Steelers fall to the Whizard of AZ

21
14

We may have lost, but at least I came up with a witty title for the entry.

Arizona wins the toss and comes out gunning. Quick out to Fitz and he picks up 12 YAC yards. James fumbles on the next play but the Cards recover. They pick up another first down before the Steelers D cracks down and forces a punt.

Ben hooks up with Holmes on the 2nd play from scrimage for a solid gain, but nothing comes of it and it's Superman time.

Image by Karri.
57 yard punt. Definitely worth the 4th round pick.

Arizona does nothing and former Steeler Matt Barr (remember him from training camp the last 3 years?) punts. Sean Morey, another former Steeler on the tackle.

Big Ben engineers a nice drive with a hookup to Heath and some solid runs by Parker. After Ben gets sacked for the second time in the game, he hits Santonio Holmes on a fly route for a 43-yard touchdown. 7-0.

Arizona goes West-coast and hits a bunch of short passes to move the ball down the field and pick up a few first downs but a sack by Aaron Smith and James Harrison stops them short and forces a punt.

Ben hits Willie Reed on 3rd down who comes up just short of the sticks. In a call you would only make on a video game, the Steelers go for it on 4th and short on their own 30. Ben for 2 and the drive stays alive. But not for long. Run-run-pass-punt. 52-yarder by Superman.

Warner comes in to replace Leinart, but I Like Ike comes up with a big strip on Fitz and Troy scoops up the fumble. If this entry was an english paper, I'd call this a motif. Run-run-sack (attempted pass)-punt. A 56-yard boomer this time.

Warner comes back out to run the 2-minute drill. The veteran overcomes a Clark Haggans sack and moves the Cards into field goal range, but Rackers can't connect from 52 and the half ends.

Steelers get the ball and try to go 3-and-out (run-run-pass again) but a penalty on Arizona keeps the drive alive. Run on first down. Attempted run on second down, but a fumbled exchange leads to nothing and an incomplete pass on 3rd down brings the punt team back out. Sepulveda pounds a 51-yarder (his shortest of the game to this point).

Warner and Fitz lead the Cards down the field and move into the red zone after a taunting penalty on Ike. The Defense almost holds, but Warner's touchdown pass on 3rd down was upheld after a challenge by Coach. 7-7.

The Steelers decide to change up the game plan and come out throwing. But it only lasts for 1 first down. Then they go back to their old ways. Run-run-pass-punt.

The Cards look to be poised to move the ball again, but a botched snap gives us the ball back when James Harrison falls on it at the 4.

1st and goal from the 4. Our Tight Ends have 4 TD catches in 3 weeks. Any guess what we'll do?
Run. Parker for 2 yards.
Run. Parker for 0 Yards.
Pass.

Interception.
"When I let go of it, I thought it was a touchdown. I thought he [Wilson] was gone. I honestly didn't see him" - Ben Roethlisberger

I've Got A Feeling take: Ben should spend less time reading to kids and more time watching film.

The Steelers hold after the turnover and force a punt.

Ben tries to make up for the pick by gunning one deep for Nate, but it's just out of his reach. Two more incompletions force a punt. Sepulveda makes a great 59-yard punt that gets called back on an ineligible man downfield penalty. Rekick.

Shades of the 2001 AFC Championship game flash by as Steve Breaston from Woodland Hills HS runs the punt back for a touchdown. For the record, it was another 59-yarder.

7-14. Ouch.

Parker finally breaks one for 20, but the drive stalls after that and we have to punt...again.

Leinart comes back out to lead the 4th quarter and marches the red shirts down the field for a score. Good job by the Cards of mixing run and pass on this drive, something we didn't do well all game. 7-21.

With 4 minutes to go the Steelers come out firing. Ben spreads the ball around and runs for a few first downs to bring the Steelers down to the 7 where he hits Holmes for the score. 14-21.

After a failed onside kick, the Cards go 3-and-out giving Ben a chance for a game-winning drive.

Incomplete. Holmes for 31 to our 40. 60 yards to go.

Incomplete. The drama builds.

Sack. We're in trouble. 68 yards to go.

Interception. Game over.

"Give their defense a lot of credit. They played well tonight. They did a lot of things. This loss is on me. I'm really proud of the way the rest of the offense played, O-line, the receivers, some guys really stepped up. It's on me. I can't throw a pick in the end zone. Defense gives us an opportunity, and you throw it away. It's disappointing. It's frustrating. You feel like you let guys down." - Ben Roethlisberger

Coach, your thoughts?

“We didn’t run the ball effectively, we were highly penalized, and our special teams was not a winning edge for us, and when you don’t do those things you’re going to lose. Whether you’re at home or away you’re going to lose when you don’t do those things."

