Time For The Landry Jones Era To Begin; The Devil Went Down To...

by Jayden Matthews

Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers have signed most of their draft picks and have also now signed center Maurkice Pouncey to an extension, they're faced with a bit of a dilemma. That being the getting of their franchise QB Ben Roethlisberger extended. 

With the contracts for quarterbacks skyrocketing here lately at a fierce pace, should the Steelers pay big money to Big Ben in order to keep him? I say...no.

If Big Ben wants to play hardball and demand all that money that Colin Kaepernick, Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan and others have gotten, then let Big Ben ride the big bench and ring in the Landry Jones era. 

Many thought the Steelers wasted a draft pick on selecting Landry Jones, but I say it's time to see what this kid's got. Why not just throw him in the fire and see if the barbecue smokes?

Move over bacon, there's somethin' meatier!

If Ben wants to be overpaid like the rest of these guys, show him who the boss is!

I mean, it isn’t like that last season Ben really did anything to help the Steelers. He had a horrendous start where he himself had nine of the team's 20 turnovers before the bye. Sure, he ended with a QB Rating of 92.0, 28 touchdown passes, 4,261 passing yards and a completion percentage of 64.2%, but he had nowhere to go but UP! 

Plus, who in tarnation who wants a QB who plays every snap, sets records for completions in a season (375) and had a 2-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio while becoming the franchise's career leader in TD passes (219)? Why would we pay this guy??? Let him be a Divo!

Even if he did lead his team to three Super Bowls while winning two of them, that still doesn’t warrant a big contract, does it? 

If I've got a guy like Landry Jones on the bench that could potentially step right in and take over, why wouldn't I use him? I mean, we are in rebuild mode anyway. So why not? 

When Landry was at Oklahoma, he accounted for...well, he threw for...uh, he won...well, he did a lot! This guy really brings something to the table! He could be the next Bobby Douglas or Craig Morton for all we know, so we have to give him a shot!

Why are we even thinking about giving Big Ben an extension when we have this guy on the roster already and have him for the next three years?  

Let's not even bother getting a deal done fo...oh, forget it. I can't do this anymore... My eyes hurt from reading this hogwash. To everyone that made it this far without busting their computer and cussing us to no end, enough with the foolishness. 

Anyone who thought for one second that If It Ain’t Steel would actually entertain the thought of sitting our beloved Big Ben for one snap, unless it was due to injury, for Landry Jones must be so dumb that if you went bobbin' in a barrel of boobs, you'd still come up suckin' your thumb. This obvious SATIRE!

Y'all know we have to do this every once in a while to keep you on your toes. By the way, we said his whole name, Landry Jones, each time because they will have the only times you'll hear it all season. ;-)

~

"THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO...PITTSBURGH"

The devil went down to Pittsburgh, he was lookin' for a soul to steal. 
He was in a bind 'cause he was way behind. He was willing to make a deal
When he came across this young scribe writin' down her latest thoughts
And the Devil sidled up next to her and said "Girl, let me tell you what."

"I guess you didn't know it, but I'm a writer, too.
And if you'd care to take a dare I'll make a bet with you.
Now you write a pretty good blog, girl, but give the Devil his due.
I'll bet a Mont Blanc of gold against your soul 'cause I think I'm better than you."

The scribe said, "My name's Jayden, and it might be a sin,
But I'll take your bet; and you're gonna regret 'cause I'm the best there's ever been."

The Devil opened up his case and he said, "I'll start this off."
And fire flew from his fingertips as he brushed his shoulders off.
And he started crackin' his knuckles and flexin' his wrists.
And a band of demons joined in and it sounded something like this.

"As I reported earlier...I'm the devil incarnate,
To overload with meaningless stats, I stay up late,
No sleep do I need, just Xanex and weed, 
And on a coffee IV will I feed. 
In eight short bars I'll prove I'm the best, no reason
To question. I'm all you need all through football season. 
I'm the best, and if you ever challenge me, bright eyes, 
I'll stomp and scream and claim you plagiarize."

