Nice Pick, Cowher » Lewis

Week 12 Recap: Ben Knows How To Score

chris — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:28:10 +0000

Congratulations, you’ve won the Pennsylvania lottery. Certainly, sir, we’d love to give you a refund. Sorry for the long wait, please have an extra chalupa on us. Oh my, it’s soooo big.

All things I thought I’d never hear.

“The Steelers offensive line has played an excellent game tonight.” used to be on the list. Miraculously, that one gets crossed off because I actually heard it last night when the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 27-10. Granted, it was spoken by Cris Collingsworth, who is so in love with his own voice I bet he talks dirty to himself, but kudos are kudos.

To be fair, the line did perform well in surrendering zero sacks. Okay, the Bengal defense was pretty banged up and sure they don’t have much of a pass rush even when healthy but remember Baby Steps. QB Ben Roethlisberger was afforded a nice pocket on almost every play and the team managed to rush for a total of 121 yards with three different backs. Plus, they managed to avoid getting flagged for the zillion holding penalties which plagued them last week.

The 121 rushing yards were shared by a three man RB-by-committee. Fast Willie Parker started the game and looked awful. The weather, field conditions, or a flare-up of his knee injury really affected his performance to the point Coach Mike Tomlin yanked him from the game for the entire 2^nd half. He had none of the burst he showed last week and would stutter step/hesitate instead of hitting the hole. Subtract one 15 yard scamper and his stat line is an ugly 13 carries for 22 yards.

Luckily, the calvary was on its way in the form of Mewelde Moore. Moore stepped in to provide a capable rushing attack (56 yards) while also being a threat on screen passes (41 yards). I dare say without his valiant efforts, we would have been in deep trouble. Gary Russell also came up big, first on a 35 yard kick return which gave the Steelers field position and then later converting a key 4^th and 1 near the goal line. That call, where Tomlin channeled his Inner Cowher by passing up a chip shot FG for a first down conversion, was the turning point of the game.

Cincy came out guns blazing, even without the services of malcontent WR Chad Bozo Clowno. QB Ryan Fitzpatrick moved the team right down the field, picking on newly signed CB Fernando Bryant. Fernando did not look mah-velous. It’s no mystery why this guy was out of the league as of two weeks ago. He has the speed to keep up with WRs but gets juked and faked all over the place and in the NFL all it takes is leaning the wrong way for a split second for a window to open up. He got burned on a long pass early in the drive and then got toasted in the end zone for a quick 7-0 Bengal lead.

The Steeler offense came out flat as FWP couldn’t get on track and the passing game seemed out of synch. WRs Nate Washington and Hines Ward have had some big games and big catches this year but they’ve also had big problems with dropping easy ones. Drives floundered when both failed to make plays in the first half. The Steelers finally ended their TD drought after 8 quarters in the 2^nd when O-Coordinator Bruce Arians, who seems to have figured out you’re allowed to throw to your TE, decided to try it with Heath Miller. Miller’s 14 yarder after a penalty moved them back and TD catch from 3 yards out were sandwiched around a 36 yard strike to Hines. A Skippy Reed FG later in the quarter and it was déjà vu all over again as the teams went to halftime with the same exact 10-7 score they had in their first game.

When play resumed, the Steelers chewed up some clock (and added another FG) with Mewelde Moore taking advantage of a beat up Bengal defense that lost two more starters as the game progressed. Gary Russell finally rammed the ball in from the 2 for his first TD as a Steeler on a drive that was set up by Double M’s 15 yard run followed by a 22 yard screen pass. Also interesting to note was Carey Davis joined FWP on the pine with blocking FB duties being performed by Sean McHugh. He did a rather good job which is yet another case of backups on this team outperforming the supposed starters.

In the third, Cincy finally got some offense going after the beautiful violence of the Blitzburgh Defense had pretty much stifled them all game. Their drive was aided by P Paul Ernster and his inability to kick anything but wounded ducks. I usually ignore kickers and concentrate on the real football players but I have to say Ernster is quickly becoming an embarrassment. One could argue the poor weather contributed to the lousy punting yesterday (Cincy’s kicker had a rough outing, too) but over two games now Ernster’s average has to be hovering around the 30 yard mark. How sad is it that the punter with the torn hammy kicked better than the punter with two healthy legs?

