Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

The NCAA field of 65 was announced yesterday, and the Steelers were not invited to the big dance.

The Pitt Panthers and Robert Morris will both be representing the Steel City in the tournament, but the Steelers were noticeably absent from the teams that were invited.

Sure, the Steelers aren’t a college basketball team, but that shouldn’t really matter.  A champion is going to be decided, and whenever you’re naming a champion, the Steelers have to be in the conversation.  Duh!

Who would win if the Steelers played the New Orleans Saints?  Steelers!

Who would win if the Steelers played the Pittsburgh Pirates in baseball?  That’s easy.  Steelers!

Who would win if the Steelers faced Manny Pacquiao in boxing?  Steelers by a knockout!

Who would win if the Steelers faced the WPIAL girls soccer champs?  Steelers (although it would probably be wise to keep Big Ben away from high school girls).

See what I mean?  The Steelers can dominate any sport.  They’re not the 6-time Super Bowl champs for nothing.

Unfortunately, the selection committee didn’t see fit to invite the Steelers.  And they can’t win it if they’re not in it.

But if you think about the potential match-ups, I think we can all see that the results would have been inevitable.

The Kansas Jayhawks are the overall #1 seed in the tournament.  Kansas is led by senior point guard Sherron Collins.  Collins is 5’11″ and weighs 205 lbs.  Ben Roethlisberger played point guard in high school.  Ben is 6’5″ and weighs 240 lbs.  Mismatch!!  Big Ben would post him up all day long.  Down go the Jayhawks!

Syracuse is the #1 seed in the West Region.  They play in the tough, physical Big East conference.  But after being on the receiving end of a few hard picks by Hines Ward and Troy Polamalu, Syracuse would wave the white flag of surrender.

Duke is the #1 seed in the South Region.  Their front line averages about 230 lbs.  Do you think they’d stand a chance banging down low against Max Starks, Chris Kemoeatu, and Casey Hampton?  Me neither.  Down go the Blue Devils!

Kentucky is the #1 seed in the East Region.  Kentucky is coached by John Calipari.  Calipari usually has some of the most talented players in the tournament.  He always sends lots of players to the NBA.  Yet, “Coach Cal’s” teams always choke in the tournament.  So Kentucky doesn’t have a chance, regardless of who they play.

So as you can see, if the Steelers had been invited to play in the tournament, they would have won easily.  Mike Tomlin would have been cutting down the nets, and Santonio Holmes would have been lighting up the blunts.

But the Steelers didn’t get the chance to show what they can do.  Personally, I think that all Steelers fans should boycott the NCAA tournament until this injustice is rectified.  But that may take a while.  In the meantime, I guess all that I’ve got to say about the matter is “Go Pitt!!!!!”

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I have tried very hard not to comment on the Ben Roethlisberger situation.  I really didn’t want to talk about the topic at all.  After all, it is more of a tabloid story, and has little to do with football.  But after thinking about it, I realized that I have to talk about it.

For those of you who have been living in a cave, Big Ben has been accused of sexual assault (again).  A woman in Milledgeville, GA (where the heck is Milledgeville?) has accused Big Ben of sexually assaulting her in the restroom of a college bar.

Like the rest of you, i don’t know if Big Ben did it or not.  But regardless of whether he did it or not, this new incident has raised several concerns about Ben.

Ben Roethlisberger & "friends"

Here are a few of my concerns.

Lack of good judgment

Ben seems to like hooking up with the ladies.  He’s a young, handsome, rich, celebrity athlete, so I can completely understand that.  However, Ben has been down this path before.  He should know better.

What was he doing in a college bar?  Ben is 28 years old.  The average college student is 18-22 years old.  Ben is too old to be hanging out on campus.   Besides, Millegeville is almost 100 miles from Atlanta and 40 miles from Macon.  It’s in the middle of nowhere.  So why was Ben there on his birthday?  He could have been in any of the hottest night clubs in Atlanta, but instead he was in a remote college bar.  Why?  Was he fishing for a tenderoni?

Initially it was reported that Ben admitted to having sex with the young lady, but that it was consensual.  Now he claims that they never had intercourse.  This is starting to sound like Bill Clinton-style semantic games.

Regardless of whether it was intercourse or not, why is he having ANY TYPE of sex with a young girl in a college bar?

Ben is a target

Does Ben understand that his wealth and fame make him a target?  He can’t continue to put himself in situations where he is hooking up with total strangers.  He doesn’t know their character or their motivations.  When some women look at Big Ben, all they see is dollar signs.

Perhaps Ben should go back to dating celebrities like Natalie Gulbis or Jamie-Lynn Sigler.  At least then he’ll know that they aren’t after him for his money.

