Steelers Lounge Podcast #63: Browns Recap – Dermontti Dawson

Posted on December 9, 2011 by ryan

First things first: our apologies for disappearing these last few weeks. A confluence of events have kept us away. (Mostly work-related for each of us but I’m happy to tell you that in the last month I’ve had a sinus infection and that knocked me on my ass AND resulted in me getting a tooth pulled — oh, and did I mention that I’m still using the newborn excuse?).

So, yeah, we have legitimate excuses but feel horrible nonetheless. We appreciated the “Hey, where’s the podcast?!” emails because it means that somebody somewhere actually appreciates them. Anyway, in case it wasn’t clear: WE’RE SORRY!

And, as SteelerBill likes to joke, you know what that means: free subscriptions for everyone. Seriously, the worst appears over and we should be back to our regular weekly podcasting schedule.

In this episode, Gretz and I relive the horror of Big Ben’s season flashing before our eyes before watching, jaws agape, as Peg-Leg Roethlisberger grew his legend in the second half against the Browns. We also talked about Deebo blowing up Colt McCoy  and whether trigger-finger Goodell will consider it reason enough to finally suspend him (we’re guessing no.).

Finally: here’s what three-month-old Baby Wilson looks like in Steelers gear meant for a six-month-old. We’ve taken to calling him Meatball. I mention him here because I think with his size and complete lack of athleticism he’s already better than Chris Kemoeatu.

Alright, let’s get to this…

Steelers Lounge Podcast #63: Browns Recap

Steelers Lounge Podcast

As always, thanks to everybody for subscribing to the podcast (do it now if you haven’t) and if you want to send questions, comments, complaints or whatever about the show, email us here.

Related posts:

  1. Steelers Lounge Podcast #9: Browns-Steelers Recap: Ben Survives Colt
  2. Steelers Lounge Podcast #29: Steelers-Browns Recap — Barry Foster
  3. Steelers Lounge Podcast #48: Redskins Recap — Matt Cushing (!)
  4. Steelers Lounge Podcast #50: Falcons Recap — David Little
  5. Steelers Lounge Podcast #61: Ravens Recap – Sean Mahan
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  • Cols714

    Whatever happened to SteelerBill?

    • David

      He’s still around and visits, I think. He posts on Post Game Heroes.

      He just had a little one last year or the year before.

    • Randy Steele

      He’s one of the guys who polices the website on Jim Wexell’s Steel City Insider. You can always find him there.

  • DJAnyReason

    In re: Going for it on 4th-and-1

    In my mind, kicking the Field Goal would’ve been worthless. All it does is give us a chance in OT if Cleveland gets the TD.  But our offense, with Peg-Leg Ben, is close to useless, so what confidence do we have to score in OT?  I have little-to-none.  Better to take the shot on 4th down and pin the Browns back if we fail then get the OT cushion.

    • Anonymous

      I’m with Tomlin on that.

  • https://plus.google.com/100857546184516732260/posts Dr Obvious

    Glad the podcast is back.

  • David
  • David

    From PK today:

    Here’s where the debate comes in, and why I believe it will be hard
    for the NFL to suspend Harrison: If McCoy was viewed as a runner —
    which he surely would be while having the ball tucked under his arm,
    with no intention of throwing it — then once he is out of the pocket,
    he is treated like a running back, not a quarterback. And a runner can
    be hit helmet-to-helmet without penalty.
    But if a
    quarterback leaves the pocket with the intention still to pass, he loses
    some protection from the rules of being in the pocket. He can be hit
    low, and the one-step rule about hitting a quarterback after the release
    of the ball goes away.
    After the game, Harrison told
    reporters: “From what I understand, once the quarterback leaves the
    pocket, he’s considered a runner.”
    Not exactly. If he
    leaves the pocket and looks to be intending to throw, he can’t be hit
    helmet-to-helmet. If he leaves the pocket and appears to be a runner, he
    can be hit helmet-to-helmet.
    It’ll be a close call for
    discipline czars Ray Anderson and Merton Hanks to decide next week. And
    Harrison should have aimed lower anyway. But I don’t know how they look
    at the replay and say McCoy isn’t a runner when he has the ball tucked
    under his right arm. And is running.
    Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/peter_king/12/09/week-14/index.html#ixzz1g48Cs3b7

    • Anonymous

      What happens if the QB hands off and the RB (or the running receiver) gets hit like that just after throwing a halfback pass near the LOS?

  • Anonymous

    WELCOME BACK!  Glad to have my favorite podcast back….makes my commute and dog-walking much more enjoyable! 

  • EasyLikeSundayMorning

    Thanks for the podcast!

  • Anonymous

    Welcome back.  Will listen and read presently.

  • Anonymous

    My theory on playing Kemo instead of Trai.  The Steelers want him back next year for really cheap, so they showcase him on national TV, which makes sure no one will make him an offer after he is released.
    Next game is also national TV.  OY!

    • Anonymous

      People laughed at me when I said that Hines will get double coverage as he approaches 1000 catches – which in fact happened against the Bengals.

