Beer We Go Steelers

The Steelers will face the Denver Broncos on Saturday for the 7th time in the playoffs. That is the most times they have faced any team in the Post Season. 

Here it is by the numbers:

Steelers are 10 wins against 16 losses with 1 Tie (In 1974 http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197409220den.htm)

They are 5-9-1 in the Mile High City and are 3 and 3 against the Broncos in the playoffs!

Denver 34 – Steelers 21 @Denver 12/24/77

Their first meeting was on Christmas Eve 12/24/1977 in Denver. The Broncos won a 34-21 shootout with the Broncos scoring 13 points in the fourth quarter. A pair of fourth-quarter field goals by Jim Turner broke a 21-21 tie, and Craig Morton threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Jack Dolbin to send Denver to their first AFC Championship Game against the Raiders. They would win and lose to Dallas in the Super Bowl.

Terry Bradshaw turned the ball over 3 times, twice being picked off by Tom Jackson. (Now of ESPN fame) The local papers in Denver had described this game as the “Passing of the Torch” from the Steel Curtain to the Orange Crush! It was; if you don’t count Super Bowl victories and what happened the next year!

The box score: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197712240den.htm

Steelers 33 – Denver 10 @Pittsburgh 12/30/78

In a rematch of the 1977 showdown the Steelers unloaded and routed the Broncos. Franco Harris and John Stallworth, turned in recordbreaking performances to carry the Steelers into the AFC title game with a 33-10 rout of the Denver Broncos. Harris, a six-time 1,000-yard rusher, set an NFL record of 12 career playoff touchdowns by scoring on runs of one and 18 yards. Stallworth, set a then division playoff record with 10 receptions for 156 yards, Including a leaping 46-yard TD grab in the fourth quarter that put the game out of reach.

Terry Bradshaw redeemed his poor play from the year before and lit up the Broncos for 272 yards! 

“Terry Bradshuw was incredible. We knew if he got hot we’d be in trouble. And he got hot,” said Lyle Alzado, the Broncos Defensive End after the game.

* Side note the same day Woody Hayes was fired from Ohio State for punching a Clemson player!

The box score: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/197812300pit.htm

Steelers 24 – Denver 17 @Denver 12/30/84

Six years to the day from their last playoff meeting the Steelers battled the Broncos again with a trip to the AFC championship on the line. The game plan was to run the ball and keep pressure on Future Hall of Famer John Elway. This was one of Chuck Nolls greatest performances as a coach.  Frank Pollard rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns, and Walter Abercrombie added 75 yards. The Steeler defense sacked Elway four times and intercepted him twice, including safety Eric Williams’ 28-yard return that set up Pollard’s clinching score with 1:59 remaining to give the Steelers the victory!

The Steelers would move onto the AFC Championship but would get mowed down by Dan Marino and the Dolphins. This would mark the last Steelers playoff appearance for 5 years.

Box Score: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198412300den.htm

Denver 24 – Steelers 23 @Denver 1/7/90

In what was the most unlikely Steelers playoff team of all time, they started the season with two losses getting crushed 92-10! The Steelers met the Broncos, after a huge upset victory over the Houston Oilers and their big mouth, moron coach Jerry Glanville.

Steelers, who had a league-low 251-yard-per-game average in the regular season gained 404 against the Broncos, who allowed the league’s fewest points. Bubby Brister matched Elway pass for pass — he was 19 of 29 for 229 yards and threw a 9-yard TD to Louis Lipps. Elway was 12 of 20 for 226 and scrambled for 44 more and threw an interception. Merril Hoge put up 180 yards including a bruising 120 on the ground.

The game slipped away in the fourth when Elway took the Broncos 71 yards in nine plays, capped by Mel Bratton’s 1-yard g o-a h e a d touchdown. Any hope for a victory vanished when Bubby Brister bobbled a snap from backup center Chuck Lanza, (Who filled in for ONE PLAY) it was recovered on the Pittsburgh 18 by Denver defensive back Randy Robbins.

Brister for all his shortcomings was a fiery player and played this game with such heart. While the loss was rough, this defense was the beginning of the Cowher Dynasty.

Box Score: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199001070den.htm

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES:

Denver 24 – Steelers 21  @Pittsburgh 1/11/98

Winning his rubber match playoff game against the Steelers, John Elway threw two touchdown passes in the final minutes of the first half and the Broncos held off turnover-ridden Kordell Stewart 24-21 in the AFC championship game. Up to that point, no NFL quarterback had won more games or led more comebacks than the 37-year-old Elway. It was vindication for Elway who would win his first of two Super Bowls, by beating the heavily favored Green Bay Packers.  

