SILENT NO MORE

The Brownies! The Stinkin' Brownies!

You know this is frickin ridiculous! What is going on? I think I might have just felt a piece of the sky falling. That is what I thought would happen before the Steelers would lose to the stinking Brownies this year with Mangenius in control. The only positive thing that could come out of this is that Mangenius gets to stick around another year. Maybe the Steelers can figure out what happened to their offense between now and then. Have the Steelers heads grown way out of proportion that they cannot figure out how to score a Touchdown.

Who's fault is it?
Is it Ben's fault? At the beginning of the season my praise was endless for Ben. He could do no wrong. I don't know if this civil suit is finally getting to him or what, but he cannot find an open receiver for the life of him. He continues to hold the ball too long, which has worked for him all along until the second half of this season. The sacks are piling up and his QB rating is going down.

Is it the Offensive Line's fault?
Don't know what the final numbers were, but Ben had at least 6 sacks. That is a bad number, but when you see it is against the Brownies it is unbelievable. Ben held onto the ball too long which accounted for at least half the sacks, but I will also say the line looks like a dam with a crack in it, or several cracks. They are playing horrible.

Is it the Receivers faults?
These guys aren't helping Ben out much. They are not getting open? Looking at the replays of the field they can't break free of the Brownies DBs. Once again, the Brownies. This team is at the bottom of the league in almost every category of stats available. Run Mike Wallace down field and throw it as far as possible. He will outrun the other team.

Is it the Running Backs?
Rashard didn't have any big runs, but he did have several 3, 4, and 5 yard gains. Let's see, If I add 3+4+3 that equals 10. Last time I checked 10 yards gives you a first down. That is, unless you try to pass the ball and get sacked every time you drop back. Run the freakin' ball Arians. The passing game is not working right now. If the game plan was to run the ball down the Browns throats you would have controlled the ball and would have made them want to stop playing. Instead, you decided to continue to pass it and continue to get sacked every third down. IT'S NOT WORKING, BRUCE! You have a quality running back who needs a chance to carry the load. Give it to him 30 times and see what he can do.

Is it the Defensive Line?
No, they stuffed the run and kept Brady Quinn in check most of the game.

Is it the Defensive Backs?
Without Troy Polamalu these guys continue to give up plays to horrible teams, the Chiefs, the Raiders, the Browns. Who knew the loss of McFadden would play such a huge part in this season. The Steelers definitely have some holes to fill this offseason and a quality cornerback is one. I thought William Gay would be able to fill McFadden's shoes reasonably. Maybe a little below qualitywise. But, this is ridiculous. Every team throws his way and the safeties have to cheat to his side leaving Taylor exposed. Taylor is still good, but he's getting up there too.

Is it the Safeties?
Ty Carter is a good backup, but not the quality of Polamalu. Who is? Ed Reed is the only one that comes close. The absence of Troy and his hair has proven to expose a defense that requires his big plays to make it go. Another draft need. A safety that can step in and play half as good as him. Ty Carter is old and Ryan Mundy hasn't shown much playmaking ability.

Is it the Special Teams?
I hate Josh Cribbs. The Steelers were pinned down way too much deep in their side of the field. Daniel Sepulveda is good, but he can't punt it 70 yards. The Steelers special teams were somewhat improved, meaning they didn't give up a touchdown. But, you don't change special teams players in midseason and expect results.

Is it the coaching?
Bruce Arians refuses, and I repeat refuses, to lean on the running game. The passing game is not, I repeat not working.

So... the blame for this one goes to
Bruce Arians and Ben Roethlisberger.
It is freaking cold, and ridiculously windy. Run the ball, run the ball some more, and run the ball some more. You have first round draft choice closing in on 1,000 yards. The passing game is off. Run the daggone ball until the defense gives up. But Arians wants to prove he can throw the ball and win. Uh, that's 5 losses now. It's not working. Run the ball.


The Stinking Brownies! C'mon! I think I felt another piece of the sky falling.

DIXON TO HOLMES

After lobbing a pass to Hines for a good gain, Dixon rolls to his right, throws a strike to Santonio and Holmes does the rest, with a stiff arm at the 1 and into the end zone.

Let's see what you can do....

Well, unfortunately after thinking Ben would play this week we are upset to find out that he will not. Ben is out this week after diving fearlessly into the KC defense last week and suffering a head injury. Hopefully he'll recover fully by next week, but I'm sure he'll think twice about diving head first again. It won't hurt anyone if you slide feet first Ben. If it's the Super Bowl or the AFC championship game, go for it Ben. Otherwise, feet first will do.

To make the game interesting Charlie Batch injured his wrist too. So, Dennis Dixon the former number 3 quarterback out of Oregon will be inserted as the starter. Dixon was in the running for the Heisman his last year at Oregon and could have easily won it had he not torn up his knee and entered the draft. Dixon played well in Spring Training and the Steelers put him on the roster as the number 3 man. He could end up as the number 2 if he performs well in this audition. This could be Charlie Batch's last seas as number 2 for the same reason. Also, Charlie has not provided his money's worth the last 2 seasons. Last year Byron Leftwich had to be signed due to an injury to Charlie in the preseason. I like Charlie, but it would be nice to have a healthy quarterback to depend on.

The Ravens haven't exactly been consistent this year, but if you look at the records the Ravens trail the Steelers by only 1 game, so I guess you can say the Steelers aren't the most consistent either. They did have the advantage with the Super Bowl quarterback, but not this week. They still have the coach with a Super Bowl win and most of the team has at least 1 ring.

The gameplan:
Run left, run right run up the middle. With an inexperienced quarterback playing the best plan is to play the way they did when Ben was a rookie. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. Bruce Arians likes to pass and sometimes looks to pass first and run second. The Steelers can have a good running game with Rashard Mendenhall, Willie Parker, and Mewelde Moore. This injury to Ben can help them to lean on the running game a little more and help them to find out how effective it can be. I think they have a weapon that they've been reluctant to use. Let's see if B.A. thinks so too. If he doesn't and he thinks D.D. can pass 30 times and the Steelers win, it could be a long afternoon. The defense might have to win this one. Also, a tall task if, as expected Troy Polamalu is out. If the special teams let's the Ravens return one this is over before it starts.

Prediction:
Steelers 17 Ravens 13

WHAT THE....

Ok, it's 4th quarter with 2 minutes to go and the Steelers are tied with the Freaking 2-7 Kansas City Chiefs, aided by 2 returns for touchdowns by the Steelers. It is bad enough to lose 2 times in the same year to the lowly Ben Gals but to lose again to the stinking Kansas City Chiefs after you lose to the Ben Gals is disturbing. Todd Haley thinks he's on the field playing and trying to trash talk with Ryan Clark and others. I'm sure they're reminding him of the last game of the year last year. 1 minute left and the Steelers are on KCs side of the field and have to punt. This is ridiculous, KC sucks. Why are they tied with the Steelers. Overtime. Hope the Steelers get the ball or anything can happen. What is going on with Ben? Tails never fails and the Steelers get the ball first. Let's have some scoring. All they needed was a field goal at the end of the game and couldn't move it past the 40.. Where is Santonio? Where is Mike Wallace? Heath and Hines seem to be the only ones trying to catch the ball. They need to ram the ball down the Chiefs throats with Rashard. They heard me, 7 yards on 1st down. Keep it going.
There's Hines at the 44. Pass pro held this time.
Rashard another 7 yards.
Keep it going.
Holding, great. Ben's getting checked out. C'mon Ben slide unless you're going for the TD.
Charlie Batch, your time is here. It's been a season and a half since we've seen him in a gametime situation.
There's Mr. Holmes for a first down. He must have heard me. Ok, Charlie let's give it to Rashard. Empty set though.
C'mon 2 passes in a row with a cold QB, we've got several warm RBs. Down to the 36, Reed can try a field goal. What the.... They're going to punt.\
\
THE DAMN CHIEFS, WHAT THE ......

So much for revenge.....

Well, so much for revenge. It seemed like I was watching Bubby Brister and the rest of the 80s Steelers muddle through this game and wait for Gary Anderson to win it for them. Ben was off target and when he wasn't the Bengals knocked the pass down. Coming soon you'll find out WHO'S FAULT IS IT? Thankfully we haven't seen this for a while but it's back.

Time for Revenge

It's the Steelers vs. the Bengals #2 in 2009 and time for them to exact some revenge for the early season loss. The Steelers haved changed somewhat from that earlier loss and look to prove the class of the North Division. Troy Polamalu missed that game after his knee injury in the first game, the running game was a shadow of its current self, Aaron Smith was still active, and the defense was letting other teams make late game runs.

The defense is back to form, Troy is looking good, Rashard Mendenhall has shored up the running attack, and Willie Parker is over his turf toe and ready to go, Travis Kirschke has provided quality run support and now Nick Eason and Ziggy Hood need to do the same against Cedric Benson.

The big difference between now and then could be the running game. Instead of giving Carson Palmer time to drive down the field at the end of the game, Rashard could be called on to run out the clock and not give Palmer that chance. It would help if the special teams practiced onside kicks this week too! Home field advantage won't hurt too! The Steelers let the last one get away, the Bengals have been gaining confidence as the wins pile up, but this is Hines' Field.

Steelers 28 Bengals 17

Craig and Meagan

Best wishes to a great friend and his new bride!

