So I’ve really slacked off on this site for a while.  I recently just added a handful of bars to the list and still have about 20 more to add.  Big thanks to everyone sending in updates about new bars and some that closed, and even some Colorado bars that are now owned by Bronco fans who discriminate against anyone from the Steeler Nation!  The list keeps getting bigger and bigger as Steeler fans continue to spread their wings across the country.

While I’ve been slacking on updating this site I’ve been working on a complete redesign of this site to make it easier to find Steeler Bars near you as well as to get more information about each bar.  Since I’m a one man operation with little free time it has been slow going.  My hope is to launch the new version of the site in time for the beginning of the regular season.  It doesn’t give me much time but maybe the extra pressure will help keep me motivated.

In any case, keep those updates coming and GO STEELERS!

We have over 600 Steeler Bars listed on this site, 30 were added as of today.  But what is the definition of a Steeler Bar?  How do I determine what is a real Steeler Bar vs. a bar that just wants to be listed along side the real home away from home for the fans?  Well, the truth is I don’t really have a definition…but that’s where I need your help.

See, right now I blindly trust the people who submit the names of bars to me.  But I feel like there should be some solid definition to make sure that the wannabees don’t get added to this list.

I figure there should be some criteria like:

1. Location - It shouldn’t be in Pittsburgh.  All bars in Pittsburgh are Steeler Bars so there’s no sense in listing them.  But it seems like there should be some type of defined radius so some of the outlying communities can get listed.  So, what should the radius be?  30 miles, 50 miles, 100 miles???
2. The Game - The should be on TV obviously but do they play the sound?  Is it the main TV (or on most TVs) or is it just one of many TV playing any game that happens to be on?
3. Specials - Does the bar offer Steeler-specific specials during the game?  Specials during the game, specials for Steeler fans, etc?
4. Fan Clubs - Is the bar the home of the local fan club?  Seems to me this would erase all doubts about its authenticity.
5. Decorations - Is there a Terrible Towel flying proudly?  A photo of Jack Lambert’s toothless grin?  Is there any Black and Gold in the building?

So, you tell me what the definition should be.  As the bar owners who are proud to show the game or the patrons who have found a home away from home, tell me what makes your bar a Steeler Bar?

Well, its been three weeks since the Steelers played and won Super Bowl XLIII.  I’m guessing a few of you may have expected a few blogs right after the game from me.  Normally that would be the case, but Super Bowl weekend was a little more super for me than usual.  On Jan. 31^st, Eamonn James Nagle was born!  Then the day after, my Steelers won the SB in amazing fashion.  We were in the hospital for 48 hours after the birth, so we watched the game there.  It was impossible to not yell when the big plays happened, despite the little guy being asleep.  I also missed about a quarter of the game getting some things for my amazing girlfriend who went through so much.  After seeing the birth of your first child, it kind of puts things into perspective.  Watching that game didn’t mean as much to me.  Believe me, it still meant a lot though.  If the game was on before the birth, I bet I would have been a little crazier.  But I’m sure we have all read the articles and seen the replays and heard all the idiotic conspiracies by now.  I have something I looked up recently and want to share with you all.

 

During Ben’s second season, the previous Super Bowl year, I attended the Raven’s Monday night game with a friend.  We both had a few and it was a good time with the Steelers winning by 1 point on a Reed field goal under two minutes.  Typical Ben leading the 60 yard drive to set up the winning score.  We ended up in a small bar on the North Side, and I got into it with an older, life long Steelers fan about who was a better quarterback, Terry Bradshaw or Ben Roethlisberger.  After 20 minutes or so, I realized this guy was getting pretty pissed and thought that I was challenging Bradshaw’s legacy.  Bradshaw was a pretty darn good quarterback and has the rings to prove it.  But going back and looking at some stats, well, you be the judge.

 

Now I have taken in mind that the game from the 70’s and the 2000’s is a little different.  I don’t know if there will ever be a true formula to compare players from different eras.  The passing game is much more wide open these days, with a lot of the rule changes since then benefiting the offensive side.  But we must also take into account how good the Steelers were in the 70’s, and the Hall of Fame running back, Hall of Fame Center with an incredible offensive line, and two Hall of Fame wide receivers.  Not to mention having a legendary defense every year that produced 4 Hall of Famers.  Despite the era, Bradshaw had a lot more help around him, especially on the offensive line.  Ok enough talk, let’s get to the stats.  I hate to use asterisks since the sports writers have recently made them pretty worthless.  The ones below are if Ben ends his career playing just as many games as Bradshaw, and continues the same statistically.

