James Harrison's Slam of Vince Young Cost $5,000

Steeler Nation got their own version of the famous Turkey Jones-Terry Bradshaw hit on Sunday, when James Harrison, Aaron Smith, and Brett Keisel triple-teamed Vince Young to the ground in Tennessee. 

Sure, everyone enjoyed it at the time, but today the bill came from the NFL. And as a result of the hit, Harrison will be $5,000 lighter in the wallet. Does he mind? Take it away, Ed Bouchette:

Asked Wednesday after practice if the hit was worth paying the fine, Harrison said "No!"

Steeler fans will disagree with Harrison's assessment (I think it was worth at least $10,000), but Silverback did get some good news to go with the bad: on the same day he was hit with a $5K fine, he was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week, with two sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one tackle for a loss, one quarterback hurry and 11 tackles. For all the amazing things he's done in his career, pulling off the Player of the Week/$5,000 fine combo in one day may rank among Harrison's most memorable feats.

And by the way, in other Steeler news while I have you here...Charlie Batch is definitely going to start this Sunday, while Dennis Dixon underwent knee surgery and could miss six weeks.

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Tomlin Says Charlie Batch is in "Pole Position" to Start Sunday

Byron Leftwich will compete for the gig, but it looks like Charlie Batch could very well be the Steelers' starting quarterback on Sunday at Tampa.

Torn Meniscus Sidelines Dennis Dixon

I sincerely hope that you enjoyed what you could of The Dennis Dixon Experience, because it's come to an abrupt halt after he suffered a torn lateral meniscus on Sunday against Tennessee.

Dennis Dixon Gets the Start vs. Atlanta

The muddled QB situation of the Pittsburgh Steelers became clear on Monday: Dennis Dixon, and not Charlie Batch, will be the starter in Week One against Atlanta.

Steelers Win, May Lose Byron Leftwich to Possible Torn MCL

The Steelers won on the scoreboard on Thursday night against Carolina, but they could possibly have a much bigger loss in the grand scheme of things.

TODAY'S HEADLINES

TODAY'S HEADLINES

Charlie Batch signed a new two-year deal with the Steelers today, and will compete with Dennis Dixon for the backup job in 2010. Batch has been with the Steelers since 2002 and has thrown just 135 passes during his time with Pittsburgh. While not spectacular, Batch is an efficient 3-1 in his four starts for the Black and Gold, with a passer rating of 88.3, eight touchdowns, and four interceptions. [ESPN]

John Russell appeared on The Fan with Seibel and Starkey and tried to explain his version of what "It's Time" for. Which means he's probably not entering our contest. [93.7 The Fan]

Evgeni Malkin will miss tomorrow's game against the Flyers, leaving practice today after giving it a go for about 15 minutes at Southpointe. This will be the third game in a row that Malkin will miss and the fifth in the last six for the slumping Pens. Malkin's status for Sunday's game against Toronto is unknown.

Also, Sergei Gonchar may miss his second game in a row on Saturday due to illness. Not a good week for the Russian Penguins. [NHL.com]

Jamie Dixon will serve as an in-studio analyst for CBS College Sports Network during its coverage of the NCAA Tournament this weekend, appearing on Friday's broadcast between 7 p.m.-12:30 a.m., on Saturday from 6 p.m.-9:30 p.m. and Sunday between 1:30-4 p.m. That's all fine and good, but I'm sure he'd rather be coaching this weekend. [PittsburghPanthers.com]

Kelly Naqi has been reporting on the Ben Roethlisberger case for ESPN, and broke the story last night that one of Roethlisberger's friends was blocking the locked bathroom door where the alleged incident occurred, according to Capital City bar manager Rocky Duncan. An excerpt:

Approximately 30 seconds after he saw Roethlisberger talking to the woman, Duncan said one of the accuser's friends approached Duncan and said, "I think my friend is in the bathroom with Ben, but the door [leading to the bathroom area] is locked, and I'm trying to get back there, and this guy [one of Roethlisberger's friends] wouldn't let me through." Duncan said she also told him, "I think my friend may be drunk."

