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2010 Pittsburgh Steelers season

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2010 Pittsburgh Steelers season
OwnerThe Rooney Family
General managerKevin Colbert
Head coachMike Tomlin
Home fieldHeinz Field
Results
Record0–0
Division placeTBD AFC North
Playoff finishTBD
Pro BowlersTBD
Uniform
File:AFCN-Uniform-PIT.PNG

The 2010 Pittsburgh Steelers season will be the team's 78th season as a professional sports franchise and as a member of the National Football League (NFL). It is expected to be the eleventh season under the leadership of general manager Kevin Colbert and the fourth under head coach Mike Tomlin. In 2009, the Steelers finished with a 9–7 record in a tie for second place in the AFC North, missing the playoffs for the second time since 2006, and just the third time since 2001. The Steelers will play all of their home games at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The off-season was marked by the trade of Santonio Holmes, and the six game suspension of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for off-the-field issues. The team did not resign free agent running back Willie Parker, who had been with the team since 2004. They added receiver Antwaan Randle El, who was with the team for their Super Bowl XL victory.

Off-season

Coaching staff & front-office changes

Coaching staff turnover

The disappointing outcome of the 2009 season brought about the first significant changes in the team's coaching staff since the hiring of Mike Tomlin in 2007. Offensive line coach Larry Zierlein and special teams coordinator Bob Ligashesky were dismissed on January 6, 2010.[1] Additionally, quarterbacks coach Ken Anderson announced his retirement on January 5, 2010.[2] All three men had served in the same roles for the three years since Tomlin assembled his initial staff.

Defensive quality control coach Lou Spanos left to become the linebackers coach for the Washington Redskins.[3] Spanos had been on the defensive coaching staff since 1995.[4] Jerry Olsavsky was hired to replace Spanos. Olsavsky had coached linebackers at Youngstown State University for the previous seven seasons following a ten-year NFL career as a linebacker, primarily with the Steelers.[5]

Sean Kugler was hired to replace Zierlein as the offensive line coach. Kugler had until recently served in a similar capacity with the Buffalo Bills.[6]

Al Everest filled the vacancy as special teams coordinator left by Ligashesky's dismissal. Everest has nearly 40 years of professional and college coaching experience, including the last fourteen coaching special teams for three NFL clubs. He served most recently as the special teams coach of the San Francisco 49ers. In 2002 Everest was named the NFL's Special Teams Coach of the Year for his work with the New Orleans Saints.[7]

Randy Fichtner stepped into the quarterbacks coach post vacated by Anderson's retirement. Fichtner had coached the team's wide receivers since Tomlin's arrival in 2007 and Bruce Arians' promotion from that position to offensive coordinator. Scottie Montgomery was hired as the new wide receivers coach. Montgomery had coached receivers at his alma mater, Duke University, for the past four seasons, following an NFL and Arena Football playing career.[8]

Front office changes

The team lost pro scouting coordinator Doug Whaley who left to become the assistant general manager of the Buffalo Bills. Whaley had been in his position with the Steelers since 1999.[9] Brandon Hunt was hired as Whaley's replacement in a return to the Steelers — Hunt had served as a scouting intern with the club in 2005 and 2006. He spent the previous two seasons as a scout with the Houston Texans.[10]

Roethlisberger suspension

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced in April that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will be suspended for up to six games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. The commissioner also ordered Roethlisberger to undergo a behavioral analysis. Goodell could reduce the suspension to as few as four games based on the results of the analysis and Roethlisberger's behavior in the interim period. Roethlisberger had been accused of sexual assault in two separate incidents in 2009 and 2010, though criminal charges were not brought against him in either case.[11]

Roster changes

Free agents

Unrestricted free agents (UFAs)

These players were on Steelers roster at end of 2009 season, but have not been resigned. They are free to sign with any team without compensation to the Steelers.

Players remaining unsigned
Unrestricted free agents (UFAs) signed by other teams
Unrestricted free agents signed from other teams
Unrestricted free agents resigned
Restricted free agents (RFAs) resigned

Steelers made qualifying offers (tenders) which were accepted by these players, and the players were not signed by another team before the end of the restricted free agency period on April 15.[16] These players are therefore retained by the Steelers.

