Steelers Roster Analysis, Offense: Tight Ends

Steel Curtain Rising continues its analysis of the Steelers 2013 roster with tight ends.

Starter:  David Johnson, Heath Miller (injured)
Back Ups:  David Paulson, Michael Palmer and Matt Spaeth (injured reserve)

Strengths: Heath Miller is one of the best tight ends in the league. When healthy. David Paulson had a great rookie year and is a good pass catcher.

Weaknesses:  The top two players in this until are not healthy. David Johnson is a solid blocker, but not much of a pass catcher. David Paulson is the opposite.

The Skinny:  Does Todd Haley have a plan for replacing Heath Miller's 71 catches? Can the unit "get by" until Miller returns? And when he returns will he approach full strength? At tight end the Steelers need to answer a lot of question marks affirmatively, and doing so will only bring them to the "not a liability" threshold. Matt Spaeth is out until mid season, which gives the Steelers added insurance in the event of another injury.

Click here and scroll around to read analysis of other position areas on the Steelers 2013 Roster.

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The Life and Times of the Steelers David Johnson - From the PUP to Opening Day Starter?

Oh, to live the life and times of Steelers tight end-full-back-tight end David Johnson. Johnson:

• Was the last player taking from an undistinguished Steelers 2009 draft…
• Shifted to fullback with the arrival of Todd Haley…
• Saw the shift to fullback scuttled via a dreaded ACL tear (and the emergence of Will Johnson)…
• Entered free agency as an afterthought…
• Witnessed Steelers Nation meet his resigning by the Steelers with a collective yawn…

And where is David Johnson now?

• Well, David Johnson could very well end up as the Pittsburgh Steelers 2013 opening day starting tight end vs. the Tennessee Titans. 

Johnson, along with fellow tight end Heath Miller, open training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, but the Steelers have activated him from the PUP.

The Steelers find themselves in a precarious situation at tight end. Matt Spaeth, brought back in a surprise free agency reacquisition, has a lisfranc injury and will be out 8 to 10 weeks. Miller of course is rehabbing his own ACL tear.

David Paulson had what might have been the catch of the night, a 26 yarder from Ben Roethlisberger in the Steelers preseason loss to the Redskins, but his blocking has been suspect, and with a leaky offensive line that is an issue.

• David Johnson is no season savior. 

He’s the type of player who lives year-by-year. But, like a great many late draft picks, Johnson gives it his all and has shown the ability step it up when called upon. He is a solid blocker and he should provide some valuable veteran depth at an area where the Steelers truly need it.

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Steelers Bolster Tight End Depth, Claim Michael Palmer Off of Waivers

The Steelers can remain mum about Matt Spaeth’s health for as long as they want, their actions indicated they are concerned. Before Matt Speath was carted off the field injured, the Steelers brought in tight end John Rabe.

• Apparently Rabe’s NFL dream, at least in Pittsburgh, as the team waived in.

The Steelers went to the waiver wire to bolster their tight end depth, claiming Michael Palmer off of waivers from the Seattle Seahawks, as reported by Behind the Steel Curtain.

Palmer entered the NFL in 2010 as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Atlanta Falcons. He played in 14 games in 2010, 16 games in 2011, and 13 games in 2012, starting in six games total. His best year receiving was 2011, when he caught 10 passes for 72 yards.

Michael Palmer’s Upside?

Although he only has 21 catches, but 3 of them are for touchdowns, with one in each of his years in the league. That’s a 21% catch-to-touchdown ratio.

While this statistic is likely little more than a statistical anomaly the Steelers picked up another player labeled “retread” whose numbers told a similar story.

His name is Yancey Thigpen. In 1992 during Bill Cowher’s rookie head coaching season, the Steelers signed Thigpen as a street free agent wide receiver at mid season after San Diego Chargers had cut him in camp.

After two seasons, Thigpen only had 10 NFL catches to his name. But three of them were for touchdowns.

• Two year’s later Thigpen broke John Stallworth’s single season receiving record.

Will Michael Palmer write a similar story with the Steelers?

• The odds are against it.

But as Ramon Foster’s agent advised him when he was an undrafted rookie free agent in 2009, “Pittsburgh is the land of opportunity.”

At tight end in addition to Palmer the Steelers count Heath Miller and David Johnson who are on the PUP list, Matt Spaeth of aggravated a knee injury, David Paulson, Jamie McCoy, Peter Tuitupou and Nathan Overbay whom they also signed today.

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Steelers Tight End Matt Spaeth Carted Off Field @ St. Vincents

This time you can't fault Kevin Colbert for not having a contingency plan.

