Crash of the Titans

Well here it is, the first major hurdle of the season. Some story lines in this game, Chris Johnson's 100 yard rushing streak, Vince Young hasn't threatened to kill himself (yet), Nate Washington playing his old team, and of course Dennis Dixon getting his second start of the seasons.

First off you must read this, it's the Gospel written by FC at Steelerfury. It's the best pre-game writeup you'll see bar none. I'm thinking we will link to that every week, because it puts an analysis I could do myself to shame.

The Steelers are the solid 5 point dog in this road game, and really I would expect no less. How couldn't the Steelers, with Dennis Dixon starting be the underdogs on the road against the "mighty" Titans?

After all the Titans had an impressive win last week against the perennial powerhouse Oakland Raiders.

Chris Johnson again rushed for over 100 yards, in fact he rushed for 100 more yards than the Steelers rush defense allowed total last week. I guess Michael Turner just isn't very good.

The big reason the Steelers must lose though is history. Nevermind that the Steelers are 42-30 in the series, they haven't won at LP Field since 2001.

I just don't understand the love for this Titans team. The only thing they do really well is run the ball, and we have one of the best rushing defenses in the league, maybe in history over the last 5 years.

Vince Young is far from a proven commodity and, let's face it, he's probably a few IQ points higher than a plate of leftover Macaroni and Cheese. Our pass rush should be able to get to him, even though he is good with his feet and rattle him.

Their receivers as a group are pretty uninspiring. Nate Washington is a glorified number 3 who has hands just a step above Braylon Edwards, Justin Gage is a marginal possession receiver who averages about 22 catches per season, and Kenny Britt has been a headcase and a distraction for the Titans this year.

I see no reason why the Steelers can't or shouldn't win this game. The key is obviously the defense, and limiting the mistakes to give Dixon every chance to succeed.

Steelers win 13-10.

At Least James Harrison Is Cool

This was the only pic I could find of him in college. You suck Internet.

I don't know much about Kent State so I won't pretend to. The things I do know ... 4 dead in O-HI-O, they call themselves the Golden Flashes and James Harrison went to school there.

Penn State Gameday

TV: ESPN 2, Noon
Series: PSU leads 2-0, last meeting Sept. 20, 2003 ... PSU 32 Kent State 10
Line: Penn State by 21

The Lions need to start clicking on all cylinders and this is a good place to start. Evan Royster, Graham Zug, I'm looking at you. Hey defense ... guess how many turnovers you forced so far this season? The same as me. Lets get to work.

Prediction: Penn State 41, Kent State 10

Chasing 3000

Two brothers drive across country to see their hero, Roberto Clemente, get his 3000th hit. If anyone has seen this let me know. Here's the trailer. It has a pretty good cast too.

Letting Go

Yes, the completely expected yet dreadful news was confirmed earlier this morning. Civic Arena has been voted for demolition. It is sad news to Pens fans, Pittsburgh residents, and anyone else who appreciated the history of the Igloo, but it simply had to be done. It is not an official decision, but the vote was taken and as of now the demolition is on. There are those who are still in opposition, and while I praise you for the noble idea, it is time to let go. Here are a few reasons why it simply has to be done.

Upkeep- Trying to keep this arena looking nice costs money, which may not always be available. Unless given great care, the entire structure may start to lose its beauty over time and become almost an eyesore. Lady Mellon deserves better than that.

Structure Problems- I mean, it is nearly 50 years old. Its time

Reasons to Stay- The prospect of a backup concert stage and practice rink for the Pens simply was not strong enough of a cause to sway the verdict any.

See Below
A few days here may change your mind.

Let's Go Pens.

Saying Goodbye to Bill Guerin

As all of you surely already know, Bill Guerin has agreed to a "tryout" contract with the Flyers. Though nothing is official yet, it is not the first time that Guerin will be skating with the team and he has commented that the Flyers would be a good fit for him...(blah blah the usual generic stuff) As you also may know, this has caused much unrest among Pens faithful even though we ALL knew there was no chance of Guerin coming back to the Pens next year. I'm sure nobody wanted it to end this way, as Billy G was a great locker room presence and still effective on the ice. But the money just wasn't there, and sadly hockey is indeed a business and sometimes things don't always turn out the way the fans believe it should. So...
Do I think any less of Guerin as a person?
Of course not. Guerin is a great guy and changing teams doesn't change that.
Am I going to hate the Flyers any less?
Of course not.
If Arron Asham and Guerin drop the gloves next season, who would I root for?
Asham of course.
If Guerin wins the cup with Philly, will I congratulate him?
Hell no.

