The Steelers are very good (1 Viewer)

[timschochet]

As a diehard Steeler fan, I thought yesterday was the best I've ever seen Big Ben. You've got to really like the way this team is playing right now. Even the D, without their two best players, were still outstanding. Thry seem to be firing on all cylinders...

But...

Try as I might, I just don't see them overcoming the big two either now or in the playoffs. You know who I mean. I would sure love to brag and write "see ya in Arizona!" but it remains doubtful, and I'm not looking forward to yet another fine regular season followed by a quick January drubbing, especially if its at the hands of the hated Patriots...

I know its a long way away, but does anyone out there that believes that there is a reasonable chance the Steelers COULD go to the Superbowl? Am I being too pessimistic? Please reassure me...

 

[CrossEyed]

It's October. They are 4-1 and playing GREAT defense. Of course they have a chance.

 

[simey]

The Steelers are a great complete team. They certainly have the talent to make a run for the Super Bowl.

 

[fred_1_15301]

It's October. They are 4-1 and playing GREAT defense. Of course they have a chance.

What he said. And who cares at this point. There is a long season ahead and a lot of things could change. Right now the Pats and Colts look like the teams to beat but a few injuries could change everything. I guarantee that there are teams in the AFC that look horrible right now and will eventually end up as a contender.

 

[twitch]

Outside of what the Chargers did to Denver yesterday, the Steelers had the most impressive win of the day yesterday. And that was without Ward, Polomalu, Holmes and Hampton. Those are 4 big time players and Pitt just hammered a very good team. Good grief. They'll probably be slight underdogs when they play either the Colts or Pats, but they absolutely have a team capable of winning it all again. Theyre one of very few football teams with a Superbowl winning QB still at the helm. Feel good about your squad and enjoy the season. Live in the football moment.

 

[Godsbrother]

It's October. They are 4-1 and playing GREAT defense. Of course they have a chance.

What he said. And who cares at this point. There is a long season ahead and a lot of things could change. Right now the Pats and Colts look like the teams to beat but a few injuries could change everything. I guarantee that there are teams in the AFC that look horrible right now and will eventually end up as a contender.

Yep. The season is slightly more than a 1/4 of the way through and things will change. Some teams that look horrible now will be better down the stretch and some teams that look like worldbeaters now will either limp into the playoffs or miss them entirely.Just sit back and enjoy the season...

 

[Butters]

They've put themselves in excellent position thusfar. I think that's about all you can say. They've underperformed over the past 10 years when expected to do well in the playoffs and vastly overperformed when given little chance. To quote the great sage , "I dunno. Don't ask me how the economy works."

 

[Cookiemonster]

Any given sunday...

but as of right now, and what I've seen, I give the Steelers a 30% chance vs. the Pats and 45% vs. the Colts (Manning and Ugoh will still be sub-par vs. 3-4 Ds).

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

They were also w/o their Nickel CB.

 

[redman]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

 

[redman]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

 

[Captain Spaulding]

Its kinda weird but I've notice over the last 2-3 years, when Polamalu is out...their secondary actually plays better. He is easily one of the top talented and versatily safeties in the league but just my opinion, the Steelers "chemistry" in the secondary seems better with him out. As for Hampton, same thing....he is a plug in the center but makes few tackles or impact plays. His backup (when he's out) usually makes more of an impact (tackles for losses and pressure on the QB). Both Troy and Hampton are pro-bowlers but the Steelers D seems better when they aren't in the game. Just something I've noticed over the years.

 

[CrossEyed]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

He wasn't a huge part of the actual SB game, but he was more responsible than any other player for the 3 playoff wins that got them there.

 

[Kiddnets]

just traded for Ben in a keeper league - like what I have seen from him as well as the offense - I think he is a top 10 fantasy QB right now and has an outside chance to finish top 5 if he keeps this up. Steelers look very good!

 

[fred_1_15301]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

Has any single qb in the NFL ever won a superbowl all by themself?

 

[redman]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

He wasn't a huge part of the actual SB game, but he was more responsible than any other player for the 3 playoff wins that got them there.

No doubt, and I'm not bashing him. I thought the Steelers coaching staff did a great job taking pressure off of him as a very young QB and just asked him to avoid big mistakes and take what the defense gave him. That team was built around the offensive line and running game on offense, and a stifling defense. My point is that more is expected of Manning and Brady - their offenses are built around them, and I think those teams take a huge hit if they were out of the lineup. Ben's not on that level. Do you disagree?

