In defeating the Carolina Panthers 19-3 on Thursday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers finish the pre-season 3-1 but at a coast. Apparent replacement starter for Ben Roethlisberger Byron Leftwich injured his knee in the game and unless an MRI turns up nothing serious, that means Dennis Dixon will start until Ben Roethlisberger returns. More on the injury follows.
Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk.com, Rumor Mill
Leftwich has MCL damage
An agency purporting to represent Steelers quarterback Byron Leftwich has posted on Twitter that Leftwich suffered a torn MCL on Thursday night in the preseason finale against the Panthers. The Twitter page assigned to Pro Player Solutions links to a website that makes the entire thing seem legit. But as further proof of the flaws in Mike Wise's logic, we didn't take this one at face value, because it wasn't contained in a report from a tenured member of a respected media company. Based on the PPS tweet, we have learned via a source with knowledge of the situation that Leftwich has damage to his MCL. The degree of the damage isn't known. Still, the source added, "Whatever [the degree] is it seems to be serious." The MCL is a rope-like ligament that, if not completely severed, often can heal with rest. Until the degree of Leftwich's injury is known, the duration of his absence will be uncertain. Still, with his primary assignment for 2010 covering the next four games (or if Terry Bradshaw gets his wish six), the existence of any MCL damage constitutes bad news for Leftwich.
UPDATE: In a post-game press conference, coach Mike Tomlin said that Leftwich has a knee sprain and that he is undergoing an MRI.
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Hot on the heals of Peter King’s prediction for a Steelers/Packers Super Bowl comes the following predictions.
James Walker, ESPN.com, Comparing 2010 AFC North predictions
ESPN.com's esteemed panel unveiled its 2010 predictions Thursday for each division. But we're going to take it a step further in the AFC North blog. ESPN The Magazine also made its season predictions (via Football Outsiders). So let's compare notes with all three ESPN entities.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Walker: Third
ESPN.com: Third
ESPN The Mag: Second
Consensus: Third
Analysis: I like this year's Steelers and the way they go about their business. But quarterback is the NFL's most important position, and I'm not confident the offense can produce without Ben Roethlisberger for at least four games. ESPN The Mag, which picked Pittsburgh second, appears to have more confidence in the offense under Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon. "RB Rashard Mendenhall piles up 100 yards per game during Big Ben's suspension," according to ESPN The Magazine. In my opinion, if Pittsburgh is .500 when Roethlisberger returns, it should be considered a success. From there, the team would be in a good spot to make a run in the second half of the season and push for a wild card.
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Still, more predictions….
James Walker, ESPN.com, 2010 Preview
Pittsburgh Steelers
Expert Picks (Consensus: 3rd)
James Walker
ESPN.com
DIVISION FINISH: 3 I like this veteran group, but not without its franchise quarterback for at least four games. The AFC North is simply too tough. But the Steelers could still challenge for a wild-card spot late in the season.
John Clayton
ESPN.com
DIVISION FINISH: 3 Don't count out the Steelers despite Ben Roethlisberger's suspension. The defense is tackling better than last season, plus the return of Troy Polamalu brings back the unit's swagger.
Adam Schefter
ESPN
DIVISION FINISH: 2 If the Steelers can survive the first quarter of the season and the suspension of quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger, they'll be poised for a sprint in the last quarter.
Matt Williamson
Scouts Inc.
DIVISION FINISH: 1 I am predicting the Steelers will have the best defense in the league. Watch out for this team once Big Ben comes back to ignite a squad that goes 3-1 without him.
Seth Wickersham
ESPN The Magazine
DIVISION FINISH: 3 Can the backups win until Big Ben returns? How will Mike Wallace replace Santonio Holmes? Is Troy Polamalu's knee healthy? We could keep asking, and that's just the problem.
Intelligence Report
Five things you need to know about the Steelers:
1. The Steelers' D is back: Pittsburgh statistically was good on defense last season, finishing as the No. 5 unit in the NFL and ranking second in sacks with 47. But the Steelers' inability to hold leads in the fourth quarter was uncharacteristic. Troy Polamalu's healthy return from a left knee injury has helped Pittsburgh get back to form. Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is allowed to completely open his playbook again. So look for Pittsburgh to be able to bring more zone-blitz packages and better disguise them to help create more turnovers.
2. Opponents will test QBs: The Steelers are known to do a lot of blitzing, but expect opposing defenses to do the same to their quarterbacks early in the season. Starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is serving a conditional six-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Therefore, either Byron Leftwich or Dennis Dixon must prove he can move the offense through the air. Look for a lot of eight-man fronts against Pittsburgh to stop the running game. Neither Dixon nor Leftwich strikes the same fear in opponents as Roethlisberger.
3. Offense wants to set physical tone: Despite Rashard Mendenhall rushing for 1,108 yards last season, Pittsburgh often used the pass to set up the run. The Steelers are trying to get back to being a more physically dominant team offensively, especially in the red zone. Pittsburgh hired new offensive line coach Sean Kugler to bring a more physical style in the trenches. Backup tailback Isaac Redman also could help the Steelers in short-yardage situations with his ability to break though tackles and low center of gravity.
