Beer We Go Steelers

The Steelers finished an awful first half with a record setting loss to the New England Patriots. In the entire history 80+ years of the franchise the Steelers have never been beaten so badly like the whipping they took from Tom Brady and the New England Patriots Sunday at Gillette Stadium, 55-31. That is the most points scored against them and the most yards — 610 — they allowed in team history. It was an absolute disaster.

Tom Brady was off to the worst start of his career, which makes this performance even scarier. Brady put up 432 yards and threw for four touchdown passes. The Patriots banged in three more rushing touchdowns, making it 12 on the season or as many as the Steelers allowed in the 2010 and 2011 seasons combined. The Defense was nonexistent the entire day and didn’t make ANY plays. The front seven had another train wreck performance and when it was over they were gashed for nearly 200 yards.  The secondary looked lost and confused as Troy Polamalu was caught out of position several times and Ryan Clark looked look slow of foot and didn’t bring any of the blistering tackles we are used to. Willie Gay and Ike Taylor played gamely but again just couldn’t match up to the Patriots.

It wouldn’t be a 2013 Steelers game without a special teams screw up, Julian Edelman returned a punt 43 yards deep into Steelers territory, setting up a touchdown that gave the Patriots a back breaking 34-24 lead. The jury is still out on Mat McBriar who was the main culprit on the play. They were having a fairly good day until that point in the return game but continues to be issues.

The offense produced a huge day, but again the offensive line is just downright dangerous and it is only a matter of time until Ben goes out on his shield. Kelvin Beachum, doesn’t look like the answer at Left Tackle and he had a very tough day. Despite that Big Ben produced a huge day after a very shaky first quarter, throwing for 400 yards and four touchdowns! Why Ben was still in the game when all was lost was a huge mistake considering the line troubles.

The receivers really shined with great performances from Manny Sanders, who showed New England what they lost out on, Antonio Brown who had a good day despite drawing double coverage and Jerricho Cotchery had a HUGE DAY and he was a bright spot, catching seven passes and becoming the first Steelers player in seven years to have three touchdown catches in a game. Heath Miller and Le’Veon Bell chipped in for eight catches.

At the end of the day the Steelers couldn’t keep up with the Patriots in a toe to toe fight. After a whipping like that changes are coming, so be ready!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO

The mid season report card will be out this week.

My “GAME BEER” goes to: We have to go with Jerricho Cotchery, because the Patriots didn’t account for him and he made them pay with a three touchdown performance. Also Considered, Manny Sanders as well as Cam Heyward.

Where I watched the game: We watched with the kids and I made Sausage an Peppers again hoping it would help and we had our usual house full of people on Sunday. The Beer of choice was Beamish Stout from Ireland which I snuck into the country from my trip.

My Stat of the week: A 3-Touchdown Performance by Jerricho Cotchery was the first time in seven years by a Steelers receiver.  I am avoiding the 600 plus yards against the Steelers, the worst in franchise history.

My thoughts on Next Week: We will be in the ‘Burgh and look for a big bounce back week against the Bills!

The Steelers slept through the first half of the game in Oakland and put their season’s slim hopes to final rest in a strange, over officiated game Sunday. The Steelers had an abysmal first half and just couldn’t recover in time. Coming off an emotional win against the Rat Birds and with New England looming this had all the makings of a “trap” game and it played out exactly that way. By the time the Steelers came around it was too late.

The defense was torched in the first half for an astonishing 244 yards and looked like they were playing in cement shoes. They allowed a season-high 197 yards rushing to the Raiders and three rushing touchdowns, including a 93 yard run to daylight by Terrell Prior. That raised the season total of rushing TDs allowed to nine or another to way to put it as many as they gave up all of last season. Vince Williams and LaMarr Woodley got caught out of position several times. The defense eventually made the adjustments and pushed the Raiders into three turnovers but the damage was done and the offense had to dig out.

The offense looked completely disjointed and the offensive line play was downright dangerous. The Steelers lost both Dave DeCastro, Ramon Foster and Guy Whimper. The lack of protection made it nearly impossible to run the ball and Ben was running for his life the whole game. Despite that both units had productive days in the second half and it looked almost like the Steelers flipped a switch to start playing. They put together several great second half drives including a nine minute drive…that came up empty.

