With all due respect to every sideshow, Atlantic City, and downtown Las Vegas "magician" ever, the real magic words still are "please" and "thank you."
Last Wednesday, when Pittsburgh Steelers team president Art Rooney II held his postseason 'State of the Steelers' address he pointed out several areas of contention that led to the team's failure in 2012. The last article surrounded the many turnovers - those on offense and the lack of those on defense. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2013/01/art-rooney-ii-state-of-steelers-pt-2.html
The final article deals with the part of the interview which arguably 'frustrates' and confounds the Steelers organization and its fans the most, that of its rash of injuries: "We have to look at everything we're doing," Rooney II said, "and we will look at everything we're doing, from the training and conditioning side of things, from a practice side of things and see if there are things we can do to get better." - http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Team-to-investigate-rash-of-injuries/7a52fef7-d231-4726-99f1-624c12207ae0
Please and thank you.
As Bob Labriola of Steelers Digest noted in the article on Steelers.com, the Steelers were a M.A.S.H. unit again this season: "Troy Polamalu missed nine games. Rashard Mendenhall missed seven. Marcus Gilbert missed 11. Mike Adams missed six. Ben Roethlisberger missed three, as did Antonio Brown. James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley were on the field together for only nine games."
"David Johnson," Labriola continued, "went on the injured reserve list before the start of the regular season, and No. 1 pick David DeCastro didn't come off that list until the regular season was 13 games old." As a matter of fact, Steelers players missed over 100 games due to injury, with 11 players ending the season on the Injured Reserve list.
The Steelers offensive line alone started seven different line combinations. They started nine different offensive line combinations in 2011. Now with guard Willie Colon hurt again and Ramon Foster, Doug Legursky and Max Starks all being unrestricted free agents, major questions once surround the depth of the OLine and how this will affect offseason moves. Even prompting some to say that it needs to happen sooner rather than later. - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1476681-pittsburgh-steelers-why-they-must-use-the-draft-to-fix-the-offensive-line
The player on the Oline that many are pointing at is Colon. Considering his injury history, it may just be time to cut ties and continue the Kelvin Beachum experiment. Cutting Colon outright will save $1.2 million and it is something the Steelers need to think about doing. If he had stayed healthy/healthier this season, he might have received the benefit of the doubt. Now there's just just plain doubt. - http://steelblitz.com/kelvin-beachum-could-be-steelers-left-guard-in-2013-and-beyond/2455/2013/01/14
According to team GM Kevin Colbert, the Steelers, per one study taken, had fewer injuries that some playoff teams had. "We were not the only team that had injuries. Teams that had more had better results." He said the amount of injuries "really wasn't unique to us."
That's the problem. Yes, injuries happen - they're an unavoidable part of the game - but it's the recent consistency of them and how the Steelers have reacted to them that is of concern. We've already touched on the fact that the OLine has been especially ravaged and what may be expected to happen, but there was more of what seemed to be a lack of mental toughness.
How often was the 'standard not the standard?' Wasn't the 'next man up' seemingly sometimes absent when roll was called? As was said, all teams face injuries. How they react, as individuals and as a team, speaks volumes. And, as much as Steelers fans may not like reading this, the team that tends to speak the loudest in this regard is the New England Patriots.
In a league where a team's hopes crash and burn because of one key injury, the Patriots' version of the "next man up" continues to produce winning results year after year. Patriots insider Tom E. Curran talks about that quality here: http://www.csnne.com/football-new-england-patriots/patriots-talk/Curran-on-Patriots-mental-toughness-defe?blockID=805607
There has to be a mental toughness to go far. It takes time to develop, but that's where the veterans who have been through the tough days help to pass it on to the younger players. It must become contagious, permeate the entirety of the team. It's something that was missing with the Steelers this season.
As former Buffalo Bills and Washington Redskins defensive end Bruce Smith once said in an interview, there's a difference between playing "hurt" and playing "injured." Playing hurt is something players often do. Like he said, players can be dinged up in some fashion from week two on. Playing injured, however, in the most cases, is detrimental to the team and usually only serves to worsen the injury.
Winning is a mindset - 10% is physical and 90% is mental. Which also means knowing when your offseason regimen may not be working. Like as brought out in part two of this series, Woodley has been offered to work with Ike Taylor's trainer Tom Shaw since Woodley's offseason routine...aww, who are we kidding? What offseason routine?
Another who may consider adjusting his offseason regimen to aid in durability throughout the season is Polamalu. Especially because of his wonderful reckless abandon, he has seen fewer field time the last few seasons.
The website pittsburghjedi.com (Pitts Burgh-Jedi on Facebook and @Pittsburgh_Jedi on Twitter) offered up an assessment on Polamalu's offseason ritual.
"I think a lot of [Polamalu's] getting hurt is because he's not training using the same standards as everyone else," they surmised. "He does holistic-style training with no weights at all. As a younger, more resilient man, he could get by [with] doing that. At 30 years old, 10 years in the league, and 10 years full of big hits and collisions, it seems logical to say his sort of wear-and-tear calls for something additional. He's still huge, but with gravity-based training that depends on using your body-weight as resistance, it means there's a ceiling you can hit with your training."
People are training harder than him using weights and he's not holding up against their hits....maybe it's time to use some more health science and not so much of these alternative, natural methods," they continued. "A half-baked theory, but knowing the correlation of proper training and risk of injury, it holds some water, if not a lot of it."
It just might. But, whether because of training, conditioning, mental toughness, offseason regimens or even because of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement rules, there has to be a reason or conglomerate of reasons to why the Steelers have been snake bitten the last few seasons.
"I would like to see us have some of that [CBA] loosened up a little bit, but that's not something completely in our control," Rooney II pointed out.
Regardless, as he said, "people are always coming up with new ideas on how to train, and so we'll look at all of that."
Please and thank you.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Art Rooney II - The State Of The Steelers, pt. 2: "Turnovers"
"We need to get more pressure on the quarterback, because as everyone will tell you that creates turnovers." - Art Rooney II
Those words were quoted and briefly touched on in part one of this series, and he is correct. Those, among many other "blunders" committed by the Steelers this past season, were collectively responsible for the disappointing 8-8 campaign. - http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/ron-cook/ron-cook-blunders-added-up-to-highly-frustrating-8-8-season-668939/
But Rooney II emphasized two of the more important. Ergo, pressure on the quarterback and the totality of turnovers are appropriately a priority for 2013. - http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Rooney-Takeaways-tied-to-sacks/74d97f8f-bd11-4b3e-8d74-993a1b4cd637
"If you look at the playoffs, teams that are on the negative side of the turnover ratio are not in the playoffs. It's really as simple as that," said Rooney II. "That was an area on both sides of the football that we fell short of, and certainly something we can improve upon and something we need to improve upon."
There's no denying that. There was a direct correlation between the lack of pressure and the subsequent lack of turnovers, as Bob Labriola of Steelers Digest pointed out in the article posted to Steelers.com. 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."
In comparison, "there were only 35 sacks and 15 takeaways in 2011, followed by 37 sacks and 20 takeaways this past season." Point taken.
If you need further numbers backing up this summation, consider that the teams with most takeaways this season were: Bears (44), Patriots (41), Giants (35), Cardinals (33), Redskins, Seahawks and Falcons (31), and the Bengals (30). Five of those eight teams made the playoffs, with one more only missing out (Bears) because of losing their quarterback for a period of time.
By contrast, the teams with the fewest takeaways were: Chiefs and Eagles (13), Colts (15), Dolphins and Cowboys (16), Lions (17), Raiders (19) and the Steelers (20). Only one of those teams made it to the postseason.
Principally mentioned by Rooney II as ones relied upon to provide those defensive splash plays were James Harrison, Lamarr Woodley and Troy Polamalu - all of whom were injured and/or ineffective much of it. According to Rooney II, those players needed to be "difference makers," but weren't.
Harrison, who was already having back problems, entered the season coming off of summer knee surgery and was hampered by those issues most of the year. He didn't really round into form until approximately the 15th week. That had a profound affect on the overall pass rush and low sack numbers.
As far as Woodley is concerned, though he has had groin and hamstring problems the last two years, he was hardly even effective when he was healthy. Mark Kaboly gives a bit of insight into how far his productivity dropped in 2012. - http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/3188450-74/woodley-game-roethlisberger?showmobile=false#axzz2I7jCYgR7
As his position coach Keith Butler said of him last offseason, “Wood has to decide if he wants to be a great player,” and not to "come to camp weighing 290 (pounds)." That excess weight would of course inhibit his ability to recover as quickly and/or completely as he could otherwise.
Point blank, if Woodley is to be a part of the Steelers long-term plans, he is going to have to rededicate himself this offseason to being the "bear" that Butler says he can be, and not the sloth he was this season when he had all of four sacks, rarely pressured the quarterback and was hardly a run stopper. Because, as SteelBlitz.com plainly expresses, his absenteeism was "alarming." - http://steelblitz.com/after-steelers-poor-2012-season-blame-pointed-at-one-player/2422/2013/01/09
Of course, to aid in those splash plays and to eventually push one of the two linebackers, another player must be drafted. A list of possibilities were discussed in a previous blog article. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2013/01/fixing-steelers-starts-with-drafting.html
The third player Rooney II mentioned, Polamalu, who was injured the majority of the season also. What he brings to the playing field when healthy was made evident in the final two games when he was back to wreaking havoc at the line of scrimmage and recording more Troy-like stats of 10 tackles, one sack and one interception.
At one point Rooney II said that the Steelers "would have been competitive" if they had made playoffs. Um...no. No, they wouldn't have.
The realization of that set in when having all three of those men on the field at the same time still resulted in a loss. At home. When they needed it. Realizations that they can't just flip a switch, as it were, or just walk out there and expect to win. Realizations that Polamalu hopes humbles them. - http://triblive.com/sports/-topstories/3188480-74/polamalu-steelers-bowl#axzz2GOLR2ff1
The point was further driven home when seeing the scores of the divisional weekend's games. The four games had an average score of 38.5 - 30.5, with the high being 45 points. When was the last time the Steelers scored 45 points? October 15, 2006, 45-7 over the Kansas City Chiefs.
That brings us to the offense, which was all too eager to give the ball to the other team this season. The Steelers turned the ball over 30 times this season. Five of the eight games lost this season were by three points and another by six points. Four of those game had a late turnover that led to the loss, and a fifth (Denver) that had a pick six to seal the victory.
Then consider that there were over 100 points scored directly off of turnovers. Now, let's assume that eliminating those blunders would have led to 100 more points for the Steelers instead. The Steelers scored 21 points per game this season, up from 20.3 PPG last season. Add those assumed 100 points and the average jumps to 27.25 PPG and five more games are won.
Granted, that is oversimplifying things, but the point is that turnovers take their toll. They are a like a pothole-filled road: some are bigger than others, but they all inhibit being able to have smooth, or efficient, ride, and ultimately cause underlying damage.
Case in point, the teams with the most turnovers in 2012 were Chiefs, Eagles and Jets (37), Bills and Cardinals (34), Lions (33), Steelers (30), Cowboys (29) and Titans (28).
Conversely, the teams with the fewest turnovers were the Redskins (14), Patriots, Ravens, Packers and 49ers (16), Texans (17), Falcons and Seahawks (18).
The teams with the best turnover differential in 2012 were the Patriots (+25), Bears (+20), Redskins (+17), Giants (+14), Falcons and Seahawks (+13), Texans (+12) and Ravens and 49ers (+9).
Worst 2012 turnover differentials belonged to the Chiefs and Eagles (-24), Lions (-16), Jets (-14), Bills and Cowboys (-13), Colts (-12) and Dolphins and Steelers (10).*
The teams with the fewest all made the playoffs. The teams with the most got lovely parting gifts. All but two of the teams with the greatest differential made the playoffs. All but one of the teams with the worst differential received extra vacation time.
Do you notice a pattern developing here? This isn't rocket science. Regular readers of this blog know that we preach execution and fundamentals. The lack of those key elements were rampant all season.
Some of that is on the coaches, yes, but the majority is on the players themselves. Because, as was expounded on before, not one coach fumbled, dropped a pass or threw an interception. As Rooney II said, "It's really as simple as that."
However, what isn't so simple is what each of the players highlighted in this article had in common: injuries. The three usually defensive stalwarts missed a total of 15 games due to injury.
How do they alleviate them? Is it pandemic? Is it cyclical? Are they snake bitten? These and other questions will be addressed in part three of this series examining Art Rooney II's interviews.
* Thanks to Russell S. Baxter of profootballguru.com who did the legwork on these turnover stats. You can also find him on Twitter at @BaxFootballGuru.
Those words were quoted and briefly touched on in part one of this series, and he is correct. Those, among many other "blunders" committed by the Steelers this past season, were collectively responsible for the disappointing 8-8 campaign. - http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/ron-cook/ron-cook-blunders-added-up-to-highly-frustrating-8-8-season-668939/
But Rooney II emphasized two of the more important. Ergo, pressure on the quarterback and the totality of turnovers are appropriately a priority for 2013. - http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Rooney-Takeaways-tied-to-sacks/74d97f8f-bd11-4b3e-8d74-993a1b4cd637
"If you look at the playoffs, teams that are on the negative side of the turnover ratio are not in the playoffs. It's really as simple as that," said Rooney II. "That was an area on both sides of the football that we fell short of, and certainly something we can improve upon and something we need to improve upon."
There's no denying that. There was a direct correlation between the lack of pressure and the subsequent lack of turnovers, as Bob Labriola of Steelers Digest pointed out in the article posted to Steelers.com. 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."
In comparison, "there were only 35 sacks and 15 takeaways in 2011, followed by 37 sacks and 20 takeaways this past season." Point taken.
By contrast, the teams with the fewest takeaways were: Chiefs and Eagles (13), Colts (15), Dolphins and Cowboys (16), Lions (17), Raiders (19) and the Steelers (20). Only one of those teams made it to the postseason.
Principally mentioned by Rooney II as ones relied upon to provide those defensive splash plays were James Harrison, Lamarr Woodley and Troy Polamalu - all of whom were injured and/or ineffective much of it. According to Rooney II, those players needed to be "difference makers," but weren't.
Harrison, who was already having back problems, entered the season coming off of summer knee surgery and was hampered by those issues most of the year. He didn't really round into form until approximately the 15th week. That had a profound affect on the overall pass rush and low sack numbers.
As far as Woodley is concerned, though he has had groin and hamstring problems the last two years, he was hardly even effective when he was healthy. Mark Kaboly gives a bit of insight into how far his productivity dropped in 2012. - http://triblive.com/sports/steelers/3188450-74/woodley-game-roethlisberger?showmobile=false#axzz2I7jCYgR7
As his position coach Keith Butler said of him last offseason, “Wood has to decide if he wants to be a great player,” and not to "come to camp weighing 290 (pounds)." That excess weight would of course inhibit his ability to recover as quickly and/or completely as he could otherwise.
Point blank, if Woodley is to be a part of the Steelers long-term plans, he is going to have to rededicate himself this offseason to being the "bear" that Butler says he can be, and not the sloth he was this season when he had all of four sacks, rarely pressured the quarterback and was hardly a run stopper. Because, as SteelBlitz.com plainly expresses, his absenteeism was "alarming." - http://steelblitz.com/after-steelers-poor-2012-season-blame-pointed-at-one-player/2422/2013/01/09
Of course, to aid in those splash plays and to eventually push one of the two linebackers, another player must be drafted. A list of possibilities were discussed in a previous blog article. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2013/01/fixing-steelers-starts-with-drafting.html
The third player Rooney II mentioned, Polamalu, who was injured the majority of the season also. What he brings to the playing field when healthy was made evident in the final two games when he was back to wreaking havoc at the line of scrimmage and recording more Troy-like stats of 10 tackles, one sack and one interception.
At one point Rooney II said that the Steelers "would have been competitive" if they had made playoffs. Um...no. No, they wouldn't have.
The realization of that set in when having all three of those men on the field at the same time still resulted in a loss. At home. When they needed it. Realizations that they can't just flip a switch, as it were, or just walk out there and expect to win. Realizations that Polamalu hopes humbles them. - http://triblive.com/sports/-topstories/3188480-74/polamalu-steelers-bowl#axzz2GOLR2ff1
The point was further driven home when seeing the scores of the divisional weekend's games. The four games had an average score of 38.5 - 30.5, with the high being 45 points. When was the last time the Steelers scored 45 points? October 15, 2006, 45-7 over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Then consider that there were over 100 points scored directly off of turnovers. Now, let's assume that eliminating those blunders would have led to 100 more points for the Steelers instead. The Steelers scored 21 points per game this season, up from 20.3 PPG last season. Add those assumed 100 points and the average jumps to 27.25 PPG and five more games are won.
