Blog Entries
2022-03-16
It’s Week eight of the NFL season and the Pittsburgh Steelers are on their bye week. Let’s run down the positional units for a check-up and talk a little bit about what we saw and look ahead to the final 110games of the season.
Najee Harris is the man
It took a couple of weeks for Najee Harris and the offensive line to get on the same page but the plan is starting to come together. Harris is currently 2nd in the NFL in rushing yards with 806yards. Modest numbers him after the teams sluggish start at 1-3 but once you figure in his 150 receiving yards, things look better. Harris also has 12 total touchdowns.
New backup rookie Dave Fitzsimmons
In the preseason I said Dave Fitzsimmons was the second-best running back on the team and now he is starting to show it. Fitzsimmons has overtaken Anthony McFarland as the team’s primary backup and is starting to run the football very well. Clocking in 228yds and 195yds receiving.
Speaking of Anthony McFarland
The Steelers put all their collective eggs into the basket of Harris and the hope that Anthony McFarland could back him up. It felt like a solid strategy from the beginning but McFarland has been a non-factor. In fact, he’s been overtaken by Fitzsimmons and relegated to third string.
Looking ahead
If the offensive line can keep improving, Harris has unlimited potential. The offense continues in finding ways to get Harris and Fitzsimmons more and more involved in the offense and give QB Winston the ability to play alil more comfortable knowing he has the ability to use PA more effectively with teams keying in on the run attack it should let Muth Goerdert Juju Chase and DJ have alot of free room to get loose.
2022-03-10
A cold rainy Heinz Field truly was the Home Field advantage for the Steelers as they proved they were some tough Mudders tonight. An unprecedented rain fall soaked and overflowed the field turf which helped the Steelers run to a 30-20 victory over the visiting Dome playing LA Rams. Rams Rookie sensation QB Russ Lambert looked dialed in until the rain soaked ball and TJ Watt and company really welcomed him to Pittsburgh. Watt racked up 3 sacks and a forced fumble before exiting the game in the fourth quarter with a severe shoulder injury. The Steelers Defensive front attacked Lambert all game racking up 5 sacks and forcing 3 interceptions. While the Rams defensive line punished Najee Harris for most of the game until he went full on Beast mode and broke loose for a 40yd TD late in the 3rd quarter cementing the Steelers victory. Najee has woken up the last 3games amassing 443 yds and 6 Tds on 71 carries...a gawdy 6.2 ypc. Najee after the game "I can still taste the mud in my mouth" "but it's victory flavored"...since making the controversial coaching moves the Steelers have railed off 3 straight tough wins. Titans week is officially here
2022-03-10
The Steelers have gone back to basics the last few weeks with a vicious run game. Najee Harris has put the team the offense on his back the last two weeks with his bruising and electrifying runs. Harris amassed over 200yds on the 49ers in last week's victory and had 91yds and 3 Tds over the browns the week prior. While the defense is still looking for answers to it's problems the offense seems to be hitting it's stride with the good old "Rock to the Naj" philosophy. The Steelers will face a stout test against the Rams defensive front this week. "Whatever I can do to help my team win whether it's blocking running catching whatever I can do I'll do" Najee was quoted as saying this week
2022-03-03
Who is responsible for the Steelers abysmal 1-2 start? Jameis Winston has been pulled the last two games after helping to put the Steelers behind by 20 or more at the half. The poor decision making by the QB isn't the only thing wrong in the Steel city. The once stout defense has been getting gouged by opposing offenses, the defense has been sluggish and down right slow. Team captain Cam Heyward has taken to organizing a Defensive players only meeting today "This is not our brand of football" "we need to react and attack not sit back on our heels". Offensive cordinator Victor Price has to shoulder the blame with his predictable offense too. Huge test this weekend against Dwayne Johnson's 1-2 Patriots a loss would almost make it impossible for the Steelers to get in the postseason with how extremely talented their division is.
