Sorry. I'm consolidating again. The review for the Heinz Field Quagmire is perilously late and the preview for Sunday night's game against the Bungles is pretty late.
So, since yinz ain't payin' me, I'm gonna combine them. How about them apples, bitches!
Monday night's game is a win. That's about it. Can't judge anything you saw on the field because it was more torn up than an old lady who forgot to re-stock the cat food for three weeks. Wet, shitty... I mean, a punt landed on the field and did not bounce. Steven Hawkings had to be watching the game and shout, "Holy shit! I didn't think that was possible!"
Just a sloppy, sloppy game. But, given the fact that it was basically 60 minutes of sudden death due to the fact that you knew a team was only going to score once, it was pretty exciting. I'm probably one of the few people that actually enjoyed it. And, I was probably one of the few that screamed at the TV because I was fired up and not out of frustration.
So... we're now 8-3. And that's damn good. But, we need to keep pushing, especially since it looks like the Jags are going to make a season out of it.
Plus which, since they're not making the playoffs this year, this is Cincinnati's Super Bowl. They want to do to us what we did to them at the end of last season. Ocho Cinco, Housh, and Chris Henry are all back. Carson Palmer's still one of the best QBs in the league, even if he's not having such a great year. Add to that the fact that the offensive line is still in shambles (half the guys are playing hurt) and the fact that Rudi Johnson is running like he's about 64 years old, and you've got a Bungles team that's going to come out with 10 wide receivers and try to score 17 points on each possession.
Like the Browns, they are going to be FIRED UP. Like every team that we've played since the Jets, they're going to come after Ben. And, every team in the league and every team on our schedule will use that strategy until we prove that we can A) recognize the blitz and make the proper line calls and, B) block the fuckers that come across the line of scrimmage.
Like we did against the Browns, we need to weather that original storm and just beat on them. I do NOT want to lose to the Bungles. I have resigned myself to the fact that we're probably going to lose to the Patriots. I'm okay with it. Really. Well, not really, but I'm slowly working my way to acceptance.
If we lose this game, I'm not sure I want to go to the playoffs. The Jets loss was bad enough. If we can't beat a Bungles team that is going nowhere, still has no defense, no running game, and a hobbled offensive line, what the hell is a playoff team going to do to us?
Good teams beat the scrub teams that they're supposed to beat. This is one of those games. We need to beat these guys. That's about all there is to it.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Steelers vs. Dolphins Preview
Well, Vegas is convinced that we still don't suck. Or, at least they're convinced that the Dolphins are really, really, REALLY bad. The line is 16 for Monday night's game. Granted, Vegas has been going a little crazy this year, with the line for the New England game against the Eagles set at TWENTY-FOUR.
So, that's pretty intense.
I understand that the Dolphins are 0-10. I understand we're at home and it's Monday Night Football. I understand that Ronnie Brown is hurt, so is Jessie Chatman, and Miami might roll out Ricky Williams for this game. I understand that the Dolphins are quarterbacked by rookie John Beck (making only his second career start). I understand all of this, but we were 9.5 point favorites against the 1-8 Jets (who looked absolutely terrible against the Cowboys) and we lost.
I don't think there's a way in hell that we lost two consecutive letdown games. I don't think we're going to lost at home on a Monday night. We're too much better than them. Their defense is a year older than they were in 2006 and we did a damn good job against them then. Now they don't have Ronnie Brown or a starting quarterback that's worth a damn. They're too old, they're too slow, and yet they don't have a lot of good experience at any position.
We'll be minus Troy and Santonio Holmes, so that hurts, but I don't think it's going to make that much of a difference. Troy hasn't really been himself thus far this season and our receivers are pretty much interchangeable. And, since we've had a whole week of practice without them, we should be good to go. We did pretty damn well with the entire team injured against Seattle, after all.
Still... law of averages says that Miami has to win eventually, so why not on Monday? It's gotta happen at some point, right? And, it's not like the Dolphins are that much worse than the Jets or the Raiders. The only real difference that I see is that the Raiders game and the Jets game were both on the road.
