The Immaculate Deception

It was exactly 40 years after what many say was the greatest play in professional football history, a play that symbolized the transformation of a long time patsy into one of the greatest and most decorated franchises in American sports. It was a play that provided the world a glimpse of a turning point, a glimpse of the next great sports dynasty. On the day that Steeler Nation began Christmas early by celebrating the 40th remembrance of what is now referred to as the Immaculate Reception, the 2012 Steeler team did their damnedest to squash the day in Grinchlike fashion.

Yesterday's 13-10 heartbreaking loss to the hands of the Cincinnati Bungles ended not only the Steelers' season, it ended the agony, stress, and frustration that it's players, coaches and fans shared all season long.  For the second time in eight days, the Steelers lost the game on a late Ben Roethlisberger interception.  For the fifth time this season, team leader and comeback virtuoso Roethlisberger failed on an opportunity to navigate his team to a game winning or tying score.  Fifth time.  For arguably the seventh time this season the Steelers lost a game that they should have won.

The sad Steelers now sit at 7-8, out of the playoffs and guaranteeing now highly scrutinized coach Mike Tomlin his first non-winning season in his six year tenure.  If the season concludes according to script, the Steelers will listlessly pull up short against the Browns in six days, thus rewarding the team with it's first losing season in nine years.

A team with Roethlisberger, Heath Miller, Mike Wallace, Maurkice Pouncey, Antonio Brown, Lamar Woodley, Lawrence Timmons, Troy Polamalu, James Harrison, etc., etc., finishing under .500??  The last losing season was in 2003, and that was a team in transition, particularly at the quarterback position.  The 2012 edition may also be in a state of transition with elders Harrison and Polamalu showing their age, but that shouldn't be the case with the quarterback.  Big Ben is 30 years old, and in his ninth NFL season.  Certainly no rookie, but certainly not even close to being over the hill by NFL QB standards (see Manning, Peyton).

Perhaps it's just gloom and doom this morning, but to me, Ben is looking a little more like a later years Brett Favre than that of Manning or even his idol John Elway.  He looks like the guy that is still trying to heroicly win the game solely on physical talent, without blending in the experience and savvy that nine NFL seasons have given him. Whether it was yesterday, or last week in Dallas, or even in the earlier stages of the season in Oakland and Tennessee, Ben failed to do what a franchise quarterback is paid to do.  Plain and simple.

Let's hope I'm completely wrong on this.  Let's hope this can be figured out, and that the Steelers can make a few more runs before the Roethlisberger window closes for good.  Whatever is going on with Ben and this 2012 team is not working.  Again, let's hope that this is a temporary glitch, and not a glimpse of another major turning point in the Steelers' history.


HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS PF READERS!!!!

Newest Playoff Twist

Hold the phones, stop the concession speeches.  According to the illustrious blogger (and former paid PG columnist), Bob Smizik, the Steelers could actually still win the AFC North Division!  All it would take is for the Steelers to win their remaining two games, and for the Ravens to lose their final two games - thus creating a three team tie at the conference top. The three team first tie breaker would go to the Steelers.  Considering that the Steelers are favored this week, and the Ravens are underdogs, it's not outlandish to think that this could actually happen...

Big Ben's Big Mouth

Well, we waited for fifteen weeks for the conflict.  Now we finally picked up a little glimmer of the highly anticipated breakdown between Steelers' franchise quarterback and first year offensive coordinator Todd Haley.  ESPN wasted no time in breaking the news today that Big Ben has finally ended his silence and publicly questioned Haley's play calling in yesterday's loss to Dallas.

In the end of the day, it was Ben, not Haley who threw the dooming interception.  It was Ben, not Haley, who failed to get rid of the ball on back to back sacks in the fourth quarter.

Now is not the time for supposed team leaders to be adding more distractions by calling out strategy and game planning.

Young Money Club Nearing Bankruptcy

How late July seemed like only yesterday.  It was such a kinder time, a time when the Pirates woke each morning to find themselves at or near the top of the NL Central.  A time when the NHL was still a functioning league.  A time when the most hallowed of all grounds, Saint Vincent College, welcomed back the annual pilgrimage of Steeler Nation.  What a time, indeed.

We were so optimistic about our football team then, and why wouldn't we be?  Our elite quarterback was coming into his own.  Under our new offensive coordinator, we were assured that the offense would rival The Greatest Show on Turf.  We acquired new horses for the offensive line, our tight end was all-world, and then there was the receiving corps.  Best receiver stable in the NFL, we were told.  Even with Mike Wallace's threat of a holdout, we all knew that come mid September, all would be worked out and Big Ben would be lofting tightly spiraled gems to these galloping studs as they ranged downfield en route to touchdown after glorious touchdown.

Yeah, I'm going to leave the fantasy writing to men like Tolkien and Peter Jackson.  I'll stick to reality.

In yet another stinging defeat, this time at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys, the Steelers were once again left standing at the ATM by the self proclaimed "Young Money Club" as all three juvenile wide outs had their greedy paws in this loss.  Ok, the disclaimers: yes, Wallace outraced everyone in the stadium on his 60 yard snare, yes, Antonio Brown made a nifty catch and stretch for the go ahead TD, yes, Emmanuel Sanders looked like he was actually concentrating a few times.  Ok, that said, now let's bulletize the gaffs:

• With the Steelers owning the lead, the momentum, and the ball, Brown saw-zalls the door wide open for Tony Romo and the Cowboys by fumbling the ball away at the end of a long fourth quarter punt return. 
• Later in the quarter, Brown vows to not look bad again, so he inexplicably lines up 75 yards down field from the punter. This miscue costs the Steelers at least 15 yards.
• Towards the end of regulation, with the Steelers now hoping for OT, Brown helps the 'Boys save time for their last possession by running out of bounds on a 3rd down catch...easily 10 yards shy of the first down marker.
• Sanders gets the circus going early with his patented catch, run,and fumble (later ruled drop). I sure hope the "Tickle Me Emmanuel" dolls are not on sale in time Christmas this year.
• Wallace has his typical dropsies, none more important than his juggle along the sidelines early in the contest, as the Steelers were mounting their first legitimate drive.

When it was all over, more than just Young Money had their hands in a most depressing loss.  Big Ben had three opportunities late (or in OT) to mount a game winning drive.  Each time ended in failure.  The banged up secondary did all that they could, but when you're missing your top three corners, well, it ain't easy.  Hell, I actually thought I saw A-Dawg loosening up on sidelines at one point.

Yes, the entire team can swallow this loss together, but Young Money really needs to take this one to heart.  December and January football is not so much about ability, it's about commitment, desire, and focus.  These are the attributes that gets a guy paid.  Young Money, as well as the rest of the team, have two more games at home in front of their faithful fans to get this right. Two home wins and things are looking much better than they are today.

Again: commitment, desire, focus...

Suspendenhall

With the benefit of more time and clarity, I'm offering this second part to the Rashard Mendenhall supsension piece I threw into cybersports last night.  As the news and opinions continues to trickle in, the facts are clear:

1. Coach Mike Tomlin wasn't too happy about Mendenhall's fumblings and bumblings against the Brownies in the humiliating loss on November 25th, thus leading to Mendenhall's exile into street clothes.
2. Mendenhall is equally displeased by the benching and counter punches by hitting the snooze button about three dozen times last Sunday, missing the Chargers game entirely.
3. Tomlin, with heightened indignation, opts for the trump card and suspends Mendenhall for at least one game.

If you follow the logic path on this escalation, you will see that this will most likely end with either: 1) Mendenhall's complete knee buckling and a slew of submissive (and fake) personal apologies.  OR  2) Mendenhall's permanent removal from the team.  Any parent with teens understands this standoff all too well. 

The writing on the locker room wall is crystal clear on this one.  The Steelers' patience with Mendenhall is waning as rapidly as their number of opportunities to resurrect this soon-to-be lost season.  Don't think these issues are independent of each other.  As we've learned through the past years, story lines surrounding an NFL team often have some form of relevant interaction with each other.  Coach Tomlin, and even some of his players, have stepped forward and admitted to certain focus issues as of late.  Some of these admissions were shrouded, some were straightforward and in plain English. 

The team is now officially mired in a leadership quandary, with must-win situations looming on the horizon.  Tomlin has no room for a clubhouse cancer at this juncture, nor does he have any time for another distraction.  Mendenhall's reformation opportunities are long gone.  It's clear that the team is not considering any contract extension for him. The current running stable is adequately stocked with Jon Dwyer and Isaac Redman, even if the past few games have been questionable.  Speedster Chris Rainey could also become a bigger factor, and the team could always look for another big play type guy in the draft. If the Steelers were willing to dump former Superbowl MVP Santonio Holmes for a fifth round draft pick in return, they would be happy to watch Mendenhall stutter step his way out the door.

Nothing would surprise me after watching the drama of the 2012 Steelers' season, but I suspect that we have seen our last spin move from #34. 

