Oh man, it's only just hitting me now. Last night, the NFL season officially began, and in a couple more days, we'll finally be able to put that epic failure of an offseason behind us and focus on REAL football. 60 minutes of hitting. Four quarters of smash your face in, haunt your dreams, and pillage your consciousness, football.
Frankly, I don't know about you, but I have been ready for this since February.
And what better way to get off to a fresh start than an early September Sunday at Heinz Field?
The Falcons are one of those teams that no one really cares about, which plays in a division that no one really cares about. No Steeler fans, anyway. A random NFC team that we haven't seen since that obnoxious overtime loss at the hands of Mike Vick back in 2006, before he was revealed as one of the worlds worst human beings, and when he was trying to prove he really was a QB. Dude THREW FOUR TDs against the Steelers D that day. Show me another game when he even had any more than TWO passing TDs. I'm borderline positive it can't be done.
Either way, that was some malarky (and not the Mike variety that we'll see on Sunday).
That doesn't happen again.
This is not some alternate universe where the Steelers go 8-8 the year after winning one for the thumb, Cincinnati chili tastes like heaven and Baltimore is free of venerial disease.
So, if you're new around here, here's how we handle team previews and other such chicanery - usually Steve and I tag team it with a "Captain Planet" byline. But obviously, today I'm flying solo. As the original Big Juicy has moved up in the world over at the worldwide leader, more and more people want a piece of him, which is fantastic, but makes it awfully difficult to find the necessary time to waste writing these things and looking for stupid images (parenthetically, if anyone's looking for a little side gig, feel free to email me). So, you're stuck with me for today.
Anyway, previews for OFTOT usually mean little more than an opportunity to make socially inappropriate jokes and to flex a little Photoshop muscle - putting some heads on bodies to which they don't belong. If you're looking for a blog that's going to throw numbers upon numbers upon numbers at you in some type of effort to predict how a team matches up against the Steelers on paper, you may as well hit the information super highway. We don't concern ourselves too much with predicting what actually happens on Sundays. We let Sundays take care of themselves. Besides, what fun would it be to look at a Steelers opponent from a realistic standpoint? I'd much rather just ignore reality and make fun of guys who get paid an awful lot more than I do to run into each other on Sundays..and sometimes Mondays...and occasionally Thursdays.
So, let's make some sweet doughy goodness together, shall we?
And don't forget - deposit your thoughts on the Falcons, Willis McGahee's ridiculous "Baltimore Blackout" towel, and the pythagorean theorem in the comments.
Oh, and of course...
Yesterday Charles Richard LeBeau celebrated his 73rd birthday.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DICK!!!!!
Now, on with the show...
Quarterbacks:
Boy, Tony Gonzalez really hasn't aged well, has he?
So, the Falcons savior/QB is the man they call, "Matty Ice."
Matt Ryan, in only his 3rd season in the league, is a franchise QB with a 6'4", 225 pound frame. Basically, he's Atlanta's [younger] version of Ben Roethlisberger with less rape allegations (/concussions), and more hair gel.
In his first season in Atlanta, he threw for almost 3500 yards and 16 touchdowns, and took the Falcons to the playoffs for the first time since '04 (where of course they lost the Wild Card game to the team the Steelers eventually beat in Super Bowl XLIII). Last season, he threw for just under 3000 yards and 22 touchdowns, despite missing a couple of games during the stretch run.
This year, we're sure he'd like nothing more than to seize his first opportunity to remind people why he was 2008's Offensive Rookie of the Year.
But unfortunately for him...
...Troy Polamalu is healthy.
If Ryan doesn't get picked at least once on Sunday, I'll be shocked.
Chris Redman. Old balls.
John Parker Wilson. Irrelevant.
Next...
Running Backs:
Michael Turner.
If you haven't heard of him, get your head out of your ass.
Wide Receivers:
I'd photoshop something for Roddy White, but he clearly doesn't need my help. Not to mention, I have way too much respect for his backflip skills.
Nevertheless, Roddy was probably one of the top 10 receivers picked in your fantasty draft last weekend. And why not? He has caught over 80 balls a season and cracked 1000 yards receiving for the last three straight seasons and hasn't missed a single game in his six years in the league.
Not that it's of any consequence, but I actually can't believe this guy was drafted the same year as Heath Miller. Even worse, I can't believe that means it's Heath's 6th year in the league. They grow up so fast! Where does the time go?
Anyway, I also can't mention his name without immediately thinking of this guy...
Rowdy Roddy was cool and all, but real men call themselves Rod...
Aside from Roddy White, we're looking at Michael Jenkins. Jenkins catches a little more than 50% less balls than Roddy White, and despite having played seven years in the NFL, hasn't ever posted more than 800 receiving yards (though he did catch one of Vick's four TD passes in that 2006 debacle).
Then of course there's Brian Finneran and Harry Douglas.
Before you even get into it, I have to point out that I respect Tony Gonzalez for supporting the anti-fur movement (not necessarily PETA, but whatevs). I probably didn't need a look at his naked manhood to gain that respect, but that's a whole different animal...get it?
So, fun fact - at 999 catches, Tony is set to become the only TE in NFL history to have over 1000 for his career (assuming he catches at least one pass on Sunday), which is bound to happen when you play for 25 years. I kid, I kid. Jokes.
Seriously, though, he's old, but don't let his age fool you.
He had back-to-back 1000 yard receiving seasons just two years ago (catching passes from Brodie Croyle?). But it's not every day he faces the Steelers defense.
Backup TEs?
Be serious.
We've still got a whole defense to get through.
Offensive Line:
[Again, not offensive line. Just offensive.]
Let's break it down left to right - Sam Baker, Justin Blalock, Todd McClure, Harvey Dahl, Tyson Clabo.
Just being honest here - the only one of these dudes I'm remotely familiar with is Sam Baker, who was the Falcons 1st round pick two years ago out of USC. And only because he was a guy a lot of people thought the Steelers might be interested in.
When I saw T. McClure on the depth chart, this was actually my first thought...
But mostly, I'm just amazed that 4/5 of the Falcons offensive line is white.
Which of course means the Steelers defense should roll.
Woooooo!
Defensive Line:
So, this is always a fun "position" to "preview."
Defensive lines in general tend to be populated with a bunch of guys who probably don't get the credit they deserve, simply because they're not all numbers guys.
But we "preview" them anyway, because we're equally opportunity haters. Or something in that vein.
Left to right here, you're looking at - Kroy Biermann, Peria Jerry, Trey Lewis, and John Abraham.
Biermann is a fantastic last name. Peria Jerry's parents may or may not have gotten his names backwards. Trey Lewis has a degree in computer information sciences. And of course, John Abraham probably wishes he held Jonathan Vilma's hand all the way to New Orleans and a Super Bowl trophy.
Either way, Abraham is who you're focusing on if you're the Steelers. Despite playing in Atlanta, and having a somewhat down 2009, Abraham still had 16.5 sacks in '08, and 10 in '07 - forcing four fumbles in each year as well. Realistically, the sun is setting on his career, but that doesn't make him any less deadly against what we are optimistically referring to as the Steelers' Offensive Line.
Oh, and one more thing - his backup, Chauncey Davis, is the man responsible for Ben's '06 concussion (well, one of them, that is).
I better try and speed this up...I'm starting to nod off.
It's pretty fair to say I don't watch a whole lot of Falcons highlights.
So I had no idea Mike Peterson still existed. But apparently he does, and he followed Mike Smith from Jagoffville to Atlanta. Either way, he's now 34, so hopefully he'll at least have a good time watching Rashard Mendenhall's ass as he sprints down the field on Sunday.
I'd like to hate on the Falcons 1st rounder out of Mizzou, strong sider Sean Weatherspoon...
But any dude who listens to Van Halen to warm up is alright with me. "Right Now" is kind of pussy Van Halen. If it was me, I'd probably go with "Unchained"...
But I'm not a 6'1", 240 pound human specimen that can run a 4.68 40.
I'm pretty sure he could listen to Ace of Base to warm up and still break me in half.
Middle Linebacker is Curtis Lofton...
I only have enough room in my brain to keep track of one Lofton.
