Willie Parker: "Arians' Offense Sucks"

Ok, Willie Parker didn't really say that. But, he did take a shot at the "new" offensive system employed by the Steelers offense since Arians took over last year. Parker has repeatedly said that he likes to run behind a fullback in the I-formation. Unfortunately, Arians is obsessed with the double tight end set and the trips bunch.

Parker had this to say on Wednesday:

"I just don't think we should give up that quick," Parker said after
practice yesterday. "We're the Pittsburgh Steelers, everyone knows we're going
to run the ball -- or they used to think we'd run the ball. We pass the ball a
lot now. We go away from Steelers football, Steelers mentality."

"I definitely think about it all the time -- why can't we run the ball?
What's the difference between now and two years ago? So it's definitely being a
concern, me being a running back."

I find it interesting that Parker asked about the difference between now and two years ago. Last year, he led the league in rushing before breaking his leg. You would think he would ask about the difference between this year and last year. Last year, the Steelers ran a similar offensive set with Bruce Arians. Two years ago, Ken Whisenhunt was running the offense. I think this was a veiled shot at Coach Arians.

"We get into two tights now," Parker said, "it's like without a fullback,
[defenses] definitely know what's coming and they know where it's going. I
don't know what it is but it's not being effective.

This is a not-so-veiled shot at the the two tight end system. This is a direct criticism of the man running the offense. For many teams (see Dallas), it might be normal to see a star player criticising a coach or fellow teammate. Not in Pittsburgh. Yes, the fans are quick to place blame and most Steelers bloggers have been quick to point out the faults of the Steelers offense, who rank 25th overall ahead of juggernauts like the Chiefs, Raiders, and Lions. But, Steelers players normally say the right things to the media (Joey Porter and Anthony Smith are exceptions). The fact that Willie Parker is venting to the media is a sign of how much confidence the team has lost in the execution and game plan of the offense.

Mike Tomlin, as usual, has said the right things about Parker's outburst. There is a reason that players and coaches like to play for Tomlin, because he doesn't scapegoat them to the media.

"The issue for us has been, is and hopefully will continue to be winning --
that's my interpretation of Steelers football," Tomlin said. "Every morning I
come to work I walk past five Lombardis, not five rushing titles.

"The issue is winning...Do we need to get better in terms of running the football?
Absolutely," Tomlin said. "And the reason is this -- because it increases our
chances of winning.

"I talked to the football team. We're a 10-3 team trying to be an 11-3
team, and the issue and singular focus we should have is on winning."

It's great to have a loyal coach, but let's just hope the fact that this team is winning doesn't cloud his judgment about how poorly the offense has performed with the amount of talent on the roster.

Steelers-Ravens are Most Underrated Rivalry

Nice article by James Walker of ESPN Blog Network laying out the reasons why Pittsburgh vs. Baltimore is one of the best and most underrated rivalries in the NFL. Traditionally, everyone has thought our biggest rival is the Cleveland Browns. The second coming of Cleveland has been a rival in name only since the Steelers have won a vast majority of the games since their return in 1999. However, I would argue our rivalry with Cleveland is still in tact just in a different form. If you remember correctly, Cleveland left town and took the team to Baltimore. So, really Baltimore is our original Cleveland rival just moved to a different city and wearing ugly purple and white uniforms instead of ugly orange and white uniforms. There is still one player remaining on the Ravens from when they were the Browns. He is my least favorite kicker in the league, Matt Stover. I find it interesting that our previous most hated rival has turned into our current most hated rival.

Baltimore week kick off

As if enough wasn't on the line late in the season(division championship, first round bye), the Steelers face their most hated rival. To kick off Baltimore week, here are a collection of stories and videos.

Charles Robinson at Yahoo! Sports names Hines Ward vs Bart Scott the #1 feud in the NFL

1. Bart Scott vs. Hines Ward
There is a special dark spot in Scott’s heart, and it’s filled with every nasty thing he wants to unleash on Ward. He never liked the Steelers receiver, but his furor intensified Nov. 2007, when Ward blew up Scott and safety Ed Reed on a pair of running plays. Both plays were legal by the letter of the NFL law, but both lit a fuse under Scott, who threatened to kill Ward late in that Ravens loss. Since then – and despite various warnings from the NFL – Scott has continued a slow burn. He’s watched Ward light up several other players, including the jaw-shattering shot on Cincinnati’s Rivers, and dreamt of a day he could return the favor without a fine from the NFL.

“There’s nothing mano y mano about that,” Scott said of Ward’s penchant for peeling back and leveling defenders who aren’t looking. “You put him in a phone booth with half those guys that he’s taking those shots at, he’d get his a** whupped. “If we’re going to play that way, let’s play that way. Let’s not play that way just when it benefits you, let’s play that way all the time. That means when Keith Rivers is defenseless and you take a shot and break his jaw, that means when you come across the middle and you’re defenseless, I get to take that shot. … That’s not man on man. That’s a cheap-shot artist. If you’re going to take a shot, that’s cool. But allow me to take mine without a $35,000 fine.”

Scott’s anger has added intensity to an already white-hot disdain between the two teams. A disgust that included linebacker Terrell Suggs at one point suggesting the team had a bounty on Ward and running back Rashard Mendenhall. The Ravens knocked out Mendenhall with a season-ending shoulder injury when the teams met in September. Suggs later recanted the notion of a bounty, but only after an NFL official met with him about it in Baltimore.
Asked about Suggs’ talk of a bounty, Scott replied, “Whatever Suggs said about Mendenhall or Hines or whoever, everything was done cleanly on our side. Mendenhall got put out the game legally. What he said about a bounty, I don’t understand why people deem that as something dirty.”

When you talk to Ward about it all, he gives only a Cheshire grin. It seems there is a certain sense of satisfaction to be gotten when other players are out there thinking about you.
“I’d be mad too if a 200-pound wideout knocked me out,” Ward said. “I’d get upset at that, too. He has every right to be upset. But a cheap shot? If that’s what he wants to call it, then I’m a cheap shot.

“Maybe they feel like their defense wants to bully everybody, and we’re not bullied by them. We know they’re going to hit us in the mouth and we’re going to hit back. And they don’t particularly like that.”

The aforementioned Hines Ward hits on Ed Reed and Bart Scott.





Let's not forget James Harrison's incredible game on MNF last year. His stat line looked like this: 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception, 3.5 sacks, and 9 tackles. The always respectful Ravens said this after the game: "when a little 5-9 linebacker gets four sacks. That will never happen again in his life. He knows that.”

You stay classy Baltimore

Thinking positive thoughts...

Year in and year out, I am the most negative of the three SteezBros about the prospects for the Steelers. Instead of marveling at overcoming injuries and a difficult schedule to attain a 10-3 record, I focus on the team's glaring weaknesses. Instead of being thankful for owners like the Rooneys and coaches like Dick LeBeau, I cry myself to sleep thinking about the employment status of Bruce Arians and Larry Zierlein. Instead of enjoying James Harrison's MVP-like season, I'm thinking about how much we are going to have to pay him in the off season. And the list goes on.

The Steelers win over the Cowboys, while incredibly dramatic and unlikely, did more to convince me that this team is fatally flawed than that it is destined for Super Bowl greatness. However with Christmas time approaching, no one likes to read about the flaws in your favorite team. So instead of talking about how I would rather have the Ravens offense than the Steelers right now, I'm going to focus on ten positives. Here goes:

1.) I was born in the early 1980's, so I'm not comparing them to the Steel Curtain, but this defense is the best Steelers defense I have ever seen. Even when our defenses were ranked in the top 5, I've never really felt like we had an elite crew. Too many spread offenses dinked the ball down the field. Too many teams could pick on an average secondary. Players like Fred Taylor always had our number. But, this unit is elite. The 3 man line of Hampton, Smith, and Keisel stuff the running game and collapse the pocket. The linebackers have all of the skills. Harrison and Woodley are the most prolific sack duo in Steelers history. Foote is a run stuffer. Farrior is an experienced, signal caller playing at an elite level. And Timmons brings an explosiveness and ability to cover and tackle in the open field that was missing in the past. Despite the performance of this unit, it is the improvement in the secondary that has made the defense elite. Even though he has rocks for hands, Ike Taylor can take an elite wide receiver out of the game. McFadden and Gay have played very well as the number two corner and upgraded the speed of the defense. Deshea is a grizzled vet, more suited to play in the nickel than continue his run as a starter. Ryan Clark is a big hitter than rarely gets beat deep. And Troy, now that he is healthy, is the best safety in the game. Dick LeBeau has had top defenses with weak talent. With these players, you're seeing something special.

2.) Ten forced turnovers in the last two games.

3.) The Steelers are a lock for the playoffs this year. There is still a reasonable chance that the team doesn't win the division, but, barring an epic meltdown and loss to the Ken Dorsey-led Browns, you will see this team in the playoffs.

