PFT: The Paparazzi of the NFL slams Roethlisberger, the Steelers organization and fan base

Pro Football Talk (PFT) is back at it again with its inaccurate paparazzi like reporting. And an unanmed editor with a history of dislike for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Rooney Family, and the entire city of Pittsburgh and its fan base found the latest Ben Roethlisberger incident as a perfect opportunity to “take a shot”.

It still remains to be seen whether Roethlisberger will be charged in Georgia, where perhaps appropriately he wore a shirt bearing the image of a horned devil (via TMZ). Regardless, the question of whether Roethlisberger is a good guy or a bad guy churns through the national consciousness, and the signs are pointing toward an eventual verdict of “turd.”

So, explain to me what Roethlisberger’s wardrobe has to do with this incident? Who cares! I bet I could go through the editor of this articles wardrobe and rip their taste in clothes on the internet but again, who cares!

Consider this quote from Ashley Madden, a Georgia College & State University student who witnessed Roethlisberger act like a jerk when someone tried to take his picture on the night that the lights allegedly went out in Milledgeville. “[H]e snapped at her,” Madden told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “saying, ‘Don’t take a picture unless I’m ready.”

First of all, most people don’t like to have their picture taken (especially celebrities, pro athletes, etc) without being “ready”. Why? Because they know it’ll be plastered on the internet for millions to see and ridicule. Secondly, the “snapped” comment is purely speculation at this point. It should also be noted that TMZ has posted several pictures online of Roethlisberger taking pictures with before the incident occured. Again, I guess the editor failed to do their due diligence of research before making these comments.

We’re heard chatter of Roethlisberger directing that same attitude toward persons in various contexts, and people of goodwill and pure heart simply don’t treat others that way.

Isn’t it funny that the PFT editor adds this comment but fails to include the following TMZ report which is a complete discrepancy of the previous two comments.

According to people at the Velvet Elvis, Ben was very friendly inside his establishment — even taking pictures with fans. We’re also told Ben was “not inappropriate at all”

Planet Steelers can actually develop evidence from several legit sources (NOT NAMED PFT), which would indicate that Roethlisberger has a bit more “heart” than what the PFT editor is giving him credit for. Just a few to note:

• Roethlisberger is a huge dog fan and has been very supportive in giving grants in the support of K-9 service units. In 2006, the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation distributed its first grant to help the Police Department in Roethlisberger’s hometown of Findlay, Ohio replace their service dog, Flip, who was tragically shot and killed.The grant also purchased a K-9 ballistic vest for the Findlay Ohio Police Department, and in 2007 the foundation will disperse additional grants to support or purchase service dogs and vests that assist police and fire departments in cities where Roethlisberger’s team will play throughout the season.
• Roethlisberger is known to be very good about signing autographs and taking pictures with fans. More specifically, he always signs autographs for children and physically disabled fans and/or children.
• Roethlisberger has been known to be a leader on and off the field according to his teammates

• Roethlisberger is highly involved in the Pittsburgh community and participates in various charities and charity funding events such as basketball games, golf tournaments, etc

• Roethlisberger and the Steelers are involved with the “Make a Wish Foundation”. The below link shows Roethlisberger’s day with Akeem Havens, a paralyzed teenager who’s dream became a reality when he met his favorite player, Ben Roethlisberger. Click here for the video.

And finally, the biggest shocker of them all, the editor from PFT says..

If he ever loses the people in Pittsburgh who have come to blindly adore him, it might be time to call it quits and settle down in a small town in a state other than Georgia.

So what is the editor trying to say here? Is the editor hinting that the Pittsburgh Steelers fan base is uneducated? This comment in particular is very unprofessional, invalid and just simply wrong. I, like most Steelers fans want justice. If Roethlisberger is innocent then this should be put behind him by both the fans and the media. If he is guilty, then Roethlisberger will have to face the consequences like anyone else.

As far as PFT, let the editor hate Roethlisberger, the Steelers organization and fan base. They have proven to be the paparazzi of NFL sites when inaccurate and misdirected articles such as the ones I referenced in this article.

