Back to Main Page Week 1 at Cleveland Week 2 at Baltimore Week 3 vs. Seattle Week 4 vs. Jacksonville Week 5 at Buffalo Week 6 at Cincinnati Week 7 vs. Atlanta Week 8 BYE Week 9 at San Fran Week 10 vs. Cleveland Week 11 at Tennessee Week 12 vs. Cincinnati Week 13 at Jacksonville Week 14 vs. Baltimore Week 15 at Kansas City Week 16 vs. Carolina Week 17 vs. Tennessee Here We Go! Post-Season 
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Pittsburgh vs. Cleveland (15-16) Tim, I freakin' cried! God! I just can't find the words to describe this feeling in my gut. Enraged betrayal comes close. I don't even want to watch this Sunday! Tell me something to restore my faith! Ron G. [Editorial note: I have a feeling this qualifies as blasphemy, but what the heck... anything to get our site back to black & gold! All that brown & orange reminds me of changing diapers...] The season is not over. There is still a chance to go 10-6 or 11-5 hopefully giving them at least a shot at the playoffs. Why do I have so much confidence? Well, they could've beaten the Jaguars, I think they have a chance to beat the Titans, and for some reason, they always seem to have the Chiefs' number. Remember last year? So gather with me telepathically, my friends, and let's send our good and positive vibes through to our team. Bad press and negativity can only hurt... and (in your best Pres. George Bush voice) say, "That wouldn't be prudent at this juncture... " Come on, my bruthas and sistas... I'm probably an idiot in my opinions, but I don't care. Let's blindly root for our team regardless of their mishaps and misfortune. See you in Mecca (a.k.a. Three Rivers Stadium)! Kelley Allison Please allow a fan who never saw the Dynasty years put his spin on what is going with the current Steelers Team. For all my years as a Steeler Fan, I have seen Malone, Woodly, Bono, Blackledge, Brister, Odonnell and now Stewart lead our teams. My support for Kordell Stewart has never wavered. I attributed his downfalls as growing pains and I know that a NFL Quarterback takes time to mature, but when? I am forced to reexamine my stance on Kordell. In his tenure, all our offensive problems have not all been his fault, BUT look at the QBs to come in the league since. It is hard to not have a "knee jerk" reaction to what has been one of our worst losses ever. What hurt about losing to the Browns as apposed to Super Bowl 30, The AFC Championship Game in 94 or Eric Metcalf's 2 Punt Return TDs in the Pound to beat us in 93? I will tell you, we can see that they are rising and we are sinking. As any fan I would rather eat dirt than admit it, but if this trend continues we are going to wallow in mediocrity. Solutions??? I have several drastic measures, such as trading away all older players and their large contracts in order to position ourselves in the draft, have Ryan Leaf in for a tryout (He was a Gilbride Pick) or who knows? Many fans are disgruntled that Cowher has lost his fire for coaching. Maybe he has. The band played while the Titanic sunk. This may be his way of dealing with the subject at hand. I dot agree that he is "testing his players for mettle" with these last games. He should be playing for developing players and seeing who stays. As for Kordell Stewart, I will have eternal optimism that he will come around, but I will start looking at other options until we are back at the peak of greatness again. Hmmmmm... the San Francisco 49ers are already scouting Marshall QB Chad Pennington. Maybe we should. As far as this season I can only say, "Soldiers, affix bayonets... and fall on them!" Holding a solitary vigil for the return of glory at the Confluence, Travis Brian Belden [Editorial note: How appropriate that you use the words "toilet" and "Cleveland Browns" in the same sentence, especially since a fitting tribute to your Pumpkins would be the sound of a toilet flushing (and perhaps even clogging).] Now, on to more important things. Everybody stop booing Kordell. Yes, he has made some bad decisions and yes, a few passes haven't exactly hit their marks... let out a big sigh or an "Awwww," but don't boo. Save that for the Browns. If people really want to have issues, look at the inept blocking of Gandy and most of the line or the apparent inability of Gilbride to give the ball to the running backs. I'm sorry, but when you get 6 on first down, why do you have to pass on second & third? There has also been an abundence of dropped passes by receivers that make any QB's stats look bad. Bottom line is, Kordell is a decent QB. Look around the league and try to find a better one that isn't already playing. There aren't there. So, if the fans around Pittsburgh are so tired of the "losing" ways of the Steelers, we would gladly trade teams with ya. Keep the Bengals around for a while & you will really know what it is like to have a shitty team. Just be glad they haven't used the Bengal excuse of "We will win when we have a new stadium." 