Gameday: Tennessee Titans

8:15pm

LP Field

TV: NFL Network, The CW locally

Radio: WDVE and other affiliates

First things first, with the Vice Presidential Debate covering most of the major TV networks, you won't be able to find the Steelers game on KDKA in the Pittsburgh market. Your options are either NFL Network or The CW, which is most likely channel 19 if you're in the Pittsburgh area. On FioS, the HD channel is 503.

What To Watch For

1. The Back End

With Troy Polamalu re-aggravating his calf injury, the Steelers will be strapped on the back end of the defense once again. Ryan Mundy hasn't been great and has picked up two personal foul penalties over the last two games. There was some talk this week if Will Allen might see some time at safety if Mundy struggles. The Titans do have an athletic tight end in Jared Cook who presents a matchup problem for almost anyone. Titans receiver

2. Class of 2008 Backs

They have taken very different roads to get here, but Rashard Mendenhall and Chris Johnson got their starts as the 23rd and 24th picks in the 2008 NFL Draft. Mendenhall is coming off a torn ACL and while Johnson has never been seriously injured, he is far from his Pro Bowl self when he ran for 2000 yards in 2009. Johnson is a home run hitter and can take any run to the house, so the Steelers will have to stick to their gaps. They have succeeded in the past by being physical with Johnson and laying their licks early in the game. Mendenhall rushed for 81 yards in his 2012 debut and looks to build on that against a mediocre Titans run defense.

3. Move Over Bradshaw

At least for the moment, Terry Bradshaw is still the franchise's all-time leading passer with 12, 989 yards. Ben Roethlisberger enters tonight's game with a chance to surpass Terry if he can put up 280 yards through the air. Interestingly enough, Tennessee has averaged 279 pass yards against this season. The Steelers certainly have the weapons to throw the ball all over the yard against Tennessee, and it would be great to see Ben surpass the mark on national television.

4. Pressure, Pressure, Pressure

Jake Locker has been ruled out for the game, so Matt Hasselbeck will be the Titans starting quarterback. Hasselbeck is getting up there in years but he can still get it done and he has the weapons on the outside in Kenny Britt, former Steeler Nate Washington, and first round pick Kendall Wright to make some noise through the air. Hasselbeck is not immune to turnovers and he will force some throws if the Steelers can get pressure on him. The short turnaround does not make things easy, particularly with LaMarr Woodley going out, but Jason Worlids should be fully healed and he has the opportunity to shine. James Harrison played a heck of a game against Philadelphia, playing the entire game and being a disruptive force against both the run and pass. He will need to continue to press the pocket and get in Hasselbeck's face to help out the guys in the back. In the two games we won, we got consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback. In the two we lost, Manning and Palmer were able to sit back and have all day to throw.

5. Turn Back the Clocks

As I've talked about quite often this year, the Steelers have a dismal record when travelling outside the Eastern Time Zone. This is a relatively short trip (distance wise) to Nashville, but they still have to make the adjustment on their watches. Upon further investigation, I did conclude that time zone mattered more than distance when looking at the Steelers road record. Now, the one positive on this front is that under Mike Tomlin, the Steelers have about a 33% winning percentage outside the Eastern Time Zone. They have lost their last four games outside of EST, so the odds would say they're due for a win.

Inside the Play: Mendenhall Touchdown

Welcome back, Rashard Mendenhall. This is a short week with the game in Tennessee coming tomorrow night, but I couldn't deprive you of looking at this play in greater detail. Rookie Tight End David Paulson runs a fantastic route then provides a key block for Mendenhall and really deserves a tip of the hat for the job he did here. Mostly though, it was Rashard.

At the snap, we see the Steelers lined up, as  they were for much of the day, with two tight ends stacked behind the line to help block the Eagles defensive ends (Babin and Cole). Wallace is wide to the bottom and Brown is wide to the top. The one important thing to note here is that the Eagles are clearly not playing a straight man coverage, as Dominique Rogers-Cromartie (#23 at the bottom of the screen) is not lined up directly in front of Wallace, but rather is looking into the backfield, indicating he is playing zone rather than man.

The Steelers have the perfect play called for the Eagles defense. At the top, Brown (who I think was the #1 option on the play) is running a deep post route. David Paulson, the TE at the top of the screen (route in red), is the key early in the play. His first step is actually to block the Eagles DE while Max Starks takes a step backwards. This "chip" allows Paulson to sneak out into the defense in the gap between the DE and the DT rather than to the outside of the DE. Heath Miller is running a seam route, pretty much straight up the hash marks. Mike Wallace is running a drag route underneath - and he gets wide open on the play, as we'll see in a minute. Finally, Mendenhall is intended to chip the DE before swinging out into the flat to be the check-down option.

At the snap of the ball, things begin to develop as the Eagles defensive backs all take steps backwards and begin to bail out on the play to cover the end zone.

Here we see the receivers beginning to enter their routes. Paulson has come between Starks and Colon, and is being eyed up by the outside linebacker. As Wallace begins to run across the field, the linebackers take note. Mendenhall sets up in a blocking stance in the backfield.

Mendenhall lays a good block on the Eagles end, turning him around and allowing Gilbert to recover on the block. The outside linebacker to the bottom of the screen releases Heath back to the safety behind him and turns his attention to Wallace running across the formation.

Two things happen here. First, Paulson makes his cut and comes towards the bottom of the screen. This causes the middle linebacker (who was watching Wallace) and the outside linebacker (who was watching Paulson) to collide. Secondly, Mendenhall releases from his block and comes open in the flat.



From the wide angle, we get a better look at why Ben went to his check-down option. He had been looking downfield at the snap, and we see that both Brown (at the bottom of the screen) and Miller (running down the seam) are double covered. Across the middle, Wallace has just come open as the Eagles linebackers run into each other.

