NFL from the sidelines

Goal line ending

2007-07-29T17:45:00.000-04:00

Mike Tomlin called the troops together before the final session of Sunday afternoon's practice. As has been the case throughout this camp, we’re not quite sure what to expect in these situations. In this instance, he was calling the boys together to let them know to keep things clean in their final drill - goal line.

Setting up at the 2, the first-team offense tried a dive by Willie Parker. He was stuffed cold by nose tackle Casey Hampton for no gain.

On the second attempt, the pitch went to Parker, running left, who made it into the end zone untouched.

Next, it was Najeh Davenport’s turn. He took the handoff off right tackle and was stopped intially by the duo of Ryan Clark and Ike Taylor – high and low – before the rest of the defense came in to clean things up.

Hampton made the big move after that, switching over to offense, where he lined up at fullback in front of Davenport. The play went behind right guard and Hampton hit the hole full speed, running into linebacker Clint Kriewaldt. It was a wasted effort as Davenport was stopped at the 1.

After that, it was defensive end Brett Keisel’s turn to line up with the other side. Keisel set up on next to left tackle and ran a drag across the end zone and Batch lofted a pass that Keisel hauled in along the back line with two defenders in tow.

With the defense ahead three stops to two scores, the next play went to Carey Davis. Davis took the pitch to the right, but was stopped by Rian Wallace and William Gay at the 1.

James Harrison missed practice today with what Tomlin deemed a rib injury. Interestingly enough, instead of moving Arnold Harrison into the starting lineup, the team decided instead to move Clark Haggans to right outside linebacker and insert LaMarr Woodley in at left outside linebacker.

What I've learned

2007-07-28T17:08:00.000-04:00

I'm back in Washington today, so I won't be attending Saturday afternoon's practice. It's the first one I've missed in this camp, so cut me a little slack. Everybody else out here - save my good friend Jim Wexell - takes regular days off. I don't, but I was called back to work in the office tonight. Guess you'll have to complain to the powers that be here at the paper about that one.

Anyway, since I'm not witnessing practice today, I thought it would be a good time to update you on the youngesters I've seen that I like.

Big tackle Jason Capizzi has shown me something as a blocker. He's got good feet and has held his own blocking both James Harrison and Brett Keisel.

Carey Davis, the first-year running back out of Illinois, is getting a strong look from the team. He's lining up as a wing on the line for the first team punt coverage unit and Friday night they started looking at him as a fullback as well. That has to mean the kid has a shot.

On the other hand, Kevan Barlow looks like he's got nothing in the tank. That, coupled with what I learned about his lack of character, leads me to believe he has not shot of making this team.

New punter Daniel Sepulveda kicks the ball a very, very long way. In fact, I'd be tempted if I were the Steelers, to have him drop kick the ball on kickoffs rather than have Jeff Reed tee it up. His leg is that strong. He's also had no trouble as the holder, something that cost Mike Barr the job last year in favor of Chris Gardocki.

Friday night lights

2007-07-28T02:21:00.000-04:00

Both players who were on the Physically Unable to Perform List made it back to practice before Santonio Holmes. That can’t be a good sign for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Verron Haynes and Derek Rehage were activated from the PUP list for Friday night’s practice, while Holmes and Lawrence Timmons, the team’s past two first-round picks, were out of action again.

Ron Stanley looked good in backs on backers drills, the best he’s ever looked in that drill.

Kevan Barlow looked lost at times as a blocker.

Young Carey Davis, who is now also seeing time at fullback, also looked good.

Nate Washington has to get more aggressive over the middle. During passing drills, Tyrone Carter stepped in from of Washington to pick off a pass from Charlie Batch. Washington was looking around for a pass interference call that wasn’t going to come. He didn’t fight for the ball.

Gary Russell also continues to look good running the ball. He made a special cutback on one play, breaking the play to the backside.

The first-team offense looked sharp in red zone, scoring touchdowns on three of five plays versus the first-team defense.

Hines Ward caught a 16-yard TD pass from Ben Roethlisberger, who then threw TD passes to Cedrick Wilson and Heath Miller. Roethlisberger looked pretty sharp.

Rookie defensive end Derrick Jones showed some stuff working against Chris Kemoeatu in one-on-one rushing drills, beating Kemoeatu on back-to-back plays – one of which was a straight slap down.

Isn't that special

2007-07-27T11:28:00.000-04:00

It seems even the players and some coaches are getting a little tired of the specials teams work that has been going on here at the Pittsburgh Steelers training camp.

Most of the offensive line, all of the quarterbacks, wide receiver Hines Ward and rookie linebacker Lawrence Timmons, who’s out with a groin injury, left practice after just 10 minutes Friday morning to go watch film. Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians and line coach Larry Zierlein were leading the troops off. I’m not sure where Timmons fits into that group, however.

The defensive line - save rookies Ryan McBean and Derrick Jones – also got a get out of jail early card and left halfway through the practice to go watch film.

Santonio Holmes and Verron Haynes were both sliding well working out together on the side and it can’t be much longer for them to get out on the playing field.

That's about all I've got this morning. It was just an hour long practice and the rain is coming.

More hits than errors

2007-07-26T20:37:00.000-04:00

It’s now official, first-round pick Lawrence Timmons is out of action for at least a while after aggravating the groin injury that kept him out of mini-camp and OTAs.

Timmons said the injury was the result of two-a-days, while head coach Mike Tomlin said it was a twinge Timmons felt in his groin. Neither would give a timetable on the rookie’s return, though.

Arnold Harrison took Timmons’ spot with the No. 2 defense at ROLB.

There were some big hits delivered today.

For the second day in a row, Anthony Smith leveled Willie Reid after a reception, eliciting cheers from the crowd.

Just as impressive was running back John Kuhn’s hit on defensive tackle Scott Paxson. Kuhn lowered his shoulder and blasted Paxson to the ground.

Over in the offensive line-defensive line drills, Trai Essex showed off a solid punch, nailing Brett Keisel on the snap and knocking Keisel to the ground. Essex actually looked good today. Maybe the light is going on.

