James Harrison, Just Says No...

He won't be visiting the White House to visit the Obama, as part of a now traditional visit to meet the President after a Super Bowl Win.

"No big deal." Harrison said, and continued... "If you want to see the Pittsburgh Steelers, invite us when we don't win the Super Bowl. So as far as I'm concerned he would have invited Arizona if they had won."

Harrison added:
"I don't feel the need to actually go," he said of the visit with President Obama. "I don't feel like it's that big a deal to me."

He didn't go in 06 after Super Bowl XL, and he's not going now. Say what you want about James Harrison, but when a man stays true to who he is, I dig it.

It kills me how people are all a gas at the notion of not going to see the Obama. The writer I linked above actually had the nerve to call Harrison "a disappointment to your race." What a douchebag. The man doesn't care about meeting the President and he's a disappointment to his entire race? What kind of politically correct BS is that? In case you haven't noticed, Harrison is not really the giddy type, you moron.

Rock on James, I'm with ya. I wouldn't go either...

Super Bowl XLIII

It seems like an eternity since the Steelers punished the Ravens for even considering beating the Steelers in their own house. 2 full work weeks with very little desire to get anything done. All anybody at my office wants to do is analyze the game. In Western Pennsylvania, we've had nothing but snow, ice, wind and cold. So much so, that I'm considering a bobsled and a team of dogs.

These past two weeks, I've struggled through the work day, while wondering what was going on in Tampa. I've kept my nose to the grindstone, while in my mind I'm trying to decide, do we blitz Warner, or smother Fitzgerald? Or do we do both? I've worried about the fact that one of the very few active running backs to run for over 100 yards against the Steelers, is Edgerrin James. And I was at that game in Indy back in 2005 when James ran for 124 yards in that 26-7 ass whippin. I remember it all too well.

I've thought about the match up in week 4 of last season when the Cardinals beat us 21-14 in Arizona. A match up the Steelers should have won. But I've thought about giving up turnovers in the red zone when the Steelers should have scored. I've thought about the 73 yard punt return for a touch down by Steve Breaston. I've thought about being 5 for 15 on third down. I've thought about Ben being sacked four times. I've thought about the 11 penalties we gave up. As you can see, it's not been a pleasant two weeks...

This isn't your daddy's Cardinals boys and girls. This is Ken Wisenhunt's Cardinals. This is a team with THREE 1000 yard receivers. This is a team that has actually ran more often in the playoffs than it has passed it by a margin of 100 runs to 92 passes. And yes for the most part, it's been Edgerrin James doing the running...

But yesterday, it hit me. This is a team that went 9-7 during the regular season. And that is in a division that went 22-42 collectively. That means 6 of their 9 wins were against teams that were 13-35 between them. Their other 3 wins were against Miami in week 2, Buffalo in week 5, and Dallas in week 6. That means, 8 of their 9 wins came against teams that did not make the playoffs. That's really not very impressive. You add in the fact that they are 0-5 playing on the East Coast during the regular season and all of the impressive stats I mentioned earlier seem a little less impressive...

So what does all of this mean? Not one damn thing. The long and the short of it is, none of this analysis means one damn thing until they play the game. We can study, and talk, and watch and read and it all means nothing. This is all stuff we do to be a part of it. And we all want to be a part of it.

There are 37 different ways this game can go, and we're all trying to guess the right one. So here's my guess:

If Arizona gets the ball first, I think they will jump out to a quick 10-0 or 14-0 lead. And then the Steelers Defense will adjust. They will weather the storm of Warner and Fitzgerald, and slowly work their way back into it by the end of the half. At halftime, I see a 10-7, maybe 14-10 lead by Arizona.

The third quarter will be owned by Pittsburgh. The Steelers have outscored their opponents 100-26 in the third quarter all season long. I don't see that changing tonight. They will take the lead in the third. I'd say probably a 20-14 score at the end of the 3rd.

My hunch is then the Steelers will lose their lead again in the 4th, as Warner will get hot for a series or two. But again, the Steelers defense will adjust and give the ball back to Ben with 5 or so minutes to go in the game. Down by 1, Ben will march the team down the field, and either throw a TD pass or setup Jeff Reed for a Field Goal. They will have the lead, and we're all going to be thinking we left too much time on the clock. But don't worry, the Steelers Defense will again close the show and shut down Warner and the Cardinals to bring home number Six!

Or, the Steelers will blow them out...

Either way, I do think it promises to be a good game. Any time you have the number two offense going up against the number one defense, it should be an interesting game. And perhaps we will know if offense wins games, but DEFENSE wins championships.

Go Steelers!

