Running With Scissors

In Sunday's edition of the Post-Gazette, Ed Bouchette offered the following tidbit about the Steelers' running game:

"Since 1970, when the NFL merged with the AFL, the Steelers have more yards rushing than any other team -- 87,624. The Cowboys are second, 5,000 yards behind. The Steelers also have more yards rushing than any other team since 1992, when Bill Cowher took over and rediscovered their running game. And even with the presence for most of the past decade of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers still rank third in this century in rushing yards with 22,884, a mere 502 behind leader Denver.”

That's interesting, even if we don't know what it signifies, if anything. One thing for sure: Those stats cannot be dismissed as a "small sample size."

As noted here shortly after Super Bowl XLV, although Joey Porter’s Pit Bulls were uncharacteristically sanguine about the game, one question still bristles in the “woulda, shoulda, coulda” department. And that is, why did the Steelers seem to take so long to even try to run the ball on consecutive plays? … against the league’s 18th-rated defense???

Yeah, the Packers won. The Packers played the better game. The Steelers lost. Blah, blah. The Steelers made too many mistakes, including (maybe especially) Mendenhall’s fumble on, yes, a running play.

Still … you can’t help but wonder, what if the Steelers had tried to run the ball consistently, emphatically, from the get-go. Woulda, coulda, shoulda.

We’re mostly over the loss, but it still rankles. We’re still wondering what might have been, and we’re still haunted by that one play that never did happen on that last, desperate drive (and, by that time, forget about the run).

One such useless, wayward thought occurred last night while watching a bit of the NFL Network’s “Greatest Games” program, this one featuring the classic playoff game between the Miami Dolphins of Dan Marino and the San Diego Chargers of Dan Fouts in the 1980s. Among the many highlights of that game, one still stands out:

The Dolphins resorted to an old playground trick, the hook-and-ladder, to spring one startling, totally inspired touchdown that made you sit up and take notice and, yes, we can’t help but wonder … “Damn! That worked beautifully. What if the Steelers had tried the hook-and-ladder on that last drive? It coulda worked. Yeah, suuure …”

Coulda, shoulda, woulda. Just like trying to establish the run.

Well. It’s over.

Time to move forward. The NFL Scouting Combine starts on Thursday, and that will be an interesting diversion for a few days, and then the draft (we’re assuming there will be some sort of collective bargaining agreement and a 2011 season).

As for the Super Bowl, we’re over it. Mostly.

As Charles Barkley once said, “If ifs and buts were beer and nuts, we’d have a hell of a party!”

______________________________________

Note: The above photo of John Henry Johnson is courtesy of this site, UK Black and Gold, which states that it appeared originally in a Steelers game program for a match-up at Pitt Stadium vs. the Cleveland Browns, Oct. 28, 1962. Joey Porter’s Pit Bulls have no particular reason for including this photo, other than we like it ... and, possibly, to suggest that, yes, lest we forget, the running game in today's NFL still can be dangerous -- kind of like running running with scissors.

A Valentine's Day Love Song: "I'll Kiss a Pit Bull"

With Valentine's Day upon us, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls thought we'd share an appropriate song for the occasion: "I'll Kiss a Pit Bull."

Performed by Mem Shannon, New Orleans bluesman and taxi driver, this tender little ditty probably goes well with a candlelit dinner.

Oh, well.

It's a good song, with a good title, one that gets your attention. We all know, in any case, our four-legged friends are likely to kiss first.

Joey Porter's Pit Bulls try to be neutral about Valentine's Day, and at least we try to resist the temptation to be snarky.

Valentine's Day is fine for other people, but that's just it: Valentine's Day is for other people.

We're neutral because: One, if you're in a relationship, you're obligated to make the day especially special (not to be redundant). And, two, if you're not in a relationship, you feel like a loser. Either way, you can't win.

Oh, and another thing: Thinking of going out to dinner? Bad idea. Valentine's Day and Mother's Day probably argue with each other over which rates as the worst day of the year to go to a restaurant.

And, please, spare us the treacly, sappy television commercials for crappy jewelry from the likes of Kay Jewelers, Jared, Zale's, etcetera, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.

All of which leaves us rather uninspired about the whole concept of Valentine's Day, which we suspect is a glorified excuse to drum up business for greeting card companies, chocolate confectioners, jewelry purveyors and, naturally, florists. It's amazing, isn't it, how flower prices prices are sky-high one day, and back to earth the next.

