Beer We Go Steelers

Here are the Steelers 2013 free agents:

• Mike Wallace — Wide Receiver — Not worth the money, some fools will give him(See Plex 1, See Randle El)
• Keenan Lewis — Cornerback — Not worth the money he will command, for the right price definitely, but don’t think that will happen
• Emmanuel Sanders — Wide Receiver — Absolutely a keeper and should get signed
• Rashard Mendenhall — Running Back — Did a good job until last season, he wore out his welcome and it is time to move on
• Jonathan Dwyer — Running Back — Worth one more look, I would take a chance on “the minibus”
• Isaac Redman — Running Back — Worth one more look, had shown flashes of brilliance
• Ryan Mundy — Safety — played admirable but short on talent, time to say addios
• Max Starks — Offensive Tackle — Had a good season but it is time to part ways
• Doug Legursky — Center — Keep for depth, did well in a pinch last year
• Casey Hampton — Defensive Tackle — ONE MORE YEAR, ONE MORE YEAR
• Charlie Batch — Quarterback — Yes, but as the number three QB
• Byron Leftwich — Quarterback — Not getting it done when called upon, time to let him go
• Plaxico Burress — Wide Receiver — Worth a second look and could fit in nicely
• Steve McClendon — Defensive Tackle — ABSOLUTELY, Showed flashes of brilliance
• Stevenson Sylvester — Linebacker — Kind of torn on this one, really like his upside, but did nothing last year
• Will Allen — Safety — Did a great job last year when needed, definitely should bring him back
• Larry Foote — Linebacker — Need him here, should get one more year.
• Ramon Foster — Offensive Guard— Someone will pay him, we shouldn’t
• David Johnson — Fullback — Not coming back, I like Will Johnson
• Leonard Pope — Tight End — Bring him back with Heath being out
• Justin King — Cornerback — Worth a second look and would come cheap
• Brandon Johnson — Linebacker — I didn’t even know who this guy was, so see ya later
• Greg Warren — Long Snapper — Bring him back, the Steelers will try and solve this with a rookie or a cheaper alternative

From the desk of Tom Janicki,

Past:  This is the Super Bowl, so many great memories.  I must admit that my 1^st Super Bowl memory does not start with the Steelers.  I may have been conceived after a 70’s Steelers victory but the 1^st Super Bowl that I can remember involved Marino vs. Montana and I had my 1^st bad taste from the Niners.  Com’n Man, growing up in Pittsburgh Marino was a God.  He made it look easy.  I can remember him getting dismantled by SF that day.  That was the start for me of a losing AFC tradition in the big game. I can remember being an AFC supporter and never winning.  13 straight loses if my memory serves correct.  John Elway letting me down a few times.  Jim Kelly not being able to win the big game.  Very few games growing up through the 80’s were even remotely close.  Icing on the cake was that the Steelers were rarely competitive.  I must admit that the Steelers were not even in the thought process during those years.  I watched and remember the names but I was not a true fan.  Then the Steelers started fielding good teams (finally) right around the same time that I was new to the tailgate scene.  You know, a Keg with no ice and some Solo cups, really all you really need!!  Anyway, back to the Super Bowl…My 1^st really impactful pre Super Bowl memory was Stan Humphries to Alfred Pupunu and grown men crying and not leaving the stadium after the loss to the heavily underdog Chargers in ’94-’95.  If that was the agony of defeat then the thrill of victory was the following year as the Colts and Jim Harbaugh’s pass fell to the ground.  I thought I would never see a larger group of men hugging as I did that day.  Because I was not accustomed to the winning tradition, winning an AFC Championship game at home seemed to be the greatest feeling in Sports.  I took a few weeks off of college to travel to Tempe with money I really didn’t have.  No chance to get in but was able to experience the atmosphere non the less.  Steeler nation took their 1^st Super Bowl defeat that day but the love for the atmosphere was the tip of the iceberg.  Beer We Go was born shortly thereafter.  The following years were filled with winning teams that just couldn’t seem to win the big game again.  Then we drafted Big Ben and the rest is history!!  Super Steeler Bowl # 5 was less than spectacular, freezing cold Detroit and a Seattle team that was happy to be in the game.  We were coming from the 6 seed having beaten the Bungals, the Colts (Best game that I had attended up to that point in my life, 1^st time that I was in a dome and that building was loud!) then the Broncos.  Winning that Super Bowl seemed to be a foregone conclusion being that the “Bus” was retiring and the game was in his home town. (eerily similar to this years plot).  The best part about the game was that I made a failed attempt at sneaking into the game prior to kick-off but was successfully in the 4^th quarter with the bearded King Joey Harkins.  My advice to all that are going to a Super Bowl in the future and can’t afford it…hang out by the exit of the stadium and be patient.  What a celebration that was.  We finally got one for the thumb.  I could remember back to the Mean Joe commercials and shirts pushing for one for the thumb.  Fast forward toTampa a few years back.  At this point, I was able to afford an over priced Super Bowl ticket.  This memory rivals everything that I had done up to that point.   It would have a hard time believing that there will EVER be a better Super Bowl moment than the silverback taking it the length of the field.  Then Santonio’s catch totally trumped the interception.  The last Super Bowl was our most difficult for personal reasons and the defeat did not help matters.  Bottom line, the Past has been VERY GOOD to our Black & Gold.  VERY GOOD INDEED.    

