1 MORE DAY

Less than 24 hours before gametime and STEELER NATION is pumped. I can feel the vibes in the air. Here is how the teams stack up for the inaugural game of the 2009-2010 season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers vs. the Tennessee Titans

Final Rankings for the 2008-2009 season
Steelers
Offense
Passing 17th
Rushing 23rd
Defense
Passing 1st
Rushing 2nd

Where should I start? Well, let's start with focal point of the Steelers since the '70s. The Defense. In the 1970s the Steelers had the most feared defense in the league. They were overflowing with talent at nearly every position. They had the fearsome Linebackers, Ham and Lambert, they had the lineman Joe Greene, LC Greenwood, and they had the cornerbacks and safeties, Donnie Shell and Mel Blount. These guys were as we know a team of the ages. I love to go to youtube and watch the video of Lambert slamming Cliff Harris to the ground after he pats Roy Gerela on the head for missing a field goal. Classic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkBJMdlTBWg
This version of the Steelers defense that owns 2 Super Bowls of its own is creating a legend of it's own. James Harrison, LaMarr Woodley (a short timer but key contributor t0 the 2009 Super Bowl), Brett Keisel, Aaron Smith, Troy Polamalu, Deshea Townsend, Ike Taylor. Harrison continued to prove to the Ravens they should never have let him go when they had a chance at him. That return right before halftime was UN-BE-LIEVE-ABLE.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoxSFBHbA80
That was then this is now, but guess what? Expect to see much of the same this year. That defense, well it's back, except for 1 guy, Bryant McFadden. McFadden was the starter for a big part of the season last year, but when he was injured William Gay played so well that McFadden couldn't displace him when he became healthy again. Not to mention the fact that they have this other guy named Townsend that's been around the block a few times. The Steelers also picked up a nice option to give Aaron Smith a break if needed when they picked Ziggy Hood in the draft. The defensive line that anchored that number 1 defense is still intact and ready to go again.
The Offense actually detoured from its normal formula for success. That was mostly due to the injuries incurred by their top 2 tailbacks, Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall and the loss of Kendall Simmons and Marvel Smith to injuries. Parker and Mendenhall are back and mostly healthy, although Willie didn't play too much this preseason due to hamstring problems. That does not sound too encouraging for his outlook this year, but we'll see. Mendenhall is out to prove that he is worthy of the number 1 pick last year. He got very little playing time due to that dirty play by Ray "Over the Hill" Lewis which knocked him out for the season just when he got his first start. Ben is Ben. I have heard National sports commentators line up saying he is not in the top 3 QBs in the league. Yeah, those 2 Super Bowls were just luck, he had no part in them getting there. I'm sure any old QB, John Kitna, could have just as easily won those 2 games and those playoff games and those regular season games. Oh, yeah, any old quarterback could have won those 2 playoff games on the road in Indy and Denver to get him to Super Bowl XL. Wake up jokers. This guy is a winner. Phillip Rivers would have been on the IR for the year if he wrecked his motorcycle. Drew Brees, how many playoff games has he won. Payton Manning, maybe, but he's still a Super Bowl shy of Ben. Brady has won 3 but let's see how he reacts to his injury this year. They lost Nate Washington, but I'm guessing that Limas Sweed is going to fill in for him quite well, and if he does have the dropsies, they drafted this guy named Mike Wallace that's as fast as greased lightning, and if he can't fill Nat's role they got a guy that catches anything thrown to him in Shaun McDonald. So, I don't think Nate's going to be a big loss.

Special teams should improve dramatically with the return of Daniel Sepulveda and the addition of Stefan Logan. I'm thinking they'll gain a few yards in field position each game and hopefully Logan will break a few.

One of the great things about the Steelers is consistency. 3 coaches in almost 40 years, the same family owning the team, a laundry list of Hall of Famers. I think they have the recipe for winning down pat.

Titans
Offense
Passing 27th
Rushing 7th
Defense
Passing 9th
Rushing 6th

Believe it or not I know a little bit more about the Steelers than I do about the Titans. But, here goes.
The Titans were consistent throughout the season last year which shows in the defensive rankings. They were the number 1 seed and would have had the home field advantage throughout the playoffs if it had not been for the Steelers best friends, the Baltimore Ravens, and Joe Flacco knocking them off and creating home field advantage for the Steelers which helped them clinch the AFC championship. They had a key loss in the offseason in Albert "I'm going to kick you when you're down" Haynesworth. He took the cash and fled to greener pastures in Washington D.C. I would say he was their best defender and I'm thinking their defense is going to suffer from that loss.

Their offense is anchored by the running game which features Chris Johnson and LenDale White. Johnson, a rookie, last year provided the featured back they needed which took the pressure off their quarterback. White provided the power rushing game to go along with Johnson's style. A good combination which showed in their number 7 rushing game. Their passing game was less than effective, but part of that was the change in mid stream from an ineffective Vince Young to Kerry Collins. Young has yet to settle in as a starting QB which led to the Titans replacing him after injury with Collins last year. He did not relinquish the job and played well enough for the Titans to extend his contract for 2 years, the same amount Vince has left on his. This should get interesting.

The Titans have 2 former Steelers on their team in Chris Hope and Nate Washington. Nate could give some tips for the Titans, but maybe he'll drop a few balls thrown to him by KC if he plays. He's questionble for this one due to injury.

The Titans did win the meeting last year, but that one was in Tennessee. This one is in Hines' field.

Look for this to be a close one. The Titans defense is their strength and see above for what the Steelers pride themselves on.
Defensive Advantage: Steelers
Offensive Advantage: Steelers
Uh, Ben, Hines, Santonio versus K. "this is my 10th team" Collins and Chris Johnson. 'nuf said.
Special Teams: Toss up
Titans have a good kicking game and who knows what Stefan will do in his Steelers premiere.

Coaching: Advantage: Steelers
Fisher is the longest tenured coach in the league and has been to a Super Bowl but Mr. Tomlin has one of those Lombardi's in just 2 seasons. Oh, yeah and there's that LeBeau guy. He doesn't hurt their chances.

Score:
17-10 Steelers
Got my terrible towel warmed up and I'm hearing Myron cheering!