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Winner, winner, chicken dinnner! Your Pittsburgh Steelers finish out the string in winning fashion, beating the Cleveland Clowns 24-10 to avoid the sweep. This is the Good, the Bad and the Ugly from today's victory.

1)The Good-I was going to say that the good was that we are put out of our misery by having the season end but I never like to see the Steelers miss the postseason. I'll give the good to the defense today, even though they gave up a huge fake punt play on 4th and 5. That was the second one this season. They forced 4 turnovers and 4 sacks today. Where was this all season? Lawrence Timmons had another big game with back to back sacks. The second one was a strip sack that Ziggy recovered. Timmons showed some flashes this season but like the entire Steeler team, remains inconsistent. Take this effort and use it as a foundation for next season, guys!

2)The Bad-The offense started the season so good on 3rd down conversions. What happened? They were a putrid 5 of 13 on 3rd downs today. Luckily, the offense had the 4 turnovers handed to them by the D. The offense went downhill when Ben went down against KC and they never really recovered. They had their moments but it was another example of inconsistent execution. Will OC Todd Haley be back next year? Alot of people were concerned that Haley would take the OC gig and use it as a stepping stone to another head coaching job. Considering the poor playcalling he exhibited much of the season, don't count on it. And don't necessarily count on his return next year, either.

3)The Ugly-The Cleveland Clowns. They are still Cleveland, after all.

Where do the Steelers go from here? There will be alot of decisions that have to be made with the coaching staff and the personnel in the off season. 8-8 means the Steelers were medicore this year. This is a crossroads for them. I'm sure there are many players who will not be wearing the black-n-gold next year. The question is, will next year's Steeler team come back better than ever or continue the downward spiral. Let's climb that Stairway to 7 next season. Go Steelers!!!!!!

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Here we go Steelers, here we go! Your Pittsburgh Steelers wrap up their season at the Big Ketchup Bottle today against the Cleveland Clowns. The Steelers are taking a page out of Cleveland's book today as they play out the string, looking to finish with a win that can put them at an even 8-8. Meanwhile, the Clowns, who have their 11th 10-loss season in the past 14 years, are trying to go for the season sweep of the Steelers. In this Bizarro-world scenario, these are your keys to today's game. 1)Big Ben is 14-1 for his career versus Cleveland and the Steelers are 8-0 against the Clowns at home since '03. Ben hasn't been himself since the injury against KC. He's thrown 4 INT's in his 3 games since coming back. What's up with that? I'm sure the drama will rear it's ugly head once this ugly season is over. Meanwhile, he won't have his safety-valve, Miller, to throw to today. He'll be without Butterfingers Wallace, as well. Maybe Plaxico will see the field today. Regardless, it's still the Clowns, fellas. Score early, score often, score BIG! 2)On the other side of the ball, Cleveland will start 3rd-string QB Thad Lewis (who?) today. Lewis hasn't started a game at quarterback since '09, when he was at Duke. He'll be without workhorse running back Trent Richardson today. Hopefully, this is good news for the D. Hit 'em early, hit 'em often, hit 'em HARD! 3)Some people want the Steelers to lose this game in hopes of landing a better draft pick. Some want the Steelers to win because it's still Cleveland and they want to play for pride and finish on a winning note. Even if they did lose and get a higher draft pick, you still have to make sure you don't whiff on that pick and get an impact player who can contribute to the team. Mrs Black-N-Gold says, "Finish strong". Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

