Year End Awards

The Steelers named their end of the year awards today and I figured I would highlight those for you.

The Mean Joe Greene Award given to the best rookie was awarded to Marcus Gilbert. Gilbert was a second round 63rd overall draft pick. He was called into action after Willie Colon went down for the second straight year with an injury. I can't argue with this selection as he has clearly separated himself from the six other rookies on the roster.

The Chief Award given to the most cooperative with the media was awarded to veteran James Farrior. Farrior has played for the Steelers since 2002 after being drafted by the Jets in the first round 8th overall in 1997. This is his second time winning the award, the last coming in 2009. Again, I can't argue too much but this award could have easily went to Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward or the always entertaining Ryan Clark.

The MVP given to the most valuable player by the players was awarded to Antonio Brown. Brown is one of the Steelers best late round draft choices ever as he was drafted in the sixth round 195th overall. He is second on the roster in all receiving categories grabbing 63 passes for 1,018 yards averaging 16.2 yards per catch with two touchdowns. You can't ever argue with this award as it is awarded to a player by the players.

So, with the Steeler awards announced I figured I would give out at steelerfreak award to a player that does all his work out of the spotlight. Someone who has strapped it on this season and may not get all the recognition he is due.

My steelerfreak has to be Cortez Allen. Allen battled injuries early but in the last few weeks has really stepped up as a special team player. He is one of the better open field tacklers and has really impressed me on special teams and in his opportunities on defense.

Pro Bowlers

The Steelers will once again be a large part of the AFC Pro Bowl roster as five Steelers were selected to attend. Of the five selected four were selected to be starters and two of the players will attend their first ever.

Ben Roethlisberger was selected to his second and first since 2008, Maurkice Pouncey was named to his second consecutive and first as a starter and Troy Polamalu will be selected to his sixth all as a starter.

A pair of Steelers were also named to their first pro bowls as Mike Wallace was selected as a starter at receiver and Antonio Brown was selected as a returner.

In addition to the starters the Steelers also had three players named as alternates. James Harrison will be a first alternate while Ryan Clark and LaMarr Woodley were named as second alternates.

This is the eleventh straight year the Steelers have sent multiple players to the pro bowl. The last time multiple players did not represent the team was 2001 when only Jason Gildon was selected to his first pro bowl.

Proving Their Worth

I know that I am not the only fan who has breathed a sigh of relief that the Steelers have decided to bring back both Max Starks and Trai Essex.

Max was released prior to camp due to his over 400 lbs weight and with Tomlin comfortable with Jonathan Scott has his left tackle. Trai was seen as expendable with the mix of younger and older players the Steelers had at guard such as Chris Scott, Kemoeatu, Foster and Legursky.

Poor play along the line, especially at the left tackle spot forced the Steelers to bring back Starks who dropped down to his normal playing weight of 345 lbs. The Steelers seen an instant difference in the running game and passing game as Starks brought a huge frame and veteran leadership to a young group. Starks has started eleven games this season after being jobless through the first five weeks of the season.

Essex didn't have the same immediate impact as his impact has come in these later weeks. With injuries and inconsistent play, the Steelers have been forced to mix up their offense line constantly and Essex has been huge for this reason. Essex has played every position on the line at some point since being signed in week two. Essex could very well start at center in the final game of the season at Cleveland due to injuries to Pouncey and Legursky.

Essex and Starks have been huge for the Steelers and could help the Steelers in a big way as they head into the post season and seasons to come. With the emergence of rookie right tackle Marcus Gilbert, Pouncey, Starks and even Essex could help solidify what has been an inconsistent line.

Practice Squad Addition

The Steelers added Pittsburgh native, John Malecki to the practice squad today. Malecki spent most of the season with the Steelers on the practice squad before being released by the Steelers earlier this season.

John's spot was made possible when the Steelers placed Curtis Brown on IR and promoted John Clay to the active roster before the Rams game.

Malecki could find himself on the active roster this week if Legursky and Pouncey are ruled out for the season finale against the Browns.

Most people are probably looking past this game and towards the playoffs, but this could be one hell of a game. I'm extremely excited because Charlie Batch is playing for the injured Ben Roethlisberger.

I was hugely disappointed that the Steelers kept Big Ben in the 49er game even though I think anyone on the roster could have done a better job. Coach Tomlin and the medical staff made the right call today as they decided to sit him and let the Steelers seasoned veteran take over the snaps.

I don't want to make this game seem bigger than what it is, but I did see some really good things watching them play against the Bengals last weekend. Their defense looks good and has a great motor, but can be worn down over time with the run game. The offense has some sparks at running back but not much anywhere else.

The Steelers last met the Rams in Pittsburgh back in 2003. That game was a milestone for the Steelers as they played in their 1000 career game, the Steelers lost 33-21.

I am really hoping to see Hines Ward get in the mix as well this week. Hines needs 9 catches to surpass the 1,000 catch mark and there is no better place to do it than at home.

I think Batch and the running game gets it rolling and the Steelers win 24-6.

Practice Squad Moves

Steelers added two players to the practice squad today as defensive tackle Elisha Joesph formerly of Temple and running back Chad Spann formerly of Northern Illinois.

Elisha Joseph was originally signed by the Steelers on October 18th before being released a few weeks later. Elisha, 6'2 290 lbs, played multiple spots on the defensive line for the Temple Owls from 2007 to 2010 before going undrafted to the Green Bay Packers who released him on the final day of cuts.

Chad Spann played his college ball at Northern Illinois where he recorded 2.916 yards on 536 carries with 48 touchdowns. He finished his career second all time on NIU's rushing list while being named the 2010 MAC Player of the Year. Spann was signed as an undrafted free agent to the Indianapolis Colts but also has spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Week 14 "The Game"

 

This is the game.

I understand the whole Baltimore thing but I am old school and this is the game of the season. I may hate the Ravens and everything about them but Cleveland is a whole new ball game. I despise Cleveland, the colors, the people, the logo or lack there of, those jerk offs.

I know this rivalry has seen much better days but that doesn't change a single thing to me. The Steelers are 62-56 in their history with the Steelers going 39-21 in the Steel City. Since the Browns rejoining in 1999, the Steelers are 21-4 with their last loss coming in 2009. To add insult to injury Big Ben is 12-1 all time against the Browns.

This game is tradition. As a third generation Steelers fan, I grew up hating the Browns. While new fans are all about the Baltimore rivalry, I think most of the old school fans would agree with me that there is no game quite like this one.

The big thing that I will be watching in this game is the ever so amazing, Hines Ward. After the Steelers 35-7 beating of the Bengals, Hines Ward stands at 990 catches with 12, 021 yards and 85 career touchdowns. With ten more catches over the final four games Hines will be the only Steeler ever with 1,000 career catches and in my opinion will insure his induction into the Hall of Fame.

Week 13 Breakdown

The Steelers (8-3) will play their second match-up against their division rival Bengals (7-4) The Steelers are attempting to keep pace and secure a playoff spot, while the Bengals are looking to keep a hold of a wild card spot.

The Steelers are 51-32 against the Bengals all time; winning 27 and only losing 14 times in the city of Pittsburgh. The last meeting in Pittsburgh was last seasons 23 to 7 beating of the Bengals. The Steelers are 5-5 in the last the last ten games in Pittsburgh which doesn't bode well for the Steelers.

Steelers should be able to handle their business and get a win.

STEELERS WIN: 23-17

Week 12 Breakdown

I don't have fears of this supposed "bye week blues", I do have a fear of playing down to the opponent this week as our Steelers (7-3) face off against the Casselless Chiefs (4-6) First, I think we should touch on the myth that teams are getting killed after their bye weeks; prior to week 8 NFL teams were just 3-9 after their bye week, but that number has become more of an aberration since then as teams are 10-6, so lets not look into that too much.

The biggest news is that the Chiefs have had more substantial injuries than just about any team could handle, losing big name such as Tony Moeaki, Jammal Charles, Eric Berry and more recently Matt Cassel. This has forced the Chiefs to dip into thier roster to patch together a lineup. Former Pitt Panther and Steeler Tyler Palko will be in the starting lineup for the Steelers game even though Kyle Orton was claimed off waivers from the Denver Tebows.

