AFC North Headline Of The Day...

As if I could compete with the Pens impressive Game 1 last night, or the news that John Madden has retired. Yeah, right.

I was going to write about how Leftwich signed a deal with the Bucs and Chuck Batch re-signed as the backup for '09, but honestly, at this point that's old news. But that should give you a good idea of how out of the loop I am right now. I haven't read shit for news aside from what you see below in like two weeks.

As for John Madden's retirement, since that is the most timely NFL news I can think of, well, I don't even know what to say. Obviously he's a legend, and no words that one lowly Steelers blogger could write on these internets could possible do justice to a career that's spanned decades and industries.

Even though he was Coach of the Raiders back when the Steelers and Raiders used to brutalize each other religiously, I like to think that his video game pretty much wiped the slate clean.

No, kidding aside, he was a rival at one point (before I was born), but as a broadcaster you can't really do anything but respect his longevity and popularity. Congrats to Madden on his retirement and I hope he enjoys the rest of his days with his family.

Also, John, if you could possibly take Peter King with you, I know we'd all really appreciate it.

Thanks.

Now, on to the links, WOOOOOOOO!!!!!

New Burghability commercial featuring Geno and Russian spies? [PSaMP]

Tomlin to Sweed - "Under promise, over deliver"...huh, that's my mantra too...weird [Post-Gazette]

Some more prospects are visiting the Steelers [Trib]

BTSC wants to give you free stuff for guessing games right. I say, do it... [BTSC]

According to these clowns, the Pats are still the Super Bowl favs in '09...who effing cares? [USA Today]

Browns to trade their premier receiving threat to Giants...presumably for a winning attitude? [Yahoo! Sports]

Of course, if the Giants have their way, they'll be looking to trade for Anquan Boldin...which in my opinion is the smarter trade. But hey, I just write a blog [Star-Ledger]

Don't look now but the NFL has angered Jewish Jets fans... [Deadspin]

Ravens re-sign a walking corpse [Ravens Insider]

This is old news, but Tank Johnson is now right at home with the rest of the NFL's deviants [Associated Press]

Eagles interested in Ocho Cinco? After the TO experiment, that just amazes me...but good for them, I guess [Philly.com]

Steve(and Ashley)'s Flyers-Pens preview (sorry Steve, I'm way late on this) [Steve Is Alive]

Corgi of the Day [Dog Spotlights]

John Daly + Hootie and the Blowfish = What more do you need me to say? [The Legend of Cecilio Guante]

Geriatric Farms...I don't even know what to say... [You Lay On The Ice Like A Broad!]

I think we can all appreciate this sentiment... [Dug E Fresh Rants]

Dear Illuminati is a must read every week... [9-to-fried]

We're raising a generation of pussies, alright [Grumpy Old Dog]

Britney Spears gets engaged? Let me put it this way, if I bought a chick a 4.5 million dollar diamond, I probably wouldn't be proposing in Subway...but that's just me [NY Daily News]

Hulk Hogan threatening to pull an OJ? [Moondog Sports]

Hot news from Neverland Ranch via Carbolic Smoke Ball [Carbolic Smoke Ball]

Thinking sunlight is a fire...that's an easy mistake to make, right?? Maybe if you're on Meth... [Some Site...Who Really Cares]

Muse playing a battle of the bands in 1994...they've def come a long way since then, that's all I can say [Muse Live]

WIN indeed [FAIL Blog]

And of course, FAIL x 2 [FAIL Blog || FAIL Blog]

My hatred for people who wear Ed Hardy cannot be expressed properly with words...gestures, yes...one in particular, actually [Stuff White People Like]

English Bulldogs rule [Upside Down Dogs]

Harry Kalas tribute. I don't care what your baseball allegiance is, Harry Kalas will be missed [MLB.com]

One final note - if you're a blogger and want me to link to something you've written, I almost always will. But as I have limited time in which to compose these "gems," I can't really go looking for every post written on every blog. SO, email me. K? Word.

Head down, nose to the grindstone. I'm not effing around today.

Leave comments if you like. You know how that whole thing works.

