The Pittsburgh Steelers are sending four offensive players and one defender to the Pro Bowl this year.  29-year old QB Ben Roethlisberger will be going as a reserve.  He has played in 14 games for the Steelers so far this year and he has completed 301 of 473 passes (63.6%) for 3,856 yards with 21 TD passes and 14 INTs (91.5 QB Rating).  He also also carried the ball 31 times for 70 yards (2.3 ypc) so far this year.  25-year old WR Mike Wallace will also be going to Hawaii.  He has played in 15 games for the Steelers so far this year and he has caught 71 passes for 1,182 yards (16.6 avg) with 8 TD grabs.  23-year old WR Antonio Brown will give the Pro Bowl some versatility on the roster as he can return punts and kickoffs.  He has played in 15 games for the Steelers this year and he has caught 63 passes for 1,018 yards (16.2 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  He has also carried the ball 7 times for 41 yards (5.9 ypc) so far this season.  Brown has been a solid return man for the Steelers this year in addition to being a solid WR.  He has returned 30 punts for 325 yards (10.8 avg) with 1 TD return and he has also returned 24 kickoffs for 664 yards (27.7 avg) so far this year.  22-year old center Maurkice Pouncey has had a solid sophomore season in the NFL as he has played in 13 games (all starts) for the Steelers so far this year.  30-year old safety Troy Polamalu will be making another trip to the Pro Bowl.  He has played in 15 games for the Steelers so far this year and he has 89 tackles, 1 sack, 6 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception and 11 passes defensed.

The Steelers have placed 23-year old cornerback Curtis Brown on the Injured Reserve List due to a knee injury.  Brown was a 3rd round pick out of Texans last April for the Steelers.  He played in 12 games for the Steelers as a rookie and he had 14 tackles and 2 forced fumbles.  The Steelers are going to miss Brown on special teams.

The NFL has suspended 33-year old OLB James Harrison for 1 game for his cheap shot on QB Colt McCoy of the Browns.  He is appealing the suspension so that he might get to play against the 49ers in San Francisco next Monday.  Harrison will likely try to serve his suspension on Christmas Eve against the Rams in Pittsburgh.  Harrison has played in 9 games for the Steelers so far this year and he has 52 tackles, 8 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 4 tackles for a loss.  The Steelers will turn to 23-year old Jason Worilds at OLB when Harrison serves his suspension.  Worilds will do a good job for the Steelers.  He has played in 9 games for the Steelers so far this year and he has 26 tackles, 3 sacks and 1 forced fumble.

The Steelers have claimed 24-year old DT Al Woods off waivers from the Seahawks.  Woods played in 2 games for the Seahawks earlier this year and he had 2 tackles.  Woods has now played in 11 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has 19 tackles and 1/2 a sack.  The Steelers need help on the interior of the D-Line, so they will give Woods a chance to show what he can do.

The Steelers have re-signed 29-year old OT Willie Colon to a 5-year, $29 million dollar deal.  Colon played in 16 games (all starts) for the Steelers last year.  He has played in 50 games (all starts) in his first five years with the Steelers.  This was a good move for the Steelers as they had a lot of competition for Colon’s services on the free agent market.  The Steelers still need to do more in free agency to help the offensive line for 2011.

The Steelers have re-signed 29-year old kicker Shaun Suisham.  Suisham played in 7 games for the Steelers last year and he made 14 of 15 field goals (93.3%) and he also connected on all 19 of his extra point attempts as he scored 61 points for the Steelers last year.  Suisham has played in 64 games in his first six years in the NFL and he has made 101 of 125 field goals (80.8%).  He has also made 120 of 122 extra points as he has scored 423 points in his NFL career so far.  Suisham had by far his best year in the NFL last season so the Steelers need to have someone on speed dial just in case he reverts back to his old form.

The Steelers have re-signed 30-year old cornerback Ike Taylor to a 4-year deal.  Taylor was the top priority for the Steelers in free agency.  Taylor played in all 16 games for the Steelers last year and he had 66 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 2 interceptions and he defensed 11 passes.  Taylor has now played in 125 games in his first 8 years with the Steelers and he has 481 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries, 11 interceptions (1 returned for a TD) and he has defensed 103 passes.  At least now the Steelers can feel pretty good about half the field when an opposing QB drops back to pass.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have picked 22-year old cornerback Curtis Brown out of Texas with the 95th overall pick (3rd round) of the 2011 NFL Draft.  The Steelers took Brown because he was likely the top CB left on their board and it’s an area where they need help.  Brown is on the small side at 5’11″, 180 pounds and he’s not especially fast as he runs a 4.5 40.  He is a pretty good cover corner but his hands look like a couple of bricks when the ball comes his way.  Brown played in 12 games (10 starts) for Texas last season and he had 26 tackles, broke up 7 passes and 1 interception.  He played in 52 games (28 starts) in his four years with the Longhorns and he had 120 tackles, broke up 32 passes, had 2 interceptions (151 return yards) and 1 forced fumble.  Brown also returned 13 punts for 194 yards (14.9 avg) last year and he might be able to help the Steelers there.  He is a good special teams player so look for him to play a lot on the coverage teams.  Overall, this is a solid pick for the Steelers as Brown fills a couple of big needs.

The Steelers took DE Cameron Heyward in the first round (#31 overall) out of Ohio State last night.  The 22-year old Heyward is 6’5″, 280 pounds but he’s not the type of playmaker the Steelers usually like to have.  Heyward played in 13 games (all starts) for Ohio State last season and he had 48 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, he batted down 1 pass and he recovered 1 fumble.  Heyward played in 52 games (43 starts) in his four years with the Buckeyes and he had 163 tackles, 37.5 tackles for a loss, 15.5 sacks, 5 batted down balls, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery.  The Steelers hope that Heyward develops into a good pass rusher but it’s going to take a lot of hard work for him as he wasn’t too good at getting after the QB in college.

29-year old strong safety Troy Polamalu has been named the A.P. NFL Defensive Player of the Year.  He played in 14 games for the Steelers this year and he had 63 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 11 passes defensed, 7 interceptions (101 return yards, TD), 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery.  The Steelers need him to step up in the Super Bowl though as he hasn’t done much in the playoffs so far as he has 7 tackles in 2 games.   Polamalu has now played in 107 games in his 8 years with the Steelers and he has 516 tackles, 81 passes defensed, 8 sacks, 8 forced fumbles and 27 interceptions (one returned for a TD).  Polamalu is likely on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he retires.