Seven months ago, we decided to start a Pittsburgh Steelers blog for a couple of reasons. One - we are obsessed with Steeler football to an unhealthy level. Two - when you live in your parent's basement, there isn't much else to do.

Since our old site just didn't have enough room for six Lombardi trophies, we had to relocate to greener pastures. We've still got the same writers with the same attitudes, but as you've noticed, things are a little different around here. Here's the gameplan:

What is Bloguin?

Like us, you probably check WHYGAVS? and tPB every morning, so maybe you already have the scoop, but Bloguin is a revolutionary network containing some of the flyest blogs out there. We're extremely proud to share a home with everybody else on the network and to give our readers some exposure to some other fine bloggers, even if they don't drink Iron City.

What is the Bloguin login?

It's simple. You just create an account with Bloguin and will have the ability to comment on any of the sites on the expansive network, as well as post in the forums. Just one account will work with any site on the network!

Who are you guys?

In case you are a new reader, Blitzburgh Blog has two editors: Norm Johnson and Bam Morris. These names may or may not mean anything to you. We support anything that comes out of Pittsburgh and are pretty much your stereotypical yinzers that people love to hate. That said, we have never called for the benching of Ben Roethlisberger, yelled "SHOOOOOT" at a hockey game, or attended a wedding wearing a Jason Gildon jersey. So maybe we are tolerable after all.

Finally, we'd like to offer some thanks to a few people who have helped us along the way. Rizzo Sports Weekly invited us to appear on his television show when we were nothing but big time n00bs. We were more nervous than we were at the freshman prom, but that was a lucky break that we never expected. Huge thanks goes to Derek at Bloguin for putting up with us during the transition period. He's the glue that holds this whole operation together.

Well, consider this public service announcement over. Feel free to browse through our old articles or visit other sites on the network.  If you'll excuse us, we have some non- sanctioned celebratory T-shirts to purchase.

After a few days of recovery and celebration, we figure it’s time to close the book on the Super Bowl. We’ll take one more look back at the actual game itself with a bunch of quick-hit thoughts and obersvations.

• The Arizona defensive line was a LOT better than I expected. I anticipated the Steelers to generate a good push and run the ball effectively. But Darnell Docket did what he wanted pretty much all night and it made Bruce Arians job as playcaller a lot harder.
• Speaking of playcalling, I think the Steelers out thought themselves in goal to go situations. They were 1/4 when it came to converting TD’s off of 1st and goal. That isn’t good enough for any game, let alone the Super Bowl. I know that the offensive line sucks, but when you have 1st and goal from the 5 yard line, you have to pound the football straight ahead. The Steelers tried toss sweeps, QB draws, and play action passes, none of which worked. You have to trust your lineman and running backs to get 5 yards on 3 plays with the season on the line.
• I practically had the game wrap on lockdown until the last 10 minutes. The DB’s did a great job on Fitzgerald until the very end. Aside from the LONG TD catch and run, I still think they did an admirable job. All of Fitz’s other catches were short routes for minimal gains. Ike Taylor did all he could on Fitz’s first TD grab and even knocked the ball out of his hands for a second. On the long gainer, Ike got beat inside, but the real problem was the lack of support in the middle of the field. James Harrison got caught cheating upfield a bit and nobody was home. It’s a mute point now, but other than that play, you can’t ask for more from the Steelers pass defense.
• As a side point, Warner threw for almost 400 yards which seems like a lot, but the Cards basically stopped attempting to run the ball midway through the 2nd quarter.
• Kurt Warner can still play at a very high level. It helps having a pair of WR’s with HOF talent, but he’s one of the best QB’s out there.
• Speaking of QB’s, I really think the order of QB’s right now has to go Brady, Roethlisberger, Warner, Manning, Rivers/Brees. Winning trumps stats every day of the week.

Words can’t even begin to do justice.

We were jumping for joy, we were crying into our Terrible Towels, we were bent over in agony, we were hugging random strangers.

Every Super Bowl is an emotional journey, but this one will go down as one of the greatest.

There’s a time and place to look deep into the game, but now isn’t it. Examine what you want, but this is a time for thanks and celebration.

This great journey we’ve been on for the past few months is because of the hard work of a lot of people.

Norm and I were there during those hot August days in Latrobe watching James Harrison do pushups and Hines Ward stay after practice to catch balls.

