Black and Gold

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Big Ben, Steelers seek to stay on a roll versus rival Ravens

By David Ginsburg

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/pit/

December 24, 2015

Big Ben, Steelers seek to stay on a roll versus rival Ravens

FILE - This Dec. 20, 2015 file photo shows Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) walking on the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos in Pittsburgh. The Steelers will face the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Dec. 27, 2015. (AP Photo/Fred Vuich, file)

BALTIMORE (AP) -- An injured Ben Roethlisbergerwatched from the sideline in October when the Pittsburgh Steelers lost at home to their division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens.

Big Ben is back for the rematch Sunday, looking to secure a playoff berth for the Steelers. This time, it's the Ravens who are without their top quarterback.

Joe Flacco is out for the season with a knee injury, making this the first time since his rookie season in 2008 he's missed a game against the Steelers.

''You always want to play each team at full strength,'' Roethlisberger said. ''But it's the NFL, and there are always going to be injuries. So, it just can't happen that way. But it's still a big game. It's still the Steelers versus the Ravens regardless of who's out there.''

So it was in Week 4, when the Ravens got their first victory of the year by defeating Pittsburgh 23-20 in overtime. While Roethlisberger was nursing an MCL sprain, backup Michael Vick passed for only 124 yards.

Roethlisberger and the Steelers (9-5) long ago put that game behind them. A victory over the skidding Ravens (4-10), combined with a loss by the New York Jets, assures Pittsburgh no worse than an AFC wild card.

There's no telling who will be calling the signals for Baltimore. Coach John Harbaugh says he will choose between Matt Schaub, Jimmy Clausen and newcomer Ryan Mallett shortly before kickoff.

The Steelers don't care.

''Obviously, each quarterback brings a little something different to the table, in terms of individual skill sets,'' coach Mike Tomlin said. ''But largely, their schematics are their schematics, and they have a playing style that has been displayed throughout the 14 games that they've played.''

The Ravens lost a vast majority of those games and have been outscored 69-20 in the last two. But this is Steelers-Ravens, so...

''Whether we're 0-14 or 14-0, the Steelers game is the Steelers game, no matter what,'' Baltimore defensive tackle Brandon Williams said. ''We're going to take it the same way every single time. It's going to be a high-intensity game. We're going to give everything we've got, and I'm pretty sure they're going to do the same.''

Some things to know about this heated AFC North rivalry:

HOME WOES: The Ravens once flourished on their own turf, but this season they set a franchise record for home losses in a season with five. Sunday's game represents their last chance to get it right and, in the process, take Pittsburgh down a notch.

''Obviously, it will hurt their playoff chances,'' Pro Bowl guard Marshal Yanda said. ''But we're trying to win one football game, and the Steelers are in our way.''

BELL RINGER: DeAngelo Williams has served as a very suitable replacement for Pittsburgh running back Le'Veon Bell, whose season ended with a torn MCL in a loss to Cincinnati on Nov. 1.

Since that game, Pittsburgh has won five of six. Williams has a team-high 799 yards rushing along with 32 catches for 301 yards.

''He's a 10-year veteran, but boy, he has the enthusiasm of a young guy. He loves ball,'' Tomlin said. ''He brings a positive energy to our workplace daily. He has been as critical to our run in that regard as he has as a player.''

HOT IN DECEMBER: The Steelers have won 10 straight in December, a streak that began in 2013. With a victory Sunday, Tomlin would improve to 26-12 in December, including 5-1 against Baltimore in that month.

Before stumbling at home against Seattle and Kansas City, Baltimore was 11-5 in December under Harbaugh and 31-13 over the previous 19 years.

STREAKING RECEIVERS: Over the past six games, Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown has 64 catches for 868 yards and seven TDs.

Roethlisberger attributes Brown's success to the work both players put in together, but adds, ''He's just that good, I guess.''

Baltimore, meanwhile, has come to rely on Kamar Aiken since Steve Smith's season ended with a torn Achilles tendon. Aiken has caught at least five passes in seven consecutive games, the NFL's third-longest active streak and second best in franchise history.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: The word ''hate'' has been used in the past by the Steelers and Ravens to describe their feelings toward each other, but Tomlin sees things differently.

