Steelers News

"Q: Is Tommie Harris on the Steelers' radar in the 2009 free agent market or is he too "pricey?" Could Simmons and Mahan and up on the bench and Starks RT and Colon RG be starters? And if so, do the Steelers extend Starks to a long term deal? Jay Sabo of Allentown A: If Tommie Harris signs with the Steelers next year I will personally walk to Allentown to tell you about it. First, I doubt that the defensive tackle even gets to the open market. I'd assume the Bears are making every effort to sign Harris to a long-term contract extension before he becomes a free agent."

"Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians stood beside each other inside the team's draft room April 26 when Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones took his turn at the running back junction, one spot ahead of Pittsburgh's first-round selection, No. 23 overall. When the Cowboys chose Arkansas running back Felix Jones, Tomlin and Arians celebrated as if the Steelers had scored a game-winning touchdown. In a way, they had. The Steelers scored the player with the highest value on their draft board at that point, Illinois tailback Rashard Mendenhall, the back they had rated highest after Arkansas' Darren McFadden. "Mike and I high-fived each other," Arians says. "We said, 'Can you believe this?' ""

"I like what Jacksonville did in the NFL Draft. The Jaguars needed a pass rusher to keep pace among AFC playoff teams and drafted not one but two. If I'm offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, I love what the Steelers did in the draft -- selecting a running back, wide receiver and a tackle among the top four picks. If I'm defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, I hate what the Steelers did in the draft -- no true defensive linemen taken following a season in which his unit registered only four sacks in 100 pass attempts in its three biggest losses (New England and Jacksonville twice). Veteran free agent defensive lineman Anthony "Booger" McFarland is probably looking pretty good to the Steelers right now. Signing McFarland would allow the Steelers to save face. The Steelers needed to improve their defensive line depth. They didn't"

"Q: Did the Steelers get any good offers at No. 23 since Mendenhall slipped there? The No. 1 and No. 2 draft picks were good bonus picks. No. 3 I questioned, as most scouting reports had Davis as a fourth-round pick. Do you think maybe McGlynn would have been a better pick? The other picks were good and the third round was the only one I questioned. I know a good pass rusher is hard to pass on, but they seemed to need offensive line help more and that is harder to find. -- Mick Harris of Brookville "

"If the Flyers needed any extra incentive to knot their best-of-seven playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, they got it in the form of a column by Ron Cook in Saturday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. After getting beaten 4-2 Friday night in what many Flyers said was their worst game of the playoffs, they woke up to read this: "Is it too late to pick the Penguins in three games?" And this: "It's hard to imagine the Flyers getting back up." And this: "I'll be surprised if the next three games aren't even easier." Not surprisingly, the column became locker room fodder for the Flyers, who hope to even the Eastern Conference finals at one win apiece tonight at Mellon Arena."

"This keeps up, Saint Vincent College will be known for more than being the home of Steelers training camp. Really, has any school had a better run of commencement speakers? "For the second consecutive year, we have a Head of State," president Jim Towey proudly said yesterday to his 276 graduates and a crowd of 2,500 at the Robert S. Carey Student Center. A year ago, it was the leader of the free world, George Bush. This time, it was the leader of Steeler Nation, Mike Tomlin. "Now that," Tomlin said, "is almost comical.""

"When the Steelers held minicamp last weekend after the NFL Draft, the locker-room talk wasn't centered around first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall's potential carries or whether second-rounder Limas Sweed will eventually become Ben Roethlisberger's favorite receiver. Instead, they focused on finding ways to get the hottest ticket in town, for Penguins' Stanley Cup playoff games. "

"The story of LaMarr Woodley having to scrounge for change the first time he drove from Ann Arbor, Mich., to Pittsburgh is a well-documented -- and funny -- one. A little more than a year later, the Steelers' outside linebacker is reminded of it whenever he stops at the turnpike booth, where he paid a toll with the quarters he eventually found in his vehicle. "Usually, every time it's the same lady that I didn't have enough change for going through," Woodley said with a laugh. If it seems to Woodley that he can't get away from that toll collector, he hopes opposing quarterbacks come to feel the same way about him. "

