Don't look for Ben Roethlisberger to play at all Friday night against the Eagles in the Steelers' preseason opener. Mike Tomlin hasn't announced it yet, but I'm told he's leaning that way.
© Chris Kemoeatu looked very good today in practice and even did the old pulling play at the goal line to get Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall into the end zone against the first-team defense.
© The Jordan Reffett mystery has been solved. His wife is having a baby and the rookie defensive end went home to be with her. He's expected to return Wednesday.
© The funniest thing at practice Tuesday came after was over. A lot of the big boys - defensive and offensive linemen and tight ends - took turns fielding punts out of the juggs gun.
They don't get paid because they have good hands - except for the tight ends.
The only tight end to drop the ball was Jonathan Dekker.
© According to SteelCityInsider.com's Jim Wexell, Casey Hampton is now at 345 pounds, meaning he's lost 15 in the past week.
15 pounds in a week? that's a great improvement!!
ReplyDeleteCasey needs to lose another 15 lbs.
ReplyDeleteIs there more to this Ben story? Or is it just keeping him from playing one series in the first preseason game? Dale?
ReplyDeleteDoes Wexell have any reason to believe that Casey has lost 15lbs? I mean, has he seen Casey on the scale, or is he just guessing?
ReplyDeleteExtrapolating...I don't know that losing 30 pounds in two weeks is good for anyone, even Mr. Snack.
ReplyDeleteThey want Casey at 335. And 345 is what his weigh in was this week.
ReplyDeleteAs for Ben, there's no reason for him to play this game. The starters will only play one series anyway. They want to take a good long look at the kids they've got.
But is Ben hurt more than they are letting on? No 11 on 11 work all week is kind of a concern, no?
ReplyDeleteDid yinz see that Colt Brennan kid play the other night? Why did we waste a draft pick on Dixon when we could've drafted him instead? If Ben is out injured for an extended period, there would have been only minimal dropoff with Colt in there instead.
ReplyDeleteDale, I'm reading in the PPG that the Steelers F.O. has pretty much shut down on resigning anyone this off-season. Understandably so, with the team's ownership in jeopardy, but this could be devastating for the Steelers.
ReplyDeleteWhat's your take on the situation? Do you think they'll get any deals done before the season starts? And, if not, do you think they'll abandon (at least temporarily) their policy of not negotiating during the season? I have to think that Dan Rooney has the good sense to take care of personnel business despite the other, larger issues on his plate.
They haven't shut it down, they're just more concerned with the ownership issue right now. They still have three weeks to get something done. I believe the brothers will meet sometime this week, but I haven't been able to confirm that solidly.
ReplyDeleteIt would be troublesome if they allow all of those guys to get into free agency, but they could always come back and sign some guys while the season is going on.
They always say they don't do that, but it has happened in the past. Kendall Simmons signed his extension last year early in the season. They just said that the talks were already ongoing and never broke off.
Something definitely has to be done with the O-line as far as signings go... I think Smith, Starks, Kemo and Essex are all free agents at the end of this season. That's a massive hole they can't allow.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's why I don't think they'll let the situation fester.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that the want to make sure Marvel's back and neck are OK and Kemoeatu has only started two games.
That's why I'm saying they could buck the trend a little and announce a signing in early September some time after they've played a couple of games.