Behind the Steel Curtain

CONGRATS ON DIXON!

Duckball — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:00:11 -0000

Hi-

I am an Oregon Duck who did his undergrad and grad school and currently works at the UofO. I just want to say that you folks at the Steelers got a great athlete and a great man in Dennis Dixon. Mature beyond his years, he is the classy kind of guy you want representing your organization.

I attended the USC game here in Eugene last season and watched Dixon make the USC defenders look absolutely silly. He is elusive, shifty, quick, and intelligent. His ball fakes would make Harry Houdini proud. If you haven't already seen it, this footage from the Oregon vs. Michigan game is a must see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcHa4MzCICc

Dixon not only fools the Michigan D on this play, but the cameraman and both announcers. You gotta love the shocked look on the Michigan faithfull's faces.

Add another (new) Steeler fan to your mix!

I. Stolms

Eugene, OR

Spygate

RickVa — Thu, 15 May 2008 19:33:00 -0000

I hesitate to write about this because the topic is so negative, but I think there is sufficient new information and info that has impacted the Steelers that we would be remiss to not at least review it. This article appeared in today's Washington Post. The Tribune-Review also has an article as well

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/14/AR2008051403517.html

In terms of a highlight of an interview that will be aired on HBO tomorrow night, Walsh quotes an unidentified Patriot QB as saying that the information gained from the tapings allowed them to successfully anticipate 75% of the defensive plays that were run against them. On NFL Total Access (NFL Network) they had some of the tapes for review. Marshall Faulk and Rod Woodson confirmed that the information contained would have provided a significant competitive advantage. Arlen Specter in explaining why he would push forward with an investigation anticipated why the Rooneys (and Tomlin) would take such a dismissive attitude; the integrity of the League is at stake. This would be more important than any gain that would be made by outing the Patriots.

Based on the information I've seen so far, this is my reaction. I don't want to hear anything else about how great Bill Belicheck is as a coach, or for that matter how great Tom Brady is as a QB. Knowing what the defense is running 75% of the time, hell, Maryrose's daughter could be a Pro Bowl quarterback. This is on the order of steroid abuse or corked bats in baseball. I have said on earlier occasions that Spygate will not go away, and I think this is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

Math Gurus Interested In Hypocycloids, You're Not Alone

Blitzburgh — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:03:46 -0000

I try to check to see where visitors to Curtain are coming from from time to time. One way for me to do so is by checking the Goolge searches that lead potential readers to BTSC. Lo and behold, we had a visitor just a few minutes ago from the following search:

The original logo had what word(s) next to the three hypocycloids?

For those not yet reading the site or for those who may have missed it, this discussion came up in a trivia contest held held here on Curtain awhile ago. Thanks to maryrose for the trivia questions, and to 5020, nycsteeler, SteelerMike and our resident math WIZ HinesField for the lesson.

There are others out there just as nerd-tastic as us! Steelers football, beer...and hypocycloids!

TheMostViolentTeam Set to Kick Butt, Take Names

Blitzburgh — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:46:01 -0000

The time is 11:43 EST. You have about 1 hour and 15 minutes to wish our own TMVT good luck on his NAVY SEALS physical examination. Pushups, situps, a 1.5 mile run, swim and other physical tests will be administered. He has sworn off alcohol and greasy food for months now in preparation.

Give him a shout out Steelers style to pump him up. He's vowed to head to his local Steelers bar for a much deserved beer and burger afterwards, followed by some more of his great contributions to the site now that this will be out of the way.

Go kick some ass young man!

Who'd We Anger In The League Office?

blacksteel5108 — Tue, 13 May 2008 04:16:34 -0000

I know you guys have probably already covered this, but I'm new to the blog and was wondering what you all thought about the difficulty in our schedule vs other teams....

Does it make sense that teams like the Pats and Cowboys have such easy schedules? I mean I understand that the Pats are in a very weak division, which makes up half of their games, but it doesn't seem to make sense that a team that just went 16-0 in the regular season would get the easiest regular season schedule the following season. I've heard people saying crazy stuff like that the league is trying to give them another shot at perfect season, but that doesn't jive....I hope!!!

