Tyrone Carter = AFC Defensive Player of the Week

With New Years and all, this got lost in the shuffle. Tyrone Carter was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the Steelers' Week 17 win over the Gowns. He nabbed his first two interceptions of the year, returning the second one for a touchdown. Pretty solid for the guy called off the bench to replace the hurt Ryan Clark.

When Clark went down with the injury against Tennessee, did you envision Carter getting MSPainted this week? Don't lie.

Now, Aaron Smith was tough, but I still think I found the one picture on the Internet of Smith with a female fan. In a kitchen.

LaMarr Woodley I can kinda understand, since he's still only in his second year. But not one picture on the World Wide Web? Weak. (That link has the greatest MSPaint of all time)

So I had to think about giving Carter the MSPaint treatment this week. I know he's been a backup for the majority of his 9 years in the league, but you'd at least think his Super Bowl XL ring could provide at least ONE picture with a member of the opposite sex. You'd be wrong.

So for a PSaMP first, Carter gets the business with a dude on either side of him.

Congrats on the first-time honor Tyrone (and dudes).

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

Hope you had a good Christmas. I'll be back in a semi-normal posting schedule now that the holiday is over.

The Steelers had a decent Christmas break, too, destroying the Browns 31-0 to end the Romeo Crennel/Phil Savage era. But if you didn't hear, Ben left the game on a stretcher. Concussion...with a bye week to shake off the cobwebs.

I probably caught a little flak for the stupid MMCNY last week after the loss to the Titans. But I'm not a fairweather fan who just doesn't want to write after losses. Shit, we just won, and held our "rival" off the scoreboard, but the game was 99% pointless. Assessing this game's significance would be ridiculous.

The starters needed to be in for the offense to redeem themselves after the Tennessee game. Ben threw an early pick, but Willie looked good. Blah, blah, blah, Browns suck, blah, blah, blah, Crennel and Savage fired, blah blah, "rival," blah, blah. Did I do good enough?

Playoffs next week. We don't play until the following week, where we get the highest remaining seed (Indy or San Diego). I'm out.

And high five to Tyrone Carter.

TEH STEELERS R TEH GHEY! OMG WTF LOLZ

I'm amazed at what people put on Youtube sometimes. The above fan video is a bit disturbing, which makes me question the motives of the fan. We all know athletes love the butt-slap, but I didn't think it made for good Internet video.

Oh wait.

And the video's uploader described the video with one word:

"sorry.."

Well played, highlightkey.

If you, too, enjoy watching a fully-grown Pittsburgh Steeler place a well-executed butt slap onto another fully-grown Pittsburgh Steeler, the video is above for your pleasure(?).

What's The Deal With Ryan Mundy?

Has anyone noticed the lower leg injury to rookie Ryan Mundy? The question comes from Anon on yesterday's ill-excuse for a post. See, all anonymous commenters are not horribly misguided.

The Trib took it serious, wondering if the injury was worse than originally thought. The Beaver County Times had a concerning little note, saying:


[Mundy] will miss at least the next two preseason games with a lower leg injury. He may even be a candidate for the season-ending injured reserve list.


The Post-Gazette finally chimed in with a blurb, calling the injury a high ankle sprain.

So, is it time to pay attention? I know Charlie Batch and his collarbone take precedence over a rook, but this could hurt our defensive backfield moreso than anyone cares to think. Last week, I was ready to anoint Mundy as Troy's perfect partner in the secondary. I hope this injury doesn't derail that sentiment.

Early reports have Mundy missing a few preseason games, but is that the extent of the injury? The Beaver County Times piece, which mentions season-ending IR as a possibility, had me the most worried. Take a look at our secondary. Troy still has yet to practice, and he did little more than stand around in a jersey at St. Vincent this weekend. Barring any freak accidents, Troy should be back soon, solidifying the Strong Safety position. Free Safety is a crap shoot, with perennial stopgap Ryan Clark poised to start. Backing him up is Anthony Smith and Tyrone Carter. Mundy, in my mind, was the cute pick to come outta nowhere either this season or in the very near future and team up with Troy to create a formidable backfield. Now, Clark, Smith and Carter aren't total scrubs, but there must be concern when your safeties are either injured or career backups.