Big News from Steelers Nation

Not really, I just liked the flashy title.


Hines is "doubtful" for Sunday's game. Which means he'll dress, play the first drive and if he's hurting, he won't play any more.

Ben did some reading to some kids.

Sepulveda went to the Fortress of Solitude.

Photoshop by Karri
You'll be seeing this one again, it's a great piece of work.

Don't forget the game is at 4:15 on Sunday.

Injury Update

Hines had an MRI on his knee which showed no ligament damage. Hines says he's fine. Diagnosis of a bone bruise remains the bottom line.

Bills Linebacker (and Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate) Paul Posluszny is out for the remainder of the season with a broken arm. Dr. Cox says it's a clean break and he'll make a full recovery.

Seahawks Running Back Shaun Alexander has a broken bone in his wrist, no word on whether or not he'll play this weekend.

Thanks to the efforts of Jack Shepherd, Bills tight end Kevin Everett might be walking within a month. Great news.

An Inconvenient Truth

37
16

Global Climate Change is the perfect description of Frank Gore's world. Last season he was on fire. 1695 yards rushing, 485 yards recieving (Average 106 rush yds, 30 rec yds per game).

This season it's an Ice Age. 175 rushing yards and 37 recieving yards in 3 games. That's an average of 58 rush yds and 12 rec yds per game, which is about half of what he was averaging last year.

The Steelers started the game by losing the toss and giving up an 11-play, 61-yard field goal drive to the 49ers where Alex Smith made two solid plays to convert 3rd downs to keep the drive alive. One was a rollout scramble on 3rd and 1 and the other was a pass on a bootleg. The Steelers made some adjustments on their defensive line to prevent this from happening the rest of the game. 0-3

49ers boot a kickoff deep to Awesome Rossum who takes it 98 yards to the house and puts the Steelers up 7-3.

That's why we got him.

As we kickoff to the 49ers, my dad notes that we're getting dominated in Time of Possession. Not that it matters. The Steelers force a 3-and-out bringing out Andy Lee (Pitt grad), whose leg is obviously on steroids. This guy was kicking the snot out of the ball all game.

Parker slices through the left side for 13 on the first play. Looks like a great start for the offense. But Kendall Simmons blows a block and Ben gets stripped while looking deep. 49ers ball. TOP at this point is SF: 8 mim, PIT: 30 seconds.

The Steelers defense looks like it's going to break after giving up a 3rd down completion to Vernon Davis down to the 10 yard line and Polamalu taking an offsides penalty, but they step up to the task and hold San Fran to a field goal. 7-6.

The 49ers kick away from Awesome Rossum this time, so no kickoff excitement. Parker carves up runs of 9, 5, and 6 before the drive stalls and Superman comes out to punt. B-Mac makes a great play to keep the ball from going in the end zone and we pin the '9ers at the 8.

I'm still looking for a photoshop image of Superman with Sepulveda's face.
It would be awesome.

San Francisco gets a first down on a Micheal Robinson (Penn State fans can cheer at this) run, but stall out and have to punt. Lee pounds a 66-yard kick that flips the field and sticks us inside the 10.

Heath makes a huge grab for 16 yards to move out of the shadow of our own goalposts, but we go run-run-pass-punt.

The 49ers respond by going 3-and-out and Lee booms a 63-yard kick into the end zone. Like I said...leg on roids.

The Steelers put together a solid drive on the back of two big runs by Parker of 23 and 17 yards and a hookup to Heath for 20. The Steelers march it down to the 15 and convert a 3rd down with a direct snap to Hines. Two plays later, Ben hits Jerame Tuman for the score.

4 TDs by 3 different Tight Ends in 3 games. Wow.
Drive Stats: 12 plays, 80 yds, 7:39 off the clock.
14-6

The 49ers come out firing in a 30-second drill to try to get in field goal range and hit a sharp pass, but 3 incompletions forces a 59-yard punt by Lee to end the half.

The Steelers get the ball to start the Second Half and put together a nice drive with two huge grabs by Heath Miller for 29 and 16. The Steelers fail to convert from the 18 and settle for a field goal. 17-6. Hines took two big hits on consecutive plays and didn't play much the rest of the game. According to reports, he has a bone bruise in his leg, but no other word about the injury.

The 49ers moved the ball on their next drive and settled for a 49-yard field goal after a sack by LaMarr Woodley and a called fumble by Vernon Davis was reversed to be an incomplete pass. 17-9.

The Steelers come back and move the ball down the field thanks to two catches on the sidelines by Santonio Holmes, the second of which he made a great play to come back to the ball for when Ben was flushed out of the pocket. Jeff Reed calls Nedney's bet on the 49-yarder and drills it. 20-9.

Farrior & Co. come up with a sack on 3rd down after San Fran had moved the ball inside the 35 and force a punt.

