Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

October 5, 2009
By Donald Starver

“Awesome, Awesome,Awesome, WHAT?!?, phew!!”
-Pam Prinz (via Facebook)

I don’t think that I could have summarized Sunday night’s game any better than Pam Prinz, one of my friends on Facebook, did in the above quote.

The Steelers played 3 awesome quarters, then tried to blow the game in the 4th quarter before finally pulling out a victory in the end.  “Phew!!” is right.

For the third consecutive week, the Steelers have suffered a 4th quarter meltdown which leaves fans asking “what is wrong with the 4th quarter defense?”

With 2 minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Steelers led the Chargers 28-0, and most Steelers fans thought the game was in the bag.  After all, if the Chargers hadn’t been able to score in the first 43 minutes of the game, what could they possibly do with only 17 minutes left in the game?

But these are the 2009 Steelers, and they don’t seem to be satisfied unless they’ve left their fans on the verge of cardiac arrest.  So they found a way to let the Chargers back into the game.

After leading 28-0 with 2 minutes left in the 3rd quarter, the Steelers found themselves up by only 7 points with 2 minutes left in the 4th quarter.  Huh?

It took a field goal by Jeff Reed with 48 seconds remaining in the game to finally put the game safely out of reach and allow Steelers fans to breathe a sigh of relief.

Despite the close score, the Steelers were once again dominant.  They held the Chargers and their star running back LaDainian Tomlinson to a total of 16 rushing yards.  That’s right, 16.

The Steelers outgained the Chargers with 516 total yards versus only 270 for San Diego.  They also dominated the time clock, holding the ball for a full 40:20 while only allowing the Chargers 19:40 total time of possession.

But the real story of the game was Rashard Mendenhall.  After being benched last week because he didn’t know his playbook, Mendenhall got the start due to an injury to Willie Parker.  Mendenhall took advantage of his opportunity by rushing for 165 yards on 29 carries.  More importantly, many of those yards came on tough, physical runs between the tackles, something the Steelers had been unable to do up to this point.

Mendenhall’s rushing success made things much easier for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who threw for 333 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The Steelers win, combined with a Baltimore Ravens loss to the New England Patriots, leaves the Steelers only one game out of first place in the AFC North.

The AFC North leading Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals have to play one another next week, so if the Steelers can defeat the Detroit Lions, they will gain ground on at least one of their AFC North foes.

Ordinarily I’d feel very confident when the Steelers have back-to-back games against the lowly Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns.  However, I know that this year’s Steelers team will find a way to make both of these games exciting to the very end.  That’s not a good thing in my opinion, but I’m starting to get used to it.

Now where did I put my heart medicine?

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 August 12, 2009
By John DeWald

Editor’s note:  Prior to training camp, we started a series previewing all of the positions.  Our goal was to make fans familiar with all of the players who would be competing at training camp, and to give our best guess at who would actually make the 53-man roster.  Unfortunately, we did not complete the series prior to the start of training camp like we had originally intended.  We have decided to complete the series anyway.  We hope that it will make fans more familiar with some of the names that you will hear us mention in our regular training camp updates.

Also, please note that this installment is being written by John DeWald.  John is one of our regular readers who alway impressed me with the quality of the comments that he left.  I wanted to share his insight with my readers,  so I asked him to co-write this series with me.  See what happens when you leave quality comments?  Hint, hint.

This is Part 6 in a series.  If you haven’t read the previous installments, please click below:

Part 1:  Defensive linemen

Part 2:  Linebackers

Part 3:  Safeties

Part 4: Cornerbacks

Part 5: Quarterbacks

Last season the Steelers carried 3 running backs and a single fullback on the active roster (and kept 1 back on the practice squad). The incumbents are Willie Parker, Rashard Mendenhall, Mewelde Moore, and Carey Davis.

Early in the 2008 season, Mendenhall was placed on IR (compliments of Ray Lewis) and Gary Russell was activated from the practice squad. Russell is gone but the rest of them are still on the team along with four new backs. So, unless someone really shines on special teams (and is kept primarily for that purpose) we are looking at 8 players fighting for 4 spots on the 53-man roster.

