Chargers Cut Max Starks; Could Starks-Steelers Hook Up One Last Time...?

The Pittsburgh Steeerls have announced that they will make their final cuts on Saturday, but many other NFL teams are not content to wait.

The San Diego Chargers made one move that should catch the attention of Steelers Nation:

Chargers announced: Released veteran OT Max Starks.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) August 30, 2013

Ah yes, Max Starks. Earlier this year the Steelers completed one half of what has become a familiar ritual for them – informing Max Starks that he is no longer in their plans. Starks, opted to sign with the Chargers seeking starting money.

But a woeful performance vs. the San Francisco 49ers made him expendable (Starks himself is reported to say that it was the “worst game of his life.”)

• Its been widely acknowledged that the Steelers would search the wavier wire in depth to bolster their offensive line.

Marcus Gilbert and Mike Adams are set as starters, although Kelvin Beachum has been rumored to challenge Gilbert. But Beachum is also a back up at guard and center.

After Beachum the Steelers have Guy Whimper, who has lived up to his surname by all reports…

…Could the Pittsburgh Steelers and Max Starks be destined to complete the cycle? Could we see Max Starks once resign with the Steelers for a final time.

• Dale Lolley of the Irwin Observer-Reporter suggests it’s a possibility.

The Steelers and Starks are very much like that couple in high school that keeps breaking up, only to get back together again. The Steelers and Starks have more break ups and reunions that The Who.

The "no we won't" "yes we will" relationship between Starks and the Steelers began before the waiving and resigning began. In 2008 the Steelers named Starks their transition player, yet Max Starks couldn’t win a starting job and couldn’t even get top back up priority over Trai Essex in 2008, making him the highest paid 4th tackle in NFL history.

• But Starks did come off the bench after a disastrous two quarter experiment with Essex at left tackle and Starks saved their 2008 season and did so again in 2011.

It could happen again. Its a good bet that his dear friend Ben Roethlisberger will lobby Kevin Colbert to bring him back.

Eagles Cut Robinson, Dixon

The danger of the Philadelphia Eagles becoming “Steelers East” appears remote, as the Eagles cut former Pittsburgh Steelers Dennis Dixon and linebacker Adrian Robinson. This move comes one week after Adrian Robison was traded to Philly.

Felix Jones on the other hand very well may have earned himself a roster spot.

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Watch Tower: Conspiracy Theories on Hines Ward, Kordell Stewart, and Russ Grimm

The Watch Tower was quiet during much of 2011. Rest assured lack of time and not lack of motive explains the absence. Unfortunately the long layoff means a lot will go uncovered, but those are the breaks. The media has given us plenty to chew over, and the Watch Tower first shines its light on the Hines Ward situation.

Having It Out for Hines?

Steelers Nation knew the day would at some point, and the juncture was reached in 2011 when Hines Ward lost his starting job. It was a sobering moment to be sure, but one that came with a captivating back story.

Writing on PG Plus, Ed Bouchette was the first to note Ward's demotion, commenting on Ward’s lack of play at Cincinnati, and discounting Mike Tomlin’s denial that Ward had dropped on the depth chart, reminding readers that Tomlin had spun the same line about Randel El a year earlier.

A few days later, Bouchette wrote an impassioned post on PG Plus strongly criticizing the Steelers coaches for not having the decency to inform Ward of his benching prior to the fact. Bouchette continued the full court press with the Ward story throughout the season, although he did appear to shift his tone when it suited him, observing on November 16th that:

It's not wrong that he lost his starting status or has been dropped to No. 4 or even No. 5 on the depth chart. But someone owed him at least a heads-up that it was going to happen and maybe even an explanation as to why. [Emphasis added.]

The “Dean” of the Steelers press corps is pretty consistent here. However, writing on December 21st, Bouchette, discussing Ward’s quest to get break the 1,000 catch mark, flatly changed his tone charging “They're not even giving him the chance.” It would appear that Bouchette, it was in fact wrong that Ward was now the 4th or 5th wide receiver.

It only took Bouchette another sentence, however, to drop a bigger bomb shell when he asserted:

It seems to me, someone has it out for him.

Going from not giving a player his due to actively trying to keep him from breaking milestones is a huge leap, and one which Bouchette made without offering any type of reporting or indirect reporting to support such a bold assertion.

The season’s final two games made it quite clear in fact, that the Steelers were going to try to do everything to give Hines Ward is 1000 catches, in fact if memory serve, Mike Tomlin even went into the finale having informed the TV broadcast team that this was his intention.

Bouchette’s bravado looked quite foolish, at this point.

Dale Lolley to the Rescue

However, in his post season write up, veteran Washington Observer scribe Dale Lolley scooped the competition with this:

There are some on the coaching staff who don't want Ward back. In fact, one member of the staff didn't want him back in 2010.

Lolley then went on to explain that management put its foot down and insisted that Ward be welcomed back, and predicted (as did Bouchette) that they will do so again in 2012.

This is a tremendous piece of reporting by Lolley (why he put this in his blog and not his paper is mind boggleing). If Lolley’s right, and there is every reason to suspect he is, someone on the Steelers coaching staff really does not like Hines Ward, because Number 86 caught 95 catches in 2009.

The said coach is also more than a little stupid, because Ward followed that up with 59 catch effort in 2010, scored a key touchdown in the playoffs vs. the Ravens, and would have been the Super Bowl MVP had the Steelers defeated the Packers.

Dale Lolley of course didn’t divulge who that coach is – he couldn’t lest he lose every friend he has in the locker room, but in responding to a reader’s comments he did offer that:

As for the coach who wanted to cut him, let's just say it was somebody who had some say in those things, but not the final say.

If nothing else, Lolley is, most likely, telling his readers that Mike Tomlin is not the one who has it out with Ward. That would leave the other offensive coaches. It wasn’t Scotty Montgomery, who joined the staff as wide out’s coach in the spring of 2010 ,and likely would have no standing to make such a bold claim.

Randy Fichtner is also an unlikely candidate, if for no other reason than one of the enduring images from the horrid loss at Cleveland in 2009 was Fichtner comforting Ward on the sidelines. So I guess that leaves us with Bruce Arians, although that’s only a guess….

Bouchette Beats a Dead Slash

During the 2011 off season season the Watch Tower took exception with Ed Boucette’s insistence that Bill Cowher showed too little patience with Kordell Stewart (click here to read.)

Bouchette, apparently couldn’t let it go. But while the first case was a clash of opinions, Bouchette followed up with some statements that were flat out wrong.

Comparing Kordell Stewart to Tim Tebow, Bouchette offered this:

He [Kordell] would start the next five seasons at quarterback, off and on, even though Cowher and his offensive coordinators did everything they could to find someone else, such as that big walruss Kent Graham, a Kevin Gilbride favorite. [Emphasis added.]

Just how does Bouchette conclude that Cowher and his coaches “did everything they could to find someone else…?” Reality fails that statement. After his awful 1998 season, the Steelers, with Cowher’s assent, gave Kordell a new, lucrative long-term, contract.

In the 1999 draft the Steelers made attempt to move up to take one of the five quarterbacks taken before their first round pick. Kordell’s 1999 season was worse than his 1998 season, yet the Steelers passed on the chance to take Chad Pennington during the 2000 NFL draft.

And after a strong, but not spectacular 2000 season, the Steelers again opted to allow Drew Breees and Quincy Carter to remain on the board, taking Casey Hampton and Kendrell Bell instead during the 2001 NFL draft.

Ed Bouchette is entitled to his opinions about how the Steelers coaches mishandeled Kordell Stewart – he’s right to a certain extent and he's got plenty of facts on his side – but he’s not entitled to ignore basic facts that happen to be inconvenient to his argument.

