Steelers President Art Rooney II possibly to be nominated as a US ambassador

On St. Patrick's Day yesterday, President Barrack Obama, after meeting with the Prime Minister of Ireland said, "I am honored and grateful that such a dedicated and accomplished individual has agreed to serve as the representative of the United States to the Irish people. Dan Rooney is an unwavering supporter of Irish peace, culture, and education, and I have every confidence that he and Secretary Clinton will ensure America’s continued close and unique partnership with Ireland in the years ahead." So it is a large possibility that the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers could soon be a U.S. ambassador to Ireland!

Penguins vs. Thrashers 6-2 Last Night

Two hot teams in the National Hockey League collided at Mellon Arena Tuesday night. Pittsburgh hadn’t lost in regulation in its previous 10 games (8-0-2) while Atlanta was riding a franchise-record six-game winning streak. But going in, both of these teams knew that one of those streaks was about to be sidetracked. When it was all said and done, the Penguins walked away with an impressive 6-2 victory while the Thrashers’ winning streak was derailed. Evgeni Malkin completely took over the game, tying a career-high with five points, and Pittsburgh’s power took over for an additional three goals as the team cruised to the win. Atlanta walked right into the Penguins’ trap. The Thrashers played their typical up-tempo game and Pittsburgh countered with its own version. With the Penguins’ talent advantage (Atlanta played without Ilya Kovalchuk, Kari Lehtonen and Ron Hainsey), Pittsburgh was in complete control from start to finish. Chris Kunitz, recently traded from the Anaheim Ducks, is playing outstanding. Scoring six points in the past five games (two goals and one assist the game before last against Boston), he has been contributing wonderfully and is a great addition to the team. Evgeni Malkin is becoming a face of the NHL by leading the lead with currently 102 points. Folling Malkin, is Sidney Crosby ten behind with 92. They're prbably the two best players in the NHL and have an amazing chemistry together.

For highlights of last night's game, click the link below:

http://penguins.nhl.tv/team/console.jsp?hlg=20082009,2,1043

(above): Picture of Malkin after he earned his 100th point this season

The Battle For The Playoffs

The Penguins are currently in 8th place in the Eastern Conference up three points to Buffalo. However, there is really a three-way-tie for 8th right now and the only difference between 8th (Pittsburgh) and 5th (Montreal) is 1 point! Just like that, Pittsburgh can get one more win and move to 4th place in one game. The Penguins have also recently picked up some hot trades such as the former Anaheim Duck, Chris Kunitz. He is currently on a five-game scoring streak and has turned out to be a more powerful force than expected. If we keep up the good work and Crosby gets healthy, we'll have a very strong chance this year. The only problem eith being in 8th, is we'll have to play the 1st seed, Boston which could be a bit of a problem. So I hope we'll at least move up a few seeds before playoffs begin.

The Pittsburgh Steelers: Super Bowl XLIII Champs!!!

The Steelers made history when they defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 in Super Bowl XLIII to win their sixth Super Bowl, the first team in NFL history to accomplish that. They now have more Super Bowl wins than any team in the NFL.




The Steelers were in control for the majority of the game, but the Cardinals fought back to take a late lead. That’s when Roethlisberger and Holmes came in for the kill and the; game-winning drive.


Some last minute heroic comeback plays by Big Ben and Super Bowl MVP, Santonio Holmes, secured the win when Holmes scored the go ahead touchdown with just 35 seconds left on the clock.



Although the Steelers were playing exceptionally well in the first half, they let up a bit in the second half while Arizona came out like a different team. However, just before halftime, James Harrison (Steelers linebacker/NFL's Defensive Player of the Year) intercepted the ball for a 100-yard touchdown; the longest play in the history of the Super Bowl.



But right after halftime, Arizona's star receiver, Larry Fitzgerald, came out on fire. After a first half of only 1 or 2 catches, he had 2 touchdowns; 1 of them was to take the lead with little time on the clock. Luckly, Pittsburgh has always been successful coming back in the last few seconds. And as they proved once again, the Pittsburgh Steelers are America's Team.



After the game, Steelers coach, Mike Tomlin, received a call from President Obama saying congrats on the win. A qoute from Tomlin on his phone conversation with President Obama said, “Actually I couldn’t hear him. I heard a congratulations and I thanked him for it, but I didn’t hear much of the conversation.”



