Pittsburgh Steelers: Still Banged Up, But Looking Better

On the bright side of things this week, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is expected to be ready come game time against the Oakland Raiders at Heinz Field.

According to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, his quarterback has not had any more post—concussion symptoms since the headaches he was suffering from during practice last week. He is expected to fully participate in practice on Wednesday.

With Roethlisberger back, it completely opens up the offense, as opposed to of the five to ten passing plays that offensive coordinator Bruce Arians called for Dennis Dixon against the Baltimore Ravens.

The sad thing about that is that between the Dixon and Roethlisberger, Dixon is more mobile one, yet Arians will have absolutely no problem allowing Roethlisberger to roll out and throw on the run.

Don’t get me wrong, Roethlisberger is more or less unstoppable once he breaks the pocket. My sole problem with the decision of Arians is that he has issues playing to his player’s strengths and problems with minimizing their weaknesses showing.

Let’s just all hope and pray in our own ways, to our own Gods that Roethlisberger is able to play on Sunday and we don’t have to hear him tell us all that he’s having headaches after practice again. That would only serve to not only divide the locker room but would also take valuable snaps away from Dixon in a practice setting.

With Roethlisberger back, that’s one of two play makers in the game that the Steelers need. The other playmaker, Troy Polamalu, is not expected to play.

Tomlin is listing him as doubtful for the Oakland game and says that he is still a week or two away from being in playing shape. It makes sense to sit him against both the Raiders and the Cleveland Browns so long as the team has him in their defensive backfield for the games against the Green Bay Packers and for when the Ravens come to Pittsburgh.

Starting left guard Chris Kemoeatu is going to participate in individual drills in order to evaluate him for game day. He’s currently listed as questionable and with him out, rookie Ramon Foster will certainly benefit from the game experience.

Stefan Logan and Mewelde Moore are also both banged up. Logan separated his rib cartilage while Moore’s ankle is swelling. The two running backs will be limited but will more than likely play come Sunday.

Quarterback Charlie Batch’s recovery is going smoothly and Tomlin is hoping to have him back on the field in a couple of weeks. Pittsburgh fans are hoping that they don’t see him on the field in a few weeks, as of course want to see Roethlisberger.

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Dennis Dixon Asked To Work Overtime | Clocks Out Early

Wow.

What a game.

Let me start this off by saying congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens and their fans. Well played game, as games in this series always are. Both teams played their hearts out and really dug deep within themselves to put forth their best efforts.

Moving on from that, let’s take a look at how the Pittsburgh Steelers played.

Might as well start with Dennis Dixon, right?

Now, if you had the opportunity to join myself and some friends of mine in the Live NFL Game-Thread at Sports Jabber , then you may have seen my frantic dismantling of Dixon’s play directly after the interception he threw to Paul Kruger in overtime that set up the winning field goal.

Let me chalk that up as a heat-of-the-moment rant that was full of both Tommy Maddox comparisons and expletives.

To put it lightly, I was mad that we had lost a very winnable game and perhaps even more mad that the game had to be placed in the hands of a quarterback making his first NFL start.

To be honest with you, prior to that interception, Dixon played fantastic. He made plays with both his feet and his arm and truly shocked most, if not all, of Steeler Nation.

He was only called upon to throw the ball 26 times and responded well, tossing one touchdown on a perfect pass that saw Santonio Holmes sprint to the endzone.

He also rushed three times for 27 yards and a touchdown that was greatly aided by Mewelde Moore’s vicious block to seal the edge for his quarterback.

The biggest issue with Dixon isn’t really an issue with Dixon himself. It’s with Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians (I know what you’re thinking: another Arians rant) he absolutely refused to roll the speedy quarterback out of the pocket, even though Dixon’s release point is a prime target to get knocked down at the line of scrimmage.

Think back to Dixon’s college days.

He played at Oregon, a team renowned for their speed and their execution of the spread offense.

Arians excuse for not running him more?

He was wary of injuring the young starter due to the lack of depth at the position.

The sad thing is that as paper-thin as the excuse is, it’s passable and won’t make a lot of people think twice.

While on the subject of running the ball, the Pittsburgh ground game looked good again. Rashard Mendenhall put up a 95-yard performance, spinning all the while.

In fact, I’m not sure that he knows that he’s allowed to make a move besides spinning, which adds to his tendency to fumble the ball. Not to say that I have a problem with his running style persay, he’s just not what I expected him to be. Still an upgrade over Willie Parker though.

The Pittsburgh defense is what concerned me the most, however. Including an uncharacteristic mistake by Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau.

There is absolutely no excuse to have James Farrior playing man to man coverage on Ray Rice, Baltimore’s leading receiver. It was an absolute disaster as Rice finished with 155 total yards from scrimmage against the generally tenacious defense.

