Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

August 14, 2009
By Donald Starver

Thursday’s Super Bowl rematch turned out to be not so super.  While fans are always anxious for the start of a new NFL season, the early pre-season games are always rather dull.  This game proved to be no different.

The Steelers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 20 – 10.  However, the score sounds much more exciting than the game actually was.

As expected, the Steelers starters played very little.  Big Ben completed 4 of 6 passes for a whopping 33 yards.  Hines Ward caught 2 passes for 19 yards, while Santonio Holmes caught none.

But of course these games aren’t for the veterans.  After all, we already know what they can do.  Rather, the early pre-season games are an opportunity for the young players to show what they can do.  So let’s look at how the young players did.

Studs

Limas Sweed – Following an infamous dropped pass in last year’s playoffs, Limas Sweed has been heavily scrutinized by Steelers fans.  He needed a good game, and he delivered.  Sweed only caught two passes, but they both had a fairly high degree of difficulty.  Moreover, he averaged 28 yards per reception, and his longest was a 45 yard catch.

Limas Sweed

Shaun McDonald – The free agent from Detroit led all receivers with 69 receiving yards.

Joe Burnett – Rookie cornerback Joe Burnett caught his first NFL interception and almost ran it back for a touchdown.

Ziggy Hood – The Steelers’ first round draft pick collected his first NFL sack.

Isaac Redman – The free agent running back made a strong statement that he should be the Steelers’ short yardage back.  He has been the most impressive in training camp, and this game proved to be no different.  Redman led all Steelers backs in rushing yards, while also scoring 2 touchdowns.

Isaac Redman scores again.

Dan Sepulveda – No more Berger.  No more Ernster.  Nope, Dan the man is back.  Sepulveda punted 6 times and averaged 49.5 yards per punt.  That’s much better than the 12 yards per punt that Mitch Berger and Paul Ernster averaged last season (okay, maybe they averaged more than 12 yards per punt, but it certainly seemed like 12 yards).

Duds

Rashard Mendenhall – Did he even play?  I see his name in the box score, but I certainly don’t remember seeing him do anything.

Joe Burnett – Yeah, he made an interception.  But he also fumbled a punt return.  He’s not going to win a job like that.

Frank Summers – Everyone is waiting for Frank “the tank” to become the next bus.  However it’s undrafted free agent rookie Isaac Redman who’s scoring all the touchdowns.

Piotr Czech – It’s going to be almost impossible to displace Jeff Reed as the Steelers’ kicker.  Czech is going to have to be perfect in order to do it.  Missing a 36 yard field goal didn’t look like perfection to me.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the Steelers’ offensive line didn’t allow any sacks.  Not one (yeah, I don’t believe it either).  That’s got to count for something.  Meanwhile, the Cardinals’ offensive line allowed their quarterbacks to be sacked 4 times.  It’s too soon to draw any conclusions yet, but I’ll take any opportunity I can to compliment the Steelers’ o-line.

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As we’ve been expecting, free agent WR Nate Washington will be leaving the Steelers to pursue more money.  Washington signed a new deal with the Tennesee Titans.  Washington’s deal is reported to be 6 years, $27 million.

Washington had emerged last season as the Steelers’ #3 receiver.  He proved to be able to spread the field, and led the team in yards per catch (15.8 yds/rec.). 

Although his speed allowed him to get separation from his defenders, Washington’s hands were always suspect.  When drafted out of tiny Tiffin University, the Steelers knew that Washington was going to be a project.  During his first two seasons with the team, he was more likely to drop the ball than to catch it.  But during the past two seasons, he finally gained confidence.  It’s unfortunate that the Steelers will have to lose Washington after developing him into the player that he’s become.

But even if he had stayed with the Steelers, Washington would have been relegated to the #3 receiver position.  He will be much easier to replace than Hines Ward or Santonio Holmes would be.

Waiting in the wings to replace Washington is last year’s 2nd round draft pick, Limas Sweed.  Sweed is both bigger and faster than Washington, and given time, should develop into an even better player than Nate became.

Sweed is 6’4″ and 220 lbs., whereas Washington was only 6’1″ and 185 lbs.  Moreover, Sweed came from a much better college program (Texas) than Washington did.

Many fans got down on Sweed when he dropped passes during the Steelers’ Super Bowl run.  However, fans have to remember that Sweed was only a rookie, and he saw very little playing time last season.  If he works hard during the off-season, he should come into training camp as the #3 receiver, and should prove to be a competent replacement for Washington.

The position will not just be handed to Sweed.  He’ll have to earn it.  He will compete with Martin Nance during training camp.  Nance was on the Steelers practice squad after being cut by the Minnesota Vikings.  As fans may remember, Nance was Ben Roethlisberger’s favorite receiver at Miami of Ohio.  Nance has good size (6’3″, 213 lbs.), however he is rather slow footed.

