Tree of Life

31 Dec

Steel City Stories of 2011 by Jon Pennline

published in category: College Sports, Ike Taylor, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, December 31st, 2011 – 5:38 pm

When I started this blog on January 7th, 2011, I had no idea it would take off this quickly and the best part was that I was having fun! Since January, this blog has reached nearly 6000 views and has been the key to my association with Trib Live Radio and Ohio Valley Athletics. Now, with this being the last post of the 2011 year, let's take a look back at the top posts for each month.

January -First Post/Pittsburgh Sports Resolutions

The first post is always a tough one. How do you write when you know no one is going to read this for at least a few months? I decided to fill out some resolutions for each Pittsburgh team. Let's see how they did:

Steelers

Win a seventh Super Bowl
Unfortunately for the Steelers, they came up one game-winning drive short. Aaron Rodgers became the hero instead of Ben Roethlisberger, winning Super Bowl MVP while the Steelers started the first half flat. Still, despite playing one of their worst games of the season, the Steelers only lost by 6. With the playoffs about to start, the Steelers could still make it back to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in six years!

Draft a shutdown corner
Ok, maybe a little naivety on my end. First, you can't just draft a shutdown cornerback. It is the hardest position to play in the NFL and if you end up getting a shutdown corner, it is usually by luck. Still, the secondary has been solid, ranked first in the NFL, and it turns out the Steelers DO have a shutdown corner: Ike Taylor.

Improve the offensive line through the draft.
Other than Marcus Gilbert, the Steelers did not aggressively pursue any linemen in the draft, nor did they sign anyone in free agency. Instead, they gave Willie Colon a five year contract only to see him lost for the season due to another injury. The line hasn't been good but it hasn't been bad either. With all of the injuries, it's a miracle this team can still win games and run the ball effectively (as of late).

Penguins

Win the Stanley Cup
Yeah, about that. The Pittsburgh Penguins were labeled the next great dynasty in the NHL due to their talent at center, defense and goaltender. The problem is, they are never healthy. Sidney Crosby, for all his talents, has a completely enigmatic future as a hockey player. It is entirely possible that he could be forced into early retirement due to concussion issues. A completely healthy Penguins roster can beat any team in a seven game series. But a completely healthy Penguins roster seems inconceivable at this time.

Pirates

Continue to develop core talent
Andrew McCutchen had an excellent year and Neil Walker showed glimpses of success throughout the 2011 season. Pedro Alvarez and Jose Tabata were a different story. Tabata was hurt for most of the year due to leg injuries while Alvarez was simply putrid when he wasnt hurt. The team surprised everyone when they reached first place by mid-July. But a second half collapse quickly ended all hopes of a winning season.

Build team through the draft
Check! Signing first overall pick, Gerrit Cole, was one thing. Getting Josh Bell in the second round and signing him was simply awesome. At the height of excitement for Pittsburgh baseball over the last twenty years, the Pirates were able to draft and sign two players that were seen as top 10 talents in one draft. The draft class is stocked full of talent and the Pirates are hoping enough of those players pan out to create a competitor in Pittsburgh.

February- Crosby Should Sit for Season

The Penguins decided to play this one safe as they did sit Crosby for the rest of the 2010-2011 season although, by all indications, it appeared Crosby made that decision by himself. Now, after playing eight games and being placed on the shelf again, it looks entirely possible that Crosby could miss this season as well. With Sid missing so many games, his contract situation after next year will become quite interesting as the Penguins have already shown complete faith in re-signing him. Yet, despite all of his success that has, in turn, helped the Penguins and the city of Pittsburgh, is it worth signing him for ten million dollars while players that are actually healthy such as Staal and Malkin will be forced to leave? Ray Shero certainly has his hands full.

March- How Far Can They Go?

