SB Nation - Willie Parker

Anthony Gonzalez and Donald Brown return to practice

BigBlueShoe — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 15:23:00 -0000

More photos » by Tom Strattman - AP

Indianapolis Colts running back Donald Brown (31) (AP Photo/Tom Strattman)

Key to any playoff run in the NFL is a team getting healthy at the right time. In 2005, the Pittsburgh Steelers looked like complete and utter dog meat heading into the post-season. They lost at home to the Cincinnati Bengals, thus losing hold of the AFC North, prior to the end of the season. They were hurt, tired, and were picked as an early round exit in the playoffs. Then, prior to the playoffs, players like Jerome Bettis, Willie Parker, and Troy Polamalu got healthy. They entered the playoffs, surging ahead in part because of Kimo von Oelhoffen blasting Carson Palmer's knee on the Bengals first offensive play. They were able to blow out the Bengals, barely squeak by the Colts, destroy the Broncos, and eventually embarrass the Seahawks in the Super Bowl.

Health is everything in the post-season. Everything.

If "momentum" meant anything, the Patriots would have won 19 games in 2007. Instead, they lost in the Super Bowl to a NY Giants teams that, like the 2005 Steelers, looked like dog meat heading into post-season play.

Because health is so important, and because it is vital that certain big-play players get back 100% healthy and fully ready to contribute, the news that wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez and running back Donald Brown have returned to practice is very positive.

Their participation in practice was categorized as "short." I'm optimistic that both will play this Sunday against the NY Jets, but until I hear that Brown and Gonzo are practicing in pads, my optimism is guarded.

One thing I do know: If Gonzalez does not play in either the Jets or Bills game, he should not be on the playoff roster. I absolutely do not want a Marvin Harrison circa 2007 re-occurring. Pierre Garçon and Austin Collie have developed wonderful timing with Manning. Collie, by the way, is a legit Rookie of the Year candidate. Both he and Garcon have earned the right to play slot and flanker ahead of Gonzalez, who has not played full speed, competitive football in over three months. It is vital that Gonzo play, and play well, in these next two games. If not, his 2009 season should be ended.

That said, it is a positive sign that he and Brown are back at practice. Having both these guys back and healthy for post-season play would be a significant boost to this team.

Tip to npb1985

Pregame Zone Blitz: Raiders at Steelers

ncoolong — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:54:25 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

Browse more photos »

There's a special feature in the PZB this week. Not football-related, but it's still packed with enough information to suggest Pittsburgh is poised to break out of their three-game losing streak in a big way.

Losing to the Ravens is never fun, but...it was actually a pretty fun game to watch. No bitterness, no animosity, we're just Seeing Dennis Dixon, and we're getting a whole lot of funk.

I had a beer with a fellow travelling Minnesotan at the Buckeye Bar in Port Columbus International Airport. We joked with the college-aged Buckeyes-obsessed bartender, shared a few laughs at Cleveland's expense, while the calming beer-buzz got me ready to board the cattle car headed home.

We approached the gate, and through the dark, we saw the plane, but with it, two police squad cars, followed by a long line of vehicles; trucks, Chevys, Hondas.

My new friend clearly is more versed in airports than I (although I travel a bit), and he mentioned something about having "seen this before."

I asked if it was a funeral, and another traveler gathered around our expanding group of onlookers.

"Honor guard," he grunted.

It wasn't as if he said it loudly, or that everyone could have heard it, but there was a pall that overtook everyone. Within the next 10 seconds, seemingly out of obligation, every person in the gate was gathered by the window. Staring, observing, perhaps reminiscing. A hearse slowly made its way to the plane we were about to board. I couldn't take my eyes off it, not having a clue whether the coffin was coming out of the plane, or if they going to place it on board.

A single mother held her two daughters close to her, all three in tears. It wouldn't make sense for them to know whomever it was this procession was for, but it was as if they did.

We all did. Somehow or other, whomever it was, we knew him or her.

The honor guard lined up with a sense of purpose, in full uniform, and marched proudly yet solemnly toward the plane.

It was noticeable in their gait; it was the least they could do.

A soldier returned home without his or her life. I tear ran down my cheek as I could hear the young girls sobbing, asking their mother what was going on. The mother didn't answer. The emotion was so thick in the air no one dared move.

We stood at full attention, watching the casket draped with an American flag be wheeled out of the cargo bay of the plane.

The only thoughts I had were that I wasn't moving until that casket was out of my sight, and what that soldier was thinking in the final moments of his or her life.

Maybe about family. Maybe about God. Obviously that person wasn't thinking about me, but I felt obligated to honor this person in what little way I could; I wasn't going to move until that casket and that flag were properly placed in the hearse.

Strangely, it seemed everyone else had the same thought. The gate attendant didn't even interrupt this small honor for that soldier.

I hoped the last thought this soldier had was about the honor and respect he would be paid upon his tragic return. I prayed that he or she know that he was honored by 150 stranger travelers. I prayed that the soul of that person was able to see 150 people standing at attention, honoring his or her sacrifice.

I hoped this person knew his or her heroic return stopped the actions of 150 people waiting anxiously to get home. I hoped he or she was aware of the sobering moment we all had, and in that, he or she was given the sense of honor and pride they dedicated themselves to.

Most of all, I hoped when this is published, a soldier or family member of a soldier reads it, and is comforted by the fact that at least 150 people inside Gate C54 at Port Columbus International Airport honored that returning soldier.

And I can't imagine anyone will forget it.

Opponent Web Sites/Forums

Does it take an "Idiot" to solve the Raiders current woes? Saint of Silver ‘N Black Pride has a few ideas.

This is one of the bluntest, funniest headlines I've ever read.

Raiders SS Tyvon Branch answers some questions from Raiders Faithful on Silver ‘N Black Pride.

Raiders All-World CB Nnamdi Asomugha takes the Raiders defense to task.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk takes a hilarious shot at the Browns current misfortune.

Last Game

In email/IM conversations with Site Commander Blitzburgh and my buddy Keith from Steel Curtain Rising, I learned something I thought I already knew; it's tough to win every week in the NFL.

Seems simple, but with the amount of games Pittsburgh has won recently, and in comparison to other teams that can't do what we do each week, it's a helluvan accomplishment to suggest we're bitter to the point of agony over a three-game losing streak.

I can't say I'm happy about the loss, but one thing I can't get out of my head is just how much fun that game was to watch. Obviously, I want a win as much as the next Steelers fan, but watching the future main contributors to this great rivalry - Ray Rice, Lawrence Timmons, maybe even Dennis Dixon - was tremendously enjoyable.

We hate Baltimore, of course. Frankly, though, I'd rather see Baltimore win than Cincinnati. Get your pitchforks and torches ready, cuz you're going to kill me for suggesting this, but we lost to a great team, a great coach and a great franchise.

We were so close to winning, much like the Ravens were in three games last year (well maybe two and a half games). Unlike Kansas City, the Steelers put up a commendable effort, and came close to beating a formidable opponent on their soil.

I'm not hanging my head over this loss. Iron sharpens iron, after all. My hat's off to the Ravens, that one is just another chapter in the story of the best rivalry in football.

We'll see them again in Pittsburgh, hopefully, with our main guys. I'm looking forward to it.

Opponent Spotlight: Nnamdi Asomugha

The advantage the best player on a bad team has is massive exposure. It's tough to talk about anyone else. But frankly, very few players can boast being at the level Asomugha is at.

It's difficult for the average fan to truly apply value to defensive backs. Asomugha is the prototype example of that. Is the fact that he's the only defensive back in the league who's played more than 400 snaps and been targeted less than 25 times (24) due to his ability, or the dozens of holes that exist on the Raiders defense?

Truthfully, it's probably both.

Why throw at Asomugha when you can throw at his counterpart, Chris Johnson (77 targets in 749 plays, 7^th highest total in the league)?

Regardless of the reasons behind it, the fact is teams will not throw at Asomugha, hence the reason he barely has any statistical accomplishments this season (1 INT, 1 pass defensed).

Working with only half the field hasn't prevented teams from putting whooping on the Raiders, though. The Raiders have given up 13 pass plays of over 40 yards (2^nd highest in the league) and they are 3-8 going into Sunday.

Because of all this, expect the Steelers to take an Ignorance is Bliss stance; they have nothing to gain by challenging one of the league's elite defenders, but his ability to lock down half the field alters Pittsburgh's wide-open passing attack.

Steelers Spotlight: RBs Rashard Mendenhall and Willie Parker

Mendenhall has to be licking his chops in watching film. Oakland allows 4.6 yards per carry and has allowed a league-high 17 rushing touchdowns. Add in the fact QB Ben Roethlisberger is returning from a head injury that kept him out of Pittsburgh's last game, it seems like the perfect opportunity for Mendenhall to have a career game.

Is 216 yards possible? That would give him 1,000 for the season. Oakland surrenders 161 rushing yards per game, but it's typically a cadre of backs instead of just one. Jets rookie Shonn Green put 144 on the Raiders earlier this season, and Thomas Jones added 127 more. Enter in Parker, who's had 11 carries in the past two weeks, vs. two carries in the team's previous three games.

This seems to be a game where Pittsburgh will look to reach the 40-carry plateau, and potentially have two 100-yard rushers. Oakland's linebackers do not tackle well, and the front seven allows chunks of yards after contact.

Mendenhall rushed 24 times against a stacked Ravens box, gutting out 95 yards. All evidence suggests a considerably higher yardage total in 24 carries against the Raiders. If Pittsburgh is dominating the game, it's not likely Mendenhall will have that many carries, but Parker and third-down back Mewelde Moore could both crack double-digits as well. This is all assuming none of them place the ball on the ground, which Oakland has been able to force 11 times this season.

Either way, with a QB who says he should be good to go, Pittsburgh will likely place this game on the shoulders of its offensive line (which will have LB Chris Kemoeatu back) and its talented group of backs.

We need that funk. We need that energy. We need #1 P-Funk, so spin it, you goofy bastard.

I See You

I see you, Dennis Dixon. Your numbers certainly weren't enough to earn Player of the Week or anything like that, but I see you because of two non-statistical measurements: you played with a sense of calm and patience in a game where very few passers are calm and patient, and with how hard you took that loss.