 

[CrossEyed]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

He wasn't a huge part of the actual SB game, but he was more responsible than any other player for the 3 playoff wins that got them there.

No doubt, and I'm not bashing him. I thought the Steelers coaching staff did a great job taking pressure off of him as a very young QB and just asked him to avoid big mistakes and take what the defense gave him. That team was built around the offensive line and running game on offense, and a stifling defense. My point is that more is expected of Manning and Brady - their offenses are built around them, and I think those teams take a huge hit if they were out of the lineup. Ben's not on that level. Do you disagree?

I wouldn't disagree at all. But I do think that Ben is moving in that direction. He's seeing the field well and making very few mistakes. He's tough to bring down even when they do get to him and is great at finding the open receiver after he is flushed out of the pocket. I think with a healthy Ward and Holmes he's going to put up some very nice numbers after the bye.

 

[timschochet]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

He wasn't a huge part of the actual SB game, but he was more responsible than any other player for the 3 playoff wins that got them there.

No doubt, and I'm not bashing him. I thought the Steelers coaching staff did a great job taking pressure off of him as a very young QB and just asked him to avoid big mistakes and take what the defense gave him. That team was built around the offensive line and running game on offense, and a stifling defense. My point is that more is expected of Manning and Brady - their offenses are built around them, and I think those teams take a huge hit if they were out of the lineup. Ben's not on that level. Do you disagree?

Yes I disagree. He's not Manning; he could be Brady, with time. Even now, after those two I would take him over any QB in the league, hands down. If you saw any of yeswtersay's game he was faced with several third and longs and converted every one of them. The Steelers would not be the same team with Ben out of the lineup, they would turn into the Kordell Stewart Steelers. Good, but not nearly good enough. Ben is everything you want in a qb. In terms of the 2004 NFL draft (Big Ben vs. Eli Vs. Rivers) Pittsburgh is the winner hands down (which is ironic since the guy they wanted was Rivers).

 

[Frenchy Fuqua]

Ed Bouchette mentioned that the Steelers played alot of cover-2 yesterday, not the Blitzburgh we're accustomed to seeing. Sounds like Tomlin/LeBeau had some new wrinkles for Seattle.

Too early to tell how good the Steelers are. Ben is not in the Brady/Manning class, no doubt. He doesn't dissect defenses as quickly or have the pass protection either of those two QBs have. But when Ben plays his best, few are better.

The Steelers biggest question in my mind is the O-line. Their play seems to vary from week to week on both run blocking and pass protection. Ben takes some abuse, partly due to him holding onto the ball, partly due to the line. If they can consistently open holes for Willie and limit the hits Ben takes I think this team has a shot.

 

[parrot]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

He wasn't a huge part of the actual SB game, but he was more responsible than any other player for the 3 playoff wins that got them there.

Bit of an understatement. He played pretty horribly in the SB.

 

[CrossEyed]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

He wasn't a huge part of the actual SB game, but he was more responsible than any other player for the 3 playoff wins that got them there.

Bit of an understatement. He played pretty horribly in the SB.

And he played pretty spectacularly against Cincy, Indy and Denver. What's your point?

 

[parrot]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

He wasn't a huge part of the actual SB game, but he was more responsible than any other player for the 3 playoff wins that got them there.

Bit of an understatement. He played pretty horribly in the SB.

And he played pretty spectacularly against Cincy, Indy and Denver. What's your point?

My point is he played pretty horribly in the SB. Not sure how you missed it.

 

[simey]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can.

i think the Steelers have a better D than the Colts, and a D that is just as good as the Patriots. Yesterday, the Cleveland Browns Defense held Brady to only one TD in the second half. The other NE TD in the second half came from a interception return by the Pats D.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

He wasn't a huge part of the actual SB game, but he was more responsible than any other player for the 3 playoff wins that got them there.

Bit of an understatement. He played pretty horribly in the SB.

True, but to the bolded part above, he absolutely carried the team on his back through the AFC playoffs.

 

[redman]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

He wasn't a huge part of the actual SB game, but he was more responsible than any other player for the 3 playoff wins that got them there.

