Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

February 10, 2009
By Donald Starver

Note: This is the second installment in a three-part series.  If you haven’t already read the first part, please click here.

After dealing with the offensive linemen, Bryant McFadden, and Nate Washington, the next position that Kevin Colbert is going to have to turn his attention to is backup quarterback.  Both Byron Leftwich and Charlie Batch are unrestricted free agents.  The Steelers will still have Dennis Dixon under contract, but they probably won’t feel comfortable placing the Steelers’ season on his inexperienced shoulders if Big Ben gets hurt.  Thus, resigning either Leftwich or Batch is going to be imperative.

At this point in their careers, there is no doubt that Byron Leftwich is the better quarterback.  However, Leftwich is only one year older than Ben Roethlisberger, and he thinks he still has a future as a starter in the NFL.  He knows that he won’t get to compete for that position with the Steelers, so he will probably choose to go elsewhere.

Charlie Batch, on the other hand, is from the Pittsburgh area, and he would like to spend the rest of his career with the Steelers.  He understand that he has the ideal job.  He gets to collect Super Bowl rings with the team that he grew up cheering for, make more money than most people can even dream of making, and rarely have to even get his jersey dirty.  Not a bad deal for a 34 year old quarterback.  Unlike Byron Leftwich, Batch knows that his days as a starter are over, and he will do whatever it takes to stay with the Steelers.  He’s going to tell his agent to get this deal done.

So next year, I’d expect to enter the season with Ben as the starter, Batch as the backup, and the Steelers will probably bring in an undrafted free agent or a 6th or 7th round draft pick to compete with Dennis Dixon for the third string quarterback position.

The final unrestricted free agent that the Steelers will have to take care of is Keyaron Fox.  Fox will probably never be a starting linebacker for the Steelers.  However, he is a very competent backup, and a terror on special teams.  Fox emerged as one of my favorite Steelers, and that is difficult to do as primarily a special teamer.  But the Steelers were terrible on special teams for quite some time, and Fox has been a big factor in their turnaround.    With a salary of less than $500,000, Fox was one of the better values on the Steelers’ roster.

After languishing for years in that football Hell called the Kansas City Chiefs, Fox probably understands that he has a great situation in Pittsburgh.  He is a valued contributor on a team that has the potential to win more Super Bowl rings.  Moreover, he sees that the Rooneys run a class organization.  My guess is that he will want to remain a Steeler.   I also believe that Kevin Colbert and the Steelers coaching staff will want to see him stay as well.  Thus, this deal should get done quickly and quietly.

With the unrestricted free agents taken care of, Colbert will turn his attention to the restricted free agents.  We’ve already discussed Willie Colon in Part 1 of this series.  After him, the most visible restricted free agent is Anthony Smith.  When Smith was drafted, I had high hopes for him.  However, his act has worn thin.  He has never really shown anything on the field (except that he is easily fooled by a pump fake).  Fans and coaches won’t soon forget his silly prediction against the New England Patriots a few years back.  They also won’t forget watching Tom Brady throw touchdown after touchdown at Smith’s expense.  Smith just doesn’t seem to understand that his role is to be the last line of defense, and that he can’t bite on every pump fake that quarterbacks throw at him.

Frankly, I want to see Smith leave because I am tired of watching him try to take his own receivers’ heads off during training camp.  I don’t know why he thinks that he can prove his worth by showing how hard he can hit his own teammates.  The Steelers can’t afford to lose Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, or Nate Washington  to injury because Anthony Smith was trying to prove how tough he is.  Everybody but Smith understands this simple point.  Besides, can anyone ever remember seeing Anthony Smith get a good hit on ANY player who wasn’t wearing black and gold?  Ever?  Even once?  Neither can I.  Goodbye Anthony.  don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

The 3 remaining restricted free agents are LB Arnold Harrison, TE/FB Sean McHugh, and CB Anthony Madison.  None of these players are going to get much attention in free agency.  Harrison might be able to get some attention as a special teamer or as a backup LB, but that’s about it.  All of them will be best served doing everything that they can to stay with the Steelers.  Afterall, if they want to win additional championships, there aren’t many organizations that give them a better opportunity to do so than the Steelers.