The Steelers appear to be in very good shape with the top 3 RB’s returning.  Of course, as we found out last year, injuries can change that outlook very quickly.  So let’s take a look at the running backs who will be competing at Steelers training camp.

Willie Parker – Parker is a good (although limited) back with blazing speed and good vision but mediocre elusiveness (he’s not going to make people miss unless he can run away from them).  He’s also not much of a pass catcher.  Parker had an off year last season due to injuries and an inconsistent line.  He expanded his off-season training regimen to try to avoid injuries this year.  This is a contract year for Parker and he is playing with a chip on his shoulder so expect him to put everything on the line to earn a new contract.

Rashard Mendenhall- Behind Parker is last year’s #1 pick.  Mendenhall is a more complete back than Parker but is very inexperienced after logging only 19 carries last year.  The Steelers are very high on him and would like to see him shoulder a significant amount of the load to keep both he and Parker fresh for the postseason.  Not to mention, to give them an idea of whether to give Parker a contract extension.

Mewelde Moore- Moore was signed last season as a 3rd down back/return specialist.  Proving that you can never have too many good backs, he logged some heroic performances filling in for the injured Parker and Mendenhall.  Over his 4 starts he carried 80 times for 360 Yards (4.5 YPC) and had 16 receptions for 89 yards.  He is a much better pass catcher than the other RB’s, logging 40 receptions last year (tied for 5th on the team).  His return game was not nearly as impressive but at least he was sure handed.

Parker, Mendenhall, and Moore are all locks to make the team.

Carey Davis- Unlike the other returning backs, Davis should probably brush off his resume.  Davis began last year as the starting FB until it was discovered that Sean McHugh (the 3rd TE) was actually a better blocker.  Given the de-emphasis of the FB in Bruce Arians’ offense, the competition from H-Back/TE players such as McHugh and Johnson, and the intriguing abilities of Summers and Logan, Davis will have an uphill battle to keep his job.  This year the hill will prove too steep.

Those fighting for Davis’s spot:

Frank “The Tank” Summers -  The Steelers’ second 5th round pick is quickly becoming a fan favorite before ever playing a down in the NFL.  The Steelers have been noticeably weak in short yardage situations over the past few years and, given his size, many fans are having visions of the “Tank” being the first effective replacement to “the Bus”.  Needless to say, this will be easier said than done.  Bettis was a unique talent with rare size and agility.  Frank has a lot of upside but, coming from a spread offense, it will take time for him to transition to the NFL.  Lucky for him, the Steelers will not ask him to be anything other than a short yardage back this year – anything else will just be a bonus.  Barring a horrendous camp, Frank is the front runner to take Davis’s spot.

Stefan “The Yugo” Logan- OK, the “Yugo” comment isn’t really fair but this guy is SMALL (5’7 and 185 – and that might be stretching it).  Logan, however, offers some intriguing capabilities.  While lacking the size of Mendenhall and Summers or the speed of Parker, he has great agility and elusiveness.

Logan walked on at South Dakota in 2003.  Four years later, he was the best running back in school history with 15 school records to his credit.  He was the 11th player in Division II history to rush for 5,000 yards (5,968) and surpass 7,000 all purpose yards (7,770).  In his first and only year in the CFL he registered 122 carries for 889 yards (an awesome 7.3 YPC) and had 52 receptions for 477 yards.  He was 6th in the league in combined yards from scrimmage as well as having a 10.5 average on punt returns and nearly a 30 yard average on kick returns.  He is a good receiver, returns punts and kicks, and could be Pittsburgh’s version of Darren Sproles (who is only listed at 5’6 and 185).  Logan has a good chance to make the team but it will be determined almost entirely by his special teams play.

Justin Vincent – Justin Vincent, a 4 year player at LSU, was first signed to the practice squad by Pittsburgh in 2007.  He faced stiff competition for playing time at LSU and never really distinguished himself.  He has spent parts of the last 2 years on the Steelers’ practice squad and has never been elevated to the active roster.  In all likelihood, unless he sets training camp on fire, he is only competing for a place on the practice squad.

