Steelers News

"The media room at the Steelers' South Side practice facility served as an ideal place to gauge anticipation for the start of training camp. Enough reporters and photographers crammed into it Wednesday to make a fire marshal fidget. And they did so just to hear coach Mike Tomlin say the Steelers' curious courtship of Kevin Jones had nothing to do with Willie Parker's right leg and to twice use the phrase "division of labor" when talking about how roles will be determined during the three weeks the team spends at St. Vincent College. Tomlin did provide some newsworthy comments during his pre-camp news conference, particularly when he admitted the Steelers' ownership issue may be a ..."

"There are "a bunch of questions to be asked," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Wednesday, and "a bunch of questions to be answered." Not the least of which is, can Tomlin's Steelers finish? Although they'll just be getting started when they open training camp Sunday at St. Vincent College, finishing -- as always -- will be the critical issue. That goes for the season in general and individual games in particular. The Steelers didn't finish either well enough in 2007. They dropped four of their last five games, counting the season-ending, home playoff loss to Jacksonville, and five of their final eight. It wouldn't have come to that had the Steelers only been able to finish off teams. Not ..."

"The media room at the Steelers' South Side practice facility served as an ideal place to gauge anticipation for the start of training camp.

Enough reporters and photographers crammed into it Wednesday to make a fire marshal fidget. And they did so just to hear coach Mike Tomlin say the Steelers' curious courtship of Kevin Jones had nothing to do with Willie Parker's right leg and to twice use the phrase "division of labor" when talking about how roles will be determined during the three weeks the team spends at St. Vincent College.

Tomlin did provide some newsworthy comments during his pre-camp news conference, particularly when he admitted the Steelers' ownership issue may be a ..."

"Whatever concerns Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has going into training camp, injuries and the fact that the team's first- and second-round draft picks remain unsigned apparently aren't among them.

Tomlin said at a news conference today that he doesn't expect first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall or second-round selection Limas Sweed to miss any practice over their contract situation.

The two, he said, are expected to sign with the Steelers before Sunday when players are required to report to training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe.

"We don't anticipate any of these guys having hold ups as far as participating," Tomlin said today at the Steelers' South Side facility."

"Mike Tomlin made it clear that Ryan Clark's feel-good story hasn't won him anything more than admiration. Yet even the Steelers coach couldn't help but marvel at how far the veteran safety has come since a mysterious illness cost him 30 pounds, his spleen and gall bladder and nearly cost him his playing career. Clark, who became sick during a game at Denver last October, is 100 percent, and the Steelers don't plan on limiting him during training camp, which starts Sunday. Clark and Anthony Smith will compete for the starting job at free safety."

"The Steelers will take the first step toward their 76th season Sunday when they open training camp, which could be their last under the Rooney family name. Coach Mike Tomlin, entering his second season, acknowledged yesterday that the sudden uncertain future of the team's ownership could become a distraction for his players as they practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe. "Potentially,'' is how Mr. Tomlin put the chances of it affecting his ballclub. "Because there'll be questions that I'll have to answer in regards to that and there will be questions that potentially our team has to answer in regard to that."

"Whatever concerns Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has going into training camp, injuries and the fact that the two's first and second-round draft picks remain unsigned apparently aren't among them.

Tomlin said at a news conference today that he doesn't expect first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall or second-round selection Limas Sweed to miss any practice over their contract situation.

The two, he said, are expected to sign with the Steelers before Sunday when players are required to report to training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe."

"Billionaire Stanley Druckenmiller may face the challenge of boosting the Pittsburgh Steelers' revenue without sullying the five-time Super Bowl champion's thick-necked image by overselling it. "If you try and get too cute with that brand, you can really screw it up," David Carter, executive director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California, said in a telephone interview. "You cannot hope to succeed running that business if you go out of the way to strip the personality and tradition." Druckenmiller, 55, chairman of New York-based Duquesne Capital Management LLC, is negotiating to buy a controlling stake in the team from the Rooney family, which ..."

"The Steelers have not had a significant rookie contract holdout in a decade and it appears they will not have one this summer either. Signing any veterans to contract extensions, however, is another matter. Kevin Colbert, the team's director of football operations, predicted yesterday that the top two draft choices will come to terms by the time the Steelers report to training camp Sunday at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe."

"Two Super Bowl rings from the Steelers' first two championships in 1975 and 1976 sold at auction on eBay today for a combined $66,000. The rings, which belonged to a Steelers front-office employee whose estate is being liquidated through a bankruptcy sale, were sold separately, but the winning bids were submitted by the same person."

"Teams in the Browns' AFC North Division inherited four of the eight toughest schedules in 2008, based on last year's records. That's why several experts are predicting a 9-7 record could win the division. The flip side is it's doubtful the second-place team could earn a wild-card berth. The defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers head into training camp as the team to beat. The Browns would rank ahead if not for their 0-9 record against their archrivals the past four years. The Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals both have high hopes, but fell behind the Browns last season. Here's a look at the Browns' rivals as camps open this week."

