Sanders admits the push has helped

I spoke to Emmanuel Sanders today and he admitted that Mike Tomlin making him compete for a spot on the active roster each week has been good for him.

Sanders, by the way, was named the AFC's special teams player of the week for his effort against Miami.

© Brett Keisel, Aaron Smith (obviously), LaMarr Woodley and Flozell Adams did not practice Wednesday.

Keisel, Woodley and Adams will try to go Thursday or Friday.

© The big question this week is whether the Saints will even try to run the ball against the Steelers.

With New Orleans' weapons, they have the ability to spread the Steelers out and pass on every play.

That becomes even more likely if Reggie Bush can come back this week - though he didn't practice Wednesday.

If Woodley can't play, that takes away one of the deterrents for that strategy as well - though I expect Woodley to play.

© Word out of Cleveland is that Mohamed Massaquoi harbors no ill will toward James Harrison and isn't holding a grudge.

I'm sure Harrison will sleep better at night knowing that.

Tuesday with Tomlin, preparing for life without Aaron Smith

Aaron Smith had surgery Monday to repair a torn tendon in his biceps and will be out indefinitely. That's the bad news.

The good news is that the Steelers are holding out hope Smith will be able to return at some point this season - though Mike Tomlin wouldn't put a timetable on it – so the Steelers aren't putting him on IR.

That could change if they get a rash of other injuries. But for the time being, Smith could possibly return.


© Tomlin is optimistic about getting Brett Keisel, LaMarr Woodley and Flozell Adams back this week for Sunday night's game at New Orleans.

All will be limited in practice to start the week.

© It looks like Trai Essex will be back this week. Though Tomlin wouldn't commit to a starter at right guard, the bet here is that if Essex is healthy, he'll start.

© You can hear me on FOX 970-AM every Tuesday night from 7 to 9 p.m. - beginning tonight - for the remainder of this season.

We'll be discussing the previous week's game and upcoming game for the Steelers each week.

Post-Miami thoughts

A wise man said – OK, it was Craig Wolfley – that during the course of a season, you win a game you should lose and lose a game you should win.

That was probably the case for the Steelers on Sunday as they won a game they probably should have lost.

Why should they have lost?

The defense didn't have a very good game. Yes, the final numbers aren't bad, but as the injuries mounted, the Dolphins moved the ball pretty easily.

The Steelers can be thankful that Miami's offense bogged down again and again inside the 20.

Chad Henne missed some throws and checked down a couple of other times instead of taking a shot at the end zone to 6-4 wide receiver Brandon Marshall.

© As we saw, Lawrence Timmons just isn't the same Lawrence Timmons when he has to move to outside linebacker as he did at times Sunday to replace injured LaMarr Woodley.

Timmons' game is built on speed and his explosiveness. He's not a guy who's going to line up and beat you with his pass rush moves.

I would expect Woodley to at least try to play next week at New Orleans, but if he doesn't, the Steelers have to at least take a long look at starting rookie Jason Worilds in place of Woodley.

© We won't know for sure until Monday, but it doesn't look good for Aaron Smith and his torn triceps muscle.

The Steelers are a little more optimistic about Flozell Adams' ankle injury.

© Everywhere I go, people are hammering me this year for my NFL picks. But I ask you, who can figure this league out this year?

Baltimore should have had a cakewalk against Buffalo Sunday and probably should have lost.

New Orleans did lose at home to Cleveland.

Tennessee is looking a little better, but that's still a team the Steelers beat on the road with Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch putting up high school football quarterback numbers.

Picking games against the spread this season is a losing proposition.

Game-Day thread

It's a beautiful day here in Miami, though there was a quick shower here at the field that lasted about five minutes. (Note: It is now flat-out pouring here).

The field looks to be in good shape.

© I ran into Gene Steratore at the hotel last night. The Washington resident and his crew will be working the game today.

© Trai Essex is inactive for the Steelers. That means Legursky gets the start.

Nick Eason will get the start in place of Brett Keisel.

Antonio Brown is also inactive.

Who I like - Miami edition

Credit Mike Tomlin for trying to avoid a distraction with James Harrison by sending him home on Wednesday. But that, apparently, only continued the distraction into Thursday.

That said, the Steelers are a veteran group and should be focused on the task at hand, beating the Miami Dolphins.

Three-game road trips are never easy and that starts this week at Miami.

Getting the first win is the most important thing.

The Steelers will handle Miami's running game and force Chad Henne to beat them. I just don't think he's capable of that.

Pittsburgh will win, 23-16

Redman to get more carries

I spoke with Isaac Redman. He told me he'll be getting the carries in the last five minutes of games to help ease the load on Rashard Mendenhall.

You can read my story in Friday's O-R to see more about it.

© As expected, James Harrison returned to practice today.

Retirement avoided.

© I learned Wednesday that Ziggy Hood suffered a sprained ankle early in the season that has limited his play.

Harrison-Tomlin meet

I've just been informed that Mike Tomlin met with James Harrison this morning and that the two had a "very productive" meeting.

Tomlin then excused Harrison from practice today.

Harrison, of course, has gone on numerous sports talk shows and expressed his frustration at the $75,000 fine levied against him for a hit on Cleveland's Mohamed Massaquoi last Sunday.

He's even gone as far as saying he's contemplating retirement if he feels he's unable to play under the current rules - which he has 20 million guaranteed reasons not to do.

Tomlin is likely allowing Harrison - who sometimes does not practice on Wednesdays anyway - a little cooling off period.

© On a side note, the play on which Josh Cribbs suffered a head injury has now been changed to a sack, with Harrison and LaMarr Woodley each getting credit for a half-sack.

Cribbs originally dropped back to pass before scrambling out of the pocket.

Tuesday with Tomlin, preparing for the road show

The Steelers will not have Brett Keisel available this weekend when they travel to Miami. He'll be out with a hamstring injury.

Coach Mike Tomlin is opening things up at the position to see if Ziggy Hood or Nick Eason step up their game to fill that role. But that's nothing new for Tomlin, who likes to pit one player against another rather than simply elevating a guy into a starting role.

Trai Essex is expected return to practice this week after missing the past couple of games with an ankle injury. Doug Legursky has been starting in his place and has played reasonably well. But he suffered an MCL sprain against Cleveland - and returned to the game.

The healthier man will probably start.

Rashard Mendenhall has a bruised shoulder and will sit out early in the week. Tomlin admitted to being concerned with Mendenhall's heavy workload and - as I said on another post this week - look for Isaac Redman to spell him a little more often moving forward in an attempt to keep him a little more fresh.

Hypocrisy 101

Rodney Harrison talking about players needing to be suspended for helmet to helmet hits on other players screams of hypocrisy.

This is the same Rodney Harrison, after all, who routinely won the vote for being the dirtiest player in the game when he still played. This is the same Rodney Harrison who was fined over $200,000 during his playing career and suspended himself for illegal hits.

And some of the hits he pointed to were made by Steelers linebacker James Harrison Sunday against the Browns.

I sat in, as I do every year, on the officials meeting with the media when they come to training camp to explain rules interpretations and points of emphasis.

One of the new ones this year was put in place to protect receivers from dangerous hits. Defenders are no longer permitted to launch themselves into those receivers and must aim their hit to the torso.

Take a look at the hit by Harrison on Mohamed Massaquoi in the photo that is posted here and you see he's not launching himself. He simply lowers his shoulder moments after the ball arrives. It's a legal hit - as explained to me this summer by the NFL officials who attended the Steelers training camp.

As for the hit on Josh Cribbs, he's a running back on that play and there are no rules in place to protect them from helmet-to-helmet plays. In addition, that play was more of a freak happenstance than anything. Cribbs happened to turn into Harrison just as he arrived to help LaMarr Woodley get Cribbs to the ground.

Post-Cleveland thoughts

At 4-1, the Steelers find themselves in a pretty good spot.

But now, things start to get a little more difficult.

Heading out onto the road the next three weeks - at Miami, New Orleans and Cincinnati. It's usually difficult enough to play on the road, but three in a row is murder.

The only saving grace for the Steelers is that after playing Miami next weekend, they'll have plenty of reason to stay focused. The Saints are the defending Super Bowl champions, while the Bengals are an AFC North rival that beat them twice last season.

This will be the make-or-break portion of the schedule, followed by a return trip home against New England.

The Steelers have to go at least 2-2 in those four games if they hope to have a chance to win the division - though the Patriots helped them out by beating the Ravens Sunday.

© Were the Steelers flat Sunday against the Browns?

No. The reason they didn't blow the Browns out earlier was offensive coordinator Bruce Arians' (correct) decision to use plenty of running to allow Ben Roethlisberger to ease himself into things.

Roethlisberger missed some open receivers and threw a bad interception on the team's first drive.

And the Browns also pinned the Steelers deep in their own territory on several occasions as well.

It took Roethlisberger a little while to find his rhythm, but the Steelers really were never challenged in this one.

The outcome of the game was never really in question. It was just going to be a matter of whether or not the Steelers covered the spread.

© Given the fact Roethlisberger needed as many game snaps as possible, I have no problem with the Steelers throwing into the end zone with under two minutes to play and up 11 points.

The Browns hadn't stopped playing, so the Steelers shouldn't stop trying to score.

© One nice thing the NFL did for the Steelers was set them up to face wildcat teams in back-to-back weeks coming off the bye.

The Steelers can roll some of the same defenses they used against the Browns right into the game at Miami - though, in my opinion, Ronnie Brown isn't as dangerous as Josh Cribbs is in the wildcat.

© Colt McCoy has a chance to be Cleveland's best QB since the Browns' return to the NFL. And there have been quite a few.

Ditto Peyton Hills at running back - though Jamal Lewis wasn't bad in his short stay with the Browns.

Cleveland is much better than it has been - though the Browns still aren't ready to challenge for a playoff spot.

Game-day thread

Here's where you can put all your praise/complaints for today's game against the Browns.

It's a beautiful day at Heinz Field. The crowd is amped up.

Great day for football.

© There was a huge ovation for Ben Roethlisberger, who was announced next-to-last on the offense, right before Hines Ward.

Who I like - Cleveland edition

This is the perfect storm for the Steelers.

