Sano Update

I was just wondering what Miguel Angel Sano was doing since the Pirates lost out on his services to the Twins. He played in the Dominican Summer League in 2009 and managed to hit the first pitch he saw for a home run then managed to dominate the rest of the season. He moved up to the rookie league and struggled a bit, but he was 17 and 3 years younger than most of the other players. Hopefully the Pirates did not blow the chance of getting the next Roberto. We will see.

30 Greatest Steelers

I'm going to put together an article about the 30 greatest Steelers of all time, but I'm not going to decide on my own who they are. I want you to help me. please send emails to jerrysteege@gmail.com to comment on who you think the greatest steelers are.

A Bad Week and Other News

It was not bad enough that the Steelers didn't win the Super Bowl, but then Pittsburgh lost one of it's great managers.

I'll return to the Super Bowl in another article, needless to say it was turnovers that lost the game for the Steelers, but I want to focus on one of Pittsburgh Sports Buzz's favorite managers.

My family was visiting some friends in Virginia during the 1979 World Series. They were big Baltimore Orioles fans. I remember the TV, which was black and white and on a rolling stand. During the games they would pull it out of the corner and put it in the middle of the room. I remember all the great players, Willie Stargell, Bill Madlock, Dave Parker, Omar Moreno, Phil Garner, Bill Robinson, Mike Easler, Manny Sanguillen, Kent Tekulve, Bert Blyleven, John Candelaria, Rick Rhoden.

Then I remember the man that was able to put together all of those players into a championship team. I'll always be a great fan of Chuck Tanner for this one great season. Maybe overshadowed a little by another Chuck coaching the Pittsburgh Football team at the time, he turned me into a baseball fan and a lifelong Pirates fan. I don't know how much he had to do with Willie Stargell having a monster series, but that was not all that went into the Pirates winning that series. Down 3-1 in the series and coming back to win the last 3 was a great feat, plus the last 2 games were in Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. I just hope Pittsburgh will once again find a manager that is able to put it together again like Chuck Tanner. I'm sure he will be missed in Spring Training this year.

LaMarr Woodley designated
With all the unrest in the collective bargaining agreement between ownership and the players, Pittsburgh Sports Buzz was a little concerned about how the LaMarr Woodley situation would turn out. The Steelers laid that to rest this week and designated Woodley with the franchise tag. Most players don't care for this because it keeps them from signing a big multiyear contract with a big signing bonus. But, for Woodley it will give him a huge payday this year. With his talent and when the collective bargaining agreement is straightened out he'll sign his long term contract. He's too good to let go, right?

DIFFERENCE MAKERS

WOW! Gameday. I've heard it all these last 2 weeks. I find it hard to believe that the Steelers blood is not boiling if they've been watching TV at all. Charles Woodson will be the difference maker, Clay Mathews will be the difference maker, or Aaron Rodgers. Ok, those are two guys amongst the Packers.

The Steelers have difference makers up and down their lineup. They have shown that they can make the plays in the big games and they will do it again today. So much so that I need to break it down by Offense and Defense, not just 3 guys.
Let's check it out
Offense
Ben Roethlisberger
He has made his share of mistakes off the field, but on the field he does nothing but make great plays and win games. He has a 10-2 playoff record, with 2 Super Bowl wins. How many other active QBs have won 2 Super Bowls. One, and his team got beat by the Jets this year in the playoffs. The last time the Steelers were in the Super Bowl Ben threw one of the best passes in Super Bowl history to Santonio Holmes in the back corner of the endzone in a game winning drive with minutes left. In Super Bowl XL, everyone says he had one of the worst performances by a QB in Super Bowl history. That was a QB who had taken his team to a Super Bowl in his second year after taking them to the AFC Championship game in his first year. Gee, he can't be that good, AFC Championship game first year, Super Bowl second year. Yeah, not too good. Oh, and that Super Bowl in Detroit that he played so badly in, on one play he scrambled all over the place and managed to find Hines Ward near the goal line to set up a touchdown. Difference Maker.

