*** SUPER BOWL XL *** (1 Viewer)

[Evilgrin 72]

#2 offense too:

http://www.nfl.com/stats/teamsort/NFL/OFF-...st?sort_col_1=4

I don't lend a whole lot of credence to rankings based off of a 2-game sample.

Do you lend credence to the game they played last week?

I'm not trying to disparage the Seahawks defense. I'm just saying that using the 2 playoff games to get a ranking is flawed. Pittsburgh's defense was ranked #4 in the regular season, Seattle's #17. Is this not a better indicator of the respective quality of these squads as opposed to numbers based on a couple of playoff games? Is Seattle's defense really better than Pittsburgh's based on their performances vs. the #11 and #22 ranked offenses in the league, while Pittsburgh has had to play the #3, #5, and #6 offenses in the NFL - all in their home stadiums?

How many times in one thread do I have to post this (post 29)?

That's total yards which is usually not a clear indication of things. Think about this...who was the #1 pass D in the NFL this year? Can you answer that without looking? It was a team that finished 4-12. Since Seattle was ahead in most of their games all season they are going to give up a lot of cheap stuff in the second half bringing the total yards allowed up.

The Seahawks were 7th in points allowed and the Steelers were third. That is what games come down to don't they? Points.

I don't think Seattle's defense is better than Pittsburgh's but it doesn't have to be. Seattle's offense is better than Pittsburgh's (statistically and otherwise) and Pittsburgh's defense is better than Seattle's defense (statistically and otherwise). Those units don't get on the field at the same time so we'll have to see whom matches up better against whom in the O vs D battles. It's ok, Seattle has been proving doubters wrong all year. Why should the Super Bowl be any different?

If you read all my posts, you'll notice I mentioned that Seattle's scoring defense was 7th in the NFL this year. However, the Steelers just played the #2 and #4 scoring defenses in the NFL the last two weeks and are still alive, so why SHOULD I have reason to believe the Seahawks can shut them down? I also said that the Seahawks offense scares me, and that the key to the game for Pittsburgh is to be able to stop that profilic attack.What bothers you guys so much about this analysis? I am basically saying the exact same thing you just said up there (in bold) so why the beef?

 

[Evilgrin 72]

I'm not saying those guys are the second coming but any one of them can beat you if you leave him open.  The point I was making is that Pittsburgh will take what the defense gives them and not shut down completely if one option is removed from the offense.

I watched exactly 2 Browns games this year - the losses to Pittsburgh.  I have actually watched 3-4 Seahawk games, they're a fun team to watch.  Seahawks are probably my favorite NFC team... I'm not belittling them at all.  I just think their strength is on offense, not defense.  The fact that their offense ranked 1st and defense 17th during the season seems to bear that out.

The fact that Seattle's defense was ranked 17th overall gets thrown out there a lot but there's really more to it than that....Overall ranked 17th, but ranked 5th against the run & 25 against the pass.The interesting part: Steelers offense ranked 16th overall, 5th rushing attack, 30th passing attack.

So I'll grant you that Seattle's defense isn't one of the best in the league, and their passing D is suspect....but they're facing a middle of the pack offense with a bottom of the bucket passing game. Seems to me they match up pretty good.

It should be fun - I look forward to a great game.

Ain't that the truth? I mean really...I can't believe how evenly matched these teams are. If they both play up to their skill/talent level this really is a match-up of strength vs strength.Should be great.

Eric

The Seehawk

It would be a horrible mistake for the Seahawks to think that way. It's a little-used passing game, not an ineffective one. Ask the Bengals, Colts, and Broncos how bottom-of-the-bucket this passing attack is.That IS, however, a good example of how stats can be deceiving, as you said earlier. I agree with you 100% - these are very evenly matched teams, each with its own unique strengths, and it should be a whale of game that could really go either way.

 

[Smoo]

Alan Faneca was the lead candidate for the role of Fraud & Monitoring, but there was a mouse in his kitchen that morning and nobody could coax him off the chair. He missed the audition.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

What happened to Doctor Detroit's post about Jake Plummer being sick and Carson Palmer's leg leading to misleading stats by the Steelers? I was ready to tee off on that one.....POST DELETER !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Evilgrin 72]

Alan Faneca was the lead candidate for the role of Fraud & Monitoring, but there was a mouse in his kitchen that morning and nobody could coax him off the chair.  He missed the audition.

Oh yeah? Well, Steve Hutchinson had a gig as an underwear model for BVD hi-rise briefs, but he got a papercut opening the manila envelope containg his new issue of Blue Boy and passed out, blowing the entire shoot.

 

[DoctorDetroit]

What happened to Doctor Detroit's post about Jake Plummer being sick and Carson Palmer's leg leading to misleading stats by the Steelers? I was ready to tee off on that one.....

POST DELETER !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I erased it because I didn't want to get into a pissing contest so early and ruin my mood. What I said is that Cincy is the #6 offense WITH CARSON PALMER. Without Carson Palmer they are no better than #20. And Plummer was sick and looked no better than Kitna after looking like a stud all year. Go ahead, "TEE OFF."

 

[Evilgrin 72]

What happened to Doctor Detroit's post about Jake Plummer being sick and Carson Palmer's leg leading to misleading stats by the Steelers?  I was ready to tee off on that one.....

POST DELETER !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I erased it because I didn't want to get into a pissing contest so early and ruin my mood. What I said is that Cincy is the #6 offense WITH CARSON PALMER. Without Carson Palmer they are no better than #20. And Plummer was sick and looked no better than Kitna after looking like a stud all year. Go ahead, "TEE OFF."

I'm just kidding around. this doesn't have to be a pissing contest - I provided my analysis on how the game might play out, you disagree. That's all well and good.Besides which - the whole point of mine you're taking umbrage with is that I don't expect the Seahawks defense to be able to shut down Pittsburgh's offense. Someone countered that the Seahawks defense isn't really ranked 17th, it's raked 7th - in scoring defense. I say, fine, because the Steelers just hung a total of 55 points on the #2 and #4 scoring defenses in the league (Indy, Denver) and you give me Carson Palmer's leg and Jake Plummer's sniffles? What does that have to do with the Steelers being able to score against better scoring defenses than Seattle's?

And please with the "Jake Plummer was sick" crap.... Roethlisberger has been playing for the last 2 months with the thumb on his throwing hand in a splint/cast, so please don't use a stuffy nose as an excuse.

