Pitiful

How did the Steelers' defense allow Joe Flacco and the Ravens engineer a 92-yard drive with 2:34 left?

That, and allowing a crucial field-goal drive at the end of the first half? And what was up with that delay-of-game penalty on the 47-yard field-goal attempt in the quarter? ... a kick we had no confidence Shaun Suisham would make, and which might have been blocked in any case. And that Ben Roethlisberger interception? Plus a Ravens' fumble not pounced on, and a couple of potential interceptions not made. It all adds up to a loss.

Suddenly the Steelers are in third place in the division. They've lost both their games with the Ravens.

Tough loss, and one that bodes trouble for the rest of the season. Next up: Road game at division-leading Cincinnati.

Steelers-Ravens Game Day: Squashing Grapes? Chewing Meat? Sharpening Iron?

Squashing grapes.

As if  the Steelers didn't have enough motivation, professional pride and self-respect, they still have to live down that season-opening 38-7 debacle in Baltimore, along with all the knee-jerk "punditry" of assorted jerks, blowhards, talking heads, bloggers, opponents, observers and fans across the country. 

That fiasco in Baltimore, which prompted speculation the Steelers are "old and slow," is on tape for all the world to see. 

As head coach Mike Tomlin said in his press conference the Tuesday following that Sept. 11 debacle: 

"There's a fine line between drinking wine and squashing grapes.  Obviously, last week, we were grape squashers. ... We got beat convincingly.  However tough the meat is, we'll chew on it."

Evidently, they've been chewing on it, having won five of the six games since then. This week, Tomlin said of the Steelers-Ravens rivalry:

"I'm a proponent of the iron sharpens iron theory. Anytime you compete against someone that's as committed as you are, it makes you stronger."

Let's hope the Steelers are steeled, sharp and strong for this one.

The Steelers cannot possibly turn the ball over seven times, as they did in Week One -- can they?

Lest we forget: Bryant McFadden and Anquin Bolden.

As noted earlier in the week, we wonder whether the Steelers will have answers for all that the Ravens threw at them Game One.

• On defense: Especially disruptive on defense for the Ravens were nose tackle Haloti Ngata (two forced fumbles), safety Ed Reed (two interceptions), and linebackers Terrell Suggs, Jarrett Johnson and Ray Lewis, etc.

• On offense, following the lead of fullback Vontae Leach, running backs Ray Rice and Ricky Williams ran wild all day; tight ends Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta roamed free in the secondary; Anquin Boldin victimized Bryant McFadden for a touchdown on the opening drive; and the offensive line just swallowed up the Steelers' pass russ, allowing Joe Flacco to stand relaxed, poised and unthreatened in the pocket.  

It was embarrassing.

The very next week, however, the Ravens laid an egg against the Tennessee Titans and have struggled off and on since then, most recently against the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday and in an embarrassing display of offensive ineptitude against the New York Jets on a Monday night game a couple weeks back. It's fair to ask, which Ravens team will show up tonight?

Iron, not Iron City.

For that matter, it's fair to ask which Steelers team will show up. At least the Steelers seem to be getting better -- the latest evidence being last Sunday's dismantling of the New England Patriots and the previous week's convincing win over the Arizona Cardinals.

As much as the Steelers seemed to dominate those games, however, a few plays in each could have made for different outcomes. The Patriots were within one score at the end, and if Arizona quarterback Kevin Kolb had completed a few key passes that he misfired badly, things might have gone the other way.

So much for that. At the end of tonight's game, we will know whether the Steelers or Ravens are sharpening iron or squashing grapes.

Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta Are Trouble

The Steelers had no answer for Baltimore tight end Ed Dickson in the first game.

With the Steelers' dismantling of the New England Patriots still fresh in mind, it's tempting to point to one similarity between the Patriots and Ravens -- their use of dual tight ends, and how they like to go downfield with them.

New England's formidable duo of Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez hurt the Steelers when the Patriots beat Pittsburgh in 2010. Last week, for the most part, the Steelers contained those guys.

Ed Dickson gets past Troy Polamalu.

The Ravens' Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta hurt the Steelers in the season opener in Baltimore this year. Will the Steelers stop them Sunday night?

So much else went wrong for the Steelers in that 38-7 fiasco -- Haloti Ngata forcing two fumbles; Ed Reed intercepting two passes; seven turnovers; Ray Rice and Ricky Williams running wild, etc -- it's almost easy, nearly two months later, to forget how the Steelers had no answer for Dickson and Pitta. It's as if the Steelers were unprepared for them.

After that game, Steelers' linebacker Lawrence Timmons said he was "surprised" at the athleticism of Dickson, who caught five passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. Pitta had just two catches, but they went for 16 and 29 yards for an average of 22.5 yards per catch, which is Mike Wallace-like.

You think the Ravens don't rely on their tight ends? Just last Sunday, Dickson and Pitta each caught six passes in Baltimore's comeback 30-27 victory over Arizona.

Whatever the Steelers did to contain the Patriots' tight ends, let's hope they do it against Baltimore. In some ways, Baltimore's offense is similar to New England's, except for that Tom Brady guy, of course. Still, both quarterbacks are fairly stationary. Both like to throw deep -- and, if anything, Joe Flacco throws as pretty a deep pass as an quarterback in the NFL, better than even Brady. Neither the Patriots nor Ravens have a proven deep threat that really scares opponents, although Ravens' rookie receiver Torrey Smith certainly is fast, can get deep and has shown flashes this year. New England doesn't have anybody like that. Ray Rice probably is a better running back than anybody on New England's roster.

Dennis Pitta catches everything.

