Following the Redskins game, I half-heartedly pledged to take it easy on the Steelers' potential offensive line woes. I feel a little better about Pittsburgh's front five -- whoever they may be -- but not so much because some of the lingering questions were magically answered the past few days, but because of something Randy points out in the comments: namely, there are plenty of other teams with their own o-line issues. In addition to the Jets crapping themselves to spite Chad Pennington's ... face(?), the Ravens also have some concerns.
Off the top of my head, the Bengals' Levi Jones just returned to the team after being injured, and the Browns are, well, the Browns; their o-line, predictably, sucks. Sure, there's Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach, but they're no match for Cleveland sewage and staph infections.
The point, I guess, is that every team has questions along the offensive line. Last week, the Pats, infallible as they may be, had to tighten things up following the Titans game. Hey, Buzz Nutter isn't going to walk through that door (points toward door).
In addition to watching how the front five perform tonight, I'll also be paying attention to the running back situation, keeping an eye on whether Nate Washington can put together back-to-back good games, and, of course, Larry Timmons. He's supposed to get some real playing time tonight. Not just a handful of snaps at the end of game with a bunch of guys who won't be with the team in a few weeks, but some meaningful playing time.
Should be interesting.
Oh, and J.J. Cooper put together the first FanHouse Steelers Roundtable. (This week, it's Neal Coolong, J.J. and me) I think I bring a certain insane asylum feel to the proceedings. But I suspect you people have come to expect nothing less.
It's the third preseason game of the season, and Larry Timmons' won't be wearing his Duce Staley throwback for the first time, well, since minicamp. Yay for that. It sounds like Timmons won't see a lot of action, but just having him in uniform is a start.
For Gary Russell, Carey Davis, Kevan Barlow, Verron Davis, and hell, maybe even Dan Kreider, this is a big game. There's a chance, apparently, that Kreider might not be in the team's long-term plans. And by "long-term", I mean "the next few weeks." I think cutting Kreider would be idiotic, but I thought the Steelers should re-sign Plax and Chris Hope too, so what do I know. If Davis can prove he can block consistently, that'll certainly muddy things up in the backfield.
Whatever happens with the running backs, I'd like to see the offensive line not play like crap -- that would be nice -- and maybe the front seven can get a little more pressure on the quarterback. We'll see, I guess.
If nothing else, let's hope the Steelers play this one for Buzz Nutter. If they can't get up for that, well, the season's already lost.
Alright, you nerds have been bellyaching all week about Larry Timmons and his balky groin, and now you'll have something new to rail against: his play. That's right, Timmons is set to play this weekend against the Redskins. Although Dale Lolley writes on SCI.com that it's not clear how much time Timmons will see. At this point, I'll take him coming out of the tunnel in something other than Duce Staley active wear. It would be a start.
Tomlin likes what Gary Russell can do with the ball, but is interested in what he can do "when the ball is not in his hands";
Trai Essex will get a look at backup left tackle;
On Walter Young's chances: "He's on the brink, as are a lot of other guys. That's a good problem to have... "
Shorter Tomlin: "I love Nate Washington ... but he needs to be better focused."
I don't have a lot of thoughts here; I've always been a B-Mac fan, and I don't imagine much drop off with him starting. I hope Russell can block (I know it was it was one part of his game that needed work), and regarding Essex, I'd just add: What the hell took so long? I mean, hasn't he been the swing guy for two years now? I know he's not exactly the hardest working dude on the team, but did anybody see Max Starks last week? Holy crap.
You know, it's too bad Walter Young didn't have his 2007 training camp in 2006. I don't know if he would've made the team last year either -- remember, Quincy Morgan got the axe in favor of the NFL's Rudy Ruettiger, Sean Morey -- but because of the numbers, there's no way he makes it coming out of camp. Young's out of practice squad eligiblity too, so hopefully he catches on with another team not in the AFC North ... or the Patriots.
(By the way, this was in yesterday's East Valley Tribune: "Others who could return kicks are receivers Bryant Johnson and Sean Morey and cornerback Rod Hood.")
