In Through the Out Door - Jonathan Dwyer Returns; Steelers Sign Kicker Shayne Graham

The biggest surprise for the Steelers on cut down day was the decision to cut Jonathan Dwyer. While the move had been rumored for some time, Dwyer was at once their only healthy experienced back.

• And in the eyes of at least one reporter, the decision to waive Dwyer was made under protest from "the coaches.

Regardless of whether that report is correct or not, someone on the South Side has a severe case of egg on their face, as Jonathan Dwyer is returning to the Steelers in light of the season ending injury to running back LaRod Stephens-Howling.

Dwyer, however, doesn’t seem to be taking his waiver personally, per his Twitter account:

Glad to be back home #steelernation
— Jonathan Dwyer (@JDwyer27) September 9, 2013

Dwyer will rejoin Isaac Redman and Felix Jones, adding to the irony of the situation. Dwyer's propensity to fumble made him expendable yet it was Redman who coughed up the ball twice, while Jones did not see a single carry.

Another Shayne to Give the Steelers a Kicking Edge?

The Steelers loss vs. the Titans was really costly for the Steelers. When the game ended, fans didn’t know the half of it. After the game it was revealed that Larry Foote should torn a biceps and will miss the season.

And the poor kick that resulted in the Steelers safety? Well, Shaun Suisham injured his hamstring in pre game warm ups. To occupy pregame kicking duties and to take Foote’s spot on the roster, the Steelers have signed kicker Shayne Graham.

Graham is a veteran kicker who has kicked in the NFL since 2001 for the Bills, Panthers, Bengals, Patriots, Giants, Dolphins, Ravens and Texans.

• The Steelers have had good luck with replacement kickers named “Shayne.” 

During 1996 the Steelers punter Josh Miller got injured and the team brought in CFL punter Shayne Edge. Edge’s punting wasn’t quite NFL quality, but he got fined for getting into a fight with the then Houston Oilers….

…You’ve got to love a punter that gets fined for fighting!

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Could John Malecki and Marshall McFadden Return to the Steelers?

The sting of the Steelers 16-9 opening day loss to the Tennessee Titans is not yet 24 hours old, and the news continues to get worse.

• Maurkice Pouncey is out for the year with a torn MCL and ACL
• Larry Foote has a torn biceps and will likely miss the year
• LaRod Stephens-Howling, if rumor is confirmed, also has a torn ACL

All of these players will go on injured reserve ending their seasons.

That also means the Steelers will need to replace them. Quickly. Where to turn? There are a number of possibilities.

One of the surprise cuts that the Steelers made was of John Malecki, who started one game for the Steelers and served as a back up. The Steelers cut him in favor of Cody Wallace, who didn’t even dress vs. the Titans. Malecki didn’t get picked up, and the Steelers will likely bring him back.

Larry Foote’s injury also creates another vacancy at linebacker. One candidate is Marshall McFadden, who was another surprise cut. McFadden landed on the Raiders practice squad, but the Steelers can sign him with the provision that he stays on the active roster for 3 games (which shouldn’t be a problem.)

The Steelers also need to make a move a running back.

• Could Jonathan Dwyer return?

Its possible but doubtful. Doubtful that the Steelers would seek his serveices and probably equally doubtful that Dwyer would agree to return.

Another potential move the Steelers could make would involved Max Starks. That depends on what they wish to do at center.

Kelvin Beachum had been serving as an emergency tight end and as the team’s top back up at tackle, guard and center. If he is to continue to start in front of Ben Roethlisberger at center, the Steelers will need to add depth, and Starks is currently without a job (although his experience in San Diego was terrible.)

Either way, the Pittsburgh Steelers 2013 Roster is about to get reconfigured again.

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Watch Tower: Dissention in Pittsburgh Over Jonathan Dwyer? Plus Hail to the Chief, Art Rooney Sr.

Cut down day always brings a flurry of news around the NFL, this year things were more active than ever at the South Side as the Steelers 2013 Roster contained some surprises, giving the Watch Tower plenty to focus on. And it begins by shining its light on a story that wasn’t told.

