Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Sunday, October 18, 2015
Friday, October 16, 2015
Who I like: Steelers vs. Cardinals
I correctly nailed the outcome and score last week vs. the Chargers.
Here's what I think this week: NFL From the Sidelines new location
Here's what I think this week: NFL From the Sidelines new location
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Monday, October 12, 2015
Steelers-Chargers game day thread
Greetings from sunny San Diego.
It’s a nice, warm night here. It was sprinkling off and on
throughout the day but now it’s in the 80s and the sky has cleared so it should
be a nice night for football.
The Steelers, as expected, did not activate wide receiver
Martavis Bryant from their suspended list. They have until 4 p.m. Tuesday to do
so. There will be a move forthcoming by the team on Tuesday.
Inactive tonight for the Steelers are Ben Roethlisberger,
Ryan Shazier, Daniel McCullers, Chris Hubbard, Jessie James and Cortez Allen.
Roethlisberger was doing some light throwing with team
doctors watching before the game tonight and appears to be getting closer to
making a return. He’s not limping like he was before, but still has a way to go
before he’ll be ready to escape a pass rush.
Inactive for the Chargers are offensive tackle King Dunlap,
guard Orlando Franklin, wide receiver Stevie Johnson, linebacker Tourek
Williams, defensive back Craig Mager, defensive lineman Darius Philon and
running back Donald Brown.
Dunlap and Franklin are starters on the offensive line, so
that will hurt.
I went on a tour of the U.S.S. Midway today. There were
thousands of people on board and most were wearing some kind of Steelers gear.
It should be a big pro-Steelers crowd tonight.
Friday, October 09, 2015
The times they are a changing
After a number of successful years and millions of hits here on blogger, my paper is moving NFL From the Sidelines to its web site.
We should still be able to have meaningful discussions and interaction regarding issues surrounding the Steelers.
To access the new site, please go here: NFL from the Sidelines. I hope to see you all over there.
Since, apparently, things aren't working well on the new site just yet - though the link above is now fixed, here it is:
First, let’s talk about the Martavis Bryant situation. Bryant, who is coming back off a four-game suspension, has practiced sparingly this week.
That’s not a good sign for a young man who has missed the past month because of a suspension.
The team doesn’t have to disclose what kind of injury with which Bryant is dealing since he is not yet on the active roster and they don’t actually have to activate him for this game if they do not choose.
It’s looking more and more like that will be the case.
Mike Tomlin doesn’t like to play young players who don’t get at least a couple of practices in before a game. He’s not real likely to put Bryant in the lineup when he hasn’t practiced in a month.
That move also would give the Steelers another week with which to kick the can down the road in terms of making a roster move.
* I do expect inside linebacker Ryan Shazier to play in this one. In fact, with the notable exception of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, every play on the 53-man active roster practiced this week. It’s a far different situation than the Chargers are dealing with right now, though at least quarterback Philip Rivers is healthy.
* I don’t know that not having Bryant on the field will have a huge effect on this game. This will be a run, run, run game.
San Diego is allowing 4.9 yards per carry this season, tied with New England for the worst in the league.
And Le’Veon Bell just ran for 129 yards against the Baltimore Ravens, a team that hadn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 29 games and against whom the STeelers hadn’t had a 100-yard rusher since 2004.
The Steelers will take some shots down the field to keep the Chargers honest and they’ll try to get the ball to Antonio Brown and Heath Miller a little more.
But this will be Le’Veon Bell’s game to win or lose.
I just don’t see how the Chargers are going to stop him and with a week under his belt, I expect Mike Vick to be much more comfortable running the offense this time out.
San Diego also has some issues at wide receiver. Malcom Floyd is expected to play despite leaving last week’s game with a concussion, while Stevie Johnson looks as if he’ll be out.
Antonio Gates will be back after a four-game PED suspension, but there’s the difference between the suspension of Gates and that of Bryant.
While players suspended for illegal drugs are permitted contact with their team and can work out at team facilities, those who are suspended for PED use are not.
Gates is a veteran player, but it’s not real likely he’s completely up to speed after sitting out an entire month and having no contact with the Chargers.
The Chargers are 3 1/2-point favorites in this game, but I don’t see that happening.
I think the Steelers dominate the game with their rushing attack, get after Rivers and protect Vick enough to be effective - the Chargers have just five sacks this season.
I’ll take the Steelers to win, 24-20.
We should still be able to have meaningful discussions and interaction regarding issues surrounding the Steelers.
To access the new site, please go here: NFL from the Sidelines. I hope to see you all over there.
Since, apparently, things aren't working well on the new site just yet - though the link above is now fixed, here it is:
First, let’s talk about the Martavis Bryant situation. Bryant, who is coming back off a four-game suspension, has practiced sparingly this week.
That’s not a good sign for a young man who has missed the past month because of a suspension.
The team doesn’t have to disclose what kind of injury with which Bryant is dealing since he is not yet on the active roster and they don’t actually have to activate him for this game if they do not choose.
It’s looking more and more like that will be the case.
Mike Tomlin doesn’t like to play young players who don’t get at least a couple of practices in before a game. He’s not real likely to put Bryant in the lineup when he hasn’t practiced in a month.
That move also would give the Steelers another week with which to kick the can down the road in terms of making a roster move.
* I do expect inside linebacker Ryan Shazier to play in this one. In fact, with the notable exception of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, every play on the 53-man active roster practiced this week. It’s a far different situation than the Chargers are dealing with right now, though at least quarterback Philip Rivers is healthy.
* I don’t know that not having Bryant on the field will have a huge effect on this game. This will be a run, run, run game.
San Diego is allowing 4.9 yards per carry this season, tied with New England for the worst in the league.
And Le’Veon Bell just ran for 129 yards against the Baltimore Ravens, a team that hadn’t allowed a 100-yard rusher in 29 games and against whom the STeelers hadn’t had a 100-yard rusher since 2004.
The Steelers will take some shots down the field to keep the Chargers honest and they’ll try to get the ball to Antonio Brown and Heath Miller a little more.
But this will be Le’Veon Bell’s game to win or lose.
I just don’t see how the Chargers are going to stop him and with a week under his belt, I expect Mike Vick to be much more comfortable running the offense this time out.
San Diego also has some issues at wide receiver. Malcom Floyd is expected to play despite leaving last week’s game with a concussion, while Stevie Johnson looks as if he’ll be out.
Antonio Gates will be back after a four-game PED suspension, but there’s the difference between the suspension of Gates and that of Bryant.
While players suspended for illegal drugs are permitted contact with their team and can work out at team facilities, those who are suspended for PED use are not.
Gates is a veteran player, but it’s not real likely he’s completely up to speed after sitting out an entire month and having no contact with the Chargers.
The Chargers are 3 1/2-point favorites in this game, but I don’t see that happening.
I think the Steelers dominate the game with their rushing attack, get after Rivers and protect Vick enough to be effective - the Chargers have just five sacks this season.
I’ll take the Steelers to win, 24-20.
Wednesday, October 07, 2015
Mid-week news and notes
Martavis Bryant sat out today's practice but said he plans on being back at practice Thursday.
The Steelers don't have to put out an official injury report until Thursday, but suffice it to say, they appear to be very healthy heading into Monday night's game at San Diego.
* Antonio Brown said on his weekly radio show Tuesday night - of which I am a co-host - that he did have more issues than he thought he would catching passes with a left-handed spin from Mike Vick.
He also said some of Vick's balls cut through the air a little differently than those thrown by Ben Roethlisberger, forcing him to make other adjustments.
