Texans at Steelers live blog by Jerry Micco

6:30 p.m., some postgame thoughts: Just finished the TV call-in show, and I was amazed at how many people are upset that Byron Leftwich didn't lead the Steelers to a couple more scores. Lighten up, people. He's the to mop up and you can't really grade him on his day's work in this game. Besides, the pass he threw to Nate Washington, which Washington dropped, was a beauty. You should only be concerned when Leftwich is in the game if it's for Big Ben being sidelined. More than ever, he's a guy they can't lose.

-- Willie Parker ran for 138 yards on 25 carries with three touchdowns. This off a severe injury late last season. I think people should just figure he's a good back and stop questioning his ability. He's capable of leading the league in rushing.

-- It was good to give rookie RB Rashard Mendenhall some carries. He ran 10 times for 28 yards, nothing special,  but he didn't fumble, which was a problem in the preseason. As the season winds on, you could see him a bit more, too. You'll want to give Parker more rests for the long haul.

-- James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley are the real deal. Question many NFL GMs are asking today: "He wasn't drafted, why?" And Woodley is the big, quick 'backer the Steelers love on that side of the field. He can drop into coverage and bring a load when he pass rushes. And Lawrence Timmons looks good, too. Linebacker will be the least of this team's problems.

-- In case you were wondering,  Ben Roethlisberger is one of the top 3 QBs in the NFL.

Around the NFL:

-- Pats coach Bill Belichick didn't have much on Tom Brady's knee injury after the game.

-- Brett Favre had a nice debut, leading the Jets past Miami. Newsday lets us know what's going on.

-- Plain Dealer's Terry Pluto has his thoughts up on the Browns' first-half performance vs. Dallas. He'll have more at game's end, too.

--  If you think folks in Pittsburgh are upset with the Pirates, imagine what fans in Detroit are saying about the Lions flop today against Atlanta and rookie QB Matt Ryan. The story is a wire story, but the fan comments are worth reading a the Detroit Free Press.

-- Our feathered friends on the other side of Pa., had a huge opening-day win. The Philly Inky and Daily News bloggers love it -- and rookie WR/PR DeSean Jackson, who had a huge day.

That's it from Heinz Field.

 4:32 p.m., postgame: To a man, from Mike Tomlin to every player, you heard the same mantra: It's just one game and we still have work to do. OK, that's the right thing to say, but you could also see that the coach and players are pretty pleased with the final result. "We didn't play a perfect game," Tomlin said. "But we rose up and played well. Now it's time for us to move on." Tomlin also praised the defense, which held the Texans to 234 total net yards, forced 3 turnovers and had five sacks. He pointed out the pressure that outside LBs James Harrison (3 sacks) and LaMarr Woodley (1 sack, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery) put on QB Matt Schaub was a big part of that success. But he pointed out -- again -- that it's only one game and it was time to move on and start thinking about the Browns next week.

I'll have more after I do the postgame call-in show with Bob Pompeani on the CW starting around 5. Anyone out there thinking Browns yet?

Final: Steelers 38, Texans 17: Dominating opener for the Black 'n' Gold. Time to start thinking about next week and that Sunday night encounter with the Cleve Brownies (a nod to the late, great Myron Cope). It's a much bigger game next week, with division implications involved, but you need to win your opener and the Steelers did that handily. And it took less than three hours. Gotta love that.

1:57, 4th quarter: Two-minute warning (or the 1:57 warning). I'll be headed to the locker room in a bit to get some notes for the paper and I'll put on a something from the locker room in a bit. I'm going on a special Steelers postgame Sports Call on the CW with  Bob Pompeani from 5-6. I'll come back after that with one more post with final thoughts. And we want to hear yours, too.

5:24, 4th quarter: For the record, the Steelers added three more on a Jeff Reed 45-yard FG. Steelers 38, Texans 10. You wonder how a team like Houston, who a lot of folks thought could be a team on the rise, comes off a game like this. I mean, they were having a nice opening drive then they go for it on fourth-and-1 at the Steeler 48 and get stuffed. Steelers score and that's pretty much it. It's 21-0 before long and it's a lost cause. The Texans are a nice team, but looked bad today. Again, the debate this week will be are the Steelers really THIS good?

7:26, 4th quarter: One thing about games like this, we all like them in the press box. No real mystery who's going to win and you can figure out story lines pretty quickly. You can hear some of the press discussing other games (Geez, the Bengals are going to lose to a rookie QB and the Ravens?) The fans are leaving quickly. Stadium's about half full. Tailgates await, or maybe a dinner at home. Either way, no one is leaving thinking they'll miss a great comeback.

9:00, 4th quarter: They may be getting smoked, but that was a really nice catch by tight end Kevin Walter for the touchdown. Time for the Steelers for try to run this game out. Nine minutes is a long time, but the way the line has played today, that might not be too tough. But Roethlisberger's day is done, so it'll be up to Byron Leftwich to try to run some clock. We'll see how it goes.

13:00, 4th quarter: The bad thing about a game like this if your Mike Tomlin is will someone get hurt in what is likely a meaningless 4th quarter. You can see the Steelers are letting up a bit as the Texans drive, but in the back of everyone's mind is will someone get banged up late when it really means nothing? I guess there's not much you can do about it as a player because when you're out there, injury isn't on your mind. By the way, that was a really nice tackle by Ryan Clark. Unfortunately, it was a pass and the ball was in the air. Oops.

End 3rd quarter: Steelers 35, Texans 3: This is not going to be good for Matt Schaub. The defense is teeing off on him. James Harrison just enveloped him. It might be time for Gary Kubiak to get his backup in there. Speaking of getting hurt looks like Ryan Clark is a bit banged up, but he's walking off at least. Thing is, the Steelers are light at safety with Anthony Smith being inactive. William Gay is the corner/saftey swing guy. Tyrone Carter will replace Clark.

 2:04, 3rd quarter: This is way too easy, folks. The Steelers look so dominant but it's one of those games where you wonder if they are that good, or if the Texans are that bad. Two TDs for Ward, three for Fast Willie and Big Ben is having an excellent day. Parker is over 100 yards again, as he has been for his last three openers. You guys tell me: Steelers that good, Texans that bad? Steelers 35, Texans 3.

