Steelers-Redskins game thread

Live tonight from The Office ...

 

PREGAME

• As will be brought up probably 439 times tonight, the fate of the free world hangs on this game.
  
• ESPN panel goes a 4-4 split in picking the game; but the SportsNation map goes solid blue (57%) for your Steelers.
  
• A hello to all of our pals watching the game here, in our nation's capital. Take a tour of their place ...
  
• Ridiculous number of Terrible Towels visible behind Mike Tirico's head.
• Seth makes a good call that the first "glamour shot" of a famous D.C. landmark tonight will be the Washington Monument. Apparently, Marion Barry's crackpipe and Eliot Spitzer's hotel room not available.
  
• Effective ad there for Guitar Hero ...
  
• Pretty good montage Kornheiser is narrating about the drunken sailor spending Dan Snyder has engaged in over the years to bring in "name" free-agents and coaches. Makes Congress and Wall Street look restrained by comparison.

FIRST QUARTER

• Whhaaaaaaa ....
  
• You cannot be serious.
• Who does that?
• OK ... for reasons that defy any explanation, the Steelers go for an onside kick to open the game. Perhaps Mike Tomlin is too into this political season, and he tried to do something "Mavericky." Well, it worked about as well for him as the last guy who did that. The Skins get the ball giftwrapped past midfield. Nonetheless, the Steelers Defense shows that it is championship caliber, and sends Washington 3 and out. They settled for a field goal.
• Steelers take over and as seems to be the case with almost any given posession this season, comedy and tragedy strike -- Big Ben gets a pass batted at scrimmage, ball goes straight up into the air and bounces off of a typically standing-like-a-statue Steelers lineman and into the waiting arms of a Washington defender. Skins get great field position once again, past midfield.
  
• The Steelers defense once again is a wall. 3 and out. Skins settle for another field goal. Steelers are lucky to be down 6-0.
  
• On a 3rd and 6 we'll give you one guess on what happens ... wait for it ... wait for it ... and ... FAIL. Big Ben is sacked for the 14th time this season by an NFC East team.  What a shock. Punt. On a good note, Swift Bill Parker had carries of 8 and 4 yards and has a spring in his step.
  
• I vow to never buy a Toyota product simply because that "Saved by Zero" ad campaign is so irritating, it shoudl be used to coerce confessions at Gitmo.
  
• Seth gets it right -- first D.C. glamour shot is the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.
  
• Steelers fans get their due and propers from Tirico and Kornheiser; Steelers D forces another punt. 
• Steelers go 3 and out, and get a weak punt out of Mitch Berger who is in some obvious pain. Santonio has dropped two passes thus far. That's a bummer, man. Get some -- ahem, Visine -- buddy and maybe you'll see the ball better.
• Another terrific stand by the Steelers D, with Ike Taylor giving Santana Moss no room to breathe. Skins punt.
• Big Ben is one for eight thus far after consecutive drops from Spaeth and Nate. Steelers punt after a drive that opened with a promising 11-yard Willie Parker scamper. It seems that Steelers have had success running the ball this season, but are absolutely determined to not commit to the run. END OF QUARTER, Redskins 6 Steelers 0.
  

SECOND QUARTER

• Quarter opens with a hit by the James Gang -- Harrison & Farrior crunch Jason Campbell on a third down and force a punt.
• Steelers on third and 2 "execute" some stupid, ugly motion play -- Ben under shotgun, fake end around to Nate; instead a quick hit to Mewelde Moore about 3 yards short of the sticks. Well, no one blocks, no one's fooled, and Moore doesn't make the catch, and if he had, would have been gobbled up by London Fletcher. Remember when the Steelers would run the ball on third and 2? And make it? Me too. That was fun.
• The Steelers defense force another 3 and out. As bad as this offense is to watch, that defense is a thing of violent beauty.
  
• Steelers get their biggest gain of the night on ... a penalty. Ben looks for Hines Ward deep on a play action and Hines is able to draw an interference call. Same drive, and Santonio drops a PERFECT pass right in his arms for a would be touchdown. Aloha, Mr. Hand. Hines Ward, however has come to play and converts and catch and run on 3rd and 10. Its the FIRST third down converted in the game, but like the stock market rising, this is a trend that will not stand. Steelers falter on a 3rd and 6 and have to settle for their first points of the game via Jeff Reed.  Skins 6 Steelers 3.
  
• Another Redskins posession, another 3 and out.
• Steelers are just as hapless, punt for the sixth time tonight. Hines got decked a trying to make a grab on 3rd and 4 and is being looked at on the sidelines.
• Redskins punt and ......... Andre Frazier busts through and blocks it! William Gay recovers and the Steelers are in business at the 14 yard line. If you're watching at a bar or have the radio feed up, or can't watch, Ron Jaworski said something about the Steelers needing a big play on special teams and literally as the words were leaving his mouth, Frazier blocks the punt. Creepy!
• Steelers take over, and ... Ben is sacked and has NO ONE to blame but himself. He held onto the ball tightly and  forever, as if the launch codes were on the laces. 2nd and goal from the 12 ... Fast Bill off Starks for six and ... bit of a ticky tack holding call on Starks ... 2nd and goal from the 22 ... Santonio makes a catch! Alright Alright Alright ... Ben hits Hines with a laser beam on the goal line; a Redskins defender -- we'll check on who -- makes a great effort to keep Ward away from paydirt, while Hines was clawing like an animal to get in ... Ben on a sneak ... TOUCHDOWN STEELERS! 10-6 Pittsburgh leads.
  

