Beer We Go Steelers

I was watching all the critics kill Ben and the Steelers as a team for that matter this week and I thought about something that one of my true heroes once said:

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” – THEODORE ROOSEVELT

Something, occurred to me this week as I kind of hid out and got over the loss. We are damn lucky to be Steelers fans. This season was a great ride and I am so proud to have been a part of it in some small way. If I asked you this time last year would we be here no one would have said yes.

It also spurred me to do a season review of BWG Steelers and recount my favorite moments:

My Favorite “road” game: 

This was Nathaniel’s hands down in Rochester. The Bartenders were awesome as our crowd was extremely rowdy, the company was great and it is a true Steelers bar after some questionable years!  

 We had a great time with the local BWG crew and my business associates all had fun rooting on the Steelers. My friend and client Penny N. saw me sitting at a table of all Steelers fans and said,”Man you really are a man of the people.” Of course I am slightly ad-libbing because let me tell you it was flowing that day!!! I of course lost everyone’s name pictured here and hope they will write in. Afterwards we brought BWG merriment to the AHL Americans Hockey game. (We were tossed by the second period.) I have had a long standing argument with Mike Rooney on the merits of Rochester as a city, I yield to him now and must say ROCHESTER IS STEELER’S COUNTRY!!!

Honorable Mention: The Stadium in Saratoga!

My Favorite Road Game: It was only an exhibition game but tailgating with the New York Rooney’s at the opening of the New Meadowlands Stadium was kind of special. I had a great time and the Steelers smacked up the Giants real good. I love beating the Giants because they, like the Steelers are footbal royalty. They’re a great franchise who remind me of the Steelers of the NFC. Plus living in NY the Giants fans are like the Steelers fans so it is a great rivalry. I love rubbing Ben v. Eli in their face as deep down they wish they took Ben first. This extended my Giants wins streak in NY/NJ and I didn’t have to fight Mike or his dad which works out nicely when you need a ride home! Only down side was the idiot liquor control agent who tried to pick a fight with me because of the Steelers gear. The Giants security staff stepped in and handled the matter fairly. I was appreciative!

My Favorite “Home Game”: Divisional Playoff game at KGB’s! Had the crew there and was excited as the Steelers came back and beat the Ravens in one of the greatest comebacks in football playoff history! KGB put out a ridiculous spread of food and we had a great time.

My Favorite Home Game: This was easy because I only went to one game in the ‘Burgh. I had to see the Steelers beat Cincinatti. Out of all my past trips to the ‘Burgh, my most dissapointing was the loss to the Bengals in 09. 

This Year I knew it would be different, despite the fact that it was raining and the Steelers started out very slow, it was a great game and one of my favorites I have attended! The only thing that was dissapointing is that Tom and I didn’t hang with Captain Tailgate at the game. The Captain drank a bottle of his namesake (Captain Morgan) the night before and proceeded to tell everyone the way it is at a holiday party. Man he was a jerk that night!

The Post which stirred the most controversy: Big Ben Rides Again! Every week we field several comments and questions about the postings. That post still gets comments as does the next week when I “defended” Ben. We were congratulated and vilified and it really spurred the popularity of the site.We will continue to post for the whole offseason and hope you will stay with us!

My Favorite Snack for any game: This is going to be more controversial then the Ben post. I also risk drawing the ire of my KGB as she cooked up a storm this year and made every game day an experience with great food. But, I am going with Steeler Nachos by Jackie! Jackie R. is like my sister as I grew up with her and know her since I am 12 years old! Her nacho’s on looks alone garner the award.  

Honorable Mention: KGB’s Saugage and Peppers and Fried Chicken Cutlets. During the Dolphins game E ROC and I ate like 4 pounds of them. Jason from BWG Pittsburgh; Pierogies are out of this world! A game day staple everytime I come to the ‘Burgh! 

President Tom Janicki, The Captain and I are going to do a season recap together next week.

The Post Gazette is reporting that Hall of Fame, Coach LeBeau has made a decision to stay with the Black and Gold!

He will sign a one year agreement and be back coaching the defense next year. He is one of the classiest people in the NFL and a brilliant defensive mind!

The Steelers quest for the a seventh Super Bowl was held in check Sunday as the Green Bay Packers held the Steelers off for a 31-25 win! This marks the return of the Vince Lombardi trophy to Green Bay and the end of a dream in Pittsburgh!

