Picture of the Year: Round 2 Matchup 4

Today's poll features two game-changing plays. On one hand we have Hines Ward's touchdown grab against the Jacksonville Jaguars which put the Steelers in the lead for good with around 2 minutes to play, capping off a big-time comeback drive by Ben and the boys. As it's opponent, we have Santonio Holmes's diving touchdown against Washington (which came on a pass from Leftwich nonetheless) which broke that game open.

Pittsburgh Steelers 2009 Schedule

PRESEASON

August 13

Heinz Field, 8pm

August 22

FedEx Field, 7:30pm

August 29

Heinz Field, 7:30pm

September 3

Bank of America Stadium, 8pm

REGULAR SEASON

September 10

Heinz Field, 8:30
NBC

September 20

Soldier Field, 4:00
CBS

September 27

Paul Brown Stadium, 1:00
CBS

October 4

Heinz Field, 8:20
NBC

October 11

Ford Field, 1:00
CBS

October 18

Heinz Field, 1:00
CBS

October 25

Heinz Field, 1:00
FOX

Week 8
BYE WEEK

November 9

INVESCO Field, 8:30
ESPN

November 15

Heinz Field, 1:00
CBS

November 22

Arrowhead Stadium, 1:00
CBS

November 29

M & T Bank Stadium, 8:20
NBC

December 6

Heinz Field, 1:00
CBS

December 10

Toilet Bowl, 8:20
NFL Network

December 20

Heinz Field, 1:00
FOX

December 27

Heinz Field, 1:00
CBS

January 3

Dolphin Stadium, 1:00
CBS

More First Round Prospects in Town

Another slew of prospects made their way through the Steelers practice facility. The two biggest names of the group, and potential first-round candidates are Vontae Davis of Illinois and Max Unger of Oregon. Three other prospects were brought in today too, and we're starting to get a picture at the type of players the Steelers will be looking for in certain situations.

Max Unger (OL-Oregon)


NFL.com Player Preview

NFLHouse Position Rank: 2 (center)

Ian's Take: Alex Mack is the #1 ranked center on the board, but Unger should be 1a. Not only does he have the size and versatility to play any of the five positions on the line, he has the athleticism to get downfield and make blocks. He has exhibited great leadership on and off the field, including switching positions from LT to C to accomodate a JUCO transfer. Unger might be the first interior lineman off the board and he has the potential to shoot up the draft board like Brendan Albert did last year as more teams discover his versatility. He is without a doubt a first day pick and likely could step in right away and play.

Projected Round: 1st-2nd

Vontae Davis (CB-Illinois)


NFL.com Player Preview

NFLHouse Position Rank: 4th

Ian's Take: Davis has good size (5'11) and athleticism for the corner spot. A lot has been made about his work ethic and people have questioned his dedication to the game. He isn't the type of player, personality-wise, that people would think of as fitting the Steelers mold. However, a lot of the concerns stem from the lack of production his brother (Vernon Davis) has had in San Francisco and the questionable work ethic he has put forth. Let's set the record straight here. Is Vernon Davis a soft worker? Maybe, but it's a lot easier to put forth a lot of good effort when you're playing in a good situation with a good coach and for a good team. The coaching situation in San Francisco hasn't been great, and they haven't had a quarterback capable of spreading the ball around the field since Steve Young. If Davis falls all the way to the Steelers at 32, he will be a huge value pick, and I won't blame the Steelers at all for taking him. However, if he is around when the Ravens hit the clock at 26, I would not be surprised at all to see him go there.

Projected Round: 1st

Dorell Scott (DT-Clemson)


NFL.com Player Preview

NFLHouse Position Rank: 9th

Ian's Take: His injuries and inconsistent play will drop him down the draft board to the second day, but at 6'3" 310, he could be a solid 3-4 end in the making. The Steelers have also looked at Fili Moala and Ra'Shon Harris (along with Sammie Lee Hill who we will get to in a moment) all of whom seem to be mid-round DT prospects. It's encouraging to see the Steelers looking for a DT in this area, particularly since they have two 3rd round picks. The Steelers have a solid front 3 right now, but they're all over 30 and not getting any younger, so adding some young depth to the rotation would be great.