 

Completion %

Terry: 51.9

Ben: 62.4

 

Yards

Terry: 27,989

Ben: 34,440*

 

Touchdowns

Terry: 212

Ben: 235*

 

Interceptions

Terry: 210

Ben: 161*

 

Yards per Attempt

Terry: 7.2

Ben: 7.9

 

QB Rating

Terry: 70.9

Ben: 89.4

 

Yards Per Game

Terry: 167

Ben: 208

 

Wins/Losses

Terry: 107/51

Ben: 114/44*

 

Playoff Record

Terry: 14-5(4 Super Bowl wins in 14 seasons)

Ben: 8-2(2 Super Bowl wins in 5 seasons)

 

Playoff Stats:

 

Completion Percentage

Terry: 57.2

Ben: 61.9

 

QB Rating

Terry: 83.0

Ben: 87.2

 

Touchdowns/Interceptions

Terry: 30/26(plus 3 rushing tds)

Ben: 15/12(plus 2 rushing tds)

 

Yards Per Game:

Terry: 202

Ben: 224

 

Yards Per Attempt

Terry: 5.6

Ben: 8.1

 

Average Playoff Final Score

Terry: 25-17

Ben: 27-21

 

So the only statistic that Bradshaw has over Roethlisberger is the 4 Super Bowls.  That is a very important statistic too.  I still feel that Ben is more careful with the ball, and is still able to produce similar, if not superior passing numbers.  Ben could get in another motorcycle crash and his career could end, or his game could fall apart.  With how much he gets hit when playing, he is not going to have his mobility for his entire career, but it still should be enough.  Dan Marino was very slow, but knew how to take a step or two in a direction and buy the time he needed.  I see Ben being capable of that in his later football years.

 

Also, just something really quick about quarterbacks since we are on the topic.  There are 23 quarterbacks in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  5 of them were born in or withing 30 miles from Pittsburgh(Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Johnny Unitas).  Three more were drafted, played or coached here(Unitas drafted, Len Dawson drafted, Bobby Layne played and coached, and Bradshaw drafted. 35% of the HOF quarterbacks have Pittsburgh connections.  Insane.  I’ll be taking care of the little guy, but I’ll try and get something else up here soon.  Tell me what you think about my Ben/Bradshaw debate!

 

 

I went into this year thinking that a 9-7 finish would be a successful season, and that record could win the AFC North. 14 wins later, the Steelers are in the Super Bowl!! It feels pretty good to be wrong sometimes. I went ahead and wrote a little about the Steelers players that will be seeing the majority of the time on the field. I plan on going through the Cardinals roster in a couple days and highlighting the players that may have an impact on the game. And I also plan on making a third blog before the game to go over possible game planning and maybe a prediction or two. Hope you enjoy this one!

Ben Roethlisberger- Ben wants this win sooooo bad, and he wants to be very responsible for the Steelers victory. His sub-par performance in Super Bowl XL is his motivation. If he wants to silence some of his critics, he’ll have to step up. And stepping up for him is something like a 15-25, 230yds, 1 td, no ints. He doesn’t have to do much, but he needs to find a reliable 3rd down receiver if Hines Ward isn’t able to play.

Willie Parker- Willie has looked the best he has all year in the past month, so Steelers fans have to be feeling really good about that. He has that extra jump in his step, and I haven’t seen that since last season before he broke his leg. Good for him and the offense. I could see Willie breaking off 120 or more yards with a couple scores.
Mewelde Moore- Now that Parker is back, the most we see of Moore is on punt returns that can be kicked deep. The coaches like him back there instead of Santonio, because they think Moore has better hands. They also think he’ll make a better decision as far as whether to let the punt bounce, fair catch, or try a run back. They also might use Moore in 3rd down situations, such as screens or blitz pickups.
McHugh- He was a fullback in college who converted to tight end in the pros, and now Pittsburgh is converting him back into a fullback. He’s a big guy, and I’m not sure what he is capable of just yet. The Steelers don’t use I formations much anymore.