The Steelers buried themselves early with a 21-3 deficit giving up 14 points on two turnovers! As I have reported almost every week, the only way the Steelers could lose is to turn the ball over. It is the simplest formula in sports, the team with the plus side of the turnover ratio wins. The Steelers turned the ball over THREE times for 21 points. That is a ridiculous figure and the fact that they still were in a position to win is amazing to me. It is a good testament to the coaching staff that had a pretty dismal day.

Statistics can never accurately explain a story. The Steelers had great stats and for the most part had a productive day. The issue was they never made the plays when they needed it most and again, the biggest stats, turnovers, were the killer! 

At no point was there panic, even down 21-3, as I knew the team could come back. The offense made several great plays and rallied to get right back in the game. The defense made some key stops to keep the game close and the Steelers somehow managed to be in position to take the lead back.

But in the end, they just couldn’t do it.

So as the national media prepares to jump off the Big Ben Bandwagon, I can tell you I, for one, was proud of his efforts. Yes, two turnovers that led to 14 points is simply atrocious. What I liked though, is that he never gave up and made a good accounting of himself and finished strong. It is easy to scoff now, but I can tell you I thought; give us the ball with two minutes, one timeout and Ben will make it happen. He didn’t do it this time but he will be back. I am certainly not going to put the goat horns on Ben, not for one second!  

The Steelers ran pretty much at will, and that I felt that would be why they would win. But again it was a turnover that would derail them.  Rashard Mendenhall’s fumble was the back breaker. I would point out ALL the turnovers were the backbreaker, but that was the final nail in the coffin as the Steelers couldn’t recover.

Focusing on the positives, Hines Ward is a warrior. I can’t say enough nice things about him as a player and as competitor. I laughed when I read he would be a non-factor. He racked up 78 extremely tough yards and a touchdown. I have harped on it all season and I will say it again, I love this receiving core and seeing the ghost of Randle El was nice as well! This is a major strength for the Steelers moving forward.  

Sean Kugler should be the mayor of Pittsburgh! If you have a crisis I am putting this guy on it. The offensive line played extremely well, Ben was sacked once but he had ample protection. The running game grinded the ball out to the tune of 126 yards on the ground. That is simply great. I wanted Anthony Munoz over Sean Kugler, because he was a big name and probably one of the greatest tackles of all times! I couldn’t have been more wrong. Well to be truthful, I wanted Mean Joe Greene over Bill Cowher and I wanted Russ Grimm over Mike Tomlin so maybe I have been “wronger”! But, he deserves enormous credit. The patchwork line ran all over the World Champs and basically shutout Clay Matthews Jr.! Can you imagine what this line will be like next year when we have both tackles back, a healthy Pouncey and Doug Legursky!  

Although, I have been killing the refs all year and they have been abysmal, I thought Sunday’s game was one of the best officiated games of the year. I thought they made excellent calls all day and I couldn’t argue with any calls or non calls the whole day. The last play was the right call. I wish it wasn’t but I have to be honest and that was the right call!

As for the Packers, the guy who deserves the credit was Aaron Rodgers. He played a great game and did an excellent job. He certainly was deserving of the MVP and my hat goes off to him. If I had to hear one more time about Brett Favre’s shadow I was going to puke. This guy is a winner and he proved it Sunday. Greg Jennings has the makings of a true superstar as well, very classy and a solid player! It was a great night for them and I would take nothing away from their performances!

Congratulations to the Green Bay Packers!

The SUPER BOWL FACTS:

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Hines Ward! A true warrior and I hope he is back next year! Honorable Mentions: The Offensive Line, who played great and LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison who didn’t get the press this week that they deserved in light of Clay Matthews Jr. and totally outplayed him.

Where I watched the game: KGB’S and we hosted over 20 BEER WE GO FAITHFUL. Everyone brought something great with my favorite being Steeler Nachos! The pictures will be coming! I am actually eating leftovers as I type this. We had a tailgate out in the driveway which garnered a few honks. We pounded the Iron City and the Iron City light without mercy!

My thoughts on Next Week: This is going to be a long offseason, especially with labor issues looming. We are going to publish EVERY week here and sometimes twice a week. I also will allow guest writers of BWG and I invite feedback. Next week I am going to recap the season and post a ton of pictures! Stay with us!

