Steelers Extend Miller, Polamalu; Cut Foote In Salary Cap Moves

Everyone just stay calm. What you smell from the South Side is just the smoke coming from the pens of Omar Khan and GM Kevin Colbert as the Pittsburgh Steelers cut costs.

The biggest two names involved in the process are strong safety Troy Polamalu and tight end Heath Miller as each signed three-year extensions, first reported by NFL Network's Ian Rappaport and the National Football Post's Len Pasquarelli and since confirmed by Steelers.com.

Miller, who's negotiations were first announced Tuesday, is now to receive base salaries of $1.02 million in 2015, and $4 million in both of the subsequent years. Though, from what I've gathered, there is no guaranteed money in 2015 and 2016.

More immediately important is that his Salary Cap number down to $6,133,166 for this year. That is an approximate $3.4 million Cap savings from the previous $9.5 million Cap hit the Steelers were due to take.

The normally sure-handed Miller is essentially set up to retire a Steeler now. He is considered by many, most of whom tend to say "yinz" a lot, to be the best all-around tight end in the game. Something that one of his former coaches still touts. - http://tinyurl.com/kgck3c9

Polamalu, currently 32 years old, signed a similar extension. His was a three-year extension that lowers his 2014 Cap number by $4.5 million (it was $10.887M).

Per The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette from his Twitter (@EdBouchette) account, "Polamalu gets no new money to extend his deal by 2 years. #Steelers converted $6.75M of his $8.2 M '14 salary into bonus. Gets $1.5 M base."

Entering the final year of his four-year, $36.5 million contract, the guy with the hair, who had been very erroneously rumored to be cut. The City of Bridges would have seen jumps from some and burnings of others if the Steelers had made that move.

But, the man who is tied for seventh all-time on the Steelers interception list and who was rated by Pro Football Focus as the No. 5 safety in the league last season will retire a Steeler.

As for the other moves, it was announced first thing Wednesday morning that free safety Will Allen re-signed with the team, according to he and his agent Blake Baratz.

In just 12 games last season after returning to the team from Dallas, Allen, 32 in June, had 35 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a pass defense. His solid, veteran play and leadership will be needed again as the Steelers look to get younger in their secondary.

Speaking of getting younger, the Steelers announced the release of veteran inside linebacker Larry Foote. After signing a three-year extension last season, If It Ain't Steel said that he would likely only see one year of that deal. One year later...

He was set to earn $1.5 million this season. This gives the Steelers a Cap savings of $833,333 minus the $666,667 still owed him (dead money).

His ruptured biceps injury, and the steadily improved play of 2013 sixth-round NFL Draft choice Vince Williams, made his departure a sure thing.

The 11-year Steeler will be 34 in June and may hang up his cleats. He leaves with 621 tackles, 21 sacks, 19 PDs, nine FFs, seven FRs, three INTs and a safety for his career.

Offensive lineman Levi Brown was released as expected. The 2013 mid-season acquisition from the Arizona Cardinals never played for the Steelers and will clear $6.25 million from the Cap.

Curtis Brown, third-round Texas product from the 2011 Draft, never really panned out and was cut. His release frees up $645,000.

Injuries played into his exit as well. NFL writer and reporter Brian McIntyre reported via his Twitter (@brian_mcintyre) account that the "Steelers released Levi Brown and Curtis Brown with "Failed Physical" designations."

Add the money saved from the extensions, which essentially just moves money forward, to the contract cuts and the Steelers shaved approximately $15,628,333 million from the Cap and are very close to being compliant.

Next up are the contract situations with cornerback Ike Taylor, outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley, the re-signing of wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery and people keep suggesting another extension, one for someone named Ben...

Steelers 2013 Training Camp: 10 Days, 10 Takeaways (Defense)

Without a doubt, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the best franchise in all of American football over the last 40+ years. Since the NFL/AFL merger in 1970, they have made the playoffs 26 times for a total of 33 wins - more than any other team.

There’s no argument about whether or not the Steelers and their fans have reason to be proud of their accomplishments. Since the merger, they’ve competed for an NFL title nearly 20% of the time, having gone to the final game an average of once every five years in that time span.

