Week 11...@ JAX

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

So far...on the games not on local I pickup the Steeler radio feed with Hillgrove & Ilkin online.

Biased, but so am I....lol

They were clearly struggling early on both sides of the ball...the DEF was good enough to keep them out of the endzone and they had much better gap control 2nd half...the JAX OFC imo went to well one too many times on their last drive trying to milk the clock...they forced Tomlin's time outs, which was the right move on 1st and 2nd, but on 3rd down a play action pass would've likely iced the game for them....running it set the table for Ben.

I think they match up better with DEN than JAX...yeah, DEN can pass it a little better but not the running challenge...They're starting to see some positive results with their 3 S dime pkg....it wasn't a big part of the game plan the last 2 two weeks, but I think we'll see more of it this week and certainly the NO and NE games.

The OT play and running game needs to be good out there to keep those edge rushers busy doing something other than teeing off on Ben.

DEN... I think so too. They still have a good ground game with Lindsay. He's the swiss-army knife sort like McCaffrey is for CAR. Steelers haven't been able to control the ground game as well in recent weeks. But I'm ok with that so long as they keep them out of the EZ. But it will help if PIT's offense wakes back up and forces their opponents to play from behind. Think that'll be a key ingredient to success moving forward. Still not sold on the 3 S dime package. Too many mixed results.

OT... Hoping they get some good news on Gilbert this week.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

@Maximus Rex @Psych-Ward

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Forgot to praise JuJu in my recap... That kid is a monster. If anyone was hesitant to crown him a star, then that 2nd half should have given you the proof you needed. What should be scaring teams is that Ben has been connecting the back shoulder throws to him. Not even the best CBs in the league can defend that. Couple that with the already tried & true AB on the other side... That's an incredibly dangerous duo.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Good post per usual!

I can’t really dive in very far as I missed the first half. But some of my thoughts:

Coaching... Ugly road win, but a necessary one against a team that was ripe for picking off an upset. My biggest gripe is that Fichtner got stonewalled for 3.5 quarters of play and looked incapable of adjusting. That worries me. Hats off to Butler. His unit deserved the game ball for keeping this game close and shutting them down when they needed it most. B-

Offense... Ugly. Knew it was going to be tough sledding but damn. Seeing the first half stats was laughable & painful. That 3rd INT in the 3rd qtr in the EZ was brutal to watch. Looked like a great play by Ramsey but couldn’t help feeling like Ben was back to playing hero ball instead of being smart with his throws. That entire 3rd qtr felt very reminiscent of what was wrong with this team during the first 4-5 games this year. Seemed like a great emotional triumph for Ben though so I’m sure he exorcised some demons. They need to get back to balanced football. C-

Defense... I had a feeling Fournette was going to be a major problem, and he didn’t disappoint. But gotta commend these guys. They bent a lot, but didn’t break. Those FGs were crucial to this team coming away with a win. Will be interesting to see how this defense fairs against better offenses in DEN, LAC, and NO. B

ST... no thoughts here.

Overall/Outlook... Not sure how to feel about this game. It was ugly but a win is a win. Like I said, Jax was primed & ready for this game. Their defense put it all on the field for them and their offense failed them. Glad to see the PIT offense found themselves in crunch time. They need to get right quick though. Denver is riding some momentum after snaking a win against the Chargers. Their defense still has a bunch of playmakers capable of flipping the script, not to mention their offense is better than the likes of Jax. B-

Overview/Outlook thoughts.

I think in yrs past we would be blasting Tomlin for yet another loss being the favorite against a struggling team. So in that regard, I'm thrilled they figured out how to get the win.

AFC Big picture. 1 seed all the way to 4 seed is in play.

KC...9-2...(OAK x2), BAL, LAC, @ SEA...maybe they lose one more game. 13-3 is probably going to be good enough for the 1 seed....OFC is clearly clicking on all cylinders but every good team has hung a good number on their DEF...in spite of the high flying OFC, I don't really fear the Chiefs.

