Free-Reprint Article Written by: Mike Ricigliani See Terms of Reprint Below.
***************************************************************** * * This email is being delivered directly to members of the group: * * [email protected] * ***************************************************************** We have moved our TERMS OF REPRINT to the end of the article. Be certain to read our TERMS OF REPRINT and honor our TERMS OF REPRINT when you use this article. Thank you. This article has been distributed by: http://Article-Distribution.com Helpful Link: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act - Overview http://www.gseis.ucla.edu/iclp/dmca1.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------- Article Title: ============== Pittsburgh Steelers - Don't Count on a Repeat Article Description: ==================== Fans in the Steel City have been on Cloud 9 since February when the Steelers outlasted the Seahawks and clinched their fifth Lombardi Trophy. Don't expect the euphoria to last, though. Additional Article Information: =============================== 641 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line Distribution Date and Time: 2006-09-13 15:00:00 Written By: Mike Ricigliani Copyright: 2006 Contact Email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] For more free-reprint articles by Mike Ricigliani, please visit: http://thePhantomWriters.com/free_content/d/index.shtml#Mike_Ricigliani ============================================= Special Notice For Publishers and Webmasters: ============================================= If you use this article on your website or in your ezine, We Want To Know About It. Use the following URL to let us know where you have used this article, and we will include a link to your website on thePhantomWriters.com: http://thephantomwriters.com/notify.php?id=3542&p=load HTML Copy-and-Paste and TEXT Copy-and-Paste Versions Of Article Are Available at: http://thePhantomWriters.com/free_content/db/r/pittsburgh-steelers-repeat.shtml#get_code --------------------------------------------------------------------- Pittsburgh Steelers - Don't Count on a Repeat Copyright © 2006 Mike Ricigliani NFL Directory http://www.NFLdir.com Fans in the Steel City have been on Cloud 9 since February when the Steelers outlasted the Seahawks and clinched their fifth Lombardi Trophy. Don't expect the euphoria to last, though. The emergency appendectomy that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger underwent earlier this week is only the latest in a string of incidents that are making it harder for me to believe that Pittsburgh will repeat as champions. Sure, the Patriots were able to repeat a couple years ago amidst some considerable adversity, but they represent the exception rather than the rule. Take first the ever-growing concern over Roethlisberger's ability to play the whole season healthy. He has made enormous strides since his motorcycle accident, but this latest emergency leads me to believe that not everything is in balance as it should be. More than anyone on the team Big Ben needs to be operating at his peak physical and mental condition. Even running at 90% will cost the team dearly - I imagine to the tune of 2-3 wins - and put them in a position where they again have to win tough road games to advance to the Super Bowl. Trust me, if given the chance again the Bengals, Colts and Broncos are going to come out hungry for blood. I think it's pretty clear, too, that the Steelers will have to (http://www.nfl-forums.com/forums/pittsburgh-steelers/big-ben-mis s-opener-vs-dolphins-5526.html) have a sensational game (especially from Charlie Batch) to dispose of the Dolphins on Thursday. I don't think they'll do it, to be honest. To be beaten in the first week by a conference opponent, while not crippling, will certainly test the mettle of a team very early on. The Broncos did survive a trouncing by - you guessed it - the Dolphins in week 1, but they weren't playing a first place schedule and in a division with the Bengals, either. In fact, San Diego and Kansas City did all they could to give the division away. Pittsburgh will have an even taller order, too, if Hines Ward can't go. And what about Hines' Hammy? The guy has been totally unable to go this preseason. In an offense where timing on short to intermediate routes is so important, Ward probably won't be in rhythm until after the Steelers' week 4 bye at which point Miami, Jacksonville and Cinci will have had a shot at them. The Jaguars are stellar against the run, the Dolphins improved dramatically by the end of last season, and the Bengals shored up their run defense by adding stalwart Sam Adams (who thrived under Marvin Lewis in Baltimore). If the pass is ineffective in those games, the Steelers will face an uphill battle to move the ball in the smash mouth way they are accustomed to. Truth is, the Steelers could be 1-2 or even 0-3 going into their October 8 game on the road in San Diego. The biggest thing this team is lacking now, however, is the emotional leader the magnitude of Jerome Bettis. There is no doubt that Roethlisberger is a fiery competitor, but I'm not sure yet whether he's a guy the entire team can rally around - especially since he all but said that his own personal whims are more important than the team. Any idiot who nearly gets their head smashed in riding without a helmet then says he'll probably ride without one again doesn't care about anybody - even himself, apparently. Without Bettis, and with all the other petty distractions (like Coach Cower's future being up in the air) will make this season a gauntlet hard to survive. Sure, the Steelers have averaged 13 wins over the past two seasons, but while teams like the Colts (I've been hearing they're due for something like three years now) are hungrier that ever, I just don't know if the Black and Yellow can pull it together for another run. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Mike Ricigliani is a writer for NFL Directory - a directory of NFL websites: http://www.NFLdir.com --- END ARTICLE --- Get HTML or TEXT Copy-and-Paste Versions Of This Article at: http://thePhantomWriters.com/free_content/db/r/pittsburgh-steelers-repeat.shtml#get_code ..................................... TERMS OF REPRINT - Publication Rules (Last Updated: May 11, 2006) Our TERMS OF REPRINT are fully enforcable under the terms of: The Digital Millennium Copyright Act http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c105:H.R.2281.ENR: ..................................... *** Digital Reprint Rights *** * If you publish this article in a website/forum/blog, You Must Set All URL's or Mailto Addresses in the body of the article AND in the Author's Resource Box as Hyperlinks (clickable links). * Links must remain in the form that we published them. Clean links should point to the Author's links without redirects having been inserted into the copy. * You are not allowed to Change or Delete any Words or Links in the Article or Resource Box. Paragraph breaks must be retained with articles. You can change where the paragraph breaks fall, but you cannot eliminate all paragraph breaks as some have chosen to do. * Email Distribution of this article Must be done through Opt-in Email Only. No Unsolicited Commercial Email. * You Are Allowed to format the layout of the article for proper display of the article in your website or in your ezine, so long as you can maintain the author's interests within the article. * You may not use sentences from this article as an input for any software that steals sentences from others in order to build an article with software. The copyright on this article applies to the "WHOLE" article. *** Author Notification *** We ask that you notify the author of publication of his or her work. Mike Ricigliani can be reached at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** Print Publication Reprint Rights *** If you desire to publish this article in a PRINT publication, you must contact the author directly for Print Permission at: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ..................................... If you need help converting this text article for proper hyperlinked placement in your webpage, please use this free tool: http://thephantomwriters.com/link-builder.pl ===================================================================== ABOUT THIS ARTICLE SUBMISSION http://thePhantomWriters.com is a paid article distribution service. thePhantomWriters.com and Article-Distribution.com are owned and operated by Bill Platt of Stillwater, Oklahoma USA. The content of this article is solely the property and opinion of its author, Mike Ricigliani http://www.NFLdir.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX --------------------------------------------------------------------- *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* To have your article appear in this distribution list, you must absolutely be a client of thePhantomWriters. We offer a paid article distribution service, and this is one of the more than 60 groups where we submit our client articles. To learn more about our program, visit: http://thePhantomWriters.com/x.pl/tpw/index.htm Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thePhantomWriters/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/thePhantomWriters/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
