Special teams were solid, the offense was great, the defense was better. Before the giddiness of this first win completely fades and our attention turns to our friends the Brownies, I wanted to make one last acknowledgement. If  you couldn't get a view of the sideline during the game you might not have known whether the Coach was Mike Tomlin, Bill Cowher or Chuck Noll. That's because it was a Steelers' type of win. We were more physical than our opponents, brutally so. We dominated both sides of the line of scrimmage. We broke the Texans' spirit in the second half by running the ball down their throats at will. And when it was clear that we had them at our mercy and couild have rubbed their nose in it, we called off the dogs and coasted to the finish line. How many times have we seen games unfold like this over the years, yet this victory was authored by the newcomer Tomlin. Its certainly too early to be cashing playoff checks, but at least in this aspect perhaps it is time to acknowledge that Tomlin has arrived. The Texans were as outcoached as much they were outplayed.

If you have been paying any attention to the national media, its fun to see how they are trying to make sense of what they witnessed this weekend. I, for one, like the idea of lying in the weeds staying as far below the radar as possible. If we beat the Browns solidly on national television that will no longer be possible. The pundit class had written off the Pennsylvania teams because of the mistaken beliefs that Pittsburgh's OL and DLs were sub par and that McNabb and perhaps Andy Reid were over the hill. Now if these two take out the overrated Browns and the overrated Cowboys next week, their Week Three match up could be one of the more intriguing September games to be seen in quite some time. As for this week; the nightmare scenario has arrived for Cleveland. There's blood in the water and the possibility to put the Browns in a huge hole and achieve an early stranglehold on the division race is there for the Steelers. With a very difficult game with the Eagles following, expect a huge effort from the Black and Gold this Sunday.

A few overlooked items, updates and predictions for the coming campaign. We're almost there.

Tomlin Transition.  Have you noticed that nearly every team in the league has had at least one guy who has been suspended for one game or more for violating either league rules or the rules of society? Have you also noticed that the only thing that a Steeler has been guilty of this summer has been being overweight? Last year Tomlin warned his team against being The Guy; the person that makes the newspapers because of flawed conduct. Maybe it's just luck but since jettisoning some of the most recent offenders in the winter months (Cedric and Dookie) no one has been cited for driving erratically, disturbing the peace, violation of league or civil policies. Knock on wood. Consequently, we enter the season blissfully single minded about football. Good fortune or controlling the culture?

Injuries. We've come away luckier than a lot of teams so far. Because of our weaknesses at STs, the loss of Sepulveda may be a bit more devastating development. I've only seen portions of the last three preseason games so I don't know what to make of his replacement. I feel really bad that we won't be seeing Batch in uniform this season (or maybe ever). But it is heartening to know that the IR option was chosen over the settlement option because the former will allow Charlie to be at the practice facility and help tutor both Leftwich and Dixon in mastering the offense. The team will still benefit from his leadership, as a coach for now. And since he is also the player rep for the union he will be available at a critical time in the wake of Upshaw's passing and the transition that it brings. Best of all with or without Batch we remain absolutely solid at QB. All things considered, we enter the season in fortunate circumstances in the injury department.

Newcomers. The buzz and high anticipation for our top draft choices Mendenhall and Sweed are appropriate and each player has given us some tantalizing glimpses at their respective upsides. (Also have provided material to feed SN's tendency toward fatalism, paranoia and angst) But the two most delightful developments on the newcomer front, perhaps because the expectations were not all that high, have been Fox and Dixon. I don't know why KC let him go, but I haven't seen anything so far that I don't like about Fox. Gives us solid depth at ILB and hopefully some help with STs. Dixon has been outstanding. Capable of the homerun with either his arm or his feet. Some may be tempted to make comparisons to Randle El  or Kordell, but Dixon's qb skills are so solid that there is no temptation to line him up elsewhere. He's a fast learner, and given the fact that he is less than a year removed from reconstructive knee surgery we can legitimately wonder what he'll be like when he's fully healed. He can be that X factor that keeps defensive coordinators up at nights if Arians can develop a package that utilizes his skill set. The downside is that he may ultimately prove to be too talented to keep over the long haul unless something catastrophic happens to Ben. This guy is not destined to be a back up forever.

