RD1: K.Zeitler, OG, Wisconsin; The most popular pick online is Hightower. Of these, who predicted Heyward last year? I think the only 1st round pick in the past 5 years that people actually got right was Pouncey.

RD2: M.Kendricks, ILB, Cal.; Freakish athlete and a great all aroound player that can play any of the LB spots.

RD3: J.Chapman, NT, 'Bama; If it wasn't for his injury he'd be a 1st round pick. The last time we selected a player that had an injury concerns it turned out pretty good (H.Miller).

RD4: L.Nix, OG, Pitt.; With this pick we shore up all of the glaring needs on O and D.

RD5: A.Henry, FS, Wisconsin; By the 5th roound you can't expect immediate contribution but will develope into a solid FS by the time Clark retires.

RD6: K.Moore, QB, Boise St.; Everyone has Moore rated as a lifetime backup. We now draft a QB and still not offend Ben.

RD7: B.Walsh, K, Georgia; If we had someone of Walsh's caliber in Denver last year, we win that game in regular time.

RD7 Comp1: A.Cole, ILB, Louisianna Tech.; At this point it's taking flyers, and the steelers love LBs.

RD7 Comp2: C.Owusu, WR, Stanford; Developemental WR that can keep Brown and Sanders out of the return game and fresh.

RD7 Comp3: J.Harris, OLB, 'Bama; Finally we get around to drafting the LB from 'Bama. Wait his name isn't Hightower.

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RD 1- Robert Lester, Alabama, S - Clark is still solid at FS but not spectacular. Lester is a ball hawking safety in the mold of Ed Reed. Love to see this guy paired with Troy.

RD 2- 1st Suprise(QB) - Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M, QB - Yes a QB in the second round. we need to plan for the future. Batch is 37 and Leftwitch is 32 and injured. Dixon is gone after this year. Why not select a QB now that we can groom. Batch can still last another year and teach tannehill. You heard it here first: Ben, Batch and Tannehill are going to be our 2012 QBs.

RD 3- Xavier Nixon, Florida, OT/OG - Position flexibility and from Florida so he'll get up to speed with the O-line real fast seeing as Pouncey, Gilbert and Starks are all from Florida as well.

RD 4- Lucas Nix, Pitt, OG/OT - Another player with position flexibility. I find he's actually much better than a fourth round talent but injuries cause him to slide. Worth the risk. 2012 O-Line = Starks, Nixon, Pouncey, Nix, Gilbert

RD 5- 2nd surprise(Late round NT) -T.J.Barnes, Georgia Tech., NT - I really don't see the point in spending a top pick on a nose tackle. The NT in the lebeau system is there to plug holes plain and simple. Hampton has started since day one and it's not because he graduated from Med School. Not to mention T.J. is 6'7" 330lbs. Try geting over or around that beast.

RD 6 - Adrien Cole, Louisiana Tech, ILB - I really believe that by next year our starting ILBs will be Timmons and Sly. Farrior will most likely retire. Cole and Foote as the backups are a great safety net.

RD 7 - 3rd surprise(FB) Joe Suhey, Penn. state, FB - With B.A. moving on from coaching to mow lawns, the Steelers finally get a true FB. His dad was a great FB for the Bears, so it's in the blood.

I spent the last week hearing about how great our pass D is this year. Watching the game against the Pats, i noticed C.Allen getting a lot of playing time. I was discussing the DBs with a buddy of mine and McFadden came up. Where is he? I havn't seen him on the field for a very long time and he's not on the inactive list. The steelers website lists him as the starting CB opposite Ike. I know the website has been updated because Corbin Bryant was listed as a backup DE. Does anyone know what the situation is with him??

Reggie pretty much said goodbye yesterday after the Saints selected Ingram in the first. They will definetly not retain him at his current $6-8 million dollar salary. I wanted to know what paople thought of the possibility of Bush joining the Steelers. He knows now that he's not a starter, and will not demand that much of a salary. I think the idea of Mendy, Bush and Redman lined up in the backfield is a scary thought. Am i completly crazy or does this sound like a good idea to anyone else?

With their 1st pick, the steelers select TE Kyle Rudolph, Notre Dame

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I decided to take a run at a mock taking into consideration the oldest players on the team and selecting their replacements in the draft.

