Oh my gosh, did that suck!
This game was a microcosm of what has gone wrong thus far this season: ineffectiveness in the red zone, poor special teams play, and untimely turnovers.
Now, I'd love to come down on the Steelers like the wrath of God, say that they suck and have no business being an NFL team, but I can't. I'd love to say that they were bested by a superior opponent, but I can't. The Chiefs suck. Hard. They sucked before the game today, they suck now, and they will continue to suck after the season is over.
This isn't like the two losses to the Bengals. The Bengals, God help me, have a great team. After those two losses, you kind of have to tip your hat and say, "Well, you guys are the better team. Congratulations!" After today, there are too many questions.
Let's answer some of those questions...
Do the Steelers suck?
No, no they don't. They suck on special teams and they suck in the red zone. Their offensive line has been known to be prone to suckage from time to time. But, they still gained 529 yards today and averaged 7.3 yards every time they snapped the ball. They held their opponent to 316 total yards through over 70 minutes of play and, despite the fact that they yielded a kickoff return for a touchdown and almost yielded an interception return for a touchdown, they almost pulled out a victory.
The Steelers have a potent offense and a very capable defense. If they can keep from playing special teams and doing stupid stuff, they are a great team. As of right now, they are an average team. But, they do not suck.
The Bengals lost. Can they still win the division?
No. I think that ship has sailed. If we won and the Bengals lost, I'd have to give that a firm maybe. But, at this point, it's Cincinnati's division to lose. While they're doing their best to lose it, I still don't think they will.
So... I just give up hope?
No. There is still a very real possibility of the Steelers making the playoffs. They are a very good team with a potent offense and a very capable defense. Today's loss just means that they have a very small margin for error. They either need to win out or finish the next six games with a 5-1 mark. They need to sweep the hated Ravens and knock those jerks out of playoff contention. They have a lot of work to do, but they are not out of it.
Now is not the time to give up hope. If the season ended today, the Steelers would be the sixth seed. They won a Super Bowl already as a sixth seed, so I think things could be worse.
Things most certainly could be better. We could have not honked a game away to the friggin' Chiefs, but things could be worse.
At the end of the game, Weidman said, "Seasons after a Super Bowl win suck." And he's right. Expectations are high, the other 31 teams in the league are out to get you. The pundits are quick to question every misstep. And today was a BIG misstep.
Maybe this just isn't our year. Maybe we don't have it. But, we won Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLIII. And, even though my buddy Joel texted me and suggested that Goodell is going to come to the South Side tomorrow morning and take that last trophy away from us, the fact remains that no one can take that away from us.
This is still a great franchise with a bright future that was able to win six Super Bowls before anyone else. I am going to focus on that rather than today's crippling, horrid loss.
Come to think of it, maybe we need to go 6-0 to close out the season...
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Steelers vs. Chiefs Preview
I've been trying all week to come up with something nice to say about the Chiefs. Last night, it came to me. Their front office is not afraid to make bold moves.
Now, most of those moves have sucked the past few years, but they're not afraid to make them.
Last year before the draft, they traded Jared Allen to Minnesota. It's true that they got a first round pick and a third round pick for a guy they were probably going to lose anyway, but, last year, Allen had 14.5 sacks. The Chiefs as a team had ten sacks. LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison each had more sacks individually than the entire Chiefs defense. This year, Allen has 10.5 sacks and the Chiefs defense has 12. So... good for them.
This offseason, they acquired Matt Cassell and Mike Vrabel for a second round pick. Cassell currently has a 75.2 passer rating, has been sacked 32 times, and is averaging 5.7 yards per attempt. Vrabel has 33 tackles and a sack, but he has started every game. So... good for them.
The one bold move that I think will eventually work out is that they recently released Larry Johnson for generally being an ineffective douche and decided to hitch their wagon to Jamaal Charles. I like Charles a lot and it's not because I stashed him on my one fantasy team because I knew Johnson would eventually fall off. Or, not just because of that.
Their pass defense has given up 12 plays of 40 yards or more. Their run defense has given up two such plays. The respective numbers for the Steelers are two and zero. Think about that... we're nine games into the season. That means that, every game, they give up a pass play of 40 yards or more. That's crazy.
Every game, they get to the quarterback once. Every game, their quarterback is sacked four times. Their defense is inexperienced and weak. Their offense is predictable and impotent.
The Steelers are really, really upset that they lost to the Bengals. Their offense is fired up. Their defense is fired up. Some of the sound bites that have been recorded this week sound like some of the guys literally want to kill someone (if they haven't already).
