fordfixer
09-04-2008, 03:11 PM
Steelers Team Report
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=A ... eam_report (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AnbAdgPCfGvMhKiqPtUMRVOT2bYF?slug=teamre ports-2008-nfl-pit&prov=sportsxchange&type=team_report)
The team with the NFL’s toughest schedule plays one of its weaker opponents in its opener at home, and it’s essential for the Pittsburgh Steelers to get off to a quick start.
And the Houston Texans, 8-8 last season in one of the NFL’s best divisions, aren’t weak by any stretch. They’re just not among the elite the Steelers must face in a grueling schedule that has them playing four of their next five games on the road.
Lose this, and it could be a long season in Mike Tomlin’s second as coach.
They were 7-1 in the regular season of 2007 at Heinz Field and need to take advantage of that again if they want to defend their AFC North title.
“There’s no place like home,” Tomlin said. “Steelers Nation is always out and ready for some action. We feed off of that, we do.”
They are, essentially, the same team as last season with 19 of 22 starters returning, but they’ve changed in some subtle ways. They believe they’ve upgraded themselves in two of the three new starters—center Justin Hartwig (replacing Sean Mahan, who was traded to Tampa Bay Tuesday) and left outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley (Clark Haggans, signed as a UFA in Arizona). Chris Kemoeatu is not an improvement over seven-time Pro Bowl left guard Alan Faneca, but Kemoeatu did well in the preseason and his coaches are happy with him.
Mewelde Moore (UFA, Vikings) is their new third-down back, an improvement over the menagerie they’ve used there the past two seasons. Moore can block, catch and run. He also will return punts.
Rookie Rashard Mendenhall will return kicks but his use as a running back, at least in the early going, may have taken a setback when he lost three fumbles in the last two preseason games. Tomlin may be hesitant at using him, especially in crucial spots, because of it.
“That’s to be determined,” Tomlin said. “We’re looking at his preparation this week, his attention to detail in terms of how he executes his assignments, and his level of ball security. That process will be ongoing. That’s what it’s about. We’ll see as we get closer to game time.”
Woodley should help their pass rush after getting six sacks last season, including the playoff, in limited playing time. Another second-year linebacker, Lawrence Timmons, has had an impact in the preseason and will get some spot play at inside linebacker as well as his regular duties on the nickel defense. Before too long, he could unseat Larry Foote as the starter.
“The thing is with those guys, we’re blessed with great depth at the linebacker position,” Tomlin said. “Those guys are going to play for us—James Farrior, Larry Foote and Lawrence Timmons. I could care less who runs out of the tunnel. That’s irrelevant. What is relevant is that those three play football for us because they’re playmakers. You’ll see that on Sunday.”
Another boost to the defense could be the return to health of strong safety Troy Polamalu. A four-time Pro Bowler, Polamalu played through several injuries last season and did not play up to his level. When he’s healthy, he helps set the table for the Steelers’ confusing, big-play defense.
Series History: 3rd meeting. Series tied 1-1. Each team has won in the opponent’s stadium, the last game a Steelers 27-7 victory in 2005. More memorable, though, was Houston’s 24-6 victory in Heinz Field in their first year as a franchise when former Steelers QB Tommy Maddox had two interceptions and a fumble returned for three touchdowns by the Texans, who had only 47 yards in total offense that day in 2002.
Notes, Quotes
• QB Ben Roethlisberger was selected as one of two offensive captains, the first time he will serve after a vote by teammates. The other captains are Hines Ward on offense, James Farrior on defense and Jeff Reed on special teams.
“It’s awesome because it comes from them,” Roethlisberger said. “I’ve always tried to be a leader whether I was captain or not. I’ll just continue to be who I am and try to lead this team to victories.”
• QB Charlie Batch should be healthy in four weeks but it will do him no good this season because the Steelers placed him on IR over his protests.
