Beer We Go Steelers

The Steelers dropped their third in a row to the division rival Ravens, 21-14 capping a three-game road stretch in which the offense has been non-existent, raising several questions on what kind of team this really is. The Super Bowl contender or a middle of the road “also ran”?

Ben Roethlisberger played his second horrendous game in a row. In hindsight it might have been a good time for him to sit and wait a week. He was consistently off, missing targets, getting picked off once and it should have been twice. He also took a terrible game breaking sack. Roethlisberger finished with 264 yards passing, but, until the final 10 minutes, was 8 of 18 for 54 yards. He is a warrior and a true leader taking the onus on himself for the Ravens loss despite a heroic return to the lineup 20 days after torn meniscus surgery.

The Steelers were committed to running the ball and the Ravens were committed to stopping it. There was no room to run,  Le’Veon Bell didn’t have a run longer than 4 yards for 3½ quarters and had only 32 yards on 14 carries, his lowest output in nearly two years. The Ravens stacked eight defenders in the box. Losing Maurkice Pouncey who didn’t finish the game, certainly didn’t help. The protection for the most part was very good, but the passing game was never on target.

The defense is getting shredded in the traditional media. However, they played their best game of the season, they had consistent pressure up front, the Ravens had one busted play a small hitch route to Mike Wallace that Mike Mitchell was caught flat footed on. Artie Burns had a respectable start and only the Wallace play was a blemish. It is hard to argue with the performance of the secondary when Joe Flacco put up a 43.8 QB rating and passed for 241 yards with 95 yards on one broken play.

Up front the difference between having Cam Heyward on the field was apparent. The Ravens never had room to move, racking up only 50 total yards on 29 carries. Ryan Shazier if healthy is an absolute difference maker, he was all over the field. James Harrison and Jarvis Jones took turns whipping up on LT Ronnie Stanley. Silverback recorded his first two sacks of the year, inching him closer to Jason Gildon’s Steeler record and he was held on nearly every play.

The Special Teams was an absolute embarrassment after making some nice plays the week before. Penalties for roughing the punter extended a Ravens drive. They had a too many men on a field-goal attempt, which turned a 50+ field goal attempt into a 49 yarder. They were offside on a kickoff.  Then “Little Bos” duffs the onside kick attempt to keep any hope alive. The blocked punt by Javorius Allen however was the “kill shot’ it resulted in a 14-yard scoring return and a 21-0 lead.

The Coaches have to take this one on also. The game plan was terrible and the Steelers are down three scores and they are still calling draw plays, it makes no sense. If Roethlisberger wasn’t ready…he shouldn’t have played. It is that simple. There were a ton of penalties, including 10 in the first half which shows the absolute lack of discipline.

They are running out of “some days” and they have the Cowboys looming.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: James Harrison, there was talk about not giving a Game Beer out, but Silverback delivered a vintage performance and let’s be honest, he is loved by BWG, so we wouldn’t stiff him. Also considered; NO ONE!

Where I watched the game: At the house with the “Tailgate Kids”, although no KGB this week was rough, the snacks definitely suffered. I had Iron City as the beer of choice, which I dumped out after the Roethlisberger sack! Dante was running pass routes in the yard at 8:30AM, Little Miss Tailgate played against him in a one on one football game. Luc was the only calm one. We also switched seats to change the mojo. The kids were pumped to be home watching the game. I missed having KGB and frankly she would have calmed us all down! I texted with my buddy Bill and the Janick. This is a family friendly blog so I wouldn’t post some of the stuff going back an forth. In the end it was a terrible game

My Stat of the week: FOUR in a row. There are several stats but none that makes me madder than this one. The Steelers have no lost three games in a row to the Ravens and the Ravens are terrible. It isn’t the Ray Lewis record setting defense out there, they finished 5-11 last season and they are mediocre at best this season. They now have lost SIX of SEVEN to the Ravens.

My thoughts on Next Week: The Steelers will need a much better effort to beat a rejuvenated and tough Dallas team. WE WILL BE THERE, so follow us on Twitter.

This weeks Jersey: Roethlisberger, “designer” jersey.