Dwyer:  The Glory and Agony of 140 Characters 

The biggest cut that the Steelers made the release of Jonathan Dwyer. Dwyer was not only their season leading rusher, he was also the only healthy back.

• Nonetheless, he got a visit from the Turk.

The fact that Dwyer’s roster spot was in jeopardy was not a surprise in Steelers Nation. On the blogesphere, (or at least at Behind the Steel Curtain) several articles and many fan exchanges rested on the premise that the numbers game would dictate that either Dwyer or Isaac Redman would be a goner.

But among the professional press, the conventional wisdom was that Dwyer was safe, esp. in light of the injury to Le’Veon Bell, as Jim Wexell’s tweet indicates.

This is why #Steelers wouldn't have cut Dwyer. They can win with him as feature back.
— James C Wexell (@jimwexell) August 15, 2013

To be fair, the arrival of Felix Jones complicated the picture, but the move to cut Dwyer was nonetheless a surprise.

Shortly after the move became public, Mark Kaboly  of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review dropped a bomb via Twitter:

One last thing on Dwyer ... it wasn't the coaching staff that wanted him gone.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly_Trib) September 2, 2013

In journalism speak, Kabloy had a scoop.

News of the front office overruling the coaching staff on a personnel selection, regarding a past and potential future starter, is a tremendous news coup for Kaboly. In fact, such a morsel literally screams for more.

• Yet none was forth coming.

Not in the regular Tribune Review, not in the Steel Mill Blog (which still remains inaccessible from the Trib’s main Steelers site – yours truly had thought the blog had gone dark and needed to find it by Googling it), not anywhere else.

To make matters worse, Kabloy himself seemed to validate the need for more information in an additional Tweet.

24 hours later and it still makes no sense whey #Steelers released Dwyer.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly_Trib) September 1, 2013

• The Watch Tower agrees… or at least it makes no sense that a further explanation was given.

Kaboly obviously learned that Dwyer had supporters on the coaching staff, perhaps the entire coaching staff, but that they were overruled by someone else in the organization, and since you can rule out the business and scouting departments, that leaves the front office.

Which means that someone named Colbert and/or someone name Rooney spoke up on the issue. What happened?

• Did the coaches split and Colbert/Rooney provided the deciding influence?
• Were the coaches united, but a cap conscious Kevin Colbert, with backing from Rooney, overruled them?
• Or did Art Rooney II just pull rank?

We know from Bob Labriola’s tweets that coaches had concerns about Dwyer, but no matter how you slice it there’s a story screaming to be told there, and one that goes far beyond the confines of Twitter’s 140 characters.

5 Bars of Hail to The Chief

August 25 marked the 25th Anniversary of the passing of a legend, namely the death of Steelers founder Art Rooney Sr.

The death of Art Rooney Sr. was a touchstone moment for me, as it coincided with my renewed following of the team (not very easy to do from suburban Maryland in the pre-internet era.)

And although his passing had little impact on the Steelers, clearly Pittsburgh lost some of its finest citizens then.

• Credit the Post-Gazette for remembering the anniversary.

It was entirely appropriate to do so and the Tribune Review did not run anything on the Chief. Neither did ESPN, nor did any of the other major fan sites.

• Yet the commemorative piece(s) were not without problems.

The article dealt with the way in which the five Rooney sons divided their father’s possessions, and then offered perspectives on how each of the five Rooney sons, Dan, Art Jr., Tim, John, and Pat, felt about that day and provided some insights into the relationships that the men had with their father.

• The real issue was with the Post-Gazette’s presentation of the articles. There was one article which told the entire story. And then there were five other articles on each of the Rooney brothers.

The problem was that the individual pieces on the Rooney brothers were written as part of a single story, and not intended to be stand alone pieces. So if you clicked on one of the individual links, such as the story on Tim Rooney, the stories were disjointed, making references to events in other stories.

The Post Gazette did later provide some clarifying text and a link to the main story, but that was only after several people complained via Facebook.

PG Takes Shot at SEO?

