This has just been a painful three weeks. My psychiatrist says there aren't strong enough drugs on the market to deal with the psychological problems resulting from this losing streak. LOL, just kidding. I'm really not crazy enough to have to go to the head shrink over this...yet.

While I'm not pleased with where the Steelers are record-wise, I was not all that dissapointed with last Sundays game. At least not on the offensive side of the ball. I thought Dennis Dixon performed great. It was the defense that could not, once again, protect a fourth quarter lead. Very frustrating.

Dixon was better than I imagined. His run for the touchdown looked effortless. His run up the middle, the one called back for holding, scared the hell out of the Ravens. I think it made them change their defense, which was what hurt Dixon in the second half. If anything (Here comes the BA bashing) the Steelers O.C. failed to adjust the the Ravens defensive adjustments. Even Collinsworth was calling for a run or boot by Dixon. I was expecting it. Why in God's name wasn't it called. I mean look at the yards gained on Dixon's two runs!

While there is a lot said about how BA asks Ben what he likes to do, I am now convinced Ariens is one of those coordinators that has an offensive concept that he is going to cram down the teams throat. Instead of designing a strategy that utilizes Dixon's strengths, his idea of "tailoring" the offense to a player is asking him which of BA's plays the player likes. I just can't help the feeling that the Ravens' defense was ripe for a few good, well though out, quarterback runs. Grrr...


Back to Dixon. I was impressed. On a team that takes two years to get their first round players ready for games, a second year, fifth rounder, did his part to put the Steelers in good shape to win the game. He went to the Ravens' house, on national television, in prime time, against a desperate and physical team and did nothing short of almost win the game. I ask you: If Carter played that well in place of the defensive quarterback, Troy Polomalu, whould the defense be losing fourth quarter leads? I think not.

Dixon has a bright future. If not as the Steelers second string quarterback, then as someone elses starter when he reaches free agency. You know the Browns would snap him up in a heartbeat.

While I'm very disappointed in the three game losing streak, that game, considered all by itself, wasn't such a disappointment. Take both Bob Sanders and Peyton Manning away from the Colts and ask them to play the Ravens on Sunday Night Football in Baltimore and see who wins. If anything, this game just served to show what the Steelers should be able to do against the Ravens when they go to Pittsburgh and both Troy and Ben are once again healthy.

Champagne moment: At the end of the game, the Steelers had not given up a kickoff or punt return for a touchdown. Baby steps.

I think Hines Ward's statements, while seemingly questioning Ben's physical toughness, showed a lack of mental toughness. Very disappointing. Mental toughness seems to be what this team is lacking this year, IMHO. I think that comes from the top. I think that Mike Tomlin's "Unleash hell" statement was a frustration statement, and while potentially motivating, showed a lack of mental toughness. It worried me more that inspired confidence in me.

All will be forgotten though, with some wins.

Has James Farrior lost a step, or is Ray Rice that good? Let the debate begin. However it comes out, look for the Steelers to maybe go for a linebacker in the first two rounds.

Maybe we should stop calling Mr. Hood, Ziggy. Maybe a nickname like Mauler or Chainsaw would motivate him to pick up his game. I really thought this opportunity would push him to greatness. I thought wrong. I would just like to the first rounder make an impact in his first year, every year. Who was the last to do it for the Steelers? Casey Hampton?

I would like to see if Townsend could play better than Gay. I would like to see those two cornerbacks the Steelers drafted step up and step in.

I find myself trolling the mock drafts already and have decided to read Big_Jay71 religiously every week. If you read this Big_Jay71, would you consider where we draft without a total collapse, but still not making the playoffs, or losing in the first round?

I just don't see the Steelers pulling it together an winning the Super Bowl this year. There, I said it. I was awed by the Saints the other night and have a feeling it might just be their year. I would hate for the Steelers to get to the Super Bowl and lose. Nothing like missing out on a ring and getting the thirty-first pick in the draft. I don't care what anyone says, that just sucks! I would rather the Steelers get a better draft pick.

On to the rest of the NFL...

Peyton Mannig is just cruel. I'm starting to think he is spotting the other team points only to watch their faces as he yanks the win away from them in the fourth quarter. It is kind of like Santa running through the living room on Christmas morning and ripping a present out of you hands. It's just plain cruel what he is doing to the opposing teams.

As to the idea of the Colts not worrying about the record once they win the number-one seed on the AFC, I think not playing to win is the wrong strategy. I think a team should play hard every week and stay tough. In years past, I think relaxing has hurt the Colts, even if it has allowed them to stay healthy.

On a simpler note, I love the Peyton Manning, Allison Hannigan commercials. "It's a football". "Who told"?...Just makes me chuckle every time. You see, I have this idea in my head of Peyton where he is always thinking bout football. I can just picture him diagramming a play at the table for a bored date. The Stretch, Nickle Over, Lefty Sneak is when he  takes a date to a movie, pretends to stretch, puts his arm around her, and steals some popcorn from her lap. Eli just rolls his eyes when Peyton tells him about it. P.S. he runs the Stretch, Nickle Over, Righty Sneak, too.

Charlie Weiss? Hell no. Have we learned nothing from Romeo, Mangini, and Charlie? They suck without the guidance of the overlord. If we have to replace BA, then lets go looking for an up-an-coming talent, one with some fresh ideas and some energy. When Mangini is the slimmest of the three, you have to doubt the, um, energy usage.

I really didn't watch that much Sunday football this week, so that is all the ramble I have for the week. Oh, I forgot to mention that the Hated Patriots are cheaters and that ESPN sucks.

I hope you all had a great holliday.

Go Steelers.