The 2013 Pittsburgh Steelers entered training camp as a team with many needs and little in the way of a safety net. As recently observed here, the Steelers openly decided to tempt fate, wagering that the offensive line injury muses would not look down in disfavor again, and assembled a roster with precious little depth at either offensive tackle position.

Should Mike Adams or Marcus Gilbert fall injured, the Steelers contingency plans are named Guy Whimper and D'Anthony Batiste. Neither strike fear on to hears of Haloti Ngata or Terrell Suggs.

In contrast, knowing full well that Heath Miller would not be available to start the 2013 season, the Steelers put a contingency plan in place.

• Unfortunately it looks like the contingency plan himself got hurt.

Late into the afternoon Mark Kaboly dropped this bomb via Twitter:

Steelers TE Matt Spaeth carted off with injury. Didn't see what it was.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly_Trib) August 7, 2013

Matt Spaeth of course was a member of the Steelers 2007 draft class, and Kevin Colbert's decision to resign Spaeth off of the free agent market turned some heads but it ultimately made sense.

• No one would accuse Spaeth of being a world beater, but he certainly offered more value than Leonard Pope. 

Colbert also gave himself another back up option, in deciding to resign tight end/fullback David Johnson, a member of the Steelers 2009 draft class whose shift to fullback in 2012 was widely heralded, only to be derailed by Johnson's torn ACL.

• Johnson however, began training camp on the PUP list.

The nature of Spaeth's injury is not known. The news broke in the late afternoon via Twitter, but it wasn’t until the late evening that the Post Gazette published a story on it, and then on PG Plus. The Tribune Review had not published a story on it as of 11:38 Buenos Aires time (yeah, that’s right, how often do you see that time stamp on Pittsburgh Steelers stories?)

• But players rarely get carted off the field unless it is serious.

At tight end the Steelers also have David Paulson, whom they drafted with their second pick 7th round of the 2012 NFL Draft and Jamie McCoy whom they also drafted in the with their first 7th round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Spaeth’s Injury Steel Curtain Rising’s Fault?

If a server personnel crisis at tight end can’t be laid at the feet of Kevin Colbert, might Steel Curtain Rising be the culprit…?

Who knows. But the fact that Spaeth got injured on the same day that we published an full throated endorsement of Mike Tomlin’s “No to Golf Carts, Yes to Full Contact” training camp philosophy is ironic to say the least…..

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Steelers 1st Day at St. Vincents: Roethlisberger's Knee and PUP List

The Pittsburgh Steelers opened their 47th training camp at St. Vincent’s college in Latrobe to a subdued atmosphere as the franchise attempts to retool, recalibrate, and refocus after a disappointing, inconsistent, injury-plagued 8-8 finish in 2012.

The first day’s agenda consists of little more than players moving and Mike Tomlin’s run test, but there was a little news for Steelers Nation to consume.

Big Ben Sits Out Run Test, Gilbert Carted Off

Ben Roethlisberger had minor knee surgery in early June and while the quarterback reported the he felt fine, Mike Tomlin held him out as a precautionary.

The quarterback spoke about the infamous Roethlisberger-Haley relationship, and admitted to being “frustrated” with Todd Haley’s offense last season, although he confirmed that most frustration lay in new terminology.

While Roethlisberger downplayed the absence of former locker room leaders like Hines Ward and James Farrior, he said he planned to take a larger leadership role this season, and had asked Maurkice Pouncey and Heath Miller to follow suit.

In what might not be so good news, Marcus Gilbert, the Steelers projected starting tackle, passed the Tomlin’s run test but had to be carted off the field after that. Given the utmost important role that the offensive line will play for the Steelers this season, this is not encouraging news.

Miller, Johnson, Spence and Ta’Mau Head Steelers PUP List

The Steelers also began camp with four players on the physically unable to perform list, or PUP list. As expected Heath Miller and Sean Spence headed the list. Reporter Dale Lolley indicated “…[Miller] looks closer to a guy who intends on playing from the get-go than he does somebody who will be out the first six weeks.”

Sean Spence stated that his goal is to make the active roster by mid season.

The other two players starting on the PUP amount to somewhat of a surprise. David Johnson is one, who reportedly is still working his way back to health from the ACL tear he suffered last year in preseason.

The other is Alameda Ta’amu, who reportedly has a hamstring issue. This is very bad news for Ta’amu. The Steelers traded up in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft to get Ta’amu and he has done nothing but disappoint since then.

Adams, Cleared to Play

Steelers Nation did get good news on the injury front. Starting tackle Mike Adams, who was stabbed last month on the South Side continuing what has become the Steelers "June Curse", has been fully cleared to participate in all activities.