4.) If the Steelers beat the Ravens on Sunday, the AFC North and a first-round bye will be clinched. Even if the Steez lose to the Ravens, we could get a bye by winning the last two. Even if we lose to the Ravens and the Titans, we could get a bye if we beat the Browns and the Ravens lose to the Cowboys or Jags.

5.) Ben Roethlisberger's ability to engineer game winning drives has ensure that we have more W's than L's. I don't think Big Ben has received enough criticism for his poor play this year, but that is because he has managed to win us some games late in the game. Where would we be without his performances in the 4th quarter against Jax, SD, Baltimore, and Dallas?

6.) Head coaching stability. Early indications make it look like the Rooneys picked another head coaching winner. Mike Tomlin's group is playing hard and playing as a team. He will lead this team to the playoffs in his first two years. I can't imagine having to put up with coaches like Butch Davis, Bobby Petrino, Dave Campo, Nick Saban, Norv Turner, Marty Morningwig and Herm Edwards, just to name a few.

7.) The improvement of kick and punt return coverage is amazing. I've almost stopped worrying about giving up a back-breaking return. Almost.

8.) Hines Ward. Keith Rivers - enough said.

9.) Jeff Reed has turned into one of the best kickers in the league. I used to bet the older Steezbro that Skippy would miss every field goal attempt outside of 45 yards. Two years and a couple hundred dollars later, I finally trust Jeff Reed.

10.) The invisibility of Steely McBeam.

What are your positive thoughts about the Steelers?

Value of a good OC

For the surprise teams of the 2008 season, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco are turning in two of the most impressive seasons for a rookie quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, and Dan Marino. While a significant amount of attention has been given to the performance of these two players (and rightfully so), there has been less focus on the schemes and offensive coaches of the Ravens and Falcons. It should come as no surprise that each team has one of the best offensive coordinators in the league. The Falcons employ Mike Mularkey, former Steelers Offensive Coordinator and Head Coach of the Buffalo Bills. The Ravens employ Cam Cameron, former SD Chargers Offensive Coordinator and Head Coach of the Miami Dolphins. These coaches have devised great game plans that take into account the limitations of rookie signal callers.

Keith Kidd from Scout's Inc. had this to say about the Ravens improvement:
In studying the Ravens offense this season, the three key elements that stick out in my mind have been improved play selection, personnel designs that creates mismatches by offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, and the most critical aspect of consistent production at quarterback with Joe Flacco.

Don Banks at CNNSI wrote this about Mularkey:
As the Falcons' first-year offensive coordinator, Mularkey has quietly done one of the best coaching jobs in the NFL this season, putting rookie quarterback Matt Ryan into the position to win right away. He has also gotten the best from Atlanta's Michael Turner-led running game and an offensive line that few thought would achieve so much.

On many Steeler fan sites (including this one), Bruce Arians has been repeatedly ripped for his poor management of the Steelers offense. When the Steelers played the Ravens earlier in the season, I remarked to the other SteezBros that the Ravens had called a great offensive game. I don't think I've said that once about the Steelers.

Maybe this offseason the Steez should hire a proven offensive coordinator. Gary Kubiak or Norv Turner anyone?

We Beat the PATRIOTS!

Well, we finally beat the Patriots and in Foxboro no less. If any penalty has ever been worth committing, Ryan Clark has found it. I question whether it should have been a penalty at all. The league announced today it would not be fining Ryan Clark. Also, contained in the announcement was that leaving your feet is not a penalty. That's hockey people. If you didn't already think Randy Moss was mailing it in, after Clark nearly decapitated Wes Welker, the Patriot receivers did not seem interested in participating in this game, in the least. If we knew all it would take to shut down the Pats offensive game plan of short passes over the middle was one big hit we could have saved years of frustration and possible won another Superbowl.

Enough cannot be said of the performance of our Defense in this game and this season. In previous attempts to defeat the Patriots, we have been plagued by not getting to the QB and getting gashed by delays and short dump off passes to the RB's. We still got gashed by delays but getting pressure was not an issue on Sunday and that made all the difference in the world. James Harrison and Lamar Woodley, Casey Hampton and Timmons were in the backfield all day. The pressure lead to alot of turnovers. One constant remains; Ike Taylor can't catch. Luckily, Gostkowski shanked a short field goal.

The team speed on D this season cannot be overlooked. Timmons covering in the flat resulted in an interception that almost went the distance except he ran out of gas at the one. Woodley and Harrison coming off the ends; Troy back to form and all over the place. He leads the league in interceptions. McFadden when he was in and will be back this week.

Another key component to this victory was the O-Line. Ben was only sacked once and had alot of time to throw. Max Starks is again perfroming well at left tackle. His situation baffles me but having him as Marvel's backup, even if it is costing $7 million this season does not look as bad as it did prior to the season. (although it is still a highly questionable move) I heard that the O-line has abondoned the zone blocking scheme. Seemed to work for this game at least. Nate Washington and Santonio Holmes seem to trade places. One week one is reliable and makes plays and one drops passes left and right. The next game it is reversed. Both drop catchable balls and then make crazy catches. Nice to see us getting the ball to Heath on a consistent basis. He is one tough SOB.

Santonio actually had a decent punt return.

Mildly concerning is our inability to score touchdowns in the red zone lately. Yes, we put up 33 points but it should have been a lot more with the number of turnovers our D created. Our D will keep us in most games, but we need to score touchdowns when the ball is given to us deep in opposing teritory if we want to win in the playoffs.

Upcoming Schedule
-if you would have told me at the beginning of the season we would be 9-3 heading into the Dallas game, I would have been very pleased. But Baltimore is only 1 game behind us and we have a really tough closing stretch

We have 2 out of 4 on the road. Balt has 3 out of 4 at home.

STEEZ
Dal
at Balt
at Ten
Cle

BALTIMORE
Wash
Pit
at Dal
Jacksonville

Our next 3 games are against 3 of the top teams in the NFL. They will be great preparation for the playoffs but we could lose all 3. We need to win at least one of the next 3 and then hold serve against Cleveland in the last game of the season.

My prediction

Steelers-Dallas
-Barber and Ware are banged up. I don't think Ware plays. Barber will go. Everyone knows we shut down the run. Our secondary is up to the TO, Witten challenge, especially with McFadden coming back. Our offensive line continues to improve and we run it when we want to and Ben makes some key plays and limits his turnovers.

Steez 31 - Dallas 20

I think we beat Balt, lose to Ten and beat Clev to finish out the year at 12-4.

Anyone else have predictions?

Ernster Cut, Berger Back

The Paul Ernster cut watch is over. The Steelers have re-signed Mitch Berger and parted ways with Ernster. We went from one punter who could only kick it 30 yards to a punter that has two bad hamstrings. Also check out some facts you may not have known about our D-Coordinator, Dick LeBeau, courtesy of Peter King:

1. His 171 consecutive starts at cornerback for the Detroit Lions between 1959 and 1972 is an NFL record.

2. He played pickup basketball at Ohio State with Bobby Knight, who has called LeBeau one of the 10 finest athletes he has encountered in his life.

3. He served as a stunt double for Michael Caine in a 1970 war movie called Too Late The Hero.

4. He calls his 95-year-old mother, Beulah LeBeau, in London, Ohio, every day.

5. He had holes-in-one seven days apart.

Tendencies on 3rd and short

One of my biggest pet peeves about this Steelers offense is it's tendency to be in the shotgun on third and short. Blitzburgh, at Behind the Steel Curtain, analyzed the Steelers tendencies on 3rd and short. His post is so good I copied it below:

I had to investigate the Pittsburgh Steelers tendencies on 3rd and short yardage situations. It seemed to me that we threw the ball ALL the time on 3rd and short, but I wasn't entirely positive. So it was a bit tedious, but I went through the play-by-plays of every game this season and charted what we did each time we faced a 3rd down with 2-4 yards to go. Why did I selected 2-4 yards? Well, I thought it was the appropriate range. Even the most passy happy teams run on 3rd and 1 first of all. And while I think an occassional run should be sprinkled in on 3rd and 5-6 type situations, I think we all generally agree that that's a passing down.

But in the 2-4 yard range, we're basically just needing to get our very modest season average of about 3.5 yards per carry to get a new fresh set of downs. I tried to summarize all the data both in the headers and in a table below so no need to make any sort of calculations for yourself. I did that, and when you see what Bruce Arians has been up to on 3rd and short this year, you may just grow some even stronger opinions about the way our offense has been managed in certain regards and at certain times this year.

WEEK 1 (1 run, 3 passes):
3-4-HOU46(9:09) (Shotgun) B.Roethlisberger scrambles right end pushed ob at HST 29 for 17 yards (Z.Diles).