For all that, we do try to avoid snide, snarky sarcasm (and how's that for alliteration?).

If Valentine's Day enriches some relationships and enhances meaning for some couples, well, good for them. Whatever works.

We're neutral. We're Switzerland.

Meantime, this calls to mind our only previous Valentine's Day post on this here blog. Here's an excerpt:

Valentine’s Day was always for other people, anyway. For me, it was usually the day I was reminded that other people do, in fact, actually do that sort of thing — but only when I’d walk into my favorite neighborhood cocktail lounge, Le Mardi Gras, in the early evening and see couples canoodling while they waited for their reservations to be called at the overpriced, overcrowded restaurant next door.

“Who are these annoying people? What are they doing here?", I'd wonder, and then I'd remember, "Oh, yeah, it’s Valentine’s Day.”

And then I’d go over to the jukebox and play “Dead Flowers” by The Stones.

____________________________________________________

A Mixed Bag of Suggested Listening for Your Valentine's Day

First, a tip 'o the hat to Wrett Weatherspoon, host of the Big Town Blues show at WYEP-FM, for turning us on to Mem Shannon's "I'll Kiss a Pit Bull."

On to the music. Put on a blindfold, throw a dart, and you'll surely find something to suit your mood this Valentine's Day ... happy, wistful, ebullient, brokenhearted, contented, sentimental, or just ready to move on.

Some people swear by Barry White. Some prefer The Velvet Fog (Mel Torme) and some, The Velvet Underground. Still others find inspiration or comfort in the likes of Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Joni Mitchell, Burt Bacharach & Hal David, Frank Sinatra, Lucinda Williams, Henry Mancini, Al Green, Bonnie Raitt, Dinah Washington, Etta James, and a multitude of others.

The following set should contain something to stir your sipstraw. A little something for everyone. A mixed bag. Just like life.

• "A Song for You" -- Leon Russell
• "It Makes No Difference" -- The Band
• "Save Room" -- John Legend
• "Leavin' On Your Mind" -- Patsy Cline
• "Are You All Right" -- Lucinda Williams
• "Unforgettable" -- Nat King Cole
• "I've Got Dreams to Remember" -- Otis Redding
• "I'm Gonna Forget About You" -- Billy Price
• "You Ought To Be With Me" -- Al Green
• "In a Sentimental Mood" -- Duke Ellington & John Coltrane
• "Thank You" -- Bonnie Raitt
• "Thank You Too" -- My Morning Jacket
• "You Don't Know Me" -- Ray Charles, or the cover by Maceo Parker
• "That's How It Is" -- Billy Price and Otis Clay
• "At Last" -- Etta James
• "Tired of Being Alone" -- Al Green
• "Love Has No Pride" -- Bonnie Raitt
• "I Still Miss Someone" -- Johnny Cash
• "Have a Little Faith In Me" -- John Hiatt
• "It's Your Turn to Cry" -- Billy Price
• "Lean on Me" -- Bill Withers
• "I'm Still In Love With You" -- Al Green
• "I Wonder" -- Robert Cray
• "Glad It's Over" -- Wilco
• "Still I Long for Your Kiss" -- Lucinda Williams
• "A Case of You" -- Joni Mitchell
• "Walk on By" -- Isaac Hayes
• "It Ain't Me" -- Bob Dylan's classic covered here by June Carter and Johnny Cash
• "When I Fall in Love" -- Nat King Cole
• "Still Got the Blues for You" -- Gary Moore
• "The Thrill Is Gone" -- B.B. King
• "The Shadow of Your Smile" -- Tony Bennett
• "I Believe When I Fall in Love (It Will Be Forever)" -- Stevie Wonder
• "You Blew It Baby" -- John Lee Hooker Jr.
• "Mood Indigo" -- Charles Mingus
• "This Guy's In Love With You" -- Herb Alpert
• "To Love Somebody" -- Little Milton
• "I Can't Quit Her" -- Blood Sweat & Tears led by Al Kooper
• "Sail Away" -- David Gray
• "Ain't No Sunshine" -- Bill Withers
• "Today" -- Jefferson Airplane
• "A Rainy Night in Georgia" -- Little Milton
• "That Sunday, That Summer" -- Nat King Cole
• "Ruler of My Heart" -- by Irma Thomas
• "Leaving New York" -- R.E.M.
• "True Love" -- Rosemary Clooney & Bing Crosby
• "Sentimental Lady" -- Fleetwood Mac
• "Please Forgive Me" -- David Gray
• "Urge for Going" -- Joni Mitchell
• "Comin' Back to Me" -- Jefferson Airplane
• "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" -- Bob Dylan, covered by Johnny Cash
• "L.O.V.E." -- Nat King Cole
• "Girl From the North Country" -- Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash
• "Be Mine" -- David Gray
• "Let's Stay Together" -- Al Green
• "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" by Al Kooper
• "The One I Love" -- David Gray
• "Essence" -- Lucinda Williams
• "A Good Day for the Blues" -- Ruth Brown
• "Diamonds & Rust" -- Joan Baez
• "When the Stars Go Blue" -- Ryan Adams
• "In my Time of Need" -- sung by Joan Baez, covering Ryan Adams 