The Special teams coming off their best week played their worst game of the season, Shaun Suisham finally missed after making 15 field goals to start the season, and he did it twice from 34 and 32 yards. It is easy to point out that that was the difference in the result, but the Steelers blew several chances. Zoltan Mesko finally showed some signs of life but he cost the Steelers a touchdown with a muffed snap and had some trouble getting any kind of consistency.

The whole team just looked out of whack. Antonio Brown, Ryan Clark, LaMarr Woodley, Heath Miller, Manny Sanders, Ben Roethlisberger ALL made costly mistakes. The Steelers mismanaged the clock and made several key errors that added up to the loss. By the time they got it going, it was too little too late and it looks like the season is now officially over.

The Steelers have now lost 5 games this year, which is a travesty, what makes it worse, is they lost to Terrelle Prior, Jake Locker and Matt Cassel (who lost the job a week later). Those guys aren’t exactly Montana, Marino and Elway. Next on deck is Tom Brady, so brace yourself.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: NO ONE, seriously there were good performances but you are talking about half the game. Maybe we can give out half a beer.

Where I watched the game: Stayed home after a great Halloween party the night before. We were very excited as we got pizza from Al’Italia and we had enough pumpkin beer to float a battleship. We had the fireplace going and KGB cuddle up to me on the couch, it had the potential for a great afternoon. Then the first half of the game happened! The Beer of choice was Anderson Pumpkin Patch, it was pretty good but I will never drink it again after that game! The only highlight was proudly watching as my son Dante was literally praying for the Steelers to make the comeback! We were very proud of him!

My Stat of the week: 35 Yards of total offense in the second half, the Steelers made the adjustments they needed and kept the Raiders off the board. If only they played in the first half.

My thoughts on Next Week: It is going to be a long day v. Tom Brady and the Patriots. KGB’s prediction is in this upside down season we lose to the Raiders but beat the Patriots. Let’s hope so.

The Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens with a late field goal by Shaun Suisham, his fourth of the game, for a 19-16 victory. It was a typical Steelers-Ravens game played very tight and close. The Steelers put together an old school performance, play good defense, running the ball with purpose and having Ben win it with a great clutch drive. Special Teams even contributed!

It was a great team effort but the day belonged to the defense. It all started with the linebackers and Lawrence Timmons was on fire Sunday. He racked up 17 tackles, including 12 solo. The Ravens never could run the ball and Ray Rice was a non-factor in the game. LaMarr Woodley continued his re-emergence with a sack and several pressures on Joe Flacco. The secondary bent but again didn’t break, William Gay had a great day and Ike Taylor continued his exceptional play except for one hiccup on a pass thrown to Torrey Smith.

The biggest surprise is how the special teams actually was a major factor in the win. Manny Sanders set up the winning field goal with a 44-yard return on kickoff. He took it all the way but was ruled out of bounds in a questionable call. Felix Jones had a nice kick return for over 40 yards and Antonio Brown continued his stellar season with a nice punt return. The Special Team’s player of the day has to be Shaun Suisham who had several clutch kicks including the game winner.

As for the offense, Big Ben looked like Big Ben. While his numbers won’t win any fantasy prizes he led a game winning drive for the first time since his injury last season and made several plays. The Offensive line did a good job protecting him and pushing the Ravens front seven all over the field. The Steelers were able to run the ball and Le’Veon Bell was outstanding, coming up 6 yards short of 100. He played well out of the wildcat and put together a very good day. Terrell Suggs was relatively quiet and nearly got shutout.

It was a great win for the Steelers and as coach Tomlin says kept us relevant.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Le’Veon Bell and Lawrence Timmons. I seriously couldn’t decide because both were so essential to the win. Also Considered: Shaun Suisham and Manny Sanders

Where I watched the game: Back at the house! It was great to be home, I was cooking for most of the first half and made sausage and peppers. Hung out with my buddy Matt, my friend Erin and KGB! We had a great day and a lots of fun. The Beer of choice was Guinness for the first half and then I polished off a few Iron City Lagers.

My Stat of the week: 1.5 sacks for Suggs and Dumervil after all the talking the Ravens fans did all week. It was a great performance by the offensive line.

My thoughts on Next Week: The Steelers will give the Raiders a good old fashion whupping!

