Steelers Madden 09 Glitches Will Trip You Out

I'm not one to usually watch videos of video game glitches, but this one is pretty trippy. And as I told you yesterday, I'm putting as little effort as possible into the site for Christmas week.

Apparently, Larry Foote and Mewelde Moore turn into Santonio Holmes if the opposing team kicks off from the goal line. And not their goal line. Yours.

Do some hard drugs, and maybe this'll make sense. As for me, I'm leaving work in a bit and heading to my folk's house for Christmas. It's icy as hell in NYC, so wish me luck and safe travels. I'll do the same for you.

Merry Christmas Eve, all.

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

Well that was pretty damn satisfying. There have been few times over the past 6-7 seasons where we could go into Foxboro and lay down 30 unanswered points in a beautiful 33-10 win. So lets bask in this one for a second before turning our attention to Dallas.

I've seen us begin games on a better note, but we haven't finished a game like that in quite some time. Usually, we let the other team hang in for much of the game, either to win/lose a close one or to pile on with garbage points in the 4th. This time, we took over the 3rd Quarter, strangling any possible hope of a New England comeback. This is what aids a deep playoff run...the ability to put good teams away. Not that bullshit we've been doing for 11 games prior.

So enjoy it, Steelers fans. We took down the Patriots on their home field. We'll go through the usual ratings before immediately switching gears to the Cowboys.

Sasso the Giant. Ow, that early interception was rough. And it was the perfect way to show just what our defense is capable of. Ben makes an early mistake, spotting the opposition a short field and eventually, a 7 point lead. They get 3 more the ENTIRE GAME! Alright, this is reading like too much of a rating for the D, so remember that Ben completed 50% of his passes for 179 yards, 2 scores and a pick. The weather was bad, so I'll forgive the 5.4 yards per completion. Not a fantastic game, but Sasso did make it count when needed. I'm on the fence between 3.5 and 4...I don't want to give too high a rating for a game that could've used less mistakes, si I'll give him 3.75 of 5 helmets. On the positive side of 3.75.

RBs. Most of Willie's 87 yards came against an already-worn down Patriots defense...but isn't that the idea? How many teams can trot out a rested, franchise back with 15 minutes to play? Sure, Willie got a few carries early, but Mewelde had the better step. Willie racked up some garbage time yards...which should be scary to our final 4 opponents. No one put up any gaudy numbers on the ground, but both Willie and Mewelde finished with just around a 5.5 yard per carry average. I'll take that. 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets despite no touchdowns.

D. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets. See my description in Ben's space for more in-depth analysis.

These last three guys get their own spots:

Timmons. It's taken Lawrence a while to transition from the minors to the bigs (per se), but he's really coming on strong. 5 tackles and an amazing INT return down to the goal line. I'll consider it a touchdown, man. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Troy. Jeez, I had to bring up the fact that Troy might start stealing NFL Defensive Player of the Year votes away from Silverback. If he could shake off the Ike Taylor syndrome of dropping easy picks, he'd be in the double digits by this point. He equaled Timmons' tackles and gave the fans the usual "Let's-smile-because-Troy's-returning-a-pick" routine. Honestly, the dude is so fun to watch. Another 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets. He's leading the league in picks.

Silverback. After the half, I said "time for the pass rush." To be honest, it was acceptable in the first half, but not to the point that I'm accustomed to. Harrison personally made sure to exert his team's will on Matt Cassel and the Patriots. The dude rocked out 7 solo tackles within his 10 total, and stripped Matt Cassel on 2 sacks. NFL Defensive MVP. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Time to do the exact same thing next week with the Cowboys. The Patriots win is history.

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

Ben immediately injured his shoulder after raising his finger to the sky.

24-20, Colts.

Seriously, what was that? We started that game on a tear, and proceeded to stink away the win. My words can't adequately summarize the suck, so we'll have to turn to the ratings.