I would have loved to go into Thanksgiving with a feeling of peace in my heart. As it is, I'm still feeling a little queasy from the Cheifs game.

Still, I think we should all take this oppurtunity to tell what we are thankful for about our Steelers. I'll start.

I'm thankful for the best owners in the league. The Rooneys are by far the classiest owners in the NFL. They have run the greatest football franchise with class and dignity for more years than I've been alive.

I'm thankful for Big Ben Rothlisberger as the Steelers quarterback. While he has not yet reached elite status, he wins and wins the Steelers way, ugly, physical, gutsy, determined... I would not wish to have any other quarterback. I don't care what their numbers are. Ben Rothlisberger is a Pittsburgh quarterback.

I'm grateful that I'm part of the BEST fan base in all of football. There are nothing like Steelers fans anywhere. No matter where you are, you run into them. They are the hard working backbone of the country and love their team no matter what. They show up at any venue to claim the field as a home field advantage, or at the very least, a home field neutrality. No other fan base helps out their tam as much on the road. And, you will never hear another teams fans out-yell them in their home stadium. Never going to happen.

I'm grateful for Hines Ward, the most physical receiver to ever play the game. He personifies Pittsburgh and the Steelers fans. No matter how hard he gets hit, he comes up smiling, and routinely lays the lumber on linebackers and defensive backs. He makes Steeler fans proud.

I'm thankful for James Harrison, who took the hard way to stardom by never giving up. He is an example of a hard working and determined Pittsburgh Steeler.

I'm grateful for a one word reply to any other fans argument for their team: Six.

there are so many things to be thankful for this holiday season. Please join me in listing the things we Steelers fans have to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Go Steelers !

I love coach Tomlin...

But, this is on him. If we gave him credit for leading the Steelers to a Super Bowl victory last year, we have to look at him when the Steelers are stumbling.

Special Teams: The Steelers special teams seem to lack anything approaching heart. How many players started their careers by distinguishing themselves on special teams. Rocky Blier and James Harrison to name a couple. Who is distinguishing themselves this year? No one! This is an attitude problem.

Offense: Definately, coaching. This is squarely on Bruce Arian's shoulders. He as been allowed to under-perform a portion of every game. And sometimes, whole games. The Steelers have too much offensive talent to be struggling in the red zone. They have more talent than do the Hated Patriots, but continually enter games in a mental fog which is compounded by poor play calling. There seems to be a "We'll get it done eventually" type of attitude where the offense relies on the defense to keep the game close with the idea of picking it up in the end. Then, a poor play call or a mistake squashes the win. Bruce Arians needs to be held accountable and made to perform.

Defense: You can't tell me that Troy is all the difference. Not going for it any more. The defense demonstrated the same "We've got this" attitude yesterday in overtime, without actually covering or making the tackle. Mental toughness was lacking.

What do all these things have in common? Poor coaching, period. There is an attitude that is coming from the top which is leading to slacking off. Not all the time, but enough for a few plays to cost a very good team some wins. This started in training camp. Some of you may remember an article last summer about Ving Rhames visiting camp. In it, James Harrison walked away from practice and talked to the movie star for something like forty minutes. That type of attitude is haunting the Steelers now.

Sure, some of the Steelers veterans can regain their focus when they need it, but this is a bad precedent for the younger players. Also, practice is for every aspect of the game, including focus. If the coaches accept lapses in focus at training camp and at practice, there will be lapses in focus come game day.

This all starts with Coach Tomlin. While I believe he is a good coach, I think it is his failure to send the proper message. While he is a good speaker, he is dropping the ball when it comes to action. Everyone has their favorite coach Tomlin one-liners, now let's look for our favorite Coach Tomlin actions to improve the Steelers and get them further than a one-and-out in the playoffs.

While I'm mad as hell at this loss, and now have some very serious doubts about the Steelers season, I know that they have huge talent and the ability to win another world championship. I'm not without optimism. But something has to be done for the Steelers to get back to championship attitude. With that attitude will come wins. The person most responsible for that attitude is Coach Tomlin.

after my mandatory 24 hour observation period after the Steelers loss. I'm  wondering if I'm letting the Steelers wins and losses affect my life a little too much? Maybe they are just an entertainment to be enjoyed only for what they can give me? Maybe I spend too much time on reading this blog and every other thing written about the Steelers on the net? Maybe I should learn to keep a football game in perspective with the rest of life?

Naa.

Steelers-oh-Steelers, wherefore art thou? I didn't get to see the game, but my buddy who is from the Burgh (He played his high school ball under Fran Rogell (SP?)) was quite adament that Bruce Ariens should be traded to the Browns for two cups of sugar and a potted plant. Maybe Bruce reads the blogs and his head swelled from all the posative things we have been saying about him? Well, no more. With the improvement of the offensive line (except blitz pick-up in this game, apparantly), Bruc Arians is a close second for weakest link in the Steelers organization.

What to do with the kick coverage team? I see that Arnold Harrison was fired today. Is that enough? I thought for sure that Anthony Madison would be re-signed, but not yet. Donovan Woods was promoted from the practice squad and no other player was signed so far. Something has to be done about Skippy. With him out there, the Steelers only have ten men on coverage and that wont do. Thank God the Steelers have TWO special teams coaches. When is one of them going to get fired?


From what I can gather about this game, the Steelers really only need a little tweeking to get over the hump. It seems that while our defense is well coached to not give up the big play, the other units seem to have missed that section of the job description. The Steelers are frequently giving up big plays on the special teams, and sometimes a pick-six on offense. One big play there can erase a lot of hard work in other areas of the game. As we saw with the Bengals game. Without that big play, the game is tied at thirteen apiece and maybe is extended into overtime.