I predicted that the Penguins would beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round due to Tampa's inexperience with Stamkos and Hedman, along with the uncertainty at goaltender. I was almost right, too. But the Lightning stormed back from a 3-1 series deficit to stun the Penguins who are now 0-4 when hosting game 7. Alexei Kovalev was invisible and James Neal only scored two measly goals in 25 games with the Penguins. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay went on to sweep the Washington Capitals before losing game 7 to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins. Another great showing of playoff hockey but, for the Penguins, it became a season of "what could've been".

April- Crosby's Concussion Will Never go Away

When I wrote that piece, I was speaking about the millions of fans that held their breath every time he was hit. Now, it certainly seems like Crosby's concussion issues won't go away. He may never be healthy again and while optimism is all Pens' fans can show, the truth of the matter is, he may be done. It wasn't supposed to be scripted this way. The league's most marketable, most talented player, could be out of hockey before he reaches 25 years old.

May- A Trip to Charleston: Jameson Taillon

Of all the times I spent more than four hours in West Virginia, this was by far the best. Seeing a 19 year old "kid" dominate hitters with fastballs in the mid-90's and unbelievable curveballs was truly special. In my post you can see inning by inning breakdown as well as video on Taillon's performance. The 6'7 220 pound right hander from Texas is just one of four pitchers that possess elite-level talent in the Pirates' system. With Taillon most likely starting in A+ ball in Bradenton, Florida, this year's road trip may shift to Altoona to see 2011 first round pick, Gerrit Cole.

June- Pirates Select Gerrit Cole; Strengthens Potential Rotation

The Pirates elected to select Gerrit Cole with the first overall pick in the draft, passing on Anthony Rendon who was eventually selected sixth by the Washington Nationals. Rendon was the consensus number one pick in all mock drafts before the 2011 college baseball season. However, injuries to his ankle and shoulder scared a few teams away. Also, Rendon's power never quite came around after the NCAA switched to newer bats. Meanwhile, Cole had an above average year which was only hampered by his inability to hit corners with his 100+ mph fastball. The Pirates felt Cole's issues were easily correctable and decided to take him with the first overall pick.

July- Backwards Thinking: Pirates Fans Irritated at Lack of Moves

It was a highly controversial decision but, in the end, it was the right decision for Pirates' management. Instead of overpaying for a rental such as Hunter Pence, the Pirates waited until the deadline to acquire Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick. The Pirates tanked shortly thereafter and were able to escape the 2011 with all their future pieces intact. It didn't help that Lee was injured for most of his time in Pittsburgh after getting hit in the hand with a fastball. The Pirates had their fun as the top team in the NL Central for a few days, but talent usually always prevails by the end of the season and the Pirates clearly were no match for the Brewers or Cardinals.

August- Pirates Sign Gerrit Cole and Josh Bell

In a move that was seen as impossible by most experts, the Pirates were able to sign both Gerrit Cole and Josh Bell right at the deadline on August 15th. Cole signed an $8 million minor league contract while Bell, after writing every team telling them not to draft him, signed for $5 million. Bell's $5 million contract doubled the previous record for second rounders and probably led to Major League Baseball placing a cap on draft spending in the new CBA. A switch hitter since he was five, Bell has been compared to Chili Davis with projections reaching .300 average 30 home runs per year at the majors.

September- Pitt Moves to Acc

Despite losing Mr. "High Octane" later in the year, the Panthers made the right decision for their athletics by moving to the Atlantic Coastal Conference in 2013. Not only will Pitt play in the same basketball conference as UNC and Duke, but they will also play in a legitimate football conference which already included former Big East teams Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech. With the uncertainty of conferences in college football, the Panthers picked the strongest conference they could survive in.

October- Steelers Defeat Patriots; Move to 6-2 on the Season

Looking back, this was probably the biggest win in the regular season. The Steelers, playing a relatively crappy schedule, lost to three playoff teams while struggling against Indianapolis, Kansas City and Jacksonville. Their win against the Patriots, however, was monumental. If there's one team that has given the Pittsburgh Steelers fits over the last decade, it's the New England Patriots. Ben Roethlisberger beat Tom Brady at his own game, attempting 50 passes while throwing for 365 yards and 2 touchdowns. The bigger story may have been Lamarr Woodley's hamstring which has limited his play to only a few minutes since going down in week 8. Woodley had seven sacks in the month of October and had one defensive player of the month.

