Steelers Fans of Minnesota
... from the 3 Rivers to the land of 10,000 Lakes

Since the Steelers' primary method of roster-building is via the draft, the guys argue over whether QB, RB, and TE are areas needing an injection of talent from the 2012 NFL Draft

2012 Pittsburgh Sports Blog Tournament: Sweet 16 Round

BTSC is matched up against The "Mc" Effect in the Sweet 16 Round of the Pittsburgh Sports Blog Tournament!

More to the point, we are currently trailing by a margin of 102-36, so please vote for us!

Or at least let us know why BTSC as a #1 seed should get bounced by a #5 seed.

Voting ends tomorrow (Thursday) at 9 pm eastern time.

UPDATE: As of 2:20 this afternoon, BTSC has surged into the lead, 119-111! Now let's do what we'd always wish the Steelers would and put this contest away right now, instead of riding a nail-biter to the finish.

UPDATE #2: As of 3:00 this afternoon, The "Mc" Effect is in the lead again, 157-153. They're hanging around pretty good.

Prosecutors in DeKalb County, Ga., dropped drunk-driving charges against Steelers receiver Hines Ward today after he pleaded guilty to reckless driving.

The Steelers have spent the past three years using their No. 1 draft choice to rebuild and strengthen their lines of scrimmage. Could this be No. 4?

While the Steelers made another bookkeeping move to dig out more room on their salary cap, they also made a statement -- offensive tackle Willie Colon is here to stay.

Tiger Woods must be mellowing with age. When Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, who faces Woods in the opening round today, said that his opponent is "beatable," Woods didn't seem the least bit bothered.

Ya ever have that co-worker who comes in with a look that says "I have a gun and a shovel, and I doubt anyone will miss you, so don't toy with me today"?

A co-worker who, perhaps, is running a fever, and is royally ticked off at his dog's escape from his collar and subsequent trek through four inches of wet, heavy snow this morning.

It may not be rational. Or logical. It may be pure insanity, but that's me today. So I'm going to rant a little. The thought and realistic possibility of the Bengals nabbing WR Mike Wallace away from us with a low-end first round pick just does that to me, and I want answers. Sometimes, Twitter just doesn't give you enough room to ask the questions needing to be asked. Here's what I want to know.

How did the Steelers get locked into Salary Cap Jail? This is a team renowned for its front office savvy. A dream team of numbers nerds, Kevin Colbert and Omar Khan, never steered this franchise into such perilous waters.

Are we just blindly loyal to this franchise, so much that we aren't questioning its leadership right now? I get the fact Colbert walks past six trophies on his way into work, but now, he's staring at a team salary largely increased last season. Were they gambling heavily on a 2012 salary cap that would have been about a 15 percent increase from this season?

Extensions were given to Ike Taylor (a new deal, actually), LaMarr Woodley, Troy Polamalu and Lawrence Timmons last season. Taylor, Woodley and Timmons were asked to restructure those deals less than a year after they were signed. That's not standard business practice on the South Side. Did they not see the problems those decisions may bring this year?

Adding to it is RB Rashard Mendenhall's base salary increase from 2011 to 2012. His cap number went from around $800k to $1.2 million, and all that factors into the cap. Were they planning on him rushing for fewer than 900 yards?

Since they were in the giving mood last year, why not talk to QB Ben Roethlisberger then about an extension? Clearly, the team has its quarterback. That quarterback's legacy is winning. He obviously can win here, but since you know (before training camp 2011) his best friend, Bruce Arians, will be the offensive coordinator that season, why not ask him to take a few bucks less in 2012, and in exchange, you'll tack on another two years, and spread money out from what's left on his deal then? New money for him, cap savings for the team, and none of this "burn the midnight oil to free up money to sign WR Mike Wallace to a long-term deal" junk.

The upside to that (in a manner of speaking) is they have the exact same scenario with WR Antonio Brown next year. They're guaranteeing a lot of money to veterans now, it's reasonable to think some of that is going to have to hit the books next year.

Granted, they may not have anticipated the highest level RFA tender (a first-and-third round compensation) going away in the new CBA, but they had it in enough time where they could have anticipated the scenario we're discussing now.

Giving a restricted free agent a franchise tag seems out of the spirit of its purpose, but at the very least they could have seen Wallace having another big season, and really becoming a possible target in the RFA market. Knowing they'd have to franchise him to protect him, why didn't they talk last year about an extension for Wallace? Maybe they could still have gotten him on the cheap.

The linebacker tag is likely to be $1.5 million less in 2012 than the wide receiver tag.

So someone throw a glass of cold water on my face, or toss me a bottle of whiskey a la Delta House's John "Bluto" Blutarsky, and tell me why we needn't worry about any of this.

If there was any doubt that the Steelers intended Willie Colon to rejoin them as their starting right tackle, the Steelers made their intentions clear today when they restructured his contract.

