The Daily Bongo

Pittsburgh Steelers: 2006 Season

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Monday, January 1, 2007 -- Evening

As for the Steelers, it does seem as if Bill Cowher will be leaving as head coach. At least, that is what the players seem to thinking. There's no word yet on when we will know for sure, but I think that we might hear sooner rather than later. There are already two openings with the Atlanta Falcons firing Jim Mora and the Arizona Cardinals fired Dennis Green. It is thought that Ken Whisenhunt would be high on the list for replacement with the Falcons. There was a retirement announced today with the Steelers, and that was Dick Hoak who retired after spending 45 years with the Steelers. Hoak was a running back with the Steelers from 1961 to 1970, and then was hired by Chuck Noll to be the running back coadh in 1971. Hoak remained in that position until this past season.

Sunday, December 31, 2006 -- Sixteenth game of the season

Teams

Steelers

Bengals

1st quarter

2nd quarter

3rd quarter

4th quarter

Final

The Steelers played the Cincinnati Bengals this afternoon.
First half: I have to admit that the game was abit on the boring side, and the only thing of note in the first period is that neither side really seemed interested in winning. Ben Roethlisberger threw an interception, and I can only hope that one side decides to make a play to score. As the clock rolled down to the two minute warming, it looked like the Bengals were in position to score a touchdown to tie things up. However, a couple of false starts lost them yardage, and they had to settle for a field goal. In the second quarter, after an eight minute drive, the Steelers score a touchdown with Willie Parker. Cincinnati is really sucking, and even the announcers are saying that the Bengals seem lethargic. What's sad is that the Steelers are only slightly better than lethargic. This isn't a good game so far for either team. Score at the half was 7-3.
Second half: This half wasn't much better than the first. You really have to wonder what is going through both teams' minds. There were a few nice plays, but nothing really great. At the start of the fourth quarter, after a 98 yard drive, Willie Parker had the balll slip out of his hands right before the goal line. The Bengals recovered the ball, and are now hoping to change their luck in the driving rain. Finally a great play! Carson Palmer threw the ball to Chris Henry for a 67 yard play that results in a touchdown. The Bengals really benefitted from the Steelers mistake on the goal line with the ball. Instead of a touchdown for the Steelers, we have a touchdown for the Bengals. Score is now 10-7. On the very next series, the Steelers got the ball down the field and Parker ran it in for a touchdown. Now the score is 14-10. Finally we have a football game! Carson Palmer got a rough hit by the Steelers, but came right back to bring the team down the field for another touchdown! It's about time the game picked up. Too bad it is in the fourth quarter! There is 2:47 left to play. The Steelers try to get the ball down the field to score a touchdown, but had to settle for a game tying field goal. There is 1:07 left in the game. I didn't think they would have a chance, but Carson Palmer heaved the ball down the field to Chris Henry. They are now in field goal range, but just lost 5 yards because they weren't ready in time for the play clock. However, they got the timeout call and got the yards back. Wow, what an exciting quarter! 12 seconds left, and the Bengals missed a field goal attempt. The game is going into overtime. The Steelers won the coin toss and elected to receive. Roethlisberger throws the ball to Santonio Holmes who runs down the field and make a touchdown. The Steelers manage to win a game that really sucked for three quarters until a really exciting fourth quarter. The Bengals had their destiny in their hands because all they had to do was win to make the playoffs--and they didn't!

Sunday, December 31, 2006 -- Late Morning

The Steelers are playing the Cincinnati Bengals in the early afternoon, but there is already alot of talk about Bill Cowher's future. Ever since the Steelers won the Super Bowl last year, and Cowher bought a house in North Carolina, there has been talk that this is Cowher's last year. When talks between Cowher and the team broke down earlier in the season, I think that it was obvious that something was afoot. It seems that Cowher wants more money and wants to spend time with his family. The local sports folks are saying that they will be rushing to the after game press conference that Cowher gives to see if a statement is made. I don't think that it will be mentioned then. I think that Cowher will make the announcment in a few weeks time. The question is: Who will replace Cowher?

Sunday, December 24, 2006 -- Fifteenth game of the season

Teams

Ravens

Steelers

1st quarter

2nd quarter

3rd quarter

4th quarter

Final

The Steelers played the Baltimore Ravens this afternoon. At first, I was planning on doing my usual game recap, but then I thought it would just point everyone to the November 26 game. The Ravens had the Steelers number, and the Steelers were just out there dazed and confused. The only difference between this game and the Nov. 26 was that the Steelers did manage to get some turnovers from the Ravens throughout the game (three times actually) and were able to get points on the board for one of them in the last two minutes of the first half after Mark Clayton bobbled the ball in the air and Deshea Townsend was able to come up with the ball. The Steelers turned that into a touchdown. Usually when the Steelers defence got the ball, the offense would do their usual flubbing. The Steelers were stlightly better in the second half than in the first, but Ben Roethlisberger was sucking up the field and kept on trying to act like various body parts were hurt. The only tood thing is that today's loss will finally silence those people who seemed to think that the Steelers actually had a chance to make the playoffs with their incredibly crappy play this year. The only teams that the Steelers could beat were teams that had more crappy or that had off days. Final score was Ravens 31, Steelers 7.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006 -- Late Morning

The Steelers have four players going to the Pro Bowl this year. The starters are Alan Faneca and Troy Polamalu. Casey Hampton and Willie Parker are on the reserves. This is Parker's first appearance in the Pro Bowl.

Sunday, December 17, 2006 -- Fourteenth game of the season

Teams

Steelers

Panthers

1st quarter

2nd quarter

3rd quarter

4th quarter

Final

The Steelers played the Carolina Panthers this afternoon.
First half: Neither the Steelers or the Panthers were able to do much offensively in the first quarter, but the second quarter started out with the Steelers looking like they have been time warped into the game from last sesaon. The quarter started with Ben Roethlisberger do a fake hand off and running the ball in for a touchdown. The Steelers started making first downs after that, and almost got another touchdown off a play by Santonio Holmes on third down, but Holmes was ruled down before he held the ball over the goal line. I always think those moves where your body is not over the goal line, but you hold out your long arms and get the ball over the line as lame touchdowns. Anyway, at that point, the Steelers just went for a field goal. When the Panthers got the ball back, they weren't able to do anything and had to punt. That's when the Steelers blocked the punt and got the ball at the Panthers 10 yard line. With a few plays, Najeh Davenport ran the ball in for a touchdown. The score is now 17-0. I can assure you that as the Steeler fans are watching this quarter, they are sure that the Steelers are playoff bound. Steeler fans are an optimistic bunch.
Second half: The Steelers had more trouble when they came back from half time and almost the entire quarter was past before they settled for a field goal to give them a 17 point lead over the Panthers. Willie Parker finally got a chance to run at the end of the third quarter, and he ran for a touchdown. Score is now 27 - 3. Santonio Holmes had a punt return that it looked like he fumbled, but there was a call against the kicking team so it was a "do over." The second time, Holmes caught the ball and ran 65 yards for a touchdown. Shortly after that, rookie, Anthony Smith had an interception. So far, the Steelers haven't had a penalty called against them. Charlie Batch is now in the game with less than 10 minutes left in the game. No more points were scored by either team and the game ends with a score of 37-3.

Monday, December 11, 2006 -- Afternoon

Some random thoughts about the NFL. Has anyone other than me noticed how the Indianapolis Colts seem to fall apart at the end of the season? Last year the team had an undefeated record going into the final few games of the season, and then just fell apart and started to lose. Everyone said that it really didn't matter because the team already had the bye in the playoffs sewn up, but look at where it got them. An elimination in their first playoff game. Another thing that I have noticed is that the Steelers nation doesn't see to want to admit that the playoffs just might, maybe, be out of reach for the team this year. I keep on hearing everyone talking about how the team still isn't mathematically eliminated just yet, and there is always hope. I'm not saying that the team should just skulk around like beaten cats, but the fans shouldn't be getting so hot about still having a shot. There are so many other teams that have a better shot than we do. I mean really! In order to have a shot the Cincinnati Bengals would have all three of their final games while we win all three of ours. Not a very likely scenario considering that the Bengals have been hotter than the Sahara, but who wants to listen to reason.

Friday, December 8, 2006 -- Morning

I made it back from the frozen tundra known as Heinz Field with nary a sign of frost bite. That's more than the Cleveland Browns could say after their trouncing by the Steelers last night. It was amazing what the cold weather could do to the Steelers because they played better last night than they have all season. Of course, it could be because they were playing one of the worst teams in the NFL. It would be hard not to look good when compared to someone who is really bad. However, the win should be a big confidence boost to them, and they will have some extra time off before they play next Sunday to recover from injuries. As for my experience at the game, I have to admit that I can't give any details of the action because I couldn't make out the players well enough to see who was doing what (unless they weren't in a pack of people) and I was far to cold to think of anything other than the fact that my toes and fingers were aching from the cold. I kept on trying to wiggle toes and fingers in the hopes that I wouldn't get frost bite, and I had a strong envy of all those people who had those hand warming packs. My multiple layers and comforter didn't seem to have any affect against the biting winds that swirled around the upper levels of the stadium. The other thing that I noticed is that there were several really drunk people wandering around the stadium at the start of the game. It makes you wonder how they were still getting beer. The fan experience for me was a sobering one because I am much more used to the fans at Pens games. Although they get may get rowdy, they aren't obnoxious, falling down drunks. The ones who weren't drunk were elitist about not being first timers at the game, and were pretty much rude and obnoxious.

Thursday, December 7, 2006 -- Thirteenth game of the season

Teams

Browns

Steelers

1st quarter

2nd quarter

3rd quarter

4th quarter

Final

Thursday, December 7, 2006 -- Afternoon

Today should be a busy evening for me. My boyfriend and I have tickets to this evening's Steelers game. He is very excited because he is a huge Steelers fan, and it is usually difficult to get tickets to the game. This year, it has become easier because the season ticket holders aren't as keen on the team because they suck, so more are willing to sell off their tickets. Unfortunately, the game is tonight, which is supposed to bitterly cold with wind chill factors close to zero with snow forecast. I'm just hoping that we don't get frost bite anywhere because it appears it only takes 30 minutes to get that, and sitting for 3-4 hours in freezing temperatures isn't a good thing. We are going to wear multiple layers, and take blankets. I'm just hoping that we don't get wet because that will make it worse. The Steelers are playing the Cleveland Browns. I"m not going to take my good camera--I'm going to take the smaller one, so I will be taking some pictures, but they probably won't be as good as my Pens pictures.

Monday, December 4, 2006 -- Evening

Finally, the Steelers have made the smart move of releasing Duce Staley from the team. The guy has been a non performer since he joined the team. Staley came into training camp out of condition and really wasn't interested in getting into condition and helping the team. I have an extremely low opinion of the lazy Staley, and if I had a Steeler jersey with Staley's name on it, I would burn it. Granted, I doubt that I would have ever purchased a Staley shirt because he just never struck me as a player who had his heart in the game.

Today was Jerome Bettis' father's funeral. A good number of current and past Steeler players attended Johnnie Bettis' funeral. The family wanted the event to be a celebration of Bettis senior's life, and from the reports, they accomplished that. Several players, including villified Cordell Stewart, had very nice things to say about Johnnie Bettis. All I know is that he seemed like a nice guy from what we all saw of him in the media. Both of Jerome's parents were team parents and took all the players under their wing.

Sunday, December 3, 2006 -- Twelfth game of the season

Teams

Buccaneers

Steelers

1st quarter

2nd quarter

3rd quarter

4th quarter

Final

The Steelers played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers late this afternoon. I picked the Steelers to win in my Beat Bob competition, and I hope that they don't disappoint me.
First half: The Steelers decided to kick off at the start of the half so they could receive later. The Buccaneers aren't able to do much in their first series, and have to punt after a sack from Joey Porter. Ben Roethlisberger threw another interception though, so he is back to his old tricks. Even though the game has just started, I feel like I am experiencing some deja vu. It seems that both teams are both at equal levels of sucking, and neither is able to do anything. With the first quarter almost over, larry Foote intercepted the ball, and this lead to a Steeler touchdown with Roethlisberger tossing the ball to Jerame Tuman. The Steelers have a 7-0 lead. In the second quarter, it was more of the same with Porter getting another sack, and Roethlisbergr almost getting picked off. Fortunately for the Steelers, the Buccaneers aren't much better so the play is fairly even with the defense on both sides showing their strengths. With the first half winding down, Jeff Reed got a 50 yard field goal.
Second half: More of the same. So far, I am finding the game fairly boring and am having alot of difficulty in paying any attention to it. It's not that either side offensively is doing much of anything. At the start of the fourth quarter, Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass to Heath Miller to make the score 17-0. Later in the quarter, the Steelers get the ball down into the red zone, but don't get a touchdown. They call up Jeff Reed for a 47 yard field goal, but he misses. score is still 17-0. Buccaneers got the ball down within field goal range and went for it with one second left. At least they aren't shut out as the Steelers were last week. Final score is 20-3.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006 -- Afternoon

Sad news for Jerome Bettis. His father, John Bettis, 61, died yesterday of an apparent heart attack. He was driving home from the gym when he must have pulled over to the side of the road. He was found by a doctor, nurse, and a hospital technician who attempted to administer CPR. Jerome has gone back to Detroit to be with his mother. My condolences to the Bettis family.

Monday, November 27, 2006 -- Evening

News on the Steelers injury front. Hines Ward had a broken bone in his knee and had surgery early today to remove the bone chip. It seems that the injury is not major, and Ward said on the KDKA news show at 5:45 p.m. that he does not expect to be out for long. He will definitely miss this Sunday's game, but hopes to be back for the Cleveland Browns game on Thursday, Dec. 7. Meanwhile, Troy Polamalu might not have had as bad an injury as originally announced by Bill Cowher yesterday. Troy has a sprained medial collateral ligament. He won't require surgery and will definitely miss the game this coming week, and possibly next week. Polamalu is feeling optimistic about his return.