"It's one of Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's pet sayings, and it says a lot. Don't read too much into what NFL players do in the offseason, Tomlin insists, because they're not wearing helmets and pads and hitting. However, there are exceptions. With the first full day of Steelers training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe scheduled for one week from today, some players figure to be more ready than others -- pads or no pads"

"The countdown to the start of Camp Tomlin has reached seven. Next Sunday the Steelers must report to St. Vincent College.Since the Super Bowl era of the 1970s, fans have greeted the start of training camp with high anticipation, and this year is no different.And due to recent negotiations regarding the ownership of this 76-year old franchise that has always been ruled by Rooney family, interest in the start of another Steelers’ season has intensified.Coming off a 10-7 record in Mike Tomlin’s first season as coach — the wild-card playoff loss to the Jaguars included — the Steelers have plenty of question marks as 2008 gets under way.Among them are these 10 issues:"

"Everybody has questions. How soon can quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco start in Atlanta and Baltimore? Where does Brett Favre play in 2008, if he plays at all? Is there another team such as the New York Giants that will come out of the shadows at playoff time to seize the Super Bowl? There are no ready answers in July and August. Training camp is a time to grind, but it's also a time for optimism. Let's set the stage for the NFL's 89th season."

"Yes, the Bears have some issues as they head into training camp this week. But they are not alone. Each of the 32 teams in the NFL will be trying to answer deep questions, tie together loose ends and bury ghosts of the past. Here is a look at the other 31:"

"Too bad the people couldn't step in and solve this Steelers ownership dilemma. The NFL prohibits public ownership of a team -- the Green Bay Packers being the lone, grandfathered-in exception -- but wouldn't it be something to see the hardest of hard-core Steelers fanatics running the franchise? I'm talking about the gray-haired adults who roam the parking lots drunk at 9 a.m., decked in full football regalia and knocking back kielbasa links like Skittles. Can you imagine?"

"Starting inside linebacker James Farrior, 33, wants to finish his NFL career with the Steelers -- even if it means he has a reduced role in the years to come. "They're always going to have somebody try and replace you," said Farrior, who has led the team in tackles in four of the previous five seasons. "That's always in the back of your mind.""

"Wish the Steelers were this dedicated to stockpiling players at other positions of need -- defensive end or defensive tackle; either one would suffice. Wonder what Willie Parker thinks about all the wheeling and dealing at his position?"

"Who would want to own stock that never appreciates, doesn't pay dividends and has a minimal redemption price? No big-shot dot-com billionaires, oil tycoons or industrialists call the shots for the Green Bay Packers. Instead, the nonprofit team is owned by people like you and me, making it one of a kind in American professional sports."

"Though Allegheny County Controller Mark Flaherty says the Steelers' lease for Heinz Field gives the city and county oversight of team ownership changes -- and could require a buyer outside the Rooney family to pay back more than $200 million in public stadium subsidies -- that does not seem to be what the lease agreement says in full."

"Though Allegheny County Controller Mark Flaherty says the Steelers' lease for Heinz Field gives the city and county oversight of team ownership changes -- and could require a buyer outside the Rooney family to pay back more than $200 million in public stadium subsidies -- that does not seem to be what the lease agreement says in full. In a letter to the Steelers' ownership and during a news conference yesterday, Flaherty pointed to a part of the 2000 lease agreement saying changes and transfers in team ownership are acceptable within the Rooney and McGinley families without getting consent by the Sports"

"The Steelers have signed sixth-round draft pick Mike Humpal to a three-year contract, the team said today. Humpal, a 6-foot 3-inch, 240 pound linebacker out of Iowa, was the 188th overall pick in the 2008 draft. Terms of the contract were not released. The Steelers so far have signed five of the team's seven draft picks this year."

"A sale of any interest in the Pittsburgh Steelers should be shared with the taxpayers who helped build Heinz Field, Allegheny County Controller Mark Patrick Flaherty told team owners in a letter Tuesday. The letter to the Rooney and McGinley families said a change of ownership "would result in a demand to return a proportionate share" of the $281 million in public money used to build the North Shore stadium."

