Blogs

Mark Kaboly | Tribune-Review

Especially now, everybody knows just about everything about the Immaculate Reception they can possibly know.

OK, then tell me this: How did the game end when there was 5 seconds left on the clock after Franco Harris’ Immaculate Reception and Roy Gerela‘s extra point to make it 13-7? There was still 5 seconds left. Shouldn’t there have been a kick off? What happened with the kickoff? Did the Raiders have one last play?

Well, Rocky Bleier, who was a special teams player for the Steelers at the time, has no clue.

“I don’t remember,” Bleier said Sunday before the Steelers celebrated the 40th anniversary of the play. “Did we kick the extra point? I guess we did kick off. I don’t remember. That’s crazy.”

The answer is yes. The Steelers did kick off after that mob scene on the turf of Three Rivers Stadium that we all have watched a hundred times before.

Gerela kicked the ball out of the end zone that gave the Raiders one last play at the 20-yard line.

According to the official game book from the playoff game, “(Ken) Stabler’s long pass for (tight end Raymond) Chester was broken up by.”

It was never mentioned who broke up the play, but now you know how the game really ended.

Mark Kaboly | Tribune-Review

Super Bowl MVP, Dancing with the Stars champion, soon-to-be Hall of Famer and, now, celebrity cook champion?

Well, former Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward could add another title to his resume as he will team with celebrities such as Gilbert Godfrey and participate in the six-episode reality series on the Food Network called: “Rachael vs. Guy: Celebrity Cook-Off” starring cooking experts Guy Fieri and Rachael Ray.

The eight celebrity contestants competing for the title of Cook-Off champion and a cash prize of $50,000 to a select charity include Chilli (member of pop/R&B group TLC), Gilbert Gottfried (actor, comedian), Cornelia Guest (designer, author, philanthropist), Dean McDermott (actor, reality television star), Kathy Najimy (actress, Sister Act), Carnie Wilson (singer, Wilson Phillips) and Johnny Weir (two-time Olympic Figure Skater, three-time U.S. National Champion).

Ward is on Team Rachael with Gottfried, Najimy, and Wilson.

The eight celebrities are divided into Team Guy and Team Rachael, as they compete over the course of six episodes in intense weekly challenges. The losing team must send its two bottom-rated contestants to face off against each other, with one member sent home each week in a blind tasting elimination challenge.

The show premiers Jan. 6.

Ward has been busy since his retirement last year. He hosts the “Hines Ward Show” weekly on WPXI and is part of the “Football Night in America” crew on Sunday nights.

* While former Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw won’t be at Sunday’s 40th Anniversary of the Immaculate Reception because of his responsibilities with Fox’s pregame and post-game studio shows, the Bradshaws will be represented.

Terry’s daughter, Rachel — a 25-year-old actor and country music singer — will sing the National Anthem before Sunday’s game against the Bengals.

The Steelers are planning a celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Dec. 23, 1972 game that includes Frenchy Fuqua and Franco Harris, among others.

Fuqua and Harris will take part in the pregame Terrible Towel wave.

Mark Kaboly | Tribune-Review

Steelers guard Willie Colon was placed on season-ending injured reserve for the third straight season on Tuesday, this time with a knee injury.

Now, the question arises if Colon, who signed a 5-year, $29 million deal before the start of last year, could be released during the offseason.

The Steelers are going to have a tough decision to make. Do they keep Colon and hope he can stay healthy, or sign free-agent guard Ramon Foster – who has never been hurt — to a new deal?

Believe this: Foster won’t be back next year unless he is assured of a starting position (and rightfully so), and with first-round pick David DeCastro holding down the right guard spot, a decision will have to be made between Colon and Foster sooner than later.

That decision will have to be made by the middle of March (when free agency starts). If not, then Foster will most definitely test free agency, and a solid guard with 29 consecutive starts surely would gain an opportunity on the open market.

Now, Colon is due $5.5 million this year, and because his contract was restructured last year to help the Steelers get under the cap, Colon will count a little more than $7.5 million against the cap next year. The Steelers could save approximately $1 million if they release him before June 1, but that’s not going to be the determining factor in what the Steelers decide.

I’m thinking that Colon will be kept and Foster will move on, but there are circumstances that can change that, most notably a new offensive line coach coming in.

But whatever happens, it’s going to happen quickly.

Rashard Mendenhall was drafted with the 23rd overall pick in 2008.

Looking back on it five years later, and especially in the light of the Steelers suspending Rashard Mendenhall for a game for “conduct detrimental to the team,” it is easy to criticize Kevin Colbert and the organization for “wasting” a first-round pick on a running back.

Sure, you can criticize the Steelers for settling on Mendenhall with guys like Chris Johnson and Ray Rice still on the board, but you can’t make an argument for using the pick on a running back.

Using a high pick on a running back is what NFL teams do, and that’s because it is hard to find a featured back beyond the first couple rounds of the draft.

The numbers support that.

Sure, there are exceptions, but there are many more Adrian Petersons in the league than Arian Fosters. Many more Trent Richardsons than Ahmad Bradshaws. Many more Jerome Bettis’ than Willie Parkers.

