Giants re-cap and Redskins preview

STH goes 5-2 on the year with the Steeler's loss to the G-men.  No shame in losing to the Giants, but I think the Steelers should have won that game.  Reasons the Steelers lost:

1.  Penalties - especially on the drive that got to the Giants 35...then went backwards to the Steelers 35.  On this drive, the Steelers lost a TD at worst, and 3 points at best.

2.  Poor play from Ben.  I hate to say it, but at least two of the sacks were a result of Ben holding the ball way too long.  Eli got rid of the ball...Ben ate it.

3.  Poor execution in the 4Q.  No first downs...no points...no nothing.

The Steelers did not lose because of the bad snap.  That play was pretty insignificant, except for highlight reels.

Keys to the Redskins game:

Offense

1.  Pass more like the Steelers do against the Ravens.  The Redskins have the 5th ranked rushing defense.  This does not mean the Steelers should abandon the run, but passing will be easier than running.  The Redskins have the 11th ranked pass defense, but they will be missing two starters from the secondary.  Also, the Redskins only have 10 sacks this year, so Ben should be less pressured than against the Giants.

2.  Run outside.  Fletcher is a good MLB, so getting to the edges with either Parker or Moore should create opportunities for big chunks of yards.  Up the middle is not a good game plan.

Defense

1.  Shut down Clinton Portis.  If the Steelers can hold Portis to less than 70 yards, then the Steelers should win.

2.  Abuse the LT Heyer.  I like Silverback against Heyer or a RB.  If the Steelers DL can slant to get Keisel on Heyer or the LG, then Harrison should pop free a lot. The Redskins are giving up an average of 2 sacks per game.  Silverback will get at least 2.

3.  Woodley should get 1 sack.

4.  The pressure should make Campbell force to ball or fumble the ball.  Campbell has been really good this year with ball security.  This is a result of a good running game and good decisions.  However, the Steelers D can take away both, and I do not see the Redskins winning the one-on-one matchups.

The preseason pick had this as a trap game after a big win over the Giants.  However...AHEM...that is not necessarily the case now.  So, I think the Steelers come out and get a win.  Steelers 17-10.

2009 Free Agents

OK...so it is a little early to start looking at free agency, but it is a fun diversion after a loss.  Looking forward to players that would do the Steelers a lot of good:

1.  Chris Snee - RG, NYG  Signing Snee would let the Steelers part ways with Simmons, who has been pretty mediocre lately.  Immediate upgrade in run and interior pass blocking.  This would also limit any downside from Simmons not recovering well from his achilles injury.  If Kemoeatu re-signs, then the guard position is a definite strength.

2.  Dunta Robinson - CB, Texans.  If the Steelers can re-sign McFadden and get Robinson, then they will have a great nickel package.  This gives the Steelers depth and experience at CB.

3.  A kick returner - ANY kick returner

Giants!!

Will the Steelers beat the Giants?  Could...but the offense really needs to game plan for the pass rush.

Keys to Victory:

Offense

1.  Run the ball, especially on second down.  The Patriots were a pass happy team, and look where that got them.  The Steelers O needs to punish the Giants D to slow down the pass rush.

2.  Be unpredictable on 1st down.  Runs, passes, screens...1st down needs to get about 4-6 yards to make second down a good running down.

3.  Have a good plan to beat the blitz.  This is where getting whupped by the Eagles D pays dividends.  If the Steelers can limit the Giants to 2 sacks, they have a good chance to win.

4.  Score at least 21 points.  I think if the Steelers put up 21, they win.

Defense

1.  Stuff Jacobs, and eliminate the cutbacks for the smaller and quicker RBs.  This will make the Giants O one dimensional.  The D needs to penetrate against Jacobs, and play Bradshaw like they played the Jags.

2.  Rattle Eli.  I think the Steeler LB'ers will do a good job of making Eli move and dance.

3.  Catch the ball.  Eli will provide opportunities for INTs and forced fumbles.  The Steelers need to capitalize and get the turnovers when they are there.

4.  Shut down Plax in the red zone.  This will force FGs rather than TDs.

Prediction:  24-20 Steelers...but this will be a hard game...

Last Week's Review

Last week, STH went to 4-2 on the season picking games.  Also, the sack prediction was pretty close.  Good game for the Steelers against the Bungles...but what is new?

The Steelers took a bye, and so did I

But I'm back...

What a win over Jax!!  Everything clicked as the offensive game plan used: 

1.  Quick, short passes effectively

2.  Runs out of 3 and 4 WR sets

3.  The RB on circle and flare routes

The D game plan shut down the running game and created pressure on 3rd and longs.  The only downer was the number of converted 3rd and longs...need to get that fixed.

STH falls to 3-2 on the season, but I'm glad the Steelers won.  I'll take that every week if I can.  =)  Note that STH has accurately predicted the record to this point, but missed on which game was a loss.

Looking forward to the Bungles:

1.  The Bengals have had issues in pass protection this year.  Expect a thorough ravishing of Fitzpatrick by Harrison and Woodley.  I think Timmons will pick up another sack this week also.  Pre-game prediction:  5 sacks.

2.  The Bengals have no running game.  This puts a lot of pressure on the QB.  Oooops...

3.  The Steelers should be able to run the ball easily, and pass even easier.  Look for a big day from Holmes.  I think he'll have 5+ catches for over 100 yds and  2TDs.

Pre-season pick was 27-17 Steelers.  However, I think this will be a little more of a route.  31-6...or something like that.

Oh yeah...

STH is 3-1 on the season.

Go Steelers!

Ravens Review and Jags Pre-game

A Win is a Win

The Ravens played a tough game on defense.  Thankfully, Flacco was limiting the play calling of the Ravens, who played it close to the vest.  The Baltimore tackles and RBs struggles against Harrison and Woodley, which PGH had hoped would happen.  Losing Mendenhall and Davis hurts, but it also let Moore show what he can do.  I think as the season wears on, this is a good thing.  This will let Ben gain trust in a check down option, which will be important in countering the pass rush.

The Jags are another physical team, but a bit less so after losing Stroud to Buffalo.  The Jags pass rush is not producing as much as hoped.  The offense still relies on running the ball with an occasional play from Garrard.

The short week shouldn't matter much as far as game planning goes.  The Steelers know the Jags, and visa versa.  I hope the Steelers get a lot of rest this week.

Steeler's offense:

1.  Needs to keep the Jag's D off balance with short, efficient passes on 1st and 2nd down.

2.  When they run, the oline has to let the FB get to a LB'er.  If the O-line can win one-on-one battles, the running game will be effective.  Not dominating, but effective enough to make the Jags think about it.  Getting 3-4 yards per carry is probably all we can expect without Parker or Mendenhall.  

3.  Need to victimize the short-handed Jax secondary.  Maybe test it early by going deep if they get a 2nd and short.

4.  Keep the inside pressure down when passing.  This is one of the things that killed the Steelers last year.

5.  Need to jump out to an early lead.  The Jax offense is not a big play threat, except for MJD.  Get a lead early and minimize the Jax running game, and let Silverback/Woodley wreak havoc.

Key match-ups:  Hartings/Stapelton/Kemo vs the DTs.

Steeler's defense:

1.  Taylor loves to cut back, so no over-pursuit.  The D-line and LB'ers need to "string-out" outside runs by Taylor rather than penetrate.

2.  Polamalu should serve as the disruptive penetrator in run D.

3.  Hit Garrard hard early.  He has not been as mistake free with the ball as he was in 2007.  He will probably offer up a pick or two - that's for you Ike.

Key match-ups:  Barnes/Pashos vs. Silverback/Woodley

Wrap-up

This will be a very difficult game to win for the Steelers.  Jax plays very physical, and it looks like the OGs have adjusted from being second string to starting.  When they were both in the AFC Central, Jax gave the Steelers fits.

The pre-season pick was 28-20 Jags.  It might be a bit loser (24-20), but I still think the Jags win.  However, I'd love it if the Steelers were able to pull one out.