Granted, that is oversimplifying things, but the point is that turnovers take their toll. They are a like a pothole-filled road: some are bigger than others, but they all inhibit being able to have smooth, or efficient, ride, and ultimately cause underlying damage.
Case in point, the teams with the most turnovers in 2012 were Chiefs, Eagles and Jets (37), Bills and Cardinals (34), Lions (33), Steelers (30), Cowboys (29) and Titans (28).
Conversely, the teams with the fewest turnovers were the Redskins (14), Patriots, Ravens, Packers and 49ers (16), Texans (17), Falcons and Seahawks (18).
The teams with the best turnover differential in 2012 were the Patriots (+25), Bears (+20), Redskins (+17), Giants (+14), Falcons and Seahawks (+13), Texans (+12) and Ravens and 49ers (+9).
Worst 2012 turnover differentials belonged to the Chiefs and Eagles (-24), Lions (-16), Jets (-14), Bills and Cowboys (-13), Colts (-12) and Dolphins and Steelers (10).*
The teams with the fewest all made the playoffs. The teams with the most got lovely parting gifts. All but two of the teams with the greatest differential made the playoffs. All but one of the teams with the worst differential received extra vacation time.
Do you notice a pattern developing here? This isn't rocket science. Regular readers of this blog know that we preach execution and fundamentals. The lack of those key elements were rampant all season.
Some of that is on the coaches, yes, but the majority is on the players themselves. Because, as was expounded on before, not one coach fumbled, dropped a pass or threw an interception. As Rooney II said, "It's really as simple as that."
However, what isn't so simple is what each of the players highlighted in this article had in common: injuries. The three usually defensive stalwarts missed a total of 15 games due to injury.
How do they alleviate them? Is it pandemic? Is it cyclical? Are they snake bitten? These and other questions will be addressed in part three of this series examining Art Rooney II's interviews.
* Thanks to Russell S. Baxter of profootballguru.com who did the legwork on these turnover stats. You can also find him on Twitter at @BaxFootballGuru.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Chris Rainey and Jerome Bettis: A Tale Of Two Running Backs
by Jayden and Jason
By now you know that Pittsburgh Steelers' 2012 fifth-round draft pick running back Chris Rainey was arrested on Thursday for the assault of his girlfriend, and then released that same day. It cast a bit of a dark cloud over the news previously reported that beloved former Steelers phat back Jerome Bettis was among the 15 finalists for the Hall of Fame. With respect to Charles Dickens, it was a tale of running backs.
It was the worst of times...
We're truly looking at a juxtaposition here in style, stature and abilities. Rainey has the potential to make the NFL his own personal pinball machine, sending opposing teams to TILT on a regular basis if used properly. The depth of his talents were barely tapped his rookie season in a Steelers uniform. Nonetheless, his mercurial speed, slithery elusiveness and his third-to-fifth gear explosiveness was evident. Even if only in flashes. The potential was apparent.
As is often the case, though, potential can be a dirty word. And with Rainey's troubles not going away, the Steelers decided that he must.
“Chris Rainey’s actions this morning were extremely disappointing,” Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert said. “Under the circumstances and due to this conduct, Chris will no longer be a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.” - Steelers.com
Being that one half of this blogger team is a surviving victim of domestic abuse, there was an immediate, visceral and emotional reaction designed toward writing a scathing eulogy for Rainey. We decided to hold off, though, because we assumed something more may come down the pike regarding the alleged incident. We were correct.
Here are the facts as we all know them now. The Steelers will waive Chris Rainey, they can't until the day after the Super Bowl at the earliest and by the end of March at the latest, because of an "alleged" assault of his girlfriend. - http://tinyurl.com/bclhzaq
Then Rainey's (erstwhile?) girlfriend, through her lawyer, denied she was assaulted...the common reaction from victims of abuse. - http://tinyurl.com/bbty28l
What may be most telling about his release is that Rainey seems to have several demons, one of which is gambling: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/11/chris-rainey-had-two-run-ins-with-the-law-during-his-rookie-season/
So, let's run it down: in 2010, he was arrested and charged with felony stalking after threatening his ex-girlfriend, he lied to the Steelers organization by saying that he was over such things and that he'd learned from his mistakes, he previously had or he developed a gambling problem and now he's allegedly assaulted his girlfriend. Is there any wonder why he was released?
It was the best of times...
Rony. The Battering Ram. The Bus. Brian Urlacher's daddy. Super Bowl champion. Jerome Bettis has been known by many names over the years. It's high time to add another to that list of epithets: Hall of Famer.
Where Rainey dodges and darts his way in between defenders, Bettis bowled over opponents just as easily as ran past them. Appropriate analogy considering he loves to bowl and because of...well, his shape. Quickly named "The Bus" by the legendary late Myron Cope, Bettis ran roughshod over linemen, linebackers and safeties all the way to the endzone 100 times in his career, 78 with the Steelers.
Bettis was drafted out of Notre Dame into the NFL in 1993 by the then-Los Angeles Rams. He had an immediate impact on the league by rushing for 1,429 yards, and was named Offensive Rookie of the Year as well as receiving First-Team All-Pro honors. But, it was his move to Pittsburgh that cemented his legacy.
On April 20, 1996, Bettis was traded to the Steelers and hit the ground running. He totaled 1,431 yards in his first season in the Burgh, to go along with 11 touchdowns. A star was born.
All told, Bettis would pound out 10,571 yards for the Steelers earning him several Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors. The Bus pulled into the depot for the last time in February of 2006. Poetically, it was in Detroit, his hometown. Fittingly, it was in Super Bowl XL -- shouldn't the NFL's best ever truly big back end his career in a game labeled "XL?"
All aboard. Next stop: Canton.
~
TIDBITS: Maurkice Pouncey, the only center in NFL history to be voted to the Pro Bowl in his first three seasons, has also been named to the 2012 NFL All-Pro 2nd Team: http://triblive.com/sports/nfl/3285328-74/team-cowher-pro#axzz2HtufPPmg
~
Pittsburgh Steelers' official and resident Cap-ologist Omar Khan is set to interview for the Jets' GM job. If he leaves, be afraid...be very afraid. But...would The Wrath of Khan even fit in with the Jets? Mark Kaboly, Steelers beat writer and someone who is close to the situation offers his assessment: "Khan, the cap guru of cap gurus, will interview with the Jets on Thursday for their general manager job.
"While it will be a great experience for Khan," Kaboly continued, "I really can't see him fitting in with Woody Johnson, Rex Ryan and that circus. Khan is too classy for that, so expect him to be back with the Steelers."
"But eventually," he concluded, "Omar Khan will find a perfect fit and the Steelers will suffer because of it."
It was the worst of times...
We're truly looking at a juxtaposition here in style, stature and abilities. Rainey has the potential to make the NFL his own personal pinball machine, sending opposing teams to TILT on a regular basis if used properly. The depth of his talents were barely tapped his rookie season in a Steelers uniform. Nonetheless, his mercurial speed, slithery elusiveness and his third-to-fifth gear explosiveness was evident. Even if only in flashes. The potential was apparent.
As is often the case, though, potential can be a dirty word. And with Rainey's troubles not going away, the Steelers decided that he must.
“Chris Rainey’s actions this morning were extremely disappointing,” Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert said. “Under the circumstances and due to this conduct, Chris will no longer be a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.” - Steelers.com
Being that one half of this blogger team is a surviving victim of domestic abuse, there was an immediate, visceral and emotional reaction designed toward writing a scathing eulogy for Rainey. We decided to hold off, though, because we assumed something more may come down the pike regarding the alleged incident. We were correct.
Here are the facts as we all know them now. The Steelers will waive Chris Rainey, they can't until the day after the Super Bowl at the earliest and by the end of March at the latest, because of an "alleged" assault of his girlfriend. - http://tinyurl.com/bclhzaq
Then Rainey's (erstwhile?) girlfriend, through her lawyer, denied she was assaulted...the common reaction from victims of abuse. - http://tinyurl.com/bbty28l
What may be most telling about his release is that Rainey seems to have several demons, one of which is gambling: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/01/11/chris-rainey-had-two-run-ins-with-the-law-during-his-rookie-season/
So, let's run it down: in 2010, he was arrested and charged with felony stalking after threatening his ex-girlfriend, he lied to the Steelers organization by saying that he was over such things and that he'd learned from his mistakes, he previously had or he developed a gambling problem and now he's allegedly assaulted his girlfriend. Is there any wonder why he was released?
