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Business-Like Steelers Drive Trash-Talking Raisens to Tears Article by McMillen & Wife Ray Lewis BEFORE the game (and I quote): "They [the Steelers] don't know what they in fo' tonight! We gonna show 'dem what it's all about tonight! 'Dey wanna see what a defense like? 'Dey wanna see what a REAL defense like? Let's find out tonight!" Ray Lewis three hours and 476 yards later (and again, I quote): "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" That's right, bruthas and sistas, the Steelers literally made Ray Lewis cry on national TV last Sunday night. Later reports of Lewis sucking his thumb and clinging to a blanky are unconfirmed. Lewis' pregame chest thumping was certainly effective in convincing the media that the Ravens "had their swagger back." Likewise, the Vegas oddsmakers unwisely chose Baltimore as the favorite based on Lewis' braggadocio. But talk is cheap, folks, and as the old saying goes, he who talks by the yard but produces by the inch deserves to be kicked by the foot. That's exactly what happened Sunday night. The Steelers looked downright SUPER as they systematically dismantled the Ravens before the largest audience of any cable broadcast all year. The 7,826,000 viewers who wisely tuned in witnessed the proverbial passing of the torch as the new heirs to pro football's throne rather non-chalantly usurped their predecessor and moved a step closer to fulfilling their destiny. Kordell Stewart led the charge, moving the ball up and down the field like a warm knife through butter against a defense that many pundits (particularly the Ravens themselves) were touting as the best in the league. As the Ravens found out, well done is far better than well said. When I finally had a chance to go back and closely review the tape Tuesday night, I fully expected to see a dominating performance by our offensive line. I was surprised at what I saw. Certainly, the line didn't play poorly... as a unit, they were fairly solid considering the opposition. A handful of brilliant individual plays stood out (such as picking up the Woodson blitz on Kordell's 90-yard TD pass to Shaw, and the complete seal of the left side of the line on Fu's 3rd & 4 draw to set up Pittsburgh's first TD), but breakdowns certainly outnumbered pancakes. Tuman looked every bit the back-up TE he is, and the pass blocking of backs Witman & Zereoue left a bit to be desired. Ultimately, these guys played well enough to let Kordell do his 'thang against a quality opponent, but it wasn't the dominating performance I'd initially perceived. Was WAS spectacular was what Kordell Stewart did when his blocking broke down. Consider his first big pass to Burress. On 3rd and 8, Carnell Lake came on a safety blitz, and Fu completely whiffed him. With Lake coming untouched at full speed, Stewart had only a split-second to launch the ball to Burress (who was double-covered) 30 yards downfield. Stew got absolutely creamed a fraction of a second after he released the ball, and the pass was picture-perfect. On Stewart's 25-yard TD pass to Plaxico Burress (which was the kind of juggling, circus catch that is becoming Plex's trademark), Rod Woodson came untouched on a safety blitz. Again, Kordell was HAMMERED an instant after he released the ball. And again, he stayed cool as a cucumber and completed the pass. There were plenty of other instances of Stew turning nothing into something. On 3rd & 5 on Pittsburgh's opening drive, Gandy and Smith were driven back into Kordell, who stepped out of trouble and scrambled for 8. On Pittsburgh's marathon, 11-minute drive to open the 2nd half (which ended in a missed 32-yd FG by Brown), Stewart gracefully stepped out of a sure sack and turned an 8-yard loss into a 9-yard run. He simply did everything right. And as if all that weren't enough, take a minute to just MARVEL at the guy's 3rd down stats: 7 of 9 for 214 yards and a TD. INCREDIBLE! Of all Kordell's accomplishments this season, his 3rd-down efficiency is the most eye-popping. If you go back and look at my post-game comments from previous contests this season, you'll notice that it's something I point out about Stewart almost every week. Defense and third down efficiency is how you win Super Bowls, folks. Enough about Kordell... I haven't forgotten that there are 52 other players on the team. The enigmatic Plexico Burress was simply outstanding. His curious inability to hang onto routine catches still frustrates the hell out of me (he had two costly drops in this game), but he undeniably has singular abilites that set him far apart from most other receivers. His TD catch was a work of art, and only a receiver with Plex's height would've had a chance at that ball. The same with his 38-yarder on the Lake blitz. There were some catches back in the day that ONLY Lynn Swann could make. Perhaps the same will be said someday about Plex. If he ever gets a grip on making mundane catches, he could be a super-star. As it is, still find my eyebrows raising slightly when he hangs on. Shifting gears, HUGE props to Jason Gildon and Kimo Von Oelhoffen, who completely disrupted Baltimore's