Duncan said the accuser's friend "did not seem frantic, it was someone just looking for her friend." He said he told the woman she could either try to hop over the divider that separated the stage room from the bathroom area or "go around to the back and go through the backside entrance, because that door doesn't have a handle to it and you can go in that way." Duncan said he didn't know if the woman tried to get back into the bathroom area.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl asked city employees, downtown workers and university students to wear black and gold and gather at the City-County Building Friday afternoon. The purpose of this gathering was to spell out the word "Google" in the hopes of becoming the test site for Google’s new ultra high-speed network.

Maybe it's me, but don't those collected Yinzers look more like a '9'?[WPXI]

Evgeni Malkin + Dapper Dan Acceptance Speech = recipe for a good video clip

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GRISHAM IN, PALKO OUT FOR STEELERS

On the eve of a must-win against Cleveland, the Steelers made a few roster moves today, bumping up WR Tyler Grisham from the practice squad and releasing QB Tyler Palko. The move was necessary due to the questionable status of WR Hines Ward, who is nursing a hamstring injury.

The 5'11", 180-pound Grisham is a product of Clemson and was a camp casualty in 2009. According to the Trib's John Harris, he has "football speed" comparable to Wes Welker and Kevin Curtis. I'll bet he's scrappy and runs great routes, too.

Palko, the former Pitt Panther, was signed by the Steelers on November 28 after the injuries to Ben Roethlisberger and Charlie Batch. He was the #2 QB against Baltimore and the #3 QB against Oakland, but did not see any game action.

Steelers Promote Rookie WR Grisham; QB Palko Released [WPXI]

Harris: Long odds don't bother Grisham [Trib]

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IT'S DENNIS DIXON TIME

"Baptism by Fire" will be the theme on this week's edition of NBC's Sunday Night Football, as Dennis Dixon will get his first career start in the NFL against the playful Baltimore Ravens.

As you'll recall, this unexpected turn-of-events was a result of Ben Roethlisberger suffering a minor concussion against the Kansas City Chiefs, who actually managed to knock out a second Steeler QB moments later when they injured the wrist of backup Charlie Batch. Roethlisberger is now not expected to play, Batch is out for six weeks, and Tyler Palko is expected to be signed from the practice squad to backup Dixon. My head is spinning.

The 6'3", 195-pound Dixon, who was a Heisman candidate at Oregon before tearing his ACL in 2007, has thrown one pass in an NFL game, that coming last December against the Browns.

Some other Dixon trivia you'll probably hear on Sunday night: he was drafted by the Braves in the 20th round of the 2003 MLB draft; he was picked again by the Braves in the fifth round of the 2007 draft; he hit .176 in 74 minor league at-bats that season; he returned to Oregon for football his senior season and suffered the ACL injury; he was replaced at QB by Ryan Leaf's brother Brady Leaf, who would go on to get injured in his first game as Dixon's replacement.

As for the rest of the wounded Steelers, Troy Polamalu and Chris Kemoeatu are out, Travis Kirschke is questionable, and Willie Parker is probable. This is going to be a true test of Steeler depth if there's ever been one.

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CHARLIE BATCH OUT 6 WEEKS

Let's hope Big Ben's noggin is OK, because Plan B will be unavailable for the next six weeks, according to tireless ESPN reporter Adam Schefter. Charlie Batch, who came in relief of the injured Ben Roethlisberger in overtime and took just a few snaps, apparently suffered a wrist injury that will require surgery.

Next in line would be Dennis Dixon, who has thrown one pass in an NFL game. Sounds to me like there could be an audition of veteran quarterbacks in the Steel City this week. All of a sudden, with injuries to Roethlisberger, Batch, Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith, this is starting to resemble the situation facing another defending champion in town.

Charlie Batch out six weeks [PFT]

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STEELER BASKETBALL: A BUZZER-BEATER, WITH VIDEO

Once again, I decided to venture into the real world to cover a live event, the occasion being a Pittsburgh Steeler charity basketball game. If you'll remember, I also attended one of these last year, at Monessen High School, and it was a pretty neat experience, if for no other reason than to get an idea of how Najeh Davenport's athleticism would translate to another sport.