It all boils down to the greatest cardinal rule of being a fan of a team:
Cheer for your jersey

before you even bother to read the back.

Hockey is getting quite close now. Pens first preseason game at CEC is in one week from tomorrow.

Yinz Luv 'Da Stillers!, PIT vs. ATL (Week #1)

In Defense of Randle El

A good bit has been made about Randle El returning punts yesterday. This has been muted, mostly by the fact that the Steelers won, but still the rumble is out there, and will probably get a bit larger as we go on.

The usual argument I've been hearing is that Emmanuel Sanders has much more potential and at this stage in his career is a better option to get us good field position than Antwaan Randle El. That argument is probably true. I have little doubt that El's days as a dynamic, dangerous return man are pretty much over.

That argument leaves out something though. That something is Ricardo Colclough. Colclough was a very green punt returner going into a game vs. Cincinnati, with the Steelers nursing a small lead all he had to do was not turn the ball over. Instead he took a punt that was over his head and tried to catch it backing up, the ball bounced off his face mask in the Red Zone where Cincy recovered it and scored on the resulting drive, winning the game.

Yesterday the Steelers were starting a young, inexperienced, and unimpressive quarterback. A quarterback not capable of overcoming a ton of mistakes, and a quarterback who was probably not likely to head a large comeback. Randle El is sure handed, and will usually make the correct decision on a punt. He has enough experience that he will not go out and dive for a punt, or let one clang off his helmet. He knows when to let them go and when to fair catch.

Sure he may not set us up with great field position, but he probably won't set the Falcons up with an almost guaranteed three points by turning over the ball.

Besides the Steelers have the best defense in the league to help get field position, and they once again proved they can be relied on. In keeping the Falcons out of the endzone they did more than anyone to prop up Dennis Dixon. Troy Polamalu's interception is what you expect of a player of his caliber and we have enough elite player that turnovers of that nature are not an unreasonable expectation on a regular basis.

So it's a trade off in the sense that while Sanders, or maybe Antonio Brown might break one, or at least set us up with decent field position, there is also a very good chance they muff one, or make a bad decision about fair catch, or letting one fall. At the same time our defense can do it's job and set Dixon up with good field position anyway, so it pays to play conservative on special teams because the Offense is fragile at this point and a Special Teams mistake (looking at you Jeff Reed) could very well be the difference between a win and a loss.

And these wins are crucial.

Beat Bama

Will Penn State shock the football world or will this be an Alabama blowout?

Penn State Gameday

TV: ESPN, 7 P.M.
Series: Alabama leads 8-5, last meeting Oct. 27, 1990 ... PSU 9, UA 0
Line: Alabama by 12

If Penn State starts off slow like last week this may get ugly. We all know about Alabama and how good they are. It's no secret. Expect Alabama WR Julio Jones to see a lot of balls thrown his way against an untested Penn State secondary.

PSU QB Robert Bolden looked poised for a freshmen last week but this sure isn't Youngstown State. Penn State must establish the running game to have a chance.

Prediction: Alabama 38 Penn State 17

Yinz Luv 'Da Stillers!, Preseason '10

Our good friend Jim Shearer is back with Yinz Luv 'Da Stillers!

Sidney Crosby hits homerun at PNC Park

Pirates call up 8 players, one of which deserves it

Pirates have announced that they will be bringing up OF Alex Presley, OF Brandon Moss, SS Pedro Ciriaco, C Jason Jaramillo, RHP Brad Lincoln, LHP Justin Thomas, RHP Brian Bass, and RHP Steven Jackson.

To make move on the 40 man roster for Ted Nugent the Pirates have DFA'd Akinori Iwamura and fan favorite Erik Kratz. They also placed Ross Ohlendorf and Jeff Clement on the 60 day DL.

It's typical to bring up guys in September, but I would hate if anyone but Alex Presley gets any regular at bats.

Brandon Moss was named team MVP and led the league in RBI (AAAA hero!). Many fans have been calling for him to be called up because he apparently has found his stroke, really that isn't the case though. He's a nearly 27 year old feasting on AAA pitching. His OPS of .804 is good, but nothing special. In fact Alex Presley has a better OPS in his short time at AAA this year. Taking any at bats away from guys with upside, even if it is limited for Moss is a joke. He should earn his spot in Spring Training next season.

No problem seeing what Pedro Ciriaco has because they will have to make a decision on Argenis Diaz next season, that is what these callups are for.