As Ben releases the ball, we see one Eagles linebacker laying on the ground in the middle of the field and Mike Wallace running wide open towards the far sideline. At the bottom of the screen, there are 12 yards between Mendenhall and linebacker Mychal Kendricks.

With the ball in Mendenhall's hands, he now has a one-on-one battle in the open field with Kendricks. This is what football is all about right here: execution. Mendenhall executes a fantastic cut and simply wins the battle with Kendricks. Paulson, seeing the completion, turns and looks for someone to block. This is a key point in the play. Rather than running up and blocking Kendricks in the back or blocking the linebacker that is just picking himself up off the grass, he opts for the farthest linebacker away, ensuring that if Mendenhall can get past the first two he will score.

Interestingly enough, when we look at the wide angle, there are 5 Eagles defenders on that half of the field when Mendenhall is making his move past Kendricks. None of the linebackers make the play, and neither of the defensive backs covering Heath even get to the goal line to challenge Rashard. Of course, this all happened in the blink of an eye and Rashard displayed some incredible burst after the initial cut.

As Mendenhall gets by Kendricks, something bizarre happens. Rather than take a straight angle to try to get Mendenhall at the sideline, the linebacker takes a sharp angle to try to cut Mendenhall off downfield in the area of the 5 yard line.

That plan doesn't go so well. Mendenhall turns on the jets and picks up enough of a block from Paulson that he has a clear path to paydirt.

TOUCHDOWN.

There were a lot of elements that went into the success of this play. Ben's willingness to check it down to Mendenhall rather than forcing a throw to one of the two deep guys gave Rashard the opportunity to make a play and win a 1-on-1 battle. Both of Philly's defensive ends were chipped on the play, giving Ben that extra second of time to make a throw. And of course, Rashard's knee held up just fine on the cut and he showed a fantastic burst of speed to spring down the sidelines and get into the end zone.

Watch the full play here.

Kings of the Keystone State: Steelers Win

14

16

Walking into the game, there were a LOT of people wearing green. Not exactly the greatest feeling in the world when your team needs a big home win. No clue how so many Eagles fans made it to Pittsburgh. There was one sitting behind me who was particularly animated.

Coach Tomlin gives the defense the nods in pregame introductions trying to light a fire under their ass.

And it worked.

Out of the gate, it was obvious the Eagles plan was to attack the Steelers on the outside. They were running McCoy around the edge and throwing passes to the sidelines. They got out across midfield before the defense put the clamps on them.

The Steelers take over but a bad snap from Pouncey puts us in 3rd and forever. Thank you Max Starks for falling on the loose ball. Punt.

The Eagles go right back to work moving the ball up the field. Vick takes things into his own hands and dives forward across midfield. The ball squirts out and it's called a fumble because he appeared to go to the ground untouched. If Vick had slid, the play would be dead there, but since he dove forward, he has to be down by contact. Andy Reid digs the challenge flag out from under his muffin top and the play gets overturned. Apparently Larry Foote just grazed Vick as he was going down.

The Eagles get another gift on some phantom pass interference call on Ike Taylor. Not sure how you call PI when both the offensive and defensive player are hand-fighting for position. Another pass to Maclin gets them down to the 3. The Eagles line up in shotgun and I tell the guy next to me "Watch out for the QB draw" because obviously if you'd seen the Eagles play the Ravens and Browns, you'd seen Vick score twice on QB draws at the goal line.

As luck would have it, Vick kept it himself but Ryan Clark came flying in out of nowhere and cleanly knocked the ball out before Vick crossed the plane. Foote falls on it and the dude next to me can't high five me enough. Eagles fan sitting behind me drops a few F-bombs with regards to Vick.

The next drive was pretty much a smattering of penalty flags. Two holding penalties on Willie Colon, a personal foul on the Eagles and possibly the most costly - an illegal formation on Mike Wallace that wiped away a 24-yard run by Mendenhall. At the end of it, another punt for the Steelers.

On the second play from scrimmage, Vick tries to scramble again, but Lawrence Timmons who was absolutely everywhere in this game, knocks the ball out and Larry Foote falls on it once again.

Second Quarter

With the ball at the Eagles 34, the Steelers were in prime position to get some points off turnovers and get on the board. Two incompletions later, we opt to go for it on 4th and 10 (not a horrible call considering the field position) and Pouncey snaps one over Ben's head again. Ben recovers and chucks one up for Wallace in the end zone, but it's knocked away.

Not very good effort from Wallace. He's gotta at least go up and try to get the ball.

Vick takes a shot downfield after the turnover but Ike and Clark have textbook double coverage on D-Jax. No chance. Timmons blows through the line and takes down McCoy in the backfield. What a game by Timmons.

Ben finally gets things rolling with passes to Brown, Mendenhall and Wallace to get us across midfield. Ben pulls a sneaky QB Wrap play and takes it off-tackle for 5 yards, just to prove who the better #7 is. Ben keeps working the underneath stuff and Redman converts a 3rd and 1 to keep the drive rolling. Three plays later, after Mendenhall moves the chains again, Ben hits Rashard out of the backfield on a swing pass.

 

He makes a guy miss then scampers down the sideline all the way into the end zone. 

 

Welcome back Rashard

7-0

Apparently D-Jax was jealous of Vick fumbling because he gets in on the act but is able to recover.

Woodley tweaked his hamstring somewhere along the line and Jason Worlids came up bigtime with a 3rd down sack to end the drive.

Ben gets the ball back with 2:34 to go in the quarter. In a sign of things to come, he moves the offense down the field, connecting with AB on a big 3rd and 7 to keep things rolling. Somewhere in there, Eagles Fan behind me cursed out Asomugha for holding and called him a waste of $60 million. It took all I had not to outright laugh in his face. Philly fans...smh. Ben takes a shot for AB with Asomugha in trail, but the ball bounces off Brown's fingertips in the end zone.

