Blog 'n' Gold : tomlin

The blog of Bob ...

Dan Gigler — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:37:00 GMT

The PG's Bob Dvorchak checks in with some notes from Tampa ...

Poetry and the Steelers? Don’t laugh.

Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau has brought his tough-as-steel charges to tears with his annual recital of Clement Clarke Moore’s "Twas The Night Before Christmas."And coach Mike Tomlin set the tone between the AFC championship and the Super Bowl by reminding his team that "We have miles to go before we sleep."

The line is taken from poet laureate Robert Frost’s "Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening." It’s a poetic reminder of unfinished business. Did any other poets influence the coach?

"I’m a Frost guy," Tomlin said with a smile. "The guys kind of look at me sideways sometimes when I quote Robert Frost. But that’s part of it."

Athletes are some of the most superstitious people on the planet, but apparently they don’t all suffer from triskaidekaphobia – the irrational fear of the number 13.

Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner has worn it since his days at Northern Iowa, when he was given the number. "The other numbers were taken," Warner said.

"But my belief in the Lord is a lot greater than numbers or superstitions. "The No. 13 is also worn by Steelers’ practice squad player Marvin Allen, who lost his No. 14 when Limas Sweed was drafted."I think they just gave me the next number," Allen said. "But I’m definitely not superstitious. There are a lot of Hall of Famers with that number."The most famous of them would be Dan Marino, whose No. 13 was retired by the Dolphins.

Franco Harris is using Super Bowl week to introduce a new line of furniture, starting with the Immaculate Chair.

Honest.

The chair was conceived by Helen Hoey and designed by Barclay Butera. A limited edition number of 500 chairs have been made. It’s part of the new Immaculate Collection Line.

Papa John’s is offering a pizza for 25 cents if the opening kickoff in the Super Bowl is returned for a touchdown. Sign up at www.thecountdowntokickoff.com.

Eight kickoffs have been returned for touchdowns, the most recent one by Chicago’s Devon Hester in 2007.
Papa John’s is also offering free pizza for a year to any of the 11 players on the receiving team if a touchdown is scored. They call it a special offer for special teams.

Cowboys-Steelers live blog

JerryMicco — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 03:39:00 GMT

2:45 p.m.: Let's get the obvious out of the way right now: It's really cold today. Wow, the walk down toward the river from our media parking area just above Reedsdale St. was a tad chilly. I'm just starting to thaw. But it's not the cold necessarily that will affect today's game between the Cowboys (8-4) and the Steelers (9-3) at Heinz Field.

It's the wind.

Right now, it's in the 20 mph area and seems to be blowing east to west across the field. If you can believe the little streamers atop the goalposts, that's the direction of the wind inside the stadium. That will affect the kicking game and the passing game. It probably affects the Cowpokes more because of the absence of running back Marion Barber, who is out of today's game. They are down to playing rookie 4th-round pick Tashard Choice because this year's first-round pick, Felix Jones, is on the IR list. So if the Cowboys are going to move the ball against the league's No. 1 defense, QB Tony Romo will have to be spectacular. And the wind can only help the Steelers.

I'll be back soon with the inactives for both teams.l There are a few guys out there now in sweats just tossing the ball around and loosening up. It's a day you'll want to be active. And the turf here looks terrific. One change you'll notice, too, when you watch the game on TV: The end zone that has the ///// (slashes) in it now has the word "Steelers." So with Sun Bowl-bound Pitt through with its season, the end zone loses its stripes.

Remember, I want to hear from Steelers Nation today. The success of this gameday blog depends on your comments to help keep it going. Should be a good one today.

3:09 p.m.: Here are the inactives today. Steelers: CB Fernando Bryant, LB Bruce Davis, OL Tony Hills, DT Scott Paxson, OT Marvel Smith, DE Orpheus Roye, DE Brett Keisel, QB Dennis Dixon (3rd QB). Cowboys: WR Miles Austin, RB Marion Barber, S Courtney Brown, CB Mike Jenkins, LB Steve Octavian, OG Joe Berger, OT Doug Free, QB Brooks Bollinger (3rd QB).

3:55 p.m.: Warmups are over and the players are inside. The wind seems to have died down a bit, but the temps are still frigid. And the field does look good, but actually, and you'll see this on TV, the color is almost a brown/green. Looks like a carpet. Fans are backed up at the river end of the field and are just now starting to really file in. I guess a lot of folks were tailgating until the last minute. Most of those folks will miss the kickoff. Introductions are pending then the kickoff.

4:12 p.m.: Steelers just introduced the defense, and as always, the biggest cheers are reserved for Troy Polamalu. The secondary will have its hands full today with Terrell Owens, Jason Whitten and Roy Williams. So look right away for the Steelers to maybe try to blitz Romo early and force the Cowboys to run the ball.