Jamie-Lynn Sigler

Ben is embarrassing people who love him or look up to him

Does Ben realize that he plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the proudest franchises in all of sports?  Does he realize that the the Rooney family strives very hard to run a classy organization, and that character is very important in their eyes?  Does he realize that Pittsburgh is a blue collar town that likes their players to be wholesome, family-oriented, and hard working?  Think Aaron Smith, Hines Ward, or Troy Polamalu.  The Tony Stark-like millionaire playboy routine really isn’t a good fit in Pittsburgh.  Nor is the repeat offender routine.

Steelers fans have grown tired of Jeff Reed’s off-court antics.  But these accusations against Big Ben make Reed look like a Boy Scout in comparison.

C’mon Big Ben, you’re better than that.  I know you are.

Big Ben doesn’t seem to understand his importance to the team

Possibly the most concerning aspect in all of this is that Big Ben doesn’t seem to realize that he has a team and a town that all depend on him.

Sure, Dennis Dixon did okay in his one start last season.  But he is not a franchise quarterback.  The success or failure of the Steelers does not depend on him.  But it does depend on Big Ben.

Without Ben Roethlisberger, the Pittsburgh Steelers have no hope of returning to the Super Bowl.  None.  He’s that important.

I am old enough to remember the Cliff Stoudt era.  And the Mark Malone era.  And the Bubby Brister era.  And the Mike Tomczak era.  And the Neil O’Donnell era.  And the Kordell Stewart era.  And frankly, I don’t want to go back to those days.

Big Ben is the first franchise quarterback that the Steelers have had since Terry Bradshaw.  And in today’s NFL, it is almost impossible to win a championship without a franchise quarterback.  Just ask the Oakland Raiders.

Ben has to understand that the hopes of a city rest squarely on his shoulders.  He has to be mature enough to bear that burden.  And right now, I’m not sure that he is.

We all hope that Ben is innocent.  But the truth is that none of us really knows.  But one thing that we do all know is that we’re getting tired of hearing Ben Roethlisberger’s name mentioned in the same sentence as the words “sexual assault”.  I just wish that Big Ben understood that the same way that we all do.

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The Steelers were unusually active early in free agency on Monday.  Ordinarily, the Steelers sit out the first several weeks of free agency, and then after the dust settles, they come in and scoop up a few of the leftovers.

But that was not the Steelers’ approach yesterday.  Instead, the team made some early moves that probably surprised most fans.

The most important of those moves was re-signing safety Ryan Clark.  This was a move that I have been calling for, so I was very happy to see it happen.

The team gave Clark a new 4-year, $14 million dollar contract.  Clark had visited with the Miami Dolphins, but after a few days of free agency, I guess his agent determined that the offer that the Steelers had on the table was a fair one.

Steelers safety Ryan Clark

Even more surprising than the Clark signing was the announcement that the team has reached an agreement with former Steelers receiver and return man Antwaan Randle El.  I certainly didn’t see that one coming.

Randle El was the Redskins’ second leading receiver last year, but he never lived up to the contract they gave him.  He was one of the best return men in recent Steelers history.  However, with the season that Stefan Logan had, combined with the fact that Joe Burnett and Mike Wallace were both very good return men in college, i never expected to see the team bring him back.

But bring him back they did.  Randle El is scheduled to be in Pittsburgh today to sign what is reported to be a 3-year deal.

In addition to players who have previously worn the black and gold, the Steelers also signed two newcomers.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Will Allen and San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Arnaz Battle were also signed to 3-year contracts on Monday.  Both players will strengthen special teams, as well as add depth at their respective positions.

Apparently, the Steelers still aren’t done.  Former Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Jonathan Scott is scheduled to be in Pittsburgh today, and it is believed that he is also prepared to join the Steelers.  If he signs with the Steelers, he will be re-united with Sean Kugler, his position coach from the Buffalo Bills.

As if all of that activity weren’t enough, the Steelers have also contacted former Steelers linebacker Larry Foote about rejoining the team.  Foote voluntarily left the team after the 2008 season because he wanted an opportunity to be a starter.  But after playing one year in Detroit, he may be willing to reconsider that stance.

Monday was definitely the single busiest day of free agent signings that I can remember in Steelers history.  And they many not be done yet.  I guess missing the playoffs was the wake up call that the Steelers needed.

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This is part 2 of a series on the Pittsburgh Steelers off-season challenges.  In part 1, we discussed the Steelers’ safeties.    In this installment, we are going to take a look at the Steelers’ cornerbacks.

