Below are seven matchups or things to look for on Sunday as the Steelers take on the Miami Dolphins.

Wildcat Hunting - The Steelers struggled against the Browns offense that ran Joshua Cribbs out of the Wildcat. The Dolphins run it without many flaws. Even though running back Ronnie Brown is missing, the Dolphins offense can still run the package.

Cold Ginn Time - We all now about the problems the Steelers have had on special teams this year. Dolphins return man Ted Ginn Jr. is dangerous in the return game and Anthony Madison will need to lead the coverage teams in tracking down the game breaker.

Laying The Wood - Left outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley has been on fire lately and will have to keep it going against Dolphins right tackle Vernon Carey. The Dolphins are vulnerable to the sack as they rank in the top half of the league in sacks allowed per pass attempt. Woodley needs to get in quarterback Chad Henne's face all day.

Getting Ziggy With It - If Brett Keisel is out today, rookie Ziggy Hood could see his most snaps of the season today. Hood has developed nicely and got his first fumble recovery last week.

Redzone Touchdowns - The Steelers need to do a better job at converting redzone trips into touchdowns instead of 3 points. In 50 redzone trips this season, the Steelers have 24 touchdowns and 20 field goals.

Just Win - The Steelers must find a way to get it done today. All playoff scenarios start with a win against the Dolphins who are fighting to stay alive themselves.

Patriots vs Texans - Yep, today is a scoreboard watching day. Hopefully the Steelers do their part and things go well in Texas. The hatred for the Patriots officially gets put on hold today. If the Pats win, it will make the late games very interesting.

Once Dan Rooney is confirmed by the Senate as United States Ambassador to Ireland, he will reportedly step down as chairman of the Steelers.

Scott Brown from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has an article about seventh round draft pick, A.Q. Shipley, and his short arms and big determination. Will really need training camp to start so all of this can be solved on the field.

Jim Wexell penned an article for the The Tribune-Democrat about number one draft pick, Ziggy Hood and the early reviews on him in mini camp.

Ratbirds fullback-halfback Le'Ron McClain, apparently looks about 20 pounds over his playing weight at mini camps and running back Willis McGahee opted out of this week’s OTA’s. Tony Lombardi writes that McGahee is the Willis Buffalo warned them about.

Bungals quarterback, Carson Palmer, softened his stance on Ocho Stinko in another radio interview this week. Stinko has skipped the team's offseason workouts this Summer.

Looks like Plaxico Burress is having a hard time finding a new team as reportedly the Dolphins do not want him. Worse comes to worse, I am sure the Bengals will sign him.

The Steelers came into the second day of the draft with eight picks to make and I surely did not think they would finish the day with eight players picked. I thought they would package a few to move up earlier in a round. Maybe they tried and just did not have what teams wanted to move up. Regardless, we can now welcome eight additional players to the Steelers fold to join Evander "Ziggy" Hood who was drafted on Saturday.

The Steelers had a busy third round, beginning with offensive linemen Kraig Urbik from Wisconsin. Although listed as a tackle, Urbik is expected to begin working at the right guard position and add depth to the offensive line. He can play all of the interior line positions and is very versatile. Eventually in future years, could be a starting right or left guard, but for now should be a backup.

With the second third round pick, Mike Wallace from Mississippi was selected. Wallace is a burner who can stretch the field and will push second year receiver Limas Sweed for the number three receiver position. Wallace also set records at Mississippi as a kickoff returner, which is a need for the Steelers as well. Wallace should have no problem making the final 53 roster.

The Steelers final third round draft pick was cornerback Keenan Lewis from Oregon State. This was a bit of a surprise pick for me as I thought the Steelers would address the tackle position, but with all the big name tackles off the board, they decided to choose a big corner. Secondary Coach Ray Horton compares him to Ike Taylor. Lewis is a bit of a swing guy that may be looked at as a safety if he struggles at corner.

After sitting out the fourth round, the Steelers used the two fifth round picks on two players they knew a ton about. Cornerback Joe Burnett from Central Florida and Frank "Tank" Sanders from UNLV have been on the Steelers radar for a while and both were pre draft visitors. Burnett is considered as a third-down nickel corner and can return both punts and kickoffs. Sanders is a bruising running back in a fullback body that will look to make the team as a short yardage goal line back and also be used as a fullback. Sanders can run inside the tackles and can be used much like Jerome Bettis was in the offense.

