SB Nation - Max Starks

Alligator Army All-Decade Team: Offensive Tackles

mlmintampa — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:00:19 -0000

We kick off the Alligator Army All-Decade Team with the men assigned to protect Rex Grossman, Chris Leak and Tim Tebow. Today, you can vote for the best offensive tackles, guards and center of the last 10 years. We will also have the nominees for the offensive positions later this week. Starting Friday will be the defense, with the All-Decade Team presentation concluding next week. We are only taking into consideration performance at Florida and from 2000-2009. Now, the nominees for Alligator Army All-Decade Offensive Tackles (vote for two);

Kenyatta Walker (1998-2000): 2000 Second Team All-American, 2000 First Team AP and Coaches All-SEC, 2000 Jacobs Award for best blocker in the SEC.

Mike Pearson (1998-2001): 2000 First Team Coaches All-SEC, 2001 First Team All-American, 2001 First Team AP and Coaches All-SEC

Max Starks (2000-2003): 2003 First Team Coaches All-SEC. Had the misfortune of playing in two of the worst losses of the decade; 2001 against Tennessee (as right tackle for Grossman) and 2003 against FSU (as left tackle for Leak).

Phil Trautwein (2004-2008): 2008 First Team AP and Coaches All-SEC. Starting left tackle for the 2006 and 2008 National Championship Games.

Jason Watkins (2004-2008): Started at left tackle in 2007 following Trautwein's injury and moved to right tackle for the 2008 season. Started 27 consecutive games, 2007-08.

BTSC Steelers Daily Six Pack- Max-A-Million Edition

drinkyourmilkshake — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:20:05 -0000

IX-So the rumor started floating around yesterday that Troy Polamamlu is unsure if he will play again this season. While I don't think this should surprise anyone, and I think their is a strong possibility that it could be true, that basis for the rumor was a comment made by Troy and he only stated that their is no definitive date for his return. Ed Bouchette said he had heard nothing about Troy being done for the year on yesterday's chat, so it really isn't definitive either way. In other injury news Hines Ward and "Not So Big-Play" Willie Gay both think they have a shot at playing on Thursday, although the reports from inside the Steelers clubhouse is that both will likely miss the match-up against the Browns.

X-Want to see what Max Starks bought with his big money extension? According to the Arizona Republic, Max Starks paid 2,050,000 dollars CASH, for a house in the Crest View neighborhood of Fountain Hills, AZ. From a little detective work it looks like this is the house that Starks purchased which includes five bedrooms, five and a half baths, an outdoor BBQ and an infinity pool.

XIII-Former Pittsburgh Steeler Plaxico Burress has now been in prison for just a few months and his legal team is already seeking a work release. New York State prosecutors say the request is premature, and it would send a bad message to the public. After Burress is completely released from prison I I wouldn't be surprised to see Roger Goodell ask Tony Dungy to perform a similar role as he did with Michael Vick if Burress and NFL teams are interested in his possible return.

XIV->Going into the 2009 NFL Draft many Steeler fans were hoping that center Alex Mack from California University would fall to the Steelers, but ultimately Mack would end up going to the rival Cleveland Browns. This week the Akron Beacon Journal caught up with Mack who is excited by the challenge of playing against the Steelers and looks like he will be another solid piece in a young Cleveland offensive line that already includes pro-bowler Joe Thomas.

XL-How ridiculous is this entire Tiger Woods scandal? For a guy who defines greatness with his golf game, he seems absolutely helpless right now and all because he was unable to "nine-iron in his golf bag" or at least keep it private. How is this football related? Well take a look at this hilarious photo of the Jacksonville Jaguars mascot dressed up to look like Tiger Woods being chased by a blond woman with a nine iron during their game last weekend.

via i.cdn.turner.com

XLIII-Earlier in the season whoever was lineup at kick-returner against the Steelers was guaranteed to have a shot at winning AFC Special Teams player of the week, and Jamal Charles and Bernard Scott won the award against us. Now it seems like every offensive player has a shot at winning the AFC Offensive player of the week with the way the Steelers Defense is playing, especially in the fourth quarter. This week after throwing three touchdowns in the 4th quarter Bruce Gradkowski was named AFC Offensive player of the week, becoming the first Raiders QB since Kenny "The Snake" Stabler to win the award in 1979. Brady Quinn, Mohamed Massaquoi and even Jamal Lewis are foaming at the mouth right now.

Horse Tracks 11/9/09 - Chargers cut Broncos' AFC West lead to 1.5 games; Denver hosts Pittsburgh tonight on MNF; Chiefs release RB Larry Johnson

Douglas A. Lee — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:53:04 -0000

Good Morning, MHR Friends! Well, Phil Rivers led his Dolts on quite an impressive game-winning drive last night, as San Diego injected themselves right back into the AFC West and Wild-Card races. But no matter what happens tonight, the Broncos will remain in the driver's seat. Next Sunday, the Broncos head to Washington and the Dolts host the Iggles, and the following week San Diego comes to Denver. You can see where I'm going with this... As for tonight, put on some orange, get yourself to the Big IF, and make some NOISE for our Broncos!!!!!!

DB - Matchup: Broncos vs. Steelers - Broncos TV

DPP - Broncos' Dumervil, Steelers' Harrison make short work of offenses - Lindsay Jones

DPP - Krieger: Broncos' little changes on offense could make big difference

DPP - Steelers' crackerjack crackback master Hines takes on Broncos - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Steelers' Clark far from only player to feel Denver's altitude - Mike Klis

DPP - Broncos defensive end Smith eager for start vs. Steelers - Mike Klis

CSG - Dawkins fills Broncos' leadership void, too - Frank Schwab

DB - A Toast To Two Football Visionaries - Chris Gentilviso
Celebrating Bob Howsam's decision to start an AFL team in Denver 50 years ago.

