The Steelers beat the New York Giants 24-17 in the 2nd preseason game of the 2010 season. Below are my notes and nuggets I kept on the game along with my observations. I have much more coming on this game and am working through the night. These are initial reactions of mine as I am about to watch the game a second time and begin working up tape selections. Below are the notes I compiled throughout the game. The team overall looked a little sluggish getting started. Camp finally breaking and traveling did not help. Let us hope Ike Taylor got that out of his system. Any how I gave Taylor the Read more [...]

Saturday the Steelers will travel to New York to play the Giants in the second preseason game of the 2010 season. Per my normal routine, I have listed below 10 things to look for Saturday heading into the game. Robo Kickoff Guy Watch #2? - Last week we were teased that Daniel Sepulveda could likely be allowed to kickoff against the Lions. It did not happen and as we showed on video this past week, nothing has changed with Jeff Reed and his kickoffs. This could be a huge step forward with special teams if Sepulveda can nail a few. Let's hope he gets quite a few chances to show what he has on Read more [...]

Perhaps the biggest news to come out of the Thursday Mike Tomlin press conference was the word that Jonathan Scott would work at right tackle with the first-string offense after Flozell Adams exits. We broke down Adams 11 snaps earlier in the week and he was not even close with his pass blocking. Adams hopefully will improve leaps and bounds this week as we will be watching both very closely. The fact is that neither measure up to Willie Colon thus far from where we are standing. John Harris wrote about the battle for the left cornerback position between Bryant McFadden and Keenan Lewis. Lewis Read more [...]

Attached is the defensive player participation chart for all plays on defense and does not include penalties considered no plays. You can follow along play by play withe the gamebook here. A few things that stick out is the great amount of playing time Thaddeus Gibson got in relief of LaMarr Woodley. Gibson will be able to look at a large selection of film to help correct his errors for sure. William Gay received some limited time at the right corner spot and Joe Burnett got time at both the right and left corner spots. Anthony Madison also was given time at both corner and safety once again. Read more [...]

The Steelers beat the Detroit Lions 23-7 in the 1st preseason game of the 2010 season. Below are my notes and nuggets I kept on the game of my observations. I have much more coming on this game and am working through the night. Isaac Redman ran consistent and hard, especially between the tackles. Also improved greatly at pass blocking. He should have no problem making the 53 man roster. Maurkice Pouncey is the real deal. Got lots of time at center and can move some flesh as well as get to the second level. Played some right guard late in the game, but looks like he could very well start week Read more [...]

Scott Brown blogged that he too thinks that Hines Ward will make it the Hall of Fame, but not likely on his first try. In my article this past week, I think he needs just 2 more average seasons to be a stone cold, lead pipe lock with the log jam ahead of him waiting to get in.. Mark Kaboly writes about how the Steelers are already prepping for opposing 4-3 defenses as they open the season with three consecutive games against 4-3 teams in the Falcons, Titans and Buccaneers. This also means the young guys are learning to work off of cards and how scout teams work as well. Good to see this detail Read more [...]

Day 13 of training camp is in full swing in Latrobe with two practices today, with the later once again being open to the public. We will have news, notes, nuggets and practice information from today posted up on this page as we get it in. Check back often through out the evening to see the updates per our usual. Compiled from interviews and info on Steelers.com | ESPN Radio Pittsburgh | 93.7 The Fan Radio | Pittsburgh Post Gazette | Pittsburgh Tribune | Twitter Updates Special teams session in the morning. James Harrison was dressed in morning session. Matt Spaeth present, but not working. Joe Read more [...]

Day 4 of training camp starts in Latrobe now as today features two practices with the later being open to the public. We will have news, notes, nuggets and practice information from today posted up on this page as we get it in. Check back often through out the evening to see the updates. Compiled from interviews and info on Steelers.com | ESPN Radio Pittsburgh | 93.7 The Fan Radio | Pittsburgh Post Gazette | Pittsburgh Tribune | Twitter Updates Several veterans getting the morning off Hines Ward, James Farrior, Aaron Smith and Casey Hampton. Maurkice Pouncey also appears out again today Read more [...]

