Steelers Coming to Denver - Jan 17

[SpringStein]

Will Ben be healthy?
Will Brown be out of the concussion protocol?
Will Manning choke?
Will Schofield start?
What safteys will be healthy enough to start?
How does the loss at Pittsburgh impact the players?
What will the weather be - and how does that impact the game?
How many Terrible Towels will be waving in the stands?
Who will be the hero - or the goat?
And finally, who do you think will win and by how much?

Questions, so many questions - and a week to discuss them.

 

[TDs3nOut]

Figures to be an interesting game. Really hope the right team wins this time!

 

[SpiritOf77]

Roethlisberger was the only QB to throw for more than 300 yards vs the Broncos this season, and while he is a trooper, the shoulder injury looked like it will have an effect on his performance, whether he tries to tough it out or not ..

The Steelers were 4-4 this regular season on the road, and our D and Wade will be ready .. With the crowd and the momentum, I think it is imperative to keep the Steelers off the board early ..

Polumbus coming in at the same time Manning did was very telling - you think Manning had an opinion about that ?? of course ...... I would be shocked if Polumbus didn;t start

Going onto this game, as opposed to the previous meeting, the Broncos definitely have more of the upper hand ... For one, we were definitely limited at safety last time

 

[randymon]

Will Ben be healthy?
Will Brown be out of the concussion protocol?
Will Manning choke?
Will Schofield start?
What safteys will be healthy enough to start?
How does the loss at Pittsburgh impact the players?
What will the weather be - and how does that impact the game?
How many Terrible Towels will be waving in the stands?
Who will be the hero - or the goat?
And finally, who do you think will win and by how much?

Questions, so many questions - and a week to discuss them.

You forgot who's going to sing national anthem SS.

 

[randymon]

It comes down to which Denver team shows up. I think this team can beat anyone in AFC if their motivated.

 

[Mingo]

It comes down to which Denver team shows up. I think this team can beat anyone in AFC if their motivated.

Agreed! What I will be looking for is the emotional tenor of this Bronco team in the playoffs. The talent is there - will they be ready emotionally or will they show up drained?

I'm already on record in believing Kubiak's system saves energy and physicality throughout the year - so there is something in the tank come playoff time. He learned that in Baltimore with the Ravens. if so - these Broncos will kick some butt.

The Steelers with Big Ben - have immense toughness, but come to Mile High beaten up - from a vicious playoff victory over the Bengals - they should have lost. Now is the time for the Broncos to get a team down early and keep the boot on their neck for the entire game.

 

[SpiritOf77]

For Brown's own health and well-being, I hope they keep him out of the game .. Taking that shot to the head, and not even going thru any tests before Tomlin announced that he had a concussion is bad - but to put him on a plane and have him play at 5,000 feet a week later is nuts ..

You want to beat the team when they have their full complement of players, but risking a player's future is not good ..

Plus, he'll have a entire offseason to recoup, as the good guys will win this time regardless

 

[SpringStein]

It comes down to which Denver team shows up. I think this team can beat anyone in AFC if their motivated.

Actually I was thinking it depends which Steelers team shows up. They are the team that is really up and down from week to week.

 

[MrDoc420]

I'm sure the Steelers will do whatever it takes to get Brown cleared for the game. Big Ben may go, but if he's limited at all then the Broncos have no reason to thump Pittsburgh good. I'm sure our rush will get to him more than a couple times, and who knows how many hits he'll be able to take. Our offense just needs to get out there and get us a lead quick, and I think we could roll to an easy win.

 

[cdumler7]

Will Ben be healthy? Well as healthy as pain killers allow him to be. Right now we don't know the degree of the separation. If it is a grade 1 then while it will be painful it shouldn't be all that limiting. He will have trouble with consistency on the deep ball. If it is a grade 2 or higher he should not even be playing. Any doctor will tell him that but I'm sure he would still try to play. He might not just be costing himself this game but possibly his career if that shoulder were to take another big hit.

Will Brown be out of the concussion protocol? My guess is he somehow does. He was knocked unconscious. To me it shouldn't even be a question of whether he plays as he should be out after that hit. Somehow though biggest game of the year I'm sure he finds a way on to the field.

Will Manning choke? This to me is the biggest question of them all. I have no clue what to expect from Manning. I am hoping for 2013 Manning but I have my doubts. Everything coming out of practice last week is that he looks really good but hey they said that during the off season too so hard to trust.

Will Schofield start? I highly doubt it. With Manning starting Polumbus will get the nod as they will want the better pass protector on the field.

What safeties will be healthy enough to start? From what I understand both Ward and Stewart will start. If we had to play wild card weekend good chance that Stewart would not have played but with the extra rest it sounds like his groin injury wasn't as bad as last time he pulled it. How effective they are well in my opinion both of them at 80% is still better than any of our back ups at this point.

How does the loss at Pittsburgh impact the players? Well this is the team the players wanted to play. Joel Dreessen said he spent the weekend watching the games with quite a few of the Broncos players and even before Big Ben and Brown went down with injury he said every player said they want the Steelers. They feel like they match up well with them and they want a chance to redeem themselves. Just hope this isn't one of those you get what you wished for situations where it blows up in their face.

What will the weather be - and how does that impact the game? Right now it is scheduled to be 39° with very little wind. It doesn't look like any snow is moving in. How does that impact the game well honestly I don't think much. I posted a story a long time ago showing how Manning has actually fared in cold weather games. His record and stats are much better than what the national media would like you to think. He did struggle early on in his career but over the past 10 years his numbers have actually been very good.

How many Terrible Towels will be waving in the stands? I'm really hoping this number is 0. Pittsburgh fans probably travel better than any other fans in the NFL. I remember reading about how the 2005 playoff game it almost felt more like a road game with how many Pitt fans were there. I am hoping that is not the case this time around. Please don't sell your tickets even if you can get triple the value for them.

Who will be the hero - or the goat? Hero for the game--I am going to go with Danny Trevathan. He has saved some of his best football it seems like for the end of the year. I think he has a huge impact interception or forced fumble early in the game that really turns things in our favor.

And finally, who do you think will win and by how much? I have to say the good guys win this one and by 10. Big Ben hurt, defense motivated, home game, and I actually do expect Manning to play decently. I just think this team has a different attitude and feel about them compared to the past few years. Throw in the coaches not having interviews all week I think everybody is locked in and knows what they have to do.

Questions, so many questions - and a week to discuss them.

 

[58crash]

IMO Stewart is the most important to this game then Ware as to weather we min these games going forward .

 

[cdumler7]

IMO Stewart is the most important to this game then Ware as to weather we min these games going forward .

Well in the games that Ware has started our defense has averaged only giving up 12.8 points per game. In the others that number jumps to over 18. So I would say he is a pretty big impact player. Now I will say I like Ware's back up much better than Stewart's at this point so yeah Stewart being in will be huge. I would say the next week's game will be more important to have him than this week if we make it to that point as the Chiefs and Patriots both have TE's that can take over games.

 

[LGM]

Based solely on depth, I'm going to agree with crash. Though I hope they're all as healthy as possible.

 

[SpringStein]

What I heard on the local radio this morning is that Ward will play and Stewart will likely be a game time decision.

 

[cdumler7]

Alright so some interesting news from the early parts of practice today.

Darian Stewart and Chris Harris are not practicing right now. Of all the players injured it looks like Stewart is the main one they question whether he will be ready game time or not.

All other players were practicing but Brock was limited because of his injury.

Another piece of info that will probably anger many of you like it did me was that Michael Schofield is starting out the early part of practice with the 1st string offense.

Also Brock has a very noticeable limp going on. In fact Trevor Sieman has been taking the 2nd team reps so far. The decision to start Manning might be more than just going with the veteran at this point. Injury looks to be more serious than what was let on.

 

[Orange Crush77]

We need to put the foot on the gas and then on the throat

 

[randymon]

Alright so some interesting news from the early parts of practice today.

Darian Stewart and Chris Harris are not practicing right now. Of all the players injured it looks like Stewart is the main one they question whether he will be ready game time or not.

All other players were practicing but Brock was limited because of his injury.

Another piece of info that will probably anger many of you like it did me was that Michael Schofield is starting out the early part of practice with the 1st string offense.

Also Brock has a very noticeable limp going on. In fact Trevor Sieman has been taking the 2nd team reps so far. The decision to start Manning might be more than just going with the veteran at this point. Injury looks to be more serious than what was let on.

Sounds like their being extra careful with Brock and rightly so. If Manning were to struggle early or get hurt, they're going to need him. I imagine Brock could probably be a go at practice if he was penciled in as starter but since he's not,their not taking any chances.

 

[cdumler7]

Sounds like their being extra careful with Brock and rightly so. If Manning were to struggle early or get hurt, they're going to need him. I imagine Brock could probably be a go at practice if he was penciled in as starter but since he's not,their not taking any chances.

Yeah I would agree with that. I do think however he is actually injured and that the Broncos were not just trying to use that as a way to promote Manning as some have been talking about (not on this board). Brock told Dreessen this weekend that if he is needed for the game he will be more than ready. Glad so far he has taken the high road in this situation.

 

[SpringStein]

Oh, and this one is for @Mingo.

17 is my favorite number, so we can't possibly lose on the 17th, can we?!

 

[MileHigh64]

Generally speaking, the national media and Las Vegas are thinking the Broncos win this game. Posters on the Hoop's general board seem to be leaning toward the Steelers. I believe this game sets up perfectly for the Denver Broncos and they advance to the AFCCG in DENVER! Bye week, home field, healthier team, better defense, revenge factor. They all play a part.