Really?

The nice folks at Sports Illustrated passed along this item from the new issue (on sale Tuesday):



Brett Favre I get (though his performance on Monday night was pretty impressive), but Ben Roethlisberger?

Really?

The Rooney Family is #1

Sure it has been awhile since we have posted anything; but really whose fault is that? After all, if the National Football League would just play year-round we would have no problem finding something to read about much less write about.

In any event, our good friends at Sports Illustrated have identified both best, and worst, owners in the four major professional sports. Naturally our attention is focused almost entirely on the National Football League; and we are happy to report that the Rooney Family, fresh off its sixth Super Bowl championship, came in a at #1.

Also of interest is the fact that three of the four teams in the AFC North are represented in the rankings, with Baltimore owner Steve Bisciotti coming at #5 amongst the best owners and Mike Brown, the Cincinnati owner, coming in at #4 amonst the worst.

"James Harrison's Epic Run"

The title is from a photographic archive available, online and free, from Sports Illustrated.

The fifteen photographs of James Harrison's tide-turning play take us from the Steelers' end zone, down the field, and into the Cardinals' end zone ~ a beautiful jaunt for fans of the Black & Gold

The Sports Illustrated Cover

Sports Illustrated did not have to think too hard or too long about what image to place on their cover this week; and as usual the image is a winner (figuratively and literally).

The following is the text from a press release sent to us with the image:

This week’s issue – the cover of which features Santonio Holmes’ game-winning touchdown catch with the headline “Steelers… That’s Six for the Sixth” . . . hits newsstands tomorrow. In addition, a special commemorative issue recapping the Steelers’ 2008 championship season arrives at area retailers throughout western Pennsylvania on Thursday.

We have had a chance to read the feature article, and as one might expect it is grand! Here is the first couple of paragraphs, as if you required any motivation to get out and purchase a copy:

By midnight half the team was dressed in white Pittsburgh Steelers bathrobes, their fingerprints mucking up a sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy, their cigars burning smoky and sweet. After one of the greatest Super Bowls ever played, wide receiver Santonio Holmes wiped tears from his eyes, owner Dan Rooney pulled on a championship baseball cap and linebacker James Harrison asked if he could fall asleep right there on the locker room floor.

Among the quietest in the group was the quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, who slipped out of the room alone, his robe covering his civilian clothes, the ball with which he knelt to close out Pittsburgh’s heart-stopping 27–23 victory over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII cradled in his left arm.

Peter King's Super Bowl Preview

Peter King really is one of our favorites, but the pool report he filed from Friday's practice was a snoozer! So rather than finishing with that we decided to share his preview from the current issue of Sports Illustrated (and this is as good a time as any to thank the folks at SI ~ they have been incredibly helpful and generous during this NFL season, and we appreciate all they did for us!).

It is also worth mentioning that, in addition to the preview, this week's issue features a terrific article by Tim Layden on the ties that bind the Steelers and the city of Pittsburgh. The title of the article: "We are Family."

Super Bowl XLIII Preview: Cardinals vs. Steelers

A sixth ring for Pittsburgh or a historic first for Arizona? It all hinges on whether the NFL’s best defense can do what no one else has done in the playoffs: knock Larry Fitzgerald off his game

By Peter King

This super bowl has one significant element in common with last year's: The underdog most assuredly can win if it plays to its strength. In Super Bowl XLII the Giants had a chance against the mighty Patriots as long as New York's quick, flexible and unpredictable defensive front won the battle at the line of scrimmage. This year the Cardinals have a shot against the imposing Steelers if Larry Fitzgerald can make big plays like he did in the first three rounds of the playoffs.

Against the Falcons, Panthers and Eagles on successive weekends in January, the 6' 3", 220-pound fifth-year wideout torched secondaries for a total of 23 receptions, 419 yards and five touchdowns. When single-covered, Fitzgerald beat them long, as he did on the 62-yard flea-flicker touchdown against Philadelphia in the NFC Championship Game; when doubled, he leaped between defensive backs for jump balls thrown by Kurt Warner, as he did against Atlanta and Carolina. Also, Fitzgerald is more physical than he looks—"He's got a little tight end in him," says Rams cornerback Ron Bartell—and has been more effective in the middle of the field than in the past, the beneficiary of offensive coordinator Todd Haley's plan to make him a complete receiver. The 25-year-old Fitzgerald now does so many things that are hard to defend against that Pittsburgh's mantra in preparation for Super Bowl XLIII on Sunday in Tampa is: Expect him to make plays, but stop him from making the big plays.

The Steelers' defense must force the Cardinals to use 13 plays to score, not three. And to do that Pittsburgh will have to change some of its tendencies. For one, instead of allowing heat-seeking safety Troy Polamalu to roam the field, blitzing and intimidating at will, the Steelers might have to play him and free safety Ryan Clark in a more disciplined two-deep scheme, to ensure that Fitzgerald gets nothing deep. Second, the Steelers must alter their blitz philosophy. Defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau mostly reserves the blitz for obvious passing downs, but on occasion in this game he'll have to disrupt Warner by sending outside linebackers LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison on first- and second-down plays. And though LeBeau doesn't use bump coverage as much as some coordinators, he'd be wise to hit Fitzgerald plenty within the legal five-yard zone.

