Blog 'n' Gold : james harrison

Vikings-Steelers, live

Chuck Finder — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:50:00 GMT

Minnesota -- how could a team with horns on its helmet call "tails?" -- won the toss and elected to receive. The temp is up to 55, and the sun makes it feel warmer. Game on.

FIRST QUARTER

1:03 p.m.: The Vikings gave the defense three very different looks, including a little no-huddle. And you saw James Harrison and Troy Polamalu make big plays. That's the kind of start they sought. Ed Bouchette asked an interesting point as soon as Minnesota declined first-and-five and took an 8-yard gain on the opening play for second-and-two: Why not take the penalty and gain a down? 1:16 p.m.: The Legend that is Brett Favre is 1 for 2 with a sack. Steelers defense looking sturdy so far, but soon the Vikings will feed them -- and, specifically, Aaron Smith replacement Travis Kirschke -- a steady diet of Adrian Peterson runs.1:22 p.m.: Harrison -- after LaMarr Woodley had the pressure -- and Polamalu, who appears to be wearing the knee brace this time (can you folks watching TV tell better?), are atop their games so far like they haven't been yet this season. Credit Gerry Dulac with the nickname for the Minnesota punter: Chris Kluwe-less. His punt to his own 39-yard line may have received a generous spot. (To answer ChiTown: Yes, even Mike Tomlin thought the right tackle lifted up prematurely on that snap, and let the side judge know about it.) 1:32 p.m.: It's the Mike Wallace Show. Nice, and critical, catch for 10 yards on third down. Then, after the Minnesota challenge that failed, a lovely flanker reverse -- with a dandy block by Santonio Holmes downfield. Willie Parker is in for this series, but still the question remains: Why aren't the Steelers challenging left cornerback Karl Paymah, Antoine Winfield's replacement whom Baltimore and Joe Flacco alighted for most of his 385 yards last week, includding 244 yards in the second half. 1:37 p.m.: A Heath Miller pass-interference penalty on the opposite end of the field wiped away Holmes' TD catch and run, and a sack left it to the foot of you know how. An eight-play, 18-yard drive ended when Jeff Reed punched through a 39-yard field goal. Steelers, 3-0. 1:39 p.m.: The Steelers coverage has been exemplary, but Percy Harvin has enough jets that he just might get past the first wave one of these times.

SECOND QUARTER

1:48 p.m.: Well, the Vikes ran Peterson and a quick, off-tackle play, and that one time it worked well (though why he slowed and shifted, I'll never know). The Battling LeBeaus seem to have them pretty well sniffed out otherwise, though. 1:51 p.m.: The play-calling on that Steelers series wasn't so bad. They do need to run, and they're holding back on those counter plays, apparently. And Roethlisberger, who isn't as sharp as he has been thus far this season, threw one into Vikings hands to Miller and the other high and slightly behind Hines Ward, who dropped the ball when clouted from behind. One thing to look for, though. Bruce Arians may try to play this one closer to the vest because it is shaping up to be a defensive, low-scoring game. (To me, with Favre and Peterson on the field, though, that can change in an eye-blink.) 1:54 p.m.: That's why he's a Legend. Favre, with Willie Gay flying at him in a delayed corner blitz, Favre found and hit a wide open Harvin to end a 1-for-5 third-down run and convert a first down with a 28-yard completion. The old guy still has it. 1:58 p.m.: Getting the idea that Favre is going after Gay? That and the right middle. Not a thing in the areas of Ryan Clark and Ike Taylor. 2 p.m.: Brad Childress just sprinted down to the 15-yard line to call that timeout, he wanted one so badly. Wait, isn't there a rule about straying out of the coaching box? 2:03 p.m.: The quicksilver Peterson skitters into the end zone on third down for the first touchdown of the game. So ended a confidence-instilling, 13-play, 76-yard, 5:22 drive. Vikings, 7-3. 2:10 p.m.: Sixty-five yards of Steelers offense so far -- no, that isn't going to cut it. You folks are correct, the defense -- against that massive Minnesota line -- will wear down at this rate come the second half. Maybe the no-huddle, or at least a varied play-calling that doesn't leave the Steelers' offense subject to seven-man blitzes. 2:21 p.m.: That third-down conversion, after the Steelers' 1-for-5 start, was all Mewelde Moore. And he bears watching: He declined all week to talk about his former team, so methinks he feels he has a little extra oomph for this one. 2:23 p.m.: Sure, a 22-yard pass for a first down to Wallace -- his Show continues -- but by now you can tell Roethlisberger, who made his career with plays afoot, didn't throw a sharp ball there. . . . But he threw a nifty one, with time, to Wallace for the go-ahead touchdown that dropped over two defenders and into the post-pattern arms of Wallace, snarled up the Vikings safeties and allowed the rookie to perform a somersault into the end zone with 24 seconds left in the half. Steelers, 10-3. But they did just leave The Legend 24 seconds to work. 2:26 p.m.: Excuse me while I update my resume to remove that "potential Offensive Coordinator" career move. Childress has Favre take a knee. Halftime, Steelers 10-7.

THIRD QUARTER

2:43 p.m.: What is this, 1992 all over again? Or 1992-2006? The Steelers are running, and effectively. Not a bad block by Roethlisberger on the reverse that the Vikings knew was coming -- and still that Paymah was called for a facemask. Man, there's a guy you attack all day. . . Nifty run by Roethlisberger, seeing the left side of the field wide open, but Benny Sapp dived through the air to elicit an unsportsmanlike penalty. He was even guilty of a charging penalty that an NHL ref called from Mellon Arena. 2:47 p.m.: That second-down play prompts questioning after the game -- did Wallace or Hines Ward run a wrong route in the right corner to cause Roethlisberger to refrain from throwing? did the QB worry about his fourth batted pass of the day? or was it a pass-run option, and Roethlisberger chose to tuck and run? One other thing: They ran the ball so well, outside of one crunching tackle, why go away from it compeltely in the Red Zone? . . . It's a record day in one capacity: The 65,597 attendance marks a Heinz Field record, surpassing by 247 the AFC championship game attendance last January and by 487 the Tennessee season opener last month. . , Reed's 27-yard field goal extends the lead a tad, but not enough to feel comfortable around The Legend and Peterson. Steelers, 13-7. 2:59 p.m.: That fourth-down play was vintage Favre. He pump-faked to freeze Polamalu for one step, and that allowed Sidney Rice to flash open behind the defense. 3:01 p.m.: Riddle me this: You got the best running back since maybe Barry Sanders, in Peterson, and you throw two of the three downs from the 1-yard line? The Steelers don't care. They made a stand and came away with the lead still. A moral victory, indeed. Don't fail to notice the Vikings put together another 13-play drive and they're 6 of 13 on third downs, meaning they've converted five of their past seven before failing on this last goalline play. The Minnesota field goal makes it Steelers, 13-10, with -- hmm, a harbinger? -- 4:44 left in the quarter.3:09 p.m.: Somebody in the press box is worried. They just cued up "Renegade," which Ryan Clark earlier this week noted is a sure signal that it's time to focus and bear down. (And, for the record, there are 17 minutes, 59 seconds of regulation left. Premature Styx, perhaps?) 3:14 p.m.: Harvin was already dropped that perfectly lovely, third-down throw by Favre, but Clark sure got into Harvin's bad shoulder and his head -- the rookie may not catch many more over the middle today, if at all. Steelers offense needs a prolonged drive and, it would help their cause, a score. 3:17 p.m.: The Steelers have piled up runs of 17, 16 and 14 -- and immediately after that last Mendenhall gallop around right end, behind stellar blocking, with a badly-thrown, badly-called halfback-release pass?

