HOPE

Troy inspired me. Pick-6 is my slogan for the Super Bowl run.

Go Steelers!

Your Steelers AFC Championship Scrapbook

My words cannot adequately do the win justice. At some point, I'll end up stumbling over my words and just shout out a, "PITTSBURGH'S GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL! WOOOOO!!"

So here's all your memories from the thrilling 23-14, AFC Conference-winning game.

Santonio's Touchdown


Ryan Clark's hit on Willis McGahee


Limas Sweed destroys Corey Ivy

Troy's interception

Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger Post-Game Presser

James Harrison = AP Defensive Player of the Year

Congrats to James Harrison, who was just voted as AP Defensive Player of the Year. He beat DeMarcus Ware and Ed Reed, who were the closest competitors. Troy Polamalu got a few consolation votes.

Silverback ended the year with this line. 101 tackles, 16 sacks, 7 forced fumbles and an interception. In 15 games.

Add a shotgun to the mix, and that fern stands no chance.

Normally, when a player gets a weekly award, I'll MSPaint them with a chickadee or two. Since this is a massive award, you get Silverback with guns.

Congrats, James!

Time For People To Bitch About Steelers Pro Bowl Snubs

Pro Bowl results came out yesterday, and the Steelers will be represented by 3 players. Jameses Harrison and Farrior will accompany Troy Polamalu to Hawaii to wear Steelers helmets with vomit-inducing jerseys in early February.

Ed Bouchette, Steelers writer for the Post Gazette, seemed a little pissed that the team only has 3 representatives. I mean, this IS the league's best defense, right? And the team in the hunt for the top seed in the tough AFC?

Here's Bouchette:


The team with the second-best record in the AFC and with the league's best defense placed just three players for the Pro Bowl. Free safety Troy Polamalu and linebacker James Harrison will start, and linebacker James Farrior is a reserve.

If that does not rile up the 11-3 AFC North Division champs, there's more. The New York Jets placed a league-high seven players on the AFC team, the Tennessee Titans have six and the Baltimore Ravens, who lost to the Steelers twice, have five.


To which I say...who cares how many representatives are on other teams? Who cares that the Steelers only have 3 guys going to Hawaii (likely more once every big name player pulls out with an undisclosed injury)?

Doesn't this speak more to the Steelers being a team rather than a collection of individuals? Our team isn't just a handful of stars with no depth. Go down the Steelers depth chart, and a high percentage of those guys have made plays this year.

And they've had to, because of injury! Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel have missed games. Aaron Smith is having arguably his best year, but he's a no-name. Ben's thrown his share of interceptions, and Willie's been trying to contribute whenever he can get on the field.

Look, I understand that good teams have good players, and those good players should be rewarded. Hell, I wouldn't mind seeing every Steeler starting at every position on the AFC Pro Bowl squad. Seriously, Pittsburgh versus the best the NFC has to offer, only we get to wear our regular Steelers unis rather than those awful get-ups they're supposed to wear. But it ain't gonna happen.

I'll take our 11-3 record, AFC North division title and the shot at home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Pro Bowl snubs SHOULD NOT motivate this team.

Because the Pro Bowl IS MEANINGLESS. So chill out for a sec, Ed.

Steelers Have 3 Pro Bowlers

The NFL announced the Pro Bowl rosters today. Your Pittsburgh Steelers have 3 representatives, all on the defensive side. They are:

James Harrison
James Farrior
Troy Polamalu

Harrison and Polamalu are starters. Farrior is a reserve. Each of these guys deserves strong consideration for NFL Defensive MVP.

In random news, Polamalu will be backed up by his former partner, Chris Hope.

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(?).

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

NFL Network sucks.

I've been sick this week, so I wasn't about to head to a bar and kill my immune system even more. So I got stuck with like 6 awful live feeds on my computer. One had no sound, one would only show the NFL Network analysts, one was just a video camera aimed at a shitty t.v. and one had a decent stream that would freeze every now and then.

But the Steelers won, 27-10, so all is well!

The game almost mirrored the first meeting, whereas we dominated Cincy, only to have them within a score of taking the lead in the second half. However, we did what we needed to do, and escaped the cold relatively healthy with a record of 8-3.

