Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers second practice of the first OTA session of the 2013 season is now underway and Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported during his interview on Trib Live Radio that he observed linebacker Chris Carter leaving the building early. It's way to early to speculate what might be going on with Carter, but we sure hope that it isn't injury related. Carter, the Steelers fifth-round pick in 2011, ended the 2012 season on injured reserve with an abdominal injury and also missed time during his rookie season with a hamstring injury. I am sure that Kaboly will track Read more [...]

Antonio Brown interview after Day 1 of OTAs about the depth of the wide receiving corps and being a leader. Emmanuel Sanders interview after Day 1 of OTAs about developing in the team's offensive system and being a starter.

OTA's are in full flourish and the attention of Steelers Nation is rightly focused on the South Side for our last bit of news until training camp. But it is also time for Steelers Nation to rally in support of our Emperor, Chuck Noll. All Steelers OTAs news Check out all the latest news coming from Steelers' OTAs this week here on Behind The Steel Curtain ESPN is planning a series of the NFL's greatest coaches, and as part of the series they're conducting a fan poll, and Chuck Noll isn't doing as well as he should. He's coming in fifth, which is plenty respectable, but it's who he is behind that is at issue (more on that later.) So now is the time to do your duty as a citizen of Steelers Nation, go to ESPN and vote for Chuck Noll. Simply voting for Noll isn't sufficient. You need to vote early and vote often. ESPN is trying to limit that (probably via cookie tracking) so you'll need to: Vote from multiple Browsers (Google Chrome, FireFox, Internet Explorer, Safari, Opera etc...) Vote from multiple devices (iPad, Desktop, laptop, notebokk, Nook, iPhone etc....) Vote from work (assuming you won't get in trouble) Doing all of that is all well and good but alas, it is not quite enough. To really boost Chuck Noll's cause, you should bullet vote. ESPN is listing 50 candidates and inviting you to vote for 20. You bullet vote by voting vote for less than 20. At a minimum, that means not voting for Bill Walsh or Bill Belichick Have faith that your efforts count. Today on BTSC: Less talk, more work Polamalu healthy Bell's body fat 'Football in shorts' Starks Bolts The 'Other' Safety 2008 a bad draft Jones doesn't test well Polamalu 'best shape since college With a few limited efforts (Ivan Cole's mention in the Check Down, Tony Defeo's post at Pittsburgh's Best Sports blog), Chuck Noll's percentage has improved from 58.8 to 59.0 while the directly ahead of him, Shula, Belichick, and Walsh are slipping, while those immediately below Noll were holding steady as of Monday May 20th. And since ESPN has begun pushing the poll on its home page, Noll is doing even better. If you've read enough and are ready to do your duty to Nation and Emperor then click here to go to ESPN and vote for Chuck Noll. If you're still not sold, read on. The Case for Chuck Noll Many factors influence polls like this. Chuck Noll's current 5th placement isn't bad considering he almost actively worked at having frosty relations with both the local and national press (with the exception of Myron Cope.) Vince Lombardi is coming in first, and nary an ill word about Lombardi will be mentioned here. Had Art Rooney Sr. pink slipped Buddy Parker after 1957 and hired Lombardi before the Green Bay got him, The Ice Bowl might have just been played a Forbes Field. Nor is there any shame in coming in behind Don Shula, although it will be simply stated that Noll did put more hardware in the trophy case than did his friend and mentor. That leaves Bill Belichick and Bill Walsh, which we now take in turns. Polamalu credits new physical therapist Steelers safety Troy Polamalu says he feels great, and is ready to get back on the field. Noll vs. Walsh The conventional wisdom would hold that no level headed person could possibly make a fact-based argument that Chuck Noll was a better coach than Bill Walsh. Can you really say Chuck Noll was better than Bill Walsh? Well, yes, you can say when you break it down point by point Chuck Noll vs. Bill Walsh, Noll comes out ahead. You can click on the links for more detailed explanations, but here's the short hand. Chuck Noll won Four Super Bowls to Walsh's three "Oh, but Walsh would have won a fourth had he not retired after 1988." That is probably true. Its probably also true that Noll would have won five Super Bowls had Franco and Rocky not gotten hurt in the 1976 playoffs. But it didn't happen that way, just as Walsh DID only retire with three rings. Super Bowl hardware is

When the Steelers hired Todd Haley as their offensive coordinator last year, many people predicted that he and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger would get along about as well as oil and water. There were a few moments where things were less than placid, but the two men were able to play nice in the public eye… Source: ProFootballTalk » Pittsburgh Steelers The post Ben Roethlisberger likes changes to Steelers offense appeared first on Pittsburgh Steelers Blog - NFL - PlanetSteelers.com.

