Farewell, Cruel World…

Okay, that’s a bit melodramatic. What I really mean to say is that Going Deep is Going to Stop producing daily posts for a while, probably for most of the off-season. Much as we enjoy writing about and thinking about the Steelers, it’s just too difficult to come up with content of substance when nothing much is happening. And since the whole point of this site was to provide content of substance, it leaves us in a bit of a bind.

We will most likely go to a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule, and perhaps even Tuesday-Friday during Times of Extraordinary Monotony in the thoughtfully non-rhythmic landscape of the NFL. We will attempt to compensate for the gaps with the stunning clarity, accuracy and awesomeness of our writing.

Okay, that’s probably not happening either, at least in my case. Ivan and Homer are another story. There will be occasional Smoldering Questions as the events in Steeler Nation warrant them. There will certainly be some discussion of the draft, including my [in]famous Momma’s Mocks. Profiles of worthy players and coaches will doubtless make appearances from time to time. Any other suggestions would be welcomed as well, and duly pondered.

Thank you all for reading and opining and loving the Steelers as much as we do. I especially want to thank those of you who have encouraged us with your comments, emails, and so on. So this isn’t Farewell but rather a brief Adios, or perhaps à demain, as the French would have it.

Rebecca

5 Smoldering Questions on the Steelers: Post-Chiefs Pre-Patriots Edition

Shall we dance?

By Hombre de Acero

The Pittsburgh Steelers went into Arrowhead Stadium last Sunday and are now headed to New England for the AFC Championship game, thanks to six Chris Boswell field goals, stout defense and excellent special teams. But before we see whether the Black and Gold will qualify for a shot at climbing the Stairway to Seven, this corner of Steelers Nation must first answer these 5 Smoldering questions.

1. The Pittsburgh Steelers offense was revving between the 20’s but stalled badly in the end zone, to the tune of 0 touchdowns on 4 visits. What do you think is the root of the issue, and does it give you cause for concern looking ahead
?

On Second Thought: Homer J. On Browns @ Steelers

via Steelers.com

by Homer J

Laundry doesn’t win games, but Landry does, sometimes.

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.

The Steelers won their seventh straight game Sunday, having clinched the AFC North title a week earlier, and resting their All-pro QB, All-pro running back, All-pro receiver, All-pro Center, and the heart and soul of their defense. Nobody got seriously hurt, and the team heads into the playoffs healthier than they’ve been in months.

It was Fan Appreciation Day, and yet many fans didn’t seem to appreciate it.

The overtime win over the hapless Cleveland Browns was sort of like winning second place in the Ugly Girl Contest. You didn’t know whether to say thank you or blank you.

The Mini-Bye

I’m currently in England, land of the mini-break. (That, for those of you not familiar with the term, means taking a long weekend and going away somewhere. Or so I infer.) The Steelers are hosting the Browns tomorrow in what many are calling a mini-bye, as they are resting several important starters and playing a lot of backups and young guys in a game it would benefit the Browns to lose. And it’s New Year’s Eve, both here in England (we’re visiting the MIL now) and in the US, in a rare recent show of harmony. So it seemed only appropriate that Going Deep take a mini-break, or bye, or whatever you wish to call it. We’ll be back on Monday morning (possibly late, as once again I probably won’t be able to watch the game until the next day.) In the meantime, a very happy New Year to you all. And please remember, drinking and driving is dumb even if you aren’t an NFL or MLB player who is going to lose out on mountains of salary while you’re suspended…

Love, Momma

Playoff Scenario No. 1: Dolphins @ Steelers

Since the Steelers have already played most of the teams they could conceivably play in the postseason, I thought it would be interesting to look at the 2016 game against that team and see how the team is doing now. After all, the Steelers aren’t the only team in the league to have improved markedly. 

5 Smoldering Questions: The Division Champions Edition

By Hombre de Acero

Wow, perhaps the only thing missing from Pittsburgh Steelers 31-24 victory over the Baltimore Ravens is the fact that Father Time has will rob future generations of hearing it narrated by voice of NFL Films legend John Facenda.

