Tag: Pittsburgh Steelers (Page 57 of 61)

Rashard Mendenhall makes rookie mistake

Steelers’ rookie running back Rashard Mendenhall made a sketchy decision this week. He decided to send a text message to Ravens’ rookie Ray Rice saying that he was going to have a big game against the Ravens’ top-ranked defense.

Obviously, Rice, who often praises the Ravens’ defense as “scary,” passed the text message along to his teammates, who are not taking Mendenhall’s proclamation lightly.

“He said later that he was just joking, but it’s too late,” Ravens linebacker Bart Scott said. “Thanks for the bulletin-board material, rookie.”

A tailback having a big game against Baltimore, by the way, is a rarity.

The Ravens haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 21 straight games, the longest active streak in the league. Baltimore has given up an average of just 161.5 yards through its first two games, 72.5 fewer than the league’s No. 2 unit — which belongs to Pittsburgh (234.0). The Ravens have had a top-10 defense in each of the past five seasons.

With this bulletin board material, Mendenhall’s chances of having a big game are slim to none, and slim just left town.

NFL News and Notes: Rams bench QB Marc Bulger

Marc Bulger– After stumbling to a 0-3 start and looking atrocious while doing so, the St. Louis Rams have decided to make a change. Veteran Trent Green will reportedly start at quarterback this weekend against the undefeated Buffalo Bills as the Rams have decided to bench Marc Bulger. (NFL.com)

– Willie Parker will miss Monday night’s game against the Baltimore Ravens after spraining his knee in last week’s loss to the Eagles. Rookie Rashard Mendenhall is expected to make his first NFL start. (NFL.com)

– Packers’ CB Al Harris could be lost for the entire season with a ruptured spleen, which was the same injury that knocked out former Bucs’ QB Chris Simms for the entire 2006 season. Tramon Williams, a second-year undrafted free agent, is currently Harris’s backup at left corner. (National Football Post)

– RB Brian Westbrook reportedly suffered a high ankle sprain during the Eagles’ win over the Steelers Sunday, a game in which “Westy” had to leave the game in the first half. His status for this Sunday’s game is still up in the air, but Westbrook expects to play. (Rotoworld.com)

– Struggling quarterback Derek Anderson is expected to start in Week 4 for the Cleveland Browns, but the team is prepping second-year backup Brady Quinn to play. Anderson could have a quick hook if he struggles Sunday against Cincinnati. (ESPN’s Chris Mortensen)

– Despite his poor performance in Tennessee last Sunday, Matt Schuab will reportedly keep the starting quarterback job in Houston. Unfortunately for Schaub, things don’t get any easier against Jacksonville this Sunday. (Houston Chronicle)

– After destroying the Patriots with it last Sunday, the Miami Dolphins will keep the ‘Wildcat’ package in their offensive. RB Ronnie Brown shredded New England for over 100 yards and four touchdowns while lining up predominately in that formation last Sunday. (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)


Obviously, the Bulger news is big, but I doubt there were too many owners starting him last week. His numbers are down and I think most of us were expecting him to eventually turn it around and finish somewhere in the top 15. Scott Linehan is apparently desperate and feels like he’s on the verge of getting fired. Trent Green is old, but STL has some weapons so he could be a decent spot starter if he can get in the groove…As for Westy, Correll Buckhalter looks like the primary backup despite all the preseason talk about Lorenzo Booker…Rashard Mendenhall will be a hot pickup this week, but don’t break the bank in Blind Bidding leagues. He faces a tough Ravens defense and Parker could be back as early as next week. But if you can add him cheaply, do so, as you never know with knee sprains…Brady Quinn is a guy to target in larger leagues. The “Bench Derek Anderson” talk seems to be getting louder and louder and Quinn has a chance to be good with all the weapons in the Browns’ offense.

Three things NFL teams do that infuriate me

I love the NFL.

I mean, I love the NFL. If it were at all possible, I would go out to Zales, purchase a ring, take the NFL out for a lovely dinner, drop to a knee and ask it to marry me.

That said, there are three things that NFL teams do that absolutely infuriate me. All 32 teams have done these three things throughout the years and continue to do them on a weekly basis.