The Steelers are 17-10 against KC all time, going 9-6 against them in the hostile confines of Arrowhead Stadium. The last match-up between these two in KC was the horrible and embarrassing 27-24 overtime loss in 2009.

CHIEFS SEASON STATS:
Tyler Palko- 29 of 44 277 yards 0 touchdowns 3 interceptions
*Second career start, lost last week 34-3

Jackie Battle- 95 carries for 436 yards and 1 touchdown
*Has one career 100 yard game, against Indy

Dwayne Bowe- 48 catches for 750 yards and 4 touchdowns
*Averages 15.6 yards per catch

Defense- The Chiefs are 23rd in the league allowing 365.9 yards per game and 25th in points giving up 25 per game. They only have 12 sacks but have an impressive 13 interceptions, two returned for touchdowns.

INJURY REPORT
Lamar Woodley- questionable; Arnaz Battle- questionable; Stevenson Sylvester- questionable; James Harrison- probable; Ben Roethlisberger- probable; Troy Polamalu- probable; Emmanuel Sanders- probable;

FINAL TAKE:
Ben has a fracture in his thumb but is assuring everyone it will not have an ill effect on his throwing, so we are all forced to believe him. On a serious note the Steelers need to make sure they are not over looking the Chiefs like they seemed to do in 2009. Run the ball, control the clock and let Ben heave the ball into the end zone; seems simple. I don't see a loss especially with the Ravens winning on Thursday, the Steelers need to win to control the wild card.

STEELERS WIN: 24-16

Hall of Fame Semi-Finalist

The NFL Hall of Fame announced the 26 modern era finalist and four of them have ties to Steeler Nation. The Steelers second all time leading rusher Jerome Bettis 1996-2005, former linebacker Kevin Greene 1993-1995, safety Donnie Shell 1974-1987 and center Dermontti Dawson 1988-2000. Another Steeler great Jack Butler also made the senior committee ballot pushing the Steelers total to five of 28 players.

With a weak class this year it is possible that we could see up to four of these players in the hall this year. In my opinion Jerome Bettis, Kevin Greene, Dermontti Dawson and Jack Bulter should make the final cut. No one is more deserving than Jack Butler.

Butler retired from the NFL in 1959, playing in 103 games recording 52 interceptions and four touchdowns. Butler retired from the league second all time in interceptions but is still waiting for his opportunity for this honor. To put Butlers picks into perspective, former Steeler and Hall of Famer Rod Woodson played in 102 games in his first seven seasons and only recorded 28 interceptions. Compare that to Butler's 52 interceptions in 103 games.

There are very few, if any Hall of Famers that can compare to Butler's stats.

Perfect Bye Week...

Like most Steelers fans I will be awaiting the Kansas City game on Monday night so that I can get a peek at the Chiefs offense with former Pitt standout Jonathan Baldwin and former Pitt and Steeler quarterback Tyler Palko, who takes over for the injured Matt Cassel. But until their Monday night showdown with the New England Patrtiots, what should Steelers fans be watching for this weekend?

First off, all Steelers fans should be Bengals fans as they take on the Ravens. The Steelers own the tie breaker with the Bengals but do not have it against the Ravens. With a Bengals win, the Steelers take over sole possession of the AFC North and as the wild card race is tightening this would be huge.

Now, if the Bengals lose the Steelers could use a trio of games to go their way, some of those games are more important than others though. Loses by the Bills, Raiders and Titans give the Steelers two game leads over all three for one of the two wild card spots. Right now the Steelers hold a one game lead over each team and also has a better division and conference record than all three teams in case of a record tie.

Steelers Hold Off Bengals

This game started out with a bang and finished with a even bigger one; what happened in the middle was a much different story. The Steelers (7-3) got back back to their winning way by holding off the Bengals (6-3) and keeping pace with the Ravens, who lost to the Seahawks.

Big Ben came out throwing the ball and he did it quite well at the start. Like the typical Bruce Arians offense though, they went to the well too much and the Bengals picked up on it. Ben finished strong throwing for two first downs to hold of the Bengals and seal the victory. Ben finished 21 of 33 with 245 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

The Steelers rarely used the running game, again. They ran two reversals to Mike Wallace in the first quarter resulting in 31 yards but other than that the Steelers waited to use the running game until the passing game sputtered. As a team the Steelers combined for 105 yards; Mendenhall averaged 2.8 yards picking up 44 yards on 16 carries, he also had two touchdowns. Redman was the most impressive, again, as he carried seven times for 25 yards averaging 3.5 per rush.

Antonio Brown continues to impress as he leads the NFL in catches over the last four weeks. Brown came up huge in this game grabbing five passes for 86 yards. He made big plays on third and long and when the Steelers needed them most, he and Mike Wallace are forming one of the best one, two tandems in the league at this point in their short careers. I loved that Jerricho Cotchery had a two big catches for 29 yards and a touchdown. He had another touchdown called back because of a stupid penalty, but none the less it is good to see him playing well.

The defense played well at times and at other times they really seemed like a joke. Statistically they were impressive giving up 279 net yards, 109 on the ground and 170 through the air. But the team struggled at times with Andy Dalton and allowed the Bengals to move up and down the field. The defense did come up with two big interceptions, one by Lawrence Timmons and the huge game sealing William Gay interception.

The Steelers looked good and with the Ravens loss they can still win the division. The Steelers play the woeful Kansas City Chiefs after their bye week but will not see starting quarterback Matt Cassell. Due to an injury Tyler Palko will be the starter when we travel to Missouri in two weeks.

Week 10 Breakdown

I have been extremely busy so a full breakdown was nearly impossible for this week. Instead I will give you some keys for the Steelers to win.

The Bengals have beaten nobody except the untested 49ers; Andy Dalton has never face a defense like the Steelers.

With a good running game, the play action pass will destroy the Bengals. After a huge loss to the Ravens don't expect anything other than a beating.

STEELERS WIN 27-10

Steelers Claim Woods

The Steelers claimed Al Woods off waivers from the Seattle Seahawks today. Woods is a powerful defensive tackle standing 6'4 and weighing 314 lbs. Woods was drafted out of LSU in the fourth round, 123rd overall by the New Orleans Saints in 2010.

After making the roster, the Saints released him on September 4th, 2010 and was claimed by the Steelers three days later. The Steelers kept Woods on their practice squad until he was signed to the Buccaneers active roster on November 2nd, 2010. The Buccaneers released him prior to the start of this season and Woods had remained on the Seahawks roster until this week.

In two NFL seasons Woods has started 11 games, recording 19 tackles, 13 of those unassisted and a half a sack with the Buccaneers and Seahawks. Woods will be added to the Steelers active roster; to make room for him the Steelers will release Morrty Ivy who has spent the last two weeks on the active roster.

Woods will wear #65.

Ravens Upend the Steelers

In no way shape or form do I want to write this article I am so disgusted, but I will. Last night, fans stayed up till nearly midnight watching our Steelers (6-3) fight tooth and nail against their arch-rival Ravens (6-2)

I don't even know how to start without ranting and raving like a lunatic. The offense still refuses to run the ball and that helped with the Steelers lack of ability to eat up the clock. The defense could not get off the field as they allowed the Ravens to convert 14 of 21 third downs, all 14 through the air.

Big Ben was 20 of 37 for 330 yards and a touchdown while connecting to seven different receivers. Rashard Mendenhall carried 13 times for 52 yards and a touchdown; four yards per carry against the Ravens, the Ravens. I still cannot figure out why they would not run more and control the clock more. That costly Ben interception at the start of the third quarter could have been avoided if they weren't forcing the passing game and allowed the running backs to do their jobs.

Time to refocus and get to the playoffs; see you in January rat birds.