O-line.   The one wish that pretty much everyone on this site had came true; Mahan was replaced by Hartwig. Panic has abated as the O-line has shown signs of -if not greatness- competence over the preseason (Hate to say I told you so). While outsiders and the less informed see Faneca's departure as a net loss, his absence may have actually contributed to less confusion and more cohesive play. Seems that Alan has some difficulty dealing with change. Remember his less than supportive reaction when Ben was forced into action after Maddox was injured? His resistance to Coach Z's system lead to not a small amount of incoherence last year. Perhaps that's why the FO didn't make a more concerted effort to retain his services. Jury's still out on Coach Z, but he's looking a lot better than he did three months ago.

D-line.  Looks like they got it half right. Tomlin said we had to get younger and deeper. We got older and deeper. Smith and Hampton seemed to have overcome their various challenges and returned to form. We can hope that this is the year that Keisel breaks out, and they have four solid, if not spectacular, backups with Roye and Hoke. Hopefully that will be enough.

RBs.  Wow! They got this right! Six months ago our top healthy running back was Dookie. Now we're back to the good ol' days when we have two spectacular backs,  supplemented by three very solid backs, and we are once again capable of grinding out yardage on the ground without having to be dependent upon the passing game.

LBs.  Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!! Any questions?

Receivers.    Hines, Heath and 'Ton. We're good. Anything that Nate, Matt, Limas and Sam can contribute is appreciated.

QBs.   Best qb situation ever.

DBs.   If Troy and Ryan hold up health wise, we're golden.

The Division. Ravens.  Starting the rookie at qb. Unless he's the next incarnation of Ben, this is a good thing. Their dbs probably still having nightmares of Hines knocking them loopy. Seriously, without a strong offense to keep pace they may have problems. Rumors that Chris Simms may end up there. Wouldn't be a bad move. Bengals.  Marvin Lewis gets my vote for Coach of the Year if he can make chicken salad out the chicken sh*t in Queen City. More likely he may lose his job (or his mind) as a result of dysfunctional front office and team culture. These two teams open the season against each other. To be on the safe side we can hope the ground opens up and swallows them both. Browns.  Made this prediction months ago and am sticking with it; the first two games are critical to their season. There will be no Cinderella stories in the AFC North this season. Fall two games behind and it will be Hell trying to make that lost ground up. (This is for you kwoog) if you lose to Dallas, than that second game with Pittsburgh becomes a playoff game.

Most Important Game On Our Schedule.   Houston. This not coachspeak paranoia. There are two reasons to be very concerned about this opponent. With the schedule we are facing, it is vital that we win every single game that we are supposed to win. Losing toss up games to teams like the Chargers or Pats won't kill us, losing to the Texans will. Second, Houston smells like the kind of bottom feeder to playoff team that seems to pop up every year. Don't be surprised if this game is closer and more hard fought than expected. Third, what I said about the Browns can just as easily be applied to Pittsburgh if they lose against the Texans and Cleveland wins, that second game then becomes almost a playoff game. The difference is that a franchise with a recent winning pedigree is better suited to withstand and overcome that level of adversity than one that may still harbor doubts as to its ability to prevail. But my position is lets not go there.

I believe the chances of going deep into the playoffs, perhaps all the way are excellent. Why? I would argue that of the teams that made the playoffs last year from the AFC Pittsburgh has improved the most. Looking at our schedule based upon more recent developments teams like the Pats, Giants and Colts look less formidable, particularly given the fact that NY and IND have to come to Heinz. The Chargers don't play as well when they have to fly east. Dallas is the best team to have not won a playoff game in over a decade (sorry Terry). I'm most fearful of Jacksonville, but now they are dealing with their own Shawn Taylor type situation, and it is not clear how they will react as a team. This has the makings of a very exciting season.

I thought that the BTSC community might find this of interest because of its historical perspective on the college game, and references to a Steeler with four SB rings, Bill Cosby and the 1971 World Series.

I kept looking at the scoreboard as I stretched on the thick, cool grass of Temple Stadium. Temple 0  Navy 0. It was a perfect Friday night in October, and I was about to participate in my first college football game. It’s difficult to describe the emotions that I was trying to manage at that moment. Suffice to say that I had not expected when I had begun this quest that I would dress for a game with the expectation to play. My performance the previous two weeks had remained high. And if the scrimmage we had last week against Division 3 Glassboro State (now Rowan College) was any indication, I could expect to play between 30 and 50 percent of the time. We gather in the locker room for the pre game meeting. Decked out in game uniforms for the first time, nearly a month’s worth of work coming to climax, Coach Frank is about to give a speech. Coach Frank is no Knute Rockne though, and I suspect that most of us would have preferred to skip this part. But he surprised us, both with the words he spoke, and how he was able to motivate us that night.

