Post-Cincinnati thoughts

Perhaps the Bengals were just due.

Former Pirates announcer Bob Prince used to talk about the hidden vigorish. His theory was that the more often something happens, the less likely it is that it will continue to do so.

The Steelers hadn't lost in Cincinnati since 2001, including a 2006 playoff victory there.

The Bengals have had some decent teams during that span, yet still found ways to lose to the Steelers at home.

© Until the Steelers figure out that they need to continue scoring points no matter how big their lead, they are going to continue to struggle.

It's something other NFL teams have figured out. But you have to cut the Steelers a little break, they're new to this whole pass, pass, pass thing.

© I'm pretty sure Shaun McDonald wouldn't have dropped that pass in the end zone that Limas Sweed did.

I don't know if McDonald could have gotten open like Sweed did, but I know he'll catch everything thrown to him.

And no, Limas, holding your hands in the air to signal a touchdown isn't going to make it so.

Just a guess, but Sweed will not be active again this season unless one of the other receivers is injured.

© The Steelers used Deshea Townsend and Keiwan Ratliff at strong safety on obvious passing downs to combat Cincinnati's three- and four-receiver packages in place of Tyrone Carter.

Even with that, Troy Polamalu can't get healthy soon enough for this team.

© Rashard Mendenhall was benched because Mike Tomlin didn't like how he handled a little success.

I think that was coach-speak for Mendenhall failing his weekly assignment test, but I'm not positive of that.

Either way, he was MIA until deciding it would be a good idea to pitch Cincinnati's squib kick back to Stefan Logan at the 35 rather than falling down to give Ben Roethlisberger one shot to hit something down the field and kick a tying field goal.

It would have been a long shot, but no more so than Logan scoring when the entire Cincinnati defense was five yards from him.

© It's a shame that the Steelers blowing this game will overshadow strong games from cornerbacks Ike Taylor and William Gay.

They both made plays all over the place and got their hands on passes. Now, they just need to start catching those passes.

© Before you get too excited about the 1-2 start, remember that the Steelers opened the 1995 season by losing all-world defensive back Rod Woodson, their best player, in the opener to a knee injury and proceeded to begin the season 3-4.

Included in that run were losses at Jacksonville - the expansion team's first victory - and yes, a loss to the Bengals - in Pittsburgh, no less.

That 1995 team rebounded to go to the Super Bowl and probably should have won that game.

It happens.

Summers inactive

Frank Summers is inactive this week, with David Johnson taking over the fullback duties.

Also inactive for the Steelers are Keenan Lewis, Troy Polamalu, Kriag Urbik, Tony Hills, Shaun McDonald and Nick Eason. Dennis Dixon is the third quarterback.

Tyrone Carter will start at strong safety.

Look for Steelers to rebound

I took some grief for picking the Bears to beat the Steelers last week - as if me picking Chicago somehow affected the outcome of the game.

But I saw a Pittsburgh team that was going to take some time to adjust to playing without Troy Polamalu. That turned out to be the case, as replacement Tyrone Carter was targeted numerous times by the Bears.

But Chicago is a team with a good tight end in Greg Olsen. This week's opponent, Cincinnati, is not quite so blessed.

Carson Palmer is a good quarterback, but he's been turning the ball over early this year and it doesn't look like his arm is what it once was before he injured his elbow last season.

And while Cedric Benson has been running hard, nobody runs consistently against the Steelers.

Take the Steelers to win this week, 27-17.

Wednesday notes

There were a couple of scoring changes from the Steelers' loss to Chicago.

First, Tyrone Carter was credited with a sack of Jay Cutler in the second quarter that was originally ruled a scramble in the press box. The play went for a one-yard loss and happened with 40 seconds left in the first half.

That gives the Steelers three sacks this season instead of two, thus nullifying everyone's questions about the lack of a pass rush for this team.

© Willie Parker was charged with a first quarter fumble with 1:18 left in the first quarter. The forced fumble was given to Charles Tillman, while Parker was credited with a recovery.

© Tyrone Carter and Troy Polamalu were the only players out with injuries today. Hines Ward and Aaron Smith got a vet's day off.

Limas Sweed was back at practice after sitting out last week and being inactive against the Bears.

Post-Chicago thoughts

The last time the Steelers played in Chicago - in 1995 - they came back forced overtime, winning at Soldier Field for the only time in team history.

It was a game that proved the 1995 Steelers - a great defensive team - had enough juice offensively to be a Super Bowl contender.

Sunday, we saw the Steelers show why this team – which is great offensively and defensively – might not make it again.

For whatever reason, this team just doesn't seem to be able to keep its foot on the pedal offensively.

The Steelers walked down the field with relative ease on their opening possession and were on their way to a second score when Ben Roethlisberger threw a duck of a pass that was picked off by Charles Tillman.

We didn't see a whole lot of offense after that.

Certainly the rain played a factor in that. But the Steelers played plenty of games in horrid conditions last season.

I know Roethlisberger likes leading the Steelers on fourth quarter game-winning drives and the team has plenty of confidence in him doing that, but it's OK to win by 20 sometimes too.

© From the number of e-mails I received this week about my pick of the Bears to win this game, I guess there were a good number of people who didn't believe me when I wrote that the Steelers would have a more difficult time replacing Troy Polamalu than Chicago would replacing Brian Urlacher.

After watching Polamalu's replacement, Tyrone Cater, get beat for both Chicago touchdowns, I wonder if they believe me now.

© Cincinnati went to Green Bay and won on Sunday, making next week's game against the Steelers at Paul Brown Stadium a big one.

The winner will move to 2-1 and keep pace with Baltimore.

The loser will be 1-2 and trailing the other and Baltimore.

Trust me when I say that the Steelers can lose that game as well.

Actually, I think the loss Sunday will help refocus this team and the Steelers will win in Cincinnati.

© All the people continuing to trash the offensive line should chill out a little bit. The line played pretty darn well Sunday and Roethlisberger had plenty of time to throw.

This team still can't run the ball when opponents know they're going to run it, though.

Timmons active

As expected linebacker Lawrence Timmons is active today to play against the Bears and will start.

Inactive for the Steelers are Dennis Dixon, Limas Sweed, Keenan Lewis, Troy Polamalu, Kraig Urbik, Tony Hills, Nick Eason and Arnold Harrison.

Sweed out, Timmons in

Limas Sweed won't play this week for the Steelers - did he play last week? - after suffering a foot injury Wednesday in practice.

That means Shaun McDonald, who was inactive against Tennessee, will 'get a hat this week,' as head coach Mike Tomlin is fond of saying.

McDonald will share time as the Steelers No. 3 receiver behind Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes with rookie Mike Wallace.

© On the good news front, it looks like linebacker Lawrence Timmons will play against the Bears.

Timmons missed the opener with a sprained ankle, but made it through practice Friday OK after being limited Wednesday and Thursday.

© Who I like - I think the Steelers will struggle a little bit as they get accustomed to playing without Troy Polamalu, while Chicago will be OK without Brian Urlacher because the Steelers won't run the ball effectively enough to hurt the Bears.

Jay Cutler will also bounce back a bit and the Steelers will lose, 20-17.

Timmons back at practice

Linebacker Lawrence Timmons was back at practice Wednesday in a limited basis as he further tested his sore ankle, pushing forward toward playing Sunday in Chicago.

He did not, however, work in the team portion of the practice.

Getting Timmons back would be huge for the Steelers, who will be playing without strong safety Troy Polamalu.

© Limas Sweed was limited in practice Wednesday with a foot injury.

© Jeff Reed was named the AFC's special teams player of the week for his performance against Tennessee.

© Ben Roethlisberger was a little more open with the media on Wednesday than he usually is.

Roethlisberger usually talks in cliches and gives very short answers as he purposely tries to be bland.

Perhaps his most interesting comment came when asked about the 'Steelers' mentality.

"I think some of it comes from that being what the Steelers always did in the past. I always say you have to keep up with the times. That’s kind of evolving into a passing offense - league wide. People talk about the Steelers and the run game because we want to be physical. When you want to be physical, people assume that’s the run game. But that can mean a lot of different things. I guess you can go all the way back to the ‘70s and we were a grind-it-out team. We’re not that ‘70s team. We’re our own identity and that includes a lot of no-huddle stuff. It’s been good."

Bettis rips Steelers

Former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis ripped the Steelers on Sports Illustrated's web site, saying, among other things, that the Steelers are, "a mediocre running team on their best day."

Bettis went on to trash pretty much every running back on the team - save Mewelde Moore – particularly rookie running back Frank Summers.

"The running back I like least on that team is Frank Summers, the rookie fullback. He doesn't seem to understand what's going on. He's missing plenty of blocks, and that's affecting everything. That definitely has to be addressed off the field this week."

The coaching staff and offensive line didn't get away unscathed, either, as Bettis said the line can't protect and allows the running backs to get hit behind the line of scrimmage too often.

As for the coaching staff, Bettis wondered why the line wasn't addressed during the offseason.

It was some pretty good stuff, the kind that you usually don't get from players who are still close enough to their playing days that they know many of the current guys in the locker room.

© In other news Tuesday, head coach Mike Tomlin said that the team is hopeful linebacker Lawrence Timmons will be back at practice by the end of week.

That would be a big boost for the Steelers. With Troy Polamalu out, the Steelers need Timmons to shadow Chicago tight end Greg Olsen, who would be a matchup nightmare for Tyrone Carter.

Steelers talking with Tomlin

The Steelers are reportedly talking about a contract extension with head coach Mike Tomlin.

That, in itself, is not a surprise. Tomln's contract runs through the 2010 season, so getting him a new deal and avoiding a similar issue to the one that happened with Bill Cowher is something the team should be looking to avoid.

But where do you start with the money?

Cowher is reportedly looking for $10 million per season to get back onto the sideline.

That would obviously be on the high end of the wage scale.

Of current coaches, Tennessee's Jeff Fisher, the league's longest-tenured coach, makes $5.5 million per season. Lovie Smith is getting the same salary to coach the Bears, while Bill Belichick is costing New England $5 million per season.

Tomlin currently makes $2.5 million per season, so it only makes sense that he'll be asking to move into the $5-million club.

Of course the team will likely argue that he hasn't been around as long as those three aforementioned coaches.

