Enjoy It While We Can

Next up: A visit to the New York Giants (4:25 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 4).  Should be a good game.  And Mike Tomlin's weekly news conference on Tuesday should be entertaining.

Fullback Will Johnson's first NFL touchdown. 
Photo credit: Andrew Harnik, Washington Times

We take back everything we said about the 1934 bumblebee convict uniforms.  They're beautiful.  The Steelers may have been 2-10 in those uniforms in 1934, but they're 1-0 in those uniforms in 2012.  A win is a win, and it's a beautiful thing.

The most encouraging thing about Sunday's 27-12 win over Washington was the Steelers' "swarming" defense against the Redskins' top-rated  running game featuring Alfred Morris and the dynamic Robert Griffin III.  Although Morris averaged 4.5 yards per carry for 59 yards, the defense contained the running game and kept Griffin in the pocket -- six running attempts for just eight yards.

Good job, defense.  Major kudos to Dick LeBeau, Larry Foote, Ike Taylor, Keenan Lewis, et al., but a few things to keep in mind ...

• Ryan Clark sustained a concussion.  Clark is invaluable in the Steelers' secondary, and he may be their defensive MVP.  Troy Polamalu may well return to action next Sunday, but if Clark misses the game vs. the Giants' Eli Manning, Victor Cruz, and Co., look out. 

• Lamarr Woodley's recurring hamstring problem remains worrisome.

• The Redskins receivers had 10 drops.  Ten!  Is that a record?  And just about every pass was right on target and eminently catchable.  The game might have played out much differently had the Redskins made, say, seven of those 10 catches.  If so, Griffin's 16 completions in 34 attempts become 23-34 passing for something more than the 177 yards he gained in the air.  It's worth mentioning, if only because the Giants will not drop 10 passes.

Griffin is terrific, and he's only going to get better.  What an impressive young man.  He's a treat to watch, and he makes the NFL a better place.

Pope Leo (Leonard Pope) scores.
Photo credit: Don Wright, AP./Washington Post

On the other hand, by contrast, how embarrassing to the Redskins is cornerback DeAngelo Hall?  He's never been very good;  he's always been over-rated.  He's just a loudmouth, bullying punk, and today he got punk'd by the diminutive Emmanuel Sanders, of all people.  Good for Young Money (Sanders).

Looking Forward
The New York Giants blew a 23-0 lead in Dallas, but they won.  The Giants are the reigning Super Bowl Champions and find a way to win more often than not.  The Steelers, having squandered opportunities in Denver, Oakland and Tennessee, now enter the tough part of their schedule.  The Giants don't make many mistakes, surrender many sacks or commit many penalties.  Even so, they nearly lost yesterday's game in Dallas -- and the Cowboys turned the ball over six times.

One other thing to keep in mind:  Dallas tight end Jason Witten had 17 (!) catches for 158 yards vs. the Giants on Sunday.  Heath Miller fans, take note.

Ill-advised and Beyond Awful

The Bumblebee Convict uniforms.  Yeah.  Hideous, foolish, laughable costumes just in time for Halloween.
   

This photo looks like it was taken in the yard under Cell Block D.

Heinz Field will look like the movie set of The Longest Yard on Sunday, when the Steelers don their hideous 1934 "throwback" uniforms -- ostensibly to honor their 80 years of tradition and to evoke an earlier era, but really, let's be honest, to coax marketing dollars out of Nike jersey sales, and to provoke "lively" discussion.  Trouble is, the law of unintended consequences being what it is, the discussion may turn unpleasant, embarrassing and uncomfortable for the Rooneys and the Steelers.

Oakland Alameda: Looking at Real Stripes
After all, how long will it be until some "wag" suggests the appalling 1934 "throwback" uniforms evoke prison stripes and, worse, call to mind any number of Steelers-related legal transgressions, allegations, accusations and all manner of malfeasance, real or perceived, imagined or extrapolated -- all to the laughs and hooting derision of followers of the Ravens, Browns, Eagles, Cowboys, Patriots, Redskins and, yes, even the Bengals and Raiders.  Even the Bengals and Raiders, for crying out loud.

Let's see, where do we start?  How about the most recent alleged law-breaker, Alameda Ta'amu, currently suspended and so recently in the news, facing five felony charges and 10 misdemeanor counts.  He comes to mind immediately, but it is inevitable that some snarky, self-righteous know-it-all will cite all the various sundry, unsavory and unpalatable accusations, transgressions and all manner of other trouble including Steelers past and present, and, yes, you know who they are.  Past and present, even if the accusations have been quieted, charges dropped and lawsuits settled.

The Wild Bunch: Your 2012 Pittsburgh Steelers. 

She's Going to Say It: "Does this make me look fat?"
How utterly stupid.  Whose brilliant idea was this?  And just how foolish did they want to make Steeler Nation?  This is our team.  With those uniforms, we're inviting derision.  And who among the citizenry is actually going to buy these sartorial atrocities, let alone wear them?  Who wants to be a laughingstock?  No self-respecting guy would wear one.  Have you seen anybody on the street wearing one? Chicks?  Knowing women as we do, horizontal stripes ain't gonna cut it.  We can hear her now:  "Does this make me look fat?"