According to the current official depth charts of all 32 teams, there are 13 starting running backs that were selected in the first round of the draft with 18 of 32 within the first two rounds and 24 of 32 within the first three rounds – that’s 75 percent of your starting running backs in the NFL being a top three pick.

Mendenhall will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and most certainly won’t be back next year. But calling it a colossal failure?

Looking back on Mendenhall’s career, it isn’t all that bad. He has 3,480 yards and 29 touchdowns in 48 starts. He had years of gaining 1,108 and 7 touchdowns; 1,273 and 13 touchdowns; and 928 yards and 9 touchdowns. His career average yards per carry is 4.1.

Knowing that, the Steelers will probably be reluctant to use a first-round pick on a running back anytime soon just because they feel that other positions are more valuable than running back at the top of the draft. Remember, Mendenhall surprisingly fell to the Steelers in 2008 and basically left them no choice but to take him.

But just look at their current group of running backs – Jonathan Dwyer (6th round), Isaac Redman (undrafted), Baron Batch (7th round), Chris Rainey (5th round) and Will Johnson (undrafted) and you can assume that the Steelers will be the one team that politely passes on a running back in the first round.

If so, they would be one of the few.

TOP OF THE CLASS
Here is a list of current starting running backs
And what round they were drafted
1st round
Marshawn Lynch – Seattle
Steven Jackson – St. Louis
Beanie Wells – Arizona
Doug Martin – Tampa Bay
C.J. Spiller – Buffalo
Reggie Bush – Miami
Trent Richardson – Cleveland
Chris Johnson – Tennessee
Knowshown Moreno – Denver
Darren McFadden – Oakland
Ryan Mathews – San Diego
Adrian Peterson – Minnesota
Jonathan Stewart – Carolina
2nd round
Ray Rice – Baltimore
Maurice Jones-Drew – Jacksonville
LeSean McCoy – Philadelphia
Matt Forte – Chicago
Mikell LeShore – Detroit
3rd round
Stevan Ridley – New England
Shonn Greene – N.Y. Jets
Jamaal Charles – Kansas City
DeMarco Murray – Dallas
Frank Gore – San Francisco
Alex Green – Green Bay
4th round
NONE
5th round
Vick Ballard – Indianapolis
Michael Turner – Atlanta
6th round
Jonathan Dwyer – Steelers
Alfred Morris – Washington
7th round
Ahmad Bradshaw – N.Y. Giants
Undrafted
Arian Foster – Houston
Benjarvus Green-Ellis – Cincinnati
Pierre Thomas – New Orleans

Mark Kaboly | Tribune-Review

Steelers offensive line coach Sean Kugler has reportedly interviewed for the head coaching job at UTEP, according to Pete Roussel, the Founder/CEO of Coaching Search Consulting Inc.

Rousell Tweeted that Kugler is also the front-runner for the job. Now, According to Asher Wildman of ABC affiliate KVIA7 in El Paso, Kugler has been hired as UTEP’s head coach. No word from the Steelers or the university about the hire as of yet.

Kugler attended UTEP from 1984-88, earning letterman honors all four years. Kugler also coached tight end and the offensive line at UTEP from 1993-2000. Kugler has never been a head coach.

Kugler’s most recent college job was at Boise State, where he served as the Broncos’ offensive line coach and assistant head coach during their undefeated 2006 season. Kugler has also coached for the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills before coming to the Steelers in 2010.

UTEP coach Mike Price retired Nov. 20 after a 3-9 season, and athletic director Bob Stull has been conducted a search for his replacement ever since.

Mark Kaboly | Tribune-Review

Forty-one times over the past five years Troy Polamalu played in 100 percent of the Steelers’ defensive snaps during a particular game.

Even when Polamalu came back from a Week 1 knee injury in 2009, he played 100 percent of the snaps, and planned to do the same in October against Philadelphia before re-injuring his calf.

But this time around, and after missing two months with a torn calf muscle, the coaching staff decided to start a couple series against the Ravens last week with Polamalu on the bench.

Polamalu, who gave way to Will Allen for 14 snaps against the Ravens, welcomed the break, and wouldn’t even mind if it continued indefinitely.

“I don’t know, hopefully. We will see,” said Polamalu when asked if sitting out series will continue.

Polamalu said he had no problem with how the coaching staff used him against the Ravens.

“It is something that I really needed at this time,” Polamalu said. “It was something that I needed to adjust to but it was something that I think was smart for the coaches to do.”

Polamalu acknowledged that if he took he didn’t rush back against the Eagles that maybe he would’ve have aggravated his initial injury.

“The big argument was if I would’ve slowed myself down coming back against Philadelphia a while ago,” Polamalu said.

Mark Kaboly | Tribune-Review

Ike Taylor hasn’t missed a game since Oct. 10, 2004 – a span of 135 games.

But the Steelers cornerback will miss at least two weeks after suffering a fractured right ankle on the second play of last week’s game against Baltimore.

Taylor said on his weekly TribLive Radio show to “don’t trip, I’ll be back ASAP and that’s with a capital A, S, A, P. I’ll be back sooner than later, that’s for sure.”

