Bleacher Creatures, Meet Our Newest Member, Former Steeler, Ray Seals.

As the Community Leader of the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the things that I see as my job is to introduce myself to the newest members, and give them a helping hand whenever they need it.

As I was greeting some of our new members, I came across a name that sounded VERY familiar, Ray Seals.

For those of you who don’t know who Ray Seals is, he played in the NFL from 1989-1993 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, then joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1994-1996. During that time, he was a starter at defensive end for the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX against the Dallas Cowboys. Ray then finished his career in Carolina, playing for the Panthers in 1997 before an injruy to his shoulder ended his career.

One of his biggest claims to fame is to be one of the very few NFL players that never played in college.

After graduation from High School he worked as a hotel doorman while playing football in the Eastern Football League, which is semi-pro, before joining the Buccaneers in 1989.

Ray is currently writing a book to share with fans his life experiences that took him from Syracuse, NY to the NFL. After speaking to him tonight, I can not wait to get my hands on a copy of his book.

Please welcome Ray to Bleacher Report , and make sure you join his Facebook page as well.

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Breaking News: Coaching Changes Coming For Pittsburgh Steelers!

How does a team that wins the Super Bowl, and returns 20 of 22 starters, fall to 6-7? The players on the field have already proven they have the ability to win it all, so in my opinion, it has to come down to coaching.

Apparently, the Steelers think the same way that I do.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported today that there are changes coming to the coaching staff of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Special Team coach Bob Ligashesky will be released at the end of the season. The Steelers special teams have been anything BUT special this season, allowing huge kick off returns against the Browns, Vikings, Chiefs, and numerous times, the special teams have allowed players to get close on punts as well.

Bruce Arians is also in a good deal of trouble, according to Schefter. The Steelers will be either demoting or firing him at the end of the season.

Arians has become one of the most predictable coordinators in the NFL, failing more than he succeeds. Too many times the Steelers are unable to punch the ball into the end zone once they reach the red zone.

With all the weapons on offense, this Steelers team should be one of the most high scoring units in the history of the Steelers.

In addition, offensive line coach Larry Zierlein will also be released at the end of the season.

The good news, per Schefter, is that Steelers Director of Player Personnel Kevin Colbert will not be leaving the Steelers, even if Bill Cowher returns to the side lines of another team.

It has been long rumored that once Cowher comes back to the NFL, Colbert would be the first person to join him with his new club. Speaking with people close to Colbert, they say that it is not so.

According to sources, Colbert has more loyalty to the Rooney family and the Steelers than he does to Cowher, and that even if Cowher comes back, Colbert plans on staying with the Steelers.

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Steelers Picking in the Top Half of 2010 Draft? The NFL Should Be Scared

As the Steelers 2009 season continues to crumble, the word “Steelers” is being used as a punchline to all of those teams that hate the Black and Gold.

The haters are coming out of the woodwork. Keep laughing, it won’t be lasting long.

Pittsburgh is assured of finishing the 2009 season with a record between 6-10 and 9-7. That means, come the 2010 NFL Draft, the Steelers will be picking between No. 10 and No. 14.

(Can you hear the chuckling?)

Teams that are certain to be picking prior to the Steelers? Cleveland, Buffalo, Kansas City, Oakland, Washington, Detroit, Tampa Bay, and Saint Louis.

(Can you still hear the chuckling?)

Teams that are certain to be picking after the Steelers? Indianapolis, New Orleans, San Diego, Cincinnati, New England, Jacksonville, Denver, Dallas, Philadelphia, the New York Giants, Minnesota, Green Bay, and Arizona.

(Can you still hear the chuckling?)

Teams that will probably be picking after the Steelers? Miami, the New York Jets, Baltimore, Chicago, and Atlanta.

So, for argument sake, lets say the Steelers will be picking at No. 12.

It is not often the Steelers pick in the first half of the draft. How do you think the Steelers do when picking in the top half of the draft?

2004: No. 11, Ben Roethlisberger

2000: No. 8, Plaxico Burress

That’s right, since Kevin Colbert took over as the GM of the Steelers, those are the only two picks that Pittsburgh has had in the first half of the draft.

Oh, but Bill Cowher is coming back to the NFL and will be taking Colbert with him when he goes. That is what I thought as well. Adam Schefter just had a report on ESPN that people close to Colbert have stated that his loyalty towards the Rooneys exceeds his loyalty to Cowher. Colbert will be back in Pittsburgh.

If you are still laughing at this point, then you really don’t understand football.

Remember this, it was only one short year ago that this same “joke” of a team won the Super Bowl, and it has only lost two starters from that team. This team has the personnel to once again rise to the top. Only this time, they will be armed with more talent.

