Beer We Go Steelers

Okay so last week’s preseason game was a mild success. The result is irrelevant, most important thing is that no one was injured and for the most part the first and second teams played well.

The Good:

-Daryl Richardson had a great game and has the pressure on Fitz Toussaint.

-James Harrison and the defense stepped up when needed!

-Darrius Heyward-Bey made a strong case to win the Martavis Bryan sweepstakes. After an early drop he made a great catch for the offensive touchdown.

-Landry Jones put in a decent effort and made a case to win the backup job.

-The offensive line looked very solid.

The Bad:

-Tackling was mediocre.

-Sean Davis has a long way to go.

-Bruce Gradkowski went out after a promising start.

-Dustin Vaughan has the look and the arm of an NFL QB, but his results were awful.

Tonight the Steelers host the cross state rival Philadelphia Eagles.

-NO Ben, No AB, NO Le’Veon Bell

-Need to see who will step up in the secondary tonight?

-NO ONE CAN GET HURT

-Who wants Martavis’ spot?

-Lets see who is going to make the case to make the team?

The Steelers are back tonight…well at least a bunch of guys wearing Black and Gold uniforms. There are several scratches tonight and it doesn’t look like any of the early draft picks will be playing. Also, Ladarius Green is out, with headaches. So why would we watch?

Well BECAUSE IT IS THE STEELERS!!!

Several spots are open and will need to be filled:

-Does Landry hold off Gradkowski?

-Who is going to win the Tight End sweepstakes. Heath Miller has huge shoes to fill both on and off the field. Jesse James this is your time to shine!

-Anthony Chickillo will push for playing time and there are several openings for depth on defenses.

-With Senquez Golson looking to be an injury bust, who can play Cornerback?

-What will the middle linebacker depth look like?

-What will the defensive line depth look like? Is this Mt. McCullers break out year?

-Who will take Bryant’s spot at WR?

-The Steelers need to see a bunch of running backs, especially if Le’Veon Bell is going to be gone for four games!

So there is some intrigue tonight and you know what else…it’s the Steelers!!!

Camp is open here are some Quick Hits for July 29th:

-Le’Veon Bell is becoming a huge distraction, did he fail a test, did he not fail a test, who knows, but either way this is a distraction. You want big money, you better act like a big boy. very disappointed

-This is Mike Tomlin’s 10th camp and arguably the best team he has ever had!

-Welcome back Dave Johnson TE and part time FB and say goodbye to Matt Spaeth! This also opens up Jesse James chance to make the team!

-Dave DeCastro and Antonio Brown are awaiting contract extensions. Both should get them!

-BTW Antonio Brown’s car might be the coolest car EVER!!!

-New TE Ladarius Green and longshot WR Shakim Phillips will start camp on the PUP list.

-Below is the Camp Schedule provided by the Post-Gazette;

The Steelers completed the 2016 draft and the national media perception of the results is mixed. Here is the BWG Take on it.

1 (25). Artie Burns, CB, Miami

BWG TAKE: This was EXACTY the pick the Steelers needed and he will make an impact right away. Has all the tools and should be a great fit. The Pick has been panned but to me he won’t miss and he has the right attitude and size. He has NFL size and speed, with a good camp he could push to start.

2 (58). Sean Davis, S, Maryland

BWG TAKE: This one felt like a stretch especially with Von Bell waiting to be scooped up. However he is very FAST and hits like a cement truck, so he has the tools. He also has CB experience.

3 (89). Javon Hargrave, DT, South Carolina State

BWG TAKE: A versatile tweener that seems like a depth pick and most likely a 3-4 end. Powerful interior lineman.

4 (123). Jerald Hawkins, OT, LSU

BWG TAKE: This as the steal of the draft. He will challenge for playing time next year. Hawkins is a nice, athletic tackle with experience at both left and right tackle. He had graded out way better than the fourth.

6 (220). Travis Feeney, OLB, Washington

BWG TAKE: He will be a special teams ace and eventually push for playing time. Plays like he was shot out of a cannon!!!

7 (229). DeMarcus Ayers, WR, Houston

BWG TAKE: Loved this pick as well. A tough shifty and quick receiver, he is was one of the most productive wide receivers in college football in 2015. This might be the steal of the draft and he will play special teams as well!