Hines Ward
The leading receiver in Steelers history. Oh, yeah, um, he holds most of the receiving records in Steelers history. Did I mention that he's broken most of all the records of that Steelers receiving tandem... what were their names? That's right I think they were named Swann and Stallworth. He also caught that pass mentioned above from Ben along with, amongst others, from one of his fellow receivers Antwaan Randle El. Along with the 2 Lombardi trophies he's helped win, he has a Super Bowl MVP trophy. Throw him a ball in a clutch situation and he will catch it. Need him to get open in a clutch situation and he'll find a space in the defense and be open. One other thing, find a receiver that blocks better than this one and opens holes for his teammates. Difference Maker.

Heath Miller
Somehow he manages to stay below the radar of all the media. He gets nowhere near the recognition he could get if he played on another team that featured him. He could be the featured receiver on most teams in the NFL. He is a complete Tight End. He will stay back and block or he will catch the big time passes. He missed the first game with Baltimore this year and like would have been the Difference Maker.

Rashard Mendenhall
Early in the season the Steelers played what would end up to be one of the best teams in the NFC, the Atlanta Falcons. The game was tied in regulation and went to overtime. On the first play of overtime Mendenhall put the game away with a 50 yard TD run. Mendenhall helped this team to a 3-1 start in the absence of Ben and achieved another 1,000 yard season. He was given the ball early and often against the Jets in the AFC championship game which helped the Steelers control the time of possession, especially in the first quarter. Difference Maker.

Mike Wallace
The Steelers have one of the fastest players in football on their team. He has smoked many defenses this year and has a ridiculous yards per catch average and has become a complete receiver in his second year. Last year in the game against the Packers he caught a ball with no time left and put two feet down inside the line to secure a victory. Difference Maker.

The Steelers have two rookie wide receivers that have battled each other for much of the season to be active players each week. Both have made some spectacular plays when they have gotten into games. Let's just sum it up with this, 3rd and long, long, long. The Jets are expecting a long pass, the Steelers aren't hiding anything. Antonio Brown beats the secondary, Ben throws a perfect pass and the result first down inside the five. Difference Maker, Rookie Difference Maker at that.

Defense
Troy Polamalu
Defensive player of the year, specializes in speed, tomahawk chopping the ball out of quarterbacks hands, big plays, and flying tackles. 'Nuff said.
Difference Maker.

James Harrison
Super Bowl XLIII, right before halftime. Harrison was supposed to perform his normal role of pursuing the quarterback. Instead he went with his instincts and dropped into coverage to cover the quick slant route. 100 yards, a couple player hurdles, a couple tacklers shrugged off he falls into the endzone. The outcome could have been quite different if the Cardinals scored even a field goal there. Difference Maker.

LaMarr Woodley
Woodley is a great player during the regular season, but he takes it up a notch. He has had a sack in every playoff game he has been in. In Super Bowl XLIII as the Cardinals were driving to try to take the lead with seconds left. Warner dropped back to pass and Woodley swooped in to knock the ball out of his hands. It was recovered by the Steelers, game over. Difference Maker.

Casey Hampton
The Steelers held their opponents to the 3rd best rushing yards per game in the Super Bowl era this season. One reason for that was the mountain of a man, not to be confused with Mountain man Brett Keisel, although he was a huge reason for the rushing defense success, but I'm talking about Casey Hampton. Hampton has been the immovable force in the middle of the Steelers Line since he was drafted out of the University of Texas. He plugs the middle to prevent any running back from getting past the line, and on occasion when he gets mad, he'll come up with a big sack, not to be confused with his nickname, big snack. Difference Maker.

Ryan Clark
The Ravens start the second half of the AFC playoffs in control of the game. Ray Rice catches a screen and starts up the middle. A player comes in from the side, makes a flying tackle and punches the ball out of Rice's hand. Fumble recovered by the Steelers. Momentum swings the Steelers way. Later Flacco overthrows his receiver and a player comes over from the middle of the field to intercept. Ryan Clark comes up with 2 turnovers to turn the momentum in favor of the Steelers and lead them to the victory and a date for the AFC Championship game. Difference Maker.

These are the multitude of big time players the Steelers have. One of these guys will make a difference in this game.

By the way, I ran a scrimmage on Madden to determine the outcome of this game. I'm not the defensive coordinator that Dick Lebeau is, but the final score ended up being 106-14 Steelers, with

IT'S GAMEDAY AND TIME FOR THE AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

It's gameday and the Steelers are looking to go to the Super Bowl. Who stands in their way. The New York Jets. So, it's time to look at each team and compare them to see who has the advantage in this game.