Anyway, Cincy took advantage of starting at midfield and drove the ball down to the 8. Once there, the Steelers benefited from Bengals Coach Marvin Lewis’s distinct lack of testicles when he kicked a FG on 4^th down. You play to win the game, Marvin.

On the subsequent drive, a heavy dose of Mewelde Moore, a clutch third down play (Ben broke free from a sack and scrambled to find a heads up Limas Sweed), and the game was sealed when Ben broke away from another would-be sacker and darted in for the score. It wasn’t always pretty and there is definitely more than one area that needs to be worked on but as I said in my preview Baby Steps. With the cream puff section of their schedule over, the Steelers look toward games against NE, Dallas, and Tennessee, making now the time to put their best foot forward.

Week 2 Preview: Steelers vs. Browns

chris — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 06:23:17 +0000

Since their re-birth in 1999, the Cleveland Browns organization has struggled mightily with personnel decisions. In 2005, the Browns hired former Ravens head scout Phil Savage to become their General Manager. The Ravens were widely considered to have an excellent scouting department. From 2005-2006, Savage concentrated on rebuilding a team in shambles. He succeeded in adding some quality pieces but the Browns still had lousy quarterback play compounded by an offensive line that totally stunk. So the Browns came up to the podium in the 2007 draft and took offensive tackle Joe Thomas with the third overall pick stunning everybody, especially quarterback Brady Quinn and the uber-hot fag hag girlfriend who was there with him.

The Browns wound up drafting Quinn later in the first round with the 22nd overall pick but the Thomas pick was actually the turning point in the direction of the franchise. With Thomas outright dominating defenders at the left tackle spot, that allowed the team to move Kevin Shaffer to his more natural right tackle position. They also signed Eric Steinbach, who wasn’t exactly up to snuff with his run blocking, but with Thomas’ presence beside him, nade the Browns lethal on the left side. This superior line play enabled QB Derek Anderson to have a career season and the Browns to have an explosive offense, which was needed to compensate for a fairly mediocre defense. They wound up going 10-6 and missing the playoffs by a tiebreaker as the Steelers won both head-to-head matchups.

Re-signing Anderson and a flurry of offseason activity has made the Browns one of this year’s trendy picks for the Super Bowl. Those predictions took a hit when they stumbled out of gate in week 1, losing badly to the Dallas Cowboys. Week 2 will no doubt see a hungrier, even more motivated Browns team eager to prove to everybody that they are not overrated by handing a loss to their longtime division rival Steelers.

STEELER DEFENSE VS BROWNS OFFENSE

How much difference did the addition of Joe Thomas make to this team? Here’s a look at Cleveland’s sack ratio allowed over the past five seasons:

2003…………40 sacks allowed
2004…………42 sacks allowed
2005…………46 sacks allowed
2006…………54 sacks allowed
2007…………19 sacks allowed

Not only was the decrease in sacks amazing from a numbers standpoint, but considering Derrick Anderson is a 6’6” tall leadfoot at quarterback, it makes the sacks allowed even more spectacular. Beyond pass protection, the line also forced defenses to protect against their running game which got WR Braylon Edwards and TE Kellen Winslow out one-on-one against defenders and they usually win those battles.

A lot of people like Anderson and I can’t blame the Browns for re-signing him since they can always bring in Quinn if he falters or allow him to leave via free agency ala San Diego/Drew Brees when they feel the time is right. Having two quality QBs isn’t the worst problem to have in a league that brings Vinny Testeverde out of retirement almost every season. Anderson has a strong arm and strong leadership skills but tends to struggle with his decision making and accuracy at times.

Old nemesis Jamal Lewis was also resigned as the primary back when he picked up his production toward the end of the season to show he still had some gas left in the tank. Lewis was extremely good in the red zone and short yardage but his days as a 30-carries-a-game chain moving tailback may have passed by. Lawrence Vickers is an excellent blocking fullback.