In fact, the entire second team line looked strong. Willie Colon took LaMarr Woodley off the snap and pancaked him to his back. When the two lined up again, Colon again slapped Woodley backwards.

Chris Kemoeatu also looked good.

There will be fireworks following Friday night's practice at Latrobe Area High School. But the Steelers haven't needed any fireworks yet. With all the hitting they've done, they've provided their own fireworks.

Maybe the city of Latrobe, which benefits from the nominal admission fee to the practice, is hoping to draw away some of that Pirates/Wild Things crowd.

First injury

2007-07-26T11:18:00.000-04:00

The first injury of this Pittsburgh Steelers training camp reared its ugly head Thursday and it’s somebody the team can’t afford to miss much time.

First-round pick Lawrence Timmons aggravated his groin injury that kept him out of the team’s offseason workouts midway through Thursday morning’s practice and spent the remainder of the session with trainers John Norwig and Ryan Grove testing the injury.

There’s no initial prognosis, but the injury didn’t seem serious and Timmons looked to be staying off the field more as a precaution than anything. But given the fact that he missed all of the OTAs and most of mini-camp, it’s certainly something that is going to hold him back in terms of his growth as a player.

The injury came just a few plays after Timmons, a linebacker, made his first big play of this camp. Dropping into coverage, Timmons jumped a pass in the flats in zone coverage and picked off the Charlie Batch ball, making a juggling catch along the sidelines.

The highlight of the morning was a new twist on the backs on backers pass-rush, pass-protection drill. This time, it was safeties and nickel backs rushing the running backs.

The offense looked to have gotten the better of it, but Troy Polamalu and Anthony Smith were everything but unblockable, beating practically everybody they went up against.

Polamalu even beat unofficial blocking champion Dan Kreider in a heavyweight matchup. He uses a variety of spin moves and looks more like a defensive end rushing rather than a safety.

Smith, meanwhile, was just explosive, running through people to get to the QB. He hits like a truck.

The offensive star of the drill was Carey Davis. The first-year running back went 5-0 in the drill, even stopping Smith on the final attempt of the drill. Smith slipped coming in and never really made it to Davis with any force, but the young back already had stoned Ricardo Colclough, Bryant McFadden, Harrison Smith and Deshea Townsend.

Perhaps that’s why Davis is the only surprise player on the No. 1 punt coverage team – where he plays one of the wings.

QB Ben Roethlisberger looked sharper today. He made a great pass deep over the middle while rolling to his right to Hines Ward. Ward had gotten behind the safeties and the duo made it look easy.

Ryan Clark was back working with the No. 1 Okie base defense this morning.

Also of note is that sources tell me that running back Kevan Barlow, signed as a possible backup to Willie Parker, is the worst character guy the Steelers have had since this source has been here. That dates back nearly 10 years.

The players are also upset that they do not have a scheduled day off in the first two weeks of camp. They're not complaining publicly about it - yet.

Trouble for tight ends

2007-07-25T18:42:00.000-04:00

It was tight ends attempting to block linebackers one-on-one in a running drill that caught my eye early on in Wednesday afternoon’s practice.

And boy, do the Steelers’ young tight ends have a ways to go as run blockers.

James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley pretty much dominated whoever they lined up against, with only Heath Miller and Jerame Tuman holding their own at the point of attack.

Jon Dekker pretty much got tossed around by whomever he faced and Cody Boyd got a couple of pretty good chewing outs from coach James Daniels after allowing his man to slip off blocks.

Matt Spaeth was also uneven in his blocking, though he did win his individual matchup a couple of times.

Spaeth also got an earful from Daniels and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians when the team broke for 9-on-9 inside running when he lined up at the wrong position, causing the team to re-huddle.

The only change in the lineup this afternoon was Anthony Smith replacing Ryan Clark at free safety. But as I reported this morning, those two will rotate on a practice-by-practice basis.

The team spent a good portion of today’s practice working on its two-minute offense and defense. In both cases, the defense kept the offense out of the end zone, though both were in field goal range.

The first-team offense, however, blew any chance for a score. On fourth down and six from the 13 with eight seconds to go, both Alan Faneca and Marvel Smith false started, causing the clock to be run down for zero. Those are the kind of kinks that need to be worked out now.

Santonio Holmes and Verron Haynes are still out.

Garbage time

2007-07-25T11:35:00.001-04:00

In a practice dominated by special teams, the story of the morning for the Pittsburgh Steelers involved … garbage cans?

The old throwing the ball from different distances into a garbage can made a comeback here Wednesday morning as the quarterbacks – with nothing better to do while the rest of the squad worked on special teams – had a little competition trying to throw the ball into a can.

It was a drill made famous here during the Kevin Gilbride days as offensive coordinator. But new offensive coordinator Bruce Arians wasn’t working on the drill so much for skill – though obviously some is involved – as much as for fun.

In fact, it wasn’t only the quarterbacks who got into the action as Arians and a number of other coaches got into the action as well, scoring three points for hitting the can on the fly and five for a slam dunk. Hines Ward, who had worked as the QBs receivers while the rest of the group practiced special teams, also got into the action, as did Santonio Holmes, who is still out after having his undisclosed surgery.

The one good thing that came out of the game was Holmes showing off his throwing accuracy. He hit the can a number of times and put one in, showing better touch than many of the others who attempted it. Since head coach Mike Tomlin was on hand watching that rather than yet another special teams practice, maybe he saw some possibilities for Holmes to run some gadget plays.

Down on the other field, special teams coach Bob Ligasheshky was having his run of the morning as the team focused on kickoff returns and coverage.

The primary kick returners were Chris Jackson, Najeh Davenport, Dan Shelton, Cedrick Wilson and Willie Reid. No Ricardo Colclough here.

The first-team coverage and kickoff units included a number of starters or possible starters: James Harrison, Heath Miller, Ike Taylor, Bryant McFadden and Anthony Smith among them.

