Beer We Go Steelers

The Steelers, despite losing both LaMarr Woodley and Troy Polomalu, outlasted the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 16-14. Shaun Suisham kicked a field goal with no time left to lift the Steelers over the Philadelphia Eagles.

It was a sloppy game for the Steelers offense but they made the plays when they needed them and they rallied for the first time this year. Big Ben was a little off and didn’t put together his best performance. But he did put together the game winning drive which included two third-down conversions. The protection was very good and the O-line played its best game of the year.

Rashard Mendenhall restarted the stagnant running game and the offense pulled it out. The Wide Receivers had one of their worst games in recent memory but again made the big plays when they needed them. Manny Sanders had a huge 3rd down catch.

The defense which has been maligned all season put together a good game. The Defensive line was terrific as they produced two sacks and kept Michael Vick and LeSean McCoy in check. The linebackers put together their best defensive efforts with Silverback pushing around the Eagles and Lawrence Timmons making several key plays.

The game was horribly over officiated and the Eagles cheap shot after every play. It made for a tough game to watch in the first half but any victory works for me right now.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Rashard Mendenhall, He was back in a big way. He averaged 5.8 yards per carry in his first game since anterior cruciate ligament surgery. Also considered, Lawrence Timmons who was all over the field and caused a big fumble. Shaun Suisham, who kicked the game winner!

Where I watched the game: At the house with KGB and the Kids! The beer of choice was IC Light and KGB made wings and Sausage and peppers! 

My Stat of the week: The Eagles offense managed only 246 total yards. They were greatly assisted by some over officiated penalties as well. Not bad for a Defense which again was missing two of its best players (Woodley and Polamalu) but still put together a solid effort.

My thoughts on Next Week: Next week is in two days! The Titans are awful and this should be a win. But this team has been up and down all year. I will be in attendance in Nashville!

While we certainly needed it and it is very important, I hate the bye week. I had to listen to a double week of how bad the Steelers suck after the Oakland jerkaround session. Here is a couple of points:

-The running game has been bad, but the offense has been excellent and they have been playing without Mendenhall who certainly put himself in a good spot with negotiating!

-Dick LeBeau went from being a genius to old and predictable. SIMPLY WRONG. The Steelers have struggled to generate much of a pass rush and the secondary was awful in Oakland. But I also think having a pair of healthy former Defensive Player of the Years would certainly fix many of the problems. I believe in LeBeau and if you are writing him off, you haven’t watched the Steelers over time. LeBeau is solid and will get us through. Before we write off the defense, let’s see how they do when they have the FULL 11 guys on the field.

-I was very sorry to hear about Chuck Pagano, the Coach of the Colts. While he isn’t Steelers, he is part of the NFL family and we need to keep a good thought for him.

The Steelers coughed up a ten point fourth quarter lead and dropped their second game of the season 34-31 to Oakland. The Raiders outscored the Steelers 13-0 in the Fourth Quarter capped by Sebastian Janikowski’s 43-yard field goal with no time left for the win.

It was an awful game for the defense that looked slow and tired throughout the fourth quarter. The Steelers had no pressure up front, and the secondary was leaky the entire game because of it. The defense also was horrendous against the run, getting gashed for a huge gain by Darren McFadden to tie the score in the first. McFadden finished with 113 yards. The Raiders put up 34 points while only holding the ball for less than 24 minutes.

The Steelers made several costly mistakes including two back breaking fumbles. Antonio Brown had one of those days that young players sometimes have. He had two fumbles, one that basically put Oakland back in the game. Jonathon Dwyer also had a terrible fumble that allowed Oakland to tie the score right before the half.

The Special Teams allowed Mike Goodson to go 54 yards and had a TD called back. They were El Stinko for the first time this season.

Ben Roethlisberger and Heath Miller both had tremendous games, as Roethlisberger racked up 384 yards and threw four TD’s including two to Miller who is having the breakout season we predicted! Mike Wallace also had eight catches and ten different Steelers caught passes. That was the only bright spot of a very dismal day.

