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)

Heath Locked Up

Here's an article. I assume you've already read the details so I'll skip all that and just get to my thoughts.

Let me just get this out of the way: Heath Miller is my favorite player. He blocks better than most of the lineman in Pittsburgh and drops about as many passes as Hines Ward. Great hands, always falls forward, punishes defenders, and when Ben throws a pick you can usually count on Heath to make the tackle. What a complete football player. He'd probably play middle linebacker if the coaches asked him to and he'd probably be good at it.

This is the NFL where a "great" TE is actually a WR that lines up next to the O-line. Antonio Gates. Dallas Clark. Jason Witten. Tony Gonzalez. These guys are known as pass catchers. Maybe not so much with Tony Gonzalez, but certainly Gates and Clark. And Jason Witten might me my favorite Cowboy, putting him somewhere above herpes and below dentist appointments in terms of things I like.

But this is Heath's big payday. I believe him to be the best all around TE in the league, and ironically I wish more plays were drawn up for him to catch passes. But he takes as much satisfaction in burying a linebacker as he does converting a 3rd-and-6, or so it would seem by the amount of celebtrating you get from him. Not a big talker. Definitely a team player. Probably smart enough to make this signing bonus last the rest of his life if he retired tomorrow. Now, for Miller, it's all about playing football. He's to the point in his life most NFL players dream of when they're little kids. Couldn't be happier for him.

I'm glad the Steelers see the same thing in Heath that I do and I'm excited for him to be a part of the future here in the 'Burgh.

Training Camp is just about underway. Time to get this party rollin'.

Roethlisberger in a Bit of a Jam

Oh good.

Everyone has already heard all about this. Every Steeler fan thinks it's nonsense, and every Browns/Ravens fan believes it as natural law. Bengals fans don't believe anything because there are no such things as Bengals fans.

Of course I think it's ridiculous, and it seems just a little bit too convenient that the woman filing the suit is only mentioning it now. Let's take a look at why:

1. The incident allegedly happened in July 2008, approximately one year ago. That sounds like enough time for any sort of physical investigation to be moot.
2. She waits for Roethlisberger to win another Superbowl and make a big public appearance at a celebrity golf tournament, just so his name is fresh in everyone's minds and everyone is aware he has a lot of money.
3. She claims that everything has been covered up by hotel staff, going as far as claiming someone on the staff befriended her parents, persuaded them to give him a key to her house, snuck in while she was hospitalized for depression, erased files on her computer pertaining to the attack, staged the moon landing in her basement, and coordinated 9/11 with the U.S. Government.

The only thing this really affects is whether or not it gets resolved by training camp. The Steelers have a lot of football to think about in preparation for their title defense, and they don't need the distractions of a civil suit hanging over their star QB.

Not that it will likely be a distraction, considering it's totally stupid. With any luck the court system will see it the same way and we can get on with football.

...Is it preseason yet?