Steelers Vs Ravens Can Shake Up Race to Playoff

When the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers met before for a slot in the Super Bowl was at stake.  Now, the matchup could be a big role in what team will reach the post season.  The North rivals from AFC will meet Sunday in Baltimore with both of them not in first place and searching for answers.  Pittsburgh (6-4) beat Baltimore (5-5) that has been there for three times in 2008 and eyeing for its record sixth title for the Super Bowl and winning the AFC title 23-14 may have been most bruising of the bunch.

The defensive battle had the teams punt seven times and the Steelers putting the game way ahead especially with Polamalu’s 40-yard interception went back for a touchdown with a few minutes left.  Both teams are behind North leader Cincinnati.  These teams will meet twice in the next five weeks and the wagers are different from the last 10 months that they played.

Roethlisberger With Concussion Still Willing To Play

Ben Roethlishberger played a career low or one of the worst games in the NFL one week after he sustained a concussion in 2006. He is removed from his fourth concussion in four years.  This is a high number even for an NFL player.  Never the less, the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers is going through a preparation for a normal week of pivotal game on Sunday night at Baltimore and has the intention of playing.  It is natural for every player playing this game. Roethlisberger said that it is a physical contact sport, quite violent and there’s a great chance that you will be hit. 

Roethlisberger, who is statistically having his best season even with the Steelers’ unpredictable status, is evidence of that.  The two-time Super Bowl quarterback’s most recent concussion occurred when his head unintentionally struck the knee of Derrick Johnson Chiefs linebacker while he was being jammed during overtime of Pittsburgh’s 27-24 loss last Sunday.

Steelers Clark is Questionable vs. Broncos

Ryan Clark a safety is still uncertain if he will play or not for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Denver until Monday night, but he is listed by the team as questionable to play in its Sunday released injury report.  Getting from league sources, Jason La Canfora reporter of the NFL Network reported earlier this week that Clark is probably not playing.  

Clark almost died after a game in Denver two years ago due to a rare blood disorder that is provoked by high altitude playing.  Mike Tomlin the Steelers coach did not reveal it to the public, he must have told Clark not to play.  Clark was already issued a medical clearance to play.  Last Thursday Clark said that it is a tough decision; his ego wants him to go back and play there.  Not really to beat Bronco, but be able to come full circle and able to return and play.

Steeler’s Superbowl Rings

The Super Bowl ring is a National Football League award given to the members of the winning team of the Super Bowl, the league’s annual championship game.  These rings are usually made of gold, white or yellow with diamonds.  They include the Super Bowl number, team name and logo.  The NFL shoulders the cost of 150 rings for the team that wins.  Depending on the variable cost of diamonds and gold on the market, it is approximately $5,000 apiece. 

The winning team can give the rings to anyone they choose, it includes players who are active or injured, executives, coaches, trainers, personnel, and general staff. Some teams also give rings to former players, as long as they pay for the excess of the 150-ring limit.  The ring for the thumb, the ring five is now in Pittsburgh.  The Steelers got their Super Bowl rings in a Heinz Field lounge during a ceremony.  It was after defeating the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL in Detroit.

Judge Will Not Dismiss Lawsuit Against Roethlisberger

A judge from Nevada denied a motion last Thursday to dismiss a lawsuit accusing Ben Roethlisberger a quarterback of the Pittsburg Steelers of raping a woman in Lake Tahoe hotel-casino.  Brent Adams the Washoe District Court Judge refused a lawyers request for the two-time Super Bowl champion to permit the woman’s attorney to follow the case without enough evidence. 

The judge, in a one-page order said that Cal Dunlap, a former district attorney and a lawyer, was able to meet the minimal standards needed to avoid the obligation of authorization in his account of the former VIP host at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe who accused Ben of sexually assaulting her and the hotel of cover up.  The suit seeks of $440,000 from Roethlisberger in damages and at least $50,000 in damages from Harrah’s officials with regards to the alleged incident in July 2008 in a penthouse. Roethlisberger was there for the celebrity golf tournament.