The running game still has not taken off. The leading rusher for the Steelers was Ike Redman but he only banged out 27 yards. The Steelers rushed for 54 yards on 20 carries. The rushing statistics have decreased with each game and have gotten worse every, single week. They need to be more consistent and the offensive line needs to open us some holes.

The defense just hasn’t found its groove yet. The Steelers actually went for it on their side of the field because Coach Tomlin didn’t have the confidence in them to stop the Raiders. That is downright disturbing!

The Steelers badly need Silverback and Troy back ASAP.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Ben Roethlisberger, It was a great performance and he was nearly flawless! He could have won the Game Beer any of the first three weeks and this week we can’t overlook what Ben has done! Also considered; Heath Miller for his two TD catches, as well as WALLACE who had a great game.

Where I watched the game: At a bar called the Stadium in Saratoga. I also had to do business during the game, as several of my clients came to check in on me. The Steeler turnout at the bar was lousy with no Steelers section. I sat with Eagles fans that were in their own version of Hell, and my friend Steve Hubbard who is a Raiders fan. I also met a Bay Area native who rejoined Raider nation named Todd! I was drinking “Saratoga” Beer and the food and service were outstanding. The game itself was not.

My Stat of the week: This is a bad one, I am afraid. The Raiders rushed 21 times for 119 yards! That is just awful and the front seven had one of the worst games I have seen in a long time.

My thoughts on Next Week: Not sure what to expect right now. The Eagles looked awful Sunday, but so did the Raiders the week before. Look for a SLUGFEST in the battle of PA with the Steelers squeaking it out.

Meeting your hero can sometimes leave you disappointed. You have expectations, and they often fall short of the pedestal that you put them on. Last week at the Joe Namath Golf Outing, I was lucky to meet one of my all time favorite players, Dermonti Dawson. He was arguably the best Center in the history of football, but that doesn’t even come close to telling the story. He is an even better person than he is a Center or football player!

Besides being humble, Dawson is one of the nicest people I have ever met. A Hall Of Famer who was quick to point out that he was busy, but you know, “good busy”. He shared stories of Mike Webster and what he learned from Mike. He spoke of playing Bethpage Black and how he had to take pictures for his father and he took the time to know my name and my friends’ names.

Dawson also saved me from a huge blunder. I was so excited to meet him, I forgot to ask him to sign my hat. Dawson asked, “Hey can I sign your hat?” I had LC sign it last year and he noticed. He also reminded me that John Jackson was at the outing too and LC Greenwood  was back. 

At the reception, Dawson found me again and asked if I able to see John Jackson. He had told John to look for me. I did get to meet Jackson, with an unlikely assist from Ratbird all world tackle Jonathon Ogden. (Who by the way is another great person.)

It was one of the greatest experiences and it was all to support the March of Dimes!

http://www.marchofdimes.com/?gclid=CJ71jaTZxrICFcXb4AodxW4AVw

The Steelers had a nice rebound after a tough opening week loss, beating the Jets 27-10. The defense started slow giving up two scoring drives to open the game but then rebounded nicely to shut the Jets down the rest of the way!

It was a great effort by LaMarr Woodley who sacked Sanchez once and was in his face the whole game. Lawrence Timmons had a huge first half and made several key plays. He can also expect a call from the commissioner for creaming Mark Sanchez with a helmet to helmet hit. Except for a little confusion with the freakin’ Tim Tebow Wildcat, the Jet running game was shutdown, including a Shonn Greene TKO by Ryan Clark. It was a good effort by the D-Line and the Linebackers!

Ike Taylor had a great and gutsy comeback game. After being burned by Santonio Holmes for a 14 yard TD in the first half and getting two huge penalties he shutdown Holmes after that and made him a non-factor. It was a good effort by the secondary who were missing Troy Polamalu. Ryan Clark had a terrific game and this defense could be something special again if they ever get back to full strength.

The offense had a very solid Steeler like game. Big Ben played a near perfect game making several huge plays and converting on third down in several key spots. Ten different receivers caught the ball and none was bigger than the 37 yard TD to Mike Wallace! The offense put together a TEN MINUTE drive to all but end the Jets chances of a comeback. I am not down on the running game despite lousy numbers. They grinded the Jets down and in the end won the battle!

