Week 16 Gameday Thread:Rams @ Steelers 12/24/11

[SCMom]

Merry Christmas to everyone! Feels weird making a gameday thread today, but looking forward to a day of baking and football! Hopefully we can all get our wish today, and get an early Christmas present from the Steelers AND the Browns. Come on Santa, we've been (mostly) good!

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Steelers host Rams at Heinz Field
Posted Dec 22, 2011
http://www.steelers.com/news/article...8-1305f4e54f4a



Pittsburgh Steelers (10-4) at St. Louis Rams (2-12)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 24, 2011
Kickoff: 1 p.m., ET
Site: Heinz Field (65,500) • Pittsburgh, Pa.
Playing Surface: Grass
TV Coverage: FOX (locally WPGH-TV, channel 53)
Announcers: Dick Stockton (play-by-play)John Lynch (color analyst)Jennifer Hale (sideline)
Local Radio: Steelers Radio NetworkWDVE-FM (102.5)/WBGG-AM (970)
Announcers: Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play)Tunch Ilkin (color analyst)Craig Wolfley (sideline)Spanish Radio: Grupo Imagen - Destrito Federal (Mexico City)XEDA-FM 90.5
Steelers notes for Rams game

THE COACHES

Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin
Overall regular-season record: 53-25 (.679)/fifth seasonRegular-season record at Pittsburgh: 53-25 (.679)/fifth seasonPlayoff Record/Years: 5-2/three years

St. Louis Rams Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo
Overall regular-season record: 10-36 (.217)/third seasonRegular-season record at St. Louis: 10-36 (.217)/third seasonPlayoff Record/Years: n/a

SERIES HISTORY
Series History: Series began in 1938
Overall: St. Louis leads 17-6-2
At Home: St. Louis leads 6-5-1
On The Road: St. Louis leads 11-1-1
Neutral Sites: Pittsburgh leads 1-0
Last Regular-Season Meeting: Dec. 20, 2007 (in St. Louis)Pittsburgh 41, St. Louis 24
Postseason Series: Pittsburgh leads 1-0 (Super Bowl XIV)(postseason record included in overall series record)This marks the first meeting between the two teams in Pittsburghsince 2003, when the Rams won 33-21...the Steelers trail the all-timeregular season series against the Rams, 6-17-2...Pittsburghis looking for its first win against the Rams at home since 1996,when the Steelers won 42-6...the Steelers won the last meetingbetween the teams, 41-24, in St. Louis on Dec. 20,2007...Pittsburgh defeated the Rams (then the L.A. Rams), 31-19, in Super Bowl XIV following the 1979 season...the Steelershave won six of the last nine games against the Rams and havescored over 30 points in four of those games.
PITTSBURGH-ST. LOUIS CONNECTIONS

LOCAL CONNECTIONS
• Steelers DE Ziggy Hood attended the University of Missouri,located between St. Louis and Kansas City.• Rams WR Dominique Curry played collegiately at CaliforniaUniversity of Pennsylvania, located one hour south of Pittsburgh.• Rams CB Justin King was born in Pittsburgh. He attendedGateway High School where he won the Gatorade Player of theYear for the State of Pennsylvania as a senior. King and Steelers LB Mortty Ivy were teammates at Gateway High School. Kingthen attended Penn State University.• Rams LB Josh Hull played collegiately at Penn State University.

PRO CONNECTIONS
• Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin and Rams linebackers coach Paul Ferraro were on the Minnesota Vikings’ staff together in2006. Ferraro coached for the Vikings while Steelers RB Mewelde Moore played for the Vikings from 2006-2007. Rams offensiveline coach Steve Loney was also on the Vikings staff from 2004-2005 when Moore played for the Vikings. Moore was teammateswith Rams OG Adam Goldberg with the Vikings also from 2004-2005.• Steelers special teams coach Al Everest and Rams strengthcoach Rock Gullickson were on the New Orleans Saints’ stafftogether from 2000-2005.• Steelers QB Charlie Batch played for the Detroit Lions from1998-2000 when Rams running backs coach Sylvester Croom was on the Lions’ staff. Batch was also teammates with the Lionswith Rams DE James Hall from 2000-2001.• Steelers WR Jerricho Cotchery and Rams QB Kellen Clemens were teammates with the New York Jets from 2006-2010.• Steelers S Will Allen and Rams RB Cadillac Williams wereteammates with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2005-2009.• Steelers WR Arnaz Battle and Rams TE Billy Bajema wereteammates with the San Francisco 49ers from 2005-2008. Battleand Bajema were also teammates with the 49ers with Rams OG Harvey Dahl from 2005-2007. Battle was also teammates withthe 49ers with Rams C/G Tony Wragge from 2006-2009. Battlewas also teammates with the 49ers with Rams WR Brandon Lloyd from 2003-2005. Lloyd was teammates with Steelers K Shaun Suisham with the Washington Redskins from 2006-2007.• Steelers CB Bryant McFadden and Rams TE Stephen Spach were teammates with the Arizona Cardinals in 2009.• Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau was on the BuffaloBills’ staff in 2003 when Rams DT Justin Bannan played for theBills.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

PITTSBURGH TEAM NOTES• Pittsburgh looks to improve to 4-3 in regular-season gamesplayed on Christmas Eve.• With a win the Steelers will be 5-2 in games played at 1 p.m. ETthis season.• The Steelers look to finish the regular season with a 7-1 record athome for the first time since 2007. It would mark the 12th timesince the AFL-NFL merger in 1970 that the Steelers won at leastseven regular season games at home, including the fourth time atHeinz Field (2001, ‘04, ‘07).• With a win will improve to 7-17-2 all-time against the Rams.• Looking for first home win against the Rams since 1996.• The Steelers look to improve to 94-57-1 all-time against NFCopponents during the regular season.• With a win, Pittsburgh will finish 3-1 against the NFC this year inthe regular season.• Pittsburgh looks to earn its fifth victory in the last six games.• Pittsburgh’s defense will look to hold its 14th straight opponent to23 points or less (0, 20, 17, 17, 13, 20, 17, 23, 17, 9, 7, 3, 20).PITTSBURGH INDIVIDUAL NOTES

Head Coach Mike Tomlin
• With a win will record 11th win of the season, marking the thirdtime in the past four seasons the Steelers have won 11 regular seasongames (2010, ‘08).
• Will look to improve to 2-0 against St. Louis.
• Will look to improve to 54-25 overall during the regular season.
• Including the postseason, looks to improve to 7-2 against NFCWest opponents, including 3-1 this season.

QB Ben Roethlisberger• Looks to improve to 22-7 against NFC opponents, including 3-1this season.• With a win will improve to 2-0 as a starter against the Rams.• Will look to improve to 80-33 as a starter.• Needs 473 passing yards to break his own record (4,328 yards in2009) for the most passing yards during a single season in franchisehistory.• Needs 37 completions to eclipse his own single season franchiserecord for the most completions in one season (337 in 2009).
• Looks to throw for at least 300 yards for the fifth time in the lastnine games. Would mark the 21st 300-yard passing performanceof Roethlisberger’s career and the sixth of this season, setting acareer-high for 300 passing games during the regular season(five in 2009).
• Looks for sixth 100.0 rating of the season and 47th of his career.

WR Hines Ward
• Needs nine receptions to reach 1,000 for his career. He wouldbe eighth player in NFL history to reach the mark and the first inSteelers’ history. Ward will become the second player in NFLhistory to reach 1,000 career receptions and win multiple SuperBowls (Hall of Famer Jerry Rice ).

TE Heath Miller
• Needs three receptions to surpass Hall of Famer Lynn Swann(336) for the fourth most receptions in Steelers history.• Is 14 yards shy of passing Santonio Holmes (3,835) for ninthplace on the Steelers all-time receiving yards list.

WR Antonio Brown
• Needs 16 receiving yards to reach 1,000 on the season for thefirst time in his career. Will join Mike Wallace, who already wentover 1,000 yards, as the fourth Steeler duo to each register over1,000 receiving yards in the same season since 2000.• Will look to tie for the lead or lead the Steelers in either receptionsor receiving yards for the eighth consecutive game.

RB Rashard Mendenhall
• Is 59 yards away from passing Fran Fogel (3,271) for the 10thmost career rushing yards in franchise history.

WR Mike Wallace
• With 100 yards receiving will record his 13th 100-yard receivinggame of his career and the fifth of this season.• If Wallace records at least 100 yards receiving it will be his eighth100 yard receiving
game in the last 15 regular-season games.

SS Troy Polamalu
• After returning a fumble 16 yards for the second fumble returnedfor a touchdown of his career vs. Indianapolis (Week 3), is oneaway from tying Jason Gildon (3) for the most fumbles returned fortouchdowns in franchise history.• Needs one touchdown to move into a tie for the second-mostdefensive touchdowns in Steelers history:• Needs one interception return for a touchdown to tie CarnellLake, Dwayne Woodruff, Deshea Townsend and Tony Campagno(3) for the third-most in franchise history.• Needs eight yards to surpass Chad Scott (368) for the 10th-mostinterception return yards in a career in Steelers’ history.

LB James Harrison
• Needs two sacks to reach 10.0 on the season, becoming the first Steeler since sacks became an official statistic in 1982 to record four consecutive years with at least 10.0 sacks (2010 - 10.5, 2009- 10.0, 2008 - 16.0).
• After registering three sacks vs. Cincinnati (Week 13) and vs. Baltimore (Week 9), looks to become the second Steeler to register at least three sacks three times in one season since 1982 (Mike Merriweather, 1984, 3).
• Looks to record sixth career regular-season game with at least three sacks to pass Joey Porter (5) for the most 3 sack games during the regular season by a Steelers’ player since 1982.

LB LaMarr Woodley
• Needs one sack to reach 10.0 on the season, becoming the first Steeler since sacks became an official statistic in 1982 to record four consecutive years with at least 10.0 sacks (2010 - 10.0, 2009-13.5, 2008 - 11.5).
• Two sacks shy of becoming the sixth Steeler to record 50 career sacks.

[Rick5895]

No Woodley today. But I still predict holding the Rams to 7 or less.

[harrison'samonster]

I got to see the Rams vs. Cincinnati last week and Clemens looked pretty good, and the Rams D was playing pretty aggressive.

I'd like to see the Steelers go a game without giving away turnovers, and we might hold them to that 7 or less.

[Rick5895]

I think we put up 200 + yards rushing today. Batch shouldn't have to throw more that 18-20 times. That full help keep the Sheep to 7 or less.

[Rick5895]

I am also hopeful no matter what happens today, remember its Christmas and hopefully the angry negative posters chill today.

[Bayz101]

HERE WE GO STEELERS!!! It's looking a bit vintage today

[Bayz101]

Originally Posted by Rick5895

I am also hopeful no matter what happens today, remember its Christmas and hopefully the angry negative posters chill today.

One can only wish, these doom and gloomers are relentless! Here's to an aggravation-free day!!!

[Bayz101]

"Well there's a light in your eye that keep's shining"

-Listening to Zepplin

[Bayz101]

Charlie Batch 500 yards?

[DoctorCAD]

Originally Posted by Bayz101

Charlie Batch 500 yards?

Career???