Week 13...Colts

[ATL96Steeler]

Well gang...after a week off I resume my chatter about our favorite team.

Tough loss in SEA...if you didn't see the game you would have thought Wilson just absolutely shredded the DEF...make no mistake, they were shredded, but not absolutely...when you put it up 50+ times against a good DEF, I think it somewhat expected a few are going to land in the wrong hands...in this case, 4 of them did...far, far, too many to win on the road in this league.

Got to clean that up this week....the boys get the oldest QB in the league I think this week in Matt Hasslebeck, but he has the Colts on a 3 game winning streak and the same 6-5 record battling HOU for the AFCS DIV, taking down AFCW leader DEN during this run....not that PIT has any margin for error anyway, but they cannot be taken lightly.

Who is banged up...let's start with the main man...Ben (concussion) is probable so looking as if he will play from the reports I've seen...Shazier (concussion)...idk, but they've had to play games without him with some success. Bryant (hip), Mitchell (knee), Miller (rib)...all are questionable....we shall see.

Outlook...Steeler OFC...the Colts are middle of the road on DEF and OFC in terms of scoring...the strength of their DEF imo is the LBs, they are fast and active...Look for Haley to re-establish DWill with at least 18 to 20 carries this week...I see no reason PIT doesn't go north of 24 pts in this game.

Steeler DEF...Two notes on possible changes...It appears that Dupree is now the starting LOLB, Moats will take a lessor role on snapcount...and of course the mystery man, Boykin. By most accounts I've seen online, he will be the nickel this week and Blake moves to CB4 likely to be seen in dime only...we shall see how that plays out.

Gore is still capable, but lacks the burst he once had to really kill you...on the edge Hilton is the most dangerous threat, but they have 2 good TEs and Moncrief is not a bad WR2...I think you have to play a sound base against this team and get them into 3rd and long, but they need to do a good job is mixing up the blitz because the old man has been around...he will know where to go with the ball if he knows where the blitz is coming from...I don't expect a ton of 6 man pressure, but 5has to be dialed up if 4 is not getting the job done.

PIT 27, IND 20

What say you?

 

[Psych-Ward]

 

[Bridgeburner]

If Ben's healthy and all systems go I can't see us losing this game. Then again, we've had a few games that while watching them I was certain of victory (Ravens, Bengals) and that didn't happen.

Steelers 34, Colts 17

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Injuries... Ben, Shazier, Harrison, Spaeth, Bryant, W-Allen, & Mitchell are probable. Miller is questionable. Spence is OUT. ILB position is going to be tested this week. We know it only takes a gust of wind to injure Shazier, so V-Williams is going to be the only backup. But remember that Moats played ILB in Buffalo so there's that. And Garvin is capable as well. Miller being questionable doesn't have me very worried because James has been playing well.

O... If Ben takes better care of the ball this week I don't foresee any problems. O-line has been playing well so as long they find a groove early, they will be able to move the chains all day long.

D... As ATL noted, both Dupree & Boykin are going to see increased snaps. Let's hope that Boykin is the answer we've been hoping for. Its now time for him to make the most of his playing time, however limited that may be. I'm not a believer in Hasselbeck, but he is capable of steering the ship. Their skill positions are dangerous. They will be without their starting LT & RG though. They swung their starting RT to LT and he has been playing decent. Their RG is going to be their weak link. The 2 backups they have were both starters at one point and both were benched for poor play. The pass rush needs to take advantage of that.

This should be an easy win, but something tells me we are in for a nail biter.

Fingers crossed... PIT 32 - IND 24

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Now that's what I call Steelers football!

Coaching... Hats off to Tomlin for having this group prepared and on point. Also glad that he didn't have me pulling my hair out with any bold calls this week. Outside of the 2-pt conversion, his calls were pretty standard. Playcalling was frustrating early on, and sort of continued down the stretch. Throwing bombs deep are fun for highlight reels, but the consistency was a little too predictable last night. D-Will had a monster game, but I think he should have been used more. The ground game was working, but they continued to dial up passes. A tad bit aggressive for my taste, but it worked out. Butler brought the pain yesterday. He gave some new looks with W-Allen hovering around the LOS, sort of Polamalu-esque. He kept the pressure all game long and took advantage of the Indy replacement lineman. Wasn't very happy with the 3-rushers on the Gore TD. Too many people dropped into zones and nobody covered the short/flat. Oh well, lesson learned. Overall the coaches brought it... A