I blame the pink gloves.

Ben hooks up with AB again on a big completion with under a minute to play to get us down inside the 10. AB's shoe came off on the play and rather than use a timeout we waste 20 seconds getting to the line and spiking the ball. If we're going to waste 20 seconds, we might as well run a play. AB has to go out to put his shoe on and Cotch comes in to replace him and Ben hits him WIDE open at the 4 yard line but he trips and falls down at the 2.

Somehow, Cotch did not score here.

We take our last timeout with 12 seconds left. Ben tries to hit Wallace on a quick slant, but it's knocked away. Suisham extends the lead before the half.

10-0

Halftime

Eagles fan behind me will not shut the hell up. He starts ranting about how embarrassing it must have been the way we went out in the playoffs and ragging on Ike Taylor and Dick LeBeau. I don't usually engage other fans, but as a Steelers fan you have to draw the line somewhere, and that somewhere is ragging on Coach Dad. Nonchalantly, I ask him how the Eagles did in the playoffs last year. He promptly tells me he'd rather not make the playoffs than lose the way we did.

Jack Butler and Dermonti Dawson got their Hall of Fame Rings.

Awesome stuff.

I got in a debate with the folks around me as to whether or not Dawson (one of the best centers in NFL history) was in fact the best center in Steelers history. Tough call between Dawson and Webster.

Third Quarter

The Steelers had a chance to extend their lead right off the bat, but Rainey makes a poor decision to bring the kickoff out of the end zone and gets taken down inside the 10. Mendenhall makes up for it with a big rumble down the left side, but that's really all the offense could do.

The next drive was bizarre from start to finish. Clark got flagged for a late hit when Celek was fighting for more yards while Timmons and Foote were trying to bring him down. As the drive nears midfield, McLendon busts through the line and knocks the ball away from Vick but the Eagles are able to fall on it.

On the next play, Vick tries to go deep for Maclin and Ryan Mundy gives him a shot. The initial glance looks like it's shoulder-to-shoulder but Maclin stays down and the flags come out. Not two seconds after the flags hit the ground, Maclin pops up and walks back to the huddle. Mundy gets rung up for a headshot. Two plays later, Vick dumps one down to McCoy and he makes guys miss and grinds his way into the end zone.

10-7

Rainey atones for his earlier mistake by taking the kickoff back across the 40, but the Steelers go 3-and-out and you start feeling a little nervous, even though it's only the 3rd quarter.

Thankfully, the defense buckles down and Harrison and Timmons get pressure on consecutive plays and force a 3-and-out. Huge stand there by the defense.

With the rain starting to come down a little harder, it was ground and pound time and Mendenhall rose to the occasion. Rashard put the team on his back and carried us across midfield, then AB made a big catch down the sideline on a come-back route with Asomugha all over him. Redman worked it down into the red zone.

Fourth Quarter

On 3rd down, Ben did his Ben thing and rolled away from pressure and tried to hit Heath on the far sideline, but just barely overthrew him, so we had to settle for 3.

13-7

Vick has been clutch in the 4th quarter all year and the Eagles put together the drive they needed. The Steelers forced them into two consecutive fourth downs and they were able to convert them both. The dagger came on a 3rd and 10 from just outside of field goal range when Vick was pressured by Harrison and just lobbed one up that Jackson came across the field to grab on the left sideline. That got them inside the 10 and three plays later Vick hit Celek open over the middle for the score.

13-14

Ben got the ball back with 6:33 on the clock and two timeouts, but it was Colonoscopy city right off the bat when Willie got called for his 3rd holding penalty. But Ben made it happen. He got things rolling hitting 7th round pick David Paulson for his first career catch, then zinged one to AB across the middle to convert a 3rd and 12.

All Antonio Brown does is make big plays.

With some breathing room, it was Mendenhall time. He got a carry then took a checkdown pass up the sideline for 15 yards and another first down. Redman got two carries as the clock wound down to two minutes. Tense times as we sat at the 38, still out of field goal range. Manny Sanders had been a non-factor in the game up to that point, but he makes a HUGE finger-tip grab on 3rd down to move the chains and get us to the fringe of field goal range.

FIRST DOWN SON

Mendenhall plowed his way to another first down and the clock wound down under a minute. Redman got two carries to get us inside the red zone and Tomlin used our last timeout with 3 seconds to play.

 Do or die time for Suisham from 34 yards....

16-14

What a win.

Players of the Game

Offensive Game Ball: Rashard Mendenhall

Defensive Game Ball: Lawrence Timmons

Honorable Mentions

Shaun Suisham

James Harrison

Antonio Brown

Heath Miller

Ben Roethlisberger

Larry Foote

Jason Worlids

Steve McLendon

Final Thoughts

• How great is it to have Mendenhall back in the lineup? 81 yards on 14 carries. If not for an illegal formation penalty, he probably would've gone over 100.
• Lawrence Timmons played his best game since the season opener in Baltimore last year. It was the first time since then he recorded more than 7 tackles in a game. Huge performance.
• Not to be outdone, Larry Foote recovered two fumbles today. On the day, the Eagles coughed it up 5 times - 2 were recovered and 1 was overturned by review.
• James Harrison just makes everyone around him better. He didn't record a sack, but he got pressure or drew away blockers on all 3 of the sacks that we recorded.
• We're going to be in some trouble down the line if Woodley and Polamalu both have to miss time with injury.
• Ben wasn't at his best today, but he finished the game with his 21st career 4th quarter comeback and 27th career game winning drive. 
• On top of that, Ben wasn't sacked for the first time since the last game of the 2010 regular season.
• While Heath Miller didn't have a great statistical day, Haley put a great plan together to use tight ends to help neutralize the Eagles "Wide Nine" approach.
• Mike Wallace did not have a good day at all. He was targeted 8 times and only had 2 catches. He had a few balls bounce off his arms and didn't show much effort on the 4th down jump ball. If he wants Fitz money, he's going to have to make catches in coverage.
• For as poor as Wallace played, Willie Colon played even worse. The Colonoscopy accounted for 3 holding penalties, including one at the beginning of the last drive.
• The Steelers once again were able to control the clock with their running game in the 4th quarter. This time it was a 6:33 drive that concluded with Suisham kicking the game winner. Ben was 4 of 5 on the drive and converted some big 3rd downs.
• Short week this week with the Thursday Night game in Tennessee. Buckle up.