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At FanHouse, J.J. Cooper is kicking ass. Here's his o-line rundown for the first-teamand the second-team. As great as this stuff is, the potential awfulness for the Steelers' line is, well, troubling as hell.
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Randy Steele has the Question of the Day: "Other than Ryan, of course, who is your favorite beat writer who covers the Steelers?"
In case anybody cares, I was a big Wexell fan even before he knew who I was. Also, in the spirit of full disclosure -- and as I become part of the (media) problem -- I spent a little time with Ed Bouchette last week at camp and he's a solid dude. I also saw Tim Benz, who I'd describe as Mike Greenberg's whiny little brother. And in case there's any confusion, that's not good.
Anyway, I'd be interested to hear the responses to this.
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Finally, because Randy Steele has chastised me in the past for bitching about the sorry state of the media, I'll just point this out sans commentary. Yesterday on Profootballtalk.com (I'd include a link, but since Florio doesn't believe in permalinks, I won't even bother), there were two Steelers-related mentions.
The first was about Tomlin continuing the training-camp movie day, even though he claimed to not "be big on traditions" and that he wasn't attending because "he had too much to do." That led to this from Florio:
Hmmm. Tomlin sounds like George Costanza when trying to appear busy at work by acting frustrated all the time.
We get it that Tomlin is trying to breathe some fresh air into the football team, in order to wash out the complacency that infected the franchise after a 2005 championship season. But we think he should temper the tough-guy talk, especially when it comes to dissing tradition. He's working for an organization that is steeped in tradition, in a city that reveres such concepts.
In other words, being different for the sake of being different doesn't always mean being better. Tomlin, we believe, needs to be careful not to alienate folks unnecessarily with his "new sheriff in town" mentality, especially when implying in a roundabout way that some of the old ways were foolish.
First of all, I absolutely abhor the royal we nonsense. It's weird and annoying. That aside, I have no idea what the point is here. The last sentence is grammatically correct, we believe (I detest that too), but it doesn't make any sense.
And then there was the post about the Steelers' team requirements during away games. As somebody noted on FO, after writing that the Smoking Gun revelation was harmless, PFT suggests that the Rooney's might not be super psyched that it's now in the public domain:
"We've also got a feeling that the Steelers won't be pleased that this information was disclosed, and that they'll find out which of the hotels with which they do business leaked it. And that that hotel will be stricken from the list of potential providers, permanently."
Yes, because this is much worse than sending porn over the intertubes. Or something. (Relatedly, NFL Adam, who is one of the funniest guys on the internets, has this, which is priceless.)
While we wait for Saturday night, and for what promises to be another exciting 10-12 minutes of preseason football, the talk around these here parts has primarily been about Larry Timmons and his inability to make it through a complete practice without grabbing his nuts in agony. As Rob D comments, he, like most readers, isn't really worried about Timmons. (I've made my case, but of course, have something to add ... and I'll get to that shortly.) But he is worried about Willie Parker and the Mysterious Ailment.
Willie didn't dress during my two days at camp last week, but he participated in some running back drills early in practice and looked fine. And now it looks like he'll play. But that doesn't guarantee anything beyond the Redskins game, and Jim Wexell has a nice write-up on Gary Russell. I love Verron, but if Russell and Carey Davis make the cut -- along with FWP, Najeh and Danny Kreider -- I'd be cool with that.
Plus, it would just give more credence to my DON'T DRAFT RUNNING BACKS ON THE FIRST DAY mantra that everybody already pretty much agrees with. (It's kinda like arguing that ice water is a much better way to quench your thirst on a hot day than, say, Jägermeister. Yeah, no shit.) In addition to having two, young, relatively healthy runners, Pittsburgh will also get some special teams help. I realize Haynes was a valuable special teamer, and a better third-down back -- both as a blocker and a pass catcher -- but he's forever battling injuries and that's kind of a problem.
But back to Timmons. If I remember correctly, I wanted Adam Carriker, Patrick Willis, or Levi Brown should any of them be available at 1.15. All three were gone, and frankly, there wasn't a lot left that particularly interested me. Here's the second half of the 2007 first rounders, and nobody jumps out at me as worthy of the 15th overall pick.