Ben Roethlisberger is coming back and is fired up to play. Cleveland is starting a rookie quarterback and is banged up. And the Steelers are coming off a bye.

Add to that the fact the Browns embarrassed the Steelers in Cleveland in their last meeting and you have all the makings of a rout.

For some reason, the spread in this game opened at 14 and has actually gone down to 13 points.

Don't people pay attention to the warning signs?

This has all the makings of a classic Browns-Steelers blowout, which is what I expect to happen.

Take Pittsburgh, 38-6.

Mid-week thoughts

You can feel the excitement surrounding Ben Roethlisberger's return in the Steelers' locker room, particularly among the offensive players.

This is a team that has thought all along that it was pretty goood - as Max Starks told me, they have a cockiness, even without Roethlisberger.

© Outside of the return of Roethlisberger, there's not a lot of buzz around the Steelers this week.

They expect to beat the Browns because that's what they do – with the exception of a 13-6 loss in Cleveland last season.

The Browns have made some moves to get better, but they're still the Browns.

© I spoke with Doug Legursky and he's taking his starting role in stride. He still looks at the right guard position as belonging to Trai Essex and hasn't been told by the coaching staff otherwise.

© Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians told reporters today that rookie Emmanuel Sanders will be active instead of fellow rookie Antonio Brown and will return kicks.

Sanders is the more polished receiver between the two, though Brown is the better return man.

But the Steelers feel that with Roethlisberger back, they want the more polished receiver available.

Big week to check on improvements

You could make the argument that the Browns cost a couple of Steelers coaches their jobs in 2009 and very nearly cost offensive coordinator Bruce Arians his as well.

Josh Cribbs had a 98-yard kickoff return against the Steelers at Pittsburgh last season, one of four kickoff returns for touchdowns allowed by the Steelers.

It was obvious that special teams coordinator Bob Ligashesky wasn't coming back after a season of lowlights.

But the low point for offensive line coach Larry Zierlein and Arians came in a 13-6 loss in December at Cleveland.

In a driving wind and temperatures that were well below freezing, the Steelers ran the ball just 22 times for 74 yards.

And quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked eight times in a game plan that was obviously not adjusted to account for the weather.

That loss was the final one in a five-game losing streak for the Steelers, who won their final three games to finish at 9-7.

But the damage was done - at least for Ligashesky and Zierlein.

The were replaced by Al Everest and Sean Kugler, respectively, while Arians got a reprieve with the promise to run the ball more often.

We've seen the early results in the first four games, but Cleveland will offer some challenges this week, particularly for Everest, with Josh Cribbs.

Three of Cribbs' eight career kickoff returns for touchdowns have come against the Steelers. And he's just missed scoring on a couple of other occasions.

The Browns are not a good football team. But, as we saw last season, when you give up big plays on special teams or allow an all-out assault on your quarterback, you can lose to anyone.

Winning while off

The Steelers were a big winner on Sunday despite being off.

How so?

Looking around this league after Sunday's action and you have to ask yourself, who exactly is any good?

OK, Baltimore is good, but the Steelers already went toe-to-toe with the Ravens sans Ben Roethlisberger.

Tennessee went into Dallas and beat the Cowboys and now own wins at Dallas and the Giants, but the Steelers have already beaten Tennessee.

The NFC may not have one good team, though Atlanta has gotten off to a good start and now looks like the favorite.

But again, the Steelers have beaten the Falcons - without Roethlisberger.

With San Diego losing at Oakland, ending a 13-game winning streak against the Raiders, the AFC shapes up like the Steelers, Ravens and Jets, with Indianapolis clinging precariously to a spot among those teams, and then everybody else.

Moss trade shakes up AFC

The trade of Randy Moss to the Minnesota Vikings changes the complexion of the AFC in several ways.

At first glance, it obviously makes the New England Patriots a weaker team.

The Patriots are not the Patriots of old. The defense is not great - particularly in the secondary. And, without Moss, who are teams going to be afraid of in that offense? Wes Welker isn't a guy who's going to beat teams over the top. Maybe one of the younger receivers is, but until we see it, the Patriots' offense looks weaker.

Maybe the Patriots were looking at this as addition by subtraction. Maybe Moss' attitude was just that bad.

But I can't see how this makes them a better team now.

It opens the AFC East up for the Jets, who already own wins over each of the other teams in that division. It also opens things up a little bit for the Jets to possibly be the No. 1 or 2 seed in the AFC playoffs since it does not appear they will be challenged in their division.

Then again, they do have to face Moss again this week at Minnesota, so who knows?

Roethlisberger looks good

After watching Ben Roethlisberger throw the ball around the Steelers' indoor facility today, you had to come away impressed.

Charlie Batch didn't practice, but Byron Leftwich did. And the differences between Leftwich and Roethlisberger's passes were easy to spot.

Not one of Roethlisberger's passes fell incomplete and there were a couple of occasions when Roethlisberger slipped a pass into a tight spot, eliciting a "Woah," from some of his teammates.

He was that good Tuesday.

© I've heard a lot of talk about how the Steelers shouldn't change their offensive philosophy now that Roethlisberger is back.

After all, the team is 3-1 with its current run-heavy offensive balance.

But anyone who expects Rashard Mendenhall to make it through the season with his current workload is delusional.

Mendenhall is on pace to log more than 350 carries. Add in some receptions and he'll be up over 375 touches.

That's too many.

Yes, the Steelers still need to be able to run the ball. But they're not paying Roethlisberger $102 million to hand the ball off.

Steelers at the bye

OK admit, even the most ardent Steelers fans among you didn't have this team going 3-1 heading into their bye week.

This team is 3-1 with Ben Roethlisberger coming back and could have just as easily been 4-0 if not for a play here or there against the Ravens Sunday.

The offensive line has played well, regardless of who has played - and every lineman on the 53-man roster has seen action. The only one who has looked overmatched has been Tony Hills.

Running back Rashard Mendenhall is one of just three backs in the league averaging over 100 yards rushing per game. His blitz pickup has been very good and backup Isaac Redman has been solid as well.

We haven't gotten to see much from the receivers due to the quarterback situation, but Roethlisberger will make them better. Remember, a great quarterback can make even average receivers look good. Think about the guys that Brett Favre has made stars of over the years.

The defensive line has been strong, despite a missed game each by nose tackles Casey Hampton and Chris Hoke.

The linebackers have been, well, the linebackers. Lawrence Timmons is an emerging star and James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley and James Farrior have done their usual solid work.

The secondary is actually catching the ball this season, something it did not do last year. Yes, Bryant McFadden was beaten for the winning touchdown against the Ravens, but Baltimore's wide receiver group of Derrick Mason, Anquan Boldin and T.J. Houshmandzadeh is pretty darn good. The fact that Baltimore scored just 17 points with those three receivers on the field cannot be overlooked.

Much of the yardage allowed through the air this season has come late in games when the team is in a prevent.

Special teams have been much better than last season. The coverage units have been solid. Al Everest also came up with a solid trick return at Tennessee.

Yes, Jeff Reed has missed four field goals at Heinz Field. But kicking at Heinz Field is no day at the park. Anything over 40 yards is difficult, particularly toward the open end of the field.

Sometimes, field goals are taken for granted. They should not be at Heinz Field.

At the beginning of the season, I had the Steelers down for a 10-6 record. Looking at things have shaken out over the first month, there's no reason this team can't go 9-3 the rest of the way.

Post-Baltimore thoughts

Anybody who would have taken 3-1 coming out of the first four games, raise your hand.

OK. That's pretty much everybody.

Yes, I'm sure you don't like it that the Steelers lost to the Ravens, but it gives this team two weeks to re-focus with what Hines Ward called an angry Ben Roethlisberger coming back.

That's not a bad thing.

The Steelers will still control their own destiny this season.

And Sunday's loss should shut all the idiots up who don't think the Steelers need Roethlisberger.

© Baltimore's pass defense was a little better than I gave it credit for. The front seven makes a lot of that happen with the pressure it brings.

Still, there were things that could have been exploited.

© Rashard Mendenhall should make the Pro Bowl this season. He's running hard. He's running decisively. He's been the Steelers' entire offense - for the most part - through the first four games when everyone knew he was coming.

Mendenhall will no doubt need the next two weeks off to rest his body up for the remainder of this season.

© The Steelers have made it to their bye relatively healthy.

That's good news. Chris Hoke and Trai Essex will be back following the bye.

© Everybody wanted to talk about the first four games being the make-or-break portion of this season, but really, it's the next four games.

After playing Cleveland at home in Roethlisberger's return, the Steelers play road games at Miami, at New Orleans and at Cincinnati. That's a tough stretch for any team.

The only good thing about that is that there's no way the Steelers will take the third of those three games, at Cincinnati, lightly.

That's a big thing because history shows that NFL teams don't do well in the third game of three consecutive road games.

If the Steelers can at least split those four games, giving them a 5-3 first half, they'll be in excellent shape.

Remember, Baltimore still has to play at New England, at Atlanta and at Houston. The Ravens also have home games against the Steelers, Dolphins, Saints and Bengals. That's seven pretty tough games left on the Ravens' schedule.

© I thought Charlie Batch did a good job with his hard counts against the Ravens. Were they a factor in the two false starts late in the game?

Possibly. But if the Ravens had jumped offside on those, everyone would be saying what a great move they were.

The offense knows the snap count. There's no reason for them to jump offside.

Those two offside penalties really limited what the Steelers could do.

Look at it this way, Mendenhall had two carries for five yards that were negated by the false starts. That would have put the Steelers in a third-and-five from the 8, as opposed to third-and-10 from the 3.

They may have attempted a pass from the 8 off a three-step drop. But you don't want Batch dropping back into the end zone to pass the ball. Too many bad things can happen.

And no, I'm not taking a safety in that situation. When your defense has only given up three touchdowns - to that point - in nearly four games and a touchdown is the only thing that can beat you, you have to make the opponent score a touchdown.

Game-day thread

It's game day and since there are no real surprises for the Steelers on the inactive list - though Baltimore defensive end Cory Redding is down - I thought I'd put this post up for your thoughts on the game.