Sunday, November 26, 2006 -- Eleventh game of the season

Teams

Steelers

Ravens

1st quarter

2nd quarter

3rd quarter

4th quarter

Final

The Steelers are playing the Baltimore Ravens this afternoon. The local sports announcers are making a big deal about how the Steelers will win this game, and they have to win to sustain the playoff talk that has been running rampant locally. For some reason, with a 4 win and 6 loss record, everyone seems to think that the Steelers are playoff bound.
First half: The Steelers have the ball first, and they are unable to get a first down. So they have to punt, and of course, because the Steelers special teams suck, the Ravens get a good return. Within a couple of plays, they have a touchdown to take the early lead 7-0. Now let's see what the Steelers do on their second series. Willie Parker came out on the first play to get a first down, but got nada on his second run. The first quarter sees the ball goind back and forth between the Ravens and the Steelers. Hines Ward is playing and actually caught a first down pass. The Ravens get a sack on Ben Roethlisberger with around a minute left in the quarter. Roethlisberger got sacked again, and almost a third time for a safety. They were forced to punt. They can only get the ball off to the 35 yard line. The Ravens get a penalty for 10 yards, but they start running the ball through the Steelers. They are now on the one yard line after Jamal Lewis almost forced his way through three Steelers. But not to worry, Lewis gets in on the next play for a touchdown. Score is now 14-0. Roethlisberger gets sacked for the third time, and this time he is lying on the ground. From the replays, Roethlisberger's head was bouncing around alot. It was a clean hit--it was just that the offensive line just isn't all that this year. Charlie Batch is in now for Roethlisberger. The story now is that Roethlisberger has a chest injury and is probable to return to the game. With the aide of three timeouts and penalties on the Steelers, the Ravens get the ball within field goal range and get three more points. With eight seconds left in the game, Roethlisberger comes onto the field and take the snap and a knee. Half time.
Second half: Well into the third quarter, we finally get something out of the Steelers with Roethlisberger sending a long pass to Nate Washington. The very next play was an incompletion that was almost challenged as a fumble. Steelers have another incompletion and have a third down and 10 on the Ravens 35 yard line. Roethlisberger is hit on the next play, fumbles the ball, the Ravens grab it and run it in for a 54 yard touchdown. Roethlisberger had no clue that a Raven was coming behind him for the sack. Roethlisberger had his fifth sack of the game. Roethlisberger keeps on getting sacked, and in the fourth quarter, he has seven which is an all time high for him. Washington missed a sure touchdown pass too, which didn't help matters. So the Steelers go for it on a fourth and goal, and Roethlisberger is caught by the defense again. No score for the Steelers. The Steelers are playing so poorly that the Ravens have pulled Steve McNair and are playing Kyle Boller. Corey Ivy intercepts Roethlisberger, and the Ravens get a field goal for the effort. Score is now 27-0. Roethisberger is getting sacked left and right, and has been sacked nine times in the game. I can't believe they are going it on a fourth down with 17 yards, but they have nothing else and don't want a shut out. However, there is another interception with less than two minutes in the game. It's over. The Steelers lose as the Ravens take the knee to run down the clock.
The game was a pitiful one, and as the local sports casters said afterwards, the highlight of the game for the Steelers came when the final buzzer rang to end the misery. There was so bad news post game. Troy Polamalu injured his knee in the game and is out for the season. It sounds suspicious because nothing seemed to happen during the game, and the announcment was made very quickly. Well, as we have suspected since the beginning weeks of the season, the Steelers' year is done, and they are going out with a whimper.

Sunday, November 19, 2006 -- Tenth game of the season

Teams

Steelers

Browns

1st quarter

2nd quarter

3rd quarter

4th quarter

Final

The Steelers played the Cleveland Browns this afternoon.
First half: I missed the beginning of the first quarter, but neither side aws actually doing well. The Steelers weren't producing, and the Browns were having some issues with a turnover and missing a field goal attempt. Troy Polamalu played in the game, so the concussion must not have been that bad. The second quarter was a different story with Ben Roethlisberger throwing an interception that the Browns ran in for a touchdown. On the kickoff after the touchdown, the Steelers had a great return by Sean Morey. So there are the Steelers, in the red zone, trying to get a first down or a touchdown, when Roethlisberger throws the ball to Hines Ward, and the ball is intercepted yet again by Willie McGinest. Then the Browns didn't look like they were going to get a first down, then when they got a 63 yard pass. I think that Braylon Edwards, the receiver, would have made a touchdown if he didn't stop because he saw Polamalu coming at him. The Browns got the ball near the 10 yard line with a fourth and one, and take a time out to decide if they should do for it, or take the three points. They decide to go to for it because. They are going to measure to see if they got it, and they did. The Steelers were saying no, but they did. As Phil Sims is saying, the bad rain storm is favoring the offense. Even though the Browns aren't able to get a touchdown on three downs in within ten yards of the endzone, they do get the field goal to take a 10 to 0 lead. There is less than two minutes left in the half. So the Steelers have the ball again, and trying to get close enough for a field goal. Well, guess what? Yep, you guessed it. Roethlisberger threw another interception. There were two fouls on the play, a personal foul on Pittsburgh for a face mask and then one on Cleveland for hitting Roethlisberger after the interception. Cleveland has the ball on the Steeler forty three yard line. Polamalu almost had a late hit, but just missed the foul. They now have a third down and 10 on the 4 yard line, and makes the first down with a gain of 12 before going out of bounds. The half ends with a tipped ball that no one caught. The Browns go into the locker room having shutout the Steelers, and the Steelers go into the locker room with a huge interception problem. So far, in the game, Roethlisberger threw four times for three interceptions. All three were tipped.
Second half: The Steelers get the ball first, and they aren't able to do anything with their first series of moves except to almost fumble the ball again. I knew I shouldn't have picked the Steelers in my Beat Bob pool. They haven't won two games in a row so far this season, and are just basically sucking. However, I just thought they would be better than the Browns. Great play when Kellen Winslow shoves Joey Porter aside and runs past him. The Browns have to punt after not making the down. The Browns had the ball, and fumbled the ball. The Steelers recover it. Now, let's see if the Steelers can do anything with it. Roethlisberger ran the ball down the field himself in an attempt to make a first down, but he wasn't able to do it, and the Steelers have to settle for a field goal. Jeff Reed was lucky because his kick hit the post and then went in for a field goal. The Steelers are finally on the board. In the fourth quarter, the Browns try to get another touchdown, but the Steeler defense holds them up, and they have to settle for a field goal. Score is now 13-3. The Steelers get a 43 yard kick off return, but have to go back because of two holding calls against them. Roethlisberger threw another that was supposedly meant for Ward, but was almost intercepted as Roethlisberger missed Ward by a mile. Cedrick Wilson caught a long pass, and then got a penalty for pushing off the defensive man. So now it is third down and 20 to get to the Steeler 39 yard line. He is able to get it to Wilson. Roethlisberger makes a run with the ball to get another first down. The Steelers are going with a no huddle and they are starting to move the ball down the field. Finally, after getting chased around alot by Browns, Roethlisberger is able to get the ball off to Santonio Holmes for his first career NFL touchdown. The game is now a three point difference. The announcers are practially wetting their pants with exclamations over the "magic" being back because of this series of plays--like the Steelers have been stinking up the joint for the past three quarters. The Browns come right back with a touchdown run off the kickoff return by Josh Cribbs. The Browns have an excessive celebration penalty for having players leap up to the fans in the stands. The Browns now have a ten point lead with a score of 20-10. The Steelers looked like they were making some good moves and then Roethlisberger got sacked, but it was a personal foul because he was grabbed by the face mask. Roethlisberger was almost sacked, but the defensive guy couldn't knock him down because of the NFL rule changes. On the very next play, Roethlisberger has all kinds of time to make a play, and can't do anything, and he gets sacked by McGinist. The Steelers are now within the 10 yard line. Ward gets to the two or one yard line, and isn't able to get across the line. There is another penalty though, and this time it is against Cleveland with a personal foul. That puts the Steelers one yard away. The call was because you can't grab the shoulder collar--but you know what, you can grab someone and pulling them down on the graund. Willie Parker gets in for a touchdown. Score is now 20-17. The Browns aren't able to do anything and have to punt with abit over three minutes left in the game. Wilson isn't able to get two feet inbounds on a long throw. Ward catches a long throw, but gets banged up in the knee. Because he can't get off the field in time, the Steelers have to use a time out. The Steelers have the ball at Cleveland 33. Holmes gets a long pass, but Roethlisberger is favoring his arm after another hit. The Steelers are in the red zone now. There are 39 seconds left and the Steelers are on the five yard line with a second down and goal. Roethlisberger threw the ball to Willie Parker, and he gets a touchdown. The score is now 24-20 with the Steelers in the lead and less than 30 seconds left in the game.

Sunday, November 12, 2006 -- Ninth game of the season

Teams

Saints

Steelers

1st quarter

2nd quarter

3rd quarter

4th quarter

Final

The Steelers (2-6) played the New Orleans Saints (6-2) late this afternoon at Heinz Field. Joey Porter has been assuring the Steelers fans that the team will win today's game. We shall see if that is the case.
First half: The Steelers have the ball first and get a kick off return of 39 yards by Najeh Davenport. Ben Roethlisberger threw a 37 yard pass to Hines Ward who runs the ball in for a touchdown. The Steelers finally get a score on their first series with the ball. The Saints had the ball, but coughed it up, and the Steelers recover it. The announcers aren't sure if the call might have been reversed if the play had been reviewed. The next play is off quickly though, and there is no review. The Steelers work their way down the field with nice plays by Cedric Wilson and Willie Parker. The ball was done within easy reach of the goal, and couldn't run the ball in, but then Roethlisberger made a nice pass to Heath Miller in the end zone. Score is now 14-0." target="_blank">Cedrick Wilson and Willie Parker. The ball was done within easy reach of the goal, and couldn't run the ball in, but then Roethlisberger made a nice pass to Heath Miller in the end zone. Score is now 14-0. The Saints got the ball, and put together a 12 play drive that got the Saints into the end zone. The score is now 14-7. The Saints got the ball within reach of the end zone, but were fourth and yards from the end zone. The decided to go for the field goal, and the score now in the second quarter is 14-10. The Steelers get the ball, but don't do much and have to punt. The Saints get the ball back and are now trying to get the ball down the field. Troy Polamalu had his clock cleaned on one of the plays, and he is sitting on the sidelines trying to clear his head. There was a somewhat questionable call with Aaron Smith hitting Drew Brees below the knees. It looked like he might have stumbled and caught Brees around the ankle. However, the officials called it. This set off Porter who started screaming at the officials. He'll get another fine for that. Reggie Bush got the ball, and ran 25 yards down the field on a hand off from a receiver. He dived over a slew of Steelers and into the end zone. The Saints have gone from 14-0 to 14-17. Yep, that's 17 unanswered points. It is also Bush's first touchdown this season. The Steelers get the ball, and with less than two minutes left in the half, they try to put some points on the board. They can't get a touchdown, and have to settle for a Jeff Reed field goal. The Saints have the ball with a minute left in the game, and then quickly get the ball to the 40 yard line. It looks like they want to get some points on the board to pull ahead of the Steelers. They get the ball to first and goal at the four yard line. In less than a minute, the Saints get a touchdown with a run in from Deuce McAllister. The Saints now lead by seven points. With only seconds left, the Steelers get the ball and fumble it. Fortunately, they recover it with 11 seconds left. Roethlisberger throws the ball down to Ward for a 25 yard completion. There is only one second left on the clock, and the Steelers call a time out. They try for a Hail Mary pass, but it is an imcompletion that is almost picked off. The half ends with a score of 24-17--Saints leading.
Second half: Polamalu is out for the game with a mild concussion. The Saints have the ball first in the second half. The Saints aren't able to do much, and then the Steelers get the ball. They also aren't able to do much, and finally settle for a field goal, but Jeff Reed misses the kick. The Saints get the ball back, but Reggie Bush fumbles and the Steelers recover. The Saints are challenging the call, but it looks like it is a fumble. The call stands as it is on the field, and Roethlisberger throws the ball down the field to Wilson who makes the touchdown. The game is now tied. The Saints make some nice moves, but as they get to the red zone, Brees is under pressure and tries to run with the ball, and fumbles. The Saints come up with it, and try for field goal. it's no good because of a high snap. Parker just had a 72 yard run down the field, almost making a touchdown. The Steelers couldn't get the ball in at first, but they went back to Parker who got the touchdown. The Steelers lead now with a score of 31-24. The Saints aren't doing anything and have to punt again. The ball gets knocked into the end zone, so they wind up with the ball on th 20 yard line. Parker gets the ball and makes a 76 yard run--almost all the way to a touchdown. But he gets caught by his foot and dragged down at the four yard line. The Saints have not been doing well this half and the Steelers are excelling. So far Parker has 204 yards this game. Roethlisberger gives the ball to Parker and he runs it in for a touchdown. The Steelers now lead by 14 points. Drew Brees is doing a great job of moving the ball down the field, and he now has the Saints within 10 yards of a touchdown. What a play! The ball is snapped to Deuce McAllister who runs the ball in for a touchdown. Score is now 38-31. There are still eight minutes left in the game. We find out now that it probably wasn't an intentional snap to McAllister. It seems that it was a mucked up snap that McAllister pounced on and ran into the end zone. It looked like the Steelers were going to score again, but they couldn't get a third down and had to punt. It looks like the Saints just fumbled the ball after getting a first down. That pretty much means tha the game is over because there is just 39 seconds left. It is indeed ruled that, and the Steelers are seconds away from a win. The Saints don't use their last time out, and the Steelers win their third game of the season. Final score is 38-31.

Thursday, November 9, 2006 -- Evening

Willie Parker made some interesting comments about his fellow teammates recently. According to Parker, last year, the Steelers were hungry for a Super Bowl win. They really wanted it, and they played accordingly. This year, they are the champions, and it's hard to be motivated to want something that they now have. According to Parker, they really aren't trying very hard this year. There hasn't been alot of backlash against Parker from his teammates which tells me that Parker has called it right. Some may wish that Parker wasn't as vocal about the problem, but that may be the wake-up call for the team.