16 Justin Harrell
17 Jarvis Moss
18 Leon Hall
19 Michael Griffin
20 Aaron Ross
21 Reggie Nelson
22 Brady Quinn
23 Dwayne Bowe
24 Brandon Meriweather
25 Jon Beason
26 Anthony Spencer
27 Robert Meachem
28 Joe Staley
29 Ben Grubbs
30 Craig Davis
31 Greg Olsen
32 Anthony Gonzalez
I would've been fine if the Steelers took Beason, Spencer, Staley or Grubbs, but preferably only after a trade down. And if the o-line generally, and Max Starks specifically have another craptastic effort Saturday, I might be on the "Pittsburgh shoulda taken Staley/Grubbs with the 15th overall pick ... and maybe even traded up to make sure they got one of them" bandwagon.
But Randy Steele makes an important point: fans aren't so much calling a Timmons a bust (well, the smart fans, anyway), they're just frustrated because no one knows what he can do. I'm willing to wait, because, well, Timmons didn't have much of a role on the 2007 team to begin with. It would be nice if he could play a little special teams, and, you know, learn a little something about the defense by some other means than mental reps, but there's really no reason to rush the guy. (Unless you think fans' impatience is a legit reason). Instead of getting all huffy about Larry T., we should all worry about the more immediate problems: which running backs will make the final 53, and how long until the Steelers call Todd Fordham to replace Max Starks at right tackle (hello, 2003!)
Some very late, arbitrary notes from Steelers-Packers:
Remember 2003, when Tim Lewis would routinely field defenses that would make you want to put your head through the television? Yeah, I don't feel that way now. In two pretend games, the Steelers' starting defense absolutely killed. Now a lot of that might have to do with Dick LeBeau blitzing like it's the middle of the regular season, but whatever. After watching Max Starks bumble his way through the Green Bay game, I'll take it.
By the way, I was eating lunch at training camp last week and LeBeau walked by. I was explaining to Wexell how my wife absolutely loves LeBeau, and Wex responded, "Everybody loves LeBeau." Fair point. But let me just add this: LeBeau is the best looking 69-year-old on the planet. The guy's got a perfectly coiffed feathered do, and he wears a chain. What is this, 1976 (and I mean this in a completely awesome, Vinnie Barbarino sort of way)? If I look this good when I'm 39, I'll be psyched.
Back on this planet, I know most of you are fed up with Lawrence Timmons and he hasn't done jack yet (which, I guess, is the problem ... though he did practice Monday! Woohoo!). Look, I feel the same way -- I'd love to see the guy make it through a practice -- but the good news is that the Steelers don't need him right now. Mike Tomlin mentioned it at last Thursday's press conference -- and it should be obvious to anyone with even a passing interest in football -- but Timmons is ... behind in his on-field learnin'.
I know, that's not much of a revelation, but here's the deal: Timmons is 20 years old and, frankly, this is his redshirt season. Redskins' defensive coordinator Gregg Williams made the point earlier this preseason that rookies are so unaccustomed to the everyday rigors of the NFL, that they often overexert themselves and get injured. Early. And often. [random note: I'm watching the Denver-San Francisco game as I type this, and Quincy Morgan, returning kicks for the Broncos, just ripped off a 65-yarder. Coulda used that last year, but I digress...] And this Mr. Timmons.
My advice to those upset by his slow progress: just pretend he's holding out -- or better yet, is on IR. Concentrate on LaMarr Woodley -- and say a prayer that he doesn't get hurt.
By the way, Wex likes the idea of Woodley possibly beating out Clark Haggans for the staring LOLB job. My initial reaction is: that's a bad idea, but truthfully, that's because I hate change. Specifically, I hate the idea of guys I've grown accustomed to seeing play every Sunday, getting old, losing their jobs, and eventually moving on. But sentimentality aside, Woodley has looked surprisingly nimble in pass coverage, and that was the biggest knock on him coming out of college.
Finally, Ricardo Colclough had a solid game Saturday night. I thought he played well in the nickel and dime packages early last year, but Cowher ruined that with one asinine decision against the Bengals. And because it's hurt to much to relive, that's all I'll say about that.