7:11, 3rd quarter: First of all, my apologies to all for being a lame blogger during the third quarter. Been having significant connection, laptop problems and finally got everything straight (I think). The home team continues to roll along, with Willie Parker getting his third TD of the day earlier to make it 28-3. And Parker just converted a tough third-down run to keep this drive going as the Steelers attempt to drive out of the shadow of their own end zone. Big Ben looks to be fine after taking that hit at the end of the half. Same can't be said, though, for Tom Brady. As good as the Patriots are, they are pretty ordinary without Brady. Mike Reise of the Globe discusses this in his blog.

Halftime, Steelers 21, Houston 3: All the good feeling in that first half may be moot if the hit on Big  Ben proves to be worse than it looks. He limped off at halftime and I'm sure the training staff is going to take a very hard look. It was a 3-step drop on that play, so he should have had better protection. He's the last guy anyone wants to see go down if you're a fan of the Black and Gold.

Overall, though, great first half of the season for the Steelers. Can't complain about much except perhaps those two sacks by Mario Williams. He clearly beat Marvel Smith at least once and as good as Smith is, probably wouldn't hurt to get him some help over there in the way of a tight end or back. Charlie Daniels is back up there at halftime.

 1:45, 2nd quarter: One problem the Steelers defense had, particularly late last season, was getting off the field on third down. They gave up way too many big third-down plays. Not today -- so far. The Texans are 1 for 6 on third downs. There's plenty of time left for the Steelres to score again if they want, but a first-down run may signify that 21-3 is enough of a lead for one half.

2:48, 2nd quarter: Uh, guys, you really need to figure out a way to stop Mario Williams when your quarterback is back to pass. That's two sacks today for the guy who everyone said should have been Reggie Bush. Down to the 2-minute warning and the game's moving along at a nice clip.

4:38, 2nd quarter: Four plays and minus-4 yards later, the Texans are finally on the board with a Kris Brown FG. As well as the offense is playing, the defense just looks so quick today. And GM/talent guru Kevin Colbert has to be feeling pretty good today when he thinks back to the 2007 draft and getting Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley in the first two rounds. They look like they are ready to play in this league and make an already-good defense better. I know it's not even one half of one game, but if I'm a fan in the stands or in front of my TV, I'm pretty stoked about the season.

6:47, 2nd quarter: From adding another nail in the coffin of the Texans, to seeing a potential game-changing play. Mario Williams got loose and when he does, he wreaks havoc. Roethlisberger had no chance on that one and now the Texans are in position to do some damage. Let's see if the defense can force another turnover. Geez, Casey "Big Snack" Hampton just blew up that play. Was there a buffet in the backfield?

9:03, 2nd quarter: Wow, this offense with this quarterback is actually pretty scary. It's amazing to see how much Roethlisberger continues to get better and better, and certainly is living up to what a lot of folks thought when he was drafted in the first round in 2004. I though the Texans were going to put up a better fight, but they are getting shredded. I still think going for it on their first drive on fourth-and-one was a mistake they haven't recovered from. And it also looks as thought LaMarr Woodley is the real deal. That giant linebacker that can move and what every NFL team covets. What's not to like so far, folks? Steelers 21, Texans 0.

11:00, 2nd quarter: Excellent call by Bruce Arians on the sprint draw to Willie Parker for the touchdown. Huge block by Marvel Smith, kind of the forgotten man on the line for the Steelers. When healthy, he's the  best guy on the line now that Faneca's gone. Another thing about the scoring play was it may get Parker going. He's been jittering a bit into holes and on the TD, he ran hard and followed the blockers. He's much more effective when he hammers into a hole. Wonder if we'll see Rashard Mendenhall soon? Also, that was Parker's 22nd career rushing TD, tying him for 10th on the all-time Steelers list with Merril Hoge and Frenchy Fuqua. Where are those goldfish shoes, Frenchy? Read this piece from a couple years back by Jim Wexell on the Frenchman. Steelers 14, Texans 0.

End of 1st quarter, Steelers 7, Texans 0: As opening quarters go, not a bad start for the Steelers. The call on Ward on the offensive interference was iffy, but there was contact both ways on that one. It looked to me more that Demeco Ryans seemed to be stumbling before Ward's contact, but I guess it was enough to get an official's eye and Ward a flag. Big Ben still likes going to his sure targets -- Ward and Heath Miller. The days of "where's the tight end in the Steelers offense?" are gone. Miller is such a big, fluid guy and runs great patterns that Ben must love having him. OK, we're ready for quarter 2 and the Steelers are driving again.

4:30, 1st quarter: Andre Johnson is a terrific player. I wonder if he has another big season if he'll change his name to Andre Ocho Cero? And would the Bengals Chad Johns....er, Ocho Cinco sue for copyright infringement? LaMarr Woodley just looks great early on and that was a vicious sack. Of course, unblocked linebackers always look terrific. I think the Steelers defense knows it can pressure Matt Schaub and it's pulling out all the stops. So far, a good start for the Home 11.

5:44, 1st quarter: That was efficient, eh? Giving this offense a short field is going to hurt any opponent all season. Roethlisberger looks very sharp and the 17-yard scramble was the key play in the drive. You have to love how they converted two third-down plays on the drive, something they didn't always do last season. The offensive line looks very sharp so far, though if you watch Mario Williams throughout this game, he's going to open some eyes. He's a terrific player and may justify the Texans' choice of him as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft two years ago.

Back to the game after the 8-play, 52-yard drive, which took up 4:48 on the clock. Steelers 7, Texans 0.

10:32, 1st quarter: Kubiak isn't going quietly on this one. He's going to be close on the challenge and the referee did signal a first down originally. If this challenge works, it'll be a big lift for the Texans. I still hate the call probably because I'd be a boring play caller if I ever had that job, but to me, you have to punt there. It's going to be a difficult call even with the replay. Referee Terry McAulay just made 64,000 folks happy. Steelers ball.

