The Predictions Begin

With training camps beginning next week, predictions are being released on just what the 2007 NFL regular season holds for the teams. According to ESPN Robert Walker, the sports book director at the Mirage, has set the over/under for wins and losses. Without further adieu, here they are:

AFC North
Pittsburgh: 9 wins
Baltimore: 9 wins
Cincinnati: 9 wins
Cleveland: 5.5 wins

Las Vegas is hedging its bets in a big way here and who can blame them -- over the last three seasons the division has had three different champions. Assuming that the divisional race will be as close as Vegas thinks (and when are they wrong?), the winner will be the team that wins the head-to-head battles.

AFC East
New England: 11.5 wins
New York Jets: 8 wins
Miami: 7 wins
Bufalo: 6 wins

New England is predicted to lead the NFL in wins in 2007

AFC West
San Diego: 10.5 wins
Denver: 9.5 wins
Kansas City: 7.5 wins
Oakland: 5 wins

San Diego is a good team with a mediocre coach -- bet the under! Oakland is predicted to be the NFL's worst team in 2007 (thank goodness the Steelers don't play them this season).

AFC South
Indianapolis: 10.5 wins
Jacksonville: 9 wins
Tennessee: 7 wins
Houston: 6.5 wins

NFC North
Chicago: 10 wins
Green Bay: 7.5 wins
Minnesota: 6.5 wins
Detroit: 6 wins

NFC East
Dallas: 9 wins
Philadelphia: 9 wins
New York Giants: 8 wins
Washington: 7.5 wins

Daniel Snyder's desecration of a once proud franchise continues -- nice career move Antwaan Randle-El.

NFC West
Seattle: 9 wins
San Francisco: 7.5 wins
St. Louis: 7.5 wins
Arizona: 7 wins

NFC South
Carolina: 9 wins
New Orleans: 9 wins
Atlanta: 7.5 wins
Tampa Bay: 7 wins

With the start of training camps Pittsburgh Steelers Fanatic returns from its sabbatical. Look for regular updates, team overview, season preview, and much more beginning soon!

2007 Rule Changes

The following information, outlining rules changes for the upcoming season -- including a modification to the false start, 10-second run off penalty that bit the Steelers in the ass last season -- as well as changes to the interviewing process for assistant coaches whose teams are involved in the playoffs, was released by the NFL this afternoon:

"A number of playing-rules changes were adopted by NFL owners at the NFL Annual Meeting in late March.

Following are the changes, with comments from the co-chairman of the NFL Competition Committee,RICH MC KAY:

INSTANT REPLAY: Made a permanent rule. “We think instant replay has been an accepted part of our game now for a number of years,” says McKay. “It’s worked quite well.” Also, high-definition replay equipment will be installed in NFL stadiums.

• INSTANT REPLAY: Also made permanent in the replay system were “down-by-contact” as a reviewable play and each review being limited to a maximum of 60 seconds.

• SPIKING OF BALL: It will now be a five-yard penalty for a player to spike or throw the ball after a down has ended, except for after a touchdown. 'We did not think this type of spiking was good for sportsmanship or the administration of the game by officials,' says McKay.

• PLAYER SAFETY: It will now be a 15-yard penalty (rather than five yards) for a player to make a block below the waist against an eligible receiver while the quarterback is in the pocket. Also, when a player who receives the snap fumbles or muffs the ball, the restrictions on the defensive team relative to illegal contact and an illegal cutblock will end.

• TWO-MINUTE WARNING/10-SECOND RUNOFF: The requirement that the offense has to be behind in the score or the score has to be tied for a 10-second clock runoff to be exercised against the offense for an excess timeout with two minutes to go in the first half or in the game has been eliminated. Now a 10-second runoff will take place no matter what the game situation. Any possible advantage for the offense (e.g., the old rule would not require a 10-second runoff if it were ahead) has been eliminated. The defense has the option to decline a 10-second runoff (which will give it more time should it get the ball back).

• CLOCK STOPPAGE: Two exceptions were added to the rule that dictates that the play clock be restarted at the tie at which it was stopped prior to the snap. Now an instant replay review prior to the two-minute warning will reset the clock at 25 seconds (as has been the case with other stoppages such as a penalty), as will an instant replay review after the two-minute warning that results in a reversal. These changes will make the administration of the rule more consistent.

• PACE OF GAME: The foul for unintentional touching of a forward pass by an interior lineman has been eliminated. It was felt that no advantage was gained by the offense on such a play, and elimination of the rule would speed up the game.

• CROWD NOISE: The five-yard penalty against the defense for excessive crowd noise has been eliminated. The penalty had not been called in many years.

Although they are not playing-rule changes, two procedures for coaching employment also were changed:

• Assistant coaches on Super Bowl teams may now interview for a second time with a club for its head-coaching position during the off-week after the championship game. 'We wanted to make sure that coaches on Super Bowl teams did not feel it was a disadvantage,' says McKay.

