Friday, October 16, 2009
Mike Wallace
By Popular demand I've redone the Mike Wallace poll and added the Hawk as a potential nickname. The Flash already had 3 votes. So, I'm extending the poll to the 19th. Vote and vote often.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Mr. Smith Goes to IR
Bad news surfaced today when the Steelers announced that Aaron Smith, one of the most important cogs of the Steelers 3-4 defense, probably has a torn rotator cuff. That is an injury that does not heal quickly and could very possibly be a season ending injury. Smith is very important to the Steelers defense because without him in the past the run defense has suffered.
Good thing the Steelers drafted Ziggy Hood as a future replacement for Smith, right. Well, Yes and no. According to Tomlin, Hood is not quite ready to step in full time to replace Smith. So, the Steelers will probably go with a rotation of 3 guys; veterans Travis Kirschke, Nick Eason and the rookie Hood. You know a guy is good when it takes 3 guys to replace him. The Steelers could go after Sonny Harris, a Steeler draft pick who played well in the preseason. Harris is currently on the Carolina practice squad and could be signed, if willing, to the Steelers active roster to provide depth. Not a good start to this day.
Good thing the Steelers drafted Ziggy Hood as a future replacement for Smith, right. Well, Yes and no. According to Tomlin, Hood is not quite ready to step in full time to replace Smith. So, the Steelers will probably go with a rotation of 3 guys; veterans Travis Kirschke, Nick Eason and the rookie Hood. You know a guy is good when it takes 3 guys to replace him. The Steelers could go after Sonny Harris, a Steeler draft pick who played well in the preseason. Harris is currently on the Carolina practice squad and could be signed, if willing, to the Steelers active roster to provide depth. Not a good start to this day.
Monday, October 12, 2009
WHO GETS CREDIT - DETROIT EDITION
If you ask me this one was way closer than it should have been. Detroit, that is the Detroit that did not win a game last year, seems to be better than last year and has surpassed last season's win total by 1 game, but they are still Detroit and they are missing the current edition of their franchise quarterback, Mathew Stafford. Put it simply, they are not good. They finally wised up and got rid of Matt Millen and his annual number 1 Wide Receiver pick. But it will take some time to clean up the mess he created. So, this should be an easy W, right? The Super Bowl Champs versus the only team to go without a win in a season. Shouldn't even be close.
But, the Stillers pulled it out and the credit for this one should go to...
Should Ben get the credit for this one? Ben played well, except for that pick 6 that made it's way into William James' hands and then to the wrong endzone. Ben ended up with 3 TDs and a passer rating in the 120's. Could have had a 4 TD day if Mike Wallace didn't drop another TD. He gave the Steelers what they expect from him. I could give the credit to Ben for every game. But that's no fun.
Should the Running Backs get the credit? Rashard Mendenhall again started with Willie's toe injured and again is making a case to take over the starting role permanently. Not so fast though. Willie still has those 2 Super Bowls in his back pocket. If he's healthy, he's probably still got a 1,000 yard season in him or 2. It's good to have depth though and quality depth at that. Rashard had 60 in the first half before the Lions started playing keep away and he finished up with 77. The Steelers barely touched the ball in the 3rd quarter. Rashard also chipped in a TD in the red zone and recovered a fumbled handoff when the ball was surrounded by Lions. Mewelde provided his consistent play and the running backs did what they were asked to do.
Should the receivers get the credit? Three receivers had TDs for the Steelers, Hines Ward had his first of the year, Mike Wallace had his first of the year and Heath Miller. Hines and Heath both had blue collar TDs working for each yard. Hines timely leap and reach move got the ball over the goal line and Heath got some nice blocks on his way into the endzone. Mike Wallace, see the poll in progress on the blog, was wide open on 2 potential TDs. He dropped one and made up for it by catching the second on the goal line and leaning over for the TD. Ben underthrew him a bit but he was so open that even waiting for the ball the DB couldn't catch up to it. They definitely need to have at least 2 streaks down the sidelines with this guy. He outruns the defense and the ball.
