Who's The Boss?

"We're not good enough to win right now, and that's what I just told that football team."
- Mike Tomlin

I don't mind having to play from behind. I don't mind losing a game. I don't mind calling a pass play to a receiver who isn't beyond the 1st down marker on 4th down in a last ditch effort to tie the game. However, I DO mind getting out muscled, and ran over in our own house. The Jaguars played OUR game today and they played it better than we could, against the NFL's somehow still #1 rated Defense.

Fred Taylor ~ 25 carries, 147 yards
Maurice Jones-Drew ~ 12 carries, 69 yards
Total Rush Yards Allowed ~ 224
Total Pass Yards Allowed ~ 197
Total Yards Allowed ~ 421
Jaguars on 4th Down ~ 3/3
Jaguars Time of Possession ~ 37:39

I'm not sure I need to write much else. That pretty much sums up the game. The Jaguars ran it. We couldn't tackle them. The Jaguars threw it short. We continued to play 8 yards off.

But perhaps most frustrating was the Jaguars final scoring drive of the game (which by the way reeked of Week 7 against Denver). We had just tied the score in truly dramatic fashion. All we needed was to stop the Jaguars Offense, get the ball back and go for the win. But 8 plays, 73 yards and only 3 minutes 49 seconds later, they were putting 7 up on the board and the Steelers hopes came down to a 2 minute drill. I understand that by that point in the game, the Steelers Defense had played a lot of football, but en route to their deathblow, the Jaguars ran the ball 5 out of 8 plays, netting 52 (of the 73) yards and the score.

I'm reminded of that line from the movie Boiler Room, how's it go again? - Oh yeah, "Always be closing." The Steelers Defense let the Jaguars Offense run this game (pun intended) and close it out the same way they drew 1st blood. Plain and simple.

Bright spots? Sure there were some...

1. Willie Parker is Fast ~ FWP, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...all 1317 of them. Willie is holding firm as the categorical #1 among NFL backs. Now if only we could've given him the ball more...14 carries, 100 yards...that looks an awful lot like he was about 4 or 5 rushes away from breaking another big one. But alas...we like to throw the ball now...


2. The Hotrod Cashes In ~ Nate Washington caught a pass...a touchdown pass...go ahead, read that again, I still can't believe it either...


3. Some People Now Have Records They Did Not Have Before ~ Jeff Reed moved up to 3rd in Scoring All Time for the Steelers and Big Ben set the team record for Touchdowns in a season with 3 today and 29 on the year. As an also ran - Hines Ward inched 31 yards closer to the Steelers record for Receiving Yards All Time, and now only needs 42 more to reach that mark. Awesome... now, can the Steelers beat a playoff caliber team besides those named Cleveland or those from the NFC? Seriously...


4. The Dolphins Won Today ~ Congratulations. You guys suck, but at least you beat the Ravens (of all people). Too bad Brian Billick cannot be killed by conventional weapons...Yes, you are correct. That had nothing to do with Pittsburgh...


5. One Down, One Up ~ I think that phrase usually goes the other way...oh well. Anyways, we may have lost Aaron Smith this week, but getting Troy back proved to be so much more pivotal than any of us had imagined. He led the team with 10 tackles today (7 solo) and generally showed us why he's the highest paid Steeler in team history. Which leads me to believe he may have been hurt earlier in the season and just didn't say anything. Either way, this is solid news and gives this defense a much needed boost. Plus the Steelers again have one excellent head of hair in the secondary...et tu Al Harris!

So look, this is not the end of the world. We're all disappointed (especially me) by this loss. But a win in St. Louis on Thursday, and in Baltimore on the following Sunday, and we can still take the division by way of our dominance over the Browns. Of course, no game is certain. And you better bet that if it comes down to the final game of the season, the Ravens would like nothing more than to play spoiler to the Steelers, as we did to the Bengals last season. Even still, I'm staying positive. We still have a great shot at the playoffs and then the season will start anew. After all, we were a wild card in '05, and look how that turned out.

Now it's your turn. As usual, I want to know what you all thought. What did we learn today? What are your thoughts on the Fred Taylor show? How about the Steeler fans leaving the game in the 3rd Quarter? Does Bruce Arians know we have the #1 running back in the NFL?

PS - In case you missed it, we had some great discussion going on during the game today. I will continue to do this every week. So please, join us. I'll bring the beers...and Domski will bring the Bartles & James wine coolers...