WHO GETS THE CREDIT – DENVER EDITION

Close game for the first 3 quarters then the Steelers pulled away. Didn't really think Denver was ever really in control. If they would have scored a touchdown on the drive that led to a field goal maybe that perception would have been different, but woulda, shoulda, coulda. Kyle Orton is no Ben Roethlisberger. Speaking of Ben, I am getting so sick and tired of all these experts saying he is a step below Brady and Manning, don't even compare him to Eli. These are the same guys that early this year said that Eli is better than Peyton. That's pretty much been silenced with the Giants recent losing ways. Hello, Ben has been able to win championships because he is a mobile quarterback. All teams have their weaknesses. The Steelers O-line in the first few years with Alan Faneca, Jeff Hartings and Marvel Smith and crew was average to above average at times and good enough to spring FWP and win a Super Bowl Title. Then, it took them a while to
rebuild. Now the group seems to have come together and become an effective unit again. If you would have stuck Manning or Brady behind that offensive line while they were coming together, both probably would have missed a season, as Brady did, because of injury. But, Ben has a strength that those 2 do not, mobility. Yeah, they can occasionally take off and get a first down, but not consistently. Ben can stand back there and wait for his receivers just like them. But, he can also create a few more seconds for his receivers to wear out the DBs and break open. That's a strength, not a weakness. Sorry if that's not the prototypical quarterback play. One of the 3 stooges, make that 2 stooges, I actually like Gruden as a commentator, said that Ben is not a, I think they said "pretty" quarterback and that's why he doesn't rank up there with the other 2. Like I said, being a pretty quarterback got Tom Brady a year off standing back in
the pocket waiting for Randy Moss to break free. Ben can throw on the run or move around and zip it into Mike Wallace for a TD. I'll take Ben. Once again, how many championships does Peyton have? 1 and Ben? I think 2 last I checked. Peyton's pretty though. Uh, that's debatable. At least he makes funny commercials.

Back to handing out credit for this game. Who deserves the praise for this one…..

Was it Ben?
He started off slowly this one and finished with 200+ yards, 3 Touchdowns and 2 Interceptions. Nice numbers. He was driving the offense down the field and threw a little behind Hines for a possible 4th touchdown, and had an interception, but showed his leadership after giving up the football for a fumble return for a touchdown. He went straight to his offensive line gave a little pep talk and immediately went on a 4 play drive to score a TD right away.

Was it the O-Line?
The running back had a big day, Ben got sacked a couple times, but he had all day to throw and he could have easily thrown a few away to avoid sacks. He, as usual, waited for a receiver to come open and none did. The O-Line played a great game.
Was it the Running Backs?
Rashard had 155 yards rushing, Mewelde got a first down at the end of the game and a provided consistency and ball security. The Steelers controlled the game in the 4th quarter with the running game. It's good to have a quality starter and plenty of depth. We know from experience you can't have enough quality running backs. Sorry, LJ, that only goes for team players.

Was it the receivers?
Santonio had close to 100 yards, Hines had 2 TDs and a sweet hurdle over Champ Bailey for a touchdown, and Mike "the Hawk" Wallace had another TD from a scrambling Ben Roethisberger. The receivers had a quality game, providing much of the offense.

Was it the D-Line?
Brett Keisel had 2 sacks of Kyle Orton, Ziggy Hood got pressure on Orton and forced the pick six by Tyrone Carter. And the Broncos were only able to get 27 yards on 14 carries. 27 yards rushing! Awesome, and that's without Aaron Smith.

Was it the Cornerbacks?
Kyle Orton started off well and had a pretty decent first half, but mostly throwing shorter dink and dunk passes. The DBs played well, and William, "Mr. 69% completion rate" Gay almost had an interception, but was defended well and stripped by Troy Polamalu. Apparently the Steelers feel so sorry for their opponents they have to keep themselves from getting turnovers to help make the game interesting.

Was it the Linebackers?
The Linebackers were quiet this game, but they provided pressure and run support. Stopping the run goes to them also. As usual James Harrison was held many times, but the James told the officials to not call holds on him because it would be unfair to their opponents if they did call holding. I think Woodley needs to slim back down a little to get some speed back. He played well, but seems like he lost a step from last year. Keyaron Fox also played well in the absence of Lawrence Timmons.

Was it the Safeties?
Tyrone Carter, starting in place of Ryan Clark, played a great game and was the Defensive player of the week this week. He had a pick six and another int at the end of the game. Troy Polamalu was his usual amazing self. Two plays tell me all I need to know about Troy. The first, anticipated the snap count perfectly, blew in from the right side of the line, and made a textbook tackle on the Broncos running back a couple yards behind the line before he had any chance to decide where to go. The second play, the Deshea Townsend slipped and the Broncos wide receiver was booking downfield, from the left side of the field you see a missile coming in at an intercept angle 20 yards away. Next thing you know Polamalu's trying to tomahawk the ball out of the receiver's hands and makes the tackle. I don't what Troy's times are in the 40 but he is fast.

Was it the Special Teams?
Two Words, Mitch Berger. Daniel Supulveda, as expected, has provided consistently good punting. It's not noticed unless it's bad and he's for the most part gone unnoticed this year. The Broncos had no run backs for touchdowns in this one. That is all that can be asked after the last 2 games.

Was it the Coaching?
Arians seemed to make good adjustments at halftime to get the offense going and the Defense smothered the Broncos in the second half. But, the game plan didn't seem to work too well in the first half.

Soooo….
I could give the credit for this win to the whole team. It was very much a team effort. But, one group had an above average effort and produced all three interceptions. The Safeties. Tyrone Carter , playing in place of Ryan Clark produced momentum with his pick six, provided another interception later and Troy provided an interception along with the plays mentioned earlier. A great effort by these guys. Is there any question Ty Carter is a player, he could start for 90 percent of the teams in this league. Great job guys.

APPROACHING 100

Heeeellllllllllllloooooooooo! Heeelllllllllooooooooooo! Heeellllllloooooooooo! Is there an echo in here?

Approaching my 100th post and maybe 2 comments on my articles. Either everyone agrees with what I'm writing or noone has an opinion? Which I know is not the case. It's simple, just login with your yahoo or google username and password and make a comment. If you have an idea for a post and don't want to take the time just send me a suggestion at jerrysteege@gmail.com. It'd be nice to get some comments, but I'll keep writing anyway.

email

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Best and Worst of the Vikings Game

There were some funny and not so funny things about the Steelers Vikings game that I had to point out.

Funny
Mike Wallace doing a flip into the endzone. I bet he won't do that again. That hurts in water let alone doing it on a hard surface.
James Harrison running backwards and outrunning LaMarr Woodley on the fumble return. Craig Wolfley was cracking up after that.
Keyaron Fox impersonation of James Harrison in the Super Bowl.
Favruh getting faceplanted by James Harrison at the end of the game.

Not so Funny
Percy Harvin returning a kick for a TD
On the same play the Tight end faceplanting the ref into the field
William Gay being posterized while Adrian Peterson runs over him

WHO GETS THE CREDIT - MINNESOTA EDITION

What a great game! The old and new guard of the gunslinger quarterbacks playing each other for the first time and really it turned out to be a defensive game. The final score was 27-17, but 14 of the Steelers 27 points were on defense and 7 of the Vikings 17 were on special teams. So without those big plays it could have been 13-10. Woulda, coulda, who cares, the Steelers pulled it out with those awesome returns. I said a few weeks ago that I could easily dish the credit out for every win to Ben, this game I could probably slant it his way, but he had somewhat of an off week this one. Still, in his off weeks he's still better than any Browns QB on their best week. Thank the football gods that the Browns decided they needed a Tight end worse than a QB a few years ago. Again, the difference between a well managed team and a poorly managed team.
Back on topic, WHO GETS THE CREDIT for this one….

Was it Ben? Well, I've already divulged that I didn't think he had his best game against the Vikes, passer rating in the 80's, didn't have the completion percentage in the 70's, just seemed a bit off target this week. Also, like I said his off day is better than most of the quarterbacks in the league's good day. He found Mike Wallace several times for key plays and didn't throw any interceptions. Not a bad day, all considered.

Was it the Receivers? Hines only had one reception for 3 yards, obviously the Vikes tried to take him out of the game. Santonio had another awesome run after a catch where he weaved his way down to the 8 yard line. I think the Super Bowl MVP haze might be wearing off and he's getting focused in again. Mike Wallace, "the Hawk" soared in for another 40 yard TD catch right before halftime and had another scoop earlier for a first down. Heath Miller also continued his stellar play this season with several catches. Heath is such a contributor for this team. He's a great pass catcher, sneaking out as an outlet for Ben and also a threat downfield.

Was it the Running Backs? Rashard Mendenhall continued his mostly promising performance with close to 70 yards on 10 carries. But, he only had 10 carries. Seems like maybe that kickoff return for a touchdown wouldn't have time to happen if he would have had, say 20 carries and eaten up the clock a little more. But the passing game has been working this year so why fix it if it isn't broken. Plus, Rashard fumbled on that goal line leap, and was replaced by the sure handed Mewelde Moore after. That actually was a great goal line leap and would have been a score if it was actually on the goal line. But he has revived the running game and Willie is getting healthy all this time while RM is carrying the load. It sure doesn't hurt to have 2 healthy first stringers on the roster. Running Backs have a hard time staying healthy for 16 games.

Was it the O-Line? You know what? Very few people are talking about these guys lately. You know what else? That's a good thing. These guys are giving up about 3 sacks a game and their main running back averaged about 7 yards per run in this game. People don't talk about the offensive line if they're doing their job and these guys have obviously grown together as starters and are starting to know where their teammates are. 2 of those sacks can be chalked up to Ben hanging onto the ball to make a play, which is ok.

Was it the Defensive Line? The leading rusher in the NFL, who the week before had 170 yards against the Raiduhs was held to sixty something and was twice stopped at the 1 yard line. He had a couple decent runs, but they kept him in check for the most part. The Diesel Keisel came up with the big play of the afternoon and stripped the ball out of Favruh's clutch to get the assist for LaMarr Woodley's TD run. These guys played a good game.

Was it the Linebackers? Farrior had 15 tackles, Harrison continued his MVP prowess adding 2 sacks, Keyaron Fox had a gift from Chester Taylor land in his hands and ran it back for a touchdown, Woodley also ran back a fumble for a touchdown. Those 2 TDs were much needed as Favruh was driving the Packers to take the lead or tie it.

Was it the Defensive Backs? Favruh had a 300 yard game, and drove the field 2 times in the last couple minutes, mostly through the air. William Gay was the target most of the day. He makes some big plays, but let's some happen too. Unfortunately he was posterized by AP on one.

Was it the special teams? The Steelers announcers keep telling us Stefan Logan is this close to breaking one for a TD, and we keep waiting. We saw the special teams give up another one to the other team this week too. Reed and Sepulveda are consistent. Nothing to complain about on field performance there.

