The Steelers' Super Bowl rings were given to the players yesterday. Pretty cool design. I was a bit surprised that the ring included all 5 trophies in the background, as Dan Rooney has been very stout in his opinion that he wanted to keep this win separate from the wins in the 70s. However, I found this quote from Jerome Bettis that I think sums things up nicely:
It was Bettis who convinced Dan Rooney to include the team's four previous Super Bowl victories as part of the franchise's fifth ring, and why it has five Lombardi Trophies in diamonds on the face.
"He didn't want the other championships to overshadow this one,'' Bettis said. "I wanted to let him know that it was important that the other ones be involved because we had to live under that shadow. Now instead of us being separated, we're part of that family.
"As a player walking by those four trophies every day, I wanted to include those into this. It's part of the history and we're part of it. We wanted to feel part of it."
Here are the pictures:
Wow. I'm really stunned. I'm still in a bit of a haze. I can't believe the Steelers finally won another Superbowl. We've been so close so many times under Cowher, and I'm just a little numb right now from exhaustion. Yes, exhaustion. I haven't been able to sleep all week and have been on pins and needle since the AFC Championship game.
As far as the game goes, I was just sad to see the refs have such an affect on the game. There were a lot of questionable calls on both sides of the ball. I can certainly understand how Seahawks fans might feel cheated, but trust me, I've seen too many of those calls against the Steelers this year. The Steelers have had that "Chopblock" penaltly called twice on us this year after we throw an INT. It's a lame rule that needs to be reviewed.
Anyway, I'm so ecstatic about the win. Thanks to all the well wishers who called the house after the game. I appreciated it!
The Steelers are going to Superbowl! I'm so damn excited, I can't calm down. It's been 10 years since the Black-n-Gold last represented the AFC in the Superbowl. They need to come out and execute like they've done the past 3 weeks. Fortunately, Detriot is a short hop from Pittsburgh and they have 2 weeks to prepare.
Well, I've finally calmed down enough to post about the Steelers game yesterday. Jenn & I were on the edge of our seats. I think it's a real a shame that the game was even close at the end, because the Steelers completely dominated the Colts and the officiating was horrendous. I won't harp on that though. I will say, it's games like that when I understand why there are people who are convinced the games are fixed. I don't believe that, but that game was very poorly officiated.
Jenn & I were really on the edge of our seats for the finally 2 minutes of the game. We went from total exhuberation when the Steelers sacked Manning on 4th and 16 on the 2 yard line, to the complete and udder disbelief when Bettis fumbled the ball. Cowher absolutely made the right call, it was just a fluke result. The Colts still had 3 timeouts left at that point. The correct call was trying to put the game out of reach by putting up a 10 point diferential. Anyway, it took Jenn & I both a good 3 hours to really calm down. Jenn was still telling me later that night that she was still feeling the results of the game. This was the first time she's ever felt this kind of emotion over watching a sporting event. I'm so lucky she's enjoying watching Steeler football with me (although she'd probably argue how "enjoyable" it was once Bettis fumbled.) However, the emotional swing you feel as you go from knowing you've won the game, to thinking you've lost it, to watching Vanderjagt miss a FG he makes 99 out of 100 times to give you the win is something you just don't experience in any other spectator event. I love football.
I can't say enough about how well Cowher had that team prepared to play that game. He came out throwing the ball when the Colts were expecting us to run and the Defense had the Colts completely on their heels. Lebeau had a beautiful game called. For those that don't watch the Steelers on a weekly basis, you wouldn't have noticed this, but the Steelers tend to use a lot of motion with their Defensive Backs to try and confuse the QB. Generally speaking though, Manning is good at adjusting to that. Lebeau used very little movement before the snap—which I think Manning was relying on to try and figure out the blitz schemes. If you notice, it wasn't until very late in the game that you saw Manning started to call more audibles on the line. Heck, I even heard Archie, Peyton's father, on NFL Radio this morning and he admitted that Peyton had to resort to "drawing plays in the dirt--playground style" in order to counter the things Pittsburgh was doing do them.
Go buy your copy of NFL Films - Pittsburgh Steelers - The Complete History right now!
Description
This two-disc set celebrates the rich history of the Pittsburgh Steelers, from the inception through their incredible run in 2004. Bonus program is the NFL Films production of Super Bowl XIII, the 35-31 thriller in which the Steelers topped the Cowboys. Includes tons of bonus features on the greatest Steeler moments, games and players.