Tackling is becoming a concern for our cornerbacks as well.

Ray Rice shook the check off of the entire defense’s Nike’s on fourth down that would set up the field goal to send the game into overtime. William Gay absolutely must improve his tackling.

Ike Taylor having no ball skills is really starting to irritate me as well. The man is an excellent cover corner, but even shadowing Holmes last year before training camp didn’t help him increase his interceptions. He currently has a grand total of zero this season.

Ryan Clark and DeShea Townsend both also could have had an interception, but couldn’t make a play on the ball.

That being said, the defense did pretty well and I’m just magnifying mistakes.

They got to Joe Flacco five times, forcing three fumbles.

Lawrence Timmons is showing us all why the coaching staff was confident enough to allow Larry Foote to walk to Detroit. He’s a special player that is going to continue making an impact in the middle of the Steelers defense.

Timmons is surprisingly fast for a linebacker and there’s always the option of moving him outside once James Harrison calls it quits.

The Steelers came into this game with viewers expecting an easy Baltimore victory. Many were expecting to be watching something else come halftime, but Dixon and company made it a game, and perhaps we found something special in the former Duck.

As I’ve said, great game on both sides.

Time for the defending champions to look ahead to the Oakland Raiders, grit their teeth, and push on, in the true fashion of Pittsburgh Steelers football.

As always, TJ Jenkins’ work can also be found at both the Pittsburgh Pigskin Blog and the Sports Jabber Forums .

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A Look At the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Cornerbacks’ Pass Defense

When looking at the trio of Pittsburgh Steelers cornerbacks that actually see some major game time, we’re only looking at Ike Taylor, William Gay, and Deshea Townsend.

We all know that Taylor and Gay are the two starters and that Townsend gets extended playing time in the nickel and dime formations.

Of these three, Taylor and Gay have been tested time and again by opposing quarterbacks, to little avail.

Through nine games this season, Taylor has been thrown at 67 times, allowing 42 completions for a grand total of 513 yards, or 12.2 yards per completion. Along with that, he’s only allowed a single touchdown pass.

Considering the fact that he’s covered every opposing team’s best wide receiver, it’s not a bad statistic at all.

Quarterbacks complete an average of 62.7 passes against him all season long, with their average rating being 91.2.

On the opposite side of the Pittsburgh defense, left cornerback Gay has only allowed 44 out of 63 attempts to be completed which factors out to be 69.8 percent. 

He’s only allowed 391 yards, but 163 of those came after the catch, which speaks on his ability to wrap up the ball carrier, which we’ll get into.

The average QB rating when throwing to Gay is 86.1. It isn’t horrible, but it isn’t spectacular either.

Deshea Townsend has seen far fewer snaps than either of the two above, which makes it reasonable to believe that his stats will look better as far as the cumulative numbers go.

He’s been thrown at 18 times, only allowing eight of those to be completed which equates to 44.4 percent. He’s only allowed 58 yards this season. He, like Gay, has gotten burned in the YAC statistic, allowing 43 yards after the catch.

The QB rating against Townsend? 52.5.

When comparing the three, you’ve got to consider that Taylor and Gay have seen over 400 more defensive plays this season and the fact that he’s generally lined up over the opposing team’s third string receiver, thus the deceiving statistics.

The tackling issue is one that needs to be addressed as soon as possible by Pittsburgh Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau.

Taylor and Gay have 38 and 39 tackles respectively. But Gay has missed a whopping seven tackles, which is evidenced by the spike in the number of yards after catch put up by opposing receivers that he is covering.

Taylor and Townsend have missed two apiece, not bad considering the traditional role of a corner is to stop the pass and not the run. Look at Deion Sanders; he never could tackle. Neither could Champ Bailey.

But the Pittsburgh defense is one in which the corners HAVE to be able to wrap up the ball carrier.

The trio has the pass defense part covered, as they’ve only allowed one touchdown pass between the three of them.

Gay needs to work on taking the ball carrier to the ground and the Steelers cornerback duo of Taylor and Gay could very well turn into one of the best in the league.

They won’t put up the flashy stat, interceptions, but they will knock the pass away and keep it out of the receivers’ hands. Taylor has eight knockdowns while Gay has nine.

Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at the Pittsburgh Steelers Safeties and their pass coverage ability.

Don’t forget to read TJ Jenkins’ work at the Pittsburgh Pigskin Blog & at Sports Jabber.

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Pittsburgh Steelers Look To Baffle the Cincinnati Bengals

The funny thing about the Pittsburgh Steelers is they’ve almost done a complete turnaround from last season, and it’s proven successful.