Reed Sorry Again About Incident

Jeff Reed is again saying sorry.  The question would be, if Pittsburgh will not get tired of a dependable but distraction causing player who is consistent in needing to apologize.  Reed said he is not happy with getting attention from the organization by getting involved in a run-in with police at Pittsburgh, only hours after kicking two field goals and winning a 27-14 over the Cleveland Browns last Sunday.  Reed said that he apologizes for being a team distraction.  

He can now move on and sited other players that have done the same and still played well.  This was the second incident that involved Reed this year that led to talks with Art Rooney II the Steelers president, Kevin Colbert the director of football operations and Coach Mike Tomlin.  All of them were not pleased with the Reed’s actions.  Earlier this year, Reed also paid $543 in reimbursement and fines after pleading guilty to criminal mischief and disorderly conduct.

Mendenhall Relax, Parker Work

Rashard Mendelhall a Steelers running back had flu and missed practice last Thursday. It paved the way for Willie Parker to carry the ball more with the starters as he comes back from a toe injury that sidelined him for two-weeks. Bruce Arians the Steelers offensive coordinator says he will not pick a featured back until before the start of the game on Sunday versus the Cleveland Browns.

A first-round draft pick last year, Mendenhall was able to run for 165 yards versus the San Diego Chargers and 77 versus the Detroit Lions after Parker injured a left big toe on the game against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers are optimistic that Mendenhall will be able to practice Friday. Willie Parker has an exceptional speed that he was given the nickname “Fast Willie”. Parker’s experience as a backup in college was compared to Franco Harris the Hall of Famer, he was the team’s all-time leading rusher and Super Bowl IX MVP.

Steelers Superbowl Logo

The Steelers have participated in seven Super Bowls and won six of them that included four in six years.  The Pittsburgh Steelers are American football team that are professional based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are now a member of the North Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League. It was founded in 1933, the team rank fourth among all NFL franchises with six NFL titles.  But they have not won any in the pre-Super Bowl era and six since the start of the Super Bowl.  

They trail the Green Bay Packers (12), Chicago Bears (9) and the New York Giants (7). Pittsburgh has won more Super Bowl titles (6), won more AFC Championship Games (7) they were able to hosted more conference championship games (10) than any other AFC or NFC team. They played in more AFC championship games than all other team and tied with the Dallas Cowboys having 14 championship game appearances in either the NFC or AFC contests. They are currently the National Football League champions after winning the Super Bowl XLIII last February 1, 2009.

Steelers defeat Lions 28-20

The Steelers manage to stop the surge of the Detroit Lions to win 28-20 at Ford Field. The win advances their record to 3-2 and keeps them right on track of the AFC North. The defense permitted a late touchdown, but the final drive was swarming over the Lions quarterback Dante Culpepper, running over him on three consecutive plays to keep them out of the end zone.

Coach Mike Tomlin said they executed the plays in detail. Plays have to be done in detail with good detail great plays happen. Putting together good combinations at the end with great detail and speed plus some good coverage behind and manage to finish the game out. It’s a signature of football winning, great defense and we were able to execute. Roethlisberger completed three touchdowns, 23 passes for 277 yards, rookie Wallace made one, the first of his career. Mendenhall started for the injured Parker and finishing with a touch down and 15 carries for 77 yards.

Steelers lean on Big Ben’s arm to beat Titans

The Pittsburgh Steelers it seems are going to stay with this Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes mishmash until somebody beats them. Jeff Reed kicked a 33-yard field goal with 4:32 left in overtime and the Super Bowl champion Steelers again relied on Roethlisberger’s capability to lead clutch scoring drives to pound the Tennessee Titans 13-10 in the NFL season opener Thursday night. The Steelers, their running game ballooned by Tennessee’s defense, didn’t get going until Roethlisberger began frequently finding Holmes and Hines Ward open downfield. Roethlisberger was 33 of 43 for 363 yards, with Holmes—the Super Bowl stars—making nine catches for 131 yards and a touchdown and Ward, regardless of a potentially costly fumble, making eight for 103.