Kordell Stewart was awful and he was exposed in the game, he went 18-of-36 for 201 yards, with a TD but was responsible for all 4 of Pittsburgh’s turnovers. Yancey Thigpen had six catches for 92 yards. Jerome Bettis put up great numbers running the ball for 105 yards and a TD.

The Steelers lost the Championship game at home for the second time in four years. What I learned from these experiences, was that if you bring the better QB to the game, you have a good chance at winning. It isn’t always the case but it certainly plays out that way quite a bit. Elway was proof of that, it would also manifest itself the next time they would meet in the playoffs. 

Box Score: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199801110pit.htm

Steelers 34 – Denver 17 @Denver 1/22/06

Coach Cowher received vindication as the Steelers, who previously upset the Colts the week before, marched into Denver and jumped the Broncos. Big Ben Roethlisberger, was a second year quarterback who played like a seasoned veteran, completing 21 of 29 passes and kept the Steelers going on six of seven crucial third-down situations in the first half. He also rushed for a touchdown that sealed the game in the fourth quarter!

This time the Steelers played with the better Quarterback and it rang true as Jake Plummer turned the ball over twice and never got going in the game. The Broncos were down 24-3 at the half and never recovered.

The Steelers became the first team since the 1985 Patriots to win three postseason road games en route to the Super Bowl. They beat the Seahawks of course and won their six title!

Box Score: http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/200601220den.htm

Chad Spann: Height: 5′-9″ Weight: 198 

2010: Started all 14 games at tailback for the Huskies. Led the MAC and ranked 20th nationally in rushing yards with 1,388. Averaged 99.1 yards per game. Led the league and tied for fourth nationally in scoring with 132 points, an average of 9.4 per game. Led the Football Bowl Subdivision with 22 rushing touchdowns to break the NIU single season record. His 132 points is the most points ever scored in a season at NIU. Won the 2010 Vern Smith Leadership Award as the most valuable player in the Mid-American Conference as voted on by league coaches. Also named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. A consensus first-team All-MAC selection and was also named the MAC MVP and Offensive Player of the Year by rivals.com. Recorded six 100-yard rushing games and scored at least one rushing touchdown in 11 straight games. Eight of his runs went for 25 yards or longer with the longest a 79-yard effort versus North Dakota (9-11). Finished the North Dakota game with 140 yards on 21 carries. Named Football Bowl Subdivision National Offensive Player of the Week by the Walter Camp Football Foundation and MAC West Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for a career-high 223 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries at Minnesota (9-25). Rushed for 80 yards on 17 carries and added 14 yards on three receptions in the season opener at Iowa State (9-2). Earned NIU’s Co-Big Hit of the week after rushing 24 times for 100 yards against Temple (10-9), beginning a string of four straight 100-yard performances. Posted a career-high in carries with 31 for 111 yards and scored two touchdowns versus Buffalo (10-16). Totaled 101 yards on 23 carries with three rushing scores. Recorded his sixth 100-yard game of the season and 10th of his career versus Western Michigan (10-30). Tallied a career-best three rushing touchdowns against both Toledo (11-9) and Ball State (11-20). Rushed for 88 yards on seven carries and scored two touchdowns, while playing only the first half at Eastern Michigan (11-26). Finished the season rushing for 95 yards and two scores on 15 carries against Fresno State in the 2010 Humanitarian Bowl (12-18).

From: http://www.niuhuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/spann_chad01.html

The Pittsburgh Post Gazette is reporting what everyone I believe already knew. Rashard Mendenhall is done for the year with an ACL injury. He went down Sunday in the season finale against the Browns and didn’t return. This is a serious blow but something the Steelers can overcome.

Look for Redman to get the starting job and Clay to be the backup. Keep and eye on Mewelde Moore, who has been out with an injury, as he will become extremely important now.

Ryan Clark is going to sit Sunday. The secondary is pretty banged up and it is tough to lose him, but it also makes very little sense to risk the guys life. For him to play in the altitude of Denver, is a life and death situation for him.

For a few minutes on Sunday, it looked like everything was going to fall into place for the Steelers. The Patriots were losing and the Bengals were fighting back against the Rat-birds. But in the end, the Steelers settled for another hard fought victory and were unable to claim a higher seed than fifth.

It is very frustrating to finish second in the division, but it is also a badge of honor to win 12 games, which is what we predicted at BWG at the beginning of the season!  The Steelers had a very rough beginning this year and lost two of the first three, including a sound thrashing at the hands of the Ravens. They also lost several key players to injuries, but were able to hold on… and like they always do, they battled back and put together the 3rd best record in the AFC.

