Week 1 @ Browns

[Cali Steel]

AB is the man.....

 

[Cali Steel]

Shit squirted out....

 

[NorthCoastSteelersFan]

Shit squirted out....

Already down.

And...the play stands. Whew!

 

[NorthCoastSteelersFan]

That was too damn close. Steelers have some work to do.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

That was too damn close. Steelers have some work to do.

Yep...especially OFC, ST.

I didn't get the the final score I thought, but all in all I take the W on the road.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Coaching... Another laboring game against a bottom feeder opponent, color me shocked Tomlin. Thank the Lord it was a Win or I'd be feasting on his ass in this recap. Todd Haley should get kicked in the nuts for the offense he rolled out today. WR screens & only giving Bell 4 touches in the 1st half? What planet is he living on? Sure as hell shouldn't be one where he is employed by the NFL. 5/13 on 3rd downs (38%)... Yikes. Defense looked decent for the most part, aside from that last CLE drive. Butler turned up the pressure and it paid off. 7 sacks & an INT. 10 points and maybe 200yds allowed through over 3 quarters? That's winning football right there. Offense failed to do their part so the defense was gassed late in the game. And if you noticed, Butler reverted to the zone prevent D which gave up 8 pts in that last drive. Same safety scheme that gets shredded every time Butler. Knock that shit off! Overall they still did their job, O needs to do better. C

Offense... Ben didn't look very good today, but he did good enough to get the win. The INT in RZ late in the game was a tipped pass, but still an errant throw into double coverage on Marty B. My main concern, aside from the penalties, was the O-line struggled to protect & open lanes all day. Munchak will get them corrected, but its a concern nonetheless. Seemed like whenever there was a good play it was called back due to penalty so some players need to stay disciplined. Even if the schemes left a lot to be desired, this unit still has a lot of work to do. C

Defense... Pretty decent day overall. Wasn't as sexy as we wanted, but it did the job. Coverage was tight, the pressure was there, and the 3rd down D was stifling (CLE was 3/12 - 25%). Watt was great. 2 sacks (1 was pure hustle) and a huge INT. That's the sort of playmaker they need from their OLB. Sad Dupree didn't get to play, but my man Chickillo made the most out of his start. 2 sacks & 4 tackles, and a handful of QB pressures. Relatively quiet day from the Shake-n-Bake tandem. Hate to see the penalty from Shazier hitting Kizer during the attempted slide, but also gotta love the intensity to make a QB pay when he's debating the slide. Can't really fault him for that split second decision. Kizer was feelin that hit for the rest of the game. D-line was stout until they rolled out the 2-3 man fronts. Hargrave's a stud. Loved the man coverage from the secondary. It was much tighter than we are used to seeing. At least until Butler went patty-cake in the 4th. Burns made a huge mistake on that Coleman TD. He let the guy get an inside release when the safety (Wilcox) was 10 yds away. That absolutely cannot happen when they are on the goalline (4yd line but still). Plenty to learn from, but plenty to be optimistic about. B

ST... Huge punt block which arguably decided the game. Much different ballgame if that 7 wasn't on the board. Shout out to Dirty Red. Earn your paychecks young man! Coverage units only allowed 1 decent return on a punt. Can't complain. Boz was 3/3 on XP's. Berry wasn't spectacular but wasn't detrimental. Averaged just over 40 per punt on the day. B+

Injuries... Biggest worry is we are awaiting further examinations on Tuitt's bicep. Probably a bad tear. Not sure if he'll be able to play with that injury, but I know Tricep injuries are far more detrimental to a D-lineman. Fingers crossed he can still find a way to play this season even. He was seen after the game with his shoulder wrapped & not an arm in a sling, so that's sorta good? Right? Should also be noted he was never declared as OUT. Wilcox knocked himself out by trying to knock someone else out lol. He'll be in concussion protocol this week. Hilton went out early & was briefly with the trainers before getting back in. Not sure what his status is.