Sunday, November 5, 2006 -- Eighth game of the season

Teams

Broncos

Steelers

1st quarter

2nd quarter

3rd quarter

4th quarter

Final

The Steelers played the Denver Broncos in a late afternoon game at Heinz Field. The Steelers are playing in desperation mode because everyone agrees that it would be the end of any playoff hopes for them if their record is 2-6 after the game. Personally, I didn't pick them in my Beat Bob competition because I just don't think that because the Steelers need to win that they will win. Denver is 5-2 for the season and a strong competitor.
First half: The Steelers receive the opening kick. 59 seconds into the first quarter, and Ben Roethlisberger is sacked on the third down in the first series. The Broncos first play is a long pass for a first down. Jake Plummer in the first series for Denver throws a touchdown pass to Rod Smith for the first touchdown pass that Plummer has thrown has thrown in the first quarter in 13 games. On the kickoff return, Santonio Holmes fumbles the ball and Denver recovers the ball. Within 21 seconds, the Broncos have a second touchdown pass from Plummer. In less than five minutes, the Broncos lead with a score of 14-0. Holmes gets the ball on the second kickoff, and this time isn't a fumble fingers. The Steelers have now gone two first downs with passing. Thank goodness for the almost intercepted pass that the Bronco defensive man dropped. The Steelers have go for a fourth down with 2. Roethlisberger throws the ball to Cedric Wilson who got the ball down to the ten yard line--almost to the end zone, and the dreaded fumblitis strikes. He loses the ball, and Denver recovers. The Broncos aren't able to do much with the ball, and punt. Holmes gets the ball again and fumbles yet again. This time, a Steeler recovers. They showed a clip of Bill Cowher and Deshea Townsend on the sidelines, and it looks like Cowher is asking Townsend if he can field the ball which means that Townsend (defensive back) will be going out to make punt returns. The first quarter ends and we go to the second quarter. The Steelers call a timeout after a few plays in the quarter, as they near the red zone. The ball is now on the 15 yard line after a catch by Heath Miller. Then a nice play. Roethlisberger has the ball, and he's running around, being chased by Broncos for several seconds. Finally he throws the ball to Willie Parker in the end zone. A touchdown and extra point now bring the score to 14-7. Denver just had a 53 yard punt return that was taken back because of holding on the part of the Broncos. The Broncos don't do much of anything with the ball, and this time, Wilson is out there for the punt return. The ball gets to around the 30 yard line, covered by Broncos who watch it bounce on the ground. Parker finally gets more than two yards and gets a first down running. The Steelers have suckitis going on. Roethlisberger and the team were moving down the field and again in the red zone. This time Roethlisberger lobs the ball up into the air and Champ Bailey comes down with the ball. This is Roethlisberger's first interception of the game, and let's hope it is the last. The Broncos aren't able to do anything with the series, and are forced to punt. Wilson again is in the back to field the punt. Wilson catches the ball at the 42 yard line, and just stands there. The Steelers aren't able to get the ball down the field and decide to settle for a field goal, but shockers of shockers, Jeff Reed misses a field goal attempt from the 40 yard line. The Broncos get the ball in the spot. The Broncos again can't do much against the Steeler defense. The Steelers get the ball and move it sharply down the field. They get the ball around the 30 yard line and call a time out with 44 seconds remaining in the half. Roethlisberger threw the ball down to the end zone, and it was almost picked off by Bailey again. 28 seconcd remain and the Steelers are on a third down with 10 yards to make up. They call their last time out. Roethlisberger hurried everyone off the field, and the field goal attempt occurs with 0 seconds left and this time it is good. The Steelers go to the locker room with the score 14-10.
Second half: Just a minute into the second half, on their first series with the ball, Javon Walker runs the ball 72 yards for a touchdown. The Broncos come out firing and the score if now 21-10. It's the longest touchdown run that the Steelers have allowed since November of 2003. The Steelers are now trying to move the ball down the field and Parker is getting some good runs. There was almost an interception based on a deflection by the Broncos. In the next play, Roethlisberger gets sacked. It's now third down and 19. Roethlisberger throws the ball down the field and it is intercepted by Champ Bailey again, and the Broncos get the ball at the 20 yard line. The Broncos get to a fourth down, but then James Farrior kicks a Bronco which takes away the punt because he gets penalized with a personal foul. Unfortunately for the Broncos, they get a 10 yard penalty for holding. Eventually, the Broncos do punt, and the ball lands around the 45 yard line. The Steelers get it down to the under the 10 yard line. Finally, based on a Denver penalty, the Steelers have a first and goal from the three yard line. Finally Parker manages to get in for his second touchdown of the game. With 3:32 left in the third quarter, the score is now 21-17. It looked like the Steelers might have intercepted the ball, but Denver is challenging the call because it doesn't look like Deshea Townsend had control of the ball as he went out of bounds. It didn't look like he had control of the ball, and the officials agree after the review. The Broncos are now at 2nd and 10 with three seconds left in the quarter. Roethlisberger seems to love to throw the ball at the guys in white, and Denver almost picks off the ball. There was almost a safety when Roethlisberger was hoved into the end zone and ate some grass. The Broncos have the ball at the 34 yard line, and there is a flag. I see Cowher calling bullshit. Then they call the personal foul on the Broncos when number 27 was on the sidelines. The Broncos tell them off the problem, and the call is put against the Steelers. The Broncos get the ball on the 17 yard line after we come back from commercials. As Cowher keeps on telling us every week in his press conference, these types of penalties will come to an end. They don't because the players don't seem to listen to Cowher this seaons for whatever reason. The Broncos get another touchdown with a pass from Jake Plummer. Score is now 28-17. Hines Ward just went for 63 yard to get the ball down near the end zone. Roethlisberger gets sacked yet again. It's now second down and 21. Parker gets the ball down near the 14 yard line. it's now third and 7. Roethlisberger tries to run for it, and still falls three to four yards short of the first down. They are probably going to have to go for the field goal. Reed makes the field goal. Plummer makes another 62 yard touchdown pass, and the Broncos can't get a touchdown and have to settle for a field goal. The Steelers are now trying to rush the ball down the field with less than four minutes left in the game. They have to mae up 11 points. A pass was thrown to Ward near the end zone. He went to dive with it, and it looked like he didn't make it into the end zone when the ball was knocked lose and the Broncos came up with it. The play was reviewed because it was under two minutes. Ward was crying on the sideline. That was the fifth Steeler turn over. So far, the Steelers took the second of their timeouts, and the time is around 1:41. Denver punts with 1:30 left. The Steelers don't have any timeouts left. The clock is just ticking away as the Steelers are unable to get the ball past the 50 yard line. Roethlisberger keeps on getting hit with only seconds left. The last pass by Roethlisberger with 10 seconds left and fourth down, winds up in...you guessed it, an interception. It's number six in the game. The game is over and the Steelers are 2 and 6 for the season. I just love how the Pittsburgh sports analysts are saying that the Steelers outplayed the Broncos---yeah, they lost. That's how well the Steelers outplayed the Brancos. Three seconds left in the game, and there was a hail Mary pass that Edwards ALMOST pulled in, but it got away. The Steelers win a poorly played one and manage to stay out of last place in the conference.

Sunday, October 29, 2006 -- Seventh game of the season

Teams

Steelers

Raiders

1st quarter

2nd quarter

3rd quarter

4th quarter

Final

The Steelers are playing the Oakland Raiders today. Everyone expects the Steelers to win, and I have to admit that I picked them for my Beat Bob competition. I'm not that sure that the Steelers will win because they have been sucking so much this season, but thought that it might be the pick to make.
First half: The Steelers receive the ball first and really don't do much with their first series and have to kick off to the Raiders. Fortunately for the Raiders aren't that great either. In the Steelers second series, Ben Roethlisberger on a third down with seven yards, threw a Hail Mary pass that got intercepted by the Raiders. Maybe I wasn't too wise to pick the Steelers. The biggest problem that the Steelers have is the penalty problem. The players keep on making moves that result in penalities, like the penalty against Joey Porter, back from his hamstring injury, for unneccessary roughness when he shoves a player out of bounds. Again the Steelers are fortunate that the Raiders don't do much with their interception luck--mostly because Randy Moss has sieve-like hands. Roethlisberger just got sacked for a loss of four yards in what seems to be turning into a battle of defenses. Roethisberger just threw another interception that is run in for a touchdown by defensive back Nnamdi Asomugha. As the announcers are saying, it was an ill-advised pass by Roethlisberger into heavy coverage. Score is now 7-0. The announcers are saying that Bill Cowher has said that the problem this year is that Roethlisberger is trying to make plays that aren't there. Now Roethlisberger just called a time out because he was confused about what he was supposed to do. Willie Parker is trying to run the ball with out any luck, and he just fumbled the ball. Fortunately, he also recovered it. Now we are are 3rd and 12. Roethlisberger is sacked on the down, and the Steelers have to punt the ball again. Oakland is now challeging the call that Roethlisberger was down because it looked like a fumble that Oakland recovered. So it is either a punt or a recovery. It looks like Roethlisberger is trying to recover the ball, but Derrick Burgess lands on it. Oakland loses the challenge and is charged with a time out. There is a low snap that results in a horrible punt that puts the ball on the 50 yard line (a 24 yard punt by Chris Gardocki. The Steelers are acting in the first quarter as if they really want to lose this game. The Raiders don't do much, and the ball goes back to the Steelers. An incomplete pass was called on a ball that was thrown to Cedric Wilson. It looked like Wilson had it, and Cowher challenged the call, but the call stood. The Steelers lose their second time out all in the first quarter. On the last play in the quarter, Parker runs into the middle of a pack, and obviously doesn't get anywhere. We really don't have a running game anymore. Finally, in the second quarter, the Steelers are starting to do something with the ball, and Roethlisberger gets a pass off to Hines Ward for a first down that takes them down to the 20 yard line. Roethlisberger just managed to get the ball out as he was falling to the ground. It was a bad move which wound up not costing us. They are now 3rd and seven, and wind up two yards shy of a first down. Back in the days of Jerome Bettis, they would have gone for it. Now they have to settle for a Jeff Reed field goal. Score is now 7-3. Finally, James Farrior sacks quarterback Andrew Walter and the Raiders have to punt. The Steelers manage to get the ball down to the 20 yard line, but can't get a yard to get a first down and have to settle yet again for a field goal. Score is now 7-6. The Raiders make a 48 yard kick off return to bring the ball down to the 50 yard line. The Raiders get the ball all the way down to within yards of the endzone, and none of the receivers could manage to get their hands around well placed balls. The Raiders settle for a field goal with four seconds left to play in the half. Score is now 10-6 in the Raiders' favor.
Second half: The Steelers start out the second half with an unsportsman-like penalty against the Steelers. The Steeler defense seems to not really care that Cowher doesn't want them taking stupid penalties like that. The Raiders wind up getting the ball down near the 30 yard line, and run the ball to the 23rd yard line. The Steelers' defense is doing a good job of helping the Raiders getting the ball down the field. The announcers are saying that Cowher doesn't tolerate this sort of behavior, but it seems that this year, Cowher isn't like the past year's Steelers. Cowher is very wussy this year. The Raiders don't get a touchdown and settle for another field goal. The Steelers aren't able to do much with the ball, and the series ends with Roethlisberger getting sacked again. They have to punt. The Steelers are having trouble getting yardage with Willie Parker, and practically every time he has the ball, it's either a gain or loss of only a couple of yards. Roethlisberger just got sacked for the fourth time today (the Steelers have four sacks too against the Raiders' Walter), and the Steelers have to punt yet again. I was starting to get hopeful because the Steelers were moving the ball down the field when Roethlisberger is intercepted yet again. I think that the other teams have figured out Roethlisberger. They know that he tries to make the big play when under pressure. The Raiders aren't able to do anything with the ball, and the Steelers get the ball back. Finally, in the fourth quarter, Parker finds an opening and runs down to the 10 yard line where he is dragged down. Will the Steelers make a touchdown? Well, now they are at third and goal. And Roethlisberger gets picked off on the goal line. Chris Carr returns the ball 100 yards for a touchdown. Roethlisberger was chasing after him, and just pulled up at the end totally giving up. I knew something like that would happen. The score is now 20-6. That's two interceptions run in for a touchdown. There are still nine minutes left in the game, and the announcers are trying to say that there is still time for the Steelers to come back and win. Yeah, I suppose the Steelers can suck like a Hoover for three quarters and then almost half way through the fourth quarter come back to win it all. After alll, they only need two more touchdowns. Verron Haynes was injured in the play. The Steelers are now in their half of the field. Finally! Parker manages to get the ball into the endzone for a touchdown. The Steelers are now one touchdown away from the Raiders with 7:14 left to play in the fourth. Yes another personal foul--the third in the second half against the Steeler defense. This time, a Raider is grabbed by the back of the next after being down by Aaron Smith. Finally, the first interception by a Steeler when Porter intercepts the ball. Deshea Townsend was rolling oround on the ground as if he was injured, but he got up an walked later. Roethlisberger threw a bad ball to Ward, who managed to get the ball. Now the Steelers have the ball on the one yard line. Parker loses a yard for the team, Then Najeh Davenport loses four yards. Third down and the ball is on the five yard line, and the two minute warning stops play. Then the Steelers get a false start. They are now on the 10 yard line with a third down. Fourth down now, and they were only able to get the ball to the 3 yard line. It was first and goal at the one and is now fourth and goal at the three. They are going for it. My boyfriend thinks that it is going to be a quarterback draw. Incomplete to Santonio Holmes. Last year, Bettis would have had the ball. Now the Raiders have the ball at the five yard line. The Steelers take a time out with 1:32 left. The Steelers take the final time out at 1:30. Now they have to make certain that the Raiders don't get a first down. The Raiders aren't able to get a first down and have to punt the ball. The clock is now under the one minute mark. The Steelers have to hope that they block the punt. The clock is now at 45 seconds. The Steelers are now at the 39 yard line with 36 seconds left. They have to make up 61 yards for a touchdown. The Steelers are now in hussle mode, and Roethlisberger manages to spike the ball to stop the clock at 21 seconds. Second down and 10. Roethlisberger is sacked at the 46 yard line. Warren Sapp gets the sack. Roethlisberger throws the ball down the field, and it gets caught around five yards from the endzone, but the clock has run out. The Steelers lose another one in an upset. This team really sucks. We lost to a team that is so bad they only had one win so far this year. The Oakland defense is the worst in the league, but they were still better than our offense. It is painful to watch the Steeler games unless you are cheering on the opponent. Final score--Oakland 21-Steelers 13.

Saturday, October 28, 2006 -- Evening

it seems that Ben Roethlisberger will be starting in tomorrow's game against the Oakland Raiders. The game has been moved from its 1 p.m. time to 4:15 p.m. It seems that Roethlisberger has been doing fine since the concussion on Sunday.

Monday, October 23, 2006 -- Evening

There won't be any official comment from the Steelers about Ben Roethlisberger's condition. The story that folks are coming up with is that Roethlisberger had a minor concussion and will be checked by a neurosurgeon here in Pittsburgh. If it has been more serious, they would have had him checked out in Atlanta. Bill Cowher should give us the update on Roethlisberger's condition in his press conference tomorrow. Supposedly, the rumor is that Roethlisberger will be playing on Sunday.