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Steelers Draft Needs: Wide Receiver and Tight End, Two Positions with the Opposite Problem

It’s a Tale of Two Cities for the Steelers tight end and wide receiver needs entering the 2013 NFL Draft. Both positions are areas of need, but for very different reasons.

• Speaking strictly in the short term, the Steelers do not need wide receivers. 

They’ll start 2013, assuming no injuries, with Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, Jerricho Cotchery, and Plaxico Burress with David Gilbreath as a worthy contender for the 5th receiver spot.

• An NFL team could do worse with this front foursome at wide out.

Of course appearances can be deceiving and in this case they do. Burress and Cotchery are well into their 30’s, and recent restricted free agent Emmanuel Sanders is in the final year of his contract.

On top of that, none of the players on the Steelers roster at wide out is known for his speed, an obvious deficiency.  The Steelers must think to the future, and begin to reload their wide receiving corps, and they’d be wise to begin doing it early in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Troubles at Tight End

At tight end the Steelers have the opposite problem. Assuming Heath Miller makes a full recovery from his ACL tear, at age 31 he’s got a number of years of quality football left in him.

Behind him the Steelers have David Paulson, a 7th round draft pick who “overachieved” and looked quite good in 2012. Matt Spaeth is back and so is David Johnson, both of whom should be growing into their best football years.

Now, neither man is every going to be the second coming of Mark Bruener let alone David Casper, but getting just a little extra value out of the number 40 through number 45 men on your game day roster can take you a long way in the NFL

• The problem is that Heath Miller will likely not be available until late in the season.

That means that the Steelers need to find some way to make up for his 71 catches either through the tight ends, wide receivers, or through an improved running game or a combination of all three.

• Paulson, Johnson, and Spaeth are not going to combined for 71 catches next year…

…but the other two scenarios are plausible, but depend on a lot of “ifs.”

The Steelers can’t base their offense, not to mention Ben Roethlisberger’s health, on a series of “ifs.”

They need to upgrade at tight end, and they need to bring in someone who can help them relatively quickly or else suddenly get really strong at running back or much more dynamic at wide receiver.

• And therein lies the danger. 

Many mock drafts have the Steelers picking Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert at 17th in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Yet many other draft nicks say that Eifert isn’t good enough to go that high. Based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Steel Curtain Rising is not fit to say whether Eifert is a worthy pick at 17, a reach, or someone so terribly overrated he'll be a bust in the NFL.

• But one thing is clear.

The Steelers have a need to fill at tight end, but they must resist all temptations to reach to fill it. The last time the franchise attempted to do that, Troy Edwards happened.

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Steelers Resign... Matt Spaeth?

The Pittsburgh Steelers attitude towards departing free agents during the Tom Donahoe era was “Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.” A player no less the stature of Rod Woodson left and wanted to comeback but were firmly told that the door did not swing both ways.

Kevin Colbert took a different approach welcoming back role players such as Ainsley Battles, Myron Bell, Tom Myslinski, Willie Williams and Chad Brown during Bill Cowher's tenure.

• But perhaps the word to departing free agents in the Mike Tomlin era now should be “We’ll see you again.” 

Two years ago the Steelers brought back Antwaan Randle El, Larry Foote, and Bryant McFadden. A week ago they did the same with William Gay.

• And now apparently they’ve done it again with Matt Spaeth, according to ESPN Chicago.

The Steelers drafted Matt Spaeth in the third round of the 2007 NFL draft. During his first three years with the Steelers Spaeth was primarily a blocking tight end who caught touchdowns when the Steelers threw to him.

However, in 2010 when Heath Miller was injured Spaeth struggled to perform Miller’s role in the offense, and left for Chicago via free agency.

In Chicago he was used again as a blocking tight end, and NBC’s Pro Football Talk sighted a Pro Football Focus evaluation that named Spaeth as the top blocking tight end in football.

Why Bring Back Spaeth?

The move to bring back Spaeth will likely underwhelm the masses in Pittsburgh, and for good reason. Speath is nothing special. He doesn’t even know Todd Haley’s offense.

But if Spaeth’s run blocking has improved as much as Pro Football Focus suggests, then he almost undoubtedly offers more than Leonard Pope.

With Heath Miller still ailing the Steelers opening day depth chart at tight end could easily raid David Paulson, David Johnson, and Matt Spaeth. That will scare no defensive coordinator, but could be worse one would suppose.

Post Gazette Reports Spaeth Signing to Occur Monday

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette's Gerry Dulac is reporting on Saturday March 16th the the Steelers will bring Spaeth to the South Side with the intention of signing him to a contact.

