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(9/3) So much for the Sean Mahan experiment. The embattled guard-turned-center was traded back to Tampa Bay for an undisclosed draft choice in 2009 (read: "salary dump"). Mahan broke down big time last season and may have been the single biggest reason for the collapse of the o-line, although that theory will now be put to the test with new starter Justin Hartwig.

(8/30) Every year on this web site I rail against the absurdity that is pre-season football. The NFL owners completely rip off the fans by staging these "games" and charging full price for fans to attend them. The starters only play for a few series, and when they do play, they do so at half speed using a totally vanilla playbook. The NFL tries to convince us that these games are an important tune-up for veterans, but the league's best player, LaDainian Tomlinson, has only 14 preseason carries in his career! But we the fans still fall for it hook, line, and sinker - especially in football-crazy Pittsburgh. We over-analyze every little thing about these games, fret that the offense/defense doesn't look ready for the season, and declare that scrub player x and his great performance against the 4th string defense of the Carolina Panthers make him qualified to be a starter. The local media fuels this because, frankly, it's good for business. This annual ridiculousness reached its apex in 2005 when panicked fans declared that Ben Roethlisberger was headed for a "sophomore jinx" due to his poor play in the pre-season (Roethlisberger instead led the Steelers to their first world championship in 26 years).

While I always complain about this, I still always watched at least some of the pre-season. I always bash the NFL for selling a sub-par product but I buy into it anyway. Well this year I decided to finally walk the walk. That's right - for the first time in my 31 years as a football fan, I skipped the pre-season altogether. And to be honest, it's one of the best things I have ever done (from a fan perspective at least). It may not be a popular thing to do here in Pittsburgh, but I am glad I did it. Here is the story of my bold journey thru a pre-seasonless August:

Friday, August 8 (Game #1): My pledge to boycott the pre-season started by accident. I was on vacation in Alaska during the first game and would not have been able to watch it anyway (side note: if you want to see absolutely stunning natural beauty, I would highly recommend going to Alaska - I was totally blown away by that place). My dad had asked me if I wanted him to DVR the game for me. This was tempting - after all, I could skip thru the game quickly - but I still resisted. This is when I decided that I could make it thru the entire month without succumbing to NFL pre-season football.

Thursday, August 14 (Game #2): The Steelers traveled to Canada to play their second pre-season game against the Bills. What a joke! Was there a goalie blocking the endzone? Give me a break. There is always one game every pre-season that starts up the panic train, and this game was it for 2008. The defense apparently played poorly, which had some fans and media folks wondering if the Steelers would become the first ever team to go 0-16. The majority of the defense though downplayed the performance. "We didn't game-plan. It's still the preseason," said safety Ryan Clark. Fortunately, I had no opinion because I didn't see one second of how the defense performed. Meanwhile, I was dying without my usual dose of NFL Network shows like "Top Ten Coldest Games Ever" and "America's Game: The Story of the 1970 Baltimore Colts". They take off these quality programs to hammer us with multiple replays of the always exciting Tampa Bay vs Miami pre-season game.

Saturday, August 23 (Game #3): This game was the most tempting for me to watch. Due to my horrible performance in my fantasy league last year, I earned the right to pick any spot I wanted for this year's draft. I had decided that Tomlinson and Adrian Peterson were the two best players available, so I took the #2 spot figuring that I would get one of them for sure, and that it would most likely be Peterson. But like everything else in fantasy football, I started to second guess myself. Was Peterson really as good as advertised? Is Minnesota's offensive line as dominant as they were last season? What if their QB plays like crap? I decided I needed to scout this team, and what better way than to watch their third pre-season game (which is traditionally the one where the starters play the most), which happened to be against the Steelers. I even set the DVR, but then I came to my senses. I was doing exactly what I hated - making judgments about the upcoming season based on a meaningless glorified scrimmage. I deleted the DVR setting and skipped the game.

Thursday, August 28 (Game #4): By this time, it was getting easier to skip the games. People were talking less and less about the games the next day, and many fans were already in full "bring on the season" mode. I really didn't care how much #1 pick Rashard Mendenhall fumbled. If he fumbles in real games, then I will start to worry. The game apparently ended on a last-second Jeff Reed field goal. How dramatic. So the pre-season came and went without me, and I feel nothing. All the pre-season does if you are a player is sort out who the 5th wide receiver is (Dallas Baker or Willie Ried - I can hardly wait for the big announcement on that one). All the pre-season does if you are a fan is mess with your head, making you think that things are better or worse than they really are. I don't feel like I have any less insight into the upcoming season than I would any other year. I might just have to make this an annual tradition.

(8/23) Quick question - which of these two facts do you remember more from last season: the fact that the Steelers had the NFL's #1 ranked defense, or the fact the Steelers defense allowed an average of nearly 30 points per game in the final five match-ups of the year? My guess is that for many of you, the latter sticks out more. The truth is that the Steelers face an issue on defense that doesn't get a lot of press: they are getting old. That's not necessarily always a bad thing for an NFL defense. There have been some "aging" units who have won Super Bowls (the 1998 Broncos, 1979 Steelers, and 1967 Packers are just a handful of examples). Experience matters a great deal when you want players to stay in their tackling lanes and not commit dumb penalties. However, the flip side is that age also brings with it greater potential for weariness and injuries. Experienced veterans can sometimes win you more games in September and October than they can in November and December. Age can eventually catch up with a team like it did last season for the Steelers.

The defensive line is at the epicenter of this issue. The top five guys on the depth chart - Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton, Brett Keisel, Travis Kirschke, and Chris Hoke - will all be over 30 by next month. When Smith went down in 2007, the line and the run defense in general went down with him. One of the few younger players on the line is Ryan McBean, whom the Steelers drafted out of Oklahoma State in 2007. But he is apparently so behind on his progress that the Steelers went out and picked up Orpheus Roye last week. You will remember Roye as the guy who played on a Steelers defense with Greg Lloyd, Levon Kirkland, Chad Brown and company way back in the mid-1990's (you will also remember that his departure after the 1999 season was part of what I will forever refer to as "The Offseason from Hell"). As if the line couldn't get any older, now we have Orpheus Roye back!

