The Quarter Pole (Weegie)
Yes. Relax, good. Coming into last night's game I wouldn't have liked us to lose, but I would have understood it. Assuming what we had seen from the Steelers this season, I didn't think they had the offense to run with the Chargers circa week 3 and 4. Fortunately neither of those teams showed up. A better and more diverse offense, featuring a rusher that could choke the time out of the opposition, and yes Rich, there was a Heath Miller sighting. All good.
While I think that Willie could do it eventually for us, it wasn't his night to do it. Bettis' best attribute for us at this point is not the tough yards, it's that feeling of inevitability he delivers to the opposition. Even if we don't have faith in him to always deliver, (cf. New England last year) his presence gives the opposition the feeling of "This is what we're going to do to you. We're going to run over you, through you, until we get to where we want to go. You don't matter in the equation." This may lead to that feeling that opposition doesn't matter in that fleetingly lucid moment Mark Madden had.
With Heath doing a reasonable integration into the offense at this point, that's also a good thing. The rare instances where the tight end got utilized under Cowher it did take a couple weeks to figure the plays, and he's a rookie. We shouldn't expect any less. If in week 8 he's tied with either Cedric or Quincy for third on the team in receptions, that's going to be incredible progress.
The defense had lapses last night, which felt a whole lot like the Tortoise plan going awry. It was more troubling in that it wasn't so much the one big play that feels like it kills us, as much as the constant barrage of LT keeping them going. The Chargers, more than any other team out there have their own supply of inevitability and it's LT. The good news is, we probably face only one more team with that level of power until playoffs. (Okay, maybe two with the Bengals.)
Ben is sounding like he could be back for the Jaguars, but even I wouldn't mind Batch in for a game. The thing is, that was literally an inch in any direction away from blowing his season. If it hurts, let it get better. I'm feeling really good about the judgement to keep the two expensive backups at this point, with Maddox also down. (Yeah, I admit I was wrong.)
So we're now 1/4 of the way through, a little ahead of expectations (I wouldn't have been surprised with 2-2, I wouldn't have panicked either.) If we continue on this path, where does that put us at the end of the year?
Well, at worst, it puts us a game under in the division. The Bengals do appear to be real. And on a worse case scenario, we end up losing both our games to them, which pretty much would have to give them the division. And at that we become a 5 seed, which really could only absolutely kill us when the 4 seed's the Patriots.
In spite of people saying the AFC is the utter and complete power conference, its more that the AFC has all the top power teams, because there's a LOT of chaff there right now. Houston, Tennesee, Oakland? And let's not forget the Ravens, who look like they're about two games away from going "Last Boy Scout" and packing heat on the field. And then there's the AFC East, where Miami is looking positively reasonable as a sleeper, if the Patriots don't recover from injuries. Of course, we will get to see Ricky integrated into their offense now, so that should ruin everything. Much as I'd like the Steelers to get a shot at our own personal Vinny, I just can't see that. And Buffalo's about to see Dr. Mularkey and TV's Sam, go down in Deep 13 and try to invent something to get through to J. P. Lossman. I suggest magic voice. People are on the NFC West and North, but the AFC East could join them with a division champ at 7-9 if they're not careful.
So who's real in the AFC right now?
Colts (Right now 10/10 on a metaphysical scale of reality.)
Steelers
Bengals
Broncos (Easily the 4-1 most likely to become 4-4, but we give them the spot now.)
Chargers (Do you want to face them again? I don't.)
Patriots (Of all the things that worry me about the Patriots, the one that should keep every AFC team fan up at night, what if Bill Belichick also has Wayne Fontes-like unkillability?)
Chiefs (The apparent vanishing of Tony Gonzalez aside, the moment their defense gains an ounce of traction, you'll see a transformation not unlike the Colts thus far. And the fact it can happen that unexpectedly is why I'm keeping them here for now.)
Jaguars (We err on the side of caution, and we'll find out Sunday.)
8 Teams, 6 slots. I like the odds, but the Steelers have to keep at it.
While I think that Willie could do it eventually for us, it wasn't his night to do it. Bettis' best attribute for us at this point is not the tough yards, it's that feeling of inevitability he delivers to the opposition. Even if we don't have faith in him to always deliver, (cf. New England last year) his presence gives the opposition the feeling of "This is what we're going to do to you. We're going to run over you, through you, until we get to where we want to go. You don't matter in the equation." This may lead to that feeling that opposition doesn't matter in that fleetingly lucid moment Mark Madden had.
With Heath doing a reasonable integration into the offense at this point, that's also a good thing. The rare instances where the tight end got utilized under Cowher it did take a couple weeks to figure the plays, and he's a rookie. We shouldn't expect any less. If in week 8 he's tied with either Cedric or Quincy for third on the team in receptions, that's going to be incredible progress.
The defense had lapses last night, which felt a whole lot like the Tortoise plan going awry. It was more troubling in that it wasn't so much the one big play that feels like it kills us, as much as the constant barrage of LT keeping them going. The Chargers, more than any other team out there have their own supply of inevitability and it's LT. The good news is, we probably face only one more team with that level of power until playoffs. (Okay, maybe two with the Bengals.)
Ben is sounding like he could be back for the Jaguars, but even I wouldn't mind Batch in for a game. The thing is, that was literally an inch in any direction away from blowing his season. If it hurts, let it get better. I'm feeling really good about the judgement to keep the two expensive backups at this point, with Maddox also down. (Yeah, I admit I was wrong.)
So we're now 1/4 of the way through, a little ahead of expectations (I wouldn't have been surprised with 2-2, I wouldn't have panicked either.) If we continue on this path, where does that put us at the end of the year?
Well, at worst, it puts us a game under in the division. The Bengals do appear to be real. And on a worse case scenario, we end up losing both our games to them, which pretty much would have to give them the division. And at that we become a 5 seed, which really could only absolutely kill us when the 4 seed's the Patriots.
In spite of people saying the AFC is the utter and complete power conference, its more that the AFC has all the top power teams, because there's a LOT of chaff there right now. Houston, Tennesee, Oakland? And let's not forget the Ravens, who look like they're about two games away from going "Last Boy Scout" and packing heat on the field. And then there's the AFC East, where Miami is looking positively reasonable as a sleeper, if the Patriots don't recover from injuries. Of course, we will get to see Ricky integrated into their offense now, so that should ruin everything. Much as I'd like the Steelers to get a shot at our own personal Vinny, I just can't see that. And Buffalo's about to see Dr. Mularkey and TV's Sam, go down in Deep 13 and try to invent something to get through to J. P. Lossman. I suggest magic voice. People are on the NFC West and North, but the AFC East could join them with a division champ at 7-9 if they're not careful.
So who's real in the AFC right now?
Colts (Right now 10/10 on a metaphysical scale of reality.)
Steelers
Bengals
Broncos (Easily the 4-1 most likely to become 4-4, but we give them the spot now.)
Chargers (Do you want to face them again? I don't.)
Patriots (Of all the things that worry me about the Patriots, the one that should keep every AFC team fan up at night, what if Bill Belichick also has Wayne Fontes-like unkillability?)
Chiefs (The apparent vanishing of Tony Gonzalez aside, the moment their defense gains an ounce of traction, you'll see a transformation not unlike the Colts thus far. And the fact it can happen that unexpectedly is why I'm keeping them here for now.)
Jaguars (We err on the side of caution, and we'll find out Sunday.)
8 Teams, 6 slots. I like the odds, but the Steelers have to keep at it.
posted at 10:49 PM
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