Wake Up Dicks, We Got A Game to Play...

"I'll tell you what, if you can find someone in this locker room to tell you they want to take a break, come tell me. Come tell me."
- Alan Faneca

"On top of that, it's Baltimore. That's one of our biggest rivals. They had a lot of comments they said after the first game that didn't sit too well with a lot of guys in this locker room."
- James Farrior

"I don't care for them much. There are some guys on that team I just don't like and they don't like me. It works good in that environment."
- Max Starks

The Patriots are undefeated. Might as well concede the playoffs...

I mean, we have a game against the Ravens today...let's chat.

It's The Final Countdown...

Enjoy that game tonight folks! "See" you tomorrow...

REFERENCE MATERIAL:
Pats Return to Scene of Crime for Finale [Associated Press]

You're A Good Man Charlie Batch...

"I felt good about this football team, and the more I got to work with them I started to feel better and better. I am not surprised by any stretch. I am not satisfied, either. We have more work to do."
- Mike Tomlin

Alright ladies (that's right, you heard me), here's the deal - Cotter had to get a haircut and drink a couple of well deserved beers last night, so he had less time for things like, oh, you know, editing this post and shit. So bear with me if this thing ends up making little to no sense. It's been a long season, I'm trying to make time for the important things in life. Like scoring severe style points, and well, drinking beer.

Moving on...

First things first - if you're a serious Steeler fan, you may already know this, but...guess who just signed Chidi Iwuoma? No, not the Steelers...The Tennessee Titans. Interesting that they sign a former Steeler on the eve of the playoffs in which they just might be playing the Steelers. Ok, let's face it, we know they really signed him because he's a solid Special Teams performer and you can never have enough of those (ahem ahem, Bob Ligashesky...). But I guess this means he's probably not coming back to Pittsburgh anytime soon...damn.

Next, by now you should be aware that it was all but made official yesterday - Big Ben shall not play this Sunday, nor shall Marvell Smith. Ben is still a little less than 100%. However, the move to sit him is more a precautionary measure than anything else. Marvell's exclusion, on the other hand, is just a bit more serious. Marvell underwent surgery yesterday to repair a disc problem in his back. And while the team is saying they're "cautiously optimistic" that he could return by the AFC Divisional Round, I wouldn't put any money on it.

Now here's where normally on a Friday I would talk about what the Steelers SHOULD do to win Sunday's game. However, being that this game is effectively meaningless, I strongly considered not doing that this week...and then after about 5 seconds I reconsidered. So without further ado, here are some things the Steelers SHOULD do this weekend. And keep in mind, we're seriously compromising the integrity of the exercise here...so lower your expectations...

OFFENSE

• Show Us Some Future Potential ~ And by this I mean show ME what #3 RB Gary Russell can do. In case you missed it in the comments section of yesterday's post - I'm pretty interested in seeing how Russell can perform in a regular season game. At Minnesota, he was poised to become the starter after an 1100 yard, 18 TD season (12 games at least) in which he shared ball carrying duties with Laurence Maroney. Then he failed out or some dumb shit like that, thus never getting a chance to prove what he was fully capable of as the undisputed #1. All I'm saying is he looked good in preseason and I like his college record (playing, not studying), so he could just inject some added interest into this otherwise marginal game. Hear that Tomlin - Gary. Russell. Sort it out...


• Try and Find a Rhythm ~ As of late, the Steelers Offense has really come together. Last week, albeit against the Rams, the Steelers only punted twice. That's two times out of 10 drives. And of our 41 points, 35 were off touchdowns. That's what I call being effective, and that's the kind of rhythm I'd like to see going into the post season. Of course this is probably a moot point since the majority of our starters will be spending a significant portion of this game on the bench. But I gotta write something...I guess...


• That's All I Got... ~ No, just kidding. Um, last point -- Offensive Line, I know this is a lot to ask and there's little to no chance of it happening, but could you please try and maybe pass block, like even a little bit. Especially you Sean Mahan and Willie Colon, we'll all be watching. Larry Zierling, put Shiteaters.com away and do some coaching. Tell these assholes to use that size for something other than making dents in the turf with their backs. Sort it out.