As for the Browns game, the Steelers had trouble scoring but really kept the Browns on the leash all day. Ben Roethlisberger, who sat out last week, played the entire game. He looked rusty and struggled at times but still led the key drives to victory; including a great end of the first half drive highlighted by a nifty catch by team MVP Antonio Brown. Sean Suisham hit a field goal and cut the lead to 6-3. The Steelers opened the second half with 10 points and never looked back. 

The dark news is that Rashard Mendenhall looks to be lost for the season with a possible ACL tear.  Mendenhall was on pace to break a thousand yards with a big effort Sunday, but went down with a knee injury. The Steelers will rely on Ike Redman who was having a terrific game before he fumbled on consecutive drives. John Clay becomes a very important person now. I also think the Steelers will try and bring in some help if Mewelde is out also.

The pass defense cemented its number one status as Troy Polamalu played a great game and looked like the dominant Troy; he had an interception and an amazing sack, he timed the snap count perfectly and was in the backfield on the snap of the ball. Ike Taylor battled Josh Cribbs all day and kept him in check. Cribbs is plain awesome, he made several special teams tackles, had some good catches, he also sells the hot dogs at half time and the beer in the stands between plays. The Steelers held the Browns to less the 180 yards passing and smacked up Peyton Hillis. Hillis finished with 30 yards on ten carries and was never a factor in the game.

The best highlight for BWG during the day was a little shuffle pass that actually lost 3 yards! Hines Ward caught his fifth pass of the day and now has 1000 catches in his career. This very well might be his last year with the Steelers, but we will be seeing him in Canton, Ohio soon! Hines IS an awesome player and for those who have missed it, is one of the greatest receivers in NFL history.  Keep an eye on him in the playoffs as I expect a huge swan song.

How about the job Mike Tomlin has done; this marks four out of five years that he won at least ten games. He has won 3 AFC North titles, Two Conference Championships and a Super Bowl in FIVE YEARS and we are still counting!!! He is truly a great successor to the Noll, Cowher Dynasty!

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Antonio Brown, He was the team MVP and he went over 1000 yards yesterday. He is the first player in NFL history with 1000 Yards receiving and 1000 return yards! Also Considered: Troy Polamalu who was nuts yesterday, Hines Ward for catching his 1000th catch. 

Where I watched the game: Hanging with my family; my daughter Hailey, who is Steelers through and through, my sister Traci and her husband Andrew, who brought Tecate and Corona Light. We wailed down Pizza including Sicilian Pizza with Eggplant. (A great call by KGB) I was driving everyone nuts with the remote as I watched the game mix every commercial!

My thoughts on Next Week: TEBOW TIME. The Steelers will face Tebow Magic in Denver. This is not going to be as easy as it seems. Look for a tough game with the Steelers thwarting a Tebow Comeback. I have terrorized KGB and E-Roc all year about Tebow, so it is just that the Steelers end his season.

THE PRO BOWL

-The Steelers defense is first in yards allowed, second in points allowed and that garners count ’em, one pro bowl Starter, Troy Polamalu. The Ravens defense had you bet; FIVE, including Ray Lewis who has missed significant time and has been a non factor since he has been back. Joe Thomas from the Browns made it, watch this week as he holds Silverback on nearly every play and rides him like a whipping mule.

Congrats to Big Ben, Maurkice Pouncey, Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown on making the team as well.

Suspension Nonsense Part II

-Nice work by the NFL, James Harrison, our beloved Silverback, served a one game suspension last week for hitting Colt McCoy in the facemask with his helmet. The play was a penalty, the FIRST personal foul of the season for Silverback. It was the first time a suspension was handed out for hitting a player on the field in over 20 years. The suspension that was handed out, was completely arbitrary and draconian. Richard Seymour punches another player, not in the heat of battle but after the game. He also did this last year when the Steelers handed the Raiders a beat down and he punched Ben! No suspension is expected. This sends a great message from the league.

I agreed with Coach Tomlin on making everyone be quiet about it. That is what we as the fans are here for. The league is showing a huge double standard.

Also on the subject, nice work by the Browns who didn’t even know that Colt McCoy had a consussion and let him finish the game, he is doubtful for this week as he can’t pass the concussion test. Besides being fined by the league, Pat Shurmur should be horse whipped and thrown off the Moses Cleveland Statue!

Steelers Christmas!

