FAN: Steelers Should Fear Cardinals

The Cardinals. The Cardinals? The Cardinals? All we have to do is beat the Cardinals? And we'll have six Lombardi Trophies? The Cardinals? I keep thinking that. I thought the same thing all week as the Eagles were preparing to play them and schools and companies had "wear your green" days. Heck, it's just the....Cardinals? Wrong. These aren't your father's Cardinals. They might not even be your grandfather's Cardinals. These Cardinals are good, and they're pissed off. I've been watching much more TV this week concerning football. The Cardinals aren't happy with just winning the NFC. On Showtime's Inside The NFL Ken Whisenhunt took a clear jab at Cris Collinsworth for a comment he made a few weeks ago saying the Cardinals may be the worst team to ever make the playoffs. He's using that negative energy to fuel his team, and it's working. They're going to pull out all the stops in The Super Bowl. That's when a team is most dangerous. They've been playing with house money for weeks and now they have a pile of chips sitting in front of them and Whiz is seriously considering going "All In". And when you think about it, why not? The Steelers might have better hole cards, but the Cardinals have at least a pair of 7's. If I was Whiz, I would not just let this game play out and try to stay close until the end. I would come out like I was driving a Porsche with a 100lb anvil pinning the gas pedal to the floor. If they can get up early and take the 85% Steeler crowd out of the game and put the Steelers on their heels, it could go towards winning the game. This is not going to be an easy game. The only way it gets ugly is if we get to Warner early and often. Remember Warner in that Giants start when he fumbled 3 times in the first half or something because his head kept hitting the turf? That's what I want to see. I also saw an interesting piece on one of the shows about Ken Whisenhunt being Ben's OC. It was discussed how Whiz knows all of the things Ben doesn't like to do in games. Hopefully he's grown out of those things, but it was just 2 years ago. He will definitely be able to help the defense game plan for Ben. This has nothing to do with my prediction or how we will attack them - that will come later next week. I'm just saying, I hear a lot of people saying Arizona doesn't have a chance. As a huge fan, I want to believe that. As a somewhat knowledgeable football fan, I don't. If Warner has time to throw and gets comfortable, it could be a long day.
On a completely different note - you should catch NFL Network's Live Wire show this week. It's clips from NFL Films with some commentary mixed in. They showcased Ward getting injured and then cheering from the sidelines. It's amazing what you don't get to see during a game. When Limas Sweed dropped the TD pass and finally got up, Ward threw off his cape and started walking towards him screaming "Sweeeeeeeeeeed..........Sweeeeeeeeeeed........." as he motioned for him to come over. I was thinking, Wow, he's going to lay into him..... I couldn't have been more wrong. Ward slapped him on the side of his helmet and said something like "now you have to forget that drop and go play some ball." What leadership. What maturity. I was really impressed. Then they showed Sweed getting the crushing block with Hines yelling approval and also making a clutch 3rd down catch. You wonder if Hines didn't say anything to him if he would've folded like a AAA map. Damn, I love me some Steelers Football.

I'll Still Take 3-1

Well, the ride had to end at some point I guess. I just wish it wouldn't have ended at the hands of Ken Whisenhunt for the reasons mentioned in a previous article. What an outstanding game to watch if you like defensive football. There were bone crushing hits all over the place. I was really surprised Santonio Holmes hopped right up when he got smacked. It was also good to see him get off the TD goose egg. Some other thoughts from the game:

Tomlin is a calm customer, for sure.

I think Marvel Smith could have been called for False Starts about 42 times. Watch him next week.

Dan Deirdorf is turning into a St. Bernard right before our eyes.

The Cardinals were exceptional at picking up blitzes. Ken knew where they were coming from.

I've haven't seen a front seven handle the Steelers like that in a long time.

Dan stole my thunder, but Ben is crazy out of his skull at avoiding the rush. How he keeps his eyes downfield to find receivers is beyond me.

Was Bruce Arians calling plays or going camping? How much shit did he have attached to him?

