Beer We Go Steelers

I have been advocating this move for more than six months. The Steelers are bringing back James Harrison. I was in the process of writing a tribute piece but I am glad to have that on hold. The Steelers needed Harrison to fill their injury depth and if they use him in a limited role he can still be a devastating force.

He also brings a much needed attitude! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIrHz_kcgTs

Sorry for the delay in posting,

After a slow start the Steelers put up four second half touchdowns and for the first time in 28 years had two 100 yard backs. Unfortunately they paid a heavy price for the win with three key injuries on defense.

The Steelers went back to the basics and pummeled the Panthers front seven with a great ground game. Le’Veon Bell finished with his second 100-yard game of the season. Bell had 100 of his 147 yards in the second half and ripped off an 81 yard run. LaGarrette Blount put up 100 plus yards as well and had runs of 15, 17, 19 and a 50 yard gallop, he capped it off  his performance with an 8-yard touchdown. It was the first time two Steelers had 100 yards since 1986!

Ben Roethlisberger played well and managed the game effectively, Antonio Brown was down right spectacular and Markus Wheaton continues to grow into his role. He was absolutely jobbed on a call.

The defense started slow allowing another opening score for the third week in a row. But then woke up, after getting gashed for an average of 171 yards rushing in the first two games, the Panthers finished with just 42 yards on 12 carries. DE Cam Heyward and DE Brett Keisel were all over the place and punished Cam Newton all night long. NT Steve McLendon played one of his best games and pitched in with a sack.

Unfortunately injuries stole the show, The linebackers had a great game but suffered two devastating injuries, Jarvis Jones played extremely well but suffered a wrist injury. Arthur Moats filled in nicely in his absence. Ryan Shazier had and ankle injury and Cornerback Ike Taylor had a gruesome arm injury.

The Special teams continues to surprise and had a terrific game. Brad Wing looks reborn since the season started and he boomed a spectacular 59 yard punt. Robert Golden and Shamarko Thomas were disruptive and on the ball all night, forcing a huge game changing turnover.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO

My “GAME BEER” goes to: I am giving out a case of beer this week to the maligned offensive line. Their performance was simply dominating of a very capable Panthers front seven. Marcus Gilbert after playing terrible against the Ravens rebounded and absolutely erased the Panthers up front. Dave DeCastro was great and ripped huge holes in the line. My buddy Mike who I watched the game commented “anyone could run through those holes.” Also Considered: The Running Backs Bell and Blount, and I could give this to Antonio Brown every single week because he deserves it.

Where I watched the game: The Stadium in Saratoga NY, I have watched there several times in the past, unfortunately there was only a small Steeler crowd but my buddies (Tom, Pat, Ed, Mike, Matt and Dan) more than made up for it. I drank Yuengling and ate a Chicken Cheese Steak and split homemade Potato Chips with Dan during the game. The plan was to leave at half time but I stayed the whole game as the Steelers started rolling, superstitious, texted with the Captain and KGB all game as well.

My Stat of the week: The Steelers rushed for 264 yards on the ground!!! That was the first time the Steelers had two 100 yard backs in a game since 1986. (http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198610260pit.htm)

My thoughts on Next Week: The Steelers will face a tough but limited Buccaneers team. The Bucs were humiliated on National TV and I expect Lovie Smith to rev them up. The Steelers will pull this out but it will not be a walk in the park.

The Trib recently ripped the Steelers offseason acquisitions…after two games. The Ravens and their fans are already taking orders for the division t-shirt. The unbeatable Seahawks lost, the 49ers lost and blew a huge lead in the 4th quarter. Somehow I now feel better about our team.

So after having a leisurely day of watching football, drinking wine(Not Beer), and eating KFC, it suddenly occurred to me that maybe everyone needs to relax. I still think the Steelers have an elite front seven and they have all the tools on offense. I think the Achilles heel is still an aged and way to physical secondary.

While I am not sure we are an elite team, I am sure that we can be! So everyone take a deep breath and chill out. It’s pretty simple if we could tackle better and reduce the penalties we can make a run at this thing.

Ben played a terrible game, does anyone think Ben is a terrible QB? Are Jarvis Jones and Ryan Shazier a bust? NOT LIKELY. We need better Nose Tackle play out of Cam Thomas and Steve McClendon and that will fix many of the issues we have.

If you are giving up on the Steelers after two games, you are out of your mind!

The Steelers took a beat down in Baltimore last night, basically getting whipped up by the Ravens on all facets of the game. With a chance to go 2-0 and put the Ravens on their backs in the AFC North, they played miserably in a 26-6 loss.

