Steelers Today – A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

A funny thing happened on the way to a Steelers blowout of the Bengals.  Terrell Owens decided that he didn’t want to lose.

The Steelers started the game by stripping the ball from Cincinnati on the opening kickoff.  Four plays later, the Steelers were in the end zone and had taken a 7-0 lead.

On the Bengals’ next possession, the Steelers forced them to punt, and William Gay broke through to block the punt.  Six plays later, Jeff Reed kicked a field goal and the Steelers led 10-0.  It looked like the Steelers were on their way to an easy victory over the Bengals.

Watching the looks on the Bengals’ faces as they stood along the sideline, it appeared that they were ready to give up.  Unfortunately, someone forgot to send Terrell Owens the memo.  Owens caught a touchdown pass in the second quarter that made the score 10-7 Steelers, and the Bengals were back in the game.

Of course, the Steelers were having none of that.  Following a Big Ben touchdown pass to Hines Ward and a 53 yard field goal by Jeff Reed, the Steelers were back in the drivers’ seat.  Leading by a score of 20-7, the game once again looked like a blowout.

Mendenhall finds running room

When Antwaan Randle El threw a 39 yard touchdown to Mike Wallace to start the 4th quarter, I’m sure that many in Steeler Nation turned off their TVs and went to bed.  After all, the Steelers couldn’t possibly blow a 20 point 4th quarter lead to the Bengals, could they?

Ordinarily, I’d say that the answer was a resounding “no”.  Unfortunately, Terrell Owens is still new to the AFC North, and he doesn’t seem to realize that he’s supposed to be afraid of the Steelers.  Owens caught another touchdown pass from Carson Palmer, and the score was suddenly 27-14.

On the next Bengals possession, Carson Palmer threw a long pass to T.O that fell incomplete.  Unfortunately, the refs called pass interference on Ike Taylor, and the Bengals had the ball on the 1 yard line.  So even when he didn’t catch the ball, T.O. hurt the Steelers.  One play later, Cedric Benson ran the ball into the end zone for a touchdown, and the score was 27-21 in favor of the Steelers.  Gulp!

The Bengals forced the Steelers to punt on their next possession, and got the ball back with 3:59 remaining in the game.  Suddenly, the Steelers fans who were still awake were reaching for their heart medicine, and the ones who had gone to bed early were probably wishing they hadn’t.

The Bengals drove the ball down the field, and it was looking like they might score again, which would have potentially given them a 28-27 victory.    Things looked scary on a 4th and 5 play from the Pittsburgh 12 yard line as Carson Palmer connected with rookie wide receiver Jordan Shipley.  Fortunately, Ike Taylor and James Harrison both hit Shipley as he caught the ball, and Harrison’s hit knocked the ball out of Shipley’s hands.  The Steelers had the ball with :34 seconds remaining, and Steeler Nation breathed a big sigh of relief (as they took a big sip of Pepto Bismol).

Despite the scare, the Steelers improved their record to 6-2, and are still tied with the Baltimore Ravens atop the AFC North.

Other Steelers Notes

• Injuries are becoming a real problem for the Steelers.  On defense, they have been playing without Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel.  And now injuries are starting to decimate the offensive line.  Maurkice Pouncey, Chris Kemoeatu, and Max Starks all missed plays due to injuries last night.  The Steelers had only dressed 7 offensive linemen, and had no options left if another player had gone down.  James Harrison might have had to line up at guard.  Harrison is so strong that he could probably play offensive line (wink, wink).
• Is anyone else getting tired of watching Ben Roethlisberger under-throw Mike Wallace on sure touchdowns?  He did it again last night.  Wallace can outrun any cornerback or safety in the league.  If only Big Ben would lead him with the ball instead of making him have to come back to the ball.  Grrrrrrr!!!!!!

Throw it farther, Ben!!!

• Some Steelers fans got mad at Jeff Reed when he missed a 46 yard field goal attempt.  Need I remind you that Reed made a 53 yard field goal earlier in the game?  That was the longest field goal of his career.  So cut Jeff some slack.  Even the best kickers miss sometimes.

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Last year the Cincinnati Bengals swept the AFC North on their way to winning the division championship.  But that was then, and this is now.

The Bengals come into Monday night’s showdown with the Steelers with the exact opposite record that the Steelers have.  The Steelers are 5-2, while the the defending champion Bengals are 2-5.

