Steelers Insider Ed Bouchette Talks Players To Watch At Training Camp
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) - Heading into his 31st season covering the Pittsburgh Steelers for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, beat reporter Ed Bouchette joined Starkey And Mueller to talk football just four days before Training Camp kicks off for the 50th time at St. Vincent College in Latrobe.
One hot-button topic recently buzzing throughout the streets of the golden triangle is that of hosting a Super Bowl in Pittsburgh. Steelers President and co-owner Art Rooney last month sent an application to NFL cCommissioner Roger Goodell to house the 2023 Super Bowl. And, Tuesday, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review wrote that if it were solely up to Goodell, Pittsburgh would be a legitimate candidate.
Bouchette immediately debunked the theory that the city, which retains just 305,841 citizens, one relatively irrelevant subway system and 25,000 hotel rooms (5,500 hotel rooms in the downtown area) can accommodate such a showcased event. And, says Bouchette, that's before the capacity of Heinz Field is even considered.
"I don't think it's a very good idea," Bouchette said. "I'm not knocking the Steelers and Art Rooney for trying, but it's not possible."
"First of all," Bouchette explained. "They're going to give it to very few northern teams. The southern teams and the West Coast teams are the ones who are going to get the Super Bowl. This year it is in San Francisco. Los Angeles is going to be in line after it gets a new stadium. Miami is going to come back in line because they're re-doing that stadium. New Orleans is always going to be in line. I don't see [hosting it in Pittsburgh] as very feasible. And if you're going in pecking order with northern teams, you go Washington, Chicago and Philadelphia before you hit Pittsburgh."
Bouchette added that Heinz Field's press box, which seats roughly 200 media members, would have to be expanded. What's more, he says that even with the new addition of 3,000 seats by way of Heinz Field's south plaza, which will bring the 15-year-old stadium's total capacity to 68,050, Heinz Field is still not large enough for a Super Bowl.
"Buffalo even has a bigger stadium," Bouchette added.
Ralph Wilson Stadium, home to the Bills, holds 71,857.
When it came time to talk about Training Camp, Bouchette said that, for the next several weeks, he'll have his eye on four younger-bodied Steelers in particular.
"Jarvis Jones, Ryan Shazier, Cortez Allen, and Shamarko Thomas," Bouchette listed. "Those are the four guys who can really make this defense go or not go, if you will. [The Steelers coaching staff is] counting on those four a lot, and I'm eager to see what's going to happen there."
And, from those four, Bouchette picked Ryan Shazier, who missed five weeks of his rookie season in 2014 with a sprained MCL, to be the one who could make the most impact in 2015.
"I think he has the talent," Bouchette said. "I want to see a healthy Ryan Shazier and what he can do. He is Sean Spence times five. Everybody was really excited when [Spence] was a rookie, considering his quickness, but then his injury came."
"Shazier is a first rounder and I really think he could be something special."
The entire interview, which includes Bouchette's thoughts on a possible reduction in the length of Le'Veon Bell's suspension, can be accessed below: