Not since Kendrell Bell in 2001 has a rookie defender opened the season as a starter for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In spite of an knee injury that will keep him out of the Steelers preseason game tomorrow against the New York Giants, first rounder Ryan Shazier looks to be on track to break into the starting lineup immediately. Though second-round pick Stephon Tuitt might not share that honor with Shazier, he might just join him sooner than later. Two rookies starting for the Steelers defense? ... Read More
Storylines to watch in Steelers preseason opener
The brutally long NFL off season has finally come to an end, as the Steelers are set to take the field against the Giants in their preseason opener. This will be the second game for the Giants, as their debut was the Hall of Fame game last weekend. Being the first preseason game, obviously we won't see much from the starters, if all them even play. Preseason is a game for the coaches to evaluate depth, talent, health and game planning. Here are a few things that we should look for from the ... Read More
Steelers running backs are replenished in 2014
Limited talent, questionable effort and forced optimism aptly describes the Pittsburgh Steelers running back situation over the past few years. Prior last season, Ben Roethlisberger relied on the likes of John Clay, Mewelde Moore, Isaac Redman, Rashard Mendenhall, Felix Jones and Jonathan Dwyer to help balance the offensive attack. And at times it was just that — offensive. Sure, Dwyer and Redman had a few decent performances, but both players are low-ceiling talents. Moore was a ... Read More
Training camp notes from Latrobe
It was beautiful day at Latrobe yesterday as the rain (for the most part) held off, and the Steelers continued to prepare for their first pre-season game of the 2014 season. The Steelers will travel to New York to play the Giants on Saturday night. Here's some of the some observations I made watching practice yesterday. *Bumped into Carnell Lake before practice began, and Lake just happened to be my favorite player from the 90's teams. I gotta tell you, Mr. Lake looks like he could still play ... Read More
Justin Brown impresses at training camp
When the Steelers released their initial training camp depth chart a few days ago, there were certainly a few surprises. However, the biggest might have been wide receiver Justin Brown, who was listed as the primary back up behind pro bowler Antonio Brown. Selected in the sixth round in the 2013 draft, Brown was one of the final cuts in training camp, and spent the remainder of his first season on the Steelers practice squad. Brown seems to be opening eyes in his second training camp with the ... Read More
Pittsburgh Steelers Sign WR James Shaw From Pittsburgh Power
The Pittsburgh Steelers today signed wide receiver James Shaw from the Pittsburgh Power of the Arena Football League to an undisclosed deal. He will report to training camp immediately. Shaw played collegiate ball at Jacksonville State where he recorded 69 catches for 815 yards and eight touchdowns in his career. He was previously signed as an undrafted free agent out of college by the Carolina Panthers and signed onto the practice squad in 2013. Shaw had 21 receptions for 192 yards and ... Read More
Depth at safety a strength for Steelers
As the Steelers enter their second full week of training camp, there are a number of important questions to be answered after consecutive 8-8 seasons. One of the biggest questions will be whether or not the Steelers have enough depth at cornerback, a topic I discussed for PSN a couple of weeks back. Cornerback depth behind the top three of Ike Taylor, Cortez Allen and William Gay is still a hot topic at camp, but it's the outstanding depth at safety that might help ease some of those concerns ... Read More
Tomlin Releases First Depth Chart
On Sunday, less than a week in advance of the preseason opener at the New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin released the team's initial depth chart. Established veterans at various positions such as quarterback, tight end, cornerback and safety were, of course, not surprisingly slotted into starting roles, but a handful of names and decisions made at this point in training camp were of note. Beginning with the offense and barring any injuries in preseason, QB Ben ... Read More
It’s time to stop blaming the victim
So, unless you’ve spent the last couple weeks under a rock or in a coma, you’ve heard that Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice allegedly knocked out his then girlfriend in an elevator and was caught on video dragging her unconscious body out of said elevator. I use the term allegedly because we live in a world so obsessed with political correctness that we have to allow the possibility that she, I don’t know, went into a psychotic fit and smashed her own head off of the elevator wall, ... Read More
Questions at backup QB for the Steelers
In 2013, Ben Roethlisberger was able to do something he had only done once over his 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers — start the entire 16-game schedule. In fact, the Steelers 2008 championship team was one of those two seasons where Roethlisberger was healthy for an entire season, so clearly having Big Ben on the field is critical to the team's success in 2014. Obviously, the value of having a franchise quarterback can't be understated. Ask fans in places like Oakland, Tampa Bay or ... Read More