November- State of Affairs: PSU Football Held Too Much Power

The Penn State scandal will probably go down as the biggest scandal in college football history. Jerry Sandusky's allegations resulted in the termination of the winningest college football coach in history. More importantly, the university has been totally misrepresented as a safe haven for child predators due to the actions, or lack thereof, by the football coaches. While Penn State tries to pick up the pieces, the trial is still months away and by the time it ends, the list of victims and accomplices could reach a staggering level.

December- Week 17 Could Decide Fate of AFC Title

With the final week of the NFL regular season ending on the first day of 2012, the Steelers could find themselves in two situations: 1) receiving a first round bye (with a win and a Ravens loss), or playing three potential road games to reach Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. No one will know for sure how this will play out until about 7:30 pm on Sunday. Regardless, the Steelers have to take care of business against a Cleveland Browns team that is better than their 4-11 record indicates. Josh Cribbs has already said stated that this match up is their "Super Bowl". The Steelers need to treat this as a playoff game or they could blow their chance for a first round bye again.

And there you have it. The sports stories of 2011 were plentiful and far from predictable. This may have been one of the most entertaining, exciting, tragic, unbelievable years of the last few decades. I am certainly looking forward to 2012. Happy New Year!

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Posted in College Sports, Ike Taylor, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Pittsburgh Steelers

 

29 Dec

Steelers D Takeaways drop from 31 to 13

published in category: College Sports, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, December 29th, 2011 – 3:12 pm

In 2010, the Pittsburgh Steelers defense (excluding special teams) came up with 31 takeaways of the football in the regular season.

In 2011, through fifteen games, they have only 13.

It looks even worse when you consider 4 of those 13 this year came from early Christmas gifts off the arm of former Pitt quarterback Tyler Palko in Kansas City. 1 came from a concussed Colt McCoy late in the Cleveland game when Colt clearly shouldn't have been playing.

That's then 8 non-laughable takeaways from the Steelers defense in fifteen games, an 11-win defense mind you, and the #1 yardage defense in the NFL.

13 takeaways despite their team success is truly a remarkable number. The Steelers had just 1 takeaway through four weeks (14 through the same stretch in 2010), and just 2 total stolen footballs through 6 games. The Pittsburgh defense came up empty in their marquee matchups this year with New England (a victory) and San Francisco, as well as just getting one ball away from Joe Flacco and company in the two combined Baltimore losses.

What has happened?

After a thorough study of every one of the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive takeaways of the last two regular seasons, here's what I've come up with:

-It's not as much of a missing James Harrison / LaMarr Woodley sack-fumble combination (due to injuries and suspensions) as you'd think. While the presence of those two players healthy and together may surely have had an indirect impact on last year's 31 takeaways, only 3 of last season's 11 fumble recoveries came with #92 or #56 sacking the QB. Harrison has 2 this year, not far off that pace. And of the 20 interceptions in 2010, just two according to my notes and tape-watch came as the direct result of a Woodley / Harrison near-sack or pressure.

-That's not to say pressure on QBs didn't aid in the 20-INT total of 2010. It's just not as simple as saying no Harrison and Woodley together = fewer takeaways. In fact, Woodley's loss in the takeaway department this year may have been felt more in his coverage ability as four INTs (two that Woodley snagged, one each that Lawrence Timmons and Ryan Clark nabbed) came while #56 was dropping backwards in 2010. Jason Worilds is not as adept a coverage man, and probably is more predictable in behavior for other teams.