In my opinion, losing any of these players won’t be a major loss to the organization.  Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians has a tight end fetish, and he collects as many of them as he possibly can.  Therefore, he is likely to try to keep McHugh, even though most fans would probably prefer to see the Steelers get a legitimate blocking fullback (as opposed to a tight end playing out of position).

Harrison (Arnold, not James) is a good special teams player, and he is a good backup LB.  He has spent several years in Dick LeBeau’s defensive system, and he should know it pretty well by now.  Unfortunately, the Steelers are busting at the seams with talented linebackers.  Lawrence Timmons is going to supplant Larry Foote next year, and Bruce Davis has a lot of potential and will probably move ahead of Arnold Harrison on the depth chart next year if he continues to work hard.  The Steelers will probably keep Harrison if they can sign him for reasonable dollars.  But if he asks for too much money, the Steelers will let him go without losing any sleep.

Anthony Madison is a career special teamer.  Technically, he is a cornerback.  However, in his 3 year career, he has never started a game, has never made an interception, and has never even had a single pass defensed.  He only makes approximately $450,000, so if he is willing to sign a new contract for the same amount, the Steelers will probably keep him around.  However, his position will be one of the most vulnerable come training camp.

That will take care of Colbert’s free agents.  However, his most pressing problem is not his free agents.  He has 9 important players with one year left on their contracts.  Among them are Hines Ward, James Harrison, Heath Miller, Ryan Clark, and Brett Keisel.  We’ll discuss what Kevin Colbert should do with these players in Part 3 of our series.

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December 28, 2008
By Donald Starver

I wrote a piece on Christmas day called Steelers vs. Browns Recap (In Advance).  In that piece, I stated that the outcome of the Steelers-Browns game was so inevitable that I could write the post-game recap before the game was even played.  Well, now that the game is over, I see that I wasn’t very far off.

I predicted that the Steelers would beat the Browns 31-6.  The actual score was 31-0.  I also said that the Steelers would keep the Browns from scoring a touchdown for their sixth consecutive game.  They did.  Lastly, I said that Romeo Crennel would be fired after the game.  I believe that will happen within the next 48 hours.

Now, back to the game.

The Steelers won by a score of 31-0, but the score should have been 45-0.  The Steelers had a touchdown brought back when a flag was thrown on Limas Sweed for holding on a Steelers’ touchdown.  Another touchdown was called back when the referees incorrectly said that a Browns’ fumble that Anthony Smith returned for a touchdown was an incomplete pass.  Steelers’ head coach should have challenged the ruling on the field, but for some reason he didn’t do so.  Had he challenged the play, it would have proven to be a Steelers touchdown.  Fortunately, we didn’t need those 14 points.

Despite the two lost touchdowns, nobody can complain about a 31-0 victory.  There were a couple of positive things about the game that should be mentioned.

First, wide receiver Hines Ward surpassed 1,000 yards receiving for the fifth time in his career.  He also caught his 800th career pass during the game.  Both are Steelers records.  Not a bad day’s work.

Also on the offensive side of the ball, running back Willie Parker ran for over 100 yards for the first time in…..way too long.  The Steelers need the running game operating on all cylinders if they’re going to be effective in the playoffs.    The 176 rushing yards that the Steelers accumulated Sunday against the Browns should make them feel good going into the playoffs.  Of course, the Bengals’ Cedrick Benson rushed for 171 yards last week against the Browns, so maybe we shouldn’t take too much comfort from this.

The Steelers’ defense held the Browns to 126 yards of offense.  That’s right, 126 yards.  Total.  Now that’s some mighty fine defense.  Bruce Gradkowski passed for 18 yards on 16 attempts.  If that’s not some kind of defensive record, then I’d sure like to see what defense allowed even fewer passing yards.

Steelers’ safety Tyrone Carter, who was starting in place of Ryan Clark due to injury, recorded 2 interceptions during the game.  He ran one of those interceptions back for a touchdown.

On the negative side, Ben Roethlisberger did have to leave the game due to a concussion.  Roethlisberger was hit hard by D’Qwell Jackson and Willie McGinest.  Roethlisberger stayed on the ground for a long period of time, and was finally carried off the field on a stretcher.  As he was leaving the field, Roethlisberger gave the thumbs up sign to the crowd to let the fans know that he was okay.

