SB Nation User Blog: RickVa

20 Questions For 2009

RickVa — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:37:56 -0000

There are a whole lot of reasons why these questions be offered later in the summer. Perhaps as close to the end of training camp as possible. The fun part of doing it now is that requires a bit more intuition (guessing). Half the questions are generalize for the NFL, the other half are Steeler specific.

1. Who will be 2009's Happy Surprise Team? An unexpected playoff team. (This year's Atlanta or Arizona)

My Choice: San Francisco, runner-up New York Jets

2. Who will be 2009's Big Disappointment? (This year's Jacksonville)

Indianapolis, Tennessee

3. Who will be voted the best first year coach?

Who should win: Singletary (49ers) Who will win: Ryan (Jets)

4. Who will be voted Coach of the Year?

Who should win: Tomlin (Steelers) Who will win: Reid (Eagles)

5. Both went to the Pro Bowl in '07, neither in '08. Who will have the best season in '09? Brady or Rothelisberger

Big Ben

6. What will be the biggest surprise in the AFC North this season?

Tie: Reemergence of the Bengals and Ravens stumble around sophomore slump of Flacco

7. Who will win the rushing title this year?

Adrian Petersen Vikings

8. What are the best (most competitive) and worst divisions in football?

Best: AFC East; NFC West Worst:: AFC West, NFC South

9. Who are the playoff participants for 2009?

AFC East; New England AFC North; Pittsburgh AFC South; Jacksonville AFC West; San Diego

Wild Cards; New York Jets Houston

NFC East; Philadelphia NFC North; Minnesota NFC South; Tampa Bay NFC West; Arizona

Wild Cards; New Orleans, San Francisco

10. Most important Story?

Dan Rooney goes to Ireland. CBA negotiations flounder due to weak leadership. Lock out likely.

11. Which first year player (draftee or free agent) makes greatest impact upon the team?

Shipley

12. Which second year player will be this year's Woodley?

Mendenhall

13. Which third year player (or higher) will have a breakout season?

Timmons

14. Does the O Line stabilize this year? And if so is it due to the maturity of the current group, the influx of new talent or both?

15. This year the running game will

a. Will become the dominant feature of the offense once again

b. Will be coequal of the passing attack

c. Will struggle again

16. This year the passing game will

a. Will be better than ever due to an improved running attack, better o-line play, a deeper, more talented cadre of
receivers and the growth of Ben.

b. Will appear to fall off a bit due to improved running attack.

c. Will struggle as newbies don't step up and teams concentrate on stopping Hines and Ton.

17. This year the defense will

a. Will be even better than last year due to the continued high level of play from returning players and strong contributions from Timmons, Mundy and BMac's replacement.

b. Will maintain at the same high level as last year

c. Will fall off as teams find more creative ways to attack LeBeau's system

18. Will Tomlin's contract be extended this year? By how much?

19. What will happen with this year's team?

a. Another Super Bowl hangover, Dan Rooney moving to Ireland, a young third year coach; the Steelers seriously underachieve, barely make the playoffs and don't go far.

b. Cruise through the season without much difficulty, but succumb to a hungrier opponent in the playoffs.

c. Tomlin guides the team to another level and have a dominant season. Can you spell Dynasty?

20. How soon after winning the 7th SB will someone demand that Coach Arians be fired?

Have You Noticed

RickVa — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:00:42 -0000

The first time that I noticed what I considered a clear and glaring mistake in the coverage of the Super Bowl was in Sports Illustrated's account of the game. In particular, the description of the winning touchdown pass from Ben to Santonio Holmes. SI stated that on that play that Ben went through his progressions starting with Willie Parker in the flat. However, it is clear from the video and other accounts that the running back on that play was Mewelde Moore. Okay, no problem, there are deadlines to meet and SI clearly got things confused.

Then about a week ago FWP appeared on NFL Total Access on the NFL Network. He was asked to go over his reaction to being on the field when Holmes made the big catch. He gave an ambiguous answer to the question.

My question: what's going on here? Anyone else notice this? And why would there be an effort to deliberately promoted a falsehood?

Taking Stock: Observations During The Lull

RickVa — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 22:36:36 -0000

Bumped from the Fan Posts. Always enjoyed when RickVa finds time to weigh in. -Blitz-

**************

The season's done, as is the Combine. Free agency signing period is on deck as well as ongoing discussions concerning the draft and team needs. Who stays, who goes and why. How about a little discussion of the impact of both the success of the past year and some unique challenges that lie ahead.

Economics. Normally the discussion is confined to issues of who has cap space and how contracts can be reworked. What organizations are free spenders, who is frugal and the relationship between dollars spent and team success. Those are still worthy discussion points, but two developments have overshadowed these if you have been paying attention. The first is the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and coming uncapped year (2010). I don't pretend to understand all the dynamics of the situation, but one impact that has effected Steeler Nation is that ramifications related to it has seemed to have gummed up the works in the negotiations over the contract extension for James Harrison. Two factors will insure that this will continue to be an important issue for the foreseeable future. One is that there is still is no leader chosen for the Players Union to replace the late Gene Upshaw. The second is the other major economic development, the state of the overall economy.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell just cut his own salary today. Positions have been cut throughout the League. Given the excitement of having our own team in the Super Bowl, we can be foregiven if we did not notice or meditate on the fact that all the commercial slots were not sold, at least not immediately, many pregame festivities were either cut or scaled down, and even prostitutes struggled. Fans in locations such as New York are rebelling against the costs of tickets in new stadiums. The world at large is going through what Pittsburgh suffered two decades ago and continues to impact our approach to everything from salaries to ticket prices. It is unlikely that the sports/entertainment complex will be immune to the impact or the pain. More immediately, will this have any discernable effect on free agent signings; to be more specific, who gets offers and how much is offered? A more interesting question will be whether these developments work to the Steelers advantage or no.

