February 9
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist John Harris
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In the NFL's biggest game, on its grandest stage, I'll take Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger over Indianapolis Colts' wunderkind Peyton Manning to win a Super Bowl. The Colts' 31-17 loss to New Orleans in Super Bowl XLIV, in which Manning was statistically brilliant but flawed in the clutch, highlighted critical differences between two iconic players who are successful despite wildly contrasting styles. Manning has few peers in regards to family pedigree and gaudy statistics. His father, Archie, was a star quarterback with the Saints before the team's current quarterback, Drew Brees, was born. Younger brother Eli was the MVP of Super Bowl XLII with the New York Giants. Peyton is the ..."
February 7
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau has been voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well as Scottdale native and former Steelers assistant coach Russ Grimm. The two are among the seven that will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Aug. 7 in Canton, Ohio. Heading the Hall of Fame class of 2010 are wide receiver Jerry Rice and running back Emmitt Smith. Joining them as modern-day selections are Grimm, a former Washington Redskins and Pitt standout, defensive tackle John Randle and linebacker Rickey Jackson, who also starred at Pitt. Running back Floyd Little joins LeBeau as the two veterans committee selections in this year's class."
February 6
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist John Harris
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Making longtime Steelers employee Doug Whaley their assistant general manager was a stroke a genius for a franchise seeking to emulate one of the NFL's most successful organizations. If the Bills couldn't hire Steelers director of football operations Kevin Colbert, then who better to steal away than Colbert's right-hand man? Whaley was a part of two Super Bowl teams and brings a wealth of scouting and personnel knowledge to the Bills, who haven't gone to the playoffs since 1999. The Upper St. Clair and Pitt product is Buffalo's second major hire with Steelers connections since the end of the regular season. After failing to woo former Steelers coach Bill Cowher, the Bills settled on former ..."
February 5
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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If the Steelers use a franchise tag on nose tackle Casey Hampton they will have to offer the unrestricted free agent a one-year deal worth just over $7.7 million. That represents the average of the top five salaries for defensive tackles in 2009, a figure that the National Football Players' Association released Thursday. Hampton, who made $6.45 million last season, told the Tribune-Review last week that there will "be a problem" if the Steelers use a franchise tag on him. Hampton, 32, said he wants the Steelers to sign him to a long-term contract or let him test the market without any restrictions."
February 5
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Bill Dudley, the last Steelers' running back to lead the NFL in rushing, has died after a short illness at his home in Lynchburg, Va. He was 88. Known as "Bullet Bill," Dudley was the Steelers' No. 1 pick in the 1942 draft, and he led the league in rushing as a rookie. He played three of his nine seasons with the Steelers, and also served in the Army from 1943-1944 as a B-25 and B-29 pilot in the Pacific during World War II. In 1946, Dudley led the league in rushing, interceptions and punt returns and was named NFL most valuable player. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1966. "We are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Bill Dudley," Steelers president Art Rooney II ..."
February 5
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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All it took, Pro Football Hall of Fame finalist Dermontti Dawson recalled, was some smooth talking on his part, along with his coaches' willingness to listen. The year was 1992, and Dawson, entering his fourth season as a starter on the Steelers' offensive line, approached first-year coach Bill Cowher and new offensive coordinator Ron Erhardt about a better way to utilize his rare blend of strength and quickness by allowing him to become a pulling center. Up to that point, centers were mostly stationary linemen who dropped into pass-blocking formation or thudded into defensive linemen to open holes in the running game. What Dawson proposed was radical. On certain runs, Dawson would execute ..."
February 4
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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True story: Dick LeBeau once ate at least one cheeseburger for 367 consecutive days simply because he likes them. Just as indicative - and less of an indictment - of youth is the record 171 consecutive games LeBeau played in as a cornerback for the Detroit Lions from 1959-72. The latter streak, among other accomplishments, should help LeBeau, 72, finally gain entry into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Steelers' defensive coordinator is a finalist for football immortality, and if he gets voted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday, only one question will remain: What took so long? LeBeau is third among NFL cornerbacks in career interceptions (62). He also earned a reputation as a sure ..."
February 4
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Steelers pro scouting coordinator Doug Whaley will become the Buffalo Bills' new assistant general manager, according to multiple media reports. Whaley was responsible for scouting Steelers opponents and evaluating pro players. Before joining the Steelers, he was an area scout with the Seattle Seahawks."
February 3
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The man behind The Man didn't draw nearly the crowd that Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning attracted Tuesday at Sun Life Stadium. Staying in the background, as much as one can even at a toned-down Super Bowl Media Day, suited Tom Moore just fine. The former Steelers offensive coordinator has, in fact, made a career of it. That is not to say Moore has gone unnoticed. His latest and perhaps last stop has cemented his reputation as a top NFL assistant coach. And Moore's influence on Manning is a reason why the Colts are poised to win their second Super Bowl in the past four years. "I don't know if there will ever be an assistant coach in the Hall of Fame," said Manning, who will ..."