I arrived at St. Vincents right around 3pm, so I missed the guys coming out on the field. I sat on the hill side of things on the 50 yard line. I didn't get a very good view of the Defense going through warmups, but I was mainly interested in the Offense—specifically Roethlisberger.
I also took some pictures and videos, which I'll post links to below.
NOTES:
NEW YORK (AP) — All of the NFL's 65 exhibition games this season will be available on television for the first time.
The league's four network partners - ABC, CBS, ESPN and Fox - will show 11 games, and NFL Network will broadcast the other 54. Some NFL Network games will be shown on tape delay during the four weeks of exhibition play.
NFL Network, which is carried on various services, is shown seven days a week, around the clock.
- AP Wire
The Ben Roethlisberger, the first round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, has created a blog over TypePad.com.
It'll be interesting to see how often he updates his blog. It would be great if he updated at least once or twice until the season starts (or at least until he takes over starting duties.) Of course, I don't always blog that often, so I don't expect him to either. :)
Ricky Williams, RB for the Miami Dolphins, typically stays pretty active on his online journal. I believe he even creates and maintains the site himself (if not, Ricky let me know—I'll help you clean things up a bit—or if you just want help, let me know.) It's pretty interesting when a player wants to stay in touch w/the fans and blogs/online journals are a pretty easy way to do it.
I found a link to Ben Roethlisberger's press conference after being draft by the Steelers at the 11th spot of the draft:
Check out the Steelers' 2004 Draft Day page for more audio clips and transcripts of conference calls with the newest members of the team.
Well, it's the day after the NFL draft and I've been contemplated the Steelers picks. Overall, I really liked the picks on day one. I think giving up our 4th round pick was still unneccesary, but you never know if another team would have grabbed Colclough is he was there. I just hope he works out to be a stud, like Darrell Green thinks he can be. The lack of a 4th could end up hurting us, because there were still a lot of value left on the board at that time—players like Cotchery, Allen, Dorsey and possibly could have given up one of our 6th round picks to move up a couple of spots to take Isaac Sopoaga—who I've been really impressed with every since his NFL combine results.
Anyway, the second day of the draft is always the hardest to grade because there's more risk involved and a lot more guess work. We haven't drafted well in the later rounds since Colbert's been Director of Personel, so I'm hoping this year turns out a little different. Here's what the NFL site has to say about our draft picks:
Nathaniel Adibi, OLB, Virginia Tech [5th Round]
An outstanding defensive end who has experience at both defensive end positions... Won the President's Award for outstanding leadership at the conclusion of 2002 spring practice and shared the award with center Jake Grove in 2003... A hard worker in the weight room and on the practice field who has shown steady progress during his time at Tech... He combines size with excellent strength and speed and is both intelligent and physical... In 48 games, he started 44 contests, recording 186 tackles (107 solos) with 20½ sacks for minus-143 yards, 33 stops for losses of 171 yards, 55 quarterback pressures, a pair of fumble recoveries, four forced fumbles, 10 pass deflections and two blocked kicks.Bo Lacy, LT/G, Arkansas [6th Round]
Two-year starter at the demanding left offensive tackle position, playing a key role in the success of the Razorbacks running game the last two seasons... Has a tireless work ethic and shows the ability to be very capable of filling in at several offensive line slots... His lateral agility and foot speed could see him shift to guard at the pro level.Matt Kranchick, TE, Penn State [6th Round]
Late bloomer who saw limited action during his first four seasons before emerging as a clutch short-area target for the passing game as a senior... Product of Penn State's weight room, adding over 45 pounds of muscle to his frame since arriving on campus as a wide receiver during his freshman campaign... Also excelled in the class room, attaining a 3.2 grade point average, as he graduated after only 3½ years at Penn State (December, 2002)... In 23 games, he caught 24 passes for 352 yards (14.7 avg.) and a touchdown.Drew Caylor, LS/C/G/DL, Stanford [6th Round]
Intriguing prospect who has yet to tap his impressive athletic potential... Spent three seasons as a defensive lineman before moving to the opposite side of the ball as a senior... Split time between center and offensive tackle the first four games of the 2003 campaign before taking over starting chores in the middle of the line for the team's final seven contests... Also performed well as the team's deep snapper for his final three seasons... Possesses great speed for a down lineman.Eric Taylor, DE/NT, Memphis [6th Round]