So last week, I again took a drive to Monessen, PA, to catch this year's edition of the game. As usual, you have no idea what to expect when you attend one of these games. Rarely do the Steelers tip their hand at who will be playing for their team on a given night. Everyone from Ben Roethlisberger to James Harrison has suited up in the past, but it's pretty much a total crapshoot.

Last year, the Steelers sent just six representatives to the Monessen game: Davenport, Max Starks, Anthony Madison, Arnold Harrison, and practice-squadders Jon Dekker and Gerran Walker. It was certainly charitable of those men to show up, but it was lacking the star power you think of when you hear the words "Pittsburgh Steelers". I know, I'm complaining about star power in a charity game. I'm a horrible person. Although I must admit, when Dekker got arrested right before the Super Bowl, I knew who he was because of this game. (And by the way, he was acquitted, so all's well that ends well).

This year, I was overwhelmed by a much-improved lineup: Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes and local boy Charlie Batch were greeted with overwhelming approval by the crowd; the team was rounded out by a host of offensive linemen, including Trai Essex, Darnell Stapleton, Starks, and Willie Colon, plus Carey Davis, Ryan Mundy and Madison. If nothing else, these guys could form a wall around Batch and let him shoot threes as an offensive strategy. But that would be too easy.

On this evening, the Steelers would be facing a mix of Monessen faculty members and a few select local athletes. Headliners included former Philadelphia Eagle Jamie Reader, Cal U Vulcans sophomore Kelsey Williams (very impressive athlete, by the way), and the WNBA's Charel Allen, a Monessen grad.

From the opening tip, which Starks won with ease, it was obvious that the Steelers would have a game on their hands. They take basketball very seriously in Monessen, as those roughly 900 PIAA, WPIAL, and conference championship banners would confirm.

Minutes in, and I get a Santonio close-up at my half-court seat. Much like the Super Bowl, he also kept his feet in bounds on this play.

Play was about as intense as you could expect for a bunch of pro athletes that don't want to get hurt and a random collection of teachers with a few ringers sprinkled in. Offensively, the Steelers were certainly liberal with the three-point attempts. Was this a strategy devised by Bruce Arians?
We make it to halftime, and you know what that means: free autographs, the two favorite words in the American vocabulary. Lines formed quickly, although Santonio would probably still be signing without the aid of a clock that limited the duration of the signing session.

For as chaotic as such an opportunity could be, it was actually a well-controlled halftime. Nearly every kid who wanted an autograph got one, with the exception of a few who were shut out on Santonio. But make no doubt about it, the young people in attendance were thrilled with their brushes with greatness.

Everyone found their seats, play resumed, and it was tight. The Steelers' collective sphincters were shrinking. Was there a chance that a group of pro athletes could drop a game to a group of (mostly) amateurs?
We entered the final minute of play, and the game is neck-and-neck. At this point, I pulled out the old Blackberry and tried to capture some video (albeit grainy) of the last few seconds. If I can set up this clip: tie game, crowd is going absolutely bonkers. To imply that this had any more importance than it actually had would be ridiculous, but from the atmosphere, you would think it was the last 30 seconds of a Final Four game.

Monessen takes possession, goes the length of the floor, and misses a shot. The Steelers grab the rebound and score a quick basket, taking a two-point lead. One problem: much like in the Super Bowl, they scored too fast and left too much time on the clock. Cal's Kelsey Williams subsequently drives in for the game-tying basket, the final buzzer sounds, and the place absolutely erupts. Unfortunately, they ended the game in a tie. But as charity basketball games involving NFL players go, this would have to rank as an "Instant Classic" nonetheless.

The Steeler hoop squad has a few games coming up soon, including this Wednesday the 29th at Ringgold HS (8 PM) and at Upper St. Clair HS on May 1st at 7 PM. If you're in the area and have a few hours, stop by. You might just see a Super Bowl MVP. And you'll be helping a good cause.