 10:34, 1st quarter: Gutsy call by Gary Kubiak and it massively backfires. The Steelers normally are not a team you run against when you need a full yard. I don't know, road game or not, trying to set a tone or not, why not put the Steelers in the hole. Hampton and Kiessel stuffed that one. Let's see if it haunts the Texans as we move on.

12:03, 1st quarter: Former WVU star Stevde Slaton's first official NFL carry was good for a yard. Welcome to the big leagues, kid.

1:03 p.m.: The season starts at 1:03 p.m. And Houston completes their first 2 passes. I'm thinking all the preseason he missed hasn't affected Polamalu. Crunching hit.

12:45 p.m. (pregame): They're beginning a video and on-field ceremony honoring members of the Steelers family who have died in the past year -- Dwight White, Ernie Holmes and Myron Cope. I'm struck as I watch this about how Cope truly is remembered as the guy who invented the Terrible Towel. I guess I'll always think of him as a tremendous writer and tv/radio personality. Certainly one of the greats.

Family members of the Steelers being honored today are on the field with former players L.C. Greenwood, Joe Greene and Mel Blount.

Charlie Daniels, dressed in a Steelers jersey, khakis and white sneakers, did a very nice rendition of the National Anthem. I thought at any moment he'd break into "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" or "The South's Gonna Do It Again" but alas, he didn't. Was a big fan of the band back in the day.

Less than 10 minutes to kickoff.

12:25 p.m. (pregame):  We'll be  blogging live from today's season opener for the Steelers. Weather's perfect and the teams are out on the field for warmups. Very few people in the seats. Still a lot of tailgaters out in the parking lots, probably talking with our Dan Gigler for a video you can see later tonight on post-gazette.com.

We want your comments as the game progresses. I'll be checking in quite often with some analysis and observations. So if you're watching on TV or listening to Billy Hillgrove on the radio, feel free to join our fray here at Blog 'n' Gold. We'd love to have you.

Usually first games are dominated by defenses, but we'll see what happens. The Steelers offense, if the O-line holds up, could  be one that puts a lot of points up. I'm more interested in watching the defense, which I thought was pretty unremarkable this preseason.

Here is the list of inactive players today:

Steelers: WR Limas Sweed; S Anthony Smith; RB Gary Russell; TE Sean McHugh; LB Bruce Davis; OT Tony Hills; DE Orpheus Roye; QB Dennis Dixon, who is listed as the 3rd QB and can play if there are injury problems.

Texans: CB Eugene Wilson; FS Dominique Barber, LB Xavier Adibi; OG Kasey Studdard; OT Rashad Butler; DT Tim Bulman; DE Earl Cochran; DT Frank Okam

That's it for now, more to come.

Here. We. Go.

And so It begins.

For the first time since the fall of 2005, the Steelers will engage in meaningful football again, in a season that counts. Huh? Think about it. The 2006 Steelers never had the potential for a back-to-back championship run. The Patriots didn't even do that in 2003. That team had let down season written all over it, then Big Ben did his best Steve-O impersonation into an old lady's windshield, and that season was doomed from jump street. Throw in the fact that Bill Cowher was mailing it in, and the team was lucky to get to 8-8. Besides, did it even really bother you? You were still basking in Super Bowl XL afterglow.

Then, last year, the Steelers hire a rookie head coach, and a brand new staff is put in place. The team makes improvement, ups the record to 10-6 and gets back into the playoffs. But c'mon -- you knew they weren't going to the Super Bowl with a new coach, and besides it was New England's to lose last year, which they did (karma is wonderful).

So that brings us to today: the Steelers have the offensive weaponry and defensive bona fides to make this season very interesting in a year where there is no clear-cut favorite in either league to take the prize. It starts in about two hours.

Some quick things about today:

• Though garnering less attention than the media darling Cleveland Browns, the Texans are widely regarded as a team on the rise this season thanks to an impressive defense led by "Meast" (man beast) Mario Williams. Charlie Casserly looks like an absolute genius for picking him over Reggie Bush and Vince Young. However, by virtue of the fact that Jax and Indy are in their division, Houston will have an uphill climb to make it to the postseason. This is a terrific first test for the Steelers, who contrarily many think could drop off this season by virtue of a murderer's row schedule and major question marks on both interior lines.
  
• Houston dealt the Steelers perhaps the most embarrassing home loss in the team's history at Heinz Field. A 2002 debacle in which the Steelers produced over 400 yards of total offense and held the Texans to only 46 -- FORTY SIX! -- yards of total offense, yet lost 24-6 because of not one, not two, but THREE Tommy Maddox turnovers returned for touchdowns (2 INTs, one fumble). It was the single worst football game BNG has ever personally witnessed.
• The Texans picked one slot ahead of the Steelers in the 2004 NFL Draft, selecting highly regarded cornerback Dunta Robinson with the 10th overall pick. They rebuffed a trade offer from Buffalo to pick in that slot; Buffalo was hot after a quarterback, but the Steelers got to him first: kid by the name of Roethlisberger.
• Houston's gifts to the world include smog, traffic, obesity, corporate corruption, war profiteering, windfall oil profits, and Tila Tequila. If that isn't reason enough to dislike their football team, I don't know what is.
• The Texans have the worst name in all of sports. Houston Texans. Wow, that's clever. How about the Baltimore Marylanders for a team name? Maybe the Pittsburgh Pennsylvanians?
• Their logo is also stupid.
  

That's it for now ... stay tuned -- PG Sports Editor Jerry Micco will take over shortly and live blog today's game!

Here comes the BOOM!

Ready or not. The NFL season begins with Brandon Jacobs blowing up Redskins:

Reminds me of this man, on this play, my personal favorite in Steelers history:

That play, is rated the No. 12 play in Steelers history in a teriffic new book by Steve Hickoff, cleverly titled "The 50 Greatest Plays in Pittsburgh Steelers Football History." It's a well written, nicely put together book that gives the game synopsis in which each play occurred, the box score, and in some cases the play diagrammed in chalk-talk fashion. The plays range from the obvious -- one guess as to what No. 1 is -- to the obscure (an Elbie Nickel touchdown catch in 1954).The book is definitely worth picking up, as each of the plays brings back a flood of memories, whether you saw the play in person, on TV, or on NFL Films archives. Check it out.

