Thoughts from the Crowd

Some tickets to the preseason opener fell into my lap this week and I took the opportunity to take someone who has never been to a Steez game. This was very rewarding to see the excitement of his Steelers "cherry getting popped". He was really taking in everything he possibly could. To me one of the most exciting parts of the night other than my friends excitement was getting to see the family of hardware pictured above. If you multiply the Eagles Super Bowls by infinity it would still be six less than the Steelers. If you add up the Super Bowl titles from Carolina, Houston, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Cleveland, Detroit, Arizona, Minnesota, Cincinnati, Buffalo, San Diego, Atlanta, Tennessee, Philly, Seattle, Tampa, Baltimore, St Louis, Chicago, Kansas City, and the Jets you would get 6. Thats right 21 teams add up to just that of the Steelers.

Being that I was decently intoxicated there's not too much to write about the actual game. Things I went into the game wanting to see were Limas, Mike Wallace, Hood, Mendenhall, and Sepelvuda. I gave a pass to the o-line because they were missing 40% of it.

1) I thought Limas played really well except the drop on the Arizona sideline (may have been Wallace, sorry if I'm mistaken) I am really excited for Limas to be a real contributor to this team.
2) I thought Mike Wallace also looked pretty good. His speed was noticeable and if Dixon would have had some better balls he may have made some explosive plays.
3) I didn't notice Ziggy Hood at all from the crowd. I also did not see 'Tone at all.
4)Mendy had a so so night. I expected more but I saw that he may be alright too. He had a nice run to the outside that I liked how he bounced.
5)It feels really nice not having a handicapped punter. Thank you Danny

Sorry for not the best recap and I will return early next week with a post proclaiming footballs long awaited return to our lives.

PS- I was really preparing myself to tolerate Vick and now that he has signed with the Fags and I can fully hate him like I wanted to. Here's to hoping that the Vick experiment fails miserably and he wrecks the team. I dont think this will happen and Philly could be really tough this year

Steelers Beat Cardinals Again

In a snoozefest of a first preseason game, the Steelers beat the Cardinals 20-10 based primarily on the play of the 3rd stringers. The first team offense looked out of sync and the first team defense let up some significant yardage from Kurt Warner. But I'm not worried about the first team . In 2005, the first team offense didn't score a touchdown the entire preseason and things turned out alright. Rather, let's focus on some individual performances from new faces.

The Good

Isaac Redman - You heard it here first. Isaac Redman = The Bus. Just playing. But the undrafted rookie scored the Steelers only two touchdowns and was a perfect 2 for 2 on goal line runs. The hype should start soon. Pittsburgh falls in love with one rookie FA running back each year. When that back is also the size of Jerome Bettis, things could get crazy. He's no longer a long shot to make the team, but as the preseason progresses watch to see Redman get goal line touches with the starters.

Sonny Harris - The 6th round pick out of Oregon hasn't done much in training camp due to injury, but played well with the 3rd team. He collapsed the pocket nicely a couple times and stood out among the third teamers.

Dan Sepulveda - I'm not looking at the stat sheet, but I think all but one of his punts traveled more than 50 yards. Almost enough to make me forget about Mitch Berger.

The Receivers - Limas Sweed, Mike Wallace, and Shaun McDonald all had nice nights. Sweed made a great catch in traffic and followed it up with a long bomb from Charlie Batch. It's going to be hard to keep him from the #3 spot if he keeps playing this way. Mike Wallace made several nice catches and got in position for a long touchdown reception, but Dennis Dixon threw the ball too late. Shaun McDonald looked like a real threat underneath as he made catch after catch from Dixon. I feel much better about the WR position than I did in the offseason.

Joe Burnett - Although he looked tiny out there, Burnett showed his ball skills in a near pick 6 off of former Steelers QB Brian St. Pinch (Pierre). But Burnett has much to learn about returning kicks for the Steelers. Lesson 1: Hold onto the damn ball.

Arnold Harrison - The back up linebacker looked big and fast. He generated pressure from the edge. Between the other Harrison, Fox, and Frazier, the linebacking corps has solid depth.

The Bad

Willie Colon - Can someone please teach this man to line up on the line of scrimmage?

Starting O-line - Not much running room for Mendy and a couple miscommunications. Granted Legursky was the starting center and Essex is new at right guard. Not worried yet, but not hopeful either.

Anthony Madison - Matt Leinart repeatedly picked on Madison. With competition from Burnett, Lewis, and Ratliff, Madison will have to hope his reputation as a special teams ace saves his roster spot.

Justin Vincent - No real chance to make this squad.