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STEELERS KEEP BATCH

After Byron Leftwich turned his nose at the Steelers' insulting offer of the league minimum in favor of a two-year, $7.5 million deal with Tampa, a gaping hole remained in the team's QB depth chart. In stepped Homestead's Charlie Batch to save the day, signing a one-year, $895,000 deal to stay with the team today.

The 34-year-old Batch, who joined the Steelers in 2002, has played in 22 games and started four during his time here, earning two Super Bowl rings in the process. He's an 11-year NFL veteran, entering the league as a second-round draft pick of the Detroit Lions in 1998. Batch was chosen ahead of players such as Hines Ward, Ahman Green, and Jeremiah Trotter, as well as quarterbacks Matt Hasselbeck and Brian Griese.

As we all know, Batch watched from the sidelines in 2008 with a broken clavicle that landed him on IR. In his place, Leftwich played admirably, but aspired for a starting job. Fortunately or unfortunately, that ship sailed for Batch a long time ago, and he's proven to be comfortable with his role as backup for Ben Roethlisberger.

Batch is beloved in his hometown and is one of the most popular Steelers off the field, due in no small part to his Batch Foundation and his charismatic personality, often displayed on WDVE's morning show. He will be welcomed back by Steeler Nation with open arms.

Steelers Keep Batch as Backup [ESPN]

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LEFTWICH TALKS WITH REDSKINS, BATCH TALKS TO NO ONE

Can anyone explain what's going on with the Steelers' backup quarterback situation? Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert say the team wants to retain both Byron Leftwich and Charlie Batch, but I think that has little chance of actually happening, unless they plan on ending the Dennis Dixon Era before it ever got off the ground. Four QBs on an NFL roster is a luxury that just isn't normally seen these days, although I suppose anything's possible. So what's the latest?

Well, Leftwich, who's been collecting dust in free agency, finally talked with a team other than the defending Super Bowl champs, visiting with the Washington Redskins on Friday. Apparently the team liked what they saw and heard, because a contract is being discussed.

The Redskins just lost out in the Jay Cutler Sweepstakes, which means Jason Campbell should return as the starter, barring an unexpected move. After Campbell, the Skins have 14-year veteran Todd Collins and 2008 draft pick Colt Brennan waiting in the wings, but neither is anything more than a backup at this point. Leftwich would seem to be an upgrade over those two, but then again, he would appear to be an upgrade over a number of QBs who are currently on NFL rosters while he is not. It's a curious case.

To watch the fall of Leftwich stock has been perplexing. As a much-heralded QB at Marshall, he came into the league as the seventh overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2003. Since then, it's been a rocky career to say the least, losing his job to David Garrard and getting released by the Jaguars on the eve of the 2007 season. He quickly signed with the Atlanta Falcons, who at the time were knee-deep in the Michael Vick mess at their quarterback position, and that didn't seem to work out, either. He was waiting by the phone when Batch went down in August of 2008 and beat out Daunte Culpepper for the Steeler gig, with a 104 QB rating in regular season spot duty.

As we all know, Leftwich has a cannon for an arm but is quite immobile, so it's important (but not totally necessary, as seen this year) to put him behind a capable offensive line. On the other hand, he compensates with a quick release and delivery, as he normally got rid of the ball promptly. To me, he seemed more than capable to be a second-string NFL quarterback.

While the Steelers insist that they want both men back, they haven't made a contract offer to either. To the best of my knowledge and research, no one has talked to Batch, who came into the league in 1998 and has been a Steeler since 2002.

So here we sit in early April, and the Steelers have just two quarterbacks under contract: Ben Roethlisberger and Dixon. I wish I knew their line of thinking in this instance, but to be totally honest, I'm at a loss.

Steelers backup QB Leftwich in talks with Redskins [PG]

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JOSE BAUTISTA A BLUE JAY

Earlier this afternoon, the Pirates consummated a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays that sent 3B Jose Bautista north of the border for the always-intriguing Minor Leaguer To Be Named Later.