Bring Back the Block Numerals
If the Steelers were looking to honor their proud history, they could have made better choices.  Even the 1960s "Batman" style would have been better, as awful as that uniform looked.  If "the standard is the standard," however, let's get real: The Standard was set by the 1970s Steelers, and that high bar remains The Standard.

The Rooneys should never have acceeded to the smarmy, glib, snake-oil marketing con-men of the 1990s who rounded off the block numerals to make the Steelers classic uniforms of the 1970s emulate the uniforms of the Chicago Bears.  Who in the name of Reebok thought that change would be for the better?

Those rounded numbers suck, and they wimpified the classic Black 'n Gold uniforms worn so proudly by Mean Joe, Jack Splat, Fats Holmes, Hollywood Bags, Pine Edwards,  Blount, Shell, Hammer, Moon, Frenchy, Webby, Rocky, et al.  Bring back those uniforms, once and for all, and ditch the rest.  Funny, but unless we're missing something, we don't recall other classic, time-tested and field-proven styles being tampered with too much.  Have the Green Bay Packers changed their classic look?  The Raiders?  The Yankees?

Finally, we have to ask, not to be nit-picky:  Why 1934?  Wasn't the team founded in 1933?  And, weren't the 1934 Steelers Pirates 2-10?  A fine tradition (ahem).  It took 40 years to shake off the dreaded "Same Old Steelers."  Why on earth did they want to risk bringing it back?  Throw 'em back.

The Electric Robert Griffin III

Welcome to Pittsburgh

Washington Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III has competed more than 70 percent of his pass attempts this year.

Darting and juking like Electric Jello in shoes, Griffin is quick, elusive and routinely flashes legitimate high-end track sprinter's speed.

He can throw the deep ball accurately.  He doesn't throw many interceptions.  He is poised, calm, passionate, exciting, humble, personable, likeable.  He provides a beacon of hope for Washington Redskins fans.

The Blast Furnace

Not this Sunday! 
Not on the slow quagmire of  Heinz Field.  Not in his second consecutive road game, which, for some reason typically takes a toll on young teams just finding their way.  And not against Dick LeBeau's defensive schemes, whatever they may be on Sunday.

To be fair, Griffin has a pretty fair coach on his side in Mike Shanahan, and he has a strong running game behind him, too.  Shanahan has always been the master of zone blocking schemes that turned obscure late-round running backs into stars, and this year is no different with rookie Alfred Morris, a sixth-rounder out of Florida Atlantic University.  And Shanahan has resurrected old-school, 1950s-style option offensive schemes designed to give Griffin room to run, improvise and flourish.  Call it the Run 'n Fun.

Unleash the Dogs of Black 'n Gold

The Redskins have a good team this year, even though their record is only 3-4.  They could win the game on Sunday vs. the Steelers.  Joey Porter's Pit Bulls says they won't.

The Steelers have looked eminently beatable this year, but this is the kind of game the Steelers win.  This is the time of year the Steelers forge their identity.  Their find their resolve.  The game on Sunday could turn into a shootout, or it could be ground 'n pound.  Either way, it should be fun, and full of surprises. 

On a Less Sanguine Note ...

The Honorable Presiding Judge Donna Jo McDaniel was scheduled to preside over the preliminary hearing for Steelers nose tackle Alameda Ta'amu on Tuesday -- just the first step in a long, arduous legal process wherein he faces five felony charges and 10 misdemeanor counts stemming from his alleged actions at about 2:30 a.m., Sunday,  Oct. 14.

It takes a "Plam" reader to know what might happen next.

Ta'amu remains suspended from the team for about another week, which gives the Steelers time to figure out their next step.  We didn't learn anything of consequence from Coach Mike Tomlin's weekly news conference today, but last Tuesday, he said "there are other ramifications" that he is "not at liberty to discuss."  Whatever that means.

Maybe Ta'amu serves the two-game suspension and ... what? Returns to practice? Will he really contribute to the team?   Does anybody really think Ta'amu's mind will be on football X's and O's anytime soon? Is he going to immerse himself in film study and learning the playbook?

It's impossible to predict, but we wouldn't be surprised if the team extends the suspension, based on the outcome of today's legal proceedings.  We have to wait and see.

All's Well That Ends Well: The Steelers Win in Bungle Land

Divine intervention is needed, and always welcome.

Somehow, some way, the Steelers prevailed. With their 24-17 win over the Bengals, the Black 'n Gold are now 10-1 in their past 11 games in Cincinnati.

As much as Joey Porter's Pit Bulls prefer to accentuate the positives, let's start with the negatives because that's how the Steelers started.  In the first half Sunday night in Cincinnati, the Steelers dug a hole that looked like a grave they wouldn't escape.  They started early, and they kept after it with mistake after mistake.

What was more maddening?

