Beer We Go Steelers

We may have lost the Lombardi this year but BWG Nation is bringing in the Mirrorball! Thanks to Hines Ward our often criticized but never to be underestimated WR.

It is no secret that we love this guy here and if he won a pie eating contest we would have been proud. DWTS is serious competition and he did an excellent job. It also was a nice distraction from all the Labor woes.

I also think it is fair to say that Christine Johnson should immediately be made a member of Steeler’s Nation!

What I liked best of course was the frequent use of the Terrible Towel by everyone from the fans, to teamates to the curmudgeon judge Len Goodman!

Congrats to Hines Ward. I can’t wait to get back to the business of football!

Hines Ward has made it to the final of Dancing with the Stars. He has been outstanding all year on the show. I am happy to see him on main stream media and glad he beat out OchoStinko and Mike Irvin.

I just hope he does a Krack Back block on one of the pro dancers!

Today marks the end of the career of Alan Faneca, the greatest guard in Pittsburgh Steelers history. It was a sad day in Pittsburgh when Faneca left the Steelers. He was a true character guy and a heck of a football player. He had an outstanding career and should be on the way to Canton. (If they ever will stop their Steelers biased! 🙂

“From the dog days of training camp to winning a Super Bowl the memories are endless,’’ Faneca said in a statement released through his agent Rick Smith. “The greatest memory that I will leave the game with is all of the lifelong friendships I have made.’’

Checking the Stats:

-Started EVERY game for 9 seasons and had the current longest streak

-All-Pro 2001-2008

-Pro Bowl Starter 2001-2009

-Threw the key block which sprung Willie Parker for the longest run in Super Bowl history.

#66 in your program, number 1 in our hearts!!! 

If you didn’t think his Super Bowl fumble was bad enough, Rashard Mendenhall this week made some “confusing” comments on twitter about the death of the Mass Murderer Osama bin Laden. This of course has many people up in arms and proves my point that nothing good can come of facebook or twitter.

After reviewing the comments, I have to say, Rashard did what makes America great, he expressed his opinion! While I didn’t agree with his comments about 9/11 or about the guilt or innoncence of bin Laden. He made some Christian points that truthfully he might have been right about.

My regret about bin Laden’s death is we couldn’t kill him twice, Probably not the most Christian statement but true none the less. 

Mendenhall’s comments were:

“What kind of person celebrates death? It’s amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We’ve only heard one side…

BWG TAKE: I think people were celebrating a mass murderer being brought to justice.

“@dkeller23 We’ll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style

BWG TAKE: Since Rashard’s degree is not in engineering and he has no background in explosives or aviation I have to say this was an ill advised comment!

“I believe in God. I believe we’re ALL his children. And I believe HE is the ONE and ONLY judge.

BWG TAKE: I believe that very thing. Although, I would be willing to bet the the Good Lord upstairs migh be willing to give you a pass on bin Laden! Either way I completely believe in this statement!

“Those who judge others, will also be judged themselves.

BWG TAKE: This is Christian doctrine and obviously what he believes. Hard to argue against the guy’s faith.

“For those of you who said you want to see Bin Laden burn in hell and piss on his ashes, I ask how would God feel about your heart?

BWG TAKE: I don’t think anyone is in a position to question what God will or won’t feel. I am glad bin Laden is in hell and thankful for at least a small time the world is a little bit safer!

“There is not an ignorant bone in my body. I just encourage you to #think”

BWG Take: It is good advice and it is time to move on get back to the business of winning football games!

When I last checked this was America and you are allowed to express your opinions! For what it is worth I think it is foolish to continue to harp on this.

Well the brief glimpse of the lockout being over is now done which casts a pall over everything that happened over the last few days. It also puts the Priority free agents on hold for awhile which again just really sucks. The Steelers have done well with the Free Agents so I am dissapointed.

On the positive side of things, The Steelers needed to address the aging defense and the struggling O-Line. They did that! At least on paper the draft looks like they got solid value for their picks and guys who will be able to contribute.   

