Author Archives: Steve Alan

About Steve Alan

Steve, known by most as TTF, is owner of TheSteelersFans and administrator of the best Steelers message board on the net. Big fan of strong coffee and hardcore Steelers fan from womb to tomb.

Report: Steelers Hosted Army Ranger Alejandro Villanueva For Workout

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The Steelers had Army Ranger and former Eagles DE Alejandro Villanueva in for a workout today according to ESPN. Villanueva was waived by the Eagles on Saturday during their first round of cuts. The 6’9, 290 lb defensive end saw limited playing time against the Steelers on Thursday, but recorded two tackles.

Villanueva is pretty easy to root for. He performed at the regional and super regional combines this spring before getting signed by the Eagles and competing for a roster spot this summer. Having played defensive end, offensive tackle, and wide receiver at West Point, the Eagles saw the 25 year old best suited for defensive end. Villanueva has served 3 tours in Afghanistan, received the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, and was promoted to captain this year.

If he doesn’t catch on with a team, he says he’ll return to serving his country. “The four years I’ve had in the Army have been the best four years you could ask for,” he said via NFL.com. “The guys I served with … above me and under me … were phenomenal guys. They were good experiences that made me the man I am today. But now, I see this as a win-win situation. Obviously, I’m trying to get to a team and contribute. But if I can’t, then I can’t wait to get back to the Army and serve in the same manner that I have.”

Bad News For Browns- NFL Upholds Josh Gordon’s Ban

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The NFL has issued it’s ruling on Josh Gordon’s appeal and they will not be overturning his suspension. The Browns wide receiver has been suspended indefinitely due to violating the league’s drug and substance abuse policy. According to a league spokesman, Gordon’s eligibility for reinstatement will be determined after the 2014 season.

Gordon argued that second hand marijuana smoke was the cause for his most recent failed drug test, but NFL arbitrator Harold Henderson apparently wasn’t convinced. Last year, Gordon was suspended for failing a league drug test for at least the second time. The cause for that failed test according to Gordon was because he ingested cough syrup that contained codeine.

Adam Schefter reports that Gordon will miss all of training camp next year as well. The wide receiver issued a statement regarding the news. “I am very disappointed that the NFL and its hearing office didn’t exercise better discretion and judgment in my case.”

James Harrison To Visit Arizona Cardinals Today

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Former Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison is travelling to Steelers West today according to multiple media outlets.

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/504619124598009856

Silverback corroborated his travel plans via Twitter this morning.

https://twitter.com/jharrison9292/status/504590612449214465

The five time pro bowl selection was released by the Bengals in March. Many have wanted to see James Harrison return to Pittsburgh for another year. While the chances of that happening are hovering above zero at this point, last time a former Steelers player was on his way to Arizona, he was in Pittsburgh signing a contract later that day.

Steelers Trim Roster Down To 75

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The Steelers have made the remainder of the necessary cuts to get the roster down to 75. After waiving 9 this morning, the team needed to waive another 6 by 4:00 this afternoon to get in compliance. Here are the cuts-

OL Chris Elkins, RB Tauren Poole, LS Luke Ingram, OL Emmanuel McCray, DE Brian Arnfelt, and NT Hebron Fangupo.

Not really any huge surprises there, though I didn’t expect Tauren Poole to be cut today. The others were just a coin toss between today and Saturday. The team has until 4:00 pm on Saturday to get down to the final 53 man roster.

Steelers Waive 9 On Way To Cutting To 75

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The Steelers announce the first of their roster cuts this morning as they work their way towards trimming down to 75. All teams have until 4:00 pm today to reduce their rosters to 75 players. Here is the list of the preliminary cuts.

RB Miguel Maysonet
RB Jordan Hall
WR CJ Goodwin
WR Kashif Moore
TE Eric Waters
S Jordan Dangerfield
CB Devin Smith
CB Lew Toler
LB Vic So’oto

The only real surprise here is Vic So’oto. Hopefully he’s still available when the team builds their 10 man practice squad next week. Currently the Steelers are carrying 81 men on their roster. The remaining 6 cuts will be announced later today.

Lions Cut Drew Butler, Cardinals Cut Max Starks

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While teams have until 4:00 pm tomorrow to trim their rosters down to 75, many are already doing so. In today’s cuts, some former Steelers are finding pink slips in their lockers.

Aside from Dennis Dixon, former Steelers punter Drew Butler and long time Steelers tackle Max Starks were waived/released. Starks was battling for a backup position on the Cardinals’ offensive line, but like last year with the Chargers and Rams, he couldn’t find a spot on the team.

Butler made the Steelers 53 man roster last year, but was waived a few days later when the team signed his replacement. The Bears cut him in May, and he was with the Lions throughout training camp. I imagine many Steelers fans will ask “will the Steelers sign Drew Butler?” and I can’t imagine the answer being anything but no.

Predicting The Steelers 53 Man Roster

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The Steelers have until 4:00 pm on August 30th to trim their roster down to the final 53. Here is my final roster prediction.

Quarterbacks (3)

Ben Roethlisberger
Bruce Gradkowski
Landry Jones

I could see the team waiving Jones and signing him to the practice squad, but I don’t think they will.

Running Backs (4)

Le’Veon Bell
LeGarrette Blount
Will Johnson
Dri Archer

No real surprises here. I don’t see the team disciplining either of the 2 LB RBs, so I don’t think they keep another back, especially since none of them has shown enough to warrant the spot. I expect Tauren Poole to be added to the practice squad, and the position can easily be addressed in free agency if the need arises.

Tight Ends (3)

Heath Miller
Matt Spaeth
Michael Palmer

This could go either way, but I think the team throws in the towel on the David Paulson project.

