heels, sox & steelers
I had to go out and watch the game, as it was not on national TV, so I missed the game thread.
Normally I would go back and read it anyway, but I'll bet there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth in the first three quarters -- so I'll just skip it and stay positive. (Not that I wasn't gnashing my teeth too at 10-7 -- but if I really want to wallow, I can always just go read Smizik and Collier.)
How about those linebackers, eh? Juan blossoming to go with Captain Farrior, Silver, and the Wood. 1.15 looking okay now, yes? Nate's catching the bombs even when he's wide open, which is nice. And Moore seems to have better instincts and patience for hitting the hole than FWP. Lolley (I think) said Willie would have had 200 yesterday, but I think he'd also have had 2 on some of those 2nd half runs where MeMo got 4, 5, and 6. Lolley also said the transition tag looks less stupid now, and of course this is what the FO was thinking all along: you can't necessarily trust Marvel to make it through a whole season injury-free anymore. Let's just see how the redone O-Line does with Justin Tuck and co.
Hoping for the best on B-Mac and Troy.
Had a great time at the game. First Steelers game I've seen live in a while and got to take some new in my life friends who are therefore new Steelers fans and had a great time.
Notes:
-Not as many Steelers fans as I expected, maybe 1 in 10 or so, less than 1 in 5.
-Bugles fans were fun to banter with, even during halftime. They don't really have much faith that their team will be any good anytime soon.
-After the hit Troy retired to the end of the bench for the rest of the game, never got up to follow the action, and had a trainer or 2 with him most of the game. Thankfully he walked off with no assistance and seemed to sign an autograph or two and we didn't need him in there. Carter played for him.
-Couldn't believe the Steelers let the Brownies hang around that long, they missed SO many opportunities to end that game in the first half.
Anyone want to bet on the fine/suspension Ward will get?
I agree with Matt. We would be screaming right now with Marvel out if Starks had been allowed to walk out. Now Starks jumps into the lineup and we have our first no sack allowed game of the year. This is why we are not in the Steelers FO and renews my trust in them.
Is it possible that we might have no idea who is the best or hottest LB on our team? Who would you doubleteam if you were the OL coach of the Giants? Is there ANY linebacker in the AFC who is playing better than our top 3 of Woodley, Farrior and Timmons? Can they all to the pro bowl?
Oh, and Hines does kind of look like that.
All right -- I couldn't resist. I skimmed the game thread. I love how people complain about Arians, then whammo, dagger in the heart bomb to Nate Washington, and of course the conclusion? Ben must have called that play by himself.
Do some people have a special device at home that tells them when Ben has called a play as opposed to when it was sent in from the sidelines?
Or is it just that Arians calls every bad play (like the sacks where he tells Ben to hold onto the ball way too long), and that Ben calls every good play?
Seriously people. Sorry to critique the critics, and I was not thrilled at 10-7 or 17-10 either, but even when we're nervous can we at least keep the mind-reading to a minimum?
Looking back on the "trap game" vs. "likely win" discussion last week, it looks like it was both. That way, everybody can be right. I would just say that in the 1st half it didn't look like the Steelers weren't up for the game, but that they were perhaps rusty from the off-week.
Uh, I'm no M.D., but wouldn't a quick X-ray in the locker room in the 2nd half yesterday give us the answer on BMac?
Matt,
In the 1st half, quite frankly, Ben missed throws. No drops, maybe one missed pattern, no hits. He missed 3-4 wide open receivers. Even when they threw 3 times from the 3 (#@%&!), he mis-fired.
So, as The Rock would say, "It doesn't matter who called the play!"
Oh, and weren't we projected to draft this guy? (from MMQB):
"Some of you guys sit up in the bleachers all day eating popcorn, looking down. I'm in the middle of the arena, in a team meeting, and if I'm 0-5 or 5-0, I look at those men with the same consistent message. The guy who's playing well is gonna play. That respects our game. Do you understand what respect of this game is? And the way you hurt high draft picks in the past here is, 'Hey, it's yours. C'mon, yours. You can mess up all you want. You can gain weight. You can do anything you want and you're going to still play. That insults this game, now. That insults it.''
