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The Steelers will be without 30-year old QB Byron Leftwich for the next 2-4 weeks as a has a second degree sprain of his left MCL. Leftwich was injured in the Steelers last pre-season game against the Panthers on Thursday Night. He was likely going to be the Steelers’ starting QB next week against the Atlanta Falcons but they will have to now turn to Charlie Batch or Dennis Dixon. This could wind up being a big blow for the Steelers.
The Steelers have released 27-year old fullback Dwayne Wright. Wright carried the ball 8 times for 27 yards (3.4 ypc) with 1 TD run for the Steelers this pre-season. Wright got caught up in a numbers game as the Steelers have a few backs they like more than him. Even if Wright signs with another team the Steelers won’t miss him one bit.
The Steelers have claimed fullback Dwayne Wright off waivers from the Eagles. Wright has not played in the NFL since 2007 (his only year in the league). In 2007, Wright played in 14 games (0 starts) for the Bills in which he carried the ball 29 times for 94 yards (3.2 ypc). He also caught 3 passes for 17 yards (5.7 avg) for the Bills that year.
The Steelers have lost starting OT Willie Colon for the 2010 season. He tore his ACL at practice earlier today and he will soon have surgery to repair it. The 27-year old Colon played in 16 games (all starts) for the Steelers last season. In his four years with the Steelers he has played in 50 games (all starts). This is a huge blow to the Steelers’ offense as Colon was the best lineman on their team last season.
The Steelers have acquired 28-year old CB Bryant McFadden from the Cardinals for a 5th round pick. McFadden played in all 16 games for the Cardinals last season and he had 69 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and he defensed 15 passes. He has played in 67 games (51 with the Steelers) in his NFL career in which he has 204 tackles, he has defensed 47 passes, has 2 sacks, forced 1 fumble and he has 7 interceptions (1 returned for a TD). The Steelers have to be ecstatic to get McFadden back for 2010 as their corners stunk it up last season.
The Steelers picked OLB/DE Jason Worilds out of Virginia Tech in the second round (52nd pick) of the NFL Draft. Worilds is probably too small to be an end in the NFL unless he puts on some weight. But, he is the classic Steelers’ type of player as he is big and fast standing at 6’0″, 260 pounds and he runs a 4.7 40. He played in 13 games (all starts) at Virginia Tech last season and he made 49 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, had 4.5 sacks and he broke up 1 pass. Worilds played in 41 games (25 starts) in his four years at Va. Tech and he finished up with 132 tackles, 34 tackles for a loss, 15 sacks and he broke up 2 passes. Worilds will have to adjust to playing without a hand on the ground and that could take some time. It was little shock to see the Steelers draft a player with the skill set of Worilds in the second round.
The Steelers have selected center Maurkice Pouncey out of Florida with the 18th pick of the first round of the NFL Draft. Pouncey played in 14 games (all starts) with the Gators last season. The Steelers probably were upset when the Niners selected guard Mike Iupati at #17. That is probably the reason for the Pouncey pick as he then became the best interior lineman with Iupati off the board. Pouncey played 11 games at right guard for Florida in 2007 so he has versatility to play wherever the Steelers need him inside. Pouncey played in 41 games (39 starts) in his three years with Florida. He is a big, strong guy at 6’4″, 315 pounds and he’s nasty so he should fit in well with the Steelers who need help on the interior of the O-Line.
The NFL came down hard on 28-year old starting QB Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers. He will be suspended for the first six games of the NFL season due to him tarnishing the league’s image in his little escapade in Georgia. Roethlisberger could get his suspension cut to four games if he undergoes comprehensive behavioral evaluation and he behaves himself. He can’t practice with the Steelers until the doctors clear him. This is a huge blow to the Steelers as Roethlisberger has led them to 2 Super Bowl Championships in his six years with the team. He played in 15 games for the Steelers last season and he completed 337 of 506 passes (66.6%) for 4,328 yards with 26 TD passes and 12 INTs (100.5 QB Rating). He also carried the ball 40 times for 82 yards (2.1 ypc) with 2 TD runs last season. I have a feeling that Roethlisberger has played his last game with the Pittsburgh Steelers due to the backlash of fans in Pittsburgh who want him out. I think he is going to get traded this weekend. That is not without risk though as the alternatives the Steelers have on the current roster are not pretty. Byron Leftwich, Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon are all backup QBs with very little upside. If the Steelers go the trade route they will be giving away a franchise QB for pennies on a dollar.
The Steelers have acquired 30-year old QB Byron Leftwich from the Buccaneers for a 7th round pick in this weekend’s NFL Draft. Leftwich played in 5 games for the Steelers back in 2008 so he will likely have no problem remembering the playbook. Leftwich played in 3 games for the Buccaneers last season in which he completed 58 of 107 passes (54.2%) for 594 yards with 4 TD passes and 3 INTs (71.2 QB Rating). He also carried the ball 6 times for 6 yards (1.0 ypc) last season. He has now played in 57 games in his NFL career in which he has completed 900 of 1,545 passes (58.3%) for 10,218 yards with 58 TD passes and 41 INTs (79.6 QB Rating). He has also carried the ball 136 times for 384 yards (2.8 ypc) with 9 TD runs in his NFL career. This was a good move for whatever reason the Steelers had for making it. With Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension being announced tomorrow, Leftwich’s acquistion could signal that it’s a long suspension. The Steelers could also be considering moving Roethlisberger in a trade this weekend.
The Steelers have sent 26-year old former Super Bowl MVP WR Santonio Holmes to the Jets for a 5th round pick in 2010 (#151 overall). Holmes played in all 16 games for the Steelers last season in which he caught 79 passes for 1,248 yards (15.8 avg) with 15 TD grabs. He also carried the ball 3 times for 6 yards (2.0 ypc) last season. Holmes played in 60 games in his 4 years with the Steelers catching 235 passes for 3,835 yards (16.3 avg) with 20 TD grabs and he also carried the ball 11 times for 45 yards (4.1 ypc). Holmes also returned 62 punts for 496 yards (8.0 avg) with 1 TD return and he has also returned 18 kickoffs for 436 yards (24.2 avg) for the Steelers. I commend the Steelers’ front office and management team for getting rid of a talented head case, but, they should have gotten much more than they did for a player of his caliber.
