1. Larry Fitzgerald vs. The Steelers Secondary Above all else, Fitzgerald is the reason that the Cardinals are in the Super Bowl this season. He has been basically unstoppable as he torched defense after defense during the playoffs. If the Cards are going to win this game it will be because of Larry's incredible abilities. So naturally, he is priority numero uno for the Steelers spectacular defense. I expect to see a fair amount of Ike Taylor going against Fitz, but even with the Steelers top corner shadowing Larry, I still think we'll see double coverage for much of the day. Also, the Steelers often go to something of a zone when they blitz heavy, as most teams do, but against Fitz, we've seen all postseason you absolutely, positively cannot go zone. It will be interesting to see how Dick LeBeau plays against this unbelievable talent.
2. Ben Roethlisberger vs. The Cardinals Pass Rush The Cards defense has really stepped up their game the past few weeks. Because of this, Big Ben is going to need to play mistake-free ball and neutralize their superb playmakers. Roethlisberger has been excellent at that for the past several games, but every Steeler fan has seen how nasty things can get when Ben starts struggling and trying to do too much. Roethlisberger is one of the most unique QB's in football and his way of fending off blitzers and keeping plays alive can alter games in both extremely positive and negative ways. Its probably a pretty fair bet that we will see at least instance of each in this game. Just how positive and negative those plays are will go a long toward determining this puppy. 3. James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley vs. The Cardinals O-Line One of these days the refs may start calling more of the dozens of holdings of James Harrison that occur every single freaking game. It's absolutely insane the way he is blatantly held, and with the Cardinals mediocre tackles I expect that trend to continue, and if we even get one holding call our way I will be pleased. Even with the holding and the double teams Harrison often seems to rise to the occasion and there is certainly no bigger occasion that this one. I have a hard time imagining him not producing at least a couple big time plays.
4. Dick LeBeau and Mike Tomlin vs. Ken Whisenhunt and Todd Haley This is sort of a poetic type matchup. Tomlin, of course, is a defensive coach and the best coach on his staff is the defensive coordinator. Whiz, as we all know, is an offensive master and his top lieutenant is the very promising Haley. And not coincidentally, these are the top units for the respective squads. As we always saw in the Burgh, Whiz loves to throw out trick plays in big games, and I fully expect to see something crazy in this game. How LeBeau and company handle any gadgers will be a key to success for both squads. And all this is even without discussing the incredibly intimate knowledge that Whiz and LeBeau have of each other's schemes. It's safe to say that's going to be a huge factor, too.
5. Kurt Warner vs. Troy Polamalu On one side we have one of the most experienced, most intelligent, and right now, one of the best quarterbacks in football. On the other hand there is the most disruptive defender in football who doubles as quite possibly the single most athletic player in the league as well. Should be a truly fascinating matchup. Warner is one of the few QB's who might (and I stress might) be able to neutralize or maybe even take advantage of Polamalu's play. I certainly don't think that Troy will be able to wreak havoc all day long, but the key will be whether or not he's able to make a few monster plays (like the INT or the 4th down line jump against Baltimore) that alter this game.
Here we are folks, just 9 days away from Super Bowl XLIII, and because there is already a crazy amount of coverage out there, and not a whole lot else is happening right now in the sports world these days, I thought I'd link to some of the better/more interesting coverage around.
-The Arizona Republic says the Cardinals D knows its up against a major challenge when they took on our own Big Ben Roethlisberger next weekend. I about soiled myself with laughter when I read the line about the Cards using Brian St. Pierre to simulate Ben. Uhmm... yeah I think that's just a bit off. I watched St. Pierre stink the joint out in too many exhibitions over the years. If thats their best bet for prepping for Roethlisberger, I like our chances a whole lot more than originally.
-The National Football Post doesn't seem to think there are many storylines in the Super Bowl. I guess the numerous Pittsburgh connections and the Tomlin/Whiz/Grimm storyline isn't appetizing enough for them. I tend to agree, but it's still early, and storylines can still emerge.
-The Post also examines a little bit of the long-rumored Roethlisberger/ Whisenhunt feud. I must say, I'm a little surprised this hasn't gotten more play, as it is definitely a pretty good storyline and is interesting, at least to me.