Dr. Gretz sends along some photos from Saturday night's action. Note that ROBO-PUNTER has frightened everybody but Mike Barr off the field in the pic above. Also, I love the photo of a photo of Kordell's Korner. Good times. And here, "good" means "really rocky."
I've decided to listen to the game via the internets, which means that I'll have the great pleasure of listening to Tunch and Mr. Hillgrove before being subjected to Pompeani and Nelson tomorrow during the NFL Network replay. In the meantime, let's hope the Steelers can win this one for Steely McBeam. Or, as the name MJD suggested last week: Martha Fleishman. Yeah, I like that better.
Also, if you like Kissing Suzy Kolber, know that Christmas Ape has started his own Steelers blog: D.C. Steeler Nation.
Okay, here's to hoping Steely McBeam is the recipient of a Hampburglar feeding frenzy.
* The guys at BleacherBloggers.com interviewed me yesterday about the Steelers, and that should be up sometime this afternoon (I'll slap up a link once it's posted), and let me just say, I have a voice for blogging. You've been warned. Still, thanks to Brent and Dave for having me on -- it was a great time, and who knows, if I play my cards right, maybe I can parlay this into an appearance on ESPN 1250, weekdays 3 - 7pm.
I'll put up a game thread tomorrow, although I won't be able to see the game until the NFL Network rebroadcast on Sunday afternoon (5 p.m. EST). I hope to have something up later Sunday -- answering some of the questions in the comments, as well as anything noteworthy from Heinz Field. Until then, try not to pull a groin.
HSS correspondent SteelerBill checks in from Canton with some on-the-scene game notes:
...Here are some observations from ... [the Hall of Fame] weekend...
It was one of the best experiences as a football fan I've ever had - I cannot recommend the Steelers wing at the HOF enough. It literally brought a tear to my eye;
Went to Grille 36 (yes that 36) on Saturday night - my Uncle spoke highly, and I had to check out, the two-way mirror in the mens room. It overlooks the bar perverts...
Quote of the weekend from a police officer in Canton - "this is a great time to rob Pittsburgh"...he was making reference to the fact that 90% of the people in Canton were in Black and Gold (Steelers Black and Gold);
The Steelers exhibit at the HOF was, well, priceless;
In the Super Bowl Memories Room of the HOF they were showing highlights from XL - the highlight of that experience was when about 30 Steelers fans cheered as Willie Parker ran down the field - one member of Steelers Nation shouted 'Run Willie Run!'
Met Max Starks mom. Yes, the one from the commercial. She hugged my cousin Matt and said 'Eat Chunky'....I can't make this stuff up;
Benefit of being at the game in person - seeing Walter Young lay out to almost block a punt. Walter Young!
Best jerseys: Dermonti Dawson, Neil O'Donnell and Erik Fowler!
Best quote, part two: From a Saints fan sitting down the row from me arguing with the Steelers fan seated next to me.
Saints fan: "Reggie Bush is better than Willie Parker..."
Steelers fan response: "What?"
Saints fan response to the response: "Did Willie Parker win the Heisman?"
I leaned over "tell him that Gino Toretta also won a Heisman..."
So remember people, Eat Chunky! Many thanks to SteelerBill for the play-by-play.
Is that illustration of you upside-down? (But either way you're obviously a very handsome guy...)
Before answering this question, does anybody know who it is? (And just to be clear, it's not really me. I don't have the balls to let all the nutjobs know what I actually look like. But rest assured, I am indeed very, very handsome.)
If nobody gets it -- and I imagine you won't -- I'll spill the beans tomorrow. Which reminds me ... tomorrow and Thursday I'll be at training camp. Leave any super important questions you'd like to to ask (probability I speak to anybody in Latrobe: 2.1% and falling).