No longer are they leading the league in all major defensive categories, but at the same time, they’re not near the middle of the road in all offensive categories either.

They boast both the fifth ranked offense in the league and the fifth ranked defense in the league. Could a team be more complete?

Perhaps the biggest thing to watch for on Sunday is the Pittsburgh run defense, which is allowing just 70.4 yards per game. The Cincinnati Bengals are rushing for around 130 yards per game.

Cincinnati running back Cedric Benson seems to have found himself again, and is making as strong a case as anyone for Comeback Player Of The Year (I’m looking at you, Tom Brady), and will look to leave his mark on the defending Super Bowl Champions.

The difference between this game and the last time the two teams went head to head is almost the same difference as black is to white, or day is to night.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been transforming, evolving if you will.

No longer do they allow teams to come back on them in the fourth quarter and no longer is the defense taking a Baltimore Ravens-esque step back. Sunday, when the two teams sitting atop of the AFC North division clash, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu will be there.

You can bet that is weighing heavily on Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer’s mind.

The Bengals and Palmer are looking to win the division for the first time since 2005. During that postseason they were beat by the Steelers and Palmer went down in the first quarter after a Kimo von-Oelhoffen hit to the knee. The Steelers of course went on to win Super Bowl XL.

The funny thing about that is that if Palmer had not of been injured, the complexion of that game may have been very different. On the play that Palmer was hurt, he completed a 66-yard pass to wide receiver Chris Henry. With plays like that, there is no way the Steel City comes out of that game victorious.

But the past is the past. It doesn’t mean anything now.

And that’s exactly the attitude we see in the NFL. Team’s need to be looking to the future, and once the game comes, they look at the present. You’ve got to keep looking ahead and forging your name alongside those of the greats.

The talk around the internet is all about this being a “must win” game for the Steelers. Well, what about the Bengals?

Is it not a must win for them as well? Because I for one think it is.

If they beat Pittsburgh Sunday, they’ll have the AFC North essentially locked away and will have swept the World Champions this season. With a loss, they go back to being the “same old Bengals” that we’ve seen time and again over the years.

For all of the teams that I hype, the Bengals have never been a part of that illustrious group. A group that includes (but is not limited to) the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens.

I’ve never been one to talk much on the Bengals because I generally find myself saying something disparaging about them. That of course is not fair, nor is it professional, so I generally keep my mouth shut.

I will say this though, Marvin Lewis has that group playing well and stifled any and all distractions from Chad Ochocinco—I still hate calling him that by the way—telling him that he was not allowed to send any gifts to the Steelers secondary.

Lewis knows how big this game is. The players know how big this game is. The only matchup getting more hype this week is the Patriots/Colts game, and rightfully so.

Should the Steelers win this game, they will more than likely see a top-three seed in the AFC come playoff time, and more than likely have shut the Bengals down for the season.

But, there’s a reason that the game has to be played.

The Steelers secondary is going to have to hit the Bengals receivers hard, early, and often. If they allow Ochocinco to burn them, then this one’s going in favor of the Bengals. But should the secondary step up against Palmer and company, then the Steelers will win this game.

Good luck Ike Taylor, hopefully you don’t have any mental lapses as you’ve been prone to this season for some odd reason.

Now, I know what some are thinking.

“The Bengals are only ranked 18th in passing offense this year, how on Earth does stopping the pass win the game?”

Due to the fact that the Steelers front seven will more than likely be able to stuff Benson and keep the Bengals well below their running average, it’s going to force them to throw the ball more. Applying pressure on Palmer is key. Force him into quick throws and mistakes.

The biggest thing to watch for is going to be the Steelers pass defense against the short slant patterns that have been tearing them apart all season. I see it, so I KNOW the Bengals coaching staff and Palmer see it. Look for them to get the ball to their receivers quickly.

The good news for the Steelers is that the Bengals are allowing nearly 250 yards per game through the air, the bad news is that they’re second behind the Steelers in rush defense.

Rashard Mendenhall is going to have his work cut out for him, but I’m sure the vision of Larry Johnson in the front row wearing a No. 34 jersey is reassuring. He absolutely MUST hold onto the ball in this game, it cannot be put in the hands of the Bengals on a foolish play.

Also, I’d like to see some hard nosed running out of him, instead of breaking a big run and stepping out of bounds while the team is trying to RUN THE CLOCK.

Ben Roethlisberger is going to have to put points on the board, and there’s really no reason to think that he can’t do so. With targets like Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Mike Wallace, Mendenhall, and Mewelde Moore; even JaMarcus Russell could get some nice passing stats.

Like Mendenhall, No. 7 is going to have to protect the ball and keep it out of the Cincinnati defense’s hands. A turnover in this game could prove deadly for the Steel City.