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Better late than never! It's still Hump Day and the Steelers are still playing. This is still your Pittsburgh Steelers mid-week report. The Steelers wrap up the season Sunday at the Big Ketchup Bottle against the Cleveland Clowns. The Steelers need a win to finish at an even 8-8. They're trying to avoid their first losing season since they went 6-10 in '03. They'll do so without Miller, Ike and Baron Batch who were all placed on IR today. They also had 2 players named to the Pro Bowl today, Miller and Pouncey. It's the third time in 3 seasons for Pouncey and Miller's second time. Of course, Heath won't get to make the trip to Hawaii as he has surgery scheduled for tomorrow. This is the fewest Pro Bowlers since Jason Gildon was the lone representative following the 2000 season. It's indicative of the kind of season the Steelers had. Going into Sunday's game they've lost 5 games by 3 points or less. They practiced today without Curtis Brown, Troy, Lewis and Wallace. Adams was limited. Sunday may be the last chance to see some of these players donning the black-n-gold. It could be the last round-up for Foote, Mendy, and Wallace. There's some older players that may be shown the door due to performance/contract. Have we seen the last of Troy, Harrison, Keisel, Hampton, Ike, Clark, or Starks? Only time will tell. We did see some young guys, finally emerge this season. Lewis came on but may not play Sunday due to injury. Cortez was a killer last week vs. Cincy. Timmons had his moments but remains maddeningly inconsistent. And put Woodley's face on the side of a milk carton, would ya. It will be a long off season, giving management plenty of time to decide in which direction they want to go. You either go up or you continue on this downward spiral. I'm all for going onward and upward. Go Steelers!!!!!!

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The Pittsburgh Steelers get a lump of coal in their stocking as they're eliminated from the playoffs today, at home, by Cincy, 13-10. This is the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

1)The Good-The defense, particularly, Timmons and Cortez the Killer played out of their minds today. The D recorded 6 sacks of Cincy QB Andy Dalton. They also forced 3 turnovers. The problem was that the offense couldn't capitalize off of Cincy's mistakes, scoring 0 points on turnovers. Timmons and Cortez should get game balls, though. #94 had 10 total tackles, 8 solo, with 2 sacks, 2 QB hits, and 2 tackles for loss. The youngster, Cortez grew up quick today. He recorded 7 total tackles, 6 solo, 3 passes defended, and 2 interceptions. Sadly, there was no partridge in a pear tree in the form of a victory today.

2)The Bad-Sorry, I know Squeeze Em only missed 1 FG all season coming into today's game. But he missed 2 today and one was a chip shot early that could have had us up 13-10 late in the game. The kid went from the Pro Bowl to the toilet bowl in one fell swoop today.

3)The Ugly-It's got to go to Ben today. Sorry, I know he was sacked 4 times today for 35 yards and I know ALOT of the play calling was atrocious. And I know it certainly doesn't help when Coach Cliche plays not to lose, instead of playing to win. That said, there was a time when we could count on Ben to lead us in a game-winning or game-tying drive in the 4th quarter or OT. Those days are too few and far between anymore. What happened to Ben? It's like Where's Waldo only it's Where's Ben? Where's he Ben?

The Steelers are now 7-8 and try to finish out the string at .500 next week versus Cleveland. Keep in mind, the Steelers lost to Cleveland earlier in the season and no home games are a lock anymore. Let's see if we can finish the season on a winning note. Go Steelers!!!!!!

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Chew tobacco, chew tobacco, spit, spit, spit! If you ain't a Steeler fan, you ain't.....It's one and done today at the Big Ketchup Bottle as your Pittsburgh Steelers face off against AFC North rivals, the Cincinnuti Bungles. This game should definitely have a playoff atmosphere. On the 40th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception we need Santa to give the Steelers a 2-game winning streak to make the playoffs. This is the keys to the game. 1)The Bungles have gone an NFL record 29 straight seasons without back-to-back playoff appearances. Cincy has gone 5-2 since losing to the Steelers on 10/21. They've also won 5 of 6 but have lost 5 straight and 10 out of 12 to the Steelers. The Steelers are going for their 3rd straight sweep of the Bungles. Also, the Steelers have lost 5 games by 6 points or less. This game is shaping up to be a knock down, drag out, fight to the finish for the last AFC playoff spot. Our Steelers need to come out swinging and be fired up for this game! 2)Cincy RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis (that's a mouthful) is averaging 108.6 yards rushing his past 5 games. Cincy QB Andy Dalton has thrown 12 TDs and 3 INTs in his past 6. We need the offense to come out and make a statement first thing. We need to score, score and then score some more. The receivers need to stay focused and catch the friggin' ball. The O-Line needs to keep Ben upright so he can make some plays. The running game needs to step up and take some pressure off of the passing game. Score early, score often, score BIG! 3)Bungles WR AJ Green leads the AFC North with 7 drops, one more then Steelers WR Mike "Butterfingers" Wallace. QB Dalton is 3-7 vs. the AFC North in his career, with all 3 wins against the Cleveland Clowns. These guys can be had. They tend to wilt under pressure. It's up to the D to put the pressure on. Everyone should be ready to go today except for Ike.We need some playmakers on D. Create some turnovers, force them into mistakes. Hit 'em early, hit 'em often, hit 'em HARD. Here we go Steelers!!!!!!

