Big Ben Back at Practice

Despite the fact that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reported at his press conference on Tuesday that QB Ben Roethlisberger was expected to be limited at practice, he took part in the team’s full practice yesterday.

Roethlisberger's shoulder injury continues to be a small issue but it's much better than it was a week ago.

“I feel better,” said Roethlisberger. “Obviously it’s sore. Who in here isn’t sore who plays this game? But, it’s definitely better and we’re making progress.”

“On Thursday, I took all the snaps and instead of throwing I just went through all the motions and pointed to the guy I would have thrown to,” said Roethlisberger. “It’s a way to the play, as coach said, in the helmet and it’s good to be mentally in there.”

Yesterday, much of the news media was focused on Ben's shoulder wanting to clear up the confusion (they should've just visited my blog!), but Roethlisberger was not particularly open to discussing the matter saying that "it's still attached" and not worth discussing further.

It was also one of the discussions last night on the Subway Nightly Sports Call between Bob Pompiani and Bob Smizak. When Pompiani asked where he thought the confusion was coming from, Smizak was certain that Roethlisberger had everything to do with it (i.e., he was the one who reported that his shoulder was separated to NBC and whoever else would listen). Whatever, if he gets the job done - WHO CARES?! So what if he seeks a little attention (perhaps wanting to make himself look like a better QB playing "hurt") - let's face it, he's a "high maintanence" QB - maybe it's because of his young age and something he'll "outgrow," but he get's the job done and I think we've given him enough time talking about his latest injury; let's move on!

NEXT --

You Say "Sprained" and I Say "Separated"

The debate continues regarding quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's shoulder. Although only a few minutes were dedicated to talking about it during Coach Tomlin's press conference yesterday, it's still as clear as it was the day before - clear as mud!

As previously posted, Tomlin reported that Roethlisberger has a sore shoulder ("sprain") and he is unaware as to who told the media (specifically NBC sportscasters) that his shoulder was separated.

Perhaps the answer lies in the fact that an AC sprain is a slight separation as pointed out by Jory Rand last night on KDKA-TV news. He was the first one to actually look into the medical terminology (although I don't remember which medical source he referenced). I took his lead and "googled" "shoulder AC sprain" and most of which gave short descriptions including "sprain / separation" in the explanation, so I just picked the University Sports Medicine site.

This site explains that there are different grades of sprains (but the description involves some type of separation). Here's the part of the description that would best narrow in on our area of confusion (taken directly from the source):

Shoulder separations, or sprains, are graded I, II, or III depending on how far the collarbone is separated from the shoulder

• A Grade I sprain has tenderness but no actual separation
• A Grade II sprain has slight separation of the clavicle from the shoulder
• A Grade III sprain has even more separation
  

LET'S CALL THE WHOLE THING OFF!

Roethlisberger Still Feeling the Effects

Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger's shoulder is still sore from a hit he took during the game against the Houston Texans.

“Hopefully he will progress like he did last week,” said Tomlin. “I met with him and he said he feels better this week than he did a week ago, which is good.”

Unlike previous speculation that was reported during last Sunday night's game coverage, Roethlisberger’s shoulder was not separated. The injury is classified as an AC sprain and when asked about the false report, Tomlin responded that he had no idea and that the information did not come from him or Steelers medical staff.

Tomlin added that Roethlisberger will be limited in practice, but it's not something to be concerned about.

“Some guys require a great number of snaps to be prepared to play, some guys can learn visually in the film room and some need physical reps,” said Tomlin. "Thankfully with Ben he is a quick study and sharp guy. He can learn in a variety of ways, film study, visual reps and so forth. It doesn’t take him a great deal of reps to be ready to play, at least in my experience.

“I thought he played pretty well the other night. Hopefully it won’t be an issue if he is limited this week. I know it won’t be an excuse.”

Keisel "Week-to-Week" with Calf Sprain

During his weekly press conference, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reported that they will be without defensive end Brett Keisel on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Keisel left the 1st quarter of last Sunday night's game against the Cleveland Browns due to a calf strain and his status is week-to-week.

Coach Tomlin did not announce a replacement player, but indicated it won't be just a single player to fill the spot. Travis Kirschke, Nick Eason, and Orpheus Roye are all expected to play.

