Congratulations Bruuuuuuuuuce Smith

Today, this year's NFL Hall of Fame class was announced at the Super Bowl in Tampa Florida. It's a star-studded group featuring such standouts as the late Derrick Thomas of the Kansas City Chiefs and Rod Woodson, the talented defensive back perhaps best known for his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The class really belongs to Bills fans however, as Ralph Wilson, the only man to ever own the Bills and one of the founders of the American Football League joined the Hall. Alongside him is one of, if not the greatest player in Buffalo history Bruce Smith.

Smith, The NFL's all-time leader in sacks with 200, was the #1 overall pick in 1985 out of Virginia Tech. During his time in Blacksburg, "The Sack Man" amassed 71 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for a total of 504 yards lost by the opponent. Smith won the 1984 Outland Trophy as America's top lineman and was a consensus All-American the same season.

In addition to his record number of sacks, Smith had 1,224 tackles, 43 forced fumbles and 2 interceptions in his illustrious NFL career resulting in 11 Pro Bowl selections. Smith was a crucial cog in the Bills teams that won 4-consecutive AFC championships, though they failed to win a Super Bowl.

This video kind of downplays Bruce a little towards the end, but it highlights the most memorable sack of his career for me. I remember vividly when Bruce knocked Boomer Esiason unconcious, I'm not sure if Boomer remembers it quite as clearly.

The Super Yoi Bowl

Even though we have already featured a post with tidbits on the Terrible Towel now feels like a good time to add a more robust take on the Pittsburgh phenomenon. In fact, one might even consider this a dedication to the late Myron Cope.

For those who are uninformed, Cope was a famous color commentator for Steelers radio broadcasts for 35 years. Cope is as equally recognizable amongst Pittsburgh natives as Harry Caray is amongst Chicagoans, though not nearly as nationally renowned.

It was Cope who popularized the nickname of Jerome Bettis as "The Bus" and Kordell Stewart as "Slash." It was Cope who invented the Terrible Towel as a motivational ploy to excite the fans for a 1975 playoff game versus the Baltimore Colts.

It was cope who coined the catch-phrases "Okel Dokel" and "Yoi."

It is Cope who, although departed from this earth since February 27, 2008, comes to life every time Steelers fans wave their Terrible Towels.

For this electric character whose voice gracefully pierced the airwaves for 35 years, the following adaptation from 'Twas the Night Before Christmas was extracted.

Twas the night before the Super Bowl, when along the gulf shore, Steelers fans were praying for “just one more;” 

The players were nestled all snug in the sack, With visions of the first NFL Six-Pack; 

Coach Tomlin was young, but wise for his years, So I drifted off to sleep without any fears; 

When at the stadium there arose some strange chatter, The Cardinals feared, what was the matter; 

We heard “Okel Dokel”, we heard “Double Yoi,” We jumped from our beds, our hearts jumped for joy; 

He stood at the fifty with a grin ear to ear, Steelers fans everywhere started to cheer; 

Then in an instant to our surprise, This little old man had tears in his eyes; 

He went to the booth and there took his chair, While Terrible Towels waved in the air; 

Then over the airwaves came his shrill voice, The Steelers Nation began to rejoice; 

He said, “I am back, but you know I can’t stay, I just had to see my Steelers play; 

From my home up above, I have a great view, But I wanted to celebrate here with you; 

So bring on the Birds, we’ll send them a flyin’, On the way back to Phoenix, they will be cryin’; 

Ben, Hines, Troy, Jeff and all of the rest, No matter the outcome, to me you’re the best;” 

The airwaves went silent, the stadium still, Was this just a dream, it seemed so real; 

In our team we have faith, in our team we have hope, But the game’s not the same without Myron Cope. 

Written by: A.K. Young 01-23-09

Without a doubt the black and gold faithful are intensely excited about the prospect of becoming the first NFL team with 6 Super Bowl rings. As it is now, the Steelers are tied with the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers at 5. 

So grab your Iron City for Sunday's matchup as the Steelers dedicate their performance to the memory of Myron Cope. Here's to an ice cold, black, and gold six-pack. 

Here we go Steelers, Here we go!

Why The Steelers Will Win The Super Bowl

This marks part two of our Stars and Slights Super Bowl preview XLIII preview. Justin already provided his insights in the "Why The Cardinals Will Win" edition and now it is time for the Steel Curtain edition.

Why The Steelers Will Win The Super Bowl

It is no secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers have long since been known for their aggressive, blitzing defense. From the days of Jack Ham and "Mean" Joe Greene to the days of Troy Polamalu and James Harrison the Steelers defense has asserted itself as a pestering, fearless and dominant force in the National Football League.