OFFENSE

1. Quarterback
The Pittsburgh Sports Buzz has read all the lists of the different experts comparing the best quarterbacks in the league over the last few years. There is always the debate between Brady, Manning, Rivers and last year Drew Brees was added in there. At one point people even threw in Eli Manning. But of that crowd there is only 1 Quarterback that has won more than 1 Super Bowl, Brady. You have to take into account the big game when you are comparing QBs. There are two active QBs that have won 2 or more Super Bowls. One is Roethlisberger and one is Brady. Only one of those guys still has their team in the playoffs and we know who that is. Sanchez has been to the AFC championship game similar to Roethlisberger's first year. But has not shown the consistency of Roethlisberger.

Advantage: Steelers

2. Running Backs
The Steelers have relied on their work horse, Rashard Mendenhall, this season and he has provided a thousand yard season and also proved that the Steelers are able to punch it in from the one yard line. To provide a veteran presence behind Mendenhall is Mewelde Moore. A stable force that will come in when needed and spell Rashard. Mewelde can be a force as a pass catcher and rusher. A definite bonus to have around. Then there's Isaac Redman who had one big TD to help the Steelers win the AFC north and number 1 seed in the second Ravens matchup this season.
The Jets have relied on Ladainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene this year. Tomlinson was out to prove he could still be the number 1 back. Shonn Greene was the young guy. Both were relatively dependable and provided the biggest challenge the Steelers received against their rush defense. The Buzz thinks LT has put on quite a bit of mileage this year on his already overtaxed body.
Look for a big game from Mendenhall and keep the Jets off the field.
Advantage: The scales tip slightly toward the Steelers side

3. Wide Receivers
The Steelers have a great stable of Wide Receivers. They have the Veterans in Hines Ward and Antwaan Randle El and they have the young guns in Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, and Emmanual Sanders who have proven they belong in the NFL and have bright futures.
The Jets have Santonio Holmes, whose career path is well known amongst Steelers fans, including a Super Bowl MVP trophy. They have Braylon Edwards, Steeler hater, who has become a sometimes reliable receiver for the Jets, but also known for dropping passes. Then they have the Jericho Cotchery and Brad Smith. Santonio is the cream of that crop and most definitely a weapon. Braylon Edwards is a weapon, but inconsistent.
Advantage Steelers

4. Offensive Line
Although the Steelers have improved over the last part of the season on the line, they are still playing with 2 backups in Willie Colon and Jonathan Scott. Both teams strengths lie in the middle of their line because both have Pro Bowl Centers, Nick Mangold for the Jets and Maurkice Pouncey for the Steelers.

Advantage: Jets

DEFENSE

1. Defensive Line

The Steelers Defensive Line is built with a bunch of grizzled old veterans, one of which was replace by Ziggy Hood. That is still 3 out of 4 that have been through numerous battles and championship games. Ziggy Hood is no slouch himself. He has come into his own as a the left defensive end and continued the stellar play of the man he replaced midseason. Ziggy had a big sack on Joe Flacco in the last game. After Aaron Smith went down some were worried that the historic defense that was so stingy with the rushing game would spring a leak. But, the Steelers remained effective and allowed the third lowest rushing yards per game in the Super Bowl era.

The Jets also have a stingy Defensive Line, but it’s a comparison of apples and oranges when you’re talking about these two teams.

Advantage: Steelers

2. Linebackers

The linebacking corps of the Steelers is their strength. They provide the heat that keeps the quarterbacks honest. They are all good and I expect them to have their share of sacks today.

The Jets have a very good linebacking corps led by the transfer from the Ravens, Bart Scott, again the do not measure up to the Steelers group.

Advantage Steelers

3. Defensive Backs

The Steelers cornerbacks are adequate because of the strength of the rest of the defense. They are asked to not let the opponents receivers get behind them and they have done that quite well throughout the year. Bryant McFadden has been trying to overcome an injury during the last quarter of the year and will probably play as much as he can this game. Ike Taylor is a quality cornerback that never gets his due because of his lack of ability to make the easy interceptions. If you want to pick a cornerback to shut someone down don’t underestimate Taylor.

The Jets have two quality cornerbacks that make life difficult for their opponents. Revis is a shut down corner and Cromartie also can be very effective. Together they are a quality tandem.