In all, the Steelers lead or are tied for the lead in all of the most important categories: total wins (437), season wins (404), All-Pros (67), playoff wins (33), playoff berths (26), division titles (20), winning seasons (31), Super Bowl berths (8) and Super Bowl wins (6).

It is, therefore, that very success that makes last season's results that much less bearable. It was a team loaded with potential, potential never achieved. Now it is a team that goes into the 2013 Training Camp and season loaded with questions. Though a team of veterans, rookies and yet-unproven players will play a big part into how this season turns out.

The Steelers are resting and relaxing following some of the toughest Training Camp practices seen in ages. Practices that included tackling, live 11-on-11 drills and a little bit of history with live tackling in a non-goal line drill. According to inside linebacker Larry Foote, "First time we ever did that."

(photo courtesy of Jennifer L. Westbrooks)
As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette examined recently, this "is old-old-school," but it has been needed with the Steelers being "young in a lot of areas, particularly in the lines," head coach Mike Tomlin said in explaining the increased hitting.

In that case, now is a good time to review everything that has been disseminated over the course of the first 10 days of practice. We'll look at the things and players seen so far that are worthy of continued attention and that could have an impact on the season.

LaMarr Woodley: Woodley came into Camp looking great, really responding, though he won't admit to it, to the prods from his position coach prior to last year. One of the things we've suggested since the departure of James Harrison, though, is that, especially since Jason Worilds has played so much better of the left, that maybe Woodley might be moved to the weak side. But linebackers coach Keith Butler addressed the issue and gave the reasoning for his decision.

“Sure, for a little bit,” Butler responded when asked if he had considered doing so. But he left Woodley on the strong side because, as he put it, "You want a big-bodied guy over there on the left side because offenses are notoriously right-handed. Most people run to the right, some people try to run to the left, but most run to the right, and we want a big body over there.”

Um...no. Not true. In actuality, the numbers indicate that teams run to the left, opposite Woodley's side, about 15% more than they run to the right. Which means teams will be running primarily away from Woodley.

Curtis Brown: I have Brown as a high roster possibility for a while, and did nothing in Camp to cause one to go against that. However, with Mark Kaboly reporting that Brown went down when defending on a play and Steel City Insider's Jim Wexell reporting that he is on crutches after practice, his chances would seem to be damaged. But the Steelers are already down starter Cortez Allen (knee), who needed minor surgery last Friday, DeMarcus Van Dyke (who also needs all the help he can get) and Terry Hawthorne, all being sidelined for an unknown amount of time with training camp injuries. That, then, re-edifies Brown's chances of maintaining a roster spot.

Al Woods: Last year, Woods made the roster as the sixth defensive lineman and should make it again this year. But defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau and the Steelers are trying to make the defensive linemen more versatile by upping the pressure on the quarterback.

"We definitely need to get more pressure up front," said Brett Keisel, who led the Steelers last season with 40 quarterback pressures. "There's been an emphasis more on [ends] getting on the edge rather than just pushing the pocket, getting on the edge and trying to make something happen."

As the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review explains, when the defensive tackle or end "pushes a guard or tackle back, forcing the quarterback to scramble out of the pocket, they will earn a 'pressure' from their coaches."

For Woods, considering the pass-rush ability he showed when on the (limited time on the) field in both Pittsburgh and New Orleans, that would mean working him at nose tackle in addition to defensive end to increase his value and versatility up front, making him a viable candidate once again for a roster spot.

Cameron Heyward: “I think it’s not more of assignment things anymore, its more of now I can read and dissect the offense, so I can see tendencies and see what they’re favoring and formations,” Heyward said.

Along with reading and dissecting the offense, Heyward brought the body to be able to bring the hammer when he arrives at the play.

"He’s heavier than he’s been, but his body fat is down,” said Tomlin. “So you’re talking about lean muscle mass....He’s probably up three or four pounds, but his body-fat percentage is down, so he’s doing the right thing.”

Marshall McFadden: McFadden is making it as hard as possible to cut him, and is turning heads after the first half of Training Camp. The Steelers will be keeping either four or five inside players, so his making the roster depends on the play of sixth-round draft pick Vince Williams and Stevenson Sylvester. Unless something drastic changes what we've seen thus far, expect McFadden to make the team.

