http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburgh...s/s_520431.html</p> </p><h1 class="headline">Steelers starters to get short work Sunday</h1> <span class="boldgrey"> By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW </span> <span class="greytext">Friday, August 3, 2007</span> Troy Polamalu does not sound like he is a big fan of the Steelers playing an extra exhibition game this year. Nor does the strong safety particularly like the idea of getting ready for a game and then playing in only part of it. "Once you get out there," Polamalu said Thursday, "you just want to play the whole game." </p> That has about as much chance of happening Sunday for Polamalu (and the rest of the starters) as Mike Tomlin wearing a Browns hat during his first game as a head coach. </p> Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said some of the starters on offense will only play "a series or two" when the Steelers take on the New Orleans Saints in the Hall of Fame game and none will play more than a quarter.</p> </p> • The Steelers have been pleasantly surprised by how quickly rookie LaMarr Woodley has picked things up. Despite the progress the second-round pick has made at left outside linebacker and the injury concerns the Steelers have at right outside linebacker (James Harrison and Lawrence Timmons won't play in the Hall of Fame Game) there are no plans to try Woodley at that spot. Linebackers coach Keith Butler said the Steelers don't want to overload Woodley, who is slated to back up Clark Haggans and play on special teams this season. In addition to Woodley, Butler said he is eager to get a look at a number of young linebackers Sunday, including Arnold Harrison, Richard Koonce, Ron Stanley and Rian Wallace. </p> </p>
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburgh...s/s_520534.html</p> </p><h1 class="headline">Davenport to start, Ben to see limited duty Sunday</h1> <span class="boldgrey"> By Joe Starkey TRIBUNE-REVIEW </span> <span class="greytext">Friday, August 3, 2007</span> Steelers coach Mike Tomlin plans to play his starters 12-15 snaps in the preseason opener Sunday against the New Orleans Saints in Canton, Ohio. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger might only play a series. </p> "It's our intention to play Ben a little less than most of the starters and go with Charlie Batch after that," Tomlin said Friday at a news conference in Latrobe. </p> Najeh Davenport will start at tailback, in place of Willie Parker (inflammation, left knee). Others who will sit out include rookie outside linebacker Lawrence Timmons (groin). </p>Tomlin did not rule out right outside linebacker James Harrison (ribs), but if Harrison doesn't play, as seems likely, Clark Haggans will switch to the right side and rookie LaMarr Woodley will start on the left side. Tomlin said Willie Reid will return punts and be the primary kick-return man to start the game. Ryan Clark will start at free safety, ahead of Anthony Smith, and Deshea Townsend at right cornerback, ahead of Bryant McFadden. </p> "Those guys are extremely consistent," Tomlin said of Townsend and Clark. "You know what you'll get from them." </p> In addition, offensive coordinator Bruce Arians will work on the field, not the press box. That is his preference. Many offensive coordinators work from the press box, but Arians also worked from the field when he was the Cleveland Browns' offensive coordinator. </p> "You can't cook from the living room," Tomlin said. </p> The quarterback rotation will see Batch followed by Brian St. Pierre, followed by Bryan Randall. </p> </p>
I know the starters will only play a series or two, but there is something about seeing live NFL football being playing that just gets the blood pumping. ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL? (even if it is the preseason doesn't count kind?)</p>
Haha I really like that last line about you can't cook from the kitchen. But I'm really looking foward to this game. I'm rooting for Anthony Smith to win the FS job.