It’s officially the halfway point in the Pittsburgh Steelers season. Sitting at 2-6, it hasn’t gone the way most people thought or wanted it to go. At the eight-game mark, you know who you are, and so do the fans. Some of the staff members at Pittsburgh Sporting News — Michael Waterloo, Brian Gossett, Jon Pennline, Matt Shetler, Matt Welch, Andrew Barlow, Dom Errico and Drew Brown — give their Most Valuable Player, Least Valuable Players, Surprising Players, Disappointing Player, Play of the Year and Worst Play of the Year.
Steelers MVP:
Michael Waterloo – Antonio Brown
Brian Gossett – Ben Roethlisberger
Jon Pennline – Ben Roethlisberger – His numbers don’t look THAT bad, all things considered. Plus, if Ben wasnt on this team, they would easily be 0-6.
Matt Shetler – Antonio Brown
Matt Welch – Le’Veon Bell
Andrew Barlow – Against top corners and with a QB struggling to find open receivers, Brown is on pace for 120 catches and 1,400 yards, as well as special teams production.
Dom Errico – Shaun Suisham
Drew Brown – Antonio Brown
Least Valuable Player:
Mike W – Mike Adams – I don’t see how it can be anyone but Adams. The second-year player, who had first round talent, was supposed to step in for the Steelers in a big way this year. He can’t find his way on the field, even with all the injuries.
BG –
JP – William Gay
MS – Mike Adams
Matt W – Levi Brown
AB – Isaac Redman
DE – Ryan Clark – Both safteies have played poorly this year, but Clark just seems out of place all the time.
DB – Levi Brown
Biggest surprise:
Mike W – Cameron Heyward
BG – Troy Polamalu – With him being injured over the past couple of years, I forgot how exciting he is. It’s great seeing him fly around the defense again.
JP – Le’Veon Bell
MS – Cam Heyward – Heyward has been coming on strong. He has replaced the disappointing Ziggy Hood as the starter and while the rest of the defense has struggled, the former first-round pick has found a way to open some eyes.
Matt W – Antonio Brown
AB – Jerricho Cotchery
DE – Jerricho Cotchery
DB – Jerricho Cotchery
Disappointing player:
Mike W – Ryan Clark
BG – Jarvis Jones/Emmanuel Sanders
JP – Jarvis Jones – he rookie has been awful this season. It’s one thing to struggle in Lebeau’s defense, but he cant rush the passer. If Jones lined up across from the Steelers’ left tackle every game, Ben’s jersey would be a lot cleaner.
MS – Troy Polamalu
Matt W – Isaac Redman
AB – Ryan Clark
DE – Troy Polamalu
DB – Ryan Clark – Fan-favorite Clark has been beat in big situations this season, which has really effected the team.
Play of the Year:
Mike W – Antonio Brown’s catch against the Bears – Still the catch of the year in the NFL.
BG – n/a
JP – Opening kick off resulting in a safety – It was all downhill from there.
MS – Antonio Brown’s one handed touchdown catch vs. Bears – In a season filled with big plays for Brown, none have been better than his incredible 21-yard touchdown grab against the Bears.
Matt W – Suisham’s game-winning field goal
AB – Tennessee’s kickoff safety – It was bizarre, it was funny (to Pittsburgh, that is) and it ended up being for nothing as the Steelers squandered the early lead and allowed the Titans to get past the error.
DE – Antonio Brown’s one-handed touchdown catch against Chicago – One of the best catches you’ll ever see in the NFL.
DB – Antonio Brown’s one-handed catch – Brown’s one-handed snag against the Bears is one of the best catches we will see all season long in the NFL.
Worst Play of the Year:
Mike W – Terrelle Pryor’s 93-yard touchdown run – The story of the Steelers season.
BG – Starting Redman first game of the year – I’m going with worst decision instead. It should have been Dwyer that started the game, rather than being cut and re-signed three weeks later.
JP – 81 yard touchdown to Aaron Dobson – The Steelers had just scored a touchdown to cut the deficit to ten with under seven minutes remaining. But the defense fell asleep and Brady found Dobson for the game-sealing touchdown.
MS – David DeCastro taking out Maurkice Pouncey – In a season filled with disastrous plays, no may have been worse than Pouncey going down just eight plays into the season.
Matt W – Terrelle Pryor’s touchdown run
AB – Terrelle Pryor’s 93-yard TD – A two-game winning streak was all but erased on one play when Pryor waltzed up the middle of Dick LeBeau’s defense for a record-breaking and confidence-shattering score on the first play of the game.
DE – 93-yard TD run by Terrelle Pryor given up by the defense – How do you let a mobile quarterback run that free on the first play from scrimmage? Several players missed tackles and/or were horribly out of position on the play.
DB – Terrelle Pryor’s touchdown run – Letting up a 93-yard touchdown run to a quarterback on the first play of the game is pretty terrible on all levels.