The Steel Tide

The two weeks between Championship games and the Super Bowl are absolutely brutal. It's not as if I'm a patient man as it is. This wait is absolutely killing me. To help me through a weekend with no football, I decided to spend the day gathering highlight clips and putting them to good use...



One more week until we pick up that 6 pack...

Here We Go!

Tampa Florida, here we come, back where Tomlin started from...

Ok, I'm sure that tune will be stuck in my head all day now. And believe me, I'm happy to have it there.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to they 7th Super Bowl, in an effort to become the first team in NFL History to obtain a 6th Super Bowl title. That's right. I said it. I know what I said in my last piece. But that was before the Steelers dropped the hammer on the Ravens!


And drop the hammer they did. What a beautiful effort by the Pittsburgh defense last night. Holding the Ravens to a measley 198 total yards offense is an incredible feat.

The game gotta a little too close for comfort when the Ravens pulled within two points in the 4th quarter. But it was Troy Polumalu that dropped the hammer on Raven rookie QB, Joe Flacco. Polumalu's interception and return for a TD was pretty much the game ender. But I suppose you could say it was Tyrone Carter's interception with under two minutes to go that was the final drop of the hammer.

I know the feel good story of the year right now is the Arizona Cardinals, making it to the Super Bowl for the first time. But what you and I should feel good about is the Pittsburgh Steelers not only surviving the toughest schedule in the NFL, but actually getting to the Super Bowl after finishing 12-4 with that toughest schedule in the NFL. Yes, the Cardinals story is a good one. And I couldn't be happier for coach Wisenhunt. But the truth is, the real story is how this Pittsburgh Steeler team looked adversity right in the eyes, and kicked its ass.

It's a beautiful day in the Burgh ladies and gentlemen. Let's enjoy it today. And then move on to the next mission of whipping Arizona and getting that 6th ring!

It's Bird Season Baby!

Go Steelers!

The Road To Tampa

Is Paved With Dead Birds...

The Ravens Suck.

The Steelers, The Chargers, the Purple Browns...

I don't know what coach Mike Tomlin said to the Steelers Offensive line, but he needs to say it again this coming Sunday. The Steelers O-line played absolutely fantastic yesterday at Heinz Field, in the AFC Divisional round of the playoffs against the San Diego Chargers. Not only did they give up only one sack, they paved the way for Willie Parker to rush for 146 yards on 27 carries, with 2 Touchdowns.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had plenty of time. He could settle in the pocket, plant his feet and unleash that arm of his that has seemed to be on vacation as of late. Ok, so he didn't have earth shattering numbers at 17 of 26, for 181 yards with just one touchdown pass, with no interceptions. That's an OK day. But when you combine those types of numbers with 165 total yards rushing, and a vicious defense that every team in the league fears, you get Steelers football. And as we all know what Steelers football leads to, though I dare not speak it's name!

Not yet. I will not speak its name. That coveted title the Steelers have obtained five times in the past. You know the title. Though we dare not speak its name. The title the Steelers were the first team in NFL History to obtain for a third time. Then again, the first team to obtain that title for the 4th time. Could we be the first team to obtain it for an incredible 6th time? We dare not speak its name.

I dare not dream. I dare not mention its name for fear the mear whisper of it could make it bounce off our finger tips like a deep ball thrown to Limus Sweed. No, we must not mention its name for we have a major obstacle before us.

The Baltimore Browns. Oh, that's right, they're called the "Ravens" now. But they'll always be the Browns to me, despite their Prince like purple uniforms. And really, who names a football team after a poem? A bunch of homos, that's who.

However, give the Purple Browns their due. They've managed to knock off the number one seed, battling their way to earn a shot at the title. But here's the deal. This title fight is in Pittsburgh, where the Steelers have won 7 of their last 8 games against the Purple Browns. That should give us some major encouragement. I say, forget about it. We have to beat a very tough team for the 3rd time in a single season. A Purple team that is VERY pissed off about losing to us on a decision made by a ref. Three times in one season? That's a very tall order.

Make no mistake, it is the Steelers they want to play. It is revenge that they seek. It is revenge that they crave. This could end up being a battle of epic proportions. The road to Tampa comes through Pittsburgh this coming Sunday and honestly, I don't think the Purple Browns could be happier about it. And that does not bode well for us in the Steelers Nation. This is going to be a street fight. A street fight some might dread. But I'll tell you, I can't wait for it to happen. And my hunch is, neither can our beloved Steelers...

Video Worth a Thousand Words

This is football...

You want a commentary on the Steelers victory over the Patriots yesterday? Here it is...


That pretty much sums it up.

And I'll be interested to see what the fine will be. Seeing how I can't find any information about Chris Crocker being fined for this hit...