Steelers won the toss and deferred to the second half. The Cowboys will get the ball first and defend the north, or closed, end of the stadium. The announced gametime temperature is 22 degrees. The wind chill is 8 degrees. Ouch. We're just about ready to go.

4:20 p.m.: Really poorly thrown ball by Romo, giving the Steelers offense an early break. Of course, the offense starts with a delay of game penalty. On first down? This is the type of turnover where if you can put seven points up, you can dictate the tone of the game early. But so far, not much has come from the offense. Note on the Polamalu pick: He leads the league with seven picks. He has intercepted a pass in a career high four consecutive games. So much for a static offense. Nice pass to Holmes for a big first down.

4:29 p.m.: What do you think? Not capitalizing on an early big turnover against that offense is going to bite them in the behind at some point? The wind has picked up again. You can see the goalposts moving in the wind a bit. It's going to be a tough field goal day. And so far, the running game looks pretty weak for the Steelers. But it's early. Still would have been a nice boost to get something on the board there.

4:40 p.m.: Huge stop on that play and James Harrison cleanly beats Jason Whitten on that play. That was a nice stop, because Dallas was moving, coverting three third downs on that drive. Remember, New England couldn't convert on third down last week. Time for the offense to show if that past three games were true improvement or just the quality of opponent. In this weather, getting up a couple of scored could be big. Each team has a big stop, now lets' see if one of the offenses can take control.

4:44 p.m.: Looked like another big special teams play there, but no dice. I think that was a quick call, but if nothing else, the Cowboys are trapped back at their own 5. Pacman Jones nearly cost his team dearly there. If the Steelers can get a three-and-out here, that might keep the tilt of the game in the Steelers favor. We'll see what's up with Pacman now. Good to see him up and going off the field on his own power.

4:55 p.m.: Don't you hate that "arm moving forward rule" the NFL has? What a sweet play that wasn't for the Steelers defense and James Harrison. This really seems to be settling in as a battle of the defenses and it looks like Dallas just got their first turnover on a Heath Miller fumble. Nice play by Bradie James to force the fumble. Time for the Steeler D to step up again. It looks like the defenses of both teams know it may be up to them to win this one.

5 p.m.: End of a rather lengthy first quarter: Cowboys 0, Steelers 0. Defensive battle shaping up and it could hinge on who capitalizes on turnovers. The fumble by Heath Miller has taken away the field position game the Steelers were dominating so holding Dallas here will be important. Still a long way to go, but this is looking like it'll match the pregame hype.

Just a note on this league: How strange is it week to week? The Eagles, who were in turmoil a couple weeks ago, stop the Giants; Houston knocks off Green Bay in the Tundra; and Seattle is beating New England. How do you ever win betting on the NFL?

5:09 p.m.: I thought Owens flinched a bit on that fourth-down incompleted pass. I think he saw Clark coming hard. Not that it was a catchable ball, but after last week's Ryan Clark shot on Wes Welker, maybe NFL receivers are looking a Clark with a different eye. Was that a ball Nate Washington should have caught on third down, stopping that drive. Another brutal punt by Mitch Berger. Say what you want about the Steelers drafting Dan Sepulveda in the fourth round last year, but I think he's been missed on this team. It's back to defense again.

5:14 p.m.: I think Dallas wins this challenge. It looks like Romo's knee was down. Harrison tied Mike Merriweather for the Steelers single-season record for sacks with that one. It was his 15th.

5:16 p.m.: Shows you how much I know. That looked very close, but great call for the Steelers. Time now to see if the offense can get something going.

5:25 p.m.: This gets bad if Big Ben is going to be out for part of this game. Of course, neither offense seems able to move the ball. Who is going to make that big play for either team? Wow, stuck in the hole on that punt. Let's see how Ben looks on this series. And I think Mewelde Moore might have been a bit dinged on the last series. No announcement on that, but it may be why Parker's back in.

5:30 p.m.: That punt was so bad, it fooled the Cowboys coverage team. Jokingly, one of the guys in the press box said the Steelers should just take a safety. Think about that for a moment. A field goal still gets you the lead. But once again, the offense looks out of sync. Fans are booing, but the debate up here is whether it's for Berger or the offense. After that punt, Berger is now the crowd favorite. Nice kick.

5:32 p.m.: Will wonders never cease? Was that Ike Taylor with a pick? And a nice pick to boot. Gene Collier just pointed out that this is 10 turnovers for by Steelers opponents in the last 2 quarters. Can anyone score here?

5:40 p.m.: At least the Steelers got something out of Ike Taylor's pick. The offense looks terrible. The third-down pass was thrown to a spot. The only problem was there are no players in that spot. Ben's 6 for 18 for 63 yards so far this half. Not that Dallas is tearing it up. I know these are two of the NFL's best, but they hardly look like it today. With 2:40 left in the second quarter, Steelers 3, Cowboys 0.

