John Harris talks to cornerbacks Bryant McFadden, Ike Taylor and William Gay about the need for the Steelers to make more splash plays on defense in 2010 and more specifically in the secondary. This group has been training together down in Florida.

John Grupp, caught up with Steelers legend Frenchy Fuqua one day after former Oakland Raiders Pro Bowl safety Jack Tatum died from a heart attack, Fuqua, once again, declined to publicly discuss one of the most famous plays in NFL history. The two will be forever linked together by the Immaculate Reception in the 1972 playoffs at Three Rivers Stadium seen below.

Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert had his contract extended five years on Wednesday and Scott Brown looks at five hits and five misses of Colbert from previous years drafts. To be fair, you can't hang it all on Colbert, good or bad, but I for one am glad he is on our side. Mike Bires also has a great piece on Colbert in the Beaver County Times. Steelers.com has a pre-camp chat up with Kevin Colbert who talks about training camp and how the scouts are used to help in the evaluations made that go into determining the final 53-man roster. He also talks about the recent signing of free agent lineman Adrian Jones.

Inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons blogged yesterday about the upcoming training camp and how he has his abs back. Timmons thinks the Steelers will definitely contend for the league’s top defense again this season.

Ed Bouchette writes that the Steelers had $2,119,270 of cap room in their rookie salary pool before linebacker Jason Worilds signed yesterday. Only first-round pick Maurkice Pouncey remains unsigned, but quite a few players will need to be inked closer around Pouncey, so a five year deal can be reached. Things will move pretty fast today with other first rounders and I still like the chances of it being done before the first practice. we shall see.

LaMarr Woodley reported in as a correspondent for Jim Rome on the Jim Rome is burning show. You can see Woodley at his camp in Michigan clowning around with several other Michigan Alum and NFL'ers.

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The biggest news today is that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has agreed to a three-year contract extension. Tomlin's new contract extension will carry him through 2014. His original contract when the Steelers hired him in 2007, had one year and an option left on it. Ed Bouchette also writes that football operations director Kevin Colbert as he is in the final year of his contract.

In other big news from Monday, ESPN James Walker reported that Steelers outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley will not be given an extension before this season starts. The Steelers normally do not negotiate contracts while the season is underway, so that leaves around 8 weeks left to get something done. The biggest obstacle is the 30% rule and the guaranteed money needed to get around it that seems to be a hanging point. The Steelers could use the franchise tag if it is in the new CBA, when one is agreed upon. Woodley said on the Sirius radio show, Moving The Chains, he was not going to pout about it and things will work themselves out. He has no control over it.

John Harris caught up with former Steelers cornerback Deshea Townsend, who hasn't given up hope of returning to the NFL or even the Steelers in 2010. He is staying in shape by working out with speed and conditioning coach Tom Shaw down in Florida. Should an injury or two happen in the Steelers secondary, Townsend very well could be on speed dial. Let's hope not.

Dale Lolley has resurfaced and writes about how big of challenge head coach Mike Tomlin faces headed into this season. Lolley says if the Steelers some how make the playoffs in 2010, it would be Tomlin's best coaching job to date and it is hard to argue that from the way things look right now.

Ravens veteran wide receiver Derrick Mason wasn’t shy about making his expectations known about the upcoming season during an interview with 105.7 The Fan. Mason said, “Anything less than a Super Bowl win, really, is a disappointment to us.” Prepare to be disappointed Mr. Mason.

The handicappers at Bodog.com have released the over/under props win totals for all 32 teams for the 2010 season. Right now the Steelers are at 8.5. They have the Colts and Chargers leading the AFC way with 11 and the Saints on the NFC side with 10.5.

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Cornerback Ike Taylor, who will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2010 season, will not be a holdout when training camp opens, according John Harris, of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "Ike is going to honor his contract," said Herman Francois, Taylor's uncle. "That's the way he's been taught. He's going to come to work." It is still early yet, but look for Taylor to be in line behind linebacker LaMarr Woodley as far as a new contract getting done. Also kicker Jeff Reed is looking for a new deal as well.

Speaking of LaMarr Woodley he has been profiled by Sean Conboy in the July 2010 issue of Pittsburgh Magazine.

Although I do not have the time to play Madden, I always enjoy looking at the player ratings every year when they are released. Here are the Steelers Madden 11 player ratings.

Jim Wexell has a new player snapshot write up on rookie inside linebacker Stevenson Sylvester on SteelCityInsider.net. Sylvester has been learning the mack inside position this Spring and getting some mentoring from veteran James Farrior along the way. On the same site, Craig Wolfley explains just how big of loss right tackle Willie Colon will be.

The Steelers came in 12th overall in the 32 teams in 32 days segment on NFL.com. Jamie Dukes and Charles Davis take a little closer look at how they think the Steelers will look this year on NFL Total Access. Davis thinks Dennis Dixon should be given the chance to start instead of Byron Leftwich during the suspension of Ben Roethlisberger.

