DISCLAIMER: The salary information I write about is very informal and perhaps uninformed. Though none of us can know the exact data, please correct me if I am off base significantly.

Many are predicting the 2012 NFL Salary Cap to be around $124 million. That being the case, the Steelers were roughly $22 million over the cap. Steeler Nation has been a bit apprehensive and nervous about how the club was going to shave that $22 million, especially in light of making space for incoming rookies and perhaps (unlikely) a free agent or two. Likely casualties might be long-time veterans, and may still be, but at least the outlook just became much less weighty. The Steelers have cut their problem in half.

The biggest move was to re-structure LaMarr Woodley. He was scheduled to receive $3.4 million in base with a $11.5 cap hit, adding bonuses. The re-structure brought Woodley's base down to $700,000. Moreover, deferrals lowered his cap hit to to roughly $5 million, a savings of $6.5 million off the 2012 cap. Thanks Woodman

In other moves, the team released Bryant McFadden, Arnaz Battle and Erik Clanton. McFadden will always be remembered for saving the famous 2005 Colts playoff game by defending Reggie Wayne in the end zone, as a rookie, in the last minute of that great upset. His release saves $2.5 million and leaves $200,000 of dead money. Arnaz Battle saves a little more than a million, leaving $323,000 of dead money and Clanton saves about a half million.

All told, the Steelers are now roughly at $135 million in salary. Their $22 million dilemma is now a more reasonable $11 million. Some pain still to come, but now maybe less dramatic. Happy day :)

First things first, let's put aside the whole Bruce Arians argument. What's done is done. Those in Steeler Nation who believe Arians got a raw deal are certainly not rooting for failure just to say "I told you so." The arguments about how and why offensive coordinators are much more vulnerable to criticism by the arm chair coaches as opposed to defensive coordinators have all been made. It's time to move on.

It makes sense that Pittsburgh went outside the building to hire their new OC. If we were talking about Dick LeBeau here, retiring in his mid-70s, I would expect the Steelers to hire from within to replace him. Why? Because everyone loves LeBeau and no one would have wanted to see him go. The front office, coaches, players and fans, all in sync with hating to see LeBeau retire, would want more of the same. Wanting more of the same lends itself to a promotion from within. But in the Arians case, there was a great divide over wanting more of the same. The building was apparently divided, players divided and we all know many in the Nation were anti-Arians. So why hire from within and risk more of the same? True, a current coach could have a whole different approach than Arians and might be a refreshing change, but it is more likely that an in-house coach would have a greater problem being "non-Arians," if that makes sense, than a fresh start from the outside.

In addition, when you hire from within, think of the dominoes. You bump up a position guy, then bump up another guy to replace the position guy, then add a real young inexperienced guy to replace the bottom of the ladder. In essence, you add to the mix a starter coach. By bringing in Haley, the Steelers have added to the mix an experienced, lifelong, successful offensive mind rather than a starter coach. That can only be a plus in draft preparations, in-house player evaluations and every other aspects of strategies and Xs and Os of offensive football. Haley will begin immediately to be an asset in drafting options.

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Since my team (Pittsburgh) is no longer playing, I have nothing to write about, so I decided to jump over here and give you thoughts of an outsider looking into your organization. Of course, I am not telling you anything you don't already know, but I thought you might be interested to hear what an outsider thinks of the New England Patriots' organization. Quite simply, you are the gold standard of the NFL. You will not win Super Bowls every year - no one does. The competition is fierce and others will take their turn. However, you still set the bar for the rest of the league. If any team (AFC especially) wants to sit atop the mountain, New England is always one of the hurdles, many times the main one, to go through. So here goes. Here are my four cornerstones of the New England Patriots and why you are currently the gold standard in the league:

#1. Krafty Ownership

Bob Kraft was an extremely successful businessman before he became a football owner. He understands personnel and organizational structure as well as anyone. He understands distance. He knows exactly the right distance between himself and the people who work for him. He doesn't get too close, like the owner of the Cowboys, who smothers his coaches and micromanages, and he isn't too removed, like the owner of the Browns, who is never to be found. Kraft lets his people do work without breathing down their necks, yet is close enough for them to feel his support. Moreover, he is an outstanding league man. When important NFL matters are discussed, debated and negotiated, Bob Kraft is always in the huddle. What impresses me most is that he puts the interest of the league above his own franchise interest. It takes tremendous fortitude to do that. His New England market could have major advantages over most other markets if football ever went down the path of baseball. But Kraft understands that the chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so he votes for league strength instead of his own. Patriots' fans should be very proud of that. Moreover, when you do win, it is not because you have inherent market advantages. It is because you have deserved victory on a level playing field.

#2. The Combo

If there was a Mount Rushmore of NFL coach-quarterback combos, the images of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady would be carved alongside Lombardi-Starr, Walsh-Montana and my own Noll-Bradshaw. It amuses me how most of America thinks Belichick has the personality of a geranium. To the contrary, he might be the neatest dude in the country that no one understands. I probably wouldn't want to be the man's spouse - he is married to his job - but I would love to be his father, son, brother, best friend or next door neighbor. I think he is warm and caring to those in that group. His public persona, which he couldn't care less about, is jaded by his disdain for the media. In his mind, the media is a necessary evil and waste of time. Belichick could be looking at more film or working on a chalkboard instead of refusing to answer questions that do not help his team. He simply is not going to divulge any information about strategies, injuries or personnel that would provide intel for 31 NFL teams.

#3. Chess over Checkers

The Patriots play chess while the rest of the league plays checkers. I love my front office, and I certainly can't argue their first-round picks, but it sometimes frustrates me that we don't use all the weapons available when acquiring talent. With little variance, we simply wait for our turn in the draft to pick players. We move our checkers one at a time, one space forward. Most other NFL teams, while not quite as conservative as the Steelers, basically do the same, with an occasional trade here and there. Meanwhile the Patriots use all the weapons - rooks, bishops and knights, to make their team better. They take chances on free agents. While they certainly don't all pan out, the cost is minimum, meaning the Randy Mosses and Wes Welkers of the world who do pan out are far more asset than Albert Haynesworth is a liability. And draft day? Belichick becomes Bobby Fischer. The Patriots are constantly looking to trade up, trade down or trade players that will put them in better position. As a result, they come to the table with a pocket full of chips. Any poker player will tell you that the guy with the best chance to win is the guy with the most chips in front of him. How is it that New England usually has three of the top 40 picks when they always pick at the bottom? They play chess while others play checkers.

#4. Ahead of the Power Curve

Everyone knows that the NFL is a copy-cat league. Film travels like lightning. Do something well and the next guy will figure out the antidote. The game has been evolving with offense and defense one-upping each other since 1920. New England is ahead of the power curve. They don't react to others as much as they act and force others to react. Now they have a two tight-end package that no one currently has the answer for. Eventually there will be an antidote, but meanwhile, New England is working on the next rabbit in the hat that will continue to force others to chase them. In addition, the Patriots are constantly thinking outside the box. Mike Vrabel catching touchdown passes? Troy Brown playing offense and defense? Aaron Hernandez rushing for 61 yards in a playoff game? Julian Edelman all over the place? The Patriots aren't shoe-horned into stigmatic ways of thinking. They are forever ahead of the game, not chasing it from behind.

Again, I am certainly not telling you anything you don't already know. I just thought you might be interested in what outsiders think, or at least this outsider. Enjoy the Super Bowl. You have deserved it.

