We Dey.

"Hey, that's our job."
- Larry Foote (on crushing the Bengals playoff hopes)

Alright, it's late, I'm super tired and it's gonna be a long week. So let's make this fairly simple. The Steelers got a much needed win tonight to give us a two game lead in the AFC North, some reassurance that our offense is not completely worthless, another reminder of how dominating our defense can be, and some decent momentum to carry into this coming Sunday against the Patriots.

Again, for the 2nd time in the course of one week, it wasn't the prettiest, but as the old adage goes - "a win is a win." We did a lot of things well, but also some things not so well. Here's my not-so-authoritative list of positives and negatives:

BUENO

• Hines "Balls of Steel" Ward ~ 11 catches for 90 yards and 2 TDs. Oh an by the way, with the 2nd TD he passed John Stallworth for the all time Steelers record for scores with 64. I hear he even pisses slag. Bravo Hines, well done...


• Larry Foote, The OG ~ 4 solo tackles (6 total), the team's only sack, and a forced fumble that led to points. Seemed like every down Foote was chasing Carson Palmer. We knew it wasn't going to be easy to get penetration against that Bungle Offensive Line. But Foote helped do just enough to keep the pressure on. That'll do Larry, that'll do...


• Overall Defensive Nastiness ~ Only 249 total yards allowed by the NFL's top Defense in this win. They held Rudi Johson and Kenny Watson to just 57 yards on 19 carries, TJ Douchemanzadeh to just 42 yards on 5 catches, and Chris Henry to just 32 yards on 2 catches. Yes Ocho Cinco caught 6 balls for 86 yards. But he did not score, and generally did not have the impact he typically could have. And to top it all off, we covered extremely well and got enough pressure on Carson Palmer so that he only completed 17 of his 44 (!!) passing attempts.


• No Sacks on Big Ben!!!!! ~ Well worthy of five exclamation points. In fact, here's five more - !!!!!


• Good Ben ~ We'll start here because I think the man had a better game than we'll give him credit for. Ben's stat line = 21/32 for 184 yards and 2 TDs. Rarely does Ben have to throw the ball 30+ times in a game. But having done that tonight, I think he did OK. Not great. Certainly not flawless. But OK. Plus, again showing he fears no man, he got a ballsy rushing TD for our 1st points of the night. All in all an acceptable performance. I guess he can stay...

NO BUENO

• Bad Ben ~ The flip side of Big Ben's stat line = 2 INTs and his 2nd lowest passer rating of the season - 75.5 (72.9 low mark coming against the Cards). AND he consistently overthrew his receivers. As I said above, by no means did Ben play flawless. But I'm willing to overlook these foibles because we pulled out the win. Still, the Patriots will not let us off so easily. Just saying.


• Willie The Sure Handed ~ Oh wait, that's not right. 2 fumbles lost tonight for FWP. I don't know what to say about that. It definitely doesn't give me much confidence going into the biggest test of our season. Especially considering that aside from his two mistakes, he had 28 chances and could only amass 87 yards. These are just not FWP stats. Whatever his problem is he better figure it out. Willie - Like they said in the Disney classic DII: The Mighty Ducks, "You better get the damn magic..."


• Flag Me Again ~ 7 penalties for 37 yards. Not what I'd call mistake free. I'm alright with some of these. But Kendall Simmons - you asshole. What was the point of that meaningless display of machismo. Show that aggression on the next play. Not in between plays. Help us help you, man. Also, a 15 yard facemask penalty on Anthony Smith. Avoidable. A little more self-awareness might not hurt us...

Now, I admit. For the 1st time in weeks, possibly a month or more, I took in the game from the comfort of a table at the bar. So I didn't take any notes or pay particularly close attention to much of the game's finer points. Therefore I may have missed a few things.

So I ask you guys -- What did YOU think of the game? Good? Bad? Ugly (besides TJ Douchemanzadeh)?

PS - Hopefully this recap will not suck nearly as much after I've had a chance to scan the interwebs for more coverage and read over whatever it is that I just wrote...stay tuned. UPDATE: I read it again and I still don't know what the hell is going on here. Hopefully you guys understand me. Word.

GAME RECAPS:
[Behind The Steel Curtain]
[Blitzburgh Report]
[DC Steeler Nation]
[Die Hard Steel]
[Joey Porter's Pit Bulls]
[NFL From The Sidelines]
[NonStop Steelers]
[Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Ponies]

[Associated Press]
[Post-Gazette]
[SteelCityInsider]
[Steelers.com]

This Is Not Show Friends, It's Show Business...

"I've never gone to a place where fans go out of their way to make your life a living hell."
- Bengals Fan #1

"Pittsburgh is home to nasty, horrible, classless fans."
- Bengals Fan #2

So as I was making the rounds of this here world wide web this morning, I came across a topic struck me as particularly noteworthy -- My man Coolong over at Die Hard Steel found an interesting article in today's Cincinnati Enquirer (PS - pretty sure the word is "Inquirer" but I didn't name the thing...) about Steeler fans "reprehensible" behavior toward Bengals fans at Heinz Field.

This is actually the same thing I remember hearing the last time we played the Browns. The whole "classy" vs. "classless" argument. In fact, when that buzz was swirling, I remember some of my Steeler blogger brethren engaged the Browns fans quite readily, while I chose to let the scoreboard do my talking for me. Nonetheless, it really gets me heated when I read shit like this.

So let me get this straight - Steeler fans are dicks to opposing fans in their stadium but Bengal fans are perfectly cordial and inviting to Steeler fans at Paul Brown Stadium? Get a clue. I guarantee any Steeler fan that attends a game at PBS would get the same uninviting, tasteless taunting that a Bengal fan would get in Pittsburgh. This has nothing to do with Steeler fans in particular. Any fan who attends a game in an opposing team's stadium is bound to get shit on. What do you expect them to do - shake your hand and say "I hope we have a good game today?" It's FOOTBALL. This is a BATTLE. I won't belabor the point any further, but listen -- Do not think you're somehow being slighted if you're a Bengal fan at Heinz Field. It's not because you're a Bengals fan, and Steeler fans are not any worse than any other fan base. If you choose to travel to an opposing teams stadium, expect that you will catch some flack.

For christ's sake - if you think Pittsburgh is bad, what do you think it would be like in Philadelphia?

Reference Material:
Enquirer feature piece paints Steelers fans in negative light [Die Hard Steel]
A little Northern inhospitality [Cincinnati Enquirer]

And Now A Word From Coach Tomlin...

"Those division games are always big time games, particularly for us against the Bangles."
- Mike Tomlin

Did Mike Tomlin just call the Bengals, the Bangles? Maybe he meant to say Bungles, or Bingals, but the Bangles, that's a new one. You mean like the group of chicks from the 80's who sang "Walk Like An Egyptian?" I mean I guess if he's calling the Bungles a bunch of chicks with crazy hair and intentionally too much makeup, then I'm all for it. Ok, so this is more than likely just a typo (not mine, from the story - see link for yourself), but it'd be a whole lot funnier if it wasn't.

Ah but on to the real purpose of this post - to provide you all with some of the highlights of Tomlin's Tuesday press conference. I don't often pay much attention to these because the questions often tend to center around one topic that I often may or may not give two shits about (not to say that I never do though), but since I was bored at work and needed some blog fodder, I took a look at the PG's video (Highlight - Ed Bouchette's cell phone ringing 30 seconds into the conference) and read over some of the recaps out there (see below).

What I gained was a complete reaffirmation in my belief that Mike Tomlin is supremely wise and equally bad ass.

His thoughts followed by mine on some of the media's questions are below (in no particular order):

---

Q - Would you suggest an artificial turf?

Tomlin: We have to look at those options and we will. I’m not concerned about it right now. The field we have is the field that we have.

Cotter: As Coach Tomlin implied, this ain't gardening, it's football. The condition of the field will not affect our preparation and you guys asking about it non-stop isn't going to make the situation better any quicker. Next question.

Q - Do you believe the field is a great equalizer?

Tomlin: I try not to dwell on things we can not control, weather and field conditions being one of them...Your ability to deal with the unforeseen and your ability to deal with adversity defines you. How it’s created is irrelevant...Thankfully we were good enough last night to get a win.

Cotter: I'm sorry, is this a different question? I'm confused...

Q - What is the prognosis for the field?

Tomlin: You guys are really chewing on this field situation. It is football, man. It is an outdoor game....It created some adversity. We overcame it and found a way to win the game and we move on.

Cotter: Field Conditions? Are we talking about Field Conditions? You know what, I'm just going to throw out another topic, and you guys let me know if you're into it - we have a game on Sunday against the Bengals...

Q - Do you change the way you game plan for a game based on field conditions?

Tomlin: No.

Cotter: Banana Hammock.

Annnnnnnnnd, end scene!

Ok, that might have been a little TOO sarcastic and maybe a bit overdone, but I do it all in jest. Field conditions of course are important, as evidenced on Monday night, and the media is right to probe Tomlin for information. Consequently, I'm sure you'll all be interested to know that the players are lobbying to keep the Heinz Field grass, despite pressure to install artificial turf resulting from the other nights insanity...