It's the dual tight ends, and how New England and Baltimore use them, that are similar. Like Gronkowski and Hernandez, Dickson and Pitta are second-year players. The Ravens drafted Dickson (6'5", 250) in the third round out of Oregon; Pitta (6'4", 245) went in the fourth round out of BYU, where he was a a consensus All-American, having caught 145 passes for 1,912 yards his final two seasons in college. Draftniks compared him to Dallas Clark of the Indianapolis Colts.

Both Dickson and Pitta can get deep, and both have great hands.They're trouble.

The Steelers didn't have an answer for Dickson and Pitta first time around. They'd better be ready for them Sunday night.

Will We See Flacco Fumblitis?

James Harrison meets Joe Flacco.

There is no way the Steelers will turn over the ball seven times Sunday vs. Baltimore. Is there?

That's how many takeaways the Ravens' defense had in the season opener vs. the Steelers on Sept. 11.

Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw three interceptions and lost two fumbles. Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco had zero turnovers.

Flacco has been known to fumble, though. Unfortunately, so has Roethlisberger.

Since 2008, when Flacco entered the NFL, he has fumbled 36 times and lost 12 of those. In the same time period, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has fumbled 34 times and lost 17 of those.

In Baltimore's seven games this year, Flacco has fumbled eight times and lost four. In his eight games, Roethlisberger has fumbled six times and lost four.

How about sacks and interceptions? In seven games, Flacco has been sacked 16 times. He's thrown six interceptions. In his eight starts, Roethlisberger has been sacked 25 times and thrown seven interceptions.

What shall we deduce from all this?  No clue.

How 'bout, Don't turn the ball over ...?

Matty Alou: Rest In Peace

In 1965, San Francisco Giants center fielder Matty Alou batted .231 with 75 hits. 

In 1966, Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Matty Alou batted .342 with 183 hits, winning the National League batting championship.

Over the next four years, all with the Pirates, Alou demonstrated remarkable consistency at the plate, batting  .338 (185 hits), .332 (186 hits), .331 (231 hits, which led the league), and .297 (201 hits).

How did this remarkable transformation of Alou as a hitter happen? 

After the Pirates traded for Alou following the 1965 season (for Ozzie Virgil and Joe Gibbon), manager Harry "The Hat" Walker, a former NL batting champion himself, worked with Alou in spring training to completely transform his approach at the plate.

Like Walker, Alou was a left-hand hitter, and Walker taught him to choke up on the bat, chop down at pitches, and slap them through the left side of the hard infield ("the Alabaster Plaster " Pirates' play-by-play announcer Bob Prince called it) at Forbes Field.

At the same time, another famous opposite-field hitter, Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, The Great One, took the diminutive Spanish-speaking Alou under his wing. Clemente's mentoring and encouragement of Alou was critical to Alou's success as a hitter.

Pirates' outfielders Matty Alou, Manny Mota, Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell. "To say, "they could hit" is  an understatement.

During his five years with the Pirates, Alou hit just eight home runs, but he amassed 986 hits. As a leadoff hitter, he set the table for the likes of Clemente, Willie Stargell and Donn Clendenen. What an outfield that Pirates team had for those five years -- Alou in center between Clemente and Stargell, Hall of Famers both, with pinch hitter extraordinaire Manny Mota coming off the bench.

After the 1970 season, with up-and-coming players like Al Oliver and Gene Clines pushing for playing time, the Pirates traded Alou to the St. Louis Cardinals for backup outfielder Vic Davalillo and pitcher Nellie Briles, who would be instrumental in helping the Pirates win the 1971 World Series.

In the national media today, Alou's incredible five-year run with the Pirates tends to be overshadowed by the fact that he was one of a trio of Alou brothers (with Jesus and Felipe) who not only played in the majors at the same time, but played in the same outfield with the Giants.

As Matty Alou's obituary in The New York Times notes of the Alou brothers:

"They each went on to successful big-league careers, and together they played more than 5,000 games, more than any set of family members in baseball history. They also had more than 5,000 hits, more than the DiMaggios — Joe, Vince and Dom — though not quite as many as Lloyd and Paul Waner."

Hall of Famers Lloyd and Paul Waner -- Little Poison and Big Poison -- played together with the Pirates, of course, during the 1920s and '30s. 


Interestingly, while with the Pirates, Alou hardly ever struck out. He didn't walk much, but he didn't strike out much, either. In 1970, he struck out just 18 times in a league-leading 677 at-bats. The year before, 1969, he struck out just 35 times in a remarkable league-leading 746 plate appearances and 698 at-bats.  He led the league with 231 hits and 41 doubles, and he added six triples for good measure. Matty Alou was a fine ballplayer and a great Pirate.

Matty Alou died yesterday at his home in Santo Domingo, The Dominican Republic. He was 72. Rest in peace, Matty Alou.

Five Years Ago Today, On This Date in Blog History

Coda

Five years ago today, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls wrote this blog's inaugural post.

Pretty lame, admittedly, with no photos and no set purpose or defined plan, other than to have some fun. It was a hobby, a mere diversion, and it remains so.

The first post provided a link to the news story about former Steeler linebacker Joey Porter's dogs, Tina and Nemo, that somehow "inspired" the  blog name. The unfortunate incident prompted national news coverage and blog posts such as "A Letter From Joey Porter's Pit Bull" by The Mighty MJD. At the time, the incident was so bizarre ... well, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls seemed a fitting name for a blog focused primarily on the Steelers and their typically ferocious style of play.

Joey Porter with dogs.

Since then, we've learned much about pit bulls and have come to know and admire them for the wonderful dogs they are. A great breed, and it would be nice if people like Joey Porter and Michael Vick would take steps to dispel rather than promulgate stereotyped misperceptions of the breed. It would really be great if people would stop mistreating and breeding pit bulls for fighting ... and if people would stop abandoning the poor dogs.

Personally, we try to be unbiased and nonjudgmental about groups of people and dogs -- we try to take them one at a time. Everybody deserves a chance.

