Animal Rescue League Dog of the Day

Spartacus!

Spartacus is 11 months old, a lttle shy (believe it or not), and he needs a home.
Spartacus proably needs a new name, too, given his sweet disposition.
He will make a loyal, trusting companion for any family.

If you'd like to inquire about Spartacus,
please email arldogs@yahoo.com.

Or, visit Spartacus in person (dog) at The Animal Rescue League of Western Pennsylvania,
located at Fifth and Hamilton in East Liberty/Shadyside/Point Breeze/Homewood
or whatever the realtors are calling my neighborhood these days.

It's Wednesday Already?

Wednesday's usually the day Steel Triangle starts evaluating and "game-planning" for the Steelers' next opponent. Since the Steelers played on Monday night however, and won in such emphatic! fashion, Steel Triangle continues to revel in the victory in the Mile High City.

So, we thought it our civic duty to share ...

Links:

Virginia Montanez over at That's Church offers an eminently worthwhile re-cap of her own personal experience watching the game, including her thoughts on Denver safety Brian Dawkins' pre-game histrionics ("This is OUR house! This is OUR house!!") and the big turnout by Steelers' fans at Denver's stadium:

"Steeler Nation cares not whose house you think it is. We will take it over and make it our own and we’ll even put our feet up on your coffee table and drink your beer and take a poop in your bathroom and not give a darn how stinky we make the room. THAT’S how comfortable we are in your house."

Woody Paige, Denver Post, also marvels at the number of Steelers' fans who were at Invesco Field and wonders "Whose stadium is this, anyway?"

One for the Other Thumb reviews some of the highlights and promised a re-cap, added here.

Lynn Zinser, New York Times, craps all over the "hoodie" sideline apparel choice favored by Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels and established by Bellichick himself. Ms. Zinser favors Mike Tomlin's look: "Now, we’ll have whatever Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin is wearing, please. If the master himself (Bellichick) loses to the Colts this weekend, the hoodie might find its way back to the clearance rack at Big Lots. And the fashion world will rejoice."

Post-game analysis from Romi Bean, cheerleader for the Denver Broncos. Love those chaps, by the way.

Nice Pick Cowher offers a nice re-cap of Monday night's game.

Alex Marvez, Fox Sports, says the Steelers are regaining their Super Bowl swagger and are the team no team "should want to face." Steel Triangle dissents, however, and believes the Cinci Bengals actually can't wait to face the Steelers on Sunday. Be careful what you wish for, Bengals.

Rocky Mountain Way High

There was so much to like about last night's thoroughly enjoyable 28-10 win over Denver.

• The win, of course, which raises the Steelers' record to 6-2 in anticipation of next Sunday's must-win game vs. Cincinnati at Heinz Field.
  

• The Steelers' fans, in their full black-and-gold glory, showing up by the tens of thousands at Denver's Invesco Field.
  

• The defense, which allowed only three points to Denver's offense.
  

• The big plays.
  

• The running game (Rashard Mendenhall and the offensive line).
  

• Big Ben Roethlisberger's passing and leadership, hand in hand with Hines Ward, Mike Wallace and Santonio Holmes shredding Denver's vaunted secondary.
  

• Tyrone Carter's performance and Ryan Clark's enthusiastic support on the sideline.

• The preparation and in-game adjustments by head coach Mike Tomlin, defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians.

And some of the HITS.

I'm trying to decide which was my favorite hit:

• Troy Polamula's explosive kamikaze tackle of Correll Buckhalter in the backfield.
• Daniel Sepulveda's (yup, punter Daniel Sepulveda) slam-bang of a tackle on a punt return along the sideline.
  
• Or James Harrison's near dcapitation of Correll Buchalter on Denver's final, "let's pad our stats" drive.

I think it was Harrison's hit on Buckhalter. It was emphatic, violent and basically said, "Don't even try that shit."

Steel Triangle wasn't too worried about this game, either beforehand or during the first half, when Denver seemed to hold the upper hand despite being down 7-3, thanks to Tyrone Carter's 49-yard interception return for a touchdown.

It was a game of two halves, even if the first half was a bit misleading.

• First half: The Steelers had 18 plays.
• Second half: The Steelers had 18 first downs.

Speaking of balance, the Steelers' offense rang up 29 passing plays and 29 running plays.

Before the game, I figured, "Give a bye week to Dick Lebeau, Bruce Arians and Mike Tomlin. Factor in Kyle Orton's inability or unwillingness to throw deep, and I like our chances. A lot."

So, here we are, with a 6-2 record at the halfway point of the season.

Next up: Division-leading Cincinnati at Heinz Field. A must-win game.