I traveled about 3500 miles in search of our first win and came up empty, turns out it was in my own backyard. The Steelers broke their 0 for 2013 streak with a strong win against the New York Jets in a wildly pro Steeler crowd at Met Life Stadium. It was the traditional formula for victory. The Steelers defense played its best game of the season; stopping the run, sacking the quarterback and producing two key turnovers that wiped out Jets scoring drives. The offense held onto the ball and made big plays when needed.

A great defensive performance starts with the front seven. The linebackers propelled the defense; LaMarr Woodley and Jason Worilds had two of the three sacks on Geno Smith.  Lawrence Timmons came up with a pick in the red zone — intercepting a pass at the Steelers 3 and that errant throw was caused by Jarvis Jones. Vince Williams put a lick on the Jets running backs and the defensive line even without Brett Keitel collapsed the pocket and shrunk the running lanes for the Jets. Steelhead Heyward continues his breakout season and he justified his move into the starting lineup. The Secondary held Geno Smith in check and he didn’t complete a pass longer than 29 yards. Safety Ryan Clark had the first pick at the Steelers 1 in the third quarter to protect a 16-6 lead.

The offense still looks like a work in progress and the protection was only slightly better than the previous game. Roethlisberger was dropped 4 times and he was under pressure most of the afternoon. But he never turned the ball over and actually scrambled out of the pocket several times and made plays when he needed to. It was also his best game of the year even if the numbers don’t indicate that. The Steelers actually were able to finally run the ball racking up 61 yards in the second half icing the game. The receiving core continues to be a bright spot, Antonio Brown racked up 9 catches, Manny Sanders had the biggest play of the day with a 55 Yarder and even the Jet fans were cheering for Heathhhhhh as he hauled in 6 catches for 81 yards.

It feels good to be back in the win column and this week is Ravens week so buckle up!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: The Steelers Defense, (So I guess it is a game case) for finally playing to their ability and the offensive line they pushed around Sunday aren’t a bunch of slouches. Honorable Mention, Antonio Brown, seriously he could win this every week.

Where I watched the game: Met Life Stadium with my Beer We Go Nation. The place was LOADED with Steelers fans and we escaped a corporate party and tailgated with some Steelers fans, one benefit of my business life is having friends in high places who like the Jets, we had awesome seats and seriously it was like a home game. I actually brain farted and was wondering when Renegade was going to come on. Also rocked the LC Greenwood throwback Sunday. RIP LC! The beer we drank was Iron City that I had won on a bet from my friend Bob Dillon! We also had a few Miller Lites inside the Stadium.

My Stat of the week: Two Turnovers, for the first time this season the Steelers won the turnover battle and both were in the Red Zone. Great effort again by the defense.

My thoughts on Next Week: Ravens week. I am actually always in a bad mood all week and can’t wait for this one. PROTECT BEN and we will beat any team. The Ravens have won the last three games at Heinz Field, so look for the Steelers to snap the streak this week.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed inside linebacker Stevenson Sylvester and released Kion Wilson. I had high hopes that Sylvester would make a big impression in camp. He never got the opportunity. Vince Williams is the real deal and like Jarvis Jones just needs a chance to play and get his feet under him. Sylvester gives the Steelers experience and someone who plays with an edge.

This is a good move!

The Steelers continued their slide dropping another tough one to the previously 0-3 Vikings. The loss sends the Steelers into a further tailspin and virtually ends their season. For the first time since Bill Austin was coach the Steelers fell to 0-4. It was a great experience being at Wembley but the result was a huge disappointment.

Missed tackles was the theme of the day and the Steelers just didn’t execute on defense. Cortez Allen’s return the lineup was a tough one, he was downright awful and got beat for two touchdowns by Greg Jennings, including missing not one, but two tackles on a 70-yard catch-and-run score. The linebackers weren’t much better and they allowed their sixth rushing touchdown of the season, to put that into perspective they allowed five in all of 2010. Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley played mediocre games and Woodley had a costly mistake. Timmons was out of position on an eight yard touchdown and got stiff armed by Adrian Peterson on his 60 yard jaunt through the English country side. Every big play the Vikings had could be attributed to lousy tackling.

