The Steelers went through another round of shock and drama on the offensive line in the Colts game as multiple offensive lineman went down with injuries. Rookie starting right tackle Marcus Gilbert, was the first to go down with an injury to his shoulder, he was replaced by veteran Trai Essex. Shortly after that starting right guard Doug Legursky was taken out of the game with a shoulder injury, he was replaced with veteran Ramon Foster. All seemed well until starting left tackle Jonathan Scott went down with an ankle injury.
The Steelers at this point had no reserve lineman left on the bench since they only carried seven lineman on the roster, five starters and two reserves. Their reserves, Ramon Foster and Trai Essex were already on the field. Fortunately, Marcus Gilbert was able enough to return to the game and bailed the Steelers out of using a tight end to cover Dwight Freeney, but then again Health Miller could have done a better job than Jonathan Scott.
Tomlin has made it known that even with the Steelers circumstances, any lineman that would be signed would not contribute. That is not really a shock to me though because if you sign someone new, he is coming in to be the back up in the worse case scenario that one of your starters go down. The Steelers are extremely thin on the offensive line and need a lot of help, even if the starters return.
Jonathan Scott looked like a fool against All-Pro Dwight Freeney. He was so bad that the Steelers constantly had to put support on the left side in the form of Health Miller. It is sad when Dwight Freeney was a none factor in the second half because Health Miller and Marcus Gilbert were able to keep him in check, mostly one on one.
I think that the Steelers really need to rethink their offensive line, not the back up plan but the starters. Jonathan Scott did not really win a job, he was handed a job when Max Starks and Flozell Adams were released. Scott proved that he is a terrible lineman and looked awful. Freeney who much smaller than Scott was throwing him around and running him over all game. We can only wait and see how the line shapes up this week against the Texans.
As of Thursday night, the Steelers had not yet signed any new lineman and Scott and Legursky are doubtful for the game at Houston. The Steelers do have Trevis Turner and John Malecki on practice squad and on the active roster they have Jamon Meredith, who was signed after Colon went on IR; Meredith was inactive last week versus the Colts.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Steelers squeak by the Colts
Wow. I don't know what else to say after the Steelers (2-1) questionable outing against the less than stellar Colts (0-3). The Steelers have a history of playing down to people and this game seemed like a trap game from the start. The Steelers didn't give up a lot of yards but still seemed to struggle with the Colts running game and don't appear in the form that fans are used too.
The defense allowed a lot of rushing yards from one of the NFL's worst rushing teams and it appeared to look like they were struggling with the Colts sub par offense. The Colts gained 241 yard of offense, 144 through the air and 97 on the ground. For the most part they were solid, forcing the Colts to punt seven times although it seemed like they were just beaten around in the second half.
The biggest thing that I noticed about the defense is the lack of pressure. The Steelers seemed to be dropping back James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley more then they blitzed them. The Steelers didn't seem to utilize LeBeau's famous stunts and gap blitzes at all. The pressure is not there and every one of us is scratching our head wondering why. There seems to be something missing, personally I think it is the contracts. The most dynamic players all got paid this offseason and now we are not calling their names. Woodley, Polamalu and Timmons have combined for 2.5 sacks and no turnovers, although Troy is seeming to get back to form returning a fumble for a touchdown.
The Steelers offense did a lot of things right, but the things they did wrong were really big. The Steelers amassed 408 yards of total offense, throwing for 364 and rushing for 67. The turnovers continue to kill the Steelers as Ben was responsible for another three turnovers, pushing his season total to eight.
The line had a lot of injuries as well; Marcus Gilbert was replaced by Trai Essex, then Doug Legursky was replaced by Ramon Foster, then left tackle Jonathan Scott went out and was replaced by the injured Marcus Gilbert. I am curious to see if any of the injuries are serious and if the Steelers resign someone like Flozell Adams or promote a newbie like Jamon Meredith.