The Steelers come back with a heavy dose of Willie Parker who puts up some strong runs and we snag a few big chunks of yards on 18 and 17-yard grabs by Holmes and Miller. The drive stalls at the 17 and Reed tacks on another field goal. 23-9.

5 minutes to go. It's pretty much over at this point, right? Wrong.

Smith comes out gunning and throws one right into the chest of B-Mac who takes it 50 yards to paydirt.

30-9.

With 4 minutes to go, Smith doesn't let up, hitting Jackson for 20 and scrambling for 25. Smith only had 7 fewer rushing yards than Frank Gore did today. Ouch. Smith is in the zone and hits a reciever in the corner of the end zone for the 49ers only touchdown of the game. 30-16.

With Ward out, Daniel Superman Sepulveda takes his place on the hands team for the onside kick. Of course, the 49ers try to test him by kicking the ball right at him, but Sepulveda is Superman, and there's no kryptonite in the officially lisenced NFL pigskin.

The 49ers have 1 timeout left, so the Steelers need 1 first down to end the game. Naj pounds ahead for 5. Timeout. Naj grinds for 2 more. 2-minute warning. 3rd-and-3. No shocker here, it's Naj up the middle. Except San Fran forgot to tackle him and he turns on the afterburners and streaks 39-yards for the score. Following the touchdown he did (as Tunch Ilkin called it on the postgame show) the Hienz Field High Jump into the stands to celebrate.

Yahoo images is all over this one.
37-16.

The 49ers can't even run out the clock right so Homestead Charlie comes in for a kneel down and ends the game.

Coach Tomlin is 3-0.

Stats:
The Steelers scored every way possible: Field Goal, Kick Return, Rushing TD, Passing TD, Defensive TD.
Parker: 24 carries, 133 yds.
Woodley gets his 2nd sack in 2 weeks. He's going to be a force.
Awesome Rossum: 2 Kick Returns, 120 yds, 1 TD (98yd)
B-Mac: 1 tackle, 1 INT, 1 TD
Frank Gore: 14 carries, 39 yards. He gained less ground than a glacier today.
The Steelers have outscored their opponents 97-26 this season.

Other News:

Last week's post got my first comment in the 2007 Season.
Hooray I have readers!

The Ravens snuck by Arizona today on a last-second field goal.

The Bungals blew a comeback attempt in Seattle by fumbling on a kickoff at the end of the game.

The Raiders used the Denver strategy of calling a last-second Timeout to nullify a Cleveland field goal. The second try is blocked. Browns lose.

The Eagles put up 56 points wearing the ugliest uniforms ever created. They scored so much because Detroit didn't want to catch ugly by touching them, let along trying to tackle them. I would post a picture, but Blogger would shut me down because the internet can't handle that kind of ugly.

Steelers Win 500th Regular Season game

26
3

The only Bills that really showed up for this game were these ones, that Jeff Reed deposited into the local PNC. Let's face it: he's money in the bank.

Our recap starts with the Steelers winning the toss. Good start to the game. Parker lights up a few nice runs around the outside, including one on a 3rd and 1 for 21 yards. The Steelers end a 7-minute drive to start the game with a Jeff Reed field goal. 3-0.

Buffalo's #1 pick Marshawn Lynch from Cal (who has never seen snow...genius pick there) dashes through a couple broken tackles on the Bills' first play. The Steelers D cracks down with Harrison coming up with a sack then a nice bit of coverage by Deshea on a 4th down attempt.

Textbook coverage.

Turnover on Downs, Steelers ball. According to a post-game interview, BA talked Roethlisberger into taking a shot deep to Holmes here. Ben didn't want to, and it hurts his numbers. 1 play, 1 INT, bringing the defense back onto the field. Bills run 3 times and punt.

The Steelers put together another 7+ minute drive with some key 3rd down receptions by Wilson, Ward and Holmes, driving all the way down to the 10. Ben has Dan Kreider wide open on a swing route that would have been a walk-in score, but he throws the ball short. Reed comes in to make it 6-0.

Buffalo goes 3-and-out again and the Steelers take over. Ben hits Spaeth for 9 and Washington for 21 and Parker busts a 24-yard dash as the Steelers drive back down the field and add another field goal. 9-0. At least it's a 2-score game at this point and we can breathe a little easier.

Buffalo goes 3-and-out again (yes, I know this sounds repetitious, a lot like Buffalo losing the Super Bowl). The Steelers get the ball back with no timeouts and a minute and a half to play. Ben takes to the air, hitting Nasty Nate Washington for 30 yards, Hines for 10 and Holmes for 17. A spike and 2 incomplete attempts to Ward (one of which should have been a touchdown, but the refs reversed the call), brings up another Jeff Reed field goal. 12-0 at the half.