Projected Round: 3rd-5th

Sammie Lee Hill (DT-Stillman)


NFL.com Player Preview

NFLHouse Position Rank: 15th

Ian's Take: Don't let this position ranking fool you, Hill is a mountain of a man at 6'4" 329. Since he played in a small program, scouts are unsure about how he'll adjust, but let me put it this way: he played D-end last year in college and with his size and frame had 52 tackles, 14 for a loss, 4.5 sacks, and pulled a man from a burning building in 2007. Not only does he have spectacular athletic potential, he's also a great citizen. Questions are out there about whether or not he'll be able to adapt to the pro game, but we could see his name called as high as the 3rd round because of his size, speed, and potential to play any position along a 3-4 front.

Projected Round: 3rd-7th

Louis Vasquez (G-Texas Tech)


NFL.com Player Preview

NFLHouse Position Rank: 2nd

Ian's Take: At 6'5" 333, Vasquez is a giant along the offensive line. Though the Steelers just signed Kemoeatu to a long-term deal, they will have a spot opening up along the line next year when Justin Hartwig's contract expires. Ideally, they will take someone in this draft who will be able to fill in along the line. Darnell Stapleton is rumored to have potential at center, which would leave a hole at guard, which is where prospects like Duke Robinson, Herman Johnson, and Louis Vasquez come into the picture. Texas Tech had a dominant offense last year, but let's remember that they wouldn't have gone anywhere if it wasn't for the offensive line in front of them. Vasquez has great technique and rarely gets beat one-on-one. He's not lacking in the size department, but it will be interesting to see if he is able to assimilate into a run-blocking scheme on the next level, since much of Texas Tech's offense came out of the shotgun.

Projected Round: 2nd-4th

Happy Schedule Day!

Outside of the draft and the beginning of training camp, one of the most exciting days of the NFL offseason is the day when the schedule for next season is released. The NFL has gotten wind of this and turned the whole event into a hooplah. It hasn't reached the size and scale of Selection Sunday yet, but give it a few years and it might.

NFL.com has the full story.

If you have NFL Network and are looking for a football fix tomorrow night at 7, tune in.

NFL.com will also have the full schedules posted right at 7, so hop on over there to find out who the Steelers play which weekend. We already know the opponents, it's just a matter of when.

We'll try to get the schedule cross-posted here as quickly as possible, not that you should be coming to us for breaking news since we're almost guaranteed to be at least a day behind, but it'll be good to reference.

The Penguins start their playoff run Wednesday night in Pittsburgh.
The Pensblog.
That's the only Pens link you'll ever need.

The Pirates are playing .500 ball...for now.
WHYGAVS?
Anyone who blogs about the Pirates should be sainted.
Pat over at WHYGAVS? (Where Have You Gone Andy Van Slyke?) has been doing it for years. Hard to immagine.

Picture of the Year: Round 2 Matchup 3

Today's matchup features a fantastic showdown between Santonio Holmes' punt return against San Diego in the AFC Divisional game against James Harrison from the Patriots game. This may be one of the most hotly contested matchups of the early rounds. Holmes' punt return broke the San Diego game open and got the Steelers rolling. It was the first punt return for a touchdown by a Steeler since Holmes took one back against Carolina in 2006. Harrison's sacks of Matt Cassel put him well on the way to winning Defensive POY and helped us lay a smacking on the pesky Pats.

Oh yeah, the bracket in the header has been updated too!

Some Kind of Monster

The Steelers signed James Harrison today to a 6-year, $51.75 million contract with $20 million in guarantees, making him the highest paid linebacker in league history.

This was a deal that needed to get done. Harrison was going to be a free agent next spring and, coming off of a Defensive Player of the Year season, we knew he was going to command some big bucks. In two seasons, he has 24.5 sacks. He led the league in forced fumbles with 7 last season. Not only does he get to the quarterback consistently, he creates turnovers. Let's not forget the interception in the San Diego game at the end of the first half when the Chargers were driving. Or the interception in the Super Bowl. With this signing, the Steelers have ensured that they will have the best outside linebacker tandem in the league for a long time. As Woodley continues to grow into his own, teams will no longer be able to double-team Harrison, and will have to choose which of these two beasts they want to double-team. The other one is almost surely going to get there.

Woodley and Harrison shattered the Steelers single-season record for sacks by a linebacker duo (previously 24 by Kevin Greene and Greg Lloyd) with 27.5 sacks last season. The scary thing is, these two are only going to get better. I know the Steelers have had some great linebackers throughout their history, but Woodley and Harrison have the chance, if they can sustain this level of production, to go down as the greatest linebacker duo in Steelers history.

Byron the Buccaneer

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Byron Leftwich to a 2-year contract.

