Burning Sensation said:
bocksheesh said:
Considering giving him the start against the usually weak Cleveland defense and in hopes of seeing the opened up Steeler offense.
Anyone like Roethlisberger to have a big game this week?
I tink Big Ben has a huge season, and i think it starts tommorrow.23/33 292 yards, 3 TD's, 1 Int.
4 rush, 15 yards
The Steelers' pass protection was horrible in 2006. Big Ben was getting killed back there. The Steelers' failed to address the problem in the offseason, as they had to shore up a front 7 that was having problems. Namely, they needed to find a replacement for LB Jerry Porter. I expect the Steelers' defense to still be decent, but its folly to expect the offense to be fixed.You can't expect a big season from Ben Roethlisberger, and anyone who tells you otherwise does not understand that football is all about blocking and tackling.
The Browns last yr could not get to the qb and only recorded 28 sacks
and have not made any improvements. Last yr the Browns had only 2 sacks in their first meeting against the Steelers and zero in their second. And Jerry Porter never played for the Steelers.
Didn't improve eh?Antwan Peek had his best season of his career playing under Defensive Coordinator Ted Granthan in Houston a couple years ago when he had a half dozen sacks. The Texans switched to a 4-3 defense and the 3-4 OLB/DE Peek had no role. He was eager to sign with the Browns because he knew Granthan would get the best out of him. In limited action this preseason Peek had a sack and a strip. Reports are he is a legit pass rusher. He is starting opposite Kamerion Wimbley so pass protection is going to roll away from his side of the field. Peek takes over for the elderly and dinged up Willie McGhinnest. When healthy, McGhinnest can bring it. Backup LBs Leon Williams and Chuan Thomson both can rush the passer and Leon is expected to see the field more this year. The D-Line hasn't gotten any upgrades in pass rushing but Orpheous Roye is healthy and has some pass rush.
The other aspect that you haven't mentioned and considering your reply shows you haven't got a clue about the Browns, is the upgraded secondary and specifically in terms of coverage that the Browns will have. Last year Cleveland lost both starting CBs to IR when Daylon McCutcheon and Gary Baxter went down early in the year. Backup Lee Bodden played great but he also landed on IR which caused a cascading effect where the safeties had to cover for weak starting CBs. The benefit of those injuries was that critical depth was developed with Daven Holly and now Bodden is back healthy and Cleveland drafted a promising CB named Eric Wright and he has impressed to the point that he is a rookie starting CB. He expects to be targeted and how well he holds up will play a big part in whether or not Big Ben will be able to connect on the deep ball. The safeties are going to be free to play center field if Wright holds up and from all accounts the kid is ready for the challenge. So the Browns will have better pass coverage which means the pass rush will have more time to get to the QB.
So you would be wrong.
The Browns have improved directly by adding Peek and with the healthy return of Roye and the plays that Williams/Thompson will see and indirectly with their pass coverage which will allow more time for the pass rush to get to the QB.