The Steelers victory was dramatic, drawing as much from contributions from the lower ends of the depth chart as it did from its stars. It earned the Steelers the number 3 seed in the AFC playoffs, which the Ravens will watch from home.

But before the Steelers can test their mettle in the post season they must finish with 2016 with a visit from the Cleveland Browns. And before that this corner of Steelers Nation must wrestle with these 5 Smoldering Questions on the Steelers. 



It’s Christmastime in the City…

I’m afraid the best I can manage by way of a post is a musical wish. It’s one of my arrangements for my former group of a piece you may have heard of. Enjoy…

The Sunday Food-Related Post: The Sweet Potato Super Bowl

This is it. You can stop looking. This is my mother’s sweet potato recipe, with a few tweaks of my own, and it is the best. Just as we expect the Steelers to give us their best on the football field, do you want to do any less than serve the best on your holiday table? I thought not. Let’s get to it:

The original recipe was called “Sue’s Sweet Potatoes.” I have no idea who Sue was or what she had to do with it. But since I’ve modified it anyhow, I’m going to rename it.

Super Sweet Potatoes

5 Smoldering Questions: The Post-Bills Pre-Bengals Edition

Via Steelers.com

By Hombre de Acero

The Steelers have answered their 4 game losing streak with a four game winning streak, with an exhibition of Smash Mouth Football paving the way to their latest win in Buffalo. Cincinnati looms next, but before the Steelers travel to the Queen City this corner of Steelers Nation must first resolve these 5 Smoldering Questions on the Steelers.

1. Passer rating can be a poor indicator of a quarterback’s performance some times, but Ben Roethlisberger clearly did not have his best day in Buffalo. While no one wants to see a retrun of Ben’s Road Rust, the poor outing did allow Chris Adamski to unearth this factoid:

Ben's 37.8 passer rating is his worst for a game since 11/3/08 and 5th-worst of his career

Oddity: Steelers won 4 of those 5 worst games

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) December 11, 2016

For the record, the loss came against the Bengals early September 2006. The wins, in addition to last Sunday, came at Washington in 2008 (where Ben got hurt and didn’t finish), the Jets in December 2004 and the Lions in the last game of 2005.
Can anyone synthesize any information out of all of this statistical noise?

2. Mike Tomlin’s response to Jim Wexell’s question about what reaching 100 wins means drew a terse, “It means I’ve been here for a while” which at this point shouldn’t surprise anyone.
However, what do you think this win signifies?

3. Which linebacker made the bigger impact for the Steelers last Sunday, Bud Dupree or Ryan Shazier?

4. While he stopped well short of suggesting any sort of favoritism on the part of Park Avenue, Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports wrote at length about the differences in how the NFL handled Deflategate and the non-story about deflated balls during the Steelers game vs. the Giants.
Is this another case of the NFL’s arbitrary administration of justice, or are we seeing Roger Goodell & company finally doing the right thing?

5. Since losing to the Steelers in Week 2, the Cincinnati Bengals have gone 4-6-1. Yet, despite the absence of A.J. Green, Andy Dalton has stepped up his game in a big way over the last two weeks as the Bengals defeated the Browns and the Eagles.

How confident are you heading into this game?

Opponent Preview: The Buffalo Bills

via Steelers Wire/USA Today

Anyone who isn’t nervous about this game, please raise your hand. And then please tell us what you are smoking. The Bills are fighting for their playoff lives. The game is on the road. The weather is predicted to be inclement. The Bills have far and away the best rushing numbers in the league. They average 161.9 yards per game on the ground, and only the Cowboys and the Titans are within 20 yards of that. They average 5.4 yards per attempt, which is just crazy. They have 23 rushing touchdowns, and again only the ‘Boys are at all close.

And to make matters worse, the Steelers have not only lost Cameron Heyward, their best run defender, but their next-best, Javon Hargrave, is “Doubtful” for the game as he is still in the concussion protocol.