Behind the Steel Curtain

Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) @ Kansas City Chiefs (2-7) - Getting To Know Pittsburgh's 10

2009-11-20T12:55:34Z

It's been a few weeks since we had a little Q&A with the SBN blog of the Pittsburgh Steelers upcoming opponent. Let's get back to it with a few questions from me for Arrowhead Pride, an immensely fast paced and popular blog. Considering just how sorry the Chiefs have been the past two years, it's remarkable just how vibrant and heavily populated a site Chris Thorman and his brother Joel (who I exchanged these questions with) have built. My questions to Joel's answers should be up on AP at some point soon. - Blitz -

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BTSC: Matt Cassell hasn't quite played like a quarterback worthy of the big free agent contract he got this offseason. Tell us a bit about how he's played and what Chiefs fans think his potential is as the rest of the roster on offense improves moving forward.

Arrowhead Pride: Cassel's hasn't played the best season in '09 but I think to a degree that was expected. There was no way he was going to match the numbers he put up in New England so I think that was an unrealistic expectation. The fact that he hasn't imploded in a situation with so many things going against him is impressive. He's not putting up the numbers yet but when the rest of the offense catches up to him he should play well.

BTSC: The Chiefs are 1-0 without Larry Johnson. Granted it was a win over the Raiders, but sometime the old adage 'addition by subtraction' is oh so true. Are the Chiefs better off without LJ from a 'chemistry' standpoint. Perhaps more importantly, might the Chiefs be better offensively without LJ? I wrote recently that I thought the Redskins would be better without Clinton Portis - the reasoning being that their offense is designed aournd him to be a workhorse; and he's just not capable of shouldering that load anymore. My initial hunch is that the Chiefs might be the same way. Thoughts?

Arrowhead Pride: I think you're onto something. While I'm not sure how much the chemistry is or isn't affected, I do think the Chiefs are a better offense without LJ.His biggest strength was wearing down defenses by running the ball between the tackles for 20+ times a game. The Chiefs simply do not have the personnel to do that. His absence is making the Chiefs look elsewhere for ball carriers. Last week Jamaal Charles went for over 100 yards for the second time in his career so I'd say they're off to a good start.

BTSC: Talk to us about your new head coach Todd Haley. Multiple national writers have commented on his propensity to lose his cool on the sidelines during games. We learned about Haley and his father during the lead up to the Super Bowl last year and how he's been a temperamental guy dating all the way back to his youth. What are your thoughts on Haley as a leader of men? We know he's had ample success designing and coordinating offenses, but obviously being a head coach in the NFL requires more than just scheming.

Arrowhead Pride: Personally, this topic is a little overblown to me. His personality doesn't bother me a whole lot one way or the other. If we're losing, then Todd Haley is a jerk who screams a lot. If we're winning, he's Bill Cowher.

BTSC: How is Kansas City's rush defense? Have their first round draft picks from the past two years - Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson - shown anything this year that gives fans reason to believe their defense will be improved moving forward?

Arrowhead Pride: Statistically the Chiefs rush defense is about the same as last year but if you've watched them you can tell they're better. Glenn Dorsey is coming along. He's probably not the multiple Pro Bowler many of us thought he would be when he was drafted into a 4-3 scheme, but I'm content with his progress. Tyson Jackson is haven't a huge season but defensive linemen take a little while to develop and I trust Scott Pioli's drafting prowess when it comes to 3-4 defensive ends. I think both ends will turn out just fine.

BTSC: The Steelers have been atrocious covering kick returns this year. Who is the Chiefs KR and how has he fared this year?

Arrowhead Pride: You're terrible at covering kick returns? Consider this game a confidence booster. The Chiefs have really struggled in the return game this year. It seems like every week another combination of guys is trotted out there and the results are the same. The Chiefs return game isn't something you should be worrying about.

Week 11 NFL Picks

2009-11-20T05:42:29Z

We've got some more Pittsburgh Steelers/Kansas City Chiefs content coming before their Sunday matchup at Arrowhead Field, but on to my weekly picks. Been doing so well I figured I'd continue on.

Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) @ Kansas City Chiefs

This would be a signature win for the new Todd Haley regime, but I don't see it happening. In fact, I like the Steelers to come out angry and play a ferocious and clean game on both sides of the ball. Here's to hoping special teams holds up their end of the bargain. I like Pittsburgh to win big.

Cleveland Browns (1-8) @ Detroit Lions (1-8)

I actually like the Browns to get a rare victory this coming weekend. Terrible football game, but in my opinion, a pretty good value bet on the money line. I'll take Cleveland.

Buffalo Bills (3-6) @ Jacksonville Jaguars

The Bills will be playing without recently fired head coach Dick Jauron. Will they rally around their new interim leader, Perry Fewell? Because Fewell is playing with the interim tag, I imagine that he might take a few more chances in an attempt to secure the job long term. Problem is, the quarterback play in Buffalo just isn't good enough to get much done in this league. I like Jacksonville to continue positioning themselves for a potential Wild Card berth. I'll take Jacksonville to win but not cover the 9.5 points.

Indianapolis Colts (9-0) @ Baltimore Ravens (5-4)

I find this line pretty interesting. The Ravens are favored by 1.5 points against the Colts. Why? I'm not sure. We'll learn a lot about the Ravens this next two weeks. I didn't think they were a playoff team before the start of the year, and I've seen nothing to date that makes me inclined to change my mind. That could all change though with a W over the Colts and or the Steelers. I think they'll be back at .500 though when they host Pittsburgh next Sunday night. I'll take the Colts.

Atlanta Falcons (5-4) @ New York Giants (5-4)

Given the way the NFC is shaking out...i.e. becoming one giant log jam...I don't think you can call this game a 'must win' for either team. But it's sure an important game, particularly for Atlanta. Why more so than the Giants? Well, the Falcons are out of contention for the NFC South meaning they're playing for a Wild Card berth at best. The Giants meanwhile remain very much in the NFC East race thanks to Philadelphia stumbling the past two weeks and the Cowboys falling flat on their faces at Lambeau Field last Sunday. I wasn't very high on Matt Ryan when he came out of Boston College. He sure proved me wrong last year as a rookie. But he's had a sophomore slump and has now thrown more interceptions this year (12) than he did all of last season (11). He'll have to raise his game beginning this week if the Falcons hope to stay above water. Star running back Michael Turner is questionable at best for Sunday with an ankle injury. I like the Giants to snap their 4 game skid and get back in the playoff picture in the NFC.

San Francisco 49ers (4-5) @ Green Bay Packers (5-4)

The Packers defense had quite an impressive performance last Sunday holding Tony Romo and the sometimes dangerous Cowboys offense to just a meaningless touchdown late in the game. How in God's name is the 49ers offense going to muster anything against them on the road? If Aaron Rodgers can get rid of the ball for once and avoid a costly turnover against the 49ers aggressive defense, I like the Packers to win, cover the 7 points, and stay right in the hunt for a Wild Card berth in the NFC.

Seattle Seahawks (3-6) @ Minnesota Vikings (8-1)

I think the 11 point line is far too high for this one. Something tells me Seattle keeps it close. They're not an awful 3-6 team and I think they might force Brett Favre in to a rare turnover for him this year. In fact, as I think about this one a little bit more, I'll go ahead and take Seattle here in a stunner.

Washington Redskins (3-6) @ Dallas Cowboys (5-4)

If this one were at FedEx rather than at Jerry World, I might feel real good about calling an upset 'lock'. I'm still tempted to take Washington here - they've won 5 of the past 8 against Dallas and just always seem to play them extremely tough. I suppose I'll take Dallas to win but there's no way I thin they cover that 11 points.

New Orleans Saints (9-0) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-8)

Let the high lines this week continue. The Saints are favored by 11 on the road against one of their divisional rivals from recent years. Drew Brees has never played very well in Tampa Bay for starters, and Josh Freeman and the Bucs continue to play an entertaining and competitive brand of football. Problem for bettors that think that line is too high considering how New Orleans has struggled recently - that's exactly it - New Orleans will be sufficiently interested in putting a complete game together for the first time since they waxed the Giants over a month ago. I like New Orleans by two scores.

Arizona Cardinals (6-3) @ St. Louis Rams (1-8)

Sheesh, tough week to pick games. On the one hand you look at this game and say, 'St. Louis is awful. Cards big.' On the other, you have to be impressed with how hard Steve Spagnola's guys are playing for him even as the losses pile up. The Cardinals are less schizophrenic than they have been in the past, but they've played awfully well the past two weeks. Is it time for a letdown game on the road against the hard running Steven Jackson? Part of me says yes, but I just don't know if the Rams have enough talent on defense to keep the Cardinals in check. I'll reluctantly take Arizona to win, but not cover.

New York Jets (4-5) @ New England Patriots (6-3)

I know it's a rivalry game and the Jets season is hanging in the balance, but the Patriots are likely to come out firing following the debacle last Sunday night against Indy. I'll take New England in a route.

Cincinnati Bengals (7-2) at Oakland Raiders (2-7)

Oakland is the trendy pick of the week around the country. Why? Who freakin' knows. Somebody needs to remind folks who think there's going to be an upset this week that Bruce Gradkowski is starting at quarterback for Oakland. He may be an upgrade over JaMarcus Russell, but that's not saying much at all. There is no way Oakland wins this game, even if Cincinnati does come out a little bit flat. I'll take Cincinnati without hesitation.

San Diego Chargers (6-3) @ Denver Broncos (6-3)

You all know by now how I feel about the Broncos. San Diego meanwhile is rounding in to form on offense. Their defense still leaves plenty to be desired, but Denver doesn't have the artillery on offense - regardless of who's playing quarterback - to exploit them. All San Diego needs to do is protect the quarterback better than they did in the first meeting and keep Eddie Royal in check on special teams and they'll have stormed all the way back from 3.5 down in the AFC West to grab 1st place with 6 games to go. One of my locks of the week: San Diego

Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) @ Chicago Bears (4-5)

Who knows what we'll see in this one. I do have a question for you though: why do the Bears have so many games in primetime this year? They've been close to unwatchable for a few years now. There's nothing entertaining about them - not their defense, offense, and Devin Hestor returning kicks and punts is beyond old news. Anyway, I guess I'll take Philadelphia here.

Tennessee Titans (3-6) @ Houston Texans (5-4)

The Texans were one of the better teams at home in 2008, but they've actually been better away from Reliant Stadium in 2009. The Titans meanwhile enter the contest with a full head of steam and confidence after their just disastrous start to the season. Vince Young has yet to lose to his hometown team. He's 3-0 and played very well against the team that passed on him in the 2007 draft. Chris Johnson continues to make jaws drop with his amazing combination of speed and balance. He's surpassed the 100 yard plateau in his past four games and continues to make his way towards a possible 2,000 yard season. The Texans should be able to exploit the Titans secondary a bit, but I think Tennessee makes just enough plays on that side of the ball to hand the Texans a brutal home loss.