Solid first half, the Steelers dominated in TOP. James "Silverback" Harrison was carted off the field after the last play of the first half. Word is he was conscious, moving and talking when they took him out, sat up to be taken into the x-ray and returned to the stadium. Glad he's okay.

The Bills come out with a heavy dose of the ground game, leading to a field goal, making the game 12-3. Right now, I'm a bit worried because Berman predicted the Bills winning 20-19 on NFL Live last nite.

The Steelers strike back with a 5-minute drive taking them down the field behind some big gains from Parker and a 27-yard hookup to Santonio Holmes that he almost took the distance. Tomlin and BA keep Krieder on the bench and put in Carey Davis for a goal line punch and Parker gets stopped twice. On 3rd and Goal, Ben shows he's got ice in his veins and hits Matt Spaeth off a play-action fake for the score. 19-3. At this point, I'm still a little worried about Berman's pick. It would take a monumental collapse by our defense.

Too bad the only team capable of a collapse that big was the 1993 Houston Oilers.

You let Frank Reich beat you.
No wonder you fled to Tennessee and changed your name.

Buffalo moves the ball back down the field and after a terrible non-call by the refs on an obvious Offensive Pass Interference, the D cracks down with some heavy pressure on Losman, making him throw a couple of bad passes and Larry Foote comes up with a huge sack and strip of Losman on a 4th down attempt.

The Steelers look to be ready to defy Berman, and hit Hines for a big 21-yard connection on the first play out. But a stop of Parker and Ben getting sacked (the only time all game, solid overall work by the O-line) put a halt on the drive and brings out Sepulveda for his only punt of the game, coming with 12 minutes to play in the game. Great offensive work to keep Sepulveda to his holding duties all game before this.

Buffalo wants to force the issue, and the refs want to let them, as they call back a Ryan Clark INT by saying he wasn't pushed out of bounds or some crap like that. Brett "the Diesel" Keisel comes up with a sack on the next play, pinning the Bills deep. The Bills fail to convert on 3rd down and punt back to Pittsburgh.

Parker has two solid runs before Ben hits Heath for a 29-yard pickup, down to the Bills 11. Willie Parker shows up Berman in a bang.

Handoff. Touchdown.
26-3.
No comeback here.

LaMarr Woodley brings the heat and throws down Losman for a sack. B-Mac powerbombs Lee Evans on a first down catch, and Evans gets up jawing.

Unsportsmanlike Conduct.

The Bills try to hit Evans in the corner of the endzone on the next play and he picks up another 15-yard USC for spitting in the Refs face when trying to beg for a Pass Interference call. The Bills, now faced with 2nd and 25 are in a hole. Evans comes out and Losman has only one reliable target left. Incomplete. We saw that coming. The secondary comes up with some great coverage on 3rd down, forcing Losman to scramble and bringing up a 4th and 8. Deshea Townsend comes up with a tackle 1 yard shy of the sticks, giving the Steelers the ball and the ability to run the clock out.

Homestead Charlie and Naj' come in and keep it on the ground to seal off the win.

Stats:
Parker: 23 carries, 126 yds, 1 TD
Roethlisberger: 21/34, 242 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Defense: 4 sacks, 1 Forced Fumble
Net Yards: Steelers 420, Bills 223.
Conversions: BUF 5-13 (3rd Down), 0-3 (4th Down); Steelers 11-16 (3rd Down)
TOP: Steelers 35:27, Bills 24:33

Also, the Steelers became the first AFC team to reach 500 regular season wins. Maybe by 2083 (150th Anniversary) rolls around we'll be at 1,000 wins.

Patriot Act

I've Got A Feeling: Justice Edition

Judge Goddell says....

GUILTY!

Verdict still pending.

In an article on CBSSportsline, Hines says the Patriots knew Steelers signals before the 2002 AFC Championship game.



The Post-Gazette reports that Steelers coaches have suspected the Patriots of underhanded play for some time.



Gene Collier recommends a stiff penalty for the Patriots. Ben jokes about the Steelers getting Super Bowl rings for the two years the Pats beat them in the AFC Championship. Hines jokes about putting a Barry Bonds-sized asterisk next to the Patriots name in the record books.

Super Bowl Champions

2001- New England Patriots*

2002- Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2003- New England Patriots*

2004- New England Patriots*

2005- Pittsburgh Steelers

2006- Indianapolis Colts

* denotes:

For the last word, we go to coach.



Coach Tomlin: "Where there's smoke, there's fire."

And when there's fire, there's only one place to go.

Con Air takes off

In the more interesting of the two Monday Night games, the Bungals beat up (literally) the Ravens.

One Ravens fan is happy about all the injuries.