The secondary is also an all-veteran unit, albeit somewhat younger than the line. Other than Deshea Townsend, who enters his 11th year with the Steelers (4 seasons short of the team's all-time record for service), the other three DB's are under 30. However, two of those guys - Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu - are coming off of serious injuries. The only exception to the rule seems to be the linebacking corps, where 2007 draft picks Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley are poised to make an impact this season, and where James Harrison is in the prime of his career.

The age factor has become an issue mainly due to the team's recent draft choices. If you take out the 2007 draft that produced the two linebackers, the Steelers have used their first round pick on a QB, TE, WR, and RB since 2004. That is unprecedented for a franchise traditionally not big on skill players. Those picks have also gone a long way towards building up the offense (without the QB pick in particular, we would still be waiting on that "one for the thumb"), but could it be at the expense of the defense? The other problem is that the younger defensive guys whom the Steelers have picked up in the draft have not panned out well. While the jury is still out on Anthony Smith (the 2nd round pick from 2006), he certainly hasn't done much thus far - other than shoot his big mouth off - to convince anyone he is going to be a fixture in the team's future. Of course, at least Smith is still on the team, which is more than you can say for the other recent 2nd round defensive picks Ricardo Colclough and Alonzo Jackson. Even the later round picks like Orien Harris (4th round, 2006), Rian Wallace (5th round, 2005), and the aforementioned McBean haven't worked out well.

The Steelers announced this week that they had signed LB James Farrior to a new contract, which is awesome because he is still a very good player and would have been a free agent after this season. But the contract itself - 5 years for a 33-year old player - was emblematic of the age problem. How effective will Farrior be in 2010 or 2011? Hopefully everyone can stay healthy this season and the defense has a chance to finish what it starts, unlike last year. But Kevin Colbert and the front office really need to start addressing this problem because ultimately it's going to burn them.

(8/10) Reason #872 why I hate pre-season games: guys getting hurt on meaningless plays. Backup QB Charlie Batch fractured his collarbone on a broken play in Friday night's preseason opener against the Eagles. He will be out at least 6 weeks, and given the fact that Batch is 107 years old, it may be even longer. The Steelers went in search of a veteran backup since the only other QB's they have on the roster are rookies Dennis Dixon and Mike Potts. That "search" was reminiscent of when Clark Griswold cut down his neighbor's tree to replace the big Christmas tree that Uncle Lewis burned up. The Steelers brought in Byron Leftwich (the super slow guy who flamed out in Jacksonville) and Daunte Culpepper (remember way back when he was a first round fantasy pick?) as the two candidates. They signed Leftwich because reportedly - and you'll love this one - Culpepper wanted to compete for the starting job! So they chose one broken down, washed-up QB over the other. I could just see Mike Tomlin, already stressed from the Sepulveda injury and the Casey Hampton fatness issue, announcing this move. "I simply solved the problem. We needed an old black guy... Er, a backup quarterback. There are no veterans still on the market on August 10. Sean Considine burned down my old QB so I replaced him as best I could. Voilà." Bring on the season!
Also: The Steelers still found time to sign a washed up former Viking, picking up punter Mitch Berger. So the day wasn't a total loss.

(8/1) Here is part two if this year's training camp preview:

Is it really true that the Steelers will play the hardest schedule in NFL history?
Yes, that is true. Here is why: last season, for the first time ever, two entire divisions - the AFC South and the NFC East - both finished at .500 or better. Due to the league's rotational scheduling, the AFC North plays those two divisions in 2008. In addition, the Steelers, as the defending AFC North champions, must play the two first place teams from the AFC's other two divisions (AFC Championship Game participants New England and San Diego). In fact, the only two teams the Steelers play who finished under .500 in 2007 are heated rivals Baltimore and Cincinnati, and those are never easy games. So yes, it is the most difficult schedule anyone has ever had to play. That being said, let's keep in mind just how much the NFL landscape changes from year to year. This is the hardest ever schedule on paper based on last season's records. You never know how that is going to pan out. At this time last summer, Cleveland would have looked like an easy opponent and Chicago would have looked like a tough one. So you just never know.

Is Casey Hampton too fat?
Probably, but does it matter? The big news out of camp this week was the fact that Mike Tomlin put Hampton on the PUP list until Hampton loses some weight and gets himself in shape. Hampton says that, no matter what, he will be ready to play by week 1, but it is somewhat discouraging that he reported to camp in this kind of shape. That being said, his job is to be a fat run-stuffer, so I am not too concerned. One thing I will say is that it is great to see that Tomlin has no quams about disciplining a four-time all-pro.

Can Troy Polamalu return to all-pro form?
Polamalu's injuries definitely have limited him the past two seasons, and he is no longer the force he once was. However, that doesn't mean that he can't come back. Troy has been doing "alternative training" on his own this off-season (after Mike Tomlin gave his blessing), and he seems to think it will help him come back full strength. However, him going on the PUP list on the first day was not an encouraging sign. I hope he can come back because the defense really needs him.

Will the other players who suffered season-ending injuries be back full strength?
It was unreal how many huge injuries the Steelers suffered last season. FWP should be back at full strength, and it should help a great deal that he will now not have to carry the full load. Aaron Smith's injury absolutely decimated the d-line, so let's hope he can stay healthy. Ryan Clark's bizzare spleen issue really caused the secondary to cave in. He lost 30 pounds during the surgery recovery period but said he is almost back to his playing weight.

Is it fair to call Lawrence Timmons a bust?
Hardly. Timmons is only in his second year and will get the chance to supplant Larry Foote as the starter at ILB. Even if he can't do that, it doesn't neccessarily mean he is a bust as Foote has been a solid player and starter for several years. Let's wait and see how things play out with Timmons before throwing him in the Huey Richardson / Zo Jackson category.

Are the Browns for real?
I want to say yes. I want to say that they are loaded with offensive talent. I want to say that they bulked up their defense by adding DT's Corey Williams and Shaun Rogers in the offseason. I want to say that Joshua Cribbs is the AFC's Devin Hester. I want to say that they are primed to win their first division title since 1989 (wow, has it been that long?). I even want to say that I will be rooting for them and their fans come playoff time. I want to say all this, but I can't do it. Why? Because they are the Cleveland Browns, and history dictates that they will find a way to muck it up.