I will not however blame the turnovers and poor performance on the offensive line. Ben was holding onto the ball too long and was again over throwing his receivers. The Steelers need to run to throw the ball. They came out throwing all over the place in the first quarter and then went to the well too many times and fumbled; then they went to the well again, and fumbled again; how about going to the well one more time? interception. The Steelers have 10 turnovers, eight of them are a result of passing plays.
I know this keeps getting old as well, but what the hell is Bruce Arians doing? The Steelers took advantage of the injured Colts secondary passing for 171 yards and a score in the first quarter. Mike Wallace caught the bulk of those grabbing three balls for 129 yards and a score, which was an 81 grab and run. Tony Dungy himself said that if the Steelers wanted to keep the Colts in the game, they should drop back and throw and boy was he right. The Colts caught onto the game plan and pulled their ears back. Freeney and Mathis sacked Ben three times and forced a fumble for a touchdown. Ben held onto the ball too long and the Steelers seemed too reluctant to run the ball, even if it isn't working right.
Speaking of running the ball, is the Super Bowl fumble still haunting Rashard Mendenhall? He cannot seem to run north and south and is costing himself and this team so much when he stops and shimmies. The Colts were not fooled by the movement because Rashard isn't going anywhere without his feet and they just focused on his feet. Mendenhall is an average running back and the Steelers might need to start considering a new one.
The Steelers can't seem to tie everything together and that won't get any easier this week as they travel to Houston to battle the high scoring Texans. Some how the Steelers need to push the run game more and limit Ben and his turnovers.
The defense allowed a lot of rushing yards from one of the NFL's worst rushing teams and it appeared to look like they were struggling with the Colts sub par offense. The Colts gained 241 yard of offense, 144 through the air and 97 on the ground. For the most part they were solid, forcing the Colts to punt seven times although it seemed like they were just beaten around in the second half.
The biggest thing that I noticed about the defense is the lack of pressure. The Steelers seemed to be dropping back James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley more then they blitzed them. The Steelers didn't seem to utilize LeBeau's famous stunts and gap blitzes at all. The pressure is not there and every one of us is scratching our head wondering why. There seems to be something missing, personally I think it is the contracts. The most dynamic players all got paid this offseason and now we are not calling their names. Woodley, Polamalu and Timmons have combined for 2.5 sacks and no turnovers, although Troy is seeming to get back to form returning a fumble for a touchdown.
The Steelers offense did a lot of things right, but the things they did wrong were really big. The Steelers amassed 408 yards of total offense, throwing for 364 and rushing for 67. The turnovers continue to kill the Steelers as Ben was responsible for another three turnovers, pushing his season total to eight.
The line had a lot of injuries as well; Marcus Gilbert was replaced by Trai Essex, then Doug Legursky was replaced by Ramon Foster, then left tackle Jonathan Scott went out and was replaced by the injured Marcus Gilbert. I am curious to see if any of the injuries are serious and if the Steelers resign someone like Flozell Adams or promote a newbie like Jamon Meredith.
I will not however blame the turnovers and poor performance on the offensive line. Ben was holding onto the ball too long and was again over throwing his receivers. The Steelers need to run to throw the ball. They came out throwing all over the place in the first quarter and then went to the well too many times and fumbled; then they went to the well again, and fumbled again; how about going to the well one more time? interception. The Steelers have 10 turnovers, eight of them are a result of passing plays.
I know this keeps getting old as well, but what the hell is Bruce Arians doing? The Steelers took advantage of the injured Colts secondary passing for 171 yards and a score in the first quarter. Mike Wallace caught the bulk of those grabbing three balls for 129 yards and a score, which was an 81 grab and run. Tony Dungy himself said that if the Steelers wanted to keep the Colts in the game, they should drop back and throw and boy was he right. The Colts caught onto the game plan and pulled their ears back. Freeney and Mathis sacked Ben three times and forced a fumble for a touchdown. Ben held onto the ball too long and the Steelers seemed too reluctant to run the ball, even if it isn't working right.
