For the second time in three seasons, a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers has won the coveted AP Defensive Player of the Year award.  It should come as a shock to no one that Troy Polamalu has finally added that honor to his already Hall of Fame worthy resume.  The only question was by what margin would he emerge victorious?

Don’t get me wrong, there are a number of good players out there.  But nobody is capable of taking over a game the way Troy does.  Polamalu was almost single-handedly responsible for the Steelers winning at least three games this season.  His interception in the season opener allowed the team to eventually win in overtime.  Against the Bengals, his Pick Six completely changed the momentum of the game.  And who can forget his karate chop on Joe Flacco in week 13, setting up the game-winning touchdown?  That play was undoubtedly the biggest play of the season, setting up the monumental run the Black and Gold currently find themselves on.

Clay Matthews is a decent enough player.  But his numbers aren’t even as good as James Harrison‘s (who finished third, by the way).    Silverback had almost twice as many tackles (100 vs 60), twice as many picks (2 vs 1) and forced three times as many fumbles (6 vs 2).  In fact, LaMarr Woodley, who got no votes, had numbers that were nearly identical to the Cheesehead Fabio.  The Steelers failure to sweep at least the top two spots is a direct result of the Ginger Dictator’s persecution of the Steelers which unfairly branded James as a dirty player.  Had the commish not been so blatant in his campaign against the Black and Gold, Dick LeBeau‘s defense could’ve been looking at an unprecedented showing.

However, we’ll have to be satisfied with what we did get.  Troy Polamalu is a Christian gentleman of the highest order and his winning this award despite missing a number of games due to injury is testament to his heart and will to succeed.   The last time the Steelers had an AP Defensive Player of the Year, he only pulled off the greatest defensive play in Super Bowl history.  Let’s hope history repeats itself on Sunday in more ways than one.

Roger Goodell's idea of a clean hit

And the feeling is mutual, I would imagine.

On Monday, Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro linebacker James Harrison received some bad news.  His appeal of the ridiculous fines levied against him was denied.  Shocking.  I, for one, totally see the fairness in fining James a cool $75,000 for laying out Mohamed Massaquoi with a clean hit but not fining Kurt Coleman (for stretchering out Austin Collie) or James Sanders (for cheapshotting Hines Ward) a single penny for their filthy actions.

According to NFL justice, James would be 67% less dirty (and richer) if he just just pulled up and sucker-punched his opponent like a cowardly little bitch…

Yesterday, the NFL slapped the Silverback with another $25,000 deduction from his paycheck.  Who didn’t see this coming?  He somehow escaped last week’s uncalled for personal foul for “landing with full body weight” on Oakland’s Jason Campbell.   The Ginger Dictator must’ve been distracted with planning his Thanksgiving feast.

But breaks are short-lived when it comes to the NFL’s persecution of the Black and Gold.  This week’s laughable personal foul for hitting Ryan Fitzpatrick square in the chest with a form perfect tackle did not escape their notice.  In fact, when the flag was thrown, I immediately pictured Goodell and his lackey in charge of punishments pumping their fists and high-fiving each other because they got another chance to stick it to the Steelers.

And stick it they did.  Right up the back door.  Without lube.  For those keeping score at home, James Harrison’s badassery has now set him back $125,000.  No other player, not even lowlife thugs who get into UFC-style brawls, have been fined even half that amount.

Instead of pointless meetings with Ginger or appealing unfair fines, James should just write a check for $180,000 and ask the league if a brother can get a discount for early payment.

Don’t make James Harrison angry.   You wouldn’t like him when he’s angry.

Displaying a balanced attack missing most of the first month of the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers crushed the hapless Cleveland Browns by a final score of 28-10.  Of course, the main storyline was the return of Ben Roethlisberger from his unjustified four game suspension.   Prior to the game, Ben was introduced to a rousing ovation from the Heinz Field crowd.  I have to admit to getting a little lump in my throat seeing the hero of Steeler Nation receive such a warm and appreciative reception from the people who love him.

Ben got off to a rough start, throwing a terrible red zone interception on his fourth pass of the game.  He would recover from this early setback to finish an impressive 16/27 for 257 yards and three touchdowns on the afternoon.  Ben, who told reporters he’d grade his performance “a B- or C+,” clearly had some rust to work off.  Several of his throws were way off-target or poor decisions which against a less pitiful team might have added another pick or two to his stat line.   But by the same token, he also could have easily had two or three more touchdown passes.  The most notable was when Mike Wallace, who seemed to be wide open all game (3 catches, 90 yards and TD), was standing all by himself on the 5 yard line late in the fourth but Ben sailed his pass out of bounds.