offense starting with the opening drive. Gildon sacked Grbac the first time he went back to throw, blew past his man and slammed him just after he threw the second time he dropped back, and provided constant harrassment the rest of the night. It was kind of interesting to see how many times both Gildon and Kimo ended up in Grbac's face at the same time... it's like they were a little pass-rushing tandem back there. Gildon also forced Grbac's lone interception of the night. Lastly, I'm not ready to jump on the "lynch Kris Brown NOW" bandwagon just yet, so let's talk about Amos Zereoue instead. Famous Amos was outstanding, and he really breathed life into a Steeler running game that was going NOWHERE with Fu. No only does Amos follow his blocks better... he just makes people miss, and he had a number of big gains that were "all him." I'd really like to see the game plan revolve more around Amos and less around Fu until Bettis returns. Next up: the 1-12 Detroit Lions. I HATE these kind of games, especially late in the season. The Lions, regardless of their record, are not pushovers. Having said that, Detroit's record is what makes this game so difficult to get "up" for. The Steelers are expected to breeze through this one vitually unopposed, and anything less than a lopsided blowout will draw immediate scrutiny. Of course, the Steelers will win. I just pray for a decisive victory with NO INJURIES! Until then, bruthas & sistas! Tim McMillen Webmaster, McMillen & Wife
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I don't think one can devote enough space to the play of Kordell Stewart on Sunday, as I'm quickly proving on this board. As I noted earlier, I didn't think that the offensive line did all that great a job on a number of crucial plays, but Kordell's decision-making, scrambling, arm strength and accuracy really bailed them out. He was masterful. As for the situation at RB, I think you may have already received your wish regarding Zereoue. By midway through the second quarter, I think the coaching staff realized that Amos was just doing a better job finding holes and making guys miss than Fu, and he was used almost exclusively from there on out. You always prefer a north-south runner as opposed to an east-west runner, so it's tough to get down on Fu, because he runs hard north-south, but he is just not finding the holes or waiting for his blockers right now the way Amos is. It's like he gets the ball and just runs in the direction the play is supposed to go as hard as he can until he meets resistance. Plus, Amos has proven to be a more dangerous weapon catching the ball. This has been a number of games now where he has been a holy terror in the open field after catching screens and dump-offs. As for Plax, we've discussed him ad nauseum, so I'll just say that he had a great game, and that he needs to keep it up, not only in terms of holding onto the ball, which concerns me a little, but in terms of field awareness, which concerns me a lot. But he's young and learning, and is a spectacular talent, so I expect he will get better from here on out. One more small kudos to a guy that doesn't get nearly the credit he deserves: does anyone even throw to Dewayne Washington's side of the field anymore? by the way where did you get this incredible inside info. ? you know that he really isn;t injured he just sucks, I would think Kris knows a little more about how injured he is than you do. But I will disagree with you on one thing. Kris Brown needs to go. Don't act like he's injured, he just sucks! HE LEADS THE LEAGUE IN MISSED FIELD GOALS! I say cut him and bring back Norm. If Gary Anderson can still kick, I'm sure Norm Johnson can get it done. The Offense was amazing!! Kordell is now one of the best QB’s in the NFL and has made me eat crow. Last year I was all for getting rid of Kordell, but now this is Kordell’s team and I’m thrilled to have him lead our team. Our receivers we getting open at will and our backs were running all over their self-proclaimed best defense in the NFL. I do think Bettis needs to be rested so he can become healthy. The Steelers proved they could win with Fu and Amous. Lets run them. They deserve some playing time and it lets Bettis get healthy. The Defense was the Steelers Defense! Nothing more needs to be said. The Kicking game: Kris Brown has to be still hurting from Woodson’s hit in the first game. His kickoffs are too short and his field goal problems cannot be psychological. I believe his knee is still sore. Last but not least, I hate the prevent defense. We gave them a TD at the end of the game and had to depend on the recovery of the on side kick. This game should have never been this close. Steelers are AFC Central Champs and vying for home field advantage. Lets peek the playoffs in Pittsburgh!! WHO: **STEELERS' QB KORDELL STEWART** WITH HALL OF FAMER LYNN SWANN (MILLER LITE TO DONATE $1,000 TO THE LYNN SWANN BALLET SCHOLARSHIP AT THE PITTSBURGH BALLET THEATRE) WHAT: PRESENTATION OF THE "MILLER LITE NFL PLAYER OF THE WEEK" AWARD WHERE: UPMC SPORTS PERFORMANCE COMPLEX (STEELERS' PRACTICE FACILITY) WHEN: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19TH, 