DEFENSE

• Show Us Some Future Potential ~ Remember Lawrence Timmons? LaMarr Woodley? They were our top 2 picks in last years draft. But while other 1st and 2nd round picks like Patrick Willis are out making the pro bowl and creating nightmares for opposing offenses, these guys have been gathering splinters from riding the bench. No, it's not their fault they haven't been starting or getting large chunks of playing time (nor should they be with Silverback, Foote and Farrior around). But so far, Timmons' claim to fame has been the infamous Ricky Williams stomp and Woodley has been promising yet restrained. I'd like to see one or both of these guys get some decent time Sunday and maybe see if they can generate a pass rush. Because we all know Clark Haggans ain't taking care of business.


• Calling All Pass Rushers ~ Jonathan Ogden or not, the Ravens O-line ain't exactly awful. They're at least half decent, I'd say. So this just might be some good practice for the likes of Silverback, Farrior and Foote (maybe even los Rookies, see above). IF the aforementioned, any of them, see decent playing time, I'd like to see them spend it in the Ravens backfield, chasing down and tackling Troy Smith. Smith is neither fast like Vince Young, nor strong like Big Ben. So this shouldn't be quite the tall order it might normally be. Bottom line - we got ONE sack last week. This week let's try and build on that. Let's go for...uh, two sacks. Hey, lack of success = modest goals.


• Stop. The. Run. ~ I'm not trying to mask this with any clever language, just, stop the god damned run. The Ravens are starting their #3, Musa Smith. He's no slouch, but he's certainly no Fred Taylor or MJD. The Steelers ought to be able to shut him down. OUGHT TO be able to...This is the last chance Kirschke, and Eason will get to exhibit their best Aaron Smith impressions before the playoffs. So I expect them to use it accordingly. Or Ryan McBean, whoever. Hey, maybe McBean might even do the job well. Maybe we SHOULD give him a shot. Anyways, the run - stop it. Thanks.

Well that was borderline painful. Hopefully you're still with me and not cursing me for wasting your valuable time.

Look, if we can gain anything from this game - I say it's that we take Bart Scott up on his offer to give Larry Foote the key to beating the Patriots. We all might know what that key is, but judging by what we saw three weeks ago in Foxborough, the Steelers don't.

Let's face it, we just have to get through this game, hope for a win, try not to get anyone hurt, maybe try and establish a little rhythm and generally make sure our team is in good shape for next week's Wild Card game against either the Jags, Brownies or Titans. That's all.

So guys, what do you think we SHOULD be looking for Sunday? Who will you be watching? Are any of you planning on going to this game? And of course, the real question - Will the Browns put Brady Quinn in for the season finale? I, for one, will be waiting on the edge of my seat to find out...

PS - We WILL be doing the weekly gameday discussion session this Sunday, despite the fact that this game is pretty lackluster. Come join us as we discuss the game, the playoffs and maybe even Mini Ponies...if Tec shows up that is.

PPS - Just because I can, here's a picture of Brian Billick as Robocop...


REFERENCE MATERIAL:
Arians Won't Change Plan for New Players [SteelCityInsider]
Big Ben Expected to Sit Sunday [Post-Gazette]
Smith Has Back Surgery - Return Unknown [Post-Gazette]
Ravens' Scott Changes Tune [Tribune-Review]
Some Ravens Fans Throwing In Towel [Baltimore Sun]
Buy Ravens Tix [Craigslist - Baltimore]
Troy Smith: Bring on The 3-4 [Baltimore Sun]
Davenport Focused On Chance As Starter [Post-Gazette]

Brian Billick Has A Whole Bag of "Sh" With Your Name On It...

"Looking at the Ravens, they are a rival of ours. I know they have fallen on some tough times, but you can throw records out of the window when we play Baltimore. They’re going to play to win, we’re going to play to win."
- Mike Tomlin

Yep, there's no better division, full of heated rivalries, than the AFC North. Whether it's Bengals-Browns, Ravens-Bengals, Steelers-Ravens, etc., you pretty much know it will be a hard fought game. Normally that is...

However, as far as this Sunday's matchup goes - the Steelers have already won the division, and since the only way to clinch a #3 seed is for the Chargers to lose against the Raiders while we beat the Ravens, this game does not really mean much more than division bragging rights. That's enough for the Ravens no doubt, but for the Steelers, some of whom are literally limping into the post season, it might be hard to justify throwing them out there against a physical team like the Ravens, who will be on a manhunt. I guess what I'm saying is - I'd like to win this game, but I'd prefer to try and do it without Big Ben, Troy Polamalu, Marvell Smith and anyone else who is still nursing a shoulder or an ankle or a back, etc. etc.

