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Hello once again, it has been a while. I'm going to try a new format in an effort to get my jottings out a little more consistently. I will reserve my Monday lunch hour (after I eat of course) to throw down my latest brain waves. I'll address as much as possible and try to keep the rambling to a minimum. That said, let's get to it.

And if you're wondering, today's lunch was my leftover baked ziti. Yep, I can cook too!

Here We Go:
• It wouldn't be a proper off season without the obligatory Ravens Super Bowl predictions. The one that has caught the most attention is that of ESPN Page 2's Jason Whitlock. I'll spare you his details but what it gets down to for me is that I can have a little more confidence in the Steelers' chances this up coming season. As long as everybody is looking the other way (again), the Steelers will still have a motivating factor to work with. That and the Bengals' insistence to keep reminding everybody that they were the division champs. Yep, just keep forgetting about the black and gold, it worked so well last year.
• Getting back to the Ravens for a second, I do believe that they will be better this year and that it will set them back for years to come. With Steve McNair starting at QB I think that the Ravens will win a few more games that they couldn't have with Kyle Boller. The problem is, their O-line is so bad that they won't be able to protect him all season and then they will be left with Boller whose confidence will be pretty much shot. They will draft lower with a better record while still failing to develop a QB for the future. By the time they get everything straightened out, they will have to replace the few players on the team that can actually play (and no, they do not include Ray Lewis). Poor drafting and poor player personnel decisions over the last few years will haunt this team for some time to come.
• Since I have brought up the vastly overrated Ray Lewis I can't continue without ripping him just a bit more. I find it interesting and even a bit funny when a team has to keep finding players to put in front of this  all-time great so that he's able to once again be great. I don't remember other Hall of Fame linebackers (which is where he will wind up unfortunately) having to have schemes and players put in place to help them be great. Dick Butkus, Jack Lambert, Mike Singletary and so on never worried and complained about who was playing in front of them. They didn't have to. The great ones never did. Lewis, on the other hand, has been crying ever since Tony Siragusa and Sam Adams (and their 700+ pounds) left the scene. Yep, that's the sign of a Hall of Famer in my book (wink wink).
• Another day, another Bengal gets arrested. It's pretty sad when you are being compared to the NBA's Portland Trail (Jail) Blazers. I used to think it was sad for the Bengals but now I'm starting to think this is more derogatory to the Blazers. After spending half of their draft picks on players with a police  history , I have to start questioning all of the praise that is constantly heaped on head coach Marvin Lewis. My guess is that he'll be worrying more about keeping ahead of the Ravens this season and less about trying to catch the Steelers for a division title.
• I was looking at the odds to win the Super Bowl this season and I still can't figure out how the Cowboys place ahead of the Steelers in bettors eyes. Could Terrell Owens really be that key to getting there? Maybe it's just me but I have kind of noticed that the only time he has ever appeared in a Super Bowl was when he went down with an injury and his team got there without him. That's pretty hard to overlook in my book.
• Everybody keeps throwing out the fact that the Steelers no longer have Jerome Bettis and Antwaan Randle El when it comes to knocking their chances to repeat. I'm sorry but when was the last time a team lost a back up RB and a punt returner and had everybody turn against them? Heck, Indy lost their star RB in the off season and nobody has had a problem with that. Sure, the Steelers lost some leadership in Bettis and Kimo von Toasteroven but I believe that leadership develops as the season goes on. Look for Big Ben to fill the Bus' role very well and Joey Porter has already stepped into the leadership role on defense. I don't anticipate any drop off of leadership at all.
• If you want to be concerned with the RB position I would be concerned more with the fact that Duce Staley is currently around 240 pounds. Sure, he might be trying to fill Bettis' role but he shouldn't be doing it by trying to fill out his jersey as well. A player with his history of knee injuries does not need to be carrying around that much extra weight.
• Personally, I'm not really concerned with what Staley does anyways. I think the player that is going to step up this season is Verron Haynes. He's probably the best all around runner on the roster and if he can stay healthy (like last season), he would be more than adequate as the #2 back behind Willie Parker. If it plays out that way don't be too surprised if Staley is not even on the roster when the season starts. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Cedric Humes forces his way onto the roster during pre season. Wait  til you see him run in short yardage situations, I have and he's a sight. That and he'll probably be able to contribute on special teams, something Staley does not offer.
• Count me as one of those folks who are not overly concerned with Santonio Holmes' off season problems. At least as affecting his pro career goes anyways. His first flirtation with the law was a joke; a glorified jaywalking violation. His second one was nothing I approve of to be sure but it's rare when domestic cases end up with much of anything coming out of them as far as punishment goes. If any player needs to get his butt in camp to take advantage of some veteran leadership, i.e. Hines Ward, it's him. Thankfully, Plaxico Burress is no where in sight.
• Some of you out there have expressed a concern about the loss of Chris Hope in free agency. To no one's surprise who has ever read one of my Jottings, I am not one of them. I thought he was outplayed last year by Tyrone Carter and will be easily replaced this season by Carter, Ryan Clark or maybe even the rookie Anthony Smith. Don't discount that last name just because he's a rookie either, he will stand out in pre season for sure. Whether it's on special teams or in the secondary, my guess is that he'll catch a lot of people by surprise.
• If you want to worry about anything right now, try this on for size. As it stands, the interior of the Steelers offensive line is manned by a great one at LG (Alan Faneca) an injury waiting to happen at C (Jeff Hartings) and a muddled position at RG (the underachieving Kendall Simmons or the untested Chris Kemoeatu). With one bad break the Steelers might have the likes of Chukki Okobi lining up between Faneca and a first year starter. Also, how long will Marvel Smith's pinched neck nerve hold up this season? Are we really ready for Trai Essex? Is he? OK, enough of that, I just wanted to give you all something to worry about.

Well, lunch time is over. I'll get more out when I can.

Nuf fer now,

Tim "countin' down the days" Campion