The NFL is stronger than ever.  Higher ratings, record paraphanelia sales, and fantasy football until your eyes bleed.  As the NFL cements its place in our culture (not just the sport culture), it is losing one of the members of its flock.  CarlWeathersMustache is losing interest in the game, The League, and even his beloved Steelers.  Following are some reasons why I am losing my love for each.

*I apologize for the length, but I have been posting here less frequently and will post even less frequently in the future for some of the reasons outlined below.  It all evens out.

The game: The NFL has always had its rule problems: ridiculous OT rules, constantly metamorphosing PI rules, and incessant commercials.  But the recent trend toward changing the game to a less forceful, more pass heavy game has rubbed this man the wrong way.  If the game gets pass heavy because QBs are getting better, great.  The last thing I want is Roger Goodell, and Tagliabue before him, legislating pass heavy offenses with less holding, more late hits, penalties for hits above the shoulders and below the knees on QBs, and defenseless receiver rules. 

Concussions are a serious problem for players, but there is a certain amount of risk that comes with the territory. They get paid big bucks to take that risk.  I am an attorney, and I get paid big bucks for certain risks.  My occupation leads all others in rates of suicide, depression, divorce, and hair loss.  You want the big money, you take the big risks.  Same with doctors: high stress, life and death, big rewards.  Safety is great until you lose that which makes the sport what it is.

The League: I am sick of hearing about the NFL so I won't talk about it much here.  The NFL is a black hole whose uber powerful marketing machine will grow so large it will one day suck itself into oblivion.  Before that day comes, the NFL Commissioner may pass the Prez as the most powerful man in the world.  The entire freaking combine is on TV.  A bunch of 21 year olds running around in gym shorts while old dudes watch.  It's worse for our culture than reality TV.  It tells people that they don't have to actually succeed at their craft, just appear as if you can succeed.

The Steelers: Even as I have boycotted purchasing NFL products and reduced my viewing of other NFL teams, I did not reduce my passion for the Steelers.  I was raised in Pittsburgh and grew up on a hearty diet of Steel City.  I even worked for the Steelers for a brief period.  I've always harbored this belief that the Steelers were somehow better than other franchises because of their winning ways and "character."  If only that were true.

Four of the Steelers Super Bowls are tainted with the possible "cheating" of steroids.  I don't buy it, just as I don't buy that New England's are tainted.  It ain't cheating if you don't get caught, and neither franchise was caught until after the fact.  Way to go.  So the Super Bowls, four of which took place before I was born, may be questionable.  For most of my life, 83-06, the Steelers had no Super Bowl wins and only one appearance.

Names such as Harrison, Holmes, Reed, Spaeth, Davenport, and Roethlisberger have sullied the Steelers good reputation, as well.  Whether Ben is innocent or not, he is not the kind of person for which I can root.  I do not want to bash anyone I don't know personally, but everything Ben does (motorcycle without a license, sloppiness, ill treatment of women, snubbing a terminally ill young girl, bringing cops to your Georgia lake vacation, etc.) makes me think that there are more people more deserving of my support.  Drew Brees comes to mind, as does new Cleveland Brown Scott Fujita, recently departed Deshea Townsend and third stringer Charlie Batch, etc.  Yes, the Steelers have some "good guys" on the lower rungs of the depth chart, but they, like any other team, will feed their stars regardless of character.  Only when character starts to mess with the bottom line (suspensions or advertising losses) will a franchise make a change.  Now, the only reason I have to root for the Steelers is that I was born in Pittsburgh.

Thank you for indulging me.  On to hockey season.  Maybe I'll feel different next season.

Although this may qualify as heresy, Steeler fans everywhere should be rooting for the Ravens.  The Steelers have no chance of winning the Super Bowl, so we should root for anything that makes the Steelers more likely to reach the Super Bowl next year.  The number one thing that can make that happen is a Ravens Super Bowl victory.  The Steelers play the Ravens twice a year and have to beat them for the division, so anything that makes the Ravens worse will make the Steelers chances better next year.  Hear me out.

