Well, after a mere handful of posts here on Fullmetal Football, I've joined Blitzburgh Blog as a writer. Which is totally awesome, because now I don't have to make a website look good (because this one pretty clearly doesn't).
So, all future postings will be at this link. Go read our posts there!
Monday, November 9, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
How to Watch Bye Week Football
Well, the Steelers aren't playing this week. It's still football season, somehow, but what do you do with a Steelerless Sunday? Well obviously, you keep watching football, for all the wrong reasons.
This week is the week you set aside to assess the rest of the league. More specifically, this is a good time to scope out the rest of the AFC this year. Game by game, here's who you, as a Steeler fan, should root for and why.
Denver @ Baltimore: You root for the Broncos. I know Mitch Berger plays for them now, and you want to root against him, but you always want Baltimore to lose, regardless of who they're playing. That's just a rule.
Houston @ Buffalo: Houston is 4-3. Buffalo is 3-4. If Buffalo wins, both teams are 4-4. If Houston wins, they're 5-3, bringing their wins up equal to the Steelers. That is simple unacceptable. Go Bills.
Cleveland @ Chicago: Does it even matter?
Miami @ New York Jets: Dolphins are 2-4 and the Jets are 4-3. Same reasons as before, go Dolphins.
San Fransisco @ Indianapolis: Conventional wisdom says to root for the Niners, because any NFC team taking a win from another AFC team is good news for the Steelers, but let's not even kid ourselves.
Oakland @ San Diego: Gotta root for Oakland, just because you know the Chargers want to make a late-season surge again. A loss here will come back to haunt them.
Jacksonville @ Tennessee: As weird as this feels... root for the Titans. Not that this matchup really matters at this point. Jags are 3-3, but they're weak anyway.
To be honest, the games this week aren't that interesting from a Steeler fan perspective. I mean, maybe you're the type that actually cares about Brett Favre returning to Lambeau Field, or you might watch the Giants and the Eagles because the NFC East doesn't make you sick. Either way, I don't understand you. Monday Night we should be treated to a show, however, when the Falcons play the Saints. Hard to really dislike either team there.
Next week we get ready for the [hopefully] undefeated Broncos.
Here We Go.
This week is the week you set aside to assess the rest of the league. More specifically, this is a good time to scope out the rest of the AFC this year. Game by game, here's who you, as a Steeler fan, should root for and why.
Denver @ Baltimore: You root for the Broncos. I know Mitch Berger plays for them now, and you want to root against him, but you always want Baltimore to lose, regardless of who they're playing. That's just a rule.
Houston @ Buffalo: Houston is 4-3. Buffalo is 3-4. If Buffalo wins, both teams are 4-4. If Houston wins, they're 5-3, bringing their wins up equal to the Steelers. That is simple unacceptable. Go Bills.
Cleveland @ Chicago: Does it even matter?
Miami @ New York Jets: Dolphins are 2-4 and the Jets are 4-3. Same reasons as before, go Dolphins.
San Fransisco @ Indianapolis: Conventional wisdom says to root for the Niners, because any NFC team taking a win from another AFC team is good news for the Steelers, but let's not even kid ourselves.
Oakland @ San Diego: Gotta root for Oakland, just because you know the Chargers want to make a late-season surge again. A loss here will come back to haunt them.
Jacksonville @ Tennessee: As weird as this feels... root for the Titans. Not that this matchup really matters at this point. Jags are 3-3, but they're weak anyway.
To be honest, the games this week aren't that interesting from a Steeler fan perspective. I mean, maybe you're the type that actually cares about Brett Favre returning to Lambeau Field, or you might watch the Giants and the Eagles because the NFC East doesn't make you sick. Either way, I don't understand you. Monday Night we should be treated to a show, however, when the Falcons play the Saints. Hard to really dislike either team there.
Next week we get ready for the [hopefully] undefeated Broncos.