It was the best of times...
Where Rainey dodges and darts his way in between defenders, Bettis bowled over opponents just as easily as ran past them. Appropriate analogy considering he loves to bowl and because of...well, his shape. Quickly named "The Bus" by the legendary late Myron Cope, Bettis ran roughshod over linemen, linebackers and safeties all the way to the endzone 100 times in his career, 78 with the Steelers.
Bettis was drafted out of Notre Dame into the NFL in 1993 by the then-Los Angeles Rams. He had an immediate impact on the league by rushing for 1,429 yards, and was named Offensive Rookie of the Year as well as receiving First-Team All-Pro honors. But, it was his move to Pittsburgh that cemented his legacy.
On April 20, 1996, Bettis was traded to the Steelers and hit the ground running. He totaled 1,431 yards in his first season in the Burgh, to go along with 11 touchdowns. A star was born.
All told, Bettis would pound out 10,571 yards for the Steelers earning him several Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors. The Bus pulled into the depot for the last time in February of 2006. Poetically, it was in Detroit, his hometown. Fittingly, it was in Super Bowl XL -- shouldn't the NFL's best ever truly big back end his career in a game labeled "XL?"
All aboard. Next stop: Canton.
~
TIDBITS: Maurkice Pouncey, the only center in NFL history to be voted to the Pro Bowl in his first three seasons, has also been named to the 2012 NFL All-Pro 2nd Team: http://triblive.com/sports/nfl/3285328-74/team-cowher-pro#axzz2HtufPPmg
~
Pittsburgh Steelers' official and resident Cap-ologist Omar Khan is set to interview for the Jets' GM job. If he leaves, be afraid...be very afraid. But...would The Wrath of Khan even fit in with the Jets? Mark Kaboly, Steelers beat writer and someone who is close to the situation offers his assessment: "Khan, the cap guru of cap gurus, will interview with the Jets on Thursday for their general manager job.
"While it will be a great experience for Khan," Kaboly continued, "I really can't see him fitting in with Woody Johnson, Rex Ryan and that circus. Khan is too classy for that, so expect him to be back with the Steelers."
"But eventually," he concluded, "Omar Khan will find a perfect fit and the Steelers will suffer because of it."
Art Rooney II - The State Of The Steelers, pt. 1: 'Frustration'
With the offseason for the Steelers underway, Rooney II's now annual season wrap-up featured a few points of interest for Steelers fans. Nothing, however, that was unexpected nor anything that took football's version of Pythagoras to figure out. In a word, it was "frustrating."
"It was clearly a frustrating season, mostly because we had so many opportunities that we didn't take advantage of," said Rooney. - http://tinyurl.com/ajgrk3k
One of those missed opportunities was turnovers related. The defensive side of the turnover ratio, as we've covered in previous blog posts, was a result of the lack of pressure on the quarterback. As Rooney II stated, "We have to get more pressure on the quarterback. Anybody will tell you that creates turnovers."
As he pointed out, the Steelers need a better pass rush, more turnovers on defense and fewer on offense. These are priorities for 2013, and will be discussed in more detail in part two of the interview. None of them, though, are going to happen if one thing in particular isn't taken care of first: the Salary Cap problem.
ESPN reported recently that the Steelers currently are $10.8 million over the Cap. Rooney said that it's much more than the $10 or so million over. As we said also, add the exclusive rights free agents and it's around $12 million. - http://tinyurl.com/akdduo5
However, as some have further reported, add the dead money that's owed and it is closer to about $15-$16 million over. There are more tough decisions ahead, Rooney said, and called it a "jigsaw puzzle."
Many of the pieces in that puzzle are amongst the unrestricted free agents as they attempt to determine who will be kept and who will be allowed to go off into free agency making room for the restricted free agents they'll need to retain. These are the ones we believe will be allowed to go:
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS:
Casey Hampton
Ryan Mundy
Justin King
Brandon Johnson
Greg Warren
OFFENSE:
Charlie Batch
Byron Leftwich (Injured so much he got a hangnail clicking this link)
Plaxico Burress
Rashard Mendenhall (2014 compensatory draft pick)
Mike Wallace (2014 compensatory draft pick)
Ramon Foster (Unless they decide to cut Willie Colon after June 1st)
Doug Legursky
There is unfortunately one more on that list: Max Starks. Starks was the only Steelers lineman to play every snap this year. We'd love to see the team extend a two-year deal to him since he has given so much to the organization. Will it happen? Probably not. What does he think will happen? - http://tinyurl.com/byb7g7u
Starks isn't the only player on the team who is contemplating his future. Many realize how much of a possibility it is to be in another uniform next season, or simply looking for work. It can be a sobering thought, especially when one's season ends unfulfilled. - http://tinyurl.com/cfggnt4
There are a few currently under contract as well who might have to be let go because of not fitting into that puzzle anymore. The most obvious of those are defensive end Brett Keisel ($2.8 million), linebacker James Harrison ($10 million), and guard Willie Colon ($1.2 million). Releasing those players would save the Steelers about $14 million in Cap space.
The problem with that is whether or not their backups would be ready to step into their vacated positions? There's the rub. A jigsaw puzzle indeed.
Rooney II also spoke on the problem the team has had lately with injuries. He said that while injuries do come in cycles, the Steelers will evaluate their training methods to see if they need to change anything.
Here's a consideration: In June of 2011, Ariko Iso, the first and only female NFL athletic trainer, left the organization to take the position of head athletic trainer at her alma mater, Oregon State. She seems to have taken with her the knowledge, training tactics and experience that the current person does not have. It also might be pure coincidence. But it is a feasible thought considering that the last two years have been replete with injuries. It is something worth considering at the very least. - http://tinyurl.com/bkd8uwy
Rooney II naturally spoke on the offense as well and gave both head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Todd Haley votes of confidence, saying that each did a "good job." He made the point that nine games into the season, the offense was functioning at a high level and that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was taking fewer sacks. Something that he had wanted to see when former offensive coordinator Bruce Arians' contract was not renewed. Points that were discussed and emphasized on Talkin' Steelers Football: http://tinyurl.com/anal7by
He's basically accurate. Through those first nine games, the Steelers were 6-3, were scoring 23.0 points per game, were just -1 in turnover differential and were averaging 103.8 rushing yards per game. Not record setting numbers, but certainly winning football.
The last seven games on the other hand, they were 2-5, scored only 17.5 PPG, had a turnover ratio of -9, and their rushing YPG dropped to 86.1.
The two biggest reasons for this was the putrid turnover ratio and the declined play of Big Ben. Regarding his part in this equation, Big Ben admitted after the season was finally over, that he came back too early from his injury and, because of either not trusting the game plan, not trusting his teammates enough or both, he tried to do too much. - http://tinyurl.com/cxjdje6
It wasn't just him, though. Frankly, how could he completely trust his teammates when his top two wide receivers, Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace, were in double figures in both drops and fumbles?
How could he completely trust the game plan when it went away from Heath Miller about halfway through the season? A man whom Ben calls the "best player on the field whenever he's on the field." Or, for that matter, when Tomlin and Haley couldn't settle on a feature running back? A point that was perplexing and that even brought "friendly criticism" from one teammate in particular. - http://tinyurl.com/cuka6mf
But Big Ben believes the offense can work if they simply execute properly. He said so earlier in the season when he attempted to dismiss any philosophical disagreements with Haley. Big Ben is quoted as saying that he was convinced the offense “works for us. When we‘re executing, I think it works.”
He also said that a full offseason working with Haley should be productive, and that they just "need to continue to grow." - http://tinyurl.com/cy2u7ey
The only problem with that is whether he'll be able to or not.
On Thursday, January 3rd, the Arizona Cardinals officially asked for permission to interview for their vacant head coaching position. The Steelers granted permission and, according to those associated with the Steelers organization, Haley did interview.
What would happen to the Steelers offense if Haley were to leave? Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review offers this assessment: http://tinyurl.com/cetkzca
Yes, it is a big "if" on Haley's possibility of leaving. If he does leave, however, Kirby Wilson is considered the only one in-house replacement candidate. After that, there is long list of possibilities. Haley did say, however, during his final interview before the offseason, that he is happy where he is.
“Really, it isn’t anything I am thinking about,” said Haley about head coaching jobs. “I’ve said a bunch of times, and even when I came in and sat down with Mike {Tomlin} earlier on, this is where I want to be." - http://nflfromthesidelines.blogspot.com/2013/01/losing-haley-would-be-setback.html?spref=fb
If Haley and Big Ben are to be taken at their word regarding their relationship, and that their "feud" was more media-driven than anything, the full offseason time that Big Ben spoke about will be welcomed and needed, especially with him at an essential crossroads in his career. - http://nicepickcowher.com/2013/01/06/2013-career-crossroads-for-ben-roethlisberger/
The offense has its issues, yes, as Rooney II alluded to, but they are things that can be fixed. Through the upcoming draft, a possible dip into free agency and, most importantly, simply learning to execute better, the offense can be what they want it to be.
However, there is still one more thing, as touched on earlier, that they will need to address. Something about which Rooney II spoke extensively: turnovers -- but on both sides of the ball. We'll discuss this in part two of this series.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Fixing the Steelers Starts with Drafting for Defense
Despite being the NFL's No. 1 defense once again, tops in total defense in yards per game and in passing yards and the No. 2 rushing defense, the 2012 Pittsburgh Steelers defense neither 'dominated,' nor did it get to the quarterback enough. And make no mistake, despite whatever issues were had on offense, fixing the Steelers starts with the defense.
For the second straight year, the Steelers defense hobbled their way to the quarterback, taking down the opposing passer only 37 times. With little pressure being brought, they paralleled that by only forcing 20 turnovers...and that just does not cut it.
We'll delve more into this in part two of "All The King's Horses" where we will address the defense looking back at the season. Here, though, we're looking forward at the three defensive positions that are of greatest need and that the Steelers will most likely address in the early rounds of the April 25-27 NFL Draft. First off within that, the Salary Cap issues.
Per Steve Wyche of NFL.com in June of 2012: "The salary cap slightly increased to $120.6 million from $120.37 last season. Several team management officials said it's not projected to jump much in 2013, prompting one general manager to say there could be "carnage" for some big-contract players...after next season."
So, we'll go with the assumption of a rounded up salary cap of $121 million. The Steelers are roughly $12 million, when you include the exclusive rights free agents, over that number and will need to restructure, reduce and cut to have room to sign there own free agents and to possibly do a little shopping. - http://tinyurl.com/akaloo6
The Steelers are getting older at key positions also, and three players, James Harrison, Troy Polamalu and Larry Foote, play prominently in what Kevin Colbert and Omar Khan will be able to do. Like the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review made painfully clear, the Steelers' dollars go to the defense. - http://t.co/BFQMIKZ6
These three gentlemen present daunting age and salary cap situations. Harrison, for starters, is due $6.57 million next season and would count just over $10 million against the Cap. It has been well publicized by now that Deebo will be willing to restructure. Good, but the problem is that there isn't much room to restructure. He would more accurately have to take an actual pay cut to stay with the team.
Whether he does or not, the Steelers have need right now at his position. Even if he comes back and plays at a Silverback-ish level, the depth behind him is either woefully suspect, woefully untested or they've woefully underperformed.
So, another vicious pass rusher who is also athletic enough to cover is needed to replace Harrison. We think the two who stand out as possibles in the first round for the Steelers are Brigham Young's Ezekiel "Ziggy" Ansah and Oregon's Dion Jordan.
Ziggy Ansah is a 6'6" 270-pound outside linebacker/defensive end with speed whom his position coach, Kelly Poppinga, called "remarkable" and said that "he has all the numbers they want to see at the combine. He'll blow that part away."
If chosen, what else will Keith Butler and Dick LeBeau love about him? Poppinga said that he could play all three of the down lineman positions, as well as both linebacker spots, and that "he picks up things super fast and doesn't forget them." - http://tinyurl.com/b75kwqe
Don't take our word for it, though, take the word of someone with intimate knowledge of both the Steelers and the Cougars, Chris Hoke.
The former Steelers nose tackle/defensive end had this to say on his personal Twitter (@hokiebro76) account: "Ziggy Ansah? Raw... Unbelievable kid! So much talent it spews out of him." Sounds good to us.
Dion Jordan is another OLB/DE who has size (6'7" 243 lbs) speed (4.68/40) and can defend in space. A former tight end, Jordan has the athletic ability to drop into coverage as well as to rush the edge. The type of versatility the Steelers like. - http://tinyurl.com/85el334
(UPDATE: As this was being edited and about to be posted, it was reported that it has been confirmed that Jordan will have surgery to repair a torn labrum. Since that alters his draft stock, here are alternate possibilities: the 6'5" 240-pound OLB/DE Barkevious Mingo out of LSU, who had 15 QB hurries and five QB sacks on the season; the 6'5" 265-pound raw, but mean DE out of Texas, Alex Okafor, may drop enough to be found in the second round; and Gerald Hodges, a 6'2" 235-pound OLB who could be taken in the second round.)
As the Steelers defense started to gel, they began keeping nearly every quarterback they faced from doing what they wanted. They even went eight straight games without allowing more than 200 yards passing. Most of that, though, was due to the coverage of the secondary.
The cornerbacks are a young unit, outside of Ike Taylor, who came into their own this season. Assuming Keenan Lewis can be signed, another UFA Salary Cap situation, he'd be one third of the holy trinity of the Steelers future in the secondary, along with Cortez Allen and Curtis Brown.
If the Steelers feel the "best available" need is at safety in the first round, there are two who should be available at the 17th pick: Florida's strong safety Matt Elam and LSU's free safety underclassman Eric Reid.
Matt Elam, at 5'10 and 202 lbs is nearly the epitome of strong safety. He's a strong, bruising hitter who isn't afraid to throw his body around the field and into opposing wide receivers. Per Dane Brugler, he also has the "read/react skills to be effective against both the run and the pass." - http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1737092
Eric Reid is a 6'2" 210-pound "centerfielder" with the requisite build and athleticism, and the instinct and tenacity to deliver the big hit. Hm...sounds like another LSU safety on the team.
If the Steelers go pass rusher in the first round, then there are two safeties who just might be available in the second.
The first and potentially better choice is Texas FS Kenny Vaccaro. He is 6'1" 218 lbs with good instincts. He can pass rush as well as tackle the catch, and is starting to rise up mock draft boards. In fact, according to Todd Swoopes of National Football Direct, he is actually first-round worthy. - http://nationalfootballdirect.com/2013-nfl-mock-draft/todd-swoopes-mock-draft-1-0/
The other whom we think would be a second-round consideration is the son of former San Francisco 49ers Pro Bowl safety, USC FS T.J. McDonald. He's 6'2" and 205 lbs, runs a 4.52 40-yard dash and was a consistent defender for the Trojans, recording 67 tackles and three interceptions.
Jim Wexell of Steelers Digest and SteelCityInsider.net added his two cents on the subject, not to mention a couple of more names to consider: "So far, I like 3 safeties (I'm letting E.Reid go to the Ravens): {Kenny} Vaccaro, {Matt} Elam, {FS D.J.} Swearinger. Fallback {SS Phillip} Thomas a small ballhawk." Brackets ours.
Using Wexell as a reference again, let him now springboard us into the last position being covered in this piece. That of inside linebacker.
Wexell points out that the Steelers haven't forgotten about last season's third-round draft pick is still a a possibility. From his personal Twitter (@jimwexell) account, in part, he tweeted: "#Steelers believe Sean Spence will recover fully..." But if we're going to speculate about the future, take a brief look back at the past: http://tinyurl.com/bdm5h4b
Manti Te'o had a dream season: 113 tackles, seven interceptions, an undefeated regular season and more trophies than an Iranian prince has "trophies."
However, someone stole his dream catcher, causing him to have a rude awakening as his Notre Dame Fighting Irish ran out of luck and lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide, 42-14. A game where he finished with 10 total tackles, but missed almost as many.
Now, one game doesn't discount an entire season, but people have a tendency to form opinions on what they saw lastly. So, could knee jerk reactions cause Te'o to slide somewhat and be ripe for the plucking at the 17th pick? Yes, they could. They shouldn't, but they could.
The Steelers conceivably could feel they still need a coverage ILB that could roam the middle of the field in Nickel and Dime packages, but also in man coverages against tight ends and running backs alike. If so, Manti fits that to a tee('o).
If not, and they want to wait on scratching that itch, Nico Johnson, who was on the same field Monday night, could be found as late as the third round. He's 6'2" and 245 lbs with a 4.63/40 time. A solid selection, he was third on his team in tackles (54), had two tackles for losses, two forces fumbles, a QB pressure and a pass defense in just five starts.
Those are the three positions that are most important on the defensive side of the ball and possibilities for players who may wear Black and Gold next season. Will we see one of them? Two of them? None of them? Time will tell.
Regardless of whether, though, any of those names will be heard being called on that Thursday or on the subsequent days, those positions absolutely will called. Maybe even in each of the first three rounds. Because that's where they begin to dominate again.
Friday, January 4, 2013
If It Ain't Steel's 2012 NFL Awards and Super Bowl Predictions
by Jayden Matthews
The NFL regular season has now ended and the debate can truly begin as to whom will win the yearly awards as well as which teams will take the coveted ultimate prize - the Super Bowl.
We at If It Ain’t Steel wrote a piece mid-season where we made predictions for the season awards based on what we knew then. Now that the season has shown us everything, we are going to follow that up to see if it has changed any and to make our official prognostications. Then, when the awards are announced, you can refer back to this to see if we hit it on the head (or, if Jason was wrong), and also if our Super Bowl prediction holds up. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2012/11/nfl-mid-season-grades.html
The MVP Award: We predicted that Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning would win this in our mid-season article, and that has not changed. Though, there is a candidate who ended up making a good case for himself: Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. A.P., also known as A.D. for "All Day", cemented himself in the Most Valuable Player talk with a monster year. After coming back from an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and MCL (medial collateral ligament) injury that some thought would sideline him for some of the season, A.P. did not miss a single game and coming within nine yards of the recognized single-season NFL rushing record. - http://tinyurl.com/a6d6tro
We still believe Peyton, "The Sheriff", has the edge because, like A.P., he came back from what some considered a career-ending injury. Some, myself included, didn't think The Sheriff would make it much past the first game, let alone all season. But he did far more than that, he led the Broncos to a 13-3 season and the first seed in the AFC Playoff chase. The Sheriff played the way he always played, deadly lethal, again making household names out of ordinary receivers. For those reasons, we believe that Peyton “The Sheriff” Manning will deservedly win the MVP award.
As for A.P., we still believe that, though this and the MVP awards could ultimately be flipped, "Purple Jesus" has the Comeback Player of the Year award...all day.
Defensive Player of the Year: We predicted the Houston Texans J.J. Watt at the mid-season and that, like our MVP, hasn’t changed. San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith was building a good resume, but in the end we still believe it will be Watt. He led the league with 20.5 sacks, had 81 tackles, 16 passes defensed (which is more than some defensive backs), four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a partridge in a pear tree. Though the Texans Defense struggled down the stretch, the AFC's Defensive Player of the Month for December didn’t. He may even be more feared right now than Clay Matthews...no quarterback wants to see No. 99 coming for them right now.
Coach of the Year: We really didn’t make a choice on this one because there seemed to be a lot of good choices at the time. Arguably, one could say that Indianapolis Colts "interim-head coach" Bruce Arians deserves consideration, naturally, though, he won’t get it because he is still just an offensive coordinator. If he could be, though, he would be my (Jayden's) clear cut choice. What Arians was able to do with the Colts, to keep them winning in the absence of their head coach Chuck Pagano as he battled cancer, is nothing short of amazing. No one really give the Colts a chance once Pagano went out, but Arians took the bull by the horns and led them to a winning season and a playoff spot. Even his former team's (former) players admit he's a good coach. Way to go Brucey!!! - http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/bears/post/_/id/4681828/spaeth-arians-helps-qbs-succeed
So, while there are only a few truly viable choices, this even put my partner-in-crime and I in a quandary of as to who should get the nod. So, we are each going to make our individual cases for who we think will win.
Jayden: John Fox I believe John Fox is the best choice for Coach of the Year. He took the Broncos from 8-8 last year to 13-3 this year and in the playoffs again. Yes, my partner argues that it was because of Peyton, and we both do say that Peyton makes any coach look great. While that is true, I still just think that he deserves the nod. Even though he has Peyton now, he still had to provide Peyton a dominant defense as a compliment in order to have a chance at the last dance. To his credit, he has done that. He has slowly built a great team in Denver that keeps a smile on John Elway’s face. Therefore, I believe he deserves that nod and should get it. Peyton doesn’t may not need coaching, but the rest of the players do.
Jason: My choice for the coaching award is, once again, Mike Smith of the Atlanta Falcons. But, I admit that his winning it in 2008 may put a damper on this prediction. Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, there have been only been six repeat winners (Chuck Knox{3x}, Joe Gibbs, Mike Ditka, Bill Parcells, Dan Reeves and Bill Belichick {3x}), but I believe his team's consistant performance all season, pulling them up from an average 2011, gets "Smitty" the trophy this season.
Rookie of the Year: Andrew Griffith 1.5 - No, we didn’t have a clear cut choice then and we still don’t now that the season is over. RGIII and Luck are arguably the best rookies to come into the NFL at the same time in a long time. At the quarterback position at the very least. Both are playing very well and both will be in the playoffs this year as the 4th and 5th seeds in their respective conferences. So, we still are at a quandry over coming to a clear choice because an entire article could be written making a case for either of them. Not to mention the fact that another emerged as a solid choice, the rookie playing for the Seattle Seahawks: Russell Wilson.
Wilson has also played well enough to be in consideration for this honor. And oh, yeah, he has his team in the playoffs as well. So, with that being said, we're going to go out on a limb and say that the 2012 NFL Rookie of the Year will be Russell Luck III. We know it's a bit of a cop out, but we have no idea which one of these guys will win it.
That now brings us to our Super Bowl prediction, which naturally will not involve a repeat champion considering the Giants missed the playoffs. With the Pittsburgh Steelers also on early vacation, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger cannot participate in helping keep the streak alive of one of only three teams representing the AFC in the big show. However, while the Colts and the New England Patriots are in the playoffs, Manning is with Denver now. There is still a chance that either he or the Patriots Tom Brady, the other two QBs in this streak, could be in the Super Bowl and we believe the streak will remain intact.
We chose the Texans and the Chicago Bears as our early picks, and that has definitely changed. The Bears took a turn for the worse and missed the playoffs, and while the Texans at the time were arguably the best team in the AFC, they are not anymore. The Texans were sitting pretty in the No. 1 spot for a long time, but fell down to the third seed in the AFC and now may have to take their act on the road. We believe the Denver Broncos will come out of the AFC and that The Sheriff will fire his six-gun all the way to New Orleans and could walk away with another piece of jewelry in the process. On that, we agreed. The NFC, not so much.
As stated earlier, there will be a new team emblem on the NFC side of the Super Bowl ensign. My partner and I have once again disagreed on who that will be. Shocking, I know. So we are going to again make our case just like with coach of the year.
Jayden: I think the Seattle Seahawks will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. They are playing lights out right now and have a very good defense. They have been on a tear as of late with Wilson and Marshawn Lynch going all "Beast Mode" on defenses. The though that they could not win on the road has been laid to rest with wins over Buffalo and Chicago. They have a ball-hawking secondary that can pick you off or force a team to fumble and are poised to make a strong run and make it to the big show. I know I may be wrong on this, but I like the Seahawks chances.
Jason: As long as Justin Smith is on the field, the defense of the San Francisco 49ers and the Colin Kaepernick-led offense will take them to The Big Easy. Linebackers Patrick Willis and Aldon Smith get more of the publicity, but defensive tackle Justin Smith is the glue to their front seven that solidifies a bruising and stingy unit. Add to that a running game led by Frank Gore, and the 49ers should see their first NFC Championship and Super Bowl berth since 1994.
There you have it, If It Ain't Steel's final 2012 season award and Super Bowl predictions. Come February 4th, we'll see how many of our prophecies came true.
We at If It Ain’t Steel wrote a piece mid-season where we made predictions for the season awards based on what we knew then. Now that the season has shown us everything, we are going to follow that up to see if it has changed any and to make our official prognostications. Then, when the awards are announced, you can refer back to this to see if we hit it on the head (or, if Jason was wrong), and also if our Super Bowl prediction holds up. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2012/11/nfl-mid-season-grades.html
As for A.P., we still believe that, though this and the MVP awards could ultimately be flipped, "Purple Jesus" has the Comeback Player of the Year award...all day.
Defensive Player of the Year: We predicted the Houston Texans J.J. Watt at the mid-season and that, like our MVP, hasn’t changed. San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith was building a good resume, but in the end we still believe it will be Watt. He led the league with 20.5 sacks, had 81 tackles, 16 passes defensed (which is more than some defensive backs), four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a partridge in a pear tree. Though the Texans Defense struggled down the stretch, the AFC's Defensive Player of the Month for December didn’t. He may even be more feared right now than Clay Matthews...no quarterback wants to see No. 99 coming for them right now.
Coach of the Year: We really didn’t make a choice on this one because there seemed to be a lot of good choices at the time. Arguably, one could say that Indianapolis Colts "interim-head coach" Bruce Arians deserves consideration, naturally, though, he won’t get it because he is still just an offensive coordinator. If he could be, though, he would be my (Jayden's) clear cut choice. What Arians was able to do with the Colts, to keep them winning in the absence of their head coach Chuck Pagano as he battled cancer, is nothing short of amazing. No one really give the Colts a chance once Pagano went out, but Arians took the bull by the horns and led them to a winning season and a playoff spot. Even his former team's (former) players admit he's a good coach. Way to go Brucey!!! - http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/bears/post/_/id/4681828/spaeth-arians-helps-qbs-succeed
So, while there are only a few truly viable choices, this even put my partner-in-crime and I in a quandary of as to who should get the nod. So, we are each going to make our individual cases for who we think will win.
Jayden: John Fox I believe John Fox is the best choice for Coach of the Year. He took the Broncos from 8-8 last year to 13-3 this year and in the playoffs again. Yes, my partner argues that it was because of Peyton, and we both do say that Peyton makes any coach look great. While that is true, I still just think that he deserves the nod. Even though he has Peyton now, he still had to provide Peyton a dominant defense as a compliment in order to have a chance at the last dance. To his credit, he has done that. He has slowly built a great team in Denver that keeps a smile on John Elway’s face. Therefore, I believe he deserves that nod and should get it. Peyton doesn’t may not need coaching, but the rest of the players do.
Jason: My choice for the coaching award is, once again, Mike Smith of the Atlanta Falcons. But, I admit that his winning it in 2008 may put a damper on this prediction. Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, there have been only been six repeat winners (Chuck Knox{3x}, Joe Gibbs, Mike Ditka, Bill Parcells, Dan Reeves and Bill Belichick {3x}), but I believe his team's consistant performance all season, pulling them up from an average 2011, gets "Smitty" the trophy this season.
That now brings us to our Super Bowl prediction, which naturally will not involve a repeat champion considering the Giants missed the playoffs. With the Pittsburgh Steelers also on early vacation, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger cannot participate in helping keep the streak alive of one of only three teams representing the AFC in the big show. However, while the Colts and the New England Patriots are in the playoffs, Manning is with Denver now. There is still a chance that either he or the Patriots Tom Brady, the other two QBs in this streak, could be in the Super Bowl and we believe the streak will remain intact.
We chose the Texans and the Chicago Bears as our early picks, and that has definitely changed. The Bears took a turn for the worse and missed the playoffs, and while the Texans at the time were arguably the best team in the AFC, they are not anymore. The Texans were sitting pretty in the No. 1 spot for a long time, but fell down to the third seed in the AFC and now may have to take their act on the road. We believe the Denver Broncos will come out of the AFC and that The Sheriff will fire his six-gun all the way to New Orleans and could walk away with another piece of jewelry in the process. On that, we agreed. The NFC, not so much.
As stated earlier, there will be a new team emblem on the NFC side of the Super Bowl ensign. My partner and I have once again disagreed on who that will be. Shocking, I know. So we are going to again make our case just like with coach of the year.
Jayden: I think the Seattle Seahawks will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. They are playing lights out right now and have a very good defense. They have been on a tear as of late with Wilson and Marshawn Lynch going all "Beast Mode" on defenses. The though that they could not win on the road has been laid to rest with wins over Buffalo and Chicago. They have a ball-hawking secondary that can pick you off or force a team to fumble and are poised to make a strong run and make it to the big show. I know I may be wrong on this, but I like the Seahawks chances.
Jason: As long as Justin Smith is on the field, the defense of the San Francisco 49ers and the Colin Kaepernick-led offense will take them to The Big Easy. Linebackers Patrick Willis and Aldon Smith get more of the publicity, but defensive tackle Justin Smith is the glue to their front seven that solidifies a bruising and stingy unit. Add to that a running game led by Frank Gore, and the 49ers should see their first NFC Championship and Super Bowl berth since 1994.
There you have it, If It Ain't Steel's final 2012 season award and Super Bowl predictions. Come February 4th, we'll see how many of our prophecies came true.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Taking A Look At Three Important Steelers Free Agents; Larry Foote Willing To Take Less; Steelers Sign Six
With the Pittsburgh Steelers season now officially over, like head coach Mike Tomlin said, it's time to "wrap a bow" around it.
In his season-concluding press conference, Tomlin praised and thanked many players for their efforts all season, but was realistic about why they were 8-8 and blatantly said that "we didn't like it." - http://blog.steelers.com/2012/12/31/time-to-wrap-a-bow-around-the-season/
Not only did the players receive their press time, but the coaches did also. He was honest about what his offensive and defensive coordinators, Todd Haley and Dick LeBeau, did over the course of the season, admitting that they did not perform as well as they could have at various points. To say the least.
In doing so, he gave thumbs up to LeBeau, saying that "he's a special guy." Tomlin noted that the defense started slowly, but rounded into form as the season progressed. The defense once again ended the season as the No. 1 ranked unit.
But we'll save looking back for future articles. For now, let's take a quick look at what is currently transpiring and what it could mean for the future, i.e. free agency.
According to the Steelers website, there are 24 free agents, and 26 in total. The Unrestricted are: Will Allen, Charlie Batch, Plaxico Burress, Larry Foote, Ramon Foster, Casey Hampton, Brandon Johnson, David Johnson, Byron Leftwich, Doug Legursky, Justin King, Keenan Lewis, Rashard Mendenhall, Ryan Mundy, Leonard Pope, Max Starks, Mike Wallace and Greg Warren.
The Restricted are: Jonathan Dwyer, Jeremy Kapinos, Steve McLendon, Isaac Redman, Stevenson Sylvester and Emmanuel Sanders. - http://tinyurl.com/bc27am3
The two not mentioned are Exclusive Rights are: Baron Batch and DeMarcus Van Dyke. - http://rotoworld.com
Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review recently took the 18 unrestricted free agents and offered his predictions on who would be in a Steelers uniform next season. - http://tinyurl.com/amu6lus
Amongst his predictions were "Gone" votes for three of the more important UFAs: wide receiver Plaxico Burress, right guard Ramon Foster and cornerback Keenan Lewis. But, are all hopelessly gone? No. There is the possibility of seeing two of them come back.
Burress came to the Steelers late in the season and only had a handful of catches. Being that he saw only limited time, and that he was inactive half the time, was a reason that Dejan Kovacevic, also of the Trib, thinks Plax's value would be held down enough so that he could be back next season. - http://tinyurl.com/ax6kslu
The one who may be the biggest enigma is Foster. The good news is that he became much more valuable when showing that he not only was very good at his position, but by showing his versatility when playing right tackle and left guard.
The bad news is that he became much more valuable when showing that he not only was very good at his position, but by showing his versatility when playing right tackle and left guard.
That value could bring him a multi-year contract in free agency, if he decides to test the waters. Waters that Kaboly speculates could bring him somewhere in the range of $13 million over four years with an approximate $3.5 million signing bonus. - http://tinyurl.com/adkx2dp
Though Foster did say in his season-ending interview that he'd like to be back because of the potential on this offensive line, he realizes that this is still a business. - http://blog.steelers.com/2012/12/31/foster-likes-potential-on-the-line/
Lewis, one of the Steelers' most important UFAs, was involved in a bit of controversy Tuesday when it was reported that he wanted out of Pittsburgh. He then took to the social media airwaves to clear up his future intentions with the team.
He posted this to his personal Twitter (@KeenanLewis23) account: "I just want to clear this up: I never said anything about @steelers making a mistake by not signing me last season. I love the Rooneys, Organization & fans. I only stayed that my agent will handle the contract talks."