Did Mike Tomlin learn a lot in his first season?
Oh yes, I think he learned a ton. And I think he will be an even better coach because of it. Let's keep in mind that Tomlin took over an 8-8 team and then proceeded to guide it to the playoffs despite some devastating injuries to key players, all the while dealing with the pressure of being just the 3rd head coach of the Steelers since 1969. I am excited to see what he can do in year #2.

What is the outlook for the 2008 Steelers?
That is a really tough question. The team faces numerous obstacles, but always seems to do well (i.e. only one losing season this decade). I think as long as Ben stays healthy, they will contend for a playoff spot. A great QB can overcome a lot of other shortcomings.

(7/31) Bad news this week as the Steelers announced that punter Daniel Sepulveda will miss the entire 2008 season with a torn ACL. This is really unfortunate for several reasons. For starters, Sepulveda performed very well last season. He had an excellent average and was able to sucessfully complete pooch punts, and since he was only a rookie, he was destined to improve even more this year. This is also a blow to the Steelers always-fragile special teams. The team has signed Paul Ernster off of waivers to replace Sepulveda. If that name sounds familiar, it is because Ernster was the punter on what was arguably the most disastrous special teams play in NFL history. Great, can't wait for 4th downs this year!

(7/27) It's about that time of year again. The emotion of the Penguins amazing Stanley Cup Finals run has given way to football in Pittsburgh, as most things here typically do. As usual, the Steelers have a list of questions which must be addressed during the summer. Here is part one of that list:

The offensive line was a joke in 2007 and now the best player from that unit is gone. How does this not spell doom for the Steelers again?
Yes, it is true that last season's o-line play was historically awful. I joked that the NFL Films season highight video should have been titled "Sacked: The Story of the 2007 Pittsburgh Steelers" because that was essentially the theme of the season. The year even ended on a sack for goodness sakes! So what hope is there for a Faneca-less line in 2008? Well, it all starts at center. If newly acquired Justin Hartwig can win the starting job and hold things together, then there is a glimmer of hope. If Sean Mahan is the center again, then that means Hartwig's career as well as Pittsburgh's line are toast.

Who starts at tackle?
The "official" battle is at the right tackle between Willie Colon (last season's incumbent) and Max Starks (the guy whom the Steelers paid massive $$$ to over the off-season), just as it was at this time last year. But I have had a nagging hunch that ever since Starks came in late last season and played so well at left tackle, the Steelers have been mulling over whether it's worth hanging onto the aging and oft-injured Marvel Smith. There is no indication that Smith could be sent packing after 8 fantastic seasons here, but don't be shocked if it happens.

Is this ownership thing going to impact the team?
Mike Tomlin seems to think it may. I guess it depends how messy things get with the Rooney brothers. I don't see it costing us games when the season starts.

Will any of the rookies make an immediate impact?
This is the first time in quite a while where several rookies will really have a big opportunity to contribute. RB Rashard Mendenhall and WR Limas Sweed, who both just signed contracts over the weekend, could see immediate playing time. That is especially true for Mendenhall, who the Steelers pretty much annointed as the one-two punch for FWP when they said goodbye to Najeh Davenport last month. Sweed meanwhile has a chance to take some playing time away from Nate Washington, provided he can show coaches that he is capable of doing some of the things that Nate cannot do (catch balls thrown to him, run routes, not totally suck, etc).

In 2006, it was Willie Parker. In 2007, it was James Harrison. Who is poised for a breakout year this season?
I'd have to go with Santonio Holmes. I know I said it last year too, but he just keeps improving, and this could be the year that he really becomes a star in the offense. I could see him putting up Pro Bowl numbers in his third NFL season, and breaking out of Hines Ward's shawdow in the process.

Speaking of Harrison, he sure made certain that no one missed Joey Porter. Will anyone miss Clark Haggans?
That depends on one man: LaMarr Woodley. When Porter was released last year, many Steelers fans were upset about it. When Haggans signed with Arizona in the off-season, there was barely a whisper from The Nation. Granted, Haggans was not nearly as popular or important to the success of the team as Porter once was, but many fans are also very excited with what they saw from Woodley in limited playing time last season. The coaches seem to love him and he appears to be a great fit for the 3-4 scheme. Can he live up to the hype? I think he can, but only time will tell.

What happened to Bryant McFadden, and what will be his role this season?
McFadden looked to be the CB of the future. During his rookie season in 2005, he made one of the biggest plays of the year, knocking a pass away from Reggie Wayne in the closing seconds of the Steelers dramatic playoff upset of the Colts. But ever since then he has seemingly had trouble winning a starting job. The main reason is inconsistency, both with his play and with his health. Maybe this is the year McFadden becomes a key contributor. It is a contract year for him, so now is definitely the time.

Should fans revolt against the ridiculous pre-season?
Yes. In the unfair world of today's NFL, season ticket holders are often forced to buy pre-season tickets as part of their package. These tickets are priced just as high as the regular season tickets. How dare the NFL owners make fans pay thru the nose to watch the star players run a few light plays and then go sit on the bench for the rest of the game. In the words of Detective Walenski, "It's all just a big joke."

Part two is coming next week and it will deal with the following very harsh reality: the 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers will play the single toughest schedule in the history of the league.

(7/9) Here is something you thought you would never see happen: the Steelers may end up being owned by someone outside of the Rooney family. Here is the situation: Dan Rooney currently owns a 16% stake in the team. The rest of the franchise is owned by his four brothers and the McGinley family (who are related to the Rooney's by marriage). Dan and his son Art II run the team while the other brothers run the family racetracks. The racetracks now have slot machines, and that puts them at odds with NFL policy that prevents ownership in a team and gambling interests. Also, the brothers are getting up there in age and may not want to pass on the team and the inheritance tax that would come with it. So they are trying to get out of the football business. One option would be for Dan and Art to buy out the brothers' shares, but they probably do not have enough money to do that. So the other option is to bring in a partner, and that could end up being billionaire Stanley Drunkenmiller.