Wide Receiver (6)

Antonio Brown
Markus Wheaton
Lance Moore
Darrius Heyward-Bey
Martavis Bryant
Justin Brown

There’s some room for error here as Justin Brown is a coin toss, Martavis Bryant has been pretty disappointing in preseason, and DHB hasn’t shown a whole lot aside from hauling in a deep touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger against the Eagles. Plays like that were exactly what the Steelers were envisioning when they signed him. Bryant isn’t going to the practice squad, but Justin Brown very well could. Notable cut- Derek Moye.

Offensive Line (8)

Maurkice Pouncey
Kelvin Beachum
Ramon Foster
David DeCastro
Marcus Gilbert
Mike Adams
Cody Wallace
Wesley Johnson

Earlier in the year, I didn’t see Johnson making the roster, but I think the Vanderbilt stand out has shown enough to earn him a spot on the final 53. If the team goes 9 here, Guy Whimper will be on the list. I see Chris Hubbard landing on the practice squad.

Defensive Line (7)

Cameron Heyward
Steve McLendon
Brett Keisel
Cam Thomas
Stephon Tuitt
Daniel McCullers
Josh Mauro

I think Mauro has shown enough to earn that last spot on the defensive line. While I don’t think McCullers is a roster lock by any means, his upside is greater than that of his peers. Notable cut- Hebron Fangupo.

Linebackers (9)

Jarvis Jones
Ryan Shazier
Lawrence Timmons
Jason Worilds
Arthur Moats
Terence Garvin
Vince Williams
Sean Spence
Vic So’oto

This is probably where I’ll find the most disagreement, but I think Vic So’oto’s play has earned him the last linebacker’s spot. You can’t make the club from the tub, and Jordan Zumwalt has been “in the tub” throughout summer. The team could decide not to move on from Chris Carter, but they should.

Cornerbacks (5)

Ike Taylor
Cortez Allen
William Gay
Antwon Blake
Brice McCain

This one’s pretty easy, though the team would be wise to try to upgrade here via the waiver wire/free agency. Shaq Richardson should have a spot on the practice squad.

Safeties (5)

Troy Polamalu
Mike Mitchell
Will Allen
Shamarko Thomas
Robert Golden

No surprises here.

Specialists (3)

Shaun Suisham
Brad Wing
Greg Warren

Unless Brad Wing is a surgeon in the preseason finale I can’t see him holding his roster spot. Like Drew Butler last year, I see Wing making it past the last round of cuts, only to lose the job shortly after when the team finds an upgrade. The team won’t need to carry 2 long snappers as some had once thought, and with Warren’s recovery time projection, the team could have Luke Ingram or Bryce Davis fill in briefly until he’s 100%.

Bills Cut Former Steelers QB Dennis Dixon

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The Bills have cut former Steelers draft pick Dennis Dixon according to ESPN reporter Mike Rodak and other media outlets.

https://twitter.com/mikerodak/status/503898817222418432

Dixon was signed to the Bills practice squad last October after spending time with the Eagles and Baltimore Ravens. After drafting the former Oregon Duck in the 5th round of the 2008 draft, Dixon saw playing time in only 4 games over his 4 years in Pittsburgh. Dixon got snaps as the Bills #2 quarterback during preseason, and their QB depth is poor, but Dixon couldn’t crack the roster.

Cam Newton Has Rib Fracture, Won’t Play Against Steelers

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After the Panthers lost to the Patriots Friday night, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera told the media that he intended to play his starters against the Steelers on Thursday.

“To me it is very evident we’ve got to get (the starters) out there. We’ve got to get our quarterback out there on the field, and he’s got to get some timing with those guys,” Rivera said via the Charlotte Observer. “He missed a couple throws, we had some guys that were open he overthrew, and we’ve just got to continue to work with him. The more snaps he gets, the better.”

Regardless of Rivera’s plan, Newton won’t be facing the Steelers on Thursday now, as it was determined that he has a hairline fracture in his rib.

https://twitter.com/Panthers/status/503644900920135681

With the poor showing by the Steelers first teamers against the Eagles, it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad idea to give them some additional reps during the preseason finale, though, if history is any indicator, the starters will be wearing shorts and t-shirts on the sidelines.

Breaking Down Marcus Gilbert’s Contract Extension

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The Steelers extended Marcus Gilbert on Tuesday. The deal increased his 2014 cap number by almost $1.37 Mil. Gilbert’s five year extension has a total value of $30 Mil, and includes a $7.65 Mil guaranteed signing bonus.

The deal also includes a $3.5 Mil roster bonus which Gilbert can earn if he’s on the roster the 5th day of the 2015 league year. Lastly, the contract includes the option for Gilbert to earn a $50K workout bonus each year.

Here’s a breakdown of his contract, where SB, RB, and WB are signing bonus, roster bonus and workout bonus respectively.

[table]
Year, Base Salary, SB,RB, WB, Salary Cap Number, Dead Money, Savings If Cut
2014, “$650,000”, “$1,741,802”, “$0”, “$0”, “$2,391,802”, “$7,861,802”, “-$5,470,000”
2015, “$1,900,000”, “$1,530,000”, “$3,500,000”, “$50,000”, “$6,980,000”, “$6,120,000”, “$860,000”
2016, “$3,950,000”, “$1,530,000”, “$0”, “$50,000”, “$5,530,000”, “$4,590,000”, “$940,000”
2017, “$4,000,000”, “$1,530,000”, “$0”, “$50,000”, “$5,580,000”, “$3,060,000”, “$2,520,000”
2018, “$4,050,000”, “$1,530,000”, “$0”, “$50,000”, “$5,630,000”, “$1,530,000”, “$4,100,000”
2019, “$4,865,103”, “$0”, “$0”, “$50,000”, “$4,915,103”, “$0”, “$4,915,103”
[/table]