Okay...

I was a little overexcited about the fact that I want the Steelers to kick the holy shit out of the Raiders and I forgot to mention a few things:

1. Batch needs to start. Seriously. With everything that has happened to Ben in the last four months, we now need to add that he was the tender roast beef in a 900 pounds-of-man-flesh sandwich. And he was concussed. There's no way he was fine. There's no way he didn't sustain some sort of head trauma. It's not possible. Especially when you factor in that the 900 pounds of man-flesh was moving at 300 miles an hour and covered in Kevlar. Batch went to Steel Valley. He's local. He's thrown 5 TD passes and no INTs in 5 1/2 quarters of play. He's funny in the McDonald's commercials. People like him. MY MOM wants him to start and she thinks good penetration... okay, I'm not going to finish that thought. What needs to happen to Ben for Cowher to not say he looks good in practice? Does he need to tear a ligament? Get his right arm chopped off in a freak garbage disposal incident? I'm beginning to think this is a conspiracy that goes up to the highest levels. I'm thinking the Rooneys have some type of double endemnity clause on Ben where they get $100 million if he survives a bunch of life-threatening accidents and still manages to start 15 games. Bottom line, it's the Raiders. They're one of the worst teams of the last 30 years, definitely the worst team of the century thus far. We can beat them with Batch.
2. We need to run the ball a lot early. Out of a three wide receiver formation. When the ball is snapped, Wilson, Ward, and Washington need to find the closest member of Oakland's secondary and punish them. Oakland's secondary prides itself on being physical and our receivers (Ward aside) are considered soft. They won't be as likely to jam our guys at the line of scrimmage if they're still smarting from the hit they took two plays ago. I don't care if it's away from the play. I don't care if it's after the play. Or even if they have to miss their assignment in order to knock some Oakland DB's teeth into his watch pocket. This is important. We need to beat them physically, mentally, emotionally, and on the scoreboard.
3. Tom Walsh, Oakland's offensive coordinator, spent the last 11 years running a bed and breakfast in Idaho. I would venture to say that he's forgotten a lot about gameplanning the last decade or so. Dick LeBeau needs to take advantage of this and Oakland's pourous offensive line and pressure the hell out of the quarterback. Hopefully, that quarterback is Andrew Walter.
4. I predict a 48-7 victory. If nothing else because I like to think it's possible and I want us to beat the Raiders worse than we beat the Chiefs.