Post-Tennessee thoughts

Strong safety Troy Polamalu has a sprained MCL in his left knee and though it's too early to tell, head coach Mike Tomlin classified it as a three-to-six week injury.

That's not good news for the Steelers defense, which will play its next two games on the road at Chicago and and Cincinnati before coming home to host San Diego.

Even at the minimum of three weeks, those are three opponents who will be a stiff test for Pittsburgh's pass defense.

And Tyrone Carter is in no way, shape or form as good as Polamalu.

© Polamalu's leaping, one-handed interception in the first half of this game was one of the top five defensive plays I've seen in person in any sport.

Polamalu also has at least one of the others - his diving finger-tip interception last season being the other.

© The national media at this game were raving about Ben Roethlisberger's comeback and improv skills. Welcome to the party, boys.

Roethlisberger was 18 of 22 passing in the second half and overtime and three of those incompletions came on the game-winning drive.

© With Polamalu out, it becomes very important that Lawrence Timmons, who sat out this game with an ankle injury, be back in time to play against Chicago next week.

Keyaron Fox played well in Timmons' spot, but Timmons' speed in the passing game will be needed against the Bears.

© Though it wasn't on the same stage, Hines Ward almost pulled a Jerome Bettis with his fumble at the end of regulation.

Roethlisberger saved Bettis on that occasion as well.

© After a slow start, I thought the offensive line played better as the game wore on.

I'm still not sure why right tackle Willie Colon didn't pick up Jevon Kearse on Tennessee's lone sack of the second half, though.

What'd he think, Kearse was going to drop into coverage?

Colon let him go unblocked, turning to pick up the inside guy.

© Was punter Craig Hentrich thinking just a little bit about kicking the ball to Stefan Logan when he shanked a 28-yard punt late in the game? Just asking.

Steelers-Titans inactives

Nate Washington is active tonight for the Titans.

Inactive for the Steelers are Joe Burnett, Keiwan Ratliff, Kraig Urbik, Tony Hills, Shaun McDonald, Nick Eason and Lawrence Timmons.

Interesting thing is that Ramon Foster is your backup RT. Essex the backup LT.

Who I like

The first game of the regular season is always the most difficult to get a feel for.

Most teams don't show a whole lot during the preseason and you've got to try to guess the direction they will go in based on last season and what moves they made during the offseason.

The Steelers enter Thursday night's opener against the Titans as 5 1/2-point favorites. That's a pretty good sized spread against what should be a pretty good Tennessee team.

But I think the Steelers' offense should be better in 2009 than it was in 2008 and the defense should again be solid.

Tennessee also doesn't have the weapons to attack the Steelers in a way that could be effective - ie. spreading the Steelers out and chucking the ball around off of quick drops.

Because of that, I like the Steelers to cover in this one on a night when the players should be very hyped up.

Take Pittsburgh to win, 23-14.

Hartwig signs extension

The Steelers on Tuesday agreed to a three-year contract extension with center Justin Hartwig.

The deal will keep Hartwig in Pittsburgh through 2012.

© It does not appear linebacker Lawrence Timmons will play against the Titans on Thursday. Though he's walking without a limp, Timmons has still been unable to practice and is likely waiting until next week to see if he can make it back for the team's second game.

Timmons sprained the ankle two weeks ago against the Buffalo Bills in the Steelers' third preseason game.

© The team had its special teams charts up in the locker room this week and the one thing that jumped out at me was on the depth chart.

Behind long snapper Greg Warren there was simply a ? I guess James Harrison is no longer the team's backup long snapper.

Steelers add practice squad player

The Steelers have added defensive back Tuff Harris - gotta love that name - to their practice squad.

The 6-0, 198-pound Harris has played to NFL seasons, in 2007 for Miami and 2008 for Tennessee.

Is there some gamesmanship going on here since the Steelers play the Titans this week?

Perhaps.

We'll know for sure next week if the Steelers release Harris.

Sonny Harris gone

The Carolina Panthers must have liked what they saw of Sonny Harris Thursday night as much as I did. The Panthers signed Harris to their 53-man roster.

The Steelers did get pretty much everyone else they wanted back on their practice squad, which will be TE Dezmond Sherrod, C A.Q. Shipley, RB Justin Vincent, RB Isaac Redman, WR Tyler Grisham, DL Steve McLendon and LB Donovan Woods.

Cuts (as we find them)

Because they don't have to officially release the names until 4 p.m. Saturday, the Steelers aren't doing so. Their reasoning is that it allows them some wiggle-room to make trades.

But here's a list of who I've found that will be released.

Dallas Baker, Roy Lewis, Jeremy Parquet, Desmond Sherrod, Carey Davis, Isaac Redman, Bruce Davis, Anthony Madison, A.Q. Shipley, Scott Paxson, Sonny Harris, Jason Capizzi, Mike Reilly, Peter Czech, Justin Vincent, Tyler Grisham, Tom Korte, Steve McLendon, Andy Schantz and Brandon Williams

That's 20 of the 22 cuts they have to make. Again, these aren't official - yet.

If, for example, they can work out a trade for, say Travis Kirschke or Nick Eason, a guy like Sonny Harris could be back on the squad.

Post-Carolina thoughts

First things first, I think the police had better get a search warrant for the NFL Network's Jason LaCanfora's house. He's been smoking some serious stuff.

LaCanfora is the bozo who reported that people he knows close to the situation have told him the Steelers are considering cutting Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton.

Let me just say this about that: There's a better chance the Steelers will sign me to play quarterback than there is that they'll cut Hampton.

To even suggest that they will borders on lunacy. In fact, the NFL Network may want to re-check LaCanfora's credentials as a reporter.

© There was little doubt that Stefan Logan had earned a spot on the Steelers' roster before the 21-10 win over Carolina.

The 80-yard punt return was nice. But I was even more impressed with his crackback block in the third quarter to help spring Shaun McDonald for a big run after the catch.

© Issac Redman has likely beaten out Tank Summers for the fifth running back spot as well.

Tank just didn't show enough in the two preseason game he played in, while Redman ran through the entire Carolina defense and an official to get into the end zone in the first half.

© Sorry Jason Capizzi and A.Q. Shipley fans, I don't see either player making this roster.

In fact, the team took a good long look at rookie Ramon Foster at left tackle and he was fine.

Shipley, meanwhile, looks like he's bound for the practice squad.

And don't give me that stuff about somebody scooping him up. It could happen, sure, but all of those teams also passed on him six or seven times in the draft as well.

© Arnold Harrison, Ryan Mundy and Travis Kirschke made strong statements against the Panthers.

Bruce Davis and Keiwan Ratliff did not.

The cutdown will come by 4 p.m. Friday. It's going to be one of the most difficult ones I've seen in 17 years of covering the Steelers.

This team is deep and talented.

Watching the bubble

As the Steelers head into their final preseason game, there are plenty of roster spots yet to be won. There are also a number of veterans who find themselves on the bubble with this team, a testament to how deep Pittsburgh is this season.

Here's a look at the veteran bubble guys:

Keiwan Ratliff, CB - Ratliff was brought in as Deshea Townsend insurance and just in case rookies Keenan Lewis and Joe Burnett weren't ready to contribute. None of those things have happened. It may come down to keeping Ratliff, Ryan Mundy and/or Anthony Madison. Madison is a stellar special teams player.

Travis Kirschke, DL - Kirschke has been a nice find for the Steelers, helping them to a pair of Super Bowl wins. But he's also 34 and has a cranky back. If the Steelers are going to cut a lineman to keep both Ziggy Hood and Sonny Harris, it's likely to be Kirschke, not Nick Eason.

Jeremy Parquet/Jason Capizzi, OT - I know he's a favorite because he's a local guy, but Capizzi is fighting the odds. The team likes Tony Hills' feet better. Darnell Stapleton going on IR helps, though. It could come down to who plays guard better and Parquet has more experience there.

Shaun McDonald, WR - I like what McDonald brings to the table, but the team could decide that if it's going to keep Stefan Logan, it may only need four full-time receivers.

Patrick Bailey, LB - The 2008 team rookie of the year is on the bubble even though he's a very good special teams player. But all of their other backup linebackers – Keyaron Fox, Andre Frazier, Arnold Harrison and Donovan Woods, are solid special teamers as well. The difference is that those other players can actually help out on defense as well. Bailey would be overmatched at this point. He's still better than Bruce Davis, though. This is where Lawrence Timmons' injury could come into play, with the team perhaps keeping an extra linebacker if it feels Timmons may miss the first couple of games.

Steelers sign Keisel, make roster moves

The Steelers signed defensive end Brett Keisel to a four-year contract extension and made five roster moves - including placing guard Darnell Stapleton on injured reserve - on Monday.

Keisel's deal will keep him in Pittsburgh through 2013.

Stapleton being placed on injured reserve means that Doug Legursky has likely earned a spot on the final 53-man roster. The Marshall product will be the team's gameday swingman at guard and center.

Released Monday to get to the NFL-limit of 75 were wide receivers Steven Black and Martin Nance, safety Derrick Richardson and center Alex Stepanovich.

The Steelers have until 4 p.m. Saturday to trim their roster to 53 players.

Steelers-Bills post-game thoughts

Either the Steelers are really good or the Bills are really bad. It's probably a little bit of both.

OK. We know the Steelers are really good, but I really thought Buffalo would be better than it showed Saturday night at Heinz Field.

Trent Edwards looked a lot like Bruce Gradkowski in this one.

© Mike Tomlin said the plan going into the game was to send whichever unit didn't open the first half out for the second half.

As luck would have it, the offense began the game, so the defense was on the field for the first series of the second half.

Linebacker Lawrence Timmons sprained his ankle on the opening play.

© I've changed my opinion somewhat of Limas Sweed. He can be a viable starter for this team if Santonio Holmes or Hines Ward is injured.

He still doesn't block downfield real well for a guy his size, but perhaps that will come.

© I learned something I did not know Saturday night. Sweed has size 15 1/2 feet. That's not a misprint, 15 1/2.

Make tapping those toes on the sidelines troublesome.

© Stefan Logan, welcome to the team.

© As I detailed in a column in Saturday's newspaper, that does cause some problems for a team that is this deep with veterans that also wants to keep a large portion of its rookie class around as well.

