Steeler Nation all sat down together at 8:30pm on Thursday night in the hopes of enjoying a feast fit for a champion.  A win would surely have put the black and gold in great position to make a run at the playoffs. Unfortunately the outcome was a game that turned out to be a little underdone. 

The offense started off slow and was unable to mount a complete comeback late.  It became glaringly obvious that if those rumors of Big Ben being traded are true, the Steelers have lost their minds. Big Ben is the heart and soul of this offense and of the team in general. He’s carried them week in and week out and did so again against the Ravens. He doesn’t lose his composure, doesn’t give up on any plays or games and makes amazing plays on a consistent basis. Without him, who would get the ball to Antonio Brown or Heath Miller?  Bruce Gradkowski? Landry Jones?  Johnny Football? No, nobody is better suited for this team than Big Ben. The fans know it, the league knows it and believe me, the Steelers know it too. 

Ben was able to lead a furious comeback that ended up being a two point conversion away from sending the game to overtime.

Unfortunately for the offense, the defense and special teams were unable to make the plays necessary to keep the Ravens from scoring when it counted. The defense was largely unable to get off the field on third down. Countless Raven third and longs were converted into big play first downs. It’s hard to win games when the guys who are counted on to make plays don’t step up. The only player that could even make impact plays was Jason Worilds.

Worilds put up another phenomenal game, leading the team with 10 tackles, gaining the teams only two sacks and he had three of the teams’ four quarterback hits.  He’s rapidly becoming the best player on the defense, just in time for his free agent off season.  The team should attempt to sign him now, he has finally arrived.

Aside from Worilds, it was hard to find a defensive player who made an impact play of any kind. One who certainly did not was Ike Taylor. For the third straight week he was burned by the oppositions’ top receiver. This time Torrey Smith torched him for six catches, 93 yards and a touchdown.  It’s unacceptable for the Steelers top corner to be consistently burned on a weekly basis.  Taylor may very well be facing his final season as a Steeler.

The special teams failed to deliver this week too.  The Shaun Suisham 50 yard attempt that wasn’t may have changed the outcome of the game. Why Suisham started to kick early is unknown but the true unknown is what could have been had he had a gotten the kick off.

The now infamous Jacoby Jones return certainly had an impact in the loss as well. To immediately allow a big return after a touchdown just can’t happen. The momentum swung right back to the Ravens and the game essentially went with it.

As a side note, for anyone who thinks Tomlin was standing there to block Jones on purpose, look at the footage; he was there well before Jones was ever in the vicinity. Should Tomlin have been there, no, but it wasn’t intentional.

In the end, the Steelers fell to 5-7 and now must win out to even have a shot at the playoffs. When you start 0-4, losses like this are killer and unfortunately the Steelers had to learn that the hard way.

71,513 fans witnessed a strong effort by the black and gold on Sunday as they conquered their division rival Cleveland Browns for the 22^nd time in 25 tries.  The game belonged to the Steeler defense as they overwhelmed the Browns offense, rendering their efforts futile. 

The Steelers forced four turnovers, three fumbles (two forced by Troy Polamalu) and an interception returned for a touchdown by William Gay.  The defense was ferocious and obtained five sacks along with nine quarterback hits. They roughed up Jason Campbell so badly that he was forced out of the game with a concussion. On this day, I will admit, the team looked like the Steelers of old on the defensive side of the ball. 

Jason Worilds had an “All Worilds Day” as he was in the offensive backfield the majority of the time. He garnered five tackles but more importantly and far more menacingly for Cleveland, he had six quarterback hits. Worilds has certainly come into his own the last few weeks and is showing everyone that he deserves that starting outside linebacker job. 

Another difference maker has been Will Allen. Since his return, you can see the secondary playing better. He led the team in tackles last week against the Lions and picked the ball off too, this week he added 4 tackles and a fumble recovery. He’s a ball hawker and that’s what a team who failed to convert turnovers needed, a guy who has a nose for the ball and helps gain field position for the offense.

One concern however is the play of Ike Taylor the past few weeks. Normally Ike is as sure as any corner in the league, however last week he was torched by Calvin Johnson (few aren’t) but he again was lit up this week by Josh Gordon. Gordon is certainly an up and coming playmaker with a lot of talent, however, your number one corner should not allow 14 catches, 237 yards and a TD to anyone.  It appeared Taylor was playing too far off the ball and allowing Gordon to catch it vs. letting Gordon beat him downfield and leaving it on the safety to make the play. Perhaps it was strategy, considering the Browns scored 11 points, one could argue it worked, but some questions must be asked with numbers like that.

