I've been to Cody's before, and when I got there on Sunday I could tell right away that something was off. First, there just weren't as many Steeler fans as I've seen in the past. Sure, the Jets had just played, and won, a nice game ahainst the Patriots, but Cody's still normally does a good job of bringing out the Black and Gold. This time, though, there were some empty tables, and the Steelers fans seemed to be kind of spread out through the place, so it didn't have the feeling of Black and Gold community that you can get at a place like that.
One good thing about Cody's is that you can see the Steeler's game from almost anywhere that you sit. Actually, you can basically see every game from anywhere you sit, because Cody's must have about 50 tv's throughout the place. That's not to say, though, that all of the tv's are high quality. A lot of the sets are old, with only fair picture quality, and some of them are placed in some pretty odd spots. Still, if you're looking to catch a game, or every game, then Cody's is the place for you, because they will be showing them all. The people who work there are very friendly, too, and they'll always try to help you out by putting the game that you want on a tv that you can see, or else trying to help you find a tv that's showing the game that you're looking for. It does get pretty crowded in there on gameday, so that's a big help when you need to catch your team in action.
The wings at Cody's are nice and big, but they're on the expensive side. A dozen wings costs about 12 dollars, so you're basically paying about a dollar per wing. I ordered the hot wings, and they came out right on time, fresh from the kitchen. One thing about them is that the suce isn't what you'd think of as a traditional Buffalo-style hot sauce. Instead, it's almost more like a thick paste that coats the wings. It's a lot less buttery than a standard buffalo wing sauce, but it can get good and spicy. As long as you've got plenty of napkins and you're not trying to impress your fellow fans with what a neat and clean eater you are, you'll be fine. Because the wings are as big as they are, an order of twelve left me pretty full, so I didn't need to go back to the menu for more.
Cody's does have a full menu, though, with bar standars like nachos, burgers, and mozzarella sticks right along side restaurant style entrees like pasta, fish, and their semi-famous fried chicken and french fry basket. They always have a selection of daily specials, as well, sp there's plenty of variety if you'd like to make Cody's your regular gametime destination. They have a good selection of beer in both bottles and drafts, but I usually stick with the special, which is Amber Bock for $3.75. All in all, Cody's menu has a really good variety of bar-style appetizers, restaurant-style entress, and regularly updated specials, alongside a reasonably priced beer selection. It's a good, Steeler-friendly neighborhood spot that works just as well in the offseason, since Cody's takes full advantage of all of the tv's that they've got, showing just about every game that's played throughout the year. Come May, you'll even find some Penguins fans hanging around in there, and the big guys behind the bar have even put the Pirates up there for me.
On Sunday, though, the Steelers got everybody fired up with that first drive, where they looked like found the secret to managing an almost perfectly efficient passing game. For all of the talk about Big Ben moving around inside of the pocket and making plays, if Ben Roethlisberger is going to take short drops and get the ball out to Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes on screens and short crosses and quick out routes, they'll be tough to defend. Obviously, any time you can force a defense into covering the short ball, you're giving Big Ben a chance to work that arm out and move the ball downfield on a big play. For a second there, it almost looked like that was what we had on the interception, because Holmes had made a nice move toward the end zone, but Ben couldn't quite musle through the hit that he took just as he was releasing the ball.
For all of the criticism that the play calling has received since Sunday, I have to say that some of it impressed me. I liked going to the air on 4th and goal from the one on the first drive, and it was nice to see Matt Spaeth step up and make a play when he had the chance. For all of the people talking about the need to establish a credible running attack, it seems like the Steelers are using their ball-control, quick attack passing offense to help establish their run game. If you have linebackers looking for the quick toss, then you have half a step for your running backs to make an initial move that gets them to the hole.
Also, let's remember that Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall and running like Tony Dorsett right now, either. Sure, there was a big improvement in the running game from Week 1 to Week 2, and that step in the right direction is the kind of things that great, well-coached teams do in the face of adversity. But let's look at the numbers. Going into Week 3, the top two backs on the depth chart have combined for 111 yard rushing on 34 carries. Two years ago, that would've been a disappointing game for Fast Willie, but now it's taken two guys two games to get there. To be fair, Mendenhall hasn't gotten more than a handful of touches each game, and he did break one for 39 yards on Sunday, but we still need to look for more in the coming weeks. A lot of people have been saying that a more accurate test of the rushing attack will come against Cincinnatt and its less than dominating defense, so I'm giving the Steelers the benefit of the doubt and looking for some good productivity in Week 3.
Just like after Week 1, there's definitely some serious room for improvement going forward, and a lot of it has been repeated in all of the discussion of last week's game. Santonio definitely needs to make the play when the ball is in his hands, since he has to be counted on as a go to guy if the Steelers offense is going to be as good as it can be. For example, a receiver like Randy Moss isn't great because he makes all of the catches that he's supposed to. He does that, of course, as well as anyone. But what makes him great is that he catches all of the balls that no other receiver could have a chance on. The great receivers makes their quarterbacks better by making the plays that no one else can. If you need an example, Holmes made a certain catch at the end of last season that might illustrate my point. As for the defense, I'm just not ready to criticize Dick LeBeau, because he's a certified football genius and we're beyond lucky to have him. And yes, the defense is statistically off to a slow start, but the sacks and interceptions will come, right as rain. So let's get those eleven guys out on the field, and for now that's probably going to include Tyrone Carter, to clamp down a little in the fourth quarter, and we should be all set.
Week 2 was humbling, and the guys didn't come together down the stretch the way they needed to, but we're ready to travel to Cincinnati and get the division games started. So let's summarize:
- Steelers lose (1-1)
- Good passing offense, fair rushing offense, okay defense, poor special teams
- Cody's American Bar & Grill (154 Court St, between Pacific St. and Dean St.)
- Good wings, good crowd, fair tv's, good tv placement and general viewing ability
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