The Steelers rule.
Fast Bill Parker rules.
Mike Tomlin rules.
Sorry. I needed to tell you how I was feeling.
Pittsburgh prevailed over one of the two other teams with 5 Super Bowl rings, and the 37-16 win over the 49ers gave Mike Tomlin a 3-0 start to his NFL coaching career. The last time the Steelers were 3-0? How about 1992, The Chin’s first year. I can’t think of a better way to make the hometown fans forget about the previous coach. Tomlin is doing just about everything right.
Tale of the Tape: AFC North beasts. Underlying theme: Running back supremacy.
Ben Roethlisberger continued to play error-free football, and took the short passes rather than sketchy deep balls. And yes, I just said deep balls.
For some reason, Cleveland, Buffalo and San Fran all protected against the long pass. They challenged Big Ben to beat them with check downs, and Ben gladly obliged. I’m getting very repetitive week in and week out, but I’m only calling it as I see it. Ben should keep looking short til the defenses make him throw it long.
Plus, aside from a few late scores (after the game was already won), the defense had scored as many touchdowns as they allowed all year. Bryant McFadden used a keen block by Ike Taylor to break open a routine interception return. The block allowed for a pick 6, with Bryant bowling over Alex Smith on the goal line. Props to Smith for never giving up on the play, though.
Let’s see what stood out in my mind.
Fast Bill. Bill wants to be known as an elite rusher in the league. He’s not shy about this point. Today was a great day to back up that statement. Going against one of the premier RBs in the league in Frank Gore, Willie pushed his SF counterpart to the side and destroyed his stats. He had 10 more carries and nearly 100 more rushing yards than Gore. The defense helped Willie out by keeping Gore in check, but Willie needed to prove his worth by one-upping a total beast. He did that in the personal Parker vs. Gore showdown. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets for Billy boy.
Heath. If he would’ve made that catch on the sideline, he would’ve blown my mind. I’m surprised he even got his hands on the ball, because the coverage was perfect. Unfortunately, he didn;t get both feet in bounds. However, with Spaeth out, Miller and Tuman needed to step up. I predicted big things from Tuman in my mind (you’ll have to trust me on that one, its true), and the TD was more than I could have asked for. Heath, meanwhile, was busy averaging 20.5 yards on his 4 catches. That’s 82 yards, for you anti-math nuts. I want Heath to catch 8-10 passes a game, and 4 is slowly creeping in that direction. No TDs, so Heath gets a helmet per catch. 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets.
O. For a while, Fast Bill (and Allen Rossum) was the entire O. However, Ben got into a rhythm, and Santonnio made a brief appearance. Roethlisberger had 2 guys average over 16 yards per catch with at least 3 grabs (Miller, Holmes), and put up 37 points despite the slow start. This gives the O 97 points through 3 games. Pittsburgh has given up 26 total points. The O is getting it done, and there should be no argument over the 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets that they get.
Rossum. Yes, the Steelers struggled after getting rid of Antwaan Randle El. I will be the first to admit that. Special teams has been abysmal since his departure, and the fans have been praying for a legit return man. Allen Rossum is a legit return man. His 98 yarder allowed him to average 60 yards on his 2 kick returns. I’d say that Randle El curse is over. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets for spotting the O a lead.
D. Those bastards gave up the most points so far this season. I can say this with a smile, because it was only 16 points. When you score 37, allowing a 16 spot is overlook-able. Only 2 sacks this game, but McFadden’s pick 6 sealed the win. Troy was flying everywhere, Deshea made some nice hits, Woodley got another sack and Lawrence Timmons tallied two tackles. As I said earlier, the D has only allowed 26 points through 3 games. That’s including the 16 they gave up on Sunday. I’ll give em 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets. Too many points allowed (sarcasm).