News broke out Tuesday morning of OT Willie Colon's willingness to prorate $3.8 million of the $4.5 million he's owed in 2012 over the remaining four years of his deal. Saving the team another $2.85 million against its 2012 salary cap is good progress, but there's still $5-6 million to go, according to Football Outsider writer Brian McIntyre.

The total savings created so far this off-season through player releases and contract restructures is around $18 million - but freeing up $5-6 million more would only reach the estimated 2012 salary cap. The total savings figure the Steelers are aiming for will include all restricted free agent tenders, rookie contracts and a cash fund for in-season transactions.

And all of that is before a possible franchise tag for WR Mike Wallace. With that looming as a possibility, the Steelers still have a lot of work to do to get to the cap point they'll need to field the strongest team they can.

Reports have circulated that QB Ben Roethlisberger and OLB James Harrison are in discussions for contract restructures as well. Roethlisberger seems the most likely, considering how often he's stated his desire to win ahead of individual accolades. If that's the case, he'd help his team's cause by having the Steelers tack on another year or two to his current deal, and then spreading money from this season across the full duration just like the other restructures.

Harrison may be a tougher bet, considering he restructured last season. But incidentally, restructuring did make his one-game suspension cost far less than it would have been otherwise.

The top 51 contracts on each team must be below the salary cap by 4 p.m. ET March 13. This may go down to the wire, but it seems like the Steelers have a plan in place and are sticking to it.

Lets put our "Other Team" hats on for a moment.

Just a quick moment. I know they fit terribly. Been reports of awful odors, too.

The trendy argument today suggests dual reasons behind a team, particularly one from the AFC, giving Steelers WR Mike Wallace a front-loaded multi-year contract offer when restricted free agency opens (March 13). Many teams, good ones in particular, could sign the game's best deep threat while only parting ways with a low-first round draft pick.

Their argument continues they could help cripple the Steelers at the same time. The logic makes sense, but the practicality is off quite a bit.

What's more likely is other teams are simply floating rumors of their interest in Wallace to get the cap-strapped Steelers to slap the franchise tag on him, instead of simply giving him a high-level tender as a restricted free agent. Why bother overpaying for another team's free agents when you can indirectly steer that team to do it themselves?

Every team would want a player of Wallace's caliber on their roster, but only for the right price. From Wallace's perspective, he gains negotiating leverage if he gets a franchise tag from Pittsburgh. If they're willing to give him (estimated) $9.6 million this season under the tag, he's going to want a large chunk of that very soon in a long-term extension. Other teams are likely to figure this out, and it won't cost them a dime to simply tell a beat reporter they're interested in Wallace, and let the Speculation Machine that runs NFL off-season news do its thing.

Let's take some of the alleged front-runners who seem to be in a good position in terms of picks and cap room to sign Wallace in restricted free agency.

The Patriots would be offering Wallace a multi-year deal along with the guaranteed up-front money of the franchise tag, which they will likely be giving WR Wes Welker, a guy who's been the heart-and-soul of their receiving corps since he arrived there in 2007.

If they're willing to risk or destroy long-term negotiations with Welker for the sake of signing Wallace, we'd have to ask ourselves which team is it actually hurting. Considering the Patriots chose WR Brandon Tate (now with Cincinnati) one pick ahead of Wallace in the 2009 draft, logically, they would be thinking of simply looking into the draft to find the deep threat they allegedly covet.

Would anyone put underhanded and devious practices past the Patriots?

As for the Bengals, since when does the fact they're $60 million under the cap affect their long-standing policy of not paying their players much? Their legendary tight-fistedness makes them spend to the floor, not the ceiling. Wallace's value and impact on the game is unquestioned, but using both of their first-round picks to more evenly build talent on an up-and-coming team for less seems much closer in line to Cincinnati's modus operendi than going out and trading picks for a player plus a huge contract.

Besides, they were a highly competitive 10-6 team with a rookie quarterback, and they aren't going to lose anyone this offseason. Two first-round picks on players who will cost approximately 25 percent combined of what they'd have to pay Wallace is more their style.

The Ravens signed Anquan Boldin to a four-year, $28 million contract in 2010, and will earn $6 million in each of the next two seasons. Outside of their failed attempt to acquire Terrell Owens in 2004, have never made a play for a receiver at such a high price. In fact, the botched deal for T.O. was for a second round pick, and it's extremely difficult to argue Owens in 2004 (77 catches, 1,200 yards, 15.8 ypc, 14 touchdowns) was a less productive player than Wallace in 2011.

The Patriots (27 and 31), Browns (4 and 22) and Bengals (17 and 21) are the three teams with two first-round picks. The Browns, like the Patriots, will have to franchise a player (LB D'Qwell Jackson), which will leave them with little cap space to make a play for Wallace. While they'd have perhaps an easier time of doing that than Pittsburgh will, it's still not going to be easy. At least the Steelers can convince veterans to restructure contracts based on the idea of continuing to win by keeping their own. It'd be harder to do that for a mercenary, like Wallace.

