Steelers Today - A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

Recently, the Cleveland Browns’ blog No Logo Needed asked blogger from all 32 NFL teams to write a season preview for their respective teams.  I was asked to write the preview for the Pittsburgh Steelers.   Here is the article that I submitted.  I hope that I made Steeler Nation proud.

Team:  Pittsburgh Steelers

Head Coach:  Mike Tomlin (3 years)

2008 regular season record: 12-4 (AFC North Champs)

Key players lost:  CB Bryant McFadden, WR Nate Washington, ILB Larry Foote, QB Byron Leftwich, S Anthony Smith.

Despite the losses, the Steelers should actually emerge as a better team than they were in 2008.  Byron Leftwich and Anthony Smith were both backups.  Bryant McFadden and Larry Foote were both splitting playing time with players of equal or greater talent.  Nate Washington was the Steelers’ #3 receiver, so he won’t be as difficult to replace as Hines Ward or Santonio Holmes would have been.

Key players acquired in free agency:  CB Keiwan Ratliff, WR Shaun McDonald, RB Stefan Logan.
As usual, the Steelers didn’t really participate in the free agent market.  Instead, they let other teams battle for the overpriced free agents, and then pick and choose from the leftovers to find potential contributors at a bargain price.

Top storylines in 2009:  Just like in 2008, and 2007, and ….oh nevermind….. the top story in 2009 is the offensive line.  The Steelers have one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL.  Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been sacked over 100 times over the past 2 years.  They may be the only team in NFL history to win the Super Bowl despite having one of the worst o-lines in the league.  Will the offensive line be able to keep Big Ben alive, or will Roethlisberger be carried off the field in a body bag?

Key strengths on offense:  Despite being a run-oriented team, the Steelers actually have some of the best passing weapons in the NFL.  Big Ben is an elite quarterback.  Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes make up a tandem of wide receivers who have both been Super Bowl MVPs.  And tight end Heath Miller is one of the best (and most under-utilized) in the NFL.

Key weaknesses on offense:  The offensive line.  Duh!

Key strengths on defense:  Ummmm, the Steelers have had the top defense in the NFL since………forever.  They have NOTHING BUT strengths.

Key weaknesses on defense:  You’re kidding, right?

Expectations for 2009:  The Steelers should be an even better team in 2009 than in 2008.  Their defense should be even better with the insertion of LB Lawrence Timmons in place of Larry Foote.  Their punting game will be better with the return of Dan Sepulveda.  The Steelers’ kickoff and punt return also looks to be heading in a better direction.  The strong just got stronger.

Prediction for 2009:  Super Bowl champs again.  In Pittsburgh, any other result is a disappointment.

So, that’s what I wrote for his blog.  Do you Steelers fans agree or disagree?

Also, I read the introduction that Don Delco, the writer for No Logo Needed wrote for my piece.  I got a laugh out of the comment that a Cleveland Browns fan yelled to the Browns’ defensive linemen at training camp about beating the Steelers.  I suggest that you go to his blog and read it.  It is definitely worth seeing how Browns fans feel about us.

Also, if you read the comments that were left about the article, one Browns fan says that Browns fans feel the same way about beating the Steelers as Ohio State fans feel about beating Michigan; even if they have a losing season, beating the Steelers makes all of the other losses acceptable (It’s too bad the Browns haven’t beaten the Steelers since the 60′s….Or maybe it just seems like it’s been that long).

Let’s show this Browns blog the power of Steeler Nation.  Let’s go over there and take over his blog the same way that Steelers fans take over opponent’s stadiums.  Let’s leave some “Here we go Steelers” comments to let them know that Steeler Nation is in the house.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment below. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. You can also follow us on Facebook or Twitter by clicking the doohickies at the bottom of the right column of this page.  Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

Steelers Today has hooked up with 31 other NFL bloggers from around the country to do a bloggers’ mock draft.  All 32 NFL teams are represented in the mock draft.

For more details on the bloggers’ mock draft, click here.

With the fifth pick in the draft, the Cleveland Browns blog No Logo Needed selects:

A big reason behind why we decided to start this mock draft was because we were annoyed at the national media. Most mock drafts on the NFL Network and ESPN has the Browns selecting Malcolm Jenkins.

Sure, the Browns need help on defense and the secondary was inconsistent, but the cornerback position is the least of the team’s problems. In 2008, the Browns defense allowed an average of 151.9 yards rushing per game. The Browns lost to the Bengals 14-0 on Dec. 21 as Cedric Benson ran for 171 yards on 38 carries and back-up quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick was 5-for-9 passing for 55 yards.

First and foremost, the Browns need to look to trade down and obtain some more draft picks. This will prove impossible since that’s the goal of most teams. The Browns also would be interested in Aaron Curry, but he is long gone.

With new coach Eric Mangini, the Browns will stick with the 3-4. So linebacker is the Browns’ biggest need in the draft.  The Browns need an edge pass rusher to fill Willie McGinest’s position, but outside linebacker is one of the deepest positions in this draft.  That brings us to the void in the middle of the defense left by the departure of Andre Davis.

