Thank goodness for the generous spirit of Steelers' 3rd round draft pick Bruce Davis, who agreed to answer a few short questions for us here at 'Curtain, because there's absolutely no news in Steelers country right now.

Davis, a stand-out pass-rushing DE/LB at UCLA, is in rigorous preparation for training camp later next month. I asked him a few questions about his strength and conditioning, the coaching staff, and his new teamates. I found his answer about Coach LeBeau particularly interesting, and a confirmation of sorts to just how influential LeBeau has been during his 5-decade tenure in the NFL. - Blitz-

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BTSC:  Allright, let's start with something easy. We've noticed that your weight is listed at a solid 250+ pounds, a substantial increase from what you checked in at during your playing days at UCLA. Are you satisfied with the results you've achieved, and do you feel your speed and deceptively fast first-step will at all be compromised by the extra weight?

Same sleek build + 20 pounds = scary

Davis: My speed and my first step have not been compromised with the extra 25 pounds that I have put on. It's the biggest I've ever been, but I have adjusted to the new weight very well.

BTSC: Can you share what it's been like being back around campus and your classmates and friends after being drafted into the world's premiere sports league? In addition to receiving a gazillion more Facebook friend requests, what else is different in the life of a 22 year old ready to embark on a NFL career?

Davis:  There are a lot of football fans at UCLA, so I've been getting a lot of congratulations, and meeting people that I've never met before.  Lately I've noticed that there are a lot of  Steelers fans in Los Angeles. I feel like now every time I go somewhere I see a Steelers sticker or license plate holder on the back of cars. I never realized how many fans we have. Every thing else is pretty much the same, except the day after the draft i had like 500 new Facebook friend requests, but I'm just grateful that there are so many people that follow me through my career.

 BTSC: We the fans heard that Coach Tomlin  was instrumental in the team's selection of you, even if there might have been a few players still available with better 'measurables' at their Pro-Days or at the Combine. Having watched you on many occasions when I lived on the West Coast, I know you play with a lot of confidence and energetic swagger, but assuming that's true, what does that mean to you that Tomlin saw something special in you. As a follow-up, anything you can share about how Coach Tomlin welcomes and interacts with rookies?

Davis: It means a lot to me that Coach Tomlin saw something special in me, but it also means that there are going to be high expectations for me, and with the history of Steelers linebackers I have a lot to live up to. But that is the kind of challenge that I feel will make me a better football player. I grew up watching guys like Kevin Greene, and James Farrior and I know what it means to be a part of this group. And man, Coach Tomlin has been great, hes straight forward and he has great energy. I'm very excited to be able to play for him. 

BTSC:  Apparently the veteran players on the defense absolutely love defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. Have you had a chance to spend much time with LeBeau yet, and if so, is it obvious why he is so well-respected and loved by his players?

Davis: Coach LeBeau has been great, he really takes an interest in all of his players from top to bottom. I knew about coach before i was a part of the Steelers because my college coaches used some of his system at UCLA, and put me in position to make plays.  He is well respected on the team and through out the league, and we all know that he is an amazing defensive mind. His reputation as a player and a coach speak for itself.

BTSC: Any of the rookies or younger players that you've hit it off with yet? Any veterans that have been particularly cool and welcoming?

Davis:  All of the rookies have been great, theres a few that I even played against or knew from high school. But we all get along well and I think that we are a very talented group of rookies.

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Many, many thanks Bruce for taking the time! I personally have very high hopes for this young man. In addition to the physical tools and the football acumen, I'm excited to see what Davis brings to the table as a vocal leader in the future. Our defense has been missing a vocal presence on the field since Joey Porter left, and though we have plenty of high-character players on defense that lead by example, I think that Davis' confident swagger will be a welcome addition for years to come.

By the way, you can check out Davis' website here for news, as well as pictures and info about his career accolades in high school and at UCLA.

We're still a month away from camp, but I think we're close enough to Opening Day 2008 for us to begin projecting out the seasons of some of our favorite Steelers. I've done it in year's past, just for kicks, and not surprisingly, been off on some and close on others. So have many of you with your projections in the comments sections.

Before thinking about Big Ben's 2008 season, let's revisit what I wrote in 2007, take a look at what I projected and then compare with his actual 2007 data. Then, combinbing what we learned about him and our offense in 2007 with our newest additions and how we think Arians will adjust in 2008, let's take a stab at projecting his 2008 campaign. A big one, I might add, in the wake of his meteoric pay hike this offseason.