Despite some of the kinks which will be worked out in time, this was definitely a vintage Big Ben performance.   Shrugging off would-be tacklers, taking hits, scrambling away from danger to make a play…  The Steelers’ first two touchdowns were perfect examples of what Ben brings to the table.  First, he stood in the pocket and delivered a 29 yard strike to Wallace despite a Cleveland linebacker almost jumping on his back.  Then he zipped a crazy sandlot-style jump pass to Hines Ward, who broke through three lazy Browns to score.

Meanwhile, I don’t know who this guy standing on our sideline claiming to be Bruce Arians is but I like him.   Yesterday we saw pretty much the ideal fusion of Steeler Football with a modern day explosive passing offense.  The final pass/run split was 27/35.  And for those who didn’t see the game, you may think “Sure, we got up big and then ran the clock out.”   Actually, they ran quite a bit early in the game and, shockingly, stuck with it even when Rashard Mendenhall didn’t break off a huge run every third carry.   Despite falling short of another 100 yard performance (84 yards and 1 TD), Mendy provided nice balance while Issac Redman contributed a few short yardage pick-ups.

While the offense was shaping up, the defense were their usual dominant selves.  James Harrison was a one-man wrecking crew, making 10 tackles, notching two sacks, hitting the quarterback three more times, and registering two KOs.  I’m sure we’ll be hearing crybabies whining about Silverback demolishing Josh Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi with clean UNPENALIZED hits but that’s just the way the biased anti-Steelers media works.  Here’s a newsflash for you:  Football is a contact sport.  If you put your head down diving for yards or run across the middle of the field, you’re going to get drilled.  I’m sick of these idiots moaning every time someone is laid out.  If vicious hits are so bad, either tie ribbons around their waists and turn the NFL into flag football or else let the players play.

Giving credit where credit is due, Colt McCoy played a pretty damn good game under the circumstances.  He was intercepted twice but both were deflections, one bounced off the receiver’s hands and the second was deflected by Ryan Mundy.   Considering he was missing his two best offensive weapons, sacked 5 times, and knocked around several others, a final stat line of 23/33 for 281 yards made for a surprisingly solid afternoon for young Colt even if many of those yards came after the Steelers were comfortably ahead.

The Steelers secondary continues to be something of a mystery to me as I just don’t feel entirely good about what I’m seeing.  Bryant McFadden, in particular, has moments but also looks lost at times.  Whenever they go to a soft prevent type D, guys get behind him almost every time.  And Ryan Clark, who was picked on a lot by the Ravens, needs to stop thinking he’s Troy Polamalu.   He tries to lay a smack down on receivers instead of just tackling them and many times they bounce off and keep running.

But those are issues to worry about another day.   The bottom line is the Steelers have played five games and given up a grand total of five touchdowns.  Mix in a balanced offense which is only going to get better as Ben gets more in synch and you have the most complete team in the NFL.   With the Ratbirds going down in glorious flames, the Steelers find themselves a half game up in the AFC North.  All in all, the week couldn’t have gone better for the Black and Gold.

Rashard, Reed, and Redemption.

The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the San Diego Chargers once again Sunday night by a final score of 38-28. The thousands in attendance and the millions watching at home had to be absolutely tickled pink at the effort put forth by the Black and Gold. And I’m not just referring to the armbands, shoes, and special edition Terrible Towels worn yesterday in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Despite a brutal fourth quarter which turned a blowout into a nail-biter, this was by far the team’s best showing this season.

Let’s start with Rashard Mendenhall. Steeler Nation has been tough on Rashard, I’ve been tough on Rashard, Mike Tomlin has been tough on Rashard. Two nice plays against Chicago had been the grand total of his meaningful output as a pro. Not anymore. Mendenhall rumbled for 165 yards on 29 carries and two TDs. He doesn’t have the darting elusive style of Willie Parker but he’s more in the mold of Barry Foster (for you older fans), an explosive power runner. He showed a quick burst getting through holes and then got loose on several long gains by breaking through would-be tacklers. I particularly loved his physical play, lowering his shoulder when being tackled and absolutely PANCAKING blitzing linebackers on passing plays.

