Polamalu And Woodley Won't Play vs. Titans, Will Saunders?

At Mike Tomlin's weekly press conference, held Monday this week because of the Thursday night game, the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach addressed the team looking forward and backward. As is the usual, injuries are a big part of the equation. - http://tinyurl.com/8udgkjb

As we know, Troy Polamalu re-inujured his right calf and is out this week. Tomlin was more optimistic on LaMarr Woodley saying he was "probably" out for the Tennessee Titans game with a "mild" hamstring injury. However, considering what happened last year, it would probably be best if he didn't play Thursday.

He pointed out that James Harrison had a "little swelling on knee," and that there was nothing negative regarding Rashard Mendenhall. All-in-all, he said that "from and injury standpoint, we came out of the game with some bumps and bruises."

Tomlin did address what he called a "subpar performance in some instances." He described the penalties that the Steelers are committing as some "guys working hard but not working smart." He says he "won't tolerate" self inflicted wounds, aka, penalties.

The pre-snap penalties can not be tolerated, true. He did, though, somewhat excuse the holding calls. He praised an offensive line that protected their quarterback.

"I think our offensive line did a good job protecting Ben (Roethlisberger), we were not sacked in the game"

Case in point in this is Willie Colon Cancer-he was flagged four times Sunday (though one was highly questionable). In total, Colon has been flagged eight times this season already, with six being false starts and two being for holding.

False start? Pre-snap and unacceptable. Holding? In-game and, well...Sunday was the first time since the October 17, 2010 Cleveland Browns game that Big Ben hasn't been sacked. One can only assume that Steeler Nation can tolerate those penalties much more easily.

We're used to Tomlin in his weekly pressers making a 2-14 team sound playoffs bound, but he had an interesting take on things Monday. He said that the Titans are "obviously off to a slow start" and that it makes them "dangerous."

He gave some praise to Titans running back Chris Johnson, but CJ2K is only averaging only about 42 yards per game (YPG). There are lots of problems in Tennessee, but many creatures are most dangerous when wounded.

What Mike Tomlin won't tell you, though, is that the Titans are allowing 36.2 points per game (PPG) most in NFL through five games since the 1954 Washington Redskins, per CBSSports.com.

"If we're going to be team we want to be," Tomlin said, "we need to win on the road." Tomlin was asked about the losing four of their last five road games (they're actually 5-6 on the road in last two seasons with some rather unimpressive wins) but he only wanted to focus on this year he said.

Well, here's something else Tomlin probably won't tell you: again per CBSSports.com, the Steelers have lost 14 of the past 22 games in Central, Mountain and Pacific time zones.

Once road warriors, now roadkill. Tennessee just might be the road trip needed to turn the tide, especially with a mini-bye right after.

The highlight of the presser? Tomlin getting asked about the hit by Ryan Clark: "Please, Ed (Bouchette)...Next question."

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The Steelers are facing a difficult decision when they bring Weslye Saunders back this week. They have a roster exemption snd may not bring him back until Friday. that said, when they do they'll have to make a decision between their tight ends. Leonard Pope has a guaranteed veteran salary of about $575,000. They haven't actually spent the money already, because Cap dollars are not actual cash. At least as far as the way bean counters see it.

Regardless the decision, it's difficult. If they move David Paulson to the practice squad, they have to pay Saunders and cut a P.S. player. Cut Pope and pay Saunders, the cost is about $400,000. An 'overall difference of about $169,000', per Jim Wexell.

But, Sunday may have been an unofficial "goodbye" to Pope. Didn't see field on Sunday and, therefore, he may be gone after Thursday's game. Makes more sense to go with youth and upside anyway.

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Per Messieurs Neal Coolong and Lance Williams, Behind The Steel Curtain and Steel Curtain Radio respectively, Michael Vick's first 10 dropbacks Sunday included seven hits and five knockdowns. Vick was getting hit every three and a half drop backs.

So, why did James Harrison pull up on a sure shot on Vick?

"I let up on Michael Vick so I wouldn't get fined." - http://t.co/Rpz4fKtJ

Thanks, Roger Goodell. You have what you wanted: players playing tentatively. Thank goodness it wasn't a game-changing play. If it had been, you'd be more than hung in effigy.

Could James Harrison Have Played His Last Down?

