The Pittsburgh Steelers escaped Heinz Field on Sunday with a 30-27 victory over the Cleveland Browns. For as good as the Steelers looked in the first half of the game, they looked equally as bad at times in the second half. However a win is a win and Mike Tomlin’s team started the 2014 season in much better fashion than it did a season ago. With that being said, I am back for the third year in a row to give you my report card following every game. Let’s get right into how the ... Read More
A Tale of Two Halves
Halftime came and it was all smiles in Pittsburgh. Up 27-3 after an almost-perfect first half, those smiles would be quickly wiped away by the end of the third quarter. Yet, the Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) held on to defeat the Cleveland Browns (0-1) in a game that featured two completely dominant performances from each side, one in each half. Fortunately for the home team, the scoreboard read 30-27 in their favor as the last seconds expired. Shaun Suisham kicked a game-winning 41 yard field ... Read More
Gameday: Browns @ Steelers, Week One
Cleveland Browns (0-0, 0-0 AFC North) @ Pittsburgh Steelers (0-0, 0-0 AFC North) When/Where: 1:00 pm EST, Heinz Field - Pittsburgh, PA Weather: 85 degrees, Sunny TV: CBS (Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts) Pittsburgh has a 65-57 edge over the Browns in the regular season throughout the course of NFL history, but are 25-5 against them since 1999, the year the franchise was reborn after having been moved to Baltimore. Since then, the Steelers have opened the season against Cleveland two times, ... Read More
Steelers kick-off podcast
Finally, football is back! Join our Matt Shetler and Michael Waterloo, as well as guest John Buffone from GameTimePA as they breakdown the Steelers vs. Browns, talk NFL, fantasy football, Pitt's win and the Pirates two wins on Saturday. ... Read More
Breaking down the Steelers, Browns matchups
Ben Roethlisberger vs. Browns Defense The Steelers aren’t the only team gambling on defensive schemes that employ a heavy dose of six-plus defensive backs. New Browns Head Coach, Mike Pettine, drafted corner Justin Gilbert in the first round to play alongside Joe Haden and Buster Skrine. With DT Phil Taylor and NT Ahtyba Rubin stuffing the middle, the Browns hope their linebacker group can stop the run enough to make the scheme work. Newly signed MLB Karlos Dansby provides a veteran presence ... Read More
Allen Rewarded With 4-Year Extension
Less than 24 hours before they will open the 2014 season at home against Cleveland, the Steelers have announced a four-year contract extension for defensive back Cortez Allen. The deal was first reported by Adam Schefter and, according to Ian Rapaport, is worth around $26 million. He is now under team control for the next five years, through the 2018 season. Allen was drafted by the team in the fourth round in the 2011 NFL Draft, making this his fourth season in black and gold. He will turn ... Read More
Week One Preview: Browns @ Steelers
Week One of any NFL season will always be chock full of storylines and, in most cases, optimism for competing for a championship. Never without high expectations, the Pittsburgh Steelers (8-8 in 2013) aim to end a two-year playoff drought and break a streak of two consecutive 8-8 seasons. Opposing them at Heinz Field Sunday will be the Cleveland Browns, who are just looking for some respect and an upset to perhaps spark a season of improvement and optimism. The Browns have a new head coach ... Read More
Lack of elite QB’s improves Steelers chances of a playoff season
There's been a lot of speculation about what will happen with the 2014 Pittsburgh Steelers. Coming off back to back 8-8 seasons and a number of changes to the roster over that span, there seems to be uncertainty as to how this season will pan out. It seems that many people believe the Steelers will end up with a record somewhere between 8-10 wins. Eight wins will likely lead to serious talk of changes within the organization, ten wins would almost certainly get the Steelers back into the ... Read More
Steelers defensive line key to improved rush defense
If the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to have success this season as a defensive unit, they are going to need significant improvement stopping the run. After being perennially in the top three in the league in terms of run defense for years, last year's unit plummeted to 21st, and gave up a whopping 115.6 yards a game. It was the first time since the 2003 season that the Steelers had given up more than 100 yards on the ground per game in a season. To put into proper perspective, since 2004, ... Read More
2014 Steelers season preview
Andrew Barlow - Offensive preview Unbalanced, inconsistent, the epitome of average...all words accurately descriptive of Todd Haley's offense in an 8-8 2013 season last year for the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a unit that averaged about 23.7 points per game, good for 17th of 32 in the NFL and seventh of 16 in the AFC. Ranked 12th overall in passing yards per game, it was definitely Ben Roethlisberger's offense as the running game struggled, ranking just 28th with only 86.4 yards per ... Read More