Steelers Training Camp - Players to Watch

2015 Training Camp is approaching and the transition from the players who participated in the most recent Super Bowl run by the Steelers to the players that replaced them is nearly complete.  There are a few holdovers.  James Harrison and Ben Roethlisberger were key components of those teams, but 3 main cogs of the machine called it quits in the offseason and key components of the next team have been identified and more of them hopefully will emerge from this year’s draft class and free agents.

There are a number of players that are part of the team this year I’m excited to see what they can do and interested to see if they can evolve into the next James Harrison or Brett Keisel.  There are a bunch of young guys that are advertised as being very talented, but because they are incoming rookies or for one reason or another have not translated the talent to the Steelers as of yet. 

Going through the current roster, it’s amazing the amount of guys that are signed in the offseason to futures contracts.  Basically, you’ve got guys that have been on the team and you know what they can do, draft picks where the first 3 rounds make the team and rounds 4-7 battle for a spot, then there are guys that have been signed to free agent contracts that probably won’t make the team but there’s usually one or two a year that surprise and make the roster.

The guys on my list are a combination of all.  They are the draft picks, the free agents, and the guys that have been around a few years.  I have a reason why I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do and that reason is tied to the overall performance of the team.

Offense

DeAngelo Williams has been around the block with the Carolina Panthers.  After the release of Blount last year and the injury to Le’Veon Bell the Steelers realized they needed more than him and an undersized backup to compete.  So they brought in Williams.  He’ll immediately be tested because of Bell’s suspension and the fact that the Steelers will face the Cheatriots in the first game.  I love the Steelers passing game, but part of the reason the passing game was great was because Bell was there to catch Ben’s dump offs when AB was not on the field or open.  Any rushing yardage he can contribute will be helpful.

 

Dri Archer was the toast of training camp last year.  He dazzled with his 4.2/4.3 speed and it was expected he’d be the Steelers punt return man and break a few runs or screen passes out of the backfield.  What happened?  In for kick returns, he couldn’t break that first tackle and the return game suffered.  Undoubtedly, he is fast, but he is also as small as anyone on the field.  I’ve heard some people say that he has put on some muscle.  If that is true hopefully it will be enough muscle to help him break those tackles.  Markus Wheaton took over the return duties and improved that part of the game to average.  If Dri can break that first tackle and utilize his speed to beat the next wave it could be a very big boost for the team.  If he does not perform well in camp he may not make the team.

 

Sammie Coates, the Steelers latest WR diamond in the rough find from Auburn, is another tantalizing piece for the offense.  For a while in the 80’s and 90’s the Steeler could not find a decent receiver including a first round pick.  Then came Hines, Plaxico, Randle El, Washington, Wallace, Brown and Sanders.  They hit the jackpot with the big money crew or whatever they called themselves.  Non first round draft picks that performed very well for them.  Their WR success continued when they drafted Wheaton and Bryant.  Now, it’s Coates.  He had a way of getting past the secondary at Auburn, but this is the NFL.  The other question is drops.  If he has a question mark, it is ability to hold onto the ball.  We’ve seen another talented receiver that couldn’t hold onto the ball.  I’ll have a Big Mac Mr. Sweed.

 

Jesse James is interesting just because of his name alone.  But he is also interesting because of his size and potential.  Nobody is saying that he is the next Heath Miller.  But, he is a big Tight End at 6’7”, 250-260 lbs, so more room to add some muscle.  He left school early, which could be a bad move money wise for him, but if he turns out to be an above average tight end it was a good get for the Steelers.  He grew up a Steelers fan so he probably was very happy ending up with them even though he may have made more by staying at PSU another year.  He didn’t catch a lot of balls at Penn State, but he could have been underutilized, or it could be they didn’t have any quarterbacks that could get it to him, or maybe he’s not the best receiver.  I’ve heard him say that he was underutilized.  That’s kind of like giving yourself a nickname.  You kind of need someone else to back it up before it’s something others are accepting.  There’s only one Heath, but I’d like to see a Tight End somewhere between Heath’s pass receiving capabilities and Spaeth’s.  I did love that 1 fingertip grab and touchdown last year by Spaeth.  Unless you’re looking at blocking that’s Spaeth’s offensive highlight from last  year.  Seems like a good reason to hope the outlaw can catch.