Here we go Steelers FANS, here we go!

Give yourselves a well-earned pat on the back, Steelers fans. ESPN made "official" what the rest of us already knew: the Steelers have the best football fans in America, which puts them high in the running for best fans worldwide. No surprise here.

Steelers-Carolina postgame thread: your thoughts

Your turn.

The preseason is in the books, and the final cuts will be made soon. Weigh in and tell us what you think. Who should stay? Who needs to go? What do the Steelers need to do between now and when Houston comes to town on Sept. 7? What are you worried about and what are you excited about? Log in to our comments section and get a discussion going with your fellow Black & Gold brothers & sisters about the 2008 season ...

Steelers-Panthers live blog

PREGAME

It ends tonight. Thank merciful God, it ends tonight. We speak not of political conventions -- there will still be another of those next week (and nothing screams excitement like Republicans in Minnesota!) -- but rather the Steelers preseason, the most boring one ... maybe ever ... ends tonight and we can get on with the real games, but we are determined to man our station and blog this game. Can we do it? YES WE CAN!

But why? Why should we even care? Here's why, the most heated position battle still at stake: Mitch Berger vs. Paul Ernster for starting punter ... ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ... even their names are boring! Other than that we can come up with three other important reasons to watch:

1. Willie Reid vs. Dallas Baker for the 5th WR spot

2. One more chance to boo Ricardo Colclough and curse him for that dropped punt 2 seasons ago (he's on Carolina's roster)

3. Make sure no one gets hurt. And I mean NO ONE. No less than FIVE starters on BNG's Fantasy Team could play tonight (that being Big Ben, Santonio, Maxim Reed, Hands Mendenhall, and the Panthers DeAngelo Williams) and any injuries will be devastating to the fightin' Chigurh Friend-O's, who plan to use this personnel to go through the Stu Scott's Eyelid Fantasy League this season like this man with a cattle gun:

Care to toss a coin?

FIRST QUARTER

OK, sorry to have left you. My computer went all PC Load Letter on me and I had to -- BORROW ONE -- from one of the kind patrons down here at Excuses on the South Side. The good news is, that you havent missed much. Here's a low down:

• Willie Parker had a really nice run off of right tackle. This just in: he's still fast
• Justin Hartwig showed he earned the starting center spot by promptly sending a shotgun snap over Ben's head.
• Bryant McFadden had a pick, making his case to push Deshea for playing time.
• Carey Davis bulled his way for a touchdown.
• Maxim Reed hits two FG's, one particularly long.
• Mendenhall puts the ball on the ground -- somebody on Carolina gets $500!
• Sweed makes a sweet grab in the endzone, but neglects to remember he's no longer in Austin and doesn't keep 2 feet in.
• Edmund Nelson makes frequent use of the Tomlin-ism "gap integrity" during the play-by-play.

Still getting caught up ... bear with us ...

TWO MINUTE WARNING

So frazzled, I forgot the score 13-3 Steelers ...

 OK, so as mentioned we're at Excuses on the South Side a place known for great wings and great live music. If you're not familiar with the place, here's 2 big reasons why you should get to know it:

1. They have a leg lamp in the window like in "A Christmas Story"

"It's a major award!"

2. It is the home base of the Ike Taylor fan club:

Ike's pal Alisa.

Its a cool story -- a gang from Excuses used to go to the NFL Draft every year in New York, and they met Ike there on the day he was drafted and decided to form an old style "Lambert's Lunatics" fan club for him. By pure happenstance, Ike took up residence at the new condos at South Side Works almost across the street from the bar. He is a regular -- they keep San Pelligrino water in stock for him because he doesn't drink -- and they've gotten to know his family who stop by when they are in town. There are pictures on the bar wall of Alisa and the other regulars with The Bus, Mike Tomlin, Mike Logan, and of course, Ike, who have all been by the bar.

Other things we forgot as we struggle to get our bearings ... Dallas Baker had a nice catch, and Willie Reid a decent return. Tough pickins for that 5th WR spot. Limas Sweed had a shot at a gorgeous grab but dropped it. Its 13-6 at the half, and we promise to give you a better effort for the second half, provided our computer doesn't die again ...

By the way, we owe our life to the guy below, Rob Schultz, who lent us his computer after ours died ...

Rob. He rules.

SECOND HALF

• Special teams scrapper Arnold Harrison is hurt on the kickoff. No details.
• Jerome Bettis is spotted by KDKA's camera on the sideline.
• By the way, we're skipping our timeline updates because of the computer problems earlier.
• Hands Mendenhall is 17 for 73 yards midway through the third quarter and slashing his way through Carolina's D on this drive.  
• On 3rd and 14 Limas misses a grab in traffic he probably should've had. Bring on Maxim. It's good -- Steelers 16, Carolina 6. 
FOURTH QUARTER OK, we're having computer problems again -- right now our technology is as porous as the Steelers line. And apparently their defense as they've managed to let Carolina tie it up with a minute left. But frankly, we're well into garbage time of frankly a garbage game. So, some things to talk about ...

1. We've seen precious little to like in this preseason from the area that is of utmost concern -- the line. Something has to come together here, and offensive lines are groups that are largely dependent on a rhythm. In defense of the starting five, they've seen little game action together, so maybe this will work itself out. Will they miss Faneca? Obviously, but keep in mind Alan's play had declined the past two years. Last night on ESPN2 they were showing the Jets 2007 yearbook and they had a piece about the re-vamped line with two great clips of Faneca pancaking guys. Only problem, one was from Super Bowl XL, the other from a 2003(!) game against the Ravens when Tommy Maddox was the starter. They then showed highlights of the Jets beating the Steelers 19-16 in OT and at least 3 times you'd see Ben getting sacked with Faneca running behind his man, who had clearly beaten him.

