11-07-2018, 12:51 AM
Some thoughts.
Terrible first quarter of the year. 1-2-1.
Great second quarter of the year 4-0.
Looking up:
1. The O-Line
2. James Conner.
3. The defense.
Things that worry me.
1. Ben Roethlisberger's habit of throwing 2 or 3 balls a game that should be picked whether they are or aren't.
2. The secondary. Despite the defense playing much better, someone's gotta step up at that other cornerback position opposite Joe Haden. And we gotta hope like heck that Haden stays healthy, because if he ever goes down, look out. And having two wide open receivers in the flat after going in motion, one that should have gone for a touchdown, and another that would have picked up big yards if Flacco had been looking that way...if I'm the Panthers, I'm looking at that, putting people in motion and making that my first read for Newton.
3. Penalties. Still too many.
4. Chris Boswell. Just when I was hoping he got things back together, he misses yet another XP.
5. Leveon Bell. Do we really want him back at this point? I really worry about team chemistry if he comes back. Does he poison it somehow? Either by the friction that is still obviously there between he and the other guys. And then there's the question of if he will really play hard even if he does show up. If he keeps his head down and plays hard, he's welcome to come back. Otherwise, I'd rather he just stay away.
Prospects for a Super Bowl:
Not that hopeful. That said, I think in the last game, we see the recipe for any chance of the Steelers beating the big boys in KC, NE, NO, LA.
I seriously don't think we can win shootouts against these people. If we have games going into the high 30s and above, we lose that battle.
Our best shot is long, drawn out drives, converting third downs, no turnovers, and scoring touchdowns in the red zone. On defense, even if we let teams move against us, no big plays, and stop teams from scoring touchdowns in the redzone. We want to shorten the game and keep the other teams' offense off the field. The less they're on the field, the less chance of breakdowns in our secondary. And just possibly, with the other offense off the field for long periods of time, they lose some of their timing and rhythm. Plus we keep our pass rush fresh.
In short, when playing NE and the rest of the big boys, we want scores like 28-24, 31-21, or something similar. The other team scores 35-45 points, I don't think we have a chance.
Terrible first quarter of the year. 1-2-1.
Great second quarter of the year 4-0.
Looking up:
1. The O-Line
2. James Conner.
3. The defense.
Things that worry me.
1. Ben Roethlisberger's habit of throwing 2 or 3 balls a game that should be picked whether they are or aren't.
2. The secondary. Despite the defense playing much better, someone's gotta step up at that other cornerback position opposite Joe Haden. And we gotta hope like heck that Haden stays healthy, because if he ever goes down, look out. And having two wide open receivers in the flat after going in motion, one that should have gone for a touchdown, and another that would have picked up big yards if Flacco had been looking that way...if I'm the Panthers, I'm looking at that, putting people in motion and making that my first read for Newton.
3. Penalties. Still too many.
4. Chris Boswell. Just when I was hoping he got things back together, he misses yet another XP.
5. Leveon Bell. Do we really want him back at this point? I really worry about team chemistry if he comes back. Does he poison it somehow? Either by the friction that is still obviously there between he and the other guys. And then there's the question of if he will really play hard even if he does show up. If he keeps his head down and plays hard, he's welcome to come back. Otherwise, I'd rather he just stay away.
Prospects for a Super Bowl:
Not that hopeful. That said, I think in the last game, we see the recipe for any chance of the Steelers beating the big boys in KC, NE, NO, LA.
I seriously don't think we can win shootouts against these people. If we have games going into the high 30s and above, we lose that battle.
Our best shot is long, drawn out drives, converting third downs, no turnovers, and scoring touchdowns in the red zone. On defense, even if we let teams move against us, no big plays, and stop teams from scoring touchdowns in the redzone. We want to shorten the game and keep the other teams' offense off the field. The less they're on the field, the less chance of breakdowns in our secondary. And just possibly, with the other offense off the field for long periods of time, they lose some of their timing and rhythm. Plus we keep our pass rush fresh.
In short, when playing NE and the rest of the big boys, we want scores like 28-24, 31-21, or something similar. The other team scores 35-45 points, I don't think we have a chance.
for suggesting that the Steelers should have made a play for Richard Sherman when he was grumbling about looking for a new home. That is the type of ballsy move that will take us closer to being a real contender. One proven guy, maybe with one or two season's left in the tank is an absolute gamble worth taking.