2007 Projections:

269 Completions, 430 Attempts, 62.5 %, 3200 yards, 23 TDs, 14 INTs

2007 Season:

264 completions, 404 attempts, 65.3%, 3154 yards, 32 TDs, 11 INTs

I still smile when I see Ben's 2007 line. That's so freakin' outstanding. Let's take a step back though and realize that, at least statistically, last year could be the greatest statistical year Ben Roethlisberger will ever have as a professional. Yes, he will throw for more than 3154 yards at some point in his career; and I wouldn't wager against him ever having a 30+ TD season before he hangs it up. But nevertheless, when you look at the season as a package, then factor in the spotty running game he had in certain situations, PLUS the porous offensive line, you should then be able to appreciate all that he was able to accomplish statistically. That's so few mistakes for how pressured he was last year.

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Things To Consider Before Projecting Roethlisberger's 2008 season:

1) The schedule - we'll talk about this more later, but the Steelers' 2008 schedule could effect Ben's individual statistics in one of two likely ways: A) We're in a bunch of tough, hard-fought games, where ball-control is king. Those NFC East teams can sport some stiff defense on any given week. Plus, we have, count it, ZERO games west of the Mississippi River this year. Depending on unpredictable weather, we could have plenty of slug-it-out ugly games in the cold and wet Midwest and Northeast this November-January. B) We're in a bunch of shoot-out type games, which would inflate Ben's personal numbers. Cleveland (twice), Cincy (twice), Indy, New England, Dallas, Philadelphia. All those teams prefer to throw more than they run. Some remarkably so. We'll see if the Steelers find themselves in a number of high-scoring affairs, which was very much not the case in 2007. Finally, unless we're better than I expect, there will be no resting for the playoffs in Week 17. The opponent will be the Browns, and it might be for all the marbles. If so, give him an extra week's worth of numbers, for better, or for worse. Oh wait, it's against Cleveland. Rack 'em up Big Ben. Like you always have against teams from the state of Ohio.

2) The offensive line - Of course, the better Roeth is protected, the more likely it is he replicates that low mark of just 11 INTs. We do need to get Ben out of the pocket on occasion, and you better believe that he'll still pull off several heroic plays with his legs, but the reality is, if he's constantly on the run or on his backside, that INT:TD ratio is going to even itself out some in 2008.

3) The running game - Our rush - pass ratio in 2007 was 511:361, or roughly just under 3:2. I would expect that number to go down even a smidge more in 2008. I say even more because in 2006, we threw the ball 523 times.  That's nearly 25% more pass attempts than in 2007. Hard to believe, since we all in some way believe that the makeup of our philosophy and offensive talent is morphing towards being more pass-oriented. But that was actually not the case last year. And it wouldn't surprise me if that trend continues in 2008 with the addition of Rashard Mendenhall to the fold. His arrival, plus some uncertainty with the line, both make it plausible that we try to minimize our risk, at least early in the schedule, by hammering away with the running game.

That said, here's my projection for Ben Roethlisberger in 2008. As always, I won't pretend that I arrived at these numbers in any sort of sophisiticated manner, other than thinking about the aforementioned mitigating factors:

272 completions, 432 attempts, 62.9%, 3250 yards, 26 TDs, 16 INTs.

Thoughts?

An article published today in my hometown's newspaper, the Austin-American Statesmen, has me extremely impressed and excited about Limas Sweed's prospects as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers both in the short and long run.

With OTAs over and done with, we'll probably hear little about Sweed's developments as a potential contributor on the 2008 squad, but there's still plenty of information coming out about his transition to the other aspects of life as NFL rookie, including his willingness and eagerness to embrace his new hometown:

The kid dubbed 'Real Country' by his teamates began his crash-course immersion in all things Pittsburgh on his initial flight to the 'Burgh, when a local sitting next to him taught him the essentials. Clearly he picked up a thing or two, proving his essential yinzer acumen early in his tenure:

When Sweed was participating in a rookie media orientation earlier this month, he was able to answer "Monongahela, Allegheny and Ohio," when asked the names of the three rivers that flow through the city.  

Sweed never struck me as a veritable football junkie while at the University of Texas, but that could just be a product of his rather unassuming personality, at least publically. When the team's rookies took a tour of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, which WolfPackSteelersFan wrote about in a recent diary, he was the winner of a trivia contest. He keeps the commemorative mug that he won in his locker.