One possible reason behind the Post-Gazette’s decision to publish multiple articles on the Rooney brothers is to catch more search engine traffic.

• SEO, for those not familiar with the term, is the art of trying to get your pages to rank well on Google (and Bing, for what that’s worth) so that you get more visitors to your site.

While the Watch Tower has not (yet) done any comprehensive assessment of how the various major Steelers news sites fare in SEO, some cursoury analysis shows them lagging behind the competition.

Search rankings for major Steelers related stories are frequently dominated by the likes of Behind the Steel Curtain and the Bleacher Report.

The decision to break the Rooney stories up into multiple pieces, could be a step towards changing that, as could their decision to create a separate landing page for what has been a rather impressive series of regular season previews.

Post-Gazette Goof on Dwyer

While the Post-Gazette’s regular season preview coverage was generally very good, they did let one rather glaring error slip through in Ed Bouchette’s Five Keys piece as the screen shot reveals:

Jonathan Dwyer had been cut by the time this ran...

• The problem with this piece is that Jonathan Dwyer had already been cut by the time this article ran.

Its normal (and highly advisable) to write stories like this in advance of publication, but going back and making these corrections is also necessary.

Steelers Today Goes Dark?

Finally, the Watch Tower notes, and laments, what appears to be the passing of a long established, well written fan site Steelers Today.

Steelers Today has been around for several years, dating back to about 2006 if memory serves. While the site was known for long periods of inactivity during the off season, it had been active up until the NFL draft.

However, attempts to access it now reveal that the domain registry has expired, seemingly signaling that the days one of the more prominent fan-based sites has unfortunately come to an end.

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Steelers 2013 Roster Analysis, Defense: Safety and Cornerback Are Not Secondary....

Steel Curtain Rising's analysis of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2013 roster concludes with a look at the secondary.

Starters:  Cortez Allen, Ike Taylor, Troy Polamalu, and Ryan Clark
Back Ups:  William Gay, Shamarko Thomas, Robert Golden, Damon Cromartie-Smith, Curtis Brown, and Antwon Blake

Strengths: Cortez Allen looks to be the real thing, and Troy Polamalu is looking like he's in 2008/2010 form. If either of those two trends are sustained, the turnover dearth could be reversed in 2013

Weaknesses:  Like other areas of the team, proven depth is thin in the secondary, particularly at safety.

The Skinny: The Steelers gambled that they could get more bang for their buck by letting Keenan Lewis walk, and promoting Cortez Allen; they also made the unheard of move of trading a future draft pick to get Shamarko Thomas, who looked good in preseason. On paper this until looks like its ready to excel, but several unproven players must execute. If they do, good things can happen, assuming that Troy Polamalu doesn't get hurt....

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

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Steelers 2013 Roster Analysis, Defense: Defensive Line

Steel Curtain Rising's breakdown of the Steelers 2013 roster continues with a look at the defensive line.

Starters:  Brett Keisel, Steve McLendon, Ziggy Hood
Back Ups:  Cameron Heyward, Al Woods and Loni Fangupo

Strengths: Once a monument to the aging of the Steelers defense, this unit has seen incredible renewal at each position.

Weaknesses:  The nose tackle is the fulcrum that the success of the 3-4 defense rises and falls upon, as Ed Bouchette has said. He's right. Steve McLendon out performed Casey Hampton on a snap-per-snap basis in 2012. Can he keep that level consistently? Likewise, while this unit has gotten younger, can the youngsters prove they gotten better?

The Skinny: Like other areas of the team, the defensive line remains a question which could go one way or another. Ziggy Hood had a strong preseason by all accounts. Does the fact that he is starting mean that he's finally sustaining some development of a player, or does it simply mean that Cameron Heyward is likewise a disappointment?

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

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Steelers Roster Analysis, Offense: Quarterbacks

The position-by-position analysis of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2013 Roster continues with quarterbacks.