History doesn’t mean much, but it’s fun to look at, right? The Bengals haven’t beaten the Steelers twice in a row since 1998. Hopefully, that 1998 doesn’t turn into 2009.

I think the Steelers gut up and take this one. I see them playing their hearts out and gutting a win out for the loyal fans they’ve secured over the years by being such a dominant force in the AFC.

TJ’s Prediction: Steelers 24 Bengals 21

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Larry Johnson Wants To Play For The Pittsburgh Steelers

Prior to his release from the Kansas City Chiefs, Larry ‘LJ’ Johnson amassed a total of 5,996 yards on 1,375 carries, nearly four and a half yards per carry. Along with that he posted 1,369 receiving yards on 151 receptions for a grand total of 61 touchdowns combined.

Johnson also holds the NFL record for carries in a season with 416. That happened in 2006, the same season that he set a Chiefs single season rushing record with 1,789 yards.

Obviously the man has talent, he just enjoys beating on women and using homosexual slurs in retaliation to a poor season. Quite a shame when a player with all the talent in the world decides to let his emotions get the better of him and ends up losing his job because of it.

But, that’s not why we’re here. We’re here because Johnson has stated that he wants to suit up for last year’s Super Bowl Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I’ll pause for a second to let all of the Steelers fans jumping for joy, also take this time to grab your lucky rabbit’s foot to hope and pray that he comes to Pittsburgh.

The only thing wrong with Johnson’s lobby to join the team is the fact that the Steelers have three running backs who are better suited for the Pittsburgh offense than he.

Rashard Mendenhall just completed running over, around and through the third ranked defense in the NFL to the tune of 155 yards on 22 carries.

Willie Parker comes in to give Mendenhall a breather and to present defenses with a faster back who can stretch the field of play.

Mewelde Moore is the third down running back, who has a little Jerome Bettis in him. He genuinely enjoys lowering his pad level and attempting to bowl over defenders.

Johnson wouldn’t bring anything to the table that would give the Steelers a reason to sign him. If the team truly needed another runner, they would promote from within the organization and Isaac Redman would get another shot at the game day roster, not Larry Johnson.

Luckily for Johnson however, the Washington Redskins and New England Patriots have both discussed adding him to their rosters.

As a Steelers fan, I can only say ‘have fun with that.’

As always, TJ’s writing can also be found at the Pittsburgh Pigskin Blog & at Sports Jabber .

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James Harrison: Undrafted To Unstoppable

Every young boy’s dream is to be a professional football player. Every player who’s ever stepped foot onto the green, gleaming grass on a Friday night dreams of making it to the biggest stage of them all. They emulate their favorite football personalities in their backyard.

The cold, hard truth of the matter is that less than 4% ever see that dream come to fruition. Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison is one of those players.

Harrison was born and raised just down the road from myself, so this story is especially interesting in a hometown hero type of way. He attended Coventry High School in Akron, Ohio and was one of the first African Americans to play football for the school.

He saw his college days end as he went unnoticed in the 2002 NFL Draft, but was shortly after signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers, making him the first Kent State alumni to play linebacker for the Steelers since Jack Lambert.

He, like many other un-drafted rookies spent time on and off the practice squad of the team, eventually making the game day roster, where he was strictly a special teams player. Fellow Steelers linebacker James Farrior has said that when Harrison first came to the team he was so inexperienced that he would give up on plays and even go to the length of asking coaches not to play him when he wasn’t on top of his game.

After the 2003 season he was signed by the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens and they quickly shipped him overseas to play in the NFL Europe league as a member of the Rhein Fire. He was subsequently cut by the Ravens and the Steelers once more signed him to the active roster after linebacker Clark Haggans sustained an injury during training camp in 2004.

Harrison has been quoted as saying that if he had not gotten signed he would have retired from the game of football to pursue his dream of becoming a veterinarian.

On November 14, he started his first career game after Joey Porter was ejected prior to the game for fighting with Cleveland Browns running back William Green. His first career touchdown came in the final week of the season against the Buffalo Bills on a fumble recovery.

Harrison was the talk of the town after intercepting a Drew Brees pass against the San Diego Chargers, and returning it 25 yard return which included an amazing hurdle over future Hall Of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson. He again was in the news when on Christmas Eve against the Cleveland Browns he body slammed an intoxicated fan that charged onto the field.

Harrison also received a Super Bowl ring from Super Bowl XL even though he played special teams during the game.

2007 would be Harrison’s first year as a full time starter, as new head coach, Mike Tomlin cut Pro Bowl linebacker Joey Porter for salary cap reasons. The team started to build for the future by drafting two linebackers in the first two rounds—Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley. This would be Harrison’s first season where he was voted to the Pro Bowl as well.