Before the Roethlisberger Assault Incident…

Posted below, TMZ news outlet reports a picture of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger strolling through Georgia restaurant hours before the alleged sexual assault incident took place (see below):

“TMZ has learned Roethlisberger spent some time at the Velvet Elvis in Georgia last night — before heading over to the Capital City Club … where the Steelers QB allegedly sexually assaulted a young woman in the bathroom.

According to people at the Velvet Elvis, Ben was very friendly inside his establishment — even taking pictures with fans. We’re also told Ben was “not inappropriate at all” — though we’re told Ben did have one beer while inside.”

Ben Accused of Assault, Again!

Ben Roethlisberger, the Pittsburgh Steelers, 2-time Super Bowling winning, pro bowl quarterback has been accused of sexual assault while at Capital City — a club in Milledgeville, Georgia.

According to law enforcement officials, the alleged victim was interviewed by police authorities and was already released from the hospital.

This incident is in addition to Roethlisberger already be being sued by a Reno woman, Andrea McNulty, who claims the QB sexually assaulted her in 2008.

Various news outlets are reporting that the alleged victim indicated she was assaulted by a 6-5 241 pound male with brown hair and brown eyes which obviously fits Ben Roethlisberger’s profile. It should be noted that is one specific description. In fact, the alleged victim must either be a huge fan of Roethlisberger or read the exact height and weight (24–1 pounds) directly from a stat sheet. However, it should be noted that the alleged victim has not mentioned any names specifically.

According to sources at TMZ, “Ben Roethlisberger has already been interviewed by police. We’re also told no formal charges have been filed at this point.”

The Last Two Minutes

As the game clock ticks down below the two minute warning in the fourth quarter, you see your team with the ball, deep into their own side of the field and down by six. You’re sitting at the edge of your seat with anticipation, but deep down you know they’ve been here before and almost always emerge victorious. You wait with a confident sort of anxiety–for Big Ben has staged much more miraculous comebacks than this to pave the way to Super Bowl glory for your Steelers.

But this last minute effort wasn’t staged by Big Ben. It was staged by Bruce Arians.

Instead of the well choreographed, last minute, no huddle dance to the goal line, you got four poorly coordinated, poorly timed lobs to would-be receivers. NOT ONE YARD was gained and not one run play was even attempted.

So what happened? Were the reigning World Champion Steelers finally outmatched? Outplayed? No, they were simply out-strategized. With just under two minutes to play, Ben could be seen talking to Bruce Arians just before he went on for what would be his final drive. Bruce made very OBVIOUS hand motions that led the audience and the Bengals to believe that all Bruce wanted Ben to do was throw the ball. And throw he did. Ben attempted a pitch to each of his typical receivers, but failed to connect every time.

With one of the best quarterbacks in the league and quite possibly one of the most well rounded offenses, the only logical explanation is bad strategy. First, 1:55 on the clock is far too much playing time to resort to desperation passing. Especially since each failed pass attempt results in the clock stopping, sneaking a running play to the right and getting out of bounds would have thrown the defense without eating too much time off the clock. It also would have kept the defense honest and playing tighter, fearing another sneak run play, which could have allowed Ben to air it out long and ideally to the end zone. Second, rarely do we lose when we bring out the no huddle offense in the closing minutes of the game. Not only does it throw off the defense and not allow for adjustments and substitutions, but it also puts the strategy in Ben’s hands, where it belongs.

Now, I was hesitant to jump on the “Fire Bruce Arians” band wagon. I assumed that with the extremely loyal lot that are the Pittsburgh Steelers fans, that perhaps most of the hatred of Arians stemmed from the fact that he came on to fill the shoes of the great Ken Whisenhunt. Or perhaps because he came from Cleveland. It was not until this game against the Bengals that I realized that all this time, the raw talent and strong will of the team has been hiding his inadequacies all along. Put simply, his play calling is not always “bad” per se, just often predictable. The Bengals didn’t outplay the Steelers by any means (aside from the fact that Jeff Reed just doesn’t seem to want to tackle people running back his kicks). They just seemed to always know what was coming next.

Since it’s not likely that we’re going to fire the guy mid-season (if ever), I believe the answer is simple. Let Ben do what he does best. He understands the flow of the game and responds well to it. He understands much better than Arians the diverse cache of weapons that is the offense and how to use it in battle. Arians, on the other hand, gets so enamored with Ben’s throwing arm that he forgets that Mendenhall can sometimes rush for ten yards, even if he gets first contact at the line of scrimmage.