• Mike Wallace's first drop that would have secured a first down but instead squelched a TD drive?  
• Mike Wallace's second drop?   His third drop, which would have been a touchdown? 
• Larry Foote's dropped interception on the Bengals' second offensive play?  
• Baron Batch's embarrassing scissors-hand drop of a sure touchdown via Antonio Brown's near-perfect pass off an end-around?
• Roethlisberger's slightly overthrown interception of Heath Miller, who was quadruple-covered because everyone in the stadium knew Roethlisberger goes to him the red zone?  
• Roethlisberger's fumble in the very next possession?
• The special teams penalties by Stevenson Sylvester, DeMarcus Van Dyke, Baron Batch and Ike Taylor?
• The ever-smarmy and smirking Cris Collinsworth, an ex-Bengal, as the color announcer on NBC?  

Despite the win, we're worried, too, Sister.

Or, how about this:  The near-complete ineffectiveness of the defensive line on the Bengals' first drive, as manifested early on by Cincy's running game incessantly pounding Ziggy Hood's side of the line. To be fair, the Zigster later batted down a pass and seemed to play better as the game wore on.

And how about Wallace's drops?  Wallace was targeted 15 times and had eight catches (for a mere 52 yards), but four drops.  If Wallace is playing for a contract, and he is, he didn't do himself any favors last night.

Nevertheless, the Steelers managed a 14-14 tie at halftime, somehow, miraculously, and we're all thinking, "How did they end up tied?"  The second half continued to produce hilarity, hijinks, shenanigans, and tomfoolery -- yet, somehow, by the end of the game, the Steelers had a 24-17 win.

Looking at the Positives
Antonio Brown played sparklingly well, all night long.  Lamarr Woodley had a first-half interception that reversed the tide.  Heath Miller was clutch, as always, and the player of the game.  Jonathan Dwyer ran hard for 122 yards.  The patchwork offensive line did a generally good job.  Ike Taylor and company limited A.J. Green to just one catch for six yards, Andrew Hawkins to just two catches for 17 yards, and Jermaine Grisham to just three catches for 19 yards.  Ben Roethlisberger kept his cool, staying sharp and accurate despite the dropped catches. Finally, the Steelers had a significant time-of-possession advantage: 37:30 to 22:30 for the Bengals, who have lost three games in a row now and are in third place, behind the Steelers.

The Steelers will need to play better next week at Heinz Field vs. an up-and-coming Washington Redskins team led by the electric Robert Griffin III. 

Sunday Game Night in Cincinnati: Home, home on the Road

Antonio Brown returned a punt for a TD last Nov. 13 at Paul Brown Stadium

According to WLWT-TV News 5 in Cincinnati, Steelers fans began streaming into parking lots at Paul Brown Stadium and tailgating early this morning.  They should be in fine shape by this evening's kickoff at 8:20 p.m.   

For many Steelers fans, the trip to Cincinnati has become an annual pilgrimage -- and a source of profound embarrassment for the Cincinnati Bengals, their players and fans, and the Brown family ownership and management team.

Hordes of Black 'n Gold-clad fans take over Paul Brown Stadium every year -- to the point that Cincinnati TV stations make it a news story and local newspaper columnists decry the annual invasion of Pittsburgh faithful.  Well, to that, we say, "It's not our fault the Bengals can't sell out their own stadium."  

Can you imagine Pittsburgh television stations making a news story out of the descent of hordes of fans from a visiting team?  No.

Home Field Advantage for the Steelers?
For all that, we wonder:  Will it matter on Sunday night that the Steelers are 9-1 in Cincinnati over the past 10 years?  The Steelers have lost all three games on the road this season, and they were shaky on the road last season, too, even when they won.

A.J. Green's TD catch last year in Cincinnati.

The Steelers' last visit to Cincinnati, Nov. 13, 2011, produced a narrow, last-minute win. William Gay was the defensive star of the game. Not only did he break up four passes, including one deflection that went to Lawrence Timmons for an interception, but Gay's interception late in the fourth quarter stopped a Bengals drive deep in Steelers territory and sealed the win.

Remember that game?  Not to pick on Troy Polamalu, of all people, but he had a tough day. He looked lost on A.J. Green's leaping touchdown catch in the first quarter. Bengals' receiver Andrew Hawkins was a handful, and at one point, Polamaul reportedly told his coaches to change the defensive schemes to give him something he could sit on.  And Polamalu won't even play tonight. Look out.

Expect to see beaucoup throws in the direction of A.J. Green, Andrew Hawkins and Jermaine Grisham.   The Bengals' running game has been ineffective all season, and the Steelers' defense has struggled to mount a much of a pass rush, defend the pass or, you know, actually make an interception.

Defeat Cin
Having said all that, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls remain optimistic the Steelers will prevail.

If we're not mistaken, no Steelers' team under head coach Mike Tomlin has gone two games under .500.  That's not going to happen tonight.  The Steelers will not slip to 2-4.  After all, these are the Bungles.  And the Steelers have home-field advantage.

What do we know about the Bengals?

What are we to make of the 2012 Cincinnati Bengals?

