Aug. 17, 2008

 A numbers crunch at safety helps Steelers S Anthony Smith’s case to hold down a roster spot. Rookie Ryan Mundy, who was having a good training camp, suffered a high ankle sprain in the preseason opener vs. Philadelphia. Also, veteran SS Troy Polamalu has a nagging hamstring injury that has kept him on the physically-unable-to-perform list since the beginning of training camp. There is no doubting Smith’s athleticism — certainly a factor that helps his case to remain in Pittsburgh — but his maturation hasn’t progressed as quickly as the team would have hoped. Nevertheless, he is likely to get another season with the Steelers.

 Expect Bengals rookie WR Andre Caldwell to get every chance to return kickoffs as the team looks for more playmaking ability at that position. All indications are that CB Deltha O’Neal will replace Antonio Chatman on punt returns.

 The way we hear it, Ravens rookie QB Joe Flacco’s demeanor was the most impressive aspect of a preseason debut at New England in which he didn’t play all that much and failed to complete a pass. Flacco took everything in stride and was not dejected after the game, a positive sign for any rookie but especially for a quarterback.