Other questions were answered on Sunday, by the offense. The question of whether or not the offense is more effective in the no huddle can be put to rest. The answer is yes. They are far better when Ben can call from a select few plays. The team controls the ball more, Ben is in better command and they certainly seem to have a much better rhythm.  Furthermore it assists the offensive line as Ben has only been sacked once in the last two weeks since they implemented the strategy for the bulk of the game.

Antonio Brown has bigger play potential when the no huddle is in and if the defense opts to double Brown, Emmanuel Sanders or Jerricho Cotchery can pick up the slack.  The no huddle needs to stay for the remainder of the season as there is no doubt it is the best fit for the personnel on this offense and provides the team with the best option to utilize their most potent weapons.

One weapon who looked a little better on Sunday was LeVeon Bell. He netted 80 yards on 23 carries. Still not overly impressive but he provided a few power runs that showed he does have talent and strength. If this team wants to make a deeper run and hope to keep this winning streak alive, the run game will need to net more yards as it’s a necessary means to controlling the clock.

To add to the all-around performance by Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger even added a special teams gem of his own when he pooched punted the ball inside the Cleveland five yard line. It was that kind of day for the Steelers as they won their third straight game, improved to 5-6 and found themselves tied for the final wild card spot in the AFC.

There’s a long road ahead and many questions still left pending but as the team moves through the season, they are starting to find some answers.

NEWS, NOTES, SUPERLATIVES:

Game Ball: Jason Worilds-Five tackles and more impressively, six QB hits. He was a force.

Play of the Game: Big Ben’s pooch punt.

Additional Play of the Game: Antonio Brown’s 42 yard TD reception, the black and gold never looked back after that.

Notes: The Steelers were the first AFC North team to win a division road game this season

Roethlisberger is now 16-1 vs. Cleveland in his career.

Emmanuel Sanders set a new career high in TD receptions in a single season with his 3^rd.

Team: 5-6, next up at Baltimore, 5-6, on Thanksgiving night.

It was a tale of two halves; or at least a tale of 3 quarters and 1 quarter in the Steelers 37-27 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday.

The Steelers owned the beginning of the game as they jumped out to an early 14-0 first quarter lead. The early scoring was courtesy of two Antonio Brown touchdown receptions.  Brown, put on a spectacular performance as he netted seven receptions for 147 yards and two touchdowns on the day. 

Not to be outdone by Brown, Megatron, the Lions top receiver and quite frankly best receiver in the league led a furious Detroit comeback in the 2^nd quarter. Megatron posted six catches for 179 yards and two scores (both in the second quarter) in a 27 point second quarter barrage by the Detroit offense.  The 2^nd quarter performance by the Lions looked like it might be heading to a record day, one rivaling the Patriots display two weeks prior. Matt Stafford had over 300 yards passing by halftime and the offense was pacing for over 700 total yards. The defense was unable to get to Stafford, unable to stop the run and extremely unable to prevent Megatron from catching the ball. By halftime many folks surely thought this game was Detroit’s to lose. 

 To add to that mindset, the offense only managed two field goals in the 2^ndquarter and failed to convert red zone trips into touchdowns.  At halftime it was 27-20 Detroit.

It was hard to imagine a game that looked so good to start having such a bleak outlook in just 15 short minutes.

A large defensive standoff in the third made it a 27-23 game heading into the final quarter and that’s when the Steelers manned up and showed some courage, some heart, some bravado against the Lions, who looked scared and intimidated.  The Steelers put the clamps on defensively and shut the Lions out in the 2^nd half, causing Matt Stafford to go 0-10 in the 4^th quarter on his pass attempts.  They recorded 2 turnovers late in the game, sacked Stafford twice and played with urgency and fire in their guts.

The offense put together a late 97 yard touchdown drive after a fumble recovery and made up for failing to punch it in the quarter prior when having a 1^st and goal inside the 1.  Minutes later, they scored another TD to ice the game.

On this day, the Steelers played the way they needed to. The flaws are still there and evident, but when you don’t turn the ball over and you score 37 points, some things can be overcome or at least overlooked for a week.

The team is still 4-6 and has a long way to go if they want to be relevant but a win is a win and these days there’s no complaining how you get there.

NEWS, NOTES, SUPERLATIVES:

Offensive Game Ball: Big Ben-He was incredible once again throwing for 367 yards and 4 touchdowns. His commitment and leadership should not be questioned as he didn’t let this team give up.

Defensive Game Ball: Jason Worilds- Worilds had 8 tackles, a sack and four QB hits. He was a force to be reckoned with on the defensive side of the ball and is starting to come into his own now that he is a full time starter in front of Jarvis Jones.

Still Questionable: Why Jonathan Dwyer doesn’t get more carries.  He is the best runner on the team; he brings energy and speed and wants it more than anyone else. Bell is not performing up to expectations and it’s time for Dwyer to get more carries.

