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Pizza Bagels, Genius! (1 Viewer)

Or if the Titans fold (possible) and the loser of the AFC West between KC and San Diego gets in, Baltimore could fetch a 5 seed.  Or if, the Steelers lose 2 of their last 3 and the Jags win out and Pittsburgh gets the 3 seed, we could end up in a 3/6 matchup with Baltimore if they end up with the 6.  A lot can happen, I want that bye !!!  :lol:
Getting the BYE is critical - we need to buy as much time as possible for Haden to come back.

 
Yup you're correct.  I'm guessing EG is assuming that if we beat NE, there is basically 0 chance that we wouldn't win at least win one of those final 2 games.  
OK, I get that.  I might make the argue=ment that the chance that Pitt loses to both Houston & Cleveland isn't much worse than the chance NE loses to Miami.

 
Well the sentiment seems to be how is the Steelers D is going to stop Brady.  Well watching the game tonight, I'm wondering how this Pats D is going to stop the Steelers offense.  Now of course this is likely just an anomaly of a game where the Pats are looking ahead but it's definitely encouraging.

 
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Well the sentiment seems to be how is the Steelers D is going to stop Brady.  Well watching the game tonight, I'm wondering how this Pats D is going to stop the Steelers offense.  Now of course this is likely just an anomaly of a game where the Pats are looking ahead but it's definitely encouraging.
I'm torn.   New England struggles @ Miami for some reason

2 years ago New England was playing @ Miami week 17 for playoff byes and crapped the bed also.

 
I'm torn.   New England struggles @ Miami for some reason

2 years ago New England was playing @ Miami week 17 for playoff byes and crapped the bed also.
Who knows.  I'm thinking it was a combination of Miami matching up well, Cutler playing his best game of the season, Brady playing his worst game of the season and no Gronk.  Do we have a Cameron Wake who will torment Brady every other play?  If so, we have a good chance.  I do think that their defense is exploitable if we find the holes.

 
Who knows.  I'm thinking it was a combination of Miami matching up well, Cutler playing his best game of the season, Brady playing his worst game of the season and no Gronk.  Do we have a Cameron Wake who will torment Brady every other play?  If so, we have a good chance.  I do think that their defense is exploitable if we find the holes.
We don't have a good enough Def right now to take advantage of their struggling line. Heyward, Tuitt, and Hargrave have been playing pretty well, but without ILB help behind them, the run defense has been terrible the last 2 weeks. So even if Brady has a terrible game, their RBs can average 8 yards per carry.

To win, we'll need our front 3 to bottle up the line, and have Watt and Dupree play lights out. Then we'll somehow have to overcome the yips that arrive with the Pats and keep our offense on track. I'd like to see lots of no-huddle, and quick passes on 1st down. We got into a repetitive game plan and ran on many 1st downs right into a stout line, mixing it up should be obvious, but we have to keep the Pats guessing.

Also, a trick play could be in the works. An onside kick when 100% unnecessary, a fake punt, a flea flicker, something that just adds a huge momentum boost... if it works.

 
Steelers fans love to harp on the Steelers playing down to their opponents or losing to obviously inferior opponents.  Nice to see that it happens to the Patriots once in a while too.  

 
Steelers fans love to harp on the Steelers playing down to their opponents or losing to obviously inferior opponents.  Nice to see that it happens to the Patriots once in a while too.  
Yeah - divisional games never really surprise me anymore.   I remember one year the Steelers almost losing to a horrid browns team

 
We don't have a good enough Def right now to take advantage of their struggling line. Heyward, Tuitt, and Hargrave have been playing pretty well, but without ILB help behind them, the run defense has been terrible the last 2 weeks. So even if Brady has a terrible game, their RBs can average 8 yards per carry.

To win, we'll need our front 3 to bottle up the line, and have Watt and Dupree play lights out. Then we'll somehow have to overcome the yips that arrive with the Pats and keep our offense on track. I'd like to see lots of no-huddle, and quick passes on 1st down. We got into a repetitive game plan and ran on many 1st downs right into a stout line, mixing it up should be obvious, but we have to keep the Pats guessing.

Also, a trick play could be in the works. An onside kick when 100% unnecessary, a fake punt, a flea flicker, something that just adds a huge momentum boost... if it works.
It sure would be nice to have Timmon right now...

Regarding the Pats-Steelers game:    if you are either coach how much of your hand do you show in this game?   Obviously LeBeau and now Butler have yet to come up with a scheme to disrupt a Brady-led offense but let's just say (setting aside injuries)  that you had a plan you thought would work against the Pats.   Would you put it into action to test it or would you hold back so you have some surprises if you meet in the postseason?

 
It sure would be nice to have Timmon right now...

Regarding the Pats-Steelers game:    if you are either coach how much of your hand do you show in this game?   Obviously LeBeau and now Butler have yet to come up with a scheme to disrupt a Brady-led offense but let's just say (setting aside injuries)  that you had a plan you thought would work against the Pats.   Would you put it into action to test it or would you hold back so you have some surprises if you meet in the postseason?
If the Steelers have come up with some magical scheme that will slow down the Patriots, I hope to God that they save it for January.  

 
It sure would be nice to have Timmon right now...

Regarding the Pats-Steelers game:    if you are either coach how much of your hand do you show in this game?   Obviously LeBeau and now Butler have yet to come up with a scheme to disrupt a Brady-led offense but let's just say (setting aside injuries)  that you had a plan you thought would work against the Pats.   Would you put it into action to test it or would you hold back so you have some surprises if you meet in the postseason?
Home field is pretty important I wouldn' hold back.

 
It sure would be nice to have Timmon right now...

Regarding the Pats-Steelers game:    if you are either coach how much of your hand do you show in this game?   Obviously LeBeau and now Butler have yet to come up with a scheme to disrupt a Brady-led offense but let's just say (setting aside injuries)  that you had a plan you thought would work against the Pats.   Would you put it into action to test it or would you hold back so you have some surprises if you meet in the postseason?
Disagree. Timmons and Williams slot into the same role, so really we need a fast ILB who can get to the edge/cover TEs. Or a huge safety. So, bring back Polamalu? (jk)

The Steelers will pull all the stops, and without Joe Haden and the ability to use Man Coverage, I'm not sure it will be enough. We need to get pressure on Brady, and our pass rush hasn't been getting it done (outside of the last play of the game this week).  I'm worried that our CB blitzes will be our downfall. Brady will sniff them out, and hit the open receiver for huge gains when Hilton tries to attack. If we could have him blitz with a QB spy to pick up his coverage, that could be a pick 6 for us, but I don't think our ILBs are fast enough to make that work.

If we won't allow any TDs over 20 yards, we'll win.

 
I'm optimistic about this game because - why not?   :towelwave:

The defense is not playing well right now which is a concern but the offense should be able to to move the ball against NE - they need to score TDs and not settle for FG in the RZ and they'll have a chance.

 
Disagree. Timmons and Williams slot into the same role, so really we need a fast ILB who can get to the edge/cover TEs. Or a huge safety. So, bring back Polamalu? (jk)

The Steelers will pull all the stops, and without Joe Haden and the ability to use Man Coverage, I'm not sure it will be enough. We need to get pressure on Brady, and our pass rush hasn't been getting it done (outside of the last play of the game this week).  I'm worried that our CB blitzes will be our downfall. Brady will sniff them out, and hit the open receiver for huge gains when Hilton tries to attack. If we could have him blitz with a QB spy to pick up his coverage, that could be a pick 6 for us, but I don't think our ILBs are fast enough to make that work.

If we won't allow any TDs over 20 yards, we'll win.
Timmons is not Shazier but is an upgrade over Spence, Matakevich and Fort.  Doesn't matter anyway since he isn't here.

If I were the Steelers I would not be bringing too many S or CB blitzes, the pressure needs to come up the middle and you need to play the corners up on the receivers.  The Steelers defense has been struggling against the run (can't tackle) and I am worried about Brady dumping the ball to the running backs for big gains.  And of course there is Gronk.  As good as Miami's defense looked last night it is a hell of a lot easier when Gronk isn't there.

I think this game falls squarely on the offense.  They should have no difficulty moving the ball against the Patriot defense but they're going to need to score TDs in the redzone and protect the ball.  If they can do that the Steelers have a good shot to win.   Hopefully they do a lot of no huddle and let Ben manage the offense.  

 
I'm torn.   New England struggles @ Miami for some reason

2 years ago New England was playing @ Miami week 17 for playoff byes and crapped the bed also.
Historically, Miami has played man on the perimeter and been able to provide push up the middle. Just like last night. This was also a classic let down game for NE in a place where they struggle. 

The big question as a NE fan I have is this: "Is Tomlin just going to 'do what we do' on defense or are they going to push the issue on man to man?"

 
OTOH, I hate that Stan has a weekly segment with K. Stewart.  I just don't think he's that interesting and he doesn't really provide any insight.

 
Historically, Miami has played man on the perimeter and been able to provide push up the middle. Just like last night. This was also a classic let down game for NE in a place where they struggle. 

The big question as a NE fan I have is this: "Is Tomlin just going to 'do what we do' on defense or are they going to push the issue on man to man?"
I think I'll give Tomlin a pass this year.  His hands are tied firmly behind his back - the defense is a complete wreck right now.

 
If they get Haden back, they can play man on the outside. If not, I'd never trust Sensabaugh with that, and Sutton is too raw.

Also, we need to get and maintain pressure up the middle. Heyward, Hargrave, Tuitt, and Alualu need to play out of their minds this week.

And a huge game from Juju would help.

 
fred_1_15301 said:
I think I'll give Tomlin a pass this year.  His hands are tied firmly behind his back - the defense is a complete wreck right now.
Hasn't that been the case for the last several years?  How many times does that have to happen before the onus falls on the coaching staff?

 
Hasn't that been the case for the last several years?  How many times does that have to happen before the onus falls on the coaching staff?
Agreed.  I understand that you are somewhat limited in some of the things you can do based on available personnel but LeBeau seemingly never altered his game plan when playing Brady.  I had hoped that things would change when Butler took over but it hasn't happened yet.   The injuries to Shazier and Haden certainly make it more difficult to play man but we already know that playing zone, giving 5-10 yards cushions and blitzing from the outside does not work against Brady.   

I think we're better off playing more man-to-man in press coverage, blitzing from the inside, and see where that takes us.   Brady will still probably exploit it but at least it isn't repeating a failed scheme for the umpteenth time and have it blow up in your face yet again.   

 
People who bash Tomlin, who would they rather have as a HC? He def makes mistakes, as do his coordinators, but I think he's a top 3 coach in the league. Something weird happens when they go on the road against bad teams, but idk how to fix that. He also misses some challenges, and makes mistakes with time management. But he's still better than most coaches in the league. I think the only coach I'd rather have is Bill Belichik.  Every coach makes mistakes, but some of the blame also falls on the players. If a linebacker takes a poor angle, or misses an assignment, the coach can only do so much.

Our D has been poor for several years now, but they've tried to address it and have usually had good talent but lacked depth and get hurt when injuries happen. If all of our starters were healthy, our D would be top 5 with Shazier, Haden, Mitchell, etc. as evidenced by our early season production.  It's also hard to invest a lot on defense when we have an expensive QB, O-line, WR, and soon to be RB. Lots of $$ on offense means less $$ for chasing Free Agents on defense.  Alualu and Haden were great pickups this offseason. Our Front Office is also one of the best in the league (as evidenced by our 11-2 record), they need to improve the secondary and pass rush, but they invested a 1st, 2nd, 1st, and 3rd in the last 2 years in those areas, so we can't really ask for more. Sutton looks talented, and could potentially replace Sensabaugh as the starter, he just really needs to work on getting his head around.

Overall, our team staff (coaching and FO) is excellent, and people that bash them are doing so just because the grass is always greener. 

 
Tomlin is so terrible that the Steelers are in the hunt every year. Look at other teams other than the Pats and how inconsistent they are. People are dumb. 

 
Corrente is the offical for Sunday's game. Not great. His crew is responsible for 3 of the 4 highest flagged games of the year. But at least he's not Walt Coleman.

Hopefully the NFL reaches out to them and tells them to "let them play". Otherwise, it could be a really long game. And with the NFL's history of giving Brady the benefit of the doubt when it comes to flags, we might be in extra trouble.

 
As much as it pains me to say this, we likely will need to play zone against their WRs.  Pats OL has some huge holes and weak spots, so I don't see them planning on going deep with 7-step drops because Brady will get exposed.  They will rely on short passes, running plays, and on lots of dump off passes to their RBs.   If we play man they will run all WRs to one side and dump off to the backside, likely leaving Spence/Fort with one-on-one coverage against Lewis, White, Burkhead.  Makes me cringe thinking about the huge chunks of yards they'll pull off...

 
As much as it pains me to say this, we likely will need to play zone against their WRs.  Pats OL has some huge holes and weak spots, so I don't see them planning on going deep with 7-step drops because Brady will get exposed.  They will rely on short passes, running plays, and on lots of dump off passes to their RBs.   If we play man they will run all WRs to one side and dump off to the backside, likely leaving Spence/Fort with one-on-one coverage against Lewis, White, Burkhead.  Makes me cringe thinking about the huge chunks of yards they'll pull off...
Agreed.  I’m not worried about Brady and the deep ball.  I’m worried about the Pats devising a gameplan similar to what they did last week but actually executing this week.  And Gronk.  I’m worried about him as well.

 
Wow not good at all if that’s true.
Wonder what his justification for it is since he doesn't have a history of concussions.
Sounds more like something a young player would say without thinking about it, rather than something inherently true.  As a 22 year old he might not be thinking before speaking. But who knows.

 
Wonder what his justification for it is since he doesn't have a history of concussions.
Sounds more like something a young player would say without thinking about it, rather than something inherently true.  As a 22 year old he might not be thinking before speaking. But who knows.
Regardless of the truth, would you agree that it’s not a good situation for the Steelers that their # 1 draft pick is making statements like this?

 
In other news, Shazier started rehab. I'm taking it as a good sign.

Haden's status for Sunday is still TBD, practice today will help to determine whether or not he can play. That said, I doubt he plays and if he does, I don't think he'll play very well.

Last 3 home games for Ben Roethlisberger: 299 and 4 TDs, 351 and 4 TDs, 506 and 2 TDs. If he can run the no huddle, and Bell can gain key 1st downs, we have a good shot of staying in this game.

Bad news: The Ravens 2 top RBs averaged 6 yards per carry and 19.5 yards per catch. Bengals top 2 averaged 5.6 yards per carry, 9 yards per catch. This does not bode well for this week against Burkhead and Lewis, 2 very good pass catching backs. If the Pats never even threw the ball, they might be able to get 1st downs on every other play.

The Steelers need to use LJ Fort more often. He was the fastest on the field and more able to fall back in coverage. Moats and Spence were terrible.

 
Pats homer: Nervous as hell about this week. have been slowly loading up on PIT +3. You guys have a nice pass rush and our lines on both sides of the ball are in shambles. Hoping for a good clean game with no injuries either way. 

 
Pats homer: Nervous as hell about this week. have been slowly loading up on PIT +3. You guys have a nice pass rush and our lines on both sides of the ball are in shambles. Hoping for a good clean game with no injuries either way. 
Wow you think?  I was actually thinking of betting a good chunk on NE (at -3) but I couldn't get myself to bet against the Steelers (even though I feel confident in that line).  The Steelers pass rush and tackling has been an issue of late.  

 
Wow you think?  I was actually thinking of betting a good chunk on NE (at -3) but I couldn't get myself to bet against the Steelers (even though I feel confident in that line).  The Steelers pass rush and tackling has been an issue of late.  
Bet the over with a clear conscience.

 
GD it, AB better not have a broken bone. It never f#&*ing fails, every time we play NE, we have to do it shorthanded. Not like they aren't hard enough to beat even with a full roster. 

 
GD it, AB better not have a broken bone. It never f#&*ing fails, every time we play NE, we have to do it shorthanded. Not like they aren't hard enough to beat even with a full roster. 
I think we just need to forfeit any regular season game against them.  I'm guessing our best defensive and offensive players are now done for the year.  ####### joke.

 
Questionable to return likely means x-rays were negative. Please, God. 

Of course, Irish Eyes already declared it career-ending, so you never know. :lol:

 

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