Maualuga is a nasty middle linebacker, the type of player that can bring attitude to a defense that sorely needs an identity. He is built perfectly to line up in the 3-4.  Peter King called him Ray Lewis, Jr. and Jon Gruden said Maualuga is the type of player to build a defense around.

Maualuga is known for his big hits and aggressive style of play. That should fit perfectly on the strong side of the Browns 3-4 defense next to D’Qwell Jackson. Pairing Jackson’s sideline-to-sideline speed with Maualuga’s power behind the mammoth Shaun Rogers, should make the Browns strong up the middle and help them slow down the opposition’s rushing attack.

Can you name a Pro Bowl defensive lineman or cornerback from the successful 3-4 defense in Pittsburgh? In Baltimore? No. But you can reel off a list of who’s who of linebackers.  It’s time the Browns start making the some names of their own.

So far, the draft has gone as follows:

1. Detroit Lions:  Mathew Stafford, QB (Georgia)
2. St. Louis Rams: Eugene Monroe, OT (Virginia)
3. Kansas City Chiefs: Aaron Curry, LB (Wake Forest)
4. Seattle Seahawks: Michael Crabtree, WR (Texas Tech)
5. Cleveland Browns: Rey Maualuga, LB (Southern California)

The Cincinnati Bengals are on the clock.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment below. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

I consider myself a writer, so I try to offer primarily original material on this blog.  I seldom do links to other peoples work.  However, this is the Super Bowl, and I thought it would be interesting to see what others had to say about it.  So here is some of the best Super Bowl stuff I was able to find.

First stop; the Cleveland Plain Dealer.  As might be expected, Clevelands primary newspaper chose to make the Steelers’ Super Bowl victory an Ohio story.  They offered up these two Ohio-centric articles.

How do Steelers spell their latest championship? O-H-I-O

Holmes the Super Bowl’s greatest Buckeye

Next stop, ESPN.  Gene Wojciechowski thinks that the Steelers are actually America’s Team (Duh!  Like we didn’t know that).

Of course Dallas Cowboys fans dispute the point and hate the Steelers as much as ever.

Don Banks of Sports Illustrated thinks this was the best Super Bowl Ever.

Fellow Steelers blogger 5 Golden Rings shared these post game thoughts.  I thought the comment about Obama was absolutely hilarious.

Fans on Cleveland Browns fan forums weren’t taking the Steelers’ 6th championship very well.  One fan on DawgBones.com wrote:

“We have to kill God.  It is obvious that he hates Browns fans and that our franchise will not move forward until he is gone”

Another wrote:

“How long will Cleveland fans have to watch the Steelers win?!!!”

Cincinnati fans on Bengals.com didn’t seem much happier.  Check out this thread titled “Pittsburgh wins….again“.

The People at Davison came up with this Super Bowl six pack video:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM0SX00tEqE&feature=channel_page

And finally, let’s take one final look at the closing moments of that amazing 4th quarter.

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

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment below. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

As our readers know, we here at Steelers Today are not just sports bloggers. We are also the holders of numerous patents for futuristic technology. Perpetual motion machines? We’ve got them. Cold fusion? Been there, done that. Pocket black holes? Ha! Primitive.

Of course, we understand that our technology is too dangerous to put in the hands of today’s society. However, occasionally we choose to use our superior technology for the benefit of Steeler Nation. Today is one of those days.

Since the Steelers have a bye today (Sunday, October 12, 2008), we are going to use one of our inventions, the chrono-transporter, to travel into the future to view a Steelers game that is occurring on this date 6 years in the future (Oct. 12, 2014).

As we step onto our time displacement platform, we are quickly transported to the year 2014. Today, the Steelers are facing their long-time rival, the Cleveland Browns. The game is being played in Cleveland at their newly built football stadium. The Browns sold naming rights for the stadium to a national restaurant chain. Now the Steelers will be playing their first game at Cleveland’s Chuck E. Cheese Stadium.

Even here in 2014, things are basically the same as they were in 2008. The annual tradition of beating the Browns is still intact. The Steelers have now won 21 consecutive games against the Browns.

As the game begins, U.S. President Sarah Palin is on-hand for this nationally televised game. She calls for a moment of silence before the game to commemorate all of the fallen American soldiers in the on-going wars in Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Russia, China, Mexico, and Iceland.

Once the game begins, Cleveland wins the coin toss, and Browns’ coach Bill Cowher chooses to receive. On the opening kickoff, Steelers linebacker and special teams captain James Harrison forces a fumble (his 13th forced fumble of the season) on the Browns’ kick returner. The Steelers fall on the ball in the endzone, and take a quick 7-0 lead.

The exact same thing happens on 4 consecutive plays. Before the Browns’ offense can even step onto the field, the Steelers have a 28-0 lead.

On the next kickoff, the Browns successfully field the kick and their offense finally takes the field. Starting quarterback Mark Sanchez is sacked on the very first play by Steelers All-Pro linebacker Lamarr Woodley. Sanchez is slow getting up, and is taken to the locker room for x-rays. Sanchez is replaced by career backup Brady Quinn.