Overall... Sloppy sloppy day all around. 13 total penalties against the Steelers to the tun of 144 yards. Christ someone better be breaking off some feet in asses this week. That is completely unacceptable. They should consider themselves fortunate that ST TD happened early or they could be suffering a soul crushing defeat from the hands of the hapless Browns. But fear not my Stiller brethren, a wins a win. Especially an AFC matchup on the road. There's 6 of those matchups total this season and they are crucial regardless of the opponent. After a few weeks of harsh criticism from the media, everyone will forget who we barely beat and focus on the fact that its a W, not a L. And if there is another silver lining to this game, its that the Steelers learned something valuable today, and that is nothing is given in this league. It's something you want your team to suffer early on vs late in the season. Especially for a team with such high expectation as the Steelers. Let's hope they wake up & smell the coffee tomorrow morning. Hollow W, but time to get to back to work. Almost want to give them a B-, but realistically they should have pummeled the Browns today. For that I'll give them a C.

Outlook... Next week is the Steelers 1st home game of the season vs. the Vikes. Wish I could say I feel confident about it, but this game today will have me losing some sleep over it. They face a much stronger & more physical defense. Before the game today I would have said this game will be a better measuring stick assumin they dominated the Browns, but now I'm thinking this game is going to be tough as shit. Hope Haley sticks to what worked today because the WR screens are going to get eaten alive by the Vikes. We'll be getting a great look at what's to come tomorrow on MNF when the Vikes play the Saints. We know the Saints are a pass-heavy offense, so it will be interesting to see how the Vikes secondary looks. Rhodes, Waynes & Smith are as good as they come.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Coaching... Another laboring game against a bottom feeder opponent, color me shocked Tomlin. Thank the Lord it was a Win or I'd be feasting on his ass in this recap. Todd Haley should get kicked in the nuts for the offense he rolled out today. WR screens & only giving Bell 4 touches in the 1st half? What planet is he living on? Sure as hell shouldn't be one where he is employed by the NFL. 5/13 on 3rd downs (38%)... Yikes. Defense looked decent for the most part, aside from that last CLE drive. Butler turned up the pressure and it paid off. 7 sacks & an INT. 10 points and maybe 200yds allowed through over 3 quarters? That's winning football right there. Offense failed to do their part so the defense was gassed late in the game. And if you noticed, Butler reverted to the zone prevent D which gave up 8 pts in that last drive. Same safety scheme that gets shredded every time Butler. Knock that shit off! Overall they still did their job, O needs to do better. C

Offense... Ben didn't look very good today, but he did good enough to get the win. The INT in RZ late in the game was a tipped pass, but still an errant throw into double coverage on Marty B. My main concern, aside from the penalties, was the O-line struggled to protect & open lanes all day. Munchak will get them corrected, but its a concern nonetheless. Seemed like whenever there was a good play it was called back due to penalty so some players need to stay disciplined. Even if the schemes left a lot to be desired, this unit still has a lot of work to do. C

Defense... Pretty decent day overall. Wasn't as sexy as we wanted, but it did the job. Coverage was tight, the pressure was there, and the 3rd down D was stifling (CLE was 3/12 - 25%). Watt was great. 2 sacks (1 was pure hustle) and a huge INT. That's the sort of playmaker they need from their OLB. Sad Dupree didn't get to play, but my man Chickillo made the most out of his start. 2 sacks & 4 tackles, and a handful of QB pressures. Relatively quiet day from the Shake-n-Bake tandem. Hate to see the penalty from Shazier hitting Kizer during the attempted slide, but also gotta love the intensity to make a QB pay when he's debating the slide. Can't really fault him for that split second decision. Kizer was feelin that hit for the rest of the game. D-line was stout until they rolled out the 2-3 man fronts. Hargrave's a stud. Loved the man coverage from the secondary. It was much tighter than we are used to seeing. At least until Butler went patty-cake in the 4th. Burns made a huge mistake on that Coleman TD. He let the guy get an inside release when the safety (Wilcox) was 10 yds away. That absolutely cannot happen when they are on the goalline (4yd line but still). Plenty to learn from, but plenty to be optimistic about. B

ST... Huge punt block which arguably decided the game. Much different ballgame if that 7 wasn't on the board. Shout out to Dirty Red. Earn your paychecks young man! Coverage units only allowed 1 decent return on a punt. Can't complain. Boz was 3/3 on XP's. Berry wasn't spectacular but wasn't detrimental. Averaged just over 40 per punt on the day. B+