Sorry, Curtis, you didn't make the cut.
Secondary:
[Now I'm really reaching]
CB Dunta Robinson, CB Brent Grimes, SS Erik Coleman, FS Thomas Decoud.
If you tell me you've heard of any one of those men not named Dunta Robinson, I'm calling bullshit.
Apparently Brent Grimes had six picks in 2009.
If a tree falls in the woods and no one's around to hear it...
Head Coach:
Part of us wants to hate Mike Smith, since after all, he used to coach the Jagoffs defense.
But how can you not like some geezer who once tried to fight Deangelo Hall?
Mike - we salute you, but for your own safety, we urge you not to try and square up Ike Taylor on Sunday...
Miscelleanous:
1. Tell me you don't wanna party with this guy...
2. Crack is whack...
3. This is one of the images that came up when I Google image searched for "Falcons"...
Not even kidding you.
4. Wow...
5. We're sure Mike Smith has this one on his iPod...
And that, my friends, brings our first team preview of the season to a close. Congratulations if you were one of the 10 people who made it past Wide Receivers. I don't know about you, but I didn't think it was possible to forget how to write this thing over the course of one offseason. I was wrong. I am now going to go take a nap.
Talk amongst yourselves.
If you haven't already, become a fan of OFTOT on Facebook and follow Cotter on Twitter. Or don't. Your choice, really.
[Very special thanks to fellow Steelers blogger and amateur photography aficionado, Ryan Wilson of Steelers Lounge, Fanhouse and probably eight other places, for this pic!]
Wow. Where to even begin...
So, I feel like every time I have been fortunate enough to have met/interacted with a current or former Steeler, I start out the post I eventually write about it in the same way (beginning all the way back in '08 with The Bus's one-time supposed replacement, Amos Zereoue). But in the almost four years I have been writing OFTOT, never did I ever think it'd get me anywhere, really; let alone in the same room, sitting across a small table from, sipping Guinness with, FRIGGIN' JEROME BETTIS, DUDE! I can't even begin to describe to you how awesome it was to see all 250+ pounds of The Bus in the flesh, sitting just feet from me. And shaking the hand that wore a Super Bowl XL ring easily surpasses just about everything else as the coolest thing I've done in the last 28 years of my life.
Here's a picture of that beast, by the way...
There are few Steelers more endeared to someone of my generation. The Bus was definitely one of the most exciting players (if not THE most exciting) to grace the surfaces of Three Rivers Stadium and Heinz Field between 1996 and 2005. I'd throw a bunch of impressive stats at you to reinforce that point, but let's be honest, this is a Steelers blog...half of you can probably rattle them off unprompted, so you certainly don't need me to do it. The guy will almost undoubtedly be a first ballot hall of famer when it comes to a vote in 2011, and either way, his tenure in Pittsburgh and certainly his involvement in finally winning one for the thumb will never be forgotten among Steeler fans.
At the very least, I'd be willing to bet at least a handful of you have this image framed and posted up on some wall in your house...
Anyway, let me start from the beginning - How in the world did this come about?
Well, Guinness is holding a national contest between now and October 31 to find people like you and me who are "bold enough" to take on The Bus in a Guinness pint-pouring contest to take place the week of the Super Bowl. And in order to get the word out, they were kind enough to let some lowly basement-dwelling keyboard monkeys like me sit in a room with the future hall-of-famer and take down free pints for a while.
So, what did we talk about the whole time?
[I had to represent with the XL shirt!]
Good question.
Not having recorded any part of the conversation whatsoever, all I can give you is what little my feeble mind can remember. I'll do my best to summarize his comments over the next handful of paragraphs, but if I forget anything, I'm sure Tecmo will be able to shed a little light.
The one thing I will say about Bettis in general is that he's a fantastic personality. He's a real story teller, and he didn't pussy foot around things. He gave it to us straight, but with a class and insight that commanded respect. It's pretty obvious that he's just as awesome of a person as he was a running back for 10 years in Da Burgh. And if not, he's sure got me snowed.
