The Steel Tradition

Steelers sign James Harrison to record-breaking deal

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:05:07 -0500

The Pittsburgh Steelers have rewarded linebacker James Harrison for his incredible 2008 season with a six-year, $51.175 million. According to ESPN's John Clayton, about $20 million of the contract is guaranteed through bonuses.

Steelers' linebacker James Harrison seemed to do everything right during the 2008 season. He led the team with 16 sacks and was the leader of the #1 ranked defense in the league. He was named the NFL's defensive player of the year and returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown in the Steelers Super Bowl 43 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.

Pittsburgh continues it's precedent, set with the prior signings of Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu and Ben Roethlisberger, of tying up their best players to long-term deals. Signing Harrison was obviously their top priority heading into the offseason, and once again, they got the job done.

Look for the Steelers to focus their attention on the upcoming draft and the current crop of free agent wide receivers. Don't be surprised if the Steelers also focus their attention on tight end Heath Miller, who also becomes a free agent next season.

Steel Tradition Super Sunday with 2009 draft needs

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 12:06:54 -0500

The Pittsburgh Steelers waltz into the 2009 season as the defending super bowl champions, and are loaded with just as much talent as that 2008 championship team. Pittsburgh heads towards the 2009 NFL draft having lost only four players that made any sort of contribution in 2009. Starting cornerback Bryant McFadden (Cardinals) and wide receiver Nate Washington (Titans) were the most significant of these players, and will be missed. Who were gladly released were offensive guard Kendall Simmons and offensive tackle Marvel Smith (49ers), who both made their way out of the Steel City after both missed nearly the whole season with injuries, and were just as missing when they were healthy.

The Steelers have yet to sign a free agent from another club, instead focusing on resigning several of their own free agents. It's obvious that their in-house signings focused on the offensive linemen that the front office deemed worthwhile, special teams, and depth. The Steelers re-signed offensive guard Chris Kemoeautu to a five-year deal, franchised offensive tackle Max Starks, and tendered a one-year deal to restricted free agent, offensive tackle Willie Colon. Offensive tackle Trai Essex was also re-signed to a two-year deal, giving the Steelers a foundation to work from on the line, if only for a year. The Steelers re-signed linebackers Keyaron Fox, Andre Frazier and Arnold Harrison, as well as cornback Anthony Madison to continue to bolster their vastly improved special teams. Cornerback Fernando Bryant, fullback Carey Davis, and tight end/fullback Sean McHugh were all re-signed to provide depth in two areas of need. Even though these signings certainly are the unsung types of moves that Super Bowl champs need to make it still leaves the Steelers with several glaring needs as the draft moves closer.

Leftwich signs two-year deal with Bucs

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 11:43:03 -0500

Michael Smith and John Clayton from ESPN are both reporting that Byron Leftwich has signed a two-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, officially leaving the Pittsburgh Steelers where he served as Ben Roethlisberger's back-up during their 2008 Super Bowl run. Leftwich had joined the Steelers last season after perennial back-up, Charlie Batch, missed the entire season thanks to a broken clavicle. Now it appears as though Leftwich will have an opportunity to start with the Bucs, who have a virtual who's who of mid-range quarterbacking possibilities. It also will allow Leftwich to play closer to his Atlanta home, as well as his South Florida practice facility.

In the wonderful world of NFL free agency, reports out of Tampa Bay as late as yesterday had the Buccaneers closing the door on Leftwich in favor of potentially drafting Josh Freeman in two weeks. The Steelers had a two-year deal on the table and were the favorites to re-sign the quarterback, and the Washington Redskins were the odd team out. Of course, none of those reports were even close to being correct.

Where does this leave the Steelers? Charlie Batch, who has been working out and practicing with the Steelers even though he's an unrestricted free agent, will likely receive a one or two year deal to stay with the club, allowing Dennis Dixon to remain with the team as the third string quarterback. Of course, there are some theories that would have Dixon come in as the back-up, although they are far-fetched. The Steelers will no doubt sign Batch, or another veteran to give Dixon at least one more season of development.

Will Dennis Dixon be the back up to Big Ben this year?

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 15:51:13 -0500

In his Senior season at Oregon, Dennis Dixon showed he had the potential to not only be an NFL quarterback, but the potential to be a great one.