We also have to give it up for the oft-criticized offensive line. They opened up huge holes for the running game and provided plenty of time for Ben Roethlisberger (23/33 for 333 yards) to throw the ball. In fact, the 3 sacks they gave up wouldn’t have happened if Ben threw the ball in a timely fashion. I hope everybody noticed how when the line takes a holding penalty or gives up a sack, 90% of the time it’s when Ben drops back, surveys the field, then decides to run around like a maniac instead of throwing it away. Anyhow, Chris Kemoeatu was an absolute beast out there while Max Starks, no doubt stocked up on antibiotics and hoping to impress Tila Tequila, squashed Shawne Merriman all game long.

Through the first three quarters of play, this game looked like a laugher. At halftime, the Chargers had only 7 minutes of offensive possession. By the third quarter, they only produced a little over 100 yards of total offense. Their supposedly fearsome running back duo of LaDainian Thomlinson (15 yards rushing) and Darren Sproles (16 yards receiving) were non-factors. All seemed right in the world.

After three quarters of dominance, it happened again. Toward the end of the quarter, Philip Rivers engineered a thirteen play 79 yard drive, ending with a 3 yard TD pass to Antonio Gates. The Chargers went to a no-huddle shotgun formation and the Steelers decided to blitz almost every play. I don’t know if our linebackers have lost a step or if our new CBs are slower than last year’s but once again they didn’t come close as Rivers picked them apart.

Then came the fourth quarter or as Steeler fans now know it, “The Nightmare Time.” Stefan Logan fielded a punt while surrounded by approximately 37 San Diego players which is like an ant trying to survive an avalanche. He had the ball ripped from his bosom and ran back for a touchdown. At this point, I defy you to say you didn’t feel like you just got junk-punched by James Harrison.

To their credit, the Steeler offense marched right back down the field to answer with a TD of their own.  Which should have salted the game away.  All that was left to do was play some prevent, run out the clock, get off the field, and pack up your baby oil and speedo for wrestling tomorrow.

Which would’ve been fine if the Steeler defense hadn’t decided to take the REST OF THE GAME OFF. I’m utterly shocked at how one of the best defenses in NFL history last season can struggle so much this year. The Chargers scored two quick touchdowns to cut the lead to a single score. And when I say quick, I’m talking Usain Bolt speed.  They went 67 yards on four plays. FOUR PLAYS!!! After being tricked by an on-side kick which Ryan Mundy all but dusted off and handed to the Chargers, they scored on a 54 yard drive in only 3 plays. THREE PLAYS! WHAT THE HELL!?!

The Steelers had no answer for Antonio Gates (9 catches 124 yards 2 TD). As I correctly guessed in my preview, Gates down the middle was going to be a problem because the secondary has struggled with that this season. Of course, Gates is a superstar and we’re missing Troy Polamalu but I didn’t think he’d be *that* much of a problem. Ryan Clark and Tyrone Carter handled him alright during the early part of the game. When SD went to shotgun formations, our safeties had to cover WRs, which left a LB to cover Gates. Lawrence Timmons is either way more hurt than he’s letting on or he stinks. He was beaten like a drum time and time and time again. It got so bad that toward the end of the game, Dick LeBeau had seen enough and asked Harrison to cover him. Now, Silverback was the Defensive Player of the Year but shouldn’t your scariest pass rusher, oh I don’t know, rush the quarterback?

In a blink of an eye, a 28-0 pasting turned into a 35-28 thriller. It felt like going to a Sandra Bullock movie and out of nowhere seeing Freddy Krueger disembowel some well-endowed blonde (who no doubt has mammograms on a regular basis, thanks to Breast Cancer Awareness). Luckily, the Chargers defense couldn’t stop a fly with a bazooka so the Steelers managed to drive the ball down the field while taking valuable time off the clock. Which set the stage for Redemption #2 as Skippy Reed booted what amounted to a game-winning FG from 46 yards out.

At this point in the season, I have no idea what to think about this team. This was a huge win because it kept the team confident and ensured Big Ben doesn’t get beer thrown at him on Monday Night Raw. The Patriots also did us a favor by defeating the overrated Ravens so we picked up a game in the AFC North standings. We’re not going to learn much next week when we play the Lions because, well, they’re the Lions. Although there were many many good things to take from this game, these fourth quarter collapses have gotten to be a nasty habit. A habit they need to break before it’s too late to redeem themselves.