Steelers football blog

Steelers open up preseason with Cardinals

The stakes won't be nearly as high, and in truth, there won't be any of which to speak.

But the two teams that made Super Bowl XLIII one of the more exciting in the game's illustrious history will meet a little more than six months after the Steelers beat the Arizona Cardinals, 27-23, on a late touchdown catch by Santonio Holmes.

The Steelers will play the Cardinals in the preseason opener for each team on Aug. 13 at Heinz Field. The nationally televised game will start at 8 p.m. and is on a Thursday night.

That contest highlights the Steelers' four-game preseason slate, which the NFL released Monday. Continue

Tomlin stays low

He did not draw near the crowd of first-year Broncos coach Josh McDaniels, who was besieged with questions about a relationship with star quarterback Jay Cutler that soured before it even started.

But Mike Tomlin got his share of visitors at his table during a media breakfast Tuesday at the NFL owners' meetings. And he seemed just as comfortable holding court as he does presiding over practice at the Steelers' South Side facility.

That he can be as engaging as a politician belies an admission that Tomlin made earlier this week.

"I'm a private person," Tomlin said. Continue

Steelers open vs Titans

NBC almost had a dream matchup for the 2009 NFL season opener.

The network didn't get a bad consolation prize when the league announced Monday that the Steelers will host the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 10 at Heinz Field.

Since 2004, the Super Bowl champion has played on the Thursday that precedes the first weekend of the regular season. And the 8:30 p.m. game between the Steelers and the Titans pits the team that won the Super Bowl against the team that had the NFL's best regular-season record (13-3) in 2008.

The Titans beat the Steelers, 31-14, last December in Nashville, handing them their final loss of the season.

"You want to play the best," Steelers chairman Dan Rooney said at the NFL owners meetings, "they're pretty good." Continue

Steelers, Anthony Madison agree to deal

The Steelers continued to re-sign their players, as cornerback Anthony Madison officially agreed to a one-year, $1.01 million deal Friday.

Madison is one of the Steelers' top special-teams players.

The 5-foot-9, 180-pounder had a career-high 25 tackles on special teams in 2008 and helped shore up the kick coverage teams that had struggled the previous season.

His signing also adds depth at cornerback, where the Steelers lost Bryant McFadden to free agency.

The Steelers have yet to sign a free agent from another team, but they have been busy locking up their players, including starting offensive tackles Max Starks and Willie Colon and starting guard Chris Kemoeatu. (Tribune-Review)

Steelers say deal with Harrison reachable

Team president Art Rooney II said Thursday he is "optimistic" the Steelers and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison will reach an agreement on a long-term contract.

Harrison, who set a Steelers single-season record with 16 sacks in 2008 and returned an interception 100 yards for a touchdown in Super Bowl XLIII, is entering the final year of a contract that will pay him $1.2 million in 2009.

Signing the Pro Bowl outside linebacker to a multi-year deal is one of the Steelers' top offseason priorities.

Bill Parise, Harrison's agent, said he and the Steelers have talked regularly, but no breakthrough has been made. Continue

Steelers close deals with Essex, Bryant

The Steelers brought back two more of their unrestricted free agents on Tuesday.

Offensive tackle Trai Essex signed a two-year contract to return to the team, and cornerback Fernando Bryant agreed to terms on a one-year deal.

Essex received a signing bonus of $500,000 and salaries of $620,000 and $800,000 over the next two seasons.Bryant will earn a base salary of $745,000 in 2009.Essex, 26, is a former third-round pick of the Steelers in 2005.Bryant, who will turn 32 on March 26, signed with the Steelers on Nov. 11.Essex and Bryant are the seventh and eighth members of last year's team to re-sign with the Steelers. Continue

Steelers open door for Harrison, Shipley

The Steelers welcomed a prospective draft pick and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year to the South Side on Monday.

Penn State center A.Q. Shipley visited the team's practice facility for a chat with director of football operations Kevin Colbert. And linebacker James Harrison participated in the first day of offseason workouts.

Yesterday was the first day players were permitted to work out at their team's headquarters and receive compensation per the NFL's collective bargaining agreement.

"That's him," Colbert said of Harrison. "It's not surprising because that's his work ethic. He was here as much as anyone last year. It says a lot about who he is." Continue

Steelers resign backup linebacker Andre Frazier

The Steelers agreed to terms today on a two-year contract with linebacker Andre Frazier, a member of their Super Bowl-winning teams in 2005 and 2008.

Frazier, a backup linebacker and contributor on special teams, will receive a $125,000 signing bonus and base salaries of $620,000 and $630,000 over the next two seasons. Continue

tackle Willie Colon signs one-year deal

Offensive tackle Willie Colon is returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers after signing a one-year contract with the Super Bowl champions.

The Steelers, who announced the signing Wednesday, tendered a one-year offer of $2,198,000 to the restricted free agent last month.

If Colon had signed elsewhere and the Steelers failed to match that offer, they would have received a first-round draft pick as compensation.

The Steelers selected Colon in the fourth round of the 2006 draft out of Hofstra. Continue

Steelers interviewing CB Carr

In an attempt to bolster their ability to return kicks and punts and also provide depth at cornerback, the Steelers will meet today with Tennessee Titans cornerback Chris Carr -- the second unrestricted free agent to interview on the South Side this week.

Carr, 25, was a backup with the Titans last season after spending the previous three seasons with the Oakland Raiders, but he is one of the top return specialists in the AFC. He finished third in kick returns (28.1-yard average) and eighth in punt returns (10.1) in the AFC last season.