So, this week the credit goes to….drum roll please…..
The linebackers and the Defensive Line. They stuffed the AP train most of the afternoon, then when a stop was needed on 2 consecutive Green Bay drives they not only stopped the drives, but Kiesel stripped the ball giving Woodley the TD on the first one and The Fox INT'd the Favruh pass on the second drive and jogged in for a TD. Nice job of using your blockers by those 2 Linebackers. Also, Farrior had 15 tackles. Gotta get one of those hyperbaric chambers that he's supposedly using.

Next up is the Broncos in Denver on MONDAY NIGHT FOOOOOOTBALLL. Will Ryan Clark play. The poll said he shouldn't. He hasn't decided yet, though. We will soon see, but not this Sunday.

Steelers Rule!!!!!

DEFENSE!

Two interceptions in the fourth quarter and the Steelers prevailed. Tune in tomorrow for WHO GETS CREDIT - MINNESOTA EDITION.

Prediction

The prediction for today's game is:
Steelers 16 Vikings 6
That would be kind of cool, the same score as the Super Bowl with these two, but I think this is going to be higher scoring than that with 2 good offenses.

My real prediction is
Steelers 31
Vikings 24

Two great quarterbacks, the Steelers have the advantage in the passing game, the Vikings in the running game.
The Steelers defense has the advantage over the Vikings and the Special Teams is a toss up since Josh Cribbs isn't returning kicks today in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers have the advantage in coaching.

RUNOFF

The Mike Wallace Poll officially ended in a 3 to 3 tie. So, I've decided to have a runoff with the two names that finished tied for first. "The Flash" and "The Hawk." It is sudden death, you have 2 days to submit your vote and if it remains tied I'll be the tiebreaker. Vote early and vote often.

WHO GETS THE CREDIT - BROWNIES EDITION

It wasn't the best looking win of the season, but it was a win against the Brownies and that is always a big one. Combined with the loss by Cincinnati to the Texans it put the Steelers back in first place in the North Division. Two 100 yard receivers, and almost a third, one 400 yard passer, 140 yards rushing from Rashard, Willie, and Mewelde. The defense did give up a TD to a team that is not known for any scoring, but the Steelers were in control for most of this game. So, who deserves the credit for this win?

Should Ben get the credit?
The second 400 yard passing game of his career, a couple 100 yard receivers and almost a third, 2 TD tosses, and almost a third. Ben played a great game and got to run the no huddle offense several times.

Should the receivers get the credit?
These guys played their butts off this game. Hines had some unbelievable stats for a 33 year old receiver and is the league leader in yards receiving. Santonio had some key receptions for first downs and so did Heath Miller. Mike Wallace had 50 yards and was a shoestring tackle from breaking one for a long TD run. He also almost had another TD on a reverse when he refused to go down close to the goal line. It looked like he'd be tackled around the 8 but broke through tackles and carried other defenders to the 2 yard line. This guy was a major find. Who was the Steelers 3rd receiver last year? Wallace has been the rare rookie that actually contributes.

Should the Running Backs get the credit?
These guys didn't have a great game, but did manage to come up with 108 yards. Parker and Mendenhall both had fumbles in the second half turnover fest which led Tomlin to put in the sure handed Moore at the end of the game to secure the win.

Should the O-Line get the credit?
Ben had plenty of time to throw this game. He did get knocked down a few times, but that's part of the game. It's pretty hard to eliminate all sacks, if they can be minimized that's about as much as you can ask for. The running backs accumulated 140 rushing yard also. They had several of the lineman leave with injuries during this one, but they all returned eventually.

Should the D-Line get the credit?
The line, now, without Aaron Smith continued their non 100 yard rusher streak. Travis Kirsche played well as the replacement for Smith as did Eason and Hood in their few opportunities. Brett Keisel almost came up with his first int since High School. The thing about these guys is the more you hear about them you know the Steelers played bad, because they allowed a lot of rushing yardage. But, the thing about that is you don't hear anything about them. Casey Hampton stuffs the middle and occasionally comes up with a sack when he gets mad enough.
A real test is just around the bend with Adrian Peterson coming to the Steel City on Sunday.

Should the Defensive Backs get the credit?
Except for the one long pass completed that set up a TD for the Browns the DBs played a good game. In his return, Troy came up with a big interception off of Josh Cribbs while the Browns were threatening to score. It's good to have him back. Looking at the replay of that long pass by the Browns it was just out of Troy's reach. These guys quietly had a good game. Brett Favre will be a test for them next week too.

Should the Special Teams get the credit?
Uh, no debate about this. Again, they let Josh Cribbs return a kick for a TD. Kick it out of bounds, squib it away from him, try onside kicks and let the defense stop them, but keep it away from this guy. They've got a few weeks to strategize for the next meeting. Stefan is doing ok, but it would be nice to get some big returns from him. Don't have to be TD's just some long ones.

So, the credit for this one goes to......
Ben and his 400 yard game and his receivers. I'm thinking Ben's going to have a few more 400 yard games with this group of receivers. This offense is fun to watch. I'd like to see the running backs contribute a little more but the passing game is clicking.

WELCOME BACK TROY

An hour and 15 minutes before gametime against the Brownies. Isn't it kind funny that these 2 AFC North rivals have names that can easily be turned into female names. The BenGals and the Brownies. Anyway, my prediction for the game today, PAIN!, as Mr. T. would say. James Harrison and crew are going to inflict some on the Brownies.
Troy is back today, not quite 100%, sporting a brace on his knee, but Troy at close to 100% is good enough for me and I look forward to seeing him knock down those Brownies. Actually a good game to get back into the flow with the Browns passing game. Willie Parker is also close to being healthy and will most likely play, but Rashard will get the start and majority of work.
We'll also get to see how the Aaron Smith-less defense performs against the run. As reported earlier, he has a torn rotator cuff and is out for the season. It's time for Ziggy to step up even though he will share time with Kirschke and Eason. It also means the Offense will probably need to score a little more or control the clock a little better than they did last week in the third quarter.

Prediction: Steelers 24 Browns 3

Mike Wallace

By Popular demand I've redone the Mike Wallace poll and added the Hawk as a potential nickname. The Flash already had 3 votes. So, I'm extending the poll to the 19th. Vote and vote often.

Mr. Smith Goes to IR

Bad news surfaced today when the Steelers announced that Aaron Smith, one of the most important cogs of the Steelers 3-4 defense, probably has a torn rotator cuff. That is an injury that does not heal quickly and could very possibly be a season ending injury. Smith is very important to the Steelers defense because without him in the past the run defense has suffered.
Good thing the Steelers drafted Ziggy Hood as a future replacement for Smith, right. Well, Yes and no. According to Tomlin, Hood is not quite ready to step in full time to replace Smith. So, the Steelers will probably go with a rotation of 3 guys; veterans Travis Kirschke, Nick Eason and the rookie Hood. You know a guy is good when it takes 3 guys to replace him. The Steelers could go after Sonny Harris, a Steeler draft pick who played well in the preseason. Harris is currently on the Carolina practice squad and could be signed, if willing, to the Steelers active roster to provide depth. Not a good start to this day.

WHO GETS CREDIT - DETROIT EDITION

If you ask me this one was way closer than it should have been. Detroit, that is the Detroit that did not win a game last year, seems to be better than last year and has surpassed last season's win total by 1 game, but they are still Detroit and they are missing the current edition of their franchise quarterback, Mathew Stafford. Put it simply, they are not good. They finally wised up and got rid of Matt Millen and his annual number 1 Wide Receiver pick. But it will take some time to clean up the mess he created. So, this should be an easy W, right? The Super Bowl Champs versus the only team to go without a win in a season. Shouldn't even be close.

But, the Stillers pulled it out and the credit for this one should go to...



Should Ben get the credit for this one? Ben played well, except for that pick 6 that made it's way into William James' hands and then to the wrong endzone. Ben ended up with 3 TDs and a passer rating in the 120's. Could have had a 4 TD day if Mike Wallace didn't drop another TD. He gave the Steelers what they expect from him. I could give the credit to Ben for every game. But that's no fun.



Should the Running Backs get the credit? Rashard Mendenhall again started with Willie's toe injured and again is making a case to take over the starting role permanently. Not so fast though. Willie still has those 2 Super Bowls in his back pocket. If he's healthy, he's probably still got a 1,000 yard season in him or 2. It's good to have depth though and quality depth at that. Rashard had 60 in the first half before the Lions started playing keep away and he finished up with 77. The Steelers barely touched the ball in the 3rd quarter. Rashard also chipped in a TD in the red zone and recovered a fumbled handoff when the ball was surrounded by Lions. Mewelde provided his consistent play and the running backs did what they were asked to do.

Should the receivers get the credit? Three receivers had TDs for the Steelers, Hines Ward had his first of the year, Mike Wallace had his first of the year and Heath Miller. Hines and Heath both had blue collar TDs working for each yard. Hines timely leap and reach move got the ball over the goal line and Heath got some nice blocks on his way into the endzone. Mike Wallace, see the poll in progress on the blog, was wide open on 2 potential TDs. He dropped one and made up for it by catching the second on the goal line and leaning over for the TD. Ben underthrew him a bit but he was so open that even waiting for the ball the DB couldn't catch up to it. They definitely need to have at least 2 streaks down the sidelines with this guy. He outruns the defense and the ball.

Should the O-Line get the credit? They again played well opening some big holes for Rashard in the first half. The only reason he didn't get 100 was the Steelers had the ball very little in the 3rd quarter. They gave up 3 sacks, which really isn't many when it comes to Ben. They sealed off the right side for the most part in Rashard's TD run and he did the rest.

Should the Defensive Line get the credit? Again these guys stopped the run for the most part. They let Duante Culpepper to escape a few times, but that's more on the linebackers. Not much pressure on the QB either. But, they stopped the run and that's what they're there for.

Should the Defensive Backs get the credit? Part of the reason the Lions were on the field so much was that Duante Culpepper escaped the backfield and found a receiver or got downfield with his feet. The responsibility for stopping him falls equally on the DBs and Linebackers and they were not able to make a stop in the 3rd quarter. Help is on the way probably next week with Troy coming back.