4. Maurkice Pouncey is a stud: The Steelers look like they have a keeper in Pouncey. The offensive lineman looked great in training camp and the preseason, where he eventually won the starting center job from veteran Justin Hartwig. Pouncey moves well, has a mean streak and finishes his blocks to the end of the whistle. There has been debate over where Pouncey should start the season, but I believe it was wise to put the rookie in his natural position, which is center. That's where Pouncey is at his best. Pittsburgh drafted him to play long term. The Steelers will be strong in the middle with Pouncey and can build the rest of the offensive line around the talented rookie.
5. Mike Wallace is ready for a breakout season: More opportunities should equal more production for Wallace in his second season. He recorded 756 yards as the team's No. 3 receiver and takes over a starting role for the departed Santonio Holmes. Wallace has plenty of speed and a good work ethic. He has diligently worked on his route-running ability to become a more complete receiver. With Roethlisberger's suspension, it might take a while for Wallace to put up big numbers. But he should be a dangerous threat in the second half of the season.
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Don Banks, SportsIllustrated.com, Inside the NFL
This week, SI.com is rolling out previews for all eight NFL divisions. Today, we tackle the AFC North and NFC North, following up earlier breakdowns of the AFC East, NFC East, AFC South and NFC South. The AFC and NFC West conclude things Friday. The NFC East and the AFC East may have the glamour reps and the big markets, but no division in the NFL last season featured three winning teams except the rough-and-tumble AFC North. The Bengals, Ravens and Steelers all finished above .500, and the hottest club of all at the close of 2009 were those last-place Cleveland Browns, who took a hope-inspiring four-game winning streak into the offseason. It was no fluke. Things have been that competitive within the division for a while now. The AFC North was one of only two divisions in the just-passed NFL decade to feature a pair of Super Bowl winners (along with the NFC South), and no other team in the conference has boasted either a pair of playoff teams or at least two 10-win teams in four of the past five seasons. With the Bengals, Steelers and Ravens all winning at least one North crown in the past four years, there's not another division in the AFC that can match its record of balance. And indications are we're in for more of the same in 2010, with both Baltimore and Cincinnati making significant upgrades to their passing games, Cleveland showing signs of life in its new Mike Holmgren era, and Pittsburgh going six consecutive years without posting a losing record. We might not get a repeat of last season, when the division's top three teams were separated by just one lousy game, but the AFC North again figures to be a 17-week battle royal.
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
What the Steelers do best: Field the NFL's best outside linebacker tandem. Despite their non-playoff season, the 2009 Steelers were No. 3 against the run and fifth-ranked in overall defense. And that was without All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu for most of the year. All that defense starts with Pittsburgh's two outside linebackers, James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley. One of them, we just can't decide which, is the best in the business at his position. Opponents start their offensive game plans trying to avoid Harrison and Woodley as much as possible, but that's difficult because in the Steelers' 3-4, the outside linebackers usually find the ball. Especially when it's in the quarterbacks hands. Woodley had a team-best 13˝ sacks last season, and Harrison was second with 10. They've been the league's leading sack duo among linebackers for two years running, with Harrison totaling 26 in that span and Woodley 25. They're the best, and it's not even close for second.
What the Steelers need to improve: Kickoff coverage.
A season is never decided by something as peripheral as kickoff coverage, right? Wrong. In 2009, the Steelers gave up a league-worst four kickoff return touchdowns -- all in a span of five games -- and two of those lapses led directly to losses against Cincinnati and Kansas City. It doesn't take a math major to realize the 9-7 Steelers would have made the playoffs if they had prevented just one of those touchdown returns. There were 18 kickoff return touchdowns last year in the NFL's regular season, and Pittsburgh allowed more than 22 percent of them. No other team gave up more than two. Not surprisingly, the Steelers this offseason hired a new special teams coach in Al Everest, replacing Bob Ligashesky, and Everest has focused like a laser this preseason on tightening up the coverage lanes. The Steelers will probably have to wait until their fifth game to really know if their Achilles heel has improved. That's when Cleveland's Josh Cribbs brings his return skills to Heinz Field.
Which Steeler(s) needs to step up: Reserve quarterbacks Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon. With Roethlisberger suspended for at least the first month of the season, September is kind of about survival in Pittsburgh. The Steelers can't make their season in Weeks 1-4, but they can certainly break it with an 0-4 or 1-3 start. And that's why Leftwich or Dixon will be pivotal. Whoever is given the temporary starting quarterback job by head coach Mike Tomlin, finding a way to at least break even at 2-2 will be the challenge. Neither quarterback has inspired a lot of confidence this preseason, but the Steelers are a .500 team in the games that Roethlisberger has missed since he assumed the No. 1 job in early 2004, and that's all they need out of Leftwich or Dixon to keep the 2010 season viable into mid-October.
Predicted record: 8-8.
The Steelers can easily rebound this season if Troy Polamalu returns strong to the defensive lineup and the special-team units don't betray them. But who knows how the team will react without Roethlisberger early, and a three-game midseason road trip to Miami, New Orleans and Cincinnati looks daunting from afar. My sense is nothing will come easily for Pittsburgh this season, and third place in the tough AFC North
will again be their fate.
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