1. Choose to receive the ball when they win the coin toss
This absolutely chaps my hide because it’s an ego thing for teams. They want the ball first because they want to “set the tone” and have the mentality that they can take their opening drive and shove it down their opponents’ throat.

But how many times as a fan have you heard a player, coach or announcer say, “Football is a game of emotion?” Hundreds, probably. So why, oh why, do teams win the coin toss and chose to receive? If football is a game of emotion and defense is all about emotion, why not put them on the field first? They’re rested, pumped up and if they force the opponent to punt, your team not only has momentum and field position, but you also get the ball back at halftime.

I understand why teams chose to receive first; among other reasons, they believe they can get the first score and seize momentum. But even if they do score first, the opposing team still has almost four full quarters to swing momentum back in their favor and either tie or capture the lead.

Wade PhillipsOne of the smartest things I saw in Week 3 come in the Dallas-Green Bay Sunday night game. Head coach Wade Phillips and his Cowboys were on the road and playing in a hostile environment. When they won the coin toss, they took advantage of a new league rule that allows teams to defer to the second half, meaning Dallas chose to get the ball at halftime. So, they put their defense on the field first, forced a fumble and eventually wound up taking a 3-0 lead. At halftime, the ‘Boys led 13-6 and had the luxury of getting the ball back in the second half. Granted they didn’t get any points in their first possession of the third quarter, but at least they had the opportunity to extend the lead. And let’s say the score was reversed and Green Bay had a 13-6 lead, at least the Cowboys would have had the chance to tie it early in the third quarter because they chose to defer to the second half. Not every team is going to force a fumble on their opponents’ first possession, but a three and out and punt can have the same affect.

If a team wins the toss, it makes little sense to receive the ball to start the game. Put your well-rested defense on the field first, get a stop, seize momentum and get the ball back first in the second half. And if the other team scores to start the game, so what? You still have an entire game to battle back.

My cohort on The Scores Report, John Paulsen, disagrees with this notion to a certain extent. He’s a Packer fan and likes to note that when Mike Holmgren coached in Green Bay, he had the first 15-20 plays scripted and his teams almost always went down the field and scored. It was demoralizing for the other team and JP brings up a good point that receiving the ball has a lot to do with the quality of your offense. Maybe one day when we’re coaching in the NFL, we can pit our philosophies against each other and see who comes out on top. (Or since neither of us is remotely close to becoming NFL coaches, we’ll have to duke it out on Madden ’09 or get a bunch of schoolyard kids together and coach them.)

2. Playing prevent defense at the end of games and first halves
This one has driven fans crazy for years. The first half or game is winding down and the defense that had been aggressive and relentless for two or four quarters starts allowing their opponent to complete underneath passes in efforts to not get burned deep for a big play. But all of a sudden, those underneath passes start to add up and the offense is now knocking on the door of a score (whether it be a field goal or touchdown).

In the Chiefs-Falcons game on Sunday, Atlanta seized a 24-0 lead with just over two minutes remaining in the first half. But instead of being aggressive like they had been for almost two quarters, they allowed Kansas City quarterback Tyler Thigpen to complete seven to 15-yard underneath passes and march the Chiefs up the field to the Atlanta 15-yard line. Thigpen then hit Dwayne Bowe for a 15-yard touchdown with only three seconds remaining in the half. While the Falcons still owned a 24-7 lead at halftime, Kansas City had taken some of the momentum back, which it turned into another score on the first possession of the second half.

Granted the Falcons still won the game handedly, but why even allow a team to have any momentum at the end of a half or even worse, at the end of game to possibly cut into a lead or win the game? Atlanta had made Thigpen uncomfortable up until that final drive of the first half by sending multiple defenders and playing press coverage. But most quarterbacks (even Thigpen) can find open receivers if a defense only rushes four down linemen and he has time in the pocket.

Now let’s look at the other side of the coin. At the end of the Eagles-Steelers game, Philadelphia, which had blitzed Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger the entire game, continued to send extra defenders at Big Ben late in the fourth quarter. The results were similar to the ones they had all game: Roethlisberger couldn’t do anything.

