Pittsburgh Steelers
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The Pittsburgh Steelers are still selling truckloads of Super Bowl gear. Their players are vacationing all over the globe - Hines Ward is back from Korea, and Ben Roethlisberger is headed to Switzerland. And such is the team's popularity that three former players were recruited to campaign for three different companies competing for a downtown slot machines parlour license.
But to coach Bill Cowher, that Super Bowl victory in Detroit nearly three months ago is fast becoming ancient history.
The Steelers will be recognized June 2 at the White House, but Cowher plans to officially put the Super Bowl in his team's past by then. When his players arrive for their three-day minicamp May 12, he plans to tell them there will be no further talk about what they accomplished last season.
He doesn't want to ruin anybody's Super Bowl party - especially not the one planned in Washington, D.C. - but, he said Monday, it's time to move on.
To Cowher, it's easy to forget now how close the Steelers came to not making the playoffs after needing to win their final four regular-season games to finish 11-5. The difference was that, unlike the season before when the Steelers went 15-1 but lost big at home to the Patriots in the AFC championship game, they peaked when it counted.
"We weren't the best team in the National Football League, in my opinion," Cowher said. "We played the best at the right time. If you don't play with an edge and if you don't play with the same sense of purpose and commitment, then you're not going to be there and we are no exception."
Cowher points to the Steelers' 6-10 season in 2003, which came after they went 13-3 and reached the AFC title game in 2001 and had a 10-5-1 record and reached the second round of the playoffs in 2002.
"The foundation is set in the off-season, at training camp," Cowher said. "We're starting 0-0 with a big bull's-eye on our chest. We have a tough schedule and it's not going to be that easy. If we understand that, then we'll be fine. If we think it will get done by showing up, then we're badly mistaking ourselves."
While a number of players already are working out at the team's practice complex, most veteran players aren't required to report until the minicamp. After that, Cowher wants the veterans staying around for 14 days of coaching sessions that run through June 8.
"We condense it to a very short period of time so everybody's here," Cowher said. "Hopefully, we'll get some productive work done."
Once the coaching sessions end, the players will have seven weeks off until training camp starts July 28 or 29 in Latrobe, Pa.
Four veteran players may not be ready for minicamp: linebacker Andre Frazier, who broke an ankle in the AFC championship game; wide receiver Quincy Morgan, who injured an ankle in the AFC playoffs against Cincinnati; right tackle Max Starks (post-season arthroscopic knee surgery); and defensive back Chidi Iwuoma (shoulder).
And that right thumb Roethlisberger injured in late November against the Colts, causing him to wear a glove and a protective splint the rest of the season?
"He's fine," Cowher said. "He's probable."
Steelers QB has plans for Grays' field
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch and Munhall officials have plans for renovating West Field that might make the Homestead Grays proud.
Based on a presentation by Mr. Batch on April 19, Munhall council voted unanimously to support his efforts to attract financial support to restore the landmark field where the Grays of the Negro League once played.
Plans call for replacing the full-size baseball diamond with a smaller Little League field, and adding a soccer field, a track and recreation center at a cost of $1 million to $2 million or more.
The aging field, also known as the William A. Knight Memorial Field, is suffering from badly deteriorated bleachers, antiquated lighting and a locker room with malfunctioning plumbing.
Whether the project proceeds depends on how much support Mr. Batch can generate, because he is not spending his own money. Council, in effect, is tossing the ball to Mr. Batch, and his lawyer, Martin Lazzarro, assured them he can run with it. "With Charlie's name, fame and political clout, you'll get national and international attention," he said. "There's no doubt that Charlie is going to row the boat."
Mr. Batch, who was raised in Homestead, is a backup quarterback for the Steelers. He stepped in for the injured Ben Roethlisberger and captured headlines by winning two critical games in the team's march to the Super Bowl last season.
Contacted Tuesday, Mr. Batch said he had no comment beyond his April 19 presentation.
