MSNBC.com, Steelers Player News
Steelers sign Jason Worilds
Steelers signed rookie OLB Jason Worilds, the No. 52 overall pick, to a four-year contract. Worilds possesses the burst, speed, and athleticism to be a big-time edge rusher eventually, but he's a project after underachieving at Virginia Tech. His production didn't come close to matching his ability. In Pittsburgh, Worilds is expected to start out on special teams. A James Harrison or LaMarr Woodley injury would likely push him into the regular lineup.
Steelers extend top personnel man Colbert
Steelers signed director of football operations Kevin Colbert to a five-year contract extension. Colbert, the top personnel decision maker in the Steelers organization, receives a deserved extension entering his 11th year on the job. A believer in the "build through the draft" philosophy, the 53-year-old Colbert has helped get Pittsburgh to five AFC North titles, four AFC Championship games, and two Super Bowl berths. He's one of the more unsung GM types in football.
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Included in the column above was this news on Big Ben Roethlisberger:
Steelers unsure if Big Ben's suspension cut Steelers owner Art Rooney II doesn't expect to know until late in training camp if Ben Roethlisberger's suspension will be reduced. Bad Ben's suspension can be cut from six games to four if he toes the line and adheres to all of the stipulations put forth by commissioner Roger Goodell. We have no reason to believe that Roethlisberger's suspension will not be reduced, but we may not have confirmation until late August.
More on Colbert’s signing from back home and from the internet follows
Ed Bouchette, PostGazette.com, Steelers give Colbert five-year extension
The Steelers announced today they had signed Kevin Colbert to a five-year contract extension, one week after they announced the extension of coach Mike Tomlin's contract. Colbert, their director of football operations since 2000, was on the final year of a contract that expired next spring. "We are very pleased to announce that Kevin Colbert will remain with the Steelers for at least several more years," said Steelers' President Art Rooney II said on the team's web site. "Kevin is without question one of the best in the NFL at his job and we are fortunate that he will continue to lead our football operations into the future." Said Colbert, "I am very thankful to Art and Mr. Rooney for the opportunity to continue my career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Our organization will be faced with many challenges in the coming season and beyond. I look forward to working with the Rooneys and Coach Tomlin as we pursue our only acceptable goal -- a Super Bowl title."
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Gregg Rosenthal, ProFootballTalk.com, Steelers extend Kevin Colbert five seasons
The trademark stability of the Steelers franchise was rocked by a few players this offseason, but the power structure inside the building will remain constant for a long while. Just a week after coach Mike Tomlin was awarded a contract extension, the Steelers signed Director of Football Operations Kevin Colbert to a five-year extension of his own. Colbert arrived in 2000, and has consistently brought in talent as well as any evaluator in the league. "I am very thankful to Art and Mr. Rooney for the opportunity to continue my career with the Pittsburgh Steelers," said Colbert. "Our organization will be faced with many challenges in the coming season and beyond. I look forward to working with the Rooneys and Coach Tomlin as we pursue our only acceptable goal -- a Super Bowl title." We applaud the timing and substance of the move. After the offseason the Steelers just had -- more on that below -- the organization smartly recognized they have the right guys leading the way. At least off the field.
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Tomorrow it begins. Training camp that is. Now time for a preview from the division expert out on ESPN.
You would be hard-pressed to find a division with more offseason intrigue and drama this year than the AFC North. Whether it was the suspension of a star quarterback in Pittsburgh, controversial signings in Cincinnati, new leadership in Cleveland, or Super Bowl hype in Baltimore, this division remained in the headlines. Three AFC North teams finished with winning records last year and enter 2010 with even bigger aspirations. Now it's time get on the football field and get the pads cracking in training camp, as each team has issues to address.
FOUR BIG QUESTIONS
Pittsburgh Steelers: How will coach Mike Tomlin divide quarterback reps?
Should suspended quarterback Ben Roethlisberger get more first-team reps this summer than Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon?
This is an interesting issue facing Pittsburgh's coaching staff. The Steelers need to find the best quarterback option between Leftwich and Dixon because Roethlisberger will not be available for the first four to six games of the regular season. Yet, training camp and the preseason are the only times "Big Ben" can get practice reps and playing time, because he will be banned from the facility during his suspension.
How do the Steelers properly balance short- and long-term preparation at quarterback simultaneously?
HOTTEST SEATS
Steelers: Bruce Arians. Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator was on the hot seat even before Roethlisberger's suspension. Now Arians really has to be on top of his game for the Steelers to be successful early in the season. Arians has been a lightning rod with Steeler Nation. Despite Pittsburgh having a 4,000-yard quarterback, a 1,000-yard tailback and two 1,000-yard receivers last year, Arians still has a lot of detractors. He can prove many of his critics wrong by helping lead Pittsburgh to victories without the team's best offensive player.
SECRET WEAPON
The Steelers have high expectations for Mike Wallace as the team's No. 2 receiver.
