Steelers Today - A Pittsburgh Steelers blog

The Steelers will travel to Houston to take on the Texans on Sunday.  The game will be televised nationally on CBS.

This is a pivotal game for both teams.  Each team has a 2-1 record, but both teams have shown major flaws which need to be addressed.

The Texans have traditionally been a high-scoring team.  This year they’re 7th in the NFL in scoring, averaging 30 points per game.  However, despite the impressive scoring output, the Texans’ offense has actually struggled.  They’ve played without 2010 NFL rushing leader Arian Foster for most of the season, and they’ve struggled in the red-zone without him.

Foster’s back-up, Ben Tate, has been more than adequate in Foster’s absence.  He’s run for 301 yards in the Texans first 3 games, and the Texans rank fifth in the NFL in rushing yards.  However, the Texans rank 30th in the NFL in red-zone percentage.   They’ve managed to score on just 5 of 16 trips inside the 20 yard line.  Last week, against the New Orleans Saints, they were only able to score a touchdown on 1 of their 5 times in the red-zone.  Instead of touchdowns, they settled for 4 field goals.

Last year, Foster led the NFL in rushing touchdowns, and the Texans were fifth in red-zone percentage.  So his return should do a lot to help fix their red-zone woes.

The Steelers have had struggles of their own.  They’ve had difficulty playing on the road so far.  They got crushed in Baltimore, and barely squeezed out a win last week in Indianapolis.  So traveling to Houston may not be a good thing for the Steelers.

But perhaps more concerning for the Steelers is the fact that their offensive line, which was already struggling, got dinged up pretty badly against the Colts.  Jonathan Scott, Doug Legursky, and Marcus Gilbert all got hurt during the game.

Colts’ defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis had their way with the Steelers offensive line last week.  And things aren’t going to get any better this week when they face the Texans’ Mario Williams.  Williams is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL, and he may be better than either Freeney or Mathis.

Steelers left tackle Jonathan Scott seems to struggle against speed rushers.  He also struggles against big, powerful bull rushers.  He actually got pushed backwards fairly consistently last week by Dwight Freeney, who is fairly small for his position.  So what’s he going to do against Mario Williams, who is big, strong, and super fast?

For those of you who aren’t familiar with him, Williams is slightly bigger than Brett Keisel, but he runs like Lawrence Timmons.  See the problem?

Another player who may give the Steelers problems is Texans’ wide receiver Andre Johnson.  Johnson is one of the best receivers in the league.  He’s 3rd in the league in receiving, and will provide a worthy challenge for Steelers’ cornerback Ike Taylor.

Ultimately, the final outcome of the game may be determined by the Steelers’ front 7.  If they can stop the Texans’ running game, that will greatly aid in sealing a win.  Over the past 10 years, the Steelers have been one of the best teams in the NFL at stopping the run.  But for some reason, they’ve struggled in that area this season.

In particular, the left side of the Steelers’ defense has struggled.  Aaron Smith has been unsuccessful at holding his ground and occupying blockers, and LaMarr Woodley has applied almost no pressure to the quarterback.

I anticipate the Steelers are going to struggle with offensive line issues for the rest of the season.  That same issue has plagued the team for at least the last 3 seasons, so there’s nothing new there.  But if Smith and Woodley can pick up their respective games, then the Steelers have a real chance of leaving Houston with a victory.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment by clicking on the bubble at the bottom of this article. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. You can also follow us on Twitter by clicking the bird doohicky below. Also consider following us on Facebook. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

The Steelers will face the Indianapolis Colts in a nationally televised game on Sunday night.  The game will be played in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Most fans are probably aware that the Colts’ star quarterback, Peyton Manning, is out with a neck injury.  Without Manning, the Colts have started the season 0-2.  This is the team’s first 0-2 start since Manning’s rookie season.

Not only are the Colts 0-2, but with Kerry Collins starting at quarterback, they’ve failed to pass for 200 yards in both of their games thus far.  Collins is averaging 194 passing yards per game.  That ranks 27th among NFL quarterbacks.

With such a poor passing attack, you’d think that the Colts would be relying heavily on their running game to carry the offense.  However, that hasn’t really been the case.  The Colts have only averaged 86.5 rushing yards per game.  Moreover, their low rushing output has come against the Houston Texans and the Cleveland Browns.  Neither defense is in the same class as the Steelers’.

A weak passing attack, and a weak rushing attack, are not the ideal weapons to bring to a battle against the Steelers’ defense.  Knowing that the Colts have been impotent rushing the ball AND passing the ball, I expect to see Steelers’ Defensive Coordinator Dick LeBeau call for blitzes early and often.

Despite the dominant win last week against the Seattle Seahawks, the Steelers can definitely use an opponent like Indianapolis.  Neither LaMarr Woodley nor James Harrison has shown their normal dominance yet this season.  Harrison, in particular is still working himself back into shape after two off-season back surgeries.  So the Colts may be just what the doctor ordered.

On defense, the Colts aren’t much better.  They have the 29th ranked rushing defense in the NFL.  They’ve been yielding and average of 136.5 yards per game on the ground.  I’m sure that statistic has Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman salivating.

Even the Colts’ defensive stars Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathias are off to slow starts.  The duo has recorded just 6 total tackles and 2 sacks through the the first two games.  Of course, they’ll be facing a Steelers’ offensive line which is suspect at best.  So maybe that’s just what the doctor ordered for the Colts.

Lucas Oil Stadium is known for being loud and rowdy.  And because Sunday’s game is going to be on national television, I expect it to be louder and rowdier.  But that shouldn’t matter.  Without Peyton Manning, the Colts just don’t have enough weapons to beat the Steelers.

I predict a Steelers win, by a score of 24-7.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment by clicking on the square at the top right of this article. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. You can also follow us on Twitter by clicking the bird doohicky below. Also consider following us on Facebook. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

The Pittsburgh Steelers will be featured on the television show NFL Turning Point.  NFL Turning Point is a new weekly show co-produced by NFL Films and the NBC Sports Group.  The show airs on VERSUS.

The Steelers’ segment will air on Thursday, September 22, 2011, at 9 p.m. ET.  The show will also air at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

The hour-long program, hosted by Football Night in America’s Dan Patrick, will air throughout the NFL regular season and will focus on the crucial “turning point” moment in several games for football fans each week.  The program will provide a perspective that is more detailed than ever by utilizing NFL Films’ unmatched cinematography and sideline and on-field audio.

Patrick will conclude each show with a segment featuring his Football Night colleagues Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison that covers the most relevant NFL topics, such as this week’s examination of whether or not the Steelers defense is still championship quality.  They will also look ahead to the upcoming Sunday Night Football game on NBC.

Aside from this week’s episode, which airs at 9 p.m. ET and 10 p.m. ET/PT, NFL Turning Point airs a new episode at 10 p.m. ET/PT every week through November 3.  Beginning on November 10, when Thursday night NFL games begin on NFL Network, new episodes of NFL Turning Point will air at midnight ET.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment by clicking on the square at the top right of this article. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. You can also follow us on Twitter by clicking the bird doohicky below. Also consider following us on Facebook. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

This is Part 9 of our Steelers position review series.  If you haven’t read Part 1 - 8, please click the links below.

Steelers position review - Cornerbacks

Steelers position review - Safeties

Steelers position review - Linebackers

Steelers position review - Defensive Line

Steelers position review - Quarterbacks

Steelers position review - Running Backs

Steelers position review - Tight Ends

Steelers position review - Offensive Line

I actually thought that I had finished this series.  Then one of my readers (thanks Dawson) reminded me that I forgot to review the wide receivers.  I’m not quite sure how I did that (no age jokes, please), but I did.  So here is my review of the Steelers’ wide receivers.

After the linebacker position, wide receiver may be the strongest position on the team.  Not only do the Steelers have a good group of receivers, but most of them are young.

Hines  Ward will enter his 14th year in the league in 2011.  Last year was Ward’s worst season since 2000.  However, I’m not the least bit worried about him.  Frankly, I’m much more worried about whether Ward is going to win on Dancing With The Stars than I am about whether he’s going to be ready to play next season.  When the season starts (and nobody knows when that will actually be), Hines will be ready to play.  You can count on it.

2010 was Mike Wallace’s breakout season.  He surpassed Hines Ward and became Ben Roethlisberger’s go-to receiver.  Wallace led the team in both receptions and receiving yards.  In fact, among receivers with 25 catches or more, only the Philadelphia Eagles’ DeSean Jackson averaged more yards per catch than Wallace.

I expect Wallace to have an even better season next year.  Ben Roethlisberger isn’t likely to miss 25% of the regular season like he did in 2010.  That bodes well for Wallace.  Also, now that he’s officially become the team’s top receiver, I expect Wallace to be get more opportunities than he did in 2010.

Wallace only had 60 regular season receptions in 2010.  That’s far fewer than other receivers who had similar yardage.  Houston’s Andre Johnson had 86 catches, but ended up with fewer yards than Wallace.  Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald had 90 catches , but also ended up with fewer yards than Wallace.  And Indianapolis’ Reggie Wayne had 111 catches, but only ended up with 98 more yards than Wallace.  Can you imagine how many yards Wallace would have if he had 80-100 catches?

Suffice it to say that Mike Wallace is going to be the Steelers top receiver for the foreseeable future.

Antwaan Randle El was brought back in 2010 to help fill the void left by Santonio Holmes’ departure.  Unfortunately, he didn’t do that.  In fact, by the mid-point in the season, Randle El had been surpassed by rookies Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown on the depth chart.  By the end of the season, Sanders had actually accumulated more catches and yards than Randle El.

Randle El is 31 years old, and his best days are behind him.  I seriously doubt that he’ll be able to make the team next year.

Emmanuel Sanders, on the other hand, will definitely make the team.  I hate to say “I told you so”, but I said early in training camp that this kid was good, and that he was going to make the team.  In fact, I think he’s the heir apparent to Hines Ward.

Unlike Mike Wallace, who is clearly a speed guy, Sanders excels in making the short and intermediate catches that Hines Ward has traditionally made.  I have little doubt that Sanders will enter 2011 as the Steelers unquestioned #3 receiver.

While I believe that Sanders will be the Steelers’ #3 wide receiver next year, fellow sophomore Antonio Brown isn’t just going to hand the position to him.  Like Sanders. Brown stepped in and made his presence felt during his rookie season.

I hate to say “I told you so” (okay, actually I love saying that), but many of you thought I was crazy back in training camp when I predicted that BOTH Brown and Sanders were going to make the roster.  But they both did.  And I expect to see even more from them in 2011.

Arnaz Battle is a special teams player.  While he’s officially listed as a wide receiver, we all know that he’s really not.  No need to discuss him further.

Tyler Grisham is a gritty young player who has spent the past two years on the Steelers practice squad.  I was actually the first blogger or reporter to write about Grisham at Steelers training camp in 2009.  I really liked the kid, and I accurately predicted that the Steelers would keep him on the practice squad.  Unfortunately, Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown are just better receivers than Grisham.  With their emergence, I believe that Grisham’s days with the Steelers are numbered.

Limas Sweed (yes, him!) will be back with the team next year.  I know that many fans have completely given up on Sweed.  And frankly, I don’t blame them.  But I think fans have to give him another chance.

I know that in the past Sweed has been a dropped pass waiting to happen.  But I still have hopes for this kid.  He’s still the tallest wide receiver the Steelers have, and he’s still fast.  Only Mike Wallace is faster than him among the Steelers’ receivers.  So just imagine what would happen if he came back healthy, and somehow rediscovered his confidence.  There wouldn’t be a defense in the NFL that could stop Ward, Wallace, Sanders, Brown, and Sweed.

Even if  Limas Sweed doesn’t develop into the player that I hope he’ll be, I still believe that the Steelers’ wide receiving corps will be a strong unit in 2011.  They should easily be able to sign a free agent to fill their final roster spot if Sweed can’t hold onto it.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment by clicking on the square at the top right of this article. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. You can also follow us on Twitter by clicking the bird doohicky below. Also consider following us on Facebook. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader

This is Part 8 of our Steelers position review series.  If you haven’t read Part 1 - 7, please click the links below.

Steelers position review - Cornerbacks

Steelers position review - Safeties

Steelers position review - Linebackers

Steelers position review - Defensive Line

Steelers position review - Quarterbacks

Steelers position review - Running Backs

Steelers position review - Tight Ends

The next position that we’re going to look at is the offensive line.

Offensive line is the position that I most often see the “experts” list as the Steeler’s greatest need.  I don’t agree with that assessment.  Frankly, I don’t think the Steelers are very far from having an exceptionally good offensive line.

Let’s take a look at what the Steelers have to work with.

Max Starks was the Steelers’ starting left tackle until he went down with a season-ending injury.  Every indication is that Starks will be ready to take back his starting position next year.  So the left tackle position gets an immediate upgrade due to Starks’ return.  And no draft pick was necessary for the upgrade.

Starks is a good, but not great left tackle.  He is big and strong enough to withstand anyone’s bull rush.  However, he doesn’t have the swiftest feet in the NFL.  So speed rushers like the Cowboys’  DeMarcus Ware tend to beat him routinely.

Anytime a team can get a great left tackle, they should do so.  But with the 31st pick in the draft, the Steelers aren’t likely to get anyone better than Starks.  So I think that Starks will suffice for now.

Jonathan Scott came over from Buffalo expecting to be a backup with the Steelers.  Little did he know that he would be thrust into a starting role when Starks got injured.  Scott is never going to be confused with the Cleveland Browns’ LT Joe Thomas, but he did an adequate job as a replacement.  The experience that he got starting in 2010, along with the 4 years of experience and 14 starts that he already had under his belt, will make him an even better backup in 2011.

Tony Hills is officially listed as the 3rd string left tackle.  Hills was drafted by the Steelers in the 4th round of the 2008 NFL Draft, and he’s been AWOL ever since.  Even with all of the injuries that the Steelers had on their offensive line in 2010, Hills only saw action in 4 games.  Moreover, he wasn’t even on the active roster for the majority of the games, while undrafted free agents like Ramon Foster saw plenty of action.  That fact alone says just about all that needs to be said about Hills.  He’s likely seen his final days in a Steelers uniform.

Chris Kemoeatu is the Steelers’ left guard.  Kemoeatu is a bit of an enigma.  “Kemo” is a massive player who seems to have been born to play guard in the NFL.  Physically, Kemoeatu is a stud.  Mentally………..well that’s another story.  Kemoeatu is prone to making stupid mistakes at the most inopportune times.  He can be counted on to get an off-sides penalty or to get flagged for a late hit after the whistle.  We can never be sure WHEN he’s going to do it, but when know that at some point during the game, it’s gonna happen.

Physically, Kemoeatu is bigger and stronger than Alan Faneca ever was.  But mentally, he’s not even in the same league.

Trai Essex is officially the backup at left guard (and right guard).  But each time he’s called into active duty, he seems to play badly.  Then he’s replaced by an undrafted free agent (e.g. Ramon Foster, Doug Legursky, etc.).

Essex is valued by the Steelers’ coaching staff because of his “position versatility” (i.e. he can play all of the offensive line positions except center).  Unfortunately, he seems to play all of the positions badly.  Do you really want to see Essex playing left tackle (even if only for a few plays)?  I didn’t think so.

Essex, a former 3rd round draft pick, has spent 6 years with the Steelers, and hasn’t been able to win a starting position in all that time.  He’s a free agent this year, and I strongly believe that the Steelers should allow him to continue his career with another team.

Maurkice Pouncey is the Steelers’ starting center.  He was All-Pro at his position…….as a rookie.  Need I say more?  He’s a keeper.

Doug Legursky replaced Pouncey at center during the Super Bowl, and played reasonably well.  He’s no Pouncey, but he did a good job on short notice.  Moreover, Legursky has also filled in at guard.  Legursky is a guy that I trust to come in and fill in when needed.

Ramon Foster manned the right guard position after Trai Essex proved to be incapable of doing so.  Foster was an undrafted free agent from Tennessee that the Steelers picked up in 2009.  Since he’s been with the team, he’s stepped in for Chris Kemoeatu in 2009 and played well (for an undrafted rookie), then he beat out Trai Essex for the starting right guard position in 2010.  Not bad for an undrafted guy.  He still has to prove that he has the potential to be a long-term starter, but I definitely like him as a proven backup.

Flozell Adams started at right tackle in 2010.  The former All-Pro left tackle from the Dallas Cowboys had to learn a completely new position with the Steelers, and he did it.  He made a lot of mental errors early in the season (which was to be expected), but by mid-season, he seemed to have settled in at right tackle.  Some might even argue that after Maurkice Pouncey, Adams was the second best offensive lineman for the Steelers in 2010.

Adams is 93 years old, and his career is coming to an end.  But he has one more year left on his Steelers contract, and I believe he’s earned the right to stay for that additional year.

Willie Colon is the final (meaningful) offensive lineman for the Steelers.  Colon got hurt before the season missed the entire year.  Reports say that he is on track to return to the field in 2011.

Before being injured, the Steelers coaches seemed to think that Colon was their best offensive lineman.  Unfortunately, Colon is a free agent this year.  This will probably be his last opportunity to get a big payday, and so he’ll probably be quite open to the idea of leaving the Steelers.  After all, the Steelers are not known for breaking the bank to keep their free agents.

It’s unknown what Colon will do.  But if he stays, then I believe that the Steelers offensive line has the potential to be a strength in 2011 (despite what all of the “experts” are saying).  In my opinion, the Steelers should move Willie Colon  to right guard.  Then they’d have a starting lineup of Starks, Kemoeatu, Pouncey, Colon, and Adams.  Their primary backups would then be Ramon Foster, Jonathan Scott, and Doug Legursky.

I could definitely live with that group.  Moreover, there’s no way that an offensive line made up of those individuals could be considered to be a weakness for the team.

(If you enjoyed this article, please consider leaving a comment by clicking on the square at the top right of this article. Also, please subscribe to our blog by pressing the orange button below. You can also follow us on Twitter by clicking the bird doohicky below. Also consider following us on Facebook. Thanks.)

Subscribe in a reader