Pittsburgh Ascendency. I was reluctant to broach this subject over the past few weeks because it just seemed to a bit much without some evidence to support it. But support has arrived. Heard about Byron Leftwich? We all know that the conditions of his arrival were that he was just filling a need temporarily. He felt (and still does) that he can be a #1 QB in this league, and that position he held was for this past season only. Well, seems he's wavered a bit, maybe a change of heart. Though he still would prefer a #1 job, he has not ruled out returning to Pittsburgh as Ben's backup. Why? Because being here has been the best experience he has had in football, and not just because he got a Super Bowl ring. He echos what gives all of us pride in associating with this franchise; excellent working conditions, great treatment from and respect from management, high level of mutual respect, friendship and unity with teammates, high respect for Tomlin, great fan support, and on and on...It seems that Byron would rather serve in Heaven than rule in Hell. This development could leave the Steelers with an embarrassment of riches and quite a conundrum. What about Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon? I'm not soliciting opinions on what would be the right decision, I am just pointing out that whatever decision is made a a valuable, well liked and highly respected contributor will be thrown overboard. Nice problem to have, but...

The larger point here is that the current success of this franchise has forced an uncomfortable (for the rest of the league) reality into the spotlight and made it unavoidable to ignore; the supremacy of the Steeler Way. With two world championships in four years under two different coaches, one the youngest to ever win such a game; six in 43 years with just three coaches and one owner the argument is over. If you are a quality player with good character why wouldn't you want to play here? The one compelling argument against the Steeler Way, the ability to make a lot of money may well be neutralized by the aforementioned economic situation. Do you think FAs who have come to Pittsburgh from other franchises; Justin Hartwig, Ryan Clark, Mewelde Moore, Roye, McHugh, Bryant, Tyrone Carter aren't doing cartwheels? Think our draftees and UDFA aren't absolutely delighted to be here? About a year ago I commented on a thread that if you played with the Steelers over the past decade and a half that you were almost guaranteed a shot at the SB (a conference championship game) on an average of every three years. That was based on the Cowher years. Who wants to bet against the organization maintaining that average under Tomlin? Hyperbole? Let me see if I can make the case that the team's best years may be ahead.

The Rooneys. Ownership is stablized. Dan's successor is already in place. Wildly popular among fans, players, fellow owners and upper echelon types. He even has the President in his corner. Can't wait until they visit the White House. That's gonna be a hoot. These people are not afraid to make the hard, but right decisions over the years. They understand the culture of football as well as anyone. A model of good management, unimpeachable business ethics and stability.

Tomlin. There are really only two questions remaining concerning Tomlin; how will he handle success and can he remain consistent over the years? He seems tempermentally suited to deal effectively with both issues. No one comes immediately to mind who has won so quickly with as little previous experience of any kind. He has won over players and fans alike. He would project as getting significantly better as a coach as the years roll forward. Under the stability of the Rooney organization the table could be set for Yankees or Celtics type dominance. Not a championship every year, but the standard against which all others are judged. A deserving beneficiary of all this attention will probably be Dick LeBeau. Look for him to make it into the HOF someway, somehow.

Ascending and established stars. Two that have established themselves as stars in this league through their performances up to and including the Super Bowl are Santonio and Deebo. Each represents an opposing pole of player development; first round draft choice and UDFA. Based upon observations from non-Steeler fans Ben and Lamarr Woodley also established themselves as stars througn the SB. There is no longer an asterick in fans minds concerning Ben being an elite QB in this league. The argument about the '04 QB class is over as far as Rivers is concerned, and Eli is on the ropes. Troy will continue to be the rock star based upon both performance and sex appeal. Look for him to break out beyond the athletic realm in some capacity. Hines is slipping into the elder statesman/face of the franchise role that Bettis occupied in the final portion of his career. He'll continue to play for a few more years and with luck will finish in Pittsburgh. Timmons will be the next guy to break into the national consciousness, probably as early as the first half of next season. And perhaps Mendenhall as well.

No thoughts on who we will draft or pick up in free agency except to say that I believe we are in the driver's seat to an extent that few fully comprehend based upon conditions. And despite our deficiencies our glass is way, way past half full.

Comments?

Notes From The Diaspora; Rooting For The Steelers In Hostile Territory

RickVa — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 21:39:22 -0000

"Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and the ruffians came all this way to the crest of playing for it all to discover a hideous truth:

"Contrary to their own belief, they're not the most menacing, unmerciful, I-will-knock-you-out football team in the National Football League. That belongs to the guys who made the medics come on the field for their teammate who couldn't move.

"Oh, Baltimore is brutally tough. No team weathers the physical and psychological punishment the Ravens did here Sunday night and manage to make the AFC Championship a taut thriller in the final minutes.

"But they don't bring the pain like the Steelers; they don't pulverize and, disturbingly, concuss an opponent with the same malice as these hard-core players from Allegheny County."

Mike Wise - Washington Post (1/19/09)

Is that a sweet piece of writing or what? And it carries a lot more weight than if it were something coming from a hometown journalist. It is one of the few pleasures that can be had when following your favorate team from afar. But it is particularly at this time when being far from home, where most folks are hostile or dismissive of your passions, that create the greatest challenges for us far flung citizens of Steeler Nation.

The Virginia Kitchen is a great little restaurant in Herndon, Virginia where a group of friends have been meeting for Tuesday morning breakfast for years. In addition to the five of us, other regulars join in on wide ranging discussions, including sports and particularly football. This is Redskin country, but it is also home to a large group of transplants; this is the area John McCain's brother labeled "Communist Virginia". To put a slightly finer point on it, some might say we are in the very heart of Redskin country. Redskins Park is only a few miles away. Four of us attend the same church whose membership is full of current or former Redskins. We all can count one or two as friends, and some occasionally frequent the restaurant. Nonetheless, a few of us hold allegiance to other teams. The Tuesday morning group has Larry, an Eagles fan, another guy whose name eludes me as I write this but we always refer to him as G-Man, who is a Giants fan. I am left to represent not only the Steelers, but by extension the entire AFC. Football wise we share one thing; a complete and utter distain for the Cowboys.

This past Tuesday was special for two reasons: First, it was the Inaugeration, a really big deal in the DC Metro area no matter who has been elected. Second, of course, is that this was seventh time that the Steelers would be participating in the SB. Linc, who is the manager, greets me and offers his congratulations. It is one of only three short exchanges that we will have concerning football. I have only initiated a football related discussion once since Halloween. Why?