Alrighty, nerds, go buck wild. I have no idea how much interest there will be in this game, but I'll be watching every play. And re-watching tomorrow, no doubt. If you're looking to get pumped up for the biggest preseason game of the week, these should do nicely:
Okay people, tomorrow is August, which for me, is officially when the NFL season starts. Just putting that out there in the hopes that I can find three or four more hours in each day to post stuff here. While we all keep our fingers crossed for that miracle to come true, recapping some stuff from the week:
... First things first: Jim Wexell has a radio show every Tuesday night 7 - 9 EST on FOXSports 970. I've listened the last two weeks (he had a special Monday night show last night) and it's good stuff. You can listen online here (click "listen live" on the top right corner of the page), and if you have a question, here's the number: 412-922-2874. (Or just leave questions in the comments and I'll just keep calling. Either way.)
... There was a lovely discussion in the comments about the wonders of HD. Start here and just keep scrolling. If anybody cares, I bought a Hitachi 42-inch plasma (720p) last November -- just in time for the Atlanta game! -- and it enhanced my viewing experience by, oh, I don't know, a billion percent. And keep in mind, this was while watching the Steelers. I don't know jack about technology, but I have a friend who used to work for the FCC and is now a lobbyist for Google who thinks LCD, like kickboxing, is the teevee (sport) of the future.
For anybody thinking about taking the plunge, a couple of things to note:
1) Last year, CBS didn't televise all of their games in HD. Some crap about not having enough cameras (allegedly, due to them all being used during the Saturday college football telecasts). This sucks. Basically, you're watching a bigger, blurrier version of what you'd normally get on your old standard definition set. (By the way, if you have Comcast -- I do, and just so you know, I think they suck balls -- and order MLB Extra Innings, guess what? None of the games are in HD. And frankly, I don't even think they're in SD. The picture quality is so bad, in fact, that I've even thought about watching the ESPN HD feed for Red Sox games. I didn't do it, of course, but the fact that I even thought about it should tell you how serious this was. Oh, and I think DirecTV has a pay-more option to get the package in HD. Just so you know.)
2) If you've still got a standard defition television with TiVo (see countertorque's comments on this here), going HD means you're going to have to make some changes. First, the HD TiVo is $800. Actually, that's not entirely true; it used to be $800 last year, but I think it's about half that, even if the TiVo.com list price says otherwise. (I'm too lazy to look -- the gizmodo nerds usually have the latest. UPDATE: Great news: TiVo HD boxes are down to $299. Shitty news: it doesn't support DirecTV. Ugh.) As someone who had SD TiVo for five years, having to switch to Comcast's DVR is about like going from Ben Roethlisberger vs. San Diego, to Tommy Maddox vs. Jacksonville. But worse. If the DirecTV DVR is similarly awful -- and I really have no reason to think it's not -- I might have to break down for TiVo. That, of course, raise a bunch of other issues; you need to cable cards for TiVo, and given that cable/satellite companies are flooding the market with crap (but at $5 a month, not crappy enough to not use it), who knows how long TiVo will be around.
For all you techno-nerds with DirectTV experience -- especially the DVR -- I'd welcome your comments. How do you like it? Is it easy to navigate? How much worse is it than TiVo? You know, that type of stuff.
... Randy Steele asks one of the top-5 most important questions of training camp: How are we going to beat the Ravens this year? I wrote about it today at SCI, but calig23 gives the short answer: "Punt on every down and wait for McNair to make a mistake?" I don't think he's kidding.
... ELSM asks: "What is your favorite play by a current Steeler?" You know, his answer (Troy taking out Mike Anderson's legs near the goal line in that AFC Championship beatdown) is up there, but earlier in that game, Troy split two would-be blockers to make a shoe-string tackle (can't remember who right now) to make it fourth down. I think that's my No. 1 ... for now, anyway (although this one was pretty freakin' good too). Okay, as I read through the comments, I'm reminded of a whole bunch of stuff. Might as well use that ol' crutch ... the list:
"That has to be last year in Cleveland when Ben ran around like a maniac and somehow found Santonio in the endzone for a 30 yard TD." -- Cols714
"Perhaps Santonio Holmes' sprint in Cincinnati, capped off with his "O-H-I-O" dance in front of 70,000 horrified Bengals fans." -- Gretz [Ryan: And this, as always, is a classic.]
