Another Reason to Shut Up

I flipped on the TV this morning, hoping to catch up on the sports world while I ate my cereal. The first thing I saw on ESPN was Bill Parcells' fat face as he answered questions about "the player." I changed the channel quickly, hoping to avoid what has easily become the sports world's most-beaten dead horse this off-season. ESPN is relentless in its coverage of the non-story; it is, I suppose, something that could be called CNN Syndrome: the pressure of having 24 hours to fill with 2 hours worth of stories.

So I switched to the NFL Network (god bless the Dish!), hoping to catch something, anything else: maybe a rerun of the fourth quarter of the Denver-Houston pre-season game. Whose face did I see? TO's, animated as usual, talking about his relationship with Bill Parcells as though they were in marriage counseling: it's a growing process for both of us, blah blah blah.

Are people really this interested in this particular drama? Can't we please, please talk about something else?

Duce to be Loosed?

According to today's Post-Dispatch, Cowher has named (for now, anyway) Willie Parker the Steelers' goal-line back. Neither Duce nor Verron Haynes showed himself to be tough enough to take over the role that Bettis made famous last season. Cowher also took pains to say that the Steelers have had no contact with the Eagles regarding Staley.

But, according to Adam Schefter of the NFL Network, Staley is being "dangled." Only days ago, the Steelers offered the Falcons a 4th round draft choice for TJ Duckett, who was subsequently traded to the Redskin Potatoes. The Steelers obviously aren't satisfied with the situation at running back. Word is that Duce may end up getting cut, which would leave the Steelers to choose between Jon Kuhn and Cedric Humes as a third back behind Parker and the very capable Haynes. Neither, I think, would inspire much confidence. It will be interesting to see if the Steelers make any moves in the coming weeks.

Among those things which should not be your focus during a football game

1. the yellow paint on goalposts
2. the choreography of the coin toss
3. the quality of the end-zone paint
4. that tool with the John 3:16 sign
5. the referees' uniforms

In the past weeks, I have heard countless commentators expressing their displeasure with the new uniforms for NFL referees. I'd list the complaints, but it's difficult to encapsulate them; they seem geared more toward filling time than making any real point. (Much like the endless coverage of TO's leg.)

To all of this I say: shut up. Do not speak about the new uniforms. Do not speak about what anyone is wearing, unless it is a fan wearing a G-string to a December game in Green Bay, or unless it is a particularly wicked-cool throwback uni. Everyone is hereby banned from speaking about the ref's outfits, on penalty of suffocation beneath Tony Siragusa's belly.

Vikings 17, Steelers 10

So: the Steelers have started the pre-season 0-2. Preseason records are historically irrelevant, but it's hard not to want to see a better performance from the defending Super Bowl champions as they ramp up for the regular season. Once again, Big Ben looked like the star he is becoming; it was also good to see the rapport he is apparently building with Cedric Wilson. Nate Washington was, arguably, the offensive star of the game: he, Willie Reid, and Santonio Holmes should battle for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th WR slots.

The defense looked poor against the pass again, and the O-line performance was, for the second week, spotty. The optimist will say that these problems will be addressed with game planning and game experience, but the pessimist will lament the continued struggles of the pass D and sound alarm at the poor performance of the O-line, one of the team's perennial strengths. Time will tell.

Four who looked good:

Aaron Smith (played on the opening series like Brett Keisel played last week)
Nate Washington (a tribute to the Steelers' scouting program, he looks nothing like a second-year player from a tiny school)
Cedric Wilson (finally, finally starting to look like a part of the offense)
Ike Taylor (pay this man! he is, behind Polamalu, the best tackler in the secondary)

Four who looked bad:

Troy Polamalu (consistently a step slow in pass coverage; made to look bad on the Vikes' first touchdown, though it wasn't entirely his fault)
Omar Jacobs (come on, man! learn the offense!)
Duce Staley (missed holes, missed blocks)
Santonio Holmes (made a couple very visible rookie mistakes)

I'm not concerned about Polamalu, obviously. He'll be fine, and so will Santonio Holmes. There is some talk now of the Steelers keeping two QBs on the final roster, and hiding both Jacobs and Shane Boyd on the practice squad; both have exciting talent, but neither has distinguished hismelf. Jacobs is thinking way too much (and way too slowly?), and Boyd seems to have only one gun in his arsenal. Duce, as Joseph Aubele argues in his blog, may be reaching the end of the line. Verron Haynes simply looks better in every aspect of the game.

Should make the squad:
Quincy Morgan, WR (a little inconsistent, but, as a sixth WR, makes the Steelers very deep at the position)

Rising:
Richard Seigler, LB (big tackler; might make the final squad)
Rian Wallace, LB (utility player in the mode of James Harrison, plays inside and outside; looked great on the INT return)
Mike Lorello, S (exciting player; had a sack; would be great asset on special teams)
John Kuhn, RB (Making Duce more expendable?)