Exclusive rights free agents (ERFAs) resigned

Trades

Players traded away
Players added via trade

2010 Draft class

Main article: 2010 NFL Draft

The Steelers selected ten players in the 2010 NFL Draft which took place over three days in late April. The selections consisted of two offensive linemen, three linebackers, two wide receivers, a cornerback and a running back. All of the team's draftees attended the 2010 NFL Scouting Combine.[18] The first round selection, Pouncey, and the wide receivers Sanders and Brown were the only selections from among the thirty players the team had brought in for pre-draft visits.[19]

The Steelers made one trade during the draft, re-acquiring cornerback Bryant McFadden from the Arizona Cardinals. The deal sent the fifth round selection (pick number 155) which the Steelers had acquired in the Santonio Holmes trade to the Cardinals in exchange for McFadden and a sixth round selection (pick number 195).

After the completion of the draft the team signed nine undrafted free agents.

2010 Pittsburgh Steelers Draft Selections[20]
Rd Pick # Player Pos Ht Wt College Status
1 00118 Maurkice Pouncey C / G 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Template:Lb to kg Florida unsigned
2 05252 Jason Worilds OLB 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Template:Lb to kg Virginia Tech unsigned
3 08282 Emmanuel Sanders WR 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) Template:Lb to kg SMU unsigned
4 116 Thaddeus Gibson OLB 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Template:Lb to kg Ohio State unsigned
5 151 Chris Scott G 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Template:Lb to kg Tennessee unsigned
5 155[a] ZZZTraded to the Arizona Cardinals for CB Bryant McFadden and pick #195 (below)
5 164[b] Crezdon Butler CB 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Template:Lb to kg Clemson unsigned
5 166[b] Stevenson Sylvester LB 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Template:Lb to kg Utah unsigned
6 188 Jonathan Dwyer RB 5 ft 11.25 in (1.81 m) Template:Lb to kg Georgia Tech unsigned
6 195[c] Antonio Brown WR 5 ft 10.125 in (1.78 m) Template:Lb to kg Central Michigan unsigned
7 242[b] Doug Worthington DE 6 ft 5.125 in (1.96 m) Template:Lb to kg Ohio State unsigned

Notes:

a from the NY Jets for Santonio Holmes[21]
b compensatory selection
c from Arizona Cardinals with CB Bryant McFadden for pick #155 (24th pick of Round 6)

Undrafted Free Agents

2010 Pittsburgh Steelers Undrafted Free Agents
Player Position Height Weight College Status Ref.
Demetrius Taylor DT / FB1 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Template:Lb to kg Virginia Tech on 80-man roster [22]
Dorrian Brooks G 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Template:Lb to kg James Madison on 80-man roster [22]
Justin Thornton S 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Template:Lb to kg Kansas on 80-man roster [22]
Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith S 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Template:Lb to kg UTEP on 80-man roster [22]
Kyle Jolly OT 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) Template:Lb to kg North Carolina on 80-man roster [22]
Cordarrow Thompson DT 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Template:Lb to kg Virginia Tech on 80-man roster [22]
A.J. Trump C / G 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Template:Lb to kg Miami released [22][23]
Lindsey Witten DE 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Template:Lb to kg UConn on 80-man roster [24]
Bradley Vierling C 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Template:Lb to kg Vanderbilt on 80-man roster [25]

Notes

1.^ Taylor played as a defensive tackle in college,[26] but is listed as a fullback on the Steelers' official website.[27]

Camps and Organized Team Activities (OTAs)

The Steelers official off-season training sessions will be held on the following dates:

Activity Dates
OTA April 19–20
Mini-camp April 30–May 2
OTA May 18–20
OTA June 1–3
OTA June 8–10

Coaching staff

Pittsburgh Steelers staff
Front office
  • Owner/president – Art Rooney II
  • Vice president – Art Rooney Jr.
  • Vice president of player personnel – Dan Rooney Jr.
  • General manager – Omar Khan
  • Assistant general manager – Andy Weidl
  • Director of player scouting – Mark Sadowski
  • Assistant director of player scouting – Max Gruder
  • Director of college scouting – Dan Colbert
  • Director of pro scouting – Sheldon White
  • Senior scouting assistants – Kelvin Fisher
  • Senior personnel assistant – Quentin Harris
  • Director of football administration – Cole Marcoux
  • Director of player development – Darrel Young
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
  