He's apparently doing a good job watching his back as well, carrying a tape-recorder with him during interview sessions so as not to be mis-quoted, and opting not to wear much expensive jewelry, knowing he's a potential target.

What's all this mean? Nothing much really. Is it preferable that we drafted a seemingly upstanding young-man (who can also play)? Sure, but we did not draft Limas to merely be a pleasant guy and informed citizen. We drafted him to catch footballs, help win football games, and from the sound of it, perhaps even contribute on special teams.

Sweed has worked out with the ST units, utilized as a speed guy off the edge to rush the punter. His long arms and quick first step could lead to some added contributions by our ST units.

But even if he isn't used on ST, and merely makes a few catches here and there during the 2008 season, it's clear that Kevin Colbert and the Rooneys have found themselves a high-character guy with enough upside to be an intriguing 1st or 2nd option as a WR. In addition to the physical attributes, he's got the single most important quality to make it: the willingness and enthusiasm to get better.

"He is not afraid to ask questions," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin told reporters earlier this month. "His passion for the game shows through the minute he walks into the building, which allows you to indicate that he has a chance to be what we think he is capable of being."

This is part-two of my editorial a couple days ago proclaiming that the NFL was better than other pro sports leagues .  This piece compares the NFL to its football counterpart in college  Again, this is just one man's opinion and I know there are differing views.  I respect all views, but in my humble opinion, the NFL is according to the popular song, "simply the best."  Both of these stories add up all the reasons why I love the NFL so much.

College football has many of the inherent beauties as the NFL, but it is badly flawed in three major ways.  Two of the three have easy and formidable solutions while the third we just have to live with.

First, regular-season scheduling is processed by the conference two-thirds of the way and left to the discretion of each institution for the other third.  Discretion is control and in this case too much of it  The better teams control their schedules by making sure they play enough non-conference cupcakes to pad victories, plus they might schedule one tough game just to keep the schedule legitimate.  Add the cupcakes to whatever cupcakes exist within the conference (the SEC is the exception here) and the result is that way too many teams play way too many games where the outcome is known before kickoff.  And I don't want to hear about Appalachian State beating Michigan.  A broken clock works twice a day.

A simple remedy for this would be to have a national scheduling system, similar to the NFL, for non-conference games.  Take the six major Bowl Championship Series leagues and randomly cut them in half.  This could be rotated each year. 

Suppose the Big Ten is grouped one year with the Pac 10 and ACC.  The champion of the Big Ten would be mandated to play the champion of the Pac 10 and champion of the ACC on predetermined dates.   The champions of PAC 10 and ACC would also play each other.  The second-place teams would play each other, third place the same, fourth place, etc.  This system would result in a huge influx of 25 or so high-quality games into the national picture, replacing wasteful games.  It would also strengthen and legitimize college football.

The second flaw of college football compared to the NFL is its ludicrous postseason.  There is simply no sane reason why college football can't go to a 12-team playoff giving four teams the bye.  The current BCS computer can do the rankings with six automatic conference champions and six at-large berths.  The higher seeds would be the home teams up until the championship game, which would by played at a neutral predetermined site similar to the Super Bowl.

I don't want to hear this nonsense about how the bowl system has been good to us through the years.  Times change and smart people change with them.  Typewriters were also good to us for many years.  That doesn't mean that we should keep using them due to some outdated sense of loyalty.  Those cities have made enough money on bowl games through the years.  College football does not owe them anything, let alone perpetuity.

I also don't want to hear how the bowls produce too much money.  People who say that are naive to the fact that a 12-team playoff would generate at least 10 times the revenue, and that guess is conservative.  This revenue could not only help fund non-revenue sports and women's sports, it could also help build libraries and buy test tubes.

Thirdly, I don't want to hear about how a playoff system would somehow hinder academics.  Football inherently misses less class time than all other sports since it is only played on weekends and only 10-12 times a year.  If you are concerned about academics, you better look at basketball and baseball which fly all over the place during the week when classes are in session, and travel 25 times a year instead of five.  Moreover, the playoffs would basically take place between Thanksgiving and New Year's, the bulk of which is holiday break.  NCAA Divisions II and III manage quite well with a football playoff system and many of the smaller schools are the most demanding academic institutions in the country.  If institutions such as Case Western Reserve and Carnegie Mellon can uphold academic integrity during a football playoff, I'm guessing that Ohio State and Southern Cal can do the same.