---

That aside, some of Tomlin's more interesting/insightful comments were:

Q - You seemed to throw the ball more on the last drive that you scored on.

"We have a lot of belief in what Ben (Roethlisberger) is capable of in our no-huddle attack. Just because we go no-huddle doesn’t mean we are going to be pass happy. We generally have the belief that we are going to take what the defense is giving us...We have to be able to do a lot of things well if we want to move the ball well and be successful..."

Q - What do you think of Najeh as a short-yardage running back?

"He is one of the best in the league. His resume confirms that. I think that is the first time he has been stopped on a third-and-one all year...We look forward to getting him back on track in that area as we move forward this week."

Q - How difficult is it to stay fresh at this time of year?

"A lot of time people see the glass as half empty. I view it as half full. We are who we are. Maybe some of our weaknesses are evident, as is our opponents. The team that minimizes theirs and attacks the weaknesses of others has a chance to win. That is what we intend to do. Make no bones about that."

Q - Do you feel like the team is improving?

"I think we are. A lot of times it doesn’t show up enough on the scoreboard. It needs to show up enough on the scoreboard for you to win...I do believe we are capable of playing great situational football offensively; third-down, red zone and things that will be critical to us winning close games as we continue to move forward...We are starting to develop a personality and sure up some things on special teams...We are going to need every man and guys are getting valuable experience and showing that they are capable of making plays. As we move forward into December, everybody has to be capable of winning a football game for you and feel the gravity of that."

---

Now, MY thoughts on these topics go kind of like this:

Q - You seemed to throw the ball more on the last drive that you scored on.

I guess you could say that. We tried 3 run plays and 5 pass plays. So I actually think it was as balanced as we had been all night. The only difference being that we were actually executing a [relatively] successful drive and it resulted in 3 points.

Q - What do you think of Najeh as a short-yardage running back?

I'm not sold on him. I know Tomlin has a lot of faith in him but by my estimation he just hasn't been consistent enough running the ball or blocking. I think when we hand him the ball on 3rd and 1 and we need that 1st down, he better get it. The swing passes he gets every now and then are nice. They seem to work out well. But Willie Parker is meant to do the heavy lifting in our running game. All we ask of Najeh is to get the tough yardage on 3rd and/or 4th down. He needs to come through in those situations...more often than not.

Q - How difficult is it to stay fresh at this time of year?

Fortunately the Steelers have a lot of depth, which UNfortunately has played a decent sized role this season. I think Anthony Smith has done a great job filling in for Ryan Clark, and is developing well. I don't like his arrogance at times. I think someone might need to explain a little sportsmanship to him. But as a player, he hits like a ton of bricks and is tackling very well. Also, Tyrone Carter and Max Starks stepped up HUGE against the Dolphins, Lamar Woodley when healthy has contributed, Nate Washington and Cedrick Wilson have filled in nicely a couple of times, and even Willie Reid got into the game Monday, netting a much needed 1st down. So it's obviously tough, as we've seen with the rash of injuries all around the league this season. But fortunately we have the understudies to allow our starters to get healthy without having to rush them back.

Q - Do you feel like the team is improving?

Of course. We've had some set backs (See: Jets). But overall, the team has improved greatly over last season and I think we'll see as the weeks roll on, they will step up in the clutch and get the wins we need to clinch a playoff spot. There are still some points of contention, as there often are, Offensive line isn't what I'd call satisfactory yet and "Special" Teams is a head scratcher, but as a team I think the Steelers have shown that they are capable of going toe to toe with and being counted among, the leagues so-called "elite" teams.

---

So now that you've heard all Coach Tomlin and I have to offer on these subjects, how would you guys respond?


REFERENCE MATERIAL:
Tomlin Press Conference [SteelCityInsider]
Tomlin Hands Out Atta-Boys [Steelers.com]
Steelers Video: Mike Tomlin's Press Conference [Post-Gazette]
Crews Work To Improve Conditions At Heinz Field [KDKA]
Steelers Players Lobby Against Artificial Turf [Associated Press]

More Than One Way To Skin A Cat....

"It's the first time in a long time that we played a complete game. This is how we normally play. Too bad for us it hasn't come enough."
- T.J. Houshmanzadeh

Get set Steeler fans, because before you know it, it'll be Sunday and the Steelers will be set to do battle with the Cincinnati Bungles and the high flying Chad Johnson novelty show...These games just don't seem to be getting any easier, do they? Well, with the Patriots, Jaguars, and Ravens on the horizon, I guess we'd better get used to it.