DB - A Closer Look: Pittsburgh Steelers - Gray Caldwell

CSG - Broncos anniversary: Top 10 free-agent signings - Frank Schwab

CSG - Pittsburgh at Denver: Three things to watch - Frank Schwab

AP - Elite Pass-Rushers Take Center-Stage Monday Night - Arnie Stapleton

KDVR - Broncos will need Steely resolve on Monday - Zubin Mehenti

ESPN Insider - Football Outsiders - Kyle Orton has taken some time, but early signs of success were there for the Broncos quarterback - Bill Barnwell

Steelers News

PPG - Steelers-Broncos rivalry endures - Gerry Dulac

PPG - Steelers' Starks now a money player - Ron Cook

PPG - Some of the top games in Steelers-Broncos feud: - Gerry Dulac

PPG - Game 8 Matchup: Steelers vs. Broncos - Gerry Dulac

PPG - Head to Head: Steelers LT Max Starks vs. Broncos LB Elvis Dumervil - Gerry Dulac

PTR - Steelers seek solution to kick-coverage woes - Scott Brown

BCT - Tomlin and McDaniels: First-class coaches - Mike Bires

BCT - Game 8: Five Questions - Mike Bires

BCT - Game 8: Key matchups - Mike Bires

NFL Results

NFL - Kansas City Chiefs 21 at Jacksonville Jaguars 24

NFL - San Diego Chargers 21 at New York Giants 20

NFL - Washington Redskins 17 at Atlanta Falcons 31

NFL - Arizona Cardinals 41 at Chicago Bears 21

NFL - Baltimore Ravens 7 at Cincinnati Bengals 17

NFL - Houston Texans 17 at Indianapolis Colts 20

NFL - Miami Dolphins 17 at New England Patriots 27

NFL - Green Bay Packers 28 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38

NFL - Carolina Panthers 20 at New Orleans Saints 30

NFL - Detroit Lions 20 at Seattle Seahawks 32

NFL - Tennessee Titans 34 at San Francisco 49ers 27

NFL - Dallas Cowboys 20 at Philadelphia Eagles 16

AFC West News

CBS - Rivers gets redemption while making Bolts look smart - Clark Judge

CBS - Week 9 Judgements: People keep sleeping on Chargers' Jackson - Clark Judge

SDUT - Rivers-to-Jackson a sweet comeback victory - Kevin Acee

SDUT - It's a tall task slowing Jackson - Tim Sullivan

KCS - Chiefs get going too late in 24-21 loss to Jaguars - Kent Babb

KCS - Chiefs’ defense gives up too many big plays - Adam Teicher

KCS - Chambers, Long catch on quickly for Chiefs - Adam Teicher

KCS - Charles, Smith run well in limited opportunities - Adam Teicher

KCS - Succop gives Chiefs a chance on field goals - Kent Babb

KCS - Chiefs buzz: Alleman starts at guard - Kent Babb

KCS - Chiefs blitz - Adam Teicher

NFL News

PFW - Mangini unlikely to survive Browns' disarray

FH - Mike Holmgren on Cleveland's Radar - Matt Snyder

FH - DeAngelo Hall Accuses Falcons Assistant Of Throwing Punches - Knox Bardeen

NFL - Dungy says Bills are a potential option for Vick's services

NFL - Redskins' Portis doesn't return after concussion against Falcons

NFL - Bengals' Henry breaks left forearm during win over Ravens

NFL - Colts QB Manning breaks 40,000-yard barrier in a decade

NFL Opinion

NFP - Sunday rewind: Week 9 - Matt Bowen

SI - Divison races take shape and more snap judgments - Don Banks
"Like Glenn Close's whack-job character in Fatal Attraction, never make the mistake of assuming the Chargers are dead, even if they look submerged in the bath tub."

SN - Week 9 Checkdown: Defining each division at midway point - Vinnie Iyer
"Here we go again. The Chargers' comeback win over the Giants brings them within 1 1/2 games of Denver. The pressure is on the Broncos to beat the Steelers tonight, especially with a San Diego rematch looming in two weeks."

Y! - Far from pretty, Colts rack up another win - Mike Silver

ESPN - Last Call: Wrapping up Week 9 - John Clayton

FH - Four 'Contenders' in Serious Trouble - Dave Goldberg

Y! - Giants officially have reason to panic - Charles Robinson

NFL - It wasn't easy, but Colts and Saints each improve to 8-0 - Bucky Brooks

FOX - Colts survive another close call - John Lynch

NFL - Bengals silencing the critics with each significant victory - Vic Carucci

CBS - Take off the blinders -- time to believe in Bengals - Gregg Doyel

Y! - Bengals CBs keep lines of communication open - Jason Cole

NFL - Texans among rest of pack still chasing the lead horse - Steve Wyche

SI - Dallas Cowboys make amends in Philadelphia - Don Banks

SN - In 'statement game,' Cowboys prove their toughness - Clifton Brown

FH - Older, Wiser Tony Romo Leads Key Win - Kevin Blackistone

FOX - Think you have Cards, Bears figured out? Think again - Alex Marvez

Mid-morning update

ESPN - Kansas City Chiefs release troubled running back Larry Johnson

SI - Patriots-Colts hype begins; 15 best NFL unrestricted free agents - Peter King
"I like the Ty Law signing, even if he has very little left. He's been there before in big games and won't be cowed by getting a little physical with the Hines Wards of the NFL in the next eight weeks...I worry about Ben Roethlisberger having time to throw with outside linebacker Elvis Dumervil storming in all night, and I don't trust Pittsburgh to be able to run. I'll take Denver, uneasily, 20-13."

NFP - Diner morning news: Things I know at the halfway point - Mike Lombardi

NFP - The race to sign college prospects - Jack Bechta

Pregame Zone Blitz: Steelers at Broncos

ncoolong — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:52:03 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Browse more photos »

We've got a week of casual viewing of our present and future opponents, and a healthy record's perspective from which to see them. Health is the trendy topic this week, as Pittsburgh is out multiple defensive ends and potentially, a free safety. It should be noted (and of course, the PZB makes sure of that) Ryan Clark has the support of Steeler Nation with whatever he and the medical staff decide to do, but certainly, a win in Denver helps Pittsburgh's case to not be in this situation come playoff time.

Here's what our opponents are saying.

Opponent Web Sites/Forums

We feel your pain, Denver fans. We had these same feelings about Mitch Berger.

Dawkins: "(Dumervil and Harrison) are guys that are lower to the ground already." Hilarious description for the vertically-challenged stud pass rushers for Denver and Pittsburgh.

Nod to our brethren at the Mile High ~~Club~~ Report. This will no doubt gain some traction. PBZ has to ask, though, is there a logical reason for you to be in the city of Baltimore?

It's safe to say both Denver and Pittsburgh have concerns with their young stud running backs hanging onto the football.

A slight digression, but ESPN's Adam Schefter's 10 Spot column always has a bunch of fantastic information. This week,it's chock-full of Steelers stats.

Last Game

There is such a thing as winning a game but not beating your opponent. The biggest difference between the two is teams get a win for winning the game, not for beating their opponent.

Pittsburgh's defense flashed some 2008-like playmaking ability, and behind the steam of LaMarr Woodley and Keyaron Fox, who both scored second half touchdowns, Pittsburgh won a critical intra-conference game against a good Vikings team.

Luck? Nah. Champions tend to have the moxie needed to win games like that. If nothing else, it was one of the more entertaining games we'll see, considering the level of individual talent on that field.

