Happy 2 Year Anniversary, Mike Tomlin

It seems like everyone is trying to find some sort of angle to over-expose to the media with the Super Bowl on the horizon. Pittsburgh trying to be the first franchise to win 6 rings, Ben vs. Whis, and Whis vs. Tomlin. We're all guilty of it, because there's only so much you can talk about when you have two weeks until the game.

The Whis vs. Tomlin debate is cool, only because both guys are young, up-and-coming coaches who took very different paths to their current positions, and both have their teams in the big game after only two seasons of work.

But today, I'm not trying to find a certain angle, or give a Tomlin > Whis post. Today, I just want to give props.

2 years ago on this very day, we learned that the Steelers bypassed offensive line coach Russ Grimm for no-name Mike Tomlin out of Minny. The move was questioned by more than a few people, seeing as how the young Tomlin was barely older than the guys he'd be coaching. And he had no head coaching experience.

Tomlin has quieted nearly everyone (including his team) on his way to successive AFC North division titles and a Super Bowl berth. If you saw any of this coming on this day back in 2007, please leave because you're lying.

I was a senior at St. Vincent College when I found out the news, and I was cautiously optimistic about the hire. I tried to get any positives out of it...mainly focusing on the parallels between the young, defensive-minded outside-of-the-organization Tomlin to the young, defensive-minded outside-of-the-organization Cowher back in 1992. While I hoped for the best, any worries I had were quickly thrown out the window when, just days after the hire, I briefly met Tomlin at St. Vincent, while he personally went over every minute detail of his first training camp location as a head coach. The man went everywhere, from the weight room to the locker rooms, to the caf...trying to find out every detail about this odd Benedictine campus that was about to host tons of athletes, staff and media.

To me, that was a perfect way to introduce himself to the Steelers faithful. Tomlin could've easily sent some no-name to scope the place for him, but there he was, hands-on and elbows-deep from the get-go. I knew right then that Tomlin had a special quality, one that would go over well with the hard-working Steelers fan...regardless of the new coach's experience, coaching philosophy, race, age or strategy.

Oh, and my best friend Bob and I kept calling him Mike Epps and Omar Tomlin...so I'll take credit for being one of the original Pittsburghers to make the Omar Epps comparison.

But in all honesty, with such a big game looming and way too many attempts to demonize players and teams, I figured the 2 year anniversary of Tomlin's hiring was a good enough reason to praise the man who has done so much in so little time.

Purple Sucks

LAST CHANCE TO DOOKIE ON THE AFC! BLACK & GOLDDUST IS READY! ARE YOU?

Go Steelers! So hard!

Jets Looking at Ravens' Rex Ryan

A 5 hour interview?

LeBeau used those 5 hours to prepare for Baltimore.

Go Steelers.

Jack's Back!

Best feature ever? Best feature ever.

Gavin popped in with yet another Steelers fan-video from China. This time, we got Jack again, the same guy who toasted the 2008 NFL regular season with a unique flair.

Jack became a hit with his original toast, making it to Deadspin and beyond. I asked Gavin to get Jack to send a greeting along to Deadspin, which Jack does at the beginning of the vid (Dead-pin?).

Good news, though, Jack has more words of encouragement for the Steelers! We're going to "scrush" the Ravens! And we're China's team! Ridiculous.

It's destiny at this point, that the Steelers need to beat the Ravens so we can get more videos of Jack shitting on whoever Pittsburgh plays.

Ravens Fans Suck at Using Dogs to Motivate Their Team

Yo Ravens fans...quit hopping on the bandwagon and trying to get dogs to legitimize your team. We've had several instances on PSAMP of dogs helping motivate the Steelers and their fanbase.

Now, some Baltimore jerks feel like its their turn to use man's best friend to their benefit. But instead of some harmless dry-humping, barking or howling, Ravens fans threaten their dogs with...death. This video's description says that "Wilbur would rather die than become a Steelers fan." A bit harsh, don't you think?

I love dogs. The worst I'd wish on a dog is maybe that it eats its own shit or something after it does something bad. Never death. Jeez.

But if we're gonna take this pre-AFC Championship Game trash-talk dog-fest to the next level, then we have to remember the video posted on PSAMP right after we beat the Ravens to win the division.



Go Steelers.

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).

Aaron Smith = AFC Defensive Player of the Week

He might not be going to the Pro Bowl, but Aaron Smith was just voted AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

On a side note, do you understand how hard it is to find a picture of Smith with a female fan or two? Dude is married, quiet, has kids, isn't in the spotlight, plays an unsexy position and pretty much limits his on-field celebrations to a Keisel high-five. Needless to say, the chicks aren't gonna swarm to him like they would any of the other Steelers who recently got the weekly award.

