Steely McBean Is a Steeler

There are a lot of great Pittsburgh sports blogs out there that I respect and read frequently. However, I want to give myself a little bit of credit for the extremely creative nickname for Steelers rookie Ryan “Steely” McBean. You see, I dubbed Ryan McBean Steely way back in August (here and again here) and also in September when he was cut and signed to the practice squad.

Now that Ryan McBean was signed to the 53-man roster in place of the injured Aaron Smith, everyone seems to be using the Steely McBean nickname. Here are just a few examples:

- Joey Porter’s Pit Bulls
- Behind the Steel Curtain
- Doubt About It
- Mondesi’s House

Just wanted to point this out.

Steely McBean Cut, Signed To Practice Squad

Over the weekend, the Steelers finalized their roster by cutting, among others, Ryan “Steely” McBean, the team’s fourth round draft out of Oklahoma State. McBean was one of the eight players signed to the team’s practice squad.

In other Steelers news, none of the other cuts seemed to be a major surprise. The biggest names cut by the team were Verron Haynes, who I like and hope makes it back to the NFL soon, and special teams ace Chidi Iwuoma. I tend to agree with Mike Prisuta of the Tribune-Review in that the Steelers should have kept Iwuoma, but I am not at the pay grade to decide who should have been left off the roster in his place.

Steelers mascot Steely McBeam is still around and should be available for birthday parties and Bar Mitzvahs.

Follow Up on Steely McBeam

Apparently, the nickname Ryan “Steely” McBean has been catching on for the Steelers’ rookie defensive end out of Oklahoma State as I have received scores of hits today from people searching “Steely McBean” on Google. Of course, there is a slight possibility people are just typing the name of the new Steelers’ mascot incorrectly.

I’ve thought about starting an online petition (if there isn’t one already) to stop the existence of Mr. McBeam. However, I realize that in the grand scheme of things, the addition of a new Steelers mascot, while silly and unnecessary, is not really a big deal. If the purpose of the mascot is to get the home team fired up at games, that’s not going to happen. In reality, while you can name the Pirate Parrot or San Diego Chicken, how many people know NFL mascots? Therefore, if the purpose is to have the mascot visit schools or attend community functions to benefit non-profit organizations, then I’m completely OK with the mascot.

The only recent mascot experience I have to compare with Steely McBeam is the debut of Screech for the Washington Nationals. Screech is an ugly part-owl, part-eagle that needs to lose a few pounds. In my mind, Screech is useless. With that written, I attended a Pirates-Nationals game earlier in the season and sat next to a father with his son who could not have been older than four. When Screech came to the section, the kid was thrilled and gave Screech a huge hug. I just hope that kids don’t get too attached to McBeam.

All About the Steelers

I have not written about the Steelers for some time, so I wanted to share my thoughts about the preseason and the new mascot. As all Steelers fans already know, the team won their first preseason game on Sunday night against the New Orleans Saints. woo-hoo. I seriously could care less about preseason games. My only hopes for a typical preseason is that the first team plays decently in the few series they are actually in the game and, more importantly, that no one gets hurt.

This year is a little different since Mike Tomlin is in his first year as a head coach, so I care that he’s getting “game” experience in that position. However, I still vividly remember Steve Spurrier’s debut as the head coach for the Washington Redskins. The team was very impressive in his first preseason going undefeated. Over the next two seasons, the Redskins went 12-20 and the "ball coach" returned to the SEC. While I truly believe that Tomlin will have much more success as an NFL head coach than Spurrier, this just goes to show that the preseason means little. Therefore, I’m done writing about it...except for this:

The Washington Redskins are promoting a “Preseason Special Package” for the August 18th game against the Steelers. Here’s the details:

Purchase the Preseason Special Package and receive the following for only $499.00...over a 50% savings:
• Two (2) Prime Sideline Seats
Enjoy the best sightlines in the stadium plus access to the club level concourse where you find wonderful amenities including hundreds of flat screen TVs, two sports bars, Club Macanudo - Washington's largest cigar lounge, Hooters, Johnny Rockets, Phillips Seafood & much more.

• Two (2) Tailgate Club Passes
o Opens three (3) hours prior to the game
o An all-you-can-eat BBQ
o Meet & greets by Redskins Alumni and Cheerleaders
o Receive a complimentary Redskins Yearbook
o Games for all ages

• One (1) on-site Parking Pass
o Park close to the stadium and be a few steps away from FedExField

If you're interested in this wonderful opportunity to spend $500 to watch back-ups and practice squad players for three quarters, call (301) 276-6800 and order the Preseason Special Package today!


Finally, the Steelers announced the name of the new mascot. I already wrote about this atrocity when the mascot was revealed suggesting “Unnecessary” as the name. Instead, the mascot will be called Steely McBeam.

I hope I'm the first person to give Steelers rookie defensive end Ryan McBean the nickname Steely McBean!