Santonio Holmes, a 2006 first round draft pick and Super Bowl XLIII MVP, has been traded to the New York Jets for a fifth round pick in this year’s draft.

This marks a stunning turn of events in the Steelers’ relationship with Holmes, who just one year ago was cradling his MVP trophy while basking in the adulation of 250,000 screaming fans.  With Hines Ward nearing the end of his career, it was assumed that Holmes would be the Steelers #1 receiving threat for years to come.  He was expected to have a breakout season in 2009 and he did set career highs with 79 catches for 1,200 yards while only catching 5 TDs (the same as in 2008).  ‘Tone would’ve been a free agent after the 2010 season and it was widely speculated that he would be the sacrificial lamb to pay for an off-season where the Steelers reputation as a classy and respectful organization took a massive hit.

Which is ironic because taking hits is likely what contributed to Santonio being run out of town.   Pro Football Talk reported on Saturday that there is a rumor that Holmes either failed or didn’t take an NFL mandated drug test and therefore is subject to an automatic four game suspension come next season.   On top of that, Holmes is currently involved in legal drama revolving around allegedly throwing a glass at a woman in a Florida night club.  Of course, run-ins with the law are nothing new to this lowlife thug as he has been cited for drug possession and beating the crap out of his baby mama in the recent past.

Even with a possible four game suspension and the fact he can be a free agent at year’s end, I’m stunned that all the Steelers could get for a player with his resume is a fifth round draft pick.   This tells me one of two things.   Either everybody knew he was damaged goods and wouldn’t offer them anything good.  Or they are so desperate to repair their tattered image among TRUE STEELER FANS who are growing more and more angry about turning into the Bengals 2.0 that they basically shipped him out of town as quickly as they could for the first offer they could get.

While this move doesn’t exactly restore my faith in the Rooney family and the Steeler organization as a whole, I am pleased that they are at least making an effort to do the right thing.   Antwaan Randle El and Mike Wallace aren’t players the caliber of a Santonio Holmes (at least in Wallace’s case, NOT YET) but they aren’t habitual criminals who tell people to go drink Drain-O on Twitter, either.  I would rather go 7-9 with those two on my team than make another playoff run with that idiot.  Thank you, Steelers, for finally doing the right thing.

Are you listening, Benjamin?

I’m sure we all need something to cheer us up right about now.

In my never-ending quest to partner up with great companies looking to reach the loyal members of Steeler Nation, I was recently contacted by Dick’s Sporting Goods. Dick’s, headquartered in Pittsburgh, is one of the largest sporting good stores in the United States, offering a huge variety of sports equipment and apparel. Don’t believe me? Visit their website and check out the tremendous variety of Steelers-related merchandise they offer by clicking here.

Dick’s is currently doing a promotion where they give away a $100 gift card every day on their Twitter page. All you have to do is follow Dick’s Twitter feed by clicking here and clicking “follow.” If you already have a Twitter account, this takes 30 seconds. If you don’t, the process of signing up will take all of five minutes. Honestly, five minutes of your time in exchange for a chance to win some sweet Steeler apparel isn’t much to ask, is it?

After you’ve followed Dick’s Twitter, go to their page and answer the question, “What would you buy at Dick’s for $100 and why?” One winner will be chosen at random every day. You have to re-enter the contest every day but each day from now through Wednesday they are giving you a fresh opportunity to win a $100 gift certificate.  A total of three shots over the next three days.

Now, if you’re like me and always the last kid picked in kickball, this is the part I’m excited about. Longtime readers will know NPC is all about second chances. Or fourth chances, as the case may be.

So, NPC is proud to present Dick’s 100 Reasons to Root for the Steelers Contest. That’s right, Dick’s Sporting Goods has generously provided me with the chance to give away one $100 gift certificate. Just think, you can finally buy that Steeler replica jersey you’ve always wanted!

By the way, you’re free to purchase anything you want, be it Steeler-related or a new pair of Etonic Bowling Shoes (they’re very comfortable).  However, if one of my numerous female readers wins, I BEG of you not to choose a pink Roethlisberger jersey. Pink jerseys are for high school girls who pretend they’re interested in football to impress their boyfriends. Real fans buy real jerseys. And I know all of the ladies who come here are true members of Steeler Nation.