Because of the Bye Week, this is technically the 44% of the season report.

What has gone right? 

The Steelers sit atop the division despite two straight losses. It has been a season of many highs and lows.

Ben Roethlisberger has played some of his best football. Giving him a mulligan on the Miami game, because everyone played terrible. He is clearly a difference maker. Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell are the best one-two punch in the NFL. The key is getting all three on the field at one time.

Jesse James has done a nice job, filling in for not only Ladarius Green but a Steelers legend in Heath Miller. To me Ross Cockrell is the unsung hero of this team. He has done a terrific job in coverage without a pass rush to help him.

Jarvis Jones continues to develop and he was the best player on the field in the New England game. The stats don’t really show it, but he has stepped up his game. James Harrison continues to  provide some much needed help on defense. Cam Heyward has done a terrific job when not injured.

The offensive line was awesome until Gilbert was injured. They are mobile, agile and absolutely tough. Alejandro Villanueva has done a nice job in year two.

What has gone wrong?

Injuries have been awful again, seriously awful. For those keeping score at home, Ben Roethlisberger which is always very hard, D’Angelo Williams, Bud Dupree, Ryan Shazier, Marcus Gilbert, Robert Golden, Sammy Coates and “Steel Head” Heyward to name a few. Missing these guys played key roles in the last two losses. The defense looks lost without Heyward. Also Ladarius Green is a mystery although he finally looks to be back soon.

The Steelers continued their trend losing to the dreck of football. I actually copied this from last years AND the year before. Losing to the Patriots is always rough and the Steelers had them on the hook, I hope we get another shot at them, but losing to the Dolphins with a packed Steelers house in Miami is inexcusable. I spent half my time at the bar at the hotel arguing over what a great coach Tomlin is and then the Steelers were so badly prepared they lost to a team that was on their last legs. They were gored by a mediocre back for 200 yards plus.

What happened to the pass rush? The Steelers used to be tops in sacks. Again what happened? Last year it looked like the defense turned the corner, as of today they are last in sacks and interceptions. The defense has had good Cornerback play, so pressure has been the issue. How about using Shazier in pass rush situations and playing Vince Williams more?

Reasons for Concern: The defense needs to find a pass rush.  The Steelers can beat ANYONE…and proved they can lose to anyone.  Starting to realize I am plagiarizing myself, from last year. It has been this way for three seasons and it is truly frustrating. The loss in Philadelphia was just an embarrassment, the loss to the Dolphins was again just inexcusable.

Offensive Game Beer: Has to be Antonio Brown again, he is such a huge factor for the Steelers offense. He narrowly beats out Ben Roethlisberger who would have been the game beer winner, if not for the Dolphins game.

Defensive Game Beer: Ross Cockrell, he has done a terrific job in stabilizing a tough position.

Disappointment of the first half: Losing to the Dolphins when the place was all Steelers fans. A win in that game would have put the Steelers in a great position to win the division. Now they are still slogging it out.

Most Improved: I am going with Jarvis Jones, he looks to finally be cashing in on his promise. He has done some nice things and the sacks will be coming, look for a breakout second half.

GRADES:

QB: A-, Big Ben has played extremely well except for the Dolphins game. He gives the Steelers a chance to win every week and is one of the best at his position. I recently heard a local sportscaster who summed it up perfectly, switch Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger with Marvin Lewis and Andy Dalton and they would be the division winners every year

RB: A+, Le’Veon Bell is an outstanding back who has done a tremendous job when called upon. D’Angelo Williams would be starting for literally half the teams in the league and Fitz Toussaint has filled in admirably.

WR: A, This crew is the best in the league, They have a superstar in Antonio Brown, who makes 99% of the plays, they have a field stretcher in Sammie Coates, they have a terrific big play veteran in Darrius Heyward-Bey and an exciting young prospect in Eli Rogers. Markus Wheaton needs to turn it up in the second half.

TE: B, Jesse James and Xavier Grimble have done a fine job in helping the offense. David Johnson’s second act with the Steelers has been mostly as an H-Back. He has been a terrific blocker. We can only imagine how good this unit will be when they have Ladarius Green stretching he field.