Bruce Arians. I really want to give a higher number today. The game started off awesome, and it looked like Ben and Bruce put their dunce caps together to make a legit game plan. Ben was throwing in a quick rhythm, Arians committed to the run and there was some QB movement (play action, pump fakes, flea flicker, etc.). But just when it looked like Bruce was turning the corner, he decided to stay with the exact same plays. Look, we understand the quick throws were working early, because we've been trying to get that into the playbook for weeks now! But you can't run the same "Ben-takes-the-snap-and-immediately-pump-fakes-then-does-a-delayed-handoff-to-Mewelde-Moore-up-the-middle" play 65 more times. Indy's defense isn't as stout as Pittsburgh's but they'll recognize that shit eventually. First half, 3.75 of 5 helmets, Second half, 2 of 5. We'll give Bruce 2.99 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Ben. You can't promise to play better, then come out and throw 3 picks. Simple as that. I know you think this is the time of year that you "thrive," but injuries and stupid decisions don't take a back seat to history. The receivers are to blame for several of the drops and INTs, but you shouldn't have even been in the game. We have a strong-armed QB on the sideline, and a guy with no shoulder completing 3 yard passes on a potential game winning drive. The time management was atrocious on those last 4-5 plays, and Ben barely had the arm strength to throw the final Hail Mary. I'm surprised the snap even beat the clock. I said I wanted you to sit this week. I said that, because even if we lost with Byron, that means you weren't getting hit or throwing confidence-crushing picks. Now you have to live with all of that...and still accept the loss. Like it or not, this changes the rest of the season. 2.5 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Mewelde. Started off great, with the 2 touchdowns and 30 quick yards. But finished with only 57 yards and couldn't reach the endzone for that 3rd touchdown that would've put the Steelers up 7 rather than 3. We took the 4 point loss rather than an overtime chance at a win. That's one of the toughest things to swallow about the game. 3.5 of 5 motorcycle helmets. I'm all about fractions of a helmet after the losses.

D. I think they need to sit down with Ben and Bruce. Soon. They gave up the most yards to any opponent this year and still put the O in a position to win the game. Repeatedly. We can force the opposition to punt series after series, but all that hard work goes for nothing if Ben comes back with a critical pick. Ike played out of his skull aside from those two tips to Wayne, but I can't overlook the tips. Deshea showed him how it was done later in the game...tip the ball away from the receiver or down to the ground. 4 of 5 helmets despite the tips. If those don't fall into Wayne's hands, we've got a different ballgame.

Chargers next week. They're a team that seems to win and lose really close games, so it's tough to determine if they're a good team that can't close or a bad team that won a few lucky games.

That doesn't bode well for this Steelers team.

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

Despite the 38-10 win, I don't know if I agree with the use of the phrase "Steelers easily defeat Bengals." We were up 3 at half and the Bengals were within one score through 3 quarters. Without that 21-point 4th, we're looking at a headline along the lines of, "Steelers avoid letdown against Bengals."

Honestly, this bullshit is gonna catch up with us soon. We can't let inferior teams hang around with us even though we have the game dominated. The Bengals opened the game with 5 straight 3-and-outs. There's no reason that they should be within one score going into the final frame.

But on the bright side, the final frame happened. On paper, we have a 4-TD win going into a matchup with the Giants, who struggled with San Fran early. And really, if Byron Leftwich is in the game late, we're either way in front or way behind. And we were never behind yesterday.

So let's take a peek, shall we?

Ben. You know it's a good game when en doesn't really confuse you with his decisions. Sure, he tried to force a few throws, and his completion percentage wasn't pristine, but he took control of the middle of the field as well as the sidelines, and he went deep when it was given to him. However, defenses are going to catch on to the screens and passes to Mewelde in the flats real quick if you keep that up. 3.5 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Mewelde. Jeez, at the beginning of the year, I didn't think Mewelde Moore would be analyzed so much in this spot. And most of it has been positive! How 'bout that? He didn't crack the century mark last game, something I was hoping he'd do, but he more than made up for it this week. What did he put up, like a buck twenty with 2 rushing scores and a TD catch? Who needs Willie Parker? 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets!

WRs. I couldn't break these guys up. Nate (more on him coming later today), continues to impress with his newfound hands, Hines made some tough catches, Limas Sweed finally started representing for the '08 draft class, and Santonio had a monster game despite being held under 100 yards. This was the first game this year that I actually felt comfortable with the Ben-to-Santonio element. With the running game clicking, the WR corps took advantage of the weaker secondary. 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Wooderson. I'm gonna look like a biased jerk with the good grades this week, but that's what you get with a 28 point win. Wooderson didn't miss a step during the bye, either. Both had 2 sacks (giving Wooderson a 4-sack-game), and Woodley forced and recovered the same fumble. Silverbback woulda had another sack, if not for a holding call on the Bengals O-Line. I'm at the point where I'm expecting multiple sacks by each guy every game. That's gonna suck when I'm disappointed by a 1.5 sack game outta Wooderson. 4.5 outta 5 helmets.

Farrior/Timmons. There were playing like they were the same age. Timmons looked like a vet, and Farrior was playing like a kid trying to impress. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

It sucks when you live in NYC, and the team you love is about to play the Giants. Blue everywhere. Time to keep the momentum, Pittsburgh!

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

Don't get me wrong, I'll take the 26-21 win. However, we can't expect to always come out on top in these close games that need OT or a late 4th quarter score to win. Ben has proved to be fantastic late-game QB, but it sucks to routinely have to lean on a late push to secure the W. How about putting a team away early, no?

