Steelers off season rumors

Pittsburgh Tribune (AP)

The Pittsburgh Steelers enter the off season with several questions that need answered after going 4-12 and putting up the worst record the team has finished with in over 20 years. They have needs all over the place and some big names that will become free agents soon so they will need to get their off season plan together and do what it takes to get the ship back afloat.

The first decission the team will need to make is who gets resigned and who does not. Potential free agents include HB Willie Parker, FS Ryan Clark and WR Hines Ward just to name a few. With the emergeance of Rashard Mendenhall in the run game Parker could be on the outside looking in. Rumor is the Steelers are looking to trade Parker, but that has not been confirmed by team officials.

As for Ward and Clark a team offical has said the Steelers wish to resign both players. Kicker Jeff Reed though may not be getting the same treatment as the team has been rumored to be looking for a kicker with a stronger leg.

Another player that could be on the outs with the team is DE Dwight Freeney who was added earlier in the season in a trade that sent Casey Hampton to Indianapolis. A team source has been quoted as saying the Steelers love Freeney but are not sure he fits as well into a 3-4 as once figured. Rumor is Freeney could be traded if the right offer was presented to the Steelers.

One positive note for the Steelers is they will have the 3rd pick in the up coming BDML draft and could use it to secure the services of the cornerback they so desperatly need. One with game changing ability, who can create turnovers for them. Another possibility is the Steelers trade down and pick up extra draft picks as they have several needs this year.

Some needs the Steelers will be looking to fill during the off season via the draft or FA will be a true RT so Willie Colon can be moved to his natural RG spot, a cornerback, a replacement for Willie Parker if he is traded, a wide reciever a DE or DT, and a young MLB to groom to replace the aging James Farrior down the road. Other areas of concern are at back up safety and some depth for the OL.

Steelers season not over, yet?

After starting 1-5 and suffering 5 consecutive loses by 7 points or less the Steelers players and coaches are fustrated. The defense has done everything asked of them but the offense can’t seem to find a balance as the passing game has yet to get in sync thus far on the season.

When asked how he felt about the season and the fact the Steelers face the 5-1 Vikings this week, coach Mike Tomlin had this to say. “We are not finishing games. We have had chances in everyone of them and could as easily be 5-1 as we are 1-5 but thats not the fact. So I challenge every player on this team to step it up. The season is far from over and we still have time to turn it around but the time is now.”

It won’t be easy sailing though as the mighty Vikings and Adrian Peterson are up next for the Steelers and they will need to play mistake free football to have a chance at winning.

The Steelers will need to find balance between run and pass and a way to slow down AP. If they can do that then they have a chance to be competitive, if not the season just may be a wash.

1st Annual BDML Turkey Bowl

It’s one of the least known traditions but one that goes back several years. A tradition carried from the XFA online PC league to the BDML . It is a battle of the ages, a game that means more to the teams involved then even winning a Super Bowl. Its the Turkey Bowl, and the first of many to come in the BDML.

What is this funky named game all about you ask? Well its when the Steelers face the Bengals. It’s when bragging rights are on the line between the league Commish’s, Robert and Jim.

It’s when two great friends put aside their friendship and attempt to murder one another on the gridiron. It won’t be pretty, it never is. What it will be though is a smackdown of wits, a battle royal of less then greatness and just down right nastiness until the smoke clears.

The Steelers are coming off a heart breaking loss to the Bears where one of the craziest fourth quarters ever was put into the record books. At 1-1 Pittsburgh is looking for a win to keep pace with the divison leading Ravens and get their season back on track. Led by the running of Willy Parker and a smash mouth defense the Steelers will look to control the clock and keep the Bengals high powered passing game grounded.

The Bengals on the other hand opened the season with a pair of losses that reminds many why they are nick named the Bungals. At 0-2 a loss this week could be the beginning of a very long season for the Bengals. They will need their high powered offense led by Carson “Ouch my knee!” Palmer, Choko Stinko and Chris “I just got out of jail” Henry to be at their best if they are to get into the win column for the first time on this young season.