“We followed the rotation principle at the defensive line,” said Tomlin. “We have suited six guys and played six. Now is an opportunity for Orpheus Roye to step up into the rotation. It won’t be one guy; it will be a collection of guys that get an opportunity to play in his spot. As always our standard of expectation won’t change. We expect those guys to play and play at a high level.”

Other noteable injuries:

• Donovan Woods, rookie linebacker - hamstring injury (will not play Sunday)
• Deshea Townsend, cornerback - heel contusion (day-to-day, but Tomlin is hopeful he will practice on Wednesday)
• William Gay, safety - ankle sprain (limited in practice)
• Santonio Holmes, wide receiver - knee bruise (limited in practice)
• Travis Kirschke, defensive end - back (limited in practice)
  
  
  “All of those guys are not in question for the game, just limited for the first part of the week,” said Tomlin. “All in all, considering how physical that game was, not a bad laundry list of injuries.”

Parker Nominated for Another NFL Weekly Honor

For the second week in a row, Pittsburgh Steelers Willie Parker has again been nominated for an NFL Honor this week, but this time it's for the "FedEx Ground Player of the Week."

VOTE for Parker HERE.

Steelers safety, Troy Polamalu, has also been nominated for an NFL Honor - "Defensive Player of the Week."

VOTE for Polamalu HERE.

Keisel OUT for 2 Months

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel was injured in the first quarter of Sunday night's game against Cleveland. Keisel injured his right calf and returned to the sideline sporting crutches and a protective boot from his knee to his foot.

Kiesel is scheduled to undergo further tests on his calf this week and will be out for approximately 2 months. This is going to be a big loss for the Steelers.

Also big news is Big Ben's "sore" shoulder.

NBC-TV reported Sunday night that Roethlisberger has a separated shoulder, described merely as "sore" by coach Mike Tomlin a week ago. Indeed,
Roethlisberger has a low-grade separation but it did not prevent him from throwing 19 times, including one pass of at least 60 yards and another of 50 in a swirling wind in Cleveland.

A Steelers spokesperson said that there won't be any updates on either of these injuries until Coach Mike Tomlin's press conference today.

Mendenhall is Already a "CHAMPION"

THANKS to PSaMP for pointing out that Rashard Mendenhall signed a three-year deal with Champion Athletic Apparel. A rookie and he already has endorsement deals (sweet)!! Mendenhall is the first professional athlete to sign with the company in over ten years (even sweeter)!!

From what PSaMP says, this news has been out for awhile, but as always, I'm late in finding out (so I'm passing it on to you hoping it news to you too)!!

Steelers Win 10 - 6 Over Browns

The Pittsburgh Steelers continue their reign over the Cleveland Browns (with this being the 10th straight win against the rivals) and are now 2-0 for this season. Despite a shoulder injury, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger looked good.

Prior to the game, NBC's Al Michaels made reference to Roethlisberger's injury and mentioned that he had separated his shoulder during the season-opener against the Houston Texans. The Steelers never released this information and never eluded to the fact that the injury could be as serious as it was; I can't say that I blame them.

Despite Ben's shoulder, Bruce Arians did not alter the game plan.

Sunday Night Football EXTRA on NFL.com

Sunday Night Football Extra to be streamed LIVE at NFL.com and NBCSports.com!

In addition to being able to watch the game on NBC tonight (kickoff scheduled for 8:15 PM est), the game will be streamed live on NFL.com and NBCSports.com.  The live coverage will come from NBC's TV coverage of Sunday Night Football.  This will include a number of extra features to enrich fans' viewing experience such as:

• additional camera angles - fans can choose from multiple extra camera angles, including cable cam and "star cam" (camera following a star player)
  
• in-game highlights - if you missed anything earlier in the game, you can access highlights on-demand!
• pictures-in-picture technology - fans can watch multiple video streams at the same time
• live statistics and other interactive elements - up-to-the-minute game data along with player and team statistics; fans can also interact with the NBC's Football Night in America cast and NFL Network talent via a live blog!
• in-game studio updates from the NBC Football Night in America and NFL Network talent (Al Michaels, play-by-play; John Madden, analyst; and Andea Kremer, sideline reporter)

This sounds like a really awesome experience with new technology and I may decide to try it sometime during tonight's game and give a report on it tomorrow.  If anyone else decides to do the same, I would love our input too -- e-mail me with you thoughts and opinions (bigben07fan@steelersfan.net)!! 