His best game of the season came on November 5 in a Monday Night Game against the Ravens. He had nine tackles, three and a half sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovered, and one interception in the game.

He was voted the 2007 Team’s Most Valuable Player for his impressive season which included 98 tackles, eight and a half sacks, seven forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.

In 2008 Harrison was teamed with bookend pass rushed, LaMarr Woodley after the team allowed Clark Haggans to walk during free agency. Once more he absolutely lit the game up against the Ravens, this time finishing the game with 10 tackles, two and a half sacks, two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.

Teaming together they had a total of 27.5 sacks, a Steelers team record, with Harrison getting 16 of them and a Steelers record previously held by Mike Merriweather.

Harrison swallowed any bit of pride he may have had during 2008 and played special teams, though he arguably cost the team a game after snapping a ball out of the end zone against the New York Giants.

James Harrison was rewarded for his stellar season by being awarded the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and became the first un-drafted player to win the award.

Even though he had a spectacular season, the most important play came in Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals where he intercepted a Kurt Warner pass on the goal-line and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown as the first half ended. He currently holds the record for the longest play in a Super Bowl, previously held by Desmond Howard.

The Steelers locked Harrison in for the long haul, as he signed a six year, $51.75 contract extension this offseason.

Harrison is now regarded as one of the most dominant defensive forces in the NFL. His name is mentioned with the premier pass rushers in the league such as DeMarcus Ware, Joey Porter, and Osi Umenyiora. The Steelers faithful expect nothing but the best from the player known to many as “Silverback” or “Mr. Monday Night.”

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America’s Team? Dallas Cowboys Can Keep That Moniker

First and foremost, allow me to explain that I in no way, shape or form expect to make any friends out of Dallas Cowboys fans from this article. But I digress, I have a duty to call them like I see them. For all those who disagree, I look forward to your intelligent debate that shall stem from this article in the comments section, so have away at it.

There are 32 teams in the NFL, every single one of them are based in the United States of America. Only one, however, has been called America’s Team. Unless you’ve been living under a rock since 1978, then you know that this team is the Cowboys.

To actually put forth an intelligent argument for or against the Cowboys having this moniker, once must journey back into NFL history and learn just why the Cowboys have been dubbed as such.

Whilst narrating a 1978 highlight film for the Cowboys season, now NFL Films Vice President Bob Ryan needed something catchy. He coined the term America’s Team due to the excessive crowds seen at Cowboys home games and by the fashion of the fan base.

Prior to the first game of the 1979 NFL season, the team was announced as such and the nickname has stuck ever since.

The exact quote from Ryan during that film reads as follows:

“They appear on television so often that their faces are as familiar to the public as presidents and movie stars. They are the Dallas Cowboys, America’s Team.”

Through thick and thin, the Dallas faithful have remained ever loyal to their favorite team and reminded everyone along the way that they are America’s Team.

As a player in Dallas, you’re exposed to a whirlwind of media extravaganzas. Each and every player is thrust into the spotlight by simply signing with the team.

But why Dallas? The term was coined in the 1970’s when another team was just as dominating if not more so than the team hailing from Dallas. A team that won four Super Bowls during the decade. A team that beat those very Cowboys TWICE in the Super Bowl. I’m of course referring to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

So, why Dallas? Why not Pittsburgh?

Throughout the decades, the teams have both tasted success and both have known the utter shock of defeat. They’ve gone head to head in the big game three times. More times than any other NFL teams have. Between the two they’ve won 11 Super Bowls. But only one can wear the prestige of America’s Team, such is life in the NFL.

Does a star quarterback thrust a team into the spotlight? Both teams have had their share of those. Dallas had Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. Pittsburgh was led into battle by Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger.

Field general quarterbacks? Check for both.

Or how about a mauler at the running back position? Dallas boasted Tony Dorsett and Emmit Smith while Pittsburgh handed it off to Franco Harris and Jerome Bettis.

Great runners? Check on both.

How about the guys that make the quarterbacks look good? The wide receivers? Dallas’ stars threw to Drew Pearson, Butch Johnson and Michael Irvin. The Steelers quarterbacks have had John Stallworth, Lynn Swann and Hines Ward catching their passes.

Sure handed receivers? Check on that.

Or maybe it’s the defense that truly makes teams great, after all ‘Defense wins championships’? Dallas had their Doomsday Defense while the Steelers boasted the Steel Curtain.

Dominating defenses? Check and double check.

As far as the common names go, this is a fairly balanced matchup. By common names I mean household names and by that I mean names that people who don’t make it a point to follow the NFL have heard.

Everyone knows who Emmit Smith, Troy Aikman, Terry Bradshaw and Jerome Bettis were. If they don’t then they apparently haven’t ever read a newspaper or turned on the television.

