Ben Deal is Done; Steelers To Add New RB

Sources are reporting that the Steelers' extension of Ben Roethlisberger is in fact complete and it will be officially announced later today. Early numbers look like it will be an eight-year deal worth $102 million, with at least $36 million guaranteed. I was the first on the scene and grabbed the first photo of Ben after he signed the deal:

In other news of the black and gold variety, former Viking running back Mewelde Moore was in town yesterday and is expected to be signed shortly. He also flirted with Tampa Bay but that was apparently just an excuse to see that giant pirate ship of a stadium.

Moore is expected to be the primary kick and punt returner, a position also known in Pittsburgh as "revolving door". A four-year veteran, Moore was in Minnesota at the same time as Mike Tomlin, so there's a bit of history there. His career-best season was 2005 when he racked up 1,001 yards of total offense and found the end zone four times. He also has shown an affinity for standing on tables outside Barnes and Noble stores while wearing his uniform, as shown below:

Steelers reward Roethlisberger with 8-year, $102M deal [ESPN]

Mewelde Moore [Wikipedia]

Mewelde Moore [ESPN Player Card]

Morning Briefing

PENS SPLIT: Saturday was a tough 5-4 loss for the Pens at Ottawa, as Pittsburgh proved to once again be the cure that ails a slumping Daniel Alfredsson, who scored twice and added an assist. Ty Conklin looked less than stellar in goal for the Pens, and was replaced in the lineup by Marc-Andre Fleury on Sunday.

MAF certainly looked like he's back, stopping 31 shots in regulation and all three in the shootout in a 3-2 win over Atlanta on Sunday. Ryan Malone and Maxime Talbot provided the regulation offense, with Kris Letang adding the difference-maker in the shootout. Not even the shootout expertise of Erik Christensen mattered for the Second-Hand Penguins, who fell two games under .500 for the season. In addition to Christensen and Colby Armstrong (who added an assist on Sunday), Atlanta features former Pens Joel Kwiatkowski, Mark Recchi, and Chris Thorburn.

It was a memorable ending for the crowd of 17,132 (101.0% full) who also participated in a Terrible Towel-waving tribute for Myron Cope.

The Penguins moved to 37-23-7 (81 points), tied with Montreal for first in the East.

And congratulations to the Penguins fans shown who've already purchased Marian Hossa jerseys. That's a real leap of faith as a long-term investment.

PITT STEALS ONE: Someone might want to check Carrier Dome for prints, because a victory was stolen away from Syracuse on Saturday. The suspect is the Pitt Panthers, wrongly considered by some as a bubble team, who came away with an 82-77 victory over the weekend.

Jim Boeheim's Bill Cowher-esque milking of the clock backfired in a 18-2 Pitt run to close out the last 3:30 of the game, climaxing with a Syracuse fumble of the inbounds pass and subsequent Panther basket with 11 seconds remaining. Boeheim then outdid himself with a technical foul to truly ice his own team. Pitt now stands at 21-8, with two games remaining: tonight at WVU and Sunday vs. DePaul.

STEELERS, BEN NEAR DEAL: Agents Ryan and Bruce Tollner are in town to hopefully wrap up the contract extension for birthday boy Ben Roethlisberger, who has two years remaining on his rookie deal.

EUGENE WILSON TO STEELERS?: Patriots UFA Eugene Wilson, a safety/cornerback who appeared in 11 games last season, will visit the Steelers on Tuesday. A second-round pick in 2003, Wilson has 10 career interceptions. He will also visit Tennessee and Tampa Bay.

MYRON REMEMBERED: Steeler fans said "Bye, now", in a Terrible Towel-twirling tribute for Myron Cope at the City-County Building, ending in a minute of silent towel-twirling led by Dan Rooney, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.