Ben has been lobbying for more no huddle this season. I hope Coach Tomlin overrides Arians and just lets him have his way with the Chiefs this Sunday.

Vote Big Ben for FedEx Air Player of the Week

Vote for Ben as FedEx Air Player of the Week for his outstanding

performance against the Broncos. When Ben wins, so does Safe Kids
Allegheny County. FedEx will make a donation in Ben’s name to the local
Safe Kids coalition. Please help us spread the word. I think you can vote
multiple times!

http://www.nfl.com/partner?partnerType=players-air-and-ground

CHARGERS QB PHILIP RIVERS, STEELERS QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER & CARDINALS QB
KURT WARNER; BENGALS RB CEDRIC BENSON, TITANS RB CHRIS JOHNSON & FALCONS
RB MICHAEL TURNER CANDIDATES FOR FEDEX AIR & GROUND® NFL PLAYERS OF THE
WEEK HONORS

Fans To Vote For Winners On NFL.com

FedEx Delivers Pedestrian Safety Improvements
On Behalf of Winning Players In Their Teams’ Markets

Quarterbacks PHILIP RIVERS of the San Diego Chargers, BEN ROETHLISBERGER
of the Pittsburgh Steelers and KURT WARNER of the Arizona Cardinals are
the finalists for the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week honors for games
played on November 8 – 9, while running backs CEDRIC BENSON of the
Cincinnati Bengals, CHRIS JOHNSON of the Tennessee Titans, and MICHAEL
TURNER of the Atlanta Falcons are the finalists for the FedEx Ground NFL
Player of the Week, the NFL announced today.

Fans can vote for one player in each category on NFL.com/FedEx from 9 a.m.
EST on Tuesday through noon EST on Friday to determine the FedEx Air &
Ground NFL Players of the Week. The winners will be announced Friday
evening on NFL.com.

Fans will be voting for more than their favorite player. As part of the
Air & Ground program, FedEx continues its support of Safe Kids USA – a
national non-profit organization that works to prevent accidental injury
among children – by making weekly $1,000 donations in the winning players’
names. The funding, allocated to local Safe Kids coalitions in that team’s
city, is used for pedestrian safety improvements throughout the year, from
upgraded crosswalks and street signage to traffic barriers and educational
training.

For a second season, fans can tune into the “FedEx Air & Ground Lowdown”
posted exclusively on NFL.com/FedEx starting Wednesday mornings. The show
examines the nominees in the Air & Ground categories through exclusive
video highlights and expert analysis. NFL Network’s RICH EISEN and
MARSHALL FAULK host the weekly five-minute show.

A closer look at the FedEx Air NFL Player of the Week finalists:

· San Diego’s PHILIP RIVERS completed 24 of 36 passes for 209
yards and three touchdowns with two interceptions in the Chargers’ 21 – 20
win over the New York Giants.  Rivers led an 80-yard touchdown drive in
the final two minutes of the game to get the win.

· Pittsburgh’s BEN ROETHLISBERGER completed 21 of 29 passes for
233 yards and three touchdowns with one interception in the Steelers’
28-10 win over the Denver Broncos.

· Arizona’s KURT WARNER threw five touchdowns completing 22 of 32
passes for 261 yards in the Cardinals’ 41 – 21 win over the Chicago Bears.

A closer look at the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week finalists:

· Cincinnati’s CEDRIC BENSON rushed 34 times for 117 yards and one
touchdown in the Bengals’ 17 – 7 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

·         Tennessee’s CHRIS JOHNSON rushed 25 times for 135 yards and two
touchdowns in the Titans’ 34 – 27 win over the San Francisco 49ers.

·         Atlanta’s MICHAEL TURNER rushed 18 times for 166 yards and two
touchdowns in the Falcons’ 31 – 17 win over the Washington Redskins.

As the Official Delivery Service Sponsor of the NFL, Super Bowl and Pro
Bowl, FedEx understands the need for a winning game plan, and created the
Air & Ground program to highlight superior on-field performance while
delivering safe kids off the field. Because FedEx has thousands of
delivery trucks out on the roads each day, the company is committed to
funding pedestrian safety improvements through its 10-year partnership
with Safe Kids USA.

