Steelers Blog

Ben on Rich Eisen Podcast

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger appeared on The Rich Eisen Podcast, which is available for download on NFL.com and iTunes and aired on NFL Network Thursday, May 10 at 1:30 PM ET.

The following is some of what Roethlisberger had to say.

On how he has changed since he was drafted:
“I was a very young man, and now I feel like a very old man even though I’m only 30 now. So much has changed. I was sitting in the locker room today after doing a couple of things there and I was sitting with Willie Colon, who I think is two years younger than me, and I looked around the locker room and told him this is getting crazy, I barely recognize half of these guys. I’m feeling old already and I’m only in my ninth year. It’s amazing how things change and how you grow up and you’re helping these younger guys out because they’re coming in with big eyes and trying to figure out how all of this stuff needs to slow down. I remember when I was there. I just try to help them out because it seems like just the other day I was there doing the exact same thing they are.”

On the Steelers offensive under new offensive coordinator Todd Haley:
“It’s different, it’s new. I’m sure I’ll pick up on it, but because it is so different – almost everything is completely different and new. Change isn’t always bad; it just takes a little while to get used to. That’s what I’m doing, trying to put the extra work in.”

On the reports that he was not happy with the change in offensive coordinators:
“The thing about it is, and I’ve only been a Pittsburgh Steeler for nine years and all I know are the stories, change doesn’t happen a lot in Pittsburgh. Look at how long Coach Noll, Coach Cowher [were in Pittsburgh] – they just don’t have a lot of changeover. So anytime you lose a player, you lose a coach – it would be uncomfortable to even lose an equipment guy, a training guy because in Pittsburgh it’s family. Everybody is family from top to bottom and that’s how the Rooneys treat you and that’s how we treat each other. To lose a family member like that, of course it’s going to hurt you and of course change is different. People made such a big deal about us being so upset and [having] hissy fits – nothing like that happened. You hate to see anybody that is your family leave, and so that was the tough part.”

On how much different the offense will be:
“I don’t know. I get a little confused at times because I know that so much has been made about us quote-unquote throwing the ball too much or going back to Steelers football and running the ball more. But in these meetings I’ve had with Coach Haley, he’s all about the no-huddle and using our wide receiver weapons and throwing the ball. I’m not sure what is going to happen yet.”

On Hines Ward’s retirement:
“It’s going to be weird not seeing [No.] 86 out there, and his smile, his competiveness, his fun nature and him making plays for you. It’s going to be that way, but it was the same thing when we didn’t have [No.] 36 out there, Jerome Bettis. You lose guys and guys retire and guys move on, and that’s the nature of this business, but there will never be another 86 and we’re going to miss him.”

The entire podcast can be downloaded by clicking on The Rich Eisen Podcast.

Here’s my guess for No. 2

My guess, and it’s strictly a guess, as to which way the Steelers might go with their second round pick:

Bobby Massie, an offensive tackle from Mississippi.

I have been wrong before.

Draft becoming must-see TV

Make fun of it all you want — and I’ve taken my share of shots over the years — but the NFL Draft pulls down the ratings for the two networks that televise the event.

According to the overnight ratings just released by The Nielsen Company, the first-round coverage of the 2012 NFL Draft drew a combined total viewership of 25.3 million viewers on  ESPN and NFL Network.

The networks posted a combined average rating of 5.28, which is an all-time high and represents an 18 percent increase over last year’s first round, which drew a 4.46 average rating. The 2011 NFL Draft was the first one to be televised in the three-day format currently in use this weekend.

The combined two network average of 8.1 million viewers also represents a 16 percent increase over 2011, and it now ranks as the second most-watched first round ever, behind only the 8.3 million who watched in 2010.

They WERE surprised he was there

Inevitably, it comes up in the post-pick meetings with the media, when GMs and coaches always seem to make the point that they were very surprised to get an opportunity to pick whomever they ended up picking. And so it was when Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin sat behind the microphones late Thursday night to try to talk about G David DeCastro without giggling.

But there is some evidence that the Steelers really didn’t believe they were going to have a chance to pick DeCastro.

All teams are permitted to bring in up to 30 players for pre-draft visits, and the Steelers took advantage of this by meeting with 28 prospects between March 30 and April 18. Among those 28 were five offensive linemen, but none of those five offensive linemen was named David DeCastro.

