Do It

The Steelers need O-Line help, and a bunch of mock drafts have a guy like Cal C Alex Mack still available at pick 32. Apparently, winning the Super Bowl totally screws with your draft position.

Look, I don't put a whole bunch of stock into mock drafts 2 months before the ACTUAL draft, but Mack's name keeps popping up as a potential Black and Gold prospect. Its no secret that the team will look for depth on both the O and D Lines, and this was pretty much confrimed when Tomlin used his first two picks on highest-talent-available skill guys like Mendenhall and Sweed last year. We made do with our terrible O-Line this past year enough to win the damn Super Bowl, but I'd have to believe that circumstance was the exception, and not the rule.

So in order for the team to continue to be successful and vie for Lombardi Trophies, its clear that we need some linemen. The D-Line needs depth, but with staples like Aaron Smith, Brett Keisel and Casey Hampton along with venerable backup vets like Chris Hoke, we can afford to put off high draft picks on this side of the line til maybe next year.

Which is why a guy like Mack could make an immediate impact.

It seems like the team is going to keep Kemoeatu as the LG, which is a move I fully support so long as we rid ourselves of Willie Colon. Drafting Mack could expedite this process. By drafting Mack, you have one of two scenarios. The Steelers could hold onto Hartwig for another year, and let Mack play RG in place of Colon. This would let Mack get valuable playing time, all while he readies himself to be the C of the future. Or, should the Steelers like Mack over Hartwig, you have your C of the future already in place. I like option number 1 better, although Mack would be game-ready from the get-go.

PS...totally forgot that Jessica Alba was on The Secret World of Alex Mack. What's Alex been up to?

Why Doesn't Big Ben Roll Out of the Pocket As Much As He Used To?

Remember, I told you that I was only able to catch a little more than the final frame of Sunday's Giants/Steelers game, but my thoughts encompass Ben's recent history.

Earlier in his career, Roethlisberger made his name as a big, mobile quarterback who could elude pressure and keep plays alive. It didn't hurt that he had guys like Alan Faneca and Jeff Hartings in front of him, but it showed that Ben would do anything to make sure the ball got to his skill players. More often than not, Ben would take the snap and immediately roll out of the pocket, sometimes all the way to the sideline, in order to extend plays and allow his receivers to get open.

The past two or three seasons, Ben seems to be content with staying in the pocket, and will only begin scrambling as a last ditch effort.

Look, take my opinion for what it's worth. My football expertise consists of intramural flag football at St. Vincent College (on the same fields the Steelers practice on in training camp, so there's that at least). I don't know what goes on inside the minds of elite quarterbacks, but it seems like as some high level signal callers progress in their careers, they tend to shy away from leaving the pocket and try to become the humanization of the classic, pass-first quarterback. Ben's been doing this a lot over the past few seasons.

Maybe he's been spoiled by the success, and wants to prove that his skills can be displayed in a traditional, pocket-passer-type sense. Maybe this is true for all QBs, that there's some sort of status bump for staying in the pocket. I don't know, but I can only view this as a fan.

Ben set rookie records for wins and won a Super Bowl as a young guy who would regularly leave the pocket as soon as the ball was snapped, regardless of pressure. Last year, he made the Pro Bowl as a pass-first guy who stood in the pocket on a high percentage of plays (don't know the exact figures, just going off memory). Does he get more props in the quarterback inner-circle for individual awards as a pocket passer than he does for a Super Bowl ring as a guy who rolls out to make a play?

Ben would roll out of the pocket even when he had a good O-Line. Now, his O-Line is nearly non-existent. I know scrambling to the sideline takes away the chance of throwing to the other side of the field, but at least he has the ability to worry the D that he might take off and run. And maybe he should run. If he's getting hit on 50% of his passing dropbacks already, why not take the hit when you're 5-6 yards downfield? Why look like a chicken without its head when Willie Colon and Chris Keomoeatu are just letting guys in? Seems to make sense to my simple brain.

All I'm saying is Ben has clearly changed his approach to the QB position, and it's resulted in passing records, a Pro Bowl appearance...but also a first round exit from the playoffs, a high number of interceptions and an alarming sack rate. I'd love to see Ben roll out as soon as the ball is snapped, like he did when his team had its most success in his tenure.