Braylon Edwards is a tremendous athlete who has size and speed that puts defenders at a disadvantage. There were times where he just flat out carried the offense. You combine Edwards with Winslow and you have a deadly deep and safety valve combination. Of course, Winslow can hurt defenses deep as well. They brought in Donte Stallworth which seems like a solid move because at the very least the guy is a deep threat. He really didn’t do a whole lot in New England, but I think his presence was important there because if the Pats didn’t have a deep threat opposite Randy Moss, teams would’ve just rolled one of the safeties deep over the top instead of having both safeties deep over the top on both sides of the field. That allowed the Pats to stretch the field so deep and throw the ball all day to Wes Welker and Kevin Faulk. Stallworth’s big issues have been his inability to stay healthy and he’s got mediocre hands. Edwards isn’t much in the hands department either, which could lead to a year of a lot of dropped passes.

Pretty much every aspect of the Steelers defense clicked last week. I wouldn’t expect a repeat performance this week, especially in terms of sacks. The Three Amigos secondary of Bryant McFadden, Ike Taylor, and Deshea Townshend will have their hands full but do have the coverage skills to deal with the Browns’ skill players. They’ll have to be on their game because Anderson will have time to throw. Jamal Lewis has had some good games against the Steelers, one of the few running backs who can say that, but with our d-line playing like they are, I have a feeling the run won’t be much of a factor. If S Troy Polamalu can have another big game that might make all the difference in this one.

STEELER OFFENSE VS BROWNS DEFENSE

The Browns play a 2 gap 3-4 scheme. In the past they have focused on the secondary, but after struggling to sack the QB, they switched focus away from the secondary and to the front seven. In order to do that, they let cornerback Leigh Bodden go to Detroit so they could pick up nose tackle Shaun Rogers. Bodden’s knee was in question and a motivated Rogers is a helluva player. However, he’s never played the 2 gap 3-4 scheme before and that is usually a tough transition. The same could be said for Corey Williams, although he’s a 3-4 DE, so the transition is a little less difficult. DE Robaire Smith is a longtime 3-4 veteran.

LB Kamerion Wimbley had a really nice rookie year, but struggled a bit in 2007 as he was constantly the focus of the opposing offense. He did force 4 fumbles though. If they can get some pressure from other parts of the defense that would free him up. D’Qwell Jackson is a nice player and Andra Davis just doesn’t fit into the 3-4 scheme. Willie McGinest is in his last year and is still a savvy, smart player but may not have much left in the tank.

They really liked what they got out of CB Eric Wright last season which is why they felt comfortable to trade away Bodden, who had been an excellent find for the team. Coupled with Gary Baxter, a physical corner who hasn’t been able to stay healthy and Sean Jones, a rising star at SS, the Browns thought their secondary would be solid this year. That didn’t seem to be the case last week with Tony Romeo and the Starboys seemingly passing at will against them.

In summation, the Browns built a stout defense which is solid at the point of attack but isn’t going to generate a lot of pressure on the QB. Sounds custom made for a team like the Steelers who pride themselves on playing physical in the running game but struggle when it comes to pass protection. QB Ben Roethlisberger should have plenty of time to survey the field and find an open receiver. Maybe this week he’ll even hold on to the ball longer then .004 seconds and look for WR Santonio Holmes deep down the field.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this game turned into a sort of a shootout with both teams marching up and down the field. The Steelers running game might provide a crucial edge when it comes to killing time or running down the clock. But first the team must build a lead and that is not going to be easy with an offense which can match you point-for-point. I think the Browns will be able to move the ball if for no other reason than their tremendous line should be able to keep James Harrison and Mr. Woodley at bay for most of the game.

The fate of this game may very well be decided on special teams. The Browns have very good special teams, led by return ace Joshua Cribbs, who almost single-handedly beat the Steelers in a crucial match-up toward the end of last year. If last week’s excellent return coverage turns out to be just an elaborate illusion that could very well be the difference in the final score.

Steelers Mascot Arrested (Yes, I Said “Mascot”)

chris — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 16:12:37 +0000

When did Pittsburgh become the new Cincinnati?

This week saw yet another tally added to the litany of off-season woes when Steely McBeam, our much ~~beloved~~ reviled mascot, was arrested and charged with a DUI. Acting swiftly, the Steelers Cedric Wilson’d his ass before the ink on the police blotter dried. Whether his firing means that we have now lost our second cartoonish figure with an absurdly large chin in as many seasons is not known. What is known is sadly, this is not the worst Pittsburgh mascot related scandal in city history. That honor would go to the Pirate Parrot, who was once busted for selling blow to players back in the early 80’s.