7 (246). Tyler Matakevich, LB, Temple

BWG TAKE: He reminds me of Vince Williams. He is an old school thumper who had a great college career. Smart and driven! This could be the Beachum of this draft.

Will review UFA tomorrow.

         Artie Burns, CB Miami!!!

With a successful season long gone in the rearview mirror, the NFL draft is upon us again! The draft has a cult following and has taken on a life of its own. The NFL now sells tickets and it even has it’s own line of products. I will be attending a baseball game so will miss the beginning (LI DUCKS) and then will be headed home for the Steelers pick.

That being said, I am very excited for this year’s draft. What’s on the menu, for Beer We Go Steelers, first and foremost we are not doing a mock draft. Both the Captain and I HATE mock drafts. So forget that! However, we have some analysis.

The Steelers: First Pick (25), Total Picks (7), Roughly 47 years ago the Steelers made the draft the center piece of their talent building…they have never looked back, whether it was drafting four Hall Of Famers in the 1974 draft or stealing Antonio Brown in the 6^th round, the Steelers have built a foundation through the draft and this year will be no different. The glaring needs are help in the defensive backfield, a “clogger” in the defensive line, Offensive tackle depth and a young QB and then depth all over.

Biggest Needs: Is either a Safety or a Cornerback and that has to be the number one pick. The Steelers have had very few misses in the draft, however the defensive backfield has been one of them. Several CB’s have washed out and the Steelers haven’t done much better on safety. They need an impact player, preferably two or three in the first five picks.

The front seven is still one of the best in football, however the depth was seriously drained. The Steelers need a BIG, BIG man in the middle to backup Mt. McCullers and they need some outside linebacker help.

As for offense, depth at the tackle spot is a serious concern. Lastly, if the right steal is sitting there, they need to look at a Quarterback. While Ben has plenty of tread left on the tires, it would be prudent to look at a “project” guy to develop.

Steelers Draft Capsule:

Best 1^st rounder of the last ten years: Cam Heyward, DE, 20011 Draft, (31^st Overall)

Biggest Draft Bust: Jamian Stephens, T, 1996 Draft, (29^th Overall)

Biggest Draft Steal: (TIE) Mike Webster, C, 1974 Draft, (125^th Overall) / Antonio Brown, WR, 2010 Draft (195^th Overall)

Greatest Draft Pick: Joe Greene, DT, 1969 Draft, (4^th Overall)

Beer We Go division analysis:

Baltimore Ravens: First pick (6), Total Picks (9), The Ratbirds are in a strange position for them of picking in the top ten after a terrible season. Ozzie Newsome in this spot scares me, they rarely miss in the first round and they should make a significant impact in this spot. They also stockpiled fourth round picks, so look for some movement. There biggest need is a playmaker outside, a WR, but they have several holes including O-Line, and the defense which has been there calling card, is very leaky.

The Ravens Draft Capsule:

Best 1^st rounder of the last ten years: Joe Flacco, QB, 2008 Draft, (18^th Overall)

Biggest Draft Bust: Kyle Boller, QB, 2003 Draft, (19^th Overall)

Biggest Draft Steal: Adalius Thomas, LB, 2000 Draft, (186^th Overall)

Greatest Draft Pick: Ray Lewis, LB, 1996 Draft, (26^th Overall)

Cincinnati Bengals: First pick (24), Total Picks (6), The Bengals have become perennial contenders after being the laughing stock of football for nearly 20 years. What they need is coaching and better discipline, but that isn’t something that will be on their board. This should be a minimum impact draft and they will draft for depth. Historically, they have done a good job getting value picks….albeit with questionable smarts. (Vontaze that’s for you.) They need help up front in the NFL’s toughest division. Look for the Defensive line and Linebacker, to be the target. Also don’t be surprised if you see a QB get snatched if it falls in their lap.

