NFL 2009
- Thread starter Dak
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Xorv
Drug the Priest
Mort Divine
Shrine Maiden of the In-Crowd
Troy Polamalu out 3-6 weeks with an MCL sprain. Shame they don't face an elite offense during that period.
Krigloch the Furious
Pants full of poo
AchrisK
Weakling
skeptik
Member
- Feb 7, 2003
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Bruce Arians needs to have his run play calling privileges revoked because he fucking sucks at it. And the Steelers' running backs themselves are not up to par at all. The Titans are an excellent defense, but under 40 yards on the ground for a Steeler team is unacceptable. I will say this, though; the entire Steelers offense looked piss poor in the first quarter, and that's when most of their runs occurred. They moved to some no huddle stuff in the second quarter and, well, obviously the result was a touchdown and blatantly more successful drives. The running game, on the other hand, remained consistently poor. A horrible trifecta of poor rushing performances, shaky o-line penetration, and, frankly, an excellent run-stopping defensive display, spelled disaster in that area.
On the bright side, Ben threw for the third most yards in his career. He clearly needed some time to get into a rhythm, though. He totally missed Mike Wallace on the third play from scrimmage for a touchdown, a play that was all on him. Ben will have a significantly better year this year I think, especially as the offensive line continues to improve as they continue to gain playing experience as a unit. Most of them have just signed multi-year contracts over the off-season, so Arians and Tomlin are committed to them. Mike Wallace will be fucking great in the future, by the way. I loved him the minute they drafted him and he's proven himself in the preseason. He should be their number 3 receiver ahead of Limas Sweed. You can't really put a rookie ahead of two Super Bowl MVP wide receivers though, so that's where he'll stay until Ward retires.
The offensive line is clearly still weak but growing. Arians made some great adjustments at halftime which forced the Titans to abandon the 5 rushers, and the o-line held up perfectly. You really can't ask a line to perform better than they did in the fourth quarter and into overtime. The Steelers need a new running backs coach though. Parker and Mendenhall played very timidly and the former showed extremely poor vision, not hitting the few holes that were actual available to him.
On to Polamalu; yes, the team will suffer in his absence; but it by no means is a disaster. Last year going injury free was an anomaly for him. Tyrone Carter and Ryan Mundy are more than capable safeties. Carter knows the system very well and, while he doesn't have the intangible playmaking abilities of Polamalu, he is more than capable of keeping pace with some of the better receivers in the league, and I think some offenses will be surprised by his performance as they try to exploit the absence of a 5 time Pro Bowler on the field. Ryan Mundy's youth will be a great asset as well. Everyone thought the Steelers would see a tremendous lapse when both Bryant McFadden and Deshea Townsend went down with injuries last year, but William Gay and Ike Taylor proved their worth, and now they're starters. Mundy is a second year player and this is his first time on the 53 man roster. Nobody knows what he's capable of except his teammates, and they trust him.
And even with all that said, it is an MCL sprain. It wasn't a horrible one either, and Polamalu continued to walk under his own power the entire time. Is he going to play next week? Even if he wasn't injured badly, it would still be stupid. But it's possible that he could only miss one or two weeks. Keep in mind Lawrence Timmons did not play today, and he is the Steelers' best linebacker in pass coverage situations, and let's be honest, a huge step up from Larry Foote.
Overall, sloppy, borderline shit game for the Steelers. A win is a win, however, and a lot of their wins come out looking like this. The thing is, though, that they get a lot of wins. I really don't care how it comes about as long as it comes about. They'll only get better. The offensive line will improve and the running backs will get themselves together. If Polamalu misses any serious time, I'd like to see them bring up Isaac Redman from the practice squad who specializes in short yardage situations.
Special note: Kenny Britt is kewl. I'd love to see him excel in this league, being the first players out of Rutgers to ever be drafted in the first round. Ray Rice in Baltimore should have a breakout season as well.
On the bright side, Ben threw for the third most yards in his career. He clearly needed some time to get into a rhythm, though. He totally missed Mike Wallace on the third play from scrimmage for a touchdown, a play that was all on him. Ben will have a significantly better year this year I think, especially as the offensive line continues to improve as they continue to gain playing experience as a unit. Most of them have just signed multi-year contracts over the off-season, so Arians and Tomlin are committed to them. Mike Wallace will be fucking great in the future, by the way. I loved him the minute they drafted him and he's proven himself in the preseason. He should be their number 3 receiver ahead of Limas Sweed. You can't really put a rookie ahead of two Super Bowl MVP wide receivers though, so that's where he'll stay until Ward retires.