The defense was pitiful in this game. They could not get off the field on third down allowing the Ravens to connect on 14 of 21 third down attempts. They controlled the Ravens running game only allowing 67 net yards, but gave up a horrid 289 net passing yards and allowed the Ravens to march 92 yards in a minute to get beat.

Now, I don't like bitching about refs because I understand their job is hard to do. I was impressed with them letting the teams play last night but when they did throw the flag it was never equal to both sides. Ray Lewis hit Hines Ward helmet to helmet and was not flagged, while Ryan Clark was flagged for hitting a defenseless receiver, who is twice his size by the way. Even on the game winning touchdown the Steelers were flagged for pass interference but the push off by the Ravens receiver was ignored. I truly hope this isn't the NFL Goodell was hoping for.

I have to bring up our corners as well. I loved seeing Cortez Allen and Curtis Brown in the mix and I was extremely impressed with their play. Allen was great in coverage and I thought he did a great job wrapping people up, I wish I could say the same for the others. Ike Taylor was Ike Taylor, but when will we finally get enough of William Gay and Keenan Lewis? I counted nine third downs completed on them, nine. They played horrible, they couldn't cover anyone when it mattered and Gay seemed to get flagged on every other play.

I still don't think that the Ravens are the team to beat in the AFC North. If these two teams meet again in the playoffs we will see who the king of the division is. I am so disappointed to get swept by the Ravens, I am disappointed in how big of a joke our defense appeared when it mattered last night and most of all I am disappointed that I have to listen to football "experts" talk up the Ravens.

Week 9 Breakdown

Revenge Game


Nobody has forgot the week one whipping that the Steelers (6-2) took at the hands of the rat bird Baltimore Ravens (5-2) and I am sure the players remember it even more. The bragging rights for the Ravens are still out of reach for them as they must do something that they have NEVER done, sweep the Steelers in the regular season.

The Steelers rivalry is much deeper than any other rivalry in sports. Sure, people can argue the Bears and Packers or Yankees and Redsox, but no rivalry has this much hate. In the before mentioned rivalries and like most rivalries it is the fans that have the largest parts. It is not a shock to see players in other rivalries talking before games or joking around, with the Steelers they trash talk each other all season and fight constantly in their match-ups. This rivalry is much more seeded and has deeper roots than all others, hell, I won't allow any purple into my house.

Forgetting about the week one slamming, the Steelers have a great record against the Ravens posting a 21-13 record against them. At home the Steelers are an astonishing 13-5 and are 8-2 in their last ten games in Pittsburgh versus the Ravens. The last home meeting was a 31 to 24 win during the 2010 divisional playoffs.

Number wise the Steelers are improving. The Steelers offense is putting up more yards and seem to be getting much more fluid, now if they could only run more. The defense is far from that "old" bunch that we all seen earlier in the year and that could be because of the younger guys getting some playing time.

RAVENS SEASON STATS:
Joe Flacco- 141 of 262 1,751 yards 8 touchdowns 6 interceptions
*Flacco is 3-6 vs the Steelers, 1-4 in the Burgh

Ray Rice- 115 carries for 489 yards and 5 touchdowns
*Rice has two career 100 yard games against the Steelers.

Anquan Boldin- 34 catches for 539 yards and 2 touchdowns
*Ravens have no significant deep threat.

Defense- The Ravens are giving up a league leading 263.3 yards per game and a second best 15 points per game. They have recorded seven interceptions, three of those against the Steelers in week one and have pressured the quarterback getting to them 25 times.

INJURY REPORT
Doug Legursky- out; LaMarr Woodley- out; Emmanuel Sanders- out; James Farrior- questionable; Hines Ward- questionable; James Harrison- probable; Jonathan Scott- probable'

FINAL TAKE
Revenge is a dish best served cold, and it is going to be rather cold in the Burgh tonight when the Steelers look to avenge the early loss to the Ravens. The Steelers have no running game and well, your not going to run on the Ravens anyway. They need to keep Big Ben upright and since the addition of Max Starks that has been happening. Ben needs to limit turnovers which he hasn't been able to do turning the ball over at least once in 7 of 8 games this season. Despite that the Steelers are primed for a big primetime win.

STEELERS WIN- 24-16

Practice Squad Moves

The Steelers made a series of roster moves as they released defensive lineman Elisha Joesph and first year receiver Jamar Newsome.

Joesph was signed to the practice squad on October 18th to help the Steelers deal with depth problems on the defensive lineman.

Jamar Johnson made the Jacksonville Jaguars roster out of training camp but was released on September 20th and signed to their practice squad. Johnson played three seasons for the UCF Golden Knights; recording 65 catches for 986 yards and seven touchdowns. In all three seasons Johnson caught at least one pass over 50 yards and scored a rushing touchdown in 2010.

In four preseason games with the Jaguars, Johnson caught six passes for 118 yards averaging 19.7 yards per catch.

Steelers Dominate the Patriots

My prediction for this game was not even close as the Steelers (6-2) dominated the Patriots (5-2) en route to a 25-17 win. The winning game plan that the Steelers decided to use was simple, come in swinging and keep swinging all day. Big Ben threw the ball all over the New England Patriots from the start of the game to the end and the defense played tough against the usually dominant Tom Brady.

The Patriots have only trailed teams for 22 minutes all season long, in the first half they trailed the Steelers for 24 minutes as the defense kept the Patriots on their toes. The Patriots didn't get a single lead in the game as the trailed for 44 minutes in this contest.

Big Ben set team records by throwing 32 times and completing 23 of those in the first half of the ball game with 231 yards and two touchdowns. Big Ben used the passing game to perfection in this match-up even without the savvy Hines Ward. Ben spread the ball out among nine receivers with Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders and Heath Miller leading the charge. Big Ben finished 36 of 50 for 365 yards and two touchdowns with an interception.

The running game was rarely used in the first half as the Steelers only ran nine times for 45 yards.The second half brought a much different story as five times on the first drive of the second half.  Rashard Mendenhall, whom I have called extremely inconsistent played a much better game this week as he carried 13 times for 70 yards averaging 5.4 per carry.

Defensively the Steelers piled it on in the first half and kept shoveling in the second. LeBeau decided to use a press man coverage and blitz Tom Brady non stop. The banged up defense started Stevenson Sylvester for the injured James Farrior and LaMarr Woodley left the game in the third quarter with a hamstring injury, opening the door for rookie Chris Carter. Woodley did a great job of mentoring Carter in this game as he really impressed me with his motor and ability to break free from the lineman. Inspite of the injuries the Steelers dominated the Patriots giving up 213 yards, 43 of those on the ground and 170 in the air while sacking Tom Brady three times, two of which were by LaMarr Woodley.

The Steelers had a big problem putting the ball in the end zone settling for three short field goals instead of getting into the end zone, and more of a running game might have helped with that. You can't argue with the game plan though because it worked so well, but there is still room for improvement. The Steelers won't have the luxury of a running game against the Ravens next week but the passing game looks good enough for us to win, as long as Big Ben doesn't turn the ball over seven times.

Week 8 Breakdown

Battle of Titans


The Steelers (5-2) return home to face the only single loss team left in the NFL, the Patriots (5-1) The Steelers are coming off a win over the Cardinals in Arizona, while the Patriots are coming off a bye week. Both teams have used a potent passing offense to compensate for uncharacteristic defensive play, so most people are expecting these two teams to shoot it out.

Big Ben had his first game of the season without a turnover last week and the run defense for the Steelers has steadily got better over the last few weeks. The Steelers will still be dealing with a lot of injuries, but the players who have stepped in have played well enough to win.

The Patriots have to be worrying about their defense who is giving up a lot of yards and has played poorly all season long. Tom Brady has played great this season and against a Steelers defense who has only picked off two passes, you have to believe he is going to put up big numbers.

The Steelers have held a slight advantage over the Patriots going 14-11 against them all time. The record looks even better when the Steelers are at home going 10-8. When you dip into the games those numbers become a bit more clouded though; The Steelers are 1-2 against them in playoff games, two of those games being losses in AFC Championships and the most telling statistic they are 2-5 against Tom Brady all time, 1-4 against him in Pittsburgh. The last home game against the Patriots was last season's 39-26 beating in week 9.