Sunday night's nationally televised game at home vs. the Steelers is a must-win game for Cincinnati (funny, it's also a must-win game for the Steelers, although nobody associated with the Steelers will say that).   

With a 3-3 record, the Bengals have lost their past two games (vs. Cleveland and Miami) and already have two losses in the AFC North  Division (vs. Baltimore and Cleveland). 

Andy Dalton is Tony Romo Lite
Quarterback Andy Dalton has been up-and-down, on and off.  He's completed 66.2% of his passes, but ... Under his leadership, the Bengals rank dead-last in the NFL in converting third-down opportunities, with just 26.7% converted.  Worse, Dalton has thrown nine interceptions (nine!).  Worse yet, he's tossed costly interceptions at key points -- including a pick-six that led directly to Cincinnati's loss in Cleveland last Sunday.  Dalton has lost two fumbles this season and been sacked 17 times.

This season, Dalton has been Tony Romo Lite. When he's good, he's pretty darn good.  He makes glaring mistakes at inopportune times, however, and when he plays poorly, he's very bad indeed.

Triple Trouble at Receiver

Troy Polamalu had trouble with Andrew Hawkins last year.

A.J. Green is about as good a receiver as there is in the NFL right now.  He's trouble.  Andrew Hawkins (who could have been a Steeler) is a fast, slippery and dangerous receiver out of the slot.  Jermaine Grisham is a big, fast tight end who is going to be a handful for whomever matches up against him (Lawrence Timmons?).

The Bengals don't have much of a running game this year.  Two backups who have hurt the Steelers in years past, Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard, are injured and will miss Sunday's game.  Starter BenJarvus Green-Ellis ("The La Firm") who was signed as a free agent from the Patriots during the off-season, has been largely ineffective. He has fumbled three times (losing two of them), after having never fumbled in four previous seasons in the NFL.

On Defense, Lots of Talent but Spotty Results
The Bengals's defense ranks just 22nd in the NFL in points allowed but have several players who could start for the Steelers right now.

Big Ben, getting sacked last Nov. 13 

Defensive tackle Geno Atkins (6'1, 300), a third-year pro out of Georgia, is a force in the middle and, with six sacks this year, is playing at a Pro Bowl level.  He provides a consistent push up the middle that the Steelers' nose tackles haven't shown much this year.

Fellow tackle Domata Peko (6'3", 322), a favorite of Joey Porter's Pit Bulls, is mobile, fierce and relentless.  The Bengals defensive ends, Michael Johnson (6'7, 270) and Carlos Dunlap (6'6", 280), are more-than-capable pass rushers.

Their linebackers are so-so, but ...

Seven (!) First-round Picks in the Secondary
Cincinnati's secondary has a lot of veteran talent and is loaded with first-round draft picks -- seven first-rounders, including all of their cornerbacks.  Their pedigree, however, doesn't guarantee they always play well.  Notables include:

1. First-round safety Reggie Nelson (a six-year veteran who can really hit) 
2. First-round corner Leon Hall (a six-year veteran back from the torn Achilles that ended his 2011 season and put him on injured reserve last Nov. 13 vs. the Steelers)
3. First-round corner Nate Clements (a 12-year veteran who started the first two games at corner and the last two games at strong safety)
4. First-round corner Terence Newman (a 10-year veteran who played with the Cowboys until this year)
5. First-round corner Dre Kirkpatrick (this year's first-round draft pick who may make his rookie debut after being sidelined with a knee injury and tendinitis since training camp)
6. First-round corner and notorious trouble-maker Adam "PacMan" Jones (now a backup and occasional punt returner)
7. First-round corner Jason Allen (a seven-year veteran out of Tennessee)
8. Second-round pick Taylor Mays (a third-year veteran out of Southern Cal)
9. Safety Chris Crocker (a 10-year veteran who knows what he's doing).

That's pretty much what we know about the Bengals.  That, and we know longtime head coach Marvin Lewis pretty well. Oh, and we're happy to report that former Ben-Gals cheerleader Sarah Jones "adores her teen boyfriend."

A Lot Can Happen in Two Weeks

The Steelers' two-week suspension of Alameda Ta'amu buys time for the Steelers to decide what to do next.  The two-week window spans the next date on the court calendar for Mr. Ta'amu: Tuesday, Oct. 23 -- his preliminary hearing before The Honorable Presiding Judge Donna Jo McDaniel -- just the first step in a long, arduous legal process.

Indeed, head coach Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday that "there are other ramifications" that he is "not at liberty to discuss."

Whatever happens next, with five felony charges and 10 misdemeanor counts hanging over his head, does anybody really think Ta'amu's mind will be on football X's and O's anytime soon?  Is he going to immerse himself in film study and learning the playbook?  No doubt, he wishes that's what he'd been doing last Saturday night.

Ta'amu's prospects for a bright, promising, productive fun and lucrative NFL career are now secondary to his considerable legal troubles -- by a long measure.  He's in BIG trouble.

