Hello, FOX Bloggers and FOXY Bloggers alike, this is Mike Greenspire, and I am here to award the first annual Pittsburgh Sportsman of the Year Award!

The award goes to the best player or coach in Pittsburgh Pro sports of the past year, starting in August 2007, and going to July 2008. Any Pittsburgh sportsman in that time period is eligible for votes!

I have limited the field down to 8 contestants!

Ben Roethlisberger

Evgeni Malkin

Sidney Crosby

Nate McLouth

Marc-Andre Fleury

Jason Bay

Mike Tomlin

Michel Therrien

Get voting, my vote is below!

-Mike Greenspire

What if Matt Ryan were to slip past Atlanta at #3, and Kansas City ay #5? It seems that the majority of opinions say that Baltimore would #### him at #8.

What would this mean for the rest of the AFC North? The Bengals have Carson Palmer, the Browns Derek Anderson, and the Steelers Ben Roethlisberger. If all 4 teams were to have terrific QBs and great talent surrounding them, who could possibly win the division?

Take a look at each teams’ starting offense if the Ravens were to take Ryan.

Baltimore:
QB: Matt Ryan
RB: Willis McGahee
WR: Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton
TE: Todd Heap

Cincinnati:
QB: Carson Palmer
RB: Rudi Johnson
WR: Chad Johnson, TJ Houshmandzadeh
TE: Ben Utecht

Cleveland:
QB: Derek Anderson
RB: Jamal Lewis
WR: Braylon Edwards, Donte’ Stallworth
TE: Kellen Winslow

Pittsburgh:
QB: Ben Roethlisberger
RB: Willie Parker
WR: Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes
TE: Heath Miller

There is not distinct winner with these 4 lineups, so just to make things more fun and entertaining in the AFC North in 2008, I hope to hear these words coming from Goodell’s mouth by the end of the day:

“With the 8th pick of the 2008 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens select, Boston College QB, Matt Ryan.”

-Mike Greenspire

The Pittsburgh Steelers signed star QB, Ben Roethlisberger to an 8-year, $102 million contract extension today, reports Steelers.com. We all knew it was coming, but it's always nice to hear that your team's best player just signed an extension.

Since Ben is 26 years old, this contract means that he will most likely retire at the end of it, as he will be 34 when it expires.

Ben had over 3,00 yards passing last season, and throwing for 32 TDs, and only 11 INTs., for a passer rating of 104.1, third best in the league.

President Art Rooney II commented in a press conference earlier today:

"Ben has been an outstanding leader on the field for the Steelers since his rookie year and we are very happy to know that he will be our quarterback for many years to come,”

Dan Rooney also made a statement, saying that Ben "will always be a Steeler"

Ben Roethlisberger had short statement

“I am really happy to know that I will be wearing a Steelers uniform for the foreseeable future because my intention all along was to stay in Pittsburgh,” said Roethlisberger. “We have the greatest organization and fan support in the NFL and I’m looking forward to winning more Super Bowl titles that we can celebrate together.

To another topic involving the Steelers.

The Steelers signed free agent RB, Mewelde Moore to a 3-year contract today, says the team. This is a good move, considering after Willie Parker's devastating leg injury, he might always be injury prone. Bringing in abother RB was the right move, especially one with some good expierence.

I was laying in bed last night trying to remember the other Steelers' RBs.

I came up with Nahje Davenport. That's the only guy I can name on our team listed as a half-back. We have Dan Kreider and Carey Davis, both full-backs, but other than that, I don't remember any others. Bringing in a guy who could more than fill in for a injured starter is the way to go.

Other team now, switchign gears to the Atlanta Falcons.

The Falcons appear to want to move on past the Warrick Dunn era, having just released him today. The Falcons signed the former San Diego back-up RB, Michael Turner yesterday afternoon. He has performed like a starter each of the last 3 years, and I knew he had to get a job somewhere eventually where he would have the chance to start.

The Falcons are the perfect situation for him. Step in, and walk all over opposing defenses, and make your bad team look good. Mike Smith, former defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars, is th new head coach of the Falcons, and I wonder how hardly he's gonna go after defensive free agent stars. He should, because one guy in the 1st round of the draft won't be able to turn the horrible defense around. Trade away CB Deangelo Hall for a high 2nd-round draft pick, and take a corner fesh out of college to replace him.

For now, the Falcons, being run by Smith, are most likely interested in Glenn Dorsey, and since his stock seems to be falling, he is no longer the #1 overall pick. That is perfect for the Falcons, but there is still the St. Louis Rams in the middle between them and Dorsey. I think Dorsey would look even better on that porous DLine in St. Louis than he would in the trenches for Atlanta. We'll see, but for now, these are my Top 5 Draft Picks:

1. Miami Dolphins - Chris Long, DE, Virginia
2. St. Louis Rams - Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
3. Atlanta Falcons - Vernon Gholston, DE, Ohio State
4. Oakland Raiders - Jake Long, OT, Michigan
5. Kansas City Chiefs - Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College

That's where I stand right now! What are your picks?

Thank you for reading this NFL news!

-Mike Greenspire