Bengals Good For Steelers

The Steelers have owned the Bengals for a long time so this was the one road game I felt the "team" believed they could win.  I emphasize "team" because this is a "new" group of players; some playing because of injuries to others while others are just "fresh" to the Steeler Nation.   

Mike Wallace had a bad game and must begin to be more reilable in terms of catching the ball(...even on deflections) if he wants anything close to a franchise contract.  Right now Wallace is just "fast" and no one is going to pay a receiver top dollar if can run fast and can't be reliabe - remember Limas Sweed!

Jonathan Dwyer looked like a young Jerome Bettis for a minute in this game.  He ran through arm tackles and generally "pounded" the Bengals second layer defensive players.  The question now is whether the offensive line will "fire out" against the next team as they did against the Bengals and whether Dwyer will run this hard again.  

I think Pittsburgh will always throw the ball earlier in games and then try to "melt" the clock in the fourth quarter with more runs.  I am also glad to see that Haley is a big advocate of the 10 plus play drive which somewhat explains these "dink and donk" short passes that Ben eluded to in a condescending manner.  These short passes are designed to save the QB's health, and also compensate for the lack of a reliable running game thus far this season

Ike Taylor had a much better game but you could also attribute this to deep safety that lined up behind him all night to help shut down the dangerous Greene on the Bengals team.  The strategy worked and to his credit Ike "squatted and jammed" the best offensive threat for the Bengals the entire game.  I'm still just not that confident in Taylor as the teams's "shut down corner"!

It was also nice to see the defense really take control of the game in the middle of the third quarter.  I saw Ziggy Hood finally dominate the middle of the defensive line particularly after the starting center got hurt.  I just feel our defensive line is just not physical enough to be "consistently" successful in the 3-4 front unles Harrison can match the intensity of Woodley on the other side and I just don't see that happening right now.

Overall, this was much needed road victory that showed some improvements in different facets of our team.  I hope to see the special teams improve in reducing their penalties next week so we can keep some of those yards Rainey and Brown can afford us.

GO STEELERS!!!

Ben "Passes" Bradshaw 

Ben has become our all-time leading passer eclipsing Terry Bradshaw of the great Steeler's era of the 70's.  To me it's uncanny how similar the two are on the field but a a bit different off the field.

Ben is a fan favorite and most would say is the "heart" of the team.  Now that he has settled his personal life off the field, Ben is poised to lead this team for as long as his body and talent will allow.  I am a big fan of Ben.  He is much better this season at getting that ball out instead of holding it taking sacks as he previously did.  Ben also seems to have a "six sense" about the pass rush and there is no one better at stepping out of the way of onslaught and making a play with his legs or getting the ball down the field.

Bradshaw was NOT considered to be a fan favorite in his era even though he was a big part of why the Steelers won 4 Super Bowls during the 70's.  However, Bradshaw had a hall of fame talent running back in Franco Harris and two hall of fame talented receivers to throw to as well.  I feel Bradshaw had a much stronger arm than Ben and could easily put the ball 60 plus yards down the field almost effortlessly.  Bradshaw was not a bad "scrambler" but wisely chose to throw the ball more when under pressure than take off running.  I think some concussions early in his career kinda' remedy that process for him.


Anyway, Ben is much better runner than Bradshaw and is bit more physical in stature as well.  However,  no matter how many passing yards Ben accumulates he still will need to get the 4 Super Bowl wins as Bradshaw to enter the ring of honor.  Unfortunately for Ben, the deck is now stacked against that feat.  Let's face it, Bradshaw played with 4 Hall of Famer's on offense(...in addition to himself) and at least 5 Hall of Famer's on defense.  I still don't know why Greenwood and Shell are not in the Hall Of Fame yet!


Currently, I think Woodley and Polamalu are possible Hall Of Fame talent and  Pouncey if he can stay healthy more consistently.  But Ben has never had a true "go to running back" except for the "BUS"(...Jerome Bettis) when he was really at the end of his prime.  I also think Hines Ward is possibly a Hall of Fame nominee but his services are no longer available, to Ben and the Steelers.  I really miss his reliability and toughness. The Steelers really need to get Ben two reliable running backs to alleviate the burden he now carries offensively every game.  Simply put, Ben is the best player on the team right now.

10/11/2012_Fed Up!

Anybody remember what it "used" to be like to see the Steelers play a dominate game on both sides of the ball?  The Steelers have got to start winning on the road and particularly beat "struggling" teams such as the Titans and the Raiders whom they fell to earlier this season.

I am really starting to doubt the game preparation by these coaches as evident in just obvious issues such as special teams inconsistency and just the overall attitude of these players.  I saw Steeler players "joking" on the sidelines while the team was either trailing and/or tied.  I am particularly perturbed by Tomlin's player like  accolades when the team makes a good play.

The offensive linemen are getting injured due to poor technique, lack of conditioning and lack of discipline

We have to begin to look at why year after year the Steelers O-Linemen stay injured so much.  

Without Polamalu in the secondary, the Steelers have no corner backs whom have adequate ball speed.  It does not matter the amount of desire and hustle you have if you just simply cannot make plays when you are "IN" position to make plays as was Ike Taylor shown above in the end zone when the Titans scored their last touch down.  

Well, the end result is the Steelers were missing some key players but had ample opportunity to win this game.  I am very disappointed.

Raiders Blasts Steelers on 9/23/12

I say the Steelers did get blasted even though they only lost by 3 points because it was a game they should have never been close and that we should have never lost.  When the Raiders get that good all of a sudden?

In the first half of this game the Raiders did NOT convert a single third down but yet were only behind by a touchdown at half.  The Steelers had the ball about 21 minutes compared to 8 minutes for the Raiders in the first half, yet only lead by a touchdown at intermission.  The Steelers special teams allowed the Raiders great field position after every score essentially giving this team hope versus "slamming" the door.  The special teams also caused our own touchdown on a punt return to get called back at a point in the first half where the Raiders would have been behind by two touchdowns and may have very well folded camp as they did in their first two games.

I eluded to the defense's poor pursuit angles before the game but of course they did the same thing all day allowing big play after big play.  Darren McFadden had only 54 yards total in the first two games but breaks a 64 yard touchdown run against us because one linebacker elects to go around the blockers versus meeting a pulling guard in the hole(...was he scared) then the other linebacker simply misses him.



The second half was like "The Tale of Two Cities".  The Raiders converted 7 out of 8 third down conversions!  Our defense only musters on sack again by Woodley which again emphasizes the lack of an overall pass rush.  Harrison and Polamalu are key players but the rest of the defense must step up.  I was also appalled by the defensive scheme of just lining up against the Raiders massive O-line and getting pushed around again.  LaBeau may be past his prime and can't change.


At this point in our season, the Steelers already have 28 penalties and I believe 7 in this games.  Ball security is another issue that is hurting this team a key points.  If Brown does no lose that ball in the fourth quarter, the Steelers may close the deal at that point.  He was fortunate to get his first fumble back in the first half.

Finally the running game amassed a grand total of 37 yards?  I know Ben was hot but a running game possibly could have further "deflated" the Raiders on their own field and kept our defense off the field longer to give them more rest. Tomlin has some work to do.  The Steelers essesntially have given the Raiders' season hope

Where's The "RUSH"!

Two games into the season thus far and the Steelers are lacking a "rush" in two different areas.  The team has only two sacks thus far into the season.   I don't know if we can be a defensive "force" with one sack a game unless we are creating a lot of "hurries".  The sacks in recent years were obtained  mainly from dominate players like Harrison and Woodley.

Woodley is now in his prime and a true "stud" of a player with great size, strength, and tenacity to the ball. Woodley is getting "chipped" a lot by backs coming out of the backfield which kinda' neutralizes his initial surge; but the guy does keep coming.

Woodley is massive!

 Woodley in his "grill"

James Harrison is "Mr. Nasty!" and my personal favorite player.  Harrison likes to bring the "pain" reminiscent of the great Steeler defenses in the 70's.  However, Harrison is now is a few years beyond his prime and thus gets "nicked up" a bit now because of the tenacious type of player he is but when he is on the field you know it.

Let me at 'em!

Ready for the attack

The other "rush" we need is a reliable running game.  The Steelers are a victim of their own fortune here I think.  Because we "always" are contenders we are never high in the draft selection where a premier back can get selected.  However, Mendenhall had the promise to be the featured back but injuries in the previous season have kept him out thus far.  So in two games we have less than 200 hundred yards rushing.

Some teams use screen packages and design flat passes to compensate for their lack of rushing, but at the end of the game who wants to throw the ball.  Last week against the Jets, the running game gritted out enough yards to prolong a 10 minute plus scoring drive that really secured the game.  I look forward to see what Tomlin will implement to boost this part of the Steeler game against the Raiders.