Obligatory Footer - If you haven't already, become a fan of OFTOT on Facebook, join the blog network and follow me on Twitter. Or don't. Your choice, really.

Ok, Which Steeler Is Smoking Crack?

"Some of his teammates privately raved about him [Leftwich] to me after a Dec. 7 game against the Cowboys. One even wondered if the team might be better off with Leftwich starting instead of Roethlisberger, quite surprising now after the way Roethlisberger played in the Super Bowl."

I'm sorry, come again? What was that you just said? One of the Steelers wondered if the team might be better off with Leftwich starting instead of Big Ben? Come on, Pete Prisco, Willie Colon doesn't count.

No, but seriously, I know some of y'all may have been thinking the same thing about Ben at that point in the season. Maybe with good reason, at least in your mind(s). But, in case you never gathered it implicitly, I'm a Big Ben fan.

When he threw those three picks against Indy and everyone got all up in arms, that next Saturday night, my friend's Mom told me that the Steelers should start Leftwich instead of Big Ben. To that, I replied that Ben was going to throw for 300 yards against the Chargers the next day. And low and behold, 308 yards (hooray for being self-righteous...gayness).

Anyways, the point is, don't make this into a Ben vs. Byron debate, which frankly should be moot at this juncture anyhow. Just go with the "joke," if you don't mind.

That said, it's time to play a little game called "Who's The Asshole?"

Below is my lineup of potential perps. And just so you know, these are obviously all jokes. So don't try and tell me I'm stupid for thinking it was, say, Willie Colon. Actually, Willie Colon might not be a bad guess. Anyways, let's do this...

1. Willie Colon

Just because. Maybe he was tired of getting shit on for what people perceive to be his inadequacy, when really the problem is just Ben rolling to his right all the time (not that Ben necessarily does that more than he rolls to his left).

Actually, this really could've been any of the Offensive lineman. A friend of mine told me last year that she knew someone that was one of our Offensive Lineman's housekeeper, and she (the friend) said whichever lineman it was always complained about Bruce Arians. Of course, I had to deduce that it was Bruce Arians because neither the housekeeper nor my friend knew who the lineman was talking about.

Where am I even going with this? I don't know. Let's just move on...

2. Carey Davis - He's more or less irrelevant, so I doubt he'd be too worried about voicing his opinion. I have no idea why you'd ever interview Carey Davis after a game, but sure, why not Carey Davis?

3. Anthony Smith

Only because saying dumb shit is his shtick...which means that every time someone on the Steelers makes a ridiculous statement, there's at least a 60% chance it was Anthony Smith.

4. Mitch Berger

Now that I can no longer blame Bruce Arians for everything, I'd like to redirect a lot of that blame to Mitch Berger. He's the low hanging fruit.

That's what she said.

Moving right along...

5. Steely McDevil

YES! I found another excuse to work him into a post. Perhaps no matter which Steeler said this, it really came from Steely McDevil, who whispered this sweet nonsense into his ear. Steely McDevil = clubhouse cancer?

Well anyways, if you feel like indulging, who do y'all think it might have been? I know I made a big joke out of this, which at this point is all the statement really is, but I'm still curious. Who would say that to the media???

My guess? The dude from Me and Domski's fantasy league two (three?) years ago, who said, and I quote - "Pig Ben is a bum and he's finally showing it."

Two Super Bowls in four years...

Bum, indeed.

Obligatory Footer - If you haven't already, become a fan of OFTOT on Facebook, join the blog network and follow me on Twitter. Or don't. Your choice, really.

Time To Put Your Kevin Colbert Hat On...

Since I know some of you may have reached this post from Behind The Steel Curtain, if you want to read a real post about free agency, I'd recommend the Day Two post, here. The difference is that one is written in actual English instead of semi-comatose rambling. Still rambling, but you get what I mean. Plus, there's probably about 1,000 better posts on here. So feel free to poke around if you've got some time on your hands.

I swear I was going to do something way better than this, but then I realized that I'm really friggin' tired. Honestly, writing this just now, I've determined that I don't even have the mental acuity to be remotely funny today.