It was an overall terrible night for the dreadful offense. Ben Roethlisberger was off and his performance was uneven at best. He missed several critical throws and never seemed to find his rhythm. The Steelers actually moved the ball but made several critical mistakes, including Justin Brown and Heath Miller fumbling. The offensive line struggled in protection at times, with Elvis Dumerville punishing Marcus Gilbert.

The defense had a rough night as well. The secondary is struggling and continues to absorb critical penalties. They racked up five of the nine penalties all of which were awful and led to scoring. The linebackers had flashes but Flacco had all day in the pocket. There was no push at all and while he was unspectacular he made the plays. The Steelers front seven while better this week against the run, continues to get gashed.

The mainstream media is saying the defense is too old and slow. That is completely short sighted if you watch the film. For the first time since I can remember, the Steelers are struggling to tackle they had several opportunities last night but couldn’t make the plays. As for being to old, Ike Taylor and Troy are certainly long in the tooth but nine of the 11 starters are now under 30 years old. Brett Keisel is playing a valuable supporting role but the Steelers have limited his exposure. The issue is the tackling and the front three eating up blockers.

Special Teams played fairly well. The coverage units did okay against Jacoby Jones.  Brad Wing had a good night for the most part and Suisham made the kicks he needed to. This has been the only consistent bright spot.

What is encouraging is that Le’Veon Bell, Markus Wheaton and Antonio Brown all continue to play at a high consistent level.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO

My “GAME BEER” goes to: I thought about not giving one out, because the game was that lousy. In the end it goes to Antonio Brown who proved not only is he an awesome receiver he is pretty damn tough. Le’Veon Bell looks fantastic in the early going.

Where I watched the game: Buckley’s Irish Pub in my home town, KGB and I met some friends, KGB Drank Sam Adams, Octoberfest, I had Guinness and we munched on boneless wings Asian style. The cook at Buckley’s Josh, is a Bengals fan but he sure can cook.

My Stat of the week: NINE POINTS in Six Quarters of football. You could have had the Steel Curtain and the ’85 Bears out there and you wouldn’t have won with that output.

My thoughts on Next Week: The Steelers have nine days to fix their issues. They stay in prime time battling the Panthers. It is too close to call right now.

It was a tale of two halves as the Steelers jumped the Browns in the 1st half and survived a second half onslaught to start the season with a win!

The Steelers dominated early and scored 27 of their 30 points behind the brilliant play of Ben Roethlisberger. Big Ben moved the ball at will and passed for a whopping 270 plus yards in the first half. The Browns rallied and scored three touchdowns and a field goal on their first four possessions of the second half to tie the game 27-27.

In the end the Steelers defense held, forcing a punt with less than a minute left, Ben  Roethlisberger completed three consecutive passes and orchestrated a winning drive that covered 33 yards after the Cleveland punt.

Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton and Le’Veon Bell combined for 17 catches and all had terrific days. Antonio Brown will make the highlight reel not for his spectacular play but for a penalty he received when he kicked Spencer Lanning in the head on a wild return.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBtfgHzQQFY

The defense like the offense were dominant in the first half than stunk in the second half. After holding the Browns to three points and dominating, they got pushed all over. When the Browns were in the pistol, they gashed the defense for 183 yards on the ground. The Steelers will need a better and more complete performance next week against the Ravens.

The special teams despite some worries did an excellent job, Robert Golden did a terrific job chucking a gutsy pass to Antwon Blake. While the Steelers didn’t convert off that it totally slowed the momentum. Brad Wing and Suisham were solid and did a great job.

The game was terribly over officiated on both sides of the ball. Nearly every change of possession had a penalty and in the end the zebras handed 19 penalties for 151 yards.

On a side note, CBS and the announcers are just obsessed with Johnny Manziel, they literally showed him scratching his balls on the bench 20 times. Enough already, not to mention he looks like a jerk.

The second half was scary but considering the Steelers started 0- 4 last year, I will take the win!

Beer We Go Steelers, Beer We Go!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: This is a tough choice, but in the end it has to be Le’Veon Bell who rushed for 109 yards and was tied for the team lead in receptions. The Steelers used him to close out the game. Also Considered, Shaun Suisham, Antonio Brown, Big Ben and Markus Wheaton who was tremendous in his first start.

Where I watched the game: At the house, Drinking Leinekugel Summer Shandy, while KGB drank Corona Lite. Aunt Norma had White Zinfandel(Not a typo). It was a family affair today as the kids watched the game and KGB made Kielbasa pigs in the blanket and home made Fried Ravioli. We all ate outside on the deck at half time.