A lot of fans and critics keep saying, "GET RID OF THE BALL, BEN!" Me, too! But I'm also saying, give yourself time to get rid of the ball. Roll out.

Take heed. Your current pocket isn't that great.

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

Rough day. I woke up at 5 A.M. to drive a cumulative 9 hours across 3 states, only to catch the first three quarters called by the shittiest announcers on WFAN 660, to watch one of the most heartbreaking 4th quarters in recent history. Damn injuries...

Let me re-print my prediction, which was on the New York Times' Fifth Down blog this weekend:


Pressure. If either defense can get to the quarterback, they can dictate the game’s outcome. Both QBs have rings (Ben got his first), and have the ability to distribute the ball to any number of weapons when given adequate time. However, I can’t disguise that pressure makes Ben hold onto the ball too long, or that strong pass rushes force Eli into those cute little throws off his back foot. If LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison (Wooderson, as I call them…all right all right all right) can out-play Tuck and Kiwanuka, then Pittsburgh has a better shot at winning. Close game, but 14-13 Steelers.


Aside from the score and final outcome, I nailed the personality of the game. We didn't sack Eli. Ben had a different kinda game from his fellow QB. That's the short story.

Remember, I didn't see the entire game, so I'm going off what I heard via radio.

Ben. The last INT is a whatev, but those first three are critical. I can't look past those. Much of the blame falls on the next guys who are about to get filleted, but not getting rid of the ball in time will reflects on you as well as them. 1.5 of 5 stars. That defeatist attitude at towards the end won't rally YOUR team.

O-Line. And especially the usual suspects, Kemoeatu and Colon. Unnecessary roughness on a play that resulted in a first down? Holding to nullify a BEAUTIFUL TOUCHDOWN? Oh, I shouldn't raise my voice and startle you...you might false start. Any O-Line should be ashamed for letting the QB get hit on nearly 50% of all passing dropbacks. 1 of 5 helmets.

Harrison. Look, get over the gaffe...critical injuries come at the worst time. But as the leader of the pass rushers, it's tough to not have a sack. Collectively....

...I'm done. I can't even keep typing this. Hopefully you understand. This is a blog, where you're coming for my opinion. And it's my opinion to quit writing this post right now.

'Skins next.

Bug off.

Monday Morning Chrysler New Yorker

We lost. I'm over it. In trying to find the silver lining, I only came up with one positive. A win might've exhausted the team, and the excitement and energy spent could have hurt the team down the stretch. But that's just me rationalizing.

Tale of the tape: Awful defense. Underlying theme: FGs come back to bite you.

Oh, and some awesome anonymous Patriots fan decided to show up after the game spewing traditionally ignorant and irrelevant New England bullshit (I edited some of the content. For the kiddies).

Anonymous said...
Pats ruuuuullleeeeee.....Anthony who?????WHERES MY MONEY BACK?I've been to Pittsburgh and your town smells like a thousand Afghanee assholes!!! What a shitty place to live, loosers!
December 9, 2007 8:00 PM

Anonymous said...
Like it or not, both Afghanee assholes AND the city of Pittsburgh smell like shit....You can deny it all you want, but...I GUARANTEE IT!Here's a thought...Why don't you f**king p***ies do something productive instead of ranking on Patriot nation every other second. It makes me all the more satisfied when the Pats kick the living shit out of your pathetic nobody Steelers.And by the way, I took I-90 all the way out to Erie and then went to Pittsburgh the day after:All I gotta say is your entire f**king state is filled with the worst f**king smell and the shittiest f**king view I have ever seen in my entire life. Its no wonder everyone who lives there is a pathetic, depressed peice of shit who should have been killed as a fetus. Im sure your skank whore mother regrets you to this day.
December 9, 2007 11:45 PM

I thought Cleveland fans were bad. With our recent domination over the Brownies, I think New England fans are now enemy #1. Please...someone call Steelers fans classless one more time.

I'm gonna do this quick. The mistakes were so glaring that its not gonna take much to explain.

