2010 Pittsburgh Steelers season
Off-season -- Roster changes
Table:
2010 Pittsburgh Steelers Undrafted Free Agents

Player

Position

Height

Weight

College

Status

Ref.

Demetrius Taylor

FB

6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)

273 lb (124 kg)

Virginia Tech

Released in first week of training camp

[33]

Dorrian Brooks

G

6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)

306 lb (139 kg)

James Madison

Released after final pre-season game in cut-down to 53-man roster;[26] added to practice squad[31]

[33]

Justin Thornton

S

6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)

213 lb (97 kg)

Kansas

Released after final pre-season game in cut-down to 53-man roster[26]

[33]

Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith

S

6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)

210 lb (95 kg)

UTEP

Released prior to training camp; re-signed after Tuff Harris injury; released again after final pre-season game in cut-down to 53-man roster;[20] added to practice squad[31]

[33]

Kyle Jolly

OT

6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)

300 lb (140 kg)

North Carolina

Released after final pre-season game in cut-down to 53-man roster;[26] added to practice squad[31]

[33]

Cordarrow Thompson

DT

6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)

301 lb (137 kg)

Virginia Tech

Released prior to training camp

[33]

A.J. Trump

C / G

6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)

300 lb (140 kg)

Miami

Released prior to training camp

[33][34]

Lindsey Witten

DE

6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)

260 lb (120 kg)

UConn

Released prior to training camp

[35]

Bradley Vierling

C

6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)

295 lb (134 kg)

Vanderbilt

Released prior to training camp

[36]

Consulting the given table along with the article excerpts listed at the end.

Answer the following question: How many losses in a row in 2000 were earned by the football team of the university that Justin Thornton attended ? Provide just your answer in a JSON object {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Use only the information given.

