Archive for the ‘BWG Reporting’ Category

Steelers lose to Patriots

September 20th, 2022

The Steelers dropped another to the New England Patriots in a poor performance on both sides of the ball. The game had a malaise and the Patriots picked up all the big plays when the Steelers couldn’t. 

The chants for Kenny Pickett have already started and Mitch Trubisky had his first bad day as a Steeler. He went 21-33 for 168 yards with a touchdown and a brutal interception. Despite having a great cast of playmakers Matt Canada has kept the offense shackled.

The defense couldn’t pressure Mac Jones and the front struggled to stop the rush. The Patriots took the air out of the ball and were able to run out the final 6:33 of the game.

After a great week, the special teams fell back into old issues. Gunner Olszewski muffed a punt and it setup a Patriots touchdown drive. The kickoff coverage team had a terrible day and surrendered over 85 yards.

Beer We Go Steelers, Beer We Go!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!   

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Not a lot of bright spots, but Myles Jack had double digit tackles for the second week in a row and he has the Steelers attitude you want to see. Also Considered: “Little Bos” Chris Boswell who hammered both his kicks including a 52 yarder.

Beer of the Game: Miller Light for me at the West Side Sports Bar and Grill in Saratoga and I had to watch the game on the app, KGB did Bud Light lime, and Dante did A&W Root Beer.

“Steel the Snacks”: So being out of town for business made this a tough day for me, KGB kicked off the Steel the snacks tradition with New England Clam Chowder and New England Lobster rolls. Everything looked spectacular.

My Stat of the week:  Pretty simple, ZERO sacks without T.J. Watt. All the pressure the Steelers showed off week one, looks gone right now without Watt. It is a stark contrast.

My Thoughts on next week: It is two days from now, so not next week. The Browns are coming off a horrible and embarrassing loss to the Jets. They will be amped up pretty good and looking for revenge. This to me is the litmus test for the Steelers because this will tell us what the Steelers will be this year. I can discount the loss against the Patriots because Belichick seems to have Tomlin’s number. The other huge factor is the Steelers need to find a running game.

This week’s Jersey: This is tricky, I had a jersey ready to go, but because of several factors never got to wear it, going to save it for Thursday night football. I did wear the Beer We Go 2014.

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Steelers outlast the AFC Champion Bengals!

September 12th, 2022

Yesterday’s game was reminiscent to a great page turning novel, with well flushed out characters, tremendous storyline, each team’s Achilles heel being exposed, the loss of iconic people along the journey, and an epic unexpected finish. The Steelers went into the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals home, pummeled them, and then out lasted them to hold onto victory on Kickoff weekend for the 2022-2023 NFL Season.

The victory comes at a heavy cost as the Steelers lost both Najee Harris and T.J. Watt during the game. Both players absence was felt during key moments of the waning seconds, but depth carried them through.

The mainstream press has been trying to create the narrative that the Steelers are no longer the bullies in the division. That didn’t ring true yesterday as the Steelers defense dominated the Bengals up front and hammered them all over the field. Joe Mixon coming off torching the Steelers last year, found very little room to run averaging 3-yards a carry and he was forced from the game. Joe Burrow passed for 338 yards but needed 53 attempts and an extra quarter, while he did look spectacular at times, he was clearly uncomfortable all day, turning the ball over a whopping five times, with four interceptions, and two fumbles. The Bengals recovered one but were taken out of game winning field goal range.

It always starts up front for the Steelers and their defensive line set the tone with a strong and at times dominating performance. They had consistent and strong push up front. Cam Heyward had four tackles and recovered one of the Burrow fumbles. He was in Burrow’s face all day. Larry Ogunjobi was a major factor against his former team. It was great to see Tyson Alualu back as he provided much need push and clogged the running lanes. The Linebackers had a monster day, T.J. Watt was his usual game changing self. Alex Highsmith had his best performance as a Steeler with nine tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble. Myles Jack did a great job as a run stuffer in the middle.

The secondary performed well led by Cam Sutton, Ahkello Witherspoon. Both managed interceptions as did Minkah Fitzpatrick who grabbed a pick six that got the Steelers on the board early. While his stats were not huge, Terrell Edmunds had a workman like game with six tackles and played almost every snap. The secondary chipped in with 14 tackles total and never allowed the Bengals to get off.