“There’s not much I could do at this point,” said Batch, who had surgery after he broke his collarbone Aug. 8. “That was the goal, to play. That’s why we did the surgery, to try to speed everything up. There was just an unknown when I would be ready to go. I wanted to play, but that choice wasn’t there.”
• Rookie RB Rashard Mendenhall wasn’t ordered to lug a football around with him this week after he lost his third fumble in two preseason games. Some teammates made him do it the previous week after he lost two fumbles in the third game.
“We’re going to get it off his mind,” RB Willie Parker said. “He’s starting to think about it way too much.”
By The Numbers: 47—Number of times Ben Roethlisberger was sacked last season, most of any quarterback in the AFC and second in the NFL.
Quote To Note: “I never doubted myself. You know, I’m quite sure he’s going to play.”—LB Larry Foote, who will start his fifth season while holding off, at least temporarily, 2007 first-round pick Lawrence Timmons.
Strategy And Personnel
The Steelers traded veteran center Sean Mahan on Tuesday to Tampa Bay, where he played his first four seasons before he signed as a UFA with Pittsburgh last year. Mahan lost his starting job to veteran Justin Hartwig, signed this year after Carolina released him. The Steelers will receive an undisclosed draft pick from the Bucs.
Second-year center Darnell Stapleton, who also plays guard, will serve as Hartwig’s backup.
They signed veteran tight end Sean McHugh to replace Mahan on their 53-man roster. McHugh, 26, was released by the Detroit Lions, where he started both at tight end and fullback last season. He will serve as the No. 3 tight end in Pittsburgh.
Veteran Mitch Berger is the new punter, and he also will hold for Jeff Reed’s placekicks. Mewelde Moore and Santonio Holmes will return punts and Rashard Mendenhall will return kickoffs.
Backup quarterback Charlie Batch went on injured reserve and Byron Leftwich is No. 2. However, rookie Dennis Dixon could be No. 2 on some game days so they can take advantage of his ability to run.
PLAYER NOTES
• WR Limas Sweed will open as the No. 4 or No. 5 receiver after failing to provide any competition for the No. 3 job Steelers coaches thought he could become when they drafted him in the second round this year.
• LB James Farrior, who received a five-year contract extension last week, will wear the radio helmet on defense. Farrior, voted the defensive captain again, never leaves the field on defense.
• OT Max Starks will be paid $7 million guaranteed this year and might not even dress for games. The Steelers are considering dressing Trai Essex, who also can play guard, as their backup tackle.
• LB Larry Foote, who missed last week with a knee injury, returned to practice Monday and will start over Lawrence Timmons as the mack inside linebacker. Foote has not missed a game in the past four years as their starter.
• OLB James Harrison, the team’s sack leader and MVP last year, will get the green light to roam a little more out of his position before the snap of the ball. Harrison made the Pro Bowl in his first season as their starter.
Game Plan: Double-team Mario Williams to keep him off Ben Roethlisberger and hit him with some draws and screen passes. As usual, the Steelers want to run the ball and will use Willie Parker extensively. However, they are a more diverse offense this season and coordinator Bruce Arians will want to display that diversity. On defense, they must contain wide receiver Andre Johnson but their most difficult job might be to stop rookie RB Steve Slaton. Pittsburgh’s defense has problems with cutback runners and Slaton is one of the best at that.
Matchups To Watch: Steelers LT Marvel Smith vs. Texans RDE Mario Williams, second in the AFC with 14 sacks last season. Smith feels good and has played better since December surgery to remove a herniated disk from a nerve in his lower back.
Texans return man Andre Davis, who had three kickoff returns for touchdowns last season, vs. the Steelers kickoff coverage team that ranked among the worst in the NFL last season.
Texans WR Andre Johnson vs. Steelers CBs Deshea Townsend and Ike Taylor. Johnson has made two Pro Bowls, Steelers corners none.