    • Rob D

      I’ll give you a nickel and a nail for him!

      Deal?

      Seriously, after the third holding call and the exact same pained expression on Kemo’s face as he walked back to the huddle, it dawned on me that the guy just doesn’t know any other way to play. He holds on every down and gets called on it after the official just can’t ignore it anymore.

      I’ve never seen a vet who got  progressively worse over a season and career like Kemo. Usually they make up for a lack of talent with guile or smarts or “just knowing how to cheat”. He fails in every category and you don’t need to watch film to realize it. Another example of the STeelers inability to evauluate talent along the O-line if the high comedy of their ludicrous choices for RG in the preseason werent’ proof enough. Foster gets dumped, everyone and his brother-in-law gets a shot and then Foster gets reinserted! OR J. Scott’s elevation to starting LT after cutting STarks..etc. They need to get way better in this area yesterday.

      I actually am satisfied with our O-line now but it’s hard to forget the Keystone Kop-like shuffling that went on not too long ago. If Pouncey ends up shutting it down this year, Kemo is going to be our starting LG for the playoffs. I like Legs but he’s not even in Pouncey’s area code when it comes to talent, getting a push in the running game or just general nastiness (a good Lambert type of nastiness, IMO)

      I said that they would have to stay healthy to win it all. It’s not working out like that so far but then again, its a month till the playoffs. We might have to settle for a Wild Card and the long route to the Bowl. Whatever it takes. 2005 isnt’ that long ago and if there’s one thing this organization thrives on, it’s being written off by the experts and flying under the radar. BEn’s injury might be a rallying point for the whole team. WE and they dodged a bullet and his (there’s not other word for it) HEROIC play after the injury seems to have rather impressed his teammates. I think Antonio realized how much pain it took for Ben to deliver that ball to him that he dropped and he responded (and Ben/ARians gave him the chance to) with a massive dagger to the heart of the Browns. Hopefully that will carry over to the remaining games. They’ve won a lot of games they mighta/coulda/shoulda lost and that’s the sign of a resliient team.

  • David

    OK, I’m a little confused about Ben and Maurkice.

    Ben has a moderate, but not severe, sprain.

    Maurkice had a MRI, but no mention of the severity.

    Steelers are saying “not good.”

    Now that I think about it, maybe it’s just trying to make SF guess on if they’ll play?

    • Rob D

      Did anyone see Maurkice moving his kneecap around and from side to side during one of the breaks in the game? I wonder if he has two injuries.. a general problem with the knee of some description AND a high ankle sprain? Just from a layman’s eye, the amount of movement his knee was allowing was kinda alarming. I know that often times these guys have surprising flexibility for big men but yikes…

      Again this year’s team just can’t stay healthy for any length of time and its almost always key players being affected. Woodley, Pouncey, Ben, Troy, Sanders, etc. One of the things you have to have luck with during a championship run and so far the STeelers are not having any.

      • Rob D

        Sorry about the last sentence. I think I switched to pidgin English there..lol..Should have been something like. “YOu have to have luck with injuries during a championship run and so far the STeelers aren’t very lucky”

      • Anonymous

        Harrison

        • Rob D

          Indeed..how’d I miss THAT..lol..

          Please get healthy for the playoffs, Steelers and go on a rampage.

  • Randy Steele

    Production values much improved during this show. Except for a little echo, Gretz sounded as if he were in the same room as Ryan. Congratulations on your continued improvement, guys.

  • Cols714

    I think one thing we have underrated that this FO does well is build in depth. Worilds has been playing really well.

    • Rob D

      I think they have been absolutely lights out the last three drafts in terms of depth building/future starters.

      Hood, Wallace, Keenan Lewis, DAvid Johnson, Pouncey, Worilds, Sanders, S. Sylvester, Dwyer, ANTONIO BROWN! (Sorry..had to capitalize him), Heyward, Gilbert, Curtis Brown, Cortez Allen (both of these guys are ST”s demons and potential starters/nickle backs, C.Carter and B.Batch.  Wow..what a haul. Not everyone is going to be great or even servicable but it seems almost every one of these guys is contributing in some way. If 2008 was the down year in drafting, they’ve knocked it out of the park in 3 straight trips to the plate since IMO.

      Worilds played great for sure…The future looks pretty darn good considering the talent they are bringing in. And then they are probably the greatest in the league at finding UDFA’s who can play. It’s fun to be a Steelers fan..and great to be the Cardinals when all you have to do is pick off whatever falls off the Steelers table..used to be Cincy’s draft strategy too..wink

  • EasyLikeSundayMorning

    A few random things looking at our past schedule:

    In the last 9 games, we’ve won 8.  I believe that we’ve only been down by more than 3 points once: in the 3q and beginning of the 4q of the Ravens game.  That includes 5 games against teams with winning records, and two opponents who are 9-3. 

    Also, in the last 3 games, we’ve given up a total of 16 points.

    On offense, Wallace was the leading receiver in each of the first 7 games.  Brown has been for each of the last 5.