The weather here is slightly chilly - between 50 and 60 degrees - and wet. It's not raining now, but it has been sprinkling and there is a chance of showers during the game.

I would think that favors the home team since the Steelers are better stopping the run than Baltimore has been this season.

Dixon to IR

In a move that wasn't too surprising, Dennis Dixon was placed on injured reserve Saturday to make room for defensive tackle Steve McLendon.

The Steelers needed McLendon on the 53-man roster because backup nose tackle Chris Hoke won't play Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.

Dixon suffered a torn meniscus two weeks ago that required surgery to repair. He was likely to miss another three to four weeks.

Who I like, Baltimore-Pittsburgh

There's been no smack talk this week - at least publicly - because the Steelers and Ravens know how much is at stake this week.

A win by the Steelers would put them in excellent position and put the Ravens behind the eight ball at 2-2 - and more importantly, 1-2 in the AFC North.

Because of that, the Ravens need this game more than the Steelers, which is usually a big factor for me when picking games.

But, the intensity of the rivalry cancels that out. Neither of these teams takes a game against the other for granted. There will be plenty of emotion to go around.

The Steelers have a way of making Joe Flacco look like some guy the Ravens just brought in off the street. But, Ray Rice's quickness and elusiveness also causes problems for the Pittsburgh defense.

That said, the Steelers are 4-0 under Mike Tomlin against the Ravens in Pittsburgh.

And this Baltimore defense can be run on - not because of its front seven, but because its secondary doesn't play the run very well.

Rashard Mendenhall has been getting into the secondary this season.

Take Pittsburgh, 16-13

Mid-week thoughts

To a man, there's nobody in the Steelers locker room who does not expect Ray Rice to play Sunday.

That's the bottom line in this game. Neither team wants to be the first to blink. And Rice sitting out would be the Ravens blinking.

© I asked Max Starks today if he's had to explain to all the new guys starting on the offensive line what kind of game they're in for.

He said he has with Maurkice Pouncey, but that Doug Legursky has been here long enough to have seen the battles.

I asked about Flozell Adams. He replied, "I don't have to explain anything to Flozell. He hates everybody. We just tell him, 'Flo, we don't like these guys.' He's like, 'Cool, I hate them too.'"

© A reporter asked John Harbaugh today about the Stanford Cardinal, the team coached by his brother, Jim.

"They're kicking butt and taking names," Harbaugh said before correcting himself. "Actually, they're kicking so much butt they don't have time to take names."

© Jim Wexell reminded me today how much I liked Cleveland running back Peyton Hillis coming out of college.

At the time, I thought Hillis might end up being a better player than the two guys he blocked for in the Arkansas backfield, Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.

I don't know if that has come to fruition, but McFadden and Jones have both been very injury prone.

Hillis, meanwhile, went for nearly 150 yards on Sunday against the Ravens.

© The Steelers' practice Wednesday was more subdued than usual. Usually, they are very boisterous during practice.

But, as PR man Dave Lockett noted when I mentioned something about it to him, the Steelers weren't in pads.

Mike Tomlin was giving the players an easy day of practice in anticipation of the kind of game they will play in Sunday.

© I sit here watching "The Big Lebowski," one of the most underrated comedies of its kind.

Gotta love The Dude.

Interesting stuff

Ray Lewis just had his conference call with the Pittsburgh media and had some interesting things to say.

Lewis said he and Ben Roethlisberger were exchanging texts last night and Roethlisberger was lamenting the fact he won't be playing against Baltimore this weekend.

Lewis said he exchanges texts with a number of the Steelers regularly.

It's a far cry different from the days when he and Joey Porter went back and forth with a war of words.

Tuesday with Tomlin

Mike Tomlin on Tuesday called the Steelers-Ravens rivalry the best in football.

While I haven't been able to witness first-hand many of the other good rivalries around the league, I have seen all 30 games between Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

They are all memorable, particularly since the Ravens became a factor around 1998.

In the past 24 meetings, 11 of the games have been decided by three or fewer points.

In the past 11 meetings, four have gone to overtime.

The Steelers are 5-2 against the Ravens under Tomlin, but the aggregate score of those games is 99-83, showing just how close the margin is.

© Tomlin said defensive tackle Chris Hoke (knee) and guard Trai Essex (ankle) could be available this week.

© And, of course, Charlie Batch will start at QB.

And then there were three

Three weeks into the season, we're already down to just three unbeaten teams.

What kind of odds do you think you could have gotten at the beginning of the season that those three unbeatens would be the Steelers playing without Ben Roethlisberger, the Chicago Bears and the woeful Kansas City Chiefs?

Which one is the biggest surprise to you?

Even though I picked against the Steelers to win the first two weeks, I'd still have to go with Kansas City.

I'm still nowhere near sold on the Chiefs being a playoff contender – I think Chicago and Pittsburgh are – but they've already beaten San Diego and San Francisco - a pair of teams picked to win their respective divisions by many.

Post-Tampa Bay thoughts

Am I vindicated now?

I pick the Steelers to win and cover and they do so with great ease.

Some felt this game could be a bit of a trap game, coming before a big showdown with the Ravens. But this is a highly motivated, highly focused team.

If anybody nearly got caught in a trap Sunday, it was the Ravens, who struggled to beat the Browns in a game sandwiched between meetings with Cincinnati and Pittsburgh.

It's still early, but the Steelers have the look of a team that wants to make its third Super Bowl trip in the past six years.

Injuries will play a big factor in that, but as the Steelers have already shown, they are not only talented, they're deep.

In fact, Mike Tomlin referenced the fact that every offensive lineman on the team's 53-man roster has already seen playing time this season. That can only help this team down the road.

© Many people feel the Steelers, at 3-0, are playing with house money in regard to these first four games without Ben Roethlisberger.

But these guys honestly feel like they should win every game.

© It's easy to second-guess Tomlin for his decision to start the season with Dennis Dixon at quarterback rather than Charlie Batch. But, in reality, he had painted himself into that corner.

Dixon had gotten way more work in the preseason and training camp than Batch. And then there was Batch's lengthy injury history, something Tomlin noted was part of his decision to start Dixon.

The bottom line is that the Steelers are 3-0. It hasn't always been pretty but it has been effective.

© One of the key plays in Sunday's game is something that likely won't be mentioned in any of the game stories - including mine.

But, trailing 3-0, the Steelers went three-and-out on their second possession. Punting from his own 29, Daniel Sepulveda nailed a kick 62 yards with no return to the Tampa Bay 9, completely changing field position.

Tampa Bay then went three-and-out and punted from its own 15.

The Steelers took over from the Tampa Bay 45 and two plays later, Batch hit Mike Wallace on his first long touchdown pass.

© Chris Hoke's sprained knee doesn't look bad, but it could be a big thing if he can't play against the Ravens in what will be a battle of the trenches.

© Speaking of the trenches, the Steelers did not allow a sack Sunday.

The last time that happened was when the Steelers played at Baltimore last November, a game started by Dixon.

Steelers-Bucs game day

It's 10 a.m., I'm at the stadium and it's already hot and sticky here. Can't imagine what it's going to be like come game time.

© Early word had it that both Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown will be active. But that could change between now and game time, specifically because of the heat index, which will be in the 90s.

That was the case as Sanders is inactive today.

He's joined on the list by Dixon, Keenan Lewis, Jonathan Dwyer, Crezdon Butler, Tony Hills, Trai Essex and Thaddeus Gibson.

© Cody Grimm, Russ Grimm's son, will start at safety for the Bucs in place of suspended Tanard Jackson.

Who I like - Tampa Bay edition

Two defenses that have given up a combined 41 points in their first two games will meet Sunday in Tampa.

But one is for real and the other is a product of having played the Browns and Panthers.

The Steelers are 4 1/2-point favorites over the Bucs Sunday and that seems like a layup, particularly with Charlie Batch at quarterback.

What's that? You think I can't be talking about the same Charlie Batch who threw for 25 yards in two and a half quarters last week.

Batch's numbers would have been much better had his teammates helped him out a bit. He threw some nice passes, moved in the pocket well and got the ball to the correct receiver.

The touchdowns will still be tough to come by. But with the way the Steelers defense is playing, it doesn't matter.

Take the Steelers to win, 20-6.

Ward, Kemoeatu fined $5,000 each

Chris Kemoeatu was fined $5,000 for their part in what was one of the best football fights I've seen in 18 years of covering the league.

That said, I don't believe Ward deserved a fine.

Let's go back to the play in question against the Tennessee Titans.

On the Steelers' first offensive play from scrimmage, Dennis Dixon threw a pass that was deflected, hit the ground and bounced into the hands of a Tennessee defender.

The play could have been ruled a lateral and Hines Ward immediately grabbed the Tennessee player - defensive tackle Tony Brown - and tried to wrestle him to the ground. Moments later, the entire Tennessee defense ploughed into the play.

Kemoeatu came running and ploughed into the pile as well. Brown and Kemoeatu both drew fines for the play.

Ward was also fined for excessive face masking, whatever that may be. Ward was not penalized for grabbing anyone's facemask in the game.

Those two penalties come on top of the $5,000 James Harrison was fined for spiking Titans' QB Vince Young in the third quarter.

Just an FYI

As the Steelers reminded reporters this morning, we are not permitted to write or discuss who takes what first-team snaps at quarterback - or any other position, for that matter – once the regular season begins.

That should give you an idea of what they're doing at the position - or not.

© James Harrison has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

© Steve McLendon has been re-signed to the practice squad.

© James Harrison was fined $5,000 by the NFL for a hit on Vince Young on which he drove Young - and teammates Brett Keisel and Aaron Smith - into the ground.

Steelers get some back, lose some others

As expected, Mike Tomlin announced Tuesday that quarterback Dennis Dixon has a meniscus injury to his left knee and will undergo surgery at 8 a.m. Wednesday to repair it.

Tomlin is holding off saying how long Dixon will be out - or if he'll be placed on injured reserve until after the surgery.

On the plus side, it appears that Byron Leftwich, Casey Hampton and Max Starks will all be healthy enough to play this week.

Even with Leftwich healthy, Tomlin said he's leaning toward Charlie Batch starting Sunday against the Tampa Bay Bucs based on the health issues. That could change over the course of the week.