The TBD

Return teams - I was excited to watch Wallace at KR and Burnett at PR, but neither had a chance to shine. Arizona only kicked off twice and one was a touchback. Burnett fielded several punts, but most were deep in the zone. The fumble on his first return may provide an opportunity for Stefan Logan in the next game.

Mendenhall - He didn't look spectacular, but rarely had running room behind the offensive line. Although, he should probably get used to it.

Ziggy Hood - He made a few positive plays, including a sack. But nothing spectacular from Hood who played in the third team defense for most of the game. For the first preseason game, it was fine.

Bruce Davis - I wanted to include him in the bad, but he ended up with a sack, an interception, and a great stop on a screen play. Maybe he should be in the good section, but in the one area he should excel, getting pressure from the outside, he did very little.

Dennis Dixon - Dixon got the majority of the playing time and made a couple great throws. He's an athletic guy, but he isn't an athlete playing quarterback. He's a quarterback with athleticism. Did a nice job later on throwing underneath, but was late on several deep throws. Positive development for Dixon who could turn into a great back up. Nonetheless, I think Batch holds him off for one more year.

O-Line Depth - It's tough to get a read in just one game, but the rookies in the middle (Foster, Shipley, Urbik) seemed to do well out there. Tony Hills wasn't embarassed. Neither was Parquett or Capizzi. The back ups provided nice room for Redman to score a TD. These guys aren't studs, but they held their own against other 2nd and 3rd teamers.

Frank the Tank - Played more at fullback than I expected. Not sure why Justin Vincent was getting more carries than the tank. We'll see how this develops.

Overall, it was a good game. A lot of players got some work, the team won, and no major injuries. Let's hope the rest of the preseason is the same.

Any thoughts out there?

Scouting the Cards - Not!

Even though preseason games don't matter, I think we should take a look back at the last time we played the Cardinals. You know, for scouting purposes.





And just for fun, some of our other favorites from February.

Preseason Game # 1

Football returns to the city of champions tonight with the Steelers' first preseason game of the year in a rematch of the Superbowl against the Arizona Cardinals. The game will be on ESPN at 8 PM EST, but if you are tuning in to see the stars play, plan on watching from 8 till about 8:15. After that the first teamers won't be seeing the field. Although Ben, Hines, Troy and Deebo won't be on the field very long, there are some other good reasons to watch tonight. This will be the first time alot of Steeler Nation will get to witness many of the camp battles playing out. It will also be the first time we get to see the new draftees on the field and observe how injured players who missed most of the season last year are recovering from their injuries. Some stuff to watch for tonight:

1) Third wide receiver battle.
The battle for the third wide receiver spot is shaping up to be one of the most competitive at camp. Limas Sweed, last years' second round pick that many thought to be the steal of the draft should be the odds on favorite to win the job. However, mixed reviews have been emanating from Latrobe on Sweed. Combine that with the increased competition for the spot with the addition of Shaun McDonald through free agency and Mike Wallace via a third round draft choice and it is not so clear any longer that Sweed will win this job.

Shaun McDonald has been likened to a poor man's Wes Welker on some Steeler blogs. In 2007, for the Lions mind you, he put up 79 catches for 943 yards and 6 TD's. Reports have indicated that he is having a solid camp. If he can play the slot at anywhere near the level of Welker, he will be an amazing signing and a great additional option for Ben. I would love to see the Steelers add more quick slants to their offense to cut down on the blitzing and the hits that Ben takes and take some defenders out of the box to create more lanes for our running backs. Even if McDonald does not win the third receiver job, I still thinks he makes it as either the 4th or 5th receiver and lines up in the slot. The Steelers normally use the third wide out to stretch the field running deep routes like Nate did for us last year. Limas and Mike Wallace seem to fit that role better than McDonald. Speaking of Wallace...

The Steelers drafted Wallace in the third round of this year's draft. Everyone that has seen him practice has been blown away with his speed. It would surprise me if he wins the job outright but it won't surprise me to see him on the field alot this season. I can't wait to see him tonight blowing by people.

Other guys to watch for are Dallas Baker, who has been on the practice sqaud for a few years, and Tyler Grisham out of Clemson, who was signed as an undrafted free agent and has been turning some heads at practice. For another look at our potential wide outs, check out Post Game Heroes, here.

2) O-Line.
With Darnell Stapleton going down with an injury, the battle to back him up/replace him is heating up. Surprisingly, Trai Essex seems to be having an outstanding camp so far and could beat out Stapleton. Rookie Kraig Urbik has not lived up to expectations so far and has been consistently getting dominated by the Steelers D in practice. Other things to watch for tonight and throughout the preseason are the backup battles. AQ Shipley and Legursky are battling to backup Hartwig at Center and with him out with injury they should be seeing alot of playing time. Also, undrafted free agent signing Ramon Foster has been getting alot of positive press. Perpetual project Tony Hills needs to impress if he wants to stay on the squad.
Finally, watch Willie Colon and decide for yourself whether he is one of the best or one of the worst tackles in the league.