February 2
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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This looks like the year that Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau receives his long overdue induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. LeBeau is one of two Senior Committee nominees - Broncos running back Floyd Little is the other - and that makes him a finalist for the Hall of Fame for the first time. The significance of "getting into the room," as it is called, is a presenter will make LeBeau's case to the rest of the Hall of Fame voters. Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News will be able to make a strong argument that LeBeau deserves a place among the all-time greats in Canton even though the latter's candidacy is based solely on what he did as a player."
February 2
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist John Harris
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Leave it to always-blunt veteran nose tackle Casey Hampton to say what the Steelers won't about the team's offseason plans to re-sign some of their unrestricted free agents. During an interview with the Tribune-Review last week, Hampton said he wants to finish his career with the team that drafted him in 2001. He also said the Steelers passed up the opportunity to re-sign him last offseason, so why should he turn cartwheels (picture that visual, if you will) for the chance to stay with the team that no longer considers him a priority? "You didn't feel that strong about signing me before the season, so why is it such a big issue for you to try to keep me now?" Hampton responded. Talk about ..."
February 2
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The New York Jets led the NFL in rushing this season by following a similar approach to one taken by the Steelers in 2004. Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca played on both teams, and he might have trouble recognizing his former one. The Steelers passed the ball 56 percent of the time in 2009 -- they passed more than any other Steelers team in the 2000s -- and that stands in stark contrast to the team running the ball 68 percent of the time in 2004. Such a discrepancy may show how far the Steelers have strayed from the philosophy of pounding opposing teams with the run -- and from themselves, as team president Art Rooney II recently suggested. Rooney said one of the top Steelers' top priorities ..."
February 2
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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As someone who set up free Internet cafes that allowed U.S. soldiers to contact their families from Iraq, Justin Burtosky enjoyed a job that brought smiles to the troops during breaks in combat. When the Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII, the 33-year-old from Ligonier commemorated the occasion by flying a flag adorned with the team's helmet at the highest point of Camp Taji, just north of Baghdad, where elements of a Pennsylvania National Guard brigade were stationed. "The base is full of people from Pennsylvania, and it was a party for the Super Bowl," said Burtosky, who was embedded there for three years while working as a satellite communications and IT specialist for a military defense ..."
February 2
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The Steelers regularly started seven players on defense last season who were at least 30 years old. They lost five games that they led in the fourth quarter. Fatigue could serve as a link between the two. One thing outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley dismissed, however, is the notion that the defense would have been fresher in the fourth quarter had the Steelers run the ball more in 2009. That would have kept the defense off the field for longer stretches. "They did what they were supposed to do," Woodley said of the offense. "It was our fault for letting teams score in the fourth quarter. No one to blame but ourselves." One statistic in particular may back up Woodley's assertion. The ..."
February 2
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The family of the late Pittsburgh Steelers star Dwight White has filed a malpractice and wrongful death lawsuit against UPMC and its top neurosurgeon, Dr. Joseph C. Maroon. In the 18-page complaint filed today in Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, White's widow, Karen, and his daughter, Stacey, charged that doctors and other staff failed to properly diagnose and treat White when he suffered a pulmonary embolism following routine back surgery. Family attorney Arthur L. Schwarzwaelder said White's treatment was "a sad story of missed opportunities resulting in an entirely preventable death." White, who had been a patient of Maroon's for at least 11 years, underwent surgery for a herniated ..."
February 1
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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James Harrison generally has as much use for excuses as he does quarterback protection rules. But the Steelers' no-nonsense outside linebacker said there are reasons why his sack total dipped from a team-record 16 in 2008 to 10 last season. "I started dropping a little more in coverage, would show blitz, and when I normally go, I didn't go," said Harrison, who played in his third consecutive Pro Bowl Sunday night. "They'd do things on my side and end up leaving (LaMarr Woodley) open. And 'Wood' came through for us at the end of the season." The question now is whether Harrison, who didn't have a sack in the Steelers' final six games last season, will be as dominant as he was in 2008. ..."
February 1
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Steelers strong safety Troy Polamalu has been named to the NFL's All-Decade team. Polamalu is the only Steelers player on the 53-man squad, which was picked by the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters. Two former Steelers, outside linebacker Joey Porter and Alan Faneca, are also on the team. Polamalu had been selected to five straight Pro Bowls prior to this season. Knee injuries limited Polamalu injuries to five games in 2009."