I think that's enough of a difference. I think we win. I think 16 points is FREAKIN' RIDICULOUS. But I think we'll win.
Prediction: Steelers 24, Dolphins 17
So, that's pretty intense.
I understand that the Dolphins are 0-10. I understand we're at home and it's Monday Night Football. I understand that Ronnie Brown is hurt, so is Jessie Chatman, and Miami might roll out Ricky Williams for this game. I understand that the Dolphins are quarterbacked by rookie John Beck (making only his second career start). I understand all of this, but we were 9.5 point favorites against the 1-8 Jets (who looked absolutely terrible against the Cowboys) and we lost.
I don't think there's a way in hell that we lost two consecutive letdown games. I don't think we're going to lost at home on a Monday night. We're too much better than them. Their defense is a year older than they were in 2006 and we did a damn good job against them then. Now they don't have Ronnie Brown or a starting quarterback that's worth a damn. They're too old, they're too slow, and yet they don't have a lot of good experience at any position.
We'll be minus Troy and Santonio Holmes, so that hurts, but I don't think it's going to make that much of a difference. Troy hasn't really been himself thus far this season and our receivers are pretty much interchangeable. And, since we've had a whole week of practice without them, we should be good to go. We did pretty damn well with the entire team injured against Seattle, after all.
Still... law of averages says that Miami has to win eventually, so why not on Monday? It's gotta happen at some point, right? And, it's not like the Dolphins are that much worse than the Jets or the Raiders. The only real difference that I see is that the Raiders game and the Jets game were both on the road.
I think that's enough of a difference. I think we win. I think 16 points is FREAKIN' RIDICULOUS. But I think we'll win.
Prediction: Steelers 24, Dolphins 17
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Steelers vs. Jets Review
I've resisted the urge to post the day of a game up until now, because I always thought that, especially after a loss, my head would not be in the right place.
Well, I think it is tonight. And, plus which, with Thanksgiving coming up, I've got a lot of shit to do this week. So, here we go...
Three things we learned from this game:
I had never singled out Sean Mahan because I thought he was doing a pretty decent job. Plus which, Ben had been making most of the line calls in the early part of the season, so I thought that was something Mahan didn't have to worry about. Well, at some point, Mahan started to make the line calls... and we need to stop that. Ben needs to take back that responsibility, because I refuse to believe that this offensive line went from being one of the best in the league in 2005 to letting up 11 combined sacks to two of the worst pass-rushing teams in the league in back-to-back weeks. Mahan used to be a guard. He doesn't know how to make line calls. Please. Have mercy. Make him stop. Give the responsibility back to Ben before he gets carted off the field in a stretcher.
Everyone, including myself, is a little bit too enamored with how good we all think this team is. They're good. They are. Despite the fact that they lost today, they're really, really good. They'll still have the #1 defense after today. Ben has still thrown more TD passes than anyone in the league not named Tom Brady, and we still have three talented wide receivers and a great tight end.
But, there will still be times when they suffer some lapses in concentration, they'll tackle as shittily as they did today, and they'll fall victim to the same strategy that the Jets used (spread them out and run the ball). This is all not to mention the fact that we've got one of the worst special teams units in the league.
And, finally, there's something wrong with Willie's knee. I heard about it on the radio the week before the game. He had swelling in it since the beginning of the season. It had been bothering him. He had fluid drained from it every week. I never realized how much it was bothering him until today. He can't jump-cut. At all. One of the things that made Willie so dangerous is that, at any time, he could plant and cut, then either jump to the outside, or explode into the secondary. He can't jump-cut anymore. When Najeh had the ball, he'd bounce it to the outside when he saw the opening, but he couldn't do everything that Willie could do.
So... I'm going to make a Fassel-like prediction: This team is going to the playoffs. Okay? This team is going to the playoffs.
We're going to come out ready against Miami. We're going to be ready for Cincinnati. We probably won't be ready for the Patriots, but oh well. We'll win at least 11 or 12 games and that will be enough to win the division (the Browns will fade).
