Jets-Steelers trade that never was/The "Heidi game"

In the 2000 NFL draft the New York Jets held four first-round draft choices, none as high as the Steelers' first-round pick that year (8th overall). The Jets coveted WR Plaxico Burress, and New York offered to give the Steelers two first-round picks (#12 and #18, I believe), in exchange for the 8th pick. Much to my chagrin, the Steelers rejected the trade and went on to select Burress. The Steelers would have been better off making the deal and selecting QB Chad Pennington along with a highly-rated defensive player. Taking a chance on Pennington would have been a worthwhile risk back in the Kordell Stewart era.

Anyway, since Jets fans may be taking a peek at this blog today, I'd like to remind them that today is the 39th anniversary of the infamous Heidi game. Click here for details.

Jets: What are the Chances...?

This week the Steelers visit the New Jersey Meadowlands to take on the 1-8 New York Jets. Most NFL fans assume Pittsburgh will win by a wide margin, but here are five reasons why the Steelers could struggle:

1. The Steelers have been dominant at home this season but are just 2-2 on the road, losing at Arizona and at Denver.

2. The Steelers' kick return coverage has been poor this season and the Jets feature a big play return man, Leon Washington, who has returned three kicks for touchdowns this year.

3. Despite a 1-8 record (the lone win coming against winless Miami), New York has been more competitive than its won-loss record might indicate.

4. The Jets are coming off a bye week and have had two weeks to prepare.

5. QB Kellen Clemens was recently installed as the Jets' new starter (replacing longtime QB Chad Pennington). As NFL observers know, sometimes teams get a temporary lift when a promising new starter takes the reigns. Plus, there may not yet be enough tape on Clemens for defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to identify the best ways to defend him.

Still, it's obvious that most of the matchups favor the Steelers, especially the QB matchup. Steelers' QB Ben Roethlisberger boasts a 110.2 passer rating, including a 120.0 rating in the fourth quarter of games. Expect Pittsburgh to employ its usual offensive game plan, passing early and often in hopes of building a lead and then transitioning to a run-oriented attack in the second half.

On defense the Steelers have been more conservative than usual this season, but that could change against the Jets. Inexperienced QBs like Clemens typically struggle against the Steelers' complex defensive schemes, and Pittsburgh figures to go out of its way to confuse Clemens with a diverse array of blitzes.

Even history is on the Steelers' side: Pittsburgh is 16-2 all-time versus the Jets, including 9-2 on the road. With the Jets having a down season, the stadium could be filled with Steelers fans, making the Meadowlands feel like a home away from home. "What are the Chances...?" gives the Steelers an 80 percent chance of defeating the Jets.

Advance word on forthcoming Rooney book

Last week The Steelyard received an advance reading copy of Dan Rooney’s forthcoming book, “My 75 Years With the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL” (Da Capo), scheduled to hit stores on November 5. Longtime Steelers’ fans probably won’t glean a whole lot of new information, although there are certainly some interesting bits about past drafts and personnel changes. For instance, concerning the Bill Cowher-Tom Donahoe spat, Rooney writes, “Bill didn’t want Donahoe in the coaches’ meetings because he thought Tom was a spy. Tom thought Bill was finished as an NFL head coach.” Pretty strong words from both sides, don’t you think?

But to me the most interesting item concerns the 2004 draft. Rooney writes that with Eli Manning and Philip Rivers off the board early in the first round “our people seem to have focused on Shawn Andrews, a big offensive tackle from Arkansas as our likely number-one pick…. But when out turn came, I couldn’t bear the thought of passing on another great quarterback prospect the way we had passed on Dan Marino in 1983, so I steered the conversation around to [Ben] Roethlisberger. After some more talk, we came to a consensus and picked Roethlisberger.”

All I can say is, Way to go, Dan! It would have been foolish to take a right tackle over Big Ben, especially since the Steelers were badly in need of a long-term solution at the QB position. I’ve always believed that when a team has a chance to select a potential franchise quarterback it has to seize the opportunity--particularly a team like the Steelers, which rarely has a chance to select in the top 10 of the draft. In my opinion, the Steelers have been too quick to pass on quarterbacks over the years. For instance, back in 2000 the Steelers had the opportunity to trade the 8th overall pick (used to take Plaxico Burress) for two of the Jets’ first-round picks (one of which could have been used on Chad Pennington). Selecting Pennington would have been a worthwhile risk back in the Kordell Stewart era.