Now there’s no rule, official or unofficial, stating that a team is going to make its No. 1 pick from the list of players it brought in for pre-draft visits, but the Steelers’ recent history — at least the years encompassing Tomlin’s time as their coach — shows that they have brought in the guy they ended up taking on the first round. Kicking the tires one last time before buying the car, so to speak.

They didn’t do that with DeCastro, probably because they didn’t figure he would be there for the taking. But once DeCastro was, the Steelers wasted no time, maybe because they legitimately were surprised he was still there.

Nike was on the ball

If you were watching the first round of the draft closely, there was a significant upgrade to the whole photo-op with the commissioner thing going on. It has been going on for years with the players who are on hand in New York City for the draft — after the pick is announced, the player comes onto the stage where he is greeted by the commissioner who immediately produces the appropriate team jersey with the No. 1 on it. Then player, commissioner and team jersey pose for a photo that invariably makes it into every newspaper in the team’s city.

But this year, Nike, which won the contract to be the NFL’s official jersey provider starting with the 2012 season, added the player’s name on the back. So when Jacksonville made a surprise move by trading up to pick WR Justin Blackmon, Roger Goodell posed for the photo with the player while holding up a Jaguars jersey with “Blackmon” across the back. At first glance, I thought, wow, how many variations of Blackmon jerseys did they have stashed away somewhere close to the stage?

Then when Dallas made another surprise move by trading up eight spots to pick CB Morris Claiborne and Goodell met the player with a Cowboys jersey with “Claiborne” across the back, well that was too much of a stretch to believe that mover could have been foreseen.

It seems as though Nike had the machinery on hand to immediately customize the jersey so that the correct team matched up with the correct name, with all of it done perfectly in the correct team colors. Impressive. It’s no guarantee that the team got the pick correct, but it did look nice on TV.

Quickies from the Tomlin-Colbert presser on DeCastro

Kevin Colbert said there were a handful of players the Steelers had targeted as guys they would trade up to get, and that David DeCastro was one of them.

Mike Tomlin said DeCastro is a right guard. He also said, “Everything we would ask him to do, we saw him do at Stanford.”

Another Colbert quote: “David was clearly the guy. Really, the kid is good.”

It’s DeCastro

The Steelers have selected G David DeCastro with their No. 1 pick. In my opinion, they got another Alan Faneca. He should be inserted into the starting lineup from Day 1 and team with Maurkice Pouncey to upgrade significantly the middle of the Steelers offensive line. Great value here. Great value. He’s 6-5, 316. Nasty. Familiar with a pro-style offense. Smart, obviously from Stanford, but football smart as well. Moves very well, maybe the best of all the O-linemen at the combine.

Interesting options for Steelers

Now that New England traded up into the No. 21 slot to select Syracuse DE Chandler Jones, there is only Cleveland and Detroit to go before the Steelers get to make their No. 1 pick — and both G David DeCastro and ILB Dont’a Hightower are still both available. DeCastro falling this far is something the Steelers have to be excited about.

This year’s uh-oh award …

… goes to the Seattle Seahawks, at least so far. The selection of WVU DE Bruce Irvin is the reach of the draft so far. Irvin dropped out of high school for a couple of years, was arrested for robbery and was enrolled at a community college and at Mount San Antonio College before ending up at West Virginia. He was a productive pass rusher in college, but there was little need to pick him 15h overall.

Another good trend for Steelers fans hoping for their favorite team to bolster the offensive line during this draft — only one offensive lineman — T Matt Kalil — was among the first 18 picks of the first round.

Way to go, Dolphins

It has been a subject of much speculation for weeks, that being whether the Miami Dolphins would pick QB Ryan Tannehill with their No. 1 pick, the 8th overall. For the Steelers, it’s a good thing the Dolphins picked Tannehill, for no other reason than the Steelers are happy every time a quarterback is selected ahead of their 24th pick in the first round. The reason for that is that it pushes all of the other players down another slot, because the Steelers won’t pick a quarterback on the first round.

Maybe the Steelers get really lucky and a team above them reaches for Stanford TE Coby Fleener. That would serve the same purpose — to push the other guys down another slot.