[To note: as was the case the past couple of seasons, this thread will be for discussing opponent-specific strategies, roster, and injury news. The actual game thread will be for, well, game threading.]
It's that time again, SoSHers! Your defending Super Bowl champions open their season versus Pittsburgh this Thursday.
Week 1 version of the Steelers is incomplete. They have two huge offensive pieces missing in Martavis Bryant & Le'Veon Bell.
We all know what Bell meant to them in last year's playoff loss vs. Ravens. After having a record-breaking performance against the consecutive regular season contests vs. Colts & Ravens (6 TD + 6 TD), Big Ben was pretty much shut down in the 30-17 upset loss. Bell did not play in that final game.
That does not mean the Steelers are lacking weapons. In fact, they still boast Antonio Brown (this is where we really miss Revis), and the dangerous Dri Archer, who has played a lot of snaps in PS and can break one out either as a runner or as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. Oh yeah, Archer ran 4.26 40-yard at the combine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dpvSqIAge4
The defense will continue to practice many of Dick Labeau's zone-blitz concepts, even though the venerable DC has been replaced by Keith Butler (worked under LaBeau for 11 years). The problem is that they most likely will have one of the worst secondary in the AFC.
Troy Polamalu may be an addition by subtraction, but S Mike Mitchell just doesn't have the experience (or the speed) to control the middle. Brady has carved up Steelers secondary before, and not sure if the trend will break against corners William Gay and Cortez Allen. In fact, out of 115 corners who played 25% or more in 2014, Gay ranked 84th while Allen 99th according to PFF. We all know PFF numbers should be taken with a small barrel of salt, no one is mistaking them as even an average CB pair in the AFC.
Some quick 2014 numbers. First up FootballOutsiders.com DVOA rankings:
[*]Defensive DVOA: 30th (Pats 11th)
[*]Special Teams DVOA: 12th (Pats 5th)
PFF's team rankings:
[*]Total Defense: 17th (Pats 6th)
[*]Special Teams: 29th (Pats 14th)
Wild card: Steelers will also miss C Maurkice Pouncy, who's out until Week 9. As difficult it is to bring Roethlisberger down, having Easley and Brown dominate the middle of the trench will go a long, long way come Thursday.
Some link goodies:
It's that time again, SoSHers! Your defending Super Bowl champions open their season versus Pittsburgh this Thursday.
Week 1 version of the Steelers is incomplete. They have two huge offensive pieces missing in Martavis Bryant & Le'Veon Bell.
We all know what Bell meant to them in last year's playoff loss vs. Ravens. After having a record-breaking performance against the consecutive regular season contests vs. Colts & Ravens (6 TD + 6 TD), Big Ben was pretty much shut down in the 30-17 upset loss. Bell did not play in that final game.
That does not mean the Steelers are lacking weapons. In fact, they still boast Antonio Brown (this is where we really miss Revis), and the dangerous Dri Archer, who has played a lot of snaps in PS and can break one out either as a runner or as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. Oh yeah, Archer ran 4.26 40-yard at the combine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dpvSqIAge4
The defense will continue to practice many of Dick Labeau's zone-blitz concepts, even though the venerable DC has been replaced by Keith Butler (worked under LaBeau for 11 years). The problem is that they most likely will have one of the worst secondary in the AFC.
Troy Polamalu may be an addition by subtraction, but S Mike Mitchell just doesn't have the experience (or the speed) to control the middle. Brady has carved up Steelers secondary before, and not sure if the trend will break against corners William Gay and Cortez Allen. In fact, out of 115 corners who played 25% or more in 2014, Gay ranked 84th while Allen 99th according to PFF. We all know PFF numbers should be taken with a small barrel of salt, no one is mistaking them as even an average CB pair in the AFC.
Some quick 2014 numbers. First up FootballOutsiders.com DVOA rankings:
- Total DVOA: 8th (Pats 4th)
- Offensive DVOA: 2nd (Pats 6th)
Passing: 1st (Pats 5th) - Rushing: 12th (Pats 14th)
[*]Defensive DVOA: 30th (Pats 11th)
- Passing: 30th (Pats 12th)
- Rushing: 17th (Pats 13th)
[*]Special Teams DVOA: 12th (Pats 5th)
PFF's team rankings:
- Total Offense: 3rd (Pats 13th)
Passing: 2nd (Pats 4th) - Rushing: 6th (Pats 9th)
[*]Total Defense: 17th (Pats 6th)
- Passing Coverage: 26th (Pats 3rd)
- Passing Rush: 6th (Pats 17th)
- Run Defense: 15th (Pats 6th)
[*]Special Teams: 29th (Pats 14th)
Wild card: Steelers will also miss C Maurkice Pouncy, who's out until Week 9. As difficult it is to bring Roethlisberger down, having Easley and Brown dominate the middle of the trench will go a long, long way come Thursday.
Some link goodies:
- http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/08/26/pittsburgh-steelers-offense-ben-roethlisberger-nfl
- http://www.sportsnet.ca/football/nfl/nfl-2015-season-preview-pittsburgh-steelers/
- http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2015/8/20/9182127/three-weeks-to-nfl-kickoff-steelers-v-patriots-preview-Pittsburgh
- http://walterfootball.com/offseason2015pit.php