Besides, it was WR Antonio Brown - and not Wallace - who shredded the Browns in two games last season.

All that being said though, it would still be reasonable to try to clear enough money to franchise Wallace, despite the fact that he is technically just a restricted free agent. The Steelers would then follow the usual course of action for franchise players and try to lower that cap hit by signing him to a long-term deal before the start of the regular season. All of the leverage would be on Wallace's side, but it would be a sincere way to try to retain his services long-term and would be equitable for all parties involved (the team, Wallace, and the veterans that would need to restructure their own deals).

The truth, perhaps the unfortunate truth, is that the Steelers may be forced by the cap to call the bluff. If so, all of the talk - which is likely just a smokescreen right now - could end up having some real teeth.

The Minnesota Vikings are going younger this offseason in their attempt to catch up with the rest of their division.

Twenty five years ago I got hooked on Court-TV, a new television channel that showed interesting court trials while having experts give analysis back in the studio. I had one of those huge saucer satellite dishes, rare in the ‘80s, that allowed me to dial up that channel every day. I was addicted, mostly fascinated by the high quality of lawyering. I gained a newfound respect for attorneys in the American adversarial justice system. It's the job of a sharp prosecutor to shape the case as black and white, with white being in his corner. The defense attorney then points out all the gray! When the prosecution rests, the defense then gets a turn and the whole process flips.

What stood out the most were closing arguments. After hearing the prosecution close, I was convinced the defendant was guilty. Then after hearing the defense close, I wanted to acquit. This is a testament to the quality of the attorneys in our justice system. I also remember what the judge said before each lawyer gave his/her closing. The judge reminded the jury that closing arguments were not evidence; they were opinions of the attorneys based upon the evidence. In other words, the jury had to separate the wheat from the chaff and make a final decision.

The recent saga of the Pittsburgh Steelers reminds me of those Court-TV days. I've seen a lot of negative spin, as if people want to believe, and want you to believe, that the world is black and white. In putting the whole thing in context, I'd like to create closing arguments that you might hear if this whole saga went to some fictional trial. After you hear the closing arguments, what do you think?

Prosecution

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, please find the Pittsburgh Steelers guilty of internal strife, lying, management undermining and publicly humiliating the head coach and the attempt of management to change the quarterback. It started when Mike Tomlin stated in his post-game press conference after the Denver defeat that he anticipated his coordinators returning in 2012. A few days later it was announced that Bruce Arians was retiring. In fact he never retired. He was not offered a contract. The organization lied, evidenced by the fact that Arians accepted the coordinator's position with Indianapolis a week later. Moreover, the act by management clearly contradicted Mike Tomlin's desire to keep Arians. They undercut their own coach and in essence publicly humiliated him. Finally, the organization hired Todd Haley to be the new offensive coordinator after saying that Big Ben needed to "tweak" his game. They are forcing Haley on Ben to put him in his place. As proof, Ben was infuriated when he learned that Arians had been let go. He also expressed desire to talk with the Rooneys when he returned from Hawaii. Ownership has clearly overstepped its own coaching staff. Isn't it Mike Tomlin's decision to begin with? Didn't they hire him to do a job and now they are doing it for him? This whole thing was a mess. He said, she said. Nobody is on the same page. Please find the Pittsburgh Steelers guilty of dysfunctional management and horrible public relations."

Defense

"Ladies and gentlemen, the prosecution has led you to believe that everything is black and white, and they want you to believe that Steelers' management is all black. They have painted an ugly picture that is just not reality. They have taken things way out of context. We would like for you to hear the other side.

First, it is true that Mike Tomlin likes Bruce Arians. And he may have slightly leaned toward renewing Arians' contract next year due to the horrible state of the offensive line, which would have made Bill Walsh look bad. But the conversation to keep Arians has been brewing for years. He himself has talked about retirement. When Coach Tomlin said he anticipated the coordinators returning, he certainly didn't want to cause a brush fire on the heels of an emotional playoff loss. He answered the question safely. He also quickly followed up with the caveat that everyone will be discussed and evaluated, but the prosecution never mentioned that to you. A few days after the Denver loss settled down, Art Rooney, Kevin Colbert and Coach Tomlin sat down and had a real heart-to-heart conversation. And while it wasn't an easy decision, certainly not black and white, they decided that they should go in a new direction. All three were torn, quite frankly, but in the end they were all OK with the decision. The prosecution wants you to believe that this was some kind of Hatfield-McCoy decision in which people lined up on both sides passionately. That is neither true nor fair.

Second, the prosecution wants you to believe that Mr. Rooney was meddlesome. They put him in the same light as Jerry Jones, down on the sideline calling plays. That's terribly unfair. Sure he has input, perhaps strong input, on matters every once in a while. But he only becomes involved rarely and after a season has ended. What's wrong with that? Is there any boss in America that doesn't step in now and again to make adjustments? Is there any office building or work setting in this country where the boss hires people and then runs off to Siberia to avoid being meddlesome? Again, that black and white mentality. At the slightest management involvement, naysayers claim that the boss should hire people and then let them do their job." That's just not reality.

