Steelers football blog

All eyes on Lawrence Timmons

James Farrior described a recent hit on Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan, and the Steelers' venerable inside linebacker punctuated his play-by-play with a "Pow!"

What he said about Lawrence Timmons, who delivered the jarring hit, proved to be even more of an eyebrow-raiser than Farrior getting animated about a play that happened in a preseason game.

"I really feel like he can be the best defensive player in the league," Farrior said.

Farrior is hardly alone among his teammates in his belief that Timmons stands at the brink of a breakout season.

The push from good to great starts Sunday in Baltimore, where the renewal of arguably the best rivalry in the NFL will feature stellar play from star-studded groups of linebackers.

No 'backer on either team might be more on the rise than Timmons, given the five-year, $50 million contract he signed last month and that Farrior isn't prone to hyperbole. (continue)

Harrison apologizes for comments taken out of context

Steelers linebacker James Harrison apologized on Thursday for his remarks in an interview with Men's Journal.

"I'll start by offering my apologies for some of the words that I said during the four days in May that Men's Journal was invited to my house to discuss what the NFL has recently been portraying as their attempts at 'player safety' rules and regulations, and to cover my everyday workout routine," Harrison said in a statement released to Fox 31 in Denver. 

He ripped teammates Rashard Mendenhall and Ben Roethlisberger for their performances in the Steelers' Super Bowl loss to the Green Bay Packers. (continue)

 

Harrison goes off in magazine article

Pro Bowl linebacker James Harrison stepped up his verbal assault on National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell, calling him a "crook" and "devil" among other insults, and also criticized quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for throwing two interceptions in the Super Bowl XLV loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Harrison, who was fined $100,000 by Goodell for late hits in 2010, made the comments in the August issue of Men's Journal magazine. His attack on Goodell reached a new venomous level when he said of the commissioner:

"If that man was on fire and I had to piss to put him out, I wouldn't do it," Harrison told the magazine. "I hate him and will never respect him."

Bill Parise, Harrison's Pittsburgh-based agent, tried to downplay the severity of the comments this morning when contacted by the Post-Gazette.

"A lot of it is bravado," Parise said. "I think people have to be careful not to read that and think those statements are anything more than expressions of feelings, particularly in regard to the commissioner. The commissioner fined James $100,000 last year. What do you want him to say, he's my best friend? James is a tough individual and that's the type of language he uses."

Parise denied a request to talk to Harrison. (continue)

Hines Ward arrested for DWI

Pittsburgh Steelers star wide receiver and "Dancing With the Stars" champ Hines Ward was arrested early today in Georgia on a drunken driving charge, sheriff's officials said.

The former Super Bowl MVP was booked into the DeKalb County jail just outside Atlanta at 3:41 a.m. and charged with driving under the influence. He was released on $1,300 bond.

It was Ward`s second contact with police in three months.

Ward was handcuffed and detained at gunpoint by Los Angeles police May 5 in North Hollywood when a car he was a passenger in was reported stolen. The report was out of date and mistakenly still in police records, the LAPD said.

Police said Ward was "very cooperative" and he and the driver were allowed to go. (continue)

Clark believes a deal will be reached soon

Steelers safety Ryan Clark was on a conference call Friday afternoon with other union representatives and said afterward he is optimistic the longest labor stoppage in NFL history is close to getting settled.

Clark, the Steelers player representative, said NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith, NFLPA president Kevin Mawae and executive committee member Charlie Batch were on Friday's call.

Clark said he has been on conference calls at the end of the week for the past few weeks with Smith and other members of the NFLPA.

"The last few weeks have been very positive on the whole," Clark said Friday afternoon. "Both sides are actively pursuing a deal and getting this thing done. It's been very positive in all aspects.

"People on the outside are getting more optimistic the more the media talks about it, but for those of us on the inside, for those of us in the know, we've been excited." (continue)

Steelers still expect to be at St. Vincent

In a sign of guarded optimism that labor peace will soon prevail, the Steelers held an organization-wide meeting Wednesday to talk about training camp.

