Steel City Jim

Well, fans, football is in the air. It still may be stifling hot and terribly humid, but the boys, both college and pro, are in camp and preparing (and sweating) for the upcoming season. I visited Steeler camp last week and was treated to a variety of things, including the two-minute drill. It's the fifth year in which five friends and I make the trek to Latrobe and thoroughly enjoy ourselves.

With the start of the Steeler season just weeks away, here is ...

WHAT WE KNOW:
1. The Steelers fired the old special teams coach and hired a new one. This was no surprise after disastrous special teams play in 2009 in which, among other embarrassments, they led the league by allowing four touchdowns on kick returns.

2. With an obvious demise of the running game and the failure to protect the passer in 2009, they fired the old offensive line coach and hired a new one, a guy named Kugler. Kugler is a more smash-mouth in his approach. One of the goals is to run and protect better, but also to ...

3. ... improve the short-yardage running game both near the goal line and in the open field. The Steelers failed to punch the ball into the end zone too many times last year and had to settle for field goals. Beyond that, and very importantly, they failed on numerous occasions to attain a first down and keep a drive alive when, with less than five minutes left in the game and leading on the scoreboard, they couldn't pick up a yard or two on the ground. This led to turning the ball over and allowing the opposition to score winning points.

4. They brought back two former stalwarts on defense, Larry Foote and Bryant McFadden. These guys know the system and are expected to contribute immediately. They also have Polamalu and Smith back from injuries. The loss of these two really hurt the defense last year.

5. Roethlisberger will have a maximum suspension of six games. This could be reduced to four games if he turns his attitude around.

6. Santonio Holmes is gone. He was a tremendous contributor to this team on the field (off the field was another story). The Steelers brought in former 49ers receiver Arnaz Battle, got back Randle El, and drafted two speedsters, Sanders and Brown. They hope that at least one of the above can begin to fill Holmes' shoes. But that it is stretch considering how effective Homes had been over the past four or five years. Ward, the real go-to guy, is in his 13th year in the league and is obviously getting a little long in the tooth.

7. We know that the Ravenzzz have put together a veritable all-star team. They think this is their year. Many of the pundits around the country fully agree with them. Many are ceding the division to them. Another scary team is the Bengals who won every AFC North game last year. So, these are two teams that seem to be superior to the Steelers. Even the Browns have new life, and while they may not quite challenge for the division in 2010, given the competition, they are awakening from their long slumber and will be heard from, even in 2010.

WHAT WE DON'T KNOW
1. We don't know how effective the new special teams and offensive line coaches will be in achieving their assignments. Improvements in these two areas will represent a sea change over last year.

2. We don't know if Byron Leftwich or Dennis Dixon can fill in effectively during Ben's suspension. If they cannot, their season may well be over after the first four games, assuming that is the extent of the suspension.

3. We really don't know how long Ben's suspension will be. Roger Goodell stated that with "good behavior", Ben's absence could be limited to four games. But Ben, to everyone's surprise, seems to have made a 180-degree turn. He has turned into "Mr. Congeniality", smiling at the cameras and visiting hospitals, etc. When Goodell was at Steeler camp last week, he intimated that he was very impressed with Ben's new attitude. This sparked speculation that maybe Goodell would even reduce the suspension to maybe two games. But that is strictly speculation and we won't know anything for certain until about Labor Day.

4. Another unknown factor is the Tomlin effect. Many consider Tomlin to be a top notch coach. This season is arguably the most challenging of his young career. Much of the success or failure in 2010 will be laid at his doorstep.

-- JIM REICH
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Last week was the week that was nothing. It was pre-hype week for the Super Bowl leading up to the Pro Bowl. Here's some things on my mind:

1. Why do they play the Pro Bowl? They should just appoint a virtual team and let the pundits jawbone about which will win, who will star, etc. Kind of like trying to figure out how the 1975 Steelers would do against the 1968 Packers. All these sessions accomplish is using up air time when there's not much else to talk about. Getting back to the Pro Bowl, why should they risk any players getting hurt? I did catch snatches of the game last night and I noticed that there wasn't much passion. They went through motions, but no one hit anybody. That's why the score was so high. The whole exercise is ridiculous.

2. I see that Kiper's first-round draft picks are coming in at the bottom of the screen. I don't think I ever remember Kiper or any other draftnik predicting who the Steelers would pick in the first round, or in ensuing rounds. It makes for some interesting punditry, but it is highly inaccurate. And we have more than two months to go before the draft.