'Course, I think that is definately going to help... yup, next year the Bengals are a going to the Super Bowl...NOT :) Have a great day! Mark PS-- you're a lucky man. 1st- I have been a supporter of Kordell for some time now, but... and there is always a big but... when do we say when??? Living in Jersey, I did not get to see the game. I was not concerned though because we were coming off of a nice win against the Niners, we were at home, and we were playing the Browns! What was there to worry about, right? Well, as I watched the scores scroll across the bottom of my television screen, I got that old sinking feeling again. What? How could the Browns be up? Wait... we are close now... even better, we are ahead. These thoughts rambled through my brain as I watched the scores with baited breath. Then... what??? Did that just say Browns 16,,Steelers 15??? No... had to be a mistake. Perhaps I dosed off watching the ohhh so exciting Giants game, and this is just a bad dream, a nightmare in fact. I yelled to my wife, "THROW SOME WATER ON ME, PLEASE!" But there was no escaping the fact that we did indeed lose. My heart sank. But how ? How could we not be sooo pumped, at home, needing a win to keep pace with the Jags and Titans? Damn, I thought... If only I was on the field! So... trying not to think about it too much (Yeah RIGHT!!), I began to visualize what happened. Mind you, I still have not seen any highlights of the game. Let me guess... Kordell had a less than stellar game, throwing the ball as if he were aiming a dart at a bulls eye. Let's see... we probably took a stupid penalty late in the game. The wide receivers probably dropped some passes, but Jerome had a good day. Sound familiar? I am beginning to think its time to try someone else at QB. It was even sooo bad I started to think Neil O'Donnell would even be ok at this point... but, rest assured, I snapped out of that! So, my take on it: The team relies on the QB to be its leader... to stand in there and say, "Okay, boys... lets win this thing." When I think about Kordell in the huddle, late in the game, I hear, "Holy shit, guys... I'm scared! I am having a bad day! I don't think I can do it..." Maybe its just me, but wow-wee, that voice in my head is right most of the time. And, to top it all off, watching "War is Raw" on Monday night, held in Pittsburgh, who did they show in the front row? Well, lookee here, members of the Steelers, just a-whooopin' it up, having a grand ole time. Fellas, you should be ashamed of yourselves. If that was me, I would be looking for a rock to climb under! Okay, I am done venting. I feel much better! THANKS, My Brutha! Sean O'Connor Nuff Said' Michael Flynn IR Operations Tommy P.S.--I agree with Mike Terry's Post-Game comments completly, except for the comment about Steeler Nation A2 being politically correct. On that point, Mike is "Full of more than Toxic Waste." It's quite clear that the Steelers will have to give some thought to the quarterback position this offseason. I've always tried to give Kordell the benefit of the doubt, short of being an apologist, because he's STILL so young, and, looking at his entire career as QB, it is about par for the course for even the best young QBs. The problem is that Kordell does not seem to be showing the progress that the team needs to see in order to have continued confidence in him. Frankly, (I don't want to speak for everyone here) I think most of our expectations of him have been drastically lowered since the end of the 1997 season, and he is not even meeting those standards. I can only hearken back to last week vs. the 49ers. Kordell threw for his usual 120 yards (which is positively anemic for QBs in this league in this day and age), and we all hailed it a good, solid performance from Stewart. For most QBs in this league that we consider to be playoff and Super-Bowl quality, that would almost certainly be the lowest yardage total of their season. This offense has been very much simplified for Stewart to minimize his mistakes, and he still makes those mistakes. Now, I've been as critical of the wide receivers as anyone out there, but in that Cleveland game, Stewart flat-out missed his receivers any number of times. Underthrowing Hines Ward at the 2 yard line when Ward was wide open. Bouncing a pass 3 yards short to Will Blackwell, who was wide open over the middle on 3rd and 16. Overthrowing Troy Edwards by five yards on a straight go route where Edwards had his man beaten by 2 steps. I'm not even mentioning the two interceptions. Man, I KNOW these receivers aren't that great, but you just HAVE to make those passes if you want to win. As for the fans booing, I won't get into the philosophical question of whether it's right for home fans to boo lousy performances or not (although I think it's pretty hard to criticize those who put their money where their mouth is and pony up $70 per week to watch them), but I think Steelers fans have to look at it in a more practical way: For better or for worse, the present QB of the Steelers is an emotional guy. When he plays well, he gets excited and builds on it. When he doesn't, he gets down on himself and the negativity builds on itself. And the booing gets to him more than it should. Is that a good thing? No, probably not. That