GAME DAY: Pittsburgh Steelers VS. Cleveland Browns

SERIES HISTORY

Series History: Series began in 1950

Overall: Pittsburgh leads 57-55

At Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh leads 36-21

At Cleveland: Cleveland leads 34-21

Neutral Sites: n/a

Last Regular-Season Meeting: Nov. 11, 2007 (in Pittsburgh)

Pittsburgh 31, Cleveland 28

Postseason Series: Pittsburgh leads 2-0

(postseason record included in overall series record)  Pittsburgh leads the all-time series 57-55 (including post-season) after sweeping the Browns for the fourth consecutive year in 2007 ... the Steelers are 48-24 against the Browns since 1970, including a 31-6 record (including two playoff victories) in Pittsburgh and 16-18 mark on the road ... the Steelers are 8-1 against the Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium, which opened in 1999 ... the Steelers defeated the Browns 43-0 in the first game at Cleveland's new stadium on September 12, 1999 ... Pitts burgh is 2-0 versus Cleveland in the post-season defeating the Browns 36-33 om the 2--2 AFC Wild Card playoffs, and 29-9 in the AFC Divisional Playoffs at Three Rivers Stadium (January 7, 1995) ... Pittsburgh has played more games against Cleveland than against any other team in the NFL ... the 112 games played between the Steelers and the Browns are the most between any two AFC teams ... the Steelers have won 15 of their last 16 games against the Browns and 22 of the last 25 contests ... Pittsburgh's last loss to the Browns came on October 5, 2003 ending a six-game Steelers' winning streak ... that game is also the last time these two teams met on Sunday night ... the Steelers have not been swept by the Browns since 1988 but have swept Cleveland five of the past six years.

Campbell's CHUNKY Soup's Click for Cans Campaign

Visit the Campbell's CHUNKY Soup "Click for Cans" Campaign to fight hunger.

Vote for the Steelers each week to help them earn soup donations to the local food bank!  Click on the above link to learn more.

Parker Named

Yesterday, the NFL named Willie Parker as AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

This is Parker's 3rd career "Player of the Week" - his last one being awarded in Week 10 of the 2006 season.

CONGRATULATIONS, Willie!!

Woodley and Parker Up for NFL Honors

After the first week of the NFL season and a great start from the Pittsburgh Steelers, it comes as no surprise that two players are up for NFL honors.

Outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley is one of five finalists for the Defensive Player of the Week award while running back Willie Parker is one of three finalists for the FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week.

The winners for the weekly awards are determined by fan voting, so be sure to vote for LaMarr Woodley and Willie Parker who are well deserving of the honor after the games they both had last Sunday against the Houston Texans!

Sore Shoulder Will Limit Roethlisberger at Practice Today

During his weekly news conference, Coach Mike Tomlin said that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be limited in practice today due to a minor shoulder problem; nothing serious.

Other players that will be limited along with Ben at today's practice are left tackle Marvel Smith (groin strain) and cornerback Deshea Townsend (heel contusion).

All are expected to play in Sunday night's game against the Cleveland Browns.

Ron Cook Thinks Roethlisberger is Now the #1 QB in the NFL

With all the focus on New England Patriot's quarterback, Tom Brady and his season-ending knee injury, no one has thought of who will now fill his spot as the #1 QB in the NFL - except for Ron Cook, that is.

Cook posted a piece today which talks about placing the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, into that esteemed position and how Roethlisberger could easily have been in Brady's position on Sunday (after taking a hit to the knee from Texans defensive tackle Amobi Okoye towards the end of the first half). The hit looked bad enough to have us all thinking, "oh no" and Cook thinking that the season could be over. However, Ben was back in the second half looking as good as ever and able to lead the Steelers to another touchdown drive that put all our minds at ease.

With the exception of the hit he took from Okoye and 2 others from Texans defensive end Mario Williams, the offensive line looked better than expected but as good as Roethlisberger had said they would be / are. I'm sure I'm not the only one surprised by this fact. Although it felt good to have them prove me (and everyone else) wrong!

"I'm excited for those guys so they can silence the critics who are talking bad about them," Roethlisberger said during training camp. "I have all the faith in the world that they'll protect me."