The third flaw that college football has compared to the NFL is that its teams acquire players via recruiting wars instead of a systematic draft.  Not only does this process lend itself to improper recruiting inducements and NCAA rules violations, a whole different ball of wax, it also results in the rich staying rich and the poor staying poor.  Of course, a good coach can maybe turn a program around, but let's face reality, how many times in the last 40 years have Indiana, Purdue, Minnesota and Northwestern defeated Ohio State and Michigan?  How many times have those games been decided by less than two touchdowns?

There is really no remedy for this, but it does spotlight the superiority of the NFL.  Pro football acquires its talent through a systematic draft.  Struggling teams have access to the best available talent each year.  Instead of the rich getting richer, the poor are designed to get richer.  The disparity between the haves and have-nots is a much tighter range.  Check out the point spreads on any given weekend and see the percentage of college games predicted by huge margins. 

It is said that a chain is as strong as its weakest link.  What could possible be stronger than the chain of the National Football League?

Here are the answers to the questions posted yesterday:

1) Which of the following schools has sent the most players to the National Football League?

Answer:

Notre Dame - 493 players to NFL

2) This former Buffalo Bills WR, who frequently came up with big plays in the postseason, attended Chadron State University in Nebraska?

Answer:  Don Beebee. I maybe should have added that this player shone in the playoffs in the '90s for all who may know Bills history from year's past. 

3) The Baltimore Ravens selected Joe Flacco from the University of Delaware in the 1st Round of the 2008 NFL Draft. What other QB had a succesful career following his playing days as a Blue Hen?

Answer: Rich Gannon; Scott Brunner could qualify as well, though I wouldn't call his career all that succesful. How RickVa knew of Brunner and his Delaware ties amazes me.

4) Charlie Joiner, a 3-time Pro Bowler and 1996 HOF inductee, attended which famous all-black university in the South?

Answer: Grambling State.

5) Willie Colon attended Hofstra University. How many other Hofstra alumni that have played in the NFL can you name? Hint: think WRs

Answer: The two that I was thinking of primarly were Wayne Chrebet and Marquest Colston. There are 20 players from Hofstra who have played in the NFL. Lance Schulters, a DB in the league for many years and one-time Pro Bowler, also might have crossed one's mind.

6) This blue-collar Steelers player of many years leads all former New Hampshire graduates in games played in the NFL?

Answer: Dan Kreider.

7) This former favorite target of Joe Namath is Rice University's most famous NFL product?

Answer: Don Maynard, a 1987 HOF inductee. Quick fact: Maynard, in 1967, totaled 1434 yards in just 14 games, with 10 TDs to boot. That's some serious production for back then.

8) Which of the following names was not an actual NFL player, past or present?

A) R-Kal K-Quan Truluck

B) Jean-Philippe Darche

C) Dick Deer Slayer

D) Suge Knight

E) None of the Above

Answer: E - None of the Above.  I guess nobody would pick A, as how in the hell am I going to make up a name like that. For those who have read my stuff for a long time, I suppose you probably know by now that it's not really my style to make a joke like Answer C. Mr Deer Slayer played for one whole year for the Oorang Indians in 1922, a team composed exclusively of Native American players. I had no idea.

Anyway, an interesting collection of names there, all of whom have played at some point in the league.

9) Colts head coach Tony Dungy lettered in both basketball and football at what university?

Answer: Minnesota. Billy Packer almost wet his pants in self-congratulatory delight recalling Dungy's hoops days this past March, when they had Dungy on air for a few minutes during the Golden Gophers suprise run to the Big 10 Tournament Finals.

10) The University of Pittsburgh has sent an astounding 5 players to the Hall of Fame. How many of them can you name? Three of them are somewhat easy. The other two are tough.

Bonus Question: Astonightly, it appears there may be more former Panthers set to be enshrined in Canton one day in the future.  What other Panthers graduates might one day be elected to the Hall?

Answer: Dorsett, Marino, Ditka, Joe Schmidt , Joe Stydahar

Bonus Answer: Curtis Martin; Rickey Brown (10th in sacks, 6 Pro Bowls); Russ Grimm!; Chris Doleman (probably a lock); Ruben Brown (9 Pro Bowls).

This editorial is one man's opinion.  It is not meant to appear dogmatic; to the contrary, I welcome and respect opposing viewpoints.  Here are my thoughts.