 

Alejandro Villanueva is someone that everyone wants to succeed, including me.  He’s not in a glamour position, but he does have the Captain America background.  He has won a Bronze Star Medal for Valor, by getting fellow soldiers to safety after a Taliban ambush.  He was the team captain on the Army football team and he was the leading receiver in his senior year on the Army team.  So, what position is he playing for the Steelers?  Tackle.  That’s not really that big of a leap.  Lots of Tight Ends move to the Offensive Line, so he would not be the first.  After his release from Philadelphia the Steelers signed him.  He was around 277 when he came to them.  277 is not big enough for an offensive lineman.  Apparently, he’s been working out a little because he’s up to 336.  If he can play it will be a great story.  Luckily he’s working with one of the best line coaches possible.  

 

CJ Goodwin has been on the radar ever since it came out that Mel Blount asked that the Steelers take a look at him.  There are not many players with as mediocre a resume as CJ has that they would give a look at, but if a Hall of Famer that helped win 4 Super Bowls asks for a small favor, you jump.  So the Steelers took a look.  Maybe they added onto the favor by signing him to the practice squad, but once it was known that he had Mel’s stamp of approval, CJ was on the radar of me and the rest of Steeler Nation.  I’ve heard that his vertical leap is outstanding.  Those that are around the Steelers are very intrigued.  Since he came out of nowhere though the rest remains a mystery.  If he has remained on the practice squad this long and with the positive media and player reviews I’ve seen, he has an outside chance of making the team, but a very good chance of getting some more seasoning on the practice squad.  Hopefully we’ll see what he can do in spring training.  Unfortunately, for him, the Steelers have one of the deepest groups of talented receivers they’ve ever had.  There’s always room for game changers though.

 

Josh Harris came onto the scene last year after Le’Veon Bell had his season ending injury at the end of year.  Coaches had lots of praise for him, but what else are you going to say when your star goes down and you don’t have any tested backs in waiting and you’re going into the playoffs.  Well, our backups are really horrible, so we’ll just see what happens with them.  No, you try to build them up.  They did exactly that praising him for his work on the practice squad and saying there won’t be much of a drop off.  Then they go out and sign a Cleveland castoff and give him most of the carries.  But, in his first game after being put on the roster, Josh shockingly broke away for a 59 yard gain against the gals.  It was called back because of a holding penalty, but that run whets the appetite for Josh and his possibilities.  

 

The offense is not the only side of the ball with some interesting personnel questions.  Two corners and a Safety were drafted in the secondary to possibly replace the departed Ike Taylor and soon to be Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu and several candidates for the Outside linebacker jobs including the first rounder Bud Dupree.

 

Bud Dupree, the 2015 first round selection leads a group vying for the two outside linebacker positions.  Arthur Moats and James Harrison were resigned to man those positions.  The presumption is that Moats will start on the left side and Jarvis Jones will start on the right.  The Outside Linebacker coach, Joey Porter, says James Harrison’s snaps will be limited, but I can’t see James being happy if he’s healthy and sitting on the sideline.  I also can’t see him causing any problems on the team so I think he’ll play when they tell him to.  He is a leader and has already been that showing the linebackers what a real workout is and putting some more beef on them in Arizona.  Under Lebeau, Dupree would probably have been eased into playing time and taken over Moats spot in his second or third year.  With Butler in charge we’ll see what happens.  First rounders are always scrutinized until they produce, so he will be on the radar and fans will be calling for him to start and calling for him to be benched if he doesn’t have 5 sacks in his first start.  Ask Jarvis Jones.

 

Jarvis Jones, the first rounder of two years ago, is still looking to prove that he should have been a first rounder.  One year of starting too quickly and one year filled with a couple good games and a season ending injury did not convince anyone that he is the next great or even satisfactory outside linebacker.  He also attended James Harrison’s voluntary OTA camp in Arizona.  After his first year there were questions about him not being strong enough to outmuscle offensive linemen.   It appears as if he did get bigger in the offseason.  In his third year there should be sufficient evidence as to whether he is the heir apparent to Harrison or whether another of the candidates will have to take that spot.   I don’t think Harrison can play til his mid 40s, even if he says he can.  He had a couple injuries last year, too.  If Jarvis can stay healthy and get 12 sacks I’ll consider it a good year.  10 or 11 would even be a good start.

 

Shawn Lemon is wild card 1a in the group.  The Steelers were turning over many stones after the lack of sack productivity last season.  One of those stones was former Canadian Football League player Sean Lemon.  He is a very big unknown.  He had 14 sacks last year with the CFL, which he parlayed into a contract with the Steelers.  It is the CFL though and the signing did not seem to bring the hype of signing a 14 sack NFLer.  So, that’s another wait and see.  Will he even get a chance to show his stuff with Harrison, Jones, Dupree and Moats probably getting the first shot at the job.  If those guys seize their opportunity there might be one more linebacker spot, but there are at least 4 ILB that have a spot locked up for the most part.