And, finally, one last song for closing time ...

• "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)" -- You can't go wrong with either Billie Holiday's version or Frank Sinatra's version of this classic composed by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer.

With a Valentine's music set like that, you just can't go wrong. Even if you did.

Postscript: As noted in a previous post, great Blues music always serves as an effective antidote to The Blues. We've also recommended listening to just about anything by any number of Pittsburghers (such as Billy Price, for instance) and any of the numerous jazz greats born and raised in The Burgh, including Ahmad Jamal, Art Blakey, Billy Eckstine, Stanley Turrentine, Roy Eldridge, George Benson, Billy Strayhorn, Earl "Fatha" Hines, Mary Lou Williams, Benny Benack, Errol Garner, Kenny Clarke, Gene Ludwig,and others.

In the News ...

Now that football season is over, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls thought we'd see what else is going on in the world. It's confusing. And complicated. Here are some headlines from a quick scan of this morning's news:

Crooksville to cut positions; realign schools

• This town, Crooksville, Ohio, sounds like a nasty place. Too many crooks. You just can't trust fans of the Browns or Bengals.
  

Prehistoric Cemetery Reveals Man and Fox Were Pals

• Have you seen Megan Fox? That's her in the photo above. And, yeah, we'd be pals with her, too, so to speak.

Making the L-Word Real After the Big-D

• For some reason, this headline caught our eye, mainly because it seemed like some sort of code for something we know nothing about. Which is true. This op/ed column in The Huffington Post is written by a woman, Candace Walsh, whose lead line is, "If only I were a lesbian." Whatever works for you. Immediate tune-out for us, although a friend once joked he was considering a sex-change operation so he could become a lesbian and meet more women. Hey, Megan Fox is out there somewhere ...

Smartphone Sins: Catholic Bishop Approves Confession by iPhone

• This can be interpreted so many ways: Does this mean confession can be exculpatory, even if you're committing sin by iPhone? With Megan Fox? No, that can't be it.

Report: iPhone 5 Will be 'Completely Redesigned'

• Of course it will. The newest iteration supposedly will be available in June, in line with Apple's regular, predictable-as-phases-of-the-moon release cycle. So, if you want to go to confession with your iPhone, you may just have to wait. And, we must ask, just why should we rush out to buy the arguably obsolete version of the iPhone to be made available next week, finally, by Verizon Wireless and Apple? Besides which, there's no evidence yet that the Verizon Wireless network can even broadly support the iPhone 4, or are we mistaken.
  

Experts warn of 'Death by GPS' as more people visit remote wilderness

• Something else to worry about. This story reports how a growing number of people using vehicles with GPS devices are getting lost in the desert, woods and other remote locations -- where there is no GPS tracking or cell phone coverage. Idiots. There should be a "GPS Users Lost and Found" where relatives can find these people. Or something.

Pirates Seize Greek Tanker off the Coast of Oman

• Apparently the Pittsburgh Baseball Club continues to explore creative ways to find talent. Spring training is just around the corner!

The Tea Party Is Revolting

• Nice double-entrendre. At first glance early this morning, though, this headline played a trick on our eyes and seemed to say, "Tea Bag Party Is Revolting," which really would be disgusting. But this turns out to be a "man bites dog story" and not really news at all, except to certain folks in the Republican Party and at Fox News.

So-called real-world news can be so confusing, tedious and depressing. When does football season start again? What? There's a simmering labor dispute?

As Charlie Brown would say, "Sigh."

It's Our Fault the Steelers Lost the Super Bowl

It's all our fault.

We're guilty. It is Joey Porter's Pit Bulls' fault that the Steelers lost Super Bowl XLV.