2. Rashard Mendenhall has shown some flashes of great potential, followed by flashes of becoming the next Tim Worley. Hold your breath when he gets the ball when the games start counting, for reasons both good and bad.

3. Lamarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons could become the most explosive young linebacker combo in the league. Stay tuned.

4. Jeff Reed is your preseason MVP.

5. When he was in and when he got time, Big Ben threw lasers to Santonio and Hines Ward. The passing game could be deadly. IF Ben gets time. IF.

6. Troy Polamalu where are youuuuuu?

7. Ernster ... Berger. Who cares. Neither of them is Robo-punter and the Steelers may yet pick up someone who gets cut by another team.

8. Keyaron Fox has been a nice surprise, and could be the kind of special teams maniac that becomes a starter in the league some day. See: Harrison, James; Roye, Orpheus.

9. Have we seen the last of Charlie Batch in a Steelers uni?

10. Preseason games are painful to watch at times.

OK, that's a starting point for now. We'll open up the postgame thread shortly. Again a huge thanks to the kind folks at Excuses (their grilled wings are really good) and Rob Schultz for letting us use his computer. FINAL: STEELERS 19 CAROLINA 16.

All in the (Steelers) family

A nice email we got today from Mike Cibulas, North Canton, Ohio:

"Wanted to remember the passing of "The Chief", Art Rooney, 20 years ago today (8/25/88). I remember the day well--in fact, it was also the last time I spoke to my father, who suffered a stroke that day, lapsed into a coma, and died three weeks later. The last thing Dad and I ever discussed was the fact that Mr. Rooney had died; in retrospect, it was somehow appropriate, as the one bond that we maintained throughout was our love for the Steelers, and watching every game together (with the sound down on the TV, listening to Myron Cope and Jack Fleming, of course) ... I remember both men--Mr. Rooney, and my father, every day--today's just a little more worthy to note."

Something that non-sports fans don't always get about those of us who are fanatics for a particular sports team, be it the Steelers, Packers or even, yes, the Browns, is that love of a sports team can provide a tremendous platform for further bonding with friends, family and community. Its that shared experience that makes it fun, and is often forgotten, especially by the cynical sports media (and we plead guilt to that infraction). Thanks, Mike, for keeping us "on the level" as Mr. Rooney would say and for sharing with what has to be a very bittersweet memory ...

Steelers-Vikings postgame

OK -- we're opening it up to you -- weigh in on what you saw, what you liked and what you didn't during tonight's game. We want your comments! Especially because the Pirates and Penguins blogs trounce us in that category and Seth and Dejan won't let us live it down -- so in the immortal words of Myron Cope, tell us what's on your cranium!  

Steelers-Vikings game thread

PREGAME

Welcome folks! Coming at you this evening from the al fresco environs of the Double Wide Grill on Pittsburgh's historic South Side, making attempt no. 2 to live blog tonight's proceedings. Here's where we are:

Have seen a number of Terrible Towels here already, which got me thinking -- do you go Towel in preseason? Given that the game doesn't count, does this exhaust the Towel's supply of mojo for the season? Or is it a something of a protective force to keep starters free from injury, which will be of utmost importance tonight as Gene Collier notes. Still though, as preseason games go, number 3 is usually the one most worth watching because its the one where the starters will log the most action, so you'll get your best look at the Hartwig-Mahan battle, for instance.

Anyway, kickoff is on the way ... 

FIRST QUARTER

Decent return by Mendenhall to start the game.

14:55 -- Game number 2 that the Steelers open throwing to the tight end. The apocolypse is upon us.

14:15 -- Parker for nothing. The right side is typically porous.

13:30 -- No time for Ben. Simmons get embarrassed. Punt. Nice kick and coverage.

13:12 -- My friend Craig shoots beer threw his nose laughing when he sees that Gus Ferrotte is starting for the Vikes.  

13:03 -- Aaron Smith tears through the line for a sack and flexes his bicepts - not sure if it was the injured one or not but good to see him back.

12:30 -- Purple Jesus and consensus number one fantasy pick the world over Adrian Peterson is stuffed.

11:34 -- The Vikings vaunted o-line trying to set a record for false starts.

11:00 -- Peterson again snuffed out by Ryan Clark on a screen.

10:30 -- Hold your breat. Santonio on punt return. And a lackluster one at that. Putting him there NOT WORTH THE RISK!

Nice outfit:

9:49 -- A nice freelance by Ben and FWP, but again the line play is not looking good.

8:30 -- They are riding Parker this series, but not really to great effect.

7:45 -- Ben to Hines, Short. No huddle. Ben sneaks. Stuffed. Measurement confirms. You need one dang yard and you have HOW MANY running backs??

6:35 -- The Steelers D is handling Peterson, speaking to the one-dimensionality of the Vikes. This will not bode well for Minnesota over the course of the season, regardless of how well their line plays.

Nick points out that Gus Frerotte is older than Mike Tomlin.

6:00 -- Direct snap to FWP with Big Ben in motion. The play goes for nothing, but we kinda like the thinking here. Even money says they do this during the season except with Dennis Dixon.

3:40 -- Another lackluster possession. The nice thing about the Double Wide is that if this game lapses into total boredom oblivion, we can play Baggo, or maybe live blog other people playing Baggo out on the patio.

2:00 -- Three & out by the Vikes, and a fantastic defenseive stand by the Steelers. Casey Hampton absolutely blows up the first down run, Peterson gets stuffed again and Timmons bears down on Frerotte on 3rd down. You could hear the fear in the old man. Please note that this particular blogger did not like that pick and that this particular blogger retracts said statement.

1:01 -- Steelers take over and Mendenhall is tracked down and stripped by Pat Williams in a great individual play. Welcome to the league, kiddo.

0:21 -- Foote is down, Timmons get burned in middle coverage.

END OF QUARTER

14:50 -- Ty Carter is playing his mind out right now, stuffing Peterson and making a play at the goal line.

14:12 -- Peterson over the top for six, but there's a flag ... against Ike Taylor.

Nick notes that Dan Dierdorf is in the top 3 of people you don't want to see in HD. The other 2 - Bill Parcells and Tony Kornheiser.

