PS Game 3- Steelers 12, Vikings 10

The third preseason game is always the most interesting. The starters typically play at least a half and the offenses tend to open up a bit more.

The Steelers/Vikings game Saturday night was one of the most interesting preseason games I have ever seen.
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Here are the likes and dislikes:

===Likes===

THE FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
-I thought they held Adrian Peterson in a big time way. He didn't have a single run over 6 yards.

BYRON LEFTWICH
-I thought Leftwich played great in the second half, leading the Steelers down the field to win the game.

JEFF REED
-Yet again J-Reed proved he is a big time kicker in this league, booting 4 FG's including the game winner from 47 yards (it would have been good from 60).

FANS
-Our fans stuck around til the end of a preseason game. Solid.

HALF OF MENDENHALLS GAME
-Despite the 2 fumbles, Mendenhall ran with power and speed.

COACHING
-I loved what Tomlin did at the end by doing a situational practice of a last-second FG attempt.

===Dislikes===

THE FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
-3 point in the first half. Willie Parker had a tough time and Big Ben was running for his life all night. Fortunately though, the Vikings defensive front is the best we will face this season... hopefully.

BIG BEN
-He looked a little out of touch with his receivers. He was able to use some good footwork to get out of some bad situations though.

NOT FINISHING
-If we would have finished our drives this would have been a blowout. Jeff Reed has 7 FG's in 3 games.

THE OTHER HALF OF MENDENHALL'S GAME
-2 fumbles really put the team in bad spots. He needs to learn how to run and wrap the ball at the same time.
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In closing, I want to talk about rashard Mendenhall a little more.

I thought this was the perfect game for 'Shard. Not only was he able to run hard and find holes, but he fumbled twice. The fumbles are a good thing. Here is why:

- It's better that he did it now instead of later. Who cares if we lose a preseason game.. it's about learning. Now Mendenhall can learn how to run and protect the ball better. He won't be able to overpower NFL players like he could at Illinois and now he knows that.

NFL 2008 Outlook (NFC)

I was going to do both divisions, but I didn't.


-West-

(Matt Hasselbeck says "Got Rings? I don't!)

I still think that the Seahawks are the team to beat. They have more of a running game with Julius Jones and still have a solid QB in Matt Hasslebeck. Although, I do think that Arizona will make a good push (see: last years Browns) and contend for at least the WIld Card spot, if not a division title. The Rams and 49ers are still teams with potential but I just don't see either team having what it takes to contend in this division.

1. Seattle Seahawks
2. Arizona Cardinals
3. St. Louis Rams
4. San Francisco 49ers


-South-

(Reggie Bush and Ray-J's leftovers.)

This is one of the least impressive divisions in football. I think though that the Saints will take it this season. Drew Brees will be himself and with weapons like Marques Coleston and Reggie Bush, the Saints will be in good shape offensively. If anyone is going to contend it is going to be the Bucaneers, who won the division last season. I think that the Bucs have a great shot to win the division with Jeff Garcia and Ernest Graham leading the way. The Falcons are turning the corner and getting over the dog-killer it seems, which is 100% a good thing. Matt Ryan looks like he can compete in this league. The Panthers are a ways off from the playoffs in my opinion, but still have good weapons in Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett for QB Jake Delhomme to throw to.

1. New Orleans Saints
2. Tampa Bay Bucaneers
3. Carolina Panthers
4. Atlanta Panthers


-East-

(The Jersey says it all. *Plaease see bottom.)

Maybe the best division in football sports the NFC's best team, the Dallas Cowboys. The 'Boys will win this division, but it won't be easy. They have a tough schedule and play great opponents in their division. The division also sports the Superbowl Champs from last season, the New York Giants. The G-Men are not going to repeat, but they should be competitive enough to sneak into the playoffs again. The Philadelphia Eagles are a team on the rise. Again being led by Donavan McInjury and Brian Westbrook, the Eagles are poised to potentially turn the corner this season and make a playoff run. FInally there is the Washington Redskins who finished their season strong last year and would like to continue their excellent performance into this season. Questions at QB though will keep them out of the playoffs this season in my opinion.