Coach announces that a plane that was carrying the Wichita State University football team had crashed earlier, killing everyone on board. He’s crying as he says this. The team is in shock. It is the first we heard of this. It is the first time we had heard of anything like this ever happening. An entire college football team! He adds that we are about to do what the players of Wichita State will never be able to do again. We surge out of the locker room at an emotional level that I doubt most of us had ever experienced before.

We ride the emotion and the hard work of our first unit ‘2’ back Ray Murray to a quick 14-0 lead. I begin to believe that I’ll be able to get into the game by the 2nd quarter. We haven’t given up a score, but there have been few if any three and outs. The defense is struggling. I was partially correct. The blue defense is called up in the second quarter, but they decide to put in only the LBs and DBs. Seems a strange thing to do since the line would fatigue first. I spend the rest of the first half suppressing dark thoughts.

I finally get the call about midway through the third quarter. The situation has gotten serious now. Our lead has been cut to seven. Ray has been injured. The first unit QB is a solid leader, but a bit on the short side with a weak arm, so despite the presence of players like Grossman, the passing game is anemic. On my first play I easily defeat the man assigned to block me and make a tackle for a two yard loss. I know I’m playing well, but am too focused to understand the full extent of what that means. Three things I do know; we’re getting off the field quicker, they have stopped running to my side of the field and I play every defensive snap for the rest of game. On the offensive side of the ball, blue ‘2’ back Don Spiller has replaced Ray admirably. He is the Pennsylvania State Champion in what was then known as the 220 yard dash. At 5’7” and about 150 lbs, he’s a bit on the small side, but is only relevant if you can catch him. He scores and extends our lead to 14 again. Late in the 4th quarter we give up another touchdown.

On the scoring play, I suffer a mid foot sprain. I can’t flex my foot and put any significant weight on the ball of that foot. If the game were safely in hand I would have played through it. I know because I had suffered the injury in high school. But momentum had changed with the score. Teams associated with the service academies never get tired or give up. I inform my position coach of the injury and am immediately escorted to the bench by two trainers. It is now that I discover how well I’ve been playing. As they examine my foot, we are soon joined by the head trainer of the University sports program. He says three words; “Is it broken?”

No.

“Tape him up and get him back on the field now!”

As I was being taped, the Linebackers coach has gathered his group together and is exhorting them. “You need to go out there and be like Cole (me). Cole hits!”

I was experiencing a strange feeling that I had never had before, at least not in athletics. If I had time to reflect upon it at the time I would have been terrified. They are counting on my performance in order to win this game. Now, even at being considerably less than 100% I was up for the challenge, but it was so far from where my head had been in the beginning of the evening where I was literally just glad to be there. Fortunately, Don Spiller eased the pressure considerably when he scored another TD. We then went out and stopped them on downs. 28-14, Game over. As I hobbled to the locker room I was congratulated by teammates I barely knew, saluted by their parents and friends (the only people attending the game) and acknowledged, reluctantly it seemed to me, by our top level coaches. My brother who was a senior at Temple and on the Track team was my only fan at the game. Afterwards we go to a frat party where he brags on my performance.  I should have been ecstatic all things considered. It was only the second time my brother had actually seen me play, the night went better than I had hoped and we won the game. But my foot hurt, and all I really wanted to do was go some place and lay down.

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I grew up in Pittsburgh and played high school football for Taylor Allderdice High School in the late 1960s. These were the golden years for the Dragons. We won the City Championship in ’67 - the only one in school history to my knowledge - and were a power to be reckoned with for the next half dozen years. Despite the team’s overall success, I experienced plenty of personal setbacks. I had no idea at the time, but such setbacks would play an enormous role in how my football career would play out at the collegiate level. My primary obstacle was an injury suffered at the midpoint of my senior year. This might not be the end of the world if I already had my scholarship lined up, but unfortunately, I had attracted little substantive interest from colleges prior to the injury. I would learn a few years later that at least one school, Brown, had been interested but pulled back after my injury. But generally speaking, it was clear that I would have to make it on my own at the next level, with none of the built-in advantages college players enjoy that are heavily recruited.