Did the Steelers Snub Russ Grimm?

Now that the Watch Tower has thrown Bouchette under a bus over Kordell Stewart, let’s give the man credit for some truly excellent reporting.

As most Steelers fans know, there was initially some confusion over who would succeed Bill Cowher, with conflicting reports that the job had been offered to Russ Grimm and Mike Tomlin.

Art Rooney II explained afterwards that he had gotten as far as discussing prelimary contract numbers with Grimm, but insists that no offer had been extended.

And that’s where the story stood for four years.

Russ Grimm was portrayed in the press as disappointed at not getting the job, but said all of the right things leading up to the Steelers game vs. Arizona in 2007 and again repeated all of the right things before Super Bowl XLIII.

However, prior to this year’s Cardinals game, Bouchette added something that was potentially explosive to the mix:

He [Russ Grimm] believes he was told by Art Rooney that the job was his after Bill Cowher quit. He even had a part to celebrate. Later, he was told that it wasn't a done deal and then that Mike Tomlin was hired. Bitter doesn't describe it. He is the Cardinals line coach and assistant head coach, just as he was in Pittsburgh.

Still pretty innocuous stuff, although the news of Grimm having held a party and his bitterness (in contrast to public statements) are new news.

Later on, responding to a fan’s question, Bouchette dived deeper:

Grimm believed all along the job was his because, in my opinion, they led him to believe it. Now it comes down to specifics. Those close to Grimm say Art Rooney told him "Congratulations, you are the new Steelers coach" and Grimm and his friends and family celebrated. However, the Rooneys insist that he was never told that and what he was told he misinterpreted.

The “’Congratulations’” quote amounts to an impressive, and unprecedented piece of reporting. Clearly it Bouchette’s sources are 3rd and 4th hand, but he takes the story farther than it’s ever been and in doing so he delivered the goods that make PG Plus worth the 17 Argentine pesos it costs monthly to subscribe.

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Steelers Report Card vs. Broncos

From the grade book of a teacher who sees that their star pupil gave it all, but just couldn’t get it together when it counted, so goes the Steelers report card for their Wild Card loss to the Denver Broncos.

Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger stepped up and made some conragous plays during a game where the offensive line protection was shaky at best. He nonetheless threw a costly interception that fed the Broncos momentum when the Steelers could ill-afford it (and should have had at least one other pick.) He also got lucky with a blown call on a botched lateral. For some unknown reason, Roethlisberger’s timing with Mike Wallace has been off in the second part of the season, and that as much as anything else hurt. Grade: C

Running Back
Isaac Redman was a senseation. This man has a motor that simply does not quit, and he more than lived up to the standard set by Merril Hoge in this same city back in 1989. Redman had to carry the load all by himself, and he was more than up to the task, running for 121 yards on just 17 carries. Ball protection, however, is becoming an issue with Mr. Redzone. Grade: A

Wide Receivers
Emmanuel Sanders justified the coaches wisdom in making sure he was healthy for the playoffs. Antonio Brown likewise looked sharp in his catches. Heath Miller was Mr. Dependable as usual. Jerico Cocherty was great on the TD catch but dropped another ball. Mike Wallace was largely a non-factor, and failed to control the ball on what could have been a game-changing 50 yard completion. Hines Ward had a couple of drops and no catches in what might have been his final game. Grade: B-

Offensive Line
Another week, another injury to the offensive line. This time it was Max Starks who fell with Jonathan Scott stepping in to take his place. The line blocked well for Redman, but Ben Roethlisberger suffered repeated sacks when the team was trying to run its two minute drill at the end of both halves. And Doug Legursky’s errant snap was another costly, untimely mistake. This unit had its moments and weathered some adversity, but ultimately the Steelers needed more. Grade: C-

Defensive Line
The Steelers lost Casey Hampton and Brett Kiesel early in the game, leaving them with just three healthy lineman. Ziggy Hood, Steve McLendon and Cameron Heyward did an excellent job of containing the Denver running game, but contributed next to nothing in the pass rush. Given the set of cirumstances they were forced to work with, this unit did OK. Grade: B-

Linebackers
LaMarr Woodley was not a pass rushing force but came up with a key fumble recovery, and Lawrence Timmons was second on the time in tackles with one tackle for a loss. And the unit did well in containing the run. But James Harrison was not a factor in the pass rush, and seemed bewildered as to how to read Tebow’s options. James Farrior was not much of a factor. The bottom line is the Steelers needed much, much more from this unit, and that was not to be found. Grade: D.

Secondary
Let’s give them this, Ryan Clark was out, Keenan Lewis was playing on a bad hamstring, and Cortez Allen was out. Even if you take all of these mitigating factors into account, the until still had a nightmare performance unlike anything that has been seen in decades. Ike Taylor topped off his career year with the worst game of his career. William Gay did play well, but where were the safeties on the Tebow’s multiple 40 plus throws? Whether by coaching, cockiness or happenstance, the DB’s were attempting to be ball hawks when they should have been focusing on limiting yards after the catch. Grade: F

Special Teams
Shaun Sushiam was 3-3 including a 45 yarder that hooked at just the right moment. Justin Kapionos boomed off punts with authority and the Denver return units never made any noise. That said, hats off to Denver’s kickers, as Antonio Brown didn’t get a chance to attempt any returns. The Steelers had a lot of weaknesses on display in Denver, but specials teams was not one of them. Grade: B

Coaching
The logic behind Dick LeBeau and Mike Tomlin's decision to force Tebow to beat the Steelers throwing is understandable, but his failure to adjust as Tebow’s 40 yard plus throws is not. Where was the pass pressure? Why was Tebow able to consistently draw blood with his option plays? The Steelers wracked up 400 yards but only 23 points, under performing on the road yet again. Over all, the Steelers did not appear to be focused or well prepared, although their persistence in the face of injury was impressive. Grade: D

Unsung Hero
Had the Steelers won the game Ben Roethlisberger, Isaac Redman, or perhaps even Shaun Suisham would have gotten the game ball. But this young man led the Steelers receiving crops, and did it and impressive way, reminding everyone of why he, and not Antonio Brown was the player coaches were touting for greatness heading into 2011, and for that Emmanuel Sanders is Unsung Hero for the Steelers Wild Card game.

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Maurkice Pouncey Out, Kirby Wilson Injured in Fire

Art Rooney II has got to be asking himself, “What next?”

With each passing day the news out of the South Side gets worse. First Ben Roethlisberger revealed that he suffered a set back vs. Cleveland. Then Maurkice Pouncey showed up on the injury report. Then word came that Pouncey was out for the playoff game vs. Denver.

Both those men are relatively lucky. The Post-Gazette reported that Pittsburgh Steelers running backs coach Kirby Wilson was burned badly when his town home caught fire last night.

The burns are reported to be moderate to severe, but not life threatening. He is reportedly under the care of UMCP-Mercy Hospital.

Steelers Running Game Reeling

This is just the latest blow that the Steelers running game has suffered, dating back to training camp. First rookie Barron Batch, who’d been the star of camp, tore his ACL at St. Vincents.

For the first three quarters of the regular season the position remained stable for the Steelers. Then Jonathan Dwyer injured himself in the Cincinnati game went on injured reserve. Then Mewelde Moore sprained an MCL vs. San Francisco.

Rashard Mendenhall appeared to be coming on strong as the Steelers were entering the stretch run, only to tear his ACL in the season finale vs. Cleveland.

Now they must rely on Isaac Redman to lead them, and Redman must do it without guidance from Wilson, the man whom he credits from helping him grow from being a practice squad wonder to a legitimate NFL running back.