The Special Teams also was a big contributor to the victory. Chris Boswell hit the game winning field goal after nearly pulling it out with a 55-yard game winner earlier in the game. Bos was 3-4 on Field Goal tries and blasted a 53 to win the game. Pressley Harvin III had a good day punting and helped the Steelers with field position. The coverage teams were solid and new return man Gunner Olszewski chipped in with a 20-yard return, setting a short field for a scoring drive. Minkah Fitzpatrick made a game saving play when he blocked the extra point try. The Bengals backup long snapper Mitchell Wilcox was terrorized by the Steelers special teams.

The offense had an uneven performance at best. The problems from last season continued to plague the Black and Gold.

On the positive side, Mitch Trubisky had a good performance and did what he was called upon to do, he managed the game, and his mobility helped the Steelers stay active. He hit two clutch passes to Pat Freiermuth on the game winning drive and never turned the ball over. His longest pass was a catch and run to the big man Zach Gentry. Diontae Johnson led the team in catches but was relatively quiet most of the day. Rookie starter George Pickens didn’t have much of an impact.

The running game continues to be non-existent. There were no running lanes and the best the team could manage was a 15-yard end around by Chase Claypool. The line had no push and Najee Harris was injured during the game. Jaylen Warren looks like he will be fun to watch this season and he hit some great blocks, but his stat line was miniscule. The offensive line protected Trubisky with the only sack coming on a busted play, but they didn’t make any headway moving the ball on the ground.

The defensive coaching staff deserves credit for having the answers for Joe Burrow. He looked ordinary and confused for most of the game. Teryl Austin and Brian Flores executed a great game plan and Cincinnati took nearly three quarters to figure out anything of circumstance. The Steelers offense is still a work in progress, the management of the clock particularly at the end of the day was awful and they need to figure out a way to run the football without all the trickery. One thing though, the Steelers staff clearly out coached the Bengals staff, who made several questionable calls.

A victory is a victory and the Steelers get to be 1-0 without much of a performance from the offense and beat the AFC Champions.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!   

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Minkah Fitzpatrick, whose interception return for a touchdown set a defensive tone all day, he also had the game saving extra point block. Also Considered: Alex Highsmith, the “other’ Steelers Outside Linebacker was a force and hammered the Bengals all day!

Beer of the Game: IC Light for me, had to go classic, KGB did Bud Light lime, and Dante did A&W Root Beer.

“Steel the Snacks”: Later in the season we will do Coney’s and Skyline Chili for Cincinnati, we went with Primanti Brothers Sandwiches made by KGB. It was Corned Beef and Provolone.

My Stat of the week:  Seven sacks and four interceptions, Teryl Austin put together a vintage virtuoso Steelers game plan. The Steelers dominated up front and the Bengals, who ran all over Pittsburgh last time were completely stifled.

My Thoughts on next week: I always worry about the Patriots and next week will be no different, a wounded and down Patriots team is a scary team and the Steelers most likely will be without T.J. Watt and possibly Najee Harris. This is the most beatable Patriots team in the last ten years, the Steelers need to make a statement.

This week’s Jersey: Cameron Heyward, 97, Away Jersey, starting the year off with a new tradition and couldn’t think of a better person to start with.

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Your 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers….so far

August 31st, 2022

Your 2022 Pittsburgh Steelers so far….a new beginning. This will have changes over the next few weeks.

*Editors Note: Marcus Allen will be returning to replace the injured Kazee.

John LeGlue, Cody White, Hamilcar Rashed and Anthony McFarland will all be resigned to the practice squad.

Here is the BWG analysis of the 2022 roster so far.