First, we were born, baptized and confirmed Catholic. Roman Catholic. In England, that gets you asked, "You're Roman, aren't you, eh?"

After responding, reasonably, "What?', and wondering for a baffled moment what the hell this Cockney moron is talking about (Roman gladiators?), it dawns on you. "Oh, you mean Roman Catholic? Huh. Does it matter?"

But we digress. Those of us born, baptized and confirmed Catholic know we're guilty. We carry it around with us like a, well, a ... can't say it.

But we're guilty. It's our fault. If we had stuck to the same formula for success that won critical games during the regular season and two playoff games vs. the Ravens and Jets, the Steelers would have rallied to beat the Green Bay Packers.

It's complicated.

It all started with the color green. First, green was the color of the priest's vestments at Mass, and that means green vestments are worn by every priest at every Mass all across the Catholic universe -- if you doubt this, you can check any Catholic calendar. It's right there, in small letters at the bottom of the little block for Sunday, Feb. 6: "Green."

This was a concern from the get-go. Well, not the Get-Go, but you'd have to live in Pittsburgh to get that.

Second, our dog-walking jacket is green. That's the lucky jacket we wore on the days the Steelers beat the Ravens and then the Jets. It worked then, so why change? Green, however, is also the predominant color of, you guessed it, the Green Bay Packers, who wear green and gold.

After some considerable waffling -- the black jacket or the lucky green jacket? ... and after having actually donned the black jacket at home and then thinking, no, the green jacket has been effective, even against the green-clad Jets ("Gang Green") -- we decided to stay with the green jacket, albeit with some misgivings.

So, a bit later, walking along Hamilton Avenue with a black pit bull who was wearing a Steeler bandana no less, some cat in his car at the red light rolled down his window to yell out, "That better not be green and gold I see you wearing."

As a matter of fact it was: Green jacket complemented by a Steelers scarf and Steelers cap, both of which, naturally, are black and gold. Unless the idiot in the car didn't happen to notice the Steelers logo on the cap and scarf, he was willfully giving us a hard time just for the hell of it. And he kept woofing despite our protestations of Steeler loyalty. Any coward can yell from a car. Jerk.

Samson wanted a piece of him, but restraint seemed the better course that early in the day. If it had been later, however, after the game, the dude would have had to roll up the window pronto.

Green also happens to be the color of our lucky socks, which we wear only for Steelers games (and on St, Patrick's Day, of course). These socks work. They are infallible.

But did we forget to wear our lucky socks? Yes. Shamefully, unbelievably, yes, we forgot to wear the lucky socks. On Super Sunday. Of all days.

To compund our guilt, we also forgot to wear our lucky "Yoi!" shirt displaying the the picture of Myron Cope. That's the shirt that won the Ravens game, when we changed into it at halftime. That shirt triggered the Steelers' second-half comeback and ultimate triumph over Baltimore.

During the Super Bowl, however, by the time we realized we'd forgotten to wear Myron's shirt, the Steelers were already down by a halftime score of 21-3. Too much to overcome with too little, too late.

It gets worse.

For us Catholics, apparently it's not enough just to have a Black 'n Gold Steeler Rosary. You must actually say the Rosary. Which entails kneeling down and, you know, actually praying all the way through the Rosary, which takes about 45 minutes. Did we do that? We must confess, no.

So, you see, it really is our fault. We're guilty. It's because of Joey Porter's Pit Bulls that the Steelers lost the Super Bowl. Guilty is, as guilty does.

Well, at least we have St. Patrick's Day to look forward to.

And the Penguins!

Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda ...

Ugh.

Less than 48 hours separate Steeler Nation from the defeat in Super Bowl XLV, and it still stings.

The Packers won. The Packers played the better game. The Steelers lost. The Steelers made too many mistakes. That's all there is to it.

No whining, griping or sniping here. Except to wonder why the Steelers didn't try to run the ball more -- did they wait until the third quarter to run the ball on consecutive plays? That's no way to establish the running game -- especially against the NFL's 18th-rated rushing defense!

Because the Packers scored first and had that big lead at halftime, it didn't feel like a close game. But it was. Six points. A one-score game. At the beginning of that last possession, we tried to visualize Big Ben connecting with Mike Wallace wham full-speed on a sudden crossing pattern with Wallace sprinting into the end zone.

It didn't happen, but they've done that very play this season. If they'd been able to connect this time, it woulda, coulda, shoulda been game, set, match.