I'll start with what I thought was the funniest thing he said, which came up when someone (I think Ryan) asked him who he wanted to introduce him in Canton (to which he humbly replied that he had to get the nod first). Ryan Wilson suggested Joey Porter, which immediately had me rolling, but coincidentally Bus told us that not more than an hour before the event, Peezy actually called him, challenged him to a round of golf, and in true Peezy style, proceeded to talk shit. The best part, which unfortunately I can't even begin to describe for you, was his Peezy impression. It was pretty much one of the most classic renditions of Peezy I've heard. But I'm getting off track now...
Moving on, some of you may have seen or heard Bettis's comments about the Steelers current QB situation. If not, his stance was - start Chuck Batch, and if he struggles, then bring in Dixon. But he actually floated an interesting philosophical point that made good sense - he said that the problem could be - if you start Dixon and he struggles, and you replace him, do you put him out there to start the 2nd game after getting yanked? If he struggles again, what then? Might you ruin his confidence? At least if you start Batch, you could put Dixon in with somewhat less pressure. Of course, you all may not agree, but I'm just telling you what Bus said. So, feel free to comment on that, but I'm just the messenger.
We also got into how important the defense will be this season, but I'm pretty sure I don't need to recap that conversation for you all.
You were there in 2009.
[Sorry, my iPhone camera blows in low light]
Which actually segues nicely into - at one point, someone asked if the Pittsburgh faithful give Bus any guff for his comments on the Steelers as a studio analyst, which as fans, I'm pretty sure we can all answer without even hearing from the Bus. But, he told us about one of the last times he was in Pittsburgh, he said he was just crossing the street and a cab stopped short, the cabbie got out and yelled at him for something he had said about the Steelers. He did say, though, he gets paid to be unbiased, but he analyzes things differently when it comes to the Steelers. Oh, and (in reference to another question) he also said he thought the Browns were going to have a "good" year, but I'm not even going to touch THAT.
Probably one of the more interesting football stories (at least to us Steeler fans) he told was about that time in 2003 when Cowher anointed Amos Zereoue the starter over him. As you'll remember, the year prior, Bus had been hurt and Cowher felt that before the season even started, he should name Zereoue as the guy. Well, Bus said that after that all went down, he told Famous Amos (who apparently was somewhat lackadaisical and not taking the job very seriously) that he better practice and play his best every day, because every day they were out there, The Bus was going to try and reclaim his job. And of course, we all know how that worked out.
Then - or honestly it could have (and probably did) come way before that, I don't even remember the order of things - Tec asked about Mendenhall. He pointed out the little fumbling problem Rashard's had and asked Bus how he'd teach/mentor a young guy like that to hold the ball in tight. Bus said he'd explain to him how holding the football away from his body - especially for someone fond of the spin move - puts the ball at a susceptible angle. He said the key would be to explain to him WHY he's putting the ball in a bad position as opposed to just telling him to hold the ball closer, which I think obviously makes sense. Then, he also added that he thinks Mendenhall is a beast...there was a lot of head nodding and "oh yeahs" involved...
Wooooooooo!
We didn't really have much time to cover a whole lot beyond that, but one other thing The Bus weighed in on was football coming back to LA. Bus said it would have to be an expansion team since a lot of LA residents are transplants with entrenched allegiances. He pointed out that if you're a fan of a certain team, you're just going to be a fan of that team no matter what, and people who have already established a favorite wouldn't have much incentive to change to a "hometown" LA team unless it was brand new and had no ties to existing rivalries, players, etc.
Now, here's the REAL important stuff - if YOU want to meet The Bus like I got to, all you have to do is this...go to Guinness.com and in 100 words or less, recount a time when you "boldly stepped up to face an athletic challenge and perservered." They're looking for originality and creativity, but that doesn't mean you can just make shit up - and adherence to the theme is also a key part of the decision. If your entry is chosen, you and three guests will get a free trip to Dallas so you can prove your manhood against The Bus in that pint-pouring contest I mentioned a short while back.
And if you think Bus is taking this thing lightly, think again. He assured us all that whoever is chosen is going to have his/her work cut out for him/her, just like Amos Zereoue did the minute Cowher declared him the starter in August of '03. I needn't remind you what kind of competitor The Bus is, but just in case you forgot, here's a refresher...
