Not-so-final roster cuts

Remember last year's "final" roster  cuts announced on the Saturday following the final pre-seaon game? They weren't so final. By the following Tuesday, the Steelers had made another five roster moves. The five players added in those few days after the initial "final" roster cuts were Terence Garvin, Antwon Blake, Kion Wilson, Vince Williams, and Zoltan Mesko.

So, when "final" cuts are announced today, Saturday, August 30th, don't be surprised if they're not so final. Additional roster shuffling is sure to follow. 

It's worth remembering the Steelers entered the season opener at home vs. the Titans with 19 new players. Nineteen! They lost that game, and the next three. They weren't ready. Could the same thing happen this year?

The Dog Days of August
It's Labor Day weekend, so people will be car-shopping and doing lots of fun stuff with family and friends. It's a good weekend to adopt a dog. Natch, Joey Porter's must put in a good word for our brave canine friends awaiting adoption at the Animal Rescue League and Animal Friends.  Visit your local animal shelter today, just for fun, or to volunteer to walk dogs, or even to adopt a dog (or cat, or bunny) into your home and their forever home.  You won't regret it.

And, as if you didn't know it already, Pit Bulls are cool.

Season Opener Game Day: Tee it Up

Remember this?

Before Steeler Nation makes it a foregone conclusion the Steelers will win today's 2013 season opener at Heinz Field, let's remember what happened in Nashville as recently as the night of Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012.

Mike Martin, Ben Roethlisberger

A flawed Tennessee Titans squad "upset" the Steelers behind the now-departed Matt Hasselbeck at quarterback. The Steelers' now-departed Drew Butler had a punt blocked, and that was just one of many, many mistakes that night for the Black 'n Gold.

The defensive line got pushed back consistently, and the secondary (featuring the now-departed Ryan Mundy and Keenan Lewis, who dropped an interception) got scorched. It was an ugly loss for the Steelers, and it foreshadowed subsequent losses to Cleveland, Cincinnati, San Diego and Baltimore.

That was then. This is now.

What do we know about the 2013 Tennessee Titans? 
The Titans have 20 new players on this year's roster. Twenty!  

That sounds like a lot of new faces on a 53-man roster, and it is. How many new players are on this year's Steelers' roster? Nineteen.

Tennessee invested heavily in beefing up their interior lines during the off-season. On offense, there's always lightning-fast running back Chris Johnson, but the critical additions this year are veteran left guard Andy Levitre, who signed on as a free agent out of Buffalo, and right guard Chance Warmack, who was drafted 10th overall with the team's No. 1 pick. For a while this past off-season, the NFL Network's Mike Mayock trumpeted Warmack as the best player in the draft and the potential No. pick overall. Also fortifying the offensive line will be tight end Delanie Walker, who was signed as a free agent from the 49ers.

Not Jake Locker

The Titans are hoping for a huge step up from last year's No. 1 pick, quarterback Jake Locker, who was drafted eighth overall in April 2011 but missed last year's game vs. the Steelers because of injury. In 11 games last year, Locker threw more interceptions (11) than touchdowns (10), and he took 25 sacks, but the Titans invested a high first-round draft choice in him, so he's their guy.  He will need help from receivers Kenny Britt, Nate Washington (former Steeler) and Kendall Wright, the 20th overall pick in the first round of the 2012 draft.

On defense, the Titans have a strong defensive line featuring tough-to-move Mookie Johnson, Sammie Hill and Mike Martin in rotation at tackle and Derrick Morgan a mobile force as a pass-rushing defensive end. Morgan blistered Steelers tackle Mike Adams last year but will be paired up against Marcus Gilbert today, since Adams has moved to left tackle. The Tennessee linebackers and secondary have some question marks, although Tennessee invested heavily in the safety position with head-hunter Bernard Pollard (Baltimore) and veteran George Wilson (Buffalo).

Tennessee could have a good team this year, but ... with 20 new players, it has a lot of "ifs."