-Bodog provides a list of some of the prop bets for the Super Bowl. Always a fun thing to read and think over. I definitely like the over on the "Big Ben" bet. I don't think 5 is enough. As for which NBC show will get the most promos, I think it has to be "30 Rock" right? Everyone knows how much that network is in love with Tina Fey and her award-winning, yet under-watched TV show. I think Jay Leno has a chance, too, and I disagree with their bet that "The Office" is the favorite. Though I think there's a chance 30 Rock and The Office could be paired together in promos.
-We're the Greatest! At least according to Page 2's David Fleming, we are. And by we, I of course mean the Steelers. The greatest franchise in sports, folks, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Also, some good observations at the bottom about the Steelers. I especially liked the second one, involving LaMarr Woodley and his psychotic look last week.
-Scouts Inc. ranks the players in the Super Bowl. I disagree with a fair amount of this assessment, but its at least worth a read. I think sometimes the numbers guys get a bit too into the numbers and aren't able to incorporate non-quantifiable aspects into their calculations. I do agree with their top 3, though after that it gets a bit murky. How can an injured and cancerous player like Anquan Boldin be considered the 6th best player in this game?
-NFL.com breaks down who's better position-by-position. The Steelers get the overall edge in this matchup, though its very slight.
-Limas Sweed is eager to get another shot and thinks that he can come through this time for the Steelers, he just hopes to get a shot. Limas, no offense buddy. I mean I like you and think you can definitely turn into a half-decent receiver, but will be praying you don't see the field in the Super Bowl. I just can't possibly trust you.
-ESPN tries to get a story on Chuck Noll, the man who is most responsible for turning the Steelers into THE NFL franchise of all NFL franchises. Not a bad one, but the man still likes his privacy and probably just wants to be left alone.
-The Terrible Blog looks at the weird complaints Steelers fans seem to have of Ben Roethlisberger. I don't know that I would use the word hate like he does, but I do agree that the constant bitching about Ben has to end. It all seems to go back to the fact that he is far from a prototypical NFL QB. But you know what? That's fine with me. I mean, it's one thing to yell at your TV in the middle of the game because he held onto the ball too long or because he took another hit in the pocket or something like that, I mean everyone does that no matter who the player is. But the crazy, yapping yinzers who call up talk shows (though not now that the Steelers are in XLIII, of course) are just downright annoying. Ben is very, very effective at what he does even if it isn't always the prettiest or most normal way of doing it. Winning is winning, and that's what should always be most important to us.
-Peter King examines the Sean Morey angle for this Super Bowl. King is right when he says, "Rarely do you hear a player so affectionate for a team he left." Morey truely loved his time in Pittsburgh, and I wouldn't have minded seeing him hang around here a while longer to ply his trade, but I'd say things worked out pretty well this way, too.
As promised, some thoughts and links from what was essentially a no-holds-barred, steel cage match last night on the frozen tundra of Heinz Field.
Some Links: -ESPN is doing an all-day chat thing over at their site. Not worth reading up on all the different parts of the chat, as it would take all day, but it's worth it if you have a few interesting questions you'd like the "experts" at the WWL to answer.
-The Professor, John Clayton, puts together the big questions of this Super Bowl for right now. As always, its good stuff by Clayton.
-James Walker tells the critics of Ben Roethlisberger to shut their collective yaps. And yes, that includes the many yinzers who spent large portions of this season screaming at him to get rid of the ball. Does he drive people (including myself) crazy at times? Absolutely. But this is who he is, and the best one-word description of him as a football player is: Winner. And that's fine by me. Peyton and Tom can have their records, I'll take Roethlisberger any day of the week.
-Peter King's MMQB, a must-read no matter what football team you like, spends a good deal of the column discussing the Steelers-Ravens game.
-As always, Mondesi's House does a great job breaking down the game.
-Gene Collier writes about Heinz Field no longer be an AFC Championship curse. This had definitely gone through my mind more than once before the game, but it's a different situation with our new coach, Mike Tomlin, I suppose. Ron Cook says that, despite the stats that claim otherwise, the title of best defense in football was on the line last night, and the Steelers proved once and for all they are the best D in the league.
Random Thoughts -I don't think I have ever seen a more physical game with players who just no regard whatsoever for their own personal well-being. Just ridiculous. Thank god they give the teams a bye week before the Super Bowl, because there is no way this Steeler team would be ready if they had to play again in six days. I mean, Ryan Clark's entire body probably feels like he was in a severe traffic accident yesterday, Hines Ward probably can't do much more than jog, Mewelde Moore is iffy and anything that hurts his quickness pretty much negates any value he has, the offensive and defensive lines were hitting all day long, and of course, Ben Roethlisberger took his usual lumps, including what I thought was a definite late hit from Haruki Nakamura that I couldn't believe wasn't flagged.