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburgh...s/s_520217.html</p> </p><h1 class="headline">Steelers vs. Saints: What to look for</h1> <span class="boldgrey"> By The Tribune-Review </span> <span class="greytext">Sunday, August 5, 2007</span> Steelers beat writer Scott Brown lists five things to watch in today's Hall of Fame game between the Steelers and New Orleans Saints in Canton, Ohio: 1. Mike Tomlin's debut. We've seen Tomlin as a head coach everywhere but the sideline. It's only an exhibition game, but it will give folks at least a glimpse into what kind of game coach Tomlin will be. </p> 2. The starters. Don't tune in late or you might miss Big Ben and Co. The starters never play much in the first exhibition game, and the Steelers have an extra one this year. </p> 3. Special teams. This is one area where the Steelers better be sharp. They've raised some eyebrows with how much they've practiced special teams during camp. </p>4. The running backs. We know Willie Parker is the starter, but who will emerge behind him, and who else among the bevy of backs battling for a roster spot will make the team? 5. LaMarr Woodley. The outside linebacker and second-round draft pick has caused the biggest stir among the rookies, and it looks like he could make the biggest impact of any of them this season. </p> </p>
<font size="5">Frankly, I couldn't care any less...</font></p> </p> ...That it's only an exhibition game. I've been waiting a long time to see some live NFL football. I love this time of year because everyone can still believe that their team has a chance. </p>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Send Em Back Al)</div><div class='quotemain'> I love this time of year because everyone can still believe that their team has a chance. </p> </div></p> Even the Cardinals?</p> Will Detroit's pre-season wins count towards Kitna's prediction? lol. </p>
I am ready for some football!*</p> </p> </p> </p> <font size="1">*(Even if most of the game will be played by second and third stringers)</font></p>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (blackadder)</div><div class='quotemain'>Even the Cardinals? Will Detroit's pre-season wins count towards Kitna's prediction? lol.</p> </div></p> Even the Cardinals.... Even the RAIDERS and the 'Phins. </p> </p> Not so sure about the Lions though.</p>
Check out the newsticker feed of the game</p> http://www.sportstwo.com/Thread/View/NFL/PITTSBURGH/751722</p>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (cpawfan)</div><div class='quotemain'> Check out the newsticker feed of the game</p> http://www.sportstwo.com/Thread/View/NFL/PITTSBURGH/751722</p></div> Link doesn't work for me.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburgh...s/s_520812.html</p> </p><h1 class="headline">Steelers win in Tomlin's debut</h1> <span class="boldgrey"> By Scott Brown TRIBUNE-REVIEW </span> <span class="greytext">Monday, August 6, 2007</span> <div id="storyBody"> CANTON, Ohio - A fair share of Steelers fans drove a couple of hours each way and endured a pregame downpour just to watch Ben Roethlisberger play one series Sunday night. That is not to say Mike Tomlin learned anything new about the devoted folks who waved Terrible Towels and cheered when the Steelers simply won the pregame coin toss. How much he learned about his team also is debatable, considering Roethlisberger traded his helmet for a baseball cap fewer than five minutes into the Hall of Fame Game. </p> Still, Tomlin had to be happy with what he saw in his head coaching debut, as the Steelers dominated the New Orleans Saints, 20-7, putting on a show during the part of the preseason when rosters weren't required to identify the players. </p> "We had a good first step," Tomlin said, adding that he would have liked the Steelers to run the ball more consistently. "I thought the effort was good. I thought the guys competed." </p>Roethlisberger looked as sharp as he had been during practices at St. Vincent College, completing 2-of-3 passes, including a 55-yarder to Cedrick Wilson on the second play of the game. He led the Steelers on a touchdown drive before making an early exit from a game that the Steelers won in front of 22,302 fans at soggy Fawcett Stadium. </p> "Had we had a three-and-out, he probably would have been back out there," Tomlin said. </p> The Steelers' first-team defense, meanwhile, limited Saints quarterback Drew Brees to just 6 yards passing. Brees, the runner-up to LaDainian Tomlinson as last season's NFL MVP, completed just 1-of-6 passes in the two series he played. </p> "They are a great offense, so we knew it would be a good challenge for us," linebacker Larry Foote said of the team that put up 31 points against the Steelers in a regular-season game last year. "Any time you hold that first-team offense scoreless, you did a pretty good job." </p> The running backs did a pretty good job for the Steelers. </p> Najeh Davenport, starting in place of the injured Willie Parker, had a 4-yard touchdown run, scoring after he bounced off a couple of Saints tacklers and into the end