Here We Go.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Pro Bowl Ballot
Are you serious? I mean yeah, his real name IS Ivan. But even NFL.com has him listed as "Ike." In fact, I had to look him up to make sure his real name isn't Ike. His license plate is Ike 24 (Don't ask me how I know that). No one in the world knows who Ivan Taylor is.Well, in any case, go vote for Mr. Taylor for the Pro Bowl. The guy deserves it.
Nothing else for this post. Bye weeks are relaxing.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Can everyone stop whining about officiating?
Following both the Steelers and the Penguins, I hear a lot of whining from other fanbases. "The refs are just trying to give your team a win, Sidney Crosby is a crybaby, James Harrison is a thug and should be suspended, you always get every call just how you want it," etc. How about everyone takes a step back shuts up for once?
I could go two ways with this. The first thing I could do is point out every instance when James Harrison is headlocked and/or tackled by an offensive lineman and holding is not called. I could compare the number of times Ben has been hit late to the times it's actually been called (that count is at four, by the way). But then that puts me on the same level as the people I'm calling out.
So instead, I'm going to prove that a tripping call in the 4th quarter with several minutes left was, in fact, NOT what lost the game for the Vikings yesterday.
The scenario that the haters will give you is that the call nullified a touchdown, and that if the Vikings score there, somehow it is provable that the Steelers would have been unable to come back and the refs probably would have decided that play was enough and just ended the game there. Vikings win.
In all seriousness, someone made the argument to me yesterday that the result of that play changes momentum and play-calling for the rest of the game. And they're right. If the Vikings' score, they kick the ball back to the Steelers and the Steeler offense comes out to run their own plays to get the lead back. That didn't happen though. Instead, Favre fumbled the football and LaMarr Woodley returned it for a TD.
But as long as we're dealing in what-ifs, isn't it just as likely that the Steelers drove down and scored, kicked off, and say, forced a fumble on the kick return and scored again? That could just as easily have been the outcome, but we'd never know what would happen because the game didn't go that way. Bottom line is: that tripping call didn't prove anything in the final outcome. There was still plenty of time for both teams to adjust to whatever outcome.
But since everyone always has to blame SOMETHING, how about we look at a play that actually COULD have made the difference in the game? How about Brett Favre trying to drive down and score to take the lead, but instead of catching a pass, Chester Taylor tips the ball into Keyaron Fox's hands, and he returns it for a touchdown? If Taylor catches that pass, the drive stays alive and they have a chance to keep driving and score, which would most likely give them the win. He didn't though. Taylor (not the refs, here) made a mistake and it resulted in a Steelers' TD. Down 10 points with almost no time left, I'll go ahead and say THAT was the play that made the difference in the game.
This was a close game. The tripping call probably DID make a difference. In fact, it definitely did. Any number of scenarios were possible had it not been called, for either team. But what mattered more was the failure of the Vikings' offense on their final [meaningful] drive. So everyone can whine and complain about one penalty all they want. But I know the Vikings could have overcome it to win. They simply didn't, and they lost the football game for it.
Bye week coming up. If I find time between class, papers, and exams, I'll try to cover some more NFL stuff over the next two weeks than I have been lately.
Here We Go.
I could go two ways with this. The first thing I could do is point out every instance when James Harrison is headlocked and/or tackled by an offensive lineman and holding is not called. I could compare the number of times Ben has been hit late to the times it's actually been called (that count is at four, by the way). But then that puts me on the same level as the people I'm calling out.
So instead, I'm going to prove that a tripping call in the 4th quarter with several minutes left was, in fact, NOT what lost the game for the Vikings yesterday.
The scenario that the haters will give you is that the call nullified a touchdown, and that if the Vikings score there, somehow it is provable that the Steelers would have been unable to come back and the refs probably would have decided that play was enough and just ended the game there. Vikings win.
In all seriousness, someone made the argument to me yesterday that the result of that play changes momentum and play-calling for the rest of the game. And they're right. If the Vikings' score, they kick the ball back to the Steelers and the Steeler offense comes out to run their own plays to get the lead back. That didn't happen though. Instead, Favre fumbled the football and LaMarr Woodley returned it for a TD.
