The Steelers began practice preparations on Wednesday for their week 17 and final regular season game against the Cleveland Browns. S Troy Polamau (ankle) and DE Aaron Smith (triceps) both did not practice as expected. Smith will be out this week again and Polamalu will not test his injury until Friday according to head coach Mike Tomlin. LB James Harrison (illness), RB Mewelde Moore (knee) and LB Jason Worilds (knee) all sat out on Wednesday as well. LB LaMarr Woodley (knee) was limited today. Moore and Worilds are to be considered questionable to play this week right now. WR Arnaz Battle seems Read more [...]

By Michael Shouse Well it all comes down to this Steelers fans, with a playoff spot already clinched the AFC North and the 2nd bye is up for grabs. This is what football at this time of the year is all about, big games with big playoff implications. That being said this is a very winnable game that the Steelers should win. However expect the Browns to come out fired up ready to spoil the Steelers chances. Browns Offense Peyton Hillis is the workhorse back of the Browns but he had a very mediocre game against the Ravens, Hillis was limited to 35 yards on 12 carries. It won’t be very Read more [...]

I too am getting tired of all of this James Harrison dirty player stuff, but had a request to break down Mohamed Massaquoi hit frame by frame in super slow motion. I have done so in the video below and as you can see, Massaquoi drops his head before the hit and Harrison leads in with the shoulder as you can clearly see and follows through with the block. When you have a big physical player like Harrison hitting a tall skinny 200 lb receiver, something has to give. What gave is Massaquoi. There was no other way for Harrison to tackle Massaquoi without getting a helmet in his own chest. The hit looks Read more [...]

Below is the Steelers week 6 defensive participation chart versus the Cleveland Browns from this past Sunday. Please comment with any discrepancies you find. The main thing that stuck out this week as far as participation went is that once Brett Keisel left the game, the Steelers still did a great job rotating out bodies. Chris Hoke logged 11 snaps at left end mostly in nickel formations without a nose tackle. Ziggy Hood and Nick Eason rotated at the right end spot. In addition, Ryan Mundy received quite a few snaps in place of Troy Polamalu late in the game. It is still unknown if Polamalu was Read more [...]

Below is the Steelers week 6 offensive participation chart versus the Cleveland Browns from this past Sunday. I have also designated where each player lined up at the snap of the ball. Example: LOWR = Left Outside Wide Receiver. RITE = Right Inside Tight End etc. The defensive chart will be up upon completion as soon as our intern finishes. Offensive Skill Position Player Snap Count (by group) 7 - Ben Roethlisberger 62 of 62 34 - Rashard Mendenhall 47 of 62 21 - Mewelde Moore 6 of 62 33 - Isaac Redman 18 of 62 88 - Emmanuel Sanders -  -  - 3 of 62 82 - Antwaan Randle El 19 of 62 17 Read more [...]

Below is the play by play break down of the offensive line from the Sunday week 6 game versus the Cleveland Browns. It is merely a pass or fail grade on if I think the lineman did his job or not. It also should be noted that we go under assumptions that we know what the assignment on each play was and sometimes it is not obvious. We have to grade on what we see and go from there. We added small notes to each play as well. As always if you disagree with any play, do so respectfully in the comments and give your reason so I can go back through and re-watch your disagreement. Overall Rating # POS Player Plays Yes No %Yes 68 LG Chris Read more [...]

Steelers LB James Harrison told reporters after the game that if he is fined for his hits on Joshua Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi it would be a travesty. You can see the replay here if you missed them. Tunch Ilkin and Craig Wolfley talk about Sunday's 28-10 win over the Cleveland Browns as only the two of them can do. Maurkice Pouncey, James Farrior, Aaron Smith, Mike Wallace and Rashard Mendenhall all have post game interviews up on Steelers.com [phpbay]Hines Ward Steelers limited, 3, "", ""[/phpbay] Post Gazette beat writers Gerry Dulac and Ed Bouchette have their video recap up following Read more [...]