I like the fact that action was taken. While I don't wish losing a job on anyone, I do believe in negative reinforcement in some instances. This is one of them. This message should serve as powerful motivation for the remaining players. If it doesn't, bring in another player and see if he can perform better than someone who is not cutting it. I think it might be time for the Steelers to take a play out of Vermiel's (SP?) play book and invite the men of Pittsburgh to try out for the special teams.

One of the tings I think I see, is that Big Ben doesn't trust Wallace to get to the deep ball. He constantly underthrows the rookie receiver. Ben needs to heave that sucker as far as he can and trust Wallace to run under it. It's just my uneducated opinion, but I believe that Wallace can get to Ben's farthest thrown ball. As I looked at the replay of one of the plays on the final series, I felt that Wallace was about to break away from the coverage and that Ben under-threw the ball. Had Ben thrown the ball five yards deeper, Wallace had a touchdown. I know, I know - Tuesday morning quarterback.

Probably the most painful part about this whole experience is how the commentators are slathering the praise on the Bengals. I don't think that the Steelers got as much praise or coverage after they won the Super Bowl. It is downrite discusting that when the Steelers win (Except after a Monday night victory) ESPN will not show much more than one or two plays, but when the Bengals beat the Steelers, break out the band, bring in the dancing girls, and drinks all around. Just makes me crazy...er.

Was it just me, or did Mike Tomlin look visibly angry after the game in his press conference? I wonder how things shake out when he gets angry about performance? What wil practice be like for the Steelers this week. Does he call BS BA into his office this week and give him a performance evaluation? I would so like to be a fly on the wall in the Steelers facility this week.

This loss presents another oppurtunity for the Steelers to maybe go to the Bengals house and knock them out of the playoffs again. Tell me, any of you, that wouldn't make these two losses worth it.

While this loss was painful, I am still really optimistic about the Steelers future this year. I like the remaining schedule. If you watched the Ravens and the Browns last night, you have to think those three games will have favorable outcomes for the Steelers. The Ravens have seriously digressed. Look at the schedule, the Steelers hardest games are at the Ravens and Dolphins. The Bengals still have to go to the Vikings, Chargers and Jets.

And in other news...

What can you say about Peyton Manning? He struck fear into the heart of Bill Belichick...Bill freakin Belichick. I dearly love to see th Hated Patriots lose. Thank you, Peyton Manning.

Did anyone catch John Gruden sticking up for Belichick last night on Monday Night Football. Gruden refered to the time his Bucs had the Colts 35 to 14 with five minutes left, a few years back, and Manning and the Colts came back to win the game. I never thought Manning could do it to the Hated Patriots.

It sure was interesting to watch the talking heads turn on their coaching god after just one mistake. I mean, it made me think that they secretly hated the man.

At least I'm not a Browns fan. Holy smokes is that team f****d up. And, I don't think Randy Learner can afford to fire another coach. Watching them this year, I'm convinced that Mangini is solely at fault for his quarterbacks poor play. Mangini has sysematically destroyed any confidence either of his quarterbacks might have had. Now, the NFLPA is looking into some of his coaching practices.

If Mangini is fired, will he ever coach in the NFL again?

Did anyone see the Redskins' field goal kicker throw the touchdown pass against the Broncos? One of the comentators said he couldn't believe that the Redskins tried the play after showing that they were going to try it before taking a timeout. I think that showing the trick play and then taking the timeout was planned. You have to think that the Broncos were sure there was no way the Redskins would try that again after showing their hand. Brilliant!

Josh McDanials is looking decidedly more uncomfortable in his post game press conferences. And, Brandon Marshall is looking a lot more discontent. This week, neither the Broncos or the Bears want to talk about their quarterback trade. Seems, everyone lost.

Of course, the Broncos do get the Bears first round pick in the draft, and it looks like it may be a high one after all. Can you say quarterback?

Right now, I think the two most dangerous teams that look like they will not make the playoffs are the Panthers and the Titans. They are going to change the landscape of the playoffs in the weeks to come.

I think the Hated Patriots and the Bengals both benefited from the same thing this week: The opposing quarterbacks were off their games.

As any of you that have read my ramblings know, I really don't like what has become of ESPN (Except for James Walker, the AFC North blogger). There is hope though. Have any of you watched Sports Nation? While I would never say it is what you might call, essential. It is entertaining. If you haven't watched it, give it a try. Last time I watched, Michelle Beatle was still trying to push "The Akron Hammer".

Okay, thanks for reading.

Go Steelers!

What a glorious win. I found it hard to get to sleep last night. After the game, I stuck with ESPN and watched each and every highlight again and again. I basked in the praise the comentators heaped on the Steelers (About time). It's good to be a Steelers fan.

Finally, the question: "What do the Steelers have to do to get some highlights shown on ESPN?" was answered.

To the Broncos: Nice job shutting down Heath Miller. Now get ready for some tough times. I have to imagine that they went into the locker room at halftime and patted themselves on the back, had lattes, and came out expecting to win the game. Did they learn nothing from the intensity of the Ravens? In the end, their offense scored three points...THREE!  The Steelers were missing their starting defensive end, their second string defensive end, a starting linebacker and the starting free safety. Was the sum total of their offensive plan to throw the ball at William Gay all game? I think it was.

I have to give McDanials a lot of credit for getting his team to where they are at this point in the season, as much as I hate to. Now, the smoke an mirrors are gone though. Good luck Josh.