''We've got respect for those guys, players and coaches,'' he said. ''We've got respect for how they do their business and their intensions, and I really think the intensity of the rivalry is based on that respect. We know, regardless of circumstance, we should anticipate their best, and they should anticipate ours.''

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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Steelers focused on Ravens, not playoff scenarios

By Will Graves
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/teams/pit/
December 22, 2015

Dec 20, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) throws a pass against the Denver Broncos during the second half at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Mike Tomlin is well aware of the math.

And he's pretty sure his players are too.

Just don't expect the Pittsburgh Steelers coach to start talking about what needs to happen for his team to clinch a playoff spot this weekend. Last Tomlin checked, that wasn't part of his job description.

''By all means have it, discuss (the scenarios),'' Tomlin said Tuesday. ''But nothing changes our mentality in terms of where we are and what we need to be focused on.''

A win in Baltimore against the Ravens and a loss by the New York Jets to New England would assure Pittsburgh (9-5) a spot in the postseason for the second straight year and the sixth time in Tomlin's nine seasons on the sideline.

Tomlin's success tends to follow a familiar pattern: the Steelers have issues coming out of the gate only to get it together when the temperatures dip and the pressure mounts.

Pittsburgh is 28-12 in regular-season games played Dec. 1 or later under Tomlin. The Steelers have won 10 straight games in December, tied with Carolina for the league's longest active streak.

The arrow, as Tomlin likes to say, is pointing up. Even if he doesn't want to get into details. Pressed on how his team has improved since a 23-20 overtime home loss to Baltimore on Oct. 1 and he gives the equivalent of a verbal shoulder shrug.

''It's just the natural maturation process of a group, individually and collectively over the course of the season,'' Tomlin said. ''That was Week 4. We're now in the thick of this thing.''

And appear to be a very real threat in a muddled AFC. Denver, Cincinnati, Houston and Indianapolis have quarterback issues. Kansas City is the hottest team in the league not named Carolina, though its current eight-game run includes a victory over the Roethlisberger-less Steelers on Oct. 25.

The Patriots are the Patriots, but have taken to signing 32-year-old running backs to have someone to line up next to Tom Brady.

Pittsburgh, meanwhile, just completed a stretch that looked daunting on paper in August, but not so much on the field in late fall.

The Steelers beat Indianapolis, Cincinnati and Denver - all division leaders at the time - by an average of 19 points. Facing backup quarterbacks in all three games helped.

Then again, Matt Hasselbeck, AJ McCarron andBrock Osweiler had nothing to do with how the defenses of their respective teams played.

Pittsburgh ripped through the Colts, kept the Bengals off balance and hurt the ''No Fly Zone'' for 380 yards passing while putting together the largest home rally in 18 years against the Broncos.

Pittsburgh has topped 30 points in six consecutive games for the first time in the franchise's 82-year history. The Steelers have scored in 21 consecutive quarters and appear to be getting better as the weeks pass.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is averaging 337 yards a game and for as unstoppable as wide receiver Antonio Brown appears at the moment, the scary part might be that he's getting plenty of help from Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant.

The trio combined for 32 receptions for 338 yards versus Denver. While the Broncos prevented the Steelers from getting deep - no catch went longer than 23 yards - when Denver tried to muscle up Brown and company, they responded by winning plenty of 50/50 balls.

Brown tipped the ball to himself on one reception, Wheaton extended a drive with an acrobatic grab over the middle and Bryant outfought Aqib Talib and shrugged loose of the Pro Bowler to help the Steelers flip the field after getting pinned deep in their own territory.

''Obviously, Antonio gets a lot of attention and rightfully so, but when called upon, we expect those guys to deliver plays for us,'' Tomlin said. ''And some of them are going to be sticky.''

All of which has made Pittsburgh a trendy pick for a deep playoff run. That requires the Steelers get there first, something Tomlin insists is not a given even with the Ravens and woeful Cleveland left on the schedule. Pittsburgh is just 3-9 in its past 12 trips to Baltimore.

That should give Tomlin plenty of fodder as he guards his team against get caught up in its own hype.