A Reason For Every Super Bowl Championship Why Steelers Fans Should Relax

2009-11-19T05:47:51Z

More photos » by Gene Puskar - AP

Big Ben and the Steelers were tripped up by the Bengals, but don't give up hope just yet. Plenty of football left to be played.

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This isn't really a state of the union type post, just several reasons why I feel pretty darn good about the Pittsburgh Steelers and their chances at at least returning to the AFC Championship game this year. Do I believe this year's team is as good as last year's? I think they can be. They're just not there yet. And of course, a rash of injuries in the next 6 weeks could derail the team's chances of even making the playoffs, let alone making a return trip to the Super Bowl. Assuming though that the Steelers don't lose multiple players of Harrison, Ward, Big Ben or Polamalu's caliber, I like their chances just fine of playing playoff football games in January. Here's six reasons, one for every Lombardi Trophy resting in the organization's trophy case.

1) The defense is rounding in to form and should continue to do so. The Steelers shot themselves in the foot at the end of last Sunday's loss against the Bengals - James Harrison's penalty immediately comes to mind; the inability to bring down Bernard Scott on first contact hurt too. We're not used to seeing the Steelers have opposing teams close out games against them with the running game. Cincinnati didn't exactly do that like we did to Denver the previous Monday, but they certainly increased their chances of holding on to the slim lead by gobbling up some clock and forcing the Steelers to score a TD to win rather than just get a FG to tie.

Anyway, the defense still played very, very well for much of the game. Now if the special teams wouldn't stop handing away points, and if the offense would just get back to executing in the red zone like they were to start the year.

Here's the defense's number through 10 games (league rankings in parenthesis)

Points per game (team total): 17.4 (6th)

Points per game (defense only): 12.7 (1st)

Yards per game: 277.4 (2nd)

Rushing Yards/G: 69.3 (1st)

Passing Yards/G: 208.1 (12th)

3rd Down %: 41 % (24th)

Sacks: 25 (t-4th)

Interceptions: 8 (t-16th)

Forced Fumbles: 8 (t-18th)

Fumbles Recovered: 5 (t-20th)

Those passing numbers aren't too shabby when you consider how infrequently teams try to run the ball against Pittsburgh. There's also the undeniable fact that the Steelers have only trailed for a very small block of time in any game this season. Re-read that sentence again by the way if you count yourself in the camp that thinks this team is fatally flawed. The Steelers have yet to look outclassed once this season and really have only themselves to blame for any of their losses except arguably this past Sunday's game against the Bengals. William Gay had his best game as a professional last week too, which for me, was an unbelievably important development for this secondary if that trend continues. I was hesitant to claim that I thought this defense could be championship caliber earlier in the season. The primary reason was I thought William Gay's weakness (compared to the rest of the defense) would allow teams to systematically break down the defense as a whole by picking on him early and often. Since halftime of the Denver game, William Gay hasn't looked like a weak link or the type of player that opposing offenses will be able to go after time and again. Let's hope at least.

The bottom line to me is that I can not think of any other defense in the AFC that I believe is better than the Steelers. The Bengals? No. I give immense credit to Mike Zimmer and the job he has done with that defense in two short years. I just think the Bengals matchup extremely well with the Steelers. I'm not so sure I feel the same way about them lined up against New England, San Diego or Indianapolis. We'll see. Other than that, who else scares you defensively amongst the AFC contenders? Baltimore? We'll see in two weeks. Indy? Not really, though they can be tough when healthy. New England? Meh, not really. I like Pittsburgh's chances over any team in the conference in a defensive slugfest. And if we can avoid the injury bug and get Polamalu back healthy sooner rather than later, get better play out of Lawrence Timmons and Deshea Townsend, and I think we'll continue to see them round in to form at just the right time.

2) Special Teams play is really hurting the team. They're dead last in kickoff return coverage by Football Outsiders metrics and it's scary by how much. I do not at all think it's unrealistic to say that this can and will improve for the rest of the season. We're not talking about expecting a team like the Raiders to suddenly develop a potent passing attack. We're merely talking about paid professionals being more disciplined, more determined and more willing to bang heads in a very straight forward, uncomplicated way

If you read Malcolm Gladwell's recent New Yorker article about football and dogfighting, you may have picked up on the commentary about special teams being the most violent and dangerous aspect of football. A disproportionate number of injuries occur on special teams - and on kickoffs in particular. There's technique involved in consistently covering kickoffs, but there's not that much. It's more about pride, mental discipline, and perhaps most importantly, a willingness to maniacly fly down the field at full speed, eager to put a hat on somebody at any cost. As Mike Tomlin has said on more than one occasion, the most violent team will win. Right now, we're the least violent and physical team in the most violent department in football. We can and will change that, and I think datruth hit the nail on the head by pinpointing Donovan Woods as the guy who could help change all that beginning Sunday. Improvement in this one small aspect of the game could subtly take pressure off both the offense and the defense. Frankly, I think it would help Bruce Arians call more coherent game plans if the team wasn't giving away points on special teams and keeping games closer than they might otherwise be. Translation - leads = more running, more opportunistic play-action passing, (hopefully) more cautious decision making from Big Ben with the football.

3) Ben Roethlisberger is our quarterback. I know he's coming off a subpar game last Sunday, but let's not let one game taint our view of his season to date. He's made very nice strides this year and is every bit the franchise quarterback he's paid to be. There's only a handful of those types of signal callers in this league. We have one of them. Don't underestimate the importance of that come December and January when the stakes are raised. Big Ben helped pull victory from the jaws of defeat numerous times last year after playing poorly for much of the game prior to his heroics. It didn't work out for him and the offense in the final drive last week, but Big Ben's resume in the clutch more than speaks for itself.

4) Turnovers. We're due for more than we've created through 9 games. Credit opposing teams for protecting the football, but a defense this physical and talented is going to force more turnovers than they have to start the year. We all know Ike Taylor doesn't possess the best set of hands in the league. But other guys are missing out on picks as well. Ryan Clark missed an easy pick last Sunday. William Gay missed out on one two weeks ago because Troy Polamalu crashed in to him unnecessarily. Let's make a few of those plays and have a forced fumble or two bounce our way (last year we recovered 75% of our forced fumbles; this year only 62.5%). A few more turnovers could lead to some cheaper offensive points throughout ball games, which in turn might actually lead to Bruce Arians utilizing our promising but underutilized running game.

5) The schedule is lining up fairly nicely. Now, the Steelers are the defending champs. It's about them executing to their fullest potential. If they do, they're going to win lots of games, regardless of who they're playing. But let's take a look at how the schedule lines up. You know the games by now - all games are very winnable. That's not the point - instead take a look at how the days of the week their remaining games fall on.

Week 11 @ KC (Sunday)

Week 12 @ Baltimore (Sunday night)

Week 13 vs. Oakland (Sunday)

Week 14 @ Cleveland (Thursday night)

Week 15 vs. Green Bay (Sunday night)

Week 16 vs. Baltimore (Sunday)

Week 17 @ Miami (Sunday)

What's the big deal you say? Well, that 10 day break in between Week 14 and Week 15 will be huge. It's never easy to prepare for a Thursday game following a game the previous Sunday, but look at our opponents. First, the Raiders at home, followed by a trip to Cleveland to take on the Browns. I hate to get ahead of myself, but let's be real - the Steelers should and will win those games. After that tough stretch, they get 10 days to heal up while the rest of the league plays on each week. Don't think it matters? Last year, the Steelers had a similar situation when they traveled to Cincinnati for a Thursday night game following the important victory over San Diego. They looked only so-so against the Bengals, but won, then had 10 days off before traveling to New England. They looked outstanding against the Patriots - fresher and more physical than they had looked in weeks. Their play then carried over the following two weeks when they survived defensive slugfests with Dallas and Baltimore. My hope is the Steelers survive these next four games with no worse than three wins, then close out the schedule with victories in their final three games following a week and a half of rest. So just remember Steelers fans, even if Pittsburgh loses in two weeks to Baltimore, stay way, way way away from the ledge. At least until the two teams meet again in Week 16. 12-4 is a very distinct possibility, even if they were to trip up on the road two Sundays from now.

I'm not one to put too much emphasis on these kinds of things, but it definitely matters in this league. Ideally, you don't want the toughest, most physical games on your schedule to be piled up together. It matters. And our remaining games are certainly spread out nicely in terms of travel, opponents and the brand of football that each opponent brings to the table.

6) To conclude, I honestly believe that the loss to the Bengals came at just the right time for this year's team. It's neither too late in the year to panic nor too early for the coaching staff to feel a sense of urgency to get some of the more glaring problems resolved immediately. We already saw Mike Tomlin make a personnel move this week for special teams purposes; now we need to see Bruce Arians and Ben Roethlisberger make some slight adjustments. Big Ben is really hurting this team with his sacks. The easy retort is: 'but that's what he does, you have to live with the bad so that Ben can be Ben.' Hogwash. That's not what great quarterbacks do. To be clear, that's not what great quarterbacks rely on. It's a luxury that he has at his disposal for certain situations. But lately, Big Ben is expecting to break every would be sack. He knows that's his M.O. and he thinks he's capable of pulling it off each and every time he's under pressure. Not smart. Is it just me, or has Ben really not made that many guys miss this year after first contact. The Vikings in particular did a fantastic job bringing him down. He's had some nice plays, but he's hurting the team with his unwillingness to throw the ball away more frequently.

Arians meanwhile needs to assume that the offensive line isn't going to give Ben all day like they have during many of our games this year. The result of our early success was franchise records by Ben and the offense for passing yardage and points scored. I think it's also led to a false sense of security about how good the line really is. I think all that early success throwing the football has made Bruce and Ben a bit greedy as well. It's good to be confident. Now it's time to be a bit smarter. More quick-hitting passes, more creative screens, more utilizing Rashard Mendenhall's abilities as a pass catcher. Arians should watch New Orleans to see how those swing passes to Reggie Bush make it dangerous and tough to blitz too recklessly against the Saints.

Anyway, the margin for error is now smaller for the offense than it was last year. The defense is not quite as dominant; special teams are now a liability rather than strong suit; and we're playing from behind in the standings rather than as front runners. With the loss to the Bengals on Sunday - a game in which the offensive line looked legitimately overwhelmed for the first time all season - the offense needs to take a step back and rethink its strategy and identity for the remainder of the season.

Don't Come Around Here No More, Phil Simms

2009-11-18T22:37:49Z

I know I'm not alone on this one, but it dawned on me that the Pittsburgh Steelers never seem to play well when CBS sends its top commentating team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms to call Pittsburgh's games. So just for kicks, I went about checking the NFL TV Distribution Maps from the past three years to see just how well or poorly the Steelers have fared with Simms on the call during the Mike Tomlin era. It's not pretty (playoffs not included).