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but we won and there's nothing more we cn do. We' re first in the AFC North and can easily finish the season 12-4. What i'm really worried about is who's going to be active for the steelers next week.

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The Bers just cut S Al Afalava. He started last year in his rookie seaon. I was really high on him coming out of the draft. I don't think he'd be able to replace Clark this year but it would be nice to have a future starter as a back-up and not just carer back-ups. I really think that a Polamalu/Afalava pairing would be great. Rumor had it that Steelers scouts were at multiple Bears games checking out the talent. I really hope they saw the same potential in this kid.

I've been tinkering around the last couple of days trying to play steelers axe-man and cut down the roster to 53. I like choosing younger players with bigger upside than a merely serviceable veteran who has already plateaued.With that in mind this is what i came up with. 

QB: (First 4 games): Dixon, Leftwich, Batch.   I really thinks Dixon wins this battle and does well behind center.

QB: (there after): Big Ben, Dixon, Leftwich.

RB: Mendy, Dwyer, Redman. Redman's been learning and finally makes the cut. Moore becomes the odd man out with Mendy becoming a 3 down back. Paying Moore his salary as the third back on the rotation doesn't make any sense.

FB, Yes you read correctly, FB: Taylor. With him blocking out of the backfield, i see Mendy getting close to 1800 yards this season.

TE: Heath, Johnson, McHugh. If Spaeth makes the roster this year with everyone else healthy i might have an aneurism.

OT: Starks, Colon, J.Scott. 3 OTs is enough with Essex being capable to swing outside.

OG: Kemo, Pouncey, Foster, Urbik, Essex. No real need for an explanation here.

C: Hartwig. Pouncey could slide into the spot in the event of injury.

WR: Ward, Wallace, Randle El, Sanders, Grisham. This is where it starts to get tricky. I know we signed Battle as well, but i like Grisham, A.K.A. the black and gold Wes Welker. Battle will be fighting for the fifth WR spot and he's already 30 years old. Sweed tore his Achilles on purpose to stay with the team for one more year on IR.

DE: Smith, Keisel, Harris Hood. Coaches described the additions at DL last season the best they've seen in years. This year Harris and Hood get significant playing time.

DT: Big Snack, McLendon, Worthington. Hoke is getting long in the tooth as well, and McLendon is part of that groupe that the coaches were raving about last year. I really think Worthington might be the biggest steal of this draft, even bigger than Dwyer.

OLB: Harrison, Woodley, Worilds, Gibson. Seasoned Pro-Bowl vets with high potential Rooks in the wings. This pass rush is getting scary. Frazier and Bailey don't really stand a chance as previously UDFA pick-ups.

ILB: Farrior, Timmons, Foote, Fox, Sylvester. One can make the argument that Sylvester won't make the roster, but i really think that they can't afford to have him get picked up by another team from the practice squad. He will be one of our starting ILBs in the near future.

CB: Taylor, McFadden, Gay, Burnett, Lewis, Butler. The trio that we won the superbowl with is back together. Gay Might get cut if any of the other three CBs shows any potential. For now i'm keeping them all. You can Never have enough CBs or LBs.

S: Troy, Clark, Mundy, Allen. The only Way i see these four not making it is if Cromartie-Smith shows enough to take Mundy's spot. Finally a roster without Tyrone.

ST: K: Reed. P: Sepulveda LS:Retkofsky. Warren's been injured way too often.

With the roster as i have listed there are only two starters on offense  and two Backups over the age of 30.

On Defense, the are 6 starters and no back-ups over the age of 30.

Like i mentioned, this roster focuses on youth. 

RD 1: K.Wilson, CB, This kid is growing on me more and more. I have the same feelings about this kid as i did about Revis. If the jets jump up in front of us again to get him i'm going to throw a sh** fit.

RD 2: C.Thomas, DT, The dropoff between him and D.Williams is negligible. I even think Cam has more upside.  With Hamp re-signed he's got time to develope.

RD 3: K.Calloway, OT, He's no Bulaga but still a great tackle.

RD 4: M.Rolle, S, People keep on saying he's too smart for football, but you have to be smart to understand lebeau's defense. a lot of mocks have him going later in the draft, but if we wait we won't get him.