And honestly, it wouldn't exactly be an unfair fight to put our #2s out there against the Ravens. Mostly because, just like many of the teams with losing records in 2007, the Ravens come into this weekend's game with a laundry list of injuries. In actuality we'll be facing a lot of their #2s and in some cases, #3s. The full Ravens injury report looks like this:

Steve McNair - Out (IR)
Kyle Boller - Out
Willis McGahee - Out
Mike Anderson - Out (Maybe - Limited in practice)
Demetrious Williams - Out (Though I hear he's "intent" on playing)
Michael Clayton - Out (Maybe - Did not practice)
Todd Heap - Out
Quinn Sypniewski - Out
Daniel Wilcox (#3 TE) - Out (Maybe - Did not practice)
Jonathan Ogden - Out (Maybe - Limited in practice)
Kelly Gregg - Out
Trevor Pryce - Out (IR)
Ray Lewis - Out
Chris McAllister - Out (IR)
Samari Rolle - Out (IR)

And the list may go on, I don't even know. Maybe even Brian Billick is injured...errrr, nevermind, I forgot - Brian Billick is impervious to all conventional weapons.

Injuries aside, the Ravens are pretty much who we think they are - anemic offense and bruising defense. After starting the season as the defending AFC North champs and amassing a 4-2 record through their 1st six games, the Ravens have dropped EVERY LAST ONE of their last NINE games, which brings them home to BMore this Sunday a disappointing 4-11.

It's hard to compare us to them given the troubles they have had this season, but I'll do it anyway, because (a) I'm a dick, and (b) This is just what I do on Thursdays and god forbid I break routine. Check out the numbers below and we'll talk a little more after.

OFFENSE
Rushing Yards: BMore ~ 1617 (#18) | Pit ~ 2122 (#3)
Passing Yards: BMore ~ 3137 (#23) | Pit ~ 3200 (#20)
Total Yards: BMore ~ 4754 (#23) | Pit ~ 5322 (#10)
Points Scored: BMore ~ 248 (#25) | Pit ~ 372 (#8)


DEFENSE
Rushing Yds. Allowed: BMore ~ 1222 (#2) | Pit ~ 1258 (#3)
Passing Yds. Allowed: BMore ~ 3522 (#18) | Pit ~ 2896 (#4)
Total Yards Allowed: BMore ~ 4744 (#6) | Pit ~ 4154 (#1)
Points Against: BMore ~ 363 (#24) | Pit ~ 242 (#3)

So...the Ravens Offense...uh, what Offense? Previously, this is where I would have mentioned Willis McGahee, the threats he presents and maybe even Steve McNair or Kyle Boller and the treats they present, but none of those guys are playing on Sunday. In their respective places will be a tandem of Smiths - Musa at RB and Troy at QB. On top of that, without Todd Heap and Demetrious Williams to throw to, or Jonathon Ogden to block, things might be pretty tough for the Smiths and the rest of the Ravens Offense. Still, Todd Collins has the Redskins on a roll so I guess anything's possible...and plus, we know that even the Ravens 3rd stringers would love to beat the Steelers and contribute to keeping them from securing a #3 seed for the playoffs. So I'm not counting the Ravens O out by any means.

Anyways, the Ravens Defense...well, it's the Ravens Defense. Ray Lewis or not, these guys are going to be hungry and looking for any opportunity to HIT us HARD. Bart Scott (the Mad Backer) and Terrell Suggs (T-Sizzle) are probably already salivating at the idea. Fittingly, those two, along with Safety Ed Reed are going to be our biggest "worries" on Sunday. But beyond them, the Ravens D Line is down 2 of 3 starters and the secondary is down 2 of 4. Bottom line - no point risking Big Ben's health putting him out there against guys who have nothing more to play for than spilling blood.

Overall, like I've already said - really, this game means nothing. Even if we were to win and San Diego was upset by Oakland, giving us the 3 seed, we'd still have to play against the best (you know who I'm talking about) if we have any hopes of winning the ultimate prize. So I personally am fine with the #4 spot. Bring on the Jags.

What do you guys think? Does it make sense to rest the starters? Are you worried about what's left of BMore's defense? Do you think Troy Smith does a good mini-me impression?