Speaking of running the ball, is the Super Bowl fumble still haunting Rashard Mendenhall? He cannot seem to run north and south and is costing himself and this team so much when he stops and shimmies. The Colts were not fooled by the movement because Rashard isn't going anywhere without his feet and they just focused on his feet. Mendenhall is an average running back and the Steelers might need to start considering a new one.
The Steelers can't seem to tie everything together and that won't get any easier this week as they travel to Houston to battle the high scoring Texans. Some how the Steelers need to push the run game more and limit Ben and his turnovers.
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Week 3 Breakdown
Collins
With the Colts (0-2) on the schedule this week, this could have been a statement game for the Steelers (1-1) 2011 season. That all changed when it was announced that Peyton Manning would not start the season opener for the Colts and his return was unknown. The Colts signed retired quarterback Kerry Collins to lead their team when it became apparent that backup quarterback Curtis Painter could not.
Collins has been less than stellar for the Colts. Going in to week three, Kerry Collins has fumbled four times losing three of them. Add those fumbles to his one interception and his lack of offensive production, and you have a great situation for the Steelers who are still reeling from their week one loss to Baltimore.
The Steelers looked great in week two, a 24-0 demolishing of the Seattle Seahawks, but that has not removed the taste from their beating a week earlier. The only thing that will ease that loss is to beat the Ravens but that rematch is not until November, so in the mean time the Steelers need to rebuild their confidence. Both sides of the ball looked flat at times against the Seahawks, but that did not change the shear dominance they had over the Seahawks.
The Steelers have dominated the Colts since their days in Baltimore, starting in 1950. The Steelers hold a large advantage winning in 19 of 25 meetings. The last meeting in Indianapolis was in 2008, a 24-20 defeat at the hands of Peyton Manning. As a side note the Steelers have only lost back to back games to the Colts once. That happened when the Colts beat the Steelers in 1968 and 1971, remember the Steelers and Colts only meet every three years, with the exception of the playoffs. Since the Colts moved to Indianapolis in 1983 the Steelers are 11-3 against them and have even kept Manning in relative check winning two of four from the future Hall of Famer.
COLTS SEASON STATS:
Kerry Collins- 35 of 69 388 yards 2 touchdowns 1 interception
*Collins is only averaging 50.7% completion and has turned the ball over 5 times.
Joseph Addai- 22 carries for 103 yards
*Addai will share time with Delone Carter who has carried 18 times for 71 yards.
Reggie Wayne- 11 catches for 172 yards and 1 touchdown
*The Colts line has not allowed Collins time to throw deep to Wayne.
Defense- The Colts are allowing 343.5 yards and 30.5 points per game and allowing teams to convert 48% of third down attempts.
INJURY REPORT
Brett Keisel- out; Bryant McFadden- out; Chris Kemoeatu will return to the starting left guard spot after missing last weeks game.
FINAL TAKE
The Steelers defense is the key to this game. After being destroyed by Baltimore in week one the team was talked about all week as being over the hill, on the down turn and old news. The win last win didn't change many peoples minds and this game won't as well. If they can pitch another shut out though, it builds confidence and would help the team work out thier kinks before playing the high flying Texans. The Steelers need to make sure they are not looking past the Colts towards those Texans and I don't think they will.
STEELERS WIN: 27-3
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Diesel in the Shop
The PCL, Posterior Cruciate Ligament is located in the knee joint and is a very common injury in sports. A grade one sprain simply means that the ligament has been over-strectched, usually due to an outside force. The ligament does not require surgury because the ligament is still strong enough to keep the knee joint stable. Basically the Steelers could be without Keisel for as little as a week all the way up to four or more, although it does not appear that severe.