This year's  group is, statistically, one of the best in the history of the black and gold. The Steelers finished the regular season ranked 1st in the NFL in Total Yards per Game (237.2), Total Pass Yards per Game (156.9), and Total Points per Game (13.9) while finishing a measly 2nd in Rush Yards per Game (80.3).

Even though the Pittsburgh offense is not a juggernaut they are equipped with plenty of star power. Say what you want about Ben Roethlisberger but he finished in the top twenty in 5 passing categories and knows how to distribute the ball in the Steelers offense.

Big Ben is in his fifth year in the NFL and has already played in one Super Bowl, a 21-10 Steelers victory in Jerome Bettis' final game of his career in Super Bowl XL.

No single aspect of Ben's game stands out more than his surprising mobility. He has uncanny field awareness once the pocket collapses and its scramble or fry time. His ability to extend plays while waiting for receivers to get open is an invaluable segment of the Steelers playbook.

Willie Parker missed 5 games this season but still managed 4 games with 100+ rushing yards. Mewelde Moore and Carey Davis also serve as respectable running game support.

Danger also roams outside the hash marks and down field as Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, and Nate Washington can score seemingly at will. An X factor in the receiving game is Limas Sweed, who has dropped several passes this year. If the Cardinals lock down on the aforementioned trio the fate of the Steelers offense could lie in his hands (assuming he can hang on to the ball).

There is no doubt that the Steelers will utilize some combination of tight ends Heath Miller and Matt Spaeth, either. These two men are pivotal members of the Steelers system and are reliable passing options.

Unlike the Cardinals, the Steelers never lost two games in a row during the regular season. They started off hot by winning 5 of their first 6, lost the next 2 of 3, and then 6 out of their final 7.

Pittsburgh won comfortably in the divisional playoff round against the Chargers 35-24 and again one week later in the AFC Championship versus the Ravens 23-14.

The matchup between the Cardinals and Steelers is not without an intriguing side story. Current Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt was the Steelers offensive coordinator when Pittsburgh won Super Bowl XL as a 6 seed (the only seed of its kind to ever do so) in 2005. Whisenhunt was passed over for current Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin when then head coach Bill Cowher retired after the 2006 season.

Fast forward to the present and the road once diverged will rejoin paths once again this Sunday, February 1, 2009.

The matchup to watch is the Cardinals receivers versus the Steelers secondary. Larry Fitzgerald has been on fire lately and is a bona-fide super star. He was selected for his 3rd pro bowl this season, has recorded 5 straight 100+ yard receiving games (including the postseason), and had a monster 3 TD performance in the Cardinals' 32-25 against the Eagles in the NFC Championship.

Kurt Warner is not nearly as mobile now at the ripe age of 37 as he was 8 years ago when he last played in the big game, a 20-17 loss for Warner's St. Louis Rams to the New England Patriots. 

Look for an attacking Steelers defense to frustrate Warner all night by forcing him out of the pocket to make unbalanced throws on the run.

History might also be on the Steelers' side. In 2005, the Pittsburgh team honored Jerome Bettis by wearing throwback green #6 ND jerseys for their media day in Detroit for Super Bowl XL. This time around, the entire Steelers offensive line each wore #63 uniforms on Tuesday during Super Bowl XLIII Media Day in honor of the former great Pittsburgh Center Dermontti Dawson.

Offensive lineman Trai Essex had the following to say about the jerseys:

We wanted to do our part to push Dermontti, one of the greatest centers to ever play the game, into the Hall of Fame. We thought he should be in there already. His credentials speak for themselves. He doesn’t need this, but we want to do our part. We want to get one of our own in there. He is a very deserving guy.

Remember what happened the last time the Steelers paid a similar tribute? Victory, sweet victory.

Above and beyond these side stories,  although Super Bowl XLIII will be hard-pressed to live up to last year's exhilarating performance this will be a truly exciting matchup of offensive firepower versus defensive clout.

Safe money pits the Steelers as champions because, as the cliche goes, defense wins championships.

PREDICTION

Steel Curtain 27

Cards 17

Why The Cardinals Will Win The Super Bowl

This marks part one of our Stars & Slights Super Bowl preview. Brian will have the Steelers portion in the coming week while I am firmly entrenched on the Arizona Cardinals band wagon. Credit to myself for the simple but cool Super Bowl graphic.


Why The Cardinals Will Win The Super Bowl


The Cardinals have had a magical season, well, the last few weeks have been magical. The regular season was as up-and-down as they come. Inconsistency plagued Arizona throughout the year.