Week 3, 2009: Pittsburgh at Cincinnati - Loss

Week 11, 2009: Cincinnati at Pittsburgh - Loss

Week 10, 2008: Indianapolis at Pittsburgh - Loss

Week 11, 2008: San Diego at Pittsburgh - Win

Week 15, 2008: Pittsburgh at Baltimore - Win

Week 16, 2008: Pittsburgh at Tennessee - Loss

Week 10, 2007: Cleveland at Pittsburgh - Win

Week 1, 2007: Pittsburgh at New York Jets - Loss

Week 14, 2007: Pittsburgh at New England - Loss

Week 17, 2007: Pittsburgh at Baltimore - Loss

3-7! No good. Heck, they've only lost 13 games in the past three season.

Go away Mr. Simms! And Jim, stick to the Masters and March Madness and we'll have no issues. Capiche? Cool.

BTSC Comcast Weekly Redzone Update - Week 10 Edition

2009-11-18T20:56:48Z

More photos » by Keith Srakocic - AP

The two 'stars' of Sunday's game.

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On to our weekly red zone update post. Many thanks to Comcast for sponsoring BTSC and the other SBN football blogs this season. Their Red Zone Channel continues to received rave reviews so if you find yourself frustrated watching out of market games and are missing more football than you should each week, check out the channel and consider at least catching each and every play league wide inside the 20 yard line.

On to the numbers.

Week 10 Red Zone Efficiency

4 trips, 4 FGs

2009 Cumulative Red Zone Efficiency:

31 Trips; 15 TDs; 13 FGs; 1 missed FG, 2 turnoves - 48.3 % TD efficiency (-7.3%) 90.3 % scoring efficiency (+1.4%)

The Steelers performance in the red zone was devastating on Sunday. Even one successful trip inside the Bengals 20 and Pittsburgh likely wins and captures first place atop the AFC North. Their struggles continued though and now Bruce Arians must go back to the drawing board and rethink his play-calling strategy in the area of the field where the windows are smaller to throw the ball. Ben's touchdown throw to Hines Ward against the Broncos was a thing of beauty, but even it required perfect execution to avoid being deflected by a Broncos defender. Not sure what the answer is but the Steelers better get it figured out sooner rather than later. Despite the issues though punching it in to the endzone, Steelers fans can at least feel good about Jeff Reed's kicking this past month and a half after his struggles earlier in the year.

BTSC Mid-Week News and Notes

2009-11-18T20:16:09Z

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

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Happy Wednesday all. Sorry for my absence - been dealing with the same frustrating computer problems. Not good. I'm up and running though so let's get to some news and notes about the Pittsburgh Steelers as we loom closer to Sunday's important game with the lowly Kansas City Chiefs.

* First things first - the first action by Coach Tomlin to try to fix the team's special teams. Longtime reserve linebacker and special teams mainstay Arnold Harrison was released on Monday. Taking his place will be 2008 undrafted rookie linebacker Donovan Woods, who was brought up from the practice squad. Our own datruth4life was on this one following the Steelers defeat on Sunday. He mentioned that Woods willingness to go head hunting on special teams will hopefully rub off on Patrick Bailey - an undrafted free agent from last year as well that's not been nearly as good in year two as he was last season.

* The Kansas City Chiefs got a break out performance of sorts on Sunday from their second year speed merchant running back, Jamal Charles. The former Texas Longhorns star and collegiate sprint champion rushed for 100+ yards and 1 TD in KC's 16-10 victory over the Raiders. I thought that the Redskins would be better off without Clinton Portis for the time being; I think the same could be said of the Chiefs, who I think are now more explosive offensively with Charles than they were with Larry Johnson. Here's an article about Charles and how he will be a marked man by the Steelers defense on Sunday (scroll down to where it says BullsEye).

* Here's one more reason Jamal Charles will need to have a big game if the Chiefs hope to win at home against the defending champs: their top WR Dwayne Bowe has been suspended by the NFL for four games for testing positive for a performance enhancing substance. Arrowhead Pride, SBN's outstanding Chiefs blog, has the story.

* Safety Troy Polamlau is officially listed as questionable for Suday's game. Hmmm. I suppose that's great news - for a moment there I was convinced he was going to be out for quite some time, potentially even the whole year. I guess not. Whew. Polamalu has a mild PCL strain. The good news is that this is not related to the MCL injury he suffered earlier in the year. Thought he's listed as 'questionable', I sure hope he doesn't play this weekend and instead rests up for the following weekend when Pittsburgh travels to Baltimore. Frankly I don't think there's much of a chance he will play.

* I sure hope there aren't too many parallels between this season and the 2006 campaign, but remember the last time we played the Chiefs? We were in a much bigger hole than we are now, that's for sure. But the Steelers could stand to have a performance like the one they turned in that day three years ago.

* Football Outsiders has the Steelers ranked 31st in aggregate special teams play through 10 weeks. The worst of the four components? Obviously kick return coverage, where the Steelers rank dead last by quite a bit.

* Dale Lolley notes that Mike Tomlin has said that Travis Kirschke and Carey Davis will both practice today. Both have missed the past two games with injuries.

* And finally, Jim Wexell notes that the defense played pretty darn well in defeat on Sunday. In fact, as his article states to begin:

The last time the Steelers lost to a team that had fewer than 14 first downs, 218 total yards and didn’t score an offensive touchdown was in Oakland during the 2006 season

BTSC Steelers Daily Six Pack- It's Not Over Yet Edition

2009-11-17T22:57:53Z

IX-Troy Polamalu could miss as much as three weeks after tweaking his knee early during Sunday's game. The following article touches on a few other subject besides Troy's injury including some excellent criticism of Carson Palmer's statements after the game. The article also sheds a light on how frustrated the Steelers defensive players are with the consistently poor play of the Special Teams unit. Has anyone else noticed that the further along in Mike Tomlin's tenure the Steelers get the more consistent the verbiage and message from the players has become? It seems clear to me that the players are starting to sound alike and are takeing on the attitude of their coach more and more.

X-You think losing to the Bengals and Bears is rough for a Steeler fan? That's nothing compared to what Zack Heddinger, a Steeler fan, went through after the Steelers loss to the Bears on September 20th. Heddinger was rushed to the hospital after he was poisoned by a Bears fan that his friends had gotten into an argument with earlier at a bar. Heddinger claims the Bears fan offered him a drink as a peace offering and the drink had been poisoned with either anti-freeze or a toxic grain alcohol. The victim has lost his vision and is living with Brain damage now, but hopes to return back to work eventually. Note to Steelers fans; do not argue with Bears fans at a bar.

XIII-Ed Bouchette ended his chat today with the statement below that left me laughing, especially given that the questions in Bouchette's chat were very similar to the gripes heard around BTSC and other Steelers blogs I've seen:

Thanks, all. I think you came out flat today, though. Either that or it was fatigue or the fact I gave you all the previous week off. Please, between now and next Tuesday, practice your questions.

XIV-The lowly Kansas City Chiefs will be without second year receiver Dwayne Bowe this Sunday along with the next three games after the NFL announced he will receive a four game suspension for violating the leagues substance abuse policies. Our friends over at Arrowhead Pride are relaying the message from Adam Schefter that Bowe took a diuretic and he will not appeal the fine. Bowe seems to be a tremendous talent that has so far been unable to put together any consistency at the NFL level. Let's take our mind off the Steelers problems for a bit, take a deep breathe, and realize it could be much worse, especially if you were a Chiefs fan.

XL-Plain and simple Mike Tomlin has a way with words. The message in the statement below to Stefan Logan from his Tuesday press conference is clear. "Shut your mouth and do your job"

Q: Stefan Logan said someone has left a lane on each touchdown, but that on returns we never seem to get guys out of their lanes. Is there a way you can coax them out of their lanes?

A: That’s the perspective of a kick returner who hasn’t run one back yet, so that perspective may not be reality.

XLIII- Those of you who don't know much about Bernard Scott, the Bengal who ran back the only touchdown scored in Sunday's game might be interested to read a bit about him from CBS sportsline. The Bengals have taken a lot of chances on players with troubled pasts including Tank Johnson, Chris Henry, and now Larry Johnson to name a few. The Bengals have found some chemistry this season due to their success on the field, I am very curious though to see what happens when the AFC North front-runners hit a patch of adversity.

Arnold Harrison Released; Donovan Woods Promoted From Practice Squad

2009-11-17T18:17:36Z

Arnold Harrison Released; Donovan Woods Promoted From Practice Squad

Back-Up Linebacker Arnold Harrison was released today and Donovan Woods was promoted from the practice squad. This is the first move in Coach Tomlin's efforts to try and improve the Steelers' lackluster special teams play.

BTSC Weekly NFL Musings - Week 10 Edition

2009-11-17T10:36:29Z

* The Indianpolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints keep their perfect records in tact. Both improved to 9-0 on Sunday. Neither win came easy. We all know what happened during the Colts-Patriots game. I prefer not to discuss it, but by all means debate Bill Belichick's decision to go for it on 4th and 3 from inside his own 30 yard line with ~2:00 remaining and the Pats up 6. I'll jump in the comments perhaps with my take. But I'd rather save my breathe and time for now leaving it at that. As for the Saints? Another unimpressive win. But a road win's a road win and sometimes the stars just seem to align nicely for sports clubs some years. This might be that kind of year for the Saints.

* Have fans and media members seen enough of the Denver Broncos to now join me in not at all believing in the them as legit contenders this year? Their roster isn't equipped to handle a physical 16 game grind. It's not that far off, but they aren't there yet and that will continue to become more and more evident as the season heads towards the home stretch. I was supremely confident the Broncos would lose to the Redskins on Sunday and advised my gambling prone friends to put huge wagers on the 'Skins straight up. Got plenty of 'thank you' phone calls last night. The Broncos lost for the second consecutive week thanks to inopportune turnovers and feeble rush defense. Here was my rationale for the pick, which won friends across the country lots of moola:

Pride is on the line for Washington, but more importantly, I'll think they'll benefit from not having Clinton Portis available. The Pro Bowl running back suffered a concussion last weekend, but he really was never in top form this year and Washington's offense has essentially been designed around him being a healthy workhorse. With him out, I think Washington will have a better game offensively than people are expecting.

Ladell Betts sure did look better than Portis has. The short but powerful back ran for 114 yards while Jason Campbell threw for just under two bills and didn't turn the ball over. As crazy as it is to fathom, Washington could keep their playoff chances alive with a win against the front running Dallas Cowboys next weekend.

Denver meanwhile will fall out of first place this coming weekend when they take on the San Diego Chargers at home. The Chargers are hot; the Broncos are not. As we discussed during Broncos week here on BTSC, Denver is a piece or two or three short from being physical and deep enough a roster to hold up over the course of a grueling 16 game NFL season.

