Week 12 @ COLTS

[ATL96Steeler]

Thanks to their first win in 5 weeks, the now .500 Steelers make the quick turnaround and go on the road again...I'm not sure if I've seen a team play a road game and a THURS Night game on the road the following week. I'm thinking they did that because CLE is so close to PIT.

They had to have this game plan at least 50% done. The big news has started to feed down that Andrew Luck is in concussion protocol and not likely to play vs PIT.

Obviously that's a big break if it happens like that, but part of me wanted to see if this DEF was finally ready to play ball vs a pretty good QB on the road again.

Injuries...Word is no one got seriously dinged in the Browns game. There are some names to report though...Wheaton (shoulder) was put on IR, Grimble, (quad), Shamarko Thomas (groin) Dangerfield (groin) did not play last week and are listed as questionable...with the short week, I don't expect them to play. That thins out the ST with both safeties our so Golden kind of resumes his role as the ST leader. D. Williams (knee) is out. Coates (hand) is probable and imo won't get his mitts totally back together until after the season.

This game...the Colts are also 5-5 fighting for their DIV and coming off b-t-b wins for the 1st time this season. They are 7th on OFC. The DEF has been struggling currently ranked 26. Of course that OFC ranking was with Luck behind center. I don't know much about Scott Tolzien. Not a kid, 29, but only 2 NFL starts. The Colts have some playmakers on OFC, but Butler needs to stay aggressive and keep the heat on this inexperienced QB. I like seeing Timmons being moved to the edge and Jones moving inside and in coverage...that wrinkle paid dividends last week. If Davis could just get under control on his blitzes, he could be dangerous.

Steelers OL needs to be aware of #93...if they get him blocked, this OFC should be able to move the ball on the Colts...Obviously they need to execute better in the RZ and it's time for James and Green to make some plays after only converting on 1 of 6 targets...keep spreading the ball around.

Outlook...Prior to Luck going down I thought this might be a shootout in the 30s and I was in the hope and pray mode...as it stands now with Luck likely to miss this game, I like the Steelers in this one 27-13.

What say you?

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Offense... Need that consistency that we keep harping on each week. And can someone other than Ben, AB & Bell step up!?? DHB should be good to go this week so my guess is he will have a bigger role. Rodgers, Green & James need to keep the safeties honest over the middle or else AB & DHB will have a tough time finding daylight. I think Vontae Davis is still dealing with ankle issues, and one of their safeties is banged up. That could open things up quite a bit. Don't get cute with it though Mr Haley... Keep with the smart gameplan and establish Bell early and often. O-line need to start proving they are one of the best units, because we have seen they can be. Pass protection has been pretty good, but the run blocking needs to improve. There's a lot of money tied up into those 5 guys, so they need to be the road graders they are paid to be.

Defense... Keep up the intensity and keep improving. Burns & Cockrell are going to have their hands full this week with Hilton & Moncrief regardless of their QB. Both are very capable of creating separation. I'd like to see Burns playing on the LOS more this week so he can get his hands on the receivers faster. He seems to be able to track a lot better with them when he does that. Front 7... I think Butler has finally figured out that Shazier & Timmons are his best LB's. Loved seein them lining up all over the place creating havoc. Indy's O-line are going to have a tough time picking up on that confusion. Play the personnel wherever they are at their best Butler! Still, LBs need to maintain their gaps because Gore is still a weapon capable of exploiting weaknesses.

Back to back road games, and on a short week... Brutal. Time for Tomlin to really prove that he can prepare his troops. This will be a huge test for that. I'm hoping to see the offense get back on track this week, even better than last week. We'll have to wait and see whether the groundhog D sees it's shadow or not. Hoping to establish some juju of some kind, so understand why I make this prediction!

IND 28 - PIT 23

PROVE ME WRONG STEELERS! PLEASE!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[SJ20]

This team just can't lose to Tolzien can they?


Steelers win 17-14.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Offense... Need that consistency that we keep harping on each week. And can someone other than Ben, AB & Bell step up!?? DHB should be good to go this week so my guess is he will have a bigger role. Rodgers, Green & James need to keep the safeties honest over the middle or else AB & DHB will have a tough time finding daylight. I think Vontae Davis is still dealing with ankle issues, and one of their safeties is banged up. That could open things up quite a bit. Don't get cute with it though Mr Haley... Keep with the smart gameplan and establish Bell early and often. O-line need to start proving they are one of the best units, because we have seen they can be. Pass protection has been pretty good, but the run blocking needs to improve. There's a lot of money tied up into those 5 guys, so they need to be the road graders they are paid to be.

Defense... Keep up the intensity and keep improving. Burns & Cockrell are going to have their hands full this week with Hilton & Moncrief regardless of their QB. Both are very capable of creating separation. I'd like to see Burns playing on the LOS more this week so he can get his hands on the receivers faster. He seems to be able to track a lot better with them when he does that. Front 7... I think Butler has finally figured out that Shazier & Timmons are his best LB's. Loved seein them lining up all over the place creating havoc. Indy's O-line are going to have a tough time picking up on that confusion. Play the personnel wherever they are at their best Butler! Still, LBs need to maintain their gaps because Gore is still a weapon capable of exploiting weaknesses.

Back to back road games, and on a short week... Brutal. Time for Tomlin to really prove that he can prepare his troops. This will be a huge test for that. I'm hoping to see the offense get back on track this week, even better than last week. We'll have to wait and see whether the groundhog D sees it's shadow or not. Hoping to establish some juju of some kind, so understand why I make this prediction!

IND 28 - PIT 23

PROVE ME WRONG STEELERS! PLEASE!

I agree that Hilton and Moncrief are dangerous players, but if IND scores 28 pts with a QB with 2 NFL starts...Butler & Tomlin should be fired on the spot. Let Munchak finish up the season.

I really liked the creativity Butler showed last week, and I hope to see more, but I have to temper it because of who they were playing...I really think the OFC needs to take control and score TDs, not FGs...I'm hearing Green could get more targets this week. After this big week by Bell, I expect IND to roll coverage on him and AB. Rogers, Hamilton and the other fringe guys need to make the play when they have the opportunity.

 

[Bridgeburner]

Hahaha. That's awesome.

 

[Bridgeburner]

Without Luck in the game the Steelers play down to their competition and make it closer than it should have been.

16-9 Steelers.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I agree that Hilton and Moncrief are dangerous players, but if IND scores 28 pts with a QB with 2 NFL starts...Butler & Tomlin should be fired on the spot. Let Munchak finish up the season.

I really liked the creativity Butler showed last week, and I hope to see more, but I have to temper it because of who they were playing...I really think the OFC needs to take control and score TDs, not FGs...I'm hearing Green could get more targets this week. After this big week by Bell, I expect IND to roll coverage on him and AB. Rogers, Hamilton and the other fringe guys need to make the play when they have the opportunity.

I just worry about this team's propensity for playing down or sleeping on opponents. Now that Luck isn't playing I fear they will carry the "pressure's off" mentality in practice this week. Remember what happened last season against Ryan Mallett? As always, I hope I'm wrong. But until this team can prove some semblance of consistency then I'll temper expectations.

 

[Psych-Ward]

I just worry about this team's propensity for playing down or sleeping on opponents. Now that Luck isn't playing I fear they will carry the "pressure's off" mentality in practice this week. Remember what happened last season against Ryan Mallett? As always, I hope I'm wrong. But until this team can prove some semblance of consistency then I'll temper expectations.

All I can say is "OH FUCK"

Pardon the Steelers, who have been turkeys on Thanksgiving

 

[NorthCoastSteelersFan]

I enjoyed the game, especially the goal line stands, and the excellent work by Ben, AB and Bell.

But our pass coverage continues to be very poor, especially on the short-to-medium range passes. And from the penalty differential, it's becoming obvious that our boys are undisciplined as hell. That worries me.

 

[Psych-Ward]

 

[Psych-Ward]

It was good to see Dupree back out there. Brought some life to the D....I know the D still looks like shit, but any improvement is good at this point.

I honestly think the offence left a lot on the table, really think they could of and should of put up more points!!!!

 

[SJ20]

The Big 3 on O played great. The D wasn't terrible but they have a lot of work to do against the pass as usual. This team is in a much better place than it was a few weeks ago. Let's hope they can play well as the opponents get tougher. Just have to win the division.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I enjoyed the game, especially the goal line stands, and the excellent work by Ben, AB and Bell.

But our pass coverage continues to be very poor, especially on the short-to-medium range passes. And from the penalty differential, it's becoming obvious that our boys are undisciplined as hell. That worries me.

Good post NC.

If you didn't watch it you would've thought it was a blow out, but it was anything but that.

My review.

OFC...4 of 5...as I expected the OFC pretty much had control of the IND DEF from the outset. I think maybe they took the foot off the gas a little in the 3Q...the holding calls on #66...were both drive stoppers. He's gotta clean that up. #14 is becoming almost worthless as a WR...a couple were well defended, but a couple were flat out drops. #81 dropped a pretty good pass from Jones...fortunately #17 and #89 were up to the task to help AB out.

DEF...3 of 5...the QB pressure was consistent, lotta hits on their QB...the two picks and RZ stops highlight the game but IND had 3 sustained drives that were concerning. If they go for FGs on both that ending inside the 2, we're looking a 1 possession game in the 4Q. Worst yet, if Luck is in there possibly a tied game. #79 and #91 were stand out players on the DL and for a change, #23 was a difference maker.

ST...3 of 5...they played well overall but the fake punt and a deep run back dropped the production...Indoors so I guess it should be but punting was very good.

Summary...they got a predictable result...now 6-5, and 10 days to get rested up for the NYG...basically got to keep this win streak going. They will face a better QB next week, they need to keep the pressure up and speed up the delivery of these QBs. BAL faces CIN so one team will be pushed further down the standings...of course it would be nice to see CIN win that one, but they might be going the other way.

 

[Ojb81]

I'll take it

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Late to the party... Had a helluva week with traveling & the holiday.


Coaching... Still seeing some discipline issues with the penalties, but those are easier fixes. Pregame I said this was going to be a huge test for Tomlin to get his troops prepared. And the results were pretty good. I still have my issues with him, but overall he seems to have righted the ship for the time being. Granted it has been against inferior opponents with bad QBs. This next week should prove a better test. As for the O & D. Glad to see neither curled back up into their safety shells. Still playing with a great amount of aggressiveness that this team needs. B+

Offense... Great to see the big 3 all on the same page again. There's no better QB-WR duo in the league when they play like that. Not a single CB out there can handle it. Bell was the monster that they need him to be. Haley kept their defense on their heels for most of the game. But I agree with Psych in sayin they still left some point off the board. Shoulda coulda woulda. Love seeing Rogers & Green stepping up to the plate. Coates shouldn't be running anymore go-routes. Clearly his broken fingers are hindering him so why not let DHB & Hamilton take those reps? They have a better shot at coming down with those big plays. O-line played well. Can't remember exactly when, but I thought I saw Hubbard on the field for a few series? Didn't hear anything about an injury so hopefully it was just to spell someone for a few. Didn't see any dropoff in play, so not sure why I'm even pointing it out lol. Zero sacks allowed, and Bell carved out 120 yds on the ground. That's huge! Overall the unit played well and got the points when they needed them. Would always love to see more! A-

Defense... So what has changed? Deebo firmly accredited this sudden rise in performance for the unit to one simple thing... People are doing their jobs & winning their matchups. You can say that Butler is dialing up the pressure, which is somewhat true. But if you look at the tape, the same schemes are being played. Nothing really exotic except for seeing Shazier & Timmons rush off the edge. I think what we are starting to see is players are winning their matchups, staying true to their responsibilities, and tackling better. Plain & simple. They are playing better as a unit rather than trying to do too much. Holding Gore to 28yds rushing was phenomenal. The passing game is still giving up a lot of yards, but its coming around. I mentioned wanting to see Burns & Cockrell play on the LOS more, but that didn't happen much. And predictably they got eaten up on the short to intermediate routes. Glad to see the Colts were stupid enough to keep going for it on 4th down inside the 5, and glad to see the Steelers safeties finally learned how to tackle in the open field (Davis would like to give thanks for Tolzien tripping lol). Doubt they will have as much success against better opponents. As others have noted, huge games from Hargrave & Tuitt. Glad to see those 2 really stepping up in Heyward's absence. They are sure making the LBer's jobs a lot easier. Also gotta give a shoutout to Shazier. We say it a lot, but the dude is a freakish athlete. Seeing how quickly he can get his hands on the ball carrier when rushing off the edge is mind boggling. If he had long black curly hair sticking out of his helmet we would think Polamalu never retired. Dupree looks a little lost out there, but its good to see him. Hopefully he can get back into game-shape & be more mentally prepared for the weeks ahead. They will need him. B-

ST... Got caught with their pants down on that fake punt. And thankfully someone at the 2nd wave was able to tackle or else those returns could have gone to the house. Coverage units need to do better. Remember Jordan Todman? He gave his old team a scare on that kickoff return. Good kicking & punting otherwise. C+

Overall... Still building on their successes but things are starting to turn around. Offense is starting to find a rhythm and the defense is figuring out their identity. Need to clean up the penalties, Ben still needs a go-to WR2, and the defensive secondary needs to tighten up (not that it will happen due to the "keep the play in front of you" scheming that Tomlin & Butler love). Defense really struggled on 3rd downs against a 2nd string QB. That is very concerning. Thankfully they got a win, and they have 10 days of rest before they face the Giants. B-

Outlook... Stacking wins on inferior opponents was a must, especially against AFC opponents. The NFL is starting to take notice. This team is truly a "sleeping giant" if they can get all 3 phases to be successful at the same time. Bigger test this week against the Giants. Not a must win since its out of conference, but they will do themselves a lot of favors if they can win this one. Both the Ravens & Bengals fell victim to the Giants, so the Steelers can get a good (tie-breaker) leg-up on the division if they get the W. As ATL noted, Cincy & Baltimore square off this week. Root for the Bungals for sure. Giants have one of the more formidable WR corps in the league. ODB, Cruz, Sharp & Co are lethal. Tackling in space, which has been a huge flaw with PIT's defense, will be critical this week. Manning likes to get the ball into his receivers' hands fast. The RB duo of Jennings & Perkins has been productive. And Manning has loved the dump-off game. Essentially this is going to be like the Philly team they faced in week 3. Let's hope they learned something from that game lol. Defense is going to need to bring their A-game or else Manning will have a 2nd Thanksgiving feast.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Late to the party... Had a helluva week with traveling & the holiday.


Coaching... Still seeing some discipline issues with the penalties, but those are easier fixes. Pregame I said this was going to be a huge test for Tomlin to get his troops prepared. And the results were pretty good. I still have my issues with him, but overall he seems to have righted the ship for the time being. Granted it has been against inferior opponents with bad QBs. This next week should prove a better test. As for the O & D. Glad to see neither curled back up into their safety shells. Still playing with a great amount of aggressiveness that this team needs. B+

Offense... Great to see the big 3 all on the same page again. There's no better QB-WR duo in the league when they play like that. Not a single CB out there can handle it. Bell was the monster that they need him to be. Haley kept their defense on their heels for most of the game. But I agree with Psych in sayin they still left some point off the board. Shoulda coulda woulda. Love seeing Rogers & Green stepping up to the plate. Coates shouldn't be running anymore go-routes. Clearly his broken fingers are hindering him so why not let DHB & Hamilton take those reps? They have a better shot at coming down with those big plays. O-line played well. Can't remember exactly when, but I thought I saw Hubbard on the field for a few series? Didn't hear anything about an injury so hopefully it was just to spell someone for a few. Didn't see any dropoff in play, so not sure why I'm even pointing it out lol. Zero sacks allowed, and Bell carved out 120 yds on the ground. That's huge! Overall the unit played well and got the points when they needed them. Would always love to see more! A-

Defense... So what has changed? Deebo firmly accredited this sudden rise in performance for the unit to one simple thing... People are doing their jobs & winning their matchups. You can say that Butler is dialing up the pressure, which is somewhat true. But if you look at the tape, the same schemes are being played. Nothing really exotic except for seeing Shazier & Timmons rush off the edge. I think what we are starting to see is players are winning their matchups, staying true to their responsibilities, and tackling better. Plain & simple. They are playing better as a unit rather than trying to do too much. Holding Gore to 28yds rushing was phenomenal. The passing game is still giving up a lot of yards, but its coming around. I mentioned wanting to see Burns & Cockrell play on the LOS more, but that didn't happen much. And predictably they got eaten up on the short to intermediate routes. Glad to see the Colts were stupid enough to keep going for it on 4th down inside the 5, and glad to see the Steelers safeties finally learned how to tackle in the open field (Davis would like to give thanks for Tolzien tripping lol). Doubt they will have as much success against better opponents. As others have noted, huge games from Hargrave & Tuitt. Glad to see those 2 really stepping up in Heyward's absence. They are sure making the LBer's jobs a lot easier. Also gotta give a shoutout to Shazier. We say it a lot, but the dude is a freakish athlete. Seeing how quickly he can get his hands on the ball carrier when rushing off the edge is mind boggling. If he had long black curly hair sticking out of his helmet we would think Polamalu never retired. Dupree looks a little lost out there, but its good to see him. Hopefully he can get back into game-shape & be more mentally prepared for the weeks ahead. They will need him. B-

ST... Got caught with their pants down on that fake punt. And thankfully someone at the 2nd wave was able to tackle or else those returns could have gone to the house. Coverage units need to do better. Remember Jordan Todman? He gave his old team a scare on that kickoff return. Good kicking & punting otherwise. C+

Overall... Still building on their successes but things are starting to turn around. Offense is starting to find a rhythm and the defense is figuring out their identity. Need to clean up the penalties, Ben still needs a go-to WR2, and the defensive secondary needs to tighten up (not that it will happen due to the "keep the play in front of you" scheming that Tomlin & Butler love). Defense really struggled on 3rd downs against a 2nd string QB. That is very concerning. Thankfully they got a win, and they have 10 days of rest before they face the Giants. B-

Outlook... Stacking wins on inferior opponents was a must, especially against AFC opponents. The NFL is starting to take notice. This team is truly a "sleeping giant" if they can get all 3 phases to be successful at the same time. Bigger test this week against the Giants. Not a must win since its out of conference, but they will do themselves a lot of favors if they can win this one. Both the Ravens & Bengals fell victim to the Giants, so the Steelers can get a good (tie-breaker) leg-up on the division if they get the W. As ATL noted, Cincy & Baltimore square off this week. Root for the Bungals for sure. Giants have one of the more formidable WR corps in the league. ODB, Cruz, Sharp & Co are lethal. Tackling in space, which has been a huge flaw with PIT's defense, will be critical this week. Manning likes to get the ball into his receivers' hands fast. The RB duo of Jennings & Perkins has been productive. And Manning has loved the dump-off game. Essentially this is going to be like the Philly team they faced in week 3. Let's hope they learned something from that game lol. Defense is going to need to bring their A-game or else Manning will have a 2nd Thanksgiving feast.

Correction... Didn't notice the Ravens already played the Bungals...

 

[Psych-Ward]

Correction... Didn't notice the Ravens already played the Bungals...

I know, you'd think Shitcinati would of knocked off the Ratbirds and helped us out....
But seems they can't get it together now that Aj Green is out. Wow.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I know, you'd think Shitcinati would of knocked off the Ratbirds and helped us out....
But seems they can't get it together now that Aj Green is out. Wow.

Cincy looks punchless now that Green & Bernard are gone... And sadly the Ravens looked just as bad lol. But the Ravens beat the Steelers, so what does that tell us?

 

[Psych-Ward]

Cincy looks punchless now that Green & Bernard are gone... And sadly the Ravens looked just as bad lol. But the Ravens beat the Steelers, so what does that tell us?

The fuckin up and down shit with this team is not only frightening, but getting sickening!!!!
Honestly there is not a team we can't beat, and more times than not we do beat ourselves!!!!