So let's see how it all went down.

Sasso. 17 of 30 for 243 and 2 touchdowns (one passing, one rushing). Solid numbers, which look so much better with no turnovers. Yet Sasso had at least 3 errant passes that hit Cincy defenders right in the hands. I don't know if it was a solid win, or a lucky outcome, because any one of those dropped picks could've changed the game. Yeah, Sasso had a good game, but you think I'm gonna go easy on him and pretend everything is cool? We'll say 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets, only because anything in the threes would be too low, and hi feet got a few critical 1st downs. Keep making smart decisions, man.

WRs. Not a bad game all around. The ball was distributed nicely (Receptions: Santonio - 5, Miller - 4, Moore - 4, Sweed - 2, Ward - 1), and even though they weren't all to WRs, Heath and Mewelde showed some hands. Plus, a huge 40+ yard reception by Hines was negated by a Nate Washington penalty. This was Santonio's third or fourth okay game, where he came in somewhere between 80-100 yards. I'm still waiting for that 120 yard, 1 TD game from him, but I'll take 84 in a win. I'll be repetitive and give another 4 of 5 helmets.

D. There was some good and some bad from the D last night. Willie Gay obviously smoked some of James Harrison's meth last night, as dude was playing out of his skull. Troy had another pick and subsequent laugh-out-loud return. Woodley got another sack, and we held the Bengals to 208 yards of total offense. But where was Silverback and the vaunted pass rush? Woodley's sack was the only one of the night, against a shitty line with like 30 rookies on it. I'm starting to believe in this "Steelers get held on every play" argument. There were a few times when I was about to throw Easy Mac at the computer, because Harrison was completely flattened and taken down to the ground. No call. If the officiating was more consistent, the guys would get a perfect 5 of 5 helmets, but with only one sack, I'll give 'em 4 of 5. Fine me, Goodell.

Jeff Reed. Kicking a 38 yarder in the snow is no joke. Both of his FGs were true as hell. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Ernster. 0 of 5 helmets.

Massive break until we travel to Foxboro to take on the Patriots NEXT Sunday. Rest up, guys.

Troy Polamalu's Interception Against the Chargers

What a pick. And it wasn't even Troy's best this year. Remember the one he had in the Eagles game?

Troy missed a few that hit him directly in the hands the past coupla weeks. I guess he just has a flair for the dramatic.

Speechless.

Troy Polamalu's Younger Brother Might Be Good at Football, Too

Man, I didn't even know Troy had a younger brother. According to his Steelers.com profile, Troy only has one brother, Sakio, and three sisters. But then I remembered about Troy's name change.

Early in 2007, Troy changed his name from Troy Benjamin Aumua to Troy Aumua Polamalu. Polamalu was his mother's maiden name, who I believe Troy lived with after his parents divorced. They split right after Troy was born, so Troy wanted to honor his mother's side of the family. If his father's last name was Aumua, like the kid in the above video, perhaps the two Aumua's are half-brothers.

Gotta love blogger research and speculation.

Still, the kid mentions that Troy was a huge influence in his football life, so it appears that the two have some sort of relationship.

Most of this video is just Russell going through drills and sprints, and any useful information comes after the 6 minute mark. He's a senior in HS, so if Troy can quit getting concussions for the next 3-4 seasons, we could potentially see an all Aumua defensive backfield in Black and Gold.

He's gotta be better than Anthony Smith, right?

Leave Ed Hochuli Aloooone

Look, I’m a big critic of refs/umps, but the criticisms of Ed Hochuli of late are going a bit far.

The guy admittedly blew the San Diego call. There’s no denying that, and Hochuli manned up and took responsibility. You can’t go back and replay those critical moments of the game…it’ll go down forever as a massive mistake. But now, everyone seems to be piling on the once-proud ref after every missed call. That, my friends, is not fair. Each missed penalty is not because Hochuli has lost a step over the past few games. That San Diego call didn’t shape his future.

Those of us who call ourselves Steelers fans know all too well about blown calls. Hell, I fully expect an official referee apology every offseason, because it seems like the calls we complain about are understandably not in our favor during the season. The Polamalu interception in the Colts playoff game the year we won the Super Bowl? The blown holding call on David Garrard’s million yard scramble on 4th down to win last year’s playoff game? One of the calls changed the outcome of the game, the outcome of the season, the other didn’t. We got public apologies on both.