PATRIOTS SEASON STATS:
Tom Brady- 160 of 237 2,163 yards 16 touchdowns 8 interceptions
*Brady has not thrown an interception only twice this season.

Benjarvis Green-Ellis- 91 carries for 391 yards and 5 touchdowns
*The "law firm" only has one hundred yard and multi-touchdown game this year.

Wes Welker- 51 catches for 785 yards and 6 touchdowns
*Last season Gronkowski burnt the Steelers for three scores.

Defense- The Pats are giving up a league worse 423.7 yards per game, but are tenth giving up 22 points per game. Unlike the Steelers though who have a league worse -9 turnover differential, the Pats have a +1 differential picking off 8 passes and sacking opposing quarterbacks ten times.

INJURY REPORT
Chris Hoke- out; James Harrison- out; Doug Legursky- out; Jason Worilds- out; Hines Ward- questionable; James Farrior- questionable;

FINAL TAKE
As much as I want to see what everyone else sees, I don't see us winning the game. The Patriots defense is giving up a ton of yards but they are still picking off passes and forcing turnovers. Big Ben has made a bunch of mistakes this year, sometimes even without being under pressure and he might get extremely cocky like he did after the first quarter of the Indianapolis game. The fact is that the Steelers need a running game to control the clock and prevent getting into a shootout with Tom Brady and they haven't got it going. Mendenhall is inconsistent and a second rate back at best and without him getting into gear or Isaac Redman taking over, the Steelers can't control the clock. I hate to say it but I don't see a win going into the Ravens rematch.

PATRIOTS WIN: 27-24

More Fines

Hey Steeler fans, Goodell graced us with more fines.

The all knowing, all powerful commissioner Roger Goodell decided that our beloved Ziggy Hood deserved a $7,500 for what amounts to nothing more but sissy slap fighting during a play against the Cardinals.

During a play, Ziggy and an offensive lineman where jocking for position when the two began, well, slapping each others hands. The little scuffle was deemed to be serious enough for a fine; WHAT? Is Goodell really that bored that he fined lineman for slapping at each other during a play? The key word here is DURING people.

I seriously think that Goodell is the biggest tool on the planet and should really consider removing whatever he has in his ass and stop the fines. The NFL has become a bigger joke than I ever could have imagined; this man makes 10 million dollars a year to do what?

He claims this hard line but is all over the board when it comes to punishments. Big Ben got a four games after his rape accusations while Donte Stallworth got one year for vehicular manslaughter and Aquib Talib wasn't suspended for his assault with a deadly weapon arrest.

I encourage everyone to email that douche, even though he probably can't read and has a secretary read his hate mail and send generic replies. You can send him your thoughts here Roger.Goodell2@nfl.net

GO TO HELL GOODELL.

First Flags, Now Fines

It was announced that Steelers starting left guard, Chris Kemoeatu was fined $25,000 for the Arizona Cardinals game. He was fined $15,000 for his personal foul and another $10,000 for a face masking penalty he had in the game.

Are you kidding me?

It is bad enough that every other play the referees are throwing flags for inappropriate touching, but now they are fining players for playing. The personal foul was stupid, plane and simple. The play was ending and he came in and hit the defender who was on top of his teammate. It made no sense but wasn't malicious. As soon as he hit him he stood up, helped the defender up and tapped his helmet.

I understood the penalty, but fining him? Not so much. The idea of fining should be for malicious plays like taking out a players knee and launching at a defenseless player. Goodell is destroying the NFL with the over-excessive penalties and now he is going to waste our time by fining the pockets right out of our favorite players.

I lost a lot of respect for Goodell, but now I am down right despising him. He is trying to dictate the NFL by taking rugid, hard nose teams out of the equation. Goodell is a tool who would rather see the Packers, Saints and Patriots in the Super Bowl then the Steelers, Ravens and Bears.

Goodell is a worthless commissioner. For someone who came in being a so called "old school"guy, he really is all about turning the NFL into a pansy game. There is a difference between protecting players and making sure your pockets are lined.

GO FUCK YOURSELF GOODELL.

Steelers Beat up the Cardinals

The Steelers (5-2) used a record breaking performance to win their third straight game. The run game struggled yet again but thankfully Big Ben showed up in a big way as the Steelers put up 445 yards while keeping the Cardinals at 330 and only allowing them to convert 37 percent on third down.

Offense, offense, offense.

Big Ben showed up in a big way and kept his team going as the run game still struggles. Ben threw touchdown passes to Heath Miller and Emmanuel Sanders, but both of those were miniscule compared to the record setting bomb to Mike Wallace. Big Ben and the blazing fast Wallace hooked up for a franchise record 95 yard touchdown with just over eight minutes left in the second quarter. The catch broke the previous record held by Cliff Stoudt/Mark Malone and Kordell Stewart/Bobby Shaw, each duo had a 90 yard touchdown.

The run game is still in shambles and the horizon doesn't look very good. I will not blame these woes on the offensive line though. The line does the same job whether it is Mendenhall or Redman; the only real difference is the runner. In this match-up Mendenhall carried the ball 13 times for 32 yards while Redman carried 6 times for 29 yards and Moore carried 6 times for 26 yards. Mendenhall is not a great runner and it is time the Steelers move on. The inconsistency can't be blamed on anyone but the runner and his style; Mendy is a dancer while Redman and company seem to just hit the hole and run. Mendenhall has carried 94 times for 351 yards averaging 3.7 yards with three touchdowns, while the rest of running backs have carried 70 times for 383 yards averaging 5.4 with a touchdown.

The passing game looked good for yet another week. Big Ben threw three touchdown passes giving him 12 on the season. The big news was that the Steelers, namely Big Ben, did not have a turnover against the Cardinals helping the team to trim their horrific turnover differential.

The defense looked better against the run and that is no small feat because of who they were playing. Going into the game Beanie Wells was fourth in the NFL averaging just over 95 yards per game and was second averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Before being injured the Steelers held him to 42 yards on 12 carries for a mere 3.5 yard average. For the game they held the Cardinals to 73 yards on the ground, but did allow 257 through the air.

LaMarr Woodley continues to rack up sacks as he got to Kevin Kolb twice in the Steelers win. Woodley leads the team with seven sacks on the year and has 5.5 in the last three games. Woodley's 46 career sacks is only 31 behind record holder Jason Gildon and at 27 years old, Gildon's record could be in jeopardy.

The Steelers better hope that they are ready to face some tougher competition as they will host the Patriots (5-1) Ravens (5-2) and and travel to Cincinnati to face the Bengals (4-2) before getting a bye week.

Week 7 Breakdown

Super Bowl XLIII 2011


The Steelers (4-2) pack up and head out west to face a slew of former Steelers now with the Arizona Cardinals (1-4) Both rosters look a bit different from their Super Bowl XLIII showdown, but one thing still remains the same, both teams are full of Steelers.

The Cardinals grab up former Steelers like they have gold in their pockets with former players like Nick Eason, Clark Haggans, Joey Porter and Crezdon Butler; and coaches such as Ken Wisenhunt, Russ Grimm, Ray Horton, Kevin Spencer and Deshea Townsend to name a few.

The Steelers connection with the Cardinals goes much deeper than the players and staff connection. In 1944, during the midst of World War II the Steelers and then Chicago Cardinals merged to form the Chicago Card-Pitt. The team finished 0-10 and were nicknamed the Car-Pitts (carpets) because of the teams poor play. The teams went' back to their respected cities a year later in 1945.

These two teams began play against each other during the Steelers inaugural season in 1933. The Steelers have played the Cardinals across a multitude of cities including Chicago, St. Louis and finally the Cardinals current home Phoenix, starting in 1987. In 59 games against each other the Steelers have maintained an advantage winning 33, losing 23 with 3 ties. When they play away from the confines of Pittsburgh their record falls much shorter winning 11, losing 15 with 2 ties; the last match-up in Arizona was a 21-14 loss in 2007.

