Kevin Colbert, the Pittsburgh Steelers GM, catches up on some much needed rest during the NFL free agency period.
Meanwhile, Daniel Snyder, Redskins owner, is calling a press conference at 3pm to announce his latest $30 million signing:
Congrats to Adam for his MMAmania gig! His UFC info is interesting and original enough to be published anywhere, and I'm glad he's linking to it here.
But...on to Steeler Football. With only 6 picks in this draft, the Steelers will have to be creative in dealing with major depth issues. Special Teams stinks because their young players stink, and their DL suffered greatly when Aaron Smith went down. And we all know their Oline is a mess, in part due to the signing of Sean Mahan to play center, when indeed he could do no such thing.
The proverbial "Steeler Way" is just not working anymore, especially with "developing" defensive linemen...hey, why don't we get one that can play right away?
On the offensive line, Faneca is gone and the Steelers transition tagged Max Starks, a curious decision because a Transition Tag can be "poison pilled" with a contract clause that makes it unacceptable for the Tagging team to match the offer. (For example, a few years ago the Vikings inserted a clause that Steve Hutchison from the Seattle Seahawks would get a certain amount of guaranteed money if he wasn't the highest paid offensive lineman on the team. Well, he was the highest paid Minnesota player, but Seattle had T Walter Jones, who was being paid more than Hutchison. So Seattle couldn't match the offer.
Another curiousity is that a franchise tag is only $500,000 more, and can't be poison pilled.
Will Starks be poison pilled? Well, he won't sign before free agency, that's for sure, so there's a chance. Last year he was jerked around by the coaching staff, who insisted on starting short-armed Willie Colon at tackle, when he could be better used at guard. Hopefully the front office will sign Starks and Colon will move to guard to replace Faneca.
And here's hoping they sign a FA lineman who's better than craptastic Sean Mahan.
The Tomlin era is still establishing itself, but the Steelers are built to win now, with a franchise QB, so it will be interesting to see how 2008 plays out.
One argument against my post below (and yes, I know I am arguing with myself) would be that the Steelers have dedicated roughly the same percentage of picks toward the linebacker position as they did over an 8 year period of the 1990s (1992 on--13/82 vs 9/62 -- or 15.8% vs 14%). Plus, if you look at the Chargers and Cowboys, both of whom have the best 3-4 LBs in the business right now, they only picked 10/11 and 9 LBs in the 00's also. However, some of their LBs were "can't miss" prospects, like Merriman and DeMarcus Ware. The Steelers only took an LB in the first round in 07, and Timmons did not contribute right away (unlike Jon Beason of Carolina, who some argued the Steelers should have taken.)
However, my argument is based not on percentages but raw numbers. Based on the
1980s and 1990s draft numbers, it looks like you need roughly 17 picks per decade at the LB position to develop quality 'backers. While 9/62 is a similar ratio, it's not enough critical mass.
Another argument can be made that you shouldn't devote that many picks to one position, especially when there are needs at every position. Also, the Steelers had fewer draft picks, which is partly their own fault for trading some away. This is true, but again, the Steelers have wasted alot of draft picks on 2nd day, and even some on the first (Ricardo Colclough, Alonzo Jackson, I would argue Kendall Simmons, perhaps Anthony Smith, etc.) As a result, the Steelers have paper-thin depth, which was exposed not just on special teams, but also on the defensive line when Aaron Smith went down.
It looks like the real problem is that the whole Steeler draft process in the 00s has broken down, and the lack of drafting quality linebackers is a symptom of the problem.
You have heard me complain time and again about the lack of a Steelers pass rush, which, in my opinion has been exposed time and again since 2002, when the Raiders and Pats blitzed the Steelers with the spread passing game. The Pats threw 25 times in a row at one point during a 30-14 win (really 30-7, the Steelers scored a meaningless TD late in the game). The Pats did the same thing in 2007, except they threw it 33 times in a row. To me, though the worst loss was to Cincy in 2003, I think, when Jon Kitna drove the Bengals to a game-winning TD with less than a minute left. KITNA!!!!!!!!!!
