
On Monday, the NFL announced its preseason schedule for 2009, and the most intriguing game -- as intriguing as preseason games can be -- might be between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals on Thursday, Aug. 13.
It's somewhat odd to see a preseason game where a team travels all the way across the country, but it's sure to get strong ratings for ESPN, while also allowing them to hype it up as a Super Bowl rematch. The only difference, of course, is that this game doesn't count for anything, and the fourth quarter will likely come down to Brian St. Pierre, Dennis Dixon, Sean Morey and Brandon Williams ... in front of a half-empty stadium.
And just so we can get a jump on the coverage: did you know Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt and assistant coach Russ Grimm not only coached for Pittsburgh, but were also in the running for the Steelers' head coaching job before they chose Mike Tomlin? We'll set the over/under for such references at 50.
The Cardinals preseason schedule also includes home games with San Diego and Green Bay, as well as a road trip to Denver.
The Steelers host Terrell Owens and the Buffalo Bills in Week 3 of the preseason, and travel to Washington and Carolina for their annual exhibition games with the Redskins and Panthers.