Starter:  Ben Roethlisberger
Back Ups:  Bruce Gradkowski, and Landry Jones

Strengths:  Ben has looked fit, healthy and sharp in preseason and should be entering his prime
Potential Improvements:  Gradowski brings more youth and mobility to the position, as does Jones. Most importantly, Ben Roethlisberger should be budding into his prime.

Potential Weaknesses:  The flip side to the above is that in Bruce Gradowski is less talented than Charlie Batch or a (healthy) Byron Leftwich. Landry Jones brings a tremendous pedigree and a lot of talent, but his performance in the preseason shows him to be very, very green.

The Skinny:  For the first time in his NFL career, Ben Roethlisberger is the oldest QB in the room. He’ll no longer have Charlie Batch to consult with after every series. Ben has grown to the point where he is ready for this and seems to be embracing the role. However, an injury that keeps him out more than a couple of 3 games dooms the season.

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

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Steelers Roster Analysis, Offense: Running Backs

Steel Curtain Rising's analysis of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2013 roster continues with running backs.

Starter: Isaac Redman
Back Ups: LaRod Stephens-Howling, Felix Jones, Le'Veon Bell (injured) and Will Johnson (fullback)

Strengths: The Steelers have tried and largely failed "run the ball better" since 2009. This year they kept only the most consistent performer and brought in fresh faces.

Weaknesses: During training camp the press all but changed Le'Veon Bell's name to Franco Jerome Harris Parker but he's carried 4 times. In preseason. Other than Redman, there are a lot of question marks.

The Skinny:  Steel Curtain Rising has long been an Issac Redman fan, but can Redman carry the load as a number 1 back for an extended period? While Le’Veon Bell is healing quickly is it really logical to pin so many hopes on a rookie? Art Rooney II may have been right when he said rushing provided the franchise with its foundation, but this year the foundation of the offense must likely come elsewhere.

Click here to read analysis of other position areas on the Pittsburgh Steelers 2013 roster.

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Steelers 2013 Roster Analysis, Offense: Wide Receivers

Steel Curtain Rising's analysis of the Pittsburgh Steelers 2013 offensive roster continues with wide receivers.

Starters:  Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders
Back Ups:  Jerricho Cotchery, Markus Wheaton, Derek Moye

Strengths:  Richard Mann. He wont' play a down, but this is a group the suffered from the 2012 locker room leadership void. Mann exudes a "Been There Done That" air and will command the respect of these younger players.

Weaknesses:  Sanders injury issues are well known and Antonio Brown, after being Mr. reliable in 2010 and 2011, was very inconsistent in 2012. Markus Wheaton looked good in preseason, but he still has a lot to learn.

The Skinny: While they all lack the home run threat speed of Mike Wallace, Brown, Sanders and Cotchery are probably all more complete receivers. Jerricho Cotchery has been a steadying hand since his arrival in 2011 and figures to continue in that role. Wheaton doesn’t quite have “beep beep” speed, but should help stretch the field. Still, with Heath Miller's absence, this group is going to need to stay healthy and mature pretty quickly to pick up the slack.

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

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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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Steelers Roster Moves Continue: Isaiah Green Returns via the Practice Squad

No one will accuse Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert of taking a "Set it and forget it" attitude to the composition to the Steelers 2013 Roster.

Per NFL rules, the Steelers cut down their roster to 22 players on Saturday. But that was hardly the final 53, as the Steelers went to the waiver wire not once, not twice, but three times, adding guard/center Cody Wallace, punter Zoltan Mesko, and cornerback Antwon Blake to their active roster.

They also placed Matt Spaeth on their injured reserve designated return list, which in turn led them to sign linebacker Terrance Martin from their practice squad.

With the exception of Wallace, all of these moves are aimed at shoring up a special teams until which was an glaring liability in preseason.

Practice squad move by @Steelers -- CB Devin Smith is off and CB Isaiah Green is added
— Bob Labriola (@BobLabriola) September 4, 2013

This shuffling with the regular season is having a spill over effect on the practice squad, which continues today as the Steelers said goodbye to practice squad star cornerback Devin Smith and replaced him with cornerback Isaiah Green.