is ordinarily not the type of player that becomes a reliable leader. But the fact is, that is our starting quarterback right now, like it or not. You have to acknowledge it. Therefore, whether it's loyal or not, it's just practically counter-productive to boo Stewart when you know it affects him, and he'll play even worse because of it. As much as some Steelers fans may dislike Stewart, I can't believe that any dislike him so much that they'd rather see the Steelers lose than Stewart succeed. (BTW, does anyone remember a guy by the name of "Jim Miller"? I can recall him being uncermoniously cut from the Steelers several years ago. I was going to check an America's Most Wanted list to find him, but then I saw him throwing for 450 yards against the Vikes last week.) Anyway, we'll see who the true Steelers fans are after this latest fiasco. All I can say now is: GO STEELERS! All we can do is hope. Jonathan Pasterick So although you can continue bashing Kordell (not undeserving of such, mind you), let me point out what's happening in Green Bay, where the best quarterback in the league is misthrowing balls, handing out INTs, and altogether losing games. Am I saying Favre is as bad as Kordell (or Kordell as good as Favre)? Hell no. But I will say this: the similarities between the two offenses--minus Green Bay's occasional ability to throw the long ball--are eery. Green Bay's O-line is manhandled, which hurts the run, and their receivers are both not getting open and dropping balls (or else tipping balls for interceptions, which I think we set the record for last year with C Johnson). And that's with the highest-paid reciever in the NFL!!! My point? That our problem is structural, and requires re-tooling of the O-line and receiver corps. Sure, go ahead and replace Kordell. I'm not his #1 fan. But don't fool yourself into thinking Gonzalez, T-zak (never put him in, please!!), or any second-rate backup free agent is going to perform any better (any positive difference in completed passes--if the receivers didn't drop them all--would be offset by an increase in sacks for an immobile quarterback (though I can't say Kordell's impressed me this year with eluding the rush). Again, look at Green Bay if you don't believe me. We need to--are you ready for this--actually SPEND A LITTLE money, hurting the front office's pride a little, and pick up a receiver and proven lineman, instead of putting all our eggs in the draft basket every year. Damn right the Steelers know how to draft--that's our Steel Pride, and where we've rule over the NFL for years (though I still prefer more Super Bowls!). But it doesn't matter how well we draft, if we eventually lose them when we can't pay them enough to stay. So let someone else do a little of the training work, so we can pluck a few ripe free agents for once. We almost had J.J. Stokes at one point. Anyone is better than this wimpy corps we have now (keep Edwards--he'll turn out O.K.). We don't know who our QB "answer" is, everyone. Was O'Donnell ever an "answer"? Defense and the running game (which INCLUDES the O-line) got us to the Super Bowl, with errror-free passing. Let's get an exciting receiver, a second durable receiver, two ass-kicking 300lb. offensive lineman, and then let's see where we stand. Drop Kordell? Fine with me, but you won't find any answers until you fix the rest of the offense (recievers and line). Did you ever think Brett Favre could look as bad as Kordell? A quarterback needs a supporting cast. Tim Arbisi A quick update. Last night, I watched a football game that demonstrated a football fact. If you have an effective quarterback who doesn't lose games for you, then you win football games. The NY Jets have sucked anal canal water this year! They have been trying to make things work with a QB who, frankly, had all of the talent in the world but didn't have the confidence to make it work - sound familiar. They replace him with a QB from (oh this pains me to say it) RUTGERS and they win a game against a good football team. Why did it work? Because Ray Lucas had that confidence to play within himself and make the plays that he needed to make. Another example. Donovan McNabb came in Sunday for the Eagles and, in all honesty, didn't light the place up. Still, he worked with the tools he had (and if anyone is crying about losing CJ to the Eagles, all you had to do was look at 1 fumbled punt and two dropped passes that hit him between the 8 and the 1 on his jersey), moved the team when he had to, made smart decisions (his only int - which was called back on a facemask that occurred before the INT - was caused by a tipped pass at the line), and gave those around him confidence that he could move the team. This is what Kordell hasn't shown on a consistent basis. This is his third year, more than enough time to show some consistency. One week he shows us that he can be effective, then the next week he doesn't show up. I've been trying to lay blame on other areas of the team, but you can't do that anymore. This was a Cleveland team that beat us with 16 points. They have the worst defense in the league statisticly, especially against the run. Cleveland HAD to stack the line against us to stop Bettis, and he still gained 3.8 per carry. With everything going for him in this game, Kordell couldn't come through. Yes, his receivers dropped passes, ran the wrong routes, and didn't get open. But they didn't do that on every play the entire game. The stats don't lie that much - 15 of 31 for 137 yards. That comes out to a grand total of 4.4 yards/attempt and a 48% completion percentage. Even with the dropped passes and wrong routes, you still have to be able to complete more than 48 percent of your passes. And I've seen a lot of these "dropped passes" this year; passes that, granted, should be caught by NFL receivers, but by no means has he been hitting his receivers between the numbers and making accurate passes. Even looking at his throwing form, you can tell he just isn't comfortable throwing the ball in the NFL. I watched him in college in the Fiesta Bowl (we beat his Colorado team), and he is a shell of his former self. What we have here is a QB who doesn't know what kind of player that he is. He wants to be a pocket passer, but he doesn't have confidence in his throwing abilities. He wants to be a scrambler, but he doesn't throw well on the run. He wants to be a team leader, but he needs the rest of the team to carry his game more often than not. He is lost, and as long as our QB is lost, so is the offense. Every offensive player needs to make a contribution in order for an offense to be successful. However, the QB touches the ball on every play. The only other player that can say that is the center. The QB makes the on-field adjustments that are necessary to exploit what the defense gives you. The QB must be effective if the play-action runs and passes are going to work. The QB must be able to scan the field, find an open receiver, deliver a pass, run, or get rid of the ball without causing a loss, a fumble, or an interception. Kordell can do none of this consistenty or effectively. You can't argue that he can. He has done it on occasion, but he has yet to put the package together on a consistent basis. A move must be made, and Kordell must be cut, traded, or moved to another position (the most unlikely since it would cause a great deal of turmoil more than likely). Just needed to get that off my chest! Scott Springer Waiting for Draft Day 1) Should've re-signed Yancey Thigpen. Best receiver we've had in 20 years, pay him what he's worth. 2) Shouldve re-signed Neil O'Donnell. You can hate him all you want, but he's a top 10 QB in the league right now. And if you dont think so, fine, but Cowher went with Tomczak and Stewart and its gotten them nowhere. 3) Shouldn't have paid Greg Lloyd the big $$ and given it to Chad Brown the year he left. 1) Poor draft choices the last four or five years (not many are selected to the Pro Bowl). 2) Nobody on offense makes much of an impact. Stewart will never make it as a QB. Receivers are terrible. Offensive line can't open any holes for Fattes. 3) We need to sign some impact players (free agents) on offense and and have better drafts. Bob Green Kenneth Hoffmaster Later Days from Prescott Valley Art "STEEL" Lyon One of the easiest things to do in sports is play Monday morning quarterback and second-guess the calls that went wrong the day before. Anyone can. But you don't get genius points for saying what they should have done AFTER the fact. That said, I'm going to do it anyway. Gilbride should have kept feeding the ball to Bettis during the fourth quarter possessions. He should have been doing it earlier in the game as well. I won't even use the "Bettis was averaging 3.8 yards per carry" argument although I could. Statistics can be misleading (although in this case they're really not). But I thought the departure of Ray Sherman signaled the end of crappy offensive play calling. Little did I know. I saw a familiar pattern yesterday. In the first half, some of Bettis' rushes were stuffed or resulted in two- and three-yard gains. By the fourth quarter, however, these running plays were getting six and eight yards a pop as Cleveland DBs' contact with Bettis consisted mostly of stepping back out of the way and pushing him in the back or shoulder pads after he was already going down. They were no longer anxious to stick their heads in there when he was running upright and didn't have someone already hanging on. Cleveland's DBs aren't unique in this regard; most DBs he plays against do this by the fourth quarter. So Pittsburgh was hanging onto a ridiculously slim lead by bleeding out the clock with Bettis runs. Perfect! But Gilbride saw fit to keep putting the ball in the air. Hey man, feel free to mix up the game plan. Just don't do it when the defense can't stop what you're running and you're trying to kill the clock. His play calls were murdering me. Clearly, this 1999 version is not a championship team. As much as I hate to say it, I don't see the Steelers even getting to the playoffs this year. Not that I'm going out on a limb making that statement. There are so many other areas of the game in which the Steelers