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(4/21) The draft is coming up this weekend. It's the biggest day of the offseason, but I am going to forgo a full draft preview this year for several reasons. First off, I have NO CLUE who the Steelers will draft. They need o-line help, but the signing of Justin Hartwig did temper some of the problems. They still need depth, but they will no longer be locked into tacking an o-lineman if a good one is not available. They could address the thin d-line, or they could shock everyone and go with a skill player. Kevin Colbert always seems to like this option better as evidenced by his recent drafts, and that is funny because I remember a time when everyone (including me) moaned and groaned because all we did was select "boring" linemen rather than QB's, receivers, runners, corners, etc. Now that we see the results of not drafting the trench guys, I think we can all agree that they are not such boring picks after all!

Another reason I am not going to go into too much pre-draft detail is because I am already burnt out from all the draft coverage. This is getting absurd now, with the NFL Network running "Path to the Draft" 24/7. You can analyze all you want before and after draft day, but guess how much of it matters until the players take the field? Aboslutely NONE of it. What the NFL Network should do is compile a few hours worth of footage on all the analysis on some recent bust - say Charles Rogers - and let us see how stupid everyone sounds now.

Finally, I have to admit that I am not very focused on football right now (hence the lack of a story about the Steelers incredibly difficult schedule being released this week). That is because the Penguins have actually won a playoff round for the first time in seven years and are looking very good. When their season ends, I will start thinking more about the 2008 Steelers. Until then, let's go Pens!!

(3/20) Steelers WR Cedrick Wilson has been a whiny, ineffective player during his miserable three seasons in Pittsburgh. He should have been jettisoned a long time ago. Unfortunately, it took an ugly incident last night in Wexford to finally push Steelers management over the edge. Wilson was arrested for allegedly hitting his former girlfriend. Being the genius that he is, Ced punched her in the face in the middle of a public restaurant in front of witnesses! This wasn't the first time Wilson and this girl made headlines. Back in January, she locked herself in Wilson's house, fired a gun a couple of times, and created a 12-hour standoff with police. That's a quality relationhip there. I wish someone could rescue their poor 16-month-old daughter. Anyway, the Steelers were apparently fed up because earlier today the team announced that Wilson had been released. So long, Cedrick Wilson - not too many people around here are going to miss you.

On one hand, it's good that the Steelers reacted swiftly to this situation. On the other hand, team MVP James Harrison was arrested for allegedly hitting his girlfriend last week. What are the Steelers going to do about that? This could turn ugly for the Rooney's. They have created this mystique of always having a class organization. But with two arrests in two weeks - both for the same crime no less - the "classy" Steelers are looking more like the Bengals. I don't know what the answer is (other than for these idiots to stop hitting women), but the Steelers had better be careful and make sure that this kind of stuff gets under control as soon as possible. So far all Dan Rooney has done is make the situation worse by trying to explain why they dumped Wilson and not Harrison: "What Jimmy Harrison was doing and how the incident occurred, what he was trying to do was really well worth it. He was doing something that was good, wanted to take his son to get baptized where he lived and things like that. She said she didn't want to do it." Um.... so he is saying that they treated the two cases differently because Harrison's girlfriend basically had it coming for not wanting their son to be baptized?!? I'm hoping that's not exactly what he meant, but that sure is how it sounded!

(3/19) For the first time in 20 years, the Steelers signed a center who had actually played center before. Justin Hartwig, who had been Carolina's starting center, agreed to a two-year contract for $3.7 million. This is a great move. Hartwig has battled injury problems but is still a very productive player. Carolina only dumped him due to salary/rebuilding. Hartwig will replace Sean Mahan as the new starting center for Pittsburgh. Mahan sucked, but in his defense, he is not a center. He just didn't have the right tools. Now he will move back to guard (his natural position) and provide much-needed depth there now that Faneca is gone. The Steelers also re-signed guard Chris Kemoeatu and tackle Trai Essex to their one-year tenders, so again the key word here is "depth". Now the big question is this: do the Steelers still need to use a #1 or #2 pick on the o-line? In the spirit of "you can never have too much depth on a line which allowed 47 sacks last season", I have to say yes. If this Hartwig signing works out, it should really make a positive impact on the line. But if it falters, or if Hartwig or Marvel Smith (who both have histories of missing significant time due to injury) get hurt, then we are going to need all the help we can get. Still, things are slowly starting to look brighter for our beleaguered line.