Injury Impact: TE Sean McHugh did not practice Wednesday, his first day with the Steelers, because of an ankle injury … LB James Harrison was limited in practice with what appeared to be a shoulder injury. … Everyone else is healthy.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=A ... eam_report (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AnbAdgPCfGvMhKiqPtUMRVOT2bYF?slug=teamre ports-2008-nfl-pit&prov=sportsxchange&type=team_report)
The team with the NFL’s toughest schedule plays one of its weaker opponents in its opener at home, and it’s essential for the Pittsburgh Steelers to get off to a quick start.
And the Houston Texans, 8-8 last season in one of the NFL’s best divisions, aren’t weak by any stretch. They’re just not among the elite the Steelers must face in a grueling schedule that has them playing four of their next five games on the road.
Lose this, and it could be a long season in Mike Tomlin’s second as coach.
They were 7-1 in the regular season of 2007 at Heinz Field and need to take advantage of that again if they want to defend their AFC North title.
“There’s no place like home,” Tomlin said. “Steelers Nation is always out and ready for some action. We feed off of that, we do.”
They are, essentially, the same team as last season with 19 of 22 starters returning, but they’ve changed in some subtle ways. They believe they’ve upgraded themselves in two of the three new starters—center Justin Hartwig (replacing Sean Mahan, who was traded to Tampa Bay Tuesday) and left outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley (Clark Haggans, signed as a UFA in Arizona). Chris Kemoeatu is not an improvement over seven-time Pro Bowl left guard Alan Faneca, but Kemoeatu did well in the preseason and his coaches are happy with him.
Mewelde Moore (UFA, Vikings) is their new third-down back, an improvement over the menagerie they’ve used there the past two seasons. Moore can block, catch and run. He also will return punts.
Rookie Rashard Mendenhall will return kicks but his use as a running back, at least in the early going, may have taken a setback when he lost three fumbles in the last two preseason games. Tomlin may be hesitant at using him, especially in crucial spots, because of it.
“That’s to be determined,” Tomlin said. “We’re looking at his preparation this week, his attention to detail in terms of how he executes his assignments, and his level of ball security. That process will be ongoing. That’s what it’s about. We’ll see as we get closer to game time.”
Woodley should help their pass rush after getting six sacks last season, including the playoff, in limited playing time. Another second-year linebacker, Lawrence Timmons, has had an impact in the preseason and will get some spot play at inside linebacker as well as his regular duties on the nickel defense. Before too long, he could unseat Larry Foote as the starter.
“The thing is with those guys, we’re blessed with great depth at the linebacker position,” Tomlin said. “Those guys are going to play for us—James Farrior, Larry Foote and Lawrence Timmons. I could care less who runs out of the tunnel. That’s irrelevant. What is relevant is that those three play football for us because they’re playmakers. You’ll see that on Sunday.”
Another boost to the defense could be the return to health of strong safety Troy Polamalu. A four-time Pro Bowler, Polamalu played through several injuries last season and did not play up to his level. When he’s healthy, he helps set the table for the Steelers’ confusing, big-play defense.
Series History: 3rd meeting. Series tied 1-1. Each team has won in the opponent’s stadium, the last game a Steelers 27-7 victory in 2005. More memorable, though, was Houston’s 24-6 victory in Heinz Field in their first year as a franchise when former Steelers QB Tommy Maddox had two interceptions and a fumble returned for three touchdowns by the Texans, who had only 47 yards in total offense that day in 2002.
Notes, Quotes
• QB Ben Roethlisberger was selected as one of two offensive captains, the first time he will serve after a vote by teammates. The other captains are Hines Ward on offense, James Farrior on defense and Jeff Reed on special teams.
“It’s awesome because it comes from them,” Roethlisberger said. “I’ve always tried to be a leader whether I was captain or not. I’ll just continue to be who I am and try to lead this team to victories.”
• QB Charlie Batch should be healthy in four weeks but it will do him no good this season because the Steelers placed him on IR over his protests.
“There’s not much I could do at this point,” said Batch, who had surgery after he broke his collarbone Aug. 8. “That was the goal, to play. That’s why we did the surgery, to try to speed everything up. There was just an unknown when I would be ready to go. I wanted to play, but that choice wasn’t there.”