Ben RoethlisbergerOn a 3rd and 15 from their own 23-yard line, Roethlisberger dropped back to pass and the Eagles sent safety Brian Dawkins on a blitz. Dawkins got to Roethlisberger and stripped the ball, Philly recovered and eventually turned it into a field goal to take a 15-6 lead with less than three minutes remaining in the game. Then, on the Steelers next possession, the Eagles continued to be aggressive and while Byron Leftwich was able to complete longer passes down the field, Philly eventually sacked him for a nine-yard loss to force a 4th and 10 with only 40 seconds to play. On fourth down, Leftwich was again harassed and wound up skipping a pass incomplete to Santonio Holmes.

Most defenses are successful when they’re aggressive. And if they’re having success throughout an entire half or game being aggressive, there’s no reason they should stop being aggressive.

3. Down by 11 late in a game, going for a TD when the opportunity for a FG is present
There’s three minutes left in the fourth quarter and a team is down by 11 points. While driving into opponents’ territory, they’re stopped on third down. Now faced with a 4th and 7 from the 28-yard line, the team decides to go for it because the outdated handbook for coaching dummies says that a team should go for the touchdown first. So the team goes for it, they get stopped on fourth down and now instead of having a legitimate shot at a rally with less than three minutes to play, they kill all hopes and have to burn up their time outs in a futile attempt at a comeback.

If a team is down by 11 late in the game and they’re in field goal range, why not just kick the field goal? You need the three points no matter what. I understand that a 55-yard field goal is more likely than a “Hail Mary” pass attempt from the same distance, but you have to play the percentages at that time. The chances of making a field goal on that 4th and 7 must be better than picking up a first down. But head coaches get infatuated with the fact that they have to score a touchdown and convert a 2-point conversion, so they leave vital points on the field at the end of games. They put the field goal attempt in their back pocket, instead of just knocking it out when they have the chance.

Fantasy Fallout, Week 3: Sunday’s Games

Chiefs 14 @ Falcons 38
If the matchup is good, you have to get Michael Turner in your lineup. He posted 104 rushing yards and three TD against a bad Kansas City rush defense…Jerious Norwood turned 12 touches into 105 yards…Matt Ryan had an efficient day, throwing for 192 yards and a score…Roddy White (5-119-1) had his first big game of the season and looks startable again…The Falcons defense had three picks (and returned one for a score, registered two sacks, and looks like a good start against bad defenses, especially at home…Larry Johnson looked like his old self rumbling for 121 yards and a score, though he’s still (mysteriously) not involved in the passing game…Dwayne Bowe (4-43-1) continues to play well despite the Chiefs problems at QB…Tony Gonzalez (4-35) had a quiet game but was involved…Tyler Thigpen threw for just 128 yards and a score, and was picked off three times.

Raiders 23 @ Bills 24
The Buffalo defense struggled in a game where they shouldn’t have. They gave up 23 points, and only registered a single sack and a single turnover…Marshawn Lynch looked great, turning 27 touches into 115 yards and two TD…Trent Edwards continued his steady play, posting 279 yards, one TD and one pick…Lee Evans (4-65) and Josh Reed (6-72) led the Bills in receiving, though Roscoe Parrish (3-42-1) was the only Buffalo wideout to score…JaMarcus Russell threw for 156 yards, one TD and also had a 1-yard touchdown run…Darren McFadden only had 48 yards on 17 touches, while Michael Bush had 60 yards on 15 touches…Zach Miller and Ronald Curry each failed to catch a ball, but there was a Javon Walker sighting as the gimpy wideout caught two passes for 18 yards.

Bucs 27 @ Bears 24
Brian Griese surprised everyone with 407 yards and two TD. He also threw for three picks, but since the Bucs couldn’t run the ball (Dunn – 31 yards, Graham – 16 yards), Tampa Bay called 67 passes…Antonio Bryant (10-138) seems to be the main beneficiary of Joey Galloway’s absence and is worth a pickup as long as Galloway is out…Ike Hilliard (6-57-1) thrives underneath and Jerramy Stevens (5-61-1) finally capitalized on some of that physical talent he has…Even Michael Clayton (5-54) got into the act…Brutal day for Earnest Graham (16 yards rushing, no catches)…Matt Forte (27 carries, 89 yards; 7-66-1 receiving) is an every week starter…Brandon Lloyd stepped up with 6-124-1, and after 5-66 last week, he’s starting to look like a wideout to roster…Kyle Orton (268 passing yards, 2 TD, 2 INT) had a nice fantasy day.