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Injuries Limit Roethlisberger, Pouncey

“He has a high ankle sprain.”

Injury news of course gets much worse, but high ankle sprains appear almost to be a class into themselves. They’re not career threatening, nor (does it appear, yours truly has no medical expertise) does their long-term impact appear to be cumulative.

Nonetheless, high ankle sprains linger and linger.

As a fan it has always seemed that when a player suffers the dreaded “high ankle sprain” he’s effected by it for the rest of the year.

Fate would have it unfortunately that 2011 be the year that both Ben Roethlisberger and Maurkice Pouncey would offer “high ankle sprains.”

Both suffered them during the Thursday night game vs. Cleveland. Pouncey hasn’t played since, and after missing practice on Thursday might not play vs. Denver.

Ben Roethlisberger of course played in the next game vs. San Francisco, and in Steel Curtain Rising’s analysis, Roethlisberger had no business finishing that game after it became clear that injuries had drastically reduced his effectiveness.

At his weekly press conference Mike Tomlin said that Ben was fine, having suffered no further setbacks as a result of playing in the second victory vs. Cleveland.

Ben Roethlisberger told a different story, claiming that he had in fact hurt himself in the third quarter, and he missed practice on Wednesday but was back at it on Thursday.

Roethlisberger is some what of a drama queen when it comes to injuries, but Ed Bouchette noted on PG Plus that Roethlisberger looked hobbled in the locker room on Sunday after the game and he is expected to play.

The 2011 Steelers have over come a lot in terms of injuries, but suffice to say this is not the kind of news you want to read if your team’s about to play its first road playoff game in six years.

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Steelers to Put Mendenhall on Injured Reserve, Anthony Madison Returns

Today’s news confirmed the worst for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Rashard Mendenhall, as Ed Bouchette reports on PG Plus, as are numerous other sources reporting, the Mendenhall did in fact tear his ACL.

That leaves the team with 3 running backs heading into the playoffs, in the form of Isaac Redman, John Clay, and Mewelde Moore.

Mendenhall is not the only injury the Steelers suffered in defeating the Browns. They lost cornerbacks Keenan Lewis to a hamstring injury and Cortez Allen to a separated shoulder injury. While neither injury is expected to be season-ending, their availability for the playoff game in Denver has to be in doubt.

Factor in the fact that Ryan Clark will likely be unavailable to play, and the Steelers are mighty thin at defensive back for their first road playoff game since visiting Denver for the 2005 AFC Championship.

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Steelers Report Card vs. Browns at Cleveland Stadium

From the grade book of a teacher who just watched his star pupil do exactly what he needed to close out the semester, heading into final exams, so comes the Steelers report card for their victory over the Browns.

Quarterback
Ben Roethlisberger looked shaky early, missing key targets on several occasions. Roethlisberger was under orders to avoid “John Wayne” like heroics, which he did. But on a day when wind gusts of up to 50 miles an hour made throwing the ball a challenge, Ben Roethlisberger delivered enough to convert 50% of his team’s third downs, and lead his team to the games only touchdown. Ben will need to improve in the playoffs, but he did a very good job vs. the Browns. Grade: B

Running Backs
Rashard Mendenhall had 38 yards on 8 carries and looked to be in route to another great game when he was felled by a season-ending ACL tear. Isaac Redman stepped in and did a masterful job, barreling his way to just under 100 yards, although his two fumbles could have put the team in behind had the defense not been so stout. John Clay ran well on his 6 carries which is a welcome sign given the injury to Mendenhall. Grade: B

Wide Receivers
There looked to be some miscues between Ben and his receivers, but the bottom line is that his unit did enough to make plays. One week after questioning whether Antonio Brown deserved the MVP award, Brown showed his value by making highlight-reel worthy catches which have become a staple of his game. Hines Ward got five catches bringing him to 1000 yards receiving, a tremendous accomplishment that sets him in elite company. Grade: B

Offensive Line
Another week, another offensive line configuration for the Steelers. Maurkice Pouncey returned to action, helping anchor the line, and Trai Essex showed off why his versatility makes him such an asset to the team. Marcus Gilbert also returned to the starting line up, and the fact that he was in position to make a grab at the ball after Redman’s fumble is the mark of impressive hustle. Ben Roethlsiberger was only sacked 2 and the running backs averaged 4.5 yards a carry. The line was doing a lot right. Grade: B+

Defensive Line
The record will reflect that Peyton Hillis did get some long runs to make up his 30 yards. However, more often than not, there was no where to run. The Steelers defensive line did an outstanding job of collapsing the pocket and containing Hillis. Ziggy Hood and Brett Keisel both had batted down passes and Keisel forced a fumble. Casey Hampton had one tackle for a loss. Grade: B+

Linebackers
James Harrison failed to register a sack, but there were plenty of times that Seneca Wallace had to have felt his footsteps. James Farrior provided solid coverage in the middle and Jason Worilds, well, he didn’t make any critical mistakes. But Lawrence Timmons was all over the field, making tackles, defensing passes, tackling men in the backfiled and sacking the quarterback. The linebackers put in a solid effort, but they did let Seneca Wallace get away from them one too many times, something which they cannot allow Tim Tebow to do. Grade: B-

Secondary
This unit has turned itself around in a way that nobody had a right to predict. The Steelers defensive backs are playing crisp football with confidence. There was simply no way that Seneca Wallace was going to beat them. Every one of the starters made plays, whether it was Ryan Clark getting a sack, Ike Taylor and William Gay batting down balls, or Tory Polamalu knocking away balls, tackling guys in the backfield, or picking off Seneca Wallace. Grade: A

Special Teams
Shaun Suisham missed a long field goal that got caught in the wind, but he made good on his two other attempts. Antonio Brown provided solid, if not spectacular kick returns. Justin Kapinos boomed off four excellent punts. The real story of this game is the coverage units. Joshua Cribbs is a return man capable of hurting you badly, as Steelers fans know all too well. Yet Cribbs was a non-factor in a game where one big return could have been a huge difference maker. Grade: B+

Coaching
Mike Tomlin made the right move in starting Ben Roethlisberger. If Ben’s shakiness early in the game is any indicator, he needed to get his rhythm back and it was far better for him to do that vs. Cleveland than in the first quarter of a playoff game in Denver. Bruce Arians still needs to figure out a way to have his units do better in the Red Zone, but beyond that he devised a game plan to exploit Cleveland’s weaknesses. Dick LeBeau’s troops likewise made their coach look proud. Grade: B+

Unsung Hero
Two weeks ago he turned in a performance which led to legitimate questions about whether the Steelers had erred in resigning him before the season’s start. Vs. the Browns he was a force, getting an early sack, knocking away several balls, and making a key tackle on the final drive that kept his man in bounds with the clock ticking away. It was those kinds of little, but important plays that allowed the Steelers to leave Cleveland victoriously and for that reason Lawrence Timmons is the Unsung Hero for the game.

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Steelers Show Strong vs. Browns, Despite 13-9 Score

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been a weak road team in 2011. Going into the final game, Steel Curtain Rising suggested that contest at Cleveland Stadium would serve as a dress rehearsal for what would likely be a series of tests on the road to a shot at Lombardi Number 7.

In effect, the question was “Is it time to count style points?”

Well, the opponent was the 4-11 Browns, and the outcome was 13-9 with the losing team having at shot at an upset in the game final moments. How do you evaluate the Steelers performance in this dress rehearsal? Given that Baltimore took care of business in Cincinnati, is the glass proverbial half full or half empty?

For Steel Curtain Rising, the glass is half full, the reasons for which we explain below.

Steelers vs. the Browns, Football As It Should Be

Credit, (once again) Tim Gleason of Behind the Steel Curtain. In his capacity as Steeler historian, the author of From Black to Gold has done his part to educate the younger members of Steelers Nation on the nature of the Steelers Browns rivalry.

Gleason’s contention is, that for all of its greatness, the Steelers-Ravens rivalry is more about the two biggest dogs on the block fighting for the same bone. I am not sure if I agree completely with Gleason on this front. I have likewise found it difficult to raise my anti-Cleveland ire ever since Art Modell ripped the heart out of his community by moving his team to Baltimore in 1995.
But Gleason was certainly right on one thing, the Browns take this rivalry seriously, and they proved it on the field.

The game at Cleveland Stadium had everything you could want in a classic AFC North match up. Hard hits, players leaving with injuries, timely turnovers, fierce bone-chilling winds, and to top it all off, snow. These Browns had nothing to play for, but neither team left anything on the field.

A 13-9 win over a 4-12 might not seem to be the ideal dress rehearsal for a Lombardi run, until you consider the context laid out above.

Over Coming Adversity

Ben Roethlisberger was played hurt. LaMarr Woodley was out and in the course of the game the Steelers lost Keenan Lewis, Cortez Allen, and worse yet, Rashard Mendenhall.

That’s a lot to overcome, but the Steelers did want they needed to do to win the game and, if you look beyond the scoreboard, they did it in impressive fashion:

• A week after gouging the Ravens for 112, Peyton Hillis was ineffective vs. the Steelers defense gaining only 30 yards
• Isaac Redman fumbled twice in the fourth quarter, but Cleveland got zero points off of it
• Losing the turnover battle (again) the Steelers won the turnover war by converting Polamalu’s pick into gold in the form of the game’s only touchdown
• Ben Roethlisberger looked shaky for much of the first half, but was sharp enough to drive the team 70 yards to get Pittsburgh on the board

Meanwhile, on a day when the wind made airing the ball out dicely proposition, the Steelers running backs put up 161 yards rushing, and Ben Roethlisberger managed to connect with nine different receivers.

Strong Secondary

One of the many amazing stories of the 2011 Pittsburgh Steelers is the turnaround of its secondary.

The defensive backs ended 2009 as a shell-shocked unit who had let two games bounce off of their hands. Led by the return of Troy Polamalu, the unit bounced back in 2010, but ultimately Aaron Rogers exposed weaknesses that were so great, that they became to be seen as lethal liabilities during the 2011 off season.

The Steelers, it seemed, had doomed themselves by not trading up to get a top defensive back in the draft, instead "settling" for Cameron Heyward.

No, the Steelers didn’t get a top corner in the draft, but the did something which might have had more impact – they brought back Carnell Lake to coach their secondary.

13 months ago as the Steelers departed the field in Arlington, Texas, William Gay was considered to be a back up nickel back at best and Keenan Lewis a failed project. Under Carnell Lake's guidance, both men have grown into being confident, compotent members of the NFL's number 1 pass defense.

Seneca Wallace had to throw in the same wind as Ben Roethlisberger. Wallace isn’t the quarterback that Roethlisberger is, but also wasn’t hurt. Wallace did however, have the misfortune to throw against the Steelers secondary.

The Steelers defense was all over the Browns receivers, knocking away balls, taking away easy check down routes, and throttling guys after the catch.

• Troy Polamalu made the defining play of the game with his interception in the third quarter.

The Steelers had just tied the game, after consuming much of the clock, and Polamalu’s pick snuffed out Cleveland’s chance to match Pittsburgh blow for blow.

After that it only took Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Antonio Brown, and ultimately Isaac Redman to find the end zone.

The Steeler did leave plenty to find fault with in the Browns game – they lost the turnover battle and struggled to score in the Red Zone.

But even if we accept that from Polamalu’s interception onwards, one thing was clear:

• The Steelers were going to, and did make whatever plays were necessary to win.

That’s not a bad formula to take into the playoffs.

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Steelers Defeat Browns, Mendenhall Feared Lost

The Pittsburgh Steelers closed out there 2011 regular season with a workman like 13-9victory over their historic rivals, the Cleveland Browns.

The victory, however, counts as bittersweet by any measure. The Cincinnati Bengals were unable to upset the Baltimore Ravens, meaning that the Ravens win the AFC North on the strength of tie breakers.

And, perhaps worse yet, the Steelers fear that Rashard Mendenhall has suffered a torn ACL, meaning his season will end.

The torn ACL suggestion was reported by ESPN at 10:23 Eastern Time. The Tribune Review did not report the ACL tear, in a report filed by Scott Brown at 8:23 Eastern time, but they did confirm that the Steelers fear Mendenhall is lost for the post-season.

Check back tomorrow for a Steel Curtain Rising's full-game analysis.

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Antonio Brown Wins Pittsburgh Steelers 2011 MVP Award

In what amounts to a minor shock, the 2011 Pittsburgh Steelers have elected Antonio Brown as its 2011 MVP. Brown won the award despite not starting until mid-November, and not even leading the team in key receiving categories.

Brown, however, is reputed to be one of the hardest working members on the team, and has shown himself to be an incredible talent during the course of 2011. Brown is learning how to get himself open on key downs, moves well after the catch, and has some of the best hands this team has ever seen.

So congratulations to Antonio Brown.

With that said however, it is hard to argue that Brown really deserved the award, although perhaps its easy to understand how it came to him.

The 2011 Steelers are a team in flux. Veterans like Aaron Smith, Chris Hoke, Bryant McFadden, and yes, Hines Ward, are waning, and younger players are coming to the forefront.

• 2010 Steelers MVP Troy Polamalu has had a fabulous year, but has played much of the year at the line of scrimmage, and hasn’t had the interceptions of a year ago.
• Mike Wallace started the year off gang busters, but saw his production dip on the second half.
• Both James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley have raised hell in opponents back fields, but both men have missed large portions of the season to injury.

The only player that really stands out is Ben Roethlisberger, whose play has been consistent throughout the year, and has shown incredible toughness in playing with injuries that would fell a lesser soul. Roethlisberger won the Steelers MVP award in 2009, and in Steel Curtain Rising's view, deserved it this year.

My guess is that the voting was spilt pretty evenly, with Brown having the fortue to come out on top.

Marcus Gilbert, James Farrior Also Honored

Second round pick Marcus Gilbert, who stepped in to start after Willie Colon’s season ended because of an injury suffered in the Debacle at Baltimore, won the 2011 Rookie of the Year Award. (Now, someone tell me, when did they stop calling it the PNC Bank Joe Greene Rookie of the Year Award? Dropping the corporate sponsorship is one thing, but Joe Greene is Joe Greene).

While Gilbert is not the only rookie to contribute – Cameron Heyward has played well as well as Cortez Allen and Curtis Brown, but Gilbert has been the most consistent.

The Pittsburgh press Corps also named James Farrior as the 2011 “Chief Award” winner, given to the member of the Steelers locker room who is most cooperative with the media.

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Browns Game at Cleveland Stadium Gives Steelers Dress Rehearsal for Playoffs

NFL Week 17 finds Steelers Nation not focusing on Cleveland Stadium, where the Black and Gold will conclude their season, but 250 miles or so down I-71 at Paul Brown Stadium.

The reason of course is that the Cincinnati Bengals need to win to qualify for the playoffs, and to do so they conveniently need to vanquish the Baltimore Ravens, who if they lose can cede the AFC North Division championship to the Steelers.

…If the Steelers win at Cleveland, of course.

Steel Curtain Rising is certainly not looking past the Browns, a team who just two years ago gave Pittsburgh the most bitter upset of the Mike Tomlin era on the shores of Lake Eire.

