Beer We Go Steelers

Despite being left for dead by the national media and being completely and utterly cheated by the refs the Steelers dominated the Raiders! After an opening drive that saw them go seven plays for 45 yards, the Raiders managed little the rest of the game netting only 182 total yards. It was a thoroughly dominant performance all around for the Steelers.

The Steelers defense again completely just annihilated the Raiders. Darren McFadden who was averaging over 100 yards a game had a whopping 14 yards on 10 carries. The front seven played there most complete game since the Titans this week. Running all kinds of Blitzes and Stunts they just closed down every running lane! 

James Harrison is probably one of the m exciting players to watch. Despite being held on nearly every play and absolutely getting jobbed by the refs he played an amazing game chiming in with two very big sacks and two forced fumbles. James Farrior has turned back the clock and played his best game of the season as well. He is clearly the team leader and he plays like it every week. His sack of Jason Campbell set the tone and basically swung the momentum back to the Steelers. 

The secondary had a very good game. The only lowlight was Ryan “Crash” Clark who actually knocked himself out on one play. It was impressive that he received a helmet to helmet hit penalty as he never hit the receiver’s helmet or was close to it. THIS WAS COMPLETE NONSENSE and summed up the refs entire rotten, embarrassing performance. Troy had a big interception.  

Jason Campbell was confused and battered to the point that local Pittsburgh hero Bruce Gradkowski had to come in for relief. He faired almost as poorly as his first possession wound up in a turnover.  

What made this game special though was how the offense played a complete game. Ben finally had a breakout game despite being punched in the mouth by Richard Seymour. Not going to lie I actually got a kick out of that and liked how Kemo smacked Seymour.  The Offensive line continues to get hurt every week but after an abysmal performance last week, Jonathon Scott played a tough game including erasing the defensive lineman on Ben’s 16 yard scramble.  

Rashard Mendenhall played struggled but banged out yards as they were needed. The rest of the team ran pretty much at will with Ben having a big day scrambling and Isaac Redman doing a solid job on pushing the pile. 

The receivers are again the differential this week on offense. I simply don’t buy that this team misses Santonio. While I love the guy and he is lighting it up in NY. These guys are getting better and better every week. With eight guys chiming in for a catch and Mike Wallace again just putting on a superman like performance I think next to the linebackers this is the team’s greatest strength. It is great to see Antonio Brown and Manny Sanders becoming part of the passing game as both are burners! 

It is hard to say that this game was a must win but after the thrashing the week before, it was a great bounce back game! Not to mention that the Raiders ruined one of my trips to Heinz field last year!  

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO! 

My “GAME BEER” goes to: I actually got permission from Captain Tailgate and I am providing two game beers. One to James Harrison, SILVERBACK!!!! The guy is simply devastating and embodies the thunder of the Steelers defense. My second game beer goes to James Farrior. He is a true leader and just gets it done. LOVE “THE JAMES GANG”! 

Where I watched the game: This is actually going to be a spinoff story. I watched it at Nathaniel’s in Rochester with some of my closest friends in business and the local guys who were BWG all the way! They made me feel welcome and really we had an awesome time! We had an entire section dedicated to the Steelers and the bar was raucous. 

My thoughts on Next Week: Next week is Buffalo which should be a beat down. I have to give the Bills credit after being banished from the big screen at Nathaniel, they made a nice comeback at the hands of the talk big, play small Bengals. 

I expect the Steelers to give Harvard QB Ryan Fitzpatrick a true education!

Skippy in Happier Days

So it is official; Skippy is out! I think this is the best thing for both sides as he clearly is in a funk and not likely to get out of it here. When he wasn’t showing off his “little kicker” in bars and busting up bathrooms at gas stations he did a fine job kicking for the Steelers. Don’t forget they basically signed this guy off the street and he delivered in two Super Bowls and countless regular season games!

Beer We Go Steelers salutes you Jeff Reed! Thanks for the memories!