3) Players returning from injury.
The two most important are punter Daniel Sepulveda returning from an ACL tear on his non-kicking leg and Rashard Mendenhall returning from a broken shoulder suffered at the hands of Ray Lewis. Anyone who watched us last year knows our punting was awful and Sepulveda will be a much needed improvement. He has been booming them in practice. Imagine how great our D could be with great field position. As PFT points out, Mendenhall is still an enigma. How he plays this season will go a long way in determining whether Willie Parker is signed after the season.

4) The return man battle.
Our return game has been terrible ever since Antwann Randle-El left us for the Redskins. Rookies Joe Burnett and Mike Wallace look to add a much needed spark to the returns and hopefully can provide us with decent starting field position. Read this Post Gazette article for more.

5) Backup QB
Batch is the crowd favorite but take a good look at Dennis Dixon tonight. He should be getting alot of time on the field. Don't forget he was a serious contender for the Heisman and would have got drafted a lot higher if he didn't get injured in Oregon's bowl game.

I am excited to be getting back into football. Go Steez.

Willie Colon: Bum or All Pro?

I need to get this off my chest. I have nothing against Willie Colon as a person. In fact, for someone I don't know, I like him more than most. He seems to be a good guy and provides nice quotes to the media. His story is inspiring. He attended a school not well-known for producing NFL stars (Hofstra) and was a long shot to make it far in the league given his status as a 4th round pick. Yet, he's started for two years and won a Super Bowl. So let me say this, "Willie, I'm pulling for you."

Now that that's off my chest, I can get back to ripping on Willie Colon.

Steeler fans repeatedly singled out Colon as a primary reason that the performance of offensive line the last two years was, to put it nicely, sub par. Colon's played so poorly that many have suggested that he is playing out of position and is better suited to play guard. In his last two years starting at right tackle, we witnessed him repeatedly beat by speed rushers, being stacked at the line of scrimmage, commit at least one holding penalty a game, and even receive three penalties for not lining up on the line of scrimmage - a seemingly important detail when you play offensive line.

But early in the 2009 season, the media started cranking out articles about Colon as if he was the next Jackie Slater. The Post Gazette wrote an article claiming that Colon would be more expensive to sign than either of the contracts signed by Max Starks or Chris Kemoeatu. The article also included these eye opening quotes from some of the Steelers coaches:

The coaches not only think Colon, 26, was the team's best offensive lineman last season; they think he is one of the best at his position in the National Football League.

"I think Willie Colon is as good a right tackle as there is in this league," said offensive coordinator Bruce Arians.

"He's as good a run-blocking right tackle as there is in the league," said offensive line coach Larry Zierlein. "He's an excellent drive blocker and his pass protection has improved tremendously. He's a lot better pass blocker than people want to give him credit for."

Excuse me? For being such a great run blocker, why were the Steelers so poor at running the ball last year? As if I needed more reasons to doubt Arians and Zierlein.

But all sarcasm aside, it's unsurprising that coaches have positive comments about their own players. After all, Arians and Zierlein (with Tomlin's approval) are the ones that decided to start Colon over a clearly superior player, Max Starks. By making comments like the ones above, they are protecting their own images and validating their decisions. And we all know Arians is the biggest defender of his offensive line.

However, it's not just the Post Gazette and Steeler coaches raving about Colon. John Harris from the Tribune Review wrote an article today intimating that Colon will be receiving a big payday. National Columnist for CNNSI and former Offensive Lineman Ross Tucker states that, "Colon, in particular, is the typical ornery right tackle, and vastly underrated." Steelers beat writer Jim Wexell got this interesting quote from Steelers rookie defensive lineman Ziggy Hood:

He was an eye opener for me, something I had to go in the film room and watch.
It was rough out there. The first practice was going fine until he came along,
and that really opened me up because he came right at me like a raging bull.
There was nothing I could do about it.

Last year, before playing New England, Bill Belichick had this to say about Colon:

The offensive line is good, the right tackle, [Willie] Colon, is an excellent player. He’s been a real good addition to their offensive line. I think he’s one of the better tackles that we’ve seen this year, especially in the running game."

At the time, I thought Belichick was joking. Maybe he was serious.