Mike Tomlin also became the youngest coach in NFL history to win the Super Bowl. And for being with Pittsburgh for just 2 years, I'd say he's pretty well-accomplished so far.

Here's a photo gallery from Super Bowl XLIII:

http://news.steelers.com/MediaGallery/slideshow/102854/

Steelers vs. Patriots

Kicking the game off with an interception in Foxboro, things didn't look very good for Big Ben and the Steelers. Sammy Morris took it two yards for the touchdown to give the Patriots a 7-0 lead early in the game. But it wouldn't take long before the Steelers would awake. They fired back when Jeff Reed kicked an easy 20-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3. The Patriots then returned with a field goal making it 10-3. Then the Steelers really woke up and played typical Pittsburgh football by scoring 30 unanswered points, including 13 in the third quarter to take a lead over the Patriots that they wouldn’t come close to losing.

Pittsburgh really started exploding in the second half dominating on Steel Defense. Coming into the game, second-string Patriots' Quarterback, Matt Cassel, had two consecutive games of over 400 passing yards. This was a franchise record set too-even above Tom Brady. So everyone probably expected another great game from Cassel right?WRONG. Not if they're familiar with the best defense in the NFL who ended up with two forced fumbles, two interceptions, and five sacks making the Patriots look like the Lions or something!

Mewelde Moore again showed how he is the most under-rated halfback in the NFL. He is considered a 2nd string on the depth charts but him and Willie Parker seem to be sharing the first string do to his exceptionally impressive play. Also, Willie's knee still isn't 100% so he's kind of holding back a little bit. I think this is also a prime reason that the Steelers picked up Najeh Davenport because they really have two 1st string players. Next week we face the Dallas Cowboys.

Steelers vs. Bengals

The Steelers moved their record to 8-3 at Heinz Field last week defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 27-10, while the Bengals drop to 1-9-1.

Cinci took an early lead on a Glenn Holt touchdown reception, but the Steelers pulled away and never looked back.

Ben Roethlisberger scored on an eight-yard run and connected with Heath Miller for a touchdown, while Gary Russell took one in from the two yards out. Jeff Reed also added two field goals.

The Steelers opened the game on offense with Parker managing just a one-yard gain on the first play. Roethlisberger then went to the air and hit Santonio Holmes on the slant pattern for a 10-yard gain. Roethlisberger looked for Matt Spaeth on the next pass, but David Jones almost came away with the interception while breaking up the pass. On third down Roethlisberger couldn’t connect with Nate Washington, forcing the punt.

Cedric Benson was met in the backfield by Troy Polamalu for no gain on the Bengals first offensive snap. Benson came right back and went off left guard for a four-yard gain, and Ryan Fitzpatrick hit T.J. Houshmandzadeh, but his four-yard gain came up short of the first down and the Bengals went three-and-out.

Parker got the call again, but was held to just a yard off left tackle. Washington got the hand off on the end around for four yards, setting up third-and-five. Roethlisberger went back to the air but Holmes wasn’t able to pull in the short pass.

A short 28-yard punt by Paul Ernster would have given the Bengals the ball at their 48-yard line, but they were hit with a holding call pushing them back to the 38-yard line.

Fitzpatrick hit Glenn Holt for six-yards and Benson added one-yard. On third down Fitzpatrick found Chris Henry for 14 yards to the Steelers 41-yard line. The Bengals quickly converted another third down when Fitzpatrick hit Houshmandzadeh for 11 yards. Benson went up the middle for four yards and after a five-yard defensive offside call got another first down with a one-yard run. Benson got the direct snap for a four-yard gain to the 10-yard line. On third down Fitzpatrick found Holt in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown and 7-0 first quarter lead.

Russell ignited the Steelers with a 43-yard return on the ensuing kickoff to their own 46-yard line. Roethlisberger hit Washington for 12 yards on the right sideline. Parker chipped in with a four-yard carry but was knocked for a two-yard loss on the next play. On third down they weren’t able to convert when Roethlisberger’s pass to Holmes was incomplete.

The defense stepped up big forcing the Bengals to go three-and-out on their next series and giving the Steelers good field position at their 46-yard line after a 30-yard punt by Kyle Larson. A holding penalty negated a two-yard run by Parker, but the Steelers got the yards right back on a 14-yard completion to Miller. Roethlisberger hit Ward on the run at the 30-yard line and he broke it for a 37-yard gain to the 13-yard line. An incompletion to Miller and a one-yard run by Parker set them up with a third-and-nine at the 12-yard line. Rookie Limas Sweed came up with a catch, but fell one yard short of the first down. On fourth down Russell came in and converted with a one-yard carry. Roethlisberger capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown pass to Miller to tie the game at 7-7.

