50-YARD LINE

It’s a Halloween hump day and you know what that means. It’s time for your Steelers mid-week report. Will the Steelers get tricked or get treats vs. the New York Giants on Sunday? Injury-wise, it looks like they’re getting tricked. Troy and Gilbert are still out. Ryan Clark (concussion) and LaMarr Woodley (hammy) are questionable. Stevenson Sylvester is also a question mark with a hammy. It seems Sylvester is suffering from Worilds disease. Wake me when he’s healthy. Redman is probable and Mendy is cleared for individual workouts. Continue to ride Dwyer like a rented mule this week. The Steelers are going to have their hands full on both sides of the ball. Eli leads the 6^th best passing attack in the NFL and the Giants offense is ranked 4^th overall. The Steelers offense is #2 in the league in time of possession at 34:35. Eli and Ben are 1-1 since coming into the league together in 2004. As the offensive line goes, so go the Steelers. But remember, the Steelers aren’t playing the Bungles or Deadskins. This is the defending Super Bowl champs that are currently 6-2. True, the Steelers D is ranked #2 overall in the NFL, #2 against the pass, #8 against the run and #8 in points allowed per game with 20.6. This is the same Steelers D that has only 12 sacks in 7 games. That’s on pace for 27, the lowest total since they recorded 19 sacks in 1988. They also have only 3 interceptions. The Giants D has 21 sacks and 16 interceptions. It’s important for the Steelers to control the line of scrimmage this week on both sides of the ball.  The offense can’t afford to make any mistakes this week. No turnovers. No penalties. If the Steelers hope to be mentioned in the championship conversation, winning this game would be a huge statement, especially on the road. Bring your water wings because you’re going to need them. Here we go Steelers, here we go!!!!!!

50-YARD LINE

Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Your Pittsburgh Steelers pulled out a win today with their victory over the Deadskins by a score of 27-12. These is the Good, the Bad and the Ugly from today's game.

The Good-First time the Steelers had back-to-back wins this season. They also had a running back rush for over 100 yards in back-to-back games for the first time since Fast Willie Parker in September of '08. Jonathan Dwyer rushed for 107 yards on 17 carriers today. Will the Steelers continue to go with Dwyer's hot feet once Mendy and Redman are healthy?

The Bad-Another touchdown on a punt return was called back due to a penalty. Will the special teams ever get it right? Also, Antonio Brown's complete lack of sportsmanship on said run back was totally classless. I know it's an emotional game but to run backwards into the end zone like that? You're better than that AB and the Steelers should be, too.

The Ugly-The Deadskins dropped 7 passes today and the vaunted RG3 only completed 16 of 34 passes for 177 yards and 8 yards rushing. The Steelers were lucky today or it could have been a completely different ballgame. Honorable Ugly Mention goes to the throwback uniforms. They make me want to throwup.

The AFC North had to teams off this week. Here's how it stacks up 1)The Baltimorons are 5-2 coming off of their bye. 2)The Steelers are a game out at 4-3 after today's win. 3)The Bungles are at 3-4 after their bye. 4)The Clowns got the victory today but are still looking up at 2-6.

The Steelers travel to beautiful New Jersey next week to face the defending Super Bowl champion New York football Giants. Enjoy the win, guys and get back to the drawing board to give it to Eli and the Giants. Go Steelers!!!!!!

50-YARD LINE

Here we go Steelers, here we go! Your Pittsburgh Steelers gear up to battle the dreaded RG3 and the Washington Deadskins this afternoon at the Big Ketchup Bottle. These are your keys to the game. 1)The Steelers are looking for their 2nd consecutive win. If they get it, it will be the first time this season they've won back-to-back games. Since returning to Pittsburgh as the defensive coordinator in 2004, Dick LeBeau is 13-1 vs. rookie QB's. The Steelers are 20-2-1 at the Big Ketchup Bottle against NFC teams. Bring your "A" game and get after that QB fellas! Hit 'em early, hit 'em often, hit 'em HARD! 2)Jonathan Dwyer can become the first running back since Fast Willie Parker in '08 to have back-to-back 100 yard games. Mendy is out today and Redman is questionable so Dwyer should get the majority of the carriers today. Let's see that offensive line open up some big holes for the big back again this week! 3)Washington's D is allowing almost 29 points per game. They've allowed 91 points in the 4th quarter all season. The Steelers offense has been held to under 24 points of 4 of 6 games this season. Something's got to give. The Skins D has given up big games to their last 3 opponents tight ends. Heath Miller has caught 31 of 40 passses this season for 290 yards and 5 TD's, with no drops. Did you hear that, Mike Wallace? The Steelers passing game is primed to put up huge numbers today. Wallace, keep your mind off of your money and your mind on your game. In Miller we trust! Score early, score often, score BIG! Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

