Ryan Clark said yesterday “You lose one game in Pittsburgh and the sky is falling.”  I for one am a little sick of the talk. Let’s be honest. The last two losses have been atrociously off the charts. Want some stats? As if the visuals were not disgusting enough…

The past two games the Steelers put up these awesome numbers:

28 total drives

14 ended in a punt

11 ended in turnovers

Last in scoring.

Last in some other categories that I can’t remember.

Last. Last. Last.

And as you know, these amazing stats were compiled against a banged up, poorly executing Ravens team and the Brownies for *%!!$% sake.

Moving into Sunday’s game, Tomlin has said he is going to shake things up. Sorry buddy, but when you put the same dice in the cup, your odds to come out with YATZEE are exactly the same. I’m not sure how putting Wallace as the co-starter or shuffling the same three backs is supposed to light a fire. The one bright spot is that Antonio Brown is supposed to be back, but if Batch is going to throw the ball five yards short every time…YOI!.  I don’t have the answers. I’m not an offensive mastermind. But I do know that some heads need to roll. Just because things happened to work out back in 2005, Casey Hampton as you keep telling us, it doesn’t mean we should be satisfied to go down that road again. And let’s be honest we don’t even have that same team we had back then. Not even close. Let’s not even compare the offenses because that is depressing, but on the other side of the ball, our guys are not getting turnovers, not getting pressure and not taking down any quarterbacks.

Maybe this is what Tomlin and our guys need. A reality check. Clark is right about one thing, just because you are the Steelers you don’t walk away with a win. But doesn’t that wisdom come with age? And aren’t our guys old as dirt?  So what’s the problem? Ego? Complacency?

In keeping with my dice theme, why not roll them and go with this Hoyer guy? Why not give him his first NFL start? And if it is to be the guy from Geriatrics, maybe I’m cheering for Ngata or some dude in purple to make that change happen early on anyway. Just to see what a guy who can actually throw the ball would do. You wanna shake things up Tomlin? Let’s do it.

Fans, I say pop a cold one early for Sunday’s game. The chance of Steeler Nation winning the Powerball is greater than Ben coming back to lead us to a win. It’s going to be a long day.

Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-US PRESSWIRE

Despite the fact that I am likely to be publically flogged the next time I show up at Heinz, I’m going to bring up an ugly, ugly question.  But let me preface it by saying,  Troy is undoubtedly upper crust when you start naming Steelers, safeties, players and plain old humans. I like 43 so much I dressed up as him last Halloween, I’m just a few cans of AquaNet away from being his twin. His highlight reel is as long as the list of coaches likely to be replaced come January… ok its miles longer, but that is still a pretty long list.  In the Denver game (the last I remember him on the field for more than a blink of the eye) Peyton was wise to keep one eye on Troy at all times, and you could tangibly see the effect 43 had on Manning calling and recalling plays.

My question is, (as I cover my head to avoid the stones) when is the last time we added a clip to that SPLASH video?  The one handed interceptions, the jumping over linemen into the backfield, the sheer closing foot speed to the ball. Dare I say it could be time we consider the fact that Superman might become outdated along with his phone booth.

I guess we wait to see what happens against the Ravens. That’s when he is projected to come back on the field. But seven-ish weeks off (not including his one quarter against the eagles)….what kind of shape is he going to be in? 

I was going to go back and try to dig out some stats and some numbers, but I think we’ve all seen the numbers that matter, the “without 43” win–loss graphic that every network puts up pregame above a live shot of Troy on the sideline eating sunflower seeds.  In sweats.  

But, here’s the good part, in the meantime, guys are stepping up. The secondary is gelling and might I say playing some pretty darn good football.

They have shut down some big name gunners.

They are getting off the field on third down.

They are leading the league in Defense.

They are not giving up penalties…. Ummmm

A secondary anchored by Ike, that includes Clark, Lewis and Allen that after some early season disasters, are starting to really play well without the perennial all pro.  They are proving that they are good enough, so that losing one player, even one like Polamalu, isn’t keeping them from being an elite Defense. Especially for a unit that has shuffled a few players in and out in the hopes of finding the right mix. Allen has really stepped up against the run, while Taylor is holding his own against the league’s best receivers. One sure critique- and granted this goes for the entire D- they aren’t causing turnovers, just three in the last four games.   