didn't do the job that I can't say the fourth quarter play calling alone lost it for them. But it certainly could have won it for them, had it been done differently. This Cleveland team is really bad. That's not gratuitous Browns bashing -- it's just true. They're pretty weak squad. Yet they beat Pittsburgh yesterday. So what does that tell you? I don't want to think about it. Bring on the Troja-...er, Titans. Things can only look up from here. Sheldon I am not a big promoter of Kordell as a QB for my Steelers, but I know enough about football to know that there are a lot of other offensive problems on this team. The O-line is playing somewhat better but is still inconsistent. We also have receivers who are not there yet. We need more quality there, obviously. BUT... after 3 years of Kordell at the helm, I'm very close to being done with him. I can understand lack of talent as a passer, the inconsistent play, the flash that is sometimes cool but doesn't seem to be the way for this team to get one for the thumb. What I can't accept is the attitude this guy seems to be expressing. He is not a leader... not even close. He is starting to remind me of a overpaid player that doesn't care (really care) that much. And I can't accept that from a Steeler player, especially the supposed leader of the offense. Hell, at least Bubby had some grit. No, I wouldn't want to go back to the Bubby years. I just don't want to screw with his guy for 5 years to find out that he isn't the man and we are already 3 years into this! If this season is gonna be another bust like it is starting to look like, then give Pete Gonzalez a try. The thing I notice most from the Browns game was that even with protection and a wide open receiver, Kordell is NOT accurate. After all the time he has played QB in college and pro's, he just is not accurate enough. Time to move on. If this season is a bust, don't go for a 3rd losing year in a row with a guy who's heart is questionable in my book. Rough Times. My Steelers can't beat an expansion team and my Steeler Fan club is so politically correct you can't smoke in the room of the bar they occupy. I will carry on with this team forever and would never dump a beer on any Steeler player, but realisms are starting to rain down on this team... I hope they look closely at them. Mike Terry Ralph Hersko Winchester, Virginia What the hell was going on with that screen pass??? I couldn't believe it. On another note, if Vrabrel gets to Couch before he releases the ball, and he doesn't go helmet to helmet, it's an outstanding play, but we all know what happened. Can the season be salvaged??? Yeah, salvaged about as much as you can salvage the Titanic from the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. 9 or 10 wins in the AFC this year will not get it done. Even if we end up with that many in the last 8 games, we own no tie-breakers. Oh well... I guess the draft is the next big event for me as far as the Steelers are concerned. What really gets me is that if you read the articles on the STEELERSLIVE page, read the false sense of hope that Kirkland said about the offense. I wanted to throw up. I think your page colors look great, although I can't stand the Browns or anybody linked to them. They deserve the look that you gave them after we GAVE them the win. I'm from Delaware Ohio and catching big hell all the way across the Atlantic to Germany, where I am stationed. Next up - Tennessee. Predicted score: Tennessee 23, Steelers 12. Tennessee will score that many points because of the field position they will have after the offense commits turn overs in their half of the field. We may be 4-1 on te road, but believe me when I tell you that the loss to the Browns is an obstacle that will be hard to over come. Everytime I post something on your site, I am totally wrong. Let's hope the trend continues. Take care, my brutha. Terry Your Steelers suck. Wilbur Boyd [Editorial note: Okay, W-i-i-i-i-i-lbur, let's see... the Brownies have won all of two games, both flukes (and one blind luck), both on the last play of the game. But it's the Steelers who suck? Hmmmm... interesting! Last time I checked, Pittsburgh hadn't dropped any games by 43 points, ass-boy. Didn't the Ravens (the REAL Browns) bitch-slap you guys 41-9 the week before last? Yet, it's the the STEELERS who suck? Hmmmm... interesting. You guys caught Pittsburgh on an off day, and Kordell Stewart's worst performance of the season (don't fool yourselves... it was Kordell beating himself, not your lame little defense). It happens from time to time (hence the saying, "On any given Sunday"). It's hard for a solid team to get themselves up to play a complete waste of a ball club. I can remember an atrocious Cincinnati team (some things never change) beating the Super Bowl-bound Steelers in '79, 34-10. Funny thing about that game... it was far from the most memorable moment in Bengals history, unlike your fluke victory over Pittsburgh Sunday, which is apparently Cleveland's crowning achievement. The fact that some of you guys seem to think you won the Super Bowl Sunday shows how truly pathetic you are. No, my friend, your Browns suck.] Man, this team is really pissing me off. I HATE our offense!!! Don't get me wrong... we need points in ANY way possible, but this is like west coast offense and it bores me to tears. So far, it has not produced any results for us to justify its effort (yet). This nickel and dime crap is weak! It's not tough! It's not blue collar. We are just like every other offense in the league... well, worse than most, but designed the same way. Hey, why dont we design a 7 or 8 receiver set? Let's go run-and-shoot. How about Dawson on a center sneak. Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!! Trust me... I'm in California and I've seen enough of the Niner offense in the past 15 years to make me barf up a kidney. I don't really have an answer for our woes, but I sure we could return to our trademark smashmouth football. Here we go again, steelers... here we go!!! Still Puking, Nat The bottom line remains the same for the fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers, year after year: The Steelers front office wants to give away between 5-10 starters a year to free agency and still have the fans be supportive of a mediocre team. Message to Mr. Rooney... Dear Mr. Rooney, Your time is running out! Field a contender, like your father did, or the stands will be empty soon!!! Dave VonSchriltz Columbus, OH "....up, over, down...." -from 16th century Japanese samurai manual on the proper method to commit Hari Kari. Oh, well... at least I can salvage my DirectTV investment by joining the Eagles bandwagon with my Jersey girl wife. Keep up the good work, like your site. Gary Michaels Tulsa OK After Saturday, I didn't think it could get any worse for me. My beloved Orangemen fell to Rutgers! RUTGERS!! I spent all day Sunday spitting and cursing at images of Paul Pasqualoni and AD Crouthamel. I looked to the Steelers for some redemption and validation of my very sports existence. Consider me non-existent! I have to start out by saying that I didn't watch the game. I watched the Philly game instead. I would have watched both games, but the local CBS affiliate decided to air a "Movie of the Week" instead of the Steelers game (do they have hate mail coming!), and then show the Baltimore Birdies game afterwards. Granted, I got to watch fellow alum McNabb show more than just potential in a win over Washington, but I would have liked to have seen my Steelers as well. Nonetheless, I have to work off of the statistics and the radio call that I was listening to when I was in the car. A couple of statistics jump out at me in this game. First, 168 yards rushing on 37 carries. 52 of those yards came on 6 scrambles by Stewart. That leaves us 116 yards for the other three backs: Bettis, Huntley, and Witman. Cleveland has the WORST rushing defense in the NFL!!! Everything I've been saying about the line has come true again - or has it. I've started looking at the possibility that teams are so stacking the defense against our rushing game, forcing Stewart to beat them passing, that the Bus and Co. haven't had a realistic chance to break out. If this is the case, then it points even more to Kordell as being the source of the problem since he is probably throwing against defenses with only three to five (if two backers drop off) men back in coverage. Another stat that jumps out - third down conversions. We were 5/15 yesterday. I hear the complaints about the play calling on third down, and I hear you. However, this may further indict Kordell. On a third and four, you would normally look at throwing a five-yard out, a slant, or a hook pattern. Something quick-hitting and high percentage that will get you the first. The fact that Gilbride won't call that play tells me that he doesn't think Kordell can do it. Defenses must be doing something that Kordell just can't adjust to and Gilbride must know it. If this is the case, and CLEVELAND can render him ineffective by playing him in such a way, then it is all but guaranteed that Kordell is out of there at the end of the year. And the fact that they don't bring in Pete means that they don't think he can do it either. T-zak is simply there riding out the end of his career, so don't look to them to put him in there. Besides, bringing Mike in would only further destroy Kordell's confidence, and we do have to finish the season with the guy. I have also noticed that our receivers, particularly Edwards, aren't picking up the passing game. Edwards was directly responsible for one of the pics yesterday by running the wrong route, and he almost caused another one later in the first half. Still, he's a rookie, and he's going to make those kinds of mistakes in his first year. It's the dropped passes that drive me crazy! Yes, Stewart makes some incredibly bad decisions, but he's not getting a lot of support from his receivers this year. I have one other concern. Does the fact that the last couple games have produced a lot of personal fouls at very bad times concern anybody? Does this smell of a coach losing control of his team? I hope not, but disciplined teams don't do that. Maybe Cowher should start worrying a little more about his teams on-field behavior and a little less about his Sprint and Dr. Pepper commercials. Enough for now. My life is over! I'm going to go jump off a bridge. Scott Springer Bottom of the Susquehanna River PS: Can we trade for McNabb? Do you think that Philly is that dumb? It would be really nice if many of the Steeler fans would get a grip on this season and this team. 1) Here we go again... Blaming it on the offensive coordinator, no coach or coordinator is perfect, except Bill that is... RIGHT? 