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Trolls are people too. -
why didnt harrison take care of the knee after the denver playoff loss instead of waiting until the start of this season?steelers = 3 ring circus with tomlin being the head clownComment
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No Harrison? No Polamalu? No problems for Steelers
BY F. DALE LOLLEY
PITTSBURGH – Missing former NFL defensive players of the year Troy Polamalu and James Harrison for their game against the New York Jets, the Steelers felt their best defense was a good offense.
That proved to be the case as Pittsburgh played keep away throughout the second half of Sunday’s game at Heinz Field, grounding the Jets in a 27-10 victory.
Ben Roethlisberger completed 24 of 31 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns, and his counterpart, Mark Sanchez, was just 10 of 27 for 138 yards and a score. The Steelers won their 10th consecutive home opener, the longest current streak in the NFL.
“It was an appropriate response to last week’s performance,” said head coach Mike Tomlin, referring to the Steelers’ 31-19 loss at Denver to open the regular season.
“We talked openly about it this week. That’s what good football teams do in the National Football League. They might not always be perfect, but they respond.”
With the win, the Steelers (1-1), who outgained the Jets, 331-219, find themselves tied with Baltimore and Cincinnati atop the AFC North standings. Baltimore lost at Philadelphia, while Cincinnati slipped past Cleveland at home.
“You don’t want to have back-to-back losses in this league, especially with Baltimore losing,” said Steelers linebacker Larry Foote. “Things are banged up in our division. You always want to win at home, and we did that.” Not that the Jets (1-1) made it easy – at least early on.
Sanchez threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to former Steelers star Santonio Holmes on New York’s opening possession, then led the Jets on a 12-play field goal drive the second time they had the ball to put New York ahead, 10-6, midway through the second quarter.
But the Steelers, who had settled for a pair of 45-yard field goals by Shaun Suisham to that point, didn’t allow another score after that and controlled the game with their offense taking large chunks of time off the clock.
“We couldn’t get off the field on third down and we couldn’t stay on the field on third down,” said Jets head coach Rex Ryan. “(Roethlisberger) had a 125 (passer) rating and over 36 minutes with time of possession. ... I thought the game started off well; I knew it was going to be a tough game, but the thirdand- 16 killed us. That was a back-breaker.”
That play came early in the third quarter with the Steelers leading 13-10 after Roethlisberger threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Heath Miller at the end of the first half.
Facing third-and-16 from the New York 37, Roethlisberger avoided the Jets blitz, stepped up in the pocket and lofted a high-arcing pass toward Mike Wallace in the front corner of the end zone.
Wallace, who was shadowed by cornerback Antonio Cromartie throughout the game, made an adjustment and came back for the ball, which was slightly underthrown. He leaped in the air and kept both feet in bounds as Cromartie pushed him to the ground.
“I knew Mike was streaking down the field one-onone,” said Roethlisberger. “I knew they were running next to each other. I wanted to throw it up and let my guy make a play. You figure if it is intercepted, it is going to be a touchback, or Mike tackles them and it ends up as good as a punt.”
Instead, the Steelers took a 20-10 lead.
The Steelers then put the Jets away in the fourth quarter with a 14-play, 75-yard drive that took 10:13 off the clock and ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Issac Redman.
Pittsburgh’s rushing attack, which had been bottled up to that point, gained 36 yards on eight attempts as Redman and Jonathan Dwyer took turns battering New York’s defensive front.
“We thought going into the game that we could have some success on the edge, but that didn’t work out,” said Steelers offensive tackle Max Starks of the Steelers, who finished with 66 yards rushing. “But we adjusted at halftime and started running the ball right at them.”
That allowed a defense missing two of its biggest stars to stand and watch on the sideline.
“We’re at our best when we’re on our bench,” said Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel. “We’ll take that all day. They had some big drives in each quarter. I’m proud of those guys. They’re playing good, and I think we’re running the ball fairly effectively, and Ben made some magical things happen. He got out of some jams like only Ben does. He’s a great player, and it was a good team win.”
Odds and end zones
LaMarr Woodley and Cameron Heyward recorded sacks for the Steelers. ... Safety Ryan Clark, who sat out against Denver, led the Steelers with eight tackles. ... Holmes finished with three receptions for 28 yards, despite being thrown at 11 times. He did draw four penalties on Pittsburgh cornerbacks for defensive holding or pass interference. ... Roethlisberger joined Terry Bradshaw as the second Steelers player to surpass 27,000 yards passing on his TD pass to Wallace. Roethlisberger now has 27,099 career yards. ... Wallace finished with five receptions for 74 yards, while Antonio Brown had seven for 79.