When the Steelers report to Latrobe on tomorrow, so will begin several training camp battles that we will be keeping a close eye on. We have narrowed them down to six to match the six championships the Steelers have. They are as follows. 1. Quarterback - Byron Leftwich vs. Dennis Dixon - Mike Tomlin has let veteran Byron Leftwich receive most of the first team snaps since his re-acquisition from Tampa Bay. The Steelers will need a starter for at least 4 games with franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suspended to start the season and Leftwich looks to be the guy unless Dennis Dixon can Read more [...]

It is hard to imagine that the only active starting cornerback in the NFL to win two Super Bowls would finish his career in a uniform other than a Steelers one, but that is exactly what likely will happen with Ike Taylor. Taylor is entering the final year of a $23.75 million contract extension he signed in 2006 and regardless of his play in 2010, just will not be a priority next offseason for the Steelers. It is yet to be seen what type of tag if any will be included in a new NFL CBA, but the Steelers would likely not use it on Ike anyway. A healthy, productive season by "Face Me Ike" will price Read more [...]

A week from tomorrow and the Steelers report to 2010 training camp in Latrobe. We have been previewing each position this month leading up to camp and this preview is dedicated to the cornerback position. Make sure to read our previous previews by following the links below. Training Camp Preview – Safeties |Training Camp Preview – Offensive Line | Training Camp Preview – Tight Ends | Training Camp Preview – Wide Receivers | Training Camp Preview – Running Backs | Training Camp Preview – Quarterbacks Overview: The Steelers play at cornerback in 2009 was not one to be remembered. Read more [...]

It looks like the Steelers are indeed done with contracts for the offseason and once the season starts, no new deals are likely to be done, especially with the cloudy NFL labor situation. To the best of my calculations, the Steelers have 25 of 81 players on the final year of their current contract. I did not prioritize them below, but it is not hard to pick out those that are high profile moving forward. Those players would be: LaMarr Woodley, Ike Taylor, Jeff Reed and Daniel Sepulveda in my opinion. Dennis Dixon, Willie Colon and Trai Essex are fringe at this point. I have included a blurb on Read more [...]

The kids attending Coach Mike Tomlin's youth football camp at Mars Area High School got a surprise visit from Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on Wednesday. While it was most definitely a great PR move by Big Ben, he made it clear that it's his intention to be back next year as well. Little things like this will add up over time and restore his character to the fans and the team. [flv:http://cbstv.vo.llnwd.net/e2/0013/flash/20100623181016_33838_000606p0000835p6.flv 480 360] Hines Ward chatted with NFL Total Access host Rich Eisen on Wednesday about his experience at NFL Broadcast Boot Read more [...]

The Steelers 2009 season showed many holes that the Steelers need to address during the 2010 NFL draft. Below I will list I what I feel the draft needs are going into the draft. These are in no particular order and I will have my mock draft up pretty soon in the coming days. Nose Tackle - Regardless if the Steelers decide to franchise Casey Hampton or not, the Steelers need a young 3-4 nose tackle in waiting. There are rumblings a future shift to a 4-3 defense may be coming in future years, but I do not see this happening while Dick LeBeau is still in charge of the defense. If one is drafted, Read more [...]

NFL.com has started their 32 camp tour and has posted the schedule on the website. Thomas George will be reporting in from Latrobe on August 1st. Dale Lolley chimed in with his Steelers over and under wins thoughts as well as his predictions on the Colts, Jets, Chargers and Broncos. Steelers.com has posted part 3 of the Q & A with rookie cornerback, Joe Burnett. Burnett admits he has plenty of room for improvement in all facets of his game. The Ravens signed former wide receiver Jayson Foster, on Tuesday. Foster was officially released by the Steelers on June 18th and had been on and off Read more [...]