BETTIS and LOGAN Added to New 1250 ESPN Lineup

The 1250 ESPN sports radio station is revamping their lineups due to the need for filling in the space that was left when Mark Madden was fired back in May. The new lineups were announced today on the 1250 ESPN webpage and start on August 4th.

Also announced was the addition of Jerome Bettis to their full-time staff. Beginning on August 29th, Bettis will join the afternoon lineup LIVE from his restaurant Jerome Bettis' 36 Grille on the North Shore every Friday from 5:30 - 6:30! In addition to Bettis, another former Pittsburgh Steeler will join the ESPN airwaves - Mike Logan.

Sounds like an exciting lineup to me!!

Steelers Throwback Uniforms

[from Steelers.com]

The Steelers will once again sport their throwback uniforms this season, wearing them for the September 29 game against Baltimore and October 26 game vs. the New York Giants, both at Heinz Field.

The jerseys were popular with players and fans alike, and many can be seen dotting the hillsides at St. Vincent College during the team’s training camp.

They were originally worn as a part of the team’s 75th Season Celebration last year.

WARD: Brightest Offensive Player

Add "Smartest Non-Quarterback Offensive Player in the NFL" to the list of awards / achievements Hines Ward has earned.

ESPN.com recently conducted a survey among head coaches which asked them to choose the player they felt was the smartest offensively (and were unable to choose players from their own team).

"You wonder once in a while what the coaches think of you, and this is really a nice honor," Ward said of the results.

Said one AFC coach: "Hines has been one of the smartest players in the league for a long time. He just has a knack for the game."

There's a reason for his high football IQ. He earned it at the University of Georgia where he learned to play nearly every offensive position on the field - quarterback, wide receiver, tailback, and even punt returner!

"I had to know what was going on with the offense because I did everything in college," the 32-year-old receiver said. "So being a smart player was sort of necessary. I had no choice. … When I came to the NFL, I think I knew the basics of everything and the transition was fast. Sure, the NFL is much more complicated, but I was able to adjust pretty well."

Also noteworthy, Dan Rooney was voted as the league's best owner by the coaches.

"Everything permeates from the top down," Tomlin said. "I don't care what you talk about, whether it's a football team or a business. Our owners'reputation is well-deserved. They're awesome people. They're football people. It's one of the things that's better than you even anticipate."

Sepulveda OUT for Season!

[UPDATE] Savran on Sportsbeat had coverage of Coach Tomlin announcing to the media that Sepulveda IS out for the season; this is a big loss!

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review is reporting that the Steelers punter, Daniel Sepulveda, injured his right knee Monday during practice.

Coach Tomlin said that Sepulveda underwent an MRI which revealed a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his knee. He will likely be out for the season (although nothing in the article confirms this or isn't something that Tomlin was credited with / quoted as saying).

"My knee has been shaky for a while," Sepulveda said, adding that it didn't feel right while warming up Monday.

In light of the punter's injury, the Steelers claimed Paul Edinger off waivers from the Detroit Lions. He is expected to arrive at training camp sometime this evening.

"It's unfortunate for Daniel on a personal level, but it's part of football," Tomlin said. "That's what this game is about. We have to prepare to move forward, and we'll do that."

It sure does sound like he's out for the year especially with their claiming another punter, but no direct statement to that effect has been made so I will remain on the safe side until it is confirmed.

Steelers Quote of the Season (SO FAR)

Dan Gigler of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Steelers Blog, "Blog 'N' Gold" posted the "Quote of the season, thus far" which includes a great illustration of Giglers "guess" to the quote. I'll post the quote here, but go to "Blog 'N' Gold" to get the full affect of the post for yourself (humorous)!!

• In the unintentional hilarity department Ed Bouchette brings you Hines Ward, trying to say how valuable overweight NT Casey Hampton is to the team:
  
  

  "At the end of the day, we know what Casey will bring to the table."

Seriously - go to the blog now to have a laugh (I'm sure you have a guess too; it's probably close if not right on)!!

Injury Update for the Start of Day 2

[From the official Steelers.com webpage]

Coach Mike Tomlin reported the following injuries for the completion of Day 1 at camp (these players did not finish the afternoon practice and will be monitored on a day-to-day basis):

• Bryant McFadden (groin)
• Anthony Smith (groin)
• Kevin Marion (slight knee sprain)

No change to the following players in regards to injuries reported on Sunday (and will remain on the PUPS list):

• Troy Polamalu (hamstring)
• Chris Kemoeatu (triceps)

Coach Tomlin said that he will be reporting on those injuries to the media daily rather than giving a pronosis.

Training Camp - DAY 1

TIOPS is reporting that Kendall Simmons, Max Starks and Willie Colon arrived at camp in great shape. Starks also excelled in the conditioning run yesterday, and all of this does not surprise me since that was the first thought that came to mind when I saw a picture of him arriving at camp (below). That's good to hear / see especially in light of the recent Casey Hampton drama! They probably realize that they'll be competing for their positions.

Speaking of Hampton and competing for postitions, when Ron Cook asked a few of the players to speak on what they thought regarding the Hampton PUP list situation, all of them basically felt the same way -- they realize Coach Tomlin was sending a message and they heard it loud and clear!

"Doing this to a player of Casey's stature sends a message to everyone else -- nobody is safe," defensive captain James Farrior said.

"It doesn't surprise me with Tomlin. It doesn't matter who you are with him. You have to perform," veteran wide receiver Hines Ward added.

"It's unfortunate he came in like this, but I'm not worried about him being ready for the season," Farrior said. "He always gets himself ready ... "We need him, I know that. He's our anchor."

Not to mention the fact that this isn't the first time that Hampton has showed up to camp less that ready to perform. Last year, the same situation occurred but being it was Tomlin's first training camp, he let it slide. This year, he isn't so quick to let it slide and takes the matter very seriously.

That's why Tomlin sees nothing funny about Hampton's weight problem. The guess here is it disappoints him to no end and also ticks him off because Hampton has let the team down, although he didn't say that. What he did say flatly when asked if he was concerned that Hampton wouldn't be ready for the season was this: "Yes, I am." [Ron Cook - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

Said Hampton, "I know I need to be in better shape. I know what I have to do. Bottom line, come Sept. 7, I'll be ready to play."

Let's hope so!