Jaramillo has really shown nothing at either level, he shouldn't see much time with three catchers on the roster.

Thomas, Bass, and Jackson have all been up this season and really are just marginal bullpen arms. Not a whole lot of upside with these guys either.

The one I question most, with the obvious exception of bringing up the Hunter Gatherer, is bringing up Lincoln. He is coming off an injury, and a horrid performance today. He really hasn't improved too much since he was sent back down to the minors the first time, and if he's struggling and coming off an injury they might be better off just shutting him down instead of possibly re-aggravating the injury, or killing his confidence any more.

Really the only guy who I'm even remotely interested in seeing is Presley, who I've seen look good in Altoona.

Dixon Named Starter

Mike Tomlin announced today that Dennis Dixon will start on Sunday against the Falcons. Despite Eddie Bouchette's suggestion that Batch would most likely get the nod, I'm not sure if there was ever a legitimate shot for him to start in the first place. It was pretty obvious to me that the mutual plan was for him to be released (nod, wink) and then retire (possibly pursuing a coaching career). Think about it. The coaching staff was so hesitant about giving Dixon an opportunity. They obviously have very little faith in him, so what does that say about their faith in Charlie Batch? It wasn't about faith. It was "Well shit, now what?", and then a ruse to "confuse" the Falcons a little bit. Chawlee never had a chance and I'm not sure if he even wanted a chance.

Speaking of faith, was it really just two weeks ago that the entire city had Dixon Fever? This town is freaking bipolar. All summer, the only thing I heard was about giving Dixon a shot, Dixon is a better fit, Dixon is the future. Now he's named starter it's suddenly the worst decision the team has ever made. The kid had one bad preseason game, give him a chance. I seem to remember in 2004 a (somewhat) similar scenario playing out, forcing a rookie into the lineup and remember hearing about how the team was "doomed" then. They then won 14 games in a row. This is only for 4 games. Relax. Because I have a feeling that, in a month from now, we're going to be hearing about how taking Dixon out of the lineup will hurt the chemistry the team has and how we don't need Ben anymore. Bank on it.

Is there an answer in St. Louis?

So Colby Rasmus is probably on his way out. His teammates are even turning against him now and that's a pretty bad sign. It also put the team over the barrel a bit. This is the type of move the Pirates HAVE to make. Even if we have to give something big away, afterall they are in our division, I wouldn't hesitate. He is a lefty and would make use of the Clemente Wall.

I would be willing to give up basically anything in the minors for Rasmus who is second amongst CF in terms of OBP, and is tied for sixth in homers even though he has 100 or less AB than everyone in front of him.

Rasmus is a legit 30 homer player, and while not a burner, his bat could play pretty well in RF. Taking his current stats, his OPS would rank 7th in the league in RF. That is substantially better than anything the Pirates have trotted out there.

Why I think this will happen? Neil Huntington has shown a willingness to trade for guys with attitude problems. Couple that with the fact that he seems to be very willing to trade within his division (Gorzo, Torress) and the statements that they will add players I think this trade has as good a chance of going down as any.

The Pirates have built a pretty deep system, now is the time to start using it. Make a bold move Neil!

Pirates recall Joe Martinez *UPDATED*

Jen Langosch is reporting on Twitter that Joe Martinez will join the team tonight. Martinez was acquired by the Pirates for LOOGY Javier Lopez at the trade deadline. Here is our post on the trade.

Not really sure what to make of this move. I'm sure the Pirates see him as a starter, but he only has 4 starts in his 7 appearances at Indy. He may be a bullpen arm for now, or the Pirates may be going to a 6 man rotation. It sounds like he also may take Jeff Karstens spot tomorrow.

He sure hasn't earned this call-up, boasting a pathetic 5.72 ERA at Indy, with a laughable 1.871 WHIP. If there is anything worse than his 1.9 HR/9 it's probably his 14.6 H/9.

Usually you use September to get a look at guys, but he is struggling mightily to adjust to his new team, and league, I can't imagine making him do it again will put him in some sort of comfort zone.

Teams tend to bring up guys when they are hot so it continues at the ML Level, well if that is true than the same should hold true for guys that are as cold as a witches tit.

*UPDATE* Multiple media outlets are reporting that Martinez will work exclusively out of the bullpen. Jeff Karstens will skip his start tomorrow due to his sore shoulder, and Brian Burres will go in his place.

I Hope the Penguins Lose

There should only be one team called the Penguins and it sure as hell isn't Youngstown State.