So, in any case, Guinness has my business for life now (of course they would've anyway, but no one tell them that), and I can pretty much drop dead tomorrow with a smile on my face. All joking aside, this was one of the top 10 moments of my relatively short life, and I was humbled to have been able to be a part of it.
Hopefully, if you flex your creative muscles, maybe you can shake the Bus's bear claw too...only in Dallas...for the Super Bowl...why are you not already clicking the link to Guinness.com?!?!?! Get on it, yinz jags!
And come back later on for the Falcons team preview...it's about that time again.
If you haven't already, become a fan of OFTOT on Facebook and follow Cotter and Steve on Twitter. Or don't. Your choice, really.
...or apparently that's how Tomlin feels, so I'll run with it.
Anyway, in case you hadn't noticed, just because it's a holiday meant to be celebrated by not working, that doesn't mean the world stops (coincidentally, it's days like this I wish I had some editorial backup). And indeed, the Steelers have been hard at work all weekend.
If you're just waking up from a beer-b-q induced coma, here's a rundown of what you missed (from most recent to least recent)...
1) Dennis Dixon's your man for Week 1.
If you don't like him, get over it, because Tomlin officially announced this afternoon that he's getting the start on Sunday against the Falcons.
Like I said last Friday, Dixon has three important advantages over Batch - 1) he's young and durable, 2) he's prepared this preseason as if he could be a starter (unlike Batch), and 3) he has the legs to play behind the Steelers o-line. Add to that the motivation he has to play well in this - his contract year, and I like the potential.
Obviously over these first four games you want your QB not to lose the game for you, but hell, you want to win too, and sometimes the best way to get a guy to shine is to just throw him in the water and let him swim.
And if he struggles, you've still got Chuck Batch on the bench.
I wasn't going to cry either way on this one, to be honest with you. I can see the good in both guys, and ultimately, I have faith in the Steelers to handle their business the way it should be handled. With Dixon you sacrifice experience, but his upside is a versatility that can keep a defense guessing. If the Steelers can get the running game going, all the better. Imagine Rashard Mendenhall is ripping off yards against you, and on top of it, you have to worry about a guy under Center who can both throw the ball down the field and/or burn you for 30 yards on the ground at any moment.
If I'm an opposing defense, I'd absolutely prefer a 35-year-old career backup who wasn't very mobile to begin with to a 25-year-old former Heisman hopeful who has sprinter speed.
2) Your 2010 - 2011 Steelers Captains are Hines Ward, Heath Miller (Offense), James Farrior (Defense) and Keyaron Fox (Special Teams).
There really isn't a whole lot to say here.
Obviously the glaring omissions are Big Ben, James Harrison and Jeff Reed who were all captains last season. But seriously, did anyone expect Ben to be captain after this offseason? Regardless of what you think about what transpired, I think we can all agree that maybe giving him a year off from Captainship might not be a bad idea.
As for Jeff Reed, I'm not really going to award a captaincy to a guy who's made more headlines leading up to the season with his mouth than his leg. If he was willing to contribute positively to the team morale, you vote for him. But if he's going to let his sore vagina get the better of him, despite the fact that he's making close to $3 million this season as a franchised kicker, give it to someone else. Keyaron Fox is consistently solid on Special Teams and even on Defense. He's obviously a hard worker and probably much better fit to be a leader this season, so good for him.
Silverback? Who knows. Suffice it to say - who needs the damn label as long as he has like 26 sacks this season.
3) The Steelers trimmed down to 53 on Saturday and signed 8 dudes to the practice squad on Sunday.
Among the 21 guys cut between last Friday and Saturday were the following notables - Justin Hartwig, Stefan Logan, Kraig Urbik, Sunny Harris, Patrick Bailey, Joe Burnett, Sean McHugh and Justin Vincent.
Frank the Tank, 2010 7th round pick Doug Worthington, and Tyler Grisham were part of the cuts as well, but surfaced on the practice squad Sunday (along with DE Steve McLendon, TE Eugene Bright, DB Da'mon Cromartie-Smith, OG Dorian Brooks, and OT Kyle Jolley) .