My Stat of the week: Going to keep it positive, Brad Wing averaged 43.7 yards per punt and helped the reeling Steelers defense in the second half. While there seems to be many questions marks for this team, Wing might be an answer.

My thoughts on Next Week: Which is in four days! The Ravens are going to be desperate after losing to the Bengals and blowing a 4th quarter lead. Bring the biggest piece of lumber you can find and lay the wood, this is the Steelers chance to step on their necks.

YOUR 2014 PITTSBURGH STEELERS

While I HATE having the Steelers lose any games…the most important thing is no one was hurt! The Steelers survived the preseason with a listless loss to the Panthers.

The Steelers need to make 22 cuts to get to the “first 53”!

What went right?

-NO SIGNIFICANT Injuries, the Steelers rested most of the varsity either intentionally or because of “injury”, I think Ben had hurt feelings and sat out. The preseason produced no significant injuries which is a welcome change.

-Despite my protests and criticisms, the Steelers front office did a great job in the draft and with player acquisition in the offseason. I still think we needed a Cornerback but Dri Archer is a heck of a lot of fun to watch. The best way to describe that pick, is that while we needed a CB I am sure we didn’t want to say we passed on Archer for some No Name Defensive Back to fill out the roster.

-The Steelers front seven looks terrific. Getting wrecked by the Eagles put a damper on this, but for the most part whatever derivative of seven guys the Steelers put up front, they played well, including nice showings by several rookies. Sean Spence could start for most teams, he will be on the bench for the Steelers.

-Big Ben is in good shape and again without the Eagles game he really had the offense moving.

-The receivers look like they won’t miss a beat after losing Wallace and Sanders in consecutive years. They have speed, size and great hands. I will be sad to see either or both Derek Moye or Justin Brown go, but I think Heyward-Bey has the last spot locked up.

-Three guys who I am pulling for on the roster are Josh Mauro, Dan “Mount” McCullers and Howard Jones. All three bring something to the team and all three have a punchers chance to make it. Mauro looks most likely to go with the return of Brett Keisel but hopefully the Steelers can hide him on the practice squad. McCullers is going to be a fan favorite if he stays and Jones really can play.

-I love that Brett Keisel is back! The Steelers have great D-Line help but there is something special about what Brett brings.

-The Starting Offensive line looks like it can be an asset instead of the clown act it was the beginning of last year. The depth looks a little thin but the starters played well in preseason.

What is a cause for concern?

-The cornerback situation looks dire at worst and passable at best. Any QB with blocking is going to pick these guys apart. The Steelers really need to dial up the pass rush this year to be successful.

-The secondary needs to gel better, I think the safety spot is an asset and like the talent at that spot, but they didn’t play very well together in the limited time

-Having the “Pineapple Express” Running Back tandem went from being a strength to the laughingstock of the league. Seriously, it is pretty sad for the Steelers. Having criminal is a Browns/Ravens thing.

-Special Teams had a borderline awful preseason. The Steelers have lost Long Snapper Greg Warren for a few games which takes up a roster spot. Brad Wing is a lousy punter and soon as another team cuts one loose he will be out of here. Shaun Suisham had a rough preseason and let’s hope he isn’t going to be the new Kris Brown, who woke up one day and couldn’t kick in the NFL.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

The Steelers have released running backs Jordan Hall and Miguel Maysonet, wide receivers C.J. Goodwin and Kashif Moore, tight end Eric Waters, safety Jordan Dangerfield, cornerbacks Devin Smith and Lewis Toler, and linebacker Vic So’oto. They need to release six more by the end of the week.

So’oto was the surprise to me, I think he played well enough to deserve a longer look. I was disappointed about Maysonet because he is from Long Island and was pulling for him. Jordan Dangerfield played well in his limited duty. There are plenty to go still as the count is at 81 right now and they need to get to the “first” 53 and then the “final” 53 after other teams make cuts.

Here are your quick hits for the Steelers v. Eagles:

It was too bad to even write about. But I will say everyone needs to lighten up it was a preseason game and the Steelers just didn’t show up.

The Beard is back baby! After seeing the play of the defensive line the last two weeks this comes as a shock. But honestly, I love this guy and wanted him back!!!

“There really is no place like here, no place like home. It was tough, just the unknown. For them to give me the opportunity to come back means a lot to me and I can’t wait to get back to work. I still have a little time to not only get to know these men I am going to go to battle with, but just get back into football stuff. I feel great. I have been training my tail off with the thought that I am going to be back. It looks like all of that training has paid off.”-Brett Keisel

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2168740-brett-keisel-to-steelers-latest-details-analysis-and-reaction