Guard Trai Essex will be limited this week with an ankle injury. If he can't play, Doug Legursky - not Ramon Foster - would start at right guard.

Jason Worilds and Emmanuel Sanders will also practice all week after sitting out last week.

Post-Tennessee thoughts

Wow. In previous years, it was the Tennessee Titans who delivered the butt kickings to the Steelers in Nashville.

But it was the Steelers, both offensively and defensively, who were the aggressors in this one.

The video board at LP Field continually showed pro wrestler Ric Flair imploring the crowd to get loud, finished with his trademark, "Woo."

That was ironic since the Titans looked like they were in a studio wrestling match against and MMA fighter. The Steelers kept punching them in the mouth and hitting them over the head with chairs throughout this game, while the Titans landed the fake blows.

That may be a little harsh. Actually, Tennessee's defense was as physical as ever.

But the Titans' offense got manhandled.

© I've never seen anything like the offensive line rotation the Steelers used in the second half.

Guys were coming and going - other than Maurkice Pouncey - and playing different positions.

© The Steelers won a game in which they threw for 21 yards. Think about that for a moment.

© I know there are those of you out there who are angry with me for picking against the Steelers in each of the first two weeks.

Mike Tomlin is obviously paying attention to those who doubt this team.

But let's be honest. Quarterback is a pretty important position and the Steelers are playing with, essentially, their third choice at the position.

But Tomlin knows the Steelers will be favored to win next week in Tampa Bay. He could be heard in the locker room as the team entered telling them that they'll have to get it up again next week to face an unbeaten team.

Tomlin's looking for any edge he can get.

© Lawrence Timmons should be the early favorite for Defensive Player of the Year. That's two games and 26 tackles. He's also played a huge part in shutting down both Michael Turner and Milli Vanilli wannabe Chris Johnson.

By the same token, if James Harrison doesn't win AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors after making 11 tackles, two sacks, forcing two fumbles and recovering another, they should stop giving the award.

Harrison totally took the game over in the third quarter. Tennessee had one yard in the third quarter, with Harrison making five tackles, two sacks and forcing two fumbles - in 12 plays.

Why Leftwich was released

The release of Byron Leftwich Saturday was an interesting move for the Steelers.

Looking at the forecast in Nashville today, the Steelers saw that temperatures were going to be close to 90.

That necessitated a move to add nose tackle Steve McClendon to add to the defensive line rotation.

The Steelers weren't going to play Leftwich this week, so they used his roster spot to add McClendon to the active roster.

Leftwich will be re-signed Monday. In fact, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he's the team's starting quarterback next week in Tampa Bay.

© You won't see Antonio Brown returning punts today. In fact, I was told by a good source that you won't see him or any rookie returning punts until Ben Roethlisberger returns.

The Steelers are taking a no Roethlisberger, no rookies tact to punt returns. They don't feel they can overcome a possible mistake with Dennis Dixon or Leftwich at QB.

Who I like Week 2, and other stuff

Let me just say this from the start, the Steelers are going to be without nose tackle Casey Hampton and left tackle Max Starks Sunday in Tennessee .

That's two pretty big guys to be without, especially when you're already running without starting QB Ben Roethlisberger.

That said, if the game was in Pittsburgh, I'd be picking the Steelers this week. Vince Young doesn't scare me as a passer and one-dimensional teams are going to have a tough time against this defense.

But, the game is in Nashville, where the Steelers have traditionally struggled.

I think the Steelers can win. But I don't think they will.

What they will do, however, is cover the 5 1/2-point spread in a 17-13 loss.

© Both Jason Worlids and Emmanuel Sanders missed practice again Friday. Even though both are listed as doubtful to play, there's no way that's happening.

© Of more interest is Mike Tomlin's decision to list Byron Leftwich as probable.

Leftwich went through a full practice Friday and could be available if Dennis Dixon struggles.

The more likely scenario is Leftwich starting next week in Tampa, unless Dixon somehow comes out of Sunday with a victory.

Just something I noticed in practice this week

Three of the players the coaching staff weren't happy with from an attitude standpoint in training camp - Antonio Brown, Crezdon Butler and Keenan Lewis – are running as scout players at practice this week, ie. dressed in the jersey number of somebody on the opposing team.

The Steelers usually do this with three or four key players on the opposing team each week.

For example, Brown is serving as Tennessee running back Chris Johnson.

It's possible that those three players would have been used in those roles anyway. But it's a good way for the coaching staff to show the young guys that they aren't bigger than the team.

© Arnaz Battle returned to practice Thursday, but pretty much everyone else who missed Wednesday - other than the vet's day off guys - did not.

That's not saying guys won't play - veterans can miss work all week and still suit up.

But it's bad news for Jason Worilds and Emmanuel Sanders, who both missed their second day. Rookies have to practice to be active.

Things that make me go hmmm

Listening to the Dan Patrick Show this morning on my drive into Pittsburgh - I was flipping through the stations and caught it - and actually heard him ask if Reggie Bush giving back his Heisman Trophy made me feel any differently about Bush.

Ah, no.

Bush pretty much blamed everyone - including the media - for giving back the Heisman Trophy.

Note to Reggie: The media didn't illegally accept any money from anyone.

© The Steelers are 1-8 playing football in the state of Tennessee. I knew they hadn't had a lot of success down there, but I didn't realize that the record was that bad.

© I was watching a show on the NFL Network late Tuesday night in which they break down parts of games from the previous week.

The analysts were raving about the play of Lawrence Timmons. Welcome to the party on that one, fellas.

Timmons will make his first Pro Bowl appearance this season. The kid is that good and gives the Steelers yet another playmaker on defense.

© Rashard Mendenhall's 50-yard TD run in overtime Sunday was the third-longest game-winning overtime run in NFL history.

Tomlin denies NFL.com report

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin refuted the NFL.com report that offensive tackle Max Starks would be out four weeks with a high ankle sprain, saying that Starks' injury was to his lower ankle and that he could return to practice late in the week.

Tomlin also said that it's possible nose tackle Casey Hampton could practice later in the week despite suffering a hamstring injury against the Falcons.

I don't expect either player to suit up this week, but we'll see what happens.

In other news, Tomlin said quarterback Byron Leftwich may also be ready for a full return to practice later in the week. At this point, however, the team appears set to roll with Dennis Dixon at QB at Tennessee.

What the Starks injury means

Let the scrambling begin.

With NFL.com reporting that Max Starks will be out a month with a high ankle sprain, the Steelers took a big hit on their offensive line.

Starks' injury leaves the Steelers without both players scheduled to be their starting offensive tackles coming out of mini-camp. Right tackle Willie Colon was lost prior to the opening of training camp with an Achilles' tendon tear.

The injury to Starks leaves the team with Jonathan Scott, who replaced Starks Sunday, Flozell Adams, signed to replace Colon, and Tony Hills as the only healthy tackles on the roster.

Starting right guard Trai Essex has also played tackle during his career, while second-year player Ramon Foster has lined up at right tackle in preseason games.

The early favorite to replace Starks in the next three games - the Steelers have a bye week in Week 5 - will be Hills.

He made big improvements during training camp this summer to make a push to earn a spot on the roster.

One emergency option for the Steelers would be to re-sign former starting center Justin Hartwig – who visited the Cincinnati Bengals Monday. That would allow the team to move Essex to left tackle, slide Maurkice Pouncey to right guard and insert Hartwig at center.

But that would be tearing up the entire line, so the first option will be using Scott or Hills.

Post-Atlanta thoughts

Kudos to the Steelers for a big, big win. There’s no reason now that they shouldn’t go at least 2-2 with Ben Roethlisberger out, which should set them up for the 10-6 season I’ve predicted.

As I’ve constantly said during training camp and the preseason, people saying the Steelers hadn’t done anything to improve themselves weren’t looking at the big picture. Getting Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith back healthy was huge.

It also appears as if Lawrence Timmons is ready to join the team’s other three starting linebackers with a Pro Bowl trip this season.

I know it’s only one game and certainly things can fall apart - as we saw last season.

But the defense is playing with a big chip on its shoulder after faltering last season. They’ve got something to prove.

© I could say the same thing about Hines Ward. I questioned how much he had left in the tank after he had a quiet training camp and preseason.

But he stepped up in a big way against the Falcons.

© One of the unsung heroes in this game was punter Daniel Sepulveda.

Five punts with a 46.8-yard net – NET – is a pretty good day at the office.

This was a battle of field position. And while Atlanta punter Michael Koenen had a strong day as well - pinning the Steelers inside their own 20 four times – it was his 37-yard punt in overtime that only made it to midfield that was the special teams mistake of the game.

© Mike Tomlin said after the game that had the Steelers won the coin flip to start overtime, he would have taken the ball.

I think that would have been a mistake. The way the Steelers were playing defense, I’d rather have the game in their hands than in those of Dennis Dixon with a long field.

© Early word is that Tony Hills will replace Max Starks at left tackle next week at Tennessee. Hills made great strides during the preseason, but I’m not sure he’s ready for that just yet.

Jonathan Scott, who was OK filling in there Sunday after Starks went down with an ankle injury, could also be in the mix.

A better move might be to move Trai Essex from right guard to left tackle and start Ramon Foster at right guard. But they won’t want to tear up the whole offensive line.

© Imagine this if you will. If the Jets beat the Ravens at home Monday night, the Steelers will be alone in first place in the AFC North after Week 1.

© This from Atlanta linebacker Sean Weatherspoon describing the Steelers offensive line: Mammoth offensive line. Big guys up front. They do a good job firing off the ball - pretty athletic guys, and they have a quarterback who can run around.”

I’ve been saying that this is the biggest offensive line in Steelers history. They used that to their advantage Sunday.

It’s going to be a problem, especially for 4-3 teams, who are going to be giving up a lot of weight on the ends.

© I overestimated how good Matt Ryan was when I made my pick of the Falcons to win this game.

Ryan’s passes don’t have a lot of zip on them and his outs take forever to get to the sideline. Without a running game to help him, he was pretty toothless.

He was also way to dependent on one receiver. Roddy White was targeted 23 times in this game for 13 receptions.