© Rashard Mendenhall's fumble was created as much by Chris Kemoeatu getting blown up at the line of scrimmage as it was Mendenhall.

You'd still like to see Mendenhall wrap the ball up more tightly, though.

That said, you can see what his skills as a receiver do for this offense. He's also running pretty hard as well.

© Of the healthy players, the only ones who did not play were safety Derrick Richardson and linebackers Andy Schantz and Tom Korte.

The team has to make four cuts by the weekend. That would be a good place to start looking.

© Did you see Mike Wallace's cut to make the first guy miss on his end around? Not only is this guy fast, he's got a nice feel when he's running with the ball as well.

He turned a play that should have been for no-gain into a six-yard gain.

It was nullified by offsetting penalties, but it did show some of his playmaking ability.

Thursday notes

At his press conference Thursday, Mike Tomlin pretty much said what I've been stating about Issac Redman since last week - if he can't play special teams, he won't be on the 53-man roster or the red zone back.

It looks like Redman is heading to the practice squad.

© Stefan Logan will get another good look as the return man against Buffalo Saturday, but Mewelde Moore will return some punts and rookie Mike Wallace will return kicks in the first half.

© Starters Willie Parker (hamstring), Santonio Holmes (back) and placekicker Jeff Reed (ankle) may be held out of Saturday's game.

None of the injuries are serious.

© According to the NFL Network, Tampa Bay has put any of its three veteran quarterbacks - including Byron Leftwich - on the trade market.

Don't be surprised to see the Steelers linked to Leftwich. Even though Charlie Batch is back and healthy, Leftwich is a better backup option for the Steelers.

If he can be attained for a low draft pick, it would be worth considering.

LeBeau a Hall of Fame finalist

Cornerback Dick LeBeau, perhaps better known as the Steelers defensive coordinator, and running back Floyd Little have been named by the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Seniors Committee as finalists for election into the Hall of Fame with the Class of 2010.

LeBeau and Little will join 15 still-to-be-named modern-era candidates on the list of finalists from which the Class of 2010 will be selected. The Hall of Fame selection meeting will be held on February 6, 2010, the day before Super Bowl XLIV in South Florida. To be elected, the former standouts must each receive the same 80 percent voting support that is required of all finalists. The Hall’s Board of Selectors can elect a maximum of two senior candidates and five modern-era candidates for a class no smaller than four or larger than seven during next February’s meeting.

LeBeau was originally drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fifth round of the 1959 draft. After being cut by the Browns, he was signed by Detroit where he starred for 14 seasons at cornerback for the Lions. He intercepted 62 passes which he returned for 762 yards and 3 TDs. His interception total ranked third all-time in NFL history at the time of his retirement following the 1972 season. Today, it remains a Lions team record and is tied for 7th among all-time NFL interceptors.

His single finest season came in 1970 when he intercepted a NFC-leading nine interceptions for 96 yards. LeBeau currently serves as the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator and is entering his 37th year of coaching. As a player he was voted to three Pro Bowls. He received his Pro Bowl nods in 1965, 1966, and 1967.

This likely means that LeBeau will finally get his due and be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Every finalist for the past several years who has been selected by the senior committee has gained induction.

Post-Washington thoughts

There was plenty to like in Saturday's preseason loss to the Washington Redskins and some things that weren't so great for the Steelers.

We'll start with the good.

© Return man Stefan Logan may not have done quite enough to make this team with one good outing as much as rookie Joe Burnett did help him.

Logan averaged 12 yards per punt return and nearly 40 yards on four kick returns and both of those numbers are eye openers.

But the Steelers still like rookie speedster Mike Wallace as a kick returner. Burnett, however, has fumbled punts in each of the team's two preseason games.

The trouble with Logan, however, is that he's not going to be able to cover kicks - at least he hasn't yet - and with a veteran team, who do you cut on this team to keep a guy who only returns kicks?

Then again, Logan could be special and sometimes you have to bite the bullet.

© Second-year quarterback Dennis Dixon is starting to look like an NFL-caliber quarterback, at least one who can step in and make things happen in a pinch.

His back-to-back 17-yard plays in the second quarter – one a pass to Limas Sweed, the other a scramble – were big-time plays.

Dixon injured his AC joint in the fourth quarter - the same injury that dogged Ben Roethlisberger last season - but the severity of the injury is not yet known.

© Rashard Mendenhall looked much more comfortable running the ball this week than he did last week against Arizona. He hit his holes hard and got positive yardage with each carry.

Willie Parker also looked good.

Now if this team could just get its starting offensive line on the field together, we'll finally get to see if there's an improvement.

© After a slow start, the first-team offensive line got its feet under it - even with Doug Legursky at left guard in place of Chris Kemoeatu. Kemoeatu was out with a rib injury that's not serious.

The second-team line also did a pretty good job.

Remember, this was their first road game and that's always a little more difficult.

© This team wasn't supposed to have any depth at inside linebacker, but Keyaron Fox and Donovan Woods are thumpers.

Fox made a big stop on third down at the Pittsburgh 2 to keep Washington out of the end zone, while Woods blew up a return man on a kickoff.

They're both solid backups.

Now for the bad:

When you have more penalties than points, it's never a good thing.

That's two weeks in a row that the Steelers were highly penalized, something that hasn't been a problem in recent years.

They have to clean that stuff up.

© Burnett was this week's goat after being one of the stars of the first preseason game. In addition to his fumble, which led to one touchdown, he also got beat on a fade for another score.

But those are the things you deal with when rookies play.

© The Redskins gouged the Steelers on the ground at times in this one, something that doesn't usually happen, even to the team's third-team defense.

We'll say it was a schematic problem for now - at least until we get a chance to investigate further.

Roethlisberger appears OK

As I'm sure you know by now, Ben Roethlisberger was injured in Thursday's final practice at Saint Vincent College.

It appears that Roethlisberger is OK, though.

While he did not participate, Roethlisberger was at the team's annual softball game to close out training camp that pits the offense against the defense.

Roethlisberger sat in a chair by the third base coaching box without anything on his right ankle or foot.

He's probably out for Saturday's preseason game at Washington, but it does not appear to be a long-term injury.

Rookie class impressing, with one exception

As noted, at least in part, in my last post, the Steelers rookie class is looking like one of its best in quite some time.

It's early, of course, but defensive ends Ziggy Hood and Sonny Harris, wide receiver Mike Wallace, cornerbacks Keenan Lewis and Joe Burnett, tight end David Johnson and center A.Q. Shipley look like players who from this draft class who can contribute if not immediately, then down the road.

Add in impressive rookie free agent signings Ramon Foster and Isaac Redman, and you have what could be a very strong group.

The one disappointment? Guard Kraig Urbik, a third-round pick.

In the moments following the draft, when the Steelers brass spoke about this draft class, Urbik was the one guy who was pointed to that they felt had a chance to push for a starting job.

Right now, he's barely pushing for a roster spot.

The former Wisconsin star has looked tentative in one-on-one blocking drills. And he didn't seem to get a lot of push in the first preseason game against Arizona.

If Urbik fails to materialize as a player – and I'm not writing him off yet – the Steelers will almost be forced to spend a high draft pick on an offensive lineman in 2010.

Of course that was said the past two offseasons as well and the team hasn't made that move yet.

Crowded backfield

Both rookies Isaac Redman and Tank Summers are pushing hard for roster spots with the Steelers but there may only be one spot available.

Willie Parker, Mewelde Moore and Rashard Mendenhall are guaranteed roster spots. Fullback Carey Davis isn't outstanding in any one phase - though he does have the best hands among the running backs - except on special teams, where he's one the team's leaders.

That could leave Justin Vincent – who's been on the practice squad the past two years – Summers and Redman fighting for one spot on the roster and one on the practice squad.

Redman has impressed as a runner. He's both tough and physical and has a running style similar to former star Barry Foster. He's got great lean and leg drive.

Summers, meanwhile, is being tried as a fullback and has also looked good as a special teams player.

Vincent isn't just a throw-away player either. The former LSU star knows the offense and got nine carries in the preseason opener.

The question is whether the Steelers feel Summers could be a capable replacement for Davis. Fans seem to think so but the coaching staff may not feel the same.

It's going to be something that bears watching as the team heads into its final three preseason games.

Post-Arizona thoughts

I guess we can finally put the Michael Vick to the Steelers garbage to rest.

Cripes, ESPN spent a good five minutes talking about it during their pre-game show. Are they that stupid?

© Limas Sweed stepped up nicely on the big stage. The 45-yard catch from Charlie Batch was a nice adjustment, but his 11-yard catch from Ben Roethlisberger on third-and-10 in the first quarter was better. He went up and snatched that ball out of the air with relative ease.

The drop on third down later in the game was regrettable, but remember, he's replacing Nate Washington, who had his share of drops as well.

© I'd like to see more burst out of Rashard Mendenhall, but I thought he ran reasonably hard as well.

Mendenahll did have a nice two-yard run on third-and-short in the first quarter. If he can just fill that role he'll help this team out.

© Welcome back Daniel Sepulveda.

Sepulveda got a big cheer when he came onto the field the first time and again after his first punt went 46 yards and Antrell Rolle was forced to call for a fair catch.

James Farrior joked after the game that Sepulveda was going to hurt the defense because he was going to give opposing offenses more field to work with.

© James Harrison played just two possessions and had three tackles and three assists. Had he played the entire game, that works out to about a 24-tackle effort. And that was with Kurt Warner throwing the ball 10 times.

It kind of gives you an idea that Arizona wasn't exactly throwing the ball down the field against the first-team defense.

The Steelers had better get used to that. Teams are going to dink and dunk them in an attempt to keep those two outside linebackers from killing their quarterback.

© Isaac Redman is a hard runner but did you notice those blocks that Tank Summers was throwing for him as a lead blocker?

Summers also had a couple of tackles on special teams. I was among those who didn't think Summers could push Carey Davis off the roster. I still think it's a stretch.

But Summers showed me Thursday he might be able to do it.

Summers showed some chops as a special teams coverage guy as well.

© I asked Redman after the game which was better, his 99-yard run at Bowie State or his three-yard TD on his first NFL carry - albeit in the preseason.

He said the three-yard TD.

Hard to believe the Steelers were his only option coming out of school, but then again, he wasn't on the field much in his final two seasons because of injuries and grades.

