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Thursday, September 22, 2011

What's going on

Brett Keisel, not surprisingly, was the only player to miss practice Wednesday for the Steelers as they prepare to play Indianapolis.

There's really no reason to play Keisel this week, particularly with a big game at Houston looming next week.

© Don't be surprised if Ramon Foster wins back the starting right guard spot from Doug Legursky.

After watching the game against Seattle a second time, I saw that Foster was very effective in the run game.

© The Steelers have to get their running game going this week against Indianapolis. IF they can do that, it will slow down speedy defensive ends Rasheen Mathis and Dwight Freeney and help out offensive tackles Jonathan Scott and Marcus Gilbert.

© Through two games, Mike Wallace is leading all NFL wideouts in receptions with 18, putting him on pace for 128 for the season. His average per catch is down to just over 15 yards per game, but if he keeps up his pace, Wallace will approach the 2,000 yards he set as a goal this season.

Wallace also has five consecutive 100-yard games in the regular season. Yancey Thigpen and Lynn Swann are tied for the fifth-most 100-yard games in team history with 10 each. Plaxico Burress had 11.

Hines Ward is the team's all-time leader with 29. Wallace has five in a row!

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wallace hasn't had the big play so far this year (they'll come) but he's impressing me much more than last season so far. He finally seems to have learned and mastered the whole playbook

It's scary to think what he and ben can do together with more protection for ben

Anonymous said...

It would indeed help if the Steelers got their running game going. I don't know, though. Indy is an embarrassed, veteran team that's 0-2 playing on national TV that knows the Steelers want to run it. Imposing Legursky's will will be a lot tougher than saying Oh, the Texans ran up 160 on the Colts, so can we. I think it will be up to Ben making plays late in a low-scoring game.

Robert K said...

You can't seriously compare Wallace's numbers against Swanns. With today rules those receivers from the 70's would have posted twice the numbers easily.

For instance, I still don't get how people can say things like Randy Moss has the single season touchdown record. He beat Jerry Rice by one TD. But Rice did it in 12 games versus Moss's 16.

All the new records should have an asterisk beside them that reads - Record set after the NFL eliminated pass defense.

Anonymous said...

Amen Rob K

Anonymous said...

they should just leave Foster at left guard and move Kemo to right guard

Kemo sucks in general

Anonymous said...

what's the deal with pouncey's hamstring?

is macfadden expected to start this week?

will we see more formations with a "fullback" to help in the run game?

thanks dale.

Anonymous said...

Pouncey was credited with Limited Participation on the Wed Injury Report. Did he still take all the snaps? If not, who filled in? Legursky or Essex?

superfan99 said...

Wallace actually had two huge plays vs. the Seahawks. He had the 53-yard fingertip catch, and he drew a 39-yard pass interference call that set the offense up at the one-yard line.

Those long PI calls are just as good as a reception.

Tim said...

Superfan,

A reception would have been a touchdown. How many points did the PI call get us?

Nah, I'm just kidding. I know what you mean.

Robert K,

Thank you. Every time I hear about Randy Moss having the single season TD record I want to scream. If Jerry'd had 4 more games he probably would have finished with over 30. Certainly more than 23.

Patrick said...

Superfan - my fantasy football league says pass interfearence is not the same as a reception. Therefour u r wrong.

Dale Lolley said...

Pouncey is fine.

McFadden is still iffy, but leaning toward playing.

As far as comparing wide receivers, I wasn't. The numbers are the numbers.

superfan99 said...

Patrick,

I feel your pain. Would have loved to get the fantasy points for a Wallace TD there.

Patrick said...

SF - tell me about it. Randy Moss isn't doing anything for my team this year

datruth4life said...

Dale,

With William Gay getting the start and Keenan Lewis continuing his role as the outside CB in the nickel, have we seen the changing of the guard and the last year of Bryant McFadden with his $2.5M salary? The kids Curtis Brown and Cortez Allen seem good on special teams, so that is at least a good sign. If you can't play teams, then usually you can't play in this D. Thoughts?

Anonymous said...

My thoughts ... We beater not lay an egg this week! Indy's offense without PM is not my concern. I sure hope we don't come out pass happy and let those DE's pin their ears back and come after BB. I worry about trying to get too cute ie.. they're expecting us to run it so we will suprise them and air it out. I also don't buy into the "this is the new pass happy nfl, you don't pass, you don't win" theory. Reality is cyclical. As soon as the defenses adapt and have a boat load of skinny quick corners, some team with 5 road graders and a mack truck rb will mow em all down. I miss the bus. Sorry, rant off. I'm still upset we got taken out to the woodshed by the Ravens.

Robert K said...

The shift to a pass happy NFL has nothing to do with being cyclical. Its due to NFL mandated rule changes to encourage scoring because people are so freaking ADD nowadays they need a score every 5 seconds.

Anonymous said...

datruth - are you stupid or something? Obviously this is McFadden's last year here. What else don't you understand?

Patrick said...

its ashame fake Patricks still aren't identified.

For the record, I've never done a fantasy league. When I watch football, I like to actually watch football, not talk on and on about a league that doesn't really exist.