Category Archives: Steelers 2017 season

Final Word: James Harrison’s Steelers Desertion Viewed by a Blogger Unable to Write as it Unfoleded

Posted on by Standard Reply

As every Steelers fan registering a pulse now knows, the Pittsburgh Steelers not only cut James Harrison before Christmas, but the linebacking legend signed with the arch enemy New England Patriots.

  • In highly uncanny and very personal sense, this story confirms that all is normal in the world.

And that’s because big Steelers news tends to break while yours truly is traveling and/or unable to write about it. Whether Antonio Brown resigning, Bruce Arians getting fired or Troy Polamalu retiring, its almost like a little light goes on at the South Side saying, “Ok, something big needs to happen NOW.”

James Harrison Patriots

Outside of the Ryan Shazier injury, has Steelers Nation seen a sadder sight this season? Photo Credit:

And so it was that 24 hours after arriving to spend my first Christmas in the United States since 2000, I got a text from my cousin informing me that Steelers had cut James Harrison. Family comes first, (Dan Rooney would certainly agree) and so Steel Curtain Rising said nothing.

  • In fact, the frustration over being unable to write was in fact a blessing in disguise.

My first reaction was “This is wrong.” And had I written anything, aim would have been taken at Art Rooney II, Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin for such an unceremonious parting with a franchise legend while leaving the Daniel McCullers and Justin Hunters of the Steelers roster intact.

  • Then of course the situation took another twist, with the Patriots signed Harrison.

The move smacked of psychological warfare on the part of Bill Belichick, and only seemed to galvanize injustice of the situation. How could this be happening? Yet, because of both work and family obligations, Steel Curtain Rising remained silent, while the storm raged on the blogsphere.

If journalism is the first draft of history, then blogging provides a rough draft of journalism. To blog is to react, and sometimes, quite frankly, its best for bloggers to keep their mouths shut, even if that silence is a product of circumstance rather than choice.

  • And the James Harrison fiasco certainly qualifies as on of those situations.

The Steelers locker room remain relatively silent regarding Harrison’s dismissal, but Debos former teammates unload on him the moment he inked his deal with the Patriots.

  • Maurkice Pouncey said he erased his legacy and spit in the Rooney’s face.
  • Fellow linebackers Bud Dupree and Vince Williams called out their former teammate.
  • Marcus Gilbert berated Harrison for not being more honest about forcing his own departure.

The picture that James Harrison’s teammates painted was far different than that Steelers fans have come to know. Silverback was sleeping in meetings and walking out on his teammates on game days after learning he was to be inactive. Instead of serving as a Jerome Bettis-like mentor, Harrison was acted like a selfish brat.

Yep. Sometimes the best favor a fate an offer a blogger is a chance NOT to write about a big story as it is breaking.

The James Harrison Departure in 1 Word: Disappointing

A single word suffices to describe James Harrison’s parting with Pittsburgh: Disappointing. The image below drives that home poignantly.

James Harrison, Art Rooney II, James Harrison Art Rooney Handshake

Happier times. Art Rooney II shakes James Harrison’s hand after the Steelers playoff win over the Chiefs. Photo Credit: Steelers.com

Fans forget, but the Steelers defense struggled mightily in during the first half of 2016 and was so bad that Mexican blogger Carlos Ortega went as far as to compare it to the 1988 Steelers defense (which finished last in the NFL).
While the development of Artie Burns, Sean Davis and Javon Hargrave was critical you can pinpoint the turn around to Mike Tomlin’s decision to bench Jarvis Jones and start James Harrison following the disaster against Dallas.

The Steelers playoff win over the Chiefs had ended with Harrison drawing a rare holding flag on the Chief’s 2 point conversion, setting up Sean Davis’ pass defense in the end zone. Hollywood couldn’t have scripted it better. Harrison still wanted to play, the Steelers wanted him back, and signed him to a two year deal complete with a 1 million dollar roster bonus.

  • Yet, the Steelers also knew that their future at right outside linebacker wasn’t to be found in a 39 year old man.
  • So they went out and drafted T.J. Watt.

The stage seemed to be set for Jerome Bettis-Willie Parker in reverse, this time with the Super Bowl record setting undrafted rookie free agent mentoring the ballyhood first round draft pick. Except it didn’t happen that way. Jim Wexell and Dale Lolley signaled during training camp that Harrison might be on the roster bubble.

  • Steel Curtain Rising took their cautions seriously, but speculated that the Steelers were merely “Bettising Harrison.”

Instead, as the season evolved, it looked like Harrison might play a role more closer to what Duce Staley played in 2005 – the veteran buried deep on the depth chart who nonetheless stepped up to deliver in spot duty (see Staley vs the Packers in 2005, Harrison on the closing plays vs the Chiefs and Ravens.)

But we now know that analogy falls flat. Harrison wasn’t the mentor, wasn’t the veteran gracefully aging into the football locker room equivalent of an elder statesman. No, instead James Harrison acted as a malcontent.

Anyone To Blame for This Fiasco? Yes – Harrison

Often times life requires you to give up something, to get something. No Steelers fan who remembers Cliff Stoudt, Mark Malone or even Bubby Brister, Neil O’Donnell or Kordell Stewart slinging the ball wants to see Big Ben strike midnight.

