Turnovers, Penalties and Poor Defense Doom Steelers In Oakland

It was a day that featured 384 passing yards and 4 touchdowns out of star Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. It featured 3 receivers with 60 yards or more receiving. It featured 31 points scored by the offense as well.  When you look at those stats you say it also featured a victory for the black and gold.  You’d say that, and you’d be wrong.

Missing in the above stats are the other numbers, the 2.7 yards per carry average out of the running backs to go along with a total of 54 rushing yards. How about two lost fumbles or the 119 rushing yards allowed by the defense. Perhaps the most glaring stat of the day; 10 penalties for 81 yards.  The Raiders only had three penalties!  I’ll write that one more time, the RAIDERS only had three penalties.

The Steelers clearly came out on a mission in the passing attack and proved they could move the ball in the air effectively. Big Ben was Big Ben making plays all over the field, buying time and throwing darts.  He sliced the Raiders up.  Mike Wallace had a massive day with 8 catches for 123 yards and a TD and Antonio Brown had 7 catches for 87 yards and a TD. Not lost in the in the effort was one of my guys to look for in the game, Heath Miller, he put up 2 TD’s on 8 catches and added 60 yards as well. 

Passing was obviously not an issue and given the talent this squad has, won’t be an issue all season long.  Pass protection was not an issue either, believe it or not, the team only allowed one sack, it did come late in the game when the Steelers least could afford it, but really, one sack is a great day’s work out of the o line when it comes to pass protection.

The issue offensively was clear, the running attack. It was nonexistent again.  Isaac Redman led the way with a whopping 27 yards on 9 carries.  They used 4 different running backs and it’s apparent they can’t find a guy they are completely comfortable with.  Perhaps means we all need to wait for Mendenhall to get back to game action or maybe the Steelers need to wake up on this one and just pick one guy to get the bulk of the load and let him get comfortable, I don’t know. Something has to give somewhere and as much as I thought Mendenhall was replaceable before the season started, I’m starting to doubt that now.  This team can’t get it going. Backs aren’t finding holes, not getting outside and the o line isn’t getting them the openings they need consistently either. It’s a mess.  This was a big factor in the loss to Oakland, generally if Ben is throwing the ball 49 times, the Steelers are probably going to lose. They need to have some form of ball control. They may need to control the clock now more than ever before to help keep the Steelers defense OFF the field. Can you believe that? 

The defense is by far and away the weakness of the team. Yes, I’ve been making excuses about not having a full defensive squad together this season with Harrison out all 3 games, Clark missing a game and Polamalu missing two. That’s all true. That’s not something I can use as a complete excuse anymore.  The unit looked a bit old yesterday with the exception of one of the oldest guys on the team, Larry Foote (led the way with 7 tackles).  They allowed Darren McFadden who hadn’t rushed for 60 yards total all season to have a 64 yard run and eclipse 100 yards on the day. They allowed Carson Palmer to throw all over them in the 2^nd half after keeping him under 40 yards in the first. They couldn’t get to Palmer either, only sacking him one time (Woodley). That is not what this defense is designed to do. If they can’t sack the QB or stop the run, they will be and were in trouble.  They created one turnover on the opening play of the game and then didn’t get anymore all day, losing the battle 2-1 in fact. 

Special teams really weren’t much better. Drew Butler punted three times for an average of 36 yards a punt, to contrast that Oakland’s Shane Lechler also punted 3 times but averaged 51.7 yards a punt. That’s 15 yards per punt difference in field position. Field position was not only directly impacted by the poor punting, but the penalties killed it in special teams as well. In fact, it took a punt return TD off the board by Antonio Brown, unacceptable. The black and gold actually committed 2 penalties on that return, one just wasn’t enough I guess.

All in all it was not a good day as a team. Sure there were some marvelous individual games and had they won perhaps this article wouldn’t seem as gloomy or as down on the team but there are some issues this team needs to fix and they need to fix them now if they want to be a factor in the AFC this year. 

Normally I’d say a bye week after the first 3 games is horrible but perhaps the football scheduling God’s knew something here. The black and gold need the upcoming bye to get healthy, organized and re grouped or else this Oakland game will not be the only time I write an article like this.

NEWS, NOTES and SUPERLATIVES:

Game Ball: Big Ben-384 yards passing and 4 TD’s, what more do you want out of him?

Butter Fingers: Antonio Brown, two fumbles, one lost. Still a great player with a very strong day but he needs to hang onto that ball better.

Troubling:  The Running attack, where is it?  Perhaps they need to draft a top tier back in April.

More Troubling: The defense, they are the weakest link on this team and that could be a first.

 Staying Together: Nobody pointed fingers after the game, they all tried to blame themselves and not throw anyone under the bus. It’s good to see them realize they win and lose as a team. If that mentality ever changes, there will be problems, this team is close and experienced, I don’t anticipate that becoming a problem. 