RD 5: L.Blount, HB, Everyone knows his situation. 1st round talent in the 5th. Nuff said.

RD 5A: J.Estes, C, The future replacement for Hartwig.

RD 5B: J.Pawelek, ILB, Smart Steeler type player. I've seen him in mocks going in the 4th to 7th. He's got great instincts.

RD 6: J.Ross, DT/DE, With the starter set with Smith, Hampton, and Keisel, and the backups set with Hood, Thomas, and Harris, Ross is the perfect swing DT/DE in training.

RD 7: D.Doering, OG, Longshot but most 7th round picks are.

RD 7A: D.Keys, K, Reed needs competition. Never agreed with using anything but a 7th round pick on a kicker.

My mock takes care of the 3 blaring needs we have quite nicely, i think.  Let me know what you think. 

For a while now, i've been wondering about a 2-5 defense instead of a 3-4. This would obviously require us picking up mount Cody in the draft. But consider this, Big Snack and Mount Cody as our Down Linemen, and then Harrison, Farrior, Foote Timmons and woodley on the field at the same time. Lebeau already switches to 2 down lineme in nickel packages, i was just wondering if i was the only one thinking about this. who are you supposed to block with that many potential blitzers? With these guys rushing the QB, even Gay would have probowl stats. I realize that many would not agree with this because it doesn't tie up enough blockers. the way i see it right now, hampton gets doubled and keisel and smith get single covered, occupying 4 linemen. If cody and snack are on, they will both get doubled, occupying the same amount of people.  hey i've tried it out in madden and it works, wht not try it in the NFL? LOL

everyone is all over the place with the situation big ben is in. everyone has their two cents in this regard. what it comes down to is this: if ben is really the biggest douchebag on the face of the planet, do you put up with it in order to win another 1,2 or even 3 more superbowls?

 i'm a canadian who bleeds black and gold. i've been working with steel since i could reach the buttons on a lathe, so you can see the attraction. above and beyond that is the work ethic and grit of not only the team, but the city itself. yes there is pride in winning and being number 1. i believe that every nfl team represents the city they are based in. wins and championships don't speak as much for a city than the caliber of individuals on the roster. big ben is pretty much the burghs adopted son. how would you feel if your son came home accusd of these things not once, but twice?

do i think we can win with ben at the helm? hell yes. would i be proud of a championship team led by such an individual? absolutly not.  i'd rather lose for the next ten years than have a championship won under these conditions.

multiple sources indicated that the reason ben was out was to celebrate his 28th birthday. birthdays are supposed to be spent with family and friends. among 52 other individuals which are his adopted brothers, only one actually showed up. when you have 52 brothers and only 1 shows up for your birthday, what does that say about the type of individual you are.

in my honest opinion, guilty or not i would not be proud of ben representing anything i hold so dear. trade him for whatever we can get and move on. let's just hope that the next adopted son of pitt is someone we the fans can be proud of , win or lose. a person's true worth is found in the impressions they leave, not the job that they did. 

my number 7 jersey has already been tossed into the fire.

The steelers went a long way to solidify their roster yesterday. In a move that was extremly uncharacteristic, the steelers actually made moves in free agency. The additions of Randle El and Battle have pretty much closed the book on the Limas Sweed Experiment. Tyrone Carter's surely gone, replaced by a younger, capable backup/potential future starter. Retaining Ryan Clark means that all the 2009 starters will be back for the 2010 season. The steelers are also attempting to bring back Larry Foote and probably will. At this point i wouldn't be surprised if FWP were back in Black and Gold by the begining of next week.

Now if we sign Foote and FWP, what the hell are we going to do with all those draft picks. I see the steelers receiving two compensatory picks on top of the seven pciks they already have. By next week the roster should look something like this:

QB: Ben, Dixon

RB: Mendy, FWP, MEMO, Logan, Redman

TE: Miller, McHugh, Spaeth, Johnson

WR: Ward, Holmes, Wallace, Randle El, Battle, Sweed, London, Grisham

OL: Starks, Kemo, Hartwig, Essex, Colon, Scott, Foster, Legursky, Hills, Urbik

DL: Hampton, Hoke, Smith, Keisel, Hood, Harris

LB: Farrior, Timmons, Woodley, Harrison, Fox, Foote, Bailey, Frazier

CB: Ike, Gay, Burnett, Lewis, Pittman, Madison

S: Troy, Clark, Allen, Mundy

ST: Reed, Sepulveda, Retkofsky

Thats 56 realistically possible cadidates for the 53 man roster. Now add nine draft picks to that. I don't see anyone drafted after the third round making the roster. With that in mind, i say trade up for either Berry, Hayden or Bulaga.

