Final 53-Man Roster Prediction

The Steelers and Carolina Panthers played a game that mercifully ended the preseason last night. The Steelers now have until 4:00pm on Saturday to cut their roster down to 53 players. As we have seen in the past, this does not mean these are the final 53 players that will open the season on the roster. They have utilized the waiver wire in the last few years to make some changes to their roster and additional changes could be coming this year after the roster deadline. However, for now, we have to keep a relatively narrow view of the roster and just consider the 75 players who are currently on the roster before looking to the waiver wire.

Before I get rolling, I'll throw a bone out to my compatriots in blogging and their roster projections, just so you can get a sense for how fluid the last few spots can be:

• Behind the Steel Curtain projection
• Steel City Blitz projection
• Scott Brown - ESPN

Offense

QB (3): Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Gradkowski, Landry Jones

Like it or not, the Steelers are going to keep 3 quarterbacks. The prudent thing to do would be to sign a 3rd quarterback off the waiver wire (Thad Lewis? Tyler Thigpen?) and let Landry Jones fall through waivers to the practice squad. As it stands, the Steelers will likely keep Jones because they want to have 3 rostered QBs.

RB (4): Le'Veon Bell, LeGarrette Blount, Dri Archer, Will Johnson

None of the depth RBs in camp made a push to be on the roster and all four of these guys clearly belong on the NFL squad. There's not much to say or discuss here. These guys are all making the team.

WR (5): Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton, Lance Moore, Martavis Bryant, Darrius Heyward-Bey

Bryant left the Panthers game early with an injury that was reported to be a separated shoulder. This makes Bryant a candidate for the IR-Designated For Return list. However, in order to be placed on the IR-DFR list, he has to first be placed on the 53-man roster then moved to IR-DFR status so he will occupy a spot on the 53 initially but once his status is changed, a spot will open up for another player to be added. Heyward-Bey showed enough in the last two preseason games that he deserves a spot on this team.

TE (3): Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, Michael Palmer

Miller and Spaeth have the top two spots locked down. Behind them, no one has distinguished themselves as worthy of a roster spot. I put Palmer on the roster as the 3rd tight end because of his ability to play special teams and his ability as a blocker. The Steelers may keep an eye on the waiver wire for a 3rd tight end as Palmer's spot certainly isn't locked in stone.

Offensive Line (9)
OT: Kelvin Beachum, Marcus Gilbert, Mike Adams
OG: Ramon Foster, David DeCastro, Guy Whimper
C: Maurkice Pouncey, Cody Wallace, Wesley Johnson

I grouped the offensive line together because guys like Whimper, Wallace and Johnson are capable of playing multiple positions along the line and I didn't want to get bogged down in semantics. This should be what basically amounts to a "redshirt" year for 5th-round pick Wesley Johnson. Adams, Whimper and Wallace have shown enough to have the top 3 reserve spots locked down. This is a place where the Steelers could go hunting on the waiver wire if there is a lineman available that could replace Whimper or Johnson.

Defense

DE (5): Cam Heyward, Brett Keisel, Stephon Tuitt, Cam Thomas, Josh Mauro

With the signing of Brett Keisel, the defensive line is pretty much set. Heyward didn't play last night but the Steelers did show one interesting look in nickel with 4 down linemen (Keisel-McLendon-Thomas-Tuitt) and no outside linebackers (it was a bit of a 4-2-5 as opposed to their normal 2-4-5). At this point the top four are set in stone without question. I decided to keep Josh Mauro as my 5th defensive end because of the upside he showed in the preseason. He displayed an ability to bull rush and collapse the pocket as well as get pressure and get sacks. While he is still an unfinished product, I wanted some security in the defensive line rotation in case Cam Thomas is forced to play nose tackle.

NT (2): Steve McLendon, Daniel McCullers

There was some debate earlier in the preseason as to whether or not 6th round pick Daniel McCullers would surpass Hebron Fangupo for the 2nd nose tackle position. That discussion was quashed when Fangupo was released in the first round of cuts. For better or worse, McLendon and McCullers will be the two nose tackles with Cam Thomas also seeing some time in the rotation.

OLB (4): Jason Worlids, Jarvis Jones, Arthur Moats, Howard Jones

The last two roster spots were the hardest for me to decide. One of those decisions was the 9th linebacker to keep on the roster. It came down to Chris Carter vs Howard Jones vs Jordan Zumwalt. One of the things that stood out the most from the Carolina game was Chris Carter's inability to make a statement in the second half against Carolina's backups. I just haven't seen enough out of Carter to put him on the squad and Jones can be an equivalent contributor on special teams to Carter. Zumwalt's injuries have kept him out of every game except the opener against the Giants when he played well. Ultimately I decided on HoJo because of the splash plays he made during the preseason but the Steelers could look at the waiver wire (possibly a guy like Victor Butler who the Saints cut last week and the Steelers had interest in as a free agent a few years ago).

ILB (5): Lawrence Timmons, Ryan Shazier, Sean Spence, Vince Williams, Terrence Garvin

In my eyes, these 5 guys have their roster spots locked down. Sean Spence is working through a knee sprain that should not be significant. Williams and Garvin have shown enough both in games and on special teams to secure their spots on the roster.

CB (5): Ike Taylor, Cortez Allen, William Gay, Antwon Blake, Brice McCain

Brice McCain suffered a groin injury against the Panthers, but none of the other corners on the roster showed enough to surpass McCain on the depth chart. Ultimately, I think the Steelers keep McCain over 5th round pick Shaq Richardson (who has been injured for most of camp). Richardson could be a candidate for the IR-Designated for Return distinction, but ultimately since he hasn't put anything on tape I think the Steelers will stick with the veteran McCain and try to slide Richardson down to the practice squad.

SS (2): Troy Polamalu, Shamarko Thomas
FS (3): Mike Mitchell, Robert Golden, Will Allen

The last roster decision I made was Howard Jones at OLB, but the secondary was second-to-last. Robert Golden showed enough in the preseason to secure his roster spot. Given Brice McCain's injury (which will probably make him inactive for the first few weeks) I decided to keep Will Allen for an extra body in the secondary and on special teams. In deciding between Allen and Shaq Richardson, I considered who could actually play in Week 1 if need be, which gave the edge to Allen. Richardson's injury has held him out of most of camp and I didn't want to keep 2 defensive backs that would automatically have to be inactive in the first week because of injuries.

Specialists (3)
K: Shaun Suisham
P: Brad Wing
LS: Greg Warren

Suisham, despite his struggles, signed a 5-year deal with the Steelers so his roster spot is secure. For now, Brad Wing is the only punter that we have on the roster so he makes it by default. However, as we have seen in the past, the punter spot is far from secure and the Steelers may opt to sign a punter off the waiver wire. Warren, reportedly, will practice this week and will be ready to go for the Cleveland game. This should put to rest any discussion of keeping two long snappers on the roster.

Week 1 inactives: Jones (QB), Bryant (WR), Johnson (OL), Mauro (DE), McCullers (NT), H. Jones (OLB), Spence (ILB) McCain (CB)

The Steelers can only dress 45 players each week which means that 8 players will be inactive.  Spence, McCain and Bryant will be working their way through injury (though Bryant may be placed on the IR-DFR list, which would open up another roster spot). If Bryant is moved to IR-DFR, I would slide the player the Steelers add to fill Bryant's spot to the Week 1 inactives list.

Practice Squad (10):
QB: Brendon Kay
WR: Justin Brown, Derek Moye
TE: Rob Blanchflower
OL: Chris Hubbard
DE: Nick Williams
LB: Jordan Zumwalt
CB: Shaq Richardson, Isaiah Green
S: Jordan Dangerfield

If these 10 make it through waivers, these are the 10 I would add to the practice squad. If Martavis Bryant gets placed on the IR-DFR list, Justin Brown would be elevated to the active roster and TE Eric Waters (who was one of the Steelers first cuts) would be signed back to the practice squad. Brendon Kay showed enough during the last preseason game to warrant a spot on the practice squad. However, if the Steelers opt to sign some players off of waivers then guys from the 53-man roster could fall down to the practice squad. I did put two draft picks that were injured for most of the preseason (Zumwalt and Richardson) on the practice squad. If the Steelers fear that either might not make it through waivers, they may opt to keep one of them on the active roster.