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Wallace Departs - Larry Foote, Plaxico Burress & David Johnson Stay with Steelers

In the end, those who predicted that some other team would pay Mike Wallace the 10 million dollar a year that Pittsburgh wouldn’t were way, way off. That’s because the actual number end up at 13 million and the team in question was the Miami Dolphins, who out bid the Vikings, among other teams.

This contract was far greater than what the Steelers had offered Mike Wallace before his hold out and far more than what Antonio Brown got instead.

The Steelers will suffer without home run threat Mike Wallace, but Mike Wallace is no where near with the money Miami is paying him.

Steelers Far From Not Idle – Foote, Burress, and Johnson Return

While the Steelers never wade into to the free agent signing free for alls, they were  hardly idle back in Pittsburgh. 24 hours before free agency began, the Steelers came to terms with Ramon Foster who signed what is reported to be a 3 year 6 million dollar contract with between 900 and 800 thousand guaranteed.

Ramon Foster had been getting feelers from other teams and the Steelers acted quickly to keep him off the market, as they did with Larry Foote who’d been courted by Pittsburgh West aka the Arizona Cardinals. The Steelers had been in talks with Larry Foote, and are desperately thin at inside linebacker, especially as Sean Spence’s season if not his entire career are in serious doubt at this point.

The Steelers also made what journalists were describing as a “surprise” move, by signing former Kevin Colbert first round pick Plaxico Burress to a one year deal for the league minimum. After the season ended, there’d been talk that Burress would be back, but as recently as Tuesday morning Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette claimed that any Burress signing would happen in June.

And late in the day it was reported that the Steelers agreed to terms with David Johnson, their fullback – tight end who was injured last year in preseason at the hands of Marcus Gilbert. With Heath Miller ailing, David Paulson and David Johnson now give the Steelers two healthy tight ends.

Colon Expected to be Cut

Even if the Steelers did turn a few heads by locking down a few of their own players to contracts, the exodus will continue as Rashard Mendenhall and Keenan Lewis are expected to receive offers from other teams.

• And so might Willie Colon. 

The Steelers ability to resign Ramon Foster makes Colon, who has finished the last three seasons in injured reserve and earned an average of a million dollars per game actually played, expendable.

The Steelers are expected to cut Willie Colon, but designating him as a post-June 1st cut, which will allow Colon to seek another offer while the Steelers can prorate the dead money impact on the salary cap over two years.

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Is Steelers Free Agent David Johnson Facing "Life's Work?"

Steelers free agent fullback/tight end David Johnson serves as a poster boy for the role that pure luck plays in success or failure in the NFL.

The Steelers drafted David Johnson in the 7th round of the 2009 NFL Draft. Johnson saw action in 15 games but only caught two balls working into the offense more as a fullback than as a tight end.

Johnson’s role with the team grew gradually in 2010 and 2011, and with the Todd Haley’s arrival as offensive coordinator, David Johnson was to move (nearly) full time to fullback.

He was also entering his restricted free agent year, which meant that only one year lay between him and his second NFL contract.

Eyes may roll at the last statement with memories with Johnson’s egregious drop in the late season Monday Night loss to San Francisco. But Johnson has shone at other times:

• Johnson’s block help spring Rashard Mendenhall free for his 50 overtime run that iced the 2010 opener vs. Atlanta
• David Johnson also stepped it up with 3 catches, including a clutch one on third down vs. Baltimore in December of that year

Still skeptical? Take a close look at the video below (available as of 2/28/13). Hines Ward (rightly) gets credit for making the first block, but it is Johnson (no 85) who makes the block that breaks Mendenhall free past the second level:




Alas, David Johnson had the bad luck tear his ACL in preseason, robbing him of his chance to prove his worth as a fullback.

How Does David Johnson Figure into the Steelers 2013 Plans?

The Steelers plans for Johnson, if they have any, remain a mystery. The press has devoted zero attention to his status. Heath Miller’s long road to ACL recovery might bode well for Johnson, but Johnson is coming back from his own injury, and the last time he was healthy he was transitioning to fullback.

Johnson is not likely to attract much attention from other NFL teams. He’s shown he can help the Steelers, but then again the Steelers have Will Johnson at fullback.

One year ago David Johnson was 16 games away from veteran minimum salaries that start trending towards 7 figures.

Instead Johnson now faces the very real prospect that, in the immortal words of Chuck Noll, he’ll have to begin “life’s work.”

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Steelers Can't Stop Tripping Over Themselves. Literally

The Pittsburgh Steelers are tripping over each other. One might be tempted to apply that metaphor to the team’s three 4th quarter melt downs, but in this case it was literally true.

