Beer We Go Steelers

The Steelers fell behind by 14 in the first quarter but pulled out a win and sent the Dolphins to a 0-7 start for 2019. Once again, the team started off slow, with a stagnant mistake prone offense but rebounded and established a tough running game and some timely passes.

The education of Mason Rudolph continues, he made mistakes but after an awful first quarter put together a very good performance for the rest of the game. He finished the game 20 for 36 for 251 yards and two touchdowns. The receivers dropped a few passes and he missed some receivers but overall played well enough. Hitting Diontae Johnson for a 45-yard touchdown turned the tide of the game.

Johnson is emerging as a breakout performer and had a very good game, bringing in five catches for 84yards and a touchdown, he also made a terrific catch that the haphazard refs called a bogus penalty on. James Washington chipped in with one catch, but his biggest contribution was the block that sprung Johnson. JuJu Smith-Schuster had his biggest game of the year. Smith-Schuster had five catches for 100+ yards and made a terrific 26-yard touchdown catch.

James Conner also had his biggest game of the year. After a slow start, he ran over the Dolphins with 145 yards and one touchdown. The Offensive line gave him plenty of room to work and the protection of Rudolph was excellent again.

The defense kept the Steelers in the game and only gave up two touchdowns on short fields. They also are a work in progress but were able to stuff the run and keep the Dolphins in check.

Minkah Fitzpatrick made the biggest play of the night, grabbing an interception late in the first half that setup a Steelers scoring drive. He also picked off Ryan Fitzpatrick on the Dolphins first drive of the second half. They never recovered.

The front seven set a good tone and were able to eliminate any Dolphins running game. They only mustered 54 yards and had to abandon the plan by mid third quarter. Cam Heyward made a key stop of a Ryan Fitzpatrick keeper forcing a Dolphins turnover on downs. Tyson Alualu did a nice job filling in for the injured Stephon Tuitt.

Can the refs stink any worse? They are way to involved in games and the Pass Interference review rule is complete nonsense.

It was a gutsy win for the Steelers, but they need to get off to a better start in games. Falling behind 14-0 to the Dolphins is not the same thing as falling behind 14-0 to a competent team. The Steelers need to figure out a way to get the offense going sooner or the season will be lost!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: James Conner, who had a break out game. Conner ground out 145 yards and a touchdown. He played great and was an absolute force. It looked like he was injured towards the end of the game. Also Considered: Minkah Fitzpatrick who had two interceptions and Diontae Johnson who had a breakout game and made a great catch, that the refs jobbed him out of!

Where I watched the game: On the “road” again, with a great Pro-Steelers crowd at Sea Cove in our hometown. We had a great Sicilian Salad and a Hot-BBQ Chicken Pizza, the beer of choice was Narragansett and Guinness, both KGB and I realized we are getting too old for night games!

My Stat of the week: 1 for 12…Mike Tomlin won his first challenge in almost two seasons on a key 4^th down conversion.

My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers are going to sneak up on the Colts, who are riding high right now. I actually expect a pretty rough game for the Colts.

This week’s Jersey: Alejandro Villanueva, #78, Color Rush, I won the jersey at the same restaurant we watched the game at!

The Steelers finally put together a complete game plan and executed it perfectly as they defeated the Los Angeles Chargers handily in front of a raucous Pro-Steelers crowd!

Devlin Hodges performed well in his first professional start. He stayed within the game plan and never really needed to take any chances. He finished with 132 yards, one touchdown and a late interception. The protection was fantastic, and he was never in any jeopardy during the start.

Hodges was aided by a rejuvenated running game, led by James Conner and Benny Snell. The Steelers duo combined for 124 yards on the ground and two touchdowns, one in the air and one on the ground to Conner. Conner chipped in with seven receptions and put together a terrific game. Snell pounded out 75 yards of the 124.

The defense continued its vast improvement. The front seven pressured Philip Rivers all day and dumped him for one sack. He never looked comfortable and couldn’t find a rhythm until late in the game. Rivers also threw two interceptions and a backwards lateral fumble that led to the Steelers first touchdown. The secondary was tight, and it was great job by Artie Burns/Cameron Sutton, filling in for Steve Nelson.