The most obvious advantage a Ravens ring would give the Steelers is the Ravens would draft last.

Players make more money when they have Super Bowl rings.  See Nate Washington, Chris Hope, Antawn Randle El, etc.  It is harder to keep your players when they can make more on the open market.  More turnover in Baltimore is better for the Steelers.

Same goes for coaches.  A Ravens Super Bowl means coaching staff losses.

Shorter offseason: the Steelers arealready preparing for draft, free agency, next year.  The Ravens would have to wait another 3-4 weeks to begin.

Egos can run rampant and ruin chemistry.  While this is not always a problem, it can happen.  Super Bowl winners and heroes don't always like demotions.  Just ask FWP.

Of course, there is the potential that some guys already on the Ravens will take less to play for a Super Bowl winner.  However, the Ravens were in the AFCC last year and will make it to at least the Divisonal Round this year, so the Ravens are a "winner" already.  Winning the Super Bowl won't do much in this area.  In fact, if guys have that ever elusive ring, they may be more willing to leave for money.

Let's go Ravens.

Everyone has their own ideas for what changes need to be made to the Steelers roster.  After this season, more than most, those ideas will be all over the place (ruling out a miracle playoff run).  Too often, fans advocate changes based upon the performance of the player in the game.  While this is a large part of the equation, an equally large part is what is behind that player/availabe in the draft or free agency.  Below are my thoughts for some changes for this season and/or next.

RB: Mendenhall has looked better than many, including myself, suspected.  However, I'm not too high on Mendy for this reason: Willie Parker, the man who has been left for dead, has produced a better YPC average than Mendy over the last four weeks.  Maybe Mendy's early to midseason success was more a product of the improved line play at that time, and less a product of his ridiculously numerous spin moves.  Nevertheless, Willie is getting old and is not a viable answer at RB.  What the Steelers need is to bring in some depth through FA or the draft in case Mendy is a flash in the pan/injured.

O-Line: Ramon Foster may be able to replace Trai Essex.  Other than that, the Steelers are stuck with what they have on the line.  There are no other current backups that would prove better than the starters.  Maybe this year is the year the Steelers draft high enough to merit a first round selection on a lineman, before all the good ones are taken.

D-Line: Hoke will undoubtedly replace Hampton next year.  Hopefully, Hood performs well enough to take over for Keisel and Smith regains his old form.  Otherwise, the line will be exactly the same except older.  Not a good formula for improvement.

Linebackers: My, how the mighty have fallen.  Farrior and Timmons have been huge disappointments.  In fact, Ed Bouchette nominated Timmons as the most disappointing player this year (along with Face Me Ike and Willie Gay), although I would say second most disappointing.  The situation at ILB is startling because it is one of the few positions with proven depth.  Keyaron Fox, in his short time on the field, outplayed both Farrior and Timmons.  Granted, the sample size is small.  But Fox looked downright impressive in the three games he played.  In fact, I would grade his play as the best by any LB all year (not saying he is the best because he did it only over a short span).  By the way, the Steelers were 3-0 in those games.  I don't know how you keep this man off the field.

Secondary: You cannot replace Ike Taylor.  He has played horrible this year and has been, by far, the biggest disappointment.  The last two years, Ike has played fantastic while this year he has been atrocious at times.  Still, there is no better alternative.  Plus, Ike has had a similar season before and rebounded quite nicely.  The Steelers only hope for next year is that he rebounds again.  Willie Gay, on the other hand, should not finish the season as the starter.  I will be surprised if he does, especially because Lewis and Burnett have both showed some promise.

Clark is gone.  This is the right move only because the wrong move is to resign a 31 year old FS who is only slightly better than average usually and has played worse than average this year.   

 ST: Reed and Logan are gonzo. 

 By my count, that's up to six starters removed: Essex, Farrior or Foote, Gay, Clark, Hampton, Hartwig (if draft or FA replacement found).  The "stand pat" approach did not work well this year, maybe the roster turnover will benefit the Steelers next year.