Present:  I have a distain for the Ravens because they are the Browns.  If it was ever Brown it must be flushed down and the Ravens will always be an extension of Brown.  I have a hard time stomaching either Harbaugh especially Jim just because of his antics on the sideline.   I have see-sawed all week on whether to even pay attention to the game.  How could I not, it’s the Super Bowl.  I was leaning towards rooting for the 49ers just because I did not want any joy to be felt by theBaltimorefan base.  Further more, this Ray Ray media blitz is over the top and it’s the Ravens.  We as Steeler fans have a hard time rooting for our rival.  My thought was the Super Bowl would be buried on the West Coast and would be forgotten in weeks opposed to if the Ravens won they would play the Steelers on Thursday night and probably dump Gatorade on Harbaugh before kick-off.  Man I hate the Ravens.  But….flip the coin…the 49ers are 5-0 in the big game …Doesn’t a Super Bowl in the AFC North build the divisions resume?  I typically pull for the AFC.  I must say that I would prefer a terribly played game (similar to the last Ravens Super Bowl victory) where the ravens come out on top.  It pains me to write that as well.  I take “SIXBURGH” totally out of the equation within this thought process.  I like to think Super Bowls are just a small part of the history of Championships in the NFL.  We may claim to have the most Super Bowls but many other teams (Green Bayand NY Giants come to the top of the mind) have a greater championship tradition.  This should not and does not take anything away from the “SIXBURGH” argument, just saying that argument is a bit short sighted…dontcha think?  If the Ratbirds are to win, fast forward to next year, I hope that we play them on Opening night…remember those cowards refused to play us the year after our last ring.  There would be nothing better to release the pain of this season than to beat the paper Super Bowl Champs in there own building celebrating the ring.  Again I dispise the Ravens but I would rather put it to the rival champs next year opposed to “couldn’t win the big one again” Baltimore Ravens.  My final present Super Bowl thought, Randy Moss claims he’s the greatest wide receiver of all time…what a joke…I would roster Hines Ward over Moss any day of the week and twice on Sunday…I for one do not want to see that guy win a Ring!!  You feel me?       

Future:  We, as Steelers fans, have been blessed with Championship caliber football for many years and I believe many more to come.  We are getting long in the tooth though.  We need to start doing a better job with the draft and potentially go away from the norm and bring in a free agent or two (Steven Jackson is at the top of my wish list).  As long as we have a healthy Ben, we have a good shot to bring the glory back to the Burgh.  This year has been forgotten and we will be counting down the days to another deep playoff run next year.

To wrap it up, no disrespect to the Super Bowl participants this year; regardless of our likes or dislikes, they earned the right by getting into the playoffs and winning to this point.  They both deserve the chance to lift the trophy (I just threw up in my mouth!).  May the best team on Sunday win!!

BEER WE GO STEELERS.  Next up, draft day!!

I LOVED THE RESPONSES!!! Being an optimist, we can’t win Sunday, but we also can’t lose. If the 49ers win our hated rival takes the ultimate loss. If the Ravens win we protected “Sixburgh”! Bottom line is WE GOTTA GET BACK!!!

