Lets make the Super Bowl a little bit more interesting here at BTSC. I am setting up a little contest for fun involving some prop bets in the game. First of all, the winner will get to pick his choice of shirt (value $25 or less) from Steelers.com. All you have to do is answer each one of the prop bets below and get the most points. The tie-breaker will be total points scored by both teams. So, do not forget to include total points scored.

What side will the coin toss land? (1pt)

Heads
Tails

What will the color of the Gatorade dumped on the winning coach be? (2pt)

Yellow
Orange
Blue
Red
Green
Clear/water
Other?

Which team will challenge a play first? (1pt)

Patriots
Giants

How many times will David Tyree's 2008 Super Bowl catch be shown during the game? (1pt)

Over 1.5
Under 1.5

Will the Patriots successfully convert a 4th down? (1pt)

Yes
No, includes no attempt

Who will be the first player to score a touchdown? (4pt)

I'm not going to list them, pick who you want.

What will be the result of the first offensive play of the game? (3pt)

1st down (passing)
1st down (rushing)
Pass attempt (no 1st down)
Rush attempt (no 1st down)
Touchdown
QB sack
Turnover
Penalty

What will the first scoring play of the game be? (3pt)

Giants - pass TD
Giants - rush TD
Giants - defensive or special teams TD
Giants - FG
Giants - safety
Patriots- pass TD
Patriots - rush TD
Patriots - defensive or special teams TD
Patriots - FG
Patriots - safety

Will the team that scores last win? (1pt)

Yes
No

Will the Patriots score in every quarter? (1pt)

Yes
No

Who will score more points on Sunday? (1pt)

Lebron James
New England Patriots

How many times will they show Peyton Manning during the game (live or replay)? (1pt)

Over 2.5
Under 2.5

How long will Kelly Clarkson take to sing the National Anthem? (1pt)

Over 1:35
Under 1:35

Will Madonna do the halftime show with a handheld mic or headset? (1pt)

Handheld Mic
Headset

How many Tim Tebow references will there be by Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth (references after kickoff only, and references during halftime don't count)? (1pt)

Over 1.5
Under 1.5

How many aircraft will be in the anthem flyover? (2pt)

0
1-4
5+

Copy and paste template:

Coin Toss –
Gatorade –
Challenge –
Tyree –
Patriots 4th down attempt –
1st player to score TD –
1st offensive play –
First scoring play –
Will last team scoring win –
Will Pats score in every quarter –
Who will score more on Sunday –
Number of times they show Peyton Manning –
Clarkson/National Anthem –
Madonna –
Tebow referneces –
Aircraft –

Crazy day of football so far with the Patriots beating the Ravens 23-20 on a missed field goal in the last seconds of the game. If you are not in a football coma quite yet, come in and join us for some conversation on what should be another great game. My boy, Vernon Davis, is putting on a clinic.

Douglas M was kind enough to post a Q&A over at BTSC, so I am returning the favor. He wrote a really elaborate story, that I don't dare try to match. I'm no poet, as I have always preferred numbers and statistics.

Any questions you have about the Steelers or this matchup just ask. I can most likely give you the right answer or completely fabricate one. Or, maybe another BTSC member will come along and clear up the mistakes that I pass off as fact. Either way we all win.

Oh, and happy holidays to you all.

Ed Bouchette of the Post Gazette is reporting that Chris Hoke will undergo neck surgery that will end his season with the Steelers. The injury is a hit to the Steelers depth on the defensive line, but it is not devastating. Over the last few games Steve McLendon had earned a hat over Hoke on game days because of his solid play. McLendon had become the first string back up to Casey Hampton with Hoke acting as the 3rd string.

From everything I have read about Hoke over the years is that he is a great guy. All of his teammates love him and he was a guy the coaches could lean on for veteran support. That is why the Steelers resigned Hoke to a 1 year deal when they felt McLendon was still too inexperienced to be the clear cut back up at NT. Unfortunately for Hoke, this injury may be similar to Aaron Smith's, in that it could mark an unfortunate end to a solid Steelers career.

The interesting question now becomes who will the Steelers add to the 53 man roster? My guess is that it will most likely be DE Corbin Bryant from the practice squad.