-I liked that Bruce Arians tried very hard to establish the run early on, but I thought that he stuck to it a little too long. Parker was unable to get anything going against that stout Baltimore defense, and I think we would have been better served giving Mewelde a few more snaps early in the game and sending a few short passes his way. Worst case they are equally as effective, getting 2 or 3 yards a pop, and best case Mewelde catches one in some space and is able to make a play or two.
-Ben Roethlisberger just does it. That's all there is too it. He wins games, he plays smart when he has to, and he's going to his second Super Bowl with a 7-2 playoff record at the age of 26. Just an amazing job yet again by our franchise QB. Right now, I'd take him ahead of any QB in football, and I really mean that. Think about it: Who knows what is going to happen with Tom Brady's knee? He may never be the same. Peyton Manning came on real strong at the end of the season, but Ben has already had much more postseason success than Manning and doesn't require 30+ passes per game to get in a rhythm at the end of a game like Peyton. Phillip Rivers put together a great season, but has leadership and character issues and his game record pales in comparison. Eli looked a little too much like the old Eli down the stretch, and I'm still not sold on him. Kurt Warner, in my opinion, has been the beneficiary of having two of the best receiving corps in recent NFL history at his disposal with the current Zona group and the Greatest Show on Turf group with the Rams. Plus, he's old. Drew Brees can sling it as well as anyone, but I can't take him seriously until he picks up a few January W's. He can keep his 5000 yard, video-game offense season, thanks but no thanks. -Troy Polamalu vs. Ed Reed just got a whole lot more interesting. I know I said yesterday that I thought Reed was ahead of Polamalu as a safety and was one of the best in league history, but I found myself now thinking I may have underestimated our spectacular number 43. Polamalu was the best player on the field yesterday, while Reed pretty much disappeared for large chunks of the game. I guess that might have something to do with the play of the respective QB's, but I think this debate is very much alive and well.
-I don't know that I've ever seen a game quite like the one Limas Sweed had yesterday. Sweed, of course, was headed for infamy after dropping a sure-fire TD that Roethlisberger delivered precisely into his hands. He did end up hauling in a pair of passes by the end, and didn't make anymore awful mistakes. He also leveled a Hines Ward-esque block on unsuspecting Corey Ivy, knocking him clear into next week. Just a weird game for him, and I pray that Hines Ward is 100% healthy and that Limas doesn't have to set foot on the field against Arizona.
-Dick LeBeau continues to prove he's the best defensive coordinator in all of football. All we heard in the first two rounds and all through the regular season was that Joe Flacco was Joe Cool, that he was unflappable, and made plays in the biggest moments because you couldn't get into his head. Yeaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh so much for that thought process, eh? Flacco was definitely flappable yesterday and LeBeau flapped him again and again. Big sacks, two bad interceptions, the last one pretty much sealing the game for the Steelers. Don't get me wrong, I like Flacco a lot and think he could definitely develop into Roethlisberger Lite and be a very good QB in the NFL, but somehow everyone forgot that he didn't do anything against the Steelers in the regular season and is still a rookie QB in the playoffs. And LeBeau knew just how to rattle his cage.
-That said, I will be VERY interested to see LeBeau's game plan against the Cardinals and Kurt Warner. Warner is notoriously great at taking advantage of blitzing teams and getting the ball out in a hurry. That's not to say that I think LeBeau will abandon the blitz, as that would never happen in a billion years, but I do think some of the more exotic schemes, like bringing Polamalu and Timmons may be put on hold.
-I'm happy for the Cards and for Ken Whiz, Russ Grimm, Larry Fitz, and Gerry Hayes, but for the next 13 days, they are public enemy number 1 in my book. My old Larry Fitzgerald Pitt jersey? It's been removed from my closet where it sat next to the likes of Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, Sidney Crosby, and Willie Stargell and shoved underneath my bed where it won't see the light of day again until February 2nd. -Too many Super Bowls lately have come down to last minute scoring drives, and after watching Jeff Reed yesterday at the Heinz Field tundra, I have the fullest confidence in him to have a big game if necessary in Super Bowl XLIII.
-I was pleased, shocked, elated, and surprised to see the refs call a holding call yesterday in favor of James Harrison. Of course, he was held a minimum 15-20 times yesterday and only one was called, but at least its a start.
