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The 2009 season was a disappointment overall for Steelers fans, but it did offer up some very enjoyable and memorable plays. Below I have ranked what I believe to be the top 15 most memorable plays of the 2009 season. The countdown will start at #15 and go backwards to #1.
#15 The Big Legursky - Backup center Doug Legursky got to play fullback on a short touchdown run by Rashard Mendenhall against the Chargers. Legursky makes a nice block on the play, but it was the last time we saw him in that role in 2009.
#14 Rashard Extra Effort - Rashard Mendenhall had a great sophomore season for the Steelers and proved he can handle the role of an every down back. His second effort and ability to bounce outside made for a great touchdown run against the Raiders.
#13 Getting Ziggy With It - Rookie Ziggy Hood gets a pleasant gift after LaMarr Woodley hits Joe Flacco and the ball pops out into Hood's hands. The turnover all but sealed the win against the Ravens in a must win game.
#12 Throwing Mewelde - Mewelde Moore showed off his passing ability against the Chargers with a bullet to Heath Miller in the back of the endzone.
#11 Big Ben Mikey Bomb Part I - Mike Wallace had only 2 catches in the game versus Green Bay. This one started the game and was the first play from scrimmage. I think we all remember his 2nd catch of the day as well. More on that later.
#10 Big Ben Mikey Bomb Part II - Big Ben Roethlisberger nearly hits rookie Mike Wallace right in stride on this long bomb for a touchdown in the final week of the season. Ben shows he still has the arm in his 16th game of the year. Wallace shows why he was a steal in the 3rd round of the 2009 draft.
#9 Dixon Shows Bootlegs - Dennis Dixon showed off his legs on a key bootleg run for a touchdown run against the Ravens. The play put the Steelers ahead in the 4th quarter and gave the Steelers a shot at winning in a tough situation.
#8 Carter Pick 6 - Tyrone Carter started in the place of Ryan Clark in Denver and showed why he is a much better free safety than strong safety. Carter picked off Broncos QB Kyle Orton and returned it for a 48 yard touchdown.
#7 Dixon Comes Of Age - Dennis Dixon really took a huge step forward in the week 12 game versus the Ravens. Dixon started in place of an injured Big Ben and Charlie Batch with limited practice snaps with the first team and played great in a hostile enviroment. Dixon showed off his strong arm with as he throws his first TD pass of his career to Santonio Holmes.
#6 Hines Steals One - In the first meeting against the Browns, Hines Ward cut in front of Santonio Holmes and caught a touchdown pass intended for Holmes. At the time, it was the longest play from scrimmage of the 2009 season.
#5 Heath Miller On His Toes - Heath Miller had a career year for the Steelers making catch after key catch. His best catch of the season probably came in the last game versus the Dolphins. Miller shows off his body control and awareness with a great catch in the back of the endzone for a touchdown.
#4 Run Woodley Run - The strip of Brett Favre by Brett Keisel led to a long and exciting rumble by LaMarr Woodley. The Vikings were driving deep in Steelers territory at the time and this was one of 3 key plays for the Steelers in an action packed game.
#3 Sly As A Fox - Keyaron Fox had a great 2009 despite playing limited snaps on defense. Fox would likely be a starting linebacker on 31 NFL teams. The interception and return for a touchdown was a huge turning point in the Vikings game.
#2 Polamalu One Handed Pick - The Troy Polamalu interception in week 1 versus the Titans was one of the best interceptions all year in the NFL. Little did we know that a little bit later in the game that Polamalu would suffer an injury that affected the entire 2009 season.
#1 Mikey Does Santonio Imitation - The touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to rookie Mike Wallace against the Packers was reminiscent of the game winning catch Santonio Holmes made in Super Bowl XLIII. The catch was only his second off the game as well. The Steelers hopes of making the playoffs would of gone out the window had Wallace not made that catch.
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, you could see one that is a bit lighter and mobile that could transition into a 4-3 interior defensive tackle.
Inside Linebacker - James Farrior has definetly lost a step. A 3 down inside linebacker that has leadership qualities is needed badly. One that can play the pass as well as the run. A future captain for the defense could very well be drafted this year and play both inside and outside while delivering on special teams in his rookie year.
Cornerback - The Steelers drafred Joe Burnett and Keenan Lewis in 2009. Burnett is still learning and Lewis barely saw the field. Neither showed qualities of being a shut down corner. William Gay and old man Deshea Townsend are both free agents and both are only fringe nickel corners at best if either are brought back.
Safety - Other than Troy Polamalu, the Steelers are weak at the both strong and free safety. Ryan Clark and Tyrone Carter are both free agents and even if Clark is brought back, father time has caught up with him. You could see both a strong and free safety addressed in the draft. Hopefully both are hitters who can make an instant impact on special teams.