One play. Seven points. That's all it would have taken.

But they didn't get it done, and that's that. No griping, sniping or whining here. The Packers made the plays, and the Steelers didn't. Simple as that.

Congratulations to the Packers and their fans, and congrats especially to head coach Mike McCarthy, a Pittsburgh guy from Greenfield.

Having known a bunch of guys from Greenfield, well, let's just say they're a tough lot. And that's being polite.

If any team besides the Steelers were going to win the Super Bowl, at least it was led by a Pittsburgh guy from Greenfield. Now, having got THAT out of the way and feeling nearly nauseated writing it, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls must comment on a couple of things related to the event itself, not the game.

The "Jones Mahal" Debacle
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones must be very proud. Yeah, right. Sheesh.

He built a billion-dollar palatial stadium, a colossus many mainstream media have dubbed "The Jones Mahal" because it was built on ego as much as anything else. The stadium also clearly was intended to be the crown jewel in Jones's "legacy" and just as clearly was built for the express purpose of hosting this Super Bowl with the Dallas Cowboys as the host team.

What an achievement this would be! Power! On display for all to see! Oh, the glory, and it's all about me, me, me ...

Instead, Jones's Cowboys stumbled through a miserable, losing season; fired their coach midway through the year; failed to come close to making the playoffs; sustained withering criticism from local and national media; and, then, finally, the entire Dallas-Forth Worth Metroplex had to watch in suffering, torment and envy as the rival Steelers and Packers stormed through the playoffs and made it to the Super Bowl. "Dang, it shoulda been the Cowboys!"

As if to add insult to misery, Dallas fans had to endure the onslaught not just of Packers fans and Steeler Nation, but also a fluky weather system that slammed the Metroplex with frigid temperatures, nightmare ice storms and, finally, snow.

Calamities abounded: Flights into DFW were delayed or cancelled; local traffic paralyzed; fans stranded; and the media focused on all that was going wrong, which was just about everything.

Then, on the Friday before the Super Bowl, a torrent of snow cascaded off the roof of Jones Mahal and injured six people. Lawsuits coming!

And then, to top it all off before a national television audience shortly before kickoff, Jones's and the NFL's bald-faced, grubby stab at greedily trying to set an attendance record (in other words, collect as much money as possible by attempting to overbuild seating capacity and cram as many payng fans into the stadium as physically possible) backfired shamefully and disgracefully, as an estimated 2,000 fans, most of whom apparently were Steelers season-ticket holders, were turned away at the gates by direction of the Fire Marshall or some such bureaucrat that you would have thought would have been paid off long before game time.

These were legitimate ticket-holding fans -- many of whom sacrificed, worked, scratched and clawed -- to purchase their tickets and travel to Texas. More lawsuits! These were real fans, by the way, not blase celebrities.

Which takes us to our next point of crankiness ...

Celebrity Adulation Makes Us Puke
One aspect of the annual Super Bowl spectacle has become particularly cloying, if not downright revolting: The loathsome onslaught of video shots of inane, vapid celebrities.

We presume few of them care about the game itself or the teams involved. We also presume they just want to see and be seen. Particularly nauseating this year was the retina-burning image of Cameron Diaz hand-feeding popcorn to Alex Rodriguez in a super-duper luxury suite. Yecch, blaaah, puke.

Yet Another Awful Halftime Spectacle
Much has been said about Christina Aguilera's butchering of the National Anthem (frankly, we didn't notice her flubbing the lyrics and thought her rendition was pretty strong), so we'll skip right past that to the halftime show.

The halftime show sucked, once again. There, we said it.

We like the Black Eyed Peas, but, man, this show was overly orchestrated, which happens nearly all the time in the Super Bowl. They played four cover songs -- what, they don't have enough original material to fill 18 minutes? Most Super Bowl halftime shows are awful, and this was no exception.

The first turn-off was the now farcical and de rigeur on-field "audience" jumping around as if they weren't paid to do it. Plus, it would help if these characters in the Black Eyed Peas could sing. Granted, they have style and talent, but singing chops? Eh, not so much, apparently.

Unfortunately, the NFL has a much too-long history of odious halftime shows, whether it's because of the "talent" selected or because the talent selected puts on an awful performance -- which happens nearly every year.

The only exception in recent memory was Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band three years ago, in Super Bowl XLIII, which the Steelers won. Good job, Bruce and band, who kept it simple, straightforward and rocking.