3-3-HOU22(7:10) (Shotgun) B.Roethlisberger pass short middle to S.Holmes to HST 13 for 9 yards (J.Reeves).


3-2-PIT39(3:07) B.Roethlisberger sacked at PIT 27 for -12 yards (M.Williams).


3-2-PIT28(6:15) W.Parker right tackle to PIT 32 for 4 yards (CC.Brown, Z.Diles).


WEEK 2 (0 runs, 3 passes)
3-4-PIT25(12:04) (Shotgun) B.Roethlisberger pass short right to S.Holmes pushed ob at PIT 41 for 16 yards (E.Wright) [M.Adams].


3-2-PIT49(10:18) B.Roethlisberger sacked at PIT 40 for -9 yards (sack split by C.Williams and N.Sorensen).


3-4-CLE30(8:11) (Shotgun) B.Roethlisberger pass incomplete short left to S.Holmes (E.Wright) [S.Rogers].


WEEK 3 (0 runs, 4 passes)
3-4-PHI45(6:38) (Shotgun) B.Roethlisberger pass short left to H.Ward to PHI 39 for 6 yards (L.Sheppard).


3-4-PIT39(7:49) (Shotgun) PENALTY on PHI-M.Patterson, Defensive Delay of Game, 5 yards, enforced at PIT 39 - No Play. (Shotgun = about to pass)


3-3-PHI49(6:00) (Shotgun) B.Roethlisberger sacked at PIT 45 for -6 yards (J.Parker). FUMBLES (J.Parker) [J.Parker], RECOVERED by PHI-B.Bunkley at PIT 45. B.Bunkley to PIT 45 for no gain (H.Miller).


3-2-PHI13(1:08) (Shotgun) B.Leftwich sacked at PHI 22 for -9 yards (sack split by D.Howard and D.Klecko).


WEEK 4 (0 runs, 3 passes)
3-2-BAL47(10:24) B.Roethlisberger pass short middle to N.Washington to BLT 35 for 12 yards (C.Ivy).


3-4-BAL38(4:17) (Shotgun) B.Roethlisberger pass short middle to S.Holmes for 38 yards, TOUCHDOWN.


3-3-PIT37(2:51) (Shotgun) B.Roethlisberger pass short left to M.Moore to PIT 43 for 6 yards (B.Scott).


WEEK 5 (0 runs, 2 passes)
3-3-JAC20(12:49) (Shotgun) B.Roethlisberger pass incomplete deep right to M.Moore.


3-3-PIT43(4:40) (Shotgun) B.Roethlisberger pass short left to N.Washington to JAX 45 for 12 yards (B.Williams). PENALTY on PIT-N.Washington, Unsportsmanlike Conduct, 15 yards, enforced between downs.


WEEK 7 (1 run, 2 passes)
3-3-CIN3(:51) B.Roethlisberger pass incomplete short right to H.Miller.


3-2-CIN44(10:02) B.Roethlisberger pass short right to M.Moore to CIN 44 for no gain (J.Joseph). FUMBLES (J.Joseph), ball out of bounds at CIN 45.


3-3-CIN13(8:36) M.Moore left end for 13 yards, TOUCHDOWN.



To continue reading, click here.

Peter King: Give the ball to Gary Russell

Peter King, at CNNSI.com is demanding that Gary Russell gets the damn ball. In his Monday Morning QB column, King mentioned Russell, the current short-yardage back, twice. Here is what he wrote:

5. Pittsburgh (8-3). The only thing that can stop this team is its running game. Or lack thereof. If I'm Mike Tomlin, I'm giving Gary Russell some important carries Sunday in Foxboro. What a month the Steelers have coming up: at Patriots, home vs. Cowboys, at Ravens and Titans. They'll never make it with the kind of running game we saw Thursday night.

I think this is what I didn't like about Week 12:
a. Willie Parker looks like he's running scared. He ran tentatively against those mighty Bengals, tiptoed into holes and actually shied away from a big hit against Rashad Jeanty. A worrisome display for the Steelers, who should be playing feisty backup Gary Russell. Parker's dancing first-half runs Thursday night: 1, 0, 1, 4, minus-2, 1, 0, 6, 3, 1, minus-1. He's obviously favoring his bum shoulder and hamstring.

With Parker's injuries, I can't say that I disagree with King, but I think the offense should have some sort of rotation between Parker, Moore, and Russell. If Willie is healthy, he should get the bulk of the carries. But, if he continues to dance into the holes, Moore and Russell are capable of being productive players. I'd like to see Russell in some I-formation looks with McHugh as full back (not happening in an Arians offense) and Mewelde Moore in the spread looks. Let's just give Willie a light load until he heals.

And the Paul Ernster cut watch continues:
b. Paul Ernster should have been cut at halftime. Steelers would have been wiser to use James Harrison, that prize special-teamer, as the punter Thursday.

Ocho Cinco Deactivated

Chad Ocho Cinco has been deactivated for the game tonight according to ESPN. This is going to significantly hamper the small amount of momentum the Bengals were riding coming off the tie of the Eagles (at 1-8-1 any non-loss is great). The cold weather and flurries should help the 1-1-1 Steelers D. That is #1 overall, against the run, and against the pass. The Steelers are going to stop Benson and try to make Fitzpatrick and his perfec t Wonderlic Test beat them. I'll take Troy and Co. Troy has been a beast again this season. Also Silverback and Woody should have a big night due to injuries on the Cincy O Line. The only thing our D is missing is turnovers. We do not have enough of them although we did have a couple last week. Maybe this can be the game that our Offense finally finds a rhythm. Heath should play after missing a couple games from a high ankle sprain. This is a lingering injury and don't expect him to be 100 percent, but he is a premier tight end. Bruce Arians and Larry Zierlein need to be fired. There is no excuse that our offense is not in the top 10 in the league. Arians is getting a little better and we need to execute better but these assistant coaches stink. The Steeelers should win easy tonight, maybe not as big as last time but I say 27-6 Pittsburgh

Run to the left

I was sifting through some data at Football Outsiders and took a look at the offensive line statistics . The methodology seems quite complex and there are certainly items during a football game that cannot be quantified, but the stats paint a picture of the effectiveness of the guys in the trenches.

Unsurprisingly, the Steelers offensive line ranks 24th in run blocking and 30th in pass blocking. The O-line might be slightly better if the team wasn't without its best running back for most of the season and didn't have a quarterback that holds onto the ball too long. That said, these rankings are pretty consistent with what I've seen watching the games. One of the categories FO uses to rank O-lines is called "Stuffed." It's basically the number of run plays that go for negative yards or don't gain a first down on a 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) and short. (This is very simplified. Go to the site for exact calculation.) The Steelers are stuffed on 30% of its running plays, which is good for 31st in the league, ahead of only the Philadelphia Eagles.

The other statistic that interested me was the success of running plays by direction. When Pittsburgh runs left, it gains 5.65 adjusted yards to the left end (a run outside the tackles) and 4.77 yards to the left tackle. Both are in the top ten in the league. These figures are by far superior than running to the middle (3.91), to the right tackle (3.36), and right end (3.53). This is unsurprising. The Steez best run blockers are Max Starks and Kemo, who anchor the left side of the line. Kendall Simmons and Willie Colon are pretty terrible on the right side, where we struggle to run the ball. Darnell Stapleton is better than Simmons, but isn't a powerful run blocker. Among hard-core Steelers supporters, this is pretty much common knowledge. So based on these statistics, you would think the majority of carries would go left, behind the strength of the line. Well, you would be wrong. Right now, only 17% of carries are going left. 56% are going up the middle. 27% are going to the right.

Here is my attempt at reasoning why we run more to the right than to the left. Arians knows that the left side of the line is better. He knows that our opponent knows that our left side is better. Since the opponent knows, he should run to the right to surprise them. This seems to me to be Arians model of thinking. He would rather try to surprise than play to the teams strengths.

Replay Rules about to be changed

Per PFT and many other sources, changes are most likely coming to the NFL Replay System as a result of the last play in the Steelers-Chargers game Sunday. Anyone that saw the play was sure it was a touchdown. I still don't understand the ref's explanation for why it was called back. The change will allow the referee to return to the replay booth a second time if they still aren't sure about the call. As for the Steeer-Charger game, I think they should be allowed to retroactively change the score to what it would have been had the TD been allowed. (Full disclosure, I was affected in a handicapper league that uses spreads. I am sure there are a lot of gamblers that would appreciate a score change as well. Vegas would not.) In this instance, it was the last play of the game, the outcome was not affected, why not get it right whenever possible. Earlier in the season we had a botched call that did effect the outcome in the SD-Denver game. Some may argue that you would need to go back and change that score as well. However, you could not go back and change the score for that game. That play happened with some time left and plays happened afterward that still could have won the game for either team.