No doubt, and I'm not bashing him. I thought the Steelers coaching staff did a great job taking pressure off of him as a very young QB and just asked him to avoid big mistakes and take what the defense gave him. That team was built around the offensive line and running game on offense, and a stifling defense. My point is that more is expected of Manning and Brady - their offenses are built around them, and I think those teams take a huge hit if they were out of the lineup. Ben's not on that level. Do you disagree?

Yes I disagree. He's not Manning; he could be Brady, with time. Even now, after those two I would take him over any QB in the league, hands down. If you saw any of yeswtersay's game he was faced with several third and longs and converted every one of them. The Steelers would not be the same team with Ben out of the lineup, they would turn into the Kordell Stewart Steelers. Good, but not nearly good enough. Ben is everything you want in a qb. In terms of the 2004 NFL draft (Big Ben vs. Eli Vs. Rivers) Pittsburgh is the winner hands down (which is ironic since the guy they wanted was Rivers).

This is my point. I'm talking about where he has been and where he is now, and therefore what the team is presently forced to do. I don't disagree that he could end up being a stud at QB, and I appreciate what the team has done to foster his talent - frankly, what the 'Skins are doing with Campbell is a good parallel there. From what I read Ben did have an impressive game, especially when you consider that he was without both Ward and Holmes. My point here is that if you had a choice of Manning, Brady, or Ben leading the proverbieal two minute drive downfield to win the playoff game in the fourth quarter, there's nobody who would take Ben (or any other active QB for that matter) over those other two.

 

[parrot]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

He wasn't a huge part of the actual SB game, but he was more responsible than any other player for the 3 playoff wins that got them there.

Bit of an understatement. He played pretty horribly in the SB.

True, but to the bolded part above, he absolutely carried the team on his back through the AFC playoffs.

He did, no argument here. I was just saying that the statement "He wasn't a huge part of the actual SB game" was a heavy candy-coating of his performance in that particular game.

 

[CrossEyed]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

He wasn't a huge part of the actual SB game, but he was more responsible than any other player for the 3 playoff wins that got them there.

No doubt, and I'm not bashing him. I thought the Steelers coaching staff did a great job taking pressure off of him as a very young QB and just asked him to avoid big mistakes and take what the defense gave him. That team was built around the offensive line and running game on offense, and a stifling defense. My point is that more is expected of Manning and Brady - their offenses are built around them, and I think those teams take a huge hit if they were out of the lineup. Ben's not on that level. Do you disagree?

Yes I disagree. He's not Manning; he could be Brady, with time. Even now, after those two I would take him over any QB in the league, hands down. If you saw any of yeswtersay's game he was faced with several third and longs and converted every one of them. The Steelers would not be the same team with Ben out of the lineup, they would turn into the Kordell Stewart Steelers. Good, but not nearly good enough. Ben is everything you want in a qb. In terms of the 2004 NFL draft (Big Ben vs. Eli Vs. Rivers) Pittsburgh is the winner hands down (which is ironic since the guy they wanted was Rivers).

This is my point. I'm talking about where he has been and where he is now, and therefore what the team is presently forced to do. I don't disagree that he could end up being a stud at QB, and I appreciate what the team has done to foster his talent - frankly, what the 'Skins are doing with Campbell is a good parallel there. From what I read Ben did have an impressive game, especially when you consider that he was without both Ward and Holmes. My point here is that if you had a choice of Manning, Brady, or Ben leading the proverbieal two minute drive downfield to win the playoff game in the fourth quarter, there's nobody who would take Ben (or any other active QB for that matter) over those other two.

Probably, but the gap between those guys and Ben isn't as big as most might think. Put all 3 QBs in the same situation with the same personnel and I think the results would be pretty similar.

 

[twitch]

Bottom line in the NFL to me is winning. doesnt matter how you do it, as long as the job gets done. Saying that, speaking on Roethlisberger, sure he's not quite on that Brady/Manning level statistically. But he's far younger with less years under his belt. And each of those guys has had the same head coach and system for quite a while. Looking at Ben's development, its been pretty unbelievable. He wins something like 14 straight games his rookie season, and wins the SB his 2nd year. and all he does is win. as far as winning games is concerned, Ive already got him on the top tier with Brady and Manning. To me its all about record, not #s. and his record speaks for itself. and Im a Pats fan. the Steelers are a serious squad again this year.