5:52 p.m.: All even after 30 minutes of play, even though the Steelers had multiple chances to have a much bigger lead in this game. Nice kick by Nick Folk to tie the game, a 44-yard FG into the open end of the stadium. I'll be back in a bit with some halftime thoughts. Halftime, Steelers 3, Cowboys 3.

6:05 p.m.: The halftime stats are a bad as you'd think they'd be. The Steelers have 89 yards of total offense compared to 134 for Dallas. The Steelers are 1 for 8 on third-down attempts; the Cowboys were 2 for 9. Big Ben was 6 for 18 for 63 yards and a QB rating of 44.4. Tony Romo was 11 for 21 for 91 yards and a couple picks with a rating of 24.2 percent. The Steelers leading rusher was Willie Parker with 14 yards on 8 carries. The leading receiver was Moore with 3 catches for 30 yards. Nice kick return by Gary Russell to start the half, let's see what the offense can do.

6:08 p.m.: One of our commenters asked if the wind was as much a factor as it appears to be on TV. The answer is an emphatic yes. It is playing havoc with the passing and kicking games. That's why if one team could grind out some rushing yards and bang in a score, that might be it. It's going to be very difficult to effectively move the ball via the air in this wind.

6:14 p.m.: Tashard Choice is having himself an excellent game. He's got 80 yards and almost half of it on this drive.

6:16 p.m.: Well that, boys and girls, was a very nice drive into the open end of the field. Beautiful escapability by Romo and really nice catch by TO, yanking it away from Ike Taylor. It was Owens' first catch of the day, but it was huge. The way the Steelers offense has looked that TD is going to be very big. Whatever is ailing the Steelers on offense had better get well in a hurry. The Cowboys look ready in the second half. With 9:36 left in the third quarter, Cowboys 10, Steelers 3.

6:27 p.m.: That drive started out OK, but quickly wilted, ending with yet another brutal punt from Berger. The offense seems to be Mewelde Moore and no one else. The Cowboys have completely taken the WRs for the Steelers out of the game. If the defense is beaten again for points on this drive, then this game could be in critical condition, if you're a Steelers fan, before the third quarter is over.

6:29 p.m: If you had told me Tashard Choice was going to be a household name in Pittsburgh by the end of today's game I'd have thought you'd started tailgating way too early. But he's the reason the Cowboys have been moving the ball in the second half. Nice stand once they got to the 10, but Dallas puts more points on the board in a game that is not exactly showcasing the Steelers offense. With 3:32 left in the third quarter, Cowboys 13, Steelers 3.

6:37 p.m.: That was huge to Santonio Holmes, great pass by Roethlisberger. Maybe this jumpstarts the Steelers offense because they need a score on this drive. A TD would be huge, but even 3 would be welcomed with a whole quarter still to play. We're reviewing if that was a sack on Roethlisberger. I'm 0-for-1 on trying to guess, but I'd say Ben was down on that play. We'll see. Drive can't stall here if the Steelers want to make some sort of statement. Even though many commenters have been hammering OC Bruce Arians, you have to like the deep pass call to Holmes.

6:42 p.m.: Great play by Holmes and Roethlisberger to end the quarter. Can they pick up a huge third down to begin the fourth? We'll soon see. End of the third quarter, Cowboys 13, Steelers 3.

6:46 p.m.: Every great team and every great season has its share of breaks. Huge break on Greg Ellis' offsides call on a failed third-and-6 play. Gary Russell and Sean McHugh made sure they converted that yard with some hard running up the middle. Let's see if they convert.a

6:52 p.m.: I won't quibble with going for it on fourth and less than a yard, but the third-down pass was a brutal call. You have no gamebreakers in on that play. A fullback and three tight ends and you throw it to Carey Davis? He's not had a touch all day. Well, now it's all on the defense because by not getting a FG there, you're still down 2 scores. That sequence will be discussed for a week if the Steelers lose this one.

6:57 p.m.: Would have been nicer if that were a three-and-out, but you'll take it when you get a great punt return by Holmes and put it right back into Dallas' back yard. Nice block on that play by Anthony Smith, who seemed to be involved in verbal jousting with the Cowboys all day. Well here we are again with less than 9 minutes left in the game and 25 yards from a score. Can the offense solve the Cowboys? So far, they've pretty muched failed that test all day.

7:05 p.m.: You hate to see a sack on third-and-1, but you'll take a 41-yard FG especially since the elements still aren't great here. Even a bank shot off the right upright by Jeff Reed. Plenty of time, but at some point, you have to find the end zone against these guys. With 7:15 left in the fourth quarter, Cowboys 13, Steelers 6.

7:10 p.m.: After a nice defensive stand -- Travis Kirschke is quietly having a very nice game with a sack and a fumble recovery -- it's nice to see Sam Paulescu pull his best Mitch Berger imitation with a brutal punt. Now a gift by an official on a questionable catch (Dallas is out of challenges) and a nice pickup by Washington on a pass, the Steelers are on a roll inside the Dallas 35. Ward's done nothing all day and that was just a big drop at the 17 yard line. Ouch.