Brown spent plenty of time after practice Wednesday working on catching balls with a left-handed spin - including extra time with Vick - and he should have that rectified Monday.
Brown did, however, say that he was at fault for two of the incompletions - one in the end zone and another along the sideline - and that it's his job to catch the passes no matter who is throwing them.
* The Steelers will have to make a roster move to activate Bryant to their 53-man roster by Monday.
There aren't a lot of candidates.
Anthony Chickillo was signed to the active list but now must spend at least three weeks on the active roster.
Tight end Jesse James, running back Dri Archer and fullback Roosevelt Nix would be the most likely candidates to go, All would be eligible to be placed on the practice squad.
It's unlikely that James would make it that far, though you never know at this time of year as teams play roster games to account for injuries.
There's also always the off chance they let an offensive lineman go - say Doug Legursky - and kick the can down the street a couple of weeks.
Mike Adams will be eligible to come off the PUP list after six games and the Steelers will have to make a decision at that time with their line. They could go for the next couple of games with seven active linemen and hope they avoid injuries.
If they don't, they can always sign Legursky - or another lineman - to fill in the back end of the roster.
The Steelers don't have to put out an official injury report until Thursday, but suffice it to say, they appear to be very healthy heading into Monday night's game at San Diego.
* Antonio Brown said on his weekly radio show Tuesday night - of which I am a co-host - that he did have more issues than he thought he would catching passes with a left-handed spin from Mike Vick.
He also said some of Vick's balls cut through the air a little differently than those thrown by Ben Roethlisberger, forcing him to make other adjustments.
Brown spent plenty of time after practice Wednesday working on catching balls with a left-handed spin - including extra time with Vick - and he should have that rectified Monday.
Brown did, however, say that he was at fault for two of the incompletions - one in the end zone and another along the sideline - and that it's his job to catch the passes no matter who is throwing them.
* The Steelers will have to make a roster move to activate Bryant to their 53-man roster by Monday.
There aren't a lot of candidates.
Anthony Chickillo was signed to the active list but now must spend at least three weeks on the active roster.
Tight end Jesse James, running back Dri Archer and fullback Roosevelt Nix would be the most likely candidates to go, All would be eligible to be placed on the practice squad.
It's unlikely that James would make it that far, though you never know at this time of year as teams play roster games to account for injuries.
There's also always the off chance they let an offensive lineman go - say Doug Legursky - and kick the can down the street a couple of weeks.
Mike Adams will be eligible to come off the PUP list after six games and the Steelers will have to make a decision at that time with their line. They could go for the next couple of games with seven active linemen and hope they avoid injuries.
If they don't, they can always sign Legursky - or another lineman - to fill in the back end of the roster.
Tuesday, October 06, 2015
Tuesday with Tomlin
If I've been asked once, I've been asked a thousand times already this season about the Steelers' cornerback situation.
Why isn't Brandon Boykin playing? What's up with Cortez Allen? It goes on and on.
Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Ross Cockrell is the team's nickel cornerback - at least at this time. That could certainly change since the Steelers have other options there in Boykin and Allen.
But for now, Cockrell is the guy in the nickel and Antwon Blake is going to continue to play.
Save all the analysis from Pro Football Focus, that's what the Steelers are going with for now.
"As we sit here today, but obviously we have some preparation time," Tomlin said of Cockrell remaining as the team's nickel. "We have to evaluate Cortez and his practice performance and availability.
Boykin, as you can see, wasn't part of the equation.
The Steelers haven't necessarily been unhappy with Boykin, but he had an opportunity after Week 1 to get into the lineup and strained his hamstring the Monday after the opener against New England. That gave Cockrell an opportunity to show what he could do in practice and he has done nothing to lose the job.
But that doesn't mean the Steelers won't use or need Allen or Boykin moving forward.
At this point, however, the Steelers have allowed an NFL-low five passes of 20 or more yards - they gave up 50 such plays in 2014 - and are 13th in the NFL in pass defense, with a large chunk of the passing yards having been allowed in the fourth quarter of a blowout win over San Francisco.
The pass defense has been good and the Steelers aren't about to make a change to mess with that.
* Speaking of defense, Tomlin said today that the issues with the run defense against the Ravens last week were because the Steelers were intent on shutting down Baltimore's play-action passing game.
That meant the safeties and corners basically ignored the running backs coming out of the backfield and stuck with their coverage responsibilities.
In the first three games, the Steelers allowed 162 yards on 57 rushing attempts by opposing backs - a 3.2 yards per carry average. Justin Forsett nearly had that himself for the Ravens, hitting the Steelers for 150 yards on 27 carries.
"They got significant chunks via play-action pass going into the game, so we wanted to attack that to minimize those chunks," Tomlin said. "We realized in doing so, we might expose ourselves to some run. We probably exposed ourselves to a little more run than we anticipated, but you give them credit for executing from that standpoint."
* Tomlin said Ryan Shazier will open the week as questionable to return against San Diego from his shoulder injury but did note that the linebacker had improved "dramatically."
Expect Shazier to play. But Tomlin's wording is to make sure the second-year linebacker continues to practice all week.
* Daniel McCullers (knee) and Markus Wheaton (ankle) are also expected to be back this week, while Matt Spaeth is probably more on the doubtful side of questionable with a broken hand.
* Tomlin said the Steelers don't have to activate Martavis Bryant's until 4 p.m. Monday if they want to play him against the Chargers and said they probably wouldn't make an announcement about their intentions until 3:58 on Monday.
Expect Bryant to play.
Why isn't Brandon Boykin playing? What's up with Cortez Allen? It goes on and on.
Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Ross Cockrell is the team's nickel cornerback - at least at this time. That could certainly change since the Steelers have other options there in Boykin and Allen.
But for now, Cockrell is the guy in the nickel and Antwon Blake is going to continue to play.
Save all the analysis from Pro Football Focus, that's what the Steelers are going with for now.
"As we sit here today, but obviously we have some preparation time," Tomlin said of Cockrell remaining as the team's nickel. "We have to evaluate Cortez and his practice performance and availability.
Boykin, as you can see, wasn't part of the equation.
The Steelers haven't necessarily been unhappy with Boykin, but he had an opportunity after Week 1 to get into the lineup and strained his hamstring the Monday after the opener against New England. That gave Cockrell an opportunity to show what he could do in practice and he has done nothing to lose the job.
But that doesn't mean the Steelers won't use or need Allen or Boykin moving forward.
At this point, however, the Steelers have allowed an NFL-low five passes of 20 or more yards - they gave up 50 such plays in 2014 - and are 13th in the NFL in pass defense, with a large chunk of the passing yards having been allowed in the fourth quarter of a blowout win over San Francisco.
The pass defense has been good and the Steelers aren't about to make a change to mess with that.
* Speaking of defense, Tomlin said today that the issues with the run defense against the Ravens last week were because the Steelers were intent on shutting down Baltimore's play-action passing game.
That meant the safeties and corners basically ignored the running backs coming out of the backfield and stuck with their coverage responsibilities.
In the first three games, the Steelers allowed 162 yards on 57 rushing attempts by opposing backs - a 3.2 yards per carry average. Justin Forsett nearly had that himself for the Ravens, hitting the Steelers for 150 yards on 27 carries.
"They got significant chunks via play-action pass going into the game, so we wanted to attack that to minimize those chunks," Tomlin said. "We realized in doing so, we might expose ourselves to some run. We probably exposed ourselves to a little more run than we anticipated, but you give them credit for executing from that standpoint."
* Tomlin said Ryan Shazier will open the week as questionable to return against San Diego from his shoulder injury but did note that the linebacker had improved "dramatically."