Should the O-Line get the credit? They again played well opening some big holes for Rashard in the first half. The only reason he didn't get 100 was the Steelers had the ball very little in the 3rd quarter. They gave up 3 sacks, which really isn't many when it comes to Ben. They sealed off the right side for the most part in Rashard's TD run and he did the rest.
Should the Defensive Line get the credit? Again these guys stopped the run for the most part. They let Duante Culpepper to escape a few times, but that's more on the linebackers. Not much pressure on the QB either. But, they stopped the run and that's what they're there for.
Should the Defensive Backs get the credit? Part of the reason the Lions were on the field so much was that Duante Culpepper escaped the backfield and found a receiver or got downfield with his feet. The responsibility for stopping him falls equally on the DBs and Linebackers and they were not able to make a stop in the 3rd quarter. Help is on the way probably next week with Troy coming back.
Should the Linebackers get the credit? James Harrison provided the pressure and came up with 3 sacks in the game and LaMarr Woodley finally got his first of the year and ended up with 1.5 for the game. Lawrence Timmons also had 1 in the game. They let Culpepper get by the line too much, but hopefully the sacks got something started and with Polamalu coming back they may have more time to get to the quarterback.
Should the Special teams get the credit? Stefan Logan came up with a big Kickoff return, but other than that there was nothing outstanding. As long as they don't allow any big returns that's what the team needs.
Should the Coaches get the credit? The Steelers were in control for most of the game. Even though the Lions threatened in the 4th quarter they were still playing catch up most of the game. Arians got a little pass happy with RM running the ball well, but his offense will lean on Ben to win the game. Dick Lebeau made some huge calls on that last drive to seal the W.
So.... this win came down to 3 crucial plays. On the Lions last drive of the game when the Lions were bearing down and approaching the endzone, the Steelers came up with 3 crucial sacks on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd downs to push the Lions way back and attempt a hail mary on 4th down, which Ike Taylor skyed and knocked down. The credit for this win goes to Dick Lebeau for drawing up those sacks and calling the plays. He called the same play twice and it worked both times with William Gay taking down Duante. Remember Joey Porter coming around the end to sack Peyton Manning on the way to Super Bowl XL. Who was the D Coordinator back then? Oh Yeah, Lebeau. This one goes to Dick Lebeau and it's not the first or probably the last.
But, the Stillers pulled it out and the credit for this one should go to...
Should Ben get the credit for this one? Ben played well, except for that pick 6 that made it's way into William James' hands and then to the wrong endzone. Ben ended up with 3 TDs and a passer rating in the 120's. Could have had a 4 TD day if Mike Wallace didn't drop another TD. He gave the Steelers what they expect from him. I could give the credit to Ben for every game. But that's no fun.
Should the Running Backs get the credit? Rashard Mendenhall again started with Willie's toe injured and again is making a case to take over the starting role permanently. Not so fast though. Willie still has those 2 Super Bowls in his back pocket. If he's healthy, he's probably still got a 1,000 yard season in him or 2. It's good to have depth though and quality depth at that. Rashard had 60 in the first half before the Lions started playing keep away and he finished up with 77. The Steelers barely touched the ball in the 3rd quarter. Rashard also chipped in a TD in the red zone and recovered a fumbled handoff when the ball was surrounded by Lions. Mewelde provided his consistent play and the running backs did what they were asked to do.
Should the receivers get the credit? Three receivers had TDs for the Steelers, Hines Ward had his first of the year, Mike Wallace had his first of the year and Heath Miller. Hines and Heath both had blue collar TDs working for each yard. Hines timely leap and reach move got the ball over the goal line and Heath got some nice blocks on his way into the endzone. Mike Wallace, see the poll in progress on the blog, was wide open on 2 potential TDs. He dropped one and made up for it by catching the second on the goal line and leaning over for the TD. Ben underthrew him a bit but he was so open that even waiting for the ball the DB couldn't catch up to it. They definitely need to have at least 2 streaks down the sidelines with this guy. He outruns the defense and the ball.
