An interesting talker for a nice, lazy holiday. Personally, I'll have to put some thought into it, but I remember a Roethlisberger throw to Burress in the end zone against the Patriots in the 2004 AFCC, followed by a Bettis run for a yard. Then Cowher chooses not to go for it on fourth down. He took the field goal to go down 31-20. They don't get it, they're still down two touchdowns, and the Pats have the ball at their 2-yard line. They get it, they're kicking off down a touchdown. Is that a regret? I dunno...brings back some bad memories. Either way, enjoy the conversation! - nc

What is your all time Steeler regret...something you wish the organization did or didn't do, draft a player, sign a player or coaching move etc. My biggest Steeler regret is the organization not signing Rod Woodson and letting him walk in free agency. Rod went on to win a Super Bowl and I am happy for him for that but I still wished he was stay in Pittsburgh. He played with the Ravens, Niners and Raiders and had several more productive years in the NFL. Even if we moved him to safety like he was with Oakland. His instincts on the field were that good and he made the move to safety very easily....what is your biggest Steelers regret...

I read this article from Bob Smizik titled "Ben Wants Answers from Rooney". I think Ben has had too much say and influence with Arians and the team is trying to nip it, or have. I belive the next OC will clash with Ben but the O will rise from 21st to somewhere within the top 10 next year, as all the tools are there except for the OL. If they focus on getting some talent on the OL this draft or in FA...I could see this happening.

I included the link to the article below and also included a comment from one of the respondents by the name of Nutting4Xmas. I thing Ben hasn't hit his potential yet, there is so much more he can achieve and let's hope this all helps him get there and the Steelers their moneys worth from Ben. Response from Nutting4Xmas:

"I would imagine Mr. Rooney's response to "what do you want from me" will go something like this:

I want my $100 Million dollar QB to be able to play out the life of his contract somewhere near the level of play he was achieving when I signed him to it. I am sick of watching you limp around the field, the locker room, and the practice facility. I am not paying you 8 figures to have Batch or Leftwich play on Sundays. We stood by you when you were acting like a pompous jerk, nearly killing yourself and then almost getting throwin in jail twice. Now, I am deducting $100K from your first game check. Get out of my office and get on a treadmill."

http://communityvoices.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/sports/bob-smiziks-blog/31703-ben-wants-answers-from-rooney

I hear Billy Cundiff is available...HA HA HA!! Love it...want to see Harbaugh celebrate this loss, they celebrate anything in Baltimore except Super Bowl wins!! The celebrated in Pittsburgh when the beat us, they celebrate a win over his brother with a Gatorade shower. This couldn't happen to a better bunch of jokers, good season Ratbirds now live with it...LOL

Could live with them winning a Super Bowl, even getting to a SB...what joy I am feeling right now is great!!

Why did we draft this guy again? He is strong as hell but can not get off a block to save his life...he played much better when he backed up Smith a few years ago and replaced him when he got hurt! I don't know if he will be a good replacement for Smith at this point, we might have to draft another lineman soon. He wasn't playing against their best OT either.

I personally think the officials in the NFL are out to get the Steelers and I might be considered paranoid but I have some facts to back it up. Never mind the ridiculous fine on Troy for calling to tell his wife he is okay after suffering a concussion.

Yesterdays game in Cinci Heath catches a ball at the 5 yard line and is clobbered by the safety, no flag. The same hit is delivered by Ryan Clark against the Ravens the previous week and Clark gets flagged for a 15 yard penalty and is fined $40,000...yes I know the additional ducats was for a combination of a hit previously. Now someone is going to argue with me about this defenseless receiver crap rule...before you start doing it please tell me how Heath was not defenseless!? As far as I am concerned, same hit different call from the ref.

Again in yesterdays game Ben gets hit late while he is on the ground and no call, he got hit late another time when the defender could have stopped, again no call...Timmons falls into a tackle near the Cinci goaline, he was coming and couldn't stop so he ended up falling into the guy...penalty and first down.

The referees don't have a clue week to week, day to day, or play to play on how to call the game and what's legal or not. It's a shame because the best game I have ever watched in football was the Ravens vs. Steelers AFC Championship game  a few years ago when the contact was incredible...that's the type of football I love to watch...not what they are calling football today. I personally can't wait until Roger Goodell is gone and I hope things change. If someone catches a ball now you let him catch it I guess!?