Steelers' Season Approacing Bizarro World as Mendenhall is Suspended

Someone said that the ancient Mayans predicted the end of the world in 2012.  I am still under the Scrooge humbug mindset on the apocalypse coming December 21, but if you follow the 2012 Pittsburgh Steelers you might want to start working on that bucket list as things keep getting stranger by the day.  In a season riddled with drama, another chapter was written today as the Steelers announced that fallen star tailback turned pariah Rashard Mendenhall has been suspended for actions detrimental to the team.  The transgression was missing Sunday's game in which he was de-activated, said team sources. 

I'm not sure if those actions were any more detrimental than Mendenhall's latest bout with fumble-itus, but it's becoming increasingly clear that the tragedy numbered 34 is soon to be in the archives category of the Steelers library.

Again, this news is just the latest in a season long string of distractions that the Steelers have faced since training camp.  One can only hope that Tomlin and Co. can get this course corrected in a hurry, or we'll all be de-activated from NFL play come January...

 "you mean I have to attend the games even when I'm not playing???" 

No Ike, Well Maybe No Dez...

For those of us that are still nauseous from watching the Steelers' reserve defensive backs giving desperate chase on Sunday, a certain relief may soon be in sight, as the Dallas Cowboys have announced that stud wideout Dez Bryant is considering surgery on his broken finger.  According to team owner Jerry Jones, Bryant could be facing permanent damage to the finger if he declines the season ending surgery.

Bryan could be a major difference maker on Sunday as the Steelers will most likely still be without all-swagger defensive back Ike Taylor.  Considering the torment that elevated backs Curtis Brown and Josh Victorian both endured at the hands of the Chargers, a Dez-less receiving corps would be a most welcome sight to Coach Mike Tomlin.

My Dallas insider, Matty Z, assures me that Dez is a lock to play, so perhaps the Rolaids may yet be in order, considering that Taylor is still limping around in a soft boot.  More to follow as this situation develops.

Josh Victorian demonstrates why he spends most Sundays on the sidelines

Ravens Can Cam

With special thanks to the Baltimore Ravens, and head coach John Harbaugh, Steeler Nation has just been given notice that their team is not the only AFC North squad experiencing a messy December, as Ravens' offensive coordinator, Cam Cameron, was fired today.  Perhaps Cam's shafting was a response to consecutive losses or the erratic play of so-called superstar quarterback Joe Flacco.  Maybe Harbaugh and Cameron had an awkward handshake that left a bad taste in the exuberant coach's mouth. 

Regardless of the circumstances, the Ravens continue their backward flight into the playoffs, looking much like a team in total disarray.

You Stay Classy, San Diego, And Thanks For Stopping By And Ruining My 200th Post

All week I itched for this post.  My plan was simple, I would cobble together a cursory recap of the Steelers' thrashing of the Bolts, I'd award a game ball or two, I'd praise the return of Big Ben, and then I would end by posting another humorous YouTube classic of Anchorman Ron Burgundy telling the placid west coast city to simply go fuck itself.  How better to celebrate my 200TH POSTING?!

Oh, wait, I forgot that playing the part of the newsroom this year were those 2012 Steelers.  You know, the guys who can fly to New York City, get off the bus, and go kick the Giants' asses, then come home just to gut out a sloppy, OT victory over the hapless Chiefs. The same Steelers who made the Titans look like the Titans when Steve McNair still roamed the earth.  The same Steelers who evoked the memory of every legendary Raider save Fred Biletnikoff in a vicious cockfight death in Oakland.  The same Steelers who outBrowned the Browns by gift wrapping them the ball eight times in a despicable loss.

Yeah, those Steelers.  The same team that we've clamored over all year.  "With Ben in, we can run the table, and beat anyone."  Yep, I guess,...as long as the 'anyone' has a winning record.  The scary part here is that we are hitching our wagons to a team that has turned in two of the worst losses during the Tomlin era in a span of three weeks.  It's simply puzzling to me how a team with this type of talent can struggle so mightily at basic execution against clear underdogs. 

Yesterday's loss left Steeler Nation puzzling not only over the team's clear lack of focus, but of it's coach's leadership, and even his math skills. I could write an entire post dedicated to questioning why Tomlin opted against two pointers TWICE during the Steelers' offensive rebirth against a prevent defense, both times seeming more than logical for the deuce.  That would be splitting hairs, and there are far more important issues this morning than Tomlin's strategy processes.

If the Steelers gained one thing during yesterday's stinker, it's clarity.  The path is clear, they must go 3-0 or at least 2-1 with one victory on December 23rd against the Bengals.  The seeding is most likely 6th, but we all know that story.

Oh, well.  I promised Ron Burgundy, so you'll get nothing but the best.  Stay classy PittsburghFan readers...

Miller Time

Perhaps you like local sports journalist, Ron Cook, perhaps you don't.  Me, I'm somewhat indifferent.  Sometimes he gets it right, sometimes he's the master of the obvious, and sometimes he's the ultimate contrarian, dedicated to disagreeing with every colleague or fan that he encounters. 

Nonetheless, this post isn't about Cook, it's about the subject of his most recent article, tight end extraordinaire, Heath Miller.  In what has been a season reading like a dramatic saga regarding the individual athlete, whether it be injury, resistance to change, or contractual issues, one man has stood above the pack as standard bearer and teammate.  Yes, his name is Heath, or Heeeeeeeeeeeath, as you hear echoing from practically every stadium he performs in. The appreciation for Miller's excellence is so profound, Steeler Nation is often caught Heeeeathing even when Miller's backup David Paulson makes a snare.  Dr. Evil be damned, understudy Paulson is assuredly Mini-Miller.  Who better to imitate?

Miller's contributions this season must not be understated.  Gathering in 56 receptions through 12 games is no small feat considering the amount of time Miller is asked to play the role of third tackle/nanny to youthful linemen.  Look at the performances of rookie tackles Mike Adams and Kelvin Beachum, as both were thrust into duty, and you will understand just why Miller is regarded as the most complete football player on the team.  Unselfish? This guy makes Gandhi look like the rich guy who tosses a gum wrapper into the Salvation Army bucket.

Despite Miller's ability to disrupt a blitz or knock any opposing linebacker on his fanny, his involvement in the vertical game is where the big money lies. What Charlie Batch learned on Sunday is that Miller can simply own the middle of the field.  What John Harbaugh learned is that to beat the Steelers, you should consider defending #83, at least a little.  Take nothing away from Miller's big time performance on Sunday, but seriously, shame on the Ravens for just letting him ramble freely between the hashes, like a crazed wildebeest cruising up the Serengeti. 

Miller was not to be denied that victory, displaying yet another attribute of a great teammate, ...refusing to let his or her team fail.

Let's just hope that we can keep Heeeeathing for several more weeks, and a few more years to come.

All together now:  HEEEEEEEATH!

Smug Is As Smug Does

What a great day to be a Steeler fan/Boardwalk Empire junkie.  Within just hours of witnessing Mike Tomlin snub Ravens' coach John Harbaugh, the biggest ass in football not named Belichick, we all got to tune in to HBO and SPOILER ALERT: see small screen bully Gyp Rosetti meet his ungoldy maker in the ending of another outstanding Boardwalk Empire season. 

Since this blog is devoted to sports, I can't comment much about the affairs of Enoch Thompson and the Atlantic City Boardwalk, other than saying that I can't wait until next season.  As far as Handshakegate, well, that's another matter altogether.  It amuses me immensely that Harbaugh, the man who simply defines the word smug, can find any slight in Tomlin's driveby handshake.  Harbaugh's arrogance seems limitless as he actually felt justified in demanding a proper handshake from a veteran, Superbowl winning - mind you, head coach. Harbaugh manages to add insult to injury following any Ravens' triumph, with both his gleeful antics or his condensing, patronizing comments. When you say things "the Steelers played their hearts out" or "the tougher team won", you should understand why the opposing coach would have a healthy dislike for you.

 Check out the Youtube clip.  It's going to be the talk of the week, although it really is much ado about nothing.

Charmed in Charm City

In what has been a season laden with plot twists, turns, highs, and lows, the pendulum of irony took another big sweeping arc on the 2012 Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday, as the men of steel rode out of town with an unlikely 23-20 victory over their arch nemesis, the Baltimore Ravens. Matching up against the heavily favored Ravens, the undermanned Steelers gritted out what may be remembered for years to come as the most electrifying regular season win under head coach Mike Tomlin.

Perhaps those words are overstated, but simply consider that the Steelers were again playing behind the geriatric backup quarterback Charlie Batch, and now without cover corner Ike Taylor who was lost early in the contest. Couple this with Maurkice Pouncey making his first NFL start at guard, a few spots over from rookie Kelvin Beachum, a man drafted at #248, five picks away from the notorious "Mr. Irrelevant" award, who was giving it a whirl as the Steelers' third right tackle.  Oh, and all this while playing the Ravens at home where they've won their last 15 contests, and to re-state, without the only man seemingly qualified to beat those Ravens, Big Ben Roethlisberger.  In the Las Vegas Bookkeepers' Wikipedia page, the link to "underdog" simply shows the team's lineup card from yesterday.