-- Detroit coach Rod Marinelli, on first-round pick Gosder Cherilus, who has failed to earn the starting right tackle job despite being the 17th overall pick in the 2008 draft.
David, from the last thread, my email is oldfrankenstein@yahoo.com.
So is Starks once again our LT of the future? I think that may be the case, at least as far as the FO is thinking.
I agree with David and I think I mentioned it in the game thread. The play calling was fine, but Ben was missing throws he usually hits with ease.
Overall a pretty good game, but I really hope that Troy and McFad are going to be able to play this week.
Also, it will be interesting to see how Starks and Stapleton play against a very very good Giants D-line.
Have the Steelers played the Giants since Plax left? I wonder what kind of reception the fans will give him. He'll be pumped up to play the Steelers and he usually plays well when he is motivated. I just hope the Steelers lay into him at the beginning of the game to get him thinking about being hit.
One more thing. If the Steelers knew just how well MM would be, I wonder if they still would have spend the first round pick on Mendenhall. I know BPA and all, but having both Parker and MM around for the next 2-3 years is pretty good depth.
Please note: I am not saying Mendenhall is a bad player or anything of the sort. I'm not even saying that at that point in the draft he wasn't the BPA. I'm just wondering if they still would have drafted him knowing what they know now about MM.
Cols,
WHY ARE YOU SAYING MENDENHALL IS A BAD PLAYER?
Seriously, I take your point, but at 1.23, and given how the first 22 picks had unfolded, I'm not sure who the Steelers would've taken. I suppose they could've traded down, but if it wasn't feasible, I don't know who they might've taken.
I'm going to say yes, Cols, based on the fact that they look at MM has a 3rd down back and RM as a 1-2 punch (Bettis/FWP)
Peter King weighs in on Hines....and I cannot agree more:
"4. I think this is what I liked about Week 7:
a. Hines Ward's textbook de-cleating block of Cincinnati linebacker Keith Rivers -- resulting in a broken jaw for Rivers, which likely will cause him to miss the rest of the year -- is a great example of why Ward's teammates love him and so many opponents loathe him. There was nothing wrong with the block, which had Ward come in from the side, catching Rivers unaware. It's just a vicious but legal football play made by the best downfield blocker among all NFL wide receivers. Opponents will look at tape of the play and think Ward didn't need to explode Rivers the way he did, but that's nonsense. Ward went all out, and when you do that in this game, sometimes people get hurt."
Well, time for Deshea to step up:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/0.../921391-
100.stm
Just glad that B-Mac is not ruled out for the whole year (yet, at least).
I wasn't calling out anyone in here or anyone in particular on the Arians stuff. Sorry I am so aggressive in my defense of the home team. And hindsight is 20/20. I was saying plenty of "interesting" stuff down 21-20 to Jacksonville 2 weeks ago.
I don't know who else the Steelers would've taken this year in that slot either? Duane Brown? Chilo Rachal? Balmer or Merling maybe? Chris Johnson's looking pretty sweet in powder and navy blue, but that's another RB of course.
This was a fun comment in FO's audibles column (where Ryan's Steeler commentary is still sorely missed):
Vince Verhei: I am ready to name Braylon Edwards as the worst starting player in the NFL. He's a one-man drop machine. You ever try to hang something on the fridge, but the magnet you're using isn't strong enough to support the weight of the object? That's like Braylon Edwards and a football.
Yeah, that's whole problem. No on Brown or Rachal (who doesn't even dress for games).
Eph, no McFadden is bad news. Deshea hasn't exactly been playing all that great.
William Gay, step right up. I hate the B-Mac injury, but am excited to see what WG can do.