-Speaking of Timmons, he was more disruptive last year to be sure in the turnover game. He had two fine INTs in 2010, one while stepping in front of Terrell Owens in coverage, to go along with a pop of Titans running back Chris Johnson to force a pigskin loose. This year, Lawrence has just one pick-off after a William Gay pass deflection.

-Troy Polamalu's interception numbers are down from 7 to 1 this year, and that's a major difference of course. Troy has dropped a couple of relatively easy-looking catches in 2011 for a player of his standard. Last season, his seven INTs included the signature play of Week 1 at the sideline off the arm of Matt Ryan, to go along with diving or stretching catches against Oakland, Tennessee, Buffalo, Cincinnati, and Cleveland. In 2011, only Colt McCoy's attempted throw to Evan Moore found #43's possession.

-Perimeter tackling has also contributed to the situation. Last year, 5 of the team's 11 forced fumbles came from wide receivers or running backs on good helmet-or-bodypart-on-football smashes. This year, not one opposing WR or RB has lost a football to Pittsburgh.

-DB blitzes also provided 2 of last year's 11 forced fumbles, the most memorable being Polamalu's strip sack on Baltimore's Joe Flacco in the comeback victory at Heinz Field. Bryant McFadden also had a sack fumble in 2010. In 2011, zero from the DBs.

-Another possibility is that last year's 20 INT total was a bit of a fluke, or at least taking advantage of the meek. Here are the QB's that delivered 16 of those 20 INTs: Colt McCoy (5), Carson Palmer (4), Vince Young (2), Jimmy Clausen, Bruce Gradkowski, Jason Campbell, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Kerry Collins. Some of their thrown interceptions were poorly thrown footballs. But in 2011, even Steelers wins over Seattle's Tavaris Jackson and Jacksonville's Blaine Gabbert produced no takeaways.

Whatever the reasons for dropping from 31 to 13 takeaways, odds are the Pittsburgh Steelers defense need to turn things around in the playoffs for the team to have success. The biggest Steelers' losses of 2010 (Green Bay in the Super Bowl, New England and the NY Jets in the regular season) and 2011 have a common theme: Lack of thievery.

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Posted in College Sports, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Steelers

 

28 Dec

Hines Ward talks about 1,000 catches in Cleveland

published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday, December 28th, 2011 – 3:55 pm

Steelers receiver Hines Ward needs five catches on Sunday in Cleveland to reach 1,000 grabs for his career. If he gets there, he'll become just the 8th WR in NFL history to hit that milestone joining Jerry Rice, Tony Gonzalez, Marvin Harrison, Cris Carter, Tim Brown, Terrell Owens, and Issac Bruce. Hines talked about what the record would mean and what it might take to reach it.

"Of course all the guys are talking about it and stuff like that. For me, I just want to win. We have a chance to win the AFC North, to get an important bye week, a game at Heinz Field at least, that's the main goal. Guys are always talking about 'How many more catches?' but I don't really play this game worrying about my individual stats. If we go out there and don't get it but we win, I'll be just as happy as if I do get the record. It's more about the win than the record."

Do you think Cleveland will be aware of your record chase?

"We played the Rams [and] I heard the head coach screaming towards the end [of the game], 'Double cover Hines! Double cover Hines!' I've never heard that, an opposing coach running down the sideline regardless of what coverage they was in, he specifically told them to cover me. I ended up having like two or three guys around me. I don't know [Cleveland's] game plan, but I hope it's just to play football, not really worrying about me getting my five catches or not."

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Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers

 

26 Dec

Week 17 Could Decide the Fate of the AFC Title by Jon Pennline

published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday, December 26th, 2011 – 5:05 pm

Here we go again, Steelers fans. The Baltimore Ravens are one loss away from losing the AFC North division as they were two weeks ago. Although the Ravens were crushed by the San Diego Chargers on Sunday Night Football in week 15, the Pittsburgh Steelers played well below winning standards the following night and handed the division lead right back to Baltimore. Now, with one week remaining, the entire fate of the AFC title game could come down to two games, both played in Ohio.