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Pittsburgh Steelers 2013 Preview: 4 Challenges Mike Tomlin Must Overcome

The Steelers 2013 home opener is just days away and coming off of an 8-8 season there has never been as great a split either inside or outside Steelers Nation as to what the Pittsburgh Steelers true prospects for a coming season are.

• There are good reasons for this. The predicted salary cap Armageddon instead became the salary cap equivalent of the Loaves and the Fishes.

The Steelers scouting has been under assault. And for good reason, as the 2008 draft class is now a total bust. Yet, as Ivan Cole of Behind the Steel Curtain has pointed out, the Steelers saw teams take restricted free agent runs at not one, but two players in the form of Emmanuel Sanders and Steve McLendon.

Yes, these 2013 Pittsburgh Steelers are a hard nut to crack, with professionals and bloggers alike sparing over the meaning of an 0-4 preseason start. No one really knows what to expect.

Rightly or wrongly, the man who will be held most responsible for the Steelers success or failure in 2013 is Mike Tomlin. And to that end Tomlin has four very specific challenges he must meet. (Click on the link below for a specific challenge for scroll down to read them all):

Tomlin’s First Challenge: Develop Talent
Tomlin’s Second Challenge: Fill the Leadership Void
Tomlin’s Third Challenge: Take on the Trap Games
Tomlin’s Fourth Challenge: Keep Things on an Even Keel


Tomlin’s Challenge: Develop Talent

Kevin Colbert pooh pawed the departure of the likes of Wallace, Rashard Mendenhall and Keenan Lewis as "losing players from an 8-8 team." He promised change. He wasn't kidding.

Colbert didn't simply sit back and let other teams overpay for newly minted Steelers free agents ala Tom Donahoe, he let go overpriced and aging superstars like James Harrison, snake bitten studs like Willie Colon, and dependable standbys like Max Starks depart. He also cleared the ranks of the supporting cast, but allowing Doug Legursky, Will Allen and Ryan Mundy to walk.

• In their place he's assembled a smart 2013 draft class, mixed with some first year players, 2012 draftees, and undrafted rookie free agents.

Mike Tomlin has long defended "The Standard is the Standard" by explaining that merely qualifying for an NFL roster automatically puts a player in the top one have of the top 1% of people that play football.

• Kevin Colbert has given Tomlin cart blanche to prove it this year.

One of Art Rooney II's implicit criticisms of Mike Tomlin after the 2009 seasons was that the team needed to develop talent faster. The delayed development of Lawrence Timmons comes to mind as one example.

To that end, Mike Tomlin has done a better job since then (see Antonio Brown in 2010 and 2011 as one example).

• 2013 will provide a far bigger test.  

Tomlin needs to find a way for these youngsters to grow up fast.

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Tomlin’s Challenge: Fill the Locker Room Leadership Void

At some point after the Steelers 1998 disastrous trip to Detroit that included Phil Luckett's infamous "heads is actually tails" incident, a fan wrote into the Steelers Digest and offered something long the lines of "Cowher needs to realize that this team lacks the playoff veterans of years past, and needs to take the team by the collective collar."

• The fan dead right of course, because so many players quit down the stretch in 1998.

Bill Cowher unfortunately did not get the lesson, and the late season meltdown in 1999 year was more spectacular. Lee Flowers even called out teammates for quitting.

Now fast forward to 2012. In the blink of an eye during the 2012 off season, the Steelers lost Hines Ward, Aaron Smith, and James Farrior, three acknowledged leaders both on and off the field.

As 2012 wore on and inconsistency became habit forming, it became clear that the leadership void was real.

• To his credit, Mike Tomlin seems to have readily realized that and acted accordingly.

Gone is Scotty Montgomery, a young coach feeling his way in the NFL. In his place is Richard Mann, someone who has been around enough to have coached for the Baltimore Colts, old Cleveland Browns, and Baltimore Ravens.

Tomlin hasn't stopped there, asking Ben Roethlisberger to take on a more active leadership role. He held the first training camp with live tackling since Chuck Noll began his "Life's work," and he and Colbert have been unsentimental in wielding the axe to the roster.