You had 100 percent confidence in yourself and your ability to help this team win, even when no one gave you a chance before the game. Your focus and your ability to shrug off mistakes were admirable, and you earned your varsity letter in that loss.

There are plenty of NFL-level QBs who would have thrown that same interception. It was a great defensive play call, and it was executed very well. While many Steelers fans are willing to give you a mulligan on that, considering your touchdown pass and run in that game, but you held yourself to a higher standard after the game, and put the loss on your shoulders, much like any great leader would.

Wins are all that matter to you. Steelers fans are going to remember this loss for a variety of reasons, but we aren't going to say "we lost because Dixon played a terrible game." We're going to say, "we had a bunch of injuries, and went into a hostile environment without several key starters, and almost pulled out a win."

There's something to take away from wins and losses, but what we know is you earned a seat at the table this past week. We're looking forward to seeing you again.

Key Stats

Since 2005, the Steelers are 13-6 in December
Oakland has won two straight over Pittsburgh (2006, 2002)
Pittsburgh has 20 rushes over 10 yards to the right side of center
The Steelers are 2-3 when the opposing QB passes for more yards than Roethlisberger/Dixon
The Steelers are 3-1 when an opposing receiver has the game-high receiving total
Troy Polamalu has 3 of the team's 8 INTs this year (23^rd in the NFL)

Cincinnati Bengals beat the Pittsburgh Steelers with unsung heroes and a beautiful red zone defense

Kirkendall — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:00:51 -0000

by Gene J. Puskar - AP

about 1 month ago: Cincinnati Bengals' Bobbie Williams (63) leaves Heinz Field after a 18-12 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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It was a bar in Dayton that an odd fellow, let's call him William, struck up a conversation with me that began with typical fantasy football musings. He drafted Adrian Peterson. His reaction was like anyone else's when drafting a great fantasy football player -- telling EVERYONE. Confident of his chances, not requiring the debate of the rest of his fantasy football draft, the conversation took an expected turn. Everyone that knows me personally, knows that I could chit-chat Bengals all day long. But it's not just about Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco. Those are the superstars that everyone else knows. What's more to say about them? Carson just wins. Chad just finds dollar bills laying around, hoping that the ref can find the owner who lost the money. We'll talk how hard Abdul Hodge will smack you in the face on kickoffs. We'll reminisce how the monstrous Ahmad Brooks had every tool to become a super-stud linebacker. We'll agree that Rashad Jeanty is perhaps the most unknown contributor on this defense, since 2006.

It was never about who was right. That's never the way conversations go. It's just about talking about the thing that we both love. William was old enough to remember both Super Bowls as if watching it live. I was too young for Super Bowl XVI. Not Super Bowl XXIII. I've told the story of breaking my mother's lamp when John Taylor scored the winning touchdown more times than I can remember.

But William's mind was sore. Last season left a bitter taste in everyone's mouth. That angry feeling we had before Marvin Lewis' era had resurfaced. Our last conversations didn't detail the exponential growth we saw from the defense last year. It wasn't about Carson Palmer returning. It wasn't about Cedric Benson, who had the best three-game stretch of any running back in the final three games. It wasn't about the veteran free agents, nor the NFL draft in which many observers praised the Bengals selections.

He was mad. And he should be mad. This team was terrible in 2008. Few things could be said about them that actually made us feel good. And that anger carried over to 2009.

William suggested firing Marvin Lewis. I gave the people's eyebrow for good measure, showing my uncertainty while questioning the validity of the source. How could you? Why would you? Who would you replace him with? It really took me aback. His argument is that great coaches could deal with the amount of injuries this team suffered, and still go undefeated... if they were great. Alright. Who would you replace him with? Bill Cowher, he instantly says. Yep. Bill Cowher. He's proven to put great teams together with a core philosophy that lasted most of his tenure, he argues. Yea, but. Well, he's a former Steelers coach. He lowers his head. He knows the point I just made. He knows that level of crazy-talk, while fun at times, has no place here. Are you drinking again, William, I asked. No, he laughed. It wasn't Bill Cowher he was suggesting; but Cowher being a model of stability that this team needed. Understandable.

At this point, I've recovered enough to make sure my adult beverage had a one-way ticket in, assuring that the mist that exhaled from my nose during that conversation had no escape. My composure, solid. I told him, have patience. They did a lot during the offseason, and excuse or not, Palmer's injury last year was a big contributor for their struggles. Even so, they were a solid football team in the second half of the season. They sported a winning recorded in the final eight games in 2008, I argued. That momentum would continue. How can you be so sure, he asked. Well, I can't be. But there are positive things. There is momentum. We won't repeat 2008. I promise.

William thoroughly enjoyed Cincy Jungle. We talked about the Bengals a lot. But we also talked just about football. The Buckeyes. The Bearcats. High School. We even shared our own football war stories.

About two months ago, William died of cancer. I'm going to miss talking to him about football. About the Bengals. But what really makes me sad, is that we won't be able to tell him that the Cincinnati Bengals swept the Steelers and Ravens, have a two-game lead in the AFC North with a 7-2 record. It would have been sweet to watch the pessimistic Bengals fan morph back into an bouncing anxious Bengals fan honestly optimistic that they could win any game on the schedule.

Hey William. We just swept the Steelers. You'd be proud.

The award for Offensive and Special Teams player of the game specifically designed to award Bernard Scott. We wrote briefly about Bernard Scott's ventures yesterday. He not only returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown, but several runs late in the game moved the ball forward and helped Cincinnati kill 4:20 off the clock, setting up Shayne Graham's third field goal of the game. Scott also recorded a 21-yard reception.

Think that's it? Scott recorded 206 yards on kickoff returns, giving him 260 yards total on offense and special teams. Bernard Scott isn't the powerful between the tackles runner that Benson is right now, but Scott's speed and acceleration is impressive. With 3:05 left in the game at the Pittsburgh 35-yard line, Cincinnati lined up on second-and-five, Scott accelerated around the right edge, picked up five yards and the first down. This forced the Steelers to use two timeouts, and took another minute off the clock.

Carson Palmer didn't struggle. He did what the Steelers allowed. It was true. Most of Palmer's passes were off target, mostly high. There were some plays that Palmer felt rushed and threw the football early. In the second quarter alone, Palmer completed only two of seven passes for 30 yards. But Palmer's struggles didn't last. In the second half, Palmer's efficiency returned. He completed 10 of 13 passes for 98 yards passing. In the fourth quarter alone, Palmer completed six of seven passes for 54 yards -- including a big third-down 17-yard pass to Brian Leonard. This guy puts it together when it matters the most.

More importantly, Palmer didn't take more than what the Steelers gave him. He didn't commit a turnover. He threw passes that weren't risky. If he was getting sacked, he allowed it, not trying to do the impossible and threw the football up. No, he didn't win this football game. That's not how we beat the Steelers and I doubt that will be true next year, or the year after that. Nor did he lose the game. To me, Palmer didn't struggle. He did only what he could.

Including the big 17-yard pass to Brian Leonard that converted a third-and-five, Palmer completed a deep 16-yard pass to Laveranues Coles down the left sidelines that pushed the Bengals to Pittsburgh's 24-yard line. Palmer completed back-to-back passes for eight yards after a Brian Leonard one-yard run, setting up an easy 32-yard field goal for Shayne Graham to give Cincinnati a 15-12 lead with 7:29 left in the game. Cincinnati largely went into kill-the-clock mode with six minutes left in the game. Scott shined here. Palmer attempted only one pass -- an eight-yard pass to Laveranues Coles with 3:53 left in the game that gave the Bengals their third first down. Thanks to Bernard Scott and a scramble by Palmer where he totally forgot how to slide gracefully, Shayne Graham converted a 43-yard field goal to give the Bengals an 18-12 lead.

No. This wasn't the Palmer we saw against the Bears. Or early against the Ravens. But this isn't the same Bengals either. If Palmer only throws for 178 yards passing, doesn't record a touchdown and the Bengals win, you'll take that.

The Bengals won because they have a defense that wins games. With all of the talk about an inconsistent offense with star-power players, the truth of the matter is the Bengals defense is the biggest reason the Bengals have swept the Steelers and Ravens, own the tie-breaker against both teams and sit in first place at 7-2. It's the defense. Sure the offense has helped. But nothing with the consistency and confidence this defense has right now.

With 1:49 left in the game, the Bengals have an 18-12 lead. Pittsburgh has one timeout left and plenty of time to pick up 67 yards for the game-winning touchdown. Ever since we lost to the Denver Broncos, that little place in the back of my mind that anything could happen, gets really big. Most defenses in this situation tend to go into prevent, with one goal in mind of not allowing the game-winning touchdown. Not Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. He blitzed. He had his guys in coverage smothering route runners. Roethlisberger didn't have time for deep routes to develop, though he tried to wait. Brandon Johnson pressured Roethlisberger on first down, forcing the incomplete. Chris Crocker and Johnathan Joseph shutdown their guys on respective plays. On fourth down, Roethlisberger was assaulted by Frostee Rucker and Michael Johnson, who forced the quarterback to make a desperate throw that landed several yards away in the middle of nowhere.

Bengals football. Three knees. Bengals win!

Even though this sealed the win, I don't believe this is where the Bengals won the football game. Aside from the final score, here's the most important stat of the game. Four times the Steelers entered the red zone. Four times, the Steelers settled for field goals.

Pittsburgh looked to score a touchdown on their opening possession. They recorded three first downs, including a third-and-13 conversion on a 15-yard scramble by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Bengals this year have struggled defensively when the game starts. And trust me, struggle is a relative term. They're simply not forcing three-and-outs on the opening possession of the game. A little greedy? So. On the first drive, the Steelers recorded three plays of 11 yards or more, reaching Cincinnati's 15-yard line. After that, the bend-but-dont-break defense, stood their ground.

On first down, Johnathan Joseph broke from his cornerback spot to close a rushing lane on the right edge, preventing what could have been a touchdown run for Mendenhall. Instead, two-yard gain. On second-and-eight at the Bengals 13-yard line, Roethlisberger spread out the offense in shotgun, he rolled out left and threw a shovel passed to Heath Miller for another three-yard gain. Third-and-five with 4:50 left in the first quarter, Chinedum Ndukwe sprinted to the line of scrimmage as Roethlisberger received the snap. Ndukwe found a wide open lane on the right, threw his arms up and knocked down the pass. Steelers drive stalls and Pittsburgh takes a 3-0 lead on a Jeff Reed 28-yard field goal.

