Jacksonville @ Pittsburgh

[Kramer5150]

This game has me very worried. Historically......Jacksonville has always played good against Pitt,and I don't see this game as being any different.

The Steelers have (imo) really dug themselves a hole...a hole in which they should not be in. The early losses are really starting to rear there ugliness,factor in Cleveland has been playing good....we now have the recipe in place for a Steeler downfall.

I can EASILY see Pitt losing 2 of their last 3 games....their inconsistency has really hurt this team. I could very easily see this team at 12-1 at this point,giving the only loss to the Pats.

I'm just frustrated with this team and their inconsistent play. One week they'll look like serious contenders,then the next week they'll look like the Dolphins.....sorry Dolphin fans.

[Karlos05]

12-1?

Don't believe the hype. The team is above average (in the NFL this year that's not saying much), but they were never "serious contenders". They played a patsy schedule, have been abysmal on special teams (to be kind), and the offensive line is 5 turnstiles who steal checks every week.

Maybe they make some noise in the playoffs, but they'll never pose any real threat to the upper class teams.

[Kramer5150]

Quote: Originally Posted by Karlos05

12-1? Don't believe the hype. The team is above average (in the NFL this year that's not saying much), but they were never "serious contenders". They played a patsy schedule, have been abysmal on special teams (to be kind), and the offensive line is 5 turnstiles who steal checks every week. Maybe they make some noise in the playoffs, but they'll never pose any real threat to the upper class teams.

The reason I say 12-1,is because I feel that they should've been able to beat the Cards,Jets and the Broncos.....given that they were in those games and none of which were out of reach.

The reason I say "serious contenders" is because at times they looked great. Sure the argument can be made that these were games that they were "supposed" to win....but imo that's what great teams are supposed to do. Then....you throw in those 3 games I mentioned earlier,and at this point,they look like "pretenders" more than "contenders".

The offensive line is a complete joke,and like you said the special teams as well. I also question the play calling of Bruce Arians....all in all this team has problems,in which I feel that an early dismissal in the playoffs (if they get there) is in the cards.

[Nza]

Jags and Steelers have almost always been good games because both franchises (in more recent years in the Jags case anyway) kinda value the same things - ball control O and aggressive D. It's never really about mismatches, it's about who can ram the other team the hardest.

Matchups like this are the stuff instant classics are made from. Would be a sweet AFC Championship game.

[tripwire]

Quote:

The offensive line is a complete joke,and like you said the special teams as well. I also question the play calling of Bruce Arians....all in all this team has problems,in which I feel that an early dismissal in the playoffs (if they get there) is in the cards.

Those 3 weaknesses you mention are spot on. When your QB is the 2nd most sacked guy in the league (38), and he's one of the most elusive guys out there (could easily be 50 sacks+), you know the line stinks. Throw in an OC who loves to call run, run, pass, and you get a recipe for disaster. I especially like the pass plays, where i see receivers running long routes when their QB gets about 1 second of protection, ya real smart play calling there Bruce.

Ben and the D have made this team look way better than they really are, plain and simple. It's a smoke screen.

As for the this week's contest, let's see if those paycheck thieves up front can do something. Spicer and Henderson will own them, but at least they won't have Hayward and Stroud beating them down also (imagine if they were both playing? ). The loss of Peterson in the middle also hurts the Jags alot, but they'll still put up a formidable D.

I actually think that you might see more points than expected in this one. Garrard is playing at a very high level, and their two-headed monster at RB will be hard to stop (even harder now with Smith out for the season).

[pinnacleguy2]

Should I start F. Taylor this week in fantasy against that good PIT D?

[Kramer5150]

Quote: Originally Posted by tripwire

Those 3 weaknesses you mention are spot on. When your QB is the 2nd most sacked guy in the league (38), and he's one of the most elusive guys out there (could easily be 50 sacks+), you know the line stinks. Throw in an OC who loves to call run, run, pass, and you get a recipe for disaster. I especially like the pass plays, where i see receivers running long routes when their QB gets about 1 second of protection, ya real smart play calling there Bruce. Ben and the D have made this team look way better than they really are, plain and simple. It's a smoke screen. As for the this week's contest, let's see if those paycheck thieves up front can do something. Spicer and Henderson will own them, but at least they won't have Hayward and Stroud beating them down also (imagine if they were both playing? ). The loss of Peterson in the middle also hurts the Jags alot, but they'll still put up a formidable D. I actually think that you might see more points than expected in this one. Garrard is playing at a very high level, and their two-headed monster at RB will be hard to stop (even harder now with Smith out for the season).

I agree.
Although....at times I also question Ben's decision making.
The Miami game comes to mind....when Porter intercepted Ben's pass,you could easily see a receiver in the middle of the field WIDE open,but Ben tries to force it over Porter....he should've known better than that lol.

I don't blame Ben for all of this...as he KNOWS he has no o-line to speak of, at times his decision making leaves me scratching my head.

I'm sorry but Arians is a putz,a back like Willie NEEDS to have a fb in front of him to open lanes,he's not a punishing back,you can't have him constantly going into the teeth of a defense without a blocking fb.

He's really going to feel the effects after this year.....no blocking fb,and an o-line that can't block their way out of a wet paper bag.

[spankdatazz22]

Quote: Originally Posted by CowherPower

Although....at times I also question Ben's decision making. The Miami game comes to mind....when Porter intercepted Ben's pass,you could easily see a receiver in the middle of the field WIDE open,but Ben tries to force it over Porter....he should've known better than that lol. I don't blame Ben for all of this...as he KNOWS he has no o-line to speak of, at times his decision making leaves me scratching my head.

So do I. I think Ben loves having a much larger say in what the offense does than he did in previous years, but sometimes it seems he's reacted more out of emotion than common sense. For example, I think when they went for it on 4th down versus the Dolphins and got stopped, that seemed like Ben's call. Sometimes Ben still seems to lock on to receivers too much also. But the OL has been woeful, and he's impressed w/his escapability. I think they really need a big receiver similar to Plax to really open the offense again (in addition to MUCH offensive line help).

I haven't seen all their games, but last week was the first time I was impressed w/Tomlin and his agressiveness. I don't like Arians' playcalling, but Ben seems to like him a lot - I guess because he has a much larger say in the offensive gameplan than in the Cowher years. I still feel relatively good about this game, even though Jacksonville/Pitt games are always knockdown/dragout. They've played pretty bad on the road but have played relatively well at home this year.