Example: The Steelers (save for the Mathis INT...gross) dominated the first three quarters of play, only to find themselves 6 points up on a team that should've been down a few scores. Then, only a minute into the 4th, we're losing. Look, Cotter and I predicted a 100% season for Jeff Reed, but the more we keep asking for FG after FG, the higher chance he has of missing one. The second quarter, we put up a touchdown and two FGs. Two touchdowns and a kick or, dare I say, three touchdowns and the game is over. Stalled drives will only over-work Reed and kill the perfect prediction.

But as I said...we're 4-1 going into the much needed bye. When the schedule was first released, I'm sure you, like me, were complaining about the early bye and how the Steelers always seem to get stuck with that same scenario, forcing the team into tons of consecutive late-season football games, pending a deep playoff run. Now, with the injuries to the guys, the bye seems to have come at the right time.

So, who did what?

Ben. He's still an enigma. We talked about Rashean Mathis in the damn pregame show...I don't know why Ben would look his way AT ALL during the game. Baseball pitchers regularly pitch around the guys who bat well against them, Ben needs to do the same when playing the Jags. THROW TO WHATEVER SIDE OF THE FIELD MATHIS ISN'T ON! Other than that unfortunate early pick, Ben looked sharper than the past two games, so there's that. 300+ yards and 3 TDs will quickly make everyone forget the pick, but not me. Why? Its the exact same play as all the other Mathis picks. Ben is pressured and throws an ill-timed pass off his back foot to the right side, only to see dreadlocks flying down that same sideline for a pick 6. I thought about giving Ben a 4, but he only gets 3.5 out of 5 helmets.

Mewelde Moore. I don't know why Gary Russell was in the game late leading up to that final score. Russell had played well to that point, but Moore had exceeded anyone's expectations. Plus, he finished with 99 yards, so it woulda been nice to see him top 100 with this crack O-Line and RB corps that we currently have. I liked the pickup when we first got Mewelde for this exact reason. The guy isn't a fall-forward-for-two-yards guy like Najeh...he'll actually look good picking up 10 yard clips. A perfect 5 of 5 helmets, because you didn't see him getting anywhere near the century mark.

Bruce Arians. Anyone else get physically sick when he starts talking to Ben? He tried to make some adjustments...throwing to Heath more than once, allowing Mewelde to run it outside...but he still reverted to form early and often. I texted Cotter after the half with this: "That last Arians drive inside the 5: Run up the middle into the pile? Check. Fade pass to the corner of the endzone? Check. So predictable." Sure, I saw a lot of predictability from teams like the Cowboys yesterday, but Arians does nothing to disguise his plan. Last week I gave him 1 helmet. I'll bump him up to 2 of 5 helmets this week.

Wooderson. This is my new Bennifer/Brangelina name for Woodley and Harrison. Plus, I love Dazed and Confused. The two guys are a perfect match on the outsides, so I can't look at them as anything but a tandem. Each week they do something that gives me goosebumps. Woodley's shoestring sack (last time I type that phrase) was awesome, and Silverback came through with yet another forced fumble. Everyone needs to stop calling Harrison "one of the best pass rushers in the league." He's gotta be at the top with how he puts up sacks (last time I type that phrase also) week after week. He's a half sack (gross, again) behind John Abraham for the league lead and is tops in the NFL in forced fumbles. And Woodley's only in the first half of his second year. I fear for the safety of the rest of the league. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets for Wooderson. That's why I love these OLBs. I get older...they keep putting up the same play. All right, all right, all right.

Santonio. I can't quite understand why he's taken a step back in performance this year. After last season, it looked like '08 was Holmes' year to break out. Hell, I felt crazy confident in my second round fantasy pick of Holmes, but he's just under-performed all year to this point. I can't tell if the blame falls solely on him, or if opposing DBs are really intent on keeping him from destroying them. Sure, he's had nice plays here and there, clutch grabs from time to time, but nothing that screams consistency. Those 65 yards were good last night, but he, not Nate Washington, needs to be the one putting up nearly 100 with a score. I'll give Nate 4 of 5 helmets for last night, but Santonio gets a 5 game, cumulative 3 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Heal up this week, guys. It doesn't get any easier the rest of the way.

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

"The offense was terrible in the first half."

I'm probably paraphrasing a bit, but I believe Ben said something along these lines in his post-game interview. You won't hear any objection from me, Ben.

23-20. OT. Win.

I'm really just biding my time until I can rip Bruce Arians a new one in my ratings. The team sucked hard, but luckily showed that they could make the appropriate adjustments to make the game competitive. As I said in the pregame show...pressure Flacco and good things will happen. Silverback and Woodley listened, and a defensive touchdown changed the attitude in the stadium.