• On paper all of these are the right moves.

But ultimately it is performance on the field that will determine whether or not these moves bear fruit.

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Tomlin’s Challenge: Take on the Trap Games

Its become cliché in Steelers Nation to say that Mike Tomlin teams have an issue with trap games. But unlike Warren Sapp’s dictum of "Old, Slow and Done" the trap game charge stands up to scrutiny.

In 2007, Tomlin's rookie year, the Steelers dropped games to the Jets and Cardinals. In 2009, the dropped games to the Bears, Browns, and Chiefs. In 2012 the Steelers gave away "Gimmies" to the no-account Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans, and San Diego Chargers.

One criticism of Tomlin made in mid-2007 was that the Steelers played down to their competition under their new coach.

Since than that observation has been proven to be true... at times.

• At other times this has not been an issue.

Note that during the Steelers 2008 Super Bowl season, the Steelers dropped regular season games to the Giants, Colts, Eagles, and Titans -- all playoff teams. Yet that team made it into the playoffs with a first round bye because they won the games they were "supposed" to win, in addition to defeating the Ravens.

In 2010, the story was similar, with the Steelers losing games to the New Orleans Saints and getting spanked mightily by the New England Patriots. Yet that season they also beat the teams they "should have" beaten.

• The 2011 Steelers were a far inferior version of their '08 and '10 predecessors, yet the '11 Steelers avoided the trap game.

The ability of a team to take all opponents seriously is directly related to a head coach's ability to mentally prepare his players. At times Tomlin has been adept at doing this; at others his ability has failed him.

Tomlin cannot allow that ability to fail him in 2013.

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Tomlin’s Challenge: Keep Things on an Even Keel

Chose your cliché. "Start fast, finish strong." "Go the distance." Whatever.

Tomlin's less successful teams have had another nasty habit -- peaking near mid season.

• In 2007 the triumph of the 75th Anniversary game was followed by a 4-4 finish and first round playoff loss to Jacksonville
• In 2009 the Steelers dominated a Denver team that went into the game at 6-1 and finally looked like a defending champion - then followed with a 5 game losing streak
• In 2011 the Steelers enacted some vengeance by defeating Tom Brady and New England, only to follow it up with a home loss to Baltimore

In 2012 the Steelers won three straight games, getting stronger with each, then limped to victory over the Chiefs before dropping games to Baltimore and Cleveland. Then Charlie Batch rallied the team for a stunning road upset over the Ravens in Baltimore. The 2012 Steelers, it seemed, had arrived...

• ...Except that they went and lost 3 of their next 4.

To be 100% fair to Tomlin, injuries played a large part in several of these late season drop offs. However, to quote Tomlin himself "Injuries are no excuse."

And he's right. Injuries certainly didn't cause force the fumbles, kickoffs returned for touchdowns, coverage lapses, and interceptions that marked some of the '07, '09, '11 and '12 signature losses.

• Like the trap games, this is a demon that Tomlin vanquished in 2008 and 2010. In 2009 he also pulled the team out of an 0-5 nose dive.

In 2013 it will be essential for Mike Tomlin to keep his players mindset focused on the long term.

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Preparing for the “Unknown Unknowns”

Every NFL season brings a certain X-Factor, a certain amount of unpredictability. Think ever reliable Jeff Reed sudden descent into mediocrity in 2010.

Steelers Nation already knows that a younger roster with desperately thin depth, particularly on the offensive line, will test the Steelers.

• But 2013 will present the Pittsburgh Steelers with additional trials that no one can anticipate today.

But if Mike Tomlin can master the four challenges discussed here, he'll have given the Steelers a shot at also overcoming the unexpected.

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Steelers Place Matt Spaeth in Injured Reserve; Sign LB Terrance Garvin to Take His Slot

As expected the Pittsburgh Steelers placed tight end Matt Spaeth on the injured reserved return designation list. The move allows Spaeth to return to the team at some point after the 8th game of the season. Matt Spaeth returned to the Steelers in free agency, and was their number 1 tight end due to Heath Miller’s injury.

