INCYM: Steelers-Giants Video Higlights

There’s no substitute to seeing things through you own eyes, and that even includes the oft maligned August institution we know as preseason football. Case in point, the Pittsburgh Steelers recent preseason loss to the New York Giants.

As you might expect preseason football isn’t high on programmers lists here in Latin America, and I do not have reliable enough internet connectivity to think of watching on-line. So listening (in Spanish) on Steelers.com and reading commentaries of others has to suffice.

But the ESPN highlights package someone was kind enough to upload to YouTube makes a world of difference.



There’s no coherent analysis one can draw from a handful of plays, but a few thoughts to come to mind.

For all the talk about the emergence of a newly dominant starting offensive line, Ben Roethlisberger looked to be running for his life a little too much in these highlights. LaRod Stephens-Howling really did look impressive. Eli Manning and Victor Cruz did make an excellent play, but it is also clear that Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark were out of position, so the savaging of William Gay is a little out of place.

• 3rd round pick Marcus Wheaton also looks good, although first round pick Jarvis Jones, while playing well, looked a little more pedestrian and some of his post-game PR indicates. 

However DaMon Cromartie-Smith’s lapses in punt coverage become even more inexcusable on film, as does Landry Jones fouled exchange with Baron Batch and the ensuing safety.

The downside of depending on highlights is that you’re at the mercy of the editor. Emmanuel Sanders looked good, we’re told, but there’s little of him show. Al Woods stepped it up, but there's very little of him to see. Ditto Alameda Ta’amu who is in a fierce roster fight and needed a monster game, apparently played well but wasn’t shown…

…There’s no replacement for seeing things yourself.

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Steelers Offensive Line Depth Continues to Thin; Plaxico Burress Goes on IR

An NFL training camp injury to an undrafted free agent rookie or a player making a second stab at NFL stardom in a second training camp normally isn’t news worthy.

This sounds brutal, but they not newsworthy because:

• A big part of the value of these players is that they are expendable.

Yes, the reality is that harsh. The vast majority of these players will never see an NFL practice squad, fewer will see the 53 man roster, even less will dress, and slimmer number yet will see significant non-garbage time, non-special teams action.

With the Steelers this year, it’s is different particular on the offensive line, as Jim Wexell’s Tweet from Monday August 12th indicates:

Cheadle carted awaywith apparent right knee injury. Was the favorite to win 9th OL spot.
— James C Wexell (@jimwexell) August 12, 2013

• Just who is Justin Cheadle anyway? 

Well, you know the answer and do not have a personal acquaintance with Cheadle and/or California University, then you almost certainly need to revaluate your priorities in life….

Steelers Offensive Line Injuries - Too Early to Say “I Told You So,” But...

…A site called Spotrac.com tells us that Cheadle played his college ball at California and spent 2012 training camp with the Kansas City Chiefs. (You can also learn on the site that he’s costing the Chiefs $3,000 in salary cap dead money, should you really want to know.)

Jim Wexell however does tell us something that we do want to know, and that is that this aspiring offensive tackle was penciled in to be the Steelers 9th offensive lineman….

It should therefore surprise no one that the Pittsburgh Tribune Review’s Allen Robinson got Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley on record as saying the team would look to bring in outside help.

As Steel Curtain Rising warned less than a fortnight ago, the 2013 Steelers have rolled the dice that lightning will not strike twice four times in the form of offensive line injuries.

They made that gamble when they let Max Starks walk to San Diego, Doug Legursky head off to the Bills and did not select an offensive lineman in the 2013 NFL Draft.

• They had hopes of developing an unheralded one in training camp from the undrafted rookie free agent pool.

Unfortunately one of those was Nik Embernate who is already on IR. Cheadle was apparently the next man up. Just saying.

Steelers Place Plex on IR

As expected, Plaxico Burress’s rotator cuff surgery has ended his season, and likely Burress' NFL career, as the Steelers placed him on injured reserve.

Interestingly enough, Matt Spaeth will not be placed on IR, at least yet. Spaeth was injured in practice and it was later revealed that he suffered from a Lisfrac injury.

And for those of you who’re dying to know, Jim Wexell provided Steelers Nation with its midday Cheadle health update:

@retiredmd37 No Cheadle update. I'm pretty much alone on campus now. Finishing up a McLendon feature for the Digest and then going home.
— James C Wexell (@jimwexell) August 13, 2013

No news, we trust, is good news….

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If Rotator Cuff Surgery End It for Plaxico Burress, Here's Why He Went Out the Right Way

Monday August 12 was Plaxico' Burress' 36 birthday. Per Ed Bouchette's tweet, it’s also the day that he underwent what will likely be career ending surgery to reaper a torn rotator cuff.

Steelers WR Plaxico Burress will celebrate his 36th birthday today by getting shoulder surgery. Ugh.
— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) August 12, 2013

If this is the end for Plaxico Burress then it is a real shame for him. It may not be much consolation to him, but Burress can at least know that he chose to distinguish himself on the way out.