Sunday, October 22, 2006 -- Sixth game of the season

Teams

Steelers

Falcons

1st quarter

2nd quarter

3rd quarter

4th quarter

Overtime

Final

The Steelers played the Atlanta Falcons this afternoon.
First half
The Falcons had the ball first and quickly went through four downs and had to punt the ball. Everyone is saying that Mike Vick is overrated and paid too much for what he actually delivers. Personally, I still like Vick's scrambing ability. So the Falcons punt the ball, and Santonio Holmes received the ball, and fumbled it. The Falcons has the ball down near their red zone and threw the ball in for a touchdown. On the next punt, Holmes got the ball and ran the punt farther down the field towards the midfield. The Steelers don't realize that they have a real problem with their special teams and punt return, and they didn't prize Antwaan Randle El. The offense is still having problems gelling and almost had a pick off. However, Ben Roethlisberger had two good passes to Holmes and Cedric Wilson. So far, the Falcons had almost three attempted interceptions. If their defense didn't have such butterfingers, they might actually have the ball right now. The Steelers aren't able to get the ball into the end zone even though they had four downs under the ten yard line. They had to settle for another Jeff Reed field goal. The Falcons seemed to be moving the ball down the field fairly nicely. That is until Troy Polamalu intercepted the ball. the Steelers have the ball on their 35 yard line now. fortunately, the Steelers manage to get the ball down the field and Roethlisberger makes a touchdown pass to Hines Ward from the 11 yard line. Score is now Steelers 10, Falcons 7. The Falcons get the ball, but they aren't able to do anything with the ball, and it is punted off to the Steelers. Roethlisberger threw the ball down the field to Ward who funbled the ball yet again. Fortunately, Heath Miller recovered the ball. The refs reviewed the play because it didn't like there was a football move and a completion, but the review said that it was a completion. Roethlisberger was then able to throw the ball down to Holmes and the ball was on the 30 yard line. Cedric Wilson had a good game, catching the ball close to the end zone on a third down. The Steelers got to the third yard line. There was a rush to call a time out between the Steelers and the Falcons, and the refs saw the Falcons first, so the Steelers didn't get charged with a time out. In the next play, Roethlisberger threw the ball to Miller for a touchdown. The Steelers have a 10 point lead. The Steelers have a real problem with fumbles. It's not just one player either. It's the whole team. Roethlisberger fumbled the ball on the snap, probably because he and the center weren't on the same snap count, and the Falcons recovered the ball. Chad Brown gave a late hit to Vick that put the Falcons three yards from the end zone. The Falcons have a crappy record in the red zone, but on third down, Vick throws a touchdown pass. There is only a three point difference. All the Falcons points in the game to this point are the result of Steeler fumbles. The Falcons then come back with an onside kick and the Falcons recover the ball. Less than five minutes are left in the half. Michael Vick got his first three touchdown pass game by throwing another one after moving the ball down the field. There was a passer interference call about Deshea Townsend. The Falcons have pulled ahead of the Steelers with a score of 21-17. Vick hadn't thrown a touchdown pass since September 17 until this game. Roethlisberger sent a beautiful pass to Holmes that went for 36 yards. There is some question on the catch, and because it is under two minutes, there is a review on the play. Cowher starts arguing with the refs because there was a run of five to six steps, and there was no reason for a review. The catch is considered a completion. The next play has Roethlisberger throwing a touchdown pass to Nate Washington. There was an excessive celebration call on the play that was assessed on the kickoff. The call came because Ward and a few others joined Washington in the dancing. With almost a minute left in the half, The Falcons return the ball for 51 yards. It results in a 10 yard penalty when Reed trips the runner to stop a touchdown. The Falcons now have the ball on the 28 yard line, well in range of a touchdown. Vick throws the ball, and it bounces out of the receivers hands into James Farrior's hands. The Steelers are taking the knee to go to the locker room.
Second half
There weren't any huge plays at the beginning of the third period until Roethlisberger got hit by three players at the same time. Two were low, and one was up high--helmet to helmet. He was surrounded by caretakers and not moving for some time. It really didn't look good at all! I hate to say this, but it's almost like Roethlisberger has had a jinx sitting on his shoulder since the Super Bowl win. It looks like there is some movement on his part, and they finally got him to sit up. I think it was just the helmet on helmet that might have knocked him cold. Roethlisberger gets a hand up and he walks off the field, but he looks totally looped and limping. They reshowed the hit, and he got hits in the knees and head pretty bad. Roethlisberger is sitting on the sideline, and Charlie Batch is in the game. Wilie Parker muffs a play seriously, and fumbles the ball. The Falcons recover, and Vick throws the ball down to the three yard line. The Falcons get the ball on the one yard line because of passer interference. Roethlisberger was carted off the sidelines in the cart. It got down to the third down, and the Falcons did manage to get the ball into the endzone for a touchdown. Bill Cowher challenged the call at the last minute--right before the snap. From the reviews, it was clear that the Falcons got in, and the Steelers were charged with a timeout. Score is now Falcons 28--Steelers 24. Batch's first throw to Ward isn't complete, but then he gets one down to Wilson. Willie Parker gets the ball, bur really doesn't get any yardage at all. The Steelers really don't have a running game anymore. Ward gets a pass, loses his shoe, keeps on running and makes a touchdown run. Steelers pull ahead with a score of 31-28. I don't know if I would have called it a touchdown because he was out at the third yard line, and just reached out his hands and hit the red marker. I don't know why the NFL considers something like that a touchdown. The Falcons came right back though to bring the ball back down the field. Vick throws yet another touchdown pass to get the Falcons back into the lead. Algie Crumpler got his third touchdown of the game. The Steelers get the ball and aren't able to do anything so the ball goes back to the Falcons. The Falcons get the ball down into the redzone, but again can't get into the endzone, and settle for a seven point lead off of a field goal. Batch throws the ball down to Washington to get the ball in the redzone. Then Ward had a touchdown pass to tie the game. Roethlisberger was on the sidelines in his sweats congratulating both. Obviously it was just a bad smack on the head, and the team doesn't want to take chances. Michael Vick was almost sacked, but just managed to flip the ball off to get the first down. Vick had a hot streak in the game running the ball next for a first down. vick was chased into the sidelines on the Steeler side and Cowher laughed and joked with Vick. The Steelers called for a time out just right before the whistles were blown--and the Falcons made the 58 yard field goal. Now there seems to be some sort of controversy. Will the Falcons make the field goal again? They missed, but there was a flag for roughing the kicker. They get a five yard penalty and replay of the down. It was Polamalu who ran into him. Then Cowher called another timeout. Then the Falcons changed their kicker. The kick was just short. There are only 25 seconds left in the game and no timeouts. The Steelers had a false start with less than a minute. That is considered a 10 second penalty and since the game had only eight seconds left, the game was over. The game goes into overtime.
Overtime
The Falcons get the first possession in overtime. The Falcons are trying to do something with the ball, and then Vick throws a 26 yard pass and are just trying to get the ball closer into field goal range. They run the ball down into the redzone. Will they go for a field goal now? The Falcons go for a field goal, and they make it. The Falcons win in overtime.

Sunday, October 15, 2006 -- Fifth game of the season

Teams

Chiefs

Steelers

1st quarter

2nd quarter

3rd quarter

4th quarter

Final

The Steelers played the Kansas City Chiefs late this afternoon.
First Half
The Steelers had the ball first and they came out fighting. Ben Roethlisberger threw a pass to Santonio Holmes that Holmes got down to the 25 yard line before he tripped on his big, old feet. Another pass to Cedric Wilson got the ball to the three yard line. After a few stumbling attempts, Willie Parker ran the ball in for a touchdown. The Chiefs got the ball and didn't get anywhere. Then the Steelers weren't getting anywhere. With less than a minute in the quarter, Roethlisberger threw the ball down the field to Nate Washington who ran the ball in for Roethlisberger's first touchdown pass of the season. At the end of the first period, the Steelers lead with a score of 14-0. The second quarter starts with more Steelers players slipping and falling. I'm not sure what the deal is because it hasn't been raining here in Pittsburgh since earlier in the week. Maybe it is a shoe problem. Finally, Hines Ward earns his salary by catching a ball farther down the field. The Steelers are close to getting the ball into the red zone. Ward gets a second pass that gets the Steelers down to the 17 yard line. Parker gets another run in for a touchdown. Jeff Reed makes another extra point kick, and the Steelers are leading by a score of 21-0. The Steeler defense is really shutting down the Chiefs. They are looking like a pretty good team today. Boy, the Steelers just can't be stopped! Najeh Davenport ran the ball 48 yards down the field, but got caught because he's abit on the heavier side. The ball was down in the red zone, and Roethlisberger threw the ball into the end zone, right into Ward's hands. The Steelers now lead by a score of 28-0. This has to be great for the Steelers' psyche. They need a good win to get back into the winning rhythm. And it is good for my Beat Bob competition because I picked the Steelers to win this game. The Steelers got the ball down the field and Jeff Reed go his 32 yard field goal with 1 second left in the half. The first half ends with a score of 31-0.
Second half
Holmes fumbled the ball on a punt return, but fortunately, Bryant McFadden recovered the ball. Holmes has fumblitis. That's not good for a punt returner. Darn! Then Parker had the ball and had the ball knocked loose. The Chiefs recover around their 20 yard line. Troy Polamalu intercepted the ball, and was running it down the field when he got pulled down by his hair. Larry Johnson was the culprit, who grabbed a hunk of Polamalu's hair, held on, and dragged Polamalu down, jerking him around by his hair. The announcers are shocked by it, because larry Johnson got hurt last week by someone grabbing and pulling him down by his face mask. Johnson got an unsportsmanlike penalty. We weren't able to do anything with the interception and the ball went back to the Chiefs. They finally score a touchdown. The Steelers get the ball back, and it looked like the team is going to shoot itself in the foot when Parker fumbles the ball. Fortunately, the Steelers recover, and start marching down the field with help from Parker, Davenport, and Ward. Heath Miller does a good job with blocking to allow the ball to get down the field. The fourth quarter starts. The ball is now on the four yard line. Damn! Then the Steelers get to the end zone, and it looked like the Chiefs has recovered the ball, but they didn't. It is now third and one on the goal line. Roethlisberger tried a quarterback sneak and didn't get anywhere. It is now fourth and goal at the one and they are going to go for it. Davenport tried to get it into the end zone and failed. So now it is first down going the other way. From the replay, it looks like he reached the ball across the line. Bill Cowher challenges the call, and it seems that Davenport did break the plane. Cowher threw the flag very theaterically the announcers say. The extra point is good, and the Steelers lead 38 - 7. With six minutes left in the game, both teams are playing backup quarterbacks. I think that the Chiefs have admitted to the fact that the Steelers are going to win. Chad Brown who just came back to the team this week after being gone for years (10 I believe) just got a sack to get the most sacks of any Steeler. The Chiefs had the ball, and Rian Wallace of the Steelers intercepted the ball and ran it in for a touchdown. Score is now 45 - 7. The Chiefs get intercepted yet again with a little over a minute left in the game. This time it was McFadden grabbing it in the end zone. The game is over for all intents and purposes. The Steelers win 45-7.

Wednesday, October 11, 2006 -- Evening

The Steelers had some injuries from practice today. Both Joey Porter and Deshea Townsend both had to leave practice today with hamstring injuries. This is not looking too good for the Steelers. I'm not sure that I would pick them to beat the Kansas City Chiefs this coming Sunday.

Monday, October 9, 2006 -- Evening

The talk around town all day has been the meltdown of the Steelers. Everyone has been playing Monday morning quarterback. Alot of people are finding fault especially with Ben Roethlisberger. I'm not saying that he did an outstanding job yesterday, but I think that the problem is greater then him. I can think of at least two occasions yesterday were Roethlisberger got the ball to the receiver to only have the receiver muff the play. The first was with Hines Ward where the ball got into Ward's hands to only bounce right back out. My understanding is that if the quarterback gets the ball that close to the receiver, it should be a completion. Nate Washington was another example. He let the ball slip through his fingers instead of grabbing on. We don't have any capable receivers--sure, yeah, blame double and triple coverage on Ward's problems. He needs some excuses. Also, the defense isn't stopping the other team from moving the ball. We couldn't have no punt or kick-off return capabilities. The team is just sucking and not playing well as a whole. Paul Zeise, one of the sports reporters here in Pittsburgh, thinks that the team is going to win most of their remaining games. I doubt it. According to the players, all is not lost because when they are the underdogs, they get it altogether. We shall see.