"Billionaire investor Stanley Druckenmiller is not interested in any type of minority partnership with Steelers chairman Dan Rooney and is involved in negotiations to purchase the ownership shares of the four Rooney brothers with one purpose: To become majority owner of the Steelers and keep the National Football League franchise in Pittsburgh, ideally with Dan Rooney and his son, Art II, at the helm. According to a source who has intimate knowledge of the New York hedge fund manager's dealings with the Rooney brothers, Mr. Druckenmiller will not get caught up in a high-stakes bidding war to purchase the shares necessary to become majority owner if Goldman Sachs"

"The signs of preparedness were everywhere. Over the drone of a weed whacker and the backdrop of a landscaper deftly cutting the practice field, Saint Vincent College president Jim Towey yesterday stood at Chuck Noll Field and spoke of the impeding deluge that is Steelers training camp. On the cusp of the Steelers visiting the tiny Latrobe campus for the 42nd consecutive year, Towey reiterated that everything has been going precisely as planned. "People know that if it is late-July, and it is sunny out, it is time for Steelers football to return to our campus," Towey said."

"Allegheny County Controller Mark Patrick Flaherty yesterday warned the Rooney family that any change in the Steelers ownership would mean the state and county could seek reimbursement of their $281 million share of the construction costs of Heinz Field. "As the financial watchdog for the County, I will not permit a material change in ownership of this regional asset to occur without an equitable repayment of the funds contributed by the taxpayers or [will] require a new agreement with the new owners group that the team must remain in Pittsburgh for the next 75 years," Mr. Flaherty wrote in a letter delivered to members of the Rooney and McGinley families."

"The Steelers will never move. It doesn't matter who owns the team. Look at all the championships. Look at all the sellouts. The NFL would never let it happen. The Steelers will be in Pittsburgh forever.Just like the (real) Browns in Cleveland and the Colts in Baltimore.Actually, the Steelers definitely won't be moving, not with that stadium and that lease. But it seems possible, even likely, that control of the franchise will move from its founding family, the Rooneys, to billionaire hedge fund manager Stanley Druckenmiller.Said prospect has caused panic in the streets of Pittsburgh akin to the fire sale scene in "Live Free or Die Hard," as if a national shutdown of ..."

"The New England Patriots didn't do much this off-season, which is why not much has changed in the American Football Conference. New England did lose All-Pro cornerback Asante Samuel, but otherwise looks like the same team that went 16-0 last season. The Patriots have won 20 regular-season games in a row, dating to a 21-0 loss at Miami on Dec. 10, 2006. They have broken their own NFL record of 18 consecutive victories set in 2003-04. The Indianapolis Colts, the San Diego Chargers and the Jacksonville Jaguars didn't change much in the off-season, either, which is why they are given the best shots to challenge the Patriots for AFC supremacy this season."

"Grow up in western Pennsylvania and you embrace certain basic truths:Partly cloudy is a way of life, Donnie Iris rocks, and the Rooneys own the Steelers.Now the issue of Steelers ownership is being threatened, and it's as jarring as hearing an elevator music version of "The Rapper."What once was a paragon of parental fairness ??? the equal split of ownership among five Rooney brothers ??? has become a financial and legal mess. There are issues with NFL policies, potential estate taxes and the priorities of different factions within the family.While the Steelers are certainly a profitable business, a windfall would come from selling the franchise, believed to be worth between $800 ..."

"Just as politics makes strange bedfellows, money, particularly lots of it, makes unusual adversaries. The Rooney brothers, the five sons of The Chief, the great Arthur J. Rooney, are at odds over the ownership of the Steelers -- their business, our passion"

"The Steelers reached agreement today on three-year contracts with two rookie sixth-round draft picks."

"Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney faces an uphill climb in trying to acquire majority control of one of pro sports' best-known franchises now that his four brothers have hired an investment firm to field offers for their shares of the club."

"Where the possibility of a stake in the Steelers being sold is cause for panic in Pittsburgh, the changing of the old guard is old hat in the NFL. Now that the days of Jack Kent Cooke, Leon Hess and Art Modell have given way to those of Daniel Snyder, Woody Johnson and Steve Bisciotti, some NFL observers figured it was only a matter of time before the Rooney family followed suit and sold a share of the Steelers."

"Sweating through training camp, studying playbooks, pounding through practices, and then taking the weekly beatings that are part of life in the National Football League -- all this so that one day you can own a Super Bowl ring. Or you can just go to eBay."

"The Steelers aren't the only National Football League franchise whose owners have been forced to confront age and estate tax issues. In February, Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga sold 50 percent of his team to New York developer Stephen Ross for $550 million. Huizenga, 70, said his age and estate planning motivated him to make the deal."

"The NFL never sleeps, but it usually rests its eyes in late June and early July, before training camps open. News traditionally is scarce as players lay low and coaches hang out the "gone fishing" sign. But there is some interesting action going on in NFL boardrooms right now that could see two teams have new owners by the start of the season in September. In Pittsburgh, Wall Street financier Stanley Druckenmiller is negotiating to buy majority interest in the Steelers, which have been owned by the Rooney family for the last 75 years."