O... Took a few drives to get things sorted out, but man did that engine start humming. Ben simply abused the Colts, it was amazing. AB, Bryant & Wheaton were unstoppable. Bryant dropped 2 potential TD passes, but I'll sweep that under the rug as he was clutch during other moments. I was confused as to why he started off on the bench though? DHB was starting for almost the entire first half? Also confused as to why this Touissant kid got the start over Todman? Hopefully Tomlin provides some info on both. How about that Jesse James, huh? He looks every bit the part of Heath's successor. Great hands and solid blocking. O-line was outstanding. AVill took on a perennial probowler (Mathis) and made him obsolete. I found myself rewinding a lot of plays just watching his technique. It was a thing of beauty! Stunning performance all around from this group! A+

D... Battle was won up front. After a few drives of gashing run plays, they settled in and held their running game to under 60 yds combined. Tuitt & Heyward were all over Hasselbeck & Whitehurst. Linebackers had a solid game. Tackling was a slight issue with a few in the group, JJ & Shazier. Saw both miss key tackles that turned into big gains. V-Will was stout in the run game. Harrison looked vintage with his 3 sacks. Poor Whitehurst got fed to the wolves on those last drives lol. Boykin played well in his debut. The INT wasn't necessarily a great CB play, just a great heads-up play. He was every bit as solid as we have seen from Gay & Cockrell this season. Blake got picked on a few times, but Butler kept a rotation going that kept the QBs from getting comfortable. That was nice to see! Overall the secondary held their passing game to just over 200 yds combined. Solid in my book! This is the kind of performance they need each week if they want to be a major contender! A-

ST... Jacoby Jones will find himself looking for work this morning. Or at least he should be! I would lose faith in Colbert if he was still employed by noon. Saw a lot of missed tackles on the coverage units. That was concerning to me. I saw Blake whiff a few times. Glad to see the Boz can shake off missed FGs and respond. It sucks, but every team in the league is suffering from kicker inadequacies this year. I still have faith in the kid! He drilled a 50 yarder, but missed from 47. Saw one pathetic punt from Berry to the tune of 35yds. That was a killer. Thankfully he didn't punt much, if at all, after that! AB's punt return TD was the saving grace of this unit. Still not enough to bring Danny Smith out of the doghouse. C-

Overall... When the season started, this was what I envisioned: a HOF QB in his prime, a solid to potentially great offensive line, the best trio of WRs in the league, and a front seven that can take over games. Well, we've seen glimpses from each unit over the course of the season, but it took until December to finally pull it all together during a game. But wow, that was thorough. Outside of Jacoby Jones, I have ZERO things to complain about. The 3rd down defense was great, they finally pitched a shutout in the fourth quarter, and the offense did pretty much whatever they wanted after the 1st quarter. Now they have to parlay this performance into Cincinnati next week. A

Outlook... Still on the outside looking in for the WC hunt. Needed wins from OAK & NYG but they failed in miserable fashion lol. Both had a shot at the win, but fell short due to missed FG & pick 6's. Frustrating, but lots of AFC matchups to unravel still. PIT still controls their fate, but as we've stated before, they need to win almost all of their remaining matchups to clinch. If they lose 1 or 2 they will need some serious help to get in. They have been getting through games relatively healthy (concussions mainly), thank God! They have some great momentum going into this next matchup. We need another big game like this to get the W. Cincy is going to be a jungle!

As always... Go Steelers!

 

[Psych-Ward]

Now that's what I call Steelers football!

Coaching... Hats off to Tomlin for having this group prepared and on point. Also glad that he didn't have me pulling my hair out with any bold calls this week. Outside of the 2-pt conversion, his calls were pretty standard. Playcalling was frustrating early on, and sort of continued down the stretch. Throwing bombs deep are fun for highlight reels, but the consistency was a little too predictable last night. D-Will had a monster game, but I think he should have been used more. The ground game was working, but they continued to dial up passes. A tad bit aggressive for my taste, but it worked out. Butler brought the pain yesterday. He gave some new looks with W-Allen hovering around the LOS, sort of Polamalu-esque. He kept the pressure all game long and took advantage of the Indy replacement lineman. Wasn't very happy with the 3-rushers on the Gore TD. Too many people dropped into zones and nobody covered the short/flat. Oh well, lesson learned. Overall the coaches brought it... A