Gameday: Philadelphia Eagles

1:00pm

Home Sweet Home

TV: FOX

Radio: WDVE and Other Affiliates

What To Watch For

1. Back In Black (and Gold)

The biggest news in Steeler Nation this week was the return of Troy Polamalu and James Harrison to the practice field. Rashard Mendenhall had been going through full practices before the bye week but had been held out due to his ACL surgery in January. Those three are all due back in the lineup for the Steelers today, along with backup inside linebacker and special teams ace Stevenson Sylvester. The Steelers injury report lists Polamalu, Harrison, Mendenhall and Marcus Gilbert all as probable. Mike Adams is also absent from the injury report, which means there's a good chance he'll get a helmet on Sunday. This doesn't mean a whole lot, but Adams is clearly a better option as a backup tackle than Kelvin Beachum at this point in time.

2. The Wide Nine

Call it what you will, but the Steelers have struggled greatly against Jim Washburn's Wide Nine defensive scheme. If you're not familiar with the term, check out this article from Smart Football on the scheme. The basic theory is that the defensive ends align about as wide as possible (outside the tight ends) so that they can create a severe pass rushing angle to get to the quarterback. The problem that the Steelers have had in the past is their offensive tackles don't have the foot speed to get back far enough to block the speed rushers coming off the edge. Look for a lot of inside runs, draw plays, and quick passes out of Todd Haley early in the game to try to neutralize the Eagles pass rush. As the Smart Football article points out, the "Wide Nine" is basically a "pin your ears back and go" order to the defensive ends. In theory this doesn't sound hard to stop, but the Eagles have the personnel to make it work in Jason Babin and Trent Cole, both of whom have terrorized the Steelers in the past.

3. Track Meet

Between the Steelers three primary receivers (Wallace, Brown, Sanders) and the Eagles top two (Jackson, Maclin), I really don't think you'll find a game with more speed on the outside. All five of these guys can absolutely fly up and down the field. Jackson and Maclin don't have overwhelming size, but their speed makes it very easy for them to get open anywhere on the field. The Steelers secondary will have their work cut out for them keeping up with these two. On the other side, while the Eagles have Nnamdi Asomugha on one corner, Dominique Rogers-Cromartie can be beat and their nickel corner (rookie Brandon Boykin) hasn't been tested by anyone as good as Sanders or Brown. There are matchups out there the Steelers can exploit, so don't be surprised if Ben looks for Sanders and Heath Miller early and often.

4. Zone Blocking

The Steelers have struggled against teams that employ a zone blocking scheme over the last few seasons. Specifically, Baltimore and Houston come to mind. The Eagles use a zone scheme and former Pitt standout LeSean McCoy is fantastic at running behind it. The Steelers just need to stay disciplined and fill their gaps to cut off any cut-back lanes. Big plays come out of the zone scheme when defenders try to anticipate and do too much, which makes them get caught ahead of the play (see: Lawrence Timmons on the Darren McFadden TD run in Oakland). Shady is one of the best backs in the league and he is a threat in both the run game and the passing game. The Eagles will try to get him the ball as much as possible and a mediocre defensive effort isn't going to contain him.

5. Just Win

The Eagles became the first team in NFL history to win 3 games by a grand total of 4 points. They haven't been winning pretty and they have turned the ball over a ton. This seems like a good recipe for a Steelers team that has struggled to produce takeaways. The Eagles have won three close games, and the Steelers just have to find a way to come out victorious in this one. Getting pressure on Vick will be a huge factor, and having Harrison and Polamalu back on the field should be a huge help. Vick has not played well against the Steelers in preseason games over the last few years, but he has torched us twice in regular season games. The Steelers need a win to keep them within striking distance in the division race. It's still early in the season, but starting 1-3 would really put us behind the 8 ball. Just go out and win. It doesn't have to be fancy, just win.

WPIAL Week 6 Playoff Scenarios

As we enter the stretch run of the High School Football season here in Western Pennsylvania, playoff races are heating up across the four classifications. Quad-A and Triple-A each had their first teams qualify for the postseason last week, and 24 more teams have the opportunity to lock up spots this weekend. Most of them are names you will probably recognize as traditional powers, but there are a few surprises. In AAA, Elizabeth Forward is having a rebound season and currently sits at 3-2 with the opportunity to clinch their first playoff spot since 2005. Two of the biggest surprises of the season are down in Single-A with the surprising Neshannock in the Big Seven Conference and Avella in the Tri-County South. Both are currently undefeated. Avella is 5-0 for the first time since 1994 and aims to be 6-0 for the first time since 1976. Neshannock is also 5-0 and off to their best start since the same '76 season. Here's a look at how things sit as we enter the 6th week of the WPIAL Season.

