Beer We Go Steelers

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.

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/8740774/the-immaculate-reception-franco-harris-pittsburgh-steelers-owners-ball-play

Sunday marks our holiday as Steeler fans!

The Steelers made several mistakes that cost them the game and possibly the playoffs in this 2012 season. Ben Roethelisberger and Antonio Brown both made critical errors in the fourth quarter and overtime, culminating in a 27-24 loss against the Dallas Cowboys, their fourth loss in the past five games that dropped the Steelers to 7-7.

It was an entertaining game, with both teams slugging it out. Both the Cowboys and the Steelers have key injuries but both teams put together gallant efforts. The Steelers had the chance to put the Cowboys away after overcoming deficits in the second and fourth quarters, but Antonio Brown had a critical fumble and the Cowboys recovered to tie the game up. Brown had a terrible game and made several mistakes at the end, including waving off a punt that cost the Steelers twenty yards and he went out of bounds to give the Cowboys extra time on the last drive.

Big Ben threw a back breaking pick in OT to clinch the game for Dallas. It ruined what was an awe inspiring performance; he completed 13 of his final 17 passes for 230 yards and finished with 339 yards and two touchdowns.

The defense was banged up and it showed. Ike Taylor and Cortez Allen were missed as Tony Romo used their absences to pick on a game but over matched Josh Victorian. Romo was 10 of 10 in the third quarter, completing all seven passes for 89 yards on the drive that ended with a 24-yard touchdown to Dez Bryant.

The front seven struggled to put pressure and protect the secondary. The bright spot was Silverback continues his second half renaissance. He caused a huge turnover that kept the Steelers from getting buried early and crushed Tony Romo on third and one to stop a Cowboys drive.

It was a heartbreaking loss and one the Steelers let get away. The playoffs start next week for the Steelers as whoever wins most likely will get into the playoffs v. the Bengals.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Silverback, James Harrison made the two biggest plays on defense. It’s good to see him back in this thing! Also considered: Dave DeCastro who played his first game and played well!

Where I watched the game: With my daughter Little Miss Tailgate and KGB. The beer was Miller Lite and  we had a great Spaghetti dinner while watching the game.

My Stat of the week: Is 17 rushes for 69 yards, where was the running game in the second half? Why are the Steelers not running the ball with any kind of consistency.

My thoughts on Next Week: This is now DO OR DIE and a win will save the season a loss will define this season as a total failure and one of the worst in the last ten years! Now is the time, no more chances, no more excuses!  

The Steelers drop another one to an under .500 team! This time the underachieving Bolts come to Pittsburgh and upset the Steelers. The Steelers are still clinging to the last playoff spot!

It was an all around “el stinko” performance with lousy performances by the offense, the defense and even the coaching.

To sum it up best, the offensive line couldn’t open holes to run the ball and had trouble protecting Ben, who made two extremely costly turnovers, the front seven couldn’t sack Phillip Rivers, who was playing behind a patchwork line. The Secondary couldn’t stop the Chargers from converting third downs, with Cortez Allen having a tough day. Even the Special teams got caught sleeping giving up a back breaking 4th down conversion to seal the win! 

Also it wouldn’t be a Steelers game without another key injury, Willie Colon looks like he is done for the year! He had a good season but again finds himself on IR for the third straight year! And once again, the Steelers couldn’t beat a team that had lost eight of its past 10 games. Adding the Chargers to Oakland, Tennessee, and Cleveland as awful teams who have beat the Steelers this year.

The good news is that the Ratbirds and the Bengals lost! Keeping the Steelers in the hunt for the playoffs.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Shaun Suisham, who kicked a 49-yard field goal at the end of the first half to remain perfect between 40-49 yards (10 of 10). Also considered: Drew Butler, who belted a 79 yard punt which was the second longest in team history! Other than that “EL STINKO”!

Where I watched the game: At the house while decorating and with my son Dante! We were eating Cheeses and I was drinking Long Ireland Winter Ale. The beer was the only highlight of the day! 

http://www.longirelandbrewing.com/Long-Ireland-Beer.html   

My Stat of the week: One Sack, which is atrocious, given the fact that Rivers has been batted around like a punch clown this season and he was playing behind a line of five guys who had never played together ever! …also if the Steelers would have split with the Browns, Raiders, Chargers and Titans all who have atrocious records, they would be in first place contending for the third and/or fourth seed instead of clinging to the last playoff spot!

My thoughts on Next Week: The Steelers are playing a Cowboys team that is coming off a very emotional week. Hey they have a winning record so maybe the Steelers have a chance!

The Steelers pulled a rabbit out of the hat and beat the Ravens for the first time in five games! Led by veteran Charlie Batch the Steelers overcame a 10 point deficit.