Now that he's finally getting some pub, maybe Aaron will get recognized, and will replace some faux-injured player who will most likely pull out of the game in Honolulu.

Remember, this is the guy who tore his biceps last season, which caused our pass rush to nearly die.

Congrats, Aaron!

This Post Needs No Title

In case you forgot, the Steelers clinched the AFC North with a win over the Ravens this past weekend. Naturally, the fans and players have been sorta quiet, knowing full well that an even MORE important game looms on the horizon. Home-field advantage is on the line this coming weekend in Tennessee.

But what is a division championship without a little celebration? Right? Well, even if we are staying pretty reserved about our second straight division title, I still wanna bask in the glow for at least one more minute. Or 23 seconds, at least.

We all remember this little guy...the Steelers dog that totally dominated a Browns stuffed animal. That dude is a legend.



Well, the original Browns became the Ravens, so Baltimore naturally tries to one-up Cleveland at any chance. They defected from Ohio and won more Lombardi trophies than Cleveland ever has. Now, they wanted to show that they don't need no stinkin' stuffed animal to get dominated. ROLL TAPE!



I'm kinda weirded out and ready for more football at the same time.

DIVISION CHAMPS, BABY. EAT IT, BALTIMORE!

/ok, i'm done. on to the titans

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

Before I get into anything about the game itself, a big congrats is in order for the Steelers, who used the 13-9 win to clinch the 2008 AFC North Title! Everyone bowl and dance!

So now...the game. Let me re-print what I wrote last week, after another back and forth defensive struggle with the Cowboys:

At some point, I'm gonna have to stop saying "We let the other team hang around too long...it's going to bite us in the ass at some point." I really do, because these Steelers have a habit of coming through games like this relatively unscathed.

There are a lot of "fans" who immediately get down on the team if we're not up 20 points at the start of the game. Those "fans" need to shut up. Tomlin and his team know what they're doing. You can't go into Baltimore, a place we haven't won at since 2002, and expect to put up gaudy numbers against the #2 D in the league. That's why Tomlin takes the ball in the Second Half. That's why he trusts Big Ben to make the necessary plays when the game is on the line. That's why the team is 11-3 through 14 games of the "hardest schedule in 25 years." The Steelers are in a cush spot, so the fairweather fans that came along during the Super Bowl should probably stay out of any and all conversations involving the team.

There still are huge caution signs on the team (Arians, Colon, etc...), but overall, Pittsburgh finds a way to win. We close with a stunned Tennessee team and the J.V. Browns, which doesn't seem half as bad as it did two days ago, when we had no first-round bye locked up.

But enough about the future. Let's look at the game.

Sasso. Jeez...Ben threw the ball 40 times. That usually causes a few picks and a lost game, but not yesterday. Ben threw the only touchdown of the game, and his only turnover was some idiotic half-fumble-half-interception. He kept the ball away from Ed Reed, and understood that Ray Lewis was going to be coming for him no matter what, just so he could get his pound-my-chest-look-at-me antics going. There were a few balls that sorta came outta his hand weird, but they didn't come back to haunt us. And his few runs early in the game were a nice touch. Good all-around game coupled with a game-winning drive, and Sasso gets 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Nate and Hines and Santonio. The WR corps looked kinda quiet in the first half, and we all knew the first team to get a big play would likely dictate the rest of the game. That's why we needed a receiver to step up, and Hines did just that. He went over 100 while Nate made a few clutch grabs to make up for several dropped balls in the first half. Santonio didn't have the numbers, but was the only player on the field to get into the end zone. While Baltimore continued to hand off to McClain, Pittsburgh beat the Ravens D by going to the air. I don't know whether to half-praise Arians for a decent adjustment, or give credit to the guys catching the ball. Eh...this is Pittsburgh, so I won't stray from the Fire Bruce Arians theme. 4.5 of 5 motorcycle helmets for the trio.

D. There weren't many "numbers" to speak of, but they stayed steady and shut down the Ravens O. Farrior had 12 tackles, Timmons and Aaron Smith got to Flacco and Ryan Clark and Willie Gay both had picks. But it's nice to see the D play well while Baltimore was holding Silverback with two or three guys. We're used to seeing 13 forced fumbles, 25 sacks and 14 interceptions a game, so while the numbers were a little more subdued, the end product was exactly the same. Forget holding Baltimore under 300 yards, we almost held 'em under 200 (202). Who really wants to see this D after a first round bye in the playoffs? 4.5 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

I'd go on, but I've pretty much summed up the game. Plus, I gotta go to the bathroom.

Tennessee next week. 1 o'clock game. Remember those?