Should the Linebackers get the credit? James Harrison provided the pressure and came up with 3 sacks in the game and LaMarr Woodley finally got his first of the year and ended up with 1.5 for the game. Lawrence Timmons also had 1 in the game. They let Culpepper get by the line too much, but hopefully the sacks got something started and with Polamalu coming back they may have more time to get to the quarterback.

Should the Special teams get the credit? Stefan Logan came up with a big Kickoff return, but other than that there was nothing outstanding. As long as they don't allow any big returns that's what the team needs.

Should the Coaches get the credit? The Steelers were in control for most of the game. Even though the Lions threatened in the 4th quarter they were still playing catch up most of the game. Arians got a little pass happy with RM running the ball well, but his offense will lean on Ben to win the game. Dick Lebeau made some huge calls on that last drive to seal the W.

So.... this win came down to 3 crucial plays. On the Lions last drive of the game when the Lions were bearing down and approaching the endzone, the Steelers came up with 3 crucial sacks on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd downs to push the Lions way back and attempt a hail mary on 4th down, which Ike Taylor skyed and knocked down. The credit for this win goes to Dick Lebeau for drawing up those sacks and calling the plays. He called the same play twice and it worked both times with William Gay taking down Duante. Remember Joey Porter coming around the end to sack Peyton Manning on the way to Super Bowl XL. Who was the D Coordinator back then? Oh Yeah, Lebeau. This one goes to Dick Lebeau and it's not the first or probably the last.

Bonus Poll

I asked for suggestions for a nickname for the newest speedster on the team and got 2. I'll ad my own, but you decide what Mike Wallace' new nickname should be.

The Best of the Rest

Since we know who number 1 and 2 are in the Steelers modern era QB lore. Who do you think is number 3. Check out the new poll.

AB (After Bradshaw)

Cliff Stoudt, Mark Malone, Neil O'Donnell, Bubby Brister, Kent Graham, Tommy Maddox, Kordell Stewart, Mike Tomczak. These are some of the many quarterbacks the Steelers have gone through since the departure of Terry Bradshaw. These guys all have different facets that made them a starter for the Steelers. Mark Malone was athletic, once holding the Steelers record for longest reception as a wide receiver. Bubby Brister was charismatic and a good leader. Tommy Maddox had a strong arm and a few years ago the Steelers tried the pass first strategy with him behind center. That failed miserably as we all know. Kordell Stewart, aka Slash, was also athletic and if he would have given up on playing quarterback, could have been a very good receiver and his career would have been quite a bit longer. The thing that separated almost all of the guys above from Ben Roethlisberger is they couldn't manage to get the ball to their receivers consistently.

I've got to say that the Steelers have a great group of receivers right now and the first few years of Ben's career. Hines Ward would probably make half of the quarterbacks in the league look good.

The closest quarterback in terms of this part of Ben's game is Neil O'Donnell. Neil succeeded Bubby Brister. Coincidentally enough, Neil is the only other quarterback in the AB(After Bradshaw) era that has led the Steelers to a Super Bowl and might have won it had Andre Hastings been paying attention and run the right routes. Instead, Neil made the career of a cornerback who signed a big free agent contract following the Super Bowl. Neil then went on to the Jets and other teams in a mediocre career. The Super Bowl season is the reason I would rank Neil as the number 2 quarterback in the AB era.

The number one quarterback in that era is, of course, Ben Roethlisberger. The main reason for this is obvious, those two Lombardi Trophies earned by him and the rest of the team of course. But, the Steelers have had some very good teams and very good players, Rod Woodson, Greg Lloyd, Dermontti Dawson to name just a few, with the quarterbacks before Ben and those teams have a combined total of 0 Super Bowl Wins.

Ben has the tools necessary to be one of the greatest in the league. What are those tools?
The number 1 tool that I, as student of the game, hold as the most crucial element of Ben's game is that he is accurate. A quarterback needs to be able, first and foremost, to be able to get the ball to his receivers. After watching quarterback after quarterback try and fail, this is the main thing that all of those guys were missing. Announcers would come up with all kinds of reasons for them. The field wasn't flat so they threw too high. It was too windy and their arm wasn't strong enough. Too rainy and their hands were too small to grip the ball effectively. I've heard them all over the years. I could look at the stats and see what the completion percentage of these guys is, but I don't need to. Ben consistently gets the ball to his receivers, or at least close enough to give them a chance. The other guys may have had a few games where they'd hit a hot streak and have a high completion percentage, but Ben has done it since he came into the league after Tommy Maddox went down.

The number 2 tool that Ben has that none of those guys had, this is where Ben separates himself from O'Donnell, is escapability. If you look Ben Roethlisberger up in the Encyclopedia you might see a picture of Houdini next to his name. The number of times he has emerged from a conglomeration of linemen is countless. He has a second sense of being able to know when and how to duck or dodge to get away from those attacking linemen and linebackers and escape numerous sacks then make the play. In the Bengals game he was flushed out of the pocket, started outside, juked inside leaving the Bengal amazed at his agility and passed to Willie Parker for a TD. Running Backs make those moves not quarterbacks.

The number 3 tool that Ben has goes along with number 2. While he is running around trying to get away from the defense he has another ability that few quarterbacks have. He is able while scrambling around to keep looking downfield for his receivers. Most quarterbacks are able stand there looking for their receivers to get open, others have the ability to scramble clear of the defense then look for a receiver. Ben can drop back look for his receiver, if they're not open he can scramble around avoiding the rush and at the same time look for the open man extending the play.

The number 4 tool he possesses is size. This helps his ability to escape the rush. You can't bring him down by bumping into him or arm tackling him. If he is not wrapped up securely and brought down he won't go down.

It's funny that he is continuously overlooked as the best in the league. Let's see, he has 2 Super Bowl wins, that Manning guy has 1 and that Brady guy has 3. I'd say that would at least put him up there at number 2. Oh, sometimes people put him behind that guy in San Diego. Didn't the Steelers just play San Diego? I can't remember the score, but I think the Steelers won. But, that guy's better than Ben. Yeah, Ok. See you in the playoffs Mr. Rivers, IN PITTSBURGH. That's how the NFL works, the team with the better players and the better records get homefield advantage.

WHO GETS CREDIT
This is a new feature also, because after the first win this year, I hadn't come up with it. But, after the two previous editions of WHO'S FAULT IS IT, WHO DESERVES CREDIT is a welcome sight. As the title states it's WHO DESERVES CREDIT, not WHO'S FAULT IS IT. So, I won't put blame for bad plays on anyone in this article. You know who you are, Mr. Logan. Sorry, it slipped.

So….
Quarterback
Should Ben get credit for the W? Ben played extremely well, as shown by his QB rating in the 130s. I am very biased when it comes to Ben because of the quality of quarterbacks that came before him. I will have an article coming up on the subject of Ben and the Quarterbacks that preceded him in the near future in the A.B. era (After Bradshaw). But the main ingredient I would want in a QB is accuracy. Ben has many other attributes that have made him a Super Bowl winner twice but he rarely is off target, and that was true last Sunday. His leadership and stellar play continued, and he also got a little help elsewhere. See below.

Offensive Line
Should the Big Boys on the line get credit for this one? Well, there were holes for the running backs to run through and there was time for the Quarterback to throw. There were a few sacks, but chalk those up to Ben holding onto the ball looking for a play to develop. Chris K. was totally blowing up the Chargers and I doubt I was the only one holding my breath when he went out for a play at the end of the game. I like Doug Legursky lining up as the Fullback too on Rashard's TD run. They should try that more often.

Running Backs
Was it the Running Backs who should get the credit? Finally, I think we may have seen the beginning of Rashard Mendenhall's career in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, as many times it happens, it took the injury to Willie Parker's toe to make it happen. Mendenhall scored 2 TDs and ran with a mission, maybe due to the message the coach sent last week, maybe just because he got the chance to get significant carries. But, he took advantage of this opportunity. He managed to score a running TD with Doug Legursky and the rest of the line clearing the way for him and he scored on passing TD. He had a few blocks protecting Ben that flat out knocked two players senseless and above all he racked up some big yardage and helped to run down the clock at the end of the game. Mewelde Moore did his Ben impression with a option pass to Heath in the end zone and provided his usual consistent play.

Wide Receivers
Was it the Wide Receivers? The ageless one is having a pro bowl year so far with another 100 yard game. Santonio was mostly silent but picked up some first downs and caught what was thrown to him. Mike Wallace had a big catch early. Heath Miller is on pace for some monster numbers, record numbers for Steelers Tight Ends, and had 2 TD catches. Can't ask for any more than that.

Defensive Line
These guys held LT to some puny numbers, and kept the pressure on Phillip Rivers for most of the game. Just what they're supposed to do in this defense.

Linebackers
The pressure from these guys isn't what it was last year, but that could be because of the absence of a player in the defensive backfield. I still think this is a cycle and there will be a game soon where they will rack up 7 or 8 sacks and hopefully cause an avalanche of sacks. Also, other teams probably realized from last year that they better get the ball out fast or JH will tomahawk the ball out of the opposing QB's hands. James caused a fumble at the end of the game to reduce tension in the Steeler Nation. While the Linebackers haven't had the sacks they did last year, they are still the best group in the league.

Defensive Backs
This group played well in the first half and part of the 3rd quarter, but then San Diego started to find a way to get the ball to Antonio Gates. The Steelers couldn't keep that from happening and the race was on to see who could outscore the other team. Maybe one more game to be safe without Troy.

Special Teams
Won't blame Stefan for having the ball taken away from him and starting the San Diego scoring spree in this section. Kick protection continued to be a strength and Jeff Reed kicked a long one to secure a 2 score lead at the end.

Coaching
The game plan seemed to be to keep the ball away and keep Antonio Gates from getting the ball. That worked for most of the game and enabled them to build a 28 point lead and discover they have a first round draft choice that has some talent. Lebeau needs his Hall of Fame Safety back so he can let the Linebackers loose or find some other way to get the heat on.

The credit…
for this win goes to Ben and Rashard. Ben had plenty of time to throw and found the open guys and Rashard provided the rest of the ball control game picking up big chunks of yardage and scoring a running and receiving TD, the running one from short yardage at the goal line. Keep it up Rashard, I'd like to see more.