In the Steelers 3-4 defense, the linebackers are supposed to make plays and sacks, while the DL are "two-gappers" charged with occupying blockers. Therefore, you can pretty much make a direct correlation between "poor linebackers" and "poor pass rush" in the Steelers scheme.
The Steelers built the LB core of their Blitzburgh D of the 90s almost completely through the draft:
Greg Lloyd: 6th round, 1987
Levon Kirkland: 2nd round, 1992
Chad Brown: 3rd round, 1993
Jason Gildon: 3rd round, 1994
Earl Holmes: 3rd round, 1996
Mike Vrabel: 3rd round, 1997
Joey Porter: 3rd round, 1999
Only Kevin Greene was a free agent acquisition. Also notice that none of these picks came in the 1st round, and most were in the 3rd.
Everyone knows the draft is a crapshoot, but the Steelers did pretty damn good from 1987 through 2001, picking up Clark Haggans and Kendrell Bell in 2000 and 2001, respectively. Then it went downhill. Maybe we did good in 2007 with Timmons and Woodley, but the jury is still out.
You can't be right all the time. But the draft IS a numbers game. The decline in the effectiveness of the Steelers pass rush (post 2001) roughly correlates to the Steelers' change of emphasis towards drafting for the Linebacker position. Thanks to NFL.com, you can track teams' yearly picks, all the way through their team history.
From 1980 - 1989, the majority of which the Steelers ran the 4-3 (they were the last team to switch to 3-4), the Steelers drafted 17 linebackers. Granted, these were 12 round drafts, so you had the opportunity to pick more players.
However, during the 1990s, which was 12 rounds from 1990 - 1992, 8 rounds in 1993, and 7 rounds from 1994 on, the Steelers drafted, yep, 17 linebackers. This number could be higher, because some players drafted were college DEs.
So how many linebackers have the Steelers drafted from 2000 on? Including college DEs intended for the LB position, through 7 drafts the Steelers picked 7 linebackers. Throw in Year 8 (2007) and you get 9 with Timmons and Woodley. For the Steelers to match their 80s and 90s totals, in 2008 and 2009 they would have to draft 8 LBs out of 14 rounds. Not going to happen, esp. with the need to rebuild the O-line.
I don't count Rookie Free Agent pickups, either; while it is possible to find gems, you are picking through a pretty big pile, mostly of guys not good enough to be drafted.
I guess you get what you pick for.
Lost in all the hoopla around Profootballtalk.com, and I like them, though I like them less of late, is the solid football reporting on Profootballweekly.com. They have a weekly section called "Audibles", with the disclaimer that: The following quotes are from NFL scouts, coaches and front-office personnel, speaking on condition of anonymity.
These quotes are always entertaining, if not wildly offbase.
Where I'm in the Amen Corner: (From Jan. 10)
“Every year there is an undrafted rookie defensive tackle who winds up starting. You can find those guys after the draft. … Tony (Dungy) gets the best out of those guys.”
“(Offensive coordinator) Bruce Arians is not a good fit for the Steelers. He likes to go four- or five-wide and pitch it around. That’s not Steelers football. The offensive line has gone downhill since Russ Grimm left. It’s lost its identity. I see the ship continuing to sink until they make some corrections.”Oh, yeah, that's why he had one of the slowest QBs in the NFL run a sweep on 3rd and 6. Because he likes to dink, and dunk.
“You win on defense with talent. You win on offense with coaching. If you have (good) players on defense and you can’t win — you’ve got a big problem.”
I say the Steelers are one dominant pass rusher and a solid center away from being a championship team. You look at a team, and there are so many holes, but not all of them get exposed every game, or even exposed in critical ways. They are solid at QB/RB/TE/LB/DB, but need real help at OG/C/DL. The secondary rarely gets any help, and the Steelers have placed such a premium (or gotten awfully lucky) with centers that they have almost as few centers (Mansfield, Webster, Dawson, Hartings) as coaches in the Noll/Cowher span.
But then you have to factor in coaching, and the Steelers seemed determined to mess that up. After their amazing 1st drive down the field against Jax, you never saw them come out like that again, even though it worked. And Tomlin calling himself "a gambler who plays to win" doesn't make sense in the context of a) the 2 point conversion from the 12 and b) the turtle play on 3rd and 6 with the game on the line. Unless by "a gambler" he means someone who bets too much on long odds and too little on short odds. Which makes him a loser.
