KENNETH GAINWELL RUSHES FOR THE STEELERS AGAINST THE BROWNS, OCT. 12. THE STEELERS WON, 23-9. (PHOTO BY BRIAN COOK SR.)
On Thursday, November 21, 2024, the Steelers played the Browns and got baked, 24-19. That was the contest that the “brownies” decided to “unleash the Kracken” a.k.a. Browns defensive lineman Myles Garrett on the Pittsburgh Steelers youthful and inexperienced offensive line. That’s when the Steelers Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith decided to throw his young charges to the lions but also hired tailors to create garments made from pork chops to get the party started.
Most of the time, they were left alone on “Garrett Island” to fend for themselves. Fast forward to October 12, 2025. This time around, for the majority of the game, Smith decided not to allow Myles Garrett a free path to Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers by allowing him to be isolated on any one O-lineman.
That strategy allowed them to flip, trip and dip Monsieur Garrett into oblivion. He was an overhyped non-factor as the Black and Gold baked the “brownies,” 23-9. For the majority of the game, many folks suggested that the Browns should have steered clear of the marijuana-laced pregame pastries, you digg…
Arthur Smith finally woke up and realized that he was not in Tennessee and he no longer had Derrick Henry to run into the ground, but that’s neither here nor there.
Around the midpoint of the second quarter, I experienced an epiphany. That is not unusual for me, because actually it is quite normal. Some of these “visions” are self-induced and others may be prompted by fatigue or the single shot of Grand Marnier that functions at least for me as a safer sleep aid. Flashback epiphany, I revisited Mike Tomlin coaching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defensive backs against the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII on January 26, 2003. During the game, Rich Gannon threw five interceptions, which contributed to the Buccaneers’ victory with a score of 48-21.
Lately, when I observed how the Steelers defensive linemen and linebackers were playing, I was reminded of a quote by the New York Giants all-universe HOF linebacker Lawrence Taylor. When he recently visited the Giants facility he told the players: “You’ve got to know your position. And if I do my job right, guess what? He becomes a better player…go out there like a bunch of crazed dogs and have some fun. And that’s what I’m talking about.”
The Steelers were led by almost every member of their defense. The “Steel Blanket” had blood dripping from their fangs, appearing as if they were a colony of vampire bats emerging from their cave to feed at the crack of dusk. The Steelers’ 2025 defense is beginning to appear that Mike Tomlin’s footprints and fist prints are all over them. This is more than just a hands-on approach or a simple case of micromanaging. It appears to me that a set of “brass knuckles” might be hanging on the hat rack in the locker room, serving as a not-so-subtle motivator.
Mike Tomlin also used a strategy against the Browns that I have never seen in all of my years of playing and chronicling the game of football. During the pregame hype, there are usually 11 starters introduced, either from the offensive or defensive side of the ball. However, Tomlin introduced second-tier linebacker Nick Herbig as a starter as well. That ploy seemed to not only set a fire under the Herbig woodpile but caused “volcano Herbig” to erupt in a spectacular fashion against the Browns. Tomlin sent a message to all of his team that they may individually play at different times in the game, but that doesn’t define them as second-string players. What a crafty way to elevate the self-esteem of the entire squad. I am sure that in the near future there will be opportunities for other members of the defense and the offense that are going to be licking their chops to be the twelfth man, standing in the tunnel as an “additional starter.”
As far as their performance goes, Coach T knows this has already been and will continue to be a brutal season, so anyone riding the pine this week might just be wined and dined as a starter next week. There will be no time for jitters when their number is called because they must be ready, willing and able to get to crackin’. I have a sneaking suspicion that as long as the time of possession of Arthur Smith’s offense equals the T.O.P of the opposing offense, so that the defense of the Black and Gold can take a breather, the Steelers defense is going to have to be reckoned with down the stretch.
I am now going to switch gears before I break camp.
A story popped up as I was going over a few items online titled: “NFL Fans React To Super Bowl 60 Halftime Show Petition” posted by Daniel Bates. Mr. Bates writes the following: “As a segment of the NFL’s fans continue to protest the league choosing one of the biggest musical acts on the planet to perform at the Super Bowl 60 halftime show, a country music star of yesteryear appears to be garnering a huge amount of support online. After the NFL announced that platinum-selling latin music artist Bad Bunny would headline Super Bowl LX, numerous conservative-minded fans came out and blasted the move arguing that it’s ‘un-American’ and that he should be deported (Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory btw). Instead it seems the MAGA world would rather see 73-year-old country legend George Strait take the stage—as evidenced by a petition circulating Change.org this week.”
I was forced to respond to that bit of nonsense. First and foremost, change.org should rename itself: “remainthesame.bs.” If the “changers” are proposing George Strait as the headliner of the Super Bowl Halftime Show, they might as well exhume the skeletons of Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee and make it a trio. James Brown, B.B. King or the Temptations never headlined the extravaganza or did I miss something? Why would they pluck George Strait from his “The Three Dead Men 2025 Tour?” If they want a George Strait performance, why don’t they find a nice comfy cornfield and get to croonin’?