2001 **12:30 PM** BACKGROUND: Pittsburgh Steelers' QB Kordell Stewart has been named the "Miller Lite NFL Player of the Week" for Week Fourteen following his performance against the Baltimore Ravens this past Sunday in Baltimore. Stewart threw for a career-high 333 yards and two touchdowns as the Steelers clinched the AFC Central with their sixth straight win and an 11-2 record overall. Each week, a player from each of the 31 teams is nominated by the team or local media, and one winner is ultimately selected by a national panel of veteran NFL media representatives coordinated by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. At the conclusion of the regular season, six Miller Lite NFL Player of the Year candidates will be chosen from among the weekly nominees. A committee of media representatives from each NFL market will then select the Miller Lite NFL Player of the Year from the six finalists. Contacts: Brian Miesieski Matt Dzamba 973-884-8700 Ron Wahl Steelers' PR 412-432-7800 Career Game Leads Steelers Over Ravens to Clinch AFC Central Title MILWAUKEE, WI, December 18, 2001... Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kordell Stewart has been named the "Miller Lite NFL Player of the Week" for Week Fourteen following his performance against the Baltimore Ravens this past Sunday in Baltimore. Stewart threw for a career-high 333 yards and two touchdowns as the Steelers clinched the AFC Central with their sixth straight win and an 11-2 record overall. Stewart edged out the St. Louis Rams' Kurt Warner Chicago Bears' Anthony Thomas in voting by a panel of national journalists and broadcasters to earn his second career Miller Lite NFL Player of the Week honor. Each week, a player from each of the 31 NFL teams is nominated for the award by the team or local media. The Miller Lite NFL Player of the Week voting is coordinated by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The seventh-year quarterback out of Colorado University completed 20 of 31 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns, also adding 55 yards on 10 rushing attempts. Guiding an offense that held the ball for 22 minutes more than the Ravens, Stewart orchestrated two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to put the Ravens away for good, earning the Steelers their first playoff birth since 1997. At the conclusion of the regular season, six Miller Lite NFL Player of the Year candidates will be chosen from among the weekly nominees. From the six finalists, a committee of media representatives from each NFL market will elect the Miller Lite NFL Player of the Year. The voting program is coordinated by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As part of the 2001 program, Miller has pledged more than $130,000 to local charities and as the culmination to the weekly program, Miller Lite will name the NFL Player of the Year during the week prior to Super Bowl XXXVI. Miller Lite will donate $30,000 in the NFL Player of the Year's name to the charity of his choice. Miller Lite has donated more than $1.5 million through the thirteen-year NFL Player of the Year program. 2001 Miller Lite NFL Players of the Week winners to date include, in order: Brian Griese, Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner, Deltha O'Neal, Brett Favre, David Patten, Mike Alstott, Ahman Green, Shaun Alexander, Marty Booker, Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Todd Bouman, and Kordell Stewart. As in "Fa Ga Ga Ga Gah". Or perhaps "Panic"! As in "Apply gentle pressure & Doh not panic"-Sam Adams. It would behove me not to mention Mr. Roderick Payne, former Modellian Meat product and current co-host of the "Sport's Beat" on AM 1050 in Ann Arbor, Michigan weekdays from 4:00pm - 7:00pm On Air Phone # (734) 998-1050 starting at around 4:07pm Quote Friday December 14th; "Steeler Fans are like when you are in the bathroom pissing and it splashes back on your legs"-Rod Payne Well... On monday he took it like a man, including calls asking him "How does that Plexi-glass feel in that ass"-Ace from Ypsilanti. If you stand to close to that urinal you might get flushed"-M.T. from A2. And many others as well. As I went on the air I was asked to "keep it clean".To which I replied; "I wasn't the one comparing human beings to urine" and that "Rod, being 27 years old might want to use the stall and sit down like the ladies until he gets that urinating thing down". Tisk Tisk Tisk. GLOATING GLOATING GLOATING GO STEELERS!!! Sharper seemed to be everywhere EXCEPT for where he needed to be, the steelers offence was incredible as was plexico who has finally stepped up. Kordell did a great job and seems to be as consistent as any QB in the league. Everyone was involved and the TD run to Kreider was a great call. GOOD JOB GUYS The kicking game, well I too am mighty worried about it, the kickoff's really suck. Everything they try just seems to give away chunks of yardage. Kris Brown is obviously going thru something and whatever it is I just hope its shorter than his kickoff's. I would have liked to see him try the 58 yard (or so) field goal just before the half, he most