Archive for January, 2010

Meet Al Everest, expected to be the next special teams coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Sure looks like a ball of fire, doesn’t he?   I guess if his kick coverage units don’t work out, he always has the fall back of hosting a kiddie show on WQED.  A group of preschoolers hopped up on sugar would probably have more lane discipline than the Steelers showed this year anyway. Actually, Grandpa Al was the special teams coach for the 49ers this past year.  He’s a football lifer, whose coaching resume dates all the way back to the early 70′s.   He’s [...]

The Pittsburgh Steelers fired their second coach in as many days, this time relieving special teams coordinator Bob Ligashesky of his job.  I have mixed emotions on his departure.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not the least bit surprised.   When you surrender the most return TDs of any team in forty years while ranking 30th and 24th in kick and punt coverage, something is definitely rotten in McKeesport.  And since you can’t fire the eleven men running down the field (although Mike Tomlin certainly tried), it’s easier to can the coach. However, in some ways I feel Ligashesky is [...]

Over the past several days, rumors have been flying about what changes might be in store for the coaching staff of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010.  When you go from Super Bowl champions to missing the playoffs, the fanbase naturally wants a scapegoat.  And the easiest target is usually either the quarterback or a coach.  Since we all seem to agree that the team has a good signal caller in Ben Roethlisberger, the ire has fallen on offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. Well, put away the champagne. The circus will coming back to town next year. Despite radio reports to the [...]

The Pittsburgh Steelers held on to defeat the Miami Dolphins by a score of 30-24. At approximately the same time, the New England Patriots were experiencing a fourth quarter implosion of their own.  Bernard Pollard, Tom Brady‘s personal kryptonite, picked off an errant pass, setting up the score which brought the Houston Texans from 14 points down to a touchdown ahead. Later in the afternoon, the Steelers postseason hopes were officially finished when Oakland QB Charlie Frye was knocked out of their game against the Ravens and replaced by uber-bust Jamarcus Russell. All told, it wasn’t even close as only [...]

Although the Pittsburgh Steelers play the Miami Dolphins tomorrow, their actual enemies are the list of teams blocking their path to a Wild Card playoff berth.  And to be even more technical, their enemy isn’t so much the teams ahead of them in the standings but the teams they are going to play.  If more teams follow the disgraceful example of the Indianapolis Colts and purposely tank games in order to “rest their starters,” our playoff hopes quickly go from slim to none.  So before we worry about the Fins, let’s take a look at what needs to happen tomorrow: [...]