First off, Dick LeBeau has to take some blame today (which seems to be the consensus on this board).  This is definitely not a LeBeau defense post.  But this is the umpteenth time a team has rallied late to win, not to mention all the times that teams have rallied late and barely fell short (San Diego and Detroit come to mind).  But you simply cannot put that much blame on LeBeau for the fourth quarter playcalling when players when repeatedly in position to make plays.  Maybe there is an overall scheme or personnel problem (lack of pass rushing D linemen, perhaps), but that is a separate issue from the playcalling.

Ike Taylor had a horrible game.  He was burnt on one play (although if a safety was playing deep then he would have played it well).  On several other occasions, he was in position and simply whiffed (the jump ball).  Ryan Clark was atrocious.  You may say: he didn't miss that many tackles or balls.  Well that's because he was out of position all day.  Ryan Clark read short passes, long passes, and play action passes incorrectly with alarming regularity.  I was a huge Clark fan before this year and thought he should have been signed instead of Kiesel, but he has looked lost, at best.  William Gay is not very good.  However, I don't think he played horribly; just not well.  He is not a shut down corner and he is not asked to be one.  If he prevents the big play and keeps receivers in front of him, that's probably the most that can be asked. 

Lawrence Timmons should not be starting.  Again, he is not horrible, but there is a much better ILB riding the bench who, for whatever reason, is not getting any playing time.  Timmons repeatedly misses tackles, fails to shed blocks, and reads receiver routes too late.  Gradkowski embarrassed Timmons on at least two plays.  Timmons is a liability in the run and (despite popular opinion) not very good in pass protection.  Yes, he can chase down a pass in the flats, but that is not the only thing, or even a primary thing, the Steelers ask from an ILB.  Timmons is great at getting to the QB.  He should be on the field on any third and long.  Other than that, he simply has not played to K. Fox's level (in the three games he started) in any game this year.

To bring this piece full circle, Dick LeBeau's playcalling seemed uninspired in the 4th quarter.  Very few blitzes, vanilla coverages.  Still, players were in position to make plays in did not.  The same thing happened last week: players were outplayed at the point of attack, whether against the run or pass.  LeBeau has not found the solution, and for that he takes all the blame. 

A lot has been made about Troy's absence, and rightfully so.  However, it seems that the defense's success (and, thus, the team's) over the past five years has the largest correlation with the play of Swaggin' Ike Taylor.  Ike is asked to do just as much as Troy in LeBeau's defense.  He is isolated all game on an opposing team's number one.  The only help Ike receives is occasional deep help (although this year, Clark hasn't been offering much help).

No one will forget the way Taylor played during the incredible run to the '05 championship.  He shut down everyone and everything during the season ending winning streak and the playoffs.  Result: SB win.

Next year: Ike struggles.  So much so, that he is benched after a particularly bad performance against the Broncos' Javon Walker.  Result: no playoffs.

Following year: Ike looks more like his '05 self.  Playing at a very high level, but maybe not quite the level he played during that magical '05 run.  Result: division champs, early playoff exit.

'Last year: Again, Ike is lights out.  All season, Ike shuts down opposing teams' number one threat, without exception ( two long plays against all season: fluke tipped pass to Reggie Wayne and playoff catch by Vincent Jackson, who was absolutely blanketed by Ike).  Ike was the second best CB in the league last year, despite what stat geeks concerned about INTs would have you believe.  Result: SB win.

This year: Ike is streaky.  Some games he looks like his old self, some games he looks lost (Ravens).  No telling how he will play from week to week.  The only constants are his bad hands.  Result: streaky Steelers team (5 straight wins, three straight losses).

In the wake of an ugly loss, there inevitably will be a bunch of crazies calling for lineup changes, coach firings, and other various and sundry personnel moves.  One idea that is not so crazy is reducing Lawrence Timmons' field time.  Not because Timmons is so poor that he should not start on an NFL team (he is starting material), but because his backup is better. 

