1/30/17-PODCAST Steel Nation Radio Presented By Steelers Takeaways Interview with Alex Kozora

We caught up with Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot to talk about the off season plans for the black and gold, free agency, draft needs and potential coaching changes. It’s a great two part interview with a ton of insight. If you love the off season part of the game then you’ll love this podcast. 

Interview with Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot Part 1

Interview With Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot Part 2

1/25/17-That’s A Wrap

By: Mike Pelaia

The Steelers season came to a wrap in the AFC Championship Game on Sunday night with a crashing thud. After riding a seven game win streak into the playoffs and putting up two more victories in the postseason, the black and gold came into New England riding high. They were being called a team of destiny, the team that could knock of the mighty Patriots, the team that would hoist a seventh Lombardi trophy.

And then, well, reality hit, quickly. The Patriots are more disciplined, more determined and better coached.  That became apparent very early on as Tom Brady carved up the Steeler secondary like a Thanksgiving Day turkey. It also showed once again, that Mike Tomlin is not in the same class as the elite coaches of the NFL. Nobody is Bill Belichick, I get that, but the elite coaches of the league don’t’ get beat down over and over by the same team without at least trying something new. 

Since 2007, when Mike Tomlin became the head coach in Pittsburgh, Tom Brady has thrown 22 touchdown passes against his defenses without tossing even one interception. A 22 to 0 TD to INT ratio. 

That. Is. Absurd.

How can that be? Well, Tomlin and Dick LeBeau and now Keith Butler refuse to go to a man to man defense, they insist upon playing a zone. What does the zone get you? A Big Fat, embarrassing loss, Tom Brady having 22 touchdowns vs. 0 interceptions,  a guy named Chris Hogan who played LACROSSE at Penn State, catching 9 balls for 180 yards and questions being asked as to why the team won’t make in game adjustments. 

Bud Dupree stated after the game that the defense was “surprised” at the Patriots offense.  Surprised?  The only thing surprising is the fact that the team was “Surprised”.  The Houston Texans provided a blue print on how to slow Tom Brady down just the week prior. They didn’t win the game but Brady completed less than 50% of his balls against them as they played a MAN TO MAN defense. So what do the Steelers do? They come out and play zone….again….and lose to New England…again.

After starting 4-5 and finishing 11-5 and garnering a trip to the AFC Championship game, the season could be considered a very successful season but honestly it’s a failure here. This team was supposed to do all that and then some. They fell short.

Now they have to answer the questions.

 Why didn’t coach Haley run Big Ben into the end zone on first and goal from the one foot line? If he didn’t get it, do it three more times. I’ll bet your 240 pound quarterback would get it over the goal line at least one of those times vs. having to go backwards and settle for field goals. The game would have been decidedly different had the Steelers punched the ball in there before half, going down 17-13 and getting the ball first in the second half instead of having a demoralizing failure that resulted in a measly three points and an 8 point deficit that felt like 28. Or why on the first series on third and one are they throwing a deep ball to Sammie Coates? A game that features Tom Brady needs to be a clock control game on the offenses part. Get the first downs, move the chains.

Why is Antonio Brown spotted pouting in the game when DeAngelo Williams caught a touchdown because he felt that he should have instead? The team scored, it doesn’t matter who did it.  Or why did he take to Facebook Live again, from a private Jet to say he wasn’t pouting? He’s become a full on diva and the Steelers are over it. His production is off the charts but it’s becoming evident that he’s becoming an irritant to the front office staff and with only one year on his current contract, he could be shown the door very soon. They won’t put up with these kinds of distractions.  His numbers can go over to Martavis Bryant now that he’s coming back and I don’t think the team would miss much of a beat at all.

Why is Big Ben talking retirement? Listen, he won’t retire this off season but the message is clear, his days are numbered and the team needs to stop wasting his good years.  He’s clearly sick of the lack of discipline by both coaches and players, feeling like he has to do it all because he doesn’t have a defense that can ever step up and he’s got a young family that he wants to be around. So yes, he’s sending a message and it’s a big one, he’s ready to see things move forward or he’s done. The Steelers need to heed his warning or pay the price. They also need to think about finding his replacement very, very soon.

All of those questions will need to be figured out in the off season, which started two weeks earlier than they would have liked it to.

But as far as the 2016 season is concerned, that’s a wrap. 

1/22/17-PODCAST Steel Nation Radio Presented By Steelers Takeaways Interview With Former Safety Anthony Smith

We had the opportunity to sit down this morning with former Steelers safety Anthony Smith to discuss the Patriot playoff game, his comments from years ago about the Patriots, working out with James Harrison and winning Super Bowls.  He provides a great perspective and it’s a great listen.  Check it out now before the Steelers play the Patriots tonight!