 

Name Number POS AGE Height Weight EXP Comment
Kenny Pickett 8 QB 24 6′ 3″ 220 lbs R Impressive Pre-season will likely start as 3rd
Mason Rudolph 2 QB 27 6′ 5″ 235 lbs 5 The Steelers kept him to be a solid backup
Mitch Trubisky 10 QB 28 6′ 2″ 220 lbs 6 The best cast he has had a chance to play with, make or break year of his career
Najee Harris 22 RB 24 6′ 1″ 232 lbs 2 Will carry the workload for the offense this year
Jeremy McNichols 33 RB 26 5′ 9″ 214 lbs 3 Will start on IR, provides depth
Benny Snell Jr. 24 RB 24 5′ 10″ 224 lbs 4 Special Teams kept him on the team
Jaylen Warren 30 RB 23 5′ 8″ 215 lbs R Wrecking Ball type running back
Derek Watt 44 FB 29 6′ 2″ 234 lbs 7 Special Teams Ace and the starting fullback
Calvin Austin III 19 WR 23 5′ 9″ 162 lbs R Exciting and versatile prospect battling injuries
Miles Boykin 13 WR 25 6′ 4″ 220 lbs 4 Veteran presence will be welcomed
Chase Claypool 11 WR 24 6′ 4″ 238 lbs 3 Needs to be more consistent, has EVERY tool needed to be a star
Diontae Johnson 18 WR 26 5′ 10″ 183 lbs 4 Big time playmaker who needs to tighten up his play
Anthony Miller 17 WR 27 5′ 11″ 199 lbs 4 He will have a chance to finally have his breakout season
Gunner Olszewski 89 WR 25 6′ 0″ 190 lbs 4 Will be the punt returner and get a long look in the slot
George Pickens 14 WR 21 6′ 3″ 200 lbs R Looks like the next breakout star in this crew
Steven Sims 82 WR 25 5′ 10″ 176 lbs 3 Great speed needs to be harnessed into success
Pat Freiermuth 88 TE 23 6′ 5″ 258 lbs 2 Needs to continue to build off a great rookie season
Zach Gentry 81 TE 25 6′ 8″ 265 lbs 4 Has all the tools to be a great number two tight end, will get a long look
Connor Heyward 83 TE 23 6′ 0″ 230 lbs R Great family lineage, will be more of an H-Back
Mason Cole 61 C 26 6′ 5″ 298 lbs 5 Should be an improvement over last season at the position
Kendrick Green 53 C 23 6′ 4″ 315 lbs 2 Was over matched at Center and will get a look at Guard
J.C. Hassenauer 60 C 27 6′ 2″ 295 lbs 3 Capable if unspectacular backup player
James Daniels 78 G 24 6′ 4″ 327 lbs 5 Veteran brought in to help sure up the sagging line
Jesse Davis 73 G 30 6′ 6″ 318 lbs 6 Most likely will start before the end of September
Kevin Dotson 69 G 25 6′ 4″ 321 lbs 3 Been disapointing career so far
Dan Moore Jr. 65 OT 23 6′ 5″ 315 lbs 2 Will start at Tackle and did an admirable job in 2021
Chukwuma Okorafor 76 OT 25 6′ 6″ 320 lbs 5 Starting right tackle, needs to stay healthy and continue to develop
Name Number POS AGE Height Weight EXP Comment
Tyson Alualu 94 DE 35 6′ 3″ 304 lbs 13 After breakout season, was lost to injury, will sure up the run defense
DeMarvin Leal 98 DE 22 6′ 4″ 290 lbs R Versatile, athletic prospect who will see plenty of field time
Isaiahh Loudermilk 92 DE 24 6′ 7″ 293 lbs 2 Heavy handed year two guy who needs better anchorability
Montravius Adams 57 DT 27 6′ 4″ 304 lbs 6 He played great when called upon and will be cast correctly this year
Cameron Heyward 97 DT 33 6′ 5″ 295 lbs 12 Great leader and the foundation of the Steelers defense
Larry Ogunjobi 65 DT 28 6′ 3″ 305 lbs 6 Will anchor the Steelers defensive line in the middle
Chris Wormley 95 DT 28 6′ 5″ 300 lbs 6 Provides depth and will be part of the rotation
Devin Bush 55 LB 24 5′ 11″ 234 lbs 4 Make or break year, never seemed to recover from injury
Alex Highsmith 56 LB 25 6′ 4″ 242 lbs 3 Bookened looking to have his breakout year
Myles Jack 51 LB 26 6′ 1″ 255 lbs 7 Downhill Hitter, who will fair well in the North and will be a folk hero in the Burgh
Malik Reed TBD LB 26 6′ 2″ 235 lbs 4 Exciting pickup and will provide outside depth
Mark Robinson 93 LB 23 5′ 11″ 235 lbs R Vince Willians 2.0… heavy hitter who needs to develop
Robert Spillane 41 LB 26 6′ 1″ 229 lbs 4 Has made the most of his opportunities and will press to play
Derrek Tuszka 48 LB 25 6′ 5″ 246 lbs 3 Outside depth guy, has some ability
T.J. Watt 90 LB 27 6′ 4″ 252 lbs 6 Reigning defensive player of the year with a better supporting cast
Arthur Maulet 35 CB 29 5′ 10″ 190 lbs 6 Versatile defensive back who is below average v the pass and solid against the run
James Pierre 42 CB 25 6′ 2″ 185 lbs 3 Will start in the nickel
Carlins Platel 30 CB 23 6′ 1″ 205 lbs R South Carolina
Cameron Sutton 20 CB 27 5′ 11″ 188 lbs 6 Will get his second seaons as a starter
Levi Wallace 29 CB 27 6′ 0″ 179 lbs 5 Will push to start at Cornerback
Ahkello Witherspoon 25 CB 27 6′ 2″ 195 lbs 6 Late season will translate into a starting Cornerback
Terrell Edmunds 34 S 25 6′ 1″ 217 lbs 5 Steelers brought him back, his best ability is availability
Minkah Fitzpatrick 39 S 25 6′ 1″ 207 lbs 5 One of the best at his position, looking for a great year
Karl Joseph 38 S 28 5′ 10″ 200 lbs 6 West Virginia
Damontae Kazee 24 S 29 5′ 11″ 174 lbs 6 Will start the year on the injury list
Miles Killebrew 28 S 29 6′ 2″ 222 lbs 7 Excellent special teamer who struggles in the secondary
Tre Norwood 21 S 23 6′ 0″ 194 lbs 2 Can play several positions, building off a good rookie year
Name Number POS AGE Height Weight EXP Comment
Chris Boswell 9 PK 31 6′ 2″ 185 lbs 8 A tremendous weapon
Pressley Harvin III 6 P 23 6′ 0″ 255 lbs 2 Needs to be more consistent
Christian Kuntz 46 LS 28 6′ 1″ 228 lbs 2 Solid performer who has done a great job