Looking back from the present time, it’s actually a bit dumbfounding that the Steelers weren’t the firs team to be tagged as America’s Team.

After all, what represents America more than hard work, determination and winning? The Steelers won four Super Bowls in the 1970s. Super Bowl IX, X, XIII and XIV. The Cowboys only won half as many in that decade. Two of Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl victories also saw the Cowboy’s tasting defeat.

The team’s today could not be more opposite.

The Steelers are a perennial playoff team that have won two Super Bowls this decade (Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII). In fact, this decade the Steelers surpassed both the San Francisco Forty Niners and Dallas’ own Cowboys in Super Bowl wins with six to their name.

The Cowboys seem to be the polar opposite, not seeing the post season since 2007 after a last minute interception by Dallas quarterback Tony Romo sealed the win for the division rival New York Giants.

Prior to that season, Romo had bobbled a snap on an extra point that would have tied the game against the Seattle Seahawks.

I see no reason why the Steelers aren’t considered as America’s Team. Other than the fact that…we don’t want the title.

Shocker, right? Allow me to explain.

Cowboys fans, you can keep the nickname, trust me, we don’t want it. The Steelers organization would much rather stay out of that national spotlight that comes with holding that title. They’d rather proceed on a business as usual basis without the distractions.

The name is simply too glamorous for the team in Pittsburgh, they’re perfectly happy with being simply Pittsburgh’s Team. Perhaps that name’s more prestigious anyway.

America’s Team and Pittsburgh’s Team could not be further apart as far as nicknames go.

The Steelers are the grind it out, blue collar, leave it all on the field kind of team.

The Cowboys, on the other hand, are the prima donna, superstar, go-to-Cabo-with-my-starlet-girlfriend kind of glamor team that the media flocks to. They feed off of the national spotlight.

The fans of the Steelers relate to the team more than one could know without observing them. They epitomize hard work and determination, just like their team. They struggle and strain to work the nine to five pace kind of jobs just to sustain families.

Look no further than one team being nationally known for the beauty of it’s cheerleaders. Sometimes that overshadows the team’s success or lack thereof.

The other team has no cheerleaders, never has and never will. That’s just one more distraction that’s not needed on the football field.

I can’t speak for any other Steelers fans, but myself, I’d rather be a fan of Pittsburgh’s Team than one of America’s Team any day.

What about you?

As always, my work can also be found on the Pittsburgh Pigskin Blog and at Sports Jabber.

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NFL Week Nine Preview: Pittsburgh @ Denver

Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) at Denver Broncos (6-1)
Monday November 9th, 2009
Mile High Stadium (Denver, CO)

This game between the defending Super Bowl Champions and the surprising Denver Broncos, led by quarterback Kyle Orton and first year head coach Josh McDaniels, could either be the best Monday Night Football game that we’ve seen this year, or it could be a complete dud.

The reason I say that is because of the fact that both of these teams have two faces. Both look Super Bowl ready at times and then completely flat at other times.

This game is going to be an aerial attack from both sides. Both teams are going to throw the ball until they’re around. Or at least until they’re in the red zone. The Steelers offense has shifted from a primarily running offense to a pass oriented attack over the past few seasons.

Roethlisberger has a plethora of targets to throw the ball to. The ever-reliable and recently acclaimed ‘dirtiest player in the NFL’ Hines Ward is having a strong season and leading the team in yards and receptions. The speedy Santonio Holmes rounds out the duo of Super Bowl MVP’s with his threat on the edge. Not to mention rookie sensation Mike Wallace who is coming into his own in the Steelers offense.

And that’s just the wide receivers for the defending champions. Along with that trio of pass catchers, Big Ben has one of the premier tight ends in the league in Heath Miller, and two backs who are very good at catching the ball out of the backfield in Mewelde Moore and Rashard Mendenhall.

Roethlisberger has hooked up with his teammates for 11 touchdowns this year.

Kyle Orton, on the other hand, has Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, and Jabar Gaffney to throw the ball to. Orton’s receiving corps may not have the gaudy numbers that Roethlisberger’s does, but that’s because Orton has seemingly mastered the art of the check down and throwing the ball away. He’s thrown nine touchdowns and only one interception this season.

Orton’s style of play presents a problem for the Steelers, as they’ve had little success stopping the ‘dink and dunk’ offense from marching down the field. They absolutely must make it a priority to keep Orton’s backs in check while playing the hook zone against his receivers.

