The Blitzburgh Report

The Steelers have made their last cuts this off-season, finalizing their 2008 roster. The two biggest names are center Chukky Okobi and running back Verron Haynes.

Three of the Steelers’ 2007 draft picks were also cut - fourth round pick defensive end Ryan McBean, fifth round pick guard Cameron Stephenson and seventh round pick wide receiver Dallas Baker.

Center Marvin Philip, defensive end Shaun Nua and special teams ace Chidi Iwuoma were also cut. As well as fullback John Kuhn, quarterback Bryan Randall, linebackers Rian Wallace and Ron Stanley, receivers Walter Young and Gerran Walker, tight ends Cody Boyd and Jon Dekker, nose tackle Scott Paxson, cornerbacks Anthony Madison and Jovon Johnson, and safeties Grant Mason and Mike Lorello, and tackles Jason Capizzi and Brandon Torrey.

Perhaps the most hotly contested position, running back, is now finalized. Keeping Dan Kreider was a smart move, especially with the offensive line still questionable. New backs Carey Davis and Gary Russell provide youth to the position.

An interesting aside, the Steelers have four total backs that were undrafted- Willie Parker, Dan Kreider, Carey Davis, and Gary Russell.

The battle for the center position was also sorted out, with Coach Mike Tomlin apparently liking what he saw from Sean Mahan more then Chukky Okobi. Furthermore, center Marvin Philip was also cut, leaving some serious question as to the depth behind center.

ESPN has the Steelers at 13 in their season opening Power Rankings.

Steelers players are confident that they are Super Bowl Contenders

James Harrison is shooting for at least 12 sacks in his first year as a starter.

The Kemoeatu brothers face off tonight in North Carolina.

Tonight is Okobi and Mahan’s last chance to make their case for the starting center job.

In a move that might reflect the seriousness of Chukky Okobi’s injury, the Steelers today signed center Donovan Raiola. Raiola was previously with the St. Louis Rams, who released him last week.

The Steelers also released wide receiver/quarterback Rasheed Marshall today. Marshall was an undrafted rookie free agent out of West Virginia University.

Word is coming out that QB Ben Roethlisberger was was injured at practice today. Reporter Dale Lolley wrote in his blog today that Roethlisberger was injured when his foot was stepped on. He was carted off, but considering he finished the drill after the injury, it was probably more precautionary then anything. Coach Mike Tomlin also said it wasn’t a big deal, so hopefully it is just a bruise that inevitably must come from being stepped on by a big man wearing cleats.

Lolley also reports that center Chukky Okobi went down with an apparent back injury. But on the good news front, Sean Mahan, James Harrison, Larry Foote, and Brian St. Pierre all returned to practice.

Steelers.com has an article up about Kendall Simmons taking reps at center this offseason. He says that he’s up for the challenge of making a position switch:

“It is something I want to try,” said Simmons. “It’s a new challenge. Any athlete who is willing to get better will try to step up to the challenge. It’s something I think I can do. Coaches have said it would help slow me down. I move too fast. They would say I am a bull in a china shop sometimes and playing center would help me because it would slow me down.”

Our take is that Simmons is not stupid and knows this might be his only shot at having a long term future with the team. He’s been on the hot seat at guard and may actually turn out to be a better fit at center. However, there is already a bottleneck of possible replacements for Jeff Hartings, between Simmons, Chukky Okobi, Marvin Philip, and the newly signed Sean Mahan. While none of the candidates are a shoe-in, Simmons probably figures last in the competition because of his lack of experience at the position. But Simmons just might be a much better fit at center then at guard, and if he is, maybe he could be another Jeff Hartings.