Beer We Go Steelers

The Steelers survived a rough offensive output with some timely plays and a stout Steelers defense in their win over the hapless Bengals. The biggest story will be the benching of Mason Rudolph in favor of the “Duck” Devlin Hodges, a move that temporarily sparked the offense.

While that will be the story, it was the defense that carried the Steelers. It started up front with a very big day by Cam Heyward. He had a sack, six hurries and made backside tackles on the Gio Bernard. Mark Barron and Devin Bush both played well and seem to be settling into their roles with the team. Barron chipped in with a sack and six tackles. Bush had a game changing strip of Tyler Boyd, after he was burned for a big play. Minkah Fitzpatrick recovered and ran it back, turning the tide in the game. Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt might be the best tandem in the NFL right now, chipping with two sacks and two forced fumbles, with the last one being the game breaker!

The offensive line struggled in protection but finally opened some running lanes. With James Conner out, Benny Snell had a very big game finishing with 98 yards and all but icing the game after the fumble recovery. It is good to see power running of the football again. The Steelers finished with over 160 yards on the ground. Kerrith Whyte came off the couch and chipped in with 43 yards!

The controversy this week will be the benching of Mason Rudolph. Since his return from a concussion, he hasn’t been the same player. He was erratic and lacks pocket presence. He was 8-16 and only 85 yards against one of the worst defenses in football. Devlin Hodges contrary to popular belief wasn’t much better.

A BIG play by James Washington was the difference maker in the passing game. Washington finished with only three catches one of which was a great catch and run of 79 yards! It was a very big stiff arm that will make all the highlight reels. Another off the couch guy Deon Cain had a big 35-yard reception! Diontae Johnson is coming into his own. What happened to Vance McDonald and Nick Vannett?

The special teams once again an asset, for the most part! Jordan Berry flipped the field on two occasions and had seven punts all of which were timely and trapped the Bengals. “Little Bos”, Chris Boswell is almost all the way back!

Give Mike Tomlin credit, he made a big call going to Hodges and these are games the Steelers usually get distracted in. He will be answering questions all week about who will start v. the Browns.

The refs ARE HORRIBLE! Seriously, the only good thing, is they stink both ways. The Steelers benefitted on a very big call as Mason Rudolph should have been flagged for grounding which would have been a safety and the pass interference rule is inconsistent and over the top now!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Mike Tomlin, I am a “Tomlin Guy” but also feel I am fair, this is the type of game the Steelers struggle in. Tomlin made several good calls yesterday in the game, that were bold and got the job done. He has done a tremendous job this season and deserves credit. Also Considered: Cam Heyward, who was ALL over the field and played a great game! Benny Snell Jr. who just missed running for over 100 yards. Jordan Berry, who had a ridiculous seven punts, his play flipped the field more than once.

Where I watched the game: At the house, With the Tailgate kid D-Man and KGB! Yesterday was Buffalo Chicken Empanadas and homemade Guacamole. Beer of choice for me was the IC-Light I brought back from the ‘Burgh. KGB had Corona Light and D-man had Barqs Root Beer!

My Stat of the week: I am going with 26.5 which was Devlin Hodges Quarterback Rating…So before we go writing off Mason Rudolph, that is not exactly Ben Roethlisberger territory.

My Thoughts on next week: BLOODBATH. The refs are going to be on high-alert and this is going to be a grudge match. The Browns look like they are peaking, and the Steelers are treading water…that being said, look for the Steelers to edge them out! Any loss for the Browns is the end…lets see the Steelers get the best revenge possible!

This week’s Jersey: Franco Harris, #32 Salute to Service, for the last game in November, thought this was appropriate.

The Steelers four get winning streak is over, losing an ugly game in Cleveland. The Steelers offense was horrendous and lost several key people. The defense held strong but couldn’t hold up.

Myles Garrett tore off Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph’s helmet, and hit him over the head with it, a despicable act that will likely result in a lengthy suspension. Even Baker Mayfield was disgusted at the turn of events.

SORRY WAS A CRAZY WEEK, Will try and update the game report.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Maurkice Pouncey for trying to stomp Myles Garret after he almost brained Mason Rudolph. Also Considered: NO ONE, the game was horrible.

Where I watched the game: Back at the house again, in front of an awesome fire with IC light that we brough back from the Burgh and an Atomic Pepperoni Roll from the Strip and a homemade Sausage Pizza. We toyed with the idea about going out, but after the trip we decided to stay home.

My Stat of the week: 4-Interceptions by Mason Rudolph. His first “bad” game of the year. He had little to no help.

My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers will be shorthanded against the helpless Bengals. A loss basically ends the season. I believe the Steelers will hang in there and pull it out.

This week’s Jersey: NO JERSEY. Because of the work schedule.

