There's history between the Steelers and Raiders

An ugly place.

Maybe the Steelers should activate Frenchy Fuqua for Sunday's game vs. the Raiders. Lots and lots of history between these two franchises.

No fault of today's players and most fans, but it's too bad they could not possibly appreciate the intense vitriol between the Steelers and Raiders in the 1970s.  The Raiders back then were led by Oakland Al Davis.  

As Joey Porter's Pit Bulls noted on October 8, 2011, in our little obituary for Al Davis, "The late, great Hunter S. Thompson wrote often and at length about Oakland Al, and it is all worth reading. As HST noted, Al Davis was the persona and identity of the Raiders and everything that went with the team's mystique:

"Every game was a terrifying adventure, win or lose, and the Raiders of the '70s usually won -- except in Pittsburgh, where cruel things happened and many dreams died horribly. You could see the early beginnings of what would evolve into the massive Raider Nation, which is beyond doubt the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and whackos ever assembled in such numbers under a single "roof," so to speak, anywhere in the English-speaking world. No doubt there are other profoundly disagreeable cults that meet from time to time in most of the 50 states."

Antonio Brown's fumble at the goal line, Sept. 23, 2012

While we're looking back, we would be remiss not to note the last few times the Steelers played the Raiders.
 

Last year, Sept. 23, 2012, was a 34-31 loss.  It was ugly.

Jonathan Dwyer's fumble, Sept. 23, 2012

Jonathan Dwyer fumbled early to set up a crucial Oakland touchdown that got the Raiders back in the game. That fumble got Dwyer into a doghouse that he's had trouble getting out of ever since. It appeared Dwyer was not ready to play that day, as if he was not in the greatest of shape that particular weekend and generally. 

The coaches seemed to lose trust in him, although he's gotten chances since then. With that fumble, however, Dwyer may have fumbled away his best chance to cement his status as a starting running back in the NFL. He's still here, of course, after being cut earlier this season.

• Mike Wallace fumbled. 

• Antonio Brown fumbled as he was about to cross the goal line.  Brown had an exciting, dynamic, great punt return into the end zone nullified because of a stupid penalty that happened behind the play.

Darius Heyward-Bey scores, Sept. 23, 2012

• Darren McFadden ran through, over and around the Steelers' defense on a 64-yard touchdown scamper. 

• Even backup Oakland tight end Richard Gordon (now a Steeler, but injured before playing a down) scored a TD for the Raiders.

• The Steelers' defense was awful. Casey Hampton truly looked done; Ryan Mundy was late and out of position all day; the linebackers were absent; and the Steelers allowed Carson Palmer to look like a competent NFL quarterback.

• Sebastien Janikowski kicked a last-second field goal to nail the win for Oakland.

Nearly four years ago on Dec, 6, 2009, the underdog Raiders, led by Pittsburgh native, current Steeler backup quarterback and former Seton-LaSalle Catholic High School star Bruce Gradkowski, beat the heavily favored Steelers by a score of 27-24.  

• Maybe the Steelers should start Gradkowski this Sunday?  eh?

Richard Gordon, Sept. 23, 2012

On Oct. 23, 2006, the Steelers went to Oakland Alameda Coliseum.  And lost.

That game was also ugly -- extremely so. 

Somehow, Oakland won, 20-13, despite having been "led" at QB by somebody named Andrew Walter, who was sacked six times, threw an interception, completed just five passes for all of 14 yards and had a QB passer rating of 17.3!  Seventeen. Point. Three. 

On the other hand, when the Steelers had the ball, the Raiders sacked Ben Roethlisberger five times, and he lost a fumble.  He was the Bad Ben that day. He threw four interceptions, including two (two!) pick-six returns for TDs.  One, a 24-yard TD return by Nnamdi Asomugha in the first quarter, only foreshadowed the game-sealing 100-yard TD return by Chris Carr in the fourth quarter.  That's right.  A 100-yard interception return.  In the fourth quarter.  It was not one of Ben's better games. 

Let's hope for a better performance on Sunday. 

*all photos shown on this post entry are courtesy of www.raiders.com

Oakland is Coming off a Bye Week and is Last in the NFL in Passing

Final score, Sept. 23, 2012 
(all photos accompanying this post are from that day, courtesy of raiders.com)

The headline above is pretty much all we know about the 2013 Oakland Raiders, other than the obvious, which is their record (2-4) and some familiarity with their neo-celebrity quarterback Terrelle Pryor -- who had a storied high school career at Jeannette H.S. in the Pittsburgh area and a tumultuous college career at Ohio State, which he left following his junior year to enter the NFL's supplemental draft.

Jonathan Dwyer's crucial first-quarter fumble, Sept. 23, 2012

Lest we forget, Pryor was a phenomenal high-school basketball player, scoring more than 2,000 points at Jeannette High School. More relevant, in football, he was just as good, if not better. In 2007, Pryor was named the USA Today and Parade Player of Year, when he had 4,238 career rushing yards and 4,340 career passing yards, the first 4,000-4,000 year ever in Pennsylvania.

The NFL ain't high school. Arguably, however, Pryor has the raw talent to be every bit as good as some of the other young but much more celebrated quarterbacks in the NFL like Robert Griffin III and Cam Newton.

Darren McFadden's 64-yard TD, Sept. 23, 2012

No doubt, Pryor is a talented young guy and has had some flash moments this year, including vs. San Diego three weeks ago when his passing was "off the charts," according to one Bay Area reporter. By all indications visible, Pryor works hard and takes the game seriously.

