OFTOT Week In Review - Playoffs Week 2...

Splitsville city. Population: Sarah Jessica Parker? Yeah, this has nothing to do with the Steelers or this blog. I just wanted to put something completely unnecessary here to keep y'all on your toes. You're welcome.

Anyways, check this out. So I was just screwing around on Facebook, both because I'm a huge nerd and because my brain just can't handle any heavy lifting right now. And just out of curiosity, I decided to search for Bruce Arians. I mean, I pretty much know every other Steeler has a fan page. So I figured Arians might too. He did not. BUT what I did find were the following groups, to which I've provided links just in case you'd like to join their cause:

FIRE BRUCE ARIANS (120 members)...solid group image as well...


Bruce Arians has to go (64 members)

FIRE STEELERS OC BRUCE ARIANS!! (64 members)

Fire Bruce Arians! (85 members)...and just check out the group's image.

Amazing

Fire Bruce Arians (20 members)

Fire Bruce Arians! (16 members)

Steelers fans who want Bruce Arians head on a stick (11 members)...ridic name, dudes

Fire Bruce Arians (4 members)

Bruce Arians is Dreadful (2 members)

Fire Bruce Arians!! (41 members)

For all y'all keeping score at home, that's 427 individuals, comprising 10 groups that want BA gone. Needless to say this isn't the biggest surprise. I mean I think BA is about as popular as R Kelly at Chucky Cheese. I wonder if Arians ever Googles himself...Whatever. Who cares?

Also, just for the hell of it, here are some other links you should get in your life...

• Offensive Line: Steelers' blockers choose to meet on own time
• Holly's got a ridic picture of Brett Favre and Tinkerbell
• Trash Talk Heats Up Among Steelers-Chargers Fans
• Sleepover of the Damned Pool - Week 2
• Jagr would come back to the Pens?

And finally, here are two reasons why I wish I was going to tomorrow's game:

1. 4:30 - National anthem sung by multi-platinum rock band STYX with military flyover

2. 4:40 - Coin toss with honorary co captain Jerome Bettis

Here we go, Styx! Here we go!


Now, for the OFTOT week in review. This week we...

1. In honor of our battle with San Diego tomorrow, I dedicated the Electric Slide to Sandy Domski...

2. Ripped out some Headlines of the day...

3. Celebrated Silverback's Defensive Player of the Year Award...

4. Watched Ben back in action, looking like he shit his pants...

5. Phillip Rivers is a fruit salad...

6. Highlighted the requisite bitching about players who did NOT win Defensive Player of the Year...

7. Vincent Jackson rode dirty and got caught...will probably still play Sunday...garbage...

8. Watched Terry Bradshaw pull a Joe Namath...

9. Pay no attention to this blog philosophy nonsense...

10. My personal favorite was the steel cage cock fight...

11. Answered the really tough questions...

12. Juxtaposed Sunny San Diego with Snowy Pittsburgh...

And for all you music lovers, here's your weekly traditional Friday Morning Riffs post. Plus, be sure to check out all the songs myself and my fellow "DJs" (Tec and Sheena, mostly) selected pursuant to the theme, "Songs involving days of the week." Bay City Rollers, FTW!

Show should be up and fabulous by Noon-ish tomorrow, depending on how much Tec and I drink at Matt's show tonight (Huckleberry Bar, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, 10 PM, get on it). Liveblog? Right now I place it at about an 80% chance. It's obviously more than likely, but as Anthony Smith could tell you...


Be safe out there, kids. Nobody's drinking.

Tomorrow, this shit is on.

Here we go, Steelers! Here we go!

Happy Thanksgiving, You Turkeys!

Well, here we are - just a mere 10 hours away from the day of the year on which we're all to give thanks for the things we value the most. And since for many of us, one of those things is the Steelers, I thought it'd be fun to ask some of my Steelers-loving blogger brethren to give a little thanks of their own in advance. So I asked as many of these friends as I could if they'd be interested in expressing one thing they're happy for in relation to the Steelers this year. And luckily, many of them were gracious enough to do so. You'll find all their answers below.

Before we get to that, I'd just like to thank everyone for doing this. I know, as the editor of a blog I often struggle to keep up with, that blogging on your own site is enough without someone else asking for your help on their blog. So I'm very grateful that all of these OFTOT friends took the time out to give thanks in anticipation of tomorrow's graciousness.

Without further ado, I give you, the Steelers blogosphere's Thanksgiving thanks...feel free to give us your own in the comments!

DON, Mondesi's House ~ If this year has taught me to be thankful for anything, it's to be thankful for Daniel Sepulveda.