Big Ben continued his Jeckyl and Hyde season. He passed for another huge day putting up 383 yards and nearly pulling off a 17 point comeback. He continues to have costly turnovers and his 4th quarter fumbled sealed the Viking win. He was harassed all day long. The left side of the line couldn’t protect the blind side and Mike Adams at Left Tackle needs to be over and fast. While Marcus Gilbert and Dave DeCastro are starting to come around, Adams looks to be regressing. Jared Allen abused him for 2.5 sacks and Chad Greenway creamed him for a huge drive killing sack in the 3rd. Look for Kelvin Beachum or the newly acquired Levi Brown to take that spot.

The positives out of the game were Le’Veon Bell had a nice debut and he showed flashes of brilliance. The receivers are once again developing into one of the best units in the game, Jericho Cotchery, had a 100 yard game and made some tough catches, Antonio Brown was again excellent and had 12 catches the most by a Steelers receiver in 10 plus seasons, Manny Sanders and Heath both contributed.

Also in TERRIBLE NEWS, LC Greenwood passed, I got it in an email and don’t have any facts yet. Will post something when I get stateside about him.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Jericho Cotchery, He had over 100 yards of tough receiving. I also owed him after I F-Bombed him two weeks ago. He did a great job. Also Considered: Antonio Brown

Where I watched the game: WEMBLEY BABY!!! London, England I also had a great pregame party with Beer We Go Steelers own Ben Harkins and the Andy from Steeler Nation UK. KGB and I drank a bunch of Carlsberg Beer! It was great experience and Wembley is an awesome stadium. The British people couldn’t have been better, Steelers Nation was there, to combat the Terrible Towels the NFL gave out Vikings flags. Fans waved them for no apparent reason.

My Stat of the week: AWFUL STAT: 393 Yards put up by Minnesota’s putrid offense with second stringer Matt Cassel at the helm, there is no formula for success with that line.

My thoughts on Next Week: WE HAVE A MERCIFUL BYE WEEK.

Getting ready for Sunday, I saw a ton of our Black and Gold Brothers and it’s only Thursday! Will keep everyone posted. Thanks for the well wishes!

If you are here too, post on my Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/beerwego.steelers

In a turnover filled game the Steelers fell to 0-3, marking the worst start since 2000. Five turnovers, two of them returned for touchdowns, ended the Steelers night and sent them  to a  40-23 loss to the Chicago Bears. The Steelers put together a spirited second half rally but were held off.

The numbers don’t tell the story as Ben played one of his worst games as a Steeler. Roethlisberger topped 400 yards passing for the fourth time in his career. He  completed 26 of 41 for 406 yards, with two awesome touchdowns to Antonio Brown but he turned the ball over four times, three of which turned into 21 points. The offensive line situation has become bleak and Ben is showing the side effects. He was constantly harassed and had to pick himself up off the floor on nearly every pass play. It’s time to look at Kelvin Beachum at the Left Tackle spot.

The running game is horrendous and desperately needs Le’Veon Bell to step up next week. Felix Jones showed flashes in his first two weeks but a costly fumble crushed the Steelers momentum. Jonathon Dwyer did okay and had a nice 25 yard run but the Steelers are failing to move the ball consistently.

The Defense had a better performance than the numbers will indicate. They kept the Steelers in the game but eventually broke late in the night. The pass rush was solid. Cutler was forced to dump off all night, but he did a masterful job getting the ball out in under three seconds. Ike Taylor again played a great game hanging tough with Brandon Marshall. He was only beaten once for a big play and it was a perfect catch and a perfect throw. The often maligned Willie Gay had a terrific game! Vince Williams had a brain fart on a 55 yard run but looked very good the rest of the night. LaMarr Woodley had a huge game despite his paltry numbers and Jarvis Jones showed signs of greatness. He needs to play more under control but he looked very good.

In the end the Steelers have dug themselves a huge hole!

I have been on a whirlwind of travel and leave tonight for London!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Antonio Brown. This was an easy one! He had a huge night and looked like the impact player everyone was counting on, he was one of the lone bright spots and he made a nifty one handed catch for a touchdown. Also Considered: Ike Taylor who had a good night.