I would expect the Steelers to draft another receiver to compete during camp, as well as to add depth at the position.  However, I believe that it might be prudent for them to pick up a bargain priced veteran receiver in free agency as an insurance policy.  I have no doubt that Sweed will be a good NFL receiver.  I’m just not certain that it will be in 2009.

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January 20, 2009
By Donald Starver

Special thanks to “Mutt” for suggesting that the “Purple Dragon” series needed to be a trilogy.   Great idea, Mutt.  And so, as you requested, here is part 3 of the trilogy.

For those of you who haven’t read the first two segments, please do so before reading this final chapter of the trilogy.

Click here to read chapter 1 of the trilogy.

Click here to read chapter 2 of the trilogy.

Chapter 3: Resurrection

The villagers of Pittsburgh didst enjoy a time of great peace and prosperity following the defeat of the purple dragon many months ago by their beloved Men of Steel.  Little did they know that the beast had not been destroyed, but rather, it had simply been diminished.  Whilst the beast appeared to be dead, it didst yet cling to a flicker of life.

The beast had been laid low in his last encounter with the Men of Steel by a killing stroke by the young squire “Santonio of the smoky weed”.  Yet the powerful magicks that did empower the beast proved more difficult to overcome than had been originally believed.

While the great beast appeared to be vanquished, it was secretly resting in a death-like state as its powers were being renewed.  The beast’s powers were fed by the faith and worship of its followers, the orcs and trolls of Baltimore.  Their unwavering devotion to the foul creature didst resurrect him, this time more powerful than before.

The purple beast remembered being humbled at the hands of the Men of Steel, clad in their black and gold armor.   He recalled the might of Lord Ben, Sir Hines, Sir Heath, Sir Willie, and the rest of the heroic band of brothers from Pittsburgh.  The very thought of them made the beast’s blood boil.  He hated them more than any could imagine.  He longed to destroy the Men of Steel once and for all.  And woe be unto any who sought to deny him his revenge.

Having tasted the might of the Men of Steel once before, the dragon had his mightiest sorcerer, the dark lord Rex Ryan, devise even more powerful defenses than the beast enjoyed before.  The Dark Lord conjured forbidden defensive magicks that made the beast virtually unbeatable.

Emboldened by his newfound might, the beast set his eyes upon an even greater prize than he had before.  In times past, the beast had challenged the Men of Steel for dominion of the Northern portion of the Kingdom of AFC.  This time, the hell-spawned behemoth would seek to rule the entire Kingdom of AFC.

Rather than challenge the Men of Steel right away, the beast didst devise a plan most foul.  He would first test his newfound powers against the mighty Titans of Tennessee.  The Titans were a strong but arrogant army.  While the Men of Steel ruled the northern realm of the kingdom of AFC, the Titans ruled the southern realm.  The Titans had proven themselves to be more powerful warriors than even the gallant Men of Steel.  Recently, the Men of Steel dared challenge the Titans in their home territories of Tennessee, only to be rebuffed most brutally.  Not only did the Titans soundly thrash the Men of Steel, but they also desecrated their sacred gold and black coat of arms.

The Beast knew that by first defeating the mighty Titans, it would send a powerful message to the Men of Steel that their age-old foe was back, and that he was even more powerful than before.

And so it went that in a battle that saw the Titans show forth great might and prowess, the beast did yet prevail.  He vanquished the Titans, and sent forth word that he was coming next for the Men of Steel.  Unlike times past, this battle would not be for the Northern realm of the kingdom of AFC.  Nay, this battle would determine who would reign over the entirety of the kingdom.  The winner of this battle would be the Champion of the kingdom of AFC.

The last time they battled, the Men of Steel had vanquished the purple dragon in his own lair.  This time, the dragon would take the battle directly to the Men of Steel.  He would challenge them in their vaunted Field of Heinz.

And so on a Sunday that will be sung about for generations, the purple dragon did enter the Field of Heinz to do battle with the Men of Steel.  The clash was both violent and vicious.  Some used the term “smash-mouth”.  The dragon and the Men of Steel battled as the Field of Heinz ran with blood (or was that ketchup?).

Early in the battle, the Men of Steel were dealt a devastating blow when the dragon injured the mighty Sir Hines, and rendered him unable to fight on.  Sir Hines’ strength was admired by all of the Men of Steel, and having him removed from the battle was a crushing blow to the morale of the black and gold.

Without Sir Hines, the Men of Steel were forced to call upon Sir Hines’ young apprentice Limas Wastedpik.  Wastedpik had been taken under the wings of Sir Hines when Sir Hines noticed that Wastedpik had been born with a severe deformity; he had no hands.

In the heat of the battle, young Wastedpik had an opportunity to deliver the killing blow to the dragon.  Unfortunately, his handicap came back to haunt him as Wastedpik dropped his sword.

And so the battle waged on, with each side being battered and bruised yet refusing to budge an inch.  limbs were severed and bodies broken, yet still the struggle continued.