They say for a war to begin there must first be a shot fired. It’s an oldy but a goody, so consider the following few sentences the magic bullet:

Rumor has it that Broke Back Mountain is set to begin filming the second part in a planned series of movies. Casting took place just a week ago and the lead character roles are being announced in this article. Who won the honor to play the lovable naked cowboys you ask? Well it is none other then Carson “Blue Balls” Palmer and Chad I’liko Peepie’O of the faultering Bengals.

Yes the stars of Cinncinati. The beloved bad boys of Bungaland. In honor of the two athletes turned actors the movie has been named “Broke Back II – Bungals In Love. Its a romance for the ages, one that includes Jail Birds, Donkys and Bengals.

When asked about the upcoming movie, Palmer had this to say. “I have always wished Chad was my center. He is a great wideout but he could put that cute little butt to better use by letting me pump it in between plays. He is so damn cute I just can’t wait to film the nude scenes with him. I am just dying to see just how big his “mohawk” really is.”

You heard it hear first folks and every word is true. Maybe not in Hollywood, but in Palmer and Chocko Stinko’s dreams it is a fantasy about to be realized. Love is in the air and all those long after game showers,  inwhich Palmer spent dropping the soap will finally pay off.

So grab your pop corn guys and sit back and enjoy as here in the Burgh we are completly positive the Bungals response won’t be pretty. It won’t be for the faint of heart and it won’t be anything you want the kids to read. What it will be though, is an embarressed coach Robert Williams trying to cover up the homosexualaity that runs rampent in his locker room.

Willy Parker on the black?

BDML Gazette

Rumor out of Pittsburgh is that HB “Fast” Willy Parker could be on his way out and is on the trading block. With the emergance of Rashard Mendenhall during the pre-season and Parker’s contract situation being up in the air, a source inside team headquarters reports Parker could be had for the right trade.

The Steelers have been scouring the waiver wire for potential OL and CB’s and it is a possibility they would be willing to part with Parker for the right one. When the BDML Gazette asked Coach Tomlin about a possible trade he had this to say “We do not discuss potential roster moves until after they are made. Willy is listed as a Pittsburgh Steeler and is important to this team and very much in our future plans.”

Take if for what it is worth, but the potential for Parker to be wearing another uniform sooner then later is a real possibility according to our source inside the team.

Steelers players get visit from the “Turk”

BDML Gazette

Coach Mike Tomlin declined to reveal his cuts publicly, but the BDML Gazette has identified some of the most important ones. Tomlin said he will not officially place anyone on waivers until he has to today, thus preventing other teams from getting a full day’s jump on evaluating his cuts. Trades could be involved, too.

Running backs Carey Davis, Justin Vincent and rookie Isaac Redman, linebacker Bruce Davis and veteran cornerback Anthony Madison were among the players who were informed of their release yesterday.

Also among the 22 players who were waived is former Penn State center A.Q. Shipley, a Moon High School graduate and one of the team’s seventh-round draft choices. Shipley said he was told the Steelers will try to sign him to the practice squad if he clears waivers.

One local player who made it is safety Ryan Mundy, who played at Woodland Hills High School, Michigan and West Virginia. Tomlin confirmed that Mundy and kick-returner Stefan Logan sealed their positions on the 53-man roster with their performances in the final preseason game Thursday night in Carolina.

Shipley is the one of two draft choices who did not make the 53-man roster. The other is defensive end Sonny Harris, a seventh-round pick who also was cut.

Redman, from Bowie State in Maryland, led the team with three touchdowns and 145 yards rushing in the preseason and was the star of two live goal-line drills in training camp.

Carey Davis, who started 11 of the 34 games in which he appeared the past two seasons, will be waived injured by the team. He did not play in the 21-10 victory at Carolina.

Bruce Davis was a third-round draft choice in 2008 from UCLA, where he had 251/2 sacks in his last two years as a defensive end.

Among other cuts were former Penn State defensive tackle Scott Paxson and inside linebacker Donovan Woods, both of whom spent time on the 53-man roster last season.

Rumor has it the Steelers are looking to make a splash trade for a quality OT or OG and are still looking for another CB to fill out thier opening day roster. Tomlin would not comment on a possible trade but said “We are always looking for a few good men to help us win and if a trade or FA signing makes sense we will not hesitate look in that direction.”