1-2, up next: Bye Week (Thankfully!)

Bar Louie-Eat, Drink, Think Pink Event 10/18

Come on out to Bar Louie in Station Square on 10/18/12 for their Eat, Drink, Think Pink Event. 

On October 18th, Bar Louie will be holding
their annual Eat.Drink.Think Pink event.  Their entire company will be donating
25% off ALL food sales to Breast Cancer Research as well as trying to raise
awareness for Breast Cancer.  Their charity partner this year will be The
National Breast Cancer Charities of America – I GO PINK.  Featured cocktails
for the day will include the Tickled Pink Martini, the Diva Martini, and the
Louie’s Cosmopolitan. 

Stop on By and Help the Cause! 

240 West Station Square, Dr. Pittsburgh, PA

412-394-0500

Steelers Pound Jets To Get Back on Track

To all those people out there who after last week’s loss pushed the panic button, jumped off the cliff and fired Todd Haley. To those of you who read my recap of the Denver game and scoffed at the notion that this team was fine, this win’s for you.  Are you still panicking?  Are you still firing Haley or saying the season’s over?  You shouldn’t be, and if you are, you’re clueless.  This team proved to everyone that they are going to be a factor again this year and they did it in a big way by smashing the Jets at Heinz Field today 27-10. 

It didn’t start off the way any of us would have liked as after the Steelers took their opening drive down the field to go up 3-0, the Jets answered back and drove right down the field to go up 7-3, all the while letting Mark Sanchez look like Peyton Manning in the process.  Peyton Manning Sanchez is not and after that drive, the Steelers made that very clear.  Sanchez finished the day completing a miniscule 10 passes for 138 yards and a paltry 66.6 passer rating. 

The Jets were able to put up 3 more points in the game but their offense was truly stifled after the opening drive.  The Steelers didn’t play with either Troy Polamalu or James Harrison but it didn’t matter one bit.  They blitz Sanchez, the rattled him and they made him look like the player he really is.  While he never threw a pick he was sacked twice and hurried several more. I was impressed with the way the defense played today.  Ryan Clark led the way with 8 tackles followed by Larry Foote with 7. Foote through two games has been playing like an animal and it’s great to see the old vet still playing his heart out after all these years. 

The crowd certainly amped this team up and they fed off of it. This was a team who at 0-1 were not in what I would deem a dire situation or a must win situation but they played like they had their backs against the wall and fought for their lives.  Not only did the defense go out and put on a display but the offense did their part too. 

Big Ben was phenomenal today completing 7 of his first 8 passes, 24 of 31 overall and throwing for 275 yards and 2 touchdowns.  He didn’t have a pick and his rating came in at a near perfect 125.1.  Hard to ask much more from the leader of the team as he once again showed us he’s fleet of foot and his ability to escape tackles is unrivaled by any other QB in the league.  Antonio Brown to me is the best receiver this team has, he’s fast, he’s a great route runner and he can contort his body to make any catch as long as Ben puts it in his vicinity. He led the team once again with 7 receptions for 79 yards. Not lost in this offense is Mike Wallace, he is still the best deep threat this team has and he proved that with his 37 yard TD reception. He totaled 5 catches for 74 yards in total and with him on one side and Brown on the other, the black and gold have a real strong passing attack. I don’t want to leave out Emmanuel Sanders who added 3 catches for 33 yards and the longtime Steeler tight end Heath Miller who also had 3 catches including his second touchdown in as many weeks. 

The rushing attack wasn’t where any of us would like it to be as they only managed 66 yards on 28 carries but down the stretch when the ground game was needed most to run out the clock, the backs came through.  Perhaps more glaring than those unimpressive totals from the backs is the obvious feeling by the Steelers brass that it takes a multitude of backs to fill in for Rashard Mendenhall.  I still believe that so far this season Jonathan Dwyer has been the best back the team has but I’m starting to get a little more anxious to see the return of Mendenhall and his usual ability to gain 75-100 yards a game. 

All in all a pretty stellar week and when you throw in the fact that the Ravens lost at Philadelphia and Patriots lost at home to the Cardinals you have to say this week couldn’t have gone much better at all! 

A few notes, observations and superlatives:

Player of the Game-Again it’s Ben Roethlisberger, 275 yards and 2 TD’s is a great day for the QB. He came out on a mission and he delivered. 

 Is he a future Hall of Famer:  Heath Miller-I think had he spent his career with the Pats, Colts or just about any other team the answer is a clear cut yes. However, he’s spent his time in Pittsburgh and we’re all thankful for that but in doing so he sacrificed a lot of catches, TD’s and accolades in favor of wins and shots at Super Bowls.  Great choice Heath and a big thank you! (Side note, I thought of this while watching him play today, he has great hands and can really get it done in the flat and down the field)

Got Speed?  We knew about Wallace and Brown but how about Emmanuel Sanders?  He’s got a good bit of speed too to go along with some great hands. 