Defensive coaches
  • Defensive coordinator – Teryl Austin
  • Defensive line – Karl Dunbar
  • Outside linebackers – Denzel Martin
  • Inside linebackers – Aaron Curry
  • Secondary – Grady Brown
  • Assistant secondary – Anthony Midget
  • Defensive quality control – Jason Brooks
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
  • Head strength and conditioning – Phil Matusz
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Justus Galac
  • Senior conditioning coordinator – Garrett Giemont
  • Sports science coordinator – Roderick Moore

→ Coaching staff
→ Front office
→ More NFL staffs

Roster

Pittsburgh Steelers roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad

Reserved


As of October 16, 2024. Rookies in italics.

52 active, 14 reserved, 16 practice squad (+1 exempt)

Preseason

Schedule

The Steelers preseson schedule was announced on March 31, 2010.[28]

Week Date Kickoff (EDT) Opponent Results Site TV NFL.com
Recap
Final Score Team Record
1 August 14 7:30 p.m. Detroit Lions Heinz Field KDKA
2 August 21 7:00 p.m. at New York Giants Meadowlands Stadium KDKA
3 August 29 8:00 p.m. at Denver Broncos INVESCO Field at Mile High FOX
4 September 2 7:30 p.m. Carolina Panthers Heinz Field KDKA

Regular season

Schedule

Per the NFL's predetermined scheduling formula, the Steelers will play every team in the AFC East and NFC South, the teams from the AFC South and West who finished in the same position as the Steelers in 2009 (third), and their usual AFC North division rivals.

The Steelers will play Sunday night on October 31 against the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints in a game which will conflict with game four of baseball's World Series, barring a weather delay. This marks the first time the NFL has scheduled a Sunday night game opposite a World Series contest that isn't a seventh game.[29] The league explained that the decision of which game to show in this time slot was made with an eye toward minimizing the possibility that one of the competitors would be from the same market as a team participating in the World Series — New Orleans has no Major League Baseball team and the Pittsburgh Pirates are considered long shots to participate in the post-season since they haven't done so in the past 17 years. There was also a feeling among the schedulers that the Steelers have a following independent of other sports. Additionally, while the Saints are the defending Super Bowl champions, the Steelers had won Super Bowl XLIII the season before.[30]

The Steelers' only Monday Night Football appearance will occur the following week on November 8 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Week Date Kickoff (ET) Opponent Results Site TV NFL.com
Recap
Final Score Team Record
1 September 12 1:00 p.m. Atlanta Falcons Heinz Field FOX
2 September 19 1:00 p.m. at Tennessee Titans LP Field CBS
3 September 26 1:00 p.m. at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Raymond James Stadium CBS
4 October 3 1:00 p.m. Baltimore Ravens Heinz Field CBS
5 Bye
6 October 17 1:00 p.m. Cleveland Browns Heinz Field CBS
7 October 24 1:00 p.m. at Miami Dolphins Sun Life Stadium CBS
8 October 31 8:20 p.m. at New Orleans Saints Louisiana Superdome NBC
9 November 8 8:30 p.m. at Cincinnati Bengals Paul Brown Stadium ESPN
10 November 14 8:20 p.m. New England Patriots Heinz Field NBC
11 November 21 1:00 p.m.* Oakland Raiders Heinz Field CBS
12 November 28 1:00 p.m.* at Buffalo Bills Ralph Wilson Stadium CBS
13 December 5 8:20 p.m.* at Baltimore Ravens M&T Bank Stadium NBC
14 December 12 1:00 p.m.* Cincinnati Bengals Heinz Field CBS
15 December 19 4:15 p.m.* New York Jets Heinz Field CBS
16 December 23 8:20 p.m. Carolina Panthers Heinz Field NFLN
17 January 2 1:00 p.m.* at Cleveland Browns Cleveland Browns Stadium CBS
 *  Indicates that the game time is subject to change as a result of flexible scheduling.