From Tom Janicki

Less than 24 hours!!  Oh Mama!!

First and foremost, this is the first and last Super Bowl that I will not be on location.  I am home nurturing the birth of tradition, Captain Jr.  Regardless of where you are tonight, if you are a true Steelers fan, your emotions should be starting to get the best of you!!

With that said, We, the BEER WE GO NATION are well represented in Dallas.  Tonight brought a tear to my eye!  I was watching the Steelers Special on KDKA live from Woody’s Bar in Dallas.  In the background broke out a BEER WE GO STEELERS chant led by Brandon Machi who repeatedly offered shout outs to Captain Tailgate and the Beer We Go faithful; Brandon, you are all heart and your actions are well received by not only Steelers but Beer We Go Nation.  Enjoy the game buddy!!

We also want to give our best to our other BWG Nation Members who will be down there, Jason Hrebik who is our chief chef during tailgates and my brother Ted Janicki, who once brought the Terrible Towel to the mountains of Afghanistan!

We love you all guys, bring home number 7!!!

This will most likely be the last post before the Super Bowl and we will try too analyze the game position by position.

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers v. Ben Roethlisberger

This is very close, Rodgers is the hottest QB in the league and he is the hot hand. Ben, who has had to endure a ridiculous week of stupid questions, including “why did you go out to dinner with your teamates?”, and constant reminders of his past indiscretion, has done a great job deflecting. Clearly though, he has been there twice and has the “intangibles”.

Advantage: STEELERS

Running Back: James Starks v. Rashard Mendenhall

This is clearly the Steelers. Starks has done a great job, but Mendenhall has played against two outstanding defenses and is still banging around quite nicely. Special shout out to John Kuhn, former Steeler and Shippensburg graduate! Sorry John, have to go with the Steelers

Advantage: STEEELERS

Wide Receivers: Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson and James Jones vs. Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders and Antwaan Randle El

This is a toss-up as Driver and Ward have the experience, while Jennings and Wallace have the numbers. It is extremely close.

Advantage: EVEN

Tight End: Andrew Quarless v. Heath Miller

Are you kidding me?

Advantage: STEEELERS

Offensive Line:

With Pouncey out this is the first clear advantage the Packers have. The Steelers can hold their own on run blocking but lack in pass blocking. This could be an equalizer. 

Advantage: PACKERS

Defensive Line: BJ. Raji, Cullen Jenkins and Ryan Pickett vs. Ziggy Hood, Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel

This is also a very close matchup as Raji is a stud. But the Zig is on fire and so is Keisel and with Big Snack in the middle this is a clear advantage for the Steelers. They have size, speed and experience. Although, I have to admit when Raji scored I got excited. Love when fat kids get the ball!

Advantage: STEELERS

Inside Linebackers: A.J. Hawk and Desmond Bishop vs. Lawrence Timmons and James Farrior

Hawk and Bishop are solid players and while Matthews gets the press Hawk is no slouch. But, seriously Timmons is a bona fide star now and probably one of the best ILBs in the league. I could write ten pages on James Farrior and what he means to the Steelers and the kind of player he is. This is clearly the Steelers!

Advantage: STEELERS

Outside Linebackers: Clay Matthews and Erik Walden vs. James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley

Clay Matthews is a killer! He is going to be disruptive all day. That being said Erik Walden is a backup filling in for Nick Barnett. While the Packers have one Clay Matthews the Steelers have two. He might not have cool hair but James Harrison and NOT Clay Matthews is the best Outside Linebacker in this game and the second best in this game is not Clay Matthews either, it’s Lamarr Woodley!

Advantage: STEELERS

Cornerback: Charles Woodson and Tramon Williams vs. Bryant McFadden and Ike Taylor

Woodson and Williams are ball hawks, Ike Taylor and Bryant McFadden are caretakers who don’t allow big plays. Woodson is a Hall of Famer and he is the differentiator here. This one is clearly the Packers.

Advantage: PACKERS

Safeties: Charlie Peprah and Nick Collins vs. Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark

This is easily the weak link for the Packers. For the Steelers this is their differentiator. Troy Polamalu is simply the best player on the field Sunday. He now has had two weeks to recover and we expect him at full strength. Ryan “Crash” Clark is a big hitter and very experienced.