When the Devil finished, Jayden said, "You ain't even pretty good ol' son,
So just sit down in that chair right there and let me show you how it's done."

"I'm a lyrical miracle, you can call me the pinnacle
Proper breathing is critical, take a breath and now here I go! 
I could fly the TARDIS like The Doctor all through time
And never find anything weaker than that so-called rhyme.
Battling you, son, ain't even worth the hassle
When ya think your filet mignon but ya ain't even White Castle.  
Now lemme put it so you understand - I'm LeGarrette Blount: I rumble!
You're Rashard Mendenhall...fumble.

...now, retire."

The Devil bowed his head because he knew that he'd been beat.
And he laid that gold Mont Blanc on the ground at Jayden's feet.
Jayden said, "Devil, just come on back if you ever wanna try again,
I done told you once—you son of a bitch—I'm the best that's ever been."

And she played:

"Fire on the Mountain." Run, boys, run!
The Devil's in the house of the rising sun;
The chicken's in the bread pan picking out dough.
Granny, will your dog bite? No, child, no."
...
original lyrics by Charlie Daniels

This wasn't *ahem* about anyone. It was purely *cough* a fictitious event. Any representation of resemblance of anyone, dead, alive or who subsists on Xanex and coffee, is purely coincidental.  

Steelers Go Out With A Whimper, Lose Bell And The Game 24-13 To Redskins

Is it safe to open my eyes now?

It was...bad. Just so bad. And not just the loss itself, going down 24-13 to the Washington Redskins. There were the injuries. LaRod Stephens-Howling was already sidelined due to a minor knee strain. Baron Batch got hurt (stinger). Fullback Will Johnson got hurt (ribs).

Then, I got hurt throwing things at the t.v. Feels like rotator cuff. I'm probably down for a couple of weeks.

What hit the hardest, though, was when Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said after the game that rookie running back Le'Veon Bell got hurt with a mid-foot injury and that there would be an MRI Tuesday. - http://tinyurl.com/mdhppr7

Then Will Carroll, lead sportswriter for Sports Medicine, tweeted from his Twitter (@injuryexpert) account: "Bad news on Le'Veon Bell. Midfoot sprain is going to keep him out weeks on the low end."

Well, let's just hope it isn't that b**ch Lisfranc, because we've had enough of her! Just ask Matt Spaeth. But, to ask Bell, he's ready to prove all doubters wrong.

UPDATE: Per Ed Bouchette from his Twitter (@EdBouchette) account: "#Steelers RB Le'Veon Bell's injury to right foot not as significant as teammate Matt Spaeth's Lisfranc." As Will Carroll said above, though, that still means Bell will be sidelined for awhile.

If he is actually down for an extended period, it could be even worse. The Steelers are a team doing all it can to simply tread preseason water. They were in the bottom six in rushing yards, yards per carry, and rushing touchdowns in 2012. So far, we are not seeing change in the offensive line play. They didn't even get their first 1st down until about nine minutes to go in the third quarter.

Le'Veon Bell is talented, but not that talented.

This just in: Guy Whimper was just penalized again.

The success that the Steelers did have running the ball last year was with power downhill running from Jonathan Dwyer and Isaac Redman. Proof? Dwyer had 14 carries for 68 yards, getting the majority of his yards on just such runs.

That, though, really isn't Bell's style. He actually somewhat resembles Rashard Mendenhall in that he's big, but agile. Bell runs with more of a finesse style for a bigger running back. He has the power and balance to be a bruiser, but he'd prefer to string things out.

Unless things are remedied quickly, that isn't going to work with this OLine.

Speaking of the OLine, Maurkice Pouncey was candid in his description of their play: "Everybody kinda knows the OLine is gonna carry the team this year. We all feel like sh** tonight. We'll get better at it."

