Making the Cut: Roster Predictions
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Well, that time is upon us. It's that point in the pre-season where we have to stop rooting for that underdog, because he never quite measured up. So, understanding that, SteelerWatch presents his 53-Man Roster Prediction.
Players in bold are the players SteelerWatch predicts to make the cut.
Quarterback: Ben Roethlisberger and Charlie Batch never presented us with doubt. But considering Ben's propensity for small injuries, and Batch's age, it would be utterly moronic for the coaching staff to not keep a third QB. And they can no longer just throw Brian St. Pierre on the practice squad, as he has surpassed the point of eligibility. He showed a lot of promise in the pre-season, and will make the cut. Bryan Randall, however, isn't as lucky. Total: 3.
Runningback/Fullback: Willie Parker is in. And disregard the talk: Dan Kreider is in too. He showed his value on Parker's 18-yard touchdown Sunday night — as if he had to prove his worth. Behind them, it gets interesting. Najeh Davenport had his ups and downs, but more often than not he was having an up. He'll be a good "spell" for Parker. Carey Davis had a phenomenal pre-season, and his versatility pretty nearly guarantees him a spot. Kevan Barlow was just cut, so that clears things up a little more. Behind these guys, there's still Gary Russell (who also looked very good), Verron Haynes (who was a little shaky at first put showed some good stuff recently) and John Kuhn. They'll be fighting over, most likely, one spot. As it stands now, Russell gets the nod. Kuhn will probably end up on the practice squad. Total: 5.
Wide Receiver: Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Cedrick Wilson, Nate Washington. Write those four names down, because they're in. Washington started off with a bad case of the dropsies, but he's redeemed himself of late. His timing was perfect with Batch Sunday night on the 30-yard completion to the 1-yard line. Absolutely perfect. There's a bit of a logjam behind him, though. Willie Reid has been good at receiver, but the coaches really want him for his return abilities — which hasn't exactly been a shining part of his game so far given the number of muffed punts he's had in August. Chances are really good he'll make the cut, though, based on the fact that once he actually has the ball in his hands, he holds on to it like it was a baby who just swallowed a four-carat diamond. He'll make a great backup receiver. Dallas Baker, on the other hand, has yet to show his "Touchdown Maker" abilities. Heck, he has yet to show his "First-down Maker" abilities. His biggest moment this season? Swatting a pass backward into the hands of a Philadelphia defender. Not what you want to see. And, being a seventh-round pick, he won't hurt too much to let go. Walter Young will probably wind up finally making the cut because of a very solid pre-season, while Gerran Walker will be sent packing. Total: 6.
Tight End: Heath Miller comes into the season as the starter, and he's got a lot of expectations being placed on him. He can catch, he can run and he can block, but the question is whether or not offensive coordinator Bruce Arians will use him enough. Arians has claimed he wants to, and backed it up by adding 6'7" Matt Spaeth in the draft. Spaeth has been anything but spectacular, though, which means he probably comes into this season third on the depth chart behind Jerame Tuman. Cody Boyd and Jon Dekker never really had much of a chance to show what they could do, and will be the unfortunate victims of the roster cuts. Total: 3.
Offensive Line: Marvel Smith has a deathgrip on the Left Tackle position, and Trai Essex did nothing this off-season to sway anyone's opinion. Willie Colon has outplayed Max Starks at right tackle by leaps and bounds, and will be the starter. Starks will back him up, and if Marvel Smith goes down it's likely that Alan Faneca will be moved from left guard and replaced by Chris Kemoeatu. On the other side of the center, Kendall Simmons has not only secured his starting job over Kemoeatu, he is also rumored to be in talks to extend his contract. Things get a little more iffy at center,where Sean Mahan has almost certainly won the starting job. Behind him is a battle between the more experienced Chukky Okobi and young-but-talented Marvin Philip. The trade-off is simple: get more experience with Okobi, or save almost $2 million with Philip. The rest of the backups are fighting for a limited number of spots, which will most likely be filled by Jason Capizzi and Cameron Stephenson. Remember this about those last two: you didn't hear about them in the pre-season — and with the way this line has been toyed with all month long, no news is good news for those guys. It's a pretty good bet that the odd men out will be Brandon Torrey, who got manhandled Thursday night, Darnell Stapleton and Essex. Total: 10.
Defensive Line: The starters here were set last year: Casey Hampton covering the middle, with Aaron Smith and Brett Kiesel flanking him. Chris Hoke signed an extension and will continue as Hampton's backup. Hoke is good enough to start for most of the 3-4 teams in the league. Behind Kiesel is Travis Kirschke, who will keep his spot based less on performance and more on the fact that he's the best of the rest — which isn't saying much. Shaun Nua has been mediocre at best, as has rookie Ryan McBean. Nua has been even less spectacular though, so McBean will likely win the spot by process of elimination. And defensive tackle Nick Eason doesn't have much hope of playing at his natural position, leaving him only a slim chance of even making it as an end. Total: 6.
Linebacker: Last year's interior starters, James Farrior and Larry Foote, will maintain their positions unchallenged throughout the entire pre-season. This year we'll see a different face at strong-side outside linebacker with James Harrison replacing Joey Porter, but Clark Haggans will return. He'll be spelled on passing downs by LaMarr Woodley. Without a doubt, Woodley has been the best-performing rookie in pre-season play, and looks amazingly comfortable as a 3-4 linebacker after playing 4-3 defensive end in college. First-round pick Lawrence Timmons finally showed the athleticism the coaching staff has been raving about with his extended play Thursday night in Charlotte. While he will likely be used primarily in pass-rush situations, he showed a good nose for the ball in the running game. Clint Kriewaldt will make the roster again, especially after a great play in coverage Thursday as he pulled down an interception after sneaking underneath the receiver unseen. And Arnold Harrison, who SteelerWatch predicted this spring would make the team, has also looked good in limited defensive play and extensive special teams work. Rian Wallace is finally going to miss the cut after a lot of underachieving over the last three seasons, while Ron Stanley and Marquis Cooper likely never had a chance to begin with. Total: 8.
Defensive Backs: Ike Taylor and DeShea Townsend are the starting corners for the third straight season opener, but Bryant McFadden will be breathing down Townsend's neck. He's still a little too raw, but if he winds up getting extensive time on the field as the nickel back — which is likely — he could wind up moving into the starting lineup by season's end. William Gay has shown an amazing ability to find the big play, although he really botched a great opportunity on special teams Thursday when he sat and watch the ball roll right past him into the end zone. Clearly, he needs to work on his awareness, but his instincts are outstanding. Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark will be the starters at safety, but Anthony Smith is another player who has a very strong chance of being a starter by the time Decembers draws to a close. Tyrone Carter constantly straddles the line between really good and really, really awful, but he always seems to be good for a few big plays every year. Plus, combined with Chidi Iwuoma, his great hitting and tackling makes him too good on special teams to cut. Ricardo Colclough may have finally sealed his fate on Thursday when he made absolutely no effort to stop a 46-yard pass to Dwayne Jarrett. He's been a huge disappointment, and he lost his biggest fan when former coach Bill Cowher decided to resign. Jovon Johnson, Anthony Madison, Grant Mason and Mike Lorello also get their walking papers Saturday. Total: 9.
Special Teams: Long snapper Greg Warren comes back because, well, he's good at what he does. He also serves as the HOLY CRAP WHAT DO WE DO?! guy in case the Steelers exhaust all possible options at center. Let's pray that doesn't happen. Dan Sepulveda has already won the punter job after Mike Barr was sent packing yet again earlier this week. And Jeff Reed has shown that his accuracy may be coming back. Oh, he also had four touchbacks in five pre-season games. Thats as many as he had all last year. Total: 3.
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