Anyhoo, I’m giving you 100 reasons to cheer your lungs out for the Steelers this Sunday when they take on the Cincinnati Bengals.  But first, you have to add Dick’s to your Twitter.  That is one of the perquisites for this contest.  After doing that, here’s what I need from you:

Predict the TOTAL POINTS that will be scored in this Sunday’s Steelers-Bengals game. In other words, come up with a final score, add those numbers together, and that is your guess.  Post that guess in the comments below. ONLY GUESSES POSTED BELOW WILL COUNT. If you email it to me, it doesn’t count.  One guess per person.

Also, I know some of you post with fake email addresses. Make sure you either post with a real WORKING email address or include it with your guess. I will contact the winner with the details of claiming their prize after the contest is over.  I’m not Batman so I’m not going to track you down if you don’t use a valid email address.  If I can’t contact you, the runner-up wins.

Good luck!

The 53 man roster has finally been finalized. I know I promised an update on Friday, except I stupidly assumed the press conference scheduled by head coach Mike Tomlin was to be about the cuts.  Instead, he decided to announce he would make the announcement on Saturday.  Well played, Tomlin.

Anyway, let’s take a look at some of the notable additions and subtractions from the roster. You can find the complete list here. Without further ado, here are your brand new 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers:

Stefan Logan – Nicknamed “Joystick” by his teammates (shocking that wasn’t already taken by Santonio Holmes), Logan is by far the most exciting off-season acquisition for the Steelers.  This refugee from the CFL had some absolutely EPIC returns during the preseason. Logan’s final numbers were 5 kickoff returns for 185 yards and 9 punt returns for 191 yards and a touchdown.  If he can duplicate even a portion of that success during the season, we’ll all be thrilled.

Keiwan Ratliff - Veteran CB who provides some experience and depth to a very young group of defensive backs. Will.i.am Gay is only in his 3rd season (1st as a starter) and two of our backups are rookies. Another thing which helped him make the team is the fact he can play both CB and safety. Ratliff was a high 2nd round pick back in 2004 and it’d be nice if his play finally matches up to his potential.

Shaun McDonald – Another veteran who provides depth to a team fairly loaded at the WR position. McDonald caught a ton of balls during the preseason, demonstrating he is still a top notch possession receiver. He’ll be #4 on the depth chart, playing in a slot as an underneath option in a four WR formation. Limas Sweed has seemingly won the #3 receiver spot but McDonald is great insurance to have in case he struggles or one of the guys ahead of him suffers an injury.

Draft Class of 2009 - Defensive rookies seldom play their first season (Troy Polamalu only played special teams his rookie year) so don’t expect to see any of them this year.  Still, first rounder DE Ziggy Hood looked great and I think has a great career ahead of him. DBs Joe Burnett and Keenan Lewis showed a ton of potential even though two rookie DBs on your bench is a little scary.  OL Kraig Urbik showed little but our offensive line depth is paper thin so he stays.  Frank “The Tank” Summers also didn’t show much (he was injured early in camp) but there were flashes of being a good blocker so he’s now the team’s lone fullback. TE/FB hybrid David Johnson, a 7th round pick, made the team thanks to some decent blocking and an unfortunate season-ending injury to TE/FB Sean McHugh.

Now, let’s pour a forty on the ground and bid a fond farewell to the following players:

Carey Davis – The man who beat out Dan Kreider for the FB job in 2007 has thankfully been given the boot.  Clearly, the compromising photos he had of Mike Tomlin at a Furry Convention must have been lost in a fire or something. Davis won the job because he could supposedly catch, run, and block. In three years, he’s been barely used as a lead blocker, showed no ability as a short yardage back, and caught maybe a dozen or so balls. Good riddance.

Bruce Davis – Bad day to have the last name “Davis.” A UCLA grad (in other words, a douche), Davis was a third round pick in 2008. They projected him as a pass rushing LB but he never showed enough speed to beat anybody nor the strength to overpower them. Mark this one down as a bust and let’s move on.