In other Steeler related legal proceedings, Najeh Davenport was found not guilty of all criminal charges in his domestic violence case. The Dump Truck can breathe easy, secure in the knowledge the only ~~black~~ brown mark on his otherwise spotless record will continue to be the incident where he was busted for shitting in his ex-girlfriend’s closet.

This brings me to the topic of the recent controversy over the release of Cedric Wilson on the heels on a similar domestic abuse case being filed against Pro Bowl linebacker James Harrison. It seems like there are a number of columnists, both local and national, who are using the situation to expose the Steelers as hypocrites or the same as any other team when it comes to character issues. Mark Madden, a popular local talk show/self-promoting fool, has been particularly vocal about the perceived double-standard.

Well, there is no double-standard. If you spend thirty seconds to analyze the situations and if you know anything about Steeler history, you’d know their behavior this off-season is no different than it has been any other off-season. The Steelers have never, NEVER, been the type of team who cut a player at the first hint of trouble. As noted, Davenport was arrested for domestic abuse and he wasn’t cut on sight. Current wide out Santonio Holmes was arrested for disorderly conduct three weeks after he was drafted. Cedric Wilson was arrested on a prior charge of domestic abuse and he wasn’t cut either.

The Steelers have always shown they are willing to let the legal process play out before making a judgement about a player. The only reason their hand was forced with Wilson was he went into a PUBLIC place and, in front of dozens of impartial witnesses, smacked the taste out of his girlfriend’s mouth. At that point, there is no grey area. At that point, there is no benefit of the doubt.

This has nothing to do with one being an All-Pro and the other being the #4 wide receiver. Pittsburgh has consistently shown that they have no problem cutting talented players if they feel their personal issues or conduct reflects poorly on the organization. We had a fantastic Pro Bowl offensive lineman named Carleton Haselrig. The Steelers cut him when his problems with alcohol and love for driving his motorcycle through McKees Rocks wearing his helmet BACKWARDS left them no choice. Anybody remember Bam Morris? He was our star running back, 1,000 yard rusher, and almost single-handedly won Super Bowl XXX when our quarterback suddenly lost his ability to distinguish black jerseys from white. The Steelers cut him loose when he was caught in Texas with approximately ten pounds of marijuana in his trunk. Guess he got a discount for buying in bulk.

The point is, the Steelers have not tarnished their reputation in any way this off-season. They are simply continuing to employ the standards and policies for personal conduct they always have. As a respectable organization, to even put them in the same category as Cincinnati or Baltimore is beyond laughable. Those organizations have players who’ve been arrested dozens of times and/or actually served jail time for their involvement in shootings. Pittsburgh would never tolerate that which is why we’re still better than them.

I applaud the Rooneys for their fair and even-handed approach to running their organization. Unlike what the pulpit-thumpers or publicity seekers would have you believe, professional athletes are at a greater risk for exaggerated charges and false accusations simply because of who they are. Remember Randy Moss had a restraining order slapped on him the week before the Super Bowl? That went away, didn’t it?

To err is human, to forgive is divine. Except in the case of Steely McBeam. Good riddance to that buffoon. Besides, I hear Dallas is interested in a new mascot. He should be expecting a phone call from Jerry Jones any day now…

Steelers vs. Bengals Preview: The Rap Sheet

chris — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 09:59:31 +0000

That right there is why last week’s game against the Miami Dolphins was simultaneously the greatest and the worst game you’re going to see this season. Shockingly, it was the third highest rated Monday Nighter of the year which tells me either Steeler Nation is more powerful than I thought or there are a lot of football fans who like good, old-fashioned, mud and rain slop ball. Fallout from the Sod Bowl continues in all quarters, as the Steeler players weigh in favor of keeping the field as is, while the national media waggle their figurative fingers at our fair city and say, “Shame! Shame!”

Of course, there’s still some football to be played on the soupy tundra of Heinz Field. Why, there’s a game this Sunday night as a matter of fact. The Cincinnati Bengals have cleared it with their parole officers and are free to make their annual pilgrimage to Pittsburgh to wrap up our yearly two game set.

Pittsburgh Defense vs. Cincinnati Offense

The Cincinnati offense we’ll see this week is light years better than the one we limited to 13 points in our first meeting. The Bengals have been lighting up the scoreboard in recent weeks, dropping a couple of 35s on the opposition in consecutive weeks. Gone is the team from earlier this season that was having all kinds of problems scoring.