 

Howard Jones is wild card 1b in the group.  I’m thinking Jones is probably headed back to the practice squad because his and Lemon’s path is pretty much blocked by the guys that already locked up their spots.  Jones is interesting though because of his performance in training camp last year.  I don’t know if he made the trek to Arizona also, but he should have just to see what Mr. Harrison goes through.  After all Harrison also came to the Steelers as a undrafted free agent.  On my projected opening roster last year I had Jones on the team, but the Steelers had other ideas and no one else grabbed him up.  Let’s see what he does in training camp this year.  He and Lemon are facing an uphill battle and they will really have to make things happen and perform on special teams to grab a spot on the opening roster.

 

Senquez Golson was the second round selection by the Steelers.  Steeler Nation demanded a cornerback be taken high.  I think the villagers may have stormed the castle with pitchforks and torches had it not happened.  So the Steelers selected Bud in the first round and you could hear the groans for miles.  Senquez was selected, and for the most part there were sighs of relief.  The consensus for him seems to be that he would have been a first rounder if not for his short stature.  OTA reports are positive and one person in particular has been impressed by him, Antonio Brown.  If you can stay with AB you aint bad.  So the Steelers will have a bunch of short guys in the secondary.  Maybe they can sneak Martavis in there for a few plays to make them look taller than they are.   Frankly, I don’t care how tall they are as long as they keep the other team from catching the ball and occasionally hold onto one thrown in their direction.  That’s one strength that Senquez has shown in college that some recently retired Steelers cornerbacks haven’t possessed.  He can catch. 

 

Doran Grant is the other cornerback the Steelers drafted to appease the demand for cornerbacks by the nation.  He also satisfies the recent requirement to take an Ohio State player.  Grant has had very good reviews.  The thing about him is that he and Golson are different types of cornerbacks.  I’m not mr. technical when it comes to cornerback terminology, but it seems like Golson is the blanket cornerback that can keep with a receiver on the whole field.  Whereas, Grant is little more limited in that he can cover a receiver in an area but is not gonna chase them all over the field.  Like I said a non technical explanation.  But, as I said also,  could care less how they play as long as they keep the guy they’re supposed to be watching from catching the ball a majority of the time and when a ball hits their hands they can catch it. 

 

Shamarko Thomas is entering his third season.  When he was drafted, the idea was that he was most likely going to replace Troy at some point.  That point is now.  He played a lot his first year then he was injured a lot his second year and Will Allen took a lot of his playing time.  Shamarko has spent time being tutored by Troy.  I think he may have spent some time with James Harrison too, because he likes to put a lot of pictures/videos out of how hard he is working out.  Now he just needs to show what he can do on the field.  It’s not enough to contribute on special teams anymore.  Make some plays at the Safety position.  If he can’t show anything this year it may be time to find another guy who can.

 

Gerod Holliman had 14 ints. last year and won the award for the best defensive back in the nation at Louisville.  Based on that, he’s a first rounder, right.  What round did the Steelers get him in?  7^th.  Supposedly the guy can’t tackle.  When asked about that his coaches wouldn’t comment.  You’d think they’d stretch the truth even if he was just an ok tackler.   But they didn’t.  Those 14 ints are very tempting though.  Especially for a defense that didn’t get a lot of tos from their secondary.  I’m sure Carnell Lake will be coaching him up and hopefully the tackling thing is fiction.  If he can tackle and translate those turnovers to the NFL, he was a steal in the 7^th round.

 

Mike Mitchell heard it from Steeler Nation last year if he was listening at all.  Finally the Steelers made some noise in free agency.  Then the guy was a bust.  But, wait a minute.  He had 2 torn groin muscles.  Most guys would be in a wheelchair just at the thought of that, but this guy was playing NFL football.  Going into camp, he has had surgery to repair those issues and maybe we’ll see the healthy version of Mitchell perform.  He’ll most likely be paired with Shamarko after TPs retirement.  But, they should have had some practice and playing time together, so the transition should be a little smoother than playing with a totally unfamiliar person.  The question is, is a healthy Mitchell as good as his 1 good year in Carolina or was last year as good as it gets. 