So I posted that question on Linkedin and here are the responses:

Jay Winesburg • Absolutely have to protect Sixburgh. The Ravens helped us by preventing the Pats from reaching their 8th SB. Now they can defend our league leading six rings. Plus a little satisfaction in knowing we could/should have beat them twice this year.

Jim Barto • Totally agree… I do not want the Dirty Birds to win but I want more to protect our exclusive “SIX RING CLUB” membership!!! It really kills me to root for the Ravens but I will. We need to get number seven next year so we don’t have to worry about who has six!!!

Jerry Burns • I was torn in the beginning as they did tie us at 5 at the end of their 1st SB run with Steve Young…but, they were aging and it was the end of the run. This 49er team is just ramping up and while I can’t stand the Ravens when the Steelers are involved (i.e. AFC North championship, playoff seeding, head-to-head), I found myself rooting for them silently against the Patriots (my wife is a Pats fan) because of the SB trophy count. So, I will be rooting for the Rats With Wings on Sunday evening…although I do believe the 49ers have too much diversity for them to handle…I hope I am wrong. Sixburgh must become Seventh Heaven next year to avoid such immoral decisions…lol!

Nancy Jarosz Theys • We need to protect “Sixburgh”!

Ron Sellers • I cannot and will not under any circumstances root for the Ravens. I like being alone at the top in terms of rings, but that should be maintained by the Steelers winning more, not rooting against some other team not to reach where we are. If the 49ers are good enough as a franchise to win or exceed our total, then good for them.

I will not root for someone else to fail just so we can be the best. I will root for us to WIN so we can be the best.

Anita Giaccardo-Parisi • …I love wearing “ya got Six”… “Da Burgh Does”,,, Hate to even think another team will be able to say that!!!!!!! It’s funny when I see my cowgirls fans and 49er fans wearing their “got 5 rings” shirt,,, I just laugh

India Dillihunt-Brown • PROTECT SIXBURGH!!!! As much as I despise the Ravens, I LOVE the AFC!!!! AND I do mean DESPISE….. This is a hard call. I hate the Ravens but do not want the 49ers to catch us either. STEELERS 4 LIFE….

Gilbert Romero • I totally agree, protect SIXBURGH!! I hate the Ratbirds but keep it in the AFC North and don’t let the 49ers catch us. Pats are overrated and ARE NOT in the same class as us!!

Thank you all for your responses!!! Posting the final season report next week!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!!!

It is dark times for Beer We Go Nation!

The Ravens beat the Patriots for revenge in the AFC Championship. Now, as Beer We Go Nation, we are forced to choose between protecting “Sixburgh” or rooting for our arch rivals!

Here is my final Report Card for the 2012 Season.

GRADES:

Coaching: B, Mike Tomlin guided the Steelers through his roughest season as Steelers Coach. There were several distractions including the Todd Haley v. Ben Roethlisberger love triangle, as well as several crushing injuries. The Steelers offense looked unstoppable at the beginning of the season but never recovered after Ben’s injury. Dick LeBeau continues to be the greatest defensive coordinator in NFL history. After a very slow start the Steelers defense picked up and were first in passing defense and second in rushing defense. Keep in mind that they lost Polamalu for nine games, Silverback for three, Woodley for three, Ike Taylor for four, and Keenan Lewis for two. The lack of turnovers was a black mark, but the defense really turned it up in the second half. It is hard to argue with the coaches given the amount of injuries.

QB: B, Big Ben was off to the best start of his career when he was sidelined during the Chiefs game. That injury effectively ended both his season and the Steelers. The Steelers lost two of out of the three games. Charlie Batch put an exclamation point on his career with the big comeback win over the now AFC Champion Ravens. I wrote this last season and will write it again, if this is his last season with the Steelers,  I will remember him as a great contributor who did what was needed! Byron Leftwich was a ghost and again was injured and ineffective.

RB: F, It was a horrendous season for Rashard Mendenhall and his career with the Steelers looks to be at an end. He had attitude problems and he put the ball on the ground way too much. Ike Redman and Jonathon Dwyer both had flashes of brilliance but were inconsistent at best. Chris Rainey was a huge disappointment and then he decided to punch out a woman so we won’t be seeing his sorry act anymore. This will definitely need to be upgraded in the offseason. The lone bright spot was Will Johnson, who played a great fullback!

