*Rookie QB Omar Jacobs is no guarantee to be on the roster when the Steelers open against the Miami Dolphins. Jacobs is apparently having a hard time learning the more complicated offense employed in the NFL.
"It's like learning a new language," he said. "You go into Spanish class for the first time and you're like, huh? Then you slowly, gradually learn. It's a lot of motion and formation changes; that's the main thing. Then you have to play with new guys for the first time so you have to get their timing down, and offense is timing. Ben [Roethlisberger] and Hines [Ward] are on the same page; they know where each other's going to be at all times. A backup quarterback is kind of judging when his receiver's going to come out of his route. It's hard to get the timing right now."
Jacobs' struggles with the offense may force the Steelers staff to go with Shane Boyd as their third guy, whose only pro experience prior to this camp was in NFL Europe. I honestly haven't seen enough of Jacobs to claim that he definitely has a future in this league. He obviously has the raw tools, but that's not enough in this league. I think he has more upside than Boyd so I hope he makes some progress and remains on the team. *Barret Brooks, who was arrested Saturday night, called the incident with the police 'a crock'.
"It wasn't as it seemed," he said. "I was just riding a motorcycle and that was the extent of it. I didn't see them," he said. "Once everything comes out and is over with I'll say something, but right now everything's under litigation, so there's nothing left to say. I just want to play football. ... You'll see. I'm telling you guys it was totally blown out of proportion. Once everything comes out, you'll understand."
Hmm...I'm not buying this one. Gossip shmossip. Let's see what transpires. Anyway, we all agree he's an over-the-hill bum who didn't figure to be much of a factor this year anyway. I just hope he's not mentally insane. Seriously. *According to Coach Cowher, Trai Essex pulled his groin 'pretty significantly'. Groin injuries can be tricky. Just when you think you've recovered, they often get tweaked again. This isn't like losing Faneca or Marvel, but it's still a concern. Hopefully he'll heal up in time for a game or two of preseason action.*The Steelers release wide receiver Eugene Wilson, who was sidelined with a hamstring injury for most of camp.