OL: B, This could have easily been an A. But losing Gilbert has slowed them down and they put up a stinker against the Eagles. Again though, this is one of the best units in the league and they will have a huge second half.

DL: D+, If Cam didn’t get injured it would have been a B-. They have had some great games and then some not so great. I like Jason Hargrave and he adds a dimension, Mt. McCullers continues to develop. Without question this is the unit that WILL improve the most as the season moves on. Once Cam is back, look for the scary trend of getting torched on the ground to come to an end.

LB: C- Jarvis Jones is the bright spot here. Lawrence Timmons has played consistent except for the Miami game.  Ryan Shazier is exciting but has been injured again. Silverback has shown flashes of brilliance but he has been playing sparingly, Vince Williams has been good when called upon. Arthur Moats has been a non-factor.

DBs: C-, The secondary has been getting torched for big yards but they usually right the ship inside the 20’s. Ross Cockrell has played well, Robert Golden has also done okay. Mike Mitchell takes too many stupid penalties and plays like a Safety from the 70’s drilling guys instead of tackling. William Gay has done okay. Justin Gilbert is intriguing and if he could work hard he could put himself in a good position. I like Artie Burns and he has solid coverage skills, he needs to tackle better. There is a lot of upside in this group as well.

Specials: B, Little Bos had one bad game but has done a good job. Jordan Berry you can say the same. The Steelers have produced two turnovers on Special Teams which is good. Our best returner is AB but I HATE SEEING him back there. I almost forgot Greg Warrens name, so that means he is doing great!

Coaching: C , The coaches are doing C work right now. The record and where they are in the standings is why this is a passing grade. Losing to the Dolphins is just inexcusable and downright embarrassing. The Steelers need more consistency and Keith Butler is on the spot, they need much better defensive game plan.

What does part two look like: The Steelers have the division well within reach and a first round bye with some luck. They need to get Ben back out there. But more importantly turn the defense around. The Steelers should go 6-3 down the stretch putting them at 10-6, which should win the division and at worst 9-7 which gives them a long shot at the Wild Card.

BEER WE GO STEELERS! BEER WE GO!

After several missed chances the Steelers fell to the New England Patriots 27-16. Despite a game effort by Landry Jones and some nice work by Le’Veon Bell the Steelers defense couldn’t close the deal against the Patriots.

It was a dismal performance by all facets of the defense. The Steelers lined up in the base defensive nickel to protect against the Patriots Tight Ends, Gronkowski and Bennet so the Patriots ran the ball with LeGarret Blount and kept the Steelers off balance on every play. The defenseive line and the linebackers couldn’t handle it.

The upset was very much in sight, but not being able to stop the run, then opening it up for Gronkowski proved to be too much. Ryan Shazier summed it up by saying the defense was “garbage”. Cam Heyward can’t get back fast enough. The Steelers have had back to back weeks getting trashed on the ground, Blount finished with 127 yards.

Landry Jones did a nice job, filling in for Big Ben, he actually out gained Tom Brady, throwing for 281 yards and he made only the opening drive mistake. Le’Veon Bell put together a terrific effort racking up 149 yards from scrimmage and his season rolls on.

Last week it was Jordan Berry, this week it was “Little Bos” who struggled on special teams. He missed two fields goals, both of which put the Steelers on their heels.

It is hard to fault the coaching, as they looked like they put together a credible game plan, but the defenses execution has been absolutely terrible.

Lastly, the officiating was again HORRIBLE, not blaming that for the loss, but several calls were questionable. Also NO ONE wants to see the Refs!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Landry Jones who did a very capable job at QB.  Also considered; Jarvis Jones for being the lone bright spot on the defense. Darrius Heyward-Bey who has done a great job the last two weeks.

Where I watched the game: Tricky question this week. We went to the Good Company Tavern in Little Neck NY. KGB and I had a business commitment and we found this hole in the wall. Frank the bartender was very cool and we face timed the “tailgate kids” from the bar. We had dinner at Mortons Steakhouse and had to watch in the bar for the second half.

My Stat of the week: 0 as in 0(ZERO) sacks in the last two weeks!