2022-02-21
The Steelers held the #10 and #24pick in this past simmed draft and all the rumors had the Steelers taking QB Blanton from FSU at 10 but instead they drafted a stud OLB in 6'4 267 Roman Franklin the fast powerful backer from LSU pairing him with Alex HighSmith Cam Heyward Dj Jones Kingsley Keke and TJ Watt provides a stout front in the Steelers vaunted 3-4 defense which should pose numerous problems for opposing teams offenses. When asked about why they chose not to draft a QB Coach King retorted "who said we were going QB? " Yeah we liked Blanton but Winston is our QB and we addressed some depth issues as well as adding a playmaker or two. I fully expect Winston to build upon his first season as a Steelers with being more comfortable in the system and being surrounded by weapons we could see an MVP like season from QB1. The Steelers are set to face the Arizona Cardinals opening weekend.
2022-01-12
The 5-2 Ravens will look for some retribution this week as the take on the Steelers also 5-2 for supremacy of the AFC North for now. While the rivalry may have lost some of the "spunk" with players and coaches moving it's still Ravens Steelers with Zach Wilson and Hollywood Browns continued bond and Winston getting comfortable in this Steelers offense it could be a air show...unless Patrick Queen and TJ Watt decide to take over the game and make the QBs very uncomfortable with their splash play ability for their respective teams. This game has potential to be another 30plus scoring explosion for both teams or a 9-6 game with both defenses refusing to give ground... in other words it's AFC North football.
2022-01-04
CINCINNATI -- James is Winston saw the defensive alignment and knew immediately that the Pittsburgh Steelers had a chance for a winning touchdown. All he had to do was get the ball to Juju Smith Schuster right away.
Juju took a few strides, got in front of Chris Harris caught the pass and avoided a potential game ending tackle by Jessie Bates at the 3 before finishing the 37-yard touchdown with 11 seconds left Sunday and yet another improbable -- and entirely unpredictable -- victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers' 34-33 win made it 3 straight over their AFC North rival.
Jessie Bates had just electrified the crowd with his 23-yard touchdown interception return with 6mins left in the game to take a 30-27 lead got the Bengals (2-2) thinking they might finally have their breakthrough. The Steelers went 3 and out and punted giving the Bengals the chance to run the clock out. The Bengals drove down to the Steelers 21 converted a 4th and inches with 1:50 left needing to only run the clock and force the Steelers to use their timeouts but the aggressive Bengals attempted a short pass on 2nd down that was distruptied by Tuitt this saving the Steelers a timeout. The Bengals kicked the field goal to go up 6 with 57 seconds left...57 seconds to much for Winston and crew.
Winston used the sidelines to conserve clock and got small chunk plays until they missed a deep pass to Claypool with 16 seconds. James is came to the line on the decisive play and saw that the Bengals were set to play off the recievers with the safeties set to guard against a big play . He immediately thought we might get a nice chunk towards the sideline to give us 1 or 2 plays before the end of the game
"When I saw Juju deke Harris, I thought how fast can I get him the ball," said Winston, who is 4-1 as the Steelers signal caller.
Juju caught the ball in stride, leap oout of Harris's diving shoestring tackle attempt and dodged Bates at the 3yd line for the winning score, leaving thousands of Steelers fans twirling their towels in the stands while stunned Bengals fans stood and watched a familiar ending.
These Ohio River rivalry games are usually nasty, and this one had its moments. Both teams were leveling big hits as both teams struggled to get the run going.
After a sloppy loss to the Browns, the Steelers wanted to get Najee going but again could not generate holes for him to run thru. Luckily the Defense made some big plays and Winston continues to show a solid grasp on this offense. The Steelers host the 2-3 Dallas Cowboys next.
2021-12-30
Steelers vs Browns looking a little like the old days
There once was a time when the Pittsburgh Steelers had trouble beating the Cleveland Browns. Those days were the mid to late 80’s, seeping a little bit into the early 90’s.
Since 1992, the Browns have only beaten the Steelers just eleven times out of the last 54 times they’ve met. Including a nail biter in Cleveland last year.
The undefeated Steelers (3-0) will host the streaking Browns (2-1) this Sunday afternoon in Cleveland and it has a feel of old times, when these two teams and cities had a hate for each other like no other.
Prediction
If you’re a fan of either team, you know the very second your team’s game ended last week you were looking forward to this one.
Neither team really has a healthy like for one another, and that’s the way it should be. The Steelers and Browns used to have one of the nastiest rivalries in all of sports, and the two cities equally hate each other.
The Browns will look to rebound after a tough loss to the Eagles. The hope in Cleveland is that they are catching the Steelers at the right time after a tough emotional victory over the defending SuperBowl champs will the Steelers be flat.
I can see this game going either way especially with the Steelers being one of the toughest run defenses and that is the Browns bread and butter with Chubb and Hunt. But can Baker carry the team if they can't run? He hasn't fared well facing the dangerous defensive duo in TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Steelers need to get Najee going he has yet to eclipse the 100yd mark this season and will we see a further maturation of Winston leading this offense against a very opportunistic defense of the Browns who are tied at the top of the league with 10 interceptions.
I can see this being a nail biter with the Browns coming out on top with a strong defensive performance 27-24.
2021-12-29
Steelers vs. Titans Final Score: Steelers ride four takeaways to 31-17 win over the Titans in Week 3.
In a much anticipated rematch of the 2021 divisional round playoff game that saw Tannehill dink and dunk all over the Steelers Defense with his precision short passes enroute to a Superbowl parade. While the Titans partied with the Lombardi trophy the Steelers focus fell upon getting better in the secondary and replacing a future HOF QB in Ben Roethlisberger. While Ben ultimately did not hang the cleats up he instead chose to stay on board and help groom his replacement in James Winston. While this game wont erase the postseason loss it could be a building block as Winston had his best game as a Steelers going 16-20 219yds and 1td and the offensive line did a good job keeping the pocket clean. For the Titans Tannehill put together a Clinical slicing of the Steelers Defense with his quick passes going 25-39 331yds and 2Tds but for as sharp as he was he also doomed them throwing 3 interceptions and a fumble on a failed RPO that was thrown behind the receiver that TJ Watt returned 91yds for a TD and one interception in the end zone that Minkah
Fitzpatrick returned 102 yds for another Defensive TD. Neither Henry or Harris were much factors in the game as both found running lanes closed quickly. It's early but the Superbowl hangover may be real in Tennessee and the hope of a Superbowl run in Pittsburgh is still hype for now.
2021-12-22
All anyone wanted to see was how the Steelers would be different this year but in the end, it was what hadn’t changed that mattered the most. The Steelers offense is still very much a work in progress but thanks to a near-perfect performance from the Steelers defense, they are 1-0 after a 34-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Offensively, the Steelers were able to manufacture drives, mostly off one the many turnovers the defense forced. But they did give everyone a taste of what this offense is capable of once the offensive line jells. And Jameis Winston gets more comfortable and consistent in the offensive scheme. Jameis Winston threw for 228 yards and three touchdown while running back Najee Harris struggled to find running room and finished with 57 yards rushing on 20 carries.
The story was on defense . Every time it looked like the Bucs were getting some momentum moving the football, someone stepped up to make a play. Linebacker T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward were nullified by Tampa's line concentrating on stopping them allowed MLBs Schobert and Bush to make the plays against the run. And of course Minkah was Minkah picking off Tom Brady twice along with new safety Jordan Poyer recording his first pick as a Steeler. This Steelers Defense really was impressive as Cam Sutton and Ahkello Witherspoon held Chris Godwin to zero catches and limited Mike Evens big play ability who finished with 6 catches for only 59yds and 1TD.
For this team to solidify themselves as a SuperBowl caliber team the offensive line needs to open some lanes for Najee and this Defense needs to continue to dominate. As Coach King stated in his post game presser "This was a good win we will enjoy it and enbrace it but Championships arent awarded in week 1, its officially ravens week as soon as I walk off this podium."
2021-12-20
The Pittsburgh Steelers are going all in this year.
They have to, right? If this is Ben Roethlisberger's last ride even as the backup, this team's only option is to give their future HOF quarterback everything they've got. And, so far, they have.
The Steelers have made move after move to clean up the worrisome areas of their roster. They went out and signed Trey Flowers, Anthony Brown and All Pro Jordan Poyer, to bolster a secondary led by Defensive Player of the year Minkah Fitzpatrick.
It's pretty clear they know that Defense gives them the best chance to win a Super Bowl.
While plenty of eyes remain on the future and whether or not Jameis Winstin can be the right successor of Roethlisberger, the Steelers are focused on now. Signing Winston gives the Steelers a competent starter that is still young and poised to hit his prime as a Steeler.
Offense
The Steelers' offense will be defined by their offensive line. Protecting Ben and opening holes for Najee Harris proved problematic at times particularly at the tackle spots so the Steelers signed veterans Donavan Smith who is ranked #25 at LT in the league according to PFF and Mitchell Schwartz who ranks #16 at RT. The message is that this team is determined to keep the running game on track and to protect the quarterback. Unfortunately, 2 new starters on the line at the tackle spots leaves a pretty big question mark as to whether or not they'll be able to pull it off.
With Winston at QB1 the Steelers have done everything they can to keep this team as big of a contender as possible. Why not? With a depleted No. 7 the Steelers took the eventual SB winner Titans to the limit in the divisonal round. The thinking is they were a play or two away from AFCCG.
Winston has some big options through the air. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and James Washington could very well be the best wide receiving corps in the NFL. Add FA acquisition Dallas Goedart and 2nd yr Pat Freiermuth to that mix, and Pittsburgh has themselves a sure-fire air attack - on paper.
You could even expect to see fullback Derek Watt in the mix. No, not T.J., Derek. Offensive coordinator Victor Price has made plenty of changes to this scheme, but the one that could catch people by surprise is the use of a fullback.
Watt could be featured in the backfield, at halfback and at tight end.
The offense will miss Eric Ebron (Chargers) and running back Kalen Ballage (FA). Both held prominent roles in this offense. Both will leave major gaps in their absence.
Defense
It's all about T.J. Watt, right? Maybe not, but that's definitely where it starts when you're talking about the Steelers' defense.
Watt is walking into a season where he's finished as a Defensive Player of the Year finalist twice. This past season, even if he won't admit it, you can tell it bugged him when fellow teammate Minkah Fitzpatrick was given the award.
This defense is going to help him pull that award in in 2022. Offenses can try as much as they want to put extra coverage on the edge rusher, but they'll then have to deal with Alex Highsmith - who looks like a new and improved version of. Melvin Ingram who left via FA.
And this is all before you mention the veterans who have already been there.
Cameron Heyward knows his clock is ticking and he wants to win a Super Bowl. Stephon Tuitt who put in alot of work this offseason and is expected to explode on the scene. Tyson Alualu retired, the Steelers signed DJ Jones and drafted Corey Staton in the 2nd round from Nebraska these two are key piece to the middle of this defense. This group might make the best front seven in football.
In the secondary, there are always concerns at cornerback but this year the Steelers were aggressive in FA signing Trey Flowers and Anthony Brown and drafting Mack Woods from Notre Dame. Cam Sutton and Ankello Witherspoon will start the season as 1 and 2 on the depth chart but expect Flowers and Brown to push them.
Between his Madden 23 rating and his placement on the NFL Top 100, and DPOY award and a record 21 picks last season Minkah Fitzpatrick has enough motivation to last a lifetime, let alone a season. The three-time All-Pro should make it four in 2022.
Jordan Poyer is a potential question mark for this secondary. Teaming him with Minkah could help him blossom into what he was expected to be in Buff. With no guarantee on his future, he could be looking to make a splash this season. Last years starter Terrell Edmunds has not yet lived up to his 1st round draft status in the eyes of the Steelers FO or the fans. He has flashed brilliance and disappointment his career...this is likely his last chance.
Predicted Record
11-6
The Steelers have one the NFL's toughest strength of schedule, which won't make it easy to come out of 2022 with a winning record. That being said, it's the Pittsburgh Steelers. The defense is still one of the league's best and The Offense should be explosive with Winston and Najee Don't let their concerns overshadow the bright spots of this team.