(3/3) It was no secret that the Steelers top priority this offseason was to lock up Ben Roethlisberger before he played out the final year of his contract, and boy did they ever lock him up. Today the Steelers announced that Roethlisberger signed the biggest contract in franchise history. Check out these numbers: 8 years, $102 million, $25 million signing bonus, and $36 million in guaranteed cash. Everyone was all smiles after the deal. "He's a Steeler and he'll always be a Steeler," said Dan Rooney. Ben was also thrilled and said, "I love Pittsburgh, I love the fans. Got probably the best organization and fans in all of sport. I don't want to go anywhere."

So was Ben worth it? Absolutely. There are maybe five or six really great QB's in the NFL today - that's it. You need a QB to win anything. The days of winning the Super Bowl behind Trent Dilfer are LONG gone. The Steelers went 26 long years without winning a championship despite having a ton of talent. One guy ended up making the difference, and now that guy is going to be in Pittsburgh for a long time to come. Congratulations to Ben and to us Steelers fans who get the pleasure of watching him for at least 8 more seasons.

Also: The Steelers cannot afford to be players in the free agent market this year, so instead they have become bargain hunters. They signed Vikings RB Mewelde Moore. He is a quick runner (I used to throw the halfback screen pass to him all the time in Madden 05) but most importantly, he can be an effective kick returner. The Steelers are desperate for help on special teams. Whether Moore can provide that remains to be seen, but at least they're trying.

(2/29) The Nation is bidding farewell to another one of its heroes. Alan Faneca has signed a deal with the New York Jets. As expected, he got a huge amount of money, and I couldn't be happier for him because he deserves every penny. As I've written many times before, Faneca's departure is what's best for both he and the Steelers, who simply could not afford to blow their salary cap budget on a 10-year veteran. Nonetheless, Faneca will be missed.

When the Steelers drafted Faneca in 1998, he immediately made an impact. At that time the Steelers had an aging offensive line consisting of players like Dermontti Dawson, Will Wolford, and Justin Strzelczyk - guys who were once very but who were on the verge of retirement. The Steelers spent the latter part of the 1990's trying to rebuild the line thru the draft but kept failing miserably (see Jamain Stephens, Chris Conrad, Paul Wiggins, Kris Farris, etc). Had they not been able to get Faneca with the 26th overall pick in that year's draft, they would have never been able to turn things around on offense. Eventually the Steelers would once again become a contender in the 2000's, and in 2005 Faneca would help the Steelers finally win their 5th Super Bowl. Ironically, the Steelers offensive line has come full circle during Faneca's career. They are once again aging and in need of a youth infusion, but he won't be around to see it happen this time.

If you are looking for a signature Faneca moment to remember him by, I would suggest looking back at the 2002 game against New Orleans. Faneca split his head open and was visibly bleeding all over the place. He needed numerous stitches, but he came back and threw the lead block on a Jerome Bettis touchdown run. The guy was always a competitor first, and he is arguably the top guard of this era. Above all he was consistent, making the Pro Bowl for the past seven seasons. For a guy to spend double-digit years in the same uniform during this era of NFL free agency is truly remarkable. Hopefully members of The Nation - not to mention the Canton voters - remember him as one of our all-time greats.

(2/27) Long-time Steelers broadcaster Myron Cope has died at age 79. I tried to think of things I could write about Myron, but what can I really say that any Steelers fan doesn't already know? Myron was a HUGE part of Steelers history and Pittsburgh sports in general. We all listened to him on the radio for years and know his voice - and his phrases - well. Members of the media have always talked about how hard of a worker was, so maybe that is another reason why he connected so well with blue-collar Pittsburgh folks. He was ill in recent years so this it is no great shock that he passed away, but that doesn't mean he will be missed any less. The Nation will be a lonlier place without Myron. May he rest in peace.