I am the object of much envy and resentment. When I first moved to this area the Skins won their second SB with Doug Williams as QB. within five years they had their third. The Skins were considered pro football loyalty. Then there has been the great drought that continues to this day. Richie Pettibon, Norv Turner, Steve Spurrier, Marty Schotinheimer (sorry about the spelling Marty), the second coming of Joe Gibbs (they really thought they were on their way then) and now Jim Zorn. That's twice as many coaches than the Steelers have had since LBJ was President. Nothing to show for it. There is nothing these guys (and one woman) like better than to bring the Steelers and their supporters down a peg or five. And things looked good for them during the first half of the season. Larry and G-Man had opportunities to gloat, though G-Man was honest enough to admit that the Giants had indeed been fortunate that victory for the Steelers hinged upon the long snapping abilities of Deebo. Emboldened, the Skins crowd started to talk about how they were going kick Ben's ass when Pittsburgh came to town on a Monday night . My response was to shut up. Why? Because I was pretty certain about two things; 1. Pittsburgh would win rather easily and 2. They had a pretty good chance of ending up exactly where they are right now. If I had started to gloat back then they would be avoiding me now, or kicked me out of the restaurant, or poisoned my eggs.

So, I have been playing dead, so to speak, for about three months now. Stirring only to mention that G-Man has been missing for two weeks or since the Eagles expelled the Giants from the playoffs. Not responding when the others began to pipe up that Fitzgerald can't be covered, or that Warner is a way better QB that Ben, or that Whisenhunt and Grimm know the Steelers inside and out, thereby outcoaching Tomlin and LeBeau (Whiz and Grimm are ex-Redskins btw). When I return to the Kitchen this Tuesday wearing my Steelers cap, the others will feel confident (read: really, really hopeful) that the Cards will win this game pretty easily. And still I will say nothing; partly because I feel confident about the outcome as well, and partly because I've been wrong before. After we win next week (Please God! ;-) my intention is to TALK SMACK FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS STRAIGHT. So, if I should mysteriously disappear from this site, simply google for a story about some poor guy who had about a pound of broken glass whipped into his omlette.

The point here is that while the lucky ones among you who are actually in Pittsburgh or actually going to Tampa can engage friends and total strangers about any and all aspects of the championship; experiencing the delicious sense of anticipation and the shadow of dread (I mean, what if they actually lose?) as every aspect of your lives turns toward February 1st in Tampa. On the other hand, there are thousands of us who are in the wilderness so to speak. We starve searching through local and national media for crumbs of information. We commiserate with fellow exiles; speaking the language that only 'Burghers and adopted citizens of the Nation seem to understand. We fall to our knees and thank God for the Internet and the ability to check out BTSC several times a day (All Praises To Blitz), or the Steelers site, or the Post Gazette. We hang on, famished while trying to squeeze out the last sweet drops of the football season while those around us have moved on to college or professional basketball, hockey, spring training, the Combine and (Gag!!) the Winter X Games. We seriously comtemplate traveling hundreds and perhaps thousands of miles not to go to Tampa, but to Pittsburgh where we can be in the company of like minded souls rather than to be stuck at some party where everyone but you are treating the game as some sort of background ambiance like jazz or classical music. Our lives are passing before our eyes and some dork wants to know what you do for a living. You would kill them, but then you might miss part of the game. There are the sports bars and there will be more than a few Steeler fans in them, but you also have to deal with all those who are rooting for the Cardinals not because they give a damn, but because they think that underdogs are 'cute' or they just want to see an exciting game. You know what my idea of an exciting game is? A 225-0 blowout with Deebo executing the Bidwells at midfield as time expires.

And the world acknowledging that you don't mess with those hard-core guys from Allegheny County. End of rant.

Can anyone relate?

While We Wait Patiently For The Steelers One Last Time This Year, Some Thoughts On The Season So Far

RickVa — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 22:26:50 -0000

Many of us hoped we would get this far; few actually believed that we would. I don't pretend to know who will win next week. And I'm too superstitious to say so if I did. But there are a few points we can emphasize right now regardless of the outcome of SB 43.

Mike Tomlin for Coach of the Year. The case for other coaches have weakened since the playoffs began as the case for Tomlin looks better every day. Smith is still a strong candidate because a year ago it looked like the the Falcons were on their way to Hell on an express train. It also appeared that they would be there for quite some time. These types of rags to riches stories are what people seem to prefer. Tomlin's case is more subtle but very compelling.

Most of the more sophisticated observers among The Nation and in the local and national media felt that the Steelers were a year away at best from being in their current position. The arguments were difficult to refute: insufficient talent, experience or both at several positions, but especially the offensive line. Lack of depth on the defensive line. The Steelers were heavily criticized for doing little or nothing to address these concerns through free agency and the draft. Further complicating matters was their schedule that was universally considered to be brutal. Making the playoffs at all seemed beyond this team's grasp. To do so would require a good deal of luck concerning issues such as injuries, that the schedule would be a paper tiger and that the team might gel at the right time to overcome what would be, at best low seeding in the playoffs.

Circumstances did not turn in favor of Coach Tomlin and his team. The injury bug hit hard, depriving the team of it's punter and second string QB in preseason; the two most experienced offensive linemen were lost to IR, as was its #2 running back; the 'thin' D-line would lose two of three starters at the same time for a couple of weeks, as well as both the starting and backup left cornerbacks; the #1 running back would miss about a third of the season and be only marginally effective for another third; the #1 QB would play hurt most of the season. As for the schedule. While teams like the Pats, Colts and Jags were at less than their best, the Steelers would play seven games, just short of half their schedule, against playoff teams, breaking even against them and sweeping the rest. Thus they also demonstrated a much overlooked characteristic of championship caliber teams; beating all the teams they are supposed to beat and getting their share of wins against equal and superior competition. Not only did the team survive their bad luck and inadequacies, it thrived; earning a 2 seed into the playoffs and now the favorite to be the last team standing.

