Steelers Win 24-20

The Steelers overcame many adversities in their game against the Giants today to win this game 24-20.  Game story and Ranking the players to follow soon.

Keys to the Steelers - Giants game

BATTLE OF 2004

FIRST ROUND QBS

The Steelers and Giants face off against each other in New Jersey today.  Isn’t their name the New York Giants.  I’m confused.  Not really, but I always find it funny when they call themselves the New York Giants.  What are the keys to a win against New Jersey?

1.      Contain Cruz:  Victor Cruz stock has risen meteorically since he joined the Giants.  He was an undrafted free agent out of UMass in 2010 and there aren’t too many teams that aren’t regretting the missed opportunity to take him in the draft.   Last year, in his second year he had 82 catches and has 52 already this year.  It may fall upon Ike to contain him, but the safeties need to keep their eyes on him also.

2.     Have Ben’s Back:  Max needs to continue to keep Ben clean.  It is amazing that he has played as well as he has this year coming off knee surgery.  I’ll keep saying it time and again, the Steelers made a wise decision to bring him back and it’s hard to believe no one else picked him up.  He’s gone through his ups and downs with the Steelers and he continues to cover Ben’s back.  He has his work cut out for him today against Jason Pierre Paul.  Oui Oui.

3.     It doesn’t look like Jonathan Dwyer will be playing today, so the workload falls on the guy that we thought would start the season as the starter,  Isaac Redman.  Hopefully Redman will be able to carry the load as well as JD.  The running game has been extremely effective in the last 2 wins and it wouldn’t hurt to continue that effectiveness in this game. 

4.     It’s not all about Max:  Max has got Ben’s back, but the rest of the line has helped to make JD look and be compared to JB.  They’ve got their work cut out for them today against a premium defensive line.  It will be a good test, but if they continue to improve they should be effective against the Giants.

5.     No. 1:  The secondary is, by rank, number 1 in the league against the pass.  Going up against Eli will be a major challenge unless the line and backers get some pressure on him.  Unfortunately Eli’s O-Line have done a great job of keeping him clean too.  So, don’t count on pressure to Eli.  It will be up to Ike, Ryan and the boys to keep the passing game under control.

6.      Beat the wrath of Sandy:  Hurricane Sandy devastated New York and New Jersey and also has had an influence on New York Sports.  The NYC Marathon finally succumbed to pressure to cancel.  The Steelers could not find a hotel that had power, so they flew in this morning and will leave tonight.  It’s hard to tell what effect this will have on the team, but maybe a change will be good.  They couldn’t keep the Titans and Raiders games under control flying in the day before, so maybe another day of home cooking will be a positive.  To win they must beat Sandy and the Giants.

Battle of 2004 First Round QBs

Blast from The Past

Maybe in an attempt to channel successful Pirates teams of old the Pirates have resigned a former Pirate.  No, they haven't reached out to Barry Bonds to come out of his steroid induced retirement.  They have signed Jay Bell to be the new hitting coach for the team.  My emotions are very mixed on this signing.  On the one hand Jay Bell was a definite fan favorite in Pittsburgh and quality shortstop from 1989-1996.  He had his challenges in his early career with the Pirates, shuttling between the big leagues and Triple A, but he soon became a fixture in the lineup and holds the Pirates record for sac bunts in a year.  That doesn't really seem exciting, but those bunts led to a lot of runs.  On the other hand he has a lack of experience in the big leagues as a hitting coach.  In 2012 he spent the year as a hitting coach for the Mobile BayBears.  No, they are not a MLB expansion franchise, they are the Diamonbacks AA team.  Doesn't really instill optimism that Jay will produce with the Pirates.  Seems like the Pirates are really grasping on this move, but it is good to see a former Pirate favorite back in the fold.  I hope the positive memory doesn't fade because of a failure to produce a formidable offense from the current crop of young Pirate hitters.

