Times are changing, verily.

So I didn't get a chance to watch the Bills game too intently, considering I was in the middle of a fantasy draft, and oh, by the way, I just moved into college and still haven't gotten a routine in place for Steeler games.

In relation to my moving into college, I've joined the Pitt Sports Network and I'm trying out as a broadcaster/blogger. If all goes as planned, this blog will be moved to PSN and I may also cover the Pitt Panthers. I just don't have the ability right now to work for PSN and run my own Steeler blog in the meantime. This should help explain the no updates and hopefully get things rolling for the regular season.

Oh yeah, football:
The Steelers rocked the Bills' world last night. I think we all knew that. The first team is ready for the regular season. No doubt.

Yawn. Steelers lose.

Individual analysis:
Stefan Logan is pretty beast. Reminds me of Darren Sproles returning kicks.
Double D went out with a shoulder injury. Not sure what to make of it.
Jeff Reed missed two FGs. Weird. He's keeping his job anyway. Piotr Czech is nobody, though his kickoffs pretty reliably go to the corners of the field.
Tony Hills needs to update his resume.
Bruce Davis seems kind of lazy on the field. That doesn't bode well for him. I won't be surprised if he doesn't make the cut.

Team analysis:
The Redskins starting defense absolutely handled the Pittsburgh offensive line. Not sure if they're just much improved of is the Steelers are still bad at that.
What a sloppy game as far as penalties go. Way too many. Tomlin will have that corrected, sure enough.

Buffalo Bills in a week. Hopefully Ryan Clark kills T.O. Still just waiting it out for the regular season.

Preseason Gameday 2: Washington Redskins

Ah, the NFC East. Easily my least favorite division.

A little bit of news was made about Ben stubbing his toe or something. Word is that it isn't fatal. Who even cares if he plays or not tonight? It's still preseason. I'm still far more interested in the development of guys like Dennis Dixon and Limas Sweed. We still don't know anything, really, about Frank Summers or Isaac Redman. Redman scored twice against... who again?

In any case, Steeler fans should probably be invading FedEx field, though it's still the preseason. It's worth remembering that Penguins fans regularly find their way into Verizon Center to boo the Crapitals.

Back to football. Brett Favre looks weird in purple. Michael Vick is going to look weird on a football field Thursday. Let's hope no Steelers look weird in a cast or anything after the game tonight.

Here We Go

UPDATE: Ben is inactive. Fine. Let's see how the first team offense looks with Batch/Dixon running the show. I know I'd love to get Double D that experience.

Inevitable.

Packers = Stunned.
Pic shamelessly hijacked from vikingvigil.com or jkracker.wordpress.com. Not sure, Google images is a little funky.

It's been a few days.

Most of the excitement of there being Steeler football has worn off, considering it's still preseason. There's not really much even to say about the game last week. Steelers played well enough to win. If they looked sloppy, maybe they were a little rusty. If they looked good, maybe it was the Cardinals being rusty. No one knows much about how the team is really doing, but there are a few things we actually can take away from the game:

1. Donovan Woods knows how to tackle people. Certainly doesn't hurt him as he tries to make the team.
2. Daniel Sepulveda is a hundred times better than Mitch Berger.
3. Limas Sweed needs more practice but he looks like he's got a good hold on the #3 WR spot.
4. Dennis Dixon can throw the football. He led his receivers pretty well and the fact that he didn't take off running says he's going through his reads, at least to some extent. If he doesn't overtake Chaz Batch this season, next season it'll be his.

So the game was certainly positive. But it doesn't impact the regular season very much yet.

Other good news, I saw the Browns' preseason game and they are as flat and sloppy as they've ever been. Mark off two wins if you haven't already. Cleveland sucks.

Liveblog: Cardinals @ Steelers

So here we go. Just watching the pregame on ESPN. I love Monday Night Football. Now just chilling watching the Pats play the Eagles. And by "watching" I mean "sleeping through."

8:03 PM- Jon Gruden is infinitely better than Tony Kornheiser. Like I've heard him talking and I haven't even thought about killing a baby yet.