Our OL does not have to hang their heads too often, but they have a lot to think about on the flight back.

If Nate is a little faster and/or Ben gets 2 balls closer to him, it's a different game. The failure to score after the deep in the territory turnover is what lost the game essentially.

I would have challenged that call as well. It was slapped out before it was totally set or damn close to it.

McFadden was getting beat on the quick hitch. He never got his guy clean after one of those. DeShea does it routinely.

Going for it on 4th down on your own 30.....now THAT'S aggressive.

Tomlin Needs This One

Everyone surrounding the Steelers matchup this week with Arizona will try to play it off as just another game. In the words of Colonel Potter, "Mule Fritters!". Mike needs this game badly. He needs this game like Rosie O'Donnel needs cupcakes. The Steelers are far superior in talent to the Cardinals, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Should the Steelers lose this week, everyone who questioned Tomlin getting hired instead of Ken Whisenhunt or Russ Grimm will come out of the woodwork to voice their opinion. I don't want to hear it. I originally wanted Grimm for the job when I thought they would only go in-house to fill the position. However, once Mike was hired, I read everything I could about him and I liked what I read....a lot. He is to the point in everything he does. Nothing wasted. Nothing left unturned. The man means business and he captured the players attention on day 1. He challenged Hines Ward to be better than ever and sent him a letter as to what he expected. He's young and he's a football geek, all x's and o's, all the time. So far we've only been involved in blowouts with him so we don't know what he'll do under pressure. We don't know if he'll be aggressive or kick the field goal. We don't know if he'll flip out on the sidelines when we are the ones getting owned. All that being said, I like what I see so far. Focus on the now. Don't look past anyone. Today is the most important day of the season....and tomorrow will be as well. I really want to get behind this coach and give him my support. Will I care if they lose on Sunday? Nah. 3-1 is a good way to start the season. I just don't want to hear the Boo Birds crying that the wrong guy was hired. If you're going to wait until week 4 to say that - why weren't you saying it after the 3 wins as well? The good thing about this being played in Arizona is that their fans suck and I'm betting 20,000 Steeler fans will be in attendance behind Mike. Sure I'd like to be 4-0, but the win over "those two" will mean so much more.

Steelers Trading Up Again?

More than a few rumor websites have the Arizona Cardinals and former Steeler's coaches Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm trying to trade for Max Starks. The Steelers would send Starks and their 15th pick in the first round to the Cardinals for their 5th pick in the first round. Likely? I don't think so. Is Starks that coveted? Grimmy must think so. Now, is it worth it for us to move up 10 spots? Again, I don't think so. Unless our braintrust has their hearts set on somebody way up there, I don't see the team wanting to take on the extra salary and bonus of a top 5 pick. With Marvel Smith aging, can we afford to give up our other tackle? Stay tuned.

Whipple Gets The Squeeze

Coach Tomlin decided to promote Bruce Arians to Offensive Coordinator and also hire Kenny Anderson as Ben's new QB coach. Mark Whipple is out of the mix. Not sure if that would have happened if he didn't regress a little bit this year. I will say this - the man had more tipped interceptions or interceptions off Steeler's chests than I've ever seen. I'd like to find a hard number on his picks without tips or drops. Kenny Anderson? Isn't the man a Bengal icon? More records than Boomer Esiason? In the Burgh? Curious. Hmmm. I'll have to think on that one. Anyway - I've been reading Bruce Arians clippings since the coaching hunt started and the man does not lack confidence. He's been saying all along he hopes he gets promoted to this job and if not here then somewhere else. He's used to calling plays. He called them at Temple where....wait a minute....Temple has a football team? Oh, nevermind. I'm sure he'll be fine. He even took a little jab at Ken Whisenhunt the other day by saying he suggested so many plays during his tenure here that Whiz was probably tired of him. I think it was a minor dig at Ken by publically saying he "called" his fair share of plays over the years. Whatever. As long as we continue to have our identity on offense, we'll be Ok.