New Search Functions Up and Running - Check Em Out

Blitzburgh — Mon, 12 May 2008 18:44:58 -0000

Straight from my email box from the network architects re: the new and improved search functions on Curtain and other SBN sites:

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

Hey folks,

This morning we launched the new + improved search feature designed
based on direct feedback from your communities and developed between
migrations, bug fixes and other feature upgrades.

When we built the platform, one of the big changes we made was to
include a new, powerful (and open source) search technology. However,
on our first release we didn't hit the target on the interface we
built to use it. Of course many members of your communities posted
ideas for improvement to our support email address and in your
threads. Based on all of that, and a few ideas of our own, we have
completed the next round of changes to search. As usual, we're never
done and we're eager to get feedback that we'll use into future
iterations of SB Nation search. And there may even be a few bugs here
& there. We're still beta!

Here is what we've done:

- Improved UI: clean, open search page designed for ease of scanning
results and to quickly find what you're looking for

- Comments are searchable again

- With one search you can view the number of results for all content:
front-page stories, FanPost, FanShots and comments. One click to view
those results.

- Relevant excerpts with highlighted keyword matches are displayed
with very result

- You can sort by date or by relevancy

- Pages for matching players, events and teams, including quick links
to stats, rosters, news and schedule are displayed in results

- Power search allows you to fine tune your query, show more results
per page and filter your search by user or date

- Easily increase the scope of your search by including results from
the league or the entire SB Nation network with the tabs at the top

- If you're looking for something posted by a particular user, just
click their name anywhere on the network and use the search box on
their profile to automatically filter results by their name.

Steelers Vs Penguins ?

RickVa — Sat, 10 May 2008 18:38:50 -0000

Bob Smizik of the PG has written an article claiming that the Penguins may be in position to surpass the Steelers as Pittsburgh's favorite team.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08130/880449-61.stm

I'm not sure what to make of this. I haven't lived in the Burgh for years so I don't know if what he says makes any sense. The accompanying poll has most fans disagreeing, but by a much smaller margin than I would have suspected. I have to also say that Smizik isn't one of my favorites. I remember when he was covering my high school football games. And that was a loooonnng time ago. And I wasn't crazy about his ideas back then either.

Now don't get me wrong. I don't have anything against the Pens. In fact, I watched much of their game last night and am pumped about their playoff prospects. Love the team and have been a big Mario fan. I suspect I'll be big on Crosby as well as the years go on. But to suggest that they will surpass the Steelers in the hearts of Pittsburgh fans (especially while the Steelers continue to field highly competitive teams) smells of sacrilege. What do you all think?

Question of Logic

manchesterheights — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:42:39 -0000

I was just watching ESPN newscasts on the release of the Matt Walsh Spygate tapes to the NFL commissioner. One of these tapes involved a Steelers / Patriots AFC championship game. ESPN believed that from the info released, no further action by the commissioner was warranted. They also implied that these tapes (of both offensive and defensive signals) were for future use. In my opinion this is contrary to all logic. Why take tapes of the signals unless they could be of immediate use, especially an AFC championship game. It seems that they had to have some sort of method to review the tapes at another location and then forward their results.

I'm no conspiracy theorist but if you could review and interpret the tapes from the first half and give the opponents signals to your coaching staff, for example at half time, they would be game changing. Perhaps this could also account for the Pat's vaunted ability to comeback in the second half.

Is this scenario far fetched, or should it be dismissed.

What is an NFL Draft bust?

jason97673 — Wed, 07 May 2008 22:39:57 -0000

I here people talking about how Timmons is already a bust, how if he doesn't start this year he should be qualified as a bust. This is insane. I personally think it is bias against that particular player to call them a bust when they are 21 years old.

I will give a few examples of what a true NFL Draft bust is.

Most players enter the NFL ranging from 20 to 24 years old. Few players enter at 25 or older.

The age is very important, especially for first round picks. I will start off with Timmons. He was drafted at age 20, and was 21 for the entire 2007 season. He will be 22 in 1 week.

I believe it is always better to draft younger player because they have the potential to have a longer career. Not sure of the exact age of players who retire but lets say most LBers retire at 34.