There are times in our lives when we all want to be wrong. For me, this is one of them. I want the new offensive coordinator to come in and make things better. I want him to stay for three years until he is so good he gets a head job somewhere. I want to win more Super Bowls. But I also believe, looking back, that offensive coordinator Bruce Arians took way too much of a beating in Steeler Nation. I believe the worst curse to be inflicted upon an OC is to have outstanding skill people, shiny toys to play with, but playing behind an awful offensive line. It's like a '65 Mustang sitting in your driveway with a beat up engine. It looks good from a distance, but get in and drive it and it putters down the road making noises and leaking fluids.

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The Steelers have just announced that Bruce Arians, offensive coordinator for the past five years, has retired. Mike Tomlin's quote: "I am grateful to Bruce for contributing to our success and wish him nothing but the best in his retirement. I appreciate Bruce's efforts over the past five years as the team's OC and for helping to lead our offense to new heights during his time."

Well, have at it Steeler Nation. Many of you got what you wished for. Now what? Let the banter begin!

During the previous off-season I begged the Steelers to improve the cornerback situation (The Importance of Shopping at the Corner Market). I did not think they could win a championship, in this era of prolific passing, by winning 10-to-12 regular-season games and then getting torched in the playoffs by one of the fantasy quarterbacks who have become their daddy - guys named Brees, Brady, Manning and Rodgers.

The Steelers didn't exactly overwhelm me with cornerback hopes in the 2011 Draft. The first two rounds were allocated elsewhere. They did, however, use the third and fourth rounds to pick Curtis Brown and Cortez Allen. While Brown was used exclusively on special teams, and quite productive I might add, Allen had his moments as a defensive back, but still too young for major impact.

Pittsburgh led the league in pass defense this past season, but Brown and Allen weren't legitimate reasons. The number one reason was the obvious shift in philosophy by defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. The soft-cushion, sure-tackling coverage that is good enough to lead to an impressive regular-season record, is not good enough to beat the fantasy quarterbacks in January and February. LeBeau's philosophical shift to a tighter, riskier coverage scheme was a wise decision for the most part.

The second reason for the Steelers passing defense crown was the acquisition of secondary coach Carnell Lake. Lake had the unique background of being a Pro Bowl player at both corner and safety. Lake brought that blend to the table and it showed on the field. The Steelers secondary often looked like interchangeable parts, and that was a good thing. Many times it looked like there were five or six Carnell Lakes on the field, not knowing which were cornerbacks and which were safeties. Opposing quarterbacks also took notice and in fact, had trouble with their counter-moves.

The third reason for Pittsburgh's improved secondary was the accelerated play of the incumbent personnel. Ike Taylor had the best year of his under-rated career. Many argued that he was the team's MVP. Willie Gay, the traditional whipping post of the secondary, made many more significant plays that brought smiles to Steeler Nation, with far fewer bad plays. Keenan Lewis finally looked like he could be a player. Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark never looked better. When three or four people improve in a five-person unit, the improvement of the whole is dramatic. It could also be concluded that reason number three (accelerated play of incumbent personnel) might have been the byproduct of reason number one (philosophical shift in coverage schemes) and reason number two (Carnell Lake's contribution to the soup). In any case, the total synergism of all three reasons produced a massive upgrade to Pittsburgh's defense. This upgrade should spark optimism in the Nation for better days ahead. The NFL's offensive video-game performances are not going to go away soon. Instead of being kryptonite, the Steelers defensive backfield might continue to grow into the antidote.

Why then, with such improvement and optimism, did the Steelers not win their division and not win two playoff games like they did a year ago? The reason, and I hate to use Bill Cowher's favorite cliché, but it is resoundingly true, is that there is such a fine line in the NFL between Super Bowl Champions and teams that do not win playoff games. In the case of the 2011 Pittsburgh Steelers, that fine line came down to one horrible game, one horrible drive, one horrible plan and one horrible play.

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I know, I am in the minority here. You don't even need to put up an argument. Most Steelers fans, especially younger ones and those not in the middle of the Pittsburgh-Cleveland geography, believe that the Steelers and Ravens are more of a rivalry than the Steelers and Browns. The Steelers and Ravens are both good teams, fighting for division titles lately in epic, hard-hitting battles. I get all that. But what happens when one of the two teams goes into a tailspin? All the sudden the rivalry, built on a beach sand foundation, goes by the wayside as if it never happened.

The Steelers and Browns, however, are not built on the moment. The rivalry is not dependent on both teams being good at the same time. The rivalry is not fleeting like the Colts-Patriots (what rivalry?). The foundation is not temporary sand, but the permanent cement of hatred. Go over to the Browns site and spend some time looking. You will see hate after hate after hate. You will see signatures with references to the Steelers. Even the site editor had a signature defacing the Steelers until a couple of my comments led to him changing it. Read the comments and articles. Anti-Pittsburgh garbage is spewed throughout the site like nothing you might ever imagine. It's almost unbelievable how much Steeler hate is written on that site, far beyond normal expectancy of a routine division rival.

The talk shows keep bringing up that one game in 2009 (as if we pull out a single game in the last 20 to talk about). That 2009 Browns win was their Super Bowl. The players still talk about people coming up to them in the community and thanking them for a glorious Christmas present - a team that won four football games.

That folks, is a real rivalry. It is a rivalry steeped in tradition - the two teams have played twice every year since 1950. It is not Johnny-come-lately. It is a rivalry steeped in geography - not two random geographies that have nothing to do with each other. Pittsburgh and Cleveland are cities that fought for turf in the steel industry when jobs were at stake for members of their respective communities. With Youngstown as the line of demarcation, both cities featured the same hard-working people who took steel lunch boxes to work and could never really get their hands clean.

Both franchises, ironically owned by a man named Art, were instrumental in keeping the health of the other in great shape. When the NFL desperately needed three teams to switch from the NFC to the AFC in the 1970 merger of the NFL and AFL, it was Pittsburgh and Cleveland, knowing that all they needed was each other, who agreed to the switch that allowed the merger to happen. That folks, is a rivalry (though interestingly and anecdotally, Baltimore was the third franchise). Those of you too young to remember the 60s and 70s have no idea what I am talking about when I refer to the vicious blasts of Joe Turkey Jones and Jack Lambert and Dave Puzzouli and Joe Greene and Ron Bolton and Mel Blount and on and on and on.

Just like the Steelers have been the Browns' "daddy" in recent times, the Browns were the daddy in the 1950s. In 1956, tired of losing, Steelers' Head Coach Walt Kiesling told the players, one-by-one, that their entire year's pay would be docked 10% if they didn't beat Cleveland. With a year's mortgage on the line, they fortunately did. That was Pittsburgh's championship game that year, and all the players felt 10% richer. Trust me, the game this Sunday is the Browns Super Bowl. They have come out and said so. The city will dance in the streets if Cleveland wins, even with nothing to play for. In fact, if Cleveland does win, it will actually hurt them. They will fall in the draft order a few places which would cripple the potential for a high pick or blockbuster trade to get their franchise quarterback. Doesn't matter. When you hate as badly as they hate, all the chips are on the table Sunday.

I don't hate Baltimore. I don't think on the whole they hate us. Hate is not fleeting. It is too strong of an emotion to be temporary or built on sand. Hate doesn't happen with random geography. It doesn't mysteriously vanish when one team goes in the crapper. I have four goals every year. The first is to beat Cleveland. The second is to beat Cleveland again. The third is to make the playoffs and the fourth is to win Lombardi. Two of the three goals have been accomplished. The fourth goal is really an unlikely achievement for any team, considering each is only one of 32. But that third goal is on the line Sunday. I was born in Pittsburgh. I lived in Youngstown for 20 years and Cleveland for 15 years. I am in a pretty unique position to understand the rivalry. Trust me, buckle your chin-strap Sunday for a rival game that since 1950 has withstood the test of time.