-Another nice day for the Steelers' secondary yesterday. Ike Taylor, Bryant McFadden, Deshea Townsend, and William Gay played extremely well from their cornerback spots, and I think it mostly goes without saying that Polamalu, Clark, and Ty Carter did a super job at safety. Just a great performance all around. And that is huge for the Steelers because the Cardinals offense will revolve around Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt Warner. If the Steelers can contain Fitz (there is no stopping the guy) the Cards offense is not going to be able to hang in the game.
-People have been talking a lot about the Whisenhunt connection and how it gives him an advantage because of how well he knows the Steelers personnel and all... but do you really think that doesn't go the other way, too? Mike Tomlin may not know Whiz, but Dick LeBeau worked against Whisenhunt's offense in practice countless times and, as Whisenhunt openly admits, LeBeau more than once helped him adjust to defensive schemes. Do we really think LeBeau doesn't know every wrinkle of Whiz's offense. And do we really think the Steelers aren't fully aware of countless Whisenhunt gadget plays. I see this intimate knowledge being a wash in the end.
-The Steelers O-Line had some issues with Baltimore pass rush and did take some penalties (looking squarely at Chris Kemoeautu and his incredibly stupid personal foul), but they handled that Ravens rush pretty darn well I thought. Sure they couldn't open up holes for an ant to even run through, but no one can do that against the Ravens. You can't blame them too much for that, and they managed to buy Ben at least some time. And the Cardinals D, however well they may be playing right now, is no Ravens squad.
-I expect to see another crowd heavy in Steelers support down in Tampa Bay. Florida has so many transplants or retirees from Pittsburgh it's downright absurd. This might be even more Steeler heavy than the Detroit Super Bowl XL crowd of 3 years ago. And considering the game is against the Cardinals, who probably have one of the least-established fan bases in the sport, and we could be looking at like a 85/15 or 90/10 split for this puppy. Tampa Bay will be turned into Terrible Towel city. Should be exciting.
After yet another too-close-for-comfort, gnawing-on-your-fingernails, edge-of-your seat game against the hated Baltimore Ravens, our beloved Pittsburgh Steelers are officially heading to Tampa Bay for Super Bowl XLIII to take on the Arizona (Pittsburgh West) Cardinals for the right to call themselves the World Champions. After spending the past couple years running amok in Oakland, I figured I'd put together a quick post here, followed by a full-on post at some point tomorrow.
It's a pretty safe bet that much will be made of the numerous Pittsburgh connections in this game, but none more so than the Ken Whisenhunt-Mike Tomlin dynamic. I'll take a little more of a look at this later on, but the subplots are so numerous that I'm having a hard time even coming up with an exact number right now (of course that could also be because I'm about 10 beers in right now, and working surprisingly efficiently I might add).
I'm not about to offer any analysis as its waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too early for that kind of talk and we have two weeks to dissect that. For now, just enjoy the thought of being AFC Champs and playing in yet another Super Bowl. As football fans, we are truely spoiled.
One final note before I part:Friends don't let friends buy AFC Championship gear. I never understood the point of this. I mean in two weeks, this stuff is obsolete because either A) The Steelers will have a sixth Super Bowl and will be pumping out more Super Bowl Champion gear than you could possibly imagine, or B) You'll be so pissed at losing that you won't want to ever remember being there and will likely ignite any AFC Championship gear you have. We're Steeler fans folks, we've been here too many times to waste our money on this kind of nonsense. Let the Cardinal fans eat this stuff up, we're too classy for it.
What do you get when you combine 5 hours of sleep, a nasty hangover, the number 1 basketball team in the NCAA, Steelers-Chargers, and the return of Jack Bauer? A Three River Sports running diary of course! What follows spans a hectic 13 1/2 hours for yours truly.