Positions to Watch on Waivers

Quarterback - Landry Jones was able to get the Steelers in and out of a huddle, but that was about it. The Steelers didn't pick up many first downs and never really threatened to drive the ball across midfield. The Steelers could look for a capable #3 QB on the waiver wire and move Landry down to the practice squad.

Tight End - As I mentioned, Michael Palmer's spot as the #3 TE is far from secure. He is a decent blocker and plays well on special teams but doesn't bring much offensive upside. If there is a tight end out there on the waiver wire that can block and provides some offensive upside, the Steelers may cut the veteran Palmer.

Wide Receiver -  I didn't expect to be writing about waiver-wire receivers, but with Martavis Bryant's injury, the Steelers will need to add a 5th receiver to the roster if Bryant is placed on the IR-DFR list. That receiver could be Justin Brown that they cut and then sign after Bryant's status is changed or another receiver that is cut by another team.

Offensive Line - The last two spots are the biggest question marks. The Steelers will definitely keep 8 linemen and there is some debate over whether or not veteran Guy Whimper or rookie Wesley Johnson should be the 8th guy. My projection has them keeping both players but if there is another veteran lineman placed on waivers who is better than Whimper, the Steelers could make a parallel move here.

Nose Tackle - The weakest spot in the starting lineup is at nose tackle where Steve McLendon has yet to show he can cut it as a starting NFL nose tackle. This is a diminishing market and there isn't a lot of value out there so I doubt the Steelers will find one on the waiver wire but it's still something to keep an eye on.

Outside Linebacker - As of right now, the Steelers have 3 capable outside linebackers. Chris Carter hasn't shown anything, Howard Jones is a project and Jordan Zumwalt has been continually hurt. My roster has the Steelers cutting Carter and keeping Jones but they could look for a veteran that can actually rush the passer for their 4th OLB spot on waivers.

Cornerback - Given Brice McCain's groin injury and Shaq Richardson's knee injury, the Steelers are a bit thin at corner heading into Week 1. This was one of the reasons why Will Allen made my 53-man roster. The Steelers could sign a corner off waivers to take McCain's spot on the roster or add more depth to the position as the 4th/5th corner behind the top three.

Punter - Brad Wing has not looked very good, despite what Mike Tomlin says. This might be the most obvious position for the Steelers to address on the waiver wire. There is precedent for doing so as the Steelers picked up Zoltan Mesko on waivers last year and made him their opening day punter.

Gameday: Carolina Panthers

7:30

Heinz Field

TV: KDKA

Radio: WDVE and other affiliates

We have come to the end of the preseason. We stand on the precipice of regular season football, ready to pick up right where we left off against Cleveland. But first, we have to endure one more practice game.

What To Watch For

1. No Injuries

This should sound familiar by now, so I don't need to delve into it too much. The star starters probably won't play at all in this game and those that have minor injuries probably won't play either unless they are roster bubble players. Nevertheless, no team makes it through an entire NFL season without having at least a few starters miss games due to injury so it is important that the Steelers make it through this game that doesn't count with as many healthy bodies as possible.

2. Keep it Vanilla

We play the Panthers again in 3 weeks, so the Steelers will likely keep their playbook very limited so as not to put too much on tape for the Panthers. Additionally, with the rematch coming shortly and Landry Jones at quarterback, don't expect too many audible calls to be used on offense. The last thing we need is for the Panthers to get a read on what our signals and cues are for audibles/hot reads just 3 weeks before we play them in a game that counts. On both offense and defense, keep it simple, get through this game, and let's be done with the preseason.

3. Ribs

The last preseason game marks the annual RibFest at Heinz Field. If you're watching the game you can bet that Edmond Nelson will mention the ribs no less than 10 times during the first half of the game. When he devours a rack on-air at halftime, that's pretty much all he'll be talking about the second half too. If you're listening on the radio, it would be a sincere disappointment if Craig Wolfley doesn't work "ribs" into everything he says on the broadcast.

4. Vets vs Youth

There are a handful of veterans on the roster who are locked in battles for roster spots with young players. The most interesting is at outside linebacker where Chris Carter is seemingly locked in a battle with undrafted free agent Howard Jones. HoJo has been all around the ball in the preseason and has an intriguing upside. At safety, Will Allen is getting a serious push from Robert Golden to be the backup free safety, but the Steelers may elect to keep 5 safeties instead of 4, which would give both players a roster spot. At WR, Darrius Heyward-Bey took a big step forward in the last game by hauling in a touchdown pass and playing well on special teams. Justin Brown and Derek Moye haven't shown much this preseason and at this point it looks like the veteran DHB has an inside track to the 5th WR spot on the roster. At corner, veterans Antwon Blake and Brice McCain seem to have their names pencilled in to the 4th and 5th spots, but the Steelers could always surprise and opt to keep 5th round pick Shaq Richardson who has been injured for much of camp.

5. Landry Jones Playing Himself Off the Team

This might not be exactly what happens, but given the way he played in the second preseason game against Buffalo, it is entirely possible that Landry Jones does not make the final cut down to 53 players. Of course, the Steelers always keep 3 quarterbacks, so that would entail going out and signing another quarterback off of waivers. Jones will likely see most of the work in this game (although the team did not cut Branden Kay in the first round of cuts, so if Jones is awful we may see Kay as well). If Jones still can't get anything done under center, it may force the team to cut him loose in order to send him down to the practice squad. And if you think Landry Jones wouldn't clear waivers, you're crazy.

Preseason Gameday: Philadelphia Eagles

7:30pm

Baberaham Lincoln Stadium

TV: KDKA

Radio: WDVE and other affiliates

Didn't the Steelers just play? It seems like only yesterday that HoJo was scooping up the ball and making a dash for the end zone in the waning seconds to try to prevent overtime. There was some disconcerting news yesterday evening when the story broke that Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount were arrested on marijuana possession charges in Ross Twp. Now, we have to make the trip across the state to retain supremacy in the Keystone State.

What To Watch For

1. Playing Fast

The Eagles have taken flight under Chip Kelly's offensive direction and have become one of the fastest teams in the league. The Eagles churn out more snaps per game than any other team. The Steelers defense, coming off a short week, will get a good test against the Eagles up-tempo offense. Similarly, the Steelers offense has used a lot of no huddle in the second preseason game against Buffalo. They will likely go to the no huddle again in Philadelphia to get some practice in a road environment with a hostile crowd.

2. The RB Situation

I didn't expect to have to write about this, but with Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount getting arrested for marijuana possession on Wednesday afternoon in Ross Twp, the Steelers running back situation is suddenly in flux. The good news is that NFL suspensions usually don't occur until after the judicial process has gone through to completion (Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe was arrested for marijuana possession in November of last year and isn't serving his suspension until Week 1 of this season). However, the Steelers could choose to internally discipline their employees, like they did with Santonio Holmes. The situation behind Bell and Blount is dire and there isn't a starting-caliber running back to be found on the roster. It will be interesting to see if Bell and Blount get any playing time tonight or if the Steelers give more time to the other backs on the roster.

3. Keeping Up With The Joneses

Jarvis Jones got a sack against the Giants and did not play against the Bills. If he plays, the important things to watch for are him being able to set the edge against the run and to continue to develop his inside move on the pass rush. Last year, Jarvis was a bit of a one-trick pony with a speed rush to the outside but an undeveloped counter move to the inside and lacking the strength for a bull rush.

Landry Jones has looked bad in the first two preseason games and will need to have a bounce-back game against the Eagles. Last week against Buffalo in his 10 pass attempts he had: 2 sacks, 1 interception, 1 spike, 2 balls thrown behind receivers, 1 well thrown deep ball that drew a penalty, and 3 completions. Those aren't exactly confidence-inspiring numbers and Jones will have to show that he is worthy of a roster spot as the Steelers head towards the first roster cut-down of the preseason.

Howard Jones has been one of the standouts of the two preseason games. In the opener, the undrafted free agent was flying around on special teams and returned a fumble for a touchdown. Against Buffalo, he had another fumble recovery at the end of the game and almost returned it for a touchdown. He came up just shy of the goal line but his return enabled Suisham to nail the game-winner and prevent overtime. Jones is squarely on the roster bubble and will need to continue to impress if he is going to make the final roster.