Please email me about the unique Steelers site I made: http://www.steelerstrade.com
- Frankly, I'm glad that the Steelers aren't playing their best football right now... they're 5-1. SO what does that tell us?
- I read more into the Bengals not having a pash rush than Starks being the man. I believe Stapleton has to be given a little credit, though. Since the second half of the Ravens game, they have moved the ball better than with Simmons in there, period.
- I don't doubt the Giants challenge the Steelers, but I don't get the feeling they're come in and whoop on us. Despite the Giants having a good run game, can you see them rolling up 150 on the ground against our defense at home? Besides, its not like every team that plays the Steelers isn't going to have one gameplan... destroy Roethlisberger. We might as well get used to it. i'm thinking in the log run, the Eagles game was actually a plus (other than the whole Ben having internal bleeding, etc.)
- Ben said he had a bad game... and we scored 38 points.
The injury to Mcfadden may be good in the long run. We'll be able to resign him at a reasonable price whereas a monster season means he's gone for.
A random thought on Colbert: he's been very good at signing guys nobody else wanted.
I'm not talking about rookie UDFAs, another area he's been strong; those are strong pickups but most would have been drafted in rounds 8-15+ in the old days. I'm also not talking about free agents where there was some competition to sign them. I'm talking the guys who were sitting home saying, "Maybe insurance sales is my next career?" I've heard them called street free agents, but everything needs an acronym, so let's call them UWFAs (as in unwanted free agents).
Our current roster includes a bunch of UWFAs: Harrison, Berger, Leftwich, Roye and Najeh. McHugh and Eason might fit the bill, but I don't know if there was any competition to sign them. Based on their roles on the roster, all of those guys have been decent contributors. And their hit to the cap has been relatively minimal, which has allowed us to invest in other areas.
If Troy doesn't play this week, do we see Anthony Smith? Even with all of his problems, I'd rather him at SS than Carter.
Oh yeah
Timmons now has 3 sacks this year.
Eddie B opined this afternoon that it will be Tyrone Carter if Troy doesn't go...
Me too on An. Smith. He and Clark teamed up well last year against Seattle. At SS, he can come up and hit, and the balls over his head thing should be less of a problem. And someone should tell him that Plaxico used to be a Steeler receiver, so Meast will tee off on him.
FTID -- I had the same thought on McFadden, but this is that same Steeler fan disease I was talking about last week -- in that we're worried more about who we can sign for next year than about next week. I mean, imagine the bargain we'd get if all of our FAs sucked.
Lastly, Winslow had a staph infection (rather than swollen you-knows), and ESPN says that's the SIXTH known case of Browns staph infection in recent years. More proof that the Browns are icky.
>Lastly, Winslow had a staph infection (rather than swollen you-knows), and ESPN says that's the SIXTH known case of Browns staph infection in recent years. More proof that the Browns are icky.
Matt, that's hilarious.
Also, did I miss something or did Foote not start? Timmons was in a lot and I do not remember Foote's name mentioned once.
I heard that Timmons PT was due to the number of 3-WR sets the Bengals used, hence we played more nickel. Not sure who started.
I've been struggling with the challenge to come up with a suitable nickname for Woodley and Harrison. Many names I've heard or tried to dream up have seemed too forced or corny, or not catchy enough. And while SilverWood has a nice ring to it, it's not all that imposing to my ears.
Here's the best one I've thought of to date, but I fear it's still pretty poor: the Forearmed Monster. Because Woodley especially has huge forearms, and Harrison too is freakishly strong. And they have four arms between them. I don't know. It might suck, but yet I kind of like it.
ELSM - don't forget about Mewelde Moore as a FA that didn't draw a lot of attention on the open market. I guess if you're using that qualification, you could include Starks as well... (ducking the rotten tomatoes)
Matt...you would be correct....
The Bengals put in extra men to block Woodley and Harrison - LeBeau responded by dropping them in to coverage and introducing them to our speed guy - L Timmons....
