Week 15: New York Jets (9-4) at Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3)
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Non
Sanchez looks rattled right now.
And the Steelers defense seems to be picking it up with sacks and yesterday some interceptions for touchdowns.
You never know but going in I like that matchup for the Steelers in an evening game in December at Pittsburgh. Crowd should be revved up and the defense could get after Sanchez pretty good. -
Art Modell
Just heard on the radio that the Jets haven't scored a td in 9 quarters. So I'll assume this will be a low scoring game. -
Heretic
Could be a "defenses outscore the offenses" game. -
Art Modell
Didn't hear the name but ESPN just reported a Jets player out for the season. Anybody know who it is?
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rock_knutneArt Modell;599107 wrote:Just heard on the radio that the Jets haven't scored a td in 9 quarters. So I'll assume this will be a low scoring game.
Can't say much more for the Steelers, I'm not 100% sure but their offense has something like only two TD's in the same span. The fucking Oline has to get it together! -
holdingoutrock_knutne;599910 wrote:Can't say much more for the Steelers, I'm not 100% sure but their offense has something like only two TD's in the same span. The fucking Oline has to get it together!
I agree -
Non
It's not going to get together.
That's probably the fact of the matter.
This is the oline they have to get it done with.
David Johnson the h-back, tight end is turning out to be a very important player. It seems like he's involved and usually leading the way on a lot of the best running plays. And Heath Miller and Hines Ward help out in the running game as blockers. It takes those extra guys for the Steelers to have any success on the ground. -
Heretic
Non;600094 wrote:It's not going to get together.
That's probably the fact of the matter.
This is the oline they have to get it done with.
David Johnson the h-back, tight end is turning out to be a very important player. It seems like he's involved and usually leading the way on a lot of the best running plays. And Heath Miller and Hines Ward help out in the running game as blockers. It takes those extra guys for the Steelers to have any success on the ground.
Having Miller back will be a big key. After Sunday, I want Spaeth's blood. -
justincredible
Art Modell;599907 wrote:Didn't hear the name but ESPN just reported a Jets player out for the season. Anybody know who it is?
Damien Woody, I believe. -
justincredible
The Jets defense is still good. Really good. The Pats game was fluky for them. Like it was fluky for the Steelers. And the Bears. The Pats will put up a shit ton of points on anyone.
The thing that worries me, obviously, is the offense. If the Jets don't turn the ball over I think they can win. If they turn it over, even just once, they lose. They will yet again not score a TD due to extremely predictable playcalling and streaky QB play.
I say Steelers win 13-9. -
Non
I don't know if the Jets defense is as great as many people thought going into the season.
But they don't have to be to put a lot of pressure on Ben with the Steelers offensive line.
Even teams like Buffalo and Cincinnati were able to sack him and put some big hits on him.
That said, I'd be shocked based on the way Sanchez has looked and the way the Steelers defense has looked if the Steelers don't force some turnovers, either interceptions or strip sacks and things like that. -
Non
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Non
about the only significant news from Mike Tomlin is that Heath Miller has been cleared and is a full go
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rock_knutneNon;600094 wrote:It's not going to get together.
That's probably the fact of the matter.
This is the oline they have to get it done with.
I understand where you're coming from but these same guys have been playing together for several weeks now, I don't expect them to be "the Hogs" overnight but at least show a little bit of improvement. -
Commander of Awesome
Just read this article I found on PFT about the steelers oline. Figured some of you might be interested.
On the Steelers: New stat draws line on offensive line woes
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Peter Diana/Post-GazetteSteelers quarterbacks, including Ben Roethlisberger, have been sacked 35 times this season.Mike Tomlin answered plenty of questions Tuesday about the shortcomings of the Steelers' offense, which has produced precisely one touchdown in the past 11 quarters, and that thanks mostly to safety Troy Polamalu.
The coach fielded questions about problems in the "red zone," about "17 holding penalties" in the past four games, about Ben Roethlisberger "getting hit" with little response from the refs or the league and about the quarterback's "injuries."
Tomlin offered little in the way of reasons or solutions, but there seems to be an answer so obvious it played the role of the elephant in the press room: The Steelers' offensive line is not very good.
That's not only the opinion of many but now a statistical "fact" from a formula devised by the mathematicians at STATS, one of the top statistical services covering sports and one used widely by the television networks covering the NFL.
The new stat, conveniently, was announced on Tuesday as the "New York Life Protection Index" with its first weekly ranking. The offensive line of Indianapolis ranks first with a rating of 90.6. The Steelers' line ranks 29th with a rating of 44.9.
The "protection index" does not rank lines in terms of overall effectiveness, just in the passing game. According to the website that will be updated weekly, "While the New York Life Protection Index is calculated using a proprietary formula, the fundamentals are comprised of the length of a team's pass attempts combined with penalties by offensive linemen, sacks allowed and quarterback hurries and knockdowns."