We need to get the line in order. We need to get the offensive line issues straightened out, starting with Ben. We need to figure out if Willie is fit to play week in, week out. If not, we need to put him on IR. If so, we still need to mix in heavy doses of Najeh and Carey Davis (after all, that's what we have him on the roster for, right?).
We need to take the next six games to figure out what we need to do to win in the playoffs.
And it all starts next week. Fuck this "looking ahead" shit. One week at a time from here on out.
Well, I think it is tonight. And, plus which, with Thanksgiving coming up, I've got a lot of shit to do this week. So, here we go...
Three things we learned from this game:
- I know what's wrong with the offensive line in the passing game.
- We needed a loss like this to re-gain our focus, as we had read too many press clippings (though I'm not vain enough to think that anyone from the Steelers actually reads this).
- There's something wrong with Willie's knee.
I had never singled out Sean Mahan because I thought he was doing a pretty decent job. Plus which, Ben had been making most of the line calls in the early part of the season, so I thought that was something Mahan didn't have to worry about. Well, at some point, Mahan started to make the line calls... and we need to stop that. Ben needs to take back that responsibility, because I refuse to believe that this offensive line went from being one of the best in the league in 2005 to letting up 11 combined sacks to two of the worst pass-rushing teams in the league in back-to-back weeks. Mahan used to be a guard. He doesn't know how to make line calls. Please. Have mercy. Make him stop. Give the responsibility back to Ben before he gets carted off the field in a stretcher.
Everyone, including myself, is a little bit too enamored with how good we all think this team is. They're good. They are. Despite the fact that they lost today, they're really, really good. They'll still have the #1 defense after today. Ben has still thrown more TD passes than anyone in the league not named Tom Brady, and we still have three talented wide receivers and a great tight end.
But, there will still be times when they suffer some lapses in concentration, they'll tackle as shittily as they did today, and they'll fall victim to the same strategy that the Jets used (spread them out and run the ball). This is all not to mention the fact that we've got one of the worst special teams units in the league.
And, finally, there's something wrong with Willie's knee. I heard about it on the radio the week before the game. He had swelling in it since the beginning of the season. It had been bothering him. He had fluid drained from it every week. I never realized how much it was bothering him until today. He can't jump-cut. At all. One of the things that made Willie so dangerous is that, at any time, he could plant and cut, then either jump to the outside, or explode into the secondary. He can't jump-cut anymore. When Najeh had the ball, he'd bounce it to the outside when he saw the opening, but he couldn't do everything that Willie could do.
So... I'm going to make a Fassel-like prediction: This team is going to the playoffs. Okay? This team is going to the playoffs.
We're going to come out ready against Miami. We're going to be ready for Cincinnati. We probably won't be ready for the Patriots, but oh well. We'll win at least 11 or 12 games and that will be enough to win the division (the Browns will fade).
We need to get the line in order. We need to get the offensive line issues straightened out, starting with Ben. We need to figure out if Willie is fit to play week in, week out. If not, we need to put him on IR. If so, we still need to mix in heavy doses of Najeh and Carey Davis (after all, that's what we have him on the roster for, right?).
We need to take the next six games to figure out what we need to do to win in the playoffs.
And it all starts next week. Fuck this "looking ahead" shit. One week at a time from here on out.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Steelers vs. Jets Preview
I have to admit that I didn't really know too much about the Jets until I took a look at their depth chart. I knew that they currently stand at 1-8 and have pretty much been getting their asses kicked around the league thus far this season. But, I didn't know why they were 1-8 until I took a look at the depth chart.
The bottom line is that they're a shitty team. And, I can't really say for sure if their offense is shittier than their defense. I'd have to say their defense is worse because they do have Thomas Jones, Laverneous (I misspelled that, but I don't care) Coles, and Jericho Crotchery (or Crotchity or something). I know all those dudes are on someone's Fantasy team somewhere.