My thoughts on Next Week: The Steelers hit the bye week at the right time, the biggest challenge is to get healthy and then make a run. We will post the mid season report.

This weeks Jersey: Dermonti Dawson, Home in honor of Teams for Troops at work

The Steelers dropped a trap game to Miami 30-15 continuing a disturbing trend during the Tomlin era. It was a game in which nothing went right, for the offense, the defense and special teams. The biggest loss however might not have been on the field, as Ben Roethlisberger injured his knee and is out for at least the next few weeks.

Roethlisberger coming off two outstanding performances came crashing down to earth and played an absolutely awful game. He three two interceptions and made several key mistakes. No one else on the offense stepped up and in the end the day was a complete disaster. The protection was mediocre most of the day.

Le’Veon Bell was on the verge of a breakout day, but was a non-factor after the Steelers fell behind. Antonio Brown was also a non-factor and had only four catches for the whole day. Darrius Hewyard-Bey had a neat end around and he showed his breakaway speed putting together a sixty yard run for a touchdown, but caught zero passes. Cobi Hamilton was the lone bright spot fresh off the practice squad had his first career reception and first career touchdown in the fourth.

The Steelers defense was almost as bad as the Philadelphia game. The pass rush was non existent, the run defense was terrible and the pass defense was caught out of place several times. You could feel the void left by Cameron Heyward as the defense was torched.

Even Jordan Berry had a lousy day, with five punts averaging 36 yards.

This is one that absolutely has to fall on the Coaching staff. The team was totally unprepared for the game and the heat played a key factor as several players wore down by Q4. The Steelers clearly had the better personnel but it didn’t transfer to the score. They missed a chance to put a tight strangle hold on the division.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER  WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Codi Hamilton for catching his first touchdown. Also considered; NO ONE

Where I watched the game: Hard Rock Stadium with about 30,000 Steelers fans. KGB and I hooked up with a great group of people that we met through Shadyside Travel. We had a great time and the Steelers really wasted a tremendous effort by the fans. It was great meeting Joe Collura Sr. and Joe Collura Jr. who we tailgated with and drained the hotel bar of Miller Lite with and a special thanks to Joe from Shadyside Travel for putting it together. I also want to thank Bridget and Ross for putting together not one but two awesome Steelers parties, one Saturday which my buddy Bill met KGB and I at and then an impromptu tailgate feast in the driving Miami rain!

My Stat of the week: 1-4 The Dolphins record. The Steelers continue to lose to inferior opponents.

My thoughts on Next Week: The Patriots roll into Pittsburgh fresh off another dominating win and a Bill Bellichick technology hate fest. WIth Landry Jones at the helm this looks like the Steelers will fall to 4-3.

This weeks Jersey: Mike Webster, Home in honor of Teams for Troops at work and I wore Joe Greene, Home at the actual stadium

The last ride of the “Bumble Bees” was a success as the Steelers beat the NY Jets 31-13! Behind a stellar performance by Ben Roethlisberger and a stingy second half defense the Steelers now lead the AFC North! Yesterday also marks the last day of the 1934 Steelers throwback.

The Jets strength is their front four and the Steelers had the perfect game plan to nullify it. They had quick sharp passes and Ben Roethlisberger jumped them early with a 72-yard TD to Sammie Coates. It was another outstanding day by Big Ben, he threw four more TDs, giving him 15 for the season and 9 for the last two weeks. When the Steelers fell behind 13-7 Big Ben turned the game with 2:00 minutes left in the half, completing 7 of 10 passes for 67 yards with a 1-yard Jesse James touchdown to finish the drive. The Steelers never trailed again.

The offensive line, playing without Marcus Gilbert and Ryan Harris, absolutely neutralized the Jets front four, they struggled to run the ball, but the pass protection was excellent and the Jets could never solve it. Chris Hubbard did a terrific job filling in.

Sammie Coates and Ross Cockrell were the symbols of the day, both had up and down performances, with some key mistakes but when the game was on the line, both came through. Coates made the big plays and in the end his numbers were spectacular. He finished with six catches for 139 yards, he also had his sixth catch of 40+ yards which is tops in the league. Cockrell limited Brandon Marshal to just two catches in the second half after struggling in the first.