Rather than bore you with statistics, I'll limit my coverage to an email that our very own A.J. sent me a few hours after the deal that pretty much summarizes what it's like to be a baseball fan in Pittsburgh in August:

"So... let me explain the situation. I just got home from work a while ago and am relaxing on the couch as I type this on my laptop. I just watched the sports segment with Fedko on the Channel 11 News.

Lead off story... Steelers/Farrior contract, followed by Tomlin talking about Saturday, cutaway to Rich Walsh at Steelers HQ talking about the defense and Polamalu. Then a mention on Gene Upshaw passing with subsequent interview with Charlie Batch (Steelers NFLPA rep). Next... a season preview of Baldwin High School's football team complete with shots of practice and an interview with one of the greatest yinzer coaches in the WPIAL (he actually tagged a sentence with the term "and stuff n'at"... that's like a double n'at... awesome)

Then...as the sports segment is wrapping up... almost as an afterthought... Fedko throws in (almost speed reading to end the segment before they go to commercial).. and the Pirates trade Jose Bautista to Toronto for a player to be named later.

Gotta love Pittsburgh baseball come August... a somewhat significant personnel move is almost forgotten, tucked away in a newscast behind a mention of a dead Oakland Raider and pre season high school football. Awesome.

I truly forget what it feels like to even give the slightest of s**ts about baseball at this time of year. I bet it must be nice... but I can't recall."

Well said, A.J. But did you hear we signed Pedro Alvarez?

"The Mosh Pitt": A Weekly Wrapup of All Things Panther

by Patrick Sehn
psehn29@yahoo.com

There's an old saying. When you get thrown out of the mosh pit, you get back in the mosh pit. So, after a week's absence, it's on to round 2. We've cleaned our bruises, the swelling's down, let's get right to it. First off, it's time for reader mail.

The Jason Mailbag
Our first ever email comes from Chris in Nebraska. How exotic. He writes:

"I'm a Steeler's fan out here in Nebraska. So, of course I'm a Husker fan. Now that the Steelers' season is done (damnit!), I was wondering what Pitt fans think of Steve Pederson. When he got sacked here, it was similar to Saddam getting overthrown. All we had to do was track down & eliminate his lackeys, which we did. I'll admit he got some things done & built, but he created an atmosphere where longtime Nebraska employees could not stand it anymore.

All I've heard about him at Pitt is that he didn't like the term "Pitt." Also, he may be the reason Mark May was so anti-Nebraska for a long time."

It's funny. Plenty of people were upset to see Pederson leave Pitt when he did. However, the reaction from most people when he came back ranged from surprise to confusion to anger. I, for one, can tell you how shocked I was that they hired him so quickly. Did the powers-that-be even look elsewhere? Who else was interviewed? This was confusing to me. I know Peterson, who's from Nebraska, wanted to take a job back home, but he jumped ship. In turn, we rewarded his betrayal and completely miserable failure at another job
with another job offer. This angered me. Then he immediately extended Wanny's contract. This didn't assuage my anger. I guess what it comes down to is this: Pederson did a pretty good job here his last go 'round. He helped put the football program back on the map, and the basketball team hasn't missed an NCAA tourney since before the Peterson Events Center was built. Give him the benefit of the doubt, for now. Keep in mind though: he couldn't push Nebraska, an already established program, to where they needed to be. I'm not so sure it will be any easier this time at Pitt.

Next email:

I think you're really sexy.

Sincerely,
Stephanie

I swear to you, I found that in my inbox the day the last Mosh Pitt went live.

Lastly, the Duke from Dukes Court was kind enough to write and offer me some suggestions to make the column a little better. I'm extremely greatful. I'm going to end the first installment of the Jason Mailbag by following said advice.

"Add more pictures"

Mondesi is also a strong advocate of pictures. So since everyone wants something to look at, here's Pictures for the Sake of Having Pictures:

Terrelle Pryor was spotted at another basketball game this week. This time in Michigan, again with Chaz Batch.

Probably a couple years old, but what are Chevy Troutman and Carl Krauser up to these days, other than the occasional XPlosion game? Where are their shirts? Is Jeff Reed hosting this party?

Very random, I know. I just think it’s important to know that Orlando didn’t always wear a bow-tie.