8:30 (beep, beep, Beep, Beep, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP...)"ugh, stupid alarm" (pressing sleep button) 8:37 (beep, beep, Beep, Beep, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP...) "NO! There is no way it's time to get up yet (pressing sleep button) 8:44 (beep, beep, Beep, Beep, BEEP, BEEP, BEEP...) "crap" I finally stumble out of bed cursing those extra drinks I insisted on last night at Peter's Pub. 8:46 Trying to shower myself awake 9:30 Only about 25% awake, I embark through the frigid Oakland weather up the large hill in front of the Petersen Events Center that feels roughly like Mount Everest right now. Why did I leave at 9:30 AM for a noon game you ask? Because these are the sacrifices necessary when you are a student fan on the number 1 basketball team in the land. If you don't get to the Pete a minimum 2 1/2 hours early for Big East games, you're seat in the Oakland Zoo just isn't good enough. Plus, it's sort of like a badge of honor. "Oh yeah, well I got up here at 9:30 and I was still a little bit drunk!" Damn I'm going to miss college. 10:20 They finally let us into the Zoo a little before the designated 10:30 time, and everyone rushes inside, only 100 minutes now until the game gets under way! It's always a little weird to look around the Zoo and see it about 80-90% full and see no more than a couple dozen people in the rest of the arena this early. 10:50 Me and my buddies spend the first half hour of the pre-game time discussing the Steelers-Chargers game at every single position. Yeah, we're kind of fans. We're getting a little tired of that discussion, and, distracted by the warming-up Panthers we decide to discuss how far we think each player on the Pitt roster will go with basketball 11:30 Our Consensus: Sam Young hangs around the NBA for about 6 or 7 years as a borderline rotation guy on bad teams or a 10th/ 11th man on good teams. DeJuan Blair has a 10+ year career and spends the majority of that time starting. We also decide he gets badly overpaid at least once in his career. He ends up being about a 15-and-8 guy for his career. Levance Fields goes the Jaron Brown/Julius Page/ Antonio Graves/ Carl Krauser route and plays in the CBA or something weird like that for a couple yers and eventually ends up coaching somewhere before long. Tyrell Biggs does similarly for a year or two and then leaves the sport behind. Jermaine Dixon is a D-Leaguer or something, partially because of name recognition, and kicks around Europe for a while. Gil Brown matures into a stud at Pitt and plays in the NBA, Brad Wanamaker becomes a better Antonio Graves and is a CBA/ D-League type player, as well. Nas Robinson turns into a good player and gets a brief shot at the NBA that doesn't last long. Ashton Gibbs is a CBAer, as is Tra Woodall. 11:47 HERE COME THE PANTHERS! 12:00 Tip-off gets under way with DeJuan losing the tip to a guy wearing a freaking Rip Hamilton schnozzo mask. 12:20 St. John's is a frisky bunch. DJ Kennedy is playing well. Pitt really isn't. Just a sloppy start to this one. 12:56 Halftime. Pitt pulled ahead 41-36 late in the first half. D.J. Kennedy is a hell of a player. I think he was fouled somewhere between 4 and 3,000 times in the first half. Like a poor man's poor man's poor man's Dwyane Wade. Why didn't Pitt go hard after this kid? DeJuan got in foul trouble with 4 minutes to go in the first half. No good Blair, we need you to be nice and available in the second half. Gil Brown, Sam Young not looking good at all. Jermaine Dixon had a decent half as did Levance. Should be an interesting second. Let's hope they remember they need to play defense. 1:19 Just got word from my buddy watching at home that I made an appearance on the tube. Bad-ass-ness. I freakin' love being in the Zoo. 1:30 Things looking much more comfortable, Pitt up double digits. DeJuan has taken control underneath, and I can't be positive, but there is at least a 10% chance that Juan Dixon stole his little bro's body for this game because Jermaine is lighting the stuff up out there.1:35 Forgot to mention, there are all sorts of recruits for the football squad hanging out here today. A few have come over, including QB Kolby Gray, who is not exactly an imposing figure, but at least he can't be any worse than Billy Stull right? I've got to say, Cam Saddler, if he doesn't recover from the torn ACL, has a serious future as a recruiter. He was encouraging the youngsters to come over to the Oakland Zoo and hang out with us and cheer and sign their name on the little white boards the Zoo guys bring along. Even the guys who haven't committed yet are over here basically saying their gonna be Panthers. This comes a year after Saddler helped us land his buddy Shayne Hale in an absolute coup. He just seems like a real cool guy. I wish I was good at football so he could recruit me. 2:05 Panthers win! 90-67 over the Johnnies, pulling away at the very end. Even Tiesi and Sean Brown make an appearance at the end of the game. Jermaine Dixon had a great game, as did Blair and Fieldsy. Sam I Am was okay, but it was obvious that the Storm game planned to keep him in check, so you've got to give him credit for that. 2:18 I finally get the heck out of the Pete. I mean I love that place and all, but it is freaking impossible to get out of there when a packed house attends a game and hardly anyone leaves early. I'm absolutely starving now, having overcoming my earlier nausea and nasty hangover. Time for a Wendy's run. 2:25 Turns out we weren't the only ones feeling some Wendy's. A minimum 15 consecutive people in front of us on the street turn in to Wendy's. I consider other alternatives, but I've already begun salivating over a Spicy Chicken sandwich and a chocolate frosty. 