Above and beyond the stats I already quoted, you could take any stat that quantifies any type of skill or worth in football and the Steelers would be better than the Chiefs in that area. The matchups favor the Steelers. Matt Cassell operates a dink and dunk offense. The Steelers defense destroyed him last season and that's when he was throwing to Randy Moss and Wes Welker. This season, he's throwing to Chris Chambers. And that's it. Because Kansas City traded Tony Gonzalez (bold strategy, let's see how it works out for them) to Atlanta in the offseason and Dwayne Bowe, their best receiver, is currently serving a four game suspension.
On a bad day, Chambers is an older, less reliable version of Limas Sweed. On a good day, he's an older, less reliable version of Mike Wallace.
I could make this entry 3,000 talking about the matchups and stats that make the Steelers a far, far superior team. But, it's Saturday and I've got stuff to do. So...
If they lose, here's how it happens:
And, really, we all need this. We need the Steelers to go out and crush someone, even if it's a crappy team, in order to re-establish dominance. Last week's loss sucked hard. This week's win (if it happens and if it's a blowout) will take away some of that sting.
This is actually a big game. If Kansas City plays us tight or, God forbid, they win, that's going to be a big blow to the confidence of this team and the confidence of Steelers fans everywhere. A loss here kills the season. That's a big game, no matter how bad the Chiefs are.
But... I did mention that they're bad, right?
Prediction:
Steelers 38, Chiefs 10
Now, most of those moves have sucked the past few years, but they're not afraid to make them.
Last year before the draft, they traded Jared Allen to Minnesota. It's true that they got a first round pick and a third round pick for a guy they were probably going to lose anyway, but, last year, Allen had 14.5 sacks. The Chiefs as a team had ten sacks. LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison each had more sacks individually than the entire Chiefs defense. This year, Allen has 10.5 sacks and the Chiefs defense has 12. So... good for them.
This offseason, they acquired Matt Cassell and Mike Vrabel for a second round pick. Cassell currently has a 75.2 passer rating, has been sacked 32 times, and is averaging 5.7 yards per attempt. Vrabel has 33 tackles and a sack, but he has started every game. So... good for them.
The one bold move that I think will eventually work out is that they recently released Larry Johnson for generally being an ineffective douche and decided to hitch their wagon to Jamaal Charles. I like Charles a lot and it's not because I stashed him on my one fantasy team because I knew Johnson would eventually fall off. Or, not just because of that.
Their pass defense has given up 12 plays of 40 yards or more. Their run defense has given up two such plays. The respective numbers for the Steelers are two and zero. Think about that... we're nine games into the season. That means that, every game, they give up a pass play of 40 yards or more. That's crazy.
Every game, they get to the quarterback once. Every game, their quarterback is sacked four times. Their defense is inexperienced and weak. Their offense is predictable and impotent.
The Steelers are really, really upset that they lost to the Bengals. Their offense is fired up. Their defense is fired up. Some of the sound bites that have been recorded this week sound like some of the guys literally want to kill someone (if they haven't already).
Above and beyond the stats I already quoted, you could take any stat that quantifies any type of skill or worth in football and the Steelers would be better than the Chiefs in that area. The matchups favor the Steelers. Matt Cassell operates a dink and dunk offense. The Steelers defense destroyed him last season and that's when he was throwing to Randy Moss and Wes Welker. This season, he's throwing to Chris Chambers. And that's it. Because Kansas City traded Tony Gonzalez (bold strategy, let's see how it works out for them) to Atlanta in the offseason and Dwayne Bowe, their best receiver, is currently serving a four game suspension.
On a bad day, Chambers is an older, less reliable version of Limas Sweed. On a good day, he's an older, less reliable version of Mike Wallace.
I could make this entry 3,000 talking about the matchups and stats that make the Steelers a far, far superior team. But, it's Saturday and I've got stuff to do. So...
If they lose, here's how it happens:
- Chiefs coach Todd Haley has the game of his life calling plays and gets "dialed in" as they say. He prepared for this defense for Super Bowl XLII (which the Steelers won, by the way) and he knows their strengths and weaknesses. He got dialed in in the second half of that game, so he could do it again. Then again, he was calling plays for Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin, Steve Breaston, and Larry Fitzgerald. So there's that. And I thought his name was Todd Staley, but that didn't look right, so I looked it up. It's Haley. So there's that on top of that.
- They get a special teams touchdown and a defensive touchdown. Neither of these things is beyond the realm of possibility given how the season has played out thus far for the Steelers.
- Jamaal Charles and Chris Chambers have great games and are still unstoppable even when the defense focuses all their energy on stopping them. I don't think that happens, but I also didn't think the Bengals would sweep the Steelers in the regular season. So there you go.
And, really, we all need this. We need the Steelers to go out and crush someone, even if it's a crappy team, in order to re-establish dominance. Last week's loss sucked hard. This week's win (if it happens and if it's a blowout) will take away some of that sting.
This is actually a big game. If Kansas City plays us tight or, God forbid, they win, that's going to be a big blow to the confidence of this team and the confidence of Steelers fans everywhere. A loss here kills the season. That's a big game, no matter how bad the Chiefs are.
But... I did mention that they're bad, right?
Prediction:
Steelers 38, Chiefs 10
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Steelers vs. Bengals Review Take Two
So, that sucked. That was a horrible, frustrating game, and we never, ever want to experience something like that again.
But, it happened. We all saw it. It's part of the official records of the 2009 season. It's on the Internet and everything.
You can say that we choked in the red zone. You can say that they wouldn't have won without the kickoff return, since we kept their offense out of the end zone and pretty much shut them down. You can say that, with only 12 defensive points let up, we should've won. But, that's basically saying, "If they hadn't done the things that made them win, we wouldn't have lost." They did what they needed to do to win. They beat us. That's it, plain and simple.
The Bengals have, God help me, entered the conversation of great teams in the NFL. They swept us. They swept the hated Ravens. They came within a fluke play of beating the 6-3 Denver Broncos. They're a great team. That's it, plain and simple.
They ran the ball well enough on the number one run defense in the NFL to be balanced. They made plenty of plays in the passing game and exposed our weakness -- the perimeter -- early and often. They took advantage of the fact that we can't cover kicks. They were suffocating on defense. Rashard Mendenhall had only 36 yards on 13 carries. They pressured Ben and never let up. They had some very effective blitzes that brought him to the turf right away. They had some coverage sacks as well. They did what no other team -- other than, ya know, the Bengals -- has been able to do thus far this season and that's consistently cover all the weapons we have on offense for five seconds or more.
Again, they're a great team. They came into our house and beat us when the pressure was on. They knew what was at stake. They knew what they needed to do and they did it. Hats off to the Bengals. They are not the Bungles. At least for this year.
As Carson Palmer lined up in Victory Formation, Weidman turned to me and said, "That's it, right? They won the division, right? Can we still make the playoffs."
Well, I was several beers in and didn't give a good answer. So, here's the answer.
It depends. The Steelers can still win the division and they certainly can still make the playoffs, but it's gonna take a lot of work.
Here's who the Bengals face between now and the end of the season:
Oakland
Cleveland
Detroit
Minnesota
San Diego
Kansas City
Jets
That's pretty much a slam dunk for at least 4-3, right? Great teams don't fall flat against crappy teams and the Bengals are a great team and Cleveland, KC, Oakland, and Detroit are all crappy teams. Maybe the Jets have something to play for in Week 17, maybe they don't. They're still very beatable. So, let's say 5-2. That puts the Bengals at 12-4 to end the season.
That means that, if the Steelers finish 12-4, they're not going to win the division because the Bengals win the head-to-head tiebreaker. With a 12-4 record, they're making the playoffs, they're just probably not going to win the division.
Here's who the Steelers have coming up:
Kansas City
Hated Ravens
Oakland
Cleveland
Green Bay
Hated Ravens
Miami
Maybe we beat the hated Ravens in that first game and they have nothing to play for in Week 16. Maybe Green Bay and Miami have nothing to play for when we play them. But, really, that's only three sure victories against Oakland, Cleveland, and KC.
It's weird to think that we'd be 13-3 and not win our division, but it has happened (in 1999 when the 13-3 Titans finished second to the 14-2 Jaguars.
If we had won today, we'd have controlled our own destiny. We didn't, so that means that the only thing the Steelers can control is whether or not they win every week. If they do, I like their chances. If they don't, 12-4 might not be enough to win the division. And, with how topheavy the AFC is this year, 11-5 might be the cutoff point for making the playoffs.
The point is that the margin of error is going to be very slim from now until the end of the season.
Hey, it was very slim in 2005 after the Bengals effectively clinched the division with a huge win at Heinz Field. And we know how that turned out. (Hint: If you don't, the Steelers won the Super Bowl.)
But, it happened. We all saw it. It's part of the official records of the 2009 season. It's on the Internet and everything.
You can say that we choked in the red zone. You can say that they wouldn't have won without the kickoff return, since we kept their offense out of the end zone and pretty much shut them down. You can say that, with only 12 defensive points let up, we should've won. But, that's basically saying, "If they hadn't done the things that made them win, we wouldn't have lost." They did what they needed to do to win. They beat us. That's it, plain and simple.
The Bengals have, God help me, entered the conversation of great teams in the NFL. They swept us. They swept the hated Ravens. They came within a fluke play of beating the 6-3 Denver Broncos. They're a great team. That's it, plain and simple.
They ran the ball well enough on the number one run defense in the NFL to be balanced. They made plenty of plays in the passing game and exposed our weakness -- the perimeter -- early and often. They took advantage of the fact that we can't cover kicks. They were suffocating on defense. Rashard Mendenhall had only 36 yards on 13 carries. They pressured Ben and never let up. They had some very effective blitzes that brought him to the turf right away. They had some coverage sacks as well. They did what no other team -- other than, ya know, the Bengals -- has been able to do thus far this season and that's consistently cover all the weapons we have on offense for five seconds or more.
Again, they're a great team. They came into our house and beat us when the pressure was on. They knew what was at stake. They knew what they needed to do and they did it. Hats off to the Bengals. They are not the Bungles. At least for this year.
As Carson Palmer lined up in Victory Formation, Weidman turned to me and said, "That's it, right? They won the division, right? Can we still make the playoffs."
Well, I was several beers in and didn't give a good answer. So, here's the answer.
It depends. The Steelers can still win the division and they certainly can still make the playoffs, but it's gonna take a lot of work.
Here's who the Bengals face between now and the end of the season:
Oakland
Cleveland
Detroit
Minnesota
San Diego
Kansas City
Jets
That's pretty much a slam dunk for at least 4-3, right? Great teams don't fall flat against crappy teams and the Bengals are a great team and Cleveland, KC, Oakland, and Detroit are all crappy teams. Maybe the Jets have something to play for in Week 17, maybe they don't. They're still very beatable. So, let's say 5-2. That puts the Bengals at 12-4 to end the season.
That means that, if the Steelers finish 12-4, they're not going to win the division because the Bengals win the head-to-head tiebreaker. With a 12-4 record, they're making the playoffs, they're just probably not going to win the division.
Here's who the Steelers have coming up:
Kansas City
Hated Ravens
Oakland
Cleveland
Green Bay
Hated Ravens
Miami
Maybe we beat the hated Ravens in that first game and they have nothing to play for in Week 16. Maybe Green Bay and Miami have nothing to play for when we play them. But, really, that's only three sure victories against Oakland, Cleveland, and KC.
It's weird to think that we'd be 13-3 and not win our division, but it has happened (in 1999 when the 13-3 Titans finished second to the 14-2 Jaguars.
If we had won today, we'd have controlled our own destiny. We didn't, so that means that the only thing the Steelers can control is whether or not they win every week. If they do, I like their chances. If they don't, 12-4 might not be enough to win the division. And, with how topheavy the AFC is this year, 11-5 might be the cutoff point for making the playoffs.
The point is that the margin of error is going to be very slim from now until the end of the season.
Hey, it was very slim in 2005 after the Bengals effectively clinched the division with a huge win at Heinz Field. And we know how that turned out. (Hint: If you don't, the Steelers won the Super Bowl.)
Friday, November 13, 2009
Penguins Update
I actually hadn't thought the Penguins needed an update until this point. Well, maybe the point where they needed me to pay attention to them in this spot passed a game ago. But, the key moment happened when the Devil beat us last night.
Up until that point, really, we could fall back on the excuse of, "Hey, we won the Stanley Cup, we're 12-XX, and we're leading the division." Now, the Devil lead the division. So, there is some cause for concern, but no cause for panic at this point.
At this point, they're not scoring goals. They suck on the power play. Fleury appears to be capable of failure, which is something that we hadn't seen from him since Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. Crosby, as great as he is, can't carry this team on his own.
OK, there have been a lot of injuries. Like an inordinate amount for a hockey team. But, all teams need to deal with injuries. We can't use that as an excuse for getting absolutely housed for the past four games. Some of those guys may not be available later in the season, or in the playoffs. We need to adjust. That's what great teams do.
And, really, that's the bar for this team. It's a great team. Anything less is not acceptable. After the Penguins did a little thing like winning the Stanley Cup, anything below greatness is a letdown.
Here's the thing... it's a long season. It's nine freakin' months long. If we're going to "struggle" through injuries, now is the time to do it.
I rarely agree with Mark Madden, but he said something that I agreed with rather emphatically after is was announced that Malkin would miss 2-3 weeks. He said, "I don't know what this team will do once the postseason starts. I do know this: This team will not be in tenth place in February." I agree with that. That's a sound statement. The playoffs are a weird, winding road. Any team can overcome a 2-0 deficit and end up winning a series outright.
But, this season, the Penguins have set themselves up for success. They have the Eye of the Tiger. They will not allow themselves to fail. Dan Bylsma will not allow them to fail. They're too strong. They're too talented. They have too many pieces that make up a successful team.
So, listen to Douglas Adams and Don't Panic.
Up until that point, really, we could fall back on the excuse of, "Hey, we won the Stanley Cup, we're 12-XX, and we're leading the division." Now, the Devil lead the division. So, there is some cause for concern, but no cause for panic at this point.
At this point, they're not scoring goals. They suck on the power play. Fleury appears to be capable of failure, which is something that we hadn't seen from him since Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. Crosby, as great as he is, can't carry this team on his own.
OK, there have been a lot of injuries. Like an inordinate amount for a hockey team. But, all teams need to deal with injuries. We can't use that as an excuse for getting absolutely housed for the past four games. Some of those guys may not be available later in the season, or in the playoffs. We need to adjust. That's what great teams do.
And, really, that's the bar for this team. It's a great team. Anything less is not acceptable. After the Penguins did a little thing like winning the Stanley Cup, anything below greatness is a letdown.
Here's the thing... it's a long season. It's nine freakin' months long. If we're going to "struggle" through injuries, now is the time to do it.
I rarely agree with Mark Madden, but he said something that I agreed with rather emphatically after is was announced that Malkin would miss 2-3 weeks. He said, "I don't know what this team will do once the postseason starts. I do know this: This team will not be in tenth place in February." I agree with that. That's a sound statement. The playoffs are a weird, winding road. Any team can overcome a 2-0 deficit and end up winning a series outright.
But, this season, the Penguins have set themselves up for success. They have the Eye of the Tiger. They will not allow themselves to fail. Dan Bylsma will not allow them to fail. They're too strong. They're too talented. They have too many pieces that make up a successful team.
So, listen to Douglas Adams and Don't Panic.
Steelers vs. Bengals Preview Take Two
Well, so I was maybe a little harsh the last time I did a preview for a Steelers-Bengals game. And maybe they made me eat my words. And maybe I felt like a douche.
But, like Mark McGuire, I'm not here to talk about the past.
It's interesting that the Bengals have more losses coming into this game than the Broncos or Vikings did coming into their games with us, but this is a bigger game. That's because it's a divisional game, so there's more at stake. And there's more bad blood. And the Bengals already beat the Steelers. A win for them on Sunday effectively gives them a two game lead on the Steelers, since they would have swept the season series against us and they already swept the hated Ravens and they will most likely sweep the Browns. Because, ya know, everyone sweeps the Browns.
There. I talked some smack. I'll direct all smack talking at Cleveland. Cleveland sucks. Tim Couch and Courtney Brown. So there.
At any rate, this game has me worried, but I'm also strangely confident. Basically, if the team that played the Bengals in Week 3 shows up, we're going to get crushed. This is their Super Bowl and we can't play flat like we did in that first showdown. They're playing with a ton of confidence right now -- more confidence, actually, when they found their mojo briefly in 2005 -- and they took the hated Ravens to the woodshed, died their hair red, adopted them, and pulled out a chain, even if it didn't necessarily show up in the final score.
They're running the ball well. Cedric Benson, so help me, is for real. Carson Palmer still has the intelligence, vision, and crazy-strong arm he always had and he now also has two healthy knees and two whole elbows. On defense, they really hit on a few of their first day picks in the last five seasons or so. Even though Antwaan Odom is out for the year and Keith Rivers won't play, it's still a hell of a defense. They stop the run, they get after the quarterback, and they tackle surprisingly well.
This is a good team. They entered the conversation of being great when they came back and beat us, then swept the hated Ravens, then crushed the Bears. The conversation isn't over yet, but it will be fully completed if they beat us on Sunday. And they know it. And, as much as football players say they don't care about what ESPN says, the Bengals players have to feel as though they've been slighted by pundits thus far. They've gained a ton of street cred thus far and can fully establish themselves as dangerous contenders if they win in our house.
November is where contenders separate from pretenders. Anything can happen in the first couple months through scheduling, injuries, and other variables. By November, everything is pretty much set. By December, most teams are locking up their seeding and everyone else is scrambling for the last few playoff spots. In January, champions are made.
The point is that right now, the Steelers are in familiar territory, the Bengals are not. Most of the guys on the roster were not on the roster when Kimo ended their 2005 season. They understand that they need to beat the Steelers, but they probably don't understand the stakes. They don't understand the gravity and the importance of this moment and the moments that will follow on Sunday. The Steelers understand. Tomlin understands. Although this is the Super Bowl for the Bengals, it's a more important game for the Steelers. They need to complete the conversation on their end. They struggled through the early part of their season, then found their groove, then beat 6-0 and 6-1 teams in back-to-back games. In order to re-enter the conversation of being great, of being a team that could enter the postseason and make some noise, they need to beat the Bengals on Sunday.
The Steelers have tasted football's epiphany. Early in the season, they were complacent. Now, they're hungry. They want to taste it again. They understand that this is the next step and that it is a very important step. They seem to have straightened out their fourth quarter issues. The running game appears to be back. Ben Roethlisberger appears to be one of the best quarterbacks in the game.
Right now, though, those are all questions. All those questions can be answered by beating the Bengals on Sunday.
So, obviously, both teams have a lot at stake. But, to me, the difference is that the Steelers are at home, they've been through this before, they know how to seize the moment, and the Bengals are on the road, they haven't, and they don't. They may want to, but there's a big difference between confidence and experience. In that difference lies the Steelers' advantage.
Troy wasn't in the game the last time these two teams played. The prologue for the eulogy on Willie Parker's career was still in the draft/re-write stage. The offensive line was uncomfortable. The Bengals had something to prove and the Steelers were trusting history.
Like I said, I'm not here to talk about the past.
Troy's back. Mendenhall is running with violence and authority. Max Starks is on a very nice little streak of non-suckage, as are his line mates. The defense has regained its swagger, which is all a LeBeau-coached unit needs to be effective, even dominant.
We won't see a repeat of Week 3. It isn't going to be easy, but I think we have the necessary parts, tools, and experience to beat a very good Bengals team in order to delay the conversation of their greatness to another week.
Prediction:
Steelers 27, Bengals 20
But, like Mark McGuire, I'm not here to talk about the past.
It's interesting that the Bengals have more losses coming into this game than the Broncos or Vikings did coming into their games with us, but this is a bigger game. That's because it's a divisional game, so there's more at stake. And there's more bad blood. And the Bengals already beat the Steelers. A win for them on Sunday effectively gives them a two game lead on the Steelers, since they would have swept the season series against us and they already swept the hated Ravens and they will most likely sweep the Browns. Because, ya know, everyone sweeps the Browns.
There. I talked some smack. I'll direct all smack talking at Cleveland. Cleveland sucks. Tim Couch and Courtney Brown. So there.
At any rate, this game has me worried, but I'm also strangely confident. Basically, if the team that played the Bengals in Week 3 shows up, we're going to get crushed. This is their Super Bowl and we can't play flat like we did in that first showdown. They're playing with a ton of confidence right now -- more confidence, actually, when they found their mojo briefly in 2005 -- and they took the hated Ravens to the woodshed, died their hair red, adopted them, and pulled out a chain, even if it didn't necessarily show up in the final score.
They're running the ball well. Cedric Benson, so help me, is for real. Carson Palmer still has the intelligence, vision, and crazy-strong arm he always had and he now also has two healthy knees and two whole elbows. On defense, they really hit on a few of their first day picks in the last five seasons or so. Even though Antwaan Odom is out for the year and Keith Rivers won't play, it's still a hell of a defense. They stop the run, they get after the quarterback, and they tackle surprisingly well.
This is a good team. They entered the conversation of being great when they came back and beat us, then swept the hated Ravens, then crushed the Bears. The conversation isn't over yet, but it will be fully completed if they beat us on Sunday. And they know it. And, as much as football players say they don't care about what ESPN says, the Bengals players have to feel as though they've been slighted by pundits thus far. They've gained a ton of street cred thus far and can fully establish themselves as dangerous contenders if they win in our house.
November is where contenders separate from pretenders. Anything can happen in the first couple months through scheduling, injuries, and other variables. By November, everything is pretty much set. By December, most teams are locking up their seeding and everyone else is scrambling for the last few playoff spots. In January, champions are made.
The point is that right now, the Steelers are in familiar territory, the Bengals are not. Most of the guys on the roster were not on the roster when Kimo ended their 2005 season. They understand that they need to beat the Steelers, but they probably don't understand the stakes. They don't understand the gravity and the importance of this moment and the moments that will follow on Sunday. The Steelers understand. Tomlin understands. Although this is the Super Bowl for the Bengals, it's a more important game for the Steelers. They need to complete the conversation on their end. They struggled through the early part of their season, then found their groove, then beat 6-0 and 6-1 teams in back-to-back games. In order to re-enter the conversation of being great, of being a team that could enter the postseason and make some noise, they need to beat the Bengals on Sunday.
The Steelers have tasted football's epiphany. Early in the season, they were complacent. Now, they're hungry. They want to taste it again. They understand that this is the next step and that it is a very important step. They seem to have straightened out their fourth quarter issues. The running game appears to be back. Ben Roethlisberger appears to be one of the best quarterbacks in the game.
Right now, though, those are all questions. All those questions can be answered by beating the Bengals on Sunday.
So, obviously, both teams have a lot at stake. But, to me, the difference is that the Steelers are at home, they've been through this before, they know how to seize the moment, and the Bengals are on the road, they haven't, and they don't. They may want to, but there's a big difference between confidence and experience. In that difference lies the Steelers' advantage.
Troy wasn't in the game the last time these two teams played. The prologue for the eulogy on Willie Parker's career was still in the draft/re-write stage. The offensive line was uncomfortable. The Bengals had something to prove and the Steelers were trusting history.
Like I said, I'm not here to talk about the past.
Troy's back. Mendenhall is running with violence and authority. Max Starks is on a very nice little streak of non-suckage, as are his line mates. The defense has regained its swagger, which is all a LeBeau-coached unit needs to be effective, even dominant.
We won't see a repeat of Week 3. It isn't going to be easy, but I think we have the necessary parts, tools, and experience to beat a very good Bengals team in order to delay the conversation of their greatness to another week.
Prediction:
Steelers 27, Bengals 20
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Steeler vs. Broncos Review
If I had written a Preview for this game, I would have predicted Steelers 23-20.
I would also have been very glad that Ryan Clark wasn't starting and very adamant that he not start.
I also would have said that there was no way that Tyrone Carter could fill his shoes. Thank God I didn't say something dumb like that, right?
As painful as the first half was to watch, you could actually see that we were adjusting and starting to get close to where we needed to be. We took the next step in the second half and the Broncos did not. And so therefore the Steelers crushed the Broncos in the second half.
They gained 321 yards and scored 21 points in the second half. Mendenhall had 130 yards rushing in the second half. Hines Ward had two touchdowns in the second half. We just steamrolled them.
We came out on defense expecting Denver to do what they had done thus far in the season -- throw a lot of short slants, outs, and hitches -- and we set up our defense to stop that in the same manner that the hated Ravens set up their defense to stop the Broncos in Week 8.
But, the Broncos came out throwing intermediate range passes and mostly targeting the sidelines instead of the middle of the field. William Gay, for one, was very surprised by this development. After the first couple of drives, the Steelers adjusted, started playing more straight-up defense, and the Broncos didn't adjust, still running the same patterns against a defense that was now geared to stop those patterns.
They ran the ball 14 times for 27 yards total, with a long run of seven yards. They had 11 rushing attempts in the first half, which means that they attempted only three rushes in the second half. They were leading at one point in the second half and were not out of the game -- at least not to the point where they would need to abandon the running game -- until about midway through the fourth quarter.
They ran a six minute version of a two minute offense at the end of the first half and wasted a pretty easy opportunity for a score (even if that score would only have been a field goal). I'm not saying Josh McDaniels and his staff got outcoached, but they did get outadjusted. And in-game and halftime adjustments were supposed to be two of the things Denver did better than anyone else.
This is the second straight week that we played well on offense and defense and the second straight week that we faced a quality opponent and not only showed up, but showed up with authority.
The Vikings are a great offensive team. They probably scored 24 points during their bye week. We held them to ten offensive points in Week 7. The Broncos are a great defensive team. We scored 21 offensive points on them. We also reclaimed some of our swagger on defense, holding them to three offensive points. On the road. And those three points came on their first drive before we had a chance to adjust to their new game plan.
All in all, a very solid performance. This team is starting to come together. They're starting to look like the 2008 version of themselves. Only better.
We'll know more next week in a BIG divisional matchup against the Bengals (did I just type that?), but things are definitely looking up after a rough start.
A few other thoughts...
We passed the first two tests. One big, final test awaits us next week. If we fail that test, we could very well be boned in the division. Much like we were in 2005 (even though I guess that turned out OK because the Steelers won Super Bowl XL).
I would also have been very glad that Ryan Clark wasn't starting and very adamant that he not start.
I also would have said that there was no way that Tyrone Carter could fill his shoes. Thank God I didn't say something dumb like that, right?
As painful as the first half was to watch, you could actually see that we were adjusting and starting to get close to where we needed to be. We took the next step in the second half and the Broncos did not. And so therefore the Steelers crushed the Broncos in the second half.
They gained 321 yards and scored 21 points in the second half. Mendenhall had 130 yards rushing in the second half. Hines Ward had two touchdowns in the second half. We just steamrolled them.
We came out on defense expecting Denver to do what they had done thus far in the season -- throw a lot of short slants, outs, and hitches -- and we set up our defense to stop that in the same manner that the hated Ravens set up their defense to stop the Broncos in Week 8.
But, the Broncos came out throwing intermediate range passes and mostly targeting the sidelines instead of the middle of the field. William Gay, for one, was very surprised by this development. After the first couple of drives, the Steelers adjusted, started playing more straight-up defense, and the Broncos didn't adjust, still running the same patterns against a defense that was now geared to stop those patterns.
They ran the ball 14 times for 27 yards total, with a long run of seven yards. They had 11 rushing attempts in the first half, which means that they attempted only three rushes in the second half. They were leading at one point in the second half and were not out of the game -- at least not to the point where they would need to abandon the running game -- until about midway through the fourth quarter.
They ran a six minute version of a two minute offense at the end of the first half and wasted a pretty easy opportunity for a score (even if that score would only have been a field goal). I'm not saying Josh McDaniels and his staff got outcoached, but they did get outadjusted. And in-game and halftime adjustments were supposed to be two of the things Denver did better than anyone else.
This is the second straight week that we played well on offense and defense and the second straight week that we faced a quality opponent and not only showed up, but showed up with authority.
The Vikings are a great offensive team. They probably scored 24 points during their bye week. We held them to ten offensive points in Week 7. The Broncos are a great defensive team. We scored 21 offensive points on them. We also reclaimed some of our swagger on defense, holding them to three offensive points. On the road. And those three points came on their first drive before we had a chance to adjust to their new game plan.
All in all, a very solid performance. This team is starting to come together. They're starting to look like the 2008 version of themselves. Only better.
We'll know more next week in a BIG divisional matchup against the Bengals (did I just type that?), but things are definitely looking up after a rough start.
A few other thoughts...
- I felt very confident that the Steelers would win the game when they jumped out to a 14-10 lead. Even though they've had their fair share of issues in the second half. Even though the Broncos are a fantastic second half team. When the Steelers lead 21-10, I was 100% confident they were going to win. I almost went to bed. That's how confident I was. Given how badly the Steelers performed in the fourth quarter thus far this season and how much they had already jerked me around, that's a pretty bold statement. And a very good sign that things are returning to normal.
- The offensive line is starting to look very, very good. Like, they might be a strength instead of just not being a glaring weakness. They got off to a rough start in pass protection last night, but settled down and ended up shutting down a solid Denver pass rush in the second half (for the most part). Also, Mendenhall rushed for 130 yards in the second half. And 155 yards overall. On 22 carries. That's an average of seven yards per carry. Even last year, when we were destroying Cleveland and Cincinnati, we didn't have that kind of average. We didn't shut down a pass rush that well. And, when we were trying to salt the game away and everyone in the stadium knew we were going to run the ball, the Broncos still couldn't stop it. That's what we used to have to the Cowher days. The 1,191-1-1 when leading by ten or more points days. Couple that with the fact that we now have a quarterback that can throw the ball 40 times a game and be effective and can also run a two minute offense and that's a pretty potent combination.
- Speaking of Mendenhall, he looks awfully good. He needs to improve his vision, but his power, pad level, and decisiveness are right on target. I think it may be about time to write the eulogy for Fast Willie Parker's career as a Steeler. I doubt we're going to sign him after the season is over. When Mendenhall needed a breather, Mewelde Moore came in, not FWP, even though FWP was active and not at all injured. So Mendenhall is not a bust and Fast Willie will not be a Steeler next year. That will take an adjustment on my part, but I think I can handle it. Especially since he's been hurt most of this season and will not be involved in the second half of the season, which means I'll be used to not seeing him in uniform. Like Kimo, Joey Porter, Nate Washington, and Randle-El, I wish him all the best. I hope he makes a ton of money elsewhere, because he can't make it here.
- Watching Vulva go head-to-head (leg-to-leg?) with Bitch Merger was awesome. I'd have to say Vulva won out on that one.
- The more I see of Mike Wallace, the more I think that we will never, ever hear from Limas Sweed again.
We passed the first two tests. One big, final test awaits us next week. If we fail that test, we could very well be boned in the division. Much like we were in 2005 (even though I guess that turned out OK because the Steelers won Super Bowl XL).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)