Mr. Lazzarro, however, said one of the organizations Mr. Batch plans to approach is the Josh Gibson Foundation, named for one of the Grays' most celebrated players.
Munhall Mayor Raymond Bodnar speculated that funding also would come from state grants through local legislators. "We have been asking them for money, but Charlie will get their attention quicker."
Mr. Batch's attorney asked council to rely on his and his client's reputations. "As they say in 'The Godfather,' you all know me," Mr. Lazzarro said.
Councilman Mike Terrick has raised concern about the Little League field replacing the larger diamond used by two Colt League teams for older youths. The "small diamond" field in Mr. Batch's site plan is not big enough for Colt league use.
Mr. Batch said at the presentation that the Colt League had about 24 youngsters. "What I did was to look at the majority of the people that this is going to affect, 600 to 800 kids," he said.
Mr. Terrick's concerns might have been resolved by council President John J. Tichon's announcement this week that the Munhall-West Homestead Baseball Association, the Steel Valley School District and the borough were joining to try to secure funding to add a Colt League field behind the Steel Valley High School. "This is just in the planning stages, and the three agencies are trying to get funding for a first-class field," he said.
Let's play two
Slowly, but surely, NFL running games are starting to change.
While players such as Seattle's Shaun Alexander, New York's Tiki Barber and San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson remain capable of logging significant carries in a game, and a season, the idea of sharing the load is gaining a stronger foothold around the league.
"It's a demanding year," Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "If you're a running football team, it's hard for one back to take the pounding, particularly to have him fresh down the stretch.
"I think that's the biggest thing, because you want to be playing your best football in January and February. The only way to do that is to be able to make sure they have some of their body left by that time. That's why two backs, I think, is important."
Thirteen teams had multiple backs with at least 100 carries in 2005, including Cowher's Steelers, who went on to win Super Bowl XL.
Seattle, the NFC champion, was led by Shaun Alexander, who topped all NFL running backs last season with 370 carries, or 71.3 percent of his team's workload. Cleveland's Reuben Droughns had the largest percentage of his club's carries last season at 78.2 percent.
Compare that to 1998, when Atlanta's Jamal Anderson set an NFL record with 410 carries. His 79.5 percent share wasn't even the largest in the league that season. Marshall Faulk carried the ball 84.4 percent of the time for the Indianapolis Colts that season.
Though he did have one more 1,000-yard season after 1998, Anderson was never the same back. Knee injuries derailed his career.
Tennessee's Eddie George had eight consecutive seasons of 300 carries, but even his former coach sees those days going by the wayside.
"In this day and age, you're going to have multiple backs," Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. "The days of the Walters (Payton) and Eddie Georges are over. You're not going to find a guy that has a life span of 9-10 years."
Some of the greatest teams in NFL history had multiple running backs -- Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick of the Miami Dolphins, and Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That's not to say there isn't a dominant back on the team. In fact, there has to be. But teams that rely solely on one back to shoulder the load are risking him wearing down by the end of the season, having a shorter career or being more prone to injury.
"I've always liked to alternate backs," Buffalo's Dick Jauron said. "It's hard to have one guy take all that punishment, carry the ball like that all year. You like to have a feature back and then somebody you can trust to take the load off.
"But your feature back, in my opinion, you want him to touch the ball 20-25 times a game."
Jauron, in his first year with the Bills, will be looking for somebody he can trust this season to back up Willis McGahee, who carried 325 times in 2005.
If the Bills find that guy, they could join the list of teams that can attack in different ways. Atlanta has Warrick Dunn and T.J. Duckett. Denver could be going with the combination of Ron Dayne and Tatum Bell. Miami, while waiting on news of Ricky Williams' appeal of a one-year suspension, plans on giving Ronnie Brown help, no matter what. If not Williams, it would be Sammy Morris.
"I think that's something we've always looked at as a two-starter position," Dolphins coach Nick Saban said.
Having two backs also gives teams the opportunity for a change of pace. In Pittsburgh's case, Willie Parker was the speedy, shifty back while Jermoe Bettis was the short-yardage bowling ball who could deliver tough yards inside.