"Willie Parker's mad dash in Super Bowl XL is right up there." -- Gretz
"Ben going deep to Plax against the Patriots in 2004. With that play, I realized that Ben was for real and that we were the team that would stop the Pats winning streak (which I was sick of hearing about)." -- BadMa'afala
Alright, I'm changing my pick. It's still Troy, though. I watched this game with two buddies -- one a Steelers fan, the other a Steelers fan ... to cover the spread. When Troy made the pick, it guaranteed the Steelers the victory (I hazily recall it being late in the game and the Bengals were driving ... or something). At the time, I kept yelling "Go down! Go down, Troy!" And my wagering buddy -- who needed a Pittsburgh touchdown to cover -- kept yelling "Go! Go!" Good times.
Yep, glad it's finally football season. And hell, who knows, maybe I'll even talk about football tomorrow.
Alrighty, folks, everybody's under contract, and the 2007 season starts ... now. Apparently, the runs test is out (Casey Hampton does a fist pump) but Mike Tomlin has some other endurance-based feat in mind (the Hampburglar puts down his fist).
Oh, and Chuck Finder writes a swell article on Tomlin -- so swell, in fact that it's a two-part series (parts I and II)
I think I've mentioned this once or four times, but I'm right in the middle of moving -- the Wilson's just bought their first house (yay capitalism ... or something) and the closing's August 31. Which means that I'll be juggling a lot of stuff between now and then. But I think I'm up for it, so take that for what it's worth.
In the meantime, some predictions because, well, they're always fun to look back on in a few months and gawk. So here goes:
* Steelers win 10 games, Big Ben's head stays attached to his body all season; * Roethlisberger throws 25 TDs, 15 INTs, suffers no concussions; * Wilbert Parker goes for 1,100 yards on the ground, 400 receiving yards; * Kevan Barlow makes the team and is heired the Duce Staley Gameday Sweats; * Cedrick Wilson finally has a big season. And by big, I mean 650 yards, 45 receptions, and 5 TDs; * Willie Reid misses the first month of the season with an ailment; * Santonio Holmes has more receiving yards than Hines Ward; * Ryan Clark starts over Anthony Smith; * LaMarr Woodley gets five sacks, Lawrence Timmons is healthy, but only shows up on special teams; * James Harrison has a better season than Joey Porter; * Skippy converts an extra point shirtless; * Chidi makes the team, and the Steelers somehow manage to go on without No. 7 wideout/special teams maven Sean Morey. (And yes, I still hate the word "maven"); * I don't miss a mortgage payment.
"... Get your fix of off-beat Steelers analysis from the Heels, Sox & Steelers blog ... [Ryan Wilson is] heavy on the Steelers, given their February success, and his Captain Pant Load award, which is the exact opposite of the Pulitzer Prize, is hilarious (except when he picks on columnists from One of America's Great Newspapers, in which case he's sophomoric and ill-informed)." - Bill Toland, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A bit unpolished, with few of the production extras you’ll find on the bigger sites, this blog gets by on good writing, consistency and attention to detail." - Deadspin.com
"... This Heels, Sox, & Steelers blog is about as creative as Daniel Laruso's halloween costume in the first Karate Kid. Boring? Check. Pointless? Check. Insightful? X. I mean come on, if this is the trash that is trying to dethrone the king, then I'm going to have a long, successful, prosperous reign. Bring in the ladies!!!'" - Anonymous, via the comments
"Nice picks." - C. Long, referring to my week 18 NFL selections
"If you're going to parade around like a journalistic all-American then you have to be able to take scathing critiques from established critics such as myself." - D. McCarthy, via email
"Heels, Sox, and Steelers is of a lower quality...and he makes up for what he lacks in analysis with enthusiasm, frequency of posting, and attention to detail." - bayes.blogspot.com
Following the Redskins game, I half-heartedly pledged to take it easy on the Steelers' potential offensive line woes. I feel a little better about Pittsburgh's front five -- whoever they may be -- but not so much because some of the lingering questions were magically answered the past few days, but because of something Randy points out in the comments: namely, there are plenty of other teams with their own o-line issues. In addition to the Jets crapping themselves to spite Chad Pennington's ... face(?), the Ravens also have some concerns.