 

[Leeroy Jenkins]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

No, and he doesnt have to. You are using Ben as a detriment, and I am saying he isnt one and proved that 2 years ago. He has as many rings as Manning and had his first. The Steelers offense is different this season in the sense that they are not scared of opening it up and letting Ben go a little bit more. They use the TE more. They have a better deep threat in Holmes this season. Parker was the main RB for the Super Bowl run and is a better RB now than he was then. I also see this defense being as good or better than the '05 D. The 3-4 Blitz combined with the Cover-2 and moving Troy and Keisel around, hainv two- down linemen at times etc makes for some headaches. This team is only a year removed from winning it all. I'm not sayin Ben is Manning or Brady, just that he doesnt have to be, he doenst hurt the team's chances, and he is better now with more weapons IMO than when he did lead a #6 seed to 3 road victories in the playoffs and a SB win.

 

[timschochet]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

No, and he doesnt have to. You are using Ben as a detriment, and I am saying he isnt one and proved that 2 years ago. He has as many rings as Manning and had his first. The Steelers offense is different this season in the sense that they are not scared of opening it up and letting Ben go a little bit more. They use the TE more. They have a better deep threat in Holmes this season. Parker was the main RB for the Super Bowl run and is a better RB now than he was then. I also see this defense being as good or better than the '05 D. The 3-4 Blitz combined with the Cover-2 and moving Troy and Keisel around, hainv two- down linemen at times etc makes for some headaches. This team is only a year removed from winning it all. I'm not sayin Ben is Manning or Brady, just that he doesnt have to be, he doenst hurt the team's chances, and he is better now with more weapons IMO than when he did lead a #6 seed to 3 road victories in the playoffs and a SB win.

I agree with everything you say, and as a Steeler fan, I'm frankly excited by it. But getting back to my original point in posting this thread: let's suppose the Steelers have as good or a better team than the one that one in 2005. The problem is, I don't believe they were the best team in 2005; I think that honor bleonged to Indy. The Steelers had a great game plan and beat Indy at home, but I think the Colts win 6 out of 10 that year. And as far as this year goes, Indy is BETTER than they were in '05. Meanwhile, the Patriots appear to have their best team ever, and they had the Steelers' number even with lesser squads.Whatever happens, it seems pretty clear to me that these three teams are the class of the NFL. Consider that in the 21st century:

1. The Patriots have won 3 Superbowls, been to the playoffs five times, been to the AFC Championship game 4 times.

2. The Colts have won 1 Superbowl, been to the playoffs six times, been to the AFC Champioinship game 2 times.

3. The Steelers have won won Superbowl, been to the playoffs four times, been to the AFC Championship game three times.

None of the other 29 teams come close to matching this level of success. The scary thing is all 3 of these teams are still young! We may see this situation continue for years to come.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

too bad pitt is in the AFC.

I just dont see how them or SD or Balt can beat both Indy and NE this season

 

[CrossEyed]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

No, and he doesnt have to. You are using Ben as a detriment, and I am saying he isnt one and proved that 2 years ago. He has as many rings as Manning and had his first. The Steelers offense is different this season in the sense that they are not scared of opening it up and letting Ben go a little bit more. They use the TE more. They have a better deep threat in Holmes this season. Parker was the main RB for the Super Bowl run and is a better RB now than he was then. I also see this defense being as good or better than the '05 D. The 3-4 Blitz combined with the Cover-2 and moving Troy and Keisel around, hainv two- down linemen at times etc makes for some headaches. This team is only a year removed from winning it all. I'm not sayin Ben is Manning or Brady, just that he doesnt have to be, he doenst hurt the team's chances, and he is better now with more weapons IMO than when he did lead a #6 seed to 3 road victories in the playoffs and a SB win.

I agree with everything you say, and as a Steeler fan, I'm frankly excited by it. But getting back to my original point in posting this thread: let's suppose the Steelers have as good or a better team than the one that one in 2005. The problem is, I don't believe they were the best team in 2005; I think that honor bleonged to Indy. The Steelers had a great game plan and beat Indy at home, but I think the Colts win 6 out of 10 that year. And as far as this year goes, Indy is BETTER than they were in '05. Meanwhile, the Patriots appear to have their best team ever, and they had the Steelers' number even with lesser squads.Whatever happens, it seems pretty clear to me that these three teams are the class of the NFL. Consider that in the 21st century:

1. The Patriots have won 3 Superbowls, been to the playoffs five times, been to the AFC Championship game 4 times.

2. The Colts have won 1 Superbowl, been to the playoffs six times, been to the AFC Champioinship game 2 times.

3. The Steelers have won won Superbowl, been to the playoffs four times, been to the AFC Championship game three times.

None of the other 29 teams come close to matching this level of success. The scary thing is all 3 of these teams are still young! We may see this situation continue for years to come.

