I’m going to try to get tix for the Steelers game in San Diego in ten minutes July and guess which home game their fans most want to see? Yup, my game! I don’t blame them, I mean it will the best quality game in Jack Murphy (sorry, won’t call it that corporate name out front of it’s gates) but truth is, many of those fans will be going home extremely sad that night. Me? I’ll be one happy camper!

I guess when no one cares about you and only airs you once on national TV and then you go 15-1, well, all of a sudden everyone cares about you. This season the Steelers will be on three Monday Night games, one Sunday night game, a game on Christmas Eve and a game on New Years Day. Dang, I guess the Steelers are the team to watch next year, huh? With so much air time, it’ll be hard not realizing just how good of a team they are and hopefully watch them blossom to the Super Bowl. It just bums me out that the AFC Championship game rematch won’t get national air play, but that’s okay, Brian’s got my back for that one.

What’s the team think about this? Well cornerback Deshea Townsend put it this way: “It’s always fun to play on Monday night. That’s the only game that everybody has a chance to see. It’s the only game on and the nation’s watching.” That’s right and the nation will be watching it three times!

The last time the Steelers played three Monday Night games and a Sunday night game, they went to the Championship…and lost to the Pats. Interesting, huh? I wonder if playing on Christmas Eve and New Years Day will be the added trick to win it this time.

Brian, see you December 18th.

Sean and dad, I’m calling Jack Murphy tomorrow morning when they open for October 10th. We’re sooo there!

And to all y’all: Go Steelers!

In a classic Q & A interview, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger gives some very great insight on his previous and coming year. While not many tough questions are asked, most give good insight of what’s to come. Ben is very diplomatic and gives ambassador like answers to questions such as how’s-it-going-to-work-without-Plax? But my favorite question is the one that matters the most at the end of the year:

Reporter: Anything you want to do this year that you didn’t do last year or couldn’t do or weren’t allowed to do?
Roethlisberger: Win a Super Bowl.

When Plex was side lined last year for his hamstring injury, Lee Mays was the man that stepped in and shared duty with Randle El. Together, they both showed that the Steelers could do the job without their 6′5″ wide receiver and with Plex going to New Jersey New York, I think the front office faith in Mays was high, thus he was re-signed for another year.

“He mostly contributed on special teams, but caught nine passes for 137 yards last season. Overall, he has 11 receptions for 154 yards and 36 kickoff returns for 750 yards. ”

Indeed, it is a good thing to have him back and it’s great to see the Steelers will be pretty much be looking the same as last year, save that last brutal loss.

Wow, this is a trip. I think I’m getting old because it seems like yesterday that David Little retired.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker David Little died last Thursday while lifting weights at his home in Miami. He was 46.

Little suffered a heart ailment while working out and suffocated when the barbell he was lifting fell on his throat, the Steelers announced on Tuesday.

Little played his entire 12-year with the Steelers before retiring in 1993. He started 125 of 179 games and was named to the Pro Bowl in 1990. [Full Text]

Welp, looks like Burress flip-flops more then Kerry did on Iraq during the election. He’s back in New York (well, really New Jersey) and signed basically the same deal they offered him last week before him waving goodbye as he flew off to Minnesota. I guess that place was too cold for him and the Great Mall of America wasn’t great enough to keep him their in Scandinavian country, so back he flew to New York and back he went to the deal that’ll keep in an ugly blue uniform for five years.

Best of luck to you Plex. I loved ya as a Steeler and it’ll be a shame to see you go, but hey, at least you can tell all the boys on your new team on Super Bowl Sunday when you see the Steelers getting that trophy next year, “I use to play with that team!”

Well, New York’s offer of $24 million for six years just wasn’t going to pay off the bills on the Benz, Jag, two mansions, and box seats at the next six Super Bowls (’cause you ain’t going with the Giant’s or Vikes, Plex!) and thus Burress flew out of JFK yesterday to cold Minnesota to see what they can offer. It’s no surprise that the free-agent desires to leave after an amazing year — for the team — in which he sat out nearly half of it due to injury.

Not quite understanding the Steelers history and the well known “run-the-ball” offense, Plex wants more catches and thus will go to a team that will throw more to him. Hey, no problem with that, I can understand that, but man, pick a team that has a better chance of making it to the Big Game, Plex! No offense, Brian, but the Vikes bite it every year for the last few years and just can’t seem to get there. The Giant have little chance and outside of the team you are currently on, there isn’t too many other teams with a good running (pun intended) for the Super Bowl hard-up for a receiver. So Plex, what do you want more? A ring or pig skin? You need to listen to Jerome’s locker room speeches a bit better…

To my relief (thanx for the link Brian!), the Steelers have signed Bettis on for one more year…with another pay cut! Ya, he’s making more in one year then I will in a life time, but still, he took a huge cut, too. Why would anyone who is the 5th all time leading rusher take another cut instead of going else where? Well maybe else where won’t get him where he really wants to get. “We anticipate the Steelers will make another run at the Super Bowl and that is Jerome’s motivation to come back, to play in the Super Bowl,” one of Bettis’ agents told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Web site. Ya, I think that’s a pretty darn good reason! The Super Bowl will also be played in home town of Detroit. What a sweet way to retire if the Black and Gold make it and win. Yes, sweeeeet reward!

Aaah, it’s not that big of a deal of a game, but hey, at least Hines Ward had a great game with two TD’s. Just makes me sad it wasn’t in the Super Bowl.

Pittsburgh’s Hines Ward caught a touchdown pass and returned an onside kick for a score, and three Chargers stars led the clinching TD drive in the fourth quarter of the AFC’s seventh victory in nine meetings.

“It’s a great consolation prize for not being able to play in the Super Bowl,” Ward said of the victory and the $35,000 winners’ share for the AFC. [Full Text]

Now I do have to point out that when I asked my dad how the game was (before finding this out) he said it was pretty good. He went on to tell me about his team, the Chargers, and how their players did. Never once told me about Ward’s amazing on-side kick return. The first one in the 55 year history of the Pro Bowl to be returned for a touch down! Too funny!

As I was laying on the floor in the kids room and thinking about how I was wearing my Steelers jacket last night. The clerk at the pharmacy said she loved the Steelers too and we discussed the sad outcome of the year was. Well as I was looking up into the ceiling, the pink ceiling (guess who’s room I was in), I thought, ‘Big Ben was compared to Marino all year and guess who never got a ring?’ Ya, that’s what I was thinking, the tragedy of the Marino curse! Yikes, no more comparisons to Marino, people!!