Timmons would have 13 years in the NFL. If his first year as a starter is his third year, he will be a starter for 10 years. Lets say he gets drafted at age 24. He could play 10 years, and 7 as a starter. His first year as a starter will be age 27. He will have 3 years until he reaches "That age" of 30 years old where players decline. As of now, if Timmons does not start till next year, he will be 23 when he makes his first start. He has 7 years of playing time before reaching "that age". And 7 years starting is a very long time period to establish yourself, before declining after age 30.

Basically the point is, players who are younger like Timmons can afford to sit for a few years without being called a bust simply because they were so young and still have many years left. If he was 24, it would be extremely important that he starts by his second year at the latest.

Rashard Mendenhall: I love this pick even more because he, like Timmons, was only 20 when drafted. He will be 21 in June. He will probably be sitting behind Parker for a few years. If he was drafted at age 24, he might not get to start until age 27. And for a Running Back, that is a very bad age to begin starting. Think of Larry Johnson. Drafted at age 24, didn't start until age 26, and now he is 29 years old. He had a very promising career but was drafted at an older age and then sat for 2 years. Now he only has one year before he hits 30, and is already beginning to become injury prone(like last year).

So let me explain what a true bust is:

Ryan Leaf: Started his first game at 22 years old in 1998. Missed the next year, and started 9 games in the NFL in 2000, then finished his career in 01, where he started 3 games, then out of the NFL.

Akili Smith: Started 4 games his rookie year at age 24. Over the next 3 years he started 13 games, then was out of the NFL.

These are the two main examples of true busts.

Lets say a player is drafted in the 1st round and does basically nothing his first 5 years in the NFL. Then comes in during his 6th year and sets the league on fire for a few years. Would you classify him as a bust? I wouldn't because he still had a great career, just started off slow.

Example - James Farrior: Drafted 8th overall in 1997. Started 15 games his rookie year but his numbers were not all that great. He was a OLB at that point and recorded only 1.5 sacks his first year.His next 3 seasons, he started only 12 games and recorded 3 sacks total. In 2001, his last year with the Jets he turned around and started every game while getting 145 tackles, 3 FF and 2 INTs. He then came to the Steelers(6 years so far) and has been to the pro bowl and has been very good with us. Would you consider him a bust?

In short, a bust is someone who never accomplishes anything in the NFL, and is a very bad player.

Calling a guy a bust when he is just turning 22, because he hasn't seen the field at all because the two guys in front of him are solid-good(Foote, Farrior) is really foolish.

In my opinion you need to wait until he gets on the field as a starter. However, if he never becomes a starter then he would obviously become a bust(Example - Alonzo Jackson).

Another example could be Kellen Winslow. Some say if Timmons doesn't start this year, he is a bust. By that definition, then Winslow, one of the best TE's in the game should be considered a bust since he only played two games his first two years in the league. Of course he was injured those years, but that would be besides the point.

I personally believe some people just like throwing the word bust out there just because they don't think he was a good pick or just don't like him, without any real sense of what it actually means.

So what are your definitions of busts?

super bowl champions??

LiveinDCbutsteelerfanbyheart — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:23:10 -0000

Looks like the browns are already the 2008-2009 superbowl champs go look at their blog dawgs by nature and on the top where their banner is states the are that sure of them selfs this year. Boy do i love being the under dog. Im not even sure they can win the north yet let alone the whole damn thing. They good on paper but paper dont mean nothing. So lets have a give those browns a pat on the back by already winning this coming super bowl. Congratulations

Browns release Eric Young ol

vherub — Tue, 06 May 2008 02:13:03 -0000

http://admin.clevelandbrowns.com/article.php?id=8430

Here is a guy who went undrafted and a number of fans were hoping their respective teams would pick him up.

There was a time many thought he would be 1st or 2nd round talent (and this past year, who knows, the Steelers might have taken him with their first or second pick).

Unfortunately, he had an ankle injury, then tore the quad in his left leg, missed the last 6 games of his senior year and no teams took him in the draft.