Lost in all of the Super Bowl celebration is the fact that this time put in hard work and gave great effort every single day. This championship was earned through talent, but also because of a lot of hard work. For that, we say thanks.

Thank you to the Rooney family. The season started off with rumor after rumor about the sale of the team, but you guys never let it affect the players and helped keep everything in line. Every year you give back to the community through charity and by continually fielding a competitive team. We Steeler fans owe you everything.’

Thank you to Mike Tomlin. Some people thought you were too young, too black, or too inexperienced. In reality, all you needed was 2 years to reach the pinnacle of success. Here’s to you growing old as the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Steeler Nation loves you and wouldn’t want anybody else calling the shots.

Thank you to Ben Roethlisberger. Nobody gives you enough credit. Manning, Brady, Brees, Rivers, Romo. Everybody has their token choice for best QB, but only Brady has had the kind of postseason success that you have. When you move around in the pocket, magic happens and the number of last second drives you led this season is why you are special. Nobody should ever doubt you again. Before you came to Pittsburgh, there was a decade and a half of underachieving and poor QB play. Now we’ve got 6 Super Bowl trophies. You are the heart of this team and this city.

Thank you James Harrison. You went from a practice squad, NFL Europe player to the artist of the most famous play in Super Bowl history. You were a tour de force all season long and proved everybody wrong. You are the 21st century version of Jack Lambert and that is one of the highest compliments a Pittsburgh Steeler can recieve.

Thank you Hines Ward. Everybody knows how much you mean to this team. Watching you go at half strength tonight was as hard on us as it was for you. You are a Hall of Fame player and a living, breathing example of what Steeler Football is all about.

Thank you Myron Cope. We’d say that we’re sorry you couldn’t see this, but we know better than that. You were there looking down on this team and Steeler Nation. We’ll never forget how much you mean to the Pittsburgh Steelers. RIP.

Thank you James Farrior, Larry Foote, Lawrence Timmons. Harrison gets most of the accolades, but you guys more than did your part this season. 51 has been the captain of the defense on and off the field since he’s showed up. Foote quietly goes about his job and makes plays, and Timmons is going to be a Pro Bowler in a few years. Mark it down.

Thank you Troy Polamalu. God, it’s nice to have you healthy. All you do is make big plays and this season proved that you are a HOF worthy player. People used to say you were a bust, but nobody can say a bad word know.

Thanks to Ike Taylor, William Gay, Ryan Clark, Deshea Townsend, Bryant McFadden, Tyrone Carter, Fernando Bryant. For years the secondary was the achilles heel of this football team and you guys turned it into the greatest strength. Without your play, this Super Bowl season doesn’t get off the ground.

Thanks to Jared Retkofsky, Keyaron Fox, Andre Frazier, Patrick Bailey, Bruce Davis. The special teams had always been terrible in Pittsburgh, but you guys came in and made the difference this season. What a great job that was a big part of anything that the defense or offense accomplished.

Thanks to Santonio Holmes. Unreal performance. You were the biggest playmaker during each of the playoff games and we can’t ask for more. You won’t have to buy a drink in Pittsburgh for the rest of your life.

Thanks to Aaron Smith, Casey Hampton, Brett Keisel, Chris Hoke, Orpheus Roye, Travis Kirchske. The Steelers are all about stopping the run and you did exactly that during the season and throughout the playoff run.

Thanks to LaMarr Woodley. You were all over the field during the playoffs. Pro Bowls ahead.

Thanks to Willie Colon, Trai Essex, Justin Hartwig, Darnell Stapleton, Marvel Smith, Chris Kemoeatu, Max Starks. You guys were the brunt of criticism during the entire year. Even Mike Tomlin called you out. But when it mattered, during the 4th quarter, you guys did your job. Everybody said the Steelers couldn’t win a Super Bowl with this offensive line, but you guys stepped it up on the biggest stage.

Thank you to Nate Washington, Limas Sweed, Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, Carey Davis, Sean McHugh. All of you stepped up and made huge catches during the playoff run. Nate, you grew up in a big way this year. Great effort from a bunch of guys without big names.

Thanks to Willie Parker, Mewelde Moore, Gary Russell. It wasn’t always easy and the holes weren’t always there, but you guys went out and ran hard when called upon. Everybody had a role to play and all of you did that without complaining.

Thank you to Mitch Berger, Jeff Reed. Everybody hated on you, Mitch, but your punts during the Super Bowl were great and now you finally have a ring after a great career. Skippy, you are weird as hell but you have a golden foot.

