The Not So Lazy Days of Latrobe Are Here!

I happened to be looking at my calendar yesterday and noticed that it was only two weeks until the Steelers kick off their preseason schedule in the Hall of Fame game against the Saints. Wow. Now I'm excited to see how many two-a-days Mike Tomlin can fit in before that contest, as your 2007-(hopefully)2008 Steelers will report to St. Vincent's College in Latrobe today at 4 p.m. for the start of training camp. Here are a few links to get you ready for camp:

The P-G's excellent two-part feature on our new fearless leader (Part I) (Part II)

Ed Bouchette's Five Pressing Topics

Bouchette's Position-by-Position Look at the Team - Love the description of a Hines Ward as a "Rolex in a Timex Body" and Ricardo Colclough, summed up by "the bloom is off his rose".

The Trib gives us a look at what diversions the players are bringing to camp. I like Nate Washington, second-guessing himself after being asked the question, after first saying that he'd bring a TV.

"No I take that back, a computer. I have to have Internet. I love playing on the Internet, anything from e-mailing, MySpace, playing little games on the computer to YouTube."

Here's John Harris of the Trib's "Five Issues Steelers Must Address"

In the Beaver County Times, Mike Bires has a Q&A with Tomlin.

And just in case you haven't had enough of it, here's the BCT's version of Five Burning Questions.

Omar Khan is Awesome

I think it's fair to say that most Steeler fans weren't exactly thrilled to see that uberagent Drew "No Comment" Rosenhaus was the representative of first-round draft choice Lawrence Timmons. But apparently ubersalary cap guy Omar Khan is just that good, as Timmons signed a five-year deal today worth between $12 million and $15 million, depending on incentives. Just over $8 million of that is guaranteed, and it appears to be right in line with what last year's 15th overall pick received. And most importantly, all of the Steeler draft choices are now signed and will report to camp tomorrow, along with The Disgruntled Alan Faneca (yes, that's his official name now, at least here on IWIWAR). So far, so good, for Mike Tomlin.

Meet the New Coaching Staff - Amos Jones

Leading to the start of training camp next week, we'll be taking some time here at IWIWAR to introduce you to the new Steelers coaching staff, culminating with a look at new head coach Mike Tomlin. Click on the Meet the Staff tag below to see previous articles. Today, we'll take a look at new assistant special teams coach Amos Jones.








Amos Jones - Assistant Special Teams Coach
Age: 47
Education: Alabama
Professional Playing Experience: None

What to Like: Obviously his first name, Amos. Could he be a member of Bill Simmons' Reggie Cleveland All-Stars? Plus he played for Bear Bryant at Alabama. How much did he play? Eh, not so sure. His official bio says that he played on the 1978 and 1979 teams, but that he lettered on the 1980 squad, so he definitely got some PT that season.

What Not to Like: Not only does Amos not have any professional experience, but he has multiple instances of high school coaching experience, including in the past 10 years. Looking back on his coaching stops, he went from Temple to Shades Valley High School in 1986 (although that might have been a step up, given Temple's football history). He was the kicking game coordinator at Pitt in 1992 and parlayed that into an assistant coaching position at Eau Gallie High School in Florida. After jumping back into college coaching at Tulane in 1995-96, he pulled off that rarely seen coaching jump - NCAA to CFL to high school. Must've been a great experience for those players at East St. John High School in Louisiana! Oh yes, and it appears that he got fired from his most recent job, with Mississippi State!

Random Internet Find: The new coach shares a name with one of the lead characters of Amos 'n' Andy. Also, not only did Mississippi State fire him, but apparently Cincinnati did, too!

Good news for Browns fans!

Guess what, Cleveland? As if your last place ranking by SI.com's Peter King wasn't enough, now a water pipe burst at your stadium and the Browns have canceled Family Fun Night as a result! I'm sure that a photo of Brady Quinn deliberating screwing with the pipes will pop up on the Internet sometime soon.

The Quinn Quiz

With all of the random funny Brady Quinn pictures floating around the Internet (Thanks, Deadspin and Mondesi's House!), we decided to blur the line between fact and fiction and show you a set of photos with Quinn in them. You just need to decide if they are real or fake. Which is real and which is fake? Or more appropriately, which pictures have already been taken in real life and which are sure to be snapped in the next few months? Ladies and gentlemen, starting at quarterback for your 2007 Cleveland Browns, #10, Brady Quinn!










Brady in a pink shirt, grabbing some kid's junk.