Thoughts:  Just one this week and it’s hard to really find any negatives from this win but I don’t think Brown should have been returning punts when the team was up 17 late in the fourth and to piggy back on that I don’t believe Big Ben should ever be in the game in that same scenario. I know the players want to play but that’s always going to be the case, Tomlin needs to put his foot down and not allow these important big play guys the ability to risk injury and potentially cost the team down the line.

1-1, up next at Oakland 0-2  

Steelers Drop Opener At Denver

As the new season opened tonight, it started the same way the 2011 one ended; with a loss at Denver.  The Steelers made several off season changes including hiring a new offensive coordinator, attempting to beef up the offensive line and releasing several veterans who were Steeler stalwarts but for at least one night, this team looked like a mirror image of its predecessors. 

The team was again reckless as they garnered 8 penalties totaling 51 yards, they allowed 4 sacks and Roethlisberger was hit many more times. The offensive line looked a bit hapless and once again suffered a few injuries. It seems as if it doesn’t matter what year it is, this unit can’t catch a break.  The defense started the game strong but eventually wore down as Peyton Manning got going and proved to the world that he is back and ready to go.

The Steelers came out of the gates seemingly making it a point they were going to run the ball more often this year as it seemed in the first half that nearly every first and second down saw a run play called.  It had minimal success as Isaac Redman was never able to get going, only gaining 21 yards on 11 carries.  Jonathan Dwyer was the main back tonight as he gained a team high 43 yards on 9 carries. Dwyer looked impressive but clearly the run attack was not what it needs to be in order for this team to go places this year.

The passing attack is by far and away the strength of this team and once again Big Ben proved that to be the case. He is still the key to this team’s success sand it appears Haley picked up on that as the game moved forward, granted a portion of those 40 throws made by Big Ben can be attributed to playing from behind at the end of the game but Ben was allowed to be Ben as he made some scrambles and some great throws on the run.

Defensively the team started off fast and even gained a turnover on a fumble recovery by LaMarr Woodly early in the game but as the game went on, the team wore down. They had to deal with the altitude in Denver, they had to face Peyton Manning and let’s not discount that they were without Ryan Clark and James Harrison tonight. 

Larry Foote led the team with 8 tackles followed by Polamalu with 6 but really it seemed as if this team didn’t get it done where it counted. They only sacked Manning twice and didn’t get enough pressure on him at all.  The key to this defense is to pressure the QB and hit him, rattle him and force him into mistakes. Peyton Manning has seen and done it all and it just didn’t work against him. 

In the end the Steelers had a shot down 25-19 with the ball in Big Ben’s hands but he made an ill advised throw that turned into a pick six and ended the hopes of a comeback on this evening. 

Let’s make it very clear, this is only one game, it’s a road game against a very good Bronco team, this loss is by no means devastating. It’s certainly eye opening and shows the Steelers they have some things to work on but there is no reason to think this will be anything more than an isolated loss.

THIS WEEKS’ NEWS, NOTES AND SUPERLATIVES:

Steeler of the Game:  Big Ben-He was 22-40 for 243 yards and 2 TD’s. Yes he threw a critical pick but he proved once again he’s the best player on this team and by far the biggest play maker the team has.

Consider replacing?  Isaac Redman- It’s still very early but he was not impressive in the season opener not even getting 2 yards per carry.

Replace him with? Jonathan Dwyer-Dwyer averaged nearly 5 yards per carry and ran like Jerome Bettis with a little speed. He also added 2 receptions for 22 yards.

Notes:  Mike Wallace was better than one might have expected grabbing 4 balls for 36 yards and a TD.

Emmanuel Sanders looked pretty good tonight and may be a big part of the offense this year.

It appears that Todd Haley may be looking to utilize Heath Miller a bit more than he has historically been used with this team. Miller caught 4 balls for 50 yards and a TD.

NEWS:  Marcus Gilbert has a strained knee and is day to day

On to week number 2 vs. the 1-0 NY JETS

Steelers 2012 Preview

The Sun will rise on the Steelers 2012 season on September 9^th in the same place it set, ending their 2011 season last January, in Denver, Colorado.  This season, like last, has high hopes for the Steelers and the chase for number seven. However this year’s team will have a bit of a different look with the exit of several veterans who carried this team to two titles in a span of four years and an influx of youth ready to do the same.

The Steelers have long been a team considered a playoff contender but somehow seem to fly under the Super Bowl radar, that’s the case this year.  LaMarr Woodley likes it that way. He says it’s “good sometimes” and “those are the teams that usually sneak in and win it all”.  If we go back just seven short years you can say that LaMarr Woodley is correct. Six of the last seven champions were not the Super Bowl favorite heading into the season and that includes are beloved Steelers, twice. But can the Steelers really win it all this year? Do they have the experience to lead the way or will the youth movement prove they are just not quite there yet? 

