THE 50-YARD LINE

     Wow. Just wow. For once, Mrs. Black-N-Gold is speechless. Words can't begin to describe the debacle that was the latest Steelers loss yesterday, 21-14 in Baltimore. Normally, she'd give you The Good, The Bad and the Ugly from yesterday's game. There was more than enough bad and ugly to go around. But there was absolutely nothing good about this game. Not. One. Damn. Thing. What started as such a hopeful day on a beautiful afternoon for football turned to garbage in a hurry. Everyone was abuzz thanks to the returns of DL Cam Heyward (whose name I never heard mentioned all day), T Marcus Gilbert (he did the revolving door bit at one point to allow a sack) and QB Ben Roethlisberger (would we really rather have Ben at less than 100% instead of a totally healthy Landry Jones?). No, there will be no Good, Bad & Ugly today. Instead, Mrs. Black-N-Gold is going to provide a laundry list of big moments from the game and see if we can make sense of this mess.

1)Boom! Right off the bat, the Steelers go 3 and out on 1st possession and C Maurkice Pouncey leaves the field with a thumb injury (Pouncey would later return only to leave again).

2)CB Artie Burns, making his 1st NFL start, grabs his 1st career interception. It was also the 1st interception for the Steelers secondary this season. The turnover led to 0 points (this is a trend that developed in the Patriots game).

3)It wasn't all sunshine and flowers for Artie. Burns was burned (punny) along with the rest of the Steelers D by the former one-trick pony Mike Wallace for a 95 yard touchdown. That set a new Baltimore record.

4)The Steelers talked all week about leaning heavily on RB Le'Veon Bell in the game plan. Bell was mostly ineffective, rushing 14 times for 32 yards, a 2.3 average. He also caught 6 passes for 38 yards.

5)Roethlisberger was no better. He completed 23 of 45 passes for 264 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception and a 67.3 passer rating. Ben was so completely off his game, there were times you had to wonder why he was still in the game.

6)The Steelers were a pathetic 4 for 16 on 3rd downs.

7)It looked like P Jordan Berry would be the MVP of the day until his punt was blocked in the 4th quarter for a TD. When this happened, the Steelers were trailing 13-0.

8)The Steelers were flagged 13 times for 99 yards. At one point in the game, the Steelers racked up more yards on penalties then on offense. They had a penalty for every occasion: Delay of game, false start, running into the punter, face mask/hands to the face, neutral zone, pass interference, too many men on the field.

9)With 48 seconds to go, the Steelers had one last chance, trailing 21-14. They lined up for an onsides kick. Keep in mind, they unsuccessfully tried an onsides kick in their loss to New England. Now they're 0 for 2 this season.

10)For some reason, K Chris Boswell, thought he was performing the River Dance like Hines Ward used to do on touchdowns, when he attempted his kick. It fell 2 inches off the tee so he tried a legitimate onsides kick immediately thereafter. Make that another penalty. You can only kick the ball once, Boz.

That about sums up the Steelers dreadful day. The Steelers lost to Baltimore for the 11th time in their last 14 meetings They have now lost to sub-.500 teams, on the road, in 12 of the last 17 games. They have also lost 3 straight games and are now in a tie with Baltimore for the AFC North lead at 4-4 (although Baltimore holds the tiebreaker). Cincy had a bye but they're right behind at 3-4-1. The Clowns are still the Clowns, falling to 0-9 (please, PLEASE, PLEASE, don't let the Steelers lose to Cleveland when we face them!)