Is it possible that Steeler Nation has been so focused on Colon's mistakes from 2007 and the bitterness of watching Colon start over Max Starks that it missed the fact that Colon is a solid player? Or is this a case where the media is sick of discussing the bad offensive line and prefers to institute a contrarian approach in hopes of attracting readers?

It's probably a little of both.

Offensive line play is extremely difficult to judge, because it is rarely featured on replays and so much depends on assignments that are unknown to the common fan. Thus, judging the play of an O-lineman is subjective. Although I've tried to focus more attention on the play of the line, I can hardly describe myself as an expert. I never played football and couldn't diagram the proper technique for a right guard. Mostly I trust what I see. This can be problematic, because if Colon is dominating his man, but Stapleton misses his, I often ignore Colon's great play because the play resulted in a 3 yard loss. In other words, it's easy to miss good plays by O-lineman because they often go unrewarded. Thus, in some ways, I have to trust quotes and assessments, like the ones above, that judge Colon as a solid player.

But in other ways, I watch a lot of football. A LOT of football. And I seek out writers like JJ Cooper that write articles focusing exclusively on the offensive line. That doesn't make me an expert, but I feel pretty knowledgable about the performance of the O-line. I've seen the Steelers surrender nearly 50 sacks a season. I've seen Colon struggle to block defenders. And it's hard to miss penalties when the officials say, "holding #74." So I can't help but be skeptical about the quotes praising Colon.

I'm not the only one doubting his abilities. Judging from Steelers media and blogs, I'm in the majority with my belief that Colon is a below average right tackle. It's also interesting that if the coaches believe Colon is the best offensive lineman, more emphasis wasn't put into signing him to a long term deal.

It's also important to note that Football Outsiders, a website that tracks statistics on offensive line play, named Willie Colon to its All-Keep Chopping Wood team, a sort of anti-pro bowl list, that would indicate they believe Colon is one of the worst, if not, the worst right tackle in football. Despite Colon's purported abilities to run block, the Steelers were dead last in runs to the right. And, depending on who you trust, Colon allowed between 5.5 and 7 sacks last year (a stat that would rank him in the middle of the pack for right tackles). FO wrote this about Colon prior to the Super Bowl:

Right tackle: Willie Colon, PIT
This is likely the first time a lineman on the All-KCW team will play in the Super Bowl, but Colon's appearance is well-justified. The Steelers were dead last in runs to right tackle, 19th to right end. Colon committed 11 penalties and allowed 5.5 sacks.

As we enter the 2009 season, I'm thoroughly confused about Willie Colon. Is he a Pro Bowler or a bum? Will the Steelers dominate rushing to the right side or should they try more runs behind Starks and Kemo? I'm entering the season cautiously optimistic in this area, but I suppose I would just be happy with small improvements.

That said, I reserve the right to restart my "replace Willie Colon" campaign on September 10.

First Major Injury of Training Camp

The first major training camp injury goes to Darnell Stapleton. Stapleton has been held out of practice the for the week with swelling in his knee. It's unclear when he suffered the injury and Coach Tomlin would not reveal the extent of it until today. Stapleton's knee is getting scoped and he is out indefinitely.

Gerry Dulac reports:

Guard Darnell Stapleton, who has been bothered by an undisclosed left knee injury, will have arthroscopic surgery Friday morning and will be sidelined for an indefinite period.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin would not say how long Stapleton, who is also the backup center, will be sidelined, but such procedures are usually two to four weeks.

"We will have more information after [the surgery] is completed," Tomlin said.

Steeler nation expected a training camp battle for the right guard position due to Stapleton's shaky play in the post season, notably the Super Bowl. I expected rookie Kraig Urbik to fight for the position, but, from most accounts, it sounds like Trai Essex was the favorite to overtake Stapleton for the privilege of being pancaked between Willie Colon and Justin Hartwig.

Losing Stapleton hurts the O-line. Even if he lost the starting job, he provides experience as a back up center and guard. All teams hope to escape preseason with few injuries, especially to starters, but if this is the worst injury of the preseason, the team will be in good shape.

Steelers Snuggie

/Using my late Billy Mays voice

Have you ever been cold while watching a Steelers game, but couldn't bear to cover up your favorite team's colors? Have you ever had trouble answering the phone during halftime because you were wrapped up in one of those traditional Steelers blankets? Well, then I have the product for you.

A Steelers snuggie! Now you can keep warm, answer phones, and look ridiculous with one fabulous product.

Did I say "look ridiculous?" She looks pretty darn good to me.

The Steelers Snuggie. So, after we crush the Ravens, your body will be as warm as your heart.

/End Billy Mays Voice

Shout out to Cotter at One for the Other Thumb for finding this must have product.