 Tom Brady simply owned the Steelers on Sunday night. The opening drive set the tone and the Patriots never looked back as they soundly beat the Steelers. The Black and Gold simply had no answers for the Patriots on any level. Bill Belichick’s record is 22-2 when following a loss and you can see they had the perfect game plan. The Steelers strength is stopping the run so they simply just passed and passed and passed and then passed some more. 

It was an all around beat down that the Steelers really had no answers for. The Patriots O-line stoned the Steelers pass rush as they barely got one lick on Brady throughout the game. No pass rush and a confused secondary equals the worst beat down at Heinz field that I can remember. I spoke with Captain Tailgate all game and he stayed until the bitter end. It was just an AWFUL night for the Steelers. 

The Steelers were actually able to move the ball pretty well when the left side of the line wasn’t being caved in by the Patriots pass rush. Jonathon Scott had a very rough night and didn’t hold his own replacing Max Starks. He wasn’t even close as he made Tully Banta-Cain looked like the second coming of Greg Lloyd. 

The Steelers simply didn’t make any plays. Losing Hines Ward was huge and that snapped his catch streak adding insult to injury. There were two huge drops in the End Zone that kept the Steelers from being competitive. Every time the Steelers managed to get close the Patriots would just score and pull away again. Jeff Reed is officially a question mark now as he missed yet another Field Goal! 

You have to give credit where it is due and Tom Brady was a surgeon cutting the Steelers secondary to ribbons. Rob Gronkowski (Pitt Native) who has been a disappointment all year absolutely killed the Steelers. Bill Belichick proved why he is considered the best coach of this era.  

So while I agree that right now the Steelers are falling back to the pack, the Captain and I are not ready to pack in our Terrible Towels. First off it is hard to say that this is a “formula” on how to beat the Steelers. No other team has Tom Brady, so it is hard to see Jason Campbell or Ryan Fitzpatrick doing this. I also would like to think that the Steelers will make adjustments too.  I am not counting out Coach LeBeau or our Super Bowl winning Head Coach Mike Tomlin!

There is some reason for optimism and I did take a glimmer of hope out of the game. Ben who played the first half in cement shoes looks a hundred times better in the second half. Believe me, I realize the numbers are garbage in garbage time but, he actually made adjustments from the blitz as opposed to doing something dumb or just getting clobbered. Emmanuel Sanders and Mike Wallace played well and if they both continue to develop they will be a force to be reckoned with. I though Mendenhall played well and I wish he had an opportunity to actually run. The Steelers were behind by so much so early we didn’t get to see what he can do.

In my other life I am a die hard Yankees Fan so my disaste for New England is double fold. This just really, really ruined my weekend! 

It was a terrible week and now we welcome the rejuvenated Oakland Raiders! I was at the game last year and that truly marked the end of the season for the Steelers. By far this was the worse game I had ever been to at Heinz field as the Steelers blew three fourth quarter leads! I had awesome seats and sat in the end zone in the front row and nearly tackled the Louis Murphy the game winning receiver. The Raiders Center wanted to punch me out because I called him a dirty hippie, apparently that is frowned upon in The Black Hole. I was supposed to go this game but I am traveling this week, so it will be Nathaniel’s in Rochester for me! If you come in an mention the site I will buy you a beer! 

All kidding aside the next two weeks are MUST WINS! BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO! 

My “GAME BEER” goes to: I seriously contemplated not giving a game beer out this week! At the end of the day though I am giving it to Mike Wallace! Wallace had a monster game despite a very costly drop. Again, everyone makes mistakes the great ones learn from them and move on!  

Where I watched the game: At my house while texting frantically with Captain Tailgate! I just got a projector and 82 inch movie screen which was great until I through my drink at it! Thanks allot Tom Brady!  

My thoughts on Next Week: This is a must win to exercise the demons of last year. I wrote last week that it isn’t last year anymore. It isn’t and I expect the Steelers to beat the Raiders pretty handily. I wouldn’t want to be Oakland this week after what Coach Tomlin is going to do to these boys this week.

What has gone right?

Quite a bit actually! The Steelers survived a tough stint without their starting QB and finished 3 and 1 in that Span. Trust me if the Colts lost Peyton Manning for four games they wouldn’t be 3 and 1.