Standings

AFC North
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(2) Pittsburgh Steelers 12 4 0 .750 5–1 9–3 375 232 W2
(5) Baltimore Ravens 12 4 0 .750 4–2 9–3 357 270 W4
Cleveland Browns 5 11 0 .313 1–5 3–9 271 332 L4
Cincinnati Bengals 4 12 0 .250 2–4 3–9 322 395 L1

References

  1. ^ "Steelers Announce Coaching Changes". Steelers.com (team's website). January 7, 2010. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
  2. ^ Varley, Teresa (January 5, 2010). "Steelers QB coach Ken Anderson retires". Steelers.com (team website). Retrieved 14 January 2010.
  3. ^ Dulac, Gerry (January 14, 2010). "Steelers Defense staff is taking a hit". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 14 January 2010.
  4. ^ "Lou Spanos team bio". Steelers.com (team web site). Retrieved 14 January 2010.
  5. ^ Dulac, Gerry (January 30, 2010). "Steelers hire Olsavsky as coach". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  6. ^ Dulac, Gerry (January 14, 2010). "Kugler to become new offensive line coach for Steelers Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10014/1028260-100.stm#ixzz0cbhmaZ4v". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 14 January 2010. {{cite news}}: External link in |title= (help)
  7. ^ Bouchette, Ed (January 22, 2010). "Everest gets wider special teams role". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  8. ^ Bouchette, Ed (February 16, 2010). "Steelers hire wide receivers coach". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  9. ^ "Ex-Pitt star Whaley named Steelers pro personnel coordinator". The Beaver County Times. June 22, 1999. pp. B1. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  10. ^ Bouchette, Ed (February 10, 2010). "Steelers hire IUP grad as pro scouting coordinator Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10041/1034915-100.stm#ixzz0mF5xiXmG". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 26 April 2010. {{cite news}}: External link in |title= (help)
  11. ^ "Roethlisberger suspended by NFL". ESPN.com. April 22, 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "2010 Steelers Free Agents & Players Under Contract". Steelers Depot (blog). Retrieved 6 January 2010.
  13. ^ a b Dulac, Gerry (March 8, 2010). "Steelers sign Battle, Allen". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  14. ^ Dulac, Gerry (March 16, 2010). "Steelers re-sign linebacker Foote to three-year deal". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  15. ^ a b Dulac, Gerry (March 10, 2010). "Steelers welcome back Randle El". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  16. ^ "Key questions and answers about 2010 NFL free agency". ESPN.com. March 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  17. ^ "Steelers Resign ERFA LB Patrick Bailey". Steelers Depot (blog). March 5, 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2010. {{cite news}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ "Official Invite List". NFL Combine] (official site). 2010. Retrieved 29 April 2010. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ "Steelers 2010 Pre Draft Visits". Steelers Depot (blog). March 26, 2010. Retrieved 29 April 2010. {{cite news}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ "NFL Draft Tracker". NFL.com. April 24, 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  21. ^ "Sources: Holmes acquired by Jets". ESPN.com. April 12, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2010.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g Bouchette, Ed (April 26, 2010). "Steelers add 7 rookies". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  23. ^ Bouchette, Ed (April 30, 2010). "Leftwich Steelers No. 1 quarterback, at least for today Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10120/1054505-100.stm#ixzz0mchXYIj2". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 30 April 2010. {{cite news}}: External link in |title= (help)
  24. ^ "Steelers Undrafted Free Agent Signings". Steelers Depot (blog). April 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2010. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  25. ^ Lockridge, Jeff (April 26, 2010). "Vanderbilt center Bradley Vierling to sign with Steelers". The Tennessean. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  26. ^ http://virginiatech.rivals.com/cviewplayer.asp?Player=55225
  27. ^ http://www.steelers.com/team/roster/Demetrius-Taylor/d5db87aa-7394-4230-af95-e10411d157a7
  28. ^ http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Steelers-2010-preseason-schedule/b4eaa7b5-9d36-4fcc-8afc-2f420a690ae7 Steelers 2010 preseason schedule
  29. ^ White, Paul (April 21, 2010). "Super Bowl champs go head-to-head with World Series". USA Today. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
  30. ^ Florio, Mike (April 26, 2010). "NFL scheduling process gets more complicated". Pro Football Talk. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
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