Maybe the Steelers should bring in Gabe Rivera to speak to the players every training camp.  Rivera was the defensive tackle the Steelers drafted in the first round instead of Dan Marino.  His rookie year, Rivera was paralyzed in a DUI crash.  He's in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

A Slap on the Wrist?
Maybe the Steelers are in wait-and-see mode on Ta'amu. Maybe not.  Maybe he serves the two-game suspension and ... what?  Returns to practice?  Will he really contribute to the team?

All we can do is wait and see what happens after next Tuesday's preliminary hearing.  The Steelers could extend the extension or cut him.  Neither seems likely.  At this point, we have to take the Steelers' two-game suspension at face value.  If he returns to the team, however, more than a few people won't be happy.

Beaver County Times columnist Mike Bires is one of them, as noted in this column.

The 2012 defense? Shades of Keith Gary, Delton Hall, etc.

Mean Joe Greene wouldn't put up with this nonsense.

If there's anything that disturbs Joey Porter's Pit Bulls about this edition of the Steelers, it's the defense. 

What's more distressing, dismaying, digusting? 

The defensive line getting pushed around?

The lackluster play of the linebackers?

The secondary's inability to hold onto interceptions?

Nothing like Mean Joe and Jack Splat
All of the above evoke memories of the mid-1980s edition featuring the likes of  Keith Gary and Darryl Sims at defensive end (Ziggy Hood and Cameron Heyward); Delton Hall at cornerback (Keenan Lewis), and Eric Williams at safety (Ryan Mundy).  That mid-1980s defense got labeled "soft" at one point, and that's not a label any defense wants to have.


Jack Lambert can't be happy.

On Thursday night in Tennessee the defensive line got pushed around on running plays.  It happened in the Jets game, too, and it is a pattern.  Getting pushed back three and four yards -- across the entire line -- is even more disturbing than lack of a consistent pass rush. 

Ziggy Hood and Cameron Heyward have been nearly invisible, although (like Keith Gary and Darryl Sims), they were first-round draft choices.  We need more from them.

Joe Starkey from 93.7 The Fan wrote on Friday:

""Zero" Hood -- or is it "Zip-py" Hood -- had as many tackles as you, me and Sally Wiggin last night.

"That's right, Hood played the majority of the game and not only recorded ZERO tackles but had ZERO assists. That's hard to do. Don't you have to at least fall on top of a pile? Al Woods had an assist, for goodness sake. Chris Rainey had an assist on a special teams tackle. The only notable thing Hood did all night was stage ridiculous flop, trying for a call, after Larry Foote forced a fumble. I wonder if Kevin Colbert and Co. would like to have that first-round pick back."

 

Dale Lolley of the Observer-Reporter, wrote:

 

"The Steelers actually found a way to make Chris Johnson look like something other than a Milli Vanilli castoff.
 

"Johnson averaged 4.8 yards per carry against this once-vaunted defense, with a long run of 13 yards.  That tells you exactly how effective Johnson was.  He was consistently banging out five or so yards every carry."

 

Yeah.  Exactly.  Keith Gary and Darryl Sims might have done about as well.  That's the point.

Do you think this Steelers team can go 8-3 the rest of the way?

It's a fair question. The Steelers need to win eight of the remaining 11 games to finish with a record of 10-6, which may or may not get them into the playoffs.  Considering their play last night in Tennessee, winning eight of 11 games seems unlikely.  Ergo, the playoffs seem a remote possibility.  They already have three losses in the conference.  They haven't won a road game. 

At this point, 8-3 is a steep hill to climb, with a lot of injuries to overcome, and the Steelers haven't even played a divisional game against the Browns, Bengals and Ravens.  This could be a long, dry season.


The second-quarter blocked punt led to a touchdown.

Blunders, Turnovers, Injuries, Penalties and Plays Not Made

Before the game, we thought there was only one combination of factors that would cause the Steelers to lose this game:  Special teams blunders (such as a blocked punt) and turnovers (like a key interception leading to points just before the half).  Both happened. 

Yet, perhaps most crucially, the biggest reason for this loss was the defense failing to make plays when needed.  Non-play of the game, perhaps, occurred when Keenan Lewis flubbed a gift-wrapped interception by scissor-handing a softly thrown Matt Hasselbeck pass that hit him right between the numbers in the fourth quarter.  Clang.

That misplay kept alive an 80-yard touchdown drive by the Titans.  And the Titans ended the game with a slight time-of-possession advantage, which means the Steelers' defense couldn't get off the field when needed.  They simply didn't make enough plays; i.e., key stops and forced turnovers.

Question:  On the blocked punt, did Ryan Mundy, the personal protector lined up between the center and the punter, miss a block on the guy coming right up the middle? 

Maybe it wasn't Mundy's man to block, but we're getting tired of seeing Ryan Mundy miss tackles, chase receivers into the end zone and, now, possibly, miss a key block on special teams.  No doubt, the blocked punt was critical. It kept the Titans in the game, gave them a spark and led to seven points in a game decided by three.