Advantage: STEELERS

Special Teams:

This is clearly the Packers. Neither team has a spectacular return game. While Suisham has been solid since his pick up his kickoffs are mediocre. Crosby is a safer bet. The punters are a wash, but I would lean towards a guy who wasn’t pumping gas when the Season started. Not to mention that every fan reading this blog has gotten a stomach ulcer watching special teams.  

Advantage: PACKERS

Coaching: Mike McCarthy v. Mike Tomlin

I have written about this all season. Show me a Coach who loses both his Tackles 2/3 of his D-Line and his star QB for four games and still makes the Super Bowl and I will show you the best Coach in Football Mike Tomlin. With due respect to Bill Bellicheat he wouldn’t have won under these circumstances. I like McCarthy but he is not Tomlin!

Advantage: STEELERS

How we could lose: The Packers have the offensive machinery to jump any team and they will try right off the bat. There is no way they can run on the Steelers but if they get protection Rodgers will be trouble.  

But why we will win: The defense is stifling and look for a huge push up front from the Steelers. The Steelers will run the ball with success and that will be what wins the game, keeping Green Bay’s offense on the sideline and hammering them when they get the chance.

“I am very conscious of the legacy that is the Pittsburgh Steelers, I simply want to add to it. That drives me on a daily basis. I have big respect for the men who have had this job before me.

“All I want to do is to do the job in terms of upholding the standard that is the Pittsburgh Steelers.” – Mike Tomlin

We should all strive for that as fans!!!

Despite being in NY, I am happy to report that the BWG LI tailgate for Super Bowl Sunday will be serving Iron City Beer! 

SKI beverages came through once again! I am en route to pick up the Iron City for Super Bowl Sunday’s outdoor tailgate!

I can’t say thanks enough to Chris from SKI and John of Ronkonkoma Beverages for making this happen! I have asked Captain Tailgate to make them honorary BEER WE GO Nation Members!

John also said he would be willing to work with BWG Members next year in bringing in Iron City for the regular season!  

Lake Ronkonkoma Beverages – more info »

S.K.I. Wholesale Beer Corporation – more info »

169 Gardner Ave, Brooklyn, NY (718) 821-7200

In a very close vote, some would say by a hair. (Get it) Troy Polamalu beat out Clay Matthews for top defensive player of the year. Troy becomes the sixth Steeler to win the prestigious award. Lets hope Troy beats him again Sunday!  

Coming in third in the voting is our hero Silverback. Of course being the baddest man in the NFL he had few words to say but all of them complimentary for his teammate, “Troy brings this defense from a ‘C’ defense to an ‘A’ defense. He’s someone that you have to account for in the secondary.”

“Game-changing plays,” Steelers teammate Lamarr Woodley said. “I mean, you look at all the plays Troy’s made — game-changing plays. … So many game-changing plays to go out there and help win football games. Things that he [does], not only in the secondary — coming up, tackling backs in the backfield. Troy does it all.”

Prior to the Steelers winning the conference title former Steeler Santonio Holmes had this to say, “With all due respect, I honestly think Troy Polamalu is probably the greatest player I’ve ever played with or even seen play in person, Everybody has their one person they think is the greatest player. In my eyes, I think he’s the greatest player I’ve ever played with.”

Of course both Matthews and Harrison were awesome candidates. In his second season Matthews was dominant and he will be on the watch list Sunday vs. The Steelers.

As for Harrison he has a non-stop motor and everyone fears him. I look forward to him putting on a show on Sunday.

It was a great award for the Steelers as a team as well. I think Captain Tailgate hit it best when he mentioned that the play that turned this season around was the Troy sack fumble against the Ratbirds!

BEER WE GO STEELERS!

This team exemplifies Professionalism, Heart and Passion for what they do with little to no publicity.  The  Unsung and Often Overlooked Team Players that Drive Team’s to the Ultimate Team Goal, The Lombardi Trophy!