"Coming into this league there are so many different things to learn: the defenses, pressures, there’s so many things that you have to have an eye for," Pryor said earlier this month. "I think the main thing is that every day I’m trying to find a way to get better, and I knew that coming in, but it didn't catch me by surprise. I’m a guy who comes in early and leaves late. I just know that to play this position, and how great I want to be, and the places I want to take the team, I know that I have to be sharp and I have to keep learning, keep experiencing, and keep on just getting a feel for the game, because you can never stop learning at this position, at this level, ever."

Pryor remains a work in progress. In his last game, two weeks ago in Kansas City, Pryor took 10 sacks. Ten sacks in one game! To his credit, Pryor put accountability for eight of those sacks.

Ben hit hard by Lammarr Houston, Sept. 23, 2012 

Still, Pryor will be looking across the line of scrimmage at a Dick LeBeau defense for the first time. The Raiders have a couple of offensive linemen whose names will be familiar to Pittsburghers: guard Lucas Nix (from Pittsburgh Thomas Jefferson H.S. and Pitt) and center Stefen Wisniewski (Pittsburgh Central Catholic H.S. and Penn State).

Darrin McFadden is a very, very good running back, and wide receiver Denarius Moore is having a decent year. Their defense has a bunch of guys whose names are not familiar to most fans, but Lamarr Houston (Texas) is a disruptive force at defensive end. He'll be a handful. Bobby April, formerly on the Steelers' staff, is Oakland's special teams coach.

Oakland head coach Dennis Allen is about as nondescript as a coach can be in the NFL, and except for Pryor, his team is fairly vanilla, too. The following nuggets of typical coach-speak are from his press conference this week:

Reporter: Your passing game is last in the league right now; what do you guys have to do to be more effective? 

Coach Allen: It’s a lot of different things. I think it’s Terrelle, as a young quarterback, still continuing to learn how to play the quarterback position, to make the right reads, to get the ball out on time, throw the ball with accuracy. I think it’s protection, which is the offensive line, it’s the backs, it’s the tight ends, everybody is involved with that. And then it’s the receivers getting the timing down and making sure they’re in the right spots for Terrelle. There’s a lot of factors that are involved in that. I also think our ability to run the football and run the football effectively will help us in the passing game. There’s a lot of elements that are involved in it. We’ll continue to work on it and I think we’ll continue to get better."

Got it? Competent, maybe; inspiring, not so much.

Let's Revisit Last Year's Calamitous Maximus in the Oakland Coliseum, Shall We?

Why is it every time the Steelers have visited Oakland in recent years -- like, say, the last 18 years -- they seem to sleepwalk through a calamity against what appears (on paper) to be an inferior team?

Perfect example: Last year's Sept 23rd debacle marked by Jonathan Dwyer's early fumble and the defense blowing a 10-point fourth-quarter lead. Oh, and Darren McFadden ran over, through and past a lunging Ziggy Hood, Lawrence Timmons Ryan Mundy and a late-arriving Ryan Clark on a 64-yard touchdown run.

Mistake followed mistake throughout the game. Antonio Brown made two great plays negated by mistakes: First, he had a long punt return nullified by a penalty; later, Brown fumbled as he was about to cross the goal line. The defense was flat-footed, slow and out of position all day.

It was bad. The Steelers allowed Carson Palmer to look like a legitimate NFL quarterback, and Sebastien Janijowski kicked a game-winning 43-yard field goal as time expired. Here's a recap:

... Granted, two fumbles opened the door to 14 Raiders points.  The first one, by Jonathan Dwyer, was especially damaging.  It was arguably the turning point in the game.

It looked like Dwyer just, well, fumbled the handoff from Ben Roethlisberger.  A lack of concentration?  A lack of preparation?  A lack of focus?  A lack of sleep?  Dwyer's fumble gave the ball to the Raiders at the Pittsburgh 30-yard-line and put them in position to tie the game at 14-14.  Did he even see the field after that fumble? 

Ten penalties didn't help, either, especially the ones that nullified Antonio Brown's nifty punt 73-yard punt return for a would-be touchdown early in the second quarter, as well as Brett Keisel's airhead offsides on fourth-and-two deep in Steeler territory late in the first half.

Still, even with the two fumbles and all the penalties, the defense never made a big play, just like in the opener at Denver.  The pass rush was lacking, again, despite a good effort from Lamarr Woodley. 

Where was Chris Carter? Jason Worilds?  Anybody, anybody from the front line?  Ziggy Hood? Cameron Heyward? Casey Hampton?  Even usually reliable veteran Brett Keisel inexplicably made a very un-veteran bonehead move when he went offsides on forth-and-two at the six yard line.  

On Darren McFadden's 64-yard first-quarter touchdown run, Ziggy Hood missed a tackle, and Lawrence Timmons and Ryan Mundy both looked flat-footed and out of position.   

In the second half, the defense allowed the Raiders to score 20 points.  Not good.

On offense, Ben Roethlisberger and the receivers were generally good.  Roethlsiberger completed passes to ten different receivers in the first half alone, and Todd Haley's play calling helped orchestrate a dominant time-of-possession advantage despite a lackluster running game. Just 54 yards rushing?

Unfortunately, the offensive line never got any push up front for the running game, and to our untrained eye, it looked like Willie Colon and Ramon Foster both struggled, badly, again. 

Make no mistake: This was a bad loss. This team has warts and blemishes, and all were on display yesterday in the harsh Oakland sun. 

Wherever Oakland Al Davis is today, he must be grinning fiendishly, wolfishly, malevolently.

Game Day 6: Ravens at Pittsburgh; and a lingering question about Levi Brown

"Family" by Pittsburgh artist
Zivi Aviraz

Almost certainly we will never get an answer.