Offensive Line - You can never have enough good offensive linemen. The Steelers have 4 of the 5 starters under contract and Ramon Foster proved he can be a swing guy. A left tackle that can play both sides early on would be a welcome sight. A center needs to be groomed for the future as well.
Running Back - Rashard Mendenhall showed he can fit the role of a 3 down running back, but with Willie Parker likely gone and Mewelde Moore being a 3rd down back only, it leaves the Steelers with a bulky Frank Summers and practice squaders Isaac Redman and Justin Vincent as the only true backups to Mendenhall. If Summers is groomed as a pure fullback, then the Steelers are even thinner at the position.
Right Defensive End - Brett Keisel will be 32 in mid September and Nick Eason is a free agent. A young right defensive end is needed to get groomed fast. Rookie Ziggy Hood is better suited on the left side, but regardless, the defensive line needs younger bodies.
Tight End - Matt Spaeth is a free agent and not a blocking tight end. Heath Miller will be the man for a while, but the other tight ends on the roster are mostly H-Backs. A true duel threat tight end that can both block and catch should be addressed. If nothing else for depth in case Miller were to go down or need a breather.
Coming off of a five game losing streak, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin decided to do something about it himself, with a little help from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as well. After kicker Jeff Reed kicked a 43 yard field goal to put the Steelers up 30-28 with 3:58 left in the game, Tomlin did the unthinkable. Tomlin approved an onsides kick in attempt to keep the pourous defense off of the field, but Ike Taylor was flagged for an illegal touching of the ball when it did not travel 10 yards before being recovered. The Packers took over at the Steelers 39 yard line and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers carved up the Steelers defense in 6 plays, culminating with a 24 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver James Jones. A successful 2 point conversion followed and the Packers were up 36-30 with 2:06 left and Mike Tomlin looked like he might have put the final egg on the face of the Steelers season.
Roethlisberger and the offense came to the rescue though. Roethlisberger drove the Steelers on an 11 play drive that included a 4th down conversion, a sack and 2 Steelers penalties to throw a 19 yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Mike Wallace with no time left on the clock. The play was reminiscent to the game winning Super Bowl catch to fellow receiver Santonio Holmes, but only in the opposite side of the endzone. Reed added the extra point and the Steelers won 37-36 and kept their slim playoff hopes alive.
On the day, Roethlisberger threw for a Steelers record 503 yards with 2 touchdowns to Waalace and 1 to running back Mewelde Moore. Roethlisberger also complete 29 of 46 passes to 7 different receivers in the process. Veteran Hines Ward led all pass catchers with 7 catches for 126 yards, but re-injured his hamstring in the process. Ward said after the game that he is very, very sore and his status for the game with Baltimore next week is in doubt right now. Also injured for the Steelers was long snapper Greg Warren. Warren in all likelihood tore his ACL on the final extra point of the game. It is the opposite knee of which he had the same injury last season, that shelved him for the season. Warren will likely be placed on injured reserve on Tuesday and the Steelers will likely bring in some long snappers to compete with rookie center A.Q. Shipley, who is currently on the eight man practice squad.
To no surprise, the Steelers defense again played poorly. The Steelers missed several tackles and the secondary gave up several big plays to the Packers with many coming on key 3rd downs. The defense surrendered 22 fourth quarter points in the process. Leading the way of bad play were cornerback William Gay, strong safety Tyrone Carter and middle linebacker James Farrior. The defense surrendered 383 yards through the air and 60 yards on the ground. Special teams once again showed the flaws of a unit that has no confidence. Tomlin tried several pooch kickoffs on Sunday in an attempt to thwart any big returns.
The win breaks the Steelers 5 game slide and keeps their playoff hopes alive as the Jaguars, Broncos, Jets and Dolphins all suffered well needed loses. The Steelers now host division rival Baltimore next Sunday at home in another must win game. They still need losses by Jaguars and Jets and a loss by either the Broncos or a Ravens loss against the Raiders in week 17 in order to get a Wild Card spot. Judging by the crazy game on Sunday, anything is still possible.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger does not have cancer and does not have a Facebook page. Browns fans are very jealous at times, so do not be alarmed. The internet should not be allowed access to Browns, Bengals and Ravens fans as they do not know how to use it ethically.
Steelers linebacker Bruce Davis snatched up No. 50, which had been worn by Larry Foote. Many of his teammates didn’t realize he was making the change and did a double-take on the field on Tuesday. Geez Bruce, let's worry about making the final 53 man roster first.
Pittsburgh police Chief Nate Harper and four other police officers who were among the first to arrive in Stanton Heights on the morning of April 4, when a gunman killed three of their colleagues will join the Steelers on their trip to the White House.