But as Coach Tomlin often reminds us, "it's not what you're capable of, it's what you're willing to do"...or perhaps the fitting quote should be the oft overused Chris Bermanism: "that's why they play the game".

Behind a resiliant and rejuvinated Batch, the Steelers got A games from tight end Heath Miller and the patchwork offensive line, while tailbacks Jon Dwyer and Isaac Redman did their share in running hard and protecting the ball.  There was even a Mike Wallace sighting, as Wallace made a few big snares during the critical closing drive.  The defense was once again stellar, and for another week, kicker Shaun Suisham extended his nearly perfect season.

Maybe yesterday was a case of the desperate team syndrome, maybe Batch's manhood and pride were that bruised last week, maybe it was bad karma for Ray Rice, as he unwisely enlisted into the ranks of Terrible Towel desecrators a few weeks back.  Maybe it was finally just shoving a fist into the crotch of the overly arrogant and annoying John Harbaugh.  You decide.  For me, this is a victory to savor, reminiscent of that snowy day on December 11th, 2005.  You remember the game, against the Bears?  The one that transformed a lost season into something that seemed...charmed.

Bucs Get Their Man

Two words for you - holy shit!!!  The Pittsburgh Pirates wasted no time in their attempts to eradicate their 2012 catching woes by inking veteran backstop Russell Martin tonight.  Don't be tainted by the haters who will stress over Martin's gimpy .211 BA this year.  He's a proven commodity yet still south of thirty years old, a three time all-star, a gold glover, hits for reasonable average with some pop, and above all else, he maintains a respectable 30% runners caught stealing percentage for his career.  As far as intangibles, Martin has vast playoff experience in comparison to the Bucs' current roster, and by extension will bring a lot of seasoning to a club that desperately needs to learn how to play through the pressure of late summer games.

Again, the haters will be all over this, but in my opinion, this move comes with little downside.  Martin is clearly an appreciable upgrade at the position that has most troubled the Pirates over the past few seasons, even at his 2012 numbers.  Martin was the biggest catching name still available.  The ability to actually go head to head with the normal MLB price setters and lure home a quality name is something that the Bucs are not known for, and something that GM Neal Huntington should be lauded for tonight.

Here is Martin's Baseball-Reference.Com link.  Again, the numbers don't lie.  The Bucs signed a decent catcher tonight.  Kudos.

C.O.Y. for B.O'B.

I'm going to buck tradition and deviate slightly off of my all things black and gold mission path with this post.  I'd like to give a well deserved shout out to Penn State head coach Bill O' Brien, as he earned the 2012 Big Ten Coach of the Year honors.  In a year when nearly every applicable sports governing body (including the Big Ten) took a shit on the Penn State football program, warranted or not, it was really nice to see a fitting award for a job well done.  This blog will not delve into any off-field Penn State football matters, and let's face it, there's no need to.  I just wanted to post a little blurb about something Happy in the Valley today.

Unleash Hell, Volume 2 ???

Let's just start by saying that it ain't a good day to be an agent for former Steeler offensive starters Mike Wallace or Rashard Mendenall.  Yes, I did say former as head coach Mike Tomlin demoted both highly skilled players in a new found level of testiness yesterday. Tomlin evoked memories of 2009 when he delivered the ill fated Unleash Hell promise along with his 'some heads are gonna roll/the standard is the standard' type jargon.  In '09, the only unleashing was that of the fury of Steeler Nation as the team staggered to a 6 win, 7 loss mark before finally finding it's pulse.  Along the way, practically no heads rolled, or even turned for that matter, as Tomlin's benchings were notional at best.

2012 may smack a bit differently, as Tomlin has reasonably proven commodities, such as Emmanuel Sanders and Jon Dwyer, to help him his hold line.  One take home message that can be derived from Tomlin's newly sculpted depth chart as that time is now officially running out on Mendenhall, a former first round pick.  His demotion to third string, his questionable health, his renewed willingness to put the ball on the ground, coupled with his zany and inexplicable social media gaffes, all work together to build a reasonably sound case that #34 ain't in the Steeler for Life category. 

As far as Wallace, well, as this blog delights in pointing out, that fat contract is on the Atkins Diet right now, and shrinking with each game.  I have to believe that Wallace would have to muster up an epic December/January for the Steelers to even consider either:  1) offering a contract that he finds remotely suitable, or 2)  ponying up the $10 mill + for the franchise tag.  Both scenarios seem far off at this point.  The cold reality for Wallace fans is that the game of musical quarterbacks that the Steelers are playing at the moment has been dramatized by the absence of Antonio Brown, the true #1 receiver, the true go-to guy.  Wallace could have stepped up over the last few weeks to help carry the load, the fact is that he didn't.  Don't think for a moment that the Steeler top brass will forget these past few games when negotiation time draws near.

We were assured in the summer that Wallace's holdout was strictly NFL business, and that since he was such a true professional, it would never be a distraction to the team or even to him personally.  Perhaps it's a focus issue,or perhaps Wallace simply doesn't want to risk injury on the eve of big money, but the man is playing at a level beneath him and the proverbial standard.  Time will tell on this one, as well as with Mendenhall, but methinks that some #17 and #34 jerseys will be available on the discount racks very soon.

Mistakes by The Lake

The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the holiday season with the spirit of giving yesterday, as they gave away the ball, the game, and virtually any remaining chances of the AFC North title.  Let's hope that they haven't given away the season with their blunderous play.

For the second straight week the Steelers suited up with a reserve quarterback at the helm, needing a complete unified effort from all other areas of the team to seal a victory.  For the second straight week, only a portion of the order was fulfilled.  Despite another stalwart defensive grind against the Brownies yesterday, the offense managed an unfathomable eight turnovers, thus eliminating any prospect for victory.  After a nifty and splashy pick six by Lawrence Timmons only moments into the contest, the Steelers resumed last week's script as soon to be exiled tailback Rashard Mendenhall fumbled away his second carry of the game.  Mendenhall would quickly acquire roommates in the dog house as all three remaining tailbacks would put the pig on the carpet at some point in the contest.

There isn't much more for me to add here.  You all saw it.  Eight turnovers = loss.

CHEERS AND JEERS:


CHEERS

• Lawrence Timmons - Timmons was once again driving the wrecking ball truck as he blew up plays all over the field while equaling the Steelers' entire offensive output.
• Jason Worilds - the guy just played plain nasty yesterday as Lamar Woodley took his usual spell on the trainer's table.
• Heath Miller - he tried, yes sir, he tried.
• James Harrison - is this a mirage, or is the ornery old Silverback getting close to his old form?

JEERS

• The Steelers Front Office - for still clinging to this flawed and arrogant notion that Charlie Batch is the no-brainer solution for the 3rd QB spot.  Quoting MP - "Charlie Batch - he just shouldn't be playing in the NFL."  Enough said on that...
• Rashard Mendenhall - the 'veteran' in the backfield?  Really?
• Mike Wallace - what would my blog be if I couldn't give #17 a jeer.  At this point, I truly hope he has gotten back his deposit on that Caribbean island he was hoping to buy with his Larry Fitz money.  This guys has had a critical role in at least three losses this year.  For all the big plays he makes with his feet, he seems to double them with bad plays with his hands and brain.

Bucs Get Their Thanksgiving Pie

In a week dominated by news and rumors of news that accompanied the bevvy of roster moves made by the Pittsburgh Steelers, the other North Shore guys wouldn't be outdone in the crafty personnel moves department, as they inked a notable deal of their own yesterday.

No, not Josh Hamilton or Justin Upton, nope, not even close. The Buccos locked in on journeyman Felixe Pie, a middling outfielder last seen languishing in the Braves farm system.  As if the Pirates didn't already have an ample reserve of career minor league outfielders and/or reclamation projects, GM Neal Huntington felt just one more dive into the proverbial MLB dumpster might yield this year's Xavier Paul.

Pie, a zero tool player who seems to fit the mold that the Bucs gravitate to, lacking both power and speed, turned in his best season in the bigs in 2009, when he mustered a whopping .763 OPS as a fourth outfielder/utility guy for the Orioles.  I'm not quite sure why this deal actually happened, but part of me says that Huntington simply wanted to employ a man named after a pastry dessert.

Look for Pie's name to begin surfacing in late May as all of Bucco Nation is clamoring for the lynching of both Jose Tabata and Alex Presley.  Also look for Pie to join Tabata, Presley, and a host of other stiffs who will be royally pissing you off by mid June.

Chaos

Plaxico Burress, Vince Young, Tyler Palko, Donovan McNabb?  In less than 36 hours following the disturbing loss to arch rival Baltimore Ravens, Steeler Nation has careened into an utter state of hysteria as candidates to replace fallen quarterbacks and receivers filter in by the minute.  At some point this morning you will most assuredly hear the name Tommy Maddox in a reference that will most likely not bring warm tinglies to your midsection.  When I hear Kordell Stewart, I will officially climb the clock tower with rifle in hand.

