Steelers Gab

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Forbes.com has sent us this cool Super Bowl ad viewer, so you can see all the ads from tonight’s game, and even vote on them! Enjoy!

Congrats to all those elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame today, but of course black and gold fans should be very happy for defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, who was elected today along with Jerry Rice, Emmit Smith, Floyd Little, Ricky Jackson, former Steeler coordinator Russ Grimm, and John Randle.

LeBeau is considered one of pro football’s great defensive innovators as a coach. But he was voted in for his outstanding work for the Lions from 1959-72. LeBeau finished with 62 interceptions, second among cornerbacks when he retired.

“They say anything worth having is worth waiting on,” LeBeau said. “It has been a long wait. I can’t imagine anything else that could be any more rewarding.”

It’ll be great to have Steeler colors represent LeBeau, though his playing career was with the Lions. Congrats Dick!

Ok, I know, one should not cry over spilled milk. Yet here it is, 14 years after the fact and for whatever reason, I still have issues with the fact the Steelers fell short in Super Bowl XXX against the overrated Dallas Cowboys, who at the time, in my opinion, were a very beatable club.

This past week NFL Network showed Super Bowl XXX once again, and while in some ways it was fun to watch the game in it’s completion from start to finish, it was still hard to see the team lose when they really had a great shot to pull off what would have been considered a big upset, as they were 13-point underdogs.

You remember the game – the game most Steeler fans still recall as the game that QB Neil O’Donnell “lost” for the team. Not so fast. Yes, #14 was at fault, but I will debate any black and gold lover that there was a lot more wrong in this title loss than the play of the QB that got them to the dance.

With that, here are my reasons for the Steelers losing the game, and yes, O’Donnell deserves some of the blame – but not all of it. Here goes.

1. They were awful on defense early - It could have been the jitters of the big game, or maybe the physical nature of the Cowboys O-line early in the game, but for whatever reason, the defense was bad in the first quarter and a half. They simply didn’t stop the Cowboys much at all in their first three drives, including allowing Emmit Smith to have his best runs of the game, and the secondary didn’t play well in pass coverage. Sure, the D played better later on, but allowing 13 points in the first 22 minutes put the team behind the 8-Ball.

2. A legendary mistake by Dermontti – There’s not much bad you can say about the career of Dermontti Dawson, but his bad snap which sailed over the head of O’Donnell after the team had gotten to the Cowboys 36 on their second drive killed a drive that could have quickly gotten the team back in the game. The 13-yard loss could not have come at a worse time with the offense needing a score.

3. O’Donnell’s slip – The first pick could be put on O’Donnell, no doubt about it. The team had gotten back into the game with a late first half score to make it 13-7, but then after an exchange of punts in the second half, the Steelers were at the Cowboys 38 when O’Donnell’s pass simply sailed on him and right into the hands of Larry Brown. It again killed momentum when the Steelers were back into the game.

4. Cowher being Stubborn - At 20-7 the Steelers faced a 2nd-and-2 from their own 47, but instead of either trying one pass in the next two downs, they tried to stuff Bam Morris right into the Cowboys D-line not once, but twice. Then instead of punting and allowing the team to let the D do their job and then get field position, they went for it on 4th-and-1, and guess what the call was – Morris, with no fullback to throw a block, right up the middle into the Cowboys line. A dumb idea, and an even dumber call. Cowher defended the call after they didn’t make it, but they should have punted.

5. The 2nd pick - Ok, go ahead and say that it was O’Donnell’s fault all you want, but the blame of the play should be placed elsewhere – on WR Andre Hastings. The Cowboys were blitzing on the play, which right away turned the WR’s routes into ‘hot routes’ meaning that instead of running the route inside, which is what Hastings did, he should have stayed outside, which is where O’Donnell threw the ball. Sure, Neil could have adjusted when he saw Hastings run the wrong route, but really, the fault should be shared or more so blamed on Hastings.

6. How About a Stop? – After the second pick, the game was still on, as it was just 20-17, and the Cowboys had the ball at the Pittsburgh 6. The defense all second half had been lights out for the most part, and Cowher told them – ‘field goal’ meaning that if the D would have stepped up and held Dallas to a field goal, the Steelers had plenty of time to go for the win with a touchdown. Instead, they were like wilted lettuce, as it took two plays for Smith to go in from four yards out to ice the game. If the D holds, the offense still has a shot.