One last flashback pic. I think it’s fair to compare Blair to Mobley. Mobley had a couple inches on Blair, but they’re both aggressive big men who play the same style of basketball.

-Men’s hoops had a fairly interesting week. We saw a completely uninspired showing against Cincy, followed by a dominating performance against St. John's in the Garden. It’s encouraging to see Sam Young step up and take over a game like he did on Wednesday night. Let’s hope he can carry that performance through to the rest of the Big East schedule.

-I saw “There Will be Blood” at the theater. Not as much blood as you would think. I will say, it kind of reminds me of the way I’m looking at next football season. Wanny gets this year and maybe next to prove he can do more than recruit, or else...

-Here’s a couple of links I came across this week:
-This one is actually a link to the Pitt library system. It has the media guides for football and basketball from 1950 until now stored digitally and free to download. Sweet. You know you’re geeked on Pitt sports if you spend more than 5 minutes on there.

-Rivals.com predicts their NFL all-pros for the year 2017. A couple of current and future Pitt players made the list.

-Go to a Pitt basketball game this year, you’ll be sure to encounter someone handing out flyers in support of the Pittsburgh Xplosion. Apparently John DeGroat had a pretty good week. His three game scoring total was 76. That was enough to earn him the coveted "CBA player of the week" award, the second consecutive week he's taken home that honor. He'll be representing Pittsburgh at the All-Star Classic Tuesday night in Yakima. Good seats still available.

OK, ladies and gents. Have a good week. Hail to Pitt!

The News

The Steelers beat the Eagles, 27-13, in their final Heinz Field tuneup of the preseason. Only a Thursday-nighter at Carolina remains. The performance of the offense was intriguing, but not as intriguing as the story that fans were turned away from Heinz Field restrooms last night. Do we have any witnesses out there who can describe that undoubtedly ugly scene?

As for the actual game action, the play of Charlie Batch inspired the postgame KDKA Sports Showdown crew to debate whether or not there could be a QB controversy at some point this season. If that was thrown out there strictly to generate blogger buzz, consider their mission accomplished.

I also need to throw congratulations out to Willie Reid, for exactly replicating the 2006 performance of Ricardo Colclough while returning punts. Fielding them inside the 10, fumbling them (inside the 10)...now if only Reid would go down for the season with a phantom injury like Colclough did...

--Who was that chunky masked man that beat the Pirates yesterday? Does the name Ty Wigginton ring a bell?

--Cracked.com ranks 9 Baseball Moments More Wretched Than Steroids. And two of the nine are Pirate-related.

--Greg Mottola, director of "Superbad", is filming his next movie, "Adventureland", in the Hollywood hotbed known as Pittsburgh.

--Forbes.com unveiled their "most eligible bachelors and bachelorettes" lists for invidivual cities, and ours were Big Ben and 54-year-old ad exec Michele Fabrizi. I'm going to guess that their love paths won't cross.

--Speaking of Large Benjamin, his hometown of Findlay, Ohio, suffered its worst flood in 100 years. Ben speaks on the floods here.

--Sign of the apolcaplyse: an autographed football from high schooler Terrelle Pryor, offered on eBay for $100.

--The Buccos are the hot team to bet on, thanks to their recent offensive outburst. No, they haven't scored 30 in a game (that would usually take about 10 games), but they're making some big winners among gamblers.

--Not a good evening on Sunday: Owen Wilson apparently tried to kill himself last night, and Hulk Hogan's son Nick almost died in a car wreck.

Steelers Win; Batch Home Avoids Trash Influx

The Steelers opened the 2006 NFL season in grand fashion last night, grabbing victory from the jaws of defeat in a 28-17 win over the Miami Dolphins. While the game will be remembered for a number of big plays, I think the biggest story should be the tragedy averted to the city of Homestead, PA.