* I wonder if Jeff Fisher is regretting not putting Vince Young in several weeks earlier. The Titans have won three in a row since Young was inserted in to the lineup. On Sunday, just as I suspected, the Titans ran all over Buffalo in their 41-17 victory. Chris Johnson ran for 132 yards while Vince Young ran for 32 yards and passed for 210 yards and 1 TD to former Steeler Nate Washington. Even if Tennessee were to win out, it still probably wouldn't be enough due to the fact that their first six defeats all came at the hands of AFC opponents. Anyway, good job in Nashville getting things turned around.

* I wrote a few weeks ago that Carolina was probably the best value bet as a major long shot to win the Super Bowl. They were 3-5 at the time and 150:1 underdogs to hoist the Lombardi Trophy come February. By beating divisional rival Atlanta on Sunday, the Panthers got themselves right back in the thick of things in the muddled NFC Wild Card picture. Next week's game against the Miami Dolphins is pretty much a 'do or die' situation for both teams. One team will have their dreams still in tact heading in to Week 12. My hunch is that team will be Carolina. A very nice 28-19 victory over the Falcons and to the delight of Carolina fans, the second turnover free game of Jake Delhomme's 2009 season.

* The Lions lose again. Shocking. Not to sound like a broken record, but I still don't think Matthew Stafford should be playing this year. To Jim Schwartz's credit, he's stuck with him despite the struggles and Stafford will be better for it. He certainly didn't play poorly on Sunday (0 INTs on 51 passing attempts). But even though he might be making small but important strides this year, I'll offer up a different reason this time as to why he shouldn't be playing any more now that he's gotten some invaluable experience without totally ruining his psyche: his offensive line is so bad that the organization is only risking him getting battered and bruised unnecessarily. I like the fact that he's gotten some snaps this year. He's learned some things, had a few moments, and will benefit somehow, someway in the future from the experience he's culled this year. But he's getting sacked an awful lot for no good reason at this point. He's been sacked 7 times in his past three games and been hit on myriad other plays. Time to shut it down soon and get a little bit of 'value' out of your investment in Daunte Culpepper. It won't happen, but in my humble unimportant opinion, it should no later than two weeks from now when the Lions travel to play Cincy and Baltimore in consecutive weeks. Both will be clawing for playoff positioning and eager to beat up on the overwhelmed, poorly protected, rookie quarterback.

* Most important win of the week #1: Cincinnati 18, Pittsburgh 12

Bah. Bigtime win for the Bengals. They're in complete control of their own destiny in the AFC North. They're also in great shape to get a first round bye and a home game in the Divisional Round of the playoffs if they can sustain their level of play and win 5 of their next 7. We'll see if they're up to the test. I don't like the Larry Johnson signing one bit. Why? Well he's been signed to be their stop plug while Cedric Benson heals up. But take a listen to this LJ interview on the Dan Patrick Show last week when Johnson had yet to find a new team following his release from the Chiefs. Does he sound like a remorseful guy? Hmm. Not to me. If you ask me, Cedric Benson is one of the core guys that constitutes the heart and soul of this new look Bengals squad. And oh yeah, Benson's backup - that Bernard Scott guy - he's pretty good. He not only took a kick return the distance for the game's lone touchdown. He also was the main reason why the Steelers were forced to score a TD to win with not much time left on the clock. Without his shifty tough running and extra yardage after first contact, Big Ben and the Steelers might get the ball back with closer to 3 or 4 minutes and only needing a FG to tie it up.

* Most important win of the week #2: San Diego 31, Philadelphia 23

San Diego wins their fourth straight by defeating the reeling Eagles at home. Both teams gave up a ridiculous amount of yardage on defense. San Diego had 331 total yards and averaged 6.0 yards per play; Philadelphia 462 yards at a 6.5 yards per play clip. Wowzas. Entertainment stuff but goodness, neither team's fanbase has to feel all that good about their team's chances of winning it all. Well, scratch that. I bet San Diego's fanbase is in full on 'we believe' mode. That's partly because Denver slowly but surely continues to say to the world: 'I'm not who you thought I was'. San Diego will win next weekend in Denver and capture sole possession of first place out West in the AFC.

* Most important win of the week #3: Jacksonville 24, New York 22.

The Jags stay very much alive in the Wild Card hunt with their last second victory over the Jets. Maurice Jones Drew gets excessively patted on the back for kneeling on the Jets 1 yard line late in the game so that the clock could wind all the way down before sending on the FG unit for the game-winner. Whatever, worked out. No credit goes to MJD there though. Credit Jack Del Rio if anybody. But imagine if that hadn't worked out - a botched exchange on the field goal for example. Haha. Think Bill Belichick's decision has been sliced and diced? That would have been comical. As is, Del Rio moves one step closer to keeping his job this offseason and maybe just maybe, the fans down in Jacknsonville will start to show up on Sundays to cheer on their team as the stretch run towards the playoffs begins.

* Worst loss of the week: Denver's loss to Washington continues their downward spiral. It didn't help that Kyle Orton got dinged up and couldn't play in the 2nd half. Chris Simms had to come in cold on the road at FedEx - one of the few intimidating home field advantages left in football - and looked lost. There's quite a few Broncos fans who pin the loss on that reason alone, but that's just more smoke and mirrors. They weren't going to win that game even if Orton was playing. They lost because they couldn't stop the run and didn't adjust their offensive play calling to counter the adjustments Washington was making defensively following the two early TDs to Brandon Marshall. Denver now is in a perilous position all of a sudden. A loss at home to the Chargers and they're in all sorts of trouble. They don't matchup well with the Giants who come to town the following week. And then after a winnable game against the Chiefs, Denver travels to Indy. They might just be on life support heading in to that week, and down for the count after losing to the Colts in Week 14.

* Most unwatchable game of the week: San Francisco 10, Chicago 6

Couldn't tell you what happened other than Jay Cutler threw lots of interceptions (5) and that neither team looked anything like a professional football team. Why? I didn't watch it. Duh. Unwatchable game.

* The AFC Playoff Picture, if the season ended today.

Currently In

1) Indianapolis (8-)

2) Cincinnati (7-2)

3) Denver (6-3)

4) New England (6-3)

5) Pittsburgh (6-3)

6) San Diego (6-3)

In The Hunt

Jacksonville (5-4)

Houston (5-4)

Baltimore (5-4)

Still Alive...Barely

Miami (4-5)

New York Jets (4-5)

Analysis: To be quite blunt, the Steelers are going to be in a dogfight the rest of the way for a playoff berth. First of all, it's worth mentioning the Steelers hold tiebreakers over both San Diego and Denver. So if one of those two teams were to be a Wild Card contender, the Steelers would have the nod on them if the teams finished with identical records. Before going any further though, let me be clear that I don't think the AFC North is out of reach just yet. The Bengals have three straight games against dramatically inferior opponents (Oakland, Cleveland, Detroit) while the Steelers travel to Baltimore two weeks from now. We'll see what happens, but I'm not giving up hope yet for a third straight divisional crown in the Mike Tomlin era. It's just not looking too hot. So for fun, let's see what the Wild Card picture looks like.

Couple quick thoughts before shutting this down:

1) The Jags are somehow in very nice position to sneak in to the playoffs. Here's their final 7 games: BUF, @SF, HOU, MIA, IND, @NE, @CLE. There's some tough tilts on that docket - Indy obviously, as well as a road game at New England. But if they can win their next two, those consecutive matchups with Houston and the Dolphins could put Jacksonville right on the cusp heading in to their final three.

2) Baltimore stays alive and in plenty good shape with their win over the Browns tonight. If Baltimore wins both games against Pittsburgh, they'll probably be in. If Pittsburgh wins both, they'll likely be in. If they split? That will make things mighty interesting. Let's talk about this same subject next week after the Steelers travel to KC and the Ravens host the Colts.

3) Houston needs to win this weekend against the Titans to stay in solid shape for a Wild Card run. A loss would drop them to 4-4 in the AFC and put them squarely behind the 8 ball for the rest of the season. A win and they're in it 'till the end, even if they were to lose against Indy the following week. They won't beat the Titans though. At least that's my early week assessment of the matchup. Gotta love November and December football.

4) Let's just scratch the Jets off the list as even dark horse threats to go on a run and sneak in the playoffs. Ain't happening this year. A win at home against the Patriots and I suppose I'd have to reconsider. But something tells me the Patriots are going to deliver a sound beatdown this coming weekend following their meltdown on Sunday night. The Pats might also be interested in enacting a little revenge on the Jets for them acting like they'd won the Super Bowl after beating NE earlier this year.

Back To The Drawing Board For The Steelers

2009-11-16T23:02:06Z

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

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Some more thoughts from me in the wake of the Pittsburgh Steelers 18-12 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. The loss snaps Pittsburgh's five game winning streak and drops their record to 6-3 with seven games remaining, three of which are divisional contests. With the win, the Bengals moved to 5-0 in the AFC North. They've swept Baltimore and Pittsburgh, and will likely complete the trifecta when they play Cleveland for the second time later this month. Pittsburgh is now two full games back of Cincinnati for the divisional lead by virtue of the Bengals owning the head-to-head tiebreaker. With 7 games still to play, that's hardly an insurmountable deficit to overcome. Heck, the San Diego Chargers have stormed back from three down in the AFC West in three short weeks. All is not lost. But let's be real - the Steelers are now huge underdogs to win the division for the third year in a row.

Here are the Bengals remaining games:

@ Oakland, Cleveland, Detroit, @ Minnesota, @ San Diego, Kansas City, @ New York Jets

There will be some turbulence for the Bengals, but not any time soon most likely. Cincinnati will be heavily favored in their next three games and absolutely should win them all. Then it gets a bit more tricky for Cincinnati. Minnesota won't be putting it in cruise control just yet when the two teams meet in Week 14. San Diego will also still be dealing with a thin margin of error. Both will be tough outs for Cincy.

Here's Pittsburgh's remaining schedule in case you were curious.

@ Kansas City, @ Baltimore, Oakland, @ Cleveland, Green Bay, Baltimore, @ Miami

Anyway, enough perusing the schedule. Bottom line is the race for the AFC North ain't over yet, by any stretch of the imagination. That said, a Wild Card berth is also not a certainty. I'll get in to that more in my usual league-wide 'musings' post soon enough.

A few more quick-hitting thoughts from Sunday's loss, as well as some stream of consciousness thoughts from me that I'd love to hear your take on. Not to let myself off the hook, but rather than spending several days mulling over how best to organize and present some of my thoughts, I've instead just gone with the 'verbal vomit' route instead and just thrown some things to consider out there. I wish I had more time (if you want to get involved, holler!) to do some of the data mining to confirm or refute some of my thoughts, but anyway, enough of that. We all have a voice and seat at the table and I'll take a turn speaking up with my observations about some of the more pressing and vexing aspects of the 2009 NFL season for the Steelers.