(2/21) When Max Starks lost his job starting as the starting right tackle to Willie Colon last summer, it figured to be the beginning of the end of his brief career in Pittsburgh. Several months later, Starks is poised to be a very wealthy man after the Steelers chose to give him their transition tag. That means that the Steelers will have to pay Starks the average of the top 10 tackles in the NFL, and they have already given him a one-year tender offer of $6.9 million! That is some big money to a guy who lost his job last year. If any team wanted to sign Starks during free agency, they would have to match, and that probably will not happen.

In my opinion, this unexpected move signals one of two possibilities. The first possibility is that, with the anticipated departure of Alan Faneca, the Steelers are just so flat-out desperate for o-line help that they were willing to do whatever it took to ensure that they did not have to replace two linemen via free agency and the draft. Some team would have paid Starks too, especially after his very successful stint starting at left tackle at the end of the 2007 season. The other possibility revolves around that stint at left tackle. Starks also played left tackle his final two seasons at Florida, and it may just be his more natural position. But what about the current starting left tackle, Marvel Smith? Well, Smith is entering his 9th season with the Steelers and has had numerous injury problems. Perhaps the Steelers see Starks as the long term replacement at LT based on how well Smith holds up this coming season?

Yet another theory is that they would move Colon to guard and put Starks back at right tackle, but any way you slice it, this move was made for one reason: depth. Free agent o-lineman are often very high-priced, even the mediocre ones. A team like the Steelers who are on the verge of being contenders felt that they couldn't afford to have too much fluxuation amongst their already weak line. We'll have to wait and see as to how this eventually all plays out.

(2/18) It's never too early to start looking towards next season. Last week we looked at the Steelers free agents and other ongoing offseason needs. This week we will take a look at the state of the AFC North and look at what kind of competition the Steelers will face in 2008.

State of the AFC North

Cleveland Browns

I'm still baffled that the Cleveland Browns won 10 games in 2007. Can they repeat/top that performance next season, or was it just a one-time fluke like their 2002 season? Their offense features a great group of young stars - Braylon Edwards, Joe Thomas, The Soldier - who were complimented by two key guys in Derek Anderson and The Drug Dealer who are now free agents. It's a tough call for the Browns on where to go next. How much mileage does The Drug Dealer really have? Look at the Steve McNair Experiment in Baltimore: bring in a veteran who looks finished, pat yourself on the back as he has a great rejuvenated "I just needed a change of scenery" season, then watch helplessly as he turns back into a broken down old man the next year. Will that happen to The Drug Dealer? Who knows.

With Anderson it's an even tougher situation. Do they keep riding his momentum, or do they start working in Pretty Boy Quinn? Again, they can look inside the division for precedence. Cincinnati faced a similar situation in 2004. Jon Kitna had led them to a good season the year before, coming within one game of a playoff berth. The Bengals then had to decide if they would stick with Kitna or start playing Carson Palmer, in whom they had heavily invested their future. They chose Palmer and suffered thru a miserable 2004 season, but it paid off because they won the division in 2005 and then… um… went right back to sucking, while also adding a new dimension to their horribleness by creating a team full of criminals and immature little babies. So maybe it didn't work out so well for them, but you get the point! Should the Browns stick with Anderson and compete, or should they take one step backwards in the hope that it results in two steps forward? Tough call.

One thing is certain: if this team ever wants to establish itself as a legitimate threat, they have to stop losing to the Steelers ALL the time! The recent history between these two rivals has been so one-sided it's not even funny. Pittsburgh has beaten Cleveland 9 straight times. Going back even further, the Browns have only defeated the Steelers 3 times since 1994! Since their glory days of the late 1980's ended, the Browns have only posted three winning seasons - 1994, 2002, 2007 - and all three were directly derailed by Pittsburgh. Bottom line is that Pittsburgh owns Cleveland, and if the Browns are ever going to succeed, they need to figure out how to change that.

(Side note: my favorite Brady Quinn story is when Pitt won at Notre Dame in 2004 after Tyler Palko threw five touchdown passes. After the game, NBC interviewed Palko on the field and he famously blurted out, "I'm so [expletive] proud of this football team!" After the interview, the NBC announcers started apologizing for Palko's "disgraceful" comments and said it was a shame that his great performance had to be "marred". The funny thing about this was that, as they were calling out Palko for being a cancer on society, NBC's camera fixated on Quinn humbly walking off the field with his helmet off and head down. It was such an obvious attempt to say, "Brady Quinn - now there's a young man who would never swear on national television and embarrass himself, his teammates, his university, his future kids, his pets, etc. Sure, he may have lost. Sure, he may have thrown two interceptions. Sure, Tyler Palko may have been the better QB. But Brady Quinn is the REAL winner today." I just always thought that was hilarious. What a bunch of homers. And people wonder why Notre Dame is so hated.)