But really, the morning hour practice was so meaningless for many of the players that the entire offensive line cleared out after 45 minutes of standing around, while Ward also called it quits early, giving up on the garbage can football game with 10 minutes to go – mainly because he was well behind the other competitors.

One nugget of news I gleaned this morning was that despite Tomlin saying that Ryan Clark will be the No. 1 free safety coming in, he and Smith will rotate with the first team defense throughout camp until one wins the starting job.

Rainy day afternoon

2007-07-24T17:48:00.000-04:00

After getting beat up in their morning practice, the Pittsburgh Steelers caught a break from Mother Nature Tuesday as an afternoon rainstorm moved their second session to Saint Vincent College’s gymnasium.

The indoor practice meant no pads and no hitting as Mike Tomlin led the team through a glorified walkthrough.

The only news of the session was that running back Verron Haynes, who’s on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list while recovering from knee surgery, took part in it.

Or did he?

“I was just getting out there and doing a little something,” said Haynes. “I got in there a little just playing around. I didn’t really practice.”

In fact, according to Tomlin, Haynes didn’t do anything at all, despite running some patterns out of the backfield and catching some passes.

“He’s on the PUP list,” said Tomlin. “He didn’t do anything today.”

After a couple of fumbled snaps in the morning session, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger spent some extra time working with centers Chukky Okobi and Sean Mahan on the side while the rest of the team practice a fake field goal play.

Roethlisberger also worked extra with running back Willie Parker on pass catching, throwing Parker about 30 passes at different heights and angles.

First-round pick Lawrence Timmons, meanwhile, lined up with the second team base defense at right outside linebacker, moving ahead of Arnold Harrison at that spot behind James Harrison.

Morning has broken

2007-07-24T11:36:00.001-04:00

So much for the easy stuff.

While Monday’s run test may have been easier than what many of the players expected, Tuesday’s opening practice of training camp for the Pittsburgh Steelers involved hitting - and plenty of it.

After some position drills, head coach Mike Tomlin brought the linebackers and running backs together for a little backs on backers – something that had never been done in the morning drills under Bill Cowher.

By my scoring, the offense won the drill by a slight margin, with undrafted rookie running back Gary Russell showing very good skills as a blocker on blitz pickup. Russell stoned Clint Kriewaldt, Lawrence Timmons, Larry Foote and Richard Koonce in his one-on-one blocking, showing good leverage.

On the defensive side, James Harrison, as usual, looked good in this drill, dominating Willie Parker, Kevan Barlow, Larry Croom and getting good pressure on Najeh Davenport despite being fought to a draw. That’s four experienced NFL running backs Harrison went up against.

Davenport had the drill’s most embarrassing moment, getting run over by rookie linebacker LaMarr Woodley on the final repetition of the drill for a pancake into the quarterback.

After that, it was on to 10 minutes of 9-on-9 inside running drills with only the corners and wide receivers not taking part. There was plenty of hitting here and it almost looked like a goal-line drill with its intensity and hitting.

Team portion of the morning practice came next, with the only notable moments being fumbled center exchanges by Ben Roethlisberger and Chukky Okobi, and later by Sean Mahan and Charlie Batch.

Nate Washington opened at wide receiver in place of Santonio Holmes, who’s out after having some kind of minor surgical proceedure. Holmes was at practice and is moving around fine, so he shouldn’t be out long.

During punt drills, the return men were Washington, Willie Reid, Dan Sheldon, Cedrick Wilson, Jovon johnson, Chris Jackson and, yes, Ricardo Colclough. Only Wilson mishandled a punt, though.

Opening salvo

2007-07-23T20:48:00.000-04:00

So much for the tougher training camp.

Mike Tomlin had promised a more difficult training camp. And maybe that will be the case.

But Monday's run test certainly wasn't more difficult than Bill Cowher's.

Cowher's test consisted of 14 timed 40-yard sprints, something that always tested players.

Tomlin's test of 16 110-yard runs at mid-speed seemed more difficult at first glance, but wasn't so in reality.

In fact, it was so easy, he stopped the drill after 14.

We'll see what happens with the rest of camp.

Back with the black (and) gold

2007-06-15T23:40:00.000-04:00

After taking a month off - just from blogging - I'm back.

Just because I wasn't blogging doesn't mean I wasn't working. In that vein, here are my thoughts on what I saw at the Steelers' OTAs, which wrapped up this week:

© New head coach Mike Tomlin has shuffled a number of players in and out of the first-team offense and defense, something designed to do a couple of different things.

First, it helps serve notice that nobody is going to be given a job, even when we all know there are certain guys who will be. Casey Hampton will be a starter. Ben Roethlisberger will be a starter. Troy Polamalu will be a starter. You get the idea.

Secondly, Tomlin now has a better idea of the talent level of many of his backups, many of which he probably didn't have any film of since last year's training camp. Got to see if those guys have gotten any better.

© Willie Colon is one guy whom Tomlin singled out as somebody who's pushing for a starting job. Colon spent a lot of time running with the first team this spring, lining up at right tackle, right guard and even center.

The Steelers want Colon ready for the long-term with both right guard Kendall Simmons and right tackle Max Starks scheduled to become unrestricted free agents at the end of the upcoming season. Plus, if Colon actually beats one of those guys out now, it's a plus – one less offseason worry next year.

© This team worked on special teams like I've never before seen in 14 seasons of covering the Steelers. Large portions of practice were spent every day working on teams. I don't know if it will pay off in the long run, but it will be interesting to see.

© Tomlin has promised a tougher training camp than this team is used to, but that won't be hard to accomplish.

Despite the lip service Bill Cowher paid to tough, hard practices, his camps in recent years had become pretty easy.

Tomlin's camp schedule will feature two practices per day, just about every day. It will be interesting to see if the natives get restless.

© The undrafted rookie who has caught my eye the most in this camp is wide receiver Eric Fowler from Grand Valley State.

Fowler isn't particularly fast, but he has displayed fantastic hands and he seems to have a knack for using his 6-foot-3-inch frame to screen off defenders and make catches.