AAAA

Foothills Conference

• Gateway clinches a playoff spot with a loss by Kiski or Connellsville
• Penn-Trafford clinches a playoff spot with a win over Connellsville

Northern Eight Conference

• North Allegheny has clinched a playoff spot
• Seneca Valley clinches a playoff spot with a win over Shaler and a Fox Chapel loss
• Central Catholic clinches a playoff spot with a win over Pine-Richland

Southeastern Conference

• Upper St Clair clinches a playoff spot with a loss by Woodland Hills, Penn Hills, or Peters Twp
• Mt. Lebanon clinches a playoff spot with a win over Canon-Mac and a loss by Woodland Hills or Bethel Park

Biggest Games
North Allegheny vs Gateway - This could very easily be a preview of the AAAA Championship Game. Both of these teams are loaded with talent and this is easily the non-conference game of the season. Gateway and NA are the only two AAAA teams averaging over 40 points per game and both are ranked in the top 5 in defense.

AAA

Big Nine Conference

• West Mifflin has clinched a playoff spot
• Thomas Jefferson clinches a playoff spot with a win over Laurel Highlands and a Belle Vernon loss
• Elizabeth Forward clinches a playoff spot with a win over West Mifflin and losses by Belle Vernon and Albert Gallatin
• Ringgold clinches a playoff spot with a win over Albert Gallatin and a Belle Vernon loss

Greater Allegheny Conference

• Mars has clinched a playoff spot
• Hampton clinches a playoff spot with a win over Hollidaysburg and losses by Greensburg Salem and Derry
• Knoch clinches a playoff spot with a win over Franklin Regional and losses by Highlands and Indiana
• Franklin Regional clinches a playoff spot with a win over Knoch and losses by Greensburg Salem and Derry
• Hollidaysburg clinches a playoff spot with a win over Hampton and an Indiana loss

Parkway Conference

• Montour clinches a playoff spot with a win over Chartiers Valley
• Central Valley clinches a playoff spot with a win over Moon

Biggest Games
Franklin Regional vs Knoch - These teams are locked with Hampton and Hollidaysburg in a 4-way tie behind Mars in the Greater Allegheny Conference. The winner will still have a shot at the conference crown.
Hampton vs Hollidaysburg - Two huge matchups in the Greater Allegheny Conference this week that should help separate the teams at the top.
West Mifflin vs Elizabeth Forward - The Warriors are one of the surprises of the season but the undefeated Titans might be too much for them.

AA

Allegheny Conference

• Freeport clinches a playoff spot with a win over Burrell and losses by Kittanning and Summit Academy

Century Conference

• South Fayette clinches a playoff spot with a win over Quaker Valley and a South Park loss

Interstate Conference

• Mt. Pleasant has clinched a playoff spot
• Washington clinches a playoff spot with a win over Brownsville
• Jeanette clinches a playoff spot with a win over Mt Pleasant and a Waynesburg loss

Midwestern Conference

• Beaver clinches a playoff spot with a win over Riverside and a Freedom loss
• Aliquippa clinches a playoff spot with a win over Freedom
• Beaver Falls clinches a playoff spot with a win over New Brighton

Biggest Games
Freeport vs Burrell - The top two teams in the Allegheny Conference square off in a game that will likely decide the conference title
Mt Pleasant vs Jeanette - The Jayhawks fell to Washington last week and now must face their second undefeated team in a row in Mt. Pleasant. If the Vikings win, they will set up a showdown with Washington next week for the conference title. Jeanette needs a win to stay in the race for the Interstate Conference crown.

A

Big Seven Conference

• Neshannock clinches a playoff spot with a win or a Laurel loss

Black Hills Conference

• Clairton clinches a playoff spot with a win over Brentwood

Eastern Conference

• No clinching scenarios

Tri County South Conference

• Beth-Center clinches a playoff spot with a win over Jefferson-Morgan
• Avella clinches a playoff spot with a win over Frazier

Biggest Games
Neshannock vs Rochester - After a surprising come-from-behind victory over Sto-Rox two weeks ago, Neshannock is in position to make a run at the conference title. Standing in their way is perennial powerhouse Rochester who also has an unblemished record and  designs of a conference crown.
Clairton vs Brentwood - The Bears record-breaking winning streak hits the road this week in a trip to Brentwood to face a team that is battling for their playoff lives.
Avonworth vs North Catholic - North Catholic is currently clinging to second place in the Eastern Conference with head-to-head wins over Springdale and Apollo-Ridge, a victory over the Antelopes would keep them in the race for the conference title. Avonworth still has an outside chance to win the conference crown as well, and this is their first step to rebounding from their loss to Apollo-Ridge last week
Springdale vs Apollo-Ridge - Like North Catholic and Avonworth, both enter the game with only one loss. This will be an important game in the Eastern Conference playoff race as we head down the stretch with the loser sitting on the outside of the playoff picture.

Relive Football History at the Heinz History Center

If you live in the Greater Pittsburgh area, chances are you have at least driven past the Heinz History Center at the corner of 12th and Smallman Street in the Strip District. If you've never been there, this is the opportune time to go. Starting on Saturday, the Heinz History Center, in conjunction with the Pro Football Hall of Fame, is opening a Gridiron Glory exhibit that features an array of football artifacts from both Western Pennsylvania and around the country. If you're interested in the exhibit, there is information on tickets and hours on the History Center's website.

If you want to get some of the benefits of football history but don't want to fork out any cash, there is a "kick-off" pep rally this Saturday October 6 from 10:00am to noon at the Heinz History Center parking lot at the corner of 12th and Smallman. According to the press release, the kick-off pep rally is FREE to anyone who wants to attend and there will also be free food. While the outdoor event is free, you will have to buy a ticket to get in the door and see the actual exhibit.

If you don't have the free time to get down there this weekend, the exhibit will be on display through the end of the year. Looking at the event schedule, if you can't make it for the free food this weekend, you'll probably want to hold off until the end of the month when the Steelers Hall of Fame busts will be on display from October 24 to 29. As has become an annual tradition, the History Center will display all six Lombardi Trophies during the last week of November (23 to 29). The Super Bowl trophies go on display the day after Thanksgiving, so this might be a good place to take those out of town relatives (particularly if you have any from Cleveland), since it's the only place on Earth you can see Six Lombardi Trophies together in the same room.

