Pittsburgh Steelers

Opinions on roster projections are like mock drafts. Everybody has one. So much can happen between today and opening day, any name added to an imaginary depth chart should be penciled in. With the first round of OTAs completed, a second on the way and training camp yet to follow; several competitions will have to be decided before the Pittsburgh Steelers decide their final 53-man roster. Most roster projections attempt to spell out all 53 men at once, thinking it possible to describe all the reasons why one player will be chosen over another for each roster spot, in 500 words or less. For this exercise, we will explore the team by unit - more specifically the offensive unit. If we begin by subtracting the three specialists (place kicker, punter and longsnapper), the roster contains 50 players. More often than not, teams will divide the roster in half, allowing 25 players per unit. This projection will hold to this parameter. The Starting 11 With some players, starts are highly overrated, as they are awarded to the players on the field for the opening play. Given the wide variety of formations used by Todd Haley, the Steelers could line up in any of a multitude of configurations. This list of starters is simply a push to start the ball rolling. QB Ben Roethlisberger FB Will Johnson RB Jonathan Dwyer TE Heath Miller WR Antonio Brown WR Emmanuel Sanders OT Marcus Gilbert OG Ramon Foster C Maurkice Pouncey OG David DeCastro OT Mike Adams Whether Miller is ready to go by opening day or not, he will be on the roster. Should the team choose to PUP him, they would have a temporary roster exemption; but Miller is still going to return to the roster. The team may still have to sort out pecking orders for the running backs and offensive linemen, but each player listed here is a virtual lock to make the roster somewhere. The Reserves The next five also seem guaranteed to make the team as primary backups, if they don't win starting jobs of their own. QB Bruce Gradkowski RB Le'Veon Bell WR Jerricho Cotchery TE David Paulson OL Kelvin Beachum Who knows where Beachum will finally land on the depth chart. He played six games at right tackle last season. As expected, he began learning the interior positions; and now, the rumors about his learning center gave gotten a bit louder. As of right now, he appears to be the top reserve at each spot along the line. Cotchery falls in third among receivers for his experience in the offense. He may actually land further down, but with the team out of salary cap trouble this year, there is little advantage to releasing him. If Miller is unable to open the season, Paulson will most likely remain the second TE, with Spaeth taking Miller's spot. Continuing the theme of reserves, the next five again seem destined to fill predetermined roles, making them likely cut survivors. QB Landry Jones RB Isaac Redman WR Plaxico Burress WR Markus Wheaton TE Matt Spaeth At the moment, Jones seems to be competing against John Parker Wilson for the Steelers third QB spot, which used to belong to Charlie Batch. Unless Wilson has a great camp, Jones wins in case of a tie because of his being a fourth-round draft selection. It does not make him irreplaceable, but he would cost more to release. Redman falls into the same category as Cotchery - there is zero advantage to the team releasing him at this point, after offering him a $1.323 million RFA tender. The team does not need his cap space, and his experience increases his value. The receiving corps rounds out with Burress and Wheaton. Not everyone is sold on Burress making the roster, but considering the team's emphasis on red-zone efficiency, Burress creates a big target in tight situations. Wheaton could eventually be better than Mike Wallace ever was, but he may not be ready for a heavy role from the beginning. Regardless, there is little chance of Wheaton not surviving training camp, outside of injury. The

Some fans still refuse to believe the Pittsburgh Steelers will remain serious contenders in 2013, due to a recent injection of youth into what was believed to be an "old" roster. Turns out, they're still old after all. Mike Sando of ESPN's NFC West blog recently compiled the average ages of each NFL team's starters. Even though Pittsburgh claims the third-youngest offense in the league, their defense is still the oldest; and the roster ranks eighth-eldest overall. At first glance, it seems impossible for the Steelers to be ranked so high with a defense which will boast at least three new starters in 2013, and relatively young starters already placed in Ziggy Hood, Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley. However, the over-30 club still includes Larry Foote and Troy Polamalu (32), Ryan Clark and Ike Taylor (33), and Brett Keisel(34). Pittsburgh will be relying on their players' collective experience to mold the younger reserves not accounted for in this equation. It's still interesting how much younger the rest of the league has gotten, and how much younger Pittsburgh's offense has gotten as well; although they still weren't young enough to compensate for the defense's age and pull them out of the top ten. The Steelers have been addressing their age issues, and added youth to necessary positions. If the veterans driving the average age up are in as excellent condition as they claim to be, their team could surprise in 2013 those who had already relegated them to the retirement home.

Last season the Pittsburgh Steelers offense played fairly well in the passing game. In fact, Ben Roethlisberger was having one of the best season of his NFL career prior to injuring his shoulder against the Kansas City Chiefs. After the injury the Steelers struggled on offense and when Roethlisberger returned the results were not the same. Roethlis... Source: Yardbarker: Pittsburgh Steelers The post Ben Roethlisberger is Excited About the Pittsburgh Steelers “New” Offense appeared first on Pittsburgh Steelers Blog - NFL - PlanetSteelers.com.