Max Starks- This group has been working together much better since the Browns game, and that will show up again against a shaky Cardinals defense. After that brutal game against Baltimore, the Cards defense is going to feel like a nice drive through the park. Starks is a very smart football player, and seems to be stepping up this season as a more reliable tackle.
Chris Kemoatu- He’s a huge guy with a nasty attitude, and needs to make sure to take some chill pills before the game. No more personal fouls coming from this guy.
Justin Hartwig- Has been a nice addition. Seriously, anything is better than the mistake that was Sean Mahan.
Darnell Stapleton- The coaches like this guy. He’s smaller than your typical lineman, but has played better than expected. Expect him to be the starting center as early as next season when Kendall Simmons comes back from his injury next year.
Willie Colon- He’s too small and too slow to be a right tackle in the NFL as far as I’m concerned. But I have seen improvements in him as this season has progressed. I think I’ve been a little too hard on the big guy. He’s only 25 and the only starter left from last season. I wouldn’t object to giving him one more season to put together a solid 16 games.

Heath Miller- He hasn’t been able to go out for passes for a lot of the season due to the shaky line play. He’s a hell of a blocker, and regularly gets praised as the most complete tight end in the game. If Ward can’t go he’ll be Ben’s securtiy blanket in the passing game.
Matt Spaeth- I really like Spaeth. I think he’ll be a better player next year, but he’s got the talent and size to create a lot of mismatches in the passing game.

Hines Ward- He hurt his knee against Baltimore. He’s going to rehab as fast as humanly possible to be ready for the Super Bowl. When he went out last week, he was instantly missed. Our receiveing corps look much weaker without him in there. I’m hoping he can go, but it won’t be the end of the world if not.
Santonio Holmes- He’s finally breaking out into the newspapers, and not for smoking blunts! I’m a huge fan of Holmes, he’s got breakaway speed, and is becoming a better route runner in his third season. He also returns punts when there is a chance for some open space to make a nice run back, or when Mike Tomlin feels like the teams needs a spark. Look for him to have another big play in the Super Bowl.
Nate Washington- Nate might be the X factor in the game next Sunday. He will be a starter if Ward doesn’t play, and he’s a good deep threat. His hands are getting better, he needs to talk to Limas and share his secrets on how to go from dropsies to catchies.
Limas Sweed- He’s a good talent, but needs to mature a LOT in the coming years. Hopefully Hines Ward will show him what it takes to be successful in this league for a long time.

Casey Hampton- Big boy in the middle is doing just fine. I’m glad that Tomlin made an example out of him in Latrobe by not letting him practice with the team until he got his weight down. Casey is a tempramental guy, and that kind of motivation probably helped him to work a little harder at keeping in ’shape’ this year. If you can call a 350+ guy in shape, that is
Aaron Smith- He’s very difficult to block. He and Hampton are the reason that our linebackers are able to wreak havoc all over the field. Smith is very powerful and is best against the run. He also throws in the occasional sack, which is not what is asked of him. He’s a special player.
Brett Keisel- The Deisel is solid. I don’t know if he’s worth his contract, but he is very reliable and again, helps the linebackers get free to make plays.
Chris Hoke- Hampton’s substitute for when they big guy needs a snack. There isn’t that much of a drop off when Hoke is in there. He’s a tough guy, works his ass off every play that he’s in the game for.

James Harrison- NFL Defensive Player of the Year. What else needs to be said? If he wasn’t held on almost every single play, he could have had 30 sacks this year. And I’m not exaggerating.
James Farrior- The defensive quarterback. He’s got the experience, and has better numbers than Ray Lewis over the past four seasons. And don’t give me that age crap, Farrior is a year older than Lewis.
Larry Foote- Good against the run, a better than average linebacker. Gets overlooked because of how insanely great the guys around him are.
Carlos Timmons- He’s a lot faster than I thought. He’ll take over for Foote, and the Farrior eventually. I can’t wait to watch what he can do in two more years.
LaMarr Woodley- A great pass rusher. Great power, great speed. Can drop into coverage and cover running backs. I love that he’s so young. If the Steelers keep him around, he might get the career sacks mark before he’s 30.

Ike Taylor- Big and fast, is a solid corner for this style of defense. Will have a tough task on February 1st.
Deshea Townsend- Has slowed down a little with his age, but makes up for it with his maturity. A good open field tackler for a guy that isn’t that big.
Bryant McFadden- Young, physical corner. Fits in great with this defense.
William Gay- He doesn’t get to play a ton, but will see more action with the Cardinals offense relying on the pass more than the run.
Ryan Clark- Who is Anthony Smith? Came in from the Redskins and is a great guy to back up Polamalu. He’s the last line of defense most of the time, and the Steelers don’t let up big plays. That’s got to tell you something about the guy. Did I mention he hits pretty hard? Go to youtube and check out his hits on McGahee and Welker from this year.
Troy Polamalu- I can’t believe this guy makes the team every year. He should be on the practice squad at best. Seriously, he’s everywhere. A quarterback’s nightmare. Nobody in Pittsburgh would be surprised if he ran an interception back for a touchdown every single game.
Tyrone Carter- When the Steelers go to their ‘prevent’ coverage, they put Carter in and use three safeties. He’s a little small and a little slow for my liking, but he’s a decent backup. I have no problems with him on the field.