I would like to add that he did a good job of giving the Steelers credit right off the bat in his press conference. I wonder if the show of respect had anything to do with the words of encouragement Tomlin had for him during the man-hug they shared after the game.

ladies and gentlemen, Hines Ward. Lets give him a hand. I don't want to get the HOF debate started here, but, come on, he is a first ballot guy. No ifs, ands or buts about it. Ask Champ Bailey, a guy I have huge respect for. Will we see that play as much as we saw Gay get steam-rolled? I doubt it. Tell me that fan who got the game ball from Ward got any sleep last night. How bad was his hangover? How many times has he told the story now? Where does he start the stroy?...At the beginning of the play?...Or, at the beginnig of the drive?...Or, what time he put his Hines Ward jersey on?...Or, when the Steelers drafted Hines?

Max Starks, I voted for you in the Pro Bowl balloting, and you rewarded my faith. Well done. Three cheers. Elvis who? Mrs. Doumervil, please come to the North entrance of the playing field, you child has been found. Deebo lite?...Hardly.

Kyle Orton. Where to start? You sir, are a fraud. You have been scheduled for your gonad implants later in the week. To be a good to great quarterback in this league, you cannot be inacurate because of some pressure, and you have to be able to come from behind occasionally. Now that the Bronco fans are sober, what do they think about the Cutler trade? Remember him? He could throw the ball more than fifteen yards down the field. Bad trade, period.

Mendy, Mendy, Mendy - great running. Until, you slapped a P***y tag on your forehead and ran out of bounds when you could have gotten another five yards with some contact with a defensive back...A DEFENSIVE BACK! I still want to see FWP run behind the Steelers improved line. Good job getting 155 though...Grudgingly.

Keyaron Fox was a great addition to the Steelers. He has become every bit as good as Foote, don't you think? Another great find in the sea of free agents. I had never heard of him before. Had any of you? Who here said "I can't believe the Steelers got Keyaron Fox", when the Steelers signed him? Who said "Who"? Um...so much for the Broncos having the best linebacking core in the NFL.

Mike Tomlin. Enought said.

Everyone wanted to talk about Mike Nolan and his defense. His mother can find him in the press box. She should keep a better eye on him. He needs a father figure like Dick Lebeau to guide him. I'm not saying he is not a good coach, but he is not in the league of Lebeau...Not even close.

Don't get Ben Rothlisberger mad or he will score on you in four plays. And, he will throw one of the sweetest passes you have ever seen over your eight-time pro-bowler in the process. Inspirational. He will also motivate his offense to play better.

Was Ryan McBean really injured, or just scared to play his former team?

Imagine my relief when I saw Mewelde in to recieve the last punt. That guy is like a security blanket. He is not the best guy on the team, but he brings very solid, no mistakes play with him.

At this point, I'm going to stop pointing out individual players and their contributions, or I'll be here all day. Lets just say: Great team effort to put the Steelers back in the drivers seat. Along with the Colts, they are the team to beat in the AFC. I know, some of you are looking at the next team on the schedule. Let's get into that.

Thanks to the Bengals, I can say what I said to the Titans a few weeks ago to the Ravens: Na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey-hey-hey, good-bye. So long, thanks for playing.

How about those pesky Bengals. Frank Walker was picking them as his sleeper this pre-season. Well done sir.

I finally figured out why Chad Ochocinco changed his last name: Because the "Johnson" is implied. As in, "He is such a Johnson". Ultimately, his stupid shennanigans are going to take away from his focus and hurt his team. Let him try something stupid in Pittsburgh and see what happens. Every player on that team will need supreme focus to beat the Steelers a second time.

As much as I dislike Chad, I really like Carson. He could be a Steeler. He is the main reason the Bengals play well. He brings a winning, no fear atitude to his team. He had two injury seasons, but when he is on, he is in the conversation with the best quarterbacks in the league. You have to respect his game.

Sunday should be a balls-out game.

I would like to see the Steelers offense come out hot for a change and sustain production throuought this whole game. No, really. The game is at home. The best fans in the nation will be there in force. And, Troy is back. This should be a whole different ball game from the one they squeeked from the Steelers earlier this year.

I'm too excited to talk about this game anymore at this time. I will leave it to the many, more qualified, people who write here to expound on the matchup this week.

Back to Sunday's games.

For the first time in a long time, I didn't see any reallly stanky calls by the refs this week. Granted, I didn't watch much of the late and late-late games. Don't get used to it.

Oh man...Now we have to hear about the Cowboys again...and again...and again. Would they please just go away. It is the only decent thing for them to do for their fans. Otherwise, the Cowboys will just get their fans hopes up, only to lose to the wild card in the palyoffs. And the cycle continues.

Really, that whole NFC East is a mess. What happened to the Eagles. Sure they were playing a conference rival, but WTF. And the Giants? come on, lets have some consistancy here. If for nothing else, for the sake of my Pigskin Pool picks. I'm gettin killed by games with the Giants and Eagles.

And, we had to hear the "Who's better, Eli or Phillip", for like the one-millionth time. I think we have already established the pecking order using rings as the criteria: Ben, Eli and Phillip. Anyone disagree?

So, the Chiefs cut Larry Johnson. While I don't condone any of Johnsons antics or comments, you have to admit Todd Haley is a dick. Bill cower, could yell at his players on the sideline, he had masive respect from his players, fans, and organization. He had been a tough player, and has some size. I remember watching Todd Haley yelling at his players in the Super Bowl. He does not garner the type of respect he needs to be yelling at grown men like he does. Everything I read told a story of a guy who walked into an organization and made changes without regard for his players, i.e., Tony Gonzalez. Sure L.J. is a problem child, but when you force out the best tight end to ever play the game, it is time to look in the mirror when things go bad.

