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Week 9 Recap: Another Sunday, Another Injury

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Brown Big Day

Cursed I tell ya. This team is f@#king cursed.

In my thirty odd years of watching football, I have never seen a run quite like the Pittsburgh Steelers are on. The good news is their first outing since losing superstar running back Le’Veon Bell for the season was a success. The bad news is they lost their superstar quarterback in the process. Hey, at least we had him for two weeks!

Yesterday, the Pittsburgh Steelers edged the Oakland Raiders 38-35 as quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was injured yet again, this time a foot sprain that preliminary reports say will sideline him for three weeks. I suppose as injuries go this was a mild one and the timing couldn’t be better. The Steelers have the hapless Browns next week then a bye. Just the fact we’ve lost our star QB for the second time this season, though, is absolutely mind-blowing.Read More »Week 9 Recap: Another Sunday, Another Injury

Week 8 Recap: When It Rains, It Pours

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ytytytyt

Cursed. The Pittsburgh Steelers are f*cking cursed.

Le’Veon Bell suspended the first two games, Martavis Bryant the first four. Bell comes back just in time for Ben Roethlisberger to miss four games with a knee injury. Ben comes back and a little over a quarter later, Bell falls to the ground clutching his knee in agony.

Cursed.

The really sad part is that by every right the Steelers should’ve beaten the Bengals yesterday. Instead, Steelers star running back Le’Veon Bell is lost for the season in team’s 16-10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The loss drops the Black and Gold to 4-4 and all but ends any hope of winning the AFC North. Of course, the team has more immediate concerns.Read More »Week 8 Recap: When It Rains, It Pours

Week 4 Recap: Scobee Sinks Steelers

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Yeah, I’m late. I was up late on a work night for obvious reasons. Besides, I’m sure everybody saw what happened last night. There will be much talking about and digital ink spilled on the Baltimore Ravens 23-20 overtime win over the Pittsburgh Steelers but to me it’s a bunch of sound and fury signifying nothing.

We lost because our kicker sucks. Period. End of story.

I hate to be *that* guy but after Josh Scobee missed an extra point in our week 2 victory over the Niners, I wrote the following:

“I’m so glad we traded a 6th round pick for a totally useless kicker that probably should be cut before he costs us a game (and, mark my words, he WILL cost us a game eventually).”

And, sure enough, eventually finally happened (RIP Yogi). I understand sports is not a knee-jerk business. I get as frustrated as anybody when a player makes one bad pitch or one bad play and 200 yinzers on Twitter want him cut. But at the same time, there are times when you can clearly see somebody doesn’t have it. And it’s annoying that teams seemingly ignore the obvious hoping it’ll go away until something so catastrophic happens they’re forced into action.Read More »Week 4 Recap: Scobee Sinks Steelers

Week 3 Recap: Big Ben Struck Down

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Catastrophe has struck. Actually, given our new starting quarterback, a better phrase might be, “What a doggone shame!” Sorry, bad puns a product of a childhood spent obsessively watching the Adam West Batman. Holy Nightmare, Steeler Nation!

Besides, if I didn’t laugh, I’d cry.

The Pittsburgh Steelers left Sunday with a 12-6 victory over the St. Louis Rams. As far as victories go, this was about as hollow as they get. Early in the third quarter, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger stepped up in the pocket only to get his knee bent in an way knees aren’t supposed to bend by a lunging Mark Barron. This sort of crawl-tackle was made illegal after Tom Brady was lost for a season because of it but of course no flag was thrown because only Tom Brady can’t be touched I guess.Read More »Week 3 Recap: Big Ben Struck Down

Tomlin Promises Possible Changes (Maybe)

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Yesterday, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin held his first weekly press conference. If you’re new to TotesStillers, let me explain that I have an almost masochistic desire to watch these things. It gives me some perverse joy to listen to his half-truths, non-answers, and (especially after a loss or two) the seething contempt Coach T has for being questioned by the sycophantic Pittsburgh Media. Which is my other joy; listening to what passes as “reporters” in this town lob softball after softball at him because heaven forbid anybody ever criticize the mighty Steelers.

