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Steelers Schedule 2017

Posted on by Dave

The Steelers success last season has them in the national spotlight this season, as the Steelers Schedule 2017 includes five nationally televised primetime games, giving Steelers Nation plenty of opportunity to see them in action.

And for the second-straight year, and only the second time in team history, the Steelers will play on Christmas Day. The Steelers will travel to Houston to take on the Texans at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 25, one of only two games to be played that day.

The Steelers kick off the season on the road against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 10, a 1 p.m. game against their AFC North rivals.

Things get rolling at Heinz Field on Sept. 17, when the team hosts the Minnesota Vikings at 1 p.m. It’s then back on the road for games against the Chicago Bears (Sept. 24) and Baltimore Ravens (Oct. 1), before returning home to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars (Oct. 8) at Heinz Field. All three games kickoff at 1 p.m.

The Steelers head to Kansas City on Oct. 15 (4:25 p.m.), where they defeated the Chiefs last year in the AFC Divisional Playoffs. Then it’s back home again for a matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals at Heinz Field on Oct. 22 (1 p.m.).

The first of five primetime games in a seven-week span will take place on Oct. 29 when the Steelers are on NBC’s Sunday Night Football against the Detroit Lions at 8:30 p.m. The following week they will have their bye (Nov. 5) and then travel to Indianapolis on Nov. 12 to take on the Colts at 1 p.m.

The Steelers begin a stretch of four-straight primetime games when they host the Tennessee Titans on Thursday, Nov. 16 on NBC/NFLN (8:25 p.m.), followed by a home game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football on Nov. 26 (8:30 p.m.). The Steelers will be on the road against the Bengals on ESPN’s Monday Night Football on Dec. 4 (8:30 pm.). The primetime blitz concludes with a Sunday night game against the Ravens at Heinz Field on Dec. 10 (8:30 p.m.).

A rematch of the AFC Championship Game will be at Heinz Field on Dec. 17 when the Steelers host the New England Patriots at 4:25 p.m.

The team will once again play on Christmas Day when the Steelers travel to Houston on Monday, Dec. 25 for a 4:30 p.m. kickoff on NBC and NFLN.

The season wraps up the way it began, against the Browns, when the Steelers host them for the finale for the second-straight year, a Dec. 31 matchup at Heinz Field at 1 p.m.

All Steelers preseason and regular season games can be heard on the Steelers Radio Network on WDVE-FM (102.5) and WBGG-AM (970) as well on Steelers.com.

Steelers in the Playoffs

Posted on by Dave
Tom Brady: Superstar?
Tom Brady: Superstar?

 

The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t allow a single touchdown in their Divisional playoff showdown with the Steelers. They lost anyway.

Chris Boswell kicked six field goals, and those 18 points were enough to carry Pittsburgh to an AFC Championship showdown with the New England Patriots. The Chiefs were dynamite when the Steelers hit the red zone, but couldn’t get enough from playmakers like Alex Smith, Tyreek Hill, and Jeremy Maclin to outscore a hampered visiting offense.

Kansas City put its bend-don’t-break defense on full display as Pittsburgh punched five different drives into the red zone, but came away with just nine points as a result. While one of those ventures was erased by the end of the first half, strong defensive stands, dynamic secondary play, and an acrobatic interception at the goal line prevented Ben Roethlisberger from finding the promised land.

But Pittsburgh kicker Chris Boswell wouldn’t be as easily denied. The 25-year-old set an NFL playoff record with his sixth field goal of the evening, splitting the uprights with a 43-yard kick that gave the Steelers an 18-10 lead with just over 10 minutes to play.

The Chiefs responded with a methodical 13-play, 75-yard drive that featured a pair of fourth down conversions to clip the Pittsburgh lead to 18-16. A two-point attempt to a wide open Demetrius Harris appeared to have tied the game at 18-all, but a blatant holding call on left tackle Eric Fisher erased the important scoring play. Alex Smith’s do-over pass from the 12 was deflected out of the end zone, and the home team was left with 2:43 and just one timeout to find a way to erase Pittsburgh’s two-point lead.

Strong special teams play pinned the Steelers at their own five on the ensuing kickoff, but a clutch third-and-three pass from Roethlisberger to Antonio Brown — Brown’s first reception of the second half — gave Pittsburgh the space it needed to run out the clock and escape its trip to western Missouri with a win.

The win was the Steelers’ ninth straight. They’ll hope to keep that momentum moving forward next weekend in New England.

Steelers win against KC.