Fantasy Focus: Steelers vs Browns

This week kicks off another entry of our fantasy football prediction blog.  Steelers face off against the 1-4 Cleveland

Browns today at 1pm at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA.  The Steelers have the opportunity to win its 3^rd straight game against a struggling Cleveland Browns team.  Last week, the Browns somehow pulled out a 6-3 victory against the Buffalo Bills which was one of the most painful games I had to watch in a long time.  Starting Browns quarterback, Derek Anderson went a miserable 2-17 in passing, but somehow the Browns were victorious.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off a 28-20 win against the Detroit Lions.  The Steelers offense looked impressive again with Rashard Mendenhall averaging over 5 yards a carry and Ben Roethlisberger distributing the ball nicely to a wide range of his weapons including Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward, Heath Miller and rookie, Mike Wallace.

Purchase Pittsburgh Steelers Gear at the Planet Steelers Shop

Not so impressive was the Steelers defense.  Again, the defense allowed an inferior team to come back in the first quarter until a streak of sacks by LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison ended the game.  From the defensivie perspective, the good news is that all-pro safety, Troy Polamalu is returning to action for the first time since the season opener against the Tennessee Titans.  The bad news is standout defensive end, Aaron Smith, who is critical to the Steelers 3-4 is out for the rest of the season with a torn rotator cuff.

And now for our Predictions:

Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger – Big Ben is off to one of his best starts in his already very successful career from a statistical perspective.  Roethlisberger is 1^st in the league in completion percentage and second in total yards only behind Peyton Manning. Roethlisberger is being considered a league Most Valuable Player (MVP) by most and I expect his numbers to only get better especially against a struggling Browns team.  Big Ben is a strong pickup this week amongst fantasy owners.

Heath Miller – Miller is on pace for his first Pro Bowl appearance and has been exceptional for the Steelers passing game so far this season.  Miller is second on the team with 29 receptions and 235 yards. He also leads the receiving corps with 3 TD’s.  Expect about 60 yards receiving and another touchdown for Heath Miller this week.

Hines Ward – Ward is the Steelers leading receiver thus far this season with 33 receptions and 440 yards receiving.  With Holmes wrist injury continuing to be a nagging problem, Ward will see more balls thrown his way.  However, it’s concerning to fantasy owners that Ward only has 1 touchdown so far this season.  With all things considering Ward is still a good play this week against the Browns.

Rashard Mendenhall – Mendenall has looked real impressive the past couple of weeks with Willie Parker being out due to a turf toe injury.  In two games, Mendenhall is averaging over 5 yards a carry and has 3 touchdowns.  Against the league’s worst running defense Mendenhall is expected to start and will see the majority of all carries with Fast Willie being the change of pace back as he recovers from his injury.

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Heath Miller Jersey
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Cleveland Browns

Joshua Cribbs – Unfortunately for the Browns, based on their play thus far this season, Cribbs is the only guy I would consider as a fantasy owner this week.  With Braylon Edwards being traded to the Jets, Cribbs should see some increased action as a 3^rd WR.  Aside from that, Cribbs is well known to be an extremely dangerous kick-off returner and has had prior success against the Steelers special teams unit.

Steelers Edge Lions

The Pittsburgh Steelers edged out another close one Sunday with a 28-20 victory against the one-win Detrot Lions.  Once again, the Steelers jumped out to an early lead only to let Daunte Culpepper resurrect the team.  Culpepper lead his team down the field with less than 2 minutes to play executing a drive which easily could have been the game tieing score.  The Steelers defense had other plans which resulted in 3 straight sacks of Culpepper and ultimately ending the game with James Harrison leading the way.

Steelers fans have reason for concern.  The Steelers have not been able to close teams out.  They need to be able to put the “nail in the coffin”.  In years past, the Steelers were able to control the clock with running the football.  Well, those days seem to be long gone for this Steelers group.  Against the Lions, the Steelers had no trouble moving the football but actually scored to quickly in respect that the Lions controlled the clock the majority of the second half. 