Look for these changes to take effect for the playoffs.

MCFAGG IS A RETARD

It's official. I always knew it but McNabb is retarded. Not only was he dumb enough to not know the rules of the league but he was also stupid enough to tell the media he had no clue and then made the comment of "... I would love to see what happens in the Super Bowl or the post season." Really? No, honestly? Wow. This shows what the state of the Eagles is. Fat Bastard should have his players completely prepared for every situation and clearly he doesn't. But then he doesn't know his kids are heroin addicts either. This obviously would affect the way McNabb played in the extra period and maybe the Eagles would have gotten a much needed victory if he knew the rules. The sad part is that he was in the league for the last tie. If I were in the Eagles upper management I would be very upset that I am paying someone millions of dollars to control my team that doesn't even know the rules of the game. Pitiful.

Scouts Inc.: Steelers o-line is bad

This is the Scouts Inc. summary of Pittsburgh:

A Steelers offensive line that doesn't move well and isn't well-coached should be considered among the league's worst. Pass protectors too often are confused about their individual responsibilities, and this unit is insufficient in short-yardage situations -- two deficiencies that were on display Sunday. Moreover, C Justin Hartwig is a terrible shotgun snapper, which happens to be a huge part of Pittsburgh's offense. The Steelers no longer are winning because of their front five, but in spite of them.

Umm, I don't think you need to be an NFL scout to be make this observation.

Government to NFL: bail out the casinos

I've watched the play ten times now and I still haven't seen evidence that the lateral was actually a forward pass. Remember, the officials called it a lateral on the field and there has to be conclusive evidence to the contrary to overturn a call. Watch the video above, do you see conclusive evidence? The official wouldn't have messed up an interpretation of the rules if they hadn't overturned the lateral.

This blown call will not have any effect on the NFL season (unless we somehow get into the #7 tie breaker), but did have a major impact on NFL gamblers and fantasy football players. From Peter King:

The problem is the Steelers were very heavy betting favorites in this game. One Vegas bookie said last night that $100 million was bet on this game alone, with $66 million of that bet on the Steelers. The Steelers were four-point favorites. Instead of winning 17-10 or 18-10, the Steelers won 11-10. Thus they didn't cover, much to the angst of gamblers around the United States.

Whew...

I'm getting used to consoling myself after an ugly win. This time, it was an 11-10 squeaker over San Diego. The team was held without a TD (sadly I'm getting used to this as well), but the defense played well again and Ben Roethlisberger made up for his poor game last week by executing an impressive drive to win the game. With Baltimore losing to the Giants, the win gave the Steelers a one game lead in the division with a should win game coming up against the one win, one non-loss Bengals.

Despite the ugly score, the Steelers have to be encouraged by a number of things about the game on Sunday.

- Willie Parker returned and made a big difference in the running game. He had 115 yards on 25 carries. In order to get this offense on track, the running game is of supreme importance. The return of Parker seemed to give the offensive line some added confidence as they opened big running lanes that haven't been there all season.

- Big Ben's final drive. After going down 10-8 with 6:41 left to play. Big Ben methodically led the team down the field to the win. In addition to scoring the winning points, the drive lasted 6 minutes and 30 seconds, meaning the Chargers had no time to answer. Big Ben made some great throws, including an extremely tight throw to Hines Ward on 3rd and 6 from the Chargers 40. Hopefully, this means the early season Ben Roethlisberger is back.

- Big Ben's day. 31-41. 308 yards. No turnovers.

- Have the Steelers found a new offensive identity? It featured lots of short passes. A couple shots downfield. An involved running game. No, the team didn't score many points, but it was effective moving the ball and controlled the clock, which is all we need with our incredible defense.

- The Steel curtain defense. Another incredible performance by this unit. Considering Anthony Madison and Fernando Bryant had significant playing time, it might be the best performance of the year. Troy, Silverback, Aaron Smith, Big Snack, and Woodley are playing at an incredible level. Once again, the defense carried us to victory. The only TD occurred because of a questionable pass interference call. I'm throwing it out there, James Harrison for MVP. Not defensive player of the year. MVP of the league. It won't happen because the award never goes to defensive players and Harrison isn't a household name, but, he is playing that well.

- We found the next person we can label the next Jerome Bettis. Gary Russell. All the short yardage problems are gone.

- Troy's INT. Unbelievable.



Despite the win, the Steelers have to be discouraged by a number of things about the game on Sunday.

- The offense didn't score a TD against one of the worst defenses in the league.

- Despite dominating the turnover battle, 2-0, and the yardage margin, 410-213, the Steelers needed a late game drive to win the game.

- Allowing another 4 sacks.

- 13 penalties, 115 yards.

- Special teams concerns. The punting game is poor. The return games are really poor. When you win mainly with defense, field position is extremely important. We continue to lose the field position game. The free punt after the safety was especially poor. I expected to get the ball back on the 40, with momentum on our side. We got the ball at our own 6 yard line. Unacceptable.

- Stuffed on the goal line for the third consecutive time. Stuffed again on third and one. Maybe that's what we should nickname this offensive line. Stuffed.

- Poor coaching decision to kick a 51 yard field goal in bad conditions. Skippy is great, but asking for the longest field goal in Heinz field history in poor conditions is a little much. Play the field position game and punt or go for it on 4th and 4 from the 33.

- This is just a personal rant, but does anyone else get sick of seeing a 5 wide formation with no one in the backfield? I mean, our offensive line can't block and our 4th and 5th Wide Receivers are named Limas Sweed and Matt Spaeth. Maybe Bruce Arians and the staff found a weakness in the SD defense and wanted to exploit it. But it certainly made more sense to me to run it from the SD 4 yard line on second down than to line up 5 wide and get sacked. And while I'm ranting, I also hate being in shotgun formation on 3rd and short. Then again, we can't convert running the ball...

This was a big win and, after last week's crushing loss, it feels good to get the W. The Steelers are in good position to win the division and make a run for a first round bye. But this team is still flawed on the offensive side of the ball, and until it starts doing the little things right, it doesn't have a shot of making a deep run in the playoffs. I'm holding out hope that the best football is still in front us.

It's the Chargers yet again...

This season and the Steelers' recent schedule for that matter makes me feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog's Day. There are a few teams it just seems like we play every year. New England, Indy and San Diego. This season feels like Groundhog's day because key people get injured, yet every week we come out and play competitive football regardless of who is in there. Depth was our biggest worry coming into the season, especially on O-line and D-line. Both of these areas have suffered key losses. Hampton and Keisel on teh D-line and Simmons and Smith on the O-line. Neither unit dropped off considerably when their backups came in. We have lost starters at every position and their backups have performed extremely well, especially at Mewelde Moore at RB.

Ben has been playing through his shoulder injury with mixed results at best. This week we face a Chargers team that despite their 4-5 reord, features playmakers at almost every position. The Chargers are like a chamelion, they play like whatever team they area facing that week. Their D seemed to improve when they fired D-Coordinator Ted Cotrell and replaced him with ex-Chicago bear D coordinator and one time Steeler head coaching candidate Ron Rivera.

Chargers On Offense- LDT just has not seemed to be himself this year. Count that as a posive for us. Our D is super run stingy. You never can discount LDT but I'm just saying, he is not having the kind of year we have come to expect from him. Our secondary, like the rest of the team is banged up, but SD's receiving core does not scare me that much. Gates is the only position that worries me. If we can pressure Rivers like we have been pressuring other teams lately, I think we will be in good shape. With Woodley coming back, I don't predict much time for Rivers to get the ball out. One thing that worries me is with all the injuries to the secondary, the coaches may not have sufficient confidence to run alot of the zone blitz schemes they normally would.

Our Offense needs to get its act together. Blame can be thrown alot of places, but it would be nice to see our offense come together in all areas and play a solid complete game. SD's D is good but not so good they should shut us down completely. We need to start using all our weapons in a variety of ways. In almost all of our losses this season we have lost because of turnovers. If Ben keeps it in his pants, then we win this game. I see another close, hard fought game. Whoever wins the turnover battle, wins this game. I see that being the Steelers.

Steelers 24-20

Steelers problems bigger than Roethlisberger

Charles Robinson at Yahoo! Sports penned a nice piece about the Steelers offensive problems. It's sometimes valuable to read a piece like this by someone who probably doesn't watch every Steelers game and isn't as biased as a Steelers fan or Pittsburgh-based sports writer. It's also easy to forget that we have a team that is 6-3. The sky is not falling. At least not until we drop another game at home to San Diego...

When Bruce Arians woke up Wednesday morning, the zealotry of Pittsburgh Steelers nation was still pounding away like a ball-peen hammer on an iron rivet. It was inescapable – screaming from the radio, bundled between the pages of the local newspapers, etched across the dissatisfied faces of the faithful.