 

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Draft so far: Welcome Home Kenny, value picks that will impact.

April 29th, 2022

The pick is in … Kenny Pickett comes home! Probably should have written stayed home

Round 1, Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh; It is going to be a polarizing pick, but one thing is for sure, the Steelers were not going to relive the 1983 draft when they passed on local legend Dan Marino. Pickett will push to start in year 1 and has all the intangibles. This was the clear pick and considering how far Malik fell the rest of the NFL agreed. Loved Malik but this to me was the right pick and what I was hoping for on the first day.

Round 2, George Pickens, WR, Georgia; Has the potential to be the steal of the Draft for the Steelers, it is early, but he is clearly cut from the Hines Ward cloth, physical and tough, who can make big catches with a bully mentality.

Round 3, DeMarvin Leal , DL, Texas A&M; Will provide much needed defensive line help. Great foot work and had explosive first move. He is the perfect Steeler DE for the 3-4.

Round 4, Calvin Austin III, WR, Memphis; Speed demon and will help in the special teams game and will take the Ray-Ray McCloud job.

Round 6, Connor Heyward, FB, Michigan State; Old school up the middle banger influenced by his late father. He will have an opportunity to run the ball, and possibly play TE. He gives the Steelers their fourth set of brothers.

Round 7, Mark Robinson, LB, Ole Miss; Good speed, might be suited for a Strong Safety role in the nickel. HE is a project player who will most likely start the year on the practice squad. Also, could contribute on special teams.

Round 7, Chris Oladokun, QB, South Dakota State; Great athlete who could possibly be the next Kordell Stewart. At minimum he will be another camp arm. The Steelers wanted a mobile guy at QB, so this is the best of both worlds.

