August 4, 2012; Canton, OH, USA; Former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Jack Butler (left) and center Dermontti Dawson poses with their busts during the 2012 Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremonies at Fawcett Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

Steelers MMQB:  NFL HOF Weekend Wrap Up

• Two more Steelers added to the Pro Football Hall of Fame
• 4 Steeler fan favorites officially earn Steeler for Life status
• Curtis Martin makes everyone uncomfortable with his speech
• NFL tries out replacement refs
• Goodell reportedly settling with Saints “bounty” players
• Tragedy strikes the Philadelphia Eagles

It was a big weekend for Steeler Nation with the annual Friday night practice in Latrobe including a special retirement ceremony of some very special former players as well as 2 Steelers joining the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.  Former Pitt star Curtis Martin dropped a very heavy and candid speech on the crowd Saturday night.  NFL fans finally got their beaks wet on the first taste of football for the season, how did it taste with replacement refs?  Goodell is reportedly backing down from some of the suspensions handed out to the Saints players involved in the Bounty scandal presumably in the hopes to have the lawsuits filed against him dropped.  Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid loses his oldest son tragically over the weekend. (more…)

You gotta admire Rex Ryan and his New York Jets.  It truly takes a special talent to garner so very much publicity while accomplishing so very little.  Bret Favre and the Dallas Cowboys have mastered the art.  When the story of the 2010 season is written, Rexy and Gang Green will prove worthy successors to that crown.

Let’s rewind back to 2009.  New York got off to a 4-6 start then won five of their last six games to back into the playoffs.  And by “back in,” I mean their final two wins came against teams who weren’t even trying.  First, a gutless Colts team flushed a perfect season down the toilet thanks to a lack of testicles.  Then the Bengals, who would choke against the same Jets a week later in the Wild Card game, treated their final regular season game as a glorified scrimmage.

Had either team shown the slightest sense of pride or honor, the Pittsburgh Steelers would’ve squeaked into the postseason with a Jets loss.  But credit where it’s due.  Once New York got into the Dance, they made the most of their opportunity.  Riding the league’s top-ranked defense and top rushing attack, they came within 30 minutes of a Super Bowl appearance.

STEELERS DEFENSE vs. JETS OFFENSE

Last year, QB Mark Sanchez got by with handing the ball off and managing the game.  In today’s NFL, you need a QB capable of making plays if you want to get anywhere.  So the Jets spent the off-season adding weapons in hopes the Sanchize will improve upon his 12/20 TD-INT ratio of last season.  And it’s worked to an extent as his 16/12 split this season will attest.

Of course, there’s that pesky little problem of not having scored a touchdown in nine straight quarters still to deal with.

The Jets offense is pretty easy to understand since it mirrors the Steelers’ offense back during Ben Roethlisberger‘s early years.  They’re still basically a running team (6th best in the NFL). LaDainian Tomlinson has been reborn, on track for a 1,000 yard season a year after his career looked to be over.  He’s also reclaimed his spot as a threat out of of the backfield.  Second year man Shonn Greene provides a nice change-of-pace.

When they run the ball effectively, Sanchez is protected.  When they put the ball in his hands and tell him to win the game, they get into trouble.   Nacho had a few big passing days in comeback wins against bottom feeders like Cleveland, Detroit, and Houston which fooled the hysterical NY media into proclaiming he had arrived.  But in the last two weeks, where he’s thrown 33 and 44 times respectively, he has 0 TDs and 4 picks to show for it.

Of course, he would’ve had one touchdown last week if not for the butterfingers of Santonio Holmes.  It’s ironic that one of the most memorable catches in Steelers history was made by a guy notorious for dropping the ball at the most inopportune times.  Hard to believe somebody with the hand/eye coordination to bean a nappy-headed ho with a shot glass from 30 meters away can’t keep his eyes on an oblong pigskin that practically hits him in the hands.  Despite missing the first four games due to waking and baking, ‘Tone does have 41 catches and 4 TDs, only one less than he had all of last year.

Dick LeBeau loves young quarterbacks like Roman Polanski loves young…  Er, never mind.  The Jets have a pretty formidable receiving corps with Jerricho Cotchery, Braylon Edwards, and favorite target TE Dustin Keller rounding out the group but the question is can Sanchez get them the ball?  The Steelers top ranked run defense is so dominate they’re allowing a full 20 yards/game less than number two.  Since nobody can run on the Black and Gold, this game will come down to whether the linebackers can muss up the pretty boy while the swiss cheese secondary keeps the passing game in check.

The P-G is reporting Troy Polamalu aggravated his calf on that ill-fated INT-lateral against the Bungles and may not play on Sunday.  I’m not at practice but I find this really hard to believe.  Troy hurt his leg earlier in the Cincy game and, despite limping between plays, didn’t miss a snap.  I have to think if there is any way possible for him to be out there, he will be.  If he can’t go, it’s a huge blow (Understatement Alert!) as he’s won the past two games almost single-handedly.

STEELERS OFFENSE vs. JETS DEFENSE

The Jets haven’t scored a touchdown in nine quarters.  The Steelers have scored two touchdowns in three games. BET THE UNDER!

While the Steelers may be playing without their safety, the Jets are definitely playing without theirs.  Former Raven Jim Leonhard was lost for the season after breaking his leg in practice.  Leonhard was the quarterback of the defense, responsible for recognizing the formations and calling adjustments.  Meanwhile, their other starting safety, Eric Smith, isn’t likely to play after suffering a concussion against the Fins.

And there are more issues with the secondary.  Pitt alum and Aliquippa native Darrelle Revis has battled a hamstring injury for the better part of this season.  He apparently aggravated it last week.  While Revis said he’s definitely playing, Mike Wallace + gimpy hammy is a perfect recipe for toast.

Opposite Revis Island is Cromartie Orphanage.  Antonio Cromartie provided excellent corner play early in the season but has been increasingly victimized in recent weeks.  I suppose it makes sense what with this being the Christmas season and all.  The poor guy has to be exhausted from shopping for his nine kids by eight women in six different states.

Since the Jets have the third best rushing D in the league, I think the Steelers would be well served to test their banged up secondary early and often.  As loathe as I am to praise the Patriots, they showed no fear in attacking Gang Green’s vaunted corners.  The Steelers would be smart to follow their winning blueprint from the 2006 AFC Divisional game against the Colts.  Come out throwing to get ahead, then take the air out of the ball as the Jets frantically play catch-up.

Of course, that Steelers team was a lot different than this one.  For one thing, they weren’t a group of human pylons in front of Ben.  In the Steelers favor, the Jets don’t have the greatest pass rush.  And Flozell Adams, despite the bum wheel, is expected to start.  However, the Bungles had one of the worst sack totals in the NFL yet smacked Ben around worse than Mel slapped Oksana so he best be prepared for another beating at the hands of blitz-happy Rex Ryan.

A short-quick passing game such as utilized by the Pats would help.   Unfortunately, Heath Miller is showing post-concussion symptoms and is expected to miss yet another game.   Yeah, that was $40,000 well spent, dirty Ratbird thug.  Of course, in theory, the Steelers should have a decent short passing game with Mewelde Moore, Hines Ward, and Antwaan Randle-El.  In theory.  In reality, we seldom see it because Bruce Arians is a bomb-happy idiot, Ben takes his sweet time getting rid of the ball, and the line does well if they allow him more than half a second of unmolested bliss to survey the field.

STEELERS TEAM vs. NFL OFFICIALS

Frequent commenter Zam suggested I include a brief note on the officials.  I thought that was a terrific idea since they often represent a bigger obstacle to winning than our actual opponent.  Speaking of the 2006 Divisional game against the Colts, this week’s crew chief will be Pete Morelli.  Steeler Nation will remember Morelli as the zebra who denied Troy the game-sealing interception in an obvious attempt at enforcing the NFL’s secret mandate to get Pey-Pey a ring.  So be prepared for an official who clearly has no problem following the league’s marching orders.  Morelli along with his entire crew donated $100 each to a local Pittsburgh charity which by my math is $124,100 less than James Harrison donated thanks to their witchhunt.

Mike Tomlin has a saying.  Actually, he has a lot of sayings although most are just his fancy way of lying.  But his phrase, “Steel sharpens steel,” is a good metaphor for this game.  The Jets have one of the best defenses in the league.  Either our bumbling offense will rise to the occasion or fall by the wayside.  Likewise, the Jets inept offense will face a unit unlike any they’ve faced this season.  Someone has to score, right?

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:

1) Steelers win and Houston loses or ties and New York Jets lose or tie.

2) Steelers win and Houston loses or ties and Baltimore loses or ties.

3) Steelers win and New York Jets lose or tie and Baltimore loses or ties and Denver loses or tie.

Mister Woodley already made his thoughts known on what he thinks other teams are going to do.  The Ratbirds travel out to Oakland while the Broncos have the Chiefs.  Assuming those teams win, our best hope is for scenario number one.  Displaying the class and dignity absent from the Colts, Bill Belichick has told Tom Brady that he is going to start against Houston.  I can’t believe I just typed that.  The Jets play the Bengals on Sunday night and Ochocinco has been talking trash on Twitter all week indicating the starters are also expected to play in that game.  The problem is both New England and Cincy are locked into the #3 and #4 seeds so regardless of what happens, neither team can earn a first round bye which means how long the starters play is anybody’s guess.

Of course, all these what ifs are pointless unless the Steelers take care of their own business against the Dolphins.  The Fins were basically eliminated from the race last week so they’re mostly playing the role of spoiler here.  The 1-15 Dolphins of 2007 probably weren’t that bad while the 11-5 team of last year probably wasn’t that good.  The 2009 team likely lies somewhere in between.

Offensively, they made great strides last season thanks to solid QB play from Chad Pennington and RB Ronnie Brown‘s exploits running the Wildcat.  Both players were lost to injury earlier in the season so the offense has had to change a bit.  Thanks to a resurgent Ricky Williams, they are still one of the top rushing teams in the NFL.  Former #1 overall pick Jake Long anchors a solid offensive line and former WVU Mountaineer Pat White provides a new twist to the Wildcat.  QB-of-the-future Chad Henne has come on as of late although this is still for all intents and purposes his rookie season.  He’s a stronger thrower than noodle-armed Pennington and has good instincts although their WR corps is pretty weak.  Basically, don’t let the Wildcat beat you and your chances of winning the game are pretty good.

Which is my one big concern this week.  Last week, the Steelers were gashed in the running game.  The loss of Aaron Smith and the abject failure of Lawrence Timmons as a run stopping LB finally reared its ugly head.  Also, the Wildcat is a formation which does very well against a pursuing type defense where players fly toward the ball and leave their gaps.  The Steelers fit that tendency to a tee.  I hate to remind people of this but recall the debacle in Cleveland a few weeks back where Josh Cribbs killed the Steelers running out of the Wildcat.  If the D can stay in their lanes and play a disciplined game, even our horrific secondary should be able to contain the Dolphins offense.

Defensively, Miami managed to hold nine opponents to 17 points or less last year, primarily due to a superb run defense.  Woodland Hills alum (and Dancing With The Stars champion) Jason “Twinkle Toes” Taylor returned after a one year vacation in Washington to shore up the pass rush while old friend Joey Porter continues to play at a high level.  Recognizing a weakness in their secondary, they used their first two draft picks on CBs Vontae Davis and Sean Smith.   Rookie CBs tend to struggle early on and thus Miami currently ranks near the bottom of the league in pass defense.

Which is obviously going music to the ears of newly elected Team MVP Ben Roethlisberger and the rest of the offense.  Even though Hines Ward is playing on two sprained hamstrings, he’ll suit up because the man is a warrior.  And the passing game still has plenty of  weapons regardless of his effectivenesss.  I’m most impressed by Steelers Rookie of the Year, Mike Wallace, who is quickly emerging as future star.  If Ben learns to air out the ball instead of underthrowing Wallace every damn time, we could be treated to a whole bunch of 40+ yard TDs for years to come.

Finally, a sad note.  Troy Polamalu had targeted this game for his return.  Although he has practiced in a limited fashion all week, all indications are he will not play.  Actually, I’m happy for that.   Not that I wouldn’t love to see #43 flying all over the field.  In practical terms, this game means nothing.   If the Steelers win and don’t get help, Troy rushed himself back for no reason.  If the Steelers win and manage to sneak into the playoffs, I’d rather have Troy back for that game than this one.

Let’s just hope there is one more game left to play after this week.

st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:”";
mso-padding-alt:0pt 5.4pt 0pt 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0pt;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;}

How would you like those pointed at you?

Evidently those tricky Washington Redskins use their cheerleaders for more than simple team spirit. It has been reported that the Redskins have their cheerleaders bend and stretch in the visitor’s tunnel prior to the start of each home game. Obviously they think the sight of scantily clad gals in compromising positions is enough to mentally throw their opponents off their game. Okay, it’d probably work on me.

I have to give Washington credit. No other team has thought to whore out their women like this. Sure, several use them as goodwill ambassadors within the community and several produce swimsuit or lingerie calendars but this is the first time I’ve heard of them being utilized as actual on-field weapons. I’d imagine the Philadelphia squad is also used as a distraction although they confine their work to the players’ hotel rooms and money usually changes hands afterwards.

STEELER DEFENSE vs. REDSKINS OFFENSE

First year head coach Jim Zorn has worked miracles with third year quarterback Jason Cambell. He’s adapted very well to the Seattle Seahawks style West Coast offense his coach brought with him. This is the offense that made a mediocre QB like Matt Hasselbeck into an All-Pro so it does have its advantages. The offense leans toward dinking and dunking and when it’s firing on all cylinders even the deep ball is working. So expect the typical WCO stuff, with zone run blocking, bootlegs, quick slants, etc.

Campbell has a big arm, pretty decent pocket presence, and is tough to bring down. Last year he struggled badly with his accuracy, particularly on short and intermediate passes and pretty much got by through throwing the ball to TE Chris Cooley or going deep. In fact, the Redskins didn’t have a wide receiver catch a touchdown until week 10. Fortunately, Campbell played in a West Coast offense in Auburn his final year and had a great season so people should’ve known he’d thrive in the new system. This year he’s the only full-time NFL starter to have not thrown a single interception.

Their playmaker on offense is Santana Moss. He still scares opposing D-Coordinators to death, but teams with somewhat disciplined Cover 2 packages can negate him. He has always had problems with staying healthy or he’d be talked about in the T.O. or Randy Moss category for sure. Old friend Antwaan Randle El is a mediocre threat at receiver and is best as the #3 guy who can return punts. I miss having him on the Steelers but they’re paying him #2/borderline #1 WR money for a guy not at that level. Both guys are threats on special teams which is worth noting as this week the Steelers are going with a good Polish boy by the name of Jared Retkofsky as their new long-snapper and allowing gimpy Mitch Berger to punt with a sore hammy. Hopefully these guys won’t factor in the outcome of the game.

The left side of the O-Line is extremely strong. I like to refer to Chris Samuels as the “Jay Bell of Left Tackles” as he’s not flashy nor does he have eye popping athleticism, but’s he’s just a great left tackle. Pete Kendall continues to be excellent and is a great technician. Randy Thomas is good if he’s healthy. He just doesn’t have that unbelievable athleticism, which prevents him from being the best guard in the business.

Last week, our run defense held strong against a very good ground team. Aaron Smith was his usual dominant run-stuffing self and the return of Fatboy Hampton helped clog up the middle. They’ll need another good game as the Redskins lean heavily on the run in the form of superstar RB Clinton Portis. One reason Campbell has managed to stay out of trouble this year is support on the ground. Remove that support and let’s see if the kid can carry the team all by himself.

Of course, the danger there is our secondary will be weaker than it has been all season. CB Bryant McFadden is still nursing his broken arm and S Ryan Clark is out indefinitely with a separated shoulder. The good news is Tyrone Carter will start in place of Clark, much to the chagrin of Anthony Smith. Somebody should tell Anthony that when it comes to starting for the Steelers, there are no guarantees. *cough*

STEELER OFFENSE vs. REDKSINS DEFENSE

In 2004 and 2005, the Skins blitzed an absurd amount of the time and it created a defense that reeked havoc on opposing offenses. Then in 2006 the Skins had to stop blitzing as the secondary was getting torched. In 2007, Gregg Williams went to an extremely conservative Cover 2 scheme with the safeties playing 20-25 yards away from the line of scrimmage. However, it worked out quite well as the Skins actually finished 14 spots higher in overall pass defense than in the previous year.

The Skins big problem on defense is their inability to sack the QB. They only had 19 sacks in 2006 and improved to 33 sacks in 2007. To that end, they made the trade to bring in Jason “Twinkle Toes” Taylor in order to provide even more firepower to an already stacked D-line. Unfortunately, spinning the babely Julianna Hough around and around must’ve taken too much out of ‘ol Jason because he’s battled injuries all season and is currently listed as doubtful for Monday.

That’s great news for the Steelers as without him, their pass rush goes from mediocre to almost non-existent. Pass protection, as we all know, is to the Steelers what Kryptonite is to Superman. With this match-up, there appears to be a good chance Ben Roethlisberger will have the time to give the field his usual thorough look-see before he decides to part with his precious football.

The Steelers expect Pothole Willie Parker to finally take the field after setbacks the past two weeks.  He’s practiced regularly this week and looks good to go.  The team seems to be hedging a bit on his return, likely due to the excellent work turned in by backup Mewelde Moore but the time has come for FWP to get back into the swing of things.

Also helping will be the return of WR Santonio Holmes. Holmes will be back in the starting lineup after being sat for a week over a bogus pot bust. What’s amazing to me, besides the hypocrisy of the situation, is that no other team sits their players over issues like that. The Jaguars started Matt Jones the same week he was inducted on COCAINE charges. Jerry Jones was happy to have Pacman take the field days after he beat up his babysitter. Damn those Rooneys and their morality.

Washington’s corners did pretty well against the #2 and #3 WRs, but finished 20th against #1 WRs last year. The starters are Fred Smoot and Shawn Springs. Springs should be fine, but he does have an injury history and is 34 years old. I’m not a big fan of Smoot and if they change the style of defense and have Smoot play further off the line of scrimmage it will be a disaster. Carlos Rogers is supposed to come back during the middle of the season after suffering a bad knee injury. Reed Doughty is serviceable, but they lose a lot of range with him in there in place of the late Sean Taylor. Laron Landry didn’t have the greatest pass defense statistics last year but he came along well as the season progressed and should be a keeper.

They say you can’t go home again. A cliché, sure, but that statement held true of the Washington Redskins under the return of legendary head coach Joe Gibbs.  After a quick playoff exit last year, Gibbs went back to cheating at Nascar.  It was thought that Gibb’s Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams would be the replacement, but he had burned some bridges with the higher ups and went to Jacksonville to take over the same position. The reality is that owner Danny Snyder wanted former Giants head coach Jim Fassel but Skins fans were outraged by the pick. The Skins then looked towards Steve Mariucci, who was also widely rejected by the fans. With no other options and Bill Cowher not interested in working for a tool, they wound up taking the man they hired as the offensive coordinator, Jim Zorn, gave him the “young brilliant assistant coach” line and made him the head coach.