Football is America's sport.  At one time baseball truly was America's pastime, but the keepers of the game, both owners and players, let that banner slip away.  While the popularity of the National Football League has grown steadily and rapidly through the years, baseball could not keep pace.  You can check any ratings, any market surveys or any data you can get your hands on, and the conclusion reamins the same: football is king in the United States.  NFL preseason games outdraw regular-season games in other sports.  NFL regular-season games trump postseason events of other sports, and nothing comes close to the Super Bowl.  Even the NFL Draft, which puts all other drafts to shame, frequently rates higher (3.4 rating in 2008) than what other sports often put on the field or court.

The reason for this is both simple and profound.  The owners and players of the NFL have always realized that equality breeds strength and that "less is more."  If you make certain that the game is played fairly on a level playing field, and presented in just the right dosage to the marketplace, the financial results will follow.

According to Forbes financial data from 2007, the average NFL franchise is now valued at $957 million.  This demolishes the competition.  You would have to own an average Major League Baseball team, an average NBA team and an average NHL franchise just to barely surpass the value of an average football team.

Looking at incoming revenue, again from Forbes 2007 financial compilations, the NFL is the king despite its massive disadvantage (get to that soon):

Upon first blush, it appears like major League Baseball is giving the NFL a run for its money in total revenue, trailing by a relatively marginal amount, $6.5 billion to $5.5 billion (what's a measly billion amongst friends).  However, baseball gets 2,430 events (regular season games only) to sell tickets, beer, hot dogs, parking spaces and television opportunities.  Football has roughly one-tenth the opportunities (256 annual contests).  Basketball and hockey get 1,230 events and they aren't even in the picture.  How can an entity with one-tenth or one-fifth the inventory out-revenue the opposition with that earlier-mentioned massive advantage? Here are my speculations.

1)  Payroll Disparity

The NFL has no New York Yankees and Florida Marlins, whose payroll disparity is so unfairly ridiculous that such a system could not possibly grow in popularity.  The Yankees, with their payroll of $207 million, have two players (Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi) who will make more money this season than the entire Florida Marlins roster ($22 million).  The caretakers of baseball should be ashamed of themselves. The players and their leadership care about two things and two things only, maximum compensation and maximum flexibility. The large-market owners who have inherent geographic and financial advantages agree with the players who think the system is just peachy keen.  The small-market teams, who should be in an uproar, are not because they pocket the modest revenue sharing that does exist without any mandate to spend on player salaries.

The NFL does have the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins.  Regardless of market, each team has equal chance to compete within the system.  There are no inherent advantages.  If a team is not experiencing success it is not because the system designs it to fail.  The math just works out that way.  The beauty though, for NFL fans, is that no matter how bad your team is this year, there is hope around the corner.  You will get high draft choices and you will be able to spend roughly the same amount on players as all the other teams.  Using the equal distribution doctrine as its flagship, the NFL guarantees hope for everyone.

The Pirates used to be the pride of Pittsburgh, but no longer.  Sure, they can possibly catch lightning in a bottle and make a run in a given year. The stars could be aligned just right so that all their young players (they can't afford any high-priced veterans) get hot all in the same year; they could stay healthy and get a few bounces.  Pirates' fans had better not hold their breath though.  The sad truth is, once the Penguins' season is over, sports fans in Pittsburgh wait until football training camp opens.  Occasionally they will go to beautiful PNC Park on a warm summer night to take in a ballgame, but they don't go there with any aspirations of a championship or much passion for the most part.

On this matter I will give the NBA and NHL credit.  They also have salary caps. The NHL cap is about $50 and the league worked very hard about four years ago to get this done.  They paid the heavy price of a lost season, but at least they sacrificed for a bigger gain in the long run.  The NBA's cap is a bit creative with some "soft money" allowances.  Each franchise can re-sign their biggest star, no matter the cap overage, for 175 percent of his salary just to keep franchise stable (the Larry Bird Rule).

2)  Regular Season Length

Another arrow in the NFL's quiver is the fact that the season is the ideal length.   A four-month regular season followed by the playoffs is perfect.  Baseball, basketball and hockey just don't get it.  They are so hell-bent on maximizing ticket and television potential that they stretch their season beyond what the fans really want and what is really good for the game.  A six-month season might give you more opportunities to sell tickets and hot dogs, but compared to the revenue that a more attractive television package could bring if the game weren't oversaturated, in my opinion those sports are penny wise and pound foolish.

Baseball begins and ends its season in horrible baseball weather in the northern half of the country and Toronto.  This can be especially damaging to the most important part of the season, the playoffs.  Just when baseball needs decent weather the most, it gets it the least.  Basketball and hockey don't have weather issues, but they begin their seasons with general sports fans saying, "Already?"  They end their seasons with the same fans saying, "It's about time."