Why the sudden change? Well, they got two of their key players back. RB Rudi Johnson has finally gotten healthy and his threat in the running game has really opened up things for Carson Palmer. The other key component was WR and habitual lawbreaker Chris Henry coming back from being put in NFL mandated time out.

Obviously, having Ocho Cinco and TJ Housyourdaddy at wide out should be enough to put plenty of points on the board but don’t think Chad Johnson exploding for 3 TDs last week was just good timing. Having a dangerous third/slot receiver like Henry out there really forces secondaries to adjust their coverage, leading to blown assignments or favorable matchups for the Big Two.

Let’s also not forget that in the first game, Cincinnati might’ve been able to pull out a win if head coach Marvin Lewis hadn’t forgotten to bring his balls to the stadium that day. On two occasions they were inside the Steelers’ red zone and both times they settled for field goals. One of those was a fourth and 1 inside the 10 which was a particularly wussy call for a team that desperately needed a win to stay in contention. We can argue about the Patriots “running up the score” and all but the fact is the successful NFL teams are the most aggressive NFL teams.

Ironically, one of the best things that could happen to the Steelers would be for field conditions to be, um, less than ideal. A sloppy, beaten-up field would greatly limit the speed game Cincinnati likes to play and make it far easier for our cornerbacks to cover. Failing that, it’ll be up to Ike Taylor, Deshea Townshend, and Bryant McFadden to play yet another strong game. Our secondary has played extremely well this year and even though we’ll once again be without FS Troy Polamalu, I expect another outstanding effort from them.

Pittsburgh Offense vs. Cincinnatti Defense

I could easily cut and paste what I’ve written the past three weeks here but because you, the loyal reader, deserve the very best, I’ll instead just reiterate in my own inimitable style. Once again, we’re playing a pretty awful defense. Of course, we’ve played terrible defenses the past two games and managed to score a grand total of one touchdown in the last eight quarters. That’s not going to get the job done this week.

The Bengals have struggled in pretty much every area of defense this season. Their opponents are averaging 25 points, 120 rushing yards, and a whopping 245 passing yards per game against them. These are atrocious numbers, even by their lowly standards. Cincinnati corners have struggled mightily this year and they’re getting absolutely no help from a terrible linebacking corp which is full of three-toed sloths who can’t help out on slot WR’s, RB’s or TE’s. If you have TE Heath Miller on your fantasy team, this would be the week to start him with confidence.

The Bengals do have 18 sacks this year so expect them to bring the pressure on QB Ben Roethlisberger. Once again, it’ll be interesting to see if our swiss cheese line can keep him upright for more than two plays in a row. LT Marvel Smith very likely won’t play so we’ll get another chance to see if Max Starks can shore things up. If he plays well, Mike Tomlin should think about shuffling things around a bit when Smith is ready to come back.

The Steelers will also be without WR Santonio Holmes, who is still nursing a high ankle sprain. I haven’t heard anything so I’m guessing Nate Washington will once again start and they’ll use Cedric Wilson as the third down/slot receiver. Maybe Willie Reid will see some playing time as well, which would be nice because he’s shown a willingness to go over the middle that, as noted, is one area the Bengals have some glaring problems.

I expect a dogfight as Cincinnati isn’t totally out of the playoff picture and will be up for this game like no other game this season. My only regret is being the road team, the Bengals will be dressed in traveling whites instead of the swank Sunkist colored orange uniforms they wore last week. We all know they’re a bunch of criminals but there’s something humorous about seeing them play in what appear to be prison jumpsuits.

Steelers vs. Browns: The Rivalry Reborn

chris — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 07:28:20 +0000

Red Sox and Yankees. Austin and McMahon. Celtics and Lakers. Lindsay Lohan and sobriety. There’s nothing like a battle between mortal enemies..

In the city of Pittsburgh, there is no more natural rival than the Cleveland Browns. When the Browns moved to Baltimore many years ago, Iron City Beer even issued a commemorative can saluting “The Rivalry 1950-1995” That’s some serious hatred when you dislike somebody so much you’ll actually miss hating them.