Hey Browns fans. We've got a short week set up for our prime time Thursday night game. So, this is going up earlier than we usually post these. I can answer any questions you have about the Steelers and I am sure other guys from BTSC will help me out. Lets try to keep it as civil as we possibly can.

If one of you has some time, maybe you can fly over to BTSC and put up something similar.

Ask away.

Have you ever seen something you were not quite sure you saw?  Most of the time it is your mind playing a trick on you, but sometimes you actually did see an elephant roller skating down the highway.  I did see that limber elephant last night, but I was not sure until I was rewatching the game today.  Thanks to NFL rewinds HQ video replay we are able to see every detail on replay, for better or worse.

Like most people, I was shocked when Ike Taylor actually caught a ball last night.  That feat is almost as rare as Casey Hampton saying no to an all-you-can-eat buffet.  In other words, it just does not happen.  So, when the replays popped up live yesterday I was paying close attention and I could not believe what I saw.  Directly after the game came back from a small commercial break, they showed a close up of Ike.  While in view of the camera, he did a small signal with his right hand that probably had some significance.  Here is a screenshot:

Do you see what I see?  There is some type of orange residue on his gloves.  I was unsure what it was until I could watch this HD video and enhance the bottle to his side.  It is stickum, the NFL-banned sticky residue that aids a player by making their hands stick to the ball.  Ike should have done a better job washing his glove off after the play.

Here is further proof that he had stickum on his hands.  This is a still shot right before the ball gets to him on his interception.  Notice the glove color.

Caught!  Orange handed!

It's a slow week because of the bye, so I was thinking about the 2012 draft.  I don't really start looking at prospects until the off season, so for this exercise, let's say you do not have to throw in player names if you do not know them. Just give me an ideal 7 round draft of positional locations you'd like the Steelers to go.  Here is mine:

1st Round - G/OT

I have my eye on a specific guy for this spot, who is projected as a late 1st rounder that I really like.  I said no names, so I will skip that part.  The fact is, Kemoeatu is not a good pass blocker and this team is now a pass offense.  That's like trying to put a 4-3 DE in a 3-4 as a DE.  It just doesn't work.  Legursky is a fine player, but his lack of size leads him to get abused by big players like Ngata.  We need a big, quick guy here who has position flexibility and can slide to OT in a pinch or possibly a long stint in the future.

2nd Round - S

Ryan Clark has been showing his age just as much as James Farrior this year.  Behind him, we have Ryan Mundy, but I don't think Mundy has the tools to be a consistent starter.  We need a guy in here who is a ball park and not ALWAYS going for the big hit like Clark.  An interception is a lot more valuable than a broken up pass.  It's also a lot more valuable than a H2H personal foul.

3rd Round - ILB

This was a toss up between ILB and OLB.  I think ultimately, we have Harrison for another year or two and Woodley for a long time.  Behind them, we have Worilds who will continue to develop.  Also, I liked what I saw from Carter for a rookie.  At ILB, we have Timmons and then two old dudes who have shown their age at times.  Unfortunately, I am also beginning to think Sylvester is not a long term solution.  We definitely need another face to compete for the future at ILB.

4th Round - DT

At the start of the season, NT was the position I perceived would be the #1 need for the Steelers.  However, I think Steve McLendon has come along a lot better than they perceived.  He is even earning a hat over Chris Hoke on game days.  That's impressive for a 2nd year UDFA (well, maybe not since Hoke was a UDFA too).  Nevertheless, I think McLendon can handle the position finely and the need for a future NT is not as big.  They might have found a diamond in the rough here.  Drafting a NT here could allow them to get another body to compete for the 3rd spot on the depth chart with Hoke.

5th Round - S

Troy is getting up there too, but I think he will have a longer career than Clark.  That being said, Troy's backup, Will Allen, will be 30 next year.  We shouldn't have an old guy backing up and old guy.  I'd take another safety and let him compete for that spot behind Troy.  I'd love for it to be a particular safety out of MD, if he doesn't get a injury red shirt.

6th Round - DE

My assumption is that Aaron Smith will not be back next year.  We have our two bookend DEs of the future in Heyward and Ziggy.  We also have Keisel who still has gas in the tank.  And then?  Al Woods.  A journeyman.  Let's see if we can get a project guy here, who has the physical skills, but doesn't have the technique down.  Develop him for a few years and see if he can turn into something.  I wouldn't be surprised if the Steelers somehow got their hands on Thad Gibson or Doug Worthington though.