7:15 p.m.: This is when it gets tough. First and 10 at the Dallas 22 and the offense has to show it can get it done right now. Nice pitch-and-catch play to Nate Washington, but that was an extra little twist on that tackle and Washington's down. Good thing for Steelers fans, Nate's back up and walking off. Inside the 10, let's see if they can get the job done.

7:16 p.m.: Finally, a big play from the offense. Heath Miller scores on a 6-yard pass from Roethlisberger to tie this one up. Still a lot of time for Tony Romo and the Dallas offense to do some damage, though. We'll see if that score left Dallas too much time to win it. Note: That TD reception put Miller at No. 3 on the all-time list for TDs by a tight end with 21. He passed Bennie Cunningham with that score. With 2:04 left in the fourth quarter, Steelers 13, Cowboys 13.

7:22 p.m.: Every great team makes great plays when they need to. And as much as people respect Deshea Townsend on this team, how fitting he may have put a dagger into the Cowboys with that 25-yard return for a TD. Incredible quarter and incredible play by Townsend. Romo horribly overthrew Witten on that play. The press box is actually rocking from the crowd. That's a weird feeling, but part of the whole scene. Wow. With 1:40 left in the fourth quarter, Steelers 20, Cowboys 13.

7:32 p.m.: Big, big win coming from down by 10 heading into the fourth quarter to winning the game. It keeps the pressure on the Ravens, who play in a bit later against Washington. I'll be heading downstairs to see what I can get from Tomlin's press conference and the locker room, then come back with some final thoughts. Final score: Steelers 20, Cowboys 13.

9:03 p.m.: Pretty crazy scene outside the Steelers locker room following today's victory. Lots of family and friends of the players crowding the adjacent room as well as near the locker room. Feels like everyone wants to get on board for the rest of the ride with this team. Some final thoughts:

-- After spending some time at Mike Tomlin's press conference, I headed for the locker room and was surprised to see Hine Ward leaving early. Usually, Ward is there to take questions from the press and hangs at his locker to do so. But he was gone early today. Could it be one catch for 2 yards and a big drop late changed his routine? No need here to knock Ward, he's usually good with us media types, but it was strange not seeing him there with a crowd around his locker.

-- Deshea Townsend had the big crowd around his locker today, which is understandable. As I said earlier, he's an 11-year veteran and is one of the more respected guys on the team. A lot of the players seemed pleased to see the attention on Townsend after his heroics.

-- While the offense woke up late, it still looks pretty choppy. Tomlin wasn't clobbering the offense post-game, but he still mentioned that there's a lot of work to be done. The Steelers ran for just 70 yards and had 238 net total yards. Dallas' defense is good, but not that good. The Steelers had two fumbles, which cost them, and were converted just one of four chances inside the 20-yard line.

-- Individually, the offense didn't have much to talk about. Roethlisberger's final stats were 17 of 33 for 204 yards and a touchdown. His passer rating was 80.9. The showdown with Romo never materialzed as the Dallas QB had a worse day. He was 19 for 36 for 210 yards and touchdown and 3 picks. His rating was a dismal 44.9. Willie Parker led the Steelers with 25 yards on 12 carries for a lofty 2.1 average per carry. Moore was next with 5 carries for 22 yards. Tashard Choice, who was an emergency starter for Dallas, had 88 yards on 23 carries and added 78 yards receiving on 5 catches. He was easily the best offensive player on the field for either team. Santonio Holmes had a nice day yardage wise, with 3 catches for 82 yards, a 27.3 yard average.

-- The Steelers forced 5 turnovers against Dallas after getting 5 against New England last week. Probably a trend they'd like to keep heading into Sunday's big showdown with the Ravens in Baltimore.

-- Tomlin said there are no significant injuries to report after the Dallas game.

-- The Steelers are in pretty good shape at 10-3. You might wonder why 10-3 isn't in perfect shape, but if the Ravens win tonight, and they are rolling early against Washington, they will go to 9-4 on the year. If they can beat the Steelers next week, they will be tied at 10-4 with Pittsburgh, and they have an easier closing schedule. The Steelers close out the season at Tennessee and home to Cleveland. The Ravens will have to go to Dallas after playing the Steelers and close at home against Jacksonville. If the Ravens and Steelers finish in a tie, then the tiebreaker becomes a bit complicated. They would be tied head to head and in the division. The next tiebreaker is record against common opponents. That might give the Ravens an edge because they beat the Eagles and the Steelers lost to Philadelphia. Bottom line: There's a lot riding on Sunday's game at M&T Bank Stadium.

That's it from very cold Heinz Field, which still looks pretty good after the Cowboys and Steelers tore it up for 3 hours, 15 minutes. Let's hear your thoughts on the game and keep coming back to Blog 'n' Gold for updates. We want to hear from you.