I've been trying to best describe him, but Vikings rookie wide receiver Percy Harvin plays unlike any receiver we've seen in some time. He has the strength of a much larger possession receiver, but how many possession receivers are returning kicks at a high level of success? I've been watching Harvin with great interest since I saw his first kick return against Kansas City in the preseason. The first upfield cut he made was like magic; he runs so powerfully, yet gracefully.

Try to accurately draw a comparison to him, seriously. I'm not saying he's a Hall of Fame player, I'm saying we haven't seen a receiver quite like him. He has great speed, obviously, but it's his strength for his size that makes him so unique. My favorite example was during the Steelers game, and there have been a half dozen of these examples so far this year. Harvin catches a curl, squares his shoulders, and SS Troy Polamalu, with a 10 yard head of steam, plants his shoulder directly on Harvin's thigh, as perfectly as it looks in the text book. I can't think of even tight ends who wouldn't go down when hit like that. Harvin faltered a little, but didn't go down. He basically didn't move, he just stopped moving forward.

The best I can come up with is Steve Smith with the strength of Ben Coates. He's a special player.

Opponent Spotlight: QB Kyle Orton

Hey, did you hear the Broncos traded High-Talent-Mediocre-Leader Jay Cutler to the Bears for Kyle Orton? It's true. It's even more true that Denver (6-1) has had a bit more success than the Bears have (4-4) to this point in the season.

Pittsburgh's biggest problem is the fact Cutler played a helluva game and beat Pittsburgh earlier this year. Logic should dictate Orton will beat them even worse.

What's interesting between the two is how Cutler, the big arm, gunslinger passer, went short, short and short again to maintain possession and eat away at the clock and let Jeff Reed miss two field goals. Orton's game - and Denver's success - is predicated on the concept of short, controlled passing.

So in many ways, Pittsburgh should be prepared for much of what they saw against the Bears. But Orton has had a great deal of success in playing in this philosophy. With a passer rating over 95, and just one interception to nine touchdown passes, his efficiency keeps Denver competitive.

Pittsburgh loses a bit of athleticism when ILB Lawrence Timmons isn't on the field, and their hook-to-curl defense will be challenged by playmakers like WR Brandon Marshall. Orton loves to find Marshall inside the numbers, and despite Marshall's career-low 10.8 yards per catch, he's as dangerous as they come with the ball in his hands.

Containing Marshall isn't done by one player, and it's more sensible to find ways to get to Orton and disrupt his rhythm. If Orton is the same precision-based passer he's been so far this season, it could be a repeat of the Steelers trip to Chicago.

Steelers Spotlight: WR Hines Ward

"It's hard to sit there and tell everybody it's a violent sport but tone it down a little. When I go across the middle, those guys aren't going to tackle me softly and lay me down to the ground. That's not football. I find it ironic that now you see a receiver delivering blows, and it's an issue. But I haven't changed. I've been doing it this way for 11 years." - Hines Ward

It's tough not to give Ward a nod for the Spotlight this week, considering his achievement as being named the Dirtiest Player in the NFL this week. It's an intriguing match-up for Ward as well, considering a relative lack of success against Denver in his career.

Ward has squared off against Shanahan's Broncos three times in the regular season, and has yet to garner a win. Since he was named the Dirtiest Player in the NFL, and he obviously gives a rat's patootie about that, he's gotta be fired up and ready to play, right?

If nothing else, the fact Ward continues to roll back the hands of time, and is putting up the best half-season numbers in his career, speaks volumes to the role he plays with the passing attack version of the Steelers.

An even bigger fact to consider; Denver's nickel defense was shredded by Baltimore's Joe Flacco last week on 13-for-15 passing. It was so bad, Denver went out and signed the ageless Ty Law, and released CB Jack Williams.

It's fair to say Pittsburgh has a tad deeper group of receivers, and a bit more experienced of a passer. Law on Ward is a nice match-up for you nostalgia fans, but the scope of Pittsburgh's passing game against Denver's sub packages is going to be an advantage for Pittsburgh.

(honorable mention: LT Max Starks)

I See You

"It is only one game in the long journey of a season and Steeler Nation would completely understand if you stood along the sidelines." - Dr Del on BTSC

I see you, Ryan Clark. Perhaps I'm seeing you a bit later than I should have. It was scary to hear what happened to you the last time Pittsburgh went to Denver. Even more tragic, perhaps it took us that crisis to realize your value to the team, and to solidify your place among the best free agent acquisitions the team has ever made. In missing the remainder of the 2007 season, after the high altitude of the Mile High City, you prepared yourself well enough to have a fantastic 2008 season. Your ability to place the team ahead of yourself was demonstrated by the multiple bone-jarring hits you delivered (see: McGahee, Willis and Welker, Wes). It's because PZB loves you, Ryan, that a point must be made; while it's tougher to win without you, don't play this game if you feel there's a chance it can be repeated. We'll worry about you playing in a potential playoff game at the 6-1 Broncos when we get to it. PBZ said at the time you should have been Comeback Player of the Year in 2008, I'd rather you not attempt to win the award you should have had. The fact you made it back on the field is enough to show everyone you have the warrior mentality, both on the field and off it.

Key Stats

Monday Night marks the second time in three years the Steelers have played at Denver following a bye
Mike Tomlin's Steelers teams have scored 66 points in their two games following a bye (1-1)
In three regular season games, Hines Ward has never scored a touchdown against Denver (0-3 regular season).
The Steelers have faced three of the league's top five rushers (Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson and Cedric Benson) through eight weeks, and haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher.

Vikings (6-0) @ Steelers (4-2) - Key Matchup #2 - Kevin Williams vs. Steelers Interior O-Line

Blitzburgh — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:42:30 -0000

What an exciting weekend of football ahead of fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings. Two of the NFL's most historic and storied franchises squaring off in an October showdown of teams with Super Bowl aspirations. I'm going to leave much of my analysis of the game for a bit later in the week, but I wanted to begin by laying out what some of the key matchups will be on both sides of the ball. From there, you all (and hopefully Vikings fans as well) jump in and lend your take(s). There's plenty of top shelf matchups in this one - both one-on-one as well as unit-against-unit.

We first looked at Jared Allen vs. Max Starks.

Let's now move on to another pivotal matchup - defensive tackle Kevin Williams vs. the interior offensive linemen of the Steelers (Chris Kemoeatu, Justin Hartwig, Trai Essex). Defensive end Jared Allen gets all the publicity for his sacks and entertaining personality, but it's really Kevin Williams (and to a lesser extent Pat these days) that do much of the heavy lifting for Minnesota's defense clogging up running lanes and collapsing the pocket up the middle so that Allen can do his thing on the perimeter. Collectively, they make one heckuva front-four.

There's more.