Interesting, the media still puts the Patriots up there with the Steelers and Colts. I say, if anything, it is the Steelers, Colts and Bengals now in the AFC. But the Patriots won their last three games you say? Against the Titans, Bucs and the Dolphins - All teams with losing records. Lets not forget, the Patriots lost to the Broncos. Really.

Was anyone shocked to see the Saints rally to win the game? Do you think the Panthers might be considering a quarterback in the draft this year, since they will have a high draft pick? Or, do you still trust that Delhome will bounce back and be a franchise quarterback?

Pro bowl balloting started this week. I voted for Ben, Peyton and Phillip for quarterback. I voted for Starks, Polomalu, Harrison, Farrior (He really deserves this at least once), Ike (they had him listed as Ivan or something), Hines, Heath, Casey, Keisel...You get the picture. When in doubt, vote Steelers, or ex-Steelers. How many Pro bowls will Troy go to in his career?

Tommy Harris, if you want to get back at a dirty play by a Cardinals offensive lineman, sack the quarterback, don't get thrown out of the game. Then again, he never was the best decision maker.

Oh, I totally forgot...did I read it right that Chris Henry broke his arm and had to be carted off the field? Rashard, send him your forehead sticker, he earned it.

Nice job by the boys at FOX to go to Afganistan to entertain the Troops. Jay Glazer, loved how you used the troops in your piece. You know that will make their year and bring joy to their families who got to see them having a good time. Well done. I can't imagine what a posative experience it is for the troops to have something like that take place in the middle of an otherwise dangerous and negative world.

During the Monday night broadcast, Gruden talked about his experience there when he went with Bill Cower, Jeff Fisher, Tom Coughlin, and a couple others. I liked when he said he was surprised at how many Terrible Towels he saw.

You know who hates the Terrible Towel? The Taliban. At least, I imagine they do. Now all we need to do is tie one to a rock and send it to the deepst spot of the ocean, and launch one into space. If we haven't already.

The Irony. the Bucs come out in the uniform that I most associate with losing and win their first game of the season in them. Of course, the Lions uniform is giving them a run for most memorable losing colors these days. But still, way to go Bucs! Josh Freeman could - maybe - be good. Keep an eye on him when you can.

Okay, I know, you thought it would never end, but it has.

Go Steelers

If you go here: http://www.nfl.com/probowl/ballot you can vote for the Pro Bowl.

Now, I'm not up to date on every team and player in the league, so when in doubt, I voted for a Steeler or ex-Steeler. And, sometimes, I just voted for a Steeler I liked even though I knew there was someone better at the position in the AFC.

I have always been dissapointed to see that injured players are not considered. I think they should at least get the trip. I mean, they were playing like beasts in the service of the NFL when they got hurt. I think a nice trip to Miami (Bad move taking the game from Hawii) for the NFL circus would be a deserved reward (Aaron Smith).


Anyway, go vote and support your Steelers wherever possible.

Go Steelers.

Do you have a bad hip? Arthritic anckles? Dodgey knee? Have you ever walked into something in broad daylight because you have shockingly poor vision? Wondered why you see double while you're sober? Started using a walking stick with a red tip? Have you ever been accused of poor work habits? Incopetence at your job? Realized you are grossly under-qualified for the paycheck you are drawing?

If you answered yes to any or all nof these questions, then the Keystone Referees are looking for you.

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You, as a Keystone Referee will partner with the NFL to influence games, frustrate fans and foil fair play.

Through our comprehensive, unsupervised, one hour program you will learn all you need to know to referee in the NFL. You will learn how to throw a flag or not throw a flag, depending on your ability, or disability. You will lean a keen sense of right and wrong and the ability to ignore both. You will learn the fine art of closing your eyes and guessing. You will learn many other things you never thought you could pass off for skills in a career.

And now, thanks to a new program to insure quality by the NFL, your seeing eye dogs, walkers, canes, prosthetics and wheelchairs will be allowed on the field.

What a rewarding career you will have when your performance is no longer judged, reviewed, or held accountable. No longer will you have to worry about job security, a stern superior, peer standards, or inadequacy.

Apply today.

Halfway through the bye. Withdrawal symptoms starting to manifest. Cruising you-tube looking for Steelers clips. Reading every piece of bye fluff offered by the media. My soul is getting beaten to death by ESPN's Favre suck-fest. I don't know if I can take it until Monday next.

It's like the Steelers never beat the Vikings. I don't think the Steelers were mentioned once yesterday. Deanna Favre must be relieved, she never has to give Brett another Hmmmmm ever again, with all the anouncers lined up to do it. Hell, she probably hasn't given him one in ten years.  


Here is the thing about the refs, the NFL doesn't allow negative assesments by the coaches and players. Very Pravda. The refs can make unbelievably bad mistakes and no one is allowed to comment. And those that are (And, I'm not sure they are), the media, don't have the Stones?...Heart?...Interest?...reverance for the game. Something has to be done. I'm going to the NFL.com and register a complaint. Do they know how distasteful it is to have to side with the Ravens, again? What could the ref closest to the play where Mason got held, blatently held, have been doing? Looking at the cheerleaders? And then!!!...After Mason is OFF THE FIELD!!!...That peice of S**t, see nothing ref (The ref across the field started throwing flags for him later in the game because he was still looking at something other than the game), throws a flag for unsportsman-like conduct. Unsportsman-like is the gross incompetence the refs show each and every game. And then!!!...to penalize the team for a player showing right and just frustration with the refs inability to see something in plain daylight, that is his assignment and job to see, is beyond incompetent. It delves into malicious. I have never, ever seen a player flaged for showing frustration once he is off the field. Incomprehendable. That ref should be fired!...I think we all should learn to live with the fact that the refs will not be getting any better any time soon and every game is going to have gross imcompetence on the part of the refs (The danger here is that one day a ref is going to start cheating (Some day?) and no is going to notice), but this incident took it to a new height...GRRrrr...