So there you go, 6 reasons why to this day I still have a ticked off feeling of that. The fans and a whole lot of money ran O’Donnell out of town, and it took them 10 years to get back to the dance, and finally get the job done. But January 28th, 1996 still stings.

It’s Super Bowl week, and with it here at Steelers Gab we’re going back to take a look at the top 10 Steeler plays in Super Bowl history. We’re doing two per day, with today being numbers 2 and 1:

2. SB XLIII Holmes toe-tapper equals a game-winner – Santonio Holmes begged for the ball all of the final Steelers drive down 23-20, and he got it. The final play was a play of magic, as Holmes made an amazing catch in the corner of the end zone keeping his feet down and holding onto the ball. The play earned the Steelers the win, and Holmes the MVP award.

1. SB XLIII Harrison Goes the Distance – LB James Harrison capped off an amazing season in which he was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year as he picked off Cards QB Kurt Warner on the final play of the first half, then raced an amazing 100 yards for a momentum changing score to make it 17-7 Steelers. The play will likely forever remain the greatest defensive play in Super Bowl history.

Click HERE for numbers 4 and 3

It’s Super Bowl week, and with it here at Steelers Gab we’re going back to take a look at the top 10 Steeler plays in Super Bowl history. We’re doing two per day, with today being numbers 4 and 3:

4. SB X – Swann makes magic vs. Dallas – Most felt Lynn Swann wouldn’t even play vs. Dallas after suffering a concussion in the AFC Title game vs. Oakland, but Swann not only played, he was amazing. His masterful wild catch against the Cowboys Mark Washington has been replayed on NFL Films about 50,000 times, and it never gets old. He was able to keep his focus to make the play despite tripping and having to climb up Washington and then falling on his chest. Truly a classic.

3. SB XIV Stallworth goes deep for the winner vs. the Rams – The black and gold trailed 19-17 with less than 13 minutes left against the upstart Rams, but MVP Terry Bradshaw teamed up with WR John Stallworth for a perfect 73-yard bomb to put the Steelers ahead for good 24-19. The ball was perfect, just ahead of the outstretched hands of Rams DB Rod Perry, and the HOF WR pulled it in for the prettiest play of SB XIV.

Click HERE for numbers 6 and 5

In some sad news, ESPN reports that the family of Dwight White is suing those involved in his death with negligence:

The family of former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Dwight White is suing the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and three doctors, claiming negligence contributing to his death. The suit in Allegheny County Court claims one of White’s doctors was out of town and another prescribed an over-the-counter medication when he weakened after being discharged from back surgery in May 2008. White’s wife took him to an emergency room when his condition worsened. He died June 6, 2008, at UPMC Presbyterian hospital at age 58 as the result of a blood clot in his lung.

NFL.com reports that the Bills have offered Steelers’ pro personnel coordinator Doug Whaley their GM Spot:

The Bills offered their assistant general manager position to Doug Whaley, according to a league source. Whaley, who has served as the Steelers’ pro personnel coordinator, would be the No. 2 to recently promoted GM Buddy Nix. Members of the Steelers’ front office wouldn’t be surprised if Whaley takes the position, for which he recently interviewed.

It’s Super Bowl week, and with it here at Steelers Gab we’re going back to take a look at the top 10 Steeler plays in Super Bowl history. We’re doing two per day, with today being numbers 6 and 5:

6. SB XLIII Woodley clinches the win – LB LaMarr Woodley made sure that Cards QB Kurt Warner would not get a shot at a last second bomb to try and upset the Steelers, as he got to the QB and sacked him with just seconds remaining, knocking the ball out of his hands, and Brett Keisel recovered it, saving the win for the Steelers.

5. SB XL – Willie Goes 75 against Seattle – The Steelers were up 7-3 entering the third quarter vs. Seattle, but needed a spark big time and got it from “Fast” Willie Parker, who got perfect blocks and raced through a role on the third play of the third quarter to go 75 yards for a touchdown to put the Steelers up 14-3. The play could not have been drawn up any better, and credit not only goes to Parker but to the five big boys up front that made the hole for him to race through.

Click HERE for numbers 8 and 7

Yes, we have finally moved into the realm of Facebook, as we have created a fan page for Steelers Gab, and I hope that you all take a few minutes today to sign up and be a part of the best Steelers site out there. Here is the link for the Steelers Gab page on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Steelers-Gab/284701139797