 

 

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Draft Day 2022

April 28th, 2022

LIST: NFL Draft 2022 events in Las Vegas

 

Stories to watch:

  1. Will the Steelers go QB?
  2. Steelers needs other than Ben’s replacement: 1. Strong Safety, 2. Defensive Line, 3. Wide Receiver
  3. Kevin Cobert’s last draft, below is his list of first round picks. I would say that is a pretty solid legacy!

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Big Ben calls it a career!

January 28th, 2022

Ben Roethlisberger has retired from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Since this blog started he has always been on the Steelers, it is a strange feeling!

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Season comes to an end as the Steelers fall in Kansas City!

January 17th, 2022

There would be no Hollywood ending for Ben Roethlisberger as the Chiefs dismantled the Steelers 42-21…

The Steelers hung in there for about 25 minutes and then the Chiefs hit the gas and left the Black and Gold in the dust for the game and the season, handily winning by 21 points and it wasn’t even that close. The gap in talent and innovation on offense between these two teams was on full display.

For the most part the Steelers star players, played well, and it was also apparent that they had so many holes that a handful of players were not going to beat the defending AFC champions. The Chiefs got on a roll and never looked back, scoring 21 points in the last five minutes of the half and then scoring 21 points on their first three possessions of the second half. The Steelers offense continued their embarrassing first half scoring drought. Once it got into a shootout you knew there would be no answer.

Not too much to write here. If you look back at the last half of the season, it reads the same. The offense is inept, the defense runs out of gas and is over exposed and the special teams does something lousy that jams the Steelers up. This weekend also felt like the changing of the guard in the AFC with the Patriots and Steelers both being beaten handily.

It is going to be a transitional offseason.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!   

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Tough but I am going with Cam Heyward, who was a one-man wrecking crew, literally and figuratively. He played hard and deserved better, than what he got this year. Also Considered: T.J. Watt who made several big plays.

Beer of the Game: Had to go IC Light and Modello for the game. Always go back to your roots and dance with who brung you. KGB had the Modello. We also had a little Wyoming Rye Whiskey.

“Steel the Snacks”: Once again went big on the snacks, with everything from Capelini cakes, to Spinach dip bites, we also brought in two different kinds of wings, Boneless and Regular wings which I prefer.

My Stat of the week:  SEVEN punts in the first half, the offense has been a disaster the second half of the season and this sums it up perfectly. It was very clear from the beginning that they went with a similar game plan. Too many mistakes, not push from the offensive line and not enough innovation. It was a dismal performance for the offense.

My Thoughts on next week: It is going to be a long and difficult offseason. The feeling was this was a rebuilding year, but Ben was back, and the Steelers pulled a miracle to get in the playoffs. The Browns look like they are about to take another Cleveland swan dive, and they are getting ready to run Baker Mayfield out of town. The Ravens always put a good product on the field and have the least complicated effective offense in football the Bengals made the biggest strides this season and look like they will be the team to beat for the next few seasons. The Steelers will wander the wilderness for a few years now. I correctly predicted the Steelers would finish four and two in the division and most likely hit second place…I never saw the Bengals winning the division and the Browns finishing in last place.

This week’s Jersey: Ben Roethlisberger, 7, Home Black, ran this back again, knowing this would most likely be Ben’s last game. The Jersey will be retired for two seasons and then join the historic Jersey collection.

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Steelers find a way!

January 10th, 2022

         

The Steelers found a way to beat the Ravens in overtime. The Colts took the upset loss to the Jaguars and the Raiders and Chargers didn’t tie…despite their best efforts to do so, and suddenly all is right for one more week in the world of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

As the formula has been this season, the Steelers started slow, had trouble running the ball and then used another fourth quarter comeback to send their game to overtime. The defense held, Ben Roethlisberger drove down the field and Chris Boswell delivered a game winner! And T.J. Watt also tied the sack record two times…with only one time counting.