First it was Marcus Gilbert colliding with David Johnson, and then with David DeCastro, then rolled over Maurkice Pouncey, injuring all three men in the process.

Now its Ben Roethlisberger’s turn, as Roethlisberger stepped on another player’s foot in practice and rolled his own ankle.

Alan Robinson of the Tribune-Review reported that Roethlisberger was seen with ice around his ankle and walking with a slight limp after practice.

• Roethlisberger, however insisted that he would play. 

Good news no doubt, the Steelers really do seem to be walking on collective banana peels.

Pouncey and Woodley to Play, Redman and Mendenhall Likely Out

Robinson also reported that Maurkice Pouncey has in fact practiced some this week, a sign that he might play. Very good news for a Steelers team that is dangerously thin across the offensive line.

The Steelers are also expecting LaMarr Woodley back in the line up. While that’s also good news, hamstring injuries are tricky things, and one can only hope he’s not exposing himself to worsening the injury.

The news was not quite so good for Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman, both of whom have not practiced, and are not likely to play.

Should that be the case, the Steelers will get a chance to see what they really have with Jonathan Dwyer, Chris Rainey and Baron Batch.

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DeCastro Injures MCL, ACL Tear to be Confirmed

Behind the Steel Curtain's Neal Coolong is reporting (based on an ESPN tweet) that the Steelers have confirmed that rookie first round draft pick David DeCastro has an injured MCL. The team fears that he also has a torn ACL which will soon be determined by an MRI.

If DeCastro has only injured his MCL, he could conceivably return to action this fall. A torn ACL would send DeCastro to the injured reserve and he'd be lost for the year.

David DeCastro injured his knee and was carted off the field 6 plays into the Steelers 38-7 preseason victory over the Buffalo Bills. Both Willie Colon and Ben Roethlisberger have blamed Orchard Park's Field Turf.

Dale Lolley however, reports that he thinks that DeCastro might have been tripped by Marcus Gilbert. To quote Lolley:

If that was the case, Gilbert has now taken out two starters this preseason. He fell across fullback David Johnson's legs in the opener, ending his season with a torn ACL.

Now, if Marcus Gilbert could only start unleashing this tendency on defenders....

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Steelers Activate Max Starks, Waive John Clay

The Steelers are only one game into the 2012 preseason campaign, yet they remain active on the personnel front.  Only one day after placing David Johnson on the waived/injured list, the Steelers followed suit with John Clay.

According to the Post-Gazette, Clay had injured his hip and groin in practice after the game, and the Steelers apparently thought they needed a healthy body in camp so they replaced him with John Ford.

Should no team claim Clay, and none is likely to, his rights will revert back to the Steelers.

If fate should have it that John Clay's time as a Pittsburgh Steeler is over, he always memory of taking his first NFL carry for 10 yards AND a touchdown in the Steelers late season shut out of the St. Louis Rams last year.

Max Starks Returns (Again)

The Steelers also took Max Starks off of the Physically Unable to Preform list, which will allow him to practice with the team. Starks had been recuprerating from the ACL tear he suffered in the playoffs vs. Denver.

While the Steelers had planned to activate Starks at some point in mid-August, his presence is needed on the offensive line, where injuries are already forcing roster shuffling, with Marcus Gilbert getting work at left tackle and Ramon Foster getting work at right tackle.

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Steelers Waive David Johnson, Sign Justin Peelle

What a week for David Johnson. Seven days ago Johnson was the first Mike Tomlin-era Pittsburgh Steeler to hold the title of “full back.” Today, after tearing his ACL in the Steelers preseason opener at Philadelphia, Johnson finds himself out on the street unemployed.

Well, perhaps that’s a tad bit over dramatic, but the Steelers did place David Johnson on the injured/waived list.  As clarified by Neal Coolong of Behind the Steel Curtain, the move allows another team to sign Johnson. If no one opts to pick him up, his rights revert to the Steelers.

In all likelihood that is exactly what will happen, for whatever it is worth. Johnson is done for the year and will become a free agent next year, giving another team little incentive in signing him.

The Steelers likely took this step, in lieu of simply putting Johnson on injuries reserve for salary cap reasons, although I remain unaware of the Steelers obligations to Johnson since he did sign his 1.2 million dollar restricted free agent tender this spring.

To take Johnson’s place on the roster, the Steelers signed veteran Justin Peelle, who was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in 2002, and has played in San Francisco, Miami, and most recently Atlanta.

The Steelers of course still have veterans Heath Miller, Leonard Pope, and Weslye Saunders on their roster, in addition to Jamie McCoy, who they picked up in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL draft.