Sports fans rarely if ever say either of those two things about football.  You never want your product to be oversaturated.  Value plummets when supply exceeds demand.  You want to give the marketplace just the right amount of product, perhaps even a tad less, to keep the public's appetite healthy.

3)  Postseason

Along those same lines, the NFL's playoff system is second to none.  Each game is terminal and thus provides maximum drama.  All those seven-game series' hurt basketball and hockey in my opinion.  Game one, game two, game three, game four, alright already!  When is this playoff series finally going to be on the line?  I can give baseball an exception here because of pitching.  There is a huge variance in starting pitchers and a series is the proper way to go about things.  But basketball and hockey have no excuse.  The same people play games against the same people over and over again.

I realize you shouldn't have single terminal playoff games in basketball and hockey, but what I would do is set up a triple elimination tournament.  There would be a winners' bracket, a one-time loser's bracket and a two-time loser's bracket. Teams would play different teams all the time.  I believe the nation would embrace this kind of excitement and that TV ratings would skyrocket.   There would be fewer games played (28 total) than the current 105-game playoff fiasco, but if the NFL can rake in $4 billion of media revenue using an 11-game playoff system, doesn't it again prove that less is more?

The NFL is the model system in all of professional sports.  Good Lord, let's hope it doesn't change with the new bargaining talks.  If other sports were smart they would follow suit as much as possible and realize that gluttony, whether it be payroll disparity or just too many darn games, is not the best solution.

Well, I guess two cracks at nailing down the 53-man roster were enough for you folks, and perhaps rightfully so. We're in the home stretch of the offseason, and frankly, we've covered just about everything. Until pads go on in Latrobe, there's little left to discuss about the roster, provided the unexpected doesn't arrive in the form of injury or some sort of conduct issue.

So, instead, let's try some trivia, with the questions centered around the colleges and universities of past and present NFL players. I'm no NFL history buff (yet) like maryrose, so expect this to not quite be up to snuff when compared to his.

1) Which of the following schools has sent the most players to the National Football League?

A) Michigan

B) Notre Dame

C) USC

D) Ohio State

E) Penn State

2) This former Buffalo Bills WR, who frequently came up with big plays in the postseason, attended Chadron State University in Nebraska?

3) The Baltimore Ravens selected Joe Flacco from the University of Delaware in the 1st Round of the 2008 NFL Draft. What other QB had a succesful career following his playing days as a Blue Hen?

4) Charlie Joiner, a 3-time Pro Bowler and 1996 HOF inductee, attended which famous all-black university in the South?

5) Willie Colon attended Hofstra University. How many other Hofstra alumni that have played in the NFL can you name? Hint: think WRs

6) This blue-collar Steelers player of many years leads all former New Hampshire graduates in games played in the NFL?

7) This former favorite target of Joe Namath is Rice University's most famous NFL product?

8) Which of the following names was not an actual NFL player, past or present?

A) R-Kal K-Quan Truluck

B) Jean-Philippe Darche

C) Dick Deer Slayer

D) Suge Knight

E) None of the Above

9) Colts head coach Tony Dungy lettered in both basketball and football at what university?

10) The University of Pittsburgh has sent an astounding 5 players to the Hall of Fame. How many of them can you name? Three of them are somewhat easy. The other two are tough.

Bonus Question: Astonightly, it appears there may be more former Panthers set to be enshrined in Canton one day in the future.  What other Panthers graduates might one day be elected to the Hall?

Another couple of weeks have passed, meaning two more weeks of OTAs in the books. Now, the wait for training camp is on. We won't know much more about the shakedown of the roster until late July, so let's take another stab at the 53 man roster, in the wake of OTAs coming to an end. You can see our last crack at predicting the roster here.

OFFENSE:

Quarterbacks (3): Ben Roethlisberger, Charlie Batch, Dennis Dixon

Running Backs (5): Willie Parker, Rashard Mendenhall, Mewelde Moore, Gary Russell, Carey Davis

Wide Receivers (5): Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Limas Sweed, Nate Wasington, Dallas Baker

Tight Ends (3): Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, Jonathan Dekker

Offensive Linemen (9): Marvel Smith, Kendall Simmons, Justin Hartwig, Chris Kemoeatu, Willie Colon, Max Starks, Darnell Stapleton, Tony Hills, Jason Capizzi

DEFENSE:

Defensive Linemen (7): Brett Keisel, Casey Hampton, Aaron Smith, Kyle Clement, Chris Hoke, Travis Kirschke, Ryan McBean

Linebackers (9): James Harrison, Larry Foote, James Farrior, LaMarr Woodley, Lawrence Timmons, Keyaron Fox, Andre Frazier, Mike Humpal, Bruce Davis

Defensive Backs (9): Ike Taylor, Bryant McFadden, DeShea Townsend, William Gay, Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark, Ryan Mundy, Anthony Smith, Travis Williams, Tyrone Carter

Specialists (3): Greg Warren, Jeff Reed, Daniel Sepulveda

Say Hello To:

Dennis Dixon - Dixon has had some solid OTA sessions, and as was mentioned by Jim Wexell, the Steelers aren't the type to stash away players. And as you guys mentioned in the previous 53-man roster post, perhaps it'd be more wise to have Dixon out there, dressed, and accountable for the game-plan, at least to some degree, week in and week out.

Dallas Baker - At this point, there have just been too many reports singing Baker's praises to not consider him the front-runner for the 5th (and final?) WR spot on this roster. This story, written just over a week ago, had me thinking that Baker has the right attitude in his second year, and may just be one of those late bloomers that is all-too-often written off because he didn't max out before the age of 21-24.

Kyle Clement - Dale Lolley recently wrote that Kyle Clement got some extra work in after practice with Aaron Smith. Smith was working with him on hand placement and how to get out of one's stance quickly and strongly. Not a bad mentor to have. We'll see what happens when the pads go on, but for now Clement seems to be on a fast-track to making this roster. There sure is an opening at his position for him to seize the opportunity.

Andre Frazier - Frazier takes over Arnold Harrison's role in this version of the Steelers 53 man roster. As you guys astutely noted, Frazier provides more on special teams and Harrison really has not proven himself to be more than just 'another guy'.

Travis Williams - Here's the shocker of the session. Williams, an undrafted free agent rookie CB out of East Carolina, impressed Lolley this past week. Here's what he noted:

Another player who has caught my eye is undrafted cornerback Travis Williams from East Carolina.

Williams looks to have good playmaking ability and can run. He's just 5-9, 180, though, so he is lacking some size.

Not much, I know, but here's my thinking. If Dallas Baker, or for that matter, if Micah Rucker even, makes this team, we potentially have a void in the return game. Santonio Holmes has been fielding some punts this offseason, but he was shaky when called upon his rookie season, and despite the fact that I believe you should put your best weapons on the field at all times, the fact of the matter is that we can not afford to lose Santonio Holmes to injury. Furthermore, we brought in Mewelde Moore to field punts.

Back to Williams. Because of his small size (5'9"), it's easy to understand why he was overlooked in this year's draft. You just don't invest much in a CB that heighth, but that doesn't mean there aren't some playmakers in the large crop of shifty, speedy, athletic, and undersized DBs and WRs. Mr. Devin Hester is but a mere 5'11", 185-190 pounds himself.

With Clark apparently looking fit so far this offseason (read Lolley's notes again if you missed it), Troy Polamalu adhering to his personal workout regiment in Southern California, I think the coaching staff might decide that carrying an extra safety in a guy like Mike Lorello is unecessary. Instead, why not add an CB to learn behind the intense battles surely to take place between BMac and Deshea? And if he can potentially earn a spot returning kicks (which could be a huge question mark if the coaching staff shy away from putting Mendenhall back there) and punts, the move might make all the more sense.

Say Goodbye To:

Anthony McFarland - for now, we're not players in the Booger game. We didn't even show up to his private workout on June 4th.

Micah Rucker - We'll see what happens when the pads go on, but for now, Baker's got the leg up.

Sean Mahan - We've talked about it ad nauseum, but if the organization feels Stapleton, Hartwig, Simmons, and Kemoeatu are all ready to go, there's really no need in my opinion to incur the somewhat hefty pricetag to keep Mahan on the payroll. It still blows my mind that the coaches are not moving Colon inside to guard. If Starks and Smith are playing, with Hills, Essex, Capizzi as potential backups, why keep Colon as the #3 T option. Might we be posturing to tamper with his market value, which is the hypothesis I offered in December of last season  for how  and why Starks was managed last year?  If the team hopes to keep Marvel Smith around, surely there won't be that much money to keep a guy like Colon around, unless he's underutilized this year, and only able to be judged by his 2007 season, which needless to say, left plenty to be desired, despite some positives here and there. Anyway, I think Mahan's too expensive to keep around. He's not as bad as many make him out to be. But he's not solid enough to incur less salary cap and potentially find hidden talent by giving someone else an opportunity.