Check it out: Interview With Anthony Smith

1/19/17-Time To Meet The Challenge

By: Mike Pelaia

The Steelers have advanced to the AFC Championship game to face off against the hated New England Patriots.

This is a game that before the season began; the black and gold were expected to get to. Now that they are here, they will have several challenges to overcome to advance to the Super Bowl.

First and foremost they need to get over the stigma of beating Tom Brady and Bill Bellichick.  Brady and Bellichick have been the Pats version of the Killer B’s when it comes to the Steelers as they own the black and gold, boasting a 9-2 record against them, including the playoffs.  Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger must find a way to overcome the odds by somehow outcoaching and outplaying the Patriots dynamic duo. It won’t be easy, especially on the coaching front but it has to be done in order to win the game.

Next, Ben Roethlisberger needs to improve upon his road performances this season. In 9 games on the road this season, including last week against the Chiefs, Big Ben has 9 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.  He cannot play at that mediocre level against the likes of the Patriots in order to come out of Foxborough with a ‘W’.  I expect him to answer the challenge as he’s played and won some big games and is a clutch quarterback in my opinion, up to and including completing the last two passes of the game against Kansas City in high pressure circumstances, last week.

Part of Ben playing at a higher level means this team cannot rely on field goals as it did in Kansas City. If the offense can’t cross the goal line, the season will be over in a flash. They won’t be able to overcome that against the Patriots.

They’ll also need to beat the odds. Brady isn’t going to have two bad games in a row and he was pretty poor last week against Houston.  Applying pressure is a must but the odds are Brady won’t put up back to back sub-par weeks; the Steelers will need to find a way to beat Brady at his best.

The black and gold will need to get past the media distraction of Antonio Browns moronic Facebook Live post last week as well.  It shouldn’t be a distraction for the team until the media decides to stir the pot, then it becomes one. Thanks to the inevitable scenario of the media pushing this thing all the way through Sunday, the Steelers will have to block it out.  On a side note, Brown should absolutely be fined for his lack of awareness in doing something like that; it showed nothing but arrogance, selfishness and disrespect. For those of you out there insisting it’s not a big deal, go ask Coach Tomlin what he thinks about it.  Quite frankly, I was very pleased with Mike Tomlin calling out Brown in the manner he did at his press conference. At the same time, it is Coach Tomlins fault that something like that was happening in the first place, he needs to tighten that ship up to avoid such embarrassments.

The team will also need to get past this war of words between Julian Edelman and now Ben Roethlisberger. Edelman needs to keep his mouth shut and Ben needs to back his mouth up. 

Beyond the above, there are other things to overcome as well such as the hostile environment, the potential weather conditions, the Steelers lack of a secondary to stop Brady and many more.

However, should the Steelers pressure Brady, stick to their game plan and maybe most importantly control the clock, they do have as good a chance as anyone to beat New England and advance to the Super Bowl. The black and gold surely don’t need bulletin board material for motivation but in case they were wondering, many Pats supporters had stated before the Steelers played the Chiefs that they would rather face Pittsburgh instead of Kansas City. Well, they got their wish and now it’s time for the Steelers to meet the challenge…

1/15/17-PODCAST Steel Nation Radio Presented By Steelers Takeaways Interview with OL Coach Larry Zierlein

We had a chance to catch up with former Steelers OL coach Larry Zierlein on Steel Nation Radio Presented By Steelers Takeaways. Coach Zierlein is currently with Cardinals staff but shares some great info on tonight’s Chiefs game, Coach Tomlin, and really gives us some insight into the O-Line.  It’s a great interview and I hope you take a listen!

Interview with Coach Zierlein: Larry Zierlein

 

 

1/14/17-PODCAST Steel Nation Radio Presented By Steelers Takeaways Interview With Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith

Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith joined Ron Lippock and I today on Steel Nation Radio Presented By Steelers Takeaways to talk about the Chiefs game tomorrow night, what it’s like to be a Practice Squad player as well as playing special teams and making big plays on that unit.  Cromartie-Smith played for the Steelers from 2010-2013 and he shares some great experiences he had in the Burgh’ with us.  Take a listen to this two part series and get those towels waving!

Part 1:  Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith Part 1

Part 2: Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith Part 2

 

1/11/17-Time For The LeVeon Bell Show

By: Mike Pelaia

The Steelers throttled the Miami Dolphins on Sunday at home and are moving onto the divisional round of the playoffs to face the Kansas City Chiefs this coming Sunday.

This Chiefs game won’t be a blowout like the Dolphins game this past week or even the first game between these two teams back in October.

In that game, Big Ben tossed 5 touchdown passes, two to Antonio Brown; LeVeon Bell rushed for 144 yards and Sammie Coates was the overall leading receiver for the black and goldwith six catches for 79 yards. 