Needs the ball more: Jerricho Cotchery-He now has 7 touchdown receptions, a career high. He is no worse than a number 3 receiver and could easily be a number 2.

Injury Notes: Brett Keisel, Lamar Woodley and Ramon Foster didn’t play. Emmanuel Sanders left with a foot injury.

Next up: 4-6 Steelers at 4-6 Browns

It might just be me and maybe I see the glass as half empty but after the Steelers beat the Bills 23-10 on Sunday, I wasn’t left impressed. Sure, the game really wasn’t in question after the 2^nd quarter but this victory was hollow. The Steelers beat a team who was just as bad as they are. The Bills are 3-6, so are the Steelers. If anyone expected the Bills to put on a display like the Patriots did a week prior, they don’t understand football. 

Yes, the defense looked far better than they did last week but how could they look worse? Anything was an improvement when you come off the worst defensive performance in the history of the franchise.  Don’t discount the fact the Bills were starting a rookie quarterback who hadn’t played in five weeks. One would hope a veteran laced team would be able to stop a rookie who hadn’t played in over a month.  I’ve seen many writers discuss the Steelers run defense on Sunday and how great it was.  Sure, they stopped Fred Jackson, he was held to 55 yards but he did that on a mere 12 carries. In fact the Bills only ran the ball a total of 22 times and they still managed 95 yards.  They had to throw it 39 times since they were playing from behind in the second half. Obviously the number of rushing yards would be diminished.

 Being the bearer of bad news is no fun but facts are facts, this wasn’t as impressive of a defensive performance as many would like it be.  The three sacks and the interception are the flashy items here that many will point to but the game was well in hand when all of those occurred, they didn’t come in the clutch, which is what top notch defenses will do.

Further complicating the matter is the offense. They did enough to win against a bad football team. They once again found a way to turn sure touchdown opportunities into field goals and managed to get Big Ben sacked another four times.  This line is destined to get Roethlisberger killed one of these days but when you win, people overlook the flaws. 

All game long we were told of how great LeVeon Bell is. He does have talent, and he may one day be a true feature back but at this point, I’m not seeing him as ‘great’. He managed 57 yards on 22 carries.  Remember, the Bills had 22 carries for 95 yards.  The best back on this team at this juncture is Jonathan Dwyer, he has the best YPC average and runs the ball hard and is deceptively fast. Mike Tomlin is too stubborn to let Dwyer out of the dog house because he came into camp out of shape in 2011.  Get over yourself Mike, do what’s right here, play the best man

 .

Tomlin can’t preach ‘changes’ and ‘the best men will play’ when he can’t get over a grudge going on for over two years.  Hypocrisy thy name is Coach Tomlin. 

Additionally, he needs to find the best man to run this offense because the current man, Todd Haley, is not it. Haley’s play calls are just not getting it done. The Wildcat they have implemented is a joke. Welcome to the NFL of 2008 Steelers fans. It’s the best way to get your QB killed too. Do you think the Pats, Saints or Broncos would EVER line up Brady, Brees or Manning out wide? It’s giving the opposing defense a free shot at the franchise man.  Why do the Steelers try it? One, the play calling is awful and two, the play calling is ineffective so they try to throw in a wrinkle. Neither reason is good and Haley must go.

In the end, the Steelers were better than the Bills and they came out with a win. I hate to be the Debbie Downer but there was nothing to be impressed about in this particular game. To me it just means the team will no longer have a shot at finishing 2-14 but could still go 3-13.  They need to improve dramatically if they want to change my mind at this point.

As we sit at the midpoint of the 2013 Steelers season, it’s become abundantly clear, this team is terrible. There’s no mincing words here, they are as bad as bad can be. It’s a sad state of affairs on the South Side as this once proud organization has slipped into the depths of losing football and can’t seem to find a formula to get out of their losing ways.

There are many reasons why this team is failing at an historic pace and no one stands out more than the poor drafting over the past several years by Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin. If Mike Tomlin and his staff want to preach the “standard is the standard” and “next man up” then they need to draft the talent to meet the expectations. The guys that have been drafted in the past six or seven years or so have largely failed as a whole, save an exception here or there. The whole scouting department needs to be reviewed, the way the team evaluates players needs to be looked at and Kevin Colberts position as a GM should be assessed. Not only has he failed to draft well, he put this team in salary cap hell as he and the rest of the front office back loaded contracts and pushed off money into the future. We are now seeing the results of not being able to keep big time players and overpaying guys well past their prime.