Has the Curse of The Terrible Towel been lifted? It couldn't be Vince Young? No, it was the Towel. But, the Towel won't get the recognition. Instead, desk jockeying gas bags will say: I told you the Titans should have put Vince Young in a long time ago. Does the owner of the Titans get a free slap on Jeff fisher when he is not expecting it now? Just a quick dash through the locker room - *POW* - and he is out the other door.

Alright, what the hell is up with the Panthers and the Cardianls? Did the Panthers pass the curse of the interceptions back to the Cardinals? Last year, the Cardinals travel to play the Panthers in the playoffs, and hand them the curse. After a dismal season so far this year, the Panthers realize the have the curse (It is found in section 139, section d, under seat 3), and Fed-Ex it to themselves (They didn't want to fly with it) at their hotel in Phoenix, where they return it to the Cardinals with a polite note of: No-thanks. Curt Warner sheepishly accepts it back, prays for forgiveness, and throws five interceptions. I'm starting to believe in this crap, and believing is half the battle (See the movie: The Skeleton Key), LOL.

Only two weeks now and I'm going to go ahead and say it: Alex Smith, come-back player of the year. Although, technically, can he come back to a level he has never been to before? Hmmm...

Michael Crabtree = the real deal. I commented a while back about the stupidity of his decision to hold out, and I still stick by that. But, the guy can play. Look out for next year.

For those of you who live in Pittsburgh, face east. The Eagles tore-up the Giants yesterday. it was a break-even day though, what with the Yankees yanking one out of their...

But seriously, DeShaun Jackson can flat-out fly. He aint very big, but he is oh-so dangerous with a free release. McNabb finally has a receiving core he can work with. Will this be the year the Eagles to get back to the big one?

Well-well, the Cowboys are poised to win the Super Bowl again. Too bad they have to win all those games to get there.

The Steelers get Denver, and the Bengals get Baltimore. Bueno. the Steelers can bring more intensity than the Ravens, just ask them. Josh McDaniels is staring down the second shotgun barel waiting for it to go off. As for the Revens-Bengals game, I enjoy seeing both of them lose. I guess I would have to hope that the Ravens win and that the Steelers jump into first place in the AFC north. Then when the Steelers beat the Bengals, they will be two games up on them. Or, should I be rooting for the Bengals to put the Ravens two games behind the Steelers knowing that the Steelers still have to play the Bengals and can beat them then and take possesion of first place in the devision? It's the lesser of two evils here boys and gurls.

I wonder if the Ravens changed their defensive signals before playing the Broncos? If Josh McDanials came from a cheating program, do we still consider him a cheater? Once a cheater, always a cheater?

Tom Cable, what are your good qualities?

I don't know if I've said this before, but I like to say it: Jamarcus Russell, the most expensive paperweight in history. Are we sure Al Davis is really still alive. Where is Jeff Dunham during Al Davis' press conferences? Al, the dead NFL owner. "I'll sign you!"

Sometimes, when there is nothing to do, like watch the Steelers, on the weekend, I like to play internet chess. If you like chess and can't get people to play with you, go here: http://www.freechess.org/ sign-up and download an interface. I recomend the BabasChess interface. You can play people all over the world. You get rated and everything. If you like chess, try it. Get ready to play some gooood players though.

Hang in there everyone.

Go Steelers.

Maryrose did a great job of counting our blessings for us in his piece today. While always on the nervous side of comfortable with the Steelers, I find that I'm much more relaxed an confident this year. At the bye, I have full confidence in the Steelers and where they will end up at the end of the year.

I have to get this out early: For those of you who have taken note of the fact that the baseball team from accross the state is once again in the World Series, and that the hockey team that shares a city with the Steelers is possibly headed back to the big game, I say this to you about all the possible repeats: SSShhhhhhh...

If you troll the power rankings like I do, you will notice a definate surge in respect for the Steelers. I have seen them as high as four.

Why not? They beat the Vikings, and as much as the media wants to portray that game as a loss by the Vikings and not a win by the Steelers, I say B******T. If it weren't for mistakes by the Steelers, they would have destroyed the Vikings. Four plays: Miller's penalty, Mendanhall's greased hands, Reed's girlscout impression, and Ben's fumble. If Miller doesn't make the penalty, Mendanhall holds on, Reed makes the tackle and Ben converts the third down, the Steelers roll on Minnesota. Unfortunatly, Fox and CBS don't run sports programs every day, so we are stuck with ESPN (I don't have the NFL Network). And, I don't know how a team gets on their favorite list, but if they are, look out (Don't get me started on how bad ESPN is these days).

I heard one of the media's talking bags of gas actually say that the Vikings dominated, out-passing and out-rushing the Steelers. Really? Did that fat bag of guts happen to look at the actual game stats before making this blatantly innacurate satement? No!... Why do I say that? Because, the Steelers out-rushed the Vikings (24 yards). Who was the fat bag of guts? Tom Jackson, ESPN (Okay, I got started).