Isaac Redman- Redman was signed this year as an undrafted free agent. He ended his college career (Bowie State) as the school’s All-Time leading rusher with 3,300 yards and holds the school’s single season rushing (1,512) record.  He has good size (230 lbs) and good overall skills, but is understandably a bit raw having played in Division II.  Given his upside, I predict that he beats out Vincent for a spot on the practice squad.

So, in summary, Parker, Mendenhall, Moore, and Summers are in. Logan is a possibility as a return specialist. Redman makes the practice squad and Davis and Vincent are out.  Agree?  Disagree?  Your comments are welcome.

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If you haven’t done so already, please contribute to our Steelers vs Cowboys Recap Haiku Contest.  And if you didn’t read our pre-game articles, please see our Steelers-Cowboys Preview and our Key Match-ups.  Lastly, we also wrote an article about Cowboys’ rookie running back Tashard Choice.  Now, onto this week’s recap.

It wasn’t pretty.  In fact, it was downright ugly.  But the only thing that really matters is the final score, and the final score of this game was steelers 20, Cowboys 13.

The most difficult opponent for either team was probably the weather.  The temperatures were below freezing, and the wind was gusty.  In fact, the conditions were so bad that they made punter Mitch Berger look like Paul Ernster.  Gasp!

Neither offense looked particularly good.  For the Cowboys, Tony Romo had a miserable outing.  He was 19/36 passing, was intercepted 3 times, sacked 3 times, and ended up with a passer rating of 44.9 for the game.  I guess entering the game with the highest passer rating in the league didn’t help him very much.  But Philip Rivers could have told him that.

The one offensive player who did have a good showing was Cowboys’ rookie Tashard Choice.  Choice, making his first NFL start, racked up 156 yards of total offense against the Steelers’ defense.  He ended up as the games leading rusher with 88 yards.  Not a bad day for his first NFL start.

The Steelers’ rushers  had no such luck.  Willie Parker was totally ineffective.  By the end of the first quarter, he had me screaming “get him out of the game!!” at my TV.  Parker ended up rushing 12 times for 25 yards.  That’s an average of 2.1 yards per carry.  That’s about the same average that Tony Romo’s girlfriend Jessica Simpson would have gotten had she played in the game.

The Steelers’ coaching staff finally realized that Parker was stinking up the joint and went with Mewelde Moore.  Moore rushed 5 times for 22 yards.  Not many total yards, but a much more respectable 4.4 yard per carry average.

Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger did his famous imitation of a tackling dummy again this week.  He was sacked 5 times during the game.  For those of you who are counting, that’s 24 sacks against NFC East teams this year (22 on Big Ben and 2 on Byron Leftwich).  Damn, the NFC East is like Kryptonite to Big Ben!

Fortunately, Big Ben was able to rally the troops when he really needed to.  With 2:10 left in the 4th quarter, Roethlisberger found Heath Miller for a six yard touchdown pass.  Suddenly the game was tied 13-13 with about 2:00 left, and it looked like the game was going to go into overtime.

Fortunately, when the Steelers need them, the defense always seems to step up and deliver a victory.  Today was no different.  On the Cowboys’ final possession, Tony Romo dropped back to pass the ball to tight end Jason Witten.  However, there seemed to be a miscommunication between the two, because Witten zigged when Romo wanted him to zag.  The ball sailed past Witten and right into the waiting arms of Steelers CB Deshea Townsend.  Townsend sprinted towards the endzone and made a final dive to avoid being tackled.  Touchdown Steelers!!!!!  The defense had done it again.

Once again, the defense held their opponent to under 300 yards of total offense.  Once again James Harrison sacked the quarterback.  Once again he forced a fumble while making the sack (I hope nobody tells Harrison that he doesn’t have to force a fumble everytime he sacks the quarterback).  Once again, Troy Polamalu added to his interception total.  The Steelers defense did what it always does.  It saved the offense after the offense delivered another mediocre performance.