Whatev, they can't all be winners, right?

Anyways, here's the deal - I was going to dump all of the dudes who are free agents into this one post and go through them one by one, but frankly, it's the offseason and I usually spend the next oh, couple of months or so straining my brain to try and think of things to write about. Inevitably some Steeler always gets caught with his wang swaying in the breeze, which helps. But otherwise it's all nominal until the draft starts to creep up on us.

So for my own convenience, and for the sake of what I might characterize as "serviceable discussion," I thought I'd break this up and give us a few guys a day to "analyze." That way, I don't have to start cutting myself next week when I've exhausted all of the relevant topics until March, AND we can all throw our opinions into the mix on a smaller set of rather large individuals.

Now, y'all probably know I'm not really what you'd call a numbers guy. To be honest, the last time I had to do any kind of heavy lifting mathematically was the SATs. Let me put it to you this way - some of my peers at law school brought calculators to our Criminal Law final. Lawyers [generally] are not a head's up bunch when it comes to math...unless that math involves billable hours, of course (ba-dum-ching). And I'm no different. So if you want to bring financials into the mix, rock on. I don't know what these guys are currently getting paid. I could look it up, but that sounds like a lot of work. It's obviously a consideration, and a big one at that. I just don't feel like taking the time to think about that right now. But don't let that stop you. Go ahead and help us put this all in perspective.

That all said, today I've chosen to get this party started with...

Charlie Batch ~ Chuck Batch, dude?

Why did I start with Chucky Batch? This is painful. I love me some Chuck Batch, but I gotta say let him go. Only because...

Byron Leftwich - Re-sign his ass.

Charlie Batch is a fantastic individual, but I mean he's 34. The only way I say we keep Batch and let Leftwich go is if Lord Byron wants too much loot, which is certainly possible. I mean, I doubt anyone is going to give him a starting job...well, maybe the Lions...and if he's going to be a backup anywhere, might as well try and keep him in Pittsburgh. That said, I honestly have no idea how the Steelers front office is going to look at this sitch. Either way, in Kevin Colbert we trust.

[NOTE: I gotta get my own head out of my own ass. Thanks to Nate for pointing out Leftwich's stated objective to find a starting job elsewhere. Had I spent more than five minutes researching, I'd have known that too. Oh well, this is what happens when you try and rush a post up because you've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off all day and haven't been able to write anything. Apologies for being a waste of space. I need a nap.]

And then there's the piece-de-resistance, the must-sign. Allen Iverson is a scrub, THIS GUY is "The Answer"...

Mitch Berger

I think we all know how this is going to work out. Sorry Jeff Reed, you're going to have to teach that dance y'all do to Daniel Sepulveda. It's been real. It's been fun. But it hasn't been real fun. Take 'er easy, dude. I know that you will.

Then, finally...

Cris Collinsworth is a toolbox.

It needed to be said.

Now, unfortch, we also all have to keep in mind the fact that the following guys have one year left on their current contracts - James Harrison, Hines Ward, Brett Keisel, Heath Miller, Ryan Clark, Jeff Reed, Casey Hampton, Deshea Townsend and Larry Foote. All of whom I'd love to keep. So that should throw an interesting curve at this year's free agency sitch, knowing that we gon' need some CASH to re-sign all or even some of these dudes.

But what do y'all think about these three?

Dude, You'll Never Guess What I Just Saw...

Imagine Tomlin saying it like Johnny Drama...

Byron Leftwich - 129 yards on 10 pass attempts, and a 5 yard passing TD to Sansmokio. I mean, if you had told me yesterday that Byron Leftwich was going to come into last night's game and produce 13 points en route to a 23-6 Steelers victory, I'd have smacked you in the mouth.

The past two games it was Mewelde Moore stepping up big. Last night it was Big Byron. And boy did he step the eff up. Well played, Byron. Well played indeed.

Last week was tough. Just like the Eagles game, our Offense was dogshit but our Defense kept us in the game until the 4th Quarter. It was hard to watch the Defense play so well only to watch the Offense march onto the field for three plays (or less) and then trot back off. But last night made up for it.

