And what better way to start the week than with this beautiful shot of Heinz Field from our friend, Dave DiCello?!

If you’ve been following my page for at least a year, then you probably saw the images of Heinz Field that I shared last fall. Two of my favorites, from a perspective that I hadn’t really seen (I’ll get back to that in a minute). Well, I went back to shoot a version with non-fall colors this morning, and had planned to wait until closer to the Steelers opener, but I just can’t wait that long.

Flashback to last fall. I was shooting the fountain one morning, looking for a different way to capture Heinz Field. What I DIDN’T want to do, was shoot it reflecting in the river (it’s been done 100 times by everyone) or in the center of the fountain (has also been done, and there are huge pipes that stick out of the water). It had rained the night before, so the fountain was exceptionally high (just like it did yesterday), and I noticed that on the city side there was enough of an opening in the water to get the entire stadium. Perfectly still. No pipes, no ripples in the river…just the stadium. It ended up being one of my most popular images of the year.

So I went back to capture it again yesterday, without the fall colors. But the fountain was at its ‘normal’ level, which meant you’d see the fountain’s edge. But after all the rain, the fountain was more than full to give that ‘infinity pool’ look, exactly what I was going for. And it was one of those times when the shot I had in my head translated exactly to what I captured.— Dave.

You can always stop by Dave’s website to enjoy more of his beautiful photography!

Dad will have to take us to Charlotte with him if we’re already in the truck, right?

#NationalDogDay 🐕
#HereWeGo

…and we’re going back to 2015 once again when Benjamin Jr., even at the tender age of 2-years old – while rockin’ a mighty nice milk mustache – knew that the long, hot month of August has always been considered the “Dog” days of summer (just listen, you’ll hear it!👂).

And a hardy round of applause from Baby Baylee confirms that she knew it as well!! 👏

August is almost gone – which means FOOTBALL SEASON IS ALMOST HERE!!! Now that’s something to SING about! 🎵🎤🎶

Bring on Steelers Football! #HereWeGo

Ben won’t play in Friday’s preseason game against the Panthers. Dwayne Haskins will be the starting quarterback.

From Teresa Varley:

“Coach Tomlin said many of the regulars won’t play on Friday night, but he expects Carolina to play their regulars so it will be a good test.”

Hold on!!! Summertime is almost gone!!
#Tuesday #TimeHop (Photo: 2017)

“Pittsburgh Steelers’ Ben Roethlisberger shines in preseason debut”

From Brooke Pryor, ESPN.com:

In his first game in a new offensive system, Ben Roethlisberger pulled out a few old tricks in his preseason debut Saturday night.

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback turned in a vintage performance in three series against the Detroit Lions on Saturday night, completing 8 of 10 attempts for 137 yards and two touchdowns en route to a perfect passer rating.

It was a small sample size, but Saturday night gave the Steelers the first assurances that a partnership between Roethlisberger and new offensive coordinator Matt Canada can work.

Playing like a man with something to prove, Roethlisberger sought to demonstrate his arm strength, heavily scrutinized after the 2019 elbow surgery, is back to normal after a 2020 campaign characterized by short throws.

He only somewhat proved that point, averaging 13.7 yards per attempt with some well-thrown mid-range balls. Others, though, like a 43-yard pass to Diontae Johnson were underthrown. Still, the 39-year-old showed he wasn’t afraid to air it out and stretch the field — and he was mostly successful doing it.

Roethlisberger turned back the clock on the first drive, reminding defenses he can still be the fleet-footed signal caller who can dance away from pressure. He made mobility a point-of-emphasis in his offseason workouts, and on third-and-4, he stepped up in the pocket before spinning out to elude a sack and fired off a pass that sailed about 40 yards in the air to Eric Ebron on the sideline. The tight end couldn’t come down with the combat catch, dropping it under pressure and the Steelers had to punt the ball away on Roethlisberger’s first series in 2021.

After that, though, Roethlisberger was perfect on third down, completing each of his next four attempts for 71 yards, including two touchdowns to rookie tight end Pat Freiermuth. Roethlisberger hit Diontae Johnson for the 43-yard completion on his second drive and followed it up with an 11-yard completion to JuJu Smith-Schuster on the next third down.

Smith-Schuster looked every part of the reliable third-down weapon, running through contact to pick up the extra yards. Two plays later,Roethlisberger pulled out an old favorite with a pump fake that even fooled television camera operators at Heinz Field, paving the way for Freiermuth to find an opening in the […]