Cook goes on to say that he's excited to think how good Ben can be if he stays healthy this season and giving reasons as to why he thinks Roethlisberger can easily move into the position of "NFL's brightest star" with Brady out of the picture.

This is definitely a good start to a great season. So great that it could lead us to another Super Bowl Championship? Let's not get ahead of ourselves and take it one game at a time, but if the first game is any indication then there's a good possibility!

Penguins Head Coach Attends Home-Opener

Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Michel Therrien was in attendance at last Sunday's Pittsburgh Steelers home-opener against the Houston Texans. He was a special gues on the field at both the Penn State and Steelers games for pre-game warmups and also attended the Chartiers Valley-Yough High School game.

“It was an amazing experience to watch all these levels of football,” said Therrien, who grew up in Montreal and played hockey and baseball as a youngster. “The fans are so passionate. They really get behind their teams. It’s really great to see.”

“I got a chance to speak with Mike and wish him good luck in person,” Therrien said. “It was an amazing experience to be down on the field before the game, to see all those guys, and it was great to have the Steelers open the season with a big win.”

Annual Gridiron Taste & Talent Fashion Show

BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA
and the PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Annual GRIDIRON Taste & Talent

Friday, September 26, 2008 ~ 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Heinz History Center and Sports Museum

Honoring Steelers Fullback Carey Davis

For more information, visit The Steelers webpage and The Boys & Girls Club webpage.

Parker / Woodley / Hines - AWESOME!!

What an awesome touchdown by Willie Parker to start the second quarter!!

And just a few seconds ago -- an interception by Lamar Woodley!!

Hines -- TOUCHDOWN!!!

SUPERBOWL, anyone?? (OK - I won't jinx it, but they recently gave a statistic that teams winning their kickoff game are twice as likely to get to the post-season)!!

HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO!!

Brady Injured

[STATUS UPDATE] it's been reported that Brady suffered a knee injury is likely to return.

New England Patriots QB, Tom Brady, limped off the field as he was accompanied to the locker room. Brady was hurt after the Patriots second drive today against the Chiefs.

No word as to the current situation but Matt Cassel is warming up.

[UPDATE] Pittsburgh radio coverage announcer, Ellis Cannon, reported that a blog posted you could "hear a pin drop" in the stadium after the play when Brady got hurt and was holding his knee.

From the fanhouse:

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, the reigning NFL MVP, limped off the field in the first quarter of Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Brady remained on the turf after he was hit in the left leg by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard. There was no immediate announcement on his injury or his status.

Brady had completed a 26-yard pass to Randy Moss, who fumbled the ball away when he was tackled.

Tomlin is PUMPED!!

I am LOVIN' Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin's attitude and motivation today!!

It began the minute he led the Steelers onto the field before kickoff and continues as the Steelers stopped the Texans from completing a first down. They cut to video of Tomlin pumping his fist and saying "let's go!" as they headed to a commercial break.

The Steelers should feed off of this (for crying out loud - I'M feeding off of it)!!!

And the ruling that they stopped Houston now stands which is a HUGE motivation factor to the Steelers as well -- this should be a good game!!

HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO!!

Less than Half-Hour Until Game Time!

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2008
KICKOFF @ 1:00 PM




Series History Series History: Series began in 2002
Overall: Series tied 1-1
At Pittsburgh: Houston leads 1-0
At Houston: Pittsburgh leads 1-0
Neutral Sites: n/a
Last Regular-Season Meeting: Sept. 18, 2005 (in Houston) Pittsburgh 27, Houston 7
Postseason Series: n/a





Pittsburgh is 1-1 all-time against the Houston Texans...Houston won the first-ever meeting between the teams 24-6 on Dec. 8, 2002, at Heinz Field...the six points were the least the Steelers scored in 2002...Pittsburgh came back to even the series on Sept. 18, 2005 when they defeated the Texans 27-7 at Reliant Stadium in Houston...in that game RB Willie Parker had 25 rushes for 111 yards and one touchdown...S Troy Polamalu tied an NFL single game record for a safety by registering three sacks.

Bouchette Dazzles with Football Knowledge

Yesterday on the Steelers Q&A with Ed Bouchette post, Bouchette explained the reasoning behind the 53-man roster (why 53?).

Bouchette explained that it's "arbitrary" and that 53 was just a compromise between the players union and management agreed on since the union wanted more and management wanted less.