I watched Johnathan Scott play tonight and it made me sick, the Freeney sack/fumble he didn't even touch the guy, how can you not touch the guy you are blocking, just touch him once. He got hurt at the end of the game and I don't give a s__t if he doesn't come back this year, he is personally going to get Ben killed!! That's a fact. It's time to get Starks and Adams onto the squad!

Time too also to get Farrior a rocking chair and let him watch the game, he was awful all game and late to every tackle. The touchdown run by Addai to tie the game at 20-20, he was clear and was late to read the play and got there late. Our middle linebackers are killing us right now. Timmons is okay but the others are bad...time to Sylvester in the game, he is young and can run. Am I wrong people?

Proposed rules to aid defenseless players might hinder Big Ben...Rules proposed to keep quarterbacks healthy might curtail the performance of those quarterbacks who wiggle out of the grasp of defenders to keep a play going long enough to make something good happen. Under new proposed rules, many of those Roethlisberger escapes could be blown dead by an official. The old "in the grasp" whistle that became so unpopular in the NFL is making its way back, and that's not conducive to the way Roethlisberger plays the game.

I don't like this, the game is getting less and less physical, for me that's half the excitement of watching football. That is why I fell in love with the Steelers in the 70s. They were a tough rock'em sock'em team that wore black...loved it. Sack totals will go up and soft QBs like Brady and Manning will love it and it will hurt people like Ben. This will put more judgement calls in the hands of the officials instead of letting defenders get the QB or RB down to the ground.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11080/1133505-66.stm#ixzz1HF2KUeda

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11080/1133505-66.stm

I think this is would be a great hire for the Steelers, he played both positions for us and I heard he did a pretty good job coaching DBs at UCLA. I hope he gets the job...other than Chuck Cecil I don't see another candidate out there that impresses me  but that's Mike Tomlin's gig.

It's obvious our young DBs need good coaching, I wasn't terribly impressed by the guy who left to go to Arizona...Horton. I use the example of Kugler the Oline coach, there was a drastic difference in the line this year compared to last year, basically with all the same players except the super rook.  Not once did I see a change in secondary play to impress me, Gay and McFadden took strides backwards, Keenan Lewis with all his tools has not taken that necessary step forward. Hope Carnell can get it out of him especially, because he is a big kid.

Dontay Moch from Nevada Wolfpack, this is ridiculus, he is a linebacker with wideout speed...read below

Moch, 6'1", 245 pounds, ran a 40-yard dash in 4.2 seconds, which was after he had run a 4.08 and 4.18 for NFL scouts. The scouts purportedly did not believe their stopwatches so they asked Moch to run again and he recorded the 4.2."He has freakish talent," Nevada defensive coordinator Andy Buh said. When he puts his mind to it, he's unstoppable.

Quote from Ratbird coach, and his mention to the spread O and what others in the division are doing...you think they are doing so to beat the Steelers!?

ScoutNFL: 

Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, on whether adding a speed receiver will help the development of QB Joe Flacco: “I would like just to have good receivers. Whatever his 40 time is is important, but does he play fast? Does he get in and out of his breaks quickly? Can he read defenses? Can he make plays downfield?”

On the spread offense being developed by division foes Cincinnati and Cleveland: “It’s a great offense. It’s a ball control offense. It expands on the running game. We may want to build it into our offense as well.”

His thoughts on the off season: “I love the football part, being around the guys. I love the draft process. There’s nothing more fun than trying to find those perfect fits for your team.”
-Jeremy Stoltz, BearReport.com

I just get the feeling that the Steelers didn't have a big hate on for the Packers and that took away some of our edge. i know when we play Baltimore they are going to play well and be physical. There was no trash talking before the game, even with two weeks to prepare and talk. I still feel we were the better team and I will go to my grave saying that. Looking forward to the draft...Black and Gold forever!!

I don't know about you but I thought the Steelers would come out and run the ball against Green Bay like they did against the Jets. I thought we ran the ball well against them all night but we seemed to not really focus on the run enough, I think we could have broken their will with the run early in the game. 

They were very weak on the run outside the tackles, almost everything that got bounced outside was a big gain. I think Ben missed some plays out there for sure, the deep ball to Wallace that went upfield when Wallace was running more to the corner. Even the second INT, if Ben just pumps once that guy who jumps the route Wallace ran would have been toast. Ward was running a route just behind him and he dropped Ward to a LB...Ward easily beat the LB and was wide open for a big play down the middle.

Basically, I was disappointed with the game plan, especially early in the game. I can't believe with two weeks to prepare we couldn't drive the ball early. Just my perception.