What ya think.

under the radar/under appreciated FA signings that would go a long way to allow us to pick the best available player throughout the draft:

3rd QB: Batch will probably be out of the lineup next season with dixon a proven/adequate no.2. Either T.Thigpen(MIA) or B.Croyle(KC) will do remarkably as the no.3 qb, and even put up competition for the no.2 spot. both are RFAs but, bothe are 3rd string. One of them will get to free agency,

Backup RB: With LT and Westbrook getting the boot, and rumors of Thomas Jones probably getting the axe, FWP is sliding faster than a teen at six flags. Willie will re-sign with us with the hometown discount we hoped for/market created.

OL: There's no one that really impresses me in free agency. I think we did the best thing we could have already to improve the o-line; new line coach:)

DT: big snack is staying no matter what. hoke has proven admirable but not impressive. a free agent prospect that i like is J.Bannan(BAL). yes he's over 30, but he's still at least 2 years younger than hampton or hoke. if we sign him and draft someone, hoke will propbably be the odd man out.

OLB depth: M.Roth(CLE). he started off as a backup in MIA and ended last season as the starter at OLB for Clevland last season. he's so much better than anything we have as backup at OLB.

ILB depth: D.Johnson(KC) Apparently he's on the outs in KC. He's a former first round pick that would be amazing under lebeau training.

S: Here's where it gets complicated. I don't think Clark is going to be here next seaon and neither is Carter. So we have to fill 2 spots. As a starter i think we should sign either R.Doughty(WAS) or J.Page(KC). Both are under the radar guys that couild fill in for at least one year as a starter. As a backup, i think we hould go after K.Simpson(DET).

Yes most of the players listed will be RFA sans a new CBA, but i don't think teams are going to tender every player on their roster. I did a couple of quick calculations. If teams were to sign all their RFAs, each team would average 7% of their roster as UFA. If each team were let their UFAs go, that would leave 4 spots that each team could fill on a 53 man roster, through the draft and FA signings. Just because player are restricted doen't mean the teams are going to treat them as such.    

with my suggestions in mind, i invision the team looking like this before the draft and after a hypothetical cut down to 53 players.

QB: Big Ben, Dixon, Thigpen

HB: Mendenhal, Parker, MeMo

FB: the Tank

WR: Ward, Holmes, Wallace, Grisham a.k.a. PA's Wes Welker, Sweed

TE: Miller, McHugh, Johnson

OT: Starks, Colon, Essex

OG: Stapleton, Kemo, Urbik, Foster

C: Hartwig, Legursky

DE: Smith, Keisel, Hood, Harris

DT: Hampton, Bannan, Hoke

OLB: Harrison, Woodley, Roth, Bailey, Frazier

ILB: Timmons, Farrior, Johnson, Fox

CB: Ike, Gay, Burnett, Lewis, Pittman (come on he's got PITT in his name)

S: Troy, Doughty, Mundy, Simpson

K: Reed

LS: Retkofsky

P: Sep

KR: Logan  

Let mr know what you think.

PFT is reporting that most, if not all oakland raiders are available for trade. Obviously the number one name on the team is Asomugha. Asomugha would cost us at least a first round pick not to mention he's due $15.0M in bonuses in the next couple of weeks. The player i want the steelers to go after is Tyvon Branch. He's a great player who i wished the steelers would have drafted. He can come in and fill the spot thats going to be left by the departure of Clark. I think we could probably get him for a 3rd or 4th and 5th. He was a 4th round pick in the 2008 draft. Branch and Polamalu as our S's would be insane.