7th Round - OL

Another project player who probably won't develop into anything.

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Step away from the ledge, because Ben says he is going to play with the injury and he will not miss the game week 12. The injury happened during the third quarter of the Bengals game.  When asked when exactly it happened, Ben said he did not recall.  Apparently, that thumb has been a problem for Ben for his entire career.  He has had to wear a protective sleeve over it in previous seasons.  That would probably explain why he wears a glove sometimes, despite it not being cold out.

Just when we thought the Steelers had gotten out of a game with no injuries, we get this news.  The Steelers just cannot win with injuries this year.  Luckily for the Steelers, he has an extra week to rest his thumb with the upcoming bye.  I expect he will be the same old gritty Big Ben we know when the Steelers roll into Kansas City on November 27th.

I made a bold prediction during preseason that I thought Weslye Saunders would not only make the team, but that he would become a bigger part of the offense than David Johnson by the middle of the season.  Saunders is one of those freak athletes who has body control and agility for a guy who is considered to be too big for that type of mobility.  Saunders went undrafted, but it was not because he lacked talent.  

After a huge junior year with the South Carolina Gamecocks, Saunders was suspended and removed from the team for violating team rules.  Those violations included receiving improper benefits from boosters.  That's not exactly a big deal, in my opinion, for a college kid who was likely struggling with financials anyway.  Saunders missed his entire senior season and was eventually granted the right to enter the 2011 NFL Draft.  Without tape for an entire year, every team in the NFL shied away from spending a draft pick on a "unknown" player.

Needless to say, I was extremely pleased when the Steelers picked him up as a UDFA and brought him to camp. Twitter was a buzz about his physical talents and high ceiling.  When he showed up to camp, many Steelers beat writers remarked on his impressive physical stature.  Then, when he got on the field they "ooh'd" and "aww'd" at some grabs he would make.  Eventually, he beat out a few other TE prospects and took former Steelers TE Matt Spaeth's roster spot.

Where am I going with all of this?  Well, we all know the Albert Einsten quote, "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity."  Therefore, many of us on BTSC would consider Offensive Coordinator, Bruce Arians, downright insane.  He often does the same type of plays over and over again, only to watch the same failed results.  But, sometimes, just sometimes, maybe an old dog can learn new tricks.

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The last few weeks there has been a lot of talk about Rashard Mendenhall vs. Isaac Redman.  I have been very vocal about my love for Redman, but I do give credit to Mendenhall where credit is due.  I thought about making this a post about that battle, but I am not going to.  I just am writing this to show you one of the reasons I love Redman and why you should too.

Sir Redman is not a back with burner speed and he is not an athletic freak.  He is just tenacious and has a very high motor.  I would also say he has some power to his style, but some people would probably disagree with that.  Anyway, Redman's ability to flex his intangibles took him from a Undrafted Free Agent to the secondary back on the world class Steelers football team.  Willie Parker did the same thing, but it was FWP's blazing speed and Bettis injury that brought him into the limelight.  I would argue that Redman had to fight a lot harder to get his spot.

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It wasn't perfect, but that's nothing rare for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The Steelers rarely blow teams out, but their 32-20 win over the Arizona Cardinals almost qualified.

On the road for the first time in three Sundays, the Steelers offense came out hot and scored 14 points before the Cardinals could crack their goose egg.  Then, things fell flat on both sides of the ball for the Steelers.  The Steelers couldn't put together a solid string of plays and the defense couldn't go three plays without being flagged.  Ike Taylor was playing physical and the refs, who were apparently recent graduates of Roger Goodell's flag football NFL, were not having it.  He was flagged earlier and often in coverage.  Thankfully, things were called evenly and the Cardinals got a few flags themselves.  The Steelers went into halftime with a healthy 10 point lead at 17-7.

The Steelers came out of the half a bit shaky with a weak set of downs.  The Steelers punted the ball away and the Cardinals would score big on that set of downs with a big pass play to their back up RB.  Things looked very grim in Arizona.  However, Ben had had enough apparently.  He decided to take over the game and lead the team down the field for a touchdown on the next series.  Woodley followed that up by sacking Kevin Kolb for a safety, which gave the Steelers the ball back quickly.  Ben took advantage of the tired defense and led a long drive that resulted in a Suisham FG.  That FG put the Steelers up by 3 and essentially ended the game.

