Who Are These Guys?
The Steelers sit at 2-2 after the first quarter of the season has ended and the questions are flying. The main one is, who are these guys? I think the answer is quite simply in their record. They’re a mediocre team, at best.
They barely held on to beat an average Browns team to open the season, they got the doors blown off at a solid Baltimore team, they managed to pound a very good Panther team and then they lose at home to a horrific Buccaneers team.
The black and gold are consistently inconsistent. You never know what you’re going to get. So far, this team looks no different than the past two teams who produced an 8-8 record.
Through the first quarter of the season, they rank 12th in the league in points scored per game, yet they went eight consecutive quarters without scoring a touchdown, spanning three games. They’ve failed in clutch situations, like this past game vs. the lowly Buccaneers when they couldn’t get a first down to put the game away with just a little over a minute to play. Big Ben, LeVeon Bell, Antonio Brown and even Markus Wheaton have proved valuable, but they’ve seen little from anybody else. The offensive line that is supposed to be improved; really isn’t measurably better. They allow Ben to be hit too often, sacked more than enough and hurried more than needed. Offensively they have plenty of talent but they need to put it together consistently and in crunch time.
The defense is a massive problem. They are not creating the necessary turnovers, they aren’t getting to the quarterback often enough, they allow the big plays and they fold under pressure. Yes, they have three big injuries they are dealing with but losing to the Bucs is simply inexcusable, no matter who’s playing. Where’s the next man up, Coach Tomlin? Where’s the scheme Dick LeBeau? Where are the players Kevin Colbert?
I watched as many fans could barely contain their excitement when the team re signed Brett Keisel and then again this week James Harrison. I watched and I shook my head. I shook my head because to me, signing these old vets symbolized something; it meant this team was lacking depth and talent. Yes, both Keisel and Harrison were amazing players, pivotal to the success of multiple championship runs and sure they both probably have something left in the tank, but how much? Is this defense so bad they needed to bring these guys that they made so clear they were willing to part with, back? The answer is yes. This defense is in trouble. And now, with the significant injuries they’ve obtained, they’re in bigger trouble than even I thought.
To make matters worse, this team continues to lack discipline, as they have in years past under Tomlin. It’s unacceptable and stale. Coach Tomlin vows to fix it, he better. To be flagged for six 15 yard penalties in one game is beyond embarrassing, it quite simply was the reason the team lost on Sunday. If they continue to play like that, they may not beat the winless Jaguars this coming Sunday either.
There was a time when this team was close to unbeatable at home. Boy have times changed. Teams feared coming to Pittsburgh for an away game. Not any more. In the past three seasons, the Steelers have suffered home losses to the Chargers in 2012 (who had never won a regular season game in Pittsburgh), the Titans, Bills and Dolphins in 2013 and now the Buccaneers (who had also never won in Pittsburgh) this season. Overall of the 18 home games since 2012 the team has lost 7 of those. There is no home field advantage there, at all.
It’s disheartening to see this team flush away a golden opportunity to go 3-1 when they had just beaten the Panthers on the road and were entering a stretch of very winnable games but that’s exactly what they did this past Sunday.
The good news is simply this, they have 12 games left and anything is possible. They get a shot to right the ship, even if just for one week, vs. winless Jacksonville on Sunday. Let the inconsistency continue…
Steelers Bounce Back With A Statement Win
Just as quickly as we all buried the Steelers after the Ravens loss, the team rebounded with a huge win, dominating the Carolina Panthers. Just as quickly as they won that game, we need to remind ourselves not to anoint these guys as the class of the NFL either. We still don’t know who the real Steelers are but they sure looked good, for at least one night.
The team played a complete game on both sides of the ball and special teams too. Big Ben was on point, completing 22 of 30 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Ten of those 22 completions were to Antonio Brown as he was finding the ball wherever he was on the field, including in the end zone twice.
The running game was the real force of the offense and proved to be extremely valuable as LeVeon Bell ran for 147 yards and LeGerret Blount for 110, allowing the black and gold to control the clock for nearly 35 minutes of the game.
The defense was also rather ferocious, creating a turnover on a forced fumble, obtaining three sacks and hitting the Carolina QB’s six more times. They flew to the ball, looked fired up and played a very complete game when they needed it most.