That depends on several factors; the coaches need to do one of the best jobs they’ve ever done as there are several guys who will need them to game plan and scheme for them as the young guys on this team don’t have a whole lot of experience yet, if any in the case of the rookies. The veterans like Ben Roethlisberger, Brett Keisel and LaMarr Woodley need to lead the way and carry this team on their backs. The rookies and young guys need to step up and prove they are ready for the spotlight and the team needs to stay healthy as a whole.

COACHING:

It all starts at the top and Mike Tomlin, entering his sixth season as the Steelers main man may face his biggest challenge since being a rookie head coach taking over a team two years removed from winning it all. Tomlin has the experience now, coaching five successful seasons including four playoff appearances, two Super Bowl appearances and a championship. Hard to argue with that resume but this is the first time that he’ll really need to rely on rookies and guys in their first few years since he took the job in 2007.  Tomlin will need to be sure that his players buy into his philosophies, teachings and leadership. By all accounts the players love playing for him and love his intensity. I’ve stood mere feet from Tomlin as he’s coached the black and gold and you can feel his presence and you can see the respect his players do have for him. I believe he will get the new guys on board and they’ll fall in line and meet the “standard” as he likes to call it. 

Next up is the old sage Dick Lebeau. He’s a mastermind who’s been the architect of this new version of the Steel Curtain for the last eight years. His players love him, they’ll do anything for him and they respect everything he has to say. LeBeau can be soft spoken but he commands that respect from his players. If you don’t show it to him and play the way he expects, he’ll sit you. It doesn’t matter who you are. That’s what makes him so great. Not only has he been a great coach but he played the game for 14 years too, meaning he’s not just some guy who doesn’t have the experience of playing in the league. Players can relate to him because of that, no matter his age. LeBeau will need to find a way for this team to rank a little higher in the turnover department this year as while they did finish number one in the league last year, they rarely came up with turnovers. It’s hard to be great without getting a few per game. Part of that can be attributed to some major injuries to the Steelers during the season that prevented LeBeau from being able to fully unleash some of his schemes and part of it could be a lack of luck but that must change. LeBeau has implemented a few tweaks to this year’s version of the Steel Curtain but all in all he’ll continue to utilize the same game plans and schemes that have made this one of the scariest defenses in the league year after year under his watch.

Todd Haley takes the reigns as the new Steelers offensive coordinator and this was one of the most talked about moves of the offseason. With the dismissal of Bruce Arians and the hiring of Haley there was a lot of talk that Roethlisberger was unhappy and wasn’t thrilled at the idea of Haley coming in. Many thought Haley would put the brakes on Big Ben and really force the run game on this offense. Through the early part of the pre season that all seems to be nothing more than media driven drama. Ben and Haley both say their relationship is coming together and blossoming as they get more familiar with each other. The run game doesn’t seem to be the dominant force in his offense and it appears that Haley is smart enough to realize his offensive strengths and weaknesses and is willing to build his offense around those strengths. In other words, he’s willing to utilize his best player, Roethlisberger, in a way that will drive the offense, not hinder it, while potentially giving Roethlisberger some protection and get this Steeler Nation, using a full back! Now that’s something Arians certainly didn’t seem to understand.

Offense:

The offense will once again be led by Big Ben Roethlisberger. He is the strength of this unit and it’s anticipated that the offense will go through him.  It’s possible that the amount of times that he drops back per game may decrease this year under Todd Haley but the objective is to keep him healthy. The team will go as far as Roethlisberger will take them and with him behind center throwing to Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown, the strength of the offense is by far and away the passing attack. Throw in Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery as the third and fourth receivers and the ever consistent Heath Miller at Tight End and this unit is one of the best in all of the NFL. 

The running game has suffered some setbacks going back to last December when Rashard Mendenhall went down with a knee injury and leading into training camp with Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer getting injuries as well.  Many believe Redman should be available by opening day and if so he’ll be the starter without question. Redman is a good back, capable of gaining 100 yards each time out.  Jonathan Dwyer is deceptively quick and could provide a good plan B for the Steelers as Mendenhall heals.  Even with Mendenhall off the PUP list, don’t expect him back until October at the earliest. However,  at that point, he may not gain his starting job back if Redman performs the way he’s capable.