Pregame Notes For Raiders on 09/23/2012

First of all we need to make sure we have the right shoes for that "baseball" field they play on out there - what a piece of work for an NFL team.  I believe the Raiders have talent but still lack discipline.  They still like to throw the ball deep so the defense should employ the "two deep" technique. The Raiders have two of the FASTEST receivers in the league and the they still likes to "force" the ball down the field.

One linebacker should be given the McFadden "blanket" for runs and more importantly "screen passes"!  The Raiders do have a great "screen package" and they love to run it on third and long!  They could use our defenses's aggressive nature against us with screen passes.

Again, give the bad shape of that field the defense will need to take good pursuit angles because "slipping" will be an issue and will NOT allow for even our team speed to recover. The Raiders Offensive line is enormous but use poor technique so our D-line should not try to overpower them but use "slants" and stunts, instead.


On offense, Haley must not become predicatable in the first quarter as he has the first two games where we run the ball on first and second down and put the burden on Ben on third down to convert.  I still believe Chris Rainey can be an 'X' factor if he can just stay on his feet and stop tripping(...the guy does slip alot!) Rainey would be great on screen plays if he can just catch the ball first this week but I do not think he will last as a "featured" back but could do well as a slot back getting the ball that way.  Again, Haley has got to make him a part of the game plan.

Overall, the Steelers must do the following to win this week:
1. Do not give up the big play on offense, defense, or special teams
2. Do not give yards to the Raiders via excessive penalties
3. Get the proper footing: sounds simple but that field is "atrocious"
4. Get an early lead; the Raiders play poorly from behind
5. Take care of the ball; avoid turnovers at all costs!

09/16/2012 Jets Game

The Steelers returned to Heinz field for their home opener against the New York Jets.  I was okay with the Jets jumping out to an early lead because our team rarely comes out of the gate fast.  I was really glad to see Haley become less predictable in his play calling particularly as the game moved into the second half.  However, too much of the offense is still driven by big Ben's ability to make plays after eluding the rush.  I would really like for the Steelers to get consistent "screen game" going to offset some of the pass rush Ben faces.  It still never ceases to amaze me that Ben is "never" mentioned in the circles of discussions of elite QB's in the NFL.

Defenses fear him outside the pocket

Overall, all DB's in the NFL will grab and hold beyond the guidelines.  However, once you get "flagged" one time, (..."Ike Taylor"), it would seem you would learn from your mistakes.  I know Ike has the physical talents to be a quote on quote "shut-down corner" but I'm just not convinced the title is appropriate.  To his credit, Ike Taylor did play the Jets Santonio Holmes much better in the second half.  I also feel Ike's tackling (...as with other Steeler defenders) leaves a lot to be desired.  Another thing that rubs me about our DB's is when they actuall make play and break up a pass, they immediately go into a celebration taunt with their arms flailing as if to indicate, "Not on my watch".  I think really good DB's don't display such "flauntings" and a fine example is you never see Polamalu go into such a display when he makes a play causing an incomplete pass.

The Steelers defense played with great effort but we are still taking some poor pursuit angles which lead to missed tackles and additional yards gained.  I'm not sure if Dick Labeau is seeing this, but fortunately the overall talent can make up for some of these poor pursuit angles by compensating with their recovery speed.   However, when the Steelers play better teams, these poor pursuit angles will cost us points and possible loses.

I am still waiting for Chris Rainey to begin to play like a pro.  Yesterday, he almost broke clear on a put return and almost caught a pass on a screen play that would likely have him still running had he caught the ball.  He is a rookie so I know he is still adjusting to the speed of the game.  I think once he gets his feet(...the guy slips "alot"!), and understands his role, Chris Rainey could bring a speed factor out of the backfield in Pittsburgh we have not experienced in a long time.

Redman effect!

It was really nice to see this Dwyer come in and get some positive run yards for the Steelers offense.  However, the most reliable and productive running back I saw yesterday was Redman!  Redman ran extremely hard even to the fault of making the ball vulnerable to take-a-ways like when the Jets defender was a "knee-touch" away from taking the ball away from him on one of those extended effort attempts.  However, it was great to see Redman "seal the deal" in the fourth quarter when he ripped through those arm tackles down there at the goal line to end that extended 10 minute drive.  You know a 10 minute drive is just about an entire quarter!

Well next week we play the Raiders in Oakland and I hope we don't give their season the spark they need by playing poorly and giving up turnovers.  I also hope the team has the right shoes to play on that "baseball" field. I am very proud of the Steelers play today, but am always looking for areas of improvement.