Remembering Plex

If Plaxico Burress is glad to finish his career in Pittsburgh then he can thank the fact that Kevin Colbert does not draft scared for his arrival.

Colbert arrived in Pittsburgh in February 2000 on the heels of back-to-back 7-9 and 6-10 seasons that brought a long simmering feud between Tom Donahoe and Bill Cowher to a head. Kordell Stewart was the Steelers quarterback, and Stewart was finishing the “My Buddy’s the Cop” phase of his career.

• Conventional wisdom generally dictates drafting the best available quarterback is the smart (and safe) move for a general manager walking into that situation.

The Steelers had the eighth pick, and Chad Pennington was the top quarterback on the board. Colbert and Cowher took a pass, making Pennington the 2nd most famous signal caller the Steelers never drafted after Dan Marino.

Plaxico Burress was their choice instead. After a rookie season that was a wash, Burress had his breakout game vs. the Titans on Monday Night Football (after Hines Ward instilled some good game preparation habits into him), helped transform Tommy Maddox into Tommy Gun and gave the Steelers 4 good seasons before departing to New York, much to Ben Roethlisberger's chagrin.

Burress’ time in New York will be remembered for him quitting on a long route, a game winning Super Bowl catch, and of course the self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Burress to Go Out the Way They All “Should?”

After prison the Steelers and, more specifically Mike Tomlin, briefly courted Burress, but he opted for greener pastures with the New York Jets.

Out of football for much of 2012, the Steelers brought him in late in the season. A poor route led to an interception, spoiling his debut in the comedy of errors in Cleveland.

His stat sheet will only tell this his second stint in Pittsburgh yielded 3 catches. The video quality isn't so good, but here’s the last one he made:




That touchdown helped seal victory for the Steelers in the 2012 regular season finale vs. Cleveland.

If rotator cuff surgery does spell the end for Burress, his homecoming in Pittsburgh might not have gone as he wished, but Burress' final catch will always be a game winning touchdown.

Isn't that the way every player dreams of ending his career?

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Pittsburgh Native Mike Farrell's NFL Dream Gets a Second Lease on Life; Steelers Resign Offensive Lineman

The Mike Farrell’s dream of playing in the NFL for his home town Pittsburgh Steelers got a second lease on life. Shortly before Pittsburgh’s first preseason game vs. the Giants the Steelers resigned Farrell, just two days after they cut Farrell to sign tight end Nathan Overbay.

To make room for their newly reacquired offensive tackle, the Steelers cut cornerback Buddy Jackson.

Did the Steelers Brain Trust Get a Premonition of the Reserve Offensive Line? 

While these marginal roster moves are normal for at any time of the year, let alone training camp, the timing of the move was peculiar. It is almost as if the Steelers Brain Trust had a premonition that their reserve offensive line would struggle so mightily vs. the Giants.

Back up quarterback Bruce Gradkowski pleased fans with his mobility – which is good because it was needed. Landry Jones had his first hand off transformed into a safety (which was more than partially his fault) and 4th string quarterback John Parker Wilson gave up four sacks in a single quarter.

The group’s run blocking wasn’t better, with Baron Batch, Isaac Redman and Alvester Alexander all putting up mediocre numbers.

No fan of course should think of Mike Farrell as a savior, but the Steelers reserve offensive line has left itself plenty of room for improvement.

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Steelers Come Up Small in Preseason vs. Giants, Lose 18-13

Its only August football, but Mike Tomlin cannot like what he saw as the Pittsburgh Steelers looked pretty sloppy in their 18-13 preseason loss to the New York Giants.

Steel Curtain Rising’s Golden Rule of Preseason is that while results don’t mean much exhibition games do tend to revealing about individual units and provide a good look at individuals.

Steelers Struggles vs. Giants

In that respect, Danny Smith’s special teams debut left a lot to be desired, with one blocked punt, and two kick off fielding errors on the part of rookie J.D. Woods and David Gilreath.

Rookie quarterback and fourth round draft pick Landry Jones had a difficult night, botching a hand off to Baron Batch leading to a fumble. Batch himself entered the game as one Steeler who was fighting for his NFL life, and he did not help his cause rushing 5 times for 4 yards.

Bruce Gradkowski, while going 6/11 had trouble connecting with his receivers, and was described by Behind the Steel Curtain as possibly “attempting to thin out the wide receiving corps.”

Jason Worilds did make his presence known by registering a sack, but also got noticed the wrong way with two roughing the passer fouls in two minutes.

Steelers Success vs. Giants

The star of the offense was LaRod Stephens-Howling who led all rushers with 40 yards on seven carries. Rookie Marcus Wheaton also looked good, as did David Paulson, although Michael Palmer, signed just a few days ago, got the starting nod.

The real “stars” of the game were the Steelers linebackers, with first round draft pick Jarvis Jones recovering a fumble and defending a pass. Adrian Robinson, who was reportedly having a rough time at St. Vincents, scored the Steelers only touchdown on an botched snap. Rookies Vince Williams and Brian Rolle also looked good in Behind the Steel Curtain’s estimation.