The cornerback position was definitely a weak link in the defense.  Quarterbacks feasted on the Steelers cornerbacks all season.  Moreover, much ado was made about the fact that the Steelers cornerbacks had not accumulated a single interception for most of the season.  In fact, their first interception didn’t occur until the very last game of the season.  That is an almost unheard of statistic in the NFL.

The Steelers’ interception total was 25th in the NFL last season.  The prior season, they had 20 interceptions and were 6th in the NFL.

The Steelers’ defense went from being #1 against the pass in 2008 to #16 in 2009.  That’s a big drop.  They went from giving up 23 passes of 20+ yards in 2008 (best in the NFL) to giving up 46 of them in 2009 (15th in the NFL).

As I mentioned in part 1 of this series, a defensive backfield is an interdependent unit.  Each piece relies on the others.  If one component is out of place, the others have to compensate, which takes them out of place as well.

It is obvious that Troy Polamalu’s injuries had a significant impact on the secondary.  I already showed that Ryan Clark actually had a very good season in Troy’s absence.  But the cornerbacks weren’t so lucky.

Ike Taylor had his worst season since becoming a starter.  He had fewer total tackles than he’s ever had.  He had his lowest number of passes defensed, and he tied for his lowest interception total.  All in all, it wasn’t a good season for Ike.

But Ike has been one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL for some time now.  He has regularly matched up against the best receivers in the NFL and held his own.  I am not prepared to write off Ike Taylor just yet.

William Gay, on the other hand, is a different story.  Gay seemed to be targeted on a weekly basis by opposing quarterbacks.  He got burned so often, I started thinking that he was microwave popcorn.  He was the first starting cornerback for the Steelers to record no interceptions in a very long time.

Gay’s number of passes defensed was much lower than what Deshea Townsend averaged back when he was the starter.  Moreover, his number of tackles was much higher.  This was indicative of the fact that receivers were catching far more passes against Gay, so he was getting more opportunities to make tackles.

CB William Gay

Going into 2010, Gay is going to have to improve his performance, or he will have to be removed from the starting line-up.

What should the Steelers do?

The Steelers aren’t likely to make any major changes through free agency.  It’s not their style.  Besides, Dunta Robinson has already been signed by the Atlanta Falcons.  Lito Sheppard is still out there, but the Steelers won’t sign him.  The Patriots’ Leigh Bodden would also be an upgrade, but the Steelers won’t sign him either.  None of the other free agents are particularly interesting.

The Steelers spent two draft picks last season on cornerbacks, so it is hard to imagine them taking one in the first round this year.  However, if there is one thing that I’ve learned about the Steelers, it’s that it is impossible to guess what they will do in the draft.

Should the Steelers decide to select a cornerback, there are a few that might be attractive in the draft.  A handful of them might even be able to step in and contribute right away.

Joe Haden (Florida) – Haden is widely considered to be the best cornerback in the draft.  He ran a slower than expected time at the NFL Scouting Combine, and has dropped on some draft boards.  This might actually make it possible for Haden to still be available when the Steelers make their selection at pick #18.  If he is available, the Steelers should definitely consider taking him.

Kyle Wilson (Boise State) – Wilson is not good enough to be taken at pick #18, but if he is still available in the second round, he would be a nice pick for the Steelers.  Wilson’s ball skills are not stellar, but he is a very good athlete who is very capable in run support (which is important in the Steelers’ system).

Patrick Robinson (Florida State) – Like Wilson, Robinson is not good enough to be selected at pick #18, but he would be a nice second round selection.  Robinson is a gifted athlete who has relied on his athleticism, and has not put enough time into developing proper technique.  That worked at the college level, but may not work in the NFL.  Robinson is athletic enough to shadow most NFL receivers.  He is probably the most “boom or bust” cornerback in the draft.

Perrish Cox (Oklahoma State) – Cox is a talented athlete with nice size and speed.  Like the previous 2 cornerbacks mentioned, he would be a second round consideration, but not a first rounder.  Cox led the NCAA with 19 passes defensed, but character issues may scare the Steelers away (Cox was suspended from the Cotton Bowl for missing curfew).

Personally, I believe that the biggest impact in the Steelers’ defensive backfield is going to be due to improvement by last year’s draft picks.  Joe Burnett and Keenan Lewis both have a lot of potential.  They will each have a full year in Dick LeBeau’s system under their belts, and should be much more capable of contributing than they were last year.

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Well, the NFL Combine has started, and free agency officially began at midnight on Thursday.  So draft season has officially begun.  It’s time to take a look at exactly what the Steelers need, and who is out there to help them meet those needs.