Starting his senior season, Dixon was considered by many to not only be a Heisman Trophy favorite, but the best signal caller in the NCAA.

In the second game of his Senior year, Dixon led the Oregon Ducks to a surprising 39-7 win at Michigan. Completing 16 of 25 passes for 292 yards and 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions. Dixon also added 76 yards on 16 rushes with one score.

Everything came crashing down in a November 15th game against Arizona, when Dixon tore his ACL.

Instead of possibly being taken in the first round, Dixon had to wait until the fifth to hear his name called.

Even then, Dixon could not perform completely until training camp started. He missed out on valuable practice time, which is so important, especially to a rookie QB.

Steelers break tradition with potential Harrison deal

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 12:14:50 -0500

The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to sign the 2008 defensive player of the year James Harrison to a new, long-term deal that should allow the outside linebacker to retire as a member of the black and gold. The deal has yet to be signed, but multiple sources have stated that the Steelers should consummate the deal with their top defender after the Easter holiday, likely scheduling a press conference on either Monday or Tuesday. It's unknown what the length and terms of the contract are, although it would be a safe assumption that it's going to be at least four or five years, and in the realm of $45 million dollars, with $20 million or more guaranteed.

The Steelers have a history of releasing 30-ish linebackers as opposed to signing them to new, long-term deals. Greg Lloyd (32), Levon Kirkland (31) and Joey Porter (29) were all in similar positions and were allowed to move on to greener pastures. Lloyd and Kirkland were not-so-arguably on the downsides of their careers. Lloyd played only one more insignificant season with the Carolina Panthers, while Kirkland toiled for two more years in Philadelphia and Seattle, before retiring. Harrison replaced Porter when the outspoken linebacker was released by Pittsburgh. Mike Tomlin had been hired as the new coach, and the Steelers decided to make some cap room and allow Harrison to take over the position. Porter had 17.5 sacks last season, to Harrison's 16.

Let's be honest. None of those guys were as good as James Harrison was last season, and that's not easy to say.

The Steelers will likely need to move around some money to get this deal to work. Some of that movement may come from a long-term deal for Max Starks, who signed his one-year tender of $8.45 million dollars after the Steelers franchised the offensive tackle in February. The salary is guaranteed, and the Steelers are hoping to sign the big tackle to a four or five year deal that would supersede his franchise tender. Starks, however, has proven to be stubborn in the past. When the Steelers tendered a contract to Starks last year as their transition player, Starks refused to sign a long term contract that would have given the Steelers some cap relief. It's believed he'll play hard ball once again, especially with a starting job nearly locked up.

The Steelers potentially have 11 more (counting Starks) starters who will be free agents at the end of the 2009 season, including tailback Willie Parker and Tight End Health Miller. Look for the rest of the offseason to be very interesting, as the Steelers attempt to improve their 2009 team, and set the tone for 2010 and beyond.

Steelers offer Leftwich 2-year deal

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 11:27:43 -0500

Byron Leftwich may just be out of options in his quest to compete for a starting NFL quarterback job, which may just be good news for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Leftwich, who served as Ben Roethlisberger's clipboard holder during last season's Super Bowl run, was offered a two-year deal to remain with the team, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette. The Steelers reportedly have offered Leftwich a deal only slightly above the veteran league minimums of $620,000 in 2009 and $755,000 in 2010.

The proposed deal isn't much of a surprise, since the Steelers have been attempting to sign Leftwich since Super Bowl 43 ended. What is a bit of surprise is that Leftwich may actually accept the deal. Leftwich was garnering a good bit of attention this week from the Washington Redskins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who both are looking for quarterbacks to compete for their starting job. Obviously Leftwich wants to start, but it's still believed that he would have signed with the Steelers had they only offered him a one-year deal, and made it more lucrative than it's believed they have offered. The Steelers haven't backed off their offer, and it may pay off in the end, especially if it's the only offer out there.

Steve Bisciotte knows: The Baltimore Ravens Fear the Pittsburgh Steelers

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 22:24:41 -0500

I have been mulling this article in my head for almost two weeks now. Trying to figure out a way to say this, without incurring the wrath of the Baltimore Ravens faithful.

But that is apparently not going to be possible because the truth must be told.