Man is ESPN bad. I mean, bad! I have watched the fall of a once great network and can only attribute it to two things. ESPN's purchase by ABC and their studios in L.A. Does anyone remember how ESPN used to cover the NFL after the games on Sunday? Every game was highlighted in detail. Now? I only saw highlights for the Steelers-Vikings game and the Saints-Dolphins game (The Saints are another ESPN favorite). You see, I didn't want to watch all the other stuff ESPN wanted to insert in between football highlights, so I would switch back every few minutes. It appears to me, ESPN is using the NFL as the hook to make it's viewers watch all their other crap. If you want to see all the football highlights, you are going to have to sit through baseball, nascar, preseason basketball, the tear-jerker story of the week, half baked opinions, and mistatements by some fat bag of guts. This is where it goes back to L.A. Only some entertainment executive jackass in L.A. could come up with this scenario. These are not the decisions of a sports person.

Back to the game.

What struck me the most was the Vikings lack of a dominant pass rush with their hearalded front four. Did anyone, while thinking that Max was improving, ever think Starks could shut down Jarred Allen? What a great job by him. And, how about the running on the right side? Devistating. Too bad for that fumble by Mendy. No matter how much he protests, it's time to go back to making Mendanhall carry a football everywhere with him. If someone takes it away?...He has to give them a B.J. Seriously. Just one and he never fumbles again, ever.

A lot was said about the Vikings' Winfield being absent for the game. Everyone thought that the Vikings would be vulnerable, but they weren't. It seems that they took a page out of Tomlin's book about expectations being the same. Good for them. Ben still got the sick touchdown pass though. That was a beautuful pass. It looked so effortless.

Well, the defense is back. Troy is the glue that holds them together. The Steelers can lose other players, but not Troy. Keyaron did a fine (Great) job of replacing Timmons. He was a real steal. Thank you Chiefs. Lets not forget the three man effort to replace Aaron Smith. Another, well done. The only negative was how Old-Man-Favre racked up the passing yards. But, that wasn't a surprise. He is still one of the best in the NFL when he is on.

The forth quarter is why I stay home and watch the game by myself. I tend to get a little excited, for a grown man, when things like defensive scores occur. The camera-man shooting Fox's interception added a little mystery by losing the ball. I thought I saw the interception, but then, the camera-man kind of flailed about until Fox re-entered the picture with the squeeler under his arm. At that point, I may have digressed by a muturity facter of 3 or 4 (Using a scale of 1 to 10). 

Even the commentators couldn't fail to mention Pittsburgh's fine blocking for the guy with the ball on both plays. There were a couple of Vikings giving it the good old college try too.

How about the vikings right tackle on the second turnover return. He may look slow compaired to other pro athletes, but he can outrun you and I (Well, most of us) pretty easily. What a great effort on his part. Loadholt, that's his name.

The refs have been mentioned several times. I have finally come to the conclusion that they are not going to get better, ever. We, Steelers fans and Vikings fans alike, are going to have to accept the fact that the refs will always make bad, game-changing calls, every game. Did anyone watch the Monday night debacle? The refs in that game made a 45 yard mistake. 45 yards! Called the penalty on the wrong team! Almost gave the Redskins special teams coach a coronary. He couldn't even calmly point out the mistake. He had to scream like a gut-shot spaniard to finally get the refs to correct their error. As for the ref that got run over in the Steelers game: Several options have been presented to safeguard their health, except the one that makes sense. Why doesn't the NFL replace that slow, crippled ref with the plastic hip and the 120-120 vision with a young, athletic, well trained professional. Problem solved.

I looked at the Saints schedule, I think they have a real shot at going 16-0. No shot at winning the Super bowl because...Well, you know...I don't want to jinx anything.

And what-do-you-know, the Cowboys are a great team again this week. My question, if you are a Cowboys season ticket holder, do you watch the game or the big screen T.V.? Because if the fans are getting a better view of the game on the screen than in the nose bleed section, why don't they just invest in a big screen T.V. and save the money they spend on season tickets? Otherwise they are just going to the game for the crowd. Which I still don't get, because given enough beer and deep fried food, a basement full of psychotic fans can be just as fun, if not more.

Uh-oh, Carson and the mouth are back. Just another reason to want the Bengals to lose: Crazy-boy Johnson should never be given this much attention in the press. What a clown, and not in a good way!

Ravens-Broncos: Who to pick? The only reason to root for the Broncos, besides they are my bosses favorite and she is a total sweetheart, is so the Steelers can knock them off (Oh yeah, the whole division thing too). Two games, two unbeatens beaten. Kind of like '04. Of course, I would like to see that smug little grin wiped of McDanials face whenever it happens. I wonder if he brought cheating to the Broncos from the Hated Patriots. Something to keep an eye on.

Back to this unbeaten thing. You know, if the Broncos, Saints and Colts all continue on the path they are on, the Steelers could be the first team to beat them all. Of course, the Colts and Saints would have to go 16-0 in the regular season for that to happen, but you never know.

I looked through the pictures of the cheerleaders at SI.com today. Clearly, that activity is being run by women who take it way too seriously. Look, the cheerleaders don't have to be good dancers, coordinated, smile all the time, or be particularly dedicated. All they have to be is smoking hot. A lot of these weren't. If they are smoking hot, they can just stand there and they will please the people who come to the game just to see them (Except maybe their parents). Smoking hot and a camel toe.

I may have stepped over the line there. I would like to oppolagize to my female readers, if I have any.

Okay, time for lunch.

Go Steelers.

I love the NFL. What a great turn of events yesterday. The Bengals, Ravens and Browns all lose. The Steelers...A win!

Alas, I didn't get to see the game here in Wyoming. I did watch the Ravens game though. Here is what I saw: I saw a Ravens defense in severe decline. I saw a Ravens quarterback who is on the rise. I saw a forty-year-old man play lights out. I saw a Vikings defense fail to adjust and collapse. I saw good things for the Steelers next week.