Should the O-Line get the credit? They again played well opening some big holes for Rashard in the first half. The only reason he didn't get 100 was the Steelers had the ball very little in the 3rd quarter. They gave up 3 sacks, which really isn't many when it comes to Ben. They sealed off the right side for the most part in Rashard's TD run and he did the rest.
Should the Defensive Line get the credit? Again these guys stopped the run for the most part. They let Duante Culpepper to escape a few times, but that's more on the linebackers. Not much pressure on the QB either. But, they stopped the run and that's what they're there for.
Should the Defensive Backs get the credit? Part of the reason the Lions were on the field so much was that Duante Culpepper escaped the backfield and found a receiver or got downfield with his feet. The responsibility for stopping him falls equally on the DBs and Linebackers and they were not able to make a stop in the 3rd quarter. Help is on the way probably next week with Troy coming back.
Should the Linebackers get the credit? James Harrison provided the pressure and came up with 3 sacks in the game and LaMarr Woodley finally got his first of the year and ended up with 1.5 for the game. Lawrence Timmons also had 1 in the game. They let Culpepper get by the line too much, but hopefully the sacks got something started and with Polamalu coming back they may have more time to get to the quarterback.
Should the Special teams get the credit? Stefan Logan came up with a big Kickoff return, but other than that there was nothing outstanding. As long as they don't allow any big returns that's what the team needs.
Should the Coaches get the credit? The Steelers were in control for most of the game. Even though the Lions threatened in the 4th quarter they were still playing catch up most of the game. Arians got a little pass happy with RM running the ball well, but his offense will lean on Ben to win the game. Dick Lebeau made some huge calls on that last drive to seal the W.
So.... this win came down to 3 crucial plays. On the Lions last drive of the game when the Lions were bearing down and approaching the endzone, the Steelers came up with 3 crucial sacks on 1st, 2nd, and 3rd downs to push the Lions way back and attempt a hail mary on 4th down, which Ike Taylor skyed and knocked down. The credit for this win goes to Dick Lebeau for drawing up those sacks and calling the plays. He called the same play twice and it worked both times with William Gay taking down Duante. Remember Joey Porter coming around the end to sack Peyton Manning on the way to Super Bowl XL. Who was the D Coordinator back then? Oh Yeah, Lebeau. This one goes to Dick Lebeau and it's not the first or probably the last.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Bonus Poll
I asked for suggestions for a nickname for the newest speedster on the team and got 2. I'll ad my own, but you decide what Mike Wallace' new nickname should be.
The Best of the Rest
Since we know who number 1 and 2 are in the Steelers modern era QB lore. Who do you think is number 3. Check out the new poll.
AB (After Bradshaw)
Cliff Stoudt, Mark Malone, Neil O'Donnell, Bubby Brister, Kent Graham, Tommy Maddox, Kordell Stewart, Mike Tomczak. These are some of the many quarterbacks the Steelers have gone through since the departure of Terry Bradshaw. These guys all have different facets that made them a starter for the Steelers. Mark Malone was athletic, once holding the Steelers record for longest reception as a wide receiver. Bubby Brister was charismatic and a good leader. Tommy Maddox had a strong arm and a few years ago the Steelers tried the pass first strategy with him behind center. That failed miserably as we all know. Kordell Stewart, aka Slash, was also athletic and if he would have given up on playing quarterback, could have been a very good receiver and his career would have been quite a bit longer. The thing that separated almost all of the guys above from Ben Roethlisberger is they couldn't manage to get the ball to their receivers consistently.
I've got to say that the Steelers have a great group of receivers right now and the first few years of Ben's career. Hines Ward would probably make half of the quarterbacks in the league look good.
The closest quarterback in terms of this part of Ben's game is Neil O'Donnell. Neil succeeded Bubby Brister. Coincidentally enough, Neil is the only other quarterback in the AB(After Bradshaw) era that has led the Steelers to a Super Bowl and might have won it had Andre Hastings been paying attention and run the right routes. Instead, Neil made the career of a cornerback who signed a big free agent contract following the Super Bowl. Neil then went on to the Jets and other teams in a mediocre career. The Super Bowl season is the reason I would rank Neil as the number 2 quarterback in the AB era.
The number one quarterback in that era is, of course, Ben Roethlisberger. The main reason for this is obvious, those two Lombardi Trophies earned by him and the rest of the team of course. But, the Steelers have had some very good teams and very good players, Rod Woodson, Greg Lloyd, Dermontti Dawson to name just a few, with the quarterbacks before Ben and those teams have a combined total of 0 Super Bowl Wins.
Ben has the tools necessary to be one of the greatest in the league. What are those tools?
The number 1 tool that I, as student of the game, hold as the most crucial element of Ben's game is that he is accurate. A quarterback needs to be able, first and foremost, to be able to get the ball to his receivers. After watching quarterback after quarterback try and fail, this is the main thing that all of those guys were missing. Announcers would come up with all kinds of reasons for them. The field wasn't flat so they threw too high. It was too windy and their arm wasn't strong enough. Too rainy and their hands were too small to grip the ball effectively. I've heard them all over the years. I could look at the stats and see what the completion percentage of these guys is, but I don't need to. Ben consistently gets the ball to his receivers, or at least close enough to give them a chance. The other guys may have had a few games where they'd hit a hot streak and have a high completion percentage, but Ben has done it since he came into the league after Tommy Maddox went down.
The number 2 tool that Ben has that none of those guys had, this is where Ben separates himself from O'Donnell, is escapability. If you look Ben Roethlisberger up in the Encyclopedia you might see a picture of Houdini next to his name. The number of times he has emerged from a conglomeration of linemen is countless. He has a second sense of being able to know when and how to duck or dodge to get away from those attacking linemen and linebackers and escape numerous sacks then make the play. In the Bengals game he was flushed out of the pocket, started outside, juked inside leaving the Bengal amazed at his agility and passed to Willie Parker for a TD. Running Backs make those moves not quarterbacks.
The number 3 tool that Ben has goes along with number 2. While he is running around trying to get away from the defense he has another ability that few quarterbacks have. He is able while scrambling around to keep looking downfield for his receivers. Most quarterbacks are able stand there looking for their receivers to get open, others have the ability to scramble clear of the defense then look for a receiver. Ben can drop back look for his receiver, if they're not open he can scramble around avoiding the rush and at the same time look for the open man extending the play.
The number 4 tool he possesses is size. This helps his ability to escape the rush. You can't bring him down by bumping into him or arm tackling him. If he is not wrapped up securely and brought down he won't go down.
It's funny that he is continuously overlooked as the best in the league. Let's see, he has 2 Super Bowl wins, that Manning guy has 1 and that Brady guy has 3. I'd say that would at least put him up there at number 2. Oh, sometimes people put him behind that guy in San Diego. Didn't the Steelers just play San Diego? I can't remember the score, but I think the Steelers won. But, that guy's better than Ben. Yeah, Ok. See you in the playoffs Mr. Rivers, IN PITTSBURGH. That's how the NFL works, the team with the better players and the better records get homefield advantage.
I've got to say that the Steelers have a great group of receivers right now and the first few years of Ben's career. Hines Ward would probably make half of the quarterbacks in the league look good.
The closest quarterback in terms of this part of Ben's game is Neil O'Donnell. Neil succeeded Bubby Brister. Coincidentally enough, Neil is the only other quarterback in the AB(After Bradshaw) era that has led the Steelers to a Super Bowl and might have won it had Andre Hastings been paying attention and run the right routes. Instead, Neil made the career of a cornerback who signed a big free agent contract following the Super Bowl. Neil then went on to the Jets and other teams in a mediocre career. The Super Bowl season is the reason I would rank Neil as the number 2 quarterback in the AB era.
The number one quarterback in that era is, of course, Ben Roethlisberger. The main reason for this is obvious, those two Lombardi Trophies earned by him and the rest of the team of course. But, the Steelers have had some very good teams and very good players, Rod Woodson, Greg Lloyd, Dermontti Dawson to name just a few, with the quarterbacks before Ben and those teams have a combined total of 0 Super Bowl Wins.
Ben has the tools necessary to be one of the greatest in the league. What are those tools?
The number 1 tool that I, as student of the game, hold as the most crucial element of Ben's game is that he is accurate. A quarterback needs to be able, first and foremost, to be able to get the ball to his receivers. After watching quarterback after quarterback try and fail, this is the main thing that all of those guys were missing. Announcers would come up with all kinds of reasons for them. The field wasn't flat so they threw too high. It was too windy and their arm wasn't strong enough. Too rainy and their hands were too small to grip the ball effectively. I've heard them all over the years. I could look at the stats and see what the completion percentage of these guys is, but I don't need to. Ben consistently gets the ball to his receivers, or at least close enough to give them a chance. The other guys may have had a few games where they'd hit a hot streak and have a high completion percentage, but Ben has done it since he came into the league after Tommy Maddox went down.
The number 2 tool that Ben has that none of those guys had, this is where Ben separates himself from O'Donnell, is escapability. If you look Ben Roethlisberger up in the Encyclopedia you might see a picture of Houdini next to his name. The number of times he has emerged from a conglomeration of linemen is countless. He has a second sense of being able to know when and how to duck or dodge to get away from those attacking linemen and linebackers and escape numerous sacks then make the play. In the Bengals game he was flushed out of the pocket, started outside, juked inside leaving the Bengal amazed at his agility and passed to Willie Parker for a TD. Running Backs make those moves not quarterbacks.
The number 3 tool that Ben has goes along with number 2. While he is running around trying to get away from the defense he has another ability that few quarterbacks have. He is able while scrambling around to keep looking downfield for his receivers. Most quarterbacks are able stand there looking for their receivers to get open, others have the ability to scramble clear of the defense then look for a receiver. Ben can drop back look for his receiver, if they're not open he can scramble around avoiding the rush and at the same time look for the open man extending the play.
The number 4 tool he possesses is size. This helps his ability to escape the rush. You can't bring him down by bumping into him or arm tackling him. If he is not wrapped up securely and brought down he won't go down.
It's funny that he is continuously overlooked as the best in the league. Let's see, he has 2 Super Bowl wins, that Manning guy has 1 and that Brady guy has 3. I'd say that would at least put him up there at number 2. Oh, sometimes people put him behind that guy in San Diego. Didn't the Steelers just play San Diego? I can't remember the score, but I think the Steelers won. But, that guy's better than Ben. Yeah, Ok. See you in the playoffs Mr. Rivers, IN PITTSBURGH. That's how the NFL works, the team with the better players and the better records get homefield advantage.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
WHO GETS CREDIT
This is a new feature also, because after the first win this year, I hadn't come up with it. But, after the two previous editions of WHO'S FAULT IS IT, WHO DESERVES CREDIT is a welcome sight. As the title states it's WHO DESERVES CREDIT, not WHO'S FAULT IS IT. So, I won't put blame for bad plays on anyone in this article. You know who you are, Mr. Logan. Sorry, it slipped.
So….
Quarterback
Should Ben get credit for the W? Ben played extremely well, as shown by his QB rating in the 130s. I am very biased when it comes to Ben because of the quality of quarterbacks that came before him. I will have an article coming up on the subject of Ben and the Quarterbacks that preceded him in the near future in the A.B. era (After Bradshaw). But the main ingredient I would want in a QB is accuracy. Ben has many other attributes that have made him a Super Bowl winner twice but he rarely is off target, and that was true last Sunday. His leadership and stellar play continued, and he also got a little help elsewhere. See below.
Offensive Line
Should the Big Boys on the line get credit for this one? Well, there were holes for the running backs to run through and there was time for the Quarterback to throw. There were a few sacks, but chalk those up to Ben holding onto the ball looking for a play to develop. Chris K. was totally blowing up the Chargers and I doubt I was the only one holding my breath when he went out for a play at the end of the game. I like Doug Legursky lining up as the Fullback too on Rashard's TD run. They should try that more often.
Running Backs
Was it the Running Backs who should get the credit? Finally, I think we may have seen the beginning of Rashard Mendenhall's career in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, as many times it happens, it took the injury to Willie Parker's toe to make it happen. Mendenhall scored 2 TDs and ran with a mission, maybe due to the message the coach sent last week, maybe just because he got the chance to get significant carries. But, he took advantage of this opportunity. He managed to score a running TD with Doug Legursky and the rest of the line clearing the way for him and he scored on passing TD. He had a few blocks protecting Ben that flat out knocked two players senseless and above all he racked up some big yardage and helped to run down the clock at the end of the game. Mewelde Moore did his Ben impression with a option pass to Heath in the end zone and provided his usual consistent play.
Wide Receivers
Was it the Wide Receivers? The ageless one is having a pro bowl year so far with another 100 yard game. Santonio was mostly silent but picked up some first downs and caught what was thrown to him. Mike Wallace had a big catch early. Heath Miller is on pace for some monster numbers, record numbers for Steelers Tight Ends, and had 2 TD catches. Can't ask for any more than that.
Defensive Line
These guys held LT to some puny numbers, and kept the pressure on Phillip Rivers for most of the game. Just what they're supposed to do in this defense.
Linebackers
The pressure from these guys isn't what it was last year, but that could be because of the absence of a player in the defensive backfield. I still think this is a cycle and there will be a game soon where they will rack up 7 or 8 sacks and hopefully cause an avalanche of sacks. Also, other teams probably realized from last year that they better get the ball out fast or JH will tomahawk the ball out of the opposing QB's hands. James caused a fumble at the end of the game to reduce tension in the Steeler Nation. While the Linebackers haven't had the sacks they did last year, they are still the best group in the league.
Defensive Backs
This group played well in the first half and part of the 3rd quarter, but then San Diego started to find a way to get the ball to Antonio Gates. The Steelers couldn't keep that from happening and the race was on to see who could outscore the other team. Maybe one more game to be safe without Troy.
Special Teams
Won't blame Stefan for having the ball taken away from him and starting the San Diego scoring spree in this section. Kick protection continued to be a strength and Jeff Reed kicked a long one to secure a 2 score lead at the end.
Coaching
The game plan seemed to be to keep the ball away and keep Antonio Gates from getting the ball. That worked for most of the game and enabled them to build a 28 point lead and discover they have a first round draft choice that has some talent. Lebeau needs his Hall of Fame Safety back so he can let the Linebackers loose or find some other way to get the heat on.
The credit…
for this win goes to Ben and Rashard. Ben had plenty of time to throw and found the open guys and Rashard provided the rest of the ball control game picking up big chunks of yardage and scoring a running and receiving TD, the running one from short yardage at the goal line. Keep it up Rashard, I'd like to see more.
This is a new feature also, because after the first win this year, I hadn't come up with it. But, after the two previous editions of WHO'S FAULT IS IT, WHO DESERVES CREDIT is a welcome sight. As the title states it's WHO DESERVES CREDIT, not WHO'S FAULT IS IT. So, I won't put blame for bad plays on anyone in this article. You know who you are, Mr. Logan. Sorry, it slipped.