4. Roster Battles

There are plenty of questions still remaining for the Steelers regarding the last 10-12 spots on the 53-man roster. Some of them center around how many players at a certain position will be kept. Will the Steelers keep 2 or 3 Quarterbacks? 2 or 3 Tight Ends? 8 or 9 Offensive Linemen? At other positions, there are clear battles for position, such as Chris Carter vs Vic So'oto vs Howard Jones for the #4 OLB spot. Justin Brown, Derek Moye and Darrius Heyward-Bey remain entrenched in a battle for the 5th WR spot but haven't had good QB play for them to showcase their abilities. Another poor outing from Martavis Bryant could drop him into this competition as well, but it's hard to see the Steelers cutting their 3rd round pick. Robert Golden has stood out at safety, but will the Steelers be willing to part with veteran Will Allen or will they keep 5 safeties? At corner, Brice McCain and Antwon Blake have played okay and 5th round pick Shaq Richardson has been injured for much of camp. Has Daniel McCullers supplanted Hebron Fangupo as the 2nd string nose tackle? There are answers to all of these questions, but at this point we lack clarity. Hopefully the picture becomes clearer tonight.

5. No injuries

The Steelers have been incredibly fortunate this preseason that they have not had any significant injuries. This will be the last time we see most of the starters until the season opener against Cleveland. The starters should play most of the first half tonight, and if they can make it through 30 minutes of football without sustaining any serious injuries, this will be the healthiest the Steelers have been to start a season in quite a while. This is the most important aspect of the game and all other facets take a back seat to injuries in these games that don't count.

Shazier Rises: Steelers Win

 16

 19

Pittsburgh Parking Authority changed the rates for some of their downtown garages. It used to be $5 on gameday at any garage downtown. However, the two closest to the North Shore (6th & Duquesne across the Clemente Bridge) and 9th & Penn are now $7 and $6 respectively. All the other ones are still $5 and it's free to ride the T from downtown to the stadium. Don't pay extra if you don't have to.

Regardless, it was good to be back.

Home, sweet home pic.twitter.com/P2FA8DRIF1
— The Steelers n'at (@thesteelersnat) August 16, 2014

Frisbee dogs before the game. One of them decided to use the 45 yard line as their personal outhouse. 

Right here right now and Sirius is back for intros. Thank you Steelers
— Chris (@ChrisG_BR) August 16, 2014

No pressure, kid RT @thesteelersnat: Shazier leads the team out of the tunnel
— Blitzburgh Blog (@blitzburghblog1) August 16, 2014

The Steelers lost the toss and Ben spent some time trying to convince Gene Steratore to give him the coin from the game so he could give it to one of the kids that were the honorary co-captains. Steratore probably told him they needed to keep the coin in case the game went to OT so they could flip it again. Foreshadowing.

Things almost started poorly when CJ Spiller broke up the seam on the opening kick return but Suisham and Will Gay brought him down. Ryan Shazier made his impact felt immediately, making tackles on consecutive check-down throws. The Bills mostly kept it on the ground and Shazier was flying around. The Bills got a gift of a first down on a defensive penalty to move them into field goal range. The Bills don't get much farther and settle for a field goal.

0-3

The Steelers come out with a spread set and start with a bubble screen to Archer. On second down off a 5-wide set Ben hits AB on a quick slant and he turns on the afterburners and is gooooooone.

Suisham MISSES the extra long extra point.

That's two misses from the 30-40 range in 2 games. Somewhat concerning.

6-3

The Bills start to move the ball and get a big gift with a 15-yard penalty on Mike Mitchell for taunting. Two plays later, Manuel tries to go down the seam to a TE but Ryan Shazier leaps in front and picks off the pass, taking it back across midfield.

It's been 2 drives and if Ryan Shazier isn't your new favorite player there's something wrong with you.
— The Steelers n'at (@thesteelersnat) August 16, 2014

The drive gets moving with a pass to Lance Moore and a 3rd down offsides penalty on the Bills that gives us a first down. The Prescription picks his way forward on a few runs, making something out of nothing every time and move the chains. On the subsequent third down, Ben guns one to the back pylon to Wheaton on a flag route that he reels in and drags his feet for the touchdown.

13-3

Good show from the first team offense

The Bills move the ball a little bit, dinking and dunking with short passes. Chris Carter started the game at OLB in place of Jarvis Jones but he was pulled after one series for Arthur Moats, who played pretty well against his former team. Better than Carter, at any rate.

Second Quarter

In true Dick LeBeau defense fashion, the dink and dunks may work for a little while, but eventually you're going to get caught with a running back trying to block an outside linebacker. Jason Worlids didn't quite get the sack because Manuel threw the ball away and got called for intentional grounding. After a pass to the TE on 3rd down that almost gets to the sticks, Buffalo opts for a field goal and Dan Carpenter hits from 53 at the open end of Heinz Field. 

What. Shocking.

13-6

Ben picks up right where he left off, slinging one to Antonio Brown on a deep curl on 3rd down to move the chains. The drive stalls out when Ben hits Heath just short of the sticks near midfield. Ben does that thing he does where he keeps the offense on the field on a 4th and short to try to draw an offsides but just burns a timeout. Punt.

The Bills move the ball again with two passes to Robert Woods. The first was thanks to a broken tackle when Troy got pulled off his back. The second was on a third and long when Manuel found him on the sideline. Shazier continues making tackles. Lawrence Timmons decides to remind us he's still around too and makes a big stop on 3rd and 1. Rather than kick a 42-yard field goal, Doug Marrone opts to go for it. Manuel's pass is batted down by Cam Heyward and Ike tackles the receiver mid-route, drawing a flag. The back judge apparently doesn't understand the rules of tipped passes.

Thankfully, Gene Steratore does and waived off the flag.

GENE STERATORE UNDERSTANDS THE RULES OF FOOTBALL
— Blitzburgh Blog (@blitzburghblog1) August 17, 2014

Turnover on downs.

In a somewhat strange decision, Landry Jones comes in ahead of Bruce Gradkowski. On his first pass attempt, Jones stares down Lance Moore in double-coverage and throws the ball right to the defensive back.

The second team defense comes out to defend the short field. Of note, McCullers and Mauro were on the second-team DL with Williams and Spence as the LBs and Blake and McCain playing corner. The Bills first team offense moves the ball down inside the 10 against our second string defense. 

Best thing that happened with the 2nd string: my dad used "Ryan Clark" as a verb. As in "Vince Williams Ryan Clark'd that tackle."
— The Steelers n'at (@thesteelersnat) August 17, 2014

With a 4th and goal from the 5, Doug Marrone passes up another field goal and opts to go for it. Robert Golden gets a hand out and knocks the ball away from Scott Chandler for another turnover on downs. Two big stands by the defense.

Landry Jones takes a knee to end the half, which was the most successful thing her did the entire game.

Halftime

This happened:

Steelers juke box...first choice is by Bon Jovi. Strategic?
— Chris (@ChrisG_BR) August 17, 2014

Also, gotta love the jersey choices by the two Bills fans in front of me

Bills fans sitting in front of me got their RBBC game on pic.twitter.com/EYDvR0B70S
— The Steelers n'at (@thesteelersnat) August 17, 2014

Third Quarter

On the first play from scrimmage, Landry Jones picks up right where he left off by getting sacked then almost throwing a pick. Luckily, a penalty on the Bills gives the Steelers an automatic first down. Jones does complete a pass to David Paulson who was wide open over the middle, but follows it up by throwing one a mile behind Paulson on 3rd down. Punt.

Thad Lewis comes in at QB for the Bills and he's not all that different from EJ Manuel. Lewis dumps one off to a FB out of the backfield who is wide open down the sideline. The FB puts a shoulder into Robert Golden and bowls him over then continues his rumble before Shamarko catches him and knocks the ball out. Golden makes his way back into the play and falls on it.

Makin plays happen...good hustle by Golden after getting whipped. Made up for it.
— BTSC Steelers (@btsteelcurtain) August 17, 2014

The refs reviewed the play to see if the runner stepped out of bounds, which he did not, and it was Steelers ball.

Landry Jones actually completes a pass, which is a swing pass to Dri Archer who takes off down the sideline and blows past most of the Bills defense before he is run out of bounds 40 yards later.