Even this year. Gene Steratore and Ron Winters, in successive weeks, called questionable roughing penalties on LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison respectively when both OLBs hit Joe Flacco and Garrard as they released the ball. Harrison openly criticized Winters after the Jags game and was fined for it. However, you’d be hard pressed to find a Steelers fan who will fervently watch each future game called by either ref, waiting for them to mess up again so we can post their email addresses and let the uninformed masses have at them.

I don’t even like the fact that I had to bring up the Woodley and Harrison (Wooderson for short, all right all right all right) calls because it might come off as complaining. I’m always focused on the next game, but the bye week allows me to reminisce on how we’ve been wronged, and how it isn’t right to hate on the ref forever. So let me have this one moment.

Before this season, Hochuli was the model of muscle-bound consistency. Now, everyone wants to over-analyze each call he makes or misses. That's weak.

Leave the guy alone and let him focus on the game, will ya?

Joe Flacco is a Muppet

Seriously, this guy is supposed to beat us this week? You can be touted as the Next Ben Roethlisberger all day, but you'll still be going up against THE Ben Roethlisberger on Monday.

I'm calling another pick for Troy. Write that down.

Troy Polamalu's Interception

Because we all need something to cheer us up after that awful loss, here's video of Troy's sick-ass interception.

/shakes head in disbelief

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

So, that was a game that down the line, when we're watching the Super Bowl DVD of this season, will remind us of how we got our ass handed to us for good reason. I personally want to thank the Eagles for dishing out a healthy dose of "shut the hell up," and I hope we learn from this experience. No two ways about it...the Eagles completely dominated us, and we pretty much deserved it. I'll admit, that as a fan base collectively, we were feeling pretty good about ourselves after beating the Texans and Browns. Playing a better team this week just shows us that we still have a long way to go, and we're nowhere near the elite team everyone made us out to be.

It's better to get a reality check in Week 3 than it is in Week 13, am I right? Let's get that underdog mentality back quick, and remember that there are no free passes to the championship.

The O-Line shouldn't have dressed, because they didn't show up at all. I'm not even going to discuss them in my rankings, because each keystroke is just going to be filled with rage. I can feel myself heating up already just mentioning their ineptitude. 0 of 5 helmets...let's move on.

It amazes me that a team can be completely confused as the Steelers were this week. It hurts more when, despite the obvious shortcomings, you're still one touchdown from the lead with only minutes left in the game. The D looked suspect at times, allowing backup RBs with multiple knee surgeries to look like top draft picks, but their play helped keep the Steelers in the game. We'll get to guys like Troy and McFadden later, but let's begin this so we can end.

Ben. What the hell, kid? I know everyone is going to say the same thing, but how is it that hard to get rid of the ball? Its awesome that you can dip your shoulder or shake off initial contact in the pocket. Everyone has known this since you were a rookie, though. Once you show that you can elude that first guy, opposing D coordinators are going to plan for this and have a second rusher close your scrambling gaps. Jim Johnson planned for this perfectly. I don't think you've understood this fact at all this season. You don't have nearly as much time as you think, and the O-Line is only going to make this worse. Philly beat us with the quick drop and short pass...watch the tapes and learn, young man. 2 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Santonio. Its 3 games in, and you still haven't really broken out. Last week was decent, but you took a step back with the drops this week. Ben wasn't dishing, but the balls that come your way need to be caught. Another 2 of 5 helmets.

NOT TALKING ABOUT THE RUNNING GAME.

Lawrence Timmons. I don't know how many 3rd and mediums there were for the Eagles, but in this instance, you need Lawrence Timmons in the game. His closing speed is great, and I was left wanting when Philly would convert the short passes to the line of scrimmage that somehow resulted in first downs. Speed kills. Timmons needs more time in the game to make an impact. He gets 3.5 of 5 stars, but only because he wasn't used enough. Not entirely your fault, Lawrence.