See you in a couple days, right back here!

Pittsburgh’s going to the Super Bowl!

Exciting times to be a Steeler fan and that excitment is building throughout the country as we all get our plans together for the big game.  Traffic on the site is really picking up and I’ve gotten emails from people looking for Steeler Bars all over the country and beyond (gotta watch the game in Tokyo too!).  The best email I got was from Jason:

Tony, this was just the site I was looking for. I’m getting married in 10 days on a cruise ship and didn’t realize until just a few days ago that my arrival was the day of the super bowl. I almost had to cancel the wedding when the mrs. told me that we are staying in New orleans that night! I haven’t missed a Steeler game since NFL sunday ticket was introduced! I was stoked to find your site and a few bars there where I can go celebrate the ferocious BLACK & GOLD stomp some more birds on the way to ring 6!

Cancel your wedding for the Steelers?  Now that’s a true fan!

As you start making your plans please pass along any updated information on the bars listed on the site.  I’ve added a few new ones tonight and also had to remove a few closed bars as well.

And after we win our sixth Super Bowl, be sure to send me an email about your experiences at whichever bar you visit.  I’d love to hear how you celebrated yet another vicotory in the big game.

Let’s Go Steelers!
Tony

Like every NFL regular season, it came and went too quickly. Fortunately, the playoffs are just about to start! Most of the fat has been cut off, now the season that matters most begins. The Chargers did sneak into the playoffs like most people thought they would before the season. Nice job Dolphins on keeping the Patriots out of the playoffs. The Steelers dominated opponents on defense, and their offense got dominated a lot. We’ll take a look at that in a little bit, I’ll try to make it sound not so bad for the offense. Now that the season records are in place, lets look at some season stats:

Here is a list of the better teams in the AFC, and their opponents total record:

Steelers: 133-120-3

Baltimore: 132-121-3

SD: 132-124

Indy: 127-128-1

NE: 123-133

NYJ: 120-135-1

Miami: 118-138

Titans: 117-138-1

So the Steelers have played the hardest schedule as was said at the start of the season. 12-4 looks pretty good after seeing this!

Steelers Opponents Breakdown

Wins: 87-103-2

Wins-Cle/Cin: 71-57

Losses: 46-17-1

Pittsburgh lost 4 games, and the Eagles, Giants, Colts and Titans all made the playoffs. So they won every game they were supposed to, and lost to only worthy opponents.

Record at Home, Away, 1st 8 games, last 8 games: 6-2. They started off last season 6-2 as well, but fell apart at the end. This season they held tough and stayed solid the whole way through.

Defense:

PPG: 1st

YPG: 1st

RYG: 2nd(Min 3.4 yds better)

PYG: 1st

INT: T-6th

SK: 2nd(Dal 8 more)

That really speaks for itself. The Vikings did well against the run, but are in the bottom half of the league in giving up passing yards. Take that however you like.

Offense:

PPG: 20th

YPG: 22nd

RYG: 23rd

PYG: 17th

3rd D %: T-13th

Pen Yds: 8th

TOP: 6th

I’m wondering how the time of possession was so high with a struggling offense. Probably because the defense would get the ball in the offense’s hands so quickly. This next part might expain a little of the offensive struggles.

Defenses played against ranks:

PPG: 2,3,3,4,5,6,7,8,15,16,16

YPG: 2,2,3,4,5,7,8,10,11,12,12

Those are 11 out of 16 games, people. The Steelers had to play against all of the toughest defenses in the league this year. I hate to use the cliche battle tested, but it explains this perfectly. I’m under the impression that any offense would struggle against this kind of defensive schedule. Don’t count their offense out yet, look at the teams in the playoffs ranks below.

AFC Playoff Defensive Rank:

Pittsburgh: 1st

Baltimore: 2nd

Tennessee: 7th

Indianapolis: 11th

Miami: 15th

San Diego: 25th

I’d be very surprised if Ben struggled against Tennessee’s defense if there is a rematch. But lets not get ahead of ourselves, he’ll only get another shot if both teams make the AFC Championship game.