If You're A Division Winner and You Know It...

...Bowl and dance.

Video is from the December before Ben was drafted.

CONGRATS TO THE STEELERS! 2008 AFC NORTH DIVISION CHAMPS!

James Harrison = AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Props to James Harrison, as he was just voted AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

It's hard to believe that it's his first time winning the award this year. LaMarr won in twice, in Weeks 1 and 7 (which I missed), and Troy won once in Week 2. Hopefully, this increases James' chances of winning Defensive MVP.

His stat line from the game...4 tackles (2 of 'em solo), one sack and forced fumble in the endzone, the tackle that resulted in the safety, an interception and 33 INT return yards. In other words, a typical game for Silverback. The sack/safety combination netted 2 points, and the interception set up a Jeff Reed FG. I'd venture to say that the award was rightfully given to Harrison, especially when he accounts for 5 of his team's 11 points in a 1-point win. And remember that he plays DEfense.

Congrats, Jimmy. Enjoy your ladies.

Ben Roethlisberger = AFC Offensive Player of the Week

I didn't get to it last week, so today will be perfect, what with the bye.

In Week 5, Ben was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. The Jags witnessed firsthand the offensive show Ben put on after throwing the early pick 6 to Rashean Mathis. Over 300 yards passing and 3 touchdowns will oftentimes get you that award.

I couldn't let Ben go without getting his own MS Paint this season. Last year's was pretty epic, but the Zapruder image this year might take the cake. Is he in a bomb shelter in the 60s or something?

Congrats, Ben. Hope you're still resting up during the bye.



(Note: I'm gonna have a list of every Steelers player to win the award during PSaMP's existence so I can post the link in the sidebar. That's what sucks about Blogger, you need to create a new post in order to link it on the sidebar. Can't create individual pages 'n all. Nazis.)

Jeff Reed = AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Jeff Reed is making Cotter and I look look like geniuses.

In one of our pregame shows (I'm too lazy to go find it), we predicted a 100% season for Jeff, and so far, he's 7 for 7. The Ravens game provided a 3 for 3 showing, including the game winner just inside the left upright in overtime. Its odd to think Reed never won an OT game in the regular season before, and only has one in the postseason.

I was at that game, the infamous Jets/Steelers battle where Doug Brien missed two FGs to win and advance, only to have Reed nail the winner into the open end of the stadium in OT. I was sitting behind the closed-end-uprights, where Brien missed both chances. Still the greatest game I've ever gone to.

But back to Reed. His 3 for 3 and game winning night earned him the distinction of AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. Its his third time getting the award.

I love when our guys get this award, because it gives me reason to scour the web for random pictures of them with a female fan. Jeff is an internet-photo legend (here, here, here and here...ridiculous photoshops here and here), but this one was too good to pass up. Oh, and the chick...

...Hey, baby.

Congrats to the guy whose dong shaft I've unfortunately seen. When does Santonio get the Offensive Player of the Week award?

Troy Polamalu = AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Congrats to Troy Polamalu, who was just named AFC Defensive Player of the Week. Seems like we got a stranglehold on AFC awards this season, no?

Troy finished the Gowns game with 4 solo tackles, 2 passes defended and a pick. Correction...a confidence-crushing pick.

I went back and forth with the above picture and this one here. The latter had more chicks in it, but the above has an assload of candy behind Troy. Somehow, its not odd to imagine Troy going out on candy shopping sprees. Or just candy shopping for Sprees.

So, who keeps up the trend this coming week? Silverback? Farrior? Ike? Orpheus Roye?

Players of the (Last) Week

I forgot to mention that last week, Willie Parker and LaMarr Woodley dominated the AFC. They were, respectively, AFC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week.

Last year, I had a habit of recognizing each Steelers player who was recognized with this honor by posting a picture of them with a chick or two (you can find them all at that last link). Excuse my tardiness on the Week 1 announcements. Here's my homage to both players. Woodley needs to take better pictures, as there are none on the Internet that I could find of him with even one lass. So his face gets pasted onto the same Willie Parker one.

Troy is up for it this week. Hope he makes it so I can crush some more MS Paint!

The Steelers Suck

Sorry for the mad amount of Youtubes lately. Work has been hitting me hard with all-day meetings, and I don't want you to leave PSaMP empty-handed. This is the best I can do with the time I've got.

You do remember that this week is our first AFC North divisional game. And its against the Gowns (I was gonna use Brownies or Clowns, but Gowns is highly underused and fits perfectly with their girlish nature). So I scanned Youtube to find the latest smack talk, and the newest thing is a video entitled "Pittsburgh Steelers Suck" (above). I figure it'll give us fans a little more motivation, so we don't rest on our Texans-game laurels. Hell, I do my best to keep the team motivated...why not the same with the fans?

