Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

I went through an entire bottle of Rolaids, and I took the last of my heart medicine while watching the Steelers play the Baltimore Ravens last night.  But it was ultimately worth it.

The Steelers pulled off a dramatic 13-10 win on the Ravens’ home field.  This avenged the Ravens’ earlier win at Heinz Field.

Of course, Ben Roethlisberger didn’t play in that earlier contest, and he always seems to be the difference maker in these Steelers/Ravens games.  Big Ben seemingly never loses to the Ravens.

Perhaps that’s why it appeared that the Ravens were trying to put Ben out of the game early on.  Ravens defensive lineman Haloti Ngata struck Roethlisberger in the face, and according to reports, Big Ben suffered a broken nose on the play.

Despite a trail of blood streaming from Roethlisberger’s nose, the referees didn’t see any type of infraction on the play.  No penalty was called.

And in traditional Big Ben fashion, he continued to play despite a broken nose, an injured foot, and a hostile Baltimore crowd.

It was a tough night for both teams when they tried to run the ball.  Baltimore held the Steelers to a mere 54 yards rushing.  Not to be outdone, the Steelers held the Ravens to 43 rushing yards.

It was clear that the Steelers were going to have to find another way to win this game besides running the ball.  And find a way they did.

After 3 and a half frustrating quarters, in which it looked like the Steelers were destined to lose the game, the Steelers defense stepped up and made a “splash play”.  Troy Polamalu blitzed Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco and caused a fumble.  LaMarr Woodley picked up the ball and returned it to the Ravens’ 9 yard line.  Three plays later, Isaac Redman bulled his way into the end-zone for a touchdown, giving the Steelers the lead with less than 3 minutes remaining in the game.

With the win, the Steelers took sole possession of 1st place in the AFC North.

Other Steelers news

• Punter Dan Sepulveda injured his ACL last night and is probably out for the remainder of the season.  This is the second season-ending injury of Sepulveda’s young career.

• Bryant McFadden had a tough night last night.  He couldn’t seem to guard anyone, and the Ravens took advantage of that fact.  Cornerback is definitely going to have to be a priority in next year’s NFL Draft.

• Heath Miller was diagnosed with a concussion after taking an illegal hit that looked like it might have caused a severe neck injury.  Was I the only one praying for Miller after that play?

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In a move that is sure to convince Steelers fans that the NFL is targeting their team, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has announced that Steelers’ linebacker James Harrison will be fined $75,000 for the helmet-to-helmet hit on Steelers’ tight end Heath Miller.

The tapes clearly showed that Harrison was nowhere near the play.  He’s on the same team as Heath Miller, and was clearly standing on the sidelines when Miller was hit by a Baltimore Ravens player.  Nevertheless, the NFL has decided to fine Harrison anyway.

“I know that James Harrison doesn’t appear to be involved with the play”, said Roger Goodell.  “But it was a helmet-to-helmet hit.  Harrison HAD TO BE involved”.

Steelers' LB James Harrison

“It’s clear that the referees blew the call.  Harrison should have been flagged for the play”, Goodell explained.  “Despite the referees’ error, Harrison will not be able to avoid the fine that my office will be issuing on Tuesday”.

Goodell further explained that he considered fining Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for striking Ravens’ lineman Haloti Ngata’s hand with his face.  However, Ngata’s hand was not injured on the play, so Goodell refrained from issuing a fine.

(Editor’s note:  This “article” is just another good-natured jab at NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.  No actual fines have been issued……..yet.)

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Oops!  I just realized that I never announced the winner of last week’s Steelers/Bills haiku contest.

We had lots of good entries last week.  So without further ado, here are the top entries:

In third place was Alejandro Alvarez.  Alejandro wrote this very nice haiku.

A strong beginning
Later, false hope for the Bills
Expected finish

Second place goes to Coral for this entry:

One dropped end-zone ball
One perfect kick by Suisham
That was a close one

This week’s first place winner, and the winner of the prize is John#21.  John wrote this excellent haiku:

Red zone woes again
Three points in the second half?
Stevie – It’s all God!

John#21 wins a copy of Merril Hoge’s book “Find A Way”.

Please click on the “Contact us” tab on our blog and send us an e-mail to let us know where to mail your prize, or send us a private message on Facebook with your mailing address.

(Please note:  Prizes come directly from the publisher.  Please allow 3-4 weeks for delivery)

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It’s that time again.  Time for the second installment of the semi-annual “Smashmouth Bowl”.

Twice a year (and sometimes 3 times per year) the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens get together for what is probably the most hard-hitting rivalry in the NFL.

These two teams are mirror images of one another (except the Ravens are loaded with criminals).  Both of them play tough, physical defense (although our defense is better than theirs), both like to set up the pass by running the ball (although our running game is better than theirs), both have talented young quarterbacks (although our quarterback is better than theirs), and both have passionate fans (although our fans are better than theirs).

Okay, perhaps Baltimore would be better described as a pale reflection of Pittsburgh, but you get my point.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure what to expect from this year’s “Smashmouth Bowl”.  The two teams met earlier in the year, and Baltimore managed to get a last second win.  But that was before the Steelers had Ben Roethlisberger back.  Big Ben ALWAYS beats the Ravens.  So this game should be very different from the first meeting.

More importantly, this will be the first time that the two teams have met since Roger Goodell instituted his new “kinder, gentler” rules.  The new rules seem to outlaw the very type of football that the Steelers and Ravens excel at.  Will this change the very nature of the war between these two teams?

Will the game still be the same if players aren’t leaving on stretchers?  Will it still be exciting if James Harrison can’t drive Joe Flacco into the ground?  Will it still be manly, even if Ray Lewis doesn’t get to break one of our players’ collarbone?  Will it still be the “Smashmouth Bowl” even if Hines Ward doesn’t get to knockout a Ravens defensive back (or two)?

Hopefully, the referees will understand the nature of this rivalry, and will not go overboard with the flags.  Frankly, I didn’t enjoy watching the flag-filled game against the Oakland Raiders.  I don’t want to see that many flags in this game.

The Raiders have already won the first game in this year’s series.  The Steelers will try very hard to not allow them to sweep the series.  We need this win to stay atop the AFC North.  In fact, a win on Sunday will put us in the drivers’ seat.

The Ravens have only swept the Steelers one time.  That was back in 2006.

The Steelers, on the other hand, have swept the series 4 times, and in 2008 we defeated the Ravens 3 times.  So history seems to be on our side.

The one factor that does make me nervous is the health of the offensive line.  The Ravens have some gigantic defensive linemen to throw at the Steelers.  If the offensive line is unhealthy, it could be a long day.

I predict a typical, physical Steelers/Ravens game.  But when the dust finally settles, I anticipate a Steelers win.  Big Ben just has the Raven’s number.  Remember, the Ravens’ last two wins over the Steelers came with Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch at the helm.  Big Ben changes the dynamic completely.

I predict a 24-13 Steelers win, and the Steelers taking sole possession of the AFC North lead.  Can I get an “Amen”?

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