Big Game This Week (Rich)
After a really impressive 2-0 start, the Steelers take on New England at home this weekend. I'm not really sure what to say about it. I've had several conversations this week where Someone Who Knows I'm a Steeler Fan comes up to me, and we have this exchange:
Coach Cowher probably didn't like that quote, but you know many members of The Nation are feeling the same way. Still, if we posit that there's no correlation or causation between who wins this game and who wins a theoretical rematch in January, I'll vote for winning.
How does the game play out? Part of the problem is that you never know what the Patriots are going to do until they do it (and sometimes you still aren't sure afterwards), but you've gotta think that they remember rushing 6 times for 5 yards, or 5 times for 6 yards, or whatever it was last Halloween. You've also gotta think they noticed that the rare negative plays for the Steeler defense in the first two weeks came against the run. Since Cowher and Co. no doubt noticed this too, I suspect the Pats spread us out and throw 55 times--or perhaps scarier don't spread us out, but find a lot of tight ends open over the middle. On offense I expect more of the same, though I'm still delusional enough to think Heath Miller is going to get more touches sooner rather than later. And if you read Cowher's press conference transcript, it's as hard for him to avoid saying "we're going to exploit the hell out of Monty Beisel and Chad Brown" as it was for Colonel Jessup not to admit to ordering the Code Red.
I don't have a prediction--all I can say is Go Steelers!
I think.
--rich erenberg
SWKISF: Big game this weekendThere's just not a whole lot more to say. We know this one is important symbolically and in the sense that every game is important. We also know from last year that this one doesn't really matter in the end, or as Chris Hope said this week: "If I had an opportunity to see the future, looking back at how we played last year and how it turned out last year, I'd let them win the first one this time."
Me: Uh-huh.
(awkward silence)
Coach Cowher probably didn't like that quote, but you know many members of The Nation are feeling the same way. Still, if we posit that there's no correlation or causation between who wins this game and who wins a theoretical rematch in January, I'll vote for winning.
How does the game play out? Part of the problem is that you never know what the Patriots are going to do until they do it (and sometimes you still aren't sure afterwards), but you've gotta think that they remember rushing 6 times for 5 yards, or 5 times for 6 yards, or whatever it was last Halloween. You've also gotta think they noticed that the rare negative plays for the Steeler defense in the first two weeks came against the run. Since Cowher and Co. no doubt noticed this too, I suspect the Pats spread us out and throw 55 times--or perhaps scarier don't spread us out, but find a lot of tight ends open over the middle. On offense I expect more of the same, though I'm still delusional enough to think Heath Miller is going to get more touches sooner rather than later. And if you read Cowher's press conference transcript, it's as hard for him to avoid saying "we're going to exploit the hell out of Monty Beisel and Chad Brown" as it was for Colonel Jessup not to admit to ordering the Code Red.
I don't have a prediction--all I can say is Go Steelers!
I think.
--rich erenberg
posted at 8:52 PM
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