  • But the sight of Ben Roethlisberger and James Harrison hosting Lombardi Number 7 and announcing their Life’s Work would be poetic, beautiful and bittersweet.

Ain’t gonna happen now. The question is, is anyone to blame?

The NFL is a results driven business, and Mike Tomlin’s job is to make sure this kind of thing didn’t happen. But Harrison had to know the Steelers didn’t draft T.J. Watt to sit him. He had to see the development of Anthony Chickillo threatened his playing time. Joey Porter also made it clear, VERY early on that the rotation at OLB was over.

While James Harrison has always marched to his own drummer, he had never been a disruptive force in the locker room. And James Harrison has been in Pittsburgh long enough to know that the way to win the favor of Mike Tomlin wasn’t to mail it in.

Its easy to say that “Tomlin suspended Rashard Mendenhall for no-showing at games when he was inactive, so he shouldn’t have had a double standard for Harrison.” Which is true, but in a season filled with Antonio Brown’s tantrums, Martavis Bryant demanding a trade, Ryan Shazier’s injury, would Tomlin really have been wise to create another distraction?

  • As it was, the Harrison situation was kept under wraps until he openly complained in December.

At the end of the day, James Harrison had a choice: He could embrace the Steelers way, and act as a mentor off the field and contribute on the field when called upon or he could pout and act like a spoiled brat.

  • Like fellow Steeler-turned Patriot LeGarrette Blount, James Harrison deserted his teammates.

James Harrison chose to conduct himself like a 16 year old who throws a tantrum when he can’t have the car keys to the car, even when he knows it’s the only way for Mom and Dad to get to work. It is sad. This never should have ended this way. But the person to blame for this fiasco is James Harrison plain and simple.

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.

Watch Tower: Ben Roethlisberger “Plans to be Back” per Jim Wexell Report

Posted on by Standard Reply

While the Watch Tower – and this entire site – has been quiet of late, there’s no substitute for getting back into the swing of things with a bang, so the Watch Tower focuses its lights on Jim Wexell’s scoop on Big Ben’s plans to keep ticking into 2018.

Ben Roethlisberger, Maurkice Pouncey, Ben Roethlisberger retirement, Ben Roethlisberger plans 2018

Ben Roethlisberger comments to Jim Wexell made Maurkice Pouncey a happy man. Photo Credit: Phil Sears, USA Today, via SCI

Big Ben “Planning on” Being Back

Before the Steelers Wednesday practice before the playoff show down with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger declared that he didn’t think his game against the Jaguars would be his last game at Heinz Field.

The report went viral, and was taken as a sign that Ben Roethlisberger was very much leaving the door open to returning for the 2018 season.

  • Yet, could Roethlisberger be intimating that he thinks a Tennessee Titans upset of the Patriots is in the offing?

Probably not, but Jim Wexell wanted to make sure and, in what appears to be an exclusive interview published during the evening hours of Wednesday January 10th, got Ben Roethlisberger on the record confirming that he plans to play in 2018. Per Wexell’s report on Steel City Insider:

After practice, Roethlisberger made sure his comment wasn’t construed as him predicting a Steelers win and New England Patriots loss, which would bring Roethlisberger back to Heinz Field the following week for this year’s AFC Championship Game.
Roethlisberger made clear that his plan is to return for the 2018 season.
Roethlisberger has two years remaining on a contract that would pay him $17 million each season.
“I’m planning on it,” he said. “I can’t speak on the unforeseen, but, yeah, my plan is to come back.”

While several Steelers beat writers, including Wexell, have cautioned against the “This is going to be Ben’s last year” line of thinking, there’s been very little on the record evidence to support to go beyond a reporter’s “hunch” until now.

From a media analysis standpoint, the impressive thing about this is that the this amounts to a major scoop on the part of Jim Wexell, yet 12 hours after publication, no other outlets seem to be repeating the news or the quote. That’s a far cry from Troy Polamalu’s retirement, which went viral after Wexell broke it via an exclusive interview with the future Steelers Hall of Famer.

While Ben Roethlisberger stopped well short of taking a blood oath to return in 2018, his comments as relayed by Wexell leave little ambiguity regarding the Steelers signal caller’s intentions.

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.

Steelers Cornerback Mike Hilton – Simply Another Kevin Colbert Gem

Posted on by Standard Reply

You’ll have to excuse me if I seem a little out of sorts, following the Steelers 34-6 victory over the Texans on Christmas Day, a win that clinched at least a bye into the Divisional Round of the 2017/18 postseason.

  • I’m out of sorts because I don’t know if I watched a live NFL game, or a video game, namely Ninento’s old Tecmo Bowl.

You  remember Tecmo Bowl, don’t you? The football video game that emulated NFL teams and players from the 1990’s.

Like I’m sure most young Pittsburghers during that era, I often picked the Steelers as my team when going against the computer or, more enjoyably, my little brother.

As is common with most video games, you could choose a player to control on your own, and I often picked Hall of Fame cornerback Rod Woodson.

  • Why? Because, much like in real life, there was nothing you couldn’t do with that guy–including rush the opposing passer as often as you liked.