Where are the Plays on Defense?
Just a side note here, but this is leading to a more relevant point about the Steelers' defense: Titans' defensive tackle Mike Martin was a guy who caught our eye at the NFL Combine, and Joey Porter's Pit Bulls wanted the Steelers to draft him.  To our untrained eye, he looked like a viable option in the second round.  Martin went to the Titans in the third round.   Not to say Mike Adams was a bad choice (although he whiffed on a Derrick Morgan sack), but Martin was a handful in this game.

Which is more than we can say about the Steelers defensive line, which was getting pushed back three and four yards on running plays. The whole line!  Watch the tape. 

 

It's never a good thing when your line gets pushed back repeatedly. This entire push of the defensive line has happened before this season, even in the Jets game, which was a win.  That's a trend, and it is a major area of concern.   What do you think is going to happen when we play Baltimore? 

We need more from Ziggy Hood, Cameron Heyward and Casey Hampton/Steve McClendon, as well as the linebackers, especially Jason Worilds. They're not the factor they need to be. They're not making plays; not enough plays, anyway.

Friday Morning Quarterback Second-Guessing

Why did the coaches "defer" on the opening kickoff?  You don't defer on the road. Not to a bad team with a horrible defense.  You take the kickoff, drive down the field, grab an early lead, and take the crowd out of it.

 

Coach Tomlin is being second-guessed for his decision to let Shaun Suisham attempt a 54-yard-field goal.  Fair enough, and not because Suisham's career-best long field goal was only 52 yards, but because it gave veteran QB Matt Hasselbeck a short field.  You know what happened next.  The Titans won the game.

 

Yet Another Question
Did anybody notice that Jonathan Dwyer was a healthy scratch for the second straight game?  Talk about getting marginalized.  Baron Batch looked good in limited play, though, and that is encouraging.  He protects the ball when he carries it (high up under his shoulder pads), and in the limited number of plays we saw Thursday night, he seems to have a knack for finding narrow creases, which he did on the touchdown.

Two more prime time (night) games to go, one against Baltimore at Heinz Field on Nov. 18, when the Steelers will wear their dreaded "Bumblebee Convict" throwback uniforms.  Ugh.  Something to look forward to.

Too many injuries: Maurkice Pouncey, Marcus Gilbert, Ramon Foster, Isaac Redman (knee), Rashard Mendenhall (achilles), Chris Carter and others.

We wonder what Beano Cook would have to say about this debacle. "It's a travesty."  Rest in peace, Beano.

Game Night in Nashville

Jimmie Rodgers: Maybe he can help the Titans on defense?

For the Steelers tonight, it will be just like going to the Grand Ole Opry.

Maybe not, aside from the notion of playing on the  proverbial "Big Stage" -- in this case, a nationally televised game in the NFL's maladjusted accommodation to a TV schedule designed to squeeze every possible dollar out of advertising revenue, audience demographics and data analytics.

Not much to get excited about tonight.

To say the Titans have struggled this season is an understatement: They won one game, surrendering 41 points to Detroit in the process, but their four losses have been lopsided losses -- by 21 points, 27 points, 24 points and 23 points.  Their defense has been shredded.

Yes, she's a Tennessee Titans cheerleader.

The Titans' offense hasn't been much better.  In Sunday's game vs. Minnesota, their star player, running back Chris Johnson, gained just 24 yards on 15 carries.  The Titans enter tonight's game with a backup quarterback, veteran Matt Hasselback, who may or may not have any game left.  We shall see. 

At least their special teams are good.  They have a nice stadium.  And nice-looking cheerleaders.

There's nothing special about this game.  Let's hope the Steelers get through this with a win and without injuries.

Troy Polamalu won't play, and Lamarr Woodley shouldn't play. You never know about road games on national television, however.  Maybe the Titans will somehow conjure up some sort of way to beat the Steelers.  It's not likely, but they have some good players, and ... and ... nah, it ain't gonna happen.

TV Prime Time?
Thanks in part to the TV Monster, the game's not the thing anymore; it's a contrived spectacle.  A Thursday night game is a weekly affair now in the NFL, so this game doesn't feel like a "special" event.

Nate Washington in Game 5, 2011, at Heinz Field.

The NFL "experience" has become diluted. This week's game has come up on us suddenly, with no time to digest Sunday's win over the Eagles. Tonight's game is simply a road game in a short week that, for the Steelers, happens to follow a bye week, with the next game not until the back end of the schedule a week from this Sunday -- making that one a Sunday night game, on the road, at Cincinnati.

It will be Week 8 before the Steelers have just their second 1 p.m. Sunday game of the season.  Week Eight.  Sunday games at one o'clock used to be the norm, something you could count on and look forward to. Now, they're the anomaly.

Well, let's just enjoy the game tonight, though it is a work night, a school night.  Come home with a win, Steelers.

Finally a Full-on Fullback

John Henry Johsnon, a Steelers great in the 1960s. 

It's good to have a fullback again.  Overlooked in the well-earned acclaim for Rashard Mendenhall is the encouraging play of the Steelers' Will Johnson, the bruising fullback who has quite a story of his own.