In other news, Led Zeppelin announced a reunion concert. Wow. Amazing.

Additionally, check out my prediction from the first post on this blog about the Cleveland game. Not bad.

Game 1: Sept 9 @ Cleveland (1pm)So we almost lost to Cleveland on the road
last year. And Willie Parker romped all over them in a -300 degrees game in
Pittsburgh. No amount of alcohol could numb you from that type of cold, it was
just freezing. So what's the verdict? Well...let's look and see how the Steelers
have come out of the gate in previous seasons. In spite of losing all 4
preseason games in 2006, they came out with a solid thwomping of the Miami
Dolphins. In 2005 they gave up a touchdown on the opening drive to Tennessee
then scored 34 unanswered points. In 2004, in a game that was about the inverse
temperature of the last home game against Cleveland, Tommy Maddox lead the
Steelers to a 24-21 victory over Oakland in the last game he ever won as a
Steelers starting QB. So what's to look forward to? Pittsburgh will lose the
toss, Cleveland will get the ball first and score on the opening drive.
Cleveland 7-0. Pittsburgh will fight back with some big catches by Heath Miller
and Hines Ward, capping off a touchdown drive with a long pass to Santonio
Holmes to pick up this season where he left off last season. 7-7. From there,
Cleveland will run around like a bunch of dogs chasing their tails and
Pittsburgh will be able to drive back down I-79 with pride. Steelers win.
1-0. (Original Post)

Cleveland Still Sucks.

34
7

Cleveland starts the game by winning the toss. It was the only thing they'd win all night.

Jeff Reed's leg was replaced by a cannon in the offseason. Touchback.

Cleveland's big addition of the offseason, Jamal Lewis, was supposed to improve their running game. The Steelers were supposed to miss Joey Porter. Lewis ran for 2 and was stopped by Porter's replacement James Harrison. Two plays later Aaron "Aero" Smith comes up with a big sack.

Next came the defining moment in the game. The Browns new punter fumbled a perfect snap and the Browns ensued to get four penalties on the play.

The Steelers accepted a holding penalty that gave them the ball on the Cleveland 22. Big Ben spreads the ball around to Holmes and Miller to get the ball down to the 5 and it's all Hines. Great lob pass to the back of the end zone. 7-0.

Two plays after the kickoff, Deshea Townsend picks off Charlie Frye and takes it back to the 17.

As the Steelers come out for the next drive, their average starting position is the 19-yard line. Awesome. Run-run-sack...but wait! Offsides on Cleveland. New life for the Steelers. After a failed roll-out look for Tuman, Reed comes in and knocks in a field goal. 10-0. 9 min to go in the 1st Qtr.

Cleveland tries to establish something with Lewis and throwing to Winslow, but an offensive pass interference penalty on Winslow negates a first down pass. Farrior comes up with a sack on the next play, forcing a punt.

The Steelers, starting in the area of the 20, do something familiar. Run-screen-pass-punt. Sepulveda can only be stopped by kryptonite.

The Browns go back to Lewis, but Farrior forces a fumble on the second play and B-Mac jumps on the ball.

The Steelers respond with a 1-play, 40-yard strike to Santonio Holmes. 17-0 and we're still in the 1st quarter.

Cleveland's next drive lasts 3 plays and ends with a Clark Haggans sack.

The teams trade punts, Parker fumbles, but James Harrison and Ike Taylor come up with sacks on consecutive plays to force a punt. The Steelers respond by punting and the Browns bring in Derek Anderson to replace Charlie Frye.

Anderson moves the Browns down the field but is stripped by Ryan Clark and the fumble is recovered by Aaron Smith. This is the last exciting play of the first half as the teams exchange 3-and-out drives for the last two minutes.

The Steelers come out of the half with a heavy dose to Willie Parker, driving the ball down the field on some solid runs. Big Ben hits 3rd Round Draft pick Matt Spaeth out of Minnesota for a 5-yard score to extend the lead to 24-0.

Anderson hooks up with Winslow and Carter on the next drive, picking apart the Steelers secondary, driving the Browns down into the Red Zone. The D holds Lewis from short yardage and forces a play-action pass to the fullback for a touchdown to pull the Browns within 3 scores. 24-7.

Roethlisberger comes out showing who the best QB in the game is by hitting Hines for a 22-yard reception. Back to the ground for some hard yards, and then...

Big hookup from Ben to Heath for a 22-yard score.
31-7.

Cleveland manages 1 first down on their next drive then punts. The "Brady, Brady" chants can be heard over the broadcast announcers.

The Steelers respond with classic 4th quarter Steelers football. Parker. Parker. Parker. Wilson gets his hands on the ball on a reverse that springs for 37 yards. Back to Parker on the ground and the drive stalls resulting in a Jeff Reed field goal. 34-7.

