The Steelers have cut veteran running back Kevan Barlow.  Barlow carried the football 22 times for 64 yards (2.9 ypc) with 1 TD run in the pre-season.  But that wasn’t good enough as the Steelers like undrafted rookie Gary Russell and Verron Haynes both better than Barlow.  Russell has carried the football 28 times for 129 yards (4.6 ypc) in the pre-season as he has been a big surprise for the Steelers so far.  Haynes has proved that he’s healthy after recovering from last seasons’ knee surgery.  Haynes has carried the ball 9 times for 38 yards (4.2 ypc) in the pre-season so far.

The Steelers displayed a solid offense and a bend but don’t break defense last night in their win over the Steelers.  Ben Roethlisberger looked pretty sharp in the first half of the game as he completed 13 of 25 passes for 247 yards with 1 interception.  Charlie Batch made a brief appearance last night and he completed all 3 of his pass attempts for 65 yards.  Brian St. Pierre finished up the game for the Steelers completing 2 of 3 passes for 10 yards with an interception.  Willie Parker was busy with 10 carries for 32 yards (3.2 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 3 passes for 40 yards.  Parker would have scored twice but he got jacked up and fumbled inside the Eagles’ 5-yard line which was recovered by the Eagles.  Kevan Barlow also ran hard carrying the football 4 times for 14 yards (3.5 ypc) with a TD run.  The Steelers finished up the ball game with 76 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.3 ypc).  But they threw the football well completing 18 of 32 passes for 322 yards.

The defense was in bend but don’t break mode as the Eagles were moving the football up and down the field.  The Eagles ran the ball 30 times for 125 yards (4.2 ypc) and they completed 31 of 48 passes for 279 yards.  2nd-year defensive back Jovon Johnson sealed the Steelers’ victory in the 4th quarter when he returned a Eagles’ fumble 78 yards for a TD.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=270826023

The Pittsburgh Steelers played the dirty D last Saturday against the Redskins and that was why they won a pretty boring football game.  The offense didn’t score a TD but they did have 4 scoring drives.  Ben Roethlisberger was solid completing 8 of 12 passes for 87 yards and he carried the football 4 times for 17 yards (4.3 ypc).  Charlie Batch was also very efficient as he completed 8 of 9 passes for 76 yards.  Brian St. Pierre had his least productive game of the pre-season completing 2 of 4 passes for 26 yards.  Verron Haynes led the way for the Steelers with 30 yards rushing on 7 carries (4.3 ypc).  Undrafted rookie Gary Russell continued to impress with 7 carries for 24 yards (3.4 ypc).  Santonio Holmes was getting deep on Saturday as he caught 2 passes for 51 yards (25.5 avg).  Nate Washington (3 rec, 44 yards) and Hines Ward (4 rec, 20 yards) were both busy.  The Steelers finished up the game with 101 yards rushing on 32 carries (3.2 ypc) and they completed 18 of 25 passes for 187 yards.

The Steelers defense was rough on Saturday as they held the Redskins to 43 yards rushing on 22 carries (2.0 ypc).  The Redskins also completed 21 of 33 passes for 183 yards.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=270818028

The Steelers have a nice crew of TEs but they rarely use them in the passing game.  Heath Miller has outstanding hands and he’s pretty fast but the Steelers don’t look his way too often when throwing the football.   He played in 16 games (all starts) last season and he caught 34 passes for 393 yards (11.6 avg) with 5 TD grabs.  He could be a Pro Bowler if the Steelers’ used him more because he’s that good.   He has now played in 32 games (31 starts) in his career and he has caught 73 passes for 852 yards (11.7 avg) with 11 TD grabs.

Jerame Tuman is back with the Steelers for another season.  He is a good blocker but he’s also an underrated receiver in the passing game but the Steelers never throw him the football.  He played in 15 games (4 starts) last season for the Steelers and he caught 7 passes for 73 yards (10.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 114 games (56 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 42 passes for 491 yards (11.7 avg) with 6 TD grabs.

Rookie Matt Spaeth is a solid all-around TE but most of his work this season will probably be on special teams.  He will eventually replace Tuman as the Steelers’ backup TE but he might have to wait at least a year.

The Steelers appear to be in good shape for the 2007 season at WR.  Hines Ward remains a tough possession receiver who also is a nasty run blocker.  He played in 14 games (all starts) last season and he caught 74 passes for 975 yards (13.2 avg) with 6 TD grabs and he also carried the ball 2 times for 30 yards (15.0 ypc).  Ward has been one of the greatest receivers in Steelers’ history and he will likely pad his career numbers with another solid season.  He has now played in 141 games (122 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 648 passes for 8,005 yards (12.4 avg) with 58 TD grabs and he also has carried the ball 52 times for 415 yards (8.0 avg) with 1 TD run.

Santonio Holmes was a busy guy as a rookie and he seemed to get better as the season progressed.  He has the deep speed that the Steelers’ had been lacking at WR the last couple of seasons.  He played in all 16 games (4 starts) last season and he caught 49 passes for 824 yards (16.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs and he also carried the ball 1 time for 13 yards.  Holmes returned 18 kickoffs for 436 yards (24.2 avg) and he also returned 26 punts for 264 yards (10.2 avg) with 1 TD return.  The Steelers would like Willie Reid to stay healthy this season so that Holmes can concentrate on his offense.