AFC Playoff Offensive Rank:

San Diego: 11th

Miami: 12th

Indianapolis: 15th

Baltimore: 18th

Tennessee: 21st

Pittsburgh: 22nd

The Colts ranking is a little low considering how much better they’ve been on their win streak. But they have still struggled to run the ball even in their recent games. In the Pit-Indy game, take away those two tipped Ike balls to Wayne and Peyton’s stats are much less impressive. That would take 1 touchdown and about 90 yards off. This rank should scare no one because of the defense they’d have to face.

Nate Washington needs to get some credit for his services. Week 5, 48yd td vs. Jacksonville to go up 17-14. Next game Week 7 50yd catch vs. Cincy. That game ended up being a blowout, but the Steelers only had a 7 point lead in the 4th quarter until this score. Week 8, 65yd td vs. Giants to take a 14-9 lead. Probably would have been the game winning score if it weren’t for the long-snapper getting injured. Week 9, a 50yd catch vs. Redskins while leading 10-6 that led to a Willie Parker touchdown, making it a 2 score lead. Season totals, 40 catches, 631 yards, 3 touchdowns. Not bad for a 3rd wideout in a struggling offense.

The past few weeks, I think the Dallas game was the first one, the Steelers run defense has not been as rock solid as it was in the beginning of the year. It isn’t even close to the way it broke down last season at this time, but it is a little cause for concern. The first round bye will help this out a TON, and here’s why:

Keisel: 30, Hampton: 31, Smith: 32, Hoke: 32, Kirschke: 34, Harrison: 30, Farrior: 33, Foote: 28, Timmons: 22, Woodley: 24, Taylor: 28, Townsend: 33, McFadden: 27, Gay: 23, Polamalu: 27, Clark: 29

Roethlisberger: 26, Parker: 28, Moore: 26, Starks: 26, Kemoatu: 25, Hartwig: 30, Stapleton: 23, Colon: 25, Miller: 26, Ward: 32, Holmes: 24, Washington: 25

Berger: 36, Reed: 29

The defensive line and half of the linebackers are 30 or older, making a tough, physical schedule harder to recover from. These guys need rest. And guess what? They are getting it with the bye week. This is perfect timing for a team that needs a little R&R. Ok, thats enough fun for now. When an opponent is revealed, we shall meet back here and discuss the upcoming divisional playoff game. Happy New Year everyone!

Dec. 8, 2008

 

I’m still a little high from the game yesterday, so I’ll do my best to be as non-biased as possible with this.  There wasn’t anything written about the Pittsburgh-New England game, so let’s start off with that.  Matt Cassel threw for 268 and a touchdown yesterday for a Patriots win.  Against the Jets, he threw for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Against the Dolphins, he threw for  415 and 3 touchdowns and a pick.  Last week against the Steelers, he threw for 169 yards and 2 interceptions.  The Pats scored in the first three minutes of that game, and didn’t cross the goal line again.  That touchdown was helped by the fact New England started that drive on the Steelers 14 yard line.  These are the end results of all of their drives in the 2^nd half: Punt, fumble, fumble, interception, interception, end of game.  These were the Steelers drives in the 2^nd half: Field Goal, touchdown, field goal, missed field goal, field goal, touchdown.  Looks like the Steelers were getting over their offensive woes for a little while, didn’t it?  Fast forward to the Cowboys game.

 

What a sloppy first half!  Part of it may have been the weather.  Part of it was the two offenses not clicking.  Most of it was the two defenses on the field.  It seemed that any time the Steelers would get a little offensive momentum in the first half, they would fumble.  Pretty frustrating to watch.  What was just as frustrating was all of Dallas’ turnovers in the first half.  There were four of them, and the Steelers only got 3 points because of it.  If the offense was able to get…9?  13 points off of those?  There probably wouldn’t have been any need to score 13 points in the last 1/8^th of the game.  But instead, there it was at halftime, a 3-3 score staring at everyone in the face.  The offense needs to get something going before the playoffs start, but its not going to be easy.  They have to play Baltimore, the 2 defense in the league, then Tennessee, the 3 defense in the league.