And while coaches loathe the basic excuse of injuries as a reason for ineffectiveness, Arians has some strong evidence backing up why the offense has sputtered this season. Consider:

• Pittsburgh has been making do with a third-string running back in Mewelde Moore, who has both average speed and size and had never carved out a consistent starting role in his previous four seasons in Minnesota. Meanwhile, Pro Bowler Willie Parker has been dealing with knee and shoulder injuries, playing in only one of the Steelers’ past six games. His backup, first-round pick Rashard Mendenhall, was lost for the season in Week 4.

• The offensive line has been undermanned and in turn lacked continuity since Week 4 of the season. Put aside the fact that Pittsburgh lost a quality guard in Alan Faneca in the offseason (and yes, that is important). Right guard Kendall Simmons, who had been a fixture on the line for the previous three seasons, was lost for the season against the Ravens. Pro Bowl left tackle Marvel Smith hasn’t played since Pittsburgh’s 4-1 start.

• Tight end Heath Miller hasn’t played in the past two games.

• And then you have Roethlisberger, who injured his right shoulder in the season opener against Houston, then reinjured it again in the win over Washington in Week 9. Meanwhile, he has missed an assortment of practices since the start of the season, which has in turn hurt his timing and decision-making at various points.

Even in the league’s “no excuse” era, that’s a staggering amount of circumstance: A hobbled quarterback, two missing running backs, three different offensive-line starters in comparison to 2007, and a dual-responsibility tight end sidelined, too. And yet, it’s Arians who is shouldering much of the blame after Sunday’s 24-20 loss to the Colts – a game ultimately scuttled by a pair of bad interceptions (three overall) by Roethlisberger.

Marvel out for year?

PFT is reporting Marvel Smith could undergo back surgery and miss the rest of the year. This report must be taken with a grain of salt since PFT posts many rumors (remember when the Steelers signed both Leftwich and Culpepper), but it is intriguing nonetheless.

We’re told that Steelers tackle Marvel Smith, who hasn’t played since October 5 at Jacksonville, currently is expected to undergo back surgery, and he will miss the rest of the year.

Post Gazette Defends Arians

Bob Smizik of the Post-Gazette is in the minority here.

Those wishing to fire Arians, and their numbers multiplied several times after the loss to Indianapolis Sunday, almost make it sound like a dismissal would be putting him out of his misery. They consider him badly over matched when it comes to calling plays and that, they insist, not the injuries is what's wrong with the Steelers' offense.

For the record, this column does not think Arians should be fired.

Anyone who thinks they can evaluate play-calling by sitting in front of a television set or in the stands at Heinz Field is delusional. It's far more complicated than that.

While I agree that Arians should not receive all the blame, it is pretty evident that he is struggling. Smizik goes on to challenge those that second guess the play calling that lead to Big Ben's interception at the end of the half and the two consecutive running plays from the 1 yard line that were stuffed. First of all, I actually like the running plays called on 2nd and 3rd and goal at the one. A good football team exerts its will on opponents. The Steelers should be able to gain one yard against a drastically smaller defensive front. No beef there. Now the Big Ben interception play call was asinine. The only goal, up 17-7 with 1:00 left in the half, should have been to get a first down. If you call a run, at worst, you make Indy use their final timeout and punt it away. Sure Indy might get a field goal, but you still go in with a 7 point lead. If you call a pass, the only goal should be to get two yards. So call a quick slant. A drag. A swing pass. A 4 yard route to the TE. Heaven forbid, we call a screen. The only thing you CANNOT do is turn the ball over. How does it make sense to have your injured quarterback throw deep? It doesn't. Then again, just because the play call was terrible doesn't excuse the horrendous decision making by Big Ben.

Coaches jobs are to put their players in the best position to win. No, Arians should not be fired because of those two play calls on Sunday. Arians should be fired because he has been over matched by nearly every team we have faced. Because he has turned the Steelers identity from a powerful,methodical offense to one of the most inconsistent offenses in the league. He should be fired, because he can't protect his quarterback. Because he can't adapt mid game. Because he can't adapt post game. Because he has no imagination. Because his play calling is predictable. Because he is predictably bad. And mostly, because we can win now, if the offense improves.

Steelers interested in Deangelo Hall?

Deangelo Hall was released by the Raiders this week and rumor has it that the Steelers might be interested. Even though it makes a ton of sense, and he could probably be signed cheap, I think it is highly unlikely the Steelers sign Hall. We have McFadden coming back from injury soon. Hall has a reputation for being a locker room disruption (although unfairly earned b/c his biggest incident was with slime ball Bobby Petrino) and I'm not sure how excited he will be to play the physical, stop the run first scheme that Dick Lebeau likes to run. Nonetheless, Hall would surely be an upgrade to Deshea Townsend and could fit in nicely in the nickel and dime defenses. Not to mention that he could drastically upgrade the return game. Let's see how this plays out.

From Pro Football Talk:

As we hear it, several teams are actively pursuing cornerback DeAngelo Hall, now that he has cleared waivers and become an unrestricted free agent.

We’re told that Hall is talking to several teams, including high-level
folks with more than one franchise. One source characterized it as a
“frenzy” of activity.

Adam Schefter reports that the Giants, Redskins, Steelers, and Patriots are interested.

UPDATE: Deangelo Hall Signs with Washington Redskins

Post game: Steelers - Redskins

I know. It's Friday and I should be writing game previews instead of looking back to last week's game. I'm running behind schedule, but last week's win might have been the best of the Tomlin era and there were lots of crazy developments.

- Big Ben doesn't look right. On the first drive, I texted my brother, "Ben looks hurt." The last two games have been nightmarish for him and have erased from our minds how he carried us through the first half of the season. Other than the bumps and bruises, and complete lack of confidence, one thing entirely missing this season is his ability to run with the football. There were several instances on Monday night where Ben easily could have picked up a first down, but refused to run. (Not to mention the fact that there is never a designed play to get Ben out of the pocket. Where are the roll outs?) I was too lazy to check the stats, but luckily our friends at PGH at similar thoughts.

The excuse we all like to make on Roethlisberger’s behalf is: “Ben holds the ball a long time because he is always looking to make big plays down field. Sure he gets sacked a decent amount, but the trade-off is that he can move around the pocket after a play breaks down and hit a homerun.” Really? How many times this year has Big Ben done that? In years past this rationale was spot on. Thus far in 2008, we’re seeing the sacks and the “holding the ball for too long” but we’re really not seeing the plays Ben was making with his legs in 2005. Evading 3 tacklers as he runs towards the sideline and launches a bomb for a TD….we just haven’t seen it. I think Roethlisberger’s ability to tuck the ball and run is something our offense is missing. Ben is more than capable of making the defense account for his running ability and he’s more than capable of picking up key 3rd downs by simply escaping the pocket and taking off.

You’ll see Big Ben is on pace for his worst season ever in terms of Rushing Attempts Per game, Rushing Yards Per Game, and First Downs via the scramble. You’d think these numbers would go up with a worse offensive line. Hmmm…
2008: 1.9 rushing attempts per game, 3.9 yards per game, on pace for 4 first downs this season.
2007: 2.3 rushing attempts per game, 13.6 yards per game, 17 first downs on the year.
2006: 2.1 rushing attempts per game, 6.5 yards per game, 11 fist downs on the year.
2005: 2.6 rushing attempts per game, 5.8 yards per game, 9 first downs on the year.
2004: 4.0 rushing attempts per game, 10.3 yards per game, 12 first downs on the year.

- I think I'm in the minority here, but I really liked the onside kick to start the game. The odds of getting the kick are more than 50/50. And after last week's let down, it set the tone that we would play this game with aggresion. Tomlin believed that even if it failed, our defense would hold. Aggression and confidence are two things that every team needs to win, especially in big games on the road. The onside kick was unsuccessful, but the tone it set was even more valuable.

- We pile on Arians nearly every week. He really is terrible and unimaginative. I truly believe if we had Mularkey or Whisenhunt calling the plays, this team would be the favorite for the Super Bowl. With Arians, our only hope is defensive brilliance. That said, major kudos to the coaching staff for not getting too conservative with Leftwich in the game. Leftwich showed the importance of having a solid back up QB. His play made this game a blowout, as opposed to a defensive nailbiter.

- What can you say about this defense? Never in my wildest dreams did I think they would be this good. Big Snack is routinely in the backfield. Aaron Smith is climbing the charts in my favorite Steelers of all time. Woodley and Harrison are unbelievable. Farrior is the QB. Timmons is explosive. Troy looks like the best safety in the league. The secondary is doing a great job, and that's with Tyrone Carter and Anthony Smith playing. But, as I have said before, the only way that we make a deep run in the playoffs is if the defense, not only stops opponents, but also forces turnovers. Our offense is sub-par. Winning teams with sub-par offenses, must dominate field position, make stops on defense, and force turnovers to score points.