Brady with Hollywood Hulk Hogan.
















Brady with Bret Michaels of Poison fame (and also a big Steeler fan).














Brady with former NBA player John Amaechi and *NSYNC star Lance Bass












Brady with the Village People on the cover of the re-release of their Greatest Hits album.

YouTube Clip of the Week

I'm just wondering how these people got a camera in there.

Mistaken Identities

These people may share the same names as your favorite Steelers, but they are most definitely different.


Willie Parker

Charlie Batch

Heath Miller

Kendall Simmons

Willie Reid

Meet the New Coaching Staff - Randy Fichtner

Leading to the start of training camp in July, we'll be taking some time here at IWIWAR to introduce you to the new Steelers coaching staff, culminating with a look at new head coach Mike Tomlin. Click on the Meet the Staff tag below to see previous articles. Today, we'll take a look at new wide receivers coach Randy Fichtner.



Randy Fichtner - WR Coach
Age: 44
Education: Purdue
Professional Playing Experience: None

What to Like: A Meadville native, Fichtner coached with Mike Tomlin at both Arkansas State and Memphis, where he had been the offensive coordinator for the past six seasons. One of his best seasons came with current Carolina Panther DeAngelo Williams in the backfield in 2004, as the Tigers finished 10th in the nation in scoring.

What Not to Like: Fichtner has no NFL experience. And he has a daughter with the same first name as our new running backs coach (Kirby) - that's never a good sign.

Random Internet Find: While there are serious doubts about this, it is always fun when someone speculates on a message board that Fichtner's new house used to be owned by Mr. Rogers.

Carson Palmer Loves the Black and Gold

Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer has put up some great numbers in his first few years in the league, but he's had his struggles against the Steelers, throwing seven interceptions in his six career games against the Steelers (well, that's counting regular season games, and I'm pretty sure he didn't throw any picks in that playoff game two years ago because of a guy named Kimo). So it should not surprise anyone that Carson was playing in a celebrity golf tournament last year and managed to hit a wayward approach shot that nailed an 8-year old kid on the back - a kid who happened to be wearing a Steelers jersey. Somehow Carson's golf shots, as well as his passes, just end up going right to the Steelers jerseys.

“I got up there and I said I was sorry, and I said, 'At least you're a Steelers fan, I don't feel so bad,'” Palmer said.

Neither do we, Carson. Neither do we.

Catching Up on the News

Before we get to the latest from Steeler Nation, we'd like to extend our apologies for the lack of updates in June. No excuses, though. July marks the start of training camp, so we're going to ramp up our coverage of the Black and Gold as they make the trek to Latrobe. Soon, we'll be releasing a weekly schedule of updates and what you can expect from IWIWAR once the 2007 regular season begins.

LeCharles Bentley wants to make a comeback from his patella injury turned staph infection, and he even thinks he'll be back for the season opener against the Steelers. LeCharles, have you met Casey Hampton? Maybe you should consider waiting until week two.

Scroll down on this link until the arrests for Copley Township. Not only did the Pittsburgh guy get arrested for fighting a Cleveland fan (in Ohio, too!) at a bar, but his lady friend got arrested for pulling another female out of the car and fighting her. Can't wait for that season opener!

Its good to see that (Face Me) Ike Taylor didn't charge Anthony Madison any rent for staying in his apartment. And its also great to see Ike mocking someone for dropping passes, giving his penchant for struggling to make easy interceptions the past two years.

YouTube Clip of the Week

Yinz - The Movie!

The Dungy Coaching Tree of Woe

New Steeler head coach Mike Tomlin comes from the Tony Dungy coaching tree. You'd think right away that learning from the most-recent Super Bowl winning coach would be a good thing. That may turn out to be true, but in the first year? Let's see what Tony and the other Dungy disciples did in their first seasons.

Tony Dungy - 1996 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs finished strong in those (not so) classic old jerseys, going 5-2 before switching to the pewter uniforms and making the playoffs in Dungy's second season. But still, 6-10 is 6-10.
First-year record: 6-10

Herman Edwards - 2001 New York Jets
Herm took over from Bill Parcells and had a strong first season with most of Parcells' personnel left over, taking Gang Green to the playoffs.
First-year record: 10-6

Lovie Smith - 2004 Chicago Bears
Injuries took their toll on the Bears in Smith's first year, though the defense improved nearly 10 spots in league rankings.
First-year record: 5-11

Rod Marinelli - 2006 Detroit Lions
The last of the Dungy disciples to get a head job in the NFL before Tomlin debuted last year in Detroit. While 2006 was a struggle for the Lions, Jon Kitna apparently thinks 2007 will be better.
First-year record: 3-13

To sum it up, Tony Dungy and his disciples are a combined 24-40 in their debut seasons as head coaches, an average year of 6-10. Somehow it doesn't feel like Steeler Nation will be happy with that record this year.

P.S. - The other Dungy disciple who went to a high-profile coaching job was Mike Shula, his former offensive coordinator with Tampa Bay. Shula's record in his first year at Alabama? 4-9.

That Will Be Enough, Mr. Roethlisberger

Ben Roethlisberger apparently reiterated that he and Coach Cowher were never tight and that he likes Coach Tomlinn because treats him like a man and doesn't yell at him. Let's review some facts:
1. Bill Cowher told Ben to wear a helmet if he was going to ride his motorcycle, even called him out in public. Ben didn't do it, busted his head.

2. Bill Cowher trusted Ben to play in the opening season game last year agaisnt Jacksonville, too quickly after appendix surgery. I was at that game, Charlie Batch could have won that game. After the game Ben claimed to have had a 104 degree fever. Have you ver had a 104 degree fever, it sucks, you can't move or play football. Although everyone backed off of that statement, if Ben felt like he wasn't well enough to play he owed to his team, teamates, coaches, and fans to step aside. That is what a man would do.

3. He singlehandley cost the Steelers the Raiders game with absolutely game killing interceptions on the goal line in what statistically should have been a blowout.

There were numerous other occasions where Ben, who lead the league in interceptions last year made bad mistakes but these three really stick with me. Remember, the Steelers missed the playoffs by one game, if either of those two had been victories, Pittsburgh could have gone to the playoffs.

Last season Ben Roethlisberger received a pass from the media and the fans, but the fact remains that if he would have played average in a couple of games, just average, the Steelers would have at least had a chance to defend their title.

I am perfectly willing to give Ben a pass as well after all the great things that he has done, but Ben, please stop talking. Every time you talk about problems with Cowher, or how he treated you like a kid it makes me want to slap you! You acted like a little kid last year and if that is how Bill Cowher chose to treat you, maybe he had a reason.

Why Old People Shouldn't Use Computers

Dear Larry Zierling,
Why do you want to be that guy? You know the guy who doesn’t quite understand how the email machine works and forwards pornographic material to your entire address book. I know this new technology is tough for you older guys, but you do you realize that the email you forwarded to all the Rooneys and other General Managers had my email address as the one who forwarded it to you? I’m thrilled that Roger Goodell’s secretary knows that I like to look at young girls in various states of undress.

Thanks.

A lot.

Doug Whaley

PS. Seriously how could you be so dumb? You realize that I am in every story that comes out about this now. When people google my name it is probably going to be one of the first things that comes up forever. Thanks again.

Meet the New Coaching Staff - Ken Anderson

Leading to the start of training camp in July, we'll be taking some time here at IWIWAR to introduce you to the new Steelers coaching staff, culminating with a look at new head coach Mike Tomlin. Today, let's take a look at new quarterbacks coach Ken Anderson.



Ken Anderson - QB Coach
Age: 58
Education: Augustana College (Ill.)
Professional Playing Experience: Cincinnati Bengals (1971-1986)

What to Like: A two-time finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Anderson obviously has the knowledge of the game to take Ben Roethlisberger to the next level. Plus, he has a law degree and is licensed to practice in both Kentucky and Ohio, which explains why the Bengals had him on staff for 10 years.

What Not to Like: Anderson was let go by both the Bengals and the Jaguars after pretty rough offensive outputs from each squad. His Bengal teams of the late 90s and early 2000s weren't exactly offensive juggernauts, and he tutored Byron Leftwich for the past two years to the point that Leftwich is on the verge of losing his job.

Random Internet Find: On the Wikipedia page of his alma mater, Augustana College, there is a list of "famous" alumni, which includes Anderson as well as Dave "Gruber" Allen, who plays the Naked Trucker on "The Naked Trucker and T-Bone Show" on Comedy Central. And of course, the character of T-Bone is played by David Koechner, a.k.a. Dunder Mifflin's own Todd Packer.

YouTube Clip of the Week

This kid is awesome.

The Indianapolis Steelers?

As Fast Willie Parker says in reference to the more creases and holes he expects to see with more of a spread offense, "How can that be a bad thing?". (Yahoo! Sports)

More from Willie, including this gem of a quote: "Willie Parker's just a guy who came from the bottom and a guy still trying to make a name for himself, and I'm not going to quit working hard," Parker said of himself. Nice, Willie. Way to start talking in the third person. I think he owes Rickey Henderson royalties every time he does it, though. (The Pittsburgh Channel)

I went to check Steelers.com to see if the team's official site had anything interesting, and this "random" message board quote on the main page stuck out:
"I think he's a great pick for us. He shows a lot of energy!" -BlitzburghDE on number one pick Lawrence Timmons.

You gotta love the fact that a guy with the screen name BlitzburghDE is praising our new draft pick, who will play LB/DE. (Steelers.com)

So Far So Good for Coach Tomlin

Mike Tomlin has handled the Alan Faneca situation perfectly, at least to this point. He can’t cater to one player no matter how much he needs him, but he also doesn’t want to piss him off. This article demonstrates the balanced approach he is taking perfectly. He makes sure to compliment Faneca, calling him a real pro and then points out that he has no control over contracts. And, as has been pointed out, both Ben and Troy have big paydays coming up, and while neither may be as good as Faneca right now they are both younger and are the respective faces of the offense and defense. Those are the economics of the NFL today. It will be an interesting drama to watch play out and while there isn’t much hope of Faneca being a Pittsburgh Steeler after this season, it seems like Mike Tomlin is going to get a good full season out of him.

Where are you now - Kordell Stewart???

In what will become a semi-regular feature on IWIWAR we look into the past to find a once famous player for the Steelers who has now fallen off the face of the earth and find out what they are up to. This feature will be meticulously fact checked and cross referenced.*

Kordell Stewart aka Slash is the first honoree of this feature. Kordell burst onto the scene in Pittsburgh and was part of the 1995 Super Bowl Losing AFC Championship Team in the Slash role, where he would play every single position on the field including offensive tackle. He even acted as a go-between for Las Vegas “investors” and Neil O’Donnell. In 1997 he was able to wrest the starting job from the immortal Mike Tomczak and was allowed to really feature his best strength - wild inconsistency. After many years of superior play, the young man was shockingly beat out by the immortal Kent Graham. Fortunately he had comprising photographs of Bill Cowher, which were used to guarantee that the Steelers would only bring mediocre quarterbacks into training camp, ensuring that when Kent finally got hurt Kordell was there to step into the breach and tease Steelers fans once again. He finally lost his job with the Steelers in 2002 to the legendary passer/insurance agent/PGA wannabe Tommy Maddox. Stewart had productive stints with both the Bears and the Ravens after that but he was never able to take an entire fan base on his emotional roller coaster again. So Kordell, where are you now?

Kordell was featured on the hit television show “Pros vs. Joes” on Spike TV, although there was some confusion about his role on the show, was he a Joe or a Pro. It was finally nailed down that he was a Pro and Kordell proceeded to demolish the PVJ record for interceptions in a season. From there Kordell moved on to an adult reality show called Pros vs. Johns where he was able to really let loose. Unfortunately, Kordell’s long-time life partner, radio personality Mark Madden, couldn’t handle the jealousy so Kordell was forced to quit. Kordell now spends most of his time inside a Pittsburgh row house that he and Mark are renovating, not venturing outside much due to a mysterious fungus that has taken over his entire face, making him virtually unrecognizable. In his spare time he likes to play with their three cats and go for cars rides with Mark.


*Not fact checked even a little bit

Catching Up on the News

A quick recap of the last few days in Steeler Nation:

Kevan Barlow officially signed his contract. Or should I call him KEY-van. (Post-Gazette)

The Steelers released linebacker Richard Seigler yesterday. Apparently he played in the final two games last season. However, I don't think his on-field actions had anything to do with his release. Maybe this was the reason? (Post-Gazette)

Obsessed with Ike Taylor like David is? Then buy his 1986 Monte Carlo! (Mondesi's House)

Rocky Bleier's high school is naming its football field after him.

The Steelers are fighting Don Barden's Majestic Star casino plans for the North Side. While I don't think they'll get anywhere with their arguments, it is a bit worrisome to see that Barden's casinos lost $4.6 million in the first quarter of 2007. That's the biggest loss for a casino company since Danny Ocean robbed Terry Benedict.

Even Canadian mobsters who shoot men in the testicles are Steeler fans. Actually, if this guy wanted to hide out, he should've just come to the Steel City. A 40-something Italian guy wearing a Steelers sweatshirt? He could've hidden out for years!