Pittsburgh would go on to punt on the following two possessions -- including a three-and-out. With eight minutes left in the first half, the Steelers began their second red zone assault. After a 10-yard run by Mendenhall, Roethlisberger throws two incomplete passes. On third-and-10 at the Bengals 36-yard line, Roethlisberger, under pressure rolls left and finds a crossing Santonio Holmes for a 21-yard gain. He follows that up with another 10-yard gain. Three of the Steelers first five plays on this drive picked up 10 yards or more. They were picking up chunks again.

But not for long. With their backs to the endzone, the defense foams at the mouth. First-and-ten at the Bengals five-yard line. Mendenhall gets the carry, shifts to the right, where Chris Crocker shot through the line of scrimmage, taking out Mendenhall for a three-yard loss. On second-and-eight, Morgan Trent ran step-for-step with Santonio Holmes on an out-route towards the back left pylon, easily knocking the pass down. After a timeout that must have conjured up some crazy magical touchdown play, Jonathan Fanene sacks Roethlisberger, forcing Jeff Reed to convert a 33-yard field goal. That's two red zones appearances by Pittsburgh. That's two forced field goals.

Cincinnati's offense went three-and-out.

Pittsburgh gets the ball back with 2:52 left in the first half. The Steelers move until Heath Miller was called for offensive holding. After an incomplete pass to Mike Wallace, the Steelers line up second-and-twenty at the Steelers 24-yard line. Roethlisberger watches Wallace run a deep seam route and lightly presses the "B" button, floating a rainbow pass. A millisecond before the pass arrives, Ndukwe hooked Wallace's left arm, forcing another incomplete. Flag. Defensive pass interference and a 46-yard penalty. Ndukwe knew it. He didn't bother complaining.

After an 11-yard pass to Moore, the Steelers enter the red zone. The Bengals defense foams at the mouth. With :59 seconds remaining, the Steelers line up first-and-goal at the Bengals eight-yard line. After Geathers recorded the team's fourth sack in the half, Roethlisberger was forced to pick up 17 yards for the touchdown. On the first pass, Roethlisberger overthrew everyone in the end zone. On the second pass to Santonio Holmes at the back right pylon, Johnathan Joseph grazed the floating football with a fingernail, causing football enough redirection that Holmes couldn't adjust. Jeff Reed converts the 35-yard field goal.

Bengals force a third field goal on Pittsburgh's third red zone appearance.

Pittsburgh would be shutout of the red zone until there was 2:51 left in the third quarter. After five plays in which the Steelers started at midfield, Pittsburgh lines up at the Bengals 13-yard line. The score is tied at 12. This is big. After Hines Ward's eight-yard reception, the Steelers run three times, including a quarterback sneak, to pick up the first down at the Bengals 11-yard line.

On the ensuing play, the Steelers are flagged for offensive holding. After that, it was the same script that had been played all day. Five-yard dump pass to Mendenhall. Incomplete pass batted down by Jonathan Fanene, who came unblocked and would have sacked the quarterback, at the line of scrimmage. On third-and-15 at the Bengals 16-yard line, Roethlisberger, overthrows the football to Mike Wallace, running towards the left sidelines in the endzone.

Bengals force a fourth field goal on Pittsburgh's fourth, and final, red zone appearance.

Say hello to Morgan Trent. The story of a great day for the team's third best cornerback. When we talked about Morgan Trent after the NFL draft, I wasn't encouraged. It wasn't so much what I've seen -- I really don't remember him playing at Michigan much. It was Wolverine fans who weren't giving us glowing reviews. Then again, what did you expect from a guy who was drafted in the sixth round, for a position that we believed was set, save for building solid depth.

To describe Trent this year would be to say that he's as solid as they come. And against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he made plays. While the Steelers were driving on their first possession of the game, Pittsburgh lined up second-and-eight at the Bengals eight-yard line, threatening to score. Morgan Trent, lined up over Santonio Holmes, sat in the wide receivers hip, following his break towards the back left pylon. Just as it seemed that Holmes created enough space for the touchdown reception, Trent accelerated just in time to knock down the its-not-a-touchdown pass. Jonathan Fanene ended Pittsburgh's threat a play later with a quarterback sack.

On the Steelers opening drive in the second half, Ben Roethlisberger targets Hines Ward on third-and-two at their own 40-yard line. Roethlisberger, in shotgun, throws over the middle. Morgan Trent, trailing Ward on a crossing pattern, flipped his hand up at the inaccurate pass and knocked the football back towards the line of scrimmage where Frostee Rucker intercepted the pass and returned it to the 14-yard line. The Bengals would tie the game soon after.

With 7:15 left in the game, Bengals leading 15-12, Pittsburgh lines up first-and-10 at their own 27-yard line. Roethlisberger throws a deep pass over the middle. Morgan Trent outran Holmes on the deep pass and "got in the way", slowing Holmes progress. On the following play, Roethlisberger throws a quick pass to Holmes on the right. After the reception, he only picks up seven yards, thanks to Trent's great open field tackle. The significance is that the Steelers had three yards to go for the first down and Roethlisberger threw an incomplete pass on third down, forcing the Steelers to punt.

If you weren't encouraged by Morgan Trent's play before Sunday's win, you should be now.

They always say it's difficult to sack Ben Roethlisberger. The situation is second-and-eight at the Cincinnati 25-yard line with 7:42 left in the first quarter. Ben Roethlisberger lines up in double-tight end formation with a single-back. He fakes the handoff to Rashard Mendenhall, who targets the gap between center and left guard. Bengals defensive end Jonathan Fanene, lining up at right defensive end, remains at the line of scrimmage playing the run. Once he figures it's a pass, he breaks outside, actually losing his balance. Tight end Matt Spaeth uses Fanene's momentum and pushes him into the ground. Fanene, roughly a yard from Roethlisberger, lunged and twisted the quarterback's left leg to record the game's first sack.

Bernard Scott had just given the Bengals a 6-3 lead on a 96-yard touchdown return on kickoff. On the ensuing drive, with 3:36 left in the first quarter, the Pittsburgh Steelers lined up second-and-seven at their own 35 yard-line. Roethlisberger motioned Mendenhall out, leaving an empty backfield. After a three-step drop, Roethlisberger pump faked right, looked left, when Dhani Jones delayed a blitz. The Bengals had covered all of the Steelers offensive linemen, allowing Jones to come unblocked, sacking Roethlisberger for a seven-yard loss. On the following play, Santonio Holmes caught a 14-yard pass for the first down. Marvin Lewis said, "bull crap." He threw the challenge. The officials determined the spot was two yards too generous, forcing the Steelers into fourth-and-two. Pittsburgh punts.

Pittsburgh lines up third-and-goal at the Cincinnati eight-yard line with 4:54 left in the first half, threatening again. The Steelers had just called a timeout and were working up some crazy play that guaranteed a touchdown -- that's what teams do during offensive timeouts I think. Roethlisberger sets up in shotgun. Fanene lined up at the right defensive tackle spot. At first, Fanene was stuffed at the line of scrimmage. The Bengals secondary forced Roethlisberger to hold onto the football. After a few seconds, Fanene found a way around the guard, sacking Roethlisberger for a seven-yard loss.

Under a minute left in the first half, the Steelers were driving to the Bengals eight-yard line. Roethlisberger lines up in shotgun and empty backfield. He looks left, pump fakes, braces for Robert Geathers, who nailed the quarterback without even being touched by any blockers. Roethlisberger threw two incomplete passes after that and the Steelers are forced to kick a field goal.

Rushing defense comes up big again. Cincinnati came into Sunday's game with the league's second ranked defense, allowing an average of 83.9 yards per game. Cincinnati limited Rashard Mendenhall, Mewelde Moore, Ben Roethlisberger and Willie Parker to 80 yards rushing on 18 attempts.

Rushing offense was effective in spots, but they were always persistent. Not a bad annoying either. The Bengals rushing offense was stuffed and stifled throughout much of the game. They made some plays, but as a unit, they only recorded 61 yards rushing. The thing is, they didn't stop running the football, rushing 29 times. That's commitment to the run.

Driving nowhere. The Bengals defense forced the Steelers offense into four three-and-outs. More importantly, the Bengals defense in the second half forced an interception, three punts, a turnover on downs and a field goal.

Third down domination. The Bengals defense has only allowed four conversions in the past 25 third down situations (16%).

Points allowed domination . The Bengals came into Sunday only allowed 16.9 points per game, ranked fifth in the NFL. They've not allowed a point in the third quarter for three straight games. During that same three-game stretch, Cincinnati has only allowed 12 points in the first half and 17 points in the second half.

What we know. The Bengals win over the Steelers is huge. You know that. Everyone knows that. It's a mark in the division and an introduction to the league that this team is legit. Now, the Bengals enter a stretch of potential trap games. Knowing the maturity of this team, I like our chances. Still, as William would quickly remind all of us, we've seen them fall in games they should have won too many times before. Aye.

