Andrew Modro's Pittsburgh Steelers fan blog

So here we are.  We've finally made it: game day!  The Steelers take the field against the Houston Texans.  (Anybody else remember the days when Houston was a division rival in the AFC Central?)

Let's look at some vital keys for the Steelers to kick off the season the right way:

Establish the ground game:  Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall have to go to work and find their rhythm.  This also means...

The O-line have to do their job:   Protecting Ben Roethlisberger and giving Parker and Mendenhall opportunities, as well as making sure Mewelde Moore can get his job done in third down running situations.

Maintain trust: This team has a solid core, with a lot of guys remaining from Super Bowl XL.  Last season proved that Coach Tomlin knows how to communicate his ideas and incorporate them with team traditions to make a new, unified team strategy.  Maintain trust in each other and get the new guys on board with what's been proven effective.

Continue reading "Opening Day: Keys to the Game"

Good news for the Steelers' defense: 2007 team MVP James Farrior isn't going anywhere.  Farrior, who had one year left on his contract, had a five-year, $18.25 million contract dropped in his lap in August.  As the defensive captain he'll also be wearing the new on-field helmet radio this season.  With Farrior masterminding Larry Foote, LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison, all I have to say is, "Joey who?"  I hope Mr. Porter is content down there in Miami, because we're doing great without him.

Chris Kemoeatu takes over for Alan Faneca, a huge hole that needed filling -- and Kemoeatu, at 6'3" and between344 and 350 lbs., is more than enough Tongan to fill it.  Joining him on the O-line is Justin Hartwig at center, replacing Sean Mahan and bulking up that position as well.  Hartwig, at 6'4" and 312 lbs., can stand up to nose tackles and provide a much surer keystone in Ben Roethlisberger's line of defense than Mahan did.  These are developments in the right direction.

Continue reading "Tuesday Quick-Looks: Farrior, Kemoeatu and Hartwig"

ESPN has ranked the fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers as #1 in the nation, just ahead of the fans in Green Bay.

To me, this is no surprise.  Many times over the years, I've heard fans of other football teams talk about the black-and-gold invasion of their stadiums when the Steelers came to town.  Through the best and worst of times both, Steelers fans have always displayed fanatical loyalty to their team, no matter where the boys were playing.  It's a Steelers tradition, something the unfortunate Pirates can't likewise claim.

I think this goes beyond just stadium invasions and tailgating, though.  Even in the years when I was far away from home and not watching the NFL, I still fondly remembered the days of my early childhood when names like Bradshaw, Harris, Swann, Greene and Ham defined "football".  I even smiled when I thought of the futile years of Malone and Brister.  It's something that gets into your blood, when you're born and raised in Western Pennsylvania.  You can take the boy out of the 'Burgh, but you can't ever take the 'Burgh -- or the Steelers -- out of the boy.

Continue reading "ESPN: Steelers fans #1 in league"

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review gives us the finalized, 53-man roster for the 2008 season.  A few standouts:

"Willie Parker retains starter status but won't be a workhorse as in previous seasons."  Obviously the team is counting on Rashard Mendenhall to start living up to the hype in order to give the Steelers the one-two punch on the ground that has been so important.  Mewelde Moore has been tapped as the designated third-down man.  I still have questions that the game against Houston will have to answer.

Heath Miller and Matt Spaeth the only tight ends.  Given the solid production from both men, we'd lose out if either one got injured.

Offensive line?  I know I keep harping on this, but this ten-man group have a long way to go.  Five holdovers from Super Bowl XL, but these are the same guys who've allowed Roethlisberger to get sacked far too many times.

Continue reading "Steelers' 2008 Regular-Season Roster Finalized"

According to Sports Illustrated's Don Banks, the Steelers will go 8-8 this season and still manage to take second place in the AFC North, following behind a 9-7 Cleveland Browns team.  Check out what he has to say about the entire league.

Now, I usually can get behind what Banks has to say, and I obviously agree with him about the offensive line issues, but this looks to me more like SI's typical lack of respect for the Steelers.  Even when we were headed to Detroit, after coming into the playoffs that season as the #6 seed, the Steelers got less respect than teams like the Patriots and Colts.  Banks isn't a hater, he's just a member of a group that has a culture which overlooks Pittsburgh unless we do something spectacular, and then is quick to move back to other favored teams.

Continue reading "Don Banks: Steelers will go 8-8"

It's that time of year again.  Throughout western Pennsylvania and portions of West Virginia and Ohio, you can feel the black and gold fever starting to rise.  The preseason is over, with the Steelers going 3-1, and on September 7th we'll get what we've been waiting for since last January: regular season action against the Houston Texans.  Heinz Field will be rocking once again.

There are several questions I feel are key for this coming season.  Let's take a look:

1.) Has the offensive line been strengthened?

Now, I don't know if I'm the only one thinking this, but I bet I'm not: Ben Roethlisberger spent way too much time on the turf last year.  Sure, Big Ben could use a dash of Fran Tarkenton in his feet, but there are only so many sacks you can dodge when your O-line is a sieve.  With the ground game (see my next question) in flux, a weak line is going to be a real problem.

Continue reading "Here We Go Steelers 2008"