Nickname? Before too long I'm sure we'll hear of one coming out of the LockerRoom
Matt, SteelerBill: correct. The Steelers were in the nickel a lot. Foote and Chris Hoke would come out and Juan and Deshea would come in. Commence havoc-wreaking.
If you truly revel in the Browns misery for any reason, go listen to Tony Grossi's podcast at Cleveland.com. I turned it on thinking I'd listen for a minute, and wound up keeping it on in the background for the whole 25-minute show.
Nice to hear over and over again from a Cleveland guy about how the Browns suck compared to the Steelers, how DA is no Roethlisberger, how stupid the Browns are, etc.
Matt
I love reading the Cleveland newspapers after losses. Since most of my friends are Browns fans it gives me great joy.
I hope that team sucks forever. They passed on Big Ben (to be fair so did 10 other teams) for a TE.
Not smart.
Matt
Holy crap does that guy hate Winslow!
Matt, SteelerBill, Ryan, thank you, gentlemen.
Since Silverback is known outside the football community for his body-slamming a CLE fan, and my love for 80's wrestling (wrasslin'), I would vote for a tag-team from that era.
Fabulous Ones?
Midnight Express?
Hart Foundation (The Anvil and the Hitman)
The Moondogs? (Just kidding)
Re: Mendenhall
Does anyone know if his injury is something that will interfere with his career as a power running back? Is this something that can be reinjured?
That's why Jay Cutler is better than Big Ben. He shows up for big Monday night games!
BMac's out 5 games:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/0.../921391-
100.stm
When is the $%#@! injury bug gonna leave us alone?
David, I am not even surprised anymore. That's the kind of year it's going to be.
Pats 41 Broncs 7
How Shanahan keeps his job is a mystery to me.
Lastly, Winslow had a staph infection (rather than swollen you-knows), and ESPN says that's the SIXTH known case of Browns staph infection in recent years. More proof that the Browns are icky.
Matt | 10.20.08 - 6:03 pm
I spent a month in a Cleveland hospital, and after I was able to come home, I had a, you guessed it, staph infection. Not sure what it is about Cleveland.
> When is the $%#@! injury bug gonna leave us alone?
I think if you look around the league the Steelers have gotten off relatively easily in the injury department, or at least around the league average. Injured reserve is big one, and thus far I'm only marginally concerned with losing Mendenhall for the season (and maybe Kendall Simmons, just from a depth consideration). No knockout blows, knock on wood...
It still sucks to lose a starting CB and our best safety on one play.
If the Steelers don't win, I don't look forward to reading all of the Eli is better than Ben articles that are sure to be published.
Cols,
Come down off the ledge. Mike Tomlin would not be happy with you. Hey, it's football, guys get hurt. Deshea/William/Tyrone/Anthony have to be ready.
If Starks/Kemo/Stapleton can all play on the o-line this year without much drop-off (and, arguably, improve the unit), then I'm not getting too worked up about BMac and Troy. Yeah, it sucks, but, in the immortal words of Bill Cowher, "it is what it is."
Yeah, you're right. The Steelers lost Smith and 2/3 of their DL and still won games and those were supposed to be their positions where they had no depth.
Anthony Smith, come one down. William Gay, step it up!
As for the secondary injuries, our pass rush is a little better prepared to handle a "looser" secondary than it was last year. Not that we want any of those guys out of the lineup...
Liked this tidbit from the USA Today team page:
—OL Max Starks on his first start of the season, at left tackle for injured Marvel Smith: "I did all right. I think as a unit we played great. I played good enough as one of the five. I'm not going to say I had an exceptional game or bad game. I had one mental mistake — you like to say you had zero."
Fortunately by taking care of business against some of the league's bottom-to-middling teams the Steelers are sitting in a position where they don't have to panic around rushing players back onto the field too early. Maybe it's negative thinking but I believe the Steelers can afford to split the next four games (NYG, @WAS, IND, SD) to enter the homestretch at 7-3. With all of those games being winnable and three of them at home, 3-1 is desirable but not absolutely mandatory.
