Wk 7...Bye Week

[ATL96Steeler]

The Steelers have reached the bye week at 2-4.

Even though they have played one of the tougher schedules to start, this is not what we envisioned in September.

Who knew Ben would go down in midway thru game 2. Or they would play, and win game 6 with the 3rd string QB. Aside from week one vs NE, they have been in every football game late, losing by 2 to SEA, by 4 @ SF, and by 3 in OT to BAL. When you look at it from that perspective and being fair to Tomlin...it's still not good, but they have not crumbled and seem to be on the uptick with a good road win in LA.

Another positive that kind of took the NFL world by surprise was PIT trading their 1st round pick to the MIA Dolphins for, FS Minkah Fitzpatrick (former 11th overall pick in 2018). This is monumental for the Steeler organization as this is the 1st time PIT has traded a 1st round draft pick since 1967. Since bringing Fitzpatrick on board the DEF play has risen to another level.

Rankings

DEF

• Pts...12th
• Yds...15th
• Vs pass...18th
• Vs rush...17th

OFC

• Pts...20th
• Yds...29th
• Passing Yds...28th
• Rush Yds...28th

The Steelers have predictably been conservative on OFC largely to protect the 1st yr starter. Because of that they have not taken advantage of their + turnover margin. As they get prepare for the stretch run of the season if they are to make any kind of a run for the playoffs, the OFC will have to take a bigger share of the load.

DIV play...1-1...W vs CIN, L vs BAL

The Ravens control the DIV at this stage with a 4-2 record overall and 2-1 in DIV with a head to head over PIT and CIN. With 4 DIV game in front of them, the Steelers still control their own playoff fate.

Injuries

• Tuitt (pec) was lost for the season in the Chargers game.
• Samuel (knee) is probably going to miss about 3 more week
• Nix (knee) is looking closer to his season debut maybe the MNF game vs MIA
• Nelson (groin) MIA is probable
• Washington (shoulder) MIA is possible
• Rudolph (concussion) MIA is probable
• Conner (quad) MIA is probable
• Haden (groin) MIA is probable
• Watt (abdomen) MIA is probable

Most of the probable players will be monitored for practice participation as we get into next week.

The Steelers come out of the bye with 3 straight home games...MIA, IND, and LAR.

IMO they need to sweep these 3 games and win at least 3 (one being BAL) of the remaining 4 DIV games to have a real chance to make any noise in DEC.

We shall see.

 

[SteelersPride]

im really suprised our D isnt ranked higher in alot of metrics, guess were not as stellar as i thought

 

[ATL96Steeler]

im really suprised our D isnt ranked higher in alot of metrics, guess were not as stellar as i thought

Considering they have played NE (190 pts), BAL (184 pts) SF (147 pts) and SEA (165 pts), coming in 12th in points against is pretty good actually.

I didn't look at 3rd down performance initially, but 20 sacks to date ranks 3rd in the league...they are still lagging in a getting off the field...teams are converting 3rd down 44% (near the bottom 3rd) of the time. That will be something to watch as the season goes along.

 

[thedddd]

im really suprised our D isnt ranked higher in alot of metrics, guess were not as stellar as i thought

I think it will get much better as the season goes. They started so bad but are trending up pretty quick.
Amazing the numbers changed that much due to one player. Well worth the 1st round pick.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I think it will get much better as the season goes. They started so bad but are trending up pretty quick.
Amazing the numbers changed that much due to one player. Well worth the 1st round pick.

One player...good point.

These guys are all connected, especially on DEF...as a player I think when you know you have a stud at a position, it allows you to just focus on your job. I'm sure Edmunds unconsciously felt like he had to do more or make up slack for Kelly when he started at FS. Since Fitz has been there, we're seeing better play from #34 too.

 

[thedddd]

One player...good point.

These guys are all connected, especially on DEF...as a player I think when you know you have a stud at a position, it allows you to just focus on your job. I'm sure Edmunds unconsciously felt like he had to do more or make up slack for Kelly when he started at FS. Since Fitz has been there, we're seeing better play from #34 too.

Oh yeah. He is showing to be a capable Safety when he isn't the primary better complimentary to the better position. Sort of what Clark was to Polamalu.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Oh yeah. He is showing to be a capable Safety when he isn't the primary better complimentary to the better position. Sort of what Clark was to Polamalu.

Exactly...only in this case Fitz is the FS.

 

[Bridgeburner]

Bye Week 31
Steelers 6

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Bye Week 31
Steelers 6

Halftime stats

Face - 12 beers
Case - 12 beers left

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Bye week is always a good week dbl dip on golf, but Sat was a total wash out (thankfully...needed rain) and today is a nice weather day but sloppy course most likely I won’t go out...maybe go putt some and get ready for some dud football games...a desperate Falcon team vs Rams will have some local interest, then LAC @ TN 4p...much rather see BAL @ SEA...

It will be a good game day meal regardless...got some surf and turf for the primo today.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Bye week is always a good week dbl dip on golf, but Sat was a total wash out (thankfully...needed rain) and today is a nice weather day but sloppy course most likely I won’t go out...maybe go putt some and get ready for some dud football games...a desperate Falcon team vs Rams will have some local interest, then LAC @ TN 4p...much rather see BAL @ SEA...

It will be a good game day meal regardless...got some surf and turf for the primo today.

I've been hitting the putting greens lately to clean up my short range chipping... Somehow, some way... That part of my game went downhill REAL fast. lol. Raising kids has of course eaten into my practice & overall playing time, so I've lost a considerable amount of "touch" with my short game. Which is where I have been racking up a ton of strokes lately. Ironically though, my putting has gotten considerably better lol. The age old saying about "thinking less" helps out a ton.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

The Steelers have reached the bye week at 2-4.

Even though they have played one of the tougher schedules to start, this is not what we envisioned in September.

Who knew Ben would go down in midway thru game 2. Or they would play, and win game 6 with the 3rd string QB. Aside from week one vs NE, they have been in every football game late, losing by 2 to SEA, by 4 @ SF, and by 3 in OT to BAL. When you look at it from that perspective and being fair to Tomlin...it's still not good, but they have not crumbled and seem to be on the uptick with a good road win in LA.

Another positive that kind of took the NFL world by surprise was PIT trading their 1st round pick to the MIA Dolphins for, FS Minkah Fitzpatrick (former 11th overall pick in 2018). This is monumental for the Steeler organization as this is the 1st time PIT has traded a 1st round draft pick since 1967. Since bringing Fitzpatrick on board the DEF play has risen to another level.

Rankings

DEF

• Pts...12th
• Yds...15th
• Vs pass...18th
• Vs rush...17th

OFC

• Pts...20th
• Yds...29th
• Passing Yds...28th
• Rush Yds...28th

The Steelers have predictably been conservative on OFC largely to protect the 1st yr starter. Because of that they have not taken advantage of their + turnover margin. As they get prepare for the stretch run of the season if they are to make any kind of a run for the playoffs, the OFC will have to take a bigger share of the load.

DIV play...1-1...W vs CIN, L vs BAL

The Ravens control the DIV at this stage with a 4-2 record overall and 2-1 in DIV with a head to head over PIT and CIN. With 4 DIV game in front of them, the Steelers still control their own playoff fate.

Injuries

• Tuitt (pec) was lost for the season in the Chargers game.
• Samuel (knee) is probably going to miss about 3 more week
• Nix (knee) is looking closer to his season debut maybe the MNF game vs MIA
• Nelson (groin) MIA is probable
• Washington (shoulder) MIA is possible
• Rudolph (concussion) MIA is probable
• Conner (quad) MIA is probable
• Haden (groin) MIA is probable
• Watt (abdomen) MIA is probable

Most of the probable players will be monitored for practice participation as we get into next week.

The Steelers come out of the bye with 3 straight home games...MIA, IND, and LAR.

IMO they need to sweep these 3 games and win at least 3 (one being BAL) of the remaining 4 DIV games to have a real chance to make any noise in DEC.

We shall see.

Colbert has been my MVP thus far. It required a lot but the facelift he gave this defense is incredible. Acquiring Bush, Nelson & Fitzpatrick were heavily scrutinized in different ways, but man oh man have they paid HUGE dividends for how well this defense is playing. It's just a completely different unit now. I've been wanting one for what feels like a decade, but they finally have the field general FS that they've desperately been needing. Fitzpatrick is well-worth the 1st round pick no matter how this season unfolds. He has indeed elevated the play of everyone around him. He's young, and will be much cheaper for them in the near future against their cap. And there's a lot to be said about taking the known commodity vs drafting for one without knowing how they translate to the NFL. At the time, I'll admit I was skeptical of the Nelson signing. Nothing about him made me feel like he was worth the $25.5m contract. But I am glad to be wrong there. He has easily been the best CB on the roster thus far this season. And Bush is every bit of the playmaker they wanted at ILB. Seeing how well he is progressing from week to week is fun to watch. There is still a lot of room to grow, but for him to be able to handle that position as a rookie speaks volumes to his future. I'm betting he'll get robbed of DROY honors, but he's on the short list for the award.

Offense... Lots of question marks here. Starting at the top with shaky & conservative OC scheming. The O-line has played better the last few outings, but overall it appears they have been overrated & living on past accomplishments. They need to be more consistent across the board to elevate this unit. The level of QB play has been hindering them from taking that next step as well. A lot of people are knocking the WR group, but the tape doesn't lie. WRs are getting open and the QB is failing to make the right reads. Mason, for the most part, has been very gun-shy. Juju is having a tough season. But his character & optimism remains remarkably high. Defenses have been keying on him. Diontae Johnson has been a gem, but they need someone else to step up. So far Washington has not lived up to the hype from the preseason. But again, the QB play is just not where it needs to be. Once they start connecting on the intermediate to deep passes then we should get a better look at where this group stands. Conner hasn't looked great this year, but the O-line hasn't been giving him much room to breathe and the playcalling has been too predictable. Not a good recipe for success at the RB position. Getting Nix back should help.

Defense... I'm kind of excited to see this defense with a healthy Sean Davis. Kam Kelly has been a liability in the "big dime" package or whatever its called. Davis should be a much more competent player working with Fitzpatrick & Edmunds in the backend. We may even see Fitzpatrick start to freelance with Davis on the field. Just a thought. D-line has been dominating, and losing Tuitt is a huge blow to that production. How they keep up that level of play will be something to keep our eyes on. They have capable pieces, but Butler will need to get creative with their deployment. I'd like to see Hargrave get more reps outside. I'm not concerned at all about the secondary moving forward. Well, maybe only if they keep insisting on playing Artie Burns in wake of injuries to the outside CBs. FREE SUTTON!

Team outlook... I'm still pretty gloomy on this team's chances. Rightfully so. They are still in a hole, and have a lot of question marks on offense. They have a defense that can contend with anyone, but the offense could be the achilles heel if this turns out to be a unicorn season. And I'll never instill much faith into this coaching staff until proven otherwise. I get the feeling that this is going to be one of those "admirable" losing seasons come December. Looking ahead they should have the division dead in their sites by week 10. Never any guarantees, but they SHOULD be able to climb out of this hole to 5-4 or 4-5 by week 10. The 3-game stretch of AFCN games that ensues will most likely dictate their '19 season.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

The hell is this? Burns over Bush at #2? They clearly covet sacks over all else.

Bush - 52 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INT, 4 FR, 1 TD

Burns - 15 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 1 TD

Bosa - 9 tackles, 3 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR and a plethora of QB-pressures (on pace to set a new NFL record for a rookie).


For me... It's 1a & 1b with Bosa & Bush right now. Burns is making waves lately, but he has a ways to go.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Forgot to give an invisible & soft-spoken shout-out to the ST unit. Returns haven't produced much, and the coverage teams are shaky... But the Wiz of Boz is back!!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

If they offer a 3rd or higher for Dupree, I'd take it.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Miami sticking it to a great defense today... Suddenly next weeks matchup doesn't look so optimistic lol.

Tomlin Trap Game?

 

[steelerssb]

Happy bye week!

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Miami sticking it to a great defense today... Suddenly next weeks matchup doesn't look so optimistic lol.

Tomlin Trap Game?

Nothing should be a trap with a two win team, but MIA will probably be a tougher game than we expect...OFC needs to be more aggressive.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Happy bye week!

So he bruises up his girlfriend, presumably ex gf now that he has been charged. No need for Steelers PR to get involved. Seems clear they need to cut ties.

Free OLA!!!