13:20 -- After a decent first down run by FWP, Big Ben audibles, gets protection and throws ro Heath Miller who makes a gutsy catch in the middle. Big Ben is promptly sacked on the next play because this line has yet to show an ability to string together two successive good plays.

12:10 -- Big Ben sacked again. Steelers go to the always reliable "draw to the third RB on 3rd & 20" play that nets 3 yards. Punt.

10:46 -- Just after they flash Frerotte's 6 for 8 game line, he throws a bad pick to Ike Taylor, who, repeat after me: HOLDS. ON. TO. THE. BALL.

10:40 -- FWP bounces like a pinball for nine on first down, a penalty negates his nice push up the middle for a first down. Steelers looking at third and change now.

9:21 -- Ben gets protection and hits Melwelde Moore who makes a nice move for a first. Methinks Mewelde will prove to be a great pickup as the season progresses.

7:39 -- Big Ben way off on a slant to Santonio.

7:36 -- Santonio absolutely buried on a WR screen in which Sean Mahan clearly decided not to participate. Nick suggests that next time they just throw SH a barrell of concrete, as he'll get just as crushed. Big Ben misses on 3rd & 14. Jeff Reed -- Maxim's kicker of the year -- hits a layup. Vikes 7, Steelers 3.

5:52 -- Nick notes -- and we can't agree more -- it clearly looks like the Steelers worked on tackling drills this week. The Vikes are getting no YAC, and the tackling is much cleaner.

5:10 -- Frerotte evades Timmons by a gnat's eyelash and completes a pass for a first, then is snuffed out by Brett Keisel. James Harrison is tried for attempted murder after trying to kill Frerotte on the next play. Vikes punt.

 1:58 -- Steelers forced to punt after another lackluster posession. Right now the offense looks putrid, there is really no other way to put it.

HALFTIME

OK ... quick summation -- defense fantastic, offense crap. The Steelers are positively OWNING Purple Jesus. Lamarr Woodley and Timmons are BEASTS. This could be Lambert/Ham for the new generation. The interior D-Line is really solid, the tackling much better. This is the Steelers defense you know and love. Hungry and mean. Offense, not so much. Big Ben looks OK, same with FWP. The line is a disgrace at this point, and its no one guy. Its like on any given play, 4 out of 5 lineman are completely blowing their assignments.

SECOND HALF

15:00 Nice kick coverage to start the second half.

13:50 -- Adrian Peterson is mortal.

12:45 -- Peterson stuffed again but the Vikes are moving on the arm prowess of -- don't laugh -- Gus Frerotte.

10:51 -- Peterson smashed by Primanti's spokesman Casey Hampton. The run D is really solid tonight.

10:10 -- Minnesota FG. Vikes 10, Steelers 3.

10:06 -- Byron Leftwich in. The line cares not to protect him either.

9:31 -- Mendenhall with a great carry after getting contact at the line.

8:21 -- Mendenhall two carries for 3 yards after that.

7:40 -- Leftwich to Limas Sweed in triple coverage incomplete but the drive is extended by a penalty.

Err ... wrong Swedes ...

4:50 -- Steelers going for it on 4 & 2 ... timeout. Nice little out to Willie Reid -- first down!

4:31 -- Gary Russell in the house. But he's stuffed. Perhaps more importantly, Nick notices that Mike Tomlin starting to grow a gut, much to the dismay of every Pittsburgh woman who loves the guy -- and we mean you PittGirl!.

3:09 -- Maxim poster boy Jeff Reed good for 3. Vikes 10, Steelers 6.

1:03 -- Vikes with a 3 and out. Anthony Madison continues to make a case for a roster spot with a nice third down tackle, and decent return by Mewelde Moore.

0:50 -- Mendenhall with a bus-esque run up the middle. Granted its against backups, but you like to see that. Again they flash the graphic about the Steelers having the hardest schedule, but with the parity reign in the NFL, we'll see how that actually pans out. BNG is already on record as saying that the Giants will be 6-10. And what the heck, we'll say that the Colts will be bad just to tick off our pal and PG layout man extraordinarre Ben Howard.

 FOURTH QUARTER

14:17 -- Steelers get a break on a roughing call against Minny. Drive alive, first down.

14:10 --  We aren't gonna lie, this game is borderline excrutiating to watch and we may start to blog the baggo action outside.

13:33 -- Mendenhall continues to get the carries, to little effect.

12:16 -- Billy Latsko, who we think should be running a roofing buisness in McKeesport with a last name like that -- hauls in a nice short pass and gets a first down on second effort.

11:47 -- Scratch that earlier remark -- Mendenhall off the left side for a first down.

10:06 -- Maxim good for 3. Vikings 10 - Steelers 9.

 9:32 -- John David Booty is your Minnesota quarterback. Minnesota may have the worst QB trio in the history of football. Wait -- who backed up Mark Malone? Bubby, then who? That's a bad trio right there.

8:38 -- Arnold Harrison with a terrific speed rush and sack. Vikes punt.

8:20 -- A Dan Deirdorff retrospective on the screen. Where are the barf bags? Nothing like a self-aggranddizing broadcaster getting to watch himself. Meanwhile Mendanhall does some nice things. Willie Reid makes a nice catch and a case for the roster. Megan notes, "Limas Sweed is tall." Good work.

4:28 -- Dallas Baker -- BNG's personal fave -- makes a nice catch in traffic, and again ups his stock. And ... Rashard Mendenhall FUMBLES AGAIN.

2:25 -- We're approaching the two-minute warning here and thank the almighty. Someone wearing No. 18 (Harry Newsome?) returns a punt. Megan and Nick both note that Byron Leftwich apparently has been on the diet that Casey Hampton should have been on.

Two-minute warning: We've put Megan and her excellent musical tastes on the case of the jukebox here which for the last half hour has been dominated by someone with a penchant for horrible metal. Also, the Hoegarrden girls are giving out free beer, much to the delight of Ben, Craig, Megan  Molly. OK, back to the game ...

1:13 -- Leftwich to Limas Sweed on a 4th and 4. First down!