Am I putting too much thought into this, especially concerning Mundy? I mean, he is a rook...a late-round rook with a history of injuries at that, and the starting job was in no way his. He got bumped...his leg was sore...and he might miss a few games. Or, the cheap shot did more damage than originally thought, Mundy loses out on an injury-filled rookie year and never reaches any of the potential that made the Steelers draft him in the first place (for reference, think of Willie Reid and how his rookie injuries have slowed what was expected to be a decent Steelers career at worst).

So yeah, Mundy's injury has yet to be completely revealed, and we're stuck with a time frame stretching from a few weeks to possibly an entire season. Should we be concerned, or are you confident with a Clark/Smith/Carter/Townsend(?) chorus line at FS?

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

We won. Can't ask for much more than that. However, Ben and Fast Bill did little to impress, and the 24-10 win can be credited to Heath, Hines and the D.

Faced with less bog-like conditions than Monday, the Steelers still needed to overcome serious weather. I was pissed that I had to walk out tin the rain to get something outta my car. Playing a football game in that nasty stuff had to be awful.

Ben complained about the wet ball early, but was able to reverse his fortunes after throwing a costly interception in the first quarter. On the flip side, Carson Palmer started efficient, but then proceeded to stink up Heinz Field no matter which direction he was going.

Despite the shady offense, the team looked more like a team capable of bringing down the Patriots in a week. I wasn't ready to say that after the Jets and the Fins game. I'm ready now. Resiliency, baby. We fought through the conditions and the awful start to create a decent win.

Tale of the tape: A win is a win. Underlying theme: Our D is the (collective) man.

Ben and Bill won't be getting 4s and 5s this week.

Ben. Eh. I've seen better. I've seen worse. We can look a this performance either way. He sucked early, but turned things around throughout. Or...he blamed his struggles on the conditions, threw some awful passes and only completed as many passes as he did because Hines and Heath had glue on their hands. Ben was the winning QB, so I'll try to be positive. 3.5 of 5 motorcycle helmets. Yeah, I've been giving fractions of helmets lately, but Ben can't make these same mistakes next week. CANNOT. This won't be stressed enough.

Bill. Gross. Stupid Jerome Bettis elbow condoms. Why didn't he take those bitches off? I'm not going to place the blame solely on those, however. Bill was trying to cut down on fumbles this season, and for the most part, he succeeded to this point. Fact of the matter is...Bill put the ball on the turf too much...overturned fumble or not. He somehow found a way to get 87 yards, which nearly redeemed him. Still...dude needs to find the endzone. Soon. 3 of 5 motorcycle helmets. Score, brother.

Hines. Round of applause, everyone. The record (64 receiving TDs) is his. No more looking towards Stallworth. Hines has cemented his legacy in the 'Burgh on more than one occasion, and this record was merely the icing on the cake. Sure, Stallworth and Swann took catches and touchdowns away from each other, but Hines has had to deal with Kordell, Kent, Tommy, etc. And he hauled in 11 damn catches a week after snagging 9. Well done. He gets 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Heath. Needs the ball more. He isn't a safety blanket. He's a game changer. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

D. Just like Ben, they faltered early, but found a way to completely turn around their performance. The D rallied after allowing an early TD, and each guy stepped up big time. Look at those stats. 2 guys with 8 tackles, one with 7, three with 6. Farrior, Foote and Carter were absolute beasts all game. This is the second straight game in which that trio belittled the opposition. That early TD damaged the ego a bit, but the D still allowed less points (10) than their prior season average (13.2). They're now allowing 12.9 a game. Ridiculous. 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets. No 5 here because of that first drive Cincy TD.