As my high school playing days came to a conclusion, I could not escape a question that had been troubling me. City League players in Philly did not receive as much attention from colleges as other local athletes from the suburbs, surrounding townships, and parochial leagues. Why?  Was the talent disparity as great as the scouts might lead one to believe?

I decided to find out the answer for myself. I spent the summer of 1970 working out furiously. I would be attending Temple University in the fall, and I planned on walking onto the football team. I may have been determined, but my expectations weren’t high. Though I felt I was a good player, my attitude was one of curiosity more so than defiance. I wanted to experience what football was like at the higher levels and was prepared to accept that it may have been beyond my capabilities.

Continue reading this post »

RickVa keeps the bar at a high level with his observations and ruminations about the state of the Steelers heading into the second week of training camp. With all the traveling and unpacking I've been saddled with, it's sure nice to see so many of you guys bring the goods in my absence. This particular offering is filled to the brim with relevant insights and discussion points.

-Blitz

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Yeah, I know its just the first week of training camp. But I think we've gleaned enough information that we can advance some ongoing discussions and raise some new questions concerning the upcoming season.

Injuries. We weren't the only camp that got hit. In fact, we got off easier than a lot of teams. The Redskins lost TWO defensive ends for the year on the first day of practice (Achilles and ACL) necessitating the Jason Taylor trade. This brings up an interesting question: have professional football players been pushed to their physical limits? With year round workout schedules, and players carrying an inordinate amount of weight I am most reminded of  thoroughbred race horses; magnificent athletes, but very fragile and subject to catastrophic breakdowns at almost any time. I'm not convinced of this position, but I think its worth some exploration. What do you think?

The Tomlin Transition. One of the things I had problems wrapping my mind around last year was that the team was transiting from Bill Cowher's team to Mike Tomlin's team. Recent press reports seem to indicate that I wasn't the only one. One of the challenges was that when you make that sort of a change one year removed from a World Championship -  unless the team is very old - is that you don't make a lot of wholesale changes. So the team we saw on the field looked all the world like the same team that was out there in '06 or '05. Where the transitional difficulties showed up the most were on offense and special teams. And where the issue really manifested was on the O-Line. The combination of a new coach (most of the offensive staff were either new or in new positions), a new system, a veteran group who  were quite successful under an old system led by a strong team leader, Faneca, a Cowher guy. Let's not forget that all this is also occurring within the context of a new overall offensive system. The result: the O-Line looked and occasionally performed terribly. Easy conclusion: they ARE terrible. What was left unexplained is how a group that was missing one member from a world champion unit, that was on the brink of having the leading rusher in the league, an excellent passing attack and a pro bowl quarterback suddenly become terrible. The transition to a new system often does not occur overnight. Old habits have to unlearned and new ones acquired. The defense didn't have this problem for three reasons; the system didn't change, the staff, with one exception, didn't change, and the strong team leader, the Cowher guy (Joey Porter) had left. What problems the defense had could explained by late season fatigue (coaching inexperience) and key injuries to Aaron, Troy and Ryan. It is a testament to our high standards (or how spoiled we are, take your pick) that a division championship by a first year coach ( a championship, btw, that no one was predicting for us. Even after a fast start many one this site were urging caution because we believed that we would have serious problems within the division.) is viewed something of a disappointment by many. Things should go smoother this year.

O-Line. Having just defended the performance of the O-line, I'm going to pivot and express some disappointment with current practices. With Hartwig and Starks on the second unit I would say it is premature to consider the competition over. I'd say not before the third pre-season game. Granted I'm prejudiced. I think Starks is better than Colon, and I think a ham sandwich could beat out Mahan (just kidding Sean). Jury's still out on Coach Z.

RBs. Remember when everyone was so concerned about our situation at rb, and for good reason. After FWP our best hope was a FA rookie. Russell has not yet been part of the conversation. FWP is back, apparently at full strength, Mendenhall is showing promise of greatness, Moore is running first unit as third down back as advertised. Could this group be as good or better than what we had hoped for in '05; Bettis, Haynes, FWP and Staley? Could it potentially be our best group ever?

WRs. Two important questions were answered this week. First, Sweed's development curve will not be as long as some have feared. He may not reach his full potential this first season, but he looks to be a solid, maybe even an occasionally  spectacular contributor from the get go. Second, Nate Washington is coming on strong. Consequently, as Maryrose has pointed out, we may have the best quartet of wide outs in over thirty years, and combined with our tight ends may be one of the top receiving corps in the league.