"No talk of spygate. No prospectus on the coming season. Instead, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin delivered a pep talk for "the game of life" Saturday at St. Vincent College in Unity. Tomlin, 36, was the university's commencement speaker. He follows by a year President Bush. The Steelers head coach was greeted by graduates waving Terrible Towels. "This is too much," Tomlin said, adding his address to students was "a pre-game speech. I'm pretty good at those." "

"Can you say NFL cover-up? Steelers chairman Dan Rooney could, but won't. Not ever. The gregarious Rooney never met a reporter's question he wouldn't answer in detail. OK, he never met a reporter's question about anything other than Spygate he wouldn't answer in detail. So much for full disclosure. Steelers players would love to chime in on Spygate, but doing so would violate an unwritten team rule (see: Dan Rooney). "

"Senator Arlen Specter said Thursday he's concerned that the NFL has altered its story regarding the New England Patriots videotaping opposing coaches' play-calling signals in violation of league rules."

"While the NFL said that videotapes turned over to it in the New England Patriots' spying scandal would reveal nothing new, Sen. Arlen Specter told the Post-Gazette last night that he's not ready to end his inquiry into the matter and that he remains skeptical. The tapes might actually support the Patriots' contention that they turned all of their evidence of illegal taping over to the NFL."

"Rashard Mendenhall lost more than his wallet and cell phone in a Chicago stickup early Monday morning. He lost his Rose Bowl watch. He was thankful he still had his life after the 2 a.m. robbery at gunpoint by men wearing ski masks. "It's cool," Mendenhall said in his first public comments since the crime, little more than one day after the Steelers' first-round draft pick ended his first minicamp in Pittsburgh with his new teammates. "It wasn't too bad. I'm safe. I was just hoping he wouldn't pull the trigger. I was just trying to cooperate so he wouldn't.""

"The millions of dollars doled out to professional athletes, including some native Chicagoans, doesn't shield them from the perils ofstreet violence and brazen home invasions. When it comes to targeted armed attacks or random assaults, the list of victims in the last 10 months with local ties includes Antoine Walker, Eddy Curry and, most recently, Rashard Mendenhall. "As an athlete, I think it is a concern because you are dealing with people being robbed in general," said Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, who graduated from Mt. Carmel High School and was a teammate of Walker's on the Caravan basketball team."

"Q: Coach Tomlin said he wants big, young bodies on both sides of the line. I haven't seen much written about three big, relatively young OL -- Jason Capizzi, Matt Lentz and Jeremy Parquet (all listed as tackles). What is the inside scoop on these guys regarding their chances to make the team? And any chance that Lentz, who played guard for Michigan in college, could compete for the recent left guard vacancy? He certainly has the size at 6-6 and 320 pounds. -- Reese Bang of Richland, Wash. "

"They don’t call the NFL a copycat league for nothing so I would assume that the Steelers will look long and hard at the way Jacksonville uses Taylor and Jones-Drew. Heck, all they have to do is watch tape from the two games the teams played year to see the added dimension two quality backs can give to an offense. I will say this: we have no idea how much of a role Mendenhall will be able to assume in the offense next season. "

"A month before the draft, an either-or question was put to Steelers coach Mike Tomlin over breakfast in Palm Beach, Fla. Great pass rusher or great secondary? "Great pass rusher," Tomlin quickly answered, "because the ball never comes out." Last season, the Steelers got neither, at least statistically. Although Kevin Colbert, their director of football operations, said before the season began that the team needed a better pass rush in 2007, its sacks dropped by three, from 39 to 36. "

"Rashard Mendenhall left Pittsburgh after the Steelers' mini-camp practices concluded Sunday with a thick playbook and something else he had to lug around: a balky hamstring. Mendenhall, the team's first-round pick in this year's NFL Draft, strained his hamstring last Friday and didn't take part in Saturday's and Sunday's practices. The running back's injury didn't surprise Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who said it's becoming more common for top draft picks to report to mini-camp in less-than-top playing shape through no fault of their own. "