THE CHIEF, The Chief's Forum ~ I'm thankful for Mike Tomlin actually showing some emotion on the sidelines this year instead of "The World's Most Understanding Coach" which is what he resembled last season. I've no idea how much that plays into the performance of the team but after 15 years of Cowher, you can't quit cold turkey (get it!?!?!)

VERN, You Lay On The Ice Like A Broad ~ I'm Steelers-y thankful for a few things. First, I'm thankful that although he's absorbed a pounding that would make the chick from the Houston 500 Gangbang cringe, Benjamin H. Roethlisberger is still able to walk upright and throw footballs with enough velocity for the receivers to drop them. H. is probably not his middle initial.

I'm thankful that although they've played like absolute garbage offensively for long stretches of time, they are still 8-3 and reside in a division that contains the likes of the Bengals and Browns. I'm also thankful that James Harrison focuses his energy towards football and not systematic mass murders.

I'm thankful that Ray Lewis is in the division, but not on the team that I cheer for. Ray Lewis is such an easy target, just like the two people he stabbed to death a couple years ago. But having to root for Ray Lewis would be the equivalent of being forced to cheer for the Trail of Tears. We are all lucky that we don't have to wish for this douchebag to do good things for our team, which would probably kill all of the enjoyment we'd be getting from the game to begin with. And remember, Ray, just because you broke Rashard Mendenhall's shoulder with a good hit doesn't mean that your team won the game and you didn't kill two people and get away with it.

I'm thankful that as of right now, I do not fear the (almost) annual Bill Cowher playoff collapse.

I'm thankful that I never got stopped in a park by Kordell Stewart.

And last but not least, I'm thankful that the Steelers are going to be given the chance to go into Gillette and shave Bill Belichick's balls. I'm just assuming that's Gillette slang for blowing somebody out. It's gotta be. I'll take on any arguments to the contrary.

Happy Thanksgiving, all! Let's celebrate this day the way the Pilgrims did and not give the indians smallpox blankets for a day. And it's finally nice out in Florida, so enjoy your snow while I'm out poolside spitting weak game at chicks so out of my league that I feel like an Arena League team.

TECMO, Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Ponies ~ I'm thankful that Anthony Smith hasn't opened his mou...

...that Brett Keisel hasn't been injur...

...that Ben hasn't thrown a bunch of intercepti...

...that Rashard has contribut...

...that Dennis Dixon has been on the field to confus...

...that Arians hasn't looked incompet...

...uh...that we're 8-3 through 2/3 of the "toughest schedule in 25 years."

Yeah...that one.

SEAN, Sean's Ramblings ~ I am thankful that no Steeler took naked photos of himself of this year (at least I think it wasn't this year). On a more serious note, I am thankful that the Steelers resigned James Farrior this year. While Harrison, Woodley, Aaron Smith and Troy get all the headlines, there is not a more solid and consistent person to lead the defense than Farrior.

NEAL COOLONG, Behind The Steel Curtain ~ I'm thankful for the fortune of being able to watch the NFL's best athlete, Troy Polamalu, each game. He does things on a game-per-game basis that makes me renew my loyalty to the NFL as my only source of pure entertainment. I'm thankful for the fact we get to see a once-in-a-generation player on our team.

SHEENA BEASTON, Sheena Beaston ~ I give thanks for Jimmy Harry's sweet behind and his incredible ability to leap, even when not necessary.

And me? I'm just thankful that Tommy Maddox is safe and sound, far far away from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, jagoffs! Have a beer and stuff yourself silly for me! I'll see y'all on Friday(?) And please, no one make the joke about sticking your dick in the mashed potatoes. This is NOT that kind of party...

Cheers!

Bruce Arians' Ivory Tower?

“There are articles on firing me today,” the Steelers offensive coordinator said with a subdued chuckle. “That’s just part of the territory. It goes with quarterbacks and offensive coordinators.”

The photoshop is weak, I know. But what do you all make of this quote from Arians?

WHO Needs Protection?

Boy, it's a shame he knows so much about preventing unplanned pregnancies and STDs and not enough about making Offensive adjustments. Then, we might actually have something! Anyways, these ears have heard whispers that Tomlin had a little chat with Arians sometime in the past couple of days, the net of which was...

"Get your shit together. This Offense is not working. And you're pissing everyone off."

I'm paraphrasing, of course. And in the interest of full disclosure, I've yet to actually see this reported anywhere in print. So I can't really attest to it's validity. But who needs validity? This is a friggin' blog! Nonetheless, if true, I think Tomlin and I are aligned on this one...as I imagine most of you are as well.

You know, it's funny. I used to try and defend Arians.

"Come on, you guys. He's somewhat new to this team. We gotta cut him some slack. Besides, he went to Temple. That automatically means an extra three months of 'getting up to speed.'"