At the beginning of games, it's the players and how well they execute. At the ends of games, it's the coaches putting their players in a position to win. You can play the supposed percentages all you want, punt the ball and put it in the hands of the defense and make them drive the length of the field, or half of it, or only 30 yards because of a shitty punt--or you could go with the player with the hot hand and let them win it for you. Don't put them in a bad position, then blame them for not executing. Too much of that happens in the Steel City.
I, Dennis Northcutt, am a wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars. I used to play wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns. And to this day I just don't understand why it's so important to catch the ball.
Catching the ball is hard, I know this. Believe me, I've tried. It's hard on the QB, too. People look at me, and say, why did you drop that ball? And I look back at them and say, how many perfect pass patterns have I run, wherein I was wide open, that went unacknowledged? The pass didn't even go my way!! And no one goes back to David Garrard, or, say Tim Couch, and asks them, why didn't you see Dennis out there? That fly pattern was a thing of beauty! And they might say, in reply, well, we ran the ball that play, but my retort is one and the same: Change the play!
But the real change needs to be made at the NFL level. What if wide receivers no longer had to catch passes? What if the quarterback just had to hit the wide reciver? That would make things much easier, on the both of us. And defenses, too! Because if they hit the ball, then it's their's! What a beautiful game that would be, with me running free like a gazelle, concentrating on my movement, with no concern in the world to turn back into the lights and try to bring my useless claws to around that fragile pigskin. And think of the pigs too! Maybe we could play without a ball!
For I am the T-Rex of football.
Editor's Note: Dennis Northcutt is widely hailed by Steelers fans for the easy TD pass he dropped in the Steelers/Browns playoff game in 2002, a game the Steelers did not deserve to win because for some reason the secondary, led by SS Lethon "Lee" Flowers, could not but look up for the ball without falling flat on their asses. Northcutt reprised his pass dropping performance as a Jaguar last night against NE, dropping 2 passes, one of which would have enabled the Jags to score a TD instead of settling for a field goal.
This is a GREAT article...money quote:
Part of the problem is 3-4 teams have more competition for players who exclusively fit the scheme. A quarter of the league’s teams are expected to run the 3-4 this season, including the Browns under second-year Coach Romeo Crennel — who helped make the 3-4 so popular with his success as defensive coordinator in New England.The way the Steelers do the 3-4, they draft a guy at DE or OLB and groom him for years—Aaron Smith, Brett Kiesel, Joey Porter, Clark Haggans, James Harrison. Do the Steelers have the people to replace these guys? At DL, definitely not. At LB, probably not, but you never know.
More teams are using it now than it any point since the mid-’80s. Just three years ago, only four teams used the 3-4.
“There was a time there when you could look at certain guys (who fit the 3-4) and say nobody else in the league is going to have this guy rated very high because he’s not a 4-3 end and he’s not a 4-3 ’backer,” Patriots Coach Bill Belichick says. “That’s not the case now.”
The other issue is unless a 3-4 team is scouting a player at Virginia or Texas A&M, it can’t see that player use the techniques required in a 3-4 defense. As NFL teams have warmed to the 3-4, colleges have cooled to it. That means almost every outside linebacker a 3-4 NFL team looks at is a projection
The fabled Steelers D got ripped to shreds last night by the Pats, in a scenario that was first documented by the, yep, New England Patriots way back in 2002. 25 passes in a row by Tom Brady let to a 30-14 win, where the last Steeler TD was in garbage time. Last night Tom Brady threw 33 times in a row -- the result, 34-13, Pats. Since Pittsburgh got exposed by the Pats 5 years ago, little has changed. The Steelers still don't have a dominant pass rush, and thus must take risks to get to the quarterback.
Meanwhile, Tony Dungy runs the Tampa 2, a base defense with a somewhat basic scheme that relies on pressure from the Front 4, allowing 7 players to routinely play coverage. Mike Tomlin, Steeler coach, is a Tampa 2 guy, but in deference to old lion Dick LeBeau (and probably owner Rooney's wishes), the Steelers have stuck with their 3-4 concept this year. In Dungy's defense, players dictate schemes, while in the Steelers defense, schems dicate the players. Here's my argument for why that should change in 2008.