As If I Need Another Reason to Hate The Ravens

Vile and disgusting birds...

NFL to investigate Ravens 'bounty' on Steelers

Apparently, Terrell Suggs ran his mouth on a local radio show and now the NFL is investigating. From the story, at the link above:

Suggs revealed recently on the syndicated sports radio talk show "2 Live Stews" that the Ravens had a bounty on Mendenhall and on Ward.

"We definitely like to send our messages to rookie running backs who think they've made it." Suggs said. "We did a good a job of sending a message."

As for Ward, Suggs said, "Hines Ward is definitely a dirty player, a cheap shot artist."

It always amazes me when you kick somebodies butt enough times, they call you dirty. As you may recall, Steelers rookie Rashard Mendenhall apparently sent a friend on the Ravens team a text message before the September 29th match up stating he was getting the start and was going to have a big game. He ended up out for the season with a broken shoulder after being smoked by Ray Lewis.

Smash Mouth Football!

Taken to a whole new level...

Many of you may not be aware that over the past week or so, Hines Ward had been fined a total of $15,000 for a couple of hits during the Ravens and Jaguars game. Neither hit was flagged on the field, but the NFL in all its wisdom decided to fine him anyway. It was in the news last week, you may have heard.

And the Rooneys had sent a letter to the NFL last week asking for clerification. Polumalu did an interview with some comments about football becoming a "pansy game" and the guys that played this sport back in the day couldn't survive the fines being levied today. And Coach Tomlin had some comments on it as well, to the effect of "I'm tired of my players getting fined for being football players." I like him.

Well, it didn't seem to bother Hines Ward any. On the 4th play of the game yesterday, in which the Steelers won 38-10, Ward put a devistating block on rookie Linebacker Keith Rivers. In fact, he broke his jaw.

Smash mouth football baby!

Don't get me wrong, I hate to see a player out for the season. But Ward is a wide receiver. That's bad ass any way you cut it.

So now, it would seem the Steelers, who told Ward and other players, don't stop playing like you've played for years, are calling out the commish. They seem to be saying "This is who we are, deal with it."

Will they fine Ward again? It was a clean hit, no penalty once again. But a devistating blow. See it here:


Should there be a fine for that hit? I think not. This is football. It's not golf...




Side Notes:

Steelers move to 5-1, leading the AFC North, and in 2nd place in the Conf behind 6-0 Tenn. The Steelers face the Super Bowl Champion NY Giants this weekend. Time to earn your pay boys...

Ben Roethlisberger hasn't lost a game in Ohio in his 4 year NFL career. That's awesome.

Mewelde Moore had 3 TDs, 2 rushing, one receiving. Looking good. Gimme some Moore!

Woodley / Harrison! Are on pace for 24 sacks between them. Modern Day Lambert and Ham? I love what I'm seeing from these two. Remember the T-shirt that was floating around Michigan when Woodley was there, "Guns don't kill people, Lamar Woodley kills people." The man will be a star in this league.

We're Keeping Farrior

Yes!

Good news for Steelers fans today. James Farrior and the Steelers came to terms on a 4 year contract extension worth a total $18.25 million. A consistant leader on the Steelers defense, I think we got him pretty cheap. When you consider we've got two second year linebackers in Timmons and Woodley that can only stand to benefit from him sticking around.

I still think this season is going to be a tough one, so my hopes for 2008 are limited. However, with the addition of Mendenhall and Sweed this season, Timmons and Woodley last season, I think the future of the Steelers looks solid. We've got Hines Ward mentoring our future receivers, Farrior mentoring our future linebackers, I think we're making some very smart moves.

Steelers looking at QB Leftwich

Not sure what I think about this...

According to the Pittsbugh Post Gazette, Leftwich is in town and working out with the Steelers. The Steelers have brought him in for to possibly replace Batch as the back up.

"They have an opportunity to win it all," Leftwich said. "To be part of that, if I can help, that's my mind-set. I'm just trying to get back out there."

He's been injury prone in recent years, benched, released, released again. And honestly, I spent alot of games yelling for the Steelers to kick Leftwich's ass. It's going to be a hard habit to break.

All partisanship asside, he'd probably be a decent fit in Pittsburgh's offense. He's strong, and hopefully he's stayed in shape. He's a MAC guy like Ben and Batch, and played against Ben in College:

"I know Ben well, him and Charlie," Leftwich said. "I played against Ben, competed against him in college. It was fun."

Steelers QB Coach Ken Anderson coached Leftwich in Jacksonville and it's obvious he's got plenty of experience. So, I'm thinking this is not a horrible idea.

Except that I will have to stop taking pleasure when he gets knocked on his ass...