Lastly, thank you to Steeler fans. You guys make this franchise what it is. We go to battle with each and every one of you every week and have made many great friends through this blog and through Steeler Nation. Enjoy this victory, you deserve it. Thanks to anybody who has read this blog, emailed, or commented. This was a great way to celebrate our first full season of blogging and it wouldn’t have been nearly as fun of a ride without your support.

Like we said, maybe we will get into details of the game later on, maybe we won’t. Either way, none of that stuff really matters because the work is done.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS - SUPER BOWL XLIII CHAMPIONS

We’ve spent the past two weeks analyzing the key matchups for the Super Bowl, but now it’s business time. Here are your award-winning editors with their predictions. Any money lost due to the content of this post is your own fault, jagoff.

Norm Johnson says:

I hate predicting things. I’ve been around predictions all of my life with my mother being a palm reader and my father being a weatherman, as well as having Punxsutawney Phil as a pet. It’s stupid because no one knows the future (except for Marty McFly), so my guesses are as good as the hooker’s that’s asleep in my bed right now. With that being said, here are my predictions for the game.

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As Super Bowl XLIII draws closer, we’re going to be diving into the important issues one by one. If you have any topic you want us to cover, give us your suggestions in the Skribit widget to the right. We’ll write about anything. To start off, we took a look at former Steeler assistant Ken Whisenhunt and the role he will play in the game. Next up was  Hines Ward’s knee injury. Now we’ll take a look at a star receiver on the other side of the field - Larry Fitzgerald.

What more is there to say about Larry Fitzgerald? The guy has been nuts this postseason. He’s got a touchdown in every game, a catch over 40 yards in each one, and gone over 100 yards every game. That is ridiculous.

(credit: jack nealy)

When you go up against a WR like Fitzgerald, people immediately look toward the defenses number one corner - in this case, Ike Taylor.

One and one, Fitzgerald will kill Taylor. That’s not a knock on Taylor…he has been playing as well as any cornerback in the NFL this season. But we all saw what Fitz did to Asaunte Samuel last week. Plus, WR’s have an inherent advantage over cornerbacks in single coverage. It’s why there are safeties and zone coverages.

So we agree with the obvious. Larry Fitzgerald is a pretty big mismatch favoring the Cardinals.

But we have to draw the line somewhere. There’s been a lot of talk that Fitzgerald can win this Super Bowl himself. We aren’t buying into that.

WR is a tough position for one guy to single handedly win a game because it depends on so many other aspects. There has to be great pass protection, the QB has to find you, and then he has to make a throw. Factor in run after the catch and it’s tough for one guy to carry a team.

Think back to the past few Super Bowls. Everybody is sucking up to Larry Fitzgerald this year and the Cardinals high powered offense. Wasn’t it the same story last year with Randy Moss and New England? Harrison in 2007? TO before that?

Randy Moss had 5 catches for 62 yards last year. Like Fitzgerald, he is uncoverable by most standards. But the Giants pressured Brady and kept the Pats off balance.

The key for the Steelers is pressuring Warner, jamming the receivers, and making solid tackles after the catch.

The Steelers have a very physical secondary and an excellent pass rush. Let’s not forget that the secondary was the most impressive unit over the course of the regular season this year. They were extremely consistent and easily were the most effective secondary unit in the NFL. They did a great job shutting down Moss, TO, and Plax this season. Is Fitzgerald really leaps and bounds better than those guys? We have untrained eyes, but most of the time when Fitzgerald makes a great play, Warner is just throwing the ball up for grabs Flacco-style. Sure, Fitzgerald makes it look good, but that kind of gameplan won’t work against the defense.

There is more than one way to contain Larry Fitzgerald and you can bet Dick LeBeau has been hard at work figuring these things out. If the Steelers defensive unit is as good as the numbers suggest - and everybody seems to think they are - then one player will not be able to beat this team.

“You can’t see me, you can’t see me”

As Super Bowl XLIII draws closer, we’re going to be diving into the important issues one by one. If you have any topic you want us to cover, give us your suggestions in the Skribit widget to the right. We’ll write about anything. To start off, we took a look at former Steeler assistant Ken Whisenhunt and the role he will play in the game. Next up is Hines Ward’s knee injury.

Hines Ward is the heart and soul of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Other players might have had better seasons or careers, but once Jerome Bettis, Bill Cowher, and Joey Porter left the organization, this became Hines Ward’s team.

So after Hines got up limping after another first down catch, the panic button was pressed. Ward came back and played a series, even made another catch..but he wasn’t able to stay in the game. When Hines Ward pulls himself out of an AFC Championship game against the Ravens, you know something is terribly wrong.

Watching the game, it eventually became pretty clear that the Steelers were going to win and the focus shifted to Hines Ward’s health.

The verdict: MCL sprain.

Two big things to keep in mind when thinking about this -

1. MCL sprains aren’t easy to come back from. Brett Keisel missed several games with one earlier in the year. Correct us if we’re wrong, but the usual time for a knee sprain is 4-6 weeks. Ward has only two.

2. Hines Ward is a damn tough football player. If we had to pick one player to come back from a tough injury in time for the Super Bowl, it would be Hines. Nobody would be surprised if Hines went out and won another Super Bowl MVP award. He’s tough as nails and personifies Steeler Football.

The trouble with this situation lies in the gray area though. What if Hines is able to go, as he says he will be, but is only moving at 60 or 70%? At what point does he become ineffective? And at what point does a healthy Nate Washington or Limas Sweed become the better option?

It’s a really tough call. The team needs Hines Ward out there. Sure, he’s old, he’s getting slower, but he’s a catalyst for the offense and will make the catches that keep a drive moving.

There’s no way that Hines Ward will be at 100% for this game. That is a fact. The Steelers will probably be happy with him around 80%, which is still an improvement over most NFL recievers.

The pressure to pick up the extra 20% falls on Santonio Holmes, Nate Washington, and Limas Sweed (too bad all of Heinz Field booed the guy, killing any confidence he had left). All of those guys have proven their ability to get open deep, but who is going to step up and make the catches on 3rd and 5 or 2nd and 8? Hines will be there for some, but somebody else is going to have to make a few plays.

The plays that move the chains are what Hines excels at and they often go unnoticed. If Holmes can make two or three first down catches, maybe not many people will notice…but those will be the most important plays for the WR’s to make.

Here’s to seeing Hines out there and playing like nothing’s wrong with him. We wouldn’t bet on him being anywhere close to full speed, but then again…we wouldn’t bet against Hines Ward either.

Do it Hines.

Every NFL season is a journey. Not sure if that’s a famous quote, but it should be.

Back in July when we started this blog, the Super Bowl wasn’t even a thought. The Steelers had the hardest schedule in NFL history. The offensive line was porous. The defense was aging.

Fast forward seven months and look at where we are.

What an effort by every man on the roster. What an effort from the coaching staff.

After the jump, we get into the details of the Baltimore win, job a few Ravens forums, and celebrate one of the best Steeler wins in a few decades.

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We could go ahead an overanalyze Sunday’s AFC Championship game to no end. We could talk about every single player on both sides, every past matchup, and run computer simulations of the game 100 times and average the outcomes.

But after a lot of thought, we’ve decided to spend 10 minutes making a list of politically incorrect stereotypes about Baltimore and start an Internet war a while looking at the one matchup with the most significance: Big Ben vs. Joe Cool.

Looking at this game, the thing that will obviously stick out is the play of the defenses. Pittsburgh and Baltimore have the two best defenses in the NFL. Any QB going against one of them is going to have his hands full. Baltimore has forced tons of turnovers. We love to poke fun at Ray Lewis, but he’s a warrior and we respect his play on a football field as much as anybody. Same goes for Ed Reed…we’re even on record saying that we’d have voted for Ed Reed as NFL MVP. This guys are gamers that nobody wants to see lining up across the ball.

But…and this is a big but….the Steelers defense is no slouch either. In fact, they are actually better (GASP!) A lot of the talk this week has been about how the Ravens defense could will Baltimore to a Super Bowl. That’s nice and all, but the Steelers boast a unit that has been better from week one. They put up better numbers and won more games. They are also playing at home and healthier than the Ravens.

So we’ll be kind and say that the defenses cancel each other out. You can believe that if you want.

That leaves the game up to who has the better offense. Neither is particularly impressive, and we think that the whole game will most likely hinge on QB play. With a pair of nasty, turnover-seeking defenses, the QB who is smart with the ball and makes a few plays will most likely be walking out of Heinz Field with the Lamar Hunt trophy.

So which QB is going to play better?