It’s not just drafting, it’s execution as well. Not long ago the Steelers defense was largely considered the best in the league. They were a team that instilled fear in the opposition before even setting foot on the field. Today, this unit is being torched for record yardage and points. They look old, slow, clueless and unable to stop either the run or the pass. It’s possible that Dick Lebeau’s schemes are no longer confusing opposing offenses or it’s possible the players can’t execute what he’s calling. The turnovers this team creates are relatively nonexistent, the ability to get to the quarterback isn’t there and the best players on the team are well past their prime. It’s time to let the older veterans go off into the sunset and pray that some of the newest draftees learn the ways of the NFL and become impact players in the future.

It doesn’t stop there, however. The offense is atrocious in most areas as well. Outside of Big Ben, who’s still a phenomenal quarterback, this unit is not getting it done. They still haven’t found an identity under Todd Haley. Haley’s play calls certainly don’t fit the personnel and the personnel doesn’t seem to fit on most NFL rosters. The offensive line is poor and has been for years. The team continues to spend high draft picks on these guys and these guys continue to get beaten up and down the field. The line can’t pass protect, they can’t run block and they generally can’t get the job done on a regular basis. The running game stinks too. Part of it is a lack of a talented line and the other part is they just don’t know how to read the holes when they are there. LeVeon Bell has started to show bursts of talent but they don’t have enough depth at this position to be effective.

Another issue is the injuries that pile up on this team on a yearly basis. The trainers have to be looked at, at this point don’t they? Sure, injuries happen to every team on an almost daily basis but it seems like this team gets hit the hardest annually. It may be bad luck and freak accidents but at some point you have to question what’s going on in the training rooms and rehab facility.

Overall its plain and simple, the team is not good. The decline started last year, has gotten worse this year and could last many more if things don’t get fixed during the offseason. Changes to staff won’t be made in season, but who plays and how much they do can happen immediately. It’s time to find out what they have and at what positions and prepare to fill in the holes during the offseason. That is, if these guys are capable of figuring it out in the first place.

As we sit at the midpoint of the 2013 Steelers season, it’s become abundantly clear, this team is terrible. There’s no mincing words here, they are as bad as bad can be.  It’s a sad state of affairs on the South Side as this once proud organization has slipped into the depths of losing football and can’t seem to find a formula to get out of their losing ways.

There are many reasons why this team is failing at an historic pace and no one stands out more than the poor drafting over the past several years by Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin.  If Mike Tomlin and his staff want to preach the “standard is the standard” and “next man up” then they need to draft the talent to meet the expectations.  The guys that have been drafted in the past six or seven years or so have largely failed as a whole, save an exception here or there.  The whole scouting department needs to be reviewed, the way the team evaluates players needs to be looked at and Kevin Colberts position as a GM should be assessed.  Not only has he failed to draft well, he put this team in salary cap hell as he and the rest of the front office back loaded contracts and pushed off money into the future. We are now seeing the results of not being able to keep big time players and overpaying guys well past their prime.

It’s not just drafting, it’s execution as well. Not long ago the Steelers defense was largely considered the best in the league. They were a team that instilled fear in the opposition before even setting foot on the field. Today, this unit is being torched for record yardage and points. They look old, slow, clueless and unable to stop either the run or the pass. It’s possible that Dick Lebeau’s schemes are no longer confusing opposing offenses or it’s possible the players can’t execute what he’s calling.  The turnovers this team creates are relatively nonexistent, the ability to get to the quarterback isn’t there and the best players on the team are well past their prime.  It’s time to let the older veterans go off into the sunset and pray that some of the newest draftees learn the ways of the NFL and become impact players in the future.

It doesn’t stop there, however. The offense is atrocious in most areas as well. Outside of Big Ben, who’s still a phenomenal quarterback, this unit is not getting it done. They still haven’t found an identity under Todd Haley. Haley’s play calls certainly don’t fit the personnel and the personnel doesn’t seem to fit on most NFL rosters.  The offensive line is poor and has been for years. The team continues to spend high draft picks on these guys and these guys continue to get beaten up and down the field. The line can’t pass protect, they can’t run block and they generally can’t get the job done on a regular basis.  The running game stinks too. Part of it is a lack of a talented line and the other part is they just don’t know how to read the holes when they are there. LeVeon Bell has started to show bursts of talent but they don’t have enough depth at this position to be effective.

Another issue is the injuries that pile up on this team on a yearly basis.  The trainers have to be looked at, at this point don’t they? Sure, injuries happen to every team on an almost daily basis but it seems like this team gets hit the hardest annually.  It may be bad luck and freak accidents but at some point you have to question what’s going on in the training rooms and rehab facility.

Overall its plain and simple, the team is not good. The decline started last year, has gotten worse this year and could last many more if things don’t get fixed during the offseason. Changes to staff won’t be made in season, but who plays and how much they do can happen immediately. It’s time to find out what they have and at what positions and prepare to fill in the holes during the offseason. That is, if these guys are capable of figuring it out in the first place.