LT looked like the real LT (the one named Taylor) for one play, the sack/strip of Matt Cassel.  That was a great individual effort and I don't want to detract from that.  But one play does not a game make.  In fact, on two bigger plays, LT was out of position and flat footed.  On the tying TD late in the game, LT, along with his partner in crime James Farrior, bit hard on the play action and were beat for a TD.  Granted, the play was Farrior's to make and it would have been asking a little much of LT to make a play on the ball.  However, if LT reads the play correctly, he does possess the physical attributes to make a stop there.  Instead, he bit on the fake and let the ref pick him.

On the Chris "Enter the 36" Chambers catch and run to seal the game, you will see Timmons creep up to the line of scrimmage as Cassel drops back to pass.  Why?  I don't think even he could tell you today.  Neither RB released from the backfield and Chambers crossied the field right into Timmons' zone.  Yet Timmons crept up to the line, allowing Cassel to drop a pass right where Timmons should have been.  On 3rd and 6, there is no reason for a LB playing a spy or short zone to stand at the line of scrimmage.  Keep the short receiver in front of you and short of the 6 yard mark, try and make a tackle.  But it was not to be, and that was all she wrote.

So here's the point: of the Steelers four losses, Timmons played a majority of snaps in all of them.  These losses do not fall on Timmons, at all, especially since another defensive star missed several of those games.  Overall, Timmons has played satisfactory football.  But K. Fox has played outstanding when given the chance.  In the three games where Fox has played a majority of defensive snaps, his line looks like this: 17 tackles, 7 assists, 1 FumRec, 1 Pass Def, 1 Int, 1 TD.  It seems to me that Fox is playing better in every facet except rushing the QB (although in fairness to Fox, he is sent on blitzes far less than LT). 

Again, this isn't a cut LT post, or even a bench LT post.  You want LT's pass rushing skills on 3rd and long.  Other than that, Fox is the better ILB right now.

The Broncos have signed former Patriot Ty Law, presumably to be their nickel back.  The Broncos have had some trouble with their third cornerback in the last couple of weeks and this seems like a last ditch effort to shore up the position before the Steelers, with their penchant for Monday night dominance, roll into town. 

It seems like a smart move: Law can't be much worse than what they have at #3.  Law is a savvy veteran who has played on a McDaniels coached team.  However, Law will playing two or three days after joining the team.  Also, the familiarity with McDaniels does not amount for much, considering McDaniels was an offensive coach for the Pats. 

I cannot see Ty Law and his old as Methuselah legs keeping up with Mike Wallace.  I sure hope he cannot, because the other members of the Broncos secondary have been playing outstanding this season.  If Law shuts down Wallace, don't expect much from Santonio (matched up against Bailey) or even Hines.  Now, if Law cannot cover Wallace, that means Dawkins or someone else will be helping on the coverage which might free up Santonio or Hines. 

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=ArdNaH8RQmfnenJCrU7epYJDubYF?slug=ap-broncos-law&prov=ap&type=lgns

Next Sunday I will be traveling in the Pacific Northwest.  Of course, the Steelers will also be playing the Bears.  I was hoping somebody could clue me in on some Steelers bars in the Seattle area where my girlfriend and I can catch the game.  Bars in Seattle proper, as oppposed to outside Seattle, are preferable because we will have to catch a flight back to the East Coast shortly after the game ends.  Any and all help is appreciated.  Go Steelers.

Let me preface this fanpost by reiterating my view that you never find out anything good about your team in training camp.  You might find out that certain players are not NFL material, but, beyond that, you have to wait until they put the pads on.  On that note, I will relate what I can from my day spent on the field at Saint Vincent College.

Santonio Holmes was dogging it today.  He was the last person to finish every warm up run and he attempted (emphasis on attempted) several one arm catches during receiver drills.  Ben gave him a little pep talk after one catch, but he looked off the entire day.  This may be premature, but I would not expect a breakout season from Santonio.  He may think he's already arrived as one of the League's elite.

Mike Wallace and Limas Sweed looked pretty good.  Nothing spectacular, but solid all around.  Sweed made several catches which an NFL wideout should make but were nonetheless difficult.