Happy Five-year Birthday and Anniversary!

We've allowed the blog to go dormant for long periods, mainly because life intrudes. Simple as that. For a brief time after Porter became a former Steeler, we even changed the name of this blog to "Steel Triangle." It didn't stick, however, as the name "Joey Porter's Pit Bulls" already had a sort of perverse brand equity and was listed on multiple blogrolls across the Internet landscape. So, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls it remains today, five years later.

The blog may or may not be here tomorrow ... a day-to-day thing, just as all else in life.

If you can manage it, enrich your life today by adopting a stray dog from a shelter such as the Animal Rescue League of Western Pennsylvania or Animal Friends. And, if you can swing it, try to support organizations like the ASPCA and the Humane Society.

Wag more, bark less.

Will the Steelers Have Answers for the Ravens This Time Around?

It's All Souls Day, aka "Day of the Dead"

The Steelers looked so good on Sunday vs. the Patriots, it's easy to forget how bad they looked Sept. 11 vs. the Ravens in Baltimore, first game of the season.

The Steelers' offense committed seven turnovers that day. Seven!  Ravens running back Ray Rice ran roughshod over the Steelers' defense, which ESPN analyst Merril Hoge described as looking "complacent" and which NFL Network blowhard Warren Sapp famously said looked "old and slow."

Today, however, the Steelers are 6-2, lead the AFC and their defense looks anything but "complacent" or "old and slow."  Still, this season, the Steelers have looked bad and good; the Ravens have looked good and bad.

Which teams will show up on Sunday at Heinz Field?  The Steelers looked awful in losses to the Ravens and Texans; struggled in wins over the Colts and Jaguars; and looked awesome defeating the Cardinals and Patriots the past two weeks. The Ravens looked awful in losses to the Titans and Jaguars; struggled to defeat the Cardinals last Sunday; and looked awesome in defeating the Rams and Steelers early in the season. If anything, the Steelers have improved since the season began; the Ravens appear to have regressed. Maybe both teams simply have found their true level.

Joe Flacco getting sacked, Week Two, vs. Tennessee.

The Ravens' offense has sputtered off and on this season -- mostly "off" in recent weeks. Joe Flacco and company looked mostly bad on Sunday at home vs. Arizona. They looked absolutely abysmal in the Monday night game the previous week (Oct. 24) vs. Jacksonville. Words can't describe how bad they looked, and that performance prompted intense criticism not only in the media and among fans in Baltimore, but also in the Ravens' locker room. Flacco and his offense also played horribly in the Oct. 2nd Sunday night win over the New York Jets. Flacco and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron have  become a lightning rod for criticism in Baltimore.

Despite occasional flashes from receivers Torrey Smith, a rookie, and Anquin Boldin, a veteran, the Ravens still don't have a consistent deep threat. For all his flaws, though, Flacco does throw as pretty a deep pass as any quarterback in the NFL.

Lest we forget: Bryant McFadden and Anquin Boldin, Week One 

Looking Forward, Looking Back

This Sunday, presumably, Baltimore head coach Jim Harbaugh will apply much the same game plan he did Sept. 11.  Steelers corner Bryant McFadden started that day, and Boldin victimized him for a touchdown on the first possession. Tight ends Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta roamed freely in the secondary all day. Even more disturbingly, Ray Rice romped at will the entire game behind the lead blocking of fullback Vontae Leach. It was ugly.

On the other side of the ball, it bears repeating: The Baltimore defense had seven takeaways. It was embarrassing. Nose tackle Haloti Ngata, totally disruptive, absolutely dominated the line of scrimmage. Rashard Mendenhall probably still has bruises from the fumble-forcing hit that Ngata laid on him in the second quarter. Safety Ed Reed intercepted two passes. Ray Lewis and fellow linebacker Terrell Suggs imposed their will. Linebacker Jarret Johnson hit Hines Ward harder than probably he's ever been hit in his life.

The entire debacle was humiliating.

The Steelers cannot allow anything like any of the above happen again on Sunday.

Just sayin'.

All Treats!

Now that's the way to beat the Patriots!  The Steelers exposed, exploited and dominated the Boston Massachusetts New England Patriots yesterday -- although, it must be pointed out, the Patriots hung around and made it a close game.

The Steelers jumped out front, controlled the tempo, maintained a two-to-one edge in time of possession, converted 10 of 16 third downs (including multiple third-and-longs), and played well in every phase of the game, mistakes notwithstanding.

And, dare we say it, the Steelers out-coached Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the Patriots. If anybody deserved the game ball, it's Mike Tomlin, Bruce Arians and Dick LeBeau.

The Steelers limited Brady to 188 yards passing. Think about that for a second. A mere 188 yards passing.

Troy slams Welker.

The entire team played well, but special kudos go to defensive players Ike Taylor, Brett Keisel, Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark  Larry Foote, Stevenson Sylvester, William Gay, Keenan Lewis and company. Lamarr Woodley sacked Brady twice and played a monster game before leaving with a pulled hamstring.

Even without Woodley and usual starters James Harrison, James Farrior, Aaron Smith and Hines Ward, the Steelers didn't miss a beat. The reserves played extremely well. Nine Steelers caught passes, with Heath Miller, Antonio Brown and Emanuel Sanders leading the charge. Ben Roethlisberger apparently called many of his own plays, judging from his post-game comments.

The Steelers have little time to relish this victory, not with a must-win match-up vs. Baltimore looming Sunday at Heinz Field. Today, at least we fans can enjoy yesterday.

All photos courtesy of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

The Steelers' defense contained receivers Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Chad Ochocinco. No other team this year has been able to contain those guys the way the Steelers did.