So….
Quarterback
Should Ben get credit for the W? Ben played extremely well, as shown by his QB rating in the 130s. I am very biased when it comes to Ben because of the quality of quarterbacks that came before him. I will have an article coming up on the subject of Ben and the Quarterbacks that preceded him in the near future in the A.B. era (After Bradshaw). But the main ingredient I would want in a QB is accuracy. Ben has many other attributes that have made him a Super Bowl winner twice but he rarely is off target, and that was true last Sunday. His leadership and stellar play continued, and he also got a little help elsewhere. See below.
Offensive Line
Should the Big Boys on the line get credit for this one? Well, there were holes for the running backs to run through and there was time for the Quarterback to throw. There were a few sacks, but chalk those up to Ben holding onto the ball looking for a play to develop. Chris K. was totally blowing up the Chargers and I doubt I was the only one holding my breath when he went out for a play at the end of the game. I like Doug Legursky lining up as the Fullback too on Rashard's TD run. They should try that more often.
Running Backs
Was it the Running Backs who should get the credit? Finally, I think we may have seen the beginning of Rashard Mendenhall's career in Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, as many times it happens, it took the injury to Willie Parker's toe to make it happen. Mendenhall scored 2 TDs and ran with a mission, maybe due to the message the coach sent last week, maybe just because he got the chance to get significant carries. But, he took advantage of this opportunity. He managed to score a running TD with Doug Legursky and the rest of the line clearing the way for him and he scored on passing TD. He had a few blocks protecting Ben that flat out knocked two players senseless and above all he racked up some big yardage and helped to run down the clock at the end of the game. Mewelde Moore did his Ben impression with a option pass to Heath in the end zone and provided his usual consistent play.
Wide Receivers
Was it the Wide Receivers? The ageless one is having a pro bowl year so far with another 100 yard game. Santonio was mostly silent but picked up some first downs and caught what was thrown to him. Mike Wallace had a big catch early. Heath Miller is on pace for some monster numbers, record numbers for Steelers Tight Ends, and had 2 TD catches. Can't ask for any more than that.
Defensive Line
These guys held LT to some puny numbers, and kept the pressure on Phillip Rivers for most of the game. Just what they're supposed to do in this defense.
Linebackers
The pressure from these guys isn't what it was last year, but that could be because of the absence of a player in the defensive backfield. I still think this is a cycle and there will be a game soon where they will rack up 7 or 8 sacks and hopefully cause an avalanche of sacks. Also, other teams probably realized from last year that they better get the ball out fast or JH will tomahawk the ball out of the opposing QB's hands. James caused a fumble at the end of the game to reduce tension in the Steeler Nation. While the Linebackers haven't had the sacks they did last year, they are still the best group in the league.
Defensive Backs
This group played well in the first half and part of the 3rd quarter, but then San Diego started to find a way to get the ball to Antonio Gates. The Steelers couldn't keep that from happening and the race was on to see who could outscore the other team. Maybe one more game to be safe without Troy.
Special Teams
Won't blame Stefan for having the ball taken away from him and starting the San Diego scoring spree in this section. Kick protection continued to be a strength and Jeff Reed kicked a long one to secure a 2 score lead at the end.
Coaching
The game plan seemed to be to keep the ball away and keep Antonio Gates from getting the ball. That worked for most of the game and enabled them to build a 28 point lead and discover they have a first round draft choice that has some talent. Lebeau needs his Hall of Fame Safety back so he can let the Linebackers loose or find some other way to get the heat on.
The credit…
for this win goes to Ben and Rashard. Ben had plenty of time to throw and found the open guys and Rashard provided the rest of the ball control game picking up big chunks of yardage and scoring a running and receiving TD, the running one from short yardage at the goal line. Keep it up Rashard, I'd like to see more.
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