It was throwback jerseys and throwback football for the Pittsburgh Steelers, as they continued their climb into relevancy with a tough win over the Los Angeles Rams. It was a stout defense and an offense that did just enough to pull out a victory against the NFC Champs.

Great defense starts up front and the Steelers front seven controlled the line of scrimmage. While Aaron Donald gets the headlines, Cam Heyward is just as big a force in his own right. He absolutely torched the Rams offensive line and was all over the backfield. He dominated with a sack, two passes defended and three quarterback hurries, while he was held on almost every play. T.J. Watt followed suit with a huge game, contributing two more sacks and five tackles. Mark Barron led the team with 10 tackles and Javon Hargrave chipped in with seven tackles and one sack.

As good as the front seven was, the secondary was even better. Joe Haden played his best game of the year, he had seven tackles and an interception, he also made the play that led to Minkah Fitzpatrick game ending interception. Fitzpatrick had the biggest play of the day, returning a questionable fumble for a touchdown. Terrell Edmunds broke up a Jared Goff play on the second to last drive to preserve the Steelers lead, he was second on the team in tackles with eight.

The offense is a borderline disaster right now. Mason Rudolph, played okay, he didn’t get a lot of help. The running game was non-existent and the offensive line, which was reconfigured for this game, did very little in way of opening lanes. The receivers continue to be a work in progress. They made some nice plays but had several dropped passes. James Washington, caught a fade route for a Touchdown, but had a big fumble that negated a huge play. Rudolph finished with 242 yards going 22 for 38.

Give Mike Tomlin credit, he made several gutsy calls that put the Steelers into position to win the game, none bigger than the fourth and 1 play call from the Steelers 34. It was a big move and showed faith in the troubled offense.

Read every weeks blog to discuss how lousy the refs have been!

It is a fast turnaround as the Steelers head to Cleveland this week!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Joe Haden, he played his best game of the year and was the catalyst of two of the biggest plays of the game. Also Considered: Minkah Fitzpatrick, who had the clinching interception and has been a huge difference maker.

Where I watched the game: Heinz Field Baby, with KGB and the Tailgate Kids (Including Little Miss Tailgate from College, More to come on that.). We met a ton of great people and it was an amazing experience! The Beer of Choice was IC Light for the Tailgate and Miller Lite inside Heinz Field. KGB also bought the VIP package and we participated in the on-field activities, including the Terrible Towel unfurl and the alumni dinner. (More to come on that.)

My Stat of the week: One Interception, by Trey Edmunds who now has more interceptions than his brothers, Steelers Safety, Terrell Edmunds and Buffalo Bills Linebacker, Tremaine Edmunds.

My Thoughts on next week: As in this week, like two days. The Steelers could push the Browns off the cliff, with a big performance. The defense is hitting on all cylinders, they need the offense to protect the football.

This week’s Jersey: “Mean” Joe Greene, #75 Home Jersey, technically, I wouldn’t call it a throwback since I bought it in the 90’s. It is my gamer!

Little Miss Tailgate:

Hello everyone! Long-time no see! I cannot explain how happy I am that I was able to go this weekend due to my hectic school schedule. This year’s trip was most definitely one for the books. Travel wise the way in and out was smooth sailing for us. It was a solid six to seven hours in and a solid seven on the way out with not to much traffic. This year we stayed at the Hampton Inn on Smallman Street rather than the Homewood Suites. On Friday night after dropping our stuff off, we made our way over to Primanti Bros off the Strip District as our first meal in the Burgh where I had a Pittsburgher which was delicious as usual.

This year was different unlike the past years we’ve gone because KGB did a very good job by getting us alumni weekend packages. This weekend the Steelers hosted an alumni dinner event to celebrate forty years since the Steelers won Super Bowl XIV. We were able to take a tour of Heinz field, go to the alumni dinner with the actual players from the team, go on the field and watch the Steelers practice. We also got to participate in the Terrible Towel unfurl on the field. The dinner itself was fun to be at and a great experience all around.

The tour was pretty fun. I have never taken a tour of the field before or even been on it so that was a cool experience. We got to see the Steelers tunnel and the opposing team locker room and all the behind the scenes stuff like the “Man of Steel” plaque that they touch. We also saw the club seats and the suites that former players and some season ticket holders get which was pretty cool.

At the dinner, The players in attendance were “Mean” Joe Greene, Merril Hoge as the MC, Franco Harris, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann, Robin Cole, Rocky Bleier, the Rooney family, and many more. At the dinner, they had a jersey raffle where you could buy tickets to try and win. The Pomara’s took a bit of a gamble by only buying three tickets but low and behold we ended up winning two jerseys. We won Gerry Mullins and Dennis Winston.