I’ve been covering the NFL for 18 years and can’t recall seeing so many passes intended for one receiver. That made the Falcons very predictable.

Tomlin's thoughts on rookies haven't changed

Mike Tomlin may be starting a rookie today for the first time, but his overall thoughts on first-year players in games hasn't changed.

Inactive against the Falcons are Jonathan Dwyer, Crezdon Butler, Antonio Brown and Thaddeus Gibson, all members of this year's draft class. Also inactive are Byron Leftwich, Tony Hils and Ramon Foster.

From the looks of warmups, it appears that Antwaan Randle El will handle punt returns and Emmanuel Sanders will take care of kick returns.

Who I like, Week 1

This isn't likely to garner me any friends here, but I like the Falcons this week for a couple of different reasons.

First is obviously Dennis Dixon starting at QB.

I think the Steelers will try to play things close to the vest to limit his mistakes and that will be a mistake. It's like playing not to lose rather than playing to win.

Also, unlike Baltimore last season, the Falcons have had time to prepare to face Dixon. They'll have something drawn up to limit his scrambling ability and take advantage of the things he doesn't do well throwing the ball - ie. checking off his first option.

Finally, there is the old hidden vigorish. The Steelers have the league's longest active winning streak to start the season at seven. They have also won their past seven home openers.

The longer streaks like that go on, the more likely they are to end.

That's why I like the Falcons to win this one, 16-13.

Arians clarifies Mendenhall's situation

Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians has clarified the rotation that will exist between Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman in short-yardage situations.

Redman will indeed be the team's short-yardage back, but Mendenhall will still get the bulk of the goal line carries.

The team will leave Mendenhall in the game down by the end zone because of his skill as a receiver. They want the threat of a pass to at least be there.

© Little note about Maurkice Pouncey. Not only will he be the first rookie position player to start a regular season opening game for the Steelers since Heath Miller in 2005, but he'll also be just the second offensive lineman in team history to do so. Marvel Smith is the only other rookie offensive lineman to start in team history.

Random notes

Just looking through the Steelers' depth chart in their official season-opening press release and found a couple of interesting notes:

© Tight end David Johnson is listed as a starter at fullback.

Now, everyone knew that Johnson would be used as a lead blocker quite a bit, but a starter? I guess.

© The team lists both Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon as its starting quarterback.

© Antonio Brown is listed as the starting punt and kick return man. Mewelde Moore is listed second on KR. Antwaan Randle El is listed second at PR. Emmanuel Sanders is No. 3 at both spots.

© Jonathan Scott is listed as the backup long snapper. James Harrison is No. 3.

© This may be in name only, but Keenan Lewis is listed at third on the depth chart at LCB behind Ike Taylor and Anthony Madison.

Some notes from Tomlin Tuesday

Mike Tomlin said today that Isaac Redman will serve as the Steelers' short-yardage back. That's bad news for those of you who selected Mendenhall in your fantasy drafts.

On the plus side, Tomlin did say the Steelers will use Mendenhall as the primary third-down back - as they did in the second half of last season - so he could make up for a couple of the scores that Redman may syphon off.

© As expected, Antwaan Randle El will be the team's emergency QB this week against Atlanta and will get some practice snaps at quarterback.

Randle El is also the backup holder on PATs and field goals.

© Jeff Reed will handle kickoffs this week, but I expect that to be a week-to-week thing with him and Daniel Sepulveda.

© Tomlin would not commit to saying which rookie receiver, Emmanuel Sanders or Antonio Brown - or if both - will be active on game days.

He was also non-commital with rookie linebackers Jason Worilds, Stephenson Sylvester and Thaddeus Gibson.

He wants the kids to earn their spots - though I think both rookie wide receivers and two of the three linebackers will be active.

© The Steelers released seventh-round draft pick Doug Worthington from their practice squad, signing defensive end Al Woods instead.

Woods was a fourth-round draft pick by the New Orleans Saints out of LSU.

Tomlin picks Dixon

That Mike Tomlin, he's a tricky sort.

Tomlin on Monday announced Dennis Dixon would be the team's starting QB this week against the Atlanta Falcons, choosing the third-year pro over Charlie Batch.

Tomlin said, “Dennis has had a very productive preseason and training camp. He went into the training camp as a young guy, second in the pecking order behind Byron Leftwich. He did a nice job and made it extremely competitive. He waged a battle and got some first-team reps in some preseason games. Largely, we’ve been very impressed with how he’s handled himself in game situations."

That said, it could end up being a one-week starting spot if Dixon doesn't perform well. Leftwich was a surprise participant in practice Monday. He's not ready to play after suffering an MCL injury last Thursday against Carolina, but he might be good to go in two weeks at Tennessee.

Practice squad set/Captains named

The Steelers set their 8-man practice squad on Monday. All eight are players who were with the team in training camp.

Signed were: TE Eugene Bright, OG Dorian Brooks, S Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith, WR Tyler Grisham, OT Kyle Jolly, DT Steve McLendon, FB Frank Summers and DE Doug Worthington.

In other news, the Steelers announced their four captains for the 2010 season. The only surprise here is tight end Heath Miller being named a captain for the first time.

He'll be joined by Hines Ward, James Farrior and Keyaron Fox.

Miller replaces Ben Roethlisberger as a captain.

Look for Batch to be the starter

After thinking about it for the past couple of days, the Steelers appear to be ready to head into the regular season using their backup quarterbacks to Ben Roethlisberger the same way they had planned - with one exception.

It looks like they're leaning to substituting Charlie Batch for injured Byron Leftwich and use Dennis Dixon as a change of pace.

The move actually has some merit – particularly since the Steelers feel Leftwich's knee injury will be more of the two to three-week variety. That could have him back in Week 2, with Week 3 at Tampa Bay being the better possibility.

They'll tell him to stay in the pocket and leave the scrambling to the kid.

If you remember, two of Batch's more recent injuries - a broken collar bone in a preseason game and a broken hand during a regular season start - came on him running with the ball or at least attempting a QB sneak.

The Steelers will drive home the point to Batch that he has to stay in the pocket and will emphasize a safe game plan that won't put him in a lot of jeopardy - if you can do that with a QB in an NFL game.

Hartwig among final cuts

The Steelers finalized their regular season roster today when they released 11 players, including former starting center Justin Hartwig, to reach the NFL’s 53-man limit.

Hartwig's release means the Steelers are comfortable with rookie Maurkice Pouncey as their starting center.

Also released were linebacker Patrick Bailey – a former team rookie of the year – cornerback Joe Burnett, safety Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith, wide receiver Tyler Grisham, defensive end Sunny Harris, wide receiver Stefan Logan, defensive tackle Steve McLendon, fullback Frank Summers, guard Kraig Urbik and defensive tackle Doug Worthington.

Expect Burnett, Grisham, Harris, Worthington and Cromartie-Smith to be headed to the practice squad.

The Steelers’ 53-man roster includes three quarterbacks, four running backs, three tight ends, six wide receivers, nine offensive linemen, six defensive linemen, nine linebackers, 10 defensive backs, one kicker, one punter and one long snapper.

Steelers release 10

The Steelers released 10 players from their preseason roster today in an effort to get down to the NFL’s 53-man limit for the regular season.

The following players were released by the Steelers: TE Eugene Bright, OG Dorian Brooks, OT Kyle Jolly, WR Brandon London, TE Sean McHugh, DT Scott Paxson, LS Matt Stewart, S Justin Thornton, RB Justin Vincent and LB Renauld Williams.

The Steelers must release 11 additional players by 6 p.m. on Saturday.

No real surprises in this list. The tough cuts will come Saturday.

Post-Carolina thoughts

Well, we wanted a decision on who the Steelers' QB would be against Atlanta and it's apparent that player will be Dennis Dixon.

I asked Mike Tomlin after the game if he pulled Dixon out because he didn't want to get him hurt. He said yes.

That tells me that Tomlin is planning on starting Dixon.

He could change his mind and go with Charlie Batch, though the coaching staff knows Charlie is injury prone at this point in his career - hence their decision to have him throw just four passes in more than two quarters.

But it's easier to go with Dixon and hope the defense can keep things close and overcome any mistakes he may make.

With the way this offensive line is run blocking, they should be able to take some pressure off Dixon and control the clock.

That's right, I'm raving about the run blocking of this offensive line - OK, I'm not raving. But I like the way they're getting off the ball.

We're seeing some nasty out of this offensive line, particularly when they line up and go straight ahead.

This is a big offensive line - probably the biggest in team history with the addition of Flozell Adams at right tackle. And they can use that to their advantage.

Perhaps it serves Tomlin right that his choice to replace Ben Roethlisberger during his suspension was injured when a second-team offensive lineman got rag-dolled and leg whipped the quarterback.

Jonathan Scott had played reasonably well to this point, but he's still a backup. You shouldn't have your QB in the game with backup linemen unless you absolutely have to.

It's a lesson you would have thought Tomlin would have learned last week in Denver when he nearly got Leftwich killed playing behind second and third stringers before yanking him after just two series.

He probably won't make the same mistake ever again.

Roethlisberger will start tonight

Just got confirmation that Ben Roethlisberger will start tonight's preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers.

© Bad news for Byron Leftwich. His left knee was hit while he was throwing by teammate Jonathan Scott and it appears he may have torn something.

He was taken to the hospital for an MRI, but the Steelers don't think it looks good.

Dennis Dixon may win the QB battle by default.

The injury could also open up a roster spot for Charlie Batch.

Steelers make moves/Roethlisberger meeting set

The Steelers released four players and placed another on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform List, reducing their roster to 75 players.

The four players released include OT Adrian Jones, LB Brandon Renkart, CB David Pittman and FB Dwayne Wright. Rookie OT Chris Scott was placed on the Reserve/PUP List and will be out for six weeks. After six weeks, Scott will be able to practice with the team for three weeks before the Steelers determine whether or not to add him to their active roster. Scott injured his foot prior to the start of training camp and has yet to practice with the team.

The Steelers also announced that veteran LB Andre Frazier was waived from the Reserve/Injured List.

© In other news, the Steelers have confirmed that Ben Roethlisberger will meet with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Friday to discuss his impending suspension and whether or not it will be reduced from six games to four.