HALFTIME

• Mercifully, one of the worst halves of football in the modern history of the game, comes to an end.That abomination is followed by a watershed moment of our democracy: the two presidential candidates interviewed by a cherubic boob who makes up stupid nicknames for people. John Adams turns in his grave.
• Not one, but two airings of the Saved By Zero ad. You're dead to me, Toyota. I'd rather watch political attack ad--- uh, maybe not. 
• Michelle Tafoya says Big Ben is getting X-rays on his hand, Byron Leftwich will start the second half ... a bad game just got worse ...
  

THIRD QUARTER

• Steelers open with Leftwich under center and convert a 3rd and 1, which they are the worst team in the league with that down and distance (12.5 % 
  
• Big Ben is back on the sideline but with the ballcap on; Heath Miller is on the sideline with a massive wrap on his ankle ...
• Leftwich sidesteps a leaping blitz by a Skins linebacker and launches an ICBM to Nate Washington setting up a first down on the Washington 11 yard line.
• Leftwich converts a 3rd and 7 via a rifle to Mewelde Moore. Steelers knocking ... Willie Parker -- touchdown!  Steelers lead 16-6 after a normally automatic Jeff Reed hooks the PAT try.
• Reader mattygabe shares with us his petition to get Kornheiser off the air.
• A really dumb political ad. Apparently the ocean is running for president.
• The Redskins cannot move the ball against the Steelers. Lamarr Woodley slams Jason Campbell to the turf on a gorgeous, perfectly legal sack, which he'll probably get fined for. Steeler ball.
• Steelers lose one on first down to Parker; six on a poorly executed reverse to Nate Washington; and 3 or 4 more on a 3rd and 17 Mewelde Moore draw. Nice work, fellas. Punt.
• I'm not the only one that hates that ad.
  
• Redskins actually convert a third down and are on the move in probably their best posession of the game before Jason Campbell, under a heavy rush throws a pass to Portis that's tipped into the hands of a waiting Deshea Townsend, who scoops it in, fumbles it and quickly recovers. Washington challenges that Townsend never had posession. The INT would be Campbell's first of the season ... waiting ... waiting ...
• Interception upheld; Pittsburgh takes over. That snaps 379 consecutive attempts by Campbell without a pick, an NFL record.
• Santonio catch on a 3rd and long! First down. Holmes has also laid a few nice blocks on a drive that has the Steelers on the move as the third quarter ends.
  

FOURTH QUARTER

• The Steelers put together a 12-play, 77-yard drive, their best not only of this game, but perhaps the last two. The effort was led by precision passing from Byron Leftwich, actual competance on the offensive line, and shifty running from Melwelde Moore. The key play of the drive was a nifty short pass from Leftwich to Moore that went for about 30 yards. Leftwich, who was 5 of 6 for 72 yards on the drive; hit Santonio Holmes with a dart of a flare pass for the score. Holmes had to get .... really high, heh, heh to clear the pylon for the score.  Steelers lead 23-6. 
• By the way, you folks that aren't in the Pittsburgh market are missing a couple of pure gems of local cable ads, namely the ones for Ace Athletic and Pittsburgh Ink. Opposite ends of the same spectrum, if you will. 
• On a drive that was kept alive artificially via a really lousy roughing the passer call, the Steelers stop the Redskins on a 4th and goal from the half-yard line. This defense is AWESOME. That pretty much puts it on ice with 7 minutes and change remaining ... 
• The ESPN crew giving some nice plaudits to Dick LeBeau, whom they note came into the league during the Eisenhower administration, saying that between his playing career and career as an assistant coach, he should be inducted to Canton at least in the contrbutors category. Couldn't agree more.
• On the Redskins last stand, Jason Campbell is stalked by Lawrence Timmons like a bunny by a wolf and dropped for a massive loss on 4th and 8. Ballgame.
• Tony Kornheiser says that the Steelers are now "back in the conversation" as a Super Bowl contender. Let's not get crazy there, baldy. That defense is as good as any I've ever seen, but the offensive line is like a band of Keystone Cops. In other words, its always a jailbreak up front.
  
• Stop the clock and ... It took until 2:28 remaining in the 4th quarter for Kornheiser to make a Jason Taylor/Dancing with the Stars crack. What restraint.
• Two-minute warning. 
• As duly noted by our commenters, the second airing of the Guitar Hero ad did not go unnoticed; yours truly and the entire sports department were held in rapt attention. All night no one shuts up back here then, for 30 seconds, total mouth agape silence.
• Ty Carter grabs a garbage time pick; victory formation; Steelers win. FINAL SCORE PITTSBURGH 23 WASHINGTON 6. 

Quick thoughts:

•  That was as fine a defensive performance by the Steelers as you'll ever see in a professional football game. The Steelers won in spite of their offense and on the sheer will and tenacity of their defense, which was constantly put under a gun of bad field position.
  
• There is no quarterback controversy, so don't even say it. But Leftwich assumes the mantle of Charlie Batch, as best backup in the league.
• Ugly, but it counts.
  
• Willie Parker looked decent in his return to action, and Mewelde Moore continues to make his case for best bargain signing ever. More of both of these guys please. The Steelers line can actually run block a bit.
  
• Great showing at FedEx Field by the D.C. Steelers Nation!
  
• More Guitar Hero ads!
  

OK, Yinz guys ... let'er rip in the comments section -- whaddya think about tonight's game and your 6-2 Pittsburgh Steelers?

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Posted Nov 03 2008, 08:14 PM by Dan Gigler