[URL]http://www.observer-reporter.com/or/sports11/09-17-2012-Steelers-Jets[/URL]Comment
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I think I'd roll the dice this week against the Raiders and keep Harrison and Polamalu where they were against the Jets and that's on the bench. With the bye week following this game, Polamalu would in effect have a three week layoff to get better and another couple weeks for Harrison would be good as well. Palmer is playing poorly and I believe the offense can carry the show for another week.
Pappysigpic
The 2025 Pittsburgh Steeler draft
1.21 - Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon - Nick Emmanwori, S, S. Carolina
3.83 - Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa - DJ Giddens, RB, Kans St
3.123 - Will Howard, QB, OSU
4.156 - JJ Pegues, DT, Ole Miss
5.185 - Clay Webb, OG, Jack St
7.229 - Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, DT, Georgia
"Football is a physical game, well, it used to be anyways" - Mel BlountComment
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Harrison, Polamalu still questionable for Steelers
By WILL GRAVES (AP Sports Writer) | The Associated Press
[url]http://sports.yahoo.com/news/harrison-polamalu-still-questionable-steelers-182438694--nfl.html;_ylt=AnWe5ehz6gx.uthzEnAn9mFDubYF;_ylu=X3 oDMTRtNWpwMGVtBG1pdANMSVNUUyBNaXhlZCBsaXN0IE5GTCBo ZWFkbGluZXMEcGtnAzYxZWZhZTAzLTU2ZWUtMzlkMS05ZmZlLW NmYWI1YjE2NjFkOARwb3MDNgRzZWMDTWVkaWFCTGlzdE1peGVk TFBDQVRlbXAEdmVyAzM0MjUxMTEwLTAxZTEtMTFlMi1hZGZiLT FlNTg2MWRkOGZmYQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTFoZHY1MWJpBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRw c3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANuZmwEcHQDc2VjdGlvbnM-;_ylv=3[/url]
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Mike Tomlin still isn't sure when injured defensive stars James Harrison or Troy Polamalu are going to be healthy enough to play.
The Pittsburgh Steelers coach isn't against amending one of his longtime rules either, if it means one or both of his perennial All-Pros will be on the field in Oakland on Sunday.
Harrison, who is recovering from right knee surgery, and Polamalu, who is dealing with a strained right calf, will have informal workouts this week.
Tomlin hinted Tuesday that neither veteran would have to practice to face the Raiders (0-2). Traditionally Tomlin likes his players to get at least one day of training in during the week leading up to a game before letting them loose on Sunday.
He's willing to make an exception, however, for two cornerstones of Pittsburgh's 3-4 defense.
''I handle all of those situations really on a case-by-case basis,'' Tomlin said, ''with the understanding that the younger you are, the more inexperienced you are, the more practices are necessary before I consider utilizing you.''
Meaning the well-established Harrison or Polamalu might not have to see the practice field. Harrison hasn't played since a playoff loss in Denver nine months ago, while Polamalu's calf didn't respond quickly to treatment last week after sustaining the injury in a season-opening loss to the Broncos.
The duo was hardly needed in a 27-10 romp over the New York Jets on Sunday. The Steelers (1-1) shut down New York in the second half, holding the Jets to just 91 yards over the final two quarters to win going away.
Tomlin insisted, however, his team was far from perfect. Pittsburgh struggled to run the ball, finishing with just 66 yards on 28 carries. Through two weeks, the Steelers are ranked 30th in the league in rushing yards.
While he was pleased the Steelers were able to run effectively on a game-clinching fourth-quarter touchdown drive, Tomlin believes there's more work to be done.
''That's not what I'm looking for,'' he said. ''I'm actually looking for better than that.''
Help could come in Oakland. Running back Rashard Mendenhall is inching closer to returning after January surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. Mendenhall has practiced in each of the last two weeks and could see an even heavier workload in the next few days.
''Maybe we will bump him around a little more in practice this week,'' Tomlin said. ''He has done a nice job of running and cutting at full speed. Now, let's see if he can play a little football.''
