Beer We Go Steelers

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BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!

The Steelers will host the AFC Championship Sunday. After hiding out in Chicago for the week I am back behind enemy lines in New York. My phone has been blowing up with Jets text messages! After being away for the week, I am NOT going to make the trip out to the ‘Burgh. Also attempts by Captain Tailgate to airlift Iron City in have proven futile.

So why do I feel confident? Because at the end of the day the Steelers are the better team. The Jets are a fine team and have a punchers chance believe me. The Steelers need to keep them close. However, the Steelers strengths match up against the Jets strengths. That is what will make the difference! 

How we could lose: By letting the Jets get ahead and continue to be confident. The Jets honestly believe this is an easy game for them especially after beating the mighty Patriots. They have a solid running game and a good aerial game.

Why we will win: The same reason that we win every week. We have Ben who is decidely better than Mark Sanchez. The only chance the Jets legitimately have is if we turn it over, AND WE ARE NOT GOING TO TURN IT OVER. I feel like the Steelers will hold off a late rally by the Jets!

There is part of me that will feel unsatisfied because I wanted to see the Steelers march into Foxboro and avenge our losses to the Pats. As a native New Yorker though I am happy to see a New York Team rough up a New England/Boston squad. I am further happy the AFC championship game will be played in the ‘Burgh!

So it is the Jets! I will preview the game this week. The only thing I will say to everyone on the Beer We Go side, is that we don’t need to do our talkin’ now. The Steelers do their talkin’ on the field!!!

Time to avenge our last loss! Time for me not to leave my wallet home on the way to McDonalds!!!

The Steelers got off the deck down 14 at half to win a legendary playoff game Saturday and earn a shot for the record 15th time in the Conference Championship game!  

“Styles make fights,” said Tomlin during his press conference. “Those two teams are Hagler-Hearns right there. It was great for the game of football.” I would have said it was Creed-Balboa Super fight II with Rocky hanging in there and then gutting out the win, but hey I am not going to argue with the Coach! This was just an awesome football game for the Steelers.As predicted here on BWG my feeling was it would come down to Ben and it did and he delivered…AS USUAL. I think Hines Ward summed it up afterwards when he said “…when I see him in the huddle, I know we have a chance to win. He’s a proven winner. And history shows he’s a proven winner against Baltimore.” 

Ben had a phenomenal game despite playing behind a still very suspect line. He was sacked a whopping six times three by Terrell Suggs but he still managed to torch the Ravens secondary for 226 yards. None bigger than the 58 yarder to Antonio Brown. That was a play for the ages a “Tyree-Like” helmet catch. 

As a fan I honestly never panicked and felt the Steelers were not in any inescapable danger. The turnover for 7 was nonsense. I thought the refs made a mistake on the call. What I got a kick out of was how the Steelers were criticized by the announcing team for not picking up the ball. Everyone thought it was an incomplete pass. Heck Terrell Suggs who made the play stood and posed for a solid 30 seconds like he was Hulk Hogan! The play was the play and you have to give credit to Cory Redding who did what we all have been taught our whole lives, play through the whistle! 

The only blight on this game was the refs who were way too involved. If either or both teams complained about the officiating it would have been legitimate. I am not going to get into it here but I have to tell you Phil Triplette looked like me when Mr. Farrell used to ask me for my Calculus Homework in the 12th grade. They didn’t inspire any kind of confidence and they were way too over-officious. 

The Ravens are just prone to talk so much smack and what is amazing is watching the media buy into it. Ray Lewis had a pretty quiet day although they continued to pan to him nonstop as he was being pushed all over the field. I respect Lewis very much because of what he has accomplished but seriously how much trash can you talk when your team and their unstoppable defense gives up 24 second half points! Ed Reed also was fairly quiet, given his family situation I am sure he was distracted, he did get away with holding Hines Ward’s face mask when Ward drew the penalty. Honestly, I would pay 19.95 in PPV just to watch him and Hines Ward fight all game. The biggest two goats though had to be TJ Houmaniamajerkoff and Anquan Boldin the hired gun who dropped two very big passes. All and all though this is the best rivalry in the NFL and I love watching these games! The Ravens talk big but they play big!   