The Bengals Draft Capsule:

Best 1^st rounder of the last ten years: A.J. Green, WR, 20011 Draft, (4^th Overall)

Biggest Draft Bust: Akili Smith, QB, 1999 Draft, (3^rd Overall)

Biggest Draft Steal: Lemur Parrish, CB, 1970 Draft, (163^rd Overall)

Greatest Draft Pick: Anthony Munoz, LT, 1986 Draft, (3^rd Overall)

Cleveland Browns: First pick (8), Total Picks (a whopping 12), The Browns are in the enviable position, that they are ALWAYS in this time of year, plenty of early quality picks. The draft should be named, Cleveland Browns Day!!! They traded with the Eagles and still stayed in the top 10. Sonny Weaver Jr. pulled off a stunner…wait that was only a movie, but none the less here we are!

The Browns front office is now trying a more scientific approach, having recruited Paul DePodesta away from the Mets. DePodesta was one of the central figures in “Moneyball”. That move was panned by many people, I am not one of them. The Browns will be using actual analytics and real life statistics compared to using the Twister Wheel and Ouija Board to make their picks. Whatever his shortcomings DePodesta is a Harvard Graduate with a football background and this might be the beginning of something for the Browns as well as the NFL, AKA read money ball!

Giving the Browns first round picks is very similar to giving monkeys fire, while it is a great tool, it is wasted and pretty damn dangerous if you don’t know how to use it. As for needs, well I can copy last year’s blog post verbatim, they need a QB more than just about anyone in the world. RGIII was a great pickup but he is not who they will build around, they also need playmakers, so look for an impact WR right away. After that they need EVERYTHING else. I am very interested to see the Ricciardi experiment!

The Browns Draft Capsule:

Best 1^st rounder of the last ten years: Joe Haden, CB, 2010 Draft, (7^th Overall)

Biggest Draft Bust: Seriously? Pick ‘em! Although the Johnny Manziel stink must seem like Chernobyl.

Biggest Draft Steal: Leroy Kelly, RB, 1964 Draft, (110^th Overall)

Greatest Draft Pick: Jim Brown, RB, 1957 Draft, (6^th Overall)

With the Super Bowl now in the rear view mirror and Peyton Manning cementing his place as the greatest player in the NFL, I figured it was time to do my season in Review!

First and foremost, the season was a success and a testament to the excellent Coaching of Mike Tomlin! Despite key injuries the Steelers never felt sorry for themselves and were in just about every game. This was also one of my favorite seasons because the Steelers used several players and everyone proved their worth.

2015 Game Beer winner:

Going with Antonio Brown! How could you not, he had a monster year and once again proved his value. One can only wonder what would have happened if that idiot Burfict didn’t put him out for the Denver game.

My Favorite “Road” Game: 

No brainer on this one. Irish Exit in NYC on Second Ave! We went for the Bengals game and it was myself, my friend Bill and the amazing KGB. We met awesome people and we hung out with about 450 of our closest friends! This will without a doubt be a new tradition!

http://www.irishexitnyc.com/

My Favorite Road Game: NONE. We didn’t do a game this year. Next year we are absolutely doing one, with Buffalo and Miami as the early contenders! BTW pissed we play Dallas and both NY teams in the ‘Burgh. That could have been a three game parlay for me.

My Favorite “Road” Game: Has to be the “Stadium” in Saratoga. I was there on business and KGB took mercy on me to come up and spend some time. The Steelers beat the Rams and that is most likely the last time the Steelers will play in St. Louis for many, many years. The game was mediocre but I enjoyed the crowd and the wings. We have had bad luck at my local bar Buckley’s so going with the “Stadium”.

My Favorite “Home” Game: Steelers wrecking Indianapolis on Sunday Night was one of my favorites, of course AB sticking the landing was icing on the cake! Sat in front of a nice fire and had a great night!

My Favorite Home Game: This was easy because I only went to one game in the ‘Burgh. I got to avenge one of my ‘Burgh losses as the Steelers played a crazy game against the Raiders. We brought the whole family across the state and had a great time. The game was great, we also got to meet Frenchy Fuqua at our tailgate and he couldn’t have been better. This was the first victory for four of my five kids and it was a wild one. BTW Three Primanti’s stops on the trip had me begging for mercy!

My Favorite Snack for any game: Many great choices from Polamalu Pierogies to Buckley’s Terryaki Bomb Wings. KGB made a million different things this year and all were great. She made “Italian Sliders” and have to choose those. Beer of choice was Cold Snap!  