Joey Porter's Pit Bulls are among the legions of elated Steeler fans so giddy with joy that today we are willing to gloss over the few witch's warts in the Steelers' exorcism of the evil Patriots yesterday -- the first win over the Patriots since Halloween seven years ago.

The warts weren't many, although it was unsettling that Brady had a chance to win the game in the last few minutes. The Steelers settled for threes (field goals) instead of sevens (touchdowns), and a missed FGA late in the fourth quarter led to a Patriots' score that made it a one-score game. Bad Ben emerged briefly with the ugly interception that led to the first-half score allowing the Patriots to hang around. Roethlisberger took five sacks, although the two at the end were a factor of Ben holding onto the ball (to keep the clock running) instead of throwing it away. Once again, the defense had no takeaways.

It is tempting to suggest (facetiously) that the Steelers may as well scrap whatever they did successfully yesterday. They should plan to do something different when they meet the Patriots in the playoffs. After all, you just know Bill Belichick and company will pore over the game tape and do something differently the next time these two teams play. Forget that for now.

Really, though, there's little to complain about. Enjoy while we can. Up next: The Baltimore Ravens, Sunday night, at Heinz Field.

In the meantime, enjoy yesterday's victory and have a fun, safe Halloween.

Game Links From New England:

• Jim Donaldson, The Providence Journal: "Maybe the Patriots are Setting Them Up for the Kill"
• Jim Kenyou, The Providence Journal game story: "New England Takes a Beating in Every Facet of the Game"

Game Day: Patriots Edition

Trick or treat. With Halloween looming, it's kind of scary to speculate what sort of evil game plan the Patriots might have concocted for the Steelers today.

A full two weeks after New England played its last game, the Patriots have the benefit of coming off a bye week in advance of their game today.

On Wednesday, Tom Brady said of his team's game plan, “We’ve got a lot installed at his point – more than we would normally have on a normal week and we practiced yesterday, so we’re ahead on our preparation."

How reassuring.

So far this season, the Boston Massachusetts New England Patriots are 5-1. Their only loss was a 34-31 last-second nail-biter at division rival Buffalo, after the Patriots had built a 21-0 lead. The Bills picked off four Tom Brady passes, two of which were bounce-off deflections off receivers' hands. Oh, and New England receiver Wes Welker had 217 yards receiving (217!) that day, and Brady passed for 387 yards.

The Patriots only other close call this year was their most recent game, Oct. 16 at home against Dallas, when they turned the ball over four times but rallied for a 20-16 last-second victory. The Cowboys played the Patriots tough that Sunday evening a full two weeks ago, intercepting Brady twice, sacking him three times and recovering two fumbles by the Patriots.

Brady still managed to pull out a win. Down 16-13 with 2:31 left in the game, Brady engineered an 80-yard drive by completing eight of nine passes for 78 yards, including the winning eight-yard touchdown pass to tight end Aaron Hernandez with 22 seconds on the clock. Bing-bang-boom. Brady made it look easy, as he usually does.

Dallas even had a bye week to prepare for the Patriots. Now, it's the Patriots who have had the bye week to prepare for the Steelers. Trick or treat.

Saturday Morning: Time for a New Game Plan

Joey Porter's Pit Bulls are sick and tired of the Patriots breezing into Pittsburgh and leaving town with wins over the Steelers. It's time the Steelers stopped being out-coached and outplayed.

Pittsburgh's coaching staff knew last spring the Patriots would be on the schedule. Coaches don't do this, but hopefully Mike Tomlin, Dick LeBeau and Bruce Arians spent time this off-season devising a special game plan just for the Patriots -- completely different looks, play calls audibles, etcetera; and then, in the second half, an entirely new set of offensive and defensive game plans with brand new schemes, terminology, etc. That's what it's going to take to beat these guys. Give them something -- a bunch of things -- they haven't seen before.

Each game, the Patriots seem to know what the Steelers are going to do on both offense and defense. Stop doing it! Stop playing zone coverage on defense. Stop letting the Patriots dictate the pace of play. Stop allowing them to force our linebackers into pass coverage. Stop allowing Bill Bellichick to make halftime adjustments based on what we did in the first half. Stop allowing the Patriots to pick up audibles, anticipate snap counts and read defensive formations.

Stop reacting to what they do, and make them react to what we do.

Do something completely different -- like beating the Patriots.

Cardinals!

Congratulations to the St. Louis Cardinals for winning the World Series. Make us proud to be Pirates fans. See how good the Buccos are? ... fourth place in the same division as the World Series winners!

How do the Cardinals do it? It's a mystery, but we're happy for the good people of St.Louis -- probably the best baseball town  in America.


USA Today notes, "This is a team that was 10½ games back in the wild-card race on Aug. 25. They were still 8½ games back with 21 games left. Three games out with five to play. And four times faced elimination in the postseason."

Hey, we're just glad the World Series concluded before November. Three days to spare!

It's what up front that counts: Time for the big-boy pads

Albert Haynesworth and Vince Wilfork will be playing paddy-cake with Maurkice Pouncey on Sunday.

Let's hope Steeler center Maurkice Pouncey is fully healthy and brings his big-boy pads to play the Boston Massachuestts New England Patriots on Sunday. The Steelers' second-year Pro Bowl center will line up directly across Vince Wilfork and/or Albert Haynesworth, who happen to be two of the game's biggest, baddest nose tackles (along with Baltimore's Haloti Ngata, who will line up across from Pouncey just a week later).

Yep, for Pouncey and the Steelers, this is the meat and potatoes of the schedule, and the yams, chicken 'n waffles, pancakes, bacon, gorditas, sausage, french fries, burritos, chicken wings, sirloin, prime rib, cheeseburgers, provolone sticks, apple pie, ice cream, crackers, cake, pretzels, nachos, cheetos, fritos, doritos and tostitos. Starting Sunday, and for the next three weeks, it's the heart(burn) of the schedule.