2:35 Mmmmm....Spicy Chicken...2:55 I'm finally back to my apartment with less than two hours until game time. I'm real tired all of a sudden. Thinking about a nap... 3:15 Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz 4:15 Woken up yet again by that damn alarm. Better get another shower before the game starts. 4:30 Heading over to my buddy's house for the game. Luckily he only lives about 2 minutes away. 4:45 HERE WE GO STEELERS HERE WE GO! clap clap4:50 Crap! Phil Rivers drills Vinny Jackson for a touchdown. Jackson celebrates by pretending to walk a straight line, then falling off like he's drunk. Just kidding. But how funny would that have been? I'd be laughing even if the Bolts go on to win this thing 70-0. Anywho, the Bolts are off to a cookin' start, 7-0. Our D was having some serious struggles on that one. Bad news bears. 4:56 Steelers going for it on fourth down?!?! Really Mike Tomlin? One of my buddies, who is no Mike Tomlin fan, is quickly irritated and says Tomlin doesn't know how to coach in the playoffs. But Wait! Big Ben with the quick kick! My buddy quickly sits down and doesn't say anything more. That was a bold strategy Cotton, definitely paid off though, as its downed at the 9. Okay Mikey Thomlin, I'm with you on that one. I like the creativity, anyway. Plus, anything that keeps Mitch Berger off the field can't be all bad. 5:09 SANTONIO! Our beleaguered wide receiver HOUSES a punt return from the Mike "Jesus Christ" Scifres. All week long I heard people yelping about Scifres being the ultimate difference maker for the Bolts, including Bill Simmons' ludicrous picking of the Chargers because of Scifres, yet no one mentioned that booming kicks that don't land near the goal line too often out-kick their coverage, which is exactly what happened now. Suck on that Sports Guy. 5:49 The aforementioned friend who doesn't like Tomlin is borderline homicidal right now after a bizarre fake punt that was so bad it looked like it was drawn up by Matt Cavanugh. That's just a ridiculous decision there considering how wonderful our D has been since the opening drive. This game has turned into a field-position battle, and this isn't helping us. 5:58 Field Goal Nate Kaeding. This one's on you Mike Tomlin. You'd best more than make up for it as the game progresses. 6:07 Steelers run a spectacular 2 minute drill with Willie Parker scooting in to the end zone from 3 yards out. Hines Ward made the critical play on this drive on a deep ball from Giant Ben.6:14 We are at the half. 14-10 Stillers. The Yinzers are loving it. Ben is showing almost no ill effects of that concussion, and is doing an excellent job of not risking mistakes or getting hit. The key has been Willie being incredibly effective running the football. And of course, the D has really clamped down after an unusually lackluster opening drive effort. Should be a heck of a second half. 6:34 The Steelers absolutely dominate the opening drive, holding the ball for nearly 8 minutes to start the third quarter. Ben hits Heath for 8 yards for a score. That was old school, Bill Cowher era clock control. Nice mixture of runs and passes on the drive, with Heath being a popular target at thend of the drive. That was a statement drive. 21-10 Steelers. 6:41 After a long kick runback, the Chargers run exactly 1 (one) offensive play and it is... INTERCEPTED by Larry Foote, who apparently stole it from James Harrison on the ground. That was HUGE! 6:45 No Brain Norv spends his last challenge despite absolutely no evidence that the pick was even remotely in doubt. 6:46 AHHH! Ben just made me nearly soil myself throwing a crazy block on a Santonio Holmes end around. Listen, Ben, the extra couple yards gained by you throwing that block wasn't even remotely worth the injury risk. Thankfully he's okay. And by the way... it was a SICK block for what it's worth. 6:52 Holy friggin crap! Mitch Berger's punt smacks off the top of some Chargers doofus and is piicked up by William Gay and run into the end zone! Of course, you can't advance a muff in what is a truly strange rule, but still, the Steelers get the ball on what was basically a long offensive play downfield. Crazy day, eh? Ben knocking a punt inside the 10, Mitch Berger turning into an offensive weapon and Ryan Clark taking the snap on a punt. Just weird all around, but the Steelers have a chance to put this game almost on ice here. 7:01 Fourth and goal at the 6 inch line, and the play goes to... Carey Davis?!? He would have been my 8th guess. It goes mostly without saying this didn't work. The Bolts take over. Let's hope for some more Jimmy Harrison end zone magic. 7:08 The Steelers get the ball back with great field position and march down the field thanks to an Eric Weddle PI call. I think that was the same guy who Pele'd that punt to William Gay before. I think he may have money on the Steelers. Ball at the 1 and... Gary Russell into the end zone! Touchdown! 7:24 Chargers strike back for a touchdown, 28-17. This sucker isn't over yet folks. Hold on! 7:41 Okay NOW it's over. Slick Willie caps off a fantastic day by housing a 16 yard run. 35-17 Men of Steel. Okay, this puppy IS over. 7:58 Let's call it a day. 35-17 Steelers win. And with just 2 minutes to spare until the return of the one, the only, the immortal Jack Bauer! 8:00 Beep...Beep...Beep...BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP. (Nothing sends chills through my spine like the "24" clock). Jack's Back! I'm not going to blog this because, well, it just means too much to me to be distracted. If you want a blog for 24, go here. 10:00 That was so good I think I might smoke a cigarette. Good night all.