 

Daniel McCullers, simply said, is big.  I think that is what made him a person of interest for all fans.  He was one of, if not the biggest players in the draft last year.  That doesn’t necessarily translate into being a great player.  But it does draw a lot of interest.  He lacked skills, namely getting low.  Yes, I’d say getting low would be difficult for someone as big as him.  Dri Archer probably comes up to his knees.  So getting that low might be kinda hard.  That said he did start a few games last year when Mclendon was out and he didn’t play half bad.  He has apparently done some offseason work and is looking like a more muscular than flab mountain.  Again, some coaching and he may be a decent option at Nose Tackle or somewhere on the D Line.

 

Clifton Geathers came in after Brett Keisel went down for the season last year.  It’s hard to imagine a player that looks down at Daniel McCullers, but Geathers is actually taller than big Dan.  Most people thought he was just a roster spot replacement for the Diesel.  But, the coaching staff wanted him back and so he’s getting a shot.  It sounds like he’s not taking it for granted too.  He lost 50 pounds in the offseason to get in shape for a roster run.  He can’t be any worse than Cam Thomas, right?  Keep an eye on him.  Sounds like he is motivated.

 

Ryan Shazier has the tools to be a difference maker on defense.  Those tools consist of SPEED.  Pittsburgh lost Troy this offseason.  Troy, in his heyday, was everywhere on the field.  Last season they got Shazier.  Shazier is not going to play safety.  But, if he’s healthy he will be a difference maker.  Like Troy, his speed allows him to be everywhere on the field.  I don’t see him diving over the line, but I do see him making some big time plays.  He also attended James Harrison’s  OTA camp and added some muscle.  With all these guys slimming down and bulking up, this team may look like a team of incredible hulks when the season comes around.    This was supposed to be Sean Spence’s spot before his injury, then Vince Williams took it and played very well last year.  So, if Shazier continues his injury trend, the backups are capable, but I don’t see the big plays coming from the position.

 

Stephon Tuitt staked his claim to a spot on the defensive line last year.  Not easy for a rookie.  But, we heard from training camp on last year that he had a chance to be the opening starter.  Then, he got little playing time.  By the end of the year, though, he showed that he was capable of good things.  If he continues to provide steadiness and the occasional or regular big play ability on the d-line he should be there for the long run, which is just what they had in mind when drafting him.  He just needs to avoid that sophomore slump.

 

Jordan Zumwalt and Anthony Chickillo.  Two guys that are late round draft additions.  I think most guys don’t prefer to be injured.  But, for Zumwalt it may have bought him a season in the NFL.  Both guys are trying to land roster spots at outside linebacker.  Again, unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be any roster spots available because of the “locks” already in place at that position.  But stranger things have happened.  They need to put pressure on the qb.  If a first rounder can do it, he’s probably going to get the first crack.  But if an unknown like Jones, Zumwalt, or Chickillo can do it I don’t think they will discriminate because of draft status.  Keisel didn’t play outside linebacker, but there were probably many people that thought he was just only a project when they drafted him.  I don’t see these guys sticking with the logjam of players at their position, but there’s always the practice squad and Brett knows what can happen to players that only have an outside shot at making the team.

 

With all of these outside linebackers in the cue, hopefully the Steelers will find one or two that can get after the qb.  I know that if any of them want to make the team they better be darn good on special teams, because it will be a short stint on the roster if they aren’t.  This defense is really shaping up and anyone that expects the offense to carry them may be surprised.  Yeah, I expect the offense to be very good, but the defense with the cast of characters in this list is on the rise and with Keith Butler’s new wrinkles in the defense the toughest schedule in the league may not be as tough.

 

 

 

The New Era for the Pirates

The new era for the Pirates, in my opinion started 4 years ago.  That’s when they had an opportunity in the NL Central.  They had a chance to get into the playoffs, they had a chance to end that painful streak that started as a sucker punch when that guy, the former pirate that I can’t say his name, crossed the plate and the umpire shouted safe.  What followed were body blows as pieces of the nucleus left the team and finally the uppercut that knocked the Pirates into a 20 year coma, Barry Bonds departure.