We are going to start out with the Steelers’ defensive backs, and work our way through all of the positions on the team.

First up, the safeties.

This past season was one that the Steelers would like to forget.  And the defensive backs would probably like to forget it more than any other group of players.  Oh wait, I forgot about the special teams guys.  Scratch that last comment.

Okay, so BESIDES the special teams players, the defensive backs probably want to forget this past season more than any other group.  I’ll talk about the cornerbacks in the next installment in this series, but today, I want to focus on the Safeties.

I hear many fans saying that without Troy Polamalu, the rest of the Steelers defensive backs got exposed as the sub-par players that they really are.  I don’t agree with that assessment.

More than any other unit except perhaps the offensive line, the defensive backs live and die as a unit.  When one part is out of whack, the rest of the unit suffers.  This is what happened when Troy Polamalu went down with his injury.

Troy is one of the best safeties in the NFL.  Losing him is not easy to recover from.  Tyrone Carter tries his best, and he is a competent backup, but he is not Troy Polamalu.

All indications are that Troy is recovering nicely from his injury, and will be ready to go next season.  I hope that’s true, but the reality is that Troy has missed 30% of the Steelers’ games over the past 4 seasons.  2008 was the only season out of the past 4 that Troy was able to play all 16 regular season games.

So while many fans are saying that the Steelers need to draft a safety to replace Ryan Clark, who may leave in free agency, I think they need to draft a safety to backup (and potentially replace) Troy Polamalu.

Don’t get me wrong.  If Troy is healthy, then I definitely want him in the Steelers lineup.  But I’m just not sure that it’s a safe bet to assume that he will be healthy.  Recent history shows that he won’t be healthy 30% of the time.  In 2009 he was unhealthy 70% of the time.

I’ve had numerous conversations this past year with Steelers fans who disagree with me.  They think that Ryan Clark played terribly this past season, and that the Steelers need to let him walk in free agency.  What they don’t understand is that they are wrong.  The Steelers need to be concerned about every safety on their roster EXCEPT for Ryan Clark.

Ryan Clark quietly had the best season of his career in 2009.  He had career highs in tackles and passes defensed.  He also tied his career high in interceptions (but had his highest total as a Steeler).  He was tied for the team lead in interceptions, and was second on the team in total tackles.

So why do so many Steelers fans think that Clark had a terrible season?  Moreover, why are they anxious to see him leave?

Meanwhile, Tyrone Carter will be 34 years old next season.  Carter has been a capable backup, but surely the team could find a younger player to fill the same role.

Ryan Mundy is a young safety, but he has never started a game.  In his two years with the Steelers, he has accumulated 25 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  That’s not enough to make me feel confident that he is the safety of the future.

So the only Steelers safety that I feel completely confident in is the one who may be leaving in free agency.

Looking at the available free agents, Ryan Clark is the 2nd best safety available.  Only Darren Sharper is more talented than Clark.  So Clark very likely will receive offers from other teams.

What should the Steelers do?

The Steelers have too much uncertainty at the safety position.  They need to do everything in their power to sign Ryan Clark.  In fact, they should have done so before the free agency period began.

The Steelers never participate in the initial free agency period.  Moreover, they never sign high profile free agents.  So there is little chance that they will pursue Darren Sharper or Antrelle Rolle.  They are the only two free agent safeties who are in Clark’s class.  Any other free agent safety will be a step down.

So if the Steelers lose Ryan Clark, they will be left with Troy Polamalu and little else at safety.

This year’s draft has quite a few talented safeties that the Steelers could be interested in.

Eric Berry is the best safety in this year’s draft.  But he will be gone long before the Steelers’ selection comes around.  So there is no need discuss him.

Earl Thomas out of Texas is a very real possibility for the Steelers.  He is a natural free safety, and he has the versatility to play some  cornerback in a pinch.  Thomas would look great in black and gold, and he should be available  at the 18th pick.

Taylor Mays is another name that is often mentioned by Steelers fans as someone that they’d like to see the Steelers select.  I don’t agree with that opinion.  Taylor Mays is a freakish athlete.  But he’s not a very good safety.  He reminds me a bit of the late Sean Taylor.  Like Sean Taylor, Mays is huge for a safety, and looks more like a small linebacker.  But also like Sean Taylor, Taylor Mays is lacking in his coverage skills.  Moreover, Taylor Mays is a natural strong safety.  That’s Troy Polamalu’s position.  The Steelers greatest need is for a free safety to fill the void that may be left by Ryan Clark.

In Taylor Mays, the Steelers would get a player who hits like James Harrison, covers like William Gay, and catches the ball like Ike Taylor.  Only one of those three things is good.

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