Steelers 2008 Draft Needs: 3-4
3-4 DL depth: currently the Steelers have a quality front 3, Smith Hampton Kiesel. They have one quality backup: Hoke. The steelers need to find 2 3-4 DEs in the draft or FA next year.
3-4 LB depth: Farrior is getting old, Foote is average. Timmons is not a 3-4 OLB, and will probably have to move inside. Woodley has shown flashes, but didn't paly much and is now injured. Haggans is average, J. Harrison is quality, and A. Harrison and A. Frazier are solid backups. Clint Kreiwaldt is only good for STs. At the very least, the Steelers need a pass rushing OLB who can also play well in coverage, which is kind of a funny requirement given how poor the existing Steeler LBs are in coverage.
Secondary: Because of the rules that favor the offense, pass rush becomes more important than coverage. Plus, there are maybe 3 shutdown corners in the league: Charles Woodson, GB; Champ Bailey, Denver; and the Oakland guy with the crazy name. Asante Samuel of NE could be considered too. The Steelers have big, physical corners who are often ineffective in soft zone coverage, as they are asked to play often in the 3-4. The Steelers shouldn't looke for a gamebreaker, but rather look for depth here.
2008 Steelers Draft Needs: 4-3
4-3 DL depth: Kiesel would stay at end, Smith would move inside with Hampton, and Woodley would put his hand down to be a full-time pass rusher. The steelers would need to draft a 4-3 DE and a 4-3 DT, with Hoke as the one quality backup. NOTE: I assume that a 4-3 is easier on the DL, because there are more of them, and they typically have one gap to play rather than 2. Plus, both Hampton and Kiesel can drop weight, which will make them quicker and more effective.
4-3 LB depth: 43 backers are SAM--or strongside linebacker, who is big, physical, and must jam the TE. the MIKE, or middle backer, should be quick and able to flow to the ball (in the Tampa 2 43 he must also be able to cover the deep zone down the field). The WILL, or weakside backer, is set up to be the star--he can roam in space and make plays. In the Steelers 43 system, Haggans plays the SAM, Farrior moves to back him up (he can also back up as MIKE), as he played OLB early in his career. If you want to run the Tampa 2 43, Timmons plays the Mike because of his speed and pass coverage skills. James Harrison must get on the field, but he doesn’t have the range to play a 4-3 Tampa MLB. He may have the skills to play WILL, but I can see a situation where Harrison plays inside and Timmons weakside OLB.
Final Analysis:
In the 43, the Steelers need 2 defensive linemen commonly available in the draft to "plug and play." They also would need a SAM backer and maybe a WILL, but as depth.
In the 34, the Steelers need 2 DEs who must be selected and then forced to add weight and then groomed for the position in 2 years. They also need to find a rarity: the OLB who can rush the passer effectively and play in coverage. They haven't had that player since Joey Porter in 2002.
So, in 2008, you can look for 2 DLs and one LB who can possibly play right away, or two DEs and one OLB that you need to groom for 2 years first. Given the way the game changes from year to year, I don't think the Steelers can afford to go this route again.
In a word, yes, or maybe. Actually I don't think so. This game has the makings of the Steelers Colts in 05 where the Steelers got blitzed 26-7. But remember, they came back in the playoffs and beat the Colts on their way to the Super Bowl.
Also, I read on one of the major sports sites that since the 38-7 cremation of the Ravens, where Big Ben had 5 TD passes, he has thrown 5 TDs and 5 INTs in the following 3 games. Not good.
Watching the Steelers week to week, I know these things: If they have a shutdown corner in Ike Taylor, I haven't seen it yet, but maybe it's more scheme than ability. If they have a pass rush that can get to the QB without blitzing, I haven't seen it yet. If they have an offensive line that can impose it's will on a defense, I haven't seen it yet.
Maybe they are holding back, playing possum, not revealing too much lest it show up on tape for Belichick to analyze. But obviously I haven't seen that yet.