Honestly, we should have seen this coming. Byron was good enough to start somewhere in this league, and he proved that last year in the games when he filled in for Ben as a reserve. He should have been one of the top QB's on the market, but with Matt Cassel and Jay Cutler in play, he got left to the side until those two got things sorted out.

Best of luck to you Byron in your new venture.

Sadly, Tampa has lost a lot of talent over the last few years, as was evidenced by their big drop-off at the end of last season (I guess "crash" could also be an applicable term). The Bucs need to go out and get Byron some help in the draft, or else they're going to end up at the bottom of the NFC South next year. No, this won't be Byron's fault. It will be the fault of a defense that gave up over 30 points in 3 of the last 4 games after only allowing one team to break 25 (Kansas City with 27) in the first 12 games.

Picture of the Year: Round 2 Matchup 2

After a short break over the Easter Weekend, we're back in action around here. Today's faces off the #2 seed in the tournament (the Troy Polamalu picture from the AFC Championship game) against Hines Ward's touchdown celebration from the Titans game. This will be Hines' second matchup against Troy in the tournament, as he knocked out Troy's picture from the first Browns game in the opening round.

Picture of the Year: Round 2 Matchup 1

Round 2 has begun! The last few polls from Round 1 are still winding down, but we have enough polls finished and enough pictures advanced to the second round to move on. Today's matchup features the #1 seed in the tournament, the Santonio Holmes catch from the Super Bowl, against the Mewelde Moore stiff-arm against the Giants (Moore took that run to the house for a TD).

Another Round of Prospect Visits

Over the past few days, five more prospects have paid visits to the Steelers training facility. Many of them will fall into the last few rounds of the draft and may be on the Steelers radar if they are not drafted as potentials to sign as undrafted free agents.

Richard Quinn (TE-North Carolina)


NFL.com Player Preview

NFL House Position Rank: 13th

Ian's Take: I'm not sure why the Steelers are looking at tight ends after recently signing McHugh to a 2-year deal. Unless they think McHugh is more of a fullback and are looking for a potential #3 tight end, at the possible roster expense of Carey Davis. In this case, looking at prospects who may fall off the draft board and could be picked up as undrafted free agents is a fantastic idea. I don't think the Steelers would be well-served to draft a tight end, but picking one up as an undrafted free agent could be worth their while.

Projected Round: 6th-undrafted

Donald Washington (CB-Ohio State)


NFL.com Player Preview

NFL House Position Rank: 21

Ian's Take: Washington, without a doubt, has been overshadowed by teammate Malcolm Jenkins in this draft class. However, Washington has the size and potential to develop into a solid cover-corner. Washington has a lot of raw talent and a big upside, but as Coach Tomlin said, "Potential is a dangerous word." He's not a first-day prospect, but he could be one of those later-round picks (like Ike Taylor) that has raw skills and is able to develop into a solid starter.

Projected Round: 4th-7th

Don Carey (CB-Norfolk State)


NFL.com Player Preview

NFL House Position Rank: 28th

Ian's Take: Carey is one of the top FCS (formerly 1-AA) CB prospects in the draft. While that isn't saying much, he has been a starter for four years, and that experience on the field is invaluable. He also has some kick returning skills, which is something the Steelers are looking for. If they could get someone who could develop into a potential nickel or dime CB and can be a KR in the late rounds, they might pounce on it.

Projected Round: 6th-undrafted

Sherrod Martin (CB-Troy)


NFL.com Player Preview

NFL House Position Rank: 9th

Ian's Take: Martin is an intriguging prospect because of his ability to play both corner or free safety. The Steelers are looking for some depth at the Free Safety position, so investing a mid-round pick in someone like Martin might not be a bad idea. He is also 6'1", making him one of the taller DB prospects in the draft. His stock will be determined on whether or not teams see him as CB or a FS. He has the ability and skills to play both, but also has a lot of raw talent that can be molded for either position.

Projected Round: 3rd-6th

Lawrence Sidbury (DE/LB-Richmond)


NFL.com Player Preview

NFL House Position Rank: 10th (DE)

Ian's Take: Sidbury is the type of player that 3-4 defenses love to take and mold into an outside linebacker that has exceptional pass-rushing skills. However, with Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison and budding star LaMarr Woodley (along with 3rd Round pick Bruce Davis and Rookie of the Year Patrick Bailey) on the OLB depth chart, I would categorize this position as one the Steelers have the least need in. For the pick we would have to use to take Sidbury (probably our 2nd round pick),

Projected Round: Late 2nd-Early 4th