FOURTH QUARTER

3:21 p.m.: Right after an electric play by Holmes, who eluded six would-be tacklers -- or, from the Minnesota vantage point, six blown potential tackles -- Mendenhall followed with an ill-advised leap. He lost the ball in mid-air, and the Vikings recovered at their own three. This could present a HUGE point turnaround, and possibly even the game, in one play. We shall see. But, of course, Mendenhall and fumbling aren't exactly strangers. (Search his name along with "bounty" and "tucked." ) 3:27 p.m.: Lawrence Timmons twice stopped, and crumpled once, trying to get off the field with a bad, right ankle. And that's one position where the Steelers aren't exactly blessed with depth (where have you gone, Larry Foote?) You certainly do get the feeling The Legend is going to lead them on a 97-yard drive here. Good thing Harrison came to play at a Defensive Player of the Year level, and a holding penalty just negated that long Favre completion to Rice -- more than a 50-yard swing. 3:36 p.m.: That was a smart challenge, the proper review and a heck of a throw and catch, a 25-yard gain for a third down -- after penalties on three of four Minnesota snaps. It's their game for the taking now. 3:39 p.m.: Kirschke limped off, something with his left ankle, shin or foot, and that stands as another bad sign for the Steelers defense. Nick Eason, a third-teamer cut twice already this season, is playing left defensive end in the Red Zone agiansttwo of the game's best all-time offensive players? 3:41 p.m.: Get this, if the Packers do score a touchdown, they'll have gained almost 130 yards this drive, overcoming four penalties. Look at that, I just typed Packers. 3:43 p.m.: Universal reaction: Are you kiddin' me? Brett Keisel got credit for the sack and strip, LaMarr Woodley got no style points -- it was no Harrison Super Bowl Polamalu play -- but his fumble return of 77 yards with a cordon of defensive blockers makes it Steelers, 20-10. Harrison, by the way, lay on his back around midfield in glee afterward. The first non-defensive player to congratulate Woodley? Mendenhall. Who probably should buy him dinner. Some new clothes. . . Kirschke has a calf and Timmons has an ankle, as Coach Cahr used to say. They're done for the day. By the way, Bart Simpson has a cow.

3:47 p.m.: That buzz didn't last long.

Harvin's 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown -- the second against the Steelers in two weeks, remember -- brought the positive vibes down. And it also brought down back judge Richard Reels, who got accidentally clouted by backup Minnesota tight end Jeff Dugan. Interestingly, one of the Vikings front-line blockers, sorry I didn't catch a number, signaled for Harvin to move up just before Reed ran up to the ball. So he read something on the coverage-unit call or alignment. . . Also note that Reed didn't slow down Harvin with that mild midfield push, and he normally gives the rest of his coverage unit a fighting chance.

3:52 p.m.: For the second game in a row, carrying the fourth-quarter ball in the ground game is. . . neither Mendenhall nor Parker, who has been noticeably absent since the earlygoing. It was Moore.3:57 p.m.: Credit Justin Hartwig's knee for knocking that horrendously loose footbal out of bounds.That saved the Steelers roughly 30 yards in a game with a field-goal difference. Still and all, you give Brett Favre the ball and 3:21? He can score six touchdowns in that time. 4:01 p.m.: "Renegade" twice? Is that kosher? Look at it this way: Not just third and 4, but in the final two minutes, a less-than-2008 defense with Keyaron Fox and Eason playing must make a stand. 4:04 p.m.: Time to update that resume again, to add "potential Nostradamus." Fox went 82 yards with a pass that went from Favre to Chester Taylor -- a former Baltimore Raven, remember -- to Fox's belly, and he bolted down the left sideline without needing a single block downfield from personal escort Clark. Steelers, 27-17. 4:12 p.m.: It's ovah. Score this one: Patchwork Pittsburgh defense 14, Steelers offense 13 (for a home total of 27), Vikings 17.

Never Give Up

Dan Gigler — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:41:00 GMT

By now, he's a legend. You know bits of the story -- the undrafted free agent who bodyslammed a Browns fan and went on to become the menacing standard bearer for Steelers linebackers -- a modern, more powerful incarnation of Jack Lambert and Greg Lloyd, and -- outwardly, at least -- just as affable as those two. He'd win the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year and complete the longest, and arguably greatest play in Super Bowl history less than a year after being arrested on domestic violence charges. And less than a year before he'd 'snub' a president and his son would be seriously injured by his dog.

From the outside looking in, Steelers linebacker James Harrison is at best a complex man, and at worst fodder for snap judgements for those not interested in the details.

Former Post-Gazette staff writer, Bill Moushey, however, was interested in the details. In "Never Give Up," Moushey paints in 155 pages of taut prose a picture of Harrison, a man who forged success despite long odds and myriad obstacles -- many of his own making -- and a thoughtful, insightful, caring person beneath the surly facade. The book was released today and is available online and at local bookstores.

Moushey, director of the Innocence Institute of Point Park University, and a past Pultizer Prize finalist talked with Blog 'N' Gold about his book, and its somewhat enigmatic subject:

BNG: You've made a career interviewing criminals, crooks & rogues, so you said weren't at all intimidated by a tough guy like James Harrison. That said, was he a difficult subject in terms of getting him to open up?

MOUSHEY: It certainly wasn’t easy. I worked on background for two months (between Christmas and the Pro Bowl) after signing the deal with him. When I finally sat down to listen to our first four-hour interview tape, I talked more than he did. I thought it was one of the worst interviews I’ve ever done (and that includes mob bosses who said things like “I ain’t got nothin to say about nothin.” Over time, he loosened up and by the time we finished the job, he would expound on just about any topic I asked him about, including things he did not want to talk about (like his domestic abuse case).

BNG: Is Harrison's accountability in matters public and private refreshing in the world that we live in?

MOUSHEY: He has had to overcome adversity he heaped on himself (repeatedly). He's also been victimized by others. As I say in the book, "sometimes its good, sometimes its bad." From a guy who spent 30 years covering politicians and "bad guys," I had a great time working with James on this book. He is the polar opposite of the folks I've written about who spent entire interviews trying to wiggle out of honest answers. It is totally refreshing. Ask James a question. James gives an answer. It is often so brutally frank and honest that some are offended. I love it.

BNG: How much of Harrison's success is due to the iron discipline his parents, especially his mother, wielded around the home?

MOUSHEY: He attributes much of his success to his parents, who supported him like almost no one else in West Akron, which has a 95% poverty rate and a very high single parent rate. He says in the book that he can’t understand why kids use athletes and Hollywood stars as role models. His role models were at home, his mom and dad. Speaking of his mother, what she said was what he did. There were no questions asked. Like she said in the book, if any of her kids wanted to talk, she’d “give them something to talk about.”

BNG: The expression "luck is the intersection of timing and preparation" seems to fit Harrison to a tee …

MOUSHEY: It certainly does. It is also what provided a central theme of the book. He has never doubted his own ability. He has had to overcome obstacles -- some brought on by himself, some by others -- his entire life. By the time he went through four cuts before sticking with the Steelers, he was of a mindset that he was good enough to play in the NFL. His sole concern was whether he'd ever get the chance. He just kept working, getting bigger and stronger and faster until someone finally gave him a chance. Pretty simple. It worked.

BNG: Harrison doesn't get paid to run Dale Carnegie courses, he plays a violent game. Is too much is made of his ornery exterior?

MOUSHEY: He has brought that on himself. One explanation you’ll find in the book is that he is extremely shy, and distrustful of folks he doesn’t know. He has walked away from hundreds of thousands of dollars in appearance fees because he does not feel comfortable in large crowds, especially if he has to speak. He is a football player. He does not have an even disposition on the field, but he does when he’s off it, especially when he’s around kids. Like Dick LeBeau says in the book: “I don’t know if I’d start my church choir” with James, but he points out football isn’t for nice people (on the field). I show numerous examples in the book how his mean façade is simply a shield of shyness (as hard as that is to believe) ...The best vision I have of Harrison’s demeanor off the field is when his infant son is being taken to bed each night and James looks at him, raises his hand into a sign and says “Peace.”