GAME RECAPS:
[Behind The Steel Curtain]
[Blitzburgh Report]
[DC Steeler Nation]
[Die Hard Steel]
[Doubt About It]
[Football Braniac]
[Joey Porter's Pitbulls]
[Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Ponies]

[Associated Press]
[ESPN]
[Post-Gazette]
[Tribune-Review]
[SteelCityInsider]

Commence Field Conditions Gameday Discussion...

Let's do this.

The Doctor Will See You Now...

A bit of a rip off that all I'm giving you on Saturday is an injury update. But hey, if you guys knew what kind of crap I was up against this weekend, you'd understand. Trust me...

Anywho - the injury update is actually rather significant on both sides for tomorrow.

As we all know, Ben returned to practice yesterday after missing both Wednesday and Thursday with a sore shoulder. He is listed as Questionable for Sunday, and while I mentioned yesterday that Ben is a fierce competitor and we should expect him to start, now I'm not so sure. If you watch KDKA's video of his throws in practice yesterday, he certainly doesn't look comfortable. Of course this may just have been because he was taking it easy. But he didn't have that rainbow throwing motion that you would expect. Plus, I hear Batch took a lot of the snaps again. So as of now, the jury's out. Or as Big Ben puts it - we'll have to "Ask Coach on that one."

For the Jagoffs Jaguars, it looks like in addition to Marcus Stroud, who was placed on IR earlier this week, they will be without DE Reggie Hayward (as previously reported) and LB Mike Peterson. Also encouraging, but always running the risk of being a cock tease are the Questionables for this week, which include - CB Rashean Mathis, S Reggie Nelson and DE Paul Spicer. If for some reason these three did not suit up on Sunday, that would make 5 less of their normal 11 starters we'd have to worry about, including 3/4 of the Defensive line and 1/2 the secondary. Of course, it's more than likely that they'll all play. But a man can hope. PS - no injuries for the Jaguars Offense...

Just a reminder - tomorrow I plan on posting an open Gameday thread so we can all bullshit with each other during the game...share in the ups...share in the downs...share our feelings on the current state of foreign affairs, wherever the conversation leads us. 'Til then, have a great weekend Steeler brethren!

Exit Sandman, Enter Prophet...

"The Jaguars and Steelers have been mirror images of each other for years, since Jacksonville entered the NFL in 1995 with the idea of building a team in the image of the Steelers."
- Ed Bouchette

"Good teams put it in the end zone."
-TJ DoucheHoushmanzadeh

First things first -- Anthony Smith is no longer The Sandman on One For The Other Thumb. He is now The Prophet. I had dubbed him "The Sandman" after the 1st Cincinnati game, when he deserved it. But after last week's shenanigans - Prophet. So for as long as we last this season, on Friday each week you'll see The Prophet preface my traditional Friday Morning Half Assed Analysis. Starting today.

Post begins...now.

The overall theme this week is reaffirmation. Reaffirmation of the Steelers ability to stop an Offense from marching down the field. Reaffirmation of their ability to be physical. And hopefully reaffirmation of their ability to score TOUCHDOWNS.

Regarding the latter, responsibility will largely be placed on the shoulders of Big Ben godsend. Although he sat out practice for the 2nd straight day yesterday, the team maintains that his shoulder is just sore and that it should not effect whether or not he plays on Sunday. And knowing Ben, I think we can all say we believe he wants to take the field and be the one to reaffirm our belief in said ability to score.

Before I get into the obligatory Friday "Llaves a Victoria" (Keys to Victory), there's a few milestones you should all be aware of that are in reach this weekend. So keep your collective eyes peeled for the following individual accomplishments:

1. Hines Ward needs 73 yards to overtake John Stallworth in Overall Career Receiving Yards
2. Big Ben needs 2 TD passes to tie The Blonde Bomber's single season record
3. Jeff Reed needs but ONE beer point to move into sole possession of 3rd place among the Steelers all time consumption scoring leaders.

Here's to hoping we'll be able to toast these accolades properly after Sunday's game...

And now, without further ado - below are a few things on either side of the ball that the Steelers should do to insure victory this weekend:

OFFENSE:

• 3 Points Ain't Gonna Cut It ~ What? You didn't see that coming? Yes, my first key to the Steelers Offensive success this Sunday or any Sunday for that matter is to SCORE TOUCHDOWNS. Field goals will help, but you need to be able to have the confidence that when your team gets beyond the 20, the 10, the 5 yard line, they're going to finish it off and get 7. We know they can do it. We just need to see it again. Now is the time to develop that Offensive rhythm to [hopefully] propel us into the playoffs. So again, note to Bruce Arians - Try not to get cute at the wrong time. Preferably the right time would be after the game when you're chatting up that chippy cheerleader...I see you BA...