So let's recap the "Things That Were Awesome," "Things That Were Not Awesome," and "Things That Sucked Camel Penis." Don't the names of the latter category keep getting better and better? Gosh, what'll I think of next?

Things That Were Awesome
1. 4th play of 3rd Quarter? Leftwich to Nate Washington, 50 YARDS!
2. Deshea INT - Who says this 33 year old can't play? Not Jason Campbell.
3. 7 SACKS! (including 2 by The Wood)
4. What's up with Willie's knee? 70 yds on 21 carries, 1 TD. That's what's up.
5. 1st blocked punt since 1998!

Things That Were Not Awesome
1. Ben's completion percentage? 11. I think that's a QB rating of 6.
2. Mitch Berger's 28 yard punt...somebody call Kordell Stewart.
3. An end around to Nate Washington? This is your creative genius, Arians?
4. Hey, at least Anthony Smith contributed a special teams penalty!
5. Note to Jeff Reed - You can't bank extra points in. This isn't basketball.

Things That Sucked Camel Penis
1. Onside kick on the opening kickoff? Oh, ok, I get it. We want to lose.
2. I think I have pink eye. No joke.
3. Giving the 'Skins GREAT field position on their 1st two possessions.
4. Ben sacked three times in two quarters. Yeah, he's injured by the way.
5. Max Starks using his hands to cover his head instead using them to knock the ball away from Cornelius Griffin. Watch out for that small, lightweight piece of leather, Max! YOU'RE 6'8," 345 POUNDS, DUDE!!!

Now, ok. Let's not get too hot on Lord Byron just yet. He did more than expected and it was great. But we also simplified things a lot more when he came in. And by simplified, I mean we started running the ball. So look, I'll take that performance out of Byron Leftwich every day of the week. But QB controversy? Ish don't think so.

And frankly, it's pretty worrisome that Ben was so hurt that he didn't feel like getting back on the field in the 2nd half. Perhaps some of you think that after last night, Byron Leftwich could lead this team to a Championship. But you would be straight jacket worthy. Ben being injured that bad? Not good.

Oh yeah, and Heath Miller with a giant ice pack on his ankle? I mean, that ain't good, either.

GREAT WIN, THOUGH! Ravens won on Sunday. They're 5-3. Browns are 3-5. Bengals are irrelevant. We're now 6-2 and I think if nothing else, our Defense continued to make it's case for League MVP. Yes. The entire defense. For MVP. That's my vote at this time.

We're now looking at the Colts on Sunday. They're "hot" off a "big" win over "Matt Cassell"...I mean the Patriots. Manning had a pretty big day. And I would know, I've got him in fantasy. But he better savor it now, because he'll be on my bench his back for 60 minutes in T-Minus five days. HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO!!!

I am now eager to hear all of your thoughts. Let's have them.

Here are some other visuals to jog your memory...





Oh, and go do your civic duty and vote! Me? I'm writing in Dick Lebeau.

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

What is This, The Mike Tomlin School of PR?

Ok, first off this morning - what the hell went on in NY yesterday?

"There's great respect for the Rooney family in the National Football League, and we want to do everything we can to ensure that the Steelers continue to be operated by the Rooneys and the way they've been operated."

"[It's] another step in the process."

"We had a good dialogue, good communication about the issues at hand and I think we have a better understanding of where things are."

Mike Tomlin, is that you? Oh no, it's Roger Goodell. Wow, that's enough ambiguities to choke a horse Steely McBeam. Ok, no but seriously though, what are they talking about? These quotes are Oscar-worthy. Hey Goodell, does Pacino know you stole his line about "great respect for the...family?"

Secondly, did this guy seriously rank the Steelers' backup QB behind Matt Leinart, Chris Redman, Matt Moore and Gus Frerotte? #17 out of 32? Surely he can't be talking about Chuck Batch? Well, actually, he's not. The backup he's referring to is current backup, Lord Byron "Does Not Understand The Mechanics of Throwing A Football" Leftwich. Plus, he ranked Kyle Boller (being honestly evaluated as the potential starter in Baltimore) behind all of them at #20. So um, in that case, fair assessment. Carry on, Don Banks.