As I watched Steelers newly-minted slot corner sensation Mike Hilton rush Houston quarterbacks time-and-time again on Monday (eight times, to be exact) and record three sacks, I couldn’t help but think back to my youth as a bit of a gamer.

 

mike hilton, Steelers cornerback mike hilton, T.J. Watt, Stephon Tuitt, Taylor Heinicke, steelers vs texans

Steelers cornerback Mike Hilton after sacking Texans quarterback Taylor Heinicke. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

But while Hilton became just the third Steelers defensive back to record three sacks in a game–tying safeties Troy Polamalu and Carnell Lake for the franchise mark–he did something in real life that no other cornerback in NFL history–including Woodson–has ever done outside of a video game.

That’s right, Hilton became the first cornerback in league history to post three sacks in a game since the NFL began recording it as an official statistic in 1982. Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert has long had a knack for finding gems as Undrafted Rookie Free Agents and street free agents.

  • And Steelers cornerback Mike Hilton is the latest example. Hilton, who, like 2015 second round pick Senquez Golson, played his college ball at Ole Miss.

However, unlike Golson, who never played a meaningful down for the Steelers due to battling various injuries, Hilton took advantage of the chance the Steelers gave him.

After signing with the Jaguars as an UDFA in 2016, Hilton soon found himself on the Patriots practice squad, before winding up on Pittsburgh’s by the end of the season.

Coming into the 2017 training camp, there was great buzz about Hilton and what he could possibly bring to the Steelers secondary.

But isn’t every training camp filled with young unknowns with low pedigree who excite fans that are forever in-love with the underdog?

  • Yet, that buzz never subsided, and even Hilton’s coaches and teammates couldn’t help gushing over him.

And it didn’t take long–about a quarter into the Steelers first preseason game, actually–before it became apparent that, not only was Hilton likely to land on his first NFL roster, the Steelers had huge plans for him to be their starting slot corner, a position once earmarked for his former college teammate, Golson.

Not only did Hilton earn that starting corner slot, through 15 games of his rookie season, he has excelled at the position, with a total of two interceptions, five passed defensed, a forced fumble, 39 tackles and a total of four quarterback sacks.

Nobody’s draft record is perfect–including Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert. And it’s clear he missed on Golson, if not in-terms of assessing his talent, then, perhaps, in assessing his durability.

  • But if you’re going to miss on a high draft pick, you better make up for it somewhere else.

After years of struggling to find the right pieces, the Steelers now appear to have a secondary that’s close to being complete.

The unit now includes a young and promising safety in Sean Davis, playing alongside veteran Mike Mitchell, a calculated free-agent signing in 2014. The corner position is comprised of young, aggressive and also promising Artie Burns, along with accomplished veteran Joe Haden, a gift of a free-agent acquisition who miraculously fell into Pittsburgh’s lap right before the start of the season.

And, to round it all out, the Steelers now appear to have Mike Hilton as their very promising slot corner, a formerly unknown UDFA who excited fans at the onset of training camp, and is still leaving them giddy, just weeks away from the start of the postseason.

I love it when a plan comes together.

 

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.

La atrapada no sobrevivió al piso. Los Steelers sobrevivirán a los Pats?

Posted on by Standard Reply

En el football americano, como en cualquier deporte, se pueden convalidar arbitralmente dos tipos de jugadas:

1 – una jugada inválida y

2 – una jugada válida.

Lo segundo es lo que corresponde. Convalidar una jugada legal. Lo primero es una aberración.
He estado pidiendo (y muchos acereros aún piden) que me den un partido como ganado a través de hacer trampa. Y ojo que no soy un santurrón que se horroriza cuando los árbitros tienen a bien equivocarse a nuestro favor. No.

Pero en realidad, y si bien se mira, estábamos pidiendo que convaliden una jugada fuera de la regla. Porque fue pase de Ben Roethlisberger a Jesse James fue, lamentablemente, incompleto. Porque no completó el proceso de recepción. Lo de atravesar el plano/fin de la jugada vale para un corredor, cosa que James nunca fue. Nunca se constituyó en un corredor. Entonces siendo receptor y no corredor, si tiene control de la pelota, este (el control) tiene que continuar si la pelota golpea el piso. La famosa frase “tiene que sobrevivir al piso”.

En definitiva, se cobró acorde a la regla. Que la regla es una calamidad, seguro. Pero está vigente y es así y no otra cosa. Tampoco vale, como leí por ahí, poner otros ejemplos de otras atrapadas en donde no se cumplió con la regla y se convalidó incorrectamente como pase completo.

Errores arbitrales pasados no cambian la regla que nos afecta ahora.

Que los Pats se vean frecuentemente beneficiados, como argumentó Ed Bouchette en el Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, tampoco permite que podamos pedir: “Eh! Cobren esto que no fue, porque a los Pats se lo cobrarían!!!” “Fue TD porque casi la atrapó! Le faltó poquito! Asíque sea “gauchito” Sr. Corrente, y denos el TD así ganamos el partido!!” Ridículo.

Habrá que cambiar esa regla.