Passing game looked in sync during drills toward the end of the day.  This is especially heartening because the passing game takes timing and is usually late to come around.  Today may be the best all around passing performance I've  seen at a training camp this early in a season (and I used to work for the Steelers). 

The pass blocking: different story.  Missed assignments all over the place.  I tend to think the coaching staff and stats are right: it's not ability holding these guys back.  It should be easy to block when the QB can't be sacked but defenders repeatedly ran to the QB without being picked up.  It does not appear this unit's time together has helped them communicate, at least to this point.

Troy's hammy did not seem to slow him too much.

Frank the Tank is a big guy.  I think Sisyphus would rather roll his boulder up the hill than Frank Summers.  If this guy can't get a yard on 3rd down we may need to consider bringing Jerome back.

Overall, it was a pretty smooth looking practice.  Lots of joking around: Hoke doing a dance for the crowd, Jeff Reed clowning with a fan about his lack of hair, and Ben doing cartwheels from his D line position.  Hopefully, this training camp report will sate your appetite until the season starts...or, at the very least, the next day of camp.

Football Outsiders released a tease of their Top 25 Underrated Players of the decade list:

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/fo-espn-feature-columns/2009/ei-25-most-overratedunderrated-players-decade

Aaron Smith was number 4, behind Derrick Mason, Matt Lepsis, and Adrian Wilson.  Personally, I tend to agree with the Mason pick because you always hear how the Ravens need receivers yet Mason continually comes up big for them, especially against one of the best defenses in the NFL (the Steelers, of course).

In any case, this is more acknowledgement of Aaron Smith's "underratedness."  Of course, we continually hear comments from gameday announcers and fellow players about how Smith is great and underrated.  Which makes me think: the only way in which Smith is underrated is in number of Pro Bowls.  Everyone seems to acknowledge he is one of, if not the best, 3-4 end in the league.  But he doesn't get sacks, so he doesn't get votes from a lot of fans (especially fans of the casual variety), and doesn't get Pro Bowls.  Of course, no Pro Bowls and few sacks means no ESPN press, but that matters little to people like A. Smith.  Other than Pro Bowl tallies, Aaron Smith garners the respect of one of the best in the game at his position.  Maybe he is just "underdecorated", as opposed to "underrated?"

James Walker, the ESPN blogger for the AFC North, stated in a chat transcript that the Steelers have already had negotiations with Ryan Clark for an extension, even prior to the Starks signing.  This indicates that the Steelers have placed a higher priority on Clark than Heath Miller, possibly because of the incresing likelihood that Miller is an RFA next year. 

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/chat/_/id/27097/nfl%20with%20james%20walker

However, this seems to be a departure from the practices of years past.  The Steelers have signed multiple players over 30 to long term deals (Farrior, Ward, Harrison, and Clark will turn 30 during this season).  Also, they are signing guys at positions where they have traditionally been willing to let players go: secondary and LBs.  Since this team has a proven track record, I like the idea of signing select contributors into their 30s.  Personally, I think Clark is more valuable than Heath.  He is not as talented as Heath, but the Steelers can win without a pass catching TE and Heath's blocking skills are replaceable.  Anthony Smith showed us what happens when a Steelers FS can't play one of the most important role on the defense: prevent the deep ball.

I was hoping someone else had some information on the Clark negotiations.  I haven't even heard about them until now.  Seems all of the focus has been on Heath.

More good news for the Steelers: Ray Lewis resigned with the Baltimore Ravens today.  I mean that.  Ray Lewis is aging and his game is in decline.  Now the Ravens are stuck with him for several more years.  He'll probably earn his money this year, but after that he will be an aging albatross.  Plus, this means T Sizzle is more likely to leave next year after the franchise tag runs out because the Ravens will have less money to throw at him.  So, it's a push for the Ravens this year, and a bad move for the future.

The Ravens also paid money to get older on the O Line (not a smart move) by signing Matt Birk.  Birk probably remembers when Joel Steed was breaking into the NFL.  Anyway, if the Ravens couldn't stop the pass rush/establish the run this year, they won't next year behind Old Man River.