Expect Shazier to play. But Tomlin's wording is to make sure the second-year linebacker continues to practice all week.
* Daniel McCullers (knee) and Markus Wheaton (ankle) are also expected to be back this week, while Matt Spaeth is probably more on the doubtful side of questionable with a broken hand.
* Tomlin said the Steelers don't have to activate Martavis Bryant's until 4 p.m. Monday if they want to play him against the Chargers and said they probably wouldn't make an announcement about their intentions until 3:58 on Monday.
Expect Bryant to play.
Sunday, October 04, 2015
Roethlisberger looks good
Lost in Thursday night's debacle against the Ravens was the fact that Ben Roethlisberger was permitted to be on the sideline.
Roethlisberger had said earlier in the week that head coach Mike Tomlin had a rule that nobody on crutches is permitted on the sideline.
Roethlisberger was not on crutches and was on the sideline against the Ravens.
Having seen Roethlisberger earlier in the week, it was surprising. He was in obvious pain moving around the team's practice facility on Tuesday and needed the crutches to get around.
That was not the case Thursday.
While the MCL sprain is obviously a problem, there were some in the organization who felt the bone bruise might the thing that kept Roethlisberger out for more than four weeks - the typical healing time for an MCL sprain.
The fact that Roethlisberger was able to capably - and apparently painlessly - on the sideline Thursday night shows the bone bruise might not have been as bad as previously thought.
Roethlisberger could, in fact, be back in three more weeks.
Roethlisberger had said earlier in the week that head coach Mike Tomlin had a rule that nobody on crutches is permitted on the sideline.
Roethlisberger was not on crutches and was on the sideline against the Ravens.
Having seen Roethlisberger earlier in the week, it was surprising. He was in obvious pain moving around the team's practice facility on Tuesday and needed the crutches to get around.
That was not the case Thursday.
While the MCL sprain is obviously a problem, there were some in the organization who felt the bone bruise might the thing that kept Roethlisberger out for more than four weeks - the typical healing time for an MCL sprain.
The fact that Roethlisberger was able to capably - and apparently painlessly - on the sideline Thursday night shows the bone bruise might not have been as bad as previously thought.
Roethlisberger could, in fact, be back in three more weeks.
Saturday, October 03, 2015
News, notes and nuggets
I've now re-watched the Steelers' game against the Ravens a couple of more times today and I really only have a couple of minor issues with the coaching job done in that game by Mike Tomlin and his staff.
One would be attempting a third-down pass to Sammie Coates late in the game on a quick slant. I don't know that Coates was the primary target, but that's where Mike Vick went with the ball.
Coates isn't known for having great hands and asking him to catch a ball in traffic in what is his first real NFL playing time is a risk I wouldn't have taken.
But again, I don't know that Coates was the top target there.
And you expect Josh Scobee to make a 41-yard field goal.
The other was the attempted keeper call by Vick in overtime. You've got Le'Veon Bell. Use him in that situation.
Outside of that, it's easy to second-guess things that don't work. But I didn't have an issue with Tomlin's decisions in those cases.
@ Speaking of Scobee, the Steelers will begin trying out kickers, as I wrote here.
Kai Forbath, Chris Boswell and Randy Bullock will all get a shot at replacing Scobee.
Breaking: The Steelers have signed Boswell.
And no, Jeff Reed was not an option.
@ Vick struggled waiting for things to develop in this game. He got off his initial read too quickly, especially when that read was Antonio Brown.
And Vick also didn't utilize Heath Miller at all.
He'll get better at those things the more comfortable he gets in this offense. Having Martavis Bryant back won't hurt, either.
@ I meant to make mention of it but forgot. Dri Archer got an opportunity to return a kick - at the start of overtime - and made a nice 31-yard return out to the 31.
Was it a great return? No, not great. But it was solid.
@ A lot is being made about the Steelers' missed tackles in this game - and there were a bunch - but the Ravens certainly missed their share as well. It's a league-wide dilemma.
@ I didn't make note of it at the time, but a mishandled snap by Vick late in the game was costly, as well.
In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't huge, but it was a lost play.
One would be attempting a third-down pass to Sammie Coates late in the game on a quick slant. I don't know that Coates was the primary target, but that's where Mike Vick went with the ball.
Coates isn't known for having great hands and asking him to catch a ball in traffic in what is his first real NFL playing time is a risk I wouldn't have taken.
But again, I don't know that Coates was the top target there.
And you expect Josh Scobee to make a 41-yard field goal.
The other was the attempted keeper call by Vick in overtime. You've got Le'Veon Bell. Use him in that situation.
Outside of that, it's easy to second-guess things that don't work. But I didn't have an issue with Tomlin's decisions in those cases.
@ Speaking of Scobee, the Steelers will begin trying out kickers, as I wrote here.
Kai Forbath, Chris Boswell and Randy Bullock will all get a shot at replacing Scobee.
Breaking: The Steelers have signed Boswell.
And no, Jeff Reed was not an option.
@ Vick struggled waiting for things to develop in this game. He got off his initial read too quickly, especially when that read was Antonio Brown.
And Vick also didn't utilize Heath Miller at all.
He'll get better at those things the more comfortable he gets in this offense. Having Martavis Bryant back won't hurt, either.
@ I meant to make mention of it but forgot. Dri Archer got an opportunity to return a kick - at the start of overtime - and made a nice 31-yard return out to the 31.
Was it a great return? No, not great. But it was solid.
@ A lot is being made about the Steelers' missed tackles in this game - and there were a bunch - but the Ravens certainly missed their share as well. It's a league-wide dilemma.
@ I didn't make note of it at the time, but a mishandled snap by Vick late in the game was costly, as well.
In the grand scheme of things, it wasn't huge, but it was a lost play.
Friday, October 02, 2015
Post-Baltimore thoughts
That one hurts, at least from the standpoint for the Steelers that they had the Ravens on the ropes - several times, in fact - and did not put them away.
A big part of the reason for that is because the coaching staff just didn't trust Mike Vick to make a lot of throws down the field.
And Vick didn't trust Antonio Brown enough.
Vick and Brown just weren't on the same page all the time in this one, missing by a few inches here or a few feet there.
None was as big as Vick's fourth-and-1 pass from the Baltimore 33 in overtime, when he overthew Brown by a lot on what should have been an easy completion for a first down.
"That one is going to haunt me for a long time," Vick said.
Vick is now 3-13 in his past 16 starts. Quarterbacks always get too much credit for the wins and too much blame for the losses, and Vick hasn't been awful in those games, throwing 19 touchdown passes and nine interceptions.
But he lost this one much in the same way Joe Flacco "won" it.
Neither was great.
@ Much of the blame for this loss will be placed at the feet of placekicker Josh Scobee, and while that is fair, it's not the only reason the Steelers lost.
They couldn't convert some first downs late in the game despite having good field position and the defense, which had been solid against the run in the first three weeks, allowed Justin Forsett to go for 150 yards on 27 carries. Forsett was averaging 3.2 yards per attempt and had 124 yards in three games coming into this one.
That won't do.
@ I thought the Steelers did a nice job in pass defense overall in this one and while Ross Cockrell came up with two big plays, making an interception and fumble recovery, the latter of which set up a Pittsburgh touchdown that made it 20-7 early in the third quarter, he also gave up a TD on the ensuing possession.
Forsett hit a 33-yard run and then Cockrell allowed a 17-yard TD catch by Kamar Aiken that made it 20-14.
"From all aspects of the game, we could have all done something," said Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons. "We gave up 191 yards rushing. I feel like we could have done something better there. We look at it all across the board. We all could have done something better. It was definitely a team loss."
@ Can the Steelers get it together and rebound from this? I think so. The defense is still showing flashes of being better. It sacked Joe Flacco five times and forced a pair of turnovers.
Vick, with a full week of practice before the Steelers play again - and actually a couple of extra practices since they don't play until Oct. 12 at San Diego - will get plenty of practice time with the receivers.
And there's a guy named Martavis Bryant that will be back for the next game. That should help as well.
@ Dri Archer and Brown both had big returns in overtime that should have helped the Steelers to a win. They didn't.
And punter Jordan Berry had an off game that should have cost the Steelers points, especially when he hit one that only went 40 yards standing on his own goal line. It was returned to the Pittsburgh 33.
But for some reason, John Harbaugh decided to attempt a fake field goal after the Ravens stalled. And Sean Spence sniffed it out.
It was one of three failed fourth-down attempts for the Ravens in the second half. And the Steelers didn't make them pay.
They let Harbaugh off the ropes for his stupidity.
@ The Steelers continue to have issues with tackling. But it's a problem around the league.
I get the fact that fans focus on what their team is doing. But the Ravens missed plenty of tackles in this game as well.
In fact, watch any game around the league and you'll see plenty of missed tackles.
But it doesn't change the fact the Steelers seem to be missing them at inopportune times. Yes, I'm talking about you, Arthur Moats.
A big part of the reason for that is because the coaching staff just didn't trust Mike Vick to make a lot of throws down the field.
And Vick didn't trust Antonio Brown enough.
Vick and Brown just weren't on the same page all the time in this one, missing by a few inches here or a few feet there.
None was as big as Vick's fourth-and-1 pass from the Baltimore 33 in overtime, when he overthew Brown by a lot on what should have been an easy completion for a first down.
"That one is going to haunt me for a long time," Vick said.
Vick is now 3-13 in his past 16 starts. Quarterbacks always get too much credit for the wins and too much blame for the losses, and Vick hasn't been awful in those games, throwing 19 touchdown passes and nine interceptions.
But he lost this one much in the same way Joe Flacco "won" it.
Neither was great.
@ Much of the blame for this loss will be placed at the feet of placekicker Josh Scobee, and while that is fair, it's not the only reason the Steelers lost.
They couldn't convert some first downs late in the game despite having good field position and the defense, which had been solid against the run in the first three weeks, allowed Justin Forsett to go for 150 yards on 27 carries. Forsett was averaging 3.2 yards per attempt and had 124 yards in three games coming into this one.
That won't do.
@ I thought the Steelers did a nice job in pass defense overall in this one and while Ross Cockrell came up with two big plays, making an interception and fumble recovery, the latter of which set up a Pittsburgh touchdown that made it 20-7 early in the third quarter, he also gave up a TD on the ensuing possession.
Forsett hit a 33-yard run and then Cockrell allowed a 17-yard TD catch by Kamar Aiken that made it 20-14.
"From all aspects of the game, we could have all done something," said Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons. "We gave up 191 yards rushing. I feel like we could have done something better there. We look at it all across the board. We all could have done something better. It was definitely a team loss."
@ Can the Steelers get it together and rebound from this? I think so. The defense is still showing flashes of being better. It sacked Joe Flacco five times and forced a pair of turnovers.
Vick, with a full week of practice before the Steelers play again - and actually a couple of extra practices since they don't play until Oct. 12 at San Diego - will get plenty of practice time with the receivers.
And there's a guy named Martavis Bryant that will be back for the next game. That should help as well.
@ Dri Archer and Brown both had big returns in overtime that should have helped the Steelers to a win. They didn't.
And punter Jordan Berry had an off game that should have cost the Steelers points, especially when he hit one that only went 40 yards standing on his own goal line. It was returned to the Pittsburgh 33.
But for some reason, John Harbaugh decided to attempt a fake field goal after the Ravens stalled. And Sean Spence sniffed it out.
It was one of three failed fourth-down attempts for the Ravens in the second half. And the Steelers didn't make them pay.
They let Harbaugh off the ropes for his stupidity.
@ The Steelers continue to have issues with tackling. But it's a problem around the league.
I get the fact that fans focus on what their team is doing. But the Ravens missed plenty of tackles in this game as well.
In fact, watch any game around the league and you'll see plenty of missed tackles.
But it doesn't change the fact the Steelers seem to be missing them at inopportune times. Yes, I'm talking about you, Arthur Moats.
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Who I like, Ravens part I
Oh the story lines for this game.
The Steelers will be playing without starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger once again against the Ravens. It will mark the seventh time they've faced the Steelers without Roethlisberger since he became the starter in 2004. Baltimore has won five of the previous six matchups.
I think the Steelers will be OK in the long term with Vick at quarterback - and it will be long-term as Roethlisberger is expected to miss closer to six weeks than he is four - but this is a tough spot for the Steelers to get Vick prepared.
They had one "regular" practice on Tuesday and it was more of a glorified walk through. Considering Vick's talents do not mimic those of Roethlisberger, it's a lot to expect to have him be a finished product at this point.
But the Ravens have some issues of their own. In addition to having defensive star Terrell Suggs out for the season, Baltimore will be without tight end Crockett Gillmore, left tackle Eugene Monroe and defensive end Chris Canty.
Monroe is overrated in my opinion, but he is the starter, so anytime you get the backup out there, that's not a good thing.
The big loss is Gillmore, who has emerged as a secondary target behind Steve Smith. Justin Forsett is second on the team with 12 catches, but is averaging four yards a catch.
Does that even things out?
A bit. But not enough in my mind for the Steelers to win this one on a short week.
The Ravens are in circle-the-wagons mode right now at 0-3. I'm not surprised they are struggling. I thought they would be the team in the AFC that would take a step back this year to, say, 8-8. But I didn't expect them to be 0-3 at this point.
If the Steelers can exploit Baltimore's horrid pass defense - you think Pittsburgh's pass defense is bad, wait 'til you get a load of these guys - they can win this game. But I just don't think that Vick, on a short week, will be able to completely do that.
The Steelers will have more than a full week of practices before playing against in two Mondays against San Diego and I expect Vick to be better prepared for that one.
The Ravens are 2 1/2-point favorites for this game and I expect them to cover that line and win, 23-17.
* A housekeeping note: The Steelers waived defensive end Caushaud Lyons Wednesday and elevated linebacker Anthony Chickillo to their 53-man roster.
The Steelers will be playing without starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger once again against the Ravens. It will mark the seventh time they've faced the Steelers without Roethlisberger since he became the starter in 2004. Baltimore has won five of the previous six matchups.
I think the Steelers will be OK in the long term with Vick at quarterback - and it will be long-term as Roethlisberger is expected to miss closer to six weeks than he is four - but this is a tough spot for the Steelers to get Vick prepared.
They had one "regular" practice on Tuesday and it was more of a glorified walk through. Considering Vick's talents do not mimic those of Roethlisberger, it's a lot to expect to have him be a finished product at this point.
But the Ravens have some issues of their own. In addition to having defensive star Terrell Suggs out for the season, Baltimore will be without tight end Crockett Gillmore, left tackle Eugene Monroe and defensive end Chris Canty.
Monroe is overrated in my opinion, but he is the starter, so anytime you get the backup out there, that's not a good thing.
The big loss is Gillmore, who has emerged as a secondary target behind Steve Smith. Justin Forsett is second on the team with 12 catches, but is averaging four yards a catch.
Does that even things out?
A bit. But not enough in my mind for the Steelers to win this one on a short week.
The Ravens are in circle-the-wagons mode right now at 0-3. I'm not surprised they are struggling. I thought they would be the team in the AFC that would take a step back this year to, say, 8-8. But I didn't expect them to be 0-3 at this point.
If the Steelers can exploit Baltimore's horrid pass defense - you think Pittsburgh's pass defense is bad, wait 'til you get a load of these guys - they can win this game. But I just don't think that Vick, on a short week, will be able to completely do that.
The Steelers will have more than a full week of practices before playing against in two Mondays against San Diego and I expect Vick to be better prepared for that one.
The Ravens are 2 1/2-point favorites for this game and I expect them to cover that line and win, 23-17.
* A housekeeping note: The Steelers waived defensive end Caushaud Lyons Wednesday and elevated linebacker Anthony Chickillo to their 53-man roster.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Mid-week news and notes on a short week
Ben Roethlisberger said today that he feared the worst when he was initially hit in the Steelers' 12-6 win at St. Louis.
According to Roethlisberger, he felt something very wrong with his leg and feared he had broken it. Even after that was ruled out, Roethlisberger was concerned he had torn his ACL.
The initial pop that he felt was attributed to the bones in his knee banging together, something that caused the bone bruise that went along with his MCL sprain.
Roethlisberger wouldn't put a timetable on his return but did say he'd like to return sooner rather than later, Thursday, in fact, against the Ravens.
* Offensive coordinator Todd Haley admitted that he'll have to change things somewhat to tailor the offense toward Mike Vick.
The biggest change for Haley? He said that will be adjusting to a left-handed quarterback.
The Steelers haven't had many lefties over the years - the last was Tyler Palko, who had a cup of coffee here a few years ago.
Haley said because of that, he has to kind of flip his mentality when it comes to where the ball is placed. They will adjust their formations to make the left side the strong side in many cases.
* Haley said he and Vick met Monday night to go over the plays with which Vick is most comfortable and that they will go from there.
But on a short week, Haley said he can't make big changes to the playbook to take advantage of Vick's skill set.
* Another issue will be catching passes with a left-handed spin on them. But that didn't seem to be a problem Tuesday.
The Steelers also adjusted their jugs machine to simulate a lefty, allowing the receivers to get accustomed to that spin.
* Vick still throws a pretty deep ball. It's effortless when he flicks the ball deep.
According to Roethlisberger, he felt something very wrong with his leg and feared he had broken it. Even after that was ruled out, Roethlisberger was concerned he had torn his ACL.
The initial pop that he felt was attributed to the bones in his knee banging together, something that caused the bone bruise that went along with his MCL sprain.
Roethlisberger wouldn't put a timetable on his return but did say he'd like to return sooner rather than later, Thursday, in fact, against the Ravens.
* Offensive coordinator Todd Haley admitted that he'll have to change things somewhat to tailor the offense toward Mike Vick.
The biggest change for Haley? He said that will be adjusting to a left-handed quarterback.
The Steelers haven't had many lefties over the years - the last was Tyler Palko, who had a cup of coffee here a few years ago.
Haley said because of that, he has to kind of flip his mentality when it comes to where the ball is placed. They will adjust their formations to make the left side the strong side in many cases.
* Haley said he and Vick met Monday night to go over the plays with which Vick is most comfortable and that they will go from there.
But on a short week, Haley said he can't make big changes to the playbook to take advantage of Vick's skill set.
* Another issue will be catching passes with a left-handed spin on them. But that didn't seem to be a problem Tuesday.
The Steelers also adjusted their jugs machine to simulate a lefty, allowing the receivers to get accustomed to that spin.
* Vick still throws a pretty deep ball. It's effortless when he flicks the ball deep.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Tuesday with Tomlin/Monday edition
Mike Tomlin didn't have a lot of time to either celebrate the Steelers' win Sunday at St. Louis or lament the loss of Ben Roethlisberger for at least the next month.
He's got a game Thursday night against an 0-3 Baltimore Ravens team for which to prepare his team.
And Tomlin expects the Ravens to be angry.
"I would imagine that they are not demoralized," Tomlin said. "Quite frankly, I would imagine that they are angry."
That's all well and good. The Ravens should be angry. They should be angry that they laid an egg at Oakland in Week 2. They should be angry that they were shut out at home by Cincinnati and then blew a pair of fourth quarter leads to the Bengals.
* Tomlin did admit the Steelers might have to adjust their offense some to make things easier on quarterback Mike Vick, who has been with the team for just over a month.
It was a rare admittance for Tomlin, who typically wouldn't say something like that about a backup playing.
But the reality is that the quarterback position is the most important position on any football team. People who say it isn't typically don't have one and are trying to trick themselves into believing that isn't true.
The Steelers are 10-8 in games not started by Roethlisberger since they selected him in the first round of the 2004 draft. They are 9-7 overall without him since he took over for an injured Tommy Maddox three weeks into that 2004 season.
A healthy portion of those missed games have, ironically, come against the Ravens, the team against which he saw his first NFL action in place of Maddox.
Since 2004, Thursday's game will mark the seventh game he's missed in his career against the Ravens, though one of those games came because the Steelers chose to sit him. The Steelers are 2-4 against the Ravens without Roethlisberger at quarterback. They are 9-6 against the Ravens when he starts.
* If Roethlisberger is, indeed, out for a month, this game Thursday is an important one. The Steelers have to win at least one of the next four games without Roethlisberger if they hope to still have a shot at the playoffs.
After Baltimore, they travel to San Diego, host Arizona and play at Kansas City. That's a tough stretch.
* Tomlin said linebacker Ryan Shazier is experiencing weakness in his injured shoulder, which would be in line with my initial report of it being a stinger.
A stinger is weakness or numbness caused by a nerve being pinched. It's just lingering with Shazier.
He's got a game Thursday night against an 0-3 Baltimore Ravens team for which to prepare his team.
And Tomlin expects the Ravens to be angry.
"I would imagine that they are not demoralized," Tomlin said. "Quite frankly, I would imagine that they are angry."
That's all well and good. The Ravens should be angry. They should be angry that they laid an egg at Oakland in Week 2. They should be angry that they were shut out at home by Cincinnati and then blew a pair of fourth quarter leads to the Bengals.
* Tomlin did admit the Steelers might have to adjust their offense some to make things easier on quarterback Mike Vick, who has been with the team for just over a month.
It was a rare admittance for Tomlin, who typically wouldn't say something like that about a backup playing.
But the reality is that the quarterback position is the most important position on any football team. People who say it isn't typically don't have one and are trying to trick themselves into believing that isn't true.
The Steelers are 10-8 in games not started by Roethlisberger since they selected him in the first round of the 2004 draft. They are 9-7 overall without him since he took over for an injured Tommy Maddox three weeks into that 2004 season.
A healthy portion of those missed games have, ironically, come against the Ravens, the team against which he saw his first NFL action in place of Maddox.
Since 2004, Thursday's game will mark the seventh game he's missed in his career against the Ravens, though one of those games came because the Steelers chose to sit him. The Steelers are 2-4 against the Ravens without Roethlisberger at quarterback. They are 9-6 against the Ravens when he starts.
* If Roethlisberger is, indeed, out for a month, this game Thursday is an important one. The Steelers have to win at least one of the next four games without Roethlisberger if they hope to still have a shot at the playoffs.
After Baltimore, they travel to San Diego, host Arizona and play at Kansas City. That's a tough stretch.
* Tomlin said linebacker Ryan Shazier is experiencing weakness in his injured shoulder, which would be in line with my initial report of it being a stinger.
A stinger is weakness or numbness caused by a nerve being pinched. It's just lingering with Shazier.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Post-St. Louis thoughts
The big news coming out of Sunday's 12-6 win by the Steelers is obviously the state of Ben Roethlisberger's left leg.
Roethlisberger was knocked out of Sunday's game in the third quarter on a play that should have been penalized in former head of officiating Mike Pereira's opinion.
There was no penalty on the play and things were left up to the defense to close this one out.
There is a possibility Barron could draw a fine for lunging at Roethlisberger's knee.
As for Roethlisberger's injury, the Steelers are assuming it's a sprained knee and that he'll be out four weeks. That's best-case scenario.
Roethlisberger had an MRI Sunday night to make sure the ACL is not torn, but team doctors are cautiously optimistic that it's not.
In the meantime, the Steelers will turn to Mike Vick.
* There have still be protests outside of Heinz Field regarding Vick, just in case you're wondering.
* The Steelers can all but bury the Ravens with a win over Baltimore Thursday night.
* The way Pittsburgh's defense is playing right now, I wouldn't bet against them. The players have a way of rallying around a backup quarterback.
And the young defense is playing well. Stephon Tuitt and Cam Heyward have been beasts.
In fact, the whole defensive line is continually making plays. Yes, Cam Thomas, I saw you busting through the line into the backfield to force the back to change directions and get stuffed.
* The special teams coverage units also give the Steelers an excellent chance to win each week. The coverage against very dangerous Tavon Austin Sunday was very good.
* The sledding was tough out there for Le'Veon Bell in his first game back, but it will get better. I know Rams were gouged the previous week by Washington, but they did shut down Seattle's run game in Week 1.
* St. Louis came in allowing opponents to complete 81 percent of their passes. Roethlisberger and Vick were a combined 25 of 30, so the Rams lowered their completion percentage allowed.
* The offensive line had its hands full, particularly in the second half with St. Louis' pass rush.
The Rams' defensive line is very, very good, probably the best the Steelers will see.
* It was funny watching Twitter erupt when the Steelers finally missed on a two-point conversion. Yeah, because they were never going to miss.
* At that point, the Steelers had pretty much done what they wanted on offense. Why not go for 2?
* Ryan Shazier had his arm in a sling Sunday. That wasn't the case all week, so there's something going on there that the team was letting on.
I thought Vince Williams would start in his place. The team instead went with Sean Spence. I can't say that was a bad choice. Spence played well.
But I really like Williams' game.
Roethlisberger was knocked out of Sunday's game in the third quarter on a play that should have been penalized in former head of officiating Mike Pereira's opinion.
There was no penalty on the play and things were left up to the defense to close this one out.
There is a possibility Barron could draw a fine for lunging at Roethlisberger's knee.
As for Roethlisberger's injury, the Steelers are assuming it's a sprained knee and that he'll be out four weeks. That's best-case scenario.
Roethlisberger had an MRI Sunday night to make sure the ACL is not torn, but team doctors are cautiously optimistic that it's not.
In the meantime, the Steelers will turn to Mike Vick.
* There have still be protests outside of Heinz Field regarding Vick, just in case you're wondering.
* The Steelers can all but bury the Ravens with a win over Baltimore Thursday night.
* The way Pittsburgh's defense is playing right now, I wouldn't bet against them. The players have a way of rallying around a backup quarterback.
And the young defense is playing well. Stephon Tuitt and Cam Heyward have been beasts.
In fact, the whole defensive line is continually making plays. Yes, Cam Thomas, I saw you busting through the line into the backfield to force the back to change directions and get stuffed.
* The special teams coverage units also give the Steelers an excellent chance to win each week. The coverage against very dangerous Tavon Austin Sunday was very good.
* The sledding was tough out there for Le'Veon Bell in his first game back, but it will get better. I know Rams were gouged the previous week by Washington, but they did shut down Seattle's run game in Week 1.
* St. Louis came in allowing opponents to complete 81 percent of their passes. Roethlisberger and Vick were a combined 25 of 30, so the Rams lowered their completion percentage allowed.
* The offensive line had its hands full, particularly in the second half with St. Louis' pass rush.
The Rams' defensive line is very, very good, probably the best the Steelers will see.
* It was funny watching Twitter erupt when the Steelers finally missed on a two-point conversion. Yeah, because they were never going to miss.
* At that point, the Steelers had pretty much done what they wanted on offense. Why not go for 2?
* Ryan Shazier had his arm in a sling Sunday. That wasn't the case all week, so there's something going on there that the team was letting on.
I thought Vince Williams would start in his place. The team instead went with Sean Spence. I can't say that was a bad choice. Spence played well.
But I really like Williams' game.
Steelers-Rams game-day thread
Rookie L.T. Walton will see his first NFL action today for the Steelers against the Rams as he's active with Daniel McCullers out with a knee injury.
Cortez Allen also is out today for the Steelers, meaning the corners will be William Gay, Antwon Blake and Brandon Boykin.
Also inactive for the Steelers are Landry Jones, Ryan Shazier, Chris Hubbard, Jesse James and Caushaud Lyons.
For the Rams, rookie running back Todd Gurley is active. It will be interesting to see how much he's used today. Remember, he hasn't taken a snap since tearing his ACL last November while at Georgia.
Ryan Shazier has his right arm in a sling today on the field. That was not the case all week.
Cortez Allen also is out today for the Steelers, meaning the corners will be William Gay, Antwon Blake and Brandon Boykin.
Also inactive for the Steelers are Landry Jones, Ryan Shazier, Chris Hubbard, Jesse James and Caushaud Lyons.
For the Rams, rookie running back Todd Gurley is active. It will be interesting to see how much he's used today. Remember, he hasn't taken a snap since tearing his ACL last November while at Georgia.
Ryan Shazier has his right arm in a sling today on the field. That was not the case all week.
Friday, September 25, 2015
Who I like, Steelers vs. Rams
Guess who's back? No, not just Le'Veon Bell, but Todd Gurley as well. That's the only reason I can figure the line moving this week from the Steelers being favored by 2 1/2 to this being a pick-em game.
Then again, the Steelers' offense over the past two seasons hasn't been as prolific on the road as it has been at home.
Ben Roethlisberger has thrown 26 TD passes and four interceptions in his past nine home games. On the road over the past nine games, those numbers are 10 an 6.
For this Steelers team to truly be a Super Bowl contender - and I believe they are - they have to get more even performances from Roethlisberger in his home-road splits.
This week would be a good time to start.
As mentioned, the Steelers get Bell back. That should be a huge boost. He's yet another difference maker in an offense loaded with them.
But the Rams will see Gurley make his debut. The top back selected in this year's draft, Gurley was the best running back in college last year before tearing his ACL.
As we have seen, however, even when a player returns from an ACL injury, it typically takes some time to round into form.
St. Louis can get after the quarterback, but the Steelers have done a nice job protecting the passer and the insertion of Bell into the equation should only help that. Opponents have to be aware of where he is at all times.
If the Steelers can continue to protect Roethlisberger as they have - he's been hit an NFL-low five times in two weeks - they should win this one going away. The Steelers have done a nice job thus far of stopping the run and I don't see how the Rams keep up unless Pittsburgh turns it over two or three times.
I like the Steelers to win this one, 31-17.
The Dale Lolley Steelers podcast
Then again, the Steelers' offense over the past two seasons hasn't been as prolific on the road as it has been at home.
Ben Roethlisberger has thrown 26 TD passes and four interceptions in his past nine home games. On the road over the past nine games, those numbers are 10 an 6.
For this Steelers team to truly be a Super Bowl contender - and I believe they are - they have to get more even performances from Roethlisberger in his home-road splits.
This week would be a good time to start.
As mentioned, the Steelers get Bell back. That should be a huge boost. He's yet another difference maker in an offense loaded with them.
But the Rams will see Gurley make his debut. The top back selected in this year's draft, Gurley was the best running back in college last year before tearing his ACL.
As we have seen, however, even when a player returns from an ACL injury, it typically takes some time to round into form.
St. Louis can get after the quarterback, but the Steelers have done a nice job protecting the passer and the insertion of Bell into the equation should only help that. Opponents have to be aware of where he is at all times.
If the Steelers can continue to protect Roethlisberger as they have - he's been hit an NFL-low five times in two weeks - they should win this one going away. The Steelers have done a nice job thus far of stopping the run and I don't see how the Rams keep up unless Pittsburgh turns it over two or three times.
I like the Steelers to win this one, 31-17.
The Dale Lolley Steelers podcast
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Mid-week news and notes
Tyler Murphy was the player released by the Steelers on Wednesday to make room for Le'Veon Bell on the 53-man roster.
It was a bit of a surprise only because I figured the team would wait and release Murphy in two weeks when Martavis Bryant returns.
For this roster spot, I thought L.T. Walton or Caushaud Lyons would be the one released, since the team doesn't need seven defensive linemen.
But Daniel McCullers' knee injury and possible unavailability this week might have cost Murphy his job and saved Walton or Lyons a roster spot for at least a couple of weeks.
Some felt Dri Archer was going to be released. I didn't see that happening and actually had some side bets on it - I won.
The Steelers aren't about to give up on a third-round pick 18 games into his career. Archer also hasn't exactly gotten an opportunity to show one way or another if he's capable of being the kick return guy this season.
Archer got four opportunities to return kicks in the preseason. He averaged 24.5 yards per return - not great, but not bad. And it's a small sample size.
He's gotten one chance to return a kick in the regular season and picked up 22 yards on that one.
The point is, we don't know for certain that Archer can't do it this season. Yes, he stunk doing it last season, but that was just that, last season.
Some fans - and media members - were ready to move on from Archer. The Steelers, however, are not.
* Ben Roethlisberger while talking about the two-point conversion success the team has had early on said the players finally talked Mike Tomlin out of opening Wednesday's practice sessions with 7 Shots - their two-point conversion practice.
He did say they will continue to open with it Thursdays and Fridays.
The Steelers credit their success with two-point conversions to 7-Shots and Roethlisberger said they go into each game with 7 to 10 two-point conversion plays in their back pocket each week.
Roethlisberger said the Steelers will continue to be steady users of the two-point conversion because they are comfortable with it. And more importantly, they are good at it.
* Much is being made about how the Steelers will utilize DeAngelo Williams now that Le'Veon Bell is back.
I don't think it really matters.
Bell is the horse. He needs to be on the field all the time. If there are times when he's spelled by Williams, so be it.
But Williams isn't going to pout if he's not utilized. He knows what he was brought he to do. And he knows who the main guy is.
It was a bit of a surprise only because I figured the team would wait and release Murphy in two weeks when Martavis Bryant returns.
For this roster spot, I thought L.T. Walton or Caushaud Lyons would be the one released, since the team doesn't need seven defensive linemen.
But Daniel McCullers' knee injury and possible unavailability this week might have cost Murphy his job and saved Walton or Lyons a roster spot for at least a couple of weeks.
Some felt Dri Archer was going to be released. I didn't see that happening and actually had some side bets on it - I won.
The Steelers aren't about to give up on a third-round pick 18 games into his career. Archer also hasn't exactly gotten an opportunity to show one way or another if he's capable of being the kick return guy this season.
Archer got four opportunities to return kicks in the preseason. He averaged 24.5 yards per return - not great, but not bad. And it's a small sample size.
He's gotten one chance to return a kick in the regular season and picked up 22 yards on that one.
The point is, we don't know for certain that Archer can't do it this season. Yes, he stunk doing it last season, but that was just that, last season.
Some fans - and media members - were ready to move on from Archer. The Steelers, however, are not.
* Ben Roethlisberger while talking about the two-point conversion success the team has had early on said the players finally talked Mike Tomlin out of opening Wednesday's practice sessions with 7 Shots - their two-point conversion practice.
He did say they will continue to open with it Thursdays and Fridays.
The Steelers credit their success with two-point conversions to 7-Shots and Roethlisberger said they go into each game with 7 to 10 two-point conversion plays in their back pocket each week.
Roethlisberger said the Steelers will continue to be steady users of the two-point conversion because they are comfortable with it. And more importantly, they are good at it.
* Much is being made about how the Steelers will utilize DeAngelo Williams now that Le'Veon Bell is back.
I don't think it really matters.
Bell is the horse. He needs to be on the field all the time. If there are times when he's spelled by Williams, so be it.
But Williams isn't going to pout if he's not utilized. He knows what he was brought he to do. And he knows who the main guy is.
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Tuesday with Tomlin, other thoughts
Mike Tomlin couldn't talk enough about the St. Louis defensive line, and most notably, Aaron Donald, today at this weekly press conference.
The Rams have five former first-round draft picks on their defensive line and Jeff Fisher has does what he typically does, build his defense from the front to back.
Fisher's defenses have always given the Steelers fits, both because they've typically done a nice job of stuffing the run and getting to the quarterback.
But this group did allow a bunch of rushing yards on Sunday against Washington, which might have the worst roster in the league, losing 24-10.
The Rams stop the run on the way to the quarterback. And if the Steelers can get Le'Veon Bell out on the edge, he could have a lot of success.
The Steelers offensive line also has done an outstanding job both in run blocking and pass blocking in the first two weeks.
That should be a premiere matchup.
* Tomlin spoke a lot about going into a hostile environment this week but I don't know that will be the case.
The Rams announced a crowd of 50,000 or so for their opener against Seattle two weeks ago but that seemed like a stretch.
People in St. Louis aren't supporting this team because it has one foot out the door to Los Angeles.
I have a feeling the stadium could be filled a little closer to capacity this week, but it will be filled with Steelers fans, not those wanting to see the Rams.
* Tomlin said only Daniel McCullers (knee swelling) is on the injury report at this time. He was also asked about Cortez Allen, who also has had issues with knee swelling and missed last week's game.
Tomlin said he's not sure that the current knee issue is the same one Allen was dealing with in the preseason, though it is. I asked if there was a possibility of surgery being needed, but Tomlin said that wasn't the case.
* Tomlin said he's not concerned with placekicker Josh Scobee at this point. Scobee has missed two of four field goal attempts and missed a PAT against the 49ers.
Part of the problem could be new punter Jordan Berry, who is the holder, but that's just a theory on my part. I, and the Steelers, expect Scobee to be better as the season moves on.
* The Ravens, Seahawks and Colts are all 0-2 and history says that 0-2 teams make the playoffs just under 12 percent of the time.
The Colts have the best chance of bucking that trend. They started 0-2 last season and made the playoffs thanks to playing in the AFC South, where they get what should be six easy wins.
Seattle also has a chance to rebound in a pretty wide-open NFC playoff race.
The Ravens, however, are in deep trouble. They host Cincinnati this week and play the Steelers on the road on a short week next Thursday.
An 0-4 start would leave them finished. A 1-3 start is barely passable.
* The Houston Chronicle is reporting that Martavis Bryant is in Houston working with former NBA player and coach John Lucas during his 4-game suspension for marijuana use.
Lucas is well-known for his work with athletes who have issues with drug abuse. This is a good step for Bryant, who is one failed test away from a 10-game suspension.
The Rams have five former first-round draft picks on their defensive line and Jeff Fisher has does what he typically does, build his defense from the front to back.
Fisher's defenses have always given the Steelers fits, both because they've typically done a nice job of stuffing the run and getting to the quarterback.
But this group did allow a bunch of rushing yards on Sunday against Washington, which might have the worst roster in the league, losing 24-10.
The Rams stop the run on the way to the quarterback. And if the Steelers can get Le'Veon Bell out on the edge, he could have a lot of success.
The Steelers offensive line also has done an outstanding job both in run blocking and pass blocking in the first two weeks.
That should be a premiere matchup.
* Tomlin spoke a lot about going into a hostile environment this week but I don't know that will be the case.
The Rams announced a crowd of 50,000 or so for their opener against Seattle two weeks ago but that seemed like a stretch.
People in St. Louis aren't supporting this team because it has one foot out the door to Los Angeles.
I have a feeling the stadium could be filled a little closer to capacity this week, but it will be filled with Steelers fans, not those wanting to see the Rams.
* Tomlin said only Daniel McCullers (knee swelling) is on the injury report at this time. He was also asked about Cortez Allen, who also has had issues with knee swelling and missed last week's game.
Tomlin said he's not sure that the current knee issue is the same one Allen was dealing with in the preseason, though it is. I asked if there was a possibility of surgery being needed, but Tomlin said that wasn't the case.
* Tomlin said he's not concerned with placekicker Josh Scobee at this point. Scobee has missed two of four field goal attempts and missed a PAT against the 49ers.
Part of the problem could be new punter Jordan Berry, who is the holder, but that's just a theory on my part. I, and the Steelers, expect Scobee to be better as the season moves on.
* The Ravens, Seahawks and Colts are all 0-2 and history says that 0-2 teams make the playoffs just under 12 percent of the time.
The Colts have the best chance of bucking that trend. They started 0-2 last season and made the playoffs thanks to playing in the AFC South, where they get what should be six easy wins.
Seattle also has a chance to rebound in a pretty wide-open NFC playoff race.
The Ravens, however, are in deep trouble. They host Cincinnati this week and play the Steelers on the road on a short week next Thursday.
An 0-4 start would leave them finished. A 1-3 start is barely passable.
* The Houston Chronicle is reporting that Martavis Bryant is in Houston working with former NBA player and coach John Lucas during his 4-game suspension for marijuana use.
Lucas is well-known for his work with athletes who have issues with drug abuse. This is a good step for Bryant, who is one failed test away from a 10-game suspension.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Post-San Francisco thoughts
I thought the Steelers would come away with a relatively easy victory Sunday against the 49ers. I didn't, however, think it would be as easy as it wound up being.
The key, at least to me, was the defense's ability to do a nice job against the run again.
After limiting the Patriots to 80 rushing yards last week, the Steelers gave up 111 on 31 attempts Sunday. But that doesn't tell the true story.
Nearly half of those rushing yards - 51 - came on eight carries by quarterback Colin Kaepernick. San Francisco's running backs had 60 yards on 23 carries.
We didn't see as many missed tackles as we saw last week, too.
Yes, the 49ers finished with just over 400 yards of total offense, but that number was just over 100 yards and three points in the first half and two third quarter possessions resulted in no scores for the 49ers, as well.
* The Steelers defensive backs came with an attitude in this one as well.
Mike Mitchell had a hit on Carlos Hyde early that some were calling dirty on Twitter. I didn't see that as being the case, as Hyde was still up and fighting for yards when Mitchell came in and hit him on his leg.
Hyde later left with a head injury and did not return.
But the defensive backs were aggressive and that aggressiveness led to some pass breakups, something we didn't see last week at New England.
* Ben Roethlisberger not only wasn't sacked Sunday, he wasn't touched.
There wasn't a lot of running room in this game - though the run game did produce 84 yards - but Roethlisberger had all day to sit back and scan the field. And he made the 49ers pay time and again.
* With all due respect to J.J. Watt or Tom Brady or anyone else, Antonio Brown is the best player in the NFL regardless of position.
Opponents know he's getting the ball. And yet he's constantly open.
Roethlisberger attempted 11 passes to Brown Sunday. He caught nine of them for 195 pounds and a touchdown.
* What does a team do a day after scoring 43 points? How about bench the NFL's second-leading rusher?
The Steelers offensive line is playing really well and so has DeAngelo Williams.
But LeVeon Bell comes back Monday.
That can't be comforting to any opponents.
* Ryan Shazier had 15 tackles, three for a loss, a sack, a fumble and a fumble recovery. And he's still just scratching the surface of what he can do.
The Steelers didn't use Shazier as a spy on Kaepernick. They didn't have to.
He played a short zone and used his speed to run Kaepernick or whoever was carrying the ball, again and again.
Yes. Kaepernick averaged 6.4 yards per rushing attempt. But if Shazier doesn't tackle him on some of those rushing attempts, he might still be running.
Shazier is going to be a special, special player.
* Yes, there is some concern about Josh Scobee's misses. He banged a PAT off the upright Sunday, giving him three misses in two games.
He's got to be better then that. Then again, the Steelers shouldn't be settling for field goals or kicking PATs with this offense.
The key, at least to me, was the defense's ability to do a nice job against the run again.
After limiting the Patriots to 80 rushing yards last week, the Steelers gave up 111 on 31 attempts Sunday. But that doesn't tell the true story.
Nearly half of those rushing yards - 51 - came on eight carries by quarterback Colin Kaepernick. San Francisco's running backs had 60 yards on 23 carries.
We didn't see as many missed tackles as we saw last week, too.
Yes, the 49ers finished with just over 400 yards of total offense, but that number was just over 100 yards and three points in the first half and two third quarter possessions resulted in no scores for the 49ers, as well.
* The Steelers defensive backs came with an attitude in this one as well.
Mike Mitchell had a hit on Carlos Hyde early that some were calling dirty on Twitter. I didn't see that as being the case, as Hyde was still up and fighting for yards when Mitchell came in and hit him on his leg.
Hyde later left with a head injury and did not return.
But the defensive backs were aggressive and that aggressiveness led to some pass breakups, something we didn't see last week at New England.
* Ben Roethlisberger not only wasn't sacked Sunday, he wasn't touched.
There wasn't a lot of running room in this game - though the run game did produce 84 yards - but Roethlisberger had all day to sit back and scan the field. And he made the 49ers pay time and again.
* With all due respect to J.J. Watt or Tom Brady or anyone else, Antonio Brown is the best player in the NFL regardless of position.
Opponents know he's getting the ball. And yet he's constantly open.
Roethlisberger attempted 11 passes to Brown Sunday. He caught nine of them for 195 pounds and a touchdown.
* What does a team do a day after scoring 43 points? How about bench the NFL's second-leading rusher?
The Steelers offensive line is playing really well and so has DeAngelo Williams.
But LeVeon Bell comes back Monday.
That can't be comforting to any opponents.
* Ryan Shazier had 15 tackles, three for a loss, a sack, a fumble and a fumble recovery. And he's still just scratching the surface of what he can do.
The Steelers didn't use Shazier as a spy on Kaepernick. They didn't have to.
He played a short zone and used his speed to run Kaepernick or whoever was carrying the ball, again and again.
Yes. Kaepernick averaged 6.4 yards per rushing attempt. But if Shazier doesn't tackle him on some of those rushing attempts, he might still be running.
Shazier is going to be a special, special player.
* Yes, there is some concern about Josh Scobee's misses. He banged a PAT off the upright Sunday, giving him three misses in two games.
He's got to be better then that. Then again, the Steelers shouldn't be settling for field goals or kicking PATs with this offense.
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