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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Return Of Key Steelers Players Important But Unknown Element vs. Eagles

"The most elementary and valuable statement in science, the beginning of wisdom, is 'I do not know.'" - ScientificQuotes.com

The post from the Pittsburgh Steelers official Twitter site Thursday said that Rashard Mendenhall, Troy Polamalu and James Harrison all practiced fully. Add to that Stevenson Sylvester who will return to play this Sunday and, again, it's all hands on deck.

The fact that these players is back is one thing. They're potential effectiveness is quite another. Thus the quote above. While we love getting our stars back, we still don't know what we'll exactly get from them.

In a recent article we asked if James Harrison had maybe played his last down. Seeing that Harrison practiced two days in a row is very encouraging. His practicing Monday and coach Mike Tomlin saying that he worked out heavily last week is nothing short of surprising.

This is a situation where we love being wrong. Even so, as alluded to above, the question is how effective he'll be. How many snaps or series will he see? We're still talking about a man who didn't participate in any OTAs, minicamps or Training Camp. It will be interesting to see his snap count and how many series he'll see on the whole.

Polamalu shouldn't be as much of a concern as he saw all of those offseason camps and has seen game action. From all that has been reported, he seems good to go. Coach Dick LeBeau says, though, that neither of them may "play the whole game." - http://tinyurl.com/8pj7fo3

As for Mendenhall, running backs coach Kirby Wilson has already said that it isn't as if Mendy will get 55 snaps Sunday, but said that they would like him to get "a significant amount of work." - http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Mendenhall-believes-he-will-play-Sunday/ff96d32a-cfa8-40d2-9314-ed8c4b09fc0f

That makes since. Since it sounds like he's ready, he should get the work. His balance and vision will be welcome. As long as he just hits the hole, that is. And providing there are any.

With the offense in mind, it isn't out of the realm of possibility that an array of 11-personnel packages may be used to spread the Eagles defense out. The Steelers will want to get one-on-one coverage against the Eagles dangerous bump-and-run cornerback tandem of Nnamdi Asomogha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie with Pro Bowl wide receivers Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace.

Though Asomugha has not been quite the ballhawk so far that he was for years with the Oakland Raiders, rookie cornerback Brandon Boykin and veteran Brandon Hughes have helped make up for it. Hughes has been more than effective filling in for Asomugha when he has been sidelined, and Boykin has been impressive in the slot. Emmanuel Sanders could see a lot of him. Read Neal Coolong, and follow him (@NealCoolong) on Twitter, of Behind The Steel Curtain break that probability down beautifully. - http://tinyurl.com/8tega7h

So spreading them out to give the wide receivers room to hit their routes and hot reads will be important. The use of the tight end and the running backs out of the backfield will also be important as the Eagles will press the edges with the Wide 9 formation they use. A defensive front that almost dares you to run it up the middle. They shave the edges as good as anyone with Jason Babin and Trent Cole and look to apply constant pressure. They can be run on, though.

"They're pretty much trying to sack the quarterback, they're not really worried about the run," said Isaac Redman regarding the Eagles defense. "They're not built to stop the run."

Defensive end Cam Heyward spoke on their defensive formation also. "They rotate like nine guys on their D-line. We don't have as many guys, but I'd like to think our line gets the job done."

The Steelers run game has been insultingly bad this season, so don't expect them to run it up the gut 30 times against them. They must attack the middle enough, though, to slow down the Eagles excellent pass rush. They must get effective yards, not necessarily a lot of yards. Having Mendy back can aid in that, but we still expect a balance of carries between the backs.

To that end, Jonathan Dwyer, on the possible running back rotation, said: "We're going to do what works at the time. If (someone) has a hot hand, we'll keep going with the hot hand."

The Eagles defense has allowed 91.5 yards per game rushing and 3.81 yards per carry. Something to which the Steelers should look to attain. The way things have gone this season, though, if the Steelers offense would attain those numbers sunday, I'll go back to bed assuming that I was asleep and still dreaming anyway. But, I digress...

If Mendy does make it to the field Sunday, it should help the running game, but it will by no means be a panacea. Like Max Starks said regarding the run game, "It just takes a rhythm and a tempo. You look at certain games, you try and take advantage of other team's weaknesses."