Third, after the Steelers gently told Arians that his contract would not be renewed, it was a fair assumption that Arians might retire. He's 59-years old and has actually been talking about retirement. Just last year, in fact, he had to be talked out of retirement by Ben Roethlisberger. And he hasn't had any overtures of leaving the Steelers for a head job elsewhere. Wouldn't this lead you to assume that maybe Arians would indeed retire after not receiving a contract? The Steelers may have believed that he might retire even with a contract offer! So they took the high road. They called it a retirement. They thought they did Arians a favor by softening the blow. Folks, this happens all the time. This isn't deception. It's being kind. This is a common white lie equivalent to telling your grandma her mashed potatoes are delicious just to spare her feelings. As fate would have it, that white lie backfired when Arians took another job. It was Arians who spilled the beans on the team that tried to do him a favor. When he took that job with the Colts, it made the Steelers look bad, but really?

Fourth, it was Tomlin who hired Todd Haley. By this time members of the media wanted you to believe that Tomlin, in one writer's words, was "emasculated." They wanted you to believe that Tomlin was some kind of puppet and that Art Rooney had become another Jerry Jones. That is flat out untrue. Tomlin hired Haley and while the Arians saga was perhaps bittersweet in Tomlin's mind, he is genuinely excited about bringing in Haley. The prosecution wants you to believe that Haley was forced upon Tomlin and nothing could be further from the truth.

And finally the Ben thing. Mr. Rooney wants Ben to tweak his game, and the prosecution wants you to believe the sky is falling. All the Steelers want is for Ben to remain upright. Even Ben himself admitted that the healing process was much slower for a 30-year old than a 23-year old. What is wrong with wanting to adjust your game to increase the chances of staying in the game! We all know the NFL is a razor thin line. Is it that far-fetched to think that if Ben was healthy he might not have thrown that interception near the goal-line against San Francisco? Is it that far-fetched to think that a healthy Ben could have beaten the 49ers, gotten the number one seed and then won another Lombardi? Yes, we all want Ben to extend plays. We know that is a unique strongpoint of his game and a factor that makes him elite. But now that he's 30, the Steelers need to be a little less schoolyard and a little more Bradyish. That's all, a tweak that might result in a championship compromise. Arians wasn't going to do that. They were too far down the road. A new guy will have both the ability and desire to adjust Ben's game to achieve that delicate balance

Oh, and one more final thing. The prosecution wants you to believe that an outraged Ben demanded a sit-down with Rooney, bypassing Coach Tomlin, to confront the Steelers on the transition. That's silly. All Ben said was that he was anxious to have a pow-wow and talk about the new direction. What is wrong with that? They better had a sit-down! Ben is not a public relations major. He doesn't carefully measure his words to make sure all the naysayers don't go into cardiac arrest. But trust me, Ben is fine and will be fine. Winning is the perfect elixir. Watch the Steelers win some games next year and we'll forget we were even in this courtroom. Please ladies and gentlemen, don't let the prosecution fool you. The picture they painted is grossly unfair.

It’s not just those that played with or against former Steelers center Dermontti Dawson that admired the way he played the game, but also those that came after him. Today’s Steelers’ offensive line...

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This could potentially be the shortest article in the history of Behind the Steel Curtain, because the pedantic answer is no. "Prima donna" is an Italian term with a feminine ending, and therefore refers to a woman. Ben could be a "primo uomo," but not strictly speaking a prima donna. In the same way he cannot be accused of being a diva, although he could be called a "divo."

However, I suspect most of you aren't here for an Italian lesson—you are either here to fuel your Roethlisberger rancor or to look for information showing him in a good light. So let's jump right in.

Both the terms "diva" and "prima donna" come from opera, and refer to the principal female singer. This is the lady (possibly fat) who gets the best arias, sings the high notes as she dies, and spends as much time on stage as possible. Back in the 18th and early 19th centuries the principal singers were expected to not only sing what the composer wrote but to throw in extra stuff of their own choosing. This extra music was "cadenzas" (fancy bits of music made up on the spot while the orchestra waited, sort of like a jazz solo.) But the principal singers often went a step farther, inserting one or more arias from completely different operas, chosen to show off their voices.

Putting in arias by different composers made the guy who wrote the opera pretty mad. But the producer didn't care. If the prima donna and/or the primo uomo were big enough names, they could pretty much do as they liked. They were the rock stars of their day.

The cadenzas made not only the composer but most everyone else mad, because they could go on for quite a while. Often the orchestra would have had time to go out for a beer. Or two. The longest cadenza on record, sung by Gaetano Crivelli at La Scala in 1815, went on for over 25 minutes. And you thought commercials were bad.