I don't know about you but I didn't watch or purposely avoided all SB coverage yesterday...now I am back with some questions...I am wondering what is the difference between the 2008 D and the 2010 D. From what I can remember the 2008 D was much harder to pass the ball on and got off the field better on 3rd downs. The same can't be said for the 2010 D and I think ultimately cost us the SB, along with the 3 turnovers. The fumble to me was the most costly of the three.

To me William Gaye who had been playing well and McFadden were horrible in coverage, everything was soft and no bumping the receivers off the routes.

For the most part the players are the same and it's the same D coaches. So my questions are:

1. Have teams perfected the spread O ( as Michael Irvin called it, the blueprint against the Steelers D).

2. How do we overcome this now? 

This is truly a team...they must have Mr. Rooney, Tomlin, and Colbert included in the pool of funds to pay James Harrison's fine....LOL

"Pittsburgh cornerback Ike Taylor said the possible consequence of head shots isn't a concern as the Steelers seek a record seventh Super Bowl title and their second in three seasons.

"The way we play football, we'll have to suffer the consequences of a high shot," Taylor said. "We'll rally around one another and put up enough money to pay each other's fines. We've got to play football the way we know how to play football."

Read more: Head games: Harrison not singled out - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_720557.html#ixzz1Ce5KTkwC

That pick play at or near the goaline is something the Steelers have to concentrate on and fix before playing Green Bay in the Super in a couple weeks. The team lines up two receivers left or right of the formation just about 4 yards apart, they then run the outside guy right at the DB covering him and the inside guy slides outside for an easy TD.

The ratbirds ran it for an easy touchdown against us to Todd Heap and then the Jets ran the same play against us for a touchdown to #89 last weekend but they ran it from the left side of their formation. Copy cat league, I am sure GB saw that plain as day and if we make a note of it and switch men when they run that play we could be seeing another 90 plus TD run in the SB. If I saw it just watching the games, the coaches should see it on film and make the adjustment.

I remember late in the season posting here that Jonathan Scott was the worst offensive lineman I had ever seen in my life...I did mean it at the moment, but this guy has stepped up his game in a big way. I can't remember last night or the Baltimore (to a lesser extent) him giving up any pressures or his technique failing him during the game.

I love the Steelers and when someone is bad I must say it, great turnaround Scott.  He isn't the only one that has stepped up either...early in the pre-season we were all wondering why we signed Flozell, well he played a big game last night also. The Oline is still not the best in the game but man they work hard and fight to get the job done.

Legursky coming in and playing big all game he represented himself well, I know the bad snap for the safety...come on it added to the excitement ( I only say that now). Can you believe it and our two starting tackles from the last SB are on the sidelines with injuries.

Here we go Steelers!!

So again I ask...who still wants Ben out of Pittsburgh? This man is a winner and I don't care what Brady, Manning or Brees does in their lifetime...I WOULD NOT trade Ben for any of them. This man just wins and makes plays. How in hell does he do what he did with a totally patchwork OL on Saturday. If anyone out there still talking this crap about him holding onto the ball too long, you can take that arguement and bury it, the proof is he will make some mistakens but the benefits outweigh the cons.

A franchise QB is so hard to find and we have one and I hope he never leaves Pittsburgh, because he was born to play for this team. I saw Brady early in the game yesterday with nobody near him ducking like he was going to get hit, what a whimp!! Manning diving to the ground when he sees a sack coming, another whimp. Give me Ben all day everyday, fighting off linebackers and linemen to make a play!! What a winner!!


We as Steeler fans should recognize what we have in him and appreciate it...earlier in the year most of Pittsburgh wanted to run him out of town...you think we would be in the AFC Championship game without him?

One of the key factors in the game tomorrow that it seems most people are overlooking is the fact that Ratbirds center Matt Birk is hurt and  he might play but he will not be 100%. I think that is a big blow to them and Casey could have his way and Flacco could be in trouble. Also their running game will suffer.

Matt Birk has long been one of the best centers in the NFL and when the Ratbirds lost Brown to the Rams, they signed him away from the Vikings. I really think this is a key factor in the game and i hope I am right!!