 
Err ... Wrong Swede.

1:13 -- Play is under review but he got it. Craig notes that Brad Childress looks like a jerk of a high school chemistry teacher.

0:37 -- Busted play of a sneak as the play clock runs out.

0:31 -- Dallas Baker with a great catch in coverage. Maxim lines up to win it ...

0:09 -- It's good! Crowd goes wild ...

STEELERS WIN 12-10

POSTGAME:  Major progress forward on defense. The D-line was terrific, Casey Hampton is already in old form as is Aaron Smith. Run defense was solid and as noted before, Timmons and Woodley were beasts, as was James Harrison. They clearly heeded his call this week, and that's a good thing, and frankly the type of leadership that's been missing on the defense since 2005. Offense: bad. That line is a wreck. There is absolutely nothing good to take away from the offensive performance.

Enjoy the weekend ...

Friday afternoon time wasters ...

A roundup of things we've seen on these Internets lately that we like:

• Cotter up in NYC offers his predictions for the season. Very funny stuff. We particularly enjoy the "related items."
  

• Don at Mondesi's House gives us his annual magnum opus Steelers preview for Deadspin.
  

• Sean points out the absurdity of a Dana Torres/Jerome Bettis comparison.

• Tecmo at PSAMP properly flames Fox Sports for their assessment of Steelers fans.
  

• Dagger at Postgame Heroes does a terrific Mahan vs. Hartwig break down.
  

• Behind the Steel Curtain predicts who will make the 53-man roster.
  

• Big Ben is Maxim's QB of the year. They lay it on a little thick with Ben-as-regular-guy and Pittsburgh-as-stereotyped-steel-town in the profile, but whatever. Also, Troy Polamalu -- a guy who doesn't exactly scream Maxim -- makes their team, as does Jeff Reed, who couldn't be a more perfect representative of the Maxim demographic.

• Nice Pick Cowher does an excellent job of breaking down the Steelers O.

• Sweet T-shirt. And a bunch of other really cool ones here.

• Also, we hope to continue our adventures in live blogging the games tomorrow night, so tune in and drop us a line. Have a good weekend folks!
  

The omnipotence of the Towel.

It is everywhere (see upper right corner):

This was sent to us by a zillion people, but we'll give credit to Beekface for the excellent screen grab. We were shocked (shocked!) when we saw one behind a bar in Rome, but this is really something. We've long felt that "Steelers Nation" is a bit of a played out phrase, and quite limiting for this fanbase. Steelers Planet is more like it. Can only imagine what Myron would say ... also, we're told that "Terrible Towel" translates into Mandarin as "Golden Mositure Wiper of Wicked Spirits."

Credit where it's due ...

Far be it from us to ever give the Baltimore Ravens credit for anything but PG layout ace Steve Ziants caught this little nugget on the AP Wire and we liked it and thought we'd pass it along:

BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens are urging fans attending Saturday night's NFL preseason game not to leave early.

Baltimore area swimmer Michael Phelps is scheduled to swim his final race at the Beijing Olympics after the game ends, and the Ravens have been granted permission by NBC to show the race live on the stadium SmartVision boards.

Phelps potentially could be swimming for his eighth gold medal of the Beijing Games, which would break the record of seven golds in a single Olympics, set in 1972 by Mark Spitz.

Phelps is a Baltimore boy so that's a class move by the Ravens to do that. Besides, those folks need something to cheer for in the wake of that dreadful football team they have. There isn't enough Natty Boh in the world to make the Ravens watchable. Blog 'N' Gold is predicting a 3-13 season for the Ravens, who would be better served if they signed cast members from The Wire to 'take care of' opponents for them.

Steelers-Bills postgame: Open Thread

OK folks, weigh in on what you just saw. I'll start: it was all-around sloppy, and methinks Mike Tomlin is going to crack some skulls when the boys get back to camp.

But we want your comments -- here's where you go to register.

Steelers-Bills live game blog

PREGAME

So, we're trying something new here, based on the inspriration of this great American. We're "live" as it were at Smokin' Joe's on the South Side, watching the game, and hoping to give running commentary on it. Bear with us, as we try and navigate this. Oh, and since the Steelers are in Canada, if anything happens injury-wise to any Steelers starters tonight, blame these two:

FIRST QUARTER

• Tight End! Tight End! The Steelers open the game throwing to the tight end! A 6-yard completion to Matt Spaeth no less! What's next? In the word's of Dr. Peter Venkman -- "Dogs and Cats, living together! Mass hysteria!"
• Steelers are putting together a nice opening drive. Ben is sharp but already getting too much pressure, nonetheless, a couple of sweet passes to Santonio and Hines. The boy looks good.
• Holding on the new center Hartwig. My friend Nick makes the trenchant observation that if you're gonna hold someone, it should go for more than 3 yards.
• Colon holds, Ben under pressure ... and PICK. Ugly.
• Bills possession opens up - Trent Edwards, who has a name like a soap opera doctor completes two in a row, under absolutely no rush from the Steelers front line
• Marshawn Lynch -- a hot pick for you fantasy drafters -- runs straight over Ryan Clark.
• Steelers middle getting shredded. Lynch rolls again.
• Bill Toland notes that James Harrison has shiny muscles.
• Touchdown Buffalo. 7-0 Bills.
• SPAETH!
• Steelers punt - Paul Ernster lets fly a beaut but Nate Washington blows the coverage.
• Best jersey of the night:

END OF QUARTER: BILLS 7 STEELERS 0

• Big Ben to Hines like a laser.
• This should have been noted a while ago, but Rashard Mendenall is wearing the number of such Steeler luminaries as Walter Abercrombie and LeRoy Thompson. Bad mojo, mo fraire.
• Mewelde Moore with a nice catch out of the backfield. Exactly what they got him for.
• SANTONIO!!! WHAT a nice throw and catch. Touchdown Steelers, eh?? The first team O redeems itself, and we expect to see the Steelers debut of Byron Leftwich on the next possession. Bills 14, Steelers 7.
•  Steelers D forces a dominant three and out, but its hard to glean anything from that as it was against J.P. Losman. Might as well have been against Sammy Baugh. And by that we mean present day Sammy Baugh (He's 94).
• WE ARE MARSHALL! Byron Leftwich opens his Steelers career with a completion and Matthew McConaghey runs out and pats him on the back.
• Two straight completions to Nate Washington. This Marhsall-Tiffin connection is lethal.
• Third and 2 and ... incomplete. Isn't this why the Steelers are carrying a metric ton of Running Backs on the roster? To get TWO YARDS???
• Shank. Bills take over.
• Nice batted down pass by Nick Eason, but it's against Losman, so it doesn't actually count.
• Nick questions whether the Steelers are bothering to run actual tackling drills in Latrobe.
• And now we see why Jacksonville released Leftwich ...

