Posts Tagged ‘Pittsburgh Steelers’

A Little Perspective

November 11th, 2009 - 9:26am by jim_saccomanoOther posts by jim_saccomano

Perspective is one of those things that everybody claims to have, but which frequently seems lacking as soon as something goes against form, or what we deem form to be.

The Broncos are 6-2, and we could make a laundry list of things that have not gone right the past two weeks, of things that need to be improved dramatically, or a little.

OK, fine, no disagreement there.

But let’s consider:

We knew we had a schedule, and that it consisted of 16 games. This is something we all knew, as well as knowing that we would not play all 16 games at once, but instead playing them the very traditional one at a time. Everything is one at a time. Every single thing.

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Tough Night Under the Lights

November 11th, 2009 - 8:33am by mark_cooperOther posts by mark_cooper

Pressure, sacks and interceptions/turnovers make for a long night. Sorry for the delayed post today but I was in the air all day yesterday flyng back form Florida. I even tried (wifi) in the airports and that was sacked-pressured and disconnected much like the game Monday Night. I finally got home late in the day.

I was in the Keys for a charity fishing tournament and maybe the 35-plus knot winds and cloud cover should have been a clue to what was coming Monday night. We had a tropical storm that blew up over Cancun with it’s remnants sweeping across Florida and another Hurricane shooting up the middle of the Gulf of Mexico out of Honduras SPEWING winds and cloud cover for 4-5 straight days. A few more knots of wind and it could have been a Tropical depression where we were.

Monday night before the game, I was doing a radio show at Gary Dunn’s Hotel the OV (Oceanview), bar and restaurant in the Keys in front of a rowdy crowd of about 100 or so people. The crowd was a Steelers HOMER crowd, with Gary being the weekly host of “Jocks on the Rocks”. I threw a few punches at the Steelers and we told a few stories and had some great laughs of the old Steelers Curtain days and the opponents we played against in that era as fun was had by all.

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Broncos vs. Steelers: Second Half Live Blog

November 9th, 2009 - 8:07pm by Zach EisendrathOther posts by Zach Eisendrath

Q3 15:00: The second half begins with a 22-yard kickoff return by Stefan Logan. The Steelers will start the ball at their own 17 yard line.

Q3 13:38: Roethlisberger completes a seven-yard pass to Ward on first down. On 2nd and 3, Mendenhall battles his way through contact and gains six yards to pick up a Pittsburgh first down at the 30 yard line.

Q3 11:30: Roethlisberger looks downfield, but Kenny Peterson makes a move into the pocket and hits the ball out of Roethlisberger’s hand. Robert Ayers recovers the fumble and races down the sideline for a 54-yard touchdown. After an extra point by Prater, the Broncos regain the lead.

Broncos 10, Steelers 7

Q3 12:22: Medenhall rushes to his left on first down. On second down, Roethlisberger goes play action and find Ward at midfield for an 18-yard gain. The ball is at the Denver 49 yard line.

Q3 11:35: Out of a five-wide set, Roethlisberger pump fakes to his left and then finds Holmes for a 16-yard completion. The ball is now at the Denver 33 yard line.

Q3 11:09: Prater sends the kickoff five yards deep into the end zone. Logan again elects to take the ball out of the end zone, returning the ball to the Pittsburgh 20 yard line.

Q3 11:08: Roethlisberger goes play action on first down and completes a 18-yard pass to Wallace, giving Pittsburgh a first down at its own 38.

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Broncos vs. Steelers: First Half Live Blog

November 9th, 2009 - 6:40pm by Zach EisendrathOther posts by Zach Eisendrath

COIN TOSS: Denver will start on offense with Josh Reed kicking off for the Steelers.

Q1 15:00: Royal returns Reed’s kickoff at the goal line and returns it to the 22-yard line. The Broncos starting offense is on the field with Kyle Orton behind center. The offensive line consists of Ryan Clady, Ben Hamilton, Casey Wiegmann, Chris Kuper and Tyler Polumbus, who is starting in place of Ryan Harris (toe injury). Daniel Graham and Tony Scheffler are lined up at tight end and Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal are the wide receivers. Correll Buckhalter is starting at running back.

Q1 14:00: After Orton completed a 13-yard pass to Royal on the first play from Scrimmage, Buckhalter rushed for one-yard.

Q1 13:02: Orton again looks Royal’s way, connecting with the second-year wide receiver for a 14-yard game and the ball is now at midfield.

Q1 11:53: The Broncos showcase their version of the wildcat by snapping the ball directly to Buckhalter. After he gains five yards, Orton once again connects with Royal — this time for a 20-yard gain. Denver is now at the Pittsburgh 25 yard line.

