Ben's "problems" a long time coming?

Their is a theory, nascent in its development, that perhaps the concussions that Ben Roethlisberger has suffered since arriving in Pittsburgh (off the field, and on) may have contributed in some way to his alleged behavior in Georgia and Lake Tahoe.

But in a one of the most revealing articles I have read regarding Mr. Roethlisberger's upbringing and personal life, Thayer Evans of the New York Times speaks to friends and acquaintances about the Steelers' troubled quarterback.

A quote early in the article is pretty shocking:

To Roethlisberger’s many fans, the revelations of his conduct have come as a shock. But to many who knew him growing up in Findlay, Ohio, or played with him in college, or saw his personality change in Pittsburgh, the seeds of his problems were sown long ago.

“It took awhile,” Ryan Hawk, a backup to Roethlisberger at Miami, said in a telephone interview, “but it’s all coming out now.”

Right tackle redux

With Mr. Colon out for the season a lot of names were bandied about as possible replacements, and one of those names was Flozell Adams, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys and current free agent.

It seemed far-fetched that the Steelers would have any real interest in Mr. Adams; but proving once again that I do not know as much as I would like to think I do Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is reporting (on PG+, subscription required) that Mr. Adams has visited the Steelers' offices "took a physical today and could be signed."

The running game just took a body blow

According to ESPN Willie Colon suffered a ruptured achilles tendon while doing agility drills on Monday.

Any thoughts of having Maurkice Pouncey move into center this upcoming season will most certainly be abandoned, and the question becomes whether or not he will be a capable replacement for Mr. Colon.

So wrong, but so right

Please enjoy a different take on Jack Lambert

Santonio Holmes just loves his iPod

Santonio Holmes kicked off an airplane? Because he did not want to turn off his iPod?

A part of me hopes this report is not true; but a part of me . . . the mean-spirited, small-minded place that hates the New York Jets hopes that it is true.

Ourlads on Maurkice Pouncey

One of our favorite resources for player evaluation is Outlads Scouting Service, and here is what they had to say about the Steelers' first round draft pick:

Three-year starter that is a good athlete and plays with a good base. Exhibits impact, pop, and surge.

Gets some movement on short yardage and goal-line run plays. A knee bender with leg drive. Has the ability to regain body control and balance in pass pro.

Plays with attitude and aggression.

Can shadow pass rushers. Quick to react and recover to blitz pickup. Light feet and works to finish. Has the ability to quick position a defender with base leverage to run his feet on contact in the run game. Functional play strength and balance. Power in his hips and legs. Can block a moving target on pulls. Good lateral agility and quickness. Rimingon Award winner in 2009.

In a nutshell, he is smart, tough, motivated, and has a passion for the game. OSR: 34/40. (A-32 1/2, H-10, BP-26, 10-1.80).

NFL to announce schedules

With Ben Roethlisberger dominating the news (at least for Steelers fans) it is not surprising that this item from the league has not received much attention:

The complete NFL schedule will be unveiled exclusively on NFL.com on Tuesday, April 20 at 7:00 PM ET. At the same time on Tuesday, NFL Network will feature a two-hour special, NFL Total Access: 2010 Schedule Release Presented by GMC Sierra. It is a perfect occasion for “two-screen” experience with the NFL.

For fans who want to see their team’s entire schedule immediately, NFL.com is the place to visit on Tuesday at 7:00 PM ET. NFL.com will be the first site to have the complete team-by-team and weekly schedules of all 256 regular-season games, listing opponents, sites and times. NFL.com will include a new interactive application giving fans a voice through fan forums, rating the schedules and answering poll questions.

Fans can now view NFL.com’s interactive schedule for the 2010 season at www.nfl.com/schedules/interactive. The interactive map charts team travel according to their schedules with travel distance, weather and additional information. Fans can rate their favorite team’s games, overall schedule toughness, answer additional poll questions and post comments.

With that announcement, and the draft beginning just a couple of days later, perhaps we can all get back to talking about football.