I know that the Steelers are winning, and that fans should be happy with any win.  However, I really wish that the offense would start carrying their share of the load.  The Baltimore Ravens have proven that a team can win a Super Bowl strictly on the strength of their defense.  Nevertheless, that’s a tough way to do it, and I sure wish the offense would chip in.

The Steelers are now 10-3, and a pretty much guaranteed a playoff spot.  Now they have to fight to maintain their current position and the important first round bye.  The first step of that journey begins next week in Baltimore.

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This Sunday, our Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3) face the Dallas Cowboys (8-4) at Heinz Field. These historical rivals haven’t faced one another since 2004. In that game, the Steelers defeated the Cowboys 24-20. Some may remember that that was the game in which Steeler Nation took over the Cowboys’ stadium on national TV. The TV announcers commented throughout the game about how there seemed to be as many Steelers fans on-hand as Cowboys’ fans, and that the Steelers fans were much louder than the Cowboys fans. That has nothing to do with this week’s game, but I love reminding Cowboys’ fans of that embarrassing moment.

To show just how long it’s been since these two teams met, Vinny Testaverde was the Cowboys’ quarterback the last time they played, and Ben Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress. Wow, Big Ben to Plax. That seems like eons ago.

The two teams that will meet this time have much in common. Both teams feature young franchise quarterbacks who have a reputation for being gunslingers. Both teams feature talented running backs who are battling injuries. And both teams have a linebacker who is among the leagues’ leaders in sacks.

First, let’s take a look at the two quarterbacks. They are both mobile, and both tend to hold onto the ball in order to try to make a play. Sometimes that leads to good results, and sometimes……. That’s why both quarterbacks receive similar criticisms from their fans.

Tony Romo is clearly the more prolific passer of the two. He’s already passed for more yards this season than Big Ben despite having missed three games due to injury. While both quarterbacks are known for their mobility, Romo doesn’t seem to be as susceptible to the sack as Roethlisberger. Romo has only been sacked 8 times this year, compared to 33 sacks for Big Ben. Over the past two seasons, Romo has been sacked 32 times versus 80 sacks for Big Ben (Ouch!).

Tony Romo enters the game with the league’s top passer rating (103.2). However, Philip Rivers, Jason Campbell, and Matt Cassel all learned that a high passer rating is meaningless against the Steelers.

At the running back position, both teams will probably have to rely heavily on backup players. Steelers’ starter Willie Parker and Cowboys’ starter Marion Barber are both battling injuries. Both will probably see action on Sunday, but both will probably be less effective than they’d like. If “Fast Willie” falters, the Steelers will call on Mewelde Moore, who has been quite effective filling in for Parker. If Barber is unable to perform, the Cowboys will call on rookie Felix Jones Tashard Choice. Like Moore, Choice has done a good job filling in when called upon.

We all know that the playing surface at Heinz Field can be brutal in the month of December. The weather forecast is calling for snow, so both teams will probably have to rely heavily on their running games. If you participate in fantasy football, you may want to pick up Mewelde Moore and/or Tashard Choice for this weekend.

On defense, the Cowboys feature linebacker DeMarcus Ware, the NFL sack leader. Ware has 15 sacks so far, and will hope to add to his total against the Steelers’ suspect offensive line, and tackling dummy Ben Roethlisberger.

The Steelers will answer the Cowboys’ Ware with a sack specialist of their own, linebacker James Harrison. Harrison is 3rd in the league in sacks, and would love to close the gap between DeMarcus Ware and himself during Sunday’s game.

The Cowboys are one of the top 10 offenses in the NFL this season. They average 356.4 yards per game. Unfortunately, this week they will be facing the NFL’s #1 ranked defense. The Steelers have not allowed any opponent to gain 300 total yards this season. In fact, they’ve kept every opponent below their season yardage average. The Cowboys should be prepared to meet the same fate.

With potentially sloppy conditions, the Cowboy’s greatest weapon, WR Terrell Owens will probably be slowed down greatly. Moreover, Owens will be facing Steelers’ CB Ike Taylor. Despite having hands of stone, Ike Taylor is one of the best cover cornerbacks in the NFL. He thrives on shutting down big name receivers. Just ask Randy Moss.