Um...you have to. You'd better if the quarterback is expected to last the season. Or even to be at least to be somewhat successful. One of the very things we talked about in the pre-game write up. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2013/08/steelers-prepare-for-redskins-as.html

One way to get better is to send Guy Whimper packing. Now. Jonathan Scott was...aaaargh! Sorry, I still get flashbacks. Jon...he was let go for a reason. Why being him back in the form of Whimper? We wrote a month ago that Whimper was a revolving door. He proved it Monday night. He was beaten so many times his new nickname is Tina Turner. Seriously, he may as well have not even have been in there.

Speaking of not being there, too bad Jason Worilds couldn't make the trip to the game.

In other post-game comments from Tomlin, he also acknowledged the rash of penalties and attributes them so far to "poor execution. Maybe an official or two will be at our practices to help us in that regard."

Or just send Guy Whimper packing.

Neither team looked like the '78 Steelers nor the '91 Redskins, though. There were 15 penalties and seven turnovers, including three Steelers offensive linemen committing infractions to kill what was otherwise a good drive directed by Ben Roethlisberger and a sequence of three giveaways in five plays.

As Steelers safety Ryan Clark said after the game, "Too much Steelers beating ourselves."

Bright spots? There were some. Markus Wheaton had 3 catches for 52 yards, including a big catch for 36 yards. Shamarko Thomas, who was the Steelers Digest Player of the Week, laid several slobber-knocking hits. Jarvis Jones is making everyone believe. Big Ben was 5 for 6 for 66 yards before putting on the baseball cap early in the second quarter.

The Steelers got their only touchdown in the fourth quarter when rookie Landry Jones, 9 for 22 for 111 yards and one 1 touchdown, hit wide receiver Derek Moye for a 10-yard score.

That basically it as far as bright spots. Unless you count Guy Whimper running off of the field with a few minutes left in the 4th quarter.

The coaches, both coaching staffs, have a lot of...teaching moments this week. A lot of challenges to attempt to solve.

Oh...and send Guy Whimper packing.

The Steelers 2013 Draft Class And Minicamp Observations

As we finish up our covering of the 2013 NFL Draft class, we turn our attention now to the remaining four draft choices. The final draft quartet from rounds five through seven was Terry Hawthorne, cornerback from Illinois; Justin Brown, wide receiver from Oklahoma; Vince Williams, inside linebacker from Florida State; and Nicholas Williams, defensive tackle from Samford.

We provided full breakdowns and/or commentaries on the first five picks in the draft, starting with Jarvis Jones, outside linebacker out of Georgia. Jones said recently that while he respects his game, he wants to be the first Jarvis Jones, not the next James Harrison.

“I don’t compare myself in no way to James Harrison,” Jones said at the Steelers’ rookie minicamp today. “He’s a great player. Respect him. Never met him. But I love his game. I wouldn’t mind being an impact player like James Harrison.”

The Steelers are the preeminent authorities on 3-4 rush linebackers, and as an outside linebacker in a pro-style 3-4 scheme, Jones led the nation in sacks the last two seasons with 28. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2013/04/steelers-select-jarvis-jones-in-first_26.html

Round two brought running back Le’Veon Bell from Michigan State, whose Pro Day the Steelers attended and whom they worked out privately. Bell weighed 230 lbs. at the NFL Combine, but the Steelers list him at 244 lbs. Haley's influence? You be the judge: Bell was the top performer at running back in the three-cone drill. The top performer in 2012 in that category? Chris Rainey. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2013/04/will-leveon-be-bell-cow-for-steelers.html

The Steelers went back to the future and drafted a lightning-fast wide receiver with the initials M.W. in the third round - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2013/04/steelers-get-big-play-waiting-to-happen.html

We told you why Shamarko Thomas, strong safety out of Syracuse, why he will 'work hard until his hands and his feet fall off.' - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2013/04/steelers-draft-pick-shamarko-thomas.html

Most recently we examined the possibilities of Oklahoma product Landry Jones being Ben Roethlisberger's successor. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2013/05/is-steelers-draft-pick-landry-jones.html

Now we come to the final picks.