BNG: Are Harrison's problems are squarely in the past?

MOUSHEY: I think James Harrison, who is only 31, is like all of us, an evolving situation. I think he’s extremely focused. He knows what is right and what is wrong and accepts both with brutal honesty. He also knows he’s squarely in the public eye and realizes he must act accordingly. Unfortunately, I can’t predict the future, or I’d bet the house on the stock market.

BNG: Harrison doesn't see much grey or nuance in the world, or in himself, does he?

MOUSHEY: Everyone is nuanced, but I think James does see the world in black and white. He basically tries to do the right thing and take the consequences when things don't turn out like he'd like. It is a pretty tough way to live, but I've found that it makes life relatively simple for James. I would not invite anyone else to try it at home.

BNG: Harrison's agent, Bill Parise, is listed as a co-author. What would you say to anyone who might suggest that this undermines the integrity of the book?

MOUSHEY: I decided to give him the “with” by-line about midway through the process because he was materially adding information to the story at every juncture. It was a case of giving credit where credit is due. If there is an integrity issue (I don’t understand what that would be), then so be it. From my perspective, I reported this story as hard as anything I’ve ever done. I told everyone involved at the outset that if everyone was not honest and forthright, I was out. Nothing like that ever came to pass. In fact, it was an enjoyable experience for me and (I believe) everyone else. Bill Parise did a lot of work filling in the blanks of Harrison’s life and he deserves the credit he got.

Steelers-Lions live

Chuck Finder — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:48:00 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- We;re live, on location, at a Steelers bar. . . .. Oops, sorry, slipped into television blow-dry mode for a second there.

While in Florida picking up a number of other stories (shhhh, the folks at Brand X can read, so we have to keep it from them for awhile), the Live Blog follows me. Don't leave home without it, or somethin'. So here we are at East Side Pub, in the Coral Ranch section of this Atlantic Ocean paradise. Why, there's even a Primanti's here, barely 1.2 miles south. But that's yet another story for yet another day.

Younz guys would love this place, by the way. A 15-foot, blow-up Steeler stands guard out front. All kinds of signs -- OK, so their trademark is a Philly cheesesteak, and I just passed an Eagles bar -- adorn the walls, "Welcome to Steeler Nation," posters, photos, Iron City ads, you name it. By the way, I just met the owner, who three years ago turned the place back into a Steelers bar. After a co-owner from Pittsburgh sold the place, it became.a gay nightclub, whose owners sold it to a Canadian-born, Massachussetts couple who restored it to Steelers central, supposedly the hoppingest such bar north of Miami, if not in all of South Florida.. ,

Onto the game:

12:51 p.m.: Dante Culpepper is starting for the Lions, and methinks the Steelers are 2-0 (Minnesota and Miami) against him. Ergo, it should be better to play a quarterback you know and you've beaten rather than some new kid fresh off the draft line, Matthew Stafford.

FIRST QUARTER

1:05 p.m.: Well, Limas Sweed isn't in or on top of the Siberia that isn't Mike Tomlin's doghouse. And then, the first throw in his direction since the botched pass in Cincinnati's end zone two weeks ago (and one week after he was inactive against San Diego), the Big Texas Tease drops another one. A decent defensive play, the announcers corectly pointed out that it was a catchable ball. . . 1:07 p.m.: Disregarding the hold on James Harrison -- the officials apparently did -- Culpepper proved me wrong already with a dandy run. He faked out some Steeler defensive back there, Ike Taylor maybe?, on his way deep into Steelers territory. The Lions have a little offense. It's just a matter of scoring more in the second half, when they tend to turtle into an 0-16 team. . . . 1:12 p.m.: Detroit drive stalls. A 46-yard field goal, despite a Steelers offsides, gives the Lions a 3-0 lead. The Steelers need to answer, even with a sustained drive that doesn't culminate in a score. . . . 1:18 p.m.: Carp all you want about the Steelers running game, or lack thereof. Bruce Arians, Ben Roethlisberger and Co. have crafted a passing game almost as potent at Indianapolis or any other NFL team you care to name. There's a reason the quarterback is completing 75 percent of his passes in games, and, to be sure, the protection is a critical reason. But well-designed plays, patterns that cross up secondaries and pretty fair receivers -- that was a nice tackle-breaking run after catch on first down by Santonio Holmes -- and then the middle screen, behind blockers, with Rashard Mendenhall show a deep and varied playbook, a deep and varied talent base. Having said that, they'll probably rip off seven consecutive incompletions and a pick. 1:20 p.m.: All right, already, the running game looks to be decent in Mendenhall's hands, with Willie Parker ailing (and trust me, I've had one, turf toes take time; a month, maybe). Mendenhall broke one tackle and ran quickly to open space, but he also had outstanding blocking on that run, including a road-grading block by Heath Miller, whose value cannot be understated. . . . 1:23 p.m.: Shows you, the Steelers don't read this: A quick, cutting drive for a Mendenhall touchdown -- that's three touchdowns in five quarters for him, so maybe he's just a slow pro starter? Steelers, 7-0. . . .1:31 p.m.: Oooh, the Steelers' secondary is susceptible without Troy Polamalu in there? Brilliant deduction,Mr. Color Commentator (I hear Dick Enberg, who I like, but I don't even want to type his sidekick's name). But the key to that pass to the Lions fullback was: The linebackers, likely James Farrior, missed that coverage on a nicely designed play by Detroit -- both backs went into the middle for passes, with the Steelers failing to blitz on the play. Lions kick yet another field goal and decline yet another offsides call on the Steelers, who still lead by 7-6. (Oh, and for the record: It was wise to sit Polamalu. As noted Dr. Ryan Clark put it: Why use him in Week 5 against Detroit when you truly need him healthy for Week 10 and 15 and beyond?

SECOND QUARTER

1:43 p.m.: Mendenhall fumbles? Yeah, you remember that. Preseason his rookie year and again early this year? The $500 bounty on a ball he had to tote around the South Side complex? At least he doesn't drop the ball as often as Sweed. . . 1:48 p.m.: Nice acting job by Roethlisberger, but, who knows, maybe his right knee did endure more pain that it originally looked after being basically high-lowed by a pair of Lions. That bears further inspection. But, if nothing else, it erased a bad pick -- which most humans would throw with 500 pounds of beef bearing on you and your knees.. . .1:52 p.m.: Words a sports writer so rarely gets to type: And the bar goes wild! After Matt Spaeth's pull-down and penalty erased a touchdown, the Steelers -- as Ed Bouchette wrote earlier in the week -- went all Tony Gonzalez-Dallas Clark-Antonio Gates on the Lions, a touchdown catch and run by Heath Miller. Steelers, 14-6. They're actually playing the "Here We Go" song in this bar, which is a little larger than your average end zone. . . and packed with about 150 fans in various jersies and T's.

Yeah, I know. I'm in a bar. In Florida. Watching football. And it's a workday.

Such a tough life I lead.

Honest, Boss, I haven't touched a drop of libation, either. It is, after all, a workday.

Of course, you remember the last time the Steelers were in Ford Field.

A funny aside: A Seattle newspaper pal around the Thursday of Super Bowl week wrote about how the Seahawks were expecting a quiet crowd on Super Sunday, what with the corporate atmosphere and ticketholders to these glitzy affairs. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. My guesstimate was some 35,000, maybe even 40,000, Steelers fans were inside the building that XL day. A like number were around downtown Detroit, where cabbies charged per head and bars asked some $150 for a black-and-gold body to come inside and merely watch the game on TV. By the way, I always thought it was a good thing the Bears didn't win that NFC Champsionship: Could you imagine 70,000 to 80,000 Chicago fans and the same amount of Pittsburgh fans all getting insulated in Greektown on Saturday night? Could've been the largest drunken streetfight in U.S. history.