Troy. That pick was one of the sickest things I've ever seen. Someone try to do that right now without breaking a minimum of 3 bones in your body. Can't do it. Troy is healthy and a terror. Every season after his rookie year, I've been hyping him up as a potential AFC Defensive Player of the Year. Is this the year? 4.5 of 5 helmets.

Bryant McFadden. How good is he playing right now? Not only did he have the awareness to pick up the easy fumble, but he also came up with a clutch pick. Who woulda thought that our defensive backfield would outplay our offense? 5 of 5 helmets for Bryant.

Arians. Keep on keeping on, man. At least we'd run twice in a row to set up 3rd and long even after knowing our running game was nowhere to be found. 0 of 5 helmets. Gross.

Ravens next Monday night. If we can't control Joe Flacco, we got some problems.

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?

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

As I said last week, the MPotD will come at you closer to mid-day.

The weather tried its best to even out the game, but only one team avoided the mistakes caused by the wind and rain. As you probably could've guessed, that team was the Steelers. And it was probably because Black and Golddust made it happen.

Listen, I don't want to hear "It's our time," or "the Steelers have won 9 in a row, so the we'll win this game" from Browns players or fans ever again. Last night's win makes it 10 in a row, and we're showing no signs of letting up on our "rival." How about field a competitive team, kill the turnovers and hold on to the ball. The weather affected both sides, but our game plan and play-calling provided us the opportunity to work the clock and gain yard when needed. Sure, there were a few too many punts for my liking, but you take what you can get when gale-force winds are flying through the stadium.

At the end of the game, we still sit at 2-0, and the Browns have the script entirely flipped. Where's that sexy pick of the Browns in the AFC North, football "experts?"

Ben. I'll admit that I was anxious to see how he'd perform in the elements, and as fans, we were allowed to expect a pick or two. Especially with the shoulder. Asshole Shaun Rogers tried his best to knock Big Ben out with the late hit directly to the suspect shoulder, but Ben hung in, and was able to rest his injury by just handing the ball off a million times. It wasn't a huge game by anyone's count, but I'll take 12 for 19 for 184 and a score most days of the week. 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets for Ben.

Willie Parker. Not really a standout game, but using the same logic as I did with Ben above, its nice to call a 100-yard game mostly meh. That 19-yard scamper late pushed him over the century mark, and he did enough to keep the Browns offense off the field. There were no real fireworks, but we'll blame it on the rain (Milli Vanilli-style) for this game. 3.5 out of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Michael Phelps. Corona cans? I don't know whether to mock your taste or compliment your ballsiness. A solid 3 of 5 helmets? Thanks for jinxing your boy Braylon.

Troy. The NFL is in for the second coming if Polamalu is 100% after the injuries he's had the past few seasons. He's been playing like a man possessed through two games, and I'm only hoping he can keep playing at this level without getting injured again. He saw that Anderson throw before Anderson threw it, and that pick was clearly the turning point in the game. Oh, and that flip over the O-line to disrupt the inside run was fantastic. Vintage Troy all night. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Santonio. Very quietly put up 94 yards and an 18.8 yard average. Without the weather, that might've been 150 and 20. His potential is crazy. 4 of 5 helmets.

Mewelde Moore/Mother Nature. I'll forgive the muffed punts all night. But only for one night. Its a forgivable 2 of 5 helmets.

And props to guys like Bryant McFadden (starting in place of Deshea and making a huge pick), Silverback (who was on meth again) and the rest of the D. I love how the announcers always fawn over Jamal Lewis when he plays the Steelers, and our D shuts him down every game. Makes me all warm inside.

Anyone you wanna praise or call out? Leave 'em in the comments.

Iggles next week. I shall forget my respect for the Steagles for this one week.

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

Hey guys...guess what? MMCNY is back! Its been awhile. You all are looking great. We should get together and do lunch.

Prior to the game (and season!) starting, I said to Cotter that we couldn't afford to start slow. One Roethlisberger pick, one slacking defense and the season already would have been in trouble. I wanted to see an efficient offense, a steady O-line and smothering defense early and often. On the whole (tee hee), I was thoroughly impressed.

No one made the mistake, other than Matt Schaub and his fellow Texans.