Mewelde Moore and Max Starks let Mike Bires know why they can’t wait to meet President Obama.
The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame announced last week that Hall of Fame receiver Lynn Swann will be the third inductee into the Bowling Hall of Fame Celebrities Exhibit and the first to be in-ducted into the brand new museum to be completed in early 2010.
Funny to hear blabbermouth Joe Theismann blast back on Tony Kornheiser. Personally I could not stand either of them on Monday Night Football.
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I am not too sure what SI writer Peter King is smoking, but to suggest that recently released Jaguar running back Fred Taylor could be a Steeler, it must be some good stuff. With Rashard Mendenhall surely to be recovered from his injury and Mewelde Moore likely to be kept at his bargain price, there is simply no room in Pittsburgh for Taylor. Throw in the fact that starting running back Willie Parker would go bonkers if a veteran like Taylor were to be brought in; this should slam the door on this speculation. Taylor would want too high of a contract and there are plenty of teams around the NFL willing to over pay for his services. King should concentrate more on learning each individual team and there needs and focus less on becoming a Pro Football Talk rumor mongerer.
The Steelers wrapped up their first week of practice for Super Bowl 43 on Friday. WR Hines Ward (Knee) did not practice for the third straight day and is officially listed as questionable, but says he will play. C Justin Hartwig (Knee) also sat out again on Friday and is listed as probable. LB Patrick Bailey (Hamstring) was limited on Friday and listed as questionable. RB Mewelde Moore (Ankle), QB Ben Roethlisberger (Back), T Max Starks (Knee) and LB Lawrence Timmons (Illness) are all listed as probable and all four practiced fully on Friday. All injured Steeler players look to return to full practice next week.
The Steelers held their second practice this week on Thursday in preparation for Super Bowl 43, one week from this coming Sunday. LB Patrick Bailey (hamstring), C Justin Hartwig (knee), T Max Starks (knee), LB Lawrence Timmons (illness) and WR Hines Ward (knee) all sat out practice again on Thursday. RB Mewelde Moore (ankle) and QB Ben Roethlisberger (back) both practiced fully on Thursday after sitting out yesterday. CB Deshea Townsend (not injury related), DE Aaron Smith (not injury related) and RB Willie Parker (not injury related) all worked fully on Thursday after being given the day off on Wednesday.
The Steelers began practice preparations on Wednesday for Super Bowl 43 versus the Arizona Cardinals. The following players did not practice on wednesday. LB Patrick Bailey (Hamstring), C Justin Hartwig (Knee), RB Mewelde Moore (Ankle), RB Willie Parker (Not Injury Related), QB Ben Roethlisberger (Back), DE Aaron Smith (Not Injury Related), T Max Starks (Knee), LB Lawrence Timmons (Illness), CB Deshea Townsend (Not Injury Related) and WR Hines Ward (Knee). The Steelers will work again on both Thursday and Friday and travel to Tampa on Monday.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the media today at his regular Tuesday news conference in preparations for Super Bowl 43. Tomlin said that injury wise wide receiver Hines Ward suffered a sprained right knee versus the Baltimore Ravens and that the team will do everything they can to make sure Ward receives the necessary medical attention to get rehabbed but warned that Ward will not be comfortable. "In his mind, he's playing," Tomlin said. "So, chances are, he is." Tomlin went on to say that Ward is part of the Steelers' Super Bowl plans. "We're definitely not going to count him out," Tomlin said. "We're definitely going to save a seat on the bus for No. 86." Tomlin also updated other injured players, saying backup running back Mewelde Moore and right guard Darnell Stapleton suffered sprained ankles, outside linebacker and special-teamer Patrick Bailey strained his hamstring, left tackle Max Starks also sprained a knee and center Justin Hartwig also tweaked his knee. Tomlin said that the Steelers would take full advantage of the two weeks between the AFC Championship Game and the Super Bowl to limit the injured players practice time and allow them extra time to heal.
Tomlin said the Steelers will hold as normal of a routine as possiblle this week and will be practicing Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Tomlin said the team will travel to Tampa on Monday.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said in his post game press conference following the AFC Championship Game win versus the Baltimore Ravens that starting wide receiver Hines Ward will need an MRI on his knee, Monday morning. Ward was injured on a reception in the first quarter of the game. Tomlin also reported that Safety Ryan Clark should be fine after suffering an injury on a crushing hit of Ravens running back Willis McGahee late in the game. Linebacker Patrick Bailey suffered an ankle injury but will be fine according to Tomlin and back up running back Mewelde Moore suffered an ankle injury and will be re evaluated on Monday as well.