It is not surprising that the Steelers' line ranks way down there. Roethlisberger has been the most sacked quarterback in the league since 2006 and now all those holding calls are being added to the fire. Holding penalties often occur because linemen are getting beat to the quarterback by a defender.
"We've been holding and we need to stop," was Tomlin's solution to the problem on Tuesday. "We need to cut down on holding. No question holding occurs on every snap in the National Football League. I think anybody in the industry will acknowledge that. What we need to do is cut down on the actions that are triggering the flags, which is grabbing and restricting the jersey coming away from the body and so forth."
The Steelers' line has been hit with a rash of injuries this season that wiped out their two starting offensive tackles -- Willie Colon to a ruptured Achilles tendon in June and Max Starks to neck surgery in November. The team has had five different starting lines this season. Only rookie center Maurkice Pouncey and right tackle Flozell Adams have started every game.
But, as the STATS protection index shows, it's not a new problem for the Steelers.
Since 2006, only one team that finished outside the top 12 in the index formula has made it to the Super Bowl -- the Steelers in 2008.
The Steelers rank 19th overall on offense with an average of 332.4 yards per game, 10th in rushing with 120.2 yards per game, tied for 17th in average per rush at 4.1 yards, and 18th in passing with 212.2 yards per game.
Steelers quarterbacks have been sacked 35 times, tied for sixth most in the NFL.
Educational purpose
Troy Polamalu not only provided another spark to a Steelers victory on Sunday, he provided the rest of the team with a "teaching tool."
That's what Tomlin called it when Polamalu intercepted Carson Palmer's pass at the goal line with fewer than two minutes to go Sunday and the Steelers holding a 16-point lead, and Polamalu decided to lateral it to teammate Bryant McFadden. The ball bounced around before McFadden recovered it.
"We desire to educate our guys to situational football," said Tomlin, who declined to talk about the play after the game on Sunday. "It wasn't a good situational-football maneuver. ... His reaction kind of sums up the situation, but it's also something to learn from.
"That's what you try to do this time of year when things come up such as that lateral, particularly when it doesn't prevent you from winning. I think it's a great teaching tool, just like the muffed punt by Antonio Brown. We're in the football game, a punt falls short, it's rolling in the ground -- what we want is possession of the football. Too risky of a maneuver under the circumstances."
Injury report
Tomlin's report on his team's injury situation this week: "We're not in too bad of shape."
Tight end Heath Miller worked out Tuesday morning after passing his concussion tests. He missed Sunday's game against the Bengals. Tomlin said Miller will participate fully in practice today.
Polamalu, who aggravated his calf/Achilles injury Sunday, will follow the same procedure he has for a month; he will not practice today or Thursday.
Tackle Flozell Adams played through a sprained ankle injured in the previous game and might be limited in practice this week. Tomlin said Adams did not play to his normal level last Sunday because of the injury. Cornerback Bryant McFadden "continues to deal with a hamstring."
Tomlin listed others he called minor bumps and bruises: Cornerback Anthony Madison (knee bruise) and linebacker Keyaron Fox (hyperextended left elbow).
For more on the Steelers, read the blog, Ed Bouchette on the Steelers at www.post-gazette.com/plus. Ed Bouchette: [email protected].
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10349/1110767-66.stm#ixzz18Bv9zbEB -
Non
I will say this, the Steelers line was bad in 2008 and then they got into the playoffs and played a great game against San Diego.
The game Willie Parker rushed for 147 yards and 2 TDs and the Steelers held the ball for all but one play in the third quarter. -
THE4RINGZ
Troy wins AFC Defensive Player of the Week again for his performance last week. -
Non
He's making a late run at Defensive Player of the Year
Clay Matthews was the favorite at midseason but he still only has 13 sacks and Green Bay might not even make the playoffs.
Troy has made some gamechanging plays in about 3-4 games. -
Non
Even though Reed missed the FG against Atlanta, Polamalu's interception of Matt Ryan in the closing minutes prevented Ryan from driving the Falcons down for the winning FG.
Buffalo was down 19-16 and inside the red zone when he interecepted the ball at the goal line.
The sack/fumble against Baltimore obviously changed that game.
And then last week the Steelers were about to go into halftime down 7-0 before the interception for touchdown.
His presence probably has taken the Steelers from a 6-7 team to a 10-3 team. -
killer_ewok
That's awesome that Troy won AFC DPOW back to back. -
Non
according to Pro Football Talk, the Steelers can clinch the division Sunday with a win and a Baltimore loss
I'm trying to find more clerification on that because I thought the Steelers would still need to beat Carolina but maybe that's not true -
Non
a Steelers win would put them at 11-3
and a Baltimore loss would make them 9-5
both teams could still finish 11-5
if that happened it would be decided on strength of victory and maybe it has been determined that the Steelers would definitely win that tiebreaker -
bigdaddy2003
What is the spread? -
Non
sportsbook has Steelers -6
I'd take the Jets on that one
even if the Steelers win it will be like 17-13 -
Art Modell
Just read that a starting safety is out for the Jets.