Steelers Today - A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

Subscribe

Archive for October, 2010

Steelers-Dolphins haiku contest winner

October 30, 2010 By: Admin Category: Haiku contests

I got busy this week and forgot to announce the winner of last week’s haiku contest.  Sorry about that.

We got quite a few very good entries this week.  Several were from fans of other teams who admitted that they didn’t like the Steelers when they submitted their haiku.  Here are a few of those that were actually pretty good.

This one was submitted by Kavinay:

Instant replay fail
“By rule” refs made into goat
Steelers should have lost.

Another enemy submission came from Drew.  Drew admitted to being a Ravens fan.  He also admitted that the Steelers are, and will always be, superior to the Ravens (okay, I made up that last part).  Drew wrote:

Wow are they lucky
just like two thousand and five
refs hand them the gem

But enough with entries from opposing teams’ fans.  Let’s see what Steeler Nation had to say.

In third place this week was this entry by Jim

Steeler Nation bliss
Roger Goodell happy too
Dolphins not so much

Second place goes to Erica Day for this beauty:

We tried to give game
‘Phins did not want. kicked field goals
Refs just went with it

And the winner was submitted on our Facebook page by Thomas Hoffelder.  Thomas wrote:

Miami Fans thought
their team had won, up until
the word, “However,………”

That was an exceptional Haiku, Thomas. Congratulations! You are this week’s winner.

(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

Top                NFL Fan Sites

twitter

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New Orleans Saints Preview

October 28, 2010 By: Admin Category: Pre-Game Analyses

The Saints lost to the Cleveland Browns.  That probably has nothing to do with anything, but I just had to say it.

The Steelers travel to the Superdome this Sunday to take on the world champion New Orleans Saints (Did I mention that the Saints lost to the Cleveland Browns?).  The game will be nationally televised, so the whole nation will get to see this one.

To be completely honest, last year I found myself rooting for the Saints.  New Orleans had suffered the terrible tragedy of Hurricane Katrina a few years back, and the town was overdue for some good news.  So once the Steelers were eliminated from the playoffs, I figured that I may as well root for the OTHER black and gold team.

But there are no such sentiments this year.  The Saints are merely another roadblock on the Stairway to 7.  So they must be destroyed.

The Steelers don’t play the Saints very often, so there’s no real rivalry between the two teams.  In fact, the two teams have only played 13 times since they first met in 1967.  The last time they faced one another was in 2006, when the Steelers won 38-31.  But that was 4 years ago.  Drew Brees was in his first year with the team, and Reggie Bush was an over-hyped rookie.  A lot has changed since then.

It should probably be noted that the Steelers have not fared well in New Orleans.  They’ve lost 2 of the last 3 games they’ve played there.  Their last victory in New Orleans was actually in 1990.

So far, the Saints haven’t looked like the dominant team that we saw last year.  They were undefeated at this time last year.  This year, they’re 4-3, and look much more vulnerable than they did last year (After all, they did lose to the Cleveland Browns).

Two of their losses came to teams that the Steelers have beaten.  They lost to the Atlanta Falcons 27-24 in week 3, and they lost to the Cleveland Browns 30-17 last week (can you believe that?).

Despite their record, New Orleans is not a team to be taken lightly.  They have the 7th ranked offense in the NFL, and Reggie Bush has been in and out of the line-up due to injuries this year.  He is expected to play against the Steelers.

Even more impressive is the fact that the Saints have the 3rd ranked defense in the NFL.  For comparison, the Steelers are ranked #4.  The Saints defense only gives up 288.4 yards per game.  That’s pretty good.

I’m really not worried about Reggie Bush.  The Steelers have defenders who are fast enough to contain him.  They can have either Troy Polamalu or Lawrence Timmons shadow Bush, and that should keep him in check.

I’m much more worried about Drew Brees.  Brees is one of the best passers in the NFL.  We all watched Colt McCoy slice up the Steelers’ secondary in his very first NFL start.  I’m a bit concerned about what Brees will do to them.

Saints QB Drew Brees

The Steelers’ cornerbacks have been a concern since last year.  Ike Taylor doesn’t seem to be the shutdown corner that he once was.  Bryant McFadden is great against the run, but he’s no Champ Bailey when it comes to pass defense.  And William Gay is……..William Gay.

The safeties aren’t as big a concern as the cornerbacks.  Troy Polamalu is still All-Universe, but Ryan Clark seems to have lost a step as well.

Opponents know that they can’t run on the Steelers.  Those who try do so in vain.  But they don’t have similar fears about passing on the Steelers.  In fact, those who have watched the Steelers play know that passing against them is probably the best formula for beating them.  And Drew Brees passes as well as any quarterback in the NFL.

I expect this to be a very close game.  These are two very well-balanced team facing one another.  Both teams have good offenses AND good defenses.  So it’s really anybody’s game.

The Saints do have the advantage of playing at home, and as I mentioned earlier, the Steelers haven’t done well there lately.