• However Spaeth injured his lisfranc during training camp.

This is the second year in a row that the Steelers have used such a designation prior to having used it on David DeCastro last year. DeCastro was placed on IR before the Steelers opener vs. Denver, and returned to action for the Steelers loss vs. Dallas.

If the decision to place Spaeth on IR was a not a surprise, the other roster decisions the Steelers made perhaps were. Some had suspected that the Steelers would fill the roster spot with linebacker Marshall McFadden, whom they cut earlier this week.

• The Steelers did fill the slot with a linebacker, but it was Terrance Garvin, whom they signed from their practice squad.

To fill the remaining practice squad slot the Steelers did not opt for either candidate, being McFadden or offensive lineman John Malecki, (update/editor's note, Malecki has no practice squad eligibility) but signed wide receiver Kashif Moore.

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Steelers Roster Moves Continue: Zoltan Mesko and Antwon Blake in, Drew Butler and Isaiah Green Out

Mike Tomlin didn’t promise to “leave no loose stone unturned” in his quest to improve the Steelers from their 8-8 performance in 2012, but he might as well have.

The Steelers initial roster cuts included some surprises, such as Jonathan Dwyer getting the boot. But Tomlin and Kevin Colbert didn’t stop after trimming the Steelers 2013 roster to 53.

First the Steelers signed guard Cody Wallace and cut John Malecki and today they took aim at shoring up what have been some truly atrocious special teams during the preseason.

During the preseason one of the bigger, if less sexy, position battles was between Drew Butler and Brian Moorman. The Steelers cut Moorman leaving Butler the presumed winner of the competition. Butler’s victory was short lived, however.

• The Steelers signed former New England Patriots punter Zoltan Mesko off of waivers.

Mesko is an accomplished punter and has been dubbed by the Wall Street Journal as the NFL’s most interesting man, with 5 languages under his belt and a degree in business administration from the University of Michigan.

They also claimed former Jacksonville Jaguars punter Antwon Blake off of waivers. Blake made the Jaguars as an undrafted rookie free agent last year, but looks to primarily be someone who will contribute on special teams. To make room for him, the Steelers waived Isaiah Green.

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Steelers Continue Roster Moves - Cody Wallace in, John Malecki Out...

The fact that Guy Whimper's name was not alongside Jonathan Dwyer's as one of the 22 players cut by Pittsburgh Steelers was met by outcry in Steelers Nation. And the more level-headed response was, “Don’t worry, Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin will scour the waiver wire seeking upgrades.”

Well, Tomlin and Colbert have made their first waiver wire transaction, and it didn’t include Guy Wimper or an offensive tackle.

Instead they picked up Cody Wallace, who most recently played center and guard in Tampa Bay.

• To make room for Wallace, the Steelers cut reserve guard/center John Malecki. 

The move amounts to somewhat of a surprise, as Malecki played on the Steelers regular season roster last year, and was generally viewed as having had a good camp. And the Steelers depth on the interior of the offensive line is not seen as being nearly as suspect as it is at the tackle position.

Malecki is only listed has having played one game in 2012, although Steelers.com informs that he was added to their active roster in October of that year.

If he has dressed for less than 8 games, he is eligible to return to the Steelers practice squad. Which will be bad news for one of the 8 hopefuls who were added to that list on Sunday….

Further Steelers Roster Moves Expected

Tomlin and Colbert are not likely finished with the Steelers 2013 roster. Observer-Reporter journalist Dale Lolley expects the team to resign linebacker Marshall McFadden after they play Matt Spaeth on injured reserve.

And of course there is Max Starks. One must suppose that if the Steelers were going to resign Max Starks they would have done so already. But until that doesn't happen, rumors will persist.