James Harrison the best?

JerryMicco — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 20:53:00 GMT

Ron Cook's column in tomorrow's Post-Gazette will say that Steelers LB James Harrison could very well be the best defensive player in the NFL. Harrison's end zone sack and resulting safety were the two points the Steelers desperately needed in the 11-10 victory over San Diego Sunday.

Everyone's talking about that weird final play in yesterday's game. The referee's said they'd made an error on the play and while it changed nothing on the field, it sure did change some gamblers' fortunes in Vegas (and elsehwere). PG reporter Gary Rotstein is taking a look at that issue in tomorrow's paper as well. Seems that while bets in the millions are often taken legally on the NFL, speculation is that many more millions of illegal bets are placed. So many people seem upset with the final call, but in reality, it means nothing as far as the outcome of the game.

More people seem upset today if I can believe my E-mail basket, about the officiating in general. The Steelers were flagged for 13 penalties for 115 yards against the Chargers. Sometimes you have games like that, but when the disparity in penalties is so wide -- San Diego was flagged twice for five yards -- people are going to notice. I know Mike Tomlin was not happy after the game yesterday, though he steered clear of saying anything negative about the officiating.

Let's hear from you about these topics. Remember, it's a short week. Bengals up on Thursday at Heinz.

Texans at Steelers live blog by Jerry Micco

JerryMicco — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 23:10:00 GMT

6:30 p.m., some postgame thoughts: Just finished the TV call-in show, and I was amazed at how many people are upset that Byron Leftwich didn't lead the Steelers to a couple more scores. Lighten up, people. He's the to mop up and you can't really grade him on his day's work in this game. Besides, the pass he threw to Nate Washington, which Washington dropped, was a beauty. You should only be concerned when Leftwich is in the game if it's for Big Ben being sidelined. More than ever, he's a guy they can't lose.

-- Willie Parker ran for 138 yards on 25 carries with three touchdowns. This off a severe injury late last season. I think people should just figure he's a good back and stop questioning his ability. He's capable of leading the league in rushing.

-- It was good to give rookie RB Rashard Mendenhall some carries. He ran 10 times for 28 yards, nothing special, but he didn't fumble, which was a problem in the preseason. As the season winds on, you could see him a bit more, too. You'll want to give Parker more rests for the long haul.

-- James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley are the real deal. Question many NFL GMs are asking today: "He wasn't drafted, why?" And Woodley is the big, quick 'backer the Steelers love on that side of the field. He can drop into coverage and bring a load when he pass rushes. And Lawrence Timmons looks good, too. Linebacker will be the least of this team's problems.

-- In case you were wondering, Ben Roethlisberger is one of the top 3 QBs in the NFL.

Around the NFL:

-- Pats coach Bill Belichick didn't have much on Tom Brady's knee injury after the game.

-- Brett Favre had a nice debut, leading the Jets past Miami. Newsday lets us know what's going on.

-- Plain Dealer's Terry Pluto has his thoughts up on the Browns' first-half performance vs. Dallas. He'll have more at game's end, too.

-- If you think folks in Pittsburgh are upset with the Pirates, imagine what fans in Detroit are saying about the Lions flop today against Atlanta and rookie QB Matt Ryan. The story is a wire story, but the fan comments are worth reading a the Detroit Free Press.

-- Our feathered friends on the other side of Pa., had a huge opening-day win. The Philly Inky and Daily News bloggers love it -- and rookie WR/PR DeSean Jackson, who had a huge day.

That's it from Heinz Field.

4:32 p.m., postgame: To a man, from Mike Tomlin to every player, you heard the same mantra: It's just one game and we still have work to do. OK, that's the right thing to say, but you could also see that the coach and players are pretty pleased with the final result. "We didn't play a perfect game," Tomlin said. "But we rose up and played well. Now it's time for us to move on." Tomlin also praised the defense, which held the Texans to 234 total net yards, forced 3 turnovers and had five sacks. He pointed out the pressure that outside LBs James Harrison (3 sacks) and LaMarr Woodley (1 sack, 1 interception, 1 fumble recovery) put on QB Matt Schaub was a big part of that success. But he pointed out -- again -- that it's only one game and it was time to move on and start thinking about the Browns next week.

I'll have more after I do the postgame call-in show with Bob Pompeani on the CW starting around 5. Anyone out there thinking Browns yet?

Final: Steelers 38, Texans 17: Dominating opener for the Black 'n' Gold. Time to start thinking about next week and that Sunday night encounter with the Cleve Brownies (a nod to the late, great Myron Cope). It's a much bigger game next week, with division implications involved, but you need to win your opener and the Steelers did that handily. And it took less than three hours. Gotta love that.