© This team won't miss Joey Porter nearly as much as many in the national media are predicting.

© The Alan Faneca situation has been the talk of the offseason, but I don't believe Faneca will be a problem once camp opens. He's too much of a professional to his contract to get in the way of his play and become a distractions.

© The biggest disappointment of the offseason workouts was first-round pick Lawrence Timmons.

Timmons injured his groin on the opening day of mini-camp and though he was in attendance at all of the team's offseason workouts, he did not participate.

I can't help but think that it will severely slow his learning curve. And I wasn't sold on Timmons as the pick to begin with. It's not a good start.

Mozes in Minnesota

2007-05-23T17:57:00.001-04:00

Those questioning why Washington's Dan Mozes would sign with Minnesota need to look no farther than the Vikings' depth chart.

Starting center Matt Birk is a former Pro Bowl player, but is getting up in age.

The team selected Ryan Cook in the second round of last year's draft as Birk's eventual replacement, but Cook ended up starting at right tackle last season and appears headed for that position again this season.

That leaves Mozes fighting for a roster spot and/or a possible practice squad spot with fellow rookie Kyle Cook, a former Michigan State star, and Norm Katnik, who spent last season on the Vikings' practice squad.

Those aren't bad odds when you're trying to earn a spot on an NFL roster.

Minicamp thoughts and notes

2007-05-13T18:07:00.000-04:00

The Steelers signed Kevan Barlow to a free agent deal this week to possibly help ease the burden on running back Willie Parker.

The team then gave Barlow No. 22 and put him in Duce Staley's old locker – no kidding.

Barlow promptly went out and sprained his ankle on the second day of practice with his new team. If he adds about 20 pounds between now and training camp, the coincidences will be too great to ignore.

© Speaking of injured players, Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley, the team's top two draft picks this year, were both injured on Friday and unable to practice the rest of the weekend.

New head coach Mike Tomlin said it wouldn't be a problem if the guys were quick learners and able to take "mental reps."

I haven't been around either long enough, though, to know if either player is capable of doing that. It could be a pretty big setback.

© Watching new punter Dan Sepulaveda punt is nothing short of awesome. When the big rookie fourth-round draft pick kicks the ball, it takes off like it was shot out of a rocket.

Saturday morning, he was practicing his "Aussie roll," where he actually holds the ball vertical to the ground instead of horizontal and then kicks the toe of the ball. It flops end over end like a kickoff, knuckling in the air.

Some of the Steelers' punt return men were struggling to catch those balls, making last-second adjustments to haul them in.

Sepulaveda will be a weapon this season – though not one fans are going to want to see 10 times per game.

© At one point during Saturday's practice after tight end Heath Miller made a beautiful catch over the middle, one of the defensive players on the sidelines yelled, "Maybe we should line our tight ends up at wide receiver."

The defensive player was taking a playful jab at the receivers, but judging by the number of times I saw two and three tight ends on the field, the Steelers' coaches are thinking the same thing.

© Everybody who has been quick to write Timmons down as James Harrison's backup at right outside linebacker has forgotten about Arnold Harrison, a second-year player.

The Steelers haven't and Arnold Harrison could make a big step forward this season.

© I spoke to John Kuhn Sunday about where he fits into the whole running back situation with this team and he doesn't seem worried about the signing of Barlow and the possible re-signing of Verron Haynes – which is still a possibility.

Kuhn feels his blocking has improved enough that he could make the roster as a combo fullback/halfback and also as a special teams contributor.

© The biggest differences between a Bill Cowher minicamp and a Tomlin one was the presence of whistles.

In 15 seasons, Cowher never had coaches on the field with whistles. Tomlin does.

Faneca's follies

2007-05-11T18:11:00.000-04:00

In the 14 years I've covered the Steelers, I've never seen a player open up and rip the organization as Alan Faneca did Friday on the opening day of minicamp.

Faneca was candid in his thoughts about the team - as he usually is. But this time, his candidness was pointed at the team's front office instead of himself or his teammates.

A pillar of honesty throughout his career with the Steelers, Faneca wore his emotions on his dripping wet with sweat sleave as he addressed reporters following the team's two-hour morning practice Friday, leaving nothing to the imagination.

Faneca's not happy that his days in Pittsburgh are numbered and he's not afraid to tell anyone about it.

The question is, where do the two sides go from here?

Faneca admitted that finding a way to play through his animosity is something he's going to struggle with all season long. But, being a consummate professional, he'll probably find a way. Once he steps between the white lines, it will be all business for Faneca.

But the team, and particularly new head coach Mike Tomlin, have to be concerned about how the rest of the players perceive Faneca's situation, especially coming on the heals of the team's release of Joey Porter in March.

Maybe the younger players will look at those two situations as a dose of reality. If guys such as Porter and Faneca can be shown the door - albeit in different ways - so can they.

But maybe Faneca's situation and Porter's release will damage that family feeling the Steelers have promoted within their locker room, especially in the past few years when players truly have cared about the guy next to them. They've not only been teammates on the field, they've been a family unit of 53 players off it as well.

And it doesn't take much to damage those kind of feelings. Heck, it wasn't all that long ago – 2000 training camp in fact – that linebackers Jason Gildon and Earl Holmes went after Richard Huntley with chairs following a minicamp practice.

It will be Tomlin's job in his first season to hold this ship together. But when members of the crew aren't particularly happy – especially key members – and everybody knows it, it can make for tough sailing.

Faneca situation looms

2007-05-06T23:30:00.000-04:00

In just a few short days we’ll finally know a little more about what the future holds not only for the Pittsburgh Steelers as they open their first mandatory training camp with their rookie draft picks, but also star guard Alan Faneca as well.

While new head coach Mike Tomlin was quick to dump linebacker Joey Porter rather than have Porter serve as a distraction because of a contract holdout, the team kept Faneca, who was in the same exact situation as Porter.

Both were heading into the final season of their contract with the Steelers and both were due a $1 million roster bonus at the beginning of March.