My game ball goes to LaMarr Woodley.  His play today, especially in the 2nd half, was incredible.  He finished with 4 tackles and 2 sacks.  He should have had an extra sack, but Kolb's intentional grounding that lead to the safety brought one back.

When the Steelers decided to keep DE Aaron Smith and his large salary, I was one of the most vocal about my displeasure in the move.  That's a lot of money to pay a guy coming off a couple of injury ridden seasons.  He had played a total of 11 games out of a possible 35 and he was far past the right side of 30 years old.  Smith got off to a bumpy start to his 2011 campaign, which many thought would be his last as a pro football player.  However, a few games in he looked to have a bit of his spark back and had some nice plays against the run.  Unfortunately, Aaron injured his foot in the Houston game and it appeared the writing was on the wall.  Just this morning the Steelers put him on the IR and he will be lost for the year and probably done for his career.

This is an unfortunate end of a career for a guy who was a monster at the position for about a decade.  Aaron always flew under the radar, because of the nature of his position.  If he is playing well you should not even notice he is there.  And you mostly never knew Smith was there.  Because he never got the "sexy" stats, he only went to one Pro-Bowl in 2004 despite his dominance at the position.  He was constantly working two blockers and freeing things up for ILBs to make plays.  Thanks for everything Aaron.  We will miss you.

Smith finishes his career with 152 starts, 332 tackles, 44 sacks, 22 pass deflections, 7 forced fumbles, and 1 interception.  Those numbers probably will not be enough to earn him a ticket to Canton.

So apparently our teams are playing a football game this weekend.  If there is something you want to know about the Steelers I will be able to 100% accurately answer it or blatantly lie.  Either way, I will do it with complete confidence. We could talk about the SB or not.  I don't really care.  Sometimes an elephant in the corner is nice to look at, but not mention.

Anyway, ask away.

These words make 75 total.

• Troy Polamalu is set to start against the Cardinals.  He passed his concussion tests.  Tomlin talked about Troy on the cell phone and said he was calling his wife to let her know he was okay.  He "hopes common sense prevails" when talking about a possible fine.
• Doug Legursky will have surgery on his dislocated toe and miss a number of weeks.
• Casey Hampton and Aaron Smith are questionable to return the next game.  That is what Tomlin said, but I think he means doubtful.
• Chris Hoke is also listed as questionable, but his chance to play is higher than Smith and Hampton.
• With Legursky out, it appears that Chris Kemoeatu will return from his knee injury this week.
• Mike Wallace has a slight hamstring issue and will be limited in practice this week.
• Jason Worilds should be healthy enough to play this week, but Tomlin did not guarantee he would start at ROLB instead of Timmons.
• Marcus Gilbert will return to practice this week.
• Mewelde Moore will also return to practice this week.
• James Harrison will not play, but will stand on the sideline and look mean.

The Raiders have come to terms with the Bengals to get Carson Palmer for a 1st round pick in 2012 and a conditional 1st round pick in 2013.  The conditional pick is based on performance.  So, if he does well (above some guidelines I assume) that will be 2 first round picks.  If not, it will be a 1st in 2012 and a 2nd in 2013.  The trade cripples the Raiders 2012 draft, leaving them with only 2 picks in the next draft (5th and a 6th).  Also, it the Raiders will now be responsible for the remainder of Palmer's contract.  This trade is quite humorous in a few ways in my opinion.  First of all, it is exactly the type of trade Al Davis would make.  You give up a lot for a player that is most likely not worth it.  Furthermore, the Bengals owner, Mike Brown, did not stick to his guns and finally gave Palmer what he wanted.

