Ben Roethlisberger's legal problems in Nevada could drag on not only all season
but for quite some time after that. Although the sexual assault claims
are
in civil court and not legal, they still could have a profound mental
affect on the Super Bowl champs' most important player.
Until now, there's never been a hint of illegal activity nor even
much negative news on Roethlisberger. Other than his lapsed license to
drive a motorcycle the day he wrecked it in June 2006, Roethlisberger
has been among the squeaky-clean Pittsburgh Steelers and one of the faces of the
franchise.
That all changed last week. He has legal problems, possibly big ones,
and there's no telling how they will affect him and his team.
Coach Mike Tomlin uncannily talked about embracing distractions when
he wrapped up his team's OTA workouts June 11. Tomlin was asked how his
Super Bowl champs could avoid distractions.
Said Tomlin, "My mentality in regards to distractions is really
changing and that is probably how I am growing with the job, if you want
me to evaluate myself. If you are going to be good, distractions are a
part of it. I am more concerned about embracing that and dealing with it
and performing in the midst of it as opposed of being resistant to it.
"We have the desire to be a good team, a consistently good team, a
world championship caliber team. You have to acknowledge some attention,
some potential distractions come with that. I am not running away from
that. I want to make sure we are very good at dealing with it and
staying singularly focused on what is important and that is of course
our winning performances."
Well, it would now seem that Tomlin has his full-blown distraction to
deal with. If there is one silver lining, it is that Roethlisberger has
shown himself to be undistracted on the field over much of anything. He
has played through injuries and quickly after concussions, an
appendectomy and even missed no time in training camp of 2006 after his
June motorcycle accident.
Nothing seems to faze this guy. But if anything can, it surely would
be the current sexual assault civil case against him.
CAMP CALENDAR: Players report July 31 and will have their annual run
test that day. Practice starts Aug. 1 and continues through Aug. 20, the
last day at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. The players do not
have a day off until Aug. 12, the day before their first preseason game.
All practices are during the day except Aug. 7, when a 7 p.m. practice
will be held at the high school stadium in downtown Latrobe.
NOTES, QUOTES
--One of the intrigues of the start of training camp is whether nose
tackle Casey Hampton will report overweight. When he did that last
summer, coach Mike Tomlin placed him on PUP and made him work the weight
off for several weeks.
Asked in June if he thought Hampton would get the message this year,
Tomlin said, "You will have to ask Casey. I am always in a wait-and-see
mentality."
--Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes is one of 30 NFL players to support
President Obama and the First Family's initiative, "United We Serve"
with a PSA for television.
--The reorganization of Steelers ownership finally appears as though
it will take place after four of the Rooney brothers signed term papers
with a bank to sell their shares. Brothers Tim and Pat Rooney will sell
all of their interest in the club, 16 percent each, while brothers Art
Jr. and John will sell about half of their 16 percent each. The closing now is expected to take place over the next several
weeks.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I measure Ben on whether we win or lose. I think that
that comes with the quarterback position in this league. The great ones
lead their team to victory." - Tomlin on Roethlisberger.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
First-round draft choice Ziggy Hood remains the only player on the
80-man roster who is not under contract. Sources say Hood, a defensive
end, should be signed by the start of camp.
UNIT-BY-UNIT ANALYSIS
QUARTERBACKS: Starter - Ben Roethlisberger. Backups - Charlie Batch,
Dennis Dixon.
Roethlisberger has worked his way into the NFL elite at his position
with two Super Bowl rings, and what is now Pittsburgh's own version of
The Drive that beat Arizona in February. What they worry about is his
continued health because he has been sacked 139 times in the past three
regular seasons. Batch returns after missing last season with a broken
right collarbone in the preseason. However, Dixon will give him a run
for No. 2 in his second seasons with the Steelers. There also could be
this scenario: Dixon is really No. 3 but No. 2 on game days so they can
use him in the Wildcat offense or in other situations.
RUNNING BACKS: Starters - RB Willie Parker, FB Sean McHugh. Backups -
RB Rashard Mendenhall, RB Mewelde Moore, RB Frank Summers, FB Carey Davis.
Parker holds No. 1 entering camp and the rest is up to him and
Mendenhall, whose rookie season ended with a broken shoulder in the
fourth game. They will determine how many carries each gets as the
season goes on. McHugh is listed as the No. 3 tight end but he's their
top lead blocker, although they do not use that formation often. Moore
will be their third-down receiver and, as he showed last season, can
produce 100 yards on a moment's injury notice. Summers could become
their short-yardage man. Davis may have trouble sticking.
TIGHT ENDS: Starter - Heath Miller. Backups - Matt Spaeth, Sean
McHugh.
Miller is everything the Steelers want in a tight end. He's a good
receiver and a good blocker. That's a tough combination and he could be
a better receiver in an offense that featured the tight end more often.
Because of the below-average line play, though, Miller is required to
stay in and block. Spaeth is strictly a receiver, not much of a blocker.