Despite a rash of injuries the team was played exceptionally well and tough. The Defense can also be coined as going right! The Linebackers are the best in football and I will have that argument with anyone who cares to take me on.

Some players have just absolutely developed, the best being Mike Wallace who is a “Home Run” threat playmaker and of course Lawrence Timmons. It is funny how I don’t hear we should have drafted “Poz” anymore. He is just a force of nature in the middle. Antonio Brown has slowed down but again showed flashes and Emmanuel Sanders has been an excellent big play special teams addition.

Some of the veterans have been nice additions. First and foremost Charlie Batch!!! He is not really an addition to this team but lets face it he was close to getting cut. A classy guy who never complained when he was getting shafted and he kept the season on track! Randle El has had less than stellar results in punt returns, but has played solid as a receiver and I hope Monday Night was a preview of what else he can do! Larry Foote brings a complete air of confidence as he plays well and again does what is asked.   

Lastly, coaching has been great. Mike Tomlin is a consummate coach who is exactly what you are looking for in a head coach. He is cool, calm, collected and pushes the right buttons. Dick LeBeau has of course been just outstanding! The addition of Sean Kugler has answered some very difficult challenges as his whole line has been injured. Losing Max Starks will put him to the test! Al Everest has my vote for mayor of Pittsburgh! It is amazing to watch a Steelers game without closing my eyes during special teams!  

What has gone wrong?

A RASH of injuries is troubling as the Steelers lost at one point or another, EVERY offensive linemen and two of their three defensive linemen. Aaron Smith’s injury was a double whammy because he is out and could be for the season and it cost the Steelers Thaddeus Gibson who looked like a solid prospect to find out. Don’t get me wrong I liked keeping the spot open for Aaron! The Steelers also lost Dennis Dixon who unfortunately never became the Willie Beymon we were hoping for. I was seriously hoping for a QB controversy. It was not to be, as Leftwitch was a DUD and Charlie did a fine job but just isn’t a starter in the NFL.

Reasons for Concern: Jeff Reed when he isn’t getting drunk and having his picture taken without clothes on or busting up paper towel racks and hassling shop keeps is one of the best clutch kickers in football. That has not happened this season. He simply has had a very mediocre first half. His misses have cost the Steelers dearly and some games were closer than they should have been. We are not going to win without Reed so keep your fingers crossed!

Losing Max Starks is a terrible blow to an already questionable line. For those keeping score at home every O-Line has been hurt at one point or another and both our Starting Tackles are now on IR. Nothing concerns me more than this unit!

The secondary is “leaky” but I have faith in Dick LeBeau and his cast of characters so I am not overly concerned. The stat that they are in the bottom of the league on Pass Defense is deceiving.

Offensive Game Beer: I am going with Rashard Mendenhall. He has had a very strong first half and he has carried an inordinate amount of weight for the first eight games!

Defensive Game Beer: I am going with Silverback; James Harrison! He is an unstoppable force albeit probably a broke one because of the ridiculous fines he has received. Without question my second choice is Lawrence Timmons. Has played an outstanding brand of BWG football and has made everyone around him better!

Disappointment of the first half: Is going to Aaron Smith! Not because of how he played, because how badly we are missing him. You can’t replace an Aaron Smith! I am pulling for the Zig but Aaron is one in a million. Dennis Dixon is easily the biggest disappointment from a pure letdown standpoint.

Most Improved: William Gay; has been a terrific nickelback after being a disappointment last year. 

GRADES:

QB: B, not great but never terrible despite playing four games without Ben

RB: A- when they have had room to run all the Backs have been great

WR: A+ Not sure how you can do better than this group. They have everything you could want and we are all thinking Santonio who?

TE: B would have been a B+ but that Miller fumble killed us! 

OL: C+ at times they look dominant at other times not so much!

DL: B+ Have played mostly a solid season and have been missing their two anchors

LB: A+ they are 6 deep with talent and savvy. I love this group!

DBs: B- The numbers are deceiving but they clamp down when they need to.