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TIDBITS: Remember the name "Alan Baxter."

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New Steelers starting cornerback Cortez Allen feels he should be in good shape and ready to go when the Steelers line up to face the Tennessee Titans, despite having surgery last week on his knee. Tez said he is getting better, but will stay off the practice field until at least the end of Training Camp nears.

“I’m just trying to be smart about it. I can’t really give a timetable on it, but I just have to follow the instructions of the training staff," Tez told the Tribune-Review. Of course it’s disappointing when you can’t do what you love. I pride myself on staying in good spirits. I’m doing my best to get back on the field."

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The Steelers signed veteran offensive tackle D'Anthony Batiste and Nik Embernate cleared waivers and is now on the Steelers Injured Reserve list.

Batiste ranked second worst out of 80 graded tackles on Pro Football Focus. Pray that someone else steps up and/or that Marcus Gilbert and Mike Adams stay healthy...for Ben's sake.

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Alameda Ta'amu released from PUP list. He will participate in the Steelers' Camp for the first time this season, after sitting out the first half of it with a hamstring injury.

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Maurkice Pouncey said he is at a natural 300 pounds. Up from 285 previous years.

Steelers Secondary Is Of Primary Concern

Once again this NFL offseason, the focus for the Pittsburgh Steelers' top-ranked defense has been to generate more turnovers. And both defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau and defensive backs coach Carnell Lake have emphasized the need for them to do just that.

The paltry numbers they’ve generated the past two seasons have been embarrassingly low. Bottom-half-of-the-NFL low. The defense took the ball away 20 times, which was the eighth fewest in the NFL. In 2011, there were even worse with only 15 takeaways.

In 2012, the Steelers ranked 24th in the NFL in turnover differential at a -10, and 28th in TO differential in 2011 at a -13. Those defenses may have been No. 1, but the only numbers that truly mattered were 8-8.

This is trend that must desist if the team is serious about contending for the playoffs and the possibly Super Bowl again this season. Not that they can just flip a switch to make that happen, but Art Rooney II made a salient point in his State of the Steelers postseason interview back in January as to what a remedy may be.

"We need to get more pressure on the quarterback," Rooney II said, "because as everyone will tell you that creates turnovers."

He's correct. If It Ain't Steel covered that interview and quoted some telling statistics regarding the subject. In the 2008 Super Bowl season, the Steelers posted 51 sacks and 29 takeaways, and in the 2010 Super Bowl season, they had 48 sacks and 35 takeaways. Compare that to the previous 2011 and 2012 stats, and the turnover stats of the teams that made the playoffs, and the point is well-made. - http://tinyurl.com/lahlacl

The front seven side of those stats will be covered in an upcoming piece. As for the secondary itself, it allowed the fewest passing yards in the NFL for the second consecutive season. And as the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Mark Kaboly brought to light in a recent article, they also have something very important: experience.

"This will be the eighth consecutive season (Ike) Taylor, (Ryan) Clark and (Troy) Polamalu have played together — the most consecutive seasons of any trio in the league — and with the potential of Cortez Allen, the Steelers' defensive backfield could rival some of the best of the past decade." - http://tinyurl.com/kavmvcz

The experience advantage presented by the triumvirate Kaboly mentioned and the youth and "potential" of Cortez Allen brings to mind the knock against them made the NFL Network's version of Champ Kind, Warren Sapp.

Sapp once again called the Steelers "old and slow" and said that "three of the four secondary guys there are 32 years old or older." While that's true, what is being ignored is the youth being infused into the Steelers defense, including the secondary. Tez Allen is especially exciting because of the potential impact he could have. Tez went on a turnover surge at the end of last season, and the hope is that he can make 2013 his own.

"I'm not that type to make predictions or boast about myself....I just come to work every day and try to get better and better so I can help my team the best I can," said Tez. "I think I've shown an ability to make plays in the defensive system." - http://t.co/RX7JvMEw06

He isn't the only one who has a golden opportunity to shine for the Steelers. Nor is he the only one who actually does have speed. Contrary to the Sapp's comment, all three of the aforementioned triad have sub 4.5/40 speed (with Polamalu and Taylor still being 4.4 in the 40). Add to that some young blood that could make an impact this season.

