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James Harrison is baaaaaaacckkk

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The Pittsburgh Steelers are hot right now. Their offense is on absolute fire but the oft-criticized defense has also come around in recent weeks. They’re not shutting people out like in days gone by although I’m not sure in today’s NFL such a thing is even possible. With all the current rules where basically scowling at a receiver results in a flag, I’m not sure it’s even possible to have a shut down unit anymore.

Good teams still play good D, it’s just a different kind of defense. They don’t give up the big plays, make the other guys work for the scores they do get, and above all generate splash plays by sacking the QB and forcing turnovers. Those are all areas the Steelers struggled mightily in for going on a two season now. They’re also areas the team has steadily improved in over the past few weeks. Perhaps not coincidentally, that improvement has coincided with the resurgence of one player in particular.

James Harrison.Read More »James Harrison is baaaaaaacckkk

Week 9 Recap: Sweet Revenge

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Stonecold Shaun Suisham

Back in week two, the Baltimore Ravens humbled the Pittsburgh Steelers with a one-sided butt whuppin’. Last night, the Black and Gold got sweet sweet revenge thanks to yet another record-setting performance from Ben Roethlisberger. A rivalry once known for close games has now become a series of knockout punches. This time the Steelers were left standing at the end, owners of an epic 43-23 smackdown over their hated rivals.

Oddly enough, the first quarter seemed to imply doom for the hometown team. Ben was getting the bejeezus beat out of him, culminating in a late hit that left him checking if his jaw was still attached. There were actually two personal fouls called on that one play, which is just about the most Raven-y thing ever. Prior to that drive, though, the Steelers were stuck in neutral, going almost the entire first quarter without a single first down. Their first decent drive ended after Ben was sacked on three consecutive snaps and it really looked it was going to be a herculean struggle to get the ball in the end zone.Read More »Week 9 Recap: Sweet Revenge

Know Thy Enemy: Baltimore Ratbirds

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Ravens

Sorry for the late post but I had a couple Halloween parties to attend and I just can’t recover like back when I attended world-renowned party school, Carnegie Mellon. I’d like to blame my complex costume but truth is my outfit this year was a black t-shirt with a bright white dot in the center. Don’t worry if you don’t get it – nobody else did either. I was “the light at the end of the tunnel.”

I know you guys come here for football talk not my lazy attempts at Halloween but I think my costume choice does have some relevance to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The first month or so of the season was not very promising. After losing to Tampa Bay – a loss, in hindsight, that is even more inexplicable than when it happened – and getting blown out by Cleveland, Steeler Nation was down in the dumps. The players were roasted, the coaches were under fire and the outlook for 2014 was generally negative.Read More »Know Thy Enemy: Baltimore Ratbirds

Joe Greene’s Number Retired On Sunday

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In the aftermath of Sunday’s epic curb-stomping of the Colts, I was looking over my feed for any stories concerning the Pittsburgh Steelers. One immediately jumped out at me. It was titled, “Steelers LBs Smash Weight Room After Big Victory” and I won’t lie, my first thought was “Uh oh, they demolished the training facility celebrating after the game?” Those kind of things leap to mind when you follow a team with a habit of launching into obnoxiously long choreographed dance routines after every halfway decent play.

No, the Steelers didn’t party by causing mass destruction to team facilities. The story was about James Harrison and Jason Worilds, who evidently came in bright and early Monday morning to get in a light workout by deadlifting 450 pound barbells. I’ve kind of scoffed at the idea of “veteran leadership” – to me, being able to play is much more important than being vocal in the locker room – but I’m coming around that one of the Steelers problems in recent years was the loss of so many established leaders.

I don’t know Jason Worilds but I do know nobody works as hard or has as much heart as Deebo. And I can’t help but think some of the linebackers recent uptick in play directly coincides with #92 being back in Black and Gold.Read More »Joe Greene’s Number Retired On Sunday

Ike Taylor – Greatest Interview Ever

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Ike Taylor and Dan Rooney Swaggin

I love Ike Taylor. And he loves being a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. At least, that’s the impression I get. If he should leave after this season and continue his career elsewhere, I get the feeling it’ll be like James Harrison’s ill-fated stay with the Bengals last year. While Deebo said all the right things and even tried to stoke a fire over the Steelers releasing him, it was clear his heart always belonged with the Black and Gold. 