The Chiefs fell to 2-2 that week but finished the season 10-2 and nabbed the number two seed, while the Steelers improved to 3-1 on that afternoon and finished up 8-4.  Kansas City is 6-2 at home this season and have a quarterback who is extremely efficient in Alex Smith.  He makes smart decisions and has a great Tight End that he utilizes in Travis Kelce and these guys won’t be easily stopped a second time around, especially after the 3 month run they’ve been on.

The Steelers dominated this team in week 4; they won’t do so this week. Their job is to simply go into one of the hardest places to play in the NFL and come out with a win, no matter what it takes to do so.

While Ben is great, this is the LeVeon Bell show in the playoffs. He provides ball control, explosiveness and a dual threat as a rusher and receiver. The offense needs to center around him and go from there.  Having Big Ben as a ‘backup’ plan is just gravy. 

It’s time for LeVeon Bell to earn that money he’s about to get paid via the franchise tag (or hopefully a long term deal). 

Bell is the team MVP for a reason and he showed it last week in a monstrous way. If I ever had any doubt about the Steelers having to keep Bell, they were all erased last week with that performance. He can carry this team on his back and when the black and gold enter Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday afternoon, I expect everyone to board that train and watch the show.

 Big Ben has said over and over in recent weeks, he wants Bell to lead the way. Don’t worry about Ben, he’ll do his part too but this is Bells time and he’s rising to the occasion.  If Bell gets 25 to 30 touches this week, look for a Steeler ‘W’ and a subsequent trip to New England.

It may be tough, to the point where this Chiefs team could be the hardest team left on the potential schedule, yes, I know a trip to New England would be likely, but this Steelers are capable of getting this done.

They need to make the right decisions and play intelligently in the process. The most correct and intelligent decision this team can make is to watch the LeVeon Bell Show unfold before their very eyes and let number 26 do his thing. He can take this team a LONG way.

As Terrell Owens famously said years ago; “Get Your Popcorn Ready”.

Enjoy the Show.

 

1/4/17-The Time Is Now

By: Mike Pelaia

The time is now.

That’s what the Steelers need to remind themselves as they embark on their post-season journey this Sunday against the Dolphins.

Let’s face it, Big Ben isn’t getting any younger and while he seems to be getting better with each passing year, the best quarterback to ever wear a Steeler uniform is 34 and finishing up his 13^th season in the NFL; in other words, his time is limited. 

LeVeon Bell is set to be a free agent, though one must assume he’ll be retained via a franchise tag if not a long term deal and Antonio Brown will hit the market in a few years too.  The offensive line has never been better, allowing the second fewest sacks in the NFL this season and LaDarius Green appears to be coming back (a much needed weapon). This offense is healthy and ready to soar.  The team can ill afford to put off a Super Bowl run for another season.

The time is now.

The defense, albeit not the strongest in team history, by any stretch, continues to grow.  The resurgence of James Harrison, after his insertion in the starting lineup a few months back, has rejuvenated the entire defense, a defense that wasn’t getting pressure or creating turnovers now is doing just that.  This defense has two playmaking linebackers in Ryan Shazier and Bud Dupree to go along side Harrison and an aging yet effective Lawrence Timmons.  Stephon Tuitt is coming into his own and even the three starting rookies are making impact plays.  With the emergence of this unit in recent weeks, the team has put together a seven game winning streak, they cannot let that kind of momentum go to waste.

The time is now.

The team is set up rather nicely to make a Super Bowl run this post season.  They host a home game vs. the Dolphins, a team that crushed them back in October.  It will be hard for the Dolphins to beat the Steelers twice in one year; furthermore, Miami may not have Ryan Tannehill at QB. If he does play, he’ll be rusty, having missed the last three weeks of the season.

Should the black and gold win, they go to Kansas City. Admittedly, the Steelers already beat the Chiefs this year, badly, but I feel they can do it again. Alex Smith, while efficient, isn’t a quarterback who scares the opposition, like a Tom Brady or an Aaron Rodgers might.

Next; they would most assuredly have to travel to New England. This is a daunting task for sure but having already lost to the Pats this year, in a game in which Roethlisberger didn’t play, makes things a bit more even this go around. I trust the Steeler offense to get it done and with LeVeon Bell carrying the rock, Brady can be kept off the field for chunks of time. 

Should the Steelers advance to the Super Bowl, they will have to most likely face the Cowboys, Packers or Seahawks. The Cowboys won’t beat the Steelers twice with a rookie QB, the Seahawks aren’t as scary as they once were but the Packers may be the team to pose the biggest threat.  A rematch of the 2010 Super Bowl isn’t out of the question, hopefully however, the result would end up different.

The Time Is Now!