Post-Denver thoughts

Still think Dennis Dixon is a better option to open the season at quarterback for the Steelers instead of Byron Leftwich?

Sunday night against Denver, we got a good look at some of the poor decision making that scares the Steelers coaching staff with Dixon.

Leftwich didn't look good either, but he was playing with an offensive line made up of reserves.

Yes, Dixon has potential, but this is a team that can't wait for that to develop. It needs an NFL-ready QB in two weeks.

That's why Leftwich will be the starter when the Steelers open the season against Atlanta.

Actually, what the Steelers need is a cross between Dixon and Leftwich. That proved to be Charlie Batch Sunday night, but, as the Steelers have found, when Batch plays too much, he gets hurt.

© Maurkice Pouncey did a credible job against the Broncos and more than held his own. In fact, the first-team offensive line played pretty well.

And spare me the "this guy sucks because he gave up a sack or had a false start" stuff. Offensive linemen are beaten on occasion and Denver is one of the loudest stadiums in the league.

© The personal fouls by the Pittsburgh defense for the second consecutive game were troubling.

The call against James Harrison on the opening drive was a little ticky tacky, but the others were pretty legit. Those are the kind of things that can't happen.

© Jonathan Dwyer finished with 89 yards on 13 carries, but also made a couple of mental mistakes.

Those are the things that have really frustrated the coaching staff with Dwyer. It's one thing to miss time with injuries. It's another to miss that time and not pay attention enough to know what you're supposed to do.

© Troy Aikman was making a big deal of Denver's supposed ability to establish a running game against the Steelers. But Denver had 38 yards rushing on 14 carries in the first half, a nifty 2.7 yards per carry average.

That, folks, is not establishing a running game.

The Steelers pulled a number of defensive starters long before Denver took out its offensive starters.

© Antonio Brown didn't help his cause to win the return job by fielding a punt inside the 5. But it's a rookie mistake that can be corrected.

He's still the best option for this team returning kicks.

Fantasy Football Rankings

Perhaps some of you knew this, but when I started this blog for the Observer-Reporter some six or seven years ago - I can't remember how long I've been doing it – I did so as a fantasy football blog.

And we can't lose touch with those roots.

As such, here are my top 10 players at each position heading into 2010:

QB
1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay - Poised for a huge season.
2. Drew Brees, New Orleans
3. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis
4. Tom Brady, New England
5. Philip Rivers, San Diego
6. Tony Romo, Dallas
7. Matt Schaub, Houston - His injury history scares me - even though he stayed healthy in 2009 - but anyone throwing to Andre Johnson is going to be good.
8. Eli Manning, N.Y. Giants
9. Donovan McNabb, Washington
10. Matt Ryan, Atlanta

RB
1. Chris Johnson, Tennessee - History shows us that running backs coming off 2,000-yard seasons struggle, but Johnson is valuable in the passing game as well. Even if he rushes for 1,500 yards, what he adds in the passing game makes him great.
2. Adrian Peterson, Minnesota
3. Ray Rice, Baltimore
4. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville
5. Michael Turner, Atlanta
6. Frank Gore, San Francisco - Another player whose injury history scares me. But the 49ers are a team on the upswing.
7. Steven Jackson, St. Louis
8. Rashard Mendenhall, Pittsburgh - Mendenhall is going to be a big part of the passing game as well.
9. DeAngelo Williams, Carolina
10. Pierre Thomas, New Orleans

WR
1. Andre Johnson, Houston - The gold standard for wide receivers
2. Randy Moss, New England
3. Reggie Wayne, Indianpolis
4. Roddy White, Atlanta
5. Miles Austin, Dallas
6. Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona - The QB situation in Arizona scares me or Fitgerald would be higher.
7. Greg Jennings, Green Bay
8. Calvin Johnson, Detroit
9. Marques Colston, New Orleans
10. Brandon Marshall, Miami

TE
1. Dallas Clark, Indianapolis
2. Vernon Davis, San Francisco
3. Antonio Gates, San Diego
4. Brent Celek, Philadelphia - A tight end is a young quarterback's best friend.
5. Jermichael Finley, Green Bay
6. Jason Witten, Dallas
7. Chris Cooley, Washington
8. Zach Miller, Oakland
9. Owen Daniels, Houston
10. Kellen Winslow, Tampa Bay

Breaking down the QB situation

Mike Tomlin said this week that Dennis Dixon will play with the starters on Sunday night in Denver and many people ran off half-cocked thinking that means Dixon has a shot to be the team's starting QB.

That's not the case.

Barring something unforeseen, Byron Leftwich will be the team's starting quarterback when they open the season at Atlanta.

But the coaching staff wants Dixon to get some work with the first team so - as I've been saying all along - when they put some special packages in each game while Ben Roethlisberger is out, he'll be comfortable in that role.

Using both Leftwich and Dixon while Roethlisberger serves his suspension makes sense. It gives opponents another dimension to prepare for, especially since the two QBs have such different styles of play. And the Steelers have to be prepared to do whatever it takes to win some games while Roethlisberger is out.

Steelers thoughts

There was an interesting piece on Nick Eason in Steelers Digest that explains why he looked so bad in training camp.

It seems Eason had an emergency appendectomy and developed complications from that which caused him to lose 29 pounds.

According to the story, Eason had to have portions of his bowel removed as well and is lucky to be alive.

He also had to have his intestines pumped through his mouth, which could not have been pleasant.

© I had a long talk with Frank Summers today about the fullback position.

Summers said he doesn't know how much the Steelers intend to use the fullback, but he seems to have fully embraced the position.

© I also spoke with Emmanuel Sanders about possibly being the guy who is being overlooked among the receivers at this point.

We had a long talk about his blocking skills, which have impressed me, as well.

Sanders said he wasn't asked to do a lot of blocking in college, but that it was his main job in high school.

My 53-man roster

With two games under their belt, things are starting to mesh out for the Steelers in terms of what their 53-man roster is going to look like.

There have been a few surprises and it won't be an easy cut for this team to trim away 27 players.

Here's what I think it will look like in the end:

QBs (3): Ben Roethlisberger, Byron Leftwich, Dennis Dixon: Charlie Batch will be released, but if Leftwich or Dixon are injured while Roethlisberger is serving his suspension, help will be but a phone call away.

RBs (4): Rashard Mendenhall, Mewelde Moore, Isaac Redman, Frank Summers: Summers over Dwayne Wright is the toughest cut here. Redman truly earned his spot on this team.

WRs (6): Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Antwaan Randle El, Arnaz Battle, Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders. The play of rookie receivers Brown and Sanders has been one of the bright spots on the summer. Battle is an excellent special teams player and this team has to keep six receivers around because Ward looks to be slipping some.

TEs (3): Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, David Johnson. Not a real tough cut here, but Eugene Bright could end up on the practice squad.

OL (9): Max Starks, Chris Kemoeatu, Trai Essex, Flozell Adams, Maurkice Pouncey, Doug Legursky, Jonathan Scott, Ramon Foster, Tony Hills. It almost looks like the light has come on for Hills. Essex looks very good in the run game, as does Adams. If Justin Hartwig doesn't hold off Pouncey - and I don't believe he will - it's a good bet he'll be gone. Dorian Brooks and Kraig Urbik could be practice squad material.

Defensive line (7): Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton, Brett Keisel, Chris Hoke, Ziggy Hood, Nick Eason, Doug Worthington. After showing plenty of hunger last year, Sunny Harris hasn't shown much this summer. Worthington looks like a keeper. Eason had a solid all-around game last week against the Giants.

LB (9): James Harrison, James Farrior, Lawrence Timmons, LaMarr Woodley, Jason Worilds, Thaddeus Gibson, Larry Foote, Stevenson Sylvester, Keyaron Fox. This is a tough position to cut as well. Renauld Williams has flashed at times and Patrick Bailey is a former team rookie of the year and special teams ace.

DBs (9): Ike Taylor, Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark, Bryant McFadden, Keenan Lewis, Joe Burnett, Will Allen, Ryan Mundy, William Gay. The Steelers take a chance that they can sneak Crezdon Butler onto the practice squad. It's tough to cut Anthony Madison, but he gets exposed every time he plays in the base defense, even when playing against second and third-team players.

Specialists (3): Jeff Reed, Daniel Sepulveda, Greg Warren. No explanation needed.

So there it is. Have at it. It's not an easy cut at many positions, speaking to the depth this team has acquired. The past two draft classes - I include rookie free agents in that - have been very solid and have really improved this team's bench.

Post-Giants thoughts

Here are some initial thoughts from the preseason game against the Giants:

Ike Taylor has to be smarter that he was in getting himself thrown out on the opening possession of a game - even a preseason game.

Walk away Ike.

On the plus side, the Steelers got an extended look at Keenan Lewis with their first-team defense thanks to Taylor's stupidity. Lewis held up well.

Lewis, however, suffered a concussion in the game and did not return.

© I didn't think Nick Eason had a very good, or seemingly motivated, camp, but while I was jotting down a note that he was playing well, he blew up a play in the backfield at the goal line.

© Another note I made to myself: You'll notice Flozell Adams showing up in the run game when you watch that game again.

© Antonio Brown showed enough as a return man to make Stefan Logan expendable. Sorry Stefan.

© I thought all three Pittsburgh quarterbacks played well.

A big reason for that was that the offensive line played much better this week, giving them plenty of time. And the Giants defensive front is much better than Detroit's.

© Isaac Redman has secured his spot on this team. If I'm Jonathan Dwyer, I'm very nervous and motivated heading into next week's game at Denver.

Tomlin's thoughts on game against Giants

Mike Tomlin said Thursday that not only will rookie Maurkice Pouncey share some first-team time at center with Justin Hartwig, but that Jonathan Scott will split time at right tackle with Flozell Adams.

It's a sign that the Steelers want to push Adams to play a little harder than he did last Saturday against the Lions.

There's practicing like a veteran, but when you carry that over to a game, it can get the quarterback killed.

© Rookie Antonio Brown will handle the majority of the punt and kickoff returns against the Giants.

© Daniel Sepulveda will be kicking off instead of Jeff Reed. Sepulveda will win that job.