''We are going to continue to control what we can control (and) that's how we play,'' Tomlin said. ''We are excited about that. It's a division game. It's a division road game. We respect all of those elements of the game regardless of scenarios or circumstances.''

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http://pro32.ap.org/poll and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Antonio Brown making case as best WR with incredible numbers

Jeremy FowlerESPN Staff Writerhttp://espn.go.com/blog/pittsburgh-steelersDecember 21, 2015

Dec 20, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown (84) hurdles Denver Broncos safety Josh Bush (20) during the second half at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

PITTSBURGH -- The crazy thing is, Antonio Brown could be having a better season.

He has played four games with Michael Vick and Landry Jones at quarterback, which has affected his stats.

Brown's projected stats in a 16-game season with a healthy Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback: 158 catches, 2,160 yards.

That would shatter NFL records by 15 catches (eclipsing Marvin Harrison's 143 in 2002) and 196 yards (eclipsing Calvin Johnson's 1,964 in 2015). If Brown (currently at 116 catches and 1,586 yards) doesn't pass Johnson, he at least has Jerry Rice's 1,848 from 1995 in his sights.

The football field is becoming Brown's personal candy store.

Going up against one of the league's best defensive backfields Sunday, Brown answered any lingering questions about who the game's best wide receiver is. Maybe things would be different for Julio Jones if Roethlisberger was his quarterback. Roethlisberger keeps getting better, now arguably a top-three NFL quarterback. But watching Brown run routes, you know he's not solely a byproduct of a good system or quarterback.

Brown gets open consistently. There were moments Sunday against Denver when it felt like Brown was going 1-on-11. The Broncos knew what was coming. It didn't matter. Brown took over the game (16 receptions, 189 yards, 2 touchdowns) and carried the Steelers.

Some statistical context:

• Brown is the fifth player in NFL history to have 1,400 receiving yards in three consecutive seasons.

• Brown is the first NFL player with multiple 16-reception games in the same season, according to Elias Sports Bureau. He became the first player since Wes Welker in 2011 to have at least 15 catches, 150 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns in a single game.

• Brown's 355 catches in three seasons is the largest total in any three-year stretch in NFL history.

Brown's recent play is a reminder of how well the Seahawks defended against him in late November, holding him to 51 yards in a Steelers loss.

"If you play this game long enough and you go and get your butt kicked, it's always motivating to get back out there and get opportunities to work on my game and grow," Brown said. "It's good to take on challenging teams with great cornerbacks and great defenses."

Amazingly, on Brown's 23-yard touchdown to seal the game Sunday, the Broncos were way late with safety help. He had one-on-one coverage on the outside. How does that happen? The Steelers' offense deserves some credit for this. Offensive coordinator Todd Haley moves Brown around a lot -- he can play in the slot, on the outside, in bunch formations, and in motion. The Steelers work hard to get Brown clean looks. That can be confusing to a defense.

Brown didn't need a big game against Denver to punctuate his status in the game, coach Mike Tomlin said. But Brown keeps doing it.

"Antonio Brown doesn't need to respond to anything," Tomlin said. "He walks into stadiums and he's Antonio Brown and he made Antonio Brown plays."

Roethlisbeger and Brown are enjoying a chemistry that Steelers fans should savor. This isn't normal. This is rare. And it's not ending anytime soon.

Brown turns 28 in July. Roethlisberger turns 34 in March. Those skill sets are ready-made for a while.

Lots of candy to eat.

Jaromir Jagr and the frustrating 'what if' in his NHL career

By Greg Wyshynski

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/

December 21, 2015

SUNRISE, FL - DECEMBER 10: Jaromir Jagr #68 of the Florida Panthers warms up during a game against the Washington Capitals at BB&T Center on December 10, 2015 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

There are different types of “what ifs” in professional sports.

They usually involve how injuries squandered a player’s potential, or how the window closed on a potential champion, or how a trade could have potentially altered a franchise’s fate.

Most of these “what ifs” are born from someone or something failing to achieve greatness, which is why Jaromir Jagr’s “what ifs” are so fascinating: It’s like asking if a god could ascend to some higher form of deity ... if the NHL and its players had an amicable labor relationship and if Jagr didn’t [expletive] off to Russia for three seasons.