Four players had six or more catches with Jesse James and Antonio Brown joining Coates with touchdowns. AB was AB with nine catches and 78 yards. Le’Veon Bell made a huge impact catching the ball, he had nine catches for 88 yards and was open on nearly every third down.

After a shaky start the defense pitched a second half shutout. The linebackers provided the pressure and Jarvis Jones emergence continued, as he made two big back breaking plays in the third quarter, batting down a Ryan Fitzpatrick pass and then blowing up a third down conversion on a shovel pass. Anthony Chickillo had his first career sack and continues to develop. It was great work by the front seven and they set the tone.

Coaching will be the discussion in the national media this week, as Todd Bowles was clearly outcoached by Mike Tomlin. Every adjustment that the Steelers needed, they made and it worked out perfectly. Every decision Bowles made, flopped, including hoping for the stop after punting on 4th and 2 and watching the Steelers march down the field and close out the game. It was a great job by the Steelers coaching staff…going to give a mulligan on that disastrous fake punt.

The Steelers started sloppy but then made the adjustments and now are atop the division!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Ben Roethlisberger, he played another amazing game and absolutely torched the Jets all day. When he needed to make a play, he made it! Also considered; Ross Cockrell and Sammie Coates for their turnaround. Chris Hubbard who did a great job filling in and of course Matt Feiler, who didn’t play but went to  Bloomsburg and I am the chief writer of this blog, so I can pick who I want 😉 !!!

Where I watched the game: Back at the house, with KGB and the family. We had wings brought in from Buckley’s, KGB made a plate of cheeses and meats with fresh baked bread. Iron City was the beer of choice.

My Stat of the week: 4- 2: The Steelers Record with the “Bumble Bee” jersey all -time! The two losses were both divisional games! I also attended the first wearing of the jersey so I am nostalgic. I hope they pick the 66-67 uniform next season.

My thoughts on Next Week: The Steelers head down to Miami and we will be there too! Looking forward to seeing the Steelers again live! Look for a solid Steelers win.

This weeks Jersey: James Harrison, Throwback 1960.

The Steelers scored 22 first quarter points and never looked back, as they crushed the Kansas City Chiefs 43-14 on Sunday Night football. It puts the Steelers record at 3-1.

Le’Veon Bell returned from his three-game suspension and was in vintage form, racking up 174 yards from scrimmage, including 144 yards rushing, which he achieved with near ease and five catches for 34 yards, giving him 22 touches in his first game since his season-ending knee injury last November.

The Steelers offensive line dominated the Chiefs front seven. They created plenty of room to move and the protection was nearly perfect. The day belonged to Ben Roethlisberger.  Roethlisberger threw five touchdown passes to four receivers and did not throw an interception against a defense that was leading the league. Roethlisberger passed for 210 yards in the first half and put the Chiefs down by 22 points, 15 minutes into the game. He had a 152.5 passer rating and finished with 300 yards passing.

While the offense had a great bounce back the defense put together a vintage performance. It started up front and Stephon Tuitt and “Steelhead” Heyward really put together a very destructive performance. Heyward supplied the much needed pressure, registering three sacks and tipping a pass that resulted in an interception. Tuitt forced a fumble that led to the kill shot in the first quarter, as the Steelers converted it to a touchdown, he also had a tipped pass.

Jarvis Jones finally had a breakout game, causing pressure and picking off an Alex Smith pass. James Harrison came up short on the stat sheet but he absolutely wrecked Eric Fisher all game. Vince Williams and Lawrence Timmons were all over the field making plays. It was a terrific job by the linebackers over all.

Mike Tomlin deserves a lot of credit, because mistakes were corrected after last week’s debacle. Going for two on the first scoring play put the Chiefs on their heels and they never recovered.

It was a tremendous turnaround week.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Ben Roethlisberger, he played an amazing game and literally took the Chiefs out of the game in the first quarter. Also considered; Le’Veon Bell, who came roaring back, Antonio Brown for an extremely well played game and Cam Heyward for putting on a defensive clinic.