On the one hand, you've gotta feel for the guy who I doubt ever expected to be out of a job just a week before the season as the result of a rookie outplaying him in training camp.
On the other hand, Maurkice Pouncey is obviously a rare breed, and his youth, strength, speed and football acumen give us the best chance to succeed.
And so, such is life in the NFL. Good luck Hartwig, but HERE WE GO, POUNCEY!
This now of course gives them approximately 800 of the same type of receiver in that they already had Derrick Mason and traded for Anquan Boldin this offseason. Regardless, the Ravens receiving corps now consists of those three plus Donte Stallworth (eventually).
The natural reaction is fear. Previously, the Ravens best receiver was a guy who was old enough to have been part of the Music City Miracle. Now, they appear to be a much more formidable passing foe, which coupled with Ray Rice, Willis McGahee and La'ron McClain (and who can forget their offensive line) make them seem like quite a force.
And you really can't deny that on paper they've significantly upgraded one of the historically weakest positions on their team.
But am I going to piss and moan about it?
Come on, I think you know where I'm going here.
I obviously realize that this makes it that much harder for the Steelers defense. But the Steelers defense is predicated on stopping the run and making sure the opposing QB doesn't have time to even think about throwing the ball before he's mauled for a loss of 10 yards.
It doesn't mean they don't have their work cut out for them, but let's just see how this new look works for the Ravens over the first few weeks and we'll be sure to be ready for them on October 3.
Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to try and enjoy some of what's left of this beautiful day of labor.
Let's get it going in the comments - What do you think about any/all of this?
If you haven't already, become a fan of OFTOT on Facebook and follow Cotter and Steve on Twitter. Or don't. Your choice, really.
So, you may have noticed for the past couple of years (2008, 2009), Willie Colon has been part of the Pittsburgh Lupus Loop 5k. As I mention pretty much every year, Willie's Mom is unfortunately afflicted with the chronic disease (Lupus, that is) and so your participation in the event naturally means a lot to the big guy. He may not be able to make an impact on the field with the Steelers this season, but at least he can hopefully make an impact in the fight against Lupus, beginning with an Autograph Signing/Pre-Registration this coming Wednesday from 6:30 - 8:30 PM (as in two days from now - September 8, 2010).
If you're in the Pittsburgh area, Willie and several other Steelers will be at the North Hills Outback Steakhouse handing out free autographs. Plus, they'll be raffling off a Steelers helmet signed by 38 Steelers including Hines Ward, Big Ben, Silverback and of course, the Person of Interest himself...
Willie Colon.
Not to mention there will be "complimentary appetizers" and you can pre-register for the actual Lupus Loop 5k, which itself takes place on Saturday, September 18.
Anyway, if you're feeling philanthropic, or maybe you just want to do something good for your body and the world at large, come out at least for the Loop on the 18th - registration begins at 8:30 AM, the race begins at 9 AM for runners and 9:30 for walkers. For all the info in one place/or to register online, check out http://www.lupuspa.org.
Elsewhere in September events, we've got the The Miller Gallery at Carnegie Mellon's Whatever It Takes exhibit...
[Click to enlarge]
As you probably gathered from that poster there, the exhibit is an amalgamation of just about any type of Steelers fan art you can think of - from tattoos to pictures to video to pretty much whatever. These guys solicited Steelers fans for at least the last six months or so(?) in order to put this thing together, and it looks like it's probably a fantastic collection.
In addition to taking in all of the fan art, you can also get in on the fun, inserting yourself into video of the immaculate reception, or video conferencing with patrons at a Steelers bar in Rome.
Seems like a pretty solid experience.
Anyway, this Friday at 5 PM, they're giving what I would believe to be the first tour of the new exhibit, and then from 6 - 8 PM they're holding an "Immaculate Reception," which by virtue of its name has some pretty high expectations to live up to.
If you can't/don't make it out Friday, don't worry. The exhibition will be around all season. So just another thing to check out in case that type of thing does it for you. For more info, check over here.
If you haven't already, become a fan of OFTOT on Facebook and follow Cotter and Steve on Twitter. Or don't. Your choice, really.