zone. </p> Carey Davis led all ball-carriers with 68 rushing yards on seven carries and also gained 33 yards on a screen pass. </p> Davis, who spent the final two months of the 2006 season on the Steelers' practice squad, had the longest run of the game. He rumbled 56 yards after breaking a couple of tackles. </p> Perhaps a more unlikely offensive star last night was Wilson. The veteran wideout complained last week about not getting enough passes thrown his way. </p> Roethlisberger, whose only incompletion came on a dropped pass, found him twice. In addition to the long pass play, Roethlisberger hit Wilson for an 18-yard gain on a third-and-9 play that kept the Steelers' first scoring drive alive. </p> Wilson caught four passes for 99 yards, even though he didn't play wide receiver after the first quarter. </p> "(Roethlisberger) told me at practice he was going to be looking for me," Wilson said. "I just want to go out and make plays for him and make sure he is one the best quarterbacks in the league." </p> Former West Allegheny and Pitt star Tyler Palko played most of the fourth quarter of Sunday's game for the Saints. The fourth quarterback to see game action, Palko completed 4-of-8 passes for 53 yards and an interception. He signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent and is competing with Jason Fife to be New Orleans' third quarterback behind Brees and Jamie Martin. </p> The Steelers host the Green Bay Packers in a preseason game Saturday. They realize that early August is too soon to draw any conclusions. </p> As veteran defensive end Aaron Smith said, "I think we came out and had a good showing, but we still have a lot to improve on." </p><hr /> Coaching comparison Here's a look at how Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and his two predecessors, Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll, fared in their first exhibition game: </p> Chuck Noll Year: 1969 Site: Norfolk, Va. Result: St. Louis Cardinals 27, Steelers 12 </p> Bill Cowher Year: 1992 Site: Pittsburgh Result: Philadelphia Eagles 35, Steelers 33 </p> Mike Tomlin Year: 2007 Site: Canton, Ohio Result: Steelers 20, New Orleans Saints 7 </p></div> </p>
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07218/807333-66.stm</p> </p><h2>Steelers start strong in 20-7 victory</h2> <h3>Big Ben, Wilson impressive in limited duty; Tomlin captures win in his debut as head coach</h3> <p style="text-indent: 0px">Monday, August 06, 2007</p> By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette </p> </p><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="240" align="right"><tbody><tr><td></td> <td></td></tr> <tr><td></td><td><font face="arial" size="1">Matt Freed, Post-Gazette </font> <font face="arial" size="2">Ben Roethlisberger and coach Mike Tomlin share a laugh in the first half of the Hall of Fame game against the Saints last night in Canton, Ohio. </font> <font face="arial" size="1">Click photo for larger image.</font> <hr /></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table> CANTON, Ohio -- It was a perfect start for the man in black. He showed poise, a presence and got right to the point. Mike Tomlin, dressed in black on the sideline as he made his preseason debut as Steelers coach?</p> No. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in his only series against the New Orleans Saints last night in a 20-7 Steelers victory.</p> Roethlisberger, dressed in his home black jersey in the NFL's first preseason game of the summer, was perfect on that opening series and so was receiver Cedrick Wilson. The two connected twice for 73 yards.</p> Najeh Davenport scored from the 4 and that was that for Big Ben. He was on target on all three of his passes -- the other dropped by Nate Washington -- and got off to the kind of fast start many expected after watching him practice for two weeks.</p> "It's hard to find a rhythm so early," Roethlisberger said shortly after he found it. "The second play of the game was designed for [Wilson] and pretty much only him, so it was open and I threw it deep to him. The next one to Ced, I was just trying to find the open guy."</p> It was a good start for Tomlin and his new team. He became the first Steelers coach to win his preseason debut since at least 1965 under Mike Nixon.</p> "I really kind of took myself out of it," Tomlin said of his first game as a head coach. He said he let his coaches do what they had to do, and things flowed from there.