WHO'S FAULT IS IT II

Unfortunately I'm going to have to reprise this feature for a second consecutive week. I didn't want to have to do it again all this year, but unprecedented events occurred this weekend in Steeler Nation. 1. They lost to the BenGals. 2. They lost a second consecutive game and they barely beat the Titans. They need a little home cookin' and a lot of Troy Polamalu back in the lineup. Troy won't be back for another 2 weeks at the minimum though. So who's fault was this most recent loss.

Was it Ben's
Can't lay the blame on this one for Ben. He played well and despite a pick six he put the Steelers in position to win. He even was able to do what the running backs can't seem to do and score a rushing TD. He had 1 passing TD also and should have had 2. Not Ben's fault this Sunday.

Was it the Running Backs fault?
That's singular because for some reason Willie got all the carries and Rashard was nowhere to be found. Willie did a good job and had a very good run the second time he touched the ball, so much so that you wonder why B.A. didn't rush more often. Probably because Frank Summers was not active and David Johnson went out early with an injury. Either Rashard is in the doghouse or Tomlin wanted to send a message that Willie was the number 1 back and he could carry the load. The announcers eluded to Mike Tomlin sending a message to Mendenhall that he needs to have a sense of urgency in practice as well as games. Is it possible that Rashard isn't the hardest working guy in the training room. He was pretty much a no show after his injury last season until the Super Bowl. But, no the running game wasn't the problem this game.

Was it the Receivers' faults?
Did anybody see that guy in a number 14 jersey masquerading as a player. Could that pass be thrown any better, could he be any more wide open. Uh, Ben could you please carry that ball down to the end zone and put it in that guy's hands, because it's not getting there any other way. Do you think Santonio is still a little dazed from that Super Bowl catch? That gives him a pass for several games, but please wake up Santonio. It looked like from reactions that he should have been looking for the pass that turned into a pick six. I had flashbacks to Neil O'Donnell getting picked off and Andre Hastings looking around with a dazed look. Hines provided his usual stability, but he can't bail the receivers out forever. Mike Wallace did a great job on those 3rd downs but he needs to stop falling down. Ben did throw it low to avoid any chance of a INT.

Was it the Defenses fault?
I'm going to lump them all together for this. The Steelers had a 20-9 lead in the 4th quarter and needed a stop on one of two drives. James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley are getting little to no pressure on the quarterbacks and although they did not allow any huge runs they were giving up first down after first down on the run. Where is the pressure this year? Troy is sorely missed and Benson would not have had that TD run if he was in there. I have a feeling JH and LW will break out of this, but it better be soon.

Was it the Special Teams fault?
They gave up a long return on the first kick, but it did not lead to a score. Jeff missed another field goal, but that didn't hurt them as much as last week. Stefan had a good return to set up a TD, but he also for reasons unknown, wasn't in position to even make a fair catch on a punt and let it go another 15 yards until it stopped rolling.

Was it the Coaches fault?
The defense is not getting off the field like it should and not providing any pressure. I'd say part of that falls on the coach's but Tomlin, Lebeau, and Arians can't catch the wide open balls in the endzone.

Was it the referees?
They are harassing Hines Ward with all these penalties. It is ridiculous. He needs to blindside one of them and knock some sense into them. Oh yeah, and maybe they get some of the blame for Harrison not getting any sacks. Divert some of your attention to Harrison.

Gotta point my finger for this one to
1. That receiver guy that dropped the TD. I will not refer to him by name until he redeems himself somehow, and if he pulls that stunt again he might move to 4th on the depth chart and not see any more pt unless there's an injury.
2. The defense. They let the Bengals score 2 TDs in the fourth quarter and gave them way too many chances on that last drive. The Bengals controlled the clock as the Steelers did many times last year and did not give Ben any time to make that 2 minute drill drive to win the game.

Steelers Rule!!!!!

Carter Fined

Adding insult to injury, Carter ailing from the Chicago game with a thigh injury was hit by the league for his hit on Greg Olsen. From a fan's standpoint that hit was worth it. Apparently they thought he led with the crown of his helmet. Didn't look like it to me. It looked like he was watching him the whole way.

Obligatory Referee Blasphemy
10 for 80 yards, the refs stunk, obviously for the Bears . The Steelers need to clean this up.

Should Ryan Play in Denver?

I thought this was going to be all nos, but someone decided he should play. I voted no, and I don't think he should take a chance with his life after what happened on his last visit. But, if a specialist in his disorder would give him a clean bill of health and say he is not in danger of further issues than maybe he would choose to play. I think the risk is too much, and it sounds like the Steelers feel the same way. We'll wait and see. Hopefully Troy will be back by then.

How many?

How many wins will the Steelers have. The Poll Results are in and the fans expect 11-12 this season. 13-14 and 15-16 were tied for second place. Not a bad season, that is if it leads to the Super Bowl. We expect those wins on a regular basis now.

WHO'S FAULT?

The one that got away? That would be this game. I'm introducing this new feature to the blog, it's called who's fault is it? Instead of a report card I'll tell everyone who's fault it was that the Steelers lost the game. Hopefully this is the only edition of this feature. So......


Was it Ben's fault?

No, Ben continued his hot streak he ended last week's game with. He was only sacked twice and started of with a TD pass to Matt Spaeth. He threw a few errant passes that didn't make it into his receiver's hands one landing in the defenses hands, but overall played decently.


Was it the Running Back's faults?


They didn't get the ball as much as they probably should have with the weather. But, this game was considerably better than the first. Mendenhall chipped in a long jaunt to set up a TD and Willie had a few decent runs. The bad thing about Running Back by committee is that none of them get in a good groove. Mewelde continued to contribute consistent play. So, no not the Running backs faults.


Was it the Offensive Line?


They provided very good pass blocking and opened up a few holes for the Running Backs to slip through. Can't blame it on them.


Was it the Receiver's?


Well, in the second half after it started raining they (SH) started dropping passes and stopped getting first downs. That's kind of important when you're depending on the passing game to take you down the field.


Was it the DBs faults?

Last week Cutler threw 4 TD's. This week he threw none. In the tying TD drive by the Bears they gave up a long pass to the Bears Olson which put them in good position to score. In short they didn't get off the field when they needed to.


Was it the D-Line and Linebackers fault?


The linebackers didn't come up with any sacks and like the DBs didn't come up with stops in key situations to get themselves off the field. They didn't give up a lot of rushing yards, but did give them up when they needed a stop.


Was it the Special Teams?


Well, I really hate to point fingers especially at a guy that has won many games more than he has lost for the Steelers, but Jeff Reed had 2 chances to win the game and he was 0 for 2. Have to put the blame for this one on Jeff. We still love ya though Jeff.


I really have to wonder if Jeff is 100%, though. He did win the Titans game, but other than that he has not had that many kicks that looked good. I really don't care if they look good or not if they go through. But, if you're barely getting them through or missing 2 in a game there is cause for concern.


Another note: Lots of complaints about the field conditions. Some say it was worse than Heinz in December. Nice to hear complaints about someone else's field.


Up next: BenGals preview

STEELERS-BEARS NOTES

It looks like da Bears have a lot to look forward to in this game. I assume the Bears like to watch a good football team play. So, if that logic holds they'll enjoy watching the Steelers come to town and taking them apart.



QB

Advantage

Steelers - Roethlisberger 2 interceptions 1 TD last week, Cutler 4 ints. Cutler is a legend in his own mind. If I were Josh McDaniel I wouldn't think a second thought about getting rid of him.



Offense

Toss up

The Bears O Line is probably a little better than the Steelers, but the Steelers have the better QB and a corps of talented receivers. Look for the Steelers to improve their running game against the Bears. If Willie doesn't play better look for more passing from Ben and more of Rashard. If Rashard doesn't play better, we may be seeing more of Mewelde Moore.



Defense

Steelers
The Bears are built on defense, but so are the Steelers and last week the Bears lost part of their foundation for the season, Brian Urlacher. They have another guy in Ogundleyahanfad, or something like that is their big pash rusher so he will assume the bulk of the load for Chicago. But, losing one of their big playmakers doesn't help. Of course the Steelers lost one of their big playmakers also last week. But, the Steelers still have James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley as their playmakers and Tyrone Carter will fill in for Troy. The Steelers still have the same defense as last year that was No. 1 in the league minus Troy and Bryant McFadden.

Special Teams
Gotta give this to the Bears
This should be an interesting battle between Stefan Logan and Devin Hester. Logan is supposed to make the Steelers return game 100% better this year and Hester is the league standard in returners, though last year wasn't his best.

Coaching
Steelers
Might as well just say this now. Steelers will win this every game.
Lovie Smith is good but Mike Tomlin and Dick Lebeau have won Super Bowls.

Score
Steelers 27-10

Oh, Ohlendorf

Ross Ohlendorf finished his first year with the Pirates at 11-10. As the optimist, it's another reason the Pirates have to look forward to next season. Ohlendorf, ended up as the Pirates most reliable starter and had some pretty good numbers on this young team

Here's a breakdown of his starts over the season.
29 Starts
Earned Runs per start
0-2 Runs - 14 times
3-4 Runs - 10 times
5+ - 5 times

That tells me that in 14 starts he put the Pirates in a position to win the game. It also tells me that if he was playing for a team with a decent offense he would have put that team in a position to win in 24 games and only in 5 games did he give up 5 or more runs. If all the Pirates Pitchers would have pitched that well I think we would have been looking at at least a .500 season. I'm looking for good things to come from Ohlendorf. There's no reason to put him out there any more this season and risk injury. He's shown what he can do.

A Sign of Things to Come

Optimism is hard to find with the Pirates, but I'm always looking for some somewhere, anywhere. Well, guess what? LYNCHBURG WINS! LYNCHBURG WINS! That's right, Lynchburg won 8-7 yesterday to sweep the Carolina League Championship. Is this a sign that the Pirates farm system is looking up. Well, it's a sign that Lynchburg is good so I'll say yes.

Congrats to the Hillcats! Hope to see you in Pittsburgh sometime soon, and bring the championship with you.

Bonus

A bonus poll for those interested. Predict how many wins the Steelers will have this year.

Wins and Losses

Here's the prediction you're waiting for. How many games will the Steelers win this year?

19, no, not so fast. Let's take a look at the schedule.