"Four of the five brothers in the Steelers family feud over the storied franchise's future conceded publicly Wednesday that they've hired a Wall Street investment firm to find "alternatives" to their continued stake in the business. And the fifth brother, Steelers chairman Dan Rooney, stopped short of guaranteeing that he and his son, Art Rooney II, will be able to stay at the helm of a team that's won five Super Bowls."

"On a day when the four Rooney brothers officially announced Wall Street investment bank Goldman Sachs"

"Santonio Holmes averaged more yards per catch last season than Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Reggie Wayne, Torry Holt and Chad Johnson. He led the Steelers in receiving yards, yards per catch and touchdowns and recorded the team's only three 100-yard receiving games. Holmes did a lot of good things in his second NFL season, but apparently not enough to suit him."

"Next time you're at Heinz Field watching the Steelers, the boisterous fan next to you with his face painted black and gold, the guy so into the game he high-fives anyone next to him, might be a multibillionaire who can quote poet T.S. Eliot and spends his free time working with poor kids in Harlem. He also might own the Steelers."

"Less than a year after they celebrated the 75th anniversary of one of the greatest family-owned franchises in sports history, the Steelers appear to be on the precipice of a major restructuring in ownership that could result in the franchise being controlled by a billionaire investor whose last name is not Rooney"

"Throughout his long and distinguished career in pro football, as an executive with the Steelers and a power broker within the NFL, Dan Rooney has been a problem-solver extraordinaire. Need a consensus toa commissioner? See Rooney. Need a cool head and an honorable man to forge a deal with the union? See Rooney. Need a diversity program that works? See Rooney. Need a coach that will bring the Steelers into the 20th century? See Rooney."

"Stanley Druckenmiller, the billionaire chairman of Pittsburgh's Duquesne Capital Management and a member of Oakmont Country Club, was contacted by a member or representative of the Rooney family about buying shares in the team, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has confirmed. It is unclear just how much interest Druckenmiller would own in the franchise, but, according to a source who is a friend of Druckenmiller, he has been approached about possibly purchasing the shares of at least two or three of the Rooney brothers. The source said Druckenmiller is only interested in providing investment capital to the Rooney family and would let Dan Rooney run the team "as long as he wants." He also ..."

"Ever since Art Rooney used $2,500 to pay the N.F.L.'s entrance fee for his franchise in Pittsburgh in 1933, the Rooney clan has been among the league's grand old families. Along with the Maras in New York, the Rooneys have been behind a single team for the entirety of their existence."

"The Steelers on Monday said prolonged, ongoing negotiations are under way concerning the "restructuring" of ownership, which could result in the sale of the franchise or a consolidation of control within the Rooney family. The team said that chairman Dan Rooney and his son, president Art Rooney II, are trying to buy Dan's brothers' shares in order to "ensure compliance with NFL ownership policies." Discussions have been taking place for two years, the team said in a statement."

"The Steelers came to terms with three of their seven draft picks Monday, signing fourth-round selection Tony Hills, an offensive tackle from Texas, and reaching agreements with fifth-round choice Dennis Dixon, a quarterback from Oregon, and third-rounder Bruce Davis, a defensive end at UCLA who will be converted to outside linebacker. Davis, 6-foot-3, 252 pounds, agreed last night to a three-year deal that includes a $506,000 signing bonus. Earlier in the day, Hills (6-5, 304) received a signing bonus of $304,500. Dixon (6-3, 195) agreed to a $130,000 signing bonus."

"With less than three weeks until the start of training camp, the Steelers have signed one of their draft picks and reached contractual agreement with another. Offensive tackle Tony Hills, a fourth-round pick from Texas, became the first rookie from the Class of 2008 to sign a contract when he inked a three-year deal yesterday that included a signing bonus of $304,500."

"The Rooney family is working to restructure the ownership of the Steelers to comply with National Football League guidelines that prohibit association with racetrack and gambling interests, a process that is forcing several brothers of team chairman Dan Rooney to seek to sell their shares in the franchise, according to a source familiar with the situation"

"Before he even had a chance to make it to training camp, the Steelers released first-year quarterback Jared Zabransky and added wide receiver Marvin Allen to their practice squad as part of an NFL Europe international program. Zabransky, a three-year starter who was 33-5 and had two undefeated regular seasons at Boise State, was signed as a free agent after the 2007 season with the idea he could compete for the No. 3 quarterback spot."

"Kevin Jones went through a workout Saturday while four NFL teams watched the running back sprint and cut just five months after he had major knee surgery. Dr. D.S. Ping, who has been helping Jones rehabilitate his right knee, said Miami, Green Bay, Pittsburgh and Detroit sent representatives to the workout in Saline, Mich. The Lions cut their former first-round pick in March with one year left on his contract after he hurt the knee late last season, adding to the injury woes that have stunted his success in the league. The Cleveland Browns also called, Ping said, and asked for a video of the workout."