As the news broke that both Byron Leftwich and Jerricho Cotchery have joined Big Ben Roethlisberger on the all rib team; panic, rumors, and resumes began flowing from every direction.  Didn't things seem crystal clear a few weeks back after the team bested the New York Giants to take a ton of momentum and a 5-3 record into the mid-way point?  Clarity has since given way to uncertainty as the stable of depth continually falls victim to injury.

Considering that Leftwich busted up his ribs falling into the end zone after his Kordell-esque touchdown jaunt to open Sunday's night game, Steeler Nation should have every right to be pissed off this morning.  Seriously, we're now being force fed the truth that Leftwich's miserable play following the opening drive was compounded by injury?  If we continue the logic path on this, do we conclude that a healthy Leftwich (or Charlie Batch) could have and should have beaten the Ravens, thus leaving the Black and Gold in the allusive catbird seat?

So what is ground zero right now on this team in terms of the next few weeks, and the prospects for the playoffs?  Based upon which route to the post season party the team chooses (or rather is presented with) the vibe and realities are quite different.

AFC NORTH TITLE:  Looks long, right?  Ok, consider that the very beatable Ravens must now travel to San Diego and play without another starting defensive back, after losing playmaker and headhunter Ed Reed to suspension, and the likelihood of a Charger upset is not outlandish.  With that being said, it becomes paramount that the Steelers come out of Cleveland with a win.  Thus urgency is upon them.

WILD CARD:  What, me worry?  The wild card is the greater of the two possibilities at this point, albeit not the preferred route.  The road to the wild card is simple and contains a lot of #7 in the recipe card.  The 2012 AFC wild card field is much weaker than in recent years. The Steelers can afford to lose this week, and even next week, while resting Big Ben for the stretch drive.  Four wins down the stretch almost locks the Steelers into the WC at 10-6.  Three wins leaves them at 9-7 and probably still post season bound, particularily if one of those wins is against the Cincy Bungles at home.  A 9-7 would most likely garner the notorious #6 seed, which would probably then require a trip to New England, Denver, or possibly even Baltimore.  None of these prospects are desirable, but all are winnable.

All in all, a win in Cleveland against a 2-8 Brownies squad would help ease a lot of pains and strengthen both playoff scenarios.  Of course, how many hits, or even snaps, can the ageless Charlie Batch take before he's taking his ride on the meat wagon?  Oh the drama...

Benless, Hopeless, and Winless

Last night, under a clear and chilly November sky, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens did battle for the inside track to the AFC North Divisional title; along the way two important opinions would be tested:

#1: The importance of an elite franchise quarterback, say Ben Roethlisberger, is oft overrated.
#2: By continually renewing the contracts of both Byron Leftwich and Charlie Batch, the Steelers have wisely maintained a glut of talent and experience at the quarterback position.

By the end of the first quarter of last night's painful 13-10 loss, it should have been self evident to all that both opinions are bustable myths.  Starting in reverse order, anyone who still feels the need to cling to the aging "Steelers are so-o-o deep at QB" mantra should fire up the DVR and review the tape a few more times.  Byron Leftwich, despite his nimble footed 31 yard touchdown gallop to open the game, looked old, slow, and brittle throughout the critical junctures of the contest, while certainly not resembling a quarterback capable of winning a big game.  The slow delivery looking like an AJ Burnett cutter, just begs for a defensive end tomahawk chop, and that big right arm, well, I didn't really see it much from section 113.  Now the boys at 93.7 The Fan are telling me that Leftwich got hurt during his rampaging TD lunge, untouched mind you,...again, not the serviceability that the Rooney dollars paid for.  Considering that coach Mike Tomlin displayed nearly no interest in inserting Charlie Batch, even after Leftwich's injuries, should tell you that the supposed depth at the position is greatly over reported.

As far as the franchise quarterback thing, there shouldn't be any doubt anymore.  Anyone who is delusional enough to believe that this team can pull out anything better than .500 with Ben's arm in a sling should contact their therapist immediately.  There's a reason why the Steelers win with Ben and lose without him.  No further commentary is needed on this.

Now, here comes the big contradiction: despite all I that I just ranted over, the Steelers did NOT lose last night simply because #4 lined up under center in place of #7.  In what could have been an epic team victory, failures on special teams as well as other critical miscues saddled the Steelers with a stinging team loss.  On a night when the team needed to be strong on all phases of the game to give Leftwich any remote chance of victory, the Steelers had far too many breakdowns to put a kill on a playoff bound team.

CHEERS AND JEERS

CHEERS:

• Jon Dwyer.  More good, hard running by an emerging back.  Why he only got 12 carries is still mysterious to me, but at least you can't blame Bruce Arians anymore.
• Defensive Secondary.  Particularly CB's Ike Taylor and Keenan Lewis.  The Ravens' offense is predicated on Joe Flacco connecting on big strikes down field to set up Ray Rice's underneath game.  Taylor and Lewis effectively kiboshed any vertical yardage, thus forcing Flacco into short and quick outs, something that he just hasn't shown efficiency in doing at this point in his career.

JEERS:

• Mike Wallace.  As this outlet has become a weekly critic of #17's shortcomings, last night should have again shown you that Wallace is simply a talented receiver with blazing speed.  He is nowhere close to the elite wideout that his agent would like you to believe he is.  His fumble, deep inside the Steelers' own territory, was the first big pendulum swing of momentum towards the purple birds. His lack of effort on a short hopped (but catchable) pass from Leftwich proved costly.  The fade route in the end zone was probably a bad call given the small space available, but again, the elite receiver makes the play.
• Todd Haley.  Where was this tailor made game plan designed to maximize Leftwich's limited strengths. 

Mid Season Report Cards Are In!

As requested, here is the annual Steelers' mid season report card posting.  I will follow the basic format utilized by the Post-Gazette.

OFFENSE:

Quarterback - starting right off with the clear strength of the Steeler squad, Big Ben Roethlisberger has been a stud on the field and a model teammate off the field.  The highly publicized feud regarding the arrival of new O.C. Todd Haley proved to be more media hype than fact, as Ben has quickly grown into the system.  He is off to the best start of his fabulous career, this after not having speedster Mike Wallace to work with all training camp. He's not only the team MVP thus far, he's a legitimate candidate for league MVP. As far as my score, Ben is one completion (against the Titans) short of me giving him a perfect rating.
A-

Running Backs - how can I score these guys below an A?  No Mendenhall, no problem says the quartet of Isaac Redman, Jon Dwyer, Chris Rainey, and Baron Batch.  It doesn't matter who starts as of late, the results are there.  To me, this unit will go a long way to determining how the Steelers continue through the second half.
B+

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends - the most talented unit on the North Shore, but not always the most consistent.  Antonio Brown has already shown the front office that their money will be well spent; conversely, Mike Wallace at times has shown that their caution may have been justified.  Wallace will need to reduce the drops both for his sake and the team's.  Emmanual Sanders has shown that when healthy he's a quality receiver and special teamer, as veteran Jericho Cotchery has been rock solid in the few opportunities he's received.  Tight end Heath Miller is having an All-Pro season while rookie David Paulson looks like a keeper.
B+

Offensive Line - the guys we used to bash as Ben gets sacked time after time.  Maybe not this year, as the new Haley offense requires a much shorter protection period, while emphasizing physical run blocking.  The line started out of the blocks rather sluggishly, and of course ran into their customary litany of injuries, but somewhere in mid October the unit found themselves and a little swagger to go along with it.  Willie Colon now seems comfortable in his new home at guard, with a nasty moxie that would bring a tear to Mike Webster's eye.  Maurkice Pouncey looks Pro Bowl bound again, as rook Mike Adams has shown promise with some punishing run blocking, although his open door policy during pass protection is still cause for bother.  Ramon Foster has been well above Tomlin's proverbial line, thus allowing the team to halt any urgency to get rookie David Decastro back into action.  As for Max Starks, what more needs be said about a man who continually steps up when called upon, seemingly after being sent packing.
B

DEFENSE:

Defensive Line - for years this was one of the strongest performing unit on the team.  Not so far in 2012.  Starting the season with no Aaron Smith and a gimpy Brett Keisel, the line once again looked 'old and slow' as their ability to thwart the run vanished faster than a hoagie in Casey Hampton's fridge.  The performance has improved steadily throughout October, and now the unit looks much closer to the run crushers that D.C. Dick LeBeau craves.  NT/DT Steve McClendon continues to fly under the radar as the best defender that most folks still haven't heard of.  Keisel seems to have found his old form while Ziggy Hood continues to develop into a quality DE.
C

Linebackers - just like the D line, the 2012 linebacking crew started the season minus it's leader, as James Farrior was handed his pink slip in the off season.  My main man Larry Foote has stepped in nicely, leading the team in tackles.  Lawrence Timmons has been a machine at times, trying his best to contribute more explosiveness to offset the loss of playmaker Troy Polamalu.  Lamar Woodley is once again terrorizing opposing QBs when he isn't on the trainer's table icing his hammies.  James Harrison, coming off of minor knee surgery, is beginning to look the part of a 34 year old linebacker as his presence has been nothing more than minimal thus far.
B+