Grab a coffee or soda and have that Excel worksheet or something else handy to switch back to if need be. Plenty more after the jump...

* Hard to get too upset with Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison, but his unnecessary roughness penalty late in the 4th quarter was a killer. Denver had just run a 1st down play for a mere 2 yards. The Bengals were at their own 32 yard line and with 4:32 seconds left when the ball was snapped. Translation - plenty of time left, but the Bengals were approaching the area of the field where the Steelers were going to be pinned back deep in their own territory if they were to in fact get the stop. Deebo's 15 yard penalty put Cincinnati out near midfield and gave them a fresh set of downs. At that point, I looked at my girlfriend and said, ball game. I had been holding out hope and was even confident earlier in the 4th quarter that the Steelers would be able to at least tie the game and force overtime. Not after that penalty. Anyway, what's even more frustrating is that Harrison was probably just reacting to some small cheap shot or trash talking by the Bengals. You know what they say though - it's never the first guy who gets caught. It's the follow-up reaction that always gets noticed and policed. Not smart James! I bet you that won't happen again moving forward.

* Where have you gone Heath Miller? Not complaining about Miller or his effort by any stretch of the imagination. He's doing his job. He's just getting open less frequently the past two weeks than he did the first 7 games of the season. When he is open, it's been in areas of the field where very little damage can be done to a defense. That's got to be the product of defensive coordinators understanding the importance of Miller to this passing game. Frankly, this offense isn't actually all that formidable compared to some of the other units in the league when Miller is not being used effectively. Let me qualify that statement - this passing attack isn't terribly dangerous when Miller's not a factor. When the running game is clicking - like it was last Monday night - we're as dangerous as anybody. But if this offense continues to throw the ball substantially more than it runs it, we'll need to get more 4 receptions for 26 yards from our beastly TE.

* Also, I don't like seeing Heath Miller in the backfield so often for pass protection purposes. He's a B+ blocker in my opinion which is plenty good, but I hate taking him out of the equation so often by putting him back there where he can at best just slip out for a dump off pass.

* Random thought here but Ben Roethlisberger is far too tall to have so many passes batted down at the line of scrimmage. He's one of the tallest QBs in the league; a good 6 inches taller than Drew Brees. He had three passes batted down on Sunday though. That means just one thing and it's not that Cincinnati's defensive linemen are amazingly athletic - he was telegraphing where he was going with the ball. I noticed Ben staring down his receivers on multiple occasions. All that pump-faking sometimes leads to great things when the pass protection holds up, but other times it makes it difficult for Ben to re-shift where he's looking with his eyes. That allowed Bengals linemen to more easily time their jumps.

* I neither like nor disdain Bruce Arians and his abilities as an offensive coordinator. First and foremost, I give him credit for developing Ben Roethlisberger. That's huge and my opinion is that it's worth dealing with some of his faults in order to ensure that Ben didn't need to learn yet another new offensive system. Think about a quarterback like Jason Campbell - he's had to learn I believe 4 offensive schemes in his short NFL career. Then think about Peyton Manning. He's had the same offensive coordinator his entire NFL career. Anyway, my qualms with Arians are usually that he manages to have several plays or series a game that doesn't at all mesh with the rest of the game plan. They've at times cost the Steelers ball games; other times they've kept the score closer than it probably should have been. I don't think he's a total hack though.

Today though he performed poorly. It's not clear to us fans how much control Ben has over the play-calling or the changing of plays at the line of scrimmage. But we didn't see the no-huddle today so I suppose it's fair to assume that the play-calling duties were largely the responsibility of Arians.

62 total plays. Only 18 rushes. I am the first to try to get Arians dissenters to realize that running the ball doesn't always make sense when the passing game's clicking. The passing game was most certainly not in rhythm today though. That leaves me baffled as to why we were so insistent on trying to get things going through the air when the running game - what little of it that we saw - was sufficiently productive. The Steelers averaged 4.4 yards per rush on those 18 attempts for 80 total yards on the ground. Rashard Mendenhall had 13 carries for 36 yards, Mewelde Moore carried it twice for 21 yards, and Willie Parker got back in the action with a single carry that he took for a hard fought 7 yards. Nobody ripped off a long run either to skew the average yards per carry higher than it was for the bulk of the carries.

I guess it was just painfully obvious that the Steelers were having their absolute worst game of the year passing the football. Give a lot of credit to Cincinnati for their outstanding work against the Steelers wide receivers. Give a lot of credit as well to the Bengals defensive linemen for collapsing the pocket all afternoon. But you have to know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em, so to speak. Last week, Arians got it right by pounding the football when things were working. I thought he also got it right against Cleveland when Roethlisberger threw it 35 times despite the fact that the Steelers were leading the entire game. On Sunday, Arians didn't know when to 'fold 'em' and continue to try to force things in the passing game despite the fact that not much at all was working in that department.

* That leads me to my next point. This loss isn't such a bad thing if it forces the offense to adjust its strategy moving forward. Here's my analysis of the trajectory of our offense the past two seasons. Last year following the debacle at Philadelphia, Bruce Arians made a strategic decision to implement a more effective quick-hitting passing attack. Why? It was clear the offensive line wasn't good enough to allow Arians' play calls to materialize down the field. What we saw moving forward was many more 3 step drops and quick screens out to the flank that decreased the burden on the line. It wasn't always pretty but it was largely effective - Ben threw fewer turnovers, was sacked less often in the second half of the season than he was to start the year, and we survived not having much of a running game because many of the short passes were very much like running plays - at least in terms of them being low risk, making the defense make a tackle and keeping the clock running.

This year though, the offensive line has been much, much better. Many of Arians' medium and long routes were now more feasible to call. The result has been ample big plays in the passing game - the Steelers have the 9th most passing plays of 20+ yards, and the 6th most passing plays of 40+ yards. My belief is that all this success has led to a false sense of security and belief in the ability of the line to consistently win the battle of the trenches. They've won their fair share this year and held their own in just about every game except prior to this week. There will always be bad days though. The question then becomes do we have a backup plan on those days when the offensive line seems to be a bit confused and overwhelmed?

My hunch is that this loss will force Arians and the offense to reconsider just how dominant the offensive line will continue to be in the passing game moving forward and will consequently implement more plays that slow down the pass rush. This type of attack, though not ideal all the time, doesn't require as much precise execution as do plays that take longer to develop down the field. We'll see.

* Some may call me crazy, but I think this team is going to need Limas Sweed to be a viable option moving forward. One game doesn't make me a non-believer in this offense. On the contrary, I very much believe in this offense and our quarterback. But I think we need one more option to compliment the trio we have in Ward, Holmes and Wallace. It pains me to say it but it's obvious that Hines Ward is having more trouble creating separation - not sure if he's dinged up a bit. Before I go on, let me just say that he's still savvy and sure-handed enough to play at a very high level. But he doesn't require double teams. Mike Wallace meanwhile could be better utilized over the middle of the field and in the medium passing game rather than having him run go routes down the field -something we saw multiple times on Sunday (all unsuccessful). Perhaps Limas Sweed should be that deep decoy. We've seen him get open. Now he just needs to catch it. But even if he doesn't catch it or get many looks, he can at least take defenders out of the play so that our more reliable play makers can do work in front of the safetys. That might make sense if our pass protection continues to be a bit shaky like it was today.

* In my preliminary post-game post, I mentioned (again) that I think it's time to bring the Stefan Logan experiment to a close. Homer J. made an interesting point that Logan often times gets just totally taken out of the equation on kick return coverage. To his immense credit, Logan has made anumber of nice plays as a gunner covering punts. And to be fair, he's also had a few nice plays on kick return coverage. In my opinion, those tackles (particularly on punt coverage) have led fans to think he has value beyond what he's offering in the return game. I really, really like Logan and his story. And I used to really enjoy watching him churn those short legs and get in to high gear amazingly quickly. But I've just not been that impressed with his abilities the past month or so. He's returned kicks deep from the endzone, he's misjudged when to fair catch the ball, and he's proven incapable of really staying on his feet after contact. I'd like to see Mike Wallace get some looks to see what he can do returning kicks; same with Santonio Holmes on punt returns. Don't forget how important his contributions as a punt returner were last year. He helped win two games with his returns against Dallas and San Diego in the playoffs.

Thoughts?

Poll

The Steelers 2009 regular season will end with...

Cincinnati Pushes Pittsburgh Around In Their Own House - Vent Your Frustration Open Thread

2009-11-15T22:09:28Z

More photos » by Tom E. Puskar - AP

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Some preliminary thoughts from me about the Pittsburgh Steelers 18-12 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. If you didn't believe in the Bengals before this one - which I know many Steelers fans can't do based on irrelevant events in the past - you should be by now. That's a very good defense first of all. They also have a bruising running game, a quarterback who doesn't turn the ball over much and money kicker. Nice formula for success. And just to remind you, the past means nothing. Rosters change, circumstances change. Heck, even individuals change. Chris Henry and Cedric Benson come to mind. Both have received effusive and consistent praise for the adjustments they've both made with their attitudes and work ethics. Anyway, the Bengals might not be better suited to make a deep run in the playoffs than the Steelers, but they match up well against Pittsburgh and are very much a legitimate ball club in all three phases of the game. Congrats to them and their long-suffering fans on the win.

That's 7 touchdowns this year allowed by the special teams or the offense. I've said it many times before - I miss Anthony Madison. One player doesn't make or break a unit, but I never understood why we wouldn't keep him when he was only on the books for roughly $1 million this year. Time for Coach Tomlin to 'get back in the lab' and try something else to fix the coverage units. By the way, Jeff Reed was pathetic in his attempt to bring down or even just slow down Bernard Scott.