© Finally, Ben Roethlisberger will play, but Tomlin would not say how much.

Judging by how they split the first-team snaps this week, I expect Roethlisberger to start and play at least two series before giving way to Byron Leftwich.

Camp winding down thoughts

With the countdown to the end of training camp down to hours as opposed to days, it's time to reflect on what we've learned at Saint Vincent College over the past three weeks:

© If the Steelers can get even adequate play out of their offensive line, they have a chance to be very good in 2010. But that's a big if.

Willie Colon was certainly no world-beater. But he was the best the Steelers had at right tackle. I'm still not sold that Flozell Adams is the answer there and if he's not, this team could be in some trouble.

I'm not ready to close the book on Adams, however. He was playing his first game at right tackle against Detroit in the preseason opener. I'll be watching again this week to see if there is any improvement there. The real test will come in Denver next week when the first-team offense is on the field for an extended look.

© Ben Roethlisberger is saying and doing all the right things. But can this team survive the four to six games he is suspended to begin the season.

If it is a four-game suspension - which I feel it will be - a 2-2 record in those games is a must. A game at Tampa Bay should be a gimme with this defense, so the Steelers either have to beat Atlanta at home in the opener or win at Tennessee the following week to avoid facing a must-win game against Baltimore at Heinz Field in Week 4.

That game will still be big, given that Baltimore is an AFC North opponent and Pittsburgh's biggest rival, but heading into that game at 2-1 rather than 1-2 would be a much better situation.

If the Steelers can get by at 2-2, they should be able to go 10-6 this season - barring the major injuries they dealt with in 2009.

That's assuming losses at New Orleans, Cincinnati and Baltimore with another stumble along the way.

The schedule just isn't that daunting.

© I heard the pundits talk about everything that Baltimore and Cincinnati have added this offseason while saying the Steelers added nothing.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith miss a combined 22 games in 2009?

Getting both of those players back presumably for a full season is two pretty big additions.

In fact, Polamalu was the best player on the field for either team in every game he suited up for last season.

© I also like the depth, particularly on defense, the Steelers have this season. This is much more capable of handling some minor injuries.

© I think the special teams units will be much improved this season. New coach Al Everest has a lot to work with in terms of young talent on special teams. I expect him to get the most out of it.

© I'll be cutting my roster sometime this weekend and it may be one of the most difficult cuts to 53 players I've had to do with the Steelers in quite some time.

I've been very impressed with the 2010 draft picks and a lot of the 2009 guys look very good as well. There are some veterans who could be getting their walking papers.

That's a tough line to walk, however, since you don't want total inexperience on the bench.

Pouncey runs some first team

Rookie Maurkice Pouncey split time with the first unit at center Monday following a strong preseason showing against the Detroit Lions.

Pouncey played well enough that he could push Justin Hartwig to the bench.

Pouncey saw time at both center and right guard against the Lions, but Trai Essex has played well enough at right guard to hold down that spot.

The Steelers would also like to continue to give new right tackle Flozell Adams more of an opportunity to work next to Essex rather than swapping different players in there with Adams. Adams is shifting from left to right tackle.

Post-Detroit thoughts

The Steelers could not have been happy with the way their running backs were putting the ball on the ground against Detroit Saturday night.

Rashard Mendenhall's fumble is one that should not have happened. If it doesn't, he rips off a 30-yard gain if he doesn't take it for a touchdown. Instead, Mendenhall was carrying the ball very loosely.

Head coach Mike Tomlin yanked Mendenhall out of the game on the second series and his backup, Mewelde Moore, promptly put one on the ground as well.

For a team that will be hoping to bide its time with Byron Leftwich at quarterback, those kind of drive killers can't happen.


© Isaac Redman is working his way into a roster spot and Jonathan Dwyer could find himself on the outside looking in.

It must be noted, however, that much of Redman's work came against backups.

© Keenan Lewis and Joe Burnett both made nice plays in the end zone on 6-5 receiver Calvin Johnson.

Lewis was later beaten for a TD by Johnson, but it appeared to me that Johnson pushed off on the play.

Still, a touchdown is a touchdown.

Lewis shouldn't feel too badly about that, though. Johnson's an all-world talent.

© Let's not get too giddy over Dennis Dixon's final numbers being better than those of Leftwich.

There isn't a quarterback controversy in Pittsburgh - yet.

Dixon played pretty well. But as we saw Saturday night, he's quick to tuck the ball and try to run.

That may work against Detroit's backups. But remember that Detroit went 2-14 last season. How good can the Lions' backups be?

Plus, a lot of Dixon's passing yards were due to great runs after the catch by Arnaz Battle and Antonio Brown.

© Speaking of Battle and Brown, there may be no more difficult cut for the Steelers than at wide receiver.

That is why I have been saying for weeks that Stefan Logan has no shot of making this team.

We didn't get to see Brown or third-round draft pick Emmanuel Sanders in the return game, but that will be coming next week.

And with Antwaan Randle El and Burnett also capable of working in the return game, keeping a one-trick pony like Logan won't be possible.

© I was a little surprised the Steelers didn't try Daniel Sepulveda on kickoffs. Then again, Jeff Reed's kickoffs were pretty good in this one.

You know what they say about a little competition.

© One of the things the coaching staff had to be happiest with was the fact the Steelers were penalized just two times for 25 yards. Detroit, on the other hand, had 11 for 88 yards.

That means the young guys weren't overwhelmed by the experience of playing in their first preseason game.

© To hear about my thoughts on Saturday's game, listen in on Fox 970-AM from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday.

Why I wouldn't play Roethlisberger

I would not play Ben Roethlisberger in tonight's preseason game for one big reason:

Mike Tomlin has already stated that he intends to play the starters 8 to 12 plays. If he starts Roethlisberger and he leads them on a lengthy TD drive, that eats up all 12 plays, Byron Leftwich gets no work with the starters.

By the way, there are three quarterbacks warming up on the field right now and none of them are named Roethlisberger.

Tomlin's thoughts on first preseason game

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Thursday that he hasn't decided which quarterback he will start in Saturday's preseason game against Detroit. But Tomlin did acknowledge that he is considering not playing Ben Roethlisberger at all in the game.

If Roethlisberger doesn't play, Byron Leftwich would get the start.

© Stefan Logan and Emmanuel Sanders will handle the kickoff return duties, while Logan and Antonio Brown will be the punt returners.

Tomlin said that Logan must earn his spot on the team as a return man.

Antwaan Randle El likely won't be used in either capacity because Tomlin said he knows what Randle El is capable of.

© While Tomlin wouldn't rule any players out of Saturday's game at this point, he did single out second-round draft pick Jason Worilds as somebody who is healthy but unlikely to play.

Tomlin feels Worilds has missed too much practice time to just throw him into action.

Guys I want to see play some real football

The first preseason game is almost upon us and here are some guys I'm itching to see play for various reasons:

Flozell Adams: I've watched Adams at times throughout training camp and it's tough to gauge how hard the veteran is going at all times. I want to see him line up against another team and see if he's got what it takes to help this team at right tackle.

Isaac Redman/Jonathan Dwyer/Frank Summers: These three guys are probably fighting for two spots on the roster, with Rashard Mendenhall and Mewelde Moore holding down the other two spots. I only see the Steelers keeping four backs coming out of camp, so it will be interesting to see who shows up. Dwayne Wright is a darkhorse candidate. But because the Steelers do so little with the fullback and use David Johnson in that blocking role, I don't see them keeping five unless they have an injury or Willie Parker gets cut loose by Washington.

Stevenson Sylvester/Thaddeus Gibson/Jason Worilds: The three rookie linebackers have all looked good thus far in camp - though Worilds has been slowed by a hamstring injury. Can they carry that over to a game?

Keenan Lewis/Joe Burnett/William Gay: I think Burnett was pushing Gay for playing time in the nickel before getting hurt Tuesday. Lewis is more of an outside guy, which would make it difficult for him to slide into the nickel with Ike Taylor and Bryant McFadden. Rookie Crezdon Butler keeps on making plays as well. But it will be difficult for him to crack Dick LeBeau's defense as a rookie.

Another injury

After making it through the first week of practices at Saint Vincent College pretty healthy, the Steelers had another one on Tuesday, as cornerback Joe Burnett suffered a rib injury diving for a tipped pass in the afternoon session.

Burnett's prognosis is not yet known, but he appeared to be in quite a bit of pain.

Burnett will join offensive tackle Tony Hills (ankle), defensive lineman Steve McClendon (knee) and safety Tuff Harris (shoulder) on the sidelines Wednesday.

McClendon was getting his knee checked out by doctors on Tuesday after injuring it Monday. Harris, meanwhile, was placed on the cut/injured reserve list Saturday after getting hurt Friday night.

Linebacker James Harrison sat out his second day of practice Tuesday with a sore shoulder but is expected to be back Wednesday.

Bad time to get hurt

Offensive tackle Tony Hills, who was already facing some long odds to make this team, saw his chances take a big hit Monday when he suffered a sprained ankle.

Hills, a fourth-round pick in 2008, has shown flashes of finally getting it, but not a lot of consistency.

And with some of the free agent signings/other young guys on this roster, he needed to be on the field every day to improve and make a positive impression.

But with Doug Legursky, Ramon Foster and Dorian Brooks pushing for roster spots, Hills may find himself on the outside looking in.

In fact, it may actually come down to Hills or Brooks, the promising rookie guard/center out of James Madison.

Brooks has great feet and excellent athleticism. He looks like a keeper.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, defensive lineman Steve McClendon, who has looked good, suffered a sprained MCL Monday.

That could be a blessing in disguise for the McClendon, who was on the practice squad last season.

With the addition of seventh rounder Doug Worthington, who has looked good in camp, McClendon could be caught in a numbers game. Now, he might end up on injured reserve.

Here we go again

From the Associated Press:

Saying "I'll go to my grave" with regret, NFL referee Bill Leavy reopened a Seahawks' wound that won't heal by acknowledging he made mistakes in Seattle's disputed, 2006 Super Bowl loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The veteran official began an annual training-camp rules interpretation session with the Seattle media after practice on Friday by bringing up the sore subject without being asked.