The Steelers run defense is still not back to normal, but fortunately for the fans and players the secondary is playing above their grade. The Steelers run defense has improved to 15th in the league, allowing 112.8 yards per game. The secondary is still ranked first allowing 157.7 yards per game, nearly 20 yards per game ahead of second place. As a team the Steelers defense ranks first is total yards allowed with 270.5, and tenth in sacks with 15.

CARDINALS SEASON STATS:
Kevin Kolb- 101 of 172 1,281 yards 5 touchdowns 6 interceptions
*Kevin is ranked 28th among NFL quarterbacks.

Chris "Beanie" Wells- 79 carries for 381 yards and 6 touchdowns
*Beanie has only one hundred yard game and one multi-touchdown game this season.

Larry Fitzgerald- 27 catches for 427 yards and 2 touchdowns
*Fitzy has not had a single multi-touchdown game this season.

Defense- The Cardinals are giving up 377 yards per game and 24.2 points per game while sacking quarterbacks 11 times and picking off 4 passes.

INJURY REPORT
James Harrison- out; Casey Hampton- out; Doug Legursky- out; Chris Hoke- doubtful; Maurkice Pouncey- probable;

FINAL TAKE
Most people are probably worried about the defenisve front. They haven't played extremely well agaisnt the run, but this could be the change they needed. The Steelers will need to get younger and with Hampton and Hoke both over thirty Steve McClendon will get a shot to prove he can handle the load in the future. The defense is roughed up but I think they can get it done. Big Ben doesn't need to throw the ball around, he needs to use the ball control offense through running to help the defense out. The longer the offense is on the field, the more rest the banged up defense can get.

STEELERS WIN: 27-13

Steeler Kindness

It is rare that people are directly affected by our idols on a football field. We meet them here and there at events and they usually seem very caring and appreciative of the support we give them as fans. Then sometimes those players go above and beyond all our hopes and dreams, for example Troy Polamalu and his family.

Troy and his family are frequenters on twitter and occasionally give away autographs and tickets to Steelers games. Prior to the Jacksonville Jaguars game Troy and his brother Alex Holmes decided to do just that. Alex posted that he had two tickets to give away and wanted to know how he should do that. After some twitter replies he finally decided to give out the two tickets, and for some reason he selected my mother.

My mother is a cancer survivor of nearly 20 years, and unfortunately lost her sister and mother to the disease. My mother, a second generation Italian was so excited she didn't know what to do as she pondered whether to go or not; She divided her concerns between money for the nearly 160 mile trip and the dipping health of my father, a retired factory worker and Navy veteran. How could you give up this chance? I did the only thing a loving son could do, I paid all her expenses and wished her the best time ever.

She deserved this opportunity. I will always remember my mother as the woman who nearly died but never gave up because of her kids. I remember when times where hard she walked nearly 14 miles to get to and from work to make sure that me and my brother and sister had, even if she went without.

I have all the respect in the world for Troy Polamalu and Alex Holmes. We all know the All-Pro #43, if you don't know Alex, then you obviously don't watch enough college football. Alex was a starting tight end for the USC Trojans and was a member of the 2003 and 2004 National Championship teams. He spent two years with the Miami Dolphins after going undrafted in 2005.

I don't know why he selected my mother, but I know that he made her year. He was even so kind to take a photo with her. As a member of Steeler Nation for over 25 years, thank you Troy and Alex.

Practice Squad Moves

The Steelers made a series of practice squad moves today as they released running back Tristan Davis and linebacker Mortty Ivy. To replace the two players the Steelers signed saftey Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith and defensive lineman Elisha Joseph.

Tristan Davis, a second year running back out of Auburn was signed to the practice squad on October 5th after being released by the New Orleans Saints. Morrty Ivy is a second year linebacker out of West Virginia. He spent the offseason with the Steelers and was signed to the practice squad after the final roster cuts. Neither player dressed a single game for the Steelers.

Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith was signed as an undrafted free agent out of UTEP in 2010. Cromartie-Smith was a member of the Steelers practice squad until October 5th 2011, when the Steelers released him to make room for Chris Scott after Max Starks took his spot on the active roster.

Elisha Joseph is the new name in all of these transactions. Elisha Joseph, standing 6'2 290 lbs played multiple spots on the defensive line for the Temple Owls from 2007 to 2010. He recorded 95 tackles, 43 of those solo and 6.5 for a loss. Joesph also recorded one sack and two deflected passes in his collegiate career. He spent the off season with the Green Bay Packers before being cut the final day of cuts.

The Steelers practice squad now looks something like this:
Corbin Bryant- DE; Elisha Joesph- DL; John Clay- RB; Tyler Grisham- WR; Jamie McCoy- TE; Da'Mon Cromarite-Smith- S; Trevis Turner- OT; Chris Scott- OT

Steelers Nip the Jags

The Steelers (4-2) used a solid first half and productive running game to hand the Jaguars (1-5) their fifth straight loss of the season. The Steelers over powered the Jags as they went into half up 17-3 on  Rashard Mendenhall and Mike Wallace's first half touchdowns. The Steelers used defense to control the Jags comeback in the second half to defeat them 17-13.

Big Ben was 11 of 15 for 181 yards with no turnovers or sacks in the first half while Rashard must have been feeling the pressure from Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer as he put up 113 yards in the first half.

The defense was solid in the first half only allowing 68 yards and a 2.4 yard per play average to the struggling Jaguars. They sacked Gabbert three times in the first half and didn't allow the Jags to get going on offense while the offense put the Steelers up big.

The second half didn't offer any offense as the Steelers seemed prepared to just sit on their lead and wait to show off the rest of the playbook. The offense didn't muster a single point and were held under a 100 yards in the second half after scoring 17 and putting up 315 yards in the first half. Ben was sacked three times in the second half, mostly due to holding onto the ball way too long.  He was 1 of 8 for 19 yards in the second half giving him 200 total yards and a touchdown for the game. The big thing was that Ben did not turn the ball over this game, his first game without a turnover this season.

The running game looked great as Rashard Mendenhall ran for 146 yards on 23 carries, including a career long 68 yard scamper in the first half. Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer got into the action as well combining for 6 carries and 30 yards. As a team the Steelers ran for 185 yards averaging 5.8 yards per carry and picking up six of the teams 15 first downs on the ground.

The offensive line held up the Jaguars defense well until the final quarter as Ben seemed to hold the ball too long to make plays happen. Now, don't start that "it was the Jaguars" argument because coming into this game they were 8th in total defense, so the defense is not the weak part of the Jags. Even with Legursky going down, I am not worried as I think they will continue to get better before their rematch with the Ravens.

The defense played well in both halves as they sacked Gabbert five times and held him to 76 yards passing and only allowed him to convert 26% of their third down attempts. The biggest issue once again is the running game as they allowed 133 yards, 96 of those to Jones-Drew. The Steelers allowed 62 yards per game all of last season; through six games this season they are allowing 112 per game. Something has got to give with the run defense and we can only hope that they improve that as the season moves on.

The Steelers injuries piled up in this contest as well. Guard Doug Legursky came out of the game early with a dislocated toe, Troy Polamalu is suffering from concussion like symptoms and Chris Hoke is suffering from a stinger. Troy will go through mandatory concussion test this week, so it is way to early to talk about next week. As for the players who were already out with injuries, we could see a few of them back next week.

On a side note, Hines Ward caught a 19 yard pass from Ben in the first half that gave him 11,911 yards for his career, moving him ahead of Hall of Famer Micheal Irvin. Going into next week Hines will be working towards a few career milestones as he needs 23 catches for 1,000 and 61 yards for 12,000.

Week 6 Breakdown

2007 Redemption


The Steelers (3-2) will host the Jaguars (1-4) at Heinz field to finish this home stand before heading out west. The Steelers will look to get some form of redemption against the team, that in 2007 became the only team in Steelers history to beat them at home twice in one season, once in the regular season and once in the postseason.

