The Steelers defense did their job for the most part, the Steelers offense didn't. The Steelers had to settle for 4 red zone field goals and gave up yet another kickoff return for a touchdown in a 18-12 loss to Cincinnati. The Bengals defense did a great job blitzing at the right times and keeping quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in the pocket and uncomfortable most of the afternoon. Roethlisberger had pedestrian numbers on the day, going 20 of 40 for a mere 174 yards and 1 interception. Santonio Holmes led all receivers with 7 catches for 88 yards. The Steelers defense was up to the test despite Read more [...]

It was fun while it lasted, but the days of Stefan Logan being on the Steelers roster may be numbered. The Steelers gave up their 3rd kickoff return for a touchdown in 4 games today versus Cincinnati. Bernard Scott is not one that strikes fear in many teams either. While Logan has not really done anything bad in the return game as far as numbers go, he has made a few bad decisions and has yet to take one to the house. He also is used on the kickoff coverage team and his size makes him a huge liability. It is not so much a knock on him as it is the need for a roster spot, especially if it appears Read more [...]

Below are my picks for the week 10 games around the NFL. You get what you pay for them. 7-6 in week 9 & 82-47 overall. New York Jets 24 Jacksonville Jaguars 20 Denver Broncos 27 Washington Redskins 10 Pittsburgh Steelers 27 Cincinnati Bengals 13 Buffalo Bills 17 Tennessee Titans 13 Minnesota Vikings 31 Detroit Lions 17 New Orleans Saints 38 St. Louis Rams 13 Atlanta Falcons 24 Carolina Panthers 20 Miami Dolphins 27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20 Oakland Raiders 20 Kansas City Chiefs 16 Arizona Cardinals 22 Seattle Seahawks 19 Philadelphia Eagles 24 San Diego Chargers 21 Green Bay Packers Read more [...]

While it technically should not be called a must win game for the Steelers, it is one they can not afford to lose. The Bengals are currently 4-0 in the division and a Steelers loss will mean the Bengals will need 2 more losses than the Steelers the rest of the way. Both teams bring in great run defenses, while the Steelers have the better total defense that has been recharged in the recent weeks by the return of strong safety Troy Polamalu. Defensive end Travis Kirschke will miss another game this week as he recovers from a torn calf, but the Steelers will get back linebacker Lawrence Timmons Read more [...]

Below are seven matchups or things to look for on Sunday as the Steelers take on the Cincinnati Bengals. Polamalu Effect - The Steelers were without Troy Polamalu the first time these two teams met this season. You would have to wonder what the outcome would of been had Polamalu played. He showed his speed is back in the Denver game and looks almost 100%. His mere presence on the field makes the defense better, let alone his play. Attack Livings - A healthy Lawrence Timmons will get a shot at left guard Nate Livings who will start in place of the injured Evan Mathis. Livings is big, but not Read more [...]

This weeks tea leaves are a little cloudy as far as game day inactives versus the Bengals on Sunday. The first 5 on the list are for sure: Dennis Dixon, Kraig Urbik, Tony Hills, Carey Davis and Travis Kirschke. Davis and Kirschke have been ruled out with injuries. Ra'Shon Harris was surprising sat last week even with Kirschke down, so it makes sense he will be inactive again. Limas Sweed was also given a start last week instead of Shaun McDonald because of special teams needs, so it likely will remain that way again this week. With Lawrence Timmons likely to return from injury on Sunday, it will Read more [...]

We looked at the defense comparison yesterday, today we look at the offense comparison, or in this case non-comparison. a few things that noticeable stick out is a nearly 10% increase in 3rd down conversions, nearly 100 net yards more per game, over a half yard more per carry in the running game and the well talked about completion percentage in the passing game. The few black marks are the fumbles lost, which has increased and the sacks are a bit high still, but are down and livable with. You can clearly see a huge improvement and hopefully this carries on the remainder of the season. Steelers Read more [...]

Just as they were a year ago, the Steelers go into their 9th game of the season with a 6-2 record. The 2009 defense will not yet be confused with the 2008 unit, but things are getting better. Below are the stats after 8 games for both the 2008 and 2009 defenses. The most glaring differences is the 3rd down percentage which improved mightily versus Denver. Also the 2009 defense is giving up 1.1 yard per play more, but that 4.8 still ranks them 4th in the AFC and 7th overall. While the 2009 unit is giving up .74 more yards per carry, that number also is good for a 2nd in the AFC and a 5th overall. While Read more [...]

Free safety Tyrone Carter gets all of the press and glory for the interception return for a touchdown against the Denver Broncos on Monday night, but without the effort of rookie defensive end Ziggy Hood and nose tackle Chris Hoke, it likely would not of happened. Hood had a tremendous bull rush on right tackle Tyler Polumbus on the play and pressures quarterback Kyle Orton to throw a bit before he is ready to. Hoke on the other hand starts to rush and then drops into coverage on running back Correll Buckhalter Knowshon Moreno and knocks him off of his route within 5 yards. This play was Read more [...]

Years ago, Steelers fans were screaming at their televisions on draft day for the Black & Gold to draft running back Larry Johnson with their first round pick in 2003. The Steelers traded up with the Kansas City Chiefs and drafted safety Troy Polamalu while the Chiefs ended up drafting Johnson at #27. Johnson had to sit behind Priest Holmes for years before getting the starting job and has always been a distraction to the Chiefs throughout the years. Johnson was released by the Chiefs on Monday and several analyist are claiming Johnson may indeed land with the Steelers. While Johnson is Read more [...]