Jones tries to take a shot for the end zone and throws a good pass to Bryant who gets held up by the defensive back and draws a flag. On the next play, Landry holds on to the ball for far too long and gets sacked and fumbles. One of the Bills linemen scoop it up and it's like a slow-motion 300-pounder race to the goal line between the Bills linemen and the Steelers linemen before David Paulson finally catches him from behind.

Wasting a pick on Jones is the most egregious draft mistake to me
— Amanda (@PghGurl) August 17, 2014

The defense gets off to a rocky start when Antwon Blake takes a pass interference penalty in the end zone for pulling down a receiver, giving the Bills the ball at the 1. It takes a few plays, but the Bills punch it in. Some dude named Boobie Dixon scored. That's a real person's name.

13-13

The Steelers try to get something together with the ol' run-run-pass but Landry Jones sucks and throws the ball behind Bryant on 3rd down. Punt.

The Bills get a decent return and take over near midfield. Thad Lewis can't do anything with it except make Chris Carter miss a sack. Carter missing a sack gives me an opportunity to drop my random bit of Chris Carter trivia on those sitting around me (he is one of only 2 people to start multiple games at 3-4 OLB for the Steelers and never record a sack). 

We all became witnesses to history when the Steelers pulled their 3rd string quarterback in a preseason game because he was awful and replaced him with their 2nd string quarterback. Gradkowski came in to relieve Jones and doesn't do much because of two penalties on linemen. How bad was Landry Jones? He played himself out of an exhibition game.

The Bills take over near midfield because of a facemask penalty on the return. Lewis is able to move the Bills into field goal range thanks to a read option run but badly overthrows a pass on 3rd down and Robert Golden zooms in and makes the interception. 

Gradkowski runs a little no huddle but doesn't move the ball and the Steelers go 3-and-out.

Jeff Tuel comes in at QB for Buffalo.

Fourth Quarter

Tuel hits a few passes to move the Bills into field goal range. Carpenter shanks it from 48 as Heinz Field gets its redemption for Carpenter hitting from 53 earlier.

Two penalties on the Bills start things off in the right direction then Gradkowski throws one up that Bryant goes up and snares along the sideline to move us across midfield. On 3rd and 11, Gradkowski scrambles away from pressure and picks up enough yardage to get us into field goal range. Suisham drills it from 48.

16-13

The Bills go 3-and-out thanks to Josh Mauro coming up with a sack on 3rd down.

Josh Mauro. Making the 53-man roster.
— Luke O'Neill (@ace_luke) August 17, 2014

 Book it.
(Timeloop edit: The Steelers signed Brett Keisel, so maybe not)

The Steelers respond by going 3-and-out and not running much clock.

Tuel gets things started for Buffalo with a 3rd down scramble that moves the chains and gets the Bills across the 40. A completed pass moves the Bills into Steelers territory then a near interception gets hauled in by the Bills receiver to move the sticks again. Things start to look bleak when the Bills move into the red zone. Week 1 hero Howard Jones gets pressure and draws a holding penalty on 3rd down, pushing them back. Tuel gets sacked again by Mauro as the clock ticks down to 2 minutes.

Doug Marrone has the whole 2-minute warning to think about if he wants to risk going to overtime and the extended risk of injury in a glorified scrimmage. He decides it's worth it and sends out his kick team (after going for it on 4th downs twice in the first half). William Gay is incensed. He was out to the numbers with his arms out yelling at the Bills bench.

@thesteelersnat We are all William Gay
— Blitzburgh Blog (@blitzburghblog1) August 17, 2014

Carpenter makes it and we're all tied up.

16-16

Gradkowski takes the helm with just under two minutes to play and gets things rolling with a pass to Kashif Moore on the sideline. Bryant makes a catch to get us to third and short that Gradkowski picks up with his feet when the pocket breaks down. On the next play, Gradkowski takes a shot for Bryant down the sideline and Bryant tips it up in the air and the safety coming across makes the pick.

Things look bleak with Jeff Tuel under center and 43 seconds left. All signs point to overtime. Tuel completes a pass for 9 yards and the Bills use a timeout to stop the clock. On second down, Terrence Garvin shoots up the gap and comes up with a sack. The Bills strangely use another timeout. On third down, Vic So'oto comes up with a huge play ripping past the tackle and sacking Tuel, knocking the ball out. His partner in crime Howard Jones shoves a Bill out of the way and scoops up the ball and rumbles towards the end zone, taking it all the way down to the two.

VIC AND HOJO AGAIN!!!!
— BTSC Steelers (@btsteelcurtain) August 17, 2014

What a turn of events.

Gradkowski takes a knee to run the clock down to 2 seconds. Suisham drills it and sends us home victors.

19-16

Players of the Game

Offensive Game Ball: Antonio Brown

Defensive Game Ball: Ryan Shazier

Honorable Mentions:

Robert Golden

Josh Mauro

Vic So'oto

Howard Jones

Ben Roethlisberger

Markus Wheaton

Dri Archer

Final Thoughts

• Ryan Shazier may not have been the draft pick that many fans (myself included) wanted, but he just might be the player this team needed.
• I would not be surprised at all if the Steelers signed another quarterback this week.
• Ryan Shazier. Wow. That was better than I could have even hoped for. Yes, he made some mistakes, but what a debut.
• Troy Polamalu obviously wasn't thrown off by not having participated in any tackling drills. Picking up right where he left off.
• Sean Spence was everywhere once again, this time with the second team defense.
• Josh Mauro continues to impress. He is clearly better than Brian Arnfelt at this point.
• Another solid game from Markus Wheaton with an excellent grab on the touchdown.
• All Antonio Brown does is make big plays.
• The offense worked a lot of no huddle in this game and moved the ball well. Have to think they'll work on running the ball a little bit in the next few weeks.
• Suisham is a bit concerning after missing the extra point, his second miss in the 30-40 range in as many weeks. He did hit a 48-yarder though.
• Short turnaround to the game against the Eagles, but there was a lot to like from the first team in this one.

Preseason Gameday: Buffalo Bills

7:30pm

The House that Hines Built

TV: KDKA

Radio: WDVE and other affiliates

The second preseason game is upon us. The Steelers made it through the first game without any significant injuries. They have spent the past week practicing with the Buffalo Bills, so these teams do have some familiarity with each other. There still isn't a clear picture of which players have roster spots secured at the bottom of the roster, so this game will be incredibly important for the guys battling for the last few roster spots.

What to Watch For

1. No Injuries

It's the preseason, so the most significant thing that can happen is that a player gets injured. If the Steelers can make it through another game without losing any players to significant injury, that would be fantastic. The only "major" injury so far in camp has been Greg Warren's knee injury that will keep him out 4 weeks or so. Long Snapper isn't the most essential position to success, but given Warren's long tenure with the team, it speaks volumes to how well he has been able to do his job. The Steelers have some good young depth at a lot of positions but could be hard-pressed if those players have to become long-term starters. The best case scenario, regardless of the outcome of this game, is to not suffer any significant injuries.

2.  Sammy Watkins vs Steelers CBs

From all reports out of the joint practices this week, Sammy Watkins was lighting it up. When the big lights are on in the Ketchup Bowl, will the Steelers CBs be up to the challenge? Hopefully, though I'll fully admit to being excited to watch Sammy Watkins play in person. This will probably be one of the most challenging receiver matchups the Steelers face in the preseason and after seeing a quarter of action against the Giants last week, hopefully they are able to build on that progress this week. There is still some apprehension in the fanbase after the first team defense allowed a 70-yard touchdown run last week and Watkins is the Bills best chance for a big play in this game. Shutting him out will go a long way towards alleviating some concerns about the defense giving up big plays.

3. Special Teams

The kicking game did not have its best night in the opener against the Giants. Shaun Suisham missed a 38-yard field goal and punter Brad Wing was decidedly mediocre. He had one 51-yard punt, but unfortunately it came right after a 20-yard punt so no one paid much attention to it. With Long Snapper Greg Warren injured, the kicking game will need to show improvement tonight. Adam Podlesh has told the Steelers he will not be reporting to camp, so the job is Brad Wing's to lose. The coverage units were very good in the opener and players that show the ability to  get downfield and make tackles will boost their chances to make the team. On the other hand, the punt return units struggled and the Steelers need to find someone other than Antonio Brown that can return punts. I would be shocked if Martavis Bryant was allowed to return punts again after the failed experiment against the Giants.