The players I was able to meet were Merril Hoge, the Rooney’s, Rocky Bleier, and I said a quick hello to mean Joe Greene. The food was great and the overall experience was fun.

The on-field experience before the game was pretty awesome. We got to stand on the Rams sideline and watch the Steelers do their pregame drills. Juju came around and gave everyone high-fives and the coolest part was when Artie Burns finished a route he saw me on the sideline and threw me the ball. I ended up throwing it back to him and it was a good pass too so I was pretty proud of myself.

We also participated in the Terrible Towel Unfurl which was a fun experience to be a part of. We got to go on the field and hold the big terrible towel and shake it when everyone in the crowd is also waving their terrible towels and it was such a fun experience and I’m glad I got to do it.

The game itself was definitely a fun one to watch. It kept me on my toes all four quarters. With good plays by Minkah Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds helped us lead the team to a tight 17-12 victory over the Rams. Even though there were definitely ups and downs by both the offense and defense the overall game was a great one to see live. After the game, we headed straight over to Primanti Bros on Market Square for post-game sandwiches for our second to last meal in Pittsburgh. The next morning we had an early breakfast at the hotel and drove back. Then they dropped me off at school and had a heartfelt goodbye until Thanksgiving.

This trip will definitely go down in history as the best trip yet. The whole weekend was one to remember and these memories that I have made this weekend are ones that I will cherish forever. Special thank you to KGB for getting us these amazing ticket packages for this weekend and special thank you to my family for making it possible for me to come.

Until next time Root Beer We Go Steelers!

Little Miss Tailgate

The Steelers climbed back into relevancy and survived a spirited game against the Indianapolis Colts to get back to .500 at 4-4. It was a solid defensive effort with some timely offensive output.

After a slow start, the Steelers defense held the Colts to six points in the second half. Cam Heyward set the tone and knocked Colts starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett out of the game when he crushed All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson into Brissett’s ankle and knee. Brian Hoyer did a solid job in Brissett’s absence.

The Steelers front seven pushed around one of the best offensive lines in football, registering five sacks. Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt combined for three and a half of the five Steelers sacks, with Mark Barron and Mike Hilton combining for the other two. Minkah Fitzpatrick chipped in with the biggest play of the day, a 96-yard pick six that turned the first half of the game.

The Colts running game dropped off the face of the earth after the first half. Mark Barron, Vince Williams and Devin Bush stuffed up the middle and kept Marlon Mack in check all day.

The Special teams chipped in with four Field Goals by a reborn Chris Boswell and Ola Adeniyi stripped Chester Rogers after a free kick, and Johnny Holton recovered the ball deep in Colts territory, to maintain the Steelers lead.

The offense again is still a work in progress. Mason Rudolph finished 26 of 35 for 191 yards with one touchdown and one interception, which was really a drop by JuJu Smith-Schuster. There were flashes of brilliance and there were rookie mistakes, including getting sacked in the endzone for a safety. Rudolph continues to develop and the offense with him.

Trey Edmunds came off the bench to lead the team in rushing yards with 73. He had a terrific day and looked dynamic at times and pedestrian at other times. Jaylen Samuels was the safety valve in the receiving game and pulled in 13 catches, but he had a very costly fumble that nearly cost the Steelers the game. He never could get going in the running game.

The coaching had an uneven performance. They made good adjustments after the first half, but the offense started slow and the defense struggled early as well. Both made the necessary adjustments. Mike Tomlin lost two challenges, one of which could have been fatal.

And once again the refs were horrible. The only good thing about it, was they were horrible both ways. They made several questionable calls and were nuisance. What is the point of the Pass Interference review?

The Steelers are back at 500 having used their second and third string Quarterbacks.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Trey Edmunds, who ripped off 73 yards on only 12 carries, coming off the couch to lead the rushing attack. He will push for playing time and did a great job as a change of pace back. Also Considered: Bud Dupree, who had two sacks and looks to be shedding his underachiever label. James Washington who made four catches two of which were spectacular and and Jaylen Samuels who would have gotten the game beer if he didn’t fumble late.

Where I watched the game: Back at the house again, with D-Man and KGB. We had great snacks, that KGB made, Buffalo Chicken Pizza and Italian Sliders. The beer of choice was Corona Light!

My Stat of the week: FIVE Sacks by the Steelers defense. The Colts had allowed only 11 coming into the game. 0 for 2, Mike Tomlin was back on the losing column of his challenges, he is now 1-14. The first challenge he should have won, and the call put the Steelers in jeopardy. The second one was ill advised and cost a very important timeout.

My Thoughts on next week: We will be there! Looking forward to seeing the Steelers turn Mason Rudolph loose against the Colts.

This week’s Jersey: Alejandro Villanueva, #78, Salute To Service, it is my first time wearing a player back to back and this was my first time wearing this jersey!