This Jaguars team is much different than that 2007 team that shut down the Steelers offense and ran all over their defense. The Jags still have the elusive Jones-Drew and dependable Josh Scobee, but key pieces on defense and at quarterback are gone. The Jags are breaking in a rookie quarterback first rounder, Blaine Gabbert after releasing veteran David Garrard, while the defense is breaking a new linebacking corp lead by a pair of former Pennsylvania football stars; Nittany Lion Paul Posluszny and Pitt Panther Clint Session.

In the Steelers previous game against the Titans, the team look renewed and most importantly "young." They have a few more weeks to get back into championship form before showdowns at home against New England and Baltimore. The Jaguars may be 1-4 but they are no push over and the Steelers need to pay attention to this game closely.

The Jaguars are one of only three teams the Steelers face this season that have a winning record against them. The Steelers are only 9-12 against the Jags but have won five of ten games in Pittsburgh. The last time these two teams met in Pittsburgh was back to back losses in 2007, the final a 31-29 loss in the wild card round of the playoffs.

JAGUARS SEASON STATS:
Blaine Gabbert- 48 of 97 608 yards 3 touchdowns 2 interceptions
*This will be the rookies first game against a championship caliber team.

Maurice Jones-Drew- 96 carries for 476 yards and 2 touchdowns
*MJD is averaging 5 yards per carry.

Mike Thomas- 23 catches for 265 yards and 1 touchdown
*No receiver has caught more than one touchdown pass this season.

Defense- The Jags are giving up 316.4 yards per game and 22 points while sacking quarterbacks 12 times and picking off 6 passes in their first five games. Surprisingly, even with the four losses the defense is in the top ten in most defensive categories.

INJURY REPORT
Marcus Gilbert- out; Casey Hampton- out; Aaron Smith- out; Jason Worilds- out; James Harrison- out; Mewelde Moore- out; Chris Kemoeatu- out

FINAL TAKE
I am by no means overlooking the Jaguars, but I don't see them winning at all. The Steelers offense came to life last week on the legs of Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer and via the arm of Big Ben. The defense was back and just as good as they had ever been and hey, they got their first INT of the season. The Steelers have this week and next week to get prepared for a visit from Tom Brady and their rematch against the hated Ravens. I think the Steelers will keep Gabbert confused and shut down MJD, while continuing to work on the run game and turnover control.

STEELERS WIN: 17-9

RB Controversy Begins

The Steelers (3-2) announced that Rashard Mendenhall will start this Sunday against the Jaguars (1-4) after missing last weeks game versus the Titans. If there is a running back controversy then the Steelers aren't letting anyone know.

Mendenhall has struggled running the ball and I don't think that you can blame those issues on the offensive line because other Steeler running backs including Isaac Redman, Jonathan Dwyer and Mewelde Moore have found success behind the same offensive line. His struggles have come from his inability to just hit a hole and the stats show that.

Mendenhall
58 carries 173 yards 2 touchdowns 3.0 yards per carry
Redman
37 carries 156 yards 1 toucdhown 4.2 yards per carry
Dwyer
11 carries 107 yards 0 touchdowns 9.7 yards per carry

I have no problem with Mendy getting his starting job back but if it doesn't work well then the Steelers should go to Redman. Redman has 12 carries less than Mendy but only has ran for 17 yards less and is averaging 1.2 yards more per carry.

My biggest issue with Mendy is that he stops and stutters way too much. He thinks that shimmying makes defenders miss where Redman just buries his head and just runs straight ahead. How many times has Redman picked up even a yard or two when it looked like he was going to get tackled for a loss? and how many times has Mendy done it?

I think that the Titans game proved that the Steelers need to give Redman and Dwyer more carries as the season goes on. I don't think there is a large controversy just yet, but if Mendy struggles against the Jags then it may be time to pull the switch.

This is Mendenhall's wake up call.

Steelers Run Over the Titans

With a handful of injuries and an offensive line in their fourth shuffle of this young season, the Steelers (3-2) came out and punched the Titans (3-2) in the mouth as they ran all over the Titan defense. The Steelers, on the heels of their second and third string running backs put up 174 yards rushing while Big Ben added five touchdown passes and the defense kept Hasselbeck and Johnson in check all day long.

I have to start by talking about the offensive line. Wow. What a huge difference one player makes. The Steelers brought back Max Starks, who shouldn't have been cut in the first place, and he solidified the left side of the line. Max and the rest of the line kept the Titans defense in check all evening and really looked great only giving up one sack. Pouncey left the game for a short while to deal with his knee and Gilbert left after he re-injured his shoulder; both of them will hopefully be good to go against the Jaguars Sunday.

I was so happy about the running game against he Titans. The Steelers did not have Rashard Mendenhall, who I don't feel should be the starting back anyway, and the team seemed to take a step towards getting back to their old ways. Isaac Redman carried the ball 12 times for 49 yards while Jonathan Dwyer carried 11 times for 107 yards, including a 76 yard scramble early in the game. Redman seemed to gains yards even if there were none to be had and Dwyer controlled the clock in the third and fourth quarter to help the Steelers win. I am not going to proclaim that the Steelers run game is back. What I will say is that this is the right step to getting it back. The Steelers will play Jacksonville and Arizona the next two weeks and they can build towards their running attack even more in those games.

Big Ben looked solid, and since he was on his feet all day we shouldn't be shocked. Ben tied his career high with five touchdown passes along with 228 yards passing. There was a stupid pick at the end of the half as the Steelers tried to do too much even though they had a 21 to 3 lead. The pick was Ben's tenth turnover of the season, which is the most in the NFL. The pick didn't amount to anything and overall this game leaves me optimistic about the coming weeks.

Now the defense, oh, our beloved Steel Curtain defense. Again, I will not say that they are back, but they looked amazing. LaMarr Woodley doubled his season sack total, adding one and a half more; he also picked off a batted Hasselbeck pass for the Steelers first INT of the season. Ziggy Hood added a half sack and first round draft pick Cameron Heyward had his first career sack and forced fumble late in the game. Everyone got in on the action on defense with big plays; Hoke controlled the line and kept Chris Johnson off his game as the team gave up only 66 yards rushing, the linebackers tackled well and the secondary kept the Titan receivers in check.

The Steelers really dipped into the playbook running fake punts and a few end around runs with the receivers. Antonio Brown really looked great returning the ball as well as he returned two kicks for 41 yards and kept Big Ben and the rest of the offense on short fields. It was good to see Ben passing the ball around as seven different receivers caught Big Ben passes with four of them catching touchdowns, Wallace, Johnson, Miller and Ward with two.

On a final important note, Hines was smiling again. So, no worries everything seems to be going back to normal.

Week 5 Breakdown

AFC Central Renewed



The Steelers (2-2) will try to end their struggles in the friendly confines of Heinz Field against the upstart Titans (3-1) The Steelers run defense took another huge hit last week against the Texans as the banged up Texans piled up over 150 yards on the ground while only giving up 138 through the air.

The Steelers have played against the Titans since the days of the Houston Oilers back in 1970. When the AFL/NFL merged in 1970 these two teams became AFC Central rivals till the re-alignment in 2002. In their 73 meetings the Steelers hold a large advantage 43 to 30; When the game is played in Pittsburgh the Steelers hold an even larger margin winning 25 and only losing 10 times. The last meeting at Heinz field was a 13-10 overtime win in 2009.

The Steelers took a huge hit this week when they lost a plethora of players to injury and will have to attempt to beat the Titans with young and inexperienced players. The Steelers have shocked fans with their poor run defense and great pass defense and this game has the chance to help the Steelers get back to their ways. They will need to shut down the upstart Hasselbeck and ever so talented Chris Johnson to do that.

TITANS SEASON STATS:
Matt Hasselbeck- 88 of 132 1,152 yards 8 touchdowns 3 interception
*Off to the best start of his career.

Chris Johnson- 69 carries for 199 yards
*Only one hundred yard rushing game this season.

Nate Washington- 23 catches for 320 yards and 1 touchdown
*Will get the bulk of the catches due to Kenny Britt injury.