In Cleveland, the Steelers will play a struggling Browns team who almost beat the them two weeks ago at Heinz Field. While Ben is injured and the Browns gave Pittsburgh a tough fight in Week 15, the Steelers know exactly what is at stake and they already have the familiarity of playing against the Browns earlier in the season. Still, if Charlie Batch needs to start, the Steelers will need to rely on the run game. At the same time, that may not be a bad thing. In the past five games, the Steelers are averaging 128.8 ypg on the ground which has helped the offense regardless of who was playing quarterback.

On the other side of the ball, the Cleveland Browns are ranked 2nd against the pass (behind the Steelers) and 30th against the run. While the Steelers had difficulty running the ball, at times, against the Browns, the gameplan will most likely center around getting Rashard Mendenhall and Issac Redman the ball as much as possible. At least it should. Batch is game a manager when he plays but how is Roethlisberger any different when he's immobile? Like Batch, Ben will have to stay in the pocket and complete quick throws 5-8 yards down field. Is there really a difference?

Meanwhile, 4 hours south of Cleveland, the Baltimore Ravens finish off their season against the Cincinnati Bengals in what was originally seen as a cakewalk at season's start. Instead, the Bengals have a chance to make the playoffs for the second time in three years if they win. The Ravens are playing for a first round bye.

In their first match up six weeks ago, the Ravens stopped a late rally from Andy Dalton to win 31-24 in Baltimore. The Bengals did not have AJ Green due to injury from the week before and now, it appears the tables have turned. Anquan Boldin will not play Sunday due to a surgical procedure done on his knee to remove cartilage. With the Ravens' best wide receiver out, Joe Flacco will have to rely on rookie Torrey Smith and Lee Evans, two receivers who only excel at go-routes. Also, the Ravens are 3-4 on the road including losses to Seattle, Jacksonville and San Diego. With the Bengals one win away from reaching the playoffs, expect as close to a hostile environment as you can get.

The Steelers can only take care of their game and, with a veteran team, they already know that. Despite losing in San Fransisco when they had a first round bye handed to them, and despite losing twice to the Baltimore Ravens earlier in the season, the Steelers still have an opportunity to win the division. While this may not be one of the better teams to ever make the playoffs in Steelers history, they are still in a position to make the playoffs and potentially host one or two games. Plus, with an extra week off, the Steelers could get a completely healthy Lamarr Woodley as well as Maurkice Pouncey and Ben Roethlisberger.

Here we go again.

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Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers

 

20 Dec

Ike Taylor Live In-Studio

published in category: Ike Taylor, Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuesday, December 20th, 2011 – 3:42 pm

Ike Taylor of the Steelers talks about the loss to the Niners, the blackout and the AFC Playoff Picture.

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Posted in Ike Taylor, Pittsburgh Steelers

 

20 Dec

Steelers Blow their Chance by Jon Pennline

published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers, Wrestling Reality on Tuesday, December 20th, 2011 – 9:20 am

With homefield advantage, a first round bye and another AFC North Division title staring them right in the face, the Steelers laid an egg on Monday Night Football against the San Fransisco 49ers. Now, sitting at 10-4, it looks like the road to Super Bowl XLVI will not go through Pittsburgh.

After watching the Texans and Ravens lose on Sunday, Pittsburgh held the tiebreaker over the New England Patriots, thanks to a win in week 8. Heading into Monday night's game, the Steelers had ten days to prepare for the 11-3 San Fransisco 49ers who had just come off an embarrassing loss to the Arizona Cardinals the week before. Instead of being prepared, the Steelers were crushed by a Harbaugh led team for the third time this season.