1. On the offensive side of the ball, I thin Arians called a decent game, it wasn't as predictable as usual, passing on first down, moving the pocket etc....basically he mixed it up. If he can do that from now on..I will be so encouraged. Even on the running plays Mendy was showing more patience and not just running up the back of the OL, I believe he went over 100 yards. The only play call I have a problem with was the call for the safety and that play could have worked except for the play by Taylor. I believe Ben sat down with him during the week and gave Ba some input. BA and his game plans have been my biggest problem the entire year. Today we passed to open up the run and it gave us some options....Loved it.

I like what the kids are doing in the passing game especially Sanders, he sits down in zone D just like Hinds does. We beat Carolina on Thursday night and Cleveland and we win the division. 

I would suggest one of two things to get Scott out of the line-up. either someone put out a hit on him or one of his teammates hurts him in practice...I am semi-joking here...this guy is by far the worst OL man I have EVER seen playing professional football and he is on the Steelers. If anyone has seen anyone worse with stats to back it up please let me know. If he doesn't give up sacks, he is holding or getting Ben hit. There is nothing he does correctly on the field, he doesn't run block well, so what is he doing on the field.

The coaching staff has to see it on a weekly basis, how can we go into the playoffs with this guy starting at LT? Essex has played LT before and he has looked a lot better than Scott. I don't know why he is still on the field. This is crazy. Legursky was playing crap and he is gone to the bench, why not him?

I have said it here before, calling for us to use those two kids Sanders and Brown more and it's a total winning formula for the Steelers the rest of the way. Brown and Sanders contribution to the win last night can not be overstated! When you don't have Heath and really didn't have Hines last night (worst game I have ever seen him play), those kids stepped up at the receiver postions and on special teams. It's only a matter of time until Brown breaks a kick return, and I am so happy that Tomlin is putting him back their in the punt game instead of ARE. While Brown may be a little behind Sanders in learning the O, he can make plays and be dynamic out there, same can't be said for ARE. He also made a couple nice catches during the game but he is always close to breaking one.

Sanders is a very good receiver and we should start looking for him more. On the play where Ben had to scramble outside to his right on the safety blitz (#43), he lost his man by taking him to the middle of the field and then breaking behind him to make the catch at the two yard line, veteran play for a rookie. On special teams he made a big tackle at the end of the game. Very happy for them both.

I read where Brown was homeless as a teem and slept in cars or whereever he could, he has some real fight in him. What says you Limas Sweed? Anyone remember that name? Hope the year off is good for his head, because he has skills

We should start analyzing our head coach in Pittsburgh. For the very first time ever being a Steeler fan I believe the Steelers need to get a new head coach and I will tell you why. Anyone out there wants to play the race card can drop that at the door because I am black and was happy with Tomlin at the begininng but I am not anymore impressed with the great vocab and his great gift for the gab.

I will even give him a break after the "we will unleash hell" speech last December. But last night I saw on the sidelines a HC who did nothing, the most noticable thing about him last night was that he needed a kleenex to wipe his nose. On the other sideline was a HC with a plan, and passion for that plan and willing to make adjustments on the fly. I hate Belicheck BTW, but you have to admire what he does. He was in huddles on the sideline scheming and making adjustments, and I think he does have an OC and DC but he is the man in charge.

Tomlin can clearly see a couple things on the O side of the ball and has not made a change. First, his OC is a idiot and can not gameplan, my 13 year old son watches the Steelers on O and can tell you everything that is coming, run on first for sure and the live and die with their famous play 22 Double. There is no imagination or variety  to the game plan. We have Antonio Brown not dressed and Randle El starting, he is washed up and has nothing left to give the Steelers, time for a change. Brown on the field with Wallace, Ward, Summers and Heath gives us some options in the passing game...El is not a 3rd receiver anymore, he should be on the bench, he is not a good punt returner anymore. I see the Colts with a rookie back there catching punts, yes they make mistakes but thats what coaching is all about. We have Ben back and the team looks worse than with Batch running the show, take the cuffs off him and let him throw the ball, when he is confident he is one of the best QBs in the game, but he has cuffs on right now. The no huddle is not run when we need a spark and it seems in past years Ben had much more say, but since he is back he is just going with the flow, put the ball and the game in his hands, that's why he has a $100M contract.