Second-year man Robert Golden has potential at safety, so much potential that the Steelers forwent drafting a second one, but nonetheless had an inauspicious beginning last season.

“It was a surreal feeling,” Golden said of the Dallas Cowboys game where he was victimized. “Then we had a little blown coverage. We didn’t get the stretch call. They had two verticals up the seam and we were in a cover 3 and kind of back playing between both and couldn’t make that play.”

But the young safety has the requisite skills and speed to prove he isn't simple pyrite. The golden ticket is in his mentally picking up the defensive stratagems. (I've got lots of these for him.) Fellow safety Clark said as much about him.

"He’s a guy who jumps off the film talent-wise, speed-wise," said Clark. "What Rob has to do is show the jump as far as knowledge, dependability, durability. - http://t.co/6BzEtGnSY7

Curtis Brown, was picked ahead of Tez in the 2011, but has fallen behind him on the depth chart. Brown will not only have to beat out young teammates Isaiah Green, Josh Victorian and DeMarcus Van Dyke (all of whom are sub 4.45/40) for defensive snaps, but also veteran William Gay. Behind The Steel Curtain broke down what awaits the young cornerback who's heading into his third year. - http://tinyurl.com/bxdgymo

Terry Hawthorne was listed among Steel City Insider's 'Players to Watch' list written by Jim Wexell. Hawthorne is very fast, but very raw. Still, Carnell Lake really likes what sees.

"What I like about Terry is that he has a lot of upside potential that I see in him," Lake said. "He is big. He is fast. He doesn't mind tackling, and he can play press coverage well, kind of in the same way as an Ike Taylor."

At 6'0", 195 lbs., Hawthorne has starting potential, but his biggest impact this season will likely come on special teams. But Lake, who has former teammate and Steeler great Rod Woodson coaching with him via an internship throughout Camps, likes his 4.44/40 speed, his fluidity in the hips, his ability to hit and other tools to contribute down the line.

All-in-all, that "old and slow" Steelers defense finished atop the NFL defensive rankings. Then, just for good measure, they went out and became the top-rated unit again last season. Now they've added youth and speed to make sure to, not only lock down that No. 1 spot again, but to turnover their recent misfortunes and make it mean something in January.

Steelers Pre-draft Visits Show That Defense Is Still A Priority

As the NFL's pre-draft visit period comes to a close, the total tally of the players entertained by the Pittsburgh Steelers tells a familiar tale. Back on January 8th, If It Ain't Steel wrote an article that said the fixing of the Steelers starts with defense. Apparently the Steelers themselves agree.

Each NFL team is allowed 30 pre-draft visits. The Steelers total of 24 is more heavily represented by the defensive side (17) of the ball than the offensive side (7) of it. While there are holes over the entirety of the roster, the defensive side of the ball is...(ahem) more experienced and mature. Three of the four starters in the defensive backfield alone carry an average age of 33 as of the 2013 season.

Aside from the array of pass rushers brought in (and I am a firm believer in the theory that you can't have too many players who can rush the passer), two things stand out when looking at the visiting players. The first being that the cornerbacks brought in indicate where the Steelers will be looking for that much needed youth and depth.

It is of interest that of the cornerbacks making visits - Florida State's Xavier Rhodes, Utah State's Will Davis (whose interesting story is linked here: http://tinyurl.com/cjh26ad), UConn's Blidi Wreh-Wilson (pictured above), LSU's Tharold Simon and William & Mary's B.J. Webb - all but one are mid-round prospects. Are the third through the fifth rounds where they will look to pull the trigger on the position?

The Steelers let unrestricted free agent CB Keenan Lewis walk via free agency, so that leaves Ike Taylor, Cortez Allen and William Gay as the only three who could be considered locks to make the 53-man roster next season. Bringing up the rear, as it were, behind them are Curtis Brown, DeMarcus Van Dyke, Josh Victorian, Isaiah Green and Justin King. Conventional wisdom dictates that only one or two of those five players make it onto the 53 man roster, and the odds favor only one if the Steelers invest a mid-round pick on another cornerback.