The black and gold special teams showed up as well, creating a turnover and scoring a TD off of it as well as Sean Suisham being true on all three of his field goal attempts.
It was certainly a night to remember and one they needed in order to keep pace with the undefeated Bengals and the now 2-1 Ravens as well.
NEWS, NOTES, UPDATES
Game Ball: Antonio Brown. He was electric, catching 10 balls for 90 yards and two TD’s. When he’s making the big plays, the offense is hard to stop.
Still a Discipline Problem?: The team had 11 penalties for 91 yards. That’s far too many errors and they need to reduce those.
Injuries: Jarvis Jones separated his wrist and has already been placed on the IR list, designated to return. That means he’s out at least eight weeks. Ike Taylor broke his arm. Ryan Shazier injured his knee. Mike Tomlin has admitted all the injuries are “significant”.
Rumor: With the injuries to the two starting linebackers, James Harrison may make a return to Pittsburgh afterall.
2-1, up next vs. Tampa Bay
What Year is This?
Can somebody please tell me if it’s really 2014 or are we stuck in 2012 or 2013 again? After starting the season in the first half of the Cleveland game scoring 27 points, only allowing 3 and just firing on all cylinders, the Steelers have reverted back to the form of the past two seasons.
They’ve been outscored 50-9 in the last six quarters they’ve played and they’ve looked tremendously terrible. Offensively they can’t get anything going and when they actually did last night, on the opening drive, Justin Brown fumbled the ball deep in Raven territory, dramatically changing the entire direction of the football game. The no huddle isn’t working well enough, the offensive line, while improved, isn’t giving Ben enough time often enough, the play calling is too predictable and specifically vs. the Ravens, the offensive scheme isn’t divided evenly enough.
Big Ben is clearly an asset and without him this team would be sunk. Antonio Brown is the most dynamic player on the team and looks to be in All Pro form and LeVeon “Cheech” Bell seems to be showing us all why the team not only was so high on him (no pun intended, well maybe a little) last year but why they weren’t quick to sit suspend him for a game this year, after his arrest. Bell has been running the ball hard, getting big yards and catching passes out of the backfield. Markus Wheaton has been a nice addition to this offense this year too but in the end, they are not scoring points when needed.
Worse off, the defense looks lost. They’ve given up big plays, they can’t seem to get to the QB again, after doing so the first half of the Cleveland game but more reminiscent than anything is the fact that they have yet to gain a turnover, two games into the year. The blitzing, ferocious defense that Dick LeBeau runs is predicated on getting to the quarterback and causing turnovers and if you can’t do that, big plays are going to happen against you. They look slow, lost and genuinely not good enough to be a top flight defense right now.
The coaches look unprepared; they don’t seem to be able to make adjustments in game. Tomlin talks a big game but his catch phrases are getting older by the saying. They are hollow when the team doesn’t back up the expectation. Coaches don’t play, I’m not a fool, but they implement the game plan and the scheme the players must follow. If the players can’t do that, then the scheme must be changed or adjusted, that’s not happening. The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over with no success, well does that not seem to fit here? Something must give and it better be soon because these guys travel to Carolina next Sunday night and they are staring 1-2 smack in the face.
Possibly the most irritating thing about last night was the potential the Steelers had. They escaped the Cleveland game with a victory, ugly as it was, and they had the chance to start off 2-0, with both wins in the division while knocking the Ravens to 0-2, both home division losses, at the same time.
It’s not that the Steelers lost this game. In fact, prior to the season this is a game I had them pegged to lose. It’s how they lost it. It’s unacceptable to fall as flat on their faces as they did. They’ll now get a few extra days to prepare for Carolina and it sure looks like they’ll need it.
1-1, up next at Carolina 1-0.