Pretty much the same could be said about the Steelers.

Links worth checking:
Dave Bryan at Steelers Depot offers his typically thorough analysis of the opposing team.

Steel Curtain Rising considers the team's potential vs. question marks.

Behind the Steel Curtain profiles new special teams ace Kion Wilson.

Still Shuffling the Pieces

The regular season starts in four days, for crying out loud, and the Steelers still continue to shuffle the roster, primarily to improve special teams.

On Tuesday, the Steelers made their fifth roster move since Saturday's "final" roster cuts, promoting linebacker/special teams demon Terence Garvin from the practice squad and designating tight end Matt Spaeth for the injured reserve/to return list.

Garvin is a light (221 lbs.) and mobile linebacker out of WVU. He has the look of a playmaker on defense, but he will be expected initially to make an impact on special teams.

With the additions of Garvin, cornerback/gunner Antwon Blake, new linebackers/wedge busters Kion Wilson and Vince Williams, and punter Zoltan Mesko, Steelers' management appears to be applying a white-hot glare to the special teams, which were lousy throughout the preseason.

As if to make a point, the special teams unit is the only one of the three units (offense, defense and special teams) still not to have a captain named yet.

It's a good thing there's no playbook, to speak of, for special teams. All the changes since Saturday are special teams moves, except for the addition of new backup center Cody Wallace.

By the way, the Raiders have claimed linebacker Marshall McFadden, whom the Steelers let loose last weekend.

No Major Surprises Among Final Cuts

The big names on the list of Steelers' cuts today are running back Jonathan Dwyer and nose tackle Alameda Ta'amu.  Neither will be missed.  Dwyer fumbled away his last chance in the final exhibition game, and Ta'amu was on the team for longer than was merited.

Veteran punter Brian Moorman failed to seize the opportunity to out-kick Drew Butler, so it's no surprise Moorman is gone.

Some of this year's draft picks, namely Terry Hawthorne and Justin Brown, simply didn't pass the eye test. Hawthorne couldn't get healthy and Brown looked average, at best.

We're a bit disappointed some of the undrafted free agents didn't make the final roster, which, it should be pointed out, is subject to change between now and the season opener on Sept. 8th.  We were pulling for defensive lineman Brian Arnfelt, linebacker Alan Baxter, safety Ross Ventrone and some of the young offensive linemen.  There's a chance some of these guys go to the practice squad.

The other notable name to get cut was corner Josh Victorian, whose tackling was suspect.  His departure saves the job, for the time being, of Curtis Brown, who needs to step up his game at corner and continue to make his mark on special teams, if he is to stick around for long.

Survivors 
Also spared the axe today were offensive linemen Guy Whimper and John Malecki,  tight ends Matt Spaeth and Michael Palmer, receiver Derrick Moye, linebackers Chris Carter and Kion Wilson, safety DaMon Cromartie-Smith, corner Isiah Green and nose tackle Hebron Fangupo.

A few of those names will provoke heated discussion among Steelers fans. No surprise there, either.

Ready or Not ...

"Ready or not," Mike Tomlin said after last night's final pre-season game in Charlotte. "That's the reality this time of year."

Center Ray Mansfield, "The Ol' Ranger"

Like it or not, the start of the regular season looms.  Not that the glorified scrimmages known as pre-season games are a reliable indicator of how any NFL team will perform in the regular season, but the Steelers have looked mostly sloppy and not very good in all four pre-season games.

Running back Jonathan Dwyer fumbled yet again last night, and, although it was recovered by the Steelers, he showed once again that he is not entirely reliable.  Remember last year, the fumbles at Oakland and Cleveland?  The "tapping out" following three consecutive carries? Do we really want more of the same?