What does part two look like: Without any more serious injuries, this team should finish no worse than 11-5 and I am predicting 12-4. I would really like to whup the Ravens and the Jets as both teams really look to be contenders.

BEER WE GO STEELERS! BEER WE GO!

BEER WE GO STEELERS! BEER WE GO! 

The ominous repetition of stats tends to bring out bad mojo. After hearing over and over and over that the Steelers have never blown a 20 point lead it was hard to not get a sinking feeling! After a thoroughly dominating performance for three quarters shades of last year weighed heavy on the mind of BWG nation. Of course this is a new year and the defense was up for the challenge.

The Steelers held on to beat the Bengals on a great play by James Harrison and Ike Taylor! This should end the Bengals season after five in a row on the L side. I would also look to see the TO-OchoCinco implosion on the horizon!

The victory put the Steelers back into a tie for first place with the Ravens!

For the Steelers it was a great three quarters, as they “kicked the Bengals in the teeth” soon as the game started. Emanuel Sanders actually was on the right side of an early fumble to start the game and the Steelers drove it right in. Great drive all around highlighted by a major punch in by Rashard Mendenhall. William Gay made another amazing special teams play by blocking a punt. Anyone who has been a member of BWG Nation realizes the irony when the Special Teams actually helps the Steelers win games!

For the second week in a row, a dependable veteran fumbled causing a major score. Hines Ward was the culprit this week and it led to a Cincinnati score. Hines of course is as solid as they come so the play was another aberration. 

The Steelers lost several key players during the game which caused havoc with the Offensive line. It looks as if Max Starks is done for the year. This is a major loss for the Steelers. 

Ben continues to look rusty but did make some nice plays. It was also great to see Randle El and Mike Wallace hook up for a score at the beginning of the fourth quarter! The irony of course is that while the score was exciting I don’t think anyone thought it was going to be the game winner.

The Steelers did their best to make it interesting in the Fourth Quarter; Ben had a major turnover which led to a score. The defense had three straight monster penalties that led to a Benson one yard TD.  Jeff Reed missed a 40 or so yard field goal which would have put the Bengals away. After nailing a 53 yarder to end the half, Reed missed the field goal to ice the game. Reed is a cause for concern this year. He has missed several important kicks. That missed kick led to a harrowing drive to end the game.

Cincy started their final drive on the 36 and got all the way down to the Steelers 17 in the red zone.  They would get no closer than the twelve as Palmer’s last pass fell to the ground!

Steelers proved it isn’t last year anymore! When I say Who Dey you say We Dey!!!!

Happy to be 6-2 and bring on the Masshole Patriots!

Tomorrow will be the mid-season report!

BEER WE GO STEELERS! BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: I am going with James Farrior! He is what BWG is all about! He had a great game with 11 Tackles and an awesome up the middle sack! Rashard Mendenhall, who racked up 99 very tough yards was considered and an Honorable mention to Mike Wallace for his 110 Yard performance.

Where I watched the game: A bar called O’Reillys in Oakdale Long Island. Food was solid bar fare but dissapointed in the crowd! It was not a “huge Steelers bar” as advertised. My crew was fun and there was a drunken Bengals fan(Thought they were extinct) who we went back and forth with all game. 

My thoughts on Next Week: It is back to the ‘Burgh against the Patriots. The Patriots are starting to struggle and I hope the Steelers can keep them on that path. I have to say that I never count Bill “The Villian” and the rest of the Brady Bunch out of any game or Season. They will be poised after getting humiliated by the Browns.(NOT A TYPO) Odd to have to cut and paste that sentence!

Yesterday I was in church and I saw my old friend Walter. Walter is a huge reason why I am a Steelers fan as he and his family bought me my first Steeler hat. They used to be my neighbors. The Janick has a replica of it and I am going to try and “liberate” it when I go the ‘Burgh next month.

Walter and I always try and catch up about the Steelers as our friendship has been for over 30 years! My first comment about tonight’s game was, “I never saw a team that was in a bigger need of an ass whippin’ then these guys.” He smiled as I am sure he agreed and appreciated me cussing in the church!

