Steelers Name Ben Roethlisberger, Brett Keisel Team Captains

The Steelers have named their captains for the upcoming season and it is a Pittsburgh veteran on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will represent the Steelers' as their offensive captain and defensive end Brett Keisel will captain the defense.

2012 team captains: Ben Roethlisberger for offense, Brett Keisel for defense. None for special teams.

— Bob Labriola (@BobLabriola) September 3, 2012

Both Roethlisberger and Keisel have spent their entire careers with the Steelers. Keisel is in his 11th season with the team after being drafted out of BYU in 2002. Roethlisberger has been with the Steelers since he was their first-round pick in 2004, coming out of Miami (OH) University.

Pittsburgh opens the regular season on Sunday, September 9 in Denver against the Broncos. That game kicks off at Sports Authority Field at Mile High at 8:20 p.m. ET.

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Steelers 53-Man Roster: Adrian Robinson Bears Watching

The Steelers' 53-man roster features plenty of surprises.

NFL Cuts: Steelers Place Sean Spence On IR, Release 21 Players

The Pittsburgh Steelers have released 21 players and placed LB Sean Spence on injured reserve ahead of the NFL's deadline to reduce the roster to 53, the team announced Friday.

Spence was selected by the Steelers in the third round of April's NFL draft. The rookie was expected to provide depth at the linebacker position in 2012 before suffering a season-ending knee injury Thursday night.

Notable cuts include Trai Essex, who has started 28 career games in a Steelers' uniform, and Jeremy Kapinos, the team's punter since 2010.

The other 19 players let go were: Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith, Terrence Frederick, Josh Victorian, Brandon Hicks, Marshall McFadden, Corbin Bryant, Igbinosun Ikponmwosa, Jake Stoller, Jerrod Johnson, DuJuan Harris,Tyler Beiler, Toney Clemons, David Gilreath, Marquis Maze, Derrick Williams, Ryan Lee, John Malecki and Chris Scott.

For more on the Steelers, head to Behind The Steel Curtain. For all things NFL, get to SB Nation's NFL hub.

Steelers Roster: Drew Butler Could Win Spot

With the NFL deadline for teams to reduce their rosters to the 53-man limit on Friday night quickly approaching, Pittsburgh Steelers punter Drew Butler could be one of the players who is still with the team when they challenge the Denver Broncos in Week 1 of the regular season.

After recording an impressive 45.9 yards per punt average during the preseason, Butler appears to be as capable, if not more so, than incumbent Jeremy Kapinos who missed all of the preseason with a back injury. Considering Kapinos health is in question, it's possible that Butler could win the job.

Be sure to stay with this StoryStream all day in order to stay up-to-the minute on all of the Pittsburgh Steelers' roster moves.

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Steelers Injury Update: David DeCastro Undergoes Surgery, Will Return This Season

David DeCastro's surgery was successful, and he'll be able to play this season thanks to new NFL injured reserve rules.

Steelers Injuries: Steelers Lose Sean Spence, David DeCastro, And David Johnson, But How Bad Is It?

Panthers Vs. Steelers: Mike Tomlin Reacts

Mike Tomlin was pleased with his team's 17-16 victory over Carolina in their preseason finale, but Tomlin knows as well as anybody that the real stories surrounding his team were off the field, from injuries to impending roster cuts.

In his press conference following the game, Tomlin touched on the imminent moves almost immediately:

It's much appreciated, not only what they did tonight in terms of winning the game, but efforts throughout. I respect that group of men that's in that locker room. Obviously, we've got some decisions to make and we will make them, that's part this game of professional football.

Many of Tomlins' comments surrounded two running backs: Jonathan Dwyer, who had a team-high 13 carries, and Chris Rainey, who didn't get the ball in the backfield much but turned heads by taking two punt returns into the end zone, although both were called back.

On Dwyer:

He toted the load tonight... it's what we wanted to see. It's really a snapshot of his growth and development throughout this training camp and preseason.

On Rainey:

He did some nice things in terms of making some unblocked guys miss. Any reputable punt returner is capable of making that first one, two potential guys miss, and he showed that tonight.

For more on the Steelers, head over to Behind the Steel Curtain and continue to check out SB Nation Pittsburgh.

Sean Spence Injury: Steelers 3rd-Rounder Suffers 'Significant' Knee Injury, Likely Torn ACL

It appears Sean Spence will have to wait a year to play his first season in the NFL, as the injury he suffered in Thursday's preseason finale appears to be a torn ACL.

The inside linebacker who Pittsburgh took 86th overall out of Miami hurt his knee in the third quarter of the Steelers' preseason matchup with Carolina and was clearly in immediate pain. The injury went from being "significant" to being a torn ACL, and is now believed to be a torn ACL, LCL, and dislocated kneecap, as Pro Football Talk reports.

