Steelers East vs. Steelers West Preview

Weidman had an excellent point about this game: It's the most important game of the season for the fans and Tomlin. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he meant it was the most important game of the regular season for the fans and Tomlin. Assuming we make the playoffs, of course.

Weidman's two main points:

1. If Tomlin wins, he's off to a better start than any Cowher-lead team in history. Game, set, and match.
2. If he loses, not only is he no better than Cowher, he's worse than the two guys the Steelers didn't hire so they could hire Tomlin.

Needless to say, there's a lot on the line. This is not to mention the fact that Steelers West is called Steelers West because they have so many of our guys on their team. And, if you're thinking that Alan Faneca won't have a nice chat with Grimm, Whisenhunt, and the Bidwells (proud owners of Steelers West), basically saying, "You know, I really love it out here. Nice, dry climate. My daughter has asthma and this would be great for her. I saw a really nice house in Tempe on Saturday..." you're not paranoid, you're perceptive.

This is the most important game of the regular season for Steelers West as well, so that raises the stakes.

As far as actual personnel and strategy are concerned, I think we have a pretty big advantage over the West Coast Branch. Their offense can be explosive, since they have three really good receivers (Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, and Bryant Johnson). And, just for this game (and partly because two guys were hurt and one was on bye), I activated Johnson on my fantasy team. He's not going post huge numbers, but I could see 5 catches for 75 yards and touchdown, simply because we'll be too busy trying to stop the Big Three and Edgerrin James.

Now, the one big problem with Steelers West has always been that their offensive line blows. Since Grimm was hired and regular season started, Edge is averaging an entire yard more per carry and I've read no fewer than four articles about how much the line has turned itself around since he started. They're no match for our defensive line and that happy horseshit is going to stop this week. If they can gain 85 yards on the ground against us, I'll be shocked.

The other big issue with Steelers West is their defense. They've got a lot of first round talent, but none of those guys has ever really played up to his potential. You've gotta worry about Adrian Wilson (their Troy) and Bert Berry (their... uh... pass rusher - no equivalent on the Steelers East side). We really should roll over these guys. They're not tough up front and their cornerbacks suck balls. Even if we don't have Hines (probably won't), we should still be able to run and pass on them to our hearts' content.

All of this is dependent on whether or not we come out flat like we did against the 49ers. If we come out flat, we're in some deep shit. They could jump out to a 14-0 lead and pull a Cowher on us. It could get uglier than 14-0 if we come out flat.

From a personnel standpoint, we really should kick their asses all over the field. But, when you look at all the intangibles, then add the fact that Steelers East has sucked shit out of a straw on the West Coast (regardless of coach), then add my final point, this is going to be a freakin' nightmare game. One of those games, like the Oakland game last year, where we look back at it at the end of the season and go, "Crap. We lost to those guys?!?!?!"

Here's the final variable: Whisenhunt has a bigger advantage over the Steelers than Bill Bellichick had over any coach throughout the past six years. He knows our receivers. He knows our linemen. He knows Ben. Real well. He knows their tendencies, he knows their strengths, he knows their weaknesses. It's kinda like if I taught a bunch of guys how to play 5 card stud and Texas Hold 'Em, then played against those same guys in the World Series of Poker. Sure, the cards still come out at random, there are other variables at play, they may have learned a few things since we were all hanging out and playing cards in my basement, but I'd still know when they were bluffing.

Whisenhunt knows what it means when Ben holds his right hand behind his helmet. He knows that Marvel Smith is uncomfortable and doesn't have his "A" game when he tries to stuff his armpit fat in his jersey to keep from muffining. He knows which direction Willie likes to run. He knows what makes Willie decide to bounce it to the outside or cut it inside. He knows how Ben reads a defense.

Don't believe me? Two words: Rich Gannon. He threw 6 interceptions against Tampa in the Super Bowl. Now, anyone can have a bad game, but aside from Gannon himself, no one on the planet knows Rich Gannon better than then Tampa coach Jon Gruden. There's nothing illegal about it, it's just how it is.

One more thing: Guess who Steelers West signed after Week 2? Chukki Okobi. Sure Larry Zierlein and Bruce Arians might have changed a few things since Whis, Russ, and Cowher were there. But Okobi knows what's new, knows what's different, knows the line calls, and knows who is doing a good job of assimilating the new system and who isn't. He hasn't played a down since they signed him. Think he's just taking up space out in Phoenix, or do you think they've been picking his brain for the past two weeks?

That's another one of those paranoid vs. perceptive things.

Prediction: Steelers West 23, Steelers East 20