SB Nation User Blog: Blitzburgh

Top Ten Regular Season Games of Ben Roethlisberger's Career: #10 - Week 10 2006 Pittsburgh 38_New Orleans 31

Blitzburgh — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:06:08 -0000

A new series here on Behind The Steel Curtain. With training camp still about a month away, why not dive in to one more 'list' - the top ten regular season games of Ben Roethlisberger's remarkable but still young career. My selection process was not at all scientific; nor was it based solely on statistics. One might think that Big Ben's three games with a perfect quarterback rating would sit atop my list, but that's not necessarily the case as we'll discover. The only criteria is that the Steelers won that afternoon or evening.

Let's begin with the #10 regular season game in Ben Roethlisberger's career -

2006 Week 10: Pittsburgh 38 New Orleans 31

Ben Roethlisberger's statistics: 17 of 28 (60.7%), 264 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, 127.7 QB Rating

After the jump, let's take a look at some of the pictures from the game.

Before doing so however, let's take a step back and remember where exactly the Steelers were at that point in the 2006 season. The Steelers were 2-6 heading in to Week 10 and had lost six of their previous seven games after winning the home opener against the Miami Dolphins. Ben Roethlisberger of course, had suffered the horrible motorcycle accident during the preseason and was not yet ready to go by Week 1. Charlie Batch got the nod instead and led the team to a solid, if not overly impressive W.

Big Ben struggled mightily upon returning. In fact, it was not until Week 6 against Kansas City that he threw a touchdown pass and had been intercepted 7 times in his first three games of the 2006 season, all losses. Pittsburgh's playoff chances looked slim heading into the home contest against the upstart Saints, but they weren't done yet. The Steelers had to win that week though and Big Ben had to protect the football far better than he had the previous two weeks. He had been picked off 7 times and lost 1 fumble, to boot.

Like he's done so many times throughout his career, Ben rebounded from adversity starting that week against the Saints and almost led the Steelers back from the brink to the playoffs. Let's take a look at some of the highlights from the extremely entertaining 38-31 victory.

(Pardon some of the lower quality screen shots that I captured from the 2006 footage)

With the score tied at 0-0 early in the 1st quarter, Big Ben and Hines Ward connected for a 37-yard touchdown. The ball was perfectly thrown in the small window between the cornerback and safety for New Orleans. Ward caught the ball in full stride and had the angle on the Saints safety for the corner.

A couple of nifty moves later by Ward and the Steelers were on the board first 7-0. On the opening drive, Roethlisberger was 2-of-3 for 45 yards and a TD.

On the ensuing possession by the Saints, tight end Billy Miller coughed up the ball after making a short reception. It was recovered by James Farrior and the Steelers were in business once more at the Saints 32. The Steelers were pounding the ball with Willie Parker early and often and a 9-yard first down pass to Cedrick Wilson put Pittsburgh at the New Orleans 10 with a fresh set of downs. Two more Willie Parker runs on 1st and 2nd down put the Steelers at the 2 yard line on 3rd down.

A classic example of nicely executed play action here by the Steelers, and it began with a convincing fake handoff by Big Ben. As you can see in the frame above, there are three Saints defenders for the two Steelers pass catchers and the flanking Dan Kreider. But, that requires the Saints defender with the 1 above him not to bite on the play action. He does.

Heath Miller has kind of sneaked underneath what appears to be Hines Ward as the Saints defender has committed to attacking the backfield of the Steelers. Wrong move.

14-0 Pittsburgh.

To their credit, the Saints responded, scoring the game's next 10 points. Quarterback Drew Brees was his usual sharp self. He would ultimately finish with 398 yards passing on the evening. In the frame above, the Saints are trailing 14-10 after the Steelers were forced to punt for their third consecutive possession. New Orleans is setting up a double-reverse to Reggie Bush and from the angle that most of the Steelers are taking, it looks early on in the play's development that they might have something brewing. He'll need a block first.

Bush gets the block from Brees and he's got the edge on the Steelers D.

Bush took to the air from about the four or five yard line and skied over two Steelers defenders for the go-ahead score. 17-14 New Orleans.

There was actually a flurry of action following Bush's athletic touchdown run. Roethlisberger hit Santonio Holmes for a 46 yard reception that put the Steelers inside the red zone with under 2:00 minutes to go in the half. The Steelers might have been well served mixing in a run in their following three plays rather than throwing it three straight times. They had plenty of time left on the clock, not to mention multiple timeouts in their back pocket. Furthermore, why give Brees & Co. more time than necessary. Anyway, the Steelers settled for 3 to tie the game back up at 17-17.

Four straight completions (22, 11, 6, 29) and the Saints were inside the Steelers 5 yard line - in the span of 51 seconds. They would punch it in and regain the lead heading in to half, 24-17.

To start the 3rd quarter, the Saints and Steelers both shot themselves in the foot and left points on the field. For New Orleans, it was a 15-yard penalty on 2nd down after breaking inside the Steelers 40 yard line. For Pittsburgh it was a missed Jeff Reed field goal from only 35 yards out. Big Ben was 4-of-7 for 56 yards including consecutive 22 yard completions that had put Pittsburgh inside the New Orleans 35.