The game circulated around the toughness of Ben Roethlisberger who received a high ankle sprain the previous week against Cleveland. In what usually is a 4-6 week injury, Roethlisberger came back to play the following week against the 49ers. While you can't criticize Ben for playing through the injury, his performance dictated that, in hindsight, he shouldn't have played. The injury limited his mobility and altered his throws leading to four turnovers. The offense barely sniffed the red zone and the Steelers mustered just 3 points thanks to a 51 yard field goal by Shaun Suisham.

Meanwhile, the defense did their best to hold San Fransisco in the first half of the game, limiting them to six points off of turnovers. But in the second half, when they needed to make a stop, the Steelers gave up a touchdown to put San Fransisco ahead for good. With zero sacks on Alex Smith and a soft zone coverage, the defense was picked apart as if they were playing against one of the top offenses in the game. In my opinion, the gameplan looked backward. Smith is nothing more than a game manager who success is built off of an offense that can run the ball. In critical situations, the defensive backs played ten yards off the line of scrimmage and allowed Smith to through 8 yard out routs which turned into first downs.

With ten days to prepare, both side of the ball should have had a much better gameplan.

Now, the Steelers come back to Pittsburgh to play what will most-assuredly be their last home game until next season. While the Ravens still need to play the Bengals on the road, you would really be asking a lot for the Steelers to fall into another situation where they would get a first round bye. With the most likely scenario being that Pittsburgh will have to win three games on the road to make the Super Bowl, a repeat trip seems unlikely. This is not 2005. This is a much older team that needed the bye-week in order to rest their players as well as play just two games at home instead of three on the road.

The Steelers' road performances have been poor, for the most part. They were crushed against the Ravens, Texans and 49ers, and they struggled to win against the lowly Colts and Chiefs. A Cinderella team is possible, but not probable. From here on out, the focus should be on resting their injured players and getting read for a round one match up against the Texans or Broncos.

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Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers, Wrestling Reality

 

17 Dec

Steelers Saturday Injury Updates

published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers, Sports Talk Radio on Saturday, December 17th, 2011 – 2:37 pm

The Pittsburgh Steelers wrapped up their first Saturday practice of the regular season at their South Side facility as they finished their work week in preparation for their Monday Night Football appearance in San Francisco.

All eyes were on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as he went through a "limited" practice on his sore left ankle (high ankle sprain). Ben has taken a policy of not speaking to the media throughout the year on the final day of the week's practice, so he did not speak about his status. The team's official injury report lists him as "questionable," although a few teammates I spoke to expressed optimism he would be able to play even if not at full strength and mobility.

That could mean a lot of shotgun or 'pistol' offense for the Steelers on Monday night, something the team is familiar with as Roethlisberger played the last half of 2010 with a broken bone in his right foot. In both cases, the team's strategy appears to be a casting of the foot in some sense with tape and bracing. This year, however, it will be Roethlisberger's lead foot as opposed to his plant foot.

Wide receiver Mike Wallace talked about the situation with his QB after practice, saying "Ben has done it before when his foot was messed up, I don't see that being a problem. It doesn't matter if he's in the gun or not for the receivers. From his point, I don't know how his foot's feeling. Whatever we need to help him we'll definitely do. We're still going to run our same plays, he's just in the 'gun. I don't see Ben changing his game. If he's able to play he's going to try to play as normal as he can."

In other injury news, safety Troy Polamalu also went through a limited practice with his hamstring strain, the first work he's gotten for the week. Troy said, "I rehabbed all week, was able to practice a little bit today, and we'll see what Coach Tomlin has to say. We have a short week next week." Listed as "probable," it appears Polamalu will give it a go on Monday.

It's a homecoming of sorts anytime Troy heads back to the left coast, and he admitted he has purchased some 40 tickets for friends and family out of pocket. "My wife and I always joke, we're blessed to be away from California. Every time we go out west we've got to get a lot of tickets," Troy said.

On the offensive line, center Maurkice Pouncey has been ruled out with his high-ankle sprain, meaning Doug Legursky will make his second NFL start at center and first start their since Super Bowl XLV. Legursky has played there this season during games, however, when Pouncey has left due to both injury and illness. All told now, Legursky has started 7 games at right guard, 5 at left guard, and now 2 at center in his three NFL seasons.