When the Browns signed him, I thought they were getting a steal. True, it is unclear the extent of the injury and that recovery process. But when healthy, this guy can play, and he plays with an intensity. Another guy I would like to see the Steelers bring in for a look.

This was the nfldraftscout report on him-

2007: Started the team's first eight games at left offensive tackle, earning second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors, despite sitting out the final six contests after suffering a torn quadriceps muscle in his left leg vs. South Carolina…Also hampered early in the season by an ankle sprain that he suffered in the Florida clash…With Young in the lineup, the team averaged 147.6 yards per game rushing (130.43 average with him sidelined), 268.9 yards passing (256.1 ypg without Young) and 416.4 yards in total offense (386.57 ypg without Young)…In 495 offensive snaps that he appeared in, Young registered 58 knockdowns with eleven touchdown-resulting blocks and seven more blocks down field, leading SEC offensive linemen with an 86.38% grade for blocking consistency…He graded at least 90% in each of the Southern Mississippi, Arkansas State and Georgia contests, as he did not allow any quarterback sacks or pressures in any of the games he started…Led an offensive line that allowed only four quarterback sacks for the season. Had arthro shoulder surgery in Jan. '07. Started all 13 games at right tackle in '06. Played nine games, including last six in a row in '05. Appeared in three games, including Cotton Bowl vs. Texas A&M in '04. Redshirted in '03.

B-Mac and Essex and others...

spartansteelers — Tue, 06 May 2008 01:28:35 -0000

When many Steelers fans talk about holes on the roster they tend to forget about a few guys that are pretty talented and already on the team. The top two under-rated players in my opion are Bryant McFadden and Trai Essex, but i also feel that Arnold Harrison, Andre Frazier, and Jon Dekker are also more talented then people give them credit for.

Could Be Major Factors-

Bryant McFadden-As a rookie, he showed flashes of being a very good NFL corner. The next year he had three INTs and started a few games when Ike Taylor was in Cowher's doghouse. This past season he was injured, but while healthy in week 3 he ran an INT back for a TD. He has had trouble overtaking Desha Townsend, but this could finally be the year were he developes into a starting corner.

Trai Essex-Started two games as a rookie and played very well. He also got to start in the playoffs this year and was soild. I wonder why his name doesnt get mentioned more when people think of ways to upgrade the Steeler's O-line. Due to his success as a LT, i believe he could make the move to RT and provide an upgrade over Willie Colon, especially in pass protection, which could go a long way toward lowering the number of times Big Ben is sacked next year.

Could Be Soild Backups-

Arnold Harrison- Started a game when Joey Porter was hurt a few years ago and played pretty well. He has very good size for a 3-4 OLB and could help provide depth behind the other Harrison and Woodley, along with Bruce Davis and Andre Frazier.

Andre Frazier-Played well his first gamea as a pro when he had a sack against the Titans. Has played well on D when he has been given a chance and has also been a pretty soild ST player. Like Harrison, he has great size for an OLB.

Jon Dekker-Is a smart player (he went to Princeton) with great size (6'6" 250, but stories out of mini-camp say that his wieght is closer to 260). He is also very strong and a soild blocker, and is in my opion a exellent option for a third TE. He could surprise some people and I believe he is an upgrade over Jerame Tuman.

Mendenhall robbed at gunpoint in Chicago

your friendly BullsBlogger — Mon, 05 May 2008 21:10:03 -0000

Not a Steelers fan, just mildly miffed at all the high-profile robberies in 'my' city. Doesn't look good.

But it could've been worse:

Star University of Illinois running back and recent Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall was robbed at gunpoint along the Chicago lakefront early Monday morning, police and a relative said.

A male and a female were robbed around 2 a.m. Monday by two offenders near 39th Street and Lake Shore Drive, said police spokesman John Mirabelli. Nobody was hurt in the incident, and no one is in custody for the armed robbery, Mirabelli said.

Mendenhall's mother, Sybil, confirmed that her son had been robbed at that location Monday morning and that the robbers had taken his wallet and cell phone.

"He didn't get hit or anything, he didn't get hurt or anything," Sybil Mendenhall said Monday afternoon. "He's fine."