On a side note, Ray Lewis is the most effective spin meister in history.  After football, he should work for politicians (if they can convince him to talk about anything other than himself).  Somehow, Ray manages to put a positive spin on the fact that no one wanted him and he had to swallow his pride and return to Baltimore with his tail between his legs.  First, Ray wanted a payday.  Then, he wanted a star on his helmet.  Now, the greatest thing a player can do is stay with one team for his whole career.  Oh Ray, you so crazy.

From Yahoo Sports:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=ArrcOuVDXLWPTdvx_c4ItHdDubYF?slug=ap-ravens-lewis&prov=ap&type=lgns

List courtesy of Fanhouse:

RB Willie Parker, LB James Harrison, WR Hines Ward, TE Heath Miller, C Justin Hartwig, S Ryan Clark, CB Deshea Townsend, DE Brett Keisel, NG Casey Hampton, K Jeff Reed.

No, this is not a list of the most valuable Steelers not named Ben Roethlisberger.  These are players who have one year left on their current deals.

There has been a lot of talk recently about who the Steelers will resign and draft this year.  The fact is, this list of players will determine who gets resigned and drafted more than anything else.  BMac and Nate (hopefully) have replacements waiting in the wings and are not integral to Steelers success anyway.  But the above referenced list is a who's who of contributors to more than one Super Bowl run.

Guys like BMac, Nate, and probably Starks will not stay with the Steelers because the Rooneys will want to spend some money on these players before the season when, as we all know, they are as good as gone if unsigned.

The 'Stache has no particular inside information, but here are my thoughts anyway.  Willie and Keisel are out the door for sure.  Willie's getting up there for a speedy RB and Keisel is the weakest, although youngest, D lineman.  Hines and Deshea are out unless they accept less lucrative contracts then their current deals.  Miller, Reed, and Clark will all stay considering they are great values and the front office will do their best to keep them.  Hampton and Hartwig?  Not sure.  I think Hartwig's future depends on where we go in the draft (if it's Mack, he's gone).  Hampton should be a keeper, but with LeBeau's time running short, Tomlin may be thinking of the move to a 4-3.

Wild Card: James Harrison.  Steelers are ususally reluctant to resign LBs over 30, but this guy has had the best 2 yr span of any Steeler linebacker EVER.  Also, he's a workout beast and sat the bench for years, meaning he's taken less wear and tear.  Also, Farrior received an extension at a similar age to where Harrison will be at the end of next season.  But the Steelers do not lose sleep over replacing outside LBs.  Whatever direction management goes with James, I'm sure it will be the correct one.

Talk amongst yourselves.

This article tells you the value of Big Ben:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3894263

I cannot explain the things this man does so I will give you the straight facts.  Big Ben had broken ribs when he played SB Polamalu.  One of the greatest SB performances ever with broken ribs.  This is why Ben is the second best QB in football contrary to what fantasy football loving pencilnecks will tell you.  Kurt Warner would spending time at home with Ivan Drago if he had broken ribs, not running around like a madman hurling last minute TD passes.

I think he's worth that $107 mill.  Discuss.

Actually, he is still pretty good.  But I'm guessing no one outside of PIttsburgh would take James Farrior over Ray Lewis.  Why?  Pro Bowls: Lewis - 10 Farrior - 2.  DPOY: Lewis - 2 Farrior - 0.  Obviously, Lewis is more celebrated, acclaimed, interviewed, and subpoenaed.  But is he as good as Potsie?  Not in the past couple years.  Look at their recent stats compared:

Tackles: Farrior has had more tackles three of the last four years

Sacks: Farrior has had more sacks three of the last four years

Fumbles Forced: Farrior has had more forced fumbles three of the past five years

Fumbles Recovered: Farrior has had more fumbles recovered three of the past five years

INTs: Ray Lewis leads this category four of last five years, but only has 8 INTs to Potsie's 6 over that time frame