2:03 p.m.: I know what you're thinking: Mike Wallace must've gotten too close to Sweed. The dropsies are contagious. Maybe Sweed should cough into his elbow and the club should install those antibacterial-lotion machines on the sidelines. . . 2:08 p.m.: Oops, some kid goes all Ed Reed on Roethlisberger, one play after Wallace beat William James like a rented mule on that deep-pass drop, and it's Steelers, 14-13. . . .2:10 p.m.: A fan here has a legitimate question: Does being an ardent Steelers fan take years off your life? Miss Roethlisberger Throwback estimates it at 10 years. Might as well take up cliff diving or cigarette-pack smoking, right? UPMC, researchers get right on that. . . 2:14 p.m.: That's an amazing stat, 130-plus Steelers yards this quarter compared to just 1 yard by Detroit? Ward scored, bar erupted, Steelers regain a two-score lead at 21-13. But you gotta keep scoring, keep muffling that offense. But you gotta keep scoring, keep muffling that offense. A two-touchdown lead either before halftime or early the second, and this one will be in the books. (Hmmm, but didn't we say that at Chicago and Cincinnati, too? On second thought, the Steelers need a road victory any way they can get it right now. And, for the record, even some Florida fans have written off the club already: They won't win the Super Bowl. They don't have it. They don't look good. Tomlin needs to get on them. So, in short, a lovely climate and a different zip code doesn't alter Steeler Nation mentality much, does it. 2:24 p.m.: A James Harrison sack. There's something you haven't seen with anywhere near the same regularity as last season. By the way, his book comes out this week. 2:29 p.m.: HALFTIME, Steelers 21-13. Not a good half, not a bad half. They've done enough to get the lead, and, really, the defense isn't playing that bad, yielding just a pair of field goals mostly due to a couple of big plays (a nasty trend). But the frenetic fourth quarter is still to come.

THIRD QUARTER

2:46 p.m.: Yes, they serve Iron City here. But, again, Boss, I'm sippin' only diet pop. . . 2:55 p.m.: The leg, but not the accuracy for a 50-yarder anymore. Field-goal miss. Steelers need to turn that miss into points to pull away. . . 2:58 p.m.: Wallace caught THAT one. Even if it was underthrown a mite by Roethlisberger, who hadn't been off in his timing with the rookie since presesaon. Still and all, it's the kid's first NFL touchdown. And it breaks open this one. Steelers 28-13. Feel better now? . . . 3:15 p.m.: Rarer than a Harrison (or LaMarr Woodley) sack or a Sweed catch, it's a defensive turnover -- an interception, in particular. Clark's marked the Steelers' first pick in more than 150 pass attempts and 18-plus quarters (not counting overtime vs. Tennessee). The last one? Polamalu early against those Tennessee Tuxedos. Right there is your key defensive difference from last year.

FOURTH QUARTER

Just looked it up: The Steelers entered the day tied with the Patriots and Browns for dead last in the NFL with just one interception. Amazing. . 3:43 p.m.: Two ways to look at that Detroit touchdown. Glass half-full: That was Detroit's first offensive touchdown of the game and followed 3 2/3 quarters of just two field goals worth of offensive production. Glass half-empty: There's that fourth-quarter defensive problem again. As WVU coach Bill Stewart says: Hey, it's just a half-glass of water, anyway! Translation: The defense, as Dick LeBeau is wont to do, gave up stuff underneath. They allow the running backs and tight ends to catch short stuff, hoping that they'll get hit enough to develop alligator arms or drop balls on occasion. But they made Detroit's two-minute drill take three minutes. Still, they have one defensive stand yet to make, if not more. Lions TD makes it 28-20. Steelers. .3:52 p.m.: Playing with Polamalu is hard enough, but Clark, too? We'll see if the injury is severe. For a player of Clark's magnitude, anything more than a game or two -- Brett Favre approaches on the schedule -- could be verrrrrrry troubling. 4:02 p.m.: The LeBeau defense gave up the short stuff. Then, in the end, they turned the dogs loose. Three of their season-high seven sacks came on three of the final four downs. Sure, that last down was momentarily scarey, with two Lions receivers open underneath. . . before the Steelers' deep safeties stepped into the picture and snuffed out the threat. Hey, the Lions needed a 2-point conversion still to tie, remember. This team, similar to 2001, might be a team that juuuuuuust does enough to win, and that team won a ton of games by one score. Final: Steelers 28, Lions 20.

James Harrison, still out of gas ...

Dan Gigler — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 18:55:00 GMT

Funny clip from SNL's Weekend Update:

Check out Harrison's epic run in pictures.

OTHER GOOD STUFF

The Cope Family named ABC News' Persons of the Week
Stuart Scott has Sunday Converstion with Terrible Towel
Super Bowl XLIII highlights by The Onion
Santonio: strong side/weak side by The Onion
Pupamalu dominates Puppy Bowl (Onion)
Lawrence Timmons blogs about Super Bowl XLIII and the aftermath
If Steelers Today were Kevin Colbert
Obligatory Pro Bowl update. Did anyone watch this? BNG watched the Super Bowl again from start to finish instead. God bless DVR!
LeBeau vs. Whiz: who won? A great analysis by Steel Curtain Rising
With the 32nd pick in the draft, the Steelers select ...
Sick of the Whiz?
J. Peezy happy for his old team
Tomlin = Noll?
Who will the Steelers open with in 2009?
Santonio's catch on Tecmo Bowl.
Bidding on Santonio's gloves now over $15,000 ...
Hines gives teammates the Crown
Pats fans think the game was fixed (see item 4)
Santonio & Mickey
Offseason decisions ...
More great Super Bowl XLIII pix ...
And finally, we cap off this link heavy edition of Blog 'N' Gold with the final installment of YinzLuvDaStillerz. Big time players come up big in big time games and big time bloggers do the same. Jim Shearer's weekly updates were consistantly funny & entertaining (even when the NFL put the kibosh on him), but the final 3 minutes of this video, recording his Super Bowl weekend in Pittsburgh was truly outstanding. Enjoy:

Super Bowl Polamalu (XLIII), Live

Chuck Finder — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 23:25:00 GMT

10:09 p.m.: Double wow. Double yoi. Greatest Super Bowl finish ever? Certainly for the Steelers.

Break open that 6 Pack now.

10:02 p.m.: Good call by McAulay: Holmes "toes" were in bounds. A freeze frame in NFL history, let alone the Super Bowl. With 35 seconds left? On what could be the game-winning drive? After putting them there? And nearly catching the potential winning touchdown in the other corner? In. Cred. A. Bull.

But wait...........................Arizona gets the ball with half a minute left. Fitzgerald and Warner have worked that magic before. Like, say, the fade touchdown that gave the Cardinals that 23-20 lead (sorry I missed a while there, but I have to write another story, on deadline, while the game is going on. What I wouldn't do for younz guys.)

9:59 p.m.: No way. Did Holmes really make that catch? Did he get both feet in?

Move aside, Lynn Swann and the bobble over Dallas' Mark Washingon. Heck, poor James Harrison made probably the greatest play in Super Bowl history at the end of the first half, what with the circumstances and how much that turned around a game that could've been 10-10 at half. Holmes just made the greatest catch in Supe annals. Heck, that may even surpass Joe Montana-to-Dwight Clark in that NFC Championship moment for the ages

9:58 p.m.: No timeouts left, a desperate need to score a touchdown, and first-and-goal at the Cardinals' 6 with 49 seconds left. You don't want overtime against this team, do you? Nice try on that overthrow by Santonio Holmes, who just made a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge catch and run to give the Steelers a chance to tie (the first overtime Supe) or win.