Kudos to the Steelers defense for playing fairly well. They limited the Bengals to 0 offensive touchdowns and just 218 yards of total offense. That said, the Steelers defense allowed some inopportune yards and first downs late in the game when they needed to help out the offense. The defense also failed to get to Carson Palmer frequently enough.
I know it's not a popular sentiment, but I really think Stefan Logan has had more than enough opportunities to prove himself. He's been okay, even pretty good. But we keep seeing other team's returners bust long returns against us while we've failed to benefit from even one long kickoff return ourself. I know he's been pretty good as a gunner, but my vote would be to go pick up Roy Lewis from Seattle's practice squad. With Troy Polamalu injured again (not sure to what extent), an extra body in the secondary would be useful. Meanwhile, perhaps it's time to put James Harrison or Brett Keisel back on coverage units and to let Mike Wallace return kicks. He did no worse than Logan in his lone attempt and I'm personally 100% convinced that he has better vision and instincts than does Logan.
Big Ben was terrible today. More on that later but I will just say this - big deal. It happens in this league. Ben's been tremendous for just about the entire year. Even the greats have bad games. Unfortunately for us, it happened to come at home against a divisional opponent that had the leg up on us already by virtue of their win earlier in the season.
Good Bruce Arians. Bad Bruce Arians. From week to week, you never quite know what you're going to get out of the Steelers offensive coordinator. I thought he was outstanding last week; not so much this week. More on this topic later as well.
Please, please, please let Troy Polamalu be okay! All 3 losses this year have come with him on the sidelines.
Brett Keisel is playing incredibly. He was involved in sooo many plays once again. Very impressive.
This loss didn't come at the absolute worst time if you're in the market for a little positive spin. I'll guarantee one thing - the Steelers will be angry and focused the next two weeks and can right back on track with a road victory at Kansas City next week. There almost always are road bumps along the way during the course of a 16 game NFL season. We stumbled a bit early on, ironed some kinks out during a 5 game winning streak and have now stumbled again. There will probably be one or two more along the way so buckle up and as Coach Tomlin might say, 'don't ride the emotional roller coaster.'
I thought Santonio Holmes played another great game, but his drop in the endzone was super costly. Heath Miller also dropped two critical passes in the 2nd half. The miss in the 4th quarter was a tough catch for sure, but it was one that we're accustomed to #83 making. When it rains, it pours I guess.
Nice game from William Gay - probably his best as a Steeler. I'd like to take a look at the replay, but I do think though that Gay was one of the primary culprits on that kickoff return. Still, solid performance from him at cornerback.
Lawrence Timmons needs to be better than he was today. He's coming back from injury and wasn't awful by any means. But he was a step slow on a couple of well designed plays.
Nice game for Jeff Reed kicking. Pathetic once more chipping in when we needed him to make a tackle, but still solid to see him get back in a groove kicking the ball. We'll need him moving forward.
Big step back for the offensive line today. Partly a product of us getting outcoached, and partly a product of Ben having his worst day in quite some time in terms of decision making. Oh well. Let's see how they hold up the next two weeks, particularly against Baltimore two Sundays from now.
I'd like to know the record of teams that played on Monday Night Football the previous week. Denver got out-muscled today by the lowly Redskins; Pittsburgh got pushed around a bit too.
Watch the highlight video we put together from last week's win against the Broncos. It will make you smile and hopefully help you put this clunker out your memory for even just a few minutes. More from me soon.

Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) - Week 10 BTSC Open Thread (2nd Half)

2009-11-15T19:31:48Z

A competitive, hard-hitting battle through the first 30 minutes. The Steelers defense continues to bend but not break, the special teams remain the team's most glaring liability, and the offensive struggles inside the red zone continue for another half. Oh yeah, Troy Polamalu's out for the remainder of the contest with a tweaked left knee.

Despite all that, the Steelers are up by 3 and will get the ball to start the 2nd half.

Let's Go Steelers!

Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) - Week 10 BTSC Open Thread (1st Half)

2009-11-15T17:18:10Z

1st place is at stake in the AFC North in the opening game of the second half of the 2009 season for both the Steelers and the Bengals. May the best team win. 'Nuff said. Here's to hoping for a healthy game on both sides and a sixth straight Steelers victory.

Have fun. Scream, cheer and even curse at no one in particular, but treat one another kindly - even the handful of megalomaniacal Bengals that come to say hello.

Let's go Steelers!

BTSC Video Feature: Week 9, 2009 - Pittsburgh 28, Denver 10: 'A Statement Game For The Defending Champs'

2009-11-15T17:14:49Z

In case you weren't excited enough about Week 10's tilt with the Cincinnati Bengals for sole place atop the AFC North, here's a highlight video from last week put together by myself and BTSC's videographer kittoftheonvariety. Check out her feature on rookie Mike Wallace following Week 7's clutch victory over the Minnesota Vikings, as well as her brief demo on the nifty features of Sprint's NFL Mobile Live on the Palm Pre. Hopefully BTSC will be able to get a few more productions out of her in the forthcoming weeks as well as in future years. Sure makes it fun to be visually reminded of why we're the luckiest fan base in the National Football League.

Open Thread for Week 10 coming soon. Cheers. -Blitz-

Pregame Zone Blitz: Bengals at Steelers

2009-11-14T13:20:17Z

by Ed Reinke - AP

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Want to learn to be a sports writer? There's a secret they don't want you to know. You are able to write game previews ("advances") in the same way each week. Just look at the Steelers. You can very easily apply this formula to every divisional game they play. Here it is:

In Week X, the Steelers and the <insert upstart AFC North team here> face off in a champions/challengers type of game. The play of <insert name of upstart AFC North team's quarterback here> has been outstanding, and these two teams hate each other, in particular the <insert upstart AFC North team here> despise Steelers WR Hines Ward. You may remember the feud that broke out between the <insert upstart AFC North team here> and Pittsburgh after one of the two Steelers victories last season. Now, Pittsburgh has beaten the <insert AFC North team here> in x of their last y meetings (x divided by y equals greater than 75 percent), but the <insert upstart AFC North team here> are ready to knock the defending champs off their throne.

Here's what our opponents are saying.

Opponent Web Sites/Forums

It's a new Bengals team. They can get in car accidents and the word "intoxication" does not appear on the police report.

Cincy Jungle mentions a kid who was suspended for getting Bengals stripes shaved into his head. They, of course, accuse the school of being overrun by Steelers fans, which, I guess, is probably true.

Bill Cowher's from Carlynton, huh? Where is that, exactly? (for those who don't know, Carlynton High School is Cowher's alma mater, and it's made up of the boroughs of Carnegie, Crafton and Rosslyn Farms. Cowher is from Crafton.)

Chad Ochocinco in the UFC...yeah, I'd pay to watch that. Seriously.

Cincinnati.com's Chick Ludwig, a Pro Football Hall of Fame voter, uses Wikipedia to define the actions of former Steelers DE Kimo Von Oelhoffen. Let's hope he bases his HofF vote on something more than free encyclopedias anyone can edit.

Woodley's writing for Sports Illustrated again. And he's still proud to be a Steeler.

Last Game

I'm sure Broncos ~~head cheerleader~~ coach Josh McDaniels is offering his kingdom for a splash play. All credit in the Steelers' kingdom goes out to McDaniels and the Broncos, as that first half was about as well-planned and well-executed as it gets. It would have been a different game had they found a way to make a play of 20 yards or more. Pittsburgh had five plays of 20 yards or more. Denver had one, and their longest play in the second half went for 16 yards. They failed to score an offensive touchdown.

It's a mark of Denver's efficient but non-lethal offense, and Pittsburgh's ability to not allow QB Kyle Orton enough time on his deeper drops. DE Brett Keisel must have heard the disrespect Mike Tirico was giving him, consistently saying Aaron Smith and Travis Kirschke were the regular starters, as he was able to bust through for two sacks. Those were Pittsburgh's only two sacks of the game, but the pressure was constant, and the Ryan Clark-less secondary was opportune enough to snare two important turnovers, and one more in garbage time.

The fact of the matter is Pittsburgh has proved since Week 2 the strategy to dink and dunk is bunk. Cincinnati is going to have to find a way to make plays down the field and get the ball in the end zone if they want to continue as this year's token Team That Can Compete With Pittsburgh in the AFC North.

Opponent Spotlight: CBs Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph

The first time PZB is going with a pair of spotlight players, and it's mostly because they'll both factor into one of Pittsburgh's key weapons in Week 10.

Joseph and Hall, Cincinnati's two former first-round selections, appear to be even in many statistics, and both generally rank in the upper echelon in the NFL in key areas for their position. The main thing, though, is average yards allowed per reception and yards after the catch. Hall is top 10 in the NFL, allowing 12 yards per catch. Joseph drops off quite a bit, landing at 14.5, and Joseph has allowed 150 yards after the catch, compared to Hall's 115.

Joseph's average would be a bit higher if Limas Sweed held onto the ball. Sweed fried Joseph on the play, but unfortunately, could not hang onto the ball in the end zone.

In Joseph's defense, he did have an interception return for a touchdown, but overall, Pittsburgh threw at Joseph nine times, completing seven passes for 114 yards and a touchdown. In particular, Joseph struggled greatly against rookie WR Mike Wallace, and as mentioned earlier, his numbers would have really been poor had Sweed caught the ball.

As the statement goes, if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry Christmas. Joseph made what ended up being the critical play of the game. Wallace may feel like it's Christmas Day in the re-match, especially with the production he's had out of Pittsburgh's Hurry-Up offense (more on that below).

Hall fared much better in his match-up against Wallace, along with Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward. Pittsburgh threw at him five times for just 32 yards.

Pittsburgh is likely to push this advantage again, with both Holmes (coming off his best game of the season at Denver) and Wallace (steadily improving). Joseph is going to need to play a more disciplined game, or Pittsburgh's passing offense will chew him up. Hall, on the other hand, has a strong performance in Week 3 to go off of in terms of preparation for the re-match.

Steelers Spotlight: WRs Mike Wallace and Santonio Holmes

Wallace's break-out game came against the Bengals in a losing effort in Week 3. It'd be pretty ignorant of Cincinnati to ignore the rookie this time around, considering his 102 receiving yards were the highest total in the game. Wallace methodically picked apart Joseph, but Hall handled Holmes fairly well; he finished with just one catch for 18 yards, and his mistake led to Joseph's interception which he returned for a touchdown.

Holmes has been held out of the end zone since Week 1, but has caught a pass for 35 yards or longer in the Steelers last three games - they won all three games. With the absence of S Roy Williams, the Steelers are going to look to get the ball deep down the field if QB Ben Roethlisberger sees either Wallace or Holmes with single coverage. Both receivers have shown they can make the big play, it's a matter of timing and protection.

Speaking of big plays against Cincinnati...

I See You

I see you, Tyrone Carter, a.k.a. AFC Defensive Player of the Week. You stepped in for Ryan Clark in true modern Steeler fashion, and elevated your game to his level. You were doghoused by a lot of people (including PZB to an extent) for what we perceived as lack of production earlier this year. Your interception and touchdown return were the only points the Steelers scored when Denver was controlling the game on both sides of the ball, and really gave your team the swagger to know, despite being on the bad end of a 11-4 TOP advantage through two quarters, it could still win.

Your performance was yet another example of the depth the Steelers possess. Going into the game, we knew it would be a tough match-up, playing a hot quarterback on the road with athletic receivers. The defense bent for the first half, then allowed just 49 yards the rest of the way. While we have to give the offense credit, you were a big part of a secondary that played perhaps its finest two quarters of the season.

Despite lacking size, you took an outstanding college resume and translated it into a successful NFL career, one in which you proved year in and year out our team is better with you than without you.