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens have a new head coach for the first time in forever. The Genius is gone and John Harbaugh (nickname to be determined later) will take over. The Ravens are a really tough team to predict. Their pattern since they won the Super Bowl had been something like this: suck, win the division, suck, suck, win the division, suck…. All the while their defense just gets older and older but still manages to do a pretty darn good job, and their offense plods along like the forgotten stepchild with whoever they can patch in at QB.

I used to think that the QB position was overrated. In the late 90's and early 00's, this argument may have been valid. After all, people like Chris Chandler, Trent Difler, Kerry Collins, Jake Delhomme, and Brad Johnson were all leading teams to Super Bowls. But now the league has changed. While it's still possible to sneak a Rex Grossman led team to the Super Bowl, there is virtually no chance of winning anything without a guy who really does the job well. Would the Patriots be anywhere without Tom Brady? Or the Colts without Manning? Would the Steelers have ever finally won another title without Ben? No way - they proved that in all those Bill Cowher playoff losses that preceded the 2004 draft. That brings us back to the Ravens. I don't see them going anywhere until they get a QB. The problem is that the pickings are slim. There are maybe 8 or 9 good QB's in the NFL today, and everyone else is crap. It will be interesting to see what moves they make.

Cincinnati Bengals

This team is barely even worth talking about. What a joke. Will Chad Johnson be back? Who cares. That franchise needs so much help it's not even measurable. I guess they could start with dumping Marvin Lewis. I think his grace period for winning that meaningless division title has expired by now. Seriously, are the Bengals better off now than they were before he arrived? They have a good franchise quarterback (although I think he is incredibly overrated at this point in his career) but they still can't compete. He was a renowned defensive coordinator, but their defense always sucks. Their lack of discipline and maturity are well documented. So why is he still there?

Cincinnati almost always had good teams in the 70's and 80's, but they are now the laughingstock of pro football. Bengals owner Mike Brown has the worst track record this side of Bob Nutting. They currently own the NFL's longest post-season win drought (they last won a playoff game nearly two decades ago). They remind me so much of the Pirates, and like the Buccos, I don't think anything will ever change unless there is some kind of massive overhaul. Since that is never going to happen, prepare for more years of the Bungles living up to their name.

2008 Opponents

The actual schedule will be released in a couple of months, but we do know who the Steelers will play next season, and it's not going to be pretty. Pittsburgh faces a significantly tougher slate than last year, including games against both Super Bowl teams. Check it out:

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(2/11) It's never too early to start looking towards next season. This week we will take a the Steelers and examine their free agents and discuss some of their other ongoing offseason needs. Next week we will take a look at the state of the AFC North and look at what kind of competition the Steelers will face in 2008.

Free Agents

OG Alan Faneca Don't even try to fool yourself into thinking he may be back. There is no way. It would be a bad deal for the Steelers to invest heavily in a long-term deal for a 10-year veteran, and it would be a bad deal for Faneca to take anything less than he is worth on the open market.	OT Max Starks Here is one guy whom the Steelers may want to seriously consider bringing back. Although he lost his starting job in 2007, Starks proved to be a valuable backup for the often injured Marvel Smith. His price may be steep however as offensive linemen are in high demand. Plus Starks knows how badly the Steelers will need to paste the broken o-line back together, especially with Faneca leaving.
LB Clark Haggans His chances for return are minimal. Lamar Woodley should be able to more than adequately take over for Haggans, who was a solid player but who never established himself as a star in the Steelers linebacker-friendly defense.	FB Dan Kreider It became pretty obvious last season that Kreider no longer fits into the Steelers offensive plans. Carey Davis did little to impress yet still got the bulk of the playing time.
DE Travis Kirschke The Steelers need better and younger depth on the D-line, so he is expendable.	Others LB Marquis Cooper and DE Nick Eason are not going to make or break the defensive plans. QB Brian St. Pierre figures to be back for yet another season of holding the clipboard. WR Nate Washington is a restricted free agent, which means some dumb team would actually have to give up something to sign him. I'd laugh hysterically if that happened!

