The Secret Life of Derek Anderson

You may remember Derek Anderson as probably the greatest Cleveland Browns quarterback of the 21st century. Yes, that's not really high praise. In 2007, Anderson threw for 29 touchdowns (and 19 interceptions) while leading the Browns to a 10-6 record and earning a spot in the Pro Bowl. Of course, Anderson never matched that success going 8-17 as a starter over the next three seasons including a 2-7 record as a member of the Arizona Cardinals. While you may know that Anderson is still in the league as a member of the Carolina Panthers, you may not know that he is an illustrator of one of my son's favorite books: The Potty Train.

While my son really does love this book written by David Hochman & Ruth Kennision and illustrated by Anderson, it really hasn't helped with potty training. We read the book while he is on the toilet, but it's not like he has actually gone potty. Getting back to Anderson, who knew that the former Oregon State quarterback had the time and the ability to illustrate children's books?

Of course, perhaps I have the wrong Derek Anderson. Maybe the illustrator is actually the Derek Anderson who won an NCAA basketball championship with Kentucky and an NBA Championship with the Miami Heat as part of his 12-year NBA career.

Good Weekend (Steelers-Browns Recap)

Let's start with the big picture. The Steelers defeated Cleveland 27-14 while both the Bengals and the Ravens lost. As a result, the Steelers are tied with Cincinnati for the division lead at 4-2 and one game ahead of Baltimore. In addition, the Penguins and the Pitt, Ithaca College and Woodland Hills High School football teams were all victorious, plus two, and possibly three of my fantasy football teams won. (The fourth one lost badly thanks to Mark Sanchez filling in for Peyton Manning on his bye week. That didn't work out very well.)

Back to the Steelers, the passing game looks great. Ben Roethlisberger had 417 yards passing; Hines had a monster game with 159 yards and a TD; and Santonio Holmes (104 yards) and Heath Miller (80 yards and a TD) also put together excellent games. Even though Roethlisberger was sacked three times, I thought the line protected him well.

Here are my thoughts on the game:

- On Hines' TD catch, Rashard Mendenhall did a nice job picking up Cleveland's blitz.

- After attending the Steelers-Browns game at Heinz Field in 2007, I wrote, "In my opinion, Joshua Cribbs has now replaced Eric Metcalf as the scariest Steelers' opponent." Why do the Steelers still kick the ball to Cribbs?

- What happened to Browns' QB Derek Anderson? I remember attending that Steelers-Browns and although Anderson didn't put up big passing numbers, he did throw 3 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He even made the Pro Bowl that season (2007)!

- Did Ziggy Hood play on Sunday?

- I think it's telling that Mewelde Moore was the RB when the Steelers were running out the clock. Mendenhall and (not as) Fast (with turf toe) Willie Parker both fumbled earlier in the second half, so maybe Tomlin trusts Mewelde more than the others in that situation.

- Speaking of Moore, why was he returning punts instead of Stefan Logan?

- Browns' head coach Eric Mangini and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan are not fitness role models.





- Mike Wallace continues to be fast.

- It is so much fun watching Santonio Holmes run in the open field after making a catch.

- Should we be concerned that the Steelers wins are against mostly terrible teams? Here are the records of the teams the Steelers defeated:

Browns - 1-5
Titans - 0-6
Lions - 1-5
Chargers - 2-2

Personally, I say no. Tennessee has completely fallen apart, but we (and they) didn't know they would be that bad after the first week. As for the other teams, the Steelers may be playing down to its competition particularly in the fourth quarter. I think next week's game against Minnesota could tell us a lot about the Steelers.

Ziggy Time

It's official. Steelers' Aaron Smith is having season-ending shoulder surgery today to repair a torn rotator cuff. Smith may be one of the most underrated players in the NFL and will definitely be missed. In his absence, the Steelers will likely start veteran Travis Kirschke, but I think we're all looking forward to seeing Ziggy play.



Don't let this picture fool you. He can be ferocious and will be sure to put pressure on anyone around him. Here's your proof:



Look at those eyes and those very sharp teeth. The Cleveland Browns, and particularly Derek Anderson, should be scared!

In other Ziggy news, Cotter scored an interview with Ziggy Hood himself.

In case you were wondering, these pictures of Ziggy were taken at 9 months. He is now 14 months and has bulked up so that he can play on the defensive line.