Despite having talented weapons in Tony Romo, Marion Barber, Felix Jones, Terrell Owens, and TE Jason Witten, the Cowboys’ offense is no match for the Steelers’ defense. With cold weather, a poor playing surface, and the potential for snow also working against them, the Cowboys will have little chance of beating the Steelers.

The one factor that could change that prediction is Ben Roethlisberger. If “Bad Ben” shows up, then the Cowboys may have a chance of winning the game. “Bad Ben” is Ben Roethlisberger’s evil alter ego. He is the one who throws unnecessary interceptions at costly points during the game. However, if “Good Ben” (the efficient game manager) shows up, then victory is almost assured.

With “Good Ben” running the show, I predict a Steelers’ victory by a score of 24-13.

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I love it when the Steelers win. When they beat the New England Patriots, that’s even better. And when they totally kick the Patriots’ arses, well, that’s like Christmas in November.

On Sunday, Christmas came early to Steelers fans when the black and gold defeated the New England Patriots 33-10.

The game started off badly, when Ben Roethlisberger threw an interception on the Steelers’ very first possession. Former Steeler Mike Vrabel intercepted Big Ben’s pass, and the Patriots started their first drive on the Steelers’ 14 yard line. Patriots’ quarterback Matt Cassel, who was coming off of consecutive 400+ yard passing games, took over and three plays later, the Patriots were in the endzone. 7-0 Patriots.

The first half remained a hard-fought battle, and the two teams went into their locker rooms at halftime tied 10-10. But that would be the last time that the Patriots were in the game.

Steelers’ defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is one of the best in the business when it comes to making halftime adjustments. Those adjustments became evident when the Steelers completely shut down the Patriots in the second half. After gaining 186 yards in the first half, and scoring 10 points, the Patriots were completely shut out in the second half and held to only 81 yards of second half offense. The Steelers forced 5 Patriots turnovers in the 2nd half. After leading 10-3 at one point in the game, the Patriots were then outscored 30-0. Ouch!

One of the Steelers most responsible for keeping the Patriots in check in the second half was linebacker James Harrison. Apparently, someone forgot to tell Harrison that he doesn’t have to cause a forced fumble every time he sacks a quarterback. Twice Harrison sacked Matt Cassel, and each time he forced Cassel to fumble the ball. In case anyone is wondering, Harrison actually leads the NFL in forced fumbles (with 6). Sacks may be more glamorous, but a forced fumble is actually more valuable to the team.

Another Steeler defender who played a critical role in the win was safety Troy Polamalu. Polamalu collected his league leading sixth interception. Polamalu almost had a seventh, but he dropped one that was right in his hands.

But perhaps the most valuable player on the Steelers’ defense was safety Ryan Clark. Clark leveled Patriots’ receiver Wes Welker with a devastating hit that knocked Welker out of the game. Welker is the Patriots’ leading receiver, and without him, the Patriots were never able to find their rhythm. (To see Clark’s hit on Welker, click here).

On the offensive side of the ball, the Steelers had one of their highest scoring outings of the season. But scores can be deceptive. The Steelers still struggle to put the ball in the end zone when they reach the opponent’s red zone. Far too often, they have settled for field goals when they should have had touchdowns. Nobody is going to complain about a 33 point outing, but if the Steelers really want to be a championship caliber team, their offense has got to raise their game. Roethlisberger has got to stop throwing unforced interceptions. The running game has got to start imposing it’s will upon opponents. Otherwise, the Steelers will make the playoffs, but fall short of the ultimate prize.

With their win, the Steelers (9-3) remained one game ahead of the Baltimore Ravens (8-4) in the AFC North. In the meantime, the Patriots dropped to a second place tie with Miami in the AFC East. Most importantly for New England, the loss dropped the Patriots a game behind the Ravens and Colts in the AFC wild card race.

For a more humorous look at the game, please see our Steelers vs. Patriots Recap Haiku by clicking here.

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