Fumbles proved to be the Achilles Heel of New Orleans that night. Following Reed's missed FG, Reggie Bush fumbled at his own 42 yard line and Ryan Clark scooped it up and returned it five yards to the New Orleans 37. As he had been known to do, offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt went for the big play immediately thereafter, calling up a beautifully executed play-action bomb on 1st down.

Big Ben winds up and freezes the defense with one of his patented convincing ball fakes.

Wilson fakes to the middle as Ben winds up. Excellent footwork from Cedrick.

The difference in how the shoulders are squared up of these two tells you everything you need to know about what comes next. Wilson already has rounded out of his break and is heading to the endzone while the Saints defender is off balance and has his shoulders nearly parallel to the opposite sideline. Game over.

No Saints defender in sight as Wilson hauls in a perfectly thrown ball by Big Ben to the back of the end zone.

24-24.

It was all Willie Parker from that point on. After New Orleans kicker John Carney missed a chip shot field goal, Parker exploded to the left for 72 yards all the way to the Saints 14. He would later score from 3 yards out to give the Steelers a 31-24 lead.

The Saints threatened on their next drive but ultimately were forced to punt. It tumbled in to the end zone for a touch back and the Steelers took back over from their own 20 up by a touchdown with just under 11 minutes to go in the game. Parker then ran 76 yards to the Saints 4 yard line after an incompletion by Big Ben on 1st down.

A classic FWP run. He fakes taking it up the gut before bouncing it outside. Saints defenders in the middle of the field are just slightly off balance and not in position to take a good angle to Parker.

Just a half second or so has elapsed and Parker already clearly has the advantage to the edge. You can almost see the Saints defenders panicking as they realize this and begin scrambling to get outside.

And he's off with the entire back 7 of the Saints in pursuit. Beautiful.

Parker was finally chased down but he would capitalize again for a 4 yard touchdown run that put the Steelers ahead by two scores. The Saints would storm back once more and actually had a chance to tie the game, but another lost fumble, the Saints third of the game, gave the Steelers the ball back with under a minute to go.

It was a tremendous football game for everybody involved - the players, coaches and the fans. Both quarterbacks were tremendous and players on both sides of the ball for both teams made play after play all game. For Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, it was his first game since beating up on the hapless Chiefs that he had played like the quarterback that had set an NFL record for success as a rookie and had led his team to a Lombardi Trophy in just his second year. There would be more struggles for Big Ben and the Steelers in the 2006 season but for a night he and his teammates were great that night. For his efforts, I'll categorize the game as the 10th best in his young but already accomplished young career.

Once More With Feeling

Blitzburgh — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:05:21 -0000

They say one good turn deserves another. Fair enough. Here's one more compilation of memorable hits from Steelers defenders dating back quite a bit. I myself am not a huge fan of whatever that is that's playing in the background so just a warning you might want to start with the volume down a bit and go from there :)

Steelers Video As Training Camp Inches Ever Closer

Blitzburgh — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:33:27 -0000

We still must sit on our hands a bit longer, but we're getting closer to the commencement of the 2009 NFL season. How about some big hits, hard-nosed Steelers football and some AC/DC to get us a bit more in the mood while we wait?

Pittsburgh Steelers 2009 Roster Analysis - The Tight Ends

Blitzburgh — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:09:50 -0000

We resume our tour of the Pittsburgh Steelers roster and the positional battles that should delineate this year's training camp in Latrobe by discussing the situation at tight end. It's quite an interesting one actually, as at the present moment, it's not at all clear what the organization intends to do past this season. Let's take a closer look.

Many Steelers fans have wondered why Heath Miller has not been more prominently involved in the offense since being drafted out of the University of Virginia in the 1st Round of the 2005 Draft. Miller has certainly been featured more than his predecessors at the position in Pittsburgh, but for a guy with such good hands and solid route-running ability, it's sometimes frustrating and perplexing that he's yet to catch 50 balls in a single season. I suppose as Jim Wexell told me and the site here last summer, there's only so many balls to go around.

Here's the deal though with Miller - and really, it's quite a fascinating development that's very much worthy of keeping an eye on and discussing. As a result of the pending labor dispute in the National Football League between the owners and the Players Association, Miller's free agent status is suddenly in question. Prior to the expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, players became unrestricted free agents after accruing four years of service. Miller, who is set to hit the market after the 2009 season, will have accrued five years of service by then. However, one of the provisions of the CBAs expiration is that players must not have six years of service before becoming unrestricted free agents. Thus, if no new deal is brokered in time, Miller would be a restricted free agent in 2010.

Not aware of that? Don't sweat it. Neither was Mr. Miller.

This is one of the reasons that a new CBA will probably be worked out sooner rather than later and why it's probably unlikely that there will be a strike - or that it will ever even get close to that, for that matter. Players don't want to have to wait six years to become unrestricted free agents for obvious reasons. On the other hand, owners do not want an uncapped NFL - at least most owners not named Jerry Jones.