The replacment refs are HORRIBLE and one of my texts to Tom Janicki, BWG President, was a call to storm the field and restore some law and order. Both teams had some horrible calls go against them and they slow the game down to a near crawl. 

On a personal note, I really needed this win. It will net me two lunches at the place of my choosing, a happy hour a bottle of wine 100 dollars or more and most importantly BRAGGING RIGHTS at my company and neighborhood! It is now onto Oakland, to play the Raiders!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!  

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Ike Taylor, it’s not about getting knocked down, it’s about getting back up. He was hosed on one bad call and he had trouble with Santonio when the game started, but by the time the whistle blew Holmes, the Jets best weapon, was a non-factor. Also considered; LaMarr Woodley who had a HUGE GAME and Big Ben who played a near perfect game.

Where I watched the game: My parent’s house with friends from the country of Wales and my whole family. I had to explain that this is actual football not lame-o soccer. My Dad put on a ridiculous spread of Chicken Parm, Eggplant Parm, two different kinds of pasta, antipasto and Sausage and Peppers. KGB took mercy on me as usual, she did the family stuff while I hid out eating and watching the game. I drank Coors Light. (It’s my parent’s house and pickings were slim, what can I tell you.) I kept in contact with Tom Janicki all game, the BWG crew represented at the Stadium!

My Stat of the week: Ten different Steelers caught passes. That is awesome and shows the new offense has some nice innovations. My favorite catch was by fullback Will Johnson.

My thoughts on Next Week: I am traveling to Saratoga on business and will be watching the Steelers abuse the Raiders. If the Steelers play the way they can this should be a good week.

The Steelers take on the Jets today, a rematch of the AFC Championship from two years ago. I am reporting deep behind “enemy” lines as my neighborhood in NY is mostly Jet fans! 

The Jets despite a miserable preseason unloaded on the overmatched Buffalo Bills last week and Mark Sanchez got the Tebow boo birds off his back for another week. The Steelers dropped their opener to a rejuvenated Peyton Manning and looked sluggish at times.

No Revis for the Jets and no Silverback for the Black and Gold takes a little bit of shine off this, but it should be a good game.

Keys to a Steelers victory:

 1. Jump them off the bus! The Steelers need to score early and put the pressure on Sanchez and keep the Tebow Wildcat on the bench. The best way is to get Wallace involved early and often.

2. They need better pressure off the corners. The pass rush was spotty last week. With Silveback out, the Steelers need Carter to step up the pass rush.

3. Keep the Offensive Line on the field. Continuing the horrible trend from last year the Steelers lost two out of five OL guys in the middle of the game last week. A good offensive line is not the five best players, is the five guys who play TOGETHER the best. This line has great potential but needs to be consistent, that only comes with playing together.  

4. Stay the course. It amazed me how people got on Todd Haley already after one week. I thought the offense looked terrific, accept for the last series and getting Heath Miller more involved is a great thing. If the Steelers executed the game plan better they would have pulled out last week.

5. Run the football. This is pretty obvious, but the Steelers need to run better than last week and a healthy O-line should make that happen.

This week will post tonight or tomorrow AM

Also will post pictures from the Joe Namath Golf Outing where I met three Steelers, Including Dermonti Dawson who was outstanding!

Sorry for taking so long to post this. I do appreciate people calling me out on it and actually… I am a little flattered. I am not going to do a full game recap as it is already old news, but I will do some quick observations.

The Steelers lost a bizarre opening game to the Denver Broncos. Despite dominating time of possession and putting together several good offensives series, they lost by double digits. Peyton Manning, as we correctly predicted, was the player to watch. He had a terrific game and absolutely had the Steelers on their heels every time he touched the ball. He put on a clinic on how to read pass coverage and sniff out blitzes. It was a great performance and he deserves the accolades.

The good news is that the new offense looks very good! Watching Heath Miller slice Denver up was the highlight of the night for me. Ben needs more time in it but there was plenty to be excited about. The Steelers converted 11-19 3rd downs and got yards when they needed them. Eight different receivers caught passes, and if the execution had been a little better the Steelers would have built a huge lead.