It's not how you start, it's how you finish-- healthy and productive-- especially in this crazy season of almost total parity in the AFC.
Nobody should look at the Colt and Charger games in the same way that they did when the schedule came out. I guess we could see the Raven-crushing Colts and the Patriot-stomping Chargers, but we're just as likely to get Dr. Jekyll from each of those teams instead.
Re: Cutler's dud from last night -- he'll have two built-in excuses that the media will be all too happy to make for him: (1) his hurt throwing hand; and (2) Bill Belichick's evil mastery over young quarterbacks.
Agreed GlennW. 2-2 will do, but I think we'll go 3-1 or 4-0. Yeah I'm drinking the (overly-optimistic) cool-aid. I get the feeling the Steelers read clippings all off-season how their line sucked and they got out physical-led (made up word alert) by Jax last year. Whether it helps us in January, that remains to be seen. I'd be lying if I said I know what the heck is going in in the league this year.
Rodney Harrison is done for the year and maybe for his career.
So there goes that injury bug visiting other teams too again.
An article about Plax includes information on the Giants injuries:
Coughlin said he was not concerned about the injury to Burress’s finger, but there were other injuries to worry about. Defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka has an infected thumb, running back Ahmad Bradshaw has back pain and offensive tackle David Diehl has an aching back that Coughlin described as tight, stiff and sore.
Middle linebacker Antonio Pierce missed the game against San Francisco with a quad injury, and Coughlin said he did not know whether Pierce would practice this week. “He is getting better and we will see,” Coughlin said.
Other issues included the use of Kevin Dockery at cornerback instead of Aaron Ross on a few second-half plays because Ross struggled to cover Josh Morgan, who caught a 30-yard touchdown pass.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/2...ml?
ref=football
Finally, good news: Troy likely to play!
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/0.../921578-
100.stm
As well as Hampton and Carey Davis, and FWP too possibly, says the same article.
I really think having Casey back is key, so that we have him and Hoke both ready to go against Brandon Jacobs.
Eddie B referenced this story in todays chat:
From Jaguars.com (Vic Ketchman who is a really fine columnist, IMO)
Kevin from Orange Park, FL
What’s your reaction to Hines Ward breaking rookie LB Keith Rivers’ jaw? I, for one, think Hines Ward is a dirty player. Seems to me most games he purposely stirs up trouble and takes cheap hits.
Vic: I’ve watched the hit up close and in slow motion several times. I’ve even stopped the action at the point of impact. The block is clearly made with his right shoulder and there are no signs of using the helmet as a weapon. Ward’s feet are on the ground and he is in no way guilty of launching. At first I thought the block might be unnecessary but, on further review, it clearly springs the ball-carrier around the corner and denies Rivers the ability to make the tackle. Dirty? What’s dirty about it? There was no flag thrown. Fine him? They should pin a medal on him. In my time covering this game, I have seen head-hunting defensive backs try to cripple defenseless receivers. I saw Jack Tatum and George Atkinson target Lynn Swann; head-shot him repeatedly and even attack him from behind and karate chop him in the back of the neck. I saw Tatum cripple Daryl Stingley for life in a preseason game. I saw Thom Darden hit a receiver over the middle so hard I thought the guy was dead. I remember seeing Jaguars cornerback Dave Thomas crush Jerry Rice in a preseason game and celebrate as though it was the play that won the Super Bowl. In the preseason? How about the launch job on Anquan Boldin a few weeks ago? Well, finally, a wide receiver has come along who has decided to hit back. Ward is striking a blow for all the defenseless receivers over the years who’ve been targeted by defensive players with an intent to punish. All of a sudden, the hunters have become the hunted. I think everyone in the league is waiting to see what the league does about the Rivers hit. It’s going to define what the game has become and where it’s going.