Now here's the deal ( to paraphrase Dennis Green); The 2008 Steelers are who we thought they are. A team with considerable flaws but with superior coaching and great team chemistry is on the brink of a championship. All but the lunatic fringe/crazy uncle faction of Steeler Nation realizes this. Tomlin for COTY.

The coming personnel headache. Question: How do you justify firing anybody from a world champion team? Something for the gathering lynch mob seeking to dispose of BA, Coach Z and others at the end of the year. But that's just the appetizer. A world championship would also make pretty much all of our free agents more expensive on the open market. Let's, just as an example, look at the situation at wide receiver. Lots of folks seem to thing that Nate Washington is expendable and we should let him go. However, I think that last Sunday's championship game eerily illuminated our WR issues. Hines is a great player who is increasingly vulnerable to his all out style of play as he ages. He could go down at anytime. Limas Sweed remains a huge question mark (I wouldn't give up on him at this juncture, but if he drops another ball like Sunday I want to be at the head of the line to disembowel him). So, imagine a scenario where Santonio is isolated among a group of clowns at wideout. Meanwhile Nate with his slower learning curve (that's how it can be with UDFA. Remember Deebo was not made in a year) could have a Pro Bowl year somewhere else. Why is it that people think that he has peaked as a receiver? Now repeat the exercise with the O-line and the defensive secondary and you'll know why I use the term 'headache'.

And lets not forget the draft. We're drafting in the 30's folks whether we win next week or not. What that could mean is that we could be drafting Best Player Available (BPA) if no player drops down that could clearly help us maintain champion level status even if it is glaring area of need. On the other hand we could do quite well in the free agent market; think a Ryan Clark or Mewelde Moore type player who might prefer to work for a stable organization that regularly gets the opportunity to compete for championships, has a great working environment and a coach who may be flirting with greatness.

Another consideration is the economy. If you are assuming that the sports/entertainment industry is recession (depression) proof you just may be wrong. The price of tickets are or will be going down. The President just froze the salaries of his top officials. The Rooneys have been working with a depressed economy (rustbelt) for years and every indication is that things are trending in that direction for everyone else. The idea that any but a small number of players will continue to be able to demand continually escalating salaries may be an idea that has come and gone. Sorry to inject that bit of reality into the discussion, but the sports/entertainment bubble is another that is primed to burst sooner or later. The 'good' news is that this trend favors organizations that are practiced in frugal behavior. Low cost of living in the Pittsburgh area may prove beneficial as well.

Finally, who wants to wager that there will be a conversation at season's end about a contract extention for Tomlin (Sorry RE).

Regardless of how things turn out in Tampa it has been an extraordinary year. But if this group manages to prevail it will have gone a long way toward creating a legacy every bit as impressive as the teams of the 70s. And they may have the opportunity to collect just as many rings.

Where We Stand

RickVa — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:38:20 -0000

Okay! We are in the playoffs and in the running for the number one seed. I have actually not seen the game yet. But I have seen the stats. So, you know my thing is perspective. Let's see where we stand at the moment.

1. We can now officially begin to think in terms of 'SuperBowl'. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. I know that we must take things one game at a time, blah, blah blah. But c'mon folks. It's Christmas, the economy's shot to shit and most people believed that if we made the playoffs at all it would be by the hairs of our chinny-chin-chins given our schedule and our various woes (O-Line, etc.). As Tom Jackson said on ESPN this morning; if we beat the Ravens and the Titans next week then the Steelers are the team to fear in the playoffs. Anybody betting on the Titans next week? Actually I don't care. Let's be clear. What this team has accomplished so far is pretty astonishing. The 'D' might be the greatest of all time and we have conquered one of the most formidable schedules ever. Disaster may be waiting in the wings in January, but in very uncertain times we can celebrate a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year (and other holidays) with the knowledge that our team and the Steeler Nation are playoff bound and of a very special pedigree. And who knows when things will be this good again.

2. Mike Tomlin for Coach of the Year. As things unfold, this is looking more impressive than what anyone else is accomplishing this year. If we finish 13-3 and get number one seed (a real possibility now) given our schedule, injuries, liabilities and the fact that he is the youngest coach in the League and winning his second division title how could you not give him consideration. And for you Tomlin haters out there; go to Hell! And consider this on your journey. Any hope you may have had for an early firing are absolutely and completely gone. If they're smart, Art and Dan will extend him now. In February it might really cost them. Even if the Pittsburgh front office completely lost their minds and fired him, he'll be a fixture on NFL sidelines for the forseeable future. As they say; sucks to be you.

3. Ben has earned his money. You have to take the good with the bad with Ben. He can be something of knucklehead at times. He holds the ball too long on occasion. He tries to force too many plays that backfire on him and the team. But at the end of the day he has that something that all the truly great ones have. Ben is a winner. And like his coach and his team he doesn't seem to get sufficient credit for what he has accomplished thus far in his career or his continuing efforts now. It will probably take at least another SB win for Ben to get his props. Let's hope it's this year.

4. Bonus!!! We have driven TO and the Cowgirls over the edge! I don't like losing to anyone, but if we had to lose I don't mind as much that we fell to Dungy's Colts, McNabb's Eagles and the Champion Giants. But we have successfully settled scores with the teams we truly hate. Ray-Ray, Suggs and the boys got swept. (work on those bounties). Ocho Cinco's chain gang and minstrial show also went down twice. We dropped the Pats, Jags, Browns, Chargers and (important given where I live) the Skins. But look what we did to the Girls! I would have preferred a 30 point pasting, but (and I am writing just as their game w/ the Giants is beginning) they appear to be unraveling at the seams. And you can say one thing about TO, he's consistent.

5. LeBeau and his mauraders; a performance for the record books. We are perhaps witnessing, at least from a statistical perspective the greatest defensive performance of all time. And I witnessed the '76 Steelers so this is no small admission. We at BTSC should put our heads together and see what we can do in an organized and effective manner to advance the cause of getting this man into the Hall Of Fame.