  • Eso es lo que dolorosamente aprendí esta semana: La regla de la recepción.
  • Yo también pensé o quise abonar la teoría conspirativa según la cual todo es para los Pats y nada para el resto. Pero es un sinsentido porque se cobró lo que dice la regla.
  • Esta es mi opinión, luego de que se me disipó la frustración. Es lo que entendí luego de escuchar y leer distintas opiniones.

Sin embargo lo que ahora estoy concluyendo, es que lo que más frustración nos dejó fue el blooper de Ben, dos jugadas más adelante. La no-atrapada de James sería nada más que una anécdota si Big Ben hubiese picado el ovoide en 3er down, y ni qué hablar si hubiese completado el pase a Eli Rogers y allí mismo hubiésemos enterrado a los Pats, en cuestión de unos cuantos segundos.

Pero no fue lo que sucedió y ahora el equipo debe lidiar con ello. Los caminos son dos: o salen fortalecidos de la adversidad o sucumben ante la asunción de la incapacidad propia e irremontable.

Yo creo que el camino será el primero. Porque ya han demostrado resiliencia en diferentes momentos de la temporada. Como sucedió en la segunda mitad del juego contra  Bengals, luego de la grave lesión de Ryan Shazier.

Esa noche amarga, en Cincinati, al final del partido pensé: “en ese vestuario pasan cosas…”

El Dr. de Acero

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.

The Bright Side to the Steelers Loss To The Patriots? Was It Wasn’t A Playoff Game

Posted on by Standard Reply

You’ll have to forgive me for my sour mood, but I haven’t been this angry after a Steelers loss in a very long time.

  • In fact, the last time I was angry–really angry–after a Steelers loss, Pittsburgh wasn’t even playing.

I’m talking about the Ryan Succup missed field goal at the end of regulation during the Chiefs/Chargers 2013 regular season finale that, had it been made, would have put Pittsburgh into the playoffs with an 8-8 record.

Steelers vs Patriots, Tom Brady, Jacob Hollister, Sean Davis

Tom Brady Jacob Hollister celebrate a 1st quarter touchdown over the Steelers at Heinz Field. Photo Credit: Nancy Lane, Boston Herald

If I had to think of another time I was this angry, we have to go back almost 15 years, to the moments after Tommy Maddox‘s Steelers lost in overtime to the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round of the 2002 playoffs, thanks mostly to a running into the kicker penalty on Steelers cornerback Dwayne Washington, who ran into Joe Nedney, after Nedney missed a short field goal, thus affording the kicker with the great acting skills another shot at sticking the dagger into the heart of Steeler Nation (he did).

  • After the game Nedney himself even joked about his “Oscar winning performance” if memory serves.

Anyway, in-case you’ve been living under a rock, the source of my current anger is the Ben Roethlisberger to Jesse James 10-yard touchdown catch with 28 seconds left that would have clinched a bye for the Steelers, a touchdown that was ultimately overturned due to the NFL’s ridiculous idea of what a catch is.

Was it the right call?

  • By the letter of the law, yes, yes it was.
  • Is the catch rule a stupid one that totally insults the intelligence of anyone with two good eyes?
  • Yes, yes it is.

But there’s nothing you can do about it. Fortunately, however, unlike those previous anger-inducing moments I referenced, the Steelers can actually step up and do something about this clear miscarriage of justice.

The 27-24 loss to the Patriots, Sunday night, didn’t end Pittsburgh’s season; it merely dropped the team to 11-3 and took the control of the number one seed out its hands and placed it firmly into the Patriots’ with just two games left.

But the Steelers still control their own fate with regards to the number two seed and a bye, which, while not the perfect scenario, isn’t exactly chopped liver.

And guess what?

If the Patriots lose one game, while Pittsburgh wins two, the black and gold could still get the top seed in the AFC playoffs. And wouldn’t that be delicious? You lose-out on the head-to-head tiebreaker to both the Patriots and the Jaguars, who came into Heinz Field in Week 5 and had their way in a 30-9 beat-down, but it doesn’t matter, as you some how finish ahead of both in the win/loss column.

I would relish that, because I would welcome the opportunity to see both or either team have to come crawling back to loud and crazy Heinz Field for a playoff game, which, believe me, Heinz Field in a playoff setting is so much different than it is in the regular season.

But regardless of how the playoff seeding ultimately shakes out, the Steelers will actually be in the dance, and that angry feeling I have right now? That won’t last an entire offseason, and there’s still a chance for redemption.

The Steelers 2017 story isn’t over yet, and the final chapter can still go many different ways.

 

 

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.

Steelers Report Card for Patriots Loss – A Truly Valiant Effort Comes Up Short

Posted on by Standard Reply

Taken from the grade book of a teacher who has just watched his students make a valiant effort only to fall short – an all perhaps because of an idiotic administrative error – here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the loss to the Patriots at Heinz Field.