I read reports yesterday that the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball club  are still training their Instructional League players as if they’re about to do battle in a war zone, instead of instructing them on the fine art of stealing second base. The situation with the Pirates gets more and more scary, scarier than any of the multitudes of zombie movies running on the Chiller channel. Apart from hitting coach Gregg Ritchie leaving to coach in the college ranks, nothing has been said or done regarding the team’s record collapse of the 2012 season. I guess if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Is that right, Bottom Line Bob Nutting?  Is 20 consecutive losing seasons considered not worth fixing? I guess if something works, you stick with it. Sorry, but how has this particular type of instruction done anything to benefit the teams won/loss record? There’s even talk of injuries and agents advising players to steer clear of the Pirates organization. How is this helpful? My only presumption is that Nutting hires these Navy SEAL guys on the cheap. They must be way less expensive than hiring actual coaches to coach these players. Hoka hey, indeed.

50-YARD LINE

It’s Hump Day. What better way to help us over the hump than your Pittsburgh Steelers mid-week report. The Steelers will try to win back-to-back games for the first time this season when they take on RG3 and the Deadskins at the Big Ketchup Bottle this week. You may have heard of RG3. The Deadskin’s rookie QB has been all over the sports pages since his first NFL game this season. He’s like a younger, better Michael Vick. Remember how Vick gave the Steelers fits the few times he met them in a Falcons uniform? The Steelers’ D need to play the way they did in the second half of the Cincy game and not the first half. And they’ll need to do it for a full 60 minutes. They’ll be shorthanded again this week as Polamalu and Gilbert are out again. Maurkice Pouncey is expected to play. No word yet on whether Mendy or Redman will play. Regardless, I think the Steelers need to go with the hot hand, or in this case, foot, at running back and play Jonathan Dwyer. Dwyer ran for 122 yards on 22 carries at Cincy. He had the best rushing game for the Steelers since Mendy went for 146 vs. Jax back on 10/16/11. The Steelers will need to put as many points as possible on the board this week to contend with the Deadskins. Washington’s offense is 3^rd in the league in yards and 6^th in points. RG3 is 3^rd in the NFL in passer rating, leads the league in completion percentage at 70.4 and has 468 yards rushing. Oh yeah, they also have another rookie at running back, Alfred Morris who is second in the league in rushing. Luckily, the Washington D is 29^th in the league in yards allowed, 32^nd in passing yards and 29^th in points per game. This could be a good opportunity for the Steelers to stop settling for field goals and actually put some big numbers on the board.  It’s time to take the handcuffs off of Ben and the offense and let them air it out. Go Steelers!!!!!!

SLAP SHOTS

What if they had an NHL hockey season and no one came? The NHL and the players association could very well be looking at that scenario if they don’t come to an agreement soon. According to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, a deal needs to be in place by Thursday to rescue the 82-game regular season. If a deal doesn’t get done, would fans flock to see an abbreviated NHL season? Would they come back at all if the season were completely lost? What if some NHL superstars are significantly injured playing elsewhere during the lockout? I’d like to say that these and other questions will be answered on the next episode of how How the Puck Turns, but they won’t be. Currently there are no talks scheduled between the 2 sides. A better question could be what the puck is going on? If/when they do resume play; all I can say is “Let’s Go Pens”.