But the Steelers gave Faneca his roster bonus, but released Porter rather than pay his bonus only to have him skip mini-camp and/or training camp.

Could it be the Steelers know something about Faneca that others don’t?

A big deal was made when Faneca skipped the team’s voluntary coaching sessions and non-mandatory mini-camp, even though Faneca wasn’t the only player – nor only star – to miss the practices.

The message boards and radio talk shows were rife with fans saying to trade him.

Of course many of these same people don’t stay an extra minute past quitting time at their jobs. But hey, this is the Steelers we’re talking about here.

But while the fans have been up in arms about Faneca’s supposed sins, the Steelers have been silent about the whole thing. There really have been no shots across the bow or any read-between-the-lines statements from the team about their star guard’s status.

That could change this weekend if Faneca skips the team’s mandatory mini-camp.

But the guess here is that Faneca will show up for the mini-camp. Despite the fact he’s miffed about the team’s initial contract offer, it would serve no purpose for Faneca to skip a three-day, non-contact camp other than to tick off Tomlin.

The opening of training camp might be another matter. But for now, look for Faneca to avoid a nasty confrontation. He hasn’t missed anything to this point that would cause a problem and he’s not a problem-causing kind of guy.

That’s one reason why the Steelers chose to give Faneca his roster bonus while dumping Porter.

Faneca, who unlike Porter isn’t clearly on the downside of his career just yet, has to know he can play out his current contract, bank $4.3 million this season and still cash in at the end of the season. He’s never had a major injury. And even a serious knee injury to wouldn’t be devastating to his future earnings.

That likely had something to do with the decision as well.

Second-third rounds

2007-04-28T18:46:00.000-04:00

Look for the Steelers to take an offensive lineman and receiver in rounds two and three.

Revis not likley, Timmons maybe

2007-04-28T12:46:00.000-04:00

I'm hearing that the Steelers don't think Darrelle Revis will be a possibility for them at pick 15, but that linebacker Lawrence Timmons is a possibility.

First Mock Draft

2007-04-25T23:48:00.000-04:00

1. Oakland, JaMarcus Russell, QB, LSU. Al Davis fired Art Shell, in part, because Shell convinced him to pass on Matt Leinart last year.

2. Detroit, Calvin Johnson, WR, Georgia Tech. The Lions go for another wide receiver in the first round. But this one can’t miss.

3. Cleveland, Adrian Peterson, RB, Oklahoma. Peterson has an injury history, so he’ll fit right in with recent Cleveland first rounders.

4. Tampa Bay, Joe Thomas, OT, Wisconsin. A need pick for a team that couldn’t block a toilet in 2006.

5. Arizona, Gaines Adams, DE, Clemson. The Cardinals can score with anybody. They haven’t been able to stop them.

6. Washington, LaRon Landry, S, LSU. The Redskins get a safety to pair with Sean Taylor.

7. Minnesota, Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame. Just can’t pass on the quarterback.

8. Atlanta (from Houston), Jamaal Anderson, DE, Arkansas. Lost Patrick Kearney in the offseason.

9. Miami, Amobi Okoye, DT, Louisville. A youngster with plenty of upside to bolster an aging defense.

10. Houston (from Atlanta), Darrelle Revis, CB, Pitt. Texans have to play the Colts twice a year.

11. San Francisco, Adam Carriker, DE, Nebraska. The Steelers really like this guy, but don’t get a chance at him.

12. Buffalo, Leon Hall, CB, Michigan. Bills allowed Nate Clements to leave in free agency.

13. St. Louis, Alan Branch, DT, Michigan. Some have Branch slipping, but the Rams need a big run-stuffing lineman.

14. Carolina, Patrick Willis, LB, Mississippi. Dan Morgan is likely done. Willis fills the void.

15. Steelers, Anthony Spencer, DE/OLB, Purdue. Led the nation in tackles for a loss and also had 10 1/2 sacks in 2006. Would love to trade down to make this pick.

16. Green Bay, Marshawn Lynch, RB, California. Packers lost Ahman Green in the offseason. Lynch fills the void.

17. Jacksonville, Reggie Nelson, S, Florida. Deon Grant left in free agency and the Jags stay in state to get his replacement.

18. Cincinnati, Greg Olsen, TE, Miami (Fla.). With Chris Henry out half the season, the Bengals grab another weapon.

19. Tennessee, Ted Ginn, WR, Ohio State. The Titans grab a speedy weapon for Vince Young.

20. N.Y. Giants, Levi Brown, OT, Penn State. The Giants have several needs and this is a big one.

21. Denver, Jarvis Moss, DE, Florida. The Broncos need help up front. Moss is a rangy pass rusher.

22. Dallas, Aaron Ross, CB, Texas. Cowboys looking for secondary help stay in state to get it.

23. Kansas City, Ben Grubbs, G, Auburn. Retirements have ravaged Kansas City’s once-awesome offensive line.

24. New England, Paul Posluszny, LB, Penn State. Posluszny is an inside backer in a 3-4 defense, but can play outside in a 4-3.

25. N.Y. Jets, Chris Houston, CB, Arkansas. This is the perfect trade-down partner for the Steelers, especially if Revis or Hall are available.

26. Philadelphia, Jon Beason, LB, Miami (Fla.). Eagles have serious linebacker problems and address the position.

27. New Orleans, Justin Harrell, DT, Tennessee. The Saints couldn’t stop anybody on the ground last season.

28. New England, Michael Griffin, S, Texas. Find an eventual replacement for aging Rodney Harrison.

29. Baltimore, Joe Staley, OT, Central Michigan. The Ravens aren’t sure Jonathan Ogden will be back this season. He won’t be back in 2008 for sure.

30. San Diego, Dwayne Bowe, WR, LSU. Chargers add some size and speed on the outside.

31. Chicago, Lawrence Timmons, LB, Florida State. Bears think Lance Briggs is going to sit out the season.

32. Indianapolis, Robert Meachem, WR, Tennessee. Brandon Stokley left in free agency and Meachem could help ease the eventual loss of Marvin Harrison.