It's a little scary to think that newcomer Felix Jones might be the best alternative to Dwyer, but both Dwyer and Isaac Redman offer essentially the same between-the-tackles style, while Jones offers not only a different type of game (burst, speed, shiftiness), he can return kickoffs.   Then again, Jones and Larod Stephens-Howling are essentially the same player, but if Redman is healthy enough to start the season, and considering that Le'Veon Bell should be ready to return to action soon ... Dwyer could and should be the odd man out.

Most of the other cuts to the 53-man roster will be easy.  Dave Bryan over at Steelers Depot offers a list of players who distinguished themselves as Winners and Losers" in last night's Steelers-Panthers game -- click here to read it.  And Marc Uhlmann over at Steel City Blitz chimes in with some interesting observations, which you can read here.

Not all of the following players will make the 53-man squad, but current personal favorites among the bubble players are Brian Arnfelt, Hebron Fangupo, Alan Baxter, Isiaih Green and Mike Golic, Jr. 

We suspect the Steelers will carry just four wide receivers (Brown, Sanders, Wheaton and Cotchery), and that they may pick up somebody from the waiver wire to help the secondary. It needs help.

Getting Ready

Keeping in mind, as the late coach Fritz Shurmur once said, "There is nothing 'final' in final roster cuts," the Steelers' "final" roster cuts yesterday contained only mild surprises.  

• UPDATE: The eight practice squad signings announced today include:  Tyler Grisham (WR) and Da'mon Cromartie-Smith (DB), who were on the practice squad last year; and newcomers Morty Ivy (LB), Trevis Turner (OT), Corbin Bryant (DL), John Malecki (G), John Clay (RB) and Jamie McCoy (TE/FB).

Additional roster shuffling may occur today -- but more likely the week after the first game (when signings can be made without guaranteeing contracts for the year).

As for yesterday's cuts:

The coaching staff clearly wanted to make a decision once and for all on Tony Hills, entering his fourth training camp after being drafted in the fourth-round in 2008 out of the University of Texas.  Drafted as a tackle, Hills never saw much playing time --often inactive on game days, in fact -- but was given a chance this camp to show what he could do at guard, a move we found curious since his footwork always seemed to be the big question mark concerning his play at tackle; and also his height (6'6") would seem to work against him at guard, where mobility and leverage are prime assets. Well, the coaches started Hills against first-team units (not that those guys were necessarily taking the pre-season all that seriously) of the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons.  Clearly, the coaches wanted to give him a reasonably legitimate shot and see what could do.  That he was replaced abruptly following the Eagles game, with Doug Legursky suddenly anointed the starting right guard, had to be an ominous sign for Hills.  His time was up.  He may land elsewhere or even return here at some point.  He made it to the final cut, after all, so he must have something going for him.

A fifth-round choice in the 2010 draft, cornerback Crezdon Butler had what appeared to the layman's eye (whadda we know?) to have a reasonably good pre-season, although it didn't help that he got scorched on a 41-yard pass in the final pre-season game.  The coaches may have decided they saw a little too much of that last season, when he appeared lost in space a bit too often -- yes, we do watch this stuff pretty closely -- and it must have made Butler feel uneasy when the Steelers drafted cornerbacks Curtis Brown and Cortez Allen in the third and fourth rounds this year.  Both those guys look like keepers and simply bypassed Butler on the depth chart.  Lots of teams need help in the secondary right now, so Butler should land a roster spot somewhere today -- maybe with the Giants, the Redskins, the Falcons, the Eagles, the Cowboys, the Broncos, the Browns or the Bengals. They all need help at cornerback.  *Update:  Crezdon Butler signed on Sunday with the Arizona Cardinals, where Ray Horton, his former secondary coach with the Steelers, now serves as defensive coordinator.

Punter Jeremy Kapinos will land a job, too. Let's hope Daniel Sepulveda stays healthy. 