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Mrs. Black-N-Gold has the Christmas cheer. With apologies to Clement Clarke Moore and Coach LeBeau, I've attempted a black-n-gold version of the Night Before Christmas.

'Twas the night before the night before Christmas
And all through the 'Burgh
Not a creation was stirring
No one uttered a word.
They were worried that the Steelers would miss the playoffs this year
That Coach Tomlin's players would not bring them good cheer.
But this was the 40th anniversary of the greatest play of all
And on this Steelers Sunday the Bungles would fall.
Onto the field came the greatest of scenes
On Rocky, on Franco, on Lambert and Greene.
And Myron with his Towel and the Chief with his cigar
Fans all clad in black-n-gold
They came from near and far.
The Emperor Chaz Noll and Tomlin's predecessor Coach Chin
Were all there to chear the Steelers to a win.
Those clad in the black-n-gold will watch our Steelers fight
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Go Steelers!!!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Dear Santa,

My favorite black-n-gold sports teams have tried awfully hard to be good this year. I would appreciate it if you could leave the following items under their respective trees. As always, additional championships for each go without saying.

The Pirates-please give them a deep-pocketed owner. Bottom Dollar Bob’s policy of addition by subtraction is getting old. Witness the desperation with which they’re trying to trade Hammer & GI Jones to offset the costs of Russell Martin. On a side note, please give MLB a commissioner who is interested in seeing the small market teams compete, not just be a breeding ground for the New Yorks, Bostons & LAs of baseball.

Clutch-please give Clutch a winning team, an MVP award and some protection in the lineup, as well as a day off or two to rest.

The Penguins-please give them an NHL season to salvage. We miss our boys of winter.

Ray Shero-please give the Pens GM the pieces he needs to complete the Stanley Cup puzzle.

Sid-please give Sid continued good health and an opportunity to get back on the ice in front of Pens fans and blow everyone away!

The Steelers-please give the coaches and management a clue. This is the NFL of the 21^st century, gentlemen. It’s a passing league. True, it’s good to have some semblance of a running game to control the ball and eat up the clock. However, you have a $100 million, two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback, put the ball and your faith in Ben’s hands.

The Defense-please give the D some playmaking ballhawks, like the good, old days.

Ben-please give him receivers that can catch the ball, some long pass plays called, a healthy offensive line and the 4^th quarter, come-from-behind ability that used to come, oh so,easy.

And Santa, please give all my fellow black-n-gold fans a safe and Merry Christmas.

 

Your friend,

Mrs. Black-N-Gold

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It’s the Hump Day before Christmas! Will the Steelers find a lump of coal in their stocking or a trip to the playoffs? This is your Pittsburgh Steelers mid-week report. The Steelers won’t find Ike Taylor wrapped under their Christmas tree this week. The walking boot has been removed but Ike is still out against the Bungles. The Steelers have lost 4 of their last 5 games. In those 5 games, they’ve turned the ball over 18 times while recording only 4 takeaways. The youngsters in the secondary will need to step up this week and give the home fans some Christmas cheer. The Steelers have lost their last 2 games at the Big Ketchup Bottle. What better way to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception than with a victory? The O-Line will continue to have their hands full. Cincy’s D has an NFL-high 43 sacks. The Steelers have rushed for only 69 yards in each of their last 2 games. Some good news: The Steelers rushed for a season-high 167 yards last time they played the Bungles, October 21.  The bottom line is the Steelers need playmakers on both sides of the ball. This is a do or die game.  The Steelers need to win this one or they won’t get to play in any reindeer games. Go Steelers!!!!!!