LaMarr Woodley brought pressure on Fitzpatrick, forcing an errant pass to Daniel Coats. Fitzpatrick came right back with an 11-yard completion to Henry at the Bengals 39-yard line. Benson had a two-yard carry and followed it with a seven-yard run off left guard. On third and one the defense stopped Chris Perry for no gain to force another punt.

The snow started to fall on the next series but the offense wasn’t slowing down. Parker had carries of six and three yards and Carey Davis added six yards for a first down. Roethlisberger went deep to Holmes for 27 yards to the Bengals 49-yard line. Holmes kept the momentum going when he pulled in a 22-yard reception to the 26-yard line. Miller added an eight-yard reception on a screen pass. On third down David Jones broke-up another pass, brining on Reed for a 37-yard field goal to put the Steelers on top 10-7.

The defense made a strong stand, with Woodley sacking Fitzpatrick for a three-yard loss, to force a punt. On the punt the ball hit Sweed and the Bengals the ball at the Steelers 29-yard line with a minute to play in the half. Aaron Smith batted down a Fitzpatrick pass, but he came back with a five-yard completion to Houshmandzadeh. On third-and-five the Steelers pressured Fitzpatrick, who completed a pass to Houshmandzadeh for no gain. The Steelers held on fourth down, forcing the Bengals to turn the ball over on downs.

The Bengals got the ball to start the half and once again the defense stepped up and it was another three-and-out for Cincinnati.

After a five-yard run by Parker and one-yard carry by Mewelde Moore, Roethlisberger avoided the pressure and scrambled up the middle for a first down on a six-yard carry. Two incompletions gave the Steelers another third down and Roethlisberger was able to hit Holmes on a slant pattern for 19-yard gain to the Bengals 46-yard line. Parker added a 15-yard carry to the Bengals 28-yard line, where he ran out of bounds. Holmes pulled in a six-yard reception, but left the game after he was hit hard on the play by Chris Crocker. The Steelers weren’t able to convert on third down, but Reed extended the lead to 13-7 with a 38-yard field goal.

The Bengals were able to put together a long drive, but after getting to the eight-yard line they were kept out of the end zone and had to settle for a 26-yard Shane Graham field goal, keeping the Steelers on top 20-10.

The Steelers came right back though, with Roethlisberger moving the ball all the way down to the eight-yard line, where Roethlisberger took it in for a touchdown and a 27-10 lead.

The only downside of the game was Paul Ernster. Luckly the Steelers have now released him and gotten back 2nd string, Mitch Berger. Ernster was a temporary solution because our first two strings were out. He was a huge disappointment though averaging about a terrible 25 yards per punt. Even the Steelers fans in Pittsburgh were booing at him- and Steeler fans NEVER boo at real Steeler players. This just shows that Ernster wasn't an "Official Steeler". Other than Ernster's disappointing performance, the rest of the game was exceptional. We are now 8-3.

Penguins vs. Red Wings

This game was the Penguins’ finest performance of the season. It wasn’t their most complete performance, as they were outplayed most of the game, but they stood with the Red Wings and didn’t back down. They had many reasons for losing the game too. They were down a defenseman when Rob Scuderi had to leave the game after blocking a shot. They were on the road playing against the defending Stanley Cup champions (Detroit Red Wings). They were badly outplayed during long stretches of the game. The Red Wings looked like they were playing on a higher level. Not to mention, there were times in the game where Detroit built leads of 5-2 and 6-4. The Penguins were barely holding on and time was running out but we refused to die. They didn’t quit and it paid off when they pulled off an improbable and very exciting comeback, tying the game with 22.8 seconds left. The Penguins were the better team in the third period and overtime. And in sudden death, it was Pittsburgh that delivered the knockout blow with little time remaing in OT. And thank God because if they would have gone into a shootout, who knows what would have happened. All I know is that Detroit would have put out Marian Hossa (taken from Pittsburgh), Pavel Datsyuk, and Henrik Zetterberg probably as their top three. And those are some pretty top shootout scorers in the NHL. But of course we would have thrown back Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and probably Miroslav Satan or Petr Sykora. All that matters is that we sealed the deal in Detroit and are having an exceptional season so far.