WR: C+, It was a very strange season for the wide receivers as Manny Sanders and Antonio Brown were bona fide threats and stars, but both had very costly turnovers. Mike Wallace was dreadful all year and his contract situation was a major distraction. He looks to be on the way out of the ‘Burgh. Jericho Cotchery was solid and the Plaxico Burress show was a nice addition mid-season and deserves an encore.  

TE: A+, Heath Miller is the best tight end in football and for the first time in his career got to showcase it.  When people run down Haley’s offense I point to the season Miller had. David Paulson was a nice contributor, as was Leonard Pope when called upon.   

OL: C, It was a tale of two seasons for the offensive line. The starting line played well and started to gel nicely. Then injuries hit, four out of the five starters went down. Max Starks was the last man standing. The biggest disappointment was Willie Colon, going down for the third year in a row on IR. He played an excellent guard and was an absolute mauler some weeks. But three years on the IR should seal his fate. Maurkice Pouncey was spectacular at times, doing duty at Center where he was an All-Pro and Left Guard. The emergence of Dave DeCastro and Kelvin Beachum together with the development of Marcus Gilbert and Mike Adams makes this unit a future bright spot.  

DL: C+, The defensive line put together a good, if not very spectacular, season. Casey Hampton, in perhaps his swan song as a Steeler, anchored the line and got better as the season went on. Brett Kiesel put together back to back good seasons.  He made several big plays and he pressured the QB all season. Ziggy Hood and Steve Mclendon both took steps forward, “Steelhead” Heywood took a few steps back and needs to put together a better 2013 campaign.

LB: C+, The strength of this team was once again hurt by injuries. Silverback and LaMarr Woodley combined for only ten sacks and only showed flashes of the greatness that they have in the past. Lawrence Timmons is now the best linebacker on the Steelers and he had his best season. He was unstoppable at times and played well within his strengths. Great things are on the horizon for Timmons. Larry Foote put together a nice campaign and provided the veteran leadership that was missing when James Farrior retired. Jason Worilds is developing nicely and had significant playing time, Stevenson Sylvester was injured and took a huge step back! This unit is seriously lacking depth.

DB: A, The Steelers secondary had a great season and again have young, exciting talent that is beginning to develop. Ike Taylor was a great contributor and he had an excellent season until his injury. Ryan Clark was a killer in the secondary and was arguabley the defense’s best and most consistent player. Troy played well when he wasn’t injured, but again, he missed nine games and never got totally on track. Keenan Lewis was injured but had a good season and appears to be headed out of town. That will open the door for Cortez Allen who is emerging.

BEER WE GO STEELERS! BEER WE GO!

We will be posting the final report as well as some quick hits this week. We are in football Armageddon right now!

Chris Rainey was released by the Steelers sending a message. This is the second time Rainey was in trouble for a domestic violence incident.

Super Bowl Week we will do the end of year report! Also will put up my Steelers’ Christmas presents!

In a fairly anticlimactic game, the Steelers beat the Browns 24-10 and finished the season without a losing record. It was a reversal of fortune in that the Steelers struggled to move the ball and were actually outgained, but made the plays that were needed to win. The defense forced three fumbles and had an interception to close the deal.

It was a disappointing season and the game was uninspiring. The Steelers defense looked kind of bored and every time the Browns were driving they would make the play to stop them. It was only the second time in the past 11 games a team gained more than 300 yards against the defense, but they never broke and kept the Browns off the scoreboard.

Lawrence Timmons and Cortez Allen played great games. Timmons absolutely ear holed third string Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis and sent him from the game, then promptly sent Josh Johnson to the showers on the next play! Cortez Allen will have a good chance of starting next year with the impending departure of Keenan Lewis. Lewis was injured in the first quarter and left the game.

The offense was disjointed, and Ben Roethlisberger confessed that he hasn’t been right since his return. Unlike the last two weeks, they made the plays when needed and pulled out the game. Jonathan Dwyers rushed for 52 yards making him the team leader with 623, one of the lowest totals in the last forty years. Without Heath Miller and Wallace the passing game struggled and the offensive line was banged up AGAIN, losing David DeCastro (stinger) and RT Kelvin Beachum. That forced Doug Legursky in at Guard and Ramon Foster had to play tackle, where he had trouble.

