Antonio Brown Shines Despite Steeler Woes – An Article Contributed by FanDuel.com
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When a team as storied as the Pittsburgh Steelers gets off to an 0-4 start, there are very few bright spots. However, Antonio Brown has more than done his part as the new #1 wide receiver for the team. As he continues to put up solid fantasy football numbers, how can Brown help the Steelers get back on track in the win column?
The offense for the Steelers right now is a mess. The offensive line can’t seem to protect quarterback Ben Roethlisberger at all, as he has already been sacked 15 times. That number could be worse with most quarterbacks, but Roethlisberger excels at escaping in the pocket. Running the ball offers no hope either. Before Sundy they only had 155 yards on the ground in three games, the Steelers have no viable fantasy football options to turn to like they have in the past. Some doubted Brown’s ability to be a #1 receiver when Mike Wallace left town, but so far he has done about all one could ask of him. In Week 3, he exploded against the Bears for nine catches for 196 yards and two touchdowns.
As the Steelers continue to play catchup, they are forced to throw the ball a bit more than they would like to. This means that even if the team is having a bad game, Brown can rack up some fantasy football points in garbage time. Of course, Pittsburgh fans don’t care much about fantasy football if the actual team can’t win. They will get a solid chance to get that first win in Week 6, as they take on the New York Jets. Ben Roethlisberger has to know that this team has been unable to shut down the passing game so far this year, so it could be a big day for Brown. With very few options to turn to besides him, expect plenty of targets.
0-4 and Going to Lose More
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When it was all said and done, the Steelers left Wembley Stadium in London, England with the same number of wins they entered it with, zero. The team once again failed to deliver in all facets of the game, this time a lot of the blame has to be shared by the defense as well as the offense. The game plan against the Vikings must always be to stop Adrian Peterson, or at the very least limit him. The defense failed to do either. Peterson torched the black and gold for 140 yards, including a 60 yard run where he looked like Usain Bolt compared to the guys wearing white chasing him. He also put up two scores against the Steelers to add to his impressive output. Two more were scored by Greg Jennings and in total the defense gave up 34 points. Giving up 34 points typically means you lost and that’s what happened again, for the 4th time in as many games. Failing to gain a turnover for the 4th time in as many games was another contributing factor to the team’s inability to pick up a win. Its blatant this defense, which looked strong the first couple of weeks, isn’t good enough to get the job done.
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They, however, are not the biggest issue on the team. The glaring deficiency remained the offensive line as they allowed Big Ben to be sacked five times, hit five more and hurried all game long. The underwhelming play of the line has forced Roethlisberger to turn the ball over at a rate we haven’t seen since his third year in the league. He threw another pick and lost another fumble. His throws were off and his decision making was spotty at best as he simply doesn’t have a second to make a play. The few times Big Ben was able to get the ball out of his own hands; the best playmaker on the team, Antonio Brown delivered again. Brown grabbed 12 balls for 88 yards. Another bright spot to come out of the game may be the output from LeVeon Bell at running back. In his first ever game, Bell carried the ball 16 times for 57 yards and scored two touchdowns. That output was by far good enough for the best performance by a running back all season long. Bell will be the guy moving forward and that could be a good thing for this team in the future. In the short term it may just be enough to keep games a little closer.
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While the running game improved some, the coaching is going to need to improve an enormous amount if this team even wants an opportunity to win any games this year. It’s evident that Mike Tomlin has lost his ability to motivate. It’s evident that Dick LeBeau, yes the one and only, has lost some abilities to get the most out of his stars, it’s evident that Todd Haley just shouldn’t have been hired in the first place and it’s most evident that Jack Bicknell should be canned over the bye week because his offensive line is the worst in the league. It’s hard to say what changes will occur as the Steelers head into the off week but it’s easy to say the bye couldn’t have come at a better time. The team needs to refocus, re-energize and come out of the bye with a new sense of pride. Kevin Colbert insisted in the offseason this was not a team in transition and he couldn’t have been more wrong. This team is in transition alright, they are transitioning into the worst football team in the league and all we can do is watch or change the channel.