For my Washington County wrestling fans, Redman was a 215-pound state champion in New Jersey.

© The coaching staff couldn't have been happy to see Joe Burnett fumble his first punt return. He rebounded nicely.

© One of these days the quarterbacks will learn to throw the ball to Mike Wallace when he's running a fly pattern when he's 10 yards off the line of scrimmage. Throw it as far as you can and let him run under it.

© After a shaky start, Dennis Dixon got better as the game went on. He needed that because he's been struggling a bit at Saint Vincent College.

© Bruce Davis had an interception off a deflection and also got some pressure on the QB. But his best play was a special teams tackle in the second quarter. He's got to contribute there, something he did not do in 2008.

Rookies to watch for

Here's a look at some players to watch for in the Steelers' preseason game Thursday against the Cardinals.

Ziggy Hood - This one needs no explaining. Hood, the Steelers' top draft pick, has the look of a future star - or at least as much of a star as defensive linemen can be in this defense.

Mike Wallace - The speedy wide receiver has been catching everything at Saint Vincent College. How will he do in game action with the threat of being hit? He's pushing for the No. 3 receiver spot - or at least spot duty in that spot as a deep threat. He's the frontrunner for the kick return spot as well.

Keenan Lewis - Lewis will be tested by Arizona's receiving corps even though star wideouts Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin won't play much. He's a big, physical corner,

Joe Burnett - Burnett has looked good on special teams as a gunner, but the Steelers got him to pump up their return game. He'll start as the No. 1 punt returner and also get a shot as the kickoff returner. He's not bad as a cornerback, either.

Ramon Foster - Foster is the undrafted rookie most likely to make the 53-man roster. He's outplayed third-round draft pick Kraig Urbik. He'll be playing at left guard. Watch this kid finish his blocks. He's nasty.

Isaac Redman - When I spoke to Redman earlier this spring, I watched some video of him on Youtube first to get a feel for his running style. It's bull in a China shop. He told me then that the Steelers hadn't asked him to play any fullback, but he's seeing time time there now. Keep an eye on him.

Brandon Williams – Williams has flown under the radar, but he's having a good camp after a good spring as well. He could beat veteran Shaun McDonald out for a roster spot.

Doug Legursky - A center-guard combo, Legursky will get the start at center with Justin Hartwig and Darnell Stapleton out. Not too many young players get a shot like this. Look for Legursky to make the most of it.

Rashard Mendenhall - His rookie season was a washout, so Mendenhall has plenty to prove.

Let's put Vick to Steelers to rest

Again the rumors that the Steelers are interested in Michael Vick are swirling out there.

But I can tell that it's not going to happen.

Mike Tomlin hasn't publicly denied that the Steelers might be interested in Vick, only saying that they examine all options but don't speak specifically about individual free agents.

Privately, however, while one source acknowledgeed that the team would probably be one of the few that could withstand the firestorm that is sure to surround Vick thanks to its rabid fanbase, it's really not interested.

I hope that's as plain as I can be with that. The Steelers aren't going to sign Vick.

Wallace impressive

Rookie Mike Wallace continues to impress at training camp, showing off great hands in addition to great speed.

If Limas Sweed isn't feeling the heat, he should be. Not only is veteran Shaun McDonald pushing him, so is Wallace.

© The starters will only play a couple of series in the preseason opener Thursday. That should give the Steelers a good look at sorting out that No. 3 receiver spot and some other positions as well.

© Andre Frazier is firmly entrenched as the No. 3 outside linebacker. James Harrison was given the day off Tuesday and Frazier filled in for him. This after stepping if for LaMarr Woodley last week.

© Aaron Smith was also given the day off and was replaced by Nick Eason, not rookie Ziggy Hood.

Don't want to give the kid a big head by throwing him right in there even though he'll eventually be that guy.

© Doug Legursky will start at center against the Cardinals. It says something for sticking to things and battling.

© Ben Roethlisberger's arm looks like it's working its way into regular season shape. He's throwing some great passes now, including a beautiful touch pass to running back Rashard Mendenhall down the sideline with Frazier in tow.

Steelers add Stepanovich

The Steelers, thin at center due to two injuries, have signed former Arizona Cardinals center Alex Stepanovich.

Justin Hartwig has been bothered by a toe injury since training camp started July 31, and Darnell Stapleton is expected to be out for several weeks following left knee surgery. Stapleton, who began camp as the starting right guard, was the backup center last season.

The 6-foot-4, 296-pound Stepanovich was a fourth-round draft pick by the Cardinals in 2004 and spent three seasons with them before playing for Cincinnati in 2007 and Atlanta in 2008. He has played in 46 NFL games, making 34 starts.

This could be a sign that the team got bad news on Stapleton, who was at training camp on Sunday during family day. Stapleton had his right knee heavily wrapped.

Of course it could also be that they just don't want to wear Doug Legursky and A.Q. Shipley, the only two healthy centers they have, out.

I would expect Hartwig to try to return to practice on a full-time basis soon - likely next Saturday when the team returns to Saint Vincent College from its preseason opener.

Reed, Keisel contract updates

While news has slowed down concerning contract talks between the Steelers and any of their players who are scheduled to become free agents at the end of the season, that's not exactly anything new.

When the team re-signed Casey Hampton a few years ago, it happened the night of the team's first preseason game. So there's still some time.

Word is, however, that there is some dispute between the coaching staff and the front office as to who should be top priority, defensive end Brett Keisel or placekicker Jeff Reed.

The coaching staff feels it should be Keisel, the front office, Reed.

There's not a lot of money left in the pot right now, so it will be interesting to see if something gets done.

The Steelers will have their franchise tag back at the end of this season after using it on offensive tackle Max Starks.

And if the team fails to get something done with both Keisel and Reed - among others - before we get too close to the regular season, don't be surprised if Reed is tagged.

The franchise tag value for kickers is a heck of a lot less than it is for defensive ends.

Friday odds and ends

The Steratore brothers, Gene and Tony, are here as part of the officiating crew that was assigned to the Steelers practice to help out with interpretation of new rules and points of emphasis.

Gene and Tony are both Washington County guys and we in the media had a good meeting with them early this afternoon after they showed us the NFL film on the new rules in place for 2009.

The Hines Ward block on Cincinnati's Keith Rivers was shown prominently when the new rule outlawing blocks behind the play to the head and shoulders were talked about.

Gene Steratore explained that those kind of blocks will still be legal as long as there's no blow to the head or shoulders delivered. What the league wants is a block to the torso. He also said that whether the blocker is coming back toward the line of scrimmage will come into effect.

Shots to the quarterback's knees will also be penalized this season - unless the defender is attempting to wrap up the QB.

Groups of more than two players in a wedge is also outlawed. Blockers cannot be set up in groups of three on kickoffs if that third blocker is within two yards of the other two players. Teams covering kickoffs must also have three players on the outside of both hash marks.

© Also of note was that the officials, when asked, explained why more holding calls aren't called against players trying to block James Harrison.

According to the officials, if a defensive player puts himself in a position to be held - ie. goes to a rip move which puts him up underneath the offensive player - then they won't call it unless the defensive player clearly gets his feet past the offensive player.

If at that point, the arm is still around the neck, it's a hold.

In this case, Harrison's lack of height works against him. Since he rips a lot, he's forcing the arm up around the neck. But until he gets his feet past the defender, it's not a hold.

At least that's the league's story and they're sticking to it.

© Gene Steratore brought Washington County judge Mark Mascara and his family out here for the morning practice. It was nice to see Mark out and about. He was recently diagnosed with cancer and my thoughts have been with him during his trying time.

I coached Mark's son, Jameson, in baseball a couple of years ago and got to know him and his family. They're good people and hopefully he can beat this.

Stapleton to have surgery

Steelers offensive lineman Darnell Stapleton will have surgery Friday to clean out his knee and could be out at least two weeks.

Stapleton, a third-year player, started 12 games during the regular season and all three postseason games at right guard for the Steelers in 2008.

He was in line to be the team's starting right guard again in 2009, though veteran Trai Essex was expected to push him for the job.

With Stapleton out, it's likely that Essex will be the starting right guard this season.

Wednesday's thoughts

Still no news on Darnell Stapleton, which I guess is good news.

Stapleton was actually down the field at this afternoon's practice tossing the ball back and forth with running back Mewelde Moore, who was also sitting out.

Mike Tomlin, however, still isn't saying what the problem with Stapleton is, other than that it's a knee problem.

© Tomlin is from the Bill Belichick school of talking about injuries. While Bill Cowher didn't want players talking about injuries, he was very transparent about them. If you asked about an injury, you usually got an honest answer.

Tomlin is much more guarded.

© The play of practice was one that most people didn't see - you really had to be watching closely to see it.

In the afternoon session, Lawrence Timmons came from the middle of the field pre-snap to line up over left tackle Max Starks. Quarterback Charlie Batch and the line stopped and pointed him out as a blitzer and Timmons backed off to the middle again before coming at the snap.

As Starks went to get a punch on Timmons, the linebacker deked as if he were going to take Starks on. But when Starks extended his arms, Timmons ducked at a dead run and blew around him. If it would have been a live drill, he would have killed the quarterback.

I probably didn't do the play justice, but it was a thing of beauty - unless you happen to be an offensive line afficiando. If that's the case, it was a Homer Simpson-like Doh! moment.

© With Ben Roethlisberger sitting out today, we got a good look at young quarterback Mike Reilly. All I can say is this: He'd better be very smart because he doesn't look like he has NFL-caliber arm strength.

© I really like what I see of young cornerbacks Joe Burnett and Keenan Lewis.

They don't always make the play - though Burnett had a nice interception this afternoon after dropping one in the morning – but they always look like they're in good position on the receiver.

Is Stapleton done?

It's looking more and more likely as if guard Darnell Stapleton could be done for the season - or at least an extended period of time.

I spoke with right tackle Willie Colon this morning and he talked as if Stapleton could be lost to a knee injury, much the same way that punter Daniel Sepulveda was last year around this time.

Now Colon would neither confirm or deny that anything was up, but he talked about the 2009 season as if Stapleton would not be available.

Doesn't mean he knows anything special or he could just be thinking ahead in case it actually does happen.