6. Couldn't happen to a better group of guys. Think about the players who had to step up big to make this happen. I mentioned Ben earlier, and you can say that this is what you expect from first round draft picks. But what about undrafted free agents like James Harrison, Willie Parker and Nate Washington? Role players like Mewelde Moore, Darnell Stapleton, William Gay. Greybeards maintaining a high level such as Hines, Deshea and Farrior. Guys who had to step up such as Max Starks, Hartwig, BMac. This may not be a great collection of players, but they have become a great team. And this should be acknowledged now not later.

It would be a shame that we got so focused upon the goal that we lost sight of and gained no enjoyment from the journey. For the reasons mentioned and others that you will certainly point out over the coming hours this has been an extraordinary season and an extraordinary team. One that could stand among the best of the Super Bowl era if they make it to the championship game. Certainly one of the best in terms of heart and character. So take advantage of the next two, hopefully three weeks. It matters some but not much what happens with the next two games. The main thing is to avoid injuries to key players. Otherwise, enjoy the Holidays and your AFC North Champion Steelers. There will be plenty to worry about in January.

Just Another Game...Not!

RickVa — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 22:31:54 -0000

I'm late to the party so my emphasis in this post is perspective. There is much truth in the notion that every game is important, that this game is no more important than the last one (Bengals) or the next one (Cowboys). The reality is that some games simply carry more weight than others because of circumstances that extend beyond the dynamics of one season.

So lets get real. How many of us marked this game down as a loss on our schedules? Or even as a toss up after players such as Brady and Harrison went down? The reality is that these are the Pats, Steeler Kryptonite for most of the decade. No matter how well the team played to this point of the season many in the Nation were not going to completely give their hearts to this edition of the team until they saw how they measured up against NE. Now with this unexpected and unexpectedly impressive win folks are openly talking playoffs and even Super Bowl without feeling that they haven't just walked under a ladder or crossed paths with a black cat. The fear, largely unspoken was that the Pats were just better on some deep institutional level. Props should be given to Joey Porter who during the course of an ESPN interview a week ago brought up the politically incorrect issue of the Pats cheating, and his breaking the ranks from other members of the Steeler family who refused to acknowledge any negative impact resulting from said cheating. Also props to a minority of folks (myself included) who predicted months ago that the Pats window of opportunity would close this year (not accomplished yet, I know, but close). Some will say that this is all a matter of Brady being injured. Well, Brady doesn't play defense.

'Now wait just one minute', I hear many of you saying. 'We are not out of the woods yet'. Quite right. We won't be out of the woods this year until the last dog dies. Indeed, it is still plausible that we might not make the playoffs at all. But, speaking frankly, yes our schedule is unforgiving, but of the final four regular season opponents is there anyone whom you are frightened of playing? I mean just plain scared. The Cowboys? Are you kidding? They certainly are capable of beating us if we underperform, but I would be annoyed and angry with the Steelers for letting those punks beat them at Heinz with so much at stake. The Titans are tough and respectable. The Browns? No, just one team scares me of our remaining opponents, the Ravens. Even if we blow them out, Ray-Ray and company could do enough physical damage to this squad that we are unable to make it through the playoffs. IMO three teams scare Steelers fans. the Pats, the Jags and the Ravens. What we must be concerned about is a loss of focus in this last month. Unlikely given the championship pedigree, but still a concern.

Specific points to celebrate and feel encouraged about.

1. No injuries. Unless I missed something this is the first week this year where we didn't record a new injury or a setback. If we can put the injury bug behind us then our prospects look absolutely great.

2. BA called a good game. Nice balanced play calling. Even better, the use of personnel, particularly, the running backs was excellent. The no huddle was used to good effect. We don't need much more in the way of offense in order to succeed.

3. As Maryrose pointed out so concisely, The play of the Offensive Line was better than adequate. Perhaps Ben and the boys need to go to Chicago more often.

4. The defense is really THAT good. They are at least as good as the Lloyd, Greene, Woodson, Lake, outfits in the 90's. I would only consider the '76 group as better. Troy and Deebo are having All Pro caliber seasons. Everyone it seems is having an extraordinary year. There seems no sign of let up or vulnerability. Hell, with the likes of Woodley, Timmons, Gay, BMac, etc. it's fair to say that this unit hasn't really peaked yet.

5.I don't get heartburn anymore when STs takes the field. And we are actually starting to get some quality kickoff and punt returns.

6.Consider the Steelers 'discovered'. If you haven't noticed the Steelers are now the 'hot' team among the sports punditry and experts. That should only increase if they manage to expose the dinged Cowboys as the pretenders that they are.

7.Reality? Win the next two games and a playoff spot is assured. Win three of four and they earn a much needed bye as well as early home field advantage. With the best defense in the League, great offensive talent, a steady coaching staff and organizational support, It is not inappropriate to start nurturing Super Bowl fantasies. Beat the Girls and drive a stake into the hearts of the Ravens and we can start planning for the playoffs.

Thoughts?

Imagine For A Second Steelers Fans If....

RickVa — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:19:43 -0000

It's usually worth the wait for RickVa's thoughts on the game and the Steelers. Here is no exception. If you're new to the site and don't know his story, you can read his most excellent story of his former playing days at Temple with Randy Grossman here. And for those new to the site, Blitz would be me, the editor of this site. -Blitz-

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Imagine its the first day of training camp in July. Excited, you log onto BTSC to pick up whatever early tidbits you can find as football begins once again. The first thing you see is an improbable post by Blitz. He's claiming that he was offered a ride in a time machine a Steelers fan who also happened to be a mad scientist. Blitz goes along with what he believes to be utter nonsense, but now he's back claiming to have seen the season through game 10. At that point his mad scientist friend had to refuel the time machine.

Blitz's first thought is to keep what he learned to himself and not spoil the anticipation of the other site participants, but his excitement got the better of him so he presents a full report. "I have good news and bad news," he begins. "First the bad news"

He starts by pointing out that criticism of the offensive line and the offense in general has occurred pretty much uninterupped throughout the entire season. Not a week goes by where someone is screaming for the head of Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians on a stick. Offensive line coach Zeirlen isn't far behind on the popularity scale. Things have gotten so bad that the offense didn't score a touchdown in the last game. Quarterback sacks are up. We lost one game because of special teams play.

