Week 14 Gameday Thread: Steelers vs. Chargers - 2012-12-09

[ricardisimo]

Steelers host Chargers at Heinz Field


Pittsburgh Steelers (7-5) vs. San Diego Chargers (4-8)
Date: Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012
Kickoff: 1 p.m., ET
Site: Heinz Field (65,500) • Pittsburgh, Pa.
Playing Surface: Natural Grass
TV Coverage: CBS (locally KDKA-TV, channel 2)
Announcers: Jim Nantz (play-by-play)Phil Simms (analyst)
Local Radio: Steelers Radio NetworkWDVE-FM (102.5)/WBGG-AM (970)
Announcers: Bill Hillgrove (play-by-play)Tunch Ilkin (analyst) Craig Wolfley (sideline) Spanish Radio: Grupo Imagen - Distrito Federal (Mexico City) XEDA-FM 90.5


THE COACHES

Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin
Overall regular-season record: 62-30 (.674)/sixth season Regular-season record at Pittsburgh: 62-30 (.674)/sixth season Playoff Record/Years: 5-3/four years

San Diego Chargers Head Coach Norv Turner
Overall regular-season record: 111-121 (.478)/16th season Regular-season record at San Diego: 53-39 (.576)/seventh season Playoff Record/Years: 4-4/four years

History: Series began in 1971
Overall: Steelers lead 21-6
At Pittsburgh: Steelers lead 14-0
At San Diego: Steelers lead 7-6
Neutral Sites: n/a
Last Regular-Season Meeting: Oct. 4, 2009 (in Pittsburgh)Pittsburgh 38, San Diego 28
Post-season Series: San Diego leads 2-1
Last Post-season Meeting: Jan. 11, 2009 (in Pittsburgh)Pittsburgh 35, San Diego 24 (AFC Divisional Playoff) (post-season record not included in overall series record) This will be the first time these two teams have played since the 2009 regular season and this is the fourth straight game,including the playoffs, taking place in Pittsburgh…the Steelers are attempting to win their third straight regular-season game against San Diego and their fourth consecutive in the series including the post-season…Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin has never lost to the Chargers in three tries (regular season and post-season)...the Steelers have never lost at home to San Diego in the regular-season…Pittsburgh and San Diego have met eight times in the regular season since 1995 and all but two of those contests have been decided seven points or more…the Steelers victory over San Diego at Heinz Field in 2008 remains the only game in NFL history to end with a final score of 11-10…the Chargers have only won two games in a row one time in the series, when they had consecutive wins in 1979 and 1980.

STEELERS-CHARGERS CONNECTIONS
LOCAL CONNECTIONS
• Chargers offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Hal Hunter was born in Canonsburg, Pa., just outside of Pittsburgh, and is a graduate of Belle Vernon HS. Hunter coached at the University of Pittsburgh from 1983-1984 and, after coaching at Pitt, went on to coach at Indiana University (Pa.) for the 1986 season.• Chargers assistant linebackers coach Greg Williams was a defensive graduate assistant at the University of Pittsburgh for the 2008 season.

PRO CONNECTIONS
• Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin and Chargers assistant head coach/special teams coach Ron Bisaccia and linebackers coach Joe Barry were all on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ coaching staff from 2002-2005, while Tomlin and Barry were also assistants with Tampa Bay in 2001. From 2002-2003, Steelers running backs Kirby Wilson was also on the Tampa Bay coaching staff. Steelers S Will Allen, who played for Tampa from 2004-2009, was also a member of those Buccaneers squads.• From 2007-09, Steelers S Will Allen and Chargers special teams assistant Byron Storer were teammates with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Allen was a member of Tampa’s secondary and Storer was a fullback. In 2009, Chargers DB Corey Lynch joined Tampa Bay and played his first season in Tampa with Allen and Storer.• Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau and Chargers LB Takeo Spikes have spent time in the NFL together at two different places. From 1998-2002, Spikes was a linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals. During those years, LeBeau was the Bengals’ assistant head coach/defensive coordinator until 2000, then took over as the Bengals Head Coach midway through the 2000 season and held that position until 2002. When LeBeau left Cincinnati after the 2002 season and became the assistant head coach of the Buffalo Bills in 2003, Spikes followed him there and remained with Buffalo through 2006. LeBeau left Buffalo after one season to become the Steelers defensive coordinator.• Steelers LB Brandon Johnson and Chargers DB Corey Lynch played together in 2008 for the Cincinnati Bengals.• Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley was the Head Coach of the Kansas City Chiefs from 2009-2011. During that time,Chargers RB Jackie Battle and LB Demorrio Willians were members of the Chiefs and were teammates of Steelers TE Leonard Pope, who was also in Kansas City from 2009-2011. In2011, Chargers FB Le’Ron McClain joined the Chiefs for his only season in Kansas City before going to San Diego in 2012.• Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler and Chargers offensive line coach Mike Sullivan were on the Cleveland Browns coaching staff together from 2001-2002.• Steelers offensive line coach Sean Kugler and Chargers senior offensive assistant/special assignments coach Steve Fairchild were both members of the Buffalo Bills coaching staff in 2007.• Steelers tight ends coach James Daniel and Chargers running backs coach Ollie Wilson were both on the Atlanta Falcons coaching staff from 2002 to 2003.• Steelers defensive backs coach Carnell Lake held the same position at the University of California-Los Angeles in 2009 when Chargers T Mike Harris was a sophomore for the Bruins.• Steelers QB Byron Leftwich was in his rookie season with the Jacksonville Jaguars when Chargers assistant strength and conditioning coach Vernon Stephens was in his final season as the Jaguars strength and conditioning intern.

COLLEGE CONNECTIONS
• Steelers NT Casey Hampton and Chargers CB Quentin Jammer were teammates at the University of Texas from 1997-2000.• Steelers S Ryan Clark and Chargers offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Hal Hunter spent the 1998 and 1999 collegiate seasons together at Louisiana State University. Clark was a member of the Tigers secondary and Hunter was the offensive line coach in ’98 before being promoted to assistant head coach in ’99. Also, Steelers LS Greg Warren and Hunter spent time together at the University of North Carolina between 2002 and2004.• Steelers WR Jerricho Cotchery and Chargers QB Philip Rivers were teammates for the collegiate careers, 2000-2003, at North Carolina State University.• Steelers G Ramon Foster spent his first season (2004) and his last season (2008) at the University of Tennessee with Chargers tight ends coach Jason Michael. Foster was a member of the Vols’ offensive line and Michael was a graduate assistant in his first stint and then coached the Tennessee tight ends in his second tour. At Tennessee, Foster was also a teammate of Chargers WR Robert Meachem from 2004-2006.• Steelers LB LaMarr Woodley was in his final season at the University of Michigan in 2006 when Chargers LB Jonas Mouton was in his first season with the Wolverines.
• Steelers DE Ziggy Hood and Chargers WR Danario Alexander were teammates at the University of Missouri from 2008-2008.These two were also teammates with Chargers LB Andrew Gachkar at Mizzou in 2008.• Steelers LB Jason Worilds and Chargers WR Eddie Royal were teammates at Virginia Tech from 2006-2007.• Steelers LB Stevenson Sylvester and Chargers S Eric Weddle were teammates at the University of Utah in 2006, Sylvester’s first with the Utes and Weddle’s last.• Steelers DE Al Woods and Chargers SS Brandon Taylor were teammates at Louisiana State University during the 2008 and2009 seasons.

[ricardisimo]

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

PITTSBURGH TEAM NOTES
• Including the post-season, the Steelers are looking for their fifth straight win against the Chargers.
• The Steelers are looking to improve to 22-6 all-time against San Diego during the regular season, including 15-0 at home.
• Pittsburgh is hoping to hold its 10th opponent this season (eighth straight) to 20 points or less.
• The Steelers are looking to register their 12th win in the last 14 home games.
• If Pittsburgh wins, it will be 5-1 at home this season, marking the ninth consecutive year the Steelers registered at least five wins at home.
• Pittsburgh is looking to improve to 404-255-2 during the regular season since 1970.
• The Steelers defense is looking to keep their ninth opponent to under 100 net yards rushing this season.
• If Pittsburgh holds San Diego to less than 180 net passing yards it will mark the eighth game in a row and the 10th time this season the Steelers did not allow their opponent to register at least 180 net passing yards.
• The Pittsburgh defense is looking to extend its regular-season streak of holding teams under 300 net passing yards to 36 games. The last time the Steelers allowed a team to record at least 300 net passing yards was on 11/14/10 vs. New England (350).
• Pittsburgh’s defense will try and hold the opposing quarterback to a passer rating of 80.0 or less for the ninth straight game and the 10th time this season.
• The Steelers defense is looking to register at least one takeaway for the 11th game this season.
• Pittsburgh is looking to record its fourth individual 100-yard rushing performance of the season for the first time since Willie Parker (4) and Mewelde Moore (1) combined for five 100 yard rushing games in 2008.


PITTSBURGH INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Head Coach Mike Tomlin
• If Pittsburgh wins, will improve to 63-30 during the regular season,including 36-10 at home.• Looking to improve to 4-0 against San Diego, including the post-season.• If the Steelers win, will improve to 18-8 in regular-season games in December/January. Pittsburgh has registered a regular-season record of 4-1 in each of the past two seasons in December/January.

QB Ben Roethlisberger
• If Roethlisberger registers at least 134 passing yards, he will become the 25th quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least29,000 yards and run for at least 1,000 yards during the regular season.
• Looking to record a passer rating of 120.0 for the fourth time this season, which would tie for the second most times he has registered a passer rating of at least 120.0 in the same regular season(four in 2004 / five in 2009).
• Is looking to throw for at least 360 yards for the third time this season, which would tie 2011 (3) for the second most times he has thrown for at least 360 yards in one season (2009, 4).

QB Charlie Batch
• If Batch starts it will be the first time that he started three consecutive games since the 2001 season when he started eight straight games for the Detroit Lions.• If Batch starts he will be looking to improve to 7-3 as a starter for the Steelers.

RB Jonathan Dwyer
• Looking to eclipse 100 yards rushing for the third time this season.It would mark the most 100-yard rushing games by a Steelers player during one regular season since Rashard Mendenhall registered three 100 yard rushing games in 2010.

TE Heath Miller
• Is two receiving touchdowns away from passing Louis Lipps (39)for the fifth most in franchise history.

WR Mike Wallace
• If he records at least 100 yards receiving, it will mark the 14th 100-yard game of his career.

WR Emmanuel Sanders
• Looking to record at least one reception in a career-best 19 consecutive games played, including the 2011 regular and post-season.

LB James Harrison
• Looking to record at least one sack in a career-best four consecutive games.

LB LaMarr Woodley
• Needs 1.5 sacks to tie Greg Lloyd (53.5, 1988-97) for the fifth-most sacks by a Steelers’ player since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.• Looking to tie his single-season career high (2010) with his second interception of the season.
LB Jason Worilds
• Looking to register his third multi-sack game of his career and the second in three weeks.

S Troy Polamalu
• Needs one interception to become the ninth Steelers’ player to record 30 career interceptions.• With one fumble return for a touchdown, will tie Jason Gildon (3)for the most fumbles returned for touchdowns in franchise history.• Is one defensive touchdown shy of tying Carnell Lake, Dwayne Woodruff and Jack Butler (5) for the second-most defensive touchdowns in Steelers history (Rod Woodson, 6).• Needs one interception return for a touchdown to tie Carnell Lake, Dwayne Woodruff, Deshea Townsend and Tony Campagno(3) for the fourth-most in franchise history.

[Ricco Suavez]

Not being aired here in North MS (believe Cowboys and Bengals on), but surprised Nantz and Simms working this game after last weeks contest. Steelers big draw on most the time, but against the Chargers did not see CBS running their #1 commentators out. All that said I expect a good game at least form the close score point, I see no blowout from our team or vice versa, this Charger team put up a 24 point halftime lead on the Broncos and then managed to blow it. Depends which half shows up today and we are notorious to play up or down to our opponents. But with as much on the line and people getting healthy I see us pulling a win out. Now I am trying to prepare some of you for the anxiety of this contest so we do not have so many "sky is falling" comments during this game. I was on here the last three weeks and it is pretty intense to say the least during close games when everything is not going the good guys way.

[Atlanta Dan]

CBS very solemn in first 10 minutes of pregame as Sharpe and JB boldly oppose DWI and domestic violence - after the commercial break back to the fun & games

My guess is the official sad faces for the first 10 minutes were due to this rip job after CBS had the usual chucklehead opening after the KC murder-suicide last week

We live in a Bayless-ian age of hyperbole where can-you-top-this snap judgments are delivered for maximum viewership and page views. So I want readers to know the following sentence was considered with deliberation and thought:

CBS's The NFL Today show disgraced itself on Sunday.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...day/index.html

[SoCalFan]

Watching at home, no sportsbar today! Let's kick some bolt ass! Hoping for a minimum 10 point win!

[Rick5895]

I have a feeling we will see a TD from Plax today

[Bayz101]

If the forum has any troubles today, please message me so I can report it. Thank you.

[fortmemphis]

wow a 7-5 team vs a 4-8 team gets CBS's number 1 broadcast team in Nantz and Simms. Didnt expect that.

[SoCalFan]

Slow thread today! Everyone expecting a win. Figures...

[fortmemphis]

if they are going to bring the safties up to stop the run, we are going to have to exploit that