Anthony Madison – Madison was a free agent this summer who was re-signed by the Steelers. I think they hoped with the departure of Bryant McFadden and the aging of Deshea Townshend, he might move up our CB depth chart. Unfortunately, we drafted two DBs and signed another (see above) and all of them played better than AMad during the preseason. Madison’s biggest contribution to the Steelers was as a gunner on special teams. To be fair, he was very good at covering kicks the past couple years. However, the Steelers couldn’t justify keeping a special teams specialist over guys who can cover kicks AND play their positions.

Finally, there are a couple notable names who did not make the main roster but cleared waivers and are now Practice Squad fodder.

A.Q. Shipley – One of only two 2009 draft picks to be cut (DE Sonny Harris, claimed by the Carolina Panthers, was the other).  Shipley was given every shot to make the main squad but he’s too undersized to compete at the NFL level.  Since there are many weight training techniques and *ahem* special vitamins athletes can take to bulk up, I guess the Steelers want to keep him around hoping he can eventually put on some size.  Shipley is a local kid and I’m sure we’d all like to see the local kid make the hometown team, even if he did play his college ball at Penn State.

Isaac Redman – The biggest surprise and, with the exception of Joystick, probably the star of the Steelers’ 2009 training camp.  Redman, an undrafted rookie, led the team with 145 rushing yards and three touchdowns this preseason.  He also put on a legendary performance during goal-line drills, scoring seven times against the Steelers first team defense to earn the nickname “Redzone” Redman.  Between Skippy, Big Snack, Silverback, and now Joystick, the Steelers lead the NFL in cool nicknames as well as Lombardi Trophies.

Hopefully some of the names mentioned here will help lead us to another.

Editor’s Note:  For Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be nice to hear from a female member of Steeler Nation.  After an exhaustive search, I found someone witty and insightful enough to be NPC’s first outside contributor.  She chose to write about a very worthy topic:  Jeff Reed.  Turns out last night, upon hearing he was being compared to a Muppet, Skippy was cited for criminal mischief and disorderly conduct because he really really needed some paper towels.  There’s two images that should never be put together.  Take it away, Robyn…

Hello there, my name is Robyn and I’ll be your guest blogger today.  I’ve been a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers since the mid 80’s when my childhood curiosity led me to investigate just why my father was yelling “you bums!” at the TV every Sunday afternoon.  My father taught me almost everything I know about football, with the exception of exactly what that thing on Kordell Stewart’s face was.  But all the football knowledge in the world will never answer this burning question: what in God’s name do women see in Jeff Reed?

I decided to take a little informal poll to see what the average woman thought of Jeff Reed.  Without telling them why, I asked women of varying ages to give me one word to describe Jeff Reed.  Here are the results:

* Douchebag (more than once)
* Womanizer
* Eccentric
* Promiscuous
* Audacious

Some people felt that one word was not enough.  For example, one woman said “He’s not just Summer’s Eve, he’s the whole day!”  Surprising to no one, none of these descriptions has anything to do with his ability to kick the football.  So what is it that allows Skippy to get more ass than a Kennywood toilet seat?  Clearly there is some sort of attraction to guys that look like a tanned version of the Heatmiser. (see hotchickswithdouchebags)

Maybe there’s a recessive gene out there that makes you think ridiculously coiffed hair, popped collars, year round tans, and sunglasses at night are sexy.  But surely there are better Steelers to lust after.  Let’s take a look:

Ben Roethlisberger: PASS.  If you get too rough in the sack with him, he’ll get a concussion and tell the media 3 days later that he performed with 3 broken ribs.

Willie Parker:  PASS.  Two words: Fast Willie.  It ain’t a track meet; it’s a marathon!

James Harrison: PASS.  The man needed oxygen after a 100 yard dash.  See above.

Limas Sweed:  PASS.  If you fall for him, he won’t be able to catch you.

Hines Ward: PASS.  If he sweeps you off of your feet, there’s a decent chance you’ll end up with a broken jaw.

Santonio Holmes:  PASS.  I’ve seen the pictures.  Ouch.

Hmm… ok, maybe the jersey chasers are on to something here.  My apologies to Jeff Reed.  Pimpin’ ain’t easy.