We at If It Ain't Steel this summer wrote that this may be James Harrison's final year. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2012/07/is-this-james-harrisons-final-year.html

Doing so caused a stir among some Steelers fans. Evidently, they couldn't or didn't want to believe that one of their favorites soon may not be available. That his knee and/or back problems or monetary issues would bring a quicker departure for the Silverback. Here's an example of an exchange I had with one in particular after posting the piece:

JF: nope not gonna happen
July 25 at 1:59pm via mobile · Like

Jason Antonio Robinson So, if his back (or knee) just isn't healthy enough and his salary could be used elsewhere, especially knowing the Steelers history in such matters, you think they'd keep him anyway.
July 25 at 2:02pm via mobile · Like · 1

JF:yeap yeap or just retire like peezy did
July 25 at 2:07pm via mobile · Like

Jason Antonio Robinson Ok. Then, in reply I'd like to say: Alan Faneca, Mike Webster, L.C. Greenwood, Levon Kirkland, Jason Gildon, Joey Porter, Greg Lloyd, Aaron Smith and Hines Ward
July 25 at 2:13pm via mobile · Like

JF: and when they all left they wasnt as good as when they were when they were all steelers case and point at least all of them retired as steelers
July 25 at 2:17pm via mobile · Like

Jason Antonio Robinson That isn't the point, nor is it true. Faneca was still very good, I believe he went to a Pro Bowl. Porter had a career high in sacks after he left. Kirkland went to a pretty good defense in Seattle. Not all retired as Steelers either. The point is simply that his health and/or salary issues could cause a release next year. I'm optimistic, but I also know it's a possibility. Didn't say probability, I said possibility. I'm not the only who has said so either
July 25 at 2:27pm via mobile · Like

JF: well u and whoever thinks r not real fan if yinz think like that and all did retire as steelers meaning they will always be known as a part of the steelers and most of there best years were in a steeler uniform

"Not real fan(s)?" Ok. Nonetheless, it has now become evident to everyone that what was written in the article was on point regarding Deebo's situation. All accept for the timeframe.

Harrison's "health and/or salary issues could" not only "cause a release next year," but the knee problem specifically may cause him to miss the rest of this year...or more. Lance Williams of Steel Curtain Radio suggested as much in his most recent podcast. - http://steelcurtainradio.com/?p=283

We wrote once before of how important Harrison is not only to the terrorizing of quarterbacks, but especially to the run defense.

The Steelers going into the bye week are near the bottom of the NFL in sacks (5 total) and are surrendering 101 yards per game on the ground (4.32 yards per carry). Can one man really mean that much to a defense?

The evidence seems to suggest "yes."

Now, the lack of a healthy Troy Polamalu obviously also factors into a faltering defense. The loss of a Silverback, though, means a weak core. Teams are able concentrate on stopping the left side because the right has been all but absent. The experiment of a Jason Worilds and Chris Carter tag team isn't working.

Why, some have asked, didn't this get addressed sooner, though? Why didn't the coaches do something? Why didn't they cut him? Why didn't they PUP list him?

Firstly, there was no way the Steelers were going to just cut Harrison at the start of the season. Not only would there have been the injury liability to hinder that, but he has a base salary this season of over $5.5 million and he carries a cap charge of over $9 million. So, that wasn't going to happen. Fans tend to forget the business side of things and it can affect either keeping or releasing a player.

Plus, I doubt anyone, including Harrison, even knew just how bad this all was until recently. Was there a possibility? Maybe. Possible, though, not probable. Considering he was taken off of Active PUP so late in Training Camp/preseason, we'd suggested that he may not be back until after the bye. Surely the coaches and trainers felt the same.

Could Deebo return at some point this season, though, say in time for the playoffs, and still be Deebo? Like I said in the above exchange, I'm optimistic that he can do so. A 75% of James Harrison is better than 100% of whomever else on the defense. He's 34 and not responding well to his injuries, though. Thus definitely making this latest setback very disconcerting.

One thing that has been suggested is Harrison's being put on the Injured Reserve list and agreeing to a pay cut for next year. If so, it would have to be a significant reduction, he's due over $6 million next season. I suppose that it's possible, but it depends on Harrison and whether he thinks he can come back and play again at a high level.

If he comes back at all.

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TIDBITS: Weslye Saunders had a four-game, not four-week suspension after all. - http://t.co/PFWQvS28

As Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review suggest, he will help the rushing offense once he does since he's a better blocker than Leonard Pope. But, who isn't? - http://t.co/wKlWu3VI

How massive was the Steelers collapse in the fourth quarter Sunday to the Raiders? Oakland had lost 48 straight games when trailing by 10+ points entering the fourth quarter.

The last two times the Steelers started 1-2 were in 2009 and 2006 - they missed the playoffs each time. Coincidently, those seasons also included losses to the Oakland Raiders. (Gawd, I hate them...)