"You need the hammer, and you need the other guy, too," ESPN analyst Joe Theismann said. "If you can have that, it gives you versatility on the offense. One of the areas I don't think people really, really consider a lot is converting third downs. You have to be able to convert them."
Jacksonville had solid production from Greg Jones last season when No. 1 back Fred Taylor was banged up. But while coach Jack Del Rio has loaded his roster with running backs, he doesn't necessarily buy into the idea of spreading it around -- at least to a degree.
"It just depends," Del Rio said. "Certainly, in order to get a guy enough touches, you have to let him get going. There are some backs that can go in and spot-play and give you a jolt, then there are some backs that need to play in order to get in a rhythm and get themselves going. You have to really identify which kind of guys you have."
Taylor, Del Rio said, is a guy who has proven he can carry it 25-30 times when healthy.
New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin watched his running back, Tiki Barber, carry the ball 357 times -- or 76.1 percent -- last season. But that wasn't always the plan.
"To be honest, we went out last year and tried to take a little bit of the load in that heavy-duty running off of Tiki," Coughlin said. "But when it got to be the second half of the season and we're fighting for the division, who do you think is going to have the ball? You've got to get the ball in the hands of the guys who can make the plays."
That also means Reggie Bush. The USC running back is regarded as one of the most explosive runners to come into the NFL in a long time. But while many expect the Houston Texans to take him with the No. 1 pick, few expect him to come in and be a guy who can carry it 25-30 times a game.
"Is Reggie Bush a 350-carry guy? Probably not," Baltimore's Brian Billick said. "Even if he was, I don't know if you want to do it. You need the balance. From what I've seen of him with the 20 to 25 carries, you don't need him for the other 10. You got a 20-point lead and put the other guy in."
Pittsburgh Steelers 2006 Draft Preview
The Steelers' overall team weakness in 2005 was their secondary, and with Chris Hope and Mike Logan both cut, safety help appears to be the number one priority for the defending Super Bowl champs. Elsewhere on defense, a replacement for the departed Kimo von Olehoffen (Jets) could be targeted on the first day. On offense, finding an all-purpose type of receiver like Antwaan Randle El (Redskins) will be easier said than done, but the Steelers have to take a crack at finding one. Also, Jerome Bettis' retirement brings with it a need for a bruising-style back to get the tough yards and complement Willie Parker.
2005 Record: 11-5 First Pick: No. 32 Number of Selections: 10 (1, 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 6, 7) RECENT FIRST ROUND HISTORY: 2005 - Heath Miller (TE, Virginia); 2004 - Ben Roethlisberger (QB, Miami (OH)); 2003 - Troy Polamalu (SS, Southern Cal); 2002 - Kendall Simmons (OG, Auburn); 2001 - Casey Hampton (DT, Texas); 2000 - Plaxico Burress (WR, Michigan State); 1999 - Troy Edwards (WR, Louisiana Tech); 1998 - Alan Faneca (OG, LSU); 1997 - Chad Scott (CB, Maryland); 1996 - Jamain Stephens (OT, North Carolina A&T); 1995 - Mark Bruener (TE, Washington); 1994 - Charles Johnson (WR, Colorado); 1993 - Deon Figures (CB, Colorado); 1992 - Leon Searcy (OT, Miami); 1991 - Huey Richardson (LB, Florida); 1990 - Eric Green (TE, Liberty).
Bon Jovi, Nickelback To Steelers Concert
Bon Jovi and Nickelback will be in Pittsburgh this summer to help the city celebrate the Steelers' Super Bowl XL victory.
According to the Pittsburgh Steelers' official web site, Bon Jovi is set to headline the "Steelers World Championship Celebration Concert" on July 23rd at Heinz Field.
Canadian rockers Nickelback will provide support at the show, and other opening acts will be announced soon.
Along with the music, the celebration will also feature a video tribute to the Steelers 2005 Championship Season, and fans will also witness the unveiling of the Super Bowl trophy.