• Two Words ~ Hines. Ward. Get him heavily involved in the passing game. We'll need a good amount of Santonio as well. But I'm envisioning the need for a lot of short passes to a guy who never disappoints. If you need a good pass play to pick up 10-15 yards, look no further. I'm a firm believer in if it ain't broke don't fix it, and Big Ben to Hines Ward ain't broke yet, so you do the math.


• Chicks Dig 3rd and 4th Down Conversions ~ Of course, ideally you don't have to deal with 4th down at all. But either way, when you get into 3rd and 1 and 4th and 1, you need to continue to keep those drives alive (mostly the 3rd downs but go with it). We did this very well against the Patriots. But the Jaguarsoffs Defense is just a hair better than the Pats...and by a hair I mean like a really [use your imagine on word choice] long hair. The Jags aren't going to fold like the Patriots would. This will likely mean Dump Davenport will need to come in and come up big in short yardage. Perhaps on the goal line, who knows. One way or another I'm seeing mucho Najeh. With maybe even a Heath Miller sprinkled in there for flavor...

DEFENSE:

• Trial By Fire ~ #1 objective on Defense is still STOP THE RUN. I talked about it yesterday, but let's not forget that once upon the 2000 season, Fred Taylor rushed for 234 yards on the Steelers. Of course, once upon the 2000 season Fred Taylor was 24 and had significantly less wear and tear. Nonetheless, he's still the #1 back for the Jags. He has earned our respect and we should plan to stop him accordingly. Fortunately or unfortuantely, much of this may come down to Nick Eason and/or Travis Kirschke and maybe a little Ryan McBean. I'm sure the Jags are privy to the news that Aaron Smith is no longer a concern on the Steelers Offensive Line, and they will be looking to fully exploit that fact. So Kirschke, Eason, McflyBean, whoever is assuming the position, please stop the Jaguars rushing attack at the line of scrimmage. We would be forever grateful. Thanks.


• Apply Pressure Liberally ~ They're either going to run the ball or pass short. Maybe a deviation here and there, but I'm not envisioning the game plan for the Jags becoming much more complex than that. So since we know that, make sure we're blitzing - getting penetration, and on the outside, pressing their receivers like we should've done against New England. They're some big dudes, but I'm pretty sure you can knock 'em off their routes and frustrate 'em just the same. Perhaps The Prophet would like to lend a hand...?


• This Is Football, Not A Tea Party ~ I feel like I use this analogy every week...probably because I do (someone please help me think of something else)...buuuuuuut -- Your balls are directly below your abdomen between those two things that help you run down the field. Now that you know where they are, try and use them. This was the single biggest problem I had with the game we played against the Patriots last week. We were playing flag football out there. Not hitting barely at all, let alone hitting hard, and generally not tackling well. Like I've said all week - this is going to be a physical game. If you're not ready to hit and be hit, you're not ready to win. So kick each other in the groin or something before the game. Remind yourselves what it's like so you do everything you can to avoid feeling like that after 60 minutes has expired.

And that's a wrap ladies and gents. At least that's what I think.

You guys have any thoughts on this game? What else should we be doing? Did you know that Fred Taylor is Santonio Holmes' cousin? And Troy Polamalu's Uncle is the Jaguars Running Backs Coach? Interestingly, Joey Porter and The Prophet are not related...weird...

PS - I plan on doing another gameday discussion thread here in case anyone wants to jump on and talk about the game while it's happening. Or we could talk about like Britney's new boyfriend and stuff...Your choice.

PPS - Everyone wish Cope well...in case you hadn't heard, he's in the hospital with pneumonia.

REFERENCE MATERIAL:
Rookie DE Gets His First Chance to Impress Steelers [Wexell]
McBean Ready [SteelCityInsider]
Polamalu On Track to Start [Tribune-Review]
Steelers-Jaugars What to Look for[WPXI]
No Guarantees, Predictions This Week [Associated Press]
Exam Time for Eason, Kirschke [Post-Gazette]
Big Ben vs. Jaguars, No Fond Memories [Post-Gazette]
Roethlisberger Takes Snaps At Morning Practice [KDKA]
Polamalu Matched Against Uncle [Associated Press]

David Garrard Has Great Protection...

"David Garrard at quarterback is playing extremely well for them...He’s big, he’s strong, and he’s mobile. We’ll have our hands full in regards of containing him."
- Mike Tomlin

Hopefully you're still with me and haven't clicked away from the page disgusted...Everybody still there? Ok.