Nine different players caught passes and six players caught at least two passes. Plaxico Burress made his case to come back next year with a great catch in the end zone for his first Steelers touchdown in eight years. Also chipping in were Leonard Pope (Yes, he is still on the team.) with a TD catch and Antonio Brown who put together a nice season, sans the Cowboys game!

Whether the Steelers made the playoffs or not, it was going to be a quick exit. While teams can’t and won’t use injuries as a reason for losing, the Steelers were just too banged up at the end.

It is going to be a long offseason this year! 

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Lawrence Timmons who capped off a great season with a great game. He was one of the bright spots in a dismal year. Also Considered: Plaxico Burress, who made a great catch on the Touchdown, Cortez Allen who made a great case for a starting job next year!

Where I watched the game: Back at the house, quietly sipping on a Spider Bite Pale Ale with KGB with great sandwiches from Uncle Giuseppes!

My Stat of the week: Four turnovers for the Steelers defense. It was an uneven effort, but the turnovers were solid.

My thoughts on Next Week: It is going to a be a terribly long off season!

Heath Miller was named Steelers Team MVP! It couldn’t have happened to a better player! Before everyone throws Todd Haley overboard, look at Heath’s numbers.

In a game that summed up the entire season, the Steelers dropped a close one to the Bengals Sunday. It was a typical Steelers loss this season, where the Steelers failed to execute in key situations and left the Bengals in the game long enough for them to snatch it. (*See the Raiders game report, the Titans game report and the Cowboys game report.)

The Steelers were eliminated from playoff contention because of their inability to find ways to win close games. In games that were decided by three points or fewer, the Steelers were 3-5, in games that were decided by a touchdown or less they were 5-7. If you look back, the Steelers always grabbed those games with big plays when needed. Not this year. 

“Big” Ben Roethlisberger is going to take the blame on this one, as once again he turned the ball over in two very big spots. He simply hasn’t been the same since the injury. 

Roethlisberger had been as clutch as anyone on the team in previous seasons, but he came up short in a lot of crucial situations this season. But Roethlisberger’s turnovers don’t tell the whole story, because the Steelers had plenty of opportunity to pick him up and win this one. They just didn’t execute.

The offense played its worst game of the season and the Steelers struggled to run the ball in this one. Todd Haley, who has been the media’s whipping boy, will somehow take the blame on this one. They certainly emphasized the running game, but just didn’t get it done. The Steelers ran the ball 31 times but only managed 80+ yards.  Geno Atkins hammered Dave DeCastro and Ramon Foster; he planted Big Ben on several series. Except for a great catch and run by Antonio Brown, the receivers were a non-factor in the game.  

The Defense played its most complete game of the season, swallowing up the Bengals running game and creating six sacks and three turnovers. They didn’t allow an offensive touchdown. The secondary, which was missing Ike Taylor and had a one legged Keenan Lewis, put together a solid but ultimately losing effort.

Of course it wouldn’t be a Steelers game in 2012 without a crippling injury. Heath Miller was the latest casualty, going down with a knee injury and it ending what was a magnificent season for Miller! He finished with over 800 yards and had eight big TD’s. He should be the team’s MVP.

Whether it was an injury, a fumble in a key spot, an interception late in the game, a missed field goal, a bad snap, or a crucial penalty, the Steelers just didn’t execute all the way through this season and now find themselves set to play a meaningless game for the first time since 2006.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel who played great games. Hampton was a force this week and Keisel played a terrific game. They bottled up the Bengal’s running game. Also Considered: Silverback, had one sack, and Larry Foote, posted seven tackles, Troy Polamalu looked like vintage Troy.   

Where I watched the game: Buffalo Wild Wings in Deer Park NY, KGB took me out for “lunch” and the Steelers crowd was great there.

My Stat of the week: AJ Green caught 10 passes for 116 Yards and caught the biggest catch of the game. With Ike Taylor in the lineup he had ONE catch for eight yards when they met previously!

My thoughts on Next Week: This is now a meaningless game, the Steelers will play their final regular-season game knowing it will end there. I would like to see a strong effort and a five hundred finish. Some guys will be playing for their jobs and other guys will be playing for pride. It would be catastrophic if the Steelers were swept by the Browns.