Mike Tomlin had planned to play Roethlisberger in the first half, and then play Byron Leftwich in the second half.  The plan almost worked, but Roethlisberger got hurt with only 1:58 left in the half.

Some will say that Roethlisberger shouldn’t have even played during a meaningless game, but that isn’t necessarily true.  There is no definitive answer to whether a coach should rest veterans late in the season.  The Colts rested their key players 3 years ago and then lost their very first playoff game because the players were rusty.  It’s a catch-22 for coaches.  If they don’t rest their players and they get hurt, then the coach will be questioned for playing them.  If the coach rest them and they lose in the playoffs, the coach will be questioned for allowing them to get rusty rather than keeping them in playing condition.  The coach just can’t win.

Every indication is that Big Ben should be fine for the Steelers’ first playoff game.  With the bye week, he will have two weeks to recover from the concussion that he incurred.  If Ben can’t go, the Steelers can take comfort knowing that they have a veteran QB like Byron Leftwich waiting in the wings.  Leftwich is a playoff veteran, and is more than capable of leading the Steelers’ offense.

Let the playoffs begin!

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12/28/08
By Donald Starver

Today the Steelers play the Cleveland Browns in what should be a meaningless game.  However, we’ve all learned by now that Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin doesn’t allow his team to become complacent.  Not even for a meaningless game.  So Tomlin is using the goal of sweeping the AFC North as motivation to make sure that his team doesn’t have a letdown.

I’ve heard differing opinions about Coach Tomlin, but this writer really likes him.  I love the way that he makes sure the Steelers stay focused.  Can anyone even imagine Coach Tomlin allowing his team to lose on purpose?  Neither can I.  Even if the Steelers had one of the worst records in the NFL, I think Tomlin would still want to win, rather than lose intentionally to get a better draft pick.  Some would say that would be poor strategy.  Perhaps they’re right.  But I still love the fact that he wants to win, no matter what.  In my opinion, that unquenchable urge to win is a consistent trait of champions.  Michael Jordan had it.  Derek Jeter has it.  Tom Brady has it.  And Mike Tomlin has it.

Because of Tomlin’s desire to win, we will probably see Ben Roethlisberger start the game.  So will Willie Parker.  So will Hines Ward.  Tomlin will not use this as an opportunity to get Limas Sweed some catches.  Or to see what Tony Hills can do in the starting lineup.  He won’t use it as an opportunity to see what Gary Davis could do if he got 20 carries.

The one thing that’s for sure is that Tomlin will rest safety Ryan Clark who injured his shoulder during the Tennessee Titans game.  Ryan will be needed for the playoffs, so he will get some much needed rest.  But everyone else will probably play.  Even linebacker James Harrison, who injured his hip during the Titans game.  Knowing Silverback, he wouldn’t want to sit out the game even if Coach Tomlin suggested it.  Harrison would probably prefer to add to his sack total, which is already a Steelers’ record.

If the Steelers get a lead, we will probably see Byron Leftwich replace Big Ben.  But other than that, don’t expect to see anything but the Steelers fighting to win another game.

The game won’t be meaningless to the Browns either.  Their fans are already disappointed enough with their team.  They came into the season as the favorites to win the AFC North.  The NFL thought that they had so much potential that they scheduled them for at least 5 nationally televised games.  That never happens to a team that didn’t even make the playoffs the previous season.  To salvage a very disappointing season, the Browns need a win over the Steelers.

Browns head coach Romeo Crennel is definitely on the hot seat.  His team has underperformed more than any other team this year except the Dallas Cowboys.  Crennel had better start updating his resume, because he is probably going to need it if the Browns lose today.

Not only have the Browns lost when they were expected to win, but Crennel has also become known for making baffling coaching decisions.  Unusual play calls can make a coach look like a genius if they work, and if the team wins.  But when the team loses, and the plays don’t work, the coach ends up looking like an idiot.  That’s where Crennel finds himself.  Idiot is tattooed on his forehead.