Cleveland Browns' President Mike Holmgren sat before the media last week and with a straight face, paraphrased Sergeant Shultz from Hogan's Heroes when he proclaimed, explaining how James Harrison's hit on Colt McCoy miraculously went unnoticed by the entire organization, "WE KNEW NOTHING!" Holmgren had the audacity to explain that after McCoy flipped the ball, "Your eyes followed the ball to Hardesty."

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Cleveland Browns fans have been busy lately raging for James Harrison to receive lethal injection for interpreting, albeit wrongly, that Browns quarterback Colt McCoy was a "runner" after he tucked the ball and advanced to the line of scrimmage. Earlier McCoy had done the exact same thing and scored a touchdown, though it was adjusted to the one-foot line. After the play, few were paying attention to the sidelines. Browns fans, like Steelers fans not in attendance, were relegated to watching what television decided to show you. I sat in Heinz Field 10 rows from the field with my left eye on McCoy and my right eye on the field. Incredibly, the only thing I saw was the Cleveland medical staff attending to McCoy's left hand, and they didn't spend very much time at that. McCoy was rushed back into the game after sitting out two plays.

McCoy finished the game, getting knocked down again and then sacked on the last play of the game. After the game, members of Cleveland's PR staff asked that lights in the press room be turned off during McCoy's interview so that the Cleveland quarterback, healthy enough to go back into an NFL football game, would not have to deal with bright lights, a classic symptom of a concussion. McCoy squinted often and clutched his face as one does with a splitting headache.

The next morning, after not being able to drive himself home, McCoy told his father, Brad, that he didn't remember the play or plays afterward. Brad McCoy was rightly livid that his son was treated so unprofessionally and allowed to return to action with, determined later of course, indeed a concussion. Mr. McCoy, a long-time coach himself, declared that his high school trainer would have taken more time to assess Colt's condition. It was a classic case of fiddling while Rome burns. Medical experts were more concerned about McCoy's left hand than his brain.

Later examined properly as a concussion, only Head Coach Pat Shurmur has spoken publicly and that has been a total cop-out. Claiming that medical staff was busy with other injuries is also a cop-out. Who were the two men who kept working on McCoy's hand, team bus drivers? Shurmur has refused to answer questions directly, repeating only that the Browns handled the situation properly, which they did not. The SCAT2 concussion test, proper procedure for head trauma, was not administered at all during the critical analysis of McCoy's left hand. Thank God McCoy did not hit his head again in the game.

Steelers fans can recall numerous cases where players have been held out of action when there is any doubt. The Steelers always err on the side of caution, as we've heard Mike Tomlin over and over again. The Browns apparently err on the side of making sure their players have their left hand in tact. Harrison's misinterpretation was like stealing a pack of bubble gum compared to what the Browns did to their own player. Let's be clear here. Harrison's interpretation was wrong and ignorance is no excuse from the law. He'll pay his price. The NFL is trying to eliminate what Harrison did to McCoy and I get that.

Time will tell what will unfold as both the NFL and the Players Association are investigating the situation. Don't be surprised if the Browns receive one of the stiffest penalties in NFL history. Maybe then their fans will stop planning James Harrison's final meal before execution and start worrying about their own house.

We're on to a new week and a fresh cycle of news, but in case any of you missed this recap of the Steelers' Week 14 win over the Browns last Thursday night. -Michael B.-

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My top 10 observations about the Steelers 14-3 win over the Browns from Heinz Field on Thursday. Apologies for redundant items you have already discussed at length.

1. This game was one of the weirdest games I have ever attended. The Steelers score touchdowns the first and last time they touch the ball, and never in between. Both teams have touchdowns taken off the board. Both teams have their quarterbacks knocked out of the game, only to return, but they may still be injured enough not to play their next game. The crowd was nervous and relatively quiet the whole game, just weird stuff. More as we go.

2. Nine penalties in the second half is simply unacceptable, though some were bogus.

3. Speaking of which, Ed Hochuli and his crew had their worst game ever, and I rarely get on officials. Offensive pass interference was blatantly missed against Massaquoi shoving William Gay early in the game...Antonio Brown absolutely catches a ball that Hochuli incredibly overturns...Keisel was called for a neutral zone that caused the offense to move. It was Harrison who flinched, but stayed on-side, causing 81 to move illegally which in turn caused Keisel to wisely jump, horrible call...Farrior lifts his hands to cushion soft contact with McCoy out-of-bounds and actually tries to hold McCoy up. McCoy instead turns into a Hollywood stunt man taking a dive and the officials buy it...Hochuli actually once said "the result is a better result"...He also declared that there was no grounding, then called grounding on McCoy, when actually McCoy's knee was down before either the grounding or no grounding. It was wrong on top of wrong on top of wrong...The holding on Gay in the last minute was horrible...All in all, a shameful effort worse than any high school officiating effort.

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I am in a game where we predict Southeastern Conference wins/record only, regardless of Division. We only go eight teams deep. What are your top 8 records of Southeastern Conference men's basketball teams this year? As a side note, what team or teams will not be as good as predicted and what team or teams will be better than predicted? Again, conference games only are included in our game. Thank you very much.

I am in a game where we predict Southeastern Conference wins/record only, regardless of Division. We only go eight teams deep. What are your top 8 records of Southeastern Conference men's basketball teams this year? As a side note, what team or teams will not be as good as predicted and what team or teams will be better than predicted? Again, conference games only are included in our game. Thank you very much.

I am in a game where we predict Southeastern Conference wins/record only, regardless of Division. We only go eight teams deep. What are your top 8 records of Southeastern Conference men's basketball teams this year? As a side note, what team or teams will not be as good as predicted and what team or teams will be better than predicted? Again, conference games only are included in our game. Thank you very much.

I am in a game where we predict Mid American Conference wins/record only, regardless of Division. We only go eight deep. What are your top 8 records of Mid American men's basketball teams this year? As a side note, what team or teams will not be as good as predicted and what team or teams will be better than predicted? Again, conference games only are included in our game. Thank you very much.

I am in a game where we predict Big 12 Conference wins/record only, regardless of Division. We only go eight deep. What are your top 8 records of Big 12 men's basketball teams this year? As a side note, what team or teams will not be as good as predicted and what team or teams will be better than predicted? Again, conference games only are included in our game. Thank you very much.

There's a faction among Steeler Nation that believes the Pittsburgh Steelers have some inherent right of passage to succeed in the NFL, that somehow losing is for other teams, but not us. Losing can and will never happen. Competing for championships is our birthright. I am not among that faction. To the contrary, I am thankful every day that our team is very competitive at a time when I can enjoy going to games with my teenage daughter. I know that it is a matter of time when the franchise goes into a slump. The NFL is systemically designed that way.

I told Mary Rose before Sunday's game that it would be a battle to get out of Kansas City with a victory. I am trying to instill in her an insight into the NFL that will keep her from being like so many talk show callers who were "upset" at Sunday's victory - that's right, "upset" at a victory. We've got the Chicken Little faction that thinks the sky is falling when Pittsburgh falls short of domination. We've got the "why-do-we-play-down-to-the-level-of-competition" faction, as if Pittsburgh was Alabama and Kansas City was Vanderbilt; and then, of course, the obligatory Bruce Arians bashing, where 200,000 truck drivers, accountants and school teachers use the magic of hindsight to think they can call plays better than the people who study this for a living.

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We often substitute the word "necessary" for "important," when actually, the two words are quite different.  When a spouse wants to spend money on something we think might not be a priority, we ask, "is that really necessary?"  Such a question is a cheap shot.  When we think something is unimportant, we ask if it is necessary.  And while only a handful of things in life are by definition, "necessary," many more things are important.  Importance is in the eye of the beholder.  To some, sitting in a chair and reading books, while certainly not necessary, is important.  To others, playing golf is a great joy in life and therefore, important. The list goes on.