Rounding at the 6th and 7th rounds were defensive end Ra'shon "Sonny" Harris from Oregon in the 6th, Penn State center A.Q. Shipley in the 7th and tight end David Johnson from Arkansas State also in the 7th. Both Harris and Shipley were pre draft visitors to the Steelers and both are long shots to make the final 53. Johnson will be a camp body and barring injury or a spectacular camp, seems a long shot to crack the final 53.

I grade day 2 a B-, just as I did day one. Three or four of these day two picks could make the roster with Summers and Wallace having the best chance to contribute immediately. The overall draft grade is a B- as the Steelers did exactly what they said they would do. They filled need and did it with good character players. I would of liked to seen a true tackle taken, but think Hood, Urbik, Wallace and Summers could be Steeler contributors for many years. The 2009 draft class is not spectacular and the Steelers got the most out of it overall. If either corner can contribute it would be a bonus.

Kevin Colbert: Thank you guys for sticking around. The action in the second round got fast and furious. Quite honestly, we were entertaining trying to go up. Really, we didn’t want to vacate the premises. We are extremely excited and happy to get a young man like Evander “Ziggy” Hood. I think that is the last time that you will hear him referred to as Evander. He goes by Ziggy; I think that is the name of his grandmother. He is a special guy – he really is. That was evident the first time that we met this kid. We liked him from a football standpoint when we saw him play in the fall. It was exciting to see him available when we were picking at (number) 32. He was just somebody that we felt good about from the first time that we scouted him until when we saw him at the Senior Bowl. When we met up with him at the Combine, everything kept adding up that this is a high-quality player and person. The nice thing is that he is a defensive lineman. He has a lot of versatility. We think that he can play defensive end; we think he can help at nose in our scheme; we think he can be a real good inside pass rusher in our sub (packages). I am probably over-stepping my bounds so I will let the coach expound on that. Again, he is a high-quality guy. He has already graduated. There are so many superlatives about this kid that we are excited to get him in here and get to work.

Coach Mike Tomlin: Ziggy Hood is a Steeler type of player – there are no holes in this guy. We felt good about the information that we acquired on this man after the Combine that he really wasn’t under consideration to come in here for a visit. He is a high character guy; he plays; he has a hot motor. He loves the game of football. He was described by many members of his team who went high today as their guy. He is a captain, leader and good football player. We are excited to add him to our fold. He is a guy that will fit in pretty quickly from a personality standpoint. What he is capable of doing on the football field will help us.

Why did you trade down?
Kevin Colbert: It was a chance to pick up some extra picks. It was a nice group of guys left and rather just taking one of those guys a think we will have a good chance at getting three. It was inviting. Like I said hopefully we’ll come out of it with three quality guys tomorrow.

When you were trying to trade up were you searching for a certain guy?
Kevin Colbert: No not really there were guys, not just one player. There were still players up there that we valued more than were we were picking at that point, and that is why we were willing to go up. Really nothing ever materialized, teams said they would call you back, and they would call you back and say they were going to make a pick. We were willing to stay there to see if anybody would. I said last Monday we may trade up, we may trade down. We got to the point were we looked at what was left in the second round and thought this was the better option, the Denver deal.

Was it unexpected that Ziggy was still there at the bottom of the first round?
Kevin Colbert: We knew it would be close. High-quality defensive lineman, we were excited that he was there at 32. Surprised, probably pleasantly surprised, yes. Did we think it was impossible, no, but the probability, I didn’t feel good about the probability of him making it down to us.

Can you confirm the Hines Ward contract extension?
Kevin Colbert: No, we don’t have any signed contract so we won’t confirm anything at this point.

Ziggy is a little different than the typical 3-4 ends that you use.
Coach Mike Tomlin: I wouldn’t necessarily agree with that. This is a 6’3” 300-pound man. There are not many of those body types, he was one of the few. We are very comfortable with his capability of playing a 5-technique in a 3-4 defense.

Will you line him up initially at right or left end?
Coach Mike Tomlin: We will let him get in where he fits in. He will have some quality people to work behind in Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel. Hopefully, if he has a little position flexibility, that will help him get on the grass.