Despite desparately wanting a win over the Steelers, it won’t be easy for the Browns.  They have already lost 10 games in a row to the Steelers.  Despite having many talented players on their roster, the Browns found a way to get shut out by the Cincinnati Bengals last week.  That’s right, they were shut out by the Bungles.  There is only one logical conclusion to draw from that; the Browns suck!

To make things even worse, the Browns are going to have to face the Steelers with their 4th starting quarterback of the season.  Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn are both on injured reserve (IR).  Ken Dorsey got hurt last week, and he won’t be able to go today.  So the Browns are forced to start Bruce Gradkowski, who wasn’t even on the Browns’ roster in November.

Gradkowski is a Pittsburgh native who played high school football at Seton-LaSalle.  I’m sure that as a kid growing up in Pittsburgh, he probably fantasized about being on the field with the black and gold.  But in those fantasies, he probably wasn’t playing for the Browns.  And he probably wasn’t running for his life from Steelers’ linebackers.  Gradkowski’s dream has somehow morphed into his worst nightmare.

Some of the Steelers also have something special to play for.  Wide receiver Hines Ward needs just 27 receiving yards to break 1,000 yards for the season.  This would be Ward’s fifth 1,000 yard season of his career.  Not bad for a guy who was always thought to be too small and too slow.  Take that, Troy Edwards!

Though Mike Tomlin will strive to get another Steelers’ victory today, I believe that we will see some players that we haven’t seen much of.    Why not allow Lawrence Timmons to start, and possibly even play the entire game?  Let’s see what the former #1 draft pick can do when given the opportunity.  He’s shown us glimpses already.  Why not turn him loose on the Browns.  Same thing with Limas Sweed.  Throw the kid some balls and see if he can catch or not.

One Steelers rookie who just might see some playing time today is QB Dennis Dixon.  The Steelers have had Dixon imitate Cleveland’s Joshua Cribbs during practice.  Cribbs is the Browns’ featured player when they go to their “wildcat” offense.  Dixon was apparently so effective running the offense in practice, that several Steelers defensive players requested that the Steelers use him during the game.  They said that if the Steelers’ defense couldn’t stop Dixon, the Browns’ defense won’t be able to either.

“I think we can make plays with him on offense,” inside linebacker James Farrior said of Dixon. “The man’s a great athlete”.  That’s pretty high praise coming from the Steelers’ defensive captain.

The Steelers’ offense has struggled this year, and I don’t think they should ignore any opportunity to add a spark to their offensive attack.  More importantly, this is their final opportunity to fine tune their offense before the playoffs start.

The Steelers must get their running game on track.  The Steelers, who have historically been a running team, have struggled to run the ball this year.  Even running back Willie Parker has said that the Steelers have gone away from playing “Steelers football”.  The running game is going to be vital for the Steelers in the playoffs.

Hopefully, we will see the Steelers working to impose their will on the Browns’ defensive line.  The Steelers have to find a way to get short yardage when they need it.  They haven’t been able run the ball effectively in short yardage situations for most of the year.  I’m sure that I’m not the only one who is getting tired of seeing the Steelers running game get stuffed on 3rd downs.

So, both the Steelers and the Browns have something to play for this week.  This might not be a meaningless game afterall.

Also please see our Top 10 Reasons the Browns Will Lose To The Steelers found here.

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Let’s review. The Steelers defense plays like men possessed. They dominated Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts offense. They hold them to 62 yards rushing. James Harrison adds to his sack total. Aaron Smith picks up a sack as well. The Steelers march the ball 62 yards for an easy touchdown on their very first offensive series. The Steelers’ offense maintains control of the ball for almost 10 minutes more than the Colts. Mewelde Moore rushes for 2 touchdowns.  Big Ben throws for 284 yards.  Clearly, that narrative ends with a decisive Steelers victory, right? Wrong.

In the normal universe, that game would have been an easy win for the Steelers. But in this bizarro universe that is the Steelers’ 2008 season, such performances sometimes result in losses.  Too often, the cause of those losses proves to be Ben Roethlisberger. 

In this unusual season, in which the Steelers were supposed to be overwhelmed by the NFL’s most difficult schedule, they instead find themselves with a 6-3 record. Moreover, they could easily be 8-1.  Two of the losses, the ones to the Giants and Colts, should have been wins, had it not been for the poor play of the Steelers’ $100 million quarterback.