So Christmas has come and Steeler Claus didn’t forget his favorite blogger, the Steelers haul this year was pretty hefty:

-Two Great Steeler books:

MEN OF STEEL, By Jim Wexell. Wexell is a great writer who has a great deal of wit. I always enjoy his work.

100 Things Steelers Fans Should Know and Do before they Die! by Matt Loede. A great compilation book and will let you know after I read it.

-Steeler Gloves

-A Yinz sticker

-Steeler Holiday Hat

-Steeler Seat Covers for my Suburban (AKA The HULK)

-A Steelers plaque of the 2011 Team

-Two Awesome Steelers shirts, (Picture’s to come)

-A Steelers Calendar for 2012

-Steelers Golf Towel

-Ben Roethlisberger “Statue”

-Steelers Office Chair; that is plain awesome

I realize that I am behind almost two months on comments and email, But please send in your Steelers haul and I will post the best stuff!

Playoff Talk

-While we certainly can be be beaten, the team is not bullet proof, we can beat ANYBODY. So trust me no one wants to see the Steelers as they should be the toughest out on the AFC side.

-When picking out playoff teams, the best way to pick, is look at the QB, there is only one QB matchup that the Steelers lose in the AFC and that is to the Brady Bunch.  

-For the sake of all that is Holy, I want to beat the Patriots and I am begging for a rematch with the Packers! It still kills me thinking about what might have been!

The Steelers are a “mediocre” 4-3 on the road. After this week they should be 5-3. That is so lousy that it ranks second in the AFC behind the Evil Patriots. The invincible Ravens are 3-4 and could fall to 3 and 5, Sunday if we get our wish! 

Steelers fans received our favorite Christmas present today, another Christmas Eve shutout! The Steelers shutout the Rams! Rashard Mendenhall rushed for over 100 yards and Charlie Batch did an excellent job filling in for Big Ben!

Charlie Batch is now 5-2 as a Steelers starter. He played a very effective game at QB. The offense played well, despite yet another patchwork offensive line. Doug Legursky went down with an injury forcing Trai Essex to take over. Legursky was filling in for Maurkice Pouncey again and promptly left the game with an injury.

Despite the unsettled line, the Steelers did a great job protecting Batch and busting up the Rams up front. Rashard Mendenhall banged out 116 yards and looked great. Ike Redman chipped in for 35 bruising yards and John Clay, just activated from the practice squad, ran for 10 yards and a Touchdown on his first play from scrimmage on the first play of his career! Way to go Clay!   

The defense turned in a good performance, although the score didn’t tell the story. The defensive line struggled against the run, and for the third time this season an opposing running back gashed the defense for 100 yards. Steven Jackson had a huge day. The Secondary played a great game and again Ryan Clark, turned in a great effort along with the rest of the D-Backs.

The Steelers are rounding into shape as down the stretch we come!

Quick note, finally someone defended Silverback in the national media. It was John Lynch during the broadcast. It isn’t a surprise that Lynch defended him if you saw him play. He was an absolute killer across the middle and he made teams pay for coming his way. His style of play would be a serious issue in the NFl today but to call it dirty is simply wrong. It was good to hear that someone stepped up. Lynch is also extremely close with Coach Tomlin!

BEER WE GO CHRISTMAS, BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Charlie Batch, he is an unsung member of the Steelers and his performance was excellent. He has been a great asset to the team and he is a great person off the field. Also Considered were Rashard for banging out 100 yards, Ryan Clark for another solid outing.

Where I watched the game: Frantically wrapping presents and drinking McSorleys Dark Ale. Another time I will share the Captain Tailgate at the actual McSorleys story. KGB put on a great spread of Cheese and Red peppers.

My thoughts on Next Week: The Browns will be tough, the Steelers will be tougher, look for them to play it close and pull away in the second half!

It can be argued, but to me, today marks the most important day in Pittsburgh Steelers history. The Steelers fate changed on December 23, 1972. The Steelers were always physically tough, but they didn’t beat you on the scoreboard, they beat you up on the field. They were an NFL doormat for more than forty years but on this day; the Steelers were lifted from lethargy and launched the greatest dynasty in football history! The Steelers left the darkness and came to the light.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S08LIRj5q5c&feature=related

 BTW Dan Rooney HATED the name Immaculate Reception and considered it blasphemy! 🙂

This was a five star matchup, featuring Eleven Super Bowl Championships between each team. I had a bad feeling going into this game and that manifested it pretty early. When the lights went out twice, it was apparent that it was going to be a tough night.