As to the Steelers what can you say? I committed heresy and said the Steelers receivers were the best unit on the Steelers and I still stand by it. Antonio Brown and Manny Sanders shredded the Baltimore secondary with again none bigger than Browns catch. Mike Wallace had a very professional game though he was held somewhat in check; Hines Ward and Heath Miller make the plays that need making. 

The Steelers defense also known as the UNDISPUTED BEST DEFENSE IN THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE held the Ravens to a paltry 126 yards of total offense. They kept the Steelers in the game and made the plays when they needed them most. Ryan “Crash” Clark played an awesome game with a huge game changing pick.  

James Harrison AKA “Silver Back”, AKA “our hero” played an outstanding game as he demolished Joe Flacco on several occasions. What I think I like best about Harrison is he played as good a game if not better then Suggs AKA “T Sizzle”(LAME) but doesn’t self promote and stand there like an asshole posing after every play. His bookend LaMarr Woodley chimed in with a sack and recovered the momentum changing fumble. 

The other player who had a monster game upfront was the Zig. Ziggy Hood who must feel Aaron Smith breathing down his neck played the best game of his career! He was a force up front and the Ravens could never get anything going on offense. 

I have never been prouder to be a Steeler fan than I was yesterday. Let the media over look us. At the end of the day the Steelers are heading to their 15th conference championship and fifth in the last ten seasons!  

Just a great game! BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO! 

My “GAME BEER” goes to: I am going with Antonio Brown. His catch was the biggest play of the game. My honorable mention is Big Ben, The Zig and of course Silver Back  

Where I watched the game: KGB’s where she put on a ridiculous spread of snacks and food for me and the LI BWG crew. Funny thing was I drank Cranberry juice the whole first half then had to switch to beer! I remembered why this group is called Beer We Go Steelers as the second half proved  

My thoughts on Next Week: I want to be beat both of these teams so either is fine with me. Part of me wants to see the Steelers march into Foxboro and take on the Patriots. Part of me wants to see my hometown Jets go back into the ‘Burgh and have Rex get his mouth shut! Either is fine with me. I am pulling for the Jets because then I know the Captain will be there!

I am anxiously waiting for Saturday, making plans with my crew to watch it locally! When you look at these teams it is a razor thin margin of error either way. I have listened all week about every possible factoid and tidbit of useless information. All this becomes a moot point on Saturday as the time will come to put the pads on and buckle the chin straps.

I hate to say it but there is a begrudging respect for the Ravens here because they talk big but play big. I read all week how a game against the Chiefs would have been easier. I am sure it would have, but this is what football is all about. Our best against their best. I wouldn’t want to play anyone else. This is the game we need!

My analysis: 

How we could lose: Very simple turn the ball over and we are dead meat. The Steelers O-Line and offense in general will be under the gun because of the tenacious defense of the Ravens. Five of the seven meetings over the past 28 months have been decided by three points, one by four and one by nine courtesy of Troy Polamalu. So turnovers will be the key. If the Steelers don’t bring their A game then they will lose. If they play their best and the Ravens play their best the Steelers will win this. Protection will be key and they need to keep Ben healthy!

Why we will win: Like every other Steelers victory against the Ravens the difference is Big Ben. I am confident that we will be the difference maker again. Look for the Ravens to get out to a quick start and the Steelers to grind out the victory!

Great moments come from great opportunities! The Steelers have an opportunity to become seven time champs and the journey starts tomorrow!

Forever is about to begin!

BEER WE GO STEELERS! BEER WE GO!

BWG NATION I just made a best memories list… Let us know what your thoughts are as well!

10.  Kiesel’s 79 yard INT return vs TB

9.  Harrison Bitch Slaps the Browns…twice

8.  Mendenhall 50 yard OT gallop vs Falcons

7.  Harrison(and others) body slams Young

6.  Steve Johnson drop leaves Buffalo in the cold

5.  Big Ben Goal Line Gift vs. Dolphins

4.  Redman catch and run vs. Ravens

3.  Polamulu’s leap over line tackle vs. Titans

2.  Polamalu’s game changing drive TD vs Bengals

1.  Polamulu strip sack to set up game winning TD vs. Ravens

What has gone right?  