Two plays after the kickoff, Anderson hits Braylon Edwards for a big reception, but Anthony Smith strips the ball and William Gay falls on it. Another big play by these two, they just find the ball.

Homestead Charlie comes in to hand off to Najeh, run-run-run-punt.

Ike Taylor jumps in front of an Anderson pass and buries Cleveland in misery. The nail is in the coffin as the Steelers win their first regular season game of the Tomlin era. Solid performance all around.

Stats:
Roethlisberger: 12/23 for 161 yds and 4 TDs.
Parker: 27 carries, 109 yds.
Tight Ends: 2 TD receptions
(would have been 3 if we could have hit Tuman on the second drive)
Steelers Defense: 3 Fumble recoveries, 2 INTs, 6 sacks
Rushing Yards: Steelers 206, Browns 46
TOP: Steelers 36:16, Browns 23:44

Tomorrow

It's go time.

No more waiting around, thinking about last year.

Get your towels in hand and throw on your jersey. Put on your lucky socks and get ready.

Football season is here.

Enough for the dramatics, here's some fluff...

I know the season has already started, but here's my predictions for the coming year. I actually wrote these on a piece of paper (not that you have any incentive to believe me about that) on Thursday before the game.

AFC EAST
New England- they're still the class of the division. Yes they have some questions, but they also have more solid veterans than anyone else in this division.


New York- this prediction is predicated on Chad Pennington's success. With the addition of Thomas Jones, I think they'll finish better than Buffalo and Miami.


Buffalo- Questions on offense revolve around Losman and Lynch. The Defense lost some key players but will have the Defensive Rookie of the Year in Paul Posluszny.


Miami- The addition of Joey Porter won't help them.



AFC NORTH
Pittsburgh- Yes, I'm biased. But I also know that no AFC North team has won the division in back-to-back seasons.


Baltimore- Everyone thinks that the defense is the heart and soul of this team. They lose the division title on the last game of the year in Pittsburgh.


Cincinnati- The offense can score, but so can other teams. The O-line had a big loss and that's not helpful when you're relying heavily on your offense. Offense wins games, Defense wins championships. Period.


Cleveland- They have young talent, but they don't have a winning attitude. Crennell doesn't make it through the season. Quinn starts Week 2.



AFC SOUTH
Indianapolis- The class of the division. No one is close to challenging them yet.


Tennessee- Vince Young is a winner, thta's about all there is to it. They're a season or two away from challenging Indy for the Division.


Jacksonville- One of the better running back tandems in the AFC, with a strong defense, but what will happen when the need arises to throw the ball?


Houston- The addition of Matt Schaub was nice, but they still don't have a line to block for him.



AFC WEST
San Diego- Like Indy and New England, they're the class of this division. They should be able to run away with it.


Denver- Honestly, this is a default pick. I'm not sold on Denver being a competitor, but the other two options are worse.


Kansas City- Tough year ahead for LJ as teams will probably stack the box against him. Not much to fear from KC's passing game.


Oakland- Even if they get Russell signed, it's basically a lost season for him.



AFC Playoffs
1. New England
2. Indianapolis
3. Pittsburgh
4. San Diego
5. Baltimore
6. New York



AFC Championship: New England over Pittsburgh
I know it's the trendy pick to go with New England here, but they've got the best all-around team in the conference. Pittsburgh pulls a suprise upset in Indianapolis again.



NFC EAST
Philadelphia- Experts are picking Dallas, but let's not forget about McNabb, Wesbrook and the Eagles.

Dallas- For the time being, they're better than Washington. Is Tony Romo the future of Dallas? We'll find out this year. He made the Pro Bowl after a set of good games and a set of bad games.


Washington- Give them a year or two to sure up their O-Line and front 7 on defense and they're a competitor. They've already got players at skill positions to win the division, just not the trench players. LaRon Landry wins NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year.


New York- Coughlin joins the ex-Giants head coaches club and Eli has his worst season yet. Failure to have a consistent running attack hurts. Big time.



NFC NORTH
Chicago- More or less the default winners of the division. Grossman does enough to keep his job and blow it in the playoffs.


Detroit- This is a stretch pick, but I need to take a few risks in my predictions. The second place team in this division (whoever it ends up being) might not need more than 6 wins.


Green Bay- Green Bay is the trendy pick for #2 in this division, but I don't believe it. Favre tries to force too much and they don't really have a running back. This team wins this division when Aaron Rodgers starts playing.


Minnesota- Of all the teams out there that need a QB, Minnesota's situation might be the most dire. The Defense played great against the run last year under Tomlin, but let's not forget the fact that they were last in the league in Passing Defense. The Vikings will be drafting first in April.