50-YARD LINE

Break up the Steelers! Your Pittsburgh Steelers picked up their first road win and their first division win tonight. Both were crucial for the Steelers to remain in playoff contention. This is the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The Good-Jonathan Dwyer, playing in place of Mendy and Redman, made the running game a force to contend with tonight. Dwyer had 17 rushes for 122 yards, best thus far this season for the Steelers. He also had the longest run of the season for the Steelers with a 32 yarder. Big ups to the offensive line for paving the way. No penalties from the O-Line, either. Keep up the good work!

The Bad-Boy, the 1st half was bad for the Steelers. They were lucky to be tied at 14 going into the 2nd half. Ben threw a pick in the end zone and fumbled one away. There were lots of missed opportunities, too. Larry Foote had an interception bounce off of him. There were dropped passes, oh let me count the plays! There were many missed tackles, too. The Steelers did manage to make the necessary adjustments and played a much better 2nd half, so good in fact that they were able to pull this one out. Whatever was said in the locker room worked. Way to keep at it!

3)The Ugly-It's a tie. First, Mike Wallace finished the night with 8 catches. Yes, you read that right, 8 catches. Imagine how many more he would have had if he could actually catch the ball. Wallace has had this case of the dropsies for several games now and needs to get over it. Catch the darn ball! Second, there were several good run backs tonight but 5 penalties on special teams negated the majority of them. The Steelers fired their special teams coach in the preseason for this? No team has ever penalized their way to a Super Bowl. Fix this before it's too late!

Honorable mention goes to Heath Miller, who should still continue to plan for the Pro Bowl this year. Not only did #83 catch another TD pass and the 2-point conversion, he had some big catches to keep drives alive by going 8 catches for 52 yards. He also came up big with some key blocks, especially to help the O-Line spring Dwyer.

The Steelers are at the Big Ketchup Bottle next week to take on the Deadskins. They are now in second place in the AFC North. The Baltimorons got waxed by Houston to fall to 5-2. We knocked Cincy down to 3-4. As always, the Clowns are still the Clowns at 1-6. Rest up and get ready for next Sunday, guys. Go Steelers!!!!!!

50-YARD LINE

Here we go, Steelers, here we go! The Steelers open up their division schedule tonight, looking to gain some ground in the AFC North, against the Bungles in Cincy. Keys to tonight's game. 1)The Steelers defense is ranked 31st in the NFL on 3rd down conversions, allowing 49.15%. In the second half, that goes up to 57.1%. They also have a 1.24% sack rate, 29th in the league. What's that tell us? The D needs to put more pressure on the quarterback and get off the field on 3rd downs. Things may be looking up as both Woodley and Harrison are expected to start at outside linebacker. Meet at the quarterback, guys! 2)Bungles QB Andy Dalton has thrown 12 touchdowns this season along with 9 picks. 3 of those interceptions have been returned for TDs. Could he be suffering from the dreaded sophomore slump? It helps that Cincy's running game is 21st in the league with 99.3 yards per game. Rattle Dalton's cage and stop the run! 3)Big Ben got banged up in practice this week and twisted his ankle. He thrives on the drama and thrives on playing in his home state of Ohio, were he is 14-2 in his career. Let's see him go to 15-2! The Steelers love to take night games to the final seconds before they win or lose the game. I'd like to get a good night's sleep so.....  Score early, score often, score BIG! Hit 'em early, hit 'em often, hit 'em HARD! Go Steelers!!!!!!

50-YARD LINE

Happy Hump Day! It's time for your Pittsburgh Steelers mid-week report. Here's how the injury list lines up for Sunday's showdown with Cincy: out-Troy, Gilbert, and Chris Carter. Questionable-Pouncey, Mendy, and Redman. Lamar Woodley is expected to play. This will be only the second time this season Woodley and Harrison have started the same game. Go get 'em! Considering the Steelers have 11 sacks thus far, on par for last year's 21-year low of 35, the Steelers need all the help they can get. Not getting to the quarterback also leads to just 2 INTs thus far. That puts the Steelers on a pace for 6 this season, that would be an all-time Steeler low. If you want the road to New Orleans to go through Pittsburgh, you've got to shutout your division and win on the road. That starts this Sunday night. The Bungles gave us a gift last week with a loss and the injury bugs have smiled upon us by biting the Baltimorons. Take advantage of this opportunity. Play with a higher sense of urgency. Stay off the Facebook, the Twitter and the police blotter and get down to business. Offense, there was a time when the defense would have to pick you and win the game. It's your turn to step up now. Stop getting bogged down and settling for field goals. Get this season turned around starting Sunday in Cincy. Go Steelers!!!!!!