 

 

The important thing is that they are winning games against quality opponents.  That is just how good the defense is this year.  The funny thing is I’m not really worried about the offense.  Yes, they struggle.  But Ben Roethlisberger now has 4 4^th quarter comebacks this year alone.  He’s on pace for his career to have as many or more than his boyhood idol, John Elway.  Ben just has a knack for doing just enough to get the job done when the game is most important.  And it was a great idea to go to the no huddle yesterday when they did.  I, like most, think they should go to it more often.  I’d try it 2-3 times a game for a change of pace and to try and get favorable matchups for the offense.  I’d also like to see them throw a little more to Miller and Spaeth.  But everyone has been screaming that in Pittsburgh since Eric Green left since he was so successful.

 

 

I think its pretty amusing how many people have been complaining about the offensive line.  I feel it is something they should have addressed for the past three seasons, but there is nothing that can be done about it now.  The offensive line is the one that we are stuck with.  At least for the rest of this season.  So why complain?  They have their bad games, and they have their ok games.  As bad as the line has looked through the year, this team is 10-3 with them.  If the Steelers would have spend last years draft getting talent there, the line would probably be just as good(or bad) as they are now, and they wouldn’t have Timmons and Woodley.  So we’d have some rando out to compliment James Harrison, instead of an insane second year linebacker who is playing like a possible NFL defensive MVP(Woodley).  2006?  There would be no Santonio Holmes, who still needs to put the blunts down and further develop.  But he’s a great deep threat, and ran that punt back yesterday to set up the big touchdown drive in the 4^th quarter.  Year before that?  No Heath Miller.  I’d say its a little too early to determine what Mendenhall and Sweed will turn out to be, but if they are duds, I’m sure everyone(maybe including myself) will bitch and moan how we didn’t take a left guard and right tackle.  Hindsight is 20/20, right?  A solid offensive line would be fantastic, but the rest of the team wouldn’t be as good.  Let’s not worry about things we can’t control.  I’m off this week, so I’ll get into the Baltimore matchup in a couple days.  Until then!

Wow! There have been 5 games since I last did anything, so this one might get a little lengthy. Let’s just jump right in: The Steelers were winning 14-9 until halfway into the 4th quarter when disaster struck. At the end of the 3rd quarter, Greg Warren injured his knee and was unable to long snap for the rest of the game. In comes emergency snapper, James Harrison? Harrison floats it over injured Mitch Berger’s head for a safety to tie the game at 14. For as many weapons as the Giants have, it must be noted that the Steelers defense kept the Giants from scoring a touchdown until 3 minutes left in the game. Bad time to let one go in, but they fought tooth and nail up until that point and maybe just ran out of steam at the end. Good effort by the defense there, Ben threw 4 interceptions and only completed 44%. Mewelde Moore’s stat line looked good, but struggled to get yards all game exept for a 32 yard run. Nate Washington made a name for himself finally by catching a 65 yarder. Tough loss at home to a tough team. At least it was against the most complete team in the NFL and not to the Bengals/Lions etc.

Steelers 23, Redskins 6. Byron Leftwich finished out what Ben started, building on a 10-6 halftime lead and finishing the game with 129 yards and a touchdown pass. The defense again did not allow a touchdown, and ended the game with only giving up 3 touchdowns in the last 15 quarters(3 ¾ games). The offense continued its struggles, with Willie Parker averaging only 3.3 yards per carry, and the rest of the team had 8 carries for -6 yards. The defense literally has been carrying the team throughout the first half of the season, and helped get them to a 6-2 record and in very good shape to make a run at a playoff berth, and possible first round bye.

Steelers 20, Colts 24. The Steelers lost their second game in a row at home to another tough team. There were two good defensive tips by Ike Taylor that turned into completions to Reggie Wayne. The one drive ended in a punt, but the other ended in a 65 yard touchdown on Indy’s first possession of the game. After losing close games to three solid teams, the Steelers have earned my respect this season. Despite an offense that can’t score, injuries that continue to pile up and special teams that are shaky at best, they can still play with any team in the NFL. They also have proved that they still need to learn how to close out games better. Their 3 losses have been by 9, 7, and 4 points. They were tied and leading with 3 minutes left in the last two. And against Philly, they were only one score away from taking the lead. They are going to have to figure something out that works at the end of games to win those before the playoffs start.

Pittsburgh 11, San Diego 10. Weird game. The Steelers defense is playing historically great right now. If they keep this up through the final games, they’ll be mentioned up there with the great defenses of all time. I just jinxed it. Oh well. Ben finally didn’t throw a pick in this game, although two could have easily been. Even so, he completed 75% of his passes for 308 yards, and the offense finally looked good enough to win a game. Now they just need to work on the scoring part a little more. The big story after the game was the blown Polamalu touchdown. Is it just me, or does Troy get hosed more than anyone else with these calls? Maybe its just because he’s always making a play that most others wouldn’t be able to. He’s been lights out this season so far.