Defense- The Titans are giving up 299.7 yards per game and 14 points per game with 10 sacks and 5 interceptions; they have forced a total of eight turnovers in their first four games of the season.

INJURY REPORT
Mewelde Moore- out; Cortez Allen- out; Chris Kemoeatu- out; Aaron Smith- out; James Harrison- out; Jason Worilds- out; Casey Hampton- out

FINAL TAKE
As much as I would like to be optimistic about this game, I can't. This is not the same Steelers that we are used to in the past. They are all over payed and have no real heart. I hope that I am wrong about this game but I just don't see the rush defense holding up in this game. Expect the Titans to use a lot of short dump passes to Chris Johnson and use a run heavy rotation of Johnson and Javon Ringer. With all that being said, the nay sayers will be sorry.

STEELERS WIN: 13-10

Plenty of RB Depth

Rashard Mendenhall could possibly sit this weekend when the Steelers (2-2) take on the Titans (3-1) in Pittsburgh. This doesn't faze me one bit because I don't even think that Mendy is the best running back on the Steelers roster; I believe that Isaac Redman is and that it will be proven to the world after the upcoming week 5 match-up.

The Steelers made a series of roster moves in anticipation of Mendy's injury; the Steelers moved rookie running back from Wisconsin John Clay from the practice squad to the active roster. The Steelers then added Tristan Davis, a third year pro from Auburn to the practice squad.

The Steelers will go into their week 5 game with Isaac Redman getting the bulk of the carries with rookie John Clay and second year pro Jonathan Dwyer acting as his supporting cast. The trio may not have a large amount of pro success but they have had success at the college level, with John Clay leading Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer by a slim margin.

John Clay * Wisconsin
619 carries 3,413 yards 5.5 average 41 touchdowns 72 long

Isaac Redman * Bowie State
613 carries 3,300 yards 5.4 average 35 touchdowns 99 long

Jonathan Dwyer * Georgia Tech
517 carries 3,226 yards 6.2 average 35 touchdowns 85 long

Of the three running backs only Dwyer and Redman have any pro experience, Redman with the most. Issac Redman has carried 74 times for 354 yards with a 4.8 yard average and a touchdown; while Jonathan Dwyer has carried the ball nine times for 28 yards with a 3.1 yard average and no touchdowns.

Dwyer and Clay received a bulk of playing time this preseason though; Dwyer had the majority of those carrying 37 times for 175 yards averaging 4.7 yards and a touchdown. Clay added 15 carries for 57 yards and a 3.8 yard average.

This game is a huge statement game for Redman, Dwyer and Clay as they could each solidify their futures with the Steelers. If the trio prove that they can handle the Steelers running game on their own then we may see a switch from the inconsistent Mendenhall.

Mewelde Moore

The season has had its shares of issues for the Steelers; Our quarterback has been on his back a large portion of the time and turning the ball over the other half of the time, while our defense has had issues forcing turnovers and stopping the run. With all of these issues I have, like most fans, been forced to look at any positive that we can find.

For me it has been Mewelde Moore and his big play ability. The fact that we are associating Moore is one of those underrated players that nobody prepares for and has trouble dealing with when he gets the ball.

Moore was drafted in the fourth round, 119th overall by the Minnesota Vikings out of Tulane. In four years with the Vikings Moore ran for 1,285 and a touchdown while catching 116 balls for 1,093 yards and three touchdowns in his 54 appearances.

When Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin came to the Steelers in 2007, Mewelde Moore followed suit.and has been just as productive in the Burgh. In his four years with the Steelers Moore has carried the ball for 848 yards and five touchdowns while grabbing 91 passes for 739 yards and three touchdowns.

Now, with this season heading in a direction that no Steeler fan is enjoying, Mewelde has been a huge spark in the passing and running game. In the first four games Moore, in his limited time on the field, has carried the ball six times for 43 yards averaging 7.2 yards per touch and has four catches for 61 yards averaging 15.3 yards per catch.

He hasn't had a large number of touches but it is the timing of his touches that has me really positive. It seems that every time the Steelers need a big play he is there for them. He is quietly the most consistent player the Steelers have and barring any injury I expect him to get more touches, especially with the inconsistency from Rashard Mendenhall.

Moore will miss the game this Sunday against the Titans, so these hopes and his big plays will be in the hands of Issac Redman and John Clay.

Texans Run Over the Steelers

I don't really know where to start. This game was terrible at the beginning and then steadily got better before dropping off yet again. The Steelers (2-2) were absolutely ran all over by the Texans (3-1) who controlled the clock, kept the defense on the ropes and Big Ben on the ground.

It is hard to even pick where to start, oh wait, how about the offensive line? Wow. What else can you really say? The line looked like a bunch of grade school kids trying to block bulldozers. From the left to the right not a single player looked good at all. Even pro bowler Maurkice Pouncey looked bad, but really if you are trying to make up for other players issues wouldn't you?

The Steelers have ignored the offensive line since the departure of Alan Faneca and it is really biting them now. I blame the front office for the issues the offense has had over the last five or so years. Over the last ten years they have only drafted offensive lineman three times in the first two rounds; Gilbert in 2011, Pouncey in 2010 and Kendall Simmons in 2002. The Steelers have spent 100 million dollars on Ben Roethlisberger, 60 million on James Harrision and 50 million dollars on Lawrence Timmons, LaMarr Woodley and Troy Polamalu, but none on top offensive line free agents.

I have to keep bringing up the defense as well, even though this pains me as well. What the hell is happening to this team? Oh yeah, that whole age thing. The defense is getting over matched and destroyed off the ball by everyone. The defensive line cannot get any pressure and the linebackers are making a majority of their tackles ten yards too late. The most surprising part of the defense so far is that the secondary is leading the NFL only allowing 157 passing yards per game, while the front seven is giving up 119 yards per game. That may not seem big but last year they allowed 62 yards per game.

The secondary limited one of the top three passing attacks in the NFL to 138 yards passing while the rest of the team allowed 180 yards to an injured Arian Foster and Ben Tate. The defense is not the same as it has been in the last few years. Where is the fire? Where is that toughness? I don't know what has gotten into the Steel Curtain, but if they need to fix it with a large turnover then so be it.

Now, we can't blame this on the defense alone. No team can win when the offense scores 10 points, well, no team without Bill Cowher can win after only scoring ten points. Someone, anyone needs to explain to Bruce Arians that short slants, dump passes and draws are a great way to keep blitzing defenses back. The Steelers use too many slow developing down field plays, especially since their offensive line is as bad as it is.

One of the most riveting things I seen from the game last night was Hines Ward was not smiling. I have noticed that he is smiling less and that is never a good sign. When the happiest man to ever get up in the morning is not happy anymore then things are really bad.

I love this team more than any thing in the world, and I have seen losing seasons. I was there for the AFC Championship losses in 1994, 1997, 2001 and 2004. The Super Bowl losses in 1995 and 2011, and no matter what I will be here next week, the week after that and after that. We need to adjust our team to accommodate the poor offensive line and the aging defense or we will never get back a hold of our season.


.

Week 4 Breakdown

Texas Showdown


The Steelers (2-1) look to end the first quarter of the season on a high note as they travel to H-Town, Houston, Texas to battle the high scoring Texans (2-1). With the Colts struggling this season the Texans find themselves atop the AFC South, tied with the surprise Titans. The Steelers have won two straight games and find themselves in a three way tie with their two rivals, the Browns and Ravens.

The Steelers have faced the Texans three times in the teams history, winning two of them. The only loss was in the Texans expansion year as Tommy Maddox threw two interceptions and fumbled, all returned for touchdowns. The defense only allowed forty yards but lost to David Carr in an odd game. Since then the Steelers have played the Texans in Houston twice beating them down both times. The last Steelers game in Houston was a 2008 win, 38-17.

The Steelers have went from a Super Bowl favorite to the team on a "downturn" and the Steelers really haven't done much to shut those critics up. Ben Roethlisberger has turned the ball over eight times in three games, four fumbles and four interceptions. The Steelers linebacker corp has only forced one turnover and sacked opposing quarterbacks only five and a half times.