Mike Lorello - I offered my probably crazy thought process in the section about Travis Williams. Even if Williams doesn't make the team, which odds say he won't, Lorello's still probably not going to make it. Tyrone Carter is a better option, and he's not all that expensive for what he provides as a veteran.

Arnold Harrison - I wouldn't be surprised if we see Harrison at some point this year on the Steelers. I'm not sure if we'd put him on the practice squad or not, but my guess is he'd be first in line to assume a roster spot in the event of an injury to anyone of the LBs on the team.

Time for some more speculating, as we still have about a month or so before training camp kicks off in Latrobe, PA for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Today's question: is Carnell Lake a Hall of Famer?

The credentials:

PRO BOWLS (5): 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999
ALL-PRO SELECTIONS (1): 1997

Here are the safetys currently in the Hall of Fame: Ken Houston, Paul Krause, Yale Larry, Ronnie Lott, Mel Renfro, Emlin Tunnel, Larry Wilson, Willie Wood.

Of those 8 players, all had more interceptions than Lake. By a long shot, in fact. Even guys like Yale Larry, who played in the 50s predominantly, when passing the ball was certainly not done with the same type of regularity that it is today, had more career interceptions than Lake.

Despite the meager interception totals, Lake's tackle totals are very sound. His three year stretch from 1991-1993, where he had 83, 85, and 91 tackles respectively, is a tremendous accomplishment. Compare that to Ed Reed's best season (also a SS) of 71 tackles and Troy Polamalu's best season of 74 tackles and suddenly the debate becomes a little more interesting.

However, at the end of the day, Carnell Lake will probably fall short of reaching the Hall of Fame.  The interception total of 16 is just too skimpy I'd guess for him to warrant serious consideration from the voters. That said, he was one heckuva football player that was as sure a tackler as there was in the game during the pinnacle of his career in the early to mid 1990s.

What do you think? Memories of his greatness?

A week or so ago, cgolden discussed the bevy of Steelers players that will be free agents at the end of the 2008 season.That list includes our most proven and capable offensive lineman, Marvel Smith. That sound familiar? It should, as Ed Bouchette recently wrote, because we were in the exact same situation last offseason when dealing with the Alan Faneca contract situation.

Like they did with Faneca last year, the Steelers have not offered an extension to Marvel Smith, who will turn 30 in a couple of months.

"To me, if it's going to happen, it's going to happen," said Smith, who has been a starter since he was the team's second-round draft choice in 2000. "It's not something I can worry about, for the most part. I love football. Any opportunity I get to play, whether it's in the offseason or not, that's what I plan on doing."

Smith, who doesn't seem to have any plans to hold-out or make a big fuss of his contract situation, has expressed his desire to be in Pittsburgh however.

"Yeah, it's frustrating, but I deal with it differently," Smith said, comparing his situation to Faneca's last year. "If I can't control it, I don't worry about it. It's not like I can give myself a contract..."

 

"I love Pittsburgh. I miss Pittsburgh when I'm not here in the offseason. It took a while to get used to Pittsburgh, coming from California, but now I love it."

*****************

Hmm. I'd have to go through the archives, but I can't seem to recall many of us thinking Smith would be re-upped. The Steelers just don't hand out big contracts to guys in their 30s, particularly ones with potentially tricky back issues. However, if Marvel Smith is not in the mix in 2009 and beyond, what would our situation at the tackle position be?

Well, at least in 2009, it might be dicey. Let's say Max Starks is signed to a long-term deal. That would give us him, then one giant question mark at the other tackle slot. Will Tony Hills be far enough along to be dependable? What about Jason Capizzi? If Max Starks has a good camp and season, and if he and Smith stay healthy, Willie Colon could potentially go most if not all of 2008 having not played any tackle. Would we dare slide him back out there again in 2009?

The problem is this team is close to being set for multiple Super Bowl runs. We're not there -quite- yet, but the dilemma is that our defense may be in the best shape to contend in 2008-2010, while our offense may need several years to stabilize the offensive line situation, while breaking in Mendenhall and Limas Sweed.

So, what do you think? Should we re-sign Marvel Smith? If not, sell me on a long-term plan that does not include him. I definitely agree in principal with the organization's decision not to franchise players, but it sure seems like 2009 might be a good time to potentially franchise Marvel Smith for a year.