I coulda just linked to the random Browns thing(?) peeing on a Steelers fire hydrant, or the Steelers dog humping the Browns stuffed animal, but this is the latest piece of bulletin board material.

Funny how all the Steelers Suck/Browns Rule videos on Youtube cleverly forget that the Steelers have won 9 straight against Cleveland and 16 of the last 19. Man, we suck so hard.

I'm Putting Peter King On Blast

You heard me. I'm calling out Peter King, and you can blame ESPN for it.

Now that your minds are completely blown, let me explain. I know King, Sports Illustrated's football guru, and ESPN have nothing in common other than a shared spot in the mainstream media, but there's reason for my rage. King is a fine writer in small doses, he's respected in the football community and my Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker column (which will return at the start of the regular season) plays off the title of his Monday Morning Quarterback column. But I have to get pissed off for something that he wrote like two weeks ago, a blatant falsity that was reinforced by ESPN today.

I like to criticize the MSM here at PSaMP, but I'm a perfectly respectful person in everyday life. I'm no Smizik fan, and I've said so in as many words, but our conversation/interview was as cordial as possible. Now, back to King. In a recent column at SI, King had the following to say about Quarterbacks and the AFC North:


[I'm] not sure if the team with the best quarterback in the division is automatically favored. Carson Palmer's the best in the AFC North, and the Bengals are the third- or fourth-best team in that division.


Ah the old "Carson Palmer is an elite quarterback argument." I wrote to King, knowing full well that he gets more email than I could ever imagine, but my question was legit. Here it is in it's entirety:


Mr. King,

I have a question, if I may. It doesn't have to be included in any mailbag or anything, but a response would be greatly appreciated. In your most recent mailbag, you reference Carson Palmer as the top QB in the AFC North. Can I please ask what information you use to grade quarterbacks? As a Steelers fan and blogger, I...and I think I speak for a majority of Steelers fans...find myself scratching my head when Palmer is constantly alluded to as a better quarterback than Ben Roethlisberger. I could ask how many rings Palmer has won, or how many wins both QBs had in their respective rookie seasons, but those are somewhat topical and overused. Last season alone, however, Ben had 6 more touchdowns and 9 fewer interceptions than Palmer, all while posting the second best QB rating in the league behind Tom Brady. I'm sure I don't need to remind you, but Ben's rating was 104.1. Carson struggled to get to 86.7. Sure, Carson threw for more total yards, but yards do not equal wins, as seen in both teams' respective records. Ben managed to get his team into the playoffs via winning the division despite being sacked 30 more times than Palmer. There's no real reason to believe that Ben, his offensive weapons and O-Line won't all improve on last season, so why the love for Palmer? You aren't the first and certainly won't be the last writer to praise Palmer over his Steelers counterpart, but it's troubling to see the same trends over and over in today's sports media landscape. Palmer has done little more than prove to be a vertical passer who can easily rack up the yards, but his resume is dwarfed by that of Roethlisberger. I hope to hear from you soon, as this is something that never seems to have a legitimate answer, and Steelers fans deserve a break from this baffling misconception.

Yours in Big Ben,

Nicholas
psampmail@gmail.com
Editor and Sole Writer at Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Ponies


Am I incorrect in any way? I laid out nothing but solid, known facts about the two QBs, and most everything seems to go against the winless-in-the-postseason Palmer.

So, I didn't get an email back, something I was completely prepared for. I was ready to forget all about it and let Ben prove himself...AGAIN...this season as Palmer's superior. But ESPN had to go and bring it up again. tWWL has team-by-team previews up today on their website. Here's the one for the Steelers. James Walker, a .com writer I've never heard of, brought up the same Palmer-lauding. Take a look at this bs:


Best offensive player: QB Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger had 3,154 yards passing and 32 touchdowns in '07. He is close to joining the NFL's elite quarterbacks and could solidify his spot next to Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer with an even bigger year in 2008.


Please, someone tell me how Carson Palmer is compared to Peyton and Tom? I'm no fan of Manning or Brady, but I respect what they've done in their careers. Hell, they both have rings. So does Big Ben. So does Trent Dilfer. And Brad Johnson. Palmer's hand is naked (a visual that made me throw up slightly). So Palmer can throw for a great number of yards when healthy...big deal. He can also throw an assload of interceptions. I guess I'm just happy fellow postseason-loser Tony Romo wasn't referenced by Walker.

So I'm calling you out, Peter King. Go ahead, Google your name and find this post. Or better yet, someone email this post to King on any of his contact sheets in his columns at SI. Steelers Nation deserves an answer.