Steelers Gab

The meeting between Ben Roethlisberger and Roger Goodell is done, and as expected, Ben is going to sit out four games instead of six.

As everyone expected all along, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension reduced from six to four games.

What this means is that he will be back to play the Browns on October 17th at home. He will miss the Falcons, at Titans, at Bucs and Ravens games.

When Roethlisberger was suspended in April for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, Goodell said he would review the player’s behavior over the next few months. Goodell was satisfied that Roethlisberger has followed the league’s guidelines and stayed out of trouble.

Roethlisberger was accused of sexually assaulting a Georgia college student following a night of drinking in a Milledgeville, Ga., bar on March 5th. He was not charged by Georgia authorities.

Things don’t sound too good for Steelers QB Byron Leftwich, who was expected from all accounts to be the starter for the opener with the suspension to Ben Roethlisberger.

Reports say that Leftwich will miss the season as he apparently tore the medial collateral ligament in his left knee after throwing a pass in the second quarter of the teams final preseason win over the Panthers.

The injury throws the team into a bit of panic, as it means that Charlie Batch probably won’t be going anywhere, and who knows, he could be the starter if the team decides to continue to hold back Dennis Dixon.

“It’s unfortunate for Byron what he went through, but this team has to go forward,” Dixon said. “If I am the guy I have to first and foremost take control of the offense. I know the defense will take care of their side of the ball.”

So the buzz now is Batch getting a chance to be the starter for the team, and he has done well in that department when called upon in the past. He won the opener in 2006 beating the Dolphins at home, and stepped in for two games back in 2005 and won both starts before getting hurt vs Cleveland.

“I think it is in good hands,” Batch said of the quarterback position. “We had three solid guys and now we have two. Either way, I’ll be ready to go.”

He’d better be, September 12th vs the Falcons is closer than ever.

While the Steelers wrapped up the final preseason game with a rather convincing 19-3 win over the Panthers, the bigger story remains the same as it has been from the moment they knew they would not have Ben Roethlisberger the first part of the 2010 season.

Who starts at QB for the weeks Ben is gone?

That question is more cloudy than ever, as Thursday night in the preseason win Byron Leftwich went down with a knee injury. The injury took place after Leftwich hit a pass to rookie Emmanuel Sanders. He was 2 of 4 passes for passes for 43 yards.

If Leftwich can’t go against the Falcons, it opens the door more than ever for Dennis Dixon, who rebounded nicely after a horrid outing Sunday night in Denver. He threw a touchdown on his only pass, a 23-yard TD to Sanders that gave the Steelers a 10-0 lead in the second quarter.

The story of the game was the Steelers D, which punished the weak Panthers offense all night, holding them to 123 yards and three points. They allowed 9 first downs, 72 yards rushing, and 4-for-16 on third downs.

The Steelers rushing controlled the game, going for 175 yards on 39 carries, a 4.5 yards per carry average. Rookie Jonathan Dwyer likely cemented a spot on the roster with 93 yards on 20 carries, including a 36-yard run in the 4th quarter that ended with a Jeff Reed field goal to wrap up the scoring at 16-3.

Roethlisberger went 4-for-6 in the game for 39 yards, and Charlie Batch, who may have played his last game with the team, went 3-for-4 for just 10 yards. Reed hit for four field goals in the win. The team will now sit back, wait on Leftwich’s knee, and have to make a number of roster moves, cutting possibly up to 22 players by Saturday’s deadline.

You always take a risk playing important players in the preseason, and tonight the Steelers may have learned that first hand, as QB Byron Leftwich hurt his knee in the teams win over the Panthers at home. The Trib reports that it’s a knee injury and Leftwich was taken out of the game after hitting an 18-yard pass to Emmanuel Sanders.

Steelers Byron Leftwich, who is expected to start while Ben Roethlisberger serves a likely four-game suspension, has left tonight’s game against the Panthers after hurting his left knee. He will not return after completing 2 of 4 passes for passes for 43 yards. After completing an 18-yard pass to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders five minutes into the second quarter, Leftwich got up limping. He then knelt on one knee, prompting the Steelers to take him out of the game. He has gone into the Steelers locker room though he walked there under his own power. Dennis Dixon replaced Leftwich and threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Sanders.

DISH Network has teamed up with WDVE-FM/102.5 to find the Steelers’ biggest fan – they will be chosen by video or photo with brief essay, and the winner will receive $5,000 in prizes, including a 42-inch Panasonic HDTV, a year of free DISH Network programming including high definition and NFL RedZone, DISH Network’s ViP 922 DVR with Sling technology, which was recently awarded “Editor’s Choice” from PC Magazine, and a trip to Denver on September 16 to compete for the “Ultimate Fan” title.