All of these players, including Justin Peelle, are primarily or exclusively tight ends. The only pure fullback on the Steelers roster is rookie free agent Will Johnson.

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Thoughts on David Johnson's ACL Tear

David Johnson entered 2012 training camp with an interesting tale to tell. He’s a pure Tomlin-era player, drafted as a tight end by the Steelers with their final pick in the 2009 NFL draft. But Johnson’s first action in the NFL came at full back, where he saw spot duty during his rookie campaign.

Johnson entered 2010 on the bubble, as almost any 7th round pick would, but assured himself a roster spot with his continued development.

The Steelers faith in him paid off on opening day when Johnson took on two blockers to pave the way Rashard Mendenhall’s thrilling 50 yard overtime touchdown vs. the Falcons. (Available as of 8/10/12):

After Johnson's role with the team grew.

In December of 2010 Johnson had his biggest game in Baltimore vs. the Ravens. Matt Speath was out with an injury and during the game the Steelers lost Heath Miller would after a vicious concussion leaving Johnson as the team’s lone tight end.

Johnson rose to the occasion, catching three passes including a key 25 yard completion, earning him Unsung Hero honors for the week.

One of Todd Haley’s first official moves was to reinstate the fullback into the Steelers offense, and Johnson was tapped to take that role, although Mike Tomlin clarified a week ago that he’d also be playing some tight end.

In short, David Johnson had a tremendous opportunity in front of him heading into 2012, and that is all for naught as report indicate that he injured his ACL when Marcus Gilbert rolled over him in the Steelers preseason opener vs. Philadelphia.

The Steelers are almost certain to put Johnson on IR, ending his season, and ending his shot and proving himself worthy of a big payday in free agency. Steel Curtain Rising wishes David Johnson the best of luck in his recovery.

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Steelers Fall to Philly as Mike Adams, David Johnson and Jonathan Dwyer Injured in Preseason Opener

The Todd Haley era on Steelers offense opened last night in preseason vs. the Eagles. By all reports, the Steelers offense looked different, featuring a short passing game and a more even mix of passes and runs.

While that is good news, it must be tempered with the bad.

The objective of any preseason game, coming even before evaluating talent under “Live Fire” circumstances, is to avoid injury.

On that front the Steelers were not so fortunate:

• Fullback/tight end David Johnson was injured on the game’s first series
• Rookie left tackle Michael Adams was injured on the game’s second series
• Reserve running back Jonathan Dwyer also was injured

Little is known about the extent of the three injuries, but David Johnson’s looks to be the worst.

All three Pittsburgh quarterbacks looked strong. Ben Roethlisberger played for one series which consumed 10 minutes off of the clock. Byron Leftwich finished out the second half, and rookie Jerrod Johnson played the entire second half, and looked fairly good – judging by the stats sheet.

Another rookie to make an impact was Chris Rainey, who took a short pass and ran it 57 yards to the house.

The Steelers ultimately fell 23-21 to the Eagles in a game that saw the lead change twice in the fourth quarter.

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Steelers Say Goodbye as Mewelde Moore Signs with Colts

The Pittsburgh Steelers said good bye to reserve running back Mewelde Moore, who will rejoin Bruce Arians at the Indianapolis Colts.

Moore arrived in Pittsburgh in 2008 with little fan fare, the news of Moore's signing breaking on the same day that Ben Roethlisberger signed his 100 million dollar extension.

Moorenever became a star with the Steelers, but he was an invaluable back up and effective third down back.

Mewelde Moore passed through training camp and the beginning of the 2008 campaign largely ignored by the press if not the coaches.

But Mooreplayed a crucial role when injuries felled Willie Parker, Rashard Mendenhalland Carey Davis. Moore started in the all-important mid-season show down with Jacksonvillethat year and helped breath life into Mike Tomlin’s “The Standard is the Standard” philosophy by running the ball with authority.

• Mooreplayed extensively during the rest of 2008, and was one of that Super Bowl season's unsung heroes.

And that’s how his career in Pittsburgh will be remembered. Moore never got a lot of fanfare, but he always gave it his all whenever he stepped on the field.

Caught in the Backfield Glut

With Rashard Mendenhall still rehabbing his ACL and likely to start the season the PUP, Isaac Redman is poised to enter 2012 as the Steelers starter. 

Behind Redman the Steelers have quantity depth but the quality of the depth remains an unknown. Jonathan Dwyer looked good in his only start vs. Tennessee, but he’s had chronic off season conditioning issues and hasn’t been tested extensively.

Barron Batch was a training camp hero last summer in Latrobe before injuring his ACL and, while his potential is real, much remains for him to prove.

