Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

As the Steelers wait to play in Super Bowl XLV, Steelers fans are showing their team spirit.  Whether they’re singing about the Steelers, or about Pittsburgh, their talent is on display.

Several of them have sent me videos, and I’ve been too busy to go through most of them.  But here are a few that I did take the time to look at, and I actually liked them.

The first was sent to me by Emily McVicker.  At first I assumed that it was just going to be another bad rendition of a Steelers song.  But when I started listening to it, it quickly became obvious that Ms. McVicker has a really nice voice.  I don’t know if she has musical training, but it certainly sounds like it to me.

The next one was sent to me by Tim Ruff.  He’s also a singer who is showing a little Pittsburgh spirit.  He did a parody of the song “Walking in Memphis”.  He calls it “Walking in Pittsburgh”.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment by clicking on the square at the top right of this article. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. You can also follow us on Twitter by clicking the bird doohicky below. Also consider following us on Facebook. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

This is Part 1 of our 9-part Super Bowl XLV Preview series.

To read the other parts of this series, click the appropriate link below:

Part 1:  Super Bowl XLV Preview -  Team overviews

Part 2:  Super Bowl XLV Preview – The quarterbacks

Part 3:  Super Bowl XLV Preview – The Offensive Lines

Part 4:  Super Bowl XLV Preview – The Receivers

Part 5:  Super Bowl XLV Preview – The Running Backs

Part 6:  Super Bowl XLV Preview – The Defensive Lines

Part 7:  Super Bowl XLV Preview – The Linebackers

Part 8:  Super Bowl XLV Preview – The Defensive Backs

Part 9:  Super Bowl XLV Preview – Putting it all together

I hate the two weeks leading up the the Super Bowl.  I really do.

We’re going to hear the same stories repeated over, and over, and over, and over, and…..  Well, you get my point.

So I promise not to talk about Big Ben’s past indiscretions.  I won’t speculate on whether Maurkice Pouncey is going to play in the Super Bowl (We’ll all find out when the Steelers make an announcement about it).  I won’t make up stories claiming that Dick LeBeau is leaving to go to the Arizona Cardinals.  And I won’t do a comparison of Troy Polamalu’s and Clay Matthews’ hair.

Instead, what I plan to do is prepare Steelers fans (and fans of other teams as well) to watch the game intelligently.

The Steelers don’t play the Packers very often.  So Steelers fans may not be familiar with the Packers players.  So I’m going to strive to fill in that knowledge gap.  I’m going to analyze the Packers’ strengths and weaknesses, and try to make Steelers fans as familiar with them as I can.  My goal is to help Steelers fans know exactly who to watch during the Super Bowl, and to know what to expect from the Packers.

Today, I am going to do a general comparison of the two teams, and then in the remaining days leading up to the big game, I’m going to do a position-by-position comparison of the teams.

The Steelers and the Packers are two of the most storied teams in NFL history.  The Packers were the “team of the 60′s”.  The Steelers were the “team of the 70′s”.

The Steelers have won more Super Bowls than any other team in the Super Bowl era.  However, the Packers have the most NFL championships if you count those that occurred before the Super Bowl era.  The Packers’ 12 NFL championships are twice as many as the Steelers’ 6 Super Bowl championships.  In fact, the 6 Lombardi trophies that sit in the Steelers’ trophy case are named after legendary Packers coach Vince Lombardi.

Both teams play in small markets.  Green Bay has a population of just over 100,000 people.  Pittsburgh’s population is slightly over 312,000.  Yet despite playing in small markets, the two teams are among the most popular in the NFL.  In fact, when the AFC and NFC championships were over, I’ll bet the NFL was ecstatic to hear that the Steelers and Packers would be facing one another.

In any other sport, if two small market teams were meeting in the championship, the league’s commissioner would have probably been considering suicide.  How do you think David Stern would react if he had an NBA championship that featured the Memphis Grizzlies against the Charlotte Bobcats?  He’d either kill himself, or he’d figure out a way to replace them with the LA Lakers and Boston Celtics.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will not be committing suicide.  He recognizes that this is a dream match-up.

The Steelers and Packers are very similar in many ways.  Not only are the both legendary franchises from small markets, but on the field there are plenty of similarities as well.

Both teams have a top-notch quarterback who can will his team to victory.  Packers QB Aaron Rodgers and Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger are among the most dangerous quarterbacks in the NFL when they get outside of the pocket.  Las Vegas oddsmakers probably have both of them among the favorites to win the MVP Award at Super Bowl XLV.

Both teams play stifling defense.  The Steelers allowed the fewest points per game (14.5)  in the NFL in 2010.  The Packers were second, allowing 15.0 points per game.

When watching the two teams, viewers will probably notice that their defenses are almost mirror images of one another.  That’s because both teams play an aggressive 3-4 defense.  In fact, Packers’ defensive coordinator Dom Capers was once an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  He and Steelers’ defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau were the masterminds behind the Steelers’ 3-4 defense,  Capers has obviously taken that defense to Green Bay.

Both teams feature a speedy wide receiver who can break a big play at any time.  For the Packers, that player is Greg Jennings, and for the Steelers it’s Mike Wallace.  Both teams also have a crafty, sure-handed veteran receiver who they can count on to make the tough catches in traffic.  For the Steelers, it’s Hines Ward, and for the Packers it’s Donald Driver.