May 21, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu (43) participates in organized team activities at the UPMC Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports The OTA’s have started!  Here is the latest news from around the internet about the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL. The NFL announced the locations for Superbowl L and LI.  According to the Associated Press, the NFL owners voted to hold Superbowl L in the 49er’s new stadium in Santa Clara, near San Francisco.  Levi Stadium is still in the early stages of being built, but I guess if you build it, they will come.  The owners voted to hold Superbowl LI at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX.  I wonder if Jerry Jones cast a vote for or against that choice? Ed Bouchette, of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, discusses Troy Polamalu’s appearance at this first OTA and how Polamalu has tried to deal with his repeated injuries from a physical therapy standpoint so he can break through the scar tissue.  He’s hoping this has point him back to a capability closer to his pre-injury days, but he clearly understands that he must change how he approaches his training.  I think he was avoiding that before.  Mark Karboly provides a perspective on Polamalu’s status.   He noted that Polamalu snagged an interception from Roethlisberger on the first day.  Polamalu also answered reporters’ questions after the practice. Mark Karboly and Alan Robinson, of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, put together notes from the first day of OTAs and noted that Tomlin’s theme this year is:  Less Talk, More Work.  AMEN!  Hallelujah! It’s time to shut up, put your heads down, and work to become a Championship team. The Trib also has some quotes from Roethlisberger noting that he likes the revamped offense.  As of the time of posting this article, that link was not working.  Here is the footage from his on-the-field interview.  I’ll try to get the updated link in when the site gets it fixed.  Here’s what I think based off of the title and summary on the front of the sports page:  I don’t really care whether Roethlisberger likes or dislikes the offense.  I care that he finds a way to work with his coaches to maximize his strengths and talents.  I know he gets questions he must answer and I hope he says enough to shut up the reporters.  I want to see results on the field.  I’ll go back to Tomlin’s theme:  Less Talk, More Work. Ike Taylor was asked what Tomlin said to his players and he paraphrased the Less Talk, More Work theme.  Taylor said there is an air of anticipation and the returning players have a sour taste left over from last year. Tomlin held a brief session with reporters following the OTAs and was asked questions on the status of players like Jarvis Jones and Sean Spence.  Not surprisingly, Tomlin’s conference was positive but didn’t reveal anything. The speculation over whether the Steelers will bring Max Starks back is over.  Starks signed a one-year deal with the San Diego Chargers.  At least we didn’t have another Steelers player sign within the AFC North, I was getting kind of tired of having to think about facing former Steelers twice a year.  Either way, I wish Starks the best of luck. On a non-football note, Plaxico Burress is looking at life after football and for once, it seems positive.  He’s launching a men’s hosiery line.  Good for him.  I hope it works because I doubt he will spend the whole season with the Steelers based on the off-season signings. That’s it for today Steeler nation!  Let us know what you think and if I missed anything.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Max Starks are breaking up. Could it be for real this time? Yes, folks, it looks like it is.Long time Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Max Starks went through the first round of free agency without attracting any interest for other teams or from the Steelers themselves. The Steelers then went out an signed Guy Whimper, leading to speculation that Wimper’s arrival meant Starks’s departure (speculation later confirmed as explained in the Watch Tower).While no official word has come out of Pittsburgh, Max Starks himself is reporting he has a new home with the San Diego Charger. Starks announced the move on Twitter:I'm very happy to say that I will be joining the @chargers family. Can't wait to get started and building towards a championship! #GoBolts— Max Starks IV (@maxstarks78) May 21, 2013 Max Starks has had a longer, and stranger trip than perhaps any Pittsburgh Steelers save for Ernie Holmes. Drafted in 2004 with Ben Roethlisberger, Starks was a starter for the Steelers in Super Bowl XL.Yet, by the end of 2006 coaches were attempting to phase him out in favor of Willie Colon. The coaches and the front office could not decided what they wanted to do with Starks, leading to him getting transition tenders, franchise tenders and the like – when he wasn’t even starting.Yet Starks delivered for the Steelers.He played well of the bench in 2007, saved their 2008 Super Bowl season, and again bailed the Steelers out in 2011 – after they had cut him.Starks may never have been or will be an All Pro Tackle, but he certain did what was asked of him in Pittsburgh. Thanks Max. Steelers Nation is in your debt.Steelers Since Vince Williams, 6th Round PickA few days after coming to terms with safety Shamarko Thomas, the Steelers signed inside linebacker Vince Williams, who was their 6th round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.Williams will compete with Adrian Robinson, Chris Carter, Stevenson Sylvester and perhaps Sean Spence to for a roster spot to provide depth behind Larry Foote and Lawrence Timmons.Thanks for visiting. Click here to check out the rest of Steel Curtain Rising. Or... Follow @SteelCurtainRis

The Pittsburgh Steelers wasted no time this off-season in re-signing wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who inked a one-year deal early on in free agency. Burress was a guest this past Friday on SiriusXM NFL Radio and he talked about how glad he is to get to another chance to play in Pittsburgh in 2013. During the interview, Burrress was asked if he thinks that he still has it in himself to deliver at the NFL level. "This time around, I have a whole off-season to get ready," said Burress. "I have mini camps, I have training camp and I'm given the same opportunity as everybody else to go into the Read more [...]