He said further: “I was misquoted by a reporter saying it was a mistake not to give me a contract last year. Try to make my image look bad, but here Wat it is, I'm not money greedy, I had my exit meeting today and it went great. I know we in the right direction as far as a contract, I believe strongly I would be apart of Steeler Nation next season. To do a three peat as the number one pass defense period. Here we go."
The reporter in question Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Trib Total Media. He had reported that “Keenan Lewis plans to test free agency. He told #Steelers "they made a mistake" by not offering multi-year deal before 2012 season.”
Robinson is a quality reporter, one whom If It Ain't Steel often uses as a reference, so there was assuredly some miscommunication with he and Lewis' agent. Nonetheless, it's a good sign that Lewis is looking at this positively, because the Steelers will need him. He ended his season with 71 tackles, 23 pass defenses and a forced fumble.
As Dale Lolley of the Observer-Reporter of Washington (Pa.) tweeted from his Twitter (@dlolleyor) account: "I'll be shocked if the #Steelers don't make a serious play to keep Keenan Lewis. Played outstanding this year and is perfect fit for scheme."
So will we, Lolley, because he is a major key to the Steelers secondary going forward. With Ike Taylor getting older and Curtis Brown not yet developing, Lewis and Cortez Allen may be the two most important cornerbacks right now as the Steelers prepare the offseason roster for the 2013 season.
~
Speaking of the offseason roster, the Steelers announced that they've signed former New England Patriots safety Ross Ventrone (per Mark Kaboly, his brother, Ray, is a safety for the Browns), offensive linemen Joe Long (whose older brother is Miami Dolphins Pro Bowl tackle Jake Long) and Justin Cheadle, wide receivers Derek Moye and Bert Reed, and cornerback Isaiah Green to Reserves/Futures contracts, with the last five all spending time on the Steelers practice squad this season.
~
Another UFA the Steelers may look to for a veteran presence in the 2013 season, especially to help mentor 2012 draft pick inside linebacker Sean Spence, is Larry Foote. Foote was on 93.7 The Fan Wednesday and said that to do that, he'd be willing to take less to stay in Pittsburgh: http://tinyurl.com/amx7u3b
~
TIDBITS: Kaboly had an interesting...well, tidbit about Ross Ventrone whom the Steelers signed. He said that Ventrone "was either signed, promoted or released 30 times in 32 months since being undrafted in 2010."
~
Another important UFA is Will Allen who really stepped up this season and showed he's more than just a special teams player. What does he think about his future in Black and Gold?
Allen said he wants to be back next year, because "it is a hard place to leave. Even if they let you go it is a hard place to leave."
In his season-concluding press conference, Tomlin praised and thanked many players for their efforts all season, but was realistic about why they were 8-8 and blatantly said that "we didn't like it." - http://blog.steelers.com/2012/12/31/time-to-wrap-a-bow-around-the-season/
Not only did the players receive their press time, but the coaches did also. He was honest about what his offensive and defensive coordinators, Todd Haley and Dick LeBeau, did over the course of the season, admitting that they did not perform as well as they could have at various points. To say the least.
In doing so, he gave thumbs up to LeBeau, saying that "he's a special guy." Tomlin noted that the defense started slowly, but rounded into form as the season progressed. The defense once again ended the season as the No. 1 ranked unit.
But we'll save looking back for future articles. For now, let's take a quick look at what is currently transpiring and what it could mean for the future, i.e. free agency.
According to the Steelers website, there are 24 free agents, and 26 in total. The Unrestricted are: Will Allen, Charlie Batch, Plaxico Burress, Larry Foote, Ramon Foster, Casey Hampton, Brandon Johnson, David Johnson, Byron Leftwich, Doug Legursky, Justin King, Keenan Lewis, Rashard Mendenhall, Ryan Mundy, Leonard Pope, Max Starks, Mike Wallace and Greg Warren.
The Restricted are: Jonathan Dwyer, Jeremy Kapinos, Steve McLendon, Isaac Redman, Stevenson Sylvester and Emmanuel Sanders. - http://tinyurl.com/bc27am3
The two not mentioned are Exclusive Rights are: Baron Batch and DeMarcus Van Dyke. - http://rotoworld.com
Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review recently took the 18 unrestricted free agents and offered his predictions on who would be in a Steelers uniform next season. - http://tinyurl.com/amu6lus
Amongst his predictions were "Gone" votes for three of the more important UFAs: wide receiver Plaxico Burress, right guard Ramon Foster and cornerback Keenan Lewis. But, are all hopelessly gone? No. There is the possibility of seeing two of them come back.
Burress came to the Steelers late in the season and only had a handful of catches. Being that he saw only limited time, and that he was inactive half the time, was a reason that Dejan Kovacevic, also of the Trib, thinks Plax's value would be held down enough so that he could be back next season. - http://tinyurl.com/ax6kslu
The one who may be the biggest enigma is Foster. The good news is that he became much more valuable when showing that he not only was very good at his position, but by showing his versatility when playing right tackle and left guard.
The bad news is that he became much more valuable when showing that he not only was very good at his position, but by showing his versatility when playing right tackle and left guard.
That value could bring him a multi-year contract in free agency, if he decides to test the waters. Waters that Kaboly speculates could bring him somewhere in the range of $13 million over four years with an approximate $3.5 million signing bonus. - http://tinyurl.com/adkx2dp
Though Foster did say in his season-ending interview that he'd like to be back because of the potential on this offensive line, he realizes that this is still a business. - http://blog.steelers.com/2012/12/31/foster-likes-potential-on-the-line/
Lewis, one of the Steelers' most important UFAs, was involved in a bit of controversy Tuesday when it was reported that he wanted out of Pittsburgh. He then took to the social media airwaves to clear up his future intentions with the team.
He posted this to his personal Twitter (@KeenanLewis23) account: "I just want to clear this up: I never said anything about @steelers making a mistake by not signing me last season. I love the Rooneys, Organization & fans. I only stayed that my agent will handle the contract talks."
He said further: “I was misquoted by a reporter saying it was a mistake not to give me a contract last year. Try to make my image look bad, but here Wat it is, I'm not money greedy, I had my exit meeting today and it went great. I know we in the right direction as far as a contract, I believe strongly I would be apart of Steeler Nation next season. To do a three peat as the number one pass defense period. Here we go."
The reporter in question Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and Trib Total Media. He had reported that “Keenan Lewis plans to test free agency. He told #Steelers "they made a mistake" by not offering multi-year deal before 2012 season.”
Robinson is a quality reporter, one whom If It Ain't Steel often uses as a reference, so there was assuredly some miscommunication with he and Lewis' agent. Nonetheless, it's a good sign that Lewis is looking at this positively, because the Steelers will need him. He ended his season with 71 tackles, 23 pass defenses and a forced fumble.
As Dale Lolley of the Observer-Reporter of Washington (Pa.) tweeted from his Twitter (@dlolleyor) account: "I'll be shocked if the #Steelers don't make a serious play to keep Keenan Lewis. Played outstanding this year and is perfect fit for scheme."
So will we, Lolley, because he is a major key to the Steelers secondary going forward. With Ike Taylor getting older and Curtis Brown not yet developing, Lewis and Cortez Allen may be the two most important cornerbacks right now as the Steelers prepare the offseason roster for the 2013 season.
~
Speaking of the offseason roster, the Steelers announced that they've signed former New England Patriots safety Ross Ventrone (per Mark Kaboly, his brother, Ray, is a safety for the Browns), offensive linemen Joe Long (whose older brother is Miami Dolphins Pro Bowl tackle Jake Long) and Justin Cheadle, wide receivers Derek Moye and Bert Reed, and cornerback Isaiah Green to Reserves/Futures contracts, with the last five all spending time on the Steelers practice squad this season.
~
Another UFA the Steelers may look to for a veteran presence in the 2013 season, especially to help mentor 2012 draft pick inside linebacker Sean Spence, is Larry Foote. Foote was on 93.7 The Fan Wednesday and said that to do that, he'd be willing to take less to stay in Pittsburgh: http://tinyurl.com/amx7u3b
~
TIDBITS: Kaboly had an interesting...well, tidbit about Ross Ventrone whom the Steelers signed. He said that Ventrone "was either signed, promoted or released 30 times in 32 months since being undrafted in 2010."
~
Another important UFA is Will Allen who really stepped up this season and showed he's more than just a special teams player. What does he think about his future in Black and Gold?
Allen said he wants to be back next year, because "it is a hard place to leave. Even if they let you go it is a hard place to leave."
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