If you don't know who we play next week, you are stupid. We'll win. Write that down.

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

No hockey score jokes. No ripping on the offenses. No historical analysis of how low-scoring the game was.

You're not getting any of that in this Tuesday afternoon edition of Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker.

At the end of 60 minutes, the Steelers finished with 3 more points than the opposition. That equals a win, no matter who the opponent was. The 3-0 shutout moved the record to 8-3.

Tale of the tape: Persevering the elements. Underlying theme: Ridiculous defensive game.

The stats weren't gaudy, but the team weathered the storm (literally and figuratively), kept the dolphins at bay and did just enough to win.

One more thing before I get into specific performances. What was up with ESPN rooting for marine mammals? Were they trying to side with the winless Dolphins? I mean, they kept playing that ridiculous Seal song at every commercial break. Seals...Dolphins...conspiracy?

Bennifer. Aside from the early interception, Ben did everything right given the poor weather and turf conditions. He didn't force long passes, which was critical without San Antonio in the lineup. Ben repeatedly threw 3-5 yard passes, which resulted in high percentage receptions that slowly moved the sticks. Sure, nearly every drive stalled, but that can be contributed to the potholes and standing water on the field. Ben reprised his "Game Manager" role, and let the game come to him. When he absolutely needed a drive to win the game, he produced. 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets for the conservative play.

RBs. I was a little confused by the RB system we used against the fish. With the awful weather, I was expecting to see more of Najeh early, letting Willie benefit from a worn-down defense. No knock on Willie, who put up solid numbers on a less-that-desirable field of play. However, when Najeh finally was used, he sputtered on a drive-ending 3rd down, and finished with 3 carries for 2 yards. Willie picked p the RB corps with 24 carries for 81 yards. Willie played well, Najeh did nothing. I'll give 3.75 out of 5 motorcycle helmets since Willie went over 1,000 rush yards for the 3rd consecutive season.

Hines. #86 played out of his mind all game. He was catching everything thrown his way, and on a sloppy night, caught 9 passes for 88 yards. That's huge in a game like this. Had this been a typical, 24-21 game, Hines' stats would've been something like 10 catches for 160 yards. There was no breaking long gains in the rain, and every catch was critical. He extended a few drives that should've resulted in a punt, and was clearly the go-to-guy. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets. Couldn't ask for more out of Hines.

D. For those doubters who love to complain about the 3-0 win, the Steelers D pitched their 2nd shutout of the season. Add that to 3 other games in which the opposition scored a touchdown or less. All Miami needed was one drive for a score in order to win the game or at least force overtime. The D didn't allow that much. Tyrone Carter subbed for Troy perfectly, and he, James Farrior and Larry Foote were on acid all night. James Harrison continued his Monday night dominance with another sack in front of his predecessor, Joey Porter. Sure, Jeff Reed recorded the game's only points, but the D won the game. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets. Sick game.

Bengals next week. We are Dey.

Love and prayers to Sean Taylor and his family. My buddy lives in Gaithersburg, Maryland and is a huge 'Skins/Sean Taylor fan. The news made me sick, and the mainstream media's reports about this has turned my stomach. I'll dedicate a post to this later.

Troy and San Antonio Won't Play Against The Fish

Things just got trickier for a team trying to avoid back to back losses to awful opponents.

Fresh off the disaster in New York, the Steelers must prepare for Joey Porter and the Dolphins sans standout athletes on both sides of the ball.

Troy Polamalu...out with a knee. San Antonio...out with an ankle.

Fun times. Tyrone Carter and Nate Washington best step up their respective games. 7-4 will not be acceptable. At all.

I don't see the Steelers losing, but I thought the exact same thing prior to the Jets game. Pittsburgh should be going for its 9th win, not merely hoping to record win number 8. Still, the team must look forward after the pathetic showing last week, and do anything and everything to avoid a repeat in front of the Monday Night Football crowd.