As for the immediate game at hand -- Beyond the obvious division rivalry and ever-present potential for offensive fireworks, the other problem this game poses is the same that our past two have posed - Teams with nothing to lose are dangerous. Only for this one, factor an Offense that averages 25 points a game into the equation...

Cincy has all but ruled themselves out of the playoffs with a 4-7 record (or close enough), and they are currently tied with the Ravens for the bitches of the AFC North title. Add to that the memory of what we did to them last December 31, and I'd say they've got more than enough motivation to contribute to the Steelers loss column on Sunday.

That said, the will to win is one thing. Talent is another. And as much as I'd like to say otherwise, the Bungles have a good amount of it.

If you thought the Bungles Offense was good the last time we played them, you'll really love them now...with even MORE Offensive threats to scare us. Of course in saying this I'm referring to the triumphant returns of RB Rudi Johnson from injury, and WR Chris Henry from suspension/idiocy. Plus, the previously banged up Bungles Defense has gotten healthy enough to allow DE Robert Geathers to move back to his natural position...and while the Bungles D continues to be ranked among the bottom 10 in the league, it should be noted that they share this distinction with the last two teams the Steelers have played...

Realistically though, this is still a pretty Defensively-challenged team. So while we're on the subject, let's do a little side-by-side comparison, shall we?

Cincy vs. The League

• 7.36 Passing Yards Per Attempt | 7.96 Passing Yards Allowed Per Attempt
• 3.55 Rushing Yards Per Attempt | 4.4 Rushing Yards Allowed Per Attempt
• 4073 Total Yards For | 4098 Total Yards Allowed
• 282 Points For | 292 Points Against

What this basically means is that for every yard the Bungles have gained, their opponents have gained a little more than one, and for every time the Bungles have scored, their opponents have scored just a little more. Of course, this bodes well for the Steelers. But stats are stats, averages are but mere calculations. None can be any definitive indicator of what a team will do any given week (see Steelers v. Jets, Steelers v. Dolphins, Steelers v. Broncos...I could go on, but what's the use, you get the idea).

Nonetheless, principally, for the Steelers to be successful on Sunday, it'll take another big showing from the Defense. And if for the sake of our discussion, we base our expectations on how the Bungles performed against the Titans on Sunday (the logical thing to do), we have more worries than the last time we faced them.

Riding Rudi and Chad and Johnson's coat tails, last Sunday the Cincy running attack topped 100 yards (126) for just the 3rd time this season and contributed 2 scores, while Carson Palmer hooked up with his old friend Ocho Cinco for 103 yards and 3 scores (much to the chagrin of my fantasy team who going against him). Plus, the oft-incarcerated Chris Henry caught 3 balls for 41 yards, and Mr. Ponytail himself, T.J. Houshmazoo, caught 6 more for 77 yards. For those keeping score at home that's 210 yards between the three of them...and the Bungles cruised to a pretty routine 35-6 drubbing of the Tennessee Titans.

Of course the game prior to that wasn't exactly a paragon of perfection for them. Against the Arizona Steelers Cardinals, Carson Palmer threw 4 picks (2 of which were returned for scores), Ocho Cinco coughed up a fumble, and between Kenny Watson and Rudi Johnson, the Cincy running game could only muster 70 yards...which all led to a 35-27 loss.

So which Offense can we expect on Sunday? There's always a chance it'll be the one that showed up against Arizona. But we better be ready for the one that rolled over Tennessee. The Bungles know better than most that AFC North games exist outside the confines of normal week-to-week league play. These games mean more than any others on the schedule. Especially when they're played against the division leader. Hence, I think we'd be apt to expect the same explosive Offense that dismantled Tennessee.

But all this aside, there's still one constant -- they're eating that Cincinnati Chili out there. So I'm sure they're crazy as ever...Cinnamon in Chili..something is fundamentally wrong with that...seriously.

How about you guys? Are you worried about the Bungles this time around? Will the return of Rudi Johnson have any effect on the outcome? What are the odds that Chris Henry gets arrested before kickoff? Why do I always ask so many questions? Help me unravel this mess, please...

REFERENCE MATERIAL:
Big Ben - 9 | Ohio - 0 [Here]
I Hear 5-2 Is A Whole Lot Cooler Than 4-3 [Here]
Being Bad Never Felt So Good, AKA Cincinnati Preview Part I [Here]
Bengals 2007 Stats [Pro-football-reference]
Bengals Ground Attack Awakens [Cincinnati Enquirer]
Backermania [Bengals.com]
Bengals Sign LB Maxwell to Two-Year Contract [Cincinnati Wire Report]
With Playoffs Out of Reach, Bengals Start to Put It All Together [Associated Press]