Sunday, October 8, 2006 -- Fourth game of the season

Teams

Steelers

Chargers

1st quarter

2nd quarter

3rd quarter

4th quarter

Final

The Steelers are playing an away game against the San Diego Chargers. My boyfriend has picked the Steelers to win the game, but I don't have that faith. I have used all of his picks in my Beat Bob competition this week, and he has done an excellent job. So far, out of 12 games, I have 11 wins!
First half
The Steelers weren't very productive in their first series with the ball, but then Ryan Clark intercepted the ball so the Steelers got it right back. YOu can't blame Ben Roethlisberger for all their offensive woes. He threw the ball right into Hines Ward's hand, but it bounced out of Ward's grasp. Then the Steelers tried a trick move by pretending to punt, but actually running with the ball. It didn't work, however, and the Chargers got the ball at the 50 yard line. So the announcers are now talking about how Roethlisberger was rubbing his right elbow in the warm-ups. They are wondering if he has a problem with the arm that accounts for the poor performance so far. They asked the coachs who have denied that there is a problem. Boy, I know the problem--it's Roethlisberger pretending there is an issue so he can use it as an excuse. Hence the 102 temperature when it was 100.2 and the broken toes that Coach Cowher denied existed in the 2004 season AFC Championship. I have to say that I don't think the reception problem is Roethlisberger's fault. He is practically putting the ball in the receiver's hands, but they just aren't holding on to it. Nate Washington is a good example--he just had the ball on his fingertips and let it seep through this fingers like water through a sieve. The Steeler defense has Philip Rivers number and have gotten a few sacks in. For our side, Najeh Davenport had a good run for a first down. Willie Parker just played full body pingpong to get to the 9 yard line. Will the Steelers be the first to score? Yep, they do, and Willie Parker is the person who gets the ball into the endzone. In the second quarter, Roethlisberger gets sacked four minutes into the quarter, and there was some question about whether the ball was fumbled, but it wasn't a play that was challengeable. Now Roethlisberger is finding every receiver. The first good throw went to Santonio Holmes, then Ward, and finally Heath Miller. The offense couldn't get the ball into the endzone, but they called on Jeff Reed for a field goal. The Chargers now have teh ball on the nine yard line and Rivers throws it to Malcolm Floyd who catches the ball in the endzone for a touchdown with less than two minutes left in the half (1.11 to be exact.) The referee has to review it, and there is a problem with the video display device that the referee has to use. So we are waiting, and waiting, and waiting for something to happen and the crowd is booing. Finally he is saying that the video display is malfunctioning, and he had to wait two minutes before saying there is a malfunction. The ruling stands. The score is now Steelers 10--Chargers 7. The Steelers quickly get the ball down the field, and Reed kicks in another field goal. Score is 13-7.
Second half
The Chargers come out fighting, but they are only able to get a field goal. The ball goes to the Steelers. Roethlisberger was flinging the ball all the way down the field to Santonio Holmes and the ball gets intercepted all the way down near the endzone. The Chargers now have the ball close to the midfield point. Cowher challenges the play because Holmes' arm hits the leg of the interceptor, Drayton Florence and that means that Florence would be down by contact at the 10 yard line. Cowher was correct, and the ball is moved back to the 10 yard line which is a 29 yard difference. Rivers gets the ball down the field and throws a touchdown pass to Antonio Gates. The Chargers now lead with a score of 17-14. Ward makes a catch and runs the ball down almost to the 50 yard line. Roethlisberger gets sacked right after that play, and there was some hope by the Chargers that there was a fumble. However, the refs said that Roethlisberger was down by contact. The Chargers really have rhythm on their side right now, and LaDainian Tomlinson has been getting some good yardage. Rivers is also handling the situation with aplomb. The Chargers are now down by the 10 yard line and close to another touchdown. Finally Larry Foote gets a sack, and the Chargers have to settle for a field goal. Score is now 20-13. The Steelers were doing good, making some nice first down moves. Then Roethlisberger threw the ball right into an area where there were only Chargers, and the ball was intercepted yet again, this time by Marlon McCree. Only 5:53 remains in the game. It's not looking good for the Steelers--or my Beat Bob football pool. So far in the season, Roethlisberger has thrown nine interceptions--two from this game. Meanwhile Philip Rivers is doing a great job. The Steelers use a timeout at the 3;43 time. The Steelers are taking another timeout just a few seconds later because the Chargers are moving the ball too well and eating up the clock. The Chargers now have the ball at the 7 yard line with 2;37 left in the game. Two minute warning. The Chargers can't score a touchdown and have to settle for a field goal to give themselves a 10 point lead. The Steelers now have 65 seconds to score twice. For some reason, I don't think it will happen. In seven minutes, only one minute of the game has been played. During the kick-off, the Steelers get a holding penalty and lose ten yards on the return. In the first play, Roethlisberger gets sacked. Cowher is just watching the play in shock. With 32 seconds left, Cedrick Wilson goes out of bounds. Then the Steelers get a false start and are on a third down. Roethlisberger then has to throw the ball away, and the game is over for all intents and purposes. The Steelers lose. Score is 23-13.

Tuesday, October 3, 2006 -- Evening

Poor Ricardo Colclough! He seems to have injured his neck in some fashion and is questionable for the upcoming game this Sunday against the San Diego Chargers. You have to wonder how much of the injury is because Bill Cowher doesn't want Colclough to play and doesn't want to admit that it is because the guy probably shouldn't have been playing for the team. Some of the local sports reporters are getting worried because they think that the Steelers might be in a losing mindset. Even worse, they surmise that the team might think that they can come back at anytime and win it all because they came back at the end of last season to win eight games in a row. I don't think that the Steelers are going to do that well this year because I think that they lost some important players over the past year that caused the team to gel as well as it did. The players individually weren't much but together Chris Hope, Jerome Bettis, Antwaan Randle-El, and Kimo von Oelhoffen just broke the chemistry of a winning team. I'm going to be surprised if the team has a winning record this year.

Friday, September 29, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

The Here We Go Steelers song is being rewritten. Well at least a lyric is being rewritten. There was abit that alluded to the fact that this year would be the one for the thumb. Since we now have that the lyric is outdated. The composer/performer, Roger Wood, let the Post Gazette hold a contest and the line, "The Steelers Nation has the best fans. We're from Pittsburgh the five-time Super Bowl champs" won the contest with 45.8 percent of the vote.

Monday, September 25, 2006 -- Afternoon

The sports talk shows after the Steelers game yesterday were filled with callers who wanted Ben Roethlisberger demoted and Charlie Batch starting the next game. That's a tricky one because although I think that Roethlisberger is rusty, I think that the rest of the team is contributing to the general stench of poor playing. Roethlisberger can throw the ball down the field as much as he wants, but if the receivers let it bounce off their hands, there's nothing that he can do. Our running game is poor. Willie Parker improved in yesterday's game with 21 carries for 133 yards, but for the three games it is 71 carries and 268 yards. That averages 3.77 yards per carry. Let's not even get started with the punt and kickoff returns. If we have anyone who can go out there, grab a football that is falling from the air, hold on to it, and run, we are keeping him in hiding! We had too many big changes over the off season and lost some folks were more important to our system than we realized. Too many folks are quick to call for the axe. I don't know how you can be a genius one day, and then an idiot the next. Don't get me wrong--I'm the first to bash a problem when I see it. I think that I was one of the first calling for the firing of Eddie O from the Pens. This time I think that people jumping the gun. It's only the third game of the season. Let's see how they are a month from now, and then talk. The Pittsburgh sports fan is very fickle and quick to change allegance. There was a hue and cry because Pittsburgh was 21st on the rank of cities based on loyalty of sports fans. Cleveland was first. No one could understand why the city was 21st. This is why! Give 'em a break guys!

Sunday, September 24, 2006 -- Third game of the season

Teams

Bengals

Steelers

1st quarter

2nd quarter

3rd quarter

4th quarter

Final

The Steelers play the Cincinnati Bengals this afternoon. Chad Johnson had been talking earlier this week about meeting the Steelers. Johnson is one of my favorites because he is so entertaining. He was saying things about the hit that he got last week and how he was sore from stitches in his chin, and not able to find his way home, and not able to eat solid food so he couldn't go to his favorite place, McDonald's, where he eats three times a day during the season. Johnson also said that he was going to meet Joey Porter at the 50 yard line to duke it out. Some folks actualle believed it, but they should know that Johnson was joking and buddies with Porter. Before the game, the two met at the 50 yard line and jawed at each other.
First Half
The Bengals had the ball first, but they didn't get anywhere and had to punt. The running game isn't doing that good, but Cedric Wilson had a 35 pass and run that got the Steelers down the field. Then Ben Roethlisberger threw the ball to Willie Parker for some more yards. Parker is having problem running the ball, but the Steelers are able to get the ball into the end zone by Parker running the ball in from the three yard line. I am alittle bit shocked because I have picked the Bengals to win. Granted, I would like to see the Steelers win, but I picked the Bengals in my Beat Bob picks. The Bengals get the ball, and Carson Palmer gets sacked and fumbles the ball twice. The first time, Quincy Wilson recovers the ball and gets a first down. The second time another Bengal falls on the ball. In the next few plays though, Palmer goes to throw the ball, and it is intercepted by Deshea Townsend. The Bengals seem to be having some problems getting to Roethlisberger. He is in the back with plenty of time to throw the ball. Start of the second quarter and the Bengals manage to intercept the ball in the end zone. Slowly, but surely, the Bengals put on a 97 yard drive that results in a touchdown catch by Chris Henry. The score is now tied at 7-7. The Steelers have the ball down on the Bengals 30 yard line, and the Bengals almost intercept the ball, and then in the second play Roethlisberger is sacked. Now with 1:13 left in the half, Jeff Reed goes for a field goal that is partially deflected, and no good. Now the Bengals are flying down the field and with 25 seconds left, they are down on the Steelers 20 yard line. The Bengals get the ball to the three yard line or so, and Palmer under pressure tosses the ball to Henry for a touchdown. The Bengals lead as they go to half time 14-7.
Second Half
The Steelers get the ball first to start the third quarter. As you can note from the first half, the team with the wind to their backs did the scoring. It is windy here in Pittsburgh today. The Steelers take advantage of the wind and a 15 yard penalty against the Bengals for a face mask to get close enough for a field goal. Willie Parker can only run when there is a hole. He really doesn't have the size to barrel through a crowd. Score now is 14-10. Palmer is throwing the ball to Henry when he got a bad hit from Clark Haggans. They are calling it a shoulder hit. Ike Taylor took the dropped ball for an interception. The Steelers have it at the seven yard line. After four tries, the Steelers are able to get Willie Parker into the end zone for a touchdown. The score is now 17-14 with the Steelers leading. It looked like the Steelers had the momentum when Roethlisberger throws the ball into double coverage. The Bengals have the ball now on the Steeler 24 yard line. The Steeler were quick off the line, and Townsend sacks Palmer. The ball goes free, and the Steelers get it because one of the Bengal players tried to pick the ball up instead of just falling on it. Haggans is the person who comes up with the ball. The Steelers have the ball as the quarter ends. It is still in their territory, so if the Bengals do their own interception, the Bengals may come back. The Bengals had a 4th and 1, and went for it. The quarterback sneak just managed to get them the yardage. Then in the first play after that, Haggans comes into sack Palmer. The Steelers have the ball, but aren't able to get anywhere. The cameras are showing Chad Johnson depressed on the side lines and they said that Carson Palmer went running after him to try to get Johnson back into the game. It seems that Palmer has been throwing the ball mostly to Henry and every now and again to T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Palmer gets sacked for the sixth time in the game. Luck is on the Bengals side. On the punt, Ricardo Colclough fumbles the ball. The Bengals recover it at the 13 yard line, and Palmer throws a touchdown pass to Houshmandzadeh. The Bengals grab the lead again with a score of 21-17. Verron Haynes fumbles the ball. The Bengals get the ball again and Palmer throws off a 30 yard touchdown pass to Houshmandzadeh again. The Steelers are getting killed with their fumbles. Score is now 28 to 17. That's two touchdowns in 54 seconds for the Bengals. The Steelers try to go into the end zone, and wind up with a 4th and 10, and they make it. Roethlisberger just managed to get it off to Cedric Wilson for 17 yards. There is 3:58 left in the game. Nate Washington bobbles the ball in the end zone, and they are back to a 4th down with 11 yards. They are going to go for a field goal this time. Reed makes is and the score is 28-20. The Bengals aren't able to get the ball down the field and there is still 2:53 left on the clock. That means that the Steelers will get the ball and might have time to score. The Steelers get a penalty though for taunting. That's not the sort of stupid penalty that they need. Bill Cowher does not look very happy. So they are now at the 11 yard line. Mike Logan denies that he did any taunting. Then Roethlisberger throws it to a location where there is only a Bengal, but there isn't an interception. Roethlisberger get sacked. There are two minutes left in the game and the Steelers now have a 3rd down with 11 yards. The Steelers make the first down, but there is only 1:08 left in the game. Roethlisberger uses a down on a spike. The Steelers have 57 seconds to make a score from the 47 yard line. The Bengals get called for roughing the quarterback. Now the Steelers are at the 30 yard line with a first down. The steelers are now down on the 21 yard line with 22 seconds left. As the Steelers are trying to hurry and score, the Bengals intercept in the end zone again. The Bengals have the ball with only 10 seconds left. The game is over and the Bengals have won.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006 -- Evening

There has been alot of controversy again over Ben Roethlisberger. The guy is wont to overexaggerate his illness. Hence, there was the time after the AFC Championship loss two years ago, when Roethlisberger said that his toes were broken. No one told Bill Cowher, and he told everyone that Roethlisberger's toes weren't broken. There is still controversy over that. Now the new controversy is Roethlisberger's temperature on Monday. Cowher is saying that Roethlisberger had a temperature of 100.4. Michele Tafoya, who made the statement on ESPN's broadcast of the game, is standing by her story. She said that she heard Roethlisberger had a cold, and that he told her that his temperature was 104. As she said, "When he said that, I thought, 'I can't believe he's out here.' If he said 100.4 to me, I would have said, 'That's not very high, unless it's a toddler.' I never would have gone with anything I didn't believe he had said." Either Roethlisberger misspoke, or he just overexaggerated his illness.

Monday, September 18, 2006 -- Second game of the season

Teams

Steelers

Jaguars

1st quarter

2nd quarter

3rd quarter

4th quarter

Final

First Half
The Steelers are playing the Jacksonville Jaguars. The biggest story of the game, of course, is that Ben Roethlisberger is playing 15 days after his appendectomy. Everyone is making a big deal of it, but I doubt that he would have gotten clearance from the doctor to play. There was a controversy when Bill Cowher wanted to challenge a play that wasn't considered a challengeable play. The big play of the first half was when the ball was tipped by James Farrior and then intercepted by Clark Haggans. The announcers for ESPN's

Monday Night Football are saying that Roethlisberger is not playing that well, and he does seem to be having some problems connecting with his receivers. The first half ended without any score. To tell the truth, both sides are really sucking and not able to make any connections or yardage. There was no run longer than ten yards. I picked the Steelers to win in my Beat Bob poll for the week. If they win, then I have picked 13 out of 16. If not, then I get 12 out of 16.
Second Half
Roethlisberger is still playing. It seems that he had a fever of 104 this morning, and seems to be fine now according to Cowher. It's not Roethlisberger because no one seems to be able to run with the ball or catch it. In fact, on the first play for the Steelers in the half, Roethlisberger is sacked. Jacksonville scores first with just abit over five minutes left in the third period with a field goal. Score is 3-0. Time is running out and we are now in the fourth quarter and the Jaguars just scored another field goal with around six minutes left. The announcers are saying that this will be first time since 1981 when the defending Super Bowl Champs were shut out. Darn! With 4:53 left in the game, Roethlisberger threw an interception. It definitely looks like a loss. The Jaguars score with yet another field goal. The score is now 9-0. 1:44 left in the game, and Roethlisberger is intercepted again, and the ball is now on the one yard line for the Jaguars. The Jaguars are going to take the knee to run down the clock, and they win, shutting out the Steelers.