Quite a bit actually! Winning the number two seed in the playoffs and getting the first round bye was just outstanding! Consider that the Steelers played the first four games without Ben Roethlisberger, the Franchise Quarterback. They came within a whisker of winning all four games in his absence! That is just a testament at how good this team can be. Keep in mind that three of the first four teams they played had double digit wins. (Falcons 13, Bucs 10, Ravens 12) The teams they beat had a combined record of 41-23 on the season. The only stinker in the group (Titans) has one of the best running backs in football and has given the Steelers fits throughout the year. It was an amazing accomplishment.Who would replace Santonio Holmes was ably answered by Mike Wallace who is one of the best receivers in football right now. The guy is just insane and when he gets a seam, he is gone. I said it and it caused some backlash but to me the receivers are the best unit on the field right now. They have three big play threats and they have two very steady veterans.   I don’t know what else you can say about Mike Tomlin as a coach. This guy was obviously the right choice and if you didn’t think so before, youbetter think so now. His performance this season is what all leadership not just football leadership should be. He never wavered in the face of adversity, he never got too down when the team lost and he never got too high when they won. He showed a tremendous amount of loyalty and maturity in his handling of some serious injuries and issues. They were only out of one game all year and consistently put a great effort together every week. 

The following week after a loss the Steelers outscored their opposition by a whopping 80 points! The Raiders took the worst of it as the Steelers were supposedly reeling from losing to the Patriots.   

It was a great regular season. 

What has gone wrong?  

Losing to the Brady bunch was a tough pill to swallow as was losing three home games. That is just weird to me. 

Injuries were just horrible this season. The team is getting older and sometimes it showed. The offensive line while better is still a work in progress which is not something you want to see going into the post season. 

Skippy getting clipped after a great career was sad as well. 

Reasons for Concern: The offensive line is still an issue. The secondary while considerably better is still not great. Honestly, what team would you rather have right now going into the playoffs? 

Complaining about this season is like saying I won the 300Million dollar mega million and I have to share that stinks! 

The OFFICIAL GAME BEER OF THE YEAR: Mike Tomlin, this was unanimous between me and the Captain! If he doesn’t get Coach of the Year the award is bullshit. I try not to swear on the Blog but seriously; four games without your Franchise QB, lose BOTH your Starting Tackles, lose your best defensive player, and lose two of your three d lineman. What more can this guy do? He won his 3rd division title in four years. Pretty soon he will be selling the beers in the stand. I love this guy and Beer We Go Steelers has his back! He is our Coach 100% and I am damn proud that he is!   

Offensive Game Beer: 

I am going with Mike Wallace. Captain Tailgate picked Maurkice Pouncey! 

Defensive Game Beer: I am going with Silverback; James Harrison! So did Captain Tailgate! No surprise there. Although Troy certainly deserves mention! 

Disappointment of the year: Limas Sweed, very high hopes have evaporated. 

Unsung Hero of the year: Charlie Batch, one more loss in the first four games would have meant a five or six seed in the playoffs. You may question his talent and ability, you can’t question his character. 

Most Improved: Mike Wallace/ Lawrence Timmons, both should have been pro bowlers! 

GRADES: 

QB: A- Ben bounced back and played great since he has been back 

RB: B+ The backs played well down the stretch but did post a few disappointing games. 

WR: A+ Not sure how you can do better than this group. 

TE: B+ Does anyone doubt that if Heath played the Jets would be sitting home right now.   

OL: C it has been a passing grade because of the last few weeks of solid protection. 

DL: A- Played great down the stretch and Ziggy has made a nice accounting of himself. 

LB: A+ they are 6 deep with talent and savvy. I love these guys! They are the heart and soul of the team! 

DBs: B played a very nice second half of the season. 

What do the playoffs look like: All systems go, being a realist I understand what a daunting task beating any and all of these teams will be. With the exception of the Patriots the Steelers have proven they can beat any of these teams. My feeling is one of this weekend’s teams are going to knock off the New England Patriots.   

