Looking Ahead to the Steelers
Here’s my opinion of the Steelers. This started out as a short post, but I got on a roll. I haven’t looked up any stats or anything, so it’s all opinion.
<B>Steelers Offense</B>
Most of Pittsburgh’s strengths fall in to the “potential” category. They really haven’t shown anything this year on offense (or defense to a lesser extent), but it is essentially the same team as last year that had a number of things going for them.
The Steelers have a trio of excellent WRs—possibly the best trio in the league. Hines Ward, Palxico Burress and Antwain Randel El are always dangerous.
Bettis is getting the nod as starter and still has some power and a few nifty moves for a big man left in him. Zeroue is a fast change of pace RB that was starting for the first part of the season. He can be dangerous, but doesn’t seem well-suited for an every-down back.
“Wow,” you say. “Great receivers. Good running backs. Why aren’t the Steelers the Rams 2000 incarnate?”
Their offensive line. It stinks this year. Maddox can still be effective, IMO, if this line would give him time. Thus far, it hasn’t. He’s been mauled. Bettis and Zeroue are very dangerous runners…if they have a sliver of daylight to run to. They haven’t. Very often they’ve been caught in the backfield and had to make something of nothing.
The Cardinals have a great opportunity to pressure Maddox and take pressure off of the defensive secondary. They did just this in against a very similar offense on Monday. In fact, the Bengals offense looks to me to be a “clicking” version of the Steelers’ O—very fast and sure-handed WR corps with a bruising run game. The Cardinals shut down the run and put pressure on the QB. Even when they didn’t put pressure on the passer, they managed to contain the receivers for the most part.
To be successful, the Cardinals will need to play the very same brand of defense they did against the Bengals. Pressure the QB and keep everything in front of them. Contain. No big plays.
<B>Steelers Defense</B>
Again, you look at the Steeler’s D and think—man, they’re scary-good. Then you look closer and see that verybody is hanging a bunch of points on them. They have the potential to be “scary-good,” but they’re just not clicking.
Pittsburgh does run a VERY effective 3-4. Casey Hampton anchors that D-line extremely effectively and their LBs are strong, fast, athletic and aggressive. They are very good at getting to the QB through this formation by unleashing the LBs. Plus, they’re pretty good at stopping the run.
“Okay, I give,” you say. “Why does it seem like teams are always hanging 30 points on Pittsburgh?”
Turnovers. The offense give up the ball a lot, and the defense, for whatever reason, can’t seem to get their hands on the ball.
The Cardinals need to continue to pound the ball with Shipp, but I think they need to mix in more passing. Hopefully, we’ll have a healthy Bryant Johnson to compliment Boldin. We need to take advantage of the aggressive LB pass rush and use screens to Shipp and Anderson and reverses. We need to make them respect the run to open up the intermediate pass. We need to take our shots down field because I think their secondary is their weakness.
<B><I>The Million-Dollar Question</B></I>
Can they do it? Can the Cardinals beat the Steelers and make it 3 in a row? I don’t know. Every week I think, “this is the week the Steelers come out of their funk.” Every week they let me down (when they lost to the Browns I was knocked out of a $25,000 suicide pool).
Plus, lately I’ve been picking against the Cards and they’ve been winning. I think I’ll probably continue that mojo this week.
Here’s my opinion of the Steelers. This started out as a short post, but I got on a roll. I haven’t looked up any stats or anything, so it’s all opinion.
<B>Steelers Offense</B>
Most of Pittsburgh’s strengths fall in to the “potential” category. They really haven’t shown anything this year on offense (or defense to a lesser extent), but it is essentially the same team as last year that had a number of things going for them.
The Steelers have a trio of excellent WRs—possibly the best trio in the league. Hines Ward, Palxico Burress and Antwain Randel El are always dangerous.
Bettis is getting the nod as starter and still has some power and a few nifty moves for a big man left in him. Zeroue is a fast change of pace RB that was starting for the first part of the season. He can be dangerous, but doesn’t seem well-suited for an every-down back.
“Wow,” you say. “Great receivers. Good running backs. Why aren’t the Steelers the Rams 2000 incarnate?”
Their offensive line. It stinks this year. Maddox can still be effective, IMO, if this line would give him time. Thus far, it hasn’t. He’s been mauled. Bettis and Zeroue are very dangerous runners…if they have a sliver of daylight to run to. They haven’t. Very often they’ve been caught in the backfield and had to make something of nothing.
The Cardinals have a great opportunity to pressure Maddox and take pressure off of the defensive secondary. They did just this in against a very similar offense on Monday. In fact, the Bengals offense looks to me to be a “clicking” version of the Steelers’ O—very fast and sure-handed WR corps with a bruising run game. The Cardinals shut down the run and put pressure on the QB. Even when they didn’t put pressure on the passer, they managed to contain the receivers for the most part.
To be successful, the Cardinals will need to play the very same brand of defense they did against the Bengals. Pressure the QB and keep everything in front of them. Contain. No big plays.
<B>Steelers Defense</B>
Again, you look at the Steeler’s D and think—man, they’re scary-good. Then you look closer and see that verybody is hanging a bunch of points on them. They have the potential to be “scary-good,” but they’re just not clicking.
Pittsburgh does run a VERY effective 3-4. Casey Hampton anchors that D-line extremely effectively and their LBs are strong, fast, athletic and aggressive. They are very good at getting to the QB through this formation by unleashing the LBs. Plus, they’re pretty good at stopping the run.
“Okay, I give,” you say. “Why does it seem like teams are always hanging 30 points on Pittsburgh?”
Turnovers. The offense give up the ball a lot, and the defense, for whatever reason, can’t seem to get their hands on the ball.
The Cardinals need to continue to pound the ball with Shipp, but I think they need to mix in more passing. Hopefully, we’ll have a healthy Bryant Johnson to compliment Boldin. We need to take advantage of the aggressive LB pass rush and use screens to Shipp and Anderson and reverses. We need to make them respect the run to open up the intermediate pass. We need to take our shots down field because I think their secondary is their weakness.
<B><I>The Million-Dollar Question</B></I>
Can they do it? Can the Cardinals beat the Steelers and make it 3 in a row? I don’t know. Every week I think, “this is the week the Steelers come out of their funk.” Every week they let me down (when they lost to the Browns I was knocked out of a $25,000 suicide pool).
Plus, lately I’ve been picking against the Cards and they’ve been winning. I think I’ll probably continue that mojo this week.
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