• Clubs now have the exclusive right to an assistant coach’s contract through the second Tuesday after their season has ended or last playoff game, rather than the third Tuesday as in the past."

NFL Schedule Announced

The National Football League announced the 2007 regular season schedule on Wednesday, and the Steelers will begin the Mike Tomlin era with a game against the Cleveland Browns, in Cleveland, September 9th.

Other highlights include a game against Ken Whisenhunt's Arizona Cardinals on September 23rd, Joey Porter's return to Pittsburgh November 26, 2007, and a Monday night appearance versus the Ravens at Heinz Field

Here is the Steelers complete regular season schedule:

September 9: at Cleveland
September 16: v. Buffalo
September 23: v. San Francisco
September 30: at Arizona
October 7: v. Seattle
October 14: BYE
October 21: at Denver
October 28: at Cincinnati
November 5: v. Baltimore
November 11: v. Cleveland
November 18: at New York Jets
November 26: v. Miami
December 2: v. Cincinnati
December 9: at New England
December 16: Jacksonville
December 20: @ St. Louis
December 30: @ Baltimore

I Told You!

Building on the work of Pittsburgh Steelers Fanatic, Scott Brown of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review adds his two cents in on the "3-4 or 4-3" discussion and comes to a conclusion that is very similar to the one drawn by the "experts" here at PSF:

"Mike Tomlin, who is following two coaches that won 342 regular-season NFL games between them, said his approach to his new job isn't any different from the one he would take if he were a mortgage broker.

It is fitting that the Steelers' new coach would choose an occupation so bound to numbers for his comparison.

Numbers are at the root of the intrigue Tomlin brings to the Steelers: Will he go with a 3-4 or a 4-3 defense?

The Steelers are built to play the former, while Tomlin received the equivalent of a master's degree in the latter. Tomlin has not tipped his hand as to what shape the Steelers' defense will take next season, and Monday he downplayed the significance of schemes.

'The elite players defy scheme. They do,' Tomlin said. 'Troy Polamalu is going to be an excellent safety regardless of what defensive scheme he's in. Casey Hampton's going to be a dominant defensive lineman regardless of what scheme he's in. We're not going to get enamored with that.'

The clues to what scheme he wants to play -- Tomlin used a 4-3 last season as the Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator - could come shortly.

The period to sign free agents starts March 1, and that is followed by the NFL draft in late April.

Tomlin said he has been reviewing game film from last season to identify players' strengths and weaknesses, not to evaluate whether they better fit into a 3-4 or a 4-3 defense.

He said the Steelers will take the same approach when it comes to acquiring players through free agency and the draft, adding that talent will trump all other considerations.

Several signs points to the Steelers playing a 3-4 defense, at least in the short term.

One of the assistants that Tomlin retained from Bill Cowher's staff was defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.

In addition, the stability that has become a hallmark of the Steelers' organization makes wholesale changes unlikely, especially since the team is one season removed from winning the Super Bowl.

'We're going to continue to shape our package to what our players do and do well," Tomlin said. "It will be a constant evolution.'

As for LeBeau, Tomlin said, 'As I start to work with him on a day-to-day basis, he's exceeded my expectations in terms of what he's capable of. It's been refreshing, not (just) with him but with the entire defensive staff. It's been fun. We're in there every day hacking away at it.'

Tomlin made it clear that he and his assistants aren't the only ones who will be working hard leading up to his first season as the Steelers' head coach.

Tomlin said he plans to hold two minicamps -- the dates are still being worked out -- and that he welcomed the selection of the Steelers to play in the Hall of Fame exhibition game, because it will give the team an extra week of training camp.

'I have always loved camp,' said Tomlin, whose team will play the New Orleans Saints Aug. 5 in Canton, Ohio. 'Most players won't agree with that, but I am looking forward to it. It is an opportunity to eliminate some of the outside distractions that are involved in everyday life and focus on the game itself.' "

John Clayton's Mini-Preview

With a column titled "Never to Early to Look Ahead to 2007 Season," John Clayton once again shows why he's one of our favorite football writers. For Steelers fans here's his brief take on what lies ahead for our favorite team (emphasis added)

"New head coach Mike Tomlin needs to maintain what Bill Cowher built for years. The job won't be all that easy. He kept Dick LeBeau around to help with the 3-4 defense, but Tomlin may try to turn the Steelers into a hybrid 3-4 and 4-3, with the 3-4 being the base. Bruce Arians takes over as offensive coordinator. He wants to spread the field with four receivers, something Ben Roethlisberger likes, although Roethlisberger first has to buy into the change from Ken Whisenhunt to Arians. He also has to adjust to Ken Anderson as the quarterbacks coach. The Steelers need to find a big back to complement Willie Parker. T.J. Duckett could be that back at the right price. The Steelers have a tough assignment in replacing center Jeff Hartings, who retired. Tomlin also has to decide whether he likes vocal Joey Porter at outside linebacker. Cowher left Tomlin a playoff-caliber team. The Steelers have nine free agents who are all backups. It's up to Tomlin to get Pittsburgh back into the playoffs."