We've got the Jagoffuars coming into da Burgh this weekend, and after last week's debacle, memories of the last two times we've played the Jags, and the news that we've lost Aaron Smith for the season, it's tough to be very confident about how the Steelers will fare. But I'll do my best.

Jacksonville, as we all know, plays a similar game to our Steelers. They like to run the football and play tough, physical defense. In fact, they're physical in just about every aspect of their game.

Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew are two backs that can punch you in the face just as quickly as they can dance around you. David Garrard is a 6'2", 240 pound mobile and efficient Quarterback who operates behind a pretty capable Offensive Line (see headline). And their Wide Receiving corps consists of the 6'4, 214 pound Reggie Williams who is clearly the biggest scoring threat of the bunch (and torched us last time for a good 95 yards), the 6'4", 223 pound Ernest Wilford who pretty much doesn't count except for the fact that he's a big dude, and the 6'6", 238 pound Matt "Big Red" Jones who also took it to the Steelers the last time we met (6 catches for 73 yards).

On Defense, take your pick. Although Jacksonville will be without starting DT Marcus Stroud (IR) and DE Reggie Hayward, two of it's top lineman, they've gotten a lot bigger play this season from guys like DE Paul Spicer, the team's sack leader with 6.5, and backup DTs Grady Jackson and Rob Meier. Plus, they've still got Rashean Mathis, the man who you all may remember iced the victory for them in our 2005 meeting (when Tommy Maddox tossed him the game, literally). And also they now have Sammy Knight at Strong Safety, who is leading the team in tackles with 70, despite pushing 70 in the age department (ok he's only 32 but still).

So yeah, this ain't exactly gonna be Tea and Crumpets out there. But after last week, my only hope is that the embarrassment in Foxborough has left the Steelers ANGRY and HUNGRY for a win. Hopefully this week we can try HITTING people instead of throwing our bodies around as if tackling meant falling all over ourselves while watching the guy with the ball run by us.

Now that we've gotten the poetry and prose out of the way, you might be asking - How do the Steelers and Jagoffsguars match up on paper? Well in keeping my Thursday routine consistent, I'll tell you. Read on, then we'll talk more:

OFFENSE:
Rushing Yards ~ Jax = 1870 (#2) | Pit = 1841 (#3)
Passing Yards ~ Jax = 2743 (#21) | Pit = 2765 (#20)
Total Yards ~ Jax = 4613 (#12) | Pit = 4606 (#13)
Points Scored ~ Jax = 305 (#10) | Pit = 309 (#8)

DEFENSE:
Rushing Yards (Allowed) ~ Jax = 1210 (#5) | Pit = 944 (#2)
Passing Yards (Allowed) ~ Jax = 3261 (#28) | Pit = 2464 (#3)
Total Yards (Allowed) ~ Jax = 4471 (#19) | Pit = 3408 (#1)
Points Against ~ Jax = 229 (#7) | Pit = 189 (#1)

So clearly our agenda this Sunday will be STOP THE RUN and PASS EFFECTIVELY. While this sounds all well and good, chances are it won't be that easy.

Even if we do stop the run, Garrard and this Offense we're facing is the dink and dunk kind of passing game that has been obliterating the Steelers all season (See Denver, Jets, New England). What's more, not only do they manage the game well with short throws and the run, but David Garrard has only thrown ONE interception on the entire YEAR! Now granted he missed three games in there. But the only other QB in the league that can come close to that is Jeff Garcia (who has also been injured) who has three picks. Of course the other side of that coin is that Garrard only has 13 passing TDs. So it looks like we've come full circle back to our original objective - Yep, STOP THE RUN. That will be the barometer for success on Defense against this beast.

On Offense, the objective is clearly to establish a passing game. The Jags are 28th against it (thought this could on a normal year easily be chalked up to the fact that they play the Colts twice). Most likely this will mean something similar to what we were forced into on Monday night against the Dolphins. However of equal importance is short yardage running. We can't completely avoid the run (unlike some recent opponents), nor should we. Willie Parker never got a rhythm going the last time we saw these guys. But with that depleted Defensive line of theirs, hopefully he will have a little more success this time around and at least crack 25 yards...yeah, you heard me.

Anyways, this will be a BATTLE. And I mean that in a greater sense than the last game against the Cheatriots. I mean this will be THE test of the year. Will the Steelers bring their balls this week? I sure hope so.

What do you guys think? Where can we gain the competitive edge? Do you think our front 7 can withstand that punishing running game? Will all 5'10" of DeShea Townsend be able to handle the Jags freakishly large receivers? Am I a complete screw up for photoshopping David Garrard's head on a Trojans package? What does that even have to do with this post?