Two more segments of Ask The Steelers have been posted on Steeelers.com with part 3's of both Antwaan Randle El and Emmanuel Sanders being posted for your reading pleasure.

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Steelers defensive line coach John Mitchell says he feels great about the defensive line going into camp. Starters Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel are all healthy and in great shape while Ziggy Hood should be able to contribute more this year as he is playing with better pad level, using his hands better and staying on his feet more this offseason. Mitchell hopes to rotate in Hood, Nick Eason and Chris Hoke to keep the line fresher with no drop offs this season.

Steelers.com has part 2 up of the "Ask The Steelers" segment with rookie running back Jonathan Dwyer.

The supplemental draft is few weeks away still, but the Steelers have been named as a team that has interest in BYU running back Harvey Unga. Regardless of how good his pro day is, I find it hard to fathom the Steelers would give up a 2011 pick of any round to draft him with the stable of young backs they already have in the fold.

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_football_dolphins/2010/06/source-miami-dolphins-showing-interest-in-harvey-unga.html

Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward is heading to Mount Laurel, N.J., for the NFL's Broadcast Boot Camp, which begins Monday and runs through Thursday. Ward seems like a natural for this and of the 65 former and current players who went through the program the past three years, nearly half of them have secured jobs in the broadcasting industry.

John Harris has a story on cornerback Ike Taylor who recently was back home in Louisiana to hold his seventh annual Face Me Ike football camp at Arden Cahill Academy in suburban New Orleans.

The Ratbirds signed former Cowboys safety Ken Hamlin on Friday for which most believe is insurance for current safety Ed Reed. Hamlin is a huge drop-off though and he was on the free agent wire for a reason.

John Harris explains how he thinks the Steelers brass is not completely sold on head coach Mike Tomlin and why a contract extension has not been reached just yet. Harris goes on to suggest that if Tomlin is not extended by the start of the season, it's a vote of no-confidence in Tomlin.

The NFL has ordered the Baltimore Ravens to cancel their final organized team activities because of a violation of workout rules as they "violated the rules concerning the intensity and tempo of drills conducted on the club's organized team activity days.

The Steelers have swapped backup long snappers after releasing Jared Retkofsky and signing Matt Stewart. Stewart will not be on the roster for long as Greg Warren is almost fully recovered from his knee injury. There is also word that draft picks will begin signing as early as today.

Some how I missed an interview Stan and guy had last week with Steelers rookie wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. You can listen to it here. Sanders talks about playing outside versus inside.

Columnist Mark Madden is back stiring the pot for The Beaver County Times on Monday. Madden covers LenDale White, Maurkice Pouncey, James Harrison and Ben Roethlisberger to name a few.

Steelers defense end Brett Keisel will be home Saturday in Billings, Montana for the Buffalo Roundup School Reunion and will assist the Greybull swimming pool and the Community Outreach thrift store. Keisel will sign memorabilia for $5 per item.

Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau was spotted wearing a Aaron Smith's jersey during Thursday's OTA session after wearing James Farrior's on Wednesday. LeBeau is a master at motivating his players, earning their respect and sending them messages.

Nick Fierro of the Morning Call has an article on the opportunity former Steelers 2009 draft pick A.Q. Shipley has to make the Eagles roster. Shipley is a Penn State grad.

Ed Bouchette caught up with current #3 quarterback Charlie Batch to find out about his thoughts on possibly being the starter. Batch is the consummate professional, but even he knows it will be Byron Leftwich or Dennis Dixon under center on week 1. Batch will make a great quarterback coach when he hangs up the clip board.

Steelers Pro Bowl linebacker James Harrison has been working extra hard this week on developing some extra pass rushing moves with defensive assistant and former Steelers linebacker Jerry Olsavsky. I look forward to a strong showing by Deebo in 2010.

John Harris, writes about how 2010 is crunch time for running back Rashard Mendenhall in 2010. Running backs coach Kirby Wilson talks in the article about how Mendenhall is becoming an every down back in the NFL.

Joe Starkey spoke with Steelers cornerbacks William Gay and Bryant McFadden after OTAs. You can listen to the audio of both interviews here.

The fallout continues for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as he will appear on the cover of the latest edition of Sports Illustrated. The feature article is titled “The Hangover” and details what the magazine calls “the ultimate expression of athletic entitlement run amok.”

Ed Bouchette's ever entertaining and ever educating Steelers chat transcript is up on the Post Gazette as of yesterday afternoon. Ed writes that he doubts an extension gets done with head coach Mike Tomlin this season.

Hines Ward is toting the company line to running the ball more in 2010. Ward believes Ben Roethlisberger's desire and ability to pass influenced some of the strategy to lean unbalanced to the pass in 2009.