Advantage Jets

4. Safeties

The Safety Position could easily be the difference in this game. The difference maker, Troy Polamalu is everywhere on the field. He’ll drop back into coverage, he’ll show drop back then blitz, he’ll provide run support, and he’ll fly over the offensive line and stop the quarterback or running back before they get started..

Ryan Clark single handedly forced 2 turnovers that led to 2 touchdowns in the Ravens game.

The Jets have 2 6 year men in Brodney Poole and Dwight Lowery who are quality players that play within the Jets system.

Troy Polamalu has been mentioned by many as the Defensive player of the year. He is the difference maker. He did not play in the first game this season and the outcome of that game could have been much different had he been there.

Advantage Steelers

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Jets Brad Smith returned the first kickoff of the first meeting of these teams for a touchdown and set the tone for the Jets to be competitive in the game.

The Steelers, despite having a new special teams coach, continue to struggle with their return defense. Another kickoff return in this game could be the difference. The Steelers have employed the squib kick recently which has held the kickoff returns down, but they might be smart to punt it out of bounds to avoid any chance of a return.

Antonio Brown started off strongly this year providing returns, but have not done anything dramatic recently.

Advantage: Jets

COACHING

Mike Tomlin has a Super Bowl trophy to his credit and an impressive defensive coach. Rex Ryan has two AFC championship game appearances in 2 years.

Advantage Steelers

The first game was decided on that first kickoff return. The quarterbacks both played well enough to win and the defenses were both as advertised. Here are the items that this game will revolve around.

1. Will Troy be the Difference Maker
2. Will the Steelers Special Teams be sufficient
3. Will Sanchez play well in frigid conditions
4. Can Ben find the open receivers against Revis and Cromartie

The game will be a close one but the Steelers will pull it out

24-20

What happened at halftime?

Did you wonder what happened at halftime. With the Steelers down 21 to 7 and the Ravens having the momentum by scoring 21 points I have to admit prospects were a bit bleak. But most of these guys had played on at least one Super Bowl winner and a lot had played on two.

Did coach Tomlin give a Knute Rockne speach and tell them to win one for the Gipper? According to most of the players the answer is no. Really, no rousing speech from the coach. The battle tested defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau must have willed his defense to make some big plays and Ryan Clark accepted the challenge forcing a fumble and intercepting a pass setting the offense that had turned the ball over twice up for two easy TDs. Not according to the players.

It must have been the two time starting Super Bowl Champion Quarterback. Where else would a team look but to it's starting Quarterback. Ben has had his problems off the field, but all he does is win big games and make big plays. Just ask anyone in the stadium last Sunday. Just ask a rookie receiver playing in his first playoff game. Just ask any of his teammates. Ben is just a winner. But, according to the team Ben did not will them to the Victory.

One of my theories is that the coaches did have a plan. Seeing as how the Ravens forced the Steelers to turn the ball over twice, the plan was to try to get them to turn the ball over wherever they had a chance. The Ravens had been on a tear forcing turnovers in the last several weeks, why not give them a taste of their own medicine and see what happened. The result was that Joe Flacco felt the wrath of the Steelers Defense and the noise of the crowd and was shaken. How else would you explain that perfect pass to Clark and the botched snap.

The other theory I have is that this team just plays for each other. They simply are an extremely cohesive unit. Each of them know what the other is doing. They will do anything to win. You need look no further than Doug Legursky. He is a man of many talents for this offense and each time someone on the line went down he came in to take their place. The guy plays center and anywhere else he's needed. He even lined up as tackle eligible. Geez, throw the guy a ball once to reward him. There's no doubt in my mind he'd catch it. I heard Ben talk about it one time. He said they throw it to him all the time in practice, but never in a game.

So, what happened in that locker room to turn the game around. The answer is not what, but who. The team is who. This team will not give up on their goal and on each other. Here we go.

Ravens Meltdown

The Pittsburgh Sports Buzz has heard the phrase over and over again. It was a tale of two halves. So I will not use that one. The Steelers just took it one half at a time and the strategy worked.

After the Ravens failed to score on the first possession of the game the Steelers methodically took it down the field, thanks in part to a lengthy pass interference call on the Ravens. Then Rashard Mendenhall took it in for a touchdown. That made the Steelers and their fans feel pretty good. But, anyone who has watched these 2 teams play knew that the game was far from over. Each of the 2 games in the regular season were decided in the fourth quarter and this game would be no different.