Heyward is very similar to Hood. He was drafted in the first round, 31st overall the year after a Steeler Super Bowl appearance. Heyward had an impressive camp and played great during the preseason. He has played very little so far this season, in two career games he has recorded one tackle.
I don't expect the injury to be much more than the result of no competitive off season. People will bring up the age and bicker about cleaning house but I will stand by the veteran. The Steelers have a history of filling amazing talent with great young talent and we all know that Ziggy can play. The Steelers will be fine, besides the Colts are not the Colts we are used too.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Steelers Blank the Seahawks
The Steelers (1-1) rebounded from their blowout in week one by blanking the visiting Seahawks (0-2). The Steelers came out like a completely different team, really showing that the loss was just a fluke. The Steelers controlled the game possessing the ball nearly 39 minutes to the Seahawks 21.
The Steelers offense played well in the game although there were times that they appeared rather flat. The offense put up 421 net yards and did not commit a single turnover. The line also held up surprisingly well only allowing two sacks and with the exception of one scary hit to Ben's knee, they kept him upright all day. The Steelers also consistently used the run game to find the end zone, something that they couldn't do last week.
Rashard Mendenhall started the Steelers off in the first quarter with a one yard run to put the Steelers up 7-0. Back up runningback Issac Redman did his part the following quarter running in a score from 20 yards out. The Steeler would add a field goal before half and finish their scoring off with a two yard touchdown pass from Big Ben to Mike Wallace in the third quarter.
The biggest difference between week one and two was the Steelers getting back to what they know. In the first half the Steelers controlled the tempo of the game doubling the plays and time of possession of the Seahawks. The Steelers also tripled the Seahawks in total yards. The run game worked extremely well and with the exception of the low hit on Ben the offensive line played extremely well.
The defense destroyed Tarvaris Jackson and Marshawn Lynch. Jackson ended with only 159 yards passing, the bulk of that taking place during garbage time in the fourth quarter. Lynch didn't fare any better as he totaled just 11 yards on six carries. The Seahawk offense did not run a single play in Steeler territory until 10 minutes left in the game.
The defense looked like the Steelers of old only allowing 164 net yards, 159 through the air and 31 on the ground. Polamalu, Farrior, Harrison, Foote, Woodley and McLendon all had a part in the Steelers five sacks, which totaled negative 26 yards. This was a huge improvement over the one sack that they mustered against the Ravens. With Bryant McFadden out with an injury William Gay stepped in at corner and played rather well. Keenan Lewis struggled late and Curtis Brown made a couple really nice special team plays as well.
The one issue I am still having with the defense is the lack of excitement. The greatest thing about the Steel Curtain is how the team feeds off each other, and that was rather non-existent today. A prime example was a three yard tackle for loss by LaMarr Woodley. After the hit and loss on second and two he just stood up and everyone walked back to the huddle, no excitement. Larry Foote did show us the "stomp" after a sack, so we will just hope that the energy returns as they put some wins together.
I don't know who had the biggest hand in the play calling, whether it was Ben, Arians or a suggestion from Tomlin and the front office, but the Steelers really did some great things. The team ran the ball 35 times and passed 31 times, including Emmanuel Sanders first ever NFL pass. The offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage and opened up some really good lanes for Steeler runningbacks. Tight end Health Miller was so valuable as well as he secured the edge all afternoon for Rashard Mendenhall.
The team improved so much from the first week to the second week and I expect the improvement to just keep going. The Steelers will travel to Indianapolis next week and the Colts just can't seem to beat anyone. Kerry Collins is struggling with the offense and the defense is dealing with a large amount of injuries.
The Steelers offense played well in the game although there were times that they appeared rather flat. The offense put up 421 net yards and did not commit a single turnover. The line also held up surprisingly well only allowing two sacks and with the exception of one scary hit to Ben's knee, they kept him upright all day. The Steelers also consistently used the run game to find the end zone, something that they couldn't do last week.