Drunkenmiller is from Pittsburgh and is listed as one of the top 100 richest people in the country. He would reportedly be a noncontrolling partner and still allow the remaining Rooney's to run the franchise, even though he would own by far the largest share of it. It would be an interesting and historical move for the Steelers, but probably not one with much impact. The team is in absolutely no danger of going anywhere or changing styles even if Drunkenmiller does become the majority owner. That of course has not stopped the local media and ignorant Yinzer fans from starting to panic, but whatever.

A side note on Drunkenmiller that I thought was funny: he apparently sits in the stands (sometimes with his face painted black and gold) at the Steelers games. This news has now got me thinking about all the people who sit in my section and if one of them is actually Drunkenmiller! If so, I just hope he is not the guy who screamed at Bill Cowher to "put it up" on every single play of the 2004 playoff game against New York.

(6/28) In a completely non-shocking move, the Steelers have released RB Najeh Davenport, who became expendable after the team selected Rashard Mendehall with its #1 pick in April. Najeh was a serviceable back who definitely contributed a lot more than some of the other runners whom the Steelers have brought in this decade (see Staley, Duce). And he filled in admirably at the end of last season when the "wheels fell off" of FWP. But he was never going to be able to supplant FWP or even be a long-term solution if FWP ever got hurt for an extended period of time, so like most things in the NFL, it was out with the old and in with the new.

(4/21) The draft is coming up this weekend. It's the biggest day of the offseason, but I am going to forgo a full draft preview this year for several reasons. First off, I have NO CLUE who the Steelers will draft. They need o-line help, but the signing of Justin Hartwig did temper some of the problems. They still need depth, but they will no longer be locked into tacking an o-lineman if a good one is not available. They could address the thin d-line, or they could shock everyone and go with a skill player. Kevin Colbert always seems to like this option better as evidenced by his recent drafts, and that is funny because I remember a time when everyone (including me) moaned and groaned because all we did was select "boring" linemen rather than QB's, receivers, runners, corners, etc. Now that we see the results of not drafting the trench guys, I think we can all agree that they are not such boring picks after all!

Another reason I am not going to go into too much pre-draft detail is because I am already burnt out from all the draft coverage. This is getting absurd now, with the NFL Network running "Path to the Draft" 24/7. You can analyze all you want before and after draft day, but guess how much of it matters until the players take the field? Aboslutely NONE of it. What the NFL Network should do is compile a few hours worth of footage on all the analysis on some recent bust - say Charles Rogers - and let us see how stupid everyone sounds now.

Finally, I have to admit that I am not very focused on football right now (hence the lack of a story about the Steelers incredibly difficult schedule being released this week). That is because the Penguins have actually won a playoff round for the first time in seven years and are looking very good. When their season ends, I will start thinking more about the 2008 Steelers. Until then, let's go Pens!!

(3/20) Steelers WR Cedrick Wilson has been a whiny, ineffective player during his miserable three seasons in Pittsburgh. He should have been jettisoned a long time ago. Unfortunately, it took an ugly incident last night in Wexford to finally push Steelers management over the edge. Wilson was arrested for allegedly hitting his former girlfriend. Being the genius that he is, Ced punched her in the face in the middle of a public restaurant in front of witnesses! This wasn't the first time Wilson and this girl made headlines. Back in January, she locked herself in Wilson's house, fired a gun a couple of times, and created a 12-hour standoff with police. That's a quality relationhip there. I wish someone could rescue their poor 16-month-old daughter. Anyway, the Steelers were apparently fed up because earlier today the team announced that Wilson had been released. So long, Cedrick Wilson - not too many people around here are going to miss you.

On one hand, it's good that the Steelers reacted swiftly to this situation. On the other hand, team MVP James Harrison was arrested for allegedly hitting his girlfriend last week. What are the Steelers going to do about that? This could turn ugly for the Rooney's. They have created this mystique of always having a class organization. But with two arrests in two weeks - both for the same crime no less - the "classy" Steelers are looking more like the Bengals. I don't know what the answer is (other than for these idiots to stop hitting women), but the Steelers had better be careful and make sure that this kind of stuff gets under control as soon as possible. So far all Dan Rooney has done is make the situation worse by trying to explain why they dumped Wilson and not Harrison: "What Jimmy Harrison was doing and how the incident occurred, what he was trying to do was really well worth it. He was doing something that was good, wanted to take his son to get baptized where he lived and things like that. She said she didn't want to do it." Um.... so he is saying that they treated the two cases differently because Harrison's girlfriend basically had it coming for not wanting their son to be baptized?!? I'm hoping that's not exactly what he meant, but that sure is how it sounded!

(3/19) For the first time in 20 years, the Steelers signed a center who had actually played center before. Justin Hartwig, who had been Carolina's starting center, agreed to a two-year contract for $3.7 million. This is a great move. Hartwig has battled injury problems but is still a very productive player. Carolina only dumped him due to salary/rebuilding. Hartwig will replace Sean Mahan as the new starting center for Pittsburgh. Mahan sucked, but in his defense, he is not a center. He just didn't have the right tools. Now he will move back to guard (his natural position) and provide much-needed depth there now that Faneca is gone. The Steelers also re-signed guard Chris Kemoeatu and tackle Trai Essex to their one-year tenders, so again the key word here is "depth". Now the big question is this: do the Steelers still need to use a #1 or #2 pick on the o-line? In the spirit of "you can never have too much depth on a line which allowed 47 sacks last season", I have to say yes. If this Hartwig signing works out, it should really make a positive impact on the line. But if it falters, or if Hartwig or Marvel Smith (who both have histories of missing significant time due to injury) get hurt, then we are going to need all the help we can get. Still, things are slowly starting to look brighter for our beleaguered line.

(3/3) It was no secret that the Steelers top priority this offseason was to lock up Ben Roethlisberger before he played out the final year of his contract, and boy did they ever lock him up. Today the Steelers announced that Roethlisberger signed the biggest contract in franchise history. Check out these numbers: 8 years, $102 million, $25 million signing bonus, and $36 million in guaranteed cash. Everyone was all smiles after the deal. "He's a Steeler and he'll always be a Steeler," said Dan Rooney. Ben was also thrilled and said, "I love Pittsburgh, I love the fans. Got probably the best organization and fans in all of sport. I don't want to go anywhere."