Another thing that I haven't seen, that I wish I have, is Rookie LBs Timmons and Woodley playing bigger roles. Woodley seemed to show an ability to get to the quarterback off the edge, which the Steelers need like the Dolphins need a win. Timmons is fast, fast enough to be split wide on the punt team, and apparently has flashed enough coverage skills in practice that he may prove valuable in covering the New England TEs and RBs. But that's in practice.
But there's one thing I HAVE seen from the Steelers is inconsistency. Mental lapses, seemingly deficient gameplans and attention to detail, bumbling plays, and a knack for playing down to their opposition. Will they be able to get up for the New England megalith? I hope so. But if not, maybe if they meet again in the playoffs, things will be different. I would like to see that.
I'm still trying to figure out this "nugget" of newsworthy information:
Tomlin making friends: Just after Monday's night's 38-7 domination of the Ravens, the new, emotional leader of the 6-2 Steelers waited in the tunnel to high five and hug every player as they came in. Who was it? Rookie head coach Mike Tomlin. Unlike former head coach Bill Cowher, the 35-year-old Tomlin generally isn't a rah-rah guy. Also unlike Cowher, Tomlin isn't a yeller, which players appreciate. Ben Roethlisberger told me Tomlin "has brought fun back." -- Bob HoltzmanSo Tomlin high fives and hugs every player after a game and he's NOT rah rah? What is the definition of rah rah? But I guess he didn't yell while he was doing it, so that's okay. And coaches who don't yell, and aren't rah rah...how can they be fun? Maybe he throws great parties?
ProFootballWeekly, which is basically a better sourced, more football facts and schemes focused than rumors/entertainment based like ProFootballTalk, has an article with midseason reports on each team. I think their assessment of the Steelers is right on:
4. PittsburghSteelers fans are too used to excusing or ignoring QB play--running the ball and playing stout D are the linchpins of Steeler football--and treating the QB like an unquantifiable variable (which it is...see Super Bowl XXX) surrounded by a complex series of checks and balances that aim to make the QB position irrelevant (see the Kordell Stewart years). But ultimately, to win a championship, your QB has to make championship throws. Can Ben do it this year? He still makes 1 or 2 seemingly unforced mistakes per game, and a better team will kill us with them. But maybe this is the year he becomes a superstar. Here's hoping.
Biggest surprise: CB Ike Taylor had fallen out of favor with head coach Bill Cowher after Taylor struggled with his confidence and his ability to defend the deep pass. Mike Tomlin has worked to build Taylor back up, and the result has been Taylor’s finest season to date.
Biggest disappointment: There haven’t been many to date, but the offensive line’s play at times — especially in pass protection — has left something to be desired. Another area of disappointment: The Steelers haven’t gotten much from rookie OLB Lawrence Timmons, their first-round pick.
Player to watch: When QB Ben Roethlisberger limits mistakes, the Steelers are ultratough at home and about as formidable a road team as there is in the league outside of Indianapolis, New England and Dallas. But when he’s bad, the Steelers look downright average. His development remains an issue that bears monitoring in the second half.
Team MVP: For the last two seasons, RB Willie Parker has been the Steelers’ workhorse back, and he’s relished the extra responsibility. He isn’t going to run anyone over, and he isn’t going to make highlight reels with his moves in the open field, but few backs hit the hole like he does, and few are as fast.
Fearless prediction: The most balanced team in the division, the Steelers will win the AFC North, even after having to face New England, Jacksonville and Baltimore in the season’s final month.
Not in Power Rankings--I think the popular #4 ranking is correct--but in NFL fan experience, as rated by Sports Illustrated.
I was unlucky to never see a Stiller game at Three Rivers, but I've seen a few at Heinz Field. It was a great experience--the awesomeness of both the food and the memorabilia of the Great Hall beats out the cheesiness of the Ketchup Bottle. You have to love the Visitors endzone being unmarked too. That's old school.
I've also seen a Ravens home game, and I have to admit that particular game was extremely exciting--the Ravens scored 14 unanswered points to tie in the last 5 minutes and beat the Seahawks in OT. However, the announcer played up every 3rd down by the Seahawks to get the crowd to make noise, which to me says that the Ravens don't trust their fans to "read and react" and make enough noise on their own.