Penn State Gameday

TV: The Big Ten Network, 12 p.m.
Series: PSU leads 1-0, last meeting Sept. 16, 2006... PSU 34, YSU 3

A cupcake game until Alabama. I have no problem scheduling a team like YSU to kick off the season. YSU has some good players returning, especially on defense, but this should be lopsided from the get go. Prediction: Penn State 38 Youngstown State 10.

Pens Sign Mike Comrie

I like it.

9 Reasons to Be Pumped About the '10 Steelers

First of all, what's up, TIGO? Yeah, I'm new around here. Big thanks to Brad for the invite. You'll probably hear the most from me about the Steelers, but you'll definitely see me chipping in with posts about other sports, the rest of the NFL, etc.

With that out of the way, the Steelers are just a few hours away from closing out another preseason with the most meaningless preseason game of them all (essentially a scrub tryout), so it's just about time to start turning our attention to the big kahuna. Yeaaaah, buddy. Only 11 days to go and regular season will finally be upon us, so I figured I'd get my stint here rolling with a bang.

I don't know what it is exactly, but even as the diehardest (that word is in my dictionary) of diehard Steelers fans out there -- someone who starts counting down the days every single August -- I don't think I've been this excited for a season in a long time. It might be all the intrigue that built up over the offseason: Big Ben's accusations and suspension, Santonio's Twitter escapades and subsequent exile, Willie Colon's season ending injury, the list goes on and on. You can say it's been a bit on tumultuous side.

I'm not sure how this is going to play out, and maybe that's why it's so damn interesting to me. This team has the potential to go 13-3 and win the Super Bowl, but at the same time it has the potential to turn into a 5-11 trainwreck. The feeling I get from most Stiller fans is that they think the latter will almost certainly be the case. And that might be a big part of my excitement as well. Maybe I just want to see these people be wrong, because I'm extremely optimistic about this year. Here are 9 reasons why you should be, too.

9. The Rookies

Aside from Jonathan Dwyer -- who frankly, has looked flat-out terrible up to this point -- just about every single one of these guys have been turning heads all summer long.

Maurkice Pouncey is an absolute mauler and it's almost certain that he's going to be starting this year.

Speedsters Emmanual Sanders and Antonio Brown will be extremely hard to keep off the field and even though they're rookies, should cause matchup problems when they do with all the speed that will be out there. Despite a few boneheaded plays, Brown also looks like he has the potential to be a decent return guy.

Guys like Stevenson Sylvester and Crezdon Butler have also been making plays throughout the preseason and could be aces on a coverage unit that was horrendous last season.

All in all, they might not be making Sportscenter every weekend, but little contributions here and there could go a long way.

8. The Schedule*

Section 1 (Sans Ben) - Suspect defense in ATL in home opener (they never lose home openers anymore), Tampa Bay (who is just awful), an enigma of a Titans team and a home game against the Ravens (when was the last time the Ravens won in Pittsburgh?). 2-2 or 3-1. Hell, if the commissioner folds tomorrow, Ben might even be back in time for the Ratbirds. Score!

Section 2 (The Cake Teams) - Oakland, Buffalo, Cleveland x2, Carolina and Miamidfpi. Sorry, I started shaking because I'm so scared of those teams. 4-2 or 5-1

Section 3 (The Hard Part) - New England (home game!), New Orleans, Bungles twice, Ratbirds and the Jets (home game!). They'll beat Cinci at least once, I love them in that New England game and I have a feeling they can win 2 out of 3 between New Orleans, Baltimore and the Jets. 3-3 or 4-2.

*The games aren't played in this order, just grouping them together

By my count, that's about a record of 12-4 at best and 9-7 at worst.

7. Mike Wallace

There's difference between a good player and a player who is good because of the players around him. Mike Wallace is no Nate Washington or even Antwaan Randle El. Mike Wallace was good last year because he worked his ass off, and with more expectations this year, he's worked even harder this summer. Desean Jackson-like playmaking ability all season long.

6. Rashard Mendenhall

The guy is a stud, plain and simple. He's going to get the ball more (especially during Ben's suspension), he's going to make plays, and it's only going to help the offense. Look at it this way. For the first four games the gameplan is going to be run, run, run, and run some more, right?

Woops, snuck in a playaction fake and Dontrelle Willis Byron Leftwich is heaving that shit up to Mike Wallace. Peace. Out. Ben may have a little more trouble accurately throwing deep (one of his only major faults) than Lefty, but he'll still get it to him pretty often. Bottom line is that with the speed the receiving corps has, a great running game will set up a DEADLY passing game.