But that season 4 years ago was different. There was nowhere to go, but up after they ended up at 57-105 the previous year.  Andrew McCutchen was in his third season.  Clint Hurdle took over as the Manager after John Russell was let go.  The Pirates started coming out of that long coma they had been in and the faithful that had watched those miserable seasons were awakening too.  The plan that Nutting, Huntington and Coonelly had put together was breaking some of the rust off of the machine.  The pieces were being acquired to get the rest of the pieces lubed and moving freely.  McCutchen, Neil Walker, and Pedro Alvarez were in the opening day lineup.  The Pirates ended up in fourth place in the Central with a record of 72-90.  But, the first half of the season was something for the faithful to hang their hats on.  They competed with the best in the division and were in 1^st place several times including July 18.  I think they would have finished much better than they did if it hadn’t been for a crushing defeat in a 19 inning game that was partially the fault of an umpire named Jerry Meals.  Again, it was a home plate incident with the Braves.  Meals called Julio Lugo safe at home when he was clearly out.  That, in my humble opinion, caused the crash of the 2011 season.  It sure didn’t help that an already shaky pitching staff was decimated with injuries.  So, the 2^nd half collapse continued the losing streak, but signs of winning were there.

In 2012, otherwise known as the Rod Barajas experiment, the Pirates continued to acquire the pieces for their journey to respectability.  The piece of the puzzle that could be the most important to their journey was the acquisition of a staff ace from the Yankees.  A.J. Burnett was acquired in one of Huntington’s best moves in his time with the Pirates.  That move probably could be considered the one that pushed them from afterthought to serious threat.  He brought an attitude with him and he also brought a staff ace that the Pirates needed to go with the talent that they were accumulating.  As mentioned, it was the year of Rod Barajas.  Unfortunately, that was not one of Huntington’s best moves.  Barajas was horrible offensively and defensively and the Pirates opponents were regularly given a free pass to second.  But the Pirates still put up a good fight in the first half.  Once again, the pitching wore out and the movie title for this season became Collapse 2, the sequel. 

In 2013, the Pirates learned from their 2^nd half pitching struggles and accumulated starting pitching depth to help them through the second half of the season Gerrit Cole made an appearance, Starling Marte began his Pirates tenure, Jordy Mercer staked his claim at short and Pedro Alvarez had what many thought would be the beginning of his run at 3^rd base.  Another move made by the Pirates was to ditch the Barajas experiment.  That was a given, but what was not a given was who they would find to replace him.   Fortunately this was the beginning of the Yankees to Pirates catcher connection.  Since the Pirates recent attempts to rebuild, they have tried to collect the Yankees excess players, knowing how the Yankees build their team through free agency, it seems that the Pirates figured that some of those players that were discarded because of incoming free agents might not be too bad.  So, they collected the Yanks extras hoping that they would find some lightning in a bottle, a diamond in the rough, a hidden gem and on and on.  This was the first time the Pirates had found a catcher among the Yankees players.  Before the Yankees knew what hit them, the Pirates signed Martin up for 2 years.   Martin had worked with Burnett as a Yankee and in 2013 he worked the Pirates staff to perfection.  He also stopped giving those free passes to second that Barajas was handing out like candy on Halloween.  On September 9, the Pirates won their 82^nd game and ended The Streak.  That wasn’t the end though.  The Pirates finished in 2^nd place in the Central and thanks to an amazing crowd and the talent accumulated on the team, chants of Cueto, Cueto, Cueto messed with Johnny and The Pirates not only ended the streak, but they won their first playoff game in a looonnnnnggg time and it was in front of the fans that had waited so long to see another winning baseball club in Pittsburgh.  One step closer to the ultimate goal but still far away.

Last year could be looked at as a step backward, but the foundation was solidifying like cement.  After his solid season 2 years ago, Jordy Mercer took over shortstop.  Pedro Alvarez had his issues at third, but Jahay took over after playing all over the field and nearly coming away with a batting crown.  The Pittsburgh kid had an outstanding season at 2^nd, other than a short stint on the dl.  Russell Martin again provided quality at the catcher position and pop with his bat.  The third cog in the outfield of the future came up from Indy and after a strong start tailed off.  But we’ve seen what he could do in the minors and look for more of the same in Pittsburgh.  The bullpen was not effective as it was the year before, but Mark Melancon was strong as the closer and Tony Watson took over as his set up man and was mostly unhittable in that spot.  It was a 2^nd straight winning season and a trip to the playoffs to face the Giants.  Unfortunately, they faced Madison Bumgarner and his unhittable pitching show that ultimately went on to single handedly win the World Series.  Well, he and Travis Ishikawa probably get equal credit. 