Orton must make it a point to target one of the few weak links in the Steelers secondary, Ike Taylor. In 2008 Taylor allowed only 7.1 yards per attempt against him but has slipped this season to somewhere around eight to 10. In fact, against the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns, the corner has given up 174 yards on 17 attempts. That’s just over 10 yards an attempt. Should Orton choose to target Ike Taylor 10 to 12 times in this game, he should find success.

James Harrison and Ryan Clady are going to be battling it out all game long, while on the opposite side of the game Elvis Dumervil and Max Starks will be having their own personal battle. The only difference is that Starks is at an advantage due to Roethlisberger’s ability to move and make plays on the run.

The Steelers running game is anchored by left tackle Chris Kemoeatu, who is a master at the pulling guard position. Rashard Mendenhall should find room running behind him to either side. Denver running back Knowshon Moreno has only two more yards than the Steelers starter on 31 more attempts, and less touchdowns than Mendenhall.

Special teams may again be a key to the game for the Steelers as they’ve allowed special teams touchdowns in their previous two games, one to Cleveland return man Joshua Cribbs and the other to Minnesota return man Percy Harvin. Eddie Royal has already taken both a kick and a punt for a touchdown this year, both in the same game in fact.

Denver is coming off of a throttling at the hands of another AFC North opponent, the Baltimore Ravens. The final score? 30-7. They’re hungry, but are they hungry enough to knock off the champs? Only time will tell.

The wild card for the Steelers is whether or not Ryan Clark is permitted to play, both he and Head Coach Mike Tomlin are waiting until later in the week to announce that. He’s been cleared by all his doctors, but it’s still a game time decision.

TJ’s Prediction: I’m thinking that the Steelers take this one in a fairly close game. The Denver defense is playing lights out, led by outside linebacker Dumervil. As long as Roethlisberger can pass against the Broncos talented secondary, it’s the Steelers game to lose. The score? Pittsburgh 27 Denver 20

As always, my work can also be found on the Sports Jabber Forums & the Pittsburgh Pigskin Blog .

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Pittsburgh’s Hines Ward Voted League’s Dirtiest Player

During training camp, the illustrious magazine and website known as Sports Illustrated polled 296 NFL players, asking them the not so simple question: ‘Who is the dirtiest player in the league?’

The top five winners (losers?) of the poll are as follows:

1. Hines Ward—Wide Receiver, Pittsburgh Steelers
2a. Joey Porter—Outside linebacker, Miami Dolphins
2b. Albert Haynesworth—Defensive Tackle, Washington Redskins
4. Roy Williams—Safety, Cincinnati Bengals
5. Kevin Mawae—Center, Tennessee Titans

That’s right, the all time leading receiver in Steelers franchise history tops the list formerly perennially topped by former New England Patriots safety Rodney Harrison. In fact, he got 11.6 percent of the vote.

Apparently 159 players polled were playing for the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.

Ward is accused of being a dirty player due to his crushing blocks, very few of which are dirty. Every player in the league is going to make a stupid choice now and then in the heat of the moment during a crucial game. Do a few bad decisions mixed with playing your heart out classify you as dirty?

I don’t think so either. The sheer fact of the matter is that Hines Ward is generally penalized for everything illegal he does. He’s not a flashy guy, he doesn’t dance after touchdowns, he simply blocks the defenders—a pivotal part of playing wide receiver in the Steelers offense. In fact, it’s ideal in all wide receivers in any offense, at any level. The Steelers just place a higher priority on it than most.

If a receiver like New York’s Braylon Edwards decided to throw a vicious block on a linebacker from the New England Patriots, he wouldn’t get penalized and even if he did he would be praised for being a hard nosed guy and attempting to open up a running lane.

For some reason though, Ward doesn’t get the same treatment, perhaps it’s because he consistently blocks his man?

Now there’s an argument that he ‘blindsides’ defenders. But why should the blocker be penalized when the defender isn’t doing one of the things he’s taught in Pee Wee football? At all levels of the game you, as a defend, are taught to keep your head on a swivel. I’m looking at you, Keith Rivers.

Hines Ward doesn’t play the game dirty, he plays the game hard.

Perhaps he should consider the award an honor, one to place next to his two Super Bowl rings and one Super Bowl MVP. Because if he’s getting all this ‘praise’ from knocking defenders around whilst being a small(ish) wide receiver in a league full of huge defensive linemen and linebackers, then he’s certainly doing something right.

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Santonio Holmes: Grilling the Super Bowl MVP

When asked to write up a set of questions for any Pittsburgh Steelers player to answer for me in interview form, dozens of names ran through my mind. Up to and including Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Heath Miller, Troy Polamalu, and virtually every member of the Steelers.

That being said, I’ve decided to get Santonio Holmes to answer a few questions for us all. At least, I hope to have him answer them.

I’ll be giving the question and then my reasoning for asking that question.