McHugh is a blocker and considered more of an h-back.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Starters - Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes. Backups -
Limas Sweed, Mike Wallace, Shaun McDonald, Dallas Baker.
This could be a problem if Ward and/or Holmes miss time with
injuries. It might be a problem anyway. The loss of Nate Washington in
free agency left a void that Sweed will get a chance to fill. Wallace
cannot be counted on for much production as a rookie. McDonald actually
could be the one who steps up; he's done it in Detroit, and the Lions
did not have Roethlisberger at quarterback. Baker has hung around
the past two seasons, mostly on their practice squad, and will get his
chance again.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters - LT Max Starks, LG Chris Kemoeatu, C
Justin Hartwig, RG Darnell Stapleton, RT Willie Colon. Backups - G/T
Trai Essex, G Kraig Urbik, C A.Q. Shipley, T Tony Hills, T Jason
Capizzi, G Jeremy Parquet.
Four of the five starters were in their first seasons at the
positions in 2008, including Starks, who started two years at RT before
Colon beat him out. The Steelers hope another year playing together will
solidify this unit. Stapleton is the most susceptible to competition and
that would include rookie Urbik and veteran backup Essex. While the line
ight not be as bad as many painted it to be in 2008, it has been among the worst in
recent Steelers history. A particular sore spot is their collective
inability to drive defenders off the ball in short-yardage snaps.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: Starters -- LDE Aaron Smith, RDE Brett Keisel, NT
Casey Hampton. Backups - NT Chris Hoke, DE Ziggy Hood, DE Travis Kirschke, DE Nick Eason.
After ignoring the position for many years, the Steelers finally
drafted Hood in the first round. The line was ignored in the draft
because it was so well stocked. Their starting three are excellent and
backups Hoke and Kirschke played well in 2008. However, their top five
defensive linemen are all over 30 and will not keep playing at such a
high level for long. Hampton has had weight issues and coach Mike Tomlin
has not been patient about it. Smith, 33, has been their best defensive
linemen for years and continues to play at a high pace. The success of
the Steelers linebackers - and the many Pro Bowls they've made - is due
in part to the play of the three-man line.
LINEBACKERS: Starters - LOLB LaMarr Woodley, LILB James Farrior, RILB
Lawrence Timmons, ROLB James Harrison. Backups - OLB Andre Frazier, OLB
Bruce Davis, OLB Arnold Harrison, ILB Keyaron Fox, ILB Patrick Bailey,
ILB Donovan Woods.
The Steelers can easily lay claim to having the best group of
linebackers in the NFL. Harrison, the defensive player of the year, may
only be getting started at age 31 and Woodley was equally a dynamo in
his first season as a starter. Harrison's 16 sacks set a team record and
with Woodley's 11.5 combined to produce the most by a duo in club
history. Farrior made another Pro Bowl. Timmons replaces departed Larry Foote, but that was going to happen, one reason Foote begged out of his
contract. Timmons is a Troy Polamalu-like presence at linebacker and was
a big contributor in their nickel defense last season. The one missing
ingredient is depth; there is no reliable backup at any of the
positions.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: Starters - LCB William Gay, RCB Ike Taylor, FS Ryan Clark, SS Troy Polamalu. Backups - CB/S Deshea Townsend, S Tyrone Carter, CB Anthony Madison, CB Joe Burnett, CB Roy Lewis, CB Keiwan Ratliff, CB Keenan Lewis, S Ryan Mundy.
The Steelers have a good, not great, secondary that benefits from the
pressure the front puts on quarterbacks. Polamalu helps make everything
go with his ability to play all over the field and make spectacular
plays. Clark had his best season after overcoming a near-fatal blood
illness in 2007. Taylor often covers opponents' best receivers. Gay
alternated series with departed Bryant McFadden in 2008 and steps up
full-time, one of only two new starters from the Super Bowl game.
Rookies Burnett and Lewis along with veteran Ratliff were added to the
mix and could spell doom for veteran Townsend, 33, who played in the
nickel and dime defenses last season. The Steelers had the best pass
defense in the league in 2008.
SPECIAL TEAMS: K Jeff Reed, P Daniel Sepulveda, LS Greg Warren, P/KR
Mike Wallace, KR Joe Burnett.
Reed has never made a Pro Bowl but he has been as good a kicker as
the Steelers have had, particularly in the swirling winds of Heinz
Field. He kicks in the AFC North with all the weather and outdoor
stadiums. Sepulveda returns after ACL surgery last summer ended what
would have been his second season. He has a strong leg but was
inconsistent as a rookie in 2007 after the team used two draft picks to
get him on the fourth round. Warren also missed half of last season with
a torn ACL. Wallace and Burnett, both rookies, are the early favorites
to be their two return men. The Steelers do not want Santonio Holmes
returning punts again because of his value at wide receiver and they
have not had a good kickoff return game in years. The coverage teams
improved tremendously in 2008 and were a strength of the team, allowing
an average of 6.2 yards on punt returns, 19.1 on kickoff returns and no
touchdowns.