On the D side of the ball, can someone tell me if we could do much worse with Keenan Lewis or Butler at corner and replacing William Gay? I can't see it...there needs to be some accountability and that starts with the HC. Bench McFadden and Gay and put in the young kids, they can't do worse. Gay was beaten by a rookie TE last night for 3 TDs, the only one that gets a pass for me was the first. Arizona let McFadden go because he doesn't have the speed to keep with recievers, he is a great tackler and closer on the ball after the catch but he can't cover. The pick on Gay and McFadden and that is killing this team. The use of Troy, I see the Steelers using Troy in a lot of 2 deep safety coverages and that is killing his play making ability. Why not use him like we always did and leave 25 back there all by himself to cover mistakes, play 25 over McFadden and leave Ike to cover, then use Troy at the line or 10 yards off the line where he is so effective. Most of the time he is way too deep in these 2 deep coverages.

It's time for a change, this team has the talent but I don't think Tomlin is seeing the game correctly or using all his players effectively. I don't care about the meltdown Lewis had in Denver in the preseason, it's November and we need a change. If anything this can wake some people up.

Just my take from what I am watching...am I wrong? I am not panicing but we are a much better team than last night.

The situation: Ben fumbles and then that odd ruling that we get the ball back on the 1 yard line (thank God).

I question Mike Tomlin's decision today to kick the field goal at the end of the game. If i want to put the game in the hands of my D I would rather have the Fins start on their own 1 yard line, Why not go on 4th down and get the TD rather than the field goal? There was enough time on the clock to have the D stop them and get the ball back. We kicked the 3 and gave them the ball back with over a minute, they started near their 30 yard line and had to get approximately 3 first downs to kick the winning field goal, much shorter field. Anyone share my feelings?

What has this puke done in the NFL to be all over James Harrison...read the story below. I am so glad we didn't draft this bust last year, especially since we got a gem this year in Pouncey. He talks about James spearing guys during the game, I watched the game and I didn't see anything and also there were NO penalties called on James during the game. This puke was drafted by the right team, a team with no heart and even less talent, he fits right in...he surely is not Pittsburgh Steeler material!! Thank God!! I hate Cleveland, can't wait for round two.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10294/1097061-100.stm

Anyone complaining about Flozell now? He really has been our best pick-up this off-season. He looks trimmer and has been solid in PP and bulldozing on the run. I was more scared about him in PP but he has been doing very well. He'll have a big test this week against Cameron Wake from the Dolphins. I watched Wake play 2 years in the CFL for B.C. Lions and he is quick, if you have some time to watch him please do. He had 3 sacks against the Packers yesterday.

Nike, is promising radical change to NFL uniforms after they took the contract away from Reebok. I don't know about you but I am not looking to see any radical change in the Black and Gold!! I have come to love the uniform as is with little change over the year, they can come up with a separate set the teams can wear like the retro stuff and that's it for me!! Any thoughts?

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/10/12/nike-plans-to-dramatically-change-nfl-jerseys/

I know E. Sanders played on Sunday but he didn't get a look at all from Dixon. I do remember one play that was incomplete that he was wide open. I also think we need to use Antonio Brown on kick returns, Randle El days are gone for those duties. Brown brings something different and special to the return game. When Ben returns maybe they will do that and the O will be so much more potent. I watched those KC rookie returners last night kill the Chargers and wish for our young guns to get a shot.

After watching the Dallas game last night and the holding call on the play that wiped out the TD at the end. Does that mean Harrison is going to get that call this year and his sack numbers are going to rise dramatically? If you can remember in years past he gets the arm across the throat holding call 3 to 4 times a game and it hasn't been called...If they call it this year and are consistent, look out! 

For the last couple days I keep reading from no reliable source but just stories about Ben and his people going to ask the Comish for only a 3 game suspension. We all know how the media is and works and the power of the Internet. I think there are haters out there that want the ban to stay at 6 games and are basically making a push to show Ben up to the Comish. I truly believe all this is fabricated and the intent is clear. Any thoughts on this?

1. Jonathan Dwyer should be kept in Pittsburgh, don't let him get away...whether it be PS for this year or keep him on the roster! With a bit more play and fitness he can be good, hope he continues this next week!

2. Pouncey passed his test tonight he did a good job in the game. 62 has seen his last days in Pittsburgh I think.

3. Is it only me or does anyone else think that Essex should be benched in favor of Ramon Foster!?

4. Flozell Adams other than the false start was very good tonight and ready for the season.

5. Keenan Lewis is not ready for prime time...he was awful tonight...the stage got too big for him. 

6. Is it just me or does our D look just ordinary and not particularly intense, we didn't stop Denver.

7. I am very worried about the QB situation, Leftwich and Dixon didn't  make me happy tonight, Batch looked more comfortable than both of them. The pick was an obvious error in communication with the receiver.