Being slotted at No. 12, the Steelers even have a chance to trade up. Twice in the Steelers history they have traded up for players. Once was in 2003, when they traded from No. 28 to No. 16 to take USC safety Troy Polamalu. The other time was in 2006, when they traded from No. 32 to No. 25 to select WR Santonio Holmes from Ohio State.

Both of those trades were made by Kevin Colbert. If there is a player that Colbert and Tomlin want, they could easily trade into the top 10. Teams are quick to want to trade out of the top 10, because most of them have been picking there, and financially, it is hurting them.

Here are the top 12 players coming out in the NFL draft.

No. 1: Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska

No. 2: Jake Locker, QB, Washington

No. 3: Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma

No. 4: Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma

No. 5: Eric Barry, CB, Tennessee

No. 6: Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State

No. 7: Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State

No. 8: Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida

No. 9: Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame

No. 10: Taylor Mays, S, USC

No. 11: Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma

No. 12: CJ Spiller, RB, Clemson

Take out the quarterbacks, because Pittsburgh will not draft on of those. Take out Dez Bryant and CJ Spiller, Pittsburgh will not draft those positions this early. After drafting Ziggy Hood in the first round of the 2009 draft, Carlos Dunlap should also be ruled out.

That leaves the offensive tackles, defensive tackles, and defensive backs.

Here is my mock draft as to how the top 10 will unfold.

No. 1: St. Louis, Jake Locker, QB, Washington. Lets be honest, Mark Bulger is not going to lead this team to the playoffs, ever. The rule is that if you don’t have a franchise quarterback, you draft one, and that is what the Rams do.

No. 2: Tampa Bay, Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska. Tampa needs to boost their defense, and Suh immediately does it.

No. 3: Kansas City (Trade with Lions), Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State. The Chiefs desperately need a play maker on offense, and have to trade up to take him from Cleveland.

No. 4: Cleveland, Eric Barry, CB, Tennessee. An instant upgrade to their defense, the Browns take Barry because Bryant is gone.

No. 5: Seattle (Trade with Detroit), Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame. Matt Hasselbeck is way past his prime, and the Seahawks need someone to lead this team into the future.

No. 6: Buffalo, Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma. A new coach is going to want to have HIS guy to build the team around.

No. 7: Washington, Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida. Washington has had defensive line issues for years, and bringing Dunlap in will give them one of the best fronts in the NFC. 

No. 8: Oakland, Taylor Mays, S, USC. Al Davis loves speedsters and hitters. Unless they decide to play smart, and start to protect the passer, Mays is their guy.

No. 9: Detroit (Trade with Kansas City and Seattle), Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State. After drafting a franchise QB last year, they continue building the line to protect him.

No. 10: San Francisco (from Carolina), Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas. One of the best pass rushers in the draft, Kindle will team nicely with Patrick Willis and Manny Lawson to replace the now retired Jeff Ulbrich.

If Pittsburgh decides to trade up, who would the likely trade partner be? In my opinion…

No. 7: Washington, Taylor Mays, S, USC. IF Pittsburgh believes that Mays could be the next Polamalu, don’t you think they would be willing to jump ahead of the Raiders for the man to replace Ryan Clark?

If they decide to stand pat, they could land either Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma, Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State or Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama.

Williams could start on the right side of the Steelers offensive line, to replace Willy Colon. Terrence Cody would be the replacement for Casey Hampton in the 3-4 defense.

Anyway you look at it, the Steelers will be adding a first round talent that could one day be considered one of the best in the league. Does it hurt to lose so many games in one season? Yes. Is it worth it if we restock to once again be one of the best teams in the league? Absolutely.

So, keep laughing!  We like it that way. We are consoled by the six Lombardi Trophies in our trophy case, a case we will have to expand again in the near future.

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Though Steelers’ 2009 Season May Be Over, Future Looks Bright in the Burgh

The fat lady has sung! It is officially over. As painful as that is to say, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2009 season is over with three games left to play.

I wrote a sarcastic article earlier this week stating all of the changes that need to be made to the Steelers, but now it is time to look at what really needs to happen in the offseason.

 

Coaching

Some people will be calling for the head of Mike Tomlin. Not me.

Mike Tomlin is a very good young coach that is in the learning process. What needs to happen is Tomlin needs to accept his position as the leader of this team. The first thing that has to be done is the decisions on his coaching staff.

Bruce Arians: The Steelers offense is stagnant. They are able to move the ball, but they are unable to score once they enter the red zone. Not only that, Arians’ play calling is beyond predictable.

Every time we line up in a running formation, we run. Every time we line up in a passing formation, we pass. It HAS to be mixed up, but I do not think that you can teach an old dog new tricks.

