MVN - Most Valuable Network

Ben--photo courtesy of hetzeljd/flickr

Why Ben Roethlisberger is so good

I was listening to a discussion on sports talk radio the other day about the top NFL quarterbacks. When they got to Ben, with whom they ranked third behind Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, they talked about his continued “development as an NFL quarterback.” It’s a topic that always crops up when talking about Ben, and this year especially, due to the added weapons to his arsenal.

Read the rest of this entry »

Steelers sign 4th round pick Tony Hills to a three-year deal

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed fourth round draft pick, Tony Hills, to a three-year deal on Thursday, reportedly for $1.45 million dollars, with a $304,500 signing bonus, according to scout.com. Hills played his college ball at the University of Texas.

The 6′6″, 305 lb lineman has dealt with severe injuries over his short football career. He had a career-threatening injury in his high school state championship game, that many thought he would never come back from. The Longhorns and the NCAA granted Hills a medical hardship in 2003, while he recovered from his knee reconstruction. By 2004 he was back on the team. By 2005, he was a top back-up on the line. By 2006, he was a starter. In 2007, Hills was receiving national recognition, that would ultimately see the big lineman drafted by the Steelers.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Steelers Santonio Holmes and LaMarr Woodley look to breakout in ‘08

Santonio Holmes, pointing to 2008 as his breakout year

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a long-line of outstanding wide-receivers and linebackers since their vaunted dynasty days. This season, two Steelers are primed to join the greats of the Steelers’ fraternity with break-out seasons. Wide Receiver Santonio Holmes and linebacker LaMarr Woodley will both be looked upon to take on important rolls in the offense and defense respectively. How well they perform will directly dictate how well the Steelers perform in their quest to return to the Super Bowl this season. If the past is any indication, great things are ahead of these two youngsters in 2008.

Read the rest of this entry »

How good (or bad) will the Steelers’ offensive line be in 2008?

Can the Steelers offensive line overcome the departure of Alan Fanceca?--photo courtesy of Jessa B.C./flickr

The foundation of any good football team is the battle fought in the trenches, and for the Pittsburgh Steelers, that will be the key to their season in 2008. There are many question marks coming into this season. Who’s going to replace All-Pro left guard Alan Faneca? Will Marvel Smith be able to recover from the back issues that plagued him all last season? Have the Steelers truly answered their question at Center with the middling Justin Hartwig signing? Will Max Starks even start after signing a one-year tender offer to the tune of almost seven million dollars? These aren’t easy questions, but if head coach Mike Tomlin, and offensive line coach Larry Zierlein can answer them, this team should be very good.

The common misconception with the Steelers is that they don’t have the pieces to put together a successful line. Of that I agree with to a point. I don’t think that this line has one guy, like Faneca before them, that will stand out. At the same time, offensive lines are only as good as their collective blocking. One guy rarely makes a difference, although he can certainly take a good line, and make it much, much better. Of course, there may be some of that this season, we just don’t know it yet.

Read the rest of this entry »

Who will be the break-out Steeler of 2008?

Jack Lambert--drawing courtesy of Macwagen/flickr

Thanks to the near 1,500 fans that voted in the last Steel Tradition poll, ‘The face of the Pittsburgh Steelers.’ Only two Steelers garnered double-digit votes, and it’s doubtful that either one of them were a surprise to anyone. ‘Mean’ Joe Greene came in second place with 31% of the vote and 412 votes, less than 100 votes behind our winner, Jack Lambert. Lambert carried 38% of the vote, and nearly cleared 500 votes alone, with 499. Terry Bradshaw came in third, with 112 votes, only two ahead of the surprise of the poll, Jerome Bettis, with 110 votes. Franco Harris rounded out the top five with 39 votes. Thanks for making another Steel Tradition poll successful.

This week, we are going to take a look at the current Steelers roster. There are several players on this team who seem on the precipice of having a break-out season, and for different reasons. Some may point to players who have already had really good years (Ben Roethlisberger, Willie Parker), who might be ready to have MONSTER years. Some may point to players that have had moments (Santonio Holmes, Heath Miller, James Harrison), but nothing sustained. Some Steelers are brand new to the pecking order (Rashard Mendenhall, Limas Sweed). Some are getting their first chance to break into the lineup (LaMarr Woodley, Lawrence Timmons).

(note: it’s possible that you may think the breakout player will be on the offensive line, or another player. Please select other. I acknowledge the importance of the line, but with it so much up in the air, I tend to look at the line currently as one player, so I chose not to add them.)

Which Steeler ballplayer do you think will be the breakout player of 2008?

More on this later in the week, when I write about WHO I THINK will be that breakout player.

Steelers vs. Browns--photo courtesy of Ryan Dingman/flickr

Should the Steelers be worrying about the Cleveland Browns?

If you were to believe most of the pundits out there in the ‘media-world,’ the Cleveland Browns are going to be the best team in the AFC North. It’s actually interesting reading the articles that are out there, as most of them talk about how good the Browns are going to be, then throw in the proverbial props to the Steelers, before counting them out because their schedule is too hard. Should the Steelers be worrying about the Brownies this year?

Read the rest of this entry »

Former Lions running back Kevin Jones on Steelers radar

Steel Tradition reported yesterday that the running back situation may be completely set as the Steelers head into July’s training camp. With the news that Najeh Davenport had been cut, it seemed as though Willie Parker, Rashard Mendenhall, Mewelde Moore, Gary Russell and Carey Davis would be the running back corp for the 2008 season. It appears as though we may have rushed to judgment.

Reports out of Detroit cropped up yesterday evening that the Steelers sent college scouting director Ron Hughes to Saline, Michigan to scout former Detroit Lions’ first round draft pick, running back Kevin Jones. Jones was released earlier this year after suffering another injury in a short career full of them, seemingly ruining a once promising career.

Could Kevin Jones return to his former potential with the Steelers?

Read the rest of this entry »

A quick look at the current state of the Steelers running backs

Willie Parker--photo courtesy of SteelCityHobbies/flickr

Mike noted earlier that tailback Najeh Davenport was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday. With Davenport officially out of the picture, the Steelers’ backfield becomes pretty clear-cut to start the year. With Willie Parker once again healthy, Rashard Mendenhall coming in as a first-round pick, Mewelde Moore being brought in as a free-agent, young Gary Russell filling out the corp, and Carey Davis anchoring the fullback role, the Steelers appear to have a major offensive strength.

Read the rest of this entry »