9:57 p.m.: Wow.

9:56 p.m.: Nothing like a fourth-quarter, must-have drive in the Super Bowl. Now that's drama. And Roethlisberger, with his idol John Elway the comeback kid in the crowd, with Elway's No. 7 and the Steelers on his back, was trying to collect yet another fourth-quarter flourish for which he has become famed already.

9:45 p.m.: Think Mike Tomlin wants that touchdown in the last goalline situation back right now?

In either?

9:43 p.m.: You have to pass from your own 1-yard line. You have to go for the first down. It looked like they got it, but holding on that offensive line again, Justin Hartwig. Safety. So it suddenly became 20-16, Steelers. That's better than a sack, even an interception. Maybe not a punt, though. We're about to find out. Give those knuckles a rest, Galaxy.

It was the first safety since Supe XXV, in Tampa, when Bruce Smith of Buffalo sacked the New York Giants Jeff Hostetler of West Virginia in the end zone.

9:30 p.m.: Fitzgerald is back. Mostly, Warner is finally looking for his franchise player. His 1-yard fade route -- who can stop that? -- gave Arizona Ol' Mo' and pared the Steelers' lead to 20-14. Hold onto your seats.

9:17 p.m.: Troy Polamalu, commercial MVP.

9:12 p.m.: First of all, didja expect Big Ben to outhrow Wingin' Warner through three quarters. It's 162 yards to 153, but, more important, that vaunted passing game has only 153 yards -- and less than 10 yards per completion. Fitzgerald entered the fourth quarter with just one catch, covered like a full-length mink by Ike Taylor. Warner isn't even throwing in Fitz's direction. That's some dandy defensive work right there, folks.

9:04 p.m.: End of third quarter, Steelers 20-7. With this defense, with the way the Steelers' offense is moving the ball and, more important, grinding up clock, it looks like you can almost pop open that 6 Pack.

Almost.

8:56 p.m.: Sixteen-play, 79-yard drive, which is incredible in and of itself. But to take up 8:39 of a quarter -- more than half -- on one drive, all those whack penalties or not? Now that's a crusher. With Reed's 21-yard field goal giving the Steelers a 20-7 lead, the Cardinals must muster some kind of score on their next drive, or they're history.

8:52 p.m.: That third-down was non-call was warranted. Then, on Jeff Reed's field goal, the Cardinals picked up a third personal foul of the drive when Adrian Wilson, in referee Terry McAulay's word, "ran over the holder," Mitch Berger. Automatic first down. And the clock's ticking away.

If you enlarge you can see Adrian Wilson about to level Mitch Berger

8:50 p.m.: I'm sorry, but this goal-line offense is laughable. There you got your wish, Willie Parker on a run -- and the blocking wasn't there, so he got corralled for a loss. Then a Heath Miller drop? You don't see that very often.

8:44 p.m.: Quiet. Listen. . . . You can almost hear Mike Holmgren and all those Seahawks fans yapping about the Steelers getting all the breaks from officials. In this instance, it's warranted. Santonio Holmes committed a facemask penalty on DRC, who was the one flagged. No wonder Holmes heard "facemask" and started pleading his case to the side judge -- he knows when he's guilty. . . .Then a second personal-foul penalty? On a questionable call on Arizona linebacker Karlos Dansby for roughing Roethlisberger. Ya know, maybe those Pacific Northwesterners were on to something.

8:35 p.m.: Kurt Warner, just when he was leading the Cardinals downfield when they badly needed it, was called for a fumble -- his longtime bugaboo. But Arizona challenged that his arm was going forward, as replays seemed to show. If the Steelers get a field goal, minimum, on this next drive, it could be a death knell already for Arizona. At some point, of course, these former sleepwalkers (they're word) and realize, Hey, we are the Cardinals after all.

8:34 p.m.: Sorry, I'm still not recovered. . . . (Nice photos by Dan Gigler, too. Jus' givin' a shout out.)

8:19 p.m.: Bruce Springsteen is going to Disney Land. Will the Steelers, too?

7:57 p.m.: Excuse me while this intrepid reporter arises from his keyboard to worship at the altar of The Boss.

No, not Micco (sorry, Jer).

7:55 p.m.: Touchdown, 17-7, Steelers. Please refer to 7:07 for details.

That made Harrison's the longest play in Super Bowl history, offensive, defensive, special teams. Remember, Willie Parker registered the longest touchdown run, at 75 yards, in winning Super Bowl XL. Momentum, signs, you name it -- it points in the Steelers' direction right now.

7:51 p.m.: First and goal at the Steelers' 1, just 18 seconds left after good clock management. The Cardinals appeared to be in a must-throw down, and . . . someone call for oxygen for James Harrison. A 100-yard interception return for a touchdown -- hey, Deshea Townsend, get outta his way and block for somebody. Warner for Boldin went awry. Harrison exhausted, though Tomlin came over to congratulate.

The play was under review, but his head was the first thing that touched in the end zone. So it's a bigger miracle for the opposition since Tony Dungy got a Polamalu interception reversed in the Super Bowl XL playoff run.

Unbelievable play by the Defensive MVP of 2008 who, by now, we ought to expect this kind of thing. Believe it now, as Tampa gave its Super Bowl that slogan. (BTW: An unidentified Steeler clipped a Cardinal on the return.)

7:48 p.m.: That 12-yard catch and run by No. 11 marked the first catch of the day by Pitt's Larry Fitzgerald. The Steelers need to contain him to win this game, and so far they've done that. But. . . .

7:36 p.m.: Forget the bad offensive series by Arizona, and the strong push by the Steelers' D. The turning point, may have come at 2:59. The stadium entertainment folks just played "Love is Like a Rock" by Pittsburgh's own Dawnee Ahhriss.

7:30 p.m.: That quaking you feel just might be momentum, with a couple of penalties and a nice Breaston return giving Arizona some momentum. But that Steelers' pass rush, gaining a holding call on one and a sack on another, picked up the pace for the defense.

7:20 p.m.: Game-saving drive by the Cardinals. They looked poised and comfortable against that secondary, that defense. An Anquan Boldin open play, a couple of James/Breaston plays and a lack of a rush on Warner, and the Cardinals have a nine-play, 83-yard drive to cut the Steelers' lead to 10-7.

7:14 p.m.: Key thing to notice on that Cardinals first down: Kurt Warner got happy feet in the pocket and threw a bad pass. And there really wasn't a rush near him.

7:07 p.m.: Gary Russell just ran off the field faster than he ran on it. A plunge for a touchdown. A point after. An 11-play, 69-yard drive covering seven-plus minutes. And it was 10-0, Steelers.

Stat time: The Cardinals are 1-6 this season when they fall behind by 10 points or more. And 1-12 in two seasons under Whis.

7:04 p.m.: Third and goal at the one, and Mike Tomlin calls timeout. Will they call two plays and quickly go for a fourth-down try? Can Tomlin plunge that aggressive bent into his pocket and actually kick another field goal? Stay tuned. (Oh, yeah, right, like you were going to change over to "60 Minutes" or something right now. . . .)

7:00 p.m.: End of first quarter, 3-0 Steelers. But they're threatening. And hold on for an interesting stat if they do score. (Whis has that red flag ready. . . .) BTW: Steelers 140 yards, Cardinals 13. But that isn't the stat that counts most, ya know.

6:57 p.m.: Did NBC's John Madden just say, "That's Ben Roethlisberger being Superman"? Well, that was vintage Roethlisberger escapability, continually scanning downfield -- though you gotta wonder if he saw Hines Ward open and Heath Miller just popped into the picture at the last second.