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Another tough Steelers loss today, 27-24 in OT to the Cryboys. This is the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

1)The Good-I thought it was going to be #17 Mike Wallace. He went from Butterfingers to Stickyfingers today, catching 4 passes for 95 yards today. However, once again, when we needed him most, he came up empty. He was targeted 10 times on the day. Also, in the interception that gave the Cryboys the game, Wallace was the intended receiver. Did the faster player in the game catch cornerback, Brandon Carr, the player that intercepted the ball? No way. He didn't even make an attempt to tackle him. But I digress....I'll give the good today to the fact that there were no, repeat, no penalties today. That's huge, actually. It's a shame it is all for not. Such a good effort deserves a reward, it really does. All I can say is, keep it up. It will pay off for you!

2)The Bad-I'll have to say it was the pick that Ben threw in OT to set up the winning score. Wasn't a really good throw and wasn't a really good effort by the Steelers to tackles Carr, either. The game came down to whoever blinked first and it was the Steelers. Tough break.

3)The Ugly-I could say it was the missed/lack of tackles. Murray scored a touchdown, untouched. The special teams gave up huge yardage on a punt return. Alot of the fill-in cornerbacks showed why they're not starters, repeatedly whiffing on tackles. Unfortunately, there was something uglier than this. Antonio Brown had a beautiful punt return that turned into the ugly duckling in a BIG way. I mean, come on! I'm going to take the over on the number of times these guys put the ball on the turf next week. Whatever happened to holding the ball high and tight? Sheesh!

With today's loss, things went from bad to worse. The Baltimorons lost today and are now 9-5. But the Steelers loss helped them clinch a playoff spot. The Bungles jumped over us to go to 8-6 with their win on Thursday. We're now at 3rd place in the AFC North, on the outside looking in, at 7-7. The Clowns continue to be cellar dwellars after losing today to go to 5-9.

The Steelers have a chance to atone for their actions next week against the Bungles at the Big Ketchup Bottle. Can they avoid losing 3 in a row and get back into the playoff picture? Time will tell. Suck it up, get it together and maybe Santa will bring you a 2-game winning streak and a playoff spot for Christmas. Go Steelers!!!!!!

50-YARD LINE

Here we go Steelers, here we go! Your Pittsburgh Steelers try to get back in the win column and start a 3-game winning streak that can lead them to the playoffs. It all goes down today in Big D versus the Cryboys. The Iggles did us no favors on Thursday, bungling their game against the Bungles and giving Cincy a game up on us. The Steelers can't look ahead to Cincy next week, they have to concentrate on today's game. Take it one game at a time. Keys to today's game. 1)What the Steelers need are PED's. No, not performance enhancing drugs. They need Preperation, Execution, and Discipline! Get back to playing Steeler football the way it's supposed to be played. No mental errors which means, no penalties, no fumbles or dropped passes. Mistakes can cost you and this team has paid dearly this season because of them. What happened to the "Band of Brothers"? This team needs to band together and get it together. The Steelers have won the last 2 games against the Cryboys, in '04 and in '08. The Steelers are 3-0 vs. the NFC this season and 12-2 in their last 14. Control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball and smack 'em in the mouth! 2)The defense has only forced 4 turnovers in the last 5 games. We need playmakers to step up today and force Romo into mistakes. Hit 'em early, hit 'em often, hit 'em HARD! 3)Today would be a good day for Mike Wallace to drop (pun intended) the Butterfingers moniker. Wallace has 10 TD's in 15 games vs. the NFC. We need him to be a playmaker on offense today. Score early, score often, score BIG! Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

50-YARD LINE

Happy Hump Day! It’s time for your Steelers mid-week report. Your Pittsburgh Steelers are still stunned by the devastating home loss to the San Diegans this week. They need to pick themselves up and get back to playing focused, disciplined football. They’ll have to do so without some of the regulars. Ike and Adams are out this week. Colon had surgery and is also out, maybe for the season. Cortez Allen is a question mark with a hip. Keenan Lewis also has a hip but is probable. Good thing as their other corners don’t have a lot of experience. Curtis Brown needs to re-group from the torching he got last week. Josh Victorian was signed from the taxi squad and DeMarcus Van Dyke has only dressed for 2 of the past 7 games. They’ll need to toughen up as they face a Cryboys team that has won 4 of its last 5 and has 2 receives with at least 75 catches, Jason Witten (92) and Dez Bryant (75). Bryant has a broken digit but vows to play this week. The Steelers are also without former 1^st round draft pick Rashard Mendenhall. He missed last week’s game, saying he thought since he was inactive; he didn’t need to be at the game. There should be no such miscommunication this week as he’s been suspended for 1 game. Baron Batch has been signed from the practice squad. The running game will need all the help they can get as they’re ranked 31^st in the league in rushing. The Cowboys aren’t much better at 25^th in the league. Can anyone run the ball? We’ll see how the Steelers do with a patchwork offensive line. There was a rumor earlier in the week that Pouncey would move to guard and Legursky would start at center. Now the rumor is 1^st round pick DeCastro may start at guard and leave Pouncey at center. Whatever they do, they’ve definitely got to improve upon the porous running game and the putrid pass protection of last week. Meanwhile, we need playmakers to step up on both sides of the ball. Enough of the mental lapses with the penalties, dropped passes, and not playing to the whistle. This is professional football, guys. Start acting like it. I’ve heard some people say the Steelers can lose this game and still make the playoffs. Let’s hope the Steelers don’t have that mentality. You should never have to rely on other teams or back your way into the playoffs. Keep your destiny in your own hands. Let’s Go Steelers!!!!!!

50-YARD LINE

Oakland, Tennessee, Cleveland, San Diego. What do these teams have in common? Well, they’re all under .500. They’ve also beaten the Pittsburgh Steelers this year. Yes, the Steelers have also lost to Baltimore and Denver but those are playoff teams. No one will ever confuse Cleveland and San Diego with Baltimore and Denver, unless, of course, they are watching game film of the Steelers games. How can a team that supposedly has Super Bowl aspirations continue to lose to teams with losing records? There are many questions to ask but I don’t think you’ll like any of the answers. Why is it that the Steelers play so flat and disinterested against sub .500 teams?  Why do they look totally unprepared? How come they continue to play mistake-plagued, undisciplined football? Sorry but it all comes down to coaching. It is the coach’s responsibility to light a fire under his players to get them to play with a sense of urgency. Do you see that, because I sure don’t?  It is the coach’s responsibility to make sure the players are focused and well prepared to execute to the best of their abilities. Hello? Is anyone out there? If players continue to make mental mistakes and costly penalties, they should be dealt with accordingly. It doesn’t look like a player’s coach is someone that’s going to reprimand his charges for boneheaded mistakes. Penalties, dropped passes, lack of communication, failure to convert on 3^rd downs and failure to hold opponents on 3^rd downs. The list goes on and on. Word is that a lot of the younger guys, you know, Tomlin’s guys aren’t getting it. Isn’t it the coach’s responsibility to make sure that they do? Maybe he’s just not getting through to these guys. Maybe they’ve heard it all before. Maybe the Steelers need to do something about this before its too late…..Get on the stick Tomlin and get it together. They’re not playing with enough intellectuality and urgentality, as you might say.  Get ready for the Cryboys in Big D. Go Steelers!!!!!!

50-YARD LINE

UGH! The losses just keep piling up for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Another ugly loss today, 34-24, to another ugly team. This is the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

The Good-What is good about losing to a 4-8 team? I thought long and hard about this. The only good I can come up with is the fact that it's good that the Steelers don't play them every week.

The Bad-Oh where to begin....How about the offensive line? True Colon left the game so Pouncey had to slide over to right guard and Legursky had to play center but where was the grind-it-out kind of play we've seen from this unit of late? The running game only generated 69 yards. True, Ben was only sacked twice but it seemed like the Chargers defense was camped out on our side of the ball. They also had 4 quarterback hits and 2 tackles for loss. Are they trying to get Ben hurt again?

The Ugly-There's alot of ugly to go around. Butterfingers Wallace may have caught 7 passes for 112 yards and 2 TD's but dropped one earlier in the game that would have been another touchdown. The Steelers #1 defense in the league got manhandled by an offensive line that was missing 3 starters. How about the fake punt that went for a first down? Or maybe the pass intended for AB that bounced off of Paulson into the end zone and San Diego recovered for a TD?  And don't forget the ever-present special teams penalties. No, the ugliest of all is the fact that the quarterback play was nearly identical. Philip Rivers was 21 of 41 for 200 yards, 3 touchdowns and a passer rating of 89.5. Ben was 22 of 42 for 285 yards 3 touchdowns, 1 pick and an 87.9 passer rating. It was an ugly interception but it's hard to find your receivers when you have blue jerseys in your face all day. This was just an ugly game from top to bottom.

Where do the Steelers go from here? Hopefully, they have no where to go but up. They're still looking up at the Baltimorons, who lost today. The Bungles also put one in the L column. The Clowns are still in the cellar but picked up a victory today. In other AFC news, the Colts won. The Steelers are still the 6th seed in the AFC but can't continue to play like they don't deserve to go to the playoffs. Tighten up, rest up and get back at it tomorrow, guys. Big game in big D next week. Go Steelers!!!!!!

50-YARD LINE

Here we go Steelers, here we go! Your Pittsburgh Steelers try to make it 2-in-a-row today at the Big Ketchup Bottle as they faceoff against the Dolts from San Diego. Here are your keys to today's game. 1)The 4-8 Dolts' last win in Pittsburgh was all the way back in the '94 AFC title game at Three Rivers. Because the Dolts are a west coast team and it's a 1:00 start, you'd figure the Steelers can catch them napping. The Dolts have averaged just 63.3 yards rushing in their last 3 games. Meanwhile, QB Phillip Rivers has been sacked 14 times in the last 3 games. Is the defense licking their chops over this one? Don't expect a cakewalk as the Steelers almost always play down to the level of competition. Beware the trap! 2)Big Ben gets the start today, his first since returning from injury. Ben is 3-1 vs. the Dolts with a 97.7 passer rating. Butterfingers Wallace has a mear 13 catches for 93 yards in his last 4 games. Heeeeaaaath Miller leads the Steelers with 56 receptions and 7 touchdowns. What does this tell us? Throw the ball to #83, Ben! Score early, score often, score BIG! 3)The Dolts rank 25th in the NFL with 18.3 points per game and 26th with 320 yards per game. Again, the D ought to tee off on these guys. Hit 'em early, hit 'em often, hit 'em HARD! Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

50-YARD LINE

Happy Hump Day! This can only mean one thing: it’s time for your Pittsburgh Steelers mid-week report. The Steelers are gearing up for their battle at the Big Ketchup Bottle this week against the 4-8 Bolts, or is it Dolts? The Steelers need to go with Mo and ride the momentum of the huge victory over the Baltimorons, not play down to the level of competition. The Steelers try to get healthy in some areas while getting dinged up in others. Sanders, Wallace and Colon are probable. Ben will play based on how well he practices this week. Otherwise, it’s go time for Charlie again. JDog is still your starting running back. Taylor and Woodley are out. Earlier in the season it was noted that they Steelers didn’t have players that could step in without missing a beat this year. That certainly has changed of late. 2 players who stepped up big time last week were Cortez Allen and Curtis Brown. Sure, there were some hiccups but they came through when it mattered most. We’ll need that again this week as Allen is the starter and Brown is the nickel. Shut ‘em down, guys! Speaking of stepping up, congrats to Squeeze Me Suisham for winning the AFC special teams player of the week. Squeeze Me is 24 for 25 for field goals this season, including the game winner Sunday. He’s converted his last 13 in a row, too! Also, congrats to Heeeeath Miller. His touchdown reception in the 4^th quarter of Sunday’s game set the record for most touchdowns, 38, by a Steelers tight end. Here’s a little known fact: the Steelers are 26-8 when #83 scores a touchdown. What does that tell us? Throw the ball to Miller! Don’t take the San Diegans too lightly. We need a win to keep ahead of the Bungles for that final wild card spot. Go Steelers!!!!!!

50-YARD LINE

Winner, winner, chicken dinner! Your Pittsburgh Steelers come home a winner over the Baltimorons thanks to Shaun Suisham's field goal with 3 seconds left to make it 23-20. It was a hard fought victory in what could be Charlie Batch's last start. This is the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

The Good-The D continued to look very good this week. They held Flacco to 188 yard passing and kept Ray Rice at 78 rushing yards. They put up 3 sacks, forced 2 turnovers and held the Baltimorons to 3 of 11 on 3rd downs. One of those turnovers, a James Harrison strip/sack that was recovered by Ziggy Hood, who also had a sack, was the big play this team has needed to get them back in the win column. Harrison is looking more and more like his Pro Bowl self. He led the Steelers with 7 tackles on the day, 6 solo.

The Bad-Charlie wasn't pretty but came up big when the chips were down. He went 25 of 36 for an 89.6 passer rating and a huge interception to Ed Reed in the end zone. However, he hit Heath Miller, who was outstanding today, catching 5 passes for 97 yards, for the critical touchdown that tied the game.

The Ugly-Earlier in the season, people were talking about how talented the Steelers receivers were. Are they still saying that? Emmanuel Sanders gave the ball away today, dropping a pass with the field wide open, leading to a Baltimoron fumble recovery that set up a touchdown to put the Steelers behind the 8 ball. Are these guys not accountable for anything? If you bench Sanders and you've already benched Wallace who do you have left to play? Cotchery is hurt and Plex is not starter material. Whatever happened to fining players for making mistakes? Hit them where they live, in the wallet!

With the victory today over the Baltimorons, the Steelers are still very much in the playoff hunt. The Baltimorons continue to lead the division at 9-3. The Steelers are in second place at 7-5, tied with the Bungles who beat our opponent for next week, the San Diegans. The Clowns picked up a win this week by beating the Raiders and are now 4-8.

As I said, the Steelers are at the Big Ketchup Bottle to face off against the Bolts, who are also playing for their playoff lives. It's a 1:00 game which is a good time to catch west coast teams napping. Let's go for 2 in a row. Go Steelers!!!!!!

50-YARD LINE

Chew tobacco, chew tobacco, spit, spit, spit, if you ain't a Steelers fan you ain't......Your Pittsburgh Steelers look to keep their playoff hopes alive and get back in the win column today in Maryland against the Baltimorons. Keys to today's game. 1)Last gasp for Charlie? Charlie Batch is under center again and looking for redemption after last week's game against the Clowns. Charlie realizes his days are numbered, especially with Ben getting healthier by the day, and wants to go out on a winning note. BIG key to the game. NO turnovers. Charlie got another week of work in with the offense and needs to get the ball to his receivers. Meanwhile, the running backs can help by holding onto the ball. Keep it high and tight, guys! 2)The Baltimorons are riding a 4 game winning streak and 16 straight wins at home. The last time the Baltimorons lost at home was on 12/5/10 to the Steelers. It would be great to have a flashback to that game today. The Steelers need to help out rookie Kelvin Beachum at right tackle by keeping DE Paul Kruger out of Charlie's face. We don't want Paul Kruger to turn into Freddy Kruger for the offense. Keep Charlie clean! 3)The Steelers need to turn things around in the turnover battle. The D has looked stellar, of late, but need to make some plays. Keep that ball away from the Baltimorons. Hit 'em early, hit 'em often, hit 'em HARD! And don't forget to score early, score often, score BIG! Here we go Steelers, here we go!!!!!!