1. Dallas Cowboys
2. New York Giants
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Washington Redskins

-North-

(No jokes... he's just a beast.)

Ah yes, the division without a QB. Aaron Rodgers WILL step up this season and take over where Favre left off. I think Rodgers is a very good player and will handle the pressure fine for the Packers, leading them to a division title. Coming in at a close second place will be the Vikings. The Vikings will get big time play by Adrian Peterson, but since they play the Giants Week 17 and the Packers play the Lions, I give the division to the Pack. The big question will be Tarvaris Jackson at QB for the Vikings. Rounding out the division are the Lions and the Bears. I think both teams will have decent records, but with no real great QB's or RB's, I don't see them going too far.

1. Green Bay Packers
2. Minnesota Vikings
3. Detroit Lions
4. Chicago Bears
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*-I am in no way homophobic or a hater of gay people. I just hate Tony Romo.

(Untitled)

I don't know what to do anymore.

No internet at my apartment til this Wednesday has been killer.
I haven't posted in over a week.
I feel like an idiot.
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I know I am supposed to do a recap of the Steelers/Bills game, but I didn't get to watch a lot of it.

Friends from



have been in town.

(Ironic since the Steelers were playing in Toronto.)

I apologized to them for having to watch the Maple Leafs.
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(Tomlin congrats Ben)

Some things saw were:
- A crappy Special Teams coverage unit (again).
- A crappy first team offense.
- Bad defense.
- Mendenhall is sick.
- Dixon was decent.
- Leftwich was Leftwich.
- The Bills will make the playoffs.

(Mendenhall is funny. Dixon is a Wide Receiver waiting to happen. Nate Washington is unreal. Big Ben looks like Jeff Reed in this pic.)
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-Penguins Preseason starts in a month. Thank God. My SCF loss hangover is still with me.
- Ryan Whitney will be missed for the next 3-5 months. I have been tough at times on Whit, but he is a solid player and I wish him a speedy recovery.
- I have a hilarious "Crosby at a bar" story. It involves Hal Gill and a hot girl is all I will say.
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Two nights ago I ate an Atomic Wing from Quaker State and Lube. It was hot. I had to sign a waiver to eat it. I hate spicy food. My stomach got ripped worst than Flavor Flav at his Comedy Central Roast.



"Yeaaaaahhh Boooyyyyyy!"

(Expect Flavor Flav to be a more common visitor to this blog.)
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Everyone keeps saying that the Pirates are going in the right direction.
Don't try to shamelessly cheer me up.

PS Game 1- Steelers 16, Eagles 10

A Steelers victory, a perfect night, a spectacular looking first team offense... all overshadowed by the loss of veteran QB Charlie Batch.

(Charlie Batch high fives some kids before the game.)

Batch broke his collarbone in the second quarter of last nights game against the Philadelphia Eagles on a broken play due to a miscommunication between himself and RB Gary Russel.

From what I have read, that type of injury takes about 4-6 weeks to heal properly.
So, the Steelers will look for a veteran QB to back up Big Ben, since they wouldn't want to have to go with Rookie QB Dennis DIxon.

Two free agent QB's who come to mind are Byron Leftwich and Dante Culpepper. I think Culpepper would be a nice fit as a backup, especially since he is an athletic QB like Dixon. He would be a good teacher.

The Steelers went on to win the game 16-10.
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I want to talk about some things I liked and didn't like about what I saw last night.
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Likes:

THE FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
(Santonio Holmes celebrates after his 19-yard TD catch.)

- I thought Willie Parker looked to be about 100% now. He ran pretty hard on the edges.
- The offensive line looked pretty good. On both of Big Ben's passing attempts he had plenty of time to throw.
- Santonio Holmes is the teams #1 receiver. As much as I love Hines Ward, Santonio is the playmaker right now.

JEFF REED
- 3/3 on FG's, including a 50-yard blast in the 4th, which put the Steelers ahead by 6.

RAHSARD MENDENHALL AND LIMAS SWEED
(Mendenhall busts off a big run early on.)

(Limas Sweed hauls in a bomb later in the game... there was a penalty though and it came back.)

- These 2 guys might turn into the steal of the draft. Mendenhall ran hard all night and Sweed was all over the place, making catches and getting open a lot.