8:09 PM- ESPN said Heath Miller isn't playing tonight but he's lining up in the slot. Good move. Put Heath out there and see who covers him. And the disciplined Arizona defense goes offsides before we can even see where this is going.

8:13 PM- Oh imagine that, Heath makes the catch, takes a hit, and hangs on. Mendenhall > Parker.

8:15 PM- Oh yes. Sepulveda is back. Mitch Berger can go die in a hole. Rolle is a noob and fair catches the punt. Patrick Bailey will make his once-a-game-kill-someone-play later, I suppose.

8:17 PM- William Gay's first play as a full time starter and he stays on Anquan Boldin and breaks up the play. Solid.

8:24 PM- LaMarr Woodley just humiliated Levi Jones. Sack. Punt. Bring on the second team offense.

8:27 PM- Nope, Ben comes out again and scrambles around vintage Ben style and pick up some yardage. Batch gets a safety there. Dixon scores.

8:30 PM- Limas Sweed just made the kind of catch people make when they REALLY want a spot. Who's Nate Washington again?

8:42 PM- Totally forgot to watch the game because I had to get pepperoni bread out of the oven and I am absolutely baffled at the Eagles signing of Michael Vick. One athletic running threat QB isn't enough? Need a left-handed one? Is this to punish Eagles fans who call for McNabb's benching every year?

8:50 PM- Anquan Boldin thinks he's Randy Moss. And he's wrong.

8:55 PM- Sweed outruns some joke DB, spins around, and makes the catch. Nate Washington drops that pass. Sweed shows us he came to play.

9:01 PM- Why did ESPN just cut to commercial? I definitely saw the defense lining up for the next snap. Or am I just not paying attention?

9:08 PM- Donovan Woods playing a nice defensive series. Solid tackling.

9:15 PM- The Roethlisberger commercial for those shoes at Dick's is still awesome.

9:19 PM- I love Daniel Sepulveda. How long has Andre Frazier been on the team?

9:22 PM- Being a defensive back and getting your arm pinned down by the receiver is pass interference this season. And how many times can they tell us Donte Stallworth has been suspended? He got suspended like a month ago. Why is it news today?

9:47 PM- Double D is looking pretty nice airing the ball out.

10:24 PM- The game is actually still going, but it's hard to comment on it when you know none of these guys will play in the regular season. Kind of nice to see Pitt players like Palko and Stephens-Howling, etc. Anyway I'm closing down this post for the night. Analysis tomorrow or whatev.

Preseason Gameday 1: Arizona Cardinals

Tonight will be the first time we see the Steelers take the field since winning it all in February. And they're playing the same team two games in a row, oddly enough. (The Penguins also play the Red Wings in their own preseason next month, but that's not nearly as odd).

It's only a preseason game and we won't see much of the starters, but hey, if you can't get at least a little excited for this, why are you reading a Steeler blog? There will be plenty to enjoy until the 4th quarter, and then you just get to watch the desperation of men trying as hard as they can to give themselves a career even though it will ultimately be futile for most.

I just hope Arnold Harrison makes it to the regular season. For real. I'm liveblogging the game tonight with a friend of mine. Going to try a few different styles of covering games this preseason just to see what works best.

Here We Go.

Could the times be changing?

Technical post.

This blog has been active for roughly a month and I may be moving it to one of a few colleagues' websites. None of that matters right now though, as the Steelers play in two days and that is so much more important. I think I'll be doing a liveblog for it and seeing how that goes. Gotta figure out how best to share the game with everyone before the regular season starts.

Football is Back

Just finished up watching the Hall of Fame game between the Bills and Titans (Oilers?). The highlight? Tennessee has some rookie punter that's pretty quick on his feet.

I'd post a Youtube but none are up yet, obviously, the NFL is pretty lame about that and it'd be down by tomorrow anyway.

Cardinals come to town Thursday night. Bring it.

UPDATE: NFL.com probably won't remove their own video. Probably.

Training Camp Battles With a Twist!

The twist being, I'm actually going to say how I think each matchup will end.