Primer: Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)

Kirkendall — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:01:27 -0000

by Ed Reinke - AP

2 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals receiver Andre Caldwell (87) catches a four-yard touchdown pass against Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Farrior (51) in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, in Cincinnati. Cincinnati won the game 23-20. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

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Game: Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)
Series Leader: Pittsburgh Steelers, 47-31
Streak: Steelers have won five of the past six and 14 of the past 19
Coaches vs. Opponent: Lewis: 4-10. Tomlin: 4-1
Broadcast: CBS (1:00 PM ET): Jim Nantz, Phil Simms. Westwood One Radio: Howard David, Dan Reeves. SIRIUS: 147 (Cin.), 123 (Pit.). XM: 105 (Pit.).
SB Nation: Behind the Steel Curtain
NFL.com: Game Center
Weather: Mostly cloudy with a high of 62. [Weather.com]
Uniform: White
Television Coverage: All of Ohio and many surrounding states, additional Midwest and West Coast coverage. Click on the link. [506]

Cincinnati Bengals

Dating back to December 14, 2008, the Cincinnati Bengals have won nine of the past 11 games.
Bengals look to win consecutive games against the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time since 1998.
When a running back rushes the football 25 times or more under the Marvin Lewis era, the Bengals are 26-1.
In his past six games against Pittsburgh, Carson Palmer has completed 120 of 214 passes for 1,242 yards with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions -- 86.2 passer rating.
Cedric Benson looks to rush for 100 yards or more in his third consecutive games. Benson is averaging 106.2 yards rushing per game when he rushes 20 times or more; his teams are 11-1-1 when rushing 20 times or more.
In his past four games, Chad Ochocinco is averaging 95.3 yards receiving per game.
Defense has recorded eight interceptions in the past four games.
Johnathan Joseph recorded a pick-six in last game against the Steelers. With four interceptions this year, Joseph needs only one more interception to surpass his career-high in 2007.
Leon Hall has four interceptions in the past four games and looks to record an interception in his third straight game. Hall needs one more interception to tie a career-high.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Mike Tomlin is 7-0 versus the AFC North at home.
Dating back to November 16, 2008, the Steelers have won eight straight games at home.
In his past three games against Cincinnati, Ben Roethlisberger has completed 56 of 89 passes for 735 yards with four touchdowns and an interception (99.2 passer rating).
The Steelers are 33-2, including the playoffs, when Roethlisberger has a passer rating of 100 or better.
Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 150 yards or more twice this season.
Willie Parker has four 100-yard rushing games against the Bengals
In four home games this year, Hines Ward has three 100-yard receiving games this year.
In his last game against Cincinnati, Mike Wallace set a career high in receptions (7) and yards receiving (102).
Tyrone Carter tied a career high with two interceptions last week, including a 48-yard pick-six.
Troy Polamalu has three interceptions in four games this year. The Steelers are 16-3 when Polamalu has an interception.

TEAM RANKINGS

Offense	Bengals	Steelers
Total	348.8 (12th)	382.0 (5th)
Scoring	22.5 (t-16th)	24.4 (13th)
Third Downs	42% (11th)	45% (5th)
Passing	218.8 (18th)	266.8 (5th)
Passing TDs	14 (t-10th)	15 (9th)
Rushing	130.0 (9th)	115.2 (15th)
Rushing TDs	7 (t-13th)	6 (t-18th)
Sacks Allowed	12 (t-4th)	23 (24th)
20-yard Passes	22 (16th)	31 (t-5th)

Defense	Bengals	Steelers
Total	325.5 (14th)	284.9 (5th)
Scoring	16.9 (5th)	17.4 (6th)
3rd Downs Allowed	37% (14th)	42% (26th)
Passing	241.6 (25th)	214.5 (14th)
Passing TDs	10 (t-11th)	9 (t-8th)
Rushing	83.9 (2nd)	70.4 (1st)
Rushing TDs	4 (t-7th)	2 (t-1st)
Sacks	10 (t-11th)	9 (t-8th)
QB Rating	81.6 (11th)	77.2 (8th)
20-Yard Passes Allowed	27 (25th)	18 (t-9th)
Interceptions	10 (6th)	8 (t-10th)

Special Teams	Bengals	Steelers
Kickoff Return	19.2 (31st)	25.0 (6th)
Punt Return	12.4 (5th)	6.8 (23rd)
Punting (Net)	37.6 (19th)	40.1 (t-7th)
Punts Inside the 20	13 (t-14th)	13 (t-14th)

2009 STATISTICAL INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS

Carson Palmer	Stat	Ranking
Quarterback Rating	89.5	t-12th
Yards Passing	1,832	16th
Touchdowns	14	t-9th
First Downs	93	t-13th
Average Yards/Att	7.0	t-15th
Completions	160	15th
Interceptions	7	t-17th
Times Sacked	12	t-9th

Cedric Benson	Stat	Ranking
Yards Rushing	837	2nd
Attempts / Game	24.8	1st
Touchdowns	6	t-7th
First Downs	35	t-4th

Chad Ochocinco	Stat	Ranking
Receptions	44	t-11th
Yards Receiving	639	8th
Touchdowns	5	t-10th
20-yard receptions	10	t-4th
First Downs	33	t-8th

CAREER AGAINST THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Carson Palmer

Date	Result	Comp	Att	Yards	TDs	INTs
9.27.09	W, 23-20	20	37	183	1	0
12.02.07	L, 10-24	17	44	183	0	0
10.28.07	L, 13-24	23	31	205	1	0
12.31.06	L, 17-23	20	38	251	2	0
9.24.06	W, 28-20	18	26	193	4	2
12.4.05	W, 38-31	22	38	227	3	0
10.23.05	L, 13-27	21	36	227	0	2
11.21.04	L, 14-19	13	25	165	2	1
10.3.04	L, 17-28	20	37	164	1	2

Chad Johnson

Date	Rec	Yards	TDs
9.27.09	5	54	0
10.19.08	8	52	1
12.02.07	6	86	0
10.28.07	5	51	0
12.31.06	4	53	0
9.24.06	1	11	0
12.4.05	5	54	0
10.23.05	4	94	0
11.21.04	5	80	1
10.3.04	4	54	0
11.30.03	6	117	1
9.21.03	4	77	0
11.24.02	7	152	0
10.13.02	7	71	0
12.30.01	2	25	0
10.07.01	5	52	0

* Chad didn't play in the second game against the Steelers after he was declared inactive because of insubordination.

Laveranues Coles

Date	Rec	Yards	TDs
9.27.09	5	34	0
11.18.07	1	56	0
11.28.04	6	55	0
12.9.01	3	20	0
10.8.2000	1	18	0

Chris Henry

Date	Rec.	Yards	TDs
9.27.09	1	19	0
11.20.08	2	25	0
10.19.08	3	44	0
12.2.07	2	31	0
12.31.06	4	124	1
9.24.06	5	69	2
12.4.05	5	52	0
10.23.05	0	0	0

Cedric Benson

Date	Rush	Yards	TDs
9.27.09	16	76	1
11.20.08	16	35	0
10.19.08	14	52	0

FANTASY WEEKEND REPORT by Craig T

Niko Houllis — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:00:20 -0000

Craig T's FFH (we lied about the year established. Stolen via Google search. How's that for honesty.

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Our good buddy Craig T has his internet down, let me guess, Brighthouse? Remember when Brighthouse tried to make everyone think the NFL Network was the bad guy? Now BH is the only one that Doesnt have it. Heck, I get NFL Network on a sprint phone for goodness sake!! " You carry 8 shopping channels, but no NFL Network!!!"

Anyways..This message brought to you by Verizon's Fios. JK, ....

Take it away Craig T...

Welcome, BucEm fans, to what will be our weekly look at some fantasy football help some of you might be musing over. With 8 weeks down and 5 to go, many of you are likely jockeying for playoff berths, so let's get down to it...

QBs TO START (excluding weekly automatic starts P. Manning, Brady, Roethlisberger, Brees, B. Favre, A. Rodgers, and K. Warner)

1. Tony Romo @ PHI. 8 TDs, 0 INTs in last 3 and seeing field as well as anyone.

2. Matt Hasselbeck vs DET. Weak SEA running game + weak DET defense = big bounceback game for Hasselbeck.

3. Donovan McNabb vs. DAL. Like Romo, also seeing field well in what should be a game filled w points.

4. Philip Rivers @ NYG. Clicking V-Jack lately and has passed for not less than 249 yds this season. NYG defense still not right.

5. Matt Schaub @ IND. First time he and Andre Johnson have been on the field together vs IND since 2007.

Sleeper: Jason Campbell @ ATL. Yes, ugh, I know, but WAS is coming off a bye and ATL can't stop anybody through the air. Look for a solid, if not great, game from Campbell Sunday.

QBs TO SIT

1. Eli Manning vs SD. He's just not trustworthy since injuring his heel.

2. Matt Ryan vs WAS. Roddy White is iffy for the game and WAS pass defense has been solid this season. If you have a 2nd option, consider it.

3. Jake Delhomme @ NO. If you were considering Jake as a bye-week replacement, dig deeper for an option, such as Alex Smith or Campbell. Delhomme vs a turnover-minded defense like NO is a nightmare.

4. Jay Cutler vs ARI. Has hit 3 PaTDs only once since week one.

5. Kyle Orton vs PIT. Steeler D boosted by return of Polamalu.

RBs TO START (excluding C. Johnson, Gore, MJ-D, Turner, LT, SJax, AP, Forte, Ronnie Brown, B. Jacobs)

1. Ryan Grant @ TB. Duh.

2. Joseph Addai vs. HOU. Comeback player of year candidate has scored in 4 straight.

3. Ray Rice @ CIN. Now the guy in BAL, should be key piece of offense in a close game.

4. Marion Barber @ PHI. With trio of RBs, no longer an auto start, but still gets majority of carries and goalline touches and should be started when DAL offense is clicking like it is.

5. Pierre Thomas vs. CAR. Still the main guy in the backfield of the most explosive offense in football.

Sleeper: Jamaal Charles @ JAX. Did you see what Johnson and Titans did to this run defense last week? Charles will get majority of carries and should have a good chance to score.

RBs TO SIT

1. LeSean McCoy vs DAL. Westbrook back and Cowboys have been strong against the run.

2. Laurence Maroney vs MIA. Sammy Morris' return clouds backfield picture and MIA also solid vs run.

3. Cadillac Williams vs GB. GB ranks near the top of the NFL in rushing YPGA. Certainly you've got a better option.

4. Rashard Mendenhall @ DEN.

Denver ranks 3rd against run and Willie Parker to get some work as well.

5. Beanie Wells @ CHI. Still splitting 50/50 w/Hightower, and appears not to be getting majority of goalline carries. Maybe a flex play, but not RB2 material.

WRs TO START (excluding R. Wayne, A. Johnson, L. Fitzgerald, M. Colston, R. Moss, W. Welker, Desean Jackson, R. White, Calvin Johnson, H. Ward, Vincent Jackson, D. Bowe, B. Marshall, Ochocinco)

1. Santana Moss @ ATL. Falcons giving up yards in droves to opposing number 1 WRs. Moss on Grimes' backup should be a mismatch.

2. Miles Austin @ PHI. Ride him til he bucks ya.

3. Nate Burleson vs DET. Hasselbeck's main target should cash in Sunday.

4. Donald Driver @ TB. Bucs' secondary will get a stiff test Sunday, and Driver has been Rodgers' go to guy. Jennings also a solid play.