But as long as we're dealing in what-ifs, isn't it just as likely that the Steelers drove down and scored, kicked off, and say, forced a fumble on the kick return and scored again? That could just as easily have been the outcome, but we'd never know what would happen because the game didn't go that way. Bottom line is: that tripping call didn't prove anything in the final outcome. There was still plenty of time for both teams to adjust to whatever outcome.
But since everyone always has to blame SOMETHING, how about we look at a play that actually COULD have made the difference in the game? How about Brett Favre trying to drive down and score to take the lead, but instead of catching a pass, Chester Taylor tips the ball into Keyaron Fox's hands, and he returns it for a touchdown? If Taylor catches that pass, the drive stays alive and they have a chance to keep driving and score, which would most likely give them the win. He didn't though. Taylor (not the refs, here) made a mistake and it resulted in a Steelers' TD. Down 10 points with almost no time left, I'll go ahead and say THAT was the play that made the difference in the game.
This was a close game. The tripping call probably DID make a difference. In fact, it definitely did. Any number of scenarios were possible had it not been called, for either team. But what mattered more was the failure of the Vikings' offense on their final [meaningful] drive. So everyone can whine and complain about one penalty all they want. But I know the Vikings could have overcome it to win. They simply didn't, and they lost the football game for it.
Bye week coming up. If I find time between class, papers, and exams, I'll try to cover some more NFL stuff over the next two weeks than I have been lately.
Here We Go.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Week 6 News/Preview
Okay, it's been a few days. Or a week. Whatever. Anyway, we have some developments to take a look at.
First thing's first, Troy Polamalu returns this week. It's still only the Browns, but I'm nervous when Troy isn't in the game. I'm kind of hoping this fixes the second-half defense issue. I know it's a bit much to hope for, but Penguins fans remember last year when Sergei Gonchar returned to the powerplay unit. One player CAN have a heck of an impact.
Unfortunately, one player returning to the defense comes at the loss of another. We won't be seeing Aaron Smith until next preseason. Losing #91 won't be as big of an issue as people will make it out to be. Everyone talks about how underrated Aaron Smith is, and while I believe he doesn't get half the attention he deserves, I also think that he's so underrated he's starting to become overrated. He isn't the cornerstone of the Steelers' defense. He's good, but he's aging and he's replaceable. The Steelers actually already prepared for something like this, way back in April...
Enter Ziggy Hood. This is your shot, kid. First round pick, getting a chance to play DE around some of the best defensive players in the league? Let's see what you've got. It's what you're here for, now show us you can deliver.
I'm not expecting Hood to get a 5-sack game or anything. Ideally, he'll step in and we won't hear much about Jamal Lewis this week. I know the Steelers don't usually play their rookies too much, following that old-school "sit behind a veteran for a year" technique, and there's nothing wrong with that, but as a rookie, it will be easier to break in at DE than, say, safety or left tackle. Now we pretty much just have to watch and see if this guy will be able to take over in the future.
There's one other concern I have on defense. LaMarr Woodley. I've been trying to keep track of him and find an explanation for his lack of QB pressure. James Harrison managed to get his defensive player of the week award, but Woodley looked lost against Detroit. Post Game Heroes broke down Woodley's performance against San Diego, and from their analysis, he hasn't been generating pressure because he hasn't been called to rush in that many plays. That wasn't always the case in Detroit. He was trying to get pressure, especially late in the game, and he wasn't even pushing his tackle at all. It's hard to tell what it is that's holding him back. Is he injured? Is he out of shape? I don't know, but it had better improve sometime soon.
I think the Lions game showed us that the Steelers can't overlook anyone this year. They beat Detroit, but they nearly gave up another late drive. Now we have the Browns, and the Browns are certainly not a scary team, but every game matters.