2) I am sick and tired of this season's players being compared to the team of '76, they should not even be compared to the team of '95... YET!!! 3) Everyone wants a winning team, and with the comings and goings of the black and gold players, I think it will be awhile, but please stop putting so much dam pressure on everyone, including the yourselves. Although I must admit, I did enjoy the orange and brown, Tim, there are times you say things that are just aching for it. And this time you got it. Holly Manley Tom Bragg http://community.webtv.net/francoharris/TomsPittsburgh Bob Hurford Eastern PA, an alien in Eagles Country Kordell certainly has some prospect, but you're right, once something doesn't go right, boom! He's done. But with all the bitchin' about Kordell, 'ya know who else I'd like to see be gone (besides Vrabel... didn't he lose us another game with one of those stupid penalties? I think I remember him also tackling someone forward-for a first down on a crucial 4th down in the same game) is Edwards! What an arrogant, self-absorbed idiot! Yeah, he has talent, but the man better quit talkin' and start performing. All that talk before summer camp, how he was gonna do it all and take us to a Super Bowl. He should shut his mouth and remember he is on a team and start playing for the team and not for himself. He doesn't block, he jogs on plays that are not designed for him, he is too good to practice and he can't catch the easy passes. Was it a fumble or interception he jumped over the guy instead of landing on him or tagging him down, the guy gets up and gains 5 more yards! And he still doesn't make the tackle! Our O line hasn't blown anyone off the ball yet. Special teams and defense are the bright spots (when they are pumped). And I think Cowher better start raging and foaming on the sidelines again and tell them to get their heads out of their asses and start playing professional football. He reamed Miller a new a-hole on the sidelines that year and look how much he's improved. If they don't wanna play, bench em/trade em/cut em, maybe that will shake this team into reality. Playoff are still possible and I think with the schedule we have, they can do it - but they better jump on it. Really look at it... the Jags only beat the Ravens by 3 - I don't think they have anything to brag about either! The Titans have been lucky, no serious injuries yet (especially the QB, which is about due and I think our D can do it), and not a much tougher schedule than ours. If some people step up and take it on, the Steelers can still make it to the playoffs at least. But if we continue like we have, we're doomed. And i agree with you, too, on the play calls - if i see one more QB sneak on 4th & one or QB draw, I'll puke... it's just like when they used to call the reverse at least twice a game. Well, enough venting for one day - thanks for being a sounding board. And hurry up with those new pics of Sandy!!! Mark I was going to point fans to your site after the game, but I've been dealing with gloating Ratbird fans for a week, so I didn't want to inflict something similar (if more informed about football) on you. All I can say is that most Browns fans are very happy that Stewart has signed a long-term deal in Pittsburgh. This is really going to fire up the rivalry... hopefully they'll just kick the Ratbirds out of the AFC Central so we can go back to hating Pittsburgh full-time like the good old days. No Three Rivers jinx for this crew! GO BROWNS! Art B. Browns:The Next Generation http://www.brownstng.com 
Brian Belden Loyal Browns Fan Well, I've got news for everyone... this year is no different. I came into this week with the idea that we would pull off a miracle by winning the remaining half of the season and grabbing a playoff spot, if not the division. But my patience has been crushed. Kordell Stewart is without a doubt the WORST thing for Pittsburgh. I think his career in Pittsburgh is over with the loss to the Browns. That's right, a loss to the BROWNS (AT HOME). I was going to travel from NY to see the game. Thank God I didn't. I'd probably throw a garbage can at that piece of trash we call a QB. How do we expect to win with a QB who can't even put up 200yds/game on a regular basis and throws INT's as if they're gifts for Christmas. His judgement and ability to perform week to week is AWFUL. He shows no ability to be a leader for this team and the defense can win only so many games without an effective passing game. Without Bettis/Huntley, there would be no offense. I do assign some of the blame in the Steeler's play calling. Too much is made on Kordell's speed. If the D is expecting him to run, then they will catch him. I watch Jax & Tenn and my heart breaks. There is no way that we can beat these two w/ Kordell at QB. I will never again give him the benefit of the doubt. He SUCKS!!! Losing to Cleveland at home in the their last meeting @ Three Rivers is unforgivable. Until Rooney and the rest of the Steeler organization admit their mistake in believing in KS, this nightmare will never end and the Steeler's will NEVER make it to the playoffs. Swallow your pride and do what has to be done to get rid of Stewart. It is time for the STEELERS TO TAKE OUT THE TRASH... GET RID OF KORDELL!! A Heart Broken Fan from NY Paul Spillane P.S.