So was Ben worth it? Absolutely. There are maybe five or six really great QB's in the NFL today - that's it. You need a QB to win anything. The days of winning the Super Bowl behind Trent Dilfer are LONG gone. The Steelers went 26 long years without winning a championship despite having a ton of talent. One guy ended up making the difference, and now that guy is going to be in Pittsburgh for a long time to come. Congratulations to Ben and to us Steelers fans who get the pleasure of watching him for at least 8 more seasons.

Also: The Steelers cannot afford to be players in the free agent market this year, so instead they have become bargain hunters. They signed Vikings RB Mewelde Moore. He is a quick runner (I used to throw the halfback screen pass to him all the time in Madden 05) but most importantly, he can be an effective kick returner. The Steelers are desperate for help on special teams. Whether Moore can provide that remains to be seen, but at least they're trying.

(2/29) The Nation is bidding farewell to another one of its heroes. Alan Faneca has signed a deal with the New York Jets. As expected, he got a huge amount of money, and I couldn't be happier for him because he deserves every penny. As I've written many times before, Faneca's departure is what's best for both he and the Steelers, who simply could not afford to blow their salary cap budget on a 10-year veteran. Nonetheless, Faneca will be missed.

When the Steelers drafted Faneca in 1998, he immediately made an impact. At that time the Steelers had an aging offensive line consisting of players like Dermontti Dawson, Will Wolford, and Justin Strzelczyk - guys who were once very but who were on the verge of retirement. The Steelers spent the latter part of the 1990's trying to rebuild the line thru the draft but kept failing miserably (see Jamain Stephens, Chris Conrad, Paul Wiggins, Kris Farris, etc). Had they not been able to get Faneca with the 26th overall pick in that year's draft, they would have never been able to turn things around on offense. Eventually the Steelers would once again become a contender in the 2000's, and in 2005 Faneca would help the Steelers finally win their 5th Super Bowl. Ironically, the Steelers offensive line has come full circle during Faneca's career. They are once again aging and in need of a youth infusion, but he won't be around to see it happen this time.

If you are looking for a signature Faneca moment to remember him by, I would suggest looking back at the 2002 game against New Orleans. Faneca split his head open and was visibly bleeding all over the place. He needed numerous stitches, but he came back and threw the lead block on a Jerome Bettis touchdown run. The guy was always a competitor first, and he is arguably the top guard of this era. Above all he was consistent, making the Pro Bowl for the past seven seasons. For a guy to spend double-digit years in the same uniform during this era of NFL free agency is truly remarkable. Hopefully members of The Nation - not to mention the Canton voters - remember him as one of our all-time greats.

(2/27) Long-time Steelers broadcaster Myron Cope has died at age 79. I tried to think of things I could write about Myron, but what can I really say that any Steelers fan doesn't already know? Myron was a HUGE part of Steelers history and Pittsburgh sports in general. We all listened to him on the radio for years and know his voice - and his phrases - well. Members of the media have always talked about how hard of a worker was, so maybe that is another reason why he connected so well with blue-collar Pittsburgh folks. He was ill in recent years so this it is no great shock that he passed away, but that doesn't mean he will be missed any less. The Nation will be a lonlier place without Myron. May he rest in peace.

(2/21) When Max Starks lost his job starting as the starting right tackle to Willie Colon last summer, it figured to be the beginning of the end of his brief career in Pittsburgh. Several months later, Starks is poised to be a very wealthy man after the Steelers chose to give him their transition tag. That means that the Steelers will have to pay Starks the average of the top 10 tackles in the NFL, and they have already given him a one-year tender offer of $6.9 million! That is some big money to a guy who lost his job last year. If any team wanted to sign Starks during free agency, they would have to match, and that probably will not happen.

In my opinion, this unexpected move signals one of two possibilities. The first possibility is that, with the anticipated departure of Alan Faneca, the Steelers are just so flat-out desperate for o-line help that they were willing to do whatever it took to ensure that they did not have to replace two linemen via free agency and the draft. Some team would have paid Starks too, especially after his very successful stint starting at left tackle at the end of the 2007 season. The other possibility revolves around that stint at left tackle. Starks also played left tackle his final two seasons at Florida, and it may just be his more natural position. But what about the current starting left tackle, Marvel Smith? Well, Smith is entering his 9th season with the Steelers and has had numerous injury problems. Perhaps the Steelers see Starks as the long term replacement at LT based on how well Smith holds up this coming season?

Yet another theory is that they would move Colon to guard and put Starks back at right tackle, but any way you slice it, this move was made for one reason: depth. Free agent o-lineman are often very high-priced, even the mediocre ones. A team like the Steelers who are on the verge of being contenders felt that they couldn't afford to have too much fluxuation amongst their already weak line. We'll have to wait and see as to how this eventually all plays out.

(2/18) It's never too early to start looking towards next season. Last week we looked at the Steelers free agents and other ongoing offseason needs. This week we will take a look at the state of the AFC North and look at what kind of competition the Steelers will face in 2008.

State of the AFC North

Cleveland Browns

I'm still baffled that the Cleveland Browns won 10 games in 2007. Can they repeat/top that performance next season, or was it just a one-time fluke like their 2002 season? Their offense features a great group of young stars - Braylon Edwards, Joe Thomas, The Soldier - who were complimented by two key guys in Derek Anderson and The Drug Dealer who are now free agents. It's a tough call for the Browns on where to go next. How much mileage does The Drug Dealer really have? Look at the Steve McNair Experiment in Baltimore: bring in a veteran who looks finished, pat yourself on the back as he has a great rejuvenated "I just needed a change of scenery" season, then watch helplessly as he turns back into a broken down old man the next year. Will that happen to The Drug Dealer? Who knows.