Safeties/Cornerbacks - considering that all world safety playmaker Troy Polamalu's collective playing time in 2012 has been shorter than one of his shampoo commercials, this unit has towed the line nicely.  Keenan Lewis is the first back to get mention as his play has turned former corner William Gay into nothing more than a memory with a funny last name.  Lewis's emergence has played neatly off that of quickly resurgent swaggermaster, and reigning AFC Defensive Player of the Week, Ike Taylor.  Despite the ravings of certain sports writers and broadcasters, the play of Will Allen in place of Polamalu, has been solid but certainly not stellar.  Ryan Clark has been the steadying force on the defense, but he needs to recite the overused Tomlinism "don't hit the head, don't use the head".  Clark still relishes laying out receivers ala vintage Donnie Shell, and the sad fact is that he is now a seemingly marked man to the point where a shot to the ribs gets ruled as a blow to the head. All in all, despite leading the NFL in passing yards allowed and passes broken up, the unit must contribute more than 0.5 interceptions per game to gain a higher score.
B+

SPECIAL TEAMS: Lots of highs and lows with these guys.  On the plus side, kicker Shaun Suisham has been off to a career start (with his kicking, not his running).  Chris Rainey and A.B. have both been explosive on returns.  New punter Drew Butler has been a pleasant surprise, and the coverage units have been fairly strong.  Now the other shoe falls.  The Steelers lead the NFL by a  whopping margin in return yards erased by penalty.  The blocked punt in Tennessee allowed the Titans back into the game.  The fake field goal in the red zone against the Giants was more about the call and not the execution, so I can't hang this on the players.  So, what does a mixed bag of goods and bads usually spell?
C+

COACHING:  Much like 2010, the Steelers opened shop this year short handed and loaded with drama.  It appears that the storm has been weathered, as the team is emerging at the mid point, touting a 5-3 record.  Most NFL teams would kill to be north of .500 after losing three veteran leaders, entering the pre-season with a host of key injuries, changing out their O.C. and special teams coach, and watching one of their true offensive stars sit out the entire training camp.  Oh, let's not forget having their defensive playmaker out almost all season with a bad calf.  Head Coach Mike Tomlin is often mentioned in coach of year discussions, but I can't think of a better overall display of grounding leadership than Tomlin's efforts this year.  Todd Haley has injected an offensive system that looks good with the promise of greatness, and Dick LeBeau, well, we ain't talking about his age much lately.
A-

MID SEASON AWARDS:

MVP - Ben Roethlisberger
BEST ROOKIE - Chris Rainey
MOST IMPROVED - Keenan Lewis/Willie Colon (tie)
BEST SINGLE GAME PERFORMANCE - Isaac Redman (against Giants)
PRO BOWL CANDIDATES: Roethlisberger, Heath Miller, Maurkice Pouncey, Lawrence Timmons, Shaun Suisham, Ryan Clark

Nutting Brings in New (Old) Blood

Just days after Pirates' owner Bob Nutting announced that the Best Management Team in Baseball would once again avoid the guillotine, the Pittsburgh sports world was rocked to it's core as the team announced the hiring of long time Yankee staffer Bill Livesey.  Livesey, the 72 year old fossil who served most recently as a Yankees' scout, will be brought in to provide senior mentorship to GM Neal Huntington.

Perhaps after Livesey scolds Huntington for not cleaning his room or scrubbing behind his ears, he can actually help the embattled GM with critical baseball related stuff like talent acquisition and player development.  Maybe Livesey can also take the old hickory stick to player development extraordinaire Kyle Stark, the raving maniac who authored the Bucs' highly scrutinized Hell Week, as well as other forgettable training calamities. Hopefully Livesey can help jolt this system into reality, but conventional logic tells me that it is he, in fact, who will be in for the rude awaking, as he quickly learns that he's gone from Daddy Warbucks' stately mansion to the humble homestead of Mr. Al Bundy.  Say no to Josh Hamilton, say yes to Josh Harrison.  A fifteen million dollar corner outfielder?  Maybe over the life of the contract, sure.  Hell, Jason Bay just became affordable again.

My grandfather was great at fixing things, but the Bucs' issues run a little deeper that a crooked screen door or an air conditioner on the fritz.  Livesey's baseball resume is robust, if not stellar.  He's been involved on the ground level with multiple winning organizations.  His accomplishments in the sport probably outshine the Bucs' entire management team, but once again I have to wonder what he will be able to bring to a table that works with far less than he is accustomed to.

Perhaps this is how Livesey wishes to conclude his baseball career, but somehow I feel like this is no way for a man to spend his golden years.

Power Restored in New York

Just days after Superstorm Sandy rampaged through the metropolitan New York City region, the area experienced the fury of a second force of nature on Sunday night, that of a focused Pittsburgh Steelers team.  In playing what turned out to be their best game of the season, the Black and Gold overcame an assortment of obstacles to achieve their first true signature victory of the season.

In what was shaping into a seemingly NFL scripted feel good story for the victims of Sandy, it was the Steelers that would pen the final chapter, a 10 point come from behind fourth quarter victory.

Cheers To:

• Isaac Redman, Ben Roethlisberger, Jerico Cotchery, the offensive line, Lamar Woodley, and the entire Steelers secondary.

Jeers To:

• The NFL officiating crew.  Seriously, can anyone please explain the Ryan Clark blow to the head (ribs) penalty?

Open to comments...

EDITOR'S NOTE: Sorry about the short length - experiencing left button mouse issues today.

Ike Finds Atonement

Just days after his oft heralded swagger had been diminished to a highly publicized stagger, unflappable veteran cornerback Ike Taylor regained his once glorious form with a masterful shutdown performance on Sunday Night Football; a performance that was sorely needed.

After weeks of being beaten more savagely than a Romney campaign volunteer in downtown Camden, Ike re-cemented his bust atop Mount Swagmore by completely smothering A.J. Green, the feared young wide out from Cincy.  Playing with a rediscovered focus, and benefiting from a well concocted safety help scheme by defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, Taylor held the speedster/leapster Green to 8 measly yards, essentially neutralizing Cincy's vertical passing game.  Regarding defensive schemes, for those that wish to clamor and gripe this morning about the Steelers' inability to stop the early inside running of Benjarvus Green-Ellis, understand that over committing to shut down one facet of the opponent's offense comes at a cost.  The gamble was to take Green off the table, thus forcing the Bungles to dink, dunk, and run down the field, hopefully to a point in which young hotshot QB Andy Dalton would become impatient and force a mistake.

It never even came to that.  When it was all in the books, the Steelers' recently maligned defense held the kittens to well under 200 yards of total offense, and practically nothing since their 80 yard first quarter drive.  By the third quarter, Dalton was testing his sprinting skills with regularity, avoiding rushers Brett Keisel, Lamar Woodley, and others, often sailing wounded ducks out to the sidelines. The Bengals never mounted any significant threat in the second half, steadily wilting under the Zone Blitz scheme that LeBeau ran in Cincy just a decade earlier.

The offense, albeit not as stellar, more than held their own by amassing well over 400 yards and loads of ball control while playing with a patchwork offensive line and backfield stable scooped from the bottom of the depth chart.

The atonement that Ike found was shared throughout numerous stalls in the visitors' locker room last night.  Practically every sports news outlet, to include even this one, called out the Steelers to man up and perform at the level that Steeler Nation has grown to expect.  For one night, at least, they did.  They can hold their heads a little higher on this gorgeous autumn morning, as today they've all regained their swagger.

QUICK HITTERS:

• For a team celebrating the 40th anniversary of the greatest snare in NFL history, the Steelers seem to be plagued with the dropsies these days.  Add Larry Foote and Baron Batch to the growing list of butterfingers.
• Speaking of drops, what emotion do you think GM Kevin Colbert feels each time he witnesses an untimely Mike Wallace drop...frustration for the play, or satisfaction in knowing that he made the right decision to hold his ground and not hand a blank check to Wallace?  Wallace's drops are costing him dollars by the day, as he trends dangerously into the Willie Gault all feet, no hands world.  That world, by the way, is nowhere close to the universe that Larry Fitzgerald lives in.
• Can Jonathan Dwyer get more playing time?  In the short sample of games in which Tomlin has entrusted the young back with touches, he seems to have come through. 

Ike Figures it Out

Mike Tomlin and Dick LeBeau already had enough on their respective plates this week, trying desperately to yank the emergency brakes on a train that is careening out of control, both on the field and off, as panic continues to mount throughout Steeler Nation.  Starting corner Ike Taylor provided a little relief at least, as he shed a bit of rather astute light on what could be the root under his own seemingly overnight regression.  The media.  Yep, the Sultan of Swagger defied any resemblance of logic by suggesting that his string of poor performances, dating back to the Teboning he received last January, is simply a smear campaign stirred up by a local media community that doesn't want to play nice.

