A Steelers Depot daily segment. A quick hit of some Pittsburgh Steelers and Steelers-related stories that may not require a complete and dedicated article but nuggets worth mentioning and passing on to you guys. The same as our recent Depot Daily, but now late at night to better capture the news of the day.
Your Depot After Dark for Nov. 17.
Troy INT Anniversary
It’s been 15 years (and one day) since Troy Polamalu’s amazing one-handed, diving interception against the Los Angeles Charges. One of the greatest picks you’ll see, one the announcers initially thought had to be incomplete, with Polamalu sliding his hand underneath just before the ball hit the ground.
What’s forgotten about this play is the chance Polamalu had to score. Had he not run into LB Larry Foote, this might’ve been the most amazing pick-six in NFL history.
Peterson Watching Watt
If CB Patrick Peterson had a Defensive Player of the Year vote, you know who he’d cast it for. Speaking to reporters Friday via the Trib’s Chris Adamski, Peterson praised not only Watt’s production but his demeanor and approach. Now his teammate, he’s getting a first-hand view of how Watt goes about his business and the work he puts in to become one of the NFL’s top pass rushers.
“He’s playing with his hair on fire,” Peterson said. “He’s been like that since he’s been in the league. Excited to finally see him work each and every day. Be in the huddle with him on Sundays. It’s really amazing to see him go to work and have that mindset every day to destroy.”
Watt is third in the NFL with 10.5 sacks. Last week, he passed big brother J.J. Watt for the second-most sacks of any player in history through their first 100 games. Watt sits at 88 sacks through 96 career contests. He’ll look to add to that total this weekend.
Faneca/Holmes Ireland Watch Party
As we wrote about earlier in the month, the Steelers are hosting a watch party in Ireland. Not only is Hall of Fame OG Alan Faneca attending, WR Santonio Holmes is joining him, too. The two hit the links today at the Royal County Down Golf Club.
The team’s watch party will take place Sunday to watch the Steelers battle the Browns.
Ryan Clark: Browns Game Is Pivotal For Steelers
With the Pittsburgh Steelers facing backup quarterbacks in Dorian Thompson-Robinson in Week 11 and Jake Browning in Week 12, they seem poised to go on a run, especially with the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots on deck in Weeks 13 and 14.
But to go on a run, they need to take care of the Browns first on Sunday. If they can do that, Ryan Clark thinks Pittsburgh will be set up to host playoff games.
“We can look up in a month, and the Steelers could be 10-3,” Clark said on NFL Live today. “The Steelers can start a run if they can win this very tough game in Cleveland. Just because they have a backup quarterback doesn’t mean that this defense isn’t going to come to play. Doesn’t mean that the Cleveland Browns won’t have an elite rushing offense, especially if Kevin Stefanski taps into DTR’s ability to run the football.”
But if the Steelers win this game, Clark said they can “host football games in the playoffs,” and that if that’s the case, it would be “the greatest coup of all-time.”
It’s not going to be easy going into Cleveland and beating a Browns team boasting the best defense in the league, especially given some of Pittsburgh’s offensive woes. But the win could carry momentum forward, and with a backup quarterback in Cincinnati and two bad teams on deck in Arizona and New England, the Steelers could set themselves up nicely to be a real contender in the AFC.
