2005

At last!  After 25 years, the Pittsburgh Steelers finally had one for the thumb.
And they did it the hard way.
Things started badly as both Duce and Bus were hurt in the preseason.  That meant starting RB duties fell to a 2nd year undrafted free agent by the name of Willie Parker.  Fast Willie introduced himself by rushing for 161 yards in his first game.  He added 111 more in his second.  The heir apparent to Bettis was finally found.
Still, the team struggled.  Big Ben battled injuries necessitating two starts from his backup, Tommy Maddox.   The team lost both games with [...]

With 2010 a couple days away, people tend to reflect back at what the past twelve months have brought them.  This January 1st is particularly special in that it also marks the start of a new decade.   Instead of making a list of the best of this or All-Decade that, I thought I’d just take a look at what the past ten years have meant to the Pittsburgh Steelers.   It’s almost hard to believe when the Aughts (or 00’s) began, the team was mired in three consecutive losing seasons and hadn’t won a Super Bowl in twenty years.
2000

This marked the [...]

The 2009 Pro Bowl rosters were announced yesterday.  A grand total of two Pittsburgh Steelers were selected to the team.  James Harrison was named a starter, his third selection in as many years.  Casey Hampton was chosen as a reserve NT (behind the Ravens’ Haloti Ngata) marking his fifth appearance in the NFL’s annual all-star game.
As is usually the case with the Pro Bowl, it’s more interesting to talk about who didn’t make it than those who did.
Nobody was selected from the Steeler offense.  Remember, this is first time in franchise history that they have a 4,000 yard passer, two [...]

The Pittsburgh Steelers managed to keep their slim postseason hopes alive with a hard fought 23-20 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.   Unfortunately, things around the NFL didn’t exactly fall their way yesterday so they still find themselves behind a long line of teams in the AFC playoff race.  However, a win over the Ratbirds is still a win over the Ratbirds.   Regardless of how the final week of the season shakes out, we can at least rest easy knowing that gang of thugs and their insufferable fanbase can’t lay claim to sweeping the season series and knocking us out [...]

Nice to know Dino Tomlin was as confused by the onside kick as most of Steeler Nation.
If the Pittsburgh Steelers wish to defend their Super Bowl championship in the postseason, they must win their two remaining games.  Step one of that plan puts them on a collision course with the Baltimore Ravens .   People forget that in 2006, even with the horrid 2-6 start, the Steelers rallied in the second half of the season to have an outside shot at the playoffs.  Those dreams were soundly crushed by the Ratbirds in the second to last game of the season.  Let’s [...]

Dear Santa:
Let me get right to the point.  I believe in you. I’ve always believed in you. I believed even when Tony and Tina told me in the fourth grade that you weren’t real. I knew better than trust the two people who convinced me how fun it was to lick a frozen lamp post.  Are they still on your Naughty list?  If not, they should be.  Of course, those decisions are up to you.
I realize I am getting far too old to give you a lengthy list of toys in the hopes of discovering them wrapped up in shiny [...]

On Sunday, the NFL’s fourth best defense faced off against the league’s number two rated unit.   So naturally what resulted was a crazy wide-open game where both teams combined for a shade under 1,000 yards of total offense.   Defense?  We don’t need no stinkin’ defense.   And when the smoke cleared, the Pittsburgh Steelers had ended their five game losing streak with a heartstopping 37-36 victory over the Green Bay Packers.
The tone was set early.  On the Steelers very first play from scrimmage, Ben Roethlisberger rolled right and unleashed a 60 yard TD bomb to rookie Mike Wallace.  The pass was [...]

But do they have kung fu grip?
Blah blah blah went Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin at his weekly grab bag of lies press conference.   At this point, Tomlin’s endless droning must sound like Charlie Brown’s schoolteacher to his players.  It’s not as if they have to worry about repercussions for angering their coach.   After promising “schematic and personnel” changes last week, he delivered the exact same game plan and exact same lineup that has been sucking for over a month now.  Guess he never heard the story of the boy who cried wolf.
Tomlin did speak the truth [...]

They say the true test of a person’s character is how they handle adversity.  Anybody can ride the wave when things are good, it’s how you deal with the bad times that test your mettle.  With the Pittsburgh Steelers experiencing a collapse of historic proportions, we’re finally starting to learn which players are stand up guys and which ones are dicks.  Yesterday, starting safety Ryan Clark unleashed a 12 minute rant which will live in Pittsburgh sports infamy while earning him a permanant place in Camp Asshat.
After watching the video above, you can read the entire transcript of his tirade [...]

Warning:  Do not continue reading if you’re currently taking mood stabilizers or experience severe depression when your favorite football team fails.
For over a month, I’ve been harping on the fact that the margin of error for the Pittsburgh Steelers was increasingly small.  After disgracing themselves against the Cleveland Browns, the playoff window might as well be officially closed.  Except, it’s not.  After another crazy weekend of NFL action, the Steelers are technically still alive.
Well, on paper anyway.
The AFC playoff race has been extremely tight in recent years.  In 2007, the Browns went 10-6 and still missed the Wild Card.   [...]