The Bengals are tied with the Cleveland Browns for last place in the AFC North.  Moreover, the Bengals are in the midst of a slump that saw them go 0-4 during the month of October.

Perhaps the biggest reason for the poor start by the Bengals is that they have abandoned the formula that they used to win the division in 2009.  The Bengals won the division by playing “Steeler football”; they ran the ball and played stout defense.

The Bengals were primarily a running team in 2009, and running back Cedrick Benson was the star of their offensive attack.  But this year, the Bengals have thrown the ball almost 100 times more than they’ve run the ball.  Cedrick Benson is an afterthought in an offense that now seems to focus on wide receivers Terrell Owens and Chad Ocho Cinco, and rookie tight end Jermaine Gresham.

In his first season with the Bengals, T.O. has emerged as Carson Palmer’s favorite target.  He leads the team in receptions (45), yards (629), and touchdowns (5).

Oddly, the biggest weakness on the team seems to be Palmer himself.  He’s tied for the lead in interceptions in the AFC.  When pressured, Palmer has been prone to throwing errant passes.  This should bode well for Steelers’ linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley, who absolutely LOVE to pressure passers.

But perhaps the biggest change for the Bengals has been their defensive letdown.  The Bengals were the 4th ranked defense in the NFL last season.  Their defense was ranked higher than the Steelers’.  But this year, the Bengals’ defense is ranked 19th in the NFL, and doesn’t seem to be able to stop anyone.

In particular, the Bengals’ rushing defense seems particularly vulnerable.  They allow 120.7 rushing yards per game.  This should have Rashard Mendenhall salivating.  Mendenhall hasn’t had a good game since Ben Roethlisberger returned from suspension.  The Bengals may be just what the doctor ordered to get Mendenhall back on track.

Of course the Steelers shouldn’t take the Bengals lightly.  After all, the Bengals swept the Steelers last season.  Also, the game will be played at Paul Brown Stadium in front of the Bengals’ home crowd, so they will have that advantage.

Fortunately, Steelers fans always manage to secure lots of tickets to games in Cincinnati.  So I’m confident that there will be plenty of Terrible Towels waving in the crowd.

Monday Night Football has always been friendly to the Steelers as well.  The Steelers and head coach Mike Tomlin have won 5 straight games on MNF, and will look to make it 6 this week.

If the Steelers play their game, they should be able to beat Cincinnati, despite being on the road.  The Bengals’ defense simply isn’t stout enough to stop the Steelers offense.  However, the inverse is not true.  The Steelers should be able to successfully shut down Carson Palmer and the Bengal’s offense.

I predict a Steelers win (that should surprise no one), by a final score of 24-13.

Here we go Steelers, here we go!

Today’s featured Steelers gear:

Not only are we Steelers bloggers, but we’re also Steelers fans.  We search hard for the coolest Steelers stuff.  We try to find Steelers gear that we want.  Then we make you aware of them in case you want to add them to your Steelers collection.

We love this Modern & Retro reversible full zip jacket.  This jacket features a great reversible look starting with an embroidered twill team name across the front of both sides; the microfiber side boasts of the current team logo in embroidered twill appliqué on the back and right sleeve with team color piping, while your retro, canvas side sports a throwback logo on the left sleeve and contrast, team color sleeves for unstoppable team spirit style that never gets boring!.

It’s like buying two Steelers jackets for the price of one.  How cool is that?!!

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I hate writing about the game after a Steelers loss. I really hate it. But write I must, so here goes.

T’was the night of Halloween
And all through Steeler Nation
Black and Gold fans
had an eerie sensation

The Steelers had traveled
To the heart of the Bayou
To take on the Saints
Show them a thing or two

The New Orleans fans
were dressed in costumes for the day
At least that’s what I thought
Perhaps they ALWAYS look that way (yikes!)

The Steelers scored first
Touchdown by Randle El
But the referees reversed the call
Bayou mojo! Oh Hell.

Arians telegraphed running plays
So obvious, anyone could see
So instead of a touchdown
we had to settled for 3

The two teams did battle
They both have tough defenses
They hit one another so hard
They both lost their senses

For three whole quarters
Neither team could do much
Then came the 4th
Cajun voodoo! Just a touch.