Guess what: the Steelers do.
In case you have been hiding under a rock or have been having nonstop sex with a Brazilian transsexual hooker in a crack den for the past 3 weeks, Sunday features a regular season matchup that truly is THE BEST GAME EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Pats vs. Colts. Battle of UnBeatens. Heartthrob vs. HeadKnob. Saintly Coach vs. Devilish Coach. Fat Fuck Coaches vs Baby Faced Coach Impersonators (Seriously, this guy calls the plays for New England? Seriously?)
But the most important reason why this is the GREATEST GAME EVER BAR NONE is that Dr. Z has done a position by position breakdown, which he usually only does for the Super Bowl. So what does Dr. Z have to tell us that we don't know already?
The Colts offensive line, with the exception of one player and one game, has played together the whole season.For real? Guess what? The Steelers have a mediocre to crappy O-Line and they've played together all season too.
Wes Welker might be the greatest hot receiver, or blitz-control guy, who ever lived.Heady, heady praise for a kid who basically is a white Troy Brown, who did everything Welker has done, and more, and over more than 1.5 seasons. But the thing with Troy Brown? He wasn't hot enough. He doesn't look like Vince Vaughans retarded younger brother.
On Adalius Thomas: know they're very proud of themselves for grabbing an obvious Belichick-type Jack of all trades from the Baltimore system, and he'll make a key play here and there, but he'll disappear, too, as he did against the Skins.Did he even have to show up?
Vince Wilfork (75) Wild and a bit out of control when he first came into the league, he has become a master technician at the nose position.Let's see, do I have all my craftsman tools here? Massive meaty forearms? Check. Battering Ram of a Head? Check. Stubby Legs and Oceanic Ass That I Need a Customized Terlet for? Check. Bloated Belly that serves as a third leg? Check. All set then, you technician you.
I'm a little proud of this one, so I thought I'd post it to the SteelSkins site, as well as the Metcalf Up the Middle site. After all, this post stars Billy frickin' Zabka.
Since the SteelSkins have handed yet another loss to Metcalf Up the Middle, we thought we’d honor this occasion with some foreshadowing: Don’t worry NFL, the Steelers (once again) have got your backs.
What the dismal Browns (albeit, at 4-3 they’re not as dismal as they usually are) failed to do back in Week 5—what some pundits are now calling for—the Steelers sell in dime bags.
Yes, it’s about time we take the pundits seriously. Finally, people are calling for Tom Brady’s knees. And why not? Belichick and his cheating Patriots have now run up the score on all 8 of their opponents (what, with their fancy fake spikes and keeping their starters in despite a 42-point lead). And while Cleveland, along with the rest of the league, failed to do much of anything to their former coach while happily accepting their 34-17 defeat, the Pittsburgh Steelers have never failed to excel in the “accidental low hit” category.
You may ask, why the Steelers, and why not the Browns? Excellent question. And to be honest, we here at SteelSkins are equally stumped as to why the Browns’ veins, which normally flow with red vengeance toward the countless teams that have embarrassed them (insert Broncos, insert Steelers, insert Art Modell, insert…the league), why were those same veins flowing with pink pansy goodness during Week 5 against the Pats? The Brownies should have been foaming at the mouths for the opportunity to crush Tom Brady and give their former coach his first loss of the season. It just goes to show, if it’s Brown, flush it down.
The Steelers, on the other hand, proved two things this pre-season: 1. You don’t need a fatty named Kimo von Oelhoffen to put a quarterback’s season in jeopardy; and 2. Just like Charlie Hustle in an All-Star game, we always go all out.
So let this be a warning to you, Coach Belichick: If you keep up the shenanigans, you’ll pay a hefty price, come Week 14. A price not paid since Ralph Macchio last met up with Billy “Sweep the Leg” Zabka.