Selected in the fifth round was Illinois cornerback Terry Hawthorne, who ran a 4.44/40 at the NFL Combine and a blazing 4.31/40 at the Illinois Pro Day. He made a pre-draft visit to the Steelers.

Hawthorne started all four years, but also dealt with injuries each year. So durability may be a question, but is a physical and aggressive who can play both outside and in the slot. He has upside, is fast and will tackle. Can play press like Ike Taylor or Cortez Allen. - http://tinyurl.com/chfvxkx

At 5'11 and 195 lbs., Hawthorne does need to bulk up a little (lithe and lanky build) and get stronger for the position. He may be raw, but he has good transition in his hips. He can be "susceptible to fakes and too easily bites in coverage, needing to show better discipline," but you can't argue with 4.31 speed. In addition to playing cornerback, he also can return punts and kicks, and was even originally recruited as a wide receiver. - http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1664261/terry-hawthorne

Hawthorne recorded six interceptions, two being returned for touchdowns, 138 total tackles and 22 passes defended. He has shutdown-cornerback ability that will make it hard not to have him on the Steelers roster come August.

With the sixth pick, the Steelers chose wide receiver Antonio...*ahem*...sorry, Justin Brown out of Oklahoma. Brown was a pre-draft visitor to the Steelers facilities, but was not an invitee to the NFL Combine. Brown spent last season with the Sooners after transferring from Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky scandal, and joins Oklahoma teammate Landry Jones with the Steelers.

The 6'3", 210-pound Brown caught 73 passes for 879 yards and five touchdowns in 2012. He seems to know how to use his size against defenders when going up for the ball, but he let's the ball hit his body a little too much. A problem If It Ain't Steel pointed out that a certain former Steelers wide receiver had.

Brown's route running will need to be tightened up as he tends to round his cuts. Plus, since he isn't very fast (4.60/40) or quick, he isn't able to create separation very well. This allows the defensive backs to stay on their coverage. Still, you can't teach size, and he uses that size to go and make the tough catches. When he does catch with his hands first, he does have dependable ones. He also knows how to use his size off of jam coverage to get open in short yardage. Can also be used as a return man. - http://tinyurl.com/cz2tpav

The Steelers compensatory pick was the 206th and it was used on an inside linebacker they call "The Destroyer" - Vince Williams. At 5'11" and 233 lbs., he packs a wallop. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8cHcGfSXU0

The things that stick out when watching the tape on Williams:
(positive)
1) he HITS; tackles well
2) he has good closing speed
3) he doesn't get bogged down in traffic and wards off blockers well
(negative)
1) he can be slow to read/react
2) he doesn't have a very quick change of direction
3) he can take bad angles

But linebackers coach Keith Butler knows all of this. He knows that Williams is a two-down linebacker, but that he is physical and has raw ability that they will coach up. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIlUZg3Li-Y

"Obviously if he is not going to be a three-down football player in college," Butler said, "then he is not going to all of a sudden step to the National Football League and be a three-down player. That is something we have to determine in training camp." - http://tinyurl.com/chvt5v2

The Steelers final selection in the draft was Nicholas Williams, a 6’4” 320-pound defensive tackle. And although he's a "project," defensive line coach John Mitchell admits to liking his potential.

"I like this guy. He didn’t dominate right there in Samford. He only started two years there, but I think his football is ahead of him rather than behind him." - http://tinyurl.com/bvqxtq4

Definite practice squad player, but, as the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Mark Kaboly said of Williams at Friday's minicamp, he was the "most physically mature guy out there."

~

Speaking of minicamp, the rookies and invited undrafted free agents are ready for their close up. Well, at least a few of them are.

"Out of the 41 players at Steelers rookie minicamp, I predict 7 will make the 53-man roster."

One of those to make an impact was safety Shamarko Thomas. Several made praiseworthy comments about him, including Kaboly again who called him a "stud."

What Steel City Insider's Jim Wexell said of Thomas, though, is easily the quote of the day: "It was only the first workout in shells for Steelers rookies, but to me the most impressive was Shamarko Thomas. A brick shithouse. Sudden."