Q1 10:28: After Buckhalter loses three-yards on first down, Orton fires a six-yard pass to Brandon Marshall. On third down Orton’s pass intended for Royal is broken up and Matt Prater is on to attempt a 40-yard field goal attempt.

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Broncos vs. Steelers: Pregame Blog

November 9th, 2009 - 4:06pm by Zach EisendrathOther posts by Zach Eisendrath

Greetings from INVESCO Field at Mile High where the Broncos (6-1) take on the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2) on Monday Night Football.

Tonight’s AFC battle between the Broncos and Steelers marks the first Monday Night Football matchup between the two club’s in over 23 years. In fact, the last time the two squads faced off on Monday Night Football was on Sept. 15, 1986.

Currently, conditions are gorgeous. There is not a cloud in sight and temperatures are in the Mid-50s. Temperatures, however, are expected to drop by kickoff of tonight’s game.

Here is a full weather report for the contest:

Broncos vs. Steelers Weather Report

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Laying Down The Law

November 7th, 2009 - 1:56pm by Chris GentilvisoOther posts by Chris Gentilviso

On Tuesday, Ty Law was celebrating the birth of his baby daughter. Four days later, Law was celebrating his first practice in a Broncos uniform.

The Broncos announced the signing of the 15th-year veteran cornerback on Saturday — 48 hours before Monday night’s kickoff against the Steelers.

Despite the quick turnaround, Law expects to be out there competing with his new teammates on the national stage at INVESCO Field at Mile High.

“Of course (in) a limited fashion, but I did it last year so I think everybody is expecting the same thing,” Law said. “When I signed one day before we played the Patriots when I was in New York, I came out and played 57 plays. But I don’t know. I’m just going to kind of wing it and go out there and do the best that I can.”

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Protecting Against The League’s Best

November 6th, 2009 - 2:34pm by Chris GentilvisoOther posts by Chris Gentilviso

When it comes to stopping the run, no NFL team has been better at harnessing that responsibility than the Steelers.

Through seven games this season, Pittsburgh’s defense is allowing a league-low 76.6 rushing yards per game. The Cincinnati Bengals (100 yards) and Detroit Lions (110 yards) are the only two Steelers opponents to post 100-plus yards on the ground.

While Pittsburgh has been stout against the run, offensive line coach Rick Dennison was more focused on what his unit can control, beginning with improving its toughness from the previous week.

“I think you have to execute every week and you’ve got to be tough every week,” Dennison said. “There is nobody that is going to just let you walk around and make yards. We just have to be better than we were last week.”

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A Familiar Foe

November 5th, 2009 - 2:38pm by Zach EisendrathOther posts by Zach Eisendrath

Arguably no one in the Broncos’ locker room knows the Pittsburgh Steelers — as presently constructed — better than Ryan McBean.

After all, the 6-foot-5, 295-pound defensive lineman spent his first two seasons in the NFL (2007-08 and 2008-09) on Pittsburgh’s practice squad. So he got a first-hand look at the defending Super Bowl Champions last season.

Well-versed in Pittsburgh’s defensive scheme, McBean said he has been able to share a few notes about Dick LeBeau’s unit with his offensive counterparts. But he has plenty of confidence that the offense will be ready for the challenge at hand.

“I try to share my part, give my part,” McBean said. “But these guys, they come here to work. All they’ve got to do is just watch tape and it shows for itself.”

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When Overtime Became Reality

November 4th, 2009 - 5:35pm by jim_saccomanoOther posts by jim_saccomano

One of the things that happens when you have seen a lot of games is that one thought connects to a memory, and another, and another.

Today we had a weekly staff meeting, and I was sitting a couple of chairs away from Billy Thompson, who now handles all the alumni affairs for the team but who in his previous life was a three-time Pro Bowl performer who set the all-time Broncos record for turnovers with 61 (40 interceptions, 21 fumble recoveries).

In fact, he returned four of those fumbles for scores and was around the ball seemingly as much as any Bronco defender in history.

Anyway, as we play the Steelers this week, my mind drifted a bit to one of the greatest games in team history.

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Ecstatic To Enter The Locker Room

November 4th, 2009 - 5:17pm by Chris GentilvisoOther posts by Chris Gentilviso

The last time Carlton Powell suited up for the Broncos, the defense turned in the type of performance it had been craving all preseason.

The Broncos shut out the Cardinals in the exhibition finale, 19-0, at INVESCO Field at Mile High. Seven games later, Denver is 6-1 and its defense leads the NFL in yards allowed per game (266.7).

Back in orange and blue after being signed to the practice squad on Tuesday, those totals were no shock to Powell.

“I’m not surprised at all, from the work ethic everybody had put in during training camp and the type of scheme that we’re running now,” he said. “I kind of expected this and I’m definitely glad to be back and be a part of it.”

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