QB. Rose also pointed out something that seems to be spoken of in whispers; Ben is getting better. Let me suggest what many will say is either hearsy or hyperbole; soon, maybe by the end of this season he may be the best quarterback...period. And he has the tools (assuming I'm not completely wrong about the OLine) equal to or better than any of his likely rivals, even Brady.

DL. Big Snacks' conditioning issues are a disappointment and hopefully aren't indicative of more serious problems in his personal like that he might have difficulty overcoming. My intuition is that this will not be an issue in September. The one report I've seen on McBean has been very positive. Just two issues here, one obvious, the other not so much. Yes we are still thin even with an effective McBean. We'll just have to hope we are fortunate with injuries with this group. Where is Keisel? We were expecting more from him and we need him to show up. Also, Coach Mitchell doesn't get enough credit.

LBs. Woodley and Timmons seem to be impressing everybody. Very good news. Foote doesn't seem to be making it easy for Timmons. Bravo Larry! Silverback is terrorizing the entire camp. I've heard some good things about Humpal. Has anyone got any word on Davis? Kevin Greene's working with this group. Coach Butler is another guy that doesn't get enough credit. No worries with the linebackers.

DBs. The best news is that people are starting to realize how valuable Ryan Clark is to this defense. And, of course, that Clark seems to be in good health. McFadden vs. Townsend has been temporarily postponed because McFadden has been nicked. Only one area of concern; I know that Troy's injury is 'minor', but I am concerned that he may be more prone injury now, more fragile. Time will tell.

Return Specialist. Much noise being made about Drummond and why other players aren't being tried. I agree with the idea that Holmes, Mendenhall and Moore should be more or less off limits for punt and kickoff returns. If these guys have strong regular roles on the offense, why risk their availability by having them return kicks? Randle El almost got knocked out of the SB on a punt return. It is inappropriate for your #1 receiver, co-#1 running back and third down back to risk injury. No matter how good they may be doing so. Some may remember when Lynn Swann returned punts his first season with the Steelers. He was best in the league. He also was not the starting wide receiver. Once he did start, no more punts. Bloom may be out of the running, but Drummond has to prove that he's the guy that played for Detriot, and not the one who played for KC.

All and all a promising first week

I hesitate to write about this because the topic is so negative, but I think there is sufficient new information and info that has impacted the Steelers that we would be remiss to not at least review it. This article appeared in today's Washington Post. The Tribune-Review also has an article as well

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/14/AR2008051403517.html

In terms of a highlight of an interview that will be aired on HBO tomorrow night, Walsh quotes an unidentified Patriot QB as saying that the information gained from the tapings allowed them to successfully anticipate 75% of the defensive plays that were run against them. On NFL Total Access (NFL Network) they had some of the tapes for review. Marshall Faulk and Rod Woodson confirmed that the information contained would have provided a significant competitive advantage. Arlen Specter in explaining why he would push forward with an investigation anticipated why the Rooneys (and Tomlin) would take such a dismissive attitude; the integrity of the League is at stake. This would be more important than any gain that would be made by outing the Patriots.

Based on the information I've seen so far, this is my reaction. I don't want to hear anything else about how great Bill Belicheck is as a coach, or for that matter how great Tom Brady is as a QB. Knowing what the defense is running 75% of the time, hell, Maryrose's daughter could be a Pro Bowl quarterback. This is on the order of steroid abuse or corked bats in baseball. I have said on earlier occasions that Spygate will not go away, and I think this is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

Bob Smizik of the PG has written an article claiming that the Penguins may be in position to surpass the Steelers as Pittsburgh's favorite team.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08130/880449-61.stm

I'm not sure what to make of this. I haven't lived in the Burgh for years so I don't know if what he says makes any sense. The accompanying poll has most fans disagreeing, but by a much smaller margin than I would have suspected. I have to also say that Smizik isn't one of my favorites. I remember when he was covering my high school football games. And that was a loooonnng time ago. And I wasn't crazy about his ideas back then either.

Now don't get me wrong. I don't have anything against the Pens. In fact, I watched much of their game last night and am pumped about their playoff prospects. Love the team and have been a big Mario fan. I suspect I'll be big on Crosby as well as the years go on. But to suggest that they will surpass the Steelers in the hearts of Pittsburgh fans (especially while the Steelers continue to field highly competitive teams) smells of sacrilege. What do you all think?