Panthers 10 @ Vikings 20
Carolina was in control (10-3) until a sack and fumble return for a TD late in the first half…Jake Delhomme (191 passing yards) had a disappointing day, especially with Steve Smith (4-70) back, against a suspect Minnesota secondary…Predictably, the Panthers couldn’t run against the Vikings stout defensive line. Jonathan Stewart (7 touches, 15 yards, 1 TD) and DeAngelo Williams (12 touches, 44 yards) just couldn’t get anything going…Muhsin Muhammad (3-25) and Dante Rosario (2-18) suffered through Delhomme’s bad day…Gus Frerotte (204 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) had a solid if unspectacular day…The same goes for Adrian Peterson (17 carries, 77 yards)…Chester Taylor had 14 touches for 66 yards…Bernard Berrian (3-79) and Visanthe Shiancoe (2-38-1) seemed to benefit the most from Frerotte under center.

Dolphins 38 @ Patriots 13
This was a stunner…Fantasy owners ballsy (or desperate) enough to start Ronnie Brown against a normally stout Patriot rush defense were rewarded with one of the all-time best fantasy lines; he had 17 rushes for 113 rushing yards and four rush TD and also threw for a score…Anthony Fasano followed up last week’s goose egg with nice 3-66-1 day…Chad Pennington was solid (226 passing yards), but failed to throw for a score…Ricky Williams turned 18 touches into 119 yards, but didn’t score…Greg Camarillo (4-60) and Ted Ginn (5-49) led the WR corps…Matt Cassel might be in trouble as the starter if the best he can do against the Dolphins is 131 passing yards, one TD and a pick. He had a rushing TD that was called back because the ref thought he was in the grasp. Bad call…Wes Welker (6-55) led the Patriots in receiving and also had a 19-yard run…Jabar Gaffney (6-51-1) had a nice day but Randy Moss (4-25) did not. It looks like Cassel under center is really affecting Moss…Sammy Morris (10 touches, 27 yards) and LaMont Jordan (6 touches, 22 yards) filled in horribly for Laurence Maroney…The Patriots DT failed to register a sack and only forced one turnover. A horrible all-around day for New England.

Bengals 23 @ Giants 26
Eli Manning got off to a slow start but finished with 286 yards passing and a TD…Plaxico Burress (3-45) wasn’t much of a factor. Amani Toomer (5-64) led the Giants in receiving yards, while Steve Smith (7-60) and Kevin Boss (3-51-1) picked up Burress’ slack…Brandon Jacobs (14 carries, 35 yards, TD) was largely ineffective, while Derrick Ward (12 touches, 106 yards) was the Giants’ best RB on the day…Ahmad Bradshaw only saw three touches on the day…Carson Palmer broke out of his slump with 286 yards and a TD, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh (12-146-1) had a monster day…Chad Johnson (3-29) was quiet…Chris Perry (22 touches, 93 yards and a TD) looks like he’s startable under certain circumstances…Shayne Graham looks like a decent option now that the Bengals offense looks like it’s back on track.

Texans 12 @ Titans 31
LenDale White was the Tennessee RB to shine this week with 49 yards and two TD. Chris Johnson turned 18 touches into 79 yards…With Justin Gage out, Kerry Collins (189 passing yards, TD, INT) focused on Justin McCareins (4-90) and Bo Scaife (3-26-1), who continues to be a better fantasy TE than Alge Crumpler (2-26)…Matt Schaub (188 passing yards, no TD, 3 INT) had a horrible day, and Andre Johnson (2-29) suffered as a result…Owen Daniels (4-71) posted nice numbers, but it was Steve Slaton (22 touches for 124 total yards and a TD) that was the Texans’ offensive star.