Crivelli was a primo uomo, being a tenor, but many of the most sought-after singers of the day were harder to classify. They were the castrati, men who had been—er, never mind. Let's just say they sang the women's roles. Football players may complain about what they suffer for the game, and rightly so, but I'll bet none of them have gone to those lengths.

Singers have not changed much since the 19th century, except for the castrati part, thankfully. When I first went to music school I soon learned to recognize the specialty of the other music students by just watching them walk down the halls. The trumpet players were boisterous, the horn players neurotic, the flute players thin and willowy, whether male or female, and the string players were mousy and frequently lacked personal hygiene skills. The singers were a breed apart. They took up more of the air in the room, and not because they were necessarily large. The days were even then departing when a singer could get away with weighing 300 pounds because they could sing well. Their personalities just dominated whatever space they were in.

This is true wherever you go. Some singers are nice and relatively normal and some are like the old joke. (Q: What's the difference between a soprano and a piranha? A: Lipstick.) But it takes a certain sort of personality to be willing to step onto a stage and sing in front of people when you're not in a karaoke bar. Your voice IS you. If you are a violinist and somebody doesn't like your playing you can blame your instrument. When you're a singer you may perhaps be able to develop better technique or more breath control, but your voice is what you've got, and you can't buy a better one. Supposedly the number one fear most people have is the fear of public speaking. Singing is like public speaking, only naked. And it's cold in the room.

A quarterback is the football equivalent of the starring singer. Basically, it's all on them. They couldn't be anonymous if they tried, and they wouldn't want to try, because it's who they are. Like singers, they may be nice, like Aaron Rodgers seems to be, or they may be cool, like Tom Brady seems to be until something annoys him, but they are first and foremost competitors. In short, they are the primo uomos.

There are other divos on the field, of course, just as there are the singers who have the supporting roles. Those would naturally be the wide receivers and, lately, the new hybrid model tight ends. And let's not forget the top-flight running backs either. There are also the singers who only made it into the chorus, and provide the backdrop for the main stars in anonymity, like the offensive line.

The analogy breaks down here, because often the singers in the chorus wish they were the stars, and they like to talk about the stars behind their backs in what may be a catty fashion. The stars also have backups, and I suspect some plotting goes on—casually loaning the star a handkerchief last used in the pulmonary ward, for example. I don't believe the Steelers culture fosters this, but I can think of teams where this might be a fair comparison. For fear of legal action, however, I won't mention any of them.

But let's return to Ben. He seems to be not only a primo uomo but an old-fashioned one. He takes the careful composition his coaches have crafted and embellishes it or even adds completely different elements. Some may think this is a necessity, but it's a preference. Don't take my word for it, though. You can hear it straight from the horse's mouth, taken from his latest interview with Mike Prisuta. (You can listen to the interview, and Prisuta's comments, here.)

When asked why he is insistent upon his style of "sandlot" quarterbacking, Roethlisberger said the following:

"...obviously just throwing touchdown passes is awesome. Five step drops, hit while I throw, make the completion, touchdown, that's awesome. But there's something a little bit fun about a guy hanging on your leg, and you push him off, and you scramble out, and a receiver breaks his route off, and the defense thinks they have you sacked, and the coach is yelling, and you throw a touchdown. There's just something a little special about that. I don't want to do those all of the time, but it's neat and fun to do. It's fun to see how it demoralizes the defense."

This piranha doesn't even have lipstick on. Note the basic answer; "It's more fun for me, and messes with the heads of those around me." Sort of like insisting on inserting an aria from another opera. It doesn't have anything to do with the plot of the opera you're performing, but it gets the audience excited!

Or how about this comment, when asked if the Steelers will still throw the ball a lot, or even most of the time:

"I hope so. Shoot, if we go no huddle, I'll make sure we do." And while he's at it, he may extend the play. Maybe even for a record 25 seconds or so!

When asked how the Steelers players might respond if Haley turned out to be a, shall we say, difficult person to get on with, Ben said:

"A good coach in my opinion knows how to coach players and each player. It's kind of the same way with me as a quarterback. Each guy gets motivated in a different way...they all need to be kind of led in a different way."

Translation: It's all about me.

Ben demonstrates the classic symptoms of primo uomoism, to coin a phrase. But is this a bad thing? Actually, I think it is not only not a bad thing but actually necessary. If he weren't, he wouldn't be a good quarterback, because it goes with the territory.

It takes a certain type of personality to be able to do the job of a quarterback well. It's possible to have the personality and not the talent, and naturally if this were the case you wouldn't be any good, but I believe if you have the talent but not the personality you won't be a success either, at least not at the "elite" level. He has to have confidence in his ability to make things happen and a fierce desire to win.

Like any reasonably sensible singer, he will listen to his coaches and directors as long as he's convinced they can help him do what he loves best—win, and be a star in the process—more effectively. Sure, he's a diva, but he's our diva, and his ultimate aim is exactly the same as the aim of his coaches and of Steeler Nation—a Super Bowl ring for each of the remaining four fingers.