Bumped. RickVa, one of Curtain's fine sagacious patriarcal residents, weighs in on the state of the Steelers organization. After my post about Roethlisberger - that frankly I think was misconstrued a bit - this should be a well received offering for all. Well done, sir. - Blitz-

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I admit to being a shameless optimist when it comes to evaluating the progress of the Steelers at this time of the year. But I am certainly not a pollyanna. I understand the attitudes of many in the Nation. Some are perfectionists, others are Chicken Littles who always see the sky ready to fall. Some fall far short of these extremes, but are worriers that trend toward pessimism. I'm fine with all of that. It shows that many of us care very deeply about the team, and like many parents our focus goes to all of things that could go wrong. However, I want to put forward a couple of arguments that might give us a reason to look forward to the '08 with a certain amount of confidence and even a bit of swagger. The lone disclaimer is if this turns out to be a particularly unlucky year on the injury front, or with motorcycle accidents or with the police blotter all bets are off.

THE ONE THING MOST OVERLOOKED ABOUT THIS TEAM

This is only the beginning of the second year of the Mike Tomlin era. Think about this for a moment, because we as a Nation are not accustomed to change. Add the fact that Cowher retired, meaning the team was not in crisis (beyond having an uncharacteristically bad year). The changes made were relatively minimal; no sweeping personnel moves, much of the staff remained intact, the general team philosophy remained the same (run the ball, stop the run, etc.). So we can be forgiven if we believe that we know most or all of how this team will conduct its business from this point forward. I suggest that last year should be viewed strictly in terms of transition; a feeling out process for coach and players like the first round or two of a boxing match. Like a boxing match it would be a mistake to think that the pace and rhythm of the opening rounds is what to expect in the later rounds. I don't consider myself an expert on Tomlin, but I think that what will distinguish his approach will be greater thoroughness and creativity in preparation (Who predicted our moves in the draft?), highly aggressive ("violent") play on all three sides of the ball (offense, defense, ST), and a general unsympathetic ruthlessness in pursuit of team goals. Tomlin probably will not have the exact team that he wants for another year or two, but don't let that lull you into thinking that this is some sort of throwaway year, as some have seemed to imply. This team will compete, schedule be damned, real or perceived personnel deficiencies be damned. The goal will be a Lombardi Trophy, period. Don't assume that the process that we witnessed last year is the process that will unfold this Summer/Fall. I think there are surprises to come. I think we'll be very pleased with many of them.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Division winners, second ranked QB in the league (Pro Bowl), league leading rusher (Pro Bowl). Otherwise the offensive line is absolutely terrible. My take has always been that the line's difficulties have been the consequence of new schemes plus some disruption of the unit (for example, the retirement of Jeff Hartings). Like most I am not a fan of his replacement Mahan. While I like Colon, he seemed to be overwhelmed by the concept of a speed rush. (Heaven help Ben when we play the Giants). Nonetheless, I see the glass as half full. Some players are in contract years (Smith, Essex, Starks) and must play well if they are to realize top dollar and/or quality options when they enter free agency. The addition of Hartwig, the promotion of Kemo, the promise of players like Hills, Stapleton. I think a quality unit can be cobbled together from these pieces, plus a year's experience with the system. Of course, such a thing should be expected with a new system.  Also, call me a sucker, but I buy the bit about having more weapons improving the line performance. Holding the ball for six seconds can make a lot of lines look bad. Defensive coaches know how to effectively attack defenses. And even if one of the better O-Linemen fell down to Pittsburgh in the draft, it's unlikely any one person could help turn around the disaster that the pessimists have laid out in one season.

THE SCHEDULE

Yes, we have the schedule from Hell. But besides Tomlin's admonition that we have to go through most of these folks to get to the goal anyway, take a deep breath and consider this. The most reliable path to the playoffs is to win the division. And the good news is that everyone in the AFC North has the same hellish schedule. Granted we have the more difficult first place schedule (Patriots and Chargers), but on the other hand, we don't have to play the Steelers twice. The Browns have improved, but given the fact that we have won nine straight I would say that to panic or concede superiority to them is way premature. Now, if during the second game of the season they're dragging our guys out to Lake Erie and drowning them, then maybe there could be some cause for alarm. Generally speaking I would say that we have the best defense, best running attack, best QB in the division. The improvements of the other teams have been insufficient to overcome those and other advantages.