The weakness of the offense is still the offensive line. Yes, it’s improved, drastically from a year ago with the arrival of rookies David DeCastro and Mike Adams as well as the return of Willie Colon.  The past several years calling this unit a weak spot was an understatement, now it’s a compliment. This unit could be very good, but of all the offensive units, it still has the most questions.  Max Starks and Marcus Gilbert appear to be the starters at Tackle, Gilbert was up and down as a rookie last year, will he improve and by how much in his second full year. Starks is coming off a knee injury and didn’t see much physical action in training camp, can he step back in and be effective or will they have to rely on rookie Mike Adams? Adams can be good but based on pre season action, he doesn’t seem ready yet.  The guards will be Willie Colon and should have been rookie David DeCastro. DeCastro wasn’t showing super star status in pre season but he was definitely slated to be the man at guard for a long time.  The start to his career will have to be delayed as he suffered an ACL and MCL injury at Buffalo in week three of the pre season. This is a big blow to the team and it forces Ramon Foster into the starting role in place of DeCastro.  I personally don’t expect DeCastro back this season but I’m writing this the day after the injury, so things are always subject to change based on information that may come out. Colon has missed basically all of the last two years with injuries. He was one of the best O linemen the team had before the injuries but he now shifts to guard, can he be as effective in a new position and after two years away?  The best player on this unit is All Pro Maurkice Pouncey. He’s a great center, one of the best in the league and he’ll need to help lead the young guys and show them the ropes.  In addition to Adams off the bench you’ll have veterans Trai Essex (who I think will be re signed) and Doug Legursky. Both players are good guys to come in and give guys a breather but not guys you’ll want to see starting. If a situation arises where the team needs to start a bench guy; something has gone severely wrong somewhere.

DEFENSE:

This may be a first in the history of this club but the defense is the weaker unit this year. That’s not to say they can’t be an extremely good defense and a very effective unit but there are certainly some big questions. 

The D line is the weakest unit on the defense and on the entire team as a whole. The line will be held down by Ziggy Hood, Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel.  All three suffered injuries last year and Keisel and Hampton are aging.  Hampton is a bigger concern as he really hasn’t been able to practice this summer and it’s hard to say if he’ll be able to come back from a knee injury as severe as his was.  Steve McClendon has been impressive in the pre season and in game action last year and I wouldn’t be shocked at all to see him open the season as the NT in the starting lineup and not Hampton.  This unit will be responsible for run stuffing and pushing back the opposing O line so the healthiest and best guys must play no matter the name or salary.  The team will also need 2^nd year man Cam Heyward to come in and be a spark off the bench to give Keisel and Hood a breather now and then. Don’t be shocked if Heyward has to start a few games as well due to injuries somewhere.

The linebackers are on a mission this year as well. Woodley missed a lot of time last year but he appears to be healthy and I believe poised to have a massive statistical season. By his own account the team under achieved last year on defense due to various reasons and he thinks they can be much better this year. I completely agree. The linebackers are the strength of the defense. Woodley and Timmons are in their prime and they will be responsible for leading the charge and leading the team in tackles and sacks respectively.  James Harrison has been hobbled all summer but insists he’ll be ready by opening day, let’s hope he is. There is no other force in the NFL like Mr. Harrison when he’s healthy as he scares the living day lights out of any opposing player. Timmons and Larry Foote should be starting in the middle and Timmons in my opinion had a down year last year and I look for him to be back on top this year leading the team in tackles going well into the 100’s in that category.  Foote is the savvy vet who the team needs on the field.  If any injuries go into the start of the season then don’t discount the play making ability of 2^nd year man Chris Carter. He has looked solid in pre season. The team would love to see Jason Woirlds come back soon too as he’s a pivotal cog on this unit having started 7 games last season on the outside. 

The secondary has some questions but should be able to get the job done. The team ranked first in pass defense last year but the lack of turnovers, specifically interceptions was glaring. That needs to improve. Ike Taylor will always match up on the opponents’ top receiver and he’s capable of covering anyone. Taylor is quick and an experienced veteran who has seen and done it all. He’s a fringe pro bowl player and I look for a big year out of him.  Of course the one and only Troy Polamalu will be in the strong safety spot and the real key is keeping him healthy. He will always play like a wild man and that’s how Dick Lebeau wants it but with that you know that he’s always an injury risk.  The defense certainly centers around Polamalu and his big play capability. He’ll be in the secondary or he could come up to the line and blitz the QB, you never know, a healthy Polamalu for a full year should lead to big things for this entire team.  Ryan Clark will be the guy on Troy’s side playing free safety. He and Troy feed off each other and are a great one two punch.  The second corner spot will most likely be Cortez Allen. He can cover the receiver and has good ball hawking skills but he hasn’t seen a lot of action as a pro yet so he may get picked on by the opponents until he proves to them it’s a mistake to throw his way. 

OUTLOOK:

Last years’ team finished a stellar 12-4 and in the top wild card spot. If not for several key injuries I believe they had a very good chance of making a deep playoff run last year. While we look ahead to this season it’s an impossibility to predict injuries that may occur but we can certainly take a stab at what we think will happen with this team based on the information at hand.