But I'm over that shit. Last week was brutal. This week made me sicker than that two year old smiley cookie I consumed. If left unaddressed, I fear that next week I just might smash something.

Listen up, Arians. You fool. I'm sure you know full well how to call plays. Quit jaggin' around and use that gray matter you've got occupying the otherwise vacant space between your ears. You know the score here. The line can't pass block for more than 3-5 seconds, we're so desperate for a healthy running back that we've brought back the closet shitter. And Ben likes to think he can outrun eight dudes on every play. What's so difficult to plan for? You know what happened, yes? Yes? Did we steal your Frosted Flakes or something? Come on, man. Dick LeBeau is keeping his end of the bargain. So what's the deal?

Either way, should you decide NOT to alter the gameplan Sunday against Jacksonville Jagoffville, here is a list of potential consequences...

1. Spend a night as Greg Lloyd's sparring partner
2. Serve as Jeff Reed's bathroom photographer during the bye week
3. Get traded to Cleveland
4. Wash Larry Zierling's dirty undies for the next six months
5. I hear Steely McBeam needs a designated driver

And that's just off the top of my head. We've still got three days 'til gameday. Don't make me get creative.

So now that you've heard what I have to say, I'd love to hear you all wax philosophical about all this...what say you, friends?

Now, on a completely unrelated note, today's is my buddy Drew's birthday. So I'd like to take a moment and wish this jagoff a Happy Birthday. Drew is a good friend, rarely seen 'round these parts, but for one Meeting People Is Easy a couple of weeks back. This is mostly because he can hardy remember to get his picks in by Sunday at Noon, let alone the URL of this blog. Besides, he's an Eagles fan. Nevertheless, Drew, Happy Birthday, you sloppy mess! Drink a few 10 for me, brotha! Oh, and lest ye think ye can escape this blog's ire...

I can't tell you how hard it was to photoshop a party hat on that massive cranium of yours. Seriously, that's a big head, dude...

...That's what she said.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Ok, I'm done now.

I promise.

This is really the end.

Why are you still reading?

Howmuchwoodcouldalamarrwoodleychuckchuckifalamarrwoodleychuckcouldchuckwood...

What's up now?

This Wednesday's PSA Brought To You By Bruce Arians...

"You always open yourself up for criticism and evaluation when you are unsuccessful. We don’t worry about that element of it. We focus on winning, because when you win you don’t have those questions."

- Mike Tomlin

Ok, we've had a couple of days now to rid ourselves of some of the sting from Sunday's embarrassment. Hopefully everyone has begun to put it behind them and focus their attention on Monday's game against Miami. But whether you have or not, I've got a hot button issue I'd like to discuss with you all this morning - Bruce Arians. Specifically, I've noticed a lot of buzz this season, mostly after the three losses (can't imagine why), suggesting that when things go wrong, it's all Bruce Arians' fault...So what I'm trying to figure out is - is this true?

CAVEAT: Let me make sure I say this upfront - I personally am not sold on Arians as this teams "Offensive Guru." Nonetheless, I'm hesitant to blame all of the offensive woes on him, for reasons I will discuss below...

In terms of offensive play calling, Arians is certainly the natural person to blame. And from a broader perspective, everyone wants to hold someone culpable when things go wrong, so who better than a guy who is not the untouchable Head Coach, nor Pittsburgh's defensive darling Dick LeBeau? But are we blaming him more because we NEED someone to blame? Or because he legitimately made all the wrong decisions?

Let's talk about one of the grossly understated positives that Arians offers - his rapport with Big Ben. After The Whis left it became abundantly clear to all of us that he and Big Ben had not exactly been famous friends. From what I gathered, Ben didn't appreciate being dictated to and thought he should have had more of a say in what plays did/did not get called. So in this vein, as soon as Arians took over back in May, he told Ben - "This is not my offense. From now on this is your offense."

Accordingly, under Arians, Ben now participates fully in the game planning, attending sessions on Mondays and Tuesdays and is encouraged to tweak the plans as he sees fit. A copy of the final draft is even faxed to Ben's house on Tuesday evenings. This all has helped amount to a great dynamic between the two, which in my opinion is essential to the team's success. Even more importantly though, it has vaulted Big Ben into a position as leader of the team. With The Bus and Peezy gone, the only voice left in the locker room is Ben's, which in turn makes him more responsible for how the team fares. And it's showing...

Also, Arians is a former QB (Virginia Tech), and was Peyton Manning's 1^st NFL QB coach in Indy from '98-'00. So his knowledge of the position and how to approach coaching it is relatively credible. Of course, on the flipside - more recently he was responsible for holding the Cleveland Browns offensive reins from '01-'03 before joining the Steelers, a job which could certainly be picked out as evidence of his inadequacy. Especially considering he was FIRED after two seasons...But really, what Offensive Coordinator could have been successful with Tim Couch (and no one else)?