The Steelers may need Mendenhall sooner rather than later now that backup Jonathan Dwyer is dealing with turf toe. Dwyer has been a pleasant surprise through two games, providing what little spark the running game has seen and proving to be nimble catching passes out of the backfield.
Molon labe
People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. George Orwell
?We're not going to apologize for winning.?
Mike Tomlin
American metal pimped by asiansteel
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you 1. Jesus Christ, 2.The American G.I., One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.Comment
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Steelers' Harrison and Polamalu will be evaluated daily
September 18, 2012 12:47 pm
[url]http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/steelers-harrison-and-polamalu-will-be-evaluated-daily-653871/[/url]
By Ed Bouchette / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Neither James Harrison nor Troy Polamalu practiced or played last week, and Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said today the team will take the same approach this week with their injuries.
Tomlin said Harrison, who has a knee injury, and Polamalu, out with a calf injury, will be evaluated day to day when practices resume on Wednesday.
He added others to the injury list this week, saying all could be limited in early practices: Heath Miller (ribs), Marcus Gilbert (groin) and Jonathan Dwyer (toe).
Read more: [url]http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/steelers-harrison-and-polamalu-will-be-evaluated-daily-653871/#ixzz26t4FW66H[/url]
Molon labe
People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. George Orwell
?We're not going to apologize for winning.?
Mike Tomlin
American metal pimped by asiansteel
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you 1. Jesus Christ, 2.The American G.I., One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.Comment
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The Steelers had a lot of potential starters out of practice Wednesday.
The full list: RB Jonathan Dwyer (toe), T Marcus Gilbert (groin), LB James Harrison (knee), TE Heath Miller (abdomen), S Troy Polamalu (calf), WR Emmanuel Sanders (knee), and WR Mike Wallace (groin).
We'd be surprised if Harrison or Polamalu play this week.
[URL]http://m.nfl.com/news/0ap1000000064109/week-3-injuries-you-need-to-know/[/URL]Comment
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Looks like the Bye Week is coming around just in time.Comment
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Steeler teams featuring stat-driven, me-first, fantasy-football-darling diva types such as Antonio Brown & Le'Veon Bell won no championships.
Super Bowl winning Steeler teams were built around a dynamic, in-your-face defense plus blue-collar, hard-hitting, no-nonsense football players on offense such as Hines Ward & Jerome Bettis.
We don't want Juju & Conner to replace what we lost in Brown & Bell.
We are counting on Juju & Conner to return us to the glory we once had with Hines & The Bus.Comment
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Steelers Plan To Hold Dinged Starters Out Until Week 5
September 20
by The Sports Xchange
The Steelers have a plan when to play all of their injured players and it involves their early bye in the fourth week of the season.
The plan is that none of their questionable players will play until they return for the fifth week, when they resume with a game against Philadelphia Oct. 7 at home. That is when James Harrison, Troy Polamalu, Rashard Mendenhall and one or two others who have been out are most likely to return.
Harrison and Polamalu missed another practice on Thursday and will not play in Oakland Sunday. Harrison has yet to play in a game, either regular season or preseason. This will be the second game that Polamalu misses. Harrison had his knee scoped Aug. 15 and it has not responded as they had hoped. Polamalu came out of the first game with a strained calf.
Mendenhall has gone through full practices the past three weeks as he comes back from a January 1 torn ACL. He has done well and he started to get some contact in practice Wednesday in pads.
Mendenhall promises that when he returns to play he will be the same runner he was before the injury.
"Just this whole process, rehabbing, going through it and taking it day by day," Mendenhall reasoned. "I'm preparing to get back to that level and nothing else. That's what my focus is."
The Steelers also could get their top backup inside linebacker, Stevenson Sylvester, back after the bye. He tore his MCL in practice before the second preseason game and has not played.
The Steelers lost rookie linebacker Sean Spence for the season to a torn ACL in the preseason. That's been an inordinate amount of injuries for the linebackers already in 2012.
"It's the game of football," Sylvester said. "The linebacker position is hard, it's hard to get away from the injuries. This year we got it a little bit but we're making a comeback."
[URL]http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/steelers_plan_to_hold_dinged_starters_out_until_we ek_5/11768758[/URL]Comment
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Well crap! I was hoping that he was planning to improve over what he was before !Originally posted by The Sports XchangeComment
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