Steelers Lose To Saints 20-10 in Poorly Played Game
The game in New Orleans just ended and we are now watching the bottom of the 9th of the World Series to try to calm down. Quite frankly the game tonight sucked. The Steelers went into New Orleans and played like garbage. They left with a 20-10 loss and a 5-2 record. Look, we realize that 5-2 is a good record and this is certainly not the end of the world for the Steelers, an NFC loss is far better than an AFC loss and the Saints are a good team, despite that loss they had last week to the Browns. That said, the game sucked!
The pass defense HAS to improve. It has to. They came into the game 24th in the league in that category and they’ll probably leave with a worse rank. They allowed Drew Brees to go 34 of 44 for 305 yards and 2 TD. You don’t win many games when the opposing qb puts up numbers like that. It’s a rare day when Troy messes up, but he made some mistakes tonight, that won’t happen too often, but it happened tonight. It’s quite obvious to us that William Gay can’t play ball. Sure, he had six tackles, you know why? He had six tackles becuase he kept getting burned, he is awful and it’s obvious why the Steelers demoted him this year. They need to demote him to the position of ‘left out’ as far as we’re concerned. Lawrence Timmons was stellar again and lead the team with 12 tackles, he’s been their best player on defense this year and we love what we are seeing out of him. It was also great to see James Harrison with that huge sack in the first half, that’s the Harrison we know and love. The late hit call on him was questionable at best, if he’s fined on that though, there will be an uproar.
Offensively the team was relatively unimpressive. Ben didn’t deliver the way the team needed him to this week. A lot of it was the lack of time he had because of the offensive line getting beat. The Saints do have a good defense and Ben hasn’t played a D like that yet this year, but they needed more balls downfield. Hines, Wallace and Randle El tied for the team lead with 3 catches and Ben had to spread the ball out to a total of 8 receivers tonight, but when your team leader(s) in recetpions for the night have three, you’re in trouble. When Heath Miller fumbles, you’re in trouble. Heath never fumbles, we suspected the game was over when that happened. The offensive line appears to be a disaster, giving up 3 sacks and several more pressures and hurries. It’s fixable, but tonight it apparently wasn’t. Is Flozell Adams made of glass? The man gets hurt on a weekly bassi so it’s obvious they need more depth on the line to help out. Maurkice Pouncey looks fantastic though. We love what he’s done so far in his first season. He’s already a team leader and he seems to be the best player on that line!
We have a real beef with this team not being able to put the ball in from the 1 foot line. Seriously this has been a problem since the Bus left and we are sick of it. How many times do they have to fail at the run in that particular situation before they try to roll Ben out? TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT! That’s on the coaching staff. Hey, Arians, ever watch the film? Do you know what works at all? Probably not because you keep doing the same thing over and over and over. You should know what doesn’t work at this point though, running the ball up the middle with a porous line! Apparently when the game film comes up to the teams goal line situations you’re sitting on the can. Oh, and Arians, in those situations, your team plays like what you left in the can. Yeah, crap. They play like crap in goal line situaitons. FIX IT!
Mendenhall finished with 71 yards but 38 of those were on that great TD run. Other than that, he was non existent. A lot of that falls on the O line and their inability to block. We think Rashard is a great back, he just needs some blocking.
On special teams, we’ve said it for weeks, can Randle El PLEASE be pulled from punt returns? We know Emmanuel Sanders seems to fumble here and there but he is by far and away a better return man at this point, he needs to be the guy on all kick returns. Jeff Reed, we’ll give him a pass, it was 51 yards. He needs to make those more often than not, but we’ll give him a pass, it’s not why they lost.
Ok, ok the rant is over. They are still 5-2, they still have a great D and a potent O. Sometimes it’s not your night and this was one of those times. The Steelers are a veteran team and they have been through games like this before and bounced back. They will look at the film and figure this out and move on from there. The Saints had absolutely no running game today only rushing for 30 yards and 21 carries. That’s good to see with Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel out. The team will need to improve on pass defense and we think they can. They have the players to do it and we will always believe in this team!
HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO!
5-2, up next Cincinnati
Steelers Slip By Dolphins 23-22
It wasn’t always pretty out there today but the Steelers slipped by the Dolphins in Miami 23-22. It may come at a cost though as it has been disclosed that Aaron Smith tore his triceps again and is out of the remainder of the season. This is definitely a concern down the line but we’ll worry about that later. For now, let’s discuss this win. It helped the team get to 5-1 and hold their lead in the AFC North for another week. The offense looked pretty solid in the air as Big Ben was 19 out of 27 for 302 yards and 2 TD passes. 7 of those 19 completions were to Hines Ward for 131 yards. Ward was fantastic today, his TD catch was a work of art as he caught the ball on the outside, juked two defenders, ran about 12 yards and pushed his way into the end zone. Later in the game he pulled a ball off the top of a Miami defenders head, only Hines can do something like that. He’s now caught a ball in 184 straight games, he’s a great one! Wallace caught a beautiful 53 yard TD as he burnt past the defense. He’s as fast as they come and the team needs to look his way a little more often. On the ground, it was pretty sad this week, Mendenhall only had 37 yards on 15 carries and the team only totaled 58 yards on the ground. That is NOT Steeler football and it’s something we think and hope will only be a one week thing. Reed did his job in the kicking game and the defense did enough to win but looked a bit sloppy today. Ike Taylor and Bryant McFadden tied for the team lead with 6 tackles. That is a scary stat when both of those guys are your starting cornerbacks. We wanted you to keep an eye on James Harrison and this is the first time we’ll ever say it, and hopefully the last, he was dissapointing. He was off his game and only had 4 tackles. Part of that is due to the Miami offensive game plan as they threw more than they ran, as we talked about in Game Day, but still, Harrison almost looked a bit tentative out there. We hope he shakes that off.
Moving on to some issues, Big Ben is great but he HAS to learn to hold onto that ball. He had 3 fumbles, one he lost and one could have cost them the game at the end. Yes, that was a fumble, we agree with that call, the black and gold got lucky the rules are what they are as it did seem the Dolphins probably recovered the ball. But hey, a win is a win and you take them how you can get them.
Another issue we have is let’s get rid of Randle El on punt returns, he just doesn’t have it anymore. The way Emmanuel Sanders returned the kickoffs today, sans the fumble, he should be returning punts. Randle El is nothing more than a number 3 of 4 receiver at this point, use him appropriately. That said, it’s a coaching decision to put him back there and we have a few issues this week with the coaching. What the hell were they doing at the end of the first half? Why, at 17-16 and the team moving the ball down the field did the coaches all of the sudden become content with the lead of 1 point? It was absolutely ridiculous and in the end it could have cost them the game. You need to play all 60 minutes and it appears the Steelers took the last minute of the first half off. We didn’t like it. We also have to question why the team would call a QB draw on the 3rd and goal at the end of the game that Ben fumbled the ball on? Do they have no memory of the Redskin game a few years back when that same play resulted in a shoulder injurty to Big Ben? Either throw the ball to Heath or hand it off to Redman but don’t put Ben and the team in that situation!
Finally, losing Smith is bad, it’s concerning but that means Ziggy Hood and Nick Eason will have to step it up the rest of the way. The team did also lose Woodley during the game and he didn’t return so we’ll have to see what that means. It soundled like it was a hamstring so that could be a few weeks.
But hey, as we said, a win’s a win, overall the team is in great shape and they need to keep this momentum rolling.
5-1, next up: New Orleans
Don’s Green Front Inn
Steel Nation Association is now partners with Don’s Green Front Inn on 2341 E. Carson St. Pittsburgh, PA, on the South Side. When you present your Steel Nation Association membership card you’ll get 20% off your bill! Don’s Green Front Inn offers a variety of selections on meals and beverages and they have several specials.