3. I'm glad I don't have to make decisions on which older NFL players to sign, let go, or put the franchise tag on. I think the Steelers have been pretty good at sizing this up in the past. They have let quite a few guys go who didn't have much gas left in the tank. But there were a couple of exceptions. One was Rod Woodson who played very well for the Ravenzzz. Another was Chad Brown. Finally, Alan Faneca has been doing very well with the Jets. I heard last week that Joey, the Mouth of the South, was on the bubble in Miami. Joey hasn't done much since leaving the Steelers but pick up big paychecks and exercise his vocal chords.

4. The Orioles will carry on spring training in Sarasota in coming years. Sarasota lost the Reds, who went on to greener pastures. Sarasota will build a new stadium for the Orioles. Interestingly, they will vend crab cakes, a Baltimore staple, and Boog's barbeque. The food could be the best part of going to a game. (I am in Sarasota as I write this.)

5. It looks like the Pitt basketball team is seeking its own level. After starting the Big East schedule with five straight victories, it has lost to the likes of Georgetown (the real deal), Seton Hall and South Florida. One thing about coach Jamie Dixon, he'll get the most out of what they got. But maybe they ain't really got that much after all.

6. It has just emerged that Mario Lemieux and his partner, Ron Burkle, offered to buy the Pirates. But the current owner, Mr. Nutting, turned them down. Nutting is pretty shrewd. He's a bottom line guy. His payroll is $35 million, I think that is the lowest in the Major Leagues. He is hoping that some of his youngsters can blossom and that some of the free agents (the ones no one else wants) will miraculously rise from the ashes and have a stellar year. This hasn't happened in the past 17 years. But Nutting can dream. In the meantime, the Lemieux-Burkle combine could be THE answer to the Pirates problems. They would breathe life and cash into the team that currently has neither. It would bring the Pirates into line with the other ridiculous payrolls in the Major Leagues and make them competitive. It's sad but true. Baseball sucks.

Let's face it, the old adage about an NFL season being Darwinian is accurate. In many cases, those teams that can avoid serious injuries to key players have a real shot at making the playoffs. Those whose teams suffer those types of problems usually end up in the pack. An example is the Patriots last year. They lost Brady for the season and their season went south. This year it's the Steelers' turn. With Aaron Smith out for the season, Polamalu and Keomatu iffy on a week-to-week basis, it is very difficult to bring on replacements with the skill they possess. Opposing teams exploit these absences, and a season can easily be turned around.

Compounding this problem for the Steelers is Ben's concussion problem. Ben is the fulcrum of this team. With him out, the situation takes on much greater proportions. To add to this misery, the Steelers went to Baltimore last night without their No. 2 quarterback, Charlie Batch. The only guy left was Dennis Dixon, a fifth-round draft pick in 2008 who had thrown exactly one pass in a regular-season game up until last night. To make matters worse, it was thought that Ben would play last night until Thursday after practice. So, it was only on Friday morning that they realized that Dixon would be the starter. It was too late to insert a game plan for him. To give them an alternative if Dixon went down, they signed Tyler Palko late in the week. He didn't even know the signals let alone the playbook. But Tomlin dressed Ben anyway and would have let him hand off the ball if it came to that. Talk about going into a key away game crippled ...

I was really ready to mail this one in. I didn't feel that given the circumstances the Steelers had the proverbial snow ball's chance last night. I was prepared for a blowout. In fact, I would have been much less disappointed this morning had it been a blowout. But, lo and behold, the Steelers played a very credible game. Dixon was a very pleasant surprise. He seemed to be very poised and in control. His passes were somewhat errant. But I am sure that the Baltimore defensive coordinator was doing everything he could to confuse Dixon. Dixon has one dimension that has been missing from the Steeler quarterback position since Kordell Stewart was here. He can tuck it in and take off. I was disappointed that Arians didn't have him call his own number more often. I think it could have made a difference. My guess is that they didn't want the kid to get hurt given the backup situation. But the game plan was crying for more Dixon carries last night.

One positive came out of the game. The Steelers didn't give up a punt or kickoff return for a touchdown. That's a revelation. But the nagging negative is that while leading in the fourth quarter, a miracle in itself, they gave up a long drive. Of their five losses, long drives in the fourth quarter have been their undoing in four of them. This is frustrating and unacceptable. I don't know what can be done about this short of getting Polamalu healthy this season. But I am wondering whether Farrior and Harrison are losing a step.

