Dan Rooney Thrown Out Of Giants Press Box Saturday Night

Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette is reporting that the benevolent and universally well like and respected Dan Rooney was thrown out of the New York Giants’ press box on Saturday night. Rooney, who had just flown in from Ireland (he’s the U.S. Ambassador to the country), apparently often makes stops into the press box before games to yuck it up with writers. When he ventured in on Saturday night, he was asked to retreat to the owner’s box where he had a ticket. Bouchette explains:

Dan flew in from Ireland just to see the game – apparently, he really, REALLY misses watching his team play in person – then flew back to Ireland Sunday. Sometime before the game began and after I chatted with him, one of the press box attendants ordered him out of the press box and back to the private box which he had a ticket for.

In typical Rooney fashion, he left without making a stink.

Roethlisberger Throws For 76 Yards As Steelers Defeat Giants

Sports Network | August 21, 2010

East Rutherford, NJ (Sports Network) – Mike Wallace recorded a 68-yard touchdown reception as Pittsburgh topped the New York Giants, 24-17, in preseason action from New Meadowlands Stadium.

After sitting out the club’s exhibition-opening victory over Detroit, Ben Roethlisberger saw his first action of the preseason, getting the start and going 6-of-8 for 76 yards and one interception.

It was the seventh-year pro’s first contest since being hit with a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy stemming from a Georgia incident this past March.

Isaac Redman and Dwayne Wright added rushing scores for the Steelers, who next face the Broncos in Denver on August 29.

Andre Brown rushed for 61 yards and a TD on 13 carries while Ahmad Bradshaw ran for another score for the Giants, who had beaten the Jets in their first preseason test.

Rhett Bomar had to take snaps in place of starter Eli Manning, who missed the contest since stitches he received for a gash on his head suffered last Monday impaired his ability to wear a helmet. Bomar finished 13-of-26 for 167 yards and a pick in the loss.

Wallace’s 68-yard catch for a score put the Steelers up 10-7 late in the second quarter and Pittsburgh never relinquished control.

Redman rushed for a 12-yard touchdown and Wright added a two-yard jaunt in the third quarter for a 24-7 Steelers edge. Brown’s one-yard score and a 42-yard make from Lawrence Tynes capped the scoring.

Roethlisberger's Night Is Over

All things considered, it was a pretty solid performance for Ben Roethlisberger in his first preseason action of the year. Big Ben played three series on the evening, leading his offense on one field goal drive. Roethlisberger did throw an interception in his second series, a drastically underthrown ball to Mike Wallace as the pocket collapsed around him. On that final series though, Big Ben looked sharp. He converted a 2nd and 27 with a 12 yarder to Heath Miller, then a first down strike to Antwaan Randle El on 3rd down.

For the night, Roethlisberger was 6-of-8 for 76 yards and 1 INT.

Ike Taylor And Hakeem Nicks Ejected

Well that didn’t take long. The night is over for both Ike Taylor and Hakeem Nicks on seemingly an innocuous 2nd down play during the Giants’ first offensive series. On a 2nd-and-10 from about midfield, the Giants ran the ball for four yards. In the secondary after the play had been blown dead, some extracurricular stuff took place between Taylor and Nicks. Moments later, both had been ejected from the game. Fines are almost surely on their way for both players, who were canned for tossing punches at one another.

Big Ben Named Starter

With kickoff just moments away, it’s been officially announced that Ben Roethlisberger will be the starting quarterback for the Steelers in tonight’s preseason tilt against the New York Giants. Stay tuned for more updates and analysis on the game as it unfolds, as well as after its conclusion. For now though, settle in and see how Roethlisberger and the rest of the Steelers fare against the Giants from the Meadowlands.

NFL Preseason: Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) @ New York Giants (1-0)

They are two of the most successful and well run organizations in all of professional sports, let alone the NFL. They are two of the last family run business in professional sports. And both organizations have high aspirations heading into the 2010 season. Yes, I'm talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Football Giants, who are set to square off in what will be the second preseason game for both squads.

There is a bit of extra significance in this one in that it will be the first appearance by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Whether or not he will start remains to be seen, but head coach Mike Tomlin stated earlier this week that Big Ben will in fact be under center tonight after sitting out all of Pittsburgh's preseason opener against the Detroit Lions.

Other story lines to keep an eye on this evening include:

* How will rookie Antonio Brown fare handling kick and punt return duties? If he looks good, incumbent PR/KR Stefan Logan's days could be numbered.

* How will the Steelers three rookie linebackers look? Jason Worilds, Thaddeus Gibson and Stevenson Sylvester all have a chance to earn a helmet this year, particularly if they can look good on coverage units on special teams.

* A small but interesting thing to keep an eye on is how Daniel Sepulveda fares with kickoff duties. Rumor has him potentially taking over for Jeff Reed if he can prove he's more likely to boot it into the endzone.

* Can Isaac Redman continue his mastery of the preseason and make one more big step towards finding his way into the rotation at RB?

* There's a whole slew of young defensive backs trying to differentiate themselves. Keenan Lewis, Joe Burnett, William Gay and Crezdon Butler are all still in the mix. 

* What will you be looking for tonight when the six-time Super Bowl champions return to the field against the Giants?