Next week the Steelers return home to Heinz Field to face America's Team, the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas is the best team in the NFC with a 7-1 mark. They're led by a couple of rookies, QB Dak Prescott and RB Ezekiel Elliott. Can the Steelers recover from their latest embarrassing loss and get back in the win column? They'd better if they hope to have a shot at the playoffs. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

THE 50-YARD LINE

     Here we go, Steelers, here we go! Our Pittsburgh Steelers return to the gridiron this afternoon for an AFC North division battle in Baltimore versus the Baltimorons. These are your keys for today's game. 1)It's important that the Steelers impose their will on both sides of the ball. We don't like them and they don't like us. Don't make it another game were we go on the road and lose to a sub-.500 team. Batter the Baltimorons! 2)QB Ben Roethlisberger is rumored to return from his knee injury for this matchup. Typically, Big Ben plays very small during his 1st game back from the sidelines. It's important to find the endzone and stay there. Score early, score often, score BIG! 3)The Steelers have lost 3 straight on the Baltimorons turf. They've also dropped 5 of the last 6 to the Baltimorons. The defense needs to channel the Steel Curtain and find their inner-Blitzburgh. They need to get on Batlimorons QB Joe Flacco's case and in his face. They need to sacco Flacco.  Hit him early, hit him often, hit him HARD! Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

SLAP SHOTS

     Do you know they way to San Jose; it's a great day for hockey! Our Pittsburgh Penguins take their show on the road to San Jose to faceoff against the Sharks. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Pens came away with a point but still took the loss in OT Thursday night to LA, 3-2. That gives them 4 wins out of the last 5 games. Eat, sleep, win! 2)The Pens look to defeat the Sharks in San Jose for the 1st time since their Stanley Cup triumph. Sink the Sharks! 3)In Thursday's game, C Sidney Crosby scored both goals. The Captain can't do it all by himself (well, maybe he can but it's a team sport). Crank up the Goals, Goals, Goals! Let's Go Pens!!!!

THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS

     Has Mrs. Black-N-Gold got news for you. That's right, Black-N-Gold Nation, it's time for another edition of that internet sensation. It's time for Penguins, Steelers and Pirates. It's time for The Black-N-Gold News.


                                     THE BLACK-N-GOLD NEWS


PENGUINS

Our Penguins are on a roll. They made their first trip of the season across the state to faceoff with the Philly Flyers last Saturday night. Our Favorite Black-N-Gold Hockey Team emerged victorious, edging Philly 5-4. In that contest, both Cs Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin recorded 2 goals each. One of the goals for Geno was the 300th of his career. Congrats, Geno! 

The Pens took their show on the road to the west coast on Wednesday. They downed the Anaheaim Ducks 5-1. That game saw the return of D Kris Letang to the lineup. Also, G Matt Murray made his season debut. 

Prior to Wednesday's game, GM Jim Rutherford made a trade. Trader Jim sent G Mike Condon to the Ottawa Senators for a 2017 5th round pick. 

Unfortunately, last night the Pens failed to find the win column. They did, however, come away with a point. They were edged by LA 3-2 in OT. 

Tomorrow night they return to the scene of their Stanley Cup triumph of last spring when they road trip to San Jose. Faceoff for their showdown with the Sharks is set for 10:30pm EST. That's before we turn the clocks back (if they game is still on at 2am EST, do we get an extra hour of Pens hockey?). Let's Go Pens!!!!

STEELERS

Our Steelers have been practicing all week as they come off their bye. Our Favorite Black-N-Gold Football Team are gearing up for Sundays road trip. That's right, it's Baltimore week. And it looks like many of the walking wounded could return for the Steelers. DL Cam Heyward, T Marcus Gilbert and WR Markus Wheaton are expected to be available for this AFC North division matchup. QB Ben Roethlisberger and TE Ladarius Green have been practicing, as well. However, it's still not known if either Big Ben or Green will suite up on Sunday. The Steelers need a win to keep the lead in the divsion. Get ready for smash-mouth football. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!

PIRATES

Our Pirates made some changes to the coaching staff this week. Kimera Bartee was named OF/Baserunning/1B coach. Joey Cora becomes the INF/3B coach. And former Pirates Tom Prince is now the bench coach. Former bench coach Dave Jauss will remain on staff in another capacity. 

The World Series is over, now the offseason heats up. The hot stove will be brewing as players declare for free agency and tenders are offered to players. What will our Favorite Black-N-Gold Baseball Team do? Mrs. Black-N-Gold isn't sure. She just hopes the changes to the coaching staff aren't the only significant moves the Bucs make this offseason. Just be sure, that if/when anything happens, Mrs. Black-N-Gold will have you covered. Let's Go Bucs!!!!!

SLAP SHOTS

     I'd be safe and warm, if I was in LA; it's a great day for hockey! Our Pittsburgh Penguins play the 2nd of back-to-back games tonight when they faceoff against the Kings in LA. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)The Pens are back to their winning ways, winning 4 straight. #5 would be great! 2)With last night's 5-1 win over Anaheim, the Pens have scored 10 goals in the last 2 games. Rock the Goals, Goals, Goals! 3)The Kings have been shutout in 3 straight games. Give 'em the goose egg! Let's Go Pens!!!!

SLAP SHOTS

     Buy Sam a drink and get his dog one, too; it's a great day for hockey! Our Pittsburgh Penguins take their show on the road to the west coast to faceoff with the Anaheim Ducks tonight. These are your keys for tonight's game. 1)They may not always be pretty, but the Pens have won 3 in a row. We want more with win #4! 2)The Pens are 4th overall on the power play at a 26.5% clip. Continue to take advantage of the man-advantage. Man-up! 3)The Ducks are 25th in the league in goals per game with a 2.3 per game average. The Pens have moved on up to 18th at 2.7 per game. Break out the Goals, Goals, Goals! Let's Go Pens!!!!

THE 50-YARD LINE

     It's almost half-time for the NFL season and our Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off their bye week. While they ready themselves for a road trip versus the Baltimorons, Mrs. Black-N-Gold will look at some ups and downs for our Favorite Black-N-Gold Football Team, thus far. Since the Steelers have a 4-3 record we'll look at 4 ups and 3 downs. Hut, hut!

UP

#1 Despite the myriad injuries, the Steelers sit atop the AFC North. Yes, it's a terrible division this season but they're still the leaders. It's important that they maintain this position in order to help them get a bye and/or a home field playoff game. 

#2 The bye couldn't have come at a better time. Word is that some of the injured returned to practice yesterday in anticipation of playing in this week's game (DL Cam Heyward, T Marcus Gilbert, WR Markus Wheaton). There is also hope that QB Ben Roethlisberger, LB Bud Dupree and TE Lardarius Green may see the field soon, if not this week. 

#3 RB Le'Veon Bell looks like he's fully recovered from last year's season-ending knee injury. Here's hoping he stays injury-free. And off the weed. 

#4 The return of Cam & Ben is sorely (punny) needed. This team goes as Big Ben goes. If he goes down to an injury, the team's playoff chances do, too. The same with Cam the Man and the defense. No doubt about it, #97 drives the defense. 


DOWN

#1 The laundry list of injuries exposed the Steelers lack of depth throughout the roster. You can only have so many "next men up". They have to find a way to keep the starters healthy and on the field. 

#2 The Steelers definitely need to win their division to keep their playoff hopes alive. They can ill afford any more loses, especially in conference, also. That means more playing down to the level of competition. This team has lost to too many bad teams too many times during the Mike Tomlin Era. If you want to be a Super Bowl contender, you've got to play like a Super Bowl contender. Beat the good teams and beat up the bad teams. 

#3 It's been a mixed bag with the rookie crop this season. Some of the youngsters (CB Artie Burns, DL Javon Hargrave, S Sean Davis, LB Tyler Matakevich) have seen game action. The results have been good and bad. You'd think the more reps these guys get, the better they'll get. However, there is also the concern of them hitting the rookie wall. Mrs. Black-N-Gold hopes they kids took advantage of the bye to rest and relax. We'll need them in the 2nd half. 

Here's what happened to the rest of the division while the Steelers were off. The Baltimorons got their bye, also. The Bungles kissed their cousins in London with a tie. And Cleveland? They may be rocking in the World Series but Cleveland still sucks in the NFL. The Clowns lost another one.

Now it's time to put on the pads and your game face, too. It's Baltimore week and you know what that means. Kick Baltimoron butt. Let's Go Steelers!!!!!!