4. Bounce-back Games

Some players got off to bad starts in the opener against the Giants. That is not to say that their season is completely lost, but they will need to show they are able to brush off a bad performance and make strides forward. The player this impacts the most is Martavis Bryant, the Steelers fourth-round pick out of Clemson. Bryant's fellow WR Sammy Watkins was taken in the Top 10 by the Bills, so Bryant has something to prove tonight that he can bounce back from his two-fumble performance against the Giants and that he can go toe-to-toe with Watkins. The Steelers also did not get very good performances from any of their backup offensive linemen. The Giants games was the first time that the line had seen a 4-3 defense this year after practicing against a 3-4 in camp. After practicing against the Bills 4-3 all week, hopefully they will perform better tonight.

5. Depth Chart Battles

There are still spots on the depth chart that are wide open. Chiefly: 5th WR, 3rd TE, 4th DE, 2nd NT, 4th OLB, 5th CB and 4th Safety. The first team offense and defense should play the whole first quarter tonight (and possibly into the second), but keep an eye on which players are the first off the bench when the reserves start to come in. Also when the first team is in the game, keep an eye on sub package formations (such as if the offense goes to a 4 WR set or a 3 TE set or when the defense goes into nickel and dime packages). This will give a good indication on who the coaches are high on and who has a good chance of making the team.

Inside the Opposition

Bills Blogs Worth Reading:

Bills Mafia

Buffalowdown

Buffalo Rumblings

Bills Fans/Bloggers On Twitter Worth Following:

@mrdeadlier

@RyanTalbotBills

@RoisinDubh27

And So It Begins: Steelers Lose

 16

 20

After seven long months, we finally get back to football. Despite a brief broadcasting scare because KDKA didn't know what to do if the PGA Championship ran late, it was time to go.

The Giants win the toss and take the ball first.

Sean Spence gets the start at inside linebacker and makes his presence felt by blowing up a run play then getting pressure on 3rd down to force a punt.

The Steelers 3-headed beast in the backfield makes a big statement on the opening drive. The Prescription makes two solid runs up the gut before a bubble screen to Dri Archer turns into a footrace down the sideline when he cut back across the field.

Blount gets a few carries to get us inside the 10. A 3rd down fade for Lance Moore falls incomplete and Suisham bangs home an easy one.

3-0

Gonna start calling our backfield the Deathly Hallows. Blount is the rock, Bell is the wand and Archer is the cloak of invisibility.
— The Steelers n'at (@thesteelersnat) August 9, 2014

I'm open to other suggestions too, but rolling with this for now.

On the first play, the Steelers forget to defend the middle of the field against the run and get gashed by Rashad Jennings. Yikes. 

3-7

Gradkowski takes over on the second drive, because it's preseason and Ben has nothing to prove. A holding penalty on the Giants gives the Steelers a first down. An end-around to Wheaton and a pass to Brown move the Steelers across midfield. The drive stalls out after The Prescription can't quite get to the sticks on a screen pass on 3rd and long. Brad Wing drops in a seriously good punt.

Jarvis Jones darts inside on first down and drops Eli inside the 5 for the first sack of the preseason. The Giants don't do anything else.

More backups start to filter into the game as Tauren Poole takes over at running back. A penalty sets things back and the drive stalls out.

The first team defense stays out to close out the quarter.

Second Quarter

The Giants can't seem to stop taking penalties and all of a sudden it's 2nd and 28. The Giants are content to run it twice against the Steelers nickel defense and punt.

The Steelers don't do anything and Brad Wing makes a terrible punt, giving the Giants great field position.

Ryan Nassib, who everyone was convinced the Bills were going to take in the first round last year because Doug Marrone used to coach him at Syracuse, came in at QB for the Giants. Nothing happens and the Giants kick a field goal.

3-10

The Steelers finally start to open it up and Justin Brown makes a nice catch behind his body then Wheaton draws a penalty to keep things moving. After converting a 3rd and short on the ground, Gradkowski converts another by floating a pass to Wheaton. The drive screeches to a halt after two bad throws from Bruce. Suisham misses from 38. Good thing we didn't sign him to a big extension this offseason or anything.

The Giants respond by going to the air and working the ball to their tight ends. They are able to move across midfield before the two minute warning. Nassib hits Randle on a slant to get the Giants into Field Goal range. The Giants don't do much else but some dude hits a long field goal.

3-13

Archer gets two carries to run things out before the half.

This is Pittsburgh. It's ALWAYS time to panic about the Steelers offense! RT @AnthraxJones: is it time to panic about the Steelers offense?
— Amanda (@PghGurl) August 10, 2014

Third Quarter

Landry Jones takes over under center for the Steelers. Edmund Nelson reveals that he's the only person in America that didn't know Landry Jones was named after Tom Landry.

Nassib runs a little no huddle for the Giants and moves the ball across midfield, but that's pretty much it. Shamarknado laid a big hit on a running back on a swing pass somewhere in there.

The Steelers go 3-and-out but the Giants muff the punt and Howard Jones falls on it to give the Steelers their first turnover of the preseason. A holding penalty sets things back but Jones completes two passes to give Suisham redemption from 38.

6-13

The defense is able to force a 3-and-out. On 3rd down, undrafted free agent Josh Mauro blows up a running back on a stunt and throws the back into Nassib, forcing a bad throw. Martavis Bryant juggles the punt but is able to recover the loose ball.

Some football happens on the field, but the real story is the interview the weatherman did with Lance Moore. Because KDKA somehow lacks a single person in their sports department capable of being a sideline reporter, the job falls to weatherman Jeff Verzyla. He led off his interview with Lance Moore making a joke about how short Moore is. Stay classy, KDKA.

Oh, and Edmund Nelson said this:

Nelson just said McCullers has no technique, and then compared him to Gabe Rivera. Both were compliments. What the actual hell
— Blitzburgh Blog (@blitzburghblog1) August 10, 2014

Fourth Quarter

Landry tries to air it out for Bryant who doesn't make a great play on the ball but does draw a pass interference call to give the Steelers the ball in the red zone. Unfortunately, the offense still can't find the end zone. Suisham connects.

9-13

The Giants start to put a drive together and get out near midfield. On 3rd down, Nassib tries to throw a swing pass that gets batted down by Vic So'oto. The Giants stop, thinking the play is dead but Howard Jones scoops up the ball and runs it into the end zone.

In some weird form of karma to make up for the bizarre touchdown the refs gave the Giants when they ruled a Ben incomplete pass a fumble 2 years ago, the Steelers are given the touchdown.

Suisham hits the 33-yard extra point.

16-13

Curtis "MS Paint"er, who you might remember as being the guy who stunk it up for the Colts when Peyton was hurt that enabled them to draft Andrew Luck, came in at quarterback.

Painter drove the Giants right down the field going 6-for-6 and gets the Giants to the doorstep. For some reason, they ran it twice before letting Painter throw. On third down, Painter lobbed a perfect ball to some tall receiver who towered over Isaiah Green and caught the fade.

16-20

Landry Jones completes two passes to get the Steelers out near midfield then gets a gift of a defensive holding call to pick up an automatic first down at the two minute warning. Two drops put the Steelers in 4th and 6. Jones hits Bryant down the middle and he makes the catch but gets the ball knocked out while trying to fight for extra yards.

The Giants recover and essentially close the book on this one. Tomlin uses his last two timeouts to stretch it out but the Giants pick up a first down and end it.

Players of the Game

Offensive Game Ball: Dri Archer

Defensive Game Ball: Howard Jones

Honorable Mentions:

Sean Spence

Josh Mauro

Shamarko Thomas
Jarvis Jones
Brice McCain

Final Thoughts

• Brutal night for Martavis Bryant. Muffed a punt and fumbled after his only reception. 
• Great to see Sean Spence flying back around the field. 
• Dri Archer is not Chris Rainey.
• Do we really have no one other than Antonio Brown that is capable of returning a punt?
• Josh Mauro represented himself well as second string defensive end. He probably passed Brian Arnfelt in the race for the 4th defensive end spot.
• Not a great night for Brad Wing. Had a bad punt that set up a Giants field goal.
• The Steelers are extremely thin at running back after the top 3, but those top 3 are something special.
• Special teams coverage units did a very good job. 
• Gradkowski seemed to be throwing off his back foot a lot, which made his passes sail high. If he steps into his throws he'll be right on the money.
• Solid night from Brice McCain, the free agent pickup from Houston. He played well on Special Teams and had a pass deflection. Strange to see #25 out there making tackles for the Steelers.
• Markus Wheaton made a good catch on a very nice route but is totally unwilling as a blocker.
• We have to listen to Edmund Nelson for 3 more games. Next time you're complaining about Chris Collinsworth, remember that Edmund Nelson broadcasts preseason games.

