10-16-2001, 02:41 PM
One game that really intrigues me this upcoming week is the Pittsburgh/Tampa Bay game.
Pit has some great defensive stats but look who they've played. Cin, Buf, KC, Jax (which they did poorly against).
I believe this team looks a lot better on paper right now than they do on the field. The only caveat is that this is practically the same team that went 0-3 last year and then ended up finishing 9-7, and probably would have been 10-6 if not for a few blown calls that were so bad the league actually apologized for them.
So, on one hand, we have a team that has shown they can win games. They can beat good teams.
On the other hand, we have a team that is led by Kordell, the worst excuse for a starting QB in Steeler history. The team is 3-1 but they've only beaten fairly bad teams. Cincy may not be considered bad, but I think they're a good home team and a bad road team.
That said, the Steeler defense is pretty good. They can certainly stop the run. But will they be able to run on Tampa?
Who has been able to run on Tampa so far? Nobody. Eddie George rushed for 85 yards on them last week, which is pretty good.
Will PIT be able to do the same? I really don't think so. Pit has almost no receiver threat, not because the receivers are so bad, but because the guy in the pocket is nothing to worry about. Even so, the Tampa secondary should be able to double-team Buress or Hines if necessary and basically shut down the PIT passing game.
That gives them the luxury of stacking the line to stuff the run and put lots of pressure on Kordell. Will Kordell be able to deliver?
Another question to consider is what exactly last week's game with TEN means for Tampa? Did the offense finally wake up? And
what happened to the defense? Ten had a very banged up offense and an intact defense that is still pretty good. I didn't see the game, but I'm really wondering how the TB defense gave up 31 pts to a banged up and demoralized TEN offense. Fluke? I don't know.
For Tampa to score, Johnson has to play well. PIT will stop the run fairly effectively, and so Tampa will have to spread the field and attack the secondary, which isn't nearly as strong as the line-backer core. Basically, Tampa will have to do something they haven't done for two years (until last week) : USE KEYSHAWN EFFECTIVELY.
So this matchup boils down to, can Tampa pass effectively for two games in a row? Can the defense stop the Bus? I really don't expect Tampa to give up that many points to PIT. Even though it looked like PIT dominated KC, they only scored 13 on offense. Without the timely int return for a TD, they maybe lose that game.
In other words, the PIT offense is very ineffective. Kordell has thrown ONE touchdown. The pass rush is pretty good. They've got 11 sacks. Johnson isn't very mobile and the Tampa o-line had trouble with the only other decent pass rush they've faced: GB. They gave up 5 sacks to GB. Steeler defense suffered a fourth quarter break down last week, especially in the secondary. This could be the key as Tampa usually plays a close game to the fourth quarter, then exploits a weakened and exhausted defense to put up another winning touchdown.
Will all of this add up to a Tampa win of more than 6?
natedogg
Pit has some great defensive stats but look who they've played. Cin, Buf, KC, Jax (which they did poorly against).
I believe this team looks a lot better on paper right now than they do on the field. The only caveat is that this is practically the same team that went 0-3 last year and then ended up finishing 9-7, and probably would have been 10-6 if not for a few blown calls that were so bad the league actually apologized for them.
So, on one hand, we have a team that has shown they can win games. They can beat good teams.
On the other hand, we have a team that is led by Kordell, the worst excuse for a starting QB in Steeler history. The team is 3-1 but they've only beaten fairly bad teams. Cincy may not be considered bad, but I think they're a good home team and a bad road team.
That said, the Steeler defense is pretty good. They can certainly stop the run. But will they be able to run on Tampa?
Who has been able to run on Tampa so far? Nobody. Eddie George rushed for 85 yards on them last week, which is pretty good.
Will PIT be able to do the same? I really don't think so. Pit has almost no receiver threat, not because the receivers are so bad, but because the guy in the pocket is nothing to worry about. Even so, the Tampa secondary should be able to double-team Buress or Hines if necessary and basically shut down the PIT passing game.
That gives them the luxury of stacking the line to stuff the run and put lots of pressure on Kordell. Will Kordell be able to deliver?
Another question to consider is what exactly last week's game with TEN means for Tampa? Did the offense finally wake up? And
what happened to the defense? Ten had a very banged up offense and an intact defense that is still pretty good. I didn't see the game, but I'm really wondering how the TB defense gave up 31 pts to a banged up and demoralized TEN offense. Fluke? I don't know.
For Tampa to score, Johnson has to play well. PIT will stop the run fairly effectively, and so Tampa will have to spread the field and attack the secondary, which isn't nearly as strong as the line-backer core. Basically, Tampa will have to do something they haven't done for two years (until last week) : USE KEYSHAWN EFFECTIVELY.
So this matchup boils down to, can Tampa pass effectively for two games in a row? Can the defense stop the Bus? I really don't expect Tampa to give up that many points to PIT. Even though it looked like PIT dominated KC, they only scored 13 on offense. Without the timely int return for a TD, they maybe lose that game.
In other words, the PIT offense is very ineffective. Kordell has thrown ONE touchdown. The pass rush is pretty good. They've got 11 sacks. Johnson isn't very mobile and the Tampa o-line had trouble with the only other decent pass rush they've faced: GB. They gave up 5 sacks to GB. Steeler defense suffered a fourth quarter break down last week, especially in the secondary. This could be the key as Tampa usually plays a close game to the fourth quarter, then exploits a weakened and exhausted defense to put up another winning touchdown.
Will all of this add up to a Tampa win of more than 6?
natedogg