The Chin of Steel: An alternate Pittsburgh Steelers/NFL History (1993 - ???) M23

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This CFM will take place on Madden 23. It will be an alternate retelling of NFL history with a focus on the Steelers.

The franchise will begin at the onset of the 19993 regular season. I will play the Steelers games and super sim/play the moment other league games. How will NFL history play out this go round? Will Cowher lead his hometown team to one for the thumb? Will Jimmy Johnson and his Cowboys cement themselves and take over the 90s? Will the Bills continue to dominate the AFC? Will Elway or Marino finally get a ring? How will free agency and the salary cap era impact teams this time around? Let's find out!

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Yearly Recaps

1993: TBD

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Award Winners and Pro Bowlers

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Team Draft Results

1994: TBD

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1993 NFL Season Preview

As we enter the 1993 season the NFL enters an era of change. The NFL jump from 28 teams to 32 as new franchises will debut in Jacksonville, Charlotte, San Antonio, and Baltimore. To accommodate the new franchises the NFL will move to 4 divisions in each conference. An increase from 3 in prior seasons. The Seahawks will also transition from the AFC West to the NFC counterpart. Along with new teams jumping into the marathon that is the NFL journey, rules changes have been implemented to increase offensive output. Emphasis on protecting QBs, limiting contact on WRs down field, the addition of the 2 point conversion following a TD, and radio communications being placed inside of QBs helmets are all among the strategies that the NFL will look to employ. The NFL will also expand the regular season schedule to 17 games and add a 7 playoff team to each conference. This spring was the first off-season to feature open free agency in the NFL while a salary cap wil be implemented in 1994. It looks like we're in for a wild season!

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Steelers Defense Sets Pace in Rout of Bengals

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
Jan 1,	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0`)	7	7	14	13	41
Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)	3	7	0	0	10

Team Stats Comparison
	PIT	CIN
Total Offense	332	254
Rushing Yards	149	77
Passing Yards	183	177
First Downs	16	13
Punt Return Yards	25	4
Kick Return Yards	71	160
Total Yards	428	416
Turnovers	1	6
3rd Down Conversion	3	5
4th Down Conversion	1	0
2-Point Conversion	0	0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2/2	1/0
Penalties	0	2
Posession Time

Pittsburgh Steelers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Neil O'Donnell 18/35 191 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Barry Foster 24 125 5.2 1 Leroy Thompson 4 22 5.5 0 Merril Hoge 2 3 1.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Eric Green 7 90 12.9 1 Jeff Graham 3 27 9.0 0 Merril Hoge 3 20 6.7 0 Dwight Stone 2 29 14.5 0 Leroy Thompson 2 18 9.0 0 Barry Foster 1 7 7.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Levon Kirkland 9 0 1 0 Greg Lloyd 8 1.0 1 1 Darren Perry 8 0 0 0 Kevin Greene 5 0 0 0 Donald Evans 5 0 0 0 D.J. Johnson 4 0 1 1 Joel Steed 4 0 0 0 Gerald Williams 3 0 0 1 Carnell Lake 3 0 0 0 Rod Woodson 3 0 1 0 Gary Jones 3 0 0 0 Kenny Davidson 3 0 0 0 Willlie Williams 3 0 0 0 Deon Figures 3 0 0 0 Jerry Olsavasky 2 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Gary Anderson 2/3 5/5 11 26 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Mark Royals 3 105 35.0 2 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Rod Woodson 3 71 23.7 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Rod Woodson 5 25 5.0 0

Cincinnati Bengals PASSING C/A YDS TD INT David Klinger 17/39 177 0 4 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Harold Green 19 59 3.1 1 Eric Ball 1 16 16.0 0 Derrick Fenner 5 3 0.6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Carl Pickens 5 90 16.0 0 Wesley Carroll 5 27 5.4 0 Eric Ball 1 24 24.0 0 Harold Green 3 20 6.7 0 Tony McGee 2 11 5.5 0 Jeff Query 1 5 5.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Ricardo McDonald 14 0 0 0 Lance Gunn 10 0 0 0 Leonard Wheeler 7 0 0 0 John Copeland 7 0 0 0 James Francis 6 1.0 0 0 Rod Jones 6 0 0 0 George Hinkle 6 0 0 0 Michale Brim 5 0 0 0 Sheldon White 5 0 0 0 Steve Tovar 5 0 1 0 Tim Krumrie 4 0 0 0 Alfred Williams 4 0 0 0 Eric Shaw 3 0 0 0 Brad Smith 3 0 0 0 Darryl Williams 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Doug Pelfrey 1/2 1/1 4 42 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Lee Johnson 5 208` 41.6 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Patrick Robinson 7 160 22.9 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Patrick Robinson 1 4 4.0 0

On a beautiful opening day in Cinicinatti the Pittsburgh Steelers kicked off their 1993 season. The Steelers looked to continue the offensive strategy they employed in 1992. After each team exchanged punts the Steelers offense found a little bit of a groove. Leaning on RB Barry Foster, as they did in much of 1992, they moved the ball 72 yards on the drive. Foster ripped off a 23 yard run to put the ball at the 4 yard line. 2 plays later Foster jumped over the line to give the Steelers their first points of the season. The Bengals would respond a field goal to cap the first quarter of action.