Special Thanks:

Writing this blog is a labor of love, something I enjoy doing and something that I will do as long as I can. I hate most of the national media who de-facto picked the (5-11) Ravens this year, for some unknown reason. I will never claim to be unbiased but I try and follow Myron Cope’s example. I am for the Steelers but would always be honest with the readers.

First and foremost we want to thank the readers, we are grateful to you because it makes us feel like we have an obligation to friends and Steelers fans to keep this going. We are over 2500 Subscribers now!

A special thanks to The Janickis, Tom Janicki, the founder of Beer We Go Steelers. He hosts us every year for a game! It was just a great time with Tom and his wife Kristen and his Min-Yinz children! From shopping, worshipping (At church, not the Steelers) to tailgating, he is a friend and a brother to me!  My young kids shared Tom’s seats and they had a blast! It is BWG 2.0! Thanks Janick!

I am thankful to the Harkins brothers! We tailgate once a year with the Harkins brothers and it is always memorable. This year they hosted my entire family at the “Terrible Bra and Grill”. They were wonderful as was Jen from Steel City Mafia!

I want to thank former Steeler “Frenchy” Fuqua. First and foremost he will always be Immaculate to me, he posed for about 100 pictures, spoke French to KGB, while kissing her hand and couldn’t have been nicer to our family. He represents EVERYTHING that is great about being a Steelers fan!

That brings me to John Jackson and Jerome Bettis. I have said this before and will restate it, it is very difficult to meet your “heroes” because they often have a habit of letting you down. I met both guys, at the Joe Namath Golf Outing.

John came over gave me a hug and couldn’t have been better, this is our third year together at the outing and he was awesome. We had a drink and spent some time talking. BTW he could still play, the kind of shape he is in!

The Bus was a total gentleman and posed for several pictures with me, including one after the round with me sweating on him. He also was genuinely touched about being feature on the BWG shirt this year.

I want to thank all my kids, we packed the entire family up and brought EVERYONE to the ‘Burgh. With five kids in tow you, one with a Wheel Chair you can imagine the logistical challenge and expense. They never complained once! Made the most out of the trip and enjoyed every minute of the game and tailgate. The trip included a trip to Pepis, a shopping trip to the Strip District, three trips to Primanti Bros. Billy, Eric, Hailey, Luc and Dante…I hope a Steelers trip showed even a little bit why I love this team! I was grateful that the Steelers pulled out a victory. I hate the Raiders and it was a great “comeback”.

Most of all I wanted to thank KGB, my amazing Fiancée’ who despite her strict aversion to Television, made sure the Steelers were a priority all season. She packed the Terrible Towel for our trip to Aruba so we could take pictures, she also put up with some of my “antics” and we only had one fight about the Steelers all season and I will use my go to excuse; “But babe, it was the Ravens” She cooked, she planned and I am grateful that we had a great season! Love You BEER WE GO!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

Check back during the offseason for big news and for draft coverage.

In April of 2005 Anthony Becht signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New York Jets were left without a Tight End.

They traded their first round pick the 26th for Doug Jolley of the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders traded that pick to Seattle to move up and grab CB, Fabian Washington.

Those three trades turned the course of Pittsburgh history, because waiting to get plucked at number 30 was Heath Miller! The Steelers had a phenomenal blocking and pass catching Tight End for nearly 10 years in Mark Bruener. For whatever reason he ran afoul of Steelers management and he was pushed out after the 2003 season.

The Steelers had Jerame Tuman who was a solid blocking Tight End, they brought in Jay Riermersma from Buffalo as a pass catching threat and they were “set” at the position, however Riermersma was injured and never recovered. He never played again.

Heath Miller fell into our laps the next season and the rest is history! Miller was both, the blocker and the pass catcher. He finishes with 592 catches and over 6,000 yards! He also wrestled in 45 touchdowns.

Without question he is the greatest Steelers Tight End of all time!

Here is the Beer We Go Steelers 2015 Report Card. I posted recently in a forum that without the Super Bowl trophy the season was a failure. It would be a huge mistake to call this season a failure. While winning the Super Bowl is ALWAYS the goal, the way the Steelers played can never be called a failure. This team had so much life and so many players stepped up and made it a great year.