likely would have missed, but if he made it it may have done him some good. I just hope the fans at home don't give him as much of a hard time as before , because they are not helping the guy at all. It reminds me of what Kordell went thru with the fans booing him every time he messed up. It took him two years to get thru that and I don't think Kris will get that long. The visiting team don't need to ice the kicker with a timeout when the home fans do it for you! Overall though, it was the best performance (I have seen) this year, AND against a good Ravens team. Whats encouraging is that only the Colts, Browns(?) and Packers have put more points on the board against the ravens D this season, and this has got to be good news. NICE GOING STEELERS, KEEP IT COMING, and to KORDELL, I ADMIT IT , I WAS WRONG!!! You know, people are mentioning the offensive line a lot, and they certainly did a very good job, but, ironically, I think the two plays of the game were plays in which the line failed Kordell. The first play, the TD to Burress, was a missile off Kordell's back leg. The second play, the pass to Shaw was thrown with Ray Lewis right in Kordell's grill. Kordell had Ray Lewis right in his face, barely got any forward momentum, and threw a 38-yard missile with no trajectory whatsoever and hit Bobby Shaw right in stride. Those were not the only plays where Kordell stood strong in the pocket and fired off rockets with guys a millimeter away from hitting him, but they were certainly the two most prominent. Kordell was magnificent. This was his shining moment. He was so thoroughly the better QB out there, it is not even worth comparing. He was almost inhuman last night. i take back some the bad things iv'e said about plexiglass, he seems to be turning the corner better than i expected. im soooo happy to have been wrong on this one (knock knock). warning! our special teams SUCK! they are the glaring weakness in a team that threatens to go all the way. i now have panic attacks whenever we punt, kickoff, or FG. hell! im getting nervous during the extra point kick now. anyway.... great win, no let me add proper emphasis here..... GREAT F'IN WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO! we so deserve it! what's a matter did "Krydell" shut you up? did "Korkie" blow down you're pathetic little house of cards? come one where are you at? You have been awful quiet lately How many expected Kordell to launch a strike that traveled 38 yards in the air on that play? Usually he'd check down to the guy open just at the sticks.... not this night, not with this team. OK now how many of you would have thought that that ball was going to Shaw and not Burress who was having a monster night? who thought Shaw was fast enough to out run everyone to the endzone? This play truly tells that the Steelers are sold on Kordell, he has been uncuffed and NOW is being asked to do more than simply not lose games, Kordell on a rare occasion decided to throw downfield and he did it with authority, I don't know if teams had been doubling Burress or what but for whatever reason we haven't been going deep... not this night. That one play really symbolizes the amazing transformation we have witnessed over the past 13 games, we went from a smashmouth team that HAD to run to have a chance to a team with remarkable balance to a team that can strike from anywhere on the field, via the run or the pass. Amos is a good back with homerun potential even the Bus has broken some long TD runs and now as we saw on that third down, it's pick your poison with this O. are you going to stack the line to stop the run? well you aren't going to cover our WRs one on one, so ou double Plax to take away the long ball, Hines eats you up moving the chains ALL day long, so you want ot take away Hines? Plax hits you up wiht big play after big play, cover'em both? Shaw and Edwards convert key third downs making clutch receptions... let's not forget covering Amos out of the backfield he has already shown his ability to take a short swing pass to the house.... fellow Steeler bretheren, this team is truly unstoppable I don't know if even the Rams have the weapons we have, we are built for playof football, long back breaking drives that end in points, there isn't a D outside of Pittsburgh better, and we have scorched them twice this year. This could be something special fellas P.S.