Shoeless Ike has long been a polarizing figure amongst Steeler Nation. In his prime, he was considered by most to be one of the better corners in the league but his legendary stone hands led many fans to dismiss him as a mediocre talent. Plus, corner is one of those positions – like offensive coordinator – where fans seem to only remember your last most recent performance. Call a good game or hold an elite receiver to three catches and you’re great, make bad calls or get burned for a TD and you’re an overrated bum.Read More »Ike Taylor – Greatest Interview Ever

Week 8 Recap: Unbelievable

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So this is what if feels like to have seen a UFO. Or Bigfoot. Or the Flyers win the Stanley Cup.

Here we are over twelve hours later and I still can’t believe what I saw yesterday afternoon actually happened. Is this real life? Is it just fantasy? I have no idea who those guys in bumblebee jerseys were but I’d like to see more of them.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, behind a record setting passing performance from Ben Roethlisberger, outgunned the Indianapolis Colts 51-34. The two teams combined for over a 1,000 yards of total offense. Big Ben became only the second QB in NFL history with 500 passing yards, 6 TD, 0 INT in a game. His 522 yards tied him with Boomer Esiason for fourth most in NFL history, thirty behind Norm Van Brocklin‘s record set back in 1951.Read More »Week 8 Recap: Unbelievable

Know Thy Enemy: Indianapolis Colts

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BdKkpeYCcAAgZOs

This could get ugly.

Real ugly.

Baltimore Raven mugshot ugly. Cleveland girl ugly. Watching Andy Dalton play ugly.

In last week’s preview, I started off by saying the Pittsburgh Steelers struggle against good quarterbacks so it’s fortunate they weren’t playing one. Despite the defense trying their best to make Ryan Fitzpatrick look like a superstar in the first half, the universe eventually corrected itself. When you live by the Fitzmagic, you die by Shitzpatrick. Anyway, point is the Steelers lucked out on Monday.

The only luck we’ll be seeing this Sunday will be Andrew Luck, superstar quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts.Read More »Know Thy Enemy: Indianapolis Colts

Mediocrity Good Enough For Steelers

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Monday night’s exhilarating performance aside, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a decidedly mediocre football team. That’s the bad news. The good news? In today’s NFL, that might be good enough.

The defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks are on a two game losing streak following a stunning upset at the hands of the Rams. They’re still a quality team but they’re learning what Steeler Nation learned on two separate occasions: it’s hard to wear the crown. Not only does everybody give you their best shot, it’s nearly impossible to keep the same level of intensity you had pre-Lombardi Trophy. What’s more, the NFL is designed to ensure every team has a shelf life before they lose key pieces, others become too expensive to keep, and others simply lose their luster. Read More »Mediocrity Good Enough For Steelers

Week 7 Recap: You’ve Been Thunderstruck

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Ron Burgundy with all the analysis you really need.

For the first quarter plus of last night’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans, things could not have been going worse for the Black and Gold. The Steelers offense got off to glacial start – punctuated by boos from the Heinz Field faithful mixing in with the raindrops from above. And our defense couldn’t get off the field, allowing Houston to drive for three straight scores on their first three possessions. By early in the second quarter, Arian Foster had already tallied nearly 100 yards rushing while our inept secondary and anemic pass rush was making Ryan Fitzpatrick look like Joe Montana.

Then come the thunder.Read More »Week 7 Recap: You’ve Been Thunderstruck

Know Thy Enemy: Houston Texans

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Well, the last national showcase went pretty well…

The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football. Their last prime time appearance was their resounding win over the confounding Carolina Panthers, a team that got whupped in back-to-back weeks by the Steelers and Ravens then beat a good Bears team before battling the Bengals to a tie last week. Maybe Cam Newton really was banged up or maybe he just hadn’t developed any chemistry with his overhauled receiving corps. I’m not sure what that win means other than the old “on any given Sunday…”

What I do know is the Steelers have no chance against any team that has a decent quarterback.

Luckily for us, the Texans don’t have one.Read More »Know Thy Enemy: Houston Texans