TOP COMPETITORS

The one lesson that should be learned from the last Super Bowl is that there are no invincible teams in the NFL. Let's review some of the current crop of juggernauts and some interesting facts.

Patriots. Best team in the Universe dominates the weakest division in the AFC. Has not won a championship in four years. Spygate will not go away.

Chargers. Best team to have not won a championship in over 40 years! No Lombardi Trophies. Zip. Nada. Only trip to Super Bowl was when they upset the chokin' dog Steelers in '94. The Super Bowl was over halfway through the first quarter. But who knows? This may be the year. The Cubs are playing well too.

Colts. Might not win their division this year. Ousted from the playoffs two of the last three years by losing divisional playoff games at home.

Jaguars. Seem to have our number and scare the hell out of us, but get smacked around by other teams.

Titans. The Houston Oilers by any other name.

Packers. Favre's retired.\

Cowboys (this is a joke. For Terry's benefit) Haven't won a playoff game in a decade. Shows the absolutely amazing things you can accomplish with a crackerjack PR staff. Probably won't win their division.

Giants. I'm predicting one of the ugliest Super Bowl hangovers ever.

In summary, I like where we stand right now. I wouldn't want anybody else's hand but our own. Not just for loyalty's sake, but because we've got a shot if we stay reasonably healthy, take care of business within the division and peak late. What do you think?

If you haven't already, check out the article on Charlie Batch in today's Post Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08096/870760-66.stm

When I'm not thinking straight, if you were to ask me who my favorite Steeler is I would probably robotically respond with name of one of the star contributors to team; FWP, Silverback, Troy. But I was reminded today, that, in fact, my favorite Steeler is Batch.

As a Quarterback. We can argue back and forth as to where Ben ranks as a quarterback in this league. But answer this; is there a better #2 in this league than Batch? Not only will I say no, but I believe the arguement can be made that Batch is equal to or better than up to half of the starters out there. He would certainly be a dramatic improvement in venues such as Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, Buffalo, Kansas City, Atlanta. I can keep going. Anybody here really worried if we had to live without Ben for a game or two? If Peyton Manning went down for a couple of games Colts fans would be praying that those games were against Purdue and Northwestern. If Brady went down it would be the end of civilization as they know it in New England. Probably the worst case scenario for us would be the start of a qb controversy.

Teammate and community member. Has there been a peep about his professionalism, his relationship to his teammates (especially Ben) and his behavior on or off the field? A hometown hero, a community service asset to the franchise, one hell of an insurance policy.

I figured that a tribute would be appropriate at this time. He's likely to be overlooked while he's with us. He'll be missed terribly once he's gone.

I don't know if any of you saw the article in the PG, but the head of offciating for the NFL admitted that there was holding on Garrard's run and that the officials blew the call. Tomlin refused to comment on the issue (class).

It seems that other teams fans are constantly castigating the Steelers because they believe we benefit from bad calls from the refs. Yet in none of those circumstances has the NFL seen fit to acknowledge any error. This is the second time that the league has admitted that Pittsburgh has been victimized by bad officiating. One almost cost us a playoff victory (Troy in Indianapolis), the other definitely was directly responsible for us losing a game.

I'm not too bitter about all this. But if I hear one more fan of another team come on this site to complain about how the refs jobbed them and that's why they lost to Pittsburgh last week, last year, last century I will get bitter, and I'll let them know about it.

Being relatively new to the group I was sorta thinking that besides a bit of a blip around the beginning of free agency and another around the draft that things would slow down considerably on the site. I know this isn't something that the participants of BTSC don't already acknowledge on a regular basis, but I just want to say how impressed I am by quantity and quality of the information and conversation that has been shared, particularly in the last few weeks.

If I don't check in several times a day I feel like I'm probably going to miss something vital. Props to Blitz and cgolden of course for all the effort you two put into the site. But just as important to the regulars; Lifer, DaTruth, SteelerArk, Chicago, Wolfpack, 5020, Maryrose, Dc, themostviolent, Hinesfield, and several others whose screen names slip my mind at the moment (no disrespect intended). Also a lot of new names have shown up recently. And even Wiggins/Scrabble (for the comic relief). I respect and appreciate the level of thought, analysis, and humor that shows through all of your posts. And, it probably goes without saying for many, but I'll say it anyway; when you reside in enemy territory (anywhere but Pittsburgh) it is so nice to find a haven where people with likeminded passions can gather and struggle with the various issues involved with getting back to the Promised Land.

Thanks guys.