Wednesday, September 13, 2006 -- Evening

On the Steelers front, Ben Roethlisberger is expected to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night. It seems that they are just going to base his return on how he feels. Knowing Roethlisberger, he is probably going to say that he is feeling just fine regardless of whether he does or not. The bad news though is that Troy Polamalu might not play on Monday because of an injury to his shoulder. Polamalu is one of those players who makes things happen, and if he doesn't play, he will be missed.

Thursday, September 7, 2006 -- First game of the season

Teams

Dolphins

Steelers

1st quarter

2nd quarter

3rd quarter

4th quarter

Final

First half
The first quarter went by without much of note. Santonio Holmes made a beautiful flying catch--catching the ball right before he hit the ground. Willie Parker made a nice run on a 4th down and one yard move to get the Steelers a first down. The series resulted in a beautiful touchdown catch by Nate Washington. The Steelers take the lead at the start of the second quarter with a score of 7-0. Charlie Batch has been doing a good job so far in the game. He is cool, calm, and collected. With only abit over five minutes left in the half, the Dolphins got a good position from a punt return and tied the game with a touchdown. Score is now 7-7. Then Ricardo Colclough had a good kickoff return which was overturned because of holding, but then Parker got the yards back for them with a good run. Finally a pass interference is called on someone covering Cedric Wilson That fortunately got us a first down right before the two minute warning. A great throw by Batch to Hines Ward who just manages to get his feet into the endzone. We almost missed seeing that on television because they were busy showing a commercial. The Dolphins come back to score a field goal before the end of the half.
Second half
Things were not looking good for the Steelers when Batch fumbled the ball on the 1 yard line. The Dolphins scored a touchdown and took the lead--17-14. I was starting to get worried about the situation when the fourth quarter started and we were still behind. Then the miraculous happened. Heath Miller took a pass from Batch and ran it in for a touchdown. Total yardage was 87 yards which is the longest touchdown pass/run at Heinz Field. There was some controversy over this play because as NBC showed the replay, it looked like Miller was actually down at the two yard line. That whole breaking of the plane of the end zone always gets me confused because I think there are alot of questionable calls that turn into touchdowns. Well, the coach for the Dolphins, Nick Saban, had the opportunity to throw in the red flag to review the play. However, he waited until the last possible moment, threw the flag in underhand in a half-hearted way, and it landed behind the official. Since they didn't see the flag, the extra point continued, and then it was too late to review the play. Saban said that he threw out the flag before the play, but the replay showed that he half hearted threw it to land behind the ref. After that, Troy Polamalu intercepted a Daunte Culpepper pass. We weren't able to get it far enough down the field and attempted a field goal which didn't work. Then Joey Porter got into the act and had an interception that he ran in for a touchdown. Afterwards, Coach Cowher grabbed Porter and was happily yelling at him, and from what he said later, Porter just wanted to go off and celebrate, so Porter leaned over and kissed Cowher on the cheek. Boy, did that get people talking! Porter said after the game that he just loves the coach, and Cowher said that it was better than the time that he initiated a kiss to Joey. After that in the final two minutes, Porter sacked Culpepper and did his booting dancing. The final score was Steelers 28 and Dolphins 17. A win for the Steelers where everyone performed. Batch and Parker both did great jobs.

Thursday, September 7, 2006 -- Evening

The Steelers are playing the Miami Dolphins this evening in the first game of the NFL season. We were told that there would be a thrilling beginning and everyone should be watching at 8 pm. The game started at 8:30 pm. Well, all they had was some lame ass singing and Jerome Bettis entering the field in a bus. There was nothing of any really interest to watch. Fortunately, I went into the other room to watch the much more exciting Big Brother. More on the game later.

Wednesday, September 6, 2006 -- Evening

Jerome Bettis was in town with the NBC crew for tomorrow's night Steelers vs. Dolphins game. The Steelers gave Jerome a locker that is open to the public and has some of the things that Bettis used or that are associated with him. After the unveiling of Jerome's locker, he went to the Giant Eagle in Robinson Township to sign Super Bowl DVDs. He is going to be doing that until around 8:30 tonight which is an hour and a half from now. It seems that Jerome also made some comments in his role as a news analyst that the Steelers might not have an easy time of it this year. I have to agree. I know that some analysts are saying that the Steelers are going to have a good year and possibly be in contention for the Super Bowl again, but I'm not as hopeful. In other news, Brian St. Pierre was added to the active roster as a backup quarterback. Because of this Chidi Iwumoa was released.

Monday, September 4, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

There was some talk yesterday about what the Steelers would do with the quarterback position. Some of the local sports folks seem to think that they would bring back Tommy Maddox. However, I think that there is alot of bad feeling towards Maddox. Maddox didn't show up when the Steelers went to DC to be honored by President Bush. He also didn't show up for the ring ceremony. Also, the games that the Steelers lost last year can be laid at the door of Maddox's incompetence. Yeah, you can think it's just me, but there was a discussion on one of the ESPN about the Steelers results last year and this, and the concensus was that Maddox lost the games for the team. Anyway, I was in shock when I heard the local sportscasters talking like Maddox was a viable option. Thankfully, the Steelers didn't consider Maddox. They signed Brian St. Pierre to the practice squad. The thing is that Ben Roethlisberger is probably only going to miss two games at the most, and Charlie Batch is more than capable of being the starting quarterback.

Sunday, September 3, 2006 -- Evening

Bad news for the Steelers. The reason that Ben Roethlisberger wasn't at practice today is because he became ill right before practice and had an emergency appendectomy. Roethlisberger is going to be out for at least a week and will miss Thursday's first regular season game against the Miami Dolphins.

Sunday, September 3, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

One of my favorite Steelers, Ike Taylor has been signed to a five year, $22.5 million contact. I like Ike--as do so many people--because he is personable, good at what he does, and most of all, because he loves Pittsburgh. Taylor was saying from the beginning that he thought that things would be worked out with the Steelers because he loved the city and really wanted to remain with them. What was ironic is that I just saw a show about the day in the life of Taylor. The local Comcast On Demand selections have a whole slew of "day in the life" with various Steelers. The one with Taylor is from two years ago and even then he was talking about how happy he was to be a Steeler and how much he loved being with the team. I'm glad that things were worked out between them. Meanwhile, Ben Roethlisberger did not show up for practice today. Of course that has raised some questions, and we are going to have to wait until practice is over to hear from Bill Cowher about it.

Saturday, September 2, 2006 -- Evening

Duce Staley is still with the Steelers, but will be relegated to a third string role. The final two players released by the Steelers were Quincy Morgan and Andre Frazier.

Saturday, September 2, 2006 -- Early Afternoon

The Steelers have released 20 players today and still have to get rid of two more by 6 pm this evening to meet the 53 man roster limit. There weren't any "big" names or unexpected moves in the 20. Obviously, they are going to keep Duce Staley who has been a low producer in the two years that he has played for the Steelers. Staley did play more in the final pre-season game that the Steelers lost. The story is that he was played more so they could see if it was capable of performing and worthy of keeping on the roster. I think they also wanted to see how sore he would be because he has spent so many weeks injured on the sidelines watching the game in sweats. Personally I think that Staley has been a huge waste of money for the team. As for the team itself, the performances that we've seen in the pre-season worries me. Other sports analysts in the city aren't concerned, and the team is still being picked as being number one in the AFC North conference. I just don't think that that it's warranted. We will have to see how they do, but I have don't have a good feeling about this season. Of course, if you look through the blog, you will realize that I felt the same way last year, and they went on to win the Super Bowl.

Thursday, August 31, 2006 -- Evening

The Steelers are playing the Carolina Panthers in the final preseason game. None of the starters are playing in the game, and in the first few minutes of the game, it is looking like it is going to be one of those painfully, poorly played games.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006 -- Evening

Interesting news from the Steelers today. They signed Willie Parker to a four year extension. That means that Parker should be playing with the Steelers until 2009. The question that i have is what role does Duce Staley play with the Steelers. Most of my friends have been saying that they seem he as a third string player. I don't think that he has really shown much over the past two regular seasons or the pre-season. I really wonder if he is going to be let go by the time the roster cut happens September 3.

Santonio Holmes's trial was postponed from today until December 4th. The story is that Holmes will probably get off with just counseling either from the Steelers or the NFL. It makes it hard to do anything with HOlmes legally when his girlfriend refuses to testify against him.

Joey Porter is on this week's cover of Sports Illustrated. Porter is called the most feared and physically intimidating player in the NFL.

Saturday, August 26, 2006 -- Morning

The Steelers played the Philadelphia Eagles last night in their third pre-season game. The team lost their third game in a row with a final score of 16-7. Ben Roethlisberger was constantly under pressure, getting sacked, throwing an interception, and finding his backside on the ground alot. The game announcers were commenting that Roethlisberger needed to play more than the few series that he did. The team has not been playing well together at all. There are a few players who have been putting in good performances, but as a whole there appears to be a lack of gelling together. Hopefully this will clear up when the regular season starts. If it doesn't, I don't think that the team will manage to pull off a winning season.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006 -- Evening

Hines Ward has been having alot of problems with his hamstring of late, and he is not alone. It appears that a few other players in the NFL have been having the same problem--most notably Terrell Owens. Ward is going to miss the Steelers game on Friday because of the injury, and it is really starting to worry people because he has been missing so much practice and pre-season games. My boyfriend doesn't understand how the hamstring can cause so many problems, but I have always had issues with straining my hamstring. I'm not very athletic, but sometimes when I run alot without warming up properly, I really get severe cramps in my hamstring. So I can sympathize with Ward and Owens, and hope that both are playing soon.

Sunday, August 20, 2006 -- Morning

The Steelers lost their second pre-season game last night. This time they were playing the Minnesota Vikings, and the final score was 17-10. The score really doesn't represent the game because it looks like it was closer than it was. The team just doesn't seem to be jelling together very well, but then again this is the pre-season. Ben Roethlisberger did play in the game despite the stubbing of his thumb earlier this week, and he actually did a decent job for the few plays that he was involved in.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006 -- Early Evening

Ben Roethlisberger hurt his thumb in the next to last play in practice this afternoon. It was just announced on the local newscast, and there isn't any word on how severe the injury is. Roethlisberger was shown going to the medical office to have the thumb iced and x-rayed. New word is that the injury is probably just a stubbed thumb after Roethlisberger knocked his hand off the helmet of a linesman.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006 -- Afternoon

The other huge local sports story is that the Steelers and Bill Cowher have ended their contract negotiations. Cowher has two years left on his contract, and the talks now are for an extension. This is lending credance to the comments made by Jerome Bettis that it was obvious that Cowher was not going to be with the Steelers much longer. Cowher was a tad ticked by the comments and told Bettis that he shouldn't have talked about the situation. However, with Cowher buying a house in North Carolina and moving the family there, everyone has been speculating that the end of his time with the Steelers is near.

Saturday, August 12, 2006 -- Evening

The Steelers ended just as I was leaving the house for dinner. The game was a typical pre-season game. The Steelers didn't play as well as everyone would want to see in a regular season game, and the Arizona Cardinals played well. Since it was the very first time that the Cardinals stadium was used. The new stadium was built so the city could host a Super Bowl, and the neat thing about it is that it has a real grass field that is on a tray. The field stays out in the sun, and then is pulled into the stadium (which is domed) for the game. So they can actually have real grass in a domed stadium--neat! The final score for the game was 21-13.

Saturday, August 12, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

The Steelers are playing their first pre-season game right now against the Arizona Cardinals. Ben Roethlisberger played only for the first series (first four downs). He actually did pretty good and scrambled to avoid a tackle and got a sack. So far in general, the team isn't looking that good. The defense seems to be having issues stopping the Cardinals and the offense isn't moving the ball down the field very well. It is pre-season which really doesn't mean or tell much.

Thursday, August 10, 2006 -- Evening

Ben Roethlisberger has gotten his wish, and he will be starting in Saturday's preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals. All Bill Cowher would say is that Roethlisberger will play for a short period of time. It's amazing how quickly Roethlisberger has recovered. I think that he should be playing. If the doctors say that he's ready, then he needs to get some practice facing the music of folks trying to knock his newly reconstructed block off.

Friday, August 4, 2006 -- Early Morning

Ben Roethlisberger is doing better than expected in training camp. According to Roethlisberger, he thinks that he is well enough to play in the first preseason game which is August 12. As Roethlisberger said, they will have to hold him down to keep him out. Roethlisberger lost some weight from last season, and tips the scales at 235 pounds. He was 250 last year at this time. The good thing is that he didn't lose that much weight, and in fact, everyone thinks that he will be better lighter. As for the new helmets that he tried out, he didn't like any of them, including the Revolution helmet that is supposed to give more support to the jaw and protect from concussions. Linesmen use it alot, but Roethlisberger said that it hindered his vision, and he is keeping to his tried and true helmet style. I can understand that because if you are used to something, it's hard to switch to something else.

Sunday, July 30, 2006 -- Early Afternoon

Santonio Holmes has not been endearing himself to the local sports media. Yesterday, at the Welcome to the Steelers press conference, Holmes didn't show any remorse or apologize for his off-season behavior. As Holmes said, he is what he is off the field, and he doesn't have to prove a thing to anyone. He said this after sporting a red Ohio State Buckeye shirt that said "Da Man" on the back. Yeah, Holmes is da man all righty. Holmes also said that he never received any phone calls or messages from Ben Roethlisberger even though Roethlisberger said earlier that he called and left a "bunch" of messages. I'm not a big fan of Holmes at this point. I suppose that I should wait to see his actions on the field, but off field actions color one's perceptions.

Saturday, July 29, 2006 -- Morning

All of the Steelers showed up for training camp yesterday. That includes Santonio Holmes who was still wrangling over his salary recently. Even Joey Porter who was supposed to be considering being a hold out this season showed up bright-eyed and bushy tailed.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006 -- Morning

Jerome Bettis is going to continue his local show, The Jerome Bettis Show during the regular NFL season this fall. The show is going to be broadcast on WPXI on Saturday evenings at 7 pm. It will repeat Sundays at 1 am and 10:30 am. The local sportscasters affiliated with WPXI will be hosts with Bettis. I wonder if it will be similar in format to his old show on KDKA where he would have a Steeler player as a guest and would compete with the player in some goofy competition like robotic fighters or putt-putt golf.