The Vikings looked great through three quarters and then decided they needed some excitement and almost (Did) let the Ravens come back and win the game. Really, the Ravens should have won this one. I'm glad they didn't though.

Some things look good for the Steelers. The Ravens were able to gash the Vikings for a lot of yards on the ground, including two long touchdown runs. I don't know if the Steelers offensive line and runners can match that output, but I think they should be able to do enough to keep the Vikings defense honest. The Ravens were able to pass against the Vikings and with the way Rothlesburger is slinging it, the Steelers should be able to produce a good amount of offense. the Steelers have much better receivers than the Ravens. I like the match-up. Was it 2004 that the Steelers, in consecutive weeks, beat the last two undefeted teams in the NFL? I smell the Vikings first loss.

As well, I thought I saw a lot of oppurtunities against the Ravens. Their corners are weak to say the least. Turns out, Ed Reed can't do it all by himself. I think a good passing game beats the Ravens and the Steelers have one. While the Ravens rookie left tackle looks good for a rookie, Jared allen worked him pretty hard yesterday, and I expect Harrison to do the same.  Something that concerned me was how the Ravens defense picked it up in the fourth. I have been of the opinion that teams could wear down the Ravens defense late in the game. I attribute their resurgance to poor play calling by the Vikings (Took their foot off the gas). I hope the Steelers learn from that.  Now that the Ravens are 3-3, they look very beatable for the Steelers. I wish the Steelers played them earlier in the season, like this week.


I'm crossing my fingers now, hoping that the Steelers-Vikings is televised here.

Go here: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/statsTeam to see team stats for the year. Notice the Steelers have the fifth best offense in the NFL this year and the third best defense. If they can clean up the little mistakes, they are the most dangerous team in the NFL, bar none. And, it really is a combination of little mistakes that are killing them this year.

I've been thinking about luck and what role it plays in a teams success since yesterday. At the end of the year, we can look back at the season and see there were some "lucky" things that took place throughout the season, be it lucky bounces, referee calls, or coin flips. So, at the end of the year, one team will have had more good luck than all the others and one worse luck, most will be in the middle somewhere. To say luck plays a role in decicing the outcome of a season is too simple, but to say it doesn't, is also too simple. I for one have to believe that luck can alter the course of a season to some degree. But to what to degree? I'm not talking about the Hated Patriots here, we all know they made their own luck by cheating.

How about those Titans? I think Jeff Fisher has utterly lost that team. They demonstrated a new level of apathy. I thought they invested too much in the idea of Nate Washington being an upgrade for their receiving core, he is still prone to drops, and has had a seemingly bad influence on that teams ability to catch the ball. Unfortunately, a lot of peaple are blaming Collins. What I watched of the game though, showed me a quarterback still able to hit his targets, but those targets forgot to bring their hands to the game. Once that started to happen, the team slid into apathy. Their seems to be no fight left in them. Sad really.

Once again, after playing a really bad opponent, Tom Brady has been proclaimed to be back. I'm taking a wait-and-see attitude here. I think the Hated Patriots are not as good as the media wants them to be. Let's see them play a few more quality opponents before the angels start to sing. I wish the Steelers played them this year.

Thank you Bungles! Good to see them back.

I think people are discounting the New Orleans factor in the Saints win. I used to bartend at the Ritz in Miami. During the NBA season, all the teams stayed there. Every single team would check in and then go out on the town, often stopping at my bar to get started on their way out. Those guys were a lot of fun. The point is, anyone is naive if they think the players roll into town, read their play books and hit the sack early. No, they party in a strange town and have some fun away from home. I think the Giants had a lot of fun in N.O. My theory goes like this, the Giants lack fo pass rush was due to a lack of discresion at the bars on Saturday night. That is the only reason I can think of for the Giants playing that bad on defense. This leads to another theory: The offense and the defense don't party together. Just a Theory.

I have to say, I really suck at picking games. I got five right yesterday. Wow, that is incredibly bad. I do a pigskin pool at USA.com and I'm currently ranked 6939th. Sure, I tried a couple of long shots, the Titans and the Bucs, but what happened to the Eagles? No, I want to know. Granted, I don't put much time into picking, but I am really bad. Whew, good thing I never developed the habit of betting.

Thanks to those of you who gave me advice on how to handle my first Terrible Towel. I ended up putting it on the head rest of my chair for the game. Seems to have worked so far. Then I folded it and put it back on the footboard of my bed.

Now it's not funny anymore. Please Lendale, appologize to the towel.

Since I did so poorley picking the nwinners of games this week, I will refrain from picking the winner of the Denver-San Diego game. Instead, I will say I think the Broncos are going to lose. I know that is a bold statement when you consider that Norv Turner is the coach of the Bolts. Please give me number six Norv.

Mechem reviewed the refs, and a good review it was for the Steelers game. I was going to comment in his fanpost, but I didn't want to get started. I could go for twenty-five, thirty thousand words, easy. I will leave it at this: the NFL (and college) refs are really bad. I can only say I'm just glad that the the NFL is reaching out to the community in a posative way by hiring the mentally and visually challanged. Really nice work Mr. Goodell.

 Last week I mentioned CBS' ability to cram in the maximum number of commercials allowable by the laws of time and science. After watching CBS again this week, I have come up with a new term: "Commercial Hit". That is when a player gets hard enough for him to stay down and allow CBS to go to yet another commercial. When a player gets hit really hard most of us say ooooh, or aaah. The guys in the CBS van all yell "Commercial" in unison.

Well, that's really about it. Thanks for hanging in there.

Go Steelers!