I watched two minutes of Ochostinko and TO be “television show” and I nearly kicked in my TV set. Seriously, this is what the NFL is about? Somehow these guys who are both ridiculously overrated acting like morons constitute a television show. Lump in on that, that there fans who used to dress as empty green seats, somehow have the nerve to criticize Ben, when half of theirs are arch criminals is mind boggling. I hate the Ravens and they talk so much smack but you have to say at the end of the day at least they are tough. These guys are a bunch of powder puffs and the Steelers better prove that tonight. 

I want to see the Steelers come out of the gate quick and make these guys QUIT! I also want to see the defense put a pounding on Benson and Palmer. Last year the Steelers gave away both games and it is easy to point out that it cost them a shot in the playoffs. A shot that Cincinnati clearly disgraced when they were humiliated by the Jets! 

This is the Steelers time now and a win here will put these guys in a tailspin that they won’t recover from! 

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

First and foremost I apologize for the delay in posting. I am traveling this week for my day job and have been unable to post.

The game itself was obviously disappointing and because of the delay in this post I am going to refrain from a game summary and try and hit on some things. First and foremost after last season it is extremely easy to panic.  

I am here to write DON’T Panic. Losing to the Super Bowl champs whose season was hanging by a thread in their own building is nothing to be ashamed of. The Steelers missed SEVERAL key opportunities and really never put their best foot forward. At the end of the day the Saints made the plays and the Steelers didn’t. Heath Miller fumbling was a shock and an aberration. 

It is obvious that the Offense is far from in synch. Ben looked downright confused and off kilter, I feel dialing up the Bengals this week is just what the Dr. ordered! This is a statement game for Ben. He needs to shake off the rust and smack up the Bengals. Last season the Steelers gave away the win in Cincy while playing downright putrid in Pittsburgh. (I know I was there.) The Bengals are a team in serious need of a win and in a greater need of a beating. The Steelers need to beat teams like the Bengals and this week will prove where they are at in the season. A win here also basically eliminates the Bengals from playing anymore meaningful games this season! This couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of smack talking loudmouths!! 🙂   

It was another week another freakin’ fine for James Harrison. This week it was 20K! For those keeping score at home that is 95K in fines in three weeks! Seriously, I had no issue with the flag being called as it was a “late hit”. Certainly, it was NOT dirty and Harrison clearly let up, otherwise Brees would have been looking through his ear hole!  Brees didn’t even hit the turf for goodness sake. HOW DOES THAT WARRANT 20K? This is such nonsense I was livid when I heard it! Again, BWG supports James Harrison 100%!  

I am confident that Aaron Smith will be back now. I was skeptical at first and of course we are pulling for him as he is true BWG! We took an awful risk here and I am sure Aaron will do it for us. I also like Ziggy Hood and he played well his first week! He did us all proud!

I look for the defense to have a “bounce back” game against the Bengals. I look for Ben to light up the Bengals defense. 

This is the week the Steelers have been waiting for! Next week also marks the halfway point in the season. We will do a full half season review!  

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

I am not in despression about the loss, the delay is in the fact that my business has taken me away for the week. I will be posting ASAP. I am sorry for the delay!

BEER WE GO STEELERS!

The Steelers pulled out a wild one this week beating the Miami Dolphins. The end of the game will be marked in controversy as the referees seemed to botch the touchdown-then fumble-then not a touchdown-but a fumble-that no one knows who recovered. It was pretty poor officiating as to not know who came away with the fumble. I also correctly predicted that the refs were going to botch this call, which they did.

The play was clearly a fumble. But, because the refs ruled it a touchdown know one seemed to bother to find out where the ball ended up and who took possession, which was a HUGE mistake. After the play was overturned no one knew who had the ball or who should get it. The “correct” call was made as there was no conclusive proof that either team had the ball! Now of course we are going to here the whining of the fans but in truth there was no conclusive proof. So the Steelers kicked a field goal and took the lead. The Defense CLAMPED down and the game was history. Jason Worilds did a great job doing his LaMarr impersonation and Silverback picked up the “interception”.