A combination of strong defense and an offense that made great halftime adjustments, the Steelers dominated the Denver Broncos on Monday night football to win 28-10 at Invesco Field. The defense intercepted Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton 3 times with one being returned for a touchdown by free safety Tyrone Carter. Carter started in place of Ryan Clark, who sat out because of possible sickle cell complications, and had 2 of the 3 interceptions. The defense was also without starting defensive end Travis Kirschke and linebacker Lawrence Timmons, but they did not miss a beat. The unit held the Broncos Read more [...]

The Steelers come off of a well needed bye week, while Denver comes off of their first loss of the season versus Baltimore last Sunday. The Steelers will be without defensive end Travis Kirschke and linebacker Lawrence Timmons as well as likely being without free safety Ryan Clark who in all likelihood will sit out with his medical condition caused by the high altitude. Nick Eason will rotate with rookie Ziggy Hood at Keisel's spot and veteran safety Tyrone Carter will start in place of Clark for the Steelers. The Steelers haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher in their last 25 regular-season contests Read more [...]

Below are seven matchups or things to look for on Monday night as the Steelers take on the Denver Broncos. Woodley vs Polumbus - With Denver right tackle Ryan Harris out with two dislocated toes, second-year-pro Tyler Polumbus will get the start in his place. Outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley will likely be used to rush quite a bit in order to put pressure on Kyle Orton and could have a field day against Polumbus. Ike Taylor vs Brandon Marshall - Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor has been effective in keeping the opposition out of the endzone, but he is giving up chucks of yardage in the process, Read more [...]

Below are my picks for the week 9 games around the NFL. You get what you pay for them. 7-6 in week 8 & 75-41 overall. Jacksonville Jaguars 19 Kansas City Chiefs 17 Baltimore Ravens 20 Cincinnati Bengals 13 Indianapolis Colts 24 Houston Texans 20 Atlanta Falcons 27 Washington Redskins 13 Green Bay Packers 31 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13 Arizona Cardinals 23 Chicago Bears 20 New England Patriots 24 Miami Dolphins 17 New Orleans Saints 23 Carolina Panthers 21 Detroit Lions 17 Seattle Seahawks 16 San Francisco 49ers 30 Tennessee Titans 27 New York Giants 24 San Diego Chargers 17 Philadelphia Read more [...]

This weeks tea leaves are pretty readable as far as game day inactives versus the Broncos go for Monday night. The first 3 on the list are for sure: Dennis Dixon, Kraig Urbik and Tony Hills are givens and there is still no reason to believe wide receiver Limas Sweed will get back on the field this week unless it is more for special teams reasons, so Shaun McDonald will likely be active again. Travis Kirschke and Lawrence Timmons will sit out injured and although not official, it seems the Steelers will be cautious and sit out Ryan Clark as well. This should mean Ra'Shon Harris and Keenan Lewis Read more [...]

The biggest statement that Mike Tomlin made during his Tuesday press conference about the Denver Broncos was their ability to get off of the field on 3rd downs. Tomlin said, "Their third down defense is really awesome and really that’s a part of playing good defense as they spend quite a bit of time on the sideline because they do a nice job of getting themselves off the field on third down." When you look at the stats, you see how key it has been for them thus far. Going into the week 8 game versus Baltimore, the Broncos defense had only allowed the opposition to convert 21 of 78 3rd down Read more [...]

Below are my picks for the week 8 games around the NFL. You get what you pay for them. 9-4 in week 7 & 68-35 overall. Baltimore Ravens 20 Denver Broncos 16 Chicago Bears 24 Cleveland Browns 10 Buffalo Bills 23 Houston Texans 20 Green Bay Packers 27 Minnesota Vikings 20 Indianapolis Colts 30 San Francisco 49ers 17 New York Jets 24 Miami Dolphins 17 St. Louis Rams 20 Detroit Lions 13 Dallas Cowboys 26 Seattle Seahawks 17 San Diego Chargers 24 Oakland Raiders 17 Jacksonville Jaguars 22 Tennessee Titans 20 Arizona Cardinals 24 Carolina Panthers 21 New York Giants 27 Philadelphia Eagles Read more [...]

Following the bye week, the Steelers will travel to Denver to play the Broncos on Monday night football. Free safety Ryan Clark has a bad history health wise in the Mile High City. In 2005, while he was with the Redskins, Clark was diagnosed then with a bruised spleen, but the severity of his condition wasn't known until he played again in Denver in 2007. Clark has sickle-cell trait, which means his blood cells are not fully formed. The last time the Steelers played in Denver, Clark spent a night in a hospital before returning to Pittsburgh. His health worsened when he returned to Pittsburgh and Read more [...]

Going into the bye week, 5-2 is indeed a respectable record and after week 3, any Steelers fan would be ecstatic with that right now. The 5-2 record could just as easily be 2-5 or worse if not for a few big plays. The Steelers really have not been dominated, nor have they dominated themselves. Going into the bye, there are 3 major things the Steelers must fix as they head into a crucial 4 game stretch following the bye. Below are those 3 major things: Kickoff Coverage‎ - This falls under the captain obvious statement of the day, especially now that in two straight games the Steelers have allowed Read more [...]

What was billed as a showdown between 2 of the leagues best quarterbacks, ended up being a battle of defenses. The Steelers defense returned two turnovers by Vikings quarterback Brett Favre for touchdowns in route to 27-17 victory Sunday at Heinz Field. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had a very pedestrian performance as he was 14 for 26 passing for 175 yards on the day. The offense never was able to consistently attack the Vikings secondary that was without starting cornerback Antoine Winfield. Winfield sat out with an injured foot and was replaced by a rotation of Benny Sapp, Karl Read more [...]