The linebackers played great, with Devin Bush playing his best game yet as a Steeler. He was all over the field and made several big plays, including his first career touchdown and his first career interception. Vince Williams T,J, Watt was all over Rivers. The bad news is the Steelers lost Stephon Tuitt for the season.

The special teams had a good game, and Chris Boswell may have turned the corner.

It was a great game for the Steelers and a great bounce back!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Devin Bush, he scored his first career touchdown and had an interception, he looked like the playmaker we have been waiting for. Also Considered: The Duck, Devlin Hodges, who played well in his first start and Benny Snell who looked like the mini “Bus”.

Where I watched the game: On the “road” again, with the Tailgate Kids all over the place, KGB and I met up with some friends at our local pub. We watched the Yankees game and Steelers game. The Beer of choice was Miller Lite for me and Sam Adams Octoberfest for KGB. We had wings and Nachos!

My Stat of the week: Going to cheat a little on this one…25,425 was the attendance about 94% capacity. So going to estimate, I would say it was easily 75% Steelers fans, it sounded like a home game and they even played “Renegade!

My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers come into the BYE at 2-4, they need a much more consistent effort if they are going to resurrect the season.

This week’s Jersey: L.C. Greenwood, #68, the 1933 Throwback (The Soccer Jersey), I saw a Steelers fan who had no idea that it was an actual Steeler Jersey. It has been six years since he passed and I wore it the first game after. Was thinking about him during the game!

The Steelers had another uneven performance versus the archrival Ravens. The Steelers had a slow start, rallied and then fell in overtime after a costly fumble. It was another heartbreaking loss.

After giving up scoring drives on the first three possessions the Steelers locked down the Ravens offense and forced three turnovers. The defensive line had their best game of the year as did the linebackers. They had the Ravens on the ropes all day and Vince Williams slowed the running game down dramatically. T.J. Watt had a solid game and contributed one of the five sacks. The secondary shut down Lamar Jackson. They are starting to round into form and made the adjustments needed to slow down the Ravens offense.

The offense started slowly and still is a work in progress. Mason Rudolph was playing well when he took a vicious hit from Earl Thomas. The offensive line provided great protection and both Rudolph and Devlin Hodges had time to throw, they passed for a combined 192 yards. The bad news is the receivers didn’t really play well, with Vance McDonald and James Washington leaving the game early with injuries. JuJu Smith-Schuster led the team in catches and yards but he made the biggest mistake of the game, that cost the Steelers the victory.

The running game still is not on track despite some improvement. James Conner had only 55 yards on the ground and Jaylen Samuels was a non-factor this week in the running game.

The Special teams is also a mixed bag. The kicking game is playing well. Chris Boswell has been solid and hopefully last year is in the rearview mirror. Jordan Berry had a terrific punt that pinned the Ravens at the one. The return game is a disaster and cost the Steelers points. Ryan Switzer and Johnny Holton were both ineffective.

The referees were horrible again and way to involved in the game. They made horrible calls for both sides and had a direct effect on the outcome of the game. It was hard to watch and both sides had legitimate gripes with the refs.

The Steelers coaching staff is going to get creamed this week in the press. However, they did a very good job making in game adjustments and if everyone executed, they would have pulled out the game. But they didn’t and now the Steelers season is hanging on by a thread.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Vince Williams, he makes a big difference in the running game and it was apparent, once he came in the game, the Ravens lost momentum. He led the team in tackles and had one sack Also Considered: The Duck, Devlin Hodges, he did enough for the Steelers to win the game and deserved a better fate.

Where I watched the game: Back at home! Ridiculous snacks, Buffalo Chicken Bread and Teriyaki Bomb Bread, made by KGB. The Beer of choice was leftover Corona Light. Only had one of the Tailgate kids with us, D-Man who had a Diet-Stewarts Root Beer!