Kevin Williams vs. The Steelers Interior O-Line

Why highlight both guards and the center when talking about Kevin Williams? Well, as one of the two DTs in Minnesota's 4-3 defense, he might find himself lined up over all of them by game's end. Justin Hartwig will have to have an outstanding game helping both Essex and Kemoeatu at various stages in the game. And when he does help out on whichever side K. Williams is shaded to, the guard on the other side will have to rise up to the challenge against Pat Williams, the other imposing tackle for Minnesota.

The Willaims beasts in the middle (630 pounds between the two) are as good a run-stopping duo in all of football. Since 2005 when Pat left the Buffalo Bills via free agency to sign an incredibly lucrative free agent deal with the Vikings in 2005, Vikings have consistently been next to impossible to run the ball against. After finishing 2005 with the 19th ranked rush defense, the Vikings have led the league in fewest rushing yards allowed each of the past three years.

At 29 years of age, I don't think there's any debating that Kevin is the better of the two at this point. Pat is 36 on and on the downhill side of an extremely durable, productive and long career. But he's still good enough to give an offensive line like Pittsburgh's problems potentially. It certainly helps that this one will be at Heinz Field rather than in the deafening indoor Metro Dome. I also think that Pittsburgh's big eaters up front are playing with a lot of confidence right now. I try not to quantify phantom things like momentum and confidence too often, but I will here because I think it's imperative for an offensive line to be confident - at least mentally confident that they know the assignments of each and every position along the line. It's a lot easier to hold your own down there I'd imagine if you're at least not wasting precious time and focus thinking about your assignments.

Will the Steelers be able to get the run game going against the formidable duo in the middle? It's possible, if only because the Vikings might game plan predominantly for the Steelers passing attack while hoping/assuming that the Williamses will be able to clog running lanes well enough on their own. Perhaps more importantly, the interior of the Steelers offensive line must hold up in the passing game. The Steelers have struggled the most when the pocket has collapsed up the middle (think Tennessee and Philly games last year). And they've not generally been great against 4-3 defenses featuring two forces at defensive tackle. Will they be up to the challenge on Sunday of taking on one of the game's very best defensive duos in the trenches? We will see. Can't wait!

Go Steelers!

Poll

Pittsburgh will have ____ 100 yards of rushing on Sunday (Roethlisberger's total included).

Less than

1106 votes

More than

1175 votes

2281 votes | Poll has closed

Steelers Post-Game Review: The Offense, Part 1 of 2

Blitzburgh — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 04:19:54 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

Browse more photos »

Let's put last Sunday's loss to the Bears behind us tomorrow and begin to look ahead at next week's divisional game against the Bengals, but I wanted to first write about what I saw out of the offense, starting with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. There was plenty of good and plenty of bad alike in Sunday's loss, but for the second week in a row, I felt Roethlisberger more than did enough to help lead his team to victory. He made a few mistakes - the interception in the 1st quarter, and the sack he took in the 4th quarter right before Jeff Reed's first missed field goal attempt. And Roetthlisberger uncharacteristically missed open receivers more than once. But accuracy has never been an issue really with Big Ben. Decision making has though, and once again, I thought he did an admirable job protecting the football while still making assertive, confident decisions in and out of the pocket.

There's more...

Ben Roethlisberger

Week 2 Stats: 23/35 (65.7%), 221 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT

2009 Stats: 58/78 (71.8%), 584 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs

Analysis: I thought Ben Roethlisberger played a pretty clean game against the Bears. Obviously he had a tremendous start to the contest, leading the Steelers down the field on a 13 play, 92-yard drive that consumed just over 8 minutes of game clock. After missing Holmes on his 2nd attempt of the game, Big Ben connected on his next seven passes on the drive. Credit Bruce Arians for drawing up an excellent first series that featured completions to five different Steelers receivers (Ward, Holmes, Miller, Moore, Spaeth). Credit Arians as well for his nicely designed 4th and goal play from the 1 yard line.

Spaeth is highlighted above. David Johnson is in motion, with Tank Summers and Willie Parker in the backfield.

Big Ben fakes the handoff to FWP and rolls to his right. The Bears linebacker above has his eyes and his weight pointed in the direction of the Steelers backfield. Spaeth meanwhile has a full head of steam slipping to the back of the end zone.

By the time Chicago's defender has realized it's play-action and that he has an assignment dragging towards the back corner of the endzone, it's too late. Big Ben has seen Spaeth and aptly gets rid of it before the gap can be closed between Spaeth and the defender. 7-0 Steelers.

Big Ben picked up right where he left off when the Steelers got the ball again following a Bears punt. Ben hit his next three passing attempts, including a gorgeous 3rd and long conversion to Hines Ward over the middle for 21 yards. At that point, Ben looked better than ever and Pittsburgh was knocking on the door again at the Bears 38 yard line. It appeared as if the Steelers were going to get at least 3 points there and really turn up the heat on Jay Cutler and the Bears offense to play from behind.

Then Big Ben threw a momentum changing pick. I originally wrote that I thought Big Ben had perhaps gotten a bit greedy and gone for the homerun ball to Wallace after going through his progressions. Turns out that wasn't quite the case. Let's take a look at what happened instead.

As we see here in the opening frame right after the snap, left tackle Max Starks is lined up pretty far outside - at least in comparison to where the rest of the play in the trenches is unfolding. It's pretty hard to see from this angle, but there's a good three or four yards between Starks and the left guard. At this point, Willie Parker has to see that Starks doesn't need any help chipping his man if he takes him wide. Big Ben would have had plenty of time and room to step up in to the pocket if that happened. Instead, he has to see that open space and figure that Starks' man is going to duck inside.

Parker misses the read though and has already begun to shade to his left rather than to step up in to the hole where there's the most glaring need for an extra body in front of Ben. Roethlisberger has already made up his mind to go deep at this point but in the National Football League, things close down in a split second and he has a man in his face disrupting his throwing motion before he can do anything about it.

I might also point out though that Charles Tillman is already in full-fledged retreat mode and is kicking it into high gear knowing Wallace's speed. In other words, Wallace does not at all have Tillman in a compromised position when Big Ben decides to throw it to the endzone. Not a good decision by Roethlisberger. But perhaps even more importantly, Willie Parker has to do a better job picking up the pass rush. He's a veteran and should know these kinds of tendencies and subtleties by now, even if it all is unfolding extremely quickly in real time.

Moving on..