D-Line schematics

Chicago Steeler — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:55:53 -0000

I've been reading all the posts round here and thinking more and more about the d-line for next year. It's no news to anyone that we're incredibly shallow at that position currently. Aaron goes down and our rushing defense goes from best in the league to near the bottom. And no real improvement was added in the offseason. So it left me pondering what the FO and Tomlin are doing here? So in hypothetical I tried to think of what might be going through the Steelers minds and came up with one plan that made sense to me...

Incorporation of a lot of 4-3 alignments. Especially if we pick up McFarland once he clears medical. This would give us the following d-tackles (I think) Hampton, Hoke, Smith, McFarland. For ends: Keisel, Woodley, Davis, and I think Smith could swing both positions.

With linebackers the way I see it most naturally would be to put Timmons at MLB because of his athleticism he'd be best for covering that middle zone of the cover 2. Farrior swings to Strong side OLB and Harrison takes the WOLB.

Personally I love the way the 3-4 works, but I also like making an offense prepare for both, and I could see this year as an opportunity to really confuse offenses.

What do you guys think? Again, it doesn't seem like Tomlin cares about the exact alignment so much as the philosophy. What do you guys think? Just some random football thoughts as we enter in to the long dark of spring and summer.

shane olivea?

vherub — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:37:34 -0000

This guy was heralded as one of the better linemen out there just one year ago. Now that he has been cut, why aren't the steelers interested in him?

From what I read, it might be he got a big payday and his play dropped off, then again, it could be he clashed with the coaching style of turner.

I think the steelers benefit from bringing this guy in, and if the fire is still there, this is a team and coaching stuff- with a chance for redemption- that could get the most out of him again.

Ward gives pointers

92SteelersFan4Life07 — Sun, 04 May 2008 12:49:52 -0000

PPG got a nice article showing Hines giving pointers to Sweed, even though hes not practicing hes on the field being a team player, Like we all should have thought, Hines is a great Leader, also goes on to say Hines is still playing with a chip on his shoulder so should be nice year to see Hines make some of the tuff catches he loves to make with a smile while hes getting right back up . http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08125/879005-66.stm

Final Draft Grades from Your's Truly

HighSchoolSteeler — Sun, 04 May 2008 02:24:03 -0000

Round 1

Rashard Mendenhall RB Illinois 5-10 224lbs GRADE: B+

Adds a great weapon in our backfield, will do well to compliment Fast Willie with his speed and power. Plus he's not even 21 so in say 3-4 years, when Willie is starting to get up there in years, (He'll be 31) Mendenhall won't even be 25, still giving us a youthful running back.

Round 2

Limas Sweed WR Texas 6-4 212lbs GRADE: B+

Excellent pick, adds the big target Big Ben wanted. Has a great work ethic, attitude, and is a humble receiver in a class of premedonnas. Has great hands(can make the one-handed grab), great vertical jumping, and a very tough physical wide receiver. Will be a dynamic receiver as long as he stays healthy and produces well. Bottom Line: A first rounder drafted in the late second round.

Round 3

Bruce Davis DE/OLB UCLA 6-2 252lbs GRADE: C-

Unnecessary pick, but shows great promise as a pass-rushing linebacker. Has a Joey Porter-like attitude but is far from a class act. Has shown poor sportsmanship, and is nowhere near a role model. The bottom line is that he adds youth and depth to our linebacking core and will have to change his attitude if he ever wants to be successful as a Steeler. Personally I would've used this pick to get an offensive lineman.

Round 4:

Tony Hills OT Texas 6-6 305lbs GRADE: C+

Solid pick. As our only drafted lineman in a draft that many had us taking multiple linemen, he will have large expectations in the next few years expectations he may or may not be able to fill. Is more of a second to third round talent, but a fractured leg last year hurt his stock.

Round 5:

Dennis Dixon QB/WR Oregon 6-3 206 lbs GRADE: C+

Good pick. Gives us depth at QB. Can also play as a receiver, but will most likely line up behind Charlie Batch.

Round 6a.:

Mike Humpal LB Iowa 6-3 244lbs GRADE: D+

adds depth to linebacking core.