-- My only desire this season is to somehow ruin either Tenn/Jax's shot at a playoff spot. Upset Steelers Fans P.S.--If the coach continues to put Stewart in, I feel sorry for Stewart. I think he would rather stay on the bench. Secondly, and most importantly, if this game is not proof positive that Kordell Stewart is not the team's QB of the future, then nothing is. Same as always: overthrows, underthrows, wide open receivers that everyone in the stadium sees except Kordell, and last but certainly not least, Kordells mind-boggling interceptions. Things have gotten pretty damn bad when we can't even beat a 1-7 expansion team in our own backyard! Oh well, maybe we can start looking forward to the draft next year... from the looks of it, the Steelers should have a very high pick! Tom Bragg http://community.webtv.net/francoharris/TomsPittsburgh That's me. And I'll be wearing that stinkin' bag for weeks (maybe years). Only the 51-0 loss in '89 tops this one (and at least we made up for it by making the playoffs that year). Thanks to what can only be labeled as a truly pitiful display by Kordell Stewart (along with some absolutely horrendous play calling by Kevin Gilbride), this otherwise abysmal Browns season will always be looked back on with genuine fondness by their fans. Why? Because they beat the Steelers. It doesn't matter if they lose every other game... their season officially became a "success" with their win in Pittsburgh on Sunday. The long-term ramifications of this loss literally make me sick to my stomach (no exageration there, folks). Several key issues we've all been debating became reality today: 1) Kordell Stewart has lost this team. He has no confidence in himself, nor do his teammates believe in him. Once he gets rattled, he completely falls apart (a trait that has unfortunately become his trademark). It's his 5th year in the league, his 3rd year as the starting QB, and Stewart seems to be steadily regressing. If the Steelers can somehow pick up a reliable veteran QB in the off-season, Kordell could well be gone next year. And, if cutting him doesn't deal the Steelers a huge blow against the cap, I think he WILL be gone. They ONLY thing that will keep him in Pittsburgh is if the Steelers have no "real" alternative (which is a distinct possibility, given their current QB situation). Any real hopes I had for Kordell as the "quarterback of the future" died Sunday. 2) Stick a fork in the Steelers' 1999 playoff hopes... they're done. It's gonna take an 11-5 season to get a berth this year, which means they'll have to go 6-1 over their next 7 games. Not gonna happen, my bruthas... they'll face the Titans twice, plus play the Jags (in Jacksonville) & the Chiefs (at Arrowhead). 8-8 seems more likely, dontcha think? Assuming they can handle Cinci, Baltimore, & Carolina, that is (and even that may be a tall order at this point). 3) The Steelers/Browns rivalry is now OFFICIALLY alive again... the only good thing I can extract from this awful game. In addition to Kordell (who clearly bears the lion's share of the blame), offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride is also on my $#!T list. I realize several of his questionable calls could be considered a direct result of Kordell's ineffectiveness, but that doesn't excuse 'em. How many friggin' times on 3rd down & and 4 yards to go do we have to watch Kordell get swarmed for a loss on a QB draw before Gilbride figures out it doesn't work? Man, is it cast in stone somewhere that we have to run that play every stinking time a 3rd & short situation comes up (especially inside the 5)? Speaking of stupid calls, the idiotic pitchout that lost 2 yards on 3rd & 4 just before the 2 minute warning takes the cake. I realize Kordell had been struggling, but that kind of cutesy bullshit has no place being used at a crucial time like that. That call was the exclamation point on an afternoon of lousy play calling. And finally, Mike Vrabel... great time to lay a cheap shot on the QB, you dumb F#@&. I'm outta here. Living in the heart of Browns country, I'm now faced with the unenviable burden of spending the next year listening hoardes of Browns fans gloat about this win like it was the damn Super Bowl. Thanks a lot, Kordell. See 'ya next week. Until then, my bruthas! Tim McMillen Webmaster, McMillen & Wife
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