Monday Evening Quarterback - August 22, 2007

This is the first edition of a continuing column that will be available every Monday, except when the Steelers play on Monday Night, in which case it will be available Tuesday evening. This and every edition of MEQB is dedicated to the living memory of my favorite NFL columnist. It won't take you long to figure out who.

Since the now-past Philadelphia game was a "dress rehearsal," consider this the same.

As the Pittsburgh Steelers enter their final preseason game, Coach Mike Tomlin has proven that he'll do what it takes to answer the questions that were attached to the group of 82 men he took to camp.

That said, he hasn't been forthcoming in letting us know what he's thinking - we're privy to the experiments he's conducted, and we see some of the data coming in by watching the games, but the firm conclusions are yet to come when it comes to the open starting jobs and the composition of depth.

The one conclusion that can be reached is this - Tomlin will approach personnel with a dedication to letting "the tape tell our story," a statement that befuddled Andrea Kremer even though it's been the most consistent theme of Tomlin's short tenure.

Tomlin is a man of action when it comes to correcting things that he sees on tape, at least when it comes to special teams:

- Ricardo Colclough was obliged with some kick return and punt return work at the beginning of camp. That didn't last long, and he's now out of the rotation, though an ill-timed close up of Colclough by the NBC crew last night fooled me into thinking for a second that he was going to get another chance.

- A blocked PAT quickly triggered the signing of another long snapper. Said long snapper didn't last long, but the message to Greg Warren was clear.

- Willie Reid got a quick hook last night in favor of Cedrick Wilson on punt returns after putting another one on the ground. The punt return situation will be interesting to watch over the next few weeks - how much patience does Tomlin have for Reid's carelessness?

What remains to be seen is how Tomlin will react to similar issues that arise with his starters. What if Willie Parker keeps fumbling in the red zone? What if Ben's decision making is a problem? Tomlin has preached accountability and a results-oriented philosophy during his tenure. How far does this extend?

If Tomlin should be lauded for anything this pre-season, it should be for how he's scientifically approached determining the makeup of his roster and depth chart. Some moves have been extreme and potentially confidence shattering (Max Starks at left tackle), but Tomlin has exhausted just about every available experiment he could have endeavored to pursue.

When second guessing of a head coaches' distribution of playing time is limited to a UDFA running back and a UDFA tackle, it's a good sign that the coach has done a good job of acquiring the tape he needs to make good decisions.

Tomlin will make mistakes in personnel - even great talent evaluators like Bill Walsh and Jimmy Johnson had their share of misses and mis-plays. But he's putting himself in the best position to make the right call, which is the one thing he can control.

Quote of the Week

"Right now, no I wouldn't say we are ready, but we overcame adversity. I overcame adversity, but I'm not really satisfied with how I played."

- Willie Parker

Factoid of the Week That I Hope Will Interest Someone Besides Me

Travis Henry of the Denver Broncos has 9 children with 9 different women. Perhaps he's missing time right now with something other than a knee injury - an "embarrassing surgery," right Santonio?

Amusing Travel Note of the Week

Anyone else like to use their windshield washers when being tailgated by a convertible? Great fun. I encourage everyone to try it at least once in life. Especially enjoyable if there's a woman in the car.

Ten Things I Know I Think

1. Kevan Barlow was obviously happy to join the Steelers - it's a cheap ride from the training facility to his Mom's basement now that he's been cut.

2. Marvin Phillip getting a shot at guard against the Eagles is a telling sign that the FO is at least considering Okobi's release, and an even clearer sign that Mahan has nailed down the starting job. Mahan has shown a little nastiness. He likes to finish people off if he's the second guy on a combo block.

3. Oh, to be a fly on the wall at special teams meetings. Lots of talk. Little improvement. I hope Bob Ligashesky is renting.

4. Lots of talk about Gary Russell and Jason Capizzi and what their future holds this week. I'm not sure that either of them ends up on the final 53. Russell has a shot, but Capizzi is almost certainly looking at the practice squad. If so, will he survive waivers? I think so. Most guys stolen from a practice squad were drafted. Think Bo Lacy or Orien Harris. It's not the simple fact that they were drafted that matters - it's that GM's who fill their roster after cuts are likely to do so with guys they liked last April, not undrafted guys they didn't like in the first place. Gary Russell is kind of a different animal, which is why he has a better shot at sticking. But it's hard for a scout or GM to change their opinion on a prospect they passed on simply because of late action against scrubs in preseason.

5. Charlie Batch would be the starting quarterback in Atlanta, Kansas City, Minnesota or Miami. It's almost a shame that Charlie hasn't gotten a shot. But it doesn't seem to bother him. Nice to see a guy satisfied to simply live his dream.

(Around the league)

6. Peyton Manning and the Colts' offense will once again be spectacular, and it better be. The Colt defense has bled starter after starter for the past two off-seasons, and the bill is coming due.

7. Lots of 3rd round receivers are asserting themselves, albeit in the preseason. Jacoby Jones has looked good in Houston, James Jones has caught a lot of balls in Green Bay, and Laurent Robinson has caught the ball in Atlanta, which is more than can be said for the rest of the Falcon's WR corps.

8. I'm firmly on board for the Tomlinson Technique - the risk/reward of a top tier RB playing in preseason weighs heavily towards holding him out. I hope that's the last time I ever see Willie Parker play in the preseason.

9. No 3rd string quarterback has ever been under as much pressure in his rookie season as Brady Quinn. Between the holdout, the autograph extortion and the photos where he's stirring something other than the echoes, Quinn was in danger of alienating himself from the Cleveland fans before his first regular season game. Offensive Coordinator Rob Chudzinski has set up Quinn to look good, calling conservative plays and throwing almost exclusively to the backs and tight ends.

10. Former Louisville running back Michael Bush hasn't practiced once with the Raiders yet, and he's a virtual shoe-in for the PUP list, if not IR.

Who I Like Tonight, Though They Won't Give Me Merrill Hoge

Bengals vs. Falcons. Bad timing for a MNF game in Atlanta, pre-season or not. I can't watch this Vickathon, and I'm not a very discerning consumer of football entertainment. I expect every quarterback to look good against the Cincinnati defense, so let's call Joey Harrington the winner.