That was under Cowher. Who knows, maybe Tomlin will have BBs number.

 

[timschochet]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

No, and he doesnt have to. You are using Ben as a detriment, and I am saying he isnt one and proved that 2 years ago. He has as many rings as Manning and had his first. The Steelers offense is different this season in the sense that they are not scared of opening it up and letting Ben go a little bit more. They use the TE more. They have a better deep threat in Holmes this season. Parker was the main RB for the Super Bowl run and is a better RB now than he was then. I also see this defense being as good or better than the '05 D. The 3-4 Blitz combined with the Cover-2 and moving Troy and Keisel around, hainv two- down linemen at times etc makes for some headaches. This team is only a year removed from winning it all. I'm not sayin Ben is Manning or Brady, just that he doesnt have to be, he doenst hurt the team's chances, and he is better now with more weapons IMO than when he did lead a #6 seed to 3 road victories in the playoffs and a SB win.

I agree with everything you say, and as a Steeler fan, I'm frankly excited by it. But getting back to my original point in posting this thread: let's suppose the Steelers have as good or a better team than the one that one in 2005. The problem is, I don't believe they were the best team in 2005; I think that honor bleonged to Indy. The Steelers had a great game plan and beat Indy at home, but I think the Colts win 6 out of 10 that year. And as far as this year goes, Indy is BETTER than they were in '05. Meanwhile, the Patriots appear to have their best team ever, and they had the Steelers' number even with lesser squads.Whatever happens, it seems pretty clear to me that these three teams are the class of the NFL. Consider that in the 21st century:

1. The Patriots have won 3 Superbowls, been to the playoffs five times, been to the AFC Championship game 4 times.

2. The Colts have won 1 Superbowl, been to the playoffs six times, been to the AFC Champioinship game 2 times.

3. The Steelers have won won Superbowl, been to the playoffs four times, been to the AFC Championship game three times.

None of the other 29 teams come close to matching this level of success. The scary thing is all 3 of these teams are still young! We may see this situation continue for years to come.

That was under Cowher. Who knows, maybe Tomlin will have BBs number.

I'm beginning to really like Tomlin, but this is Cowher's team. He put it together with Colbert. Lately there's been way too much criticism of Bill Cowher. One of the greatest HC ever.

 

[CrossEyed]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

No, and he doesnt have to. You are using Ben as a detriment, and I am saying he isnt one and proved that 2 years ago. He has as many rings as Manning and had his first. The Steelers offense is different this season in the sense that they are not scared of opening it up and letting Ben go a little bit more. They use the TE more. They have a better deep threat in Holmes this season. Parker was the main RB for the Super Bowl run and is a better RB now than he was then. I also see this defense being as good or better than the '05 D. The 3-4 Blitz combined with the Cover-2 and moving Troy and Keisel around, hainv two- down linemen at times etc makes for some headaches. This team is only a year removed from winning it all. I'm not sayin Ben is Manning or Brady, just that he doesnt have to be, he doenst hurt the team's chances, and he is better now with more weapons IMO than when he did lead a #6 seed to 3 road victories in the playoffs and a SB win.

I agree with everything you say, and as a Steeler fan, I'm frankly excited by it. But getting back to my original point in posting this thread: let's suppose the Steelers have as good or a better team than the one that one in 2005. The problem is, I don't believe they were the best team in 2005; I think that honor bleonged to Indy. The Steelers had a great game plan and beat Indy at home, but I think the Colts win 6 out of 10 that year. And as far as this year goes, Indy is BETTER than they were in '05. Meanwhile, the Patriots appear to have their best team ever, and they had the Steelers' number even with lesser squads.Whatever happens, it seems pretty clear to me that these three teams are the class of the NFL. Consider that in the 21st century:

1. The Patriots have won 3 Superbowls, been to the playoffs five times, been to the AFC Championship game 4 times.

2. The Colts have won 1 Superbowl, been to the playoffs six times, been to the AFC Champioinship game 2 times.

3. The Steelers have won won Superbowl, been to the playoffs four times, been to the AFC Championship game three times.

None of the other 29 teams come close to matching this level of success. The scary thing is all 3 of these teams are still young! We may see this situation continue for years to come.

That was under Cowher. Who knows, maybe Tomlin will have BBs number.

I'm beginning to really like Tomlin, but this is Cowher's team. He put it together with Colbert. Lately there's been way too much criticism of Bill Cowher. One of the greatest HC ever.

That wasn't meant to be a criticism of Cowher. I'm just saying that sometimes guys struggle against certain other guys. It happens with hitters and pitchers in baseball. It seems to happen with certain coaching styles. I was merely pointing out that we don't know yet how Tomlin will fare against BB. His gameplans might match up better than Cowher's did.

 

[SeniorVBDStudent]

I stand by my prediction that it will be Pittsburg, not Indy, that meets us in Foxboro for the AFC championship.

Nate Washington needs to show up, however, and as usual (sorry) special teams needs to tighten up.

 

[timschochet]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

No, and he doesnt have to. You are using Ben as a detriment, and I am saying he isnt one and proved that 2 years ago. He has as many rings as Manning and had his first. The Steelers offense is different this season in the sense that they are not scared of opening it up and letting Ben go a little bit more. They use the TE more. They have a better deep threat in Holmes this season. Parker was the main RB for the Super Bowl run and is a better RB now than he was then. I also see this defense being as good or better than the '05 D. The 3-4 Blitz combined with the Cover-2 and moving Troy and Keisel around, hainv two- down linemen at times etc makes for some headaches. This team is only a year removed from winning it all. I'm not sayin Ben is Manning or Brady, just that he doesnt have to be, he doenst hurt the team's chances, and he is better now with more weapons IMO than when he did lead a #6 seed to 3 road victories in the playoffs and a SB win.

I agree with everything you say, and as a Steeler fan, I'm frankly excited by it. But getting back to my original point in posting this thread: let's suppose the Steelers have as good or a better team than the one that one in 2005. The problem is, I don't believe they were the best team in 2005; I think that honor bleonged to Indy. The Steelers had a great game plan and beat Indy at home, but I think the Colts win 6 out of 10 that year. And as far as this year goes, Indy is BETTER than they were in '05. Meanwhile, the Patriots appear to have their best team ever, and they had the Steelers' number even with lesser squads.Whatever happens, it seems pretty clear to me that these three teams are the class of the NFL. Consider that in the 21st century:

1. The Patriots have won 3 Superbowls, been to the playoffs five times, been to the AFC Championship game 4 times.

2. The Colts have won 1 Superbowl, been to the playoffs six times, been to the AFC Champioinship game 2 times.

3. The Steelers have won won Superbowl, been to the playoffs four times, been to the AFC Championship game three times.

None of the other 29 teams come close to matching this level of success. The scary thing is all 3 of these teams are still young! We may see this situation continue for years to come.

That was under Cowher. Who knows, maybe Tomlin will have BBs number.

I'm beginning to really like Tomlin, but this is Cowher's team. He put it together with Colbert. Lately there's been way too much criticism of Bill Cowher. One of the greatest HC ever.

That wasn't meant to be a criticism of Cowher. I'm just saying that sometimes guys struggle against certain other guys. It happens with hitters and pitchers in baseball. It seems to happen with certain coaching styles. I was merely pointing out that we don't know yet how Tomlin will fare against BB. His gameplans might match up better than Cowher's did.

Uh, what coach out there HASN'T struggled against Bill Beilicheck in the last 7 years? I guess Mike Shanahan's had a moderate level of success against the Pats...so do you believe that if Shanahan (or Tomlin) had been coaching the Steelers in '01 and '04, the result in those AFC Championship games might have been different? I highly doubt that.

 

[-jb-]

I thought Ben was classic in his post-game interview, "Those are two good teams. I'm glad people are talking about them."

 

[redman]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

No, and he doesnt have to. You are using Ben as a detriment, and I am saying he isnt one and proved that 2 years ago. He has as many rings as Manning and had his first. The Steelers offense is different this season in the sense that they are not scared of opening it up and letting Ben go a little bit more. They use the TE more. They have a better deep threat in Holmes this season. Parker was the main RB for the Super Bowl run and is a better RB now than he was then. I also see this defense being as good or better than the '05 D. The 3-4 Blitz combined with the Cover-2 and moving Troy and Keisel around, hainv two- down linemen at times etc makes for some headaches. This team is only a year removed from winning it all. I'm not sayin Ben is Manning or Brady, just that he doesnt have to be, he doenst hurt the team's chances, and he is better now with more weapons IMO than when he did lead a #6 seed to 3 road victories in the playoffs and a SB win.

I think you're missing my point. I don't disagree with anything you've said. The bolded part is actually my point.

 

[Godsbrother]

Uh, what coach out there HASN'T struggled against Bill Beilicheck in the last 7 years? I guess Mike Shanahan's had a moderate level of success against the Pats...so do you believe that if Shanahan (or Tomlin) had been coaching the Steelers in '01 and '04, the result in those AFC Championship games might have been different? I highly doubt that.

I am glad you qualified it as the last 7 years because I am pretty sure Cowher has a winning record against BB if you include BB's Cleveland years...

 

[CrossEyed]

The Steelers are a complete team and figure to both reach the playoffs and win at least one playoff game. What concerns me about them when matched up against NE or Indy is that they don't have offensive playmakers on the level of Randy Moss or Reggie Wayne/Marvin Harrison, and I don't think that Ben is (yet?) a QB who can carry an offense on his back and have them performing at a high level the way that Brady or Manning can. That's obviously no insult as you can probably say that about every other team in the NFL too. I would certainly rate them among the top five teams in the NFL right now, and at the moment I'd put them fourth behind the Cowboys.

Ben did win a SB 2 seasons ago.

All by himself?

No, and he doesnt have to. You are using Ben as a detriment, and I am saying he isnt one and proved that 2 years ago. He has as many rings as Manning and had his first. The Steelers offense is different this season in the sense that they are not scared of opening it up and letting Ben go a little bit more. They use the TE more. They have a better deep threat in Holmes this season. Parker was the main RB for the Super Bowl run and is a better RB now than he was then. I also see this defense being as good or better than the '05 D. The 3-4 Blitz combined with the Cover-2 and moving Troy and Keisel around, hainv two- down linemen at times etc makes for some headaches. This team is only a year removed from winning it all. I'm not sayin Ben is Manning or Brady, just that he doesnt have to be, he doenst hurt the team's chances, and he is better now with more weapons IMO than when he did lead a #6 seed to 3 road victories in the playoffs and a SB win.

I agree with everything you say, and as a Steeler fan, I'm frankly excited by it. But getting back to my original point in posting this thread: let's suppose the Steelers have as good or a better team than the one that one in 2005. The problem is, I don't believe they were the best team in 2005; I think that honor bleonged to Indy. The Steelers had a great game plan and beat Indy at home, but I think the Colts win 6 out of 10 that year. And as far as this year goes, Indy is BETTER than they were in '05. Meanwhile, the Patriots appear to have their best team ever, and they had the Steelers' number even with lesser squads.Whatever happens, it seems pretty clear to me that these three teams are the class of the NFL. Consider that in the 21st century:

1. The Patriots have won 3 Superbowls, been to the playoffs five times, been to the AFC Championship game 4 times.

2. The Colts have won 1 Superbowl, been to the playoffs six times, been to the AFC Champioinship game 2 times.

3. The Steelers have won won Superbowl, been to the playoffs four times, been to the AFC Championship game three times.

None of the other 29 teams come close to matching this level of success. The scary thing is all 3 of these teams are still young! We may see this situation continue for years to come.

That was under Cowher. Who knows, maybe Tomlin will have BBs number.

I'm beginning to really like Tomlin, but this is Cowher's team. He put it together with Colbert. Lately there's been way too much criticism of Bill Cowher. One of the greatest HC ever.

That wasn't meant to be a criticism of Cowher. I'm just saying that sometimes guys struggle against certain other guys. It happens with hitters and pitchers in baseball. It seems to happen with certain coaching styles. I was merely pointing out that we don't know yet how Tomlin will fare against BB. His gameplans might match up better than Cowher's did.

Uh, what coach out there HASN'T struggled against Bill Beilicheck in the last 7 years? I guess Mike Shanahan's had a moderate level of success against the Pats...so do you believe that if Shanahan (or Tomlin) had been coaching the Steelers in '01 and '04, the result in those AFC Championship games might have been different? I highly doubt that.

Really, it wasn't as lopsided as people like to portray. The difference in the '01 game was a blocked FG returned for a TD and a punt return for a TD. Not sure that can be attributed to a gameplan. So I guess I'm actually rebutting my own post regarding Cowher.