Where I watched the game: Buckley’s Irish Pub, My local establishment, with a raucous Steelers crowd. It was Me, KGB, our oldest guy Billy and then Courtney who is a crazy fan and Mike who is a tremendous Steelers fan. John the bartender took care of business. We had Boneless wings and Baked Clams and the beer of choice for me was Sam Adams. (Baseball Season officially over, I switch to Sam)

My Stat of the week: 152.5 – Ben Roethlisberger’s QB rating after coming off two tough weeks. He played outstanding.

My thoughts on Next Week: The Jets come into Pittsburgh for a tough matchup, the last time these teams met the Jets stole one. They are tough up front but the Steelers should squeak by.

This weeks Jersey: Le’Veon Bell Color Rush.

Steelers need a huge bounce back this week!

The Battle of  Pennsylvania wasn’t a battle at all as the Eagles routed the Steelers! Philadelphia handed Pittsburgh it’s worst loss in 27 years. The Steelers lost four starters on defense and two on offense and the signs for a major upset where in the air, from the beginning with a blocked field goal and a dropped touchdown.

It was one of those games where literally everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. The defense was plain awful, missing tackles and getting caught out of position on several plays. There was absolutely no pressure, unless James Harrison was on the field and that was sparingly, the only time Carson Wentz was hit was by Anthony Chickillo. The Eagles wore down the front and were able to find more running room late in the game. It was just a horrible performance.

The offense never clicked, every time they started moving, something would happen to stall the drive. Ben Roethlisberger had another off week. He consistently missed targets and the protection began to break down as the game went on. The offensive line had an off day and couldn’t protect. Eli Rogers left with and injury and no one had a worse day than Markus Wheaton, who dropped a touchdown and never looked like he was in the game.

Heck even Little Bos had a field goal blocked.

It is easy to point at the coaching, but if you watched the film you will see it was clearly the execution! Chock it up to a bad week and don’t read too much more into it than that.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: NO ONE, seriously this was the worst game I have seen in 20+ years!

Where I watched the game: Saratoga New York at the Saratoga Stadium Café, It had a great group of Steelers fans and a nice crowd, the beer of choice was Miller Lite and I snacked n Nachos which were great. I had a business commitment, so I was late getting there and was absolutely disgusted at how the Steelers played.

My Stat of the week: 27 years since the Steelers took a drubbing like that!

My thoughts on Next Week: The Chiefs are catching the Steelers at the worst time. Look for a monster comeback week and look for Le’Veon Bell to light it up on his return.

This weeks Jersey: Jack Hamm, Throwback (Bumble Bee)

In another tough matchup, the Steelers outlasted the Bengals 24-16! There was no body count, there were only a few questionable hits, no chaos on or off the field and in the end the Steelers produced a tough division win!

What makes the win very impressive is that the Steelers succeeded, despite an uneven performance by Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. Neither were sharp, both made mistakes and at the end of the day, the Steelers still won the game fairly handily.

It was a vintage performance by the Steelers defense as they smothered the Bengals up front and kept their passing game in check. The stats don’t tell the story, as Andy Dalton threw for 300+ yards and was only sacked once. However, the pressure was solid all day as was the pass coverage.

A.J. Green was held to two catches for just 38 yards. The game plan was to not let Green beat them, and cornerback Ross Cockrell held him in check. He was given the task of following him on the field. He did a terrific job. Artie Burns made a great play saving a TD and Robert Golden made some solid plays.

The run defense has been very tough for two straight weeks. After allowing the Redskins just 55 rush yards, the Steelers held the Bengals to 46 yards on 18 attempts and allowed only one run longer than 5 yards. Ryan Shazier led the charge with 11 tackles and Jarvis Jones seemed to get stronger as the game moved on. The Steelers held the Bengals on first and goal to three points. James Harrison sealed the win with his forced fumble!

Ben Roethlisberger struggled in the elements but he also spread the ball around. Hitting NINE different receivers including touchdowns to Xavier Grimble, Jesse James and DeAngelo Williams. Williams was the star of the game, he carried the offense on his back, racking up 132 yards from scrimmage, including 94 extremely tough yards on 32 back breaking carries.