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Want to Watch A Meaningful Game In October? Tune In To the Pirates
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Who would have thought that it would be the Pittsburgh Pirates who would be playing meaningful games in October and not the Pittsburgh Steelers? That appears to be the case after the embarrassing 40-23 defeat at home on Sunday night to the Chicago Bears. Once again the offense looked atrocious. While many will look at the stats and see that Big Ben threw for over 400 yards and had 2 TD passes, it was actually one of the worst games of his career. He tossed two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown and he fumbled two times, one of those also returned for a touchdown. He was overthrowing open receivers and throwing behind his guys as well. It wasn’t a pretty display. The offensive line didn’t help the cause, as per the norm as they allowed Roethlisberger to be sacked, hit and hurried all game long. It’s been said multiple times but Big Ben will not play in all 16 games at this rate. It’s not humanly possible to be beat up as much as he’s been beat up and to be able to play consistently each and every week. It’s also nearly impossible to believe the Steelers don’t have a running game but they just don’t have one to speak of. Possibly when LeVeon Bell returns in a week or so the arrival of the running game will come along with him or perhaps it may take another rebuilding of the offensive line because this current group just doesn’t appear to have what it takes.
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The two bright spots on offense were the emergence of Antonio Brown and the return of Heath Miller. Brown got in Todd Haley’s face last week and demanded the ball more and boy did he deliver. Brown put up 9 catches for over 160 yards and two touchdowns. One touchdown, a one handed circus catch, was one of the best catches that will be made all season long. The showboating down 17 points could have been done without, but he was on a mission to prove he should be considered a number one receiver in this league and at least for one night, he proved it. Miller’s much anticipated return netted him three receptions. He is the security blanket in the passing game and he should become a larger factor each week as he continues to work his way back. Defensively Troy Polamalu again played like he was in his mid 20’s and he was able to disrupt some plays along the way. Polamalu proved he has no quit in him as he even blocked an extra point as the game was well in hand. Other than that, the defense couldn’t get it done. With the momentum on the Steelers side, down 27-23, a stop could have been a huge lift and potentially vaulted the Steelers to victory. Instead the defense gave up three third down conversions, a touchdown and the game along with it. They failed for the third straight week to gain a turnover and now find themselves in a poor spot because of it. If you can’t create turnovers, your likelihood for success drops dramatically.
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At 0-3, with the many issues this squad has, it’s hard to imagine a season with less than 10 losses. Yet, the team is trying to stay positive. LaMarr Woodley noted after the game that the team could still go 13-3. While true mathematically and admirable that Woodley is trying to spin a positive out of this trash heap, it’s not going to happen. While the Pirates are providing the city with their first winning season and playoff appearance in 21 years, the Steelers have turned into the team that nobody has any expectations for. They’ve turned bad overnight, they’ve turned into the team that has some stars on the squad but not enough talent all the way around and they’ve turned into a team who won’t be playing a meaningful game in October. It’s not going to last 21 years but this could be the true beginning of the rebuilding era for the Steelers and it may be painful couple of seasons. Be patient, the Pirates have proven that all bad teams do come around eventually and the new low man on the totem pole in Pittsburgh, the Steelers, will too.
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At 0-2, Is The 2013 Season Already Over?
September 17, 2013 by admin
Filed under Team, uncategorized
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After two weeks; the black and gold have found themselves in a 0-2 hole that doesn’t appear will be easy to climb out of. The team went to Cincinnati on Monday Night and failed miserably for the second time in as many chances. The loss, again, was on the offense as the defense played well. Troy Polamalu looks to be back in old form, Ike Taylor played extremely well, LaMar Woodley appears faster and stronger this season and the rest of the defense has played very solidly thus far. However, it appears they are going to have to limit the opposition to 10 points or less if this team is going to win, at least for the time being. Offensively the Steelers looked lost and overmatched. There is no existence of a running attack. The team managed 44 rushing yards on 16 carries. The lead ball carrier was Felix Jones, who only touched the football 10 times. That’s simply not enough to get into rhythm. A logical person might think the team would have learned that after last years’ running game woes, however, it appears that is not the case. The coaches even got “creative” to try to jump start the ground attack and elected to run a wide receiver reverse….with their slowest and oldest receiver, Jerricho Cotchery. The play lost five yards.
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Adding to the rushing attack problems is the clear lack of talent on the offensive line. Since 2011, the team has utilized a first round pick and two second round picks on offensive lineman. Those linemen have failed to show up. David Decastro, while still very early in his career and not many games in, has looked overmatched and confused. At this juncture, he’s been nothing short of abysmal. Marcus Gilbert and Mike Adams have fared slightly better than Decastro but they too have not proven they are worthy of the high round pick that were spent on them. The game against the Bengals proved that as the offensive line allowed Big Ben to be sacked twice, hit six more times and generally hurried all game long. There doesn’t seem to be any chance that the Steelers franchise quarterback is going to make it out of the season in one piece the way things are going. To add to the offensive woes is the blatant fact that the team lacks a deep threat. Antonio Brown is most effective on screens and Emmanuel Sanders, while talented, can’t take the top off the defense. Markus Wheaton may be the guy later in the season to step up and take that role but he has yet to see any significant action. The loss of Mike Wallace is looming larger than many thought it might. Finally, the play calling and general lack of adjustments by the coaches, namely Todd Haley has been disappointing. Haley is not implementing the proper offense for the players on this roster, mostly Big Ben. The schemes have been terrible, the general unwillingness to attempt a medium range or deep throw more than a couple times a game is confusing and the shear lack of in game adjustments has largely impacted the offensive results. Why they won’t put Big Ben in shotgun formation more often is dumbfounding. With the offensive line issues, it’s the only way the team can buy Ben more time to release the ball. When the team runs the two minute drill and allows Big Ben to call his own plays, they actually move the football. When Haley calls the plays, they typically go three and out. The question certainly looms, did the team hire the right guy for the job?
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At 0-2, Mike Tomlins’ club is certainly not out of it, they have a lot of football games left and in the last 25 years the team has actually dropped the first two games of the season four other times and managed to finish with a winning record in each case, even making the playoffs in three of those four seasons. There is nothing on film that indicates this team is capable of that kind of season but there is a lot on paper that suggests it can be done. They’ll need to start Sunday night before the hole gets a little deeper and a lot harder to climb out of.
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Is This 2013 or 2012? Steelers get embarrassed by Titans In Season Opener
The 2013 season is barely underway and the Steelers are already in big trouble. A season that was supposed to be about redemption, a make up for 2012’s shortcomings, opened up in embarrassing fashion with a 16-9 loss to the lowly Tennessee Titans.
After taking an early 2-0 lead on an opening kickoff safety, the black and gold looked horrible all day long. The running game was atrocious, mustering up a total of 32 yards and going back to the musical chairs of running backs as they did in 2012. They didn’t have a feature back and the game’s starter, Isaac Redman, fumbled twice, losing one of them. Big Ben was under duress all game long, being sacked 5 times and hurried countless more. Roethlisberger is still one of the best QB’s in the league but he won’t make it out of this season in one piece if this kind of pressure is allowed to continue.
Further complicating the issue is the apparent loss of Maurkice Pouncey, their All Pro center for the season. Pouncey was taken out by his own man, David DeCastro on an ill-advised attempt at a block. Not only is Pouncey the lone stand out on the O Line, he’s the leader of the group as well. He was voted a captain of this team and he is irreplaceable, especially when the team doesn’t have anyone else who’s had any real experience at the position.
Pouncey wasn’t the only captain and leader who was lost for the season, it appears Larry Foote, the veteran inside linebacker may be out for the year too. Foote tore his triceps and as we have seen in the past with Aaron Smith, that’s typically a season ending injury. The team has no adequate replacement in the fold on the inside. They may need to consider moving Jason Woirlds to the position. Time will tell.
Time, however, is not something that is on the Steelers side. Already in the hole on the season at 0-1, with an offense who doesn’t’ appear able to run the ball, a line who can’t block, and major injuries already piling up, the Steelers need to fix their issues immediately. If they can’t or don’t, it’s not only going to be a season much like 2012, it’s going to be unlucky 2013.
Game Note:
Ben Roethlisberger became the 35th quarterback in NFL history to surpass 30,000 passing yards.
Questionable Move:
Taking a timeout at 2:02 left in the game, burning the final one the team had left. Why not let the clock stop 2 seconds later? Odd call.
Biggest Concern:
It’s actually not one of the injuries; it’s the potential of who might be injured next. Big Ben is not going to make it through the year at this rate and that’s a major worry.
Next Week:
At 0-1 the team will travel to the 0-1 Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football.
2013 Season Preview
#7
The official start of the 2013 Steelers season and quest for ring #7 is a mere days away. There are various predictions regarding the Steelers this season, from missing the playoffs to getting to the Super Bowl and anything in-between. I too am on the fence as to which way this season will go and while one can’t project injuries or erratic play, an attempt to predict each game in advance can be made with a little bit of reasoning and a dose of logic.
While looking at the schedule game by game, here is the way I see things shaking out for the black and gold in 2013.
Week 1: Vs. Tennessee-The Steelers will come out at home fired up and ready to avenge last season’s 8-8 record. The fans will be revved up and the terrible towels will be waving. The team will prevail and get off on the right foot.
Record: 1-0
Week 2: At Cincinnati-Many see the Bengals as the new class of the AFC North. They are definitely on the rise and have proven they can beat the Steelers. This Monday night matchup should be a tight, hard fought contest but in the end the Bengals will edge the Steelers late in the 4th.
Record: 1-1
Week 3: Vs. Chicago-This is another tough matchup and the defenses will be a true factor in this one. The Bears are a potential NFC playoff team that has a big and physical wide receiver with Brandon Marshall, a top 15 quarterback with Jay Cutler and hard hitting defense. The Steelers are very hard to beat at home, especially in prime time so they’ll win this one but not without some drama.
Record: 2-1
Week 4: At Minnesota (In London)-The team will travel across the pond for this one to play in front of Steeler Nation Europe. Stopping Adrian Peterson will be the top priority but if they can do that, there is no reason the black and gold can’t put up enough points to win this ball game. They’ll win this one by more than a touchdown.
Record: 3-1
Week 5: BYE
Week 6: At NY Jets-The Jets should be one of the worst teams in the league and with Tomlin and company having 2 weeks to prep for this game it seems like a forgone conclusion the Steelers will dominate this game. Big Ben and his crew will have a field day and Bruce Gradkowski will be called on to finish the game while Ben gets some mid-season rest.
Record: 4-1
Week 7: Vs. Baltimore-These games are generally decided by 3 points or less and there is no reason this one will go any other way. Both teams should have solid records at this point and will potentially be battling for the division later on. With the Steelers being at home, they’ll get up for this game and come through late in the 4th to win.
Record: 5-1
Week 8: At Oakland-For some reason in recent years these cross country trips have been rough on the Steelers. Ben in particular seems to struggle with Oakland throughout his career and the Silver and Black have been getting the better of the black and gold the past few times they’ve played. The Steelers are the better of the two teams but recent history points to a loss in this situation and it’s hard to argue against it.
Record: 5-2
Week 9: At New England-The team will follow the loss at Oakland with a tough trip to another AFC rival that tends to give them fits, the Patriots. The Pats may not be what they once were but they still have a very stable team, a great coach and a top 5 quarterback. For whatever reason; the Steelers always seem to fall short in this game and they probably will again this year too.
Record: 5-3
Week 10: Vs. Buffalo-After dropping two straight; the team will come home and face another AFC East opponent in Buffalo. The Bills may be on the rise but they are not ready yet and certainly won’t be good enough to come into Pittsburgh and win against an angry Steeler team on a two game losing streak.
Record: 6-3
Week 11: Vs. Detroit-The Lions have a solid team but haven’t really been able to get over the hump just yet. Detroit can come in and get a win in Pittsburgh, they are talented enough to do so but it’s hard to go against the black and gold at home. The team should be clicking offensively at this point in the season and the defense should be in the top 5 or 6 in the league. The Steelers will get a win but don’t be surprised if it’s in heart attack fashion.