On Monday night, I guess we’ll see how brilliant he actually is. Oh, and a few shots of the cheerleaders would be nice too.

(Image courtesy of One From The Other Thumb)

Today, at approximately four o’clock in the afternoon, football season officially begins in western Pennsylvania. No longer will Pittsburgh have to suffer through yet another season of pitiful baseball, lousy management, and idiotic trades by our inept Pirates. Tucked safely along the rolling hills of Westmoreland County, the Pittsburgh Steelers will convene their 42nd training camp as the eyes of the Burgh’s true sports fans turn to their one true major league franchise. Until the Penguins drop the puck in Sweden at least.

Sure, the preseason is more or less a sham. A cheap ploy designed to give greedy owners four more games with which to line their pockets. And yes, the first real meaningful game won’t take place for more than a month. But that doesn’t matter to the members of Steeler Nation. We take our football seriously.

How serious, you may ask? Seriously enough that not dozens, not hundreds, but thousands of people will make a pilgrimage to Latrobe in order to stand around in 90 degree heat and watch sweaty behemoths do sit-ups. The preseason is usually a long-winded way of deciding who is going to be a team’s 5th receiver or what undrafted rookie will make it as a special teamer. The crazy thing about Steeler fans is we actually care about such things.

This will be Mike Tomlin’s second training camp as head coach. Let’s hope his decision making process has improved this year as he made several choices last year which turned out badly as the year played out. He decided that FB Carey Davis would supplant Dan Kreider, long considered one of the best blocking fullbacks in the league. His reasoning was Davis was more athletic and could catch the ball out of the backfield, which is great except Davis went on to catch a whopping total of 12 passes. Tomlin also claimed that good special teams would be one of his priorities and he’d work tirelessly to make sure we were solid in that area, even going so far as trading a draft pick for KR Allen “Fair Catch” Rossum. This resulted in the Steelers having one of the worst special teams units in the NFL.

The major undercurrent to this season is, of course, the very real possibility it will be the last under the ownership of the Rooney family. The Post-Gazette recently published an embarrassing article agreeing with Tomlin’s statement that the ownership situation might be “a distraction” to the players. Are they serious? That is the most laughable bit of excuse making I’ve ever heard. We all know the Pittsburgh media is in bed with the Steelers but at least try to be reasonable. If Big Ben launches a bomb down the sideline to a streaking Santonio Holmes, I very much doubt the ball will slip through his arms because he’s worried about who’ll sign his checks next year. I don’t think Mike Tomlin’s ability to analyze game tape on Tuesday morning will suffer because he’s depressed over strife in the Rooney family.

A few other notes of interest:

–Diane Battiste Zinkham passed away at the age of 62. She was a major part of our cheerleading team, the Steelerettes, from 1961-70. Take note, Cowboy fans, the Steelers and the Cleveland Browns were the first two NFL teams with cheerleading squads. Which I guess means we were the first NFL team with attractive cheerleaders.

–Bret “Look at me! Look at me!” Favre is threatening to report to Green Bay Packers camp, whether they want him or not. He’s quickly turning into the Bill Murray character from the movie “What About Bob?”

–Pittsburgh native Jason “Twinkle Toes” Taylor was traded to the Washington Redskins.

–Top draft picks Rashard Mendenhall and Limas Sweed are signed, sealed and delivered. Sweed has a four year deal for some undisclosed amount. Mendenhall is inked for five years/$12.55 million. He’ll likely use some of that money to replace the cell phone and Rolex that got jacked when he was mugged up in Chicago.

–Finally, also on the sad news front, Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch lost his battle with cancer at the age of 47. This doesn’t have much to do with football, although one of his final wishes was granted when the Steelers invited him to participate in training camp last year. I am a CMU graduate and although I didn’t have any classes with Professor Pausch, I recall reading about him and his accomplishments while there. That he inspired so many people during his remaining years is something nobody should ever forget.