Rashard Mendenhall started the Steelers off in the first quarter with a one yard run to put the Steelers up 7-0. Back up runningback Issac Redman did his part the following quarter running in a score from 20 yards out. The Steeler would add a field goal before half and finish their scoring off with a two yard touchdown pass from Big Ben to Mike Wallace in the third quarter.
The biggest difference between week one and two was the Steelers getting back to what they know. In the first half the Steelers controlled the tempo of the game doubling the plays and time of possession of the Seahawks. The Steelers also tripled the Seahawks in total yards. The run game worked extremely well and with the exception of the low hit on Ben the offensive line played extremely well.
The defense destroyed Tarvaris Jackson and Marshawn Lynch. Jackson ended with only 159 yards passing, the bulk of that taking place during garbage time in the fourth quarter. Lynch didn't fare any better as he totaled just 11 yards on six carries. The Seahawk offense did not run a single play in Steeler territory until 10 minutes left in the game.
The defense looked like the Steelers of old only allowing 164 net yards, 159 through the air and 31 on the ground. Polamalu, Farrior, Harrison, Foote, Woodley and McLendon all had a part in the Steelers five sacks, which totaled negative 26 yards. This was a huge improvement over the one sack that they mustered against the Ravens. With Bryant McFadden out with an injury William Gay stepped in at corner and played rather well. Keenan Lewis struggled late and Curtis Brown made a couple really nice special team plays as well.
The one issue I am still having with the defense is the lack of excitement. The greatest thing about the Steel Curtain is how the team feeds off each other, and that was rather non-existent today. A prime example was a three yard tackle for loss by LaMarr Woodley. After the hit and loss on second and two he just stood up and everyone walked back to the huddle, no excitement. Larry Foote did show us the "stomp" after a sack, so we will just hope that the energy returns as they put some wins together.
I don't know who had the biggest hand in the play calling, whether it was Ben, Arians or a suggestion from Tomlin and the front office, but the Steelers really did some great things. The team ran the ball 35 times and passed 31 times, including Emmanuel Sanders first ever NFL pass. The offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage and opened up some really good lanes for Steeler runningbacks. Tight end Health Miller was so valuable as well as he secured the edge all afternoon for Rashard Mendenhall.
The team improved so much from the first week to the second week and I expect the improvement to just keep going. The Steelers will travel to Indianapolis next week and the Colts just can't seem to beat anyone. Kerry Collins is struggling with the offense and the defense is dealing with a large amount of injuries.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Week 2 Breakdown
Super Bowl XL 2011
The Steelers (0-1) look to rebound from their week one meltdown against Baltimore when they host the Seattle Seahawks (0-1). The Steelers and Seahawks have met 16 times in their history, splitting the series at 8-8. The Steelers host this match-up which really plays in their favor. Of the 16 meetings, eight of them have taken place in Pittsburgh with the Steelers holding a sizable advantage going 6-2. The last match-up between the Seahawks and Steelers took place in 2007 with the Steelers winning decisively 21-0.
Pete Carroll begun his second year as the Seahawks head man by getting beat up by their division rival San Francisco, 33-17. The Steelers may not have fared much better but the Seahawks offensive weapons don't even compare to the Ravens. Tavaris Jackson will be under center for the second straight game while Marshawn Lynch will carry the load for the Seahawks.
SEAHAWKS WEEK ONE STATS:
Tavaris Jackson- 21 of 37 197 yards 2 touchdowns 1 interception
*Jackson also fumbled three times, losing two of them
Marshawn Lynch- 13 carries for 33 yards
*Only averaged 2.5 yards per carry
Doug Baldwin- 4 catches for 83 yards and 1 touchdown
*Rookie scored on a 55 yard catch
Defense- In week one they held SF to 209 yards of total offense and only allowed them to convert 1 of 12 third downs; but did not record a sack or turnover.
INJURY REPORT
Curtis Brown- probable; Chris Kemoeatu and Bryant McFadden- questionable; Jerricho Cotchery- out
FINAL TAKE
I don't expect the Steelers to be the same team that they were last week. Ben Roethlisberger will not have five turnovers and the defense should be back to their old self. The biggest thing to remember about the Ravens game that it will most likely be remembered as a wake up call, not an ass whipping. The Steelers have been so dominate for so long that they have become used to it and it was time someone smacked them in the mouth. The Steelers should take out their frustration on the Seahawks.
Steelers Win: 34-13
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Ravens Illegal Blocking
It should be no surprise to anyone that after an absolute beat down that teams will find things to complain about. That was my thoughts exactly when Steelers players and reporters started making a big deal about illegal chop blocks during the Ravens game. My initial thoughts were who really cares? and then went to that the team was trying to find excuses for the lack of a defense. So, after some digging around I found screen shots of some of the questionable plays, and wow.
For those not fully familiar with chop blocks its a pretty simple type of block. A chop block is when a lineman, in this case an offensive lineman, goes low to the legs of the defensive lineman, to slow him down or remove him from the play. That is if he is not engaged. If the defensive lineman is engaged with another offensive lineman, then you cannot have another lineman chop at his legs. This is extremely illegal and dangerous for the defensive lineman.
The screen shots we will refer to were from the first quarter of the week one blowout and both of these plays being shown resulted in big runs. The first screen shot is six seconds into the game. You can clearly see that Casey Hampton is engaged with Raven center Matt Birk. Casey is moving down the line to left side of the field as Marshal Yanda dives clearly and directly at his knees. There is no Steeler near Yanda, so it cannot be argued that he was pushed or forced into Hampton's knees.
This second screen shot is still in the first quarter, four minutes after our first example. This image really shows what the players were suggesting. Casey Hampton is engaged with both center Matt Birk and even right tackle Micheal Oher came over, so wheres the right guard Yanda? Look at Hampton's knees. Again, Marshal Yanda goes straight for the knees of the engaged Hampton. There again is no Steeler around him for the argument of being blocked or forced into the player. Hampton was out of this play with the double block, Yanda just went for the knees. This is an extremely dirty play.
Now, the game is over and is a loss either way. But this kind of blocking is extremely dirty and very dangerous to the health and career of the defensive player that is the target. The NFL has not ruled on this and I don't really expect them to jump in on the debate but the Steelers really need to keep and eye on this for future games.
For those not fully familiar with chop blocks its a pretty simple type of block. A chop block is when a lineman, in this case an offensive lineman, goes low to the legs of the defensive lineman, to slow him down or remove him from the play. That is if he is not engaged. If the defensive lineman is engaged with another offensive lineman, then you cannot have another lineman chop at his legs. This is extremely illegal and dangerous for the defensive lineman.
The screen shots we will refer to were from the first quarter of the week one blowout and both of these plays being shown resulted in big runs. The first screen shot is six seconds into the game. You can clearly see that Casey Hampton is engaged with Raven center Matt Birk. Casey is moving down the line to left side of the field as Marshal Yanda dives clearly and directly at his knees. There is no Steeler near Yanda, so it cannot be argued that he was pushed or forced into Hampton's knees.
This second screen shot is still in the first quarter, four minutes after our first example. This image really shows what the players were suggesting. Casey Hampton is engaged with both center Matt Birk and even right tackle Micheal Oher came over, so wheres the right guard Yanda? Look at Hampton's knees. Again, Marshal Yanda goes straight for the knees of the engaged Hampton. There again is no Steeler around him for the argument of being blocked or forced into the player. Hampton was out of this play with the double block, Yanda just went for the knees. This is an extremely dirty play.
Now, the game is over and is a loss either way. But this kind of blocking is extremely dirty and very dangerous to the health and career of the defensive player that is the target. The NFL has not ruled on this and I don't really expect them to jump in on the debate but the Steelers really need to keep and eye on this for future games.
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