Thoughts On Mike Tomlin Hiring

After soaking all of the drama in for a few days, I think I finally understand the decision of Mike Tomlin as head coach. First of all, he fits more of the "Rooney Rules" than Russ Grimm does. Tomlin is the age that they like. Tomlin is a defensive guy. Tomlin was a defensive coordinator. Tomlin is from outside the organization. The only thing Russ Grimm had going for him that the Rooney's like is that he's a local boy. Tomlin is from Virginia. Now, putting all those rules aside - I think they were just more impressed with Tomlin. I really feel that since the Steelers finished a disappointing 8-8 last season - they felt the need to shake things up. Maybe productivity was going down due to comfort level. I've seen that happen before in jobs. Someone leaves a management position and now "one of the guys" takes over and they don't command the same respect. Bringing in an unknown will put everyone on edge and they will all be busting their asses when camp rolls around to impress the new coach. I think they Rooneys discussed money with Russ at the 2nd interview and he read too much into it. The Trib source claims Grimm was told he could tell those close to him that we was going to get the job. Grimm now says that didn't happen. I have a hard believing the Rooneys offered him the job and then rescinded. It doesn't sound like them....or should I say it doesn't sound like Dan. We're all still feeling out how Art II works. I also found it a little odd that when Grimm left the building after packing his boxes for Arizona and The Whiz that he said "I'm A Pittsburgh guy, I'll be back." Does his new employer halfway across the country really want to hear that he's planning on returning already? And in what capacity did he mean that? Maybe he'd be a good fit for Pitt. And just what's wrong with Grimm anyway that he can't land one of these jobs? The Bears passed. The Cardinals passed. Maybe the Rooneys were thinking "What are our fans going to think if we hire the loser of the Cardinal's coaching job? What if Arizona goes 10-6 and we go 8-8 again. People will kill us for not hiring Ken Whisenhunt." All plausible scenarios I guess. Anyway, I watched the press conference and I was excited when it was over. This team needs a kick in the butt and it will be fun to watch Dick Lebeau preach the 3-4 to a 4-3 cover 2 disciple. We'll see which one wins out. If we draft a lot of DLs this year, get ready for the 4-3. I'm guessing they'll stay base 3-4 this year but maybe work in some 4-3 sets in special situations. Either that or the Rooneys used the Jedi Mind Trick on young Tomlin and made him retain Yoda (LeBeau) to reprogram himself. We'll see.

Whiz Wants Arians...and more

Well, the Steelers may want to name Grimmy before Whiz raids the cookie jar. He has asked for permission to interview Bruce Arians as well as a defensive coach and our special teams coach. Well, if Dog is right and Mark Whipple would be better as OC than Arians - then he can have all 3 if you ask me. Our special teams haven't been special in quite some time! If the Steelers name Grimm, he may keep most of the assistants. However, if Tomlin or Rivera gets the nod - they will likely clean house and bring in their own people. Did you notice who Whiz fired as the Cardinals OC? None other than Mike Kruczek!

Reading Between The Lines

While I've never read that Art Rooney II or Bill Cowher has gone on record as saying they don't like each other - I'm starting to piece together a puzzle that says as much. While no single item points to this, many small items added together surely do. I read an article that pointed out that during Cowher's press conference, he thanked Dan Rooney and mentioned "The Chief", but did not thank Art Rooney II who has been running the team officially since 1993 while Dan remained Chairman. The same article also pointed out that Art did not show much love when he introduced Cowher at the conference - doing it very quickly. Remember, it was Art who mentioned - correctly - a few years ago that it was time for the Steelers to win another Championship. Was that a subtle way of telling Bill Cowher he couldn't hold the job forever without winning one? Was it Bill's way of telling Art to go "F himself" by resigning so soon after finally winning it all? I'm assuming Art had final say over Cowher's contract as team President. There are always going to be Cowher detractors, but the city has to be slanted in his (Cowher's) favor at least 80-20. I'm just not sure what all of this means. I read something this morning that is so subtle the article I read didn't even mention the possibility of the Art Rooney / Bill Cowher rift entering into it. Chan Gailey was added to the Steelers search for a head coach and had the recommendation of.....Bill Cowher. It is rumored that he gave no such support for Grimmy or The Whiz. So, after the Steelers interviewed Chan Gailey - they announced their shortlist for second interviews. Gailey was not on the list. Hmmmm. The second I read that, I bridged the stories together to come to the conclusion that maybe Art II used Gailey as a pawn in his chess match with Bill Cowher. It was another instance where he could take a little jab while remaining classy and not make anything public. It's just a theory. I'm not taking sides. I was a big fan of Bill Cowher. Like Still A Dog, I feel that he was too conservative at times in the second half of his career - but he did bring us a tremendous amount of success and respect in those 15 years.