Cedric Wilson was a bit of a disappointment since he has put on the Black & Gold.  Last season he played in 15 games (12 starts) and he caught 37 passes for 504 yards (13.6 avg) with 1 TD grab and he also carried the ball two times for 14 yards (7.0 ypc).  Wilson also returned 1 kickoff for 11 yards and 2 punts for 4 yards (2.0 avg).  Wilson also completed his only pass attempt for 21 yards for the Steelers last season.  Wilson seems more comfortable as a #3 wideout and that’s likely what the Steelers will use him as this season.  He has now played in 84 games (32 starts) in his NFL career and he has caught 160 passes for 2,158 yards (13.5 avg) with 7 TD grabs and he has also carried the ball 5 times for 16 yards (3.2 ypc).  Wilson also has returned 67 kickoffs for 1,418 yards (21.2 avg) with 1 TD return and he also has returned 15 punts for 100 yards (6.7 avg).  Wilson can toss the ball when needed on a gimic play as he is 2 for 2 passing for 27 yards in his career.

Nate Washington could battle Cedric Wilson for the #3 WR job after he had an impressive 2nd season in the NFL.  In 2005 he played in 1 game for the Steelers and he did nothing.  But last season he woke up as he played in 16 games (2 starts) and he caught 35 passes for 624 yards (17.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs and he also carried the ball 3 times for 8 yards (2.7 ypc).  Washington is a player on the rise.

Little Willie Reid was supposed to be the Steelers’ main return man last season but he broke down in his first game of the season.  He returned 1 kickoff for 19 yards and 1 punt for 11 yards.  He has too many WRs in front of him to make an impact on offense but he could help the Steelers on special teams if he can stay healthy in 2007.

The Steelers found the Packers defense much tougher than what the Saints threw at them last week.  Ben Roethlisberger completed both of his pass attempts for 14 yards but he also lost a fumble after getting sacked which the Packers recovered.  Charlie Batch replaced him and he looked good again as he completed 3 of 5 passes for 97 yards including a 41 yard TD pass to WR Walter Young.  Brian St. Pierre must have used up all of his magic last week as he only completed 10 of 23 passes for 99 yards last night.  Undrafted rookie running back Gary Russell had another huge game for the Steelers as he carried the ball 9 times for 56 yards (6.2 ypc).  Najeh Davenport (7 car, 34 yards, 4.9 ypc) and Kevan Barlow (6 car, 25 yards, 4.2 ypc) both played well also for the Steelers lat night.  WR Walter Young led the way for the Steelers’ receivers with 2 grabs for 50 yards (25.0 avg) with a TD and Santonio Holmes added 1 grab for 49 yards.  The Steelers ran the ball well as they toted the rock 28 times for 132 yards (4.7 ypc) but they didn’t pass to well completing 15 of 30 passes for 177 yards.

The defense didn’t look as sharp as they did against the Saints either.  The Packers ran the ball 31 times for 124 yards (4.0 ypc) and they completed 21 of 36 passes for 182 yards. 

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/live/NFL_20070811_GB@PIT

Dan Kreider has been a key part in the Steelers’ running game for a long time now despite rarely getting the football because he is a great lead blocker.  He played in 16 games (12 starts) last season for the Steelers and he carried the ball 1 time for 5 yards (5.0 ypc) and he also caught 8 passes for 62 yards (7.8 avg).  Kreider has now played in 103 games (62 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 30 times for 142 yards (4.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he has also caught 59 passes for 456 yards (7.7 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  John Kuhn will back up Kreider this season.  He played in 9 games (0 starts) as a rookie last year and he carried the ball 2 times for 18 yards (9.0 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 15 yards.

The Pittsburgh Steelers looked great on Sunday Night in their demolition of the New Orleans Saints.  The Steelers controlled the clock for 35:57 and they amassed 413 total yards of offense.  Ben Roethlisberger (2 for 3, 73 yards) and Charlie Batch (4 for 6, 51 yards) both got their work in quick and they both looked good.  But Sunday belonged to third stringer Brian St. Pierre.  St. Pierre completed 8 of 14 passes for 129 yards with 1 TD pass.  Running back Carey Davis had a monster game with 7 carries for 68 yards (9.7 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 32 yards (16.0 avg).  Still, Davis remains a very long shot to make the Steelers.  Undrafted rookie Gary Russell also was outstanding with 8 carries for 41 yards (5.1 ypc).  Cedric Wilson was fantastic with 4 grabs for 99 yards (24.8 avg) as he seems to be gaining on Santonio Holmes.  Holmes also had a good showing with 3 grabs for 48 yards (16.0 avg) and a TD.

The Steelers defense was outstanding Sunday Night.  They held the Saints to 214 total yards of offense.  The Saints ran the ball 24 times for 82 yards (3.4 ypc) and they completed 13 of 30 passes for 132 yards passing. 

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=270805018

Jeff Reed had another bad season last year for the Steelers.  He only made 74.1% of his field goal attempts last season but he converted all 41 extra points.  What really hurt the Steelers last season was his field goal kicking which could have gotten the Steelers to the playoffs if it was just a tad better.  He made 15 of 19 field goals of 39 yards or less and he made 5 of 8 field goals of 40+ yards.  It will be interesting to see if Coach Tomlin will trust Reed a little more than Cowher did last season.  Reed finished the 2006 season with 101 points.

Reed has now played in 70 career games in the NFL and he has scored 503 points which is good for 7.2 points per game.  He has made 112 of 140 (80%) field goal attempts and 167 of 169 extra points.