Spence was likely to play in a unit already injury-ridden with James Harrison and his backup Jason Worilds just coming off the physically unable to perform list. With an injury as severe as the one Spence suffered, the best case scenario is that his rehab goes well and the linebacker can play in 2013.

For more on the Steelers, head over to Behind the Steel Curtain and continue to check out SB Nation Pittsburgh.

Panthers Vs. Steelers Recap: Pittsburgh Finishes Preseason With 17-16 Win

The Pittsburgh Steelers finished off the preseason with a 17-16 win over the Carolina Panthers. The fourth and final preseason game is never played with a full arsenal, and Mike Tomlin held out most of the starters, and even second stringers on Thursday night at Heinz Field. Charlie Batch got the start under center and the veteran connected with Emmanuel Sanders on a 37-yard touchdown to open the scoring less than three minutes into the game. Batch dropped a perfect pass over double coverage right into Sanders for the quick strike. The third-year man out of SMU held on as he went to the ground in the end zone.

Jerrod Johnson came on in relief of Batch and threw a touchdown of his own in the fourth quarter. Johnson found tight end Wesleye Saunders for a six-yard touchdown. The tight end ran a nice route and pulled in the short pass for what proved to be the winning score. Saunders will now go away for at least a month after having his appeal of a four-week suspension denied on Wednesday.

Perhaps the most exciting play of the game ended up not counting. Chris Rainey, who has certainly made an impression during the preseason, returned a punt more than 90 yards with just over six minutes remaining in the first quarter for what looked like the Steelers second score. Rainey put on some incredible shake as he burst through the first wave before kicking it outside. The play was called back for a late holding call, but the speedster from Florida's highlight would not be forgotten.

The Steelers will now cut the roster down to the final 53 on Friday and turn their attention to the Denver Broncos, who they open the season against on Sunday Night Football.

For more on the Steelers, please be sure to check out our blog Behind The Steel Curtainand SB Nation Pittsburgh for all the latest news and updates.

Panthers Vs. Steelers: Pittsburgh's Young Wideouts Fight For Spots

Mike Wallace's return from a holdout is great news for the Steelers, but not so much for a group of young receivers all hoping to make the team's final roster.

Thursday night's preseason finale will be the last opportunity for several Steelers to impress. That group of pass-catchers looking to find a home includes David Gilreath, Marquis Maze, Tyler Beiler, and Toney Clemons, three rookies and a second-year man. Behind the Steel Curtain profiled the group of young wide receivers:

It's possible one of those young receivers makes the team based on the speed of their contributions tonight on offense and special teams. Gilreath backed up a strong performance in the Steelers' 26-24 win over Indianapolis in Preseason Week 2 with zero catches on one target - or the same line for Maze. Clemons didn't get a look at all. For whatever this is worth, the preseason game production between these three has been mostly zip.

Pittsburgh will be hoping to find a player who can have an impact in the passing game and also has the ability to contribute running back kicks and punts. Gilreath likely has the edge thus far in the battle, but that could change tonight.

For more on the Steelers, please be sure to check out our blog Behind The Steel Curtain and SB Nation Pittsburgh for all the latest news and updates.

Steelers 53-Man Roster: Charlie Batch Could Lose Job

Injuries have put a strain on the Steelers as they look to set their final roster for the regular season, meaning they may have to cut long-time backup quarterback Charlie Batch to make room for someone else on the roster.

The Steelers are strapped by the fact that several important players, such as Rashard Mendenhall and top pick David DeCastro, are hurt, but not hurt enough to merit placement on the injured reserve, ending their season. The Steelers will have to bring them on the 53-man roster, as well as players who are actually fit to see playing time. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that Batch might lose his job:

Batch, 37, is scheduled to get a lot of playing time against the Panthers, but the Steelers may not be in position to keep three quarterbacks -- something they have traditionally done because of the importance they place on the position. Byron Leftwich cemented his position as the backup to Ben Roethlisberger with an impressive showing last week in Buffalo, creating a situation where Batch could possibly be playing his final game with the Steelers tonight.

Batch, as an older player, has long been ineligible for a spot on a practice squad, whereas fourth-stringer Jarrod Johnson is. The Steelers could cut Batch and leave Johnson on the scout team, where he wouldn't take a roster spot, for help in practice.

Batch, who hails from nearby Homestead, has been with the Steelers since 2002, including both Super Bowl runs, and has always been capable when called upon to sub in for Ben Roethlisberger. The fan favorite has started seven games for the Steelers, going 5-2 in those performances.

For more on the Steelers, please be sure to check out our blog Behind The Steel Curtain and SB Nation Pittsburgh for all the latest news and updates.

Panthers Vs. Steelers 2012: Game Preview, Kickoff Time, TV Schedule And More

The Steelers will try to finish the preseason on a high note when the Panthers come to Pittsburgh on Thursday night.