The Ultimate Fan will win the grand prize of $10,000 and a trip to Los Angeles to meet NFL RedZone host Scoot Hanson and hang out in the NFL RedZone studios.

The contest has officially kicked off, and runs through September 12, with winners being announced on Monday, September 13th. To enter, visit the WDVE Radio web site at: http://www.dve.com/cc-common/radiobase/contests/ and click on Dish Network Ultimate Football Fan.

James Harrison, James Farrior and Antwaan Randle El are not in uniform and won’t play against the Panthers. Lawrence Timmons will start for Harrison at ROLB, and the starting ILBs will be Keyaron Fox and Larry Foote.

56% of 6,405 polled by SportsNation today said they would be upset if Ben Roethlisberger gets his six –game suspension reduced to three games.

SportsNation co-host Colin Cowherd disagreed with pollsters, “Criminals get time reduced for good behavior and Ben Roethlisberger didn’t even commit a crime. There are a lot of guy’s in the league who commit crimes and don’t get suspended and Ben committed no crime here.”

Here we go Steelers. Pennsylvania’s number one ice cream brand, Turkey Hill Dairy, is introducing a brand new flavor in honor of the Pittsburgh Steelers called Blitzburgh Crunch.

The new flavor features premium golden sweet cream vanilla ice cream loaded with smooth chocolate fudge swirl and chocolate cake crunchies. Black and gold, smooth and rich, just like Steelers’ pride. Fans leaving the September 2 pre-season game after halftime will receive a free sample of the new flavor while supplies last.

To honor Pittsburgh Steelers fans, the Dairy is also holding a sweepstakes in which 30 lucky people will be selected to win free game tickets or Steelers merchandise, and one grand-prize winner will get a pair of season tickets for the 2011-2012 season. To enter, fans can purchase specially marked packages of Blitzburgh Sundae Crunch at local grocery stores. Select packages will feature an on-pack sticker with an entry code.

Fans can go to turkeyhill.com/steelers to register their code. Three winners will be selected from 10 weekly drawings during the regular season. At each weekly drawing, one winner will be selected to receive tickets for themselves and a friend for the December 23 game against the Carolina Panthers at Heinz Field and an invitation to a private pre-game tailgate party.

Two winners will also be selected each week to receive a $25 Steelers gift card to purchase great Steelers gear at Steelers Sideline store locations. All entrants will be eligible for the grand prize drawing around Super Bowl Sunday, where one lucky Steelers fan will win a pair of season tickets for the 2011-2012 season – that’s two tickets to every home game.

“There is something unique about Pittsburgh and Steelers fans,” said Turkey Hill President Quintin Frey. “Their spirit, drive and strength are legendary. We’re thrilled to now be an official part of that community and offer them a flavor all their own.”

The new flavor will be available in grocery stores throughout Steelers’ country starting in September. Fans can go to turkeyhill.com/steelers for more information about the flavor, recipes and the sweepstakes contest.

TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company, a subsidiary of the adidas Group, has introduced a new line of hats and visors, which features the primary colors and logos of all 32 NFL teams. Golfers across the country can now fly the colors of their favorite teams on the golf course (not on Sundays of course).

Fans can choose from all 32 NFL teams at on-course and off-course retail locations, in addition to select sporting goods retailers. If you are a displaced fan and don’t think you will be able to find your favorite team locally, go to www.taylormadegolfgear.com for a complete selection.

Each hat and visor will feature an NFL team’s logo blazoned on the left panel. The team’s name will also be stitched onto the left corner of the hat/visor. The TaylorMade logo will appear in 3D embroidery on the front panel of the hat.

The hats will be available at retail at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $27.99.

ESPN reports that Ben Roethlisberger’s people want the 6 game suspension reduced by 3 games. Seems like a bit much, but we’ll know Friday what happens when they meet.

In Friday’s meeting with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, Ben Roethlisberger’s representatives plan to ask the commissioner to reduce the six-game suspension by at least three games, bringing along team president Arthur J. Rooney II to the New York meeting to support the quarterback’s case, sources with knowledge of upcoming proceedings told ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio. Roethlisberger was suspended in April for six games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy a week after prosecutors decided not charge him in a case involving a 20-year-old college student who accused him of sexually assaulting her in a Georgia nightclub in March. At the time, Goodell pledged to consider reducing the length of the suspension if Roethlisberger complied with a number of league imposed conditions, including a comprehensive behavioral evaluation, and stayed clear of any other off field problems. Most observers believe Goodell has had in his mind all along to reduce the suspension by two games to four. But Roethlisberger’s attorney, David Cornwell, is expected to ask for a greater reduction in the suspension, according to those with knowledge of discussions between the commissioners office and the quarterback’s representatives.