But Stapleton was nowhere to be seen here today.

What's up with Ward

Head coach Mike Tomlin is saying that there's nothing wrong with Hines Ward. Ward is saying the head coach wants him to sit out practices to take a good look at the young guys fighting for roster spots.

But the fact remains that Ward has now sat out three days worth of practices at Saint Vincent College.

Ward also barely practiced this spring, suiting up for only the final week of OTAs after having offseason shoulder surgery.

The B.S. meter is going off on this one, but Ward does appear healthy, running and catching passes after practice, Maybe they are getting more looks at the young wideouts - particuarly Limas Sweed. Maybe they are force-feeding Sweed the playbook just in case Ward or Santonio Holmes miss any time this season.

There isn't, after all, a ton of depth behind the two starters.

Hello again

After a two-day hiatus from the blogging world, I'm back. Sorry not to have the daily/multi-daily update you've become so used to, but sometimes things just can't be avoided. Only so many hours in a day.

The biggest news out of Latrobe right now is Darnell Stapleton's balky knee. The sore knee kept him out of practice on Monday and Tuesday morning and he was sent for an MRI.

But Stapleton was at lunch today with no brace on the knee, so that's probably a good sign.

I don't think it will matter, however, at the right guard position. As I said this spring, I think Stapleton's top competition at that spot will come from veteran Trai Essex, not rookie Kraig Urbik.

And, just a few days into camp, it's looking more and more likely that Essex will be the Steelers starting right guard this season.

If you're looking for more proof here, know that Jason Capizzi is spending a decent amount of time working at guard as well as tackle.

Capizzi has made some big improvements and even though at 6-9, he'd be the tallest guard in history, the team is beginning to look for that game day replacement for Essex - their Jack of all trades.

Saturday afternoon practice

Sorry this one took so long to get up, but I had to go back to Washington to pull desk duty tonight, so I had other things to take care of.

Lawrence Timmons left the afternoon practice with what was descibed as cramps by Mike Tomlin. They happened during back-on-backers, though, so who really knows if it was a cramp or something else? Either, way, it didn't look serious.

Back-on-backers wasn't really too exciting, though rookie running back Issac Redman caught my eye as a blocker and drew praise from head coach Mike Tomlin, who had joked at dinner the previous night that he didn't know the kid's name and had been calling him Barlow.

"I like the way you block 33," Tomlin said, later praising Redman again.

Redman looked the best of the running backs in the drill, though rookie tight end David Johnson showed he's stout when he gets set.

Of the backers, other than the usual suspects - read James Harrison - Andre Frazier and Donovan Woods both showed good power/moves.

Bruce Davis was disappointing and looks more like a finesse player than a powerful linebacker. He still has a long way to go.

Davis' cohort last training camp, Tony Hills looked equally as bad in the one-on-one pass blocking drills with the defensive linemen. According to trained eye Craig Wolfley, Hills stops moving his feet when he punches and also likes to lunge. Both are apparently no-nos for offensive linemen.

Things were getting so bad for Hills - who admittedly was matched with Harrison several times - that I felt they needed to bring Davis over for a morale boost. Not sure which one of them would have gotten the morale boost, but one would have.

Rookie guard Kriag Urbik also got schooled a number of times with head coach Mike Tomlin finally yelling at him to show a little self-respect. The rookie's not going to unseat Darnell Stapleton at right guard.

From what I've seen already of Trai Essex, though, he might. He looks leaner this year and he also appears more powerful.

Board favorite Doug Legursky - yes I finally watched him - isn't all that bad. With Justin Hartwig out with a toe injury, Legursky got plenty of work with the second unit and more than held his own. He might actually have a shot if he can prove he can play guard as well.

Legursky, though, like Timmons and running back Frank Summers, had to leave practice with cramps.

Charlie Batch has not started this camp very well, throwing some horrific passes. The No. 2 job could be there for the taking by Dennis Dixon.

Aug. 1 morning practice update

There were a couple of surprise participants in the first practice session of the 2009 training camp as both Troy Polamalu and Deshea Townsend took part despite head coach Mike Tomlin saying both would be slowed early on by sore hamstrings.

Tight end Heath Miller (sports hernia surgery) and center Justin Hartwig (toe) did not practice.

With Hartwig out, Darnell Stapleton, who was also expected to be slowed early on, played center and did a good job there, keeping Casey Hampton at bay several times and actually getting some push on the big man.

Trai Essex worked with the first team line at right guard.

Daniel Sepulveda did his first major kicking in nearly a year and looked very good, often outkicking return men Santonio Holmes and Shaun McDonald. Rookies Joe Burnett and Mike Wallace were working with the gunners as this drill was more about punt coverage than returns.

First-round pick Ziggy Hood worked at left end with the third-team.

Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians let wide receiver Brandon Williams have it after Williams took his eyes off a pass in third down drills - starting running before he had the ball - and dropped the pass.

"Catch the $#^$#!$% ball before you start running with it. You've got to convert on the @#$%#$$#$!# third down."

Arians was very vocal this morning overall.

Ben Roethlisberger finally talked with the media this morning, but dodged all questions about his legal problems. In fact, after about the fifth questions about it, he threatened to walk away.

Hampton still too heavy?

Word is that Steelers nose tackle Casey Hampton may still be heavier than what the team would like - even though he completed the run test Friday – and might still be asked to sit out some practices to work with a conditioning coach.

Hampton, of course, was placed on the PUP list last season by head coach Mike Tomlin after coming into camp overweight and unable to complete the run test.

We'll see what happens.

© Mike Tomlin dropped in at our dinner tonight and had a good laugh about the Michael Vick-cab driver stuff that started on a Pittsburgh radio station today.

"If we were bringing in Vick, would we use a cab?"

That was my point about the whole thing to begin with. Stupid rumor.

Miller had sports hernia surgery

One note of interest - other than of course the Steelers' lack of interest in Michael Vick – was Mike Tomlin's news that tight end Heath Miller had surgery to repair a sports hernia in June.

Tomlin said the team got to the injury soon enough that Miller is expected to be ready to return to the football field at some point before the regular season opener.

Steelers roll in

The Steelers have arrived here at Saint Vincent College ready to roll into training camp 2009.

No real surprises today - as usual on this, the most non-eventful day of the football season.

There were some unsubstantiated reports that Michael Vick was dropped off by a taxi cab at the team's practice facility in Pittsburgh. Those are false. The team is not interested in Vick.

One thing that is still cooking are contract extensions.

In addition to continuing talks with safety Ryan Clark, the team remains in negotiations with defensive end Brett Keisel.

Also of note is that offensive lineman Trai Essex said he's been led to believe he'll get every shot to unseat Darnell Stapleton at right guard.

As for now, I'm off to the run test. It appears the team is relenting a bit on closing the test to the media and will allow us to watch from the hillside above - as we did last year.

No players will be made available afterward, however.

Camp is here

The 2009 Steelers training camp has begun and you've found one of the top places to visit for up-to-date Steelers news by somebody actually covering the team – the other being my good friends at SteelCityInsider.com.

For those of you new to this blog, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Dale Lolley, Steelers beat reporter for the Observer-Reporter. This is my 17th training camp covering the Steelers as a beat reporter. The only person who has been on the beat longer is Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

In addition to this fine newspaper, you can see my work at SteelCityInsider.com and 4for4.com, and here me on occasion on the Steelers radio network on 970-AM, one of the team's flagship stations.

So welcome. Sit back, relax and stay for a while. The next three weeks should be very interesting.

Steelers extend Miller, Clark next?

The Steelers on Wednesday gave tight end Heath Miller a six-year contract extension worth just over $35 million.

Pittsburgh still has a number of starters scheduled to become free agents at the end of the 2009 season, including former Pro Bowl nose tackle Casey Hampton and running back Willie Parker.

I'm told, though, the next potential free agent to sign could be safety Ryan Clark.

Take the Steelers and the over

The over/unders from Las Vegas are in for the NFL season and though I don't play them, if I did, I'd have to go over with the Steelers.

Depending on which service you look at, the Steelers are sitting at 10.5 or 11. Given their schedule, I'd have to go over on that. If the Steelers don't win 12 games in 2009 with the schedule they have, shame on them.

Other numbers I like looking around the AFC include the Colts over 10 – Peyton Manning is still the QB, right? – the Jets under 7, the Chargers over 10 and the Broncos under 6.5.

Hood signed

The Steelers have agreed to terms on a contract with first-round draft pick Evander "Ziggy" Hood, meaning the rookie defensive lineman will be at camp when it opens on Friday.

The Steelers have signed all of their draft picks this year prior to the opening of camp.

None are expected to push for starting jobs, but several will be asked to contribute in some way.

Something fishy with Roethlisberger suit

As you've probably heard by now, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been served with a civil suit in Nevada for sexual assault by an employee of Harrah's Casino.

The whole thing sounds a little fishy.

First, there were no criminal charges issued in the alleged event.

And then there's the trouble with when the alleged event – whatever it may be – happened, July 2008.

Roethlisberger has been known to mess around with women. Heck, he's young, rich and famous.

But this seems like an attempt at a money grab.

What are the folks at EA Sports smoking?

The much-anticipated Madden 2010 player ratings for each team have been released. For a view of how the Steelers are rated in the game, visit http://espn.go.com/videogames/features/madden/madden10?teamId=29.

A couple of things jumped out at me when I was perusing the ratings.

First off, Lawrence Timmons is listed as a 78 in speed (74 overall). That puts him behind both James Harrison (85 speed) and LaMarr Woodley (82 speed) among the Steelers backers.

If I were a betting man, I'd put my money on Timmons winning a footrace among those players.

The other thing that really jumps out to me is that cornerback William Gay is rated as a 63 overall. Maybe nobody told the good people at EA Sports that Gay started a good number of games last season and played well. He's actually rated behind rookie Joe Burnett and just above Keenan Lewis.

Rookie Kraig Urbik (71) is also rated higher than Darnell Stapleton (70) at right guard.

Spaeth working with Fitzgerald

There was an interesting story on SI.com today about a camp Larry Fitzgerald is running in Minnesota for NFL receivers and defensive backs with help from Jerry Rice and Cris Carter.

One of the players in attendance at the camp has been Steelers tight end Matt Spaeth.

If you haven't checked out the story yet, give it a read.