My Stat of the week: 138 Yards Rushing by the Ravens, the defense needs to be better, but the Ravens were averaging over 200 yards a game and they could only muster 58 yards in the second half. The Ravens scored 17 points on their first three possessions. (One of which they started in the Red Zone) They scored

My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers are a Jekyll and Hyde team; they clearly have what you need to win. But they make so many key mistakes at terrible times. The Chargers are tough, and the Steelers always struggle on the West Coast. It is hard to see a Steelers victory, especially without Mason Rudolph

This week’s Jersey: Jack Ham, #59, the 30’s Throwback (The Bumblebee) one of the priests from my church thought it was prison shirt!

With a stout defense and a diverse offense, the Steelers dominated  the Bengals…

BLOG WILL BE DELAYED…

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Mason Rudolph, he had his first win and he threw two touchdowns and passed for 229 yards Also Considered: Diontae Johnson who has a knack for big plays and Jaylen Samuels who was outstanding in the wildcat.

Where I watched the game: At Buckley’s in my hometown! It was my second “road game” of the year and the Steelers delivered. KGB got all my friends down and my family. We watched the Steelers pound the Bengals into mulch! Beer of choice was Miller Lite and snuck a few Fireball shots in there for my birthday! The wings were outstanding as usual and we had potato skins too!

My Stat of the week: 3-3 and 109.7 Jaylen Samuels Passing line, that is not a typo, great job again running the wildcat!

My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers can climb right back in the division with a win over the Ravens. It will be a tough test but also the measuring stick on how this season will go. The Steelers should pull out a close win.

This week’s Jersey: T.J. Watt #90, Home Black.

The Steelers once again fell apart and the offense never got on track in San Francisco, sending Pittsburgh to an 0-3 start. It was another inconsistent effort by the Steelers on both sides of the ball as the defense surrendered the half time lead and the offense struggled to run the ball with any kind of consistency.

Mason Rudolph’s performance was passable in the second half after a rough first half. Rudolph was a paltry 8 for 15 for 40 yards in the first half and squandered opportunities for the Steelers to take a big lead. He finished with 174 yards two touchdowns and one interception.

He didn’t get a lot of help from the offensive line and the running game. James Conner never got on track and coughed up the ball in a big spot. The Steelers were driving to put the 49ers away and the fumbled caused new life. Conner finished with just 43 yards on 13 carries. The protection was okay but not great and running room is still hard to come by.

The defense again shows flashes of brilliance and then faded. The defensive line was gassed and gashed from being on the field too long and gave up 168 yards on the ground. The 49ers played an up-tempo offense and with the slow start by the offense the defense struggled keeping up, especially given the situation. The Steelers are soft in the middle and struggle in coverage especially with tight ends. Mark Barron continues to struggle and made several costly mistakes, and Bud Dupree still hasn’t found his stride. The 49ers converted 6 of 11 third downs.

T.J. Watt and Stephon Tuitt both have been standouts so far and Minkah Fitzpatrick had a nice first game.

Once again, the finger is going to be pointed at the coaches who continue to fail to adjust in a tough environment. The offense needs to figure out a way to run the football and the defense needs to figure out a way to stop it. Until that is done, this team will not start winning.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: We are going with Stephon Tuitt; he had another big day and was all over the 49er’s backfield. Also Considered: Mason Rudolph, he had an uneven performance but never shrunk from the moment and he had no help from the running game or the line. T. J. Watt who had a big interception.

Where I watched the game: In Saratoga, at a conference on my phone and at a bar called “The Stadium” which is my go-to for the Steelers games when I am away. I watched with my buddy Dan and the beer of choice was Miller Lite and the snack was ridiculously hot wings. The loss put me in a bad mood, and I was jerk most of the night afterwards.

My Stat of the week: 21-Points, which is what the Steelers defense has given up two weeks in a row during two heartbreaking losses.

My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers season is slowly slipping away, a loss to the reeling Bengals will be the nail in the coffin. Sooner or later the Steelers will put it together, this should be the week.

This week’s Jersey: David DeCastro #66, Away White.

The Steelers announced today that Ben Roethlisberger will undergo season ending elbow surgery at some point this week after having an MRI on Sunday night.