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I'm not sure how many of you follow twitter, but there are a few interesting things going on this week:

• Kemoeatu did not practice today and there is a 99% chance that he will be out for the game on Sunday.  He may be out for a few weeks
• Speaking of Kemo, Arians says that he is battling "several" injuries.  He even said on normal circumstances Kemo should not have played against the Texans.  He essentially did not have use of one of his hands.  That might explain why his pass blocking has been particularly awful this year.
• Also, if Kemo is out Legursky will start in his place.  That means that Foster has won the RG position.  If Kemo could be, Legs would be on the bench. 
• There is a very really chance that Max Starks will start at LT this Sunday.  He took about 70% of the snaps with the first team today.  I've heard he looks to be in great shape and their are no signs of lingering effects of the neck injury.  It looks like we will start our 5th different OL combination in as many games this season.
• Mendenhall did not practice today and if he does not practice tomorrow that means Redman would start in his spot, Dwyer would be active, and John Clay would have to be brought off the PS as the 3rd back because Moore is doubtful.  My guess is they would cut Meredith and resign him after the game.
• Bruce Arians on hot route problems, "Ben is right on target. Antonio missed one that Ray Charles should have seen." Ouch.
• BMac is healthy, but LeBeau is going to keep using Gay as #2 and Lewis as the nickel DB.
• Ben practiced today and will go vs. Titans.  he has a special shoe (like last year) that has a steel plate in it to prevent his foot from bending.
• Casey Hampton did not practice today and his play for Sunday is questionable.
• Keisel is 100% go.
• Pouncey got fined $7,500 for his late hit penalty on Sunday, but he plans to appeal (I think he will win).  Foster lost his appeal for his preseason fine (duh).

In Mike Tomlin's press conference he has reported that James Harrison suffered an eye in jury during the Steelers loss to the Texans on Sunday.  Although James Harrison returned to the game, it appears the injury is very serious.  Harrison will have surgery tomorrow and be out for several weeks.  Unfortunately, Jason Worilds also suffered a hamstring injury so the Steelers are down a creek without a paddle.  Therefore, they will be moving ILB Lawrence Timmons to ROLB and starting Larry Foote in his place on the inside.  This might get very interesting.

Tomlin also elaborated that QB Ben Roethlisberger will play on Sunday vs. the Titans.  Aaron Smith is very questionable, but Brett Keisel is expected to return.  Doug Legursky and Jonathan Scott expected to return also.

After coming off a career year, many Steelers fans were giddy to see Rashard Mendenhall improve upon those numbers.  In 2010, he ran for 1273 yards on 324 rushes for an average of 3.9 per pop.  Most impressive was his staggering 13 touchdowns.  In the preseason, I recall several people gushing about how much faster and tougher Rashard looked.  Certainly, this season would be another good one, right?

So far this year, things for Mendenhall have been rough.  He is averaging just 3.0 yards per carry for and a miserable 43.3 yards per game.  As far as starting RBs go, that 3.0 is only better than Titans RB Chris Johnson (2.9).  Ouch.  The argument before this game was that the offensive line just was not opening holes up for him.  I saw with my own eyes a few times where he was hit in the backfield before taking two steps with the ball.  Clearly, he is frustrated.  The question is, is his frustration causing him to try to do too much?  Would his numbers look better if he squared up and hit the hole with authority?  It cannot be completely the OL when both Isaac Redman and Mewelde Moore had solid days with YPCs above 6.5, can it?  Let's take a look at all 9 of Rashard's carries and find the culprit.

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Hello, Texans fans.  I am stopping by for a Q&A leading up to the week so you can learn a little bit more about your opponent, the Steelers.  I know a lot, but not everything, and I am sure other Steelers fans will stop by and fill in the gaps.  If one of you has time you should go over to BTSC and make a similar post; it is always well-received.

If you want to trash talk, keep it to talking about the Steelers and do not make it personal. 

Ask away.  Oh, and if you could rec this up so it sticks around until Sunday, that would be awesome.  Then you can unrec it after the game.  Thanks!

Steelers vs Texans coverage
Behind the Steel Curtain

While scrolling my twitter feed, I saw an interesting stat.  The Colts are 0-2 for the first time since 1998.  It should be no surprise to anyone that that is the year that Peyton Manning took over their offense.  Since 1999, the Colts have been the most dominant regular season team, winning 138 of 193 contests.  That makes them the only team with a win percentage of 70% or better from 1999-2011.  I have always known that Manning was a huge influence on their success, but I had no idea how influential he was until this year.  In their 0-2 start the Colts have looked awful, despite having little turnover after a 10-6 season with a playoff birth.  But, exactly how bad has it been?

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