"Rashard Mendenhall received a scare early Monday morning when he and a friend were robbed at gunpoint in Chicago, but the Steelers' first-round draft pick wasn't hurt and is doing well, his agent said. "He's glad he wasn't hurt; he's glad his friend wasn't hurt," said Mike McCartney, who represents Mendenhall. "He's fine, really." According to McCartney, Mendenhall and a friend were robbed around 2 a.m. yesterday as they were walking along Chicago's South Side lakefront. Mendenhall, he added, gave the robbers -- who were wearing ski masks -- his wallet, cell phone and car keys. No shots were fired. "

"Halfback Rashard Mendenhall, the Steelers' first-round draft choice, was robbed at gunpoint while walking with a female friend along Chicago's lakefront early yesterday morning, according to the Chicago police and Mendenhall's agent, Mike McCartney. Neither Mendenhall, 20, nor his friend, was hurt during the robbery in which his wallet and cell phone were stolen, according to McCartney, who said Mendenhall didn't try to resist the robbery."

"X marks the spot for Limas Sweed. In football speak, the X position is the split end and that is where the rookie receiver will line up, behind Santonio Holmes. At least, that's where things started for the Steelers receivers at their weekend minicamp. It all could change between now and the start of the season. Sweed's addition to the roster in the second round of the draft prompted many to take notice of a receiving group that can claim to be a team strength."

"Marvel Smith may have been the happiest Steeler at mini-camp, and not because the practices got him out of lugging home the gifts his wife received Saturday at a baby shower in California. "Just to be back here playing football, I couldn't wait," the Steelers' left tackle and soon-to-be-father said. "Even my wife was talking about how I couldn't wait." It's easy to see why. Smith is free of the pain that tested his unusually high threshold and prematurely ended his 2007 season. And he talked of the surgery that relieved pressure a loose piece of a disc had put on a nerve in his back almost as if it were a liberating experience. "

"Steelers defensive back Ike Taylor insists that it's no big deal -- a move that's less than meets the eye. Taylor's switch from left cornerback to right cornerback in last year's playoff game against Jacksonville -- a position change that has continued through the Steelers' first organized team activity and recently completed minicamp -- is as dramatic as if Marvel Smith was switched from left tackle to right tackle. Now try telling that to Taylor. "You can't look too deep into it. We're not even in the season yet," Taylor said. "

"Ben Roethlisberger wore a sombrero during the Steelers' final mini-camp practice. His presence at the team's South Side facility Sunday turned out to be just as big a question as his choice of lids for "Hat Day." Coach Mike Tomlin had excused Roethlisberger following the first of two practices the Steelers held Saturday. Tomlin said he wasn't sure Saturday if Roethlisberger would be back for Sunday's practice, which is why he initially said the quarterback had been excused for the rest of mini-camp. Roethlisberger leaving and then returning to mini-camp was no big deal, Tomlin said. "

"Troy Polamalu won't practice until training camp, and he has returned to his California-based, non-traditional training methods this spring as he rehabilitates from knee surgery. "I kind of went away from what I did previously," said Polamalu, who watched but did not practice in minicamp this weekend. "I'd been staying here the last two years and training here in Pittsburgh, other than going to California. I'm trying to spend a little more time out there with my trainer in California.""

"Some months and 30 pounds ago, Ryan Clark had to wonder if he would ever play football again. His spleen and gall bladder gone, his body shrunk, vaccinated like some lab experiment, returning to play free safety in the NFL had to seem improbable. So victory came early this season for Clark. This past weekend, he ran with the first defense at free safety, right back where he was Oct. 21 in Denver when all the trouble began."

"Anthony "Booger" McFarland may still be an option for the Steelers and the team may have more flexibility after June 2 when teams can cut players and not have the salaries they were due to make count against the cap. As for the offensive line, the Steelers have three players on their roster that have starting experience at tackle. And what has to be encouraging for the Steelers has to be the health of left tackle Marvel Smith. Smith had surgery last season to relieve pressure that a piece of a herniated disc had put on a nerve in his back, and he said he noticed a change, for the better, as soon as he woke up from the procedure."