The Steelers blew a first half lead and surrendered 21 second half points losing the 2019 home opener to the Seattle Seahawks. It was a mediocre performance which showed how good this team can be and it also exposed all its flaws.

The biggest story was the injury to Ben Roethlisberger who left late in the second quarter and never returned with an elbow injury. Ben finished 8 for 15 for 75 yards in the first half, the Steelers had trouble moving the ball against a Seattle defense that was thrashed by the Bengals one week earlier. Mason Rudolph, cam in and acquitted himself nicely. He threw for 112 yards and two touchdowns with one interception, another drop by Donte Moncrief. He had good poise and looked every bit ready for the NFL.

Despite solid play by Rudolph, the offense is a work in progress. James Conner never could get on track running the ball. The passing game is off and only mustered 180 total yards against the porous Seattle defense. Donte Moncrief’s nightmare season continues, his dropped caused a turnover and put Seattle in a position to take the lead. Vance McDonald led the team with seven receptions followed by JuJu Smith-Schuster’s five, but neither were big factors. There are still flashes, but the whole thing looks off.

The defense is mediocre again, like the offense, they show flashes of brilliance but continue to fall apart in big spots. The pass rush disappeared after the first half. The secondary was leaky and again had no answer for a middle of the field tight end. Russell Wilson passed for three touchdowns and 300 yards. His biggest play was a 15-yard scramble on third down that setup the game clinching fourth down conversion.

Once again, the fingers are being pointed at the coaching staff. The Steelers made several crucial mistakes and mental gaffes. A special team’s error by Mt. McCullers that setup a touchdown, the Moncrief dropped first down catch that setup another touchdown, a huge missed tackle by Anthony Chickillo that led to a 37-yard touchdown, these are all back breaking errors, that this team is not talented enough to overcome. The fact that the Bengals trashed the Seattle secondary and the Steelers couldn’t, doesn’t speak well to preparation.

Once again, the clock management was horrendous, and the Steelers whiffed at the end of the game on it. Game plan management on both offense and defense is awful and the adjustments are completely lacking.

This is a good week to discuss the referees again because they helped the Steelers, even with the pass interference challenge going against them. The refs were way to involved in the game again slowing down any kind of pace of play. They missed several calls and then made questionable ones, it was an inconsistent and awful performance.

The Steelers can quickly watch this season slip away and go the entire decade without a Lombardi trophy if they don’t get this fixed.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: I am going with Mason Rudolph, he had a great day given the situation. Also considered: Stephon Tuitt, who had a monster first half and JuJu Smith-Schuster who broke the record for the fastest to 2500 yards.

Where I watched the game: At the house with KGB and the D-Man. The Beer of choices was New York Yankees Pils made by Blue Point brewing. I figured the Yankees would be a good influence…it wasn’t, The Yankees lost too. Corona Light was KGB’s beer of choice and Stewart’s Diet Root Beer for D-Man! Once again, the food was great, we had Nashville Hot-Chicken Sliders, and Chili for dinner. The Janick was at the game, representing Beer We Go.

My Stat of the week: Five Catches for JuJu Smith-Schuster. He was already the fastest wideout to amass 1,000 career receiving yards and added another page to his history book. Smith-Schuster reeled in five catches for 84 yards in route to becoming the youngest player (22 years, 297 days) to reach 2,500 receiving yards

My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers have a must win game in a tough rejuvenated 49ers team. They need to have a much better game plan.

This week’s jersey: JuJu Smith-Schuster, 19, Color Rush

The Steelers were trounced by Bill Bellichick and the Patriots in the worst opening day loss since 1989! The Steelers defense had no answers for the Patriot’s play action pass…and the offense couldn’t move the ball. It was a complete breakdown.

The offense was a non-factor and looked completely disjointed. It was clear that Ben Roethlisberger was not comfortable, and the receivers didn’t help him. He was jumpy with several of his throws off track. Donte Moncrief had two crucial drops, including a potential touchdown. JuJu Smith-Schuster played well but was a non-factor. Vance McDonald was non-existent until the game was nearly over. James Washington had one big catch but was not on the same page with Roethlisberger.  The post AB era has begun and so far, is not impressive.

The offensive line was mediocre and while Ben was never sacked there was no room to run. Conner finished with a weak 21 yards on 10 carries while Jaylen Samuels, after running for 142 yards against the Patriots last season, was held to only four yards on two carries.

The pass rush all but disappeared in the game and the linebackers had no answer for the play action pass. Devin Bush put together 11 tackles but didn’t have the impact that was expected. Vince Williams had trouble in coverage, the Patriots whipped up on T.J. Watt and took him out of the game. It was another disappointing game for Bud Dupree despite recording the only sack of the day.

The secondary was torched by Tom Brady…again. The intermediate passing was unstoppable and long passing strikes worked when Brady needed them. All the secondary upgrades didn’t make any difference it was a different cast of characters but the same story. Brady finished with three touchdowns and 341 yards passing. Even a Patriots gadget play was effective with Julian Edelman throwing for a 32-yard strike.

Once again, the Steelers went into Foxboro and once again were dismantled in every facet of the game. Mike Tomlin and crew don’t seem to have any answers for the Patriots adjustments. Everything successful the Steelers did in last year’s game was non-existent in this one. The play calling was atrocious and too conservative to beat a team like New England. The Steelers were clearly not prepared and that falls directly on the coaching staff.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: This is tricky…the answer is NO ONE, but we will give the Game Beer to Darryl Drake. He is missed, and we dedicated this year’s shirts to his honor.

Where I watched the game: At the house with KGB and Billy. The Beer of choices was IC Light and Corona Light and the food was great, maybe the best. KGB went all out for the games; “Dirty” Pierogis and Teriyaki Bomb Wings for an appetizer and Primanti Style Sandwiches for dinner. Still full as I write this blog. The Tailgate Kids went to “bed” although suspiciously knew a lot about the game when they woke up and Little Miss Tailgate is at college now, she watched in her lounge there. (SEE BELOW)

My Stat of the week: Is a mind boggling one, Tom Brady is now 6-0 v. the Steelers in New England and has yet to throw an interception. He absolutely owns the Steelers. (On a side note he played against Devin Bush last night, he also played against Bush’s father.)

My Thoughts on next week: The Steelers will have to bounce back against a tough Seattle team coming off a tough win.

This week’s Jersey: Cameron Heyward, 97 AWAY, it was a gift for the playoffs last year and this was my first chance to wear it.

Little Miss Tailgate:

This year is going to be different for the blog. I am now away at college beginning my freshman year. However, I’m not letting college hold me back from watching the Steelers. We have a great group of friends that I will be watching with and a great area to watch from. I thought that yinz would be interested to hear about my first game since I left for college. 

I have met some amazing and dedicated sports fans like myself to watch the game with, which is the best thing I could ask for. It was cool to meet a friend who is also a hardcore Steeler fan like myself, but I have a wide range of team favorites all around my building. Friends that are Steelers fans, Seahawks fans, Cowboys fans, Giants fans, Jet fans, Browns fan and my suitemate herself is a hardcore Ravens fan (can’t wait for Steelers v Ravens week this year). Even though we all have our opinions on who’s the better team we all had a great football Sunday together. 

We watched the game on the NFL Sunday ticket in a lounge that’s in my residence building that has a large TV in it and a bunch of comfy chairs. We all watched together starting from one o’clock, we stopped for church at 5:30 and then went back to finish the games and set up for the disastrous Steeler game that happened last night. 

We all were yelling and screaming, because truthfully in all my life I have never seen the Steelers play so poorly. Both the offense and defense were broken and need major improvement.

I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for me this year with everything being new in my life and I am very excited to embark on this new chapter in my life and enjoy this season from a new perspective. Root Beer We Go Steelers! 

Until next time, 

Little Miss Tailgate

LET”S DO THIS!!! BEER WE GO STEELERS!!

It has been awhile! We are excited for the 2019-20 Season! The Steelers are in a “transition” year but that seems to be a good thing as they move to be more focused on football and less focused on the drama. They look poised to make big waves. We pivoted on this year’s shirt and have dedicated them to Darryl Drake!

The Steelers have been good, now it is time to be great!