If believe if Todd Haley is smart he will work to persuade Ben of his ability to help the players to be their best, in the best way for them. Some people may not like Ben's comments, but they are honest. A more subtle man than Ben might couch his remarks more tactfully, but there is a great advantage in knowing where he stands. Ben has won a lot of games for the Steelers, and deserves some consideration to be given to his opinions. Haley has to win his trust, and I hope he starts soon. Here's one last comment from Ben:

Asked if he had been yelled at personally, Ben said "plenty...it's not fun to be yelled at, I don't think anyone likes it, but to me you get just as much, if not more, out of me if you just talk to me whether I screw up or do good. Just talk to me, so we can work through the reason I'm getting yelled at."

Translation: "I'm almost 30 years old, I've been doing this a long time, and I'm pretty good at it, so treat me like an adult." Which seems entirely reasonable, even for a prima donna.

Ike Taylor knows there has to be a little break from the end of the football season until he goes into his offseason conditioning full tilt, but that doesn’t mean he has been sitting around idle si...

Shortly after the new year, I had a back and forth email session with someone debating the abilities of Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin. It was a respectful debate, but the person I was talking with was certainly on the "anti-Tomlin" side of the issue.

This was right in the middle of the "should he play or shouldn't he play" Ben Roethlisberger high-ankle sprain saga: a saga that proved to be a no-win situation for Tomlin.

During the discussion, this person said that he didn't think Tomlin was a great leader, didn't think Tomlin ever had his team ready to play an entire 60-minute game, and thought Tomlin only really had success because he inherited Bill Cowher's players (in addition to disagreeing with how Tomlin handled Ben's ankle issue).

This kind of criticism is nothing new for coaches--it goes with the territory--and Tomlin certainly isn't the first coach to get criticized and have his abilities questioned. It happens to the best of them.

In fact, the legendary Bill Cowher used to hear similar criticisms all the time. His teams were never ready to play (only after a loss, of course), he was too much of a player's coach, he was way too conservative, and of course, the old stand-by--he always got out-coached in the big games (again, only following a loss).

By the late-90's, just when the Steelers six-year playoff run came to an end (conveniently enough), there was talk that maybe the Rooneys should part ways with Cowher and bring in a new guy who would take the Steelers to the next level.

The Rooneys did the opposite, however. They extended Cowher's contract, and this proved to be a sound move as The Chin was able to survive the lean years and rebuild the team back into a Super Bowl contender by 2001. In 2005, Pittsburgh finally won the "one for the thumb," and Cowher retired as coach just a year later. Today, if you ask any Steelers fan, Bill Cowher was the most perfect coach who ever lived.

I'm not trying to down-play what Bill Cowher did. He had an amazing career and helped to revitalize Steeler Nation after the lean years of the 80's. His 15-year career speaks for itself: 149 regular season victories, 10 trips to the playoffs, two Super Bowl appearances, and a Super Bowl Championship.

What I am saying is that Mike Tomlin is putting together a pretty decent career in his own right. Is he perfect? No, but he's already done so much before the age of 40.

In Tomlin's five years as Steelers head coach, he's averaged 11 wins a year, taken his team to the playoffs four times, been to two Super Bowls, and already has a Super Bowl ring.

I believe Mike Tomlin is a great leader. Is he the kind of coach who wears his emotions on his sleeve? No, but Tomlin convinced me of his extraordinary leadership skills back in 2010. With everything the team faced that year - from Big Ben's suspension to "fine-gate" - the wheels could have easily fallen off the wagon. The Steelers had just missed the playoffs the year before, and I don't think too many people would have been surprised if they struggled to finish at .500. Yet, there they were: despite so many obstacles throughout the year, they were playing in Super Bowl XLV and coming within one drive of winning their seventh title.

I'd say that's an example of a pretty good leader.

As for Tomlin having his team ready to play for 60 minutes - well, it's always easy to say that a team wasn't ready to play after a loss, but I recall Super Bowl XLIII being pulled out in the 60th and final minute. I don't think any Steelers fan will forget those 60 minutes. I'd say a record of 55-25 is a pretty good indication that Mike Tomlin knows how to get his troops ready to play some football on a consistent basis.

And finally, there is that sentiment held by a lot of Steelers fans that Tomlin has been winning with Cowher's players. This is another no-win situation for any coach who takes over a successful franchise. If he succeeds, he only did it because he inherited great talent. If he loses, however, people wonder why he couldn't win with such a loaded roster.

There is no doubt that Tomlin inherited a very talented team from Cowher, but you can say the same thing about Cowher when he took over for Chuck Noll in 1992.

Even though the Emperor didn't have a great record with first round draft choices in his final few years as coach, he still left Cowher with more than enough talent to build from. Neil O'Donnell, Greg Lloyd, Dermontti Dawson, John Jackson, Rod Woodson, Carnell Lake and Ernie Mills were all players that were added to the team in Noll's last few years as head coach. And they were the core of Cowher's playoff teams from the 90's.