Anyway, as it relates to Heath Miller - I think the possibility that he would be restricted rather than unrestricted is more than enough reason for the Steelers to wait things out and not extend Miller sooner than they have to. If I had to guess, I'd say it ain't happening this offseason.

That's just speculation from me of course, but the incentives seem to be there for the organization to sit on their hands and wait for the dust to settle a bit before deciding on what to do with Heath Miller in particular. Sorry folks who are eager to see him be the next guy re-upped.

Coincidentally, Pittsburgh's #2 tight end, Matt Spaeth, is also set to be a restricted free agent at the end of this season. Fans here on BTSC have debated Spaeth's abilities as a blocking tight end; others, including Mike Tomlin himself in 2007, have questioned Spaeth's toughness. To his credit, Spaeth has done a fairly solid job as a pass-catching tight end when his number has been called. Not outstanding, but solid enough. Spaeth had consecutive games with 6 catches in relief of Miller during Weeks 10 and 11 last year.

It's hard to say with any sort of confidence what the future might hold for Spaeth here in Pittsburgh. For me, that's because Miller's situation is vastly more complicated than most might realize. If Miller were in fact extended before hitting the open market, perhaps it's possible that Spaeth too is re-signed after this coming season. Obviously teams around the league aren't going to be willing to part ways with draft picks to acquire Spaeth, so it's likely that he could be retained at a very reasonable price. It might not make sense though to even give him a tender offer if 7th round rookie TE David Johnson proves anything at all this year, even on the Practice Squad. Johnson will be competing with hybrid TE/H-Back Sean McHugh for a very specialized roster spot - one that requires more blocking in certain packages than anything else. McHugh was solid last season in limited duty from his H-Back role. I don't think it would take too much for Johnson to dethrone him however, be it in 2009 or 2010. Then again, if Spaeth or Miller aren't in the organization's plans past this year, and Johnson is instead the guy they've penciled in at the #2 TE position, then perhaps McHugh's job is in less jeopardy.

Whew. Deep breath. Who knows how it will shake out, but from where I'm sitting, the tight end situation in Pittsburgh is a classic example of how the economics and governance structure of the NFL has the potential to supersede cut-and-dry talent evaluation.

Thoughts?

-Blitz- (Michael B.)

Max Starks Signs Long Term Deal With Pittsburgh Steelers - What It Means Moving Forward

Blitzburgh — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:48:55 -0000

It's not often that us fans get legitimately substantial news stories this time of year. We got one today when it was reported that offensive tackle Max Starks inked a four-year contract extension. As reported by ESPN, the contract is worth roughly $26.3 million over the next four years, with $10 million dollars of guaranteed money for the two-time Super Bowl winning tackle out of the University of Florida. Congratulations to Max Starks on the deal.

What does it mean though exactly for him and for the organization moving forward though? Let's try to break it down a bit after the jump.

I don't have all the answers, so perhaps it might be a better idea to just lay out some of what I feel are the more pertinent questions directly and indirectly affected by the signing.

Who's Next? At the outset of the 2009 offseason, Steelers fans were curious about what the organization might and might not do with some of its higher profile players. Well, Hines Ward inked an extension just days before the Draft; then Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison signed a new deal that will likely keep him in Pittsburgh for the remainder of his career; finally, the Steelers were able to work out a long term deal with Max Starks. By doing so, the organization will free up salary cap space in 2009. Instead of paying Starks over $8 million in 2009, the Steelers will be on the books for several million less. And what might the organization do with that money? Re-sign another impact player scheduled to be a free agent at the end of this coming season? Perhaps so. Potential candidates include tight end Heath Miller, kicker Jeff Reed, free safety Ryan Clark, defensive end Brett Keisel. That's but a few of the now 26 players set to be free agents at the end of this year.
Is The Time Now? You often hear the phrase 'building for the future' from organizations. Even teams that are committed to fielding a competitive product each year - like the Steelers - must think about the long-term financial implications of each and every decision. That often requires sacrificing in the short term for the sake of longer term stability and success. Well, as it stands now for Pittsburgh, at least from where I'm sitting, the time seems to be now to making the investments necessary to retain key players for the immediate future. By agreeing to a long-term deal with Starks, the Steelers have retained the services of arguably their best offensive lineman. Depending on how Willie Colon and Tony Hills develop, the Steelers may be in a bit of trouble two or three years down the road at the tackle position, but it also means that the organization has at least ensured that it can devote its resources to other important positions while knowing they have locked down a more than serviceable option at one of the game's most important positions - left tackle.
How does Starks' Deal Stack Up? Good question. We don't know yet the specifics of the deal, but let's just say for simplicity's sake that the deal is essentially worth $6.5 million per year over the course of the next four years. If you look at this database of offensive linemen salaries from 2008, you'll notice that Starks will be making about what he deserves in 2009 - somewhere in the top 15-25 range of salaries among all OL. When you consider that 2010 will not have a salary cap and that salaries will likely continue to escalate that year and in the following years, then one has to feel good about the price that Starks was retained at. Another way to look at it is that if the Steelers had not worked something out with Starks, he would have been extremely difficult to retain for 2010 after this season once he hit the market again. In fact, the Steelers probably would have had to slap a 'tag' on him for the third consecutive year - a decision that would have carried financial implications. Bottom line is the Steelers probablly got away with a steal of a deal here. Starks could have easily refused to accept that deal, taken his ~$8 million this year and then inked a deal either in Pittsburgh or elsewhere after this season that had as much, if not more, guaranteed money than what he accepted this season.
Will Starks Stay Hungry? There have been plenty of motivating forces in Max Starks' football life this past two seasons. First it was getting snubbed in favor of Willie Colon during the 2007 season, despite the fact that Starks was more experienced, more talented and perfectly healthy. Then he started the 2008 season on the bench after filling in nicely for Marvel Smith later in the 2007 season. This was after being slapped with the Transition Tag last year - a move that did of course pay him nicely, but also muddled his future financial security as he entered the prime of his career. Finally, he gets the Franchise Tag placed on him this offseason and proceeded to watch teammates James Harrison and Hines Ward get new deals - transactions that signaled that the organization still might not have Stakrs in their long term plans. Anyway, now that Starks has some security, will he work as hard and be as focused as he's been the past two years? Work ethic was not his strong suit early on in his career - a reality that probably has kept him from developing in to the type of player he has until just now rather than a few years ago. Will he remain hungry knowing he's got at least 8 digits in the bank and no real candidate to take his job anywhere on the roster? I sure hope so.
What's Pittsburgh's New Cap Situation? Good question and that's where you come in. It might be a good time for us to get an updated tally of what the Steelers' salary cap situation is now that a number of the rookies have signed and now that Starks' 2009 cap hit has been lowered.