"It was a tough thing for me. I kicked two calls in the fourth quarter and I impacted the game, and as an official you never want to do that," said the veteran of 15 NFL seasons and two Super Bowls.

"It left me with a lot of sleepless nights, and I think about it constantly," Leavy said of the game in February 2006. "I'll go to my grave wishing that I'd been better."

Though Seattle played one of its poorest games of an otherwise wondrous season that day, several key calls went against the Seahawks in their 21-10 loss to the Steelers. It remains Seattle's only Super Bowl appearance.

This week is the first time since that game Leavy has been in Seattle with the Seahawks. He and a mini-crew arrived Thursday to help with the team's practices and give it a rules presentation.

Leavy didn't specify which plays he "kicked" that big day in Detroit.

But there are two late ones that people still talk about in Seattle — with disdain they usually reserve for cold, weak coffee.

Early in the fourth quarter, tackle Sean Locklear was called for holding on a pass completion that would have put the Seahawks at the Pittsburgh 1, poised for the go-ahead touchdown. After the penalty, Matt Hasselbeck threw an interception, and then was called for a mysterious low block on a play that ended with him tackling Pittsburgh's Ike Taylor on the defensive back's return.

The penalty moved the Steelers from their 29 to the 44. Pittsburgh used its better field position to score the clinching touchdown four plays later.

The next day, then-Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren stoked Seattle's angry fire when he addressed fans upon the team landing back home. Holmgren told frustrated fans at a civic gathering at Qwest Field, "I knew it was going to be tough going up against the Pittsburgh Steelers. I didn't know we were going to have to play the guys in the striped shirts, as well."

Holmgren, now a top executive with the Cleveland Browns, has since said he's gotten over that game.

But Leavy hasn't.

"I know that I did my best at that time, but it wasn't good enough," said the retired police officer and firefighter in San Jose, Calif., who became an NFL referee in 2001. "When we make mistakes, you got to step up and own them. It's something that all officials have to deal with, but unfortunately when you have to deal with it in the Super Bowl it's difficult."

When high-profile referee Ed Hochuli visited the Seahawks' training camp in the months after that Super Bowl, he and his crew took good-natured ribbing from players.

"The Super Bowl was one of those games where it seemed the big calls went against Seattle," Hochuli said in August 2006. "And that was just fortuitous — bad fortuitous for Seattle.

"The league felt, actually, that the Super Bowl was well officiated. Now, that doesn't mean there were no mistakes. There are always mistakes, but it was a well-officiated game."



Now, I know this is going to ignite the furor in Seattle once again, but I would have to disagree that the call against Locklear wasn't the correct one. Watch that play again - and I've seen that Super Bowl over and over again at Sharky's here in Latrobe. That, as it was explained to me last year in a meeting with officials, was a hold.

I'll agree that the illegal block call against Hasselbeck wasn't a good one, but the officials didn't cost Seattle that game. Mike Holmgren's poor clock management is just as much to blame.

The pass interference penalty in the end zone. That was offensive pass interference one Darrell Jackson. He clearly extended his arm.

And Ben Roethlisberger was in the end zone on his TD run. The ball only has to touch the goal line, not cross it.

Seattle needs to get over this one.

Friday night

Strong safety Troy Polamalu and wide receiver Hines Ward were held out of practice Friday night in what head coach Mike Tomlin said was basically a veteran's night off.

Strong safety Tuff Harris suffered a wrist injury while working on a special teams drill. He was in a sling following practice.

Defensive lineman Sunny Harris suffered a foot or ankle injury and also left early. In fact, he was taken out of the stadium before practice ended, so that doesn't appear to be good.

© I kept an eye on right tackle Flozell Adams at times tonight and he looked pretty good as a blocker. Adams has very good hands and that may help make up for the fact that his foot speed isn't quite what it once was.

© Of note for Steelers fans, punter Daniel Sepulveda handled all of the kickoff duties tonight.

Highlights from annual officials meeting

We had our annual meeting with some NFL officials this morning to explain the new rules and points of emphasis for the 2010 season.

There weren't as many new things on tap for this season as in previous years - which is probably a good thing.

Of course, the biggest change will be the new overtime rules. But since those will only be in place in the postseason, they're not really all that big a deal.

They may not even come into play in 2010.

One thing you will notice this season is that the umpire is no longer positioned behind the defensive line of scrimmage - except on kicks and in the final two minutes of each half.

Referee Jeff Triplett, who led today's session, explained that this was done for the safety of the umpire. Umpires were getting trampled, particularly on running plays up the middle.

Triplett did say that he thinks this move may lead to an increase in offensive holding penalties this season and a decrease in defensive holding penalties.

A personal foul after a play is completed at the end of a half will also no longer result in an untimed play. It will be a 15-yard penalty to start the next half or overtime. If it occurs at the end of a game that does not go to overtime, the offending player will face league sanctions.

An emphasis will be placed on players not being permitted to launch themselves shoulder first at a receiver's neck or head before they have had an opportunity to run with the ball.

Steelers safety Ryan Clark was shown a couple of times in the video depicting that one, so he may have to adjust his game a bit.

What's going on

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was in Latrobe today, just in case you've been living under a rock, and there was a lot of hoopla surrounding Goodell not emphatically saying that he would not reduct Ben Roethlisberger's suspension below four games.

People have to realize that Goodell's a pretty smart guy and he's never going to paint himself into a corner on any issue.

In fact, Goodell did say when asked to clarify if the suspension could go below four games, "No, I said we'll make a decision on what the suspension is going to be at the end of the month."

That seems pretty clear to me.

That did not, however, stop some people from running off half-cocked to go live with news that Roethlisberger's suspension could be lowered even more than two games.

The league office later made the statement that there is no way the suspension will be less than four games.

For the Steelers, that's actually a good thing.

The way their schedule is set up this season, they play their first four games and then have a bye week.

A four-game suspension would allow Roethlisberger two weeks to prepare to start the team's next game, Oct. 17 at Heinz Field against Cleveland.

That's a perfect scenario for the team, considering Roethlisberger cannot have any contact with it during his suspension.

In regards to that, if I were Roethlisberger, I'd hire a receiver or two who is among the team's final cuts to be my workout partner once the season begins.

Teams often tell players among their final cuts to hang loose and stay in shape in case there is an injury. That would be a perfect opportunity for, say, Tyler Grisham – and I'm just throwing that name out there – to stay in shape, work out with Roethlisberger, and perhaps make some money.

Hitting the dog days

The heat index reached 95 here today just prior to a storm rolling in after the afternoon practice and it felt every bit of that.

Newly signed running back Dwayne Wright and defensive lineman Scott Paxson both came down with heat-related cramps, while defensive lineman Sunny Harris also came out for a while before returning to practice.

Rashard Mendenhall was back in full practice today after doing only team drills Tuesday.

Casey Hampton continues to work only on positional drills.

© Perhaps the scariest play for the Steelers came in one-on-one defensive line/offensive line blocker drills when Aaron Smith got suplexed by Flozell Adams.

It was an obvious hold and Smith took it easy on the pass rush the rest of the way. The Steelers don't need him to get hurt again, especially by one of his own teammates.

© Byron Leftwich and Ben Roethlisberger continue to split time with the first-team offense, with Dennis Dixon running the second unit and Charlie Batch getting pretty much no reps in the 11-on-11 drills.

When is the posturing going to end and Mike Tomlin just simply going to name Leftwich his starter?

Tuesday's notes and news

Running back Rashard Mendenhall was back at practice Tuesday, though he just worked in position drills.

Nose tackle Casey Hampton (hamstring), guard Ramon Foster (head) and rookie guard/center Maurkice Pouncey (hamstring) were all back in action today.

Rookie Jason Worilds (hamstring) continues to sit out.

© Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians talked about a number of subjects this afternoon with several media members and was quite brazen in how good he thinks the offense can be in 2009 despite missing Ben Roethlisberger for a spell.

Arians said he believes the team can have 4,000 yards passing, two or even three 1,000-yard receivers and a 1,500-yard rusher in Mendenhall.

His caveat was Mendenhall staying healthy.

He also said that he would be open to using Dennis Dixon in a Wildcat role this season if he's not starting - something he's balked at in the past. He also wants to work in some gadget plays with Antwaan Randle El.

Arians said he'll have no problem working any of his quarterbacks behind the second-team offensive line, which he called the best backup unit the Steelers have had since he's been here.

That group includes three guys - Ramon Foster, Doug Legursky and Jonathan Scott – who have started games in the NFL, and a first-round pick in Maurkice Pouncey.

Mendenhall injured

Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall missed the team’s afternoon practice Tuesday at Saint Vincent College after having his toe stepped on during morning drills.

The injury is not considered serious for Mendenhall, who rushed for a team-best 1,108 yards in 2009, though head coach Mike Tomlin said he will be day-to-day.

“He had to get it drained in between practices and we’re just going to exercise some caution there to make sure he’s OK,” said Tomlin.

Five-time Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton practiced in a limited capacity after sitting out the first two days of training camp with a hamstring injury.

Second-round draft pick Jason Worilds also suffered a hamstring injury in the Monday afternoon session. He joined offensive lineman Maurkice Pouncey, the team’s top draft pick, and running back Jonathan Dwyer, a sixth-round selection, on the sidelines. Pouncey and Dwyer also have hamstring injuries.

Tomlin said Pouncey, who is expected to compete with veteran Trai Essex for a starting job at right guard, is close to returning.

© In a minor roster move, the Steelers claimed second-year fullback Dwayne Wright off waivers from Philadelphia and released rookie fullback Demetrius Taylor.

Gibson shines in backs on backers

Thaddeus Gibson, a fifth-round pick out of Ohio State, is quickly becoming the camp sensation.

Gibson was nearly unblockable in the backs on backers drill, beating six opponents, losing only to Isaac Redman. He shows a lot of explosiveness.

Redman, meanwhile, was one of the offensive stars along with Tank Summers in the drill.

The drill is slanted severely toward the defense, so any offensive wins are of note.

© Maurkice Pouncey, Ryan Clark, Ramon Foster, Casey Hampton and Jonathan Dwyer were among those who did not practice today.

More on that later.