Are the Pittsburgh Steelers necessary?  Of course not.  Are they important?  You betcha.  They are important because we deem them to be important, and we have that right.  When the Steelers win, the air is cleaner, food tastes better and waking up in the morning is a better experience.  I'm not going to apologize for that.  And I respect Uncle Bob when his backyard garden is his pride and joy.  Is it necessary?  Of course not.  Is it important?  You betcha.

Some of our rivals snicker that we think the NFL began with the Immaculate Reception.  As an historian, I admit they have a point.  Fans of the Packers, Browns, Bears and Giants especially, can point to great success prior to the NFL-AFL merger.  They are correct, but the fact remains that with far fewer teams to compete against, every team experienced some success against those fewer competitors (except Pittsburgh, but that is a story for another day).  When the merger came to be in 1970, the new NFL found itself with 28 teams.  Winning a championship with 28 teams is geometrically more difficult than winning a title among eight or 12 teams.  Simple math.  Suffice it to say that beginning in 1970, playoff success in the NFL became significantly harder.

From that backdrop, the Pittsburgh Steelers have given their Nation more to be thankful for than any other NFL franchise.  They have constructed 30 winning seasons in 41 years - a remarkable 73 percent.  Considering the NFL's inherent system of helping the poor get richer and the rich get poorer (reverse drafting of talent), to sustain that high of a winning percentage is incredible.  If you consider that Pittsburgh went 8-8 in two of those seasons, that makes 78 percent of the time the team has not had a losing season.  Think about that.  Also consider that only twice has Pittsburgh won as few as five games and never fewer.  Four times in their nine losing years the Steelers have gone 7-9 or 6-8 - a game away from non-losing.

No other NFL franchise can come close to those numbers.  The Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins have had 29 winning seasons (second place), but they bottomed out a few years, including one-win seasons.  Pittsburgh bottomed out at 5-11 in 1988.  Next we look at conference finals fours.  Again, the Steelers are at the head of the class, reaching the AFC final four 22 times.  That's more than 50 percent folks.  More often than not, over the span of 41 years, the Steelers are playing for a trip to the conference finals.  That is difficult to believe.  I had to check the numbers twice, it seemed so unbelievable.  Again, the Cowboys come in second with 21 conference final fours, a tribute to their greatness as well.  The Vikings and 49ers are tied for third with 18.

The next step is conference runner-ups.  Who leads the league?  The Steelers, of course, with seven (tied with the 49ers and Raiders).  When it comes to conference titles, Pittsburgh sits again at the top with eight (tied with Dallas).  Super Bowl Titles?  We all know that score.

Every step along the way, the Pittsburgh Steelers lead the league in success, since that 1970 merger.  For funsies, I decided to assign one point for every winning season, two points for a conference final four, three points for a conference runner-up, four points for a conference title and five points for the whole enchilada.  Of course, the Steelers came out on top, having won each individual "title," and point-wise they accumulated 158 points.  Dallas is second with 146 points, the 49ers have 126 and the Raiders have 105.  No one else has triple digits.  Numbers aside, all you can ask for as a fan is to have a chance, to be in the hunt.  Since Mike Tomlin came on board in 2007, the Steelers have never played a regular-season game in which they were eliminated from the playoffs.  Only New England can also make that claim.  That's 64 games (not counting this year) and every one of them had playoff implications.

As fans we often bemoan the heartaches.  We anguish over weaknesses of the team, as if it is possible in this league of salary cap and parity not to have them.  We insist we can call better plays, with our handy convenience of hindsight.  We rip players for not being in the right place and coaches for not putting them there.

But on this day, and hopefully going forward, I am not going to do any of those things.  I am going to be thankful for the team's record-setting success over the course of four decades.  Are the Pittsburgh Steelers necessary?  Is it necessary for them to win?  In the big scale of life, of course not.  But every time they win, the air is cleaner, food tastes better and I wake up happier.  Looking back through 41 years, half of an expected lifetime, my team has given me more than I deserve.  Happy Thanksgiving Steeler Nation.  God Bless you and yours.  And God Bless our Pittsburgh Steelers.

I know, you think I am giving you old news here.  Actually I am giving you very old news.  The date was October 10, 1964.  The Pittsburgh Steelers were preparing to play the hated Cleveland Browns, a team good enough to win the NFL championship (they did that year).

Pittsburgh's linebacking corps was decimated with injuries.  Keep in mind that rosters were only 38 players back then.  On one hand the players were much more apt to play through injury back then.  There were no MRIs, no concussion tests, etc.  Players basically played unless a body part was dangling in the wrong direction.  If you got your bell rung, all you needed to do was answer how many fingers the doc was holding up, and you needed to come within two.  However, there were no quick replacements when guys did get banged.  You couldn't comb the free agent market - there was none.  Guys who didn't make the final roster, didn't work out and stay in shape waiting and hoping to get a phone call.  They went to work for their uncle's trucking company.

So the Steelers travel to Lake Erie with virtually one linebacker, Bill Saul.  He was a good one, a nasty SOB who blasted the snot out of running backs.  The only two other linebackers who suited up were Bob Soleau and Ed Holler, little used players who didn't play before 1964 or after.  In essence, the entire linebacking unit was handled by Bill Saul, playing against Jimmy Brown in front of 80,530 Clevelanders on a 40-degree Saturday night.

Buddy Parker had some major downside as Steelers' head coach.  He was superstitious to psychotic proportions and traded away almost every draft pick for seven years.  The man was, however, a brilliant tactician who could game plan as good as any coach in the league.  1964 would be Parker's last as a head coach and this game in Cleveland would be his last hurrah.  He won championships in Detroit with Bobby Layne, who, ironically, retired as the Steelers' quarterback a couple years before.

Parker, without really the time or opportunity to bring in new players, decided to use the guys "in-house" and concoct a novel defense that might throw the Browns off key.  Pittsburgh basically played a 5-1-5 defense, having no option with the "1."  The Steelers jammed the line with big defensive athletes, bookended by Big John Baker and Ben McGee.  Behind Saul, they blanketed the backfield with the likes of Brady Keys, Clendon Thomas (about to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame), Dick Haley (son Todd with KC), Jim Bradshaw, Willie Daniel and Bob Sherman.  The backs basically doubled as linebackers, but the Browns never knew where they were going to line up and never knew who was guarding what receiver.

The Browns were befuddled and stonewalled.  They totaled 96 yards rushing and more than a third of those yards (33) were gained by quarterback Frank Ryan on scrambles.  The incomparable Jimmy Brown, playing behind virtually a Hall-of-Fame offensive line, gained 59 yards on eight carries.  One of those totes was a breakaway 40-yarder; otherwise, he gained 19 yards on seven carries.  Ryan completed 13 passes in 29 attempts for 167 yards.  Other than an 18-yard TD pass to Gary Collins, the Browns did not score.

The Steelers, meanwhile, were enjoying John Henry Johnson's greatest day as a pro.  He gained 200 yards on 30 carries and scored three touchdowns.  Clarence Peaks chipped in with 96 more rushing yards and the Steelers racked up 354 total.  Quarterback Ed Brown only had to throw 11 times and completed an efficient nine passes.  The final score was Pittsburgh 23, Cleveland 7.  The Steelers could not expect to change their defense permanently.  That permutation 5-1-5 would be figured out within a week around the league.  But for that one day, Cleveland could not adjust. 

