shakeybarn
Footballguy
Given the rhetoric I've seen, including the SharkBite, on Seattle not really facing anybody all year/playoffs... has the Steeler secondary really been tested??? I'm not sure, and will continue to say the key for Seattle is not establishing Alexander, but giving Hass time to throw (like Manning and Plummer didn't). Period, pretty easy how the Steelers won those game. So, let's look at the last dozen or so Steeler games.
And my point, isn't to rip the secondary, just to state that they really haven't been tested, and that the DL and LB corps have been stellar and the REASON FOR THE PASS D SUCCESS.....that and the Harringtons and Fryes on the Pitts schedule.
1. The pressure on Manning was TREMENDOUS (and Manning, though he shouldn't of said it, was spot on... the o-line was a sive). No need for the secondary to really even be tested. In fact, when Indy went to the high risk, deep playbook, they got threaded.
2. Jake, who can at least scramble, was running alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll game. But because Jake has some scramble... he still threaded Pitts a bit. Those were dumb INTs. Interesting looking at the play-by-play, he for a long stretch was targeting Anderson and Putzier, via no time to throw. I saw it, but recall what Denver did on the drive that was 70+ total passing yards to Rod and Lelie. The next drive, after the dumb INT, he hit Lelie for 40 yards, then a TD a few plays later. The WRs although didn't catch a ton, averaged 20+ yards a catch.
3. Cinncy, don't care what you say, Kitna with 16 weeks on the bench and different style QB was no Carson Palmer. But the WRs managed 16 a catch. Losing Palmer just shocked that team too much.
4. Joey Harrington in week 17. Nuff said.
5. Charlie Frye in week 16. Nuff said.
6. 15 was BJ and "cruise-gate" coming to a climax (no pun) in 15. BJ was harrased, tip passed INT on one, and although late, a safety. Again the pass rush. Prolly a good-to-decent secondary effort here... but Minny was a mediocre pass team in '05 anyways.
7. Kyle Orten in 14.
8. 13... Palmer @ Pitts, 3 TDs... and only 1 sack.
9. Peyton, post Ben injury, so I won't knock Pitts on that game, but recall the pass rush on that game compared to the divisional playoff game... ;-)
10. Kyle Boller
11. Palmer in Cin... Steelers win... Palmer 0 TDs and 2 INTs.
So #11 I'll give props on... happenstance, or are they that good. Regardless, they haven't had to WORK or face 'adversity' in quite awhile. Will be interesting.
In looking at the Seattle corps...
Jackson - a veteran, who's proven he's fine and can take a workload after the long layoff.
Jurevicius - tall, leaper for the red zone. AWFULLY silent during the playoffs. Hmmmm..... veeeeeery interesting.
Stevens - big mouth, and a more than serviceable TE (by the way, two great undernoticed TEs in this game with Stevens and Miller)
DJ Hackett - a little too green to trust for the Super Bowl, but clearly the big play threat, a la a Bethel Johnson or Quincy Morgan a 1 catch for 55 yard kinda day.
Seneca Wallace - forget that great opposite over-the-head-cross-shoulder-sideline catch in the NFC game... what he presents is an opportunity to throw the Steeler playbook against the Steeler D, a la Hines/RandleEl end arounds-turned-burned plays.
Bobby Engram - remember that drop last year, I still do. Otherwise, he's more key than we think, and would need to get open... not a deep burner, so I can see the Steeler safeties and LB covering him WELL.
Alexander - doesn't really have much of a receiving resume, which may hurt, as he drops some key screens and dump offs if/when the Steeler rush gets to Hass early and oft.
Brown - veteran fullback... key if the scenario mentioned above rings true, however, has veteran tenure and is a more-than-serviceable receiving fullback.
The Seattle receivers don't scare you on paper, and they dont' have a TO or a Steve Smith, but a positive is how versatile and varied their receiving corps is, so it will be interesting, if Hass has the time where Seattle can find opportunity via targeting a Jurevicius mismatch, or just working DJ a la Derrick Mason, going "grenades" with Hackett/Wallace, resorting "workman" style 5 and 6 yard pickups with Engram, Strong and Stevens... play actions off of Alexander after (if)some Alexander success ensues.
Likewise, the Seattle D... the stats look great, and they seem to just get those lucky turnovers.... I think there are unknowns there.
And my point, isn't to rip the secondary, just to state that they really haven't been tested, and that the DL and LB corps have been stellar and the REASON FOR THE PASS D SUCCESS.....that and the Harringtons and Fryes on the Pitts schedule.
1. The pressure on Manning was TREMENDOUS (and Manning, though he shouldn't of said it, was spot on... the o-line was a sive). No need for the secondary to really even be tested. In fact, when Indy went to the high risk, deep playbook, they got threaded.
2. Jake, who can at least scramble, was running alllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll game. But because Jake has some scramble... he still threaded Pitts a bit. Those were dumb INTs. Interesting looking at the play-by-play, he for a long stretch was targeting Anderson and Putzier, via no time to throw. I saw it, but recall what Denver did on the drive that was 70+ total passing yards to Rod and Lelie. The next drive, after the dumb INT, he hit Lelie for 40 yards, then a TD a few plays later. The WRs although didn't catch a ton, averaged 20+ yards a catch.
3. Cinncy, don't care what you say, Kitna with 16 weeks on the bench and different style QB was no Carson Palmer. But the WRs managed 16 a catch. Losing Palmer just shocked that team too much.
4. Joey Harrington in week 17. Nuff said.
5. Charlie Frye in week 16. Nuff said.
6. 15 was BJ and "cruise-gate" coming to a climax (no pun) in 15. BJ was harrased, tip passed INT on one, and although late, a safety. Again the pass rush. Prolly a good-to-decent secondary effort here... but Minny was a mediocre pass team in '05 anyways.
7. Kyle Orten in 14.
8. 13... Palmer @ Pitts, 3 TDs... and only 1 sack.
9. Peyton, post Ben injury, so I won't knock Pitts on that game, but recall the pass rush on that game compared to the divisional playoff game... ;-)
10. Kyle Boller
11. Palmer in Cin... Steelers win... Palmer 0 TDs and 2 INTs.
So #11 I'll give props on... happenstance, or are they that good. Regardless, they haven't had to WORK or face 'adversity' in quite awhile. Will be interesting.
In looking at the Seattle corps...
Jackson - a veteran, who's proven he's fine and can take a workload after the long layoff.
Jurevicius - tall, leaper for the red zone. AWFULLY silent during the playoffs. Hmmmm..... veeeeeery interesting.
Stevens - big mouth, and a more than serviceable TE (by the way, two great undernoticed TEs in this game with Stevens and Miller)
DJ Hackett - a little too green to trust for the Super Bowl, but clearly the big play threat, a la a Bethel Johnson or Quincy Morgan a 1 catch for 55 yard kinda day.
Seneca Wallace - forget that great opposite over-the-head-cross-shoulder-sideline catch in the NFC game... what he presents is an opportunity to throw the Steeler playbook against the Steeler D, a la Hines/RandleEl end arounds-turned-burned plays.
Bobby Engram - remember that drop last year, I still do. Otherwise, he's more key than we think, and would need to get open... not a deep burner, so I can see the Steeler safeties and LB covering him WELL.
Alexander - doesn't really have much of a receiving resume, which may hurt, as he drops some key screens and dump offs if/when the Steeler rush gets to Hass early and oft.
Brown - veteran fullback... key if the scenario mentioned above rings true, however, has veteran tenure and is a more-than-serviceable receiving fullback.
The Seattle receivers don't scare you on paper, and they dont' have a TO or a Steve Smith, but a positive is how versatile and varied their receiving corps is, so it will be interesting, if Hass has the time where Seattle can find opportunity via targeting a Jurevicius mismatch, or just working DJ a la Derrick Mason, going "grenades" with Hackett/Wallace, resorting "workman" style 5 and 6 yard pickups with Engram, Strong and Stevens... play actions off of Alexander after (if)some Alexander success ensues.
Likewise, the Seattle D... the stats look great, and they seem to just get those lucky turnovers.... I think there are unknowns there.