A fullback ( FB ) is a position known as the best position in the game of football , in the offensive backfield in gridiron football , and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback . Typically , fullbacks are larger than halfback and in most offensive schemes their duties are split between power running , pass catching , and blocking for both the quarterback and the other running back . Many great runners in the history of American football have been fullbacks , including Jim Brown , Marion Motley , Jim Taylor , Franco Harris , Larry Csonka , John Riggins , Christian Okoye , and Levi Jackson . However , many of these runners would retroactively be labeled as halfbacks , due to their position as the primary ball carrier ; they were primarily listed as fullbacks due to their size and did not often perform the run-blocking duties expected of modern fullbacks . Examples of players who have excelled at the hybrid running-blocking-pass catching role include Mike Alstott , Daryl Johnston , and Lorenzo Neal .
The 2009 Virginia Tech Hokies football team represented Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The team 's head coach was Frank Beamer . The Hokies finished the season 10-3 ( 6-2 ACC ) and won the Chick-fil-A Bowl , 37-14 , over Tennessee .
In gridiron football , a guard ( G ) is a player who lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team on the line of scrimmage used primarily for blocking . Right guards ( RG ) is the term for the guards on the right of the offensive line , while left guards ( LG ) are on the left side . Guards are to the right or left of the center . The guard 's job is to protect the quarterback from the incoming linemen during pass plays , as well as creating openings ( holes ) for the running backs to head through . Guards are automatically considered ineligible receivers , so they can not intentionally touch a forward pass , unless it is to recover a fumble or is first touched by a defender or eligible receiver .
The James Madison Dukes football team , founded in 1972 , plays at Bridgeforth Stadium and is coached by Curt Cignetti . The JMU football team has been the centerpiece of JMU sports since the early 1990s and the programs early runs into the National Playoffs against Marshall and Appalachian State . Notable Dukes include Charles Haley , one of two players to win five Super Bowl rings and is also an inductee of the College Football Hall of Fame and Pro Football Hall of Fame ; Scott Norwood , of the Buffalo Bills ; Gary Clark , an All-Pro wide receiver for the Washington Redskins ; and Arthur Moats , a linebacker for the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers who is known for delivering the sack that led to the end of the record streak of consecutive starts made by Brett Favre in the NFL .
The following terms are used in American football , both conventional and indoor . Some of these terms are also in use in Canadian football ; for a list of terms unique to that code , see Glossary of Canadian football .
Safety , historically known as a safetyman , is a position in gridiron football played by a member of the defense . The safeties are defensive backs who line up from ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage . There are two variations of the position in a typical American formation : the free safety ( FS ) and the strong safety ( SS ) . Their duties depend on the defensive scheme . The defensive responsibilities of the safety and cornerback usually involve pass coverage towards the middle and sidelines of the field , respectively . While American ( 11-player ) formations generally use two safeties , Canadian ( 12-player ) formations generally have one safety and two defensive halfbacks , a position not used in the American game . As professional and college football have become more focused on the passing game , safeties have become more involved in covering the eligible pass receivers . Safeties are the last line of defense ; they are expected to be reliable tacklers , and many safeties rank among the hardest hitters in football . Safety positions can also be converted cornerbacks , either by design ( Byron Jones ) or as a cornerback ages ( Charles Woodson , DeAngelo Hall , Lardarius Webb , Tramon Williams ) . Historically , in the era of the one-platoon system , the safety was known as the defensive fullback ( specifically the free safety ; the strong safety would be a defensive halfback , a term still in Canadian parlance ) or goaltender .
The 2009 Kansas Jayhawks football team ( variously Kansas , KU , or the Jayhawks ) represented the University of Kansas in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season , which was the school 's 120th season and the eighth and final year under Mark Mangino , who resigned following the season under pressure from both an internal investigation into his treatment of players and discontent from the season 's results . It was Ed Warinner 's third season as offensive coordinator and fifth year overall . The Jayhawks played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Lawrence , Kansas and were members of the Big 12 Conference After beginning the season with five victories , the team lost their next seven games to finish the season with a 5-7 overall record ( 1-7 in the Big 12 Conference ) . It was the worst overall record since 2004 ( when the Jayhawks won just four games ) and the worst conference record since their winless 2002 season ( in which they could only win two non-conference games ) .
Da'Mon Jonnel Cromartie-Smith ( born February 17 , 1987 ) is a Canadian football safety who is currently a free agent . He was originally signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2010 . He played college football for the University of Texas at El Paso . He has also been a member of the UFL 's Sacramento Mountain Lions .
The 2009 UTEP Miners football team represented the University of Texas at El Paso in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season . The team 's head coach was Mike Price . The Miners played their home games at the Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso , Texas . The Miners finished the season 4-8 and 3-5 in Conference USA play .
Chester David Tuff Harris ( born January 23 , 1983 in Crow Agency , Montana ) is retired American football safety . He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2007 . He played college football at Montana . Harris has also been a member of the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans .
Tackle is a playing position in gridiron football . Historically , in the one-platoon system prevalent in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries , a tackle played on both offense and defense . In the modern system of specialized units , offensive tackle and defensive tackle are separate positions , and the stand-alone term tackle refers to the offensive tackle position only . The offensive tackle ( OT , T ) is a position on the offensive line , left and right . Like other offensive linemen , their job is to block : to physically keep defenders away from the offensive player who has the football and enable him to advance the football and eventually score a touchdown . The term tackle is a vestige of an earlier era of football in which the same players played both offense and defense .
On January 5 , 2009 starting wide-receiver Hakeem Nicks announced that he would forgo his senior year in order to enter the 2009 NFL Draft . In just three years Nicks had set 14 school records , including career receptions ( 181 ) , career receiving yards ( 2,580 ) , and career touchdowns ( 21 ) . In his senior season , Nicks was named first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference after catching 68 passes for 1,222 yards and 12 touchdowns . He was the only player in UNC history with more than 1,000 yards receiving in a season . The following are some of the other key players who will no longer play for North Carolina in the 2009 season :
A defensive tackle ( DT ) is typically the largest and strongest of the defensive players in American football . The defensive tackle typically lines up opposite one of the offensive guards . Depending on a team 's individual defensive scheme , a defensive tackle may be called upon to fill several different roles . These roles may include merely holding the point of attack by refusing to be moved or penetrating a certain gap between offensive linemen to break up a play in the opponent 's backfield . If a defensive tackle reads a pass play , his primary responsibility is to pursue the quarterback , or simply knock the pass down at the line if it is within arm 's reach . Other responsibilities of the defensive tackle may be to pursue the screen pass or drop into coverage in a zone blitz scheme . In a traditional 4-3 defense , there is no nose tackle . Instead there is a left and right defensive tackle . Some teams , especially in the National Football League ( NFL ) , do have a nose tackle in this scheme , but most of them do not .
Center ( C ) is a position in gridiron football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team 's offense . The center is also the player who passes ( or snaps ) the ball between his legs to the quarterback at the start of each play . In recent years , the importance of centers for a football team has increased , due to the re-emergence of 3-4 defenses . According to Baltimore Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome , you need to have somebody who can neutralize that nose tackle . If you do n't , everything can get screwed up . Your running game wo n't be effective and you 'll also have somebody in your quarterback 's face on every play .
The 2009 Miami Hurricanes football team represented the University of Miami during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season . It was the Hurricanes ' 84th season of football and 6th as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference . The Hurricanes were led by third-year head coach Randy Shannon and played their home games at Land Shark Stadium . They finished the season 9-4 overall and 5-3 in the ACC to finish in third place in the Coastal Division . They were invited to the Champs Sports Bowl where they lost to Wisconsin , 20-14 .
Lindsey Rashaun Witten ( born April 28 , 1988 ) is an American football defensive end who is currently a free agent . He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2010 . He was cut at the end of camp and signed by the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League . He played college football at the University of Connecticut
Defensive End ( DE ) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football . This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line , but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is played .
The 2009 Connecticut Huskies football team represented the University of Connecticut in the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season as a member of the Big East Conference . The team was coached by Randy Edsall and played its home games at Rentschler Field in East Hartford , Connecticut . The team finished with a record of 8-5 , 3-4 in Big East play and won the PapaJohns.com Bowl 20-7 against South Carolina .
Bradley Lewis Vierling ( born May 18 , 1986 ) is a former American football center . He played college football at Vanderbilt .
The 2009 Vanderbilt Commodores football team represented Vanderbilt University during the 2009-10 college football season . The team 's head coach was Bobby Johnson , who served his eighth season as the Commodores ' head coach . Vanderbilt has been a member of the Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) since the league 's inception in 1932 , and has participated in that conference 's Eastern Division since its formation in 1992 . The Commodores played their six home games at Vanderbilt Stadium at Dudley Field in Nashville , Tennessee , which has been Vanderbilt football 's home stadium since 1922 . The Commodores finished the season 2-10 and 0-8 in SEC play .