Fast forward to November 2011.  Again, the Steelers face their hated rival with a depleted linebacking corps.  Instead of Buddy Parker, we now have Dick LeBeau.  Don't be surprised, Steeler Nation, if the mad scientist goes into his laboratory and whips up a new-wrinkled defense.  Don't be surprised if he combines his stealth defensive line with a vastly improved secondary to show the Baltimore Ravens something they haven't seen and something they cannot expect.  Don't be surprised if Coach LeBeau goes back to look at that 1964 tape (OK, I doubt that).  He may show some wrinkles and looks that might not work permanently, but maybe, just maybe, they might work on a given day.

Wonderful, another post from the great maryrose. I suppose being in attendance for a Steelers win over the Patriots gets everybody's juices flowing. Great stuff as always here. -Michael B.-

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Style Points Do Matter

Pardon me for contradicting the great Tomlinator, but there is some substance to style points. I know a win is a win, you are what your record says you are, etc. etc. I get all that. But when your team is getting eaten alive on the offensive line of scrimmage, and your quarterback is being pounded into submission, you cannot help to think that in the long run, "this can't end well." When your defensive backfield is vulnerable to getting dinked and dunked into submission, and you know that in the end you will play against quarterbacks who have the ability to do just that, you cannot help to think that in the long run, "this can't end well." Yeah, maybe we can go 11-5 and get into the playoffs, but we all know the swords that will eventually kill us. The Steelers are showing us that maybe our Achilles Heel might not be so vulnerable anymore. This win was much more than an eight-point victory over a long-time nemesis. This win was an indicator that perhaps the team's two perceived weak spots, offensive line and defensive backfield, just might be good enough to beat anybody. Ben is getting time. His sacks are due to him trying to prolong the play, or the two whacko plays at the end of the game where they looked like they wanted to get sacked. And how about that defensive backfield? No longer playing 12 yards off the ball, those guys are much more effective. And this isn't about Hall of Famer Dick LeBeau finally seeing the light - this is about guys like Lewis and Gay and Mundy and Allen finally being smart enough and talented enough to play that style. All of this bodes well for the Steelers.

In My Office Please

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I was pretty jacked up for the Monday Night Football game, when my daughter, Maryrose, thought I was crazy. "Dad, Baltimore has one loss. Jacksonville has one win. Baltimore killed us and we beat Jacksonville. Why would you even watch this game?"

Maryrose, please sit and allow me to give you a lesson on the psyche of the NFL. First, these teams are much closer than records indicate. How else can recent cellar-dwellers like Miami, San Francisco and Detroit go from the bottom of the barrel to playoff teams and, in Miami’s case, go back down again. This isn’t college, where Ohio State will beat Indiana 40 straight years by 40 points because of an inherent talent pool advantage. These guys are all professional with level salary caps. In addition to the level playing field, you need to understand the psychology of human beings.

Remember when Pittsburgh went into Baltimore in the opener and got smoked? The Ravens played like there was no tomorrow. It was bigger than the Super Bowl. It was Pittsburgh. It was Armageddon. Baltimore unleashed eight months of pent-up frustration. The Ravens were tired of being the red-headed step-child, and played like it. The Steelers could not match their intensity on that day in their house, despite the rivalry.

The game is played by human beings, not robots. By the way, what did the Armegeddon Boys do the next week? They got manhandled by a Tennessee team that Pittsburgh later crushed. Life in the NFL. The Ravens would have lost to Bethune-Cookman that next week. They spent too much emotionally against Pittsburgh, albeit a wise expenditure.

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Great stuff here from maryrose, who I'd say is well-qualified to speak on this subject as the commissioner of a noteworthy college conference. - Michael B. -

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There are those who can eloquently speak their mind and those who are better off not speaking at all. While it is clear that James Harrison belongs a member of the latter, there was an undercurrent to his message that perhaps even he is not able to understand or articulate.

While Harrison went too far on several levels, it was interesting to hear numerous NFL players across the league joining Silverback in their disdain for Commissioner Roger Goodell. Their claim that Goodell is both judge and jury is spot on. The NFL (and all major sports leagues) is nothing more than a kangaroo court. The commissioner does what he wants when he wants, and if a player wants to appeal, guess who ends up deciding the appeal? How likely is it for a person to essentially admit he is wrong by reversing an earlier decision? The system is badly flawed and while Harrison may never become a member of the National Speakers Bureau, the reasons for his anger, not his words mind you, but his anger, are well justified.

The problem is that Roger Goodell is not really the commissioner of the NFL, though the title and job description may lead us to think as such. In reality, Mr. Goodell is the Executive Director of the NFL Owners, just as DeMaurice Smith is the Executive Director of the NFL Players. When these two football giants meet, represent, discuss or argue, each side represents their particular constituency. Neither is a "commissioner" above and apart from both the players and owners. Yet, one has the added misnomer of "commissioner" attached to his name as if he actually was such.

What the NFL (and other major sports leagues) needs is a real commissioner, one put in office by both the players and owners. I would suggest a system similar to the United States Congress. The Owners would be like the Senate, with each of the 32 clubs holding a block of 10 votes (320 total). The Players would be like the House of Representatives, controlling 320 individual votes, assigned as they saw fit, probably 10 players per team. The total 640 votes would be cast to hire and fire commissioners, while smaller joint committees could deal with matters such as salary, benefits, office operations, etc. If the players and owners were really a joint partnership as Goodell keeps saying, shouldn't this be the roof they live under?

Under this scenario, the Players would feel much more a part of the system instead of an army unto themselves. The trust level would skyrocket. Penalties and sanctions, while perhaps not always agreed with, would at least be accepted as fair and neutral. On a larger level, labor negotiations would run much smoother and probably with far less animosity. Instead of having a person claiming to represent the game while actually representing the Owners, you would have an added person who actually did represent the game on the whole. Moreover, said person, a real commissioner, would be disarming to both sides during disputes and negotiations. A real commissioner would magnetize both sides toward the middle instead of the current Hatfield-McCoy model.

I might not live long enough to see this model, but I can actually see it coming to fruition one day. And when (if) it does, people like James Harrison might not say what they say and feel what they feel. I don't condone Harrison's words - don't get me wrong here - but at the very root of his anger there is a story to be told. That story is a hated commissioner, paid by one side and not the other, who is not really a fair and impartial commissioner at all.

John Henry Johnson died over the weekend in California at the age of 81. Johnson, along with Big Daddy Lipscomb, was my first Steelers hero, and for many good reasons. Johnson was a fullback in a halfback's body. He was 6-2, 210 pounds and one of the most complete backs in NFL history. He would run through you, around you, had great moves in the open field, had soft hands as an excellent receiver and no one, and I mean no one, ever blocked better as a running back. Bobby Layne loved having John Henry in the backfield on passing plays. Respected by everyone, Johnson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of fame in 1987.

Johnson was selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 1953 NFL Draft. He opted to play in Canada instead, but came back to the NFL after one year to join San Francisco's "Million Dollar Backfield," along with future Hall of Famers Hugh McElhenny, Y. A. Tittle, and Joe Perry. Traded to Detroit in 1957, Johnson led the Lions in rushing, helping them to the NFL Championship, before becoming a Pittsburgh Steeler in 1960. When he retired after the 1966 season, his 6,803 career rushing yards ranked him behind only Jim Brown, Jim Taylor, and Joe Perry as the top ground gainers of all time. Johnson also was an excellent pass receiver with 186 receptions for 1,478 yards. He scored 330 points on 55 touchdowns in his career. It was with the Steelers that John Henry enjoyed his finest seasons. In both 1962 and 1964, he broke the 1,000-yard rushing barrier, the first Steeler to achieve that lofty level. Johnson was selected to play in the 1955, 1963, 1964, and 1965 Pro Bowl Games.

What separated John Henry from other running backs was his ferocious ability and willingness to block. He had no equal at his position. He fractured at least one skull and three jaws that we know of, one jaw in two places, with his blocking alone. Before his NFL days, John Henry played in Canada where he broke Bill Bewley's jaw in two places. When he came to the NFL, he hit Charlie Trippi of the Chicago Cardinals so hard he fractured Trippi's skull. Some friends of Trippi's in Chicago seriously suggested to him that they arrange some underground retribution, but Trippi talked them out of it.

After breaking the jaw of Eddie Hughes of the New York Giants, his grand finale occurred in Los Angeles against the Rams in 1961. Johnson broke Les Richter's jaw with another forearm shiver. The Rams were intent on getting even. Los Angeles defensive back Ed Meador intercepted a pass and Johnson ran him out-of-bounds. A string of Rams came after Johnson, so he picked up the yard marker and started swinging at them wildly. That ended any thoughts of revenge. John Henry fractured three jaws and a skull and mind you, he played on offense. Paul Brown once yelled at Johnson, "You've hit everybody in the league." Johnson shot back "Then we've got a tie game. Everybody in the league has hit me."

John Henry had the game of his life, the defining game of his career, in 1964, in Cleveland against the Browns. Cleveland would win the NFL championship that year, but Johnson quieted more than 80,000 stunned fans on the lakefront with a performance for the ages. John Henry became only the ninth player in NFL history to rush for 200 yards in a game (30 carries). He scored all three Steelers' touchdown. The final score was 23-7. The game was not nearly as close as the score might indicate. Pittsburgh amassed a ghastly 354 yards rushing (Clarence Peaks chipped in with 96) and simply ran all over Cleveland at will. Johnson shared that Saturday night stage with the great Jimmy Brown and the latter was clearly the undercard. In 1996, in Ohio, I finally met John Henry Johnson and asked him to sign my Steelers' helmet. I reminded him of that game and his grin was wide enough to connect a 32-year bridge between a little boy and his first football hero. Thank you, John Henry, for being a whooping crane in a world of sparrows.

The good news is that the Steelers got better, perhaps significantly, in the afterglow of the 2011 NFL Draft. The bad news is that every team in the AFC North did the same. All NFL fans are giddy after a draft. It's like Christmas in April. We all have a half dozen shiny new presents to ogle over; new talent, new blood and new hopes. Put simply, it's fun to think of our new toys and envision them helping us get to the promised land. The problem is, a rising tide lifts all boats. While the Steelers may have gotten better, so did everyone else. Mel Kiper gave his annual grades to every team. He issued a B+ or higher to nine of the NFL's 32 teams. Basically, half of the nine, all four of the AFC North teams, received those B+ or higher grades. So, much like a tree falling in a forest and no one hearing it, if everyone got better, did anyone get better? If you are playing poker and the house comes in and gives every player seven extra chips, what difference does it make?

While part of me sounds like the Grinch that stole Christmas, reminding you that Santa Claus also brought the entire neighborhood a sack of marbles, there is a major storm that the Steelers have weathered, giving their fans special reason for optimism. It's easy to get a high draft grade when you pick in the top six, like half the AFC North did. Conversely, picking #31 is the penultimate pick in the NFL. You love #32, basking in the glory of a Super Bowl Championship, but drawing the 31 pill is like drawing the Old Maid. If there is one thing I could change about the NFL, it would be the draft structure. I hate it. I could think of a handful of better, fairer, models. How about a snake draft and allow the worst teams to pick their spot on the ladder? How exciting would pre-draft draft be? At the risk of digressing further, allowing a team to pick in the top six in the first, second and third rounds is repulsive to me. I'm all for socialism in professional sports, loving the revenue sharing and salary cap components, but letting a team draft 31 spots higher than another team in every single round is unfair. When you draft in the top six (I know the Browns traded out of that spot, but look what they gained?), you actually get an absolute primo guy plus another first-round talent. There's always a handful of guys who fall out of the first-round who are just as good as the late first-rounders. Then you get rewarded again in the third round. Too much Robin Hood for my blood. I digress to this extent to say how impressed I am that Pittsburgh was able to stand toe-to-toe with the Browns and Bengals despite having one hand tied behind its back.

Looking at the particulars, if you are Baltimore, Cincinnati or Cleveland, you sit around the conference table the entire offseason asking one question: How do we beat Pittsburgh? The answer could be given by the janitor in the room emptying the trash: Attack their corners. Don't bother running, don't even try. A, you can't and B, you don't have to. To that end, all three of Pittsburgh's AFC North foes bolstered their passing attack to the tune of two key players in the first four rounds of the draft. The Bengals spent their first pick thinking about that Pittsburgh secondary and drafted all-world receiver, A.J. Green, and then a gifted quarterback (Andy Dalton), both within the top 36 picks of the draft, as insurance against a pouting Carson Palmer. Cleveland took a beast receiver (Greg Little) in the second round, who would have gone much higher had he not been suspended all of last year at North Carolina. The team has switched to West Coast, adding players, coaches and even the team president, with the single mission of shooting the poison arrow into the heel of Achilles. Colt McCoy is no longer a rookie and the new regime believes Brian Robiskie and Mo Massaquoi were not utilized properly. The Ravens were one piece short, a home run hitter, and they danced in the streets when Torrey Smith fell to the bottom of the second round. Baltimore then added receiver Tandon Doss in the fourth. You can't defeat Achilles by trying to overpower him. You shoot him in the heel where he is vulnerable.

The optimist will tell you that Colbert was being Colbert and handled the draft masterfully. How else can you get such a high grade when you've been dealt the Old Maid? And as far as all this worry about the cornerback position, consider that the Steelers came within one touchdown drive of winning the Super Bowl with their current defensive inventory. Yes, the secondary was vulnerable, but what about the pick six, the Mendenhall fumble, the Ben misfire to a wide-open Wallace - huge plays in the game. Would Pittsburgh have drafted 32nd had any one of those offensive blunders not happened? Really, how bad is the cornerback situation? And didn't Colbert get perhaps a steal in the third round with Curtis Brown? Doesn't the addition of a dynamic Cameron Heyward help the secondary? There is plenty of reason for optimism here. The wildcard, of course, is the re-signing of Ivan Taylor. The optimist will tell you that the NFL Labor situation has helped Pittsburgh's chances of doing just that. Without the ability to sign with another franchise, several teams shored up their secondaries in the draft, lessening the urgency to want or need Taylor. The glass is definitely half full.

And then there's the other shoulder, upon which that little devil is talking. The Steelers do not have Ike Taylor, and while they are the home team, all it takes is just one other team to throw money at him. Then what? A team is as strong as its weakest link. We go with McFadden, who the Cardinals shipped back to Pittsburgh for a ham sandwich after they realized he can't play the position, and Willie Gay, who didn't need to leave for everyone to realize he can't play the position. Then we have Colbert's third and fourth round picks. Are we going into the 2011 season with hopes and dreams pinned on that package? As good as Colbert has been historically in the first round, he is 38% in the second, third and fourth rounds combined, meaning that roughly only one player per year in those three rounds has meaningful impact for the team. Since 2005, only three players that Colbert has drafted in rounds 2-4 have had meaningful impact with the team.

The Steelers will win a bunch of games this fall, assuming they play football. They are talented enough to go 5-1 in the division and be in great position to win it or be a wild card. But unless they re-sign Ivan Taylor, and Curtis Brown has positive impact to at least some degree, their secondary will again be their downfall. It doesn't matter how few yards the legendary run defense gives up. Against quarterbacks named Manning, Brady, Brees and Rodgers, Coach Tomlin is 1-6 and should be 0-7. Against the rest of the NFL, he is 47-17. That is a stunning statistic. Come playoff time, there will be no more Browns and Bengals and other teams the Steelers can beat without cornerbacks. It is possible the Steelers could luck out miraculously with other teams knocking out those quarterbacks. It almost happened last year. The Jets, with Revis and Cromartie, played and beat the Colts and Patriots before those quarterbacks had a chance to feast on Pittsburgh's secondary. Brees got knocked off also on the NFC side. If Rodgers had lost to Atlanta or Philly on the road, the Steelers may have dodged all those bullets and won another title. But that's not something we can count on again.