The Steelers Escape With The Win In A Tale Of Two Halves
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It was certainly a tale of two halves in Pittsburgh on Sunday afternoon as the Black and Gold dominated the Celveland Browns in the first half, 27-3, but were thoroughly beaten in the second half, 24-3. Fortunately, the Steelers three second half points came as the clock hit zero and broke a 27-27 tie and enabled them to get out of the stadium with a victory to open the season. Big Ben Roethlisberger threw for 278 of his 365 yards in the first half and Antonio Brown, LeVeon “Cheech” Bell and LaGarrete “Chong” Blount scored Touchdowns as the team appeared to put the game in cruise control. They smashed through Cleveland’s defense; making it look like the game would be a laugher. Markus Wheaton looked every bit the part of a number two receiver and even Justin Brown made some nice catches as well. The Steelers defense found their way into the backfield early and often, limiting Brian Hoyer to under 40 yards passing and the rushing game for the Browns was nonexistent in the first half. It truly appeared that with the Ravens game looming just four days away, the Steelers would be able to rest a lot of their starters in the fourth quarter and pick up the easy ‘W’.
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Yet, that’s why they play the full game. The second half felt like the two teams switched uniforms as the Browns scored two touchdowns in the first five minutes of the second half and went on a 24-0 run to tie the game. The Steelers defense looked sloppy, couldn’t tackle, couldn’t get to Hoyer, couldn’t cover any of the receivers and couldn’t stop the run. Frankly, they got embarrassed. The offense came out and looked flat, ran conservative and predictable plays and generally couldn’t move the ball at all. It was as if the coaches went into halftime with the 24 point lead and told the players the game was over and there were no need for adjustments at all. Fortunately the Steelers had the ball last and were able to move the ball deep enough into Browns territory to kick the game winning field goal but the second half was laughable and alarming. The win is certainly the one number that counts the most but they have to get better in a lot of facets of the game if they want to beat the good teams on their schedule because they certainly didn’t look good in beating one of the bad ones. |
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NEWS, NOTES and Other Stuff: Game Ball: The game ball goes to Big Ben, who completed 23 of 34 passes for 365 yards, one TD and one INT. He also led the game winning drive as time expired. Play of the Game: Well, at least the most talked about play is the Antonio Brown flying kick to the face of Browns Punter Spencer Lanning. It’s debatable if it was on purpose or not but it got the crowd fired up. Reality: Tomlin, LeBeau and Haley were all outcoached. They put on a display in the first half but when the Browns made a furious run to tie the game, the Steelers fell flat on their face. They made no in game adjustments and had the game been five minutes longer, the Browns would have won. Worth Mentioning: Should the Steelers consider moving to the road whites for home games in hot weather? That may have played a factor in slowing them down in the second half, that black absorbs some serious heat. Gutsy Call: The fake punt in their own territory was a very gutsy call that Robert Golden audibled to and it worked. Great To See: Brett Keisel out there with a couple of tackles and a QB Hit, Troy Polamalu leading the team with 11 tackles and Jarvis Jones getting to the QB with a sack and adding six tackles total. Worth Noting: The defense did not create a turnover, something they’ll need to force in the big games to be a truly effective unit. Team: 1-0, up next at Baltimore, 0-1. |
Predicting The 2014 Season
 Big Ben Must Carry The Team On His Shoulders |
After two consecutive 8-8 seasons, the Steelers are more than ready to end their playoff drought and return to their rightful place amongst the NFL’s elite. On paper the team appears to be faster, stronger and ready to make the jump back into the postseason. However, on the field, in preseason play, they look just as confused, just as old and just as inept as the past couple of seasons. You certainly don’t win games on paper but was the preseason a true indication of things to come? Here’s how I believe each game should break down throughout the season, assuming everyone stays healthy of course. The Steelers open up the season at home against the Cleveland Browns. All the talk of camp and early preseason was about Johnny Football and if he’d play this game. We now know that he won’t and it will be Brian Hoyer starting at QB for the Browns. Either way, the black and gold will come out ready to play and will get the win in the opener. Four days later, the team travels to Baltimore to take on the Ravens. The Ravens will be without Ray Rice for this one but playing at home on Thursday Night Football gives the purple and black the slight edge over the black and gold. It will be a hard hitting close game but in the end; the Ravens will pick up the victory. Ten days later the team will make another road trip to take on a very good Carolina Panther team. Going into the season, Cam Newton is a little banged up but if he’s healthy and playing like he did last season, he will torch the Steelers D. I don’t believe the offense will be able to move the ball too effectively either and this one will be an easy win for the home team Panthers. After two consecutive road trips, the team will return home to play another NFC South foe, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs aren’t a very good team and the Steelers should win this one going away to improve to 2-2 after the first four games of the season. The second quarter of the season sees the team heading to Jacksonville against the lowly Jaguars. The heat could play a factor in the Jags favor but if the Steelers want to even consider themselves an improved team, they must win games like this against the bad teams. They should handle the Jags to grab their first road victory of 2014.
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Following a win in Jacksonville the team travels to Cleveland for their sixth game. It’s entirely possible that Johnny Football will be the starter in Cleveland at that point and that will create a big buzz for sure. While Big Ben owns the state of Ohio and rarely loses there, the Browns are improved and have a real shot at winning this one at home. The Steelers have struggled in recent years on the road and it looks like that will continue as I have the Browns edging out the black and gold in this one. The team will return home to play a far improved Texans team with a fierce defensive duo in Jadaveon Clowney and JJ Watt to contend with. The Texans could be a real threat to sack Big Ben 8 or 9 times and the offensive line may need to play their best game of the season in this one. I foresee a lot of shotgun plays and quick slants out of the offense in order to keep Big Ben upright. In the end the Steelers will win this game but it will not be as easy as many would think. After taking down the Texans, the potent Indianapolis Colts will find their way to Pittsburgh. The black and gold cornerbacks will be tested early and often in this one and unfortunately I don’t think they’ll be able to keep pace with this high flying offense. The Colts will win the game and the Steelers will finish the first half of the season at 4-4. The hated Ravens return to Heinz field the following week to open up the second half of the year. This second battle of the season against the Steelers top rival will be played in prime time, just like the first. Also like the first game, it will again be lower scoring, hard hitting and down to the wire but this time the Steelers will win the game. After defeating the Ravens in a hard fought contest, the Steelers travel to New York to take on the Jets, where they gained their first win last season. Geno Smith may be improved but he will not be able to do much against this defense. The Steelers match up well against teams that want to run the ball and limit the pass and they’ll take care of business in New York. After their second straight win, a trip to Tennessee to take on the Titans on Monday Night Football is in order. The Titans are not going to be very good and this is another must win game for Pittsburgh. I think Big Ben will toss the ball all over the field in this one and lead the Steelers to an easy victory. The Steelers will then have their bye week and that additional time will be spent on preparing for the potent New Orleans Saints offense who visit town the following Sunday. This will be a high scoring affair and a battle between two future Hall of Fame quarterbacks. In the end, the Steelers secondary will get exposed again and the Saints will come out victorious, leaving the Steelers 7-5 after the first three quarters of the season.
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 Who Will Be Better This Season, Offense Or Defense? |
 The Running Game Will Be Key In 2014 |
The final four games of the year will be the difference between making the playoffs and remaining home for a third consecutive season. It will start with a road game against division foe Cincinnati. The Bengals will be in the thick of the AFC North hunt all season long and will need this game as much as Pittsburgh will. As great as Big Ben has been in Ohio, he’ll receive his second loss in the state in 2014 and the Steelers will lose a close one. The following week will have the Steelers make their final road trip of the year to Atlanta. The Falcons should be improved but the Steelers will come in hungry with their backs against the wall. A loss here would be back breaking and it won’t happen. The black and gold will rise to the occasion and come out of Atlanta with the win. The Chiefs visit Pittsburgh the following week and I fully expect they’ll be several steps behind last years team and out of the running for any playoffs by this time of the season. The Steelers will win their second straight game to get them their 9th win of the season, guaranteeing a winning record. The final game of the season pits the Steelers at home vs. the Bengals in what could be a winner take all game for the division. The Bengals already beat the Steelers earlier in the year according to my predictions so the black and gold will bring everything they have into this one. Big Ben and the offense will come up clutch and come out with the victory leaving the team 10-6 for the year. 10-6 is a record that could win the division title but if not, should have the team in a good spot for a wild card berth. Many things can happen along the way, players get hurt, fail to live up to expectations or even exceed expectations. The weather will factor into some games as well as potential suspensions etc. But if everything holds true, this black and gold team should improve over the past two season and return to a winning record and the postseason to boot.
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