Steelers 27, Bengals 10. I haven’t let this game sink in the whole way yet, I was falling asleep a little watching it last night. Partly because I was tired, and partly because the NFL Network games lull their audience asleep. The camera work was awful, and the announcers sounded like they were doing golf coverage. Chris Collinsworth needs to stop talking altogether. Too bad, because any beating of a pathetic Bengals team should be more entertaining than it really was. I have yet to hear about Brett Keisel’s injury, but that could put a little dent in the stout run defense. Willie Parker’s injury concerns me a little, but they may have just pulled him because of the field and weather conditions. My concern is that he missed 4 games, and that included a bye week in between because of that same knee. Hopefully the tweak doesn’t turn into a problem.

Since it’s a long week until the game next Sunday against the Patriots, I’ll break it up a little. Now that we are caught up with some recaps of previous games, I’ll go into a little more depth about the team’s performances and talk about the Week 13 matchup.

Nothing really crazy to talk about with the Bengals game. It should have been over before the 4th quarter. One bad throw by Ben and that could have spelled disaster. Only being up 17-10 until eight minutes left in the game is not fun for anybody. It frustrates Steelers fans, and gives Bengal fans false hopes of a comeback. Pittsburgh made an 0-6 team 0-7, and that’s all we really need to say.

The injuries just keep piling up in Pittsburgh and all around the league this year. It is a wonderful thing that the Steelers are so deep on their bench. No Casey Hampton or Brett Keisel? Enter Chris Hoke and Travis Kirschke. No Deshea Townsend? Bryant McFadden will take care of things. Marvel Smith, Kendall Simmons, Willie Parker? No worries, we have Max Starks, Darnell Stapelton, and Mewelde Moore. Need a mop up man to give Ben some more rest at the end of the game? Byron Leftwich goes in and throws his first touchdown while wearing black and gold. Just another day at the office. Now McFadden will be out for a month, so what happens now? Deshea has been playing, I think just as the nickel guy. So it looks like Townsend gets his starting job back for now, and William Gay moves up to the nickel guy, and…Anthony Madison is the dime guy. I know very little about Madison, but I do like William Gay a lot. Anytime he’s on the field he seems to make a play. He did get juked pretty bad by Chris Henry on Sunday. Does Tyrone Carter or Anthony Smith move in to take Polamalu’s place if he can’t go on Sunday? I’d vote for Anthony Smith, simply because he’s a better talent. Needs to show he is starter material or his time could be done in this town sooner than later. My main worry is Troy Polamalu out of all of this, regardless if he’s ready to play Sunday or not. It’s obvious he’s a playmaker/game changer type player. But his concussions are starting to pile up. The more you get, the easier they are to get, and Troy isn’t exactly the type of player to change his ‘I will destroy my body to tackle you’ mentality. I just hope he can protect his head a little more and maintain his aggressiveness on the field. I am starting to get very concerned about his longevity in the NFL.

Giants matchup: Besides Washington in week 1, they have not played a good team, let alone an average team. Take a look at their opponents: St. Louis, Cincy, Seattle, Cleveland, and San Fran. Talk about a joke! Washington also had 5 preseason games, and may have taken it a little too easy leading up to their Week 1 matchup against the Giants. If anyone watched that game and have seen the skins play since, they look like a very different team. Now I’m not trying to discredit anything the Giants have accomplished thus far. They have dominated the games that they were supposed to, excluding the Cleveland game where they got humiliated. Let’s look at some stats and see if we can make some sense out of all of this.

In 6 games, Cleveland is averaging 15.3 points per game, and the Giants let them score 35. Take out the Giants game, and the Browns are averaging 11.4 per. So that means the Browns scored triple what they usually do. Well, this is just crazy, because they have one of the best defenses in the league so far, right? I wouldn’t be so sure. Minus Washington who was flat against them, the offenses they’ve faced are ranked 24th, 25th, 29th, 30th and 31st in points per game. Now offensively, they are pretty solid statistically so far, as they are still blowing out bad teams like they should. So they have proven themselves so far on the other side of the ball, right? I wouldn’t say that, exactly. So far they have played against the 7th, 8th, 25th, 28th, 29th an 30th ranked defenses. So what does this all mean? Well, nothing really. The Giants are still 5-1, and are still the defending Super Bowl Champs. But they have yet to face a defense as good as the 1 ranked Steelers, 2 in points allowed per game, 2 against the run, 1 against the pass, and 1 in sacks. Eli better bring his easy button with him to the game, because he’s going up against a defense that his brother Peyton has struggled to figure out over the years. There is still a lot about the Giants that we don’t know about. They do have 21 sacks so far this year and Pittsburgh hands out more sacks than a potato factory, so we better make sure Ben has enough ice packs for after the game.