Seeing Champ Bailey last night got me to thinking about the play in the 2005 playoffs where Nate Washington beat him for a touchdown. It was later revealed that play was put in based upon Bailey's tendency to jump on the crossing route.
With Bruce Arians I don't believe that we have the level of play calling we had with Wisenhut. It's not a question of what plays are called but rather the design of plays to take advantage of defensive tendencies. Wondering what others think?
sherm, just a minor correction, it was Wilson, not Washington
QOTD: Who is/was the best OC we've had?
Wis, Chan, Mularkey,..Joe Walton?
David,
Your right, thamks for the correction.
QOTD - It seemed Mularky introduced the specialty plays that were used so well under Cowher with Wis continuing the trend. That was a period when the offense knew where their bread and butter was (run Jerome) but could be imaginative when needed. I vote Mularkey
You know, I thought Mularkey was pretty good until the end, when every 3rd and 1 was a double-reverse flea flicker. I actually was hoping he wouldn't get the head-coaching gig in Buffalo. Turns out, it didn't matter because Whisenhunt was even better.
I'd like to think Arians would've identified Champ's propensity to jump routes -- he was the WR coach at the time, after all -- but I would certainly have less confidence in him calling the play than Whisenhunt.
Honestly, I think we probably give OCs too much credit/blame -- as football people like to say, "players make plays" -- but then again, there's always the ol' 4th-and-6 QB sneak that makes me reconsider.
I have a hard time with any complaints about Arians play-design capabilities right now -- at least if we're doing so based on single play snapshots like the Champ Bailey example above.
We've just seen Nate Washington in two consecutive games burn an entire secondary on a 48- or 50-yard TD score -- based in both cases on getting him matched up on a less-experienced defender and (in Jacksonville) using a double-move on that man, or (in Cincinnati) depriving the corner of safety help by running underneath routes and fly patterns on both sides of the field at once.
If you watch the replay from the endzone on last Sunday's score (available at about the 2:35 of the second highlight video in the gamecenter), you can see the play-fake to Moore that freezes the underneath guys; Ward dragging the safety across the field on a mid-level crossing pattern; and Santonio streaking down the left side to keep the safety in the middle of the field.
Now for all I know that plays been around since 1965. But while Arians can certainly be criticized for failing to adjust and execute in Philadelphia or for particular play calls, saying that he doesn't call plays like the 2005 score in Denver just doesn't compute for me.
Continuing the "Browns are stupid" theme from yesterday, I liked this from Tomlin's press conference:
Some of the Browns defenders were saying [Brandon Jacobs] doesn’t play as big as he is, have you seen any of that?
Tomlin: Did they say that before or after they played him. Good for them. I saw him turn square against the Cleveland Browns and run about three people over from eight yards out and get a touchdown early in that game.
-----------
I also thought it was interesting listening to Grossi talk about how good coaches need to make talented players play well consistently, and then to read Tomlin's answer about Nate Washington "stepping up." Tomlin said that Nate was practicing consistently, and that he'd challenged Nate to make a difference in every game rather than every threee or four games.
Not sure if people had heard of this previously but:
http://www.profootballtalk.com/2...bounty-on-ward/
Thank you Eric...I did hear about that...
To Mr. Suggs and the rest of the Ravens - Scoreboard. Keep talking my friends...Keep talking....
Re: OC's....
For those of you that have played football in the past or for that matter, have seen a playbook will know that every play is designed to score a TD...
That said, there exists a special blend of play calling, error, luck and flawless execution that makes a play a positive one...
>Thank you Eric...I did hear about that...
>To Mr. Suggs and the rest of the Ravens - Scoreboard. Keep talking my friends...Keep talking....
SteelerBill, exactly. Also, SB rings:
Ward 1, Suggs 0
Steelers 5, Raisins 1
But they do have an advantage in one category: Fans crying in the stands
It just gets old to hear the Ravens - seriously guy's how about if you play football?
It shows you where their heads are at and why they don't win consistently....