But the Steelers should beat the Browns and probably will. (And if they don’t, they richly deserve whatever early playoff exit awaits them.) Given that, how the Steelers win might be just as important.

Time to Count Style Points...?

“We don’t add style points.” Mike Tomlin’s right. All of the Steelers wins and losses hold equal value. For tie breaking purposes the Debacle in Baltimore might as well have been an overtime loss decided by a safety scored with one second remaining.

True as that is, the 2011 Pittsburgh Steelers have a Dr. Jekyll-Mr. Hyde quality to them. At home they’re legitimate Super Bowl contenders. On the road they’re more like a team lucky to be at .500.

The 2011 Pittsburgh Steelers at Home

Record: 7-1
Avg. Points Scored: 25
Avg. Points Allowed: 10
Turnovers: 8
Sacks: 28

The 2011 Pittsburgh Steelers on the Road

Record: 4-3
Avg. Points Scored: 15
Avg. Points Allowed: 20
Turovers: 18
Sacks: 5

Certainly, those road numbers are a little skewed by the opener vs. Baltimore which alone counts for 40% of the turnovers. But the Steelers wins vs. the Colts and Chiefs were far like escapes than “victories.” Even the win vs. Arizona got to be a lot closer than it should have been. The Steelers pass rush on the road is a mere shadow of its Heinz Field presence.

And even in the best-case scenario, at shot at Lombardi Number Seven is going to require the Steelers to win once on the road, and quite probably 3 games. And the quarterbacks in question won’t have last names like Painter and Plako, but rather names like Palmer, Flacco and Brady.

The Steelers are sixteen games into the 2011 NFL season and they still find themselves unable to play their best ball while on the road.

Coaches are fond of saying that a team starts a new season when the playoffs begin. For the 2011 Pittsburgh Steelers to make good on that old coaching proverb, they must they must excel in the final road contest of their old one.

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Steelers Report Card vs. the Rams

My 8th Grade World Stuides teacher Mr. Baker used to have what he called “Gimmies” meaning, I give you the assignment, you do it, and you get an ‘A.’ More often than giving ‘A’s’ Mr. Baker gave us “This was a gimme, and you blew it” brow beatings. The Steelers game the Rams amounted to the NFL’s equivalent of a “Gimmie” and the Steelers took full advantage. Here goes the Steelers Report Card for their Christmas Eve shut out of the Rams; as always no other report cards have been consulted.

Quarterback
Charlie Batch got his first start in well over a year, and did respectably. He evaded pressure, directed three touchdown drives, and hit 7 receivers. His interception was not “his fault,” but then he also had a couple of other near interceptions. While Batch was certainly “above the line” the Steelers 1-7 third down conversion rate brings his grade down. Grade: B

Running Backs
Rashard Mendenhall had a career game. Even if you take out his 52 yard run he still had a respectable 3.7 yard per carry average, and he was fabulous on his 35 yard catch and run. Isaac Redman ran hard on his 8 carries, and John Clay hit pay dirt on his first NFL carry. Grade: A

Wide Receivers
Mike Wallace gave a plesant reminder of why he’s one of the NFL’s most dangerous receivers. Hines Ward had four grabs as did Antiono Brown who also turned what looked to be a broken reverse/pass option play into a nice 8 yard run. Health Miller and David Johnson also got into the act. This group did well, but like Batch, they must bear some responsibility for the poor third down conversion rate. Grade: B

Offensive Line
Raise your hand if you held your breath when Doug Legursky got hurt. In spite of yet another line up change, the offensive line did well, with Jonathan Scott subbing for Marcus Gilbert, and Chris Kemoeatu returning to the starting line up without drawing attention to himself. Through it all, the pass protection remained solid and the run blocking crisp. Grade: A-

Defensive Line
Ziggy Hood had a nice stat sheet, but had difficulty in run support. Brett Kiesel had two defensed passes. Cameron Heyward got playing time on key downs. The unit did well, but their grade must nonetheless reflect Steve Jackson’s 100 yard rushing performance. Grade: B-

Linebackers
James Harrison was a beast, wreaking havoc in the backfield. Lawrence Timmons also made his presence known, while James Farrior and Larry Foote held up well on the inside. Jason Worilds, however was largely invisible during the game and his run support ability must improve. Still, Harrison and Timmons ability to make impact play save this unit from getting a minus attached to its letter. Grade: B

Secondary
St. Louis signal caller Kellen Clemens was 37.5% pass on the day. In addition to shutting down the Ram’s passing attack, Troy Polamalu, William Gay, registered tackles for losses, while also defending passes. Keenan Lewis also had a key pass defense. An excellent outing for the Steelers secondary. Grade: A

Special Teams
Shaun Suisham nailed a 49 yard field goal when the score was only 10-0, and did well on kickoffs. Justin Kapinos boomed the ball off for a 47 yard punting average, and Antonio Brown made good on his lone kick return by bringing the ball back 30 yards. The coverage units were solid. The Steelers didn’t need any fireworks from their special teams, but got quality play all around, including a fake punt which could have given St. Louis the momentum needed to make a game of it. Grade: B+

Coaching
This game went as scripted, and credit for that in large part goes to the coaches. The Steelers were playing without a number of key starters and injuries took their toll during the game, but you wouldn’t know it looking at the score board. St. Louis success at rushing the ball is the lone eye brow raiser here, but all in all Mike Tomlin and his coaching staff did a very good job. Grade: B+

Unsung Hero
Third round picks are supposed to develop into starters in today’s NFL. And the Steelers certainly had that in mind when they picked this young man. Unfortuantely, the said individual, despite multiple shots, has never been able to nail down a starting job. And maybe that’s for the best, because in his fighting to justify a roster spot year in and year out, this gentleman quietly enabled himself to bring another asset to the table – versatility.

Trai Essex will never be a stud offensive lineman in the NFL, but he’s grown into a player who can, has and does step into any of the five offensive line positions at a moment’s notice, and that versatility was on display yet again this past Sunday, and for that Trai Essex is the Unsung Hero for the Steelers victory over the St. Louis Rams.

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Reflections on the Steelers Win Over St. Louis

The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a checkered history playing on Christmas Eve.

In 1994, they lost a seemingly meaningless game to a San Diego Chargers team that would inflict one of the worst playoff losses in franchise history just a few weeks later.

In 1995 the Steelers, playing basically their second team, went toe-to-toe vs. the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau and came within a dropped pass of winning.

The Steelers took care of business against the Rams in fine fashion. Be very clear on one point – shutting out another NFL team is not to be taken lightly.

Yes, the Rams have one of the worst offenses in the NFL. But the Steelers did what they were supposed to – dominate the scoreboard.

This group of Pittsburgh Steelers certainly has a couple of games and, specifically one drive, that they would like to have back. They’ve won ugly at times. But they’ve avoided dropping a game to a manifestly inferior team, which is the mark of a winner.

Steve Jackson of course did gain 100 yards, and I’ll point you to Neal Coolong’s analysis of that breakdown over at Behind the Steel Curtain.

But if the lapse in the run defense is nothing to ignore, nor is it worth tying yourself up in knots over – Steve Jackson is a phenomenal rusher who has had the misfortune to be trapped on some mediocre teams.

With an eye towards the playoffs, several postives stood out:

• James Harrison makes this defense so much better

Yours truly is of course not the first to say this (the forementioned Neal Coolong did just that), but there is no denying it. Harrison was a force as aways, despite getting held, and his presence as much as anything else contributed to forcing St. Louis to lay eggs in its Christmas stockings.

• Mike Wallace got back to doing what he does.