9/10 Titans W 1-0 Close, but the homefield advantage tips the scales
9/20 at Da Bears W 2-0 Da Bears aint that good and their new QB threw 4 Ints last week. Too bad Troy can't enjoy one of those tasmanian devil pick 6 ints. Those are fun.
9/27 at the benGals W 3-0 Is there any question why Gals is a part of their name.
10/4 Chargers W 4-0 Uh, there's this guy named Norv Turner that keeps getting head coaching jobs, strange thing is he is a horrible head coach. Home field advantage again is the difference plus Norv is bad. By the way, Ben 2 Phil 0 (Super Bowl Wins)
10/11 at Lions W 5-0 No explanation necessary
10/18 Browns W 6-0 Browns may be 0-6 after this game. They're rebuilding again. Mangenius, not.
10/25 Vikings W 7-0 Adrian Peterson could be the difference in this game, but home field wins the game again. Brett Favre, meet James Harrison. Could be Favre's last game of the season. Troy P. returns and intercepts 3 Favre passes.
11/1 Bye W 8-0 The Steelers win without even playing a game.
11/9 at Denver W 9-0 Can't see Kyle Orton beating the Steelers.
11/15 benGals W 10-0 See above and add Home field to the equation.
11/22 at the Chiefs W 11-0 The Chiefs are rebuilding, Haley's not a bad coach, but firing your OC right before the beginning of the season. Not a formula for success.
11/29 at Ravens L 11-1 I'd like to predict the perfect season, but the Ravens are good and Flacco has a season under his belt. They lost Ryan and a few others. Let's see how the defense plays out for them. I know Ray Ray is old and I never was overly impressed with him. Only win because this game is on the road.
12/6 Raiders 12-1 Again, no explanation necessary. Look up plastic pants in the dictionary and you'll find a picture of Al Davis. Eccentric is an understatement.
12/10 at Browns 13-1 They may have improved from the first meeting, but not enough. By this time Derek Anderson will have replaced Brady Quinn and then Brady Quinn gets another shot.
12/20 Packers W 14-1 I'm not sold on Aaron Rogers and this game is in Pittsburgh.
12/27 Ravens W 15-1 Home game, Steelers even the season series
1/3 at Dolphins L 15-2 In Miami, the starters rest for the playoffs. Could easily be a W.

Don't want to jinx the rest.
Just kidding about the Bye week, by the way.

To play or not to play

It seems like a simple question. The last time Ryan Clark was in Denver, it led to him not playing the rest of the season. The mysterious Mile High factors caused complications with a blood disorder and also caused them to have to remove his spleen and gall bladder.

The poll question revolves around whether Ryan should play in Denver this year. They are already short one starting safety, but the obvious is life is more important than football, even Steelers Football.

Should he play?

A Little Help, please

I was going to come up with some nicknames for Mike Wallace, ala Fast Willie Parker, and have a poll to see what everyone's favorite was, but decided to ask everyone for their suggestions. So, I'm putting it out there for my readers. Give me your suggestions.

RECAP

Ben was a little rusty, "nervous" as he put it at the beginning of the game or the Steelers might have been up 7-0 on the first drive of the game. Ben had Mike Wallace, the rook, wide open on the right side of the field and had he put a little more on it, the speedy Wallace would have been in the endzone before you could say TD. Wallace needs a nickname, by the way. By the end of the game Ben was back to Super Bowl form completing a string of passes, missing only one.

Stefan Logan showed why a roster spot was kept open for a returner by returning the opening kickoff for 39 yards. He might want to change up his returns here and there though. He tried several times to outrun the kicking team to the right side of the field. He did it successfully, but teams watch film and see tendencies. He also lost a punt and 15 yards later in the game. Pretty happy with him overall though.

Troy Polamalu was AWESOME coming up and nailing Chris Johnson on the 2 yard line for a loss at the beginning of the game. Then, that interception. Lynn Swann, who was at the game by the way, has nothing on Troy. He Skyed to get up to break up the pass, but then he reached up and grabbed the pass, LEFTHANDED; AMAZING. I think Tyrone Carter or someone else will be on the field goal team from now on. Let's just keep Troy on defense when he comes back. Unless we need somebody to play safety when Ben's kneeling down at the end of games.

Santonio Holmes, Hines Ward, and Mike Wallace provided great receiver play. Holmes and Ward each topped 100 yards and Santonio scored the Steelers only TD before the end of the first half. Mike Wallace, who apparently impressed Tomlin and B.A. enough that he took over the 3rd receiver position from Limas Sweed, made a crucial catch in OT to put them in field goal position. Although Hines fumbled in field goal position at the end of regulation I think we can absolve him of that misdeed. He has made a few plays in his career to win a game or 2. Plus, any Steeler fans knows Hines well enough to know that after that fumble that Ben could throw every pass his way in overtime and he would not only catch anything near him and get them in field goal position but he would not fumble 100 out of 100 times after that.

Some would disagree, but I like how the Steelers stuck with the run, to a point. That 3rd down attempt right before the game tying field goal was pathetic. They were passing it all over the field then tried running it up the gut 2 times. It didn't work. They need to keep trying to run it, because Ben can't win them all with his arm... or can he?

It was nice to have Sepulveda back. He gave the punting game distance when needed and was accurate when needed. He also got lucky with a good roll on another.

Jeff Reed, just another game winning field goal. No big deal. I can't say this enough, re-sign this guy. Suspend the rule about extending contracts during the season. If he isn't re-signed it will cost the Steelers at some point next year. I remember when they took the hard line with Gary Anderson and he continued to be productive for another 20 years. Not really, but I don't think they should have let him go.

I hate to say it, but the Titans looked good. Their defense stuffed Willie and Rashard. Our offensive line did not run block well, and there were very few holes for those guys to run through. Willie had a few chances to get more yardage, but it looked like he hit the wrong hole, make that mousehole, because if they were there they were small. It seemed like he could have bounced it outside a few times but didn't. Remember, he played very little this preseason and I expect him to get better as the season progresses. The O Line needs to run block better, though. The pass blocking at the end of the game was excellent and Ben had all kinds of time on the OT drive.

Grades:
OFFENSE
Ben: B+
2 INTs, 1 TD, 2 game winning drives (credit him with 2 since Hines fumbled)

O-Line: C+
3 Sacks in the first half, 2 BHBTLS (new stat - Ben holding the ball too long sack), poor run blocking the whole game, pass blocking improved dramatically in 2nd half.

Running Backs: F
No holes, but you have to make holes occasionally. Long of 8 yards, stopped on 3rd and 2 in the red zone to pick up a first down.

Receivers: A+
Two 100 yard games from Hines and Santonio, a big catch from Mike W. and Heath's dependability.

DEFENSE:
Defensive Line: B+
Dependable as usual, Casey Hampton had a pressure, Aaron Smith had a pressure. Were not as effective against the run as the Titans, but still held them to 86 yards, and one was a cutback run of 32 yards by Johnson.

Linebackers: B
Never really got to Collins, but he threw the ball away everytime they got close. But, that's just as good as a sack. James Harrison continued to be held and the refs continued to ignore.

Defensive Backs: B-
Troy played amazingly while he was in. Collins played well and found the open receiver consistently. Gave up a catch and run before the half to set up the tying TD.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A
Stefan was a definite positive addition with an immediate impact on the 39 yard kickoff return. Did botch a punt return that cost them 15 yards of field position. Sepulveda was effective with distance and accuracy. Didn't allow any excessive returns. Jeff Reed is "the man."

Next up Da Bears.

A WIN IS A WIN

The running game wasn't pretty, the passing game didn't start off well, but in the end it was a W in the win column and the Steelers start the season of 1-0. Tune in later for recap of the game.

1 MORE DAY

Less than 24 hours before gametime and STEELER NATION is pumped. I can feel the vibes in the air. Here is how the teams stack up for the inaugural game of the 2009-2010 season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the Tennessee Titans

Final Rankings for the 2008-2009 season
Steelers
Offense
Passing 17th
Rushing 23rd
Defense
Passing 1st
Rushing 2nd

Where should I start? Well, let's start with focal point of the Steelers since the '70s. The Defense. In the 1970s the Steelers had the most feared defense in the league. They were overflowing with talent at nearly every position. They had the fearsome Linebackers, Ham and Lambert, they had the lineman Joe Greene, LC Greenwood, and they had the cornerbacks and safeties, Donnie Shell and Mel Blount. These guys were as we know a team of the ages. I love to go to youtube and watch the video of Lambert slamming Cliff Harris to the ground after he pats Roy Gerela on the head for missing a field goal. Classic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkBJMdlTBWg
This version of the Steelers defense that owns 2 Super Bowls of its own is creating a legend of it's own. James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley (a short timer but key contributor t0 the 2009 Super Bowl), Brett Keisel, Aaron Smith, Troy Polamalu, Deshea Townsend, Ike Taylor. Harrison continued to prove to the Ravens they should never have let him go when they had a chance at him. That return right before halftime was UN-BE-LIEVE-ABLE.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoxSFBHbA80
That was then this is now, but guess what? Expect to see much of the same this year. That defense, well it's back, except for 1 guy, Bryant McFadden. McFadden was the starter for a big part of the season last year, but when he was injured William Gay played so well that McFadden couldn't displace him when he became healthy again. Not to mention the fact that they have this other guy named Townsend that's been around the block a few times. The Steelers also picked up a nice option to give Aaron Smith a break if needed when they picked Ziggy Hood in the draft. The defensive line that anchored that number 1 defense is still intact and ready to go again.
The Offense actually detoured from its normal formula for success. That was mostly due to the injuries incurred by their top 2 tailbacks, Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall and the loss of Kendall Simmons and Marvel Smith to injuries. Parker and Mendenhall are back and mostly healthy, although Willie didn't play too much this preseason due to hamstring problems. That does not sound too encouraging for his outlook this year, but we'll see. Mendenhall is out to prove that he is worthy of the number 1 pick last year. He got very little playing time due to that dirty play by Ray "Over the Hill" Lewis which knocked him out for the season just when he got his first start. Ben is Ben. I have heard National sports commentators line up saying he is not in the top 3 QBs in the league. Yeah, those 2 Super Bowls were just luck, he had no part in them getting there. I'm sure any old QB, John Kitna, could have just as easily won those 2 games and those playoff games and those regular season games. Oh, yeah, any old quarterback could have won those 2 playoff games on the road in Indy and Denver to get him to Super Bowl XL. Wake up jokers. This guy is a winner. Phillip Rivers would have been on the IR for the year if he wrecked his motorcycle. Drew Brees, how many playoff games has he won. Payton Manning, maybe, but he's still a Super Bowl shy of Ben. Brady has won 3 but let's see how he reacts to his injury this year. They lost Nate Washington, but I'm guessing that Limas Sweed is going to fill in for him quite well, and if he does have the dropsies, they drafted this guy named Mike Wallace that's as fast as greased lightning, and if he can't fill Nat's role they got a guy that catches anything thrown to him in Shaun McDonald. So, I don't think Nate's going to be a big loss.