Digging Deeper into the Steelers Road Woes

Last week I wrote about how the Steelers have not fared well outside of the Eastern Time Zone. Since this is a bye week and there's not much going on in Steelers Country, I decided to dig a little deeper into the numbers. Perhaps the simple analysis of Eastern Standard Time vs Non-EST didn't show the whole picture, so I decided to break it down by time zone and see how the Steelers fared.

To briefly recap: in the Mike Tomlin Era (2007-present) the Steelers hold a 36-10 record at home, 20-8 record in road games in the Eastern Time Zone and 5-12 record in games outside the Eastern Time Zone. Those numbers include regular season and playoff games.

When I dug deeper into the 5-12 road record, my first instinct was to break it down by time zone. In Central Time, the Steelers were 3-6 with wins coming in St Louis, Tennessee, and Kansas City. The six losses came to Tennessee, Chicago, Kansas City, New Orleans, Houston and to Green Bay in the Super Bowl in Dallas. The Steelers posted a similar 33.3% winning percentage in Mountain Time with a 1-3 record in Denver (including the playoff loss) and a 1-1 record in Arizona. Surprisingly, the Steelers have only played two games in the Pacific Time Zone under Tomlin (San Francisco last year and Oakland this year) and they lost them both.

The Steelers record obviously got worse the farther they traveled from home, and this made the next question obvious: does mileage make a difference? This provided an interesting point of analysis because cities like Miami and Tampa in the Eastern Time Zone were actually farther from Pittsburgh than some cities in the Central Time Zone.

• The Steelers were 8-4 in games less than 250 miles from Pittsburgh. Three of these four losses came in Baltimore.
• When the Steelers had to travel 250 to 500 miles, they were 6-4, a 60% winning percentage.
• When travelling 500 to 1000 miles, the Steelers were 5-3, a 62.5% winning percentage.
• When travelling 1000 to 1500 miles, the Steelers were 5-6.
• The Steelers played no games against opponents between 1500 and 2000 miles but were 1-3 against teams over 2000 miles away.

The interesting point of analysis is the games from 1000 to 1500 miles away. When these games were played within the Eastern Time Zone in Miami (1200 miles) and Tampa (1100 miles) the Steelers were undefeated with a 4-0 record. One of those victories was the Super Bowl XLIII win over Arizona. When these games required the team to travel outside the Eastern Time Zone to New Orleans (1100 miles), Dallas (1250 miles), Houston (1400 miles) or Denver (1460 miles), the Steelers were just 1-6. While this is still a small sample size of games, it is clear that the distance traveled does not have a direct impact on the Steelers ability to bring home a W. The bigger impact is seen when the clocks change and the team has to play in another time zone.

WPIAL Midseason Review

It seems like just yesterday the High School Football season kicked off here in Western Pennsylvania, but we're already four games into the nine week regular season. The wheat has begun to separate from the chaff, so here's a look back at how things are sitting as we approach the midpoint of the season. You can also check out my WPIAL Standings page for full details.

AAAA

Best Team: North Allegheny

The two-time defending WPIAL champions have rolled through the first four weeks of the season. They have the second best offense in Quad-A with second-year quarterback Mack Leftwich at the helm. The Tigers closest game was the season opener against a good Mt. Lebanon team that they stomped 39-14.

Most Surprising Team: Hempfield

The Spartans were 1-8 last season but pulled an upset for the ages when they beat McKeesport in the opening week of the season.  Even though they have yet to face the top teams in the Foothills Conference, this is a great turnaround story for a team that was a floormat for most of the last decade. The Spartans have a top 5 offense after having the 5th worst unit in AAAA last season.

Most Disappointing Team: McKeesport

The Tigers were supposed to compete with rival Gateway for the Foothills Conference crown, but through four weeks this looks like a team that will be fighting just to make the playoffs more than a conference champion contender. Quarterback Eddie Stockett has not lived up to the billing of the Best QB in Quad-A, and has yet to throw a touchdown pass this season.

Best Week 5 Matchups:
Seneca Valley @ Central Catholic (Thursday on ROOT Sports) - Two of the best teams in AAAA square off with Central looking to shut down Seneca Valley's explosive offense
Mt. Lebanon @ Woodland Hills - Woody High's only loss was to Upper St Clair and will need to beat a very good Lebo team (whose only loss was to North Allegheny) in order to stay in the race for the conference title.
Gateway @ Hempfield - This game means more to Hempfield than it does for Gateway. The Gators should roll to the conference title, but this is a measuring stick game for the Spartans to see how they stack up against one of AAAA's best.

Week 5 Playoff Scenarios
North Allegheny clinches a playoff spot with a win over Butler and a Shaler loss

Top 5 Teams:
1. North Allegheny (3-0, 4-0)
2. Gateway (4-0, 4-0)
3. Upper St. Clair (4-0, 4-0)
4. Central Catholic (3-0, 4-0)
5. Seneca Valley (2-1, 3-1)

AAA

Best Team: Montour

Montour is in this spot thanks to an overtime win over Central Valley where they stopped Robert Foster on a 2-point conversion try in overtime. That was the only close game the Spartans have played this year, but their spot at the top might be the most tenuous of any of the four "top" teams right now. AAA, particularly the Parkway Conference, has a lot of good teams, and anyone could pull an upset at any time. Montour won't have an easy walk to the Conference Championship, though they have already topped Central Valley who might be the most skilled team in the conference.