Here are the specials they are running til 10/31 for $7.99 from 4-9pm:
Mondays: Stuff Cabbased with Mashed Potatoes, Vegetable and Roll
Tuesdays: Oven Baked or BBQ Chicken with Mashd Potatoes, Vegetable and Roll
Wednesdays: Chicken Parmesan with Side of Spaghettie and Garlic Toast
Thursdays: Homeade Meatloaf with Mashed Potatoes, Vegetable and Roll
Fridays: Pan Fried Talipia with Potato, Vegetable and Roll
Saturdays: Pork Schnitzel with Mashed Potatoes, Vegetable and Roll
If you want to find out more cal 412-488-3140. You can also fax your orders to 412-488-3925
Courthouse Tavern in Pittsburgh
Steel Nation Association is proud to partner with Courthouse Tavern in Pittsburgh, PA. They are located at 310 Forbes Avenue and can be reached at 412-338-8608. The Courthouse Tavern shows all sports on their Televisions, they have great food and a sizeable list of beverages to choose from. You can have your party catered by them as well, just give them a call! Additionally, all members of Steel Nation Association receive 10% off their bill when you present your membership card!
Here is a list of beverages you can enjoy while at the Courthouse Tavern:
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Imports & Microbrews |
Domestic Bottles |
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Corona/Corona Light |
Harp |
Budweiser |
Bud Light |
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Heineken/Heineken Light |
Smithwicks |
Bud Select |
Coors Light |
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Amstel Light |
New Castle |
Iron City |
I.C. Light |
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Sam Adams Boston Lager |
Sierra Nevada |
Miller Genuine Draft |
Miller Lite |
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Magic Hat Circus Boy |
Blue Moon |
Michelob Ultra |
O’Douls |
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Dogfish Head 60 Minute |
Sunset Wheat |
Rolling Rock |
Straub |
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Dogfish Head 90 Minute |
Woodchuck |
Yuengling |
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CHECK OUT THEIR FOOD MENUS HERE:
Big Ben Leads Steelers to 28-10 Win
Well, they are now at full strength. There is no longer a reason for the offense to be futile, Big Ben is back. Ben showed what he and this offense are capable of when he lead the team to a 28-10 victory over their AFC North rival, Cleveland. Obviously with this being Big Ben’s first game back off the suspension it’s the biggest stroy of the day. He completed 16 of 27 passes for 257 yards and 3 TD’s. He did throw one pick as well. There were definitely times where Roethlisberger looked a little rusty with some errant throws that sailed on him and the interception that was thrown behind the receiver but overall he looked pretty good. The offense finally got some movement down the field with a couple of deep passes to Mike Wallace off the arm of Big Ben. He had one catch of 50 yards and another of 29 yards which resulted in a TD. Overall Wallace had 3 catches for 90 yards. It was by far the best passing game of the season for the Steelers as six different receivers caught at least one pass. Hines Ward lead the team in receptions with 5. While we are talking up the passing game, Tomlin didn’t allow the team to forget about the running game as he handed the ball to Mendenhall 27 times who then gained a 84 yards on those carries. Overall the team ran the ball 35 times for 121 yards. Offensively it was a pretty pleasing day. Big Ben knocked off a little rust, the team put up 28 points and they ran and passed on a pretty even ratio.
Defensviley the team only allowed 10 points which is great, but we were not pleased with the success they allowed rookie Colt McCoy to have in his first ever start. McCoy actually looked pretty good against this defense, which was quite surprising. The D allowed McCoy 281 yards in the air on 23 of 33 throwing. He also threw for a TD. The team did pick him off twice but they didnt’ really get to him as often as we thought they might. The Cleveland running game was basically non existent as most running games are when they face the black and gold. The Browns leading rusher, Peyton Hillis, ran for 41 yards on 12 carries. Opponents of Pittsburgh just don’t run the ball successfully too often. The manimal that is James Harrison was a one man wrecking crew, as usual. He and Lawrence Timmons tied for the team lead in tackles with 11. Though it was quietely done, Troy Polamalu added 8 tackles of his own and he’s always disrupting offensive game plans on a week to week basis.