Whisenhunt Doomed To Mediocrity

Well, your new Steelers head coach will not be one Ken Whisenhunt who accepted a 4 year contract with an option for a fifth year with the Arizona Cardinals. I really like Ken and I hope he does well there, but come on. How many times do we need to be fooled by this team in the preseason? How many times in the last 10 years have you heard pundits gush over this team and pick them to make the playoffs? I'm glad he got a head coaching position as it stregthens the roots on the Cowher coaching tree - but this franchise is doomed. It's like a curse has been placed on it. I'm also starting to wonder what's taking the Steelers so long to announce Russ Grimm if he is indeed their first choice? If he isn't, who are they going to surprise us with?

New Twist To Cowher Decision

The Rooney family has agreed to give Bill Cowher until next Tuesday to make a final decision as to if he will return for another season. Sounds good in theory. The problem is, Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm are already scheduled to have interviews with Atlanta and Arizona. If Whiz takes the Atlanta job and Grimm gets the Arizona job - then Cowher decides to walk - I will not be a happy camper. There could be a silver lining in all of this if it plays out that way - The Dog has been a fan of Mark Whipple for some time and thinks he is as good a candidate as any. I hate it that our coaching situation has turned into the kind of circus that I can't stand. I'm sure the Rooneys feel the same way.

Vick Is The Answer

It just hit me watching NFL Network at lunch today - Mike Vick is the NFL's version of Allen Iverson. Flashy, exciting to watch, sells tickets in home city, scores points - what's not to like? Doesn't grasp the team concept, doesn't make players around him better, doesn't play defense (ha!), kills coaches......oh, ok. The Sixers couldn't win with AI but wouldn't trade him and seemed content to just be competitive and make the playoffs every year - or barely miss. It was never bad enough to demand his trade and they did win the opener against the Lakers the one time they did make it to the finals. The Falcons appear to be heading in that direction as they faltered again in the second half of this season and ended up getting Jim Mora Jr. fired. You may never be out of a game when down by 14 points with Vick as your quarterback as he can take it to the house on any play. If you want that kind of excitement out of your quarterback, then you have to live with not having too many 80 yard touchdown drives and all the three-and-outs that come with it. They seem like a match made in heaven, don't they? If Whisenhunt goes there, don't expect him to last more than 3 seasons.

Who cares why, Whisenhunt Staying!

This just released from Oakland: Ken Whisenhunt has decided to stay with the Pittsburgh Steelers for at least one more season. I would like to think that Ken is staying because he is as passionate about Steelers football as Coach Cowher is, but I'm not convinced thats the reason. More likely than not, he is trying to increase his pay when he finally does become a head coach in the NFL. With Oakland being the only team left with a coaching vacancy, he basically had to accpet whatever Al Davis was willing to pay. I think 10 teams changed coaches this season. If Ken waits until next year and the Steeler offense continues to flourish - he might find himself in the middle of a bidding war for his services. He is basically doing what some players do when they turn down a chance to extend their contract with 1 season remaining. They play it out in hopes of having a superb season and reaping the benefits in free agency. Note to Bill Cowher: If you are going to hire from within, whisper in someone's ear to pay very close attention to Ken this year. Side note - had Ken left, I think Russ Grimm would have been our new OC.