Apropos of nothing, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls have a question that's been bugging us since Levi Brown went down with a season-ending triceps injury during pre-game warm-ups before last Sunday's game vs. the Jets:

How thorough was Levi Brown's physical?

Brown, now on injured reserve without having played a down for the Steelers, was felled by the same ailment that put him on injured reserve last year in Arizona ... and, for all we know, still afflicted him this year. He'd been lousy for the Cardinals, and they couldn't wait to get rid of him.

It's fair to ask: Did Brown carry the injury with him to the Steelers? ... and somehow pass a cursory team physical? .. and just go through the motions until the pre-game warm-ups last Sunday?

Now Brown is on Pittsburgh's injured-reserve list, and collecting an NFL paycheck for being there.

The waste-of-space trade for the much-maligned Brown, who'd been called "unfixable" and a "turnstile" while he was with the Cardinals, seemed one of desperation for the Steelers.  They needed somebody -- apparently anybody -- to replace left tackle Mike Adams, who was starting to be referred to as "EZ-Pass" here in Pittsburgh.

Left Tackle is Kelvin Beachum's Job to Lose
Now, the Steelers are giving Kelvin Beachum every chance to earn the job at left tackle. He may do okay, says Tunch Ilkin, former Pro Bowl tackle and current announcer on the Steelers' broadcast team, as reported earlier this week in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Into the forge goes Kelvin Beachum

At this point, we trust Ilkin's ability to evaluate offensive linemen better than the Steelers' front office and coaching staff decision-makers.

"His hands are good enough, his feet are good enough, and he's athletic," Ilkin said. "I've always thought size was overrated."

Beachum may not be the prototypical left tackle, but Beachum will almost certainly fare better than the clueless and slow-footed Adams, who was so lost during the Vikings game that CBS's Bill Cowher said at halftime that he "looked like he was tying his shoes on that last sack" by Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen in the second quarter.

Today, Adams is listed on the Steelers' depth chart as second choice at left tackle and third choice at right tackle, behind ... Guy Whimper?

Talk about a lack of confidence -- Adams was the starter at right tackle just last year.

Surely, that placement on the depth chart makes it clear that the Steelers have cooled on Adams. Maybe Mike Tomlin actually meant what he said on Oct. 3rd, following the Steelers' fourth loss of the season (to the Vikings in London):

"We are going to focus on getting better. That's what's going to change the outcome of these football games. Those that don't aren't going to be a part of us. I have great patience. We'll continue to work and get better as long as I see belief and effort and continued improvement in detail, because that's what's going to change the outcome of these games. Those that don't, they won't be a part of it, whoever it may be. It's just that simple."

-- Mike Tomlin, Oct. 3, 2013

Juice

"Squashing Grapes," Mike Tomlin called it.

Has a Steelers-Ravens game ever had less juice?  

The history, enmity and vitriol between these two teams should dictate there more buzz, but ... pheh.

We could drone on, but today for some reason Joey Porter's Pit Bulls look at the Steelers' offensive line and think of Trai Essex, of whom it was said, more than once, "soft."

When we look at the defensive line (Ziggy Hood in particular), it evokes memories of those long-ago days of the unspectacular Kevin Henry, whose name for some inexplicable reason was pronounced "Keevin."  Blah.

That about sums it up. More pearls of wisdom to follow. Stay tuned.

Pre-Ravens Observations

Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil vs. Marcus Gilbert and Kelvin Beachum: What could possibly go wrong?  

Everything should be fine.  Then there's Haoti Ngata, Chris Canty and Co., but so what?

The Ravens are an unimpressive 3-3 and showing symptoms of a Super Bowl hangover.

They must be looking forward to taking on an even less-impressive 1-4 Steelers squad on Sunday, but this is a winnable game for the Steelers. Did we really just say that?

What Rivalry?
Yes. On the other hand, as much as we'd like to assume this will be another classic Steelers-Ravens slugfest ... we don't know what to expect.

The impulse is to say the Ravens and Steelers know each other so-o-o well, but they don't.

Both teams have many new faces. The Steelers now have -- we've lost count -- but the Steelers now have something like 25 players who weren't even on the roster at the beginning of last season.

Many of the players apparently have no idea what it means to be a Steeler, and some no doubt have zero comprehension of the longtime, built-up virulent enmity between the Ravens and Steelers.

Do you think Felix Jones has any idea?  Vince Williams?  Le'Veon Bell?

Speaking of whom, the somersault antics of clueless Emmanuel Sanders last Sunday bring to mind the backflip into the end zone Bell executed on his first NFL touchdown a few weeks ago in London.

After the game, Bell said he "tweaked" his foot (Lisfranc injury) during the game. That little comment went overlooked, but Joey Porter's Pit Bulls' ears perked up when he said it because, if you look at the video of his backflip, he came up on his foot hard and seemed to jam it.  He hasn't shown much burst since.

Just an observation.

Congrats and Thanks, Pirates, on a Fine Turnaround Season

There's no shame in three tough losses in a five-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals. Let's look at the big picture. This season helped us close the book on the past 20 years and start a new book. Onward and upward from here.

Go Buccos!

Sending good wishes the Pirates' way. Good vibes are all around this team and, surely, they have "Angels in the Outfield."

Click here to read a remarkable article about Clint Hurdle "making a difference daily with words of inspiration," a fine piece written by Tom Friend at ESPN. Highly recommended.

Hurdle, one of the good guys, is the perfect manager for this Pirates team and this city at this time. "Beat 'em, Bucs!" 