Darren McFadden's 64-yard touchdown run was the longest the Steelers defense had allowed in six years. The Broncos' Javon Walker had a 72-yard TD run in 2006.

OTAs To Minicamps: Steelers Offseason Bus Rolls On

As the final session of the OTAs ended Thursday we received a few comments from the various coaches as well clarification on some injury questions. Some of which was very needed information as we head into mandatory minicamps next week.

Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that "Wes Saunders has been dealing with leg issues." He has a protective boot on his leg. Though which leg wasn't specified, Saunders' limitations may be worth noting considering because, per Jim Wexell of Steelers Digest and Steel City Insider, he has been a bit of a pill during OTAs because of always being in the training room with some form of boo boo. (Cue the Bill Parcells "she" reference.)

Let's hope, though, this isn't a serious or lingering issue. His suspension appeal has more weight now that Ebenezer Samuel, NFL writer for the NY Daily News, reported that "Giants tailback Andre Brown had his suspension lifted after hearing." Brown's suspension was also for Adderall.

Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert was on with Pat Kirwan and Tim Ryan of SiriusXM NFL for about 20 minutes Thursday and had a few things to say about, well, a few different things.
Colbert said that David DeCastro was "sheer luck" at No. 24. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

Sean Spence, Colbert said, definitely has skills and will be good, but he "still has a long time to go until he is ready for prime-time." He said he likes Willie Colon at left guard and that now the left side is a power side, especially when DeCastro pulls from the right guard spot.

Colbert also said three things that weren't any surprise at all. On the whole, he mentioned that Steve McLendon has been a pleasant surprise, that Rashard Mendenhall is still likely to start season on the reserve PUP list, and that he's confident Mike Wallace will have a long term deal for 2012 season and that he stopped by for playbook. It's good news to hear that the GM is confident about one of the team's star players. I know I've been hard on him at times, but Wallace just wants what we all want: to get paid what he thinks he's worth. My real problem is with the advice seemingly being given him by his agent Bus Cook. So, we'll see if Colbert turns out to be a prognosticator.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wore No. 78 on the last day of OTAs. When Mike Prisuta of the DVE Morning Show asked him why, he said it for Max Starks. Big Ben said, "The question is, is he healthy? I think he is, so I do think he will be a guy that, if we need to, we can get him back."

What was more encouraging, if not intriguing, was what Ben said of the offense: "I'm not saying I could call a game myself right now, but when (Haley) calls a play I know what's going on for the most part." Neither referring to it as the "Rosetta Stone" nor giving it a backhand compliment, but actually giving it an endorsement, is downright fanfare at this point from the not-so-punky QB known as Big Ben.

Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler had the line of the day when he responded to why he turned down the defensive coordinator job elsewhere: "Mike's got pictures of me"

He wasn't done there. Butler also said he didn't go to Indy, in part, because they didn't have an established QB, because "that's the way coaches lose jobs." Can't argue that.

Butler, though, had a much more poignant comment regarding James Farrior: "I won't ever feel good about not having James Farrior. A guy with that leadership type of quality, and knowing the defense the way he knows it, it was easy for him to set the defense. Stuff that comes up -- and it always does -- on the field that you haven't covered as a coach, he can take care of." ~ http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/butler-replacing-farrior-isnt-easy-639474/

I've blogged before that you can't draft leadership. Replacing a player isn't the same as plugging another person into his spot. So much more goes into what that departed player brought to the field than just 235 pounds of muscle. If drafting players purely for speed or measurements was a viable solution, the Oakland Raiders would dominate the NFL. So while succeeding a player is easy, replacing him is not.

We know why Jason Worilds had the cast on his wrist. He said it was wrist surgery and that it was just "a cleanup" and that he'll be out another month. Not sure as to whether he opens camp on the active PUP list or not.

Mark Kaboly wrote regarding the injury: "For you scoring at home, LB Jason Worilds injury is called "Scapholunate Diastasis. Or in layman's terms: Worilds had a ligament tear between two bones inside the wrist. Surgery was required to reconstruct the ligament."
     

Kaboly also informed us why Deebo has been missing OTAs: "Harrison has been dealing with an inflamed knee. Expected to take part in minicamp, though." I knew I was right in refusing to speculate.

Steelers defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau is confident in the defense's young players. Look, Coach Dad has been in the NFL longer than I've been alive, so I'll just let him talk: "We have some great competition back there at left cornerback. It's gonna be younger....I like our young corners that we picked up last year and this year, it's gonna be interesting." ~ http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/lebeau-steelers-defense-will-be-fine-639449/

Though Antonio Brown busted out in his sophomore year with 2,048 all-purpose yards, wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery said this past week that Brown still has a problem: he needs to rest.

