Steeler anxiety strikes early

Steeler anxiety struck early this season in the Steeler Face home.  A playoff pre-game ritual of house cleaning to work off the jitters occurred on a Thursday, today, three days before the last regular season game.  Mrs. Steeler Face can thank Coach Tomlin for the early bout of cleaning because he is toying with starting the ailing Ben Roethlisberger in a meaningless game at Cleveland (the very team he sustained the high ankle sprain against).  Seriously, coach, Ben is the one man on earth who needs more rest than Santa Claus right now.  The Brownie Elves are light work -- let Charlie Batch handle it.

Here are a few other things that rattled through my mind while mopping, sweeping, scrubbing and running the vacuum cleaner . . .

Antonio Brown MVP shocker -- That's right, the Steelers voted Antonio Brown team MVP.  This has been a break out year for A-B.  He set the Steeler team record for all purpose yards in a single season (over 2,000), has been a dynamic pass catcher (over 1,000 yards receiving) and kick returner, and was named to the Pro Bowl.  Although, the Steeler Face considers Big Ben the MVP of this team every year he's played, Brown has been an invaluable component of Pittsburgh's success this season by giving another standout target to compliment Mike Wallace.  And, let us not forget that Brown was a 6th round draft pick out of Central Michigan University of the Mid American Conference (MAC).

Speaking of the MAC -- This so-called "mid-major" collegiate athletic conference has produced seven current Pittsburgh Steelers: Antonio Brown (Central Michigan University), Ben Roethlisberger (Miami University, Ohio), James 'Excessive Awesomeness' Harrison (Kent State), Charlie Batch (Eastern Michigan University), Shaun Suisham (Bowling Green State University), Byron Leftwich (Marshall University--formerly of the MAC), and Doug Legursky (Marshall University).  Moreover, three of the Steelers Pro Bowlers this year hail from the MAC.

Steelers in the Pro Bowl -- The Steelers have a good showing on this year's Pro Bowl roster as Maurkice Pouncey, Troy Polamalu and Mike Wallace were named starters, while Big Ben and Antonio Brown are backups.  Three others, James 'Excessive Awesomeness' Harrison, LaMarr Woodely and Ryan Clark were named alternates.

The Steeler Face is most happy that Big Ben received the Pro Bowl nod, as his toughness and playmaking ability are unfailingly unappreciated by the East Coast Media.  Ben was voted to his first Pro Bowl in 2007 and was an alternate in 2009, but declined the invitation so that he could rest an ailment (go figure).

It also shouldn't escape notice that the Steelers have TWO wide receivers on the AFC roster: Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown (both 1,000+ yard pass catchers).

Of course, Steeler Nation is hoping that none of the Steelers are playing in the Pro Bowl so that they can prepare for Super Bowl XLVI.  However, if they do play in the Super Bowl, the Steeler Face hereby predicts that James 'Excessive Awesomeness' Harrison will be the first player ever to be fined, or suspended, or both by Commissioner Angry Elf Roger Goodell for a perfectly legal and ethically sound tackle in the Pro Bowl.

About the Pro Bowl -- I don't like that the NFL move it to the week before the Super Bowl because it assures that the best players on the best teams don't play.  Maybe the Pro Bowl should be played during the Hall of Fame weekend over the summer, rather than two teams that 90% of the U.S. doesn't care about anyway (like last summer's proposed matchup between St. Louis and Chicago, zzzzzzzzzzzzz).  Of course, I see potential problems with that too.  Maybe the Pro Bowl shouldn't be a game at all.  Just make it a roster.  Just a thought.