Another who should make himself noticed is Reggie Dunn, the Utah University return man who had four kick returns for touchdowns and averaged over 45 yards per return in 2012 and tops out at a world class 4.22/40 time.

Allow us to put it this way - the first rule of Reggie Dunn Club is you do not kick it to Reggie Dunn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvhqVRKgteA

The second rule of Reggie Dunn Club is you do NOT kick it to Reggie Dunn: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPBCPxYjgrI

For the rest of Friday's highlights and observations, read Mark Kaboly's piece from The Steel Mill: http://tinyurl.com/crxdx56

Kaboly's The Steel Mill Blog: Steelers rookie minicamp observations (Saturday, Day 2):
http://t.co/iwozunCEJ2

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TIDBITS: According to ESPN's John Clayton, the Steelers are anxious to spend the Salary Cap space money that will be cleared when Willie Colon's contract officially comes off the books. Clayton says the Steelers will sign wide receiver Steve Breaston in the next few weeks.

Breaston visited the Steelers a few weeks ago and, considering the Steelers don't actually have enough money right now, he will likely sign a deal once Colon's money clears after June 2nd. And if he is signed, it could spell the end of Plaxico Burress' second stint in the Black and Gold.

Is Steelers Draft Pick Landry Jones The Heir Apparent To Roethlisberger?

by Jason and Jayden

The 115th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Landry Jones, has great size, a very strong arm which allows him to make every NFL throw, has a fairly quick release, can fit passes into tight spots, has good timing on his throws and has good accuracy.

And there is little chance he will succeed Ben Roethlisberger as the starting quarterback for the Steelers.

There are two ways to look at this: Barring an injury or some sort of contract dispute, it is too early to draft an actual replacement. But, then, Jones has the requisite tools that you'd want as the man to make sure Renegade keeps playing week after week. Let's go over each.

Admittedly, the injury possibility is a strong possibility with Big Ben. As Skip Bayless said on ESPN's First Take during an interview with Steelers' wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders on Wednesday: "This man is hurt every week....His body is about 30 years older than he is." Adding the motorcycle accident as a reason along with the many hits and sacks he's taken throughout his career.

All in all what Bayless said said is valid: Big Ben is hurt a lot. There very well could be an injury, whether accumulative or via a freak Joe Theismann-like play, that could shorten his career. Having a safety-valve heir apparent in place is smart business.

That part of it, then, makes sense. Because, as Steelers quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner said about the situation when Jones was drafted, it was time to "freshen up the (quarterbacks') room." With Geppetto and the Blue Fairy still working on repairing Byron Leftwich, and Uncle Charlie Batch due to receive his AARP card any day now, it was time. - http://tinyurl.com/cme2ycw

At the same time, though, one of the reasons Todd Haley was brought in to be the new offensive coordinator was to limit the hits on Big Ben. As Sanders said in the First Take episode referred to before, "coach Haley and the coaches, they are all worried about the injuries. But they're trying to get the ball out of his hands a lot faster. And, you know, I'm looking forward to Ben taking off because he's definitely in his prime."

That they are and that he is. Before Big Ben's injury, he was on pace for the fewest sacks of his career (23 in 2005), and still ended up being sacked "only" 30 times. The real difference in this is that he suffered the fewest sacks per pass attempt in his career (6.3%).

He also was enjoying a great statistical year that had him in several MVP talks, as he was fifth in the league in passing, was completing 65.2% of his passes, had 15 touchdown passes to only four interceptions, was leading the NFL in third-down passing and was on pace for having one of the best seasons of his career. A well-rested Big Ben will look to get back to that to extend his career.

As far as there being a potential contract dispute next season, while it is very unlikely that one occurs, Big Ben would have the upper hand. His Salary Cap number in 2014 is almost $19 million, and if the Steelers were to restructure him yet again it would only save about $5.5 million in Cap space. That would then push his 2015 Cap hit to almost $24 million. The Steelers simply can't have him or anyone else carrying that big of a cap hit in 2015. So, expect an extension to be signed next season, a la Tom Brady, that will keep Big Ben in Black and Gold for the remainder of his career.