Round 6b. (from Giants):

Ryan Mundy S West Virginia 6-1 205lbs GRADE: D+

Adds Depth, to secondary.

OVERALL GRADE: B-B+

Very good draft addressing many offensive positions. Look for them to focus more on lines and secondary for the next two or three drafts.

What We Need to do with our Lines Part 1 of 2.

HighSchoolSteeler — Fri, 02 May 2008 23:41:25 -0000

Well there has been a lot of talk on how we didn't address our O-line and D-line. Let me say this. The Steeler line is not by any means a great one, but as Ben Roethlisberger said in a recent article, it's better than people give them credit for.

Obviously 47 sacks is down right awful, but let's look at some of the reasons why that happened. The first fault is of Ben Roethlisberger's, I mean don't get me wrong I think he's great, but what some people forget is that he never got rid of the ball while under pressure. Now, I don't mind him trying to break away from tackles and sacks from time to time and then make a great play (see week 9 2007), but when you try to do it every time your pressured, you're gonna get slammed; THROW THE BALL AWAY. Big Ben himself, said he needs to throw it away more. Secondly, last year the Steelers turned over the reins to Ben to call protection against blitzing defenders...that's not necessarily the line's fault is it? Bottom line here is that Roethlisberger needs to get better at reading blitzes and throw the ball away when there's no play. Otherwise keep of the great work Ben.

Secondly, several of our linemen went down to injury last year. Half the time we had guys playing in positions that they weren't used to playing in (i.e. Willie Colon). Now losing Faneca will definitely be a major blow to the run blocking and pass protection. But, according to the Steeler's coaches and players, two young guys have been impressing in workouts. These guys are Willie Colon and Chris Kemoeatu . Both have said to be playing well. Not only that, but we did draft a lineman. Tony Hills out of Texas was a very good tackle. Once he 100% he could be a decent tackle.Not only him but also Justin Hartwig, the solid, Pittsburgh-loving center, and undrafted rookie center Doug Legursky, add depth and versatility to our team.

As for the future, we do need to draft young linemen next year. With a lot of issues addressed this year, it'll be clear as crystal that we should draft Offensive or Defensive linemen, but more on that in part 2.

FWP; The Leader

5020 — Fri, 02 May 2008 22:58:08 -0000

I've always been a big fan of Fast Willie Parker. A free agent that languished on the bench in college Parker was taken under the wing/wheel of The Bus and developed into a Pro Bowl starting RB on the Division Champion Steelers. Oh, and Parker has a Super Bowl ring and longest Super Bowl TD run in history to his credit too.

What is a real bonus and must make Bettis proud is that Parker appears to be a Pro Bowl teammate as well. Ed Bouchette writes in todays Post Gazette that Parker took 1st Round Pick Rashard Mendenhall under his wing. Mendenhall says Parker will teach him "How to be a Professional. He is showing me how to work, how to carry yourself as a professional and as a man."

We know Hines is a leader. We all know Big Ben had risen to leadership. For those wondering who else would replace the Bettis, Porter and Faneca's in the locker room FWP has stepped up.

Did anyone notice?

tfetterman — Fri, 02 May 2008 03:58:43 -0000

Is it me, or has anyone else noticed that the Offensive Line really has not been addressed? It is the most crucial restructuring that Pittsburgh has to do, and they really haven't done anything. Ben can't connect to Limas Sweed if he's on his back, and no running back is going very far without a good line. They haven't even addressed the glaring Full Back issue. I'm sorry, but I am finding Tomlin's inexperience to be quite apparent here. With the schedule that he has in front of him, the O'line was paramount and Tomlin blew it. Why would you draft another running back or QB just because he's there when there are so many pressing needs. The only pick that really makes sense is Limas Sweed. Granted, they are great players, but this is a team sport. I love this team, but I just don't get it. Yeah, they got an OT in the fourth round, but he's not playing for a couple years. Max Starks signed, but they made him a transition player for a reason. They question his ability! All of this with losing Faneca! I am so disappointed. I hope they can prove me to be wrong here, and I would love that to be the case. However, I'm just not convinced.