Looking around at th mock drafts, i'm seeing a lot of people leaning towards team needs instead of the traditional steelers way of thinking; draft the best available player. i have to admit that even i chose more of a fill the need player, rather than the best available in a mock steelers draft i posted here not too long ago. with that in mind, i really think the fist 4 rounds of this years draft will loolk like this:

round 1: Brandon Graham, De: The only thing better than one lamar woodley, is two lamar woodleys. the two could pretty much be brothers. i think we draft graham as the eventual replacement to harrison. i'm calling it now: pack of wolves defense.

Round 2: Cam Thomas DT: I've been looking at a lot of film of thomas and dan williams and i really don't see that much of a drop off from one to the other. i actually think thomas has more upside. finally the hampton replacement has been found.

Round 3: Myrone Rolle, FS: The only reason he drops down to the third round is because didn't play football last year. First round talent for sure.

Round 4A: Legarette Blount, HB: has had issues, but he's a real football player.

Round 4B(comensatory pick): Joe Pawelek, MLB: Instinctive, hard hitting LB that always seems to be around the ball. Farrior's replacement.

By 2012, our front 7 should look like this:

                           LE: Z.Hood             DT: C.Thomas           RE: R'S.Harris
LOLB: B.Graham           LILB: J.Pawelek            RILB: L.Timmons         ROLB:L.Woodley

I know it's wishful thinking to have three players from this years draft becoming starters in 2 years but hey, it's february.

i was reading online that the primary complaint from owners with the present CBA is that 69.6% of every dollar made by the teams is to go to the players salaries. if thats true, then how is it possible that some teams go through the season $20-30 M under the cap while others hover right around the limit? with shared revenue, shouldn't all the teams be around the same salary cap number? teams are left with 40.4% for operating costs and profits. how do certain teams get away with being that far under the cap? can anyone help me understand?

I know this is a long shot, but how about we try and sign charlie batch to be our QB coach. Dixon has proven adequate enough to replace big ben for short stints. Batch will pretty much be the 3rd QB next season, and even at the veteran minimum salary would not be worth the money. He already has a good relationship with ben and they share they same terminology. it would be a seamless transition and not to mention give us a 4th QB on the roster. Is that even allowed? Is a coach permited to resign from his position and re-sign as a player? if it is, we should petition to take advantage of this loophole. 

This is what i hope the steelers are going to do with the draft. i left thesteelers with one selection in every round. i know we are going to get extra pcks for the players we lost, but i'm considering they trade up at certain points in the draft to get these players, thus leaving them with one pick per round.

RD 1:  DT Dan Williams, Tennessee: probably the easiest position to pick up in a lebeau defense. he could possibly be ready to start by game 1.

RD 2: CB Perrish Cox, Oklahoma State,  big CB with speed that can slide over to safety

RD 3: DE Vince Oghobaase, Duke, Big guy to eventually replace Keisel

RD 4: MLB Joe Pawelek, Baylor, hard-nosed steeler type of LB to replace Farrior maybe sooner than later

RD 5: OT Adam Ulatoski, Texas, Solid run blocker who could also play guard. He could be a real Steal(er) if we get the right OL coach

RD 6: S Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith, UTEP, yes another cromartie coming into the league. i banking on the bloodlines right now seeing what his family members are doing in the league.

RD 7: RB LeGarrette Blount, Oregon, I know he had tha incident with Boise, but he has the talent if he can calm his temper

Even in drafting these players, the steelers will need to sign some free agents to plug up the remaining holes. let me know what you think.

i've loved chip vaughn, fs, since he last years draft out of wake forest. he's intuative, fast, and a hard nosed steelers type of player. last i heard he was on the new orleans practice squad. i think the steelers should sign him to a future contract if thats possible with a playoff contending team. he's a lot better than the scraps we presently have in reserve at safety (carter and mundy). don't get me wrong, i love mundy, the hometown boy, but vaughn just has more talent. i think with a year of adapting to how polamalu plays, he can be our future fs for years to come. i know at this point of the year everyone is looking towards the draft, but i'd really like to see him in a steelers uniform. talent can be found in practice squads, a.k.a. james harrison, udfa. we don't need too look solely to the draft to improve our team. tag or resign clark with vaughn in reserve and in a year or two we'll be laughing.