A Waste of Space

Taking a flyer on Levi Turnstile Brown

No, the title of this post, "A Waste of Space," does not necessarily refer to Levi Brown, the left tackle acquired by the Steelers in a trade for a late-round draft choice to be determined.

We're inclined to give Bad, Bad Levi Brown a chance* to prove himself, despite having already had six years and 78 NFL starts worth of chances.

For us, for now, he gets a pass, despite the vivid reports out of Arizona, the "good riddance" comments from fans there, and the very pointed comments of Cardinals general manager Steve Keim and head coach Bruce Arians.

They couldn't wait to get rid of Brown, a high-first round draft choice (fifth overall) who was selected in the 2007 draft ahead of Adrian Peterson (seventh overall), Patrick Willis (12th), Darelle Revis (14th) and, yes, Lawrence Timmons (15th overall).

No soup for you!
For us, Levi Brown gets a free pass, for now, but you know who doesn't get a free pass?

• The Steelers' management team who handed Mike Adams the left tackle job. What has Mike Adams done to merit being named a starter at left tackle in the NFL?  Last year, his rookie season, he did okay in run-blocking for about three starts, but he struggled badly in pass protection and then got hurt. 

• Even last year, it was clear Adams is too slow on his feet.  He struggles vs. speed rushers (as does Brown, as it turns out).  On the left side, Adams's problems against good pass rushers became starkly transparent in his struggles vs. Cincinnati's Michael Johnson, Chicago's Julius Peppers and Minnesota's Jared Allen. Honestly, the Steelers see Adams every day in practice -- what did they expect?

• No free pass for Todd Haley, too, who coached Levi Brown in Arizona and who must have lobbied to bring him to Pittsburgh. 

• And Mike Adams himself, no free pass for him.

EZ Pass Adams and Turnstile Brown.

EZ-Pass Adams, after all, is the guy who was so contrite after failing a drug test at the NFL combine (sheesh) that he practically begged the Steelers to draft him.

It wasn't long before Adams rewarded their show of faith by getting in a jackpot once again this past June, with his 3 a.m. antics when he got stabbed on the South Side.

He wasn't out partying and putting himself in a bad spot? An innocent bystander?  A victim?  Tell it to somebody else. Off the field, Adams apparently did not take his responsibilities seriously; on the field, he has been abysmal.

The word from Arizona:  "Turnstile"
Apparently Levi Brown may not be a much better tackle than Mike Adams, if at all.  A sampling of comments, including these choice barbs from Arizona general manager Steve Keim, as reported by ESPN:

“I don’t think it comes as any surprise that Levi Brown was not living up to our expectations on the field,” Keim said. “At the end of the day we just felt like it was in the organization’s best decision and best interest to move on from Levi. When the opportunity arose with Pittsburgh to make a trade, we jumped at the opportunity.”

In other words, Keim and Arians couldn't believe their good luck when the Steelers approached them about actually sending Arizona a conditional draft pick for Brown, who was about to be released anyway.

More from the ESPN report: 

• "Brown allowed four sacks in four games this season, with three coming in the opener against St. Louis. His vulnerability was defending the speed rush, which exposed Brown’s lack of lateral movement." 

Steelers fans, we ask you: does that sound familiar (Mike Adams)?

• "Brown's inconsistent play ultimately cost him his job, Keim said, which will go to second-year left tackle Bradley Sowell, who was claimed off waivers on Sept. 1. Arians and Keim both felt he was simply their best option at left tackle." 

Ouch.  But wait, there's more -- 

• “I don’t think there’s any risk because the problems that we’ve incurred, I don’t think would get any worse,” Arians said.

Think about that for a second.  They put a scrap-heap cast-off at left tackle because "it couldn't get any worse."  Maybe they haven't seen Mike Adams.  Last but not least, the kill-shot comment, courtesy of Steve Keim, general manager:

• “I think Bruce and I both agree that, at the end of the day ... it was just in the best interest of the organization to move on,” Keim said. “And move on as quickly as possible.”

IN OTHER WORDS, THE CARDINALS COULDN'T WAIT TO GET RID OF HIM!

Finally, one more, from Ron Jaworski, former NFL quarterback and ESPN NFL analyst, who said: 

"Levi Brown is unfixable.  It seemed whenever there was a critical play in the game, it was Levi getting beat. ... I don't know how you make a person's feet get quicker at this point in their career. When you become a turnstile and everyone is looking at that tape right now, saying, 'Man, I can't wait until we play the Arizona Cardinals,'" Jaworski said. "Guys are salivating to get to that side on the defensive end position or the linebacker position because they know they're going to make All-Pro in these few games."

Yikes! 

Where does that leave us?  

• With Levi "Turnstile" Brown on one side and Mike "EZ-Pass" Adams possibly on the other, with Guy Whimper lurking in the shadows, what could possibly go wrong?  

• Ben Roethlisberger gets decapitated? Nah, that won't happen. Will it?

Back to the title of this post: What, exactly, is a waste of space, if not for Levi Brown and Mike Adams? This entire post, that's what.  Don't say you weren't warned.

We shouldn't have even bothered with this entry.  These guys will either prove themselves to be decent players, or they won't.  Time will tell, and it won't be long.

Recent history, however, says they've already had significant chances, and it says past is prelude. If so, it could be a long 12 games. 

*"Give Brown a chance" doesn't exactly have the ring of "Give Peace a Chance," does it?

Take down the Cardinals, please

On a day when one Cardinal (Arizona Cardinal left tackle Levi Brown) gets jettisoned by his team and sent to Pittsburgh, the more noteworthy Pittsburgh Pirates travel to St. Louis to take on the formidable St. Louis Cardinals.