"He is fast, powerful and far from a finished product. He is described as humble but confident enough to compare his running style to that of a future Pro Football Hall of Famer. He is well-rounded -- he writes poetry and music in his spare time -- and is considered such a solid citizen that occasional moodiness is apparently the closest thing Rashard Mendenhall has to a character flaw. "Yeah," Walter Mendenhall, Rashard's older brother, said late week, "sometimes he likes his space." "

"Still recovering from offseason knee surgery, Hines Ward has been reduced to spectator for Steelers minicamp. That's not to say the veteran wide receiver has been idle during the practices that conclude today. He has been giving pointers to rookie Limas Sweed, the Steelers' second-round pick in last weekend's NFL Draft, and serving as a de facto coach. It is a role Ward admitted that he might not have embraced so enthusiastically in the past when he sometimes took it personally if the Steelers used a high draft pick on a wideout. "

"Steelers' first-round draft pick Rashard Mendenhall missed Saturday's two practices with a hamstring strain and will be held out of today's final practice, coach Mike Tomlin said. "It's becoming somewhat commonplace for some of these high-round draft picks to have this situation happen to them during mimicamp weekend," Tomlin said. A year ago, the Steelers' top two draft picks, Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley, were sidelined on the first day of minicamp because of similar injuries. Mendenhall, the No. 23 overall pick, participated in both of Friday's practices. "

"The minicamp jinx struck another first-round draft choice of the Steelers. As with linebacker Lawrence Timmons last year, halfback Rashard Mendenhall came down with an injury after his first day of minicamp and did not practice yesterday. Mendenhall has a hamstring injury, and coach Mike Tomlin believes the top rookies do have a problem with injuries in minicamps. Last year, Timmons left after one practice with a groin injury and No. 2 pick LaMarr Woodley came down with a hamstring injury in minicamp."

"Hines Ward owns all the Steelers' receiving records worth having: Career and season highs for receptions, yards and touchdown catches. His four Pro Bowls are more than any Steelers receiver. He earned a Super Bowl MVP. He even has the most career rushing yards for a Steelers receiver. Yet Ward relentlessly looks for incentive, a slight that might motivate him, something to put the chip back where it belongs because those chips drive him, and he forever finds at least one."

"Strong safety Troy Polamalu said he won't take part in any of the Steelers' offseason practices as he recovers from knee surgery. When asked if he will be 100 percent by the start of training camp in late July, Polamalu said, "God willing, yeah." Polamalu, who watched both mini-camp practices Friday in street clothes, had surgery to correct a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee."

"A year ago, the Steelers' first mandatory mini-camp became an unwelcome distraction for new coach Mike Tomlin. Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca drew a line in the sand over his contract status, sitting out the morning practice on the second day of camp in protest. A day earlier, top draft picks Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley were sidelined with injuries... A year later, things are looking up for Tomlin and the Steelers. "

"He has had almost five months to reflect on the infamous guarantee he made before the Steelers' game against the undefeated Patriots. And here's the thing: Anthony Smith wouldn't take back what he said last December, even though he got roasted for it, especially after the Patriots beat the Steelers, 34-13. "If I had to do it all over again I wouldn't change anything," the Steelers safety said Friday after the team's first mini-camp practice. "I'd have a better game, that's about it. I would say the same things, because it didn't affect me at all." "

"Back surgery often is not a good sign for a football player, particularly one who weighs more than 300 pounds. For Marvel Smith, it was a blessing. Smith had surgery in mid-December to remove a herniated disk in his lower back that was jammed against a nerve and causing a leg to go numb. It had bothered him much of the season but became quite evident Dec. 16 against Jacksonville... Dr. Joseph Maroon's December surgery should make for a better Smith in 2008. And that's one key to improving the overall play of the offensive line."

"They still would have picked Mendenhall, I believe. They did like Stewart and he's the one most people mentioned as a possible draft pick for them at the position. He was mentioned because he was thought to be most likely to fall that far, because he had toe surgery. Few thought Mendenhall would fall. Mendenhall can do more than Stewart -- run, block and catch. They rated him the second-best back in the draft, behind Darren McFadden."