That 4 year journey brings us to this year.  After long last the Pirates have what I think is a first baseman that can provide some offense.  No, Gaby Sanchez is gone.  I know his long drives to second base will be sorely missed, but there’s a new first baseman in town and his name is Andrew Lambo.  Just kidding, his name is Pedro Alvarez.  I’m confident that Pedro will rebound from last year and without the crossfield throw to worry about, will have a great year at first and at the plate.  I think we will see his home run numbers get back to where he left off 2 years ago. 

Second base is secure with The Pittsburgh Kid, Jordy has shortstop, and Jahay will try to duplicate what I considered MVP caliber play.  The outfield is the best in baseball and will be for a while.  Polanco has added muscle and will continue to grow, physically and with the knowledge of right field and his teammates.  Andrew McCutchen will patrol center field and track down everything from Marte to Polanco.  There shouldn’t be much dropping in with their combined ranges.

The pitching staff has Liriano, Cole, Morton, Worley, Locke and Mr. Burnett returns for his curtain call.  They lost some depth when Brandon Cumpton had to have Tommy John surgery, but there are a few guys on the horizon that are the future of the Pirates.  Jameson Taillon and Tyler Glasnow look to join the staff very shortly.  They may not be ready until the second half because Taillon had TJ surgery himself and is working his way back.  Glasnow is still getting innings in and working through his minor league check list, but if needed he may be the first call up.    The Pirates also signed former Padre, Clayton Richard.  He is a reclamation project that Ray Searage is working with to get back to the form that made him a 14-14 starter in 2012.  The Pirates also stocked up the bullpen with hard throwers for this year’s run.  The Yankees provided the Buccos with what they hope will be another starting catcher in Francisco Cervelli.  But, he has had his problems staying healthy.  Chris Stewart, the other Yankee contribution was to be Cervelli’s backup and may still do that, but he’ll start off the year on the DL, due to hamstring issues.  So, the forgotten man Tony Sanchez will back up Cervelli.  Sanchez’s stock is more unpredictable than stock market itself.  Currently, it’s on the rise after a strong spring.  If he can’t do it there’s another man waiting in the wings.  Elias Diaz stock is also on the rise, but he needs further seasoning in Indy before he’s ready.

Basically, what I’m saying here is that this is the year.  The Buccos have got their feet wet for 2 years, breaking the streak, learning to win, and experiencing the playoffs. Now it is time to claim what is rightfully theirs, the World Series trophy.  Sure there are some question marks, but they are not nearly as big as they have been the last 2 years.  Francisco Cervelli will try to prove he can stay healthy and play nearly as good as Russell Martin.  The 5 guys lined up to start, need to pitch well enough and stay healthy enough to make it through most of the season.  Pedro needs to return to his offensive form of 2 years ago?  Jahay needs to play as well as he did last year?  Polanco needs to emerge offensively?  These are the question marks that surround this team and it’s run for a title.   If the answers are that those guys play average and stay healthy the Pirates will be in the World Series and if they excel and those guys play above average and stay healthy those 20 seasons will be a distant memory and 2015 will be the year of the Pirates.

A Long Line of Quarterbacks

Well, Ben’s locked up for another 5 years and all is well for the Steelers. Of course there are those out there in Steeler Nation that unexplicably are not happy with the fact that the Steelers extended Ben’s contract. I think they are few and far between, but cruising through various blogs, I did find some. Let’s just take a walk down memory lane and check out the quarterbacks that roamed the NFL fields this year. In Arizona with Ben’s former OC they used several quarterbacks each one not lasting under the same system that Ben played under. Carson Palmer, Drew Stanton, Ryan Lindley, Logan Thomas. Those are household quarterback names right? Not quite. Carson Palmer has been around a while and is somewhat proven as a serviceable quarterback in the NFL, but has never proven to be a Super Bowl caliber player. Also, once you install the Bruce Arians offense where it is acceptable for the quarterback to get his head pounded in continuously during the season, Carson Palmer will find himself on the disabled list and the quality of play goes down with the backup, backups backup and backup, backup, backup.  Anyway, so you get down to Ryan Lindley and Logan Thomas in the playoffs. Not the ideal situation and one that Arizona will probably keep finding itself in as long as it has the hold the ball as long as possible then pass it offense. Ben knows it well and has been sacked many many many times because of it.

Then there's that team in northern Ohio, they keep drafting new ones, some in the first round, some in other rounds and they keep crashing and burning.  It looked like Brian Hoyer might have a chance from his performance the year before, but he's just another casualty of the Browns ineptitude.  Oh, by the way, thanks Cleveland for taking Kellen Winslow Jr. instead of Ben that year.  How'd that turn out for you?