The only person that worries me on this team is Brandon Jacobs. Jerome Bettis used to play at about 250 pounds. Brandon Jacobs is currently listed at 264 pounds. This guy is a bruiser. The Steelers have some really good tacklers and guys who can get to the ball quickly.  But Jacobs only needs to get a few yards past the line of scrimmage before his momentum requires two, if not more people to bring him down. Watch out for them to try to run up the middle with Jacobs to try and avoid Harrison and Woodley on the ends. They also use Derrick Ward, who is averaging 5.1 yards per carry. He shouldn’t be much of a factor unless they set him up for a screen at the right time. Oh yeah, the announcers will bring up Eli and Ben both being drafted in the same class, and both already having Super Bowl rings. Watch out for that pointless stuff on more than one occasion. My prediction for the game?  If the Steelers offensive line can hold the Giants off of Ben long enough, Pittsburgh should win by 10 or more. If Ben has no time, he’ll probably need a 4th quarter drive to get the win. I say the line holds up just enough to get a 4 point victory.

So here we are, going into the bye with a 4-1 record. 4-1 has a very nice ring to it, wouldn’t you say? I have a vision of the Steelers leaving the field in Jacksonville all battered and limping to the locker room, some needing to support each other, some getting carried off in those WWI stretchers, carried off by the cute Asian trainer. If there was the definition of a break in their schedule, this is it. And only it.

You’d think the 0-5 Bengals should be a pushover, right? Well they played the Cowboys really tight in their last game, and took the Giants into overtime before losing. The Giants and Cowboys right now are being worshipped by every media outlet talking football. So don’t think that this game after the bye is a gimme. There are no more gimme’s on the schedule from what I can see. Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves on the schedule, don’t want to run out of things to write about!

The game against Jacksonville was messy, but to get a win on the road in Florida near the start of the season is impressive. I don’t care who it is against. It wasn’t an easy game to take, but the team that was supposed to win did, it just took a little time for the offense to do its thing. Mewelde Moore rushed for 99 yards, and has probably planted himself right behind Willie Parker on the depth chart. At least the Steelers will use him on third downs in passing situations until he messes up a couple blitz pickups. Lets hope that doesn’t happen, I like Mewelde and what he brings to the game. Its like having a better Amos Zereoue. Let’s get into some matchups a little bit for the upcoming game against the Bengals.

I’m not sure how injured Carson Palmer really is, but I do know that if your elbow is messed up, your arm gets weaker as the game goes on. His 69.0 passer rating backs that up a little. It at least backs up that he’s probably more hurt than he is leading on. Chad Johnson is also playing hurt, and I would guess that he will not finish out the season before having surgury on his shoulder. At 0-5, he should probably get it this second and call this season a wash. They went with an unproven running back in Chris Perry, who has shown some flashes, but nothing to really get horny about. Their kick returner, Glenn Holt, has made some nice returns this year. But when your team gives up 24 points per game, you are gonna get a lot of chances to rack up some yards. He leads the league in attempts, return yards, and average. So something must be said about that. The Steelers special teams needs to be up to the task against this guy. With how Pittsburgh’s offense has been playing, a big return could decide the game.

The Bengals are one of the worst teams in the league against the run, letting the opposing teams gain 171 per. That should give our offensive line a motivational boost that they desperately need. They also only have THREE sacks on the year, so Ben should heal just like he’s on another bye week. Looking a little closer at this matchup, I don’t really see how the Bengals have been able to give anyone a game so far, but Houshmanzadeh is just about the only bright spot I can see so far. He’s one of the biggest pricks I’ve ever seen play the game, but he does bring it on the field. He gets open, is hard to bring down, and fights for every extra yard he can get. I hate to say it, but he’s probably one of the most complete receivers in the game at the moment. If they can shut him down or at least limit him, the Steelers should have no problems. Watch out for that kick returner, too.