The Steelers must like the upside of rookie tight end Weslye Saunders, the only undrafted rookie to make the team (out of the University of South Carolina), and what's not to like?  At 6'5", 270, he's a beast, he can run, and apparently has good hands. He's got to be a big improvement over the disappointing Matt Spaeth.  Ten-year veteran John Gilmore, apparently signed in the off-season as a safety net, would have been a reasonable choice to make the team, but the coaches clearly see potential in Saunders, who reportedly had been considered a potential first-day draft pick:  

"At one point in time, Saunders was recognized as one of the best tight ends in the country and was projected as a 1st or 2nd round pick. But then Saunders was suspended and removed from the South Carolina football team for violating team rules, receiving improper benefits including heavily discounted rates at a South Carolina hotel, and making improper contact with an agent."

Heretofore unknown defensive end Jarrett Crittenton, an undraft free agent from Middle Tennessee State, merits kudos for lasting to the final cut.  With Aaron Smith, Brett Keisel, Ziggy Hood and Cameron Heyward ahead of him on the depth chart, it's a minor miracle he made it this far. If he doesn't get picked by another team, he will probably get signed to the practice squad.

That's it, Fort Pitt.

Doing the Roster Shuffle

Joey Porter's Pit Bulls were disappointed in at least three of the Steelers' roster cuts announced yesterday:  Donovon Warren, CB; Tyler Grisham, WR; and Morty Ivy, LB.

All three were longshots to make the team anyway, and all three may yet have a future in the NFL -- maybe even with the Steelers.  Still, we'd taken a liking to these guys and the way they play, and it is disappointing to see them go.

It happens every year:  Unheralded, undrafted free agents arrive in camp, make an impression, stick to the final cut and -- poof! -- are gone.  Keeping in mind this is a team that went to the Super Bowl last year ... any number of less-stacked teams (the Bengals and Browns, for example) no doubt are watching the waiver wire and may just snatch one or more of these guys from the netherland of unemployment.

Five more roster cuts are due today, and the Steelers themselves may do some late shuffling and make a pick-up or two off the waiver wire.  Even for players who are cut, of course, there is the bittersweet prospect of moving into the Purgatory that is the Practice Squad, which is where Warren and Grisham spent last season (Warren with the Jets; Grisham with the Steelers), and that would be better than NFL oblivion.

We were all set to do a thorough, in-depth evaluation of the remaining cuts that might be made today, but the Post-Gazette's astute and perspicacious Ed Bouchette beat us to it, here, and he does a much better job than we could. 

Here is the roster as it stands currently as of this writing on Saturday morning, EDT.  As fans, we find it interesting to speculate who will stay and who will go, but at least five players will lose their jobs today, and that is serious life stuff no matter who we are.  So, let's remember these guys are human beings, too.  Having said that, it's pretty clear which positions will be targeted, as Ed Bouchette notes: Defensive line, offensive line, tight end, cornerback and punter.  

Intriguing questions loom over each of these positions.  Joey Porter's Pit Bulls have an especial interest in what is going to happen at cornerback.  The salary cap (and encroaching age) may play into decisions affecting cornerback Bryant McFadden and nose tackle Chris Hoke.  As for the offensive line, tackle Chris Scott has to be on the bubble, one would think.  

We also wonder if the new kickoff rules may affect one of two players (Arnaz Battle or Will Allen) whose roles are primarily on special teams.  At tight end, it appears to be vet John Gilmore vs. rookie Weslye Saunders.  Ed Bouchette ably covers the decision at punter (Daniel Sepulveda vs. Jeremy Kapinos).

And, finally, one player whom we know next-to-nothing about is still on the roster, stubbornly and against long odds:  Defensive end Jarrett Crittenden, 6'6", 290 pounds, from Middle Tennesse State.  Who is this guy?  Might he actually make the final roster, even with recent first-round choices Ziggy Hood and Cameron Heyward ahead of him as backups to longtime veterans Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel at defensive end?
 
Today's Musical Selection

It's 91 degrees Fahrenheit in the Burgh today.  