Special teams should improve dramatically with the return of Daniel Sepulveda and the addition of Stefan Logan. I'm thinking they'll gain a few yards in field position each game and hopefully Logan will break a few.

One of the great things about the Steelers is consistency. 3 coaches in almost 40 years, the same family owning the team, a laundry list of Hall of Famers. I think they have the recipe for winning down pat.

Titans
Offense
Passing 27th
Rushing 7th
Defense
Passing 9th
Rushing 6th

Believe it or not I know a little bit more about the Steelers than I do about the Titans. But, here goes.
The Titans were consistent throughout the season last year which shows in the defensive rankings. They were the number 1 seed and would have had the home field advantage throughout the playoffs if it had not been for the Steelers best friends, the Baltimore Ravens, and Joe Flacco knocking them off and creating home field advantage for the Steelers which helped them clinch the AFC championship. They had a key loss in the offseason in Albert "I'm going to kick you when you're down" Haynesworth. He took the cash and fled to greener pastures in Washington D.C. I would say he was their best defender and I'm thinking their defense is going to suffer from that loss.

Their offense is anchored by the running game which features Chris Johnson and LenDale White. Johnson, a rookie, last year provided the featured back they needed which took the pressure off their quarterback. White provided the power rushing game to go along with Johnson's style. A good combination which showed in their number 7 rushing game. Their passing game was less than effective, but part of that was the change in mid stream from an ineffective Vince Young to Kerry Collins. Young has yet to settle in as a starting QB which led to the Titans replacing him after injury with Collins last year. He did not relinquish the job and played well enough for the Titans to extend his contract for 2 years, the same amount Vince has left on his. This should get interesting.

The Titans have 2 former Steelers on their team in Chris Hope and Nate Washington. Nate could give some tips for the Titans, but maybe he'll drop a few balls thrown to him by KC if he plays. He's questionble for this one due to injury.

The Titans did win the meeting last year, but that one was in Tennessee. This one is in Hines' field.

Look for this to be a close one. The Titans defense is their strength and see above for what the Steelers pride themselves on.
Defensive Advantage: Steelers
Offensive Advantage: Steelers
Uh, Ben, Hines, Santonio versus K. "this is my 10th team" Collins and Chris Johnson. 'nuf said.
Special Teams: Toss up
Titans have a good kicking game and who knows what Stefan will do in his Steelers premiere.

Coaching: Advantage: Steelers
Fisher is the longest tenured coach in the league and has been to a Super Bowl but Mr. Tomlin has one of those Lombardi's in just 2 seasons. Oh, yeah and there's that LeBeau guy. He doesn't hurt their chances.

Score:
17-10 Steelers
Got my terrible towel warmed up and I'm hearing Myron cheering!

1-9 IN THE LAST 10

The poor play continues. This time ZD gave up 7 runs in the first inning and the Cubs took the second game of this series at PNC Park by the score of 9-4. Once again to add insult to injury. One of those guys that the Pirates decided had no future with them held them to 4 runs. Tom Gorzellany, who pitched fairly well in relief when returning to Pittsburgh earlier this year was the Cubs starter tonight. Wouldn't it be nice to have a reliable lefty in the bullpen. It seems Zach is wearing down. In fact it seems like the whole team is wearing down. Their home record is still above .500 but it won't be for long if this play continues. It seems like the only thing to talk about is the play of the Legend. Another Home Run tonight, he's up to 19. Too bad this story doesn't follow the storyline of the Natural. He needs to hit a shot into the lights. That would be great. Or maybe the team needs some patches on their uniform. Something to wake these guys up.

2 DAYS

Two days to go before the beginning of the football season. From the looks of the team in the preseason they are primed and ready to go. I think there were 2 problems the Steelers encountered in their final cuts.
1. The Steelers found a player that they could develop and possibly provide backup depth on the defensive line. They drafted Ziggy, but they need some fresh young studs in that position. Sonny Harris was that player. He was a 6th round draft pick and performed well in camp and looked to be a player. Apparently Carolina thought so also and signed him to their 53 man roster. The Steelers tried to get him through waivers to put him on the practice squad but Carolina got to him first. Once a player is put on waivers any team can claim him and he cannot go back to the team that put him on waivers unless he is unclaimed.

2. The other surprise was that the Steelers will go with a rookie blocking back in their first preseason game. Frank Summers somehow beat out training camp sensation Isaac Redman for one of the Running Back positions. Frank will be a blocking back and I think he will end up with the short yardage duties eventually. David Johnson is the other blocking back. He performed well in training camp and impressed the coaches with his blocking skills. But, for a team with one of the most sacked QBs you would think they would want some stability blocking for him.

3. The third surprise is that Bruce Davis was cut outright and there didn't seem to be any effort to sign him to the practice squad. It actually is not that big of a surprise because he never did seem to catch anyone's eye as a playmaker but they did spend a 3rd round draft choice in 2008 and he did not pan out. He is one of those projects where the Steelers tried to convert a pass rushing defensive end in college to an outside linebacker. Not the first time this experiment failed. Hope he doesn't turn into Mike Vrabel II with another team, because he certainly turned out to be Alonzo Jackson II with the Steelers.

The Steelers made an attempt to sign Jeff Reed before the start of the season, sounds like it was a pretty feable attempt, then the gave Justin Hartwig a contract. I'd like to have both, but I'm worried ahead of time that they're going to have to find a kicker that can figure out how to kick in Heinz Field. Jeff is a pressure kicker and has come through in the clutch many many times. Please figure out how to resign him.

BTW, former Steeler Anthony Smith, was cut by the Packers. According to sources Smith performed well in camp and was thought to have made the team. Do you think maybe he said the wrong thing to the wrong person... or maybe he hit the wrong person. Aaron Rodgers didn't turn up on the injury report recently, did he.

Tomorrow night will be the preview of the season opener. HERE WE GO STEELERS!

Poll Results - Ziggy's Sacks

Time's up for this poll and the peeps expect Ziggy to come up with 4-6 sacks this year. 2nd place was 1-3. I'd be happy to see him with 4-6, but being selfish I'd like to see double digits. If James and LaMarr can get double digits and Ziggy can get double digits in a backup roll that would be quite a feet.

Next poll is still in the works, but will be coming soon to a blog near you.

WALK OFF

A walk off single tonight by the Legend ended the 9 game losing streak. The Legend of the Legend grows by the day.

Revised Roster

I was a little off on Joe Burnett, but he made the team. Stefan Logan surpassed him in return duties so I thought they might put him on the PS.
Tony Hills must have shown enough to stay on the roster to prove himself this year.
Very surprised that Carey Davis was cut, and the other blocker/TE Sean McHugh was put on IR and is out for the season. So they enter the season with David Johnson another FB/TE hybrid that played well in preseason but I didn't think they'd go with an unseasoned rookie to block for Willie, Mewelde, and Rashard, not to mention Ben. Watch out for flying Linebackers Ben. Donovan Woods was signed to the practice squad. Thought they'd put one of their young Linebackers there if possible, but I though it would be Bruce Davis. No word on what will happen to him.
Anthony Madison was cut due to lack of space on the roster for a mostly special teams specialist. Stefan probably forced that move.
Ryan Mundy made the roster. Thought they might give him another year on the Practice Squad for seasoning, but he played well the last preseason game.
and
Unfortunateley Sonny Harris was signed by Carolina. He played well this preseason and I was surprised he didn't make it. They gotta take the 53 they think they'll need.

Got Isaac Redman on the Practice squad in case of a RB injury and AQ Shipley signed up for the PS also.

The story of The Legend

Chuck Finder of the Post-Gazette wrote this great article about The Legend if you haven't read it already.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg09247/995481-63.stm

PROJECTED ROSTER

Here's what I think the 53 man roster will look like. Let me know what you think.
QBs
Ben Roethlisberger
Charlie Batch
Dennis Dixon

Running Backs
Fast Willie Parker
Rashard Mendenhall
Mewelde Moore
Carey Davis
Frank Summers
Stefan Logan

Wide Receivers
Hines Ward
Santonio Holmes
Limas Sweed
Mike Wallace
Shaun McDonald

Tight Ends
Heath Miller
Matt Spaeth
Sean McHugh
David Johnson

Center
Justin Hartwig
Doug Legursky

Linebacker
James Harrison
LaMarr Woodley
James Farrior
Lawrence Timmons
Keyaron Fox
Andre Frazier
Arnold Harrison
Patrick Bailey

Cornerback
Ike Taylor
William Gay
Deshea Townsend
Keenan Lewis
Anthony Madison
Keiwan Ratliff

Safety
Troy Polamalu
Ryan Clark
Tyrone Carter
Ryan Mundy

Nose Tackle
Casey Hampton
Chris Hoke

Defensive End
Aaron Smith
Brett Keisel
Travis Kirschke
Nick Eason
Ziggy Hood
Ra'shon Harris

Tackle
Max Starks
Trai Essex
Willie Colon
Ramon Foster

Kicker
Jeff Reed

Punter
Daniel Sepulveda

Long Snapper
Greg Warren

Practice Squad: If another team doesn't pick them up
Isaac Redman
Dallas Baker
A.Q. Shipley
Bruce Davis
Joe Burnett
Roy Lewis
Tony Hills
Donovan Woods

Cuts
Quarterback
Mike Reilly

Running Back
Justin Vincent

Wide Receiver
Steven Black
Tyler Grisham
Martin Nance
Brandon Williams

Tight End
Dezmond Sherrod

Center
Alex Stepanovich

Linebacker
Tom Korte
Andrew Schantz

Cornerback
Derrick Richardson

Nose Tackle
Scott Paxson

Defensive End
Jordan Reffett

Defensive Tackle
Steve McClendon

Tackle
Jeremy Parquet

Punter
Dirk Johnson

Kicker
Piotr Czech

I switched Ryan Mundy to the roster at the last minute and put Donovan Woods on the Practice Squad which may not be possible, but I tried.