Don't play with my emotions, Stillers. These injuries cannot be an excuse for a 2nd consecutive disappointing loss.

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

Three cheers for a special Friday edition of MMCNY!

Hip hip! _________
Hip hip! _________
Hip hip! _________

Thanks for participating, ya jerks.

This is going to be a semi-condensed version of MMCNY, seeing as how the game was awful to watch, the starters barely played and it was the final preseason game.

Tale of the tape: Steelers won, 19-3. Underlying theme: Dan Sepulveda and Jeff Reed are tired.

Oh, and flags were flying like they were going out of style, and both offenses were sluggish to say the least.

With that being said, let's look at some parts of the team that stood out.

Jeff Reed. Shaft (I might just call him that now) connected on all 4 of his FG attempts, and prior to Tyrone Carter's interception return for a touchdown, he provided the only Steeler points of the game. And Carter's int came with a little over a minute left in the game. The Carolina game was a great regular season tune up for Mr. Reed. Special teams are oftentimes overlooked and sometimes under-practiced. Tomlin is stressing special teams, and Jeff came through when needed. Anything less than 4 of 4 would have caused some doubt in my mind about Jeff going into the season opener, but he was perfect, and we couldn't ask for anything more. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets for Shaft.

Mike Lorello. "Who?," you might ask. Lorello is #45, and played primarily special teams and in the 2nd half of games throughout the preseason. However, last night, Lorello came up with the kind of game-changing play that I want to see out of every player. After a Dan Sepulveda punt (and there were a few of those), Lorello came charging after the punt return specialist. He took a crappy angle, and was beat by the much faster returner. Lorello refused to give up, and continued to tail the speedy return man. Once the Panther made a few too many jukes, Lorello caught up from behind, blindsiding the returner and forcing a fumble. Sepulveda (what!?) recovered the dropped ball. I was miffed when Lorello took such a bad angle, but kept watching him as he turned and followed his missed target. His determination paid off, and he finished the play that he was originally supposed to make. And he forced a turnover in the process. 5 of 5 helmets for the spectacular display of will.

Gary Russell/Carey Davis. Both still on the bubble. Russell had a few decent runs, but one or two were called back due to offensive holding. My favorite run of his was when he took the ball, and just crammed it up the middle for 12 yards. There were Panthers and Steelers all around, but he bowled through the masses to get the first down. The final RB/FB spot might be between Russell and PSaMP fave Carey Davis. Davis impressed me by taking a pass in the flats, and refusing to go down after being hit by multiple Panthers. Russell showed a little bit last night, but nothing that clearly distinguished between the two players. 3 of 5 helmets combined for the duo, only because both players are still on the bubble. We will find out this weekend if Russell and/or Davis makes the team.

Tyrone Carter. He's not on the bubble, which is why I was surprised to see him playing so late in the fourth quarter. He'll probably be Polamalu's primary backup, and showed why he will make the team with his interception to seal the game late. In my Second Quarter Observations from last night, I mentioned that Carter was everywhere. He was involved in plenty of tackles early, and played some strong coverage. Carter validated my statement by being in the right spot at the right time with just over a minute left in the game, and he sealed a previously touchdown-free game with a pick-6. carter gets 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets for a game well played.

There wasn't a whole lot to be discouraged about, aside from the slow-developing offense. The starters on both sides of the ball barely played, so most of my concerns fell on the shoulders of backups and likely cuts. The defense did step up this week, and provided plenty of turnovers to please my appetite.

Since it was the final game and we got little to no looks at the starters, I'm refraining from pointing out too many blemishes in this edition. I can assure you, that will not be the case once the regular season gets underway.

I hope you enjoyed the preseason installments of MMCNY. It was a learning experience, but also tons of fun. When the games are for real, be sure to add your own critiques, either in the comments, or emailed directly to psampmail@gmail.com. If they're good enough, they might even make the final cut as MMCNY points of interest. Til then...