Vince Wilfork

It's what's up front that counts and with New England, it starts on defense with Wilfork and Haynesworth.

Wilfork has two interceptions already this season -- same as the Steelers' entire defense -- but those were flukes (entertaining as they were). Wilfork is a huge run-stuffer who can push up the middle to rush the quarterback and be a generally disruptive force in the backfield.

Wilfork has played so sensationally this season it's almost easy to overlook Haynesworth, who has one of the biggest contracts of any player in the NFL and a mixed-bag reputation to go with it. Nagged by minor injuries since training camp, Haynesworth has been used as a situational player but is being worked into the rotation more and more. When healthy, motivated and on his game, he can be one of the NFL's most feared, forceful, dominant and disruptive defensive players. 

Maurkice Pouncey. Time for the big-boy pads.

Wilfork and Haynesworth are listed on the Patriots depth chart as one-two at nose tackle. Taken at face value, that would imply they won't be on the field at the same time. If we've learned anything about New England punjab Bill Bellichick, however, it's that we should never take anything at face value. Do you really think the wily Bellichick can resist putting the two-headed monster (Wilfork and Haynesworth) on the field at the same time? ... especially with the bye week giving his team extra time for practice and  preparation. Anything is possible.

The rest of New England's defense is nothing to sneeze at, despite their No. 32 ranking. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged as much earlier this week.

Noting that the Patriots' defense has surrendered an NFL-high average of 322.2 passing yards per game, Tomlin said, "That is a function of them just whacking people (on offense) and being way out in front. So if you come in and you think they are the 32nd best defense in football you are kidding yourself. They are whacking people pretty good. People are throwing the ball every down and they accumulate some yards."

We buy that. The Patriots have two very good young corners in Devin McCourty and Kyle Arrington, both of whom are playmaking cover guys. Arrington has four interceptions already this season. Linebacker Jerod Mayo, their defensive captain and leading tackler the past couple years, is expected to return from injury and should be at full speed. He's tough, as is fellow linebacker Brandon Spikes.

Back to New England's defensive line for a second: They're all veterans, and nearly all first-rounders at that. As Tomlin would say, they are high-pedigree guys:

• Wilfork, a former first-rounder, is an eight-year veteran.
• Haynesworth, a former first-rounder, is an 11-year veteran.
• Starting defensive end Shaun Ellis, a former first-rounder (11th overall, by the Jets) is a 12-year veteran.
• Andre Carter, the other starter at defensive end, is a former first-rounder (San Francisco, seventh overall, 2001) and an 11-year veteran.
• Backup lineman Gerard Warren, a former first-rounder (selected third overall by Cleveland in 2011), is an 11-year veteran.
• Backup defensive end Mark Anderson is a six-year veteran who previously had success with the Chicago Bears. He's no slouch.
• Even second-year defensive end Kyle Love, an undrafted nose tackle from Mississippi State, has played extremely well in a situational role.

As Tomlin said, if you expect these guys will play like the 32nd-ranked defense on Sunday, you're kidding yourself. The Steelers had better bring their big-boy pads.

Who Are We Kidding?

He's the problem.

This is going to be a long post, sigh, because we have to talk about the offense of the Boston New England Patriots. There's no way around it.

Boston's offense leads the NFL with 474.5 total yards per game, including 350.5 yards passing. They average 30.8 points per game.

Sounds like the Steelers are going to have to score at least 31 points this Sunday. Hmmm, let's seee ...

Before we discuss in a subsequent post the Patriots' 32nd-rated defense, last in the NFL, we have to face up to The Tom Brady Problem. Brady is the fulcrum of the Patriots' multifarious offensive attack vectors. (ya like that? ... "offensive attack vectors" -- that's information-security-speak).

Brady and the Patriots excel at creating mismatches, and they've done it especially well against the Steelers, who have beaten Brady only once in seven tries. He always seems to know what the Steelers are going to do on defense.

Brady and the Patriots own them. He knows it; they know it; everybody knows it. 

What can we expect from New England? Accepted wisdom and historical evidence points to the Patriots' methodical, pass-heavy attack used in past victories over the Steelers, which employed tactics including but not limited to ...

• Spread formations
• Quick huddles and a snappy pace limiting defensive substitutions and controlling the pace of the game
• Liberal use of the dual tight ends forcing linebackers James Harrison and Lamarr Woodley into pass coverage instead of their usual pass-rush roles
• Short drops and quick releases
• Wes Welker out of the slot
• Lots of crossing routes
• Occasional screens and outlet passes to the running backs (mostly to BenJarvus Green-Ellis [also known as The Law Firm] and rookie Stevan Ridley, who more or less share the role formerly held by the estimable Kevin Faulk)
• Occasional bombs down field to Deion Branch -- might we even see a Chad Johnson-Ochocinco-Johnson sighting this week?

Until they prove otherwise ...

There's no reason to think the Patriots will deviate from these tactics, although it is a bit unnerving to speculate what they might have come up with during the bye week. You just know they're going to add some wrinkles and surprises -- we wouldn't be at all surprised to see Welker or Branch line up as a running back before going in motion and running a pattern into the Steelers' secondary, just as a distraction. And it's entirely possible they have something crazy planned for finally getting Chad Ochocinco involved in the offense -- a wildcat formation? Not likely the wildcat, but who knows?

So much what the Patriots do on offense is predicated on disguise and masks. How appropriate for Halloween weekend.

Aaron Hernandez catches the game-winning TD vs. Dallas.

For all that, we expect the Patriots will attack the deep middle of the field with their dual tight ends, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez, both of whom pose match-up nightmares for the Steelers. They did last time these two teams met.