The first 4 games see the Steelers travel back to Denver to open the season on Sunday Night football. This time they won’t be facing Tim Tebow but rather a huge upgrade for the Broncos in Peyton Manning. Manning hasn’t played in over a year but he still appears to have it and this will be a challenge.  Ryan Clark will not play in this game due to his sickle cell condition and that cost the Steelers last January. While I believe this game can go either way I’m going to give the win to Denver here. It’s a tough game in hostile territory with an improved Denver team and a high altitude in what will still be the summer weather.

The Steelers will see Tim Tebow the following week as the Jets roll into town.  The Jets are not that good from what I can tell and the Steelers should handle their business at Heinz Field.  Following a win vs. the Jets the team will go out to Oakland and beat the Raiders before heading into a week 4 bye.  Following the bye; Mike Vick and the high flying Eagles offense will come to town. It could be a very high scoring game with two potent offenses taking the field but the battle of Pennsylvania should go to the black and gold.

After four games the Steelers will be 3-1. The one down side to the first quarter of the year is the bye week in week 4. Ideally the team would have it around week 10 or so but you play with the hand your dealt.

The next set of four games start with a visit to the Tennessee Titans. The Titans are planning to open the year with Jake Locker at the helm and if that is the same by the time the Steelers see them this should be an easy win. Even if it’s Matt Hasslebeck the Steelers should roll in this game.  They then head to division rival and 2011 upstart Cincinnati to take on the young Bengals. I anticipate a step backwards for the Bengals and the Steelers will show them who’s king of the division with a win here too.  The team then comes home to see rookie RGIII and the Redskins. This should be an easy win as well.  The black and gold will finish the first half of the year by visiting the defending champion New York Giants.  This will be a fantastic game and it will feature Eli vs. Ben in the battle of two two time Super Bowl winning QB’s and the cream of the crop of the 2004 draft. I again think this game could go either way but I have to give the edge to the hometown Giants in this one.

The Steelers will have another 3-1 quarter and finish the first half at very respectable 6-2.

The second half of the year will start right back on the road vs. Todd Haley’s old team, the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs may be improved over last year but the Steelers should win this ball game and head home for a big matchup against the hated Baltimore Ravens.  The first of two Ravens games in a matter of three weeks will be intense and hard hitting. These games can always go either way and usually seem to be decided by a field goal or less.  This time the Steelers will handle their business at home and take the Ravens down.  Following the Ravens slugfest the team will visit the Browns in Cleveland and introduce Brandon Weeden to the NFL by whooping up on him and the rest of his teammates. The quarter closes out with a visit to Baltimore to play the Ravens again in what should be another boxing match.  Expect even more hard hits and even some fights in this one as these two teams who already hate each other immensely will have some bad blood carrying over from the game two weeks prior. While again this game will probably come down to the end, sadly, I have to give this one to the Ravens but I’ll certainly be happy with a split with the Ratbirds.

The third quarter features another 3-1 record and advances the Steelers to 9-3 on the year.

The final quarter will feature the Steelers playoff push and battle to win the division. At an anticipated 9-3 the team will be in a prime spot to take home the AFC North crown.  They’ll start the quarter off with a win at home vs. the San Diego Chargers who should be a playoff contender but let’s face it, they don’t win in Pittsburgh.  A visit to Dallas follows and while a win could easily be had by Pittsburgh here as I don’t think the Cowboys are all that good, I just have a gut feeling the Cowboys are going to sneak away with a victory in this one. The last two weeks will feature division games starting with a visit by the Bengals and another Steeler win and then a visit by the Browns who will probably be a 3-4 win team for the year and the Steelers will finish up with a win against them too.

By my calculations that gives the Steelers another 3-1 quarter and a 12-4 regular season which should win them the AFC North and most likely get them the first round bye they coveted in 2011.

 From there the playoffs will fall as the rest of the league plays out and the Steelers do have the potential to ride this 2012 train all the way to the Super Bowl. I think it will be tough and there are certainly some potential road blocks such as rookies playing pivotal roles and not performing, injuries, aging veterans not delivering as they used to or big mistakes costing them games they should win. While all that is certainly possible, it’s not something that I see in my 2012 crystal ball. This team will be a very fun team to watch again and you can bet your life that Mike Tomlin, Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu and the rest of the black and gold are all hungry to hold up that Lombardi Trophy for the 7^th time in franchise history. 

 

 

From the Couch To the Field-A Tale of My Time In Latrobe

What’s it like going from a lifetime Steeler fan, following them as close as you possibly can from the outside to being granted media credentials and getting to cover them on an up close and in person basis?  It’s an exhilarating feeling.  How many of you would like to be on the field during a scrimmage or practice?  How would you like to get to interview and talk with former players Joey Porter and Willie Parker or any current player you’d like?  As a part of the media I was able to do just that.  How would you like to eat in the dining hall in Latrobe and see Dick Lebeu next to you getting an ice cream cone?  It’s phenomenal to experience, yet humbling. 