Overall, Arians' approach with Big Ben has clearly helped the young QB mature. Through 10 games, Ben has already eclipsed most of the numbers he put up in his 1^st three seasons - tossing the rock for 2215 yards, 23 TDs, and holding the 2^nd spot in the league in terms of QB rating (behind only Tom Brady). So I don't know that any of us have much room to complain about Arians' impact on Ben and the Offense in the grand scheme.

One could definitely point to Ben and the receivers (as some of the best and brightest in Steelers blogging have - See Related Reads) for some of the sacks suffered against the Jets Sunday, but to be completely honest, I think the miserable Offensive Line should be brought to bear the brunt of our overarching frustrations. They consistently let even the worst of Defenses get to Big Ben, and in fact have allowed him to be sacked 30 times and hurried innumerably more. I've mentioned the sack factor before, but let me reiterate again - after Sunday's 7 Jet sack extravaganza, only one QB in the league has been knocked down more - Jon Kitna in Detroit (who only has 13 TDs, but 11 INTs). In fact, half of that 30 total came solely from three games - Arizona (4), Denver (4), and the Jets (7). This has become such a detriment that Tomlin has even made it the #1 priority for improvement. Bottom line - It's tough to be effective either running or throwing the football when you have no blocking or protection. Maybe if our Offensive Line Coach spent more time coaching and less time watching/forwarding internet porn, we could show some progress in this area...just saying.

So what do you all think? Is Arians doing an ok job? Should we be worried about his viability long term? Is he helping improve the offense or impeding our success? Love to hear your thoughts...

PS - I know it's extremely hard to see, but that poster above reads:

"Remember, a good defense is essential to winning in football. The same is true when it comes to preventing unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases."

Bruce Arians is so publicly conscious.

RELATED READS:
Sacks Leave Steelers Offense Sunk [Fanhouse]
Can the Steelers protect their quarterback? [Post-Gazette]
Can Faneca Help This Struggling Offensive Line? [Behind The Steel Curtain]
Offensive Line and Special Teams Amount to Fatal Flaws [DC Steeler Nation]
What We Learned, Jets [NFL From The Sidelines]

These Are NOT Your Father's Pittsburgh Steelers...

The theme of the day is acceptance. Acceptance and embrace of the NEW Pittsburgh Steeler offense. Not that it's all that new. Most of us remember a similar foray in 2003, with a man once known as Tommy Gun running the show. But as Steel City Insider Adam Gretz notes, do not make the mistake of thinking that this year's Steelers are anything like the 2003 Steelers. Tommy Maddox is no Ben Roethlisberger. Amos Zeroue is no Willie Parker. Plus, now we're working with Tight End Heath Miller, and most importantly Wideouts Santonio Holmes, Cedrick Wilson, Nate Washington, and Willie Reid (also of course Hines). So no, this offense is nothing like that offense. We should be ready for this change. We saw how the Steelers shocked everyone by throwing the ball during the 2005 playoffs en route to a Super Bowl victory. Our personnel is only better now, with Willie becoming an established back and the additions of burners Santonio Holmes and Willie Reid. The future is bright for the Steeler offense under Bruce Arians.

And also, don't kid yourself in thinking we aren't going to run the ball (not that any of you are necessarily). The Steelers will always run the football. It's ball control, a big part of winning games. But with an offense that threatens the long pass at any moment, things can really open up for the running game, especially with Willie Parker coming out of the backfield. If you think 213 yards in one game is where he stops you're deluded. It's not out of the question that Willie could break his own record this year if the circumstances are right. Plus, with Carey Davis or Gary Russell, we have our traditional between the tackles back. Sure, we're hoping Najeh will be able to be successful at this too. But I'm just being realistic with my expectations. Najeh hasn't shown us that he is much of a threat, and I personally would love to see Davis or Russell take over the 2nd back duties at some point this season.

So as you watch the game this evening (that is if you're lucky enough to be in the 'Burgh and not have it blacked out) try and wrap your head around how great the Steelers can be this season with a new approach. It may be hard to digest since the Steelers have pretty consistently played the same "pound the rock" game of football for the duration of their 75 year existence. But don't let your love for the past cloud your vision of the future. Does it really matter how the Steelers win so long as we're winning? We'll still get our running game, but we'll also get some fireworks from the passing game. I envision a lot of excitement from Big Ben, Santonio, Ced, Nate, Willie Reid and Fast William Parker. God I love Steeler football. Why can't it be September 9 tomorrow?