I'd start to break down what the Browns bring to the table but I still can't do it with a straight face. Their only offensive weapon is a kick returner and I don't know if I can name one of their DBs off the top of my head. I guess they'll drop a few less passes as a team with Braylon Edwards now screwing up with the New York Jets, but if that's really the highlight of their team so far... It's tough to think the Steelers will have to make a game out of this one.
Even still. Every game matters. Steelers need to play well to win.
Here We Go.
First thing's first, Troy Polamalu returns this week. It's still only the Browns, but I'm nervous when Troy isn't in the game. I'm kind of hoping this fixes the second-half defense issue. I know it's a bit much to hope for, but Penguins fans remember last year when Sergei Gonchar returned to the powerplay unit. One player CAN have a heck of an impact.
Unfortunately, one player returning to the defense comes at the loss of another. We won't be seeing Aaron Smith until next preseason. Losing #91 won't be as big of an issue as people will make it out to be. Everyone talks about how underrated Aaron Smith is, and while I believe he doesn't get half the attention he deserves, I also think that he's so underrated he's starting to become overrated. He isn't the cornerstone of the Steelers' defense. He's good, but he's aging and he's replaceable. The Steelers actually already prepared for something like this, way back in April...
Enter Ziggy Hood. This is your shot, kid. First round pick, getting a chance to play DE around some of the best defensive players in the league? Let's see what you've got. It's what you're here for, now show us you can deliver.I'm not expecting Hood to get a 5-sack game or anything. Ideally, he'll step in and we won't hear much about Jamal Lewis this week. I know the Steelers don't usually play their rookies too much, following that old-school "sit behind a veteran for a year" technique, and there's nothing wrong with that, but as a rookie, it will be easier to break in at DE than, say, safety or left tackle. Now we pretty much just have to watch and see if this guy will be able to take over in the future.
There's one other concern I have on defense. LaMarr Woodley. I've been trying to keep track of him and find an explanation for his lack of QB pressure. James Harrison managed to get his defensive player of the week award, but Woodley looked lost against Detroit. Post Game Heroes broke down Woodley's performance against San Diego, and from their analysis, he hasn't been generating pressure because he hasn't been called to rush in that many plays. That wasn't always the case in Detroit. He was trying to get pressure, especially late in the game, and he wasn't even pushing his tackle at all. It's hard to tell what it is that's holding him back. Is he injured? Is he out of shape? I don't know, but it had better improve sometime soon.
I think the Lions game showed us that the Steelers can't overlook anyone this year. They beat Detroit, but they nearly gave up another late drive. Now we have the Browns, and the Browns are certainly not a scary team, but every game matters.
I'd start to break down what the Browns bring to the table but I still can't do it with a straight face. Their only offensive weapon is a kick returner and I don't know if I can name one of their DBs off the top of my head. I guess they'll drop a few less passes as a team with Braylon Edwards now screwing up with the New York Jets, but if that's really the highlight of their team so far... It's tough to think the Steelers will have to make a game out of this one.
Even still. Every game matters. Steelers need to play well to win.
Here We Go.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Week 5 Preview
So this week we get to watch the Steelers play the Lions. Yawn city. The only thing worth taking note of is that Troy Polamalu will likely be healthy enough to play. Of course, this is on par with a minor league scrimmage game, and Troy could probably use another week or two to get back to 100% and the Steelers should still roll through a few easy games.
The only other storyline for this game is Larry Foote hosting the team he won two Superbowls with. The only way that could have less impact is if Mitch Berger were talking about it. So let's take a look around the rest of the league this week. The quarter-season mark is usually where QBs get benched and coaches get fired, so surely we'll find something good to talk about.
Right now the Ravens and Bengals are tied for 1st in the AFC North, but only Cincinnati is impressive with it. This team is supposed to be awful but here they are in contention with probably the two best teams in the NFL. The Browns are still a joke.
Indianapolis takes on Tennessee tonight. Isn't this supposed to be a marquee matchup? How has Tennessee not won yet? It's no surprise that the Colts are 4-0, and they seem ready to cruise to 5-0. How long until Vince Young is back in at QB?
No one has a clue what the deal is with the AFC West. Denver is undefeated, San Diego is sitting at .500. Bizarre division. Chargers will still win it and make their Superbowl bid this year.
Who really cares about the NFC? I'm rooting for New Orleans, but it's tough to care about teams that have nothing to do with the Steelers. In another story, the Redskins' next loss will be Jim Zorn's last game as a head coach. Mark it.
I'll go more into the Detroit/Pittsburgh matchup tomorrow.
Here We Go.
The only other storyline for this game is Larry Foote hosting the team he won two Superbowls with. The only way that could have less impact is if Mitch Berger were talking about it. So let's take a look around the rest of the league this week. The quarter-season mark is usually where QBs get benched and coaches get fired, so surely we'll find something good to talk about.
Right now the Ravens and Bengals are tied for 1st in the AFC North, but only Cincinnati is impressive with it. This team is supposed to be awful but here they are in contention with probably the two best teams in the NFL. The Browns are still a joke.
Indianapolis takes on Tennessee tonight. Isn't this supposed to be a marquee matchup? How has Tennessee not won yet? It's no surprise that the Colts are 4-0, and they seem ready to cruise to 5-0. How long until Vince Young is back in at QB?
No one has a clue what the deal is with the AFC West. Denver is undefeated, San Diego is sitting at .500. Bizarre division. Chargers will still win it and make their Superbowl bid this year.
Who really cares about the NFC? I'm rooting for New Orleans, but it's tough to care about teams that have nothing to do with the Steelers. In another story, the Redskins' next loss will be Jim Zorn's last game as a head coach. Mark it.
I'll go more into the Detroit/Pittsburgh matchup tomorrow.
Here We Go.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Closer than it should have been. Steelers win!
Well that wasn't exactly easy on the nerves at the end there. But how nice was the first half, watching the Steelers steamroll the Chargers en route to a 28-0 lead, and seeing the Steelers go up half a game on the Bolts? That could come in handy later. Let's recap:
1. Yes, the San Diego run defense is awful, but they made Rashard Mendenhall finally look like a first round draft pick. He was decisive, fast, and tough to bring down. That's what the proverbial "Steeler football" is about.
2. The offensive line showed up again. It's been a few games now. Is it time to admit that they might be good? I'd love to see them play that well against a more formidable defense.
3. I see we have opened up the old Whisenhunt bag of tricks. Twice. The play that stands out is Moore's TD pass to Heath Money Miller late in the game (Looked an awful lot like Bettis to Tuman. Just sayin') but earlier, if you recall, Santonio Holmes took the ball on a reverse and was pretty clearly looking at someone downfield to throw to. Whoever he was looking at (we'll assume Hines Ward) was covered and he tucked the ball in and ran. Good decision, good option play. Related: How sweet of a pickup was Mewelde Moore that offseason?
4. There aren't words for how awesome Ben Roethlisberger is.
5. Not everything was sunshine and lollipops last night. How about this 4th quarter defense that has been absolutely porous for three weeks? Getting a team down 28-0 in a half should translate to an easy victory. Not with the Steelers. No, they have to bring every game down to the wire, it seems. For the first time in a long time, it was the offense that made up for the defense's shortcomings to hold onto this shootout win. At some point this is going to have to be fixed. If LeBeau can't work up a scheme without Polamalu covering everybody at once, it's not going to get easier. (That's a lie. We play Detroit and Cleveland the next two weeks. Things are getting easier already).
6. Special teams' absolute failure. Yeah, Jeff Reed made his field goal. There is more to special teams than kicking, however. First's thing's first: If you are Stefan Logan and you are fielding a punt with a huge-gantic lead late in the game, how do you not fair catch the ball? You're trying to run out the clock. Get your offense on the field to hand the ball off. There is no excuse for trying to run back that punt. Logan made a bad decision there and the Chargers capitalized. (By the way, no respect for anyone that blames the refs for not whistling it dead. If you blame the refs, you're making excuses. Play better football).
7. In addition to Logan's colossal decision-making failure, how about not even trying to cover an onside kick? A team with a tough offense and bad defense needs a few scores in five minutes and they are about to kick off. What do you THINK they're going to do? Kick it deep and just hand over the ball to you? No! Why Ryan Mundy and Patrick Bailey are the only players with a shot at that kick is beyond me. In that situation, your front line is Ward, Miller, Moore, Holmes, maybe even Dan Sepulveda, and anyone whose first name isn't Limas or Ike.
So the Steelers did pull off the win and they're one game behind in the AFC North. Nevertheless, there are a lot of adjustments to be made, especially regarding this late-game defense, which was supposed to be the Steelers' specialty last season. We have two games up next against Detroit and Cleveland, then Minnesota and our bye week. The Lions and Browns should be easy wins (Then again, so should Cincy have been) and by the time those are out of the way, Troy should be healthy again. The Steelers need to use these next two weeks to tune up their defensive game and get a few more wins under their collective belt. Stay the course.
Here We Go
1. Yes, the San Diego run defense is awful, but they made Rashard Mendenhall finally look like a first round draft pick. He was decisive, fast, and tough to bring down. That's what the proverbial "Steeler football" is about.
2. The offensive line showed up again. It's been a few games now. Is it time to admit that they might be good? I'd love to see them play that well against a more formidable defense.
3. I see we have opened up the old Whisenhunt bag of tricks. Twice. The play that stands out is Moore's TD pass to Heath Money Miller late in the game (Looked an awful lot like Bettis to Tuman. Just sayin') but earlier, if you recall, Santonio Holmes took the ball on a reverse and was pretty clearly looking at someone downfield to throw to. Whoever he was looking at (we'll assume Hines Ward) was covered and he tucked the ball in and ran. Good decision, good option play. Related: How sweet of a pickup was Mewelde Moore that offseason?
4. There aren't words for how awesome Ben Roethlisberger is.
5. Not everything was sunshine and lollipops last night. How about this 4th quarter defense that has been absolutely porous for three weeks? Getting a team down 28-0 in a half should translate to an easy victory. Not with the Steelers. No, they have to bring every game down to the wire, it seems. For the first time in a long time, it was the offense that made up for the defense's shortcomings to hold onto this shootout win. At some point this is going to have to be fixed. If LeBeau can't work up a scheme without Polamalu covering everybody at once, it's not going to get easier. (That's a lie. We play Detroit and Cleveland the next two weeks. Things are getting easier already).
6. Special teams' absolute failure. Yeah, Jeff Reed made his field goal. There is more to special teams than kicking, however. First's thing's first: If you are Stefan Logan and you are fielding a punt with a huge-gantic lead late in the game, how do you not fair catch the ball? You're trying to run out the clock. Get your offense on the field to hand the ball off. There is no excuse for trying to run back that punt. Logan made a bad decision there and the Chargers capitalized. (By the way, no respect for anyone that blames the refs for not whistling it dead. If you blame the refs, you're making excuses. Play better football).
7. In addition to Logan's colossal decision-making failure, how about not even trying to cover an onside kick? A team with a tough offense and bad defense needs a few scores in five minutes and they are about to kick off. What do you THINK they're going to do? Kick it deep and just hand over the ball to you? No! Why Ryan Mundy and Patrick Bailey are the only players with a shot at that kick is beyond me. In that situation, your front line is Ward, Miller, Moore, Holmes, maybe even Dan Sepulveda, and anyone whose first name isn't Limas or Ike.
So the Steelers did pull off the win and they're one game behind in the AFC North. Nevertheless, there are a lot of adjustments to be made, especially regarding this late-game defense, which was supposed to be the Steelers' specialty last season. We have two games up next against Detroit and Cleveland, then Minnesota and our bye week. The Lions and Browns should be easy wins (Then again, so should Cincy have been) and by the time those are out of the way, Troy should be healthy again. The Steelers need to use these next two weeks to tune up their defensive game and get a few more wins under their collective belt. Stay the course.
Here We Go
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