Hartwig has broken toe

Just a couple of weeks out from training camp, center Justin Hartwig has reportedly suffered a broken toe when he dropped an object on his foot.

It's not a big deal, but will likely slow him early in taining camp, which opens at the end of the month.

At least it will probably get him out of the run test.

The run test, by the way, is closed to the media this year.

Good story on rookie symposium

Straight talk puts scare into NFL rookies
By CEDRIC GOLDEN
c.2009 Cox Newspapers
AUSTIN, Texas -- Think “Scared Straight!” meets the NFL.
In case you missed the reference, “Scared Straight!” was a 1978 documentary about convicts at New Jersey’s Rahway State Prison who warned juvenile delinquents about the brutal realities of prison life. The documentary spawned programs nationwide designed to steer youngsters away from a life of crime.
Now, the NFL isn’t Rahway, but commissioner Roger Goodell would make a mighty fine warden. He would be a lot more believable than that thieving, fake Bible thumper in Shawshank. Anyway, his league’s answer to “Scared Straight!” comes in the form of the NFL rookie symposium, an event that’s one part seminar and one part freshman orientation.
There were times last week when former Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo didn’t know if he was at a league function or a tent revival, but he and the other 255 draft picks had a truckload of literature dropped on their collective domes over four days in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
One of the featured speakers was ESPN studio analyst Cris Carter, a Hall of Fame wide receiver who testified about the trappings that can kill a promising career.
The young Carter was a mess. He was thrown out of Ohio State for dealing with an agent, then became a cocaine abuser early in his NFL career, prompting Philadelphia Eagles coach Buddy Ryan to release him after a season in which he caught 11 touchdown passes. It was the best thing that ever happened to him, Carter has said on more than one occasion.
Others in his line of work have fallen prey to numerous temptations: drugs, shady business deals, sexual indiscretions, drunken driving, steroids, street crime, and yes, dogfighting.
Carter’s message was simple: Do what I say, not what I did.
“This is a grown man’s league,” he barked. “This ain’t no little boys’ league.”
Then he yelled at a player he caught napping during the speech. Beautiful.
“It was something to hear him talk about his drug situation and being released,” said Orakpo, who went to the Washington Redskins with the 12th pick of the first round. “He said he had to get his life together because he had lost his job and couldn’t feed his family.”
Orakpo didn’t know the name of the rookie who drew Carter’s ire, but he knew attendance at the symposium was mandatory and to blow off the function would have resulted in a $50,000 fine from warden Goodell. And you thought that $100 for missing a Cowboys team meeting was scary.
Carter was a polarizing presence in the NFL because his off-the field problems nearly derailed his extraordinary career. Carter said he doubted if hardcore partiers like him and fellow Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin would survive in the Goodell era. The commish has dictatorial power in the personal conduct department, and NFL players know his brand of justice and the legal system’s can be mutually exclusive.
That’s part of the reason why the rookie symposium is one of the best things the league does. Invariably, there’s bound to be a couple of dumbbells who will go crazy when presented with two things that separate professional athletes from us regular folks -- an unlimited supply of cash and free time.
With that said, we know for every Pacman Jones or Chris Henry who gets arrested, there are a hundred Brian Orakpos and Jason Smiths who won’t see the backseat of a police cruiser. On Saturday, Orakpo and Smith -- the St. Louis Rams’ rookie offensive tackle from Baylor -- will join Tennessee Titans safety Michael Griffin at Akins High School, where Griffin, a former Longhorn, will hold his second annual Orange and White Football Camp.
Smith, the second overall pick behind Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, said he didn’t get as much out of Carter’s speech, and that’s understandable because he’s not about to go out and shoot up a strip club any time soon.
“I’m not speaking for (Orakpo), but I know him well enough to say the chances of one of us coming into the league and getting strung out on cocaine next season is slim to none,” he said. “I was more affected by (Pittsburgh Steelers coach) Mike Tomlin’s speech. When a person like him is speaking about a place I’m trying to go (winning a Super Bowl), I take it very personally and if he tells me to jump, I’m going to jump.”
The players were given pamphlets outlining the dangers they face as young millionaires, along with pens to take notes. While rifling through his pamphlet, Orakpo saw a reference to Travis Henry, a running back who has fathered 11 children by 10 women while battling drug and financial problems. Henry is a sad illustration of how making it to the NFL doesn’t guarantee you’ve made it in life.
Former NFL cornerback Rod Babers said one session from the league’s 2003 rookie symposium stood out in his mind.
“This beautiful woman came up on the stage and we were looking around at each other and going, ’Man, she’s fine,”’ said Babers, a former Longhorn. “The first thing she said was, ’You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.’ Then she told us she had been diagnosed with HIV two years ago.”
While some rookies will be helped by what they witnessed last week, the league could do a symposium every week and it wouldn’t prevent some players from falling into the same traps that have claimed others.
That said, give the league a thumbs up for its part in arming its newcomers with knowledge delivered by those who have been there before.
It’s not exactly “Scared Straight!” but Instructed Straight will do for now.

Cedric Golden writes for the Austin American-Statesman. E-mail: cgolden(at)statesman.com.
Story Filed By Cox Newspapers
For Use By Clients of the New York Times News Service

Training camp three weeks away

Training camp is three weeks away and I can already feel the excitement about the upcoming football season building.

The Steelers don't have a lot of position battles this season, but they have some things worth watching.

Who will be the starting right guard, Darnell Stapleton, Kraig Urbik or darkhorse Trai Essex?

That's right. Essex could be a factor at that position.

The starting cornerback position is William Gay's to lose and he will have to fall flat on his face or get hurt to do so.

But who will be No. 3? Deshea Townsend again? One of the rookies? Keiwan Ratliff?

Ratliff has younger legs, but you can never count our Townsend. And the rookies, particularly Keenan Lewis, looked good this spring.

The other big battle will be fo the No. 3 receiver spot. I think Shaun McDonald may steal that one from Limas Sweed.

McDonald would give the team the ability to keep Hines Ward on the outside or shift him to the slot if it so chooses. If Sweed's on the field, Ward has to go to the slot.

One to go

With third-round pick Kraig Urbik now signed, the Steelers now have just one draft pick remaining unsigned - first rounder Ziggy Hood.

It's continued a strong run by Omar Khan of getting everybody in camp on time.

In fact, since Khan joined the team, the Steelers have not had a prolonged rookie holdout, something that has helped contribute to their success on the field.

Even though all the first rounders have contributed greatly in their first year, having them there for the full training camp helps the maturation process and every one of their first rounders has been a big contributor by his second season since Khan has taken care of negotiations.

Steelers talking extension with Clark

According to the NFL Network, the Steelers are actively talking about a contract extension with safety Ryan Clark, who's scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2009 season.

As I reported earlier this week, the team is also in active negotiations with tight end Heath Miller.

The Steelers picked up a little over $3 million in salary cap space this week by signing left tackle Max Starks to a contract extension and seem intent on using it to keep some key parts of this team in Pittsburgh beyond this season.

Browns sued by former player

From the Associated Press:

CLEVELAND (AP) — Former Cleveland Browns receiver Joe Jurevicius is suing the team and the Cleveland Clinic, accusing doctors of negligence over a staph infection in his right knee that kept him off the field last year.
Shannon Polk, an attorney for Jurevicius, said the lawsuit was filed Friday in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court. It alleges that team physicians failed to warn Jurevicius that therapy equipment was not always cleaned at the team’s training facility.
Jurevicius has said he contracted staph following arthroscopic surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in January 2008.
Messages seeking comment were left Friday for a Browns spokesman and the Cleveland Clinic.
Jurevicius was released by the Browns in March.

How will Rooney's loss affect things

Many have wondered how the naming of Dan Rooney as ambassador to Ireland by the Obama administration would affect the Steelers.

The answer has different levels.

In terms of the football product, not having Rooney around on a daily basis won't affect things.

Dan's son, Art, has been running the team for several years now and has done a good job of it - as the results would show.

He's taken on the role Dan Rooney had when his father, The Chief, was still around. Dan made the daily decisions and consulted his father on anything major. Art will still have that luxury, as Dan will still just be a phone call away.

But the players like seeing the boss around.

To this day, he still visits the locker room on a regular basis and speaks with them – privately – congratulating them for a big win or helping to console them after a loss. But he doesn't do so in a Jerry Jones, in-your-face kind of matter. Rooney leaves the coaching to the coaches. There are no rah-rah speeches coming from Dan Rooney.

And they would see him around, watching practice or in the hallway or cafeteria.

The players respect that a great deal.

Perhaps some day Art will get that same kind of reverence. But it likely only comes with age.

The players respect Dan because, well, he's Dan. And that's what will be missing.

Starks signs, Bryant retires

Little did I know when I posted the blurb about the Steelers still trying to get a deal done with Max Starks yesterday that it would happen so soon.

But the Steelers have signed Starks to a four-year contract worth $26.3 million. The deal includes a $10 million in guaranteed money and gives the team a considerable amount of cap relief.

It was a win-win situation for both parties.

Starks, despite being guaranteed a salary of $8.45 million this season as the Steelers' franchise player, gets some long-term stability. And the Steelers get $3 million in salary cap relief.

The son of a former NFL player, Starks wasn't looking to break the bank. He just wanted some long-term security instead of continuing to get slapped with the franchise tag every year.

© In other news Tuesday, cornerback Fernando Bryant apparently saw the writing on the wall with the Steelers' offseason additions and announced his retirement.

Bryant was signed by the Steelers last season when both Deshea Townsend and Bryant McFadden were out with injuries and re-signed with the team during the offseason.

But the selection of two corners in the draft and addition of veteran Keiwan Ratliff likely meant Bryant was biding his time until his release in training camp.

Talks continue

My sources tell me that the Steelers are continuing talks with some of their players who will be free agents at the conclusion of the 2009 season, most notably offensive tackle Max Starks and tight end Heath Miller.

The Steelers are hopeful their can get something done with both players by the first couple of weeks of August at the latest.

Miller is a high priority because the Steelers feel he is one of the best tight ends in the NFL and is continuing to improve.

The Steelers also believe Starks is a solid left tackle and will also continue to improve with more playing time on the left side. They'd also like to lower his cap total.