Preseason Gameday: New York Giants

7:30pm

MetLife Stadium

TV: KDKA

Radio: WDVE and other affiliates

It's been eight long months since the Steelers took to the field for a football game. It's preseason for them, and it's preseason for me here on the blog as well. Incredibly, this kicks off my 7th year of blogging. Hard to believe I've been at it this long. The Steelers have been through a lot in the months since Kansas City missed a field goal and then lost to San Diego in overtime because the refs couldn't count to 7. Thankfully, 2013 and the 0-4 start are behind us. Ryan Clark and Emmanuel Sanders are gone. The 2014 iteration of the Pittsburgh Steelers are younger, faster, and...well, the rest remains to be seen. Here we go.

What To Watch For

1. No Injuries

There are important and significant things that can come out of this game from a development standpoint for many players. However, for the long-term success of the team, the most important thing is getting through this game without any injuries.

2. Linebackers

The Steelers used their first round pick on Ryan Shazier, but a bruised knee has left him as a "game-time decision" according to Mike Tomlin. With Shazier out, don't be surprised to see Sean Spence get the start. Spence may not be ahead of Vince Williams on the depth chart, but given the amount of work he has put in to his 2-year rehab from knee injury, it would be great to see him start. Speaking of Williams, he has been turning heads in camp with his run defense but will have to show something against the pass. On the outside, Jarvis Jones is a game-time decision as well, but the real battle will be for the #4 OLB spot between Chris Carter and undrafted free agent Howard Jones. Keep an eye out for Terrance Garvin as well.

3. The Secondary

We probably won't see much of Mike Mitchell in this game, but the depth battles in the secondary are probably going to determine the last few players on the roster. At corner, the top 3 are set in stone with Ike Taylor, Cortez Allen and William Gay. Behind them, there is a 4-way battle between veterans Antwon Blake and Brice McCain, rookie Shaq Richardson and Isaiah Green who spent last year on the practice squad. The top 4 at safety are set with Polamalu, Mitchell, Will Allen and Thomas. Behind them, Robert Golden and early candidate for camp phenom Jordan Dangerfield are in a tight battle. Golden and Dangerfield will probably see a lot of work in the second half of this game and will be important to watch.

4. Special Teams

The last few players that make it on to the 53-man roster will be expected to contribute on Special Teams. Therefore, the most important plays in this game might be the field goals, punts and kickoffs. Not only the ability of players to make special teams tackles, but also their ability to execute their blocking assignments, will be important to who does and doesn't make the team. On the return side, the Steelers will likely try out a few different kick returners and maybe (finally?) be able to take Antonio Brown off of punt returns.

5. A Win Would Be Nice

Gerry Dulac touched on this in an article this week, but didn't get into the correlation in recent history of the Steelers preseason record. Since 1999, every tear the Steelers have been at least .500 (2-2) in the preseason, they have had at least a .500 record in the regular season. The 4 times the Steelers have been under .500 in the preaseason (1-3 or 0-4) since 1999, they have never had a winning season (8-8 in 2013 and 2006, 6-10 in 2003 and 1999). Given this recent history, it would be great to get the preseason started on the right foot with a victory.

Recommended Giants Blogs & Twitter

Want to get some inside scoop from the other side? Looking for some good banter during the game? Follow these folks on Twitter:
@EyeOfTheGator
@BigBlueBloggers

Updating Roster Battles After Depth Chart Release

The Steelers released their first depth chart of the season in advance of Saturday night's affair in New York. While this is nowhere close to the final depth chard and will remain in flux throughout the preseason, it provides an early look at some of the camp battles. In my Training Camp Primer, I identified 27 players that are "Roster Locks" and 13 more that "Should Make the Team" barring any injury or legal problems. Given his performances so far in camp, I am comfortable with elevating FB Will Johnson into the "Should Make the Team" category. Additionally, the Steelers will keep a punter on the roster but have only seen Brad Wing so far because Adam Podlesh has not yet reported to camp due to the impending birth of a child. As we saw last year, the Steelers may even sign someone on waivers to be their punter rather than keeping the player that won the presumptive camp battle.

This brings the roster to 27 Locks and 15 players that Should make the roster, leaving 11 spots open on the 53-man roster. Here's an update based on the depth chart release of the ongoing battles for the last few spots on the roster.

Tight End: Michael Palmer, David Paulson, Rob Blanchflower, Eric Waters

Palmer is a veteran who can play special teams but doesn't bring much to the offense. Paulson has some receiving skills but is still fighting an uphill battle because he still hasn't learned how to block. Blanchflower, the team's 7th round pick, was injured for the first few weeks of camp and hasn't had an opportunity to show much yet. The player that has stood out is undrafted free agent Eric Waters who has a chance to make the practice squad if he continues his string of good play. On the depth chart, Palmer is listed as the 3rd string TE with the rest listed in the "Other" category, which lends creedance to the notion that Palmer is the current leader in the competition.

Wide Receiver: Justin Brown, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Derek Moye

Even though Martavis Bryant is listed in the "Other" category on the depth chart, he is going to make the 53-man roster. The Steelers are not going to waste their 4th round pick on a player that won't make the roster. Currently, Justin Brown is listed as the second string WR with Heyward-Bey and Moye listed on the third string. This competition will probably last for all of camp but for now it appears that Justin Brown has a leg up on the other two. Depending on whether the Steelers keep 5 or 6 WRs, one or two of these guys could earn roster spots.

Offensive Line: Chris Hubbard, Bryant Browning

Even though Wesley Johnson is listed as a third string player behind both Hubbard and Browning, it is a similar situation to WR in that the Steelers won't cut their 5th round pick unless he is vastly outmatched. Coming into camp it looked like a battle between Hubbard and David Snow for the 9th spot on the offensive line depth chart. Then David Snow broke his foot. Currently, Browning is listed as the second string RG and Hubbard as the second string LG. Since the Steelers have 9 linemen (counting Wesley Johnson) that are likely to make the roster, the Hubbard vs Browning battle may come down to whether the Steelers decide to keep 9 or 10 linemen.

Defensive End: Brian Arnfelt, Nick Williams, Josh Mauro

Arnfelt is currently listed as the second string DE while Williams and Mauro are listed as third stringers. Arnfelt appears to have the advantage in this battle right now, but it could all be for naught if the Steelers re-sign Brett Keisel after camp ends. The Steelers need at least 4 defensive ends that are capable of playing in rotation and possibly more if Cam Thomas also serves as the backup nose tackle.

Nose Tackle: Hebron Fangupo, Daniel McCullers

The Steelers will keep one of these two as their reserve nose tackle. Based on reports from camp, both have been inconsistent so far. Fangupo is listed ahead of McCullers on the depth chart so he has the advantage right now, but that could change as we get into live game action.

Outside Linebacker: Chris Carter, Howard Jones, Vic So'oto

Carter is one of two Steelers players to start games as a 3-4 OLB and never record a sack (Arnold Harrison is the other). Carter is still listed as the second string OLB behind Worilds. Reports from camp have been a mixed bag for Carter while undrafted rookie Howard Jones has turned some heads. Vic So'oto has been an NFL journeyman and is hanging around on the third string with Jones right now. Keep an eye on how these three guys play on special teams as that could be the determining factor in who gets the 4th OLB spot on the roster.

Inside Linebacker: Terence Garvin, Sean Spence, Jordan Zumwalt

Garvin has been flying around camp and is currently listed as the second string inside linebacker. Of the "last 10" spot available on the roster, Garvin is at the top of that list and it seems very likely that he will move off the roster bubble. Sean Spence continues to impress as he returns from his knee injury which kept him out for two seasons. Zumwalt is a player with tremendous athletic ability who simply can't get on the field. He missed OTA's because of UCLA's bizarre trimester schedule and suffered an injury the first day of camp. The Steelers could very well keep 2 if not all 3 of these players.