 

The Question: Now, Santonio, you certainly came up big in the Super Bowl, what are your feelings about being there? The excitement in the air, winning in such a fast paced game, and finally earning the honors of being the Super Bowl’s Most Valuable Player? What does that mean to you?

The Reasoning: I’d absolutely love to hear about the Super Bowl experience from someone who’s played in it, and played such an instrumental part in the winning of one.

 

The Question: What is the one play that sticks out in your mind as your own greatest play? From any of your years as a football player.

The Reasoning: Being a former football player myself, it would be an interesting change of pace to hear what his favorite play was. Certain plays and games just stick in your memory forever. I want to know what his is.

The Question: What is the one area of your game that you’re trying to improve upon the most this offseason and season?

The Reasoning: No player is perfect and the way to get as close to perfect as possible is to practice and work for it. I want to know where he feels he needs to improve to become one of the greatest receivers in the NFL.

 

The Question: Are you working with Limas Sweed at all? Helping him with his concentration and whatnot? What tips have you given him since he was drafted last year?

The Reasoning: Players are people too, they build relationships and in many cases a football team is a part of your extended family. Interaction happens whether or not you’re absolutely crazy about each other and you can make your own time on the field more enjoyable by liking the men you’re playing with.

I want to delve into Holmes’ mind and find out how he’s giving back to the team.

 

The Question: What was going through your mind before, during, and after you caught the winning touchdown in the Super Bowl?

The Reasoning: There had to be a million things running through his head during the plays leading to that and directly after: I want to know what they are.

 

The Question: Being an Ohio State alumni and playing in Ohio twice a year, do you do you feel that some people still view you as just an Ohio State Buckeye? Or are they still as receptive to you even though you’re playing against a division rival?

The Reasoning: Tying in his college and NFL play is key. Some people follow players because they played for their favorite college team, and since the majority of Ohio residents are Buckeyes’ fans it’s intriguing to see their reactions to a favorite player playing for a rival.

 

The Question: What do you do in your spare time, as little time as that may be?

The Reasoning: As I’ve said, these guys are more than just football players, they’re people and they have lives themselves. We already know Santonio Holmes: The Football Player, we want to know Santonio Holmes: The Person.

 

The Question: Do you play the popular Madden games? If so, what team do you use? If it’s the Steelers do you tend to bomb the ball to yourself all the time or do you mix it up a bit? What’s it like seeing yourself in the game as well?

The Reasoning: I want to have fun with this, and more importantly, I want him to have fun with it. Madden is played by millions of people, it’s safe to assume that he plays it as well.

 

The Question: What has been the most important thing that Hines Ward has taught you about the NFL or the game of football in general?

The Reasoning: Players learn from each other and Holmes got a huge bonus by being able to be mentored by Hines Ward, I want to hear about what Ward did for him.

 

The Question: What’s the first thing you bought with your rookie signing bonus?

The Reasoning: Like I say, I want to delve into his persona, figure out who Santonio Holmes is.

 

The Question: What are your personal goals for the 2009 season?

The Reasoning: I want to know what kind of season he expects from himself, and only himself.

 

The Question: What about the team as a whole? I know you’re going to say a Super Bowl win is the only option, but I’d like to know more about the plans for the offense, are you aiming to take over the number one receiver position this year?

The Reasoning: Everyone wants to know what players think about their team goals. This simply touches on it without asking him to reveal any sensitive information like new plays or new formations.

 

The Question: If you could choose one mantra, or one motto for this season, what would it be and why?

The Reasoning: Throughout my years playing sports, we always had a motto for the year and one for each and every week. I’d like to know what the Steelers are using to fuel their locker room.

 

The Question: How much film do you watch on the defense you’re going to be facing in the coming week?

The Reasoning: I want to find out just how much work he puts in when it comes to watching film. It’s a meticulous task but it’s well worth it in the end.

 

The Question: What NFL players did you idolize growing up and why?

The Reasoning: Every young boy’s dream is to be an NFL player. We’ve all been playing in the backyard and said something to the effect of: “Did you see that catch? I’m the next Lynn Swann.

 

The Question: If you’d of never made it to the NFL, what would you be doing right now?

The Reasoning: Every prospective NFL player has to have a backup plan, nothing is guaranteed in this world.

 

The Question: Any advice for someone who wants to one day be in the NFL? Tips, tricks, motivation factors, anything?

The Reason: This ties in with knowing where you came from. We all need to give back to the community, to our roots. Besides, every potential player wants some tricks of the trade to gain the upper edge on his competition.

 

The Question: Well, thanks for your time Santonio, is there anything else you want to add or anything you want to say?

The Reasoning: I’m leaving it open, just in case he has something important that he’d like to get off of his chest.

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