THE BACKUP DEFENSE
- I loved what they did last night, holding the Eagles out of the endzone and off the board completely in the second half. It was especially impressive because they were going up against the QB's A.J. Feely and Kevin Kolb. The Eagles threw the ball 48 times and only managed 210 yards passing. The Philly QB's averaged only 4.4 yards per attempt.
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Dislikes:

PUNTING
- Paul Ersnter was kind of all over the place with his punts, but I think with time he will get his control back. He put 2 punts inside the 20, but I felt like he wasn't getting all he could on his kicks.

THE FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
- They got a little torn up by Mcnabb, who was 10/13 for 97 yards and a TD. But with Troy Polamalu and Casey Hampton still out, that could have played a part in it.

THE BACKUP OFFENSE
(Dennis Dixon scrambling... he did a lot of that.)

- I wasn't too impressed with them not being able to get into the endzone and only putting up 9 points after the first drive.
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All in all I think the Steelers looked pretty good. The first team offense really showed what they can do, giving the fans hope for a big time, high flying season.

Brett Favre

I am taking a post out of the normal Pittsburgh-relatedness this blog normally dishes to talk about Brett Favre.

First let me start by saying that this whole thing being over is one of the best things to ever happen, simply because I am sick of hearing about it.

I am completely disgusted with both parties in this situation. Here is why:

Packers:

- If Favre wanted to be released after they said that they didn't want him back, they should have honored that and released him.
- If Favre requested a trade to a Division rival after they said they didn't want him back, they should have honored that as well.
- They should have given Favre the chance from the start to get into camp and compete for the starting job. It would only make Aaron Rodgers work harder and ultimately be better for the team in the long run.

Favre:

- If he wanted to come back, he should have done so as a backup and worked his way into the starting job.
- He shouldn't have told the Packers that he wasn't committed 100% to playing during that cry-fest of a retirement.
- He shouldn't have been a little pansy about them saying that they have moved on, considering Rodgers is in better football shape and has been the starting QB for over a couple months now.



All in all I really am disgusted with the selfishness of Brett Favre. For him to continually do what he is doing to Aaron Rodgers must be tough for AR. I think that it was horribly self-centered to retire and expect Rodgers to just step down and conform to being the backup once he decided he wanted to come back. Part of me thinks that Favre just didn't want to have to go through all the off-season workouts and meetings and thought it would be okay to miss them and then come back as the starter.

Well congrats Brett, now you are going to be playing in the toughest market an athlete can play in. You are no longer BRETT FAVRE!!!!, you are just the Jets QB and you ARE replaceable if things go South. You are inheriting a 4-12 team with no receiving corps (don't let Cotchery and Coles fool you, they suck).

In conclusion, I am tired of people (Favre lovers) bashing Aaron Rodgers. The guy sat quietly for years, patiently waiting for his shot. He got it now, he made no complaints when Favre was talking about returning. He was professional and classy in a situation where anyone else would have flipped. People shouldn't wish ill on Rodgers, especially the Favre lovers, because I know that Favre wouldn't want that.

Secondary Time

Okay, 2 units left to go over. We'll stay defensive and look at the Secondary.

The Steelers Secondary was great last year for the most part, but came up short in some big games.

One of the biggest questions is the injury to Safety Troy Polamalu, who hasn't been himself in a while.

A good thing is that Ryan Clark is back from injury and appears to be 100%. So we don't have to worry about Anthony Smith or his mouth too much this season.

So let's get rollin'...
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Secondary: B
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Cornerback:



1) Ike Taylor
2) Deshea Townsend
3) Bryant McFadden
4) William Gay

- Coming off a brand new, huge contract, Ike Taylor had hopefully the worst season of his career 2 seasons ago. Last year was different however, as he stepped up in a big way and helped the Steelers have an elite secondary unit. Expect Taylor to keep making the big plays, while working on his shut down abilities a bit more, which is something he needs to do.

- Townsend is a team veteran who brings a good playing ability to the table as well as experience in big time situations. He seems to continually start in a battle for his job but ends up winning every year. He will be fighting off Bryant Mcfadden, who is on the rise.