Both teams feature an outside linebacker who is among the best in the league, and who is always a threat to be NFL Defensive Player of the Year.  The Steelers’ James Harrison is a former winner of that award, and the Packers Clay Matthews is likely to win it this year.

The similarities between the two teams just go on and on.  That’s one of the things that makes this match-up so compelling.

Tomorrow, we’ll start the position-by-position comparisons.  The first position that we’ll be looking at is the quarterbacks.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment by clicking on the square at the top right of this article. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. You can also follow us on Twitter by clicking the bird doohicky below. Also consider following us on Facebook. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

Ordinarily, I would write an article discussing the key points in the game.  But I’m not going to do that.

You all watched the game.  You know what happened.  The Steelers beat the Jets.  They dominated them in the first half, then almost gave it away in the 2nd half.  They brought Steeler Nation to the brink of cardiac arrest, only to pull it out in the end.  There’s really no reason to tell you what you already know.

Instead, I want to focus on the fact that the Steelers are going to the Super Bowl!  Again!  Oh yeah!

I know that we’ve been there before.  But it’s still a great feeling.

So I’m going to go party.  And I suggest you do the same.

Savor this moment, and the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl.  We, as Steelers fans, are a bit spoiled.  Getting to the Super Bowl is a rare and special thing, and it should be cherished.  Just ask any Cleveland Browns fan.  I think we sometimes forget that.

So go have a beer…..or two.  That’s what I’m gonna do.  Revel in the moment.  It truly is special.

By the way, congratulations to the Green Bay Packers for winning the NFC Championship.  We’ll see you in Dallas.

Here we go, Steelers!  Here we go!!!

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment by clicking on the square at the top right of this article. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. You can also follow us on Twitter by clicking the bird doohicky below. Also consider following us on Facebook. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

You may have already read our interview on JetsFan.com.  If not, please click the link below to read the interview.

Interview on JetsFan.com

We also asked them a series of questions.  Here are their answers to the questions that we posed to them.

Steelers Today: The New York media has been hard on Mark Sanchez at times.  Obviously, he has led the Jets to the AFC Championship.  But how would you summarize his season overall?  What are his strengths, and what are his weaknesses?

Jets Fan: Sanchez has had a pretty good season.  In his first two years he has sometimes been the victim of his own success.  When he gets on a roll Brian Schottenheimer expands the offense for him but then he struggles and throws interceptions.  He thrives in the short, rhythm passing game but still has work to do on his deep balls.  He is not very accurate on throws beyond 15 yards.  Sanchez is going to be a good one but people forget how young he is.  He is not only a second year player but he came out as a junior from USC and only had 16 starts there so he really has not played a ton of football.  His strengths are his intelligence, leadership skills, competitiveness and his ability to throw on the run.  His weaknesses are his accuracy and ability to read defenses.

Steelers Today: How have New York fans accepted Santonio Holmes?  Is he recognized as an emerging star on the team, or are they still expecting more from him?

Jets Fan: The reception for Holmes has been mostly positive.  He singlehandedly won four games for the Jets this year, which was huge.  But he’s also made some boneheaded plays as well.  He dropped an easy touchdown in the end zone vs. Miami , committed costly turnovers in two other games and will dog his routes at times and miss blocks.  He is loaded with talent but has lapses in concentration that lead to mistakes.  He is an up and down player but seems to make plays when the team needs them most and that, more than anything, has endeared him to Jets fans.

Steelers Today: Which match-up do you think will have the greatest impact on the game?

Jets Fan: I’m going to say Mike Wallace vs. Antonio Cromartie.  Wallace is the Steelers’ best receiver and it is clear he and Roethlisberger have good chemistry together.  If these two hook up on some big plays, it will be a long day for the Jets’ defense.  Cromartie did an okay job vs. him in the last match up and some of Wallace’s catches actually came against other Jets’ defenders.  I think Roethlisberger will try and attack Cromartie who can be inconsistent with his technique at times.

Steelers Today: If you could replace one offensive player from the Jets with his Steelers counterpart, who would you take and why?  Similarly, if you could replace one Jets defensive player with his Steelers counterpart, who would it be why?

Jets Fan: On offense it would be LG Matt Slauson.  He has been pretty good in his first year as a starter but is not nearly as accomplished as  Chris Kemoeatu.  The Jets actually tried to sign him away from the Steelers two years ago but of course were unsuccessful.  On defense, that’s easy – Troy Polamalu.  I don’t know too many defenses that wouldn’t want a guy like him.  Brodney Pool has been a little disappointing in his first year with the Jets. Meanwhile Polamalu is arguably the best player at his position.  He is a dynamic playmaker who instantly upgrades the Steelers’ defense every time he is on the field.

Steelers Today: What is your prediction for the game?

Jets Fan: I think the Jets are going to win.  I know the Steelers are favored and have home field advantage but the Jets are a good road team and are not intimidated by their surroundings or the magnitude of a game like this.  The Steelers are more battle-tested and have much more experience playing on the big stage but I think the Jets want this one more and in the end, that will be the difference.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment by clicking on the square at the top right of this article. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. You can also follow us on Twitter by clicking the bird doohicky below. Also consider following us on Facebook. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

Steelers Today was interviewed by the website JetsFan.com.  They asked us a few questions about the Steelers, and our outlook on tomorrow’s game.

Please take a look at the interview, and let us know what you think of our answers.  Did we do okay?  Do you agree with our responses?

In particular, check out our answer to their final question about what the Jets have to do to win the game.

Here is the link to the interview:  Interview with JetsFan.com.