Bill Simmons is at his best in defining how we experience sports, from a fan's perspective, not masturbating online over the recent successes of Boston-area teams. He adds to his Levels of Losing chart here, and it made me think about my own worst experiences with my favorite teams losing. Here's my top choice:
1993: Pittsburgh Penguins lose to Islanders in OT, Game 7, 2nd round of the playoffs. In 1991 and 1992, the Penguins won Stanley Cups with a roster of Hall of Fame talent, not just Lemieux, but Mark Recchi (traded for Rick Tocchet for the 2nd cup), Paul Coffey, Ron Francis, Larry Murphy, and a gangly perm-mulleted Czech named Jaromir Jagr (his first name is an anagram for Mario Jr.), plus Kevin Stevens (who was the original John LeClair), Ulf Samuelsson, Troy Loney, and other names only I would know..
In 1993, this team ripped through the regular season, winning the President's Trophy for most points overall, and beat the Devils in five and then faced the Islanders, who were a low seed. The Islanders hung tough through 6 games though, forcing a Game 7 in Pittsburgh.
I didn't even expect to watch this game, because it was on during the day and my family was traveling to Lancaster PA for a wedding. When we arrived at the hotel, I insisted that we see if the game was on. My mother, tired from the trip I guess, said no, we couldn't watch it. We would make alot of noise and we were all in one room and she didn't want to have to deal with us moping and cursing if the Pens lost. Despite my dad's unwillingness to take a stand, I precipitated shouts and gestures and raised tempers, and prevailed in the cause of truth and righteousness, and we turned the game on. Then my face fell. 3-1 Islanders, five minues to go in the 3rd period.
With "I told you so" ringing in my ears, the Penguins then mounted a glorious comeback, getting 2 goals to tie it up, the last one with only a minute or so to play. We bounced on the hotel bed, giddy with anticipation as overtime started. NO Mom, I Told YOU so!
Five minutes later, I wanted to throw myself off the hotel balcony. David Volek scored on a one-timer to end the game and eliminate the Pens from the playoffs. This loss combined 3 of Simmons levels of losing: XII--Sudden Death (self-explanatory), VIII--This Can't Be Happening (Pens heavily favored), and III, Stomach Punch (The loss was that much harder to take BECAUSE of the improbable comeback to tie the game in regulation)
This game was the death knell for the budding Pens dynasty. In the next few years, the Pens would make decent playoff runs, only to lose to less talented teams that played better defense and had much better luck. Meanwhile, they kept giving away their talent, like Markus Naslund, who they traded for peanuts to Vancouver, only to see him become a star, and getting rid of incredibly gifted players like D-Man Sergei Zubov because they didn't mesh well with Lemieux's style of play (Zubov was a key player in the Dallas Stars Stanley Cup victories). And of course Lemieux would be plagued by back problems and Hodgkins disease.
This game also featured the end of 50 goal scorer Kevin Steven's career. He collided with an Islander defenseman and hit the ice face first, requiring facial reconstructive surgery. He was never the same again and only got alot of press when he was arrested with a crack whore in 2000. Meanwhile, top goaltender Tom Barrasso--who rivaled Ron Hextall in stickhandling ability and level of prickitude--would give up soft goals and was never the brick wall he used to be.
In honor of that gut wrenching lost, here is all you need to know about the game: (thanks to www.thepensblog.blogspot.com)
Other gut wrenching losses: Steelers/Chargers AFCC 1994, the Neil O'Donnell Super Bowl Giveaway, and the 1992 NLCS loss to the Braves, which has made me hate baseball to this day.
So Steelskins, tell us about your worst losses experienced in separate posts.
We won Week 6, 23-16 to 21-18. Check out our winning post, wherein the legion of Browns failures are discussed, and a sexy Steeler picture is featured (not the one at the top)
http://www.metcalfupthemiddle.blogspot.com/
OK, so we won the first week of our pick-off against MUTM, but lost last weekend - yeah, when the Arizona Cardinals manage to whup up on the Steelers, we're probably gonna lose any sort of pick'ems around these parts, considering the black-and-gold colored glasses many of us wear around the SteelSkins compound. Of course, ol' Boss Hog (that'd be me) didn't help matters at all by, um, not submitting any picks at all. Pretty sure Enos was supposed to fax 'em in, but got distracted by Daisy Duke. Can't say as I blame him.
So, without further ado, here comes the smack from the boys at MUTM (ohbytheway, they chose the picture up there of Steelers safety/transvestite Troy Polamahoozacallit):
What's Festering in Troy's Hair?
by MUTM
I am fulfilling my right of writing anything I want on this website after an impressive pick’em victory by Metcalfupthemiddle.