- Brant McFadden like I just said is on the rise, developing into quite a talent for the Steelers. Yet, he still does not seem to have the talent to win his starting job. This could be the year though that he takes that job from Townsend.

- Gay proved that he was a good pick by the Steelers as a rookie last season. He was a good special teams player and at times made big plays at corner. His hit on Robert Meachem in the Preseason last year was his most memorable moment to date.


(Hit around the 4:35 mark)
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Safety's:



1) Troy Polamalu
2) Ryan Clark
3) Anthony Smith
4) Tyrone Carter

- What can you say about Polamalu that hasn't been said. When he is healthy, he is THE BEST SAFETY IN THE NFL. I am confident when I say that as well. He changes the game with the ability to run like a corner and hit like a linebacker. He makes entire offenses confused and can be the best player on this team if he is healthy. Which leads to his health. He has become injury prone and needs to stay healthy to be effective. If he can fully bounce back from his hamstring injury he will help this team more than any other player.

- Ryan Clark spent last seen on IR after having his spleen removed. He is 100% again and will be a big addition in the secondary, which is nothing but a good thing.

- As long as he doesn't talk... whatever.

- Carter shouldn't see a lot of time except ST, but can be a solid backup in case of injury. he had to play a lot more than anyone wanted to see last year.
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Thats it for the secondary. Kickoff is in like 18 hours.

Go Steelers!

A Look at the Linebackers

Pittsburgh has always been known as a team with great Linebackers. Last Year, Joey Porter was sent packing to a 1-win team, we drafted 2 linebackers with our first 2 picks and we witnessed the emergence of the beast that is named James Harrison.

So, how do the Steelers follow all that up. They had solid linebacker play as usual, but with the departing of CLark Haggans, there are now questions.
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Linebackers: A-
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Outside LB's


(Ouch Ed Reed... Ouch)

1) James Harrison
2) LaMarr Woodley
3) Lawrence Timmons
4) Bruce Davis

- Harrison became a force last season while destroying offensive units all over the NFL. He brought unreal strength and speed to the table and had one of the best games by a LB in NFL history on a Monday night against the Ravens. Expect the beast to be hunting all season long this campaign.

- LaMarr Woodley seems to be the filler for the departed Clark Haggans, even though he was taken after Lawrence Timmons in the draft. Woodley has incredible speed and moves quickly for being so big. He could be a big piece to this defense.

- Lawrence Timmons has been impressive in camp so far, but still has not won any sort of starting job. Coach Tomlin has said that Timmons will play more this season though and that is only a good thing. He is very strong and can hit like James Harrison. Also, it has been rumored that Timmons might be moved to the inside, to replace Larry Foote.

- I know I already listed Davis as a Defensive End and thats because ESPN had Davis listed there. Supposedly he can play both positions, even though he played a lot of LB in college. I think he probably feels more comfortable at the LB position and could be suitable backup on the outside.
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Inside LB's:



1) James Farrior
2) Larry Foote

- James Farrior has been the leader of the defense for the last few years now. He is the ILB, so he controls things. He is in no way going to lose his starting position and should be another big part of the success that could be had by the defense.

- Larry Foote has kind of flew under the radar and has never felt the media attention that the other defensive players have for some reason. Now he is under more pressure than ever, as it seems that Lawrence Timmons is going to try to beat him for his starting job and move to the inside. It will be interesting to see if Foote is able to keep his job and have a productive season.
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- Tomorrow I will talk about the secondary and the special teams. T
- Friday I will give a preview of the Steelers/Eagles game.
- Saturday I hope to give a recap of the Steelers/Eagles game.

We'll see. No promises.

Comcastic.. Not So Much.

Thats all i have to say really. I wasn't able to do a lot writing today because I got the Comcastic shaft to the butthole.

Unreal.

I was supposed to be there from 12-4 to get my internet and cable hooked up. 4:45 roles around and no one has shown. So I leave.

I get a call on my way home from the technician. He'll be there is 15 minutes. I'm already gone.

On top of that I got a parking ticket and I was told the earliest my service can be installed in August 10.

Not happening.
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Good to see the boys over at The Pensblog have got their issues worked out.
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I'll get back to the Steelers breakdown crap hopefully tomorrow.