2010 MAPPED OUT

For the last three days I have been talking 'Roethlisberger Trade'. No kidding. Picking up Byron Leftwich on Tuesday solidified my belief. The 6 game suspension levied by the league today might put a little bit of a damper on that. Let's start off with what won't happen. He won't be traded to an AFCN team. We don't want to play him twice a season. He probably won't be traded to an AFC team. We don't want the door to a superbowl to be slammed by our former QB. Most likely candidates? St. Louis, San Francisco, Seattle. St. Louis has already said no. The 4-6 game suspension reduces his stock, but the draft has a funny way of doing things to teams.



Santonio Holmes trade? Good riddance. Violate league substance policy multiple times? Buh-Bye. The Rooneys won't have you, the Steelers don't need you, and the Steeler Nation won't miss you. Plain and simple.



No Willie Parker? Well those wheels have been coming loose for a while now. The team has shifted to a more balanced attack offensively, and we have no shortage of running game in Mendenhal, Moore, and the others.



Now the biggie: Schedule 2010. I want to break this down into chunks:

SECTION 1:

Falcons, @ Titans, @ Buccaneers, Ravens Not the ideal start. The good thing is we start at home. The Falcons are always a team in the hunt. I'm glad to be home for this one. Last year's Titans got it turned around in the end, and could be a force to be reckoned with. Especially for a Steelers on the road under the leadership of . Continuing to Tampa Bay lightens the schedule a bit for a team that will need it by then. And then home to the Ravens. A real rough start to the season. Probably a 3-1 start, maybe 2-2. We then go in to the Bye. Typical. We seem to have a bye earlier than later.

SECTION 2:

Browns, @ Dolphins, @ Saints, @ Bengals Well, I would be inclined to be dissapointed to come off the bye into the Browns. But Then a rough road trip follows, so it's a blessing in disguise. And the bye might be necessary after hosting the Ravens, the Steelers most physical of opponents. A road trip to Dolphins, Saints, and Bengals may feel like the highway to hell. The Dolphins will be a strong contestant this year, then the defending champions. This could be a statement game. Ben would be off his max suspension, and a win against the Saints on National TV could be a huge reminder of who we are. And then there's the Bengals. This relationship is all jealousy and no respect. With the Ravens, there is respect for their physical attributes. A win here would be nice. Again, probably 3-1 or 2-2 through this set.

SECTION 3:

Patriots, Raiders, @ Bills, @ Ravens And here is where we pick up momentum. The Patriots are getting old. They are not the juggernauts they once were. Never-the-less, it is nice to face them at home. The Bills? If we are playing good, forget about it. And Ravens round two. We are a late team who should be at full stride at this point. This one goes either way. 4-0 or 3-1.

SECTION 4:

Bengals, Jets, Panthers, @ Browns Into the final stretch we host the Bungles. Even if they are having a good year, we got the HFA when we need it most. Could be a pivotal game in the division. Jets with Holmes and Tomlinson? Again we got them on home turf, and at a good time of the year. The Panthers will be good for a win. And then we head to Cleveland to end it all. A divisional game at the end is great for any tie-breakers necessary. I would prefer to host this one, but oh well. 4-0 or 3-1.



We have a plethora of AM games again, so it's back to Beer for breakfast. 1 afternoon game, and a lot of prime time love.

LIAR LIAR

A few weeks back, a co-worker asked me about the Steelers in Free Agency. I laughed in his face. The Steelers don't do Free Agency. They are built from the daft. I went on to back up my statements with the 2005 and 2008 rosters. Each were 95% + signed/drafted players. And then I was turned into a Liar. Willy Allen, Arnaze Battle, Charlie Batch, Johnathon Scott, Ryan Clark, Larry Foote, and (drum roll please) Antwaan Randle El have all left the the Steelers front office with contracts in hand. This makes up 12% of a 55 man roster. A lot more than the 5% of the '05 and '08 champion teams. We'll see.

The Roethlisberger case seems to be getting better. The Holmes case is all but old news. And that's all I got to say about that.

The Draft? Oh yeah. A Thursday night, Friday Night, and Saturday event? What happened to sitting in front of the TV all Saturday waiting for nothing to happen? Oh well. When I am commissioner of the NFL....

Rules change for OT? Like it. I think it forces the players to play. Especially with kickers hitting those uprights from farther away now. If the D can't stop a TD...then I'm sorry, you don't deserve to win. If the O can't get down field, then you don't deserve to win.

OK. See you back here after the draft.

GNW