So sound off Steeler Fans. Do you think Troy is going to come back and keep pace with the rising trajectory? (please please please!)  Is he going to re-stake his position and prove that Allen is merely an “acceptable replacement”? OR Is he now on borrowed time with that darn calf injury and won’t be as effective?  Let’s hear it! 

Mandatory Credit: Vincent Pugliese-US PRESSWIRE

There’s a lot of good to go around this week in Steeler Nation. Coming off a divisional win is just one think making our black and gold lives better this week.  The Trib reported today that Troy was voted the NFL’s most popular player in a Forbe’s magazine poll. Must be his commercial keeping him top of mind considering he’s only played one game this season.  He beat out the likes of the Manning brothers, Drew Brees and the Gronk. And his 63% appeal rating is all the envy of the two presidential candidates I can assure you.

We should get Pouncy back in Sunday’s line up. If anything his return will keep us from having to go into the bleachers for another lineman.

And Heath. I could write for days on this guy. But three letters will suffice.. MVP.  Need a third down converted? Need some help on the right side to pick up the rush? Need someone to pass block down the field? Need someone to take a hit over the middle?  I’m still waiting for the day when he lines up opposite Woodley. That would be awesome.  

Now the bad.

Pittsburgh, along with most of the east coast, has been enjoying way above average temperatures all week. But all that changes tonight. The forecast for Sunday’s game against Washington is low 40s and rain. But will that keep 65000 people away?  Fans are going to be drenched and delirious from the crazy stripes.  And happy about it.

So what does the potential for some wet weather mean for the Steelers? How much of the game is going to be played on the ground? We know that Mendy is out again, and Redman is still questionable, though seemed to look sharp at practice. That means that the running game falls mostly to Dwyer again.  He put up a solid 122 yards last week against a 20^th ranked rush defense in his first NFL start.  That’s the best performance by a Steelers running back thus far. Good thing for him, seeing he was benched after his fumble in the Oakland game. (Which let’s face it, is kind of harsh. I seem to remember a few other guys having a hard time holding onto the ball that day…) But maybe its lesson learned. Ball security in tough conditions could will be the difference in the game.  Dwyer has been impressive, showing guts in his second efforts.  But he will have to work this week against a pretty stingy Skins run defense that includes the timeless London Fletcher.

The Steelers have shied away from the long ball this year, throwing downfield only once or twice per game.  Wallace has told reporters that he sees cornerbacks creeping closer and closer to the line because they expect the Steelers to keep the passing game on short yardage. With the Redskins coming in dead last in pass defense, maybe it’s time we unleashed some deep balls…though that is with the assumption that Wallace will actually catch them.

And finally, so much buzz this week about the killer bee uniforms the players will be forced to wear on Sunday. I’m actually surprised at the mediocre reactions of most fans. I thought there would be more, well, verbal disdain. The best I saw was a Harrison tweet saying “send them back to 1934.” Weak. In a SportsNation poll this week that drew 7,578 votes, 65 percent say they hated the black-and-gold horizontally striped threads. WHAT?  Thirty five percent actually like them?  Or were they thinking of the benefits of making RG3 go blind from seeing 639 dancing stripes on every play. I mean it could be worse, they could be wearing something like this…

Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE

The Philadelphia Inquirer put out its game day scouting report today. Surprisingly it’s only partially skewed toward the E-A-G-L-E-S. I’m not a big fan of history and going on what happened four years ago. Or in the preseason when these two teams met. Or the fact that the Steelers have traditionally been good after the bye.  And good at home, winning 9 of the last 10 games at Heinz.  History isn’t going to put points on the board.

The Eagles are solid in the fourth quarter. They have pulled out three wins this year with stellar play in the waning moments. The Steelers as we have seen are not, having been outscored in the fourth quarter by almost 20 points. If this game goes down to the wire, do we have confidence in our defense to stop a HOT Mike Vick and company?  Can two key Steelers, one of which hasn’t played since early January, get up to speed and make an impact? Or on the flip side, can our offense go down the field in a game winning drive against a stiff defense that has so far this year shut down any such attempts by other teams. I have to agree with Philly on this one, the Eagles have an edge should it come down to a sprint to the finish.

Big Ben and the Steelers offense will be facing a sack hungry front line. Perhaps this could be the battle that decides the Keystone War. If the Steelers can’t establish a running game, rising from DEAD LAST in the league, even with Mendy returning, Ben will be forced to pass.  He’ll have his usual suspects all at his disposal, but with a better than average pass rush from Philly and a pretty decent secondary, we could see Ben doing his escape act one too many times. Wallace and Brown will have their hands full with very good coverage guys. They are fast and they are physical. But Mike and Antonio have proven they can step up in big games and make plays. I say look for Wallace to add some footage to his highlight reel this week.