Was there even a doubt that this game would come down to the wire and that Ben Roethlisberger who is surely playing his last game at M&T stadium would lead the Steelers to victory over his most competitive and heated rival. The stats only partially tell the story, but he was clearly the difference maker in the game, making the throws that the younger, stronger Tyler Huntley didn’t. Roethlisberger finished his regular season finale 30-44 for 244 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

He nearly pulled the fourth quarter comeback, leading the Steelers on a 10-play touchdown drive with just under three minutes left, and a four play drive that fell a yard short, after the defense couldn’t hold the lead. Saving his best for last, Roethlisberger orchestrated a 15 play, 65-yard masterpiece converting two third downs and a big 4th-and-8 to setup the game winning field goal.

Also on the overtime drive, an injured Najee Harris, with help from Chase Claypool, busted his longest and most significant run of the day, a 15-yard scramble to make the field goal a no doubter. The running game never got going and the Steelers settled for just 79 yards on the ground, but they made the plays they needed to make.

The receivers were thin and Ray-Ray McCloud, Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson played the majority of the snaps. There were key drops but also key plays made. None bigger than McCloud’s 4th-and-8th catch that all but sealed the win. Diontae Johnson chipped in with a big catch on a third down conversion and Chase Claypool scored the only touchdown and was the teams leading rusher by yardage. Pat Freiermuth and Zach Gentry combined for 10 catches and 92 yards.

The defense was once against gashed for an insane 249 yards, with Latavius Murray ripping off 150 of the yards, scoring the only Baltimore touchdown. It was not a great game for the front seven, with the noted exception of Cam Heyward, who was a wrecking crew, registering six tackles and one of the three sacks collected. T.J. Watt made history with his record tying 22.5 sack of the season. Watt has been an absolute force this year and his play was unbelievable given he was doubled and tripled team the whole day.

The secondary chipped in with some big plays. Cam Sutton had a red zone interception and Terrell Edmunds grabbed an errant Huntley pass that was headed for Mark Andrews. Tyler Huntley never really tested the secondary after that and when he did, the plays were made. Minkah Fitzpatrick had a game saving breakup of a crisp pass to Marquise Brown late in the fourth quarter.

The Special teams had a positive impact. Ray-Ray McCloud had his best game of the season in the return game and helped the Steelers flip the field. Chris Boswell was borderline spectacular drilling three field goals including the game winner in overtime. Pressley Harvin’s return was mediocre and is becoming a huge liability.

As for the coaching, what can you say except it was an outstanding job with a team that is severely limited. The Steelers have trailed more minutes than any team in the NFL, except for the Texans, yet they are headed to the playoffs. Despite some horrendous losses, this team never lost focus and stayed on message and battled back in almost every game. That doesn’t happen with bad coaching. Also give credit as Tomlin was doing double duty as the defensive coordinator, with Keith Butler battling Covid.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!   

My “GAME BEER” goes to: T.J. Watt, clearly he deserves it after a truly historic season. He was double and tripled teamed yesterday and even took a shot to his nuts from Huntley. He is a difference maker when he is on the field. Also Considered: Mike Tomlin, this team is a mess, and he kept the train on the tracks, all the fire Tomlin jabronis should stay silent now.…and just for fun, also considered Trevor Lawrence, who at some point will be a big-time opponent but yesterday saved our season and of course Daniel Carlson and his last second overtime field goal that propelled the Steelers into the playoffs!

Beer of the Game: We had Modello, a friend brought to me the night before. Awesome beer and it truly embodies the fighting Spirit as the ad says.

“Steel the Snacks”: We had a plethora of snacks, including Buffalo Chicken and Cheesesteak Empanadas, Risotto Rice Balls, all were made by KGB and were awesome. She had an outstanding snack season for us

My Stat of the week:  22.5 Sacks for T.J. Watt who did it in 14 games this season. He really had an extra sack that was negated when Tyler Huntley fumbled. Watt is now tied for the single season all-time lead with Michael Strahan.

My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers run into the buzz saw next week in Kansas City, it would be easy to write the Steelers off, but I believe they have a punchers chance in this game.

This week’s Jersey: Ben Roethlisberger, 7, Home Black, ran this back again, in honor of Ben’s possible last game.

 

 

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Steelers wreck the Browns, in Ben’s last home game!