Roetlisberger struggled with his accuracy for the rest of the game. He completed just three of his next nine passes before hitting Matt Spaeth for a 9 yard completion early in the 3rd quarter. It's worth noting that the rain started to come down fairly heavily during the 2nd quarter. Coach Tomlin would dismiss this as relevant, but it was undeniably obvious that Roethlisberger was suddenly missing on throws he usually makes easily. He missed Santonio Holmes on a few passes -

Big Ben did however make several impressive plays with his legs during the rest of the contest. The first came on a naked bootleg along the goal line at about the 5:30 mark with the score tied at 7-7. Again, a nice play call from Arians.

A convincing ball fake by Big Ben, sucking the Bears outside linebacker in just enough to where he won't be able to catch Big Ben in time as he sprints to the goal line.

There is one defender, Danieal Manning, who still very much has a play on Big Ben. Still, I like Ben's chances in the open field with an under-sized defensive back more often than not.

And that's why Big Ben is more than just an upper echelon quarterback in this league. He's a football player. While the Bears defender goes low, afraid to take Big Ben head on, Roethlisberger leaves it all on the field and sacrifices his body. By jumping over the top, the collision he takes with the other non-pansy Bears defenders pushes him over the goal line. That's our quarterback - one of the absolute best competitors in the league.

Roethlisberger made yet another big play with his legs when he converted a huge 3rd and 5 on the Steelers final drive of the game. There was 4:11 left on the clock and Pittsburgh had it on the Bears 38 yard line.

If you ask me, it's fairly problematic that we seem to feel most comfortable with Mewelde Moore in these late-game situations, but notice here how he does a nice job with his pass protection assignment, sticking his nose right in there and giving Ben enough room/time to decide what to do with the ball.

Ben decides to take off after noticing there's no defenders near the first down marker. There is however a Bears defensive lineman in hot pursuit. Big Ben kicks it in to high gear...

But he also instinctively knows that he needs to raise his legs as Anderson dives for his feet.

Roethlisberger then gives up his body once again stretching for the first down marker. He gets it by the nose of the football and the Steelers should have been in business to close the deal.

In conclusion, no matter what concerns we might have with the 2009 version of the Pittsburgh Steelers, I think we all have to feel fairly confident and comfortable that we have Ben Roethlisberger occupying the most important slot on an NFL roster - the quarterback position. He's been very, very good through two weeks of this year. And his solid performances have come against two good, if not great, defenses. The Titans and Bears certainly can be thought of as solid rush defenses, even if they've had their struggles defending the pass.

Anyway, if Roethlisberger can play at this high level for the remainder of the season the Steelers will be just fine. He's protecting the ball better than he did last year, he's getting more time from his offensive line to survey the field, he's still got that magic late in games and he's proven that he's healthy enough to make plays with his legs when there's no better options at his disposal. In short, he's playing like a franchise quarterback. If the other facets of the team continue to improve - even just incrementally - then the Steelers should again find themselves in playoff contention and have another shot at making a playoff run like they've been able to do with Roethlisberger under center in 2005 and 2008.

Pregame Zone Blitz: Steelers at Redskins

ncoolong — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 14:18:39 -0000

More photos » by Don Wright - AP

4 months ago: Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Limas Sweed (14) attempts a catch as Arizona Cardinals' Bryant McFadden (25) and linebacker Karlos Dansby (58) defend during the first quarter of a pre-season NFL football game Thursday, Aug. 13, 2008 in Pittsburgh.(AP Photo/Don Wright)

Browse more photos »

The preseason marches on, but the Steelers won't be taking the bus Jeff Reed duped them into thinking they would take to a movie theater Thursday, the last day of training camp.

That Jeff Reed...he's a funny one.

Here's what we're reading out of Redskins camp this week.

I always get a kick out of stories about the Steelers fans traveling to road games, but when we (the fans) are able to force teams to change their offenses based on our turnout, you feel nothing but pride.

Every coach has to support his guy, I suppose, but for Redskins safeties coach Steve Jackson to suggest La’Ron Landry is better than Troy Polamalu is akin to having Kool-Aid pumped straight into your veins. Redskins fans on HailRedskins.com agree.

Redskins coach Jim Zorn says the "Battle of Towels" that will apparently result from the Redskins giving away 50,000 white "Redskins Rally" towels in preparation for an invasion of Terrible Towels "will be fun." I guess.

Many Redskins fans are writing their displeasure after the 23-0 loss at Baltimore, and are already discussing their coaching options (coach Cower?).

Opponent Spotlight: OLB Brian Orakpo
"I thought he had exceptional speed. I thought he played hard. I liked what I saw. I think we got a player there." – Redskins head coach Jim Zorn on rookie OLB Brian Orakpo

Washington wasted little time selecting Texas’s DE/OLB combo platter Brian Orakpo with the 13th overall pick in April’s draft. Orakpo wasted little time in making an impact for the marginalized franchise, who sunk a lot of personnel attention and dollars on the defensive side of the ball.

Along with DT Albert Haynesworth’s enormous contract, and picking up Orakpo – whom many said is a steal at the 13th pick – the Redskins improved the league’s 4th-ranked defense, and bring a unique defense to FedEx Field when they face the Steelers in both teams second preseason game.

Orakpo is an interesting opponent to watch Saturday, partially due to his versatility, but mostly due to the fact his explosiveness and athleticism will provide the Steelers with some up-to-date experience against a multi-faceted player not unlike Baltimore’s Terrell Suggs, Cincinnati’s Keith Rivers and Cleveland’s Kamerion Wimbley.

As if tackles Max Starks and Willie Colon don’t get enough of that in practice from two of the game’s best outside linebackers, James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley, dealing with the threat of a blitzer when on the road and keeping snap counts in check are critical components of the preseason.

They’re going to have to buckle their chinstraps Saturday. After the whipping Baltimore’s offense put on them, (500 total yards), it’s likely defensive coordinator Greg Blache lit a fire under them all week.

Perhaps even more important, though, is the simulation of those factors for those battling for back-up tackle positions. Tony Hills and Ramon Foster could get a shot at the defensive end version of Orakpo after the starters play the first quarter. With Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger banged up in practice Thursday, and the fact Orakpo crushed Ravens QB Troy Smith on a pass at the end of the first half, Hills and Foster get a chance to show their worth against a pretty powerful opponent.

Steelers Spotlight: CB Joe Burnett
Working as the second-team nickel position, Burnett has drawn praise from defensive backs coach Ray Horton recently, and his 42-yard interception return against Arizona in Preseason Week 1 was the highlight of the game. He doesn’t have the size of his fellow rookie CB Keenan Lewis, but he has already shown a knack for making plays, and has great instincts on the field.

He’ll be utilized Saturday, given Washington’s competitive battle at the wide receiver position, and it will be interesting to see how well he matches up with a diverse group of receivers.