SLAP SHOTS

It looks like the NHL is bending a little. They have proposed a 50/50 split to the players for hockey related revenue.  However, they have tweaked some other issue, too.  They’re asking that a player have 8 years of service or be 28 years old to be eligible for free agency. Under the previous CBA it was 7 years or 27 years old. Also, entry level contracts extend to 4 years. They were 3 years under the previous agreement. The league says that they would be able to start the season on November 2 and still carry an 82-game schedule.  Like I said, it looks like the NHL is bending a little but not breaking. The NHLPA has a conference call scheduled for 5pm today to review the proposal. Could the Pens lace up their skates soon? We’ll see if this latest offer breaks the ice. Let’s Go Pens!!!

50-YARD LINE

The Pittsburgh Steelers are 2-3, looking up at both Cincy and Baltimore. The defense continues to surrender leads that, ultimately, are costing the team victories.  Rashard Mendenhall has opened his trap on Twitter again. Rookie defensive lineman Alameda Ta’amu was charged over the weekend with DUI and several other offenses. Is Coach Cliché’s house of cards collapsing? While the Steelers appear to be in free-fall, Mendy acted like a Twitwit after the loss to the Titans. Shut up the haters by winning, Mendy. You only ran 6 yards on 6 carries before leaving that game with a boo-boo. Over the weekend, 4^th round pick Ta’amu allegedly was driving drunk, ran from the police, almost running over officers in the process, and ran into 5 vehicles, injuring one person. To add insult to injury, he tried to resist arrest. The Steelers said they’ll wait for all the facts before they act. The Steelers have a golden opportunity to get it together this weekend. The Baltimorons are banged up. Lewis, Ngata, and Webb are all hurt for their defense. They play the Texans this week. Both teams only have 1 loss. The Bungles are coming off a defeat to the Clowns (thank you, Cleveland). If the Steelers go undefeated in the AFC North, there’s still a shot at the playoffs.  It’s a gig game this Sunday night against the Bungles. It’s time to make hay while the sun shines. Let’s Go Steelers!!!!!!

50-YARD LINE

The Steelers are now at 2-3 and still looking up at the Bungles and Baltimorons in the AFC North. At least we can always count on the Clowns to bring up the rear. This is the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from last night’s loss.

1)The Good-Not much to report here. I’ll say the good was that Ben passed HOFer Terry Bradshaw for most passing yards in Steelers history.  There’s been a lot of talk around the Burgh this week regarding who the better QB is. All I can say is the question won’t be answered until Ben finishes his career.

2)The Bad-Where do you start with a loss like this? I’ll say the running game. There was so much optimism after the Iggles game, what with Mendy back and all. True, Pouncey, Foster, and Gilbert all got hurt  in the game. However, the running game wasn’t really running on all cylinders before they went down. 56 yards on 22 carries? Chris Johnson did better than that all by himself!

3)The Ugly-Believe me, there was a lot of ugly to go around. This was the 3^rd road loss in 3 road games this season. The teams the Steelers have lost to on the road, Denver, Oakland, and Tennessee are a combined 2-10 against opponents not wearing black-n-gold. Both the players and coaches are responsible for this mess. Why weren’t they bringing the house against a 37-year old QB and putting some actual pressure on him? There seems to be no sense of urgency at all.  And oh how I long for the day when a man went down, and another one stepped up to take his place and we never missed a beat.

Luckily, the Steelers have 10 days to get this straightened out. Next Sunday night they have another road game, this time in Cincy. It will be a big game, even bigger now that we have 3 losses in the AFC. There’s still time. Sweep the division and you have a chance. It’s too darn early in the season that we shouldn’t have to depend on other teams to help us.