Steelers QB Neil O'Donnell has been fighting through elbow pain all pre-season and it was evident today. O'Donnell struggled with accuracy when pushing the ball vertically and at times missed the "layups". The passing attack as a whole has work to be done as TE Eric Green was the only pass catcher who seemed to consistently make plays. Even when O'Donnell was on target WRs Jeff Graham and Dwight Stone combined for 5 drops. This was evident in the 2nd quarter when O'Donnell threw a beautiful ball on a corner route and Jeff Graham couldn't hang on to what would've been a walk in score. 3 plays later O'Donnell would airmail a pass for FB Merril Hoge in the red zone that would find the hands of a Bengal defender. The Steelers defense would respond though. 2 plays later Bengals QB David Klinger would hit RB Harold Green in the flats. Green would turn up field and find OLB Greg Lloyd waiting for him. While being stood up CB D.J. Johnson would punch the ball free and ILB Levon Kirkland would jump on it. 2 plays later O'Donnell would Eric Green on a 6 yard TD pass off play action to Foster. QB David Klinger would then have his best drive of the game. Going 6/8 and finding WR Carl Pickens 4 times. The Bengals would then push the ball into the endzone with a Harold Green TD run. The Steelers would quickly move the ball into fringe FG territory as the half expired but Anderson would miss a 53 yard attempt.

As the second half began the competitive phase the game would end. 5 second half take aways would propel the Steelers to 27 unanswered points as they would score as a result of each one. The first being a 69 yard pick six by D.J. Johnson. Pressure from OLB Kevin Greene force an errant thrown over the intended Bengal found Johnson who made a mad dash to the end zone untouched after bobbling the ball initiially. On the ensuing drive Greg Lloyd would sack Klingler and force a fumble. DE Gerald Williams would scoop it up and race 32 yards to the end zone. 28-10 Steelers. 4th quarter interceptions from Rod Woodson and Levon Kirkland would set up Gary Anderson field goals. Greg Lloyd would punctuate his work with a 62 yard pick six to end the scoring on the day. 41-10. The Steelers defense looks to be in midseason form and their running game is as physical and effective as last season. If Neil O'Donnell can fight through the elbow issues and his WRs start making routine plays routinely the Steelers may be a top team in the AFC once again. They do have concerns going forward though. All Pro Center Dermontti Dawson and starting RT Leon Searcy both left the game with shoulder injuries and are expected to miss a few weeks. The Steelers will move swingman Justin Strzelczyk to RT and reserve Ariel Solomon will man the center position for now.

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Week 1 Around the League

Scoreboard and Headlines

Buffalo 37 - 23 L.A. Rams


The Bills kicked off 1993 looking like they will be the class of the AFC again. Racking up 485 yards of offense, Kelly threw for 354 yards and a score while completing over 70% of his passes. NFL scrimmage yard leader in each of the last 4 seasons, Thurman Thomas had 98 yards rushing and another 43 through the air. TE Pete Metzelaars led the yeam with 8 catches, but would leave with an injury. Rams QB Jim Everett threw for 3 scores but it wasn't enough to keep pace.


New Orleans 34 - 16 Atlanta

Falcons QB Chris mIller threw for 307 yards and completed 64% of his passes, but his inability to find open WRs on third downs and a late interception was the Flacon's undoing. Saints QB Wade Wilson played just about perfect. 20/27 for 234 yards and 2 scores. Rookie RB Derek Brown also had 96 yards and found the end zone twice. LBs Sam Mills and Rickey Jackson both split a late game sack to put the finishing touches on the game.

San Francisco 30 - 23 Chicago

The 49ers racked up 431 yards of offense on the Bears as Steve Young finished the day 26/42 for 337 yards and a score. He also found the end zone with his legs. WR Jerry Rice was unstoppable as he tallied 8 receptions for 162 yards. The Chicago offense played well, but simply couldn't keep up. RB Neal Anderson had 93 yards and score. Jim Harbaugh threw for 253 yards and a TD....it just wasn't enough

Philadelphia 10 - 18 Detroit

The Eagles 1993 season stared like a wet fart. Only 232 yards of offense for a team that boast a talent like Randall Cunningham is not a way to win fan support. Cunningham was 17/35 for 170 yards with a TD and a pick. While the defense picked Rodney Peete off twice, Barry Sanders had 26 carries for 129 yards. The Eagles OL struggeld as they gave up 4 sacks and Herschel Walker only averaged 3.5 yards per carry behind them.


Indianapolis 13 - 14 San Antonio Texans

When the San Antonio Texans were approved as a franchise, the first thing they did was go hire HOF OL Forrest Greg as their coach. After one game, he has notched the franchise their first win. Although the Texans only netted 239 yards of offense and didn't score after the first quarter, their fast start was enough! Jumping out to a 14 point lead the Texans defense got after Jeff George and the Colts offense. The harassment led to a late game int to seal the win as George completed just 48% of his passes.


New England 14 - 24 Miami

Bill Parcells enters his first year on the job as the boss in New England. After selecting QB Drew Bledsoe with the #1 pick he was slated to start week 1 after a strong summer. Bledsoe was injured during the preseason and will miss the first 2 games. QB Scott Secules got the nod and threw for 191 yards and a score, but it was no where near enough. The Dolphins racked up 474 yards of offense, Marino threw for 365 of those yards and two scores, Mark Higgs and Terry Kirby combined for 25 carries and 105 yards, and 7 different Dolphins caught a pass. Keith Byars found the end zone on a rushing attempt.


Baltimore 17 - 31 New York Jets

After being considered one of the top QBs in the AFC, Boomer Esiason has struggled the last two seasons. The Jets swung a trade for him hoping that pairing him with his old OC in HC Bruce Coslet will be the shot in the arm both parties need. After one game, they may be right. Boomer tosses 3 scores to WR Chris Burkett and posted a QB rating of 115.7. Johnny Johnson tallied 105 yards on the ground as the Jets ran for 161 yards as a team.

Jacksonville 22 - 19 Washington

The Jaguars were the 2nd expansion team to find a win this week! HC Tom Coughlin was hired after his quick turn around at Boston College. Though the Jaguars only tallied 168 yards of offense, the defense forced 6 key turnovers. 4 interceptions of Washington QB Mark Rypien were the driving force as the defense logged the only Jaguar TD on the day. Rypien would leave the game with an injury and Rich Gannon would thorw a TD to cut the lead to 4, but he too threw a key interception while attempting the last minute drive.


New York Giants 10 -20 Houston Oilers

Dan Reeves kicked off his Giant HC tenure by heading to the Oiler's house of pain. The Oilers enter 1993 being part of the new AFC South and leave their central rivals behind while sporting a new DC in the brash Buddy Ryan. The move paid dividends early as the Giants only managed 292 yards of offense as QB Phil Simms completed just 43% of his passes. Oiler QB Warren Moon threw for 282 yards and 2 scores as DE Will Fuller led the defense with 3.5 sacks.

Kansas City 33 - 13 Phoenix

The Chiefs enter 1993 looking for a special season. They traded for one of the greatest QBs in all time in Joe Montana. They hired his former QB coach and Pitt HC Paul Hackett to install the west coast offense. Cardinal HC Joe Bugel was given the ultimatum to win 9 games or he will not be brought back. Week 1 didn't help his case. Joe Montana threw for 246 yards and 2 TDs, RB Marcus Allen carried the ball 19 times for 106 yards and a score. Cardinals QB Steve Beuerlein threw for 339 yards, but two red zone interceptions kept them the game out of reach.


L.A. Raiders 9 - 12 San Diego

The Raiders and Chargers met in a defensive slug fest. No offensive TDs were scored. Free agent signing Jeff Hostetler did not endure himself to Raider faithful with his play. 84 yards passing, with a pick, and completed just 35% of his passes as the Raiders only netted 149 yards of offense. The chargers weathered 4 turnovers of their own as K Josh Carney went 4 of 4 on the day.


Green Bay 17 - 27 Minnesota

The Vikings scored 10 unanswered in the 4th quarter to pull out a divisional win to start the '93 campaign. Viking QB Jim McMahon threw for 283 yards and 2 scores. QB Brett Favre threw for 327 yards but two late interceptions were the difference in the game.


Tampa Bay 21 - 14 Dallas

Dallas enters 1993 as the defending champs.....but not everything is well in Dallas. All pro RB Emmitt Smith is currently holding out in a contract dispute with the team and the team felt that absence. His replacement, Derrick Lassic, had 24 carries for only 60 yards and 2 fumbles. He also had a fourth quarter pass bounce off his hands that resulted in an interception. Despite dominating the box score the Cowboys just didn't seem like the same time without Smith. They couldn't control the pace of the game like they did in '92. This also has to be the biggest win for Sam Wyche in his Buc tenure.


Denver 20 - 14 Seattle

The first monday night contest was between former divison rivals (Seattle is now in the NFC west after realignment). The Seahawks entered haftime with a 17-7 lead over Denver, but 13 unasnwered points in the second half gave Denver the win. QB John Elway threw for 297 yards and 2 scores. Shannon Sharpe led the way with 7 receptions for 91 yards. A late interception of rookie QB Rick Mirer by DB Tyrone Braxton ended any shot of a comeback.



Week 1 Players of the Week


AFC O: NYJ QB Boomer Esiason 19/31, 226 yards, 3 TDs
AFC D: PIT OLB Greg Lloyd 8 TKL, 1 SACK, 1 INT, 1 FF, 1 TD


NFC O: SF QB Steve Young 26/42, 337 yards, 1 TD, 1 Rush TD
NFC D: TB CB Ricky Reynolds 7 TKL, 1 INT, 1 FR, 1 TD

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Week 2 update will posted either today or tomorrow