Here’s a Steelers edition of Some Thoughts on Some Things…
- Looking at the AFC, I believe the second wild card team will only be 9-7. The Jets at 3-1 don’t particularly worry me. The Bills do have flashes of a team that can be competitive, but I’m not joining the ‘Tyrod Taylor can lead us into the playoffs’ camp The Browns will always be the Browns and I have a hard time believing Baltimore will recover from a 1-4 start. The Chiefs have had a rough schedule to start the season and are 1-4 because of it. The Raiders aren’t there just yet. The Chargers could vie for a wild card spot this year. (Which as you’ll read makes tonight’s game important.) Add on the fact that the AFC South is a joke this year and the second wild card spot won’t have to be a dominant team like it was last year.
- So tonight’s game shouldn’t be classified as must win, but I call them “boy you really ought to win this one” games. Getting out to a 3-2 start with a win over a team who could be in contention for the wild card is huge for the Steelers.
- What do the Steelers have to do tonight to win? It’s pretty simple: score more points than the Chargers. But, if you’re looking for more in-depth analysis, there are impact players I’d like to see rise to the occasion.
- Le’Veon Bell: For Vick to be remotely effective, it all starts with the run game. If Bell is able to average 3-4 yards per carry, the Steelers will be in a good spot. That forces San Diego to keep an eye on Bell and could lead to some one-on-one matchups with Antonio Brown. Even though Brown isn’t a deep ball threat, if you let Brown go one-on-one with a defender, I know who I’m betting all the money in my pockets on.
- Antonio Brown: A receiver is very dependent on his QB. That’s the nature of the beast in the NFL. Brown, however, classifies in a group above everyone else. Vick obviously needs to make passes that are in the general vicinity of Brown so he can make plays. There are times when an offense looks to its skill players to get things done, tonight is one of those nights.
- Todd Haley: Unlike a majority of Pittsburgh, I actually like Todd Haley. Before Roethlisberger’s injury, I thought we were going to be witnesses to an offense that rivaled his Warner/Fitzgerald offense from 2008. He’s a smart man who knows the game. I don’t care that he golfed in college. Give me a smart man who rose to the top because he was good at his job over someone who played the game and waltzed into a coordinator/coach position. Haley has now had well over a week to implement an offense conducive to Michael Vick and the Steelers. I expect play calls that suit this offense and there is significant pressure on Haley as he is the primary, if not sole, play caller tonight.
- I don’t think Vick has to make plays like he did 10 years ago. The Vick from last week should be sufficient enough to beat the Chargers. Remember, he still is a backup QB, not a starter. Asking him to do too much could run the Steelers into dangerous territories. That’s why Bell (and perhaps De’Angelo Williams) are so important tonight.
- Ryan Shazier’s injury is very concerning. He was at practice for a majority of the week and he was ruled out on Thursday night. I’m hoping that shoulder injury isn’t more than the Steelers are telling. Right now, Shazier is a supremely talented linebacker who has been bitten by the injury bug more often than he sees the field.
- I have been extremely impressed by DE Stephon Tuitt this year. The Steelers needed a defensive lineman to bring pressure off the end, like Pittsburgh saw in the days of Aaron Smith and Brett Kiesel. Tuitt and Cam Heyward are creeping towards that territory.
- The San Diego Chargers are no slouch. Philip Rivers, no matter what your opinion is of him, is a talented quarterback. He may not be able to win the big win, but he still wins and can pass the ball fairly well across the field. With Antonio Gates back from suspension, the Steelers defense has a job carved out for them.
- This Chris Boswell guy better be good. Believe it or not, it can get worse for the Steelers kicking game. Boswell won the job after the Steelers cut Scobee last Saturday. Boswell, a product of that Rice football powerhouse, went 51 for 67 during his college career. Those numbers don’t jump off the page…well they actually do but in the wrong way. I’m hoping he turns into an Adam Vinateri but I’m always expecting a Todd Petersen too.
- I can’t decide who’s the bigger thief in Pittsburgh. Cortez Allen and his 5 year/$26 million deal or Josh Scobee making almost $600,000 per successful kick. (The Steelers owe Scobee $2.5 million.) Good for those guys.
- Prediction: Steelers 24 Chargers 21 (Boswell misses a field goal though.)
The post Here Are Some Thoughts on Some Things: Steelers Edition appeared first on Inside Butler County – Butler, PA.