As defensive backs and coaches who faced Fitzgerald this year learned, you have to show him different looks over the course of the game. "I've been around some great receivers in 25 years in this league," says Jim Mora, Seattle's secondary coach in 2008 who was promoted to head coach after the season. "Jerry Rice ran every route with a purpose. Terrell Owens runs angry. Larry runs with a viciousness. He attacks the defense. He's become a much more physical player this year, but I don't think you can just play him in a physical way exclusively. He's too smart for that."

Here's more advice for the Steelers from players and coaches accustomed to seeing Fitzgerald in the NFC.

Reroute him as he comes off the line: Fitzgerald had 11 catches in two games combined against San Francisco this year, but only one of those went for more than 10 yards because the 49ers wouldn't let him get comfortable. "We make him start his route again whenever possible," says Niners secondary coach Johnnie Lynn. "That takes time off Kurt's clock. If Kurt gets a second taken away, with Larry starting his route again, it might take Larry out of the play." Lynn says he'll line up a corner inside of Fitzgerald and try to send him up the side on one play, then in the same formation the next time put the corner outside and try to force him to the middle. The key, Lynn says, is to not let Fitzgerald dictate the coverage.

Hit hard when the ball reaches his hands: "The Cardinals threw him five fades against us this year," says Rams safety Corey Chavous, "and they were 0 for 5. That's because Ron Bartell, who's 6' 1", played him so well." Which is where 6' 2" Steelers corner Ike Taylor comes in; he's likely to be matched against Fitzgerald on deep balls. Says Bartell, "When the ball is close or Fitzgerald's just getting it, I try to play through his hands and into his helmet. He's got the best hands in the league by far, so you want to be physical on his hands."

Pittsburgh has to attack Fitzgerald's body as well as the ball: "He did a LeBron against us last year," says Lynn. "They threw a jump ball in the end zone at the end of the half, and none of our guys got up to his elbow. He's special in crowds, the best of the big guys at going up for the ball." If the Steelers can't leap with Fitzgerald, they'd better make sure he feels the body shots on his way down in hopes of dislodging the ball.

Beware the flea-flicker: Only once in two games this postseason has a receiver—San Diego's Vincent Jackson—caught a ball beyond Pittsburgh's last defender. "You don't get behind our secondary," Taylor says. But twice in three games Fitzgerald has gained more than 40 yards on gadget plays. Polamalu must be smart enough to recognize the trap when the Cardinals try to pull it. Two months ago it would have been easier for Pittsburgh. The Steelers could have kept their two safeties back 100% of the time, because in the regular season there was no Arizona running game to worry about—the Cards ran the ball just 36% of the time. But with their tight ends' return to health and playing mostly with a lead in the playoffs, Arizona has run on 52% of its snaps. "Now we've got play-action back," Haley says. That will keep Pittsburgh's defensive backs guessing.

Watch the pick play: The Cards like to send Fitzgerald across the middle, expecting to free him by losing defenders in traffic. At least 12 snaps a game Arizona uses four-wide sets, which Pittsburgh sees very little of in the AFC North. In one of Haley's preferred formations, he bunches three wideouts on one side and puts Fitzgerald alone on the other. "The chess match is going to be the Pittsburgh linebackers on the Arizona receivers," says Lynn, "because on early downs Pittsburgh usually lets the linebackers drop in coverage. You can't leave Larry alone on the backside of that three-by-one formation. He'll either beat you deep or get lost in coverage over the middle."

The Steelers will have to pick their poison: Do you force Fitzgerald to the outside and risk getting beat deep down the sideline, or lay off and take your chances on a succession of 12-yard crosses and eight-yard curls?

Fitzgerald isn't the only player Pittsburgh has to worry about: Arizona has two other 1,000-yard receivers in Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston. Yet with LeBeau setting the tone the Steelers' defense will be confident. And why not? They're the No. 1 defense in the NFL. They mauled the Patriots and the Cowboys—two good downfield passing clubs—late in the season, harassing Matt Cassel and Tony Romo into five interceptions and eight sacks total while holding them to a 51% completion rate and two touchdown drives on 26 combined possessions.

Warner and Fitzgerald versus the new Steel Curtain is going to be a fair fight. Just remember that Arizona put up 32 points on Philadelphia's third-ranked defense in the NFC title game, with Fitzgerald contributing three first-half touchdown catches. If the Cardinals—and Fitzgerald—come close to duplicating that performance on Sunday night, they'll join the 1969 Jets, 2001 Patriots and 2007 Giants as history's unlikeliest Super Bowl winners.