So here’s a list of many of the other quarterbacks in the league that were on rosters in 2014. Pittsburgh – Ben Roethlisberger***
Atlanta – Matt Ryan, TJ Yates
Baltimore – Joe Flacco*
Buffalo – Kyle Orton, EJ Manuel
Carolina – Cam Newton
Chicago – Jay Cutler
Cincinnati – Andy Dalton
Cleveland – Johnny Marzetti, Brian Hoyer
Dallas – Tony Romo
Denver – Peyton Manning**
Detroit – Matt Stafford
Green Bay – Aaron Rodgers*
Houston – Case Keenum, Ryan Mallett
Indianapolis – Andrew Luck
Jacksonville – Blake Bortles
Kansas City – Chase Daniel
Miami – Ryan Tannehill
Minnesota – Teddy Bridgewater
New England – Tom Brady***
New Orleans – Drew Brees*
New York Giants – Eli Manning**
New York Jets – Geno Smith, Michael Vick
Oakland Raiders – Derek Carr
Philadelphia Eagles – Mark Sanchez, Nick Foles
San Diego Chargers – Phillip Rivers
San Francisco 49ers – Colin Kaepernick*
Seattle Seahawks – Russell Wilson*
St. Louis Rams – Shaun Hill, Sam Bradford
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Josh McCown
Tennessee Titans – Charlie Whitehurst
Washington Redskins – Robert Griffin III

That list of 37 quarterbacks contains 9 quarterbacks that have played in the Super Bowl and 7 quarterbacks that have won the Super Bowl. 7 of 37. Not a very big number. How many of those 7 played in 2 or more Super Bowls? 5. I’d have to say with that number there aren’t too many Super Bowl quality quarterbacks available. Now you could hope to find and I say this begrudgingly, one of the best quarterbacks in the league who plays on a team that regularly cheats, in the 6th round. I’d have to say you’re nuts, though, if you think you’re going to find one that far down in the draft.

So, with that in mind, if you have one of those quarterbacks that have been to 3 Super Bowls you might want to rethink your logic that they are not one of the best quarterbacks in the league and they should be signed at all costs. How many active quarterbacks have been to 3 Super Bowls? I may be mistaken, but I’m thinking there are only 2. Ben Roethlisberger and that guy from the New England Cheaters.

It appears that The Rooneys, Kevin Colbert, and Mike Tomlin were well aware that Ben was the best chance they had at the quarterback position to get them back to the Super Bowl. Let’s hop in the time machine and look at how easy it is to find a Super Bowl caliber quarterback. Let’s see, after Terry Bradshaw finished his career(70-83), it only took the Steelers a short 12 years to get back to the Super Bowl.

 Unfortunately the guy that took them back liked to throw to defensive backs more than his own receivers in that game so he lost and decided that Pittsburgh wasn’t the place for him.  He left for NY and shortly after leaving, his career was over. Then it was just a matter of a short 10 more years until they got back. This time the year before they drafted Ben, a guy that knew that Pittsburgh was a great NFL football City that loved their Steelers. It wasn’t easy to find that guy. There were a few quarterbacks in between winning Super Bowls, but when you find a guy that can win ‘em you need to keep em. You might recognize this list of players. These are the guys that the Steelers went through in trying to find another Super Bowl winning quarterback. Again, it’s not an easy thing to do. Pete Gonzalez, Kent Graham, Mark Malone, Tee Martin, Jim Miller, Neil O’Donnell, Mike Quinn, Rick Strom, David Woodley, Anthony Wright, Cliff Stoudt, Kordell Stewart.

If you’re still not convinced that Ben should have been extended, here’s a few more things that you’ve probably seen Ben do that very few or no Steeler QBs have done, including the Great One, Terry Bradshaw.

Only quarterback with 2 500 yard passing games
One of only 4 quarterbacks to win 100 games in first 150 starts.  The other guys in the club are also legends
Two 6 touchdown games in one season
4 division titles
3 AFC Championships
3 Super Bowls
2 Championships
9 time AFC Offensive player of the week
2nd fastest to reach 25,000 yards
2nd youngest QB to win 2 Super Bowls
Holds most Steelers passing records. Would you have got rid of Terry Bradshaw?
If this is not enough to convince you that Ben is one of the elite Quarterbacks in the league and his contract needs to be extended then you better look for another sport, because NFL football is not the sport for you.