Looking at the defensive line

2007-04-19T23:59:00.000-04:00

Priorities are what often drive a draft more than anything else. As much as teams like to pay lip service to the old "best player available" mantra, let’s be honest about something for a second: Few teams, if any, actually work their draft in that matter.

We're going to take a look at the Pittsburgh Steelers, position by position, over the next month as we try to get a better handle on what directions the team will go on April 28 and 29.

Today: The defensive line

Where's the depth?

We know that new head coach Mike Tomlin plans on sticking with the 3-4 defense for the Steelers – at least through this season. One reason for that is that the team just doesn't have much depth on the defensive line.

Starters Casey Hampton, Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel are a solid group and are a big reason why the Steelers were so good against the run last season, allowing just 88.2 yards per game. Smith and Keisel were also solid rushing the passer, combining for 10 sacks and 44 pressures.

In fact, you could easily argue the defensive line was the best unit on the team last season.

But behind those three heading into this draft are aging Travis Kirschke, Chris Hoke and Nick Eason, signed earlier this week after spending the previous two seasons with the Browns. The team also has defensive tackle Scott Paxson and end Shaun Nua waiting in the wings after spending last season on the practice squad, but the team isn't expecting much from either of them.

Kirschke enters his 10th NFL season as a player who is clearly on the decline. A nagging back injury has limited his practice time in each of the previous two seasons and the new coaching staff has to be looking for an upgrade at the end position, especially if plans for Keisel to log some time at linebacker work out. At this stage of his career, Kirschke isn't a player the Steelers want to put on the field for 20 to 25 plays. In fact, Kirschke logged 20 or more plays just once last season – at Carolina.

Hoke is a nice complimentary player to Hampton in that he gives the team something as a nose tackle that Hampton does – a pass rush. And he also proved three years ago when Hampton was lost for the season with a knee injury that he could step into the starting lineup and perform. But, like Kirschke, Hoke is no spring chicken. Hoke turns 31 in a couple of weeks.

The 6-3, 310-pound Eason will help the team ease the loss of Rodney Bailey, who signed with Arizona as a free agent. The 25-year-old Eason is the youngster of this bunch and has experience as a 3-4 end after his days with the Browns. Given that experience did come with Cleveland, he may need some time to adjust to a different – winning – program.

At 6-4, 292 pounds, Paxson has good size, but also plays too high. Maybe a season on the practice squad will have cured him of that, but that remains to be seen.

This will be a make-or-break season for Nua, who has spent the past two seasons on the practice squad. He entered the 2006 season expected to beat Bailey out for a reserve spot on the roster, but was unable to make it happen. Nua just doesn't have the motor of fellow BYU graduates Keisel and Hoke.

Because of the excellent crop of defensive linemen available, the team's lack of depth at the position, and Tomlin's past experience with a 4–3 defense, this looks like an excellent place to start when looking at first–day prospects in this draft. In fact, don't be surprised if the Steelers take a couple of defensive linemen in this draft to begin stockpiling talent at the position.

A look at the specialists

2007-04-15T22:16:00.001-04:00

Priorities are what often drive a draft more than anything else. As much as teams like to pay lip service to the old "best player available" mantra, let's be honest about something for a second: Few teams, if any, actually work their draft in that matter.

We're going to take a look at the Pittsburgh Steelers, position by position, over the next month as we try to get a better handle on what directions the team will go on April 28 and 29.

Today: The specialists

As they have begun their preparations for the 2007 season, the Steelers have made no secret of the fact they'd like to replace 37-year-old punter Chris Gardocki.

The problem is, the Steelers wanted to replace Gardocki last year as well but he still came out of training camp as the team's punter, holding off Mike Barr for the third consecutive year.

The difference between last year and previous camps for Barr, however, was that he was given every opportunity to unseat Gardocki. He was just unable to do so.

But Gardocki's punting average has fallen in each of his three seasons with the Steelers, from 43.0 in 2004, to 41.3 last season, his lowest since 1995. Gardocki has never been a strong-legged punter - his value came from his ability to place the ball directionally and from the fact that he's never had a kick blocked.

But last season, he became an obvious liability and there's little chance he’ll still be with the team when training camp opens in July.

The Steelers signed Barr again following the completion of the 2006 season and he will get another opportunity to compete for the punting job. But it's obvious the Steelers aren’t comfortable handing the position to him. Their first foray in team history into the restricted free agent market was by making an offer to San Francisco punter Andy Lee, an offer sheet the 49ers matched.

Spurned in their efforts to acquire a new punter through free agency, the Steelers could look to this draft to bring somebody in to compete with Barr. There is still the off chance that the team could bring in a veteran to compete with Barr, with Matt Turk being the player most often linked to the team.

Placekicker Jeff Reed had an off season in 2006, making 20 of 27 field goal attempts. His 74 percent conversion percentage doesn't look all that bad until you consider that five of those misses came from 40 yards or shorter. That's just too many.

Reed's kickoffs, while adequate, could still be improved upon as well and it will be interesting to see if the Steelers go after a punter in the draft who can also handle kickoffs.

Long-snapper Greg Warren has quietly put together a solid two seasons for the Steelers, making just one bad snap during that period. But Warren also does not play another position, so there is always the off chance that he could be replaced. The Steelers, however, are not actively pursuing a replacement.

After a rough start last season, Santonio Holmes showed some promise as a punt returner as he got more comfortable with the speed of the NFL. Ideally, however, the Steelers would like Willie Reid, who played in just one game last season, to handle those duties instead of Holmes, who will start at wide receiver.

Reid has fully recovered from a foot injury that sidelined him last season and should be able to work his way into the wide receiver rotation, something that will keep him active on game days.

Looking at the QBs

2007-04-13T00:23:00.000-04:00

Priorities are what often drive a draft more than anything else. As much as teams like to pay lip service to the old "best player available" mantra, let's be honest about something for a second: Few teams, if any, actually work their draft in that matter.

