SteelerWatch

Okay, after a weekend excursion to Raleigh, N.C. (no, I didn’t see Bill Cowher anywhere) I’m back. Seems like very little went on in the ‘Burgh this weekend, football-wise. Here’s a brief rundown:

• - Left guard Alan Faneca skipped all offseason workouts and this weekend’s minicamp. Rumor has it he may consider holding out because of what he calls a contract dispute. However, his disagreement with the front office on their pick for head coach probably plays an even bigger role in his absences thus far.
• - Wide receiver Hines Ward has spoken with Faneca, but has no insight on Big Al’s future. However, he believes it is now time for the team to accept the fact that Chin and Peezy are gone and start acting like a team. He also called on more veterans to step up and be leaders.
• - Cowher says he may never return to coaching again, but refuses to completely rule it out.
• - Elsewhere in the ‘Burgh, the Penguins closed a fantastic season with a whimper, losing to the Ottawa Senators in five games in the first round of the NHL playoffs. They’re young and most players were in their first postseason series. Good luck next year, guys — and congrats on a fine season.
• - After starting the season on fire, the Buccos are looking more like the Pirates we’ve come to know and (hate to) love.

Expect the second half of the SteelerWatch mock draft this afternoon, barring any further delays.

The Steelers (finally) made a second unrestricted free agent signing this year, inking former Cleveland Brown Nick Eason to a one-year deal. The defensive tackle will add some depth to a talented, but shallow, group that includes current starters Aaron Smith (re-signed this year) and Brett Kiesel.

The urgency of signing a DT for depth was exacerbated last week when UFA Rodney Bailey was signed by the Cardinals, adding to the former members of the family who have already made their way to Arizona — including former Offensive Coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, who filled the head coach position that was left vacant when Dennis Green was fired after the 2006 season.

The contract is believed to be for the league minimum.

This is a big season for Pittsburgh. And I don’t mean because of a new coaching staff, coming off a weak season, the departure of Joey Porter (and the subsequent mauling of new Bengals uber-weenie Levi Jones in a Vegas casino), or anything else that has made for big headlines in the ‘Burgh this offseason. I mean the fact that, including the preseason, they play a total of 1) 21 games, and 2) no fewer than seven games nationally televised. That’s a full one of every three games.

But enough about that. Here’s how the finer points stack out:

• - Season opener on 9/9 in Cleveland
• - Home opener on 9/16 versus Buffalo
• - Whis and Grimmbo take on their old team in their new home, 9/30
• - Bye week is Week 6
• - Ugly stretch starts a week before the bye, with consecutive games against Seattle,@Denver, @Cincy and against Baltimore
• - Sunday night games on 10/21 (@Denver) and 12/2 (home versus Cincy)
• - Monday night games on 11/5 (home versus Baltimore) and 11/26 (home versus Miami)
• - Thursday night game 12/20 (@St. Louis)
• - Regular season finale 12/30 at Baltimore

Analysis
The key this season will be a strong start. The season begins with four very winnable games: @Cleveland, versus Buffalo, versus San Francisco, @Arizona. The tough stretch mentioned above follows immediately, so it will be important to establish momentum headed into that mess. After Baltimore the team gets a little bit of a breather, home versus Cleveland and against the Jets in the Meadowlands. Miami could be a toss-up, depending which Daunte Culpepper shows up — but it’s a return home for Porter, so emotions will be high on both sides of the ball.

After Miami is another tough stretch, with Cincy coming to town, then a road trip to New England and back home to take on the Jaguars. The Patriots have an insane number of draft picks this year, including two in the final third of the first round and four compensatory picks. The Jags have committed to Byron Leftwich this season, which SteelerWatch believes is a mistake, and he could prove to be the pivotal player in that game.

The team better take it to St. Louis, because the regular season finale in Baltimore will be a heck of a challenge and momentum will be crucial. Depending on the current situation in the division and the conference, a lot could be on the line — including a division title or even home-field advantage.

Expect Tomlin to use the first four games, and the majority of preseason, testing out the possible 4-3 looks that we could use to confuse the tougher teams on the schedule, and possibly to play the Ravens a little conservative at home to prepare for a season-ending sneak attack.

Conclusion
The games probably couldn’t have fallen much better. The season starts with a string of very winnable games, and expect Tomlin to start attacking early and often to establish himself in the league.

Even though there has been football practice every August at St. Vincent College, the school hasn’t had a football team for almost 45 years. That will all change this fall for the Bearcats, and they will play their home games on a field named for former Steelers head coach Chuck Noll.

The college, which annually hosts Steelers training camp, will restart its Division III varsity football program for the first time since 1962, and they have begun constructiuon on seating for the field that will hold a modest 1,050.

The college has other structures named for Steeler-related personalities, including Rooney Hall, a dormitory used by the Steelers each summer during training camp.

Information from this post gathered from Steelers.com

The Steelers yesterday played host to Oklahoma defensive lineman Ryan McBean, one day after visits from Ohio State running back Antonio Pittman and Hawaii defensive end Ikaika Alama-Francis.