Anthony Madison returned the pass interference favor with a 33 yarder of his own and Ray Rice found a hole 13 yards out and the Ravens were back in the game and tied up at 7, then the drama began.

A penalty on a kickoff return backed the Steelers up near their goal line. Ben dropped back to pass and Terrell Suggs, ala James Harrison, tomahawked the ball as Ben was starting his motion. Hmm...., a ball on the ground and no whistle blown. The majority of the players on both sides stood and wondered why the referees did nothing until Cory Redding decided the ball was lonely and picked it up to take it home. Any number of players had their chance at it, but Redding took advantage of the misfortune of the Steelers and the Ravens took the lead.

Soon after that Ben handed off to Mendenhall for a short gain and another turnover. It didn't seem to be a hard hit but the ball was simply jostled out of Mendenhall's grip and the Ravens recovered. At this point, playoff games past started flashing through the PSB's memory.

Remember how the Steelers made a formerly unknown tight end for the Chargers an All Pro. Alfred Pupunu had an inauspicious career til one AFC Championship game where he could drop nothing and would not go down when he made those catches.

Luckily there was still one half to play and remember what I said, this game would not be be decided until the 4th quarter. After the fumble Flacco connected with Todd Heap on short TD pass and Mo was on the Ravens sideline taunting the Steelers.

The thing about it is the Ravens haven't had much luck getting past the Steelers in the playoffs. What was said in the locker room at halftime. Maybe coach Tomlin reminded them that this team has been to the playoffs, and they didn't need to panic. Maybe he didn't say anything. This is a veteran team and if they didn't know there were 2 halves in a game then why even go out for the second half. They didn't need to be reminded as evidenced by the second half.

They did not instill confidence back into the fans immediately in the second half. The initial drive fizzled and they gave it back to the Ravens. That's where the tide turned in this game. The sure handed, 405 carries without a fumble, Ray Rice didn't know what hit him. Rice broke free and that other Safety, Ryan Clark made a beeline toward him and punched the ball free from Rice. LaMarr Woodley recovered and Mo standing behind all the Ravens players took off his Ravens helmet and put on his Steelers helmet. Roethlisberger found a wide open Heath Miller in the back of the end zone and the Steelers closed the gap. The fans were back in it and the stadium was rockin'.

Any QB nicknamed "Joe Cool" would surely settle his teammates down and take control. "Joe Cool" promptly completed a pass to that other Safety, and the Steelers had the ball back. Ben found Mr. Reliable, Hines Ward, for the score and tie after the conversion by Suan Suishman. If you looked closely on the Ravens sideline after this score you might have seen Mo in full Steelers gear. The game was tied up and so was the turnovers.

Surely, "Joe Cool" could stem the tide and muster up something to get Mo back on his side, right? Wrong. Joe Cool became Joe Butterfingers when he couldn't even handle a snap from center. Brett Keisel corraled it and the ball was again the Steelers. Mo was rounding the endzone and headed for the Steelers sideline. Suan Suishman put a 35 yarder through the goal posts and the lead was back to the Steelers.

A couple of punts followed and a return for a TD nullified by a holding penalty on the Ravens. Flacco threw a pass to Anquan Boldin that bounced off his chest as if he were wearing armor and the Ravens settled for a field goal to tie the score.

If you were Dan Dierdorff you were thinking this could be the first overtime playoff game under the new NFL overtime rules. If you were the Pittsburgh Sports Buzz or a Steelers fan you were thinking this is where Ben puts the Ravens away. Ben gets sacked and it is 3rd and 19. A look at the Ravens sideline reveals overconfidence that they'll get the ball back. No way Ben will convert a 3rd and 19. Who's the target? Sure handed Hines Ward or Mike Wallace outrunning the defense. Streaking down the right sideline is Antonio Brown, Ben heaves it and Brown passes the defender, reaches up and pulls it in, the ball slips up the jersey but Brown pins it against his helmet controls it and goes out of bounds. After a pass and a few runs Mendenhall takes it in for a TD. A look at the Steelers sideline and Mo is standing beside Coach Tomlin giving him a big hug.

The Ravens make one last futile drive, but Mo has already chosen his team and the Steelers sack Flacco and Houshmanzadeh drops a pass on fourth down. It's over. The Steelers will play against the New York Jets next week in Hines' Field. "Classic" as Hines said.

The Ravens have