Burnett is an example of the youth movement the Steelers secondary is currently developing, and while it’s not likely he cracks the starting lineup, he has a fantastic example of positive development and the results of that in front of him. William Gay graded out higher than any other Steelers cornerback last season, and he was also a fifth-round pick from Conference USA (Burnett from Central Florida, Gay from Louisville). Gay will start opposite Ike Taylor this season, and veteran Deshea Townsend in the running for the first nickel spot, Burnett’s biggest contributions this season will be on special teams. He fumbled one punt against Arizona, and the ESPN camera crew caught coach Mike Tomlin stalking him down after the play to speak to him.

It seems like he’s in good standing with the coaches, and his first pro game showed some flashes of ability.

Last Game
"I almost forgot to predict that (Isaac) Redman would lead the team in preseason rushing. The reasons were evident in the fourth quarter last night. Keen vision, strong leg drive and a real nose for the end zone. He’s a leaner, meaner Gary Russell." – Jim Wexell, Steel City Insider

It’s a very apt description, comparing this year’s Training Camp Darling Redmond to 2007’s breakout player. Redmond looked decisive, confident and probably the most important trait, strong. That’s an area in which Russell, the former Steeler, could not show enough consistency.

Perhaps it’s alarming, but it didn’t look like 2008 first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall was all that strong, either. Redmond’s become the talk of camp after he scored two touchdowns in the Steelers’ preseason-opening win.

The question now is if Pittsburgh would seriously consider Redmond as a goal line back, or if he's just working to make the practice squad. Either way, the goal line is an area of high concern for the offense, and if Willie Parker or Mendenhall can't get the job done, the team will look at Redmond or other rookie Frank Summers to get the job done.

I See You
I see you, Limas Sweed, for your domination of Arizona’s secondary in the time you had in Preaseason Week 1. Sweed looks much more confident, showing he can be the playmaker everyone hoped he would be when the Steelers selected him in the second round of the 2008 draft. He did drop a catchable pass from Dennis Dixon along the sideline, but he went up over former Steeler Bryant McFadden to make a nice catch and move the chains, giving skeptics enough doubt to think he’s going to add to what looks to be the strongest position on the offense.
Key Stats
In P Dan Sepulveda’s return, he booted a nasty 49.5 yard average, and carried a 41-yard net average. That would have placed him third in the NFL last season, behind Oakland’s Shane Lechler (41.2) and St. Louis’s Donnie Jones (41.1).

Quick Hitters
Ben on Ice: It appears Roethlisberger will not play tonight due to the foot injury he suffered when Starks rolled over it in practice this past week.

Protect the Knees: Last time the Steelers went to Washington for the preseason, Brett Keisel was accusing of going after QB Jason Campbell’s knees on a hit. Campbell hobbled around, but was ok. Issues like this make everyone nervous about the length of time the QB stays in the meaningless game.

Guilty Pleasure: I witnessed the return of Lord Favre last night at the Metrodome. Despite closing on a house one day later than scheduled, 90 minutes after signing my life away, I was outside the Dome with Anti-Steelers-Friend Chuck, drinking beers, judging people’s jersey selections (the best was a Dwayne Rudd No. 57 jersey, which does qualify for Throwback Status).

A-S-F-Chuck has season tickets, and I told him if (when) Favre signed with the Vikings, I wanted to be there for the first game where he was announced. Perhaps wisely, the Vikings did not announce their individual starters, but the crowd went plenty crazy when the Purple No. 4 waltzed onto the field. He then completed 1-of-4 passes for four yards. So obviously, Vikings fans are having serious buyer’s remorse right now. The experience was memorable, though, it’s not every free agent signing that teams see probably $1,000,000 worth of merchandise sold just 24 hours after it.

There were plenty of Favre jerseys all over, and interestingly enough, many of them were Packers jerseys. There were even a few Favre Packers Pro Bowl jerseys. One guy had a piece of cardboard taped over the 8 on his old Randy Moss No. 84 jersey, and a piece of duct tape taped over "Moss," and "Favre" written on the tape.

Who says the preseason isn’t fun?

Pittsburgh Steelers Defeat Arizona Cardinals, 20-10. Some Initial Observations From Preseason Week No. 1

Blitzburgh — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 18:04:19 -0000

Mike Tomlin improved to 3-0 in preseason openers as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers when his team surged late to defeat the Arizona Cardinals 20-10 in a rematch of last year's Super Bowl. It's always nice to win, no two ways about it. If nothing else, it gives lots of the younger players, many of whom we'll mention below, a chance to get in a live-game situation where they must deal with and overcome pressure. They did just that. That said, I think we all also realize that the victory means very little.

Let's still talk about a few of the notes from last night's victory.

Let's start with one of the more glaring positives - the return of punter Daniel Sepulveda. The 2007 4th round draft pick looked very solid last night, booming 6 punts for an average of 49.5 yards. He had two downed inside the 20 yard line and had a long of 53. If the Steelers can get consistently solid play from Sepulveda, particularly if the offense takes a bit of time to gel, I very much like the team's chances to avoid any big slip-ups. The defense, if healthy, should be able to hold down the fort if they're not compromised by bad field position, even if it takes a bit of time for the offense to hit its stride. Congratulations to Sepulveda on all the hard work he's put in to get himself back to this point. Fingers crossed he remains injury-free for the remainder of this year and for years to come.
Dennis Dixon also deserves kudos for his performance last night, particularly on the touchdown drive early in the 4th quarter that gave the Steelers an insurmountable 17-3 lead. The drive began at the Steelers own 20-yard line and it featured 6 pass attempts by Dixon - all completions - for 60 yards, Yes, the Cards were down to at least their 3rd string defenders. But Dixon also looked poised and confident when the team needed him to settle down, be less skittish in the pocket and lead his team down the field for points. Dixon wasn't perfect, particularly early on. He underthrew a deep ball that would have likely gone for a touchdown. And it took him a few snaps to calm down and trust his progressions ad instincts in the pocket. But that's to be expected and not at all alarming. Just so long as he made the necessary adjustments sooner rather than later. Which he did. Charlie Batch also looked just fine out there in limited action, but one has to really wonder now if Dixon might not be the better choice for the Steelers were they forced to play without Ben Roethlisberger for more than just a few series or quarters.
LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison are good at football. Good goodness. If they stay healthy all year, it will alleviate so much of the pressure off the rest of the defense and might even allow Dick LeBeau's unit to sustain an injury or two to a key player. But these two are the anchor of everything that the Steelers defense wants to do and if they're terrorizing opposing quarterbacks like they did last year, look out National Football League.
It doesn't surprise me that Lawrence Timmons was a bit hesitant and seemingly a half-step too slow on a number of plays last night. He'll be just fine. Let's just keep him healthy until when we're playing for real marbles.
Let's leave discussion(s) about the offensive line for a separate post, but I will say that nobody was really impressive last night. Certainly not Max Starks or the regular cast of characters that we should see lining up as the first unit come the regular season. But the two centers, Doug Legursky and A.Q. Shipley looked pretty decent. So did Tony Hills. This is one area where I wasn't able to get a complete grasp on, as I was tending to a few other things while watching and have not had a chance to re-watch the game. Anything in particular you saw in this department?
Was it not exciting to see Limas Sweed play with an emphatic sense of purpose last night? Wow, great stuff from the 2nd year wide receiver out of Texas, who Steelers fans all know struggled mightily during his rookie campaign. Mike Wallace also looked like stage fright won't be an issue. All of a sudden, it's possible that the Steelers wide receiving corps could be awfully dangerous if those two continue to develop nicely. Then there's Shaun McDonald, who proved to be sure-handed and reliable in the slot. The Steeers weren't great on offense last night by any means, but little of that had to do with the play of the wide receivers. Color me excited to watch this offense this year, even if the running game continues to sputter more often than not.
Finally, to close, a tip of the cap to undrafted free agent rookie Isaac Redman, who scored two touchdowns in last night's victory. The rookie out of little-known Bowie State runs like a bull in a china shop and could find himself assuming more of the redzone and short yardage duties than we ever imagined just a few weeks ago. Is it possible that the Steelers keep six or even seven running backs on their roster? I'm not sure just yet, but Redman sure does seem to be making it tough on the coaching staff to ignore his presence and ability two weeks in to the 2009 preseason.