On such a sultry summer day, we've gotta have some music.  So, since we're talking "shuffle," our musical selection today is the original "Harlem Shuffle" by Bob & Earl.  Good stuff.

Other LinksWorth Checking

• Baron Batch, who is on IR but would have made this team, lest we forget.
• Behind the Steel Curtain, with the full list of yesterday's cuts and an entry on emerging star Antonio Brown of the Young Money crew.
• Nice Pick, Cowher, always erstwhile and worth reading.
• Pittsburgh Sports and Mini-Ponies, always entertaining, even if Adobe Flash Player always crashes.

Natch, we must also remember our brave canine friends awaiting adoption at the Animal Rescue League and Animal Friends.  Visit your local animal shelter today, just for fun, or to volunteer to walk dogs, or even to adopt a dog (or cat, or bunny) into your home and their forever home.  You won't regret it.

And, as if you didn't know it already, Pit Bulls are cool.

Now It Gets Interesting: Roster Cuts Loom

The Turk Cometh ... and, no, we don't mean Steelers radio announcer Tunch Ilkin, who is of Turkish descent.  We speak of THE TURK, as in the ominous guy who darkens your locker stall and says, "Coach wants to see you. Bring your playbook."

So, the Steelers beat the Carolina Panthers last night in the fourth pre-season game.  Big whoop. At least there were no serious injuries. 

As Mike Tomlin held 11 starters out of last night's game, it's hard to say what we learned.  Some players showed flashes; some, eh, not so much.  

The bottom line: The Steelers must cut 27 players by 4 p.m. Saturday to reach the 53-man roster.  Twenty-seven!  Some of those cut will make it to the Purgatory that is the Practice Squad, which will be bittersweet for them. 

As for those who will make the regular roster, well, this is a team coming off an appearance in the Super Bowl, so how many new faces can there be?  Indeed.  That is the question.  

Keep in mind, this is an aging team due for an infusion of new blood, at least in backup/developmental roles.  Remember, too, that the roster entering last night's game contained about 15 names that we've barely or never heard of (e.g., Trevis Turner, OT?  Baraka Atkins, LB?  Armand Robinson, WR??  Jamie McCoy, TE???).

Additionally, the salary cap may play a role in some roster cuts, and a player or two may be added from the waiver wire, as other teams make their cuts.

If Byron Leftwich hadn't gotten hurt during his needless appearance last week, the QB situation would be easy:  Dennis Dixon would be gone.  Now in his fourth year, Dixon has yet to show he can throw with accuracy or consistency, nor has he shown a strong pocket presence or the ability to find open receivers.  Last night, during one sequence in the second quarter, he misfired wide and/or high on three straight passes (one to a wide-open Antonio Brown, and two others, including a painful-looking wide-and-high miss toArnaz Battle).  That sequence alone was enough to make yours truly cringe and say, "Even Joey Porter's Pit Bulls could have completed those passes, especially the one to Antonio Brown."  

Heaven help Steeler Nation, if Dennis Dixon has to play any meaningful snaps this season.  He will make the team, however, although Joey Porter's Pit Bulls would rather keep an extra defensive back or maybe even that guy Swayze Watters just to kick the ball out of the end zone on kickoffs (hey, it's worth discussing, for about two minutes, anyway, although it won't happen).

The running backs appear to be set:  Mendenhall, Redman and Dwyer (who somehow got his fat ass in shape and seems to have grasped the urgency of his situation, which was that his place on the roster was tenuous and precarious at best), plus Mewelde Moore, probably (although not necessarily).

Punter:  Surprisingly, Daniel Sepulveda may not make this team.  The Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette, writing on his blog this morning, notes astutely that the coaches had Jeremy Kapinos holding for Shaun Suisham last night, while Sepulveda held for back-up (soon-to-be-cut) Swayze Watters: 

"It's not just that Kapinos booted both of his punts 63 yards, one without a return, and had a net average of 59 yards compared to Sepulveda's two that averaged 40.5 gross, 31.5 net.  The other bad sign for Sepulveda was the fact Kapinos held the ball for No. 1 kicker Shaun Suisham while Sepulveda held for backup kicker Swayze Watters.