The 2012 season has already been a pretty bumpy ride for the Steelers, and with the salary cap issue still unresolved and free agency looming, the roads could become even harder to navigate. But in Mike Tomlin, the Steelers have a pretty good driver behind the wheel.

Emmanuel Sanders was on ESPN Radio AM 970 Sunday morning, and confirmed he was told he would return kicks and punts for the Steelers in 2012.

Observer-Reporter's Dale Lolley tweeted the news.

Sanders will replace AFC Pro Bowl WR/KR Antonio Brown, the only player in NFL history with 1,000 return and receiving yards in the same season. It's likely due to the larger role Brown will play in the team's offense, but at the same time, Sanders performed well on returns his rookie season, picking up 628 yards on 25 returns.

Sanders added 60 yards on four punt returns in 2010. Last season, he fought through injuries and returned five kicks for 93 yards, and three punts for 22 yards.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin once said, "two dogs, one bone", of the competition between the young receivers that were both taken in the 2010 draft. They weren't both active for every game, but it seemed that kind of competitive mentality was paying off - especially in the second half of the season and the playoffs.

Sanders, a third-round pick out of SMU, had seven catches for 91 yards in the Steelers' three playoff games en route to a Super Bowl loss to Green Bay. Brown, a sixth-round pick out of Central Michigan, came up with a huge clutch reception that helped propel Pittsburgh past Baltimore and into the AFC Championship game that same year.

Brown stepped his game up in 2011 and will be counted on heavily again next year. But a healthy Sanders should be expected to perform at a high level as well.

Looks like they're still fighting after that one bone.

The Steelers and VA Healthcare VISN hosted Heroes at Heinz Field. 75 US military veterans took part and had the opportunity to throw, kick, and catch with some of their favorite Steelers players.

The Pittsburgh's Best Sports Blogs tournament is underway, and No. 1 seed Behind The Steel Curtain took a first-round victory over Pirates blog Hyzdu Headquarters.

In our joyous celebration, we caught up with the moderator of the contest, Sean from Sean's Ramblings, a blog worthy of inclusion in this contest in its own right.

BTSC squares off against Pirates blog The "Mc" Effect starting Monday morning.

BTSC: First off, I love the tournament idea. It's unique, it's fun, and I would imagine it's pretty widely followed. How did you come up with the idea, and what's your impression on the reaction to it in the Blogosphere?

Sean: I saw something on Deadspin several years ago about a website creating a Best Sports Blog Tournament. I don't think that tournament proved to be very successful, but I thought that it might be fun to create one for the Pittsburgh sports blogging community. Overall, I think the reaction to the tournament has been positive. It gives some extra exposure to some great Pittsburgh sports blogs, and I think most folks see it as something fun to do during a time when the sports calendar is a little lighter after the NFL season ends and before Spring Training games, the NCAA Tournament and NHL playoffs.

BTSC: It seems like it's run pretty simply. You've got a poll embedded into your site, links to each participating blog (rules for eligibility are linked here) and whomever gets the most votes wins.

I'm a sucker for brackets.

If nothing else, it shows how tapped in to the Pittsburgh sports community you are. How do you go about coming up with the participants, and from there, how do you handle the seeding?

Sean: I select blogs in the tournament that have been in existence for at least one year. As you know, it is easy to start a blog, but not as easy to stay with it for a long period of time. I also pick blogs that are updated regularly. I'm not sure how you could include a blog that takes off three months during the summer or only posts once a month. While I feel fairly connected in the Pittsburgh sports blog community, I also ask for opinions on my blog and by asking other bloggers about blogs that I should include.

I find seeding to be difficult. The "popular" blogs that receive the most comments earn the highest seeds. In addition, almost every blogger now uses Twitter, so I also use the number of Twitter followers to assist with seeding. It is certainly not an exact science, so maybe someone can create a Pittsburgh sports blog RPI to assist in creating the field and seeds!

BTSC: You have 32 blogs spread into four regions, each of them named after a different sports figure - Walter Abercrombie, Dave Clark, Vonteego Cummings and Kip Miller. Not questioning their inclusion but what led you to choose those four?

Sean: Regarding the region names, I've picked some of my favorite Pittsburgh sports figures from my childhood and teenage years that are usually the role players rather than superstars. I used Louis Lipps, Doug Frobel, Ironhead Heyward, John Cullen, Johnny Ray, Carlton Haselrig, Demetreus Gore among others in the past.

For this year, Dave Clark was always one of my favorite Pirates since he always seemed to get a key hit. Kip Miller had the best goal I ever saw live at the Civic Arena. He lost his stick in the defensive end and it somehow got kicked all the way into the offensive end. He picked up the stick just in time to score on a rebound. (I've spent way too much time unsuccessfully looking for a video of this goal on YouTube.) I guess Vonteego goes under the superstar label since he carried Pitt's basketball team. Finally, Walter Abercrombie was a fun name to say when I was in elementary school!