Key Stats

Pittsburgh held the ball for 22 minutes and 25 seconds of the second half in Week 9's win over Denver.
Cincinnati is 19-34-1 since losing to Pittsburgh in the AFC Divisional playoffs in January, 2006.
Rashard Mendenhall is second in the NFL, averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
Santonio Holmes leads the NFL in first down reception percentage at 94.4 (36 catches, 34 first downs).
This game is the first time since 2005 where both teams were above .500 going into their second meeting of the season.
Pittsburgh has scored three defensive touchdowns in the last five quarters.
Cincinnati RB Cedric Benson became the first player since Ricky Williams in 2002 to rush for 100 yards in consecutive games against Baltimore with his 117 yard performance in Week 9.

Quick Hitters

Must-Read: I recently came across Pro Football Focus, and it became a new key resource in my insatiable thirst for statistics. I don't possess a degree of higher education in anything numbers-related, but this site doesn't really require one. The information is presented in an understandable, and not pompous manner - statistics for all games and all players listed without the feeling that someone is trying to prove a point. For what the opinion of PZB is worth, check it out if you're into that kind of thing.

Far Too Much Attention: I used to write with Nick Signorelli back in our Steelers Fever days, and I usually enjoy his take on things. However,his article, like any other article I've read on the subject, failed to present any rational reason behind why we would need former Chiefs RB/full-time slanderer Larry Johnson. I mean, it's not like Mike Tomlin played professional football. Maybe more than anything, though, what's gotten lost in all the gay slurs and bitterness is the fact Johnson isn't any good. He hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 11 of 2008, and hasn't played 16 games since his monster 416-carry season of 2006. Let's just let him be surly and sullen somewhere else.

Week 10 NFL Picks

2009-11-14T00:26:34Z

Some picks for this weekend's intirguing slate of games in the National Football League. Check out which games are being shown in your market here.

Denver (6-2) at Washington (2-6)

Just about everyone has Denver getting back on track this Sunday against the lifeless 'Skins. I'm not one of them. I like Washington to snag a home victory against the Broncos. Pride is on the line for Washington, but more importantly, I'll think they'll benefit from not having Clinton Portis available. The Pro Bowl running back suffered a concussion last weekend, but he really was never in top form this year and Washington's offense has essentially been designed around him being a healthy workhorse. With him out, I think Washington will have a better game offensively than people are expecting. It also helps that Denver will be playing their second game in 6 days and we know what kind of whooping the Steelers put on them physically on Monday Night. I'm taking Washington.

More after the jump...

Buffalo (3-5) at Tennessee (2-6)

Here's about all you need to know about this one. Buffalo's dead last against the run. They allow 5.1 yards per carry and 173.6 yards per game. Look for Chris Johnson, the league's leading rusher, to maintain his lead over Adrian Peterson and Cedric Benson. And after Buffalo continues to sell out against the run, Vince Young just needs to make a play or two in the passing game for Tennessee to capture their third straight win and continue climbing back to respectability. Tennessee

New Orleans (8-0) at St. Louis (1-7)

Steven Jackson has been one of the few bright spots for the Rams under first year head coach Steve Spagnola. I wouldn't be surprised to see this one be a bit closer than some might expect, but only if Jackson is able to keep Drew Brees and the Saints offense off the field with long sustaining drives via the ground game. Even with a monster game from Jackson, the Rams are too over matched talent-wise to win. All signs point to New Orleans continuing their undefeated start to the season.

Cincinnati (6-2) at Pittsburgh (6-2)

I think Cincinnati has a very good chance to win this ballgame just because of the fact that the Steelers are playing short handed in so many key positions and are coming off a Monday night game this past week. I can't pick the Bengals though at Heinz Field, even if they are 3-0 on the road this season. Here's to hoping the Steelers can limit Cedric Benson's effectiveness and tighten up their pass defense if they once again jump out to a lead like they did in Week 3. Should be a great game. I'll take Pittsburgh.

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-4) at New York Jets (4-4)

Hooray mediocrity! Talk about an uninteresting matchup if you're not a fan of either of these two teams. I like the New York Jets here only because they're coming off their BYE week and I have more faith in the Jets coaching staff than I do in Jack Del Rio. The winner remains on the fringes for a run at a Wild Card berth. The loser is all but assured of sitting out in January.

Detroit (1-7) at Minnesota (7-1)

I still refuse to believe that Matthew Stafford should be playing this year for Detroit, but whatever, not that it would really matter this week at Minnesota. Adrian Peterson should have a field day in this one and get right back in the rushing title picture. Minnesota.

Tampa Bay (1-7) at Miami (3-5)

Miami's one solid 3-5 team. They've probably lost one too many close games already to salvage their season, but you never know. If they can get to 10 wins, they might have a chance at the last Wild Card spot. They can forget all that though with a loss this weekend at home to Tampa. I don't see that happening though, even though the Bucs have looked somewhat decent lately for a 1-7 team. Miami.

Atlanta (5-3) at Carolina (3-5)

Atlanta's a fairly well rounded club, but they're not overly big and physical on defense. Carolina would be well served pounding the rock all afternoon long. Carolina has some serious issues in 2010 and 2011, but I'm not ready to give up on them just yet this year. I think they earn a hard fought home victory and retain the slimmest of hopes at getting their act together in the second half of the season. Carolina.

Kansas City (1-7) at Oakland (2-6)

Does the dismissal of Larry Johnson help Kansas City rally around one another? Sheesh. Who knows? Who cares? I guess I'll take Oakland here in this totally unwatchable football game.

Philadelphia (5-3) at San Diego (5-3)

One of the three marquee games of the day in addition to CIN/PIT and IND/NE. I like San Diego to continue their winning streak and set up a huge matchup with Denver the following week for AFC West supremacy. The lack of a formidable running game hurts Philadelphia here, as we've seen first hand that the Chargers can be beaten in to submission on the ground. I like Philip Rivers to perform well following his late-game heroics last Sunday against the Giants. San Diego.

Dallas (6-2) at Green Bay (4-4)

A battle of two teams heading in opposite directions. Green Bay has lost two straight and looked piss poor in the process. The Cowboys meanwhile have won four in a row and are now being considered legit contenders in the NFC. Just because this is the NFL and it's next to impossible to figure out, I like Green Bay to get back on track and snap Dallas's winning streak at Lambeau Field. Look for a high-scoring affair here.

Seattle (3-5) at Arizona (5-3)

I'd be tempted to pick Seattle here actually if the Cards weren't coached by Mr. Ken Whisenhunt. Arizona has been sufficiently schizophrenic this year to make you question why I'd be so high on his coaching acumen. They have after all dropped multiple home games only to turn right around the next week and win against quality competition away from Phoenix. Even with Anquan Boldin banged up, I think the Cards have more than enough offensively to handle Seattle. Beanie Wells is starting to look like a player, which in turn makes Arizona and their imposing passing game all the more dangerous. Huge game here for both teams. Seattle can somehow get back in the NFC West race with a win. San Francisco I'm sure will be cheering on the Seahawks. I'm taking Arizona.

New England (6-2) at Indianapolis (8-0)

Here's the game where we really find out how good New England is. They've been impressive since losing to Denver, but that statement right there makes me question how good they are - they lost to Denver! I like Indianapolis here even though Lucas Oil Stadium is a pretty un-intimidating atmosphere to play in for visiting teams.

Baltimore (4-4) at Cleveland (1-7)

Distractions galore along Lake Erie. The Browns are a mess organizationally. If there weren't so many extracurriculars taking place within team headquarters in Cleveland, I'd actually be somewhat intrigued by a value bet on them. Nobody believes in them while folks still think too highly of Baltimore, in my opinion. Brady Quinn will get the start on Monday which probably is a relief to Browns fans. Derek Anderson has just been atrocious. I suppose I'll take Baltimore but I actually think Quinn will play well and put a little bit of pressure on the Ravens.

BTSC Mid-Season 'Awards'

2009-11-13T17:21:47Z

We thought we'd just continue to use the midway point of the season as an excuse to roll out some more easy content for us to read and discuss as we wait for Sunday's pivotal AFC North showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals. Drinkyourmilkshake and I are handing out some fictitious awards, both good and bad, but mostly good. They are..

Offensive MVP- Ben Roethlisberger

Ben Roethlisberger is pretty clearly the offensive M.V.P. of the Steelers for the first half of 2009. You could probably argue that Hines Ward, Heath Miller, or even Rashard Mendenhall should be mentioned in the conversations but all of these players have benefited from what Big Ben has brought to the table in 2009. Roethlisberger is on pace for over 4500 passing yards, and 28 touchdowns and could break Terry Bradshaw's Steeler record from 1979 when he threw for 3724 yards. If Ben Roethlisberger continues to perform at his current level he will not just be considered the M.V.P. of the Steelers offense he will surely be considered a possible league M.V.P. candidate. -DYM-

Defensive MVP - Troy Polamalu

Since returning from injury against the Cleveland Browns Lions Week 6, Polamalu has helped stabilize the Steelers defense. In Weeks 2 through 5, the Steelers dropped two games and even in victory against Detroit and San Diego, the defense struggled in the secondary. When Polamalu returned, things gradually have begun returning to normal for the stingiest defense in the NFL last year. Pittsburgh has allowed just two offensive touchdowns since Polamalu's return - one against Cleveland and one against Minnesota. Polamalu also has intercepted a pass in two of his past three games, giving him 3 for the season in just four games of action. Last Monday at Denver, Polamalu helped tip the game in Pittsburgh's favor when he flew in to the Broncos backfield on first down, then intercepted a pass two plays later. What a special player. - Blitz-

Most Improved Offensive Player - Willie Colon

In my opinion, not one player has improved so dramatically this year than right tackle Willie Colon. I don't have sack statistics handy and I don't have the time to try to assess how many rushing yards have come behind his blocks in the running game, but I don't think too many Steelers fans would argue that they're thrilled to not be screaming #74's name on regular occasion, something that was an all too regular occurrence the previous two years. Colon is still just 26 years old, and with 42 games of experience under his belt, it's exciting to think that he still can, and likely will, improve even more. It will be interesting to see what kind of money he commands when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. - Blitz-

Most Improved Defensive Player- Keyaron Fox

In actuality Keyaron Fox may not be that much improved over last year it could just be he is no longer buried on the depth chart anymore. Keyaron has been asked to step up to the challenge this season with nagging injuries to former first round draft pick Lawrence Timmons and all he is done is post numbers in the first half of the season that will amount to a career season for the six year vet. Fox is currently 6th on the team in solo tackles (22) and total tackles (33), and had a game clinching ~~fumble recovery~~ Interception return for a touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings. The only other player I would probably nominate for this award would be Brett Keisel who has been an unstoppable force this season and is really proving that he was worth that four year extension in the offseason. -DYM-

Most Surprising Offensive Player - The Offensive Line

Perhaps a bit of a cop out to name an entire unit here, but really the play of the offensive line has to be the most surprising development on 2009. There were questions abound about the offensive line heading in to the season, mainly because the personnel was largely the same except for the insertion of Trai Essex in to Darnell Stapleton's spot at right guard. They've been head and shoulders above where they were a year ago though. The Steelers are averaging 4.3 yards per carry this year. That's a .6 yards per carry improvement from a year ago. And since Rashard Mendenhall's been inserted in to the lineup, the rushing game has really taken off. I'd imagine that the offense will continue to lean on the running game more and more as the season progresses, much like they did against the Broncos late in the game.