Boo f'in Hoo....(sorry Ryan, it needed to be said)
On the OCs
My vote is for Chan Gailey (sp?). He made the Steelers of 1995 into a passing team with Neil ODonnel.
I also enjoyed the trick play calls by Whiz.
SO:
1. Gailey
2. Whiz
3. Arians
How's that?
Wasn't Erhardt still the O.C. in 1995?
I think you are right. Didn't they fire Erhardt after that season in order to promote Gailey because they thought they were going to lose him otherwise?
Men...interesting stat at ColdHardFootballFacts.com:
"In his last 21 games, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has thrown 41 touchdown passes and just 14 interceptions, with a 97.4 passer rating."
And for those of us that like these types of things:
http://accuscore.com/option,com_...07/game_id,111/
I think Ehrhardt retired after 1995... think being the operative word. Gailey was the new coordinator in 1996, and the one that made Kordell Stewart famous (as a QB). I still love that 1997 regular season win over the Patriots at Foxboro. It was a legitimate come from behind win that the Steelers just didn't do that often under Cowher (up to that point).
Seeing Champ Bailey last night got me to thinking about the play in the 2005 playoffs where Nate Washington beat him for a touchdown. It was later revealed that play was put in based upon Bailey's tendency to jump on the crossing route.
sherm | 10.21.08 - 4:02 pm | #
Wasn't that Ced Wilson?
Gents, going to the Giants game. And yes, I was able to pitch this as part of the 10th anniversary weekend celebration. So if anyone from HSS will be attending, let me know and maybe I can buy you a beer.
FW, will also be making my first trip of the season to the 'burgh this weekend (which works out nicely as the Red Sox just right-sized me 100% into football). Good ol' Section 539. Tailgate plans TBD and usually highly dependent on my dilly-dallying sister-in-law (god bless her). There's even a Giants-Steelers couple (him Jints, her Stillers) from my regular sports bar in Nashua NH making this trip that I'm supposed to hook up with. It's that kind of an attractive game...
Glenn -- I am in Section 540. We're neighbors. Where are you, FW?
Wow Anonymous! I have tickets in Section 540 as well!
By the way, I think the Steelers should retaliate against the Ravens by putting a bounty on the heads of all of Baltimore's good players on offense.
Can anybody think of any good players on the Ravens' offense?
I think it's 531, I gotta check.
I had tix in 540 for a Browns game, actually loved that view.
Gretz famously sits in 522, yes? Anyone else who'll be there on Sunday?
My William & Mary sources tell me Mike Tomlin will be there. Mike Potts will not, however. No need to thank me.
The 500 seats sure are popular here. I'll be in 510 for the Colts game.
Now that we're past the easy part of the schedule, maybe we should start talking about our opponents before Friday? I have a soft spot for the Giants... I've lived in and around NYC most of the time since I left Pittsburgh in the early 80's. I like their style of play and their fans aren't jerks. They are an old-time, family-owned team that does things more right than wrong. The Maras joined forces with the Rooneys to create the modern NFL, as well as produce Kate Mara. Jerry Reese seems like an excellent GM. Plus, we were one game away from having to hear arguments for the rest of our lives that the Pats were the greatest team ever and arguments about who the greatest dynasty is, and the Giants deserve our gratitude for killing that all that. So I obviously want to win, but I don't have hatred for them.
On a football level, this seems like a very interesting match up: strong defenses, hard-nosed teams, QBs from the same draft class, Plax back in town. I've always been impressed with Jacobs, who would be a terror in black and gold. It is a game that either team could lose and not be ashamed of, and we're not really natural rivals, so it will be interesting to see who "gets up" for the game more. Home field should tilt it in our favor. If the game comes down to which QB handles the inevitable pressure, I certainly like our chances.
Anyone have more insightful thoughts?
Thanks Ryan. Though I really meant anyone else who reads and writes here. Should have been more precise.