AND THE ROLLER COASTER CONTINUES DOWNWARD

It seems like it was yesterday that the Pirates went on such a modest winning streak. That's over now and they've lost 2 series in a row to teams they should at least come out .500 against. The Brew Crew and the Reds just swept the Pirates on the road.

On the somewhat positive side...
The Legend hit number 18, a solo shot which also turns out to be the franchises 10,000 home run. Lots of guys behind those home runs. Who is the Pirates leader among those 10,000. It's not Garrett, but if he keeps up this pace he might end up high on the list.
Willie Stargell 475
Ralph Kiner 301
Roberto Clemente 240

Also, Neil Walker in his first start had his ups and downs.
Made some plays at 3rd, went o-4, made an error on a tough play.
We need some help at the plate Neil. Watch some GJ video.

SPECIAL TEAMS

I could go through and name everyone that will be on special teams this year, but that would just be a waste of time. Instead I'm just going to write about a few guys that will hopefully make the difference in special teams for the Stillers this year.

Stefan Logan: Not related to Mike. This guy has provided some spark to the return team in preseason and appears to have made the team. The Steelers drafted 2 other guys that they hoped would provide the kind of the returns that the Steelers have for the most part lacked since Antwaan Randle El. Santonio fits what they want but it was apparent last year they didn't want to risk injury to him in the return game. They only put him out there when they were hoping to break one. He did it a few times, but that was last year. Anyway, in the 2nd preseason game Stefan provided some thrills and continued that theme last week. Unfortunately he doesn't provide a lot of depth at other positions. He's a little guy that was used as a running back and receiver in the CFL. He could be used at those positions here but will probably be used in the 6 receiver set for the Steelers. Just kidding. He will probably be the 6th receiver in case others go down.

Joe Burnett/Keenan Lewis/Mike Wallace: Out of these three possible returners I'd like to see Mike Wallace get in there. He has the need for speed, and he could run right past the fastest in the NFL. Joe Burnett hurt his chances of returning punts by having the dropsies.

Jeff Reed: Has been rested quite a bit in the preseason and Piotr Czech has kicked well in his absence. Reed has had an ankle problem due to "stepping in a hole" at St. Vincent, OK? But, Czech hasn't kicked in 15 degrees at Heinz Field. Jeff Reed is the king of that and let's hope the Steelers can find some cash to resign him. Because before him there were a few guys that proved it aint easy to take into account all the mysterious forces surrounding those goal posts.

Daniel Sepulveda: Does anybody appreciate a good punter after last season's replacement. I don't know why they didn't try a few other guys out for the job. The one thing that could be said for them was they didn't get any important ones blocked. Some of their punts only went five yards but at least for the most part they went forward. Welcome back Daniel. He should be good for some added field position this year.

James Harrison: He's a terror on the field whatever he's playing. If he wants to play special teams I'd let him. I wouldn't put it past the other teams to run out of bounds to avoid him.

Keyaron Fox: Will probably continue to play special teams but may start for LT if his ankle is still bothering him. Fox was an important part of the special teams and was a big reason they improved from 2 years ago.

The special teams should improve significantly simply by adding Sepulveda back to the mix and hopefully Logan's return average will translate to the regular season.

Up next: My shot at the 53 man roster.

Keisel the Diesel

The Diesel is now a member of the Steelers for Possibly up to 5 more years. That's the term of the contract he just signed with the Steelers. They've been locking up players left and right since the end of last season, starting slow but picking up the pace prior to Keisel's signing. The only cog that should be signed is Casey Hampton. I am very surprised that they signed Keisel merely because they've recently spent quite a bit in bonuses and the vault's gotta be getting low. Maybe they can find a few more gold bricks for snack before the season starts.

The Steelers also made a few cuts and lost an important part of last years Super Bowl team. It looked like Darnell Stapleton was going to lose his starting job to Trai Essex anyway, but he didn't think he wouldn't have any playing time at all this year. The Steelers placed Stapleton in Injured Reserve, which put an end to his season before it started. His knee injury was not responding to surgery performed earlier and that was it. Unfortunate because he played well last season and it hurts the depth chart. Someone else will need to step up. It will probably be Doug Legursky, a free agent from Marshall last year who has impressed the coaches with his play at both Guard and Center. Being able to play more than one position never hurts.

Other cuts include WRs Martin Nance and Steven Black, Center Alex Stepanovich, and Safety Derrick Richardson.

SO MUCH...

for the winning streak. It is now a distant memory. 3 losses in Milwaukee, which adds to the previous losing streak in Milwaukee makes the grand total of the Milwaukee losing streak to 21. Today I watched most of the doubleheader with the Reds. That was painful. What is the percentage of doubleheaders where a team is swept? It has to be less than 10. Well, the Pirates managed to do it. That stinks.

I can't stand the Reds. I just hope this plan works so they can consistently beat the Reds. I couldn't even name more than a couple of players on their team. Bronson Arroyo and his anti Pirate stance. He is annoying. They might be the nicest guys, they just annoy the heck out of me just because they play for the Reds. It burns me up even more than Kip Wells beat the Pirates in the first game. Why couldn't you win a few for the Pirates here and there Kip. They should have jumped all over him early in the game. But they let him get through that and he just kept getting better and better til they took him out. Geez!

So goes the roller coaster ride this season has brought. Not many ups, the 5 game streak was one and I really can't think of others. There's still hope for next year. There's always hope. Maybe they'll have another winning streak. They better. That disappointing number 82 in the loss column is creaping up.

17-0

I don't remember before this year how much talk there was about the 3rd preseason game being the most important and how they gameplan and all, but this year that is all the talk. It probably has been previous years too, but it just seems the discussion has been more than usual.

The Steelers seem to be clicking right now. Roethlisberger took a week off from preseason games and it didn't seem to affect his performance going 15 of 19

SALEMPIRATE

Thanks for your comment SalemPirate. You were absolutely right. The Pirates record on the road has been horrible this year and that continued to show in Milwaukee. 3 losses in a row with not much of a fight put up. Unfortunate that they can't end that losing streak in Milwaukee. They were playing so well in Pittsburgh. I thought for sure they'd could pull out 1.

Poll Results - When will Pirates win?

The results are in and by a margin of 2 to 1 voters expect the next winning season for the Pirates in 2012, coming in a close 2nd was 2011. I myself hope they keep this recent winning trend up and win 82 in 2010. Let's go Bucs!

Stay Tuned for the next poll

2 of 3

The Pirates had to fight to the end of all 3 games but they took 2 of 3 from the World Series Champs. The Legend came through again with a 2, yes 2, run Home Run in the eighth inning to take the lead and from the Matt Capps sealed the deal in the ninth. Remember my article about gel. There's more and more proof of that each day of these guys gelling as a team.

Let's see what they can do on the upcoming 7 game road trip. Let's take at least 4 of these games.

There's the little matter of another losing streak that they need to take care of in Milwaukee. 18 games to be exact. It would be nice to put an end to that and get it behind us. No reason it should continue with the Buccos as hot and in sync as they are.

DEFENSIVE LINE

As discussed in my teaser article earlier today, it looks like the Steelers made a wise choice with their first round draft choice this year with Ziggy Hood. Of course preseason stats don't accurately tell the story of how a player will do during actual games against other team's starters but there is a reason for preseason games other than giving more revenue to the teams. It is to evaluate the new players to see if they measure up. As I said Ziggy seems to be measuring up. He has been providing pressure on opposing QBs in these first two games and that is great to see. The other good news is that the Steelers did not lose any of their starters, so the line remains intact and unless Ziggy blows them away he will not be taking any of their positions this year, but providing much needed quality depth as these guys are getting up there.

The starters
Aaron Smith: When he went down the year after the Super Bowl the Steelers defense had quite a bit of trouble stopping the run. He should have been making the Pro Bowl every year for the last 4 or 5 years, but the end is not the focal point in this defense and it's not their job to get the sacks, but he's provided plenty of pressure on QBs and is the reason the defense was No. 1 for most of the year last year against the run.

Casey Hampton/Chris Hoke: The 2 headed monster. Hampton plays the running downs and takes up double teams while the linebackers rack up the sacks. Best run stopping Nose Tackle in the game, he is a free agent after this year and the Steelers need to resign him if there's any money left. Chris Hoke is the prime example of unselfishness. He has been on this team for 9 years and could have gone to other teams and started for most of them. He is a quality 1B player. He comes in on passing downs and provides a little more mobility for the defense. There is very little dropoff from Hampton.

Brett Keisel: took over a few years ago and Kimo VO left via free agency. He is just as important as the other 2 guys and it looked like early in his years with the Steelers he would provide some sacks. He has one occasionally but he's mostly another run stuffer.

The backups:
If Ziggy continues to play well I would expect him to be the number 1 or 2 backup, but the coaches could have different ideas. They might want him to watch and learn for a while.

Travis Kirschke will continue to back up Aaron Smith but this is his 13th year.

Scott Paxson in his 2nd year out of Penn State will be the number 3 Nose Tackle if they keep 3. If not he'll probably end up on the practice squad or be one of those guys that gets signed, released and resigned. Hopefully the other 2 will stay healthy and he won't be needed.

Nick Eason will back up Brett Keisel. He is in his 7th year out of Clemson.

Steve McLendon, a free agent, and Ra'Shon Harris, their 6th rounder will fight it out for any remaining positions on the D Line. Expect them to Keep Harris as a project.

All in all these guys are the best 3-4 defensive linemen in the NFL. But they need some youth. That's where Ziggy comes in.

Look for the next poll question: How many sacks will Ziggy have?


Next up: Special teams