To summarize I think the Steelers knew that to be in position for more of these:

You gotta have him:

Going, Going, Kang

Thank You St Louis Rams

Thank you Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams whoever you are, don’t really care.  I doubt there’s Rams in either place, but like I said don’t really care because this is not about you, but your generosity.

After 3 effective years at Notre Dame a young running back named Jerome Bettis entered the 1993 National Football League draft.  The numbers at Notre Dame were very good.  He got his feet wet the first year, then piled up his stats the next 2 years.  He had 337 rushing attempts for 1,912 yards.  That’s a 5.7 yard average.  Not too shabby.  He had 32 receptions for 429 yards.  Again, not too bad for a big back.  He set a Notre Dame record for Touchdowns, 20, in his second year.  He had 16 rushing and 4 receiving.  He followed that up with 16 TDs his 3^rd year with 825 yards rushing and 239 yards receiving.   Those numbers were even better considering Notre Dame was stacked at that point and they had another running back named Reggie Brooks that was piling up yards and in consideration for the Heisman.

Those 3 years at Notre Dame were enough to pique the interest of many teams in the NFL.  Remember, this was 1993 when teams were looking for running backs in the first round, not 2015 when RBs have been downgraded because of the passing game.  Ironically, the move to a more pass oriented offense was instrumental in a career changing move for JB. 

In his first two years, Bettis’ coach was named Chuck.  As Chuck was good for Pittsburgh, he was also good for Jerome Bettis.  The Chuck that coached Jerome though, was Ground Chuck, Chuck Knox.  He loved to run the ball and so did Jerome. 

But, in 1993 running backs were first round stuff and high first round.  JB ended up with the LA Rams as the 10^th pick in the first round.  He ended up with 1,429 yards, 79 rushing first downs and an NFL Offensive rookie of the year trophy.  He was nicknamed the “Battering Ram” that year and for good reason.  His second year with the Rams he picked up 1,025 yards, but his yards per carry decreased.  Then, the Rams, fired their coach, packed their bags and moved to the Midwest.  They hired Rich Brooks as their coach.  Brooks moved to a passing oriented offense, and JBs numbers dropped like a rock to 637 yards, but that was with about half the carries as the previous 2 years.  So, what do you do with a future hall of famer.  You trade him, right.  That’s what you do if you’re the Rams.  If you’re the Steelers and Bill Cowher, you ride the Bus to Detroit.

Fortunately, for the Steelers and unfortunately for Bam Morris, Mr. Morris and the DEA found a trunk full of Marijuana and that was the end of the road for Bam and the Steelers.  So, they needed a new running back and Rich Brooks and his high flying air attack, were looking to unload a future hall of famer.  So, the Steelers said thank you very much, we’ll be more than happy to take him off your hands.  The Steelers gave the Rams a 2^nd rounder in 96 and a 4^th rounder in 97 and Bettis was a Steeler.

Talk about a good fit.  JB was back on a team that loved to run the ball and knew how to utilize talent and great running backs.  See Franco Harris.  From 1996 to 2001, JB piled up 1,000 yard seasons.  He accumulated 7,785 yards and 40 touchdowns.  He would most likely hold the Steelers single season rushing record if the Steelers had not been so good in 1997.  He was short by 25 yards going into the last game of the season.  The Steelers had already wrapped up their playoff spot and decided to rest him for the last game of the season.  He owns 4 of the top 10 single season rushing performances by a Steeler.

Over his Steeler career he has had various memorable performances.  One of those was pancaking of Brian Urlacher in 2005 in a crucial game marching toward the playoffs, where he ran over him like a runaway freight train or more appropriately a runaway bus.

It appeared that he might retire after the 2004 season where the Steelers fell short of the Super Bowl by one game, but he returned for 1 more memorable season and led the Steelers to the promised land….. Detroit, for a 5^th Lombardi. 

The origin of his nickname, the bus, according to Jerome, came from a teammate in college that called him bussy.  I’ll give Myron Cope unofficial credit for starting it back up when JB came to Pittsburgh because he would carry players on his back while carrying the ball to the endzone.

The Bus has been a Pittsburgh icon since the trade.  Despite the fact that Pittsburgh has had numerous players that are fan favorites, Bettis is right up there on my list of favorite players.  He has a charisma that is matched by few, his smile is right up there with another Pittsburgh icon, Hines Ward and his big play celebration dance is unforgettable to me.  So, I along with the rest of Steeler Nation would like to personally thank the Rams for giving us the Hall of Famer to be, Jerome “The Bus” Bettis.  Congratulations Jerome for being voted to the Hall of Fame.