Did you struggle at all in the first round picking between and offensive or a defensive lineman?
Kevin Colbert: We had several options as it unfolded. This kid was certainly one of the options that we were really interested in. There were a lot of quality players that came off before us. Again – I said this before – there were plenty of guys that could help this team. He was one of them. When we looked at him when we did our own mock situations, we thought if this guy is available, he is somebody we would want. There were several guys like that. Realistically, there were four or five guys that we would have felt good about getting at 32, and he was one of them.

If ever there was a great year to pick last in every round, this was the year. The 2009 draft class is very thin on blue chip prospects. Sure there will be some great players that contribute for many years and perhaps a future Hall of Famer or two, but as far as the scouts are concerned they are not very identifiable going into the draft.

The Steelers did exactly as they said they would do, wait and let the draft come to them and identify the top 32 players on their board. The most pressing need based on the best player available left on the board was the defensive line position. The current line is all 30 years of age or older and Evander "Ziggy" Hood fit the bill. Hood hasn't seen much of the 3-4 defense and will have time to learn the the 5 technique, meaning that he will have his nose on the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle. Right now he is more of a gap-shooting tackle, but should develop quickly into the system. He should be able to contribute in some fashion on special teams and can be groomed slowly through the 2009 season. Hood has a great understanding of the game and a strong motor and on the surface a good character.

With the second round pick, the Steelers could not turn down the lure to move down for two 3rd round draft picks. This now gives the Steelers three picks in round three and these guys will be cheaper to sign. Nobody stuck out on the draft board to warrant staying in the second round. The Steelers will likely spend two of the three picks on offensive lineman and likely will still trade a couple of late day picks to either move up in the fifth round or perhaps a future late round pick in the 2010 draft. I still do not see the Steelers coming away from this draft with 9 players.

The overall draft grade from day one would be a B- only because they made one pick and those pickings were slim based on the need. I suspect a very productive day 2 where potentially 3 future starters will be chosen.

Here is the media interview of Steelers first round draft pick Evander "Ziggy" Hood after being selected 32nd overall in the 2009 NFL draft.

http://static.steelers.com/MediaContent/2009/04/25/16/Ziggy_104869.WMA

Evander “Ziggy” Hood:

Should it be Evander, or Ziggy?

Whatever you prefer.

How did you feel when you saw your name come up?

I don’t know. I couldn’t describe the feeling. My stomach just tightened up of a sudden and I choked and I almost fainted. I almost fainted.

Was this the team that you thought might take you?

At this point, I had no idea. My agent was telling me look forward to Detroit, or [Pick] 24 with Atlanta or [Pick] 27 to Indy. Then he sent me late text messages to tell me, “be on the rise for Tennessee or Pittsburgh.” I said, okay, after the 27th pick, I had no choice but to wait. When my name popped up, I almost dropped the phone.

How do you feel about playing end in a 3-4 defense?

I feel excited especially for the Super Bowl team. Just to be part of [the team] known as the Steel Curtain, it’s just a real honor. There is no problem for me playing 5-technique. I have no problems adjusting and doing whatever it takes.”

Have you ever played in a 3-4 defense?

We played it a little bit. It depends on our scheme. We played it against OU (Oklahoma) or KU (Kansas) and maybe a little bit against Colorado, but never up to the point where it was a 2-gap system.”

You are more of a gap-shooting tackle. What about playing 2-gap and holding up the point for the linebackers?

I guess I probably have to work more with my hands to develop more punch off the ball because I always can do some work at penetrating. We did a lot of stunting [and] a lot of blitzing. But over time I will learn and the quickness will get better. And I have no problem adjusting.”

Where does the Ziggy nickname come from?

My grandmother is Mexican. Half of my other side is Mexican, so my mother couldn’t speak English for me so she gave me Ziggy, the cartoon character.

What part of your family is Mexican?

My mother’s side.

Did she emigrate?

She was born and raised in Brackettville, Texas.

Where are you right now and who’s with you and how does everyone feel about you being drafted in the first round?

This whole town is fans going bananas right now. Everybody is excited. I can see it in everybody’s faces. I think it’s just a sign of relief that somebody has opened the door for this opportunity before somebody else may take the chance of me walking in the draft next year.