Ike went on to state (or ramble) that the numbers don't lie, a most intriguing statement coming from a guy who has gotten beaten and/or flagged with regularity through his last six games.  Taylor's conspiracy theory was leaked to the press just days after fellow motor mouth Rashard Mendenhall inexplicably chose to return from Tweeter purgatory to call out the commitment of various Steeler fans.  Unfortunately, Mendenhall's reign as moron of the week was cut short abruptly after rookie Alameda Ta'amu auditioned for Spike TV's Deadliest Chases on Saturday after downing a dozen or so Jager bombs out on the Southside.

It's high time for some of Tomlin's so-called men to behave as such, and stop blaming the critics and fans for their shortcomings.  If you or I screw up at our jobs on a consistent basis, we should expect criticism at a minimum, firing as the worst case.  The time for accountability is now, from the front office straight down to the locker room.  Steeler Nation is expecting results, not more excuses, theories, high speed chases, and if all else fails, apologies.

On the Threes

After stumbling and bumbling out of the gate to the tune of a 2-3 record, the 2012 Pittsburgh Steelers are almost one third of the way to repeating a triennially historical event.  If the 1970's was the Golden Era of Steeler football, the period of 2001 through 2011 must be considered the Silver Era.  Ten seasons of .500 or better, eight playoff appearances, three Superbowls, two Lombardi Trophies.  A pretty good resume for those eleven years, most would agree.  Despite producing a competitive product nearly year in and year out, an extremely uncommon feat in today's NFL, the Steelers have managed three decline or reset years, all coming in three year increments: 2003, 2006, 2009.  Is 2012 the newest installment? 

Here's a snapshot of those terrible threes:

• 2003 - coming off a 10-5-1 record and a thrilling victory over the Cleveland Brownies in the wild card round, the 2002 team bowed out of the divisional round with a three point OT loss to (guess who), the Tennessee Titans.  The 2003 team rolled out of the gate with the underwhelming and overly confounding Tommy Gun Offense, while keeping big back Jerome Bettis's big backside parked on the bench for most of the early season.  The net result was a 6-10 record, no playoffs, and the rebirth of the most annoying and misused term in the sports dictionary "get back to Steeler Football".  If for nothing else, the forgettable 2003 team brought us one more thing - the recognition by ownership that the quarterback position must be upgraded mightily - enter Ben Roethlisberger and one of the most significant turning points in Steeler history.
• 2006 - after amassing 26 regular season wins through Roethlisberger's first two years, the team secured the 2005 Lombardi Trophy, the first new addition to the Heinz Field Great Hall trophy case.  Delivering the championship in just his second season, Roethlisberger became the youngest QB in NFL history to do so.  A few months later, the world got their first taste of the bad side of Big Ben drama when portions of his face were hosed off of Second Avenue following his June 13th motorcycle accident.  Despite escaping without major injuries, Ben lost most of the offseason to recuperating from the accident, and then an emergency (and most untimely) appendectomy.  The team limped through the first half of 2006, demonstrating true Superbowl hangover symptoms.  Despite a 6-2 second half, the team finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs.  Head coach Bill Cowher resigned shortly after, although it's still unclear whether Cowher's fatigue contributed to the decline, or whether the decline prompted his exit.  Like 2003, the step down was not all for nought - as Cowher's vacancy was filled by a confident young black man whose poise is trumped only his vast collection of catch phrases, head coach Mike Tomlin.
• 2009 - similar to 2006, the Steelers started the 2009 campaign as the reigning Lombardi Trophy holder. Just like 2006, the 2009 season ended without a playoff berth, as the "unleash Hell" unit swooned through December with a five game losing streak, mostly to beatable teams.  The team compounded poor offensive line play with a season long nagging injury to defensive playmaker Troy Polamalu.  A brief winning streak to finish the season left the team with a 9-7 mark, missing the playoffs to the discretion of the tie-breaker system.  The silver lining takeaway?  The acceptance that the offensive line was mediocre at best, horrific at worst - enter Maurkice Pouncy, the next great Steeler center.

So what does history forbode for the 2012 team?  Considering that 2010 and 2011 were powerful playoff teams, the triennial script reads fairly familiar:  the off field distraction (Mike Wallace hold out/young money drama), the key injuries, the sloppy line play, the claims that the defense seems old and ineffective.   Let's hope that Tomlin and Co. can pull this season out of the litter box and string together enough wins to garner a playoff spot.  If not, we can look forward to the parting gift again.  Perhaps that next defensive playmaker, perhaps a new hot shot coordinator, perhaps another big blue chip guard to cement the youth movement on the offensive line.

In the modern NFL it's virtually impossible for teams to achieve winning records and playoff berths every season.  If there was a team that was an exemption to this truth, it would probably be the Steelers.  The Rooney family has created a machine that churns out winners nearly every season.  The operative word is nearly.  As the great 80's crooner, Meatloaf , once exclaimed "two outa three ain't bad".

Angry

As I lie in bed late last night, trying to dodge the thumping of too many Yuenglings on my temple, I hear the familiar reverberation of my iPhone vibrating on my hardwood floor.  I look over, already knowing who the message is from.  "Angry" - read the five digits written by MP at 1:59 am.  Five drunken digits that summarized a collective feeling with more effectiveness than the vast majority of my long winded posts.  Angry was MP in LP, who witnessed in person the Steelers' epic failure in the honky tonk city last night.  Angry is he, as is all of Steeler Nation this morning, and rightfully so.  Last night's debacle was the second go-from-ahead loss to a shoddy opponent in the span of three games.  The Steelers now sit at 2-3 as they freefall further and further behind the Ravens and Bengals. One word comes to mind: unacceptable. 

Although there is more than enough blame to pass around, I'm hanging this latest embarrassment squarely on the broad shoulders of Coach Mike Tomlin and his franchise quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger.  Those two can look at each other this morning and ask themselves why.

The 2012 Steelers team thus far is an undisciplined lot, playing poorly and being further hindered by bad coaching.  The mistakes and gaffes last night ranged from technique issues, scheme issues, focus issues, and strategic issues.  The fact that Tomlin opted to have rejuvenated kicker Shaun Suisham try a career long 54 yard field goal attempt with the game on the line speaks volumes about his management style and even more volumes about the state of this team.  Regardless of what Suisham did in his previous attempt, the success likelihood of the 54 yarder could not have been greater than 50/50...essentially a coin toss.  Surely Coach T could have huddled up with the franchise QB and Todd Haley, offensive genius extraordinaire, to find a single seven yard play in the book.  We all know that Tomlin is all about showing confidence in his players, but why the blind faith in a kicker and not your 102 million dollar QB? This, the quarterback that just earlier became the franchise's all time leader yardage passer, the same quarterback that the NFL Network assured us all evening that they were finally ready to permit entrance into the elite QB club?  The same QB that we all know is the master of the moment, the maestro of the fourth quarter miracle.  No, let's try the coin toss - the long field goal attempt that, if misses, puts the Titans about 20 yards outside of the range of their own kicker, one of the most prolific long bombers in NFL history.  Again, one word comes to mind: confounding.

Perhaps Tomlin's gamble was based on the faith that his defense would rise to the occasion and hold for overtime, should Suisham miss.  Three weeks ago, in Oakland, Tomlin opted to go for a fourth down deep in his own end simply because that same faith in that same defense was absent.  So, this same unit that has been victimized in crucial moments throughout the entire fall was going to hold a surging offense to under 20 yards?  Hmmm....

As I stated earlier, there is lots of blame to assign throughout Camp Steeler.  Here are my top hitters.  Feel free to comment with your own:

• There was once a time when Ike Taylor was regarded as a great corner with bad hands.  Now he's a mediocre at best corner with still bad hands.
• Keenan Lewis drops a sure interception that would have most likely been a pick six, or at least set up the offense for the game icing drive. 
• Mike Wallace - yes, he can sprint, but can he eliminate the drops?
• Dick LeBeau.  Let's go for an all out blitz with the game on the line, but let's be coy and cute about it, and drop our best pass rusher, James Harrison, off into a clear mismatched one on one with a tight end.  Really????  This is why people say that Tricky Dick has run his course.
• The entire defense - another full field TD drive in the fourth quarter.  As MP pointed out, we need to get Renegade into these road stadiums media rooms.

Beep Beep Beep goes the Wrecking Ball Truck

Wishful thinking Brian.  Seriously wishful thinking.  On the afternoon following the final page of a woefully troubling chapter in an even more woefully troubling book, we can look back at a forgettable season that, sadly and ironically, won't be forgotten any time soon.  One only had to catch the highlights, well, lowlights, from yesterday's 4-0 loss to the seemingly perennially playoff bound Atlanta Braves to get a summation of the Buccos epic second half collapse.  No runs scored, opposing runners stealing bases, game ends on a called strike three with runners on base - the 11th K of the game.  How fitting that this sad sack team finishes on a whimper, with a bat resting on Jose Tabata's shoulder.  In what should have been a critical 6 game homestand, the Bucs' offense, with renewed listlessness, managed a total of 12 meager runs, scoring 3 or less 5 times, while getting shutout twice and no-hit once.  What a great ending by a team implored by it's manager to "Finish!"  The only finish that the 2012 Pirates managed this week was the finishing of their fanbase's suffering through the merciful arrival of Out #27 of Game #162. 