There just seems to be something missing from the Steelers that I can't put my finger on. It could be something as simple as they are just getting a slow start, and lets hope that is all it is. With the issues the Steelers have so far this season they find themselves in a rare position as underdogs.

TEXANS SEASON STATS:
Matt Schaub- 60 of 92 823 yards 6 touchdowns 3 interceptions
*Big surprise the Texans are one of the most prolific passing teams in the league.

Ben Tate- 66 carries for 301 yards 1 touchdown
*Even with a 4.6 yard average, Arian Foster will start over Tate.

Andre Johnson- 21 catches for 316 yards and 2 touchdowns
* Ike Taylor has only allowed a handful of catches and no touchdowns this season.

Defense- The Texans are allowing 332 yards and 17.6 points per game, even though their two wins were against the Colts and Dolphins who are both 0-3.

INJURY REPORT
Brett Keisel- out; Jonathan Scott- out; Doug Legursky- out;

FINAL TAKE

The Steelers rush ranks 23rd in the NFL and their defense is not much better ranking 12th, 12th! When is the last time that you could say that the Steelers were 12th in defense? Most of the the yardage was from that horrible week one game against Baltimore so I won't get too over heated about that. The Steelers really need to get back to thier old ways, run the ball the prevent Big Ben turnovers and rush the passer to force turnovers. Last week was a trap game and this week looks like the Steelers might get a beating and for that reason I don't think they will. The media is verbally destroying the Steelers so I think they will come out swinging.

STEELERS WIN: 24-20

Former Steeler into ASU HOF

Two time Super Bowl Champion Marvel Smith will be honored today in Arizona, as the Sun Devils induct him into their Hall of Fame. Marvel was a standout offensive tackle for the Sun Devils from 1996 to 1999 before being drafted by the Steelers in the second round of the 2000 draft.

At Arizona State, Marvel was named All-PAC 10 honorable mention in 1998 as a Junior. As a Senior, he was named first team All-PAC team and first team All-American after allowing only one sack.

Smith was drafted in the second round, 38th overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2000 draft. Smith played for the Steelers from 2000 to 2008 including Super Bowl XL and XLIII. He was selected to his only Pro Bowl in 2005 after helping anchor a terrific offensive line that led the Steelers to their first championship since 1979. Smith played in 111 games, starting 108 of them.

Marvel missed three games at the end of the 2007 season and nearly all of the 2008 season, only playing five games. The Steelers chose not to resign Marvel and out right released him. He caught on with the San Francisco 49ers, but did not play a regular season game.

Marvel was a cog on the Steelers line for just shy of a decade and was a force, helping the Steelers get back to their championship ways. Congratulations to Marvel and his family on this honor.

No New Lineman

The Steelers went through another round of shock and drama on the offensive line in the Colts game as multiple offensive lineman went down with injuries. Rookie starting right tackle Marcus Gilbert, was the first to go down with an injury to his shoulder, he was replaced by veteran Trai Essex. Shortly after that starting right guard Doug Legursky was taken out of the game with a shoulder injury, he was replaced with veteran Ramon Foster. All seemed well until starting left tackle Jonathan Scott went down with an ankle injury.

The Steelers at this point had no reserve lineman left on the bench since they only carried seven lineman on the roster, five starters and two reserves. Their reserves, Ramon Foster and Trai Essex were already on the field. Fortunately, Marcus Gilbert was able enough to return to the game and bailed the Steelers out of using a tight end to cover Dwight Freeney, but then again Health Miller could have done a better job than Jonathan Scott.

Tomlin has made it known that even with the Steelers circumstances, any lineman that would be signed would not contribute. That is not really a shock to me though because if you sign someone new, he is coming in to be the back up in the worse case scenario that one of your starters go down. The Steelers are extremely thin on the offensive line and need a lot of help, even if the starters return.

Jonathan Scott looked like a fool against All-Pro Dwight Freeney. He was so bad that the Steelers constantly had to put support on the left side in the form of Health Miller. It is sad when Dwight Freeney was a none factor in the second half because Health Miller and Marcus Gilbert were able to keep him in check, mostly one on one.

I think that the Steelers really need to rethink their offensive line, not the back up plan but the starters. Jonathan Scott did not really win a job, he was handed a job when Max Starks and Flozell Adams were released. Scott proved that he is a terrible lineman and looked awful. Freeney who much smaller than Scott was throwing him around and running him over all game. We can only wait and see how the line shapes up this week against the Texans.

As of Thursday night, the Steelers had not yet signed any new lineman and Scott and Legursky are doubtful for the game at Houston. The Steelers do have Trevis Turner and John Malecki on practice squad and on the active roster they have Jamon Meredith, who was signed after Colon went on IR; Meredith was inactive last week versus the Colts.

Steelers squeak by the Colts

Wow. I don't know what else to say after the Steelers (2-1) questionable outing against the less than stellar Colts (0-3). The Steelers have a history of playing down to people and this game seemed like a trap game from the start. The Steelers didn't give up a lot of yards but still seemed to struggle with the Colts running game and don't appear in the form that fans are used too.

The defense allowed a lot of rushing yards from one of the NFL's worst rushing teams and it appeared to look like they were struggling with the Colts sub par offense. The Colts gained 241 yard of offense, 144 through the air and 97 on the ground. For the most part they were solid, forcing the Colts to punt seven times although it seemed like they were just beaten around in the second half.

The biggest thing that I noticed about the defense is the lack of pressure. The Steelers seemed to be dropping back James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley more then they blitzed them. The Steelers didn't seem to utilize LeBeau's famous stunts and gap blitzes at all. The pressure is not there and every one of us is scratching our head wondering why. There seems to be something missing, personally I think it is the contracts. The most dynamic players all got paid this offseason and now we are not calling their names. Woodley, Polamalu and Timmons have combined for 2.5 sacks and no turnovers, although Troy is seeming to get back to form returning a fumble for a touchdown.

The Steelers offense did a lot of things right, but the things they did wrong were really big. The Steelers amassed 408 yards of total offense, throwing for 364 and rushing for 67. The turnovers continue to kill the Steelers as Ben was responsible for another three turnovers, pushing his season total to eight.

The line had a lot of injuries as well; Marcus Gilbert was replaced by Trai Essex, then Doug Legursky was replaced by Ramon Foster, then left tackle Jonathan Scott went out and was replaced by the injured Marcus Gilbert. I am curious to see if any of the injuries are serious and if the Steelers resign someone like Flozell Adams or promote a newbie like Jamon Meredith.

I will not however blame the turnovers and poor performance on the offensive line. Ben was holding onto the ball too long and was again over throwing his receivers. The Steelers need to run to throw the ball. They came out throwing all over the place in the first quarter and then went to the well too many times and fumbled; then they went to the well again, and fumbled again; how about going to the well one more time? interception. The Steelers have 10 turnovers, eight of them are a result of passing plays.

I know this keeps getting old as well, but what the hell is Bruce Arians doing? The Steelers took advantage of the injured Colts secondary passing for 171 yards and a score in the first quarter. Mike Wallace caught the bulk of those grabbing three balls for 129 yards and a score, which was an 81 grab and run. Tony Dungy himself said that if the Steelers wanted to keep the Colts in the game, they should drop back and throw and boy was he right. The Colts caught onto the game plan and pulled their ears back. Freeney and Mathis sacked Ben three times and forced a fumble for a touchdown. Ben held onto the ball too long and the Steelers seemed too reluctant to run the ball, even if it isn't working right.

Speaking of running the ball, is the Super Bowl fumble still haunting Rashard Mendenhall? He cannot seem to run north and south and is costing himself and this team so much when he stops and shimmies. The Colts were not fooled by the movement because Rashard isn't going anywhere without his feet and they just focused on his feet. Mendenhall is an average running back and the Steelers might need to start considering a new one.

The Steelers can't seem to tie everything together and that won't get any easier this week as they travel to Houston to battle the high scoring Texans. Some how the Steelers need to push the run game more and limit Ben and his turnovers.