Oh yeah, and the Jags also have cheerleaders, can't forget that:


REFERENCE MATERIAL:
Jacksonville 2007 Stats [Pro-Football-Reference]
Jacksonville 2007 Stats [ESPN]
Jags To See Steelers New Roethlisberger [Tribune-Review]
Jaguars Adjust Defensive Line [Tribune-Review]
Jags Benefit From Preseason QB Change [Tribune-Review]
Taylor Makes Late Push for Pro Bowl [FloridaToday]
Jaguars Cornerback Mathis Gets Some Rest [Orlando Sentinel]

The Jaguars Have Two Running Backs...

"They have two backs. Taylor of course, has a very impressive resume...Just had an 80-yard touchdown this past weekend, so nothing surprises me in terms of what he’s capable of. Jones-Drew is a great complement to him, does a lot of things well, can run inside, can run outside...and I think he’s got plus 25 career touchdowns already in less than two full seasons, so he is a big part of what they do."
- Mike Tomlin

Alright, so I take it we all heard the hot news by now - Aaron Smith is out for the season with a torn bicep. So going into a game in which we'll face not one, but two hard downhill runners, we'll be down one rock solid run stuffer. Shit.

But alas, while he'll be missed, all is not lost...

My question now is - Is this Tomlin's chance to give that 4-3 Defense a try?

LaMarr Woodley is scheduled to practice today, and played DE in college. Backup NT Chris Hoke is considerably better than both backup ends Travis Kirschke and Nick Eason. And Brett Keisel is actually kind of better suited for the 4-3. Not sure I want to sit Farrior or Foote right now, but still...

Of course, this week is out of the question. Even if we weren't facing one of the leagues more dominant rushing attacks, we don't have enough time to implement anything effectively. But just a thought to plant in your head. Smith's out for the remainder of the season. Will we see the Tampa 2 come to Pittsburgh once again? My guess is no, but hey, we gotta talk about something today, right?

Anyways, for those of you wondering, here's what the overall injury sitch looks like:

Aaron Smith ~ Being too much man
Willie Colon ~ Strained Vagina Calf Muscle (Will play)
Andre Frazier ~ Sore Loser Syndrome Groin (Will play)
Bryant McFadden ~ Ike Taylor Envy Ankle (Will play)
San Antonio Holmes ~ Ankle Sprain Weak Healing Abilities
Woodley and Polamalu~ Will practice today

In other news, here's an interesting tidbit - This guy has devised a formula for calculating a team's chances of making the playoffs and currently has the Steelers at a rather obvious 98.2%. But the real question is - Can he calculate when Brian Billick will finally be fired? That'd be really impressive...

And finally, in case you guys hadn't heard, Anthony Smith made a so called "guarantee" that the Steelers would beat the Patriots and then got picked on like it was high school and he was part of the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons crowd. If you missed it, these guys would be more than happy to tell you about it:

Smith says Patriots will see Steelers again [Associated Press]
Smith serves as Pats' motivational speaker [Fox Sports]
When facing the Pats, just shut your mouth [ESPN]
A-bombed [SteelCityInsider]

So that's all I got for now. Hopefully something remotely interesting happens today. Otherwise you guys might just have to wait until tomorrow to get anything worthwhile out of me.

'Til then talk amongst yourselves...I'll give you a topic - Consideration is not necessary to form a contract nor should it be. Discuss.

You Know Your Team Is Sucking When...

Sunday was a day for anger. Yesterday was a day for reflection. Today, my friends, is a day for laughter.

Since we got all that angst and aggression out of the way, I thought you guys all might enjoy something a little more light hearted today. A change of pace to further help forget our recent loss...and to wipe the palate clean for some Wednesday discussion about our impending battle with the Jags. Not to mention laugh about.

Now listen, my Mom's not going to be excited about this, but unluckily for her, she's the central figure in today's madness. If I've told this woman once, I've told her a thousand times - there are just some times when she cannot talk to me. Namely - before 10 AM on Saturdays and Sundays during Steeler football games. Simple rules, right? Not so simple for the Cotter Mom...

So when my phone started vibrating Sunday during the 3rd Quarter, I didn't even need to get it out...Just hit "Ignore" and turn attention back to the TV. Nevertheless, when I got out of the bar, I had a new voicemail. So I listened, and what I heard was that entertaining that I wanted to share it with you all. Made me laugh, and I hope it has the same effect on you.

Give a listen below...



I have no words. I'll await your responses...