As soon as I found out that I was going to be permitted via Steel Nation Magazine (www.steelnationmagazine.com) to have media access to Steelers camp I told myself I needed to approach this from an extremely professional manner and decided to follow an old cliché “act like you’ve been there before”.  I’m sure glad I did.  My first experience was on Latrobe Night at Latrobe Stadium. It was the annual scrimmage in front of a rather large crowd.  I was able to walk down on the field and look into the crowd, the crowd where I used to be. While in some instance it was only a matter of 50 yards that separated me from that crowd, it may as well have been 5,000,000 yards. The difference is immeasurable. I was able to walk anywhere on the field that I wanted to go, take pictures of anything I saw and talk to the players as they came in and out of the stadium. 

To start the night; a parade of about 8 or 9 school buses, yes the yellow and black elementary school buses, pulled up with the Steelers inside them. The Steelers, lead by coach Tomlin walked through the gates to the roar of the crowd. I was standing on the track next to the team along with the rest of the media snapping pictures and standing just feet away from Tomlin, Troy Polamalu and Ben Roethlisberger to name a few. 

After the players entered the stadium they proceeded to spread out around the field and begin to sign autographs for the droves of fans lined up against the fence separating them from the field.  Being on the players side of the fence I was able to see it from a different perspective. There are hundreds if not thousands of people screaming their names and begging for autographs, they just can’t reach everyone, there isn’t enough time.  The players seem to largely reach out to the kids to give them autographs and avoid the adults more often than not, and who can blame them?  This may be a man’s game but the kids are the ones who look up to and idolize the players. They deserve the attention on this night if not every other night. Sure I was tempted to get an autograph from Troy or Harrison or any other Steeler super star but I never thought about breaking that professionalism.  There was an individual in the media next to me who did break that code and got a few players and coaches to sign some merchandise for him.  He was promptly scolded by Steelers brass and told to never do that again.  Bottom line in that scenario is pretty cut and dry, you can’t do that, you shouldn’t do that, so don’t do that. 

After a good 20-30 minutes of players and coaches signing autographs they hit the field for warm ups and drills before playing some offense vs. defense.  Being able to walk up and down the sideline during all of this was as exciting as it gets for a Steeler fan.  I was snapping pictures of everything in sight from Ben tossing the ball to Antonio Brown to Heath Miller grabbing a drink of Gatorade on the sideline.  I didn’t want to miss a single thing with my own eyes but felt the need for my camera to not miss a single thing either so I could share as much of this experience as possible with the Steel Nation.  At one point as I was crouching down on the 20 yard line to snap a photo of a helmetless offense vs. defense drill I was run into by a walking James Harrison who was texting on his cell phone and walking down the sideline at the same time.  The guy is a rock and he easily moved me back a few yards by simply bumping into me. I can’t imagine seeing that man come at me full speed if I were a quarterback or running back.  Harrison was as friendly as could be and we exchanged a few pleasantries and then went our separate ways.  As I walked up and down the sideline I was able to stand next to or walk right by just about all the big names you can think of.

The Steelers also had a small ceremony for some retired players including Joey Porter, Willie Parker and Aaron Smith.  Porter and Parker both granted media interviews and I was right there with my microphone in hand. To stand next to these guys who helped bring Pittsburgh the Championship in 2005 and actually talk with them was an experience in and of itself.  To hear Joey Porter speak about his time in Pittsburgh glowingly was great. He said Pittsburgh had a special place in his heart and “that void wouldn’t be filled if I didn’t come back and retire as a Steeler”.  He was still the Joey we’ve all seen and heard about as he made a pretty funny wise crack about one of the reporters he had known for years. 

Standing next to Fast Willie and talking with him was a blast as well. He’s surprisingly small but we all know that man could fly. He told us that he was interning as a Tight Ends Coach at West Virginia Wesleyan and had aspirations of learning the trade of coaching.  He also mentioned that no player on that team can outrun him as he still has his speed.  Parker discussed his time as a Steeler and on more than one occasion stated “It was the best six years of my life”.  We all enjoyed those six years too Willie!

The day after the scrimmage I was back at Latrobe for practice. I started off by going into the media room and sitting with some local media members discussing nothing but sports and getting their opinions and thoughts on the upcoming season.  Right around lunch time we were escorted up to the player cafeteria where the players would come in periodically for lunch on golf carts. They’d walk through media members and we’d grab them as we wanted to, to discuss whatever we wanted to. Sometimes I’d get my microphone in on some players such as Baron Batch and the great Lamar Woodley.  Woodley was asked if any young players had impressed him yet;  at this time the team had not played a pre season game so he said “Not yet, we’ll see, we’ll see when the game comes and I’ll tell you different”.  I thought that was pretty cool, just a straight and honest answer.  I learned pretty quickly that Lamar Woodley was a good guy to talk to and friendly as could be.