Special teams was a huge asset. Jordan Berry, pinned the Bengals down five times inside 11 yards. “Little Bos” hammered a 49 yard field goal to extend the Steelers lead and never allowed a run back.

Mike Tomlin once again completely out coached his rival Marvin Lewis. The game plan was rock solid and the Steelers controlled the Bengals for the majority of the game. They took away AJ Green, smothered their run and moved the ball despite some of Ben and AB’s struggles.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: DeAngelo Williams, who absolutely is defying Father Time. He put together a tough and gutsy performance and carried the Steelers to victory! Also Considered: Xavier Grimble, first TD, Dave Johnson who had two awesome blocks on one play and most of all Ross Cockrell, who stuff AJ Green in his pocket!

Where I watched the game: Home sweet home! It was great to be home with KGB cuddling with me on the couch when she wasn’t making awesome “snacks”! We had Keilbasa, prosciutto and soppressata in a puffed pastry. We also had an amazing time with the “The Tailgate Kids”. Dante clearly called the TD to DeAngelo! The beer of choice was Iron City, which I am almost out of and need a delivery soon. KGB made a Primanti’s sandwich for dinner afterwards!

My Stat of the week: Has to be 2 for 38! AJ Green’s stat line. He is a game changer and one of the best WR in the league. He absolutely torched future HOF Darrell Revis last week and this week Ross Cockrell nullified his impact. It was a great job by the Steelers defense!

My thoughts on Next Week: The Steelers have always struggled against the Eagles. However, I think a rookie QB will have trouble with the Steelers D. Also look for a monster bounce back game from AB.

This weeks Jersey: LC Greenwood, 1930’s Throwback

I hate to admit this but I love the new color rush jersey! But of course, unless they make them in a historic player, I can’t own one. The reason is I am cursed with football jerseys, pretty sure hockey too, but that I can’t confirm, because it only happened twice. I also am cursed with giving them as gifts.

Here is my story:

#12 Terry Bradshaw: This was technically my Dad’s jersey but he gave it to me. Brad not only left the Steelers after I received it, he went on to write a book bad mouthing Chuck Noll, didn’t go to Art Rooney’s funeral and so on and so forth…btw I purchased his away jersey a few years back…I met him in person and he was a complete jerk. But hey that probably has nothing to do with his jersey right?

I started buying my own jerseys:

#26 Rod Woodson, Home, he blew out his knee the first game of the season against the Lions, the jersey came the Tuesday after he was injured, Rod played only one more game for the Steelers. (Super Bowl), I still wear this for my Turkey Bowl every year.

#58 Jack Lambert, Home, one tough son of gun and the face of Steelers toughness. Jack is doing very well and has a great life. I think he was too tough for the curse.

#36 Jerome Bettis, Home, I figured I would go offense. I picked THE BUS!!! One of my favorite all time Steelers and one tremendous player, he was the cornerstone of the Steelers of the late 90’s. I bought this jersey and the Steelers turned their fortune around and began their slow climb back. The Bus had a great year… but by next year he was injured and never rushed for 1000 yards again.

#55 Joey Porter, Away, I picked Joey Porter over Jason Gildon because he was the future and not the past and he was on the brink of greatness…until he got shot in the ass, in some crazy story! He did have a nice career after that however.

#97 Kendrell Bell, Home, one of my favorite draft picks and an absolute force in the middle. This was the first jersey I ever wore to Heinz Field, he again represented the future…he again was injured and he never recovered. He stood on the sidelines in a track suit for two years.

#75 Joe Greene, Home, this is my gamer and my favorite jersey I own. I wear it to every game, unless it is a special occasion. Happy to say nothing happened to Joe, although pretty sure he was fired from the Cardinals after I bought it. Need to confirm.

#52 Mike Webster, Home, I figured maybe it was time to stick with historical, I needed one of the greatest players in Steelers history, it was between Mr. Mike and Rocky Bleier the American Hero. I chose Mike Webster who made the Hall Of Fame, it worked the curse was lifted…but then it happened, he freaking died after falling on some very sad and difficult times, that prompted the CTE debate. BTW Love that guy! Somewhere Rocky Bleier is smiling and breathing a sigh of relief.