But the other piece I mentioned we were all looking for is confirmation on Leftwich's injured MCL.
Like I highlighted earlier, the Trib's Scott Brown says it's an MCL tear and that Leftwich is out indefinitely, and that Leftwich's "agency" tweeted as much last night.
But now, ESPN's Chris Mortenson is reporting that (his "sources" say) it's just an MCL sprain and that Leftwich wants to avoid surgery and play.
Everybody wants to be the first to report things, and unfortunately, you can't trust anything until it's independently verifiable through multiple sources. And even then, who the hell knows. Yet, I'm the asshole for waiting on "confirmation."
ANYWAY, the Steelers - keeping to form - have said nothing on the situation.
So we're still waiting.
But like I said on Facebook and Twitter, let's assume Leftwich did only sprain the MCL and that he feels like he can play - do we really think we're better off with the world's least mobile QB hobbling on an injured knee playing behind the Steelers offensive line?
Oh, and rest assured, I'll let you know if/when we ever get confirmation from the Steelers.
UPDATE (3:54 PM) - Apparently at around 12:43 PM, which was literally two minutes after I left my laptop and stepped out the door (in keeping with how things go for me), Ed Bouchette reported that Leftwich SPRAINED his MCL and will be out two to four weeks...still nothing from the Steelers, though.
If you haven't already, become a fan of OFTOT on Facebook and follow Cotter and Steve on Twitter. Or don't. Your choice, really.
Of course, with the events that have transpired in the media this week, you have to call this a REPORT at this point.
But let's get serious, I'd hope that NFL Network would be a source you could trust for NFL news.
So, Ben's got four weeks to play a lot of Madden before he's allowed to return to the team just in time for the Week 5 bye, which is good since that'll give him a solid TWO weeks of work with the team (or a week plus as much work as the team does during the bye week, anyway) to get his proverbial groove back.
UPDATE (11:22 AM) - Commissioner's "official" statement straight from NFL PR Man Greg Aiello - "You have told me and the Steelers that you committed to making better decisions. Your actions over the past several months have been consistent with that promise and you must continue to honor that commitment."
Now, let's watch this for four weeks...
While we wait for this...
Here we go, Steelers...
HERE WE GO!!!!
If you haven't already, become a fan of OFTOT on Facebook and follow Cotter and Steve on Twitter. Or don't. Your choice, really.
Alright, let's not try and pretend it didn't happen.
Last night, amidst something that I'm not sure I'd even bother qualifying as a game, Byron Leftwich caught some friendly fire from Jonathan Scott (who later himself was injured) and friends, and went down with a left knee injury.
Leftwich left the stadium to get an MRI and the initial word was some type of MCL damage. "His agency," according to everyone who has reported it, tweeted last night that it was a tear...but while you'd like to assume the report is genuine, not knowing exactly who's in charge of the account, I'm not sure I trust it until I hear the news from someone I KNOW I can trust (I'm told that the Trib's Scott Brown has confirmed that it's an MCL tear...though his current "report" still uses the word "apparently").
Anwyay, assuming this is true it obviously shakes things up rather obnoxiously with the first game of the season just over a week away.
The team brought Leftwich in as a veteran presence to bridge the gap while Ben is out on suspension, but presuming he's out for the foreseeable future, would they be best to just put him on IR and use that roster spot on valuable and healthy talent? Do they bring in another guy to back up either Dixon or Batch (presumably Dixon)? Questions abound, not the least of which is - can we please get an official prognosis from the team?
Amazingly, all those people who were so rabid to call for Dennis Dixon to start have now started to panic, which frankly is something I'm not sure I understand. But then, there were a ton of people who called for the team to trade Big Ben this offseason who have now rejoined the cheering section, so I suppose this isn't anything new for Steeler Nation.
On the positive side, if Dixon even plans on being a viable backup (here or elsewhere), he's gotta play some time. Maybe this is a good thing for the Steelers. Dixon gets to do work with the starting offense, providing mobility, improvisation skills and youth, and the Falcons, Titans, Bucs and Ravens (assuming Ben's suspension gets reduced today) have to plan for a lot more than just a statue who drops 20 feet back in the pocket.