BTSC readers recoil in horror. Do we want to read any more of this?

There's more. Galvanized by the play of a rookie quarterback, the Ravens are breathing down our necks. Our records were identical going into the last game. And they have a bounty on the head of Hines Ward. Neither rookies Limas Sweed or Bruce Davis have contributed anything worth a hill of beans thus far this year. Once again the best team in the AFC is an undefeated juggernaut. But that's not the worst of it.

(Gulp) Its not?

The worse news is the networks are considering a new series; ER, Steel City, starring the Pittsburgh Steelers.These are the players we've lost for the season; Charlie Batch, Daniel Sepluveda, Rashard Mendenhall, Kendall Simmons, Greg Warren.

Then there are the players that were lost for multiple games. You all were concerned that we are thin at D-Line, and a successful season would be based upon us being lucky in the injury department. Well, we weren't lucky. We lost Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel to multiple game injuries at the same time. Remember all the speculation on who would win the cornerback competition between Deshea Townsend and BMac? They're both down for multiple games now. Remember when you all said the one offensive lineman we couldn't afford to go down was Marvel Smith? Yep, time of return not known. Add Heath Miller and Willie Parker to the list. And Carey Davis. And lets not forget those who have missed just one game like Ryan Clark and Andre Frazier, LaMarr Woodley. I think that covers most of them. Santonio Holmes missed a game due to off field conduct. And then there's Ben.

Ben??!! What about Ben?

Ben hurt his shoulder the first game of the season. And while technically, he's only missed the second half of one game, he's been less than 100% all season. And of course Ben is stubborn, and then there's all the sacks...

Stop! We can't take anymore of this! Just give us the bottom line. We're screwed this year, aren't we?

Well, not exactly. Not yet anyway. Let's go over the good news.

We currently lead our division with a 7-3 record. Our power ranking is third in the entire league. If the playoffs began today we would be the second seed in the AFC with both a bye and homefield guaranteed through the the divisional round of the playoffs. The number one seed, the team that is undefeated is not the Patriots (or the Colts, Chargers or Thank God! the Jaguars). Fortunately, the Steelers haven't been the only team with injury issues. As for the rest of the division; Cleveland has not built on the promise of last season. Brady Quinn has finally been given the reins at QB, but they are about three games back. The Bungles are a train wreck. The Colts will definitely not win their division, the Pats are struggling in the east and the Chargers might not make the playoffs at all.

As anemic as the offense has been, the defense has been spectacular. We lead the league in defense against the run and the pass. They were good last year, but this year they are great, and show no signs of wearing down and letting up. The secondary has caught up to level of play of the D-Line and the LBs have gone to another level altogether. Troy, Ryan and Aaron Smith are all the way back from their injuries. Woodley has lived up to our highest expectations. There is serious talk of Deebo being named Defensive Player of the Year. Troy, Potsie, Aaron and LaMarr are also having Pro Bowl caliber seasons. Timmons could not replace Foote in their competition, but the process seems to have benefitted both players. Make no mistake, Timmons is emerging, while Foote has not lost a step and Farrior is playing great. The Woodley/Harrison duo is being called by some the best Steeler outside lb combo in a generation. Better perhaps than even Lloyd/Greene or Porter/Gildon. Keisel and BMac are both playing at or near their potential. Special Teams are no longer a liability. We no longer hemorrage field position or points in that aspect of the game. We're not getting easy points yet, but we did manage a critical blocked punt, our kick coverage has been high quality all year, and our punting is adequate, considering that we are working on our third punter this year,

But just as the biggest negative news had to do with injuries. The best positive news has been the response to those injuries. Darnel Stapleton, Max Starks and Trai Essex on the O-line. Matt Speath, Sean McHugh (Who?) at TE/FB, Mewekde Moore and Gary Russell at RB. Nate Washington stepping up at WR and Byron Leftwich.

BYRON LEFTWICH???

Oh yeah. I forgot you wouldn't know anything about him. And then there were the guys on defense; Travis Kirschke, Nick Eason, Orpheus Roye-

You're kidding right? Roye???, isn't he 90 years old?

Then there's the rookie Bailey, William Gay, Andre Frazier, BMac really elevated his game, even Tyrone Carter elevated his game--

C'mon Blitz. Now we know you're drunk. Carter? They didn't cut his ass in July?

Believe it. It seems like almost everything that could have gone wrong, the schedule, lousy offciating, badly timed injuries, have all gone wrong. And we're not close to being out of the woods yet. When I left they were facing a short week, still don't have Heath, Marvel, BMac, Deshea available. Ben's no where near 100%. But they continue to adapt. If they go .500 over their last six games they'll be 10-6 which is where many of us predicted they'd end up this year. Put another way, if they can manage to put away a Cincy team at home who have only won one game so far this year they'll get ten days to rest and heal before they go to New England with an 8-3 record and begin the serious charge to make the playoffs.

What do you think?

STEELER NATION IS DISCOVERED

RickVa — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:49:29 -0000

If you are the superstitious type you may hate what follows.

The Steelers are positioned to make a deep run into the playoffs, perhaps all the way to Tampa.

Why did I have to bring it up? 1. Because its true. 2. Because its becoming obvious. Until this week Pittsburgh has done a pretty good job of lying in the weeds as the sports punditry and the average fan discussed the merits of various pretenders; the Cowboys, Titans, Packers, Giants, Pats, Bills, etc. The Steekers? We were alright, but the Browns were the pick of the smart set to cut our throats, and if we escaped them there was also our schedule from Hell. additional arguments involved an O-line that was too weak, Ben would get hit too much (which has actually happened btw). And a lot of things have not gone our way on the injury front; Ben has been banged up all year, FWP has missed more games than he has played in, we're down two punters now and a long snapper, we've lost a starting O-lineman and our number two running back for the year, Clark, Hampton, Keisel, Bmac, Heath, Marvel, Davis all starters have missed games, and Holmes has been suspended for being stupid. The play of the offense has mostly sucked. The special teams haven't done anything special for the most part....And we are 6-2, second seeded in the conference at the half way mark. And what do we have going for us?" Consider the following:

1. Steeler Nation. Check out this article by Michael Wilbon concerning the impact of our fans on the Monday night's game.

http:www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/articli/2008/11/05/AR2008110504343.html

Redskin fans pride themselves in being among the most loyal and rabid in the league. Steeler Nation turned FedEx into a neutral site for one of the most important home games for the Skins in several years. While Heinz has not been the snakepit that Three Rivers was in its heyday, nobody really wants to play there. And now we are increasingly neutralizing the home field advantage of our opponents. This is not a small consideration and may explain why the Steelers have done so well on the road in recent years.