"Why would Mike Tomlin not have Sepulveda holding for Suisham unless his job were in serious jeopardy? Sepulveda and Suisham were together for just two games last season and they need all the real-time practice they can get. Last night was the perfect opportunity and they did not do it once. It looked more as though Tomlin were getting Kapinos ready to hold for the regular season as his punter."

Hmmm.  One thing we noticed about Kapinos last season:  He does seem to have consistently better hang time than Sepulveda. 

Other cut-down question marks abound, particularly on defense, and the Dreaded Salary Cap may play a role in some of these cuts.  Will Skip McClendon displace reliable longtime veteran Chris Hoke at backup nose tackle?  Will linebacker Morty Ivy make it solely for his work on special teams, as well as potential as a backup linebacker (possibly displacing veteran Larry Foote)?  Rookie Weslye Saunders or veteran John Gilmore at third tight end?  Saunders is the better receiver, but Gilmore's the better blocker.

The biggest decisions seem to be on the offensive line and in the secondary.

Offensive Line:  This continues to be a muddle, just as it has been all pre-season and, really, for the past three or four years.  Doug Legursky is the starter at right guard all of a sudden, and Joey Porter's Pit Bulls are cool with that.  Trai Essex has position flexibility, so he will probably make the team because he can play just about any position on the line.  One of two Super Bowl starters, Ramon Foster and Jonathan Scott may be on the bubble, and our guess is it might be Scott, who plays tackle only and may be forced out by second-round draft choice Marucs Gilbert, who has gotten a long look at left tackle this pre-season (and, for what it's worth, Scott still is listed as No. 1 on the depth chart currently listed on the Steelers' Web site, which probably means nothing).  Whither Tony Hills?  Good question, as he does remain a BIG Question Mark.  They coaches may have made their decision on Hills already, and it cannot be a good sign for him that Legursky has been named the starter at right guard.

The Secondary:  Here is where it gets really interesting, and Joey Porter's Pit Bulls would advocate keeping 10 defensive backs from the following 14 candidates:

• Corners – Decisions, decisions (yikes!)  -- Ike Taylor, Bryant McFadden, Keenan Lewis, Curtis Brown, William Gay, Donovan Warren, Cortez Allen, Crezdon Butler, Macho Harris

• Safeties:  Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark, Ryan Mundy, Will Allen, Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith

Take your pick.  McFadden hasn't played all pre-season and may not be ready for the opener; plus, he carries a big-salary hit against The Cap.  Keenan Lewis apparently has improved his game (which he absolutely needed to do).  Curtis Brown looks like a keeper, and a potential starter (even for the opener, dare we say?).  William Gay is a lightning rod for fan criticism but, really, is usually solid in the nickel-slot role (although he and McFadden were scorched repeatedly in the Super Bowl).  Joey Porter's Pit Bulls have become a big fan of Donovan Warren and Cortez Allen -- keep 'em both! -- and we'd like to feel a bit more confident in Crezdon Butler (now in his second year), who got beat on a long pass last night in Charlotte, although it appeared he got no help from the safeties. Macho Harris has an all-time great football name but was brought in off the waiver wire mid-camp, and it may that he was always considered mere training camp fodder.

Speaking of which ... Ryan Mundy reportedly has had a "workmalike" camp, but last season he often appeared lost and slow as he seemed to be chasing a lot of plays.  Longtime veteran Will Allen is more a special teams player than a safety, and he is small.  Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith was on the practice squad last season and may have a chance (but probably not).  Depth at safety clearly is a concern.  Perhaps one of the young corners can move to safety?  Probably not.

There you have it.  Questions, decisions and intrigue.  An anxious Steeler Nation awaits.