Jones, though, is an intriguing proposition for the future. He was a very productive quarterback at Oklahoma, finishing with an amazing 16,646 career passing yards, 123 touchdowns and several school records on top of the attributes listed at the outset. Plus, he was known for being able to break free from defenders attempting to grab at him and also complete passes with defenders on him...like another passer you might call to mind. And Uncle Charlie believes that the Steelers felt it was time to more directly address the issue.

“[U]ltimately, I think this isn’t about replacing me. Big picture, maybe they’re thinking, ‘Can we develop Landry Jones to be the starter? Maybe two years from now, he could be our guy for the next 10 years.’ We don’t know. But with the contracts for quarterbacks these days, he’d certainly be a heck of a lot cheaper than Ben at age 34 or 35 or 36.” - http://tinyurl.com/cxdfswr

That, though, is contrary to what Steelers GM Kevin Colbert said.

"You look at the great quarterbacks, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, they’re in their mid-30s, and Ben’s just 31,” Colbert said. “We think there’s a lot of football and we hope there’s a lot of football left in him, and hopefully it’s even better than he’s been for us. It’s our job to maximize these years that he has left, and we really think that he has a nice stretch in him.” (italics ours)

Then, why draft him in the fourth round? Why draft a fourth rounder at all as your heir apparent? But that aside for now, if it's your job to maximize those years, why not wait for less-polished quarterbacks Tyler Bray of Tennessee or Zac Dysert Miami of Ohio in rounds six or seven? Therefore, if they don't pan out, less is squandered. Plus, the quarterback situation wouldn't look any differently than it does now, and it would provide the time supposedly desired. (I smell future trade bait.)

Plus, while in all fairness to the Steelers, they took Kirk Cousins to dinner the year before, then Bray's father wouldn't have reason to complain. After all, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers did say that they wanted him. - http://tinyurl.com/ckwfte5

Regardless, the only conceivable way that Jones succeeds as the starter is if Big Ben goes down permanently. Otherwise, like was asked by Ed Bouchette, which actually mimics what Colbert said, "How long are you going to groom someone to take his place?"

~

TIDBITS: In case you didn't know, the Steelers 15 undrafted free agents are as follows:
defensive end Brian Arnfelt (Northwestern)
linebacker Alan Baxter (Northern Illinois)
guard Nik Embernate (San Diego State)
wide receiver Reggie Dunn (Utah)
offensive tackle Mike Farrell (Penn State)
offensive tackle Mike Golic, Jr. (Notre Dame)
DE Cordian Hagans (LA-Lafayette)
guard Chris Hubbard (UAB)
defensive tackle Omar Hunter (Florida)
long snapper Luke Ingram (Hawaii)
center Joe Madsen (WVU)
RB Curtis McNeal (USC)
center Ivory Wade (Baylor)
defensive tackle Anthony Rashad White (Michigan State)
and WR J.D. Woods (WVU)

~

Steelers number changes:
J. Jones, No. 95;
L. Bell, 26;
T. Hawthorne, 30;
L. Jones, 3;
S. Thomas, 29;
M. Wheaton, 11;
V. Williams, 44;
M. Spaeth, 87;
LSH, 34;
Ta'amu, 74;
DVD, 23;
N. Williams, 91;
and J. Brown, 15.

~

There will be 41 rookies who will attend Steelers Mini-Camp in all. Here's the link to the information on the Steelers website: http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/41-to-attend-rookie-minicamp/5e804de0-b33e-4a4d-8b4c-d8791d723eb8

~

Hey! Did you know that Ben Roethlisberger's sister was in the wedding of new Steelers rookie QB Landry Jones? Carlee is good friends with Jones' wife, Whitney!

...yeah...I didn't care, either.