5. Kevin Walter @ IND. Should have more one on one matchups than Johnson and targets should increase with loss of Owen Daniels.

Sleeper: Steve Breaston @ CHI. In line for solid number of targets with Boldin re-aggravating his ankle.

WRs TO SIT

1. Ted Ginn, Jr @ NE. Don't be fooled by his 2 KRTD performance against NYJ... He still hasn't earned his starting WR spot back yet from Hartline/Bess.

2. Roy E. Williams @ PHI. I don't care that he scored last week. He stinks and doesn't have trust of his QB.

3. Eddie Royal vs PIT. Only receiver worth trusting right now is B. Marshall. Gaffney stealing some of Royal's targets.

4. Lance Moore vs CAR. Gimpy, may be a GTD. With Meachem and Henderson likely to get targets, consider better alternatives over Moore if you can.

5. Mario Manningham vs. SD. Manning spreading around the targets and is having a tough time throwing an accurate deep ball, which hurts a big play WR like double M.

TEs TO START (excluding Witten, Gates, Clark, V. Davis, Shockey, T. Gonzalez)

1. Brent Celek vs DAL. Even though DAL has been great at holding down opposing TEs, he's too valuable to this offense lately to sit.

2. Kevin Boss vs SD. Great underneath option for Manning, who's struggling to step up and make deep throws.

3. Fred Davis @ ATL. TE is a big part of WAS passing game, and Davis has the athletic ability of a WR.

4. Donald Lee vs. TB. Rodgers looks at TE in red zone often and matchup problems exist for Buccaneers. Sub in Jermichael Finley here if he's cleared to play.

5. Heath Miller @ DEN. With Denver's defense so tough against the run and in the red zone, Big Ben's go to guy in the red zone should get some scoring looks.

Sleeper: Ben Watson vs MIA. Scored in 2 of last 3 games.

TEs TO SIT

1. Brandon Pettigrew @ SEA. If you're looking for a bye-week filler, look elsewhere. Without Stafford healthy, Pettigrew is a forgotten part of the offense.

2. Kellen Winslow vs TB. Yea yea, Freeman's gotta throw it to somebody, but who can really tell who he'll connect with? If you've got another solid option, consider it until we see how he connects with K2.

3. Bo Scaife @ SF. Niners 3-4 defense matches up their athletic LBs very well with opposing TEs.

4. Todd Heap @ CIN. Good for 3 catches, 40-50 yds, and that is all.

5. Tony Scheffler vs PIT. Except for his big game against SD a few weeks ago, has done nothing this year.

5 KICKERS TO START:

1. Shaun Suisham @ ATL

2. David Akers @ DAL

3. Nate Kaeding @ NYG

4. Kris Brown @ IND

5. Shayne Graham vs BAL

5 KICKERS TO SIT:

1. Dan Carpenter @ NE

2. Jason Elam vs WAS

3. Olindo Mare vs DET

4. Robbie Gould vs ARI

5. John Kasay @ NO

5 DEFENSES WITH GOOD MATCHUPS:

1. PIT @ DEN

2. SEA vs DET

3. NO vs CAR

4. JAX vs KC

5. SF vs TEN

5 DEFENSES WITH TOUGH MATCHUPS:

1. DAL @ PHI

2. NYG vs SD

3. PHI vs DAL

4. MIA @ NE

5. ATL vs WAS

Overcoming the "bump": How great teams keep winning despite setbacks

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:09:06 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

FILE - In this Nov. 1, 2009, file photo, Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell, left, will have to focus his team and not allow injuries to be an excuse. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings, File)

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Every NFL teams experiences a point in their season where something happens to disrupt their flow. Things are going well. The team is winning. Players are happy, flying around, looking to make plays, etc. Coaches are jovial in press conferences. Media are anointing the club, calling them "the best ever." Yippee-yippee-yay-yay!

Then, something happens.

Usually, it comes in the form of an injury. Or, sometimes, it's a team tragedy or some kind of disaster. Last season, we all saw the Houston Texans' "bump" come in the form of a hurricane that damaged their stadium, their facilities, and (for many players) their homes. The Texans never recovered from that "bump," and missed the playoffs because of a bad start.

In 2007, the our own, beloved Colts looked like they would repeat as world champions. They were 7-1 and flying high. Then, they lost Dwight Freeney for the season. They limped along for the rest of 2007, managed to finish the season 6-1 after the Freeney injury, but lost in the playoffs to the Chargers due in large part because of a lack of pass rush. In 2008, Peyton Manning's knee problems, coupled with the disasters at the defensive tackle spot, provided Indy with their "bump" very early in the NFL campaign. The team fumbled and bumbled their way through a 3-4 start. Though Indy managed to close the season on a 7-0 run, they lost in the playoffs again to the Chargers due in large part because of problems they had as a result of their "bump" early in the season (poor DT play).

Bumps for teams can sometimes be too much to handle. They can throw an entire season off track. However, it is the truly great teams that incur these bumps and, somehow, manage to win games in spite of them.

For my money, no championship team in recent memory was as injured as the 2006 Colts. They lost Brandon Stokley, Mike Doss, Corey Simon, James Mungro, and Montae Reagor for the season. Their secondary was a list of walking wounded. Bob Sanders missed virtually all the 2006 regular season (shocking, I know). Yet, despite the injuries, they persevered and won the Super Bowl.

Last season, we saw the Pittsburgh Steelers lose both their first and second round picks in the 2008 draft (Rashard Mendenhall and Limas Sweed, respectively). They also played games in 2008 without Willie Parker, using castoff Mewelde Moore as their feature back. They lost Casey Hampton and Heath Miller for long stretches of time. Starting offensive guard Kendall Simmons was lost for the season with an Achilles injury. Steelers starters missed over 31 games in 2008 due to injuries. In Week Sixteen, they were dominated by the Tennessee Titans, and many wondered if the Steelers were as good as others said they were.

Yet, I distinctly remember seeing the Steelers hoist the Lombardi trophy this past February.

Obviously, too many injuries, or one devastating injury, can kill your football team. But just because you loose a few starters, or because some other players are down for a while, does not mean that is an excuse to lose. The great teams win despite injuries, and even though the 2009 Colts have lost some players this week, this roster is still good enough to win it all.

More importantly, with this current roster, I expect them to win it all.

I love players like Marlin Jackson and Tyjuan Hagler. But this is the NFL. Injuries happen. For eight weeks, this team has been able to get by without having a serious injury smack them upside the head. Now, they have two. We'll see how tough they are overcoming this "bump" in the coming weeks. Personally, I think they will be fine.

Potent Quotables - The Wednesday Media Gathering

John Bena — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 04:55:55 -0000

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

about 1 month ago: Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels gestures in the fourth quarter during an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009, in Baltimore. Baltimore won 30-10. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)

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**Courtesy of the Denver Broncos P.R. Staff

HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

Opening remarks

"We are excited to get back at work, getting ready to play a great football team, the defending Super Bowl champion, on Monday Night Football. It will be a great challenge ahead of us this week to prepare and get ready to play a game against a team that has very, very few, if any, weaknesses. We are going to have to play our best football in order to have an opportunity to beat them on Monday night."

On if Baltimore presented physical mismatches for the Broncos

"We didn't play the way that we are capable of playing, and that is not an excuse. Baltimore forced us to play the way we played. They deserve credit. We talked about it the other day. We have got to do much better, but it is not about matchups. We have enough players out there that can match up physically with anybody in this league. We didn't play as well as we can."

On Pittsburgh's physical style of play

"(Pittsburgh) is a very physical team in every phase. To me, that is where it starts with the Steelers. If you are going to get out-physicaled offensively, defensively (and) in the kicking game, you are going to have a hard time winning. They are definitely going to challenge you in every area. Every one of their players plays like that. I don't care if it is the kickoff returner, the kicker, the tight ends, the lines, whomever it is, (Pittsburgh QB Ben) Roethlisberger, they are all physical players that play tough and are going to present that challenge to us individually and as a team collectively."

On the Broncos' need to start games faster

"We are going to try to adjust it every day that we are here. It has been a multitude of different reasons, whether it be execution of a simple thing or a decision we made, a bad call on our part. A mistake here or there changes the beginning of the game just like it will the end of a game. We have got to play really good football in the first quarter from the first play on if we want to start fast. That starts in practice (by) building that mentality that our first individual period is going to be a good period and our first team period is going to be a good period, and we are not going to make a bunch of mistakes and wait until halfway through practice to get going. We have got to continue to try to build that mentality through our work on the field here. Hopefully, that mentality and that state of mind will carry over into good execution to begin the games each week."

On playing the Steelers on Monday Night Football following the Broncos' first loss

"It is an opportunity for us is what it is. We haven't lost before and now we have. We learned a lot of things about ourselves through this process the last couple days. There are plenty of things that we need to fix and improve on quickly in order to play and compete against a great football team on a great stage. We are excited to be here today to start that process with our players, and we hopefully have a great week of preparation and go out there and play our best game on Monday night."

On Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisbeger's winning mentality

"I think sometimes you can kind of get an idea of how much winning drives a certain person. I think their history and their past and the teams that they have been involved in, if they win 90 percent of the time (or) 80 percent of the time and they have been a big reason why those teams are successful, then I think you can go ahead and associate them with being a winner. That is what they have done. Their past will tell you much about them. He has always been that way since he was a rookie. He was a rookie and he won a bunch of games. (He has) now (won) two Super Bowls. This guy is different than other quarterbacks but better than most in that he wins more games than everybody else does and wins the big ones. When his team needs him to play well, he really does. He is going to be a great challenge for us this week. (He is) certainly one of the premiere players in the league."

On if Pittsburgh Head Coach Mike Tomlin's success at a young age showed him he could be successful

"He is a great role model for all coaches in this league, young coaches (and) older coaches alike. He is very, very intelligent (and) has a great background history. He learned from a bunch of really great men in this league and does a great job of teaching (and) motivating his players (and) his team. His team is always well prepared. His team is always going to play with great emotion and energy. You never see them with a lack of effort, and I think that is a testament to what he does on a weekly basis or a daily basis with his football team. He is a positive influence on a lot of people. That didn't really affect whether or not I thought I could do this or not, but (he is) certainly a guy that most of us would emulate, winning a Super Bowl in his second year and being as successful as he has been so far in his coaching career."