Those are just a few of my thoughts on the subject. I'd love to hear your feedback as well as any other pertinent questions you think are in play after hearing about Starks' new contract.

-Michael B.-

Pittsburgh Steelers 2009 Roster Analysis - The Cornerbacks

Blitzburgh — Mon, 11 May 2009 06:39:37 -0000

Let's continue our breakdown by position of the Pittsburgh Steelers roster with a look at the situation at cornerback.

As you're likely well aware, the Steelers pass defense has improved dramatically in the first two years of the Mike Tomlin era. In 2006, the Steelers failed to even make the playoffs a year after winning Super Bowl XL. Part of the reason was a porous pass defense that yielded 212 yards per game through the air (20th in NFL). In Coach Tomlin's first year, that number fell to 176.5 yards per game (3rd) and in 2008 the Steelers led the league in pass defense after allowing an amazingly modest 156.9 passing yards per game.

There are lots of factors in play when assessing a team's pass defense. It helps when you have a front seven that creates tremendous pass pressure for example. It helps to be involved in close games (or even trail frequently) so that teams are not taking to the air furiously trying to catch up. It also helps to have a super-human athlete like Troy Polamalu patrolling the field and a disciplined but big hitting strong safety in Ryan Clark enforcing the middle of the field.

All that said, defending the pass in the National Football League requires talented athletes and savvy, high-IQ guys at the cornerback position. And it requires having more than just one horse in the stable.

A Tour Through The Depth Chart

Locks: Ike Taylor, Deshea Townsend, William Gay

The Steelers will once again rely on Ike Taylor to be the foundation of their cornerback unit. Over the past two seasons, Taylor has a nearly impeccable track record shutting down some of the NFL's best wide receivers. Sure, he's had moments that have forced us fans to consider if Taylor is truly one of the game's elite lock-down corners. But the proof is more or less in the pudding with him. He's been very good, if not spectacular, for quite some time now.

As for Deshea, there's cause for concern that this may finally be the year that he slows down and is unable to play at such a high level as his career approaches twilight. Maybe not though. Townsend is, after all, one of the more intelligent and cagey players on all the roster - if not the most. In an ideal situation, Townsend will be able to continue doing what he does best - making plays from his nickelback position by placing himself in the right place at the right time. A less ideal development would be if he had to re-assume some of the #2 cornerback duties due to William Gay struggling in his first full year as a starter. Townsend will be a free agent in 2010 and it doesn't appear that re-upping him is in the cards, at least for the time being. He may very well be re-signed somewhere down the road, but my guess is that the organization will first assess what they have in Gay and rookies Keenan Lewis and Joe Burnett before making any sort of determination about whether or not to keep Townsend in Pittsburgh beyond the 2009 season.

Back to William Gay. For me, his development and play in 2009 will be one of the more important stories of the year for the reigning Super Bowl champions. The third-year corner out of Louisville shined both on special teams and on defense during his first two seasons in the league, particularly last year when Bryant McFadden broke his arm. Gay benefitted tremendously from out-of-this-world play by safety Troy Polamalu though. What might happen if the Steelers were to lose one of their top-notch pass rushers or their All World safety? Would guys like Deshea and Gay look less impressive than they otherwise might when they're being safe guarded by some of the best table setters in football? Who knows but as we saw in the Super Bowl last year and throughout various points in the 2007 season, the Steelers defense walks a fine line between being an excellent pass defense and one that is good but also vulnerable.

After those three guys, the depth chart opens up a bit in the Steelers secondary. Here are the names of the other cornerbacks competing for roster spots.

