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Steelers Fans Didn’t Hide Their Love for Dick LeBeau

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2015 Offseason, AFC North, Coaches, Defense, Defensive Line, Hall of Fame, Linebackers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Retired Steelers Players, Secondary, SteelerAddicts, Steelers Bars, Steelers News

January 11, 2015

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There’s a place in New York City where dozens of people, men and women both, proclaim their love for Dick on Sunday afternoons in the fall.

The patrons at Hibernia, a Steelers bar in the Hell’s Kitchen section of Manhattan, shouted “We love Dick! We love Dick! We love Dick!” in unison whenever Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau first appeared on the TV screen during Steelers games.

There has been no such affection for Todd Haley and, to my knowledge, no “Bruuuce!!!” love for Bruce Arians when he was offensive coordinator.

LeBeau has been the only Steelers assistant coach to get such rock-star treatment at Hibernia. The regulars at that bar, and Steelers fans everywhere, will miss LeBeau. The 77-year-old told the Urbana Daily Citizen Saturday that he is resigning.

He made it clear that he’s not retiring. The Steelers PR brass had their ducks in a row this time, learning their lesson from three years ago when the word was that Arians retired when in fact he just wasn’t being brought back. Arians landed in Indianapolis as Colts offensive coordinator days later, and he’s gone 21-11 in the last two seasons as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

This time, the coordinator departure is being branded as a “mutual parting.” So the Steelers won’t have egg on their face if LeBeau gets a DC job somewhere else.

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2014 NFL Playoffs: Steelers Fans Stuck Watching Ravens, Patriots and Blount

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2014 Playoffs, AFC North, AFC Playoff Picture, Pittsburgh Steelers, Rivalry, SteelerAddicts, Steelers Fans

January 7, 2015

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When the fourth quarter of the AFC wild-card game between the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers began last Saturday, NBC came out of the commercial and played the beginning of “Ah! Leah!” by Donnie Iris.

Since Iris is from the Pittsburgh area, it was meant as a salute to the city. But it turned out to be a commentary on the Steelers’ dire situation.

“We both know we’re never going to make it.”

The Steelers were down 20-9 at the time, but they rallied. They always do when they lose these wild-card games. But their late run wasn’t enough to overcome three bad quarters of football against the Jaguars in 2007 or the Broncos in 2011, and it wasn’t enough to climb out of the hole they dug for themselves against the Ravens.

So now our Terrible Towels are stored in the sock drawer until September, and we have to watch yet another Ravens-Patriots playoff game.

“Here we go again,” as Donnie Iris would say.

It’s the fourth time in the last six years that the Ravens and Patriots have met in the playoffs. Each time, the Steelers have either been eliminated from the playoffs or missed the playoffs entirely.

At least if the Steelers were still playing, we could look forward to getting a crack at the team that wins this game. Instead, we have to stomach the fact that one of the Steelers’ two main antagonists of the 21st century will move a step closer to another championship.

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It’s Sad to See the 2014 Pittsburgh Steelers Go

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2014 Playoffs, AFC North, Coaches, Offense, Pittsburgh Steelers, Quarterbacks, Rivalry, Running Backs, SteelerAddicts

January 5, 2015

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For the fourth straight year, the Pittsburgh Steelers have either missed the playoffs or gone one-and-done in the playoffs.

Saturday’s 30-17 wild-card loss to the Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh brings about another long offseason for the Steelers and their fans.

There will be plenty of time for mock drafts and free-agency wish lists. Right now, it’s tough waking up in the morning knowing the Steelers’ 2014 season is over.

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Bengals vs. Steelers: Showdown for AFC North Title Revives Rivalry

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2014 Regular Season, AFC North, AFC Playoff Picture, Defense, Defensive Line, Linebackers, Offense, Pittsburgh Steelers, Quarterbacks, Rivalry, Running Backs, Secondary, SteelerAddicts, Wide Receivers

December 27, 2014

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The rivalry between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals hasn’t always burned with the white-hot intensity of a thousand suns.

Unlike the feud between the Steelers and Ravens, which is calibrated almost point for point, the balance of power between the Steelers and Bengals often has leaned Pittsburgh’s way, so the matchups haven’t always been marquee material.

This time, it’s different.

Sunday’s game between the Bengals (10-4-1) and Steelers (10-5) at Heinz Field decides the AFC North, and NBC made it a prime-time affair. These teams haven’t played for this many marbles since their 2005 wild-card game.

So bitter were the relations between the Bengals and Steelers back then that an anti-Bengals YouTube video was made. Posted by someone who went by the handle “meanjoecoop,” it was a spoof of the “WKRP in Cincinnati” theme song. Made by an entity known as Hell in a Handbasket Productions, the video correctly predicted a Steelers win in that playoff game and took several shots at the Bengals.