O... Took a few drives to get things sorted out, but man did that engine start humming. Ben simply abused the Colts, it was amazing. AB, Bryant & Wheaton were unstoppable. Bryant dropped 2 potential TD passes, but I'll sweep that under the rug as he was clutch during other moments. I was confused as to why he started off on the bench though? DHB was starting for almost the entire first half? Also confused as to why this Touissant kid got the start over Todman? Hopefully Tomlin provides some info on both. How about that Jesse James, huh? He looks every bit the part of Heath's successor. Great hands and solid blocking. O-line was outstanding. AVill took on a perennial probowler (Mathis) and made him obsolete. I found myself rewinding a lot of plays just watching his technique. It was a thing of beauty! Stunning performance all around from this group! A+

D... Battle was won up front. After a few drives of gashing run plays, they settled in and held their running game to under 60 yds combined. Tuitt & Heyward were all over Hasselbeck & Whitehurst. Linebackers had a solid game. Tackling was a slight issue with a few in the group, JJ & Shazier. Saw both miss key tackles that turned into big gains. V-Will was stout in the run game. Harrison looked vintage with his 3 sacks. Poor Whitehurst got fed to the wolves on those last drives lol. Boykin played well in his debut. The INT wasn't necessarily a great CB play, just a great heads-up play. He was every bit as solid as we have seen from Gay & Cockrell this season. Blake got picked on a few times, but Butler kept a rotation going that kept the QBs from getting comfortable. That was nice to see! Overall the secondary held their passing game to just over 200 yds combined. Solid in my book! This is the kind of performance they need each week if they want to be a major contender! A-

ST... Jacoby Jones will find himself looking for work this morning. Or at least he should be! I would lose faith in Colbert if he was still employed by noon. Saw a lot of missed tackles on the coverage units. That was concerning to me. I saw Blake whiff a few times. Glad to see the Boz can shake off missed FGs and respond. It sucks, but every team in the league is suffering from kicker inadequacies this year. I still have faith in the kid! He drilled a 50 yarder, but missed from 47. Saw one pathetic punt from Berry to the tune of 35yds. That was a killer. Thankfully he didn't punt much, if at all, after that! AB's punt return TD was the saving grace of this unit. Still not enough to bring Danny Smith out of the doghouse. C-

Overall... When the season started, this was what I envisioned: a HOF QB in his prime, a solid to potentially great offensive line, the best trio of WRs in the league, and a front seven that can take over games. Well, we've seen glimpses from each unit over the course of the season, but it took until December to finally pull it all together during a game. But wow, that was thorough. Outside of Jacoby Jones, I have ZERO things to complain about. The 3rd down defense was great, they finally pitched a shutout in the fourth quarter, and the offense did pretty much whatever they wanted after the 1st quarter. Now they have to parlay this performance into Cincinnati next week. A

Outlook... Still on the outside looking in for the WC hunt. Needed wins from OAK & NYG but they failed in miserable fashion lol. Both had a shot at the win, but fell short due to missed FG & pick 6's. Frustrating, but lots of AFC matchups to unravel still. PIT still controls their fate, but as we've stated before, they need to win almost all of their remaining matchups to clinch. If they lose 1 or 2 they will need some serious help to get in. They have been getting through games relatively healthy (concussions mainly), thank God! They have some great momentum going into this next matchup. We need another big game like this to get the W. Cincy is going to be a jungle!

As always... Go Steelers!

View attachment 62541

Great read Face......
Gotta hand it to Jacoby Jones..... that prick always was killing us, hell we put him in a Steelers jersey and he is still killin us!!!! Good bye jackoff!!!!!

With love,
Steeler Nation!!

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Now that's what I call Steelers football!

Coaching... Hats off to Tomlin for having this group prepared and on point. Also glad that he didn't have me pulling my hair out with any bold calls this week. Outside of the 2-pt conversion, his calls were pretty standard. Playcalling was frustrating early on, and sort of continued down the stretch. Throwing bombs deep are fun for highlight reels, but the consistency was a little too predictable last night. D-Will had a monster game, but I think he should have been used more. The ground game was working, but they continued to dial up passes. A tad bit aggressive for my taste, but it worked out. Butler brought the pain yesterday. He gave some new looks with W-Allen hovering around the LOS, sort of Polamalu-esque. He kept the pressure all game long and took advantage of the Indy replacement lineman. Wasn't very happy with the 3-rushers on the Gore TD. Too many people dropped into zones and nobody covered the short/flat. Oh well, lesson learned. Overall the coaches brought it... A

O... Took a few drives to get things sorted out, but man did that engine start humming. Ben simply abused the Colts, it was amazing. AB, Bryant & Wheaton were unstoppable. Bryant dropped 2 potential TD passes, but I'll sweep that under the rug as he was clutch during other moments. I was confused as to why he started off on the bench though? DHB was starting for almost the entire first half? Also confused as to why this Touissant kid got the start over Todman? Hopefully Tomlin provides some info on both. How about that Jesse James, huh? He looks every bit the part of Heath's successor. Great hands and solid blocking. O-line was outstanding. AVill took on a perennial probowler (Mathis) and made him obsolete. I found myself rewinding a lot of plays just watching his technique. It was a thing of beauty! Stunning performance all around from this group! A+

D... Battle was won up front. After a few drives of gashing run plays, they settled in and held their running game to under 60 yds combined. Tuitt & Heyward were all over Hasselbeck & Whitehurst. Linebackers had a solid game. Tackling was a slight issue with a few in the group, JJ & Shazier. Saw both miss key tackles that turned into big gains. V-Will was stout in the run game. Harrison looked vintage with his 3 sacks. Poor Whitehurst got fed to the wolves on those last drives lol. Boykin played well in his debut. The INT wasn't necessarily a great CB play, just a great heads-up play. He was every bit as solid as we have seen from Gay & Cockrell this season. Blake got picked on a few times, but Butler kept a rotation going that kept the QBs from getting comfortable. That was nice to see! Overall the secondary held their passing game to just over 200 yds combined. Solid in my book! This is the kind of performance they need each week if they want to be a major contender! A-

ST... Jacoby Jones will find himself looking for work this morning. Or at least he should be! I would lose faith in Colbert if he was still employed by noon. Saw a lot of missed tackles on the coverage units. That was concerning to me. I saw Blake whiff a few times. Glad to see the Boz can shake off missed FGs and respond. It sucks, but every team in the league is suffering from kicker inadequacies this year. I still have faith in the kid! He drilled a 50 yarder, but missed from 47. Saw one pathetic punt from Berry to the tune of 35yds. That was a killer. Thankfully he didn't punt much, if at all, after that! AB's punt return TD was the saving grace of this unit. Still not enough to bring Danny Smith out of the doghouse. C-

Overall... When the season started, this was what I envisioned: a HOF QB in his prime, a solid to potentially great offensive line, the best trio of WRs in the league, and a front seven that can take over games. Well, we've seen glimpses from each unit over the course of the season, but it took until December to finally pull it all together during a game. But wow, that was thorough. Outside of Jacoby Jones, I have ZERO things to complain about. The 3rd down defense was great, they finally pitched a shutout in the fourth quarter, and the offense did pretty much whatever they wanted after the 1st quarter. Now they have to parlay this performance into Cincinnati next week. A

Outlook... Still on the outside looking in for the WC hunt. Needed wins from OAK & NYG but they failed in miserable fashion lol. Both had a shot at the win, but fell short due to missed FG & pick 6's. Frustrating, but lots of AFC matchups to unravel still. PIT still controls their fate, but as we've stated before, they need to win almost all of their remaining matchups to clinch. If they lose 1 or 2 they will need some serious help to get in. They have been getting through games relatively healthy (concussions mainly), thank God! They have some great momentum going into this next matchup. We need another big game like this to get the W. Cincy is going to be a jungle!

As always... Go Steelers!

View attachment 62541

You should get paid for this bro!

Well done.

My 2 cents.

OL play was great...AVill getting a few mins on stage was good, but his play stood up to it overall...I tend to agree with you on the bombs away approach...I think some of that was dictated by coverage...IND was intent on a lot of single coverage and the S were never a factor it seemed. With 3 JJs on the team (maybe 2 after today) I need to note...Jesse James played well last night, decent in blocking.

DEF...you can't help but like the CB rotation...Boykin showed his ball skills, getting a splash play out the gate...at the same time Blake got some snaps to keep him engaged. I didn't see Dupree out there much in the 2nd half so when I saw the snap count...21, it made me wonder if he was okay, but I assume it was just the way this one played out...Moats did play well.

AFC...basically everyone ahead and behind (BUF) won so nothing gained in the playoff race but an AFC win helps the cause.

KC 7-5, ...SD, @BAL, CLE, OAK... most likely will run the table if they win @ BAL...11-5, no worse than 10-6.

NYJ 7-5...TN, @DAL, NE, @BUF...this is our most reachable prey...tough close.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

You should get paid for this bro!

Well done.

My 2 cents.

OL play was great...AVill getting a few mins on stage was good, but his play stood up to it overall...I tend to agree with you on the bombs away approach...I think some of that was dictated by coverage...IND was intent on a lot of single coverage and the S were never a factor it seemed. With 3 JJs on the team (maybe 2 after today) I need to note...Jesse James played well last night, decent in blocking.

DEF...you can't help but like the CB rotation...Boykin showed his ball skills, getting a splash play out the gate...at the same time Blake got some snaps to keep him engaged. I didn't see Dupree out there much in the 2nd half so when I saw the snap count...21, it made me wonder if he was okay, but I assume it was just the way this one played out...Moats did play well.

AFC...basically everyone ahead and behind (BUF) won so nothing gained in the playoff race but an AFC win helps the cause.

KC 7-5, ...SD, @BAL, CLE, OAK... most likely will run the table if they win @ BAL...11-5, no worse than 10-6.

NYJ 7-5...TN, @DAL, NE, @BUF...this is our most reachable prey...tough close.

That would be living the dream... Gettin' paid to write about your favorite team. Basically getting paid to watch the Steelers. Sign me up!

That's a good point about the m2m coverage. With all the weapons Ben has at his disposal, doing m2m is like dangling a juicy sirloin in front of a ravenous lion.

I think Dupree was just fine. Saw him leaping for joy on multiple occasions along the sidelines. When Harrison's wheels get turnin I don't think he, or the coaches are ever going to pull him out. Deebo probably waved him off most of the night, and Porter let him do his thing. Seeing him play like that though, takes me back to '08 when the dude was straight feasting on QBs. Fills me with the warm & fuzzies. And like you said, Moats was playing well. Wasn't necessary to rotate much when the D was shutting Indy down, lots of 3 & outs. Kept everyone fresh.

Even though the Jets appear to be the lowest hanging fruit, I still think KC isn't what they appear to be. SD should beat them. Wouldn't be surprised to see either BAL or CLE give them a run for their money. OAK had them this last game. But Carr's inexperience shined late in the game. Just a hunch, but I think the Jets are the better team out of those 2.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Great read Face......
Gotta hand it to Jacoby Jones..... that prick always was killing us, hell we put him in a Steelers jersey and he is still killin us!!!! Good bye jackoff!!!!!

With love,
Steeler Nation!!

Can someone please explain to me why Jacoby wasn't released today? Dammit KEVIN!!!!

 

[MISKO]

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Either it happened & hasn't been reported yet, or ol' Kevie took some time off for the holidays lol

 

[ATL96Steeler]

That would be living the dream... Gettin' paid to write about your favorite team. Basically getting paid to watch the Steelers. Sign me up!

That's a good point about the m2m coverage. With all the weapons Ben has at his disposal, doing m2m is like dangling a juicy sirloin in front of a ravenous lion.

I think Dupree was just fine. Saw him leaping for joy on multiple occasions along the sidelines. When Harrison's wheels get turnin I don't think he, or the coaches are ever going to pull him out. Deebo probably waved him off most of the night, and Porter let him do his thing. Seeing him play like that though, takes me back to '08 when the dude was straight feasting on QBs. Fills me with the warm & fuzzies. And like you said, Moats was playing well. Wasn't necessary to rotate much when the D was shutting Indy down, lots of 3 & outs. Kept everyone fresh.

Even though the Jets appear to be the lowest hanging fruit, I still think KC isn't what they appear to be. SD should beat them. Wouldn't be surprised to see either BAL or CLE give them a run for their money. OAK had them this last game. But Carr's inexperience shined late in the game. Just a hunch, but I think the Jets are the better team out of those 2.

I'd have a full-time typo editor, but I would love it as well!!

Lowest hanging...you might be right...Fitz is a little easier to get on the ground, but the Jets are the more complete team imo as well. KC has beaten two playoff caliber teams on this run but the recent wins have been against bottom feeders and more to come....reason I think they hang on to the 5.

At the same time I don't see them running off 10 straight to close out...they will lose a game and imo @ BAL is one...SD...maybe, they must be able to run it and commit to running it the whole game...if they get behind and KC can turn the edge boys loose, they will get to Rivers and probably get a turnover or two.

CLE...rumors about the HC job are starting to swirl...this 2 game punishment for Manziel...Mack is probably out of there and has checked out mentally...Joe Thomas knows he was in trade talks, who knows where that team is...getting smoked last week didn't surprise me at all. Even if JM tries to showcase for DAL or whatever, not enough around him to beat the Chief in KC...imo the GM needs to go, or maybe he should stay? Better for us....yes, stay.

OAK...I would give them a better chance.

We'll see...hopefully we can continue to apply the pressure...on the road.

 

[MISKO]

Roethlisberger On Antonio Brown Celebration: 'Obviously The Family Jewels Were At Risk'

listen to the audio clip about AB's end zone celebration..