The Team you would hate to see: Easily the Patriots, although I have always felt you need to beat the man to be the man! Close second are the Colts who are going to knock off someone. 

The Team you want to beat: For me it is the Ravens followed very closely by the Jets! Both teams are tough but their mouths just warrant a beat down. I live in NY so it is tough being behind enemy lines.   

BEER WE GO STEELERS! BEER WE GO!

The Pittsburgh Steelers dominated the rival Cleveland Browns, winning the AFC North, securing a first round bye and the number two seed in the AFC. The Steelers scored on their first six drives and dominated the Browns from start to finish.

Ben Roethlisberger threw two touchdown passes, including a 56 Yard strike on the Steelers first play from scrimmage to Mike Wallace. Rashard Mendenhall chipped in with two touchdown runs and Randle El threw for a touchdown. It was a dominating effort on both sides of the ball.

The defense put a great performance together. Troy Polamalu, fresh off his MVP award, intercepted Colt McCoy on the first series. Ryan “Crash” Clark and Anthony Madison got on the board with interceptions and several nice hits. The defense also added four sacks and hammered Colt McCoy all day! He didn’t know what hit him and clearly began to struggle. Ziggy Hood has ably filled in for Aaron Smith and played a great game and has had an awesome three week stretch.

More than the defense and more than the offense I think the coaching staff needs to be recognized. Mike Tomlin has these guys ready to play every week. All week there were ominous signs about this game and the press and the national media made it their business to try and scare BWG nation. The latest bunk of nonsense is the Ravens who would finish in second place in the division being ranked higher than the Steelers on the Power Rankings from ESPN. Coach Tomlin’s game plan was perfect and you can see when the Steelers took the field that they were ready to play and it was going to take a miracle to beat the Steelers. They didn’t have that miracle. What made this game plan great were all aspects of it were executed perfectly. Special Teams had one of their best days, the Defense is awesome and showed again why and the offense played a discplined complete game. That is a credit to a well coached team.

After the Steelers put together a commanding lead the Steelers began to bring in some of the youth and it was great to see the young lions on the field. Most exciting prospect to me is Stevenson Sylvester who just played lights out, I give him the nod over Jason Worilds right now but both guys are top notch prospects. Look for one or both to be the candidates to replace the aging middle and or Lamarr Woodley if we lose him in free agency. I would have liked to see Jonathon Dwyer play a little better but he looked decent and he definitely is a prospect. I think a guy that needs some credit is Ryan Mundy; while not a rookie anymore he has become a competent backup. Being Troy Polamalu’s backup is like trying to be Superman’s backup, he is never going to measure up but his play while not spectacular can get it done in a pinch. Keenan Lewis finally showed some promise again and he played a terrific game. All in all, it was just a great win yesterday.

BEER WE GO STEELERS! BEER WE GO!

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Big Ben Roethlisberger. He played just a phenomenal game and his ability to actually get rid of the ball on Blitzes really had the Browns back on their heels. He helped put up 41 against a team that didn’t give up 30 all year.   

Where I watched the game: Applebee’s in Farmingville NY! It had a great Steelers crowd with “Big” Jim and his son “Not so Little” Jim leading the charge. There was a great Steelers crowd and we (Me, KGB and EWheezy) had a ton of fun with them. We had a few Beers and ate every type of wing like product on the menu! 

My thoughts on Next Week: A much deserved week off. I am going to wrap up the regular season this week and discuss the playoffs.

 Small Justice for Silverback

The NFL and their punishment wheel of fortune have decided to reduce James Harrison’s fine from 75K to 50K. It shouldn’t have been any fine, but something is better than nothing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSi4Po8NvK4

Big Ben wins the Chief Award 

What a difference six months makes! Ben Roethlisberger recently just received the “Chief Award” for his cooperation with the media. The award is named after our illustrious chairman Art Rooney. For Ben it has been a roller coaster season/year but it looks like he is going to pull out of his self imposed tailspin! BWG wishes him well!

In the words of Terry Bradshaw; “You may lose with me, but you won’t win without me.” I have said all along Ben is the difference maker. If you look at these teams vs. the teams of the 90’s Ben to me is the biggest difference between being two time Super Bowl champs and coming up just short! On a side note he is the first QB to win the award! I hope Ben keeps it going!