But despite that, I believe the Steelers are going to emerge victorious.  I predict that the Steelers defense is going to find a way to pressure Drew Brees, and that Mike Wallace is going to burn their defense for another 40+ yard touchdown (doesn’t he score one of those every game?).

I predict a final score of 27-21 in favor of the Steelers.  6-1, here we come!

(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

Top                NFL Fan Sites

twitter

Could injuries derail Steelers?

October 26, 2010 By: Admin Category: Uncategorized

Playing without starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for 4 games couldn’t derail the Steelers’ season. Neither could a ridiculous fine on James Harrison, and his threat to retire because of it. But injuries just might.

The Steelers lost defensive end Aaron Smith to a torn tricep muscle on Sunday. Smith is likely out for the remainder of the year.

The Steelers were already playing without Brett Keisel, their other starting defensive end. Keisel missed Sunday’s game due to a hamstring injury. Nick Eason started on Sunday in place of Keisel, and Ziggy Hood will now have to replace Smith. The Steelers are running out of defensive linemen.

The Steelers also had to play without LaMarr Woodley and Flozell Adams for a part of Sunday’s game. Woodley injured his hamstring and was replaced by rookie Jason Worilds. Flozell Adams suffered a sprained ankle and also had to leave the game. It has not yet been determined if either Woodley or Adams will be able to play on Sunday.

We all remember what injuries did to the Steelers last year. The loss of Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith had a devastating effect on the Steelers’ 2009 season. Hopefully, injuries won’t have the same impact on 2010.

The Steelers’ only loss this season was partially due to injuries. The Steelers barely lost to the Baltimore Ravens. However, the Steelers had to play Charlie Batch at quarterback that game. Batch was the 4th string quarterback. But injuries to Byron Leftwich and Dennis Dixon (along with Big Ben’s suspension) thrust Batch into the starting job.  Without those injuries, the Steelers would have probably won that game.

The Steelers’ offensive line is also getting a bit thin. Flozell Adams was brought in due to an injury to Willie Colon. Doug Legursky has been playing right guard due to an injury to Trai Essex. Left guard Chris Kemoeatu has also missed a game this season due to an injury.

Head coach Mike Tomlin maintains that “the standard is the standard”, and that he expects back-up players to play at the same level as the starters. However, they’re back-ups for a reason. They’re not as good as the starters.

The Steelers are still ranked #1 in most NFL Power Rankings. They continue to win, despite adversity. However, if things continue to go the way they’ve been going, injuries may do to the Steelers what opponents haven’t been able to do.

Let’s all keep our fingers crossed.

(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

Top                NFL Fan Sites

twitter

Steelers vs. Dolphins haiku contest

October 25, 2010 By: Admin Category: Haiku contests

The Steelers beat the Dolphins in a squeaker, and now it’s time for this week’s Steelers-Dolphins haiku contest.

The contest rules are simple. You must summarize the Steelers-Dolphins 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 none of your entries are better than mine, then I take home the prize.

Here is my entry:

Despite injuries
Steelers still manage to win
Thank you God……and refs.

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

Are you ready for some haiku?!!

(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

Top                NFL Fan Sites

twitter

Steelers win, lose Smith

October 24, 2010 By: Admin Category: Post-Game Reports

“Whew!” 

That’s the collective sound that was heard from Steeler Nation following the Steelers’ 23-22 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Many are still baffled by the referees’ decision that ultimately led to the Steelers’ victory.  But they’ll take the win anyway.

The Steelers needed an odd decision by the referees, in which they determined that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had fumbled the ball at the goal line but could not adequately determine which team had recovered the ball, to win the game.

Big Ben fumbles the ball.

Rather than losing the fumble, the Steelers maintained possession of the ball, which allowed Jeff Reed to kick a game winning field goal with 2:28 remaining on the clock.

Despite the final score, the game shouldn’t have been as close as it was.  The Steelers made too many costly mistakes.  They fumbled the opening kickoff, and that seemed to set the tone for the entire game.  The Steelers ended the game with 4 fumbles.  They also accumulated 5 penalties versus only 3 penalties for the Dolphins.

Another key to the Steelers’ struggles was injuries.  The Steelers lost Aaron Smith (possibly for the rest of the season) due to a torn tricep muscle.  They also lost Flozell Adams to a sprained ankle and LaMarr Woodley to a hamstring injury.  Both of those injuries appear to be much less severe that Smith’s, and both players should play next week.

But the loss of Aaron Smith is a huge problem.  The Steelers lost Smith for 11 games in 2009, and their defense was noticeably less stout against the run.  They also lost him for 5 games in 2007 and saw a similar drop-off in their run defense.

Ziggy Hood and Nick Eason were already being used to replace Brett Keisel, who is also injured.  With Smith also out, the Steelers find themselves woefully short on the defensive line. 

Despite the injuries, the Steelers still managed to walk away with a win.  They’re now 5-1, and still sit atop the AFC North.

Next week, they head to New Orleans to face the defending world champions.  The Saints should be a tough opponent.  However, they did lose to the Cleveland Browns 30-17 on Sunday, so they’re not unbeatable. 

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

Top                NFL Fan Sites

twitter