The other thing that stood out was the lack of true five-technique defensive linemen to make their way to the South Side. Although Steelers.com says Utah’s Star Lotulelei, Florida’s Sharrif Floyd, BYU’s Ziggy Ansah (who himself could also play OLB) and Florida State’s Bjoern Werner are the top defensive line prospects in this month's NFL Draft (and players the Steelers could potentially select), none of those were brought in. In fact, none of the defensive linemen brought in were true defensive lineman. - http://tinyurl.com/cywjc8r

Though Clemson's DE Malliciah Goodman was a pre-draft visitor, and though Georgia's DE Cornelius Washington has been linked to the Steelers as high as the second round and as low as the fifth round, the signing of Steve McLendon was likely an indication that any such pick would be in the lower rounds for depth and special teams purposes.

One such player to consider might be Utah's Joe Kruger who declared early for the draft following his junior season.

Per Gil Brandt of NFL.com, "Kruger - the younger brother of Paul Kruger, who was a member of the Super Bowl XLVII-champion Baltimore Ravens and just signed a lucrative free-agent contract with the Cleveland Browns - stood on all of his numbers from the combine. Kruger looked very good in the positional workouts." - http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1749704/joe-kruger

"Paul ran me through what this was like for him, what the experience was like, how to calm myself down when things get tense," Joe Kruger said. "Things are going well. I'm prepared for it. I've met a lot of good people."

Kruger, who led the team with six sacks, had two forced fumbles, an interception for a touchdown and blocked a field goal, has good size (6'6 3/8" 261 lbs.), quickness, and arm length. Has received plaudits for his effort and ability to bull-rush offensive linemen and he says he can play "all four positions on the defensive line."

The pre-draft visits on the whole were:
DE/OLB John Simon (3rd round prospect) - Ohio State;
RB Christine Michael (4th rd pros.) - Texas A&M;
ILB Vince Williams (7th rd pros.) - Florida State;
OLB Jarvis Jones (1st rd pros.) - Georgia;
OLB Jamie Collins (2-3 rd pros.) - Southern Mississippi;
OLB Khaseem Greene (2-3 rd pros.) - Rutgers;
SS Jonathan Meeks (7-FA rd pros.) - Clemson;
S Phillip Thomas (2-3 rd pros.) - Fresno State;
ILB Michael Mauti (5th rd pros.) - Penn State;
DE Malliciah Goodman (4th rd pros.) - Clemson;
WR Josh Boyce (2-3 rd pros.) - Texas Christian;
RB Johnathan Franklin (2nd rd pros.) - UCLA;
SS Shamarko Thomas (3rd rd pros.) - Syracuse;
CB Will Davis (5th rd pros.) - Utah State;
G Nic Embernate (6-7 rd pros.) - San Diego State;
CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson (3rd rd pros.) - Connecticut;
CB Xavier Rhodes (1st rd pros.) - FSU;
LB Sio Moore (4th rd pros.) - Connecticut.
CB Tharold Simon (4-5 rd pros.) - LSU;
CB B.W. Webb (4-5 rd pros.) - William & Mary;
SS Duke Williams (5-6 rd pros.) - UNR;
RB Eddie Lacy (1-2 rd pros.) - Alabama;
WR Justin Brown (7-FA pros.) - Oklahoma;
and WR Tavarres King (4-5 rd pros.) - Georgia.

(This list will be updated if any more pre-draft visits occur on Monday or Tuesday.)

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TIDBITS: "Heath (Miller) is working out and he looks great," Ben Roethlisberger said during an appearance on 102.5 WDVE. "He's walking without a limp. From what I saw I think he looked good." - http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2013/4/17/4235778/heath-miller-injury-update-looks-great

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Antonio Brown is grateful to have Emmanuel Sanders back. - http://tinyurl.com/c5uusqc

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In "the most unkindest cut of all," Ex-Steeler Harrison signs with the Cincinnati Bengals. Here's a photo of him with a Bengals teammate in their uniforms, and a link to the article detailing the signing.
- http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/3876184-74/harrison-contract-bengals#axzz2QwWOZoyt

Does The Steelers Signing Of William Gay Mean The End Of Keenan Lewis?

