Beer We Go Steelers

The Steelers overcame a travel nightmare, a hostile vitriolic crowd, three very bad calls, and a ten point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Super Bowl Champions! It was a tremendous victory for the Black and Gold over the best opponent they have played this year.

The Defense played its most complete game of the season, shutting down the Giants running game and keeping Eli Manning off pace all day long. Dick LeBeau, who three weeks ago was considered washed up, dialed up another virtuoso game plan. After surrendering 4th quarter leads in every game they have lost this year, the Steelers held arguably the best fourth quarter QB in check to seal the victory. The front seven closed every gap and the secondary was air tight. They held the vaunted Giants offense to 13 offensive points and 182 yards. Keenan Lewis and Ryan Clark both were called for nonsense penalties that resulted in the Giants only offensive touchdown. Ike Taylor picked off his first pass of the year.  

 It was another great game for “Big” Ben Roethlisberger who clearly outplayed Eli Manning. Ben had two costly turnovers, one of which was completely incorrect. But despite that, he did a great job overall and when the game was on the line made every play that he needed to, including a huge end of the game 3rd down completion. The star of the offense was Ike Redman, backed up by the o-line, which pulverized the Giants Pro-Bowl front four for 158 yards on the ground. They pushed the Giants all over the field.

The receivers also played well, with excellent performances by Manny Sanders, who caught the first TD: a great back of the end zone snatch, Mike Wallace who took a hot route read and turned it into a 51 yards TD, and Jericho Cotchery who did a great job filling in for the injured Antonio Brown.

The lowlight of the day was watching Shaun Suisham’s failed run on a fake field-goal attempt. It was a gutsy call by Mike Tomlin and he deserves credit, but it also proved near disastrous and I don’t think there could have been anyone slower on the team to run it. The Steelers were down by three and he went for the TD.

Another Week another set of injuries were losing Antonio Brown and Chris Rainey who looks like he might be done for the Year.

With all the adversity it was a great win for the Steelers! It was a heavyweight showdown and the Steelers delivered the knockout blow! 

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Ike Redman, who gashed the Giants offense after a two-game absence and set career highs with 147 yards rushing on 26 carries. He also scored the winning TD on a 1-yard run. Also considered: the offensive line, who paved the way for the 147, Big Ben, who is a perennial star, and Keenan Lewis, who played a great game.

Where I watched the game: At the house with KGB, the NY BWG Crew and my buddy Mike and his lovely family. The beer of choice was IC Light and Sam’s Winter. We had Pizza and a Calzone the size of a toilet seat, which Mike was kind enough to treat to. It was bittersweet because we live in NY and with all the craziness this week, a gas shortage, and no electric, we had to skip the game in person. We also had to skip our home and home with the BWG Pittsburgh crew. We ran the TV on generator power and had a great time!  

My Stat of the week: The stat of the week is 147 Yards on 26 Carries. While that is Ike Redman’s line, the stat represents three weeks in a row that a Steelers running back rushed for over 100 yards. Todd Haley’s offense is really shaping up!

My thoughts on Next Week: This is the classic trap game against the Chiefs, after beating the Champs, as the Rat birds are on the Horizon! But an important story line is that Todd Haley is going to want to run it up on his former employers so watch for a Steeler blowout.  That’s right… I am calling for a blowout!

So unfortunately we didn’t get to post the game report last week. We survived Hurricane Sandy! This included an Eight Hour Escape trip from our beloved ‘Burgh, a gas shortage and day six without electric! I am writing this using a generator. We will post all the pictures this week from the ‘Skins game and we will report on the Giants game. Which because of the hurricane the Steelers can’t stay in NY and we will not be able to make the game. Tom Janicki and Captain Tailgate had to cancel their trip to NY. 

This is a very special game this week with several stories surrounding it; including the Ben v. Eli saga, the Rooney Family v. The Mara Family, which is a battle of football royalty. The Super Bowl Champs v. the Steelers. The Question of who Rooney Mara will root for?(I might have just made that up.) Also this is a battle between me and all my friends whose loyalty to the Black and Gold ends when they play Big Blue. Only my BWG brothers are invited here tomorrow. When the Steelers play the Jets its fun here but not the same buzz as the Steelers v. the Giants. Looking forward to the game!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

We landed in the ‘Burgh today, took in the sites including the Heinz History Center. We had lunch at Peppi’s and dinner at Primanti’s.  What we really want now is a STEELERS VICTORY!

It looked like it might be a tough night at first, but in the end the Steelers put together a nice division win, 24-17 over the Bengals. After a lousy start in which they fell behind by 11 points, with several gruesome mistakes including dropped passes, an interception, and a lost fumble, the Steelers dominated the Bengals on both sides of the ball!