The fullback has been missing from the Steelers' offense for years.  Former offensive coordinator Bruce Arians doesn't believe in them, apparently, although tight end David Johnson occasionally assumed the fullback role by default, since the Steelers didn't carry a real fullback on the roster.

Now, with the arrival of new offensive coordinator Todd Haley this year, the Steelers have a fullback, Johnson.  On Sunday, his contributions as a blocking back were tangible, as Mendenhall got the Steelers' running game rolling again.  Plus, Johnson is likely to improve, as he continues to grow into the role and gain a better feel for blocking schemes, and the running backs get a feel for his advance blocks.

Another overlooked benefit: Johnson's strength as a blocker in pass protection.  The Steelers surrendered no sacks and allowed only three hurries on Sunday.  Granted, Willie Colon was flagged four times for holding, so there's that trade-off.  None of Colon's four holding calls, however, should obscure the value of Wilson's role as a blocking fullback.  He wasn't in on every pass play, of course, but he did a good job when he was on the field.

Will Johnson is no John Henry Johnson, but he is beginning to evoke memories of Dan Kreider.

What About Jonathan Dwyer? Odd Man Out?

Watching. Thinking

When Mike Tomlin was asked yesterday whether guard Willie Colon's four penalties on Sunday vs. the Eagles were a by-product of overly aggressive play, he replied by acknowledging that, yes, Colon is an aggressive player but that, "I'd rather say, 'Whoa!' than 'Sic-em!'"

That may have been the money quote from Coach Tomlin's press conference yesterday, and it sounds optimistic.  It suggests that, at the very least, guys like Colon don't need a kick in the pants to get motivated. 

Which brings us to Jonathan Dwyer, who was listed as inactive for the game on Sunday.  With the return of Rashard Mendenhall giving the Steelers five running backs (Mendenhall, Ike Redman, Chris Rainey, Baron Batch and Dwyer), might Dwyer eventually be the odd man out?  Keep in mind the Steelers are likely going to make a roster move on Friday, when tight end Wesleye Saunders is eligible to return from his four-game suspension and one-week roster exemption.

Considering that he was deactivated for Sunday's game, it appears Dwyer is fifth on the depth chart.  The Steelers might be questioning whether they even need him.

Jonathan Dwyer

Yes, it's unfair to speculate.  Any number of roster moves could be made, injuries happen, and there are other fringe players on the roster.  But the last we saw Dwyer, he was fumbling a hand-off in Oakland -- a second-quarter turnover that gave the ball to the Raiders at the Steelers' 30-yard line and put Oakland in position to tie the score at 14-14.  The Steelers lost.  Dwyer hasn't seen the ball since.

Ever since Dwyer's poor showing at the 2010 NFL Combine, he's been dogged by intermittent questions about his focus and commitment. Entering the Combine, he'd been projected as a potential first-round draft choice.  At the Combine, he appeared to be fat, slow and out of shape.  He fell to the sixth round. 

Since then, he's played well in spots.  He ran hard in Game 3 this year against the Jets. Last year, in Game 5 against the Tennessee Titans, Dwyer broke a 76-yard run on his way to compiling 107 yards.  Guess what?  It's Game 5 against the Tennessee Titans.  If Dwyer is inactive again on Thursday night, well, it should be interesting to see what happens on Friday.  Perhaps a trade?

An Ugly, Sloppy Win is a Win is a Win

Another costly fumble by Michael Vick.*

Does Michael Vick suck, or what?  Three fumbles, two lost fumbles, three sacks, misfired passes right and left, and little discernible leadership for a rudderless Eagles offense.  

Unfortunately, the Steelers' defense this year just isn't very good, and on offense, the Black 'n Gold settled for two field goals when touchdowns were needed to put some space between them and the Iggles.  The sloppy Steelers let the Eagles hang around and hang around, much like they did in Oakland last game, and the Philadelphians made a game of it.

The Steelers' nine penalties had more than a little to do with that, of course, so, Steelers, here's some advice: Enough with the penalties already!  You're not a good enough team to give away first downs and well more than a football field's length in yardage.  Willie Colon?  Four holding calls?  Thanks for nuthin'.

Yet another fumble.

Thank goodness Antonio Brown had a stellar game.  He ate up All-Money Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugah all day.  Rashard Mendenhall looked strong, nimble and sharp in his first game back from a torn ACL suffered only nine months ago.  Welcome back, Rashard.  And kudos to Lawrence Timmons for finally showing up and having his best game of the season, by far.

Lamarr Woodley injured his hamstring (not good), and Troy Polamalu aggravated his calf injury (not good).

A win is a win.  Having said that, the Steelers haven't proven they're very good this year.  This team looks ordinary team, at best. 

A good defense does not allow a fourth-quarter, 17-play, 79-yard drive with two fourth-down conversions, taking more than eight minutes and culminating in a lead-squandering touchdown.

We're happy the Steelers got the win, but we're not satisfied.  Then again, it could be worse:  Just look at Eagles' fans. 