</p> "We had a good first step tonight. I thought we did some things particularly well." </p> His quarterbacks threw well and his backs ran hard, including little-known free agent Carey Davis, who rumbled 56 yards like a young Barry Foster down to the New Orleans 14 to set up a field goal. Davis led all backs with 68 yards on seven carries.</p> Santonio Holmes, listed first on the Steelers' depth chart ahead of Wilson but running behind him after missing the first week of practice, caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Brian St. Pierre.</p> Wilson remained at split end and continued to thrive after Roethlisberger left. He caught two more passes and finished the night with four receptions for 99 yards.</p> Wilson complained loudly on Wednesday that his quarterbacks were ignoring him.</p> "I'm running my routes, I'm doing the right things. You can't help if the quarterback doesn't throw you the ball. ... I just have to focus on the balls I get, I guess, because there ain't a lot of them, I'll tell you that much."</p> </p> </p> </p> </p><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="240" align="right"><tbody><tr><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td><font face="arial" size="1">Peter Diana, Post-Gazette </font> <font face="arial" size="2">Cedrick Wilson is tackled by Saints Kevin Kaesviharn in the first quarter.</font> <font face="arial" size="1">Click photo for larger image.</font></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table> He saw enough of them last night. He caught Roethlisberger's first pass on the second play of the game, a deep heave down the right sideline on play-action. Wilson caught it for a 55-yard gain to the Saints' 23. After Washington's drop at the 10, Wilson ran a slant over the middle and Roethlisberger hit him perfectly for an 18-yard gain to the 4. From there, Davenport twisted and bounced up the middle like a bus and scored to stake the Steelers to a quick 7-0 lead.</p> "He came up to me at practice this week and told me he was going to be looking for me," Wilson said of Roethlisberger, showing no apparent fallout from the receiver's midweek criticism. "I appreciate that and can be thankful for that. I just want to go out and make plays for him and make sure he is one of the best quarterbacks in the league."</p> Much of the rest of the first teams on offense and defense for the Steelers played most of the first quarter, although Tomlin juggled some players. On the second series, he moved right tackle Max Starks to left tackle and put Willie Colon on the right. He took Alan Faneca out and inserted Chris Kemoeatu at left guard. He stuck with that line deep into the second quarter.</p> That line was on the field when the Steelers scored their second touchdown to take a 14-0 lead with 8:54 left in the half.</p> Again, the quarterback was near perfect on that drive. This time it was St. Pierre and he also found a favorite receiver. Holmes, who practiced behind Wilson at split end last week, caught one St. Pierre third-down pass for 41 yards. From the 3, St. Pierre lobbed a fade pass into the right back corner, where Holmes beat cornerback Jason Craft to catch the perfect toss for the score.</p> "I think I was ready to play after catching that first pass and making a couple blocks," said Holmes, who caught three passes for 48 yards but admitted he's still not at full health. "The more opportunities that you get, the better you start feeling."</p> Jeff Reed, who earlier sent a 42-yard field-goal try wide to the left, kicked a 28-yarder 5:06 before the half to boost the Steelers' lead to 17-0 at the break. The kick came after Davis' 56-yard run down the right sideline, displaying for all to see what those in Latrobe have witnessed for two weeks in practice.</p> The Saints never threatened with their first offense, nor in the entire first half.</p> "That is our whole mind-set, to hold them scoreless," linebacker Larry Foote said. "They are a great offense, so we knew it would be a good challenge for us. We're pumped up."</p> The Saints finally broke through with a score behind their third-string quarterback, Jason Fife, who threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to backup fullback Kevin Dudley in the middle of the third quarter.</p> Reed kicked his second, from 39 yards, on the last play of the third quarter.</p> The second half, as usual in first preseason games, was played by the bottom of the depth charts.</p> "Since we didn't play much, it's more for the younger guys to see what they can do," Foote said. "Our backup guys won't play as much during the regular season so this is mainly for them." </p> </p>