Cardinals 17 @ Redskins 24
Things are looking pretty good for Washington’s new West Coast Offense, as Jason Campbell threw for 193 yards and two TD…Clinton Portis (23 touches, 86 yards, TD) had a solid day…Santana Moss (7-75-1) continued his strong play, while Chris Cooley (7-72) had nice numbers for a TE…Antwaan Randle El (3-23) was quiet…Kurt Warner (192 yards, 2 TD, INT) put up nice stats and Larry Fitzgerald (7-109-1) was the main beneficiary…Anquan Boldin (3-25-1) had a quiet day but did score…Edgerrin James (20 touches, 108 yards) didn’t score for the third consecutive week.

Saints 32 @ Broncos 34
Jay Cutler threw for 264 yards, 2 TD and was picked off once in another nice game…Brandon Marshall (6-155-1) had another huge game, but Eddie Royal (4-11) wasn’t very involved…Tony Scheffler (4-32) followed up last week’s huge game with a quiet one…Selvin Young turned 12 touches into 72 yards, but was once again pulled around the goal line. Michael Pittman (5 carries, 2 yards, TD) scored again…Drew Brees (421 yards, TD) had a monster day throwing to Reggie Bush (11-75-1), Jeremy Shockey (8-75), Lance Moore (7-78) and six other receivers…Bush also carried the ball 18 times for 73 yards and a TD, but was pulled at the goal line for Pierre Thomas (9 touches, 23 yards, 2 TD)…Still no sign of Deuce McAllister.

Lions 13 @ 49ers 31
J.T. O’Sullivan (189 passing yards, 2 TD, 32 rushing yards) is turning into a good start against certain competition…Frank Gore (31 touches, 162 yards, TD) continues to play like a beast…Bryant Johnson (1-25) was a disappointment, while Delanie Walker (3-44-1) turned in a nice game…Isaac Bruce (2-19-1) also caught a TD, while Vernon Davis (1-17) had another disappointing game. For some reason, Mike Martz does not like using Davis…Jon Kitna (146 yards, TD, INT) struggled, and Calvin Johnson (4-40) and Roy Williams (2-18) posted bad numbers as a result…Rudi Johnson (17 touches, 131 yards, TD) capitalized on the mysterious disappearance of Kevin Smith from the Lions’ gameplan. Rudi looked spry and should be owned in all leagues pending word of Smith’s status.

Rams 13 @ Seahawks 37
Despite Seattle’s decimated receiving corps, Matt Hasselbeck (172 passing yards, TD) still had a decent day. With Bobby Engram and Deion Brach supposedly back in Week 5, Hass is a guy to try to buy low, especially if his current owner has another good QB to lean on…Julius Jones had another huge day (140 yards rushing, TD) and looks like a good start as long as Maurice Morris remains out…T.J. Duckett (19 carries, 79 yards, 2 TD) was a big factor as well…In the receiving game, it was Billy McMullen (4-75), TE John Carlson (2-38) and Michael Bumpus (2-29-1)…Marc Bulger struggled (184 yards, TD, INT) and Torry Holt (4-37) continues his relatively quiet season…Steven Jackson had 128 total yards on 28 touches, but failed to score.

Browns 10 @ Ravens 28
The Ravens defense racked up four sacks, one fumble recovery and picked off three passes (including an Ed Reed return TD)…Joe Flacco struggled (129 passing yards, 2 INT), but it didn’t matter…Willis McGahee returned to carry the ball 15 times for 64 yards and a score, while Le”Ron McClain carried the ball 17 times for 66 yards and two TD…Ray Rice was a non-factor (5 carries, 21 yards)…Derrick Mason led all Baltimore receivers with 4-42, while Todd Heap chipped in with 2-32…Mark Clayton (2-14) wasn’t very involved…Derek Anderson (125 yards, TD, 3 INT) and Jamal Lewis (15 touches, 77 yards) struggled, as did Braylon Edwards (3-27) and Kellen Winslow (2-14). I wonder when the Brady Quinn talk will start.

Jaguars 23 @ Colts 21
Fred Taylor (26 carries, 121 yards) and Maurice Jones-Drew (19 carries, 107 yards, TD) took advantage of a very bad Colts rush defense that was missing Bob Sanders. Jones-Drew also had 4-59 in the passing game…Despite the win, David Garrard (167 yards, INT) continued his disappointing season…Matt Jones (4-32) should be rostered in bigger PPR leagues…Peyton Manning (216 yards, TD, 2 INT) wasn’t particularly sharp and Reggie Wayne (3-72) and Marvin Harrison (4-40-1) had quiet games as a result…Anthony Gonzalez (2-37) came back to Earth after a huge game last week…Joseph Addai turned 17 touches into 88 yards and two scores.