1:57, 4th quarter: Two-minute warning (or the 1:57 warning). I'll be headed to the locker room in a bit to get some notes for the paper and I'll put on a something from the locker room in a bit. I'm going on a special Steelers postgame Sports Call on the CW with Bob Pompeani from 5-6. I'll come back after that with one more post with final thoughts. And we want to hear yours, too.

5:24, 4th quarter: For the record, the Steelers added three more on a Jeff Reed 45-yard FG. Steelers 38, Texans 10. You wonder how a team like Houston, who a lot of folks thought could be a team on the rise, comes off a game like this. I mean, they were having a nice opening drive then they go for it on fourth-and-1 at the Steeler 48 and get stuffed. Steelers score and that's pretty much it. It's 21-0 before long and it's a lost cause. The Texans are a nice team, but looked bad today. Again, the debate this week will be are the Steelers really THIS good?

7:26, 4th quarter: One thing about games like this, we all like them in the press box. No real mystery who's going to win and you can figure out story lines pretty quickly. You can hear some of the press discussing other games (Geez, the Bengals are going to lose to a rookie QB and the Ravens?) The fans are leaving quickly. Stadium's about half full. Tailgates await, or maybe a dinner at home. Either way, no one is leaving thinking they'll miss a great comeback.

9:00, 4th quarter: They may be getting smoked, but that was a really nice catch by tight end Kevin Walter for the touchdown. Time for the Steelers for try to run this game out. Nine minutes is a long time, but the way the line has played today, that might not be too tough. But Roethlisberger's day is done, so it'll be up to Byron Leftwich to try to run some clock. We'll see how it goes.

13:00, 4th quarter: The bad thing about a game like this if your Mike Tomlin is will someone get hurt in what is likely a meaningless 4th quarter. You can see the Steelers are letting up a bit as the Texans drive, but in the back of everyone's mind is will someone get banged up late when it really means nothing? I guess there's not much you can do about it as a player because when you're out there, injury isn't on your mind. By the way, that was a really nice tackle by Ryan Clark. Unfortunately, it was a pass and the ball was in the air. Oops.

End 3rd quarter: Steelers 35, Texans 3: This is not going to be good for Matt Schaub. The defense is teeing off on him. James Harrison just enveloped him. It might be time for Gary Kubiak to get his backup in there. Speaking of getting hurt looks like Ryan Clark is a bit banged up, but he's walking off at least. Thing is, the Steelers are light at safety with Anthony Smith being inactive. William Gay is the corner/saftey swing guy. Tyrone Carter will replace Clark.

2:04, 3rd quarter: This is way too easy, folks. The Steelers look so dominant but it's one of those games where you wonder if they are that good, or if the Texans are that bad. Two TDs for Ward, three for Fast Willie and Big Ben is having an excellent day. Parker is over 100 yards again, as he has been for his last three openers. You guys tell me: Steelers that good, Texans that bad? Steelers 35, Texans 3.

7:11, 3rd quarter: First of all, my apologies to all for being a lame blogger during the third quarter. Been having significant connection, laptop problems and finally got everything straight (I think). The home team continues to roll along, with Willie Parker getting his third TD of the day earlier to make it 28-3. And Parker just converted a tough third-down run to keep this drive going as the Steelers attempt to drive out of the shadow of their own end zone. Big Ben looks to be fine after taking that hit at the end of the half. Same can't be said, though, for Tom Brady. As good as the Patriots are, they are pretty ordinary without Brady. Mike Reise of the Globe discusses this in his blog.

Halftime, Steelers 21, Houston 3: All the good feeling in that first half may be moot if the hit on Big Ben proves to be worse than it looks. He limped off at halftime and I'm sure the training staff is going to take a very hard look. It was a 3-step drop on that play, so he should have had better protection. He's the last guy anyone wants to see go down if you're a fan of the Black and Gold.

Overall, though, great first half of the season for the Steelers. Can't complain about much except perhaps those two sacks by Mario Williams. He clearly beat Marvel Smith at least once and as good as Smith is, probably wouldn't hurt to get him some help over there in the way of a tight end or back. Charlie Daniels is back up there at halftime.

1:45, 2nd quarter: One problem the Steelers defense had, particularly late last season, was getting off the field on third down. They gave up way too many big third-down plays. Not today -- so far. The Texans are 1 for 6 on third downs. There's plenty of time left for the Steelres to score again if they want, but a first-down run may signify that 21-3 is enough of a lead for one half.

2:48, 2nd quarter: Uh, guys, you really need to figure out a way to stop Mario Williams when your quarterback is back to pass. That's two sacks today for the guy who everyone said should have been Reggie Bush. Down to the 2-minute warning and the game's moving along at a nice clip.

4:38, 2nd quarter: Four plays and minus-4 yards later, the Texans are finally on the board with a Kris Brown FG. As well as the offense is playing, the defense just looks so quick today. And GM/talent guru Kevin Colbert has to be feeling pretty good today when he thinks back to the 2007 draft and getting Lawrence Timmons and LaMarr Woodley in the first two rounds. They look like they are ready to play in this league and make an already-good defense better. I know it's not even one half of one game, but if I'm a fan in the stands or in front of my TV, I'm pretty stoked about the season.