Anthony Madison, Keenan Lewis, Joe Burnett, Keiwan Ratliff, Roy Lewis

Of these players, I feel most comfortable about the chances of Anthony Madison to make the 53-man roster at the outset of the season. Why? Well, for starters, he was the team's leading special teams tackler last year. We all know Tomlin isn't about to go about de-emphasizing special teams so expect Madison to once again anchor Pittsburgh's coverage units. That means he'll be a reserve cornerback as well, something he's proven capable of doing during his tenure in Pittsburgh. He's also in the last year of his contract and would be worth utilizing before deciding what to do with him in an uncapped 2010 season. He provides tremendous value and is a proven commodity at this point in his career.

The next most likely guy to make the 53-man roster, in my opinion, is Joe Burnett, the team's 5th round selection from Central Florida. Burnett had 16 career interceptions in college as a cornerback but largely made a name for himself as a return specialist. In fact, he was a 1st team All American last year for his accomplishments returning punts and kicks. The kid seems to just have a sure set of hands as well as natural instincts in open space after fielding the ball. I'd imagine that he will return punts this year for Pittsburgh, as well as perhaps assume some of the nickel and dime duties that William Gay handled last year. I'm as excited about Burnett as I am about any Steelers draft pick this year.

Don't forget about the other cornerback the Steelers drafted this past April - Keenan Lewis. Early reports from OTAs about Lewis' progress seem promising. I think he's probably a bit too raw to be trusted too much on this top-ranked defense in 2009, but I am also quite high on the former Oregon State product. He's big and rangy at 6'1" and is more physical and willing to get dirty, so to speak, than people
give him credit for. But he'll have to prove he can play against the run and tackle in open space before seeing the field regularly, I'd imagine. My guess is Lewis will either be on the practice squad or dress but not be a part of the 53-man active roster for much of the year. That said, if Burnett or fellow rookie Mike Wallace do not prove to be up to the task of being on the roster for special teams purposes, than Lewis may very well find himself as the team's 4th or 5th cornerback.

Providing insurance and experience are Keiwan Ratliff. Ratliff was acquired during free agency from the Indianapolis Colts. He was signed to an inexpensive one-year deal. The 28-year old probably is better than Madison as a cover corner, but he could find himself the odd man out if Pittsburgh's youth movement wins out during what promises to be a competitive training camp in Latrobe.

Finally, 2nd-year undrafted free agent Roy Lewis is worth keeping an eye on because of the potential positional flexibility he has shown to be either a corner or a cover. If he could provide relief in the event of injuries at both positions, that may make him more likely to win a precious roster spot than a guy like Ratliff or perhaps even one or both of the two rookies discuss previously. This may not be the year for Lewis to get an opportunity to break through - 2010 might be more likely when Gay, Townsend, Madison and Ratliff are all set to be free agents. We'll just have to wait until the pads go on to see, though.

There you have it. There should be quite a bit of healthy but intense competition at camp this summer at the cornerback position. Thoughts?

A Closer Look At The Pittsburgh Steelers 2009 Schedule

Blitzburgh — Thu, 14 May 2009 20:04:58 -0000

Greetings friends. So, not all that scintillating a post idea to get back in to the swing of things after my little hiatus but I had started this awhile back and was needing to just get the wheels greased a bit before hopefully getting back to a very high paced as we approach the start of training camp in just about a month's time. Hope all have been well. - Blitz- (Michael B.)

**************

I wanted to take a closer look at the 2009 Steelers schedule on this Monday - but I hope to do more than just look at the names on the schedule and make any sort of black-or-white conclusion. Instead I'm going to be taking a look to see how the Steelers 2009 schedule is arranged sequentially and try to make a few observations about the schedule as a whole. Before I go any further, let's take a look at the slate of games once more.

1	Thu, Sept. 10	vs. Tennessee Titans	NBC	8:30 p.m.
2	Sun, Sept. 20	at Chicago Bears	CBS	4:15 p.m.
3	Sun, Sept. 27	at Cincinnati Bengals	CBS	1 p.m.
4	Sun, Oct. 4	vs. San Diego Chargers	NBC	8:20 p.m.
5	Sun, Oct. 11	at Detroit Lions	CBS	1 p.m.
6	Sun, Oct. 18	vs. Cleveland Browns	CBS	1 p.m.
7	Sun, Oct. 25	vs. Minnesota Vikings	FOX	1 p.m.
8	Bye
9	Mon, Nov. 9	at Denver Broncos	ESPN	8:30 p.m.
10	Sun, Nov. 15	vs. Cincinnati Bengals	CBS	1 p.m.
11	Sun, Nov. 22	at Kansas City Chiefs	CBS	1 p.m.
12	Sun, Nov. 29	at Baltimore Ravens	NBC	8:20 p.m.
13	Sun, Dec. 6	vs. Oakland Raiders	CBS	1 p.m.
14	Thu, Dec. 10	at Cleveland Browns	NFLN	8:20 p.m.
15	Sun, Dec. 20	vs. Green Bay Packers	FOX	1 p.m.
16	Sun, Dec. 27	vs. Baltimore Ravens	CBS	1 p.m.
17	Sun, Jan. 3	at Miami Dolphins	CBS	1 p.m.

