Mid-Season Report

Team MVP: So many choices. I'd like to give it to the entire defense, but if we're talking about one player, it's gotta be Jerome Bettis. At age 29, the Bus is having a career year.

Biggest Surprise / Comeback Player of the Year: QB Kordell Stewart. Despite continued criticism from the local fans, Stewart keeps helping us win games.

Biggest Disappointment: WR Troy Edwards / WR Bobby Shaw. They have disappeared from the offense, only surfacing when we're in need of a dropped pass.

Rookie of the Year: LB Kendrell Bell. This guy is by far the best rookie the Steelers have had in years. He has a legitimate shot at the Pro Bowl if he keeps playing the way he has. What is it about Steelers linebackers? Is it the uniform or what??

Best Personnel Move: Hiring former Steelers TE Mike Mularkey as offensive coordinator. Mularkey has created an offense where even Kordell Stewart can excel, and has made it fun with his bag of trick plays.

The Jamain Stephens Award: This annual award for stupidity goes not to a player this year, but to PG sportswriter Ron Cook, who wrote that the Steelers opening day game in Jacksonville was a "must-win" situation! The Steelers lost big, and then proceeded to win the next five. Way to go, Ron!
Runner-up: Former Steeler Bam Morris got sentenced to 10 years in prison for all his drug issues. How can you be a multi-millionaire celebrity and be a low-life criminal at the same time?? That is just beyond me.

The Jack Lambert Award (Enforcer of the Year): WR Hines Ward. In week 7, Titans safety Perry Phenix took an extremely costly personal foul penalty because he was so pissed off that Ward was blocking the crap out of him. In week 8, Ravens CB Rod Woodson had to leave the game for a while after one of Ward's crushing blocks. In week 9, Browns safety Earl Little, who reportedly told Ward before the game that he was going to knock him out, had to leave the field on a stretcher because Ward hit him so hard.

Best Game: The week 7 Monday night win against Tennessee. Everything went right for the Steelers in that game, as they finally beat the Titans after losing to them seven times in a row.

Worst Game: Week 8 against Baltimore. The Steelers completely outplayed the Ravens except on special teams, and that cost them the game.

Best Play: In week 6, the Steelers ran a halfback option play that completely fooled the Tampa Bay defense. Bettis threw a TD pass to Tuman, and the Steelers ended up winning the game.
Runner-up: Kris Brown ran for a first down on a fake FG in week 7.

Worst Play: With the Steelers trailing the Browns 12-9 in week 9, RB Amos Zeroue caught a short pass and ran 62 yards, but then tripped and fell down at the 2 yard line! On the next play, Kordell Stewart fumbled into the side of the endzone, and the Steelers came away with nothing.

Funniest Image of the Year: Bill Cowher threw a red flag at the refs as they were in a huddle trying to figure out why they are so stupid.
Runner-up: KR Hank Poteat was tackled by a Browns player named Ben Gay. Insert your own Cleveland joke here.

Big Talkers of the Year: The Buffalo Bills. After DL Aaron Smith ripped the helmet off of Bills QB Rob Johnson during a pre-season game sack, Buffalo vowed revenge. I guess their idea of revenge was losing to us by 17 points on their own field in week 3.

Dumbest Move by an Opponent: Down by 9 with under 2 minutes remaining in week 4, the Bengals decided to punt the ball. They basically gave up. Sure, it's not easy to score 9 points in that short of a time span, but tell that to the Chicago Bears, who scored 14 points in the final 30 seconds to beat Cleveland a few weeks ago.
Runner-up: Kansas City mounted a late comeback against the Steelers in week 5, but used mostly running plays to drive down the field, effectively killing the clock for Pittsburgh.

Brilliant Quote of the Year: After losing big to the Steelers in week 3, Bills DT Pat Williams declared, "Our team is way better than theirs. They don't impress me. Not at all." Record after 8 games - Steelers: 6-2, Bills: 1-7

Insult-to-Injury Quote of the Year: After the Steelers destroyed the Buccaneers in week 6, Lee Flowers bashed them for being so overrated, calling them "nothing but paper champions".

Classiest Move of the Year: Kris Brown accepted full responsibility for his horrible kicking in week 8, even after the stupid Pittsburgh sportswriters asked him the same questions over and over again ("Was it the wind? Was it mechanics? Did the wind play a role? How about your mechanics? The wind was blowing pretty hard...")

Shocker of the Year: WR Plaxico Burress had 151 yards receiving against the Titans in week 7.

Sarcastic Shocker of the Year: RB Priest Holmes ran all over our #1 ranked defense (again) in week 5, gaining 150 yards in a Chiefs loss.

Something Different: first place in the division; a win against Tennessee; an offense that works; playing home games on grass

Same Old Crap: Opening day blowout; receivers who can't catch; poor special teams