That's not to say Gronkowski and Hernandez are Bardy's primary targets. To say Brady has a single receiver as his primary option is pointless, but Welker is it. He leads the NFL in catches and yards receiving, so he must be it. 

The Patriots are the only team perhaps in NFL history to have their primary receiving target operate out of the slot. Welker does it better than anybody. His numbers this year indicate he might be the best receiver in the NFL. The Patriots get the ball to him about 10 times every week, and he averages 15.8 yards per catch. Welker is s a problem.

Welker is a problem, but so are Gronkowski, Hernandez, Branch, Julius Edelman, Ridley, Green-Ellis, Danny Woodhead and potentially Chad Ochocinco. And, of course, Brady. He is the problem. 

Always calm, poised and composed.

Whatever the Steelers have tried on defense against the Patriots hasn't been working. The Steelers have no choice but to try something different. Players like Casey Hampton, Larry Foote and James Farrior -- and even Harrison and Woodley -- have had a way of becoming non-factors in games against New England, which barely makes a pretense of running the ball. The Patriots simply refuse to play to the Steelers' strengths, and why should they? What they've been doing has been working. Why should they do anything different? ... other than a few new wrinkles and looks.

Maybe the Steelers should abandon so much emphasis on zone coverage. Maybe they should play their corners up close on the wide-outs. Maybe they should assign Troy Polamulu to shadow Welker and Ike Taylor to shadow Branch. Maybe they should use an all-out pass rush all the time. It's not like Brady's going to roll out or scramble much. You know where he's going to be. On the other hand, he gets rid of the ball quickly and with pinpoint accuracy.

Maybe the Steelers should just plan to score a ton of points.

Maybe this, maybe that. To quote Charles Barkley, "If ifs and buts were beer and nuts, we'd have a helluva party."

How are the Steelers going to stop this team?  Who are we kidding? ... they're not going to stop the Patriots' offense. The Steelers need to outscore 'em.

Turnovers, Turnovers

Heinz Field: Hell with the lid off?

The Steelers are 1-6 against Tom Brady. In their lone win, the Steelers won the turnover battle, 4-0. In the six other games, the Patriots won the turnover battle, 16-4.

Well, that makes it simple. The Steelers had better get more takeaways than the Patriots.

On Wednesday, Brady talked about how tough it is to play in Pittsburgh, how Heinz Field is one of the more "imposing" stadiums in the league, and how crowd noise can limit play-call changes at the line of scrimmage.

Yeah, right. Brady was just being polite. He has struggled not at all with any of the above.

He and the Patriots must love to visit Pittsburgh. Not only have they done well here for the most part, but Pittsburgh is one of the world's best and most interesting places to visit, says no less an authority than National Geographic Traveler. We knew it all along, and that's why we live here.  The magazine cited Pittsburgh for its "extreme makeover," presumably from its former incarnation as "hell with the lid off."

As great a city as Pittsburgh is now, it would be cool if Heinz Field would turn into "hell with the lid off"  for the Boston Massachusetts New England Patriots on Sunday.

The Tough Part of the Schedule
How anybody could look past Sunday's game vs. the Patriots is inconceivable -- except that it is fairly reasonable, considering that the divisional arch-rival Baltimore Ravens follow New England into Heinz Field a week from Sunday. The following Sunday, the Steelers travel to Cincinnati for another must-win divisional game against a team that has a tough defense and is getting better and better on offense. Lose all three games (New England, Baltimore, Cincinnati), and the Steelers will find themselves at 5-5 entering the bye week. That wouldn't be good.

Speaking of the Ravens, by the way, a big Thank You to the Jacksonville Jaguars for dragging the Ravens back to earth on Monday night in a game nobody thought Jacksonville would win. The Jaguars are a better team than most people are willing to grant. Their defense is solid, and they definitely have some talented players on offense (Maurice Jones-Drew), as well as a great placekicker and a promising young talent in Blaine Gabbert at quarterback. They played the Ravens the way they usually play the Steelers -- tough.

Ready or not, here they come ...

Fresh off a bye week giving them time for extra rest, study and preparation, the Patriots are coming to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers for a "game" at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Yeah, a "game" just like any other. Ri-i-ight.

Is it unpatriotic to root against the Patriots? We think not.

Now an 11-year veteran, Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback of this generation and seems a likable guy. Bill Belichick has been knighted and canonized, although his reputation remains besotted by the dogged tarnish of cheating. Both Brady and Belichick will be first-ballot Hall-of-Famers.

Why is it, then, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls feel such antipathy for the "New England" Patriots. Not hatred, just ... distaste; antipathy. Yeah, that's the word: antipathy. Why?

Hideous

For starters, something about the entire "New England" franchise seems phony. Maybe it's the ugly uniforms, hideous colors and horribly stylized, corporate-like logo that displaced the classic uniforms and vintage "Pat Patriot" logo used occasionally on "throwback" days. What marketing genius decided good ole Red, White & Blue should be replaced by silver and navy? ... which happened in 1993. The logo and uniforms are ugly as can be, which is meaningless in any case.

Maybe we feel antipathy for the Patriots because of the franchise's aspirational geo-regional claim (New England) for an entire region of the United States. Other teams do that, too ... the "Carolina" Panthers is rather offensive, but at least they took that name from inception. The New England Patriots used to be the Boston Patriots, however, and that has always seemed more fitting, and it has a better ring. Paul Revere probably would have approved of the name "Boston Patriots," but it just wasn't good enough, and of course it had everything to do with marketing and television dollars. We know that. Whatever reason, it still seems overly grandiose all these years later.

None of that matters of course. Patriots fans have been blessed with winning football since the arrival of Belichick and Brady in 2000. The franchise is an empire, and they have the Steelers' number. 

What is THAT? ... stylized, corporate and unlikeable.