JuJu Smith-Schuster, Steelers vs Patriots, JuJu Smith-Schuster 69 yard pass Patriots, Eric Rowe

JuJu Smith-Schuster romps for 69 yards. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, Penn-Live.com

Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger faced the loss of his biggest weapon and managed to keep moving the chains and keep the ball out of Tom Brady’s hands. Roethlisberger was in “the zone” as he has been for several games, even taking it upon himself to run for several key gains. Ben was sharp in the Red Zone, hitting two touchdown passes. However, at the very end of the game Ben Roethlisberger made a mistake in trying to thread the needle (even if the referees ignored blatant pass interference.) An easy mistake to make, given the circumstances, but a costly one nonetheless and the Report Card grades on performance an results, so the interception brings his mark down. Grade: B-

Running Back
Le’Veon Bell had over 150 yards from scrimmage over 100 on the ground. While the Patriots front 7 isn’t exactly 2017’s Monsters of the Midway, they knew it was coming and (most of the time) couldn’t stop him. James Conner came in and had 3 carries and looked strong before falling injured. Fitgerald Touissant had one carry for 3 yards. Roosevelt Nix was excellent as a lead blocker. Grade: Asteelers, report card, steelers grades, coaching, special teams, unsung heroes, steelers 2017 season

Tight Ends
The number one receiver was out, New England was focusing on the run and the Steelers tight ends had had a banner day against the Ravens so naturally you’d figure…. 6 targets. Xavier Grimble was 1-1 for 8 yards. Jesse James actually only caught 2 of the 5 passes thrown his way, including his non-touchdown. However, Le’Veon Bell doesn’t break 100 yards unless the blocking is good. Grade: B

Wide Receivers
Before he left the game injured, Antonio Brown succeeded in becoming the first NFL wide out to catch 100 passes in 5 straight seasons. Perhaps its only fitting then that three plays before the injury, Martavis Bryant caught his best pass of the season, a lunging 39 yarder. Bryant wasn’t done, catching a one handed touchdown where he was being blatantly interfered with. Eli Rogers caught 1 pass for 18 yards, but he took it home for a touchdown. The real star of the show was JuJu Smith-Schuster, who went 6 for 6 on target and took a sideline route in overtime 69 yards. Grade: A

Offensive Line
The Patriots got more contact on Ben Roethlisberger than we’re accustomed to seeing, but the quarterback had time to throw on an afternoon when his best receiver was out. The line excelled in run blocking, making holes for Le’Veon Bell on a day when the defense knew the run was coming. Grade: B+

Defensive Line
Cameron Heyward helped set the “Yes, we’re playing to win” tone with his sack of Tom Brady. Stephon Tuitt didn’t sack Brady but did pressure him, as did Javon Hargrave. The Patriots did have some success running the ball, as Dion Lewis managed 5.2 yards per carry with a long run of 12. That brings the grade down. Grade: B

Cam Heyward sacks Tom Brady, Cam Heyward, Cameron Heyward, Tom Brady, Steelers vs Patriots, Javon Hargrave

Cam Heyward sacks Tom Brady. Photo Credit: Joe Sargent, Getty Images via Zimbo.com

Linebackers
Bud Dupree had a the team’s second sack on Tom Brady although he was finishing off work started by others. While the unit continued to struggle against the run, Sean Spence looked getter than he had on the week before, and Vince Williams had what could have been the game-turning play, nabbing the first pick for the Steelers against Tom Brady since 2005. Overall, it was a quiet night for the linebackers who still struggle against the run. Grade: B

Secondary
Artie Burns bounced back and had a strong game, although he did get flagged once, and that hurt. Mike Hilton continues to be a force, breaking up a touchdown and forcing a Brady throw away. Sean Davis actually did a passable job in covering Ron Gronkowski – at least until that crucial Patriots touchdown drive where Davis’ confidence seemed to melt. And of course he dropped an interception that would have ended the game. That brings the grade down for everyone. Grade: C-

Special Teams
Chris Boswell as 1 for one as he didn’t have a chance for any heroics. Jordan Berry punted the ball well, both in terms of distance and direction. The Steelers kick return efforts were respectable, but not consistent. The Steelers kick coverage was solid but punt coverage allowed one long return. Grade: B

Mike Tomlin, Steelers vs Patriots

Mike Tomlin during the Steelers loss to the Patriots. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, PennLive.com

Coaching
If you have said in January the Steelers will go into a game against the Patriots without Shazier, Haden lose Brown early in the game and start Cam Sutton and only lose by 3 no one would have believed you.

  • So the Steelers coaching staff deserves credit for making this game so competitive.

Yet the key variable in grading isn’t competitiveness, but in winning the competitions and here the Steelers coaches are open to criticism. Todd Haley lost arguable the best wide receiver in football, and managed to not only keep the offense scoring, but to do so in a way that kept the ball out of Tom Brady’s hands.

  • Still, the Steelers couldn’t kill the clock late in the 4th quarter when 2 first downs probably end the game.

One defense, the Steelers knew they were playing a weak hand coming into the game, and while Tom Brady ultimately prevailed, he didn’t have the kind of field day he did back during the AFC Champioship game.

  • Nonetheless, when Brady to Gronk got going, Keith Butler didn’t attempt an adjustment, and that hurt the team.

Finally, that brings us to Mike Tomlin. He has led this time through a lot of adversity this season, and to be honest the Steelers didn’t blink when they lost Antonio Brown, and other members of the team immediately stepped up. And while the result might have been disappointing, Tomlin WAS right to go for the touchdown at the end. This is Tomlin being Tomlin a coach who (rarely) lives in his fears, and when the game is on the line, Tomlin isn’t going to shy away from risk.