This write-up will break down a top ten list of Players and Coaches that live by the Tomlin manta “the standard is the standard”.  The guys that may not get the media’s attention and may never make a Pro Bowl, the guys that step up in big spots and never back down from a challenge; The guys that bond winning franchises and dynasties for their selfless workmanship.  We, as fans, all love our superstars such as Troy, Ben, Lamar, Hines and James and Mike Tomlin but superstars do not make a team, it is a WE mentality that makes a winning team.  Not everyone gets to be the star quarterback or team captain thus the reason for this team.  A lot must go into the maturation of a Super Bowl Champion Caliber team and in a lot cases there are people that just do not get the publicity.  That is where we come in to give some credit where credit is due!  So, without further adu, Your 2010 All “Merril Hoge” Team: 

Before I address this team, I need to take a moment and think about the guy that made this all possible, the late and great Arthur “The Chief” Rooney.without him none of this discussion may be relevant.  Hail to the Chief!!

10.     Greg Warren: A model of consistency, never noticed yet a key cog in the machine.  I know I for one will never forget the fateful day last year that he was injured.  The Silverback snapping is something that I will hope to never have to see again!!

9.      Ziggy Hood:  Again, I remember last year when Aaron Smith went down.  The defense went from the best rush defense in the league to middle of the road.  Not this year!!  Ziggy performed!!  Ziggy made plays and proved that the high draft pick was well deserved.  Our hats off to the big man, keep developing and you will be a perennial Pro Bowler.

8.      Antonio Brown / Emmanuel Sanders / Mike Wallace:  Talk about stepping up!!  Losing Tone in draft I know I was not the only one with doubt.  In comes the new generation Steeler receiver.  The Young Speed Guns!!  You literally blink and these guys are past you.  An honorable mention to “El Yeah” and Hines for assisting in this development.  The spot was a toss up between the Young Guns vs the wily veterans as I think Hines does more with Heart and Passion than anyone else on this team but in the end I felt as though he is also quite public and how could you be an unsung hero after a Super Bowl MVP.  These Young Guns are the real deal and are well on their way to becoming bona fide superstars.  I recall a few years back, Ben requested Big Physical receivers, I’m sure he would have a 2nd opinion now as this is a speed game and we have the weapons to beat any defense when these guys touch the field! 

7.      Keyaron Fox:  The leader of the special teams and one of the best role players a team could have!  This guy would absolutely start on over half the teams in the league.  Is he disappointed to not be a starter?  Probably. Does this show in his play every Sunday?  Hell No!!  The guy is a difference maker and a leader amongst men!!  17 special teams tackles for a linebacker is not too shabby either!!

6.      Lawrence Timmons: Do you realize what this guy has done?  Led the NFL’s top ranked defense in both Solo and Assisted tackles with a 135 total.  When you name the defense like I did earlier, you probably name 5 guys before you get to his yet he performs each and every play as if it was his last.  Take it a step further, 1st round draft picks that do not start for 2 years yet you do not hear their mouth screaming for more playing time is rare!  Especially ones that make plays when they do see playing time.  Further to this point, a guy drafted behind him was starting and producing and well on his way to superstardom in Woodley.  Did this phase Lawrence?  I think not!!  It only fueled the fire to help him become quite possibly the NFL’s most improved player.  Most teams, he would be number #1 on a list like this, however, we are talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers here!! 

5.      Shaun Suisham / Jeremy Kapinos:  I apologize for not having statistics to back up the argument, all I know is we started the season with different well established pieces to the kicking game and did not miss a beat after they were either cut or injured.  The cherry on top was the day that Suisham carried both duties which was a highlight to the season if you ask me.  TEAM PLAYERS!!  These guys have done everything asked of them and more and receive very little publicity in doing so!!  Three cheers to the Kicking game as with a defense as good as our, this piece to the game is critical and better off being unmentioned.until now!!

4.      Doug Legursky: This guy could be classified as “utility extraordinaire”.  Guard.check.  Fullback.check. Center in the Super Bowl.check?  The one guy that epitomizes the manta “the standard is the standard”  Back-up for an Pro Bowl center and missed very few beats.  He could probably plug a hole in the Steelers locker room if needed.  Great off season pick-up, has played admirably all season plugging holes and now due to an injury has his time to accept and bask in the spotlight.Doug, this spotlight is well deserved, now kick some Raji Ass!!   