5. The AFC North is completely overrated

The Ravens hype this year is based on four things: Joe Flacco, Anquan Boldin, Ray Rice and the defense. A.) Are any of you scared of Joe Flacco by anything other than by his unibrow? B.) Anquan Boldin has played an entire season ONCE since his rookie year and hasn't had a "great" season since 2006 C.) Starting cornerbacks: Chris Carr and Fabian Washington, Ray Lewis turns 50 next month and Ed Reed is out for the first 6 games of the year -- where they'll face the Jets, Bengals, Steelers and Patriots... all on the road. Good luck carrying that team on your back, Ray Rice.

Do you really think Ochocinco and T.O. is gonna work out? Or the Bengals will be good two years in a row?

The Cleveland Browns are the Cleveland Browns.

4. Mike Tomlin

A lot of people blame Mike Tomlin for how the team flamed out at the end of last year but... really, was it his fault? Why can't we hold the defensive players accountable? Mike Tomlin can't make Tyrone Carter not be the worst fucking safety in the league or William Gay not be able to cover a 5-year-old girl. Even still, they finished out the year with 3 straight wins against some pretty decent squads (Packers, Ravens, Dolphins).

In 2008, they had the "hardest schedule ever", every game was in primetime, their offense was absolutely TERRIBLE and they were losing in the fourth quarter in what seemed like every one of those games. Still got the Lombardi. Mike Tomlin eats adversity for breakfast. Speaking of 2008...

3. Ben Roethlisberger is on the team

All stupid shit aside, I don't care if you like the man still or not. I don't care if he's a rapist or if he's the freaking pope, you CANNOT say he doesn't know how to play football. He's in the best shape of his career, just had the best training camp of his career and if you haven't noticed, absolutely thrives on the moments when he's under the most pressure. Can you get any more pressure than this? Every time a reporter asks him how he plans on getting people to like him again he says one thing: "win". I think he kind of wants it this year.

2. 2008 defense is back

Not to mention that in 2008, they statistically had one of the best defenses of all time. What happened last year? Well for starters, they lost role players like Bryant McFadden and Larry Foote to free agency. So what did they do this year? They went and got them back, because Kevin Colbert is the fucking man. That's what. Every single starter from the 2008 defense is back now, and you have guys like Lawrence Tmmons about to have a breakout year and one of the best young linebackers in LaMarr Woodley getting better every year. But maybe most importantly on defense...

1. Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith are healthy

You've heard this probably a million times already, but it's the truth. These guys are difference makers. Dick LeBeau's defense is designed so that A. The quarterback has few options and is extremely intimidated because of Troy B. The cornerbacks play soft zones that buy enough time to cover the holes in the secondary while the pass rush to get to the quarterback and C. The defensive line stops the run and gives pass rushers lanes to break through the line. That entire philosophy goes to complete shit without the best safety in the league and the best run-stopping 3-4 defensive lineman in the league. It's a dead horse, but it's a true one. They're back now and they're healthy again. Troy does seem to have an issue with injuries, but keep in mind that it also seems like it alternates for him -- one year he'll play a full season, the next is the injury-ridden one, etc.

Will the defense be as nasty as it was in 2008? Probably not, but it should be pretty stout. And with a defense like that, 2008 proved you don't need an extremely prolific offense to win. But with a better than ever Ben, guys like Mike Wallace and a runningback like Rashard Mendenhall, I think they just might be alright.

JoePa Names Robert Bolden Starter For Saturday

This is a stunner. Joe Paterno has never started a true freshman at QB for the first game. Its Youngstown State, but still. Bolden was picked over Kevin Newsome and Scranton's Matt McGloin. Paterno still calls the three 1A, 1B and 1C but this has to mean something and I kinda like the move. I was never high on Newsome or former walk-on McGloin anyway.

Penn State opens Saturday at home vs YSU at noon. The game is on the Big Ten Network.

St. Louis Cardinals Website Tells It Like It Is

This photo was not doctored. Don't you wish all teams websites were this honest? Tomorrow's Pirates website headline could be THE FUCKING PIRATES SUCK! Luke Bryan this Saturday!

My Morning Jacket Loves The Steelers

My Morning Jacket rocked the Station Square Amphitheater on Friday. After the band played their final song of the night, One Big Holiday, drummer Patrick Hallahan waved his terrible towel while wearing his Troy Polamalu jersey. Just another reason to love MMJ.