I admit, I often think of Ray Ray and Potsie as being equals, or as Ray being slightly better.  It's hard to ignore the drivel about Lewis and his intensity that is crammed down your throat every time you turn on the TV.  Sorry, Potsie.  Never again will I doubt you

Most of this info is courtesy of an article in the Post Gazette today:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09016/942170-66.stm

So the San Diego Chargers will return to Heinz Field next weekend.  Before this weekend, the only team I would have rather seen as the Steelers next opponent was the warm weather Fins.  Unfortunately, the Ravens did not do the Steelers the favor of losing to the Blowholes, so we're left with the next best matchup. 

But I remembered something watching that game Saturday night: San Diego has an honest to goodness NFL caliber punter.  Not only that, but an All Star caliber punter.  We have the Ham(strung)Berger.  Our offense is anemic, no matter who we face.  Our defense is ferocious, no matter who they face.  But Mike "Silent C" Scifres matches up well against Mitch and our MIA return units.  If the Steelers lose this game, we probably will be able to attribute to a huge disparity in punting.  But I digress.

The Chargers finished the season at .500 for a reason: they're not very good.  Even if they didn't get Hochulied, they would only be 9-7 and still the least winning playoff team in the AFC.  And they even faced every AFC West team twice.  Sheesh.

If you need more good news, LT may be healthy.  I can hear you right now: Why is this good news?  I'll tell you why.  It means this Sproles fellow will be on the field less and a fading LT will be on the field more.  That, my friends, is good news.

Finally, the calls should go against San Diego in this game.  Ever since the Hochuli incident, San Diego has been reaping the benefits of some "friendly" officiating.  I don't need to rehash the 13-1 disparity in called penalties in the previous PIT-SD meeting.  Just look to Saturday night.  Indy is always among the league's best at avoiding penalties yet they had at least 10 called on them yesterday to San Diego's 3.  C + C Music Factory can attest that this is one of those things that make you go hmmmm.....

With no holding penalties on the Ravens in this game, the streak is now at 23 straight quarters without an offensive holding penalty against Steeler opponents.  I don't know where to get stats on this, but this must be some sort of modern era record.  This is almost six games without a hold.  Almost half a season: no holding penalties.

Add in the fact that we are leading the AFC in team sacks and this is even more ridiculous.  If offenses are going to hold against anyone, they better hold against the Men of Steel.  I know people are reluctant to buy into conspiracy theories, but something is amiss.  If we don't get a holding call to go our way in the next two games, we will have gone ONE HALF OF THE SEASON without a holding call in our favor.  I sure hope someone in the Steelers organization is chewing Mike Peirara's ear about this.

By the way, someone else did most of the work on this by posting a fanpost last week about how we had went 19 straight quarters without a holding penalty.  I don't remember who it was, but kudos to you my friend.

Below is a link to a Washington Post article with a link to an Excel document with the Pro Bowl voting.  Remember, fan voting is only 1/3 of the voting.  To summarize the AFC standings:

Big Ben: 4th

Hines Ward: 5th

Carey Davis: 4th

Heath Miller: 4th

Justin Hartwig: 4th

Chris Kemoeatu: 4th

Aaron Smith: 5th

Casey Hampton: 2nd

James Harrison: 2nd

James Farrior: 2nd

Larry Foote: 3rd

Ike Taylor: 5th

Troy Polamalu: 1st

Ryan Clark: 3rd

A couple things stick out: James Harrison is not first in outside linebackers, but J Peezy is first, so it's not that bad.  Also, Kemo is closer to the Pro Bowl than Aaron Smith or Ike Taylor.  This is a travesty.  Also, little used Carey Davis is in the running for a Pro Bowl spot.  And I would love to see Ryan Clark get his first Pro Bowl.

The NFC standings are ridiculous if anyone cares: I think 9 Redskins are leading vote getters.