The Cards won their first two games, then lost two, won two, lost one, ran off a three game win streak then lost four of their last six to limp into the playoffs.

None of that matters now however. The Cardinals are the hottest team in the universe and they have everything going in their favor.

I shall avoid using the term, ‘playing with house money’ because I’m sick of hearing it and it no longer applies. The Cardinals now have plenty to lose, the Super Bowl.

But that won’t rattle 2-time NFL MVP and former Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner who will start in his third championship tussle.

Warner has had a resurgent season in the desert, throwing for 4,538 yards and 30 touchdowns to just 14 interceptions en route to earning his fourth career Pro Bowl selection.

Warner, 37, has been nearly flawless in the playoffs throwing just two interceptions to his eight touchdowns, capped off by a remarkable performance against the Eagles in the NFC championship game.

Of course Warner’s targets are impressive as well.

Larry Fitzgerald has been on fire lately, but that’s no surprise given his stellar season. Fitzgerald caught 96 passes for 1,431 yards and 12 touchdowns, scoring a career-high 72 points in the process.

On the other side, Anquan Boldin put in another fine season totaling 1,098 yards and 11 touchdowns despite missing 4 games due to injuries. His hamstring is still a bit of a concern, but he was a full participant in practice last Thursday and Friday.

The forgotten man is the surprising Steve Breaston. Warner’s third option had just over 1,000 yards receiving as well this year. You can double cover Larry Fitzgerald all you want, but the other guys are more than capable of beating the defense and they’ve shown it.

The run game isn’t nearly as impressive as the pass for Arizona, but it’s more than enough to keep the defense honest.

Edgerrin James had a resurgence in the playoffs once the Cardinals remembered he was on their roster. He showed flashes of the past with bruising runs and despite his relative age, he still gets better the more carries he gets.

Rookie Tim Hightower is a nice change of pace back as well, leading the team with 10 rushing touchdowns and he proved to be a reliable receiver as is third-string back J.J. Arrington.

The defense is what really sets this team up for success on the grandest of stages.

They’re an impressive +9 in turnover ratio during the playoffs, bewildering not just rookie quarterback Matt Ryan, but veterans Jake Delhomme and Donovan McNabb.

They’ve shut down the league’s No. 2 and No. 3 rushing attacks (Atlanta and Carolina) and have nearly made everyone forget the rather mediocre stats compiled by the unit during the regular season.

Time has forgotten how poorly Ben Roethlisberger played in his first Super Bowl .He completed just 9 of 21 passes in that game for 123 yards and 2 interceptions. Antwaan Randle El threw the only Steeler touchdown pass on a 43-yard completion to Hines Ward.

This season hasn’t been terribly dominant for Roethlisberger, who threw 17 touchdowns to 15 interceptions and completed just fewer than 60 percent of his passes.

The defense is phenomenal and that’s how Pittsburgh has won 14 games, by smothering the opponent and riding things out on offense.

I think that Arizona has enough firepower to legitimately challenge the Steelers and the Cards’ defense has been playing like world-beaters, which should give the inconsistent Pitt offense some trouble.

Nerves might be a factor early for many of the Cardinal players, but don’t look for that to last too long.


PREDICTION

Arizona 24

Pittsburgh 14

A Unique View Of The Inauguration

This link show's us a truly unusual and interactive view of President Obama's inauguration. You can zoom all the way in to see the look on George W. Bush's face or you can check out his Dad's excellent taste in winter head wear a few rows back. One of the many excellent finds yielded by having too much time on my hands.

Gigapan.org

Calvin and Hobbes

I stumbled upon this last night during my wanderings through the Internet. Calvin and Hobbes are about as classic as it gets when it comes to comic strips. Bill Watterson is a bit of an enigma, shunning the pubic spotlight in favor of seclusion and privacy. He has always fiercely opposed commercializing Calvin and Hobbes for fear that merchandising would cheapen the artistic integrity of his art.

Watterson stopped his famous comic strip after just 10 years, but he managed to fit a great deal of wisdom into that time. Wisdom dispensed from the brain of a rather precocious and devious six-year-old child give the strip tremendous humor. Below are some fine examples of Calvin's (Watterson's) trademark wit and depth.



"Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us."

"Girls are like slugs—they probably serve some purpose, but it's hard to imagine what."

"History is the fiction we invent to persuade ourselves that events are knowable and that life has order and direction. That's why events are always reinterpreted when values change. We need new versions of history to allow for our current prejudices."

or this classic as Calvin is outside looking up at the stars, "I'M SIGNIFICANT!...screamed the dust speck."