We're going to take a look at the Pittsburgh Steelers, position by position, over the next month as we try to get a better handle on what directions the team will go on April 28 and 29.

Today: The quarterbacks

Admit it. There's just a little bit of doubt in the back of your mind about Ben Roethlisberger. Is he the quarterback who led the team to a Super Bowl championship in his second season and had a 98.3 quarterback rating, or is he the guy who stumbled through 2006, throwing 23 interceptions and posting a 75.4 rating?

It's only natural. After Kordell Stewart's breakout season in 1997, he went in the tank in 1998 and 1999 and many fans never forgave him, even after he rebounded in 2000 and 2001.

Pittsburgh is an unforgiving town with its quarterbacks.

The boos weren't too quick in coming for Roethlisberger in 2006, but by the end of the season, they were there. A Super Bowl championship, apparently, will only take you so far.

Certainly his offseason motorcycle accident played a factor in his poor season – regardless of what Roethlisberger has said about it. His appendectomy that caused him to miss the first game didn’t help either.

But one thing is certain, Roethlisberger is much more hungry for success now. He wants to get back to the level that he played at in his first two seasons, when things seemed to come easily for him – perhaps too easily.

Some have said he didn't work hard enough because of that early success. And if that's true, last season should have been a nice dose of reality for the young QB.

Backing up Roethlisberger on the roster is veteran Charlie Batch, who played extremely well last season when Roethlisberger missed time, first with the appendectomy and later with a concussion.

Batch doesn’t have Roethlisberger's arm, but he does have a lot of moxie and he's proven that he can come in and get the job done when called upon. The other great thing about Batch is that he's content in his backup role – or at least as content as a competitor can be with not playing. He's not somebody who’s going to rock the boat or stab the starter in the back, something other quarterbacks may have done last season when Roethlisberger was struggling.

The Steelers brought Brian St. Pierre back for a second look last season after rookie Omar Jacobs didn't work out.

St. Pierre will never be more than a third quarterback, though the team looks as if it could be OK with him serving in that role again in 2007.

With Roethlisberger and Batch firmly established as the top two quarterbacks, anybody the Steelers add in the draft would be looked at as a possible replacement for St. Pierre.

Because of that, it's unlikely the team would spend a high or even mid–level pick on a quarterback in this year's draft as it did last year when it took Jacobs in the fifth round.

It's more likely the team would use a seventh-round pick on somebody to challenge St. Pierre or just wait to sign a rookie off the street to battle for that spot.

A look at the linebackers

2007-04-08T19:52:00.000-04:00

Priorities are what often drive a draft more than anything else. As much as teams like to pay lip service to the old "best player available" mantra, let's be honest about something for a second: Few teams, if any, actually work their draft in that matter.

We're going to take a look at the Pittsburgh Steelers, position by position, over the next month as we try to get a better handle on what directions the team will go on April 28 and 29.

Today: The linebackers

Joey Porter's release prior to the opening of free agency this offseason leaves a void in the Steelers' lineup that could give us a good glimpse of where the Steelers may be looking for the most help in this year's draft.

New head coach Mike Tomlin has said repeatedly that he feels that James Harrison can step into Porter's spot at outside linebacker and do the job. And Harrison has certainly done so for a game here and a game there in the past.

But we haven't seen the 6-0, 242-pound Harrison play the spot on a weekly basis.

Harrison should be able to match Porter's seven sacks of last season. Rushing the passer is his specialty as he uses his stature to get up under potential blockers and then his impressive power to go through them.

The Steelers, however, also ask their linebackers to do a lot of the run stopping and dropping into pass coverage as well. And there, Harrison may not be up to Porter's level.

On the other side, veteran Clark Haggans recorded nine sacks in just 13 games in 2005, but tailed off to six sacks in 15 games in 2006. The Steelers need a return to form by Haggans in 2007 and must also begin thinking about replacing the 30-year-old at some point in the future.

On the inside, James Farrior and Larry Foote were solid in 2006 as the Steelers ranked among the best run-stopping teams in the NFL. Part of the reason for that was the excellent play of the defensive line, but Farrior and Foote ranked first and second on the team tackles, with 154 and 118, respectively. The duo also recorded four sacks each, while also picking off a pass each.

They aren't the problem on this defense, though again, the Steelers have to start thinking about replacing the 32-year-old Farrior at some point. Farrior is still effective due to his great instincts, but he's obviously lost a step.

There's not a lot of depth behind those four – hence the Steelers flirtations with several free agent linebackers this offseason. Despite all their efforts, the Steelers have been unable to bring in any veteran help at the position and will head into the draft with a group of backups that includes Arnold Harrison on the outside and Rian Wallace, Clint Kriewaldt and Richard Siegler on the inside.

As you can see, the depth inside isn't bad – though there’s no obvious eventual replacement for Farrior. It's the outside linebacker depth that is lacking.

Arnold Harrison showed some potential in a pair of starts when Porter and James Harrison were out with injuries, but still has a way to go as a pass rusher at the NFL level.

Because of that lack of depth, the Steelers are considering using defensive end Brett Keisel at outside linebacker at times – especially if they are unable to acquire a top-flight talent at the position in the draft.

Kriewaldt is a serviceable veteran backup who excels on special teams, while Wallace has yet to impress despite spending the past two seasons on the roster. Siegler looked good in training camp last season, but the Steelers released the former San Francisco 49ers' draft choice at the end of camp. He was re-signed later in the season when injury problems depleted the team's depth.

Given that we know the Steelers plan to continue running the 3-4 defense, the linebackers will remain one of the focal points of the team. But the Steelers need a difference maker at the position, something that is lacking with the current group.
Because of that, it wouldn't be surprising to see the team select two or even three linebackers in the upcoming NFL draft. It may make the most sense to get somebody who could be ready to play now, even as a situational player to compliment Harrison, while also taking a project later in the draft who may be Haggans' replacement down the road.