6:54 p.m.: Yes, Nate Washington was as wide open as he looked on TV. Wider, even. Roethlisberger put too much air underneath it, underthrowing Washington, and rookie Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie rallied to nearly intercept it. DRC, as they call him, is a star in the making. But the dude from Tiffin beat him badly on that one.

6:50 p.m.: Less of a stellar and more of a Stiller first possession by Arizona. Edgerrin James looked a bit rattled, with that fumble. Kurt Warner looked a tad confused by the defense's movement. And how about Troy Polamalu being all over the field: on a tackle, on the sidelines having trainer John Norwig reinsert his left contact lens, on Larry Fitzgerald one-on-one in bump-and-zone coverage off the line on third-and-17. That last part merits watching later. Nothing like having the two best players in this game, and possibly even the NFL, going head to head.

This just in, if it's a sign: Reed's field goal was the shortest in a Super Bowl in three decades since. . . the Steelers' Roy Gerela also kicked an 18-yarder in Super Bowl X, played in 1976.

6:46 p.m.: Color me shocked. This intrepid reporter was sure the Cardinals would come out in three or four wides. On second down, they did. . . and got a first down on a Kurt Warner pitch to Woodland Hills' Steve Breaston. Methinks Coach Whis will ditch the run rather soon and use those spread formations.

6:42 p.m.: After being aggressive all season, if not his entire head-coaching term thus far, Mike Tomlin opted for the points. Jeff Reed's field goal from 18 yards, after a 9-play, 71-yard, good-looking drive, gave the Steelers a 3-0 lead over Arizona.

Don't get cocky, Steelers galaxy. Arizona gave up a first-drive touchdown at Carolina and trailed 7-0 before scoring 33 unanswered points. And they were down to Atlanta, 17-14, in the wild-card game and responded with a touchdown and a lead they wouldn't relinquish in just 70-some seconds.

6:35 p.m.: For one thing, Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt might be regretting that decision to defer already, huh? Boomer Esiason on Westwood One said Ben Roethlisberger already looks better than he did in all of Super Bowl XL. . . But this goal-line offense (Russell?) still has great difficulty without using Parker or the pass. . . .Maybe it's a Steelers sign: Roethlisberger, who many folks (including much of the Pacific Northwest) still don't think he scored going left in Ford Field, scores on a pass on which he took the run option. Touchdown -- or is it? Whisenhunt challenged, which is a smart call (especially being a student of history, having been in the press box in Detroit that day). Roethlisberger is close yet again. . . replays arethisclose. After review, officials overturn the touchdown call. Fourth-and-goal from the one, Darnell Dockett with the tackle and Whisenhunt with the touchdown-saving move.

6:33 p.m.: What bad knee? Hines Ward was open for 10 to 15 yards, easy.

6:31 p.m.: If someone fleet such as Santonio Holmes had returned that kickoff through the middle hole, it might well be 7-0 Steelers by now. Maybe Gary Russell was blinded by all the flashing cameras.

6:28 p.m.: Big-game conditions: 68 degrees, winds out of the north-northwest (holy Hitchcock) and skies mostly cloudy, though it's nighttime, so it doesn't matter. Best weather for a Steelers game since, what, September?

6:27 p.m.: Tails, by James Farrior. It's heads. Arizona defers. Hey, like Bill Cowher sorta said, nobody ever remembers who loses the coin toss at the Super Bowl. (Final) Game on.

Gerry Dulac checks in from Tampa

Dan Gigler — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:56:00 GMT

Some notes from Gerry Dulac:

Whatever you say, James ...

            Most of Dick LeBeau's defensive players agree that his schemes are intricate and difficult to learn.
            But can they be any more difficult to decipher than what Pro Bowl OLB James Harrison said when asked why he trusts LeBeau so much?
            "Because things that he has done that he may not know I know he's done," Harrison said. "Its not things I know that you know I know; its the things that I know that you dont know I know that makes me trust him.
            Got that?

Carnac could've predicted ...

            More Harrison:
            A radio reporter asked Harrison what he would have said in August if someone told him he would be the leagues defensive player of the year competing in the Super Bowl.
     "That they're a mind-reader or a fortune teller," Harrison said.
When he was asked if he could envision such a situation, Harrison replied, "Nah, probably not."

Kudos from Keisel ...

            DE Brett Keisel just laughed when he was asked about the Steelers defensive line playing against the Cardinals offensive line, coached by former Steelers assistant Russ Grumm.
            "Russ is going to have those guys ready to play," Keisel said. "Any weakness he sees in us, I'm sure he told those guys (about it) a long time ago."
            "In my opinion, I cant say enough good things about Russ Grimm. He was a great coach and a great player and he does a wonderful job teaching those guys good technique and winning football."

Chargers-Steelers live (in-game edition)

Chuck Finder — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 21:49:00 GMT

7:58 p.m.: The end. Steelers 35, Chargers 24. Same night next week, same venue, same old Ravens, 6:30 p.m.

7:52 p.m.: Ruh-roh, 62-yard pass from Rivers to Darren Sproles. . . but (can't resist) he comes up short. Chargers, 24-35. Four unanswered touchdowns by the Steelers were too much. So much for the maligned offense this night, eh? Sproles, for the record, has 11 rushes for 15 yards. Russell snagged the onsides kick to secure it.

7:48 p.m.: Only twice before this season have the Steelers conjured as many points as this, at Cincinnati and in that Texans opener. And they hadn't mustered more in their previous eight postseason games, that 36-33 Cleveland conquest (referenced earlier over the punt return) in 2002. In 48 playoff games in Steelers history, only four times have they scored more. One more historical footnote: Parker's 146 yards are the third-most in Steelers playoff annals, and the most since Franco Harris' 153 against Baltimore in 1975.

7:41 p.m.: The party's over. Warm up Styx and the Bolts bus. Remember, though: You aren't talking about the old axiom of beating a team three times in a season, you're talking 'bout attempting a hat trick over Ray Lewis and the menacing, confidence-swelled Ravens. And didja catch Ray-Ray on NFL Network with his fellow U. of Miami man Warren Sapp on Saturday? He says the Raves' D prefers the road, because the quiet home crowd allows the fellas to hear each other's pre-snap calls, adjustments and advice.

7:34 p.m.: On his 24th carry, he went wide right, shedding a would-be tackler, for 27 yards to give him 122 yards on the game. But, uh, shouldn't he stay in bounds? [By the way, this marks Parker's first 100-yard playoff game, now at 146 after that 16-yard, open-hole touchdown run (nice evening for the o-line, with just one sack to boot). Despite that 75-yard touchdown run in Supe XL, Parker compiled but 93 total on the game.] Seventy-three yard drive, ate up half of what was left of the fourth quarter. Steelers, 35-17 Factoid: Parker hasn't had a two-touchdown day like this since the first half of the first game, against the Houston Texans.

7:28 p.m.: When you want to milk clock, you throw deep -- element of surprise, OK, so that's slightly comprehensible -- but then call time out?

7:23 p.m.: 10-play, 73-yard Chargers march and a touchdown -- not what the Steelers wanted or needed at this point. So it's a two-score game now. The offense, ahem, needs to piece together a time-consuming drive and conjure points, though either would suffice.

7:09 p.m.: You know you're having a horrible day when, in 15 minutes' time, you head a punt to the other team AND have a bad pass-interference penalty on ya (yes, there is such a thing as a good one). Eric Weddle stuck again for the Bolts'. But, wait, they didn't give it to Davis? Gary Russell with the wide-left TD run with 12:52 remaining. A long way to go in this one, folks, as columnist Gene Collier just pointed out. So long as the defense doesn't lapse into a prevent and fail to rush Rivers, it should have breathing room. Steelers, 28-10.