The downside was that one of BWG’s favorites had an AWFUL game….Doug Legursky. The Offensive Line was doing a great job in protection until both Foster and Gilbert went out. Legursky looked slow and was wrecked on three series. 

The defense played poorly. I am going to give them a pass on this one though, which is going to draw the ire of some of you but here is my reasoning;  First, they played without Silverback and Ryan Clark and it was noticeable, Second… sometimes you have to give the devil his due and Manning was just outstanding. Keenan Lewis and Ike Taylor held their own, while Cortez Allen struggled. The pass rush was spotty at best. 

I will be behind enemy lines this Sunday, as my new neighborhood is a cabal of Jets fans. Look for a big bounce back this week against the Jets and I will be on a regular posting schedule next week!

BTW, does anyone know if Tim Tebow is on the NY Jets…. asked no one…. ever! 

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!  

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Heath Miller, I always believed in this guy and think he will have a breakout year. Love when the crowd yells “HEATHHHHHHHHH”. Also considered was Larry Foote who had a great game and filled in admirably as James Farrior’s replacement.  

Where I watched the game: My new house with just KGB. I am getting the impression that people don’t enjoy me screaming at the TV and throwing the remote as much as I previously thought. We had IC Light for the game as my local guy carries it. We had to ditch a family party early to get home for kickoff.

My Stat of the week: Heath Miller caught 4 passes for 50 yards. While that didn’t lead the team, what it does represents is that Todd Haley’s offense is actually going to use Heath. This could be huge!

My thoughts on Next Week: Being trapped in Jets hell in my new neighborhood, it should be a fun week. I think coming off a tough loss and playing at home we should look for a good bounce back week.

Here are our opening day quick hits:

-“The Emperor Chazz” Chuck Noll when asked if he was worried about how tough his schedule was replied, “Our schedule isn’t tough; we don’t have to play the Pittsburgh Steelers.” I think Peyton Manning would agree.

-The player to watch in Denver is Peyton Manning. Not really a shock; the future Hall of Famer brings his pedigree to the table and to a new city. While Tim Tebow is safely stealing every headline in NY, Manning will have to answer for the “Denver Debacle” of last year.

-Art Modell passed this week. His legacy is extremely complicated. I never liked Art Modell and it would be hypocritical for me to pretend I did now. He reminded me of Mr. Potter from “It’s a Wonderful Life”. What he did to the fans of Cleveland was one of the worst things, in the history of pro sports. He is the Walter O’Malley of football but without the same causes that O’Malley had. But it would also be extremely short sighted and unfair if that was his all he was remembered for. He brought the NFL back to a great city in Baltimore and he is the father of the Ratbirds. That is a huge contribution. He also saw the value of TV and helped make the NFL better because of it. Lastly, he was a pioneer when it came to the issue of race which is still complicated in the NFL today. RIP Art Modell.

-I have a family obligation on Sunday so the NFL schedule makers have smiled on me with the night game.

The good news is, the Steelers finished 3-1 and showed some really great flashes of brilliance. The bad news is: Injuries, Injuries, Injuries!  We lost two of our three top picks in the draft to injuries, in addition to losing our starting H-Back(Dave Johnson) and racking up dozens of other injuries.

Last night’s casualty was Sean Spence, who was having a monster camp. He had a brutal knee injury and looks to be done for the entire season. For those keeping track at home, that is Dave DeCastro: knee injury possibly done for the season, Sean Spence: who looks to be done for the season with a knee injury as well, Veteran David Johnson: done for the season with a torn ACL, and promising running back John Clay: also done for the year with a torn quad.

The loss of Spence took away the joy of the victory and what will possibly be the last appearance by Charlie Batch. Batch had a great night and made his case to finish out his career with the Steelers. He could very well be a roster casualty today given the injury situation with the team.

It was also great to see Big Snack; Casey Hampton out there playing and eating up blockers as well. Hampton looks like he is ready for one more season of stuffing the run in the middle of the D-Line.