On the whole, the 2013 offseason was not kind to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rashard Mendenhall ended up in Pittsburgh West, Keenan Lewis to the Big Easy, and James Harrison to the Bengals. But arguably the toughest blow was letting Mike Wallace go to the Dolphins. It can be argued it was a decision made out of financial necessity but there’s no question the team is losing a playmaker. A prime example of that from Week 6 against Tennessee. Personnel: Deuce Route Concept: Go Route ... Read More
LaMarr Woodley is in Shape and ready to play for Steelers
Back in 2011 LaMarr Woodley was on pace to, at least, be considered for the NFL’s defensive player of the year award. Woodley led the Pittsburgh Steelers roster through eight games with nine sacks including two sacks of Tom Brady in a week 8 match-up. However, late in the third quarter Woodley came off the edge after Brady and came up lame with a hamstring injury. In 2012, Woodley battled another hamstring injury as well as other injuries that plagued his entire season and he finished with ... Read More
St. Vincent Sleepers
No, they won’t be the talk of training camp. And you’ll be hard-pressed to hear much talk about them in August. But without fail, each year sleepers emerge on Chuck Noll Field at St. Vincent College. As OTAs finish up and training camp looms closer, these four players have a chance to turn heads. Brian Moorman: Unsurprisingly, the Steelers were quiet in free agency. It wasn't until April 30th the team added Moorman to compete with Drew Butler. And as Butler upset Jeremy Kapinos last season, ... Read More
All-22: Keenan Lewis and Cover 3
In the previous two articles, we dissected Cover 2. Today, we’ll breakdown Cover 3, what it looks like, and what happens when it goes wrong using the All-22 tape from the Steelers’ meeting with the Jets Week 2. Personnel: Trio Route Concept: Smash Seam Defense: Cover 3 Result: 45 yard gain by Jeremy Kerley Cover 3, as the play suggests, asks each defensive back to cover a third of the field. Cornerbacks guard their respective deep third with the safety Ryan Clark playing between ... Read More
All-22: Ike Taylor and “Trail” Technique
Last time, we talked about the basics of Cover 2. Today, we’ll again look at this scheme in action and how playing “trail” technique led to an Ike Taylor interception Week 9 against the Giants. First and ten for the Giants who are in Weak I out of 21 (2 RBs, 1 TE) personnel. The Steelers are playing Cover 2 Man out of their 3-4 base. Same overall scheme as in Cover 2 (two deep shell) but the CBs play man coverage with the linebackers out in the flats. With Ryan Clark over the top to play ... Read More
Plaxico Burress still thinks he can play with Steelers
Last season the Pittsburgh Steelers chose to only carry four receivers on their roster. In March, Mike Wallace, who served as the team’s number one receiver in 2012, left on the first day of free agency to sign with the Miami Dolphins. Then during the 2013 NFL Draft the Steelers drafted two wide receivers, which begs the questions: who gets a roster spot and who finds themselves on the outside looking in when the final cuts are made? As the 2013 season gets closer (we are 3 months away from ... Read More
6 Steelers Poised for Breakout Seasons
The Pittsburgh Steelers have lost some strong veteran players over the past few seasons. Having lost those players means that the team now needs to rely on some youngsters to step up and replace their production. If that doesn’t happen the Steelers may be in for more struggles during the 2013 seasons. However, there are six young, or fairly young, players on the roster that are poised to have breakout seasons. David DeCastro Last off-season there was a lot of talk about how good David DeCastro ... Read More
June 5, 2013: The day the sports world stood still in Pittsburgh
I'm not a fan of using words like "tragedy" or "heroes" when it comes to sports or athletes. We all know who the the real heroes are and what the real tragedies are. That doesn't mean that there are certain times when a collection of bad things will happen to your favorites teams that just leave you in a state of shock. For Western Pennsylvania, that day was Wednesday, June 6. The news first broke that morning that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would have to undergo minor ... Read More
Roethlisberger has Minor Surgery in Preparation for Healthy Season
According to Adam Schefter quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had a minor scope on his right knee yesterday. This is a simple procedure that is done to clean up the knee and get it ready for activity. Seven years ago Roethlisberger had the same procedure done on his left knee and he has had no complications since. Doctors operated on Ben Roethlisberger’s right meniscus. Same procedure done on left knee 7 years ago - knee perfect since.— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 5, 2013 ... ... Read More
Arrests made in Stabbing of Steelers Mike Adams
Pittsburgh police have arrested two suspects in the stabbing of Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Michael Adams. Police said they charged Michael Paranay, 25, of Hazelwood, with attempted homicide, aggravated assault and conspiracy. Also from Hazelwood, Dquay Means, 26, was charged him with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, conspiracy and firearms violations. They are both being held in the Allegheny County Jail, and police said they continue to seek other suspects in the ... Read More