Other Changes

Draft Last season the Steelers knew they desperately needed an outside linebacker. They had released Joey Porter and knew that Clark Haggans would be gone soon as well, plus they weren't sure if James Harrison would work out or not. However, they opted for an unusual strategy. Rather than pinning everything on a first round pick, they used their first two picks to select outside linebackers. It ended up paying off (at that position at least) because the second round pick blossomed while the first round pick is still a work in progress. So my suggestion for this year's draft is to employ a similar strategy. I would take an ofeesnive lineman with two out of the first three picks, and use the other pick on a defensive lineman. Forget the other needs, forget "best available talent" - just hammer away at fixing the gaping holes.

Free Agents / Trades The Steelers really don't go after free agents. This frustrates many fans, and to be honest, it bothers me too sometimes, especially when there are glaring needs like there are this year. Sometimes asking a rookie to fill those needs just isn't practical. However, it's hard to argue with the team's track record. Since the start of this decade (when Kevin Colbert took over as GM), the Steelers have only had one losing season and have captured the franchise's fifth championship. They built good teams almost exclusively thru the draft, and they probably see no reason to change that strategy. The only problem however is that they have not drafted any linemen (offensive or defensive) in the high rounds in recent years, and now it is coming back to haunt them.

Center Sean Mahan proved that he stinks at center. The Steelers are too thin at o-line to dump him though, so they may swap him and Kendall Simmons. Mahan had played guard at Tampa before coming to Pittsburgh, and that is where he is probably better suited. Regardless, someone needs to step up and be the center the Steelers need.

Mascot So long, Steely McBeam. The mascot that everyone loved to hate should be history, since the Steelers did say that he was a one-season deal because of the 75th anniversary. I'm not sure who the Steelers will hire to frighten young children at Heinz Field now.

(2/4) Some random thoughts from yesterday's monumental upset:

• I have always said that the New York Giants are the Steelers of the NFC. They have all the same elements: long-time family ownership, historically classy organization, consitently successful, rich and storied history, etc. This season they followed the same path that the Steelers did in 2005 by winning three road games to make it to the Super Bowl after years of dissapointing playoff defeats. However, I never thought they could topple New England. I never thought that Eli Manning - a guy who I thought was so overrated just because he had a famous last name - could come into the final minutes and knock off the team who was just seconds away from being crowned best of all time. Congratulations to Eli, Plex, and even The Crybaby. What they did last night will deservedly be remembered for decades to come.



• Not too many people knew who David Tyree was until last night. Tyree, who was mostly just a special teams contributor this year, made one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history when he caught Eli Manning's last minute scrambling heave. It was an amazing play by Tyree, but I had seen it before. In October of 2000, Pitt was undefeated and playing at Syracuse in a huge Big East matchup. The game went into double overtime, and Pitt seemed to be on the verge of victory because they had forced a 3rd and 23. Syracuse QB Troy Nunes scrambled around for what seemed like an eternity, barely escaping Pitt defenders, and desperately heaved the ball into the endzone. Waiting there to make the game-winning catch was none other than David Tyree. As a Pitt fan, that play still riles me up to this day. We had the game won and Tyree somehow got open to make the catch after their QB somehow made an amazing escape. While that David Tyree moment eight years ago was tough to swallow, it will be nothing compared to what Patriots fans will have to deal with today.



• It's amazing what the Steelers winning the Super Bowl two years ago did for me as a football fan. I am genuinely happy for the Giants and their fans. I really don't think I was ever happy for any team who won before 2005 because it wasn't my team. Has anyone else experienced this, or is it just me?



• Where does New England go from here? They will never be able to top 18-0 heading into the Super Bowl. This may rank as the most tragic loss in sports history. At least Boston fans have an excuse to play the woe-is-me card again.



• I have to admit that I found the Big Ben Super Bowl commercial for American Idol highly entertaining. I don't understand why a show with huge ratings needs to advertise, but whatever - it was a good ad.



• Back in Steelers country, things are quiet right now, so I haven't had many updates for this site. But in the coming weeks I will be featuring a two-part off-season preview, as well as the return of the America Loves Countdowns lists, so stay tuned....

(1/25) Let me preface this story by saying that I absolutely love Hines Ward. He is a talented receiver who plays hard all the time, and his place as one of the great Steelers of all-time is secure. He is personally one of my favorite football players ever. That being said, Hines really needs to stop running his mouth so much. His latest rant came today when he lashed out at Ben Roethlisberger after Ben stated that he wanted the Steelers to sign a tall receiver in the offseason. I doubt Ben's comments were meant to put down Hines or even Santonio Holmes. A tall, physical receiver would compliment the offense well, especially since there is a greater focus on passing and because Ben is a tall QB, hence he tends to throw the ball high. But Hines didn't see it that way. "If Ben wants a tall receiver to make him feel comfortable or whatever, maybe the organization will get him one.... To me, I like the four guys we have," said Ward. He also pulled the "I don't hear Tom Brady or Peyton Manning asking for that" line.

I don't even care to debate whether or not the Steelers need a tall receiver (although I certainly don't agree with Hines about "liking the four guys we have" when two of them flat out stink). That's not really the issue here. The issue is that Hines takes offense to EVERYTHING these days, and he always uses the media to air his thoughts about it. I understand the background. When Ward was drafted in the late 1990's, he managed to shine on a very crappy team. What was his reward for that? The Steelers benched him before the start of the 2000 season so that they could play a rookie (Plaxico Burress) and a guy in Troy Edwards who didn't have even 1/100th of the heart or talent that Ward had. So Hines was unfairly forced to work his way back into the starting lineup, and he not only did that, but he became an all-pro player in the process. Even after the Steelers and The Nation recognized how truly special he was, he still got little respect at the national level. Few people mentioned him in the same breath as other star receivers. Hines was a grinder on a run-first team - a guy who gets you the 3rd and 6 or blocks the guy to the outside so that the running back can gain those ten extra yards. That just isn't sexy. It's more fun to see Chad Johnson come up with a new endzone dance or watch Terrell Owens do situps in his driveway or awe at Randy Moss' latest one-handed catch. Hines has a big chip on his shoulder, and I totally get that.

However, at this point in his career, Ward just comes across as bitter and ultra-sensitive. Look at the last two years: The Steelers didn't sign him to a big contract right away, so he was offended. The Steelers didn't hire Russ Grimm, so he was offended. The Steelers dumped Joey Porter, so he was offended. Ben said he wants a tall receiver, so he was offended. He plays the "I don't get any respect card" all the time now. If that motivates him personally on Sunday, more power to him. But there is no reason to trash your owner, coach, or teammates in the media the way he has been doing. He is a Super Bowl MVP and will no doubt go down as one of Pittsburgh's most beloved sports figures, but this constant public whining is not doing anything to help his cause.

(1/8) Some random thoughts now that we have all had a few days to digest this year's one-and-done playoff exit:

• It was announced on Sunday night that Hines Ward will need surgery after re-injuring his knee in the playoff game. If there was any shred of doubt over how far into the playoffs the Steelers may have gone had they held on to their 29-28 lead on Saturday, I think this helps answer it. The Steelers were way too depleted, both physically and mentally. Ed Bouchette, who is by far the best sportswriter in Pittsburgh, summed it up nicely by showing how the playoff game was a microcosm of the entire season's problems, and Ben Roethlisberger summed up his team's crushed late-season spirit when he said, "We are a worn-down team. We're physically drained and mentally drained."
  
  
• The Steelers suffered many high-profile season-ending injuries this season - Aaron Smith, FWP, Marvel Smith - but the one injury that didn't get nearly as much attention as it deserved was the spleen issue which ended Ryan Clark's season after the Denver game. Clark, like Chris Hope before him, has been an underrated asset to the defense, and the Steelers watched helplessly as his replacements made costly mistakes. Anothony Smith screwed up both on and off the field during the two-game slide in December. He was replaced by Tyrone Carter, who had a miserable game against Jacksonville in the playoffs, capping it with a key missed tackle on David Garrard's now legendary 4th down run in the final moments. Maybe Clark is way more valuable to this team than we all thought.
  
