Willie Reid ha mostrato "qualcosina" delle sue grandi doti...farà la squadra e insidierà il primato di Hester
ho grandi aspettative per questa stagione...peccato che nn mi fidi della O Line :sbadat:
Inside Slant
New coach Mike Tomlin talked about having no past with Pittsburgh and many jobs would be open as the team entered training camp. With the preseason over, it appears only one veteran lost his job and the lineup will look very much like the one Bill Cowher fielded last season.
There will be three new starters, two of them because the previous starters are no longer with them. Sean Mahan takes over at center for the retired Jeff Hartings and James Harrison for the released Joey Porter at outside linebacker.
Max Starks lost his two-year starting job at right offensive tackle to second-year man Willie Colon.
Maybe that's as it should be because this is a team, for the most part, that went 15-1 in the regular season in 2004 and won the Super Bowl after the 2005 season. They believe last year's 8-8 record was a fluke, caused by injuries to their quarterback and a few close losses.
The Steelers believe they have the talent to make another run at the Super Bowl.
"It takes a year like 8-8 in order for you to come back and respond and have a better year," wide receiver Hines Ward said. "You want to make sure what happened last year doesn't happen this year."
Ward, cornerback Deshea Townsend and defensive end Aaron Smith all believe they are better than their Super Bowl team because younger players have matured. Halfback Willie Parker, cornerback Ike Taylor and tight end Heath Miller were first-year starters on that team. Other young players such as safety Troy Polamalu, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and receivers Santonio Holmes and Nate Washington are coming into their own or already at their peak.
"We definitely have the talent," Townsend said. "It's the same team that's been here for a lot of years. The good thing is we have a lot of guys in key roles back then who are more mature now."
They have a mix of established players and good young ones. There is Ward, guard Alan Faneca, tackle Marvel Smith and defensive linemen Smith and Casey Hampton. Brett Keisel started at defensive end last season and quickly established himself as one of the better players.
"I think we're just as good," Ward said. "The younger guys are starting to develop and we have a lot of veteran guys off that Super Bowl team."
Ward believes what occurred last season was not unusual for a Super Bowl champ. The New England Patriots won their first Super Bowl and then went 9-7 in 2002, failing to make the playoffs before bouncing back the next two seasons.
"We didn't become sorry overnight," Ward said. "You don't win a Super Bowl and the next year become sorry. There were a lot of circumstances — Ben had the accident and we just played too inconsistent."
The biggest shakeup has come in the offensive line, where Mahan and Colon represent two-fifths change among the starters.
"Our offensive line can be the best in the league, I think, and we have so much depth," Smith said "We have seen starters who could start somewhere else. There's no doubt they have the talent, it's just a matter if they can work together. That's what makes offensive lines great is when they can work well together."
COACHING: Mike Tomlin, first year.
REMEMBERING: 2006 record: 8-8 (tied for 2nd in AFC North)
PREDICTING: 2007 regular season record 10-6 (first in AFC North); lose in second round of playoffs.
NOTES, QUOTES
QB Ben Roethlisberger wanted to get a head start on looking at the Cleveland Browns, the Steelers' first opponent Sept. 9. But he had to avoid his coach to do so. Mike Tomlin did not want his players looking ahead before the preseason was over.
"I tried to kind of get started on some Browns tape and Coach told me don't do it," Roethlisberger said. "I snuck up to the quarterback room today and watched a Browns tape."
—DE Brett Keisel was fined $12,500 by the league for hitting Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell above his left knee Aug. 18 in Washington. He will appeal.
"My defense is I was playing ball, he had the ball in his hands and I was trying to make a play for my team," Keisel said. "You have to touch their numbers. It's getting pretty narrow but that's the way the league is right now and that's what we have to deal with. Waist to shoulders, anything right in there. That's the rule and that's what you have to deal with."
BY THE NUMBERS: 23 — Interceptions thrown by Roethlisberger last season, the most by a Pittsburgh quarterback since Terry Bradshaw threw 25 in 1979.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I try to not make any judgments based on what happened here in the past because I wasn't a part of it. I'm just focused on where we are and where we're going." — Coach Mike Tomlin
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
The Steelers thought they acquired a good, veteran, do-it-all running back when they signed Kevan Barlow this spring. It was a good story too because he's a native of Pittsburgh who played at Pitt, right next door to the Steelers. However, Barlow showed nothing in training camp and was among the first cuts.
PLAYER TO WATCH: LB James Harrison — Undrafted in 2002 from Kent State, Harrison was cut twice by the Steelers and once by the Ravens. He was with no team when the Steelers called him a week before their '04 camp started because Clark Haggans had just broken his hand. He's been their top backup ever since and now moves into the prime role of right outside linebacker, where Joey Porter vacated. His coaches believe he can be effective, but just in case, they drafted Lawrence Timmons in the first round and put him behind him.
DRAFT PICKS TO STICK:
Rd 1/15, LB Lawrence Timmons, Florida State — Fast, quick, explosive but a groin injury has kept him on the sideline more than on the field.
Rd 2/46, LB LaMarr Woodley, Michigan — Big and strong, he looks like an ideal pass-rush specialist and will get that chance immediately.
Rd 3/77, TE Matt Spaeth, Minnesota — At 6-7, he's an inviting target. Did not have a good camp or preseason but will stick.
Rd 4/112, P Daniel Sepulveda, Baylor — Two-time Ray Guy winner who could have the most impact on the team as a rookie.
Rd 4/132, DE Ryan McBean, Oklahoma State — Showed promise early in camp, then faded. He's in danger of not being kept.
Rd 5/156, G Cameron Stephenson, Rutgers — Has been a disappointment, but they need depth for next year.
Rd 5/170, CB William Gay, Louisville — A pleasant surprise, he could be their No. 4 corner and play on special teams.
UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS
QUARTERBACKS: Starter — Ben Roethlisberger. Backup — Charlie Batch.
Roethlisberger will have more on his shoulders this season. He'll be able to call on four wide receivers at times on first and second downs — while taking the snap from under center — and he'll have the freedom to call the audibles on pass protections. He had a great spring and the Steelers hope he reverts to his form of 2004 and 2005. His 23 interceptions led the league last season and were the main reasons the Steelers were a .500 team and not in the playoffs. They attribute that to his physical problems, but they are working on his patience with the football. Batch started and won the opener when Roethlisberger had an appendectomy and they are confident in his steady hand to bail them out if need be.
RUNNING BACKS: Starters — RB Willie Parker, FB Dan Kreider. Backups — RB Najeh Davenport, RB/FB Carey Davis.
Parker proved last season that 2005 was no fluke when he rushed for 1,494 yards, third in club history and his second straight season over 1,200 yards. He also showed that even though he is quick and fast, he's also durable because his 337 carries rank fourth in team history. The Steelers plan to use more one-back schemes this season, so Kreider won't be on the field as much; he rarely touches the ball and has been used mostly as a blocker. Davenport has locked up the backup job. Davis, on the practice squad late last season, can play FB or TB.
TIGHT ENDS: Starter — Heath Miller. Backups — Jerame Tuman, Matt Spaeth.
Coordinator Bruce Arians wants to use two and three tight ends on occasion. Miller, who is 6-5, can block and catch and has been a good target in the red zone. They might team him with Spaeth, a 6-7 rookie, when they get near the goal line. Tuman also has done well as a blocker and receiver. The tight ends will be on the move more in the new offense and will often be used in the backfield, more as H-backs, and split out wide.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters — Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes. Backups — Nate Washington, Cedrick Wilson, Willie Reid.
Ward shows no signs of slowing down even though he plays as physical a game as any wide receiver in the NFL. Holmes came on in the second half of last season, when he wrested the starting job away from Wilson and caught more passes than any AFC rookie with 49. Wilson and Davenport will play the third and fourth receivers in no particular order and the Steelers will use four receivers more often this season, especially on first and second downs. There's not a real speed man in the group with Holmes coming closest to it and it's mostly a group of smurfs — Ward is 6-feet and Washington 6-1, the tallest of the first five.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Starters — LT Marvel Smith, LG Alan Faneca, C Sean Mahan, RG Kendall Simmons, RT Willie Colon. Backups — C/G Max Starks, G Chris Kemoeatu, C/G Marvin Philip.
Mahan was the team's only real UFA signing and he beat out Chukky Okobi to win retired Jeff Hartings' job. Okobi, who has a $2 million salary, is in danger of being cut. Simmons kept his job in stiff competition with Kemoeatu. Colon took the starting job from Starks, who held it the past two years. Faneca is upset with his contract, but he's a pro and will play at his normal high level.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Starters — DE Aaron Smith, NT Casey Hampton, DE Brett Keisel. Backups — Chris Hoke, Travis Kirschke.
This was the strength of the defense last year and there's no reason to believe that will change. Keisel performed so well in his first year as a starter that they plan to expand his job this season. He will play up and down and also move around along the line. Hampton is the best nose tackle in the league and Smith is the most underrated defensive end, a brute run-stopper who also gets heat on the quarterback — he and Keisel put more pressure on the passer than the OLBs last season. Hoke is more than capable as a backup tackle, but depth is thin at end and there's a real fight for the other two backup jobs available.
LINEBACKERS: Starters — OLB Clark Haggans, OLB James Harrison, ILB James Farrior, ILB Larry Foote. Backups — Lawrence Timmons, LaMarr Woodley, Arnold Harrison, Clint Kriewaldt.
Joey Porter is gone and longtime backup James Harrison will replace him on the right side, the premier pass-rushing position on the defense. The Steelers, though, can call on their top two rookie picks, Timmons and Woodley, on their pass defenses to rush the passer. Woodley in particular looked good in the preseason and will play as a rusher from the left side of the defense on passing downs. Timmons missed much of training camp with a groin injury that kept him sidelined all spring and he's just now getting into the swing of things. It's hard to determine how much he'll be used.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters — CB Ike Taylor, CB Deshea Townsend, SS Troy Polamalu, FS Ryan Clark. Backups — CB Bryant McFadden, S Anthony Smith, S Tyrone Carter.
Mike Tomlin, who cut his teeth in his first five years in the NFL as secondary coach in Tampa Bay, has spent time trying to improve a unit that underperformed last season. He re-installed Taylor as a starter after he was benched late last season. Townsend is a steady veteran who may not be able to hold off McFadden for his starting job. Smith could not unseat Clark, who started last season. Part of the problem for the secondary in 2006 was the dropoff in the pass rush and the Steelers are hoping that they can improve the play in the secondary with a better pass rush.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Punter — Daniel Sepulveda. Kicker — Jeff Reed. LS Greg Warren.
Sepulveda became the highest punter drafted by the Steelers in 29 years when he was taken on the fourth round — they used a sixth-rounder to trade up to get him. He's a boomer with a good record of placing the ball inside the 20. Sepulveda will hold for kicks. Reed had a slightly off season but has generally been reliable, although his kickoffs need to improve.
:wilsonmerda: 
) nel ruolo che negli ultimi 30 anni ha visto avvicendarsi giocatori del calibro di Mike Webster, Dermontti Dawson e Jeff Hartings...però al momento prevale il giubilo per il taglio di uno che ha dato un contributo pari a zero, tirando su belle sommette. In pratica credo che il piano B di Tomlin sia il redivivo Simmons da C con Kemoeatu guardia, oppure Simmons centro, Colon RG e Starks RT.