2. The Right Kind of Depth. Credit Coach Tomlin, his staff and the FO for assembling the kind of depth that has allowed this outfit to keep on functioning even under circumstances that would be considered catastrophic. If someone had told you before the season that we would go through a patch where Hampton and Keisel would both be lost for multiple games or that the running attack would boil down to Mewelde Moore, my guess is that most would have written this team off. We had the Giants on the ropes, not with FWP and Santonio Holmes, but with Moore, Nate Washington and Limas Sweed. And trust me, that did not go unnoticed around the league. Hats off also to Stapleton, Starks, Tyrone Carter, Anthony Smith, Gay, Townsend, Eason, Roye, Travis K., Hoke, Russell and Dookie (at least he doesn't fumble) for stepping up and keeping us competitive. But, hey, it gets even better. This has been a tough year for quarterbacks. Seasons have been ruined because the number one guy has gone down, or is seriously underperforming. Think Brady and Romo, Carson Palmer and Derek Anderson, the Ravens, Peyton Manning. Pittsburgh has serious depth at QB. Around the site today folks are debatting whether Ben should take a week off (AGAINST THE COLTS!!!). Ben is banged up, and by his own admission having a subpar year so far...6-2. We can have this discussion because his backup is a playoff caliber quarterback who played pretty well this past week. And I know folks who were secretly hoping that Leftwich would get nicked just enough that Dennis Dixon would get a chance to show what he's got. And don't forget Charlie Batch on IR. We have options at QB that other teams can only dream about.

3. Defense. The talk this year is about the defenses of the Titans and the Ravens. But Pittsburgh on two consecutive weeks on national television have demonstrated why they are ranked # 1. Farrior, Troy, Harrison, Woodley and probably Aaron Smith are haviing Pro Bowl years (please remember to vote). The play of the secondary has been terrific. The front seven hasn't peaked yet. They just shut down the two best rushing attacks out there. The biggest remaining test are coming up these two weeks. The amount of offense that the Steelers generated this past Monday is pretty much all they'll need to win most games. If Pittsburgh can minimize mistakes by the offense and special teams in the form of cheap scores or favorable field position; further, if the offense can apply pressure by getting a two score lead and bleed the clock, than this team can beat anybody.

4. Schedule.More and more the schedule is loioking like a paper tiger. Frankly, there is only one team that scares me on the remaining schedule. (Let me say that just because a team doesn't scare me doesn't mean that they can't beat us. I am saying that they have as least as much to fear about us as the opposite). That team is Baltimore. And my primary concern is that there could be a lot of injuries in a Ravens game, particularly in light of talk of bounties and such. There are only two thiings standing in the way of a deep run this year in my opinion. One is continued bad luck on the injury front, and an inability of the offense to perform to its potential.

What do you think?

WHERE THE STEELERS STAND-BYE WEEK EDITION

RickVa — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:10:33 -0000

I asked RickVa to share his thoughts as we come out of the BYE week. A very good read. Many thanks to RickVa for the contribution. For those new to the site, you can get a glimpse into RickVa's old playing days in this great article. Between this and maryrose's latest history lesson, we've got plenty of good stuff to help us inch closer to game day once more. Cheers. -Blitz-

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RickVa

As we pause and take a breath before tackling the meat of the schedule here’s one person’s opinion as to where we are and where we’re headed in the 2008 season.

Six months ago I think that if we were offered a record of 4-1 at the bye we’d take it and consider ourselves fortunate. Of course we would have assumed that the loss would have come at the hands of the Jags, and no one would have the heart to describe our injury situation for fear that they might find our lunch on their shoes. And then there was the abysmal performance of the offense weeks 2 thru 4. So, should we be excited in anticipation of another trip to the playoffs, or are we being set up for monumental disappointment? If I knew for certain I’d be writing this somewhere else and making a great deal of money to do so. Let me try and make the case that the glass is a little more than half full for the Steelers and why.

Where We Are

Coaching Staff. I’m in the tank for Tomlin, as are a number of other regulars at BTSC, but it is fair to say that in only his second year, the jury must still be out on the man who is the youngest coach in the NFL now that the senile bastard over in Oakland has fired Coach Kiffin. What I see is a man who has to experience some growth in areas such as game management, one or two questionable personnel decisions (Mahan) and holding his assistants accountable. But I also see someone who can and does adapt, the best example of which is how he has paced the team this season as opposed to last. You get the feeling with this group that it’ll be better in November than it was in September. He is someone who is capable of some very good personnel decisions (Moore). He has seen to it that perceived weaknesses be addressed sufficiently to allow the team to be competitive (O-Line, D-Line, Special Teams). He has built a buffer against injury and sub par performance by creating a very deep team where the expectations are high for everyone. He has preached character off the field. And when was the last time you heard of a member of this team involved in a domestic dispute, a fight, a traffic violation or any other distraction? All the crimes this team has committed have been on the field where they belong. (Most violent team indeed!) And this young man has yet to spend a minute anywhere but first place in his division during his tenure. If he were coaching anywhere but Pittsburgh they’d be calling him a genius.