I want to start off by saying that I have a lot of respect for the Baltimore Ravens. If they were in any other division, with the exception of the AFC South, or NFC East, they would have won their division last year.

They are built very similar to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Great defense, above average running game, they drafted a Big Ben look a like. Two teams with very much in common.

Here is where the problem lies.

Last season, the Baltimore Ravens started the season with a 17-10 win at home over the Cincinnati Bengals. Having to switch their schedule around due to a hurricane hitting Houston, Baltimore entered their week 3 game against the Cleveland Browns coming off a bye week, and handed them a 28-10 beat down.

Pittsburgh started the season 2-0, falling in week 3 to the Philadelphia Eagles, showing that their O-line was not that spectacular.

What happened leading up to the week 4 Monday night showdown, in Pittsburgh, some strange things started coming out of Baltimore.

In a press conference a few days before the game, rookie Head Coach John Harbaugh declared that this Ravens team was a dynasty in the making.

In addition to that, Ray Lewis said the same thing prior to the game. Saying that this was the beginning of the dynasty. 3-0 baby!

The Monday night match up lived up to its hype.

The Steelers and Ravens batteled it out in a defensive slug fest. Baltimore held the lead at half time, making the Steelers offense look confused in the first half.

At the beginning of the second half, the Steeler crowd was quiet. Until a James Harrison sack/fumble that LaMarr Woodley picked up and returned for a touchdown.

This seemed to ignite the fire in the Steelers, who two drives later, Ben Roethlisberger hit Santonio Holmes for a touchdown and the lead.

Baltimore fought back and took the game into overtime, only to see Jeff Reed kick a 46 yard field goal, and give the Steelers the win.

In Week 15, the Steelers traveled to Baltimore to play a game that would end up being for the AFC North crown.

Again, another defensive battle. This one ended on a controversial, last minute touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger again to Santonio Holmes.

There was a review on the play, where the referees initally called no score, but after review reversed their decision.

The next week, CBS used a state of the art computer program to prove that the ball did touch the goal line after Holmes had possession. However, it was still controversial due to the fact that the refs may not have had indisputable evidence of that fact.

Pittsburgh wins the division.

After stomping Miami in the wild card round, the Ravens traveled to Tennessee, the top seed in the AFC, and upset them in Ravens fashion.

Pittsburgh handled San Diego at home, to set up the third meeting of the year. This one for a trip to the Super Bowl.

In my opinion, this was the greatest game of the year. Better than the first two meetings, by far.

It was punch for punch. Ben Roethlisberger hurt his ribs, Willis McGahee got taken off the field on a stretcher.

It was a tight game until Troy Polamalu returned a Joe Flacco interception, in Ed Reed style, for a touchdown that sealed the game, and a trip to the Super Bowl, for Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh and Baltimore is a rivalry for the ages. When these two teams play, it is gloves off, knock down, drag out, kick in your teeth excitement.

I do not think you will find a Steeler OR Raven fan that does not agree with that statement.

These teams should play every game in prime time. One on Monday night, and the other on Thanksgiving. EVERY YEAR.

That, unfortunately will not happen this year. Which leads me to the point of the article.

Because the Steelers won the Super Bowl, they will host the first game of the 2009 NFL season.

Any team can request to play a specific team for certain games, as the Dallas Cowboys did last year, requesting to play their home finally against the Ravens. They can also request not to be in certain games against teams.

That is exactly what the Baltimore Ravens have done.

They did not only request not to open the season in Pittsburgh, they requested to not have to play the Steelers, in Pittsburgh, at night.

No opening game. No Sunday night football. No Monday night football.

In an article dated March 20th, in the Baltimore Sun (through profootballtalk.com), by Jamison Hensley, it is stated by a Ravens source that they had no interest in playing the Steelers in Pittsburgh during prime time. A link to the article is at the bottom of the page.

Why would the Ravens want to deny their team, their "Dynasty in the making", a chance to beat the defending Super Bowl champions, on their field, in prime time?

The only excuse I can gather is they know they cant win there. And if they are afraid to play there, then there can only be one reason.

They are scared!

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-ravens320,0,7828732.story

A night spent watching a legend

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 09:23:21 -0500

Bill Cowher is a quiet man.