More on the Steelers' puzzling acquisition of Bad, Bad Levi Brown later, for as much as it's worth wasting a few pixels on that shuffling-deck-chairs on the Titanic move.

Back to the fun stuff: True to Clint Hurdle's word, the Pirates won their 95th game of 2013 last night. Now it's on to the real playoffs.

In what seemed like an extension of the three-game season ending series in Cincinnati, which the Pirates swept, it was fitting the Pirates drove the nail in the coffin of the blustering, bullying, braying, whining, hubristic Reds. Aroldis Chapman never even got to aim one of his 100-mph fastballs at an opposing player's temple.

More significantly, last night's game served as a coming-out party for the city and its long-suffering fans. PNC Park was electric; the Roberto Clemente Bridge was pulsing; the Rubber Ducky was glowing; and, somewhere, Roberto Clemente nodded approvingly.

The fans partied on the bridge; on the sidewalks; atop the rotunda at PNC Park; and anywhere a Jolly Roger flag could be hoisted.

In the spotlight, the Pirates did not disappoint. Although Reds starter Johnny Cueto had enjoyed previous success against Pirate teams of the past, he wasn't facing those line-ups. Relative newcomers Marlon Byrd and Russell Martin rocked Cueto with home runs in the second inning, fellow newcomer Justin Morneau contributed a couple of hits, a walk and solid defense, and the only Bucco position player to go hitless was Pedro Alvarez, who produced a run-scoring sacrifice fly.

“(The Pirates) played with some swag,’’ said Brandon Phillips, Reds' second baseman. “When the lights come on, the stars come out. You become a team, you get energy. That’s what they did. It was very obvious. You’ve got to be hungry to get the next level.’’

Somebody should tell the Steelers.

Now it's on to St. Louis, the perennial contenders who won the World Series as recently as the year before last. No doubt, it's a quality team marked by organizational excellence, knowledgeable fans, blah, blah, blah. Enough of the Cardinals. Enough. Everybody knows they're good. So are the Pirates.

Yet while the Pirates edged the Cardinals (10 wins to nine) in the season series between the two clubs, you always get the sense the Cardinals don't take the Pirates seriously. The Cardinals, after all, won the division with their typical late-season run. Baseball is a funny game, though. Are the Cardinals complacent? Do they and their fans take winning for granted? We're just asking.

Nah, the St. Louis Cardinals are too "professional" for that, right? Surely they know complacency can be a killer, right? Right?

We like the Pirates' chances.

Raise the Jolly Roger; take down the Cardinals.

True to manager Clint Hurdle's word, the Pirates won their 95th game of the 2013 season last night, never mind that it was technically the post-season.

Now, let the real playoffs begin.

Take down the Cardinals.

R.I.P. L.C Greenwood

On a day the Steelers lost merely a game, Steeler Nation lost something much more treasured: a beloved family member.

L.C. Greenwood was one of a kind. He was, and always shall be, a core Steeler spirit.

L.C. Greenwood

Greenwood died yesterday of natural causes.

Hollywood Bags carried with him a presence, an aura and a majesty befitting his stature as an original Steel Curtain Legend. He had style, and he let the world know it, and not only with those gold-toned high-topped shoes.

Why the nickname? Wikipedia's L.C. Greenwood page says, "Greenwood was called “Hollywood Bags” because he claimed he kept his bags packed and ready so he could leave for Hollywood at a moment's notice"

More importantly, without L.C. Greenwood, there would have been no Steeler Dynasty.

Even before the Steelers started winning Super Bowls, Greenwood established himself as a fixture and inspirational leader on those upstart teams of the 1970s.  Playing alongside Joe Greene, Ernie Holmes and Dwight White, Greenwood bookended the Steel Curtain's front line of defense.

At 6'6" and a lean 245 pounds, Greenwood was imposing, fierce, quick, mobile, agile and hostile. He was what an NFL defensive end was supposed to be.

L.C. Greenwood vs. Minnesota in Super Bowl IX

More than that, Greenwood was an inspiring, relentless force, and he always showed up in the biggest games. Just ask Fran Tarkenton and Roger Staubach, the Hall of Fame quarterbacks whom Greenwood tortured during legendary performances in Super Bowls IX and X, Pittsburgh's first two Super Bowl triumphs.

Greenwood could have been named MVP of either game.  He sacked Minnesota's Tarkenton twice, including for a safety, knocked down three of his passes and chased him ceaselessly. The following year, Hollywood Bags sacked Dallas's Staubach four times.

Those were just two highlights of countless sterling performances during his long career. Off the field, Greenwood exemplified Steeler pride. He was a character -- during his playing days, and afterwards, when he was an Ambassador for the Steeler Nation and a go-to guy for quotes, remembrances and just to have his presence at Steeler reunion games and other major events.    

Now, only Joe Greene remains from the original front line of the Steel Curtain. Dwight White, Ernie "Fats" Holmes, Steve Furness and now, L.C. Greenwood -- all gone to that gentle home in the sky.

Heaven has a special place for those high-topped gold-tone shoes.  Rest in peace, L.C. Henderson Greenwood.

Mike "EZ-Pass" Adams, Lousy Tackling, Mistakes and Missed Opportunities Lead to 0-4 Record

"The Steelers are doing everything they can to give this game away," said Steelers' radio announcer Tunch Ilkin as the third quarter clock wound down with Pittsburgh trailing Minnesota, 34-17. "The missed tackles, the turnovers, the missed opportunities, and that last penalty -- they keep putting themselves in a big hole."