With Anderson it's an even tougher situation. Do they keep riding his momentum, or do they start working in Pretty Boy Quinn? Again, they can look inside the division for precedence. Cincinnati faced a similar situation in 2004. Jon Kitna had led them to a good season the year before, coming within one game of a playoff berth. The Bengals then had to decide if they would stick with Kitna or start playing Carson Palmer, in whom they had heavily invested their future. They chose Palmer and suffered thru a miserable 2004 season, but it paid off because they won the division in 2005 and then… um… went right back to sucking, while also adding a new dimension to their horribleness by creating a team full of criminals and immature little babies. So maybe it didn't work out so well for them, but you get the point! Should the Browns stick with Anderson and compete, or should they take one step backwards in the hope that it results in two steps forward? Tough call.

One thing is certain: if this team ever wants to establish itself as a legitimate threat, they have to stop losing to the Steelers ALL the time! The recent history between these two rivals has been so one-sided it's not even funny. Pittsburgh has beaten Cleveland 9 straight times. Going back even further, the Browns have only defeated the Steelers 3 times since 1994! Since their glory days of the late 1980's ended, the Browns have only posted three winning seasons - 1994, 2002, 2007 - and all three were directly derailed by Pittsburgh. Bottom line is that Pittsburgh owns Cleveland, and if the Browns are ever going to succeed, they need to figure out how to change that.

(Side note: my favorite Brady Quinn story is when Pitt won at Notre Dame in 2004 after Tyler Palko threw five touchdown passes. After the game, NBC interviewed Palko on the field and he famously blurted out, "I'm so [expletive] proud of this football team!" After the interview, the NBC announcers started apologizing for Palko's "disgraceful" comments and said it was a shame that his great performance had to be "marred". The funny thing about this was that, as they were calling out Palko for being a cancer on society, NBC's camera fixated on Quinn humbly walking off the field with his helmet off and head down. It was such an obvious attempt to say, "Brady Quinn - now there's a young man who would never swear on national television and embarrass himself, his teammates, his university, his future kids, his pets, etc. Sure, he may have lost. Sure, he may have thrown two interceptions. Sure, Tyler Palko may have been the better QB. But Brady Quinn is the REAL winner today." I just always thought that was hilarious. What a bunch of homers. And people wonder why Notre Dame is so hated.)

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens have a new head coach for the first time in forever. The Genius is gone and John Harbaugh (nickname to be determined later) will take over. The Ravens are a really tough team to predict. Their pattern since they won the Super Bowl had been something like this: suck, win the division, suck, suck, win the division, suck…. All the while their defense just gets older and older but still manages to do a pretty darn good job, and their offense plods along like the forgotten stepchild with whoever they can patch in at QB.

I used to think that the QB position was overrated. In the late 90's and early 00's, this argument may have been valid. After all, people like Chris Chandler, Trent Difler, Kerry Collins, Jake Delhomme, and Brad Johnson were all leading teams to Super Bowls. But now the league has changed. While it's still possible to sneak a Rex Grossman led team to the Super Bowl, there is virtually no chance of winning anything without a guy who really does the job well. Would the Patriots be anywhere without Tom Brady? Or the Colts without Manning? Would the Steelers have ever finally won another title without Ben? No way - they proved that in all those Bill Cowher playoff losses that preceded the 2004 draft. That brings us back to the Ravens. I don't see them going anywhere until they get a QB. The problem is that the pickings are slim. There are maybe 8 or 9 good QB's in the NFL today, and everyone else is crap. It will be interesting to see what moves they make.

Cincinnati Bengals

This team is barely even worth talking about. What a joke. Will Chad Johnson be back? Who cares. That franchise needs so much help it's not even measurable. I guess they could start with dumping Marvin Lewis. I think his grace period for winning that meaningless division title has expired by now. Seriously, are the Bengals better off now than they were before he arrived? They have a good franchise quarterback (although I think he is incredibly overrated at this point in his career) but they still can't compete. He was a renowned defensive coordinator, but their defense always sucks. Their lack of discipline and maturity are well documented. So why is he still there?

Cincinnati almost always had good teams in the 70's and 80's, but they are now the laughingstock of pro football. Bengals owner Mike Brown has the worst track record this side of Bob Nutting. They currently own the NFL's longest post-season win drought (they last won a playoff game nearly two decades ago). They remind me so much of the Pirates, and like the Buccos, I don't think anything will ever change unless there is some kind of massive overhaul. Since that is never going to happen, prepare for more years of the Bungles living up to their name.

2008 Opponents

The actual schedule will be released in a couple of months, but we do know who the Steelers will play next season, and it's not going to be pretty. Pittsburgh faces a significantly tougher slate than last year, including games against both Super Bowl teams. Check it out:

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(2/11) It's never too early to start looking towards next season. This week we will take a the Steelers and examine their free agents and discuss some of their other ongoing offseason needs. Next week we will take a look at the state of the AFC North and look at what kind of competition the Steelers will face in 2008.

Free Agents

OG Alan Faneca Don't even try to fool yourself into thinking he may be back. There is no way. It would be a bad deal for the Steelers to invest heavily in a long-term deal for a 10-year veteran, and it would be a bad deal for Faneca to take anything less than he is worth on the open market.	OT Max Starks Here is one guy whom the Steelers may want to seriously consider bringing back. Although he lost his starting job in 2007, Starks proved to be a valuable backup for the often injured Marvel Smith. His price may be steep however as offensive linemen are in high demand. Plus Starks knows how badly the Steelers will need to paste the broken o-line back together, especially with Faneca leaving.
LB Clark Haggans His chances for return are minimal. Lamar Woodley should be able to more than adequately take over for Haggans, who was a solid player but who never established himself as a star in the Steelers linebacker-friendly defense.	FB Dan Kreider It became pretty obvious last season that Kreider no longer fits into the Steelers offensive plans. Carey Davis did little to impress yet still got the bulk of the playing time.
DE Travis Kirschke The Steelers need better and younger depth on the D-line, so he is expendable.	Others LB Marquis Cooper and DE Nick Eason are not going to make or break the defensive plans. QB Brian St. Pierre figures to be back for yet another season of holding the clipboard. WR Nate Washington is a restricted free agent, which means some dumb team would actually have to give up something to sign him. I'd laugh hysterically if that happened!