Meanwhile, 7-year man Trai Essex is set to make his first ever NFL start at LG as he has surpassed Chris Kemoeatu on the depth chart. Essex has also been a flexible part, starting 21-games at right guard since 2009 in addition to 6 at left tackle over his NFL career.

Steelers special team standouts Arnaz Battle and Curtis Brown are also listed as questionable for the game with hamstring and knee injuries, respectively. Battle expressed confidence to me that he will be ready to go, and he eagerly anticipates his return to San Francisco where he spent seven seasons playing for the 49ers.

Listen in to TribLive Radio beginning Monday at 9am for much more on the Monday Night Fotoball matchup between the Steelers and the 49ers. Guy Junker and John Steigerwald join me from 9am to 1pm, and you can listen right here at 'sportstalk.triblive.com'.

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Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers, Sports Talk Radio

 

15 Dec

Bruce Arians talks on 49ers Week

published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, December 15th, 2011 – 4:18 pm

Steelers Offensive Coordinator Bruce Arians met the press again this week to discuss issues prior to the San Francisco game. Here is the transcript:

How's Ben Roethlisberger?

"Well, he's still in the boot. Making a little progress, slowly but surely. Wait and see. We hope, got our fingers crossed. Got a lot of time left. It'd be different if it was the first game of the year but we've played sixteen of these with preseason and everything. If he's ready, he'll be ready to go."

Does he need to practice at some point to play?

"Yeah, I think so, we'd like to see that. But still, 48-hours where that thing can keep getting better and better and we'll wait and see."

How do you choose between Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon?

"We've won with both of them. Next man in line, that's always been the motto whether it's quarterback, right tackle, left tackle, next guy up play and play good. We won't change anything that we do or the way that we play the game."

Who's the next man?

"Charlie."

Any chance Dixon plays if Ben can't go?

"Only if Charlie gets hurt."

On Ben's history dealing with injuries:

"This is a little different. The lack of mobility with a high-ankle sprain is more than he's had to deal with in the past. We've got to be careful with it. He'll let us know."

Ben was talking about the difficulty dropping back to throw…

"That would be a chore, that would be impossible today. It'd be a straight shotgun game. Today it would be no chance. But I've seen him recover in the past and we hope that he makes that kind of progress in the next three or four days. [If] he's not going to be able to run around that would just lend to itself that he would do what he's capable of doing for us to win and not hurt the football team."

Any chance Ben could play if he doesn't practice at all?

"You could watch him out at warm ups. Adrenaline does funny things sometimes. He doesn't need a hole lot of snaps, the gameplan doesn't change. We've played 3-4 defenses in the past. You'd like to see him practice just to know that he's ready but that decision will be coach's."

How's Maurkice Pouncey?

"Same thing, wait and see."

How does San Francisco's defense look?

"They're really strong. #1 against the run, #1 against points, red-zone. They do a really good job, Vic [Foglino] is a heck of a coach. I've known Vic for a long time, we worked together in Indianapolis and he's been at [San Francisco] for a while. He's got them playing extremely hard and they've got an extremely good front seven and their safeties are playing well. They're a great challenge running the football [against]."

Are they Cover-2?

"No, they play everything. Their safeties are in the box a lot. In the red-zone they play a very good style of Cover-2, but they stop the run that's what they do so good."

Can Baltimore coach John Harbaugh give his brother Jim any advice on your team?

"He may have some things he thinks are certain tendencies in certain areas. Probably more knowledge of the personnel than the schemes. I'll tell him [myself] Mike Wallace is fast."

Is Chris Kemoeatu dealing with injuries or just in a rut?

"A little bit of both. He's had some physical limits all year. It's affected his technique. We can't have the penalties. The effort is always there, but the penalties we've got to get rid of."

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Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers

 



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