3.      Charlie Batch:  Performance from Charlie can measured on so many levels.  As you can and will see, he is the transistor on this list from Player to coach to upper management (a hint of what’s to come).  Charlie stepped in when we needed him most and provided a calming stability that could have come at a better time.  If it wasn’t for a late defensive relapse against the Ratbirds in the 4th week, we would have been 4-0 headed into the bye and Big Ben’s return.  Upon Ben’s return, Charlie stepped back into the role that he excels in.Game time preparation and Management / Coaching as the Game unravels.  We all know that his insight to in game strategy is unparalleled.  His knowledge and experience with the system is irreplaceable for a back-up quarterback.  He is one of many players on this team as you can witness above that puts himself second to the successes and failures of the team.  He is happiest when others receive the accolades for his hard work.  We are blessed to have such a man to continue to build championships.  Not to mention his off the field work within the community.  Charlie, your approach to your work & life gives me chills and we can only hope to walk in a similar path as you are as an ultimate “Unsung Hero” on and off the field.  We are glad that we have you and will hope that you stay with us well after your playing career is complete!!

2.      Sean Kugler: This guy was brought in to replace Larry Zeirlein under a very strenuous and up hill situation to coach an offensive line that was never billed to be even average at best.  This unit for many years has been the weak link to an otherwise strong team.  Then things got worse.  Before the season even really got started we lost over half of the starters from 2010 and replaced them with career back-ups, aging veterans or an unproven Rookie.  To think that the Starting five in the Super Bowl includes a Kemoeatu, Foster, Legusky, Adams & Scott and we ran over the Jets in the AFC Championship game speaks volumes towards the tremendous job that Kugler has done.  I’m sure that he is humble and gives the credit to the players and organization as a whole.  Sean, you deserve more credit than Captain Tailgate at a Steelers Bar the day before the Super Bowl buying Bill Hillgrove his Jameson’s on the rocks!!  We love you Bill but Captain Tailgate was a bit dissapointed that you didn’t hold up your end of the bargain and mention Captain Tailgate during the game…well there is always this year to make up for that!!  Sean, your results driven mentality could only be dubbed as a miracle.  Crazy to think that Kugler is one miracle away from becoming a Saint…let’s pray that we run up 500 yards on the Pack and next year we will be going to Saint Sean of Heinz Field on Sundays!!

1.      Kevin Colbert:  The building of a dynasty may as well start with you Kevin; you are a mastermind of judging talent and work ethic from the top to the bottom of this fine organization.  I am not sure if people truly realize the moves that you have made this year to shake up the establishment that was a Super Bowl caliber team that missed the playoffs the year before.  This is this year, I could probably write a novel over your career on the success ratio of your decisions and how they molded this dynasty but that is a completely other post.  To shed some light, let’s start with leading up to draft day, (excuse my ignorance if this is not in chronological order as this is coming straight off the skull and I am doing this at work with no internet access) what was the major problem with last years season?  Special Teams!!  What did Kevin do, bring back veterans that understand the importance of special teams such as El yeah and Arnez Battle.  Then he brought back into the fold additional past Steeler Super Bowl Champions such as McFadden (through he draft) and Foote to help bring the swagger back to this team.  Then there was the draft, Pouncey, Worilds, Sylvester, Sanders and Brown have all contributed to this veteran laden team.  Add the Flozell cherry on top along with the hiring of Kugler and whalla, it’s history and Steeler Lore for years to come!!  Could this history make us spoiled to the point that this generation will be telling there children and so on down the line of the tough and gritty Pittsburgh Steelers Dynasty that we are smack dab in the middle of!!  This is again a classic example of selfless professionalism and taking pride in the end result.  Stairway to 7 could not be possible without you Kevin!!  You are a Godsend and will never get the national public respect that you deserve!!  Here’s to you Kevin Colbert.  A leader of men and a person that people want to give everything to follow!!

Beer we go Steelers, Beer we go, Pittsburgh’s going to the Super Bowl!!! I love that song!!!

We had a feeling all year and if I could post one thing here we are, in deference to the 49ers, the true FAITHFUL! No one in BWG nation gave up when the chips were stacked against us; from having Ben suspended for the first four weeks, to the ridiculous fines, to the doubters after the Patriots beat down, to the Ravens and the Jets talking smack. The Steeler nation stuck it out!

To clear up one thing for sure, the BEST DEFENSE in the NFL isn’t Baltimore and it isn’t the Jets, it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers. I am sick and tired of hearing about every defense but ours. The Steelers proved it by crushing two Super Bowl caliber teams.