Record: 7-3
Week 12: At Cleveland-The Browns will be improved this year. They won’t be great, they won’t be a playoff contender but they can certainly play the role of spoiler. Pittsburgh is by far and away the better team but given some of their road struggles in recent years and the Browns victory last year, something smells funny here. There is no reason on paper that would indicate a Browns victory but sometimes you have to go against the grain, the Browns will shock Pittsburgh in this one.
Record 7-4
Week 13: At Baltimore-The Steelers second matchup with the Ravens comes on Thanksgiving night. This is a game deserving of all the glory. It may have big playoff implications and both teams will be hungry for the victory. While this is a typical game that can go either way, the season series is usually split and this time the Ravens will protect their home turf.
Record: 7-5
Week 14: Vs. Miami-Mike Wallace will return to Pittsburgh and he’ll hear the crowd taunt and boo him all day long. He’ll bring his ‘A’ game but Ike Taylor will bring his too, along with the rest of the black and gold. Miami doesn’t typically fare well in cold weather and come December, Pittsburgh will be cold and nasty, just like the defense. Pittsburgh will win an easy one here.
Record: 8-5
Week 15: Vs. Cincinnati-This game is scheduled for prime time and the Steelers will want revenge for the early season defeat in week 2. This is another game that will have big playoff implications, potentially division implications. Big Ben will carry the team on his shoulders and by now, LeVeon Bell will be in full stride as the starting running back and Pittsburgh will come out with the victory to assure themselves of a winning season.
Record: 9-5
Week 16: At Green Bay-The schedule makers didn’t do the team any favors by having them travel to Green Bay the second to final game of the year. This will be the first time the teams have faced since the Super Bowl. It could be the game of the week. Unfortunately it appears that Green Bay will be too high powered and too hard to stop, especially at home. The Packers will win this one and it won’t be too close.
Record: 9-6
Week 17-Vs. Cleveland-The season concludes at home vs. Cleveland in a game that may mean win or go home. The Browns will have nothing to play for but pride and to be a spoiler. Based on these projections the Steelers will be striving for their 10th win of the year and potential spot in the playoffs. Pittsburgh will step up for the home fans and get the job done to get win number 10.
Final Record: 10-6
10-6 is a formidable record that should probably be good enough to get the black and gold into the playoffs as a wild card. They’ll need to stay healthy, disciplined and focused. The team was not pleased with last years’ results and is motivated to improve upon what was clearly a disappointing finish. Typically when they have little expectations they step up and surprise the football world. We’ll see if that trend continues and how it all plays out in 17 short weeks.
Spotlight: Troy Polamalu
With the season looming and the Steelers looking like a team who could have record anywhere from 6-10 to 10-6, a lot will be asked out of Troy Polamalu; the veteran strong safety who enters his 11th year in the league.
The accomplishments of Polamalu are well documented. His hall of fame resume already boasts 640 career tackles, 10 sacks and 30 interceptions. He’s always a factor on the field and opposing offenses must account for where he is at all times. However, in recent years, his age and style of play have caught up to him slightly, specifically last year when he was limited to playing in 7 games.
This year the team needs Polamalu to come back to form. They’ll need that hair flowing behind his helmet for all 16 games and he’ll need to be a true leader on the field through his play and his presence.
Sure, he may have lost a step but what he’s lost physically, he’s gained mentally. At this point in his career he’s seen and done it all. He can read plays before they happen, he can still be the x factor in stuffing the run, blitzing the quarterback or dropping back into pass coverage. The team is in transition and while you’ll still see several familiar faces on the defense, young guys like Shamarko Thomas, Jarvis Jones, Jason Worilds and Cortez Allen can all benefit from Polamalu’s vast wealth of knowledge. Playing with him in the trenches can only strengthen their abilities and help them grow as football players and men in general.
At this point in his career Polamalu is similar to Ray Lewis (my apologies for even comparing him to a Raven but the comparison on the field fits, certainly not off of it) from last year’s Ravens team. Like Polamalu, Lewis wasn’t what he used to be but he was still better than most guys on the field. Lewis inspired that team and was an additional coach on the field. Just being out there with him raised the game of the players around him. They played with Lewis but also for him. Polamalu is that guy this year for the black and gold. He can be an inspiration, a leader and a factor that helps push this team to victory.