NFC SOUTH
Carolina- Watch out for the Panthers. Steve Smith is still the best reciever in the game and they have Carr in place if Delhomme falters.


New Orleans- Last season was an overachievement. The Saints drop back in the division, partially due to the fact that they have to play a 1st place schedule this year.


Atlanta- They lose the Brian Brohm sweepstakes by having a better year than people expect. Vick was a playmaker, but he wasn't consistent. People seem to forget that there were 52 other professional athletes on this team besides Micheal Vick. Dunn and Norwood are solid backs and the addition of Joe Horn to the recieving core gives them a go-to reciever. Like Baltimore of two years ago, they're just "a quarterback away"


Tampa Bay- They're being written off by a lot of people, but they could pull an upset during the year. All in all, look for Tampa to be drafting in the Top 10 come April. Gruden may go, but there are players in place to turn this team into a competitor.



NFC WEST
Seattle- They're not as good as the team that went to the Super Bowl, but they're good enough to win this division...this year.


San Francisco- They're a year away from winning this division.


St. Louis- Stephen Jackson is a stellar athlete. The Defense doesn't quite hold up in this division.


Arizona- Whiz and Grimm find out things aren't so easy. The tools are there on offense...for the most part. The line still has some holes.



NFC Playoffs
1. Chicago
2. Carolina
3. Seattle
4. Philadelphia
5. New Orleans
6. Dallas

NFC Championship: Carolina over Philadelphia
Everyone is picking New Orleans, but I've got my eyes on another team from the NFC South. Carolina has depth at almost every position and has a solid backup QB should Jake Delhomme falter.


SUPER BOWL
New England over Carolina
Carolina is good, but New England is better. Assuming Brady stays heathly, we'll see him hoisting Lombardi's Trophy again in February.

Let's get pumped.

Don't forget your towel.

4 days...

Not a lot going on as the time bleeds away towards the season opener.

Coach Tomlin, like he has been all preseason, was noncommittal about who would fill the questioned roles in Sunday's game. The only real news here was that Santonio won't be returning kicks, unless, by some Shakespearean tragedy. Allen Rossum, Willie Reid AND Cedrick Wilson are all unable to do so.

The Steelers Blog has yet to post their recap of the Carolina game. Slackers. Mine was late, but I also didn't make a promise in the header that it would be up the next day.

Click it.

While browsing around, I found a great site for info on the AFC North. Check it out. The best page is the rivalry page. I love what they've done there. I added a link to the links second on the right side of the page as well.

The only real exciting thing that happened today was my fantasy football draft. In my league of 10 teams, the random draft order stuck me at #9. I picked some home boys, I picked some of the best players available, and I wound up with a pretty solid team.

Round 1: Willie Parker (RB- Steelers)
Round 2: Peyton Manning (QB- Colts)
Round 3: T.J. Houshmandzadeh (WR- Bengals)
Round 4: Roy Williams (WR- Lions)
Round 5: Thomas Jones (RB- Jets)
Round 6: New England (Def)
Round 7: Ben Roethlisberger (QB- Steelers)
Round 8: Pittsburgh (Def)
Round 9: Bernard Berrian (WR- Bears)
Round 10: Jason Witten (TE- Cowboys)
Round 11: David Akers (K- Eagles)
Round 12: Adrian Peterson (RB- Vikings)
Round 13: Joe Nedney (K- 49ers)
Round 14: Devery Henderson (WR- Saints)
Round 15: Jason Campbell (QB- Redskins)

The only other thing going on in the NFL: the season starts tomorrow.

Indianapolis v. New Orleans.

8:30

Tick Tock.
Cleveland, here we come.

5 days and counting...

The season is almost here. Other blogs are wrapping up their season previews, sports analysts are making thier picks for division, conference and Super Bowl winners....and Cleveland announced a starting Quarterback.

Charlie Frye...welcome to your nightmare.

Frye's career numbers against Pittsburgh: 0-2, 0 TD, 0 INT, 4 fumbles
The scores of the 2 games Frye started: 24-20 (2006) and 41-0 (2005)

Other news:

Pete Prisco of CBSSportsline picks the Steelers to win the AFC North.

Solid article in the Post-Gazette about the upcoming game. "It's a must-win." - Brett "the Diesel" Keisel

5 days.

T-minus 6 days

6 days remain until the season opener at Cleveland.

For starters, here's a solid article in the Trib pointing out that the Steelers are the only AFC North team to win a playoff game since the realignment in 2002. Believe it.

To get the bashing started we have some solid shirts (available to purchase here)

How true.


This is an important life lesson to teach your kids.

And finally, we end with a great picture.

James Harrison > the entire city of Cleveland

6 days left...do you know where your towel is?