The Steelers are planning on training at St. Vincent College for the 46th consecutive season. The streak, however, is in jeopardy because of the NFL lockout.

With owners and players reportedly making progress on a labor deal, the Steelers have not set any deadlines or closed any options when it comes to St. Vincent. Most training camps are set to open at the end of July. Under past rules regarding reporting dates, the Steelers could convene for camp July 28 because that is 15 days before their first preseason game.

"We are working closely with St. Vincent College and will make adjustments, as necessary, if and when a new collective bargaining agreement is reached," Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten said yesterday.

St. Vincent spokesman Don Orlando could not be reached for comment. (continue)

RIP John Henry Johnson

Former Steelers running back and coach Dick Hoak considers himself fortunate to have spent five seasons in the same backfield as John Henry Johnson.

"John was a great player. He was probably the best blocking fullback that there was at the time. He may have been one of the best I've ever seen," Hoak said. "Boy, he was fast enough that he could play in today's game."

Johnson, the bruising Hall of Fame runner who once held the Steelers' career rushing title, died Friday in Tracy, Calif. He was 81.

Johnson played fullback for the Steelers from 1960-65, and his 4,383 rushing yards led the franchise until another Hall of Famer, Franco Harris, shattered it in the 1970s. Johnson's total still ranks fourth on the team's all-time rushing list.

During his final five seasons with the Steelers, Johnson was part of an offense that included Hoak, who was 10 years younger than his more celebrated teammate.

"He could do everything. He was a lot of fun," Hoak said. "I don't know if he enjoyed playing with me, but I sure enjoyed playing with him." (Continue)

Steelers not a fan of new "rule"

Another NFL rule, another named in honor of the Steelers, although the team president does not embrace the reference.

For a team associated with the Rooney Rule, the Hines Ward Rule and rules aimed at neutering the 1970s Steel Curtain, add one that some members of the media have dubbed "The Steelers Rule."

The rule, which really is not yet a rule, includes possible fines and the docking of draft choices if a team's players ring up enough infractions. And it was coupled with actual new rules passed by the league owners Tuesday that widened the description of illegal tackles the Steelers so loudly fought against last season.

"I'm not sure I like it being referred to as The Steelers Rule," Art Rooney II said Wednesday. "It's a policy the commissioner is still considering and has not put into effect yet but he intends to put it into effect."

Rooney raised concerns last fall that the NFL might go too far when it started its crackdown with fines and threatened suspensions in October. He took a conservative approach to the latest move for punishing teams. (PPG)

 

Faneca retiring

Alan Faneca, the greatest guard in Steelers history, announced his retirement today.

Faneca, 35, made nine Pro Bowls and was selected to the Steelers' 75th Anniversary all-time team. He played his first 10 seasons with the Steelers before signing as a free agent with the New York Jets in 2008. He played two years with the Jets and last season with the Arizona Cardinals.

The Steelers drafted him in the first round in 1998 from LSU and he became a starter his rookie season.

Faneca overcame epilepsy, a condition he discovered he had at age 15, to have what may some day become a Hall of Fame career in pro football.

Here is a statement Faneca released this afternoon:

"After a lot of thought I am announcing my retirement from Professional Football. Playing in the NFL has been a childhood dream come true. Thirteen years later I have decided that it is time to move on.

"From the dog days of training camp to winning a Super Bowl the memories are endless. The greatest memory that I will leave the game with is all of the lifelong friendships I have made." (PPG)

Mendenhall chimes in on Osama Bin Laden

Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall is being criticized on social media sites for Twitter posts that question celebrations of the death of Osama bin Laden.

"What kind of person celebrates death? It's amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We've only heard one side ...," Mendenhall wrote in a post on Monday afternoon. "I believe in God. I believe we're ALL his children. And I believe HE is the ONE and ONLY judge."

When another Twitter poster suggested that bin Laden wasn't responsible for the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Mendenhall responded: "We'll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style."

Mendenhall has 14,240 followers on Twitter, a number that increased last night after word of his bin Laden comments spread. In his Twitter profile, Mendenhall describes himself as a "conversationalist and professional athlete." (Trib)