Rising star who came into his own as a senior... Collegiate defensive end, whose size, power and run-stuffing skills could see him shift to defensive tackle at the pro level... Saw limited action as a freshman before becoming an important part of the defensive line rotation in 2001... Received the team's Glenn Jones "12th Man" Award as a junior and garnered All-Conference USA honors as a senior... Started 24 of 39 games for the Tigers, recording 150 tackles (89 solos) with six sacks for minus-45 yards, 21 stops for losses of 85 yards, five quarterback pressures, two fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles, a 52-yard interception return for a touchdown and 12 pass deflections.- NFL.com
Well, the Steelers have used their first three picks of the draft fairly wisely, and unless something unexpected happens, are done drafting until tomorrow. Overall, I give the draft an A-, the only knock being that I think they could have kept the 4th round draft pick they used to trade up in the 2nd. My gut feeling is that Colclough (pronounced COKE-lee) would have been there #44—I don't think they needed to jump up to the #38 spot to get him. Overall I'd give this draft a grade of A- so far—the minus coming from the giving away one of our 4th round picks. Anyway, here's the first day picks:
Ben Roethlisberger, QB, Miami University (Ohio) [1st Round]
Three-year starter who is regarded among the elite of college football... Blessed with the size of a linebacker and the mobility of a tailback, this excellent field leader has drawn comparisons to former Buffalo Bills great Jim Kelly for his ability to remain cool under pressure and strike from anywhere on the field... In 38 games, he rewrote virtually every school game, season and career passing records... Completed 854 of 1,304 passes (65.5 percent) for 10,829 yards, 84 touchdowns and 34 interceptions, topping the previous all-time records of 903 pass attempts, 6,524 yards and 49 scores by Mike Bath (1997-2000), 484 pass completions by Sam Ricketts (1994-97), 27 interceptions by Larry Fortner (1975-78) and 61.6 pass-completion percentage by Terry Morris (1985-86)... Added 246 yards and seven scores on 269 carries (0.9 avg.)... Set another RedHawks career record with 11,075 yards in total offense, surpassing the old mark of 7,010 yards by Bath... Became only the third player in Mid-American Conference history to throw for over 3,000 yards in three seasons and was the 10th passer in conference annals to throw for over 10,000 yards in a career... Became only the eighth player in school history to earn All-America honors... Can also handle punting chores, kicking 24 times for 963 yards (40.1 avg.), with 17 attempts downed inside the 20-yard line.Ricardo Colclough, CB, Tusculum [2nd Round]
Small college standout with outstanding natural talent... Dominating shutdown pass defender who did not allow a reception in 11 of the 20 games he played in for the Pioneers... Heavily recruited coming out of high school, Colclough enrolled at Kilgore (Texas) Junior College to improve his academic standing... In just two seasons at Tusculum, he set school career records with 15 interceptions (138 yards in returns) and 38 passes defended (13 thefts, 25 breakups), topping the previous marks of 11 pass thefts by Jermaine Mack (1994-97) and 35 passes defended by Greg Rush (1999-2002)... Recorded 106 tackles (60 solos) with seven stops behind the line of scrimmage... Added 345 yards and two touchdowns on 24 punt returns (14.4 avg.) and 659 yards with a pair of scores on 23 kickoff returns (28.7 avg.)... His punt return average of 14.4 yards set a school all-time record, topping the previous mark of 12.1 yards by Donald Amaker (2000-03)... His kickoff return average of 28.7 yards surpassed the old school career record of 27.4 yards by Larry Crosby (1991-93).Max Starks, OT, Florida [3rd Round]
Highly regarded prospect coming out of high school who provided stellar play for the Gators at a variety of positions during his three years as a starter... Competed as a left offensive tackle and right guard as a senior after playing left tackle as a junior and right tackle during his sophomore campaign... Was elected a University of Florida Student Senator during his freshman year... Comes from a family rich in football tradition, as six relatives played in the National Football League, including his father, Ross Browner, who was a two-time (1976, 1977) All-American defensive lineman at Notre Dame and was the recipient of the 1976 Outland Trophy and the 1977 Lombardi Trophy. Browner also placed fifth in the 1977 Heisman Trophy balloting and was a first-round selection in the 1978 NFL Draft by Cincinnati... Heavily involved in the community, including serving as a tutor and working with Kids Against Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco... Stared 36 of 43 games during his career, participating in 2,698 plays.- NFL.com
You can find more information about the Steelers draft picks, including audio interview with the players themselves and with the Steelers personnel, at the Official Pittsburgh Steelers 2004 Draft page.