William Gay has officially signed with the Steelers again. According to the tweet from beat writer Gerry Dulac above, it is a three-year deal, though the exact terms were not disclosed. It has been intimated, however, that the terms do benefit the team. Gay will be no more than a Nickel/Dime defensive back and will probably see special teams duty, so there's no need to question the team's ardor toward signing free agent Keenan Lewis. Or is there?

ESPN brought out today that, though he started fewer than half of the 80 games he played while in Black and Gold, Gay has played in 96 consecutive regular-season games since being drafted, the longest active streak among cornerbacks. And when Gay left before last season, we expressed the fact that Gay's leaving was a loss:

"Make no mistake, William Gay's departure is a loss. Not only is there now the possible need to replace a cornerback, but the Nickel position as well. He started at the left cornerback spot for the Steelers last year from week two on after Bryant McFadden was benched following the week one loss to the Ravens. Then, when the Steelers would switch to Nickel and Dime packages, Gay would move inside to the slot and Keenan Lewis would come in as the left corner.

Gay made more plays last year than people choose to remember. He's not a starting NFL by any means, no, but the Steelers will still feel the loss, especially at the Nickel.

That said, he was only beaten in a game-changing way twice all regular season, one of which arguably was caused by Ryan Clark being late over the top, and his 2011 regular season stats were on par with Ike Taylor's. The loss is real: he provided experience and depth, he was very good in the Nickel and he knows LeBeau's system.

At the same time, though, this is far from a major loss. There is good young talent at the position behind him in Pittsburgh. Even if he had stayed on a veteran minimum or qualifying contract offer, he still would have been the third or fourth defensive back in Pittsburgh next season." - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2012/03/what-loss-of-william-gay-means-for.html

Now that he's been brought back, one would think he's still in the position of the third or fourth option, putting Curtis Brown, DeMarcus Van Dyke and Josh Victorian on notice. Unfortunately, though, two sources say that it may be the end for Keenan Lewis after all. As Steelers beat writer Dale Lolley put it in his post regarding the signing: "Gay was solid in the slot for the Steelers in 2011 before leaving for Arizona, and that's likely where he'll be asked to play in 2013. That means Cortez Allen will move into the starting lineup on the outside opposite Ike Taylor, though the Steelers will likely call it an open battle between Allen, Gay and Curtis Brown heading to training camp....It also means that the Steelers will now likely let Keenan Lewis walk..." - http://nflfromthesidelines.blogspot.com/2013/03/gay-signing-means-lewis-likely-gone.html

The general consensus of those covering the team is that this sounds Lewis' death knell, as Jim Wexell tweeted here:



It's the classic "cognoscenti vs. Intelligentsia" debate, because If It Ain't Steel believes that all efforts to keep Lewis should be made. If he leaves of his own volition, so be it. It's his decision. Do, however, make any and all attempts to retain the man who was one of the two best defensive players on the team last season. A secondary of he and Ike Taylor and Cortez Allen in the slot, and then having Tez take over for Ike after he leaves next season, would seem to be ideal. Silly me, I thought depth was a good thing. Gay said that Taylor personally called general manager Kevin Colbert urging him to bring Gay back. Hopefully someone else will call Colbert and urge him to find a way to keep Lewis.

UPDATE: Behind The Steel Curtain is reporting the deal Gay signed is supposedly around $4.5 million with an approximate $500,000 signing bonus.

Steelers Veterans Taking The Lead At Minicamp

Tuesday brought us a lot of good information from the first day of minicamp, with the most important of which being this: no one got hurt. There were a few players who sat out, namely James Harrison, whose injury we already knew about, and Curtis Brown, during the a.m. session of minicamp. But no new injuries being reported.

That no new injuries have been experienced is good, but the veterans, specifically a still-injured one, taking the lead while injured is even better. That still-injured player is Casey Hampton.

Pittsburgh area Associated Press writer Will Graves, @WillGravesAP on Twitter, tweeted that Big Snack is being looked at as Big Coach here early on: "Highlight of #Steelers avail this AM: Somebody put a "Coach Hampton" sign over Casey's locker. He's all for it 'if they add it to my salary.'"