Looking at the running backs

2007-04-05T22:47:00.000-04:00

Priorities are what often drive a draft more than anything else. As much as teams like to pay lip service to the old "best player available" mantra, let's be honest about something for a second: Few teams, if any, actually work their draft in that matter.

We're going to take a look at the Pittsburgh Steelers, position by position, over the next month as we try to get a better handle on what directions the team will go on April 28 and 29.

Today: The running backs.

One of the first things new head coach Mike Tomlin talked about when he joined the Steelers was how he believes that teams need two good running backs to make their offense work in today's NFL. It was something former head coach Bill Cowher believed as well.

But the Steelers certainly didn't have two good running backs in 2006. The Steelers tried Duce Staley, Verron Haynes and Najeh Davenport in a complimentary role to Willie Parker and none was able to get the job done.

Because of that, the 5-10, 210-pound Parker was forced to handle 337 rushing attempts to go along with 31 receptions. No other running back on the team carried the ball more than 60 times.

The Steelers definitely want to change that despite the fact that Parker produced a 1,494-yard season with 13 rushing touchdowns without missing a game. Tomlin would be much more comfortable with cutting Parker’s rushing attempts back to about 300.

So far, the Steelers have been unsuccessful thus far in adding another runner, re-signing Davenport while releasing Haynes. That leaves Parker, Davenport, fullback Dan Kreider and 2006 rookie John Kuhn as the only running backs on the Steelers' roster right now. None of those players were drafted by the team, as Davenport was signed as a free agent at the start of last season after being released by Green Bay, while Parker, Kreider and Kuhn joined the Steelers as undrafted free agents.

For a team that prides itself on running the football, that’s not a badge of honor.

It's highly likely that the Steelers will use a first-day pick in this year's draft in an attempt to find that second runner to pair with Parker.

Davenport stepped into that role for much of the 2006 season, but wasn't really the answer. The 250-pounder gained 221 yards on his 60 rushing attempts, but didn't show much as a short-yardage back. At 6-1, he runs too high to be effective in those type of situations, though he was effective as a third-down back, proving to be good receiver and a willing blocker on blitz pickups.

Kuhn, a former NCAA Division II standout at Shippensburg, isn't a long-term answer either. Though he picked up 18 yards on his two rushing attempts and another 15 yards on one reception, the team has to be able to do better if it hopes to contend in 2007.

The Steelers said when they released Haynes right before the opening of the free agent period that it would like to re-sign him at some point, but his injury history is a long one.

As for Kreider, he remains one of the best blocking fullbacks in the NFL, but the Steelers are going to have to start thinking about replacing him at some point. The 30-year-old Kreider has taken a beating in his seven seasons with the team and is heading into his contract season.

The chances are very good that the Steelers will not add just one, but possibly two running backs - with one being a fullback-type - in this draft.

Looking at the corners

2007-04-01T23:56:00.000-04:00

Priorities are what often drive a draft more than anything else. As much as teams like to pay lip service to the old "best player available" mantra, let’s be honest about something for a second: Few teams, if any, actually work their draft in that matter.

We're going to take a look at the Pittsburgh Steelers, position by position, over the next month as we try to get a better handle on what directions the team will go on April 28 and 29.

Today: The cornerbacks.

The Steelers have arguably spent more money and high draft picks on the cornerback position than any other in recent years. Yet the position is still considered a weakness as it heads into the 2007 NFL draft.

From 2003 through 2005, the team spent premium picks on Ike Taylor, Ricardo Colclough and Bryant McFadden. Yet somehow, none has been able to permanently displace veteran Deshea Townsend in the starting lineup.

At 31, Townsend is certainly starting to slow down. But the nine-year veteran remains the team's most reliable corner – even though his lack of ideal size (5-10, 190 pounds) often gets him in trouble against larger receivers.

But until the team's other corners can come close to Townsend's consistency level, he’ll likely stay in the starting lineup.

The Steelers gave Taylor a five-year, $22-million contract last season and he responded by landing himself in Bill Cowher's doghouse.

At 6-1, 191-pounds, Taylor has excellent size to go along with his blazing speed. His problem seems to be a lack of focus. At times, Taylor seems more intent on being a celebrity rather than perfecting his craft. Instead of worrying about off-the-field stuff, Taylor should concentrate more on his play on the field. He, and the team, would be better off for it.

Maybe his benching last season will serve as a wake-up call for the talented Taylor. He's too good a corner to be sitting the bench for this team.

McFadden took advantage of Taylor's benching to jump into the starting lineup on a full-time basis in just his second season. Like Taylor, McFadden has excellent size (6-0, 190), though he lacks Taylor’s top-end speed.

McFadden makes up for that with his aggressiveness and tackling ability and is a player who is only going to get better.

Even more than a wildcard for the Steelers this season is Colclough. Though he failed miserably as a punt return man last season, Colclough was making some strides as a cover man before a mysterious neck injury landed him on injured reserve.

The 5-11, 195-pound Colclough has coverage skills. He's a player who always seems to be in position, he has just failed to make the big plays early in his career. If he can make that jump and improve his ball skills, he could surprise in 2007.

Rookie Anthony Madison made the team as an undrafted rookie last season and showed some potential. But his overall lack of size (5-9, 180) is working against him as being anything more than an end of the bench player.

Veteran Chidi Iwuoma was released at the end of training camp last season and bounced around the league to New England and St. Louis before landing back with the Steelers by season's end. But Iwuoma, whom the team re-signed this offseason, is nothing more than a special teams gunner – though that is an important job that he excels at.

Given that the Steelers still see Cincinnati and its potent passing game as its main long-term threat in the AFC North, cornerback is an important position on this team in the grand scheme of things. Poor cornerback play against the likes of Carson Palmer and Chad Johnson is going to equal a lot of headaches.

And with Townsend near the end of the line and Colclough and Taylor somewhat question marks - though the team has a lot at stake financially with Taylor - cornerback could be seen as a need position early in this year's draft, especially if that is where the value is.

Even if the Steelers don't select a cornerback in the first couple of rounds, look for them to address the position at some point in the draft.