Still, the Steelers were caught in a fire drill situation, and didn’t quite know how to act. Coaches need to prepare for these situation too, and the Steelers preparation wasn’t quite there. Grade: C+

Unsung Hero Award
The Steelers were missing another key, high profile, high salary player, but no one was talking about the impact of his absence either before, during or after the game.

In fact, with Antonio Brown out, the Steelers needed to run the ball better than they have all season long, and they did so, particularly at key moments, and often times this was helped but Chris Hubbard pulling and leading the way for Le’Veon Bell and that’s why Chris Hubbard wins the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers loss to the Patriots at Heinz Field.

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.

2 Simple Words to Describe Steelers 27-24 Loss to Patriots: This Sucks

Posted on by Standard 2

Intense. Thrilling. Captivating. Hard fought. Heartbreaking. The NFL’s most anticipated match of the year, the New England Patriots vs the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field lived up to its billing.

  • The Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots played a titanic match that went down to the wire.

Unfortunately, the Steelers came up on the short end, and they did so at the cost of losing the man who should be the league MVP, possibly for the rest of the season. Two words describe the situation: This Sucks.

Jesse James, Steelers vs Patriots, Jesse James Touchdown Patriots

Jesse James touchdown that wasn’t vs Patriots. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, PennLive.com

But We Never Expected “The Standard Is the Standard” to Include Brown…

Going into the game, this site noted that although the Steelers locker room has bought into Mike Tomlin’s “The Standard is the Standard,” there was no denying that injuries played a major role in recent Steelers defeats at the hands of the Patriots. And it was time to flip the script.

There are times when bloggers beg to be wrong, and this is one of them.

Four plays into the 2nd quarter Ben Roethlisberger targeted Antonio Brown in the end zone.

  • The pass fell away incomplete.
  • Brown didn’t get up after the play.
  • He couldn’t walk off the field under his own power.

This was new territory for the Steelers.

Since the Killer Bees converged in Pittsburgh, the Steelers have had to win without Ben Roethlisberger and Le’Veon Bell, but never have they had to go without Antonio Brown. The Steelers entered the game without Joe Haden and obviously Ryan Shazier, but their offense was (almost) at full strength.

Not anymore. But Steelers Nation knows the drill, “The Standard is the Standard: Injuries will not be an excuse.” The rest of the 47 men on the active game day roster would not need to find something a little extra special if Pittsburgh was to have any hope of winning. And, for the much of the game they did just that.

Steelers Digging Deep and Delivering

Tom Brady knows how to score points. Tom Brady has written a manual on how to score points against the Steelers! And the game started out as so many other recent Steelers vs Patriots contests have started – with New England scoring a touchdown, and making it look easy.

  • Credit Keith Butler’s defense with not caving, not falling into the rut of past failures.

Cam Heyward started off New England’s next possession by sacking Tom Brady. On their next try, New England made it into the Red Zone, but Mike Hilton defended a would-be touchdown pass in the end zone. Sean Davis broke up another one near the goal line intended for Rob Gronkowski (with a lot of help from Stephon Tuitt who was closing in on Brady.)

On the offensive side of the ball, the Steelers showed they could slug it out. With Le’Veon Bell’s running, and short passes to Martavis Bryant, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Jesse James, the Steelers burned 8 minutes off the clock which set up this play:

If anyone had any doubt that the Pittsburgh Steelers were going to find a way to give an extra 110%, this play definitively erased that. The question was, would it be enough?

3rd Quarter Stalemate

The Steelers entered the second half with a 7-point cushion, but the Patriots answered with a methodical, 6 minute touchdown drive. They followed by forcing a punt after just five plays.

But the Steelers turned the tables on the next drive, as Javon Hargrave pressured Tom Brady into throwing just a moment too soon, which allowed Vince Williams to intercept the ball, and the Steelers only needed 5 plays to score another touchdown. Now they held a 24-16 lead.

Vince Williams, Vince Williams interception Tom Brady

Vince Williams is 1st Steeler to intercept Tom Brady since 2005. Photo Credit: Barry Reeger, PennLive.com

The Steelers forced another punt. Then they opened the 4th quarter with a drive that amazingly burned 7 minutes off the clock yet saw the Steelers do no more than advance 31 yards. A score here would have been a game changer, but at least the Steelers were keeping the ball out of Brady’s hands.

The Patriots got the ball back, and marched all the way down to the Steelers 21-yard line, where Bud Dupree sacked Tom Brady on third down forcing a field goal. The score was now 24-19, if only the Steelers could hold on….

Steelers Commit Cardinal Sin Against Patriots

The lion’s share of the sound and fury generated by this game will revolve around the Steelers final drive. And rightly so. But if you really want to understand where the Steeler lost this game, you need to look at the two drives that preceded this.

The Steelers got the ball back with 3:56 minutes left. New England had all of their time outs left, so at least 2 first downs were in order. There the Steelers committed their cardinal sins.