Holmes’ figures were exactly the same as the Super Bowl, when he caught the winning 6-yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger in the last minute to beat Arizona 27-23. Thursday’s victory might be expensive, however—star safety Troy Polamalu, the top player on the field during the first half, sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee on a blocked field goal. Coach Mike Tomlin said the injury typically sidelines a player 3 to 6 weeks.

Pittsburgh (2-2) at Detroit (1-3)

The Pittsburgh Steelers won’t depart with the Vince Lombardi Trophy this time, but their second successive victory and first road win would suffice. Back at Ford Field on Sunday for the first time ever since their Super Bowl victory more than three years ago, the Steelers faces a Detroit Lions team that might be without its starting quarterback. Pittsburgh hasn’t played a road game against the Lions since a 19-16 overtime loss on Nov. 26, 1998, but the Steelers last played at Ford Field on Feb. 5, 2006, when they beat Seattle 21-10 in Super Bowl XL. While the buildup to Sunday’s matchup pales in comparison to that surrounding the Steelers’ last trip to the Motor City, coach Mike Tomlin sees plenty of value in a win over the lowly Lions.

Whoever starts under center for Detroit would be at a major disadvantage if Calvin Johnson can’t play. The third-year receiver was also held out of practice Wednesday after taking a helmet to the thigh in the fourth quarter last weekend. Johnson had season highs with eight catches and 133 yards against Chicago. Steeler’s wide receiver Hines Ward caught eight passes for a season-best 113 yards last Sunday. Ward, the Super Bowl XL MVP, needs 70 receiving yards Sunday to bind with Andre Rison for 30th all-time with 10,205. Pittsburgh has won 10 of its previous 12 meetings with Detroit.

Pittsburgh (-10.5) vs. DETROIT

The ratings favor Pittsburgh by 15 points in this game, but that’s assuming the Steelers play at their normal high level. That’s probably not likely with Pittsburgh coming off 4 consecutive challenging games, who won’t be able to avoid an emotional letdown against the lowly Lions. Pittsburgh is only 5-11-1 ATS as a road favorite ever since 2006, including 2-9-1 ATS after a win and 2-8 ATS against a non-division foe.

Daunte Culpepper gets the start in place of injured rookie Matthew Stafford and that’s likely to mean fewer interceptions (Stafford threw 6 picks in 3 1/2 games). If Pittsburgh doesn’t endure a letdown then they will probably cover the spread, but the Steelers apply to a negative 27-64-3 ATS road favorite letdown situation and Detroit applies to a 90-36-4 ATS blowout bounce-back situation that plays on teams after losing by 20 points or more (there is obviously more to that angle that just that). With the math favoring Pittsburgh and the situation favoring Detroit maybe it is to best avoid this game.

Big Ben No Longer Needs To Defend His Linemen

Ben Roethlisberger’s appearance on the WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” telecast didn’t register any ratings in Mike Tomlin’s household—nobody watched. The Steelers coach would have his three young children spend time wrestling with their homework. While Tomlin wasn’t excited about his quarterback’s in-season sideshow, any coach would have liked this display of teamwork: Roethlisberger made sure his lineman were part of the act, too. Roethlisberger’s stats are up this season and his sack total is down, and it’s not coincidental. An offensive line that was viewed as the Steelers’ weakness a season ago is playing much better, as evidenced by Rashard Mendenhall’s 165 yards rushing and Roethlisberger’s 333 yards passing and 78.8 completion percentage during a 38-28 victory over San Diego on Sunday.

The offensive line of Max Starks, Chris Kemoeatu, Justin Hartwig, Trai Essex and Colon also is a throwback to a different time when NFL players, especially those who weren’t married, would go out with each other after practice. The linemen no longer require Roethlisberger to come to their defense, now that they’re doing a more than enough job of protecting him.

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