He's not the red-in-the-face, shower-you-in-spit hard-ass us Steelers fans would expect after 15 gritty seasons as head coach of one of the NFL's most storied franchises. He's not the guy who once, very publicly, crammed an overhead photo of the field into a referee's shirt pocket at half-time to prove, once and for all, that there were not 12 of his players on the field. No, he's...

A family man.

These days, the former coach is, from my observations, enjoying finally having a chance to be not just a father, but a dad. Chances are, his position as analyst for CBS's Sunday coverage during the NFL season has him spending far fewer hours away from home than he did in two decades on the sidelines. In fact, I'd bet he spends more waking hours at home in two weeks than he did throughout an entire season.

I don't know these things for certain. But I did have the opportunity Tuesday night to shake the hand of the modern-day legend, and spent two hours quietly observing what is probably a pretty typical night in his now relatively docile life.

And, because facial expressions probably paint a much clearer picture of someone's reality than their words do, I'm comfortable saying the man is in no hurry to rejoin the coaching ranks.

I didn't get more than about five words out of him. It was Senior Appreciation Night -- or something like that -- at his youngest daughter's school here in Raleigh, North Carolina, and she was definitely being appreciated. Lindsay Cowher, a tall, blonde, and very athletic young lady, appeared to be relishing playing her final basketball game for the enormous private school. In fact, the only person who seemed to be enjoying it more was the proud father.

There he sat, at mid-court and halfway up the bleachers, rarely gesturing, occasionally shouting something like, "there you go!" when his daughter sank a tough shot, but always, always smiling.

The icing on the cake: the home team won, 67-48, almost entirely on the strength of outstanding play from the youngest Cowher and one other departing senior.

I approached him a few minutes after the senior athletes were recognized for their efforts, and even as I introduced myself and shook his hand, it was obvious he was too lost in this "dad moment" to pay anything else much attention; if Attila the Hun had walked up to him at that moment, he would have smiled politely and gone back to absorbing the events of the night.

Lindsay will be leaving home this fall to attend college at Wofford, in Spartanburg, South Carolina -- the last of the birds to leave the nest. So, after coming home to the family following fifteen years as a head coach and many more as an assistant, Bill Cowher will have another adjustment to make: he'll be home, and the family will be away.

Rumors abound here in North Carolina that Cowher is still on the short list to eventually succeed John Fox as head coach of the Carolina Panthers, when the time comes for Fox to ride into the Charlotte sunset. Maybe then, with all his children grown, Cowher will rejoin the ranks and put the headset back on. But for now, it's clear he's perfectly content just being Dad.

Super Sunday with the Steelers direction in 2009, and why I'm sick of Ken Whisenhunt

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 13:27:46 -0500

There is no rest for the weary, even if you are the Super Bowl Champions.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have locked away their sixth Lombardi trophy in their south-side offices, and have begun the long, arduous offseason process to make sure the Steelers maintain their talent level in 2009.

Top on the Steelers' list of improvements will be to their offensive line, which is not only talent-deprived, but has several players that will become unrestricted free agents heading into 2009. That may not be a bad thing.

Chris Kemoeatu, Max Starks, Marvel Smith and Trai Essex are all unrestricted, with Willie Colon coming in as a restricted free agent. Colon struggled all season long with penalties and getting blown off the ball. Starks played well, ironically enough, replacing Marvel Smith, who missed most of the season with a bad back. Starks was franchised last year, and did make far too much money for his play this season. That's where the problems begin. He'll likely still be looking for too much money With question marks regarding every lineman except for center Justin Hartwig, the Steelers will definately need to address it through free agency and the draft. Who the Steelers keep past this season is up in the air.

Check out the Steelers other 2009 priorities, the newest Steeler and why Whis needs to build his own team, after the jump...

I GOT A FEELIN!!! The Pittsburgh Steelers win their 6th Super Bowl!!!!

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 21:53:20 -0500

STEELERS FOOTBALL IS 60 MINUTES....

What's left to say about this football game that wasn't said between the lines at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. In a battle of the two obvious best football teams in the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers came back late in the fourth quarter to defeat the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 to win Super Bowl 43.