No room at the inn:
Lee Mays, WR
Anthony Madison, CB (skilled but inconsistent; possible practice squad player?)
Sean Morey, WR/ST (a valuable player, but, given the skill at WR, expendable)

And one note about the Vikings: Tarvaris Jackson, the rookie QB from South Alabama, is the real deal. If Brad Johnson gets hurt, we could be looking at a Ben Roethlisberger situation. Once Jackson gets into the starting QB role, it might be hard to get him out.

Don't panic yet, friends. Friday's game against the Eagles will be give insight.

Why Football's Better, and Why the Steelers are Best

Football is unique among major American sports for the importance of its draft. A team that doesn't draft well will lose; one need look no further than the Green Bay Packers or the Detroit Lions for examples. In basketball and baseball, the impact of poor drafts can be mitigated with cash in free agency: look no further than the Yankees and Red Sox, or the free agents used to surround a single drafted star in the NBA (see: Lakers, Heat, Mavs). The Redskin Potatoes have tried a Yankee-ish approach, throwing money around like grass seed. It hasn't worked yet, and I hope it doesn't.

The Steelers may best illustrate the importance of the draft in pro football. Of the 22 starters on last year's championship team, only three--Kimo von Oelhoffen, James Farrior, and Jeff Hartings--played for another team before the Steelers. And look at the first round draft picks from the five years before Super Bowl XL:

2001: Casey Hampton
2002: Kendall Simmons
2003: Troy Polomalu
2004: Big Ben
2005: Heath Miller.

And a Super Bowl win followed. No coincidence, I think.

Arizona 21, Pittsburgh 13

Everyone knows that, despite the furor that surrounds them, pre-season games mean nothing. Rather, the outcome of pre-season games means nothing: the final score still makes the first paragraph, but it isn't the focus of the coaches, players, and the intelligent fans.

The focus here is on the quality of play. And the Steelers' first report card is significantly variable. Big Ben looked like his old self, which is to say gutty, fearless, and frighteningly skilled. He spun out of tackles, he scrambled, he the threw the ball well. Despite the fact that his only drive ended in a missed field goal, everyone should feel good about Big Ben.

The line's performance was decent, if not spectacular. Cowher expressed concern about the performance of the second-team line, which featured two rookies. The running game was also decent; no one did anything spectacular, but we saw little cause for concern. I got the sense that the backs, Duce Staley in particular, were warming up.

The Steelers' first-day draft picks acquitted themselves well. WRs Santonio Holmes and Willie Reid showed signs of nerves at first, but obviously got more comfortable as the game progressed; each ended up with four catches. Neither did anything impressive in the return game, which isn't a surprise. The rookie who made the biggest impression, though, was Syracuse (whoo!) free safety Anthony Smith, who ended up with two interceptions and two impressive tackles. He was consistently around the ball, and he looked fast, instinctive, and powerful. Ryan Clark may not want to sink his roots too deep in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers' offense was piloted for most of the game by two young quarterbacks: Shane Boyd, who played in the most recent NFL Europe season, and fifth-round draft pick Omar Jacobs. Boyd showed a powerful arm and a quick mind, but his passes lack touch. Jacobs, currently behind Boyd on the depth chart because he's having trouble picking up the offense, looked overwhelmed early. He gained confidence as he played, though. Something seemed to shift in him when he was forced out of the pocket by the Cardinals' rush; he had to stop thinking and start relying on his abilities. Jacobs threw for the Steelers' only touchdown, a one-yard lob to rookie free agent TE Isaac Smolko, who helped his chances of getting on the practice squad by showing great body control in the back corner of the end zone.

The defense was strangely consistent: the Cardinals could get nothing going on the ground (Edgerrin James: 2 carries, -2 yards), but they were sterling through the air (Kurt Warner: 9-13, 118 yds, 2 TDs), especially on 3rd down. On Arizona's first drive, which ended in a touchdown, the Cardinals converted 4 consecutive third downs: 3rd and 7, 10, 13, and 5. The Steelers' secondary seemed to have no answer for the formidable Cardinals receiving corps. Such answers will come with time, though. In a regular-season game, the Steelers' blitz package would, I'm confident, make Warner miserable, and present a serious challenge to the Cards' passing game.

Three who looked good:
Rico Colclough, CB (looked strong in coverage)
Brett Keisel, DE (see: first two defensive plays)
Casey Hampton, DT (did you see him read that screen pass in the first quarter?)

Three who looked bad:
Jonathan Dekker, TE (when the sixth tight end drops multiple passes, it makes the coaches' job easy)
Cedric Humes, RB (fumbled at the goal line; just like Bettis?)
Anthony Madison, CB (multiple penalties offset some good work in the secondary)

The Truest Compliment

Chad Brown
Chad Scott
Hank Poteat
Josh Miller
Mike Vrabel

What do these men have in common? They are all former Steelers who now play for the Patriots. The real secret to Bill Bellicheck's success? Trying to be the Steelers.

With God on our Side

Yet another reason to side with the Steelers: the will of God.