Steelers Playoff History stats

New England is next. So, I thought I’d post a flattering picture of Tom Brady for all of the New England fans!

Steelers in the playoffs

Posted on by Dave

Ben Roethlisberger couldn’t throw. Antonio Brown couldn’t stand without help.

And in the end, it didn’t matter. The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading to Denver after the Cincinnati Bengals did what they always seem to do this time of year: they imploded.

Spectacularly.

Chris Boswell kicked a 35-yard field goal with 14 seconds remaining as Pittsburgh somehow pulled out an 18-16 victory in an — really, just pick whatever synonym for “ugly” that works — AFC wild-card game Saturday night.

Pittsburgh (11-6) moved into field goal position thanks to consecutive 15-yard penalties on the Bengals, one on linebacker Vontaze Burfict and another on cornerback Adam Jones. Burfict dropped his shoulder and hit a defenseless Brown in the helmet as the All-Pro receiver came across the middle, and Jones lost his cool after getting into it with Steelers assistant coach Joey Porter when Porter came onto the field as Brown was being tended to by trainers.

Boswell drilled his fourth field goal of the game on the next snap to give the Steelers their first playoff victory since the 2010 AFC championship.

“We won the game. That’s all that matters,” Roethlisberger said.

Pittsburgh bolted off the field without so much as shaking hands while the Bengals vented their frustration after easily the most painful of their eighth straight postseason losses. Jones took to Instagram calling out Porter, a post Jones later deleted.

Cincinnati might want to do the same after somehow losing despite rallying from a 15-point deficit to have the lead and the ball in Pittsburgh territory and the lead with 1:30 to go.

Then the Bengals turned into … the Bengals.

Hill was stripped of the ball by Ryan Shazier while trying to run out the clock. The Steelers recovered at the Pittsburgh 9, and Roethlisberger and his aching right shoulder returned for a last-gasp drive. Unable to pass with any real authority, he still managed to get the Steelers near midfield with 22 seconds to go when he threw high to Brown in Cincinnati territory.

“It’s hard to put into words,” said Hill. “Words don’t do anything at this point. It’s on me. I take full blame for it.”

He had plenty of help from two of his volatile teammates, both with a history of questionable decision-making.

Burfict, whose sack of Roethlisberger sent the quarterback to the locker room, lowered his shoulder as Brown landed. The volatile linebacker earned a personal foul. Jones compounded the problem when he lost his cool while jawing with Porter, easily putting Boswell within field goal range after Cincinnati’s eighth — and final — flag of a ghastly night that ended with an unthinkable collapse.

“We destructed on ourselves,” Bengals coach Marvin Lewis said.

Pretty much.

Roethlisberger finished 18-of-31 passing for 229 yards and a touchdown in rainy conditions. Jordan Todman and Fitzgerald Toussaint combined for 123 yards rushing filling in for injured DeAngelo Williams. Brown caught seven passes for 119 yards but was also diagnosed with a concussion.

source

Steelers in the playoffs.

Pirates 2015 Season

Posted on by Dave
Pirates 2015 Season
Pirates 2015 Season

The Pirates 2015 season was amazing with the Pirates ending up with the second best record in baseball with 98 Wins.

Here is a very short list of other teams that have had 98 wins or more and NOT made the playoffs.

1942 Dodgers 104
1993 Giants 103
1954 Yankees 103
1962 Dodgers 102
1961 Tigers 101
1980 Orioles 100
1978 Red Sox 99
1928 A’s 98
1962 Reds 98
1964 White Sox 98
1974 Reds 98
1985 Mets 98

The Pirates were on a high all season, reaching the playoffs for the third straight year after going 20 seasons without a winning season. They notched 98 victories in 2015, the second highest total in MLB and their highest win total since 1991. They did so by being remarkably consistent. The Pirates did not have a losing month this season, and had three winning streaks of at least seven games.

Unfortunately, 98 wins was only good enough for second place in the NL Central, which meant Pittsburgh was back in the wild-card game for the third straight season. Like 2014 when they ran into Madison Bumgarner, Pittsburgh squared off against the game’s hottest pitcher in Chicago’s Jake Arrieta. The results were unfortunately the same, as they were shutout and sent home early. We can’t imagine a lower low after such a great season.

Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis

Posted on by Dave
Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis
Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis

Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis was selected in the first round, 10th player overall, out of Notre Dame by the Los Angeles Rams in the 1993 NFL Draft. He finished second in the NFL in rushing during his rookie season after gaining 1,429 yards. Included in that total were his first career 100-yard and 200-yard rushing games, both of which came against the New Orleans Saints. His 212-yard day that season was a career-high. At the time he was only the eighth rookie in NFL history to rush for 200 yards in a game. His output that year marked the first of eight 1,000-yard seasons in his first nine years. He was named Rookie of the Year by numerable media outlets and was chosen as a first-team All-Pro and All-NFC.

Bettis led the Rams in rushing each of his three seasons with the club before he was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a second- and fourth-round draft pick. He rebounded from a subpar year in 1995 with the Rams to earn Comeback Player of the Year and was again named first-team All-Pro in 1996, his first in the Steel City. Bettis gained 1,431 yards on 320 carries and scored 11 TDs for the division-winning Steelers.

The 5’11”, 243-pound runner continued to carry the load for Pittsburgh. He was the Steelers’ leading ground gainer eight times in 10 seasons. Bettis, a six-time Pro Bowler, retired following his lone Super Bowl appearance in the 2005 season (Super Bowl XL). The Steelers defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 21-10, in the game played in Bettis’s hometown of Detroit.

At the time of his retirement, Bettis ranked fifth all-time in rushing with 13,662 yards on 3,479 career carries. Nicknamed “The Bus” for his bruising running style, he also scored 91 rushing touchdowns. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark in a game 61 times during the regular season and three more times in playoff games.

In addition to his rushing totals, Bettis amassed 1,449 yards on 200 receptions and 3 TDs. His combined net yardage (15,113) was 19th best all-time at the time of his retirement. Bettis also completed three passes, all for touchdowns in his 13-season, 192-game career.

Link

Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis

Steeler Draft 2015

Posted on by Dave

The Steeler Draft 2015

Steeler Draft 2015
Steeler Draft 2015

The Grades from the media seem quite good. With the loss of a number of Steeler Defensive players to retirement, it is not a surprise that 6 out of the top 8 are defensive team members.

Steeler Draft 2015 From NFL.com

The Steelers skew toward the conservative side on draft day, valuing productive players with size and athleticism. This has been the formula for the team since the Chuck Noll era. Defensively, the Steelers plucked Alvin “Bud” Dupree to give the team a much-needed pass rusher with speed and quickness. He isn’t a polished player, but has tremendous potential as a DPR (designated pass rusher). The Steelers also landed a pair of cover corners in Senquez Golson and Doran Grant. Golson is a bit of a question mark based on his diminutive physical dimensions — in addition to potentially struggling against bigger-bodied receivers, he could have some trouble against the run. Receiver Sammie Coates is a “boom or bust” prospect with enticing physical tools who needs to develop better consistency as a pass catcher.

2015 will no doubt be a transitional year. But with the addition of these new talented players, I predict that the Steelers will have another unexpectedly successfully season. (10-6) This is factoring in that the Steelers have a very tough schedule in 2015.

 

Steelers Draft 2014

Posted on by Dave

Steelers Draft History

The Steelers Draft for 2014 is of paramount importance to them. After two lackluster seasons with a record of 8-8, the Steelers need to re-equip in order to make the playoffs in 2014. The stars are aging, however, they should be just fine for the short term. A few rookies stepped up last year and will be needed again this year.

My advice for this year: the offense needs to be less BEN-centric and the defense needs to be less TROY-centric. Let’s step up guys and it could be a great year!

The following are my picks (from a virtual draft):

Round 1: Darqueze Dennard, Michigan State, CB
Round 2: Stephon Tuitt, Notre Dame, DE
Round 3: Kelvin Benjamin, Florida State, WR
Round 4: Ronald Powell, Florida, LB
Round 5: De’Anthony Thomas, Oregon, RB
Round 6: James Hurst, North Carolina, OT
Round 7: Isaiah Johnson, Georgia Tech, SS

I have two other considerations for Round 1: Kyle Fuller and Jason Verrett, both CB.

And the Steelers actual picks:

Round 1: Ryan Shazier, Ohio State, LB
Round 2: Stephon Tuitt, Notre Dame, DE
Round 3: Dri Archer, Kent State, RB
Round 4: Martavis Bryant, Clemson, WR
Round 5: Shaquille Richardson, Arizona, CB
Round 5: Wesley Johnson, Vanderbilt, OT
Round 6: Jordan Zumwalt, UCLA, LB
Round 6: Daniel McCullers, Tennessee, DT
Round 7: Rob Blanchflower, Massachusetts, TE

What really needs to happen is to have another draft like in 1974.

Round 1: Lynn Swann HOF WR played to 1982
Round 2: Jack Lambert HOF LB played to 1984
Round 3: John Stallworth HOF WR played to 1987
Round 4: Jimmy Allen DB played to 1981
Round 5: Mike Webster HOF C played to 1990

I’m sure you figured out that HOF means “Hall of Fame“

Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds hit 10 HRs

Posted on by Dave
Ten homers in only six innings.

Three sets of back-to-back homers, tying a record. The most combined homers in a major league game since 2006.

And the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds still have a long way to go.

Neil Walker and Gaby Sanchez hit back-to-back homers twice, and the Pirates and Reds hit 10 in all before rain forced a suspension after six innings with the score tied 7-all Monday night.

“I saw a lot of crazy stuff in Coors Field over the years,” said Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, who managed in Colorado for eight years. “I spent a lot of years there, saw a lot of homers, saw a lot of weather.

“This was as good as any of that, jammed into one evening.”

The shocking slugfest will resume on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the top of the seventh inning. Conditions are expected to be drier but much colder.

Not that the weather seems to matter much when these two rivals get together.

“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “The way we got started, one team going in front of the other with home runs. I’ve seen a lot of home runs hit, but not in those conditions. You wouldn’t imagine they would carry that far.”

Pittsburgh hit six solo shots and Cincinnati had four homers, most of them into a heavy rain. Already, it’s the most homers in a major league game since 2006 and the most combined homers for a game in Great American Ball Park’s 12-year history.

Pittsburgh had three sets of back-to-back homers, only the third time that’s happened in major league history.

The game was suspended following a 1-hour, 38-minute delay, the second time in less than a year that a game was suspended in Cincinnati. The Reds and Phillies were scoreless last April 16 in the middle of the ninth inning when play was halted because of rain, and Cincinnati won 1-0 in the bottom of the ninth the following day.

The Ohio River rivals were known more for trading hit-by-pitches last season. The Pirates and Reds plunked each other 28 times — most in the majors — while nailing down the two NL wild-card spots.

Their first matchup of 2014 was more swing-away than get-out-of-the-way. Ten of the 17 combined hits so far have cleared the wall. All but one of the 14 runs has come on a homer.

“It wouldn’t be a Pittsburgh-Cincinnati game without some drama,” Walker said.

Pittsburgh went back-to-back three times. Walker and Sanchez did it in the second inning off Homer Bailey and again in the sixth off J.J. Hoover. Starling Marte and Travis Snider teamed up in the fifth off Bailey.

It was only the third time in major league history that a team had three sets of back-to-back homers in a game, according to STATS. The others: Cincinnati against the Braves in 1956, and Boston against the Yankees in 1977.

“I certainly wouldn’t think that I would find my way attached to a home run record,” Walker said. “The game’s not even over yet, so I don’t know how to express what’s going on. But that’s pretty cool.”

Both teams had a chance to take a lead with the rain coming down heavier and the field getting muddier. The starters and bullpens failed to hold on.

Wandy Rodriguez gave up Joey Votto’s two-out homer in the bottom of the fifth inning, putting Cincinnati up 6-5. The umpires inspected the infield, called for dry dirt and decided to continue.

Walker and Sanchez connected again off Hoover for a 7-6 lead in the sixth. It was only the second time that two Pirates went back-to-back twice in a game, according to STATS. Toby Atwell and Jerry Lynch also did it against the Reds on April 27, 1954.

Devin Mesoraco’s solo shot off Bryan Morris tied it at 7 in the bottom of the sixth. It was the first time since June 18, 2006, that two major league teams combined for 10 homers in a game — the Tigers hit eight and the Cubs three at Wrigley Field that day.

Something about Great American turns the Pirates into power hitters. They also hit six homers in Cincinnati last Sept. 28 during an 8-3 win that clinched home-field advantage for the NL wild-card game. Then they beat the Reds at PNC Park in the one-game playoff.

Pittsburgh has 14 homers in its last three games at Great American, four of them by Walker.

Source

Great Season for the Buccos!!!

Posted on by Dave
Great Season for the Buccos!!!
Great Season for the Buccos!!!

While the season ended after the 5th game in St. Louis, the Pirates have a lot to be proud of this year.

2012: W-94 L-68  Attendance – 2,256,862
2011: W-79 L-83  Attendance – 2,091,918
2010: W-72 L-90  Attendance – 1,940,429
2009: W-57 L-105 Attendance – 1,613,399
2008: W-62 L-99  Attendance – 1,577,853

The trend is certainly in the right direction…