Some thoughts.

The Steelers have won five straight on Opening Weekend. Their last loss was to the New England Patriots in 2003. It will be tough to extend that streak this year against the reigning AFC regular season champs from a year ago, the Tennessee Titans. Heinz Field will of course be rocking as rings are handed out to the champions wearing the black and gold. But Jeff Fisher isn't the ideal coach to square off against in Week 1. The Titans had a phenomenal game plan against the Steelers when the two teams met last year in Week 15.
I think that Pittsburgh will ultimately hit its stride in the second half of the season, but Week 2 won't be that much easier than Week 1 - if any at all. The Bears don't sport the same vaunted defense that they did earlier this decade, but the Steelers trip to Soldier Field will be their first game in a hostile environment since Week 15 against the Titans last year - unless you count the Super Bowl, which was heavily pro-Pittsburgh in terms of the crowd. How will the offensive line hold up that week? Can Big Ben protect the football and make smart decisions, particularly if there are windy conditions? 0-2 isn't the end of the world, nor is it necessarily a probable outcome to begin the 2009 season. But it's well within the realm of possibility. It could be fairly comical watching part of the fanbase hit the panic button if so.
Weeks 3 and 4 remain tough for Pittsburgh. Steelers fans - myself included - usually just pencil in a W when the word 'Cincinnati' appears on the schedule. But if the Bengals defense continues on its upward trajectory and Carson Palmer remains healthy while returning to form, the Bengals will again be a tougher out than they've been the past two years. Then there's the Chargers waiting in Week 4. San Diego and Pittsburgh will play at Heinz Field for the third time in as many meetings. The Steelers peaked and played perhaps their best game of the year on offense in the Divisional Round of last year's playoffs, but the Chargers were out of gas. San Diego remains an enigma in this league but I think it's fair to say that they still have the firepower on both sides of the ball to give any team fits. With Shawne Merriman returning, the Steelers offensive line might not have the same walk in the park that they did the last two meetings last season. From where I'm sitting, the first quarter of the Steelers 2009 season appears to be demanding. Pittsburgh may very well go 4-0 or 3-1, but the games will be physical and tightly contested. That might not be such a bad thing, however.
Things then open up nicely for the Steelers before their BYE Week in early Novemeber. Pittsburgh travels to Detroit to play a Lions team that definitely will be improved, but still nowhere near ready to play a defense as stout as Pittsburgh's. Then the Steelers return to Heinz Field to host the Browns and the Vikings. The Minnesota game should be entertaining, but the Vikings were a very ho-hum team on the road. They finsihed a respectable 4-4, but one of those Ws was against the hapless Lions and another came against the Cardinals in Week 15 when Arizona had packed it in and was in full-fledged free-fall mode. I really like the Steelers chances to win all three of these games and head to the BYE Week with some momentum and an opportunity to get some much needed rest.
In Mike Tomlin's first year in Pittsburgh in 2007, the Steelers failed to put away mediocre teams away from home. The New York Jets and the Arizona Cardinals come immediately to mind. In 2008, Pittsburgh took care of business against lesser opponents on the road (and at home too for that matter). This Broncos game coming out of the BYE is a game I'd categorize as a game that the Steelers should win if they play well. It's hard to win on the road in the NFL, no doubt. But Denver lacks the type of defense that can give Pittsburgh problems. And conversely, of course, Pittsburgh's defense should be well equipped to handle the Broncos supposedly explosive offense. I look at this game and I see it as one that could signal great things for this team, yet I also see it as one that could really expose some of the team's potential flaws. Those being - a potentially weaker secondary without Bryant McFadden; an offensive line that's still not consistent enough to exploit lesser defenses; and an inability to pick apart weak secondarys due to a dearth of legitimate pass-catching options past the top two guys on the depth chart. I look forward to this one quite a bit.
The Steelers would be well served winning Weeks 10 and 11 against the Bengals and at the Chiefs. That Chiefs game is another one of those potential trap games that absolutely should be wins but won't come free.
Here's where it gets tricky once more, in my opinion. The Steelers must wait until Week 13 to play the rival Ravens for the first time in 2009. The first of the two meetings will be played in Baltimore before Pittsburgh hosts the Ravens in Week 16. Last year, the two teams played more than ten weeks apart, and if you remember how the first of the two regular season meetings went down, we can all be thankful that the schedule lined up that way. Had the Steelers had to play Baltimore for the second time before everyone got healthy, who knows what would have happened either in that game or for the remainder of the season. Color me extremely concerned about potential injury problems heading in to the playoffs. Even if the Steelers are fortunate enough to survive those two contests without major injury problems to key players, the games will surely both be physically and mentally draining. We saw what happened to the Steelers after having to travel to Baltimore in Week 14 last year - they ran out of gas and were beaten up physically by the Titans the next week.
The Steelers regular season concludes with a road trip to Miami to take on the Dolphins. I'll keep it brief and let me just say that I hope there's nothing at stake here. For starters - and it relates back to my last point about the Ravens - I don't like the thought of traveling to Miami after a potentially pivotal divisional game with the Ravens. Certainly not with a playoff berth on the line. Anyway, too many unexpected things can - and likely will - happen before Week 17 so there's no sense in speculating too much here but this Week 17 matchup with the Dolphins is one of the tougher games on the slate. It could be either a blessing or a curse that it happens to come in the season's final week, when playoff bound teams often are able to expend less than maximum energy and effort trying to win.