The offensive line is clearly still weak but growing. Arians made some great adjustments at halftime which forced the Titans to abandon the 5 rushers, and the o-line held up perfectly. You really can't ask a line to perform better than they did in the fourth quarter and into overtime. The Steelers need a new running backs coach though. Parker and Mendenhall played very timidly and the former showed extremely poor vision, not hitting the few holes that were actual available to him.
On to Polamalu; yes, the team will suffer in his absence; but it by no means is a disaster. Last year going injury free was an anomaly for him. Tyrone Carter and Ryan Mundy are more than capable safeties. Carter knows the system very well and, while he doesn't have the intangible playmaking abilities of Polamalu, he is more than capable of keeping pace with some of the better receivers in the league, and I think some offenses will be surprised by his performance as they try to exploit the absence of a 5 time Pro Bowler on the field. Ryan Mundy's youth will be a great asset as well. Everyone thought the Steelers would see a tremendous lapse when both Bryant McFadden and Deshea Townsend went down with injuries last year, but William Gay and Ike Taylor proved their worth, and now they're starters. Mundy is a second year player and this is his first time on the 53 man roster. Nobody knows what he's capable of except his teammates, and they trust him.
And even with all that said, it is an MCL sprain. It wasn't a horrible one either, and Polamalu continued to walk under his own power the entire time. Is he going to play next week? Even if he wasn't injured badly, it would still be stupid. But it's possible that he could only miss one or two weeks. Keep in mind Lawrence Timmons did not play today, and he is the Steelers' best linebacker in pass coverage situations, and let's be honest, a huge step up from Larry Foote.
Overall, sloppy, borderline shit game for the Steelers. A win is a win, however, and a lot of their wins come out looking like this. The thing is, though, that they get a lot of wins. I really don't care how it comes about as long as it comes about. They'll only get better. The offensive line will improve and the running backs will get themselves together. If Polamalu misses any serious time, I'd like to see them bring up Isaac Redman from the practice squad who specializes in short yardage situations.
Special note: Kenny Britt is kewl. I'd love to see him excel in this league, being the first players out of Rutgers to ever be drafted in the first round. Ray Rice in Baltimore should have a breakout season as well.
Mort Divine
Shrine Maiden of the In-Crowd
The game really didn't feel like a regular season game despite it actually being one.
Really though the Steelers could lose a player on just about any defensive position other than DE and they'd be fine.
Once I see the Lions trampled this Sunday I'll be feeling much different about the season haha.
Really though the Steelers could lose a player on just about any defensive position other than DE and they'd be fine.
Once I see the Lions trampled this Sunday I'll be feeling much different about the season haha.
ASD
observing the sabbath
King Richard
Hello there
Well, if his pump fake hadn't actually worked as well as it did, I would have been annoyed too but that shit fucked up some Titans players.
ASD
observing the sabbath
Which kinda pissed me off more...
I mean, he was doing it so much, shouldn't they have sorta caught on to it throughout the game and not reacted drastically to each fake.
By the way, watching some rugby on SpikeTV right now. VERY similar to football and pretty badass. I highly recommend you guys watch.
I mean, he was doing it so much, shouldn't they have sorta caught on to it throughout the game and not reacted drastically to each fake.
By the way, watching some rugby on SpikeTV right now. VERY similar to football and pretty badass. I highly recommend you guys watch.
rms
Active Member
The ball got spread all over. You can't have 10 receptions every game. I am talking about that 60+ yard strike.
The Ozzman
Melted by feels
ASD
observing the sabbath
skeptik
Member
- Feb 7, 2003
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The Cowboys won't even make it to the playoffs so who the fuck cares.
Adrian Peterson had a decent day. For Adrian Peterson. Dirty Sanchez played pretty well in the long run for his first start, but it helps to have that nice o-line up front. I don't think he was sacked.
Adrian Peterson had a decent day. For Adrian Peterson. Dirty Sanchez played pretty well in the long run for his first start, but it helps to have that nice o-line up front. I don't think he was sacked.
rms
Active Member
AP played pretty shitty through most the game. Both tds were just little 3/4 straight down goal line runs that made it. Browns D was pretty awesome first half imo, just totally broke down later in the game.
AchrisK
Weakling
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