Other Changes

Draft Last season the Steelers knew they desperately needed an outside linebacker. They had released Joey Porter and knew that Clark Haggans would be gone soon as well, plus they weren't sure if James Harrison would work out or not. However, they opted for an unusual strategy. Rather than pinning everything on a first round pick, they used their first two picks to select outside linebackers. It ended up paying off (at that position at least) because the second round pick blossomed while the first round pick is still a work in progress. So my suggestion for this year's draft is to employ a similar strategy. I would take an ofeesnive lineman with two out of the first three picks, and use the other pick on a defensive lineman. Forget the other needs, forget "best available talent" - just hammer away at fixing the gaping holes.

Free Agents / Trades The Steelers really don't go after free agents. This frustrates many fans, and to be honest, it bothers me too sometimes, especially when there are glaring needs like there are this year. Sometimes asking a rookie to fill those needs just isn't practical. However, it's hard to argue with the team's track record. Since the start of this decade (when Kevin Colbert took over as GM), the Steelers have only had one losing season and have captured the franchise's fifth championship. They built good teams almost exclusively thru the draft, and they probably see no reason to change that strategy. The only problem however is that they have not drafted any linemen (offensive or defensive) in the high rounds in recent years, and now it is coming back to haunt them.

Center Sean Mahan proved that he stinks at center. The Steelers are too thin at o-line to dump him though, so they may swap him and Kendall Simmons. Mahan had played guard at Tampa before coming to Pittsburgh, and that is where he is probably better suited. Regardless, someone needs to step up and be the center the Steelers need.

Mascot So long, Steely McBeam. The mascot that everyone loved to hate should be history, since the Steelers did say that he was a one-season deal because of the 75th anniversary. I'm not sure who the Steelers will hire to frighten young children at Heinz Field now.

(2/4) Some random thoughts from yesterday's monumental upset:

• I have always said that the New York Giants are the Steelers of the NFC. They have all the same elements: long-time family ownership, historically classy organization, consitently successful, rich and storied history, etc. This season they followed the same path that the Steelers did in 2005 by winning three road games to make it to the Super Bowl after years of dissapointing playoff defeats. However, I never thought they could topple New England. I never thought that Eli Manning - a guy who I thought was so overrated just because he had a famous last name - could come into the final minutes and knock off the team who was just seconds away from being crowned best of all time. Congratulations to Eli, Plex, and even The Crybaby. What they did last night will deservedly be remembered for decades to come.



• Not too many people knew who David Tyree was until last night. Tyree, who was mostly just a special teams contributor this year, made one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history when he caught Eli Manning's last minute scrambling heave. It was an amazing play by Tyree, but I had seen it before. In October of 2000, Pitt was undefeated and playing at Syracuse in a huge Big East matchup. The game went into double overtime, and Pitt seemed to be on the verge of victory because they had forced a 3rd and 23. Syracuse QB Troy Nunes scrambled around for what seemed like an eternity, barely escaping Pitt defenders, and desperately heaved the ball into the endzone. Waiting there to make the game-winning catch was none other than David Tyree. As a Pitt fan, that play still riles me up to this day. We had the game won and Tyree somehow got open to make the catch after their QB somehow made an amazing escape. While that David Tyree moment eight years ago was tough to swallow, it will be nothing compared to what Patriots fans will have to deal with today.



• It's amazing what the Steelers winning the Super Bowl two years ago did for me as a football fan. I am genuinely happy for the Giants and their fans. I really don't think I was ever happy for any team who won before 2005 because it wasn't my team. Has anyone else experienced this, or is it just me?



• Where does New England go from here? They will never be able to top 18-0 heading into the Super Bowl. This may rank as the most tragic loss in sports history. At least Boston fans have an excuse to play the woe-is-me card again.



• I have to admit that I found the Big Ben Super Bowl commercial for American Idol highly entertaining. I don't understand why a show with huge ratings needs to advertise, but whatever - it was a good ad.



• Back in Steelers country, things are quiet right now, so I haven't had many updates for this site. But in the coming weeks I will be featuring a two-part off-season preview, as well as the return of the America Loves Countdowns lists, so stay tuned....

(1/25) Let me preface this story by saying that I absolutely love Hines Ward. He is a talented receiver who plays hard all the time, and his place as one of the great Steelers of all-time is secure. He is personally one of my favorite football players ever. That being said, Hines really needs to stop running his mouth so much. His latest rant came today when he lashed out at Ben Roethlisberger after Ben stated that he wanted the Steelers to sign a tall receiver in the offseason. I doubt Ben's comments were meant to put down Hines or even Santonio Holmes. A tall, physical receiver would compliment the offense well, especially since there is a greater focus on passing and because Ben is a tall QB, hence he tends to throw the ball high. But Hines didn't see it that way. "If Ben wants a tall receiver to make him feel comfortable or whatever, maybe the organization will get him one.... To me, I like the four guys we have," said Ward. He also pulled the "I don't hear Tom Brady or Peyton Manning asking for that" line.

I don't even care to debate whether or not the Steelers need a tall receiver (although I certainly don't agree with Hines about "liking the four guys we have" when two of them flat out stink). That's not really the issue here. The issue is that Hines takes offense to EVERYTHING these days, and he always uses the media to air his thoughts about it. I understand the background. When Ward was drafted in the late 1990's, he managed to shine on a very crappy team. What was his reward for that? The Steelers benched him before the start of the 2000 season so that they could play a rookie (Plaxico Burress) and a guy in Troy Edwards who didn't have even 1/100th of the heart or talent that Ward had. So Hines was unfairly forced to work his way back into the starting lineup, and he not only did that, but he became an all-pro player in the process. Even after the Steelers and The Nation recognized how truly special he was, he still got little respect at the national level. Few people mentioned him in the same breath as other star receivers. Hines was a grinder on a run-first team - a guy who gets you the 3rd and 6 or blocks the guy to the outside so that the running back can gain those ten extra yards. That just isn't sexy. It's more fun to see Chad Johnson come up with a new endzone dance or watch Terrell Owens do situps in his driveway or awe at Randy Moss' latest one-handed catch. Hines has a big chip on his shoulder, and I totally get that.