Suit up, re-group and kick some butt! Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Just sitting here thinking how cool it is to see some teams in the postseason that we haven’t seen in quite a while: the Orioles, A’s, Nats. When are we going to see the Pirates in the postseason, you ask? How about when Bob Nutting no longer owns the team? This will be when hell freezes as long as he’s raking in the cash. How’s that thorough investigation into a 2^nd straight collapse going, Bottom Dollar Bob? Yes, I’m still ticked about this. This Saturday, October 13 will be the anniversary of Maz’s game 7 home run to win the 1960 World Series. This Sunday, October 14 will be the day that Barry Bonds couldn’t throw out Sid Bream at the plate. Ugh!

50-YARD LINE

Here we go Steelers, here we go! Your Pittsburgh Steelers are on the road in Tennessee tonight to take on the Titans. Keys to the game. 1)Get the road mojo back. In 2010, the Steelers were 7-1 on the road, real road warriors. Now, they've turned into road worriers. They've lost their last 3 on the road and 4 of the last 5 away from the Big Ketchup Bottle. Super Bowl contenders need to win the road games, too, fellas! 2)The Titans are the first NFL team since 1954 to allow 30 or more points in each of their first 5 games. That stat has got to have Big Ben and the boys chomping at the bit. The problem is the Steelers let the bad teams hang around. This could be another trap game. Don't look past Tennessee to next week's AFC North matchup with Cincy. Focus on the task at hand which is kick Tennessee butt! 3)Don't penalize yourselves right out of the game. The Steelers have 37 penalties for 346 yards. That's more than the 331 rushing yards they have. The Steelers are tied for 4th in the NFL for most penalties and tied for 5th for most penalty yards. Sloppy, undisciplined football is not how championships are won. Tighten up! Score early, score often, score BIG! Hit 'em early, hit 'em often, hit 'em HARD (just don't hit 'em in the head or with your head)! Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

50-YARD LINE

Your Pittsburgh Steelers play Thursday night at Tennessee so I will gladly give you a mid-week report on Tuesday for a Steelers win on Thursday. There’s good news and bad news on the injury report for the Steelers. The good news is Harrison and Mendy are expected to play Thursday. The bad news is Troy and Woodley are not. The Titans are banged up, too. Running back Javon Ringer isn’t expected to play and neither is quarterback Jake Locker. The Steelers are looking for their first road win this season. This should be a good matchup for them. The Titans are 1-4, picking up their only win on a field goal in OT. The Titans have lost their games by 21, 28, 24 and 23 points. Their starting running back, Chris Johnson has been held to under 25 yards in 4 games. He’s averaging 2.9 yards per carry and no touchdowns this season. The problem is that the Steelers tend to play down to their level of competition and let the bad teams hang around long enough to play catch up. Can the Steelers build off of the momentum of Sunday’s victory and beat up the Titans on the road? Let’s hope so as they continue to try to make up ground in the AFC North. Here we go, Steelers, here we go!!!!!!

50-YARD LINE

Your Pittsburgh Steelers pulled out a victory over the Iggles at the Big Ketchup Bottle today. This is the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

1)The Good-With Rashard Mendenhall playing in his first game back from ACL surgery, the Steelers rushed for 136 yards, a 4.4 average. Mendy also had a rushing TD. It's good to see the Steelers run to control the ball and run out the clock to get the game winning field goal. Hopefully, the
Steelers can build on this.

2)The Bad-9 penalties for 106 yards. The Steelers could have run away with this game but let Philly hang around with costly penalties. Every time they took 1 step forward, a penalty would put them 2 steps back. It seems they win in spite of themselves and boneheaded penalties. You can't continue to win games like this. The Steelers need to straighten up and play disciplined football before it's too late.

3)The Ugly-Sloppy play. Along with their multitudes of penalties there were dropped passes and muffed snaps. You can't win ugly all the time. If you continue to let teams hang around instead of  putting the nail in the coffin, it will come back to haunt you. The Steelers had 2 weeks to prepare for this game and did not look prepared at all. They only have 4 days to get ready for Tennessee this week. They'd better tighten up before it costs them, big time.

An honorable mention this week for Player of the Game goes to Lawrence Timmons. The former 1st round draft pick had 9 tackles, 8 solo, 2 for lose and 2 QB hits. What took you so long Timmons? Keep it up and you could go a long way, especially with Polamalu and Woodley hurt.

Going into Thursday night's game, the Steelers are still in 3rd place in the AFC North. The Baltimorons won today and are 4-1, the Bungles lost and are 3-2 and the Clowns, well, they're still the Clowns at 0-5.

Get ready for showdown this week with the Titans. With 2 loses in the conference, the Steelers can't afford another. Here we go Steelers!!!!!!

50-YARD LINE

Here we go, Steelers, here we go! It's the battle of Pennsyvlania as your Pittsburgh Stillers take on the Philthedelphia Iggles today at the Big Ketchup Bottle. Keys to today's game. 1)The Steelers are 19-2-1 vs. NFC teams at Heinz Field. The last 4 were won by a combined score of 93-12. Score early, score often, score BIG! 2)Ben is 13-1 vs. NFC teams. He is also the #2 ranked QB is the NFL, averaging 301.3 yards passing per game. If the running game stalls again this week, put the ball and the game in Ben's hands, he's got this! 3)Look out because LeSean McCoy is #3 in rushing in the NFL. Could it be lights out for Shady with a healthy and rested Steelers D on the field? Hit 'em early, hit 'em often, hit 'em HARD! Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE BULLPEN

Now that the Pittsburgh Pirates 2012 season is but a memory, I thought I’d take a moment to reflect on their 79-83 campaign. There was the Barajas walk-off homer against Philly in May. How about the Sutton walk-off homer versus Houston in June? Then there was the McKenry-Barmes back-to-back doubles off of Aroldis Chapman, who at that point was virtually unhittable. AJ Burnett made a good case for comeback player of the year. Pedro Alvarez proved he does know how to hit major league pitching. And who could forget that at the 2/3 point of the season the Pirates were a season-high 16 games over .500. Good times. Then there was the 7 error debacle against the Cubs. The no hitter thrown by Homer Bailey. The failed bunts, the runners left on base, and the countless stolen bases against them. Bad times. I remember these times the most because there were so many of them and they were the most recent. Clint Hurdle said that this team’s motto would be “Finish”. They did not do that. They only thing they finished was a record 20^th losing season. Yes, the 2012 season is a memory for Pirates fans, a bad memory at that. All I can say is go Steelers and get the lockout resolved, NHL!

50-YARD LINE

We’re at the mid-way point in the week. Let’s take a glance and the Steelers and see how they look for this week’s battle of Pennsylvania against the Iggles. Things are looking up, health-wise. James Harrison, Rashard Mendenhall and Troy Polamalu are not on the injured list as of yesterday. Mendy would help give some legs to a running game that is off to its worst start in 62 years with only 195 yards rushing, at a 2.64 yards per carry clip. And Harrison and Troy can help a defense that only has 2 turnovers and 5 sacks. It can also help that Philly QB Michael Vick has been sacked 11 times and has 9 turnovers for a 72.7 passer rating. Keep in mind, no Mike Tomlin team has started 1-3. The last time the Steelers started 1-3 was Bill Cowher’s last season in 2006. They finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs. That’s something for the Steelers to think about this week. Let’s get ready to rumble! Go Steelers!!!!!!

SLAP SHOTS

The NHL lockout continues. Both sides did meet over the weekend. The issues discussed were drug testing, player health, and player safety. Nothing was hammered out on those issues as well as the major issue, revenue, which wasn’t even discussed. What is certain is that with no new talks scheduled, the NHL is getting closer to canceling the early portion of the regular season. It’s hard to write about this when there is really nothing new to report. Meanwhile, there is word that about 9 Penguins continue to work out at Southpointe in anticipation of the season. If/when the season does start; there will have to be some abbreviated type of training camp so everyone gets their legs back under them.  It’s like both sides are giving each other the cold shoulder and continue to leave the fans out in the cold.