*Photo credit:Vincent Pugliese, PResswire

What to make of the Eagles?

Welcome, Philadelphia Eagles fans.

What do we know about the 2012 Philadephia Eagles?  On the plus side for them, they're coming off a solid win against the New York Giants.  

Philadelphia's defense is good, very good, with a high-pressure pass rush and a tight-covering, ball-hawking secondary.  Edge: Eagles.

Their top running back, LeSean "Shady" McCoy is also very effective.  Their special teams are well-coached (Bobby April), so they may have an edge over the Steelers in that department.

Coda is watching.

On the negative side, however, their "field general" remains the over-hyped, over-rated Michael "Dog Killer" Vick, who is a convicted felon attempting to impersonate an NFL quarterback.

Setting aside the fact that Vick, at 32 years of age, is  still not a consistently good quarterback, Vick retains the image of a reptilean cretin; a slimy, self-centered, remorseless, loathsome blockhead without conscience; and an overpaid whiner.  

More relevant to Sunday's game at Heinz Field is this:  After approximately 10 years in the NFL and nearly two years in the federal prison system, Vick is simply not a particularly good quarterback.  Which is worse?  His inaccurate passing?  Or, the fact that he is skittish, brittle and turnover-prone?  Yeah.

What?  For Vick, you expected roses, bon-bons and bon mots from a blog named Joey Porter's Pit Bulls?

Raze the Jolly Roger

Jose Tabata struck out looking to end the 2012 season.

How appropriate that the Pirates 2012 season ended with Jose Tabata taking a called third strike.  Pheh. 

What an anticlimactic finish.  Even Greg Brown said the Braves were treating yesterday's game like a spring training game.

As Joe Starkey noted in a fine column this morning, the Pirates' second-half tailspin evoked memories of "Operation Shutdown."

So much for Zoltan.

Well, at least we fans survived the 2012 baseball season, albeit a little bruised, battered and wrung out.  Blah.  

It was exciting for a while and entertaining for the most part, in a perverse, typically Pirates way.  In the end, it was frustrating, maddening and disappointing.  The Pirates  managed to undo all the good will, optimism and hope they built up through the All-Star break.

If the Pirates had gone just two games under .500 since their high-water mark on August 8, when they were 16 games over .500 -- if the Pirates had compiled a record of just two games under .500 the rest of the way, they would have ended up with the same record as the Cardinals.  But no-o-o-o .... they had to become, well, the Pirates of the past 20 years, which is a large portion of our adult lives.  Yes, it's clear: Our generation is to blame.

One more lament: Why couldn't they have played more like the Oakland A's down the stretch?

As noted by the San Jose Mercury News, the A's, sparked by Pirates' castoff Brandon Moss, "became the first team in major league history to win a division after trailing by five games with less than 10 to play.  They're also the third team in history to win a division while spending exactly one day in sole possession of first place. That came Wednesday, the final day of the regular season, when they completed a 6-0 homestand and a three-game sweep of the Rangers.

"From June 2 on, the A's went a major league-best 72-38. ...Only four previous teams had trailed by 13 games at any point in the season and came back to win a division or pennant. ...It was fitting that Moss led the offensive attack with three RBIs. He provided one of those unexpected midseason jolts, getting promoted from the minors in June and hitting 21 homers."

20/20 Hindsight

Thanks for Nutting, Bob.

"Twenty years of losing, and they put you on the day shift."

To pair that paraphrase of Bob Dylan's famous line from "Subterranean Homesick Blues" with Chuck Noll's famous advice to some of his players that it's "Time to get on with their life's work," maybe it's time for more than a few members of the Pittsburgh Baseball Club to find new jobs.  And, yes, that would be you, Frank Coonelly, Neal Huntington, Kyle Stark and Greg Smith.  Just leave, please.  Resign.  Puhleaze.   It's time.  Time to get on with your life's work.

The same applies to any number of players, some of whom would go willingly.  No doubt, some players want to find new jobs but are bounds by "years of player control" to Bob Nutting's Seven Springs Wheeling Intelligencer-Fort Wayne News-Sentinel-Altoona Mirror-Daily Mining Gazette Clownfest. 

Double pee-yoo 20 times over!

If the events of this past week didn't put the entire 20 years into perfect symmetrical perspective, then maybe the next three games -- all, potentially, losses -- will put an emphatic exclamation mark on the season and, yes, these past 20 years.

The Post-Gazette does a nice job recapping the past 20 years, but just these past few days -- capped by yesterday's loss on Fan Appreciation Day, no less -- put a wonderfully ironic and aromatic skunk's tail of a bow on top of this pile of excrement.

There is no end in sight, however, and it just goes on and on, like a bad dream from which we fans cannot awake.

Playing the same old tune.

The fact is this:  What Bob Nutting said when he became principal owner five years ago still applies today:  

"There's really no change in how we're doing business," Mr. Nutting said.

How true.  How bitterly true.

At least we know what to expect next year.  No need to get our hopes up.  Again

Just one more question: What is an Intelligencer, anyway?