Chris Rainey, the Steelers 5^th round pick from the 2012 NFL Draft, offers alluring potential but, then again, can’t we say that about every draft pick this time of the year?

John Clay also figures to be in the mix.

With David Johnson moving to full back, the Steelers will likely carry four pure running backs on their roster. Redman and Rainey are locks to make the team, with Dwyer and Batch holding down the other two spots – assuming that Rashard Mendenhall starts the year on the PUP.

• Steelers coaches liked Moore, with Kriby Wilson likening him to “an old familiar suit case."

While the Steelers made little or no effort to sign Mewelde Moore, word was that he might become a training camp addition, depending on how the competition at the back up spot played out.

• For good for or for ill, that Indianapolis has now taken that option off of the table.

Best of luck Mewelde, Steel Curtain Rising wishes you great success in Hoosier country – as long as that success comes not at the expense of the Steelers….

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Todd Haley Restores the Fullback to the Steelers Offense

The fullback has returned to Pittsburgh following a five year banishment at the behest of Bruce Arians, thus we have our the first real news to come out of the Steelers OTA’s.

Offically OTA’s stand for “Organized Team Workouts.”

The truth is they boil down to football in shorts. Make no mistake, they give rookies a chance to begin learning the system and get acquainted to the team. But little of consequence happens at these events, although they’re covered in part to supply the voracious appetite that Steelers Nation has for news about its beloved team.

The reemergence of the fullback counts as real news, and it was reported by Ed Bouchette in PG Plus. According to Bouchette’s report, Isaac Redman informed him that David Johnson is now classified as a fullback, and is attending meetings with the team’s backs.

The Steelers drafted Johnson in 2009 as a tight end, and he’s served in both capacities since then.

Bruce Arians' Original Sin

Bruce Arians got off on the wrong foot with many in Steelers Nation because one of his first moves was to phase out fullback Dan Kreider.

Dan Kreider of course was one of the first of many Kevin Colbert undrafted rookie free agent steals. He earned that distinction because he was a human battering ram, equavilant to or perhaps better than a sixth offensive lineman, at least in running game.

As someone who later became a self-professed Arians Agnostic, I must admit that my initial qualm with phasing out Kreider was that it signaled a departure from “traditional Steelers Football.”

But I am wise enough to know that however strong that sentiment might run, the league is changing, and even if it didn’t, the Steelers wouldn’t have won Super Bowls IX, XIII, XIV, and XLIII without the prolific passing of Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger.

• That reality does not absolve Arians of his original sin.

The problem with phasing out Kreider, was the simple fact that Kreider,was a stud, and relegating him to the bench signaled an intent to try to force player into a system as opposed to using a system to maximize the talent on hand.

Carey Davis was supposedly Kreider’s replacement, but Davis never did anything to justify the move. Arians preferred to run with two tight ends, which is fine, but you need two good tight ends to make that work, and Matt Spaeth performance was never consistent enough to be considered “good.”

Year after year, fans and the press would clamor for a fullback, and Arians stock response was “my offense doesn’t have a fullback.”

That’s not a terrible thing. Fullbacks are a fading breed not only in the NFL but in football in general. But Arians wasn’t even open to the concept.

Implications of David Johnson’s Move to Fulltime Fullback

David Johnson lined up plenty as a fullback or H-Back over the last few years and showed himself to be a good lead blocker.

His skills should only improve now that he’s there full time, which undoubtedly helped fuel Todd Haley's decision.

• The move also has roster implications.

The signing of Leonard Pope gave the Steelers four tight ends on their roster, and they took another in the 7th Round of the 2012 NFL Draft. No one expected them to keep four tight ends, let alone five.

Johnson’s move to fullback potentially gives the Steelers the luxury of keeping Weslye Saunders on the roster.

The Steelers could conceivably open the season with Heath Miller, Lenoard Pope, and David Paulson as their trio of tight ends, and then bring Saunders back when he finishes his suspension, waive Paulson and bring him back to the practice squad.

Of course, now that Johnson is officially a full back, it could put Jonathan Dwyer or Barron Batch’s roster sport in jeopardy, but that remains a tale for another day.

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Steelers Draft Needs Tight End, Quarterback

Steelers Needs at Quarterback

Kevin Colbert has stated at after the first round any and all positions are fair game for the Steelers, including quarterback.

So there’s a chance the Steelers could pick a quarterback as early as the second round in the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft. And there’s also a chance that Pope Benedict could convert to Islam.

Ben Roethlisberger is of course entrenched as the Steelers starting quarterback, and at age 30 it is a little too early (although perhaps not quite as early as some might thing, given the punishment continues to take year in and year out) to think of grooming a successor.