In other years, however, even historic bands we've liked -- such as Z.Z. Top, the Stones and the Who -- were gruesome. Six years later, it still bugs us that the Stones, who did so many Motown covers over the years, somehow failed to notice they were in Detroit and missed a golden opportunity to pay tribute to American Rock 'n Soul by neglecting to invite Motown legends onstage to perform some of the many classics the Stones have covered.

But, no-o-o-o.

Since we're feeling cranky, we may as well continue. Joey Porter's Pit Bulls have seen the Stones more than a few times over the years, including a "homecoming" concert in London, at Wembley, which was only so-so at best, curiously enough.

In some concerts, yes, the Stones are awesome and nearly live up to their own, self-proclaimed moniker of "Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band in the World." Some concerts, however, they absolutely live down to their parallel reputation for self-indulgence and sloppiness -- which is what they did in Super Bowl XL, another Steelers win, by the way.

Granted, this is an old rant. Being half-Irish, though, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls have the genetic imperative to forget everything but our grudges. Therefore, six years later, we'll say it again: Shame on the Stones for not paying tribute to Motown in Motown.

And, while we're at it, shame on The Who for last year's going-through-the-motions "performance," which was putrid. PUTRID!

There. That rant is off our chest. Again.

Now, back to the real world, the harsh glare of reality, cold winter and the drudgery of dealing with real, everyday problems. What fun!

Yep, we're grumpy, but that's what a Steelers loss in the Super Bowl will do to a Steelers fan.

Not to be bitter.

A Good Day for the Blues

Pheh.

So much for Seventh Heaven. We're Stuck on Six.

Too many mistakes: too much to overcome.

They won. No complaints; no excuses.

Well, at least we can look forward to the Pirates' season. No-o-o-o-o-o! ... just jaggin'. Not to be a jagoff.

As the immortal Ruth Brown sang, "It''s a good day, a real good day, for the blues."

Already on it. Here at Joey Porter's Pit Bulls, we're lining up the favorites that always make us feel better: B.B, King, Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf, Dinah Washington, Lightnin' Hopkins, Ruth Brown, Sonny Boy Williamson, Muddy Waters, Albert King, Etta James, Albert Collins, Roomful of Blues, Billie Holiday, Robert Cray, Billy Price, Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Irma Thomas, Kenny Neal, Koko Taylor, Charlie Mussellwhite, Tinsley Ellis, Dorothy Moore, Lonnie Brooks, Luther Allison, Roy Buchanan, Louisiana Red, Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee and just about anybody from Louisiana.

Yep, as Ms. Brown says, "It's a good day, a real good day, for the blues."

Think how Brett Favre feels.

Time to Be Great! Win the Super Bowl!

Above: Black 'n Gold Steeler Rosary on an angel figurine in the window of a store in Pittsburgh's Bloomfield neighborhood (photo credit: Darrell Sapp, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Above: Sunshine, a Black 'n Gold winner available for adoption at the Animal Rescue League

"Time to be great!"

That's what Super Bowl XLIII MVP Santonio Holmes hollered (in''Toned) to his teammates (or maybe just to himself) just before backing those words, yes, by playing great on the game-winning drive vs. the Arizona Cardinals in February 2008.

Today, Steeler Nation, here we go Steelers, here we go, and ... again, it is:

"Time to be great!"

Win the Super Bowl.

Yep, it's time, as Cole Porter wrote, Ella Fitzgerald sang, and Hedley Lamarr exclaimed in "Blazing Saddles" for all of us in Steeler Nation to ...

"Now go do / that voodoo / that you do / so-o-o well!"

And, to reinforce this Good Mojo, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls suggest adopting a Black 'n Gold dog today. Sure 'nuff, ruff, plenty o' time before game to adopt Black 'n Gold dog from Animal Rescue League.

It's good karma. After all, some lucky Steeler fans happily adopted Phillip and Hans, the Black 'n Gold dogs promoted here shortly after the AFC Championship Victory. Surely Shirley, this is Good Mojo, and you'll even receive Black 'n Gold Adoption Discounts.

Also today, remember to wave your Terrible Towel and, if you have one, to rub your Black 'n Gold Steeler Rosary. Joey Porter's Pit Bulls like to think the Terrible Towel and the Black 'n Gold Steeler Rosary work together on behalf of the Steelers in the Myron Cope/Art Rooney branch of the Judeo/Christian tradition. It's all good food.