7:05 p.m.: Chargers after that failure fall to 2-for-8 on third downs. That's crucial. If Steelers get a field goal on this possession, there's reason to feel relatively safe. Mostly due to that defense.

7:00 p.m.: Yet another goalline stand by the Bolts. Funny, but the right side of the offense -- and the Bolts' defensive left side -- looked like it had the upper hand in numbers, so a sweep or a Spaeth short out pattern or maybe even a Roethlisberger roll out seemed to be the way to go pre-snap. And giving it to Cary Davis? It's nice to reward the fullback, but your quarterback or Parker are your stars for a reason. Up to the defense. Another James Harrison end-zone strip?

6:59 p.m.: Third quarter time of possession: Steelers 14:43, Chargers :17. Seventeen seconds? Cripes, Britney Spears has been married longer than that. Twice.

6:56 p.m.: Hitting Hines Ward outta bounds? It's the Karma of Tim McKyer coming back to undo the Bolts. End of third quarter.

6:52 p.m.: What I meant to say was: If you punt the ball off Eric Weddle's widdle head, and William Gay recovers on the edge of the red zone. . . .

6:46 p.m.: Foote's hand was ruled to be underneath the ball -- and replays seemed tough to judge. . . . Trick call on a vital third-down-and-short? Better question: You want your $102 million franchise player with a concussed brain blocking one of the largest, toughest nose guards in the NFL, Jamal Williams? Geez, Roethlisberger threw a block like a good o-lineman. Even if the Steelers wind up punting, killing the clock and killing the Chargers' retribution chance at scoring would be monumental.

6:40 p.m.: Well, that's another way to regain momentum. . . Rivers' pass was tipped by a leaping Brett Keisel; o-lineman are supposed to keep their blockees down on earth, and Marcus McNeill failed to do it, but clouted him immediately afterward for bad measure). Then Larry Foote appeared to wrest that interception from James Harrison's hands. Hey, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year has enjoyed enough pub lately, anyway. Coach Norv Turner challenged the ruling, and why not because the game hinges on this juncture right here.

6:39 p.m.: Well, that's one way to lose your hard-fought edge -- a 63-yard kickoff return by Darren Sproles.

6:33 p.m.: Heath Miller! True, it's excruciatingly early. But Roethlisberger has gone 12 of 18 for 135 yards to this point and, besides the overthrows to Miller once and Holmes (juuuuust) twice, you would draw the conclusion here that he is sharper than he was last year against Jacksonville and even in Super Bowl XL. While I was typing....Miller again! Make Roethlisberger 13 for 19 for 143 and one touchdown after that 8-yard pass to that perpetually open tight end. Huge drive and touchdown. Steelers, 21-10. Wow, 13 plays, 77 yards, 7:56. Give credit where it's due: Arians, Roethlisberger, the line, the trainers, the commissioner (shout out to the Washington & Jefferson College grad), anybody with the offense on that drive.

6:28 p.m.: All right, get out your pool slips.....63,899 was just announced as today's attendance.Now that Parker has one good run among his first five carries, notice that the Chargers are rotating defensive linemen even on the same series. They may have made adjustments to play the gaps better. We'll see. Big possession here for the Steelers, particularly considering they deferred just to get this opportunity to pile on points to end the first and start the second. . . . Oooooh, milimeters, or less, from a game-breaking completion to Holmes. Actually, upon further review, it hit his fingertips, itwasthatclose.

6:14 p.m.: For you pro-Parker folks, he has 52 yards on 10 rushes. Cozy little average, eh?

6:11 p.m.: Halftime. [As we wrote at 4:56, let's stick with straight cocoa, coffee or tea, sollight?]

6:07 p.m.: Lovely deep pass by Roethlisberger -- once, twice, third time's a lucky lady. Nice placed over linebacker Stephen Cooper, and what was he doing covering Ward so deep? Oh, because Antonio Cromartie wasn't there in time. Sixty-six yards in 76 seconds, Parker polished it off with a touchdown sweep left on a nice block from. . . a fullback?. . . Cary Davis. Steelers, 14-10.

6:05 p.m.: Oh, what the hell do I know.

6:04 p.m.: Check, check! He will boot himself 56 yards through the uprights for missing Holmes on that easy post pattern for a touchdown.

6:03 p.m.: Roethlisberger will kick himself over missing that wide-open Miller in the right flat. That play would've put them in instant field-goal range, or helped for a touchdown chance.

5:57 p.m.: Nate Kaeding, showing no ill effects of a groin injury that caused him to miss practice time late this week, converted a 42-yard field goal on the far side of the two-minute warning. Bolts, 10-7.

5:49 p.m.: Can't wait to hear the post-game explanation on that fake punt. Those two Chargers, Antwan Applewhite and Jacob Hester, were completely unblocked as the snapper Jared Retkofsky and the left side of the line went left, and the right guard and that side moved right. Ryan Clark had no chance. The gambling call isn't so bad, but the execution -- or failing to check off it -- are open to debate. That's giving the Bolts a field goal, minimum.

5:34 p.m.: During the last two timeouts, the grounds crew came out with snowblowers and cleared the lines every five yards. Looks like Willie Parker and the offensive line are using those as guidelines. The o-line is pushing back blue-whale Jamal Williams and the Bolts' defensive front, allowing Parker and the occasional Mewelde Moore open lanes to rip off decent gains. That could have a wear-and-tear effect on this defense later.

5:10 p.m.: (Sorry, folks, either the wi-fi connection in the press box or the PG blog software is slooooowwww right now.) Holmes quickly makes amends for that holding call with a dandy punt return for a touchdown. Bolts punter Mike Scifres, the MVP of the wild-card victory over Indianapolis, kicked it 53 yards from the snowy shadow of the open-end end zone, but Holmes made a mad dash a team-record 67 yards for the knotting score. He eluded a lunging Brandon Siler, cut through an open middle and ambled down the left sideline -- pausing only to hurdle Legedu "I'll Buy a Vowel, Pat Sajak" Naanee. Tie, 7-7. For the record, it was the Steelers' first postseason, punt-return touchdown since Antwaan Randle-El's previous-record, 66-yarder against the Browns in that Jan. 5, 2003, come-from-behind, 36-33 victory. Get this: The last time the Chargers gave up a punt-return for a playoff score, Lyndon Banes Johnson was in the White House -- the 1965 AFL Championship game, to Butch Byrd of the Buffalo Bills.

4:56 p.m.: Put the bottles and cups down, people. Heath Miller on second down strained to erase the Santonio Holmes holding penalty and get back to the first stick, but at least one-third of the . . . uh, insulated. . . crowd began cheering because they thought it was a first down beyond the second stick. Then Ben Roethlisberger performed a quick-kick punt on fourth down -- left-footed. Let's see, if you're nimble with both hands, you're ambidextrous. What is it with both feet? Oh, yeah, you're a soccer player. . . . By the way, a bubble screen and a quick kick on the opening series? What are we watching, is Mike Tomlin's first boss Bill Stewart of the West Virginia Mountaineers calling plays?

4:49 p.m.: The Stay Classy Chargers scored in two minutes, one second. And it shouldn't have taken them that long. Antonio Gates was wide open on the first play -- how do you miss that guy in coverage? Darren Sproles appeared to be a couple of fingers away from breaking a screen pass for a long distance. And Vincent Jackson motored downfield on a post pattern, with Ike Taylor behind him and unable to stop Philip Rivers' perfect, 41-yard touchdown pass. Four plays, 75 yards, mute Heinz Field crowd. Hey, it was so quiet, you could hear the snow fall. Bolts, 7-0.

4:45 p.m.: With Jerome Bettis present as an honorary co-captain, the Steelers won the toss -- tails, for the record -- and opted to defer. Biiiig mistake.