Cornerback: Brice McCain, Antwon Blake, Isaiah Green, Shaquille Richardson

The secondary is an absolute logjam right now. Veterans McCain and Blake are locked in battles with the speedy second-year player Isaiah Green (who pinballed between the roster and practice squad last year) and rookie 5th round pick Shaq Richardson. The initial depth chart lists McCain on the second string, Blake and Green on the third string and Richardson under "other." This will be one of the tightest roster battles as we go through camp and McCain's slight edge on the depth chart shouldn't be taken for granted.

Safety: Robert Golden, Jordan Dangerfield, Ross Ventrone

Jordan Dangerfield has made a name for himself in camp by throwing some big hits and he leap-frogged Ross Ventrone on the depth chart. Ventrone is out of practice squad eligibility and it seems likely that only one of these players will make the 53-man roster. Dangerfield is certainly a practice squad candidate. Golden may have to out-perform one of the backup corners on special teams to earn his spot on the roster.

Heading into the first preseason game and using the depth chart as a guide, here is an updated prediction of the 53-man roster:

Roster Projection

(Orange = Roster Bubble players)

QB (3): Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Gradkowski, Landry Jones
RB (3): Le'Veon Bell, LeGarrette Blount, Dri Archer
FB (1): Will Johnson
WR (5): Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton, Lance Moore, Martavis Bryant, Justin Brown
TE (3): Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, Michael Palmer
OT (4): Kelvin Beachum, Marcus Gilbert, Mike Adams, Wesley Johnson
OG (3): Ramon Foster, David DeCastro, Guy Whimper
C (2): Maurkice Pouncey, Cody Wallace

DE (4): Cam Heyward, Cam Thomas, Stephon Tuitt, Brian Arnfelt
NT (2): Steve McLendon, Hebron Fangupo
OLB (5): Jason Worlids, Jarvis Jones, Arthur Moats, Chris Carter, Howard Jones
ILB (5): Lawrence Timmons, Ryan Shazier, Vince Williams, Terrence Garvin, Sean Spence
CB (5): Ike Taylor, Cortez Allen, William Gay, Brice McCain, Sheldon Richardson
SS (2): Troy Polamalu, Shamarko Thomas
FS (3): Mike Mitchell, Will Allen, Robert Golden

K (1): Shaun Suisham
P (1): Adam Podlesh
LS (1): Greg Warren

Practice Squad:
Eric Waters (TE)
Chris Hubbard (OL)
Nick Williams (DE)
Daniel McCullers (NT)
Jordan Zumwalt (LB)
Jordan Dangerfield (SS)
Isaiah Green (CB)

Next 6 Out:
Darrius Heyward-Bey (WR)
Derek Moye (WR)
Antwon Blake (CB)
Bryant Browning (OG)
Josh Mauro (DE)
Rob Blanchflower (TE)

2014 Training Camp Primer

It seems like a long time since I've written about football. With a cursory glance through my blog archives since the 2013 season ended, I have published 20 World Cup articles, 18 Winter Olympics articles, 11 NCAA Tournament articles, 9 NFL Draft articles, 2 data analysis posts on the possible NFL Playoff Expansion, 1 post on NFL Free Agency, 1 post with the Steelers 2014 schedule and 1 post on WPIAL realignment. With that said, it's good to get back in the swing of the NFL Football season. Here we go.

The 2014 iteration of the Pittsburgh Steelers will hit Latrobe on July 25. The 90 men that will take the field at St Vincent College are almost entirely different from the team that lost Super Bowl XLV in Dallas in January 2011. From that team, only 7 offensive players (Roethlisberger, Brown, David Johnson, Miller, Spaeth, Foster and Pouncey), 7 defensive players (McLendon, Timmons, Worilds, Taylor, Gay, Polamalu and Will Allen) and Long Snapper Greg Warren enter this year's training camp. Pouncey, Worlids and Brown were rookies on that 2010 squad and now are established veterans and among the highest paid players on the team. After back-to-back 8-8 seasons, the Steelers roster rennovation is nearly complete. The team has shed their aging veterans and enters camp with just 12 of the 90 players on the roster over 30. By contrast, 31 players are under 24 years old.

Barring any injuries, most of the starting lineups on both sides of the ball are set. There may be a few camp battles that develop should rookies out-perform expectations, but for the most part the starting lineups are set. Conversely, with the exception of Quarterback, Running Back and Strong Safety, all of the backup positions are up for grabs. This should make for an exciting camp and for preseason games that are incredibly meaningful in the construction of the final 53-man roster.

The Steelers were aggressive in free agency and despite their limited cap space, they were able to add 8 veteran players to the team. In the draft, the Steelers focused on size and speed, adding dynamic players like LB Ryan Shazier (who ran a 40 equivalent to Terrelle Pryor) and RB Dri Archer (who ran the fastest 40 at the combine). With these young players comes a certain degree of uncertainty - will Shazier be more like Kendrell Bell or more like Lawrence Timmons? Will Archer be more like Chris Rainey or Dexter McCluster? Will fourth round pick Martavis Bryant be more like Plaxico Burress or Limas Sweed? Not all of these questions will be answered in the first training camp, or even in the first season. However, the Steelers front office has made their bed with these players (in selecting Shazier over Mosley and Dennard and Tuitt over Nix) and we will have front row seats to see if they made the right decisions.

As the roster stands right now, there are 27 players who should be considered "Locks" to make the 53-man roster.

Roster Locks (27)
QB: Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Gradkowski
RB: Le'Veon Bell, LeGarrette Blount, Dri Archer
WR: Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton, Lance Moore
TE: Heath Miller
OT: Kelvin Beachum, Marcus Gilbert, Mike Adams
OG: Ramon Foster, David DeCastro
C: Maurkice Pouncey

DE: Cam Heyward, Stephon Tuitt
NT: Steve McLendon
OLB: Jason Worlids, Jarvis Jones
ILB: Lawrence Timmons, Ryan Shazier
CB: Ike Taylor, Cortez Allen
SS: Troy Polamalu, Shamarko Thomas
FS: Mike Mitchell

Additionally, there are 13 players who should make the roster, barring any injury, terrible play or getting into some kind of trouble with the law.

Should Make the Team (13)
QB: Landry Jones
WR: Martavis Bryant
TE: Matt Spaeth
OT: Wesley Johnson
OG: Guy Whimper
C: Cody Wallace

DE: Cam Thomas
OLB: Arthur Moats
ILB: Vince Williams
CB: William Gay
FS: Will Allen

K: Shaun Suisham
LS: Greg Warren

The 27 locks and the 13 players that should make the squad account for 40 roster positions. Additionally, the Steelers will carry a punter which will likely be decided by a camp battle between Adam Podlesh and Brad Wing. This leaves 12 roster positions that are open to be claimed in training camp.

Roster Battles

Fullback/H-Back: Will Johnson, Rob Blanchflower

The Steelers have used Will Johnson both as a true blocking fullback and as a 3rd tight end. Seventh-round pick Rob Blanchflower is a beastly blocker who the Steelers may decide to keep as a 3rd tight end. Both of these players could make the roster and would add some serious beef to the short-yardage ground game.


Tight End: Rob Blanchflower, Michael Palmer, David Paulson

Blanchflower, the 7th round pick out of UMass can be an absolutely devastating blocker but doesn't bring much in the passing game. Palmer is a veteran who was on the team last year primarily as a special teams player. Paulson was the forgotten tight end of last season after some absolutely brutal performances early in the season. Paulson showed some flashes as a rookie but can not block to save his life which will likely spell the end of his tenure with the Steelers. If Blanchflower proves capable of handling the speed of the NFL game, this is likely his spot to lose. The 3rd tight end spot has typically been a contributor on special teams so it will be important to see if Blanchflower can equal Palmer's production on special teams.