While I know that this site is dedicated to both the Redskins and the Steelers, it is the latter that I will choose to discuss today. Last Sunday we got our second division win (your welcome) over the Ravens, whom we all can agree are the medical equivalent of an ingrown hair. Brian Billick brings out rage in me that has not been seen since Michael J. Fox was fighting for the loose ball in Teen Wolf. Anyways, the Browns are getting there act together after our game one beating, and I have a few reasons why I think the Browns will beat the Steelers when we play again Sunday, November 11th in lovely Hines Field.
-- Odds are there will be a terrible teamwide outbreak of some disease due to the varieties of parasites living in the combination of Ben Rothlesberger's beard and Troy Palamalu's hair.
-- Mike Tomlin makes the mistake of betting on the game with Romeo Crennel. The prize, a pizza. Romeo's not losing that bet.
-- After some long negotiations Bill Cower returns to the Browns coaching staff as Special Teams Coach under Marty Shottenheimer who is hired as Head Coach again after Romeo Crennel dies of a heart attack after a 5th straight win leading into the Steelers game. There first order of business is to hire Bernie Kosar as QB Coach and Bob Golic gives up his acting career to coach to defense. Oh yeah, and we resign Eric Metcalf for punt returns only.
-- We have Kellen Winslow.
-- Ben Rothlesberger has a 14-37 day with 3 picks as he can't concentrate because he is blinded by the beauty of our backup QB, Brady Quinn.
-- We no longer have Tim Couch, or Ty Detmer, or Spergon Wynn, or Doug Peterson, or Jeff Garcia, or Trent Dilfer, or Kelly Holcomb (actually he had a pretty good game against you guys in Hines field in 2002), or Charlie Frye.
--We have Braylon Edwards.
Good Luck, well see you in November! Go Skins!
-Bird
Steelers Punk, er, I mean DL Brett Kiesel was fined $12,500 for his cheapshot on Campbell. Though I think a more fitting punishment would have been to let LaRon Landry hit Kiesel below the knees after a running start (How you like me now Kiesel!), at least it's an acknowledgement that the hit was, in fact, cheap, illegal, and all-around no good. And that's all I got to say about that.
The Steelers may be the preeminent current practitioners of dirty, lowdown, possibly career-ending hits, but they certainly weren't the founders of the cheap hit. Like most lunkheads, Steelers are strictly followers, and the franchise seems to have been plagued by the stupidity virus since its very inception. You remember Hollywood Henderson's quote about Bradshaw's spelling ablities, of course.
So no, Steelers don't have enough brain cells to come up with the best way to utilize the dirty, cheap, a**hole hit. Apparently, it took a "genius". Check out who SI's Dr. Z thinks thunk up the whole hit 'em below the knees idea:
Tough question from Clay of L.A. Says he has great respect for Bill Walsh, but was Walsh the real architect of the vicious 49ers chop block scheme? "I would love it if you said this question was just silly, but it's bugging me, so I thought I'd ask."
You're not going to like my answer. My feeling is that yes, it was his baby. I mean, Bobb McKittrick didn't think this up all by himself. I'm guessing it was a collaboration of the two. I could never pin it down. The closest I came was I a conversation I had with Russ Francis, the tight end, the night before a Redskins game.
"You want to seem like a genius in the press box?" he said. I certainly did. "Before our first play, tell everyone that there's gonna be a fight."
What? Says which? How come?
"Our first play will be a run left, wide, and what they've got me doing is splitting out and coming back and cracking on Dexter Manley, at knee level." Low crackbacks were allowed in those days.
Sure enough, Manley and Francis went at it after the first play, but the difference was that Francis took him on high, not low. I talked to him about it afterward.
"When we came back to the bench, they all yelled at me," he said. "'We told you to cut him!' I said, "'Did he make the tackle?' There's no way in the world I would do it, and that's what I told Dexter when he jumped me. He calmed down."
"Who told you? Whose idea was that block?" I asked him, but all he would do was shake his head. "Who do you think?" he said. I've heard this from other sources, too.