On the negative side, Dixon is way less experienced, and these four (to six) games are about making it to the other side with a serviceable record. Whether Dixon will make young mistakes and hurt the team more than it's already shown that it's capable of hurting itself is a question mark.
But frankly, it doesn't do a lot of good to talk about hypotheticals.
The reality is, Dixon will start.
I love Chuck Batch, you love Chuck Batch, but I think we can all agree he's not a kid anymore. First, I'd worry about his old bones getting injured every time a defender so much as glances in his direction. And second, he hasn't gotten nearly the same reps with the first team as Dixon has (not that Dixon has even had that many either).
So, here's where we start to hope for the best and root for Double D.
As for last night's "game," in case you missed it, you really didn't MISS much of anything beyond those injuries I mentioned (Leftwich and Jonathan Scott) and Chuck Batch going 3/4 for 10 yards passing.
No Steelers RB had less than a 4 yards per carry average (except Justin Vincent who probably won't make the squad anyhow)...
Jonathan Dwyer helped his cause with 20 carries for 86 yards, including the 36 yard gem pictured below...
Isaac Redman had 4 carries for 35 yards, for an almost 9 yards per carry average.
Mendenhall carried 5 times for 22 yards, and Mewelde Moore carried 5 times for 20 yards.
Manny Sanders had a solid night catching 3 balls for 66 yards, including a 23 yard connection from Dixon, which coincidentally was the only pass Dixon threw and was the only TD scored throughout the entire game...
The Steelers nabbed four sacks, including one by Nick Eason that generated probably the best pictured ever captured of him...
The offensive line looked about as solid as my bowel movements the morning after taco night, allowing a sack and way too many close calls on Big Ben...
Other than that, not a whole lot you need to take away from last night.
At this point, we now sit and await two important pieces of information... 1) Confirmation on Leftwich's injury from the Steelers 2) The outcome of today's Big Ben-Roger Goodell tea party (UPDATE - Suspension reduction, secured! Four games)
Feel free to make any observations you might have on any of this in the comments.
If you haven't already, become a fan of OFTOT on Facebook and follow Cotter and Steve on Twitter. Or don't. Your choice, really.
I hope you'll excuse the lack of posts between yesterday and today.
Oh right, AND Monday.
Your faithful editor has been preoccupied with things that need not be discussed.
Needless to say, the full recap I promised is meh. I thought I'd get to something, but then, life happened, and I didn't. You'll have to forgive me if I don't find highlighting every single detail of a preseason game to be my top priority.
Anyway, not like the news has stopped while my brain has been on hiatus.
Over the past few days, a bunch of things have happened...including...
- Some guys you probably didn't think were going to make the team anyway, got cut (don't cry for me David Pittman...er, other way around?)
- Peter King put a hex on the Steelers by picking them as winners of Super Bowl XLV (personally, I'm not worried about the Super Bowl just yet, so much as I am worrying about getting a healthy record out of four to six games without Ben)
- Some idiot columnist from the Washington Post fabricated a rumor that Ben's suspension would be reduced to five games (coincidentally, apparently some are now saying Ben plans on asking for three games or less...a proposition which head honcho Art Rooney II apparently supports)
Of course, if you were a fan of OFTOT on Facebook, you'd have already heard about all of this and more...well, you would've heard about all of it from me, anyway.
As for the rest of the goings on, not much to report.
Ben starts tomorrow night (excuse me, probably starts), Willie Gay starts in place of McFadden (and in spite of Keenan Lewis), I doubt anyone who is any value to the team plays more than a series or two, and currently, I'm working on murdering a bag of Lay's Sour Cream & Onion chips that I'm way too into.
I'll hopefully resume regular [meaningful] posting sometime in the next few days.
Until then...
Smiley with teeth.
It's ok if you don't know what to do with that.
If you haven't already, become a fan of OFTOT on Facebook and follow Cotter and Steve on Twitter. Or don't. Your choice, really.
![[Unnamed] Steelers Pregame Show](/index.php/mpie/media/system/js/media/system/js/images/stories/menu33.png)
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