January 4th, 2022

After a month of awful gut-wrenching performances, the Steelers turned back the clock last night, winning the old-fashioned Steelers’ way, running the football, good defense and timely passing. In what will most likely be Ben Roethlisberger’s last game at Heinz Field the Steelers saved their best performance of the last two months for a big win over familiar doormat the Cleveland Browns by a score of 26-14. That score doesn’t tell the story, the game was not that close, the Browns were gifted the last touchdown by a lousy referee crew.

After weeks of getting torched by the Chargers (159 Yards), Bengals (198 Yards), Vikings (242 Yards), Titans (201 Yards) and the Chiefs (127 Yards) on the ground, the Steelers defense slowed the Browns running game and kept Nick Chubb in check, holding him to just 58 yards (with 32 of them coming on one play). The vaunted Browns running game only mustered 93 yards on the ground on the day. It was a solid effort up front, led of course by Cam Heyward who heled set the point of attack. It was a nice effort by Montravius Adams who looks like a steal right now, cult hero Henry Mondeaux and Isiah Loudermilk. It was great effort by the linebackers led by Robert Spillane who had eight tackles, Marcus Allen filled in admirably playing in the middle subbing for Joe Schobert and Devin Bush.

With the running game stalled, the Steelers linebackers teed off on perennial pitch man Baker Mayfield, recording an astonishing NINE sacks. T.J. Watt led the way posting four sacks, followed by Alex Highsmith who had two.

The secondary had a very good day and again, numbers don’t tell the story, they had Mayfield’s number and he finished with a QBR of 14.8 and a net of 139-yards passing. It was a complete effort and Ahkello Witherspoon is making the most of his chances. He looks right now to be the possible heir apparent to Joe Haden.

The Special teams had an improved night, if not a respectable night, the good was Chris Boswell booted four field goals including another 50 in cold weather in the fourth quarter, it all but sealed the victory. Corliss Waitman had another terrific night, booting a monster punt with the Browns bearing down on him in the Steelers end zone, he averaged 48.8 yards. The bad Justin Layne had two penalties and Ray-Ray McCloud’s muffed punt is what trapped the Steelers down on their own goal line, leading to the Browns only legitimate score. Given the circumstances though, it was a good effort and a noticeable improvement.

With all that being written, the night belonged to Ben Roethlisberger. It was apparent how important this game was for him and for the team. There was a renewed sense of urgency, and his numbers really don’t do the night justice. The play calling is still head scratching, but want to keep it positive, and it was a night Roethlisberger made the plays he needed to win. He finished with only 123-yards and passed for the Steelers only touchdown. He had a meaningless interception at the end of the second half. Diontae Johnson is in a little bit of a slump but still led the team in receptions with eight.

If Roethlisberger is the face of the franchise, Najee Harris looks like at minimum to be the new face of the offense. Harris grinded out 188 very well-earned yards and the touchdown to absolutely seal the game. The offensive line put forth a great effort lead by backup J.C. Hassnauer. John Leglue is a road grader and looks like a very good find. Dan Moore Jr. held helmet wielding madman Myles Garrett to just one tackle. Garrett was banged up, but Moore’s play was solid.

Mike Tomlin deserves a lot of credit for the performance last night as well. It would have been easy to let emotions get the better of them, but the team was focused and had the perfect game plan. He also insured himself at minimum a non-losing season for a 15th season, a new NFL record. While we would never commit football blasphemy, not even Bill Belichick or Vince Lombardi has done what Tomlin has done. That doesn’t happen by accident, it happens because he is a great coach whose team never quits.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!   

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Forget numbers…it is Ben Roethlisberger of course. What he has meant to this franchise is so much more than just wins and losses. His off the field shenanigans are a distant memory, and he has cemented his place in Pittsburgh history as one of the greatest athletes to grace this fine city. “With the sixth pick of the 2004 NFL draft, acquired from the Detroit Lions… the Cleveland Browns select… Kellen Winslow, Tight End, University of Miami” …and the rest is history. I remember thinking that Ben would fall to the Steelers, to be honest I botched his name, horrendously.

Beer of the Game: Iron City of course, an old school game deserves the original beer. Throw in we had Iron City Coffee at breakfast, and it was a solid beverage performance.