How aware are you of the history here? And did you grow up rooting for the Steelers at all; did you follow them?

I knew about the Steel Curtain, but never to the extent of other people. I was more of a Denver Broncos fan. I didn’t grow up too much listening about the Pittsburgh Steelers because at the time they were not my team. But now that it is, I’m going to learning everything, every history point.

Who were you rooting for in the Super Bowl in February?

I was rooting for my team. I was rooting for us.

As far as [the Steelers’] defensive ends right now, a lot of people are saying they have to get younger along the defensive line. How quickly do you think you can step in learning the 3-4 end position and make an impact?

As quick as possible. My work begins tomorrow. I’m going to come in and study as hard as I can, just give an opportunity if a vet needs a quick breather, and allow me to put in for different situations. If not, I’ll come in so they can take a little time off so they don’t have to carry a lot of load on their shoulders, and really prepare myself to make the [transition] from college.

Do you think you can make it fast enough to be a starter as a rookie?

At this point, I don’t know. It may take some time. It maybe won’t be somewhere in this season or second-year season, but at this point, I don’t know. My first concern is to try to make the team. Second, try to focus on my position and, third, make a run at a starting position.

What do you remember about meeting with Coach Mitchell? What do you think it was that impressed him?

Really it was more than my ability, speed, and strength. I think the way I presented myself and I feel like I came off as a good character. And I think I knew a little bit about the game and explained my defense. And really sitting there and getting talks with Coach Tomlin and the rest of the coaching staff and making myself available to where I can be coached and have no problem being coached and I don’t mind fixing and adjusting to different things..

How much did you talk to the Steelers leading up to the draft?

I had one 15-minute meeting with the Steelers and after that I didn’t hear too much about it until today from my agent after the 27th pick.

Is it safe to say they really weren’t on your radar as far as a team that would draft you?

I had no idea. I thought they were looking for offensive linemen, maybe a linebacker if not. But I had no idea they were looking for a defensive tackle, but if they wanted one a defensive end. I don’t know, I guess I was under their radar, but I’m glad I fell into a great organization.

At any point watching on TV did you look at Aaron Smith or Brett Keisel and say I can play that position and play like that?

I think anything I put my mind to I know I can do it. I don’t have any problem with any situation that can hold me back. With that said I’m going to take everything I can and everything I know and put it to become one of those star players and make sure I don’t let down the whole Steelers organization.

Who’s your agent?

Andy Ross.

When are you coming to Pittsburgh?

As soon as possible. I have to check my e-mail to get my itinerary and get at it.

The Steelers drafted Missouri defensive tackle Evander "Ziggy" Hood with their first pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. The pick was the 32nd selection overall.
Height and weight: 6-foot-3, 300 pounds

Position: Defensive tackle

Hometown: Amarillo, Texas (Palo Duro HS)

Senior year: 62 tackles (31 solo), 5 sacks, 7 tackles for losses, 2 fumble recoveries

Career: 170 tackles (98 solo), 15½ sacks, 22½ tackles for losses, 5 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries

Honors: First-team All-Big 12, second-team Academic All-Big 12

NFL Combine Stats: 4.83 seconds (40-yard dash), 34 reps (bench press), 33 inches (vertical leap), 9-feet (broad jump), 7.5 seconds (3 cone drill), 4.55 seconds (20 Yard Shuttle)

Tailor-made for the Steelers. Smart, passionate, physical and durable, Ziggy Hood started 35 of the 50 games he played at Missouri, including the last 31 of his college career. He understands the game, recognizes blocking schemes and is a quick learner.

Hood has flashes a good initial burst off the snap and does well lining up over the center, but needs to learn to keep his pads low. He often pops straight up on the snap, making it easier for offensive linemen to get their hands in his chest.

Scouts say he enjoys the hand-to-hand combat in the trenches, doesn’t back down, and has good lateral quickness. Outgoing and a self-starter, the team captain was one of the players younger teammates looked up to. Hood is highly competitive, and returned to the field quickly in 2006 after breaking a foot and having a screw inserted, playing at less than 100 percent.

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The Steelers reportedly met with Norfolk State cornerback Don Carey and Missouri defensive tackle Evander “Ziggy” Hood during the NFL combine.
http://pit.scout.com/2/842485.html