Mike Tomlin saw things just like we did

The fact that a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers is on the (regional) cover of Sports Illustrated is no surprise, but what we did find somewhat surprising was a piece of information included in Peter King's article about head coach Mike Tomlin. Specifically, Mr. Tomlin did not care much for the reaction that Limas Sweed had to dropping a second quarter pass that almost certainly would have gone for a touchdown:

[W]ith 1:00 left in the first half and the Steelers leading the Baltimore Ravens 13–7. Pittsburgh rookie wideout Limas Sweed, uncovered deep down the left side, dropped a sure touchdown pass, then fell to the ground and lay there. Replays showed the only injury was to his pride. But when Sweed was slow to rise, the Steelers had to take their last timeout—one they'd wish they had when the clock ran out before they could attempt a short field goal. After Sweed finally walked off, to 65,350 boos, he was met at the sideline by a livid Tomlin. For 10 seconds the coach blew up, and the wideout took it.

"I wasn't mad because he dropped the ball," Tomlin said later. "That kind of mistake can happen to anyone. I was pissed that he'd lay on the ground, fake an injury and cost us our last timeout. My point was, Be a man! Grow up!"

Three plays later Sweed was back in the game and delivering a ferocious block on cornerback Corey Ivy, enabling tight end Heath Miller to gain an extra yard or two. "Coach Tomlin's got an interesting way of explaining stuff," Sweed said. "He's got a little magic in him."

That lay-on-the-ground-after-dropping-a-pass stuff may have worked at Texas but it simply does not work in the pro game; and definitely does not work in Pittsburgh.

More love from SI

The great folks at Sports Illustrated sent along a digital image of their upcoming cover again ~ and once again I pass it along to the dozens of you who check in on what we think.

There is an article in the issue, and we are also glad to pass along what we consider the money quote:

Pittsburgh was the only home team to defend its turf in the divisional round, a quirk that former running back Jerome Bettis explained thusly: "The weather here is bad, the field is bad, and the defense is bad-ass." On Sunday at Heinz, the Steelers will face a Ravens defense almost as bone-chilling as theirs. "We don't like them," Colon says. "It's the history, but it's also the arrogance and the disrespect they show us."

On Newsstands Now

The folks at Sports Illustrated were nice enough to send along an image of the cover of this week's issue of the magazine ~ and it is just too lovely not to share.

They also included a press release outlining their coverage of last Sunday's matchup between Baltimore and Pittsburgh, and I'm including it here in its entirety:

"(NEW YORK – December 16, 2008) – Pittsburgh and Baltimore, the best defenses of the decade, met to decide the AFC North—and to settle the debate over which unit can claim to be the NFL's best. The answer is etched in steel, and linebacker LaMarr Woodley, a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense, appears on the cover of the December 22, 2008, issue of Sports Illustrated, with the billing, STEEL CURTAIN II -DEFENSE - That Same Old December Song in the NFL.

In this week’s cover story titled D As in Dominant, SI senior writer Jim Trotter says of the game and the defenses: “Sunday’s battle provided everything one would expect from the NFL's top-ranked defenses, with offensive advances seemingly measured in inches rather than yards…. As the Steelers walked to the locker room afterward, one member of the defense barked, ‘Fourteen games in a row! Fourteen games in row! There shouldn't be no debate now!’ What he meant was, the 11–3 Steelers, who entered the game with the league's No. 1 defense, have held their opponents to less than 300 yards of total offense in every game this season, tying the postmerger record set by the Los Angeles Rams in 1973; and any talk that the Ravens’ No. 2-ranked defense is the better unit should cease” (page 34).

Trotter adds: “Despite the hostile nature of the rivalry, there is a mutual respect between the two units, and they are more alike than players on either side care to admit.”

The masterminds behind the two defenses are coordinators Dick LeBeau (Steelers) and Rex Ryan (Ravens). Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin praises LeBeau: “Dick is the epitome of a team player. He has no ego. He just wants to win. If I had come in and tried to change the defense, it would have been about ego. But we all have to check our egos at the door. I’ve worked with guys like Tony Dungy and Monte Kiffin, and I viewed working with Dick as another opportunity to work with a brilliant defensive mind. Every day he’s tinkering, trying to figure out how to do something better. He comes to work with an emphasis on getting better every day.”

Continuing on Rex Ryan [son of Buddy], Trotter says: “[Ryan] has tweaked the D to his liking, making it even more unpredictable and aggressive. He seemingly comes up with new pressure packages in his sleep, but one thing he refuses to change is what he looks for in a player.”

Ryan says: “It’s not necessarily the position, it’s the disposition. You’ve got to have the right guys, the right mentality, to have consistency. Every now and then you get a flash-in-the-pan team that shows up and has a decent year on defense. But for the most part it’s usually us and Pittsburgh right there with each other, and I think it has a lot to do with the type of players we have—and the mind-set of those players. There’s a passion that both teams play with on defense.”

As part of the cover story, SI senior writer Peter King takes a more in depth look at the philosophies of LeBeau and Ryan."