The Steelers have brought back Charlie Batch and the word is that they’re still interested in bringing back Byron Leftwich, although the fact that Leftwich remains unsigned casts a little doubt upon that.

The Steelers do want to bring in a younger signal caller, but realisitically the team will not, and should not pick a quarterback until very late in the draft.

• Priority of quarterback for the Steelers in the 2012 NFL Draft: Low.

Steelers Needs at Tight End

Health Miller is the established starter here and is still in the prime of his career. David Johnson, Weslye Saunders and Leonard Pope are also on the roster.

With NFL rules ever-more favorable to the passing game the Steelers would do well to pick up a strong tight end, the likes of which are delivering such strong results for teams like New England.

With that said, the Steelers have more pressing needs at offensive line, nose tackle, linebacker and running back. Should a good tight end fall to the Steelers in early rounds then taking him is justified, but by and large this is a position which they should address in middle of not late rounds.

• Priority of tight end for the Steelers in the 2012 NFL Draft: Medium/Low.

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Steelers Resign Jerricho Cotchery, David Johnson

It’s been a busy week at the South Side. It began with Kevin Colbert and Omar Khan dipping their quills to sign Leonard Pope and having done that, they liked it so much they started a streak which included inking Doug Legursky and Trai Essex.

The biggest move of course was the resigning of veteran reserve receiver Jerricho Cotchery. Cotchery was an unrestricted free agent who signed with the Steelers in the summer of 2011 and tested the waters.

He apparently drew some interest from the Kansas City Chiefs and St. Louis Rams. But the money and/or the opportunities were not there for Cotchery.

The move came on the same day that news leaked that restricted free agent Mike Wallace will not sign his tender from the Steelers, and either to force the Steelers to seek a trade a trade prior to the 2012 NFL draft or simply as a move to pressure the Steelers into offering him a long term deal.

Steel Curtain Rising will have more to say on the Wallace situation when/if he declines to sign the Steelers offer. However, with Cotchery’s future with the team secured for the next two years, the Steelers gain some insurance should Wallace attempt to play hard ball.

Perhaps more importantly, Jerrico Cotchery fills the void created by Hines Ward’s retirement for a veteran presence in the Young Money receiving corps.

David Johnson Comes Around

One player with no illusions about playing hard ball is tight end David Johnson. The Steelers selected Johnson in the 7th round of the 2009 NFL Draft and since that time have seen him develop into a capable players as an H-back or hybrid tight-end/fullback.

As a restricted free agent, Johnson could have signed with another team, and that team only would have had to have given up a 7th round pick in return.

Johnson perhaps harbored hopes of finding greener pastures, but after the Steelers signed back up tight end Leonard Pope, Johnson quickly signed his restricted free agent tender.

It is unknown whether that tender is guaranteed or if the Steelers can cut him in training can and have to honor the tender.

If the restricted free agent tender is guaranteed, that spells more bad news for Wesley Saunders, because the Steelers will have three tight ends under contract who’re all but certain to make the team and the squad has never carried 4 tight ends.

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Steelers Sign Leonard Pope

The Pittsburgh Steelers made their first move in free agency today by coming to terms with former Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Leonard Pope.

Pope’s addition adds a touch of mystery into the mix for the Steelers at the tight end position.

Health Miller is the incumbent starter and his status is of course unaffected by the move.

But during the 2011 campaign David Johnson and Weslye Saunders split the number two tight end responsibilities.

David Johnson got a restricted free agent tender from the Steelers, and figures to be back.

Saunders, however presents more of a mystery.

Saunders went undrafted during the 2011 NFL draft because of disciplinary issues in college, but prior to that many had felt he could go as high as the second round.

The Steelers signed him as an unrestricted rookie free agent in 2011 with an eye towards developing him as a pass catching threat. During his rookie campaign, Saunders played in all 16 games, starting 5 of them, but only caught four passes.

Since that time things have not gone well for Saunders, who is currently facing a 4 game suspension to start the 2012 season for violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

The Steelers normally keep only three tight ends on their roster, and the addition of Pope gives them four. Pittsburgh would get a roster exemption during Saunder’s suspension, but the Steelers remain pressed for salary cap space, which could put Saunder’s roster spot in jeopardy.

Ironically, Saunder’s lone touchdown catch came during the Steelers Monday Night escape/victory vs. the Kansas City Chiefs.

Lenoard Pope has started 49 games in his NFL career, including 10 last year for Kansas City where he caught 24 passes for 247 yards and one touchdown. Those numbers are not terribly impressive, but they are double what David Johnson did last year in 16 starts at tight end and fullback.

Pope has a long relationship with Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley, another factor which works in his favor.

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