Bell Suspended, DeCastro Extended, Steelers Scheduled Presented and CBs Visited

Thursday proved to be a busy day for the Pittsburgh Steelers. There was good news, there was bad news and there was Hall of Fame news. Well, sort of...

Early this morning, ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted that Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell has been suspended by the NFL for the first three games of the season: "@AdamSchefter: Pitt RB LeVeon Bell suspended 3 games, fined additional game check for violating substance abuse policy, per league sources. He is appealing."

As NFL.com reporter Gregg Rosenthal posted regarding the August 20, 2014 incident, "Detective Brian Kohlhepp of the Ross Township, Pennsylvania Police Department confirmed to NFL Media that running backs Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount were pulled over Wednesday around 1:30 p.m. ET. They, along with an unidentified female passenger in the backseat, were taken into custody and admitted to marijuana possession." The arresting officer had found a "20 gram bag of marijuana inside the car."

Regarding the appeal, Steelers beat writer for ESPN Scott Brown doesn't believe the suspension stays at three games saying, "...there is no way the three-game suspension sticks. The collective bargaining agreement -- not to mention common sense -- won't allow it." - http://tinyurl.com/jww9jwv

Regardless, as it is that the Chong to Bell's Cheech, erstwhile teammate and current New England Patriots RB LeGarrette Blount, was also suspended (one game) for his part in the incident, the NFL will likely no longer pair the two teams on its opening weekend Thursday Night Football kickoff as both teams will be without two of their stars.

Next came word Thursday that Steelers exercised the extension on right guard David DeCastro. Picking up DDC's option means he'll make the average of the salaries for the "3rd-25th highest paid" OG's in NFL, per Pro Football Talk. Being that the option is for injury only, and that he is set to receive a salary of $8,070,000 in 2016, a longterm deal is likely imminent.

Signing him to a new deal would seem especially prudent considering that DDC truly established himself this past season and should've been a Pro Bowl participant. The last thing the Steelers want is for the player many are calling 'the next Alan Faneca" to become...the next Alan Faneca.

"Steelers Live" announced the team's preseason schedule at 4 pm EST and probably drew a greater audience than whatever baseball game was on at the time. The only date known at present "obviously" is the Hall of Fame game on August 9, 2015. - http://stele.rs/2run1 

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TIDBITS:
Ohio State cornerback Doran Grant had already visited the Steelers, then Thursday saw more CBs making trips to the Southside. As first reported by Steelers Digest's Bob Labriola, Stanford's Alex Carter, Washington's troubled-yet-mega-talented CB Marcus Peters and Virginia linebacker Max Valles made visits.

Though we believe Carter is a potential Steelers 2nd-round selection, the focus was definitely on Peters. Even though he was kicked off of his college team, Peters is considered by many as the best CB in the NFL Draft and that he would be a good fit with the Steelers. Interestingly, in addition to Thursday's visit, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin met with Peters at the NFL Combine. Further still, defensive backs coach Carnell Lake and former Steelers tight end and current scout Mark Bruener were at Washington's Pro Day.

If It Ain't Steel's preference may be Wake Forest CB Kevin Johnson in the first round, but we wouldn't be in any way hurt over Peters' being selected instead. Just sayin'...

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

by Jayden Matthews

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

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

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

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

Move over bacon, there's somethin' meatier!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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"THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO...PITTSBURGH"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

...now, retire."

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

And she played:

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

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

LeGarrette Blount's Presence Will Help Steelers Pass Game Too

It was a balmy Miami night in November of 1996 when the Pittsburgh Steelers visited the Dolphins on Monday Night Football. Jerome Bettis was the star that night as he rushed for 119 yards on 27 carries. 

There is a visual that stands out most memorable in my mind from that night - as Mike Tomczak led the offense down the field for the game-winning touchdown, "The Bus" just kept battering the Dolphins defense causing the defensive backs especially to get slower and slower after tackling him. 

On the deciding play, Tomczak perfectly executed the play action, the defense bit and wide receiver Ernie Mills caught the 20-yard touchdown pass. Steelers win: 24 - 17.

The defense bit so hard that Tomczak stood back there for what seemed like minutes and Mills was so open that he had time to tie his shoes before catching the ball. 

The object lesson here: sometimes the best defense is a good offense. 

The Steelers have had their problems over the last few years with holding leads. Obviously, the majority of that is directly on the defense itself. But, not all. Allow me to explain. 

Granted, giving up leads is giving up leads. That is solely a defensive deficiency, one which has also been addressed in the draft and free agency. 

But not being able to hold on to the ball once you get it back means the defense gets little rest. A tired defense gives up big plays and surrenders more points. 

Whether via the play action or in the no-huddle, keeping them off of the field keeps them fresh. Their being fresh means their being alert enough mentally and physically to stop the opponent. Tight end Heath Miller understands this as well. 