O.K.granted Reed didn't miss any field goals this week, but he still cost us 6 points. What the hell kind of tackle was that on harvin's return? Is Sepulveda able to perform kick-offs? For someone thats in his contract year, he's not really showing he wants to stick around.  why can't reed hit like sepulveda?  Anyone know how to send this lnk to reed?  http://www.prepticket.com/video/school/baylor--university/id/823292:Video:99

Ikaika Alama-francis was released by the detroit lions prior to the regular season. i really think he would be a great fit in the steeler system. the stud from hawaii was a second round selection, and has been said to be built to play in a 3-4 as a de. i liked him before he was drafted and i really don't understand why there hasn't been any interest in him. i really wish the steelers would sign him to add some youth to our d line. he's also got the work ethic which is pretty much customary with our d.

championship!!! 

The 2009 season hasn't even started yet, and many people, myself included, are already worried about the free-agent situation next year. This off-season we re-signed Miller, Harrison, Ward, Starks and Kemo. The steelers never talk contracts during the course of the regular season, so whoever we don't sign before the opener against the Titans will pretty much be testing the market. I thought i'd take a stab at predicting how all this might play out.

QB: Charlie Batch - Chuck is a reliable backup, but if he goes we shouldn't miss him too much with Dixon right behind him.

Predicted outcome: If Dixon doesn't give the steelers brass enough confidence as a backup, then Charlie will probably be back for one more year.

RB: Willie Parker: - Love willie, but almost every running back hits a wall at 30. He has to show he's still got something in the tank and be willing to give a discount considering his injuries as of late.

Predicted outcome: - With Mendenhall and Moore on contract, there is no real need to sign him. I do believe Willie wants to retire with the team that gave him a chance as an undrafted free agent. He will probably play for less money and stay a steeler.

RT: Willie Colon - Colon was tendered a one year deal and the coaching staff have said that they think he is one of the top RTs in the league.

Predicted outcome: - They will probably try and get a long term deal done asap, but i think Colon might want to test free agency. The steelers don't have too many tackle prospects on the roster, so if he does choose to test the market, i think the steelers tag him like they did Starks. Either way, colon is on the team next year.

C: Justin Hartwig - Hartwig's sitaution all depends on what happens this year. He'll be out of the first pre-season game and maybe longer. This will give the other centers on the team to show what they can do with the first team offense. Legursky, Shipley and newly signed Stepanovich hev to show they can play. Hartwig is the oldest along the o-line, and he's definetly not the long term solution.

Predicted outcome: - Someone's going to step up big and have us saying Hartwig Who? I say he leaves to test the market.

DE: Brett Keisel - Brett has always been solid but not spectacular. We drafted ziggy this year as a future DE. i think the future is going to come sooner than later.

Predicted outcome: - Ziggy replaces Keisel just as Woodley replaced Haggans and we actually get better on the line.

DE: Travis Kirschke: - He's 34 but a dependable backup. Our line didn't miss a beat the times he stepped in last season.

Predicted outcome: - At his age i don't think he wants to learn a new system. I say we sign him at a cheap price for depth.

DT: Casey Hampton: - He's one of the best DTs in a 3-4 in the league. The only problem is that with Haynesworth signing the contract that he did, i don't think we have enough money to keep him. Over the years, Hoke has stepped in when Big Snack got injured, and held his own.

Predicted outcome: - Hampton leaves for big money with Hoke taking his spot while we groom a replacement. It hurts me to say but this is Hampton's last year as a steeler.

FS: Ryan Clark: - Probably the hardest hitter we have. He is the perfect partner for Troy. We have nobody on the roster than can step in for him. Carter is not an option as a full time starter, and unless Mundy shows he can be a probowler soon, Clark is our only option.

Predicted outcome: - Clark is probably the next if not only player to get re-signed before the opener. He's still got a few good years left, and they'll probably be spent wearing the black and gold.

K: Jeff Reed: - Jeff is solid on the field but a liability off the field. I don't see the steelers being able to afford to pay him the money that he wants. He's getting around $2.5M for the 2009 season, with his price tag going up next year.

Predicted outcome: - Piotr Czech is said to be hitting 60 yard field goals in camp. Grnted we have to see him in game play at Heinz but i think he's ganno replce Reed.