Lastly, Hines Ward had a revelation about how to help fix Wreckingball's recent fumbling problem. The same god damned revelation every blogger who made the obvious joke did. Yes, we all saw "The Program." Paying people to try and make Wreckingball fumble? Now, you're just being a dick. He already has to carry the ball everywhere with him. Knock that crap off. And also, this is news? Seriously? Wow.

Sorry guys, this post was the result of what they call a creativity fail. I'll try and come up with something better for tomorrow. I'm embarrassed. Embarrassed, really.

Any burning topics you'd like to discuss? I hear Perez Hilton thinks the Cracker Barrel is homo-unfriendly. Guess nobody told Perez that Domski used to work there...

REFERENCE MATERIAL:
Rooney bros. conclude meeting with NFL Commissioner [Post-Gazette]
Goodell calls meeting with Rooney brothers 'productive' [Trib]
Ranking each team's No. 2 QBs [SI.com]
Ward, Steelers Teach Mendenhall Not To Fumble [Trib]

Oh, Canada...

Toronto, Canada. Home to universal health care, legalized marijuana, some of the world's finest strip clubs, and of course, tonight's second preseason game between our Steelers and the Buffalo Bills. Given that intro, I think you can guess what my biggest fear is...that's right, Jeff Reed missing the game. That's just way too much temptation.

I kid. I kid.

But let's talk about tonight a little bit. Normally on gameday during the regular season, I'd give you a full rundown of the "Llaves a Victoria" (or "Keys to Victory" for you non-Japanese speakers). But I'm not going to do that today. Why would I? The starters may take more snaps than they did last week, but I don't expect them to take significantly more.

So really the spotlight is only shining brightly on three men...well, one man, two "battles"...

1. Byron Leftwich
2. Justin Hartwig vs. Sean Mahan
3. Mitch Berger vs. Paul Ernster

Leftwich is the most obvious of the three. Having just signed a former 1st round pick and three year starter in Jacksonville, it'd be pretty hard for us fans to pretend like we weren't looking for a good first audition. Maybe I'm wrong, but tonight I'd like to see that Leftwich has gained at least a serviceable understanding of the offense, that he can hit his throws accurately, with just enough touch so that Nate Washington can catch them, and that he's in good shape (important given his history). Beyond that, he could be sitting on the sidelines drinking a Diet Coke or drawing up some schematics for his treehouse out in the North Hills. I don't even care.

The Hartwig/Mahan battle has always been, and will continue to be, the most important training camp battle. While Mahan had been taking the bulk of the snaps thus far in camp, and started last Friday night against the Eagles, Hartwig has taken over this week - both practicing with the first team and starting in this evening's exhibition. I personally hate to follow the angry mob, but Sean Mahan definitely blew goats last year. And not mini goats, either. Like, full sized, adult male goats. So I'm really hoping Hartwig can show some promise. Maybe even hint at the possibility of being the next long term Pittsburgh Center. Yes, it's probably just a tad early to start talking about him following in the footsteps of Mike Webster, Dermontti Dawson and Jeff Hartings (though not exactly "long" term, long enough for me). But traditionally, this position has been the least of our concerns. And I'd really like to get back to that. Show me something besides that sick mohawk, Justin. Pancake someone. I recommend Steely McBeam.

Then of course, there's the ever-exciting and oh-so-important battle for starting Punter. Apparently, even though we signed Paul Ernster and let him punt/kick off in last week's preseason game, the front office/coaching staff felt it was necessary to give him a little friendly competition. Enter Mitch Berger. What's the difference between the two? Damned if I know. Well, ok, it may be a yard or two in punt average. Excuse me if I haven't extensively researched the kicking prowess of our two potential consolation prizes. But I've been doing important stuff...like researching current 4th string QB, Mikey Potts. Anyways, I tend to like Ernster here. As I read somewhere this week, the difference in punting averages for most punters around the league really is only a yard or two. So having the added bonus of being able to kick off (and kick off well...9 yards deep in the end zone well, ahem ahem) is a roster-worthy asset. Not like we've got a whole lot better lined up.