Of course, if you believe the posters on SCI, Fanhouse, ESPN, and newspaper sports section blogs, all the players and coaches on every NFL team are constantly surfing the comments looking for tips and motivation.
So Coach Tomlin -- great job against the Bengals, but we really need this game. Make sure that the O-Line protects Ben, 'kay?
Matt
Tomlin is probably sitting in his office refreshing the HSS comments every 20 seconds to get the latest advice for taking on the Giants.
Rob D, let me be a shill for Wex's book again. He discusses Vic Ketchman's strong Pittsburgh and Steelers roots and meets with him during his road trip to Jacksonville. This link has some good background on Vic: http://www.bigcatcountry.com/200...-the-jaguars-
of
Although Matt and Cols were joking, I wonder what players coaches and FO people do read.
More on the Giants: they are 1st in DVOA and 32nd in variance. Which team will show up on Sunday? Starting this week, the Giants have the toughest remaining schedule, after having the second easiest up to this point. We're 4th in DVOA, 7th in variance. Our defensive and ST DVOA are good (4th and 12th), but our offense is 18th in the league (and 3rd worst of the top 17 teams).
Easy..thanks ..very interesting background for Vic.
I have ordered the book..all is well.
Man, I worked myself into a lather over the Bengals game. What's it going to be like this Sunday when they play an actual NFL championship ring -sporting team?
Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oh my!!
Giants variance is all based on that Cleveland game, which is the only one in which they varied. It reminded me of last year's Steelers. We were leading the league in variance too, after demolishing the Browns, Niners, Seahawks, and Bills, but losing at AZ and DEN.
I'll bet the Steelers would be up there this year in offensive variance, if such a stat were kept, because we have the second quarter last week, the first half of Balto, all of the Eagle game, and the hurrican game in Cleveland -- but then we have 28-point halves like last Sunday and the dominant first halves of the Texans and Jags' games.
Check the Football Outsiders link for defensive stats, where they break down the pass and run. Giants are positively middlin on both aspects, but when you look at unadjusted defense ratings... they come in 32nd overall? Huh?!?
I think our DB depth is an issue in this game. Sounds like DT's heel still hurts, so we start matching up guys like Gay on Hixon, or if DT pulls up partway into the game, we have Gay on Smith. Pray for the best.
I hate the RAvens way more than the Browns. I'd like to see Suggs suspended for his comments. Bounty's are clearly against the rules in the NFL. This is not the wild west.
The Ravens need to realize that 2001 was a long time ago and this team hasn't won a damn thing since then.
Oh, and a good test of someone's football knowledge would be to show them the Ward hit against Rivers. If they think it was dirty, they've never played any football. If they think it was a good hit, they at least played PeeWee football.
From today's ESPN.com:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/
ne...ce=NFLHeadlines
A big point of contention with the Steelers last week was neither of Ward's fines was flagged during the game, which Anderson also discussed with the team Wednesday.
"It is not a requirement that, in fact, a flag be thrown before a person can be fined for a foul," said Anderson, who said there were 139 fines distributed so far leading into last week's games. "What we explained to the players is about 40 percent of our fines are assessed against plays that are actually not flagged on the field."
Anderson also mentioned that the NFL is looking into recent comments made by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs against Ward and Pittsburgh rookie tailback Rashard Mendenhall. Suggs mentioned on a recent radio interview that the team has a "bounty" on those two players.
"That 'bounty' notion is completely against the rules," Anderson said. "To the extent that someone is engaged in that activity, we will look into it and address it. Yes, we've seen the comments and we're trying to determine the completeness of the circumstances."
I think Gay will be fine. Not based on much evidence, of course, but he always seems to be in the right place when I notice him.
FW -- Giants defense is 14th overall, but 32nd in defensive variance - difference betwen their best and worst performances.
So they do keep variance for different sides of the ball, and the Steelers are the 26th most consistent team -- not the least consistent, as I was suggesting, but not far from it.
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