Pittman, even smaller than Willie Parker at a meager 207 pounds, may be used as depth behind Parker if drafted. However, a running back likely will not be drafted in Pittsburgh until day two.

More importantly, the visits from two defensive linemen is a very telling sign that the Steelers are attempting to bolster a front three (or maybe four?) that played well in 2006 but generated virtually no pass rush. McBean, at 286 pounds, would likely fit in either as a 3-4 end or, if he can add another 15 to 20 pounds, at defensive tackle in a 4-3 alignment.

Alama-Francis, on the other hand, is viewed as the prototypical 3-4 end and has been compared to Luis Castillo by numerous sources. He is likely to be a mid-second round pick, which means he may just fall right into the Steelers’ laps. However, his stock has been rising lately and he could find his way up a few spots.

Preseason looks like more of the same, to a certain extent, in 2007. Philadelphia (Week 3, Aug. 26) and Carolina (Week 4, Aug. 31-Sept. 2) both show up on the schedule again, for at least the fifth consecutive year each. Likewise, Washington (Week 2, Aug. 16-20) is on the schedule for the second time in three years. The Week 1 (Aug. 9-13) opponent is Green Bay, and the team plays this year in Canton, Ohio’s Hall of Fame Game versus New Orleans. We’ll call that Week 0 for the sake of continuity.

As I mentioned in the past, the Hall of Fame Game is a “bonus” game, and it will give new coach Mike Tomlin the most possible preseason games to get his team ready. That’s something most of us prayed for after last season anyway, new coach or not.

Ed Bouchette over at the Post-Gazette talked to Big Ben and got it straight from the horse’s mouth: he just didn’t play well. Ben says he disagreed with former offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt that his play dropped off as a result of the off-field adversity he faced throughout the summer and fall of 2006, and hinted that all may not have been well with his relationship with Whis: “There were a lot of things I didn’t agree with Whis about … “

Peezy isn’t gone a week and the ‘Burgh apparently has its new Bad Boy — or, at least, some weirdo guy named Chris Graham seems to think so.

According to a police report filed over the weekend, Graham was approached by cornerback Deshea Townsend and the Invisible Steeler, Raymond Burgess. I say invisible because Graham identified Burgess as someone he recognized as a Steeler. Burgess is in no way affiliated with the team. With that statement alone, Graham’s report of the entire story immediately loses any hope of being accurate.

For his part, Townsend has not denied that an altercation occurred between Graham and Burgess. He denies, however, Grahams assertion that Townsend repeatedly punched him in the face.

Witnesses apparently include police officers, and they say Townsend only broke up the fight. That’s a much more believable perspective, considering Townsend’s demeanor. Think back to the days when DeWayne Washington was a Steeler: he and Townsend made for what was inarguably the most docile cornerback tandem in league history.

The entire story is over at the Post-Gazette. They tell it better than I do; they’re the news outlet, I just spew out my own take on things. And besides, it’s about time I return some more of their Link Love.

This is why I love Pittsburgh.

One state away, nine Cincinnati Bengals have been arrested in the last year, from DUIs to weapons charges. In fact, all around the league, it seems like there are players always in trouble with the law. But not in the ‘Burgh.

In fact, the Steelers are basically the antithesis to the rest of the league when it comes to criminal behavior. Think back to Byron “Bam” Morris, the then-up-and-coming star running back who was caught with marijuana. Three days later, he was fired — even though he was leading the team in rushing and was in the top five around the league. Nine Bengals were arrested and nine Bengals are still employed. It’s just a different attitude — honesty-is-the-best-policy versus win-at-all-costs.

It’s not shocking, then, that DeShea Townsend, a former Steelers cornerback, was once featured in a United Way commercial that ran for three seasons. It’s also no shock that two current players have been honored this week for their work in the community.

Running back Verron Haynes was honored Tuesday by the City Council and had the day named in his honor because of his involvement in the Pittsburgh community. Haynes is the Steelers’ spokesman for the Boys & Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania. You can read the entire article at Steelers.com. For those of us who aren’t fortunate enough to live in or around Pittsburgh anymore, we don’t get to see all the effort the team makes to improve the city. This may be the best story people outside Pittsburgh won’t hear this year.

Also honored was safety Troy Polamalu, inarguably the heart and soul of the entire team. Polamalu was named the 2007 Downtown Pittsburgh YMCA’s Person of the Year. Polamalu has a history of giving back to the Pittsburgh community and, given his humble nature and strong work ethic, it’s no surprise that he has been honored by an organization that works to educate and improve our communities nationwide. Again, see the complete article at Steelers.com.

Coach Tomlin finally gets to test his mettle on August 5 as the Steelers will take on the New Orleans Saints in the NFL’s annual Hall of Fame Bowl in Canton, Ohio. The game will pit two young coaches abd a pair of outstandingly talented teams.

The game will be viewable on the NFL Network. So, for those of you who don’t yet have this channel, now would be a good time to start annoying the heck out of your cable carriers.