There's a video recap of the first day of mini-camp on steelers.com that shows Big Coach instructing rookie Alameda Ta'amu Tuesday's practice. This is a just another example of how Steelers veterans take the lead in helping young players and nurturing them. More proof that this is a family-like organization. -Day 1 Recap http://t.co/3LtqF00k

Ben Roethlisberger has also been taking the lead with the new offense. Even if that just means not speaking ill of it anymore. Though, he did explain himself regarding that. Big Ben said that he didn't like the idea of bringing in Todd Haley and a new offense at first, but that it just forces him to work harder.

“That was it early on,” Big Ben said. “I felt like I was really starting…I was hopefully going to be coming into the prime of my career and [not] starting all over with an offense.”

Granted, most quarterbacks really hit their stride and even become elite in their early 30's. Big Ben is 30.

He went on to say, “You know what, it kind of put a little extra on me and the rest of the guys to learn the offense and learn something new."

Add to that, he's still newly married, newly graduated college, and even is now a soon-to-be daddy. He and his wife, Ashley, are expecting their first child. A lot on his plate, but he seems to be handling all of it well. When asked about how the due date may affect any games, he said: "Possibly, but, as Coach always says, we will cross that bridge when we come to it."

Here's my prediction: No. 7 will get a 7lb. 7oz. baby boy in approximately 7 months which will inspire him to bring a 7th Ring to the Steel City. Sound good?

Back to the topic of the offense briefly, even Brett Keisel commented on Big Ben's grasp of the offense: "I am very impressed on how Ben has grasped this offense....we are only going to go as far as he can take us." 'Nuff said.

Willie Colon has taken the lead too. Sort of. His welcome to the rookies, "In the huddle I said, 'It smells like baby powder and pampers in here.'"

Oh well, each of us has different motivational and teaching methods.

Keenan Lewis Will Have To Battle For Cornerback Position

It was thought by many that, in the event that he decided to sign somewhere else, William Gay's departure from Pittsburgh would inevitably give Steelers cornerback Keenan Lewis a prime opportunity to step into the favorite's role as starter.

Up until Tuesday that still seemed to be the case. That is until Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told the press around him at the NFL Meetings in Palm Beach, Florida that something else should be expected.

"We're going to give all those men an opportunity to earn the position", Tomlin said.

Those men are Lewis, Cortez Allen and Curtis Brown who it seems will battle for the starting cornerback position opposite Ike Taylor. Though Lewis will go into offseason practices with the slight edge because he's been in the Steelers' system longer, this is nonetheless a little different from what many suspected would be the case.

But it might just be that this was precipitated by Lewis himself.

Lewis has had a bit of a roller coaster-like career in his first three seasons with the Steelers. Drafted in the third round out of Oregon State in 2009, Lewis was considered to be a possible early contributor for the Steelers. Unfortunately for Lewis, inconsistent play, injuries, and his own negative attitude all got in the way of his emerging as a starter or starter-in-waiting for the Steelers.

In 2009, Lewis sustained a back injury which hindered any real progress and limited him to a total of just four games his rookie season.

In 2010, Lewis was expected to turn the corner and start contributing at a higher level. He played in only nine games and blew his biggest chance to earn more playing time in a preseason game in Denver. With Bryant McFadden sidelined due to injury, Lewis played badly, committed idiotic penalties, and even attacked a defenseless mirror in the locker room after the game. Tomlin and the coaching staff relegated him to special teams the majority of the rest of the year.

Lewis' window of opportunity seemed to be almost closed heading into 2011. He faced what looked like stiff competition from both Crezdon Butler and Donovan Warren, but was eventually able to fight both of them off and make the 53-man roster.

Now he'll be battling again.

Usually, the biggest jump is from the first season into the second, but with Lewis it took until the third before appreciable maturation was seen. Now he has nipping at his heels two promising young cornerbacks who want the position as much as he does. One of whom, Allen, saw the field on defense quite often in the second half of the season as he was in on a lot of Nickel and Dime packages.

So, just as things begin to click for Lewis and he plays the best football of his young career, he finds himself now fighting for the job for which he should've been the front runner.

Overall, this is neither a negative thing for the Steelers, healthy competition edifies and solidifies, nor for Lewis. Because of his play in 2011 he's laid a solid foundation to be built upon going into 2012.