Steelers linebacker James Harrison had two huge hits in the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns in the week 6, 28-10 win. Below are the video replay animated gifs and each are linked to the play on NFL.com. The first one on Joshua Cribbs is legal for sure and a clean hit, but I have a feeling Silverback Deebo will be fined for the second one on Mohamed Massaquoi. Both Cribbs and Massaquoi did not return from these hits. Vote below on if he will be fined! Read more [...]

The Steelers won at home beating the Cleveland Browns 28-10 in the 5th game of the 2010 season. Below are my recap notes and nuggets I kept on the game along with my observations. I have much more coming on this game and am working through the night. These are initial reactions of mine as I am about to watch the game a second time and begin working up tape selections. Below are the notes I compiled throughout the game. Remember these are initial reactions one time through the game. If you are going to disagree, do it respectfully or go to the other places to be ugly. [flv:http://ll.video.nfl.com/films/s2010/nflcom/w06/101017_ghl_week_6_dc_vo_cle_pit_700k.mp4 Read more [...]

Audio from Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin post game press conference following the 2010 week 6 28-10 win against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday October 17th, 2010. Transcript to follow soon! [audio:http://www.steelersdepot.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/mike-tomlin-browns-press-conference-oct-17-2010.mp3|titles=Steelers HC Mike Tomlin Cleveland Browns Post Game Press Conference Week 6] Mike Tomlin: It was good to get back in the competitive feel and do it with a victory. There’s always some anxiety coming off the bye [week]. You’re worried about your level of execution and your physicality Read more [...]

Below are the week 6 pre-game inactive players list of both the Steelers and the Browns. The inactive list are released 90 minutes before game time. This list will be updated at 11:30 a.m. eastern time. Please check back at that time. Steelers Inactives QB Charlie Batch (3rd) CB Crezdon Butler RB Jonathan Dwyer G Trai Essex WR Antonio Brown LB Thaddeus Gibson T Tony Hills CB Keenan Lewis Browns Inactives DL Robaire Smith OL John St. Clair QB Seneca Wallace QB Jake Delhomme WR Carlton Mitchell OL Shawn Lauvao TE Alex Smith DL Jayme Mitchell Read more [...]

Playing the Cleveland Browns at home off of a bye week combined with the return of Ben Roethlisberger from suspension is a welcome sight. The Steelers also have payback on their minds from the last meeting in Cleveland in week 14 of the 2009 season. Below are what we deem to be 7 keys to the game for the Steelers to beat the Browns in week 6. Ease Big Ben Back In - Let's face the facts. The Browns are unlikely to bust the lights on the scoreboard with their offensive firepower, especially if rookie quarterback Colt McCoy is under center. There is really no need to get fancy with Ben Roethlisberger Read more [...]

The bye week is behind us now and it is time once again to read the tea leaves for who will be inactive for the week 6 game Sunday at Heinz Field against the Cleveland Browns. We have done well to nail these the last two weeks and this week is not as much of a challenge if indeed the news about Emmanuel Sanders being active is indeed correct. Also the Steelers are very healthy coming out of the bye with only Trai Essex listed on the injury report. Below are the eight players we expect to see on the Steelers inactive list released 90 minutes before kickoff on Sunday. QB Byron Leftwich - Every Read more [...]

The Steelers wrapped up practice preparations on Friday with G Trai Essex (ankle) once again being limited in practice. Essex is officially listed as doubtful on the injury report and will likely be inactive on Sunday for the 3rd game in a row. Doug Legursky will start at right guard once again. Back-up NT Chris Hoke worked all week and it seems like he will be ready to resume his role of spelling starting NT Casey Hampton when needed. For the Browns on Friday, QB Jake Delhomme (ankle) and QB Seneca Wallace (ankle) both sat out practice for a third straight day and both are listed as doubtful. Read more [...]

My good internet friend Kirsten Brownrigg and I have been going back and forth about the Steelers/Browns rivalry for a while on Twitter. I asked her to submit a piece for this Sunday's game and she penned a letter to Steeler Nation. Make sure to follow her on Twitter here and read her bio at the bottom of the letter and make sure to comment as well. This should be pretty good. By Kirsten Brownrigg Dear Steelers fans: As I wash my beloved Browns hoodie and prepare to root against you this Sunday, I think back on Sept. 9, 2007. As fate would have it, our opening game pitted us against your Read more [...]