Willie Wants Dan In Front

This picture is not the reason why.

Yesterday, in my Bettis book critique, I touched on Bettis' anger over the team cutting Tim Lester in 1999.

Bill Parker has a similar opinion in 2007. He wants Dan Kreider, not some Tight End, blocking for him when the season opens.

"I prefer to have a fullback," said Parker, who was third in the American Football Conference last season with 1,494 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns. "You always want a lead blocker and someone who takes it in there. And a fullback, they just go and take it in there and block somebody to clear a path. Dan Kreider is a good fullback."

Bruce Arians' new offense calls for an assload of TEs. Tuman will make the team. '06 and '07 draft picks Miller and Spaeth will make the team. There is even a chance that either Jonathan Dekker or Cody Boyd also make the roster. That leaves nary a spot for 5 year starter Dan Kreider. Arians would prefer to have TEs line up all over the field, as wideouts, linemen, or even in the backfield as blockers for Fast Bill.

However, no one has asked Bill, and he apparently wants #35.

Dan's paid his dues. He's had his ups and downs, and is a more-than-suitable lead blocker. If he doesn't make the team, I don't see other teams waiting long to snatch him up. Besides, Willie is the first Pittsburgh RB to record back to back 1000 yard seasons since Bettis, and is a threat to take it to the house on every touch. Much of his success depends on the reliability of Dan Kreider, and discarding him for a Tight End doesn't bode well.

So yeah, there were a lot of Bettis' comments I didn't agree with, but his feelings toward the team cutting Lester ring true today. Bettis had a HOF career with or without Tim Lester, but the consistency issue is a major point. If the fans and organization want to see Bill Parker continue to develop into a consistent Pro Bowler, he's going to need Kreider, the only fullback in his career, up in front.

Steelers Sign TE Spaeth

The Steelers have signed 3rd round draft pick Matt Spaeth.

The 6 foot 7 tight end from Minnesota joins Heath Miller, Jerame Tuman, Jonathan Dekker and Cody Boyd to give the Steelers the most lethal group of big, generic, white tight ends in the league.

Dallas Baker also signed, leaving only 1st rounder Lawrence Timmons and 5th rounder William Gay to sign in time for training camp on Monday.

There is no other current info about the signing. So this post is over.

Woodley Has At Least 4 Years To Learn Pittsburgh Roadways

Steelers 2nd rounder LaMarr Woodley, famous for getting lost on the streets of Pittsburgh, has signed a 4-year deal with the team. Terms were not released.

Wood's signing means that only 1st rounder Lawrence Timmons, TE Matt Spaeth and Cornerback William Gay are the last remaining draft picks to sign. A deal with Spaeth is being worked out, and Timmons is also optimistic.

Woodley is stepping into some big shoes. Not only is he switching over from defensive end to outside linebacker, but he also took over Joey Porter's number 55. PSaMP likes the ballsy decision.

Also, with the Woodley announcement coming today, there is hope that early reports of a Polamalu deal are true. Apparently, the Steelers wanted to keep the Woodley and Polamalu announcements separate so that both got the respect/publicity due.

Larry Zierlein Regrets Sending Porn, Pittsburgh Loves Big, White Tight Ends

This is the largest picture of Larry Zierlein on the 'Net. Or at least the largest one I could find.

No matter the size of his mug, Larry Zierlein wants everybody to know that he is, in fact, sorry for sending porn to NFL front offices and Commissioner Roger Goodell. The story comes from Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette.

"It was 100 percent unintentional," Zierlein said yesterday, speaking publicly for the first time about his embarrassing mistake. "I don't even know how to mass e-mail, I don't know these machines very good -- just a 100 percent unintentional thing. I hit the wrong button."

Zierlein says he will only use computers for football-related processes from now on. The 61-year-old seems humbled and embarrassed by the entire incident, so PSaMP isn't going to stay on his case about the whole deal.

Some more news about your Pittsburgh Steelers, on this muggy Friday:

Anybody need a big, white tight end? Chuck Finder of the Trib loves the fact that the Steelers are stockpiling players of the sort.

From left, the Steelers employ Jerame (Jeramy, not Jer-aim) Tuman, Heath Miller, Jonathan Dekker, Cody Boyd and Matt Spaeth. Finder calls Miller "perhaps underused" last season. I say, "No duh" (That's probably the worst comeback ever. Why was that ever popular?". Miller had 34 catches last season, including 5 touchdowns. Cleveland and Baltimore, picking up on the tight end trend (tight tr-end?), got insane numbers out of their TEs last season.

This was an AFC North where Cleveland got 127 receptions from its tight ends, including 89 from Kellen Winslow Jr., and where Baltimore got 95, including 73 from Todd Heap. This was an AFC where Indianapolis totaled 85 receptions from three tight ends and New England 81.

Underused seems a little understated now, Chuck. I think I speak for most of Pittsburgh when I say that Heath Miller can put up Todd Heap-type numbers, and the Steelers still put too much time into Tuman. I understand that new Offensive Coodinator Bruce Arians wants to employ 2 or 3 tight end sets, and even if that happens, the ball still needs to go to Miller. Aside from Hines Ward, Miller has arguably the best hands on the team. Plus, he is difficult to tackle, and always seems to do that cool little spin-dive for extra yards once he is tackled. Simply put, Heath comes to play, and he deserves a bigger role in the offense.

3rd Round: Mike Tomlin's First 'Huh?'

With the 77th pick, Pittsburgh took Matt Spaeth, TE from the University of Minnesota.

After the first 2 rounds, it seemed like Tomlin's first draft was going well. This pick, however, made me scratch my head. For a team that under-utilizes stud TE Heath Miller, using a 3rd round pick on another TE is a bit confusing. Pittsburgh talked about using four wideout sets this year, so maybe a three tight end formation is the next logical step.

Now some positives about Spaeth. He had 109 career receptions at Minnesota, including 12 career touchdowns. Pretty nice numbers for a TE.

Somewhere, Heath Miller weeps silently...