Another interesting situation is going to be third down.  The Steelers are converting a league best 56%.  The Eagles are league best in getting teams off the field on third down, allowing only a 26% success rate.  Will Miller be a factor here? 

Much has been said about the age of the Steelers defense, and frankly looking at the body of work over the first three games, it’s hard not to start to wonder if there is some truth to that. They are not generating sacks and are quite literally getting run over. The Eagles are tall on offensive weapons, per the usual Vick, McCoy and Jackson, but they also have a very productive tight end.  A guy named Celek. He has become a reliable target over the middle. The Steelers have shown weakness in coverage here. It could lead to some key conversions for the Eagles offense.

We can sit and debate and talk and write all day. But there is a reason the game gets played. Its the beauty of ANY GIVEN SUNDAY. 

And to finish this off, just because I can’t be all serious in a post, tomorrow’s game reminds me of an episode of the League. On FX. are you watching this? It’s good stuff. There is an episode in season 3, where one of the guy’s (Pete) new girlfriend insists on helping him pick his fantasy line up. She sees Mike Vick and insists he be benched because he is a dog killer and she LOVES animals. She then sees a QB named ‘Bee Rows-lis-berger” and asks who is this? Has he ever done anything bad? Pete says “Nope. He is a good man. Play him.” 

I tell ya… women and football….

Just makes me laugh.

Go Steelers.

Courtesy of South Park

So it’s been 72 hours since the Steelers lost to Oakland. Seventy two hours of what if and will they?  And what the F happened? And I’m over it. Maybe. The defense could not have stopped Snuffleupagus on Sunday. And the petulant child that forever lives inside of me says – I don’t want to talk about it. So instead I’m going to fill the page with things that might distract you for a little while like they did for me. Things that might make you smile and forget that oh right, we are 1-2 and A: haven’t played a decent team yet B: have 2 AFC North (pretty darn good) teams still waiting and C: for the love of Jesus, can we just beat Cleveland this year (just threw that one in there.)

It’s a bye week. We all need a little break.

So, here we go.

Tonight, Wednesday, at 10 pm on Comedy Central, LaMarr Woodley will be making his cartoon debut on South Park. Yep. So stay up late or if that’s past your bed time set your DVR, maybe save it to watch on Sunday. I think it’s going to be pretty entertaining. In fact, I KNOW it’s going to be good. The episode is entitled “Sarcastaball” and we’ll see South Park Elementary take steps to eliminate concussions, and I’m sure hoping we see a cartoon Goodell…I can only imagine the smut that will come out of his mouth. Oh the Joy!  I also hope that the Steelers defense, even an animated one, HITS something. Anything. Even if it’s that fat kid Cartman standing on the sideline eating a snickers.

Speaking of that chocolaty goodness, I was reading SI the other day and actually did a double take as I thought I saw Jerome Bettis peddling snow globes. Man, next thing you know Tom Brady will be wearing ladies boots… oh wait… So anyway, it’s an ad for Snickers, you know the “you’re not yourself”. It got me. I’ll eat a snickers ‘cause the Bus told me to. Jerome is, as we know, a stellar guy. He’s done spots for School of the Legends, Asthma, and Nike.  He’s oh so marketable. You might remember him in the Papa John’s commercial.. with Peyton. The commercial was a spoof of the coin flip debacle Bettis was a part of during a Thanksgiving game years ago. Peyton plays a pretty good ref, better than the guys we have now, as some will agree. I can just see these replacements talking at the office cooler Monday Tuesday morning: “I’m not a real referee but I play one on TV.”

And finally, I caught an episode of NFL Films late last week.  After suffering through a piece that made Ray Lewis look like Mother Teresa (all editing, LOTS of editing), they had a nice bit on the Beard. Kiesel has a great story, coming out of BYU, playing 4 years on special teams, not even starting, before he got his chance. And he’s made it worthwhile, capturing a ring and a pro bowl appearance and even has a song written about him. But I do have one issue, Mr. Diesel.  You haven’t won anything with the Beard. In fact, ever since you started growing it, we lost the big one, then lost to Tebow and now are 1-2. Can we not try the beard next year and see how it goes?  Just sayin….

Enjoy the off week Steeler Nation!