Rounding out the Steelers success on defense was Al Woods, who lead the team with 9 takcles, 1 sack, 2 tackles for losses, and 1 QB hit.

The Steelers picked up Al Woods off of waivers from the Saints in 2010, after New Orleans cut their then rookie draft pick. Woods then bounced around between Tampa Bay, Seattle’s, and Pittsburgh’s active rosters and practice squads.

Performance like Woods’ put in vs. the Giants will earn him a permanent home.

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Matt Spaeth Injures Lisfranc; Possible Done for Year; Steelers Thin at Tight End

Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Matt Spaeth went down with an injury on Thursday August 8th. On Friday the Steelers added two more tight ends to their roster, in the form of Michael Palmer and Nathan Overbay.

• The timing of those two events was in no way coincidental.

The Steelers had released little in the way of information on Matt Spaeth’s injury, other than to say it was to the foot. But later this afternoon Pittsburgh Tribune Review writer Dejan Kovacevic broke the news:

Ouch. Unconfirmed, but I’m hearing #Steelers TE Matt Spaeth will have lisfranc surgery that will end season. That’s middle of foot.
— Dejan Kovacevic (@Dejan_Kovacevic) August 9, 2013

Other reports are pegging the recovery time at 8-10 weeks, which would put the Steelers at mid-season.

• Could Dejan’s prediction turn out to be too dire?

Perhaps, but most likely not. As Behind the Steel Curtain has pointed out, recent NFL history with Lisfranc injuries shows that they are normally season-enders, reminding us of how similar injures end the 2012 seasons of Santonio Holmes and Maurice Jones-Drew.

• One way or another the Steelers must make a decision on Spaeth. There is no way they can carry him on the roster until mid season hoping that he returns to health. 

They could carry him through the preseason and put him on injured reserve and designate him as a player who can return, as they did with David DeCastro last year, but that is not likely.

With Spaeth out, the 2012 7th round pick David Paulson now must “grow up fast” as the starting role will fall to him until Heath Miller can return to health. In the meantime, Ben Roethlisberger is going to need target for passes in the middle of the field.

In addition, the Steelers have David Johnson who is on the PUP list, as well as Jaime McCoy and Peter Tuitupou....

...Where is Preston Gothard when you need him?

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The Steelers Alameda Ta'amu Needs a Giant Game vs. New York... Assuming He Plays

While every year the fan complaints about “the drudgery that is preseason football” get louder, one inescapable fact remains unchanged:

• Every summer the much maligned rite of “preseason football” gives 45 young men a shot at a lifetime dream.

Think about it. With the exception of a handful of highish round draft choices, and NFL gives young rookies a brief, four game window in which the dream of “playing in the big leagues” becomes possible.

• And then that dream is over. And for most of the kids its over forever.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a sterling history with undrafted rookie free agents.

Heck Willie Parker and James Harrison set records in Super Bowls XL and Super Bowl XLIII respectively. Players like Dan Kreider, Ramon Foster, and Nate Washington show that the Steelers have found contributors at nearly every position area via the undrafted rookie free agent pool.

But for every Steve McLendon and every Kaydrick Vincent there are 44 or 45 Kyle Clements. (Clement was a member of the Steelers 2008 undrafted rookie free agent class, and his shot at NFL glory ended in injury after a few series in the Steelers first preseason game in '08.)

While the Steelers Saturday night match up at Heinz Field vs. the Giants is key for many of these nameless NFL wanna bes, its also critical for other, higher profile aspirants.

• Earlier, Steel Curtain rising profiled 5 Steelers fighting for their NFL lives this summer in Latrobe.

Of those five, perhaps no one faces a more daunting task than the Steelers 2012 4th Round Draft Pick Alameda Ta'amu.

• Alameda Ta'amu's story is well known to Steelers Nation -- for all the wrong reasons.

The Kevin Colbert traded up to get Ta'amu in the 4th round of the 2012 NFL draft, explaining that the move was necessary because Alameda Ta'amu was the true nose tackle in the draft.

Its gone downhill since then for Ta'amu. First he struggled in 2012's training camp, gaining far more noteriety for his walk to Walmart than anything he did on the field.

Then came Ta'amu's drunken rampage on the South Side.

Since then Ta'amu has done all the right things (save for a boneheaded rewetweet).

• But now he’s facing a rather unenviable situation.

Opening training camp on the Steelers PUP list, Ta’amu was activated only to learn that in a year he’s gone from promising 4th round draft pick to 4th on the depth chart.

Yet, the Steelers preseason game vs. the Giants could change all of that.

• And the irony is that Ta’amu might not even get to play

Ta’amu began Steelers training camp with a hamstring injury and was only activated days ago, and no word has been given on whether or not he will play.

• If he does, he needless to say he’s got to put in a strong performance.

If not, he find himself in the perverse position of hoping that Al Woods and Loni Fangupo prove that they’re not NFL nose tackle material.

Regardless of griping from some fans, the position battles that will occur in the final three quarters of the preseason game vs. the Giants are very important to the futures of these young men and the Steelers line itself.

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