  
• The criticism being directed at Mike Tomlin for attempting the first two-point conversion is absurd. If you recall, the Steelers had just cut the Jacksonville lead to 28-23. They went for two and converted it, but a holding call against Sean Mahan (what a great season he had, eh?) moved the ball back to the 12 yard line. From there the Steelers still went for the two-pointer, but failed. Tomlin faced criticism under the premise that, if he kicks the PAT and the Steelers score another TD, then Pittsburgh would have held a three-point lead. But that was a big "what if". Why would Tomlin elect to be down by 4 points instead of 5 points? Wouldn't it have made way more sense to be down by just 3 points? He had no way of knowing whether or not the Steelers would have another shot at the endzone, but a FG attempt to tie was certainly a higher probablilty. Plus when the Steelers did score the TD, they still had a second chance to go up by 3 points had they converted the second two-point attempt. It was the absolute 100% right call, and Tomlin to his credit did not back off one bit when pressed by the "we need to make a story out of blaming the coach" local sportswriters.
  
  
• I was surprised at the Steelers players complaints about the refs. Yeah, they made some bad calls, but they also helped us out with that pass interference call on 4th and goal which really should have been a facemask call on Ward. I also don't think you can call holding on 4th and 2 with Jacksonville's season on the line unless it is really blatant. For all of us who complained about the refs making a ticky-tack call in a critical moment of the playoff game at Tennessee a few years ago, it would be hypocritical to then suggest that they should have called this game extremely tight in the final minutes.
  
  
• Interesting stat on Ben: he is 1-2 in home playoff games, and he threw 8 interceptions (including 2 which were returned for touchdowns) in those 3 games. However, he is 4-0 in the playoffs away from Heinz Field. Go figure.
  
  
• Speaking of home playoff stats, check out this one: there have been 6 playoff games at Heinz Field, and in those 6 games, the Steelers have given up 5 special teams touchdowns!!! (technically it is only 4, but Maurice Jones-Drew getting tackled at the one-inch line on Saturday is the same as a return touchdown). That is unacceptable. The Steelers MUST get their special teams in order, especially with the AFC's version of Devin Hester (Cleveland's Joshua Cribbs) playing in our division.
  
  
• Even though it didn't have a happy ending, I will say that the Jaguars game was probably in the top three home games I have ever attended in terms of excitement and fan involvement (the 1992 game against Houston and the 2002 playoff game against Cleveland being the other two). I wish I could bottle that moment when Ike Taylor made the interception, because I'm not sure I will ever see Heinz Field explode quite like that ever again. The 64,000 fans were already on their feet before that play - we had been for all of the 4th quarter - and when the ball sailed into Ike's hands, everyone just completely lost it. It was an amazing scene and I count myself fortunate to have been a part of it.

(1/1) The playoffs are here. Can you feel the excitement in Steeler Nation? Probably not. No one is too excited about our team's prospects this post-season. Consider the facts: the Steelers backed into the playoffs by dropping three out of their final four games. Key players like FWP, Aaron Smith, and Marvel Smith are all out, and others like Troy and Ben are playing hurt. One of the reasons Ben is playing hurt is because he had to run for his life all season. When NFL Films does the highlight video for this year, they should just call it "Sacked! The Story of the 2007 Steelers". The o-line woes were bad but the defense had still been playing well. Now that is not even true anymore. While the defense still finished ranked #1 in the NFL (not sure how), they have been unable to stop the running game in recent weeks. So the Steelers have all of that going against them, plus they would have to beat two teams who have OWNED them in recent years - one of which is the hottest in pro football right now, the other of which hasn't lost a game since LAST season - just to advance to the AFC title game! It's unrealistic to think that this team can pull that off. Some fans will no doubt make comparions to 2005, when we ran the table as a lowly #6 seed, but that team was on a roll at this time. The one thing I will say is this: the Steelers always seem to step it up when their backs are against the wall. We saw that in St. Louis a few weeks ago. We saw that against Cincinnati a few weeks before that. We saw that when they beat Cleveland in November, the game that ultimately gave Pittsburgh its first AFC North title since 2004 (since the Browns finished with the same 10-6 record as the Steelers). We'll have to wait and see what happens. Maybe this team will surprise us, but let's be careful not to expect too much here.


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