Ben. Played well. Didn't finish drives, though. 13 points should've been 21. Plus, that goal line stop hurt as well. Bruce Arians is partly to blame. Ben gets 3 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

RBs. Aside from Ben, they were the only other bright spot. Willie went over 100 while Najeh was looking like a WR. 3.5 out of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Bruce Arians. He is the most uncreative Offensive Coordinator. The only time he tried to do something creative was on the goal line with the WR handoff. You don't need to be creative on the goal line. Just punch it in. 2 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Willie Colon. Wow. My first-ever 0 of 5 motorcycle helmets. Vrabel was offsides on several of the plays, but Willie looked horrible.

Secondary. I thought Troy being out wouldn't make this big of a difference. Ty Carter played well in his place the past few weeks, and Anthony Smith was starting to come into his own. However, a veteran like Troy wouldn't bite on the repeated play fakes like the younger guys did. With Troy, some of those long passes are negated, and we have a different ballgame. 2 of 5 motorcycle helmets.

Rest of D. Why did no one hit Welker when he first came off the line? You have 5 yards to beat the snot outta him. Philly and Baltimore did just that, and made the game competitive. We didn't. That, added to no pressure on Brady makes for a lethal combination. I'm hoping Mike Tomlin and Dick LeBeau were holding some of their cards in case the two teams meet again in the postseason. 2 of 5 motorcycle helmets. That was awful defense.

I hope New England goes undefeated. WHAT! DID YOU JUST SAY THAT, TEC?!?!?! Yes. Go 16-0. I don't give a shit. That'll just make it so much more bitter when they lose in the playoffs. No team that passes that much will succeed in January. Everyone was writing off Green Bay earlier in the season because they had no running game. Their's is back on track. But I'm sure Maroney and Faulk can just get to normal speed in January after barely being used in September through December.

Jacksonville next week. 9-5 would suck. We better bounce back ridiculously fast.

Badass Mike Tomlin Uses Pencils, Not Pens

Spring practices are over, which means Mike Tomlin's first offseason camp has wrapped up. Since the drills are over, Tomlin needed to create a preliminary depth chart for his first team. Tomlin did just that, but stressed that the selections are written in pencil, to show that no starter's job is safe.

"No job is secure," Tomlin insisted. "This is not a security business and if they are looking for security, they need to find a new line of work."

Bad. Ass.

If any Steeler wants to see their name written in pen, they need to put forth the effort required, and prove to the new coach that they have what it takes. Tomlin isn't Coach Cowher. He's made that abundantly clear. He's a rookie coach who is trying to turn around a .500 team. But what about the Super Bowl? That's in the past, too. Pittsburgh is no longer the reigning champ, and needs to understand that they can be just as bad as the next team. Or just as good.

Those of us who have been around the Steelers long enough know that several players are sure-fire starters. Hines Ward, Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, Jeff Reed and Willie Parker would really have to mess up to be replaced in the starting lineup. For the rest of the team, though, they only need to look at their names written in pencil to see that it can easily be erased.

Here's some of the starters that Tomlin has "penciled" in.

Chukky Okobi at Center. Although the team brought in free agent Sean Mahan, Okobi will open training camp as the first stringer.

Ryan Clark over Anthony Smith at Free Safety. Consensus says that Smith has a good shot at taking Clark's starting spot. PSaMP is a huge Anthony Smith fan. He's a big hitter who can make fans forget that Chris Hope was ever on the team.

Max Starks over Willie Colon at Right Tackle. Starks was the starter last year, but Colon has looked good. Starks is a beast, but needs to work to prove that he deserves to stay in the starting spot.

Deshea Townsend over Bryant McFadden at Right Cornerback. Townsend is getting older, but can still provide veteran leadership to our young CB corps. PSaMP is a McFadden supporter, but still admires the longevity of the undersized Townsend. Plus if the Steelers get rid of Deshea, Hines Ward is gonna have to look for a new roomie at training camp.

Ike Taylor over every other corner at Left Cornerback. Taylor is on Tomlin's good side, after Bill Cowher benched the former starter last year. Taylor needs to show that last year's struggles were a fluke, and he needs to live up to the big contract he signed.

Training camp starts next month, and these "starters" still need to work to have the pencil changed to pen. PSaMP likes Tomlin's message, and it appears that he has the team focused on coming into the season strong after last year's debacles.

He's young. He's a rookie. But Tomlin's showing that he isn't about to take any shit.