Taylor has been extremely durable and tough throughout his career. Case in point was last year during preseason when he broke his thumb. Taylor practiced the day before his thumb surgery and was back on campus hours after the procedure.

This injury, however, will keep him out anywhere from 2-6 weeks.

“My status, I don’t like my status but it happens, things happen,” Taylor said. “I have to recover and get better and get back out there as soon as possible.”

Taylor fractured his ankle when he knocked away a deep pass from Torrey Smith.

Taylor explained what happened on his show.

“I broke up the play and when I tried to get up, I got up on my left foot then I tried to put pressure on my right foot, I was like ‘Man, something ain’t right,’” Taylor said. “Then I was like this is about to go away. I waited a second and tried to put my pressure on it and it was like ‘Man, something ain’t right.’ I kind of hobbled off and told the trainers to tape my ankle up real tight, as tight as you can. I walked on it and the more I walked on it, it wasn’t getting any better. Something wasn’t right.”

Taylor said he will push to get back soon mostly because his love of the game.

“That’s all I live for, that’s all I want to do – play football,” Taylor said.

Taylor had the ninth longest active games played streak and was No. 1 when it came to cornerbacks. Ironically, former Steelers draft choice and current Arizona Cardinals defensive back William Gay has played in the most consecutive games at cornerback with 92.

Consecutive games played
1-London Fletcher, Was LB 236
2-Ronder Barber, TB S 235
3-Keith Brooking, Den LB 188
4-Justin Smith, SF DE 187
5-Jeff Backus, Det OL 187
6-Reggie Wayne, Ind WR 183
7-Jason Witten, Dal TE 151
8-Jarrett Johnson, SD LB 140
9-Ike Taylor, Pit CB 135

Mark Kaboly | Tribune-Review

HandshakeGate may have finally found a resolution.

Baltimore coach John Harbaugh appeared to take exception with the seemingly blow-off attitude of Steelers coach Mike Tomlin when the Ravens coach congratulated him in the middle of the field following a 23-20 Steelers win on Sunday night.

The two coaches shook hands following the game. Tomlin, who appeared to be in a hurry to get back into the locker room, seemed not to pay attention to what Harbaugh was saying. Handshake video

Harbaugh, not pleased with Tomlin’s lack of graciousness, pulled Tomlin back in and appeared to say “Hey, hey, hey, I said congratulations.” Tomlin thanked Harbaugh and ran off the field.

Harbaugh was asked about the exchange at his Monday news conference.

“They played very well and I made a point to congratulate him on it,” Harbaugh said. “Hopefully he accepted that. It was all good.”

When pressed on the issue, Harbaugh elaborated more.

“I really don’t know about the handshake agendas,” Harbaugh said. “I felt fine about it. It was fine. I just wanted to make sure he knew that we congratulated him and that’s it.”

Hmm, wonder if Tomlin congratulated Harbaugh last year when he went for two points up by four touchdowns?

Mark Kaboly | Tribune-Review

BALTIMORE – Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch put together one of the finest games of his career as the soon-to-been 38-year-old quarterback threw for 276 yards and a touchdown in a 23-20 win over the Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium.

So, of course, the hot topic in the Ravens’ locker room was how the third-stringer was able to perform so well against one of the top teams in the NFL.

The Ravens were complimentary of Batch, for the most part that is.
Perennial All-Pro and future Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed, well, he said nice things about Batch, but also took a couple shots at him as well.

When asked if he was surprised by Batch’s performance, Reed said: “It is not surprising at all … well, maybe a little bit.”

But that wasn’t anything compared to a couple minutes before that when teammate Bernard Pollard was asked the same question about Batch.

“Were you surprised that Charlie Batch was able to make those kind of throws against you guys,” a reporter asked.

Pollard responded with: “No, he is a professional quarterback. He is on the roster for a reason …”

Just as Pollard said that, Reed, whose locker is next to Pollard’s and was getting dressed at the time, did the old pretend-like-you-are-coughing-but-saying-a-derogatrory-word-under-your-breath gimmick.

“Bull(expletive),” Reed said trying to mask the comment with a cough.

Give Pollard credit because he kept on with his praise of Batch without even blinking an eye.

“He can make throws, but I look at like we let some things get away,” Pollard said.

Mark Kaboly | Tribune-Review

For the first time in his career, former first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall was a healthy inactive for Sunday’s game against the Ravens.

With a month left in the regular season, it is fair to think that Mendenhall won’t be back next year. He is in the final year of his rookie contract.

Mendenhall lost his starting job and demoted to third team after fumbling twice in four carries last week against Cleveland. Mendenhall told me earlier in the week that he’s not worried about a possible big pay day next year.

“I really don’t think about next year,” Mendenhall said. “I am trying to do the best with what’s in front of me. I work as hard as hard as I can and whatever happens, I am OK with that. Whatever has happened to this point, I am OK with because I’ve worked. Going forward rest of the year I will be OK with because I worked as hard as I can.”

Translation: Mendenhall believes that there is nothing he could’ve done better to help his status.

“I did everything that I can so if I can go back it wouldn’t help because I did everything I could. I am comfortable with that,” Mendenhall said.