The Dawn Of A New Era In Pittsburgh and the NFL? An Early Preview of Free Agency in 2010

Blitzburgh — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 21:49:56 -0000

Greetings BTSC! Long time. Missed being around but have enjoyed keeping an eye on the site from a distance as I have worked on finishing a publication about the Steelers. It should be out and available by August 1st, I'd imagine, though I have not received word on a final date just yet. Anyway, more on that later, but since I've been so wrapped up with the project in between going to school and work and hanging out for five straight weeks with a new lady friend, I've really had no time for here. Well, I'm out in sunny California on a semi-vacation and thought I'd at least share a small part of one of the books chapters - An Early Preview of Free Agency in 2010. I noticed datruth4life had written about this recently, followed by the usual interesting commentary from y'all. The following adds a little more to the conversation and hopefully piques your interest to want to read on. This is, after all, just 1/5 of one of the publication's roughly 15 articles. Good to be back! - Blitz (Michael B.)

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Less than two decades ago, the National Football League barely resembled the wildly popular sport that we know and love today. In 1993, after several years of fierce court battles and a 1987 players' strike, the NFL instituted free agency as part of the historic Collective Bargaining Agreement between team owners and the Players Association. The Collective Bargaining Agreement has been extended on multiple occasions in the 16 years since its inception, most recently in March 2006.

Although that round of negotiations resulted in an extension of the CBA until 2012, it also provided owners with an option clause to terminate the agreement two years ahead of schedule, after the 2010 season. It is a tremendously complex matter, but it is probably fair to say that the primary reason for the owners' dissatisfaction with the CBA is that it allocates 60 percent of gross revenues league-wide for player salaries. Believing that the players are receiving too big a piece of pie, the owners have exercised their option to terminate the agreements two years early. In 2010, the final season, the salary cap will be lifted.

As it happens, as many as two dozen or more Pittsburgh Steelers players will become free agents during the offseason leading up to that uncapped 2010 campaign. It is not yet entirely clear what an uncapped 2010 season and expiring CBA will mean exactly for the Steelers organization and for the individual players who will be free agents after this coming year. The following article, however, attempts to keep in mind the pending changes on the horizon in the NFL's labor situation while discussing the potential futures of each of the 27 players on the roster who may be affected as free agents in 2010.

Before doing so, we should first discuss the divergent philosophies and strategies that organizations across the league have adopted for achieving successful free agency within the system's existing framework. For example, teams like the Washington Redskins and New York Jets have tried to field a contender quickly in recent years by being major players in free agency. Other organizations have intentionally been more wary of participating but have still been willing to pull the trigger on signing the one player who might get them over the proverbial hump, regardless of the financial commitment required.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have crafted and adhered to their own strategy, one that many teams around the league now try to emulate. For years the Steelers focused most heavily on drafting well, then developing that talent to its fullest. There have been notable exceptions (thankfully), but the Steelers generally steer clear of the high priced free agent pool. It has at times been frustrating to say goodbye to players who hold a big place in the collective memory of Steeler Nation as they understandably choose to pursue one last hefty pay check late in their respective careers. But the organization's holistic approach to putting together a complete roster has resulted in 12 winning seasons, eleven playoff appearances, and two Super Bowl Championships since 1993. It is hard to complain about that kind of sustained success, no matter how hard it may be to see certain individuals leave Pittsburgh to play in other markets.

The organization has proven in recent memory that it doesn't adhere to one formula exclusively when deciding whether to re-sign its higher priced and more veteran players. For instance, the Steelers surprised many by offering linebacker James Farrior a multi-year extension during the 2008 offseason, when he was 32 years old. This offseason the Steelers also offered contract extensions to wide receiver Hines Ward and linebacker James Harrison, both also in their 30s. By doing so, the Steelers addressed the future of two of the team's best players previously scheduled to become free agents in 2010. Which players might be next?

Pittsburgh will be forced to make a number of other tough but important personnel decisions, perhaps as early as the summer months of June and July leading up to the start of training camp in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

The pending labor dispute between owners and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) will undoubtedly affect not only many of the Steelers' immediate decisions, but also how their strategy adapts and evolves in response to changes in the free agency system. An entire article, or even a book, could be devoted to analyzing the labor dispute on the horizon, but for the purposes of this article, two specific changes to the free agency system are particularly relevant. First, the expiration of the Collective Bargaining Agreement will affect young players who would otherwise become unrestricted free agents in 2010. Players will then need six years of service rather than the current four before becoming unrestricted. As is discussed below, players like Heath Miller and Willie Colon will be affected by such a change.