On defense? I know Darelle Revis because he played for Pitt, Hank Poteat (same reason - and he also played for the Steelers), and Bryan Thomas because I wanted us to take him in the 2002 draft (we took Kendall Simmons instead and it's a damn good thing because Thomas sucks balls).
Unless this is a let-down game because we just pretty much secured the division over the last three weeks, I can't see a way that this is anything other than an old-school shit-kicking of the Jets. Chad Pennington no longer starts for them, so they have Kellen Clemens behind center. He was drafted in the second round last year and has two touchdown passes and four interceptions in three games.
They're 29th in total offense and 30th in total defense. And, I would like to take this opportunity to add that they're dead last in rushing defense. Did you hear that, Tomlin? DEAD LAST IN RUSHING DEFENSE. But, they'll probably come out in an eight man front. No way we can run against that. I mean, it's not like our offensive line is considerably better at run blocking and their front seven is without their best player and sucks anyway. And, it's not like we've faced eight man fronts before and still been able to shove the ball down the other team's throat. Yeah. Really. Eight man front. Too much to deal with. If they come out geared towards stopping the run, we're just going to have to go to seven wide receivers and throw the ball as much as possible.
At any rate, there are only so many ways that I can say that they suck worse than the void of space and we don't. Then again, the Raiders were a profoundly sucky team last year and we still lost to them.
Things that will cause us to lose on Sunday:
I think we go in there, we get the job done, then we go home to play another really crappy team, this time on Monday Night Football at Heinz Field.
Prediction: Steelers 34, Jets 10
The bottom line is that they're a shitty team. And, I can't really say for sure if their offense is shittier than their defense. I'd have to say their defense is worse because they do have Thomas Jones, Laverneous (I misspelled that, but I don't care) Coles, and Jericho Crotchery (or Crotchity or something). I know all those dudes are on someone's Fantasy team somewhere.
On defense? I know Darelle Revis because he played for Pitt, Hank Poteat (same reason - and he also played for the Steelers), and Bryan Thomas because I wanted us to take him in the 2002 draft (we took Kendall Simmons instead and it's a damn good thing because Thomas sucks balls).
Unless this is a let-down game because we just pretty much secured the division over the last three weeks, I can't see a way that this is anything other than an old-school shit-kicking of the Jets. Chad Pennington no longer starts for them, so they have Kellen Clemens behind center. He was drafted in the second round last year and has two touchdown passes and four interceptions in three games.
They're 29th in total offense and 30th in total defense. And, I would like to take this opportunity to add that they're dead last in rushing defense. Did you hear that, Tomlin? DEAD LAST IN RUSHING DEFENSE. But, they'll probably come out in an eight man front. No way we can run against that. I mean, it's not like our offensive line is considerably better at run blocking and their front seven is without their best player and sucks anyway. And, it's not like we've faced eight man fronts before and still been able to shove the ball down the other team's throat. Yeah. Really. Eight man front. Too much to deal with. If they come out geared towards stopping the run, we're just going to have to go to seven wide receivers and throw the ball as much as possible.
At any rate, there are only so many ways that I can say that they suck worse than the void of space and we don't. Then again, the Raiders were a profoundly sucky team last year and we still lost to them.
Things that will cause us to lose on Sunday:
- Leon Washington has a day like Josh Cribbs had. Washington's really their most effective weapon and he's what I'm most worried about. In theory, Tomlin kicked everyone's ass at practice and we won't have to worry about special teams issues in this game. In theory.
- They come out with five wide receivers and just start chucking the ball all over the place. And it works. I think there's a possibility that they come out with this strategy anyway, considering that they have nothing to lose and they need to give the home crowd hope, but I also don't think it's going to work because Clemens is still getting his sea legs. However, if it does work and they are actually able to score some points, we could be in deep shit. Because, ya know, we'll be passing a lot, too. Because, ya know, they're going to put eight guys in the box and we can't run the ball if that happens.
- The offensive line plays as crappy in the passing game as they did against Cleveland. I'm still not convinced that Eric Mangini is as smart as everyone says, but I also think that he could come up with some pressure packages that will leave their linebackers free to tee off on Ben. And that scares me.
- Ben gets hurt. Last season, there wasn't too much of a difference between Batch and Ben, so I really didn't care who was behind center. And there were several times that we rushed him back in when he wasn't ready. He has yet to play a full season, so you know the injury's coming soon. Just a question of when. He's too juiced into this offense right now and he's in too much of a zone. There isn't a suitable replacement for that, much as I love Batch.
I think we go in there, we get the job done, then we go home to play another really crappy team, this time on Monday Night Football at Heinz Field.
Prediction: Steelers 34, Jets 10
Monday, November 12, 2007
Steelers vs. Browns Review
Well, what can I say? I got the Points For right, but was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay off on the Points Against. The important thing is that we won, we're in control of our division, and that we showed real guts and character continually coming back and slapping the Browns in the face with our cock throughout the course of the game.
Consider...
And, that's really the big thing to keep in mind here. A win's a win and this was a big win. We've got the Jets, Dolphins, and Bengals coming up before New England. We could be 10-2 (should be 10-2) heading into that game. By then, we should pretty well have the division locked up. We'll be playing for a higher seed. It's possible that we go 13-3 and end up being the third seed.
It's a crazy season, but we're on the good side of crazy. That's nice.
The defense is playing very well (#1 in almost all categories - including fewest points allowed), the offense is one of the best in the league (no, really, I'm serious - 5th in points per game, 5th in yards per game, 2nd in rushing, Ben has the second-most passing TDs and is second in passer rating), and we've proved that we can score when we need to (and pretty much whenever we want to).
Before we play the Patriots, we need to work on two things: Pass protection and special teams. Those are the two things that will completely fuck us if we can't get them right by then. And, it wouldn't hurt if we could keep those things straightened out through the playoffs. That'd be great.
As much as I love seeing Ben do his little Houdini act every week, I'd be much happier if the offensive line could actually pass protect. I mean, I really feel as though the line isn't run blocking well, either, but Willie keeps getting 100 yards a game. Sure, we have to run more frequently to get the same number of yards, but we're also #2 in the league (Minnesota is #1 and has rushed the ball 41 fewer times). We're still averaging 4.4 yards per carry, which is pretty damn good.
But, unlike last year when I didn't see too much of a difference between Ben and Batch, I was completely freaked out yesterday (and after the game against the hated Ravens) when it looked like Ben might be hurt. He's too important to the offense at this point and we can't have him getting hurt simply because the offensive line can't frickin' block. They need to play smarter, they need to play harder, and Najeh needs to be in the backfield on all third downs. He's a better pass blocker than Willie and too many guys came free too often yesterday for Ben to survive the season without serious injury.
The Browns had 7 sacks in 8 games coming into yesterday. They had four sacks yesterday and would have had at least 8 if Ben didn't give a bunch of Cleveland defenders the slip. Good teams (and especially good tacklers - like the guys that play for the Colts and Patriots, we'll even throw in the Packers) will not let Ben run around like that and bounce out of tackles. Larry Zierlein needs to put the porn away and teach these guys how to pass block, how to use their hands, and how to pick up a blitz (not to mention how to read one at the line of scrimmage). And, I really think that the receivers we have (plus Heath) are good enough to keep people in to protect the quarterback.
Special teams needs to improve. I heard all the talk radio guys and Internet experts talking about how much this team misses having James Harrison covering kicks. Well... Harrison was covering kicks yesterday. He's been covering kicks all friggin' season. He just can't do it on his own. We need to get Kiesel involved again. We miss Sean Morey. We miss Kevin Spencer. We need Bryant McFadden and Allen Rossum to remember how to tackle and cover kicks. The touchdown return would not have been a touchdown return had Rossum not overpursued, assuming he'd be able to pick up a fumble and score. McFadden probably couldn't have made the tackle at the end of the run, but he at least least could have tried to make the tackle. I understand that Cribbs had 15 blockers out in front of him, but he could have done something besides looking like a lead blocker. Maybe he was trying to blend in.
And, where was the back-end pursuit on that? Towards the end of the run, Cribbs was practically jogging, to the point where the back-up tight end was outrunning him. You're telling me that Rossum (or someone else) couldn't have pulled a Don Beebe and knocked the ball out? I guess I shouldn't be bitching, because we won, but...
We gave them all kinds of opportunities, made all kinds of mistakes, but eventually overcame them by leaning on an inferior team until they broke. When we play good teams, when we get to the playoffs, it's not going to work that way. We're going to stop playing inferior teams eventually, so we may as well get used to not screwing up so much.
But, that's a story for three weeks from now. In the meantime, I'm fully prepared to let the good times roll.
Consider...
- We sucked in the red zone in the first half, getting three field goals and giving up three touchdowns.
- Ben threw an interception deep in his own territory.
- Joshua Cribbs had 201 yards on kick returns for an average of 51 yards a return. An average.
- We still won.
And, that's really the big thing to keep in mind here. A win's a win and this was a big win. We've got the Jets, Dolphins, and Bengals coming up before New England. We could be 10-2 (should be 10-2) heading into that game. By then, we should pretty well have the division locked up. We'll be playing for a higher seed. It's possible that we go 13-3 and end up being the third seed.
It's a crazy season, but we're on the good side of crazy. That's nice.
The defense is playing very well (#1 in almost all categories - including fewest points allowed), the offense is one of the best in the league (no, really, I'm serious - 5th in points per game, 5th in yards per game, 2nd in rushing, Ben has the second-most passing TDs and is second in passer rating), and we've proved that we can score when we need to (and pretty much whenever we want to).
Before we play the Patriots, we need to work on two things: Pass protection and special teams. Those are the two things that will completely fuck us if we can't get them right by then. And, it wouldn't hurt if we could keep those things straightened out through the playoffs. That'd be great.
As much as I love seeing Ben do his little Houdini act every week, I'd be much happier if the offensive line could actually pass protect. I mean, I really feel as though the line isn't run blocking well, either, but Willie keeps getting 100 yards a game. Sure, we have to run more frequently to get the same number of yards, but we're also #2 in the league (Minnesota is #1 and has rushed the ball 41 fewer times). We're still averaging 4.4 yards per carry, which is pretty damn good.
But, unlike last year when I didn't see too much of a difference between Ben and Batch, I was completely freaked out yesterday (and after the game against the hated Ravens) when it looked like Ben might be hurt. He's too important to the offense at this point and we can't have him getting hurt simply because the offensive line can't frickin' block. They need to play smarter, they need to play harder, and Najeh needs to be in the backfield on all third downs. He's a better pass blocker than Willie and too many guys came free too often yesterday for Ben to survive the season without serious injury.
The Browns had 7 sacks in 8 games coming into yesterday. They had four sacks yesterday and would have had at least 8 if Ben didn't give a bunch of Cleveland defenders the slip. Good teams (and especially good tacklers - like the guys that play for the Colts and Patriots, we'll even throw in the Packers) will not let Ben run around like that and bounce out of tackles. Larry Zierlein needs to put the porn away and teach these guys how to pass block, how to use their hands, and how to pick up a blitz (not to mention how to read one at the line of scrimmage). And, I really think that the receivers we have (plus Heath) are good enough to keep people in to protect the quarterback.
Special teams needs to improve. I heard all the talk radio guys and Internet experts talking about how much this team misses having James Harrison covering kicks. Well... Harrison was covering kicks yesterday. He's been covering kicks all friggin' season. He just can't do it on his own. We need to get Kiesel involved again. We miss Sean Morey. We miss Kevin Spencer. We need Bryant McFadden and Allen Rossum to remember how to tackle and cover kicks. The touchdown return would not have been a touchdown return had Rossum not overpursued, assuming he'd be able to pick up a fumble and score. McFadden probably couldn't have made the tackle at the end of the run, but he at least least could have tried to make the tackle. I understand that Cribbs had 15 blockers out in front of him, but he could have done something besides looking like a lead blocker. Maybe he was trying to blend in.
And, where was the back-end pursuit on that? Towards the end of the run, Cribbs was practically jogging, to the point where the back-up tight end was outrunning him. You're telling me that Rossum (or someone else) couldn't have pulled a Don Beebe and knocked the ball out? I guess I shouldn't be bitching, because we won, but...
We gave them all kinds of opportunities, made all kinds of mistakes, but eventually overcame them by leaning on an inferior team until they broke. When we play good teams, when we get to the playoffs, it's not going to work that way. We're going to stop playing inferior teams eventually, so we may as well get used to not screwing up so much.
But, that's a story for three weeks from now. In the meantime, I'm fully prepared to let the good times roll.
Friday, November 09, 2007
Steelers vs. Broncos Preview
I know, I know. I skipped the Review for the ass-thumping that we handed to the hated Ravens on Monday night. But, I got busy and, aside from writing, "Holy shit! We really kicked the hell out of those bastards!" a hundred times, I didn't have that much to cover.
Doesn't mean there weren't highlights...
This game scares the shit out of me, yet doesn't scare me at all. It's weird.
On the one hand, we absolutely embarrassed them in the opener (in Cleveland) and it's not like they added four Pro Bowlers since then. It's all the same guys. On the other hand, the same guys have gone 5-2 since then are now playing way better than they were before.
They're fired up, the division is on the line, and we beat the shit out of them in their house, so why wouldn't they want to return the favor?
The match-ups are the same as they've always been. We don't have anyone that can cover Winslow Jr. or Braylon Edwards one-on-one, but if we double those guys, we can make Jamal Lewis and Joe Jurevicious beat us. And, really, they can't.
Previously, we could count on their offensive line sucking and Charlie Frye being so bad that he had his own drinking game. I'm not saying Derek Anderson is the next Tom Brady, but he's certainly doing well for himself now. If we can kick him in the teeth early, I think we can have him hearing footsteps by halftime.
But, that's all on the outside linebackers. I love James Harrison, but he's not having another game like he did against the hated Ravens. Ever. That's a once-in-a-lifetime deal. He's better than Porter at this point, but he's still not too much better than Haggans (who sucks, but that's just my opinion).
The Browns aren't going to be able to run the ball (they couldn't even run against Seattle and Lewis hasn't been the same since he got out of prison). They'll need to pass. They know this. They're going to come out slinging the ball all over the field. It wouldn't surprise me if they came out with a 3 or 4 wide receiver formation. They know they can't run, they know we can't cover Winslow and Edwards, and they'll be really fired up (especially considering this is the biggest game for them since the 2002 Wildcard Playoff Game).
They're going to come out and try to score 14 points on every drive. They're going to try to make it 84-0 with three minutes gone in the first quarter. They are going to be ready.
The best thing we can do is withstand their best shot and beat them into submission after they realize that they haven't knocked us down. We've got a better team. We're more physical. We'll be able to run and throw the ball at will. We'll be able to stop the run. The only thing we can't do (provided the linebackers come back down to earth) is stop their passing game. If that gets hot early, we're in for a long day. At that point, it's kind of up to Tomlin and the rest of the guys on the roster to get back up after the Browns knock them down. They kinda stepped back up in Denver, but ended up falling short. And, even though the offense is improved (especially in the passing game), this still isn't a team that's built to come from behind.
But, really, even if they jump on us early, we can still win. Cleveland's not a team that can finish someone off the way that we finished off the hated Ravens on Monday.
They're not going to be nice enough to turn the ball over 45 times in the first six minutes like we were last time, but I still think we can kick the shit out of them if they don't.
So, either we lose a close one, we win a close one (after coming back - kinda like the 24-20 win last year), or we blow them out. We're not getting blown out in this one. Not by this team.
I have a feeling, though, that Tomlin will have his boys ready.
Prediction: Steelers 31, Browns 14
Doesn't mean there weren't highlights...
- Weidman and I met Hank Williams, Jr. The man, the myth, the dude that does the Monday Night Football song. We were riding in the elevator to go get some wings and two guys walked in, talking on cell phones. Then Hank rolled in. Then Weidman and I looked at each other. And we both had that, "Hey, uh... that's Hank Williams, Jr., right? That's really him, right?" look about us. He was wearing a Steelers jacket, so Weidman complemented him on it. I tried to tell Hank a story, but was already incomprehensibly hammered and only ended up confusing him. As a matter of fact, Weidman only understood "West Virgina" out of my 30 seconds or so of blathering.
- So, the way I figured it, it's a Monday Night game, we met Hank Williams, the 75th anniversary team was going to be on the field at halftime, and I'm undefeated when I see the Steelers play live. That was just too much for the hated Ravens to overcome.
- I have a REALLY bad feeling they're going to be very pissed off the next time we see them. Hopefully, we'll have the division locked up by then, so we'll rest all our starters and they won't have a chance to jam a shiv in Hines' kidney.
This game scares the shit out of me, yet doesn't scare me at all. It's weird.
On the one hand, we absolutely embarrassed them in the opener (in Cleveland) and it's not like they added four Pro Bowlers since then. It's all the same guys. On the other hand, the same guys have gone 5-2 since then are now playing way better than they were before.
They're fired up, the division is on the line, and we beat the shit out of them in their house, so why wouldn't they want to return the favor?
The match-ups are the same as they've always been. We don't have anyone that can cover Winslow Jr. or Braylon Edwards one-on-one, but if we double those guys, we can make Jamal Lewis and Joe Jurevicious beat us. And, really, they can't.
Previously, we could count on their offensive line sucking and Charlie Frye being so bad that he had his own drinking game. I'm not saying Derek Anderson is the next Tom Brady, but he's certainly doing well for himself now. If we can kick him in the teeth early, I think we can have him hearing footsteps by halftime.
But, that's all on the outside linebackers. I love James Harrison, but he's not having another game like he did against the hated Ravens. Ever. That's a once-in-a-lifetime deal. He's better than Porter at this point, but he's still not too much better than Haggans (who sucks, but that's just my opinion).
The Browns aren't going to be able to run the ball (they couldn't even run against Seattle and Lewis hasn't been the same since he got out of prison). They'll need to pass. They know this. They're going to come out slinging the ball all over the field. It wouldn't surprise me if they came out with a 3 or 4 wide receiver formation. They know they can't run, they know we can't cover Winslow and Edwards, and they'll be really fired up (especially considering this is the biggest game for them since the 2002 Wildcard Playoff Game).
They're going to come out and try to score 14 points on every drive. They're going to try to make it 84-0 with three minutes gone in the first quarter. They are going to be ready.
The best thing we can do is withstand their best shot and beat them into submission after they realize that they haven't knocked us down. We've got a better team. We're more physical. We'll be able to run and throw the ball at will. We'll be able to stop the run. The only thing we can't do (provided the linebackers come back down to earth) is stop their passing game. If that gets hot early, we're in for a long day. At that point, it's kind of up to Tomlin and the rest of the guys on the roster to get back up after the Browns knock them down. They kinda stepped back up in Denver, but ended up falling short. And, even though the offense is improved (especially in the passing game), this still isn't a team that's built to come from behind.
But, really, even if they jump on us early, we can still win. Cleveland's not a team that can finish someone off the way that we finished off the hated Ravens on Monday.
They're not going to be nice enough to turn the ball over 45 times in the first six minutes like we were last time, but I still think we can kick the shit out of them if they don't.
So, either we lose a close one, we win a close one (after coming back - kinda like the 24-20 win last year), or we blow them out. We're not getting blown out in this one. Not by this team.
I have a feeling, though, that Tomlin will have his boys ready.
Prediction: Steelers 31, Browns 14
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