After interviews with some players I headed into the players cafeteria for lunch.  They had a spread fit for a king and not only did it look good, it hit the spot too.  As I’m walking down one of the rows I saw Dick Lebeau getting an Ice Cream right next to me. Folks it’s not just TV, the guy truly does look young and he is full of energy. 

I came back to camp a few days later and started the day the same way; outside the players cafeteria getting my microphone in on players such as Jonathan Dwyer who had just been activated off the PUP list the day before. He was excited to be back in pads and when asked about getting a bigger opportunity in the running game with both Mendenhall and Redman hurt he said a classic Tomlin line “The standard is the standard here”.  Meaning he’ll be ready to go. He also stated he’s taking care of himself and leaving the rest up to fate.

Max Starks also stopped by before lunch and discussed how excited he was to be back in pads as well and he expected to get better and better each day.

After a good two hours of players coming in and out on their golf carts I headed in for lunch and again enjoyed the spread.  From there it was back to the media room to begin writing this very article and peruse the Steelers press releases that go to media members first.  That was a privileged feeling.

Around 2:45 pm I, along with the rest of the media headed down onto the practice fields to watch the team do several drills. I was ON the field! I was able to snap some close up pictures as drills were being run right in front of me. As I’m walking up and down the field  I could hear and see the fans (side note, it really is true, there are no better fans in the world, they were all into it and to quote Allen Iverson “we’re talking about practice”) yelling and screaming for autographs and cheering throws made by Big Ben and catches by Antonio Brown.  I could hear the coaches scolding players who messed up and lauding the players who did well.  I was very close to Mike Tomlin when Jonathan Dwyer made a nice run out of the backfield and Tomlin yelled in to him “Nice Cut two Seven, Nice Cut Two Sev”. I felt like I was in the game.

Later on I was standing there taking some pictures when Chris Collinsworth walks down the hill, slaps me on the back and starts talking with me about the Steelers for a minute or two. He was in town for the NBC Sunday night game. 

After about 2.5 hours of practice the Steelers left the field and we were able to grab them as fast as we could to talk. I got my microphone in on Isaac Redman first and he discussed his injury stating he thought it wasn’t too serious and hoped to be back soon.  The information, as expected was limited and nobody really knew what to think on his injury. 

Tomlin then came over to us and talked for a good six minutes. He was asked about Redman’s MRI (which is one secret that was poorly kept as we all knew he had one) and he half jokingly said to us “I’m not acknowledging that maybe that exists but I’ll just characterize him as day to day at this point”.  He was great to listen to up close and personal. Tomlin’s very matter of fact and down to business, as one might expect.

After Tomlin’s mini press conference we headed back to the cafeteria to try to grab players as they walked in and out from dinner.  Some players were with their wives and kids and it didn’t’ seem right to bother those guys. They had a long day and wanted to spend time with their families, I stayed out of any of those interviews out of principal.  Troy Polamalu was there with his family and he rolled up hanging out of the front of the golf cart and talking on the walky talky, great stuff and it’s obvious he’s just a fun loving good guy.

Lamar Woodley was there again and with the news recently breaking of his generous donation to his home town school system for athletics everyone wanted to talk to him, including me.  He discussed how he gave money to help the kids play sports back home and he doesn’t do things like that for publicity but rather form the goodness of his heart.  Woodley said he made the donation through his foundation so I asked him how people in the public could learn more about his foundation and help out, he responded to me that you could visit “ www.lamarrwoodleyfoundation.com it’s going to be great, I’m hands on with it and you’ll be amazed I’m hands on with it, always coming up with different programs……I put together most of the programs too you’d be amazed” 

After that several more players walked in and out of the cafeteria, Ike Taylor, Casey Hampton, James Harrison and one Ben Roethlisberger.  Ben went in and came out alone so I decided to pull him aside for a quick question or two. Ben was kind enough to talk to me. I asked him how he felt everything was going with camp coming to a close soon and he said “We’re still early in the process but I know we’re all ready to break camp, getting ready for these games and get the pre season over with” and “Every day we’re learning new things and getting a little bit better”. Talking one on one with a 2 time Super Bowl winning QB and in my opinion future Hall of Famer was enough for me to call it a day and head into the player cafeteria for dinner.

Eating dinner with some other media members I was in line behind Heath Miller to get all you can eat shrimp and I was sitting at the table next to Troy Polamalu and his family. 

For a lifetime Steeler fan who’s cheered the black and gold for as long as I can remember, purchased their jerseys and souvenirs and been to countless games, this was the ultimate experience.

I took it seriously and didn’t act like a fan who was on the inside, I kept it cool and professional while there but as I reflect on all of this; it was a story that I’m happy I can share with all the fellow fans out there. It’s a story of a fan of a team who has actually obtained the ability to cover that team and to me that’s a rarity that can’t be found daily.