I'm of course talking about the situation that Homestead's own Charlie Batch set up in the fourth quarter. Batch engineered a beautiful drive that moved the Steelers from their own 18 yard line to the Dolphins' goal line. Batch then fumbled Jeff Hartings' snap, and the Dolphins took posession. Staring down a Friday morning of trash removal from his front yard, Batch took the ball with 6:25 on the clock and 87 yards to go. Genius Offensive Coordinator Ken Whisenhunt called an 87-yard touchdown pass to Heath Miller, which Batch executed flawlessly. Of course, Miller stepped out of bounds at the 2 yard line, but I'm sure this is the last time that will be brought up.

Daunte Culpepper reverted back to his form of 2005 (pre-injury), which resembled the garbage that would've been thrown on Batch's lawn. He had two beautiful interception tosses to Troy Polamalu and Joseph Porter, with Porter's resulting in a touchdown. So Culpepper supporters can say that he did throw a TD last night. And if Ike Taylor actually had hands and fingers instead of cement blocks attached to his arms, Culpepper would've had a third interception and the Dolphins would have scored one less TD.

Here are some other thoughts on the NFL opener:

1. I liked the Bettis entrance; no one else noticed this, but that actually was Tim Lester driving the bus. Hey, work is work.

2. Jeff Reed showed his offseason spent at the Mike Vanderjagt School of Kicking paid dividends already

3. Reed aside, Steelers' special teams were not up to snuff. They let a member of the Caucasian Wide Receivers of America light them up on punt returns; Santonio Holmes figured fielding a punt inside his own 5 was a good idea; Ricardo Colclough showed he has no idea how to even field a punt; and James Harrison had an absolutely fantastic holding penalty on a kickoff.

4. Mark Madden really is a Super Genius. He was dead on: Nate Washington can't play in the NFL, he's not sold on Willie Parker, Charlie Batch is a 1-15 QB and they'll never throw to Heath Miller.

5. Hit of the Game: 1. Bryant McFadden in the closing minutes. 2. Brett Keisel's block on Culpepper's INT. Don't worry, Culpepper will have plenty of chances to work on his post-INT tackling.

6. Mini-Belichick may be a genius in the making, but he has yet to master the task of tossing a beanbag at an official

7. I never knew Joey Porter was gay. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

8. Anyone catch the momentum-changing no-call on the Cedrick Wilson pass interference in the 1st half? Seattle is right: those refs really do give us all the calls.

9. I'd like to see a show of hands...how many people still feel comfortable calling the Culpepper Dolphins a Super Bowl team?

10. "NFL Experts" Theismann, Schlereth, Mortensen, Allen, and Jaworski were all dead on: Dolphins victory in the opener.

One down, 15 to go. Bring on the Jags. Nice work, Chuck.

Who is Charlie Batch?

Charlie Batch will be the most important man in Pittsburgh for at least the next 24 hours. Based on some of the conversations I heard today on the radio and on the net, I thought we should educate ourselves just a little on Mr. Batch before passing judgment.

Charlie Batch and Howie Mandel: Seperated at Birth?


Charles D'Donte Batch was born December 5, 1974 in our very own Homestead, PA. Yes, the land that now houses Pittsburgh's playground of Dave & Buster's, The Improv, and Loews Theater was also the land that spawned #16.

Following a record-setting career at Eastern Michigan, Batch was the 3rd quarterback drafted in the 1998 NFL Draft, behind only #1 and 2 overall, Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf, and ahead of fellow QBs Matt Hasselbeck and Brian Griese. Believe it or not, he was also selected ahead of Ahman Green, Hines Ward, and Jeremiah Trotter.

Batch actually played in 12 games as a rookie in 1998, and the Lions finished with a 5-11 record under coach Bobby Ross. He completed 57% of his passes, had an 11-to-6 TD/INT ratio, threw for over 2,100 yards, and ran for over 200 more. 1998 was the final year of Barry Sanders' NFL career before he would leave the team high and dry at the running back position in 1999.

In 1999, with Sanders long gone, Batch split time with Gus Frerotte and took the Lions to the playoffs, throwing for a shade under 2,000 yards and compiling a 13-to-7 TD/INT ratio.

In 2000, Batch was once again the full time starter, throwing for roughly 2500 yards. This was a season of turmoil for the Lions, with Ross fired after nine games and replaced by Gary Moeller. His completion percentage fell to 53% and his TD/INT ratio fell to 13-to-15.