Where I watched the game: ALL over the place in Saratoga, I had to escape a business function and missed part of  the opening of the game. I stopped in the Seven Horse Pub for a quick one and to watch the rest of the first quarter (Had a 2 dollar Pabst), back to my hotel room and watched the end of the second half talking to KGB on the phone, went to the SCOPE suite to start the second half at the Saratoga Hilton and had a few Sam Adams Octoberfests with my work crew and finished back in my room with a Miller lite.

My Stat of the week: Going to stay positive here, 9 for 196 which was Antonio Browns catches and yardage, highlighted by a 45 yarder and a great 31 yard one handed catch. HUGE NIGHT!

My thoughts on Next Week: The Vikings are the “home team” but I have a feeling that London, will be LOADED with Steelers fans! This is the week the Steelers bounce back!

The punchless Steelers dropped their Monday Night Football game to the Bengals 20-10 last night. For those keeping score at home the Steelers are yet to win a game this year. Counting the preseason they are 0-6 and their offense looks lost and out of whack. They last opened with consecutive losses in ’02. It was only the second time in over ten years that the Bengals (1-1) have beaten the Steelers in Ohio.

The offense was just terrible for the second straight week. The game plan was to spread the field, and it didn’t really work. Big Ben completed just 16 of his first 30 passes for 187 yards and the offense produced just one touchdown, giving them two on the season. They also mustered a field goal after a great return from Antonio Brown.

The pass protection was better than the first game but again the O-line had no push and the running game never got off the ground. Every time the Steelers moved the ball at all they made a grave mistake. David Paulson had a killer fumble as the Steelers were driving and Marcus Gilbert was unfairly penalized for a tripping penalty which cost the Steelers a 33 yard pass play.

The defense was soft and while they didn’t play badly they had no sacks and once again no turnovers. They also were gashed up front for several key runs, one of which iced the game for the Bengals. Playing without Larry Foote, Kion Wilson and rookie Vince Williams alternated every two series on the inside. They had difficulty stopping the run. Wilson tripped in coverage on the Bengals first touchdown. Neither player was impressive, Sly Sylvester’s phone could soon be ringing. The pass rush was virtually non-existent.  The lone bright spots was the play of Cam Heywood and Ike Taylor. Both had very good games!

Before everyone jumps off the Clemente Bridge here, the last four times the Steelers started 0-2 they made the playoffs three of those times, 1989, 1993, and 2002. Only in 2000 did they not make the playoffs. They also finished 9-7 or better all four of those times.  Don’t pack it in just yet, there is plenty of football left and the Bengals didn’t look especially dominant last night. The Ravens had 49 dropped on them in week one and the Browns well they are the Browns. So we are still in this thing but need to get it turned around right quick!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Ike Taylor, he was a bright spot in a very gloomy night. He bottled up AJ Green and made some great plays. He has been an outstanding performer for much of his career. Also Considered: Cam Heyward, who looks like he is coming around.

Where I watched the game: Sea Cove in Center Moriches, the food was GREAT, had BBQ Chicken pizza and they ran a special on Leinenkugel, Summer Shandy. They have a team jersey giveaway during the third quarter for every prime time game. The only down side was I dropped the F Bomb pretty loud when Cotch dropped a pass and KGB had to give me a lecture on how to act in public when watching the game. Not wanting to sleep on the couch I toned my act down…until I got home and then proceed to fire the remote control across the room in the fourth quarter. My buddies also were in rare form which is why we retreated at the start of the 4th.

My Stat of the week: The Steelers have scored 19 Points in two weeks. That is AWFUL and it is hard to win many games with those numbers. Keep in mind that it isn’t really 19 points; the Steelers had that dumb luck safety. The offense has two touchdowns in two games and a field goal. At some point we need to look at what has gone horribly wrong here in the first two weeks and figure out a way to remediate it.

My thoughts on Next Week: The Bears look tough and they look like they are going to come out swinging. That being said I think this will be the bounce back week with a good second half performance.

Two of the best guys you ever want to talk to! Dermonti Dawson, HOF Center, and John Jackson, All-Conference Left Tackle.

Also got to meet Lynn Swann, HOF Wide Receiver, was a cool guy and posed for a few pictures…

…and a couple of the “BAD GUYS”! Hall of Fame LT, Anthony Munoz and Hall of Fame LT, Jonathon Ogden, both guys were awesome people despite their team affiliation!