That's why we dislike them. They're "perfect," and they carry a robotic confidence, arrogance and smugness legitimized by three Super Bowl rings. They and their fans project an air of noblesse oblige.

Although the Steelers have had occasional (rare) success against the Patriots and have been to more Super Bowls the past few years, the Jets did the Steelers a favor by beating New England in the playoffs last year. Styles make the match, and the Steelers have had a tough time matching up with the Patriots in the Belichick era.

Nevertheless, the current edition of the Patriots is flawed and certainly can be beaten. And 2011 edition of the Steelers, warts and all, can do it.

We'll take a closer look at this match-up over the next few days. Hint: The Patriots' defense is No. 32.

Enjoy While We Can

Mike Wallace, streaking to a 95-yard touchdown vs. Arizona..Photo by Christian Petersen, Getty Images

With Pittsburgh leading, 32-14, at Arizona with 6:51 left in the fourth quarter, Steelers' radio announcer Tunch Ilkin commented on the exodus of red-clad Cardinals fans leaving the stadium.

"It's like the Israelites leaving Egypt," Ilkin said. Indeed.

With tough games coming up vs. New England, Baltimore and Cincinnati, the Steelers absolutely needed a win today, and all the better that it was a convincing, comfortable win. Final score: 32-20.

Mike Wallace dazzled with a 95-yard touchdown reception, Lamarr Woodley dominated on defense with two sacks among his seven tackles, Antonio Brown had more than 200 yards on catches and kick returns, Heath Miller was money, and Ben Roethlisberger passed for 340 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

Oh, and the Steelers contained Larry Fitzgerald.  Cornerback Ike Taylor, who is having a tremendous season, shadowed Fitzgerald and limited him to just four catches for 78 yards receiving and no touchdowns.

Good job by the team all around, and it should be nice to enjoy for about 12 hours. Next up for the 5-2 Steelers: The 5-1 New England Patriots, who are coming off a bye week. Screw 'em. Another winnable game.

Best Wishes, Aaron Smith

Too bad for Aaron Smith, one of the past decade's definitive, great Steelers and an easy guy to root for by any measure. The Steelers placed Smith on injured reserve Sunday, which ends his season, and his career may be over. He is going to be tough to replace. He was an anchor at defensive end, almost impossible to move, and has been essential to the ongoing success of the Steelers' run defense since he became a starter.

The Post-Gazette's Dan Gigler, online sports editor at Blog 'n Gold, offers a nice tribute to Smith with several must-see videos accompanying the nice write-up. Check it out here.

Game Day: At Arizona 'n 'at

Joey Porter's Pit Bulls are a bit disappointed Joey Porter has been uncharacteristically quiet this week.

Then again, his play this season has been limited.

"If you leave him out there for too many plays, you have to be smart enough to understand he's going to wear down," said Ken Whisenhunt, Arizona head coach. "But he still has times when he is an effective player."

Faint praise. Perhaps Joey Porter will do his talking with his play on the field. There won't be many more chances in what appears be his final season in the NFL.


To win today, the Steelers must contain:

Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald. Larry Fitzgerald.

Oh, and a reminder for the defense, for about the fifth time this year: You're allowed to intercept a pass, y'know.

Saturday Morning Wake-Up Call: Arizona Cardinals Edition

Former Pitt star Larry Fitzgerald on his way to a score in SB XLIII

Expect some no-huddle offense from the Arizona Cardinals.

Word from Arizona is the Cardinals have been practicing the no-huddle these past two weeks in preparation for the Steelers.

Keep in mind the Cardinals have had an extra week -- the bye week -- to add new wrinkles to their sputtering offense, which has passed for just 169 and 171 yards, respectively, the past two games. Clearly, the Cardinals need to do something, and apparently it will be the no-huddle.

The Cardinals have to be thinking the fast-paced no-huddle in the withering Arizona heat will help them to wear out the Steelers' already depleted defensive line and linebacking corps.

The Steelers' defensive front seven is thin already. James Harrison, Aaron Smith and Casey Hampton are out. Hampton's backup, Chris Hoke, is listed as doubtful, which means there is only a 25 percent chance he will play.

Third-stringer Steve McLendon will make his first NFL start at nose tackle. McLendon, who played college ball at Troy University in Alabama, has been on and off the Steelers' roster since April 27, 2009, when the team signed him as an undrafted free agent. The first paragraph in his bio on Steelers.com is confusing but chronicles (apparently in reverse-chronological order) his dizzying pro career:

Signed to the Steelers active roster on October 30, 2010…re-signed to the practice squad on October 11, 2010…released on October 7, 2010…signed to the active roster on October 2, 2010…re-signed to the Steelers practice squad on September 21, 2010…was released on September 20, 2010…signed to the active roster on September 18, 2010…signed to the practice squad on September 6, 2010…was released on September 4, 2010…signed to the Steelers’ offseason roster on January 7, 2010… released by the Steelers on September 5, 2009, but was signed to the practice squad the very next day…released from the practice squad on November 25, 2009…signed to the practice squad on December 2, 2009…originally signed as a rookie free agent by the Steelers on April 27, 2009.

Give McLendon credit: He must be persistent to battle through all that. He must have something going for him, or the coaches wouldn't have kept him around.

Still, McLendon lacks prototypical size for a nose tackle. At 6-4, 280, he is taller and lighter than nose tackles, almost all of whom are well over 300 pounds. Maybe he moves well laterally. Let's hope he does well, but don't be surprised if the Cardinals run Beanie Wells right at him.

To buttress the depleted defensive front, the Steelers will activate rookie defensive end Corbin Bryant from the practice squad.

As for that no-huddle ...

When the Cardinals go to the no-huddle, it may not be a bad thing for the Steelers. The Cardinals' mistake-prone offense committed four turnovers their last game, vs. Minnesota.  With just two takeaways this season, the Steelers' defense is seriously overdue for some interceptions and fumble recoveries.