We all know Batch signed with the Steelers in 2002, but I'm really interested in that 2001 season. What radio commentators such as Mark Madden (as recently as today) still hang over Batch's head is his 2001 season. In '01, the Lions handed the keys to the franchise to possibly the worst GM in NFL history, Matt Millen, who hired possibly the worst coach in NFL history, Marty Mornhinweg. Morhninweg is most remembered for his 5-27 career record, his driving to practice on a Harley, and for electing to kick off in overtime in 2002 vs. the Bears. Predictably, the Bears took the kickoff, rolled right down the field, and set up Paul Edinger for a game-winning field goal.
The Face of Losing

With a management team like Millen and Mornhinweg, the Lions were a team destined for failure. Let's check out the team Batch was surrounded by:

Running back: The Lions had Ruben Droughns on the roster, who ran for 1,200+ yards last year with Cleveland, of all teams. But since these are the Lions, they gave Droughns a grand total of 30 carries in 2001. The bulk of the load went to James Stewart, who responded with 685 yards rushing for the season. Great way to ID that talent, Marty.

Wide receiver: Johnnie Morton was their top threat, and while he was a decent receiver, he was never confused for a gamebreaker. Herman Moore contributed the final four catches of his career; Germane Crowell added his usual five games before getting injured; Desmond Howard's presence, but not his play, reminded Michigan fans that he used to be good; and Bert Emanuel wished he was still in Atlanta catching passes from Jeff George. Basically, they had crap at the receiver position, hence the three consecutive first-round picks that were to follow beginning in 2002.

O-Line: Dominic Raiola at center, Brenden Stai and Tony Semple as the guards (both one year away from washing out of the league), Jeff Backus and Matt Joyce as the tackles. Ever wonder why Barry Sanders retired early? Would YOU want to run behind this line?

Tight end: David Sloan, Bradford Banta, John Waerig, Pete Mitchell. Not exactly Mark Bavaro, Jay Novacek, Kellen Winslow and Antonio Gates.

Defense: Robert Porcher played at a Pro Bowl level, and they had some other low-grade defensive stalwarts such as Luther Elliss, Stephen Boyd, a young Shaun Rogers. They gave up 27 points a game...what else is there to say?
The 2001 Lions Defense team photo

I'm not saying Batch will be great, I'm not saying the Steelers won't miss Ben (they will)...but I don't think it's fair to Batch to compare the 2001 Detroit situation to the 2006 Pittsburgh team. The Steelers have a game-breaking running back, one of the league's top offensive lines, a four-time Pro Bowl WR, an emerging threat at tight end, and quite possibly the NFL's most tenacious defense, with playmakers like Polamalu, Porter, Taylor, and Farrior. They also have arguably the best coaching staff in the NFL, led by a man worlds away from Marty Mornhinweg.

If Batch were to QB this team all season, I think they would win 8-9 games. With Ben, the sky is the limit, but I would think 11-12 this year, all things considered.

Last year, Homestead Charlie was 2-0 as the starter for the Black & Gold. He was classified under the category of "Game Manager", which is the media's way of saying "Can't Win a Game by Himself". He threw for 215 yards, no TDs, and one pick in two full games. But most importantly, the record was 2-0. Yes, those wins came against 4-12 Green Bay and 6-10 Cleveland, but at least they were wins.

"Turnover Tommy" Maddox compiled an 0-2 mark, 2-to-4 TD/INT ratio, and plenty of new enemies in his performances against the Jaguars and Ravens. Yet the "Game Manager" tag avoided Maddox, even though he can't win a game by himself. Why? Because he proved he CAN lose a game by himself. His interceptions were absolutely crucial last year. And his lack of accountability burned his bridge with Mr. Bill. Given the choice between the two, I'd rather have Batch run the offense than Maddox.

So good luck to you, Chuck. You'll need it against a tenacious Dolphins defense coached by a Bill Belichick wanna-be. Go Steelers!

Words of wisdom: Play well, Charlie, or else these people will be at your place on Friday