As we all knew they would, the Steelers more than took care of business against the unbelievably bad Browns, more than embarassing their division "rivals." Yet right now, it's very difficult to feel even the least bit positive about what took place on the North Side earlier today, thanks entirely to the loss of our franchise quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, to an apparent head injury that is being reported as a concussion. I mean, just look at that photo above without throwing up a little bit. I dare you.
The hot topic all week long in the Burgh was Mike Tomlin's decision to play his starters for the early portion of this game even though the Steelers had nothing to play for, and be quite certain the hot topic this coming week will be the results of this decision. Seeing Big Ben being carted off the field on a freakin' stretcher surely had many a Yinzer cursing Mike Tomlin's name, but hindsight is always 20/20. Personally, I am of the belief that Roethlisberger should have been taken out of the game after 2 or 3 drives, just enough to keep him fresh, but I have trouble faulting Tomlin too much for this decision. Yes it sucks, especially if the Steelers lose Roethlisberger for the playoffs, but the Steelers couldn't afford to not play Ben and the other starters at all, as that has backfired far too many times in the past several years on teams who behaved similarly.
If you want to yell at Tomlin and the Steelers coaching staff, do so because they have failed to make any progress whatsoever with this O-Line this season, leading to an almost inevitable Roethlisberger injury. I mean, Max Starks, who wasn't even a starter at season's beginning, is far and away the best lineman on the team right now, and I would only give him about a B- for his work. (In case you're wondering, my other grades are: D- for Willie Colon, D for Darnell Stapleton, C+ for Justin Hartwig, C for Chris Kemoeatu, and an I (incomplete) for Marvel Smith)
If it comes out in the next two weeks that Roethlisberger is out for the team's second round playoff game, the Steelers chances are diminished to just about zilch. Look, I think Byron Leftwich is a very nice backup QB, but if he has to play the Dolphins or the Colts or the Patriots or the Ravens, I'd expect Bruce Gradkowski type numbers out of him. He's just not a playoff-caliber starter, especially for a team he's sparingly played for this season. So, while it may no longer be Christmas, I think Steeler fans everywhere need to make a belated Christmas wish to Santa Claus, that Ben Roethlisberger is healthy and ready to roll when the Steelers take the field in two weeks at Heinz Field.
As far as the game goes, I really don't think there's a ton that we can take from the results of this game. Yes, it was good to see Willie Parker actually show he still has a pulse, and I was happy for Hines to get not only another 1000 yard receiving season but also his 800th career catch, and I was definitely pleased to see the D baring their teeth again after a disappointing performance last week against Tennessee, but everything needs to be taken with a grain of salt. After all, this was the Browns we were playing, and they barely qualify as an NFL team anymore, especially when about 40 of their players have quite obviously quit on the team, as happened today.
The bottom line is that the Steelers chances, like they always have, will rest on a combination of their matchups, the level of excellence the D reaches, and the play of their QB. Only now, that final factor has a little bit of a twist throw into it.
One of the NFL's best rivalries of the last decade gets its latest chapter written today, and no I'm not talking about that Seattle/ St. Louis clash of the titans. Of course, it's the Steelers/ Ravens, a game always filled with lots of trash talking, hard-hitting, defense, running plays, sacks, turnovers, and this year, bounties.