Jared Allen sacks Ben Roethlisberger (again)
(Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

Ilkin might have also noted the dropped interceptions by Ike Taylor and, especially, the sacks allowed by Mike "EZ-Pass" Adams. Similar to what's happened the past two weeks, vs. Cincinnati's Michael Johnson and Chicago's Julius Peppers, Adams got schooled by All-Pro defense end Jared Allen.

Adams may be getting schooled, but is he learning any lessons?  To the layman observer, Adams doesn't seem to be improving, and maybe he's just too slow on his feet to keep from being over-matched by the NFL's better defensive ends.

For at least two of the sacks, Adams just looked lost, as if he wasn't paying attention (which is a little hard to believe). At halftime, CBS's Bill Cowher said Adams "looked like he was tying his shoes on that last sack" by Allen late in the second quarter.

Positives: Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown (12 catches), Markus Wheaton and Heath Miller. Emmanuel Sanders made some big plays, too. It wasn't enough. Final score: Minnesota 34-Pittsburgh 27.

This is the Steelers' first 0-4 start since 1968 and, by all indications, their worst team since 1968. They weren't very good that year, either.

Next game: Sunday, Oct.13, at the New York Jets. 

Hopefully, the Pirates will still be playing, on the 53rd anniversary of Bill Mazeroski's 1960 World Series winning home run. 

Game 4: Vikings In London

 A Pennsyltucky Yankee in King Arthur's Court.

Never mind that the NFL is to the UK what MLS is to America.

The Steelers and Vikings square off today at Wembley Stadium, and the game will be broadcast on CBS at 1 p.m. as if it's just another road match game for both teams -- with the poor Minnesotans designated as the "home" team in the NFL's blatant attempt to strong-arm the people (legislators) of Minnesota into building a new taxpayer-funded stadium.

On the pitch gridiron itself, the Steelers should win this game, despite a problematic offense and a defense that seemingly cannot intercept the ball or cause fumbles.

Minnesota has Adrian Peterson, the best running back in the game, but the Vikings also have: 1) Matt Cassell at quarterback; and 2) a defense that surrendered an average of 32 points a game over the first three games of the season.

So, while the name "Vikings" may send shudders down the spines of Englishmen who conjure visions of real-life Vikings arriving in long ships, screaming "Valhalla," and swarming northeastern English shores circa 867-950 A.D., today's NFL Vikings are somewhat less formidable.

The Steelers should win this game. If they don't, look out below.

Enjoy the game.  Tally-ho and cheerio.

Note: The photo accompanying this post is courtesy of Gordon Dedman's British blog, SteelersUK. Thanks, Gordon, and cheers.

First visit to England?

Remember what we wrote here about travel generally being good for expanding your horizons? About how this trip to London specifically should be good for the Steelers -- how it should help them get outside their comfort zone and enjoy some new experiences?

Well, rookie linebacker Vince Williams, seems to get it, if the following Tweet from London is any indication:

Black chicks with these English accents... My Lord.
— Vince Williams (@JohnnyBrovo11) September 28, 2013

Getting outside your own zip code

Travel is tremendous. Getting outside your own zip code disrupts your routine and forces you to get outside your head.

Just what the Steelers need.

As much as they would like to say, "It's all about us," it's not.

The only reason the NFL scheduled the Vikings for this game is to pressure the Twin Cities and state of Minnesota into building a new stadium for the Vikings. It's the same reason the Jacksonville Jaguars are scheduled to play in London on Oct. 27th.

And it's the reason Minnesota is designated as the "home" team for Sunday's game at Wembley Stadium -- the NFL in effect took a home game away from Vikings' season ticket-holders.

As ridiculous as it sounds, the NFL is holding the Damocles Sword threat of moving a franchise to London (never mind Los Angeles or Toronto) as a way to pressure the taxpayers of Minnesota and/or Jacksonville to ante up for new stadiums. It may be a bluff, but Roger Goodell and the NFL apparently are at least exploring the possibility that London and its 12 million people may be a legitimate potential market.

In any case, this weekend's game in London, one of the world's truly great cities, at least forces the Steelers to trod different soil, use a different currency, taste different food, and, yes, even hear a different language, never mind that it may be "English."

This trip should be good for them -- if they get outside themselves for a change and realize they are not all that, after all.

Maybe they'll learn something. They won't do it, of course, but it would be cool if some of the coaches and players paid a visit to one of the big football clubs in the area, Chelsea or Arsenal or West Ham perhaps, and see how they do things. Those clubs are just as big-time as the Steelers, if not more so.

Minnesota Vikings cheerleaders in London

Other Observations
Over the first three games of the season, Minnesota gave up an average of 32 points a game.

The Vikings went to England on Tuesday.

The AP's Paul Logothetis wrote, "Minnesota is staying at a rural hotel outside of London where England's national soccer team usually trains before international matches. A golf course surrounds the grounds. Apart from using the pools and baths, Vikings players have gotten into nightly games of bocci. Coach Leslie Frazier thinks the formula could work."

Sure, go all the way to London, hole up in a secluded training facility, and look at each other.  That should work.

"I watched a couple of soccer matches, and those people get (into) it," defensive end Jared Allen said. "Just don't storm the field and we'll be good."

Uh-huh. Allen probably doesn't have to worry too much about hooliganism. Sunday's game might be a fun diversion for American expatriates, but the English really don't care about NFL football.  Believe it or not, there are other things to do in London.

Take Heart, Steelers' Fans

The Steelers just may be the best 0-3 team in the NFL!  Woo-hoo!!

Better than this week's opponent? The Minnesota Vikings? You betcha -- Minnesota's quarterback is Christian Stinkin' Ponder.

Jacksonville? QB: Blaine Gabbert. 'Nuff said. Tampa Bay? QB: Josh Freeman. Check and double-check.