“Steel the Snacks”: Monday Night Football is always tricky, so we did Turkey Club Sandwiches made by KGB. Awesome sandwiches that like Roethlisberger’s numbers were unspectacular but damn good.

My Stat of the week:  Twenty-Six career wins by Ben Roethlisberger v. the Cleveland Browns. At one point he had the most wins in the history of Progressive Field as a quarterback (Mayfield holds it now). He has his highest winning percentage for ten or more games against the Browns.

My Thoughts on next week: AFC North football one more week. This year’s schedule was one of the best in recent memory and finishing with the Ravens is always something special. You can assure yourself Baltimore would love to be the team that snuffs the Steelers very slim playoff chances. Look for Ben Roethlisberger to go out with a bang! Baltimore will also do everything they can to make sure T.J. Watt doesn’t break the Michael Strahan’s sack record.

This week’s Jersey: Ben Roethlisberger, 7, ran back the fashion jersey from early in the season. Finally it worked!

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Steelers get crushed in KC…playoffs in doubt.

December 27th, 2021

It was the familiar formula of getting behind early, but there would be no frantic comeback this time, as the Steelers were absolutely dominated by the Kansas City Chiefs…

What has happened to the Steelers? Three weeks after one of the worst losses in team history, the Steelers were once again dominated against a shorthanded Kansas City Chiefs team. When you get kicked off national television, for the Raiders, you have really reached a new low. The Steelers absolutely lost every facet of the game. The offense was horrendous, the defense was leaky and the special teams are an actual liability. 

It is near impossible to put into words how bad this team played. When your second string punter is the lone bright spot, Corliss Waitman, bombed two great punts, you know it was a bad day.

There is no way Matt Canada can come back next season. BWG never advocates for anyone to lose their job, but his play calling is horrendous and the execution is worst. Kansas City has arguably the best quarterback in the league and one of the best playmakers in football in Tyreek Hill, they were inside the 10, they ran the ball all three times. The Steelers have done nothing to build a better running game. I w

Najee Harris has been solid given what he has had to play with, he gets eviscerated every week when they try the four or five running plays to start the game. Of course they fall behind and then it is chuck it 50 times.

The Chiefs offense was a blueprint on how to play with some limitations, they executed every play well and nothing required an exceptional playmaker, something the Steelers do have.

It starts up front and the Steelers up front are terrible on both sides of the ball. What has happened to Kendrick Green? He is now a huge liability. On the defensive side of the ball, Cam Heyward is eating double and triple teams all game while everyone else gets dominated.

Here is the bright side, whether they make the playoffs or not, these next two weeks are must wins, they still have an outside shot at the division, but what is important is sweeping both the Ravens and the Browns now.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!   

My “GAME BEER” goes to: No one, literally no one played well yesterday. Only person I would have considered was Cam Heyward, who deserves so much better than this.

Beer of the Game: Sam Adams, Winter Lager, despite having a refrigerator full of beer, I went out and bought this, one of my favorites for this time of year, unfortunately the game was horrible, and you know what that means for this great beer…

“Steel the Snacks”: KGB’s snacks deserved better. In honor of KC, she made Burnt Ends Crostinis with mashed potatoes on the crostini, also homemade Cole Slaw. Absolutely phenomenal and one of our best snacks of the season.  

My Stat of the week:  ZERO, touchdowns in the 1st half in the last five games, that is the first time that has happened since 1940… let that sink in a little, not only the first time in my lifetime, but the first in my father’s freakin’ lifetime. HORRIBLE, also a side note, 1st team all-time to trail by 23+ points at halftime in three straight road games. (SOURCE: NBC Posted during the game)

My Thoughts on next week: Both the Steelers and Browns are reeling, and this had every bit the feeling of a playoff game. The Browns who were the media darling at the beginning of the season, have been an absolute disappointment. The Steelers can get a modicum of revenge because a Browns loss sends them home for the year. Every game is a must win now.

This week’s Jersey: Jack Ham, 59, Throwback (The Bumblebee), went with the legend to bring in some luck…again EPIC fail.

 

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