- When looking at all aspects of the special teams, it wasn't a great day. Reed missed an XP. Berger was terrible. Our return teams are an embarassment. The onside kick didn't work. Nonetheless, the team has made tremendous strides in kick and punt coverage. AND, the turning point of the game came on a blocked punt. Hopefully, the coaching staff realizes that we should be sending punt block schemes much more often. If we can't return a punt, then let's go after the punter. The punt block by Frazier changed the momentum of the game that resulted in a touchdown before the half and a dominating performance after the half.

- An extremely worrying stat: Prior to this game, the Steelers were 1-8 on 3rd down and 1. 1-8! That is unbelievable bad. Several reasons: bad play calling (why oh why are we in shotgun on third and short), an offensive line that can't blow people off the ball, and a reluctance to hand the ball of to our most effective RBs. I know Najeh Davenport is big, but he is also slow and has bad vision. Some of the best short yardage backs in the history of the league, Emmitt Smith, LDT, are not big guys. Pittsburgh loves Jerome Bettis. We no longer have Bettis. Mewelde Moore is best suited to fill this role.

-Once again, Steelers fans invaded an opposing team's stadium. Rumor has it, Jason Campbell went to a silent count. IN HIS OWN STADIUM.

- Big win for Tomlin. I'm not always the biggest Tomlin fan. He's made some questionable on the field decisions, the team collapsed at the end of last season, he chose Arians as the OC, Colon and Simmons have started despite terrible play, etc... But in spite of the injuries this year, he has had the team prepared and ready to compete each and every week. He's still inexperienced and makes some mistakes (and should also take some heat for how bad the offense is performing), but the intensity, preparedness, and togetherness of the team have been outstanding.

- Did anyone see the guitar hero commercials? Holy cow. I can't believe these weren't censored. No complaints here.

Parker out vs the Colts

The Post-Gazette is reporting Willie Parker will miss the Colts game due to a shoulder injury sustained during the Redskins game.

Willie Parker's return to the starting lineup didn't last very long. After finally returning from a four-game absence to play in Monday night's victory against the Washington Redskins, the two-time Pro Bowl running back has a new injury -- an ailing shoulder -- and will not play against the Indianapolis Colts.

Parker injured his shoulder sometime in the third quarter against the Redskins -- "I'm not sure how," he said -- but still finished the game. His shoulder did not begin aching until the next day, and he has not practiced this week. Parker finished with 70 yards on 21 carries in his first game back from a sprained ligament in his left knee. He is expected to miss only one game and will be replaced by Mewelde Moore.

Election Day: Get out the Vote

Big win for the Steelers on Monday night. I hope to get post-game thoughts up tomorrow.

More importantly, today is election day. Regardless of who you want to win (after last night I'm pulling for Dick LeBeau), let's all get out the vote. So call your friends and family members and make sure they get to the polls.

Post Game: Steelers-Giants

I couldn't get to post game thoughts last night, but Peter King and Don Banks pretty much some up my short and long-term thoughts:

King
Did you see the Giants out-Steel Curtain the Steelers?

Banks
Something's just missing from this Steelers team, and even though Pittsburgh might wind up winning the AFC North once again, my sense is that it won't be a deep run into January for Mike Tomlin's team.

It isn't time to throw in the (terrible) towel because we lost one game, especially considering it was to one of the top teams in the league, but the injuries keep piling up and our offense is too inconsistent to win against top teams. The O-line isn't completely at fault (see this article), and missing Santonio surely hurt, but we haven't had any type of rhythm since week 1. There is still plenty of time to get this fixed (see 2007 NY Giants Super Bowl run), but until we do, the talk of the Steelers as a legitimate threat to make the Super Bowl is certainly premature.

One other quick thought. Although losing a game is rarely palatable, the "best" teams to lose to are those from the opposing conference. Tie breakers for division titles are (1) Head-to-head (2) Division Record (3) Conference Record. Tie breakers for non-division teams are (1) Head-to-head (2) Conference record. Since the Steelers haven't lost to anyone in the division or the conference, they hold the tie breakers in these categories.

That said, I would prefer we beat the NFC East's Washington Redskins next week.

Five burning questions

I set up a point-counterpoint with my two college roommates. Hank is a Steelers fan. Jon is a Giants fan. Unfortunately Jon had trouble following directions. So, here are Hank's thoughts on 5 burning questions.

1. Ben Roethlisberger v Eli Manning. Who has had the better career thus far? Who is currently the better Qb? When all is said and done, who will have the better career?

It was nice of the Steezbros to throw me a softball for the first question, though it shows their bias against my pro-Giants foe. This is a better setup than if Bob Scheiffer started off the presidential debate with "Lets discuss your running mates…."

Allow me to provide a timeline:

Draft Day 2004

Big Ben
The Rooney's get sick of trying to win without a quarterback and take a chance on a no name from "The U" (of ohio). Nice back story, having not played quarterback until high school after being over looked by his coach, his talent was only recognized by a small college and then the venerable Rooney's. The town of Pittsburgh is excited having drafted what appears to be a blue collared player with great up side.

Eli
HA! We all know the story. Footballs version of the silver spoon still firmly inserted in his mouth, Eli is drafted by the Chargers. He made it clear he wouldn't play there, which he gets to decide because of his amazing career at… Ole Miss? He appears to be pouting when he takes the podium but we learn later that is how he always looks. The Giants give away too much for what turns out to be the same quarterback as Phillip Rivers… and that's not a compliment.

Rookie Season
Big Ben
Down goes the starter and in steps The Rookie. A fans greatest fear, a rookie starting at quarterback. The Rookie manages to go 13-0 and wins a playoff game, surpassing all expectations and historical precedents

Eli
"Eli Manning or Kurt Warner, Eli Manning or Kurt Warner. Well we gave away everything for this guy so lets give him a shot."
Eli blows. He loses the locker room and talk of "Bust" begins to emerge. To make things worse he has to face Big Ben in the middle of Ben's historical season. He loses. Steelers 33 Giants 30

Super Bowl Season
Big Ben
Both teams had similar stories… wild card coming in. Sweep through some tough challengers. The difference is Big Ben was the reason we made it to the super bowl. We had no running game, and we came out throwing all playoffs. I am aware of the shitty Super Bowl Ben had, but he also had a play that rivals "The Helmet Play" ; "The Tackle".

Eli
Nice run by the Giants… but this was not on the backs of Eli. His most memorable play was memorable because the receiver made a nice catch. Have you seen an athlete look more awkward amidst a great play than Eli and "The Helmet Catch".

Future
Big Ben
Ben will win one or two more Super Bowls and will be Hall of Fame bound. More importantly he will have hooked up with 78% or Pittsburgh's female population and have given the other 22% to Jeff Reed.

Eli
By week 10 we will be watching Merrill Hodge freeze frame and say "You see! He is throwing off his back foot. That is the old Eli, not the one we all fell in love with after 4 good games.

2. Better owners: Maras or Rooneys?

Rooney's. No family represents a franchise like the Rooney's represent the Steelers. The initial grief around the rumors that the team may be sold is more proof of the Rooney's superiority than anything else. And of course the team was never sold. The Rooney's have done a lot of good for the NFL, always having a focus on the good of the league, but I think what best typifies their great ownership is the consistency at the head coaching position. Three coaches in almost 40 years! And they made a bold, but wise, decision on the latest hire.

Mara's are solid but uninspiring and are not revered by the fans of the New Jersey Giants nearly as much as the Rooney's are in Pittsburgh.

3. The Steelers and Giants had similar Super Bowl runs. Thoughts/reflections about those playoff runs?

This question would appear to lean towards the Giants as much as the first question leaned towards the Steelers. The Giant's run is fresh in people's mind and they knocked off the despicable Foxboro Patriots. However, here is what frustrates me about the Giants run. The regular season. When the Steelers made their run, they had to squeak into the playoffs and do the whole go on the road thing. However, throughout the season there was not talk about firing Cowher or Ben is a bust. With the Giants that was not the case. Tom Coughlin was the worst coach in football (only because Fassil didn't have a job) and the team was never going to win with Eli. My fellow author, Jon Perrelle, who claims to be a diehard even though he roots for a team in New Jersey when he lives in upstate New York, even said after week 2 "The Giants are the worst team in football".

I guess what I am saying is that I am happy the Steelers fans didn't have to do a 180 when their team did, unlike New Yorkers who were scrambling for seats on the bandwagon that was headed across the East River to New Jersey.

On top of that, if you think back to 2006, we had some great story lines (The Bus retiring and winning in his hometown) and we won a seemingly unwinnable game (Colts in the RCA Dome). Most importantly, we saved all NFL fans from having the Seattle Seahawks as World Champions.