Steelers Player Rankings 7-30-12

Last Current Uniform Week Rank Player Number Position 1 1 Ben Roethlisberger 7 QB The most important player on the field.  2 2 Max Starks 78 T He's got Ben's back, great decision to bring him back. 4 3 Jonathan Dwyer 27 RB Outstanding performance again.  2 - 100 yard games in a row.T.O.P. 7 4 Heath Miller 83 TE Haley has realized Heeeeeaaaaath's worth.  Should continue to be number 1 red zone option. 3 5 Antonio Brown 84 WR Stellar play, but play the Steeler way, no showboating. 8 6 Ike Taylor 24 CB Didn't hear much from Ike.  A good thing. 9 7 Maurkice Pouncey 53 C/G Back from injury.  Centerpiece of improving Oline. 5 8 LaMarr Woodley 56 LB Need big plays from outside linebackers to beat the Giants.  Not much against the Skins.  May not play because of injury. 6 9 James Harrison 92 LB Need pressure against Eli. 10 10 Willie Colon 74 T Colon will get better and better with line.  The enforcer. 11 11 Casey Hampton 98 NT May be here longer if Mario Andretti is released.  Many other teams would like to have a nose tackle like the "Big Snack" 12 12 Brett Keisel 99 DE The beard, solid run support.  Nice stop in the backfield on Paulsen. 14 13 Ryan Clark 25 FS Took his shot at RGIII, thanks to Mike Shanahan and his play calling.  Suffered concussion, questionable for Giants. 22 14 Keenan Lewis 23 CB Saved a couple TDs.  A recurring theme.  Next on agenda, start intercepting passes. 23 15 Emmanuel Sanders 88 WR Key third down receptions.  Finally staying healthy. 16 16 Mike Wallace 17 WR No dropsies this week.  Possibly the fastest man in the NFL.  Why no deep shots.  Should be minimum 1 a game Mr. Haley. 17 17 Shaun Suisham 6 K No worries when we need a FG. 18 18 Lawrence Timmons 94 LB Still silent.  Where are you Mr. Timmons? 19 19 Mike Adams 76 OT Blocking on the second level.  Coming on faster than expected.  Running game will keep reaping benefits from this guy. 20 20 Larry Foote 50 LB Only sack of the game.  13 21 Troy Polamalu 43 SS Secondary holds up, waiting for healthy return. Importance dwindles as he doesn't play. 21 22 Chris Rainey 22 RB Beautiful play on third down. 25 23 Ramon Foster 73 G Quiet, but running yards speak volumes. 24 24 Ziggy Hood 96 DE Don't even know if he played. 27 25 Curtis Brown 31 DB Nice special teams job before the half. 28 26 Marcus Gilbert 77 T Looks like a change of sides may be in future if Adams keeps growing in position. 39 27 Leonard Pope 45 TE Pope siting in endzone 40 28 Will Allen 26 S Quality backup.  Stock rising without Troy. 41 29 Will Johnson 46 FB Value, TD 30 30 David Paulson 81 TE Future of the TE position in the Burgh.  Missing person this week. 31 31 Drew Butler 9 P No news is good news. 32 32 Jerricho Cotchery 89 WR Is there when needed. 33 33 Ryan Mundy 29 FS Quiet, will need to play big if Clark can't go. 34 34 Baron Batch 20 RB Quiet 35 35 Cameron Heyward 97 DE Waiting for a splash play. 29 36 Jason Worilds 93 LB Average.  Won't find field without injury. 26 37 Rashard Mendenhall 34 RB Inconsistent. Back on practice field Wednesday. 15 38 Doug Legursky 64 G Is there when needed. 36 39 Steve McLendon 90 DT Getting valuable learning time, will be ready when needed. 37 40 Cortez Allen 28 CB Solid play 38 41 Isaac Redman 33 RB Missed opportunity because of injury.  Dwyer will take away p.t. 42 42 Robert Golden 21 S Waiting for opportunity 43 43 Chris Carter 54 LB Harrison and Woodley healthy 44 44 Stevenson Sylvester 55 LB Still healing 45 45 Adrian Robinson 57 LB Harrison and Woodley healthy. 46 46 Greg Warren 60 LS No news is good news. 47 47 John Malecki 62 OG Waiting for opportunity 48 48 DeMarcus Van Dyke 30 CB Holding cost him a game check this week.  INA 49 49 Al Woods 65 DE Waiting for opportunity 50 50 Kelvin Beachum 68 OG Waiting for opportunity 51 51 Brandon Johnson 91 LB Waiting for opportunity 52 52 Byron Leftwich 4 QB Necessary 53 53 Charlie Batch 16 QB Necessary Injured List Sean Spence 51 LB David DeCastro 66 OG Practice Squad Jacques McClendon OL Toney Clemons 11 WR David Gilreath 18 WR Josh Victorian 35 DB Marshall McFadden 40 LB Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith 42 S Ryan Lee 69 C/G Suspended Alameda Ta'amu 95 DT