Earlier in the week Ed Bouchette had chronicled on PG Plus how this season had broken down neatly in two halves for Wallace, one spectacular, the other pedestrian.

Wallace was back to spectacular Saturday vs. St. Louis. He only had 4 catches, but one of those was for 46 yards, and it iced the game.

Doing it against the Rams is one thing and doing it against New England, Oakland, and Baltimore in the post season is another. But if Sunday was a sign of the way Wallace is trending, then the Steelers can go places in the playoffs

• Rashard Mendenhall ran like a stud.

When Mendenhall is hot, he’s among the top 6 or 7 rushers in the league. When he’s not its difficult to distinguish him from the rest.

Mendenhall simply tore it up on Sunday, both as a rusher and as a receiver, notching gains of both 35 and 52 yards. It was one of Mendenhall’s career performances, and if Mendenhall is similarly motivated in the playoffs, the Steelers will have a shot at the mountain top.

• Charlie Batch played well

Charlie Batch did a lot of good things against St. Louis. His only interception was not his fault. He managed the game well, and took advantage of the weapons at his disposal. On the negative side, and perhaps this is why the coaches stubbornly kept Ben in vs. San Francisco, the Steelers were woeful on third down.

• Welcome to the NFL, John Clay

Clay, according to Neal Coolong, looked bad in practice, but tearing 10 yards through the middle of the defense to score a touchdown on your first NFL touch is a good way tos start….

• Alert - Lawrence Timmons sighting

Lawrence Timmons played well, at least in the pass pressure game, leading the team for in tackles, making two tackles for losses and registering a sack and two more QB hits. Timmons is most certainly one of the players the Steelers need to see more from in the playoffs, adding more zing to the bounce back.

Of course, unless the Steelers can learn to play better on the road, a lesson they must learn very quickly, few will remember any of the stats and trends to come out of the St. Louis game, but you can’t ask for much more than 27-0 victory on Christmas Eve performance.

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Steelers Shut Out Rams 27-0

The Steelers closed out their home games with a resounding win over the St. Louis Rams. Like many, I had to watch the game while doing preparing for Christmas.

What else can we say, good game for the defnese, good game for Charlie Batch, good game for Mike Wallace, good game for Lawrence Timmons.

Steel Curtain Rising will be back in a few days with a complete analysis.

Until then, Merry Christmas everyone!

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Steelers Report Card vs. 49ers

From the grade book of a teacher whose sorely disappointed that his star pupil squandered term paper that he needed to give him a much needed cushion heading into final exams, so goes the Steelers report card for going splat against the 49ers. As always, no other grades have been consulted.

Quarterback
What were Ben Roethlisberger’s final numbers? Who knows. They are unimportant. The important stat that sticks out is 4 turnovers and 3 sacks. Ben Roethlisberger was playing with an injury that left him unable to deliver the deep ball, unable to evade pressure, and inaccurate much of the rest of the time. Does he deserve credit for sucking it up under such trying circumstances? Yes, and that’s what prevents his grade from being an out right failure. Grade: D

Running Backs
Rashard Mendenhall only ran for 64 yards, but he did that in just 15 carries against the NFL’s number one rushing defense. Its not his fault that the team chose to run merely 18 times on the night when their quarterback was hurting. Issac Redman seems to have played better than ESPN’s statistics note, but number don’t like. Mewelde Moore had a nice 21 yard run before he got hurt. Grade: B

Wide Receivers
Health Miller was the best player in this unit, although he should have caught the ball that ended up being Ben’s second pick – yes the ball was high. Jericho Cotchery did well late in the game. Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown also played well on a difficult night. Still, if the Steelers got good play out of their receivers, they needed exceptional play. Grade: B-

Offensive Line
The offensive line missed Maurkice Pouncey out there, but nonetheless played well. They did get called for several penalties in the second half, but those were largely academic. The unit actually gave Ben Roethlisberger decent time to throw, but Roethlisberger was unable to take advantage. Likewise, Mendenhall had room to run, but line wasn’t controlling the line of scrimmage with the kind of conviction that was necessary to control this kind of game. Grade: C+

Defensive Line
The San Francisco’s rushers didn’t dominate, but did do enough to keep drives moving. The defensive line did seem to get some pressure on Alex Smith early on, but that pressure was neither consistent nor effective down the stretch. Still, this unit gets credit for forcing two field goals early in the game. Grade: B-

Linebackers
Lawrence Timmons got burned repeatedly and looked nothing like the dominating player he appeared to be growing into during the first half of 2010. LaMarr Woodley was not effective. Jason Worilds was a non-factor. James Farrior got beaten badly when the Steelers could least afford it. The Steelers had no sacks and one QB knock down against a quarterback that will let you beat him if you apply enough pressure. Grade: D+

Secondary
The effort of the secondary was inconsistent. Troy Polamalu and Ryan Clark made key tackle after key tackle, and the Steelers kept San Francisco to 4-13 on third down conversions. Still, things could have been better had Alex Smith not missed some wide open receivers. All in all, however, the secondary’s performance was above the line. Grade: B

Special Teams
Keenan Lewis forced what should have been a potentially game changing fumble. Lawrence Timmons got called on a penalty that ultimately made the score 20-3 instead of 16 to 3. Suisham was 1-1 on long kicks – about the best you can expect. Antonio Brown made a few mistakes but put in a solid game. Special teams could have given the Steelers a spark, but it is hard to find fault with their performance. Grade: B-

Coaching
Mike Tomlin coached the worst game of his professional life. Starting Ben Roethlisberger was a good move, keeping him in the game cost the Steelers a shot at home field advantage in the playoffs. Keeping him in the game was inexcusable. With Bruce Arians you have a mixed bag – throwing 44 times against the NFL’s number 1 defense is understandable, throwing 44 times with a wounded quarterback is not. Grade: F

Unsung Hero
To paraphrase Gerry Dulac’s words, there were lots of chances for someone from the Steelers defense to be a hero against the 49ers, yet that hero never materialized.

Nonetheless, on a night when the offense was struggling as bad as it has in recent memory, the defense kept the Steelers in the game deep into the fourth quarter. Absent “splash” plays, that only happens if guys are making quick, smart plays on a down-by-down basis. One man did that through the whole game, registering two tackles for losses and defensing two passes. For his consistent, productive play, Ryan Clark is Steel Curtain Rising's unsung hero of the 49ers game.

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Steelers Go SPLAT in San Francisco, Squander Opportunity

As coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin has steadfastly deflected credit for his player’s accomplishments. “Coaches simply put players in position to make plays” is one variation of Tomlin’s oft repeated mantra.

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a golden opportunity to leap ahead of Baltimore and New England by beating the San Francisco 49ers.

Taking advantage of that opportunity involved many factors, but none bigger than the decision to play Ben Roethlisberger or not.

• Tomlin mishandled that decision.

“Mishandled,” is generous, Mike Tomlin perhaps made his worst decision in almost 5 years as the Steelers head coach.

Meet Ben Roethlisberger, The Mortal

Ben Roethlisberger is the toughest quarterback in the NFL. Ben’s toughness is both physical and mental. Ben’s ability to excel in the face of injury is legendary, from the Jacksonville game in 2008 all the way to his performance on Thursday night two weeks ago, is legendary.

Ben Roethlisberger is one of the great gamers in league history. And if the medical staff cleared him to play, and if the coaches thought he’d shown enough in practice, then Mike Tomlin made the right decision in start him.

• It is one thing decide start a wounded quarterback, it is another thing to stubbornly stick to that decision.

And in Yoda speak, stubborn stick Mike Tomlin did.

Yes, the Steelers moved the ball well against the 49ers. But the Ben Roethlisberger interceptions killed the first two drives, which offered promise. That alone should have jolted Tomlin towards considering a switch.