Thoughts?

Go Steelers!

Steelers Topple the Arizona Cardinals 20-10: First Impressions

Hawkwind — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 13:40:41 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Pittsburgh Steelers' James Harrison (92) pressures Arizona Cardinals quarterback Matt Leinart (7), forcing an incomplete pass during the second quarter of a pre-season football game. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Browse more photos »

The Arizona Cardinals took the field for the first time since the Super Bowl and they performed about like you'd expect them to in the first preseason game of the year. Some guys looked rusty. Some guys looked sloppy. Some guys looked like they never took a break during the off season and the result was a game completely controlled by both team's defensive units until the fourth quarter. Outside of a key turnover that set the Steelers up inside the Cardinals' five yard line, the Red Birds almost dominated the reigning Super Bowl champs, but the preseason experience can't be measured in the box score or the score board. It's more or less about how the individuals played against whatever level of competition they were facing. There were certainly some guys who impressed and there were others who were disappointing to say the least. Here's how we saw it....

The Good

Michael Ray Garvin: I had to start with Garvin because by the end of game I was sitting on the edge of my seat every time the Steelers either punted or kicked off. He handed most of the return duties last night and was about as good as you could expect, averaging 30 yards per kick return and ten yards per punt return. When he hits top speed he's clearly the fastest person on the field and his ability to sift through traffic and make people miss is better than I expected. He also got some snaps as a receiver, catching one ball for 15 yards, but he also dropped a pass that was thrown slightly behind him that ended up being intercepted. I'll look past his shortcomings as a receiver because if he makes this roster it won't as a wide out, but I wouldn't be surprised if he gets quite few more looks as a returner.
Calais Campbell: One tackle and one assist might not look like much in the box score but Campbell had quite game considering he only played the first half. In the base defense he lined up at end before shifting down to tackle on passing downs but where ever he lined up, he made plays. He should have had a sack and a safety on Ben Roethlisberger but Big Ben broke out of the tackle and Campbell put pressure on Ben a couple of other times. Where he was most impressive though was against the run. Campbell not only held his ground more often than not, but his ability to shed blocks was most impressive. He was facing Max Starks for most of the night (a guy the Steelers gave a big contract to this off season) and Campbell threw him around like a rag doll. If last night was any indication of how well Campbell plays, the Cardinals won't miss Antonio Smith.
Michael Adams: I came away with two thoughts about Adams after last night. First, we should all hope that he never has to take a single snap as a starting corner back and secondly, I absolutely want him on this team. His' height, or lack thereof, is a complete liability when he's lined up at corner and that was never more evident than on a deep ball against Limas Sweed. With eight inches of height advantage, Sweed barely jumped and while Adams had trouble locating the ball, it wouldn't really have mattered. He also broke up a deep pass (almost intercepted it really) but he only caught up to the pass because it the ball was underthrown. So why was he impressive then? No other defensive player on the field last night, first string all the way to fourth string, was more aggressive and willing to throw his body at the ball carrier than Adams. He routinely cut down Steelers' ball carriers just as you thought they were about to make it around the corner. Adams plays "balls to the wall" every second he's on the field and that's exactly what makes him a good special teams player and valuable to this team.
Tyler Palko: If someone watched last nights game and had no idea of who the quarterbacks were or how the depth chart was supposed to line up, they probably came away thinking that Palko was the Cardinals best quarterback. Granted he was playing against guys who will most likely end up on a practice squad somewhere (at best), but he still flashed some qualities that make you think he'll land on a 53 man roster somewhere this season. He's got a strong arm, escapability and a certain knack for making me inch closer to the edge of my seat every time he drops back. His final line (8 of 15 for 103 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT) is a decent line but even that doesn't do justice to how well he played because the lone interception was a dropped pass by Garvin. If you missed the game you absolutely have to go back and watch the highlights to see Palko scramble out of the pocket and try to hurdle a defender in order to reach the sidelines.

The Bad

Alan Branch: I re-watched every single play that Branch was on the field and came away with thinking that his "light bulb," as Whiz referred to it last year, still has some faulty wiring. Branch played with the third string facing the Steelers' 7th round rookie center, AQ Shipley, most of the night and he was absolutely dominated. Branch was able to get a step or two into the backfield a couple of time but more often that not Shipley had his way with him. For whatever reason Branch likes to try and spin, or just flat out turn his back to a defender, when he's getting driven back and it just results in him getting pancaked or pushed out of the play even faster. Towards the very end of the game it looked like Branch was lining up at defensive end but the Cardinals defensive fronts were getting pretty goofy by the end of the game so it was hard to tell. Either way though Branch didn't do anything to change the perception that most of us already have of him.
Levi Brown and Mike Gandy: It's tough to say that they had a bad game so I'll just say that I'm very glad we don't play Pittsburgh on a regular basis because neither Brown or Gandy can handle the Steelers' OLBs. LaMarr Woodley blew by Levi Brown to nail Warner, in what Jon Gruden called a coverage sack, but it looked awful quick to my eyes. James Harrison didn't register a sack but he put Gandy on skates a couple of times and it was pretty evident who was the superior player.
Defensive Management: Bill Davis had a rough start to his tenure as the Cardinals defensive coordinator and twice while the first team defense was on the field they had to burn timeouts because they either had to many men on the field or weren't aware of the down and distance. The first time it was pretty understandable because what looked like a Steelers' first down was actually ruled a third and short so the Cardinals burned time out just the third play from scrimmage. The second time though it looked like there were 15 Cardinals' defenders on the field and there were more coming in from the sidelines.