Today's news brought us quips from owner Bob Nutting vowing that this injustice will not go unnoticed, while coyly no-commenting on the job statuses of his so-called Single Best Management Team in Baseball.  The gallery of Nutting critics is scoffing right now, as the vibe seems to be that nuttin's gonna change. (yes, all pun intended.).  "We're reviewing all sorts of options..."  Hmmm, really?

Tomorrow's post: breaking down what went right, what went wrong, and what needs to happen for 2013.

All Aboard the Blame Train

Stunned, shocked, sickened.  How fitting that the Three S's that have plagued the 2012 Pittsburgh Pirates and their dwindling support group for most of the late summer raises their ugly heads on Sunday afternoon, as the team has once again gained their magical number - 82...losses that is.  As in true 2012 Buccos' form, this milestone was attained in epic fashion.  Clinging to the fleeting hopes of finishing with an 81/81, the mostly reliable closer Joel Hanrahan manages to blow a save by yielding a long ball to former Buc castoff Xavier Paul.  Xavier Freaking Paul, the guy who has less power than most T-ball reserve infielders?  Perhaps the insult to injury, (and there always seems to be insult to injury these days) was Jose Tabata, representing the tying run, getting gunned down at third base to open the bottom of the ninth.  A team of Hollywood writers couldn't come up with this stuff.

And with that, 82 losses and a 20th CONSECUTIVE LOSING SEASON.  As the entire free media world west of Harrisburg is now lambasting this colossal collapse ad nauseum, micro-analyzing every bad thing Bucco from ownership down to the Great Pirogi Race, it's finally time for us at PittsburghFan to hop on the blame bus.  Deservedly, there is a shit ton of blame to assign.  You can't produce a 17-38 stretch after amassing the fifth best record in all of baseball without there being a few critics in the balcony.  After vowing to never repeat the collapse of 2011, Hurdle and Co. actually managed to not only repeat it, but trump it in 2012.  Consider that the team owned a poorer winning percentage than even the woeful Astros from August 8th on, and it will start to become clearer. The Bucs deserve every ounce of disdain that they will be garnering over the next several weeks,...and there will be plenty.  Despite the anger in my heart and in my fingertips, the focus of this post will be an honest stab at listing the key areas in which I feel have been the root under the team's failure.

1. The Collective Failures on the Basepaths.  For the vast majority of the 2012 season, the team failed to control the basepaths, both offensively and defensively.  An inability to throw baserunners out with any regularity, while seemingly running themselves out of innings on a nightly basis was far too much to overcome.  They lived on the edge all summer with the defensive side, brazenly assuring us that the 9% caught stealing rate was not hurting the team's outcomes, a supportable fact when they were 16 games over .500.  Then they flew to Milwaukee, and all of the sudden practically every single, walk, or hit batsman turned into a double, if not a triple.  Word spread quickly, and everyone ran, and ran, and ran. Bucco catchers, particularly Rod Barajas, were simply overmatched trying to prevent the thefts. A walk plus a stolen base plus a single equals a run, and you just can't win if you can't defend that. Things weren't any less painful during the other half innings. The offense boasts a team with certain levels of raw speed, yet at some point mid summer the baserunners seemed to collectively lace up cement sneakers while forgetting all baserunning fundamentals.  How fitting that resident numbskull, Tabata, gets nailed at third base for the first out in the ninth, ultimately solidifying the 82nd loss.  Fitting indeed.
2. The Rise and Fall of the Starting Rotation. Remember the All-Star Break this year?  Remember when AJ Burnett and James McDonald combined for the statistically best 1-2 punch in all of baseball.  Two aces on a team that rarely held a card higher than a Jack.  An oddly healthy Eric Bedard, a recently healed Jeff Karstens, and even the unflappable Kevin Correia managed enough quality starts to round out a strong rotation.  Things are a lot different these days.  Bedard, along with his 6+ second half ERA and his smug/aloof (is smaloof a word?) persona was sent packing.  Karstens went back to his home on the trainer's table, and James McDonald basically forgot how to pitch to any team other the Cardinals.  If you need one scapegoat to hang the crash on, then aim your sights at J-MAC.  You can scour the record books, and you'll have a very tough time finding a veteran starting pitcher who gains more points on a ERA after the All Star Break.  He's sporting something in the middle 7's in the second half.  All this from a guy who some felt should have started the All Star Game after mowing down hitters nearly effortlessly throughout the first half. That is historic Steve Blass Disease type stuff.
3. Lack of Veteran Bench.  Baseball people often use the term 'professional hitters' to describe a certain type of player, and make no mistake here, they aren't referring to the likes of Josh Harrison, Chase D'Arnoud, Jeff Clement, or Yamaico Navarro with this expression.  Like most seasons, the Pirates crossed into August with a mixed bag of has-beens and never-weres riding their pine.  The problem this year was that the August and September games were meaningful, dawg days type events, and those veteran hitters - those hard outs - are highly important in the late innings.  The seemingly endless string of non-productive at bats during critical moments of critical innings of critical games, was well, critical to the team's failures.  The acquisition of Gabby Sanchez, helped on paper, I suppose, but Yo Gabby Gabby's role at this juncture in his career has not been role player/utility/pinch hitter.  There were veteran role players out there, in fact, were already here, in the form of Casey McGehee. Unfortunately, the brass felt that the kids from Indy were the best bet.  It's times like these that make it really tough to fight that long running argument about the Bucs always taking the cheap way out.
4. The Regression of Jose Tabata and Alex Presley.  As a purely optimistic, my cup's half full, sort of Bucco fan, I tried to take positives away from September 2011.  Something I looked forward to was the flanking of Andrew McCutchen in the outfield with Tabata and Presley.  Although neither men were true corner outfield slugging types, they both showed the ability to go .300-ish with some good speed and a little pop.  Hitting 1-2 in front of Cutch, Jones, Walker, and Alvarez seemed like potentially good scenario for the home team.  Two leadoff hitters setting the table for the sluggers.  Rolling the clock forward to today, October 2012, and we can now view the tandem as a complete disappointment. Both men slumped mightily in the early going, each garnering all expenses paid voyages to Indianapolis.  Both players' averages are in the range of 50 points off of their high water marks, and both have been atrocious on the basepaths.  Tabata has been the true failure this year, as his offensive and defensive games have both tanked mightily.  You have to wonder about Tabata's brain at this point, as one would require at least both hands and maybe a foot to count the amount of mindless gaffes he's engineered both defensively and on base.  Two years ago, Tabata was a rising star.  Now, it's tough to envision him as a starting outfielder anywhere in the majors next April.
5. Neil Walker's Backbreaking Ending.  See #3, 'professional hitter'.  If there has been one consistently hard out in the Pirates lineup since his may 2010 recall, it's been local hero Neil Walker.  A truly clutch hitter who simply puts the ball in play with regularity, Walker has been the Bucs most consistent run producer for two plus seasons.  2012 was no exception, and Walker was on pace for at least .280, 15-18 homers, 90+ RBI.  Then there was the pinkie injury.  Then the back went.  All the sudden, the normally bulletproof Walker was spending his days in the trainer's room and his nights under heat pads.  Walker has appeared in just a handful of games since mid August, and, it's not too mysterious that his absences have been neatly paired with the Bucs' losing.  The Saber freaks will tell you all about the nebulous WAR (wins above replacement), trying to quantify the importance of a hitter like Walker.  Simply stated while using analog measurements, Walker's injuries cost the Bucs at least five wins, if not more.  Too many games were lost in August and September because of non-productive at bats in crucial moments.  One hit, one sacrifice fly, one ball in play could have swung numerous games.  The patented Neil Walker 12 pitch at bat that ends with a roped double into the gap was sorely missed in the August evenings.  Let's all hope that Neil is healthy come April.
6. Lack of Accountability.  Let's save the best and simplest for last.  Whether it was 19 inning games, blown calls, excessive rain delays that led to late flights back home, we as the fan base were force fed reason after reason for why the team couldn't beat anyone with regularity down the stretch.  The pinnacle of the cock and bull came via beleaguered (yet supposedly employment sound) GM Neal Huntington's flimsy "survivor mode" theory for the players' collective stinking up of the joint.  Truth be told, the team choked mightily.  After fading out of the divisional race, then the wild card, the team still could have delivered to their city what right now would have been practically equivalent to a Steelers Lombardi Trophy, - a winning season and the end to the longest running punch line in all of professional sports.  You cannot tell me that the men in the locker room did not appreciate the magnitude of this.  This would have been a ticker tape, end of year parade right down Federal Street.  All they had to do was win about 40% of their games for a few lousy weeks. (10-16 from September 6th on would have done it).  They couldn't even come close.  No one stood up, and every, and I do mean every, so-called leader performed at least one vanishing act when he was counted on most.  Even Burnett, the modern day Robin Hood who defiantly told baseball that even downtrodden Bucs fans have a right to happiness, hit the snooze button a few times down the stretch. Call it pressure, perhaps two decades of losing is just too deep a grave for this particular group to climb out of.  In the end, it's a choke of epic proportions, one that the super fans, like me, will not forget any time soon.  So guess what, the grave is a little deeper now, and next year won't be any easier.