I'm wicked hoarse, mostly from the sick atmosphere at Texas Arizona, so I'll be coming at you with my quiet-time voice. I predicted a 35-14 win, but Doug went ahead and hit the nail on the head with the appropriate 38-17 prediction less than an hour before the game started! Can I get some lottery numbers, man?

So, I'm glad MMCNY is back (here's the ratings breakdown, if you're new to the concept). It'll shift the MPotD til later in the day following Steelers games, but you'll adjust. Let's dive in:

Ben. Yes. That is how you open the season. In only 3/4 of the game, Roethlisberger put up pre-'07-type numbers. 13-14 for 137 yards, a touchdown and a passer rating of 147! He didn't force the ball anywhere, really, and was methodical with completion after completion. The Texans didn't want to get beat deep, so Ben took what was given...which is a good sign this early in the season. I felt pretty comfortable with all of Ben's passes, and he didn't let me down at all. A perfect 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets for the Large one.

Byron. Didn't do anything to ease my mind about the lack of Chuck Batch on the sidelines, but he also didn't make any massive mistakes. He handed off a bunch, which is easy to do with a huge lead, but went 0-4 when asked to chuck the rock. And he was chucking it. 2 of 5 motorcycle helmets, but to be fair, he wasn't expected to really do anything.

Willie. Yes. That is how you...pad my fantasy stats. Bill validated my first-round selection of the once-allergic-to-touchdowns-Parker. He continued his recent streak of huge opening-day games, topping 100 yards for the fourth straight season debut. At some point in our preview show or outtakes, we pleaded to Bill for a score. Trading a few fumbles a year for several more touchdowns will vault Willie from a decent, 1,200-yard back to a possible All-Pro. He's really that good. One helmet for each touchdown, one for going over 100 yards and another for not fumbling, and Fast Bill collects 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets in the opener.

D. They're going to get another perfect...so, um...spoiler alert? Silverback proved last year was no fluke as he played like he was on meth again. 3 sacks!? Yikes. The man is a force, and coupled with LaMarr Woodley, provides a formidable challenge to opposing offenses. Wood got in on the sack fest, Farrior pitched in, Nick Eason played a surprisingly good game, and Troy was flying around like pre-injuries Troy. 5 of 5 helmets.

Hines. Looked young all game. Even with the move to a younger WR corps, Hines showed why he still Hines Ward and should be respected as such. Those two touchdowns were critical, and really buried the Texans earlier than they probably expected. 4 of 5 helmets for the 76 yards.

San Antonio. Not really a great game, but someone is going to suffer when everyone else is killing it. I woulda liked a few more catches, but I guess he did as much as he could with what he was given. Only two catches, but a 9.5 yard average, and he converted a big third down. 3 of 5 helmets, and I expect a bigger game in the near future.

Fresh meat next week in the Cleveland Browns. Don't call me, I'll call you.

The Steelers Are Pranksters

Good to see the team gelling and having chemistry, no?

If you're Santonio Holmes, how do you fall for the oldest trick in the book? A large group of teammates hands you a water bottle, complete with shit-eating grins all around, and you still don't expect some sort of hijinks? If Silverback was staring at me with a toothy smile, I'd immediately think the worst. Pee in the bottle...a loosened lid...or anything in between. I mean, how many times do groups of people watch you drink? You're 'sposed to have good field awareness, San Antonio!

GLURB..GLURBLE GLURB.

Those speech bubbles killed me. Kinda NSFW, language-wise, but funny nonetheless.

Watch out for the Saran Wrap on the toilets, Santonio.

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?

Ryan Mundy Makes Parties Hot Hot Hot!

I'm going to say it now, Ryan Mundy will team up with Troy Polamalu to make a sick defensive backfield in the future. It might happen this year, it might happen two years down the road, but I really enjoyed the pick late in this year's draft, and I'm certain the local kid can contribute as a solid starter.

Plus, he's humble. When questioned by the hot chick from Jocklife in the above video, Mundy says that his presence makes parties hot hot hot! His dance skillz need some help, though. He should take a cue from the Pittsburgh Colts' dance team.

Here's one more interview Mundy had with Jocklife. We as fans rarely get candid looks at rookies, mostly because they're young guys who need to entrench themselves in the new system. Mundy's favorite websites are actually pretty unexpected.