So yeah, now we need to deal with several season-ending injuries, but those aren't excuses for losing. Its time to show who we are in this league and step up despite the adversity. But that's for another time. On to last night's ratings...don't expect blindly high ratings just because we won. There was a lot of suck:

Ben. A tale of two Bens? Who was that dude in the first half? His expressions and demeanor were not conducive to a competitive nature, and it looked like he was frustrated and confused...two things you don't want to see in your franchise quarterback. I hope Mike Tomlin punched Ben in the face at halftime, because Ben deserved that for the shitty play and defeatist attitude. However, he adopted the no-huddle and quick two/three step drops that we've been asking for this whole year so far. And guess what...IT WORKED! I know that INT slipped outta your hands, but that's another side effect of holding the ball too long, man. 3.5 of 5 helmets.

Bruce Arians. I'm gonna be painfully honest here. Any time I see Ben talking to Arians on the sideline, I immediately say, "Ben, do the complete opposite of what Bruce is saying right now." I don't understand his offense one bit and why he makes 95% of the decisions that he does. Why he was riding Carey Davis up the middle when a fresh Mewelde Moore was on the bench is beyond me. Just because he's a third-down back, it doesn't mean he can't play on first or second. Look at how well it paid off at the end of the game! I think Tomlin's been getting too much flak for the ineptitude of the play-caller. 1 of 5 helmets. Getting down early like that will bite us more often than not, dude.

Rashard. Don't wanna add insult to injury, but I was hoping for more. He showed flashes, but was stuffed on too many runs. It was something that he'd be able to work on if he wasn't injured now, but that isn't the case. Sucks that he'll basically be a rookie next year, too. 2.5 of 5 helmets.

Moore. See? Yeah, I'm the biggest Carey Davis supporter that you'll see, but Mewelde Moore is a much better option running the ball and catching out of the backfield. He came up with several huge plays late and put us in a position to win. Can't ask for much more from a guy who hasn't really been used this year. Look for Mewelde to get more touches with Willie hurt up and Beetlejuice gone. 4 of 5 helmets. Big time.

LBs. Dirty. Cotter predicted 1.5 sacks from Wood and 2 from Silverback. They finished with 1.5 and 2.5 respectively. Pretty damn good night, if you ask me. There was some stat that Silverback's last two MNF games included 5.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles. Both games were in the throwbacks, do we have a jersey controversy? Go to the golden oldies all season! Wood and Silverback were huge all game, but Timmons' sack nearly impressed me the most. Dude was on a mission to end that Ravens drive, and nothing was going to get in his way. How sick is he going to be in the coming years? And how sick will Tomlin look for taking Timmons and Woodley 1-2 in his first draft as head coach? A perfect 5 of 5 for the LBs.

Jeff Reed. He's making good on me 'n Cotter's prediction of a 100% FG kicking season. One helmet for each made FG, one for making the practice one in OT and one for winning the game. 5 of 5 helmets. Where would we be this season without him?

As Cotter said, I guess this can be used as a celebratory gesture. Don't ask...we were taping the opening song for the pregame show.



Jacksonville in Jacksonville next week. Time to put this win behind us and get ready for playoff redemption.

Kevin Jones Might Sign With The Steelers?

FWP.
Rashard Mendenhall.
Mewelde Moore.
Kevin Jones?

I'm not going to go into this in great detail, primarily because it isn't a done deal, but reports say that former Lions flash-in-the-pan Kevin Jones might sign with the Steelers today. Its either Pittsburgh or Chicago. Let's look at his options:

In Pittsburgh, Jones has no real role. Najeh was released for this very reason. Fast Bill is the man. Rashard Mendenhall is the up-and-comer. Moore looks like he could be the third down back who also solidifies the return-man position.

In Chicago, Jones has a chance to be the guy. I say this with caution, since it is Kevin Jones we're talking about. However, Chicago let Thomas Jones go last offseason, only to eventually release Cedric Benson. Jones would most likely compete with the other Adrian Peterson.

Now, I don't want to speculate too much, since this isn't a done deal and Jones might go elsewhere, but I'm confused as to why Jones is even being considered. Our RB corps is pretty badass by itself, and Jones is coming off knee surgery. Time will tell if he dons the Black and Gold.

Big Ben Is Rich

Big Ben just got paid.

How much, you may ask? How about 8 years and $102 big ones. $36 mil is guaranteed.

Jay Glazer first reported that the deal was iminent, but the details finally emerged.

Biggest contract in Steelers history? Oh, hell yes.

The Steelers are also close to signing Mewelde Moore. That might overshadow the Ben deal.

And I have no idea why The Last Supper is hanging out behind Uncle Scrooge. So don't ask.

UPDATE: Moore signed for 3 years. No money details are out there, but I'll update when I find out.

UPDATE #2: 3 years/$4.95 mil for Moore. Big Ben, consider yourself overshadowed.