NE...7-3...NYJ x 2, MIN, @ PIT, @ MIA, BUF...obviously the week 15 matchup is huge for the 2 seed, I don't expect to see NE lose anymore games if PIT doesn't beat them...worst case 12-4...

HOU...7-3...TN, CLE, IND, @NYJ, @ PHI, JAX...this kind of reminds me of PIT LY...these guys could end up 13-3 and the 2 seed and be a one and done team....lot of wins against weaker teams.

PIT has the toughest road with LAC, @ NO, NE...hard to imagine them doing this but if they win out and KC wins out, PIT would be the 2 seed.

Having seen all of the contenders from both conferences...The Steelers OFC is not as sharp as NO, KC, or LAR, but they are capable of putting up dominating type stats...I haven't seen a DEF yet, that I feel can stop these OFC for 4Qs......you're really hoping your D can make a stop or 2 or 3, holding a one of these OFC under 30 will be a serious challenge for any of the DEFs for the contending teams.

Could be a wild playoffs.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

DEN... I think so too. They still have a good ground game with Lindsay. He's the swiss-army knife sort like McCaffrey is for CAR. Steelers haven't been able to control the ground game as well in recent weeks. But I'm ok with that so long as they keep them out of the EZ. But it will help if PIT's offense wakes back up and forces their opponents to play from behind. Think that'll be a key ingredient to success moving forward. Still not sold on the 3 S dime package. Too many mixed results.

OT... Hoping they get some good news on Gilbert this week.

Yeah...I think the difference is that JAX wants to pound on you...25-40 times if they can.

3 S sub pkg...mostly agree. The pkg really hasn't been tested by one of the top QBs yet, but watching NO, KC, and LAR recently...it's probably the best pkg they can put on field vs those OFCs....LBs are just sought out and burnt at the stake....without pressure most of the options turn into mush.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Yeah...I think the difference is that JAX wants to pound on you...25-40 times if they can.

3 S sub pkg...mostly agree. The pkg really hasn't been tested by one of the top QBs yet, but watching NO, KC, and LAR recently...it's probably the best pkg they can put on field vs those OFCs....LBs are just sought out and burnt at the stake....without pressure most of the options turn into mush.

In theory that 3 S dime pkg should work. But like I said, mixed results... And against inferior QBs no less. Have a hard time finding confidence in it going against a top tier QB. I think Brady & Brees will feast on it like he always does to this D, but I hope I'm wrong. Brees may have a harder time only because he's not as familiar with PIT.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

In theory that 3 S dime pkg should work. But like I said, mixed results... And against inferior QBs no less. Have a hard time finding confidence in it going against a top tier QB. I think Brady & Brees will feast on it like he always does to this D, but I hope I'm wrong. Brees may have a harder time only because he's not as familiar with PIT.

The way I'm looking at NE...because NE is so good at the iso game getting WR/RBs on a LB, the 3 S sub pkg probably came to fruition as another option to throw at Brady and McDaniels...we know NE will have an answer.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Overview/Outlook thoughts.

I think in yrs past we would be blasting Tomlin for yet another loss being the favorite against a struggling team. So in that regard, I'm thrilled they figured out how to get the win.

AFC Big picture. 1 seed all the way to 4 seed is in play.

KC...9-2...(OAK x2), BAL, LAC, @ SEA...maybe they lose one more game. 13-3 is probably going to be good enough for the 1 seed....OFC is clearly clicking on all cylinders but every good team has hung a good number on their DEF...in spite of the high flying OFC, I don't really fear the Chiefs.

NE...7-3...NYJ x 2, MIN, @ PIT, @ MIA, BUF...obviously the week 15 matchup is huge for the 2 seed, I don't expect to see NE lose anymore games if PIT doesn't beat them...worst case 12-4...

HOU...7-3...TN, CLE, IND, @NYJ, @ PHI, JAX...this kind of reminds me of PIT LY...these guys could end up 13-3 and the 2 seed and be a one and done team....lot of wins against weaker teams.

PIT has the toughest road with LAC, @ NO, NE...hard to imagine them doing this but if they win out and KC wins out, PIT would be the 2 seed.

Having seen all of the contenders from both conferences...The Steelers OFC is not as sharp as NO, KC, or LAR, but they are capable of putting up dominating type stats...I haven't seen a DEF yet, that I feel can stop these OFC for 4Qs......you're really hoping your D can make a stop or 2 or 3, holding a one of these OFC under 30 will be a serious challenge for any of the DEFs for the contending teams.

Could be a wild playoffs.

Tomlin... I think one thing that we can definitively take away from the JAX game is that this team still allows AFC teams to hold real estate in their heads. After the ass-whippin they laid on Carolina you would have expected better results from the Steelers offense against JAX. I know a lot of factors play into it, but they all sounded/appeared very out of sync through 3.5 qtrs. Most certainly Ben. Makes you wonder what sort of team we'll see against NE in week 15. Side note... Does it seem like refs are letting DBs maul our WRs more this year, or is it just me??? Tired of seeing DBs grab onto AB & Juju past 10yds without any calls. Ramsey & Bouye could have gotten away with murder in the 2nd half. And I've seen the same in weeks prior. Kirkpatrick, Young/Smith, etc. Refs appear to be letting DBs be much more physical this year.

KC... I'm interested to see how Mahomes handles January football. I know he looks like a God right now, but sooner or later he'll get grounded. It's incredibly rare to see a 1st-yr starter dominate the way he has. He certainly has the tools to succeed in January, but we know that kind of football is much different than the reg season. He's not a rookie so I can't necessarily compare him to the track records of rookies in the playoffs, but you have to wonder.

NE/PIT... I'm predicting the Pats snag the #2 seed, but that week 15 matchup definitely will dictate it. I have a creeping suspicion that we are in for a gut punch that week. Steelers just can't seem to handle the Patriots with any sort of confidence. They almost always have to play from behind and the D has never had any answers for Tom, Gronk, etc. It's not that I don't think the Steelers can win that game, I just have less faith in the Steelers being capable of handling success. Every time they get this high in the seeding they disappoint. I like their chances better when they are the underdogs lol.

HOU... Glad you posted it because I thought the same. Lots of wins against teams they should be beating. And other than the MIA game, they aren't really dominating anyone. Single possession wins mostly. I'm not impressed with them as much as I am with the Colts. Indy looks more poised to make a run this January.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Tomlin... I think one thing that we can definitively take away from the JAX game is that this team still allows AFC teams to hold real estate in their heads. After the ass-whippin they laid on Carolina you would have expected better results from the Steelers offense against JAX. I know a lot of factors play into it, but they all sounded/appeared very out of sync through 3.5 qtrs. Most certainly Ben. Makes you wonder what sort of team we'll see against NE in week 15. Side note... Does it seem like refs are letting DBs maul our WRs more this year, or is it just me??? Tired of seeing DBs grab onto AB & Juju past 10yds without any calls. Ramsey & Bouye could have gotten away with murder in the 2nd half. And I've seen the same in weeks prior. Kirkpatrick, Young/Smith, etc. Refs appear to be letting DBs be much more physical this year.

KC... I'm interested to see how Mahomes handles January football. I know he looks like a God right now, but sooner or later he'll get grounded. It's incredibly rare to see a 1st-yr starter dominate the way he has. He certainly has the tools to succeed in January, but we know that kind of football is much different than the reg season. He's not a rookie so I can't necessarily compare him to the track records of rookies in the playoffs, but you have to wonder.

NE/PIT... I'm predicting the Pats snag the #2 seed, but that week 15 matchup definitely will dictate it. I have a creeping suspicion that we are in for a gut punch that week. Steelers just can't seem to handle the Patriots with any sort of confidence. They almost always have to play from behind and the D has never had any answers for Tom, Gronk, etc. It's not that I don't think the Steelers can win that game, I just have less faith in the Steelers being capable of handling success. Every time they get this high in the seeding they disappoint. I like their chances better when they are the underdogs lol.

HOU... Glad you posted it because I thought the same. Lots of wins against teams they should be beating. And other than the MIA game, they aren't really dominating anyone. Single possession wins mostly. I'm not impressed with them as much as I am with the Colts. Indy looks more poised to make a run this January.

DB play...could be varying from one crew to the next, but I have not seen as many flags on DBs for PI as last yr. Will have to pay attention to that going forward.

KC...I've been telling my brother n law (big KC fan) the exact same thing...when the weather is not conducive to slinging it 30 or 40 times...can Reid dial it back? He's a pass happy coach with a iffy DEF. If they are the match up in the playoffs, you really just need to stay with them early can get Connor established.

NE...We know the deal here. If we see a heavy zone DEF with 3 or 4 rushing, NE will run those little crossing drags plays and Brady will go for 350/3 or 4 TDs. But, with so little success doing that, I have a sense they will pull out some man DEF in that game and try to get after Brady more than we've seen in the past. If they do...I like PIT's chances in that game...NE is decent at CB, but probably the worst pressure team of the contenders. Assuming Fichtner brings something fresh...should be a pretty good game.

Tomlin effect...it's not secret, the team plays better when they are pressed against the wall. I would actually feel better with at least loss to close out these games...imagine if that team won out and took the 1 or 2 seed. I could see them going one and done.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

DB play...could be varying from one crew to the next, but I have not seen as many flags on DBs for PI as last yr. Will have to pay attention to that going forward.

KC...I've been telling my brother n law (big KC fan) the exact same thing...when the weather is not conducive to slinging it 30 or 40 times...can Reid dial it back? He's a pass happy coach with a iffy DEF. If they are the match up in the playoffs, you really just need to stay with them early can get Connor established.

NE...We know the deal here. If we see a heavy zone DEF with 3 or 4 rushing, NE will run those little crossing drags plays and Brady will go for 350/3 or 4 TDs. But, with so little success doing that, I have a sense they will pull out some man DEF in that game and try to get after Brady more than we've seen in the past. If they do...I like PIT's chances in that game...NE is decent at CB, but probably the worst pressure team of the contenders. Assuming Fichtner brings something fresh...should be a pretty good game.

Tomlin effect...it's not secret, the team plays better when they are pressed against the wall. I would actually feel better with at least loss to close out these games...imagine if that team won out and took the 1 or 2 seed. I could see them going one and done.

KC... Exactly. If Mahomes takes a couple big shots in 20deg weather we will see what he's made of.

NE... I have to imagine that Brady is going to eat up Sensabaugh & Edmunds in the m2m coverage which will make Butler call more zones. It feels inevitable. Sens hasn't been a liability but he hasn't been challenged very much and the front 7 is getting a good amount of pressure. I have to think Brady will want to expose him. It's no secret that Haden & Hilton are the best the Steelers have in the back end. Exposing Sens & Edmunds will be his go-to, unless like you said he can find the LB in coverage. Ugh. Wish I had your confidence for this game.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

KC... Exactly. If Mahomes takes a couple big shots in 20deg weather we will see what he's made of.

NE... I have to imagine that Brady is going to eat up Sensabaugh & Edmunds in the m2m coverage which will make Butler call more zones. It feels inevitable. Sens hasn't been a liability but he hasn't been challenged very much and the front 7 is getting a good amount of pressure. I have to think Brady will want to expose him. It's no secret that Haden & Hilton are the best the Steelers have in the back end. Exposing Sens & Edmunds will be his go-to, unless like you said he can find the LB in coverage. Ugh. Wish I had your confidence for this game.

KC...Spot on!...I'm really liking the kid, but he hasn't gotten nailed yet and had to come off the deck to finish a game.

NE...I'm not very confident in a W at all actually...I just haven't seen a NE DEF quite like this one recently (such weak edge presence) so any confidence I have is on Ben & company scoring on them.

Over the last 5 games (all Ls) on top of Brady having his way with the DEF...the OFC hasn't really played well either...they scored 24 in the last game, but prior to that...17, 16, 21. That's not going to cut it when they're averaging 30 on you.

I do think this 3 S dime pkg was in part their response to being killed by Gronk and TEs in general over the years. It's only about 4 games in full force...If they do decide to play some m-t-m in this game and we think they will...obviously that's going away from Sensabaugh's strength. If we think Brady/McDaniels will recognize and attack Sens and Edmunds...Butler and Tomlin have to know this as well and have a game plan...like you said, plan B is probably crawl back into the zone, or do they pull Sens and give snaps to Sutton or worse yet...Burns.

I think they have got to also speed up Brady's clock with the rush and that will help the weaker coverage guys. Part of what was so frustrating with the AFCCG was watching 3 and 4 guys battle 5 to get Brady.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

KC...Spot on!...I'm really liking the kid, but he hasn't gotten nailed yet and had to come off the deck to finish a game.

NE...I'm not very confident in a W at all actually...I just haven't seen a NE DEF quite like this one recently (such weak edge presence) so any confidence I have is on Ben & company scoring on them.

Over the last 5 games (all Ls) on top of Brady having his way with the DEF...the OFC hasn't really played well either...they scored 24 in the last game, but prior to that...17, 16, 21. That's not going to cut it when they're averaging 30 on you.

I do think this 3 S dime pkg was in part their response to being killed by Gronk and TEs in general over the years. It's only about 4 games in full force...If they do decide to play some m-t-m in this game and we think they will...obviously that's going away from Sensabaugh's strength. If we think Brady/McDaniels will recognize and attack Sens and Edmunds...Butler and Tomlin have to know this as well and have a game plan...like you said, plan B is probably crawl back into the zone, or do they pull Sens and give snaps to Sutton or worse yet...Burns.

I think they have got to also speed up Brady's clock with the rush and that will help the weaker coverage guys. Part of what was so frustrating with the AFCCG was watching 3 and 4 guys battle 5 to get Brady.

3 S dime... If they want to do m-t-m then I'd say give Artie a shot. That's his strength, and better if you let him press. I know it sounds like a terrible idea, but thats the sort of game that Artie needs to break out of his funk. If they keep him in during zone then they can expect more of the same Artie Burned. Sutton hasn't quite lived up to expectations either. For all the talk of him this last offseason I expected better. He's allowing a 120+ passer rating, compared to Arties 140+. I wouldn't feel overly confident with either in zone. Trouble is if they rotate to suit their scheme then Brady will pick up on it quickly. They are going to have to roll the dice at some point to disguise coverages. Although I don't know if you can fool Brady. And I agree about speeding up Brady's clock. If the pass rush doesn't get home, then nothing will work on the back end.

 

[Psych-Ward]

@FaCe-LeE-uS
@ATL96Steeler


Seems Ben got a bit pissed about getting shitty comments from JAG offs and decided to shut them up.
Nothing like getting a guy fired up to kick your ass.......

Big Ben takes out trash talk with win over Jags

 

[Psych-Ward]

@Maximus Rex @Psych-Ward

Can he play DB?????

 

[Psych-Ward]

Forgot to praise JuJu in my recap... That kid is a monster. If anyone was hesitant to crown him a star, then that 2nd half should have given you the proof you needed. What should be scaring teams is that Ben has been connecting the back shoulder throws to him. Not even the best CBs in the league can defend that. Couple that with the already tried & true AB on the other side... That's an incredibly dangerous duo.

Juju was Lynn Swannish out there!!!!!!

He is deadly monstrous!!!!!!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Can he play DB?????

I'm a little out of shape and feeling a tad bit under the weather... but couldn't be any worse than Artie.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

@FaCe-LeE-uS
@ATL96Steeler


Seems Ben got a bit pissed about getting shitty comments from JAG offs and decided to shut them up.
Nothing like getting a guy fired up to kick your ass.......

Big Ben takes out trash talk with win over Jags

"But I'm taking the game ball home"

Love it.

 

[Psych-Ward]

I'm a little out of shape and feeling a tad bit under the weather... but couldn't be any worse than Artie.

Lol, so you did catch that Mongolian zombie shit.....

 

[Psych-Ward]

Mike Tomlin compares JuJu's blocking to Hines Ward

Oh look......

How original of captain douche pickle Tomlin.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Lol, so you did catch that Mongolian zombie shit.....

Malaysian, Mongolian... dame difference