On S Renaldo Hill's performance this year

"Renaldo is a very consistent player. He practices the same way. He always does his job, for the most part, very well. He protects the deep part of the field (and) is very dependable for us. He has been a decent tackler over his career, and that is exactly what we have seen here. A safety's job in our defense is to prevent touchdowns, and he has done a good job of doing that, for the most part, in every situation that he could be involved in. I don't know that there is a player on our team that is more prepared on a weekly basis. When you listen to our practices, he is calling out most of the things before they actually happen. There are not many players in the league that can take in all the information, all the preparation that you try to give the players and then go out there and apply it without slowing them down. He is one of those players that can do that and helps other players out while he is out there trying to do his job, too. (He is) everything we thought we were getting and then some. (He is) a guy that, I think, a lot of people look up to on our team."

On Pittsburgh's offense having a different style than in previous years

"I would disagree. The numbers may tell you that they are a different type of team, but this is as physical of an offensive line (and) physical running back as we are going to play. They can do either (running or passing plays). It just so happens they have gotten into a few games where they went ahead and made the decision to pass the ball more often than run it or the score indicated that they go ahead and do that. This is a team that can do whatever they want to on offense, and you have got to stop everything. You have got to stop the running game. You have got to stop (Pittsburgh RB Rashard) Mendenhall. They have got (Pittsburgh RB) Willie Parker. Then (Pittsburgh TE) Heath Miller is fourth in the league or third in the league in catches. They have got a bunch of big-play receivers. That is really how Pittsburgh has played all along. I just think right now the thing that is sticking out to everybody is the statistical numbers in the passing game (that) make everybody feel like this has become a one-dimensional passing team, and that is very far from the truth. I think if you don't stop the running game, you are going to have a big problem. You can try to stop one aspect and make them play the other way, but they have shown the ability to do either one effectively. You have got to play good sound defense and not give up big plays. They have got so many players on offense that make those kind of plays, explosive plays (and) score touchdowns from a long distance that if you fall asleep on one play, you could be in trouble. This is a team that tests you on every down in every way you can imagine. There is a reason why they were Super Bowl champions last year, and there is a reason why they are one of the best teams in the league on a regular basis. I didn't mean to disagree with you that way. I am just saying that it is not really the case. They can do a lot of things that they have done in the past very well, and they can throw it, run it, short, deep, scramble, gadgets, reverses-you have got to be ready for everything against this team or you are going to get taken advantage of."

QB KYLE ORTON

On lessons from the Baltimore game that apply to Pittsburgh

"If you play a good team and don't execute very well, then you are going to have trouble. (That is a) huge priority in practice this week, making sure we have three or four great practices and to be on top of things and be ready to go by Monday."

On why the offense has started games slow

"(There is) kind of just a lack of execution to start the game. It is going to be a critical point in this game. These guys are probably the best starters in all of football for the last few years. We certainly can't expect to win if we are down 10-0 or 14-0 to start off the game. We are going to have to figure it out and get it going by Monday."

On if a set number of offensive plays were scripted to open a game when he played in Chicago

"We had a script (in Chicago), but the guys (in Denver) should have a pretty good feel for what is going to be called early in the game. We go over it. Some of these extra days that we have had, we have gone over our first calls or first third-down calls and all that, so that is not an excuse. We certainly know the plays that we are calling early in the game and certainly should be able to execute them."

On why there are so many NFL quarterbacks with unique skill sets

"I don't know. To play the other positions, you have got to be physically as gifted as everyone else, obviously. I think just the quarterback position there are different styles of play. Some guys are pocket passers, some guys are runners, some guys play with their head (and), some guys rely on physical abilities. (There is) a mix bag that you can get at this position, and guys play accordingly."

On what disappointed him about the Baltimore game

"Everything. I don't think anybody on offense could be satisfied with their play. We didn't pass the ball. We didn't run the ball. We didn't block them. We didn't do anything. We have our work cut out for us this week."

On facing Pittsburgh after the Broncos' first loss of the season

"Every week in this league is a test, but when you are playing a team like Pittsburgh who has had the success that they've had-speaking for the offense, this has been a great defense probably for the last 30 years so nothing has changed. We are going to have to play physical, we are going to have to play smart and we are going to have to play our best game."

On playing on Monday Night Football

"Guys like to play on primetime, and you can say it or not, but there is extra emotion on Monday night games and we will be excited and we will be ready to go."

On playing physical teams like Baltimore and Pittsburgh in consecutive games

"(Baltimore) beat us up pretty good, no question about it. We feel like we have a physical football team, and certainly, Pittsburgh prides themselves on that, too. It will be a hard-hitting game, and whoever can win that battle will have a good chance to win."

On what the most important factors for the game are

"It is about everything. It is about matchups. It is about attitude. It is about practice. You can't just kind of (take) practice off for three or four days and expect to go out and play a physical game."

On T Tyler Polumbus

"We expect anybody that is going to be out on the field to come out and perform, and I am sure Tyler will have a great week of practice and be ready to go."

On the similarities between Pittsburgh's and Baltimore's defense

"(Baltimore was) fast. Pittsburgh is fast. When you are not executing and not playing like you would want to, you make the defense obviously look that much better. These guys don't need any help. They are a very good defense and they will be ready to go for us."

S BRIAN DAWKINS

On Pittsburgh WR Hines Ward

"(He is) just a guy that you know is going to bring a certain intensity to every game. It takes a special guy playing the receiver position to do what he does as far as mixing it up with safeties, cornerbacks and even linebackers, sometimes. Not being afraid to do it, it takes a special guy with a lot of want-to in him, and he definitely has that."

On if Ward is crafty

"He knows how to work his leverage. He knows how to work, putting his body in position to body a guy out and make tight, tight catches. He is just a gamer. Game in and game out, year in and year out, from the day he stepped onto the field, he has been somebody that opened eyes early and continues to open eyes now."

On Pittsburgh's physical style of play

"This is a team that is built on tough, physical guys. From before I was born, they have been playing a certain way, and that hasn't changed to this day. Last week was last week. We did some things in the second half that were not like us defensively. (We were) getting out of our gaps-I think we were trying to do too much towards the end-and we gave up some scores that we usually don't give up. We learned from those mistakes, and we are going to move forward this week to make sure that those mistakes don't creep up if the game is a close one toward the end."

On if the Broncos can match up physically with anybody

"It is about us doing what we do. We are not trying to match somebody. We are trying to be who we are. When you are trying to match somebody, to me, that is saying that they are a team that is above you, or you are trying to build up to them. We are who we are, and if we go out and do what we are supposed to do, we feel like we have a chance to win every game."

On Pittsburgh WR Santonio Holmes

"Obviously, we always point toward Hines and what he does, (Pittsburgh QB) Ben (Roethlisberger) and what he does for this team, being able to keep plays alive, and (that they are) a physical team, but (Holmes) has been doing some work out there. I don't know if it is going unnoticed by a lot of people, but not to me, even when I played him last year when I was with the Eagles. I knew where he was because usually, I was to his side. I know the playmaking potential that he has when he gets the ball in his hands to break tackles and then that game-breaking receiver deep threat that he can be. I don't look past this guy, not even a little bit, because I know how much he brings to the table."

On Roethlisberger

"I think he just became more and more comfortable in what he was already able to do. Once you do some things and you see a lot of success from doing it, you are obviously going to continue to do it. Some of the things that he is doing now, I don't know if he would have tried to do in the beginning, but he sees that the things are working now, pumping the ball and being able to keep the play alive. A lot of times they are giving up sacks, but a lot of that is because he believes so much in his ability to break tackles and keep the play alive that he will hold the ball a little longer. I think that is just all about him and his comfort level and his confidence in his ability."

On if Roethlisberger is one of the elite quarterbacks in the league

"Absolutely, (he has) too many drives, especially being able to keep the plays alive and making big plays when he needed to. You saw it last year. You saw it in the Super Bowl, so you know this guy can get the job done. It is going to be a whistle-to-whistle game. We try to play whistle-to-whistle anyway, but when you have a quarterback with the potential to break tackles and keep the play alive, then for the secondary, it is definitely a whistle-to-whistle game for us."

On OLB/DE Elvis Dumervil

"First of all, it is want-to, believing in himself and what his God-given abilities are, and then just going out and listening to what (Defensive Coordinator) Mike (Nolan) is telling him to do and believing that it is going to be where Mike says it is going to be. From there, the guy has some talent, regardless. Outside of moving him to wherever you want to move him, there are certain things that Elvis can do, and we know one of those things is rush the passer with the best of them."

On Dumervil's improvement since last season

"I have only been behind him this year, so all I have seen is Elvis working and doing what he does. I wasn't here last year to see how he played last year to this year."

On if Dumervil has improved from the first time he saw him

"If he was uncomfortable, let's just say it was hard for me to tell."

On similarities between Dumervil and Pittsburgh ROLB James Harrison

"Obviously, they are guys that are lower to the ground already-some people call them short (but) I will just say they are lower to the ground-and that gives them an advantage. It really does because there are not too many 6-7 guys that are going to be able to get down, get lower than them to get the leverage back. They are going to play the game most of the time with the leverage already in their favor. Then both of those guys have motors. I am talking about (they) won't stop until the whistle is blown or until they get close enough to the quarterback to do what they have to do, and that is to bring him down. Both of those guys are built of the same kind of mold, as far as the motors, the low build and once again, I will bring up that word ‘want-to'. Both of them want to have success and actually believe in themselves that they will be able to do it."

On Pittsburgh SS Troy Polamalu

"Troy is all over the place. I love it. He is just one of those guys that I would put on film and I just love to watch him play. I am not ashamed or afraid to say that I put on some tapes and watch those guys to see what he does and see if I can steal some things. That is how great of a safety he is. Moving around, not afraid to show different disguises and being able to get to his deep third or deep half, all of those things confuse the offense. We all know that, but the thing that sets those guys apart is their play-making potential when the ball is in the air to close on it and to get it. He and (Baltimore S) Ed (Reed) are blessed with the ability to be able to do that. I think (New Orleans S) Darren Sharper is another guy, same type of thing. When the ball is in the air, for a lot of us it is PBUs (pass breakups). For those guys, it is interceptions. The opportunity for him to make plays is always there, so you always have to know where he is. He is definitely a guy that I love to watch."

