September 2, 2008

Well, That Was One Labor, Dabor...


OK. So we've got a lot to talk about today then, huh? Nice little three day weekend there. I think more happened in the last three days than pretty much the entire last month.

Let's recap...

#1 - We won our final preseason game
Only one thing really to say here - no one got hurt. 3-1 overall, I'll take it. And for those of you who may have forgotten, Jeff Reed is still partyboy solid gold.

#2 - Batch is officially on IR
It pains me greatly to say it, but this was the right move. I don't really like Lord Byron that much. But he is, as Batch was when he signed in '02, a former starter that we know can play the position relatively well. He's no Big Ben. But of course, only one man is. And in case you're in the mood for a little YouTube video-age, bear witness to my advice for Leftwich below...


#3 - The final roster was announced along with practice squad
Yes, we now know the answers to this preseaon's burning questions - Baker is the 5th wideout, Berger is the punter (today), Hartwig is our starting Center, and we obviously learned our lesson from the Allen Rossum Experiment (see: Eddie Drummond cut). Done and done. Among the cuts that I was disappointed to see - none.

#4 - ESPN > Fox Sports
In case you missed it, ESPN officially anointed Steeler nation the best fanbase in the NFL. Some of you may remember Fox Sports recently bestowing the same honor upon Eagles fans. Which, of course, means the writers at ESPN are clearly way more sane than the writers at Fox Sports. And lest we forget, in our shock and anger over Fox Sports' poor judgment, we are still Commonwealth brethren. I think we can all (both PA fanbases, that is) agree on one thing - both Ohio and New Jersey suck.

#5 - OFTOT fantasy league autodraft went off without a hitch
Some of you may be aware, some of you may not. But Domski graciously set up a fantasy league for some of OFTOT's usual suspects. Of course, it's public. So somehow we got a Pats fan in there. But that'll just make it all the more sweet when we all dump on the guy later. Anyways, we set it up to just autodraft, because, why not. Coordinating a draft is almost as fun as being Brady Quinn. So we decided to skip the pleasantries and get right to the point. Only thing to note here is - somehow, Notgomu ended up with half of the Steelers Offense - including - Big Ben, Willie Parker, Rashard Mendenhall, Santonio Holmes and Heath Miller. I think all he needs for the cycle is Hines Ward.

#6 - Neal Coolong is back online
You may remember Neal from his stint last season at Die Hard Steel. Well, unbeknownst to him, his site was rudely yanked from the interwebs by the admin without but an email letting him know he should secure any outstanding content. Nevertheless, our hero trudged on in the face of adversity and set up his new blog home at, On The Black Side. The name is a play on the fact that the Steelers helmet has only one logo. So I'd like to officially welcome Neal back to the Steelers blogdome and I strongly encourage all ye who crave Steelers analysis for the next 17 weeks (and hopefully more) to check OTBS out. Now if we could just get Neal up on skates...

And I think that about covers it...did I miss anything? What do you guys think of the final 53-man roster? Thoughts on Leftwich vs. Batch? How about Steelers Nation being #1 on ESPN? Oh, and did you guys hear that the Bengals cut Rudi Johnson and Willie Anderson? I think it's official - they are no longer even trying.

PS - After horsing around with the camera during our recent game against Minny, Tecmo and I have decided to try our hand at a little weekly pregame show. So over the coming season (hopefully), you will see and hear much more of our asinine commentary on everything Steelers...in living color. We're still working on a clever title for it. But in the meantime, feel free to preview some of the type of nonsense you can expect via the following clips...

On This Season's Schedule


On Questionable Playcalling


On Not Knowing What Was Going on At The End of the Game


On Mendenhall's 4th Quarter Fumble


On Mendenhall's Fumbling Problem


On Dennis Dixon


On...Something


On Shartlesville, PA


On Tony Homo Romo


On Jerseys That May/May Not Exist

5 comments:

Neal Coolong said...

I think OFTOTV is the obvious choice for a name, right?

Scroll down the stills of the videos...it looks like a flip book!

Anonymous said...

I suppose Leftwich is *probably* bettter than than most of the backups out there, but he's always been over-rated in my book. As much as it seems to make sense to sign him on the surface, it's my opinion that he was the reason Jax wasn't able to break thru in his tenure at starter.

We're already seeing his inability to put any amount of touch on the ball. And he seems to think that drilling a ball to a reciever somehow makes sense. How many passes were needlessly incomplete last week against Carolina? All of them?

Anyway, in the positive: he probably won't throw many INTs, and he IS in better physical condition than i ever remember his chubby self being. But he'll need a lot more patience and awareness to be anything remotely like Charlie. Remember: Batch took DETRIOT to the playoffs! Byron barely broke even at the Jags, even with their vicious run-game and defense.

Leftwich is OK, and might be able to manage a game, but i pray we never have to rely on him in a pinch. If things turn out differently, and i'm wrong, i'll gladly eat my words. Nothing would make me happier than to see him be an excellent addition to the roster. Likely, Dixon will nudge him by year's end anyway.

But, i still worry about him becoming a distraction later in the season...

On a semi-related note:

Is Jax becoming Cinci-South? What's with the sudden rash of trouble down there? Arrests, shootings? Gawd.

Maybe Lord Byron's just happy to be anywhere but there....

Cotter said...

neal ~ Thanks for the idea, my friend! We're currently in the spitball phase of the naming process. I'd go with OFTOTV, but I don't imagine that would do much for Tecmo.

steelbiathan ~ All I'm saying is, hopefully it won't matter whether he's overrated or not. Who'd you rather have as a backup - Leftwich or like Matt Cassell? At least he's played as an every game guy and didn't completely blow (but of course, blew just slightly more than your average starter).

As for Jacksonville - I'd blame crystal meth, personally.

domski43 said...

I wish my computer got videos at work..booooooooo!!!!!!

I'll check it out at my home internets.

Chuck Batch was a good man...he surfed the beaches from LaHoya all the way down to RioCario...(nevermind)..the bottom line is its time to move on past Charlie. He was an excellent back-up quarterback and if he happens to come back to the black and gold I'll welcome him w/ open arms (/not in a gay way). But, I feel like its time to move forward, Batch isnt getting any younger, and w/ the cheap price of Leftwich and with what appears to be a huge upside in Dixon, Batch's days might be numbered in da burgh.

Cotter said...

Yeah, unfortch it's not show friends, it's show business. Chuck put in a great six years. But at 33, I think even he knows it might be time to call it a day (at least with the Steelers).

That said, if he does come back, like you said Domski, I'd welcome him with open arms.

You're a good man, Charlie Batch.