Again, that experience and emergence should be the fuel he needs to give him a slight edge for the position over his competitors. If he wants it badly enough and is willing to fight for it.

What The Loss of William Gay Means For Steelers Secondary

When the news came down Sunday morning that William Gay had decided to leave the Steelers for the Arizona Cardinals, it didn't really come as any big surprise. Not even to Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert.

″We knew that was a possibility,″ Kevin Colbert said today. ″His representatives had been in contact with us. We were aware of his trips and that he was going to get offers and he got an offer that he took.″ 

It was actually William Gay himself who broke the news of leaving when he declared from his personal Twitter account: "@williamgay22: I'm #Birdgang now west coast". 

In Arizona, as I alluded to in a previous blog post, he will be reunited with Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton and assistant defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend. 

Make no mistake, William Gay's departure is a loss. Not only is there now the possible need to replace a cornerback, but the Nickel position as well. He started at the left cornerback spot for the Steelers last year from week two on after Bryant McFadden was benched following the week one loss to the Ravens. Then, when the Steelers would switch to Nickel and Dime packages, Gay would move inside to the slot and Keenan Lewis would come in as the left corner.

Gay made more plays last year than people choose to remember. He's not a starting NFL by any means, no, but the Steelers will still feel the loss, especially at the Nickel. 

That said, he was only beaten in a game-changing way twice all regular season, one of which arguably was caused by Ryan Clark being late over the top, and his 2011 regular season stats were on par with Ike Taylor's. The loss is real: he provided experience and depth, he was very good in the Nickel and he knows LeBeau's system.

At the same time, though, this is far from a major loss. There is good young talent at the position behind him in Pittsburgh. Even if he had stayed on a veteran minimum or qualifying contract offer, he still would have been the third or fourth defensive back in Pittsburgh next season. 

Is there a need to draft a corner to add to this young talent? Maybe, but the Steelers won't go against the norm and get someone via free agency. We may already, in fact, have what we need in Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith and/or Myron Rolle. They may be able to step up at safety and negate the need for an extra cornerback/Nickel defensive back.

Nonetheless, there should be healthy competition at cornerback to compliment Ike Taylor with Keenan Lewis being the leader in the clubhouse. Lewis has more defensive snaps, seeing game action to the tune of about 400 snaps last season. 

Also based on last year's game packages and total snaps, I'd expect to see Cortez Allen being the nickel corner Keenan Lewis starting opposite Ike since it was Allen who was used in the Dime, though not a true Dime, packages.  

Curtis Brown hardly saw action at all on defense in his rookie campaign. He does seem to hold the eye of the coaching staff, though, as Bob Labriola of Steelers Digest says that they are high on Brown and Allen both. Both showed promise, but Allen seemed to wedge himself in a little tighter in that he would line up inside on slot receivers and tight ends. 

Though the loss of William Gay is palpable, it isn't a loss that will completely hamstring the Steelers. The Steelers have young talent that, though very short on experience, is very long on talent and potential.

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Steelers unrestricted free agent tackle Max Starks was on Sirius XM on Friday and expressed interest in coming back to the Steelers. Alex Marvez reported via his Twitter account, @alexmarvez, that Starks was recovering from his ACL tear suffered against the Denver Broncos.

His tweet read, "T Max Starks - who looks physically great despite having ACL surgery during the season -- is on @SiriusXMNFL #Steelers" 

At one point during the interview in question he was asked if there was a chance that he would return to the Steelers in 2012 and he replied, "I mean it's a potential. One of the biggest things is that for myself, there's been expressed interest, but once again it all stems off of my ACL recovery....It's my intent that I have the opportunity to go back there, but I know the reality is that I'm not going to get a legitimate look until June for my knee." 

Showing his desire to remain a Steeler is real, he further said, "I say 'us' and 'ours' when I'm talking about the Steelers, speaking from that past tense, but that's been my whole entire career, I was eight years there, so that's all I know."

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The Denver Broncos brought in and are currently hosting Steelers unrestricted free agent quarterback Dennis Dixon.

Dixon has appeared in four games for the Steelers, making three career starts. He has a 2-1 record with one touchdown and two interceptions. If signed, he would battle Caleb Hanie for backup role.