This was by far the toughest fought game of the year and the Steelers paid dearly for the win. Losing Aaron Smith is going to be rough. He is the best 3-4 defensive end in the league and his loss is almost always a major issue. He is considered the heart and soul of the defense and it is hard not seeing his career coming to an end because of this. All I can tell you is this is the time for Ziggy Hood to step in. It is next man up in the NFL and Smith has MONSTER shoes to fill!

The Steelers also lost LaMarr Woodley for most of the game and then Flozell Adams went out as well. I don’t think LaMarr is that serious but as anyone who ever invested in a Kendrell Bell jersey knows, hamstrings are tricky. I am interested to see how the injuries shake out.

I have to admit that I didn’t think Miami’s defense was as stout as it was. The Dolphins pummeled the O-line and Rashard had a tough but spirited game. Mewelde Moore played a terrific role and did a fine job. This was a day that it was good to have Ben back, as he torched the Dolphins secondary for over 300 yards. 

Ben’s performance was better but still uneven. He is indeed a gunslinger and you have to live by the sword or die by it. He turned the ball over three times and one nearly cost the team the game. Plus he took a sack at the end of the half that cost the Steelers a field goal chance.  Still he did rack up 300 plus yards and the offense hits on different cylinders when he is in there.

Hines Ward is easily becoming the greatest receiver in Steelers history. The commentator mentioned he is the epitome of a Pittsburgh Steeler and I couldn’t agree more! He just is a solid no nonsense player. His receiving is terrific and he had a huge day. But what I will remember most is how he picked up the blitz! The guy just gets it and he has since he got here. Mike Wallace continues to prove that no coverage can hold him. I thought the second half they should have had Ben bomb them all day long with Wallace and Ward! We need to come up with a cool nickname for them as well

Lastly, it is refreshing as a Steeler fan not to have special teams completely ruin the season! Of course Emmanuel Sanders spotted them three points but then more than made up for it with an excellent performance. Everyone makes mistakes, the great ones correct them! I was impressed with Sanders and how he handled everything!

Overall it was a great win and hard fought on all sides of the ball!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Aaron Smith, the numbers like usual don’t tell the story for a true Steeler! I pray that his career is not over! He is an awesome player and will be missed this season. Also considered Hines Ward, who continues to thrive, Mike Wallace who served up more toast this week and Emmanuel Sanders who got off to a terrible start and redeemed himself

Where I watched the game: In a great chair at my KGBs eating a sausage and pepper hero sandwich. I also ate a half pound of chicken cutlets. What can I say the game was tense!

My thoughts on Next Week: Down to the “Big Easy” to play the other black and gold. This is a very dangerous game as the Saints are going to be hungry after getting humiliated by the Browns.(NOT A TYPO) Plus the Steelers are hurting right now. I still think the Steelers will pull this out. Much like the Steelers last year the Saints are finding out it is much different being the hunted then the hunter.

First and foremost I agree that protecting the NFL’s greatest assets, the players, should be paramount to every team. Beer We Go Steelers know all too well what concussions can do! We lost one of the greatest players in Steeler history Mike Webster to a condition likely caused by his numerous concussions. We lost several other solid players as well and they were all way to young! 

Protecting the players is the most important thing the NFL can do. But, fining James Harrison $75,000.00 dollars for a hit that didn’t even draw a flag is completely and utterly ridiculous! I made a joke about how Harrison was going to be getting the call after he laid out two Browns Sunday. What I can’t believe is the severity of that fine.

This guy plays football the way it should be played. He plays hard, tough, with ferocity and keeps his mouth shut. He lets his play do the talking and he doesn’t tweet, showboat or do some special dance after he makes a tackle. He is a warrior! He also has a big heart as he expressed some serious concern and didn’t jump on Cribb’s fumble. 

While I don’t believe he is contemplating retirement for real. It is easy to see why he would be so upset. I know I speak for the Captain and the rest of BWG nation, we are 100% supporting James Harrison and hope he brings the same fire and intensity this week as he has brought every Sunday since he started!

The NFL needs more players like James Harrison!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!