"The Steelers issued Rashard Mendenhall the traditional No. 1 home jersey for their No. 1 draft pick, so the photographers could get a pose yesterday. He will, in fact, wear No. 34, which might recall a certain halfback named Walter -- Abercrombie for Steelers diehards and Payton for everyone else. Whatever jersey Mendenhall wears, it will be a good fit, according to the halfback who wears No. 39. Willie Parker not only welcomed Mendenhall to the Steelers yesterday on the first day of minicamp, he treated him the way Jerome Bettis treated Parker four years ago."

"There's two ways of looking at the Steelers' selections of Texas wide receiver Limas Sweed, Texas tackle Tony Hills and Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon in their recent NFL Draft. One, the Steelers were fortunate to acquire such talented players. Two, the only reason they were still on the board for the Steelers was because of injuries that decreased their draft value. "

"Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians will get his first up-close and personal look at running back Rashard Mendenhall today when the Steelers open minicamp. He can only hope the Steelers' first-round draft pick looks as good in person as he does on tape. "

"The Steelers drafted Baker, who played at Florida, on the seventh round in 2007. He did not make the team but was on the practice squad last season. He is 6-3 and his coaches say he steadily improved and Ben Roethlisberger recently made mention of him as a possible "tall" receiver for him. They drafted 6-4 Limas Sweed on the second round last week. That means Baker likely will compete for the fifth roster spot for a wide receiver, along with Willie Reid."

"Of all the positions the Steelers didn't need to address in the NFL draft, quarterback was right up there with tight end. But, after going through four rounds without selecting a defensive lineman -- likely their top priority -- it seemed only natural for the Steelers to use their fifth pick on ... a quarterback. An injured one, at that. But coach Mike Tomlin and director of football operations Kevin Colbert thought Oregon's Dennis Dixon, a versatile quarterback who can run and throw, was too good a value on the fifth round to bypass."

"The Eagles may have drafted for the future, but the here and now is about to mess with their locker room. The team drafted 10 players this weekend and traded for one more, but the moves they didn't make have tipped the power in the direction of dissatisfied cornerback Lito Sheppard. The two-time Pro Bowl player hasn't said much since the Eagles gave a six-year, $60 million contract to Asante Samuel, but he could say plenty if he declines to show up for the team's mandatory minicamp Friday through Monday. Coach Andy Reid said Sunday he expects Sheppard to be there."

"Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is using part of the richest contract in Pittsburgh sports history to give back to the community. He announced Wednesday that his Ben Roethlisberger Foundation and the Giving Back Fund will contribute nearly $100,000 in grants to local police K-9 units. "

"The Steelers added a 13th undrafted free agent to their roster Wednesday when they signed defensive lineman Kyle Clement. Clement starred at Northwood University, a Division II school in Michigan, and earned all-conference recognition three consecutive years. "

"What was so perplexing about the Steelers' well-documented struggles on special teams last season is the team devoted so much time to that phase of the game during practices, especially during training camp. Given that, I'd say the Steelers have to identify players than can comprise the core of special teams before training camp so those players have plenty of time to practice together and get a feel for one another."

"It's not that Ben Roethlisberger doesn't like that the Steelers' top picks in the NFL draft are a running back who compared himself to LaDainian Tomlinson and a wide receiver who is the type of big target he said he coveted. Nor is he displeased that Rashard Mendenhall and Limas Sweed -- two strong, fast and productive players from big-time college programs -- were drafted specifically to give Roethlisberger even more options in the offense."

"Taylor, who played at Woodland Hills High School in suburban Pittsburgh, has had an outstanding NFL career that is ongoing. But at age 33, and with the position he plays, he won't have many more seasons. The Steelers haven't traded away a first-round draft pick for a player since the 1960s and they're not about to start now. Also, Taylor does not fit the style of defense the Steelers play. They need ends for their 3-4 defense, not outside pass rushers."

"Asked to assess new Steelers wide receiver Limas Sweed, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger gave a thumb up in approval. "I like the draft. We did a good job all around," Roethlisberger said Wednesday after a press conference announcing that his foundation will distribute nearly $100,000 in grants to Pittsburgh area police and fire department canine units. "

"Dennis Dixon thrust himself into the Heisman Trophy race with that performance last September -- and into the consciousness of Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert."