Archives for August 2008

Starting defense yields 2 early TDs (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)

Rooney brothers to huddle with NFL (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)

First-team ‘D’ borderline vs. Bills (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)

Venue doesn’t matter to Tomlin (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)

Photo gallery (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)

Steelers take step back in Toronto (Pittsburgh Tribune Review)

Steelers return to duck-and-chuck (Pittsburgh Tribune Review)

Offensive starters play longer (Pittsburgh Tribune Review)

Photo gallery (Pittsburgh Tribune Review)

Steelers stumble against Buffalo (Beaver County Times)

Big Ben’s ready to go now (Beaver County Times)

High prices keep Canadians away (Beaver County Times)

Steelers fall to Bills, 24-21, in Toronto (Steelers.com)

Photo gallery (Steelers.com)

‘”It was really a great way for us to start with our offense moving the ball against what we think is a real good football team,” said head coach Dick Jauron. “It was a terrific start for us here in Toronto.”‘

‘”I was pleased with some of the things that we did, especially on that drive where we went 90 yards,” Royal said. “Overall, we did better today. But we still have a lot of things that we need to improve on.”‘

‘Edwards was an efficient 9-of-11 for 104 yards and two touchdowns, the first a seven-yard toss in a crowded space to tight end Robert Royal to open the scoring in the first quarter. His second TD pass, again to Royal, from 13 yards away pushed the edge to 14-0 with 9:43 left in the first half.’

‘”You can get really great seats in Buffalo for $65 or $75,” Jason Whitwell said. “For the same amount of money to see a game here, we’d prefer to go to Buffalo, stay in a hotel, have a tailgate party and get our tickets. This feels like a bit of a money grab.”‘

‘Me? I can’t help but think that there’s a certain inevitability here. As difficult as it is to type this, Buffalo is looking more and more desert-able at a time when Toronto is looking more and more opulent. And that makes for a bad combination, at least from a romantic’s point of view.’

‘"It’s been a quick turnaround and we had a couple of practices and it seemed like we just played a couple of days ago," said Trent Edwards. "I feel like a lot of the guys in the first group are anxious to get back out there. I know we had only two series last week."’

‘”I don’t really have any thoughts on the short week, mostly because I have no say in it,” said Bills head coach Dick Jauron. “I just live by the schedule and go play. We are excited about the trip to Toronto. We are going to play a regular-season game up there, also, so it will give us a chance to get a feel for it.”‘

‘Is tonight the beginning of the end?’

‘The individuals who shined against Washington helped make watching an untidy game bearable, and the expectation should be that those players not only continue to thrive but are also joined by others; it would be nice to see individuals either respectively get or keep going. If nothing else, those Bills who make an impact while jockeying for position will demonstrate to the demonstrators that this breed of football is more interesting than the Roughrider version.’

‘”He came up right before the game,” said Bills quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt, “and he said, ‘This is fun. Playing in the games is fun. Now I know why I love football again.'”‘

‘Edwards on the offense’s goals for tonight: “We just want to improve off last week’s performance, put some points on the board, score, don’t make any mental errors, don’t turn the ball over. If we don’t score, put our defense in a good position to succeed. All those things will factor into whether we have a good performance.”‘

‘”Toronto’s going to have the opportunity to experience the NFL at home, in its own backyard,” Christie added. “It’s a big-league opportunity for a major-league city.”‘

‘"We’re excited," said the Bills’ chief operating officer, Russ Brandon, during a news conference at the InterContinental Hotel in downtown Toronto Wednesday. "This is a historic time period in our franchise’s history and we’re excited that it’s finally here. It’s been a long time coming and for it to be here is exciting for everyone.”’

‘”I think there is (anticipation), a little bit, but it’s tempered by two things,” said Mike Zeisberger, who covers the NFL for the Toronto Sun. “The first is the price of the tickets and the fact that a lot of people were turned off thinking this is just a big cash grab. And the second is that it’s an exhibition game. There are tons of NFL fans up here but not necessarily Buffalo Bills fans.”’