Steelers WR Mike Wallace: Pittsburgh is showing a tremendous amount of confidence that Wallace, a second-year receiver, can step up for the departed Santonio Holmes. The No. 2 receiver opposite starter Hines Ward is an important position in Pittsburgh’s offense. It's reserved for the receiver who consistently makes big plays, which Wallace is certainly capable of with his speed.
Wallace had 39 receptions for 756 yards and six touchdowns last season. He averaged an impressive 19.4 yards per catch, quickly gaining the trust of Roethlisberger by making plays when his number was called. Now in the starting lineup, expect Wallace's number to be called more this year and for him to post better numbers, especially in the second half of the season once Roethlisberger is back in the groove.
FEARLESS CAMP PREDICTIONS
Steelers: Look for second-year cornerback Keenan Lewis to raise some eyebrows in this training camp. Ike Taylor and Bryant McFadden are the starters, but Lewis' size, athleticism and second year in the defense will earn him a role with the team in sub packages.
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Kevin Colbert might very well be the best GM in the NFL. It’s hard to argue against that with the success he has brought to the Black and Gold since coming to the ‘Burgh years ago. Today he goes public with some opinions.
Steelers.com, A pre-camp chat with Kevin Colbert
When it comes to training camp, how are the scouts used to help in the evaluations being made that go into determining the final 53-man roster?
“Each of the scouts is assigned a position. He will watch that position at practice, and then after each practice we get together and watch the film as a group. Each guy is watching his position, and then we will have a meeting in the afternoon on the day of the night practice in Latrobe, which this summer is on Friday, Aug. 6. We put together our thoughts for the discussion with the coaches, which is usually the following Tuesday. Each scout is assigned one position to watch.”
As it gets closer to the two cut-down dates – Aug. 31 when rosters have to be reduced to 75 and Sept. 4 when it’s down to 53 – what is the personnel department’s involvement?
“At that point, all of the scouts already are gone, out on the road scouting preseason games. Each scout is assigned two teams, and so at that point they’re not involved in the evaluation of our team, except for Brandon Hunt, Phil Kreidler and me. Once we leave camp and the preseason really gets underway, we will also break down our video. Again, we’re just there to provide an extra set of eyes for the coaches. We’re not concerned with Xs and Os, we’re more concerned with the players and how we see them helping the team. When we get into the meetings with the coaches, we have those discussions and give our opinion as to how we think our team should come together.”
What do you think needs to happen at training camp for this team to prepare itself for the 2010 season?
“Everybody has to put their focus on the task at hand and not be held back by anything that happened in the offseason. We all know we have a huge task ahead of us. We all know we’re going to open the season without our starting quarterback, and we can’t be concerned with that. We just have to focus on the task at hand, which is to get better every day at training camp, use the practices and the preseason games to prepare us for Atlanta.”
As far as this team’s roster, are you constantly looking at players who might be available, or do you go into the first portion of training camp with the idea to give the rookies a chance to show what they’re capable of contributing?
“Once you set your roster at 80 players for training camp, you’re constantly monitoring their progress during camp. Part of our job, in addition to monitoring our own team, is to be aware of what’s going on in the 31 other training camps. There won’t be a cut until the Tuesday after our third preseason game, and so the chance of picking up a player from another team is pretty minute until the final cut on Sept. 4. So you just have to monitor what you have. Chances are you’re not going to pick anybody up who can improve your 80-man roster, or you would’ve done that previously. You hope you’re fortunate enough not to sustain any injuries during training camp because the pool of players is smaller when everybody has an 80-man roster.”
Why was Adrian Jones on the street without a contract so close to the opening of training camps?
“He was headed to the UFL. He had not signed a contract yet, but he did have a contract offer. Adrian went to training camp last year with the Houston Texans, was cut and not picked back up. He sat out the entire season. It’s odd that a 29-year-old guy with starting experience at three offensive line positions was available, but fortunately for us he was out there.”
When you look at other teams’ rosters at quarterback and compare it to your depth chart at that position, how do you think your backups compare?
“The thing I like about our quarterback situation is that we have four guys – including Ben Roethlisberger – who have starting experience. Dennis Dixon has only started one game, but he still has started a game in the National Football League. I’m not sure any other team can make that claim. That’s the most comforting thing about our quarterback situation. Obviously, we’re not going to have our starter for a period of time still to be determined, but we know we have three other guys who have started and been successful in this league.”
If you were a fan sitting up on the hills overlooking practice at this camp, which young players would you be most interested in watching?
“You’re looking for your young players to take a step. You’re always excited about what the draft picks are, because you’ve never seen them in live competition, except for the dressed-down work they do at minicamp and the OTAs. So with that in mind, offensively, I’d like to see if Mike Wallace can take another step after he obviously showed some things last year, and also Rashard Mendenhall. He had a good season last year, and can he follow up and exceed that. Those would be two exciting guys. Defensively, there really isn’t a lot of uncertainty as far as the starters or new guys. It’ll be good to see how Bryant McFadden fits back into the defense, and how Keenan Lewis, who was held back somewhat by injury last year, can improve or progress in his second training camp.”
Is this team too old?
“No.”
Why do you say that?