HALFTIME -- BILLS 14, STEELERS 7

• Note to self: Next time you live blog from a remote location, pick a spot that pipes in the game audio feed. Nothing wrong with the Stones on the juke, but missing Edmund Nelson's generally insightful commentary.

THIRD QUARTER

• Timmons gets mauled.
• Again with the no tackling thing. Last I checked its an important tenet of the game.
• Bills FG. 17-7.
• Smokin' Joe's wings -- it's what's for dinner.

• Willie Reid with a nice return. Again, hard to take anything from that given that all the scrubinskis are starting to enter the game.
• Breen's awesome vintage shirt. She paid 95 cents for it at the Red, White & Blue thrift store.

• Ummm - sign the Bills punter. That thing must've gone 75-yards in the air.
• Limas Sweed finally get the ball tossed his way ... incomplete.

Err ... wrong Swede.

• Mendenhall gets two the hard way. First & goal Steelers.
• Touchdown Mendenhall! Max Starks with a sweet block on the play. Bills 24 Steelers 14.
• Bob Ligashesky is sweating a little right now. Bills go end-to-end on the kickoff return, setting off a firestorm of profanity from the guy at the end of the bar.
• Leftwich to Bill Latsko on the Steelers subsequent possession. Latsko sounds like he should be running a refrigeration company or something. Like Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration.

FOURTH QUARTER

• Dennis Dixon at quarterback. He promptly demonstrates his ability to heave the ball 65-yards. Would be nice if it was to an open receiver. The man has the ugliest throwing motion I've ever seen.
• Mitch Berger crushes a punt, exactly when he didn't need to. Out of the end zone, no chance for the coverage team to get at it.
• Multiple close-ups of Anthony Smith. Can't be good what they're saying, BUT I CAN'T HEAR IT, so instead we'll let Bill Toland fill in the commentary: "Anthony Smith: Jerk Store."
• I'm informed by a member of our party that her cousin is dating the ref. Seriously. This is the same member of the party who ordered a Framboise, which is OK for pre-season, but way too frou-frou for the regular season. Get a man beer, for cripes sake.
• More Toland insight: "Dennis Dixon: He's fast."  That was a gorgeous scramble, and Mike Tomlin should find a way to work him into the lineup. Seriously, you're gonna give this guy the clip board when he could be the ultimate changeup? Dream up some set with Hines under center and Dixon split wide. At bare minimum it will force a timeout from the opposition. Good gamesmanship. Bills 24 Steelers 21.
• Toland: "Why is Jeff Verszyla wearing a sweater in the middle of August?" And an argyle one, no less.
• Two-minute warning. Thank you dear lord, we'll be delivered from this sloppy mess of a football game soon.
• Dixon to Dallas Baker touchdown maker with 10 seconds left ... hail mary and ... no ...

FINAL SCORE BUFFALO BILLS 24 PITTSBURGH STEELERS 21

POSTGAME

First of all, thanks for sticking with us ... we'd like to do this throughout the season but tonight was a dry run, just to get the feel of it. Jerry Micco will be doing it from home games, and I'll give it my best for the away frays. Also, a quick thank you to the friends who were nice enough to hang with me whilst I toiled. You can see them here. You can imagine this was a hard sell: "Hey guys -- wanna go to Smokin' Joe's and watch me work and type while you get to gorge wings, drink beer and watch the Steelers? You do? Wow, thanks for being such troopers." Although Bill Toland said it was practically the same as watching Picasso work a canvas. Then he bust out laughing.

And now, we open it up to you -- leave us comments on how we did, and what can be better.

Punters and Kickers and QB's -- oh my!

Ed Bouchette checks in today from Steelers training camp:

Can I kick it?

Coach Mike Tomlin said the other day that he will evaluate his two punters solely on their ability to punt and not how they kick off.

Both Paul Ernster and newly-signed Mike Berger have kicked off in the NFL, and it’s not been a strength of Steelers kicker Jeff Reed.

But if the difference between a top punter in this league and one ranked near the bottom is about 2 yards a punt, why wouldn’t their ability to kick off not play a part in it as well?

The Steelers averaged about 4 punts a game last year. They kick off every time they score. Why wouldn’t a deep kickoff be worth as much as a deep punt? It’s a bottom line business, and however you get the yards, you get them.

I’m not saying that the best kickoff man should win the job, but if it’s close and one kicks off a lot better than the other, why wouldn’t that count?

Coming out smellng like roses ...

How is it that when the Steelers need a quarterback, they find him?

It started with Tommy Maddox, who gave them a few good years. Then it was Charlie Batch. At the time, the Steelers thought Batch wanted to be a No. 1 somewhere and was holding out for that, but Batch had no offers to do that and remained a free agent until he and the Steelers finally got on the telephone.

Now Batch is hurt and they have not one but two former starting quarterbacks, each high draft picks and each healthy, vying to become the backup to Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers could not go wrong with either Byron Leftwich or Daunte Culpepper.

It must have been something to see two former high first-round draft picks and NFL starters throwing at the Latrobe High School Field Sunday morning.

My question is this: What in the world are the Vikings, Bears and Ravens doing? Each needs a starting quarterback and none has anything close to a Leftwich or Culpepper in camp. Leftwich proved he wasn’t holding out to compete for No. 1 and did not demand a big contract.

The Steelers got lucky again at the most important position on the field.