As a wise man once predicted the Steelers;  “…will hold off a late rally by the Jets!” They did that very thing! Let me say something about Rex Ryan and the Jets. Living in NY and being behind enemy lines all week; the guys had this town believing. He is a great coach and the Jets are a well coached team and they are tough. All this “play like a Jet” stuff is nonsense but I am glad to see someone breathe life into what was a dying franchise. You don’t beat Peyton Manning and Tom Brady in consecutive weeks without a great coach!

The Steelers roughed the Jets up pretty good in the first half. It was like watching the opening round of a heavyweight title fight. No matter what training you have or who you have fought before, nothing prepares you to fight the champ, the first onslaught separates the contender from the pretender. The Steelers opening drive was a thing of beauty as they pulverized and pushed the Jets all over the field.

The opening drive was 15 plays almost 9 minutes and resulted in a rushing TD. The Steelers would continue to dominate the half and rack up three more scores. None bigger than Ike Taylor’s strip sack fumble for a TD.

The Jets however engineered a very sneaky drive to put three on the board at the half. That was a big play because it helped them get back into the game in the second half!

The Jets put together several nice drives in the second half and again you have to give credit to Brian Schottenheimer. With the Jets trailing by so much, this was the Steelers chance to tee off on Nose Picking Mark Sanchez (THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN THE GAME AND HE WIPED IT ON MARK BRUNELL, THIS IS NOT A JOKE! (http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/15768) That was not the case however, the Steelers basically went to a pass defense and “Schotty” took that as a chance to run!  They kept the Steelers off balance the rest of the night. They began to turn up the heat as they did all the scoring the rest of the way.

But, like all things when it comes to the Steelers defense they had an answer.

 The Steelers stopped them on fourth and goal and pummeled the Jets up front. It was one of the most prolific goal line stands in Steelers history. For my money the Jets O-line is one of the best in football if not the best, Ladanian Tomlinson is a Hall of Famer. Watching the Steelers front seven stuff them including Casey Hampton punishing Nick Mangold several times, spoke volumes of the Steelers defense and their character. That is the best center in football so it was a great effort by Big Snack!

Of course stopping the visiting team on fourth and one and being up two (TD) scores easily seals the game. NOPE! The next play the Steelers freakin’ botched the snap and had a safety. Doug Legursky who was filling in for an injured Maurkice Pouncey and Roethlisberger fumbled which set off a mad scramble. Two safeties against the Jets this year, seriously? This would set off a furious ending that kept the game in doubt until after the two minute warning!

The Steelers played to win! Ben, whose numbers will look atrocious, made the plays that needed to be made! Antonio Brown and Heath Miller made big catches to exhaust the clock on the final drive!

Being a native New Yorker, I am going to end today with a Ulysses S. Grant quote: “I felt like anything rather than rejoicing at the downfall of a foe who had fought so long and valiantly, and had suffered so much for a cause, … I do not question, … the sincerity of the great mass of those who were opposed to us.” Memoirs of US Grant

BWG is gracious as we lay on the field of battle in Victory!!

STEELERS 24, Jets 19   

Now it is our time to win number 7!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Rashard Mendenhall! Somehow, Rashard Mendenhall who at one point rushed for 100 against the Jets but then was downgraded to 99 did it with authority this time going for 121. Honorable Mention: Antonio Brown and Heath Miller for some big catches, Mr. Woodley who caved in the Jets line!

Where I watched the game: After flirting with going to the ‘Burgh all week, we settled on KGB’s! Where once again she put on a ridiculous spread of snacks for the LI BWG crew, including Knishes(it’s a NY thing), wings and ridiculous sandwiches! Saturday we took my Steeler kids and drove to Brooklyn to pick up Iron City Beer. It was a huge hit and I shared it with my BWG LI compatriots. I sent two six packs to my Steeler Padrone Walter Butler and one six pack to my neighbor who converted his garage to a Steelers bar!

The Captain and I maintained radio silence during the game! We of course were pumped afterwards and he is nursing a hangover right now that would make Dean Martin blush!  

My thoughts on Next Week: I actually want a week to think about it! Early line is we are the dogs! wouldn’t have it any other way!