6:47, 2nd quarter: From adding another nail in the coffin of the Texans, to seeing a potential game-changing play. Mario Williams got loose and when he does, he wreaks havoc. Roethlisberger had no chance on that one and now the Texans are in position to do some damage. Let's see if the defense can force another turnover. Geez, Casey "Big Snack" Hampton just blew up that play. Was there a buffet in the backfield?

9:03, 2nd quarter: Wow, this offense with this quarterback is actually pretty scary. It's amazing to see how much Roethlisberger continues to get better and better, and certainly is living up to what a lot of folks thought when he was drafted in the first round in 2004. I though the Texans were going to put up a better fight, but they are getting shredded. I still think going for it on their first drive on fourth-and-one was a mistake they haven't recovered from. And it also looks as thought LaMarr Woodley is the real deal. That giant linebacker that can move and what every NFL team covets. What's not to like so far, folks? Steelers 21, Texans 0.

11:00, 2nd quarter: Excellent call by Bruce Arians on the sprint draw to Willie Parker for the touchdown. Huge block by Marvel Smith, kind of the forgotten man on the line for the Steelers. When healthy, he's the best guy on the line now that Faneca's gone. Another thing about the scoring play was it may get Parker going. He's been jittering a bit into holes and on the TD, he ran hard and followed the blockers. He's much more effective when he hammers into a hole. Wonder if we'll see Rashard Mendenhall soon? Also, that was Parker's 22nd career rushing TD, tying him for 10th on the all-time Steelers list with Merril Hoge and Frenchy Fuqua. Where are those goldfish shoes, Frenchy? Read this piece from a couple years back by Jim Wexell on the Frenchman. Steelers 14, Texans 0.

End of 1st quarter, Steelers 7, Texans 0: As opening quarters go, not a bad start for the Steelers. The call on Ward on the offensive interference was iffy, but there was contact both ways on that one. It looked to me more that Demeco Ryans seemed to be stumbling before Ward's contact, but I guess it was enough to get an official's eye and Ward a flag. Big Ben still likes going to his sure targets -- Ward and Heath Miller. The days of "where's the tight end in the Steelers offense?" are gone. Miller is such a big, fluid guy and runs great patterns that Ben must love having him. OK, we're ready for quarter 2 and the Steelers are driving again.

4:30, 1st quarter: Andre Johnson is a terrific player. I wonder if he has another big season if he'll change his name to Andre Ocho Cero? And would the Bengals Chad Johns....er, Ocho Cinco sue for copyright infringement? LaMarr Woodley just looks great early on and that was a vicious sack. Of course, unblocked linebackers always look terrific. I think the Steelers defense knows it can pressure Matt Schaub and it's pulling out all the stops. So far, a good start for the Home 11.

5:44, 1st quarter: That was efficient, eh? Giving this offense a short field is going to hurt any opponent all season. Roethlisberger looks very sharp and the 17-yard scramble was the key play in the drive. You have to love how they converted two third-down plays on the drive, something they didn't always do last season. The offensive line looks very sharp so far, though if you watch Mario Williams throughout this game, he's going to open some eyes. He's a terrific player and may justify the Texans' choice of him as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft two years ago.

Back to the game after the 8-play, 52-yard drive, which took up 4:48 on the clock. Steelers 7, Texans 0.

10:32, 1st quarter: Kubiak isn't going quietly on this one. He's going to be close on the challenge and the referee did signal a first down originally. If this challenge works, it'll be a big lift for the Texans. I still hate the call probably because I'd be a boring play caller if I ever had that job, but to me, you have to punt there. It's going to be a difficult call even with the replay. Referee Terry McAulay just made 64,000 folks happy. Steelers ball.

10:34, 1st quarter: Gutsy call by Gary Kubiak and it massively backfires. The Steelers normally are not a team you run against when you need a full yard. I don't know, road game or not, trying to set a tone or not, why not put the Steelers in the hole. Hampton and Kiessel stuffed that one. Let's see if it haunts the Texans as we move on.

12:03, 1st quarter: Former WVU star Stevde Slaton's first official NFL carry was good for a yard. Welcome to the big leagues, kid.

1:03 p.m.: The season starts at 1:03 p.m. And Houston completes their first 2 passes. I'm thinking all the preseason he missed hasn't affected Polamalu. Crunching hit.

12:45 p.m. (pregame): They're beginning a video and on-field ceremony honoring members of the Steelers family who have died in the past year -- Dwight White, Ernie Holmes and Myron Cope. I'm struck as I watch this about how Cope truly is remembered as the guy who invented the Terrible Towel. I guess I'll always think of him as a tremendous writer and tv/radio personality. Certainly one of the greats.