And that just about does it, folks. What else to watch for tonight? I'll probably be watching to make sure Steely McBeam isn't exposing himself to unaccompanied minors. There's also probably some injury concerns I should be talking about. But frankly, I'm not even going to go there right now. It's still only August 14.

So who are you guys watching tonight? Any thoughts on the individuals/battles I mentioned above? What do you think about the ultimate score? Tomlin - 47, Jauron - 6? Sound fair?

The Legend of Mikey Potts...

[Original photo credit - Mike Potts' roomate]

Hey guys, guess what? The Steelers signed "former" washout Jaguars and Falcons QB, Byron Leftwich on Sunday. Of course, you may have heard this from Tobiathan already. Him or the Post-Gazette, that is.

With Charlie Batch possibly gone the way of Matt Leinart, the front office obviously felt less than comfortable with our only backup options being rookies, Dennis Dixon and Mike Potts. And while I can't say I blame them for wanting to bring in a guy who's already cut his teeth in the league, I have to think there were better options than Byron Leftwich...and I don't mean Daunte Culpepper.

Nonetheless, the good news is (as I mentioned in the comments yesterday) - he'll still be a back up. And he's been a starter for two different teams (albeit a mediocre one). So should we need him to step in, hopefully he would be capable enough not to fumble a snap at the end of regulation, sending the game into OT, where he would throw a game-ending interception to Rashean Mathis. PS - If you didn't get that joke, you should leave this blog immediately.

But who wants to talk about Byron Leftwich for an entire post? Come on, I wouldn't waste your precious time like that. You should know better.

What I really wanna discuss today is - undrafted and unknown rookie QB, Mike Potts. Sure, could be cut by the time I hit publish. But that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve a little love from this here Steelers blog.

Not much is known [by me] about Potts, except that he's a 23-year old William and Mary product [from Middletown, Delaware] who Tecmo and Bob decided should be referred to as "Mikey" Potts. So I did a little investigating. Because what else do I have to do, I write a sports blog. What I discovered was a list of Mike Potts' on these here interwebs that may or may not be the same Mikey Potts, the Steelers QB.

Here they are in no particular order...

1. Mike Potts, President and CEO of AirDefense
It'd be pretty tough for a 21-year old to have become President and CEO of any company, what with that four year party they call college going on. But hey, it worked for Mark Zuckerberg. So why not Mikey Potts?

2. Mike Potts, former Milwaukee Brewer.
A 7.15 ERA in 45 career innings?!?! This can NOT be Mikey Potts. Mikey Potts would definitely have been 3.00 or lower. Next!

3. Mike Potts, Arkansas-Based Gynecologist extraordinaire.
Now, I'm not trying to take anything away from the Mercy Women's Clinic. I'm sure they do great work and they seem like a nice, helpful organization. But Mikey Potts, the Gynecologist, is a hell of a thought. I mean, if you can stare at well, you know what, all day, surely you can avoid the Browns pass rush (or lack thereof). That, or stare at Ben's ass all day (see picture above).

4. Mike Potts, Head of Jonesville Community Schools.
Your guess is as good as mine? I can't even think of a way to tie this one to Mikey Potts. Oops.

5. Mike Potts, accomplice to making Coke overflow with Mentos.
I'm pretty sure Mikey ain't British. So this scenario is highly unlikely. But as a recent college grad, it's certainly possible that he played around with one of history's most notorious at-home science experiments. How does this qualify him to be a Steelers QB? Because only smart people know how to make soda shoot out of a bottle with mentos. Actually, I think that's one of the requirements for entry into MENSA.

So there you have it. A bunch of random crap that you probably didn't need to, nor care to read about. As usual, my apologies for this gigantic waste of time.

And someone, please help out the REAL Mike Potts with his Wikidpedia page. That shit is hurtin'.

Questions for you this morning...
1. You guys have any thoughts on Leftwich?
2. Anyone think he'll be a positive asset? Negative asset?
3. Most importantly, which of the Mike Potts' above could be OUR Mike Potts?