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Alan Baxter, Brian Arnfelt Lead Steelers Practice Squad Signings

The Steelers 2013 off season is officially at a close. After cutting Jonathan Dwyer along with 22 other players and finalizing their regular season roster, Pittsburgh announced their practice squad signings. In keeping with the times, they did it via Twitter:

The @steelers announce 8-man practice squad: C. Hubbard, J. Long, A. Alexander, B. Arnfelt, A. Baxter, T. Garvin, D. Smith, J. Brown.
— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) September 1, 2013

For those of you not adept at initials, the full names and positions are as follows:

Chris Hubbard, Offensive Lineman
Joe Long, Offensive Tackle
Alvester Alexander, Running Back
Brian Arnfelt, Defense Line
Alan Baxter, Outside Linebacker
Terence Garvin, Outside Linebacker
Devin Smith, Defensive back
Justin Brown, Wide Reciever

There are a few names missing from the list. Marshall McFadden had practice squad eligibility was not asked back. Neither did Alameda Ta'amu. Cornerback Terry Hawthorne who was a 5th round draft pick did not get an invitation to return either.

A quick word to the wise - the composition of the practice squad changes frequently throughout the season, and could well change before the Steelers 2013 opener vs. Tennessee, should a name unexpectedly become available.

While practice squad players are on the fringes of any NFL roster, players like James Harrison, Steve McLendon, Chris Hoke, and Ramon Foster all did apprenticeships on the Steelers practice squad.

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Pittsburgh Steelers 2013 Roster at a Glance

Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin swung the axe yesterday in Pittsburgh, cutting 22 players including Jonathan Dwyer as well as members of the 2012 and 2013 draft classes.

• So who was it that made the team?

Here is your Pittsburgh Steelers 2013 Roster at a Glance:

Quarterbacks (3)

Ben Roethlisberger
Bruce Gradkowski
Landry Jones

• Of note:  Jones overcame a weak camp to make the team. Has potential but remains work in progress

Running Backs (5)

Isaac Redman
Felix Jones
LaRod Stephens-Howling
Le’Veon Bell
Will Johnson

• Running Back Renewal:  Steelers showed no mercy in renewing this unit from 2012.

Wide Receivers (5)

Antonio Brown
Emmanuel Sanders
Jerricho Cotchery
Markus Wheaton
Derek Moye

• Of note:  Derek Moye beat out a draft pick. Steelers remain the land of opportunity.

Offensive Line (9)

Mike Adams
Ramon Foster
Maurkice Pouncey
David DeCastro
Marcus Gilbert
Kelvin Beachum
John Malecki
Guy Whimper

• Wait for the waiver wire:  Guy Whimper can and will be replaced if a better option, perhaps Max Starks, can be found via waiver wire.

Tight Ends (5)

David Johnson
David Paulson
Heath Miller
Matt Spaeth
Michael Palmer

• If you missed it:  The Steelers brought in Palmer as a body, but he’s made the team.

Defensive Line (6)

Ziggy Hood
Brett Keisel
Cameron Heyward
Steve McLendon
Al Woods
Hebron Fangupo

• New Face:  Hebron Fangupo beat out a couple of more prominent players to win his spot.

Linebackers (8)

Jason Worilds
Larry Foote
Lawrence Timmons
LaMarr Woodley
Chris Carter
Jarvis Jones
Vince Williams
Kion Wilson

• Below the radar: Wilson surprises some, as Marshall McFadden and Alan Baxter got the preseason press coverage.

Cornerbacks (5)

Cortez Allen
William Gay
Isaiah Green
Ike Taylor
Curtis Brown

• Point to remember:  Curtis Brown has one last shot….

Safeties (5)

Ryan Clark
DaMon Cromartie-Smith
Robert Golden
Shamarko Thomas
Troy Polamalu

• Yin and Yang:  Clark and Polamalu are seasoned veterans, everyone else is practically a rookie.

Specialists (3)

Greg Warren
Drew Butler
Shaun Suisham

The Pittsburgh Steelers 2013 opening day roster is not necessarily set. Guy Whimper could be gone at the earliest opportunity. Likewise Matt Spaeth could find his way on the injured reserve list, Palmer's presence suggests this possibility is real.

And of course the practice squad still needs to be set….

…Stay tuned Steelers Nation.

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