Archive for August, 2010

Troy Polamalu is the best defensive player in the NFL.  Some might dispute that but they would be wrong.  In 2008, James Harrison was Defensive Player of the Year.  Last season, he hardly missed a snap.  Yet that same defense went from being one of the all-time greats to being fairly terrible primarily because one unit had Troy and the other did not. When you’re more important than the DPOY, you have to be the best. The sight of those flowing locks waving as he hones in on the ball carrier like a heat seeking missile is quickly becoming an [...]

Back to the drawing board… With final cut down to our official 53 man roster looming on Saturday, last night was basically the final chance for players on the bubble to prove they belong on the 2010 edition of the Pittsburgh Steelers.  It was also a chance to gain some clarity on several of the position battles waging through camp.  And after sixty minutes in the Mile High City, we’ve learned exactly nothing. Quarterback – Ben Roethlisberger played the first quarter, moving the team effectively and looking sharp with his throws.  Watching Big Ben and then the two wannabes to [...]

As a proud graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, I enjoy returning to my Alma mater whenever possible.  Usually that means an thought-provoking play staged by the world class drama department or the occasional robotics demonstration so I can keep tabs on the progress of our future evil overlords.   However, they’ve unveiled a new project which is more exciting than both of those combined. Beginning today, September 27th, CMU is presenting an exhibit honoring the one passion I’m sure we all share:  the Pittsburgh Steelers.   The Miller Gallery located in the Purnell Center for the Arts (at CMU’s main [...]

Much has been written and said about wayward Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.  Lord knows nobody has had the guts and integrity to approach the topic with such honesty as yours truly.   But the truth is, I like the big lug.  He reminds me of Rain Man, an idiot savante at the game of football.  What people don’t understand is I kid because I love.   And, to be fair, Steeler Nation has done more than their fair share of laughing at the criminal element on teams such as the Bengals or Cowboys. If we can’t laugh at ourselves, [...]

Ah, sweet sweet TIVO.  Allowing me to maintain some semblance of a social life and still blog about our fifth string wide receiver’s route running ability. Some random thoughts from the Pittsburgh Steelers Meaningless Game #2: QUARTERBACKS – Ben Roethlisberger saw his first action of the season.  He looked to be in mid-season form.  And by “mid-season form,” I mean he ran around in the pocket like a kid with ADD and then showed his typical bad decision making by throwing a poor ball that resulted in a pick.  He also held the ball too long on a 2nd and [...]

It’s beginning to feel a lot like football season.  And nothing says football season like a good old fashion quarterback controversy. Pittsburgh Steelers star receiver Hines Ward is the latest to voice a desire to see more of dynamic third year quarterback Dennis Dixon.   Of course he does.  Hines is a winner.  He’s not concerned with padding his stats or playing political games.  All he cares about is winning and he knows Dix may very well provide the team with the best chance to start strong out of the gate. Head coach Mike Tomlin seems less convinced.  In an [...]

I’m a fan of professional wrestling.  You’ll probably notice the occasional wrasslin’ reference in my writing.  Even though it has gotten kinda dull the past few years (Cena sucks), I still keep tabs on the sport.  It’s hard to completely break ties with a show I’ve been watching since Hulk Hogan slammed Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania III. One of my favorite aspects of wrestling is the utter absurdity.   Like, when you throw a guy into the ropes, why exactly do they bounce off in the opposite direction?   Elementary physics would tell you this makes no sense.  And then there [...]

Thanks to the miracle of Tivo, I finally got around to watching the Pittsburgh Steelers first preseason game.  I know I said I was watching it anyway but when they decided to postpone it for over an hour due to rain, I set my recorder and headed out to karoake bar.  Anyway, while I usually give a detailed write-up for regular season games, meaningless contests demand slightly less than my unparalleled best.  So with that in mind, here are some tings I taut I thaw… QUARTERBACK – What we didn’t see was Ben Roethlisberger.  Whether this is Mike Tomlin‘s idea [...]

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Tomorrow night, the Pittsburgh Steelers take the field for their first preseason game against the Detroit Lions.  This time last year, the Black and Gold were defending Super Bowl champs and training camp held very little suspense.  We knew what we had and we knew who we had and there wasn’t much in the way of mystery as to what our final roster would be.   Our biggest concern was whether Isaac Redman would make the team as a fourth string running back. Oh how times have changed. Tomorrow will be the first step in determining what the 2010 edition of [...]