  • The Steelers played it cautious, running the ball twice and punting after 3.
  • Sean Davis got both hands on Tom Brady’s first pass, but couldn’t hold on. You NEVER give Brady a 2nd chance.
  • Brady then proceeded to connect with Ron Gronkowski on four straight plays, including a TD and 2 point conversion

If you’re going to beat the Patriots, you really have to find a way to stop Tom Brady to Ron Gronkowski. OK, that’s easy to say but hard to do, and the Steelers knew that as the drive began, but they failed.

The Greatest Comeback that Never Was

The Steelers had 52 seconds and 1 time out left to come back to either tie or win. Such last minute heroics have been a staple for the Steelers during 2017, but nothing prepared them for what came next.

JuJu Smith-Schuster took a simple slant route and while looking for the sidelines, broke free through the Patriots secondary for a 69 yard reception. Ben Roethlisberger hit Jesse James on the next play for an apparent touchdown….

…Except it wasn’t a touchdown.

The replay officials ruled that Jesse James didn’t have complete control of the ball. Was that the correct call? Honestly, it does look like their ruling was within the letter of the law, although enough neutral observers, including Tony Dungy, argue that the reversal is a gross miscarriage of justice.

  • It matters little now.

Ben Roethlisberger hit Darrius Heyward-Bey on his next throw, who failed to get out of bounds. Instead of clocking the ball and giving Chris Boswell a chance to tie the game, Ben Roethlisberger went for all the marbles. Ben tried to thread the ball in triple coverage to Eli Rogers only to have the pass deflected and intercepted by Duron Harmon.

  • Just like that, it was all over for the Steelers.

Since their 2016 Christmas win over the Ravens, the Pittsburgh Steelers have developed a flair for the dramatic. They’ve authored any number of 4th quarter comebacks worth of narration by John Facenda. The Patriots game was no different. The Steelers simply came out on the wrong side.

And man, it really sucks.

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.

Time for Steelers, Mike Tomlin to Flip “Standard is the Standard” Script on Patriots

Posted on by Standard Reply

The Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots face off today at Heinz Field with home field advantage in the playoffs at stake, and success or failure in this contest will likely hinge on how well the Steelers can live up to Mike Tomlin’s “Standard.”

Stephon Tuitt, Tom Brady, Steelers vs Patriots

Stephon Tuitt bears down on Tom Brady. Photo Credit: Geoff Burke, USA TODAY, via Steel City Insider

“The Standard is the Standard; Injuries will not be an excuse,” is a credo Mike Tomlin has preached since arriving in Pittsburgh. His philosophy is simple, if you’re good enough to make an NFL roster, you’re in the top half of 1% of the world’s football players, so winning performance is possible.

  • That sounds hokey, but a big part of the Steelers success is driven by Tomlin’s players buying into “The Standard.”

The Steelers 2016 season offers a perfect example as Stephon Tuitt, Javon Hargrave, Ricardo Mathews (who isn’t even in football this year) and L.T. Walton helped author a 180 degree defensive turn round after Cam Heyward’s injury.

  • Yet, the Mike Tomlin’s Steelers have fallen woefully short of “The Standard” against the New England Patriots.

Let’s be clear, the Bill Belichick and Tom Brady’s New England Patriots have dominated Tomlin’s Steelers because they’ve been the better football team. As much as Steelers fans detest it, that’s the harsh “no ifs ands or butts” reality. But its hard to look at recent Steelers-Patriot history and not see that injuries have dominated the back stories:

Even before losing Le’Veon in the playoffs, the Steelers were already entering the game with Cobi Hamilton, Eli Rogers and Sammie Coates as their number 2, 3 and 4 wide receivers behind Antonio Brown.

Of course Martavis Bryant is back and the rest of the Steelers wide receiving corps is healthy going into the Patriots game (assuming JuJu Smith-Schuster plays) Le’Veon Bell (knock on wood) remains healthy. But it’s the Steelers defense that is ailing.

Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell went as far as to compare the trio charged with replacing Ryan Shazier, L.J. Fort, Tyler Matakevich and Sean Spence, to last year’s Hamliton, Rogers Coates troika. And at this point, Joe Haden’s status is unknown, meaning that rookie Cameron Sutton might make his first NFL start against Tom Brady.

  • So be it. Part of success or failure in NFL football lies in the ability to either overcome weaknesses or exploiting opportunities created injuries.

The New England Patriots, in fact, began the rivalry by doing just that when Drew Bledsoe stepped in for an injured Tom Brady in the 2001 AFC Championship game and decimated the Steelers secondary completing his first 4 passes including a touchdown that put the Patriots ahead 14 to 3.

The Steelers-Patriots 2017 regular season match up at Heinz Field gives Mike Tomlin and company a chance to flip that script.

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.

Ben Roethlisberger Edges Out Antonio Brown in Steelers-Ravens Game Ball Poll

Posted on by Standard Reply

The Steelers thrilling AFC North Clinching win over the Baltimore Ravens capture the imagination of Steelers Nation if our Steelers-Ravens game ball poll participation is any indication. In total, the poll drew of 195 votes, by far the largest of the year and perhaps in the history of the poll.