In the passing game, Big Ben has been sacked 20 times (24th most), but his sack rate has dropped from 10.4% in 2006 to 8.9% last year to 8.1% this year. Add in the fact that a handful of those sacks are on Big Ben and it's easy to see why Steelers fans are no longer biting their nails each week wondering if their franchise quarterback is about to get lit up and sent to the sidelines with a serious injury. I'd also mention that a high-ish sack number like that is easier to swallow if at other times the line is really holding up and giving Big Ben time. It has been. I can't count the number of times Roethlisberger has had all day to survey down the field. Big, big props to Larry Zierlein (never thought I'd say that) and the whole unit for coming together so methodically and impressively since late last year. - Blitz-

Most Surprising Defensive Player - Brett Keisel

Some might disagree with this selection, but my most surprising player on defense has been Brett Keisel. We know what The Diesel brings to the table by now seven years in to his NFL career. That's high energy, solid durability, great leadership, consistency against the run, and usually good - albeit not great - pass rushing from his defensive end position. Keisel has 3 sacks this year matching the second highest total of his career (2005), and equaling his totals from the previous two seasons combined. More importantly, Keisel's sacks have come in huge spots the past two weeks. His strip of Brett Favre led to a game-changing touchdown return by LaMarr Woodley and his tireless efforts against the Broncos led to two crucial sacks during Monday night's victory. If he can keep this level of play up for an entire 16 games + the playoffs, the Steelers may just be able to survive the loss of Aaron Smith and finish the year with one of the league's best defenses once again defending the run and the pass. - Blitz-

Most Valuable Rookie- Mike Wallace

There is no real argument over this one, Mike Wallace has been outstanding in his rookie season. Wallace was taken in the third round and has more receiving yards than any of the ten wide receivers taken ahead of him in the 2009 NFL draft, how about them apples! Wallace's emergence has been crucial for the Steelers this season with Limas Sweed still struggling to make a difference Wallace has given the Steelers three explosive wide receivers. Wallace has allowed Bruce Arians and company to force opposing secondary's to "pick their poison." Ziggy Hood has shown promise in his limited playing time, but Wallace is clearly the most pleasant surprise out of the 2009 rookie class. If you don't think what Mike Wallace is doing is special consider he is on pace to have the most receiving yards of any Steeler rookie besides Louis Lipps in 1984, and Jimmy Orr in 1958. -DYM-

Steelers Stats At The Midway Mark

2009-11-12T23:41:42Z

Just for fun, let's prorate some of the individual offensive statistics of the Pittsburgh Steelers now that we're exactly half way through the 2009 NFL season. We'll do the same for the defense afterwards.

Santonio Holmes: 36 receptions, 590 yards, 16.4 yards per reception, 73.8 yards per game, 1 TD, 58% catch rate

On Pace For: 72 receptions, 1,180 yards, 2 TDs

Hines Ward: 49 receptions, 646 yards, 13.2 yards per reception, 80.8 yards/game, 4 TDs, 77% catch rate

On Pace For: 98 receptions, 1,292 yards, 8 TDs

Mike Wallace: 25 receptions, 427 yards, 17.5 yards per reception, 54.6 yards/game, 3 TDs, 61% catch rate

On Pace For: 50 receptions, 854 yards, 6 TDs

Heath Miller: 43 receptions, 371 yards, 8.6 yards per reception, 46.4 yards/game, 4 TDs, 86% catch rate

On Pace For: 86 receptions, 741 yards, 8 TDs

Rashard Mendenhall: 100 attempts, 573 yards, 5.7 yards per attempt,. 4 TDs, 9 receptions, 78 yards, 8.7 yards per reception, 2 Fumbles

On Pace For: 200 attempts, 1,146 yards, 8 TDs, 18 recetions, 156 yards, 4 Fumbles

Ben Roethlisberger: 185 - 262 (70.6%), 2295 yards, 14 TDs, 7 INTs, 104.1 QB Rating

On Pace For: 4,590 yards, 28 TDs, 14 INTs

Notes:

* At 70.6%, Big Ben is currently leading the NFL in completion percentage.

* He's also leading the league with 8.8 yards per passing attempt .That's an impressive number and one that should lead to plenty more victories if it were to continue. For all those who are clamoring for much more running, just remember how successful the team is at the moment throwing the ball. I myself would like to see a bit more running in certain situations, but I also try to remind myself that this team's greatest offensive asset is its ability to gobble up huge chunks of yardage via the air on short notice.

* Mendenhall's 5.7 yards per carry is bested by only Chris Johnson of Tennessee (6.7 yards per rush). I think we all know that Mendy will be getting significantly more carries as the season progresses now that he's begun to turn the corner in terms of earning the trust of his coaches and teammates.

* Hines Ward's catch rate of 77% is tops of any wide receiver in the top 16 of Football Outsiders' WR rankings.

* Mike Wallace comes in at 7th in Football Outsiders DVOA Rankings for WRs. He's 16th in DYAR. Essentially that means that Wallace is adding tremendous value per play in those situations where he's being called upon to make a play. Great stuff from our rookie.

* Heath Miller has the highest catch rate of any tight end in football. Simply put, when Big Ben looks #83s way, it's usually going to be a completion. Hopefully though, Bruce Arians will find a way to incorporate Miller's outstanding skill set in a few more vertical looks. I like him matched up in the seam 20+ yards down the field against any defensive back. At worst he'll fight for the ball and ensure an incompletion.

BTSC Steelers Daily Six Pack- Mean Joe Edition

2009-11-12T16:32:52Z

IX-With Larry Johnson's release this week it shines a light on the fact that if the Steelers had just listed to the fans and media throughout the years they could have a four headed monster of a back field that includes Larry Johnson, T.J. Duckett, Isaac "Redzone" Redmann, and Lorenzo Neal and get rid of this Mendenhall scrub. Not to mention LeCharles Bentley is still sitting at home waiting for a call from Kevin Colbert and company. Somebody always has to rain on the fan's parade and this time it is the examiner who argue that the Steelers should stay far away from the former Penn State standout.

X-Troy Polamalu and Coke Zero brought attention back to the classic Mean Joe Greene commercial with their reenactment of the commercial during Super Bowl XLIII. But the classic Mean Joe Greene commercial actually won a "Cilo Award" for excellence in advertising in 1979 but Mean Joe was unable to attend the award ceremony and has yet actually receive the hardware for award. In commemoration of the 30^th anniversary of the commercial Coca Cola has actually tracked down the trophy and they will present Mean Joe with the award before this Sunday's epic matchup against the Bengals at Heinz Field. During the ceremony Tommy Okon, who was the boy in the Coke commercial, will be reunited with Joe Greene for the first time in years. Below is the video for your viewing pleasure.

XIII-Beth Apone Salamon wrote a special tribute to her father and really all of Steeler Nation this weekend with her piece entitled "The Heart of a Steelers Fan." Her father has a congestive heart condition that makes him sleep all day and night only to wake briefly to eat, and then back to bed. There is one exception which usually happens on Sundays starting in September and hopefully continues all the way until February. Her father a former Pittsburgh Press music critic, is alive and active every Steeler game and Beth's heartfelt piece gives the impression that it says as much about Steeler nation as it does her father.

XIV-The Steelers held the Broncos to only 27 yards rushing on Monday Night without Aaron Smith and Travis Kirschke and they still managed to hold a decent Bronco's rush attack to 1.9 yards per carry. It certainly is early to say, but it looks like the injury to Aaron Smith could be a lot less impactful than it was in 2007 when the rush defense became an open wound for David Garrad to lumber through. While the Steelers seem to be overcoming Smith's injury it is undeniable that the defense looks much different without a certain long-haired samoan guy running amuck.

XL-In Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports' midseason post he writes that the emergence of Rashard Mendenhall could make the Steelers one of the better offenses in the league and help Ben Roethlisberger emerge as an M.V.P. candidate during the second half of the season. Cole also listed the Steelers as his favorite to win the Super Bowl thanks to Mike Tomlin's ability to keep his team motivated and "on the details."

XLIII-Phil Dzikiy is a former contributor to the Beaver County Times and a huge Steeler fan. He just did a solid Steelers mid-season report card that captures a lot of the strengths and weaknesses of the team and what we can look forward to in the second half of the season. Also check out his top 100 albums of the decade, which is quite impressive. I have tried to make a few lists like this in the future and my tastes varies from day to day even hour to hour so much that I can never come close to completing a list like this.

BTSC Steelers Daily Six Pack- Veterans Day Edition

2009-11-11T20:41:18Z

IX-In honor of veterans day let's look at this ESPN report about Rocky Bleier that previously aired before this weeks Monday Night game. Also make sure to read the story at ESPN.com. Happy Veterans Day!

X-Congratulations to Tyrone "Predator" Carter on his two interception performance that won him the AFC defensive player of the week award. The award is Carter's first in his career and it certainly says something about the depth and standard of expectation of this Steeler team when a back-up safety is capable of putting in a game changing performance.

XIII-I was in attendance at last years' Monday Night game in Washington D.C. where Steelers fans took over one of the largest stadiums in the NFL and turned it from a hostile environment into a home-field advantage. The reports from the game played on Monday night this year at Denver are quite similar and even more surprising considering the solid fan-base and the great start to the season that Denver has enjoyed. Woody Paige of the Denver Post lambastes the fans for selling their tickets to Steeler fans.

XIV-It doesn't look like Ed Bouchette did his normal Tuesday chat. (he was probably busy explaining to his editor how horrible his job was) Anyways, here is another Post Gazette writer, Jerry Micco's chat transcript. Also here is the transcript for Mike Tomlins' post game press conference as well as his weekly Tuesday press conference.

XL-Is it just me or has Chad Ochocinco been a lot less annoying this year and much more comical this season? Between bribing referees and telling Champ Bailey to kiss the baby he has made the Bengals fun to watch. His latest antic was this week he shipped some mustard over to Pittsburgh because the defense won't be able to "ketchup." Say what you want about Chad's bad attitude but this year I thought it was quite impressive when he bought up a bunch of tickets in week 6 to help the Bengals avoid a blackout.

XLIII-Here is a list of post-game wrap-ups from around the blogosphere:

One for the Other Thumb

Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Ponnies

SteelerGurl

Post Gazette

Tribune Review