Busy day

Sorry it took so long to comment today, but I'm on vacation this week and have been spending every day at the ball field.

Anyway, the Steelers had a busy day, signing three more draft picks and releasing six other players, among them California University of Pennsylvania QB Kevin McCabe.

The three draft picks signed were wide receiver Mike Wallace, defensive end Ra’Shon Harris and center A.Q. Shipley. All were given three-year deals.

Wallace was the second of the team's third round picks. The speedster finished his career at Ole Miss ranked third all-time in touchdown receptions and fifth in receiving yards. Wallace also holds Ole Miss records for single game, season and career kickoff return yards. He was the second-fastest player at this year's combine.

Harris was a sixth-round pick. He played in 36 career games at Oregon, recording 65 tackles (39 solo) and four sacks. He's seen as a project.

The undersized Shipley (6-0, 298) was the first of the team's two seventh-round selections.

Wallace, Harris and Shipley bring the total number of signees among the Steelers’ 2009 draft class to six. Cornerback Keenan Lewis, cornerback Joe Burnett and running back Frank Summers all signed last week.

The six players released were: defensive end Jeff Bradley, long snapper Mark Estermyer, wide receiver Jayson Foster, wide receiver Cedric Goodman, quarterback Kevin McCabe and fullback Ryan Powdrell.

The release of Estermyer means the Steelers are confident that long snapper Greg Warren is fully recovered from the torn ACL that ended his season in 2008.

Just say no

According to published reports, wide receiver Brandon Marshall has requested a trade from the Denver Broncos and the team has agreed to pursue one.

Before all the questions start, let me nip this in the bud now. The Steelers will not be among teams interested in the troubled wideout.

Is Marshall talented? Yes.

Is he a knucklehead? Yes.

In fact, he's probably even more of a knucklehead than the much-more talented Randy Moss, and the Steelers weren't interested in him, either.

Somebody will take the chance that a change of scenery will help Marshal. Somebody will probably be wrong.

Steelers sign three draft picks

The Steelers signed rookie cornerbacks Keenan Lewis and Joe Burnett, and running back Frank Summers to contracts Friday, the first of their three draft picks to sign with the team.

Lewis (6-0, 2008) was the third of the Steelers’ three third round selections (96th overall) in this year’s draft out of Oregon State. In 48 career starts Lewis recorded 117 tackles (81 solo), one sack and seven interceptions. Lewis was named Academic All-Pac 10 and All-Pac 10 honorable mention at cornerback as a senior.

Burnett (5-10, 192) was the first of the Steelers’ two fifth round selections (168th overall) in this year’s draft out of Central Florida. A four-year starter, Burnett was a first-team All-Conference USA selection at cornerback, punt returner and kickoff returner as a senior. Burnett finished his career with 16 interceptions and five returns (three punts, two kickoffs) for scores.

Summers (5-10, 240) was the second of the Steelers’ two fifth round selections (169th overall) in this year’s draft out of UNLV. A two-year starter, Summers led the Rebels in 2008 with 740 yards on 183 attempts (4.0 avg.) with eight touchdowns. Summers became the only player in UNLV history to lead the team in both rushing touchdowns (six) and receiving touchdowns (four) during the 2007 season.

n In another move, the team released punter Dirk Johnson, showing that it feels Daniel Sepulveda is completely healed from the torn ACL that cost him the 2008 season.

OTAs finish up

With much sorry, I have to report that OTAs are finally over.

The players headed out to their homes/vacations/continued workouts after a solid round of workouts that was shortened in this somewhat in this final week.

Tuesday's practice was skipped as Mike Tomlin took the players bowling, while Wednesday's practice was at Heinz Field, where the youngsters were given the grand tour of the facilities.

The Heinz Field practice/stadium walkthrough was closed to the media.

© My impressions of this team after watching them a number of times this spring is that they seem to still have the fire that the 2006 team was lacking.

Perhaps it's different leadership or perhaps it's because many of the key players are now over 30 and realize their opportunities are very limited to win another Super Bowl.

But whatever it is, the change is evident.

© Nearly every publication/prognostication I see has the Steelers as the second-best bet to win the Super Bowl in the upcoming season behind New England.

And you know what? I can't argue that.

But the Patriots have been the favorite for several seasons now and the Steelers have won two Super Bowls since New England won its last one.

Things can change quickly in the NFL and the favorites don't always win.

Hills wants to make his move

I caught up with Tony Hills for a few minutes at OTAs and the second-year offensive tackle feels like he's ready to take a big step forward in his second training camp.

Hills and linebacker Bruce Davis were worked hard by head coach Mike Tomlin last year in training camp, with Tomlin taking a keen interest in both players. He'd line them up against each other time after time, telling them, "I'm going to make one of you a player."

Hills said he liked that pressure because if the head coach wasn't watching so closely, it meant he didn't care.

Hills said he has added five to 10 pounds of muscle to his frame and that his injury problems from college aren't even a distant thought in the back of his mind.

He's been working at both left and right tackle in OTAs and also saw time last year at guard on the scout teams. He feels like that experience will help keep him active on game days this year, citing Trai Essex's ability to play every position except center as a reference.

© The Steelers will get a gift as they head into the final week of their OTAs, with the team receiving its Super Bowl rings Tuesday.

I haven't seen the design yet, but I hear it's spectacular.

Camp to start July 31

Mike Tomlin will open his third training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Friday, July 31.

The first open practice will be the next day. I can only imagine the kind of crowd the defending Super Bowl champions will draw for their first practice. It's the first time their first practice has been on a Saturday that I can remember in my 17 years of covering the team.

© Not surprisingly, Ben Roethlisberger was back at practice today showing no ill effects of an injury to his left knee that had him walking around like Festus Wednesday.

And people wonder why he's considered a drama queen.

© Stefan Logan has the most lateral quickness I've seen since Antwaan Randle El. I would be concerned about his size and ability to take a hit - he's only 5-6 - but he has the skill to play in the NFL.

© I got a copy of the Steelers' Super Bowl commemorative book Wednesday and got a chance to go through it last night.

Steelers Digest editor Bob Labriola did an excellent job with it and the photography by Mike Fabus is excellent.

It's a good look at the season that was for the Steelers.

Roethlisberger banged up

Ben Roethlisberger took a shot on his left knee during an OTA workout today as the Steelers complete their next-to-last week of offseason activities.

Working during the red zone drills, Roethlisberger got bumped by Lawrence Timmons, who appeared to step on his left foot. The incident happened just as Roethlisberger let go of a pass intended for Santonio Holmes. The ball sailed high and Roethlisberger limped off the field at the indoor practice facility. He did not take another snap.

Roethlisberger did not speak to reporters following the incident, but continued to limp, favoring his left leg.

© Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark and Tyrone Carter were again missing, leaving Ryan Mundy and Roy Lewis to work with the starting unit.

LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison were also missing, with Andre Frazier and Arnold Harrison moving into their spots.

Also not here today was Darnell Stapleton, who was replaced by Trai Essex.

© Wide receiver Hines Ward, who has been here but hasn't practiced after offseason surgery, participated in position drills. He's still not going through any team drills though.

An early, early, early look at the 53-man roster

OK, you asked for it, so here it is, an early, early, early look at the 53-man roster.

QB (3): Ben Roethlisberger, Charlie Batch, Dennis Dixon. No explanation needed here.

RB (5): Willie Parker, Mewelde Moore, Rashard Mendenhall, Frank Summers, Carey Davis. Davis makes it on his ability to play special teams.

WR (5): Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Shaun McDonald, Limas Sweed, Mike Wallace. Sorry Dallas Baker. You're not making this club. McDonald beats out Brandon Williams.

TE (3): Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, Sean McHugh. No surprises here. David Johnson goes to the practice squad.

OL (10): Max Starks, Chris Kemoeatu, Justin Hartwig, Darnell Stapleton, Wilie Colon, Trai Essex, Tony Hills, Ramon Foster, Kraig Urbik, A.Q. Shipley. Just a hunch here between Foster and Capizzi, but they won't want to risk putting Foster on the practice squad.

DL (7): Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton, Brett Keisel, Chris Hoke, Ziggy Hood, Travis Kirschke, Nick Eason. Again, no real surprises here.

LB (8): James Harrison, James Farrior, Lawrence Timmons, LaMarr Woodley, Bruce Davis, Patrick Bailey, Keyaron Fox, Donovan Woods. Woods is kind of the surprise here. I think he sticks because he can play inside, even though they currently list him as an outside guy. Bruce Davis needs to have a good camp. Bailey is a very good special teams player as is Fox. Fox will be the top backup inside.

DB (9): Ike Taylor, William Gay, Ryan Clark, Troy Polamalu, Deshea Townsend, Keiwan Ratliff, Joe Burnett, Keenan Lewis, Ryan Mundy. This is a tough position to call. I see Tyrone Carter as the odd man out right now, with Deshea Townsend making the move to a safety/corner position.

Specialists (3): Jeff Reed, Daniel Sepulveda, Greg Warren.

Random notes

A recent Sports Illustrated poll listed the Rooney family No. 1 among owners in the NFL.

Given the team's history of winning, the way players are treated and other factors, it's hard to argue that.

I thought it was interesting, however, that Daniel Snyder, the owner of the Washington Redskins, was ranked third from the bottom.

Fans like to go crazy every offseason when the Redskins go on yet another of their spending binge that have become commonplace under Snyder.

But for all the spending, the Redskins have been mediocre since Snyder bought the team in 1999. It also causes Snyder to squeeze every single penny out of fans in Washington, who aren't receiving a lot of bang for their buck.

Heck, SI ranked Cincinnati owner Mike Brown ahead of Snyder. That ought to tell you something.

© An interesting note from OTAs this week: Left tackle Max Starks missed a day of practice earlier this week. His replacement was not Tony Hills, Jason Capizzi or any of the other young guys.

According to Jim Wexell of SteelCityInsider.com, Trai Essex replaced Starks at left tackle.

Now that may not be an outright indictment of any of the young guys - Hills in particular - but it does give some insight into where the team thinks those players are at this point.

© It's hard to believe there are just two weeks of OTAs remaining before the Steelers break for a month. After that, it will be off to training camp.

© I caught up with Dennis Dixon this week and he said that although the coaching staff has not approached him about running any wildcat-type plays, he's open to the idea.