Here is the BWG synopsis of the draft:

Pick 1: Cameron Heyward, DE: As I stated the day he was drafted, this is a great “Steelers Pick”, I don’t think he will put up huge numbers but he will do a great job. Not to mention that he is carrying the torch for his deceased dad, who had a spectacular if unstatistically heralded career. Of course my early knickname and you heard it hear first is STEELHEAD HEYWARD!!!

Pick 2: Marcus Gilbert, OT: To me this will be the steal of the draft. I have a feeling Mr. Gilbert will be starting. Obviously, it would have been great to get Maurkice’s twin brother but this seems like the next best thing. He plays both tackle spots and he has enough speed to play guard for the Steelers. I liked this pick and I am hoping he is the second coming of Marvell Smith!

Pick 3: Curtis Brown, CB: I actually pegged Aaron Williams to be the first round choice for the Steelers. While he is not as physical as Williams, Curtis Brown was the better selection and the Steelers got it right. He is a better cover guy and can step in right away. While he most likely won’t be elite, he will be a solid addition.    

Pick 4: Cortez Allen, CB: WHO? I have to be honest I have no idea who this guy is and he wasn’t in any of my draft guides. This feels like a stretch and we have washed out on these type of picks before. I am holding out hope but not optimistic. Why you should be optimistic, I thought Joe Burnett was going to be the next Ike Taylor, he wasn’t even Ike Turner!

Pick 5: Chris Carter, OLB: Looks like a depth pick and a special teams guy. Honestly, you are an outside linebacker coming to the Steelers. You only have to beat out Lamar Woodley and/or James Harrison to start! Yeah good luck with that!

Pick 6: Keith Williams, G: Looks like a project guy at Guard. Not sure he has the speed to be a Steelers guard but he is an absolute MAULER! He loves to mash, so I hope he makes it! I like what Sean Kugler did last year so I have faith this is going to be a good pick.

Pick 7: Baron Batch, RB: This is a funny pick. I have read three different scouting reports and none of them were consistent. At best it looks like he has the chance to be a solid 3rd down back and he was worth taking a flyer on. At worst he will be done by the end of training camp!

The Steelers selected Craig Heyward with their first pick in the draft. Two things about this pick, first it will never look spectacular on paper, it was a great choice. Second thing is this guy was born to be a Defensive End in the 3-4 defense! He appears to me to be the heir apparent to Aaron Smith and he has hometown roots!

Will do a complete draft analysis upon completion!

Some Clarification:

So, it appears as if  there is some difference of opinion with the Captain on these lists. The one person who I absolutely whiffed on was Aaron Smith, he was a huge STEAL. I probably should have put him in Carnell Lake’s spot and put Carnell on the top five picks of all time, because second rounders are hard to argue as steals.  Again though, look who the first two picks were.  Also, by leaving one spot open I opened the door to a huge debate on who should be number five. When I publish this as a book I might make that as an edit.  

The Second whiff was John Jackson, he is one of the greatest Tackles in Steelers history and he was a tenth rounder!!! That was a steal. Adding to my MEA CULPA are honorable mentions Tunch Ilkin and Craig Wolfley.

The Top Picks of the Last Thirty Years:

I am going to trudge on and I hope this clarifies everything. Joe Boningo who is a radio announcer here in NYC said something once that stuck with me. “I hate the Steelers because even when they lose, they win!” Great statement,”They have a bad year and draft Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu. we have a bad year and draft Dewayne Robertson and Bryan Thomas.” He was comparing us to the Fortunes of our AFC Championship rival the Jets. While the Jets have seemed to fix that problem, as you look back now,  you know what?  He was right! The Steelers while they have their share of busts don’t miss on day one! 

Here are my choices!