The Steelers’ much maligned defense came up big for the first time this season. A deflection by Ziggy Hood and a key pick by LaMarr Woodley changed the tone of the game late in the first half. We held the Bengals to just 163 yards through the final three quarters of the game and kept the fourth lead intact. Ike Taylor held AJ Green to just one catch. He played a tough game all night and kept AJ under wraps.

The running game finally got rolling. Jonathan Dwyer, the running back that never goes away, played for the first time since his fumble in Oakland. He rumbled for 122 yards, the first 100 yard game this season for the Steelers, and he grinded out 70 second half yards including the game clincher. Chris Rainey ripped off an 11-yard TD run on a counter play to put the Steelers ahead. It was a razor sharp cut and he flew through the hole.

Big Ben put together a solid, if unspectacular, day. He had several key 3rd down conversions and despite two turnovers he made the plays that he had to. The offensive line, specifically backup center Doug Legursky and Willie Colon, played a great games and really handled the Bengals front four.

Mike Wallace had probably his worst day as a Steeler and he had three horrible drops. Conversely, Antonio Brown had a huge day and would have thrown a TD if Baron Batch didn’t misread it. Heath Miller is, well, Heath Miller. He did a great job helping in pass protection and he is having a breakout season, catching his 5th TD of the year. Manny Sanders made a huge play on the game winning score. The offense is finally clicking and despite the media playing up the Ben and Todd Haley soap opera, the numbers don’t lie. This team can score and looks like they can run with anyone.

It was a good night and it is back to the Burgh for the RG3 Show!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: The Steelers offensive line, That’s right… the WHOLE O-Line gets a game beer. They were banged up, but put together a great protection package and Willie Colon was blowing up the Bengals up front. Also considered, Jonathon Dwyer, who pounded out 100 tough yards and Ike Taylor for holding AJ Green who is plain awesome to one catch

Where I watched the game: At the house with KGB and my buddy, Mike Inzerillo, the Pool King of New York! The beer of choice was Long Board IPA from Kona, great Beer, we skipped the snacks as it was a late game! I also texted with BWG President Tom Janicki all night. No word from the Captain I am afraid! 

My Stat of the week: The stat of the week is a great one… 1 for 8. That is how many catches AJ Green had against Ike Taylor. That is a great day for Taylor. The one catch he did make was for a TD, but it was hard to fault Ike Taylor because it was excellent coverage.

My thoughts on Next Week: I will be in the ‘Burg, with Little Miss Tailgate and KGB! The Steelers face RG3 and the Redskins. I will be excited to see the Gatorade, Subway Sandwich, Selling Super Athelete. The Steelers should hold on to nip the ‘Skins!

After putting together a fourth-quarter comeback to take a seven-point lead, the Steelers allowed the Tennessee Titans to score twice in the final four minutes, 26-23, and won the game on Rob Bironas’ 40-yard field goal with no time left. It was a huge disappointment as BWG was in attendance.

Ben Roethlisberger passed for 363 yards, including an 82 yard bomb to Mike Wallace that broke Terry Bradshaw’s career passing yardage record with the Steelers. I figured this out YESTERDAY as I helped my daughter with a school report, so I didn’t even get to celebrate it. He has 28,066 in his career; Bradshaw 27,989. Congrats to Big Ben!

It was an utterly terrible game by the defense, who couldn’t hold any of the leads they were given. Ike Taylor was crushed by the refs on several calls. The secondary was diced up by a less than stellar passing attack of the Titans. Keenan Lewis dropped what would have been the game clinching interception.

The Titans, who lost the last four games by 21 points or more, kept the Steelers on their heels all game and they made the big plays when needed.

It was truly a lousy performance and the worst I can remember under Mike Tomlin. They now have close to 10 days off to try and right the ship.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Shaun Suisham for belting a 52 yard field goal. He also gave it a hell of a boot on the 54 yarder, even though he came up short. I have been critical of Suisham, but I have to give him credit. Also considered, NO ONE! Seriously this game sucked that bad.

Where I watched the game: At LP field with my friends Teri(Who wore the BWG colors), Don and my buddy Taki. Taki came up with a chant to drive the home crowd crazy. The place was packed with Steeler fans and we drowned out the Titan’s fans most of the day. The Titans management handed out some bootleg Pro Breast Cancer Towel to compete with the Terrible Towel. Seriously they are Pro breast cancer down there!!!

My Stat of the week: The Titans were 9-16 on 3rd down. They also crushed the Steelers defense in the 4th quarter.

My thoughts on Next Week: I couldn’t come on here and predict a win. I think the Steelers will muster one more fight and HOPEFULLY will play the Starting defense. Buckle up!

Quick hits are coming tomorrow. LOTS to catch up on.

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.