Go Steelers!

Suggested Listening for Your Super Sunday Soundtrack:

• "Sun is Shining" by Bob Marley & the Wailers
• "Bring It On Home To Me" by Sam Cooke
• "The Harder They Come" by Jimmy Cliff
• "I Need a Miracle" by the Grateful Dead
• "Keep on Pushin" by Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions
• "Stand" by Sly & the Family Stone
• "Black and Yellow" by Pittsburgh's own Wiz Khalifa
• "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas
• "You Can Get It If You Really Want" by Jimmy Cliff
  
• "Steeler Polka" by Jimmy Pol
• "Make Do With What You Got" by Solomon Burke
• "Play to Win" by Al Green
• "Stone Rollin'" by Raphael Saddiq
• "Wide Receiver" by Michael Henderson (h/t to Mike Canton, host of The Soul Show at WYEP-FM)

People Get Ready ... Keep on Pushing ... Moving On UP!

"We're here to win, we're here to be professionals. We're here to be champions."

-- Mike Tomlin, head coach, Pittsburgh Steelers

At this point, there's not a whole lot else to say.

Here at Joey Porter's Pit Bulls, we're calm. Ready.

ESPN.com's Elizabeth Merrill wrote an interesting article about Coach Mike Tomlin. She did something smart, which was to talk to one of the fringe players, wide receiver Tyler Grisham, an undrafted player from Clemson by way of Hoover, Ala.

Although a high-school All-American and a three-year starter at Clemson, Grisham was pretty much a nobody coming out of college and a longshot to make it to the NFL. He signed with the Steelers for a $1,500 signing bonus.

The 23-year-old Grisham is on the practice squad, so he's not a readily recognizable name, but he takes his lumps in practice. He's not on the active roster and won't don pads for the game on Sunday. But he wears a Steelers uniform (No. 19), practices as part of the scout team and draws a relatively modest paycheck from the organization.

He's part of the family.

He even had his own table on media day, although Ms. Merrill may have been the only reporter who bothered to talk to him. She asked about Coach Tomlin.

Here's a little excerpt from Ms. Merrill's article:

The week is getting shorter, and the lines around Ben Roethlisberger and Hines Ward are getting longer, so maybe it's up to the polite young man at the empty table, who's available, to answer. Who is Mike Tomlin?

Grisham stopped and thought about it. When Tomlin pumps up the players, really gets going, he reminds him of Denzel Washington in some of his very best movies. He's passionate, and everybody listens. When Tomlin is excited, he can be emotional and giddy, just like them.

"I guess no reporter gets to know that side of Coach," Grisham said. "It's pretty simple. Like he tells us, too many rules will get you beat. We're here to win, we're here to be professionals. We're here to be champions."

Suggested Listening for Super Saturday:

Our recommendation today is to keep your radio tuned to WYEP at 91.3 FM in Pittsburgh, and online at www.WYEP.org.

• The Soul Show, hosted by Mike Canton from 2-5 p.m. ET.
  

• The Blues & Rhythm Show with Bumblebee Slim from 5-8 p.m.

• Big Town Blues hosted by Wrett Weatherspoon from 8 p.m. to midnight

Super Sunday's Steelers vs. Packers Chess Match, Part Dos:: What We Might See When the Steelers Have the Ball

Bing, bang boom. That's what's gonna happen.

Bing.
The Steelers will run the ball well enough against the Packers 18th-ranked rush defense to control the ball long enough to keep Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense off the field.

We saw how well the Steelers' running game worked so effectively against the Jets, and the running game will help to grind out chunks of yardage, control the clock and maintain Time of Possession.

But this is not the Steelers of Bill Cower and Jerome Bettis. Yes, this current Steelers' offense runs the ball effectively. These Steelers often run the ball out of passing formations, however, and they are particularly effective out of bunch formation, when three wideouts are bunched to one side.

And, please note, the Packers haven't encountered wide receivers who block like the Steelers' receivers. It's a Steelers' tradition, and no other team comes close.

As well as the Steelers can run the ball, when they need first downs, they pass.

Which brings us to ...

Bang.
The Steelers' intermediate passing game will get first downs with maddening frequency.

The Packers' Dom Capers, defensive coordinator, may assign a player to shadow Ben Roethlisberger. Good luck with that. Even Roethlisberger doesn't know what he's doing half the time. He loves to improvise. He can't help himself, he seems to love the drama, and he does have a knack for pulling plays out of his ass, whether scrambling or passing. And Hines Ward has a knack for finding open seams, catching passes and making the sticks.