It appeared that the conflict would not end until the final combatant lay dead on the battlefield.  As day turned to night, and the number of wounded mounted, the battle raged.

Lesser warriors, like those who dwell in the valleys of Ohio, could never even dream of participating in a battle of such consequence.

The Men of Steel and the purple dragon were locked in a battle of the ages.  The two forces were locked in stalemate, until finally, one of the mightiest warriors on the field of battle rose to the occasion.  The gallant knight “Sir Troy of the flowing hair” lifted his gilded blade and drove it deep into the heart of his purple nemesis.  The beast lurched as it belted out its final death knell.

And so the Men of Steel didst claim the title of champions of the entire Kingdom of AFC.  None could stand before their might, and all hailed their accomplishments.  Mugs were lifted and songs were sung in celebration of the final victory of the Men of Steel over the purple dragon from Baltimore.

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After blowing an easy touchdown (and then faking an injury to hide his embarassment), Steelers receiver Limas Sweed got partial redemption (but only partial) when he delivered a huge block for Heath Miller.  Corey Ivy of the Baltimore Ravens was inches away from tackling Miller when Sweed came out of nowhere with a devastating block.

Sweed’s block showed that he has been learning something from Hines Ward while sitting on the Steelers’ bench.  Now if only he could learn to catch like Ward.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiK5JQU8SW8

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January 19, 2009
By Donald Starver

For the seventh time, the Pittsburgh Steelers will be playing in the Super Bowl.  Only the Dallas Cowboys, with 8 Super Bowl appearances, have been there more often.  But with a win, the Steelers will stand alone with 6 Super Bowl victories, the most in NFL history.

Like the highways in Pittsburgh, the road to Super Bowl XLIII was full of potholes.  The biggest pothole was the Baltimore Ravens.

After beating the Ravens twice in the regular season, the Steelers had the unenviable task of trying to beat them for a third time.  The Ravens were a team on a roll, and beating them was not going to be easy.

We predicted before the game that the team that avoided turnovers was likely to win the game.  This proved to be true.  Ravens’ quarterback Joe Flacco was the first rookie quarterback to win 2 playoff games, but the AFC Championship proved to be too large a stage for the promising freshman.  Flacco threw 3 interceptions, and ended up with a quarterback rating of 18.2 (no, that’s not a typo).  Flacco was also sacked three times.

Rookie QB Joe Flacco

The Ravens also had 3 fumbles during the game, but they only lost one of those.  Likewise, the Steelers had 2 fumbles and lost one.  Thus, the fumbles basically canceled one another out.  But the interceptions proved to be the deciding factor in the game.

As everyone expected, this was a defensive struggle which pitted the top two defenses in the NFL.  The Ravens proved to be very difficult to run on, as they held Willie Parker to just 47 yards on 24 carries.  That’s an average of only 2 yards per carry.

Fortunately, the Steelers’ defense proved to be just as stingy.  The Steelers held the Ravens to only 198 net yards from scrimmage.

The Steelers probably should have had several more scores.  A touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes was called back when the Ravens issued a challenge.  Later in the game, Ben Roethlisberger threw a sure touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Limas Sweed.  Sweed, as has become his pattern, got great separation from his defender, but then dropped a pass that was right in his hands.  To make matters worse, Sweed was so embarassed because he dropped the pass that he faked an injury after the play.  The faux injury cost the Steelers a timeout.  The lack of that timeout prevented the Steelers from stopping the clock to bring in the field goal unit at the end of the quarter.  Hopefully, Sweed has learned that personal pride can cost his team dearly.

After allowing the Ravens to stick around far too long, the Steelers finally pulled away and won the game 23-14.

The final nail in the Ravens’ coffin was an interception by Troy Polamalu that he returned for a touchdown.  That was one of many great plays in the game by Polamalu. 

There were several scares in the game.  The Steelers lost wide receiver Hines Ward early in the game with a knee injury.  Ward is scheduled to have an MRI tomorrow.  The Ravens saw running back Willis McGahee carted off on a stretcher after a vicious hit by Steelers’ safety Ryan Clark.  Clark knocked himself silly on the play as well, but he was able to leave the field under his own power (although he was extremely wobbly while doing so).

It should be noted that the Steelers have given up fewer than 100 total yards rushing in their two playoff games COMBINED.  That’s some pretty stingy defense.

So now the Steelers move on to Tampa to take on the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII.  That’s right, the Arizona Cardinals.  It must be snowing in Hell.

The Cardinals (also known as the Steelers West) defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 32-25 in the NFC Championship game to move on to their first Super Bowl.  The obvious Pittsburgh connections on that Cardinals team adds several storylines that are going to be beat to death by the media over the next two weeks.  You know, Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm were candidates for the position that ultimately went to Mike Tomlin.  Larry Fitzgerald went to Pitt.  Several (most?) Cardinal players used to play for the Steelers.  Blah blah blah.  Yeah, I’m sick of hearing it already.

On to the Super Bowl.

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