The video is harder to find in cyberspace these days, but I’ve always dug it up whenever the Steelers play the Bengals.

One of the video’s still images shows a swarm of Steelers defensive players, including Deshea Townsend, Bryant McFadden and Larry Foote, running off the field with their fists in the air apparently celebrating a big defensive stop.

When I watched the video in the days leading up to the Steelers’ Week 14 game in Cincinnati this season, that picture made me feel a little nostalgic. Days earlier, the Saints came marching into Heinz Field and plundered the Steelers defense for 35 points. I thought about how long it had been since the Steelers defense could celebrate any play that wildly.

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Steelers Can Get Away With One More Letdown And Still Win AFC North

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2014 Regular Season, AFC North, AFC Playoff Picture, Pittsburgh Steelers, SteelerAddicts, Steelers Schedule

December 11, 2014

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So the Steelers are only a half-game behind the Bengals in the AFC North. They’re so close that the Bengals can smell the Primanti’s on their breath.

The Steelers scored 40 or more points for the third time this season, a franchise record, in their 42-21 win Sunday at Cincinnati. It was their biggest margin of victory on the road since they beat the Browns 41-9 in the 2010 season finale, and the Steelers (8-5) will win the AFC North for the first time since 2010 if they win their last three games.

You know what that means.

It’s time for a letdown.

And you know what? That’s OK.

We know better than to let visions of playoff sugarplums dance in our heads. These aren’t the 2005 Steelers, who fell to 7-5 and won their final four games out of necessity to get into the playoffs. The 2014 Steelers might be more explosive on offense than the 2005 edition, but they’re woefully inferior on defense.

This maddeningly inconsistent bunch has lost to the Buccaneers and Jets, both 2-11. These Steelers aren’t equipped to plow their way into the playoffs with four straight wins. They inevitably will lose another game this season.

And we’re cool with that. After all, Steelers fans are nothing if not understanding, right?

As long as the Steelers don’t lose more than one, they still have a realistic chance to win the AFC North and have a home playoff game.

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LeGarrette Blount Gives Patriots New Way to Torment Steelers

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2014 Regular Season, AFC North, AFC Playoff Picture, Coaches, Defense, Pittsburgh Steelers, Rivalry, Running Backs, SteelerAddicts

November 28, 2014

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Apparently, leaving the Steelers bleeding in a ditch wasn’t good enough for the Patriots.

Bill Belichick figured he’d twist the knife one more time by signing LeGarrette Blount.

The Steelers dropped their weapons, put their hands up and took two steps back after they were steamrolled 55-31 at New England last year. The Steelers-Patriots rivalry that was sparked by the Patriots’ upset win in the 2001 AFC championship game was over. It ceased that day because the Steelers, who dropped to 2-6, had fallen too far behind the Patriots to match their long-term success during this era.

The Steelers’ 7-4 record this season is nice. Sure, they have a legitimate shot at making the playoffs for the first time in three years. But Tom Brady is a lot closer to earning his fourth Super Bowl ring than Ben Roethlisberger is to earning his third. That’s been the case for quite some time, but the point was driven home emphatically 13 months ago on that infamous evening in Foxboro.

The Steelers fell to 0-3 against Brady at Gillette Stadium and 3-7 against the Patriots in this century, including losses in the 2001 and 2004 AFC championship games. The 55 points and 629 yards allowed by the Steelers were the most in franchise history.

The Steelers hit rock bottom that day and the Patriots conquered them as a rival.

So why did Belichick have to poke them with a stick?

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Pittsburgh Steelers Struggled Against Bad Teams Even When They Were Good

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2011 Post Season, 2012 Regular Season, 2013 Regular Season, 2014 Regular Season, AFC North, Defense, Kickers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Quarterbacks, Secondary, SteelerAddicts

November 16, 2014

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Are you tired of the Steelers losing to teams that have nothing to play for but high draft picks?

Are you nostalgic for the days when the Steelers used to crush weak opponents like aluminum cans ready for the recycling bin?

Since Mike Tomlin became the Steelers head coach in 2007, the Steelers have lost seven games to teams that finished that season with a 5-11 record or worse.

That number is likely to swell by at least one this season, assuming either the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or New York Jets finish no better than 5-11.

As frustrating as these pratfalls have been in recent years, it could have been worse. The Steelers’ last two playoff teams came perilously close to two of these bad losses.

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Are the 2014 Pittsburgh Steelers Following in the Footsteps of Their Most Recent Championship Team?