The Florida Panthers forward passed Marcel Dionne for fourth place on the NHL’s all-time goals list on Sunday with his 732nd career tally. Dionne did it in 1,348 games, while Jagr needed 1,581, but in fairness, Jagr played in an era with team defense, and goaltenders that actually knew what they were doing.

Jagr is fourth in goals behind Wayne Gretzky (894), Gordie Howe (801) and Brett Hull (741). His 1,826 points (through Sunday’s games) rank fourth behind Wayne Gretzky (2,857), Mark Messier (1,887) and Gordie Howe (1,850).

It’s conceivable he’ll catch Hull in goals and Howe in points this season, and then who knows what’s next? Considering, you know, Jagr is probably going to continue to play until the sun explodes.

But he’s 43 in human years, so we can’t really be assured of anything regarding his longevity. Which brings us back to the “what ifs.”

As in, “what if Jagr hadn’t lost that time in the NHL?”

Let’s start in 1994-95, when an NHL lockout snatched away half the season. Jagr was 23 years old, playing on an exceptionally talented (though Mario-less) Pittsburgh Penguins team. Let’s assume 80 games played: Based on his scoring ratios for that season, that’s another 21 goals and 47 points on top of what he achieved in 48 games.

Then we had the stolen season of 2004-05. Let’s assume the NHL and the NHLPA got their heads together and avoided the lockout; and, in turn, that the rules changes that would turn the League’s fortunes around were enacted. Let’s go with his ratios from the 2006-07 season, because the first season after the lockout was a crazy-pants anomaly that wouldn’t be repeated. So that’s another 30 goals and 94 points to the total.

Then we have the KHL years. Those stupid, regrettable KHL years. Jagr recently spoke about them with Sportsnet Magazine:

“One reason I came back to Europe, my parents sacrificed their life for me. The way I’m saying sacrifice, it’s a different way than parents do it here for their kids today. Some parents say, ‘Oh, we sacrifice our Sunday to wake up with our kid.” This is not sacrificing like in Czech’

“I decided to go back, but I started missing the NHL—the full arenas, the excitement, the playoffs. You go there, there are some arenas it’s only 3,000. It’s just like, “What the [expletive] is this, what am I doing here?” [Laughs.] I’m used to a full arena—20,000 people, another million watching on TV when you play finals. There, it’s like 3,000 watching you live and 500 on the Internet, so what am I doing here? So I said, ‘I’m gonna try to come back.’”

Jagr played for Omsk from 2008-11. We used his offensive ratios from his last NHL season, his first NHL season back and their median to project points and goals. With that:

2008-09: 25 goals, 71 points in 82 games

2009-10: 23 goals, 66 points in 82 games

2010-11: 21 goals, 70 points in 80 games

So, with all of that projected, we get what Jagr’s current stats might be:

852 career goals, 2,174 career points in 1,937 career games.

The point total is massive, but not within shouting distance of Gretzky’s career mark.

But that goal total … just 42 in back of one of the NHL’s most heralded records, playing through the trap years and against goalies with pads?

Look, this is all just fantasizing. Injuries, slumps, bad linemates … we’re obviously just fiddling with the career averages.

But the point of a “what if” isn’t to-the-number accuracy, but a general sense of what an alternative history might have been. And in Jagr’s case, it would have take what was already one of the greatest offensive players in hockey history and positioned him to become the greatest goal-scorer of all-time.

All that said: Please don’t ask us to project Mario’s stats were it not for illness. Our computers might not have that kind of processing power …

____
Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

Monday, December 21, 2015

Steelers move into playoff position, Broncos struggling

By Will Graves
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/pit/
December 21, 2015

Ben Roethlisberger threw fro 380 yards and 3 touchdowns in yesterday's 34-27 win against the Broncos. (Jason Bridge - USA Today Sports)

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Mike Tomlin appreciates a good halftime tweak as much as the next coach. The one he and the rest of the Pittsburgh Steelersstaff made trailing Denver by two touchdowns through two quarters on Sunday had less to do with strategy and more to do with common sense.