Injuries... Biggest worry is we are awaiting further examinations on Tuitt's bicep. Probably a bad tear. Not sure if he'll be able to play with that injury, but I know Tricep injuries are far more detrimental to a D-lineman. Fingers crossed he can still find a way to play this season even. He was seen after the game with his shoulder wrapped & not an arm in a sling, so that's sorta good? Right? Should also be noted he was never declared as OUT. Wilcox knocked himself out by trying to knock someone else out lol. He'll be in concussion protocol this week. Hilton went out early & was briefly with the trainers before getting back in. Not sure what his status is.

Overall... Sloppy sloppy day all around. 13 total penalties against the Steelers to the tun of 144 yards. Christ someone better be breaking off some feet in asses this week. That is completely unacceptable. They should consider themselves fortunate that ST TD happened early or they could be suffering a soul crushing defeat from the hands of the hapless Browns. But fear not my Stiller brethren, a wins a win. Especially an AFC matchup on the road. There's 6 of those matchups total this season and they are crucial regardless of the opponent. After a few weeks of harsh criticism from the media, everyone will forget who we barely beat and focus on the fact that its a W, not a L. And if there is another silver lining to this game, its that the Steelers learned something valuable today, and that is nothing is given in this league. It's something you want your team to suffer early on vs late in the season. Especially for a team with such high expectation as the Steelers. Let's hope they wake up & smell the coffee tomorrow morning. Hollow W, but time to get to back to work. Almost want to give them a B-, but realistically they should have pummeled the Browns today. For that I'll give them a C.

Outlook... Next week is the Steelers 1st home game of the season vs. the Vikes. Wish I could say I feel confident about it, but this game today will have me losing some sleep over it. They face a much stronger & more physical defense. Before the game today I would have said this game will be a better measuring stick assumin they dominated the Browns, but now I'm thinking this game is going to be tough as shit. Hope Haley sticks to what worked today because the WR screens are going to get eaten alive by the Vikes. We'll be getting a great look at what's to come tomorrow on MNF when the Vikes play the Saints. We know the Saints are a pass-heavy offense, so it will be interesting to see how the Vikes secondary looks. Rhodes, Waynes & Smith are as good as they come.

Well said...I'm more or less rolling with your grades this week...I thought it was pretty clear that some rust showed on OFC...correct me if I'm wrong, but I want to say this is the 1st game the 1st team has all played together with Bell since the playoffs last year.

Juju will get better and expect Ben and the OL in general to be sharper next week. Good to see JJ has finally become a RZ target with some success.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Just incredible weekend weather, but wacky weather today had me up early this morning...nothing major yet, but stuff blowing around...Thanks Irma!

Expanding on my earlier comments.

I can't have a post w/o commenting on TJ's debut. Needless to say he exceeded my expectations...he'll have some tougher games, but 2 sacks and a pick...(I think he got a little tired on the return and went OB...had a wall developing there....lol

Has the burst, the athleticism, and saw some great hand work he probably learned from his brother freeing himself on one of those sacks. Working against Joe Thomas...helluva debut...I really hope this stuff I'm hearing about Dupree having a breakout year materializes and Watt grows game by game.

The DL dominated this game...I know it was CLE, but they have invested in some new talent on the OL...the interior play of Hargrave, Heyward and Alualu especially should be noted....if they stay at this level all year this will be a top 10 DEF (obviously we hope for the best with Tuitt, but not looking great)...Alualu might be the FA signing of the year. If this is something long term, Hargrave is pretty comfortable moving over to DE and making plays so he gets more snaps, and LT Walton is probably going to get extensive snaps in back up as well and I think he's ready for it. Look for a PS addition maybe @ DE if this is long term for Tuitt.

A win is a win, especially a DIV win on the road...CLE is going to win a few more games than people expect.

@Terry Rode ...I think we finally get our wish...it looks like Rogers is going to be the man now on PR...

Gotta play better vs MIN, with so little work in preseason, I think the OL play will improve as the season goes along, but they need to be in peak form here pretty soon.

 

[Yo Tee]

Just incredible weekend weather, but wacky weather today had me up early this morning...nothing major yet, but stuff blowing around...Thanks Irma!

Expanding on my earlier comments.

I can't have a post w/o commenting on TJ's debut. Needless to say he exceeded my expectations...he'll have some tougher games, but 2 sacks and a pick...(I think he got a little tired on the return and went OB...had a wall developing there....lol

Has the burst, the athleticism, and saw some great hand work he probably learned from his brother freeing himself on one of those sacks. Working against Joe Thomas...helluva debut...I really hope this stuff I'm hearing about Dupree having a breakout year materializes and Watt grows game by game.

The DL dominated this game...I know it was CLE, but they have invested in some new talent on the OL...the interior play of Hargrave, Heyward and Alualu especially should be noted....if they stay at this level all year this will be a top 10 DEF (obviously we hope for the best with Tuitt, but not looking great)...Alualu might be the FA signing of the year. If this is something long term, Hargrave is pretty comfortable moving over to DE and making plays so he gets more snaps, and LT Walton is probably going to get extensive snaps in back up as well and I think he's ready for it. Look for a PS addition maybe @ DE if this is long term for Tuitt.

A win is a win, especially a DIV win on the road...CLE is going to win a few more games than people expect.

@Terry Rode ...I think we finally get our wish...it looks like Rogers is going to be the man now on PR...

Gotta play better vs MIN, with so little work in preseason, I think the OL play will improve as the season goes along, but they need to be in peak form here pretty soon.

Yeah TJ was THE MAN. I didn't expect him to have the game he had. Holy crap. IDK if anyone else notices, but he had a penalty called against him and it's as if he said to himself, "okay, time to make up for it" and the next play was his INT. Great debut.

I was NOT impressed by this offense. The O-line, I thought, played decent, but Le'Veon Bell was a HUGE disappointment. IDK if it was the time away from the team or if the Cleveland defense is actually that good, but he just couldn't get it going at all! Only 36 rushing yards? We need to improve the running game, O-line needs to improve but I have to say I was pretty pleased with the play. Gotta give credit to Cleveland. I think Kizer is the future of that franchise and I think they have a very good chance at winning a lot this year, or at least contending late in games.

Also, very happy to see someone else is returning punts. Smart move indeed.

1 down, 15 to go!

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Yeah TJ was THE MAN. I didn't expect him to have the game he had. Holy crap. IDK if anyone else notices, but he had a penalty called against him and it's as if he said to himself, "okay, time to make up for it" and the next play was his INT. Great debut.

I was NOT impressed by this offense. The O-line, I thought, played decent, but Le'Veon Bell was a HUGE disappointment. IDK if it was the time away from the team or if the Cleveland defense is actually that good, but he just couldn't get it going at all! Only 36 rushing yards? We need to improve the running game, O-line needs to improve but I have to say I was pretty pleased with the play. Gotta give credit to Cleveland. I think Kizer is the future of that franchise and I think they have a very good chance at winning a lot this year, or at least contending late in games.

Also, very happy to see someone else is returning punts. Smart move indeed.

1 down, 15 to go!

I'm not sure if I was pleased, but obviously pleased with the win...I think if you take one somewhat flukish play away on the tipped pass the AB ran 50 yds, I'm not sure if the OFC scores in the 1st half or not. If seemed like the OFC was clicking better in the 2nd half, but the tipped pick killed that one drive.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Just incredible weekend weather, but wacky weather today had me up early this morning...nothing major yet, but stuff blowing around...Thanks Irma!

Stay safe brother! Hope Irma doesn't get too close to home.

@Terry Rode ...I think we finally get our wish...it looks like Rogers is going to be the man now on PR...

Also, very happy to see someone else is returning punts. Smart move indeed.

Tried to tell ya! Nobody wanted to believe me...

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

CLE is going to win a few more games than people expect.

This is going to be a very undersold statement this season. Kizer is the real deal and Greg Williams has that defense turned around. It will be interesting to see how their D does now that there is game film for opponents to study. Will it continue to be solid, or will it get overwhelmed due to its youthful inexperience.

What scares me the most is the high level of play they are getting out of their rookies. Give them a year or less and this team is going to be dangerous down the road.

 

[Bridgeburner]

My unqualified and uninformed observations of the week...

Watt is a beast. I was luke warm on drafting him (mainly because of a lack of film) but wow. Whatever they saw they saw true. Kid is a monster. Love the attitude. Love the play. He's instantly one of my favorite players. Now lets see if he can keep it up.

Haden looked good. Bell looked slow and indecisive. Antonio Brown may be the best player in the NFL.

And Tuitt is is week to week. No season ender. Screw it. It was an ugly divisional game with some rust all around. I'm hopeful. Lets get on to next week.

GO STEELERS!

 

[Bridgeburner]

Oh. And if Limas can hold onto the ball as well as he can hold onto the other teams jersey's he's a lock for the HOF.

Sorry guys. Couldn't help myself.

 

[Great Dayne]

Congrats Steelers fans on drafting a FHOF in TJ Watt. I mean he had 2 sacks 7 tackles 3 TFL and a pick all while playing vs an all pro OT and this is just his second year playing at OLB at any level. He was a TE in college before shredding his knee twice and making the switch last season. Given his blood lines, size/athleticism, and being very raw at the position the sky is limitless for this kid. I wouldn't be surprised to see this Watt win DROY and D MVP.

I wish the Pack would've drafted him but I'll take Vince Biegel even though he's on the PUP and we needed depth at CB.

Good luck and I hope Watt continues to dominate unless we play each other.

Peace

 

[ATL96Steeler]

My unqualified and uninformed observations of the week...

Watt is a beast. I was luke warm on drafting him (mainly because of a lack of film) but wow. Whatever they saw they saw true. Kid is a monster. Love the attitude. Love the play. He's instantly one of my favorite players. Now lets see if he can keep it up.

Haden looked good. Bell looked slow and indecisive. Antonio Brown may be the best player in the NFL.

And Tuitt is is week to week. No season ender. Screw it. It was an ugly divisional game with some rust all around. I'm hopeful. Lets get on to next week.

GO STEELERS!

TJ...I was always for the pick, but in my heart of hearts I wanted Takk McKinley...I get to see him for ATL now...I knew he was a pretty good athlete being a former TE, but I was surprised at the elevation and the grab on the pick...that was special talent. He's going to look like a rookie some weeks, but I think the reason they were so comfortable going with him as the starter was his work in the playbook.

Rookie QBs hold the ball longer so I'm not that giddy on the sack total for the team, but I like the aggressiveness.

Tuitt...best news I've heard today.

 

[Bridgeburner]

TJ...I was always for the pick, but in my heart of hearts I wanted Takk McKinley...I get to see him for ATL now...I knew he was a pretty good athlete being a former TE, but I was surprised at the elevation and the grab on the pick...that was special talent. He's going to look like a rookie some weeks, but I think the reason they were so comfortable going with him as the starter was his work in the playbook.

Rookie QBs hold the ball longer so I'm not that giddy on the sack total for the team, but I like the aggressiveness.

Tuitt...best news I've heard today.

I didn't hate the pick but like you, I was really hoping for Takk or a top corner. I still think it was a risk/reward reach. Just because it appears to have paid off doesn't change that. I'm just really glad we got him now. Kid's a baller.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I didn't hate the pick but like you, I was really hoping for Takk or a top corner. I still think it was a risk/reward reach. Just because it appears to have paid off doesn't change that. I'm just really glad we got him now. Kid's a baller.

So far Takk got spot duty snaps in week 1...coming off a shoulder or something from college they have been taking it slow with him...3rd down pkg mostly. Kevin King went to GB shortly after PIT picked and Sidney Jones to PHI a few picks into the 2nd rd those were to next two CBs taken....I know a few that were taken higher are not starting.

Even the hindsight view looks pretty good so far with TJ!! lol

Once ATL moved up I figured it was for Takk because most of the talk was about him...I was thinking TJ 100% at that point and of course the early returns have been outstanding.

 

[Bridgeburner]

Even the hindsight view looks pretty good so far with TJ!! lol

Indeed they do brother!