“I don’t even know what the average age is around the league, because I don’t get into all of that. You have to have certain ages in certain numbers of guys, and you obviously want to continue to bring young talent to the team. But our concern with the 53 guys who end up making the final roster and the 22 starters is can they compete and help us win. We’re interested in winning now. With that being said, we constantly have to be adding players to the group, and we believe we have done that, and hopefully those young players will help us win either now or down the road. But the focus has to be the now. That’s all we’re worried about – 2010.”
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Regardless of Big Ben being out four or six games, the biggest question mark might be how the Steelers will cope without him leading the way and what does his return do to the team. An opinion on Ben follows.
Jeff Pearlman, SportsIllustrated.com, Pearls Of Wisdom
We'll cheer for Roethlisberger again ... but does he deserve it? The Steelers quarterback has twice been accused of sexual assault Criminal charges were never filed in connection with either incident But NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended Roethlisberger for six games Ben Roethlisberger will begin practicing with the Steelers this week. Therefore, we will cheer. I know this because we, the sports fanatics of America, cheer for nearly everything. Back in the 1980s, we cheered for Spuds MacKenzie, the beer canine. We cheer for idiots who sprint naked across fields. We cheer for fireworks, even though they can't hear us, and we cheer for men and women dressed as large sausages, even though they are dressed as large sausages. We cheer for Michael Vick, even after he murdered dogs. We have cheered for Dwight Gooden after each return from drug suspension and Brett Favre after each return from retirement. When he was alive, hapless ol' Yinka Dare was cheered by New Jersey Nets fans merely for being hapless ol' Yinka Dare. It's what we do. We cheer. Yet this time ... well, perhaps this time we should think about the whole cheering thing.
Unless you just escaped from the Hagta Detention Facility, odds are you've heard that, over the past few years, the Pittsburgh quarterback has twice been accused of sexual assault -- one incident occurred in Lake Tahoe in 2008 and the other earlier this year in Milledgeville, Ga. Though criminal charges were never filed in either case, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell investigated the matter, then decided to suspend Roethlisberger for six games to start the upcoming season. Why? Because examinations into Roethlisberger's behavior (including one by Sports Illustrated last May) tell the story of a bad man.
According to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football League and anyone with any sort of vested interest, Roethlisberger has used the past few months to (Cue: Air Supply's All Out of Love) reflect on his life, to re-evaluate the decisions he has made and to grow as both a person and a professional athlete. Now, with the magic tonic that is time, Big Ben will join a book club that specializes in the work of Jennifer Weiner; he will bake oatmeal cookies with Rachael Ray, cry tiny liquid pedals of love on Oprah's couch, take long walks on the beach and watch A Walk To Remember over and over again.
He will be a new man, and by the time Roethlisberger hits Hines Ward with a deep slant pass in his return to action in October (the suspension can be reduced to four games), Steelers fans will return to wearing his jersey and kissing his feet and begging for autographs. This is who we are. This is a shame.
Alcoholism is a disease. Drug addiction is a disease. Taking advantage of women is not a disease. It is who a person is. What's in his makeup. What composes his core. You do not do what Roethlisberger is alleged to have done because you had a bad day, or a bad week, or a depressing injury, or too much to drink. You do it because you are a monster, and the monster somehow believes it is his right.
I'm not sure whether Goodell had any legal choice but to allow Roethlisberger to come back. But you, the fans, do have a choice whether to accept it. Throughout the decades of watching and covering sports, I have seen too many villains return to inevitable ovations. In 1997, Falcons linebacker Cornelius Bennett pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of sex abuse and was sentenced to 60 days in jail. He spent several more years in the NFL, an unvarnished hero. A year later, Anthony Mason of the Miami Heat was arrested on two counts of third-degree rape of two teenage girls. He pleaded guilty to two counts of endangering the welfare of children -- and was back on the basketball court right away. The examples are endless, as well as depressing. They are almost always coupled with professional sport's most enduring justifying line: "America is all about second chances."
But the reality is there are two sets of rules, one for athletes and celebrities and one for the rest of us. I have worked at approximately 15 places in my life, and I can't think of one (from CVS and Stanley Herz & Company to The Tennessean and Sports Illustrated) that would have given any employee the same opportunity afforded Roethlisberger by the NFL and the Steelers. In the real world, people with a reputation for assaulting women wind up unemployed and ostracized. They plead for future opportunities, but come to realize the impact of one punch... one kick was significantly greater than the impact of one punch... one kick. But not in athletics, and certainly not in the NFL. Ben Roethlisberger is destined to jog back onto the field as a savior and a hero, and before long nobody will remember what happened off the gridiron.
We'll all just cheer.
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Finally for today, a fan poll on ESPN poses questions about our division. As of 10:30 last night, the results:
ESPN.com/SportsNation, Training Camp: AFC North
Which Team will win the AFC North? (3,257 votes)
Ravens-43%
Bengals-39%
Steelers -13%
Browns-5%
Who should start more games at QB while Ben Roethlisberger is out? (2,922 votes)
Byron Leftwich-53%
Dennis Dixon-47%
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Email Mr. Steeler:
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