Still, the Steelers aren't so good this year that they can take this game for granted. In their two previous home games, the Cardinals beat Carolina by a touchdown and lost by four points to the New York Giants.

Coming off a bye week, desperate for a win and equipped with a seriously motivated coaching staff and team of ex-Steelers, the Cardinals could make things get hot for the Steelers tomorrow in the desert.The Steelers had better be prepared.

Feel free to leave a comment, below left.

This Business IS Personal

The impersonal, businesslike Michael Corleone

"It's not personal, Sonny, it's strictly business," said Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) to his brother, Santino "Sonny" Corleone (James Caan), in the  1972 movie classic, The Godfather.

Maybe so, Signor Corleone, but what you left menacingly unsaid is that in so many cases, business IS personal.

Such is the case this weekend, when the Steelers fly to Arizona to play the NFL Cardinals, a struggling team whose top five coaches used to be with the Steelers.

Arizona's top five coaches -- the guys who set the tone, direction, strategy and tactics of the team day-in, day-out -- used to be with the Steelers. How does that happen?

It happened because on Jan. 22, 2007, the Steelers opted to go in a surprisingly different direction with outside-the-organization newcomer Mike Tomlin as head coach instead of either of Bill Cowher's top two assistants, Ken Whisenhunt or Russ Grimm.

When the Cardinals hired Whisenhunt, he soon added Grimm and a retinue of former Steelers to his coaching staff and roster of players. Arizona became "Pittsburgh West." Two years later, Tomlin's Steelers defeated Whisenhunt's Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII. Both coaches downplay talk of any "rivalry" between the two, but Joey Porter's Pit Bulls infer the Cardinals coaches must feel they have something to prove this Sunday.

Let's be clear: Players win the game. Still, the coaches will have something to do with what will happen on Sunday.

After all, like any coaching staff, Arizona's top five coaches -- all formerly with the Steelers -- cover Strategic and Administrative Decision-making; player personnel decisions, groupings and assignments; attack plans, play-calling and formations; in-game tactics and adjustments; and overall tenor, tone and attitude. All three phases of the game -- offense, defense and special teams -- are directed by the offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and special teams coach -- all formerly with the Steelers.

1. Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt
2. Assistant Head Coach / Offensive Line Coach Russ Grimm
3. Offensive Coordinator Mike Miller
4. Defensive Coordinator Ray Horton
5. Special Teams Coach Kevin Spencer

Recently retired Pittsburgh cornerback Deshea Townsend also is on the Cardinals staff as a first-year  assistant defensive backs coach. Deshea's a smart guy and has a bright future ahead of him. Just one year removed from playing for the Steelers, he might know Pittsburgh's receivers as well as anybody on the Cardinals' staff.

The Cardinals are coming off a bye week, so they've had an extra week to prepare for the Steelers. They are 1-4, desperately need a win and will be playing at home (albeit in front of a strong contingent of vocal, black-'n-gold clad Steeler fans).

It will be interesting to see how this game plays out. Ed Bouchette, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Steeler beat writer Ed Bouchette said this week "there is no love lost" between Whisenhunt and Tomlin.  Bouchette also claims Grimm still harbors ill feelings toward the Steeler organization for having led him to believe he had the head coaching job, only to have it pulled out from under him when the Steelers hired Tomlin.

The coaches may say this game is "strictly business," but there almost certainly are personal feelings involved. Bitter, hard-core "we've got something to prove" personal feelings.

Walking into a trap?

"We're going to put our hard hats back on and go back to work."

That's what Mike Tomlin said on Tuesday during his weekly news conference, when Tomlin indicated dissatisfaction with the Steelers' play last Sunday vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars. His team almost lost the game, and it must perform better vs. the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cardinals are only 1-4, but this game has "trap" written all over it. The Cardinals may not be a good team, but they are a dangerous team. Especially for the Steelers this week.

The Cardinals are coming off a bye week, so they've had extra time to prepare. Expectations were high for new quarterback Kevin Kolb, but he has performed erratically at best and has something to prove. The Cardinals are desperate for a win. And head coach Ken Whisenhunt has had to endure withering criticism from Arizona fans and media.

For all those reasons and more, much more,Whisenhunt and the Cardinals really, really want a win against the Mike Tomlin and the Steelers. It's not personal? Yeah, right.

Joey Porter and friends.

We know the story, but it cannot be overlooked: Whisenhunt and assistant head coach Russ Grimm were passed over for the Steelers' head coaching job won by Tomlin. Then, Tomlin's Steelers beat Whisenhunt's Cardinals in the Super Bowl.

Plus, the Cardinals organization is riddled with coaches and players who used to be with the Steelers or have associations with Pittsburgh. In addition to Whisenhunt and Grimm, the Cardinals' coaching staff features offensive coordinator Mike Miller, formerly an assistant with the Steelers and at Robert Morris; defensive coordinator Ray Horton, who spent the last seven years with the Steelers and was their secondary coach only last season; special teams coach Kevin Spencer, who headed special teams for the Steelers under Bill Cowher from 2002-06; and assistant defensive backs coach Deshea Townsend, the former Steelers cornerback whom we always thought would make a terrific coach in the NFL.

The players, we know. On defense, the Cardinals feature former Steelers Joey Porter, Clark Haggans and Nick Eason. The offense has former Pitt stars LaRod Stephens-Howling and, of course, Larry Fitzgerald, arguably the best wide receiver in the game.

On top of all that, the Cardinals may find inspiration from a125-pound Arizona State University wrestler named Anthony Robles -- who has one leg but won a national title in his weight class in an NCAA tournament. The Cardinals plan to honor Robles with a leadership award as part of Hispanic Heritage Month.