Secondly, teams will be able to tag multiple players each offseason. The Steelers have historically not utilized the franchise or transition tags on their free agents - at least not prior to the Max Starks saga(s) the past two offseasons. Under a new system, however, the organization could conceivably decide to use one or both tags in 2010 on players they may not be able to retain for the long-term, but will nevertheless be willing to pay top dollar in the immediate future when the team should still be a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

With that in mind, let's take a look at the Steelers players on the roster as of June 1 who are set to become free agents at the end of the 2010 season, beginning with the higher profile players on the roster.

A Picture Is Worth A Million Words - Who's Ready For Football Season?

Blitzburgh — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:19:25 -0000

No real commentary from me. Just a few photographs that make me yearn for the nights and days of autumn and winter when football returns and we once again are able to cheer on the Steelers. Can't say we're getting 'close', but as June rapidly approaches, the 2009 season should nevertheless be upon us before too long.

After the fold, there a few photographs that didn't make their way into the book, but nevertheless represent some of the themes touched upon in the Steelers publication that has kept me preoccupied and away from the site so frequently this past few weeks. Just about one week left to go.

Go Steelers!

How Successful Has Pittsburgh Steelers GM Kevin Colbert Been In The Middle Rounds Of The NFL Draft?

Blitzburgh — Tue, 19 May 2009 08:00:09 -0000

The following was written by steeler.lifer in the comments section of a recent post. It's quite an interesting and solid preliminary attempt at better understanding whether or not the Steelers have been successful more often than not at finding long-term contributors in the middle and later rounds of the NFL Draft during the Kevin Colbert era. No surprise that steeler.lifer has avoided the short-cuts of making unsubstantiated claims and instead taken the time to take a hard look at the data with an unbiased and insightful eye. Cheers. -Blitz- (Michael B.)

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I took a detailed look at how the Steelers drafted in Rounds 3-5 over a five-year period, from 2002-06, and compared it to a number of other teams: their division rivals plus four teams that are considered to be very good drafters: Indianapolis, New England, NY Giants and San Diego.

The Steelers drafted a total of 16 mid-rounders in that period. Four of them never played a down. None of the other teams did as poorly in idenfying NFL quality players. In the Steelers’ case, four more players from that group did not play a down in the NFL last year, leaving them with eight out of 16 who contributed on the field in 2008. None of the other seven teams did as poorly. The Ravens had only one of 17 draftees never play a down and 10 of their 17 played in the NFL last year; the Bengals had one of 18 draftees never play a down and nine played in the league last year; the Browns had one of 19 draftees who never played a down and 12 played in the league last year; the Colts had three of 19 draftees never play a down and 10 of the 19 played last year; the Patriots had three of 17 draftees never play a down and 10 played last year; the Chargers had one of 15 draftees never play a down and 12 played last year; the Giants had 13 draftees and all of them played in the league last year. All seven other teams picked more NFL quality players in the mid-rounds.

The Steelers fared better though when comparing the number of starters they drafted in the mid-rounds in that period. Five of the 16 were starters last year, including four on their own team (Starks, Foote, Taylor and Colon) plus Chris Hope. Of the Ravens’ 17 picks, five (plus a punter) were starters last year (three on their own team); of the Bengals 18 picks, four were starters last year (all four on the Bengals); of the Browns 19 picks, one was a starter last year (one on the Browns); of the Colts 19 picks, five were starters last year (two for the Colts); of the Patriots 17 picks, five plus a kicker were starters last year (four plus a kicker on the Patriots); of the Giants 13 picks, six were starters last year (five on the Giants); of the Chargers 15 picks, seven plus two kickers were starters last year (four plus two kickers on the Chargers).

So, without looking at all other 31 other teams, I think it’s fair to say the Steelers miss on a lot of mid-round picks, but get decent value out of those that make it to the NFL. The Steelers’ first-round picks in those years compare favorably with just about any other team’s: Simmons, Polamalu, Roethlisberger, Miller, Holmes. Five starters, two Pro Bowlers, two more players who have made a significant contribution and are close to Pro Bowl quality, and one other starter. The Giants’ first-rounders in those five years were: Shockey, DT William Joseph (bust), Philip Rivers (traded along with other picks for Manning), CB Corey Webster and DE Mathias Kiwanuka. As a group, those first-rounders would rank slightly below the Steelers’ fivesome, and if you go back two more years the difference in first-rounders is even greater with the Steelers taking Burress and Hampton and the Giants taking DB Will Allen and RB Ron Dayne. The Chargers’ first-round picks from 2002-06 were CB Quentin Jammer, CB Sammy Davis (bust), QB Eli Manning (traded for Rivers), LB Shawne Merriman and CB Antonio Cromartie. Again, this group would rank below the Steelers’ first-rounders in that period.

The bust trend in mid-rounds in the Colbert era is disturbing, probably among the worst in the NFL. It’s a trend that also applies to late-round picks. Of their 13 picks in the sixth and seventh rounds from 2002-06, only two played in the league last year but they were both starters on a SB-winning team: Kiesel and Kemoeatu.

It’s like baseball. Do you prefer a team with a consistent high batting average, or a team that hits home runs and strikes out a lot? When the home runs contribute to championships, it’s more than acceptable… but you can understand when some people get frustrated about the high number of strikeouts.