Montgomery, in a one-on-one interview with Bob Labriola on Steelers Live at 4, heaped a ton of praise on AB when asked to talk about each of the receivers. "I don't doubt any day when Antonio Brown wakes up that he's not trying to be the best in the world," said Montgomery. "That's exactly when he wakes up, he is trying to be the number one player in the world."

Montgomery went on to say that AB just needs to back off a little bit and rest. "For one, 84, or Antonio, as most people would know him as, sometimes you just have to work on him backing off a little bit, because he is a guy that wakes up at 6 am and starts working out, and doesn't stop working out until about 10 p.m.," said Montgomery. "So what he needs to understand, is from a professional standpoint, professional development sometimes happens through rest."

He can rest all he wants to...in the end zone after he's scored on Ratbirds.

I Knew Fans Could Be Clueless, But The Media???

Dear Internet and especially Social Media, Tim Tebow will not be breaking news of his own trade via Twitter. That is all.

Folks, Michael Lombardi got fooled by a fake Tim Tebow account. How does ESPN put it? C'mon, man! Seriously, main stream media, first Hines Ward to the Ratbirds, er uh, Ravens, the fake Eagles story and now this?

Tim Tebow was involved in a trade, though, where he basically was allowed to pick the team to which he wanted to go. He picked the Jets. Denver has agreed to trade Tim Tebow and a seventh-round pick to the Jets for the Jets' fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick.

Cue the "Mark Sanchez is so fragile, this is a bad message to send" articles. They just guaranteed him $20.5M. Play better & get tougher. Oops...sorry, David. ;-)

The Jets agreed to pay half of rhe $5 million in compensation back to Denver that was previously in dispute in the Tim Tebow. The details are here: http://t.co/rOjkHvxO

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Steelers president Art Rooney II released a statement via Steelers.com regarding the Bounty-gate sanctions brought down on the Saints. He expresses his agreement over Goodell's decisions.

Rooney: "I think the Commissioner wants to send a message that we are not going to stand for this kind of thing. So in general, I think it was the right approach. We don't need this in our game. I think the Commissioner is sending a very loud and clear message here. Hopefully, the effect is going to be that we will get these kinds of things out of the game."

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William Gay is going to make his decision soon about where he'll play next year. He tweeted on his Twitter account that the tour is over.

His tweet read this way: “@williamgay22: Pitt,Denver,Arizona, and Tennessee..Great places to play for but I can only chose one!!!! Blessing from GOD sure he will show me da way”

Gay has been a very good Nickel corner and knows LeBeau's system. I don't think he's a good starting NFL corner, but he is definitely valuable. I'd like to see him stay, but, as was pointed out in a previous blog post, he'd only be brought back on a veteran's minimum or qualifying contract. He's probably looking for a multi-year deal which he won't get in Pittsburgh.

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Showing how obvious his teaching abilities are, as he's mentored and taught his teammate wide receivers for years, Hines Ward was offered but turned down high school football head coaching job - http://t.co/5oqC6g4G

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Offensive tackle Jamon Meredith, who was on the Steelers' practice squad last year and originally drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2009, signed an offseason contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers today via Steelers tight end Weslye Saunders' Twitter account.

Saunders tweeted, “@Wes_Saunders88: Dang..looks like I'm the only Gamecock on the Steelers roster again. But good luck to my boy Jamon with the Tampa Bay Bucs!”

Good fortunes, Meredith.

NFL Network's Rich Eisen was talking today with Vince Young about the Tim Tebow trade. At one point Young was asked what he thought about being a quarterback who might have been targeted in a bounty. Young replied, "Yeah, it's very disturbing to hear certain things like that. From seeing the playoff game and Brett Favre and the hits he took. I even got dunked on my head playing Pittsburgh. Rodney Harrison dunked me on my head. You don't want to think that these types of things are going on, but as the news is putting these things out there, these things are happening. They must stop, definitely, because we don't want anybody to get hurt. Definitely the nature of the game, when you put your shoulder pads on and helmet, you have a 50/50 chance of getting hurt. If these type of things are happening, it's very bad for the game."

Profound.

Well, it would be if it had been James Harrison and not Rodney Harrison. Oh, by the way, Vince, the Steelers PREFERRED you in the game. You suck, Kerry Collins was better than you and almost pulled off the comeback. Harrison, who was one of three players involved in that sack, was fined $5,000 for it. Obviously, though, the hit affected your memory...