Game Stats

Ben Roethlisberger –  23-30, 277 yds, 3 tds
Rashard Mendenhall – 15 car, 77 yds, 1 td
Hines Ward – 7 rec, 85 yds, 1 td
Heath Miller – 5 rec, 54 yds, 1 td
Mike Wallace – 2 rec, 52 tds, 1d

Fantasy Focus: Steelers vs Lions

This week kicks off another entry of our fantasy football prediction blog.  Steelers face off against the 1-3 Detroit Lions at Ford Field at 1pm today.  The Steelers will be visiting Ford Field for the first time since capturing their fifth Lombardi Trophy during Super Bowl XL.

Unlike previous versions of our fantasy focus articles, this one will only feature Pittsburgh Steelers players.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger – The Detroit Lions have given up more points than any other team in the NFL to opposing quarterbacks in fantasy football.   Roethlisberger should be in for a big game today against a struggling Lion’s defense.  However, if the Steelers jump out to a big lead early, Roethlisberger could be pulled or you’ll see a heavy dosage of Rashard Mendenhall.  The Steelers won’t run up the score and pad stats.

Rashard Mendenhall – With Willie Parker out with a turf toe injury, second year pro Rashard Mendenhall could be in for another huge day against the 20th ranked Lion’s run defense.  Last week, Mendenhall had his breakout game against the Chargers totaling 165 yards and 2 touchdowns against the San Diego Chargers defense.  Mendenhall will receive the majority of the carries except on certain 3rd down situations where he’ll be relieved my Mewelde Moore.

Heath Miller – On pace for 96 receptions, Heath Miller is on pace for his best season of his career.  Miller is underrated in most NFL circles, but he’s in for his first pro bowl season of his career.  Miller has been getting open in the middle of the field and is an obvious mismatch for many teams.  With Santonio Holmes receiving double coverage, Miller is seeing more balls thrown his way.  Last week against the San Diego Chargers, Miller had 70 yards receiving and 2 touchdowns.

Santonio Holmes - He has been targeted by Roethlisberger more than any other player, Holmes is due for a big game.   Even though Holmes has been seeing double coverage as the Steelers #1 receiver, he’s got the speed to beat those double teams and make plays deep down field.  Outside of week 1, Holmes has been quiet thus far this year; expect him to have close to 100 yards and a TD today against a weak Lion’s secondary.

Fantasy Focus: Steelers vs Chargers

This week kicks off another entry of our fantasy football prediction blog.  The Pittsburgh Steelers play at home for the first time since the NFL opener against the Tennessee Titans.  This is a must-win for the Steelers in order to keep up with the division leaders, Baltimore Ravens.  The Ravens are currently up 2 games on a struggling Steelers team and the Steelers are looking to rebound against a very talented San Diego team after losing two close games in which they should have won convincingly.  Here is a list of fantasy football matchups that you may want to consider:

Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger – Big Ben is going to have to come through against San Diego’s solid defensive front.  Even with the loss of Jamal Williams, the Chargers defense is loaded with playmakers.  However, Ben plays his best against good competition in prime time moments.  I expect more of the same from Big Ben.  Ben will put up 30 points on this

Chargers defense, at home, in primetime and display to the NFL why he is an elite quarterback in this league

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Mike Wallace – Wallace has been the only pleasant surprise for the Steelers this year.  He caught the most passes of any Steelers receiver last week totaling over 100 yards.  Wallace is a mismatch waiting to happen at the #3 spot.  He’s got amazing speed and quickness and hasn’t dropped a pass this season.  During the NFL draft, Wallace’s stock fell because scouts said his hands were suspect at best.  I don’t see that with this young kid, however I can’t say the same for Limas Sweed.

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Heath Miller – Miller is “Mr. Dependable”.  He always seems to do his job and do it well.  He has great hands and is a good blocker.  He “seals the edge” when lined up as a tight end and does surprisingly well when lined up as a fullback.  Last week, he was dominant on the first couple of drives as a receiving tight end.  But for some reason, offensive coordinator, Bruce Arians stopped designing plays to go to Miller.

Arians has been heavily criticized by Steelers fans and rightfully so.  Why would he not get Miller more involved in

this offense?

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Rashard Mendenahll – This is a “dark horse” pick.  Per Mike Tomlin, Mendnenall didn’t play one snap last week because he didn’t feel comfortable that Mendenhall knew his assignments (i.e. he failed the weekly written game plan test).  We need Mendenhall to step up now and I think he’ll show-off some of his talent this week (IF HE ACTUALLY RECEIVES PLAYING TIME).