The top five picks of the last Thirty Years:

5. Heath Miller: This is the hardest spot to pick because I seriously had a rough time deciding between Jason Gildon, Joey Porter, Aaron Smith(Who both qualified as steals), Casey Hampton, Louis Lipps (4th best receiver in team history),  and Alan Faneca(Big Red) who was one of my favorite players in history. I also could have chosen a bevy of all-pro linebackers, if I did the best linebackers drafted in the last thirty years list it would be eight Steelers, Ray Lewis and Lawrence Taylor! But having to choose, I am going with Heath Miller. Why? Because I consider him the unsung hero of the team and the safety valve for the Steelers. I also would say he is the best all around player at his position. He catches and blocks better than any other tight end. He fell to the Steelers by sheer luck while the Jets, who needed a tight end, traded their first rounder for Doug Jolley. It worked out nicely! Well at least for the Steelers it did! 🙂

4. Dermonti Dawson: He was picked in the second round and he was the heir apparent to the Steeler Center Dynasty taking over for “Iron” Mike Webster. Dawson was equal to the challenge and Chuck Noll even let him use the shotgun, which Noll despised. He was durable, athletic, and arguably the best center in the history of the NFL! Damn good pick!

3. Rod Woodson: What can you say about Rod? Well I can say he was arguably the Best Cornerback in the history of the NFL. He was on the 75th anniversary team and his athleticism and ferociousness was unmatched by anyone to play his spot. When you look at his contemporary, which would be Deon Sanders, Rod could cover like Deon but he could hit like Mel Blount(ask Warren Moon) and he shut down an entire side of the field with both running and passing.

2. Troy Polamalu: Again, I am going for quality and he is the best player the Steelers have drafted in the last ten years, and with the exception of Rod, probably the best player they drafted in the last thirty years. He is just an absolute force. I commented last year, Ryan Mundy did a fine job filling in for him, but that is like asking a mere mortal to fill in for Superman. The Steelers are 14-4 with Troy and 5-7 without him during the regular season. So why isn’t he number 1?

1. Ben Roethlisberger: Because Big Ben is! All I have to say is that Ben is the difference maker. Obviously, it is disappointing to lose the Super Bowl, as I still cry out in the middle of the night, but without him we would have had no shot.. 

I don’t think it is a coincidence that the Steelers didn’t win a Super Bowl from 1980 through the day Ben showed up. He is the difference maker. The Steelers defense of the 90’s rivals any in the history of the NFL and the reason they are not considered, is because they didn’t win the Super Bowl. They didn’t win because they didn’t have a QB to get them there.  Brister, who was one of my favorites, was erratic, Neil O’Donnel was solid but not spectacular, Kordell was the best athelete to ever be Steelers QB but he never could get it done in a big game, Tommy Maddox, another guy I love, was a retread, who played on shear guts. Ben made the difference. He is athletic, strong, has a great arm and has a great track record. So we are clear and I don’t mince words, his first Super Bowl was mediocre but he carved up the Colts and made the game saving tackle, he BBQ’d the Broncos at Mile High and without him the Steelers aren’t even in the Super Bowl. As for beating the Cardinals, I will let the performance speak for itself. It is the stuff of legend.

This year was what it was and as Mike Tomlin says, “Sometimes Gun-Fighters get shot.” We got shot this year. Don’t bet against Ben next time around!!!   

Can’t wait to hear the feedback!!!

So… I wanted to do a post on the draft and I will also have a draft preview as we get closer. I, however, HATE mock drafts and refuse to  publish one.

I can’t go all the way back to the beginning, but did want to do the Top Picks of the last thirty years.

The Top Five Worst Draft Picks in the last thirty years:

5: Gabriel Rivera: I would have given him an incomplete instead of saying he was a bad pick , the only reason I have Gabe on this list is because we passed Dan Marino on the board to draft him. It is said that until his dying day Art Rooney chastised his sons about that. Gabe eventually started to get it and he was beginning to play well when he had the accident. This is a case of we will never know what would have happened. Marino would have probably gotten his elusive ring if he came to the Steelers. Gabe Rivera probably would have developed into a solid player. But as they say we will never know!

4. Jamain Stephens: You can’t say he was a bust because no one EVER thought he was any good. I seriously have no idea how this could happen? The Cowher first round picks rarely missed, but this was an absolute disaster! The guy was just out of juice from Jump Street.