Family members of the Steelers being honored today are on the field with former players L.C. Greenwood, Joe Greene and Mel Blount.

Charlie Daniels, dressed in a Steelers jersey, khakis and white sneakers, did a very nice rendition of the National Anthem. I thought at any moment he'd break into "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" or "The South's Gonna Do It Again" but alas, he didn't. Was a big fan of the band back in the day.

Less than 10 minutes to kickoff.

12:25 p.m. (pregame): We'll be blogging live from today's season opener for the Steelers. Weather's perfect and the teams are out on the field for warmups. Very few people in the seats. Still a lot of tailgaters out in the parking lots, probably talking with our Dan Gigler for a video you can see later tonight on post-gazette.com.

We want your comments as the game progresses. I'll be checking in quite often with some analysis and observations. So if you're watching on TV or listening to Billy Hillgrove on the radio, feel free to join our fray here at Blog 'n' Gold. We'd love to have you.

Usually first games are dominated by defenses, but we'll see what happens. The Steelers offense, if the O-line holds up, could be one that puts a lot of points up. I'm more interested in watching the defense, which I thought was pretty unremarkable this preseason.

Here is the list of inactive players today:

Steelers: WR Limas Sweed; S Anthony Smith; RB Gary Russell; TE Sean McHugh; LB Bruce Davis; OT Tony Hills; DE Orpheus Roye; QB Dennis Dixon, who is listed as the 3rd QB and can play if there are injury problems.

Texans: CB Eugene Wilson; FS Dominique Barber, LB Xavier Adibi; OG Kasey Studdard; OT Rashad Butler; DT Tim Bulman; DE Earl Cochran; DT Frank Okam

That's it for now, more to come.

It's raining "men."

Dan Gigler — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:18:00 GMT

Hallelujah, it's raining men.

Gene Collier acerbically writes today -- as only he can -- of the interplay between Coach Tomlin and the local pack of ink-stained wretches (print media) and blow dried fake-n-bakers (TV media), and of Tomlin's loquacious nature. Likewise, we've also been taken with Tomlin's use of the language, specifically certain key phrases and the use of the word "men." To that end, we start today what will be a running item throughout the season: the inaugural installment of the Mike Tomlin cliche watch!

Tomlin made a nice debut yesterday, but thus far he's still obviously still shaking off the off-season rust. An old standby, "perform at a high level" made no appearances yesterday, but you know that won't stand for long. "Compete", "battle" and "adversity" -- also Tomlin faves -- were peppered throughout the conference ... "Move forward" showed up , and somewhere PittGirl did a shot ... "how we do our business" checks in, as does "embark on our journey" -- derivitives of these will appear from time-to-time throughout the season ... in the "Ones to Watch" category, a pair of hot new rookies: "Position flexibility" and "I never try to tell a story." Tomlin used "position flexibility" -- which sounds like something from the Kama Sutra -- four times, and an astounding three times in the same answer to a question about defensive personnel. Meanwhile "I never try to tell a story" debuts twice and has the sort of vague esoteric sound to it that could make it an instant Tomlin classic. Keep your eyes on these two ... Our Tomlin phrase-of-the-week goes to his description of his personal outlook on life via the prism of Anthony Smith's loud mouth, "Hopefully his rear-view mirror is smaller than his windshield. I know mine is." All kidding aside, that's actually some pretty good wisdom. We like that one.

And finally, the moment you've been waiting for: THE "MEN" COUNT ... drumroll ... In his first official press conference of the 2008 season, Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin registers an ... ELEVEN! Eleven uses of the word "men" to describe his team (or "man" to describe a player). This is a torrid pace that Tomlin cannot be expected to keep up throughout the season. Stay tuned ...

Other junk 'n@:

We wanted to have the previous item up for you yesterday, but steelers.com didn't bother to update their press conference transcript list, so we couldn't do an official count until today, when we found it on Steel City Insider. And while we're ripping on steelers.com, take a look at this story about the 2005/6 AFC Championship game and see if you can identify the obvious and egregious error that goes with it. Mention it in comments if you do. If our newspaper or web site made a mistake like this, we'd be crucified.

Ed Bouchette notes in his reports that Tomlin expects a "heated battle" between Sean Mahan and Justin Hartwig for the starting center spot. Heated in what sense? That it will be hot outside when this competition takes place? If Hartwig cannot oust Mahan from this spot then he is conceivably the worst center in the league because Mahan took that distinction last year by a country mile. It was the worst performance by a starting center since yours truly laced 'em up for ol' Lebo high.

In this very space a few weeks ago, we jokingly mentioned that Fox Chapel native-and-future-Mrs. King-of-All-Media Beth Ostrowsky could be part of a group to purchase the Steelers, but noted that a potential downside was that Wack Pack member Beetlejuice would be consider for a coaching position. Then, lo and behold, we see this on Mondesi's House.

Three more days, folks ...