There are too many weapons on this team for them to not be scoring at least 28 points per game. Arians is not able to lead the Steelers to this level.

Dick LeBeau: The question is not whether Tomlin will keep LeBeau; the question is, does LeBeau want to continue coaching? Odds are LeBeau will have his name announced prior to the Super Bowl as one of the newest entrants into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He deserves the honor.

The question is, once he reaches that lifelong goal, will he want to continue coaching? Not only that, but if Bill Cowher does decide to return to coaching, will he want to take LeBeau with him where he goes? There is little secret that Cowher will try to take some of the members of his old coaching staff with him. What will LeBeau do when this opportunity presents itself?

Bob Ligashesky, special teams coach: The Steelers’ special teams were their Achilles’ heel this season. They set a record for most returns for scores in the history of the NFL. I know the coaches coach and the players play, but the players were not coached well enough to make this unit successful.

The blame for this has to fall on the shoulders of Ligashesky. To say he did not do a good job at coaching would be an understatement. He needs to be fired as soon as the last game ends.

 

Offense

Quarterback

The Steelers are set at the starter’s position; where the decisions have to be made is at backup.

Dennis Dixon did a good job in his only appearance this year starting in Baltimore against the Ravens. In my opinion, he did a good enough job to earn the backup role. Charlie Batch may still have some gas left in the tank, but the future for the Steelers is NOW.

Even though Ken Anderson has done a respectable job, Batch is a Steeler all the way. He cares about this team and has done more for Ben Roethlisberger than any QB coach could. Hopefully he will come to the team as a coach instead of a player.

 

Running Back

One of the few bright spots of the 2009 season, Rashard Mendenhall has shown that he is ready, willing, and able to be the feature back of the Steelers. He is powerful and quick and brings a dimension to the Steelers they have not had in a long time. Entering his third year, he should be ready to be one of the best backs in the league.

The hardest decision is what to do with Willie Parker. Parker came to the Steelers as an undrafted free agent. He was explosive and was a perfect complement to Jerome Bettis. Those days are long gone, and he no longer has the blazing speed that he once had. The Steelers, moving forward, will be best served to let Parker walk away.

Mewelde Moore is one of the best third down backs in the NFL. He is great at catching out of the backfield, great at picking up blitzes, and can run the ball pretty decently when not asked to run a sweep on 3rd-and-1.

Added to Mendenhall and Moore, the Steelers have two great young players that have been rotated off the bottom of the roster in Isaac Redman and Justin Vincent. Both have a ton of potential and will compete for the Steelers’ third running back spot next year.

 

Wide Receiver

Hines Ward is not only one of the best receivers in the league, and the best in Steelers history (which is saying a lot), but is the leader of this team as well. He proved his toughness once again by playing in Cleveland with the hamstring injury. Even though he is not the elite receiver he once was, he is still better than anyone on many teams in the league.

Santonio Holmes made 2009 the best season of his career. He is not yet the top-flight receiver he wants to be, but he has improved every year. Holmes is already drawing the opposition’s best cover corner, and his numbers are the best of his career.

Mike Wallace is the surprise of the season, coming to the Steelers in the third round of the 2009 draft. He has explosive speed and is becoming the weapon the Steelers hoped he would eventually become.

Limas Sweed was brought in to be what Mike Wallace has become. He has not shown that he is capable of being consistent enough catching the ball. Does that mean that he should be released this offseason? No, but it does mean that once training camp comes along, if he cannot show that his hands have improved, he will not make the final roster cut.

 

Tight End

Heath Miller was re-signed this past offseason. His normally reliable hands have taken a hit in the last few weeks. Whatever the problem is that he’s having catching the ball can probably be corrected, and I am sure that next year he will be back to the sure-handed receiver he was.

Matt Spaeth is a great backup but was not used much this season. He is a big target that should be used more than he has been in the red zone.

David Johnson has been another pleasant surprise in the 2009 draft class. He has done a decent job as a back up TE but has done better playing fullback. He needs to be converted to the position full-time and if needed in an emergency move to tight end.

 

Offensive line

There is a lot less talk this year about the ability of the offensive line. The starting unit has come together and is playing better than most people thought they would. Most of the players are under contract for the future, except Trai Essex and Willie Colon. Both Colon and Essex have played well, and they may still be brought back.

Kraig Urbik and Ramon Foster, two rookies, will be expected to contribute more in 2010. Foster showed flashes of talent when he got his first career start against the Ravens. Urbik has not played much this year, but what he does in the offseason will go a long way to deciding his future with the Steelers.

 

Defense

Defensive line

The oldest unit on the team, there are more questions here than any other area of the team. The toughest decision for the Steelers is what to do with Casey Hampton. The answer cannot be determined until the Steelers know what is going to happen with Dick LeBeau and what his future holds. If LeBeau leaves, as much as Steelers fans don’t want to believe, the Steelers may be switching to a 4-3 defense.

If the Steelers switch, Hampton will probably be allowed to leave. Hampton is a great nose tackle for the 3-4 but is too big and not fast enough for the 4-3.

Aaron Smith, Brett Keisel, Nick Eason, and Travis Kirschke all play end, but in the 4-3 they could play tackle.

The real future of this team was drafted in the 2009 draft. Ziggy Hood and Sonny Harris are going to be the future of the Steelers’ line and will both be keys to the Steelers defense starting next year.

 

Linebacker

The Steelers are known for their linebacking corps, and that is going to continue into the future. LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons, Tomlin’s first two drafted players, are both in the early stages of what look to be great careers. Woodley has already earned the right to be considered one of the best OLBs in the game, while Timmons has taken leaps and bounds since replacing Larry Foote.

James Harrison will again be in the running for Defensive Player of the Year. The biggest question for the Steelers is, how long will James Farrior be able to play at the All-Pro level he plays at? Farrior was resigned to a contract extension last year and still is one of the best players on the team.

If Farrior can not compete at his current level, Keyaron Fox has made strides to eventually replace Farrior. As always, the Steelers’ linebacking corps looks to continue its dominance for years to come.

 

Cornerbacks

Ike Taylor has been known to be a shutdown corner, and IF he could catch he would be considered one of the best corners in the league. It appears that Taylor is starting to slow down, but I don’t think he is in any fear of losing his job just yet.

Will Gay was believed to be ready to take over for Bryant McFadden. That turns out not to be the case. Deshea Townsend, who has been a loyal Steeler since being drafted in the 1998 draft, is showing his age. I see Townsend the same way I see Charlie Batch: Both are great players that have been great Steelers, but the end of the line may be here.

Keenan Lewis and Rob Burnett are two additions to the Steelers roster from the 2009 NFL Draft, and both are working at becoming key contributors for the Steelers.

 

Safety

Troy Polamalu needs to be placed on injured reserve today. There is no sense in keeping him on the active roster when this season is already over. Polamalu, when healthy, is a game-changing player and one of the best not only in the NFL, but in the history of the sport. A healthy Polamalu in 2010 will improve the Steelers’ roster, not only from a talent standpoint but from a leadership standpoint.

Ryan Clark is the biggest question. Will he return to the Steelers next year? Will he jump ship for a bigger contract? Will the Steelers go after him hard? Clark plays great, but will keeping him hinder the progress of Ryan Mundy?

Mundy is again with the Steelers after joining the team in the sixth round of the 2008 draft. Mundy has good size (6’1″) and could eventually turn into a great starter. Is he ready to take over the starter’s spot from Clark? That I don’t know, but if Clark is not re-signed, then he is not going to have much of a choice but to.

 

Special Teams

Jeff Reed is a great field goal kicker in Heinz Field. There are not a lot of kickers that can say that. Heinz Field is one of the hardest stadiums in the NFL to kick in, and Reed excels at it. For that alone, I think he should be brought back.

For those of you that think his off-field issues should keep the Steelers from bringing him back, think about this:

If the Steelers are down by two points with two seconds left on the clock, and we need a 45-yard field goal to make it to the playoffs, who would you rather have, that is available, to kick that field goal?

The only knock on Reed is that he is not that great at kicking off. If we have someone that could boot the ball close to the end zone that can tackle, he should be used at kickoffs.  Enter…

Daniel Sepulveda: Sepulveda is great at punting, and as a linebacker in college, Sepulveda knows how to hit. If we could teach Sepulveda to kick off, it would immediately bolster the kicking game and make the Steelers that much better on special teams.

 

To close, I would like to go back to Mike Tomlin. In his first season, training camp was a bear. It was so hard that, come the end of the season, the players were exhausted. In his second season, he lightened up a little, and the result was the Super Bowl victory. In his third season, training camp was known as “Camp Cupcake.” The result: a weak team with no push to dominate late in the game.

As I said earlier, Tomlin is learning. This shows that come training camp, he needs to be tough and work the players hard, but not try to dominate them.

This Steelers team still has the potential to be a dominant unit. They are a good mix of youth and veterans. They have All-Pro players at a lot of key positions. They have a franchise QB, a running back that can be a dominant one, receivers that are and have been elite, and a strong, young offensive line that has had plenty of time to grow together.

On defense, they are strong at every position. The mix on the defensive line of youth/vets is going to pay dividends in the future, they still have the dominant linebackers, and in the secondary, they will get a healthy Polamalu back to go with talented young corners.

This Steelers team is set to continue to dominate into the future—it just won’t happen this year.

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Now That The Playoffs Are Gone, It Is Time for the Steelers to Play Spoiler

After winning Super Bowl XL, the Steelers became the first team to win the Super Bowl and not make the playoffs the following year in almost 10 years. The best thing that happened in 2006 was, in the last game of the year, knocking the Cincinnati Bengals out of the playoffs in overtime of the last game of the year.

After winning Super Bowl XLIII, the Steelers again will not make the playoffs and once again, have the chance to bring tears to other teams as they did to the Bengals in 2006.

In week 15, the Steelers will host the Green Bay Packers. The Packers will not be able to pass the Minnesota Vikings to win the NFC North. In the battle of the NFC Wild Card, the Steelers can flatten the tires of the Packers by beating them at Heinz Field.

The following week, the Baltimore Ravens will visit Heinz Field. Baltimore is fighting to return to the playoffs and a loss to the Steelers will all but end their playoff hopes. When the Ravens hosted the Steelers a couple weeks ago, the Steelers were playing without some of their best players. Regardless of who was playing, it took the Ravens over time to beat the Steelers and Pittsburgh is looking to be the team to put the final nail in the Ravens coffin.

In week 17, the Steelers travel to Miami to play the Dolphins. Miami is in the middle of a battle with the New England Patriots and New York Jets, for the AFC East Championship. Come the last week of the season, a loss to the Steelers could cost the Dolphins not only their second AFC East championship in a row, but it COULD knock them out of the playoffs as well.

Once the playoffs start, once a team loses, their season is over. Even though the Steelers season is already over, the next three weeks the Steelers have the chance to end the season of three teams that are fighting for the playoff spot.

So, even though they have no chance of winning their seventh Lombardi Trophy, the Steelers still have the chance to ruin it for other teams as well.

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Time to Concede the 2009 Season? The Fat Lady Is Starting To Sing!

I have fought, fought, and fought some more. The Steelers are not the team that won the Super Bowl last year. As hard of a fact that it is to swallow, it is one that has to go down anyway.

I have argued with many people who have said for weeks that the season was over for the Black and Gold. Called some idiots, some bandwagon hoppers, and other just argued with to no end.

And it is starting to look like, maybe they were right.

After the Mike Tomlin decree to “Unleash Hell” in December, I thought the REAL Steelers would show their faces like the 2005 eventual Super Bowl Champions did. All they have done is show people that they are not the team that won their sixth Super Bowl just 10 short months ago.

The Steelers philosophy has been to grab a head coach and keep him for more than a decade. Is that the Steelers best course this off season? Tomlin has one year left on his contract, so the Steelers need to decide if they are going to let him enter the last year of his contract as a lame duck coach, or give him a contract extension.

In analyzing this, we have to look at the pool of coaches that are available in this off season.

In doing so, realize this; the Steelers will get which ever coach they choose to have. If Mike Tomlin is fired, every available coach will have Pittsburgh at the top of the list as their number one choice, EVERY ONE.

Holmgren, Shannahan, or even Jon Gruden would cancel every other interview that they have scheduled for a chance to meet with the Steelers. All the talk about wanting to build a team from the ground up is garbage. Every one of them wants to win another Lombardi, so Pittsburgh will be the first option.

But, what about all the coordinators and front office people? Reality is, most of them will be gone anyway. When Bill Cowher takes over for the Carolina Panthers, most of his coaches and front office people from Pittsburgh will be going with him.

Do you think Dick LeBeau will stay in Pittsburgh with either Mike Tomlin or a new regime comes in? Not a chance. Get ready for him to make the jump to Carolina with Cowher. Bruce Arians and Bob Ligashesky? You have to be kidding me? Any of the above listed coaches would can them before the ink is dry on their contract.

Kevin Colbert, who Cowher saved from the purgatory called the Lions, would probably be jumping ship as well, to join him in Carolina.

From a coaching and front office stand point, it is looking like the Steelers are going to have some serious changes coming anyway, does it make sense to keep Tomlin when we will basically be starting from scratch anyway?

As for players, the core of this team will remain in tact. The biggest question marks are Casey Hampton and Jeff Reed.

Jeff Reed, lets tackle the easy question first. He needs to be kept. Forget the off field stuff, the man can kick in Heinz Field. Forget the 51 yarder he attempted against the Raiders. The Steelers were heading into the crazy end of the field, where no team has any business sending a kicker in the game to kick from there. Which is ANOTHER big mistake from Tomlin that may have directly cost the Steelers the playoffs.

What the Steelers need to do though, is teach Dan Sepulveds how to kick off, because Reed can not kick the ball past the 10 yard line on kickoffs.

In discussing Casey Hampton, the real question is, what defense the Steelers will be running next year? None of the above mentioned coaches run the 3-4 and if Tomlin stays, and LeBeau goes, what are the Steelers going to run next year?

Look at the personnel and tell me that this unit is not close to running the 4-3 already. Last year, the Steelers drafted two 4-3 DT’s and used the excuse they were going to convert them to defensive ends.

First round pick, Ziggy Hood, and sixth rounder Sonny Harris, both played defensive tackle in college, and would be able to switch back with ease. Aaron Smith and Bret Keisel would also be able to play both positions.

The Steelers could stop pretending that LaMar Woodley can drop into coverage and allow him to rush the passer on ever down. James Harrison and Lawrence Timmons could be used at outside linebacker, while Farrior could stay in the MLB position and Fox could back him up.

As for the secondary, it is time to figure out what the Steelers really have. Troy Polamalu should be placed on IR TODAY. Why even take the chance on a season that is already lost? Let him have the rest of the year off and come back fresh next year.

For every fan that wants to bash Ike Taylor, remember this; everyone has a bad game once in a while, Ike just picked the wrong week to have his. He is still a lock down corner and one of the best at covering receivers.

Will Gay has been picked on all year and with out Polamalu on his side of the field, things are not going to get all that much better for him. Now that he is probably out for the game Thursday against the Browns, it is time to see what rookies Joe Burnett and Keenan Lewis can do. If either of them plays well for the rest of the season, then Gay needs to be shown the door.

And he is going to need to take Deshea Townsend with him. I love Deshea for all he has done for the Steelers. He has been a great part of the two Super Bowl Championships, but reality is, I am tired of watching him chase people and not be able to run them down. The NFL is a young mans game and Townsend is no longer young.

On the offensive side of the ball, it is time to see what the kids can do. I think with Ward having hamstring issues this week, he needs to be sat down and Limas Sweed needs to show what he can do over the course of the game.

I am not saying Sweed is amazing, but I want to see what he can do as a starter. Let Ben throw him the ball 5-7 times and if he does not catch four of more, then cut him at the end of the game. Maybe giving him more chances, he will shine.

Santonio Holmes needs to wake up and realize that the Super Bowl MVP should not have gone to him and he need to perform better than he has been this year. I know he is drawing the other teams best defensive backs, but if he is really MVP material, that should not matter.

Heath Miller is playing like he already got his contract extension; that’s right, he already did. Stop dropping passes and whatever you were doing before this year, do it again.

The Steelers are going to be strong going into next season, provided they don’t think because they are the Steelers. Every other team is going to lay down and quit because they are playing them.

This team still has the talent to be the best team in the NFL, provided they start using that talent the way it should be used.

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AFC Playoff Breakdown: All the Seeds and Who Is Going to Miami

With a chip on their shoulder the size of the UPMC building, the Steelers are preparing for their final push to the playoffs. As Mike Tomlin stated, “We will unleash Hell here in December.”

Put to the side everything that has happened to this point in the season, because at this point, none of it matters—AT ALL!

The Steelers sit at 6-5, but in control of their own destiny. Pittsburgh’s shot at winning the AFC North is bleak at best, but If they can win their next five games, they will be in the playoffs.

The playoff picture for the AFC is as follows.

 

Denver Broncos: 7-4

Remaining games: @ Kansas City, @ Indianapolis, Oakland, @ Philadelphia, and Kansas City

The Broncos will lose at least two of these games, likely against the Colts and Eagles. That will leave them at 10-6. Pittsburgh holds the tiebreaker over the Broncos, so if they finish with the same record, Pittsburgh will finish ahead of them.

 

Baltimore Ravens: 6-5

Remaining games: @ Green Bay, Detroit, Chicago, @ Pittsburgh, @ Oakland

The Ravens have two games that will determine their playoff chances—Green Bay and Pittsburgh. Both games are on the road, and they will have a hard time making it out with two wins.  If Baltimore wins one of those games and takes care of of the teams they should beat, they make the six seed. However if Baltimore manages to win at Green Bay and at Pittsburgh, they will claim the five seed. Baltimore also holds the tiebreaker over the Broncos.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers: 6-5

Remaining games: Oakland, @ Cleveland, Green Bay, Baltimore, @ Miami

Like the Ravens, the Steelers have two tough games left. If Pittsburgh loses to Green Bay, and beats the Ravens, they would be the six seed; if they win them both, they will be the five seed.

 

Jacksonville Jaguars: 6-5

Remaining games: Houston, Miami, Indianapolis, @ New England, @ Cleveland

Jacksonville has the hardest remaining schedule of all the teams left fighting for the final two playoff spots. With games against New England and Indianapolis, they will have to win the other games to even have a chance. Miami and Houston are both trying to stay respectable, but if they lose one of those, their playoff chances are over.

My Prediction

Pittsburgh finishes the season on a five-game winning streak. Their two toughest games will both be in Pittsburgh, where the hometown crowd will make it like a playoff atmosphere. Baltimore beat the Steelers in overtime without their two best players (Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu), and they should both be back by the time these two games are played.

Baltimore will win each of their remaining games except their matchup away at Pittsburgh.  At the end of the season the fight for the final two playoff spots should look like this:

Pittsburgh, 11-5

Baltimore, 10-6

Denver, 10-6

Jacksonville, 9-7

This puts Pittsburgh as the five seed, and by virtue of the tiebreaker, Baltimore gets the six seed.

 

Playoff Matchups

The Indianapolis Colts, with a three-game lead over the Bengals and Patriots, will lock down the top seed within three weeks.

Even though the Bengals currently have a one-game lead over the Patriots for the two seed, the Bengals still have to play the Vikings and Chargers, who are both battling for playoff position. New England has an easier schedule and should win out.

The Patriots get the two seed.

The three and four seeds are going to be determined by the head to head game to be played in San Diego against the Bengals. San Diego still plays at Dallas and at Tennessee, so I think it is fair to say they will split those two games, leaving the Bengals and Chargers with basically the same record, other than their head to head match up.

San Diego gets the three seed and the Bengals get the four seed.

 

Wild Card Weekend

 

Steelers @ Bengals

After being swept this year by the Bengals, the Steelers are going to have to go to Cincinnati to play the Bengals for a third time. This will also be the second time the Bengals have made the playoffs this decade, and both games will be against the Steelers.

With the injury bug behind them, Pittsburgh will beat the Bengals, 31-20.

 

Ravens @ Chargers

Baltimore will then travel to San Diego to play the Chargers. Terrell Suggs will return healthy, and the Ravens defense will be as potent as it was before. With the offense coming back around, the Ravens shock the Chargers 27-24.

 

Divisional Round

 

Steelers @ Patriots

New England has smashed their weaker opponents and had a hard time against the better ones. Playoff football is what these two teams live for, and they are two of the best in the postseason this decade, having won five of the eight Super Bowls since 2000.

New England’s defense was torched by the Saints because they are young, inexperienced, and have no real leaders on the team. In a high-scoring battle, the Steelers win 33-30.

 

Baltimore @ Indianapolis

There are some teams that just do not play well against others, and Peyton Manning and the Colts always have a hard time with the Ravens. The Ravens’ blitz comes from everywhere, and it always brings problems to the Colts.

The Ravens will shock the previously unbeaten Colts, and the corks will pop in Miami as the AFC half of the undefeated teams falls, 17-13.

 

AFC Championship Game

 

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

The first time in NFL history that a team that did not win its division will host the AFC Championship game. For the second straight year, the Ravens and Steelers will battle for the AFC Championship.

In another knock down, drag out battle, the Steelers will just have too much for the Ravens in Pittsburgh, as the Steelers win 27-24 to return to the Super Bowl.

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Steelers Must Go Old School Against Ravens: Win It With Defense.

I have said numerous times this year, that this is not your parent’s Pittsburgh Steelers football team. No longer is this unit forced to run the ball on first and second down, then hope for a decent pass on third.

The 2009 Steelers can win in the air. Ben Roethlisberger is one of the NFL elite, and they normally rely on him to take the game over, when it is on the line. When the Steelers travel to Baltimore on Sunday, Roethlisberger won’t be able to save them, he will be inactive.

Dennis Dixon will make his first career start due to the concussion like symptoms Roethlisberger suffered when he took a knee to the head in overtime against the Chiefs last week.

For the Steelers to come out of Baltimore with the victory, they are going to have to do it old school. The defense is going to have to shut the Ravens down, keep them out of the end zone, and possibly put some points on the board themselves.

The Steelers defense will be without Troy Polamalu yet again this week, but they will have to play at their highest level of the year.

The Ravens strength at the beginning of the season was Joe Flacco putting the ball in the air. Lately, Ray Rice has been the gear that turns the wheel in Baltimore. The Steelers defense is the best in the league against the run, allowing 139 yards less than the second place Bengals, and under 70 yards per game.

The key to success for the Steelers will be keeping Rice in check and forcing Joe Flacco to beat them through the air. Ike Taylor is going to have to lock down Derrick Mason, and keep him under 100 yards receiving.

The other key for a Steelers victory will be running the ball, which against Baltimore, is easier said than done. Haloti Ngata returns to the Ravens line up for the first time in a month.

There are some injury issues that the Ravens defense is concerned with as well. Both Ray Lewis (foot) and Ed Reed (undisclosed illness / foot) are questionable, while Terrell Suggs has been ruled doubtful, meaning he likely will not play.

Brendon Ayanbadejo and Fabian Washington have both been placed on IR, while Samari Rolle is on the PUP list, so none of them will be playing the rest of this year.

Dennis Dixon is going to have to play mistake free football for the Steelers to be successful. He needs to not try to be Roethlisberger, and when his receivers are not open, do what you did best in college, take off running. Dixon will have to go through his progressions, check the check down, then take off running if no one is open.

On offense, the Steelers are going to have to limit mistakes and run the football to exploit the injuries the Ravens have, and to give the defense as much rest as they possibly can.

For the Steelers to win, they are going to have to do it with defense. They will have to play old school football, like only the Steelers can.

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Steelers-Ravens: Will This Be a JV Game?

When the NFL schedule was released, Steelers and Ravens fans alike were shocked that these two AFC powerhouses would not meet until this late in the season. It does make some sense, building the anticipation for the battle.

Not only that, but this late in the season, the games would take on more meaning. With two games left to play in the last six, these two teams would have to win to earn their playoff rights.

Although that remains true, it is not the AFC North crown they will be fighting for. Cincinnati already has a strangle hold on that. The Steelers and Ravens will be battling for the wild card, and maybe both.

When the Steelers visit Baltimore on Sunday night, in the match up Ravens fans spent the off season hoping for, at home, in prime time, are they getting what they had hoped for? I don’t think so.

Most Ravens fans looking at the Steelers injury report would normally be ecstatic. Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, Aaron Smith, Chris Kemoeatu, and Charlie Batch have all been ruled out for the Sunday matchup.

In addition, Travis Kirschke is questionable and may not play.

Normally, this would shoot the odds of the Ravens through the roof. With second year pro Dennis Dixon making his first career start, even though he was the third stringer just six days ago, the Ravens defense, one of the best in the league, would eat him alive.

Maybe not.

Though their injury report is not as bad as the Steelers, some of the names on the Ravens report give Steelers fans some hope that they have a chance.

Terrell Suggs is listed as doubtful, along with Ed Reed and Ray Lewis as questionable. Lewis is still expected to play, but will be slowed down by a foot injury. Reed has some undisclosed illness along with a foot injury as well.

Either way, this game is still important to both teams wild card chances, even if it is the JV playing.

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With Special Teams in Disarray, Steelers Make Roster Moves

It has become painfully clear the the Steelers’ special teams are in trouble. They have allowed four kick returns for touchdowns this year, not exactly a way to return to the Super Bowl.

Last week, the Steelers released Arnold Harrison, who was immediately signed by the Cleveland Browns (not that it will help them). To fill his roster spot, the Steelers signed Donovan Woods as his replacement.

It was clearly a good decision, as the Chiefs returned the opening kick off for a touchdown on Sunday. Mike Tomlin insisted that the Steelers would not put a Band-Aid on the problem by playing starters on special teams. So if the starters are going to remain off of special teams, how do we fix this problem?

Today, heads rolled in Pittsburgh. Donovan Woods was released, along with Keiwan Ratliff. To replace them, Rocky Boiman and Corey Ivy were signed to the active roster. In addition, running back Justin Vincent was released from the practice squad, and guard Jonathan Palmer was added to it.

Bringing in Boiman to replace Woods was really a no-brainer.

Boiman was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the fourth round of the 2002 draft. Since then, he has spent time with the Cowboys, Colts, Eagles, Chiefs, Titans again, and now with the Steelers.

Two good things can come of this. One is that

Boiman will be able to contribute immediately on special teams because there is no way he could possibly do worse that Woods and Harrison.

The other thing is that being under the guidance of the Steelers’ line backers and coaches, Boiman’s original potential could be unlocked, and he could become a contributor over time.

The decision to sign Corey Ivy is a little bit more curious. Ivy did play for the Baltimore Ravens for three seasons (2006-2008) before being signed by the Cleveland Browns in 2009. However, he did not make the cut for the regular season.

Maybe the Steelers decided to sign Ivy so they would not have to play against him when the Steelers square off against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night. Baltimore just placed corner Fabian Washington on season ending injured reserve due to a knee injury and could have been calling Ivy because of how his familiarity with the Ravens system.

Either way, the Steelers are hoping that this is more than the Band-Aid fix that they had with Harrison and Woods, and that Ivy and Boiman will help fix their issues on special teams.

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