3. John Rienstra: After not picking in the top ten for nearly 15 years the Steelers were bound to get a pick to get the team back on track. They DIDN’T. Rienstra was a guard and just absolutely tanked as a Steeler. He became a journeyman and lasted seven seasons or so in the NFL. The reason he isn’t higher on the list?? Originally, I had him slated for number one, but truthfully there wasn’t much after him to write home about. There were some nice players, but no guys who jumped off the page.

2. Huey Richardson: The legend goes that the Steelers had three guys on their draft board ready to go and all three were picked in succession, so they scrambled and picked Richardson. They would have been better off picking a name out of a hat. He was gone after one very uninspiring season, traded for a 7th rounder, and his career was over in two. The only reason he isn’t first is that 7th round pick was Jeff Zgonina, who had a good run with the Steelers and a very solid and long NFL career! This was absolutely a complete and utter failure. The good news is that he seems to be very successful after football and he narrowly escaped 9/11.  

1. Tim Worley/ Tom Ricketts: In Steeler lore this is the gruesome twosome! You get two first rounders and you miss on both of them. Miss might be an understatement. Sam Toperoff author of “Lost Sundays” hit the nail on the head with Worley, he recognized he lacked character. After he finished football his last season at Georgia, he never went back to college as in left in November never to be seen again. He was a train wreck waiting to happen! It happened. Ricketts was never the road plow he was supposed to be and kind of faded into the sunset. I even tried to Google him and he doesn’t appear in the Top Ten!

The Top Five Draft Day Steals in the last thirty years:

5. Hardy Nickerson: The 1987 draft was one of the most underrated in Steelers history. It produced one Hall of Famer and two very worthy candidates including Hardy Nickerson. He was an excellent middle Linebacker and had a tremendous career.  

4: Hines Ward: The best receiver in Steelers history! He was a compensatory selection and he made the most of it. A Super Bowl, MVP, a sure Hall of Famer and a linebacker trapped in a WR body. He is the epitome of everything Steelers. Not to mention he is a heck of a dancer!

3. Darren Perry: He was the Steelers 8th overall pick in the 1992 draft. He led the team in interceptions and was the solid playmaker that allowed Rod Woodson and Carnell Lake to use their athleticism. He had 32 career picks and ranks in the Steelers top ten. I however am pissed at him because he helped coach the Packers in the last Super Bowl. 🙂 He was still a great pick and underrated!

2. Carnell Lake: As I documented earlier, “The Emperor” missed the first two in the 1989 draft by a mile. However, the draft was still a success. How do you miss your TWO first round picks and still have a good draft?? Very simple: Draft Carnell Lake second! He was one of the most versatile and important players in the Cowher dynasty and he saved the Super Bowl season when Rod went down. I am also happy to report he is back with the team as a coach!! The Steelers also drafted, Jerry Olsavsky who had a nice career with the Steelers and Pro-Bowler Carlton Haselrig.

1. Greg Lloyd: In 1987 the Steelers got the Anchor of their Defense in the 1st round of the draft; Rod Woodson. Well the only thing I can say to dispute that is they got Lloyd in that draft too and he might have been just as much of an anchor. Lloyd was an absolute killer and one of the best linebackers in Steeler history. He actually was considered for a long snapper spot and as a 6B pick was one of the best steals in the NFL Draft! Whenever I hear people say that “The Emperor” Chuck Noll was through at the end I laugh and look at who and what he produced. This draft basically was the beginning cornerstone of the Cowher Dynasty. 

Coming soon “The Top Picks of the last Thirty Years!”

First and foremost it is great to be back! As you know we are still in a work stoppage but I have reason for optimism.

I am also sorry that I have not kept up with Dancing with the Stars. I have taken some flack for that and apologize. Rest assured I am rooting for Hines Ward and think he is great!

Anyway, thank you for the more than 2000 post that I received. I will review everyone and publish what I can!

Hines Ward delivered another excellent performance tonight on Dancing with the Stars!

To vote for Hines: 18008683403