Most Surprising Team: Ambridge

The Bridgers Week 3 win over New Castle was their first conference win since October 15, 2010. It was also their first conference win over a team other than Moon since they beat New Castle back in September 2006. Yes, you read that right. Over the last 5 seasons, the only team Ambridge beat in conference play was Moon, who (counting their Week 4 win this season) they had a 6-1 record against. Now, Ambridge sits at 2-1 in conference play, the most Parkway wins they have had since 2006 when they beat New Castle and Moon in back-to-back weeks.

Most Disappointing Team: Belle Vernon

Belle Vernon got a lot of press in the preseason due to the recruiting of Offensive Tackle Dorian Johnson. After the Penn State sanctions were handed down, Johnson de-committed from Penn State, leaving the four-star recruit up for grabs. However, even with Johnson anchoring the line, Belle Vernon has been less than spectacular this season. After an impressive opening week win over Uniontown, the Leopards have gotten shellacked by West Mifflin (34 point loss), Ringgold (32 point loss), and Elizabeth Forward (29 point loss).

Best Week 5 Matchups:
West Allegheny @ Central Valley - West A has been involved in close games every week while Central Valley boasts one of the top players in all of WPIAL in WR Robert Foster
Knoch @ Hampton - This is an important stepping-stone for Knoch if they are going to challenge Mars for the conference title
West Mifflin @ Ringgold - West Mifflin is undefeated and Ringgold's only loss came to TJ.

Week 5 Playoff Scenarios
West Mifflin can clinch a playoff spot with a win over Ringgold
Mars can clinch a playoff spot with a win over Greensburg Salem
West Allegheny can clinch a playoff spot with a win over Central Valley and a New Castle loss.

Top 5 Teams:
1. Montour
2. Thomas Jefferson
3. Mars
4. West Mifflin
5. Central Valley

AA

Best Team: Aliquippa

The Quips continue their reign as the top team in AA. They have dominated opponents so far this year, including a stomping of AAA Ambridge in a cross-river rivalry game. They have only played two conference games so far, but they have the top-ranked offense (214 points) and defense (7 points against) in AA. The Quips won their first two conference games 68-0 and 66-0 and have a relatively easy schedule the next 3 weeks facing Freedom, Mohawk, and Ellwood City who are a combined 2-10. They won't be challenged until the last two weeks when they face Beaver Falls and Beaver.

Most Surprising Team: South Allegheny

The Gladiators have been perennial floormats in the Century Conference, but after being shut out in Week 1 by Seton-La Salle, they have stormed back to win three in a row, outscoring each opponent by 20 points. Before their Week 2 win over Quaker Valley, the Gladiators had lost 12 straight conference games, with their last win coming over Quaker Valley in 2010. Their 3 wins this season are the most they have had since their 4-5 campaign in 2008 when they played in the Interstate Conference. Since then, they had won 3 games total from 2009 to 2011. They have equaled that overall win total and their conference win total through 4 weeks this season.

Most Disappointing Team: Ellwood City

After reaching the quarterfinals last season, the Wolverines have fallen flat on their faces at the start of the season. They reached the playoffs in each of the last 3 seasons and were expected to compete for a playoff spot once again, but an 0-4 start which includes losses to Freedom and New Brighton has severely limited those chances. The good news is that the other teams in the bottom half of the Midwestern Conference keep beating each other, and there are currently 4 teams (Freedom, New Brighton, Mohawk, Riverside) with 1-2 conference records, just a game ahead of the 0-3 Wolverines. They aren't totally out of the playoff race yet, but they're going to have to turn things around fast if they want to get back in the hunt.

Best Week 5 Matchups:
South Fayette @ Seton-La Salle - Two of the best AA teams square off at Baldwin Stadium in a Century Conference showdown. Both schools have one of the Brumbaugh brothers at quarterback and both defenses have been stout.
Jeanette @ Washington - The first big power clash in the Interstate Conference, which currently has 3 undefeated teams.
Shady Side Academy @ Freeport - Both teams are coming off a loss and this game could decide who gets a home playoff game.

Top 5 Teams:
1. Aliquippa
2. South Fayette
3. Seton-La Salle
4. Washington
5. Jeanette

A

Best Team: Clairton

What can I say about Clairton that hasn't already been said? They survived an opening week scare by Chartiers-Houston and then have gotten back to their old form of just absolutely destroying teams. This week's win over Monessen on Thursday Night was one of the most complete games you'll see. The Bears did what they do best - capitalizing on turnovers and turning them into points. Tyler Boyd is probably the best player in all of the WPIAL and the Bears just keep on dominating. 51 and counting.

Most Surprising Team: Avella

There are a few teams that could fit the bill here, but the Avella Eagles take the crown. Just a few years ago, this was a program on the verge of collapsing and they had to start a cheerleader and one of the band members in order to field a full squad. Now, the Eagles (who had won just 3 games in the previous 5 seasons) sit at 4-0 with a 3-0 conference record. The move to the Tri-County South has obviously benefited Avella, and this is probably my favorite story of any WPIAL team this year. Neshannock deserves an honorable mention here as they are sitting at 4-0 atop a much tougher Big Seven Conference with a huge upset win over Sto-Rox on their resume.

Most Disappointing Team: Geibel Catholic

I may have opinions about certain teams I like and don't like, but one thing I always want to see - regardless of school - is the team playing on the field. Geibel had to forfeit their first two games because they had so many injuries in the preseason they could not field a full team. That sucks. It sucks for the kids on the team, the fans, and their opponents. I'm not blaming these kids for getting injured, but I'm saying it's a disappointment to see a team not make it out onto the field.

Best Week 5 Matchups:
Monessen @ Bishop Canevin - The Greyhounds are coming off a stomping by Clairton and look to rebound against an undefeated Bishop Canevin squad.
Jefferson-Morgan @ Frazier - The Rockets are coming off their first loss of the season and this could be a game that decides who makes the playoffs further down the line.
Northgate @ Sto-Rox - This non-conference matchup features two of the top Single-A teams that are both contenders for their conference title.

Top 5 Teams:
1. Clairton
2. Rochester
3. Bishop Canevin
4. Neshannock
5. Northgate

Inside the Play: Ben Being Ben Creates Wallace Touchdown

Even though the Steelers lost this week, I wanted to take a minute to look back at one of the biggest plays of the game. Sure I could have talked about the defensive failures on McFadden's TD run or our inability to defend a simple out-route all game. But there was one signature play that was quite special and I felt warranted a look at the X's and O's this week. That play was a vintage Ben Roethlisberger play where he uses his feet to extend the play then hits an open receiver downfield (in this case Mike Wallace) for a big play (in this case, a touchdown).

At the beginning of the play we see the Steelers are aligned with 5 wide, but it's really only a 3 WR personnel grouping as Heath Miller and Baron Batch are on the field as well. Wallace is lined up at the top of the screen with Batch in the slot. Miller is on the line in the slot to Ben's right with Sanders next to him and Brown out wide. The Raiders appear to have their outside corners in man coverage with two deep safeties on the play.

If you watch the tape, you can see the route patterns develop. At the top, the Steelers run a very simple route combo with Wallace going long and Batch running an out-route underneath him. On the bottom, Heath and Sanders are both running crossing routes and Brown is running a fly down the sideline. I believe Heath and Sanders are the first two options for Ben on the play, as their routes are designed to get them open across the middle right at the first down line. The Raiders throw a hitch into this plan with their defense as they drop 8 into coverage with one of the defensive tackles dropping right into the space where Heath runs his route.

At the snap of the ball, the Raiders tackle has dropped into coverage instead of rushing. At this point, there are three Raiders defenders (circled) all looking into the backfield to see where Ben is going with the ball.

The dropping DT makes a very nice defensive play by picking up Heath as he comes across the formation. This enables the linebacker who was in the middle to drop a bit deeper. The slot corner steps up to cover Sanders as he runs parallel to the line. At the top of the screen, we see the route concept working to perfection. Wallace is drawing the corner off by running deep and Batch is coming open underneath for Ben's "check-down" option.

Now Ben is starting to run out of time. Even though it was just a 3-man rush, the internal clock in his head is going off. His first option (Heath) is being shoved off his line by the defensive lineman that dropped into coverage and is essentially double-covered by the DT and slot corner. Sanders is also being blanketed. At the top of the screen, the Raiders make their first mistake. Rather than running with Wallace, the corner takes a peek into the backfield. For the moment, this prevents Ben from throwing it out to Batch on the check-down. This is a trademark move of a Cover-2 defense in that the corner will "hand off" the receiver to the safety over the top.



CBS showed this camera shot during the replay and it pretty much shows what I just described. Brown is essentially double-covered at the bottom of the screen. The Raiders have the two receivers in the middle covered. At the top, the corner is releasing Wallace back to the safety who should drop back to cover Wallace as he goes deep while the corner steps up to cover Batch.

With the corner releasing Wallace to the safety behind him, he has a bead on Batch who is still open at the first down sticks. Miller and Sanders are blanketed by 3 guys across the middle and there is no way Ben is getting the ball. So Ben does what Ben does best: he improvises. He rolls back to his right to create some time.



From the wide-angle, we see the bigger picture as Ben rolls to his right. The safety on Wallace's side is beginning to sprint towards him and the corner has turned his hips and is now turning back towards Batch. Ben's passing lanes to the two receivers over the middle are covered. The DT who dropped to cover Heath (black arrow) is right in the middle of the passing lane.

As Ben comes back to his right, Heath turns and tries to follow Ben back to get open. He may look open in this screenshot, but he really isn't, which forces Ben to look downfield.



As Ben rolls back to the right, the Raiders pretty much have perfect coverage. The eight defenders have Brown (bottom), Sanders (hash marks) and Heath (between hash marks and numbers) all double-covered. Only Wallace (top) and Batch (top sideline) are single-covered. But as Ben rolls back to his right, things start to open up.

From a slightly wider view we see that Heath and Sanders are pretty much surrounded by 4 defenders. Even if Ben could get the ball to Heath, it's a risky throw. So Ben just points Wallace to the middle of the end zone.



This is probably the strangest part of the play. The safety that came over the top to cover Wallace, rather than turning and running with him back towards the middle of the field, keeps running towards the sideline after Wallace makes his break. The safety is now out of the play and Wallace has the entire end zone to himself. The other safety makes a break towards Brown, tightening the double coverage as Ben rolls to the right.

Ben winds up an throws, just barely behind the line of scrimmage. All four defenders that had been covering Heath and Sanders are making a run towards Ben. I'm not sure if they would've gotten to him before he reached the sticks if he had tried to run for the first down, but it would've been close.

Looking at the wide angle, we see that the safety at the top is still standing by the sideline, completely out of the play. The corner that had been eyeing Batch is now desperately trying to make a beeline towards Wallace, who is wide open in the back of the end zone. The four Raiders defenders over the middle are closing in on Ben and there really aren't any passing lanes to get the ball to Heath or Sanders.

As a final screenshot, here's a look at the direction each of the Raiders players were moving at the end of the play. Only one, the corner who had originally been covering Wallace, spotted him running open in the end zone. This was a fantastic improvisation by Ben and Wallace for Mike to get open across the middle and for Ben to find him. This was only possible because Ben used his feet to keep the play alive and gave his receivers time to get open. Remember, at the moment when the pocket started to break down and Ben had to scramble back to his right, the Raiders had excellent coverage. It was only because of Ben's ability to move around and create time and space that Wallace was able to exploit a terrible play by the safety and get open for the touchdown.

You can watch the whole play for yourself here.