What we need to count on is Ike Taylor and Curtis Brown. In my opinion, those are the two most important wildcards to the Steelers playoff success in 2011.

Congratulations to the NFL Draft winners of my autographed book, From Black to Gold - The Pittsburgh Steelers.  The four people who correctly chose Cameron Heyward to be selected by the Steelers in the first round are:

• Vynotty
• ET
• JonesynySteeler
• RollingRock33

They each receive an autographed book as soon as they email me their mailing address and indicate to whom the book should be signed.  Since I offered five books total, I will send a special bonus book to SteelCage for correctly predicting that the Steelers would take Cortez Allen in the fourth round.  If SteelCage sends me an email with his/her address, plus indicates to whom the book should be signed, I will send this bonus book for a great selection.

Go Steelers, and thanks for playing.

1)  Taking into account the round they were chosen, which Steelers pick in this draft excites you the most?

2)  Why should we believe, or shouldn't we believe, that Curtis Brown and Cortez Allen are any better than Joe Burnett and Keenan Lewis?

3)  How did the Browns do after receiving their April Christmas gift from Atlanta?

4)  Were you ticked off when the Ravens took Jimmy Smith four picks before the Steelers drafted in the first round. If so, why? If it wouldn't have mattered to you, explain why not?

5)  After seeing Ras-I Dowling and Aaron Williams go immediately after Cam Heyward, did/do you think the Steelers should have grabbed one of those guys?

Many thanks to maryrose for this fine writeup. As it turns out, datruth4life and some of the rest of you were correct in identifying Carpenter as a guy that was rocketing up draft boards and worthy of a good, hard look by the Steelers in either round one or two. Well, turns out Carpenter went off the board even earlier than we expected, taken at No. 25 by the Seattle Seahawks. Nevertheless, let's take a look at the writeup by 'rose and see what he has to say about the kid and the Steelers' potential thoughts in round two. Keep in mind this was penned prior to Thursday night's developments. - Michael B. -

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Some believe you should build a football team from the inside out.  After securing its core last year with Maurkice Pouncey, the next logical move for Pittsburgh is to get high quality dance partners lining up next to him.  Enter James Carpenter, who by the way was picked by Todd McShay to go number one in the second round.  He brings two elite qualities to the table. First, his blend of height, weight and speed is right up there with the top linemen in the draft.  Dude is 6-5, 324 pounds and brings a surprising amount of speed for a guy his size.  Second, Carpenter is tough as nails with a mean streak, an element not lost on the Kuglinator himself.  He plays through nagging injuries and started all 27 games during his Alabama career.

Carpenter also brings unique talent to both run block and pass block with relatively equal effectiveness, both above the line, though neither spectacular at this point in his development.  The better news is that Carpenter is a young guy on the rise.  His place on everyone's draft boards has gone up from the end of the season.  He now carries an impressive 85 NFL Scouts grade, and he won Alabama's Bart Starr Award as the Tide's most improved player. 

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After seeing the post this morning about the Steelers' wide receiver position, and remembering Big Jay recently saying, 'Hey, are we overlooking defensive line?," etc., I feel compelled to write that indeed every position on the team, to one degree or another, is really a position of need.  There are those who mention another tight end to compliment Heath Miller, like Belichick did last year in drafting two tight ends.  The safety position can be weak and fragile and what if Mendenhall gets hurt?  The beat goes on and on.  Unless a team has Johnny Unitas at quarterback, Dan Marino as a back-up and Bob Griese as the third emergency guy, and has the same quality and depth at every single position, there is some "need" involved with every aspect of the team.

A football team, any team, comes into a draft much like a guy who just ran his bike into a bus comes into the emergency room.  The guy's arm is broke, his ankle is twisted, he has a bruise on his face, his spleen is bleeding and his glasses are broke.  What the doctors do in emergency is assess the priorities of all the guy's "needs."  They better fix the bleeding spleen first, or patching up other areas will be moot when the guy dies.  They better set the arm before they wrap the ankle so the bone will heal.  They might not do anything with the bruise, simply live with it, and they will order another pair of glasses when everything else is calm and in order.

Drafting a football team is more complicated (not more important than an emergency room, but more complicated), because you simply cannot just list the needs in priority and then fix accordingly.  Unlike the emergency room, the needs are weighed against the particular talent available at the given moment of a draft selection.  You might have a slightly bigger need at position B than A, but if player A is far superior than player B, then he will be the wisest choice....maybe...

To me, there is one position on the Steelers that represents the bleeding spleen, cornerback.  If we don't fix that, if we don't draft someone of impact, if our young bucks don't step up and especially if we lose Ivan, then nothing else will matter.  The Pittsburgh Steelers will not and cannot win another Super Bowl without fixing their spleen.  The Steelers have played 71 football games under the Mike Tomlin-Dick LeBeau regime.  They are 1-6 against guys named Manning, Brady, Brees and Rodgers. The only victory came via miracle on the last play of the game. They are 47-17 in all the other games.  The Steelers will win alot of football games in 2011, no doubt.  They will beat teams regularly who have less than Pro Bowl quarterbacks who don't have the ability to shred them.  But they cannot navigate to the promised land again unless they fix their spleen.

Other than the spleen, the guy is not going to eventually die.  Therefore, we can debate which body part to fix next.  Interestingly, we have made 57 picks in out BTSC mock draft, and there are some pretty good football players available with Pittsburgh's pick coming up soon.  So I ask you, Steelers Nation, help me make that draft choice.  I am not even going to put Ras-I Dowling in the poll.  He's the spleen doctor and from what I am hearing would be an overwhelming choice.  But what about the other body parts?    Randall Cobb is still sitiing there.  After reading the wide receiver post this morning, is he the guy?  How about Ryan Matthews?  He's a really good running back dropping late into the second round.  Jurrell Casey, Christian Ballard and Allen Bailey are still available.  After reading Big Jay's reminder that our D-Line is aging and fragile, should we go there?  Clint Boling is an offensive guard, you know we need some of that stuff.  So is James Carpenter.

I am giving away five autographed copies of my book:  From Black to Gold, The Pittsburgh Steelers.  If you already have the book, another copy would make a fine gift (I'll sign the book to whomever you want).  I will also pay the shipping - everything for you is free.  All you need to do is guess correctly who the Steelers will draft with their first pick.  If the Steelers trade out of the first round, or even trade up, it will make things more difficult, but we will still go with the plan.

Five copies will be awarded.  If more than five people choose the correct player, I will put all the winning names into a hat and pick five.  You may only vote once.  Simply post the name on this thread.  The contest ends the moment Roger Goodell walks to the podium to make the first pick on Thursday, April 28.  All those who choose correctly must send me an email with your name, address, BTSC screen name and to whom you want the book signed, by midnight Sunday night after the draft:  fromblacktogold@gmail.com

I will also post a main-page article listing all correct entries (screen names).  The entries will be listed in the order they are posted, so those who post earlier will be given higher ranking on the list.  This has got to be worth a simple response from everyone who reads this.  Good luck and let the game begin!