The end of the first half should have clarified the need to switch. Down only by 6, the Steelers had a chance to get on the board.

• But Ben Roethlisberger was too injured to run the hurry up offense.

During the second half there were numerous times when Ben attempted to evade passers in the way that only he can do, and nearly all of those times he either took a sack, threw the ball away, or couldn’t deliver it to his receivers.

The Steelers have one of the deepest quarterbacking bull pens in the NFL. (No, they do not have the Joe Montana-Steve Young tag team that the 49ers had in the late ‘80’s, but then again, who does?)

But Charlie Batch is 4-2 as a starter and Dennis Dixon is 2-1 as a starter. Why not play one?

If Charlie Batch shouldn’t have started the second half for the Steelers (and he should have) then he certainly should have gone in the game as soon as the 49ers went up 13 to 3 late in the third quarter, making the game a two-score contest.

The Steelers needed to get on the board twice. Shaun Suisham is a crap shoot, and Roethlisberger wasn’t leading any quick strike offense. Yet, Tomlin stuck with Roethlisberger.

Almost on queue, the next series played out like this:

• Ben Roethlisberger took the Steelers from their 20 to the San Fran 30, where they ran once for no gain, threw two incompletion, and Suisham missed a 48 yarder
• The defense, responded, forcing a 49ers 3 and out

By this point the 4th quarter had begun with Roethlisberger still under center.

• After moving the Steelers from the 8 to the 28, Ben Roethlisberger suffered a strip-sack.

That gave the ball to San Fran at the 17 and 6 plays and, get this -- a leaping penalty on Lawrence Timmons – later, they went up 20-3.

Scoring 17 points in 9 minutes in the 4th quarter on the road in the NFL is difficult but possible. But it is pure fantasy when your quarterback can’t throw beyond 15 yards and takes 30 seconds to get down field after a gain of more than 10 yards.

Yet Tomlin refused to put in Charlie Batch, which only served to subject Ben Roethlisberger to even more punishment.

A Word About the Steelers Defense

The Steelers defense has played better. Lawrence Timmons confirmed himself as 2011’s tremendous disappointment. LaMarr Woodley was inconsistent and ineffective. The Steelers needed something special from its defense, and did not get it from Troy Polamalu or any of the emerging players in the secondary.

But the defense only allowed 20 points against a San Francisco offense that benefited from 4 turnovers and started drives at its 27, 38, 47 and 47 yard lines in addition to starting two others at Pittsburgh’s 45 and 17 yard lines.

A “splash” play or two from Pittsburgh’s defense could have been a difference maker, and none was forthcoming. Considering the load they were asked to carry, coming down too hard on the defense is unfair.

Just Down or Down and Out?

The Steelers squandered a tremendous opportunity against San Francisco. Players take their cue from their leaders, and Ben’s slow, wounded and ineffective performance set the tone for the rest of the troops.

The 49ers game had a make or break feel to it.

• The question now is this loss devastating enough to take the wind out of the Steelers sails?

The answer lies with Mike Tomlin. His stubborn refusal to switch quarterbacks cost his team a chance to dramatically alter the AFC playoff calculus in their favor.

With Pittsburgh back to facing Wild Card status, Tomlin’s challenge is to find a way to coax road wins out of a team that plays far better at home.

In meeting that challenge Mike Tomlin must prove to be more flexibile than he was Monday night vs. the 49ers.

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Tomlin Chokes on Roethlisberger Decision, Steelers Lose to 49ers

It's 3:00 am here in Buenos Aires. Thank God for the use or lose vacation day I am taking on Tuesday. We'll have more in the morning here is my quick take, and it ain't pretty:

Steel Curtain Rising is a Mike Tomlin fan. Steel Curtain Rising is on record saying it is tantamount to a crime that he's never gotten serious consideration for NFL coach of the year. Beyond that, Steel Curtain Rising:

• Likes Mike Tomlin’s refusal to coach scared
• Admires Tomlin's aggressiveness
• Defends his audacity, be it the decision to go for 2 in '07 or the on-sides kick vs. Green Bay in '09

But Mike Tomlin perhaps saw his worst night of coaching vs. the San Francisco 49ers. Ben Roethlisberger wanted to play, and Tomlin wanted to play him. That's easy to understand. Tomlin decided to give it a shot. No argument here. When things got rough, Mike Tomlin refused to give into knee-jerk reactions. All well and good.

If one concedes that Ben showed enough to be given a chance to make a go of it, one can also argue about when Ben Roethlisberger should have been taken out.

But there is no disputing "IF" Ben Roethlisberger should have been taken out.

The Steelers have invested heavily, if in terms of decision making if not acutal money and salary cap space, in quarterbacking bull pen. Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon are there for a reason.

In fact, Charlie Batch is 4-2 in relief of Ben, having won against some long odds.

By the middle of the third quarter the game was still quite winnable for Pittsburgh, it was clear that Ben Roethlisberger did not give them their best chance to win.

As the second half wore on the need for a miracle became more and more apparent, and it was more and more apparent that Ben was not going to deliver that miracle. Worse yet, with no need to fear the run the 49ers brought a heavy pass rush, and Ben absorbed more and more punishment -- how his ankle cannot be worse after tonight is beyond me.

Mike Tomlin is an excellent coach who inspires his men, commands their respects, and knows how to win football games.

But on this night Tomlin had a key decision to make, and he made the wrong decision.

Standing behind your man is one thing, being constant as the North Star is another, and Mike Tomlin's obstinacy very well may have cost the Steelers the AFC North.

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Steelers at Make Or Break vs. 49er's?

If you haven't read Neal Coolong's article on Behind the Steel Curtain the Steeler-49er's match up yet, go do so now.

His point is that the Ravens loss to the Chargers means nothing if the Steelers do not win.

He's right. Now is the time when the true contenders seperate themselves from the Pack.

While it might be going out on a limb to say that tonights game is make or break for the Steelers, the blunt truth of the matter winning this game, and taking care of business in the next to weeks, makes it infintely more plausable that the Steelers can successfully trek the road that ends in Lombardi Number Seven.

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Steelers Make Playoffs, Shot at AFC North Championship Open...

The Pittsburgh Steelers qualified for the NFL's 2011 playoffs by virtue of the Tennessee Titans loss to the Colts. But that was not the only early Christmas present that the Steelers got.

The San Diego Chargers defeat of the Baltimore Ravens gives the Steelers a shot at the AFC North Championship.

While that is a welcome development, it also sharpens Mike Tomlin's dilemma -- Does he start Ben Roethlisberger and give his team a better shot at beating the San Francisco 49ers, or does he rest Roethlisberger to ensure that he's at full health for the playoffs?

During game days, Mike Tomlin rarely coaches scared, and he is already on record as saying that the Steelers are optimistic that Roethlisberger will play.

Regardless, the Steelers have their work cut out for them as the rejuvenated San Francisco 49ers are playing at home with their own fish to fry -- a shot at a first round bye in the NFC playoffs.

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Pittsburgh Steelers vs. San Francisco 49ers History

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers. The Steelers represented the Gold Standard for excellence in the 1970’s and the 49ers dominated the 1980’s. Time of course robbed history for a definitive match up between Titans of separate decades.

Nonetheless, the two franchises have played some memorable games, which we recount here. Click on the links below to relive a specific game, or simply scroll down to read them all.

1984, Chuck Noll & Mark Malone vs. Bill Walsh & Joe Montana I
1987, Chuck Noll & Mark Malone vs. Bill Walsh & Joe Montana II
1990, Rod Woodson vs. Jerry Rice I/YES, Kickoffs ARE Live Balls, Mr. Foster
1993, Rod Woodson vs. Jerry Rice II
1996, You Can’t Spot the 49ers 16 Points
1999, The Solar Flare, Before a TOTAL Eclipse
2003, Tommy Gun Misfires
2007, Make that 3-0 for Mike Tomlin...

Chuck Noll & Mark Malone vs. Bill Walsh & Joe Montana I"
Steelers 20, 49ers 17; October 14, 1984, Candlestick Park

Is there a more celebrated Steelers victory of the 1980’s? Who can say, but no matter what, this game nearly tops the list. The year was 1984, and the 49ers were steamrolling the league. In fact, were it not for one game, the 49ers would have been perfect.

This would be the first time that the duo of Chuck Noll and Mark Malone would square off against Bill Walsh and Joe Montana, and this game shows you why we play games instead of leaving the contest to Madden-like computer simulations. The Steelers matched San Fran with tough defense with smart ball control to keep the 49ers off balance the entire day, and in the process added the lone blemish to the 49ers would-be perfect season.

• For more on this game see One Sunday in October and #12 in the Steelers Greatest Non-Super Bowl Wins in History on Behind the Steel Curtain. Also see the Steel Curtain Rising's Chuck Noll vs. Bill Walsh series.

Chuck Noll & Mark Malone vs. Bill Walsh & Joe Montana II
Steelers 30, 49ers 17; September 13th, 1987, Three Rivers Stadium

Joe Montana finished the 1987 season with a 102.1 passer rating. Mark Malone finished the 1987 season with a 46.6 passer rating. And although Montana did outplay Malone on this fateful day, it wasn’t enough.

Rookie cornerback Delton Hall, linebacker Mike Merriweather, and veteran cornerback Dwayne Woodruff all picked off Montana’s passes. Delton Hall, who won the Steelers rookie of the year award only to fade, opened the game with a 50 yard fumble return to put the Steelers up by 7. Mark Malone only completed 9 of 33 passes, but one of those was for a touchdown to tight end Preston Gothard (who?). Ernest Jackson, Walter Abercrombie, Frank Pollard, Harry Newsome teamed to rush for 184 yards and a rookie named Merril Hoge caught his first NFL pass for 27 yards.

• With this win, Chuck Noll passed his mentor (and Walsh's mentor) Paul Brown on the NFL's all time win list

Rod Woodson vs. Jerry Rice I/YES, Kickoffs ARE Live Balls, Mr. Foster
49ers 27, Steelers 7; October 21st, 1990, Candlestick Park

The 49ers entered the game at 6-0 looking every bit the team en route to a 3 peat, while Pittsburgh entered with a 3-3 record, looking every bit like the team suffering from a hangover following the Steelers storybook 1989 season.

Joe Montana was on fire that year, but the Steelers came with a secret weapon – the NFL’s number one defense that had only given up 3 touchdown passes in 6 games. The Steelers felt they could win this game, if only they could avoid mistakes….

…And mistakes the Steelers made. Although Rod Woodson and Thomas Everett intercepted Montana twice, Joe Walton’s offense failed to capitalize. Barry Foster ‘forgot’ that uncaught kickoffs are live balls, setting up an easy San Fran TD, and a Charles Haley strip sack of Bubby Brister set up another. A 49er’s interception would stop any chance of a Pittsburgh comeback.

• In their first face off, Rod Woodson held Jerry Rice to 3 catches for just 31 yards.

Rod Woodson vs. Jerry Rice II
49ers 24, Pittsburgh 13; September 5th, 1993, Three Rivers Stadium

After taking the league by storm in 1992, the NFL scheduled what was to be one of their marquee match ups of opening day by pitting the Steelers vs. the 49ers on opening day at Three Rivers Stadium. With Neil O’Donnell on the sidelines with tendonitis during the first half the 49ers built up a 17-3 lead.

Neil O’Donnell came off the bench to get Pittsburgh back in the game narrowing the score to 17-13, before Steve Young connected with Brent Jones for a touchdown, making the Steelers regret that Chuck Noll cut tight end whose sin was to be a better pass catcher than run blocker.

• In his second match up with Rice, Rod Woodson held him to just 78 yards, but 2 of Rice's 8 catches were for touchdowns…

You Can’t Spot the 49ers 16 Points (and Expect to Win)
49ers 25, Steelers 15; December 15th, 1996, Three Rivers Stadium

It was a tricky time for the Steelers. Already with 10 wins and the division title in the bag, a first round playoff bye remained in their grasp…

…But Mike Tomzack was faltering as the team’s starter, and injuries had ravaged the team all season. The Steelers gave up a quick touchdown, and then a safety to spot the 49ers 9 points. If memory serves, another turnover set up the 49ers next score, putting the Steelers in the hole 16-0.

The Steelers rebounded scoring 15 with touchdowns from Jerome Bettis and Kordell Stewart. But it was not enough as the 49ers also scored a Terrell Owens touchdown and kicked a field goal.

• In their final match up, Rod Woodson again held Jerry Rice under 100 yards, although Rice did score a touchdown with one of his 8 catches.

Solar Flare, Before a Total Eclipse
Steelers 27, 49ers 6; November 7, 1999, Candlestick Park

After watching the 49ers both beat them 3 straight times and beat them to one for the thumb this was supposed to be the one that Steelers fans had been waiting for. And on paper it was. The Steelers jumped to a 17-3 first half lead on the strength of Jerome Bettis and Hines Ward touchdowns and a field goal. The Steelers dominated the score board winning the game 27-3.

After a 2-3 start, the Steelers had now won 3 straight to improve to 5-3. All looked well but… the 49ers Charlie Garner rushed for 166 yards. The following week Kordell Stewart’s fumbled snap led to the upset at the hands of the expansion Browns.

• The ensuring quarterback controversy would dominate the news, but the failing defense, as Joel Steed’s knees gave way, was one of the under reported stories of the Steelers 1999 meltdown.

Tommy Gun Misfires
49ers 30, Steelers 27; November 17, 2003, Candlestick Park

Tommy Maddox had been the 2003 version of Tebowmania having gone from out of football, to the XFL, to resurrecting the Steelers 2002 season. Alas, 2003 was not as kind to Maddox, as the Steelers pass defense struggled, injuries decimated the offensive line, and Cover 2 defenses frustrated Maddox. The ’03 Steelers had gone 2-1 before losing five straight. By the time they were 2-6 they mounted the “win a game, lose a game” see-saw.

Unfortunately, the Steelers trip to San Francisco came on the downside of that see-saw. San Francisco opened a 14-0 lead at the end of the first half, and the Steelers feigned making go at it by scoring the first touchdown in the second half, but the 49ers would score 20 unanswered points until Tommy Maddox hooked up with Randel El for a final, face saving touchdown.

Make that 3-0 for Mike Tomlin...
Steelers 37, 49ers 15; September 23, 2007, Heinz Field

Just two weeks earlier Steelers Nation had no idea about what to make of Mike Tomlin, the man who leapfrogged Russ Grimm to succeed Bill Cowher. By the time the 49ers arrived at Heinz Field, Tomlin was already 2 and 0 and notched his third win at San Francisco’s expense.

What stands out when looking at the stat sheet is that role players made all of the splash plays for the Steelers that day. Allen Rosseum got his 15 minutes of fame as a Steeler with a 98 yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Jerame Tuman caught the only touchdown pass, and Najeh Davenport ran for 39 yard touchdown, while Bryant McFadden had a 50 yard pick six.

On defense the story was a little different, as then starter Bryant McFadden had a 50 yard pick six and veteran James Farrior and rookie LaMarr Woodley both sacked Alex Smith.

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