Ben Roethlisberger Ryan Shazier jersey, Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers vs Ravens

Ben Roethlisberger with Ryan Shazier’s jersey after the Steelers win over the Ravens. Photo Credit: Chaz Palla, Tribune-Review

And the voting for the top spot was fierce, as Ben Roethlisberger edged out Antonio Brown by a vote of 39 to 34.Steelers Ravens Game Ball Winners, Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown

That’s not surprising, since the Steelers dynamic duo was unstoppable all night. Down the ballot, Chris Boswell claimed third place which should come as no surprise as he kicked four field goals, including a 52 yarder and of course the 46 yard game winning field goal.

Le’Veon Bell cam in 4th with 21 votes, on the heels of a very strong, 100 yard from scrimmage performance against a tough Ravens defense. T.J. Watt, whose strip sack of Joe Flacco sealed the game, was close behind earning 50 votes which was enough for 5th place.

#Shalieve50 came in with 19 votes19, as support for Ryan Shazier and his inspiration to the team was very evident both on the field and in the stands at Heinz Field. Jesse James, who just missed a 100 yard receiving game and came up with several clutch catches throughout the night came next, with 19 votes.

  • After that, the voting dropped off markedly.

Vance McDonald came in with four votes, despite a plea by staff writer Tony Defeo in favor of the Steelers tight ends, and a nod from the Steelers Ravens Report Card, which named both tight ends as unsung heroes.

There were also write in votes for a “Total Team Effort” which polled the support of 7 write-in voters, as well as three for the Steelers offensive line, who got 3 write-ins.

As always, Steel Curtain Rising offers its sincere thanks to everyone who took the time out to vote, and gives a special nod of thanks to any and all who took the time to write in their choices.

Now Go Steelers! Let’s beat the New England Patriots!

 

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.

How Ryan Shazier Benefits from the Oft Maligned 2011 CBA

Posted on by Standard Reply

News that Ryan Shazier has begun physical rehabilitation at UPMC is welcome indeed, although the Steelers statement that UPMC will be providing further updates was a tad bit surprising. While all sorts of uncertainty clouds Ryan Shazier’s future there’s one thing that he his family can be sure of:

  • Ryan Shazier clearly benefits from the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

While you don’t generally tend to associate Collective Bargaining Agreement’s with football, they’ve become a fixture of the landscape, and few documents are as maligned as the 2011 CBA. If you’ll remember, the NFL owners decided to opt out of the 2006 CBA in 2009, triggering the uncapped year (which, as it turns out, wasn’t so uncapped) and then lock out the players following the Super Bowl XLV.

Ryan Shazier, Ryan Shazier injury, Ryan Shazier contract, Ryan Shazier 5th year tender, Ryan Shazier contract

Will Ryan Shazier play again? No one knows. But Shazier does benefit from the 2011 CBA. Photo Credit: Aaron Doster, USA TODAY via BTSC

The lockout continued until summer, when both sides blinked, got the deal done, which paved the way for football through 2020. But the CBA had a lot of things not to like about it:

  • It drastically curtailed OTA’s and mini-camps, which players hate but kept football-only sites going
  • Roger Goodell maintained his Czar like disciplinary powers perpetuating the arbitrary “justice” applied in the NFL
  • Training camp and in-season practices were regulated, shortened, limited and made less physical
  • This has led to sloppier play, shoddy tackling and arguably an increase in injuries

The 2011 CBA also imposed a rookie salary cap and wage structure, and standardized rookie contracts. But that also included a provision that Ryan Shazier now benefits from:

  • Teams could tender 1st round draft picks with an option year that was fully guaranteed for injury.

The Steelers made use of this provision with Cam Heyward and David DeCastro, opted not to tender Jarvis Jones, but did extend the tender to Ryan Shazier. According to OvertheCap, as a rookie Ryan Shazier signed a contract that was just shy of 5.6 million dollars in value, including a 1.3 signing bonus.

  • The tender Ryan Shazier signed was for 8,718,000 million dollars, and he’ll see every penny of it.

It is far too early to know if Ryan Shazier will ever play football again, and that is not the team’s nor his focus. The fact that he needed spinal surgery is not promising, but it is at least theoretically possible that he’ll play again someday, provided that he wants to.

  • Let’s be clear, Ryan Shazier was blossoming into one of the best, if not the best inside linebacker in the league.

Shazier was showing he was something special. Perhaps it was too early to say that he had Troy Polamalu type talent, but he was arguably on a trajectory to be better than Lawrence Timmons in his prime.

Had Ryan Shazier not been injured against the Bengals, the Steelers would have likely tried to sign him to a long term deal, which if the numbers on Over the Cap are any guide, probably would have averaged 10 to 12 million per year, and could have included upwards of 15 million on guaranteed money.

  • Clearly, the injury to Shazier will be costly in financial terms.

But 8,718,000 million dollars is a lot of money, far more than anyone reading this will likely ever see in their life times. Assuming Shazier can resume a normal life, as most reports indicate he can, he should be able to take care of his family.

Here’s to hoping that, regardless of whether he plays football or not, Ryan Shazier’s “Life’s Work” will provide him with comfortable living. But he’ll have a head start thanks to the dreaded 2011 CBA between the NFL owners and the NFLPA.

Please lend a hand by sharing this on Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc... Thanks.