Dixon said those type of plays wouldn't be a stretch for him to run because he did many of those things in college.

Dixon is completely healed from the knee injury that ended his senior season at Oregon and I would look for the coaching staff to at least try some wildcat stuff with him at some point.

Week 2 OTAs begin

As promised, I watched Rashard Mendenhall a little more closely today as the Steelers began their second week of OTAs.

Mendenhall looked good on the inside running plays and made an excellent cut on one play in particular, doing a nice jump stop and change of direction.

He looks like he's running with more confidence.

© I hadn't noticed it before, but former Canadian Football League star Stefan Logan was working as a wide receiver.

The 5-6 Logan, dubbed "Half-Pint" by his teammates, was an explosive running back in the CFL, but probably wouldn't have the size to contribute at that position in the NFL.

He'll be fighting a numbers game no matter where he lines up, but playing wide receiver would give him a better chance of making this team.

© The Steelers did some work out of a 4-3 defense at times today.

That should get the internet posters going.

© I almost forgot this one, but it was interesting.

Former center Jeff Hartings was in the building today and I barely recognized him. Hartings looks like he's down to about 220 pounds.

What's on your noodle?

Since it went so well the last time, anything new on your noodle now?

OTA notes

The Steelers are back at it with their OTAs - offseason training activites - which are optional to attend. That's not really the case - if you plan on making the team - but for the most part, everybody is in town, with Troy Polamalu being a notable exception.

Polamalu's training in California again this offseason, which, with Ryan Clark also out following his shoulder surgery, is giving Ryan Mundy a chance to work with the first team at free safety.

Mundy showed nice ball skills Wednesday, stepping up underneath a receiver on a crossing pattern and picking off a Ben Roethlisberger pass.

Mundy has excellent size and smarts. Getting plenty of reps - especially after missing a healthy portion of training camp last season due to injury – is going to pay dividends.

© I spoke with William Gay after practice.

The cornerback looked bigger than he was last season and he admitted he's up to 198 pounds. He came in at 183 pounds as a rookie and he attributed the weight gain to being on a good training program and eating healthy for the first time in his life.

Gay said as long as he doesn't lose a step, he plans on carrying the extra weight - which is all located in his shoulders - during the season.

© Speaking of Polamalu, there's a good chance he won't attend the meet and greet with the president Thursday at the White House. But there isn't a big deal being made of that.

Steelers expect to cross the pond soon

Given the team's high profile and the fact the league is looking at adding a second NFL game overseas in 2010, some in the Steelers organization expect the Steelers to be picked for a regular season international game - if not in 2010, then in 2011.

Pittsburgh would lose a home game – something that could be made up if the league goes to a 17- or 18-game scheduled – and would have a big travel week in the middle of its schedule.

As for possible game locations, I would look no farther than the country for which team chairman is this country's ambassador.

The Steelers played the Chicago Bears in Dublin in the 1997 preseason and the game was a rousing success.

© NFL owners will meet this week in Fort Lauderdale and one of the big topics will be a rookie wage scale.

Even veteran players admit the rookie wage scale has gotten out of control. Look for the NFL to come up with something akin to what the NBA does with its rookie and slot the salaries.

Cap increases, good news for Steelers

According to the Associated Press, the salary cap is going up an extra $5 from where it was originally estimated going into this offseason.

Per the AP story, NFL teams will have nearly $12 million more under the salary cap this season, the final year with one in place unless the league and its players’ union can reach a new collective bargaining agreement.
The cap was due to increase $7 million to $123 million this season, but additional adjustments stipulated in the current CBA will increase the total amount that teams can spend on player compensation to about $128 million. The $12 million increase is the largest in three years.
The league informed teams Wednesday that a “cash-adjustment mechanism” from final accounting figures in May will give clubs $947,000 of additional salary cap room, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Friday.

After the release of Larry Foote, the Steelers were between $2 and $3 million under the cap but needed to clear additional space to sign their rookie class.

Now, they may not only have enough money to do that, they may also have some extra cash available to sign a couple of their impending free agents.

So what's on your noodle?

No much going on right now until OTAs start back up, so I'll take a page out of my deceased friend Myron Cope's book and ask what's on your noodle?

Why I don't look at rankings

I always find it amusing when fans start complaining about writers' rankings of NFL teams, particularly in the offseason. Last I checked, this isn't college football. The championship is played for on the football field, not in somebody's computer or on a ballot.

That said, I really find offseason rankings to be of no use.

I don't want to pick on Peter King of Sports Illustrated because he's a guy I know and respect, but his latest Monday Morning Quarterback includes a dreaded offseason rankings list.

That he has New England No. 1 and the Steelers No. 2 doesn't bother me. If somebody put a gun to my head and forced me to rank the teams, that's where I'd put them as well.

But Chicago at No. 4? Based on what? Don't give me this Jay Cutler stuff. He's going to have to prove to me that he's something more than a malcontent. And he's not going to be throwing to Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal this season. Instead, it will be Devin Hester and Rashied Davis.

There also may not be a more overrated player in the NFL than Brian Urlacher.

So no, I'm not buying into the hype surrounding the Bears just yet.

Last on King's list, by the way, are your Cleveland Browns. The Browns have begun their 14th rebuilding plan since rejoining the NFL in 1999.

Comings and goings

In case you missed it in the past couple of days, former Steelers draft pick Orien Harris was traded from Cincinnati to St. Louis as part of the Brian Leonard deal, while running back Gary Russell signed with the Oakland Raiders.

Harris was a fourth-round draft pick of the Steelers in 2006 who just didn't quite fit as a 3-4 end as the team had hoped.

He was signed by Cleveland off Pittsburgh's practice squad later that year and has continued to kick around the league as a reserve.

Russell, meanwhile, is on his third team in a month, having signed with Cincinnati soon after being released by Pittsburgh. The Bengals released him last week.

Harrison contract details

ESPN.com released details of Steelers linebacker James Harrison's $51.175-million contract today.

According to the report, Harrison's deal includes a $10-million signing bonus, $2.55-million roster bonus and a base salary of $800,000 for 2009.

Harrison is due a reporting bonus of $2.8 million in 2010, a $3.66 million base salary as well as a $900,000 roster bonus in 2011.

In the final three years of the six-year pact, Harrison is due base salaries of $5.315 million in 2012, $6.32 million in 2013 and $7.325 million in 2013.

So, in effect, the contract could actually be considered a two or three-year deal, which is more in line with what a 31-year-old player – his birthday was this week – even one who doesn't have a lot of mileage on his tires, should get.

Foote signs with Lions

Much like his release on Monday, there should be no surprise that former Steelers linebacker Larry Foote has signed with the Detroit Lions to a one-year deal for an undisclosed amount.

Foote, a six-year starter with the Steelers, was released Monday by Pittsburgh after the team was unable to find a suitable trade for his services.

Detroit reportedly offered a seventh-round pick for Foote, who was scheduled to earn $2.9 million in 2009, but the Steelers declined the deal, opting to hold onto the linebacker in the hopes a team would suffer a mini-camp injury and be pressed into action to fill the spot.

Foote, by the way, is from Detroit and starred at Michigan, where he was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2001.

What about the old guy?

It hasn't taken the media long to fall in love with rookie running back Frank "The Tank" Summers and everybody knows the Steelers expectations for former No. 1 pick Rashard Mendenhall, but what about the starter, Willie Parker?

Parker's coming off an injury-plagued season that he called a personal disappointment and is heading into the final year of his current contract.

It's interesting that he's gone from everybody's favorite underdog to the guy everyone wants to forget about, despite the fact he's been the team's starting running back during two Super Bowl runs.

This will probably be Parker's final season with the Steelers - unless Mendenhall proves he can't handle the starting job.

But I expect a big season out of Parker in 2009.

© As expected, Larry Foote was released today.

"Larry has been a big part of our success, but unfortunately the realities of the salary cap made this decision inevitable," said director of football operations Kevin Colbert. "We wish Larry and his family nothing but the best as he moves forward with his career."

Dixon looks good

Second-year quarterback Dennis Dixon looks like a completely different player at this year's mini-camp than he did a year ago.

Then again, that's not that big of a surprise considering he wasn't even supposed to take a snap at last year's camp after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL less than six months before.

Dixon obviously has a much better grasp of the offense now and you can see a huge difference between him and rookies Kevin McCabe and Mike Reilly.

There's also not much difference between Dixon and veteran Charlie Batch. In fact, Dixon has looked better than Batch - though it's still very early and Batch is coming off a very long layoff.

It's easy to see, however, why the Steelers are high on Dixon.

© While there's not a load of experience behind Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes at wide receiver, there's certainly a glut of promising young players - and a couple of veterans.

But there are also spots open there and the battle for the fourth, fifth and even sixth wideout spots should be a very good one this year in training camp.

© As he usually has, Deshea Townsend has worked at safety. But with two young draft picks added at the cornerback position, as well as veteran Keiwan Ratliff, Townsend's work at safety may be more important now than ever for the veteran.

First day of mini-camp notes, Foote update

As expected, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed today that he and Larry Foote decided it would be beneficial for both parties if Foote did not attend the mandatory mini-camp this weekend. Tomlin said Foote will not be fined.

Tomlin said he and Foote have been in contact for several weeks regarding the situation.

© Punter Daniel Sepulveda and long-snapper Greg Warren are still hobbled by their knee injuries.

Sepulveda didn't kick at all today - even during punting drills - while Warren did do some snapping. But Warren is still walking with a limp and is wearing a brace on his left knee.

Sepulveda's status would explain why the Steelers essentially brought in two more punters. Both Dirk Johnson - sounds like a porn name - and Piotr Czech - ditto - were punting Friday.

© If you're looking for an undrafted rookie to keep an eye on, watch offensive tackle Ramon Foster of Tennessee. The 6-6, 325-pound Foster was working with the third team at right tackle Friday and looks like a player.

© An interesting note - every Steelers draft pick with one exception has already attained his degree.

In fact, first-round pick Ziggy Hood graduated in just 3 1/2 years.

The only one who hasn't is third-round guard Kraig Urbik, who was a fifth-year senior. Go figure.

© Wide receiver Martin Nance is not practicing and Tomlin said he won't have any statements about what Nance's status is until Sunday or even Monday.