• Voting is underway to determine who will be on the cover of Madden 2013. Last year Peyton Hillis of the Cleveland Browns won this prestigious/dubious honor and had a bit of an off season to say the least. Ben Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu are duking it out to be the Steelers representative. Personally, I didn’t want to risk another bout of Madden Curse for the Steelers, so I abstained from voting for either player. That’s not to say I didn’t vote for a Raven. Because I’m classy like that.
• In non-Madden news, the Steelers placed a tender on Mike Wallace and five other players. Wallace was placed with a first-round tender, while Doug Legursky, Ramon Foster, Keenan Lewis, Ryan Mundy, and David Johnson were placed with original tender. In the event that Legursky or Foster sign with another team, the Steelers would not receive a draft pick, as those players were undrafted free agents. » Continue reading “Steelers News Blitz: The “Madden Madness” Edition”

Forgive me. It’s 1:30 in the morning, there’s a large group of people tailgating in front of my hotel room, and my knees ache from climbing all the stairs ever. This recap is going to be brief.

Antonio Brown was the star of the evening and continued his monster of a preseason. The second-year receiver had 4 receptions for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Brown also ran the opening kickoff back 51 yards, giving the Steelers excellent field position on their opening drive.

The defense continued to win the turnover battle with two interceptions and one fumble recovery. Lawrence Timmons returned a deflected pass 44 yards to the Atlanta four yard line, setting up an eventual Shaun Suisham field goal. In the second half, Crezdon Butler returned an interception 95 yards for a touchdown.

The Steelers did not look as sharp as they did last week against the Eagles, but they managed to do enough to get the win. Final score: Steelers 34, Falcons 16.

Pros:

• With the exception of the dumb taunting penalty, Antonio Brown continues to impress.
• The Steelers’ defense forced three turnovers.
• David Johnson had two catches for 34 yards in the Steelers’ first drive.
• Primanti Bros. is everything I hoped and dreamed.

Cons:

• The Steelers were 4 for 11 on third downs. They managed to score on quick strikes, but didn’t sustain long drives.
• Antonio Brown, just run the ball into the end zone. Act like you’ve been there before and don’t taunt the other team.
• I would have liked to see the Steelers’ pass rush put more pressure on Matt Ryan.
• Special teams makes me nervous.
• Injuries. Byron Leftwich has a broken arm and Marukice Pouncey left the game with an ankle injury.