Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Steelers Pro Bowl Selections & Snubs

Yesterday the Pro Bowl rosters were announced, and five Pittsburgh Steelers made the team. Now while some people put a lot of stock into making the Pro Bowl, I do not. It's more of a popularity contest than anything else in my opinion. Players and coaches aren't watching all the games, they see game film of who they play and maybe Monday Night and/or Sunday Night games. Fans vote specifically for players of their favorite teams, rather they deserve to go or not.

Steelers who made it:

Ben Roethlisberger, QB: 3856 yards, 91.5 QB Rating, 21 TD, 14 INT

I think he deserves a backup spot to Tom Brady, partly because the AFC quarterback play is down this year. Phillip Rivers is the third QB on the roster, but he had a very bad season. I think Andy Dalton deserved to get to the Pro Bowl over Rivers who made it on name alone. This is Ben's second Pro Bowl.

Mike Wallace, WR: 71 receptions, 1182 yards, 8 TD


This will be Mike Wallace's first ever Pro Bowl, and I think he deserves it. His production has dropped off some lately, but that's partly because he's seeing more double coverage so Roethlisberger is looking for his other receivers a little bit more.

Maurkice Pouncey, C: 13 games started


Pouncey went to the Pro Bowl last year as a rookie, but didn't play because the Steelers were playing in the Super Bowl the following week. Pouncey has missed some time this year due to an illness and then injury, but he has played very well this season. I do think he's the second best center in the NFL behind the New York Jets' Nick Mangold.

Antonio Brown, KR: 24 kick returns, 664 yards, 27.7 avg, 2 TD; 30 punt returns, 325 yards, 10.8 avg, 1 TD


Brown made the Pro Bowl as a kick returner, but I am sure he will see snaps at receiver also. He was electric on returns this season and set the Steelers record for all-purpose yards in a season with one game to add onto it. He is deserving of his Pro Bowl nod.

Troy Polamalu, SS: 89 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT, 11 PDef, 


Polamalu is considered one of the best two safeties in the NFL. This year he hasn't been the turnover machine that Steelers fans are used to, but he has been a disruptive force for this defense. He is the one player that the other team absolutely has to account for before every snap on this defense because they don't know what he is going to do. While some people feel he's going based off of his name and not his production this season, I think he is deserving.

And those who were snubbed:

Ike Taylor: 42 tackles, 2 INT, 13 PDef


Ike Taylor plays for a defense that is one of the best in the NFL...but they are known more for stopping the run than their pass defense (even though this year their pass defense has been better than their run defense). Ike Taylor is never going to have a big interception total, he has hands of bricks. But he does more-often-than-not shut down the opposing team's top receiver. He's a shutdown corner and one of the best in the entire AFC. He deserves a Pro Bowl spot.

Ryan Clark: 96 tackles, 1 INT, 5 PDef


Ryan Clark isn't going to get a ton of interceptions either, but he's a vicious hitter who can knock the ball out of a receivers hands and is a solid tackler in space. While his backfield partner, Troy Polamalu, is the bigger name...Clark is also deserving of being a Pro Bowler.

Two players I am not listing as snubs, though many people feel they were snubbed, are outside linebackers James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley. Both have missed a lot of games this season due to injury and/or suspension and I feel that keeps them out of the snub category.

Those are my thoughts on the Steelers' Pro Bowl selections. Like what I had to say? Don't agree? Feel free to leave comments and let me know! HERE WE GO STEELERS HERE WE GO!

Sunday, December 25, 2011

The Division is Still Attainable

A week ago, after getting beat badly by the San Francisco 49ers 20-3, many members of Steeler Nation were thinking that we are looking at likely the #5 seed in the AFC Playoffs. The night before, the Baltimore Ravens were blown out by the San Diego Chargers, and if the Steelers could just beat San Francisco; they would be in the driver's seat for not only the AFC North crown, but also the #1 seed in the AFC playoffs.

Big Ben Roethlisberger was hobbled, almost a one-legged quarterback. There wasn't enough zip on his throws and the ball sailed, causing him to throw three interceptions. He also fumbled the ball while being sacked, unable to be as mobile as normal due to a high ankle sprain.

On Christmas Eve, Ben rested. Charlie Batch started at Heinz Field against the St. Louis Rams. I was confident we could win this game with Big Ben, I was just hoping Batch could get through the game without breaking like a fine piece of china. I got my wish, and the Pittsburgh Steelers shut out the Rams 27-0.

The Baltimore Ravens also won their game against the Cleveland Browns. However the Ravens allowed the Browns to come back from a 20-0 hole in the second half and get the score to 20-14. On fourth-and-two, the Ravens lined up as if they were going to run a play in hopes of getting a Browns player to jump offside. The entire world knew that Baltimore was not going to run a play, but rookie first round draft pick Phil Taylor jumped offside anyhow, giving the Ravens a first down and allowing them to run out the clock since Cleveland was out of timeouts.

Both the Steelers and the Ravens hold an 11-4 record going into the final week of the regular season. Due to a season sweep of the Steelers, the Ravens hold the tie-breaker and technically have the division lead. The only way the Steelers can take the division would be for the Steelers to win and the Ravens to lose in the final week of the season.

The Steelers play the Browns. Even without Roethlisberger, the Steelers can beat the Browns next week. The Ravens play the Cincinnati Bengals, a team who is still fighting for a Wild Card berth in the AFC playoffs. The Bengals are playing very good football, and I think they have a great shot at beating the Ravens which would put the Steelers into the playoffs as the AFC North Champions and the #2 seed in the AFC.

Steeler Nation, it is still a possibility that the Steelers end up with a first round bye. While we do not control our own destiny, we have to rely on the Bengals of all teams to get us the AFC North crown. Otherwise, we've clinched the fifth seed and will likely not see a home playoff game in the playoffs.

Get those Terrible Towels waving, the Steelers could walk off of the field in Cleveland next Sunday AFC North Champions!