Because we’re diehard fans, the four of us here at the Lounge spend a lot of time wondering and worrying about the cuts that will get Pittsburgh roster down to 53.
But this morning something struck me. The Steelers may cut a player or two that I wish they would keep, but when it comes to making those decisions, Pittsburgh has proven to be very impressive. Continue reading
Since Gretz is a season-ticket holder, he’s going to take a look at the debauchery and insanity that takes place in the Heinz Field stands after every home game he attends.
A tumultuous Pittsburgh Steelers’ offseason and crazy preseason is finally complete. Then, the unfortunate news arrived this morning that quarterback Byron Leftwich was deemed out for an extended period due to a torn MCL and thus probably ticketed to the IR for a full year. That was then quickly refuted with an ESPN report stating Leftwich only has an MCL sprain and could be back for week No. 2.
If it is a tear, Leftwich will likely go on IR. If not, he will likely make the 53-man roster. We will go with the latter scenario for this post, since reporting by the Tribune-Review does not engender much confidence.
Now it is time for the final projected 53-man opening-day roster for the Steelers, predicted opening-day inactives, unlucky last 16 not to make the team, lucky last 16 clinging to a roster spot and the projected eight-man practice squad.
Week 4 of the preseason is usually boring in the best of situations. When Byron Leftwich left Thursday’s game with a knee injury, it became the equivalent of re-ordering your sock drawer. Charlie Batch came in and handed off — repeatedly — as Pittsburgh tried to burn through the clock as quickly as possible.
That also meant that the Steelers didn’t really get a great evaluation of the backup offensive linemen fighting for the final spots. We got to see plenty of looks at how they run block, but most of the backups got very few chances to pass protect.
But a preseason game is a preseason game, so here’s a look at each and every lineman who played for the Steelers on Thursday night. If you’re looking for positives, Pittsburgh did get plenty of chances to shuffle the line spots — Ramon Foster (right tackle, left guard, right guard) and Doug Legursky (left guard, center, right guard) played three positions each and multiple linemen played two different positions.
A quick daily look at what’s happening around Steelers Nation. And consider this your open thread for discussing the days events and, well, anything else that comes to mind about the Black and Gold.
Mewelde Moore is a fine backup/third down back. But in the preseason, he’s voodoo to Steelers’ quarterbacks.
You may not remember, but it was Moore’s botched assignment during a preseason game in 2008 that led to Charlie Batch breaking his collarbone (Moore went the wrong way and Batch paid the price). Now it was Moore and Jonathan Scott who inadvertently played a part in Byron Leftwich’s MCL injury.
Well, it took nearly a month but injuries finally made their way through the Steelers locker room. Byron Leftwich, apparently Mike Tomlin’s guy since returning to Pittsburgh this offseason, hobbled off the field Thursday after hurting his left knee in the second quarter against the Panthers.
You might wonder why the presumed regular-season starting quarterback was still under center in the second quarter of a Week 4 preseason game. I wonder the same thing. Also curious: why Ben Roethlisberger started the game since it’s likely he’ll be on couch duty until October (unless…).
The Broncos game was a disaster if you listen to Steelers’ fans. Too many penalties, costly interceptions and an ugly final score made Steelers’ fans are a lot more anxious now than they were a week ago, and they were already pretty anxious.
After all, there still is no clear answer to who will be Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback Week 1. But the uncertainty with the offensive line has largely cleared up — it would be shocking if Maurkice Pouncey isn’t the center in the opener and Flozell Adams will be the right tackle.
A quick daily look at what’s happening around Steelers Nation. And consider this your open thread for discussing the days events and, well, anything else that comes to mind about the Black and Gold.
The last time Ben Roethlisberger was in New York to meet with Roger Goodell, it was the day after his Millyvegas-related hobo press conference, quite possibly the lowlight of his Steelers career. Thankfully, somebody had the decency to insist that Ben cut the mullet, shave, iron his clothes, and slap on a tie before the face-to-face with the commissioner.
And this Friday, nearly five months after their first get-together, Ben will again be in the league offices to meet with Rog, this time to learn the length of his suspension. Earlier this week, the Washington Post‘s Mike Wise, unfamiliar with the nuances of social media and truth-telling, tweeted that Ben would get five games. Turns out, that was a joke gone horribly wrong.
Most of us just assumed that Goodell would slap Ben with a four-game suspension for good behavior and the next time we would see him would be against the Browns in Week 6. Well, here’s another wrinkle: Roethlisberger will ask that his suspension be reduced by to three games.
Via ESPN:
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