He goes on to say that the limit used to be 45 or 47 in the 1980's and that players placed on injured reserve didn't count against the roster (and could return in 6 weeks), so you'd have teams making up injuries to keep players without the risk of another team claiming them.

The league finally put a stop to this by expanding the roster and limiting the number of players who could dress to 45 and gave all teams an even playing field, so to speak.

To read the actual post, visit the PPG.

Just Because!

The reason why I posted this picture (courtesy of "One for the Other Thumb" blog) - just because I think it's an awesome picture!!

Hamburger, anyone?!

this pictures is either REAL or a really super-awesome Photoshop jobber!!

Steelers Fill Roster Spot with TE Sean McHugh

The Steelers announed that they've signed veteran tight end Sean McHugh to a one-year deal today which makes a total of 3 tight ends on the Pittsburgh team..

McHugh was drafted out of Penn State in the 2004 NFL draft and spent the last three seasons with the Detroit Lions.

Hug the Ball, Mendenhall!!

Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Ponies (PSAMP) posted pics of Rashard Mendenhall's form and how he automatically holds the ball away from his body (that's MORE than just a rookie mistake)! Unless he works on this form and starts making it automatic to hug the ball tight to his body, he's not going to resolve his fumbling issues as PSAMP so nicely points it out with their post last week (with pictures too; a couple posted to the left and below)!!

Foote Returned to Practice

On Monday, Larry Foote practiced for the first time since hurting his knee in the pre-season game against the Vikings on Saturday, August 23rd. He expects to play on the first regular season game on Sunday, September 7th against the Texans.

"I took that brace off, so it felt good," the starting inside linebacker said Monday after practice. "The next step is with the pounding and see how (my knee) reacts to that. But for the most part, it feels good."

Steelers Trade Mahan

[UPDATE] ESPN ticker reports that the Steelers received a 7th round draft pick for the trade.

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced today that they have traded backup center Sean Mahan to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for an undisclosed draft choice in 2009.

During this year's training camp, Mahan competed with Justin Hartwig who was signed by the Steelers as a free agent. Prior to the final pre-season game, Coach Mike Tomlin made Hartwig the starter to which Mahan did not respond well to.

Darnell Stapleton now becomes Hartwig's backup. Stapleton made the team last year as an undrafted rookie from Rutgers.

Today's trade decreases the roster down to 52 players, so the Steelers will be able to add another player prior to Sunday's home opener against the Houston Texans.

Pittsburgh Steelers Captains Named

By a team vote, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected four players as this season's team captains yesterday.

For the first time since playing for the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger and Jeff Reed were named captains. Roethlisberger will serve as offensive co-captain alongside Hines Ward and Reed will serve as the Steelers special teams captain.

James Farrior was named the team’s defensive captain for the fifth consecutive season.

Big Ben to be Featured in "Fanfare" the Magazine

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's magazine, Fanfare, features Big Ben in the September 2008 issue. Pictured left is Ben Roethlisberger with his 2 dogs Zeus (4-year-old Rottweiler; right) and Hercules (3-year-old Bernes Mountain Dog; left).

The article, "Big Ben's Big Give," focuses on Roethlisberger's charity The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation which donates K-9 police dogs to local police departments.

It was in Roethlisberger's hometown where his foundation took root. In 2006, Flip, the town's K-9 police dog, was shot and killed. Some of the guys on the force, old school buddies of Ben, called with the news. His dad, Ken, suggested that Ben might help.

He did. And he was hooked.

"I've always been a dog person, so it just made sense to do this for my hometown. A couple of months later, my dad asked, 'Wouldn't it be nice to buy a dog for every city that you play in?'"

And this is how his foundation was born. It is current run and managed by his father, Ken Roethlisberger. To read the entire article, visit "Fanfare the Magazine" webpage.

Steelers Sign 8 to Practice Squad

The Steelers signed eight players to their practice squad on Sunday in addition to a ninth player, Marvin Allen, who will remain with the team throughout the 2008 season as part of the NFL’s international player development program.

Players include:

• LB Patrick Bailey
• CB Roy Lewis
• S Grant Mason
• OT Jeremy Parquet
• DT Scott Paxson
• WR Micah Rucker
• TE Dezmond Sherrod
• RB Justin Vincent.