Earlier this week, Steelers tight end Heath Miller said there was a “chance” he’d be able to play the entire 2013 season after tearing his ACL late last season but admitted there’s no timetable yet for his return to full activity. “Yeah, I think it’s a little too early to say anything like that. It’s… Source: ProFootballTalk » Pittsburgh Steelers The post Ben Roethlisberger has “no doubt” Heath Miller will play Week One appeared first on Pittsburgh Steelers Blog - NFL - PlanetSteelers.com.

While reading numerous articles as to why our beloved Steelers fell to an abysmal 8 - 8 record last year I can't help but get irritated at the fact that Ben Rothlisberger is not catching any of the blame. Let's re-cap his actions that contributed mightily to our disappointing season: 1) Training Camp: He responded poorly to the firing of Bruce Arians by exhibiting an unprofessional attitude toward the offensive philosophy mandated by the Rooney's. His responses during interviews spewed negativity which fed the media exactly what they were looking for - controversy!! As we all know the media will throw gasoline on a fourth of July sparkler to get a story and by Big Ben not responding to their questions with a status quo demenanor, he created a distraction throughout training camp. As a professional and "wanna be" elite quarterback in the NFL he should know how to steer clear of the pointed direction by the media to help keep his team focused on the season. Combined with the Mike Wallace hold-out Ben's actions became a distraction that contributed to our 2-3 start. 2) The Season: Mid-way through the season the Steelers jelled as a team and defeated a very good Giant team in New York after having to adjust their travel schedule because of hurricane Sandy. Finally the offense was clicking as it appeared our Quarterback had grasped the system and learned how to maximize it's strengths. Great victory in New York and we're now 5-3 at the halfway mark with the lowly Chiefs coming to Pittsburgh for a Monday night tune-up toward the hated Ravens. However, instead of executing the offense like it was designed, Ben reverts back to his sand-lot style of play and ends up getting smashed between two Chief defenders. It's the LOWLY Kansas City Chefs!!!! Why is Ben subjecting himself to abuse and punishment by ignoring the quick release system that's earning him league MVP consideration? Immaturity and stubborness are the reasons, the same characteristics that landed him on a windsheild of a car and got him two sex charges. Yes we won the game and was 6-3 with Baltimore coming to town but with his injury we stood no chance of going 7-3 and taking control of the division. 3) Gripping to a Playoff Spot: After throwing the game deciding interception against Dallas and while obviously upset, Ben speaks again throwing Todd Haley under the bus. As we have a chance to redeem ourselves heading into Cleveland the following week, we're again blinded by the insurmountable player-coach controversy that plagued us in the early season. Yes he apologized but at that time there was no re-dacting the his comments. The damage was done and the entire week was burdened with questions and answers about the Haley-Rothlisberger fued. The outcome? Eight fumbles and a defeat against the Brownies. The issue is simple here, let's see Big Ben for what he is, a very immature quarterback who refuses to grow up and lead his team the right way. Do we hear Tom Brady complaining about losing his offensive coordinators? Does Peyton Manning hold on to the ball too long every time he drops back to pass? Did Drew Brees' bring more distraction to his team because his coach was suspended? Eli Manning is a leader of men. Heck, did Bruce Arians sulk and pout because he missed Ben? When will we as Nation of Loyal Steeler fans begin to hold Ben accountable for his actions? The sooner we stand up and demand better, the sooner we will get to #7, literally and figuratively.

By Mark Kaboly, McKeesport Daily NewsThree spring practices were more than enough to make a believer out of Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey. Pouncey is such a believer that he wouldn’t ...

The Steelers have signed the second of their two sixth-round draft picks from the 2013 NFL Draft, linebacker Vince Williams. Financial terms of the four-year deal were not disclosed. Williams (6-1,...... Source: Pittsburgh Steelers : News The post Steelers Sign Sixth-Round Pick Vince Williams appeared first on Pittsburgh Steelers Blog - NFL - PlanetSteelers.com.

With the first Pittsburgh Steelers OTA session of the 2013 season now in the books, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review listed Isaiah Green, Will Johnson, Al Woods, Kelvin Beachum, and Adrian Robinson on Twitter as his "winners" of the week. https://twitter.com/MarkKaboly_Trib/status/337707207003095040 Perhaps the most interesting part of Kaboly's tweet is the fact that that he listed Woods as a nose tackle and not a defensive end. That is pretty surprising and caught me off guard. Woods, who has been on the Steelers roster ever since he was claimed off waivers from the Seattle Read more [...]

The Steelers have signed sixth-round pick Justin Brown, the club announced Thursday. Pittsburgh now has five draft choices under contract. A wide receiver who finished his collegiate career at Oklahoma, Brown (6-3, 209) hauled in 73 passes for 879 yards and five touchdowns in 2012 for the Sooners. He played his first three college seasons… Source: ProFootballTalk » Pittsburgh Steelers The post Steelers sign wide receiver Justin Brown appeared first on Pittsburgh Steelers Blog - NFL - PlanetSteelers.com.

By Mark Kaboly, McKeesport Daily NewsEven when Marcus Gilbert found out that he was getting moved to right tackle last year, he always held out hope that he would eventually ...