For the past two weeks, the Arizona Cardinals have been called the Cardiac Cardinals for their late season heroics, and it looked as though they had done it again when Kurt Warner hit Larry Fitzgerald on a short crossing pattern that turned into a 64-yard touchdown pass with 2:37 seconds left in the game. The Cardinals took a 23-20 lead, and the way their defense was playing, it didn't look pretty for Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Of course, Roethlisberger, who seems to have ice in his veins, threw on his helmet and went to work. After a holding penalty, Roeth hit Santonio Holmes for 14 yards, then rushed a pass to Nate Washington that took the game to the two-minute warning. On third and six, Roeth hit Holmes for a thirteen yard gain and another important first down. Roeth got another first down with a pass to Washington for 11 yards. Roeth ran up the middle for four yards and used their second timeout to stop the clock at the Cardinals 46-yard line. After the timeout, Roethlisberger hit Santonio Holmes on an out to the right, and Holmes busted it for 40 yards to the Cardinals six-yard line. Roeth nearly had a touchdown on first down when he found Santonio Holmes in the corner of the endzone that the big game receiver couldn't bring down. They weren't done yet.

Roethlisberger went back to Holmes on the very next play, catching a perfect pass to the right of the endzone. Holmes, not only made THE CATCH of the game, but got his feet down into the corner of the endzone to give the Steelers the 27-23 lead, and ultimately, their sixth Super Bowl victory.

First Half Report: James Harrison steels show with record breaking play

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 20:01:22 -0500

Why talk about anything but the last play of the second half. Sure, Pittsburgh dominated the first quarter of play, and were only stopped from a 14-0 lead by about a half-yard. Sure, you could complain about Tomlin not going for a touchdown if you want to. Yes, you could talk about how the Steelers essentially took Larry Fitzgerald out of the first half. You can even admit to thinking that the Cards had not only figured the Steelers out, but were about to take a 14-10 lead at the end of the first half. We'll get into all of that after the game...if I'm sober enought to talk about it.

What we need to talk about now is the Steelers' defense, and just how good it is. In particular, you'd have forgotton about the NFL defensive player of the year, who had been pretty quiet for the entire first half.

With 18 seconds left in the half, and the Cardinals on the Steelers' one yard line, Harrison walked up to the line looking like he was set to blitz. He didn't, and dropped back into coverage, right where Warner was throwing the ball. Harrison picked the pass off and returned the interception 100 yards for a Steelers touchdown, which was the longest touchdown in Steelers' history. What was set up to be either a 14-10 Cardinals lead at best, or a 10-10 tie at worst, turned into a Steelers 10 point lead.

Talk about a big turn.

Roethlisberger had a nice first half, going 11-14 for 130 yards and an interception that was off a deflection. For those counting at home, that's more than he had in Super Bowl 40, for the entire game. Heath Miller has four catches for 47 yards, and Santonio Holmes has three catches for 37 yards. Nate Washington could have had the biggest play of the game, but Roethlisberger slightly underthrew him in what would have been a touchdown. Hines Ward looks healthy, but it's obvious that they are looking to Holmes as their #1 option.

Pittsburgh has held the ball for over 17 minutes in the first half, to just over 12 for the Cardinals. If the Steelers can control the third quarter, as they have all season long, they can put this game away.

More after the game...

Potential Steelers stars in the making

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 15:18:55 -0500

3:30 PM--The Steelers and Cardinals have both arrived at the stadium, and are just now prepping for the Super Bowl, which will start in three hours.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are favored in Super Bowl 43, and they should be. On paper, this team is the better football team than the Cardinals. Of course, we play the games for a reason. Being better on paper doesn't always lead to victory. With that said, which Steelers player is most likely to step out in the national spotlight in this big game?

Led by Ben Roethlisberger, Willie Parker, Hines Ward, James Harrison and Troy Polamalu, the Steelers are ripe with star power heading into Super Bowl 43. These players generally not only show up, but perform at a high level. There are several Steelers who everyone in Pittsburgh knows, but just might be ready to become a nationally known player.

Here's a quick look at a list of players who just might be destined to break out in Super Bowl 43:

The Mike Tomlin effect on Super Bowl 43

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 12:39:25 -0500

A lot has been made over the past two weeks about Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt, Cardinals assistant head coach Russ Grimm and Cardinals special teams coach Kevin Spencer having been former Steelers' coaches. All three were on Bill Cowher's staff when the Steelers won the Super Bowl Championship in 2005, and all three have a pretty intimate knowledge of the way the Steelers play football.