The Ehhh

Quarterback Play (not including Palko): Warner was ok but he still didn't look like Warner. He looks stiff on the field and his passes just didn't seem to have the same zip on them. Matt Leinart had a shaky start (1 for 4) but once he settled down, he actually got into a decent rhythm and led the Cardinals on their best drive of the night. On the drive, an 85 yarder that ended on downs at the Pittsburgh seven, Leinart was six of nine for 69 yards. His stat line was saved though by a phantom pass interference call at the end of first half when he bombed a pass Sean Morey that was picked off. The pick was overturned by a defensive pass interference call (even though the PA should have gone against Morey) but Leinart was just throwing it deep at the end a half. Finally Brian St. Pierre had the worst night of any Cardinals' QB completing just four of ten passes for 42 yards and an interception, but I can't help but think that it was a 'hard luck' night. One pass was dropped and another dinked off the helmet of Elton Brown but the interception was just a poor read and a bad decision. He was also done in by some really poor pass protection considering that he was the only QB to sacked more than once (he went down three times). Still though he certainly didn't do anything tonight to put pressure on Matt Leinart.
Pass Rush: The Cardinals didn't record a sack last night, although they had decent pressure for most of the night. Campbell broke free a couple of times, almost getting a sack once and laying a decent hit on Ben another time. Adrian Wilson and Keith Lewis both had unblocked paths to the QB on safety blitzes but the QB's got rid of the ball. Will Davis showed a decent speed move late in the game and just missed a sack and forced fumble when Dennis Dixon shuffled up in the pocket. Karlos Dansby also broke through the line of scrimmage once and would have at least pressured Ben if not for a hold, or at least it should have been called a hold. On a good and bad note, Bill Davis obviously likes to blitz and I think if tonight was any indication we'll see more blitzing this year, but he also loves the 'line stunts' where the end and tackle twist. The line stunts didn't seem to have any effect last night and just make Cody Brown and other reserves look lost.
Backup Running Backs: First it's worth mentioning that if you were worried about Whisenhunt calling a more conservative game based around the running game, according to last night you shouldn't be. The Cardinals ran the ball just 16 times (versus 49 pass attempts) and one of those runs was a scramble by Palko. LaRod Stephens-Holwing and Jason Wright both had similar games in my mind. They both looked skittish and danced a bit but then settled down to have decent showing. LSH had six rushes for 24 yards, most of which came on a 13 yard scamper, but also showed that while he's a willing pass protector, he doesn't have enough sand in his shorts to hold off a rushing linebacker. He looked like child trying to trip a bulldozer at one point. Wright only carried the ball three times for eleven yards but he showed his value as a pass protector a couple of times and that's where he'll make his mark.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Overall I'd say that this is kind of what we should have expected from the first preseason game but at least it wasn't too terriblly sloppy (just four penalties). What stood out to you and what needs to be improved upon the most?

BTSC Steelers Daily Six Pack- Johnny Lujack Edition

drinkyourmilkshake — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:18:06 -0000

IX-Derrick Mason who has spent twelve years in the NFL with the Titans and most recently the Ravens announced his retirement unexpectedly yesterday. It was a surprising move from Mason who worked out earlier in the day with the Ravens. Our friends over at Baltimore Beatdown and others in the Media are speculating that the sudden murder of his close friend Steve McNair may have sparked Mason's retirement. Others are speculating that Mason is simply playing hardball with the Ravens to get a new contract since he hasn't yet officially filed retirement papers. Mason has over 10,000 career receiving yards and whether it was with the Titans or the Ravens he always seemed to be a Steelers' Killer. Shutdown Corner even made a post contending he may be one of the top 4 receivers in the last decade, his numbers in receptions and reception yards are slightly below that of Marvin Harrison, Randy Moss, and Terrell Owens.

X-Lawrence Timmons posted his second post Super Bowl blog last week which you can read here where he lists his favorite spots in Pittsburgh. Red Lobster seems a little strange to be included on the list, but hey, I enjoy some "Shrimp Fest" as much as the next guy. Anyways, our friends over at Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Ponnies, noticed that Timmons isn't quite sure who is the Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In his post Timmons refers to Mike Tomlin as "Coach Tomlinson."

XIII-Steelers beat writer Scott Brown answers two readers questions about Heath Millers contract status and how much impact Lawrence Timmons had on the field last season, nothing particularly ground breaking. But I do agree with Brown that Heath Miller will be in a Steelers uniform next season even if it means using a franchise tag if the collective bargaining agreement is settled. The franchise tag for a tight end would also be fairly reasonable and a lot less costly than the one that was going to be used on Max Starks this year. Titans tight end, Bo Scaife was tagged this season at approximately 4.4 million dollars.

XIV-Rocky Bleier and Franco Harris are starting a foundation to help memorialize the heroes from the 2001 Flight 93 crash. "The goal is to open the $58 million, 2,200-acre memorial in Shanksville [PA] on Sept. 11, 2011, the 10th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon." Forty Four people perished in the crash and the site of the crash will be where the memorial is eventually placed.

XL-Montana, Marino, Namath, Unitas, and Blanda are some of the top names that come to mind when thinking about quarterbacks who were raised in Western Pennsylvania. One name that most BTSC'ers may not be aware of is Johnny Lujack, who is having a training facility dedicated in his name this weekend in Connellsville, PA and he will also be inducted into the inaugural class of the Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame. I'm not sure if Lujack was before the times of Maryrose or Swissvale72, but perhaps they will be able to shed some additional stories on Lujack. The article states that he was a three time national championship winner with Notre Dame, a Heisman Trophy Winner, and a four sport Letterman. In the pros he played Safety, Quarterback, and kicked field goals for the Chicago Bears.

XLIII-Over the weekend I watched UFC 100, which was easily one of the biggest if not the biggest MMA events of all time. In the event former WWE superstar and former collegiate wrestling standout Brock Lesner showed that he is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the UFC for a while. Steeler fan, BTSC member, and devote MMA fan Zak Woods has his own MMA blog on SBNation called, Watch Kalib Run, and I would recommend you stop over and check it out if you are a fan of the sport, or just interested in learning a little bit more.

Who are the All-Decade offensive tackles? (select 2)
	Kenyatta Walker
	Mike Pearson
	Max Starks
	Phil Trautwein
	Jason Watkins

pollcode.com free polls