 

[DoctorDetroit]

What happened to Doctor Detroit's post about Jake Plummer being sick and Carson Palmer's leg leading to misleading stats by the Steelers?  I was ready to tee off on that one.....

POST DELETER !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I erased it because I didn't want to get into a pissing contest so early and ruin my mood. What I said is that Cincy is the #6 offense WITH CARSON PALMER. Without Carson Palmer they are no better than #20. And Plummer was sick and looked no better than Kitna after looking like a stud all year. Go ahead, "TEE OFF."

I'm just kidding around. this doesn't have to be a pissing contest - I provided my analysis on how the game might play out, you disagree. That's all well and good.Besides which - the whole point of mine you're taking umbrage with is that I don't expect the Seahawks defense to be able to shut down Pittsburgh's offense. Someone countered that the Seahawks defense isn't really ranked 17th, it's raked 7th - in scoring defense. I say, fine, because the Steelers just hung a total of 55 points on the #2 and #4 scoring defenses in the league (Indy, Denver) and you give me Carson Palmer's leg and Jake Plummer's sniffles? What does that have to do with the Steelers being able to score against better scoring defenses than Seattle's?

And please with the "Jake Plummer was sick" crap.... Roethlisberger has been playing for the last 2 months with the thumb on his throwing hand in a splint/cast, so please don't use a stuffy nose as an excuse.

I've done things with the flu before and it sucks. Big Ben is kind of a tough guy so that doesn't surprise me at all (I did a live report from that draft and my cameraman was a huge Steelers fan. I told him that Pittsburgh would draft Roethlisberger and it would prove to be brilliant. I said it off camera so you'd have to ask him if it's true!).Personally I was talking about it today and I think this is a high scoring game. I think whoever scores first has a huge advantage, and the possession after the first team scores will be the game's most important. My belief as a Seahawks fan is that if they score first, and don't turn the ball over once they will win no matter what. But a fast start by a hot Pittsburgh offense does concern me.

 

[Blackhawk 69]

Please they are playing a strong AFC team now.

Check the SOS.

I thought this SOS stuff was over but we have Rhodes Scholars still tied to a meaningless stat. Did Washington's SOS of .539 do them any good? Did the Pats .508 get them back to the Super Bowl?Pittsburgh and Seattle have beaten two teams each with better SOS's than they had in the regular season. Both teams have also beaten two opponents with a better SOV than they had in these playoffs.

Strength of victory for the playoff teams:

WAS .500

Denver .471

TB .426

NYG .432

Indy .424

PITT .415

CAR .409

SEA .404

NE .400

JAX .375

Cincy .398

CHI .398

So according to strength of schedule the Skins and Pats should be in the Super Bowl.

According to SOV It should be Washington and Denver.

SOS and SOV mean nothing at this point in the season when the two teams have a two week break and are on hot streaks. Steelers have won 7 in a row, 5 of those on the road and Seattle has won 13 of 14.

SOS and SOV are statistically insignificant as both Pittsburgh and Seattle have already proved.

Nice dodge. SOS doesn't matter. here look at something I can twist to a win.

I'm glad your first season as a football fan went so well. Along with the NFL channel I recommned FOX Sports radio, individual team sites, and the guy at the bar who always is talking about "YAC" as official sources of information. Happy to have you aboard.

Dodge dodge dodge and attack the messanger. It must hurt. You know they had 1 of the easiest schedules, and next year they got an even easier one.

 

[Incogneto]

Don't forget that they were playing against 'Playoff Manning', and not 'regular Season' Manning. jk.

 

[DoctorDetroit]

Don't forget that they were playing against 'Playoff Manning', and not 'regular Season' Manning.

jk.

 

[Incogneto]

One other thing. Seattle has the #5 Def against the run, and #24 against the pass...but a couple of their games were big wins, and they gave up a TON of late, garbage yards, which drives that number up. Also, Injuries have hampered the secondary all season, so you're better looking at the passing numbers as of late to get a better indication of what they are like.

 

[Steelers4Life]

Unlike the Steelers, Seattle is a MUCH better team playing at home. MUCH better. There's no telling what the breakdown of fans will be, but they won't have a home field advantage, that's for sure.They lost to Jacksonville and Washington on the road, only won by 6 in St. Louis, 2 in San Francisco, 4 in Tennessee, and 6 in Green Bay. They won by 2 touchdowns against the mighty Cardinals. The only convincing win they had on the road all year was a blowout win over the Eagles, who looked ready to pack it in that night. I think the Steelers will have a lot of success on offense the same way they have for the past 7 games, 8 if you include the loss to the Bengals. The Seahawks will have to pick their poison... bring a safety up to stop the running game or keep him back to stop Roethlisberger. The Steelers will take whatever is there, and they've put up lots of points on better scoring defenses than the Seahawks have.The Seahawks have that same ability, which is why this game is going to be awesome. It's also probably a big reason why both teams are playing in the Super Bowl.

 

[DoctorDetroit]

Unlike the Steelers, Seattle is a MUCH better team playing at home. MUCH better. There's no telling what the breakdown of fans will be, but they won't have a home field advantage, that's for sure.

They lost to Jacksonville and Washington on the road, only won by 6 in St. Louis, 2 in San Francisco, 4 in Tennessee, and 6 in Green Bay. They won by 2 touchdowns against the mighty Cardinals. The only convincing win they had on the road all year was a blowout win over the Eagles, who looked ready to pack it in that night.

I think the Steelers will have a lot of success on offense the same way they have for the past 7 games, 8 if you include the loss to the Bengals. The Seahawks will have to pick their poison... bring a safety up to stop the running game or keep him back to stop Roethlisberger. The Steelers will take whatever is there, and they've put up lots of points on better scoring defenses than the Seahawks have.

The Seahawks have that same ability, which is why this game is going to be awesome. It's also probably a big reason why both teams are playing in the Super Bowl.

Mostly good points. I'd say the crowd will be about 50 percent Steelers fans, 15 percent Seattle fans and 35 percent neutral. I'm hoping the underdog factor kicks in for the other 35 percent. But it is on field turf and Seattle has only lost on grass this year. Carolina is just as good on D as Pittsburgh statistically so I don't know what the bolded statement actually refers to and Washington is pretty good also. Cincinnati has a horrible defense, Indy is about as good as Seattle, and Denver is good for sure. But Denver isn't better than Carolina.

I think the game will be pretty good and as I said, I think the team who gets the lead will be in a very good position. Especially if it's Pittsburgh.

 

[Smoo]

Alan Faneca was the lead candidate for the role of Fraud & Monitoring, but there was a mouse in his kitchen that morning and nobody could coax him off the chair. He missed the audition.

Oh yeah? Well, Steve Hutchinson had a gig as an underwear model for BVD hi-rise briefs, but he got a papercut opening the manila envelope containg his new issue of Blue Boy and passed out, blowing the entire shoot.

Oooh, good one.

 

[DoctorDetroit]

Seattle will be wearing the home Blues for Super Bowl XL. Seahawks were 10-0 in those jerseys this year and as a superstitious ####er, I'm pleased.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs05/n...tory?id=2304689

 

[Smoo]

Seattle will be wearing the home Blues for Super Bowl XL. Seahawks were 10-0 in those jerseys this year and as a superstitious ####er, I'm pleased.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs05/n...tory?id=2304689

What's Pittsburgh's record in their road whites?

 

[DoctorDetroit]

Seattle will be wearing the home Blues for Super Bowl XL.  Seahawks were 10-0 in those jerseys this year and as a superstitious ####er, I'm pleased. 

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs05/n...tory?id=2304689

What's Pittsburgh's record in their road whites?

9-2. Still if Robbie Tobeck descends from the clouds riding a herple ski boggie board in a metallic blue jersey given to him by the ghost of Kenny Easley, I think we'll win.

 

[Smoo]

Still if Robbie Tobeck descends from the clouds riding a herple ski boggie board in a metallic blue jersey given to him by the ghost of Kenny Easley, I think we'll win.

Well duh.

 

[DoctorDetroit]

Seattle will be wearing the home Blues for Super Bowl XL. Seahawks were 10-0 in those jerseys this year and as a superstitious ####er, I'm pleased.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs05/n...tory?id=2304689

Crap Seattle lost games at JAX and at WASH with the metallic jerseys. But those games were on grass....

 

[Steelers4Life]

Unlike the Steelers, Seattle is a MUCH better team playing at home.  MUCH better.  There's no telling what the breakdown of fans will be, but they won't have a home field advantage, that's for sure.

They lost to Jacksonville and Washington on the road, only won by 6 in St. Louis, 2 in San Francisco, 4 in Tennessee, and 6 in Green Bay.  They won by 2 touchdowns against the mighty Cardinals.  The only convincing win they had on the road all year was a blowout win over the Eagles, who looked ready to pack it in that night.

I think the Steelers will have a lot of success on offense the same way they have for the past 7 games, 8 if you include the loss to the Bengals.  The Seahawks will have to pick their poison... bring a safety up to stop the running game or keep him back to stop Roethlisberger.  The Steelers will take whatever is there, and they've put up lots of points on better scoring defenses than the Seahawks have.

The Seahawks have that same ability, which is why this game is going to be awesome.  It's also probably a big reason why both teams are playing in the Super Bowl.

Mostly good points. I'd say the crowd will be about 50 percent Steelers fans, 15 percent Seattle fans and 35 percent neutral. I'm hoping the underdog factor kicks in for the other 35 percent. But it is on field turf and Seattle has only lost on grass this year. Carolina is just as good on D as Pittsburgh statistically so I don't know what the bolded statement actually refers to and Washington is pretty good also. Cincinnati has a horrible defense, Indy is about as good as Seattle, and Denver is good for sure. But Denver isn't better than Carolina.

I think the game will be pretty good and as I said, I think the team who gets the lead will be in a very good position. Especially if it's Pittsburgh.

I just think the difference in how well Seattle played at home versus anywhere else is being overlooked right now, that's all. I think Seattle's defense especially is much stronger when they have the "12th man" behind them, but they won't have that luxury in Detroit. I honestly don't know how the crowd will breakdown, but I DO know that there will be a lot of Steelers fans there.What I meant by that bolded part wasn't clear enough... I meant that the Steelers have put up a lot of points against defenses that are as good as Seattle's defense or better (using scoring defense ranking). I wasn't comparing the Steelers' defense to any of the defenses Seattle has faced, but I'll say that right now, the Steelers defense is playing about as well as they possibly can be. Especially in the secondary.

Like Evilgrin, I'm not especially concerned about the Seattle defense shutting down the Steelers' offense. I like the Steelers' chances of putting up around 30 points. They've been remarkably efficient in the redzone, too... TDs instead of field goals.

However, I AM concerned that Seattle's offensive line will make it a lot more difficult for the Steelers' defense to stop Hasselbeck and Alexander than it was stop Indy and Denver. I have to hope that the 3-4 zone blitzing scheme LeBeau comes up with will get the job done.

If Cowher can get out to an 11 point lead, it's over... he's 103-1-1 when his team leads by 11 or more points in a game.

 

[DoctorDetroit]

Unlike the Steelers, Seattle is a MUCH better team playing at home.  MUCH better.  There's no telling what the breakdown of fans will be, but they won't have a home field advantage, that's for sure.

They lost to Jacksonville and Washington on the road, only won by 6 in St. Louis, 2 in San Francisco, 4 in Tennessee, and 6 in Green Bay.  They won by 2 touchdowns against the mighty Cardinals.  The only convincing win they had on the road all year was a blowout win over the Eagles, who looked ready to pack it in that night.

I think the Steelers will have a lot of success on offense the same way they have for the past 7 games, 8 if you include the loss to the Bengals.  The Seahawks will have to pick their poison... bring a safety up to stop the running game or keep him back to stop Roethlisberger.  The Steelers will take whatever is there, and they've put up lots of points on better scoring defenses than the Seahawks have.

The Seahawks have that same ability, which is why this game is going to be awesome.  It's also probably a big reason why both teams are playing in the Super Bowl.

Mostly good points. I'd say the crowd will be about 50 percent Steelers fans, 15 percent Seattle fans and 35 percent neutral. I'm hoping the underdog factor kicks in for the other 35 percent. But it is on field turf and Seattle has only lost on grass this year. Carolina is just as good on D as Pittsburgh statistically so I don't know what the bolded statement actually refers to and Washington is pretty good also. Cincinnati has a horrible defense, Indy is about as good as Seattle, and Denver is good for sure. But Denver isn't better than Carolina.

I think the game will be pretty good and as I said, I think the team who gets the lead will be in a very good position. Especially if it's Pittsburgh.

I'll take any of the 17 vs JAX, 7 or 21 vs Indy, 21 vs CHI, or 13 or 20 vs Baltimore as their final score in XL. If Pittsburgh scores 21, they lose. Denver with a ####ty Plummer is the one outside the Seahawk curve.

 

[Steelers4Life]

Unlike the Steelers, Seattle is a MUCH better team playing at home.  MUCH better.  There's no telling what the breakdown of fans will be, but they won't have a home field advantage, that's for sure.

They lost to Jacksonville and Washington on the road, only won by 6 in St. Louis, 2 in San Francisco, 4 in Tennessee, and 6 in Green Bay.  They won by 2 touchdowns against the mighty Cardinals.  The only convincing win they had on the road all year was a blowout win over the Eagles, who looked ready to pack it in that night.

I think the Steelers will have a lot of success on offense the same way they have for the past 7 games, 8 if you include the loss to the Bengals.  The Seahawks will have to pick their poison... bring a safety up to stop the running game or keep him back to stop Roethlisberger.  The Steelers will take whatever is there, and they've put up lots of points on better scoring defenses than the Seahawks have.

The Seahawks have that same ability, which is why this game is going to be awesome.  It's also probably a big reason why both teams are playing in the Super Bowl.

Mostly good points. I'd say the crowd will be about 50 percent Steelers fans, 15 percent Seattle fans and 35 percent neutral. I'm hoping the underdog factor kicks in for the other 35 percent. But it is on field turf and Seattle has only lost on grass this year. Carolina is just as good on D as Pittsburgh statistically so I don't know what the bolded statement actually refers to and Washington is pretty good also. Cincinnati has a horrible defense, Indy is about as good as Seattle, and Denver is good for sure. But Denver isn't better than Carolina.

I think the game will be pretty good and as I said, I think the team who gets the lead will be in a very good position. Especially if it's Pittsburgh.

I'll take any of the 17 vs JAX, 7 or 21 vs Indy, 21 vs CHI, or 13 or 20 vs Baltimore as their final score in XL. If Pittsburgh scores 21, they lose. Denver with a ####ty Plummer is the one outside the Seahawk curve.

Something you might want to consider before putting too much weight into those scores...The Jacksonville game was with Maddox turning the ball over 4 times. Doesn't mean much now.

They could've scored more on Indy, but led 21-3 and tried to run out the clock. The game wouldn't have been close except for the blown INT call.

They could've scored more on Chicago too, but led 21-3 midway through the 3rd quarter. They ran over them for the entire 2nd half, not needing to score because the Bears couldn't do anything on offense.

One of the Baltimore games also featured Tommy Maddox at QB, and the other was earlier in the season. The offense is much, much stronger right now, but Baltimore always plays the Steelers tough.

You're right... if the Steelers score 21 points, they might lose. I don't think Seattle will be able to hold them to 21 though.

 

[DoctorDetroit]

Unlike the Steelers, Seattle is a MUCH better team playing at home.  MUCH better.  There's no telling what the breakdown of fans will be, but they won't have a home field advantage, that's for sure.

They lost to Jacksonville and Washington on the road, only won by 6 in St. Louis, 2 in San Francisco, 4 in Tennessee, and 6 in Green Bay.  They won by 2 touchdowns against the mighty Cardinals.  The only convincing win they had on the road all year was a blowout win over the Eagles, who looked ready to pack it in that night.

I think the Steelers will have a lot of success on offense the same way they have for the past 7 games, 8 if you include the loss to the Bengals.  The Seahawks will have to pick their poison... bring a safety up to stop the running game or keep him back to stop Roethlisberger.  The Steelers will take whatever is there, and they've put up lots of points on better scoring defenses than the Seahawks have.

The Seahawks have that same ability, which is why this game is going to be awesome.  It's also probably a big reason why both teams are playing in the Super Bowl.

Mostly good points. I'd say the crowd will be about 50 percent Steelers fans, 15 percent Seattle fans and 35 percent neutral. I'm hoping the underdog factor kicks in for the other 35 percent. But it is on field turf and Seattle has only lost on grass this year. Carolina is just as good on D as Pittsburgh statistically so I don't know what the bolded statement actually refers to and Washington is pretty good also. Cincinnati has a horrible defense, Indy is about as good as Seattle, and Denver is good for sure. But Denver isn't better than Carolina.

I think the game will be pretty good and as I said, I think the team who gets the lead will be in a very good position. Especially if it's Pittsburgh.

I'll take any of the 17 vs JAX, 7 or 21 vs Indy, 21 vs CHI, or 13 or 20 vs Baltimore as their final score in XL. If Pittsburgh scores 21, they lose. Denver with a ####ty Plummer is the one outside the Seahawk curve.

Something you might want to consider before putting too much weight into those scores...The Jacksonville game was with Maddox turning the ball over 4 times. Doesn't mean much now.

They could've scored more on Indy, but led 21-3 and tried to run out the clock. The game wouldn't have been close except for the blown INT call.

They could've scored more on Chicago too, but led 21-3 midway through the 3rd quarter. They ran over them for the entire 2nd half, not needing to score because the Bears couldn't do anything on offense.

One of the Baltimore games also featured Tommy Maddox at QB, and the other was earlier in the season. The offense is much, much stronger right now, but Baltimore always plays the Steelers tough.

You're right... if the Steelers score 21 points, they might lose. I don't think Seattle will be able to hold them to 21 though.

Same can be said for the Seahawks. Total defense wise the two games against Arizona, the 49ers at home, Colts at home...where they had big leads and those teams threw all day playing catch-up hurt the numbers. Carolina scored on a punt return that had a penalty reversed and then in the final minutes; the first Redskins game was lost on a missed FG, the second they played the whole game without Alexander. They played their worst game vs the Cowboys offensively and vs the Rams @STL defensively. This isn't a road game or a home game. I'd say it's more of a road game but with the underdog prospect drawing in the neutral crowd, the field turf, and the fact they are seriously doubted by most...makes it interesting. Just as you don't think Seattle can hold Pittsburgh I don't think Pittsburgh can hold Seattle. I expect a shootout and the last team with the ball having the chance to win. I just want a lead which I think will put Pittsburgh in a very precarious position. I'd also take a 17-16 win as would the Steelers. 12 days is a long way away that's all I know.

 

[SoloMatisse]

Gotta love a #6 seed with a 2nd year QB a 4 point favorite over the NFC's #1 seed boasting the leagues MVP, its most dominant Oline, the NFC starting ProBowl QB, and the NFL leaders in sacks. And just shut down the most dominant player in the league outside of their own MVP? Playing on the same field turf of their home stadium? Right, give me Seattle and the points.

 

[Seehawk]

It would be a horrible mistake for the Seahawks to think that way. It's a little-used passing game, not an ineffective one. Ask the Bengals, Colts, and Broncos how bottom-of-the-bucket this passing attack is.

Hmmmm.....

When he said "in the playoffs" I assumed he meant of the 12 teams that made the playoffs. Basing a defense on a 2-game sample is a little ridiculous. Seattle faced on eof the worst offenses in the NFL in their first game and a team with one weapon, playing with their 4th string RB in the second. I think the regular season stats are a bit more telling.

So as I understand it basing posts on a small sample like the playoffs rather then regular season stats is "ridiculous" if it's pro-Seahawk.But it's perfectly okay to ignore to ignore the Steelers woeful regular season passing stats in favor of the more impressive small sample from the playoffs?

I'll just use your own words here with 2 minor changes...

"Basing an offense on a 3 game sample is a little ridiculous. I think the regualr season stats are a bit more telling

Eric

The Seehawk

 

[3MTA3]

It would be a horrible mistake for the Seahawks to think that way. It's a little-used passing game, not an ineffective one. Ask the Bengals, Colts, and Broncos how bottom-of-the-bucket this passing attack is.

Hmmmm.....

When he said "in the playoffs" I assumed he meant of the 12 teams that made the playoffs. Basing a defense on a 2-game sample is a little ridiculous. Seattle faced on eof the worst offenses in the NFL in their first game and a team with one weapon, playing with their 4th string RB in the second. I think the regular season stats are a bit more telling.

So as I understand it basing posts on a small sample like the playoffs rather then regular season stats is "ridiculous" if it's pro-Seahawk.But it's perfectly okay to ignore to ignore the Steelers woeful regular season passing stats in favor of the more impressive small sample from the playoffs?

I'll just use your own words here with 2 minor changes...

"Basing an offense on a 3 game sample is a little ridiculous. I think the regualr season stats are a bit more telling

Eric

The Seehawk

Ben's Rating > Matt's Rating both regular season and playoffs

Unless you hold your QB is such a low standing, I'd call that a pretty effective passing game.

 

[Seehawk]

Ben's Rating > Matt's Rating

both regular season and playoffs

Unless you hold your QB is such a low standing, I'd call that a pretty effective passing game.

Ben's rating: 98.6Matt's rating: 98.2

Yeah...I'm sure that 4/10s of a pt difference in passer rating is going to be the difference in this game

More to the point though....if the superbowl were a skill competition between the two QBs perhaps Ben's miniscule edge wouuld mean something but it's a pretty safe bet that these two guys won't be on the field at the same time and matching up man-to-man.

The Pittsburgh passing offense was ranked 24th in the NFL. That's the bottome quarter of the league. This isn't a judgement call or an opinion, it's a fact. It's a below average passing offense and ranks about the same as the Ravens, Browns and Bucs.

Is it "effective"? That's an opinion, and one you're free to make. I'd agree that it's "effective"...but it's not "good". And it's certainly not as effective OR as good as the Seattle passing game (despite Ben's monstrous passer rating edge)

Eric

The Seehawk

 

[DoctorDetroit]

Ben's Rating > Matt's Rating

both regular season and playoffs

Unless you hold your QB is such a low standing, I'd call that a pretty effective passing game.

Ben's rating: 98.6Matt's rating: 98.2

Yeah...I'm sure that 4/10s of a pt difference in passer rating is going to be the difference in this game

More to the point though....if the superbowl were a skill competition between the two QBs perhaps Ben's miniscule edge wouuld mean something but it's a pretty safe bet that these two guys won't be on the field at the same time and matching up man-to-man.

The Pittsburgh passing offense was ranked 24th in the NFL. That's the bottome quarter of the league. This isn't a judgement call or an opinion, it's a fact. It's a below average passing offense and ranks about the same as the Ravens, Browns and Bucs.

Is it "effective"? That's an opinion, and one you're free to make. I'd agree that it's "effective"...but it's not "good". And it's certainly not as effective OR as good as the Seattle passing game (despite Ben's monstrous passer rating edge)

Eric

The Seehawk

 

[3MTA3]

Is it "effective"? That's an opinion, and one you're free to make. I'd agree that it's "effective"...but it's not "good". And it's certainly not as effective OR as good as the Seattle passing game (despite Ben's monstrous passer rating edge)

Eric

The Seehawk

So what is it again that makes you believe that the Steeler passing game can't outplay the Seattle D?

 

[3MTA3]

And it's certainly not as effective OR as good as the Seattle passing game (despite Ben's monstrous passer rating edge)Eric

The Seehawk

Well, no, because if Matt was more effective than Ben, he'd have a higher passing "efficiency"

 

[Evilgrin 72]

What happened to Doctor Detroit's post about Jake Plummer being sick and Carson Palmer's leg leading to misleading stats by the Steelers?  I was ready to tee off on that one.....

POST DELETER !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I erased it because I didn't want to get into a pissing contest so early and ruin my mood. What I said is that Cincy is the #6 offense WITH CARSON PALMER. Without Carson Palmer they are no better than #20. And Plummer was sick and looked no better than Kitna after looking like a stud all year. Go ahead, "TEE OFF."

I'm just kidding around. this doesn't have to be a pissing contest - I provided my analysis on how the game might play out, you disagree. That's all well and good.Besides which - the whole point of mine you're taking umbrage with is that I don't expect the Seahawks defense to be able to shut down Pittsburgh's offense. Someone countered that the Seahawks defense isn't really ranked 17th, it's raked 7th - in scoring defense. I say, fine, because the Steelers just hung a total of 55 points on the #2 and #4 scoring defenses in the league (Indy, Denver) and you give me Carson Palmer's leg and Jake Plummer's sniffles? What does that have to do with the Steelers being able to score against better scoring defenses than Seattle's?

And please with the "Jake Plummer was sick" crap.... Roethlisberger has been playing for the last 2 months with the thumb on his throwing hand in a splint/cast, so please don't use a stuffy nose as an excuse.

I've done things with the flu before and it sucks. Big Ben is kind of a tough guy so that doesn't surprise me at all (I did a live report from that draft and my cameraman was a huge Steelers fan. I told him that Pittsburgh would draft Roethlisberger and it would prove to be brilliant. I said it off camera so you'd have to ask him if it's true!).Personally I was talking about it today and I think this is a high scoring game. I think whoever scores first has a huge advantage, and the possession after the first team scores will be the game's most important. My belief as a Seahawks fan is that if they score first, and don't turn the ball over once they will win no matter what. But a fast start by a hot Pittsburgh offense does concern me.

I agree with you on both counts. I think the over pays off, and the team that gets ahead early has an exponentially better chance of winning.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

It would be a horrible mistake for the Seahawks to think that way.  It's a little-used passing game, not an ineffective one.  Ask the Bengals, Colts, and Broncos how bottom-of-the-bucket this passing attack is.

Hmmmm.....

When he said "in the playoffs" I assumed he meant of the 12 teams that made the playoffs.  Basing a defense on a 2-game sample is a little ridiculous.  Seattle faced on eof the worst offenses in the NFL in their first game and a team with one weapon, playing with their 4th string RB in the second.  I think the regular season stats are a bit more telling.

So as I understand it basing posts on a small sample like the playoffs rather then regular season stats is "ridiculous" if it's pro-Seahawk.But it's perfectly okay to ignore to ignore the Steelers woeful regular season passing stats in favor of the more impressive small sample from the playoffs?

I'll just use your own words here with 2 minor changes...

"Basing an offense on a 3 game sample is a little ridiculous. I think the regualr season stats are a bit more telling

Eric

The Seehawk

The difference is I'm not in here talking about the Steelers' offensive ranking based on their playoff games. I don't think the Steelers have one of the league's best offenses. The only point I was trying to illustrate is that the first three teams the Steelers have played have attempted to make them one-dimensional by taking away the run, which has worked in the past. It no longer does, because of Roethlisberger. If the Seahawks make the same mistake, bottling up Parker and forcing Ben to beat them through the air, he can do that, he's proven so.What's ridiculous is saying the Seahawks have "the #2 defense in the playoffs." Using that logic, you're saying they have a better defense than Pittsburgh because they've allowed fewer yards/points thus far in the playoffs. This ignores the fact that while Seattle has played Washington and Carolina at home, Pittsburgh has played Cincy, Indy, and Denver (all top 6 offenses in the NFL) on the road. If you use this logic, I can say that Pittsburgh has a better offense than Seattle because they've averaged 28.7 ppg in the playoffs to Seattle's 27.0. Does that mean the Steelers have the offensive edge in this game? No.

Seattle has a better offense and the Steelers have the better defense. The regular season stats bear that out, but the playoff stats would have you believe the inverse is true. I'm not trying to be anti-Seahawks here, I'm just saying sometimes you have to apply common sense and not cherry pick numbers that benefit a point you're trying to make.

 

[Seehawk]

So what is it again that makes you believe that the Steeler passing game can't outplay the Seattle D?

I never said the Steeler passing game can't outplay the Seattle D (I don't think they will, but that's another post). I said the Steeler offense and the Seahawk defense are nearly neutral matchup.Steelers overall offensive rank is 16th.

5th ranked rushing offense, 30th ranked passing offense

Seahawks overall defensive rank is 17th.

5th ranked rushing defense, 25th ranked passing defense

So I guess the question I have is why you think the Steeler offense will outplay the Seattle D?

Eric

The Seehawk

 

[Seehawk]

What's ridiculous is saying the Seahawks have "the #2 defense in the playoffs." 

I agree, that's why I never said that Eric

The Seehawk

 

[Evilgrin 72]

What's ridiculous is saying the Seahawks have "the #2 defense in the playoffs." 

I agree, that's why I never said that Eric

The Seehawk

Yes, that was directed at Incogneto, but I quoted you because you were attempting to prove inconsistency on my part.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

So what is it again that makes you believe that the Steeler passing game can't outplay the Seattle D?

I never said the Steeler passing game can't outplay the Seattle D (I don't think they will, but that's another post). I said the Steeler offense and the Seahawk defense are nearly neutral matchup.Steelers overall offensive rank is 16th.

5th ranked rushing offense, 30th ranked passing offense

Seahawks overall defensive rank is 17th.

5th ranked rushing defense, 25th ranked passing defense

So I guess the question I have is why you think the Steeler offense will outplay the Seattle D?

Eric

The Seehawk

What do you think is a better gauge of the quality of a passing attack, the total # of yards gained, or yards per attempt?

 

[DoctorDetroit]

Statistically they are the #2 defense in total yards and #1 in total scoring defense.

It's a stat and a lot of stats are being thrown around tied to one reference or the next. I didn't bring this up but it's technically correct if you consider statistics and nothing else. Having said that we know about Washingotn and that Carolina was limited but to me anyway, they still played their best defense of the season and most importantly won.

I don't think any expert or knowledgable fan would say the Seahawks defense is better than the Steelers but again, I don't think they have to be. I think most of you are saying the same thing.

 

[DoctorDetroit]

So what is it again that makes you believe that the Steeler passing game can't outplay the Seattle D?

I never said the Steeler passing game can't outplay the Seattle D (I don't think they will, but that's another post). I said the Steeler offense and the Seahawk defense are nearly neutral matchup.Steelers overall offensive rank is 16th.

5th ranked rushing offense, 30th ranked passing offense

Seahawks overall defensive rank is 17th.

5th ranked rushing defense, 25th ranked passing defense

So I guess the question I have is why you think the Steeler offense will outplay the Seattle D?

Eric

The Seehawk

What do you think is a better gauge of the quality of a passing attack, the total # of yards gained, or yards per attempt?

I know you're asking Eric the Seehawk but I'd say red zone passing, 3rd down passing efficiency, and total passing TDs are more important in determining the "quality" of a pass attack ahead of both yards and yards per attempt.

 

[3MTA3]

So what is it again that makes you believe that the Steeler passing game can't outplay the Seattle D?

I never said the Steeler passing game can't outplay the Seattle D (I don't think they will, but that's another post). I said the Steeler offense and the Seahawk defense are nearly neutral matchup.Steelers overall offensive rank is 16th.

5th ranked rushing offense, 30th ranked passing offense

Seahawks overall defensive rank is 17th.

5th ranked rushing defense, 25th ranked passing defense

So I guess the question I have is why you think the Steeler offense will outplay the Seattle D?

Eric

The Seehawk

Let's just say that I don't believe in the rankings you list above when considering which conference each team resides in.NFC<AFC

JMO

Edit to add that I'm just arguing one point. I'm not a total Steeler homer that believes this will be no contest. I think that this will be an outstanding game and can't wait.

 

[Seehawk]

Well, no, because if Matt was more effective than Ben, he'd have a higher passing "efficiency"

You keep using the word "effective" like it means something.It's a value word, it's an opinion, it's unprovable.

If your position is that Ben is simply better because he's got a 98.6 passer rating and Matt's got a 98.2 then that's your right of course.

But over the course of this season - playoffs included -

Ben is averaging 204 yards, 1.6 TDs and .6 INTs per game

Matt is averaging 216 yards, 1.5 TDs and .5 INTs per game

If you want to label Ben as more "effective" or better, superior or whatever be my guess but I think you're slicing the good/bad/effective/not effective line with a razor here.

Comes back to the theme of this superbowl...most people simply don't know what the Seahawks have got right now. You sit and watch Roethlisberger and think "what a great EFFECTIVE passer, what a strong passing game" and you don't recognize that the Seahawks are just as effective and just as strong.

It's criminal how overlooked the Seahawks have been by the NFL media this season, it really is. 2nd best record in the league, #1 seed in the NFC, the NFL MVP who set the record for rushing TDs this season and a pro bowl QB. If the Giants, Eagles or Cowboys had done these same things they'd be talked about as one of the best teams in recent years. But because it's west coast...pacific north west coast...they are completely overlooked.

Eric

The Seehawk

 

[Incogneto]

What's ridiculous is saying the Seahawks have "the #2 defense in the playoffs." 

I agree, that's why I never said that Eric

The Seehawk

Yes, that was directed at Incogneto, but I quoted you because you were attempting to prove inconsistency on my part.

point taken.I am just giving you a warning about the Seahawk Defense. They are better than anyone in Pittsburgh thinks.

 

[Sheriff66]

I'm not saying those guys are the second coming but any one of them can beat you if you leave him open.  The point I was making is that Pittsburgh will take what the defense gives them and not shut down completely if one option is removed from the offense.

I watched exactly 2 Browns games this year - the losses to Pittsburgh.  I have actually watched 3-4 Seahawk games, they're a fun team to watch.  Seahawks are probably my favorite NFC team... I'm not belittling them at all.  I just think their strength is on offense, not defense.  The fact that their offense ranked 1st and defense 17th during the season seems to bear that out.

The fact that Seattle's defense was ranked 17th overall gets thrown out there a lot but there's really more to it than that....Overall ranked 17th, but ranked 5th against the run & 25 against the pass.The interesting part: Steelers offense ranked 16th overall, 5th rushing attack, 30th passing attack.

So I'll grant you that Seattle's defense isn't one of the best in the league, and their passing D is suspect....but they're facing a middle of the pack offense with a bottom of the bucket passing game. Seems to me they match up pretty good.

It should be fun - I look forward to a great game.

Ain't that the truth? I mean really...I can't believe how evenly matched these teams are. If they both play up to their skill/talent level this really is a match-up of strength vs strength.Should be great.

Eric

The Seehawk

Dude, you think the Steelers passing attack is bottom of the bucket based on stats ????? This is seriuosly a laughable comment, and couldn't be more wrong. The Steelers are a running team, and Ben's passing opertunities are limited during the regular season. The Steelers usually have the lead, and run the ball more then anybody, especially in the 2nd half of games. If you look at the stats, the Steelers LEAD THE LEAGUE in yard per attempt at 8.19,better than Indy, Seattle, Cinncy or any other high powered offense. When the Steelers want to throw the rock around, they can do it, and do it well. If you watched the three Steelers playoff games only, I think that is more then enough evidence to say the Steelers passing attack is quite potent, not some bottom bucket passing offense. As a matter of fact, I think the Steelers have a distinct advantage over the Hawks with their passing game, and it will be the difference in the game. Just becuase they haven't done it much to have the pretty stat line, don't think they can't burn you with it if they so choose, just ask Indy and Denver....

 

[Sheriff66]

Well, no, because if Matt was more effective than Ben, he'd have a higher passing "efficiency"

You keep using the word "effective" like it means something.It's a value word, it's an opinion, it's unprovable.

If your position is that Ben is simply better because he's got a 98.6 passer rating and Matt's got a 98.2 then that's your right of course.

But over the course of this season - playoffs included -

Ben is averaging 204 yards, 1.6 TDs and .6 INTs per game

Matt is averaging 216 yards, 1.5 TDs and .5 INTs per game

If you want to label Ben as more "effective" or better, superior or whatever be my guess but I think you're slicing the good/bad/effective/not effective line with a razor here.

Comes back to the theme of this superbowl...most people simply don't know what the Seahawks have got right now. You sit and watch Roethlisberger and think "what a great EFFECTIVE passer, what a strong passing game" and you don't recognize that the Seahawks are just as effective and just as strong.

It's criminal how overlooked the Seahawks have been by the NFL media this season, it really is. 2nd best record in the league, #1 seed in the NFC, the NFL MVP who set the record for rushing TDs this season and a pro bowl QB. If the Giants, Eagles or Cowboys had done these same things they'd be talked about as one of the best teams in recent years. But because it's west coast...pacific north west coast...they are completely overlooked.

Eric

The Seehawk

I'll agree they are overlooked, but with such weak(and I mean WEAK) division that they play in and the general makeup of the NFC this year, it is hard to tell how good they really are.

 

[3MTA3]

Well, no, because if Matt was more effective than Ben, he'd have a higher passing "efficiency"

You keep using the word "effective" like it means something.It's a value word, it's an opinion, it's unprovable.

If your position is that Ben is simply better because he's got a 98.6 passer rating and Matt's got a 98.2 then that's your right of course.

But over the course of this season - playoffs included -

Ben is averaging 204 yards, 1.6 TDs and .6 INTs per game

Matt is averaging 216 yards, 1.5 TDs and .5 INTs per game

If you want to label Ben as more "effective" or better, superior or whatever be my guess but I think you're slicing the good/bad/effective/not effective line with a razor here.

Comes back to the theme of this superbowl...most people simply don't know what the Seahawks have got right now. You sit and watch Roethlisberger and think "what a great EFFECTIVE passer, what a strong passing game" and you don't recognize that the Seahawks are just as effective and just as strong.

It's criminal how overlooked the Seahawks have been by the NFL media this season, it really is. 2nd best record in the league, #1 seed in the NFC, the NFL MVP who set the record for rushing TDs this season and a pro bowl QB. If the Giants, Eagles or Cowboys had done these same things they'd be talked about as one of the best teams in recent years. But because it's west coast...pacific north west coast...they are completely overlooked.

Eric

The Seehawk

Just trying to disprove your statement that's allYou said the Seatlle passing game is more effective than the Steeler one, I disagree.

Why do you think the NFL came up with Passer Efficiency? Is it really just a meaningless stat?

Last time I looked effective = efficiency

Look it up.

That's it, I'm done.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

So what is it again that makes you believe that the Steeler passing game can't outplay the Seattle D?

I never said the Steeler passing game can't outplay the Seattle D (I don't think they will, but that's another post). I said the Steeler offense and the Seahawk defense are nearly neutral matchup.Steelers overall offensive rank is 16th.

5th ranked rushing offense, 30th ranked passing offense

Seahawks overall defensive rank is 17th.

5th ranked rushing defense, 25th ranked passing defense

So I guess the question I have is why you think the Steeler offense will outplay the Seattle D?

Eric

The Seehawk

What do you think is a better gauge of the quality of a passing attack, the total # of yards gained, or yards per attempt?

I know you're asking Eric the Seehawk but I'd say red zone passing, 3rd down passing efficiency, and total passing TDs are more important in determining the "quality" of a pass attack ahead of both yards and yards per attempt.

I have no idea where you'd find those season stats, but last week, Roethlisberger was 11-14 on 3rd down, with 9 first downs, and was 3-3 in the red zone for 37 yards and 2 TDs. To look at that and then call that the 3rd worst passing attack in the league would be a grave error. I don't even know where that #30 ranking came from - accoring to NFL.com, they were 24th in yards gained and 16th in TD passes, despite being dead last in # of attempts. So, when you look at that, do you see a "bottom of the bucket" passing attack, or one that isn't used/needed much?

 

[Evilgrin 72]

What's ridiculous is saying the Seahawks have "the #2 defense in the playoffs." 

I agree, that's why I never said that Eric

The Seehawk

Yes, that was directed at Incogneto, but I quoted you because you were attempting to prove inconsistency on my part.

point taken.I am just giving you a warning about the Seahawk Defense. They are better than anyone in Pittsburgh thinks.

I believe that. For the fourth time (or thereabouts) - I think the Seahwaks have a good defense. All I have been saying is that the Steelers have already shown the ability to put points up against good defenses in the playoffs, so the matchup on that side of the ball doesn't scare me. As a Steeler fan, I am far more concerned with the Seattle offense than with their defense. I don't get what the uproar is over that.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

The interesting part: Steelers offense ranked 16th overall, 5th rushing attack, 30th passing attack.

Where did this ranking come from?

 

[DoctorDetroit]

So what is it again that makes you believe that the Steeler passing game can't outplay the Seattle D?

I never said the Steeler passing game can't outplay the Seattle D (I don't think they will, but that's another post). I said the Steeler offense and the Seahawk defense are nearly neutral matchup.Steelers overall offensive rank is 16th.

5th ranked rushing offense, 30th ranked passing offense

Seahawks overall defensive rank is 17th.

5th ranked rushing defense, 25th ranked passing defense

So I guess the question I have is why you think the Steeler offense will outplay the Seattle D?

Eric

The Seehawk

What do you think is a better gauge of the quality of a passing attack, the total # of yards gained, or yards per attempt?

I know you're asking Eric the Seehawk but I'd say red zone passing, 3rd down passing efficiency, and total passing TDs are more important in determining the "quality" of a pass attack ahead of both yards and yards per attempt.

I have no idea where you'd find those season stats, but last week, Roethlisberger was 11-14 on 3rd down, with 9 first downs, and was 3-3 in the red zone for 37 yards and 2 TDs. To look at that and then call that the 3rd worst passing attack in the league would be a grave error. I don't even know where that #30 ranking came from - accoring to NFL.com, they were 24th in yards gained and 16th in TD passes, despite being dead last in # of attempts. So, when you look at that, do you see a "bottom of the bucket" passing attack, or one that isn't used/needed much?

I think they have a good passing attack. Those stats versus Denver relect that.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

So what is it again that makes you believe that the Steeler passing game can't outplay the Seattle D?

I never said the Steeler passing game can't outplay the Seattle D (I don't think they will, but that's another post). I said the Steeler offense and the Seahawk defense are nearly neutral matchup.Steelers overall offensive rank is 16th.

5th ranked rushing offense, 30th ranked passing offense

Seahawks overall defensive rank is 17th.

5th ranked rushing defense, 25th ranked passing defense

So I guess the question I have is why you think the Steeler offense will outplay the Seattle D?

Eric

The Seehawk

What do you think is a better gauge of the quality of a passing attack, the total # of yards gained, or yards per attempt?

I know you're asking Eric the Seehawk but I'd say red zone passing, 3rd down passing efficiency, and total passing TDs are more important in determining the "quality" of a pass attack ahead of both yards and yards per attempt.

I have no idea where you'd find those season stats, but last week, Roethlisberger was 11-14 on 3rd down, with 9 first downs, and was 3-3 in the red zone for 37 yards and 2 TDs. To look at that and then call that the 3rd worst passing attack in the league would be a grave error. I don't even know where that #30 ranking came from - accoring to NFL.com, they were 24th in yards gained and 16th in TD passes, despite being dead last in # of attempts. So, when you look at that, do you see a "bottom of the bucket" passing attack, or one that isn't used/needed much?

I think they have a good passing attack. Those stats versus Denver relect that.

Right, and that's all I was trying to illustrate to the Seehawk. Their relatively low passing offense ranking during the regular season had a lot to do with their league-low # of attempts, and less with the quality of that phase of their offense. If you sell out vs. the run and force them to put the ball in the air 25 times a game... well... ask Marvin Lewis, Tony Dungy, and Mike Shanahan how well that works.And before anyone starts in with the reasons whay Seattle's defense was 17th ranked, save it. I am not disparaging for one second what I believe to be a good defense. Merely saying that I believe the Steelers can score on it, because I don't believe Seattle's defense is vastly superior to Indianpolis' or Denver's... that's all.