On potentially going to the Pro Bowl at safety in the AFC

"If that happens, it happens. My desire first is to help this team. If helping this team gets me over there, then I will welcome it, but I already knew what we have over here. It is not just those guys. We have some pretty good safeties. There is a safety over there with the Patriots (S Brandon Meriweather) that is doing some good things. There are some good safeties over here, and I think that is a great thing."

Auditing the Seahawks Roster: Running Back

John Morgan — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:09:38 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Jones exhibiting his 4.51 speed.

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I have audited Seattle at left tackle, left guard and center. I have spoken extensively on Ray Willis and Max Unger, though less on Unger since he has become a pro. Today I want to talk about Seattle's running back situation.

Seattle has been without a superstar rusher since Shaun Alexander broke down. Teams that experience great success with a superstar rusher often think they need a superstar rusher to be successful. Seattle does not have a hallowed history, but running back is one position it has done well. The great Seahawks rushers have names any football fan knows: Shaun Alexander, Curt Warner and Chris Warren were all great rushers. Ricky Watters was a great back that spent a few late career years here. John L. Williams was a great running fullback.

Mike Holmgren had Alexander, Chuck Knox, Warner, and Tom Flores and Dennis Erickson shared Warren, though neither did spit with him. Jim Mora has Julius Jones, Justin Forsett and Edgerrin James. Jones, Force and James will never be spoken of with Alexander or even Warren, but does it matter?

The running game lost its grasp over the NFL before I was born. The modern NFL is a quarterback's league. The leading rushers of recent Super Bowl winners have been mostly late round picks like Willie Parker, Brandon Jacobs and Terrell Davis; and talented retreads like Michael Pittman, Corey Dillon and Antowain Smith. Davis was a superstar in his short time, so the point is not about effectiveness. Most Super Bowl winning teams have had an effective run game.

The point is that Super Bowl winning teams have not typically invested heavily into their running back position itself. Seattle is on that track. Jones is 28. The Seahawks signed him to a cheap contract after he was run out of Dallas. Jones is Seattle's primary running back. He is a good pass blocker and can receive. It's been a long time since he looked like a good rusher, but it's been a long time since he could look like a good rusher. The 2008 Seahawks collapsed. The 2009 Seahawks await their starting line to take the field together.

Stats are a red herring and even tape can be difficult to decipher. How do we separate the line from the back? Here is an attempt.

Julius Jones was draft 43^rd overall in the 2004 draft. He was the fifth running back selected. Jones ran a slow 4.51 at the Combine despite being a speed back at Notre Dame. There he set records returning kicks and punts. Jones does seem field fast, but his raw speed argues he can not lose significant speed before he is no longer a viable NFL running back.

If Jones is slowing down, you would expect it to show in his stats, but Jones' rushing and receiving longs are comparable to his career rushing and receiving longs. He doesn't look slow in the open field, he just isn't reaching the open field very often anymore.

Another thing that could slow Jones or make him less agile or easier to tackle is performance decline related to injuries. Jones has been very healthy for a back. His most significant injury was a broken scapula his rookie season. His next most significant injury was a high ankle sprain suffered in 2005. Since then, Jones has been healthy, avoiding major injuries and mostly avoiding nagging injuries.

Jones doesn't seem slower and he doesn't seem hobbled by injuries. He has developed a reputation as an unremarkable back and maybe he is. But Jones blocks well, receives well and is one the cheapest starting running backs in the NFL. His brother Thomas fits the same profile and was passed around the league before he landed on a contender. Thomas Jones has never been a remarkable rusher, but he stayed healthy, kept his speed and does the little things well. No one would argue if Thomas could be the lead rusher on a Super Bowl winning team - he was a Rex Grossman away from being just that in 2006.

So C.J. Spiller is awesome, Jahvid Best is hype, Jonathan Dwyer is big, and some of the kids are likely to crash the party, but are any of them the piece that pushes Seattle closer to a championship? I don't think so. I think Seattle could do it with Jones. And if it can do it with Jones and Jones is cheap, why spend precious resources to replace him?

Fake Mailbag Friday!

ericj69 — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:52:59 -0000

She's the Antoine Winfield of Hollywood. Amy Winehouse is more like the Carl Paymah of Hollywood. Need I say more?

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If you've read my articles with any frequency, it should be of no surprise that I'm a bit of a Bill Simmons fan. When I first started reading his Sports Guy articles back in 2001, my first thought was "Holy crap, that's exactly how I would write about sports! You know, if I could actually write and stuff." Eight years later, here we are--I still can't write, but I still try to ~~blatantly rip him off~~ model my style of writing after his. Now I have an online following about 0.0000001% the size of Simmons' audience. But I get to write about my favorite team, which is awesome even if I make just slightly less money than Bill for doing it.

So to pay tribute to the Sports Guy for inspiring me (and also because I couldn't think of a good theme for this week's article), I'm shamelessly stealing one of his most popular column gimmicks--the mailbag!

Unfortunately, barely anybody actually emails me about the Vikings. Probably because I'm just another dude on a blog and nobody cares what I think? Oh well. At least I still have my imagination. So without further ado, I present to you my first-ever Fake Mailbag! Let's get to the fake questions I totally made up:

Now that I have approved a new stadium approved for Los Angeles Cal-i-for-nee-ah, are you sceeahed that we will Terminator your team and give them a Total Recall to Jingle All The Way to L.A.? Or do you think just because you have The Last Action Hero (Brett Favre) and The Running Man (Adrian Peterson) that you will avoid The Predator and stay in Minnesota with your Twins?

--Ahhnold S., California

As Anthony pointed out yesterday, Ahhnold has approved the legislature for a new stadium in L.A. Bottom line: this means that sooner or later, an NFL team is moving to Los Angeles. The stadium construction won't be started until a team is actually moving there, but I'm guessing that the league wants a team in the second biggest TV market in the country. Just a hunch. There won't be expansion, because 32 teams is almost utopian for scheduling.

While this isn't exactly thrilling news for Vikings fans, I'm finding it hard to believe that we'd be the team to move. We actually sell out our games (especially after the arrival of The Last Action Hero) and the local fans actually give a crap. Sure, we probably need a new stadium in a few years, but won't Jacksonville already be in LA by then? (Sorry to all fourteen Jags fans, but that city just doesn't care enough about their team.)

(By the way, let's see Simmons cram seven Schwarzenegger movie references into two sentences. Also, if you're looking to kill a few minutes, there's no better way to do so than with the Arnold soundboard. I'M A COP YOU IDIOT!)

How terrified are you that I'm going to almost certain to get lots of playing time on Sunday?

--Karl Paymah, Eden Prairie, MN

Let's just say that your jersey would be the scariest Halloween costume to every Viking fan on the planet.

With all of the talent on the Vikings' roster, Antoine Winfield is probably the one player we can't afford to lose for any length of time. He's incredibly crucial against the run and he can mute the effect of the opponent's best receiver. Paymah was brought in to be a special teams ace, and he's fit the bill admirably. But going from Winfield to Paymah at corner is like going from Megan Fox to Amy Winehouse. Hopefully rookie Asher Allen can step up in his first major action of the year, but we certainly can't expect that. Paymah, Cedric Griffin, and Benny Sapp are going to need to play out of their minds on Sunday to keep up with the top-tier aerial attack of the Steelers. (Yes, it felt just as weird typing that about the Steelers as it was reading it.)

How can I explain to the jury that my erection is due to how excited I am to face a depleted Vikings secondary and not because of the hotel employee in the courtroom?

--Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh, PA

That's a tough one Ben. Did you ask her "Hey, want to see why they call me 'Big Ben'?" Because if I were you, I'd say that about 300 times a day. If you had only learned from Kobe...but I digress. I understand how thrilled you must be to face a Winfield-less Vikings team that gave up roughly 2,538 yards in the 4th quarter to the Ravens last week.

Big Ben is having one of the sneakiest great statistical years that I can remember. He leads the league in passing yards and has more fantasy points than Drew Brees. Yet nobody is really talking about him; which is doubly weird because of that whole "incident." If the Vikings can't get #7 to the ground early and often, it's going to be a long day for our Beloved Purple.

(I was going to go with the "Vikings need to get all over Roethlisberger like he works at Harrah's Lake Tahoe" joke there, but I thought it was a little tasteless. More mailbag and my Week 7 picks after the jump.)

Are you guys excited to see me back on the field? And how great are my Head & Shoulders commercials?

--Troy Polamalu, Pittsburgh

To answer your first question: absolutely not. The Steelers defense is nowhere near as dominant when you were sidelined with your injury...much like I think the Vikings will be without Winfield this week. As for your commercials: they're classic. I've never seen no-brainer marketing and humor mixed in so seamlessly with quasi-homoeroticism. "You asked with your eyes Trent. You asked with your eyes."

Um...what happened? Why am I here?

--Willie Parker, The Turf After 1.8 yards

Sorry Willie, but we're going to have to revoke your "Fast" nickname. Yeah, just put it back in the bin next to LaDanian's old nickname. He had to give "LT" back. We shouldn't have given it to him in the first place since it was already taken, but he was embarrassing it to the point where we were forced to take it back.

Is there anything more inexplicable/fascinating in the sports world than the sudden cliff a running back falls off in productivity? One minute a guy can't be tackled be a wrecking ball; the next minute it looks like toddlers can arm tackle him. I think that Willie Parker may have hit that cliff. Unfortunately for Vikings fans, it looks like Rashard Mendenhall is going to pick up the slack fairly well.

It sounds like you don't have much confidence in my team this week. How come? Is it because we're undefeated? Is it because I'm the leading rusher in the NFL? Is it because we have the third highest rated passer in the NFL right now? Maybe it's because only the Saints score more points than us? Or were you scared how the Steelers went down to the wire with teams like the Lions and Titans?

--The Purple Jesus, You Know Damn Well Where I Am

Although you present excellent arguments, I'm playing the role of Purple Judas this week. If Winfield was healthy, I'd pick the Vikes here. But I think his absence will really have a huge negative impact for the Vikings defense against the Steelers. Pittsburgh can and will spread us out with multiple dangerous wide receivers (start Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward, fantasy players), and I don't see our secondary keeping up. Throw in the fact that we're historically bad on the road outdoors and on grass along with how we've more or less got lucky in two of our wins, and I think we're due for the first L of 2009 on Sunday.