#86 Hines Ward, Home, He played great and never had an issue! Steelers lost when I wore it, but that one I will chock up to bad luck. HOWEVER, pressed my luck…bought KGB a “designer” Hines Ward shirt, he was gone the next season!

#7 Ben Roethlisberger, Home, I was given this as a gift, Ben doesn’t often miss and his career has been stellar with the Steelers, of course a year after I was given the jersey, he got into trouble, (NOT going to rehash that) and was injured several times, but stills thrives with the Steelers.

#63 Dermonti Dawson, Home, not only one of the greatest players of all time, probably one of the best people, I have ever met! Love this guy, couldn’t miss with Dermonti, bought his jersey…he ran into some serious business issues! HOWEVER, he did make the Hall of Fame and is on the comeback trail, so maybe the curse can be temporary.

#43 Troy Polamalu, Home and Away, needed a new away jersey, who better than Troy, who was a superstar, long term contract and one of my favorite players to watch. Injured his MCL first game of the season (2009) and then was injured again late in the year. He only played five games all year. Of course, he still had a fairly productive career, so the curse wasn’t career ending. He seems to dislike the Steelers now.

#56, LaMarr Woodley, Away, this was a gift from KGB and to make it worse, I bought her the home one as well because he was her favorite player. I wore it to Church in England and to Stonehenge, in 2013, he was injured and never really recovered…left after the season. BTW he is out of football right now, might have been the double purchase that did him in.

#92 James Harrison, Throwback, My favorite Steeler of the last five years. I couldn’t miss on Silverback…he injured his knee, left and went to the Bengals…again though, came home and played great last year. So maybe that one is lifted.

#59 Jack Ham, Throwback “bumble bee”, One of the five best OLB of all time. A great player, I chose him for my throwback. Jack is doing well! Maybe it doesn’t affect guys named Jack?  

#68 L.C. Greenwood, 1930’s throwback, got to meet LC and he was one tough guy! When I purchased my first throwback, a jersey LC never would have worn, I still decided to buy it with LC’s number…he too died, literally within a year and I was wearing the shirt the day he died. I was in England at the time. I wore it to the first game after his death.

#99 Brett Keisel, Throwback “bumble bee”, technically, I think this was KGB’s purchase but for the sake of the story, here we go; this was a gift for Hailey, “Little Miss Tailgate”, not only was Brett injured, we were AT THE GAME HE GOT HURT, he never played again!!

#26 LeVeon Bell, (T-Shirt jersey) I bought this as a gift for Eric. (E-Rock). At the start of last season…Suspended for four games (Happened before I bought the shirt) but then was injured and missed the end of the season.

#33, Merril Hoge, Away, happy to report Hogey is doing great!!! But bought this last year, so say a prayer for Merril!!

NON-STEELERS:

#14 Neil O’Donnell, JETS HOME, this was a gift given to me by my buddy who was a season ticket holder, so I would have something to wear to the games. He picked Neil because he was a Steeler of course and unlike most fans I had no animosity about him leaving, His career in NY was a borderline disaster.

#16 Vinny Testaverde, JETS HOME, I am a native NY and Long Islander, so when the Jets reached the AFC Championship game, I bought the jersey for a party and was pulling for them all the way. Also, Vinny is a NY guy, the Jets lost of course and Vinny T. was injured game one the following year.

#92 Michael Strahan, GIANTS AWAY, hosted a business event and the Giants were on Monday Night Football. I also consider the Giants and the Steelers like brothers. So I was happy to rep Michael. It actually worked out well and I don’t think anything terrible befell him. Unlike my next guy…

#17 Plaxico Burress, GIANTS HOME, went to the Dallas-Giants game in 2008, the Steelers were Monday Night Football and went to that as well. I wanted to rep the Giants, especially against the Cowboys in solidarity with the Giants fans…Who better than Plex? He was a Steeler and a terrific player…towards the end of the season, he literally SHOT HIMSELF and was sent to prison!

 So you be the judge?