Oh, and speaking of - in case you're wondering where Mini Me is in the image above...see below.


REFERENCE MATERIAL:
2007 Ravens Stats [Pro-football-reference]
More Ravens Stats [ESPN]
2007 Steelers Stats [Pro-football-reference]
Ravens Injuries [ESPN]
Steelers Will Go For #3 Seed [Steelers.com]
Tomlin Outlines Injuries, Baltimore Game Plan [KDKA]
Motivated? For Ravens? Steelers Say No Problem [Associated Press]

Something To Believe In...

"He's a great quarterback, and I think what happened last year has just caused him to maybe put that much more [pressure] on himself to come out this year and play really well for this team."
- Brett Keisel

Happy Wednesday friends. Hope you all enjoyed your respective holidays! Today, it's back to work, and here at OFTOT, it's story time....

This past April, Domski and I were in Tampa, Florida visiting some friends, when we had a very interesting and puzzling experience. While we were out one night, we were talking with a Buccaneers fan who said something I'll probably never forget - he told us he would rather have Chris Simms under center than Ben Roethlisberger. Needless to say we tried to state our case to him, and point out that he just might be out of his mind, but he was not to be persuaded. He, like many, thought that Big Ben's "success" was never really all that great or even attributable to his abilities as a Quarterback. In short, he felt Ben was essentially one and done. Looking back now, I wonder if he has changed his mind...

Frankly, as we all know, there isn't much not to like about where Big Ben is at right now. 32 TDs, only 11 INTs, a 65% completion percentage, and his 1st trip to Hawaii all sound pretty good to me. Especially after a 2006 performance that included just 18 TDs, 23 INTs, a 59% completion percentage, a concussion, an appendectomy, and one giant bounce off the windshield of a Chrysler New Yorker (sans helmet). A classic Hollywood turnaround story if you will.

All the talk this year has been about Tom Brady, Tony Romo and Brett Favre. And rightfully so, I'm not taking anything away from any of them. BUT the fact is, Ben has thrown the ball 132 less times than Brady, yet only has 16 less TDs (ok so thats still a lot of TDs, but you get the idea), has thrown the ball 100 less times than Homo Romo, yet only has 4 less TDs (and 7 less INTs), and has thrown the ball 120 less times than Favre, yet has 6 MORE TDs (and 4 less INTs). Oh and PS - he has 1 MORE TD (and 3 less INTs) than the archetype QB himself Peyton Manning, despite having tossed the pigskin 95 less times. AND I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that he's been sacked at least twice as many times as any of the aforementioned. I'm not trying to say Ben isn't getting the respect he deserves (although he probably isn't). Honestly, I'm ok with him being under the radar. However, I AM trying to say that Ben IS deserved of any respect he does get.

Anyways, now that Willie is on IR, Najeh is the new head closet shitter tailback, and Verron Haynes is back, it seems apt to mention/reiterate that this is essentially Big Ben's game. I'm not saying Najeh can't play a pivotal role in this year's playoff run (let's hope it lasts long enough to call it a run). But to me, these games will hinge on Ben's ability to execute play action, throw the ball down the field, and at the same time, continue manage the game (as really they all ultimately do). Ben's come along nicely in the few short years he's been in the league. And this post season he is in an even better position than he was in 2005, when despite putting up one of the worst performances statistically, was still able to make enough plays to win Super Bowl XL.

So, playoff seeding? Doesn't really matter. Sunday's opponent? Doesn't really matter. Primary Running Back? Doesn't really matter. Regardless of where we ultimately end up, who we play on Sunday, and who's carrying the ball in lieu of Willie Parker, the bottom line is the same, Mike Tomlin has made that much clear -- The Steelers will play to win, and not just the next game - but the ultimate prize. And in doing so, Big Ben shall lead us, as he has all year.

Now I turn to you all - Do you believe in the godsend Big Ben? Will he step up in the clutch? Does he have more ability than we give him credit for? Will he ever start wearing a helmet? Let's discuss...

REFERENCE MATERIAL:
2007 NFL QB Stats [ESPN]
No Love For Parker, Roethlisberger [Blitzburgh Report]
Tomlin Worries Most About The Biggest Picture [Post-Gazette]
Steelers Still Face An Important Game [Associated Press]
Mike Tomlin Presser [SteelCityInsider]
The Steelers Make A Great Christmas Gift [SteelCityInsider]