However, at this point in his career, Ward just comes across as bitter and ultra-sensitive. Look at the last two years: The Steelers didn't sign him to a big contract right away, so he was offended. The Steelers didn't hire Russ Grimm, so he was offended. The Steelers dumped Joey Porter, so he was offended. Ben said he wants a tall receiver, so he was offended. He plays the "I don't get any respect card" all the time now. If that motivates him personally on Sunday, more power to him. But there is no reason to trash your owner, coach, or teammates in the media the way he has been doing. He is a Super Bowl MVP and will no doubt go down as one of Pittsburgh's most beloved sports figures, but this constant public whining is not doing anything to help his cause.

(1/8) Some random thoughts now that we have all had a few days to digest this year's one-and-done playoff exit:

• It was announced on Sunday night that Hines Ward will need surgery after re-injuring his knee in the playoff game. If there was any shred of doubt over how far into the playoffs the Steelers may have gone had they held on to their 29-28 lead on Saturday, I think this helps answer it. The Steelers were way too depleted, both physically and mentally. Ed Bouchette, who is by far the best sportswriter in Pittsburgh, summed it up nicely by showing how the playoff game was a microcosm of the entire season's problems, and Ben Roethlisberger summed up his team's crushed late-season spirit when he said, "We are a worn-down team. We're physically drained and mentally drained."
  
  
• The Steelers suffered many high-profile season-ending injuries this season - Aaron Smith, FWP, Marvel Smith - but the one injury that didn't get nearly as much attention as it deserved was the spleen issue which ended Ryan Clark's season after the Denver game. Clark, like Chris Hope before him, has been an underrated asset to the defense, and the Steelers watched helplessly as his replacements made costly mistakes. Anothony Smith screwed up both on and off the field during the two-game slide in December. He was replaced by Tyrone Carter, who had a miserable game against Jacksonville in the playoffs, capping it with a key missed tackle on David Garrard's now legendary 4th down run in the final moments. Maybe Clark is way more valuable to this team than we all thought.
  
  
• The criticism being directed at Mike Tomlin for attempting the first two-point conversion is absurd. If you recall, the Steelers had just cut the Jacksonville lead to 28-23. They went for two and converted it, but a holding call against Sean Mahan (what a great season he had, eh?) moved the ball back to the 12 yard line. From there the Steelers still went for the two-pointer, but failed. Tomlin faced criticism under the premise that, if he kicks the PAT and the Steelers score another TD, then Pittsburgh would have held a three-point lead. But that was a big "what if". Why would Tomlin elect to be down by 4 points instead of 5 points? Wouldn't it have made way more sense to be down by just 3 points? He had no way of knowing whether or not the Steelers would have another shot at the endzone, but a FG attempt to tie was certainly a higher probablilty. Plus when the Steelers did score the TD, they still had a second chance to go up by 3 points had they converted the second two-point attempt. It was the absolute 100% right call, and Tomlin to his credit did not back off one bit when pressed by the "we need to make a story out of blaming the coach" local sportswriters.
  
  
• I was surprised at the Steelers players complaints about the refs. Yeah, they made some bad calls, but they also helped us out with that pass interference call on 4th and goal which really should have been a facemask call on Ward. I also don't think you can call holding on 4th and 2 with Jacksonville's season on the line unless it is really blatant. For all of us who complained about the refs making a ticky-tack call in a critical moment of the playoff game at Tennessee a few years ago, it would be hypocritical to then suggest that they should have called this game extremely tight in the final minutes.
  
  
• Interesting stat on Ben: he is 1-2 in home playoff games, and he threw 8 interceptions (including 2 which were returned for touchdowns) in those 3 games. However, he is 4-0 in the playoffs away from Heinz Field. Go figure.
  
  
• Speaking of home playoff stats, check out this one: there have been 6 playoff games at Heinz Field, and in those 6 games, the Steelers have given up 5 special teams touchdowns!!! (technically it is only 4, but Maurice Jones-Drew getting tackled at the one-inch line on Saturday is the same as a return touchdown). That is unacceptable. The Steelers MUST get their special teams in order, especially with the AFC's version of Devin Hester (Cleveland's Joshua Cribbs) playing in our division.
  
  
• Even though it didn't have a happy ending, I will say that the Jaguars game was probably in the top three home games I have ever attended in terms of excitement and fan involvement (the 1992 game against Houston and the 2002 playoff game against Cleveland being the other two). I wish I could bottle that moment when Ike Taylor made the interception, because I'm not sure I will ever see Heinz Field explode quite like that ever again. The 64,000 fans were already on their feet before that play - we had been for all of the 4th quarter - and when the ball sailed into Ike's hands, everyone just completely lost it. It was an amazing scene and I count myself fortunate to have been a part of it.

(1/1) The playoffs are here. Can you feel the excitement in Steeler Nation? Probably not. No one is too excited about our team's prospects this post-season. Consider the facts: the Steelers backed into the playoffs by dropping three out of their final four games. Key players like FWP, Aaron Smith, and Marvel Smith are all out, and others like Troy and Ben are playing hurt. One of the reasons Ben is playing hurt is because he had to run for his life all season. When NFL Films does the highlight video for this year, they should just call it "Sacked! The Story of the 2007 Steelers". The o-line woes were bad but the defense had still been playing well. Now that is not even true anymore. While the defense still finished ranked #1 in the NFL (not sure how), they have been unable to stop the running game in recent weeks. So the Steelers have all of that going against them, plus they would have to beat two teams who have OWNED them in recent years - one of which is the hottest in pro football right now, the other of which hasn't lost a game since LAST season - just to advance to the AFC title game! It's unrealistic to think that this team can pull that off. Some fans will no doubt make comparions to 2005, when we ran the table as a lowly #6 seed, but that team was on a roll at this time. The one thing I will say is this: the Steelers always seem to step it up when their backs are against the wall. We saw that in St. Louis a few weeks ago. We saw that against Cincinnati a few weeks before that. We saw that when they beat Cleveland in November, the game that ultimately gave Pittsburgh its first AFC North title since 2004 (since the Browns finished with the same 10-6 record as the Steelers). We'll have to wait and see what happens. Maybe this team will surprise us, but let's be careful not to expect too much here.


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