Big Ben who continued to tough it out and played in a boot was courageous but clearly out of synch he had two HUGE turnovers and his clock management at the end of the half was awful. It seemed like an eternity since the Steelers played and they looked completely rusty. When the night ended the Steelers playoff picture took a major hit and their chance to seize first place in the division was lost.

I can’t stand over officiated games and this one was terribly over officiated, including the soon to be famous “Leaping” penalty. Seriously, leaping? The calls were mostly awful all night for both sides. Adding to the frustration was the AWFUL Monday Night Announcers who just blather on about everything, to be clear they did not “hate” on the Steelers in fact they were complimentary but it is a horrible package to listen too. I was going to comment on how much I liked the Thursday night crew but didn’t want the blog to get too long. I wish I had, as the contrast is night and day. Gruden is just ridiculous, Tirico does an admirable job considering the morons he is paired with and Jaworski is a crappier version of Joe Theisman.

As for the game itself, it was a rough night. The Steelers defense was probably a C+ effort, it was good enough to win but not up to Steelers standards. James Farrior and Lawrence Timmons both had tough games, Farrior was getting killed in coverage and Timmons was out of position so many times. Both are marquee performers so we can give them a pass for an off night. Lamar’s hamstring is becoming a recurring issue and he again had to leave the game early. That caused Jason Worilds to basically be invisible. The best performance by the linebackers was Silverback Tweeting about the lights being out!

I thought the secondary had a very good night after they had a slow start. It was a nice effort by Troy and Ike. Ryan “Crash” Clark played his best game this season and Keenan Lewis is right on the verge!

The Offensive line was horrible, AGAIN. Trai Essex couldn’t pick up any of the stunts and Max Starks played his worst game since he got back. In their defense, the team is completely different with Pouncey in there. The offense moved the ball pretty well but turnovers and extremely long fields were tough to overcome. Jericho Cotchery and Heath Miller had great games. I also have to ask WHERE IS HINES WARD?  

Special Teams, is so important and people never give it the credit it deserves. The Steelers missed a much needed field goal. The player of the game to me was Andy Lee the 49ers Punter, he trapped the Steelers the whole game and they could drive it sixty yards and barely be on the 49ers side of the field.

Here is the bright side, the Steelers almost certainly will make the playoffs and whether they are 1 or 2 or 5 have a clear road to where they need to go. They were missing their best O-lineman, their best defensive player and their QB was playing at 60% and it was a closer game than the score indicates. 

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!!!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Heath Miller! After fumbling last week Heath bounced back to have a great game. The Familiar “Heeeeaaaath” chant was awesome and BWG nation deserves credit! Also considered, Ryan Clark and Jericho Cotchery.

Where I watched the game: SHUTTERED in the house. The Steelers weren’t the only people having a rough week. We needed to just lay low. I also didn’t have a beer which I believe contributed to the mediocre effort.

My thoughts on Next Week: Another short week, The Rams are in for a very bad day as I expect the Steelers to jump them off the bus. This will be an underdog team that the Steelers man handle!

So the league suspended Silverback. The media has been priming the screw gun all week and today they got their wish. I knew the play was going to get fined because when you drill someone with your helmet you are going to hear from the league. But a supension in the heart of the playoff race is such crap, I can’t begin to discuss my annoyance at this.

Here are the honest facts. At no point during this season has James Harrison been flagged for any illegal hits or plays. Second fact, the play was certainly borderline. Again, it warranted a fine given the rules but a SUSPENSION? No player has been suspended for a tackle on the field since Charles Martin wrecked big mouth Jim McMahon in 1986! Lastly, how about throwing a few flags for Silverback since he gets held on nearly every play. Joe Thomas was practically riding on him Thursday night.

Now for all the haters; the Steelers don’t get all the call’s. We are going to lose our best player in a pivotal game. If that isn’t a jag off session I don’t know what is. I hope Thaddeus Gibson gets a ring to maybe try and make the team again. Also, keep your fingers crossed that LaMarr can go.

BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

This feels like a bye week since the Steelers played Thursday. The Media is driving me nuts this week regarding “Silverback” James Harrison. It is fair to say that we are biased towards Silverback, I don’t think his play on Colt McCoy is dirty but it DEFINITELY warrants a fine. You can’t hit anyone especially a QB with your helmet. We are not going to sugar coat it. But these discussions about his possible suspension are plain nonsense. He has count them; one personal foul, this year.  The media is up and arms about him as some type of dirty player.

The other media speculation that is driving me up a wall is,  the Ben Roethlisberger and Maurkice Pouncey injuries. The reports as late as Sunday were practically they were going to have to have their respective ankles amputated. Now they have a mild sprain. Who knows?