Still, Jonathan Dwyer looks forward to the return of Mendenhall. "He's a great player. He's a Pro Bowl caliber running back and he got drafted in the first round for a reason. He just adds more athleticism and talent to the group. It makes us more talented, more special, and more dangerous."

Even so, the key is still Ben Roethlisberger. The nine-year pro is playing some of the best ball of his career early in the season. Big Ben is second in the NFL in passer rating, second in fewest interceptions, fourth in touchdown passes, fifth in yards per game, fifth in completion percentage and is tops on third down with a 146.8 passer rating. Per Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, he's 28 of 37 for 374 yards and five touchdowns. Dwyer sums it up succinctly.

"Ben's on fire right now...so you can't take away the fire from the guy with the hot hand."

Steelers offensive line has to protect Big Ben against that Wide 9 attack. If they can hold their blocks just a hair's breadth longer, especially Marcus Gilbert, Big Ben can connect with his receivers. Even if the Eagles do get pressure, Big Ben is showing himself to be adroit at completing the short pass, the dump off, to his running backs and tight end Heath Miller, a top red-zone target. - http://t.co/wFiak9Mx

Offensive coordinator Todd Haley has been pleased with his production but knows there is still work to do. He said he doesn't "care whether we throw it 50 and run it 10," he just wants the production. - http://tinyurl.com/9n9zgyp

Stevenson Sylvester is a key special teams player and looks to make his season debut against the Eagles to help the special teams unit. His return will be a welcome sight.

Special teams hasn't exactly been stellar on defending kickoffs so far through three games. Steelers kick coverage has been pathetic allowing a 33.2 yard average, which is 31st in the league.

All-in-all, the return of such key players is a definite bonus for the Steelers this weekend. How much they'll be able to contribute is another consideration. If Harrison can look like Deebo, if Polamalu can look like The Tasmanian Devil and if Mendenhall can look like...Mendy, then we should see the Steelers come away with a close, needed victory.

Steelers Pass The Test As Minicamp Ends

I guess minicamp is a little like mid-terms: you're tested, in a manner of speaking, on how well you'll stack up against your competition and then you're let out early.

That was the scene Thursday at the final day of minicamp as Head Coach Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up their final mandatory minicamp practice of the 2012 off-season. To add to the above analogy, they also have some time off now, over a month, before finals: Training Camp and roster cut-downs.

But one thing is certain about the past few days of minicamp, the Steelers as a whole passed one major test: Staying Injury Free 101.

Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review said that, "All Steelers rookies attended Mike Tomlin's Camp at Brashear today." Not only did they all attend, but they all stayed upright. Many impressed as well. Sean Spence is wowing, Chris Rainey is a blur and Kelvin Beachum is proving himself. Our previous blog post even had the article link that Jim Wexell of Steel City Insider wrote on him.

The drafted rookies aren't the only ones impressing. Adrian Robinson is a defensive end out of Temple university who went undrafted this year, but has caught the attention of Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler. Robinson will look to make the transition to standing up as an outside linebacker in the Steelers' 3-4 system, which is always a tough adjustment for the "tweeners" (think Alonzo Jackson), ones who are physically between a defensive end and an outside linebacker. So, for Robinson to make the 53 man roster he would have to outplay Chris Carter on special teams and show that he has more long-term upside than Carter as an outside linebacker. Butler has said, though, that Carter is coming along well, so it'll be tough for my namesake regardless.

Brandon Hicks is another linebacker to garner some attention through OTAs and minicamp. Hicks played both inside and outside at Florida and went undrafted in 2011. He was in the Buffalo Bills Training Camp last year. He'll get mainly inside work with the Steelers, but he is a long shot to make the roster with Spence causing Butler and the other coaches to salivate. Although Butler praised Hicks, he still has to know that the practice squad is his ultimate destination this season. Robinson, therefore, is likely the one with the best shot of the two of earning a roster spot because of his playing the outside spot. He, though, would have to push Mortty Ivy and Carter in Training Camp.