• The 3WR spot- I don't understand why everyone thinks there is a competition here. Limas Sweed is one year better after a crappy rookie season (and WRs have those a lot) and by all accounts he is greatly improved from last year. Besides, who is he up against? Shaun McDonald wasn't even good enough for Detroit to keep him. Mike Wallace is a rookie (and suddenly I guess everyone forgot how disappointing Sweed's rookie year was?) and who else is even on the roster? Martin Nance? Is that the guy's name? Sweed gets this position, no sweat.
• Cornerback- This is the position I worry about the most, and that's not saying much because I'm actually not worried about any of the other ones. McFadden is gone so it looks like it's up to Deshea Townsend, William Gay, and Keenan Lewis for this. Whoever wins it wins it, and whoever doesn't gets the nickel spot. I don't have really high hopes for Keenan Lewis this season, not while Deshea's experience and Gay's familiarity with the defense are ahead of him. I'm actually not too sure of where Deshea will end up. He played the nickel position well, but maybe Lewis makes a run for that and Deshea is relegated to safety? Hey, it could happen. I can't really predict what will happen between Townsend and Lewis, but I'm pretty confident that William Gay wins the starting CB gig.
• Backup QB- This is going to be my favorite matchup to watch during the preseason (one week away oh my god.) I think Dennis Dixon is really going to give Chaz Batch a run for his money. Batch is old, and while backup QBs can play well into their 60s, it seems (See: Vinny Testaverde), Dixon has a lot more upside and he is pretty clearly the backup of the future. It's also worth noting all this wildcat nonsense that's so trendy in the NFL today. Will Bruce Arians fall in love with it like so many other coordinators? If he does (and I hope he doesn't) then he has the athlete to try it with in Dennis Dixon. Tough one to predict. I bet Dixon looks better in preseason but Batch hangs around at least for the start of the year as Ben's backup.
• Running Backs- Carey Davis is gone. Let's just get that out of the way right now. He's not impressive as a runner, a blocker, or a receiver, and now we have the talent on the roster to make him expendable. It seems a foregone conclusion that Frank Summers will get the short yardage carries, Mewelde Moore will continue 3rd-down-back production, and Mendenhall and Parker will be splitting time. I expect Mendenhall to start to phase Willie out. Parker is in the last year of his contract and there are more pressing issues as far as re-signing players. If you ask me, Willie isn't that impressive of a back anyway, and Mendenhall is the future. Let Parker play out this season and sign some jobber deal next spring if he stays healthy.
• Offensive Line- We might as while say every position is up for grabs. Max Starks probably has his spot solidified, but everyone else is prime for replacement. I don't even know what to say about them. No predicitons.
• Defensive Line- Not so much competition here. Smith-Hampton-Keisel once again form a blocker-swallowing line and that probably isn't going to change. Ziggy Hood will be in the mix, but mostly as a rotational player as they get him set up to replace one of the big three in the next year or two. So far Hood has played both end and tackle in the 3-4 during camp and it's nice to know he has some position flexibility.
• Backup LB- This has no bearing on anything, but I want everyone to remember that Keyaron Fox is a suitable backup, and I just pray that Arnold Harrison doesn't get his season cut short with a knee injury again. I don't know if I can stand to see him being carted off the field in tears again.

There's your wall-o-text of camp battles. Still can't wait for preseason to actually see these play out. Three days until the Hall of Fame Game. One week until Steeler football.

Here We Go.

Surprise Guest at Training Camp

From Steelers.com

"Watching practice on Saturday was former Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan. Shanahan, who is no longer coaching, said he never went to another team’s training camp and took advantage of the opportunity to come and watch the Steelers for a few days."

Oh really? Mike Shanahan in the house? I mean I like Mike Shanahan but why would he pick the Steelers to come watch in training camp? He doesn't have any connections to the black and gold.

Maybe it's a sign. Maybe Shanahan wants to be Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator. Maybe the Steelers are considering firing Arians and hiring a guy who has coached guys like Steve Young and Ben's idol, John Elway, leading some of the most prolific offenses in recent memory.

Yeah, right. It's fun to dream though.

(Probably a post detailing my opinons on Bruce Arians at some point in the future, as well as camp battles that I think are more interesting than just the third WR spot that's being talked about to death)