On his first pass attempt, Quinn throws a short 4 yard pass to tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. The ball bounces off of Winslow’s hands, and chips the fingernail on his pinkie. Winslow collapses in pain, and is carried off the field on a stretcher. Winslow never returns to the game, and is seen throughout the game seated on the Browns’ bench crying like a little girl.

The Brown offense is forced to punt after an ineffective possession.

When the Steelers offense takes the field, 7-time Pro Bowl quarterback Ben Roethlisberger marches the Steelers offense down the field. Meeting little resistance from the hapless Browns’ defense, the Steelers quickly score on a 9 yard run by starting running back Gary Davis. Davis was elevated to the starting role when Steelers running backs Willie Parker, Rashard Mendenhall, and Mewelde Moore all signed with the Arizona Cardinals in the offseason.

When the Brown regain possession, Brady Quinn once again takes the field to lead the Browns offense. As has been the case throughout his career, Quinn plays like a deer in the headlights. He seems paralyzed in the face of the relentless Steelers pass rush. Quinn is sacked a record 17 times in the 1st half.

After a 1st half that is filled with much of the same, the Steelers go into half-time with a 44-0 lead.

In the second half, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin tries to have the game stopped due to the “mercy rule”. However, Tomlin is informed by the referees that the NFL has no “mercy rule”, and that his team will have to continue to play the hopelessly over-matched Browns.

In lieu of a mercy rule, Tomlin brings in his 3rd string for the remainder of the game. However, the Steelers’ 3rd string is just as successful against the Browns’ defense as their 1st string was. Forty five year old 3rd string quarterback Charlie Batch throws for 5 touchdowns, and the Steelers win by a final score of 79-0.

The consecutive win streak against the Browns continues.

Post-game notes: When asked after the game about his injury, Browns tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. replies angrily, “Have you ever chipped a nail? It hurts!!”. He then proceeds to bawl like a baby.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment below. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

While it may seem like you are Bill Murray, and you are trapped in an endless loop of recurring Groundhog Days, this is actually real life. The Steelers beat the Browns. Again. Ho hum.

Beating the Browns is becoming so routine that it’s not even enjoyable anymore (okay, maybe it IS still enjoyable). Sure the Steelers and Browns are a legendary rivalry. Sure they’ve been playing each other since the dawn of time. Yes, the two cities are only 114 miles apart, which leads to a natural rivalry. But let’s face it, after 10 straight wins, the shine is off of this rivalry. If most Steelers fans were honest, they’d probably admit that they hate the Baltimore Ravens more than they hate the Browns. I know that sounds like blasphemy, but it’s true. When we play the hated Ravens, the outcome is always in doubt. When we play the Browns, well……….

For those of you who missed the first of the Steelers’ two semi-annual Browns beatings, here is a brief recap:

The Steelers beat the Browns 10-6 in their first of two meetings this year. The teams had to deal with winds that gusted up to 50 MPH during this wet, rainy game in Cleveland. The Steelers established their dominance early on defense. During the 1st half, the Browns had to punt on their first 4 drives. Then, on their next two drives, Derek Anderson threw two consecutive interceptions. This led to the Browns going to their locker room at halftime to a chorus of boos from the frustrated Browns fans in the stadium.

Troy Polamalu gets an interception

Things didn’t change much in the second half, although the Browns did manage to sustain two long drives near the end of the game. Momentum seemed to be shifting in the Browns direction, but the Steelers’ defense, and bad play calling by Romeo Crennel, forced the Browns to settle for two field goals.

The second Browns field goal was particularly surprising. With the Browns trailing 10-3 late in the game, Crennel chose to kick a field goal rather than go for a first down, even though the Browns had been enjoying offensive success, and the clock was working against them. A field goal would have only made it 10-6, which would have still required the Browns to score another touchdown in order to win. By going for the touchdown, they would have only required a field goal in order to win the game. But Crennel is an NFL coach, and I’m not, so who am I to question his judgment?

On the offensive side of the ball, Ben Roethlisberger’s shoulder was still sore from the injury that he sustained against the Texans. That, combined with gusting winds, led the Steelers to focus on the run. Roethlisberger did pass for 186 yards, including a touchdown pass to Hines Ward. However, the winds made for less-than-ideal passing conditions.

Willie Parker ran for his second consecutive 100 yard game, gaining 105 yards on 28 carries. This is particularly good news since there were doubts coming into the season about how Parker would recover from the broken leg that ended his season last year. Parker’s second consecutive 100+ yard performance has put any lingering doubts to rest.

Another good sign for the Steelers was DE Aaron Smith’s performance. Smith was stout against the run, and he also managed to sack Derek Anderson twice. This is particularly impressive since in Dick LeBeau’s 3-4 defense, the linebackers accumulate most of the sacks.

Despite many experts picking the Browns to win the AFC North this year, they are off to an 0-2 start. Meanwhile, the Steelers are 2-0, and in first place in the AFC North after beating the Cleveland Browns……… again.

Subscribe in a reader