Years past I wrote these long detailed posts following his pressers but it’s too much of a chore both for me to write and you to slog through. So I’m just gonna hit on the highlights. For example, this week’s began with a discussion of Thursday night’s loss at New England. Somebody actually did ask Tomlin about his comical clock management at the end of both halves to which Coach T responded, “I saw no problem with it at all.”Read More »Tomlin Promises Possible Changes (Maybe)

Steelers Go Corner, Wide Receiver in Rounds 2 & 3

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I’m sure the Pittsburgh Steelers have a plan – I just have no idea what it is.

On the second day of the 2015 NFL Draft, the Steelers selected cornerback Senquez Golson and wide receiver Sammie Coates in rounds 2 and 3. Neither player is quite what I expected. They needed a corner. I know it, you know it, they know it. I’m just not sure they needed *this* corner.

Then again both Mel Kiper and Todd McShay were ecstatic about Golson’s selection so maybe I just don’t get it. He’s certainly a fascinating player. The word “ballhawk” doesn’t do Golson justice as he hauled in a whopping 10 (!?) interceptions last season at Mississippi. Blazing 4.46 40 speed combined with superior ball skills make for what appears to be an ideal cover corner. What’s more, he’s not afraid to stick his nose in the line of scrimmage and provide some sure-tackling run support.Read More »Steelers Go Corner, Wide Receiver in Rounds 2 & 3

Wild Card Recap: Dog Day Afternoon

Steeler Dog

Two important things were learned from the Pittsburgh Steelers 30-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs.

1 – The Steelers high-powered offense is a collection of burned out light bulbs without running back Le’Veon Bell.

2 – Whatever concussion protocols the Steelers have in place, they might want to look into changing them.

The second point became extremely apparent when Ben Roethlisberger‘s head bounced off the Heinz Field turf during the last of the Ratbirds five sacks. Ben went to the sideline while Bruce Gradkowski came in and calmly converted a 3rd and 21. After three plays from the Polish Rifle, Ben returned and promptly threw a game-ending interception into triple coverage in the end zone. I have to think he wasn’t playing with all his marbles when he made that pass because otherwise I have no idea why he’d throw that ball into a crowd of Ravens with literally nobody open.Read More »Wild Card Recap: Dog Day Afternoon

Week 16 Recap: Back Where We Belong

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Suck It, Haters!
“Suck It, Haters!”

The Pittsburgh Steelers ended their unbearable two year post-season drought in emphatic fashion, clinching a spot in the 2014 NFL playoffs with a convincing 20-12 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. I’m not sure I’d call this their most impressive win of the season although it was easily the most solid. In my preview I talked glowingly of the Chiefs which, truth be told, was based almost entirely on their impressive stats. Going by what I saw yesterday, KC is certainly not the highest caliber opponent we’ve faced this year.

I call this win solid because for the first time this year, the Steelers performed well in all three phases. Nobody on offense put up huge numbers and there weren’t any memorable splash plays but as a group they moved the ball almost effortlessly against what was billed as a superior defense. Ben Roethlisberger was an efficient 18/25 for 220 yards, Le’Veon Bell had 63 yards on 20 carries and both Heath Miller and Antonio Brown caught 7 balls for 68 and 72 yards respectively. All this added up to scores on four of their six drives. Read More »Week 16 Recap: Back Where We Belong

Week 15 Recap: Over The Hump

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Goodbye mediocrity…

The Pittsburgh Steelers have ended their run of two straight 8-8 seasons, notching their ninth victory of the season with a 27-20 win over the Atlanta Falcons. They also put themselves in excellent position as far notching their first post-season appearance in as many years. While the Black and Gold did not clinch anything yesterday, a win in either of their final two games gets them in. Sweeping the final two nets them the division title although other than it being a home game the division isn’t really that important as the AFC North champion is almost certainly going to be playing on Wild Card Weekend.

First things first though…Read More »Week 15 Recap: Over The Hump

Week 13 Recap: Turkey Day

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At least I found a nice Steeler Bar to watch the game…

Fresh and invigorated from their bye week, the Pittsburgh Steelers went out and played like a bunch of turkeys, losing to the New Orleans Saints 35-32 at Heinz Field. Hey, they only lost by a field goal so it was a pretty tight game, right? Never has a final score been more misleading. Two garbage time touchdowns, one occurring literally in the game’s final seconds, served to make the end result look a lot closer than it actually was.

I’m shocked Mike Tomlin even bothered to use his super-secret special two point conversion plays in such a meaningless situation.Read More »Week 13 Recap: Turkey Day