Not that it's indicative of any long term assurance, but Steelers OT Marcus Gilbert began OTA sessions on the left side, and Mike Adams was on the right when the team began Organized Team Activities Tuesday. It's "football in shorts," but still, one of them has to play on the left side. It seems logical both of them will get a shot over there before the real battle begins in training camp for the protector of the back side of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Today on BTSC: Aged Ben Less talk, more work Polamalu healthy Bell's body fat 'Football in shorts' Starks Bolts The 'Other' Safety 2008 a bad draft Jones doesn't test well Polamalu 'best shape since college Not coincidentally, Roethlisberger was hit from rushers who came off the left and right sides of the Kansas City Chiefs defense, leaving him injured essentially for the rest of the season. If either Gilbert or Adams have a preference as to which side they feel they'll be better suited to play, then ok. If this is about building one's resume for a stronger money grab in free agency, they should take a look at Cleveland's Joe Thomas or Denver's Ryan Clady or Minnesota's Matt Kalil. If they're able to play like any of those players, there wouldn't be a battle over which of them will play left tackle this Roethlisberger moves from youngest to oldest in QB meetings Experience, not age, matters, but being the oldest still is something new for Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger As it is, Gilbert started there, and for what that's worth - likely nothing more than a discussion piece - it at least shows where the Steelers started heading into one of the more intriguing training camp battles in recent memory. Gilbert was assumed to be the starting left tackle in 2012, after he was told he would be playing after the 2011 season. The Steelers drafted OG David DeCastro in the first round of the 2012 Draft, and Adams in the second round. They moved Willie Colon to left guard, Gilbert to right tackle and brought in Max Starks to compete with Adams for the left tackle spot. Tomlin not impressed with 'football in shorts' You best be hitting people and wearing long pants if you want to impress Steelers coach Mike Tomlin It wasn't much of a competition. Starks missed half of training camp and still easily defeated the rookie, and Gilbert moved to the right side. Gilbert would eventually suffer an ankle injury that kept him out of the team's final nine games. Adams moved to the right side, and performed well until he was injured in Week 12. Rookie seventh round pick Kelvin Beachum ended up starting the final six games. Follow @NealCoolong

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been the Steelers starter since Week 3 of the 2004 season. He's been the Steelers most consistent offensive player since then, and with that, comes a natural leadership role assumption. In 2013, he'll experience being the oldest player at his position for the first time. Today on BTSC: Less talk, more work Polamalu healthy Bell's body fat 'Football in shorts' Starks Bolts The 'Other' Safety 2008 a bad draft Jones doesn't test well Polamalu 'best shape since college Gone are Byron Leftwich and Charlie Batch. Now, it's 30-year-old Bruce Gradkowski and 24-year-old Landry Jones - the likely back-ups to Roethlisberger's starting job. Leadership isn't about age as much as it is experience, and in that regard, it's nothing new to Roethlisberger anyway. Perhaps he gets a ribbing here and there from Jones as Roethlisberger enters the humorous "old man" portion of his career. More than anything, he becomes more of a mentor than a pupil. He's clearly been prepared well. Roethlisberger was playing perhaps the best football of his career through Week 9 last season. A freak shoulder injury kept him out three games, and in many ways, that version of him never returned. He played poorly in December for the second consecutive year, and the Steelers fell to the worst record the team has had under head coach Mike Tomlin. Gilbert gets early look at left tackle Marcus Gilbert gets the first look at left tackle over Mike Adams. Amid whisperings, both on and off the record, of discord in the Steelers locker room, the team looks to rebuild off a disappointing season. Much of that will depend on how much Roethlisberger can continue to grow in Todd Haley's offense. It appeared, through the early part of 2012, Roethlisberger was the only one who was getting the design of the offense, and he was putting up MVP-level numbers. How much he can carry that over, and how much Gradkowski and, presumably, Jones can help support the Steelers now aging superstar quarterback could be a key aspect to this season. Follow @NealCoolong

... Source: Behind the Steel Curtain - All Posts The post Steelers Troy Polamalu is healthy, thanks to his ‘new physical therapist’ appeared first on Pittsburgh Steelers Blog - NFL - PlanetSteelers.com.