Thursday, July 13, 2006 -- Late Morning

Ben Roethlisberger attended the taping of the 2006 ESPY awards last night with some of this teammates. This is first time that we got to see how he looked since his accident. Roethlisberger will be making a few appearances over the next few days, so we will all have plenty of opportunity to see what damage has been done. He will be on ABC's Good Morning America on Friday morning, and obviously, will be at the ESPY's. One of the things that Roethlisberger mentioned in an interview before the ESPY's is that he was seconds or a minute from dying due to a cut blood vessel in his mouth that was draining into his stomach. Probably an exaggeration, but not much of one, I imagine. Roethlisberger also said that he doesn't remember much about the crash, and doesn't know if he will ever ride a motorcycle again. He was also saying that he was periodically wearing a helmet, but just forgot it that day. From the pictures that I saw on the web, he doesn't look much different--maybe a bit puffier in the cheeks, scar on the cheek, and bumpier nose. For the most part, he still looks like himself. The Steelers were at the ESPY show to pick up an award for Best Team.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006 -- Evening

Jerome Bettis got married this weekend. It took place in Montego Bay in Jamaica. Joey Porter and Hines Ward were among the many NFL players who attended the ceremony. Bettis is expected to open a restaurant Grill 36 on the North Shore--not far from Heinz Field.

Sunday, July 2, 2006 -- Afternoon

In American football news, Ben Roethlisberger has been healing faster than was expected, and they are thinking that he will be fit enough to throw the football in some light practices next week. As of now, it is anticipated that Roethlisberger will be able to starting training camp on July 28. That might be the first chance we all have to see what Roethlisberger looks like because the news media will be in attendance (along with alot of fans).

Friday, June 23, 2006 -- Late Evening

One of the local sports writers brought up an interesting comment about Santonio Holmes. It seems that the NFL has a zero tolerance policy against players who exhibit violent behavior. Holmes recent arrest for domestic violence fits into the type of things that the NFL frowns upon. Because of this, there is the possibility that the NFL could review the arrest as it pertains to the personal conduct policy, and could result in Holmes being advised to see help with his problem or suspension. This would definitely not be good for the Steelers. At this point, there isn't any official word on a review on Holmes, even though once players are drafted, they are held accountable to NFL policy. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, happens.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006 -- Evening

Ben Roethlisberger showed up at the South Side Steelers' training facility. He was accompanied by bodyguards and wore a hood to cover his head and face. According to the coaches who saw him, the bruising and swelling from last week had diminished alot. I think that we are all very curious to see him, but I think that he is keeping the injury closely guarded. Personally, I think that it must be pretty bad.

Santonio Holmes apologized for bringing negative attention to the Steelers. I noticed that he didn't apologize for what he did, just that his actions brought negative attention to the team. I wonder if the kid gets it. For some reason, I don't think that he does, and I'm afraid that we will have more negative attention brought to the team because of Holmes.

Monday, June 19, 2006 -- Afternoon

Ben Roethlisberger has been fined a total of $388 dollars for riding a motorcycle without a license or a permit and for riding without a helmet when he didn't fit in the criteria to not have one (driver for two years or passing the safety course). It appears that he was going the speed limit at the time of the accident and wasn't speeding as some were thinking. The woman driving the car was the actual cause of the accident by not yielding at the turn as she should have. She was fined $106.52. Since it is a moving violation, there will probably be points assessed on her driver's license. It also seems that the woman has been receiving threatening phone calls. The police are investigating the matter, but as soon as her name was released, I knew there would be problems for her. Especially as it was becoming obvious that she was responsible for the accident by pulling in front on him. She was doing a Pittsburgh left, which means that even though oncoming traffic has a green light, you make a left turn in the path of cars and expect them to stop. Sometimes they don't, or can't. Bill Cowher was on the Mike and Mike radio show on ESPN this morning to promote the coaching video game that he is affiliated with. I actually caught the beginning of the conversation as I was driving in to work. They asked him what his thoughts were about Ben, and Cowher said that he doesn't want to pass judgement on Roethlisberger. As Cowher said, everyone knows that he talked to Roethlisberger and what his feelings were, but the accident could have been tragic. It's better to just be thankful for the happier ending which has Roethlisberger walking away--even with a smashed face. The other thing that Cowher said is that he doesn't want Roethlisberger to change his ways. As he was telling them, Ben is what he is because of his personality and the fact that he does what he wants to do. Ben would be a different player and person if he changed that now.

On other news on the Steelers front, Santonio Holmes was arrested and charged with domestic violence last night in Columbus, Ohio. There isn't alot of information on what exactly happened. The only thing that is bad is that the kid seems to know how to get his name into the media in a negative light, and that is not something that the Steelers organization tolerates.

Saturday, June 17, 2006 -- Evening

There was an interesting article in the Post Gazette this morning about Ben Roethlisberger's accident. The author is a psychologist who questions why someone would ride a motorcycle without a helmet. As he said, Robert Schwartz said, some have called Roethlisberger stupid, young, or a thrill seeker. Schwartz takes exception to all. His theory is that Roethlisberger was emotionally scarred by the death of his mother in an auto accident when he was eight. As Schwartz says, psychologists will see evidence is kids who were traumatized between the ages of 7-12 of an unconscious compulsion to repeat. So it might be that Roethlisberger was unintentionally trying to put himself into a situation like his mother's. That's one of the things that bothered me about Roethlisberger's accident is that he was stupid enough to be riding a motorcycle without a helmet and risking killing himself in an accident. Didn't he think of how this would affect his father who lost his wife that way, and then his son? What Schwartz says makes alot of sense to me, and I think that it explains alot.

Thursday, June 15, 2006 -- Evening

Ben Roethlisberger was released from the hospital abit before midnight last night. Roethlisberger released the following statement to the press:
--------------------------
"In the past few days, I have gained new perspective on life. By the grace of God, I am fortunate to be alive, surrounded by loved ones and lifted by the prayers and support of so many. I am sorry for any anxiety and concern my actions have caused others, specifically my family, the Steelers organization, my teammates and our fans.

"I recognize that I have a responsibility to safeguard my health in the offseason so I can continue to lead our team effectively. I never meant any harm to others nor to break any laws. I was confident in my ability to ride a motorcycle and simply believed such an accident would not happen to me. If I ever ride again, it certainly will be with a helmet.

"My deepest appreciation goes out to the Steelers organization and my teammates for the compassion they have shown me. The physicians and support staff at Mercy Hospital were simply amazing, and I will forever be grateful for their caring treatment.

"I want to assure everyone I am committed to a complete and timely recovery. I look forward to being at training camp in Latrobe and to winning football games this season."
--------------------------
There has been no information on where Roethlisberger is staying, but it is reported that there are security guards in front of his townhouse here in Pittsburgh. I think it is very telling that his comment is "if" he rides a motorcycle again. I think that it would be difficult for me to get back on a motorcycle after such an accident, but then I am a wussy.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

Ben Roethlisberger could be discharged from the hospital tomorrow. It seems that his face is badly bruised and swollen. For the first time today, Roethlisberger was allowed to eat some soft foods--pudding and yogurt. The thing that I thought was surprising is that his jaw isn't wired shut. It seems that the bones are being held together with a titanium plate. There is a press conference going on right now (5 pm). The doctor is describing how he operated on Roethlisberger and what sort of instruments he used. It seems that using the plates will allow Roethlisberger to not be on a liquid diet, but a soft diet. It will also mean that he might not need further operations. It seems that it will take six weeks to heal, and after that, the plates aren't needed, but they aren't removed. Roethlisberger also had another CT scan of his brain, and it appears that there aren't any problems with his brain.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006 -- Evening

Ben Roethlisberger's doctor has updated his condition and given more details on his condition. Dr. Larry Jones, the head of trauma at Mercy Hospital has upgraded Roethlisberger's condition to fair and listed his injuries as: fractures of the upper and lower jaw, broken nose, fractures of other facial bones, multiple head lacerations, mild concussion, two teeth lost, and several teeth chipped. The family had requested that the information not be released earlier. According to the KDKA news broadcast, Roethlisberger might even be released from the hospital in a few days.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

Breaking news on the Ben Roethlisberger story is that Roethlisberger did not have a Pennsylvania motorcycle license. In the past, people could get a motorcycle permit and just keep on renewing it every year without having to actually take the test for the license. In the past year, that has changed. That doesn't matter with Roethlisberger though because it seemed that he didn't even have a permit! It seems that the permit he did have expired on March 29 of this year. The other thing that my boyfriend was telling me (and he passed my skeptic's test) is that Roethlisberger probably couldn't legally ride a motorcycle without a helmet. According to the PA Department of Transportation: "Pennsylvania Law requires that any person who operates or rides a motorcycle must wear protective headgear unless he or she is over 21 years of age or older and has either two years of riding experience or has completed a motorcycle safety course approved by PennDOT or the Motorcycle Safety Foundation." (From the Pennsylvania�s Motorcycle Helmet Law Fact Sheet dated October 2005.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006 -- Afternoon

Ben Roethlisberger should be ready to play for the Steelers by the time training camp opens. It appears that the injuries were limited to his face and head. It seems that the reason that the doctors took seven hours on the surgery was to make the recovery time quicker. According to the doctors, there is no damage to Roethlisberger's brain, spine, knees, or shoulders. Other than the bone breakage in his face (from going face first into the windshield of the car), he just has scrapes and bruises. It seems that people who were witnesses to the accident and went to help Roethlisberger didn't recognize him because of the injuries and the amount of blood. Obviously from the description of the injuries and the fact that anyone in this city who hasn't lived under a rock for the past couple of years would have recognized him, it seemed to me that he really must have damaged his face. I wonder how he will look after he recovers. I feel bad for the woman who pulled out in front of him. It seems from one witness account that she might have made her turn on a red light, although the details of what actually happened during the accident and the official report probably won't be out for several weeks. The media has released her name and address. The woman is a Squirrel Hill resident and lives not to far from me. I feel sorry for her because I would expect that she is going to be getting harassed by some stupid fans.

Monday, June 12, 2006 -- Evening

The latest details on Ben Roethlisberger is that he had seven and a half hours of surgery to repair a broken orbital bone, broken nose, and a broken jaw. He is still listed in serious but stable condition. There has also been talk about the contract that Roethlisberger has with the Steelers might mean that he is in trouble for having an accident on his motorcycle. The Steelers can inforce the terms of the contract that list activities as dangerous to levy a fine against the signing bonus if Roethlisberger misses games. Of course, this is just an outsider talking. There isn't anything specific about motorcycles in Roethlisberger's contract. Since it is mostly his face and head, he probably won't miss many games, especially since the season is 12 weeks away.

Monday, June 12, 2006 -- Later Afternoon

More news on Ben Roethlisberger. Some eye witness reports are that he tried to get up after the accident, but fell over. There was alot of blood, and he kept on asking someone who saw the accident while walking across the bridge and ran to help if he was okay. The woman told him that he was okay. It sounds from the updates that the woman driving the car pulled right in front of him and that he had no chance to stop. It also appears that Roethlisberger had a green light. Roethlisberger went into surgery a little after noon, and at 5:15 pm is still in surgery and has extensive injuries. Because the extent of injuries to his head appear to be severe, there is concern that he might have had a concussion because he was confused abit after the accident. The latest report on the knee injuries are that they are just sprains and should not be a problem, although one news station is sticking by the more serious knee injury. It seems that Roethlisberger was coherent before the surgery and that his vital signs are stable.

Monday, June 12, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

I have not been near a computer until now, but I have been following Ben Roethlisberger's accident. Late this morning, Roethlisberger was driving his motorcycle here in Pittsburgh, and at the intersection of Second Avenue and Tenth Street he ran into a car driven by a 62 year old woman who is listed as a resident of both Maine and Pittsburgh. Her name is not being released--probably for her own safety. The woman was making a left hand turn onto the bridge at Tenth Street when Roethlisberger ran into her. From what the police are saying, it could take some time before full details are going to be released, but there is no blame being placed on either side at this point. It sounds like he was probably headed to the practice facility on the South Side near the Hot Metal Bridge. Roethlisberger hit the front fender of the woman's car, smashed his head into her windshield, flipped over her car, and landed on his knees. Right now, he is in surgery, and the extent of his injuries is sketchy. It seems that Roethlisberger was admantant about riding without a helmet, and that was a major problem in this case. According to some reports, Roethlisberger has a broken jaw, broken sinus cavity, several missing teeth, a huge gash on the back of his head, and possible injuries to both knees that is questionable at this time in severity. One station is saying that the damage is minor while another is saying that it is severe. There really hasn't been alot of official news released at this point, and as far as I can make out at 4:34, Roethlisberger is still in surgery and a plastic surgeon has been called in to work on him. At this time, Roethlisberger is listed in serious but stable condition at Mercy Hospital. Charlie Batch was the first Steeler to arrive at the hospital and declined to make any comment. Mike Logan was also seen at the hospital. I'll post more details on Roethlisberger's condition as I learn more.

Basically Roethlisberger was a fool to be riding without a helmet on a motorcycle, and as is evident from this accident, he really messed up his head and face. I know this is not the time to be placing blame, but I think that if I were on the Steelers management or his family, once I knew that he was going to be okay, I'd give him heck for being an idiot.

Friday, June 9, 2006 -- Morning

The huge news in Pittsburgh are the rumors about Bill Cowher. It seems that he had a press conference yesterday and made comments about taking his coaching role from year to year. Right now, Cowher has two years left on his contract with the Steelers. So he should be with the team through the 2007 season. The reason this even became public interest was because Cowher bought a house in Raleigh, North Carolina. His family has relocated to that house, and his daughter is going to go to school in Raleigh. That started the talk that he isn't going to stay in town long enough for her to graduate from high school in the next four years. Cowher is still young, so even is he does retire now, he might come back to coaching at a later time. Or he might just do something else with his life. There is more to life than football.

Wednesday, June 7, 2006 -- Evening

So Tommy Maddox finally deigned to show up to receive his Super Bowl ring yesterday. It seems that Maddox just had such a busy and full schedule (unlike all his other team mates) that he just couldn't make it to the White House or the ring ceremony. I think that Maddox was just been a petty, spoiled brat. Maddox isn't sure of just what he wants to do. Since he wasn't very good at selling insurance (which I think would be the job for him), he is looking at a career in professional golf. Unfortunately, he hasn't been good enough to make a tournament yet. That doesn't stop Super Maddox. He also is keeping his options open for a return as a quarterback. And you know that Maddox is being picky, and not just going to take any sort of quarterback opportunity with any team. "The thing that's nice about winning a Super Bowl is that at my age you can kind of be picky and see what you want to do," sayeth Maddox. Earth to Maddox: you sucked at the quarterback job here in Pittsburgh, and in fact, you're incredibly bad performances, lost the Steelers some key games. So to say that because you "won" a Super Bowl by warming the bench with your ass and throwing interceptions and making ineffectual attempts at tackles that cause a game to be lost shows that you are definitely not in touch with reality. Maybe some team will be stupid enough to take Maddox if every other quarterback on the team is injured, and there is no one else out there. I doubt it though.

Monday, June 5, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

The Steelers got their Super Bowl rings yesterday. A ceremony was held in a lounge at Heinz Field last night. The ring is quite nice looking, with the five Super Bowl trophies in the background and a Steeler logo in the foreground. On the sides of the ring are the player's name an number on one side, and information about the game (teams playing, final score, year and number) on the other side. Jame Harrison doesn't think that the ring is very flash, and it probably isn't. I think that it has a very elegant look to it. Here's an image from the Steeler web site of Bill Cowher's ring. Jerome Bettis and Ben Roethlisberger helped with the design of the ring.

Saturday, June 3, 2006 -- Evening

Casey Hampton proved that he was telling the truth yesterday when the Steelers went to the White House. Hampton told the others that he knew President Bush from the days when Hampton went to the University of Texas. The school was in Austin which is also the state capital. Well, as we all know, Bush used to be Governor of Texas and is into exercise. Well, it seems that he used to exercise in the gym at the University and talked to Hampton. Hampton told all his fellow Steelers that he knew the President, but they chose not to believe him. Vindication for Hampton came when Bush singled Hampton out in his comments saying "We used to pump iron together. His took, mine didn't." It also seems that when Bush came into the room, one of the very first people that he welcomed was Hampton. I don't know why his fellow players didn't believe him because Hampton did go to the University of Texas at the same time that Bush was Governor.

Friday, June 2, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

The Steelers were at the White House today to meet President Bush and be offered congratulations for their Super Bowl win. The thing that I have been most interested in is the Super Bowl ring. So far, it is a closely guarded secret, and no one has seen the design. That will change soon when the players get their rings on Sunday.

Saturday, May 27, 2006 -- Late Evening

Sanantonio Holmes isn't starting off on a good foot with the Steelers. It seems that Holmes was standing in the middle of the street in Miami at 2 am in the morning, and was told to get out of the street by the police. Instead of getting out of the street, he mouthed off to the police and was arrested. One thing that the Steelers have tried to keep away from are players who have have attitudinal or arrogance problems. Let's hope that Holmes shapes up and gets over this obvious juvenile behavior.

Tuesday, May 23, 2006 -- Evening

Joey Porter hasn't been showing up for voluntary practice with the Steelers over the past week. There was alot of talk of possible reasons, such as the fact that Porter's contract would come up in the next two years. Well, now it seems that Porter has knee problems and will have knee surgery tomorrow. He worked out today at the South Side facility, but didn't attend the team workout. There aren't alot of details on Porter's surgery, such as the cause and which knee will be operated on.

Sunday, May 14, 2006 -- Afternoon

The Steelers mini-camp started yesterday, and according to Willie Parker the atmosphere has changed in the locker room without Jerome Bettis. It seems that it is alot more quiet in the locker room wihtout Bettis. He was the instigator of practical jokes and seemed to keep things humming. Bill Cowher talked to the team and told that they should remember that they weren't the best team in the NFL last year--they just happened to be lucky enough to win the Super Bowl.

Friday, May 12, 2006 -- Evening

The Steelers will have a mini-training camp starting tomorrow. The training camp is mandatory and everyone is expected to attend. Some of the local sportscasters have said that this it is a way for the Steelers to throw their weight around by forcing the players to come to a mini-camp on Mother's Day weekend. You know how the workplace can be, and the Steelers organization is a workplace for the players and coaches. They want to show who is the boss by making the players sacrifice. voluntary portions of the camp start in the middle of next week. On June 2, the Steelers will go to the White House and then later collect their Super Bowl rings. A limited number of individual tickets are available for the upcoming season. Those who are interested can request two tickets to two games and might have to take the best available which might be a single seat far from the person that you got the tickets with. This is a sucky offer. So you make a request for two games, but if those games are filled, they will just give you any two games, and unless you specifically say no substitutions, you are screwed. It's the arrogance of we will give you what we want to give you and you will be happy to get it that ticks me off.

Thursday, May 11, 2006 -- Evening

I wonder if Hines Ward realizes what a jerk he is. Yeah, the guy is a competent wide receiver, but he really has issues. First of all, he has said that he will be more than glad to help any of the rookie wide receivers, but only if they come to him for help. It seems that Ward can't let go of the bitterness, and seemed to have some sort of problem with Plaxico Burress and Bill Cowher. It seems that Ward takes offense at the fact that the Steelers continued to draft wide receivers in the first rounds in 1999 and 2000 after drafting Ward in the third round in 1998. Ward claims to not have anything to say to Cowher "After what he did to me, after how he treated me, no. The numbers I put up? The seasons I had, for them to keep on bringing in guys ...?" The comments were made to Sports Illustrated, and now Ward is claiming that they were out of context. Ward also made some comments about Peyton Manning not reaping the glory of a Super Bowl win like Ward is. I think that Ward should drop the sour grapes because he did win the Super Bowl, and should let petty emotions go.

Saturday, April 29, 2006 -- Evening

Today was the NFL draft. The Steelers were going to draft last in the first round, but they traded to get to the 25 pick instead of 32. They did the trade so they could get wide receiver, Santonio Holmes. Holmes comes from Ohio State and it is hoped that he will fill the role of wide receiver and punt returner. The Steelers traded with the New York Giants and gave the Giants their picks in the first, third, and fourth rounds.

Thursday, April 6, 2006 -- Evening

The Steelers have released their schedule for the coming season. The last seven weeks of the regular season will be flex weeks where the NFL can move the games around to times that would allow the better games to be played in a time that would generate the best television ratings. So instead of having a good game at 1 pm on Sunday afternoon and a crappy matchup Sunday evening, the game times will be adjusted to have the good, exciting matchup shown in the prime time spot.

Monday, April 3, 2006 -- Evening

Hines Ward started his 10 day tour of Korea. He hasn't been to Korea since he and his mother left the country when Ward was an infant. Ward is also going to get honorary citizenship to Seoul.

Friday, March 17, 2006 -- Afternoon

Deshea Townsend signed a four year deal with the Steelers. That means that the Steelers should have at most nine of the defensive line returning next season.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 -- Early Evening

The Tennessee Titans have signed Chris Hope. Boy, the Steelers are losing people left and right.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 -- Afternoon

The Steelers signed Jerame Tuman today, but Kimo von Oelhoffen went to the New York Jets.

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 -- Early Evening

Charlie Batch has signed a three year deal with the Steelers this afternoon.

Saturday, March 11, 2006 -- Late Morning

I just read this recent review of the NFL Super Bowl XL - Pittsburgh Steelers Championship DVD. The comment that is made is that the DVD is a must see. One point that I will agree with is that the 72 minute video of the season is nicely done. However, so many plays were missed. With a DVD, the show could have been longer--two or three hours. Also, Bob Smizik, the review, said that the DVD is a tribute to Jerome Bettis. It could have been much better with longer clips or an analysis of Bettis' career. What got to me about this DVD after watching everything on it is that it was a rip-off. The clips are just sections from the NFL Games of the Week that are made on a weekly basis throughout the season. With a DVD package, so much material could have been included, or a two DVD set could have been made, that would have made this offering truly amazing. As it is now, yeah, it's nice, but when I think of how good it could have been, I get angry. The only person who might be amazed by this DVD is someone who doesn't have access to the NFL channel and won't realize that the meager offerings are just plucked from that resource. Another sore point was the cost. Don't buy this DVD at its listed price of $24.95. Look for a discount. In my opinion, the list price of this DVD should have been $10. So even the discounted price of $12.95 that you will find in some stores is abit more than I would have liked to pay. I see that Sports Illustrated is giving the DVD away as a freebie along with a few other items (such as a cap if I am remembering the commercial correctly). This DVD is just another sorry attempt from the NFL to squeeze every last, little penny out of its fans without giving them bang for their buck!

Friday, March 10, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

Jerome Bettis lost $67,000 worth of jewelry at a Super Bowl practice last month. Bettis had placed a Rolex watch and a diamond studded gold bracelet on the top of his locker after practice. When he noticed that he had forgotten to pick it up, he thought the someone on the Steelers staff had packed up the items. However that was not the case. Bettis reported the items as lost for insurance purposes.

Sunday, March 5, 2006 -- Evening

I also watched all of the NFL Super Bowl XL - Pittsburgh Steelers Championship DVD. I was disappointed because I realized today that what I thought was a three hour main program was actually only one and a half hours. The season is gone in a flash, and the extras are shorter than I expected. A short on Jerome Bettis is just that, short. It is over in four minutes. What I don't understand is that the NFL has alot of material in their film vaults. I think that they just prefer to put as little as possible on this DVD and charge alot for it. The cost of the DVD is $24.95. Fortunately, I paid only $12.95 for it. The filming and quality of the video is excellent. NFL Films does a great job in detailing the games and showing what goes on along the sidelines. However, there was so much that could have potentially been on the DVD. It was a disappointment to think of the things that were missing.

Friday, March 3, 2006 -- Late Evening

I bought the NFL Super Bowl XL - Pittsburgh Steelers Championship DVD this evening. It was on sale at Giant Eagle for $12.95 which is a very nice price. The DVD has a three hour film that goes over the Steelers 2005 season, including the playoff games and the Super Bowl. There are also extras that include the Steeles vs. the Colts Game of the Week, a section on Jerome Bettis, the Super Bowl half-time show, plus a slew of other clips. So far, I watched a good portion of the three hour show, and I have to say that the DVD is a great collector's item. The NFL does a great job with recording the games and the sideline interactions. It's interesting to see the things that go on behind the scenes. If you want to have something to remember the season, you should get this DVD.

Friday, March 3, 2006 -- Evening

Tommy Maddox is no longer a Pittsburgh Steeler. He was cut from the team today along with Willie williams. Maddox says that he would like to go somewhere that he can compete. I imagine that will be in an insurance office. He can compete for the most sells in a month.

Hines Ward is going to make a trip to Korea for a week starting on April 1. Ward was born in Korea and left the country with his mother and father when he was one year old. Ward will be returning with his mother, and she will be showing him around the country. Although Ward has asked for privacy during his tour, he will be giving a press conference and meeting with the South Korean president.

Wednesday, March 1, 2006 -- Late Evening

Another item mentioned at the game was the auction of Mario Lemieux items that will be held from March 5 to March 15. Money from items sold through the Bid For 66 auction will benefit cancer and neonatal research.

Other breaking news is that the special screening of the Steelers DVD held in the Loews Waterfront theater was cancelled due to a bomb threat in the theater. Hines Ward, Jerome Bettis, Ben Roethlisberger, and Antwaan Randle El were there and were ushered out of the theater when the bomb threat was made.

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Monday, January 1, 2007 -- Evening

Sunday, December 31, 2006 -- Sixteenth game of the season

Sunday, December 31, 2006 -- Late Morning

Sunday, December 24, 2006 -- Fifteenth game of the season

Wednesday, December 20, 2006 -- Late Morning

Sunday, December 17, 2006 -- Fourteenth game of the season

Monday, December 11, 2006 -- Afternoon

Friday, December 8, 2006 -- Morning

Thursday, December 7, 2006 -- Thirteenth game of the season

Thursday, December 7, 2006 -- Afternoon

Monday, December 4, 2006 -- Evening

Sunday, December 3, 2006 -- Twelfth game of the season

Wednesday, November 29, 2006 -- Afternoon

Monday, November 27, 2006 -- Evening

Sunday, November 26, 2006 -- Eleventh game of the season

Sunday, November 19, 2006 -- Tenth game of the season

Sunday, November 12, 2006 -- Ninth game of the season

Thursday, November 9, 2006 -- Evening

Sunday, November 5, 2006 -- Eighth game of the season

Sunday, October 29, 2006 -- Seventh game of the season

Saturday, October 28, 2006 -- Evening

Monday, October 23, 2006 -- Evening

Sunday, October 22, 2006 -- Sixth game of the season

Sunday, October 15, 2006 -- Fifth game of the season

Wednesday, October 11, 2006 -- Evening

Monday, October 9, 2006 -- Evening

Sunday, October 8, 2006 -- Fourth game of the season

Tuesday, October 3, 2006 -- Evening

Friday, September 29, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

Monday, September 25, 2006 -- Afternoon

Sunday, September 24, 2006 -- Third game of the season

Wednesday, September 20, 2006 -- Evening

Monday, September 18, 2006 -- Second game of the season

Wednesday, September 13, 2006 -- Evening

Thursday, September 7, 2006 -- First game of the season

Thursday, September 7, 2006 -- Evening

Wednesday, September 6, 2006 -- Evening

Monday, September 4, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

Sunday, September 3, 2006 -- Evening

Sunday, September 3, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

Saturday, September 2, 2006 -- Evening

Saturday, September 2, 2006 -- Early Afternoon

Thursday, August 31, 2006 -- Evening

Wednesday, August 30, 2006 -- Evening

Saturday, August 26, 2006 -- Morning

Wednesday, August 23, 2006 -- Evening

Sunday, August 20, 2006 -- Morning

Wednesday, August 16, 2006 -- Early Evening

Tuesday, August 15, 2006 -- Afternoon

Saturday, August 12, 2006 -- Evening

Saturday, August 12, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

Thursday, August 10, 2006 -- Evening

Friday, August 4, 2006 -- Early Morning

Sunday, July 30, 2006 -- Early Afternoon

Saturday, July 29, 2006 -- Morning

Tuesday, July 25, 2006 -- Morning

Thursday, July 13, 2006 -- Late Morning

Tuesday, July 11, 2006 -- Evening

Sunday, July 2, 2006 -- Afternoon

Friday, June 23, 2006 -- Late Evening

Tuesday, June 20, 2006 -- Evening

Monday, June 19, 2006 -- Afternoon

Saturday, June 17, 2006 -- Evening

Thursday, June 15, 2006 -- Evening

Wednesday, June 14, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

Tuesday, June 13, 2006 -- Evening

Tuesday, June 13, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

Tuesday, June 13, 2006 -- Afternoon

Monday, June 12, 2006 -- Evening

Monday, June 12, 2006 -- Later Afternoon

Monday, June 12, 2006 -- Late Afternoon

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