--- As far as Plex goes, the only WR I can remember not having drops was Jerry Rice and he even let one by once in a while, as great as Yancey was he dropped some too. don't forget this is only plax's second year, it took Eric Moulds, Herman Moore, Chris Carter and even yancey Thigpen a LOT longer to deveop into game breakers, the only WR I can think of making an immediate impact was really Moss, Keyshawn Johnson took some time to develop David Boston is just NOW becoming the WR we wanted before the cardinals stole him from us and he was drafted the year before. I was expecing 6-800 yards out of Plax, he has a shot at 1000. he is far exceeding my expectations I was really curious about last night's game. Plax got into a little verbal sparring match with the Ravens and his toughness and ability were called out by the Ravens. In my opinion, this was a seminal game for Plax, because to me it was a test of how he could stand up to serious pressure, both in a big game and personally with his reputation. Two drops aside, I'd say he passed that test with flying colors. I understand that you and I may not agree on this issue, but it's nights just like last night that make me feel like they just HAVE to be patient with him through his drops and some footwork problems. The Ravens paid Plax the ultimate compliment by taking their best corner, Chris McAlister, off of Hines Ward, and putting him on Plax, and Plax torched him in every way imaginable. He got by him, he jumped over him, and most impressively, he just muscled through him a few times. Granted, when Kordell is throwing 30 yard passes as accurately as if he were handing the ball off, it makes your job easier, but there were simply a number of catches in that game, including the TD catch, that only Plax could make. He's really a terrific talent, he's just inconsistent, but I think that can work itself out over time. As for Kordell, no offense whatsoever to Jerome Bettis, but forget Bettis getting consideration for MVP of the league, I no longer believe Bettis is the MVP of this team. I've come to believe that there is no more indispensable player on this team than Kordell Stewart. On a couple plays where coverage broke down, and Kordell ripped off a 10 yard run, I just said to my dad, "that's not fair. There should be a law against him doing that." The Steelers have shown that they can win without Jerome, even though their overall rushing game clearly suffers. I cringe when I think about what this team would do if they ever lost Kordell. Truly a magnificent performance against a team that I don't think I could hate more than I do. As I said earlier, the Ravens can win the war of words. I'll take the war on the field. And the Steelers won that war convincingly. Very proud of this team right now. [Response from Mac & Wife: Yeah, definite thumbs up for Plex against the Birdies... he was outstanding. The TD grab in particular was a thing of sheer beauty... it was a textbook example of how to use a size mismatch, and Plex showed remarkable concentration after the tip. He's making those kinds of catches his trademark. Still, those "Twilight Zone" drops of routine passes that drive me crazy. The one that hit him squarely in the numbers at the 30-yard line just before the half cost the Steelers a shot at 3. One other caveat: putting McCallister was NOT a compliment to Burress... it was a compliment to Ward. The Ravens knew they needed to double up on Ward and figured McCallister could handle Burress one-on-one. Fear of Ward and under-esitmation (a euphemism for disrespect) of Burress were the reasons for the switch, plain & simple. Lastly, we're agreed on Stewart as team MVP. He'd better brace himself for the "second coming" of endorsement offers. Merry Christmas! End response] One thing i DID like about ESPN's news coverage was how they kept emphasizing how underappreciated the steelers OL was. VERY true. Fenca, Tylski, Gandy, Smith, and Hartings need some due respect. AMAZING coverage. Kordell's not even looking at the DL rushing in. He's purely focused on the recievers and their routes. WHy else do you think he could make such amazing passes with such a raging pass rush in his face? All because of great protection. Did you see Alan Faneca MANHANDLE Tony Siragusa? I think he needs to head to Hawaii this offseason. On that run play with Kreider into the end zone, look back on the replay. It shows Faneca looking very 'Dawson-esque'. At the snap, he takes down Siragusa. Then as the hole unfolds, he runs STRAIGHT AT RAY LEWIS, taking him down. And yes, Dan Kreider goes UNTOUCHED into the endzone. Only a premier rushing protection can keep a rusher UNTOUCHED, UP THE MIDDLE, against the RAVENS. Dawson may be gone, but Hartings is now here. And so is Wayne Gandy, and Alan Faneca, and Rich Tylski, and Marvel Smith. REALIZE, people, they NEURALIZED the second best defense in the LEAGUE (second to US). Ray Lewis was the only prominent player in the game. AFC CENTRAL CHAMPS!!!! Gotta get me one of those hats. A funny little story for the Steeler faithful: Summer of '99 I was in the local mall for a bit of shopping. Like any trip there I invariably wandered into the sporting goods store to gawk at the overpriced merchandise I couldn't afford if I worked 70 hours a week. I happened to pass by the discount rack and see a Kordell Stewart jersey on the front, my size (XL), with a big fat $14.95 on the front. Having never owned a Steeler jersey before, I eagerly made the purchase, feeling a bit sheepish because I figured I'd be taping over the name in six months. (Incidentally, my bro has a #37 jersey with 50 layers of black permanent marker over the name) I got a nice jersey for a good price, but it's turned into the bargain to end all bargains. Kordell Stewart, I owe you big time for this one. HOW bout Now Ravens. GO Steelers!!!!! <<< Back to Mac & Wife's
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