Deconstructing the "Silverback"

Chuck Finder — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 15:04:00 GMT

That's the Steelers' longtime nickname for James Harrison because, well, he's gorilla-warfare scary.

Forthwith, a few more factoids about the NFL Defensive Player of the Year profiled by some hack writer in today's paper:

> Winning happens around this guy. Coventry High in Akron, Ohio, fashioned three of its half-dozen winning seasons in the past 40 years while Harrison was a fullback-linebacker-punter there, 25-5 in all. Kent State enjoyed its first winning season in 14 years, and it's sole above-.500 record in the past 20 years, when he buried Ben Roethlisberger and Miami (Ohio) in the final seconds of the 2001 regular-season finale to seal a triumph and a 6-5 record. And the Steelers? Perhaps not so coincidentally, they've gone 62-26 and won a Super Bowl since he made the 2004 roster, and they've gone 29-12 in games he started.

> He will be inducted this winter into the inaugural class of the sports hall of fame of a Coventry High where he didn't really return after his 1997 graduation until school officials honored him following Super Bowl XL.

> OK, so lotsa athletes have the names of their grandmamas or mamas tattooed on them. But this baby of 14 has both his mother and father -- Mildred/James -- emblazoned on his left pec, right above his heart.

> One more high-school tale: Given the green light to fake when there was no rush on a punt, he took off late in a 36-0 romp against a rival with a crowd giving him considerable grief. He ran half the length of the field, ran over the quarterback-defensive back who at halftime was named homecoming king, and scored a touchdown.

> One more college tale: Scott Booker -- a Shady Side Academy alum, fellow Kent State defensive player and now the Golden Flashes' secondary coach -- said he was out recruiting this week when a former Bowling Green lineman thanked Harrison for turning around that program. See, Harrison in their 2001 meeting thumped and then intercepted starting quarterback Andy Sahm, whereupon the new Falcons coaching staff yanked Sahm and inserted a Josh Harris who from there steered them to a 24-8 record plus a bowl game, not to mention he became a 2004 Baltimore Ravens draftee. Such success enhanced the careers of the new staff, too. . . for then-first-year coach Urban Meyer went on to Utah and Florida, where Thursday he won his second national championship in three years.

Finally, video evidence, including the sacking of a runaway Browns fan in 2005 and his Monday-night-interception hurdle of LaDainian Tomlinson (a move he used time and again in high school):

Roethlisberger returns, Harrison gets rewards

Chuck Finder — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 00:56:00 GMT

Concussed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger practiced this afternoon after being cleared by doctors and, blessing the soft Heinz Field grass upon which he landed, declared himself ready to start against the Bolts on Sunday in the divisional round.

Also, the fourth-place finisher in the MVP voting -- the highest defender of the group -- thus became today, four days later, the announced winner of the AP's Defensive Player of the Year . More details about the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl and the thrice-released linebacker in the Tuesday print editions, of course.

Steelers-Titans Live (in-game edition)

Chuck Finder — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:55:00 GMT

12:55 p.m.: "What a demanding schedule," Phil Simms reminded. Yeah, the most difficult in decades. And that was before Tennessee started 10-0. That remains a pointed question: Could the wear and tear of such a difficult schedule, especially a New England-Dallas-Baltimore flourish, catch up with the Steelers psychologically, emotionally and physically sometime down this stretch?

1:03: Why wouldn't Tennessee snap the ball with Troy Polamalu in their backfield and a free 5-yard pass to a first down available? When Kris Johnson tried to run, the first one there to hit him was, of course, Polamalu. Interesting start.

1:04: Is Boomer Esiason's endorsement for MVP an omen for James Harrison? Is that like a Sports Illustrated cover jinx?

1:08: Two tight ends (side by side) and one back, Willie Parker, seem to be a message from Bruce Arians: Goodbye ailing Titans Albert Haynesworth and Kyle Vanden Bosch, hello run.

1:12: Oh, OK. Let's throw the ball and give the defensive-line replacements some mojo on a sack and a couple of hurries. . . . Good stat on CBS' part about the Steelers oh-ffense failing to score on its opening drive the past five games. . . . One other thing: They oughtta give Mitch Berger a short field all the time, huh? Those 30-, 40-yard punts look a lot better when they bounce near the goalline.

1:20: Ruh-roh, Harrison shaken up? Blame Esiason.

1:24: Parker sure looks like a dandy one-back, or I-back. As with this drive, he'll hit some, he'll lose yardage on them once in awhile. Ya hafta live with that. As for Ben Roethlisberger's fumble. . . the Steelers have been good about limiting turnovers on offense all season, and both the Steelers and Titans defenses have been superb about causing them by the busloads. A helmet-to-back-of-the-helmet hit brought about Big Ben's fumble and head-shaking rise. What if he and Harrison are injured for the day, or longer?

1:26: Harrison returned. . . . Good replay by CBS showing Nate Washington wide open in the back right corner of the end zone on that scramble. And that is what Roethlisberger is supposed to do well, make plays -- running and passing -- with his feet, but not so much that time. With Roethlisberger looking shaken and the Titans' offense looking revitalized, it doesn't look good for the Steelers already, huh?

1:32: Roethlisberger returned. . . . Berger punting from his end line, double ruh-roh. Not a bad kick, though. Again, Tennessee likely will get some sort of score here, which completely turns around that first-and-goal situation the Steelers just enjoyed -- or, if nothing else, should've enjoyed.

1:37: Harrison went somewhere -- the little linebacker's room, maybe -- and Lawrence Timmons started the series for him. But, again, Harrison returned. So everything must be all right with him now. . . . Kerry Collins keeps finding open receivers so far. Hmmmmm.

1:41: Now Jeff Fisher trots out onetime Steelers training camper Rob Bironas for a field goal! (See Dec. 14 Houston, 13-12, for details.). . . Ed Bouchette from LP Field reported: NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Steelers Pro Bowl linebacker James Harrison was taken into the locker room in the first quarter with a hip injury today. . . Also, due to technical problems, we were unable to post inactives in the pre-game edition, so here they are: Steelers -- No. 3 QB Dennis Dixon, S Anthony Smith, CB Fernando Bryant, LB Bruce Davis, OT Tony Hills, NT Scott Paxson, DE Orpheus Roye and the injured OT Marvel Smith. Titans -- No. 3 QB Chris Simms (hey, isn't that his dad working the game for CBS?), WR Paul Willaims, WR Chris Davis, CB Tyrone Poole, RB Chris Henry, OT Mike Otto and the injured DT Albert Haynesworth and DE Kyle Vanden Bosch.

1:50: Don't know if the Steelers should be up 14-3, but the Titans assuredly could be ahead 14-0 instead of 10-0 after that lovely, Collins-to-Justin Gage touchdown pass. Collins is 8 for 12 and picking apart the secondary. Not Peyton Manning. Not Tony Romo. Not even pass-efficient Philip Rivers. But AARP quarterback Kerry Collins.

2:01: Using the run with Parker and mixing in passes, with Roethlisberger making plays by holding the ball (with decent protection around him), the Steelers motor downfield -- which they absolutely had to do at this juncture. Why the QB checked off and went with a glacial-developing draw play against a speed defense is quizzical. But he compensated for it with a nifty third-down scramble, eluding his old Indianapolis buddy Nick Harper. . . . Tee hee, happy reunion. How's Mrs. Harper and the knife. We'll pay homage to that memorable play in a moment. What a great throw from Roethlisberger to Holmes, but an even better touchdown catch by a laying-out, using-his-forearms, snag-and-clutch-it-before-you-return to-Earth Holmes. Steelers within a field goal, 10-7. (Longest touchdown throw of the season, too.)

2:03: Producer Bdeff shows an awful lot of love for Roethlisberger in this video, but he does break down that Roethlisberger-v.-Harper tackle from the Super Bowl season: