Steelers Get Their Revenge; Beat Ravens Without Roethlisberger, 23-20

726 straight days, 15 games in a row at home and the last 12 games in the AFC North. The Ravens streak now reads zero.

And on the 727th day, the Steelers rested.

More important for the fans may have been the fact that the Baltimore Ravens (9-3) were 5-0 when the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) were without Ben Roethlisberger. Thanks to Charlie Batch, James Harrison and Heath Miller, that's no longer an issue.

After they did all the heavy lifting, wunderkind Shaun "Sushi" Suisham batted clean up and sent one through the uprights to bring the Steelers a hard-fought 23-20 victory over their hated rivals. - http://tinyurl.com/c2lx4pt

Uncle Charlie Batch, 38 on Wednesday, was 25-36 passing for 276 yards and was the Steelers Digest Player of the Week. It was the most yards that Uncle Charlie has thrown for as a Steelers quarterback. And it was certainly his biggest victory as a Steelers starter.

He also threw a touchdown pass to Heath Miller for the tying score. It was Miller's 38th career touchdown, passing Elbie Nickel for the most touchdowns for a tight end in Steelers franchise history. He had five catches total for 97 yards.

Harrison's strip sack, recovered by Ziggy Hood, late in the game led to the touchdown in question as the Silverback welcomed Michael Oher (more commonly know to Steelers fans as "Deebo's b**ch) back to the blind side. He finished with seven tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.

Then kicker Shaun "Sushi" Suisham drove home a 42-yard field goal as time expired to cement the win, his 7th career game-winning field goal.

Running back Jonathan Dwyer rushed for 49 yards and scored the other touchdown - the first of his career.

The Steelers rebounded from last week’s disaster-ridden, turnover-laden game and "only" gave it away three times. Even those shouldn't have happened, and the Steelers paid for them early.

A trick play of a fake end-around from wide receiver Antonio Brown across the field to Jonathan Dwyer was intercepted by Ravens cornerback Corey Graham. Four plays later, Flacco hit Anquan Boldin for a 28-yard touchdown.

Emmanuel Sanders inexplicably lost handle of the ball as he tried to secure it by switching hands. Instead of tucking the ball away, he coughed it up and lost his second fumble in as many games. It was the ninth lost fumble for the Steelers as a whole in the last four games.

What's worse is that he so open that there was nothing in front of him but grass. With his speed it would easily have been a touchdown.

Six plays after Sanders' fumble, Ray Rice scored on a 34-yard run. Rice had only 34 yards rushing up to that point. He finished with 78 yards on the ground.

The other was an ill-advised throw over the middle that was intercepted by (who else?) Ed Reed. Uncle Charlie is 15-year veteran. He should know that you never throw it late over the middle. Especially when Reed is playing centerfield. Bad decision. Bad throw. Bad results.

Earlier in the game Uncle Charlie had actually overthrown Mike Wallace who was wide open in the back of the end zone as a result of a mix-up in coverage. A play similar to what happened with Wallace against the Oakland Raiders earlier in the year. Big Ben hit Wallace on that play for the touchdown. Uncle Charlie's pass hit someone's Terrible Towel in the first row.

Ultimately, though, that last gaff didn't matter because the Steelers bounced back as they had all game. Mainly by way of the Harrison forced fumble and sack.

After Reed picked Batch in the end zone, the Silverback made his biggest play of the season. That led to a 7-yard touchdown pass to Miller who scored by stretching forward and, keeping his foot from stepping out of bounds, hitting the pylon with the ball.

Then the Steelers defense, the No. 1 unit in the NFL, got the ball back for the Steelers and Uncle Charlie completed all five passes on the final drive for 45 yards to get the Steelers in field-goal range. - http://tinyurl.com/bqkqkrr

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, who is usually better at home, was streaky throughout, finishing 16 of 34 for 188 (177 minus the sacks) yards, one interception and the fumble.

This was a telling game for the Ravens. They might just be third best team in AFC North at present. They have a big lead, yes, but the Steelers were the better team in both games against them. Baltimore actually should have lost to Leftwich too. Now they go to Washington and could lose there next week with the threats the Redskins have. If so, watch out.

Think about it: Could they have gone into Pittsburgh and beaten the Steelers and Big Ben with their back up quarterback, let alone their third stringer? Not. A. Chance. The next four weeks will be telling.

Maybe another streak has already started.

~

TIDBITS: In his post-game press conference, Mike Tomlin said Emmanuel Sanders suffered a shoulder joint sprain, but he did return and should be fine for next week.

Fullback Will Johnson may have suffered a concussion. More on him later.

Tomlin said Ike Taylor needs an MRI after suffering an ankle/lower leg injury. Per Pro Football Talk, league source says Ike has fibula injury; fears are that it could be significant, 2-6 weeks absence. More will be learned on Monday via MRI and will be disclosed by Tomlin at his Tuesday press conference. - http://tinyurl.com/csl9v5j

~

Paul Kruger on his roughing the passer penalty: "It was a big mistake on my part. I just can't believe I put my teammates in that situation."

~

Ray Rice: "This game is not going to make or break our season. Give credit where it's due. They made the plays we've been making over the last few times. They were the last team to beat us here. I guess they're on their playoff run right now. They deserve it. The flip of the coin didn't go our way this game. We'll live to fight another day."

~

Speaking of Ray Rice, remember his quotes last week? We put them in our pre-game blog. They were all warm and cozy, weren't they? Well, did anyone see the exchange between the head coaches Tomlin and John Harbaugh? Heh...

Harbaugh says congrats and Tomlin had zero time for him. Harbaugh pulled him back and Tomlin acted as if he'd said all he needed to say. Here's the video of the Mike Tomlin-John Harbaugh "handshake." - http://tinyurl.com/d8zsjep

~

Then...
Ed Reed takes pot shot at Charlie Batch: http://tinyurl.com/bsomke6

So much for warm and cozy. But, it's all good, we hate you too. See ya in the playoffs, Ratbirds.

Much Ado About Nothing, So Subscribe To Steel Curtain Radio

There has been a lot of news that has come down the pike this week regarding the Steelers that directly or indirectly involves them. Some of it seemed relevant, and some of it didn't. But given the time of year, it's much ado about nothing. 

Word came down a few days ago that Mike Wallace won't sign his tender until he absolutely has to do so. 

Um...ok. Who's that hurting?

The Steelers hired Todd Haley as the new offensive coordinator and he brought with him an entirely new offense. It would be in Wallace's best interests to show up, learn Haley's offense, and let his agent and the mighty Omar Khan work out the details of a long-term deal. Didn't Wallace learn anything from Hines Ward? 

But Wallace will take his sweet time signing a one-year tender offer that will pay him $2.74 million in 2012.  

This is especially idiotic when his own quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, was asked what had changed with Haley's offense. “Everything," he said during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Podcast. "The similarities would be on a shorter list. Off the top of my head, from what I've seen so far, there's a 90 percent change.” 

Again, who's that hurting? Moving on. 

We also found out that Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Phil Taylor underwent surgery to repair a torn chest muscle he injured while lifting weights. An injury which I myself endured once. A slight tear, 5%-10%, but a tear nonetheless. 

Taylor tore his left pectoralis major while bench pressing during the offseason conditioning program last week at the team's facility. The Browns said the surgery ''went well'' and the 335-pound Taylor is recovering now.

The team did not provide a timetable for Taylor's return, but Browns coach Pat Shurmur said Taylor would need ''months, not weeks'' to recover. He would not, though, rule him out for this season.

These injuries typically take six months-to-a-year to heal. I had my right arm hanging and couldn't work without pain for approximately six months. Browns linebacker D'Qwell Jackson missed most of two whole seasons with torn pecs. So this is definitely something to watch. 

Hard on the heels of the news of the Terrell Suggs torn Achilles injury we get news that Ed Reed has acknowledged contemplating retirement. 

Let me just say this first: No Suggs + no Reed = no Ratbirds defense. Period. End of sentence. They are two of their three best defensive players, including Haloti Ngata, and arguably two of their three best players period. 

Hours after getting that news, though, Reed was quoted as saying that he planned to continue to play football. "It's not about retirement, it's about my focus in the offseason, health, family and football," said Reed, who has had trouble with neck, hip, and shoulder injuries in recent years. "This is the time of year where players think through things. My goal is to play football in the years to come."

Reed, 33, went on to say where his focus is now. "A totally different focus now, trying to take care of my son, spend time with my son and my family," Reed said during the radio interview. "Other things have taken priority."

Reed can't be faulted for wanting to take of his family, but there's doubt that the Ravens organization would do everything but literally kiss his toes to keep in uniform. Their secondary suffers dramatically without him. His skillful play covered a multitude of sins the last two years, even while missing the first six games of '10, in that secondary. It's a secondary that certainly got better as the season progressed last year, but that would still suffer if he were to retire. So "will he or won't he?" is what Ravens and Steelers fans will be curious to find out.

Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported early on Friday that "Mike Adams and David DeCastro are NOT permitted to take part in any of the 10 OTAs. They will take part in mandatory minicamp June 12-14." 

The OTAs (Organized Team Activities) aren't so much a need for entrenched veterans, but essential for rookies who are looking to get acclimated to the pro game. So, though it's early, we'll see if this has any early effects. 

To close this out is like to encourage people to listen and subscribe to Lance Williams of Steel Curtain Radio. It's one of the best Steelers podcasts around and Big Swa always brings the real. You'll even get an earful of the Beastie Boys in the latest podcast. 

As someone who has been interviewed by him as well as someone who spends his own time and resources to bring as much Steelers information, history and overall content as possible, I completely endorse subscribing to his podcast. You can also follow him on Twiiter at @SteelRadio and the Steel Curtain Radio group on Facebook. A link to his website steelcurtainradio.com is on the front page of our Blog. So, as Lance always says, "listen, tell a friend and subscribe." 'Nuff said.

To Peter King: For your obituary.

Dear Peter King,
   I'd like to start this, you blubbery bag of protoplasm, by ackowledging two things you did that no one else had the insight or foresight to do: you rightfully put DE Aaron Smith, whom we call "the unsung hero", on your All-Decade Team, and you predicted before the season that the Steelers would go to the Super Bowl. Thank you....
    Now that that's out of the way, let me address, you disgusting gelatinous mass, your recent 'Top 100 NFL Players' list in which you ranked 2-time SuperBowl winner and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Troy Polamalu at number 50. 50? 50! 50?!? We're talking the NFLs best players here,  not your pants size. Or your I.Q. Or your SAT scores. We're talking the best players in the game and you rank Troy Polamalu at #50? If you truly believe that Troy is only the 50th best player in the league, then you probably are also gullable enough to have had your bags packed this past May 21st. I can't reconcile how you could even form the thought process needed to suggest such a ranking. Then you go and put Ed Reed at #54? Look, I'd retract that one if I were you because the Ravens' team is full of criminals. Don't wind up a statistic. I'm just sayin. Anyway, you're full of hot air if you truly believe these rankings. The reigning DPOY at #50? Releasing all that hot air when you opened your mouth to say something as asinine and egregious as that is probably why there have been so many tornados across the midwest! So please don't say anything else because the Gulf Coast is entering Hurricane season and we neither need further disasters nor Kanye West to say anything again. Ever.
    I'll do this for you, we all know the pros associated with Troy, so I'll present the cons: Troy has missed 21 games in his career due to injury. That's it! That's the list! Now let me tell you why even that  is a reason to rank him higher and is a measure of his worth. Since Troy became a starter in 2004 he's missed 21 games as was stated. In those games the Steelers were 12-9, a .571 percentage. In the other 104 reg season games he's started since then, the Steelers are 75-29, a .721 percentage. Following me? I don't wanna interrupt any afternoon snack which was probably dessert to a mid-morning snack, you oleaginous sack of lard. As I was saying, though, since he became a starter and including playoffs, the Steelers defense averages 0.57 INTs a game without him. With him the defense averages 1.02 INTs-almost twice as much. To give that stat more of a face, let's look at it this way: in the same timeframe, (125 total games incl. playoffs) the Steelers defense has recorded 118 INTs. A quarter of those...damn, I just made your super-size-me butt think of Quarter Pounders. Let me rephrase: 25% of those 118 INTs were by Mr. Polamalu himself. Let that sink in for a minute...and wipe your chin. Again, 30 of the 118 total interceptions since 2004 were by Troy himself.
    Another quantifier of Troy's greatness is his splash plays. Not the kind of splash plays made by Mr. James Harrison where, when he hits you, your blood splashes and splatters on the ground, (by the way, another piece of advice, for your sake and safety, please do NOT disrespect Mr. Silverback - trust me, call him "Mr." - by ranking him too low also. Mr. King, don't make him angry. You wouldn't like him when he's angry.) but the plays he makes just at the right time, just when we need them. Plays where all of a sudden you look around and all you see is his hair flying in the wind like a cape as he runs the other way with the ball. Wait a minute...is that it, Peter? Are you jealous because Troy's hair is far more luxurient than yours? Oh...Peter. That's so sad. I'm so disappointed. *wipes tear away* Allowing personal bias to taint your rankings? You're better than that. *sigh* I need a minute to compose myself. Nonetheless, those types of plays just may define and quantify Troy best. I'll be back, I just need a moment...
    Peter, I truly hope you've seen how badly you erred. While I agree that Troy's ranking should have a "5" in it, I don't agree that there should be a 0 or any other number behind it or in front of it. By the way, just in case you were wondering why I entitled this the way I did, it wasn't a reference to the Raven's putting one of their infamous bounties out on you, nor was it a warning regarding Mr. James Harrison, but a description of your career from this point on. Because such a bombastically absurd ranking is sure to derail your career as epically as when Joel Schumacher took over the Batman franchise. "Good night, sweet prince. And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest."

HINES WARD : HALL OF FAMER?

Written by Jason Robinson

  The image is etched in my memory: Ben Roethlisberger gets the ball from Jeff Hartings the center, turns right and pitches back left to Fast Willie Parker. It's a sweep left and the Seattle Seahawks have to respect Parker's speed. As Parker runs he hands the ball to Antwaan Randle El on the Reverse and, with help from a key block from Roethlisberger, Randle El throws the ball to an open Hines Ward for the touchdown. Ward skipped into the end zone, smiling as he always does, sealing the victory in Super Bowl XL. Ring number five, one for the thumb. Hines Ward was the MVP with five catches for 123 yards and a touchdown, plus one rush for 18 yards, and it was the first time I truly gave thought to his being a candidate for the Hall of Fame.

    Since then Ward has been the real man of steel as one of the Steelers truest leaders and unquestioned captain of the wide receivers. His play over the years has caused him to have virtually every Steelers receiving record. The only Steelers' records he doesn't have are receptions in a single game, receiving yards in a season, receiving yards in a game and 100-yard games in a season. All the important numbers, though, he has. He even has the hardware: two Rings in three Super Bowl appearences, including the aforementioned MVP award. So he's an all-time great from a Steelers standpoint, but the real question is whether he makes the HOF or not.


    When I think of someone worthy of the Hall of Fame I think of someone truly great. Like Peter King once said, "This isn't the Hall of Very Good." Well said, and well received. Well, then, what is "great?" We could use the dictionary definition for the word, but for these purposes it essentially means someone who is or does something that is large or prodigious in proportion, has significant impact, value and worth, has influence on others and leaves behind some form of legacy. In the case of the NFL, it would also mean being the best for a period of time. That means we can't just look at numbers. You can skew numbers to fit whatever you want. I could throw Terrell Owen's numbers at you and present them in such a way to make you think he's the greatest thing since Stretch Armstrong. *sigh* I miss that toy. It was just so cool! Stretch him all around anything I wanted. But I digress... Anyway, the truth is that Owens has great numbers to be sure, but he also has been a pariah wherever he has played. He's torn teams apart and, on top of that, you never had to worry about your popcorn in the playoffs because he's never won a significant playoff game. So is he truly great? No.

    Not that the HOF necessarily takes character into consideration, but being arrested for Cocaine possession, i.e. Michael Irvin, is something that happens outside of the game. Derailing and/or breaking teams up, though, directly deals with the game itself. So that means that one such as the aforementioned Owens would fail when graded against that particular criterium. Does Ward? How, in fact, does Ward fair against the criteria set up in general? As I alluded to before, numbers are only one part of this. In fact, as far as I'm concerned, he has the numbers to warrant having his smiling bust in Canton despite never being the absolute best any given year. So let's look at the proposed definition and go from there.

    Part of the definition proposed was "someone who is or does something prodigious in proportion." Hines Ward has certainly had a prodigious career as he holds all of the most significant of Steelers receiving records as was mentioned before. He has been a key component to reaching the playoffs 7 of the last 10 years and to reaching the Super Bowl three times in six years. He is a four-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl MVP and still one of the best blocking WRs in the League.

    Another criteria put forth was one's impact, value and worth. The "impact" Ward has had on players over the years is well documented. Ed Reed found this out in a 2004 when he wasn't paying close enough attention to his surroundings and was knocked out cold by a legal block by Ward. So clean and devastating was the blow that Ward immediately signaled to the Ravens' sideline for them to come get him. If it had been a cartoon there would have been little birds flying around Reed's head. After the game Reed was asked what he thought of the hit. He said, "(snore)". Then there was the, again, legal block on Keith Rivers in '08. Rivers also neglected to keep his head on a swivel as to what was going on in his vicinity and paid for it. The block so jolted Rivers that it broke his jaw. You can find Rivers at the downtown Cincinnati Jamba Juice drinking his dinner if you want to ask him his thoughts on Hines Ward's blocking ability. I bring these examples up because they and others resulted in a rules change by the NFL that is affectionately (ahem) referred to as "The Hines Ward Rule." That, ladies and gentlemen, is impact. The value and worth part of that is simple: he's incredibly valuable to his team as he not only does whatever is needed for his team to win, but they see that this is the case and have voted him captain or team MVP multiple times.


    The influence and legacy that Ward will leave behind is summed up in a series of names: Burress, Randle El, Holmes, Wallace, and, soon to surely be added, Sanders and Brown. All of whom are at least Super Bowl participants and two have Super Bowl game-winning touchdown catches. His influence on them is great. These receivers to a man have spoken extremely highly of Ward and his influence, work ethic and leadership on the field and in the locker room. He is greatly respected and admired as a football player and as a man. When I watch NFL Films replays of practices, games or otherwise and I see the other receivers standing there listening to him as if to a father, I can't help but to smile. When the word "honor" is used in conjunction with Hines Ward, it isn't contextually, "Yes, Your Honor." The honor, admiration and respect for Ward is real and is boundless. Even when opposing players hate him, they still have to respect him. That, my friends, is greatness.

    So, yeah, I could have thrown out stat after stat to make a case for Hines Ward to don a yellow jacket, but he's greater than the sum of his parts. Pure stats don't do him justice, because he's a Hall of Famer on and off the field. Will he get in on the first ballot? I'd have to say no, but I believe that a Hall of Famer is simply a Hall of Famer. So expect to see him up on that podium, oh, sometime in early 2020's. But expect him nonetheless.

Ed Reed or Troy Polamalu Who is Better?

Written by Jason Robinson

There has been a lot of debate lately about who's better: Troy Polamalu or Ed Reed. Both are great at their respective postions to be sure. But who is better? Is there a definitive answer? I know what I think. In fact, there's no contest.

    Troy Polamalu is a tremendous talent, to be sure, but Ryan Clark does a bulk of the coverage in Pittsburgh. Polamalu is more like another linebacker in running situations, an extra blitzer in 3rd down pass situations, and a sure tackler in general. But Reed eclipses him in interceptions, in turnovers caused, and in touchdowns. By a large margin I might add. Reed changes the entire nature of the game and the way offenses approach playing the Ravens. Want proof? Reed is the guy who out-smarts and befuddles Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning! One of the smartest QBs ever has a difficult time with Reed-a point which he's admitted. The Ravens, who always hover around the top 5 in defense each year, are only 6-9 without him in the starting lineup. Plus, this is a guy who can take it to the house at any moment and can lay lumber when necessary as well. Just ask Kansas City. His leveling blow in the playoffs last year took any remaining life out of the Chiefs and sent the Ravens rolling into the next round.

    Honestly, there is no contest. Reed leads in INTs with 54 (twice as many), in defensive touchdowns with 8 (twice as many), in forced fumbles and fumble recoveries. What more needs to be said? It's Ed Reed, hands down.

    But then again...

    Ed Reed is great at what he does, maybe the best ball hawk since the likes of Jack Christiansen and Jack Butler. Once the ball is in the air he's public enemy number one. But Troy Polamalu is more than the sum of his plays, er, parts.

    What has made Polamalu so special is not any one play, but a confluence (no pun intended) of things. Pittsburgh's defense has allowed the fewest points in the NFL three times since Polamalu became a starter in 2004. In 2007, the Steelers finished second; in 2005, third. So in other words, since Polamalu's arrival seven seasons ago the Steelers have finished in the top three in points allowed five times. In fact, Polamalu's worth is proven even more so when you look at the Steelers record without him: the Steelers are only 6-7 when he doesn't start. He's got the hardware too: he's started three Super Bowls, is a six-time Pro Bowl selection, a three-time 1st team All-Pro and the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The guy could hang 'em up now and he's a Hall of Famer.

    What resonates even stronger is what Pittsburgh hasn't done when he's been injured. The difference between having Polamalu in or out of the lineup is monumental, especially the last two seasons.

Steelers' defense with and without Polamalu since 2009:
Win-Loss: With: 17-5 ... Without: 6-7; Points per game allowed: With: 15.9 ... Without: 21.5; Interceptions: With: 28 ... Without: 6

    But, as I said before, Polamalu is more than the sum of his parts. It's a series of splash plays that sets Polamalu apart. He has an uncanny ability to give the Steelers just what's needed just at the right time. Whether it's a strip sack, an INT, or a forced fumble Polamalu has been the Steelers Superman on many occasions. What more needs to be said? It's Troy Polamalu, hands down.

    But then again..

    Maybe there is no clear cut better player. Let's face it, they do play essentially two different positions. Polamalu is a Strong Safety and, by definition plays within 10-15 yards of the line of scrimmage most of the time. Watch game film of him and you'll see this to be the case. He plays within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage over 70% of the time. Ed Reed, on the other hand, is a Free Safety and plays, given the field position at the time, within 20-30 yards off the line. It's somewhat the difference between a Short Stop and a Center Fielder: one plays up and one plays deep. Their duties tend to differ therefore as well. Not to a great degree, but they do nonetheless. Yes, Reed has more INTs than Polamalu, but he's supposed to, it's his job. Troy has more tackles and sacks than Reed, but he should, he plays closer to the line. Look at it like this: two of the best Safeties in the last 25 years were Ronnie Lott and Rodney Harrison. Both were great players and both were complete players. But what sets them apart from one another is that Lott, who played Free Safety most of his career, retired with 63 INTs to Harrison's 34, while Harrison, a Strong Safety, recorded 30.5 sacks to Lott's 8.5. Get the point?

    Look, I could spout numbers (too many), Pro Bowls (13), All-Pros (8), Super Bowls (3), and awards (2) and skew them however I want. If I were on Reed's side I could point out that he, if he continues at the pace he's on, will most likely break the NFL record for career INTs. If I were on Polamalu's side I could point out that he's played in over 20 fewer games, 36 fewer as a starter, and therefore his numbers aren't nearly as far behind Reed's as it would seem at first glance. Also, that he's a two-time Super Bowl winner whereas Reed hasn't even been to the Super Bowl. But none of those reasons are truly definitive as each can be broken down. i.e. When have any of Reed's INTs been in a truly "big" moment or in a playoff game? He hasn't even led them to a Super Bowl. Or, so what that Polamalu has two Super Bowl Rings? So does Bubby Brister. What did he do in those games? This argument could last for years...unless you happen to favor one color over another.

    Honestly, I think the best description given regarding the two safeties was given by Kurt Warner when he said that 'before the ball is snapped and thrown, it's Polamalu. But once the ball is thrown, it's Reed'. Couldn't say it better myself. But I understand that you're reading this and expecting an answer. In that case then, in my opinion the best Safety in the NFL is...