This is how i see the free-agent situation playing out for the 2010 season, but then again it's just my opinion and i'm not part of the steelers brass.

i know i'm not the only one surprised by the performance of tyler grisham in camp thus far. i really like what this kid is doing. my only problem is what do we do with him? the steelers have had a tendency of keeping 5 wrs on the roster. i envisioned the following as our five: ward, holmes, sweed, mcdonald, and wallace. if grisham performs in pre-season like he is in camp, i don't think we can afford to leave him on the practice squad. i really think if things continue, grisham will be on the 53 man roster. if we do only keep 5, who's the odd man out? mcdonald? i'm really interested to see how this turns out.

anyone out there realize that willie gay is in the same situation that miller was in just a few days ago? i really think that a new CBA will get done in time to prevent an uncapped year. when this happens, that'll mean that gay will be a free agent. i know we should wait and see how he holds up as a full time starter, but we should try and get him signed. when the new cba is reached, as of now, we will be losing Hampton, Keisel, Clark and Gay. losing two out of three starting linemen and two of four starting dbs, i don't think our defense will be ranked No.1.

stryler sulak, the de/olb drafted by the raiders in the sixth round of this years draft, is said to be visiting teams after oakland chose to part ways with him before camp. i've seen articles online which say he would be a perfect fit in a 3-4 scheme. i was jigh on him before the draft and believed the steelers should have piccked him. now that he's available, i think the steelers organization should take a run at him. he has the talent, and under the tutilage a dick lebeau, could become a monster. after being released by the raiders, i believe he has a bigger chip on his shoulder than any prospect that went undrafted this year. he definatly wants to prove to the world that he's got what it. let me know what u think.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-videos/09000d5d80f34a7c/2009-Combine-workout-Stryker-Sulak

QB: Roethlisberger, Dixon, Batch

I don't really see this changing by the time the season starts unless someone gets injured.

RB: FWP,Mendenhall,Moore,Summers

If Willie gets back to form, I think this is the scariest RB by comitee in the league.

FB: McHugh

Carey Davis' days are done. Not to mention Mchugh doubles as a TE. Tomlin loves versatility.

TE: Miller, Spaeth

Nobody else on the roster even comes close to challenging for a spot.

WR; Ward, Holmes, Sweed, Wallace, McDonald

We have a lot of Wrs on the roster at this point, and i say the best 5 make it. These are the top 5.

LT: Starks, Capizzi

Our biggest position. Hopefully Capizzi can learn enough to take over for Starks next year, cause if we franchise tag starks again i'm going to lose my mind.

LG: Kemo, Essex

Nobody else to challenge on the roster. Best available players make it.

C: Shipley, Legursky

I know Hartwig's still on the roster, but my hope is that shipley, NCAA center of the year 2008, beats him out in the pre-season. Not only do i think shipley will be an upgrade at center, but it'll also save us some ca$h. Legursky makes it for his versatility., just like stapleton did last year and stepped in nicely.

RG: Stapleton,Urbik

Stapleton, as stated, filled in nicely due to injuries last year. Urbik might be able to take over ny next year.

RT: Colon,Hills

I don't like colon at this position and i hope Hills can show enough to take his place.

LE: Smith,Hood

Pro-bowler and future pro-bowler. I say Hood contribues a lot by the end of the season.

DT: Hampton,Hoke,Paxson

Paxson showed enough to the coaching staff for them to keep him on the roster last year. Hopefully he'll be the harrisonm of the d-line.

RE: Keisel,Kirschke

Maybe Ra`Shonn Harris can show enough in pre-season to replace Kirschke, but i think he needs at least a year on the practice squad.

LOLB: Woodley,Bailey,Frazier

Solid at LOLB.

MLB: Farrior,Timmons,Fox

Solid at MLB

ROLB: Harrison,Davis,Woods

Solid at ROLB if Davis lives up to his potential.

CB: Taylor,Gay,K.Lewis,R.Lewis,Townsend,Burnett

I`m choosing to go with 6 CBs because I`m sticking with 3 Ss. Both Roy Lewis and Townsend should be able to step in at S if need be. Again i`m going with versatility.

FS: Clark,Mundy

I say Mundy`s the future at FS.

SS: Polamalu.

Nuff said.

K: Reed

Solid.

P: Sepulveda.

Bounces back after injury.

LS: Warren

Hopefully doesn`t get injured this season.

At this point i think the roster should be:

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