Both Whisenhunt and Grimm spent practices facing off against current Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau. Sure, Whisenhunt and Grimm were focused on their weekly opponent's offensive schemes, but there still should be a common knowledge of the 3-4, zone-blitzing defense that LeBeau made famous. Fortunately for the Steelers, there's one main difference between January of 2007 that saw Whis, Grimm and Spencer leave, and January of 2009:

...his name is Mike Tomlin.

Super Sunday on a Steelers Super Bowl Sunday

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 09:20:28 -0500

Super Bowl Sunday...it really does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it? The Steelers are playing in their seventh Super Bowl today (any fan knows this, but did ESPN really have to run this on their scroll for two straight weeks?), and it never really gets old. There is certainly not going to be my last post today, as I'll be throwing them out every couple of hours or so. Once we get closer to the game, I'll throw out my final predictions, but for now, here are some random thoughts.

Game time is after 6:00, and the weather is supposed to be chilly for Tampa (50's and 60's), but no problem for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Compared to the weather the Steelers have played in since November, this is downright balmy. The Steelers' offense has struggled a bit over the past couple of months. No, they haven't been horrible, but when the season started, there was a certain belief that this offense would be better than it has been. With all the cogs playing today, and only one real injury to talk about (Hines Ward), could this offense click with the mild weather? I think it will. Willie Parker's going to run all over the place today, and Nate Washington is an under the radar guy. If WARD is even close to himself, the Cards D, better than advertised, will still be overwhelmed. Don't forget about Ben. I'm sure it will be nice not throwing in below zero temperatures, and minus the 80 MPH winds.

I grew up with the Steelers having the most Super Bowls in the league. If they can manage to win this Super Bowl, they'll be back in the pantheons as the team with the most. There's some sort of symmetry to that. I was talking to a good friend of mine, who lives in San Francisco, and is a 49ers fan, and he didn't have no bitterness about it if it should happen. "I grew up with the Steelers on top too. It gives the rest something to shoot for." He's rooting for the Steelers, citing, "...their an NFC team, in the same division as my 49ers. Why in the hell would I root for a team I hate, just because they play in the NFC? I hope the Steelers kick their A$$." More power to you.

Kurt Warner wears gloves. Remember when Ben Roethlisberger did?

Lawrence Timmons has a blog. and he's thrown out a couple from Tampa. Timmons is, of course, from Florida, so he's had an interesting experiece with the same ole', same ole'.

Rod Woodson made it into the hall of fame, and should have. He's one of the greats of all time.

Dermontti Dawson got screwed again. Randall McDaniel, a long-time guard and deserved hall-of-famer, made it in on his third try after 12 pro bowls, and being a seven time, first team all-pro. Dawson rolled out seven pro bowls, and was a six time, first team all-pro. Dwight Stephenson, one of the great all time centers whose career was cut short by injury, made it to a grand total of five pro bowls, and was a four time, first team all-pro. Dawson deserves to get in. Next year's chances? Well, Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith are locked and loaded to get in in their first chance. Receivers Tim Brown and Cris Carter are likely to get a serious look. Could Dawson make it in then? For his sake, I hope he does.

Steel Tradition will be updating all day long. There's a party rolling out here at Steel Tradition central (not started quite yet, but should be), but I, or someone else, will make sure to get something up.

Super Sunday for the Super Steelers

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 23:59:59 -0500

The Steelers roll into Tampa with the #1 ranked defense in the NFL, and it's every bit as good as advertised. The Cardinals fly into Tampa with the #2 offense in the NFL, and the hottest player in the league in Larry Fitzgerald. Something's gotta give in a match-up that really is gaining a buzz to it.

The Steelers defense will do what it does best, and that's get after the quarterback. A lot has been made of the zone blitzing that Kurt Warner is looking forward to, which is an absolute joke to be honest. The reality is that the Steelers can get pressure on the quarterback without blitzing. It gets so ridiculous on the Steelers D, that they've been known to rush two linebackers, a safety and a lineman, while dropping two other lineman back into coverage. This is a team with horses.