4. How many sacks will the Giants/ Steelers have on Sunday?

I hope the return of Willie keeps the Gents boys up front off balance enough to keep the sack total in double digits. Yes I said double digits.


5. Thoughts on this weekend's game. Who will win this Sunday and why?

Where should I start? I know, the Steelers will win.

This belief that the NFC East is the best thing since, well the NFC East circa 1990, has been put to bed the last few weeks and now the Steelers will tuck it in. After being manhandled by perennial powerhouses such as the Brownies, St. Louis, and the Cardinals people are realizing that the NFC East is not the NFL's greatest division but instead a good division that happens to play in the NFL's largest markets.

Well the Pittsburghers are going to welcome the Giants to the NFL's most passionate market. I am sure the Heinz Field grounds crew has the sprinklers out right now, turning what used to be a football field into a soggy mess, neutralizing the mismatches such as Justin Tuck against or JV offensive line. This will be the type of game where Hines Wards 8 yard grabs will be more critical than Holmes and Washington stretching the field. Ben will shake off enough hits and scramble for enough big first downs to put up 17 for our boys.

Meanwhile our D will eliminate Brandon Jacobs from the game plan early and beg Eli reincarnated to win the game. The line backing corps will stop focusing on the run and start teeing off on Lead Legged Eli, matching the vaunted Giants D Line sack for sack. On this day, Eli's standard 18-33 for 182 will not be enough. He will be left standing on the sidelines as Ben gets his jersey dirty one more time, taking a knee at the 40-yard line. Steelers 17 – Giants 6

Bonus Question: Plexico Burress, thoughts?

The thing with Plex is… he's an idiot. You would think Steelers fans would be irate that we let him walk. I mean, Big Ben spent the offseason begging for a big receiver and there was still no mention of the fact that we had let Plex leave. For good reason. Plexi-glass'es inadequacies stood out to much when he shared a field with Hines Ward. It becomes intolerable for a Steelers fan to watch this contrast.

Plex booked his ticket out of Pittsburgh early when, in his disappointing rookie year, he finally made a catch. Naturally he fell to the turf untouched, because after all, who really wants to get tackled. It hurts! Well, unfortunately for Plex, his mind was still in college (or high school for that matter), so he got up and spiked the ball. Now Steelers fans already hate anyone who celebrates after a 15 yard catch, but it really irks them when you celebrate before you are down. Well we happened to be playing the Jags, who turned out not to be as stupid as Plex. They pounced on the ball, and all those in Pittsburgh started counting the days until this clown was sent packing.

The author, Hank Watson, is a Pittsburgh native who currently spends his days as a Healthcare Consultant in Washington D.C.

Black and Blue? Thoughts from a Giants fan

Although I am a diehard Giants fan, I must confess an admiration for the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise. Of course it is hard not to like them somewhat when you spent your college years surrounded by Steelers fans. But, you can’t help having respect for their players (except Santonio Holmes), fans, owner, and, most importantly, the style of football they play. I’ll take hard-nose, take no prisoners football over the “Greatest Show on Turf.”

I think that’s why I enjoy watching the Giants so much this year. Not only are they the defending Super Bowl champs, but they have gone back to focusing on Steelers-type football. Gone are the days of allowing Kerry Collins to air it out for 4,000 yards a year (as he did back in the early 2000s in between drinks). Everyone knows KC wasn’t a real quarterback, and the painful display against the Ravens in Super Bowl XXXV proved it. Now, the G-Men have gone back to what they were known for in the Parcells-era: a ferocious defense with a clock-controlling running game. Sounds like Steelers football to me.

Or, should we call it Giants-football, since, after all, the Giants are playing “Steelers-football” better than the Steelers themselves. We all know what happened last year with the Giants riding their defense and running game to a Super Bowl victory. Everyone also knows they did it in a way eerily similar to the Steelers latest title run, winning 3 straight road playoff games against higher seeds before winning the Super Bowl. Only, the Giants did it better than the Steelers, taking down an undefeated, 14-point favorite in the Super Bowl, a team many were ready to crown the best ever. Yeah, those Seahawks were real tough too.

This year is no different. Sure both teams are 5-1, but the Giants are doing it more Steeler-like than the Steelers. The Giants running game has been unstoppable so far this year. Ranking 1st in the NFL in yards per game, at 169.7, the have an unprecedented 3 headed attack in which their 2nd running back, Derrick Ward, averages 7.2 yards per rush. Their best back at the end of last season, Ahmad Bradshaw is only averaging 4 carries per game. Meanwhile the Steelers running game ranks a paltry 18th, averaging only 109.3 yards per game. Of course the Steeler defense has been quite impressive this year, ranking 1st in the league. However, the Giants defense is not too far behind, ranking 4th.

Ok, so maybe this isn’t the most lead-proof argument, but the Giants run-dominating attack and its tenacious defense clearly qualify it as a January football team. And as the defending Super Bowl champs, they have the track record to back it up and show that this isn’t an early-season fluke. Sure the Steelers have had a dominating defense thus far, but can it last the whole season? And what about that weak running game? Will they be able to rely on Big Ben and the passing game when the snow begins to fall? Clearly there are some question-marks that need answering before they punch their ticket to Tampa. The Giants? Well, if I had the funds, I would by buying my ticket right now…

But, right now all we are concerned about is October; January is not the issue. Recently the Giants lost to the Browns, in embarrassing fashion, snapping their NFL Record 12-game road winning streak. Look for them to start a new one today. With all the focus in Eli v. Ben this week, it will be the Giants running game that steals the show. Although the Steelers have handled the run this season, they have never seen the likes of “Earth, Wind, and Fire” in action. Get ready Steelers fans, its going to be a bumpy ride… G-Men 23 Steelers 20.

And regardless of what happens today, hope you can make it to Tampa. We’ll be waiting…


The author, Jon Perrelle, is a die-hard Giants fan that currently spends his days as a law student in Brooklyn.

Big Ben and Eli

There quite a few articles in the blogosphere about the Giants – Steelers game, especially comparisons of Big Ben and Eli. It’s inevitable that these two will be compared throughout their careers. The have a number of similarities - they were first round draft picks from the same class, they both won super bowls, they both like to party.

But outside of these few facts, there seems to be a lot of disagreement about who is a better QB. Before we get to the comparisons, let’s all agree on one thing. Both are better than Philip Rivers.

It’s interesting to compare Eli and Ben, because defenders of both players will tell you vehemently that their respective quarterbacks cannot be judged on stats alone. Big Ben is consistently underrated because he doesn’t put up monster yardage. Ditto for Eli. They both play for teams that commit to running the football, controlling the clock, and throwing in some play action pass. Eli often gets more attention. He is a Manning. He plays in the biggest media market in the country. But despite this attention, he still had lots of doubters before the season He didn’t even get the normal pre-season, post-championship love because of the drama queen Brett Favre came into town.

Even though statistics don’t tell the whole story, we couldn’t have a respectable comparison without diving into the statistics. (From Joshua’s random thoughts courtesy of postgameheroes.com)

According to all of these statistics, Big Ben compares favorably to Eli. But what about the most important statistic of all, wins? Ben has 44 in the regular season (plus 5 postseason wins). Eli has 35 wins in the regular season (plus 4 postseason wins). Advantage: Big Ben.

However, ignoring statistics and focusing solely on wins doesn’t necessarily translate into one QB being better than the other. If I were an Eli supporter, I would argue that the Steelers teams were much better, so Ben had a much easier transition to the NFL. But the year before Big Ben was drafted, Pittsburgh went 6- 10 (allowing the Steelers to gain the #11 draft spot where we took Big Ben). With the team essentially unchanged from the year before, we went 15-1 and made it to the AFC Championship. Now I’m willing to admit that Ben’s role was simplified, but he was a big reason the Steelers were winning games. The following year, the Steelers made an unprecedented run to the Super Bowl, and despite a terrible Super Bowl performance, Ben was the MVP of the Steelers playoff run. He played incredibly well against Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Denver to get the team to the Super Bowl. Did I mention it was only his second year in the league? Even though he was still young, Ben was not a Trent Dilfer-like game manager. (Check out the Super Bowl run comparison below).

The NY Giants during this time seemed to have a great formula going for them. Start the year out hot, cool down in midseason, collapse at the end of the season. The Steelers definitely had a stronger defense than the Giants across the years, but Eli has always had weapons on offense. Tiki Barber had his best seasons with Eli at the helm. Plaxico defected to the Giants in Eli’s sophomore year. Shockey talked a big game. And Amani Toomer was more than the best dressed receiver in the league. Those Giants teams lost in large part because of poor decisions by one Eli Manning.