Yesterday, Ben Roethlisberger gave up two costly interceptions.  The first, with only 1:30 remaining in the 1st half, gave the Colts great field position, and ultimately resulted in a Colts touchdown.  So instead of going into halftime leading the Colts 17-7, the Steelers found themselves only leading by 3 points, 17-14.

The second costly interception came in the middle of the 4th quarter.  With the Steelers leading 20-17, Roethlisberger threw his second interception of the game.  Four plays later, the Colts had another touchdown, and led the Steelers 24-20.  That would be the final score of the game.

It’s not fair to place the entire burden of the loss on Ben Roethlisberger’s sore shoulders.  Afterall, it was coach Tomlin who allowed him to start despite missing practice most of the week.  It was Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians who had Roethlisberger launch 42 passes with a sore shoulder.  Most of those passes were off-target or fell woefully short of the intended receiver.  I could see that as a spectator.  Why couldn’t the Steelers coaching staff see as much?

History has shown us that Big Ben is a warrior, and he is willing to play through injuries.  However, history has also shown us that Ben usually plays badly while hurt.  Does anyone remember the awful 2006 season when Roethlisberger came back too soon from a motorcycle accident and an emergency appendectomy?  Sure, it was courageous of him to try to be there for his teammates.  But after throwing his 200th interception (okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a bit), Coach Cowher should have benched him and let Charlie Batch play until Ben was fully recovered.  The same is true this year.  An injured Ben Roethlisberger is an ineffective Ben Roethlisberger.  When will the Steelers’ coaching staff learn that lesson?

On two separate occasions this season, Byron Leftwich has come into the game and been more effective than Big Ben.  That is not to say that Leftwich is better than Roethlisberger.  He’s not.  But Byron Leftwich at 100% is better than Ben Roethlisberger at 80%.

While Big Ben’s ego may not like the idea of being benched temporarily, it is the best decision for his long-term health.  The Steelers have invested a lot of money in their franchise quarterback.  It’s time to start protecting that investment.  And it’s time to stop losing winnable games.

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Note:  Before taking this quiz, you may want to read our Steelers-Redskins Review found here.

Okay, we know that you watched the game, but now it’s time to find out if you REALLY watched the game. Here is this week’s post-game quiz. Good luck.

1. Who recovered Andre Frazier’s blocked punt?

A. Deshea Townsend

B. Lawrence Timmons

C. Mewelde Moore

D. William Gay

2. What is backup quarterback Byron Leftwich’s jersey number?

A. 4

B. 8

C. 12

D. 13

3. What was Ben Roethlisberger’s passer rating for the game?

A. -57.0

B. 15.1

C. 49.7

D. 78.3

4. Who was the primary punt returner for the Steelers?

A. Najeh Davenport

B. Mewelde Moore

C. Hines Ward

D. Santonio Holmes

5. Attempting an on-side kick on the opening kickoff was:

A. Stupid

B. Very stupid

C. Immeasurably stupid

D. All of the above

6. Which of the following players did not participate in a sack of Jason Campbell?

A. Lawrence Timmons

B. Brett Keisel

C. Nick Eason

D. Aaron Smith

7. The Steelers’ defense held Clinton Portis to how many yards rushing?

A. 22

B. 39

C. 51

D. 74

8. What was Byron Leftwich’s passer rating for the game?

A. 63.7

B. 84.9

C. 124.6

D. 145.8

9. LaMarr Woodley vs. Jason Campbell was reminiscent of:

A. Germany vs. France

B. Joe “Turkey” Jones vs. Terry Bradshaw

C. Ike Turner vs. Tina Turner

D. All of the above

10. Who was the leading tackler for the Steelers?

A. Troy Polamalu

B. James Farrior

C. James Harrison

D. LaMarr Woodley

Answers:

1. (D) William Gay

2. (A) 4

3. (B) 15.1

4. (D) Santonio Holmes

5. (D) All of the above.

6. (B) Brett Keisel

7. (C) 51

8. (D) 145.8

9. (D) All of the above.

10. (B) James Farrrior

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