Cuts and more

The Steelers announced thier 53-man roster last night, with the addition of Alan Rossum to the roster, the return game suddenly looks a lot better. Sad to see Haynes and Chidi go, but you never know, with a few injuries or mishappenings throughout the season, they might be back. Though I wouldn't be shocked if either of them were picked up by Arizona.



In news from LaMarr Woodley's Alma Mater...

Appalachian State 34, Michigan 32
Ouch.
The first time ever a D1-AA team has beaten a ranked D1 opponent.

Lloyd Carr should be fired.

Michigan by the numbers:
3-game losing streak (Ohio State, USC, Appalachian State)
4 consecutive bowl games lost (3 of them in the Rose Bowl)
Lost 5 of their last 6 bowl games.
Lost 5 of the last 6 games against Ohio State.

Not exactly a stellar resume for Carr right there.

In other news, Clark Judge of CBSSportsline names Santonio Holmes as his top "Under the Radar" player for the upcoming season.

Kendall Simmons also got some money dished his way, in the form of a 4-year, $24 million contract extension.

The A-Fan watch seems to be winding down, it looks like he'll be in Red and White blocking for Matt Leinhart next year. Additionally, with our new-found depth at linebacker, wide reciever and running back, it's almost a sure thing (at this point) that we'll be drafting an offensive lineman in the first round of the 2008 draft.

Steelers end the preseason 4-1.

19
3

In one of the more boring games you'll ever see, the Steelers beat the Panthers 19-3 to end their preseason on a 3-game winning streak with a 4-1 record. This recap features a Punt Counter.

Steelers win the toss and come out with Keider. Ben hits Nasty Nate for a sweet catch, then Najeh for a short loss. Ben gets sacked to end the drive and Sepulveda punts. (1)

The Panthers, in true Steelers fashion, go run-run-pass-punt. (2)

Homestead Charlie comes in and completes a pass to Carey Davis. Verron Haynes can't pick up the first down on 2 tries and the Steelers punt again. (3)

Panthers move the ball a little on the next drive, but the Defense stands strong and Kasay misses a 51-yard field goal.

Steelers respond to the turnover by going 3-and-out. (4)

Carolina comes back and drives the ball down the field against the 2nd string defense for a field goal. 0-3.

BSP comes in, leads the Steelers to 1 first down and a punt. (5)

David Carr coughs up the ball and Tyrone Carter recovers. The good field position leads to a field goal. 3-3.

Carr follows up a turnover with...another turnover. Excellent interception by Clint "Heinz 57" Kriewaldt. The Steelers respond by going sack-run-incomplete pass-punt (6).

The Panthers run 5 times and punt. (7) The Steelers 2-minute offense sputters and Sepulveda punts to end the half. (8)

Here's a shocker. The Panthers open the second half by going run-run-pass-punt. (9)

Verron Haynes single-handedly leads the Steelers down the field for what would be the game-winning field goal. 6-3.

Carolina seems to be rolling for another punt, but the new LT (Timmons) comes up with a big strip on 3rd down and William Gay falls on the ball. That was probably the most boring sentance ever involving the words "strip", "gay" and "ball".

The Steelers respond to the big turnover with 3 running plays and a...field goal! 9-3.

If you're not asleep by this point in the recap, you have a lot more resiliance than I give Average Joe Blog Reader. There's not much I can do to make a game that every drive except for 3 (2 fumbles and a pick) ended in a kick of some sort (4 field goals, 9 punts).

Carolina adds punt #10 to the tally and gives the Steelers the ball back. Gary Russell carries the team back down the field and the drive stalls. Sepulveda punts but the Panthers fumble the return and...guess who, Sepulveda falls on the loose ball. Awesome. It's also punt #11. Russell carries a few more times and Reed hits another field goal. 12-3. At least at this point a touchdown by the Panthers wouldn't win them the game.

Another punt by each team gives the ball back to the Panthers. (12, 13) They fumble the snap and Scott Paxson recovers. With the ball around midfield, a solid drive by the scrubs could give us something to get excited about.

The Steelers come out and give Gary Russell the ball to do with it as he pleases. I guess he wanted us to punt. (14)

And when it seems like things couldn't possibly get any worse, we finally get a touchdown. Tyrone Carter jumps in front of a pass and scampers 32 yards for the most exciting score of the game. 19-3.

Carolina gets the ball back with a minute left and moves the ball down the field as time expires, ending one of the most boring games in football history.

Stats:
14 Punts
6 Turnovers by Carolina
5 Field Goals
3 naps taken.

And thus the preseason comes to an end. For the second time in the preseason, the Steelers kicked 4 field goals. The Defense played great. I repeat: Woodley will be starting by Week 7. Also, this entry didn't feature any pictures because the camera people literally fell asleep at the game because it was so boring.