Prediction: Steelers 31, Vikings 27

(But after my picks last week, you should feel good about the Vikings' chances.)

What the hell went wrong with your picks last week? You're cruising along all year, then you barely break .500 in Week 6? I lost money because of you!

--A figment of my imagination (because nobody would ever gamble based on who I pick)

You know what? You're right. Time to get back on track. My Week 7 picks (home team in CAPS):

Packers over BROWNS: Wow, Detroit and Cleveland in back-to-back weeks? Rough schedule there Green Bay. Oh wait...

TEXANS over 49ers: I went back and forth on this game at least a dozen times. There are so many reasons to pick for and against each team...so I just said eff it and went with the home team.

Chargers over CHIEFS: When you pour Gatorade on your coach to celebrate going 1-5, chances are I'm not going to pick your team very often.

Colts over RAMS: Can we update the NFL rules to include a running clock for the second half of this game? This is my Eliminator pick of the week, but I already feel terrible for how bad the Rams are going to get their asses handed to them.

Patriots over Buccaneers (In London): Oh bloody 'ell Bucs fans!! Not only does your team get rogered out of a home game, but you're going to get knackered by New England...in Jolly Old England! Right-o chaps!

PANTHERS over Bills: Last week the Bills proved that if you throw six interceptions, they can beat you in overtime. I see only 4, maybe 5 picks from Delhomme this week, tops. That's why I'm picking Carolina.

Jets over RAIDERS: Good news for both teams: Tom Cable won't have to go to jail, and Mark Sanchez doesn't have to play in the New York weather this week. Bad news for both teams: Cable still coaches the Raiders, and Sanchez still plays for New York.

Falcons over COWBOYS: I originally had Dallas here, but I honestly couldn't come up with any reasons why they'd win. Maybe if Atlanta got lost on their way to the field...after arriving at the stadium. I'm fairly certain that could happen.

Saints over DOLPHINS; The Dolphins could control the clock with their Wildcat-happy offense for 55 minutes of this game, and I still think the ridiculous Saints offense could win by a field goal. I'll take the Saints in a game that might be closer than people think.

Bears over BENGALS: The Cedric Benson Bowl! How ironic is it that Benson is performing exponentially better than Matt Forte this season? If this game happened next week, I'd choose the Bengals. No way the Official Team of Halloween gets beat on Halloween weekend at home. But alas, we're a week too early, and I think the Bears have a better team overall.

GIANTS over Cardinals: The Cardinals looked great last week in a win over the Seahawks. Of course, that means the Cardinals will look terrible this week and get blown out by the Giants. That's how they work.

Eagles over REDSKINS: Imagine you're the President of the United States. However, you can't sign any bills or veto anything and you have to do every speech naked. I think that's what Jim Zorn feels like right now. A pointless, embarrassed figurehead.

Last week: 8-6

Season so far: 66-24

Pittsburgh Offense Rolls Again, Steelers Defeat Browns 27-14, Improve To 4-2

Blitzburgh — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:41:15 -0000

Make it three straight victories for the defending champion Pittsburgh Steelers. I wrote three weeks ago after the Steelers lost to the Bengals that we should remember how dynamic and fluid the 16 game NFL regular season is and to just hope that the team posted some victories as they sorted through some of their problems on both sides of the ball. The Baltimore Ravens were 3-0 when I wrote that, but I suggested that we wait and see how they fared on the road against New England and Minnesota before we anointed them certain AFC North champions. Well,, three weeks later and Baltimore is 3-3, while the Steelers are 4-2. With the Bengals having lost as well this afternoon - at home to the mercurial Houston Texans - the Steelers now find themselves tied with the Bengals atop the AFC North. Cincinnati of course holds the tiebreaker over Pittsburgh for the moment, but there's still plenty of football to be played and all three teams still essentially control their own destiny moving forward.

A few initial thoughts from me about the Steelers victory over the Browns at Heinz Field.

* 36 rushes, 35 passes. That's much more like it Mr. Arians. There were a few instances where I didn't love the play calling, but for the most part, Arians designed a solid and well reasoned game plan. The Steelers averaged 3.9 yards per rush on those 36 attempts. That's a very respectable average. Rashard Mendenhall, Willie Parker and Mewelde Moore all had a few nice runs on the afternoon. Nothing necessarily to write home about, but 160 total yards rushing on the day for Pittsburgh. Not bad. Not bad at all.

* How about Big Ben and the passing game? Well, Roethlisberger finished 23/35 for 417 yards and 2 TDs. The 417 yards were the most by Roethlisberger since the game against the Broncos in 2006 where he threw for 433 yards. That impressive feat came in defeat though. Big Ben is simply playing at a level we haven't seen him play at thus far in his already decorated 5+ year NFL career. More on this later, but Roethlisberger probably was a bit too willy-nilly with the football today on multiple occasions. He had just one interception but easily could have been picked off at least one or two more times. He also coughed up and lost one fumble during the victory. Once again, even when the Steelers play dominant football, they're still collectively doing just enough little things wrong to keep things more interesting than we perhaps might like as fans.

* Nice to see you Lawrence Timmons. 2 sacks, 2 forced fumbles. That's three sacks in his past two outings. This should be a very welcome sight for Steelers fans far and wide. Maybe I should temper my enthusiasm for his performance though. Derek Anderson did after all just dangle the ball out there for anyone to swipe at. He's really not very good at anything other than slinging the ball with impressive velocity.

* As for Troy Polamalu - it didn't take long for him to make an impact, did it? Polamalu intercepted Joshua Cribbs late in the 1st quarter after the Browns had recovered a fumble inside Steelers territory. Polamalu wasn't his usual self out there today, but you could already tell the difference he is going to make for this defense moving forward. Let's hope he has a good week of healing and practice in preparation for next Sunday's showdown with undefeated Minnesota.

* How fun is it watching Hines Ward make opposing secondarys look absolutely silly. He and Big Ben are really on the same page right now. That touchdown pass to Ward over the middle of the field - in between multiple Cleveland defenders - was perfectly timed. By Ward that is. It actually appeared as if Ben was looking in the direction of Santonio Holmes. But in swooped Ward and he caught it in a small window and had the leg up on the sprint to the endzone. Ward is doing some ridiculous things at this point in his career. He now has 41 catches, 599 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns through six games. By the way, those 599 yards are tops in the NFL as of Sunday evening. As impossible as it may have sounded before the start of the year, Ward now has a chance to surpass his career year in 2002 when he caught 112 receptions for 1,329 yards. It likely won't happen, but it's sure fun to watch him just explode out of the gates to start this year.

* A quick word on Santonio Holmes - first of all, congratulations to him for his 2nd 100+ yard receiving game on the season and first since the opener against Tennessee. Holmes had 5 catches for 104 yards but it wasn't anything he did with the ball in his hands that impressed me. Instead it was his downfield blocking that I noticed. There's no way Ward has the day he had without Holmes blocking as diligently and effectively as he did. I'll see if I can get some stills of the dirty work he did. HUGE sign for Pittsburgh if you ask me. Many wondered if Holmes would be a 'me-first' kind of guy this year if he didn't get more looks and glory than in previous years. Well, he's been plenty involved, but probably not as much as he'd like. Nevertheless, all we've seen from him is his willingness to put his head down, keep taking care of the little assignments he has while waiting for the game to come to him in the passing game.

* I hate the fact that the Steelers were too scared to kick it to Joshua Cribbs after the Pro Bowler took one to the house early in the game. There was one kickoff where the Steelers just squibbed it and it was picked up cleanly by one of the upmen. Cleveland had the ball at the 40 yard line or so. That's just gift-wrapping very good field position in exchange for the small possibility that Cribbs would bust one again. Obviously it'd be preferable to just shore up the coverage units. But just handing opposing teams the ball at the 40 yard line isn't sustainable. By the way, I'd love for Cribbs to land somewhere else. What a player! And by all accounts, a great guy too. Too bad he's stuck in such a mediocre situation.

* Jeff Reed seems to be back on track. He was 2 of 2 today and I believe he's now made his past four kicks. Keep it up Jeff, we're going to need you I'd imagine more than we have in recent weeks later in the year.

* I miss Anthony Madison.

* I'll address the zany end to the 3rd quarter soon enough, but the Steelers running backs obviously need to protect the football better than they did today. There's a certain segment of the fanbase that will point to this as an example of how 'our coaches are letting the guys be lazy' or how this team 'lacks mental toughness.' Well, this team most certainly could play more consistently, and perhaps part of the problem is there's not quite the same sense of urgency being the defending champs. But I just don't buy that. Mistakes happen - the Steelers just seem to be making a few of them in different facets of the game each week. In the first couple of games it was red zone execution. Then it was poor 4th quarter defense, the inability to pressure the quarterback or get turnovers. This week it was ball protection. But on the flip side, the Steelers were much better in some of those other facets they had struggled with earlier in the year. Two steps forward, one step back. But we're at least not stuck in neutral or reverse.

* By the way, Pittsburgh only had two fumbles prior to today so let's not get too worked up about their poor performance today holding on to the ball.

* Mendenhall sure does look smooth catching the ball out of the backfield. Parker conversely - bless him - stumbled after making his lone catch of the day. I know people are down on him, but this football team will need him this year if we want to win another championship. Mendenhall may now be 'the guy', but Parker can still fill an important role on this team. I hope he maintains a championship attitude for the rest of the season and helps us get that seventh championship.

* 543 yards of total offense today! That's crazy. Obviously you want to put up more than 27 points with those kind of numbers, but turnovers were responsible for keeping our number on the scoreboard low. This is the NFL though - you have to take the good with the bad, and for three straight weeks now, there's been much more good than there has been bad. Win and move on.

By the way, the last time the Steelers racked up 500+ yards? 2006. The opponent? The Cleveland Browns.

Yes sir. Love it.

4-2 with a bigtime showdown at Heinz Field next Sunday. Can't wait.

Go Steelers!

Poll

Game Ball?

Ben Roethlisberger

727 votes

Hines Ward

318 votes

Lawrence Timmons

98 votes

1143 votes | Poll has closed