-Expect the spotlight to be on the one and only Hines Ward most of the day, as you know he'll be doing his best to level a bone-jarring block or draw a dumb penalty from whoever today's Jarrett Johnson is. And you also know that, as much as the Ravens may claim they aren't looking for a revenge shot on Hines, Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and whoever else would love nothing more than to knock him into next week.
-Lots of worries and concerns from all over Steeler Nation about the little divide that has emerged between Fast Willie and our beloved Head Coach Mike Tomlin. The thing I'm not sure Willie understands here is that, if the Steelers had a consistently productive back who could be counted on to move the ball late in games, I'm sure Tomlin and Bruce Arians would be falling all over themselves to use it a lot late in games. Unfortunately, our running backs have been nothing short of inept the past few weeks, and being that they are playing a team today that has almost always shut down the Steelers' backs in the past, I don't think we will see a heavy dose of the Parker/Moore/Russell trio. In a late season, frozen game like this one, with Parker still clearly not 100% against a very hungry and dangerous defense, this reeks of one of those games where Parker has about 25 yards on 14 carries midway through the third quarter. Anyway, I guess my point is this: someone needs to tell Willie that if he stepped up more consistently and played like he did for the better part of the last three seasons, be quite certain the Steelers would be feeding him the ball 20+ times a week.
-It's crazy that in all likelihood neither Troy Polamalu nor James Harrison will wind up with the Defensive Player of the Year, when really I think they should be finishing 1-2 in that voting. They will most likely take votes away from each other, because just when you think you've figured out which one is more important to the Steelers D, the other one goes and makes a game-changing play. For my money, even though I campaigned for Harrison for MVP earlier this year, Polamalu is the guy right now, though that could change if Harrison single-handedly destroys the Birdies like he did last season. Harrison may have more plays on the stat sheet and is a force of nature coming off that line of scrimmage, but Polamalu has been the best player in football the last several weeks, and continues to re-define the safety position as we know it.
-In case you weren't aware, this is a matchup of the top two defenses in football, which means this could be one of those games where first team to 14 wins or something like that.
-While Joe Flacco was certainly nothing special in their first meeting, I was impressed by his poise and think he definitely showed all the reasons why he was highly touted coming out of Delaware. I think he will develop into a nice QB down the line, and I will be very interested to see how he fares today with some game experience against this ferocious defense in a late-season, incredibly important ballgame. And of course, every time I see his name, I curse Walt Harris and the early Dave Wannstedt for allowing this kid to leave Pitt so they could instead start the great Tyler Palko and then suffer through last season, what would have been Flacco's senior season, with the sinfully bad Pat Bostick/ Kevan Smith/ Bill Stull trio of quarterbacks.
-As always against the Ravens when Ben Roethlisberger's involved, I expect to see them get to our beloved number 7 a decent amount, and I can pretty much guarantee he'll drive Steeler fans to scream at their TV at least 2 or 3 times: "Get rid of it Ben!" as he scrambles around with 4 Ravens chasing him down before heaving one downfield to a covered receiver. But hey, if you are expecting him to change at this point in his career after all his successes, then you clearly aren't familiar with the man.
-Harrison, Polamalu, Woodley, Farrior, Reed, Lewis, Suggs, Scott. Some of the best defenders in football go toe-to-toe today, and though the offenses will certainly have something to say about this one, I think one of the two defenses ends up taking a turnover back for 6, and I'll be hoping it's the black-and-gold. My bet is Steelers 17 Ravens 13.
That wraps things up for me, I'll leave you with this:
If you didn't check out my Steelers live blog, take a look below, and you'll notice one of the things that I focus the most on is Mitch Berger's devastatingly awful night. I mean he was a legitimate handicap for the team, and when Al Michaels dropped that little bomb on us about him having "two bad hamstrings" I about fell over.
I mean, two bad hamstrings? Really? How can you punt if you have two bad hammys? I pulled my hamstring a couple years ago playing baseball and I could barely walk off the field after it happened it was difficult. You can barely even straighten your leg out. How the heck could this guy have been punting?
Well, apparently, Mike Tomlin, a week after the snapper disaster, decided the Steelers had enough special teams adventures for one season, and gave the aging Berger the boot and brought back Paul Ermster.
Ermster, you'll remember, was with the team after Daniel Sepulveda went down, and was actually the likely choice until Berger came on strong at the end. Ermster didn't look great in the pre-season, and was pretty inconsistent, but I didn't hate what I saw from him, and he'll be an upgrade over a legless Berger, that's for sure.
1. Larry Fitzgerald vs. The Steelers Secondary
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