Steelers 6 @ Eagles 15
This was an all-around ugly game…Donovan McNabb (196 passing yards, TD, INT) finished with decent numbers…Brian Westbrook (five carries, 12 yards) was knocked out of the game with an ankle injury and is iffy for Week 4. The guy to pick up is Correll Buckhalter, who turned 16 touches into 87 yards and a TD…Hank Baskett (8-84) had a nice game, while DeSean Jackson (5-40) was a mild disappointment…The Eagles DT posted nine sacks, two fumble recoveries and an interception and should be owned in most leagues…The Steelers struggled offensively…Ben Roethlisberger (131 yards, 2 INT, 2 fumbles) had an awful game and was knocked out after a wrist injury…Willie Parker (13 carries, 20 yards) was also a disappointment, as was Hines Ward (4-34) and Santonio Holmes (3-32)…The only real bright spot was Heath Miller (4-63).

Cowboys 27 @ Packers 16
The Packers limited Terrell Owens to just 2-17, but Miles Austin (2-115-1) and Jason Witten (7-67) had big days…Patrick Crayton failed to catch a pass, and probably isn’t worth starting unless he can get on track…Tony Romo (260 pass yards, TD, INT) finished with decent numbers…Marion Barber (31 touches, 157 yards, TD) was the star…Felix Jones also contributed with seven carries for 76 yards, which included a 60-yard TD run…Aaron Rodgers (290 yards, rush TD) finished with good numbers but he didn’t have a great game…Greg Jennings (8-115) continues to shine while Donald Driver (4-76) is taking more of a complementary role…Jordy Nelson (4-42) seems to be the team’s WR, while Donald Lee (5-41) is simply a solid backup fantasy TE…Ryan Grant looked a lot better, but only finished with 54 yards on 13 carries. Still the ypc (4.2) is respectable and it looked like he had his burst back. I expect him to pick it up over the next month as long as he doesn’t tweak that hammy.

NFL Week 3 Recaps

Below are snippets of all the Week 3 action in the NFL. For more analysis and discussion on each game, click on the links provided.

Ronnie Brown– Ronnie Brown scored five touchdowns as the Miami Dolphins shocked the New England Patriots 38-13.

– The New York Giants avoided their first loss of season thanks to John Carney’s 22-yard game-winning field goal in a 26-23 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime.

– Matt Ryan and Michael Turner helped the Falcons earn their second win of the season as Atlanta crushed the Chiefs 38-14.

– The Bills needed a 38-yard game winning field goal from Rian Lindell as time expired to beat the Oakland Raiders 24-23.

– Brian Griese attempted a near-record 67 passes as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Chicago Bears 27-24 in overtime. It was the second time in as many weeks that the Bears lost despite having a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter.

– The Vikings used a great defensive effort to beat the Carolina Panthers 20-10, earning their first win of the season.

– The Tennessee Titans flustered Houston QB Matt Schaub in a 31-12 rout of the Texans.

– Jason Campbell and the Washington Redskins earned their second victory of the year, beating the Arizona Cardinals 24-17.

Denver Broncos– The red-hot Broncos won their third straight, beating the New Orleans Saints in a wild, 34-32 shootout in Denver.

– The Eagles harassed QB Ben Roethlisberger all game, coming away with a 15-6 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Philly.

– Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens notched their second win of the year, beating Derek Anderson and the struggling Cleveland Browns 28-10.

– Julius Jones rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown as the Seattle Seahawks crushed the hapless St. Louis Rams, 37-13.

– Offensive coordinator Mike Martz and his San Francisco 49ers beat his former team, the Detroit Lions 31-13.

– The Jacksonville Jaguars avoided falling to 0-3 on the season thanks to Josh Scobee’s 51-yard field goal with less than 10 seconds remaining in a 23-21 win over division rival Indianapolis.

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