John Harris has a brief look at linebackers coach Keith Butler who almost left in January to become the Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator. Butler turned down the offer to remain with the Steelers. Could Butler be the successor to Dick Lebeau one day? Sure looks that way.

The Bengals are close to signing cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones according to reports and also worked out safety Gibril Wilson on Tuesday. Jones would likely be signed to a minimum contract with incentives.

Steelers.com is accepting questions for select Steelers players for their Ask the Steelers segment. This week newly reacquired cornerback Bryant McFadden is the target. Everyone ask him how much it cost him to get #20 back from Keenan Lewis.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist, Gene Collier, has an interesting look at the current Steelers fans climatology. Yes, just another spin on the whole Ben Roethlisberger situation.

Matt Polinsky points out on a recent 93.7 the Fan blog post that Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant has overcome a situation much like Ben Roethlisberger has gone through recently. Now Kobe, as he explains, is back and even teaching words to kids on Sesame Street.

John Harris explains that this recent draft of outside hybrid linebackers, surely dispels the myth that the Steelers will be switching to a 4-3 defense anytime soon. Head coach Mike Tomlin came from a four-man defensive front with a Cover-2 emphasis in the secondary is said to be a true believer now in the Dick LeBeau 3-4.

Hulu.com now has Saluting the Steelers uploaded for your viewing pleasure. It runs just over 22 minutes and there are commercials, but it is a great NFL Films production.

I find it interesting that 43% of you think fullback Demetrius Taylor from Virginia Tech has the best shot of all the undrafted signings to make the roster. Safety Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith of Texas-El Paso came in a distant second. I voted for Lindsey Witten from Connecticut after watching his film. He is another hybrid linebacker with a huge wing span that just plain can get after the quarterback. Remember that the first rookie mini camp is this weekend.

Steelers 6th round draft pick, running back, Jonathan Dwyer talks about becoming a Steeler with Stan and Guy on ESPN 1250 Pittsburgh. Dwyer says he does not think the Wishbone offense hurt him. The Cowboys comment is funny. Dwyer gives a great interview and speaks well when interviewed. Listen below.

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Jason Cole from Yahoo Sports writes that by Tuesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to hand out the suspension for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as a result of the recent sexual assault investigation in Milledgeville, Ga. Roethlisberger is expected to take part in the Steelers first offseason practice today.

Jonathan D. Silver of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a long but informative read on how the documents from the Roethlisberger investigation reveal questionable decisions, missteps and contradictions.

Former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher commented on the situation surrounding quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and thinks he will overcome this and restore his image.

Mike Florio from PFT says it is still unclear if the Steelers will indeed Roethlisberger or not despite reports from Len Pasquarelli and Peter King that they would not trade him. I think no one but Rooney and Colbert know the real truth here. I suspect for the right price, anyone is available. Stay tuned as Thursday will be here soon.

PPG also has a piece on Kevin Colbert and his drafting history. Ed Bouchette tells the story of how then Jets head coach, Bill Parcells tried to trade quarterback Chad Pennington to the Steelers for wide receiver Plaxico Burress. Scott Brown from the Tribune details Colbert's best 5 and worst 5 picks.

John Harris compares Notre Dame wide receiver Golden Tate to Hines Ward. Tate met with Steelers coaches and officials at the NFL Scouting Combine and also made a personal visit to the team's practice facility on April 7th. If the Steelers indeed are targeting him in round 1, then they would likely trade down to get him. I do not see that happening as the draft is deep with receiver talent and there are far more pressing needs in roound 1. Tate would however look great in Black & Gold. You can listen to an interview with Troy Clardy on 93.7 the Fan.

Tribune Review columnist John Harris thinks Mike Tomlin is better at handling the media than Mayor Luke Ravenstahl is. Harris must be struggling for subject matter.

Time is running out to launch Cinderella into the 2010 Pittsburgh Sports Blog Tournament finals. If you do not vote for me, at least vote. Will you really let a Bucco blog beat a Steelers blog though? Just saying. Vote here! On a side note, many of asked if I will have the 2010 NFL Combine Results as they come in this week and next. The answer is of course yes. I am a junkie and will have the same great coverage as last year.

Former great Steelers defensive back Carnell Lake resigned from his position as UCLA cornerbacks coach on Monday for "family reasons," the school announced. We wish Carnell all the best and hope it is nothing serious.

The Patriots put the franchise tag on nose tackle Vince Wilfork yesterday with the hopes of getting a long term deal done before the season. The Steelers will likely be doing the same thing any day now with Casey Hampton. Hampton will not be pleased and will not mix words with the media if it happens. Word is the announcement could come today.

Kent State University is honoring linebacker James Harrison by inducting him into their Varsity “K” Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place on Feb. 27 at Kent State Student Center Ballroom.

On Friday, Mike Todd filled in for Ken Laird on Stillers365. He talked about the free agents that the Steelers should keep, and spoke to cornerback Deshea Townsend. Listen below.

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