Rashard Mendenhall Jersey and other Steelers Apparel

San Diego Chargers

Philip Rivers – Rivers was expected to be an MVP candidate this year.  He has loads of talent and is surrounded by talent. This could be a shootout-type game resulting in a classic Rivers vs Big Ben show down.  I expect both quarterbacks to put up good numbers this game.  With the Steelers pash rush less than desirable, Rivers could be in for a big game.

Antonio Gates –  Gates is in for a big game against this struggling defense.  With Polamalu out with an injury, the Steelers don’t have a good solution for the All-Pro tight end.  Lawrence Timmons has the speed and athleticism to cover Gates but it will be a challenge as is for any linebacker in the NFL.

Darren Sproles – Sproles is the type of running back the Steelers always have trouble with.  He has great cutback ability (i.e. Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew) and has acceleration through the hole.  He’s also difficult to find behind a massive San Diego offensive line at 5-8 185 pounds.  Sproles might be most dangerous as a kick-off returner.  The Steelers special teams and defense must stay in their lanes and play disciplined football or Sproles could take one to the house on any given play.

Discuss at the Planet Steelers Forum

Fantasy Focus: Steelers vs Bengals

This week kicks off another entry of our fantasy football prediction blog.  The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals.  This may be a more difficult game than what most Steelers fans are anticipating.  The Bengals have 3 straight division games starting with the Steelers so expect them to try to set the tone against the Steelers.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Ben Roethlisberger – Big Ben will rebound just fine against the Bengals defense.  The offense struggled last week to put points up on the board but they were able to move the ball against a solid Bears defense.  I see Big Ben and company putting up 27 points against the Bengals this week.

Hines Ward – Historically a Cincinnati killer (just ask Keith Rivers).  Ward is closing in on his 10,000 yards receiving mark and it very well could happen this week against the Bengals.

Santonio Holmes - Holmes had one of his worst performances in recent memory last week.  3 dropped balls including a tough but catchable winning TD catch capped off a disappointing day for Holmes.  Even though the weather was less than desirable and the field was messy, Holmes dropped several catchable balls that ended up as “drive killers”.  I expect Holmes to rebound and post a solid overall performance with over 100 yards and a TD.

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Parker / Mendenhall – Parker has been the most disappointing player on the team so far this season.  He’s not running the ball with any authority and he’s been “tip toeing” to the line of scrimmage.  Mendenhall might steal some of Parker’s opportunities and rightfully so.  It’s time for one of these two to step up and provide some sort of rushing attack.  The Bengals run defense has struggled so this might be a good game to get this offense going.

Heath Miller – Miller continues to be one of Roethlisberger’s favorite targets.  He’s consistent, has great hands, and picks up first downs.  With the offensive line struggling, Miller is a nice safety net for Big Ben.

Steelers Defense – Although the Steelers defense hasn’t necessarily struggled, they do have some flaws.  For one, the Steelers outside linebackers including Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY), James Harrison and emerging star LaMarr Woodley only have a combined 2 sacks on the year.  Lawrence Timmons appears to be healthy which should hopefully add to the pass rush this week.  This is a shocking statistic that no one would have guessed going into the 2009-2010 season.  With the loss of Polamalu, Tyrone Carter was exposed by Jay Cutler last week being responsible for 2 touchdowns.

Cincinnati Bengals

Carson Palmer - If last game was any indication, Palmer appears to be healthy.  Palmer has one of the best deep balls in the game and is typically very accurate.  If the Steelers defense doesn’t get a pass rush against Palmer, it will be a long day for the Steelers and their fans.

Chad Ochocinco – Ochocinco has had just one 100-yard game and three touchdowns against the Steelers since Ike Taylor’s rookie season in 2003 so don’t expect much out of him today.   He talks a good game and is being outspoken against Steelers cornerbacks William Gay and Ike Taylor but until he produces on the field against the Steelers, I would steer away from picking Ochocinco.

Cedric Benson - Benson has been one of the bigger surprises this year for Cincinnati.  However, like most other running backs, expect Benson to struggle against the Steelers stellar run defense.  Don’t start Benson this week on your fantasy team.

Fantasy Football Pick of the Day: Santonio Holmes (WR, Pittsburgh Steelers)