Posted by Josh Katzowitz

Given the chance today, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin declined to say whether QB Ben Roethlisberger would be given his starting job when he returns from his four-game suspension.

"I'm going to dodge that one and not artfully," Tomlin told Sirius NFL Radio. "I'm not going to back myself in corner."

That’s probably best. After all, there’s no sense at this point in telling Dennis Dixon that, no matter what he does or how he plays or if he leads the Steelers to a 4-0 record, that he’ll immediately give up his starting spot when Roethlisberger returns.

But honestly, does anybody buy this? Is there any chance Roethlisberger isn’t starting at quarterback for Pittsburgh on Oct. 17 against Cleveland?

I’m going with no.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

With two of his four quarterbacks either on the NFL’s suspended list or on the team’s injury report, Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin had only two choices left for his starting quarterback: Dennis Dixon or veteran Charlie Batch.

According to Bob Pompeani of Pittsburgh TV station KDKA, Tomlin – without Ben Roethlisberger or Byron Leftwich available – has chosen to go with Dixon.

You might remember that Dixon performed decently in his lone start last season against the Ravens (though my expectations must have been really low for him that game, because I just looked at his stats line and it’s really not all that impressive – 12 of 26 for 145 yards, one touchdown and one interception while rushing three times for 27 yards and a score), but he was stuck behind Leftwich with Roethlisberger suspended the first six games of the season.

  However, after Leftwich injured his MCL, it came down to a competition between Dixon and Batch. Although it was thought by some that Batch could be named the starter, Tomlin made the right call.

Batch is 35 and doesn’t have much of a future in Pittsburgh. The same can’t be said of Dixon.

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Posted by Will Brinson

So, Tim Tebow played some football last night. I thought it was "impressive." Many of you felt differently, but that's okay.

What was impressive about his play? Well that (and what WASN'T that impressive) was the top topic in today's "Around the League" video with Lauren Shehadi.

We also talked about whether Larry Fitzgerald's knee injury should be considered serious/dangerous, when/if Mike Tomlin will get Ben Roethlisberger on the field in the 2010 preseason and whether or not David Carr (aka Mister Mittens) qualifies as a threat to Alex Smith's starting gig in San Francisco.

Pete Prisco then takes over from Falcons training camp before I confirm his suspicious that Atlanta could seriously contend this season and we close out by discussing the single biggest factor in tonight's Jets-Giants preseason matchup. (Aka REVIS.)

Posted by Andy Benoit

Say this: Mike Tomlin knows how to sell preseason tickets. The Steelers must decide whether to start Ben Roethlisberger or Byron Leftwich against the Lions Saturday night. (Imagine waking from a coma, not knowing anything that’s happened in the past 10 months, and reading that last sentence.)

Tomlin was asked in a news conference whether he’ll go with Leftwich, his Week 1 starter, or Roethlisberger, his presumed Week 6 starter, in the preseason opener. "We're going to make you come to the stadium to find out," he said.

When camp opened, Roethlisberger worked with the first unit. But obviously, the Steelers will need to have Leftwich ready for that role come September.

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Earlier this month, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the Steelers had given coach Mike Tomlin a three-year contract extension. You might remember our post about it from July 13.

Today, the Steelers finally got around to announcing it.

The only difference from the initial report: the Steelers say it’s actually a two-year deal with an option for 2013.

“Mike Tomlin has proven to be one of the top head coaches in the National Football League in a relatively short time,” Steelers’ president Art Rooney II said in a statement. “His unique ability to lead the team and motivate individuals have been key factors in our success over recent years.”

Said Tomlin in a statement: “I have been blessed to have the opportunity to be the head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I am excited to have the opportunity to live and work in this great city, and to focus on the true matter at hand, which is winning football games and bringing another Super Bowl title to Pittsburgh.”

--Josh Katzowitz

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You might remember our discussion a few days ago about whether Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has lost credibility with Pittsburgh’s fans because of some untruths he’s told when it comes to depth chart information. I said no, that he’s a football coach and that’s what football coaches do.

Apparently, Tomlin has no credibility problem with the Steelers front office. 

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Tuesday morning that Tomlin has signed a three-year contract extension. The new deal runs through 2014, though the financial terms aren’t yet known. 

Some interesting analysis from the story:

In similar circumstances, Arizona Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt, with two years left on his first deal, signed an entirely new five-year contract in February that reportedly will pay him an annual average of between $5.5 million and $6 million.

In the past when the Steelers extended the contract of former coach Bill Cowher, the terms of the original deal would remain in place and the new salary would not kick in until the new extended portion of the contract began.

(Ken) Whisenhunt was a candidate to replace Cowher, who resigned as Steelers coach after the 2006 season. Instead, Whisenhunt took Arizona's offer to become the Cardinals' head coach and the Steelers hired Tomlin.

Whisenhunt and Tomlin received virtually identical contracts of four years and an option year that averaged $2.5 million annually.

If Tomlin, 38, and the Steelers followed suit and negotiated a comparable contract again, it would be the highest contract the team has paid its head coach. For that to happen, however, an entirely new contract would have had to be done and it does not appear to have happened.


--Josh Katzowitz

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Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette asks an interesting question today. Does Steelers coach Mike Tomlin have a credibility problem with Pittsburgh’s fans?

To an outsider, at first glance, that seems a ridiculous query. After all, Tomlin is 31-17 in his first three seasons as the Steelers coach, and he brought the team a Super Bowl title in 2008 at the age of 36. Yeah, the team crapped out last season, losing five straight in November and December to finish 9-7 and out of the playoffs.

But still, he’s seen as one of the brightest young minds in the league. Or is he?

Bouchette thinks Tomlin might have a trustworthiness problem, and one reason to which he points: third-string QB Charlie Batch.

As Bouchette writes, Tomlin keeps insisting that Batch will compete with Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon to see who will start while Ben Roethlisberger serves his suspension.

“I can tell you right now,” Bouchette writes, “that’s not happening unless both Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon break their legs.”

Bouchette also makes the case that because Tomlin continues to list Ike Taylor as the left CB when everybody knows he plays on the right side, that shows another crack in the foundation of Tomlin's credibility. True, it’s annoying when the depth chart is purposefully incorrect, but this wasn’t Tomlin’s invention. Bouchette writes, “the only ones they’re deceiving are the casual fans and those in the media.” But do you honestly think a coach cares about what the casual fan thinks? I’m guessing no. As in no way in hell.

Listen, we all know football coaches are deceivers when it comes to talking to the media. Hell, some of them outright lie. Hell, more than a few of them have outright lied right to my face. That’s part of the deal. It’s like the star giving thanks to God. You accept it – or ignore it – and move on. It’s the reporter’s job to analyze what the coach has said and tell his readers, in not so many words, that the coach is full of it if that’s what’s happening.

Which is exactly what Bouchette has done in this piece. So, is it a credibility problem with Tomlin? No, I don’t think so. I think Tomlin is just like every other football coach out there. He’s not willing to show his cards until he hears the whistle to begin the first game. That’s football. That’s life.

He’s doing his job, just like Bouchette is doing his.

--Josh Katzowitz

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