I am also wondering, given the added and obviously deserved attention the league, Congress, etc. are giving to the long-term effect of concussions, how long Ben will continue to play NFL football. One only needs to see the cases of John Mackey and Paul Martha. Martha was a receiver with Pitt and the Steelers in the late '60s and early '70s. He went on to become a respected lawyer in Pittsburgh and was also president of the Penguins. Now, he is suffering terribly from memory problems. Was this due to concussions he suffered in football? I don't know. But it could be. I also remember that Lynn Swann was advised to retire from football after enduring multiple concussions. If Ben hangs it up relatively soon, who could blame him. But Dixon looks like a pretty suitable replacement. Wouldn't you say?

The playoff picture is becoming very clear. New Orleans, New England, Minnesota and Cincinnati look like the cream. Each has an A-No. 1 quarterback. San Diego is coming strong. To me, these are the outstanding teams that will vie for the ultimate prize. Of course, there will be surprises. There always are. But my money is on those four.

-- JIM REICH

Goodness. Golly. Gracious me. Did you see that machine called Ravens last night? Forget the final score. After the vets sat down, the has-beens and never-wuzzes took the field. But when the first-team Ravens were playing, they were slick as could be in all phases of the game. They look not only to be in mid-season form, but in playoff mode.

Joe Flacco is the real deal. He was zipping the ball all over the place. And, to think, he couldn't make a mediocre Pitt squad several years ago and transferred to Delaware! Could he be the most embarrassing Pittsburgh cut since the Steelers dismissed Johnny Unitas? And where did they both end up ... in Baltimore.

The Ravens defense didn't look like it was missing much even though its vaunted defensive coach, Rex Ryan, defected over the winter as did some key Ravens players. It looks like the Ravens very successfully replaced both Ryan and those players. They were all over poor Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez who looked like a deer in the headlights.

To boot, Ravens didn't have a full game plan in effect. They were essentially playing street football. I think you can say that the Jets aren't really going anywhere this year. But Ravens sent out a clear signal that they were be reckoned with, and the Steelers better pay heed. If there is anything the Ravens want in 2009, it is revenge for those squeaky three losses to the Steelers last year.

In the meantime, the Steelers looked anything but wonderful on Saturday night against the so-so Redskins. A few guys showed some flashes. Interestingly, guys who showed the most were two free agents who were under-the-radar signings over the winter. Nobody knew about them. Keiwan Ratliff, who had short stints with the Bengals and Colts, had an interception. The other is diminutive Stefan Logan, a former Canadian league star who had over 200 return yards on kickoffs and punts. Compared to the returners the Steelers had last season -- Carey Davis and Najeh Davenport struggled as they lumbered toward the 20-yard line -- Logan was a streak, a much-needed swifty. Rookie Joe Burnett, a fifth-round pick from Central Florida, was supposed to be a returner, but he has already fumbled kicks twice in exhibition games. That won't get it done, son.

Of course, the whole town went down in a funk when Big Ben's ankle was hurt. But then a loud collective sigh came over the Alleghenies when we found out the injury wasn't serious. Then third-string quarterback Dennis Dixon, who has improved markedly this year, went down with a separated shoulder. It's not serious, and, while he might miss some practice, he'll be back in a week or so. In a long NFL season, teams need their three quarterbacks as the front runners take their nicks.

Some thoughts on baseball: In case you hadn't noticed, the Pirates put together a five-game winning streak this past week. OK, it was against Milwaukee and Cincinnati, not exactly premier teams. But it was good to see some decent pitching and some timely hitting, with a glimmer of power at times. Now the Pirates play the Phillies and reality will set in again. It's like sending up the boys to play men. It's gonna be painful to watch.

I've been thinking about the relative brilliance of the Yankee brass. It got me thinking. Last year the Pirates gave up Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte for Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens, Jose Tabata and Daniel McCutchen. Nady hasn't meant much to the Yankees. I don't know where Marte disappeared to.

But Ohlendorf has been stellar so far for the Pirates. He and Zach Duke have been their most consistent performers. Karstens has been quite effective out of the bullpen in middle relief. Tabata is tearing up AAA ball at a .353 clip and is tabbed as a future outfield fixture. And McCutchen, a pitcher, is progressing.

Now, I don't want to take anything away from the Yankee management and its usurious $200 million-plus payroll, because the Yankees are leading their division by seven games. But maybe, just maybe, the Pirates' officials aren't as stupid as they appear. I think I will take the Nady trade and I hope the Yankees make more of them.

But when the Yankees can make a pretty lousy trade and still lead their division, face it, baseball still sucks.