Wide Receiver: Darrius Heyward-Bey, Derek Moye, Justin Brown

The Steelers have traditionally kept 5 Wide Receivers on their 53-man roster. The first four are relatively set with Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton, free agent signing Lance Moore and 4th round pick Martavis Bryant. This is a position that is somewhat lacking in depth and the Steelers could explore signing a veteran receiver during camp to bolster the unit. Currently, the in-house options consist of veteran Darrius Heyward-Bey who went from being the first receiver taken in the 2009 draft by Oakland to being relegated to Special Teams duties for the Colts last year. Heyward-Bey has the size and speed to be a factor in the NFL but his hands have never been consistent. Derek Moye was on the team last year and was the tallest receiver of the group but only saw a handful of snaps per game and was only thrown 6 passes the whole season. Justin Brown spent last year on the practice squad after the Steelers used a 6th round pick on him in the 2013 draft. All three of these players have good size (DHB is 6'2", Brown is 6'3" and Moye is 6'5"), making this a wide open race that has the potential to be altered by an additional veteran signing during camp.

Offensive Line: Chris Hubbard, David Snow

This "roster battle" basically becomes a discussion if the Steelers decide to carry 9 or 10 offensive linemen on their roster. The first 9 are fairly set in stone, but if Hubbard or Snow impress in camp the Steelers could protect them from waivers by keeping them on the roster. Hubbard spent last year on the practice squad. David Snow was signed late last year for interior line depth after Pouncey and Velasco were injured. It is very possible that the Steelers keep only 9 offensive linemen on the roster and neither make the team.

Defensive End: Brian Arnfelt, Nick Williams

Ziggy Hood and Al Woods left in free agency. Brett Keisel's contract expired and the Steelers did not re-sign him. This created a void at the defensive end position, which was already strapped for depth. Cam Heyward, Cam Thomas and 2nd-round pick Stephon Tuitt will be the top three in the rotation, but the Steelers will keep a 4th player in the event of injury. The current favorite appears to be Brian Arnfelt who spent much of last season on the practice squad before being promoted to the active roster in December. Arnfelt was an undrafted free agent signing last year and will compete with 2013 7th round pick Nick Williams, who spent last season on the IR after suffering a knee injury in training camp. There wasn't any news about Williams out of OTAs this spring so his recovery timeline is unknown. If Williams isn't healthy, this will essentially be Arnfelt's job to lose unless the Steelers sign another veteran during camp to add depth. The depth here is razor-thin and signing Brett Keisel to a 1-year deal would seem to make all the sense in the world, if he's willing to play for the veteran minimum.

Nose Tackle: Daniel McCullers, Hebron Fangupo

The Steelers opted to keep Fangupo coming out of training camp last year instead of 2012 4th round pick Alameda Ta'amu. To no one's surprise, the Cardinals signed Ta'amu and he played 226 snaps. Fangupo only saw the field for 14 snaps last season as the Steelers used Al Woods as both a defensive end and nose tackle (similar to the role Cam Thomas will play this year). McCullers was the biggest player in the draft at 6'8" 350 lbs. The 6th round pick out of Tennessee will have to learn how to play low to match the pad level of offensive linemen. The Steelers will keep 2 nose tackles on the final roster and McCullers is a candidate for the practice squad if he fails to surpass Fangupo.

Linebacker: Chris Carter, Terrence Garvin, Jordan Zumwalt, Vic So'oto, Howard Jones, Sean Spence

I was going to break this down into Outside Linebackers and Inside Linebackers, but special teams play is far more important for reserve linebackers than where they line up on defense. Chris Carter enters his fourth year with the team as a reserve outside linebacker, but has yet to record a sack. He has been a contributor on special teams, but isn't exactly a trustworthy player to have as the top reserve outside linebacker. Terrence Garvin was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and had an impressive preseason playing both inside and outside linebacker. Garvin started the season on the practice squad but was elevated to the active roster and laid a jaw-breaking block on the Bengals punter to spring Antonio Brown for a punt return touchdown in December. Garvin is the top candidate to replace Carter as the top reserve outside linebacker and could win the spot with special teams play. Zumwalt was the Steelers 6th round pick and has a ferociousness that makes him an asset on special teams and could land him on the 53-man roster. He can play both inside and outside but a lack of practice reps due to UCLA's bizarre graduation rules could ultimately land him on the practice squad. So'oto has been a bit of a practice squad journeyman in the league and will have to play his way onto the team if he is to make the 53-man roster. Howard Jones is everyone's favorite dark horse to make the roster as an undrafted free agent out of Shepherd. Jones was a Division II all-star and is the early favorite for "Camp Phenom." Sean Spence is the most intriguing player of the group. A 3rd round pick in 2012, he suffered a devastating knee injury in the preseason that kept him out each of the last two seasons. All reports from OTAs say that he is back to being healthy and he could provide a tremendous upgrade at inside linebacker if he makes the team. Kion Wilson made the team last year and shared time as a starter with Vince Williams after Larry Foote was injured but was cut on the eve of training camp, which could be a sign that Sean Spence has returned to full health. At the end of the day, the Steelers will likely keep 9 or 10 linebackers and the players that stand out on special teams will be the ones that earn the last few spots on the roster.

Cornerback: Brice McCain, Sheldon Richardson, Antwon Blake, Isaiah Green

The Steelers signed Brice McCain as a free agent this offseason to add depth to the cornerback position. In 5 seasons with Houston, McCain had 124 tackles and 5 interceptions. McCain will likely battle Antwon Blake for the 5th cornerback position. Blake spent last season with the Steelers and played primarily on Special Teams where he was second on the team in tackles. Sheldon Richardson was the Steelers 5th round pick out of Arizona and has experience with secondary coach Carnell Lake. Richardson will likely make the team since the Steelers used a draft pick on him and is a practice squad candidate at worst. Isaiah Green seemed to always be the 53rd man on the Steelers roster last year and pinballed back and forth between the active roster and the practice squad. The Steelers will likely keep 5 cornerbacks, which means there are two jobs to be won between these four players.

Safety: Robert Golden, Ross Ventrone

The Steelers top four safety positions are set in stone. If the Steelers decide to keep a fifth, the battle will be between Golden and Ventrone. However, if either of these players falter on special teams, the Steelers could opt to keep a 6th cornerback rather than a 5th safety. Golden was an undrafted free agent who made the team out of camp in 2012. He is a player that seems to shine on the practice field but hasn't been able to translate that into games yet. The fact that the Steelers went out and signed Mike Mitchell is very much a referendum on Golden's abilities to be an every-down safety. Ventrone spent last season on the practice squad and could challenge Golden for the last position. Ultimately, as is the case with most of the battles for the last few roster positions, special teams play will decide who gets a job and who does not.

Punter: Adam Podlesh, Brad Wing

After last year's experiment of Zoltan Mesko and Mat McBriar failed miserably, the Steelers went out in free agency and signed the only punter who was worse than the Mesko/McBriar combo: Adam Podlesh. I wish I was joking about that, but look at the breakdown between the Steelers punters and Podlesh from 2013:

In addition to Podlesh, the Steelers also added former LSU punter Brad Wing who did not sign with an NFL team out of college. This has all the makings of being a wide open camp battle after Podlesh was dead last in the league in punting last season. 

Roster Projection

As things stand right now, entering camp, here is my projected 53-man roster for the Steelers:

QB (3): Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Gradkowski, Landry Jones
RB (3): Le'Veon Bell, LeGarrette Blount, Dri Archer
FB (1): Will Johnson
WR (5): Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton, Lance Moore, Martavis Bryant, Darrius Heyward-Bey
TE (3): Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, Rob Blanchflower
OT (4): Kelvin Beachum, Marcus Gilbert, Mike Adams, Wesley Johnson
OG (3): Ramon Foster, David DeCastro, Guy Whimper
C (2): Maurkice Pouncey, Cody Wallace

DE (4): Cam Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, Cam Thomas, Brian Arnfelt
NT (2): Steve McLendon, Hebron Fangupo
OLB (5): Jason Worlids, Jarvis Jones, Arthur Moats, Terrence Garvin, Jordan Zumwalt
ILB (5): Lawrence Timmons, Ryan Shazier, Vince Williams. Sean Spence, Howard Jones
CB (5): Ike Taylor, Cortez Allen, William Gay, Sheldon Richardson, Brice McCain
SS (2): Troy Polamalu, Shamarko Thomas
FS (3): Mike Mitchell, Will Allen, Robert Golden

K (1): Shaun Suisham
P (1): Adam Podlesh
LS (1): Greg Warren

Just Missed:
Antwon Blake
Derek Moye
Justin Brown
Kion Wilson
Daniel McCullers
Chris Carter
Isaiah Green
Michael Palmer
Nick Williams
Chris Hubbard