Brees came alive
threw TD pass first
Ben tried to do the same
But somehow he seemed cursed

The Steelers still had a chance
to win this thriller
Until those bayou sorcerers
put a hex on Heath Miller

Steelers couldn’t overcome the evil magic
though they tried again and again
They still fell to the bayou devils
score 20-10

That Cajun voodoo
got the best of us this night
but happy Halloween to all
And to all a good fright.

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Well the Steelers beat the Browns and stand alone in first place in the AFC North. That’s exactly where they belong.

Now that Big Ben is back with the team, I thought it would be a good time to bring back our weekly haiku contest.

The contest rules are simple. You must summarize the Steelers-Browns game in a haiku. A haiku is a form of Japanese poetry that contains only 3 lines. The first line has 5 syllables, the second line has 7 syllables, and the third line has 5 syllables. Typically, haiku do not rhyme.

Please note, the emphasis is on syllables, not words. Remember 5/7/5.

I start the competition by offering a haiku of my own. Then you readers write a haiku of your own to try to beat mine. On Thursday I will announce this week’s contest winner. But remember, your haiku has to be better than mine. If nobody’s haiku is better than mine, then I take home the prize.

Here is my entry:

Now we have Big Ben
The final piece is added
Dallas here we come

Obviously, I chose to focus on Ben’s return.   But you can write about any aspect of the game.

Okay readers, your turn.  Lets see who can come up with the best haiku about the Steelers-Browns game.

Are you ready for some haiku?!!

This week’s featured item

Commemorate Big Ben’s return by purchasing this Reebok Ben Roethlisberger replica jersey. It comes with authentic styling, lasting quality, and weather-tested durability. A must-have for any Steelers fan.

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Heeeeeeee’s back!

The story that has overshadowed every other aspect of the Steelers’ season so far has finally drawn to a close.  Big Ben is back.   He made his Steelers regular season debut Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.

Ben looked rusty at first, but he quickly worked his way through it.  Roethlisberger threw an interception on the Steelers very first possession, but after that, he calmed down and had a very successful return.

Personally, the play that made me feel certain that the old Big Ben was back was when he had Mike Wallace wide open on a fly pattern mid-way through the third quarter.  Wallace had his man completely beat, and would have easily scored.  However, Roethlisberger under-threw the pass, and Wallace had to slow down for the ball.  This allowed the defender to tackle Wallace.  That is exactly what Ben did most of last year when Wallace was wide open.  So it’s good to see that Ben is back to his old self (sort of).

Roethlisberger finished the game with 257 yards passing, 3 TD’s, and one interception.  That’s much better than the 136 passing yards that the Steelers had been averaging during Roethlisberger’s absence.

Ben receives cheers in his return.

Roethlisberger found Hines Ward, Mike Wallace and Heath Miller for touchdown passes.  Rashard Mendenhall also added a rushing touchdown.

Of course, the defense played too.  They held Cleveland to 3 points for most of the game until the Browns scored a late touchdown with about 4 minutes remaining in the game.

James Harrison, in particular, seemed like he was ready to play.  Harrison led the teams in tackles, and quarterback hurries, and forced fumbles.  Some might say that it was a pretty typical game for Harrison.

However, what wasn’t typical was the bone crushing hits that Harrison kept laying on the Cleveland Players.  I started to think that perhaps one of the Browns had said something insulting about Harrisons mother.  Whatever the reason, Harrison played with violent intentions.  He knocked Josh Cribbs out of the game early with a vicious hit.  Later, he almost decapitated Cleveland WR Mohamed Massaquoi.

Harrison will probably get fined for at least one of the hits.  But frankly, I love it when he’s intimidating the opposition like that.  I think that both running backs and wide receivers think twice about coming his way when they know Harrison is out for blood.

The only thing that could make the day even better would be a loss by the hated Baltimore Ravens.  And guess what?  The  Patriots beat the Ravens in overtime.  So with a record of 4-1, the Steelers stand alone at the top of the AFC North.  Exactly where they should be.

Other Steelers notes:

On a separate note, Hines Ward’s touchdown in the third quarter put him ahead of former teammate Jerome Bettis for second place on the Steelers’ all-time touchdown list.  Ward now has 81 touchdowns as a Steeler.  Former Steelers great Franco Harris holds the all-time record with 100 touchdowns.

Ward also moved into 4th place on the NFL’s record book for consecutive games with at least one catch.  Ward surpassed Hall-of-Famer Art Monk with catches in 183 straight games.

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