January 30
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The Steelers want Casey Hampton, an unrestricted free agent, to return to the team. The Pro Bowl nose tackle wants to stay in Pittsburgh. How the two sides arrive at that common ground is where it gets a little complicated and potentially messy. Hampton said Friday "it will be a problem" if the Steelers use a franchise tag and offer him a one-year contract instead of signing the accomplished veteran to a multi-year deal. "You say we're family, and you'll take care of me. All I've done for this organization, and I feel like that's a slap in my face if you franchise me," Hampton told the Tribune-Review following a Pro Bowl practice at St. Thomas Aquinas High School. "That's not right. You ..."
January 29
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The Steelers have hired Jerry Olsavsky, who played linebacker for them from 1989-97, as a defensive quality control coach. Olsavsky replaces Lou Spanos, who left last month to become the linebackers coach for the Washington Redskins."
January 27
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Steelers right tackle Willie Colon is a three-year starter who just completed his fourth NFL season. Under normal circumstances, Colon would be in line for a major payday this offseason as an unrestricted free agent. He could have received a deal similar to the four-year, $26.3 million contract the Steelers gave left tackle Max Starks last year. Instead, Colon will remain a restricted free agent if a new collective bargaining agreement between NFL management and players isn't reached by March and the 2010 season is played without a salary cap. The absence of a salary cap next season would prevent 212 players from becoming unrestricted free agents. Colon is the only player on the Steelers ..."
January 26
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The University of Houston made NFL assistant coach Brian Stewart the school's new defensive coordinator. Stewart was selected over several candidates, including Steelers defensive backs coach Ray Horton. Horton told the Tribune-Review last week he believed he was a finalist for the position. Horton, who has 25 years experience in the NFL as a coach and player, was the only finalist who lacked college coaching experience and has never served as a defensive coordinator on any level. Stewart was a defensive special assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles this season. From 2007-08, he was the Dallas Cowboys' defensive coordinator. Stewart was also an assistant coach at several colleges. "His ..."
January 23
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Steelers outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley will play in his first Pro Bowl after getting named to the AFC team Friday as an injury replacement. Woodley, who led the Steelers with 13 1/2 sacks in 2009, will take Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing's spot on the AFC roster. Cushing pulled out of the Jan. 31 game because of multiple injuries. Woodley joins outside linebacker James Harrison and nose tackle Casey Hampton in representing the Steelers in the annual all-star game. More Steelers could be added to the AFC squad since Pro Bowlers from the two teams that advance to the Super Bowl will not take part in the game. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger declined an invitation to the Pro Bowl ..."
January 22
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Al Everest, who's coached in the NFL, Canadian Football League, Arena Football League, in college and overseas in Italy, was hired Thursday to be the Steelers new special teams coordinator. Everest, who's coached special teams in the NFL for 13 seasons, takes over for Bob Ligashesky. He first met with coach Mike Tomlin last Friday. Everest, 59, had coached in San Francisco from 2007-09, but the 49ers didn't renew his contract after the season. San Francisco ranked last in the NFL in punt returns and No. 23 in kickoff returns this season. Everest came under fire this season following a 20-17 loss against Seattle when the 49ers fumbled a reverse handoff on a punt return. San Francisco coach ..."
January 22
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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His shaved head, neatly trimmed goatee and thick upper body give him the look of an offensive line coach. And having grown up in Buffalo as the son of a fireman and factory worker, Sean Kugler can identify with the blue-collar ethos of Pittsburgh and, by extension, the Steelers. "Just a solid, no-nonsense line coach," team president Art Rooney II said of Kugler, who started his new job Monday with the Steelers. "I think he's our kind of guy." Results will ultimately determine whether that's the case. This much, however, is certain: the man known as "Koogs" will be a key figure in fulfilling the mandate Rooney II recently issued when he said the Steelers need to do a better job of running ..."
January 21
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Ben Roethlisberger will not play in his second career Pro Bowl because of a shoulder injury he sustained near the end of the Steelers' final game earlier this month. The injury is not serious, and Roethlisberger is not expected to have surgery, a Steelers spokesman said Wednesday. Roethlisberger did not get medical clearance to play in the Pro Bowl on Jan. 31 because his right shoulder has not completely recovered from the injury that occurred in the Steelers' 30-24 win against the Miami Dolphins on Jan. 3. Roethlisberger hurt his shoulder when Miami Dolphins linebacker Joey Porter landed on his throwing arm while the two were going for a loose ball that Porter recovered. Roethlisberger ..."
January 20
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Randy Fichtner will move from wide receivers to quarterbacks coach, taking over the job that Anderson had held since January 2007. Like Anderson, Fichtner joined the Steelers when Tomlin took over for Bill Cowher as head coach. Under his watch, Hines Ward posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, while Santonio Holmes won a Super Bowl MVP award and also had his first 1,000-yard season at any level. Both Ward and Holmes went over 1,000 yards receiving this season, while rookie Mike Wallace emerged as a premier deep threat. Wallace led the Steelers with 19.4 yards per catch and tied for the team lead in touchdown receptions with six. Fichtner has extensive experience mentoring quarterbacks, as ..."