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AFC North, Defense, Linebackers, Offense, Pittsburgh Steelers, Quarterbacks, Retired Steelers Players, Rivalry, Running Backs, Secondary, SteelerAddicts, Steelers Schedule, Wide Receivers

October 24, 2014

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The boos rained down at Heinz Field on Monday night.

Coming off an ugly road loss, the Pittsburgh Steelers were down by two scores and the season seemed to be heading in the wrong direction.

Then No. 10 caught a touchdown pass to cut the Steelers’ deficit to a field goal and the Steelers took the lead in a matter of seconds with a stunning rally. Heinz Field rocked and the Steelers held on for a win that saved their season.

Hold on a minute. It’s too early to tell whether or not the Steelers’ 30-23 win over the Houston Texans on Monday night saved their season.

That’s right. It is. But we do know that the Steelers’ Week 4 win over the Baltimore Ravens saved their 2008 season. That’s the game we’re talking about.

The Steelers started that season 2-0, then Ben Roethlisberger was sacked eight times in a 15-6 loss at Philadelphia. The following week on Monday Night Football, the Baltimore Ravens led 13-3 with less than five minutes left in the third quarter. With the crowd voicing its displeasure, the Steelers were in danger of falling to .500. Those were the days when .500 was rock-bottom for the Steelers rather than baseline.

A punt seemed imminent on third down when Santonio Holmes, who wore the No. 10 that Martavis Bryant wears now, caught a short pass from Roethlisberger and took it 38 yards for the touchdown to narrow the Ravens’ lead to 13-10.

On the next play, James Harrison sacked Joe Flacco and forced a fumble. LaMarr Woodley picked it up and ran it in for a touchdown and a 17-13 Steelers lead.

The Steelers scored 14 points in 13 seconds. They went on to win 23-20 in overtime and eventually won Super Bowl XLIII that year.

It’s no exaggeration to say that win saved the Steelers’ season. Without it, they wouldn’t have won the AFC North and they wouldn’t have benefited from a first-round playoff bye and home-field advantage against the Ravens in the AFC championship game.

Instead of falling to 2-2, the Steelers won three straight to improve to 5-1 and finished 12-4.

Instead of falling to 3-4 in 2014, the Steelers scored 24 points in 2:54 and poked their head above .500.

Just like their outburst six years earlier, the offense provided the ignition and the defense seized the momentum by ripping the ball away from the opponent.

Can Monday’s win over the Texans do what that win over the Ravens did for the 2008 team?

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Why Did the Steelers Waste $26 Million on Cortez Allen?

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AFC North, Contracts, Defense, Free Agency, Pittsburgh Steelers, Secondary, SteelerAddicts

October 19, 2014

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Cortez Allen will be an awfully expensive nickel back Monday night when the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Houston Texans at Heinz Field.

The Steelers agreed to pay Allen 520 million nickels, or $26 million, over the next five years. But because of his lackluster performance this season, Allen has lost his starting job to Brice McCain.

Pro Football Focus ranks Allen dead last among the 175 cornerbacks who have taken the field in the NFL this season. He’s missed seven tackles (Will Blackmon of Jacksonville is the only cornerback who has missed more) and committed seven penalties (Blidi Wreh-Wilson of Tennessee is the only other cornerback to be flagged seven times).

Allen had an interception in two straight games, then regressed in Sunday’s 31-10 loss at Cleveland. Brian Hoyer’s quarterback rating was 149.3 on the passes he threw into Allen’s coverage, according to PFF.

Throwing the big bucks at Allen before the season seems like a mistake now. The Steelers would never admit this, but the reason they gave Allen the big contract is because they were haunted by their decision to let Keenan Lewis become a free agent two years ago.

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Pittsburgh Steelers Must Suppress Browns 2014 Uprising

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AFC North, Pittsburgh Steelers, Rivalry, SteelerAddicts, Steelers Gameday

October 11, 2014

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Since the Cleveland Browns were reincarnated in 1999, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been able to count on two Ws almost every year just like “Wheel of Fortune” contestants can count on getting the R, S, T, L, N and E turned for them before they try to solve the final puzzle.

Wins over the Browns can’t be taken for granted this season.

In Week 1 at Heinz Field, the Browns fought back from a 27-3 halftime deficit to tie it, but Shaun Suisham’s last-second field goal won it for the Steelers.

The Browns (2-2) came back from an even bigger deficit last week. They were down 28-3 in the second quarter at Tennessee and rallied for a 29-28 win. Brian Hoyer threw three touchdown passes to lead the Browns to the biggest road comeback win in NFL history.

History would have been made if the Browns had completed their comeback at Pittsburgh. They’d have won there for the first time since 2003. That unfinished business still haunts them and makes Sunday’s rematch a must-win for Cleveland from a psychological standpoint.

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