''We stopped kicking our own butt and oftentimes, if you're mentally tough enough to do that, you have a chance to right it,'' Tomlin said.

Having Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger tends to help.

Roethlisberger and Brown lit up a depleted No Fly Zone secondary to spark a second-half rally as the Steelers moved into the second AFC wild-card spot with a 34-27 victory. Roethlisberger passed for 380 yards and three scores against the NFL's best defense. Brown caught 16 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 3:24 to go.

''There's no stopping me,'' Brown said.

Not once the Steelers (9-5) slowed Denver's Brock Osweiler and started doing what it's done all season: lighting up opposing secondaries regardless the quality of the opponent.

''We feel like we're pretty good on offense,'' Tomlin said. ''That's not taking anything away from them, but if we take care of the ball we feel like we can go up and down the field on anyone.''

That includes a unit that came in giving up just 188 yards passing on the season. Roethlisberger more than doubled that number while completing 40 of 55, though he also threw a pair of picks, including one with just over 2 minutes to go that gave Denver (10-4) one last shot.

''I was trying to make something happen,'' Roethlisberger said. ''You just have to be smart. Our defense bailed us out.''

A defense that rediscovered its swagger after allowing Osweiler to stake Denver to a 27-10 lead late in the second quarter. Osweiler threw for three touchdowns and ran for another in the opening 28 minutes but the Broncos were shutout in the second half for a third straight week.

''You play 60 minutes, not 30 minutes,'' Osweiler said. ''This is something that we will work on and we will fix.''

Other takeaways from Pittsburgh's biggest comeback since rallying from 21 down against Baltimore in 1997.

OSWEILER HURTING: Osweiler completed 14 of 18 passes in the first half but was just 7 of 26 after the break. He bruised his left (non-throwing) shoulder in the second quarter but refused to blame the injury for his erratic performance.

''We are doing some X-rays tomorrow to find out,'' he said. ''But the shoulder did not affect my playing in the second half.''

WHAT ABOUT PEYTON: Manning was inactive for a fifth straight week but is on the mend from torn plantar fascia in his left foot. He signed autographs during pregame and briefly met with Steelers chairman emeritus Dan Rooney and president Art Rooney II. The NFL's all-time passing leader will practice this week, with coach Gary Kubiak shooting down speculation that Manning wasn't interested in taking on a reserve role should the Broncos decide they want to stick with Osweiler.

''He's working his tail off to get back on the field,'' Kubiak said. ''That's what he's doing.

HOMECOMING: Denver wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders went off for a career-high 181 yards receiving on 10 receptions in his first game against the team that selected him in the 2010 draft. Sanders caught a 61-yard touchdown and even added 24 yards on a jet sweep. Still, he would have preferred a victory.

''It felt good to be in front of Steelers Nation waving the towels, but I wish the result had been better,'' Sanders said.

REDEMPTION: Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier blamed himself for some of Pittsburgh's first-half breakdowns. Tasked with communicating calls in certain packages, Shazier blew a coverage that led to a Demaryius Thomas touchdown. Shazier atoned with the interception that set up Roethlisberger's winning throw.

PLAYOFF SCENARIOS: The Broncos are still a game up on Kansas City in the AFC West with two weeks to go. Denver ends the regular season with home games against Cincinnati and San Diego. The Steelers can clinch a playoff spot next week with a win at Baltimore and New York Jets loss to New England.

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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL

Black and Gold

Thursday, December 24, 2015

Big Ben, Steelers seek to stay on a roll versus rival Ravens

Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Steelers focused on Ravens, not playoff scenarios

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Antonio Brown making case as best WR with incredible numbers

Jaromir Jagr and the frustrating 'what if' in his NHL career

Monday, December 21, 2015

Steelers move into playoff position, Broncos struggling

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Thursday, December 24, 2015

Big Ben, Steelers seek to stay on a roll versus rival Ravens

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Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Steelers focused on Ravens, not playoff scenarios

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Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Antonio Brown making case as best WR with incredible numbers

Jaromir Jagr and the frustrating 'what if' in his NHL career

Monday, December 21, 2015

Steelers move into playoff position, Broncos struggling

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