A week after a lousy performance in Cleveland, Batch directed a 61 yard closing drive to setup a game winning field goal! The 15-year veteran went 25 for 36 for 276 yards, threw a touchdown and rallied the Steelers in a must-win game against their hated division rivals. He even threw the biggest block of the game springing Jonathon Dwyer. It was one of the best and most unlikely performances and it kept the Steelers playoff hopes alive.

The offensive line put together a great collective effort. Playing without two starters and having Maurkice Pouncey playing guard the line kept Batch upright. The running game was mediocre but the line’s protection schemes were nearly flawless. Especially, on the last drive where they had the Ravens on their heels. Max Starks roughed up Terrel Suggs and smacked him around all game. Kelvim Beachum held his own and put together a solid performance.

Heath Miller put together another outstanding game. He seemed to make all the big catches, including a 43-yard catch-and-run to set up the first touchdown and he made an amazing stretch for a TD to tie the game.

The biggest play on defense was by SILVERBACK. Who caused the game changing turnover and swung the momentum. He is becoming a force to be reckoned with again! Troy Polamalu was back which was great, unfortunately Ike Taylor was injured and he looks to be out for at least three weeks. Ryan Clark had the first pick of the game.

Batch was the story though and despite a shaky start he was the hero of the day!

Mike Tomlin also deserves credit because the Steelers were outmanned and outgunned but found a way to win! He even punked out John Harbaugh during the hand shake!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!!!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Charlie Batch, a veteran who has done everything that has been asked of him! Also considered:  Silverback, who caused the game changing turnover!

Where I watched the game: At the house with my son Dante. The beer of choice was Sam Winter which was perfect for the occasion. KGB joined us for the fourth quarter. We had pizzas from Luigi’s!

My Stat of the week: 276 Yards passing for Charlie Batch. That was the most yards thrown in his entire Steeler career! He saved the season before and he might have just done it again!

My thoughts on Next Week: The Steelers should rough up Phil Rivers and pull out a squeaker!

I was born in 1973, went to College in PA from 1991-1995, and have had DirecTv since 2001, and I can honestly say that this was the worst Steelers game I have ever seen. While it is easy to use the excuse of no Ben, I find it extremely hard to put this at Charlie Batch’s doorstep when the team turned the ball over and astounding EIGHT times. There is no formula for winning that way. This game was an absolute horror show. The fact that the Steelers still even had a chance to win it, is a testament of how bad the Browns actually are. It also continued the trend of the Steelers losing to the bottom feeders.

Also adding insult to this was… No Troy again, Woodley was injured again, and the Steelers lost two offensive linemen, Willie Colon in warmups, and Mike Adams during the game. Both their replacements struggled, as Legursky didn’t play well in pass protection and Kelvin Beachum was penalized (UNFAIRLY) for holding on a huge gain by Heath Miller.

Charlie Batch will be the story today in the national media. Also, that the Steelers don’t have a credible backup. There is no way Batch could be faulted for yesterdays loss. While his stat line was awful, two of the three interceptions he threw were the fault of Plaxico Buress and Mike Wallace respectively. While his play was far from good, it wasn’t the reason the Steelers lost. That fault would be on the running backs!

All four of the running backs — Rashard Mendenhall, Isaac Redman, Jonathan Dwyer and Chris Rainey — lost fumbles. They are solid players but all of them now have to be considered turnover risks.  Their performance was one for the dubious history books. Rashard Mendenhall has fumbled three times this year on only 34 carries! It was just an awful day for all of them.

On a brighter note, the defense, despite a lack of turnovers, did a GREAT job in keeping the Steelers in a nearly unwinnable game. Silverback is beginning to break out of his slump and Lawrence Timmons continued his excellent play! Ryan Clark has become a dominant force and the secondary is rounding into shape. Also, the stats don’t tell the story for the D-line. They played a good game, despite giving up 108 on the ground. The Browns had seven runs for zero or negative yards and averaged just 3.2 yards per attempt. Brett Keisel tipped the ball that allowed Lawrence Timmons to make a 53-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Coach Tomlin is going to whip these guys this week. This is another crossroads for the Steelers, and the good teams bounce back, the bad teams go home. The story of the 2012 Steelers is still up in the air!

Beer We Go Steelers, Beer We Go!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Lawrence Timmons, whose interception(pick6) was one of the few bright spots in the game! Also considered:  Silverback, who is beginning to ratchet up his play and Brett Kiesel who had a sack and helped force the int.

Where I watched the game: At the house with all my family. The beer of choice was Kona Fire Rock IPA which was terrific. KGB put out a ridiculous spread including a Cheese Plate, Kielbasa pigs in a blanket with hot mustard, and an artisan Pizza. The kids RAVAGED the food!

My Stat of the week: The stat of the week.. 10 wins against 23 defeats is the combined  record of three of the teams(Raiders, Titans and Browns) that the Steelers have lost to this year!

My thoughts on Next Week: The Steelers have next to no shot against the Ravens on the Road without Ben. I just don’t see it.