fox: Will probably continue to play special teams but may start for LT if his ankle is still bothering him. Fox was an important part of the special teams and was a big reason they improved from 2 years ago.

The special teams should improve significantly simply by adding Sepulveda back to the mix and hopefully Logan's return average will translate to the regular season.

Up next: My shot at the 53 man roster.