At the end of the regular season last year, I doubt there were many people that would have taken Eli Manning over Ben Roethlisberger. But, then Eli went on a magical run. All of a sudden he was making good decisions and the Giants were making a Steeleresque run through the playoffs. I’ll even admit that the Giants road was tougher than Pittsburgh’s. Dallas appeared to be unstoppable, beating Green Bay at Lambeau is not supposed to happen, and then we all know what happened against the unbeatable, undefeated NE Patriots.

Eli is given significant credit (and rightfully so) for taking his team to the NFL championship. And several articles have cited the fact that he outplayed Jeff Garcia, Tony Romo, Brett Favre, and Tom Brady to win the Super Bowl. This is true, but the last time I checked, Eli didn’t play defense against those teams. The reason he outplayed them was because Strahan, Umenyiora, and the rest of the Giants defense were harassing the opposition.

Throughout the 2007 playoffs, NYG averaged 21.25 points per game. That’s respectable, but not exactly blowing it up on the offensive side.

In comparison, the Steelers average 26.75 points per game during their Super Bowl run. .

Giants Playoff Run
NYG 24 TB 14

Eli Manning – 20/27 185 yards 2 TD 0 Int

TB averaged 21 points per game in the regular season. Had every opponent of TB scored 24 points, the team would have been 6-10. Therefore, NYG’s offense was potent enough to beat Tampa Bay the majority of the time.

NYG 21 DAL 17

Eli Manning – 12/18 163 yards 2 TD 0 Int

Dal averaged 28 points per game in the regular season. Had every opponent of Dallas scored 21 points, the team would have been 13 -3. Eli and the offense were solid, but the reason they won this game was because of defense.


NYG 23 GB 20

Eli Manning – 21/40 254 yards 0 TD 0 Int

GB averaged 27 points per game in the regular season. Had every opponent of GB scored 23 points, the team would have been 11 -5. Eli and the offense were solid again (especially considering the weather), but the defense kept them in this game (and made the interception in overtime to put the team in position to score).


NYG 17 NE 14

Eli Manning – 19/34 255 yards 2 TD 1 Int

NE averaged 37 points per game. Had every opponent of NE scored 17 points, the team would have been 16 -0. Eli won this game for the Giants with his two incredible drives, but had NE scored even half as many points as the team averaged in the regular season, this game would have been won by the Patriots.

Steelers Run

PIT 31 Cin 17

Ben 14/19 218 3 TD 0 Int

CIN averaged 26 points per game. Had every opponent of CIN scored 31 points, the team would have been 6 - 10. Big Ben and the offense won this game for the Steelers. The defense struggled early, but bounced back in the second half. Nonetheless, if you score 31 points in the playoffs, you expect to win.

PIT 21 IND 18

Ben 14/24 197 2 TD 1 Int

IND averaged 27 points per game. Had every opponent of IND scored 21 points, the team would have been 11 - 5. Big Ben and the offense threw the ball early and often in the game to take a nice lead. The defense was incredible and the reason we won this game.

PIT 34 DEN 21

Ben 21/29 275 2 TD 0 Int

DEN averaged 24 points per game. Had every opponent of DEN scored 34 points, the team would have been 1 - 15. The defense was solid in this game, but Big Ben and the offense dominated.

PIT 21 SEA 10

Ben 9/21 123 0 TD 2 Int

SEA averaged 28 points per game. Had every opponent of SEA scored 21points, the team would have been 12 - 4. Ben was awful in this game. The defense stepped up in an utterly boring Super Bowl. A little credit to Ben, but much more to the defense.

Overall
Eli 72/119 857 yards 61% 6 TD 1 int
Ben 58/83 813 yards 70% 7 TD 3 int

Take away what you want from this analysis. Eli threw it a bit more and didn’t make as many mistakes. Ben had fewer attempts, but was more accurate, had nearly as many yards, and had more touchdowns. Both players had significant help from their defenses. Eli got much more credit, due in large part to the two great drives that won them the Super Bowl.

There is no right answer to who is (and who will be) the better quarterback of the two. After watching the two, I would take Big Ben without thinking. He has performed better throughout his career, routinely carries his team to victory behind a shaky offensive line, and has become the unquestioned leader of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The argument espoused in several articles that Eli has more potential is also trash. Those that watch the Steelers know that Ben continues to improve. He has much better control of the offense. He has more freedom to call audibles. And gone are the days when he forced plays and turned the ball over constantly.. New York, be happy you have your man. Pittsburgh is certainly pleased with ours.

Oh yeah, let’s not forget crybaby Eli refused to be drafted by the Chargers. Classy.

UPDATE

Santonio Holms has been deactivated for the game against the Giants this week, according to KDKA and Mike Tomlin.

SH will either be replaced by Dallas Baker if he has recovered from his shoulder injury or 2nd round draft choice Limas Sweed. Either way we should see some action for Sweed in the 4 or 5 receiver sets.

Parker out vs. Giants

Gerry Dulac at the Post Gazette. is reporting that Willie Parker will not play this week against the Giants.

Pro Bowl running back Willie Parker, who is concerned about the health of his sprained knee, did not practice today and is not expected to play against the New York Giants.

The Links: Big Ben vs. Eli

I'm working on a post comparing our beloved hero, Ben Roethlisberger, to the pride of New York City, Eli Manning. Here are links to other articles comparing the two.

Despite presenting facts to the contrary, Ian O’Connor at Fox likes Eli better.

Adam Gretz at Fanhouse tears apart the Ian O’Connor article.

The Post Gazette looks at Ben and Eli’s career. Interesting fact that these two are the first pair of QBs drafted in the first round in the same year to win the Super Bowl. I had my money on Akili Smith and Cade McNown.

Post Game Heroes shows all the statistics. For the first time ever, Steelers fans point to statistics to prove that Big Ben is the better QB.

John Clayton at ESPN (lots of good Steelers-Giants material on ESPN) writes that the two QBs will always be linked

Behind the Steel Curtain trades columns with Giants blogger Big Blue View. The case for Eli. The case for Ben. Good point in here that each team got the QB that fits its respective team/market.

Blog ‘N’ Gold has a number of links as well. It also has a picture of the smoking Elisha Cuthbert. So hot. Want to touch the hiney.

Santonio Busted with Pot

It has just been reported on WPXI Channel 11 news in Pittsburgh that Santonio Holmes was busted with 3 marijuana cigars aka blunts in his vehicle. He was pulled over outside Mellon Arena because the vehicle he was driving matched the description the cops had for another vehicle involved in a crime. Santonio was cited for misdemeanor marijuana possession. The police said he was very cooperative. This is not the first time Mr. Holmes has had run ins with law enforcement. After he was drafted, but before he ever set foot on the field, he was arrested for disorderly conduct in Florida for refusing to leave the street when asked by police. He was arrested a second time for domestic violence and assault in Columbus, Ohio, later that year.

I am not sure whether first time offenses under the NFL substance abuse policy calls for a suspension. Let's hope not. Chalk this up to the column of mounting evidence for the stupidity of one Santonio Holmes. Can't you just stay home and smoke up? You have a sweet crib I am sure. More on this story as it develops.

NFL Gives Steez a Stern Talking To...

And sent Hines Ward and Troy to bed without supper. According to this ESPN article, the league sent a representative to speak with the Steelers about recent comments made regarding fines levied.Troy also mentioned the fines were leading the NFL to become a "pansy league." When a player who is rarely outspoken speaks out like Troy has recently, the league feels the need to respond boldly. The NFL could have issued a statement or a levied a fine, like they normally do, but instead chose to send Ray Anderson, the executive VP of football operations to deal with the situation personally. Check out the article to see what went down.

Big Ben for MVP

A little recognition for our star QB. Michael Silver at Yahoo writes this about the MVP race:

So far this season, I’ve heard a ton of talk about Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Redskins halfback Clinton Portis as the early MVP frontrunners, whatever that actually means. Both men are hard workers who have put up some impressive statistics – Brees is on pace to finish one yard shy of Dan Marino’s single-season record for passing yardage (5,084 in 1984), and Portis had 175 rushing yards on 27 carries in Sunday’s 14-11 victory over the Browns to increase his league-leading total to 818. But if you’re asking me which player has had the biggest impact so far on the ‘08 season, I’m going with Big Ben in a big way. Ben Roethlisberger had another strong game for the Steelers on Sunday, completing 17 of 28 passes for 216 yards and two TDs in a 38-10 victory over the Bengals, as the fifth-year quarterback continues to shake off severe shoulder pain and show how insanely macho he is. Despite the recent absence of star halfback Willie Parker and an offensive line that has been shaky on occasion, Pittsburgh is 5-1 – and I shudder to think where the Steelers would be without their deceptively mobile and exceptionally tough quarterback. I don’t really care what his numbers are, but I will give you one stat that illustrates Roethlisberger’s value: Sunday’s victory over Cincinnati pushed his career record in games against AFC North opponents to 20-4 (including the playoffs).