It was a pretty complete game from the Steelers and a good warm up for Ben in his return to live action.
4-1, up next: Miami
One Week Til Ben
Ok, the bye week is over. Know what that means? It means two things, one, 12 straight games without a break and then hopefully a few more after that! It also means Big Ben is back! You don’t have to like him as a person, or off the field, but the bottom line here is he makes this 3-1 football team that much better. This team went 3-1 without him and they can only get better! Think about that. Remember a month back when we said we’d take 2-2 without Ben? You all said it and thought it too. Then the team started 3-0 and we all wanted that 4-0 start and a big win over the Ravens. It didn’t happen, but it easily could have. We may have gotten letigious for a week, but look, 3-1 is a great spot when you play a 4 games with your 3rd and then 4th string QB’s! Big Ben has a lot to prove off the field but you know what, that will translate on the field too. He knows as well as we do that the quickest and best way to win back the fans of Pittsburgh is by winning football games. We are starting to think this team could win a lot of games based on the defense, the running game on offense and now the return of Big Ben.
If you’re at the stadium, don’t boo him, cheer for him. He’s a part of this team that we follow on a day to day basis, that move our schedules around to watch and that we celebrate their wins and become depressed over their losses. He’s a key piece to this season and he may bring a lot of special things back to this city so let’s get ready because he’s here again, he’s looking sharp in practice and he’s got a lot to prove.
Here we go Steelers, Here We Go!
3-1, up next: Cleveland
Steelers Lose 17-14 to Hated Ravens
The Steelers lost a heart breaker today to the hated Baltimore Ravens. As we thought, it was a low scoring affair where neither offense was really able to move the ball too well. In our game day section we said special teams would be important but we weren’t worried about Jeff Reed. Oops! Guess we were WAY off huh? Reed, quite frankly, sucked today. He missed two very makeable field goals. What the heck was his deal? Sure the Ravens missed a FG too but this is Reed’s home field, he needs to make those if he wants a job.
It wasn’t just Reed though, the offense was pretty putrid overall. Mendenhall did as much as he could with 25 carries for 79 yards and 2 TD’s but the team couldn’t move the ball in the air. Phil Simms said he felt that Charlie Batch played a good game, despite his interception at the very end. We disagree, he was blah at best. He was 12/21 for 141 and a pick. Look, those aren’t awful per se, but those are not great and not winning numbers obviously. Randle El looked good, but even ‘looking good’ meant a grand total of 2 catches for 50 yards to lead the team! If that doesn’t scream we need Ben then we don’t know what does!
The defense was pretty solid most of the game, led by Lawrence Timmons who was an animal and had 15 tackles. Problem is, the last Raven drive, what was that? Seriously, a prevent defense never works and that’s what it was. You may say no it wasn’t, they did rush Flacco a little on that drive, and sure, that’s true. But it was prevent, they were playing 5-10 yards off the receiver. How in the world do you let TJ Houshmazoo get open in the back of the end zone like that? Seriously, how? Unacceptable.
Ok, the venting over, the loss to the Ravens is bad but the season is in good shape. We just wanted a 2-2 start from the boys in black and gold minus Ben and we got a 3-1 start. Would we rathe have traded that 1 loss to the Ravens for a loss with one of the other teams, specifically in the NFC…of course. Yet, if we asked you before the season started if you would take a 3-1 start without Ben we bet you would have jumped on that. So we’ll take that and move towards the bye week knowing that in 3 hours Ben is reinstated and could provide a major spark to this offense and take a little pressure of the defense. He get’s a week to prep without a game to play which is big and we think by the time game day rolls around against the Browns in two weeks he’ll be ready to go.
3-1, up next Bye Week.