Pouncey wins the Joe Greene Award

No surprise here as who else could have possibly won it. That being said he is obviously the heir apparent to the Center Dynasty in Steeler history. His play has provided a much needed boost in the sagging fortunes of the O-Line! I honestly felt he was a reach as the number one pick, I am happy to report he was worth it! The guy plays like a veteran and his athleticism is just remarkable! Pouncey netted a Pro Bowl nod the first rookie for the Steelers since Kendrell Bell.  

Several Steelers Get Jobbed on the Pro Bowl

First and foremost I hope none of our guys are playing in the Pro Bowl! I would rather watch them play in Dallas, that being said only Troy Polamalu, “Silverback” James Harrison and my man Maurkice Pouncey were selected. Again this game stinks and it is terrible to watch but what is right is right. How James Farrior, Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley were left off was a mystery to me? Casey Hampton certainly will be named at some point as they are going to need an alternate but again I feel he is a real omission. BTW How about Mike Wallace or Rashard Mendenhall, either could have a serious case.

Again who cares, we are going to be playing in Dallas! 😉

 It was business as usual for the Pittsburgh Steelers as they rolled over the Carolina Panthers in convincing fashion. The Steelers have now outscored their opposition 117-34 when following a defeat this season. That is a terrific statistic that shows Coach Tomlin has our guys ready to play.

The Steelers rolled all night as Big Ben had a huge game. The offense played a well rounded game with solid performances by the O-Line and the receiving core. Rashard Mendenhall again chipped in with a workmanlike effort. The only cause for concern is they struggled in the Red Zone and didn’t run the ball as well as they should have in the second half. 

Ben Roethlisberger is the story as he is starting to recognize the blitz better and he threw an awesome hot route to Mike Wallace. Wallace split the defenders and in the blink of an eye was gone! I might be committing heresy but the Receivers might be the best all around unit on the team including the Linebackers. They continue to make all the plays! Emmanuel Sanders had a TD called back which was questionable. Eight guys chimed in for catches. It was a great job by the passing game last night.    

The defense played a disciplined game and it is funny listening to the announcers jump on an off the band wagon. Jonathon Stewart is a beast but there was no way he was going to gain 100 yards against the Steelers defense without a passing attack behind him.  After his opening 12 yard run, I loved listening to the announcers explain how the Steelers may be in trouble if they can’t stop the run. Wow that is some commentary, seriously if the Steelers can’t stop a guy who smashes 12 tough yards on every carry they may have a problem? Wow who would have thunk it? Well of course they keyed in on him and he had no shot. The Steelers defense who looked workman like and held Carolina to under 120 yards of total offense. It is funny though because we are becoming spoiled as a performance like last night is kind of ho hum. The Defense is just outstanding this season.  

One other thing that the announcers keyed in on is that Big Ben Roethlisberger is pretty good? That was every important information for people to here. Seriously, it does seem lost on the rest of the country. Big Ben sometimes comes across as a meathead jock and let’s face it his offseason issues don’t help him. I would point out again that no other QB is going to play with a broken foot and nose. The guy makes plays and is as tough as they come, what more could you ask for? His foot bone is STICKING OUT OF HIS SKIN and he still played! Ben lit up the Panthers’ defense; while it is not spectacular it is competent.All and all it was a great win for the Black Gold last night. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!BEER WE GO STEELERS, BEER WE GO!  

My “GAME BEER” goes to: Big Ben Roethlisberger who could have thrown for 500 yards if they didn’t rein him in.

Where I watched the game: In my living room on my projection screen! I watched with the kids and traded my usual beverage of choice (It is called Beer We Go for a reason) for a hot chocolate!

My thoughts on Next Week: The Browns are certainly no walk over and they will play this one like it is the Super Bowl. Mangini needs this if he has any chance of not getting replaced by one of Mike Holmgren’s flunkies. Next week all depends on how the Browns do Sunday v. Baltimore. If the Browns win this week, the Steelers will rest EVERYONE. If they lose then the Steelers will play at “full” strength. Should be a fun game to watch either way!