A word about two other coaches. First, will someone give some love to D-Line coach John Mitchell? We went into this season terrified that we were too thin on the D-Line, that we would be okay if none of the starters got hurt. So what happens? Two starters get hurt. So, we go to Jacksonville with Taylor and Jones-Drew and we…stop them with those supposed inferior backups. Give credit where credit is due. On the other hand there is Arians. I said this before on another thread, I think he’s put together a decent offense, a good strategist, but he’s weak on tactics. He adapts slowly, if at all. You saw it against Philly and through the first half against the Ravens. I found myself constantly yelling “Why did you rnn that play?” These are a few of the questions that need to be answered that are troubling: Why did Ben have to throw a tantrum for them to finally allow him to run the no huddle? It worked to perfection last year, it’s great for putting an aggressive defense on its heels. Why did it take every other healthy running back on the team to go down before Mewelde Moore got any touches? If that hadn’t happened we would presumably still be waiting to see what he could do or pronouncing him another poor Tomlin personnel move. And what about Gary Russell? Kinda makes you wonder what might really happen if you threw Limas Sweed into a game. Or Dennis Dixon. We may never know unless Hines and Ben get run over by the same truck. Now, if the plan is to go vanilla early and add complexity as the season goes on, then I will be the first to apologize. Otherwise someone needs to break it to BA that he may not be the smartest guy in the room and needs to anticipate adapting mid game.

Offense. We have to accept the fact that Ben is stubborn (maybe a bit knuckleheaded as well). When things go right he touches greatness. When things go bad he (and we) gets his ass kicked, fingers are pointed at the O-line and the coaches. Bottom line; no one is complaining that he is getting overpaid and that is a pretty good complement. We learned in the Jacksonville game that Moore and Russell are at least as good as many of us hoped they could be during the off season. I certainly am disappointed that I will have to wait at least another year to see what Mendenhall is capable of doing, but I think we are still in pretty good shape, actually very good shape at running back. Heath, Hines, Nate all seem to be doing just fine. Matt Spaeth is a mild disappointment (bad hands) so far. Who knows about Dallas Baker. The receiving corps is fine.

Expanding on a suggestion by Datruth, did Max Starks get caught with someone’s wife? I like Willie Colon but I think Starks is better. I am delighted that Trai Essex has stepped up, but Starks is better. The FO seems to like him too. Those guys throw nickels around like manhole covers and they gave Max a lot of money. Internal politics, guess we'll never know. Otherwise, though they won’t be erecting any statues to the O-line they aren’t close to the disaster that many had predicted. Props to Hartwig and Stapleton so far. They will be good enough to take this team as far as it needs to go.

Defense. The defense has been nothing short of fantastic. And they are playing it vanilla right now. Woodley, Harrison and Troy are playing at Pro Bowl levels. We should all apologize to Travis and Eason. Hoke should be awarded a medal. Casey is back, Brett is back. Bmac has arrived. This defense is ready for a championship run. The best thing is that the national media is pronouncing Timmons a "failure". Apparently they didn't see his pass rushing against the Eagles. Are they going to be surprised.

Special Teams. They’ve stopped the bleeding! Reed has become one of the better clutch kickers in the league. It would be nice if we could have a great returner. But they are not hurting us and that is progress.

Where Are We Going

Let’s look at this as simply as we can. We have won as many games so far as the rest of the teams in the AFC North combined. We have four remaining division games starting this week. Win three of those and we go to the playoffs. All the rest is ego and entertainment. However, keep in mind that if the playoffs began today we would get a first round bye. That week of rest and home field is worth fighting for. Ah, but what about the schedule from Hell? It was the schedule from Hell in April. The Bengals haven’t won a game. Did you see the Giants last night in Cleveland? The Skins lost to the Rams. The Colts haven’t been themselves. The Chargers will come to Pittsburgh having been on the road for about a month. Matt Cassell? Dallas? The Bengals and the Browns again at home. How are the Titans going to score? Yes, we could lose any one of those games. But would it mean that we were playing over our heads if we won them all? How about 7-4 the rest of the way (with losses to the Skins, who are really pointing to our Monday night matchup, the Colts, the Titans and Ravens)? Even 8-3? Of course, if our injury situation continues at the same rate all bets are off. But suppose the worst is over in that regard. If we stay healthy and the OC gets his head out of his ass I like our chances.

Bonus Issue. One reason it may be difficult to believe that Pittsburgh is so well positioned is that if you pay attention to the national press, the networks, etc. we don’t get nearly as much attention as Dallas, San Diego, even Baltimore. Why? Stay with me for a minute, this may seem a little strange at first. The Pittsburgh Steelers are bad for business. How is that possible? See, you probably think that the NFL and the networks are in the football business. They’re not. They are in the entertainment business. The Steelers are what the NFL used to be at its best, but we simply don’t do entertainment well. My friend Rick ‘Doc’ Walker is a former SB champion Washington Redskin and a radio talk show host. He (admiringly) refers to Steeler football as “Neanderthal” football, staying true to the brutal basic truths of the game. We just played three riveting (for us) games on a national stage that were long on brutality, personal courage, defense and subtle intrigue. The scores barely made it into or beyond the teens. The casual fan that the league and the networks cater to would prefer a 51-49 score. They prefer the soap opera of TO, the minstrel show that is Chad Johnson, the distraction of Tony and Jessica, all Brett all the time (and Tom too), Cinderella stories; last year the Browns, this year the Titans or maybe the Falcons or maybe the Cards, all augmented by scantily clad women with fake boobs, fantasy leagues that amp interest in games most would normally not care about and adorable mascots. By contrast the Steelers don’t have any casual fans. We were the first team to do cheerleaders then decided that we didn’t need them. Steely McBeam knows not to show his face for fear of ending up face down in the river. TO and Jessica would be run out of town. Steeler Nation would still watch the game if they raised Ray Scott from the dead and broadcast the games in black and white. They put the lie to fan loyalty in other cities as they continually show up and take over the other team's stadiums. The team is lead by players such as Hines Ward, a receiver who gets fined for jacking up DBs (ever wonder if Hines’ mom is really from NORTH Korea?). Their coach is a (presumably) angry young black man who says things like “The most violent team wins” (really bad for business, but great for football). He was preceded by a guy who when he got excited became something called The Chin and commenced to spit on people.Think about this; our fans and our team are more passionate, innovative (terrible towel) more consistent. But people would prefer the fans of Green Bay and their cheeseheads because they're more adorable. They, the league and the network, will deal with us if they have to. But they don’t want to.

What do you think?