I really hope this news in inaccurate. Tillman really impressed me w/his on the field ability and his patriotism. I remember reading an article about him several years ago that talked about all these other highly paid players showing up to practice in their luxury vehichles, while Tillman would ride his bike to practice everyday. He also had a strong desire to serve his country—strong enough to turn down millions of dollars to defend his country. It's a very sad day if this story is true. God bless the Tillman family and all his friends.
Former NFL defensive back Pat Tillman was killed in action while serving as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan, ABCNEWS reported Friday.
He was 27.
Tillman was killed in direct action during a firefight in Afghanistan, Pentagon sources told ABCNEWS. No other details were yet available.
Tillman played four seasons for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals as a safety after starring at Arizona State University.
In May of 2002, Tillman announced his intentions to join the Army, turning down a $3.6 million contract offer in the process. Tillman and his brother Kevin decided to enroll in the U.S. Army Rangers after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
.....
In 2001, Pat Tillman turned down a $9 million, five-year offer from the St. Louis Rams to remain with the Cardinals for less money.
NOTE:Also, it's important to note that the Rams would have been considered SuperBowl contenders, where the Cardinals were not highly tauted.
He had also asked the media not cover his time in the military—he did not want serving for his country to become a media story. He tried to keep a low profile. I have a lot of respect for the man.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have announced their 2004 schedule
PRESEASON Date Opponent Time/Network ----------------- ------------------------ ---------------- Saturday, Aug. 14 at Detroit Lions 7:30 p.m. - KDKA Saturday, Aug. 21 HOUSTON TEXANS 7:30 p.m. - KDKA Thursday, Aug. 26 at Philadelphia Eagles 8:00 p.m. - ESPN Thursday, Sept. 2 CAROLINA PANTHERS 7:00 p.m. - KDKA REGULAR SEASON Date Opponent Time/Network ----------------- ------------------------ ---------------- Sunday, Sept. 12 OAKLAND RAIDERS 1:00 p.m. - CBS Sunday, Sept. 19 at Baltimore Raven 1:00 p.m. - CBS Sunday, Sept. 26 at Miami Dolphins 1:00 p.m. - CBS Sunday, Oct. 3 CINCINNATI BENGALS 1:00 p.m. - CBS Sunday, Oct. 10 CLEVELAND BROWNS 1:00 p.m. - CBS Sunday, Oct. 17 at Dallas Cowboys 4:15 p.m. - CBS Sunday, Oct. 24 BYE WEEK Sunday, Oct. 31 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 4:15 p.m. - CBS Sunday, Nov. 7 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 1:00 p.m. - FOX Sunday, Nov. 14 at Cleveland Browns 1:00 p.m. - CBS Sunday, Nov. 21 at Cincinnati Bengals 1:00 p.m. - CBS Sunday, Nov. 28 WASHINGTON REDSKINS 1:00 p.m. - FOX Sunday, Dec. 5 at Jacksonville Jaguars 8:30 p.m. - ESPN Sunday, Dec. 12 NEW YORK JETS 4:05 p.m. - CBS Saturday, Dec. 18 at New York Giants 1:30 p.m. - CBS Sunday, Dec. 26 BALTIMORE RAVENS 1:00 p.m. - CBS Sunday, Jan. 2 at Buffalo Bills 1:00 p.m. - CBS * All times are Eastern Time
For those of you looking for a good Steelers-related RSS news feed, I played around until I finally figured out the URL to get Steelers only related news from moreover.com.
Pittsburgh Steelers RSS Feed:
http://p.moreover.com/cgi-local/page?feed=206&o=rss&n=50
They seem to have the PG, Tribune, ESPN and a lot of others as sources, so I'm hoping this will be close to a one stop shop to find Steelers news. If want the news in another format, play around with the "o" variable (values such as "html", "xml", etc.) Also, if you want to change the number of articles displayed, just change the "n" variable to something else.