• Rookie RB Rashard Mendenhall wasn’t ordered to lug a football around with him this week after he lost his third fumble in two preseason games. Some teammates made him do it the previous week after he lost two fumbles in the third game.
“We’re going to get it off his mind,” RB Willie Parker said. “He’s starting to think about it way too much.”
By The Numbers: 47—Number of times Ben Roethlisberger was sacked last season, most of any quarterback in the AFC and second in the NFL.
Quote To Note: “I never doubted myself. You know, I’m quite sure he’s going to play.”—LB Larry Foote, who will start his fifth season while holding off, at least temporarily, 2007 first-round pick Lawrence Timmons.
Strategy And Personnel
The Steelers traded veteran center Sean Mahan on Tuesday to Tampa Bay, where he played his first four seasons before he signed as a UFA with Pittsburgh last year. Mahan lost his starting job to veteran Justin Hartwig, signed this year after Carolina released him. The Steelers will receive an undisclosed draft pick from the Bucs.
Second-year center Darnell Stapleton, who also plays guard, will serve as Hartwig’s backup.
They signed veteran tight end Sean McHugh to replace Mahan on their 53-man roster. McHugh, 26, was released by the Detroit Lions, where he started both at tight end and fullback last season. He will serve as the No. 3 tight end in Pittsburgh.
Veteran Mitch Berger is the new punter, and he also will hold for Jeff Reed’s placekicks. Mewelde Moore and Santonio Holmes will return punts and Rashard Mendenhall will return kickoffs.
Backup quarterback Charlie Batch went on injured reserve and Byron Leftwich is No. 2. However, rookie Dennis Dixon could be No. 2 on some game days so they can take advantage of his ability to run.
PLAYER NOTES
• WR Limas Sweed will open as the No. 4 or No. 5 receiver after failing to provide any competition for the No. 3 job Steelers coaches thought he could become when they drafted him in the second round this year.
• LB James Farrior, who received a five-year contract extension last week, will wear the radio helmet on defense. Farrior, voted the defensive captain again, never leaves the field on defense.
• OT Max Starks will be paid $7 million guaranteed this year and might not even dress for games. The Steelers are considering dressing Trai Essex, who also can play guard, as their backup tackle.
• LB Larry Foote, who missed last week with a knee injury, returned to practice Monday and will start over Lawrence Timmons as the mack inside linebacker. Foote has not missed a game in the past four years as their starter.
• OLB James Harrison, the team’s sack leader and MVP last year, will get the green light to roam a little more out of his position before the snap of the ball. Harrison made the Pro Bowl in his first season as their starter.
Game Plan: Double-team Mario Williams to keep him off Ben Roethlisberger and hit him with some draws and screen passes. As usual, the Steelers want to run the ball and will use Willie Parker extensively. However, they are a more diverse offense this season and coordinator Bruce Arians will want to display that diversity. On defense, they must contain wide receiver Andre Johnson but their most difficult job might be to stop rookie RB Steve Slaton. Pittsburgh’s defense has problems with cutback runners and Slaton is one of the best at that.
Matchups To Watch: Steelers LT Marvel Smith vs. Texans RDE Mario Williams, second in the AFC with 14 sacks last season. Smith feels good and has played better since December surgery to remove a herniated disk from a nerve in his lower back.
Texans return man Andre Davis, who had three kickoff returns for touchdowns last season, vs. the Steelers kickoff coverage team that ranked among the worst in the NFL last season.
Texans WR Andre Johnson vs. Steelers CBs Deshea Townsend and Ike Taylor. Johnson has made two Pro Bowls, Steelers corners none.
Injury Impact: TE Sean McHugh did not practice Wednesday, his first day with the Steelers, because of an ankle injury … LB James Harrison was limited in practice with what appeared to be a shoulder injury. … Everyone else is healthy.