Unfortunately, since the Browns were resurrected in 1999, The Rivalry hasn’t been what it once was because the Brownies, well, they’ve sucked. Beating them has given us all the joy of beating Corky from “Life Goes On” in a game of Scrabble.

How quickly things change in the ever wacky NFL. Cleveland actually has a pretty good team this year. Once might even argue they’re the hottest team in the AFC not illegally videotaping their opponents. They’re an up-and-coming team which is currently only one game behind us in the standings. This game might very well decide the AFC North.

Steelers Defense vs. Browns Offense

The Browns have suffered from massive suckage in seasons past because of four issues:

1. Poor QBing
2. Bad O-Line play
3. Oft-injured sissy-boys
4. Drafts which make Mel Kiper weep

Tim Couch played about as well as an unmade bed. Charlie Frye was supposed to be the savior but was a false prophet. Enter Derek Anderson.

Anderson finally gives them the steady passer they’ve been searching for. He’s smart, calm, can make all the throws, and doesn’t make the soul-crushing mistakes of his predecessors. Anderson is being helped by an O-line which is playing very solidly, led by first round pick Joe Thomas and former Steeler (by way of the Eagles) Hank Fraley.

As an aside, this brings me to a point about the Browns; while Joe Thomas is shaping up to be an excellent pick, they could’ve drafted Adrian Peterson instead. Imagine a Browns offense with Quinn, Peterson, Edwards, and Winslow, Jr. Instead, they have broken down Jamal Lewis. In the past 20 years, the Browns have only had one running back run for over 1,000 yards (Ruben Droughns). Droughns was replaced by Jamal Lewis who is so far, far, far past his prime, it’s like replacing Filet Mignon with Chipped Ham.

The Browns offense has gelled with the quarterback, line, and playmakers Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow. Edwards is fast becoming one of the elite receivers in the game. Winslow has overcome the injury problems which plagued him to be a top TE. In fact, Winslow’s career turnaround seemingly began around the time Joey Porter questioned his sexual orientation in some pre-game trash talking. Now, far be it for me to engage in such juvenile antics but it did lead to one of the all-time great Porter quotes after being fined for the slurs: “I didn’t mean to offend nobody but Kellen Winslow.”

Aaron Smith is supposed to be back this week but since the Browns don’t have much of a running threat, I don’t see run defense being an issue. Troy Polamalu, perhaps reading our posts, gave the entire blogosphere the figurative finger by playing his best game of the season last week. He’ll have to be on this week because defensively, the pressure will be on the secondary. Ike Taylor has to cover Edwards and either Anthony Smith or Troy will be matched up with Winslow. The secondary has to play big for the Steelers to be in this game. Of course, I’d like James Harrison to do his one-man army act again but I’ll settle for just enough pressure to make Anderson hurry his throws.

Steelers Offense vs. Browns Defense

Outside of offensive categories, the Browns are abysmal in all the other rankings. The Browns are one of only six teams playing the 3-4 as their base defense (New England, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, San Diego, and Dallas). They have some young talent in CB Leigh Bodden, S Sean Jones, and LB Kamerion Wimbley but they’re all still developing their skills. Unfortunately, the heart of the 3-4 is the linebackers and the Browns rely on rickety old Willie McGinest to bring the heat. This has resulted in a hellacious pass rush which has generated all of 7 sacks and is allowing on average close to 300 passing yards per game.

Which I’m sure is music to Ben Roethlisberger’s ass. That’s where he ended up when he suffered that “contusion” (NFLspeak for “big ‘ol bruise”) in the third quarter of the Ravens game. Big Ben has been under siege this year and only his amazing ability to avoid sacks by being Too Big To Tackle™ has saved us from one disaster after the other. Ben obviously likes his arms like he likes his drinks, very very stiff. I’ve never seen a QB shrug off, straight arm, and swat away so many would-be tacklers. I don’t know how badly his leg is hurting but it would be nice if our line could keep his uniform clean for once.

Despite Willie Parker having a great year rushing the ball, our O-line hasn’t really played that well. Obviously teams stack the box and concentrate on stopping the run against us but that’s never prevented us from cramming it down their throats before. A key to this game will be if we’re able to get our running game going early because the best thing the Steelers can do is grind out drives and keep the Cleveland offense on the bench. If we get into a 1998 SNES John Madden Football-like scoring contest, it could be a long day for the boys in Black and Gold.