Today is about the blame.  Later this week, we'll focus on the remedies.

Words From Another Well Spoken Somerset Man

76-80, hmmm.  Ok, it will take 6-0 to get to 82, but wait, only 5-1 to get to 81!  We can live with 81, right?  Are we all thinking this on a Friday morning in late September?  No, WE'RE not, only crazies like me are still beating this drum, and drinking this Kool Aid.  I ponder back to my freshman level psych days on this.  Didn't someone smart, say, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross (thanks Wikipedia!), invent a pyramid that outlined the stages of recovering from emotional grief?  Well, I think I'm still stuck somewhere in between stages 2 and 4 - Anger and Depression.  Ok, listen, if we can just win tonight, it'll only mean 4 wins to go,...yes, I probably need help.

Well, today's post isn't about me or the Bucs, or our respective ailments or abnormalities.  I'd like to plug in a shout to a most entertaining article I stumbled across in the Post-Gazette today.  Jason Zemcik, a fellow Somerset County man, composed a well worded article on the culture of winning in the 'Burgh, expanding a bit on the Battlins' constant role of the underachieving son who resides in a household of overachievers.  We can all rant, with pitch forks and torches held high, that the Nutting regime is a penny pinching, short sighted, carpet-bagging machine, whose sole intention is the fleecing of the innocent, upstanding season ticket holder.   We can loiter in Dr. Kubler-Ross's Anger section for as long as we wish - assign blame for a second consecutive collapse, this one greater and more soul crushing than the last.  We can cry foul over the trade deadline failures.  Certainly Shane Victorino or the great Hunter Pence would have prevented this.  We can find boundless levels of fault with Halfway Hurdle and his perceived blind loyalty to veteran players who failed to make the grade. If he only chewed out his players with the same canine tenacity that he gnaws on that bubble gum with.

Yeah, what about those players and their failures?  Those strikeouts?  How many inning ending, called strike three's can one team have in a night?  Oddly and simultaneously from a team that displayed record breaking levels of poor plate discipline.  How about the basepaths? Should we go there, offensive or defensive - they're both equally appalling. We can go all day with this...

The reality is that after all the anger, denial, bargaining, and depression; the acceptance eventually sets in. Another reality, even more sobering, is that this team, once again, and for whatever reason, failed to execute on the field with enough regularity to produce a winning season. In short, the 2012 Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team was below average by conventional gradings.  Report card would read "C minus", I suppose.  Sure, it would be a much easier pill to swallow had this been only the fifth or sixth straight season of losing.  The magnitude of two decades of futility certainly amps the frustration to unbearable levels, but in the end, 2012 will simply be carved in the record books as a fourth place finish with a win total most likely in the high 70's...basically just a slightly below average baseball team.

The team moved forward in many ways, however.  There was a time, not long ago, that slightly below average would have been a real good thing. There was a time when 75 wins seemed like a pipe dream.  Times have, in fact, changed, despite the end results. There are now bona fide players, actually stars, on this roster.  There is now an ace on the staff, and a true bull in the bullpen.  All this aside, in the end, the Bucs again just weren't quite good enough.  After all this is accepted, we remind ourselves that this is our team, and that we are fans.  April of 2013 is just a few calendar flips away.

Mr. Zemcik's article will not expose any smoking guns, nor will it pull back the curtain and reveal a witless tyrant spinning wheels and lifting levers while keeping us all in a hazy smokescreen.  It won't break any curses, or exercise any demons that Sid Bream has contracted for our torture. The essay will, however, remind me that at 7:05 tonight, I'll be tuned in, hoping to hear Greg Brown call for the colors to be hoisted for the 77th time.

And that would mean only 4 more...

EDITOR'S NOTE: as a Boswell man now living just north of Philadelphia, I must insist that Mr. Zemcik's  black and gold "fan card" is valid and in no jeopardy of being revoked.

Ode to Confluences

con-flu-ence  [kon-floo-uhns]

noun
1. a body of water formed by the junction of two or more rivers, streams, or the like.
2. the coming together of people, things, or events; a concourse.

If you follow Pittsburgh sports with nearly as much zeal and regularity as myself, you are familiar with definition #1 well beyond the point of ad nauseum. Every prime time Steelers' game brought you that slowed moment; usually mid way through the third period, as an injury stoppage, or replay challenge, was chewed up a moronic national color analyst guy showing you, the viewer, the blimp shot of the three rivers and circling the all vexing "confluence" area with his Sharpie-strator or whatever new techno gizmo that his network boasts.  It's always refreshing to get that third grade geography lesson from a former jock stuffed into a three piece suit with a resume of a dozen concussions and probably twice that number in employment dismissals.  NOTE TO NFL: spare us the freshwater aquatic lessons, everyone gets it by now. Even your international viewers know one thing about Pittsburgh geography, the C word.

So, as I drive into the Burgh yesterday afternoon, an afternoon I had been looking forward to for weeks, I began to think about confluences, more of the definition #2 variety.  Yesterday was about the convergence of things non-aquatic, or events non-aquatic.  Yesterday was that day when the true raging rapids of the Allegheny, aka the Pittsburgh Steelers' program, collides full force in Ohiopyle style with the troubling puddle formed by that annoying pipe leak, usually found under your sink, or toilet, or some other unmanageable spot, - and for those that don't know where I'm going with this, -the puddle signifies the efforts of your resident underachievers, aka the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The results of this convergence is a brutish display of the cruel powers of nature as the Steelers' wave washes through the puddle while the backdrag creates a tempest type swirling vortex, appropriately and symbolically resembling that of the final twirling salute of waste found in a standard American toilet bowl.  That poop pipe serving as the conduit for which the waning interest of another Bucco season slides to it's final resting place in the shit stack, alongside all other Ghosts of Bucco Seasons Past.

But alas, and we all can say it - ALAS!  This is 2012, and the Battlins' are fighting that undertow.  On this day, August 10th, the Bucs sport a 63-48 mark, 15 games over .500, entrenched in both divisional and wild card hunts, and most importantly, not to be overshadowed or drowned by the now in-session Steelers. Normally early August is reserved for fireworks, bobbleheads, auditions of newly acquired prospects, and the yearly three way battle for fourth place in the NL Sinful Division.  Just to mix up the ill will a bit, the theme of August 2011 was that of an epic crash to reality.  The sports equivalent of dining at a 5 star restarant and then remembering that you don't have a cent in pocket to pay the bill. 

August of 2012 is something of a gem.  The rounding of the third and final leg of a long and resilient season, punctuated with impressive personal performances on field, in dugout, and even in front office.  The Bucs in dawg days baseball, where every pitch mattered, every coaching decision weighed and mulled. 2012 has been a year for the ages.

Yesterday was a great and long awaited day for me in many ways.  The Bucs at 4:05 - seen live with our very own A-Dawg.  Seeing life throughout a stadium long on life-support.  Seeing Bucco chicks! Getting texts from MP back in Philly, as he watches along via the life changing MLB.TV app, and bonus: after all this, the Steelers kick off pre-season at 7:30! Bucs in pennant relevant baseball as Tomlin prepares his first of many rhetoric filled evenings.  Andrew McCutchen drawing more MVP chants when folks should be racing home from work to get the Yuengling iced prior to the Todd Haley new look-offense's one possession of playing time.  A.J. Burnett's right arm now as equally revered as Big Ben's. What gives?

The Bucs' game ended less than admirably, as newly acquired Wandy Rodriguez is still displaying his love for Pittsburgh by offering more souvenir balls to those fans sitting behind outfield walls. It was another W almost in the books,..should have been in the books. Damn, those game hurt.  Driving home at 7:20 I found myself compelled to not brush it off, and flip over to DVE for Steelers' pre-game as I would have done in years past, but instead to tune in to Pirates' post game to hear skipper Hurdle explain the loss.  Wow, what a great dilemma!  Toggling my radio back and forth between meaningful sports broadcastings?  Wolfley screaming about mojo-nating, Hurdle calming me and reminding me that Wandy just hung a pitch.  This is a true confluence!  A confluence of interests, a confluence of distractions, a confluence of emotions.

Who knows how long two gale forces will push through the North Shore?  Who knows how long we can ride the wave? All I can say is that I'm finally enjoying the challenge of navigating a confluence!

QUICK HITTERS:

• love Josh Harrison, but has anyone ever told the guy that 4 balls gets you a free ticket to first base?
• after 4+ months of steadiness, Jared Hughes, aka 'Mr. Hyde', is looking much more Jeckyl-ish to opposing batters these days.
• Am I getting fatter, or are PNC Park seats getting narrower?