BTSC: In your write-up announcing this year's tournament, you mentioned Feb. 10 being Umbrella Day. Outside of getting that horrible song by Rihanna stuck in my head, what's the relevance of Feb. 10 as a starting day? Is that just the day you chose, or does this time of the year (and not the obvious March Madness) have any particular symbolism for the tournament?

Sean: I also included "Bus Stop" by The Hollies, so hopefully that song will stick in your head instead of Umbrella.

There is no symbolism in announcing the start of the tournament on February 10th other than it is after the Super Bowl and is a lighter time in the sports calendar. Plus, with the Steelers appearing in the two Super Bowls prior to this year, it made sense to start the tournament in mid-February since people were especially tuned in to Pittsburgh sports blogs.

BTSC: Do you see a spike in traffic at all when the contest is going on? What kind of reaction do you get from people? I would think people would get pretty riled up over the results.

Sean: There is definitely a spike in traffic on my blog during the contest. Many more people are interested in voting and following the results than reading my stories about getting free burritos for a year, flying from LAX to Washington (I saw Carson Daly at LAX), or my own take on Pittsburgh sports. Overall, the reaction has been positive. Yes, there are certain rivalries where Pirates fans want to defeat Steelers blogs, and there will be some opposition to including a Penn State blog in the mix, but I think most people see this as fun.

After discussing Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill as a possible target by another team (trading into the Steelers spot at 24th overall), the BTSC Draft Forum is now moving onto players the Steelers may draft themselves.

First up is Cordy Glenn, the mammoth G/T prospect out of Georgia.

The 6-foot-5, 346-pound Glenn fits the Steelers' desire to bring in offensive linemen who can play more than one position. His height and length make some see him more as a tackle, while his bulk and explosiveness seem to fit the profile of a guard.

For better or worse, the Forum's impression of him is mixed.

I just don't think he is a 1st rounder at the moment. I've only seen one game of him at G and he looked kind of awkward moving around in that role. He was shaky in pass protection and he couldn't stay on his man when he was run-blocking. I actually think he may make a better RT than G, being that he looks a lot better run-blocking when playing OT. Maybe after the combine I will think he is a 1st rounder, but he is a high 2nd to me now. Would rather have a pure G like Kevin Zeitler in the 2nd.

- Parris Brantley (a.k.a. StoneColdSteel)

It's worth mentioning that Glenn started 50 games along the offensive line at Georgia, tied for the most in school history with Clint Boling (4th round pick by Cincinnati in 2010). Of those 50 starts - 28 came at left guard, 18 at left tackle and four at right guard. Some feel he's best suited to the the interior of the offensive line.

Cordy Glenn to me is going to be an NFL guard. His absolute ceiling would be RT, but he'd need a lot of work on his mechanics. I think he lacks the natural elite athleticism to be a LT. He has the strength to keep rushers out of the pocket face to face, but he can struggle when blocking in space. He does great work with his hands, but lacks quick footwork in pass protection. In run blocking, Glenn has great lower body work that allows him to get a great push. If you compare him to Decastro he is probably a bit stronger, but DeCastro's technique and mechanics are far superior. Anyway, I think he would automatically be the best guard on the Steelers and with coaching could be one of the better OGs in the league. Definitely worth the pick at 24.

- John Stephens

Others feel he is more of a tackle prospect.

I know everyone is projecting Glenn at Guard, but I can see him playing OT in the NFL. Glenn played LT this past season at Georgia, and played well enough to be selected All SEC first team, making him one of the top offensive lineman, in the best conference in college football. Glenn moves better than Marcus Gilbert, has longer arms, and is a couple of pounds heavier than Gilbert was when he entered the draft. I watched Glenn play against LSU this past season, and he had no problem holding off the pass rush, against the best defense in college football.

Glenn has great feet, is able to stay low in his stance, and has good balance when engaging defenders. The same skill set he was able to display playing at LT, would also apply to LG. Add to that, that Glenn was able to play at a high level, against some of the best defenses college football has to offer, and I don't see how a team can go wrong drafting him in the first round.

- Greig Clawson

It's hard to see a player as big and versatile as Glenn falling out of the first round, and it seems likely he'll land somewhere in the 20s if he tests well at the 2012 NFL Combine (Feb. 22-28).

His footwork will likely keep him away from the highly-coveted left tackle position, but that isn't to suggest he could not play there. Branden Albert had really only played guard at the University of Virginia, since left tackle was locked down during his collegiate career by D'Brickashaw Ferguson (4th pick overall in 2006) and Eugene Monroe (8th overall in 2009). Albert was very highly rated at guard, but wanted to prove his position flexibility and ended up being selected 15th overall by Kansas City in the 2008 NFL Draft. He has since played every snap of his professional career at left tackle.

Glenn's versatility is key. If he could not only develop into a starting guard but also a quality back-up tackle, the Steelers would have more flexibility should heavy casualties again ravage the offensive line.