  • Cols714

    Eph the NFL in they suspend Harrison. Suh had to stomp on a guy. Harrison jacked McCoy, but it was right after he threw and everyone thought he was going to run.

    It is such BS.

    • EasyLikeSundayMorning

      I agree. If McCoy had kept the ball tucked and hadn’t done the super-quick flip of the ball, I don’t believe it would have even been a penalty. Also, Harrison hasn’t even had a roughing the passer penalty all year.

    • David

      Agreed. I think he’ll be fined 100K and not suspended, though, since he was out of the pocket.

  • EasyLikeSundayMorning

    I don’t understand why we haven’t clinched a wild card spot.  We haven’t clinched over the Jets, but I think we have over everyone else. We’re ahead by 3 on CIN and TEN and have beaten both.  We’ve clinched over OAK due to records in conference games.  If DEN loses to NE or BUF or to no one, they’d win the West and not be competition with us for a WC slot.  The only complicated scenario is if OAK wins out and DEN wins two but loses to KC; OAK would win the West, but DEN would then lose the WC tiebreaker with us (we’d be 5-0 and DEN would be 3-1 against common opponents).  

    Is there a scenario I’m missing in which we wouldn’t be at least a wild card?

    Of course, we can still get a 1 or 2 seed if we win out and BAL loses one.  I’m still holding out hope for that.

    • David

      The Broncos or Jets, if they win their last 3, will be 11-5. If we lose 3, we’ll be 10-6 and be left out.

      One more win, and we’re in, I believe, due to our AFC record.

      • David

        And, NYJ has the toughest schedule, with games at PHI and home vs. NYG, who made the Cowgirls look silly today.

        DEN hosts the Patsies this weekend, too, so we could clinch without winning.

        Although, no one wants that to happen. Let’s finish 13-3 and see if SD or CIN can beat the Raisins.

      • EasyLikeSundayMorning

        I agree that we haven’t clinched over the Jets. But if the Broncos win out, they win their division and aren’t competition for the wild card. If they don’t win out, we’ll own the tiebreaker over them. I still don’t see why we haven’t clinched.

        • GlennW

          > Is there a scenario I’m missing in which we wouldn’t be at least a wild card?

          If NYJ finishes at 11-5 and PIT/TEN/DEN are all at 10-6 and 8-4 in the AFC (with OAK winning the West), the three-way tie-breaker for the final wildcard spot would be determined by the “strength of victory” tie-breaker, which theoretically the Steelers could lose.  (I haven’t looked at all three teams’ schedules to see what realistically could happen with that tie-breaker– basically because it’s not going to come to that.)

        • GlennW

          > I haven’t looked at all three teams’ schedules to see what realistically could happen with that tie-breaker

          Checking this now out of curiosity, in the described three-way strength of victory tie-breaker at 10-6, using current wins totals PIT would have 71 opponent wins, DEN 61 and TEN only 49.  So pending the future results of the remaining oppenents’ games, we have a comfortable but not insurmountable lead on DEN in that department, while you can forget about TEN.

          At this point if we don’t win the division, we have about a 95% chance of being the #5 seed with a date against the AFC West winner, so I’m not too worried about anything but the division.

          • GlennW

            Never mind, I screwed that up.  The SoV tie-breaker would be sitting at DEN 61, PIT 55, TEN 49 (based on current and assumed necessary future wins for DEN and TEN at 10-6).  So just win another game, although even that is very unlikely to be needed for the modest goal of clinching a playoff spot.

          • EasyLikeSundayMorning

            Glenn, thanks, I had forgotten about the three-way wild card rules.  I checked through the tiebreakers and I believe that you are correct. 

            So we will clinch a wild card if any of the following happens: we win or tie a game, DEN loses a game other than the KC game or ties a game or beats KC, TEN loses or ties a game, OAK loses or ties a game, or the Jets lose a game.  The odds are extremely small that none of those 15 or so things would happen… probably well less than 1%.  But just like in Dumb and Dumber, “You’re saying that there’s a chance…”

          • Anonymous
    • David
  • Hiddenaway

    Nice, but was really missing JJ.  I love you guys, but I always appreciate JJ’s spot-on post game analysis.  You can’t blame work AND the kid!   

  • Smheart78

    Glad to have you guys back.

  • David

    Wow, now this is also interesting regarding us in 1994 and calling Marinovich:

    http://www.steelersdepot.com/2011/12/todd-marinovich-turned-down-a-shot-with-the-steelers-in-1994/

    We drafted Jim Miller that year and had O’Donnell and Tomczak on the roster.

  • Cols714

    Has there ever been a 13-3 #5 seed?

    • GlennW

      No.  Since the 2002 realignment the best wildcard record has been 12-4, by the 2003 Titans and 2005 Jaguars.

      Before realignment, the 1999 Titans (who went to the Super Bowl) were a 13-3 wildcard, but in the three-division system they were a #4 seed and at least got to host one playoff game.

  • Anonymous

    I agree with going for it on 4th. I also agree that giving Redman a try there given the game situation would have been wise. However if Ben isn’t “peg legging” it, I think you sneak 4 times. One of those is getting in.