Another undrafted rookie who has been impressing is Terry Carter. On Twitter, Mark Kaboly said about him, "Keep an eye on #Steelers rookie CB Terry Carter. Coaching staff really high on him." According to Neal Coolong, also on Twitter at @NealCoolong, of the website Behind the Steel Curtain, Terry Carter is 5'11" 190 pound cornerback out of Louisiana Tech.

As with any and all of the undrafted rookies, the coaching staff speaking highly of them, unsolicited appraisals no less, says a lot. Not to say that any of them actually even make the initial 53-man roster or practice squad. But I said "initial" for a reason. Things happen throughout the course of a season, be it injuries or players claimed off of waivers, the Steelers will need reliable players they can call to fill spots and even put onto the 53.

It wasn't just rookies impressing and staying injury free. Veterans made their voices heard as well, so to speak. Curtis Brown, James Harrison, Jason Worilds, Stevenson Sylvester, Weslye Saunders, Ramon Foster and a few others did miss a few practices here and there, but no knew injuries occurred and everyone should be near 100% by the time Camp rolls around next month.

There were others who fell into that category as well. Emmanuel Sanders is one of them. He's of particular concern since he had feet and knee problems the last two seasons, and did miss part of minicamp due to some minor knee issues (swelling?). He did, though, say he feels he is "100%" after having surgery on both feet last offseason.

"I definitely feel like I have something to prove. I haven't finished an entire seasons yet....I want to go for a thousand yards, everything that big-time receivers do I want to do that," Sanders said.

Good news from the Steelers best route-running and best blocking wide receiver on the roster. As was said in a recent If It Ain't Steel blog post, he has the requisite tools to be a No. 1 receiver.

Others of interest injury-wise were Rashard Mendenhall and Casey Hampton. Mendenhall continues to rehab from his knee surgery and is going to be on the Active PUP list to start Camp. All signs point to him starting the season on the Reserve PUP list also. He seems confidant he'll be ready week No. 7 rather than 12, but time will tell and he's not one I'd want to see rushed. Hampton on the other hand says he'll be ready by opening day.

"I’m planning on coming back for the season," Hampton said Wednesday. "That’s what I’m looking at. That’s realistic for me. I don’t know about anybody else."

When they report to Camp in late July, the Steelers will have the same PUP list options with Big Snack. What does he think of those options?

"Nah, I can’t see that happening," he said. "I feel like I’m ready to go."

Hampton isn't the only one who has shown optimism. Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert back in February said, "The one edge Casey will have on anybody is that he's been through this twice. He knows what to expect. He knows how to do this. He knows how much work he has to do and he knows how he feels."

If Hampton isn't ready, though, the Steelers will confidently go with backup Steve McLendon.

Two other players coming off of injury are also claiming and looking to be willing, ready and able to participate. Brett Keisel, who suffered a groin injury in January's AFC Wild Card game, took his normal reps and should also be ready for Camp, and Maurkice Pouncey says he feels "awesome."

The ankle Pouncey sprained in the AFC Championship Game against the Jets in 2010 never really healed during that offseason, leading to a painful and sub-standard year for Pouncey that ended with him missing the playoff loss to the Broncos this year completely.

“I came back and it wasn’t healthy,” Pouncey told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I played through it. At the end of the season last year it got too weak and I needed the surgery.”

Having surgery didn’t keep Pouncey from taking part in the offseason sessions with the team, though. In fact, the Steelers feel the operation didn't just repair the problem, but that it will also make Pouncey less likely to sprain it going forward as well.

Mission accomplished. Class dismissed.

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TIDBITS:  Former Bengals linebacker Brandon Johnson signed with the Steelers.

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Steelers running backs coach Kirby Wilson makes triumphant return  http://t.co/Ve97IyPb 

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Mike Prisuta: It was Funny Hat Day on the South Side, started in '07 by Hines Ward, not that anyone was on the field for very long http://t.co/dqB7mjRI

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In a lighter moment, Mark Kaboly reported that Byron Leftwich threw 71 yards Thursday to beat Troy Smith. He said he could throw 80 yards in his younger days. Leftwich then said about the throwing contest, "Had no choice. Tomlin Don Kinged it. He signed me up for the fight and I didn't know i was up for the fight."