Now, let's look at the Packers' defense for a moment. The Packers run variations of a base 3-4 defense with a lot of 2-4-5 formations devised to thwart horizontal offenses.

In the weak NFC, where the likes of the Seattle Seahawks make the playoffs as a division champion for cryin' out loud, you see a lot of horizontal, West Coast offenses. The Packers don't worry too much about the run, which is why they often trot five defensive backs out there, with one of the DBs (often the aging Charles Woodson, who no longer has elite pass-coverage skills) playing close to the line to run-blitz or rush the passer, whichever happens.

What that means, essentially, is that they use Woodson a lot near the line of scrimmage. At the age of 34, Woodson remains a great player, a Pro Bowler, but he is not the pass-coverage guy he used to be (although we may see him on Hines Ward off and on).

That's one reason why Woodson's up on the line of scrimmage so often. And he's been effective there, especially on blitzes. One problem with that, though: What if you run right at him? You run right over him, that's what. Most NFC teams don't even try and, if they do, they don't stay with it. The Steelers ran right at the Jets' corners, and they couldn't tackle Rashard Mendenhall. Keep in mind, too, that Woodson usually lines up on the side opposite Clay Matthews, the great young linebacker. So, by running right at Woodson, you neutralize Matthews to some extent, anyway. It's just that nobody's done it much.

Whatever. This defensive alignment has worked well for the Packers. Their front seven, however it happens to be configured from play to play, is generally effective. Their biggies up front clog the short middle and occupy the interior offensive line.

This, in turn, allows their linebackers to play to their strength, which is to move well laterally -- roam sideline-to-sideline -- or, more accurately in their case, each outside linebacker respectively covers his responsibilities on his particular side of the field.

That's why on the NFL Network's Sound FX, you'd hear Clay Matthews screaming at Michael Vick, "You ain't bringing that to this side of the field." That's nice. But Matthews' responsibilities are limited -- to his side of the field. He can be contained (and, for what's worth, Michael Vick is left-handed; he wasn't going rolling out to that side of the field much anyway).

Clay Matthews is a great linebacker. He's terrific in horizontal pursuit and relentless in pass-rush situations (23-1/2 sacks in two seasons). He has the proverbial non-stop motor. He's intense, ferocious and a sure tackler. He's going to be a handful, but ... we wonder about one aspect of his game: How is his pass-coverage ability? ... When have you seen him cover anybody?

The Packers' other three linebackers are just average. They're just guys, never mind that A.J. Hawk was a first-round draft choice. He's been a disappointment for the Pack, and has had many of his shortcomings covered by Clay Matthews on that left side of the defensive front.

Boom.
Contrary to popular belief, the Steelers are not primarily a running team, nor are they a dink-and-dunk offense. The Steelers are a vertical passing offense, and this is where the Steelers present a very bad matchup for the Packers' defense.

The Packers two corners beside Woodson are Tramon Williams and Sam Shields. These young fellas have been terrific -- fast and rangy, with great make-up speed and excellent instincts (and hands). They actually help out the safeties more than the other way around, which is how it usually works in the NFL.

And that brings us to a glaring vulnerability in the Packers' defense, which is in the deep middle of the field. The Packers are slow and vulnerable in the middle, especially at safety, never mind that Nick Collins made the Pro Bowl.

If Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown keep Williams and Shields occupied -- and they will -- expect to see Roethlisberger go deep over the middle more than a few times, with tight end Heath Miller a target for several of those deep passes. This could be a major factor in the game.

One other thing to keep in mind: The Packers won a weak NFC North featuring the rebuilding Detroit Lions, the dysfunctional Minnesota Vikings quarterbacked by a decrepit Brett Favre, and the Chicago Bears, who looked good at times, but weren't really.

The Packers are not used to dealing with the intensity that the Steelers will bring. There's no way they can be. Nobody in the NFC matches it, and the only other NFL teams close to the Steelers in that regard are the Ravens and Jets.

The Steelers show that intensity and physicality on offense as well as defense. Just ask the Jets about that first drive -- a 15-play, nine-minute first drive -- of the AFC Championship Game.

The Steelers will beat up the Packers, out-drive the Packers, wear out the Packers, and simply outscore the Packers.

It'll happen: Bing, bang, boom.