"[The no-huddle] is good," Miller said in an interview with Dale Lolley. "We're getting a lot of work with it. We're going to continue with it. The last period is good for it. We're tired and we can take the defense and make them tired. It can be a weapon for us." (Brackets and italics ours) -  http://tinyurl.com/kgl4n3r

Blount could weigh heavily, no pun intended, in this, both in play action and in the no-huddle offense.

By all means, Bell aids in this also. But where Bell can definitely punch it up the middle, he can bounce it outside just as well. Blount, on the other hand, just pounds and pounds. 

...and pounds. 

“That's my running style,” Blount said. “That's how I run the football, and I feel that Le'Veon is a big, tough running back, too. This is how this team is run with a physical run game, and that's what we are trying to get back to.” -  http://tinyurl.com/p7lwgcy

To get back to controlling the clock.

The Tribune-Review article linked above points out that eliminating negative plays is paramount in this. It brought out that it "was most notable in short-yardage situations last year where they ranked 21st in power ranking (percentage of runs on third or fourth down with 2 yards or less to go, that achieved a first down or touchdown), according to Football Outsiders. They were only successful on 60 percent of such plays."

Can't control the line of scrimmage, can't control the clock.

That's where Blount has excelled in his career, in using "his big frame to his advantage as 65 percent of his career yards have come after contact," partly from averaging 5.47 yards per carry on first and ten alone, and a career 4.7 YPC average. 

That kind of production would aid Big Ben in the play action as well, considering that no QB used play action less than he did in 2013, utilizing it just 11.6% of the time, per Pro Football Focus. 

Blount may only receive "six to eight carries a game," but his presence and potential threat may just get an opposing defense to bite on the play action in 2014, also, allowing Big Ben to cleanly hit one of his receivers for a game winner.

~

TIDBITS: Via Mark Kaboly: Steelers OTA 6 -- tight end goal line drills where I almost get run over - http://t.co/hKH4bH99pI

Steelers OTA 6 -- What a catch by Lance Moore - http://t.co/f0j0RCjKaD 

Steelers OTA 6 -- OL drills with a Sushi kick - http://t.co/S2qlcwjXxM 

Steelers Attack Offseason With Blount Force Object

Let me be Blount...the Pittsburgh Steelers appear to be very serious about ending their streak of 8-8 seasons at two. Very serious. 

First, the Steelers signed safety Mike Mitchell formerly of the Carolina Panthers on the very first day of Free Agency. Not long after, they signed defensive tackle Cam Thomas (Chargers), wide receiver Lance Moore (Saints) and then linebacker Arthur Moats (Bills).

Now, true to the Tribune-Review's Alan Robinson's words that they'd have a veteran running back to help Le'Veon Bell by Friday, they have signed LeGarrette Blount. Thanks, in part to former Steelers draftee Patrick Bailey. (More on that in a minute.)

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter in a post on Twitter (@AdamSchefter), "Steelers gave RB LeGarrette Blount a two-year, $3.85M deal, including a $950K signing bonus." 

In a recent blog article, If It Ain't Steel referred to Blount as "battering ram" and a "Blount Force Object." The 27-year-old is just that as he ran for 772 yards last season with the New England Patriots. Those yards came on just 153 carries. That's a 5.04 yards per carry average. 

Blount is a strong, physical force. Just ask Byron Hout. -  http://youtu.be/DIp3vaAyffI

That marred Blount early on, showing a temper that got him suspended and also pushed him out of the 2010 NFL Draft. Blount, who had been projected to be a 5th-round draft prospect, was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Tennessee Titans. But after initially making the Titan's roster, they waived him to make room for needed linebacker help. One of those LBs was Patrick Bailey.

Blount was claimed off of waivers by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and had a 1,000-yard rookie campaign. Two subsequent inconsistent seasons led him to being picked up by the Patriots - a move that paid off for both parties. 

Now the Steelers make it official that they have signed the 6'1", 250-pound back. -  http://stele.rs/1lsfDwN
WATCH: http://stele.rs/O6FdII 

The divisional-round domination of the Indianapolis Colts (24 carries for 166 yards) shows the potentially unstoppable combination of he and Bell. ("Killa B's"..."Bash Brothas"..."Bangers Ball"..."Blount Force Trauma, Inc"...? I'll work on their nickname.)

While Blount may not contribute much in the passing game and has 12 fumbles in four seasons, losing eight, his hard-nose running style (4.7 career YPC) makes for a valuable third-down, short-yardage and goal line ball-carrier. 

Add to that, his propensity for kick returns (29.06 yards per return last season) means an instant return on the Steelers' investment. Both of those traits give the Steelers something they've sorely been needing.