The New York Giants? They just got shut out, 38-0, for cryin' out loud, by the also-lousy Carolina Panthers. Yeah, although the Giants did beat the Steelers in pre-season, not that those glorified scrimmages mean anything.

The Washington Redskins? The Washskin Redfaces also beat the Steelers in pre-season, but in a real game, with a knee-injury diminished Robert Griffin III at quarterback? Yeah, the Steelers just might be better than the 'Skins, and it's really about time ownership there changes the name of that franchise.

So there you have it. The Steelers are the best 0-3 team in the NFL.  This just might be the worst Steelers' team since 1968, but at least we're (probably) better than four other squads currently in the NFL.

Another reason to live!

"Abso-BUCCIN-lutely!"

Raise the Jolly Roger

Last night was the first time champagne broke out in the Pirate locker room since Sept. 27, 2002, when Lloyd McClendon uncorked 12 bottles of the bubbly to celebrate avoiding a 90-loss season. 

You read that correctly.

There's so much irony here. The Pirates won their 90th last night in that same Wrigley Field locker room and the same place where the Pirates lost their 100th game in 2001, but on that night eleven Septembers ago, McClendon said, "Certainly, we've had some hard times. But we can start to see light at the end of the tunnel. I just thought they deserved it. I'm proud of them. I told them the next time we pop the champagne, it'll be for real."

Little did McClendon know it would take another 11 years for champagne to appear again in a Pirates' room.  It's their first playoff appearance in 21 years. Arriba!

Congratulations, Clint Hurdle and all Pirate Nation. Hurdle celebrated with wink and a clever "Abso-Buccin-lutely!" as his answer to a question in the post-game press conference. Root Sports bleeped it, but Hurdle has coined a new catch-phrase that go into the Bucco lexicon forever.

It's been a long, hard ride.

Last night was their 90th win -- and few people thought that was possible when Hurdle predicted 95 wins in the off-season. Good for Clint, one of the all-time good people.

To gauge how far the Pirates have come, see the Rum Bunter's excellent recap of a "Decade of Decadence."  And that was only one of the two decades!

Congratulations, Pirates. That's a good first step -- a big one. Now you can relax and play -- go get a championship.

Enjoy more excellent Buccos' Bloggers' coverage by the many terrific and passionate bloggers in our Pirates' section of the blogroll over on the right-side navigation column. There are some good ones there.

Image courtesy of Rum Bunter

"The Steelers are who we thought they were."

"The physicality is no longer there. The Steelers are the nail, and no longer the hammer."

-- Deion Sanders

Ouch.

"The Bears are who we thought they were," former Arizona Cardinals coach Denny Green said in an infamous post-game rant following a loss to Chicago in 2006.

Today, unfortunately, so are the Steelers. They are who we thought they might be: a team deservedly winless after three games, including two home losses; a team that can't take the ball away on defense, is in disarray on offense, and has no identity.

As the NFL Network's Deion Sanders said last night, "The physicality is no longer there. The Steelers are the nail and no longer the hammer."

Last night at Heinz Field, the 3-0 Bears were what we suspected they might be: well-coached, opportunistic and disciplined.  The 0-3 Steelers, unfortunately, displayed the traits characteristic of their play over the past 10 regular season games -- and why, in that span, they are 2-8.

Turnover differential highlights one key difference between the Bears and Steelers:

• Over the last 19 games, including Sunday night, the Bears have 55 takeaways (first in the NFL). In the same span, the Steelers have come up with 20 and are still looking for their first takeaway in 2013. 

• In their first three games in 2013, the Steelers have a minus-9 turnover differential. 

In their 40-23 loss to Chicago last night, the Steelers' defense didn't take the ball away -- again -- and couldn't get off the field in crucial third-down situations -- again.

Meanwhile, the Steelers' offense gave the ball away five times, with Ben Roethlisberger being the major culprit, throwing two interceptions (including a pick-six) and coughing up three fumbles, two of which were lost and one of which was returned for a touchdown.

Changes Coming?
Something has to change, and quickly, but the Steelers appear to lack the talent they need to win more than three to five games this year.

Although the Steelers put up 459 net yards on offense, nobody would say the offense is working. NFL network analyst Marshall Faulk observed, "The disconnect between Roethlisberger and Haley is blatant. Roethlisberger doesn't want to throw timing routes, and Haley doesn't want to let Roethlisberger do his thing."

Deion Sanders added, "The rift between Haley and Roethlisberger is imminent. It's going to blow up, any minute. You can see it coming."

Then there's the offensive line: This is not news to anyone, but the offensive line is awful. The Bears got a strong pass rush up the middle, and the tackles are terrible. Right tackle Marcus Gilbert was pulled from the game for a while, and left tackle Mike Adams is too slow on his feet to handle NFL pass rushers. Just like Cincinnati's Michael Johnson last week, Chicago's Julius Peppers schooled Adams all night.

And, behind that awful offensive line, Ben Roethlisberger simply is not playing well except in occasional flashes. He seems to have lost his mojo, and he hasn't had it for quite a while.

There is no solution in sight.

Dissa and Data

• For the third consecutive game, the Steelers came up short on Time of Possession: Chicago had the ball for 31:36; the Steelers for 28:24. This, despite the Steelers having more offensive plays (65) than the Bears (60).

• Last night, the Steelers' offense was 3-11 on third-down conversions, and 0-1 on a fourth down attempt.  For the season, the Steelers' offense is just 10-for-36 on third down.

• The Steelers committed 6 penalties for 59 yards.

• The Steelers dropped four fumbles (three lost), with Roethlisberger losing the ball twice and Felix Jones the other.