It is interesting that with so many of the discussions and debates we have here on BTSC, invariably something will be posted to the effect that:

 "They know what they are doing...They do this 24/7 for a living...Hey, we've been in three Super Bowls in six years...  In (blank) we trust"

Let me be the first to step forward and claim that I am guilty of at least thinking, if not writing, comments along those lines.  I am especially vulnerable when the Bruce Arians lynching takes its normal course, but I don't want to digress here.  I think the interesting caveat is the old adage that "you stand where you sit."  In other words, if you initiate the criticism, or agree with someone else's, then you feel the freedom to talk about the situation.  If you disagree, then the instinct is to sometimes end the debate by simply claiming that we can't know as much as, or be as smart as, the inner sanctum.  How can a banker from Richmond, or whatever it is we all do, have enough insight to criticize people who spend their entire existence on this stuff?

The truth is, if we take that position, there would be no need to ever engage in any discussions or debates.  There would be no need for BTSC.  Why should we even talk about the Draft?  Kevin Colbert knows more than we do, so let's just go about our lives and wait for April 28, and then trust what he does.  Let us never question Dick LeBeau or Bruce Arians or Mike Tomlin about anything.  They are in the film room and at practice 18 hours a day.  Who are we to think we can possibly be more accurate than they?  The In-Blank-We-Trust card is the ultimate trump card.  It ends all debate.

To the contrary, I like to pretend that I am the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  I want to ask questions.  I want to throw out my opinions and ideas and I want feedback.  I don't know as much detail as the people I hire - if I did I wouldn't need to hire them in the first place.  So I will let them explain things and then I will be convinced or not convinced.  But under no circumstances am I going to simply live with the mantra that "They must know more than I, so I'll just stop thinking about everything."

I want to know why and why not.  As a follow-up to our fearless leader's astute column about Thaddeus Gibson, I want to know why we have enough linebackers to defeat a third-world country, while our secondary can't defend top-quality quarterbacks.   Did we over-do this BPA thing, like Mr. Bean alluded to?  Was Gibson just a Draft mistake or is he potentially a good player that was low man on a very large totem pole - either of which is bad.  As the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, I sign all the paychecks. You need to convince me, Kevin, why our secondary is going to be better this year, or I can assure you, we won't be taking any linebackers early in this Draft, and I don't care how good they are (Martez Wilson).  Thaddeus Gibson might be good too, but we're never going to reap that fourth-round seed, are we?  And we're not going to stop Manning, Brady, Brees or Rodgers unless we improve the defensive weaponry to cover their targets.

No matter how good Kevin Colbert is, or Mike Tomlin, or Dick LeBeau, or Bruce Arians, they are like the rest of us - they make mistakes.  These mistakes are indisputable and well-documented.  And as long as they make mistakes, they are vulnerable to being questioned.  I own this team, maybe just as a fan and in my own mind, but I have an emotional investment in the Pittsburgh Steelers that I am not going to apologize for.  I want to share my thoughts and hear yours on this web site.  I want discussion and debate.  I want you to convince me when I'm wrong.  And along this journey, I will try very hard not to trump debate by saying, "In the Steelers we trust; they know what they are doing; their success is proven; so they must be right."

While preparing for the BTSC Mock Draft, I was writing this piece about Aaron Williams.  When the pick came due, Nate Solder fell to number #31, so I acquiesced and took the better player.  A few days ago when I saw Mel Kiper's latest mock, he had the same Aaron Williams going to the Steelers.  Part of me is wishing I had stuck to my guns with Williams in our mock.  When you pick #31, every year there will be a player or two who drops unexpectedly.  That's the nature of the beast.  Teams will reach for guys they love and others will trade up for a surprise or a quarterback.  But assuming that no one falls and everything goes according to Hoyle, I'd like to make a case for Aaron Williams.  The only reason this guy isn't rated higher is because he is one of those tweeners, but let's take a closer look. 

Shortly after the 30^th pick of the 1989 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers took a hybrid defensive back - one of those cornerback-slash-safeties, who was 6-1, 205 pounds.  He actually played outside linebacker for three years at UCLA.  His name was Carnell Lake.  When questioned by the media as to what position he would play, Head Coach Chuck Noll, with his renowned pointed brevity, gleamed "He's a football player. He'll do just fine."  Lake went on to play both safety and corner for the Steelers, a borderline Hall of Famer, appearing in five consecutive Pro Bowls. 

Shortly after the 30^th pick of this upcoming 2011 Draft, the Steelers might take a hybrid defensive back, almost identical to Lake (6-0, 204 pounds).  His name is Aaron Williams.  It is a good bet that Williams will end up at safety. In fact, he's the best safety in the Draft, but he will at very least be an effective cornerback early in his career, especially if he sheds about 10 pounds.  Some people are apprehensive about taking guys who are "tweeners."  Their worry is that if you are caught in between positions, you might be the master of neither.  Conversely, the Steelers have historically embraced the notion of position flexibility, as evidenced by far more than Carnell Lake.  Recent high-round selections include Lawrence Timmons, a hybrid inside/outside linebacker, LaMarr Woodley, DE/OLB, Rashard Mendenhall, small back/big back and Maurkice Pouncey, both a guard and center.  Dick Lebeau would drool at the opportunity to have a guy who can play both cornerback and safety.  Recall the Arizona Super Bowl when Ike Taylor dropped into cover two while Troy guarded receivers close to the line of scrimmage.  The more versatile weapons Coach Dad has in his arsenal, the better the chess master can move his pieces around with genius.

Of course, it will take time for Williams to learn the ropes.  He's not going to be an overnight Superman.  Over time, Williams will help the Steelers in so many ways.  He's a football player.  Incredibly, dude blocked four punts in one season at UT, and five in his college career.  Williams is not afraid to play close to the line of scrimmage, with exceptionally quick hips that can turn and stay with receivers.  He also has very quick feet to match the hips, a prolific combination.  A student of the game, he reads plays well and can backpedal and change directions fluidly.  Williams' lower body is powerful, allowing him to leap both horizontally and vertically.  A big-game player, Williams used his 38-inch vertical leap to intercept Oklahoma's Landry Jones, who thought he was throwing the ball away, to preserve the Longhorns' 16-13 win over their archrival in 2009.

With his size and strength, Williams loves to tackle.  He will stick his nose on the ball, can blitz from the corner and has remarkable instincts to make plays.  In that same game against Oklahoma, it was Williams who sacked Sam Bradford, ending Bradford's college career on a clean hit.  Williams is a good man-to-man defender, but will need to polish up his bump-and-run and press techniques on the NFL level if he stays at corner.  The rap on Williams is that he doesn't possess track-speed to keep up with speed merchants on long pass plays.  His 4.56 combine time is no different than Joe Haden a year ago.  Williams then ran a 4.42 at his Pro Day, just like Haden.  Remember that Haden was drafted 7^th last year and had six picks as a star rookie.  Of course, if Williams had that blazing speed element, he would be long gone before number 31 in the Draft.  But really, the Steelers don't need him to cover DeSean Jackson 60 yards down the field on a regular basis.  They need him to defend passes within 25 yards of the line of scrimmage while the pressure gets to the quarterback.

Williams is a high-character guy who volunteers in the community far beyond the obligatory resume builders.  He is praised by coaches for his work ethic, unselfishness and cerebral approach to the game.  Every coach who has ever taught him from pee-wee through college raves about his maturity, a point that should not go understated.  It is no wonder Williams was a first-team Academic All-Big 12 performer.  Mike Mayock lists him third on his cornerback list, ahead of Jimmy Smith.  Williams is extremely coachable, and who better to coach him than fellow hybrid Carnell Lake?  Having just been hired to coach defensive backs for the Steelers, Lake knows both positions from first-hand experience and understands the transition process as well as anyone.  How fitting would it be for the Steelers to give Lake a welcome-home present, a young version of himself, to start his career as a Steelers' coach?  Aaron Williams is a football player, and just the kind that the Pittsburgh Steelers like.