GRADES:

Coaching: A+, Mike Tomlin had a tremendous season, he pushed the right buttons several times. He was the only coach to understand the value of the new Two Point Rule, and the Steelers fought until the bitter end. He never made excuses and put the Steelers in a position to win. They never felt sorry for themselves and they developed several good players. The San Diego game tells the story for me.

Todd Haley’s offense was again SCARY and they torched The Bronco’s number one defense two times and absolutely wrecked “The Legion of Boom”.  He protected Ben and the offense was original and fun to watch. When they were rolling they were hard to stop.  Keith Butler’s rookie campaign, was solid on some fronts, the pass rush was excellent and the front seven continued to develop. The secondary was lousy an the stats showed it, they did get better though as the season progressed.  Mike Munchack, year two gets a mention for his excellent work with the O-Line, which is now a strength, not to mention he lost two of his best and the Steelers never really missed a beat.

QB: A-, Big Ben had a great year again and played well in both playoff games, he is tough an a great player. He gives the Steelers a chance to win every week. Michael Vick looks like he is at the end of the line and had some moments but for the most part, was a disappointment. Landry Jones, saved the season when he came in and beat the Cardinals, one of the best teams in football. He struggled after that however.

RB: B+, It was a lost season for Le’Veon Bell, he was suspended came back and played great, then was injured and lost for the year. DeAngelo Williams had a great season filling in and the Steelers running game kept on moving. He too was injured and the Steelers needed to rely on Fitz Toussant and Jordan Todman. Both showed signs that they could play in this league. Unfortunately, Toussant had the key turnover in the Broncos playoff game, but he really did a nice job.

The Fullback situation was interesting as well. Will Johnson played well but lost quite a few snaps to special teams standout Roosevelt Nix. Nix played well and then you guessed it, he was injured. This will be a certain “A” next year.

WR: A+, The best unit on the Steelers, Antonio Brown is amazing and one of the best players in the NFL. Martavis Bryant is on the verge of a huge breakout. Markus Wheaton was steady if not spectacular at some points in the year. The rest of the crew all contributed and played well.

TE: A, Heath Miller, was a key contributor again and really put up great numbers in big games. Jesse James was a very nice addition and is almost a Heath clone. Matt Spaeth is a solid veteran tight end. The Steelers got just about everything they could out of this unit.

OL: B+, The Offensive Line had a very good season. The protection was excellent in most games. The run blocking was terrific and the Steelers made the running backs interchangeable. Keep in mind that the Steelers lost Maurkice Pouncey and Kelvin Beachum. Cody Wallace did a good job and filled in admirably. Alejandro Villanueva did a very good job,  given what a raw prospect he is. He will push Beachum next year. Dave DeCastro is one of the best players at his position. Ramon Foster is going to be missed next year.

DL: B, Cam “Steelhead” Heyward continues to be a monster and he is the anchor of the defense! Stephon Tuitt’s development was terrific and Steve McLendon looks like he finally is comfortable playing the nose. They are almost there!

LB: B+, If the Steelers played two more weeks, this might have been an A. They simply continued to get better and better as the year went on. Ryan Shazier showed great strides in year two and was a vicious force in the playoffs. Lawrence Timmons was tough as nails and was a solid foundation in the middle. Both Jarvis Jones and Bud Dupree continued to improve and next year will be the break out year! Arthur Moats played well all year. James Harrison was the best of the bunch and he also turned it up in the playoffs. He will go down as one of the greatest Steelers. If this was his last year, he really made the most of it. Vince Williams and Sean Spence are both very capable players.

DB: D+, The Steelers secondary was again terrible. That being said, William Gay played well and has been a solid contributor. Antwon Blake was the fans whipping boy most of the year, and he struggled most of the time. I am not a Mike Mitchell fan he showboats too much for me, but he played okay. Not sure what happened with Brandon Boykin and why he rarely saw the field.

Special Teams: C, Chris Boswell, AKA “Little Bos” was terrific and will most likely be back next year, after plowing through four previous kickers the Steelers found a good one. Greg Warren played well. Robert Golden did a great job and he was a special teams ace. The kick return game was atrocious and cost Dri Archer his job and Jacoby Jones was worse. Antonio Brown was great but honestly, he should not be returning punts.

BEER WE GO STEELERS! BEER WE GO!