Next up:  In London, vs. the Minnesota Vikings.  Surely, the NFL didn't envision "showcasing" two 0-3 teams for its annual game overseas.

The Chicago Bears are Coached by the Dos Equis Guy

Chicago Bears head coach Marc Trestman

It’s too soon to write off the Steelers, but nobody in Pittsburgh should underestimate the Chicago Bears. These are not Lovie Smith's Bears. 

This will be a tough game for the Black ‘n Gold. Remember how Mike Tomlin used to describe the upcoming collision of opponents as "two trains on one track"?  Sunday's contest is not that.

This appears to a matchup of one team, the Bears, coming together and on the upswing – and another, the Steelers, that appears to be falling apart and was described mid-week as being in “panic mode.”

Marc Trestman's alter-ego and doppelganger

The Chicago Bears have quietly – if that’s possible in a metro area the size and prominence of Chicago – the Bears have quietly become one of the most interesting franchises in the National Football League. And it’s happened quickly, too, behind the leadership of new head coach Marc Trestman, a Renaissance Man of sorts who is kind of the NFL's equivalent of the Dos Equis guy in the TV commercials -- "The most interesting man in the NFL."

Let’s take a closer look.

Click "Read More" below to read about the Bears and their new head coach Marc Trestman, whose fascinating backstory describes the circuitous path he's taken to become a first-time head coach in the NFL at the age of 57. Read the story after the "Read More" jump/break below. 

Looking Forward

"It’s a frustrating thing but frustration is a very normal emotion. We can’t let that frustration prevent us from moving forward and getting ready to attack this week’s challenge.”

-- Mike Tomlin

Okay, then, let's look forward to this week's challenge: The Chicago Bears.

Devin Hester

In their first two games, both wins, the Bears have played two of the most exciting, rocking, fast-paced, rollicking, back-and-forth barn-burning contests of the young NFL season.

Led by new head coach and Canadian Football League expatriate Marc Trestman, the Bears edged the Bengals, 24-21, and the Vikings, 31-30. Both games were decided late in the fourth quarter.

On Sunday, the Bears' kick-returner extraordinaire Devin Hester did his thing. With kick returns of 76 and 80 yards, Hester broke his own Bears single-game record with 249 kickoff return yards. He is the NFL's all-time record-holder for kick returns for touchdowns (17, including 12 punt returns for touchdowns), so the Steelers' special teams had better be ready. Hester is a potential game-changer; an all-time great kick returner.

Marc Trestman

The Bears' resurgence this year comes as a bit of a surprise. Trestman, formerly an offensive coordinator with the 49ers, Browns, Raiders and Cardinals, has always seemed a wonky, geeky sort of guy, too smart for his own good. He seems to have learned a few tricks during his five years in Canada, however, and he's brought a steadying hand to a Bears' team that had seemed to drift away from former longtime coach Lovie Smith.

Defensive Takeaways
One trait the Bears' defense carries over from last year, though, is an ability to take the ball away. The Bears have three takeaways in each of the first two games. The Steelers have none. It's something the Bears do well, and the Steelers don't do at all.

The Bears' corners, Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings, are extremely aggressive and opportunistic. They have a knack for stripping the ball from ball-carriers, and they make interceptions, as in actually catching the ball, which is something the Steelers' corners have trouble doing.

On Sunday, vs. the Vikings, the Bears had two interceptions, one returned for a touchdown and one picked off in their own end zone to prevent a touchdown. Then again, it was against Minnesota quarterback Christian Ponder, who may be one of the five worst starting quarterbacks in the NFL.

Still, the Bears are playing energetic football. Their season-opening win against the Bengals may have been the most exciting game of Week One, and Sunday's game vs. the Vikings also went back forth, as summarized by blogger Eric Golub:

"This pinball machine was a thriller. Cordarelle Patterson returned the opening kickoff 105 yards for a touchdown for the Vikings. Devon Hester returned the ensuing kickoff 76 yards and returned another 80 yards. Defensive end Brian Robison returned a fumble 61 yards for a Minnesota touchdown, while Chicago scored on defense with a 44-yard interception return of a Christian Ponder pass. Leading 27-24 with 1st and goal at the Chicago six yard line with 3:30 to play, the Vikings settled for a field goal. That left Jay Cutler enough time to hit Martellus  Bennett with a 16-yard touchdown pass with only ten seconds left for the epic win. 31-30 Bears"

Return From Exile
Having spent the past five years exiled in Canada as head coach of the Montreal Alouettes, Marc Trestman was a surprise choice to take over Chicago's coaching duties this year.  Still, he has 17 years experience coaching in the NFL, and he knows as well as anybody how tough it is to win in the NFL, as reported on the Bears' website:

"In the National Football League, it's very thin," Trestman said this week. "You can see it. We're two or three plays away from sitting here on the opposite side of both games, no doubt about it. You've got to play them all for 60 minutes and if you keep playing you hope good things can happen." 

Despite the 2-0 record, Trestman realizes that the Bears must get better in several critical areas and hopes to see those improvements beginning Sunday night at Heinz Field.  

"The best way to approach it is just take what you've learned, positively and negatively, from the games you've played and try to decipher what you need to get better through both," Trestman said. "I think we've shown to be a resilient football team for two weeks. We've been fortunate to be able to work through adversity.
"Our guys are playing smart, they're playing disciplined, and they're giving themselves a chance to win games in the fourth quarter. That's all you really want to do in the National Football League. You're seldom going to blow anybody out. You're going to have to play four quarters, and every minute counts. If you stay disciplined and stay poised and take care of the ball, you've got a chance."

Something to think about.