It's one o'clock in the morning and I'm studying for law school finals.  I take a break to read some sports news and I find this article that absolutely brightens my day/night/morning:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AhTA3C_JL0KyAKWGUgAjb_hDubYF?slug=ap-cowboys-takingiteasy&prov=ap&type=lgns

If you don't read the link, it says the Cowboys have taken off practice from their Thursday game to Wednesday.  Then Wedneseday, players over 30 years of age were excused from practice.  Barber and Ware did not practice because of injury and probably won't practice this week.  The rest of the 'Boys practiced inside because it was too windy outside (and everyone knows there is never wind at Heinz Field in December).  Also, the Cowboys pumped music into their practice to facilitate a Dance Dance Revolution themed practice.  And to top it all off, PacMan came to practice in his pyjamas (I am not making any of this up).

It appears Wade Phillips thinks the way to gameplan for the number one defense in a hostile outdoor environment is to not practice, dance away the hours, stay indoors, and stay in your PJ's all day.  Meanwhile, Big Ben and FWP are practicing through all sorts of injuries (mostly the type that occur from stepping in holes) and James Harrison is lifting cinder blocks in his sleep.  And people act surprised when Romo and company falter at crunch time.

I was really worried about this game about an hour ago.  After reading this article, I am still worried, but only because I can be absolutely sure there is no such thing as justice if the Steelers lose on Sunday to this bunch of clowns.

It seems that Scott Brown of the Tribune Review has been reading my pre-Giants and pre-Indy fanposts:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_598144.html

It's not news that we're 0-7 in 4 o'clock games under Tomlin or that we ;have some bad losses in that time slot.  However,  there are 2 interesting things in this article. 

First, Max Starks says exactly what I've been saying, although his word means a heck of a lot more than mine.  He notes the difficulty of playing in a 1 o'clock or prime time game versus a 4 o'clock game.  It's easy to get up for prime time and 1 o'clock is the usual starting time and the schedule is similar to the morning practices the Steelers run during the week.  Maybe Tomlin should consider an afternoon practice or two during the weeks leading up to a 4:15 game.

Also, the article notes that, even though we have a plethora of 4 o'clock games on the horizon, there is the possibility for two more if Baltimore or Cleveland gets "flexed" to 4 o'clock.  While it may seem like mere coincidence, the Steelers likely have to win at least one of their remaining four o'clock games or they will be on the outside of the playoffs looking in.

Ben's injury is causing him problems in two discernible ways. 

First, he can not throw an out pattern.  Aside from one to Nate, where Nate was wide open, I don't remember Ben hitting a receiver on an out.  This is alarming when you consider we were running the 2 minute offense to win the game.  I know the DBs were watching the sideline routes, but you can still throw short outs in front of them.  Ben doesn't have the velocity with his hurt shoulder and we ended up running out of time (plus a sack and a hold).

Second, he continually comes up short on deep passes when he does not step into a throw.  This is what happened on the first pick to Santonio.  Ben has never been great about making a complete throwing motion (i.e. striding with his left foot) when under pressure.  Before the injury, it wasn't a huge deal because he could just muscle it enough to get the ball where it needed to go.  With the injury, almost every time he throws without the stride he is coming up short. 

Hate to pile on, but Byron always takes that stride.  In fact, that is one of the supposed "knocks" on him.  Let Ben get healthy.

The Indy game is at 4 o'clock.  By my count, the Steelers are 0-5 (Pats, Jets, Cardinals, Giants, Eagles) in 4 o'clock games under Mike Tomlin.  If the Steelers are forgiven their 4 o'clock games under Tomlin, they would have a 16-3 record in the regular season.  This year, they are undefeated in non 4 o'clock games.

While some of these losses were predictable, such as the Pats game, others are inexplicable, such as the Jets and Cardinals losses.  The three games where the Steelers looked the worst under Tomlin (Pats, Jets, Eagles) were all at.....4 o'clock. 

Is there anything to this trend or is it just a coincidence?  I think there might be something to it, possibly the game day preparation routine or mindset.  Whatever the reason for this trend, the Steelers better reverse it because four of their next five games are at 4 o'clock.  If this trend holds up, the Steelers will be in serious trouble.