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Aerial Circus?
With healthy a healthy O-line, more time in the pocket for Tommy and an opponent who likes to gun the ball downfield, neither side will be shy about throwing for the end zone!
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Long off-season over!
Until further notice, we are undefeated!
Article by Johna Klym (aka, "Hootie")
For those of you who don't already know me, my name is Johna Klym (aka "Hootie" on the Mac & Wife message board). I am originally from the heart of Steeler country, but I now live in Las Vegas. I was surprised and very flattered when Tim asked me to help out as a writer for this site, and I'm happy to be on board doing my part to help keep the site going!
I like to be positive about the Steelers. I go into every season believing that we are going to win the Super Bowl - at least until the Lombardi Trophy is handed out and I realize there is no wrinkle in the time-space continuum for us to slip through!
I decided to handle the Steelers/Raiders game because with a Raider fan at home (my fiance'), I can throw in the perspective from both sidelines. Not that our fans would care much about what Raiders fans have to say, of course! But being "behind enemy lines", so to speak, makes this game especially interesting for me. So without further adieu, let's kick things off!
Woman of Steel!
Steeler fan Johna Klym (pictured above smooching Jason Gildon) gives us an entertaining 1st-hand account of her experience at the Steelers' 2nd annual training camp for women in Latrobe. Click here for this great piece! |
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For months we've waited, and now we are about to receive our pay-off: the 2004 Pittsburgh Steelers football season is finally here! It's been painfully long in coming. I don't know if anyone else felt it, but I thought this had to be the longest off-season ever. Fortunately, our football taste buds will be satiated when kick-off occurs at Hienz Field on Sunday.
During the off-season, our coaching staff changed dramatically and we acquired a potential franchise quarterback in the first round of the draft. One of our star receivers (who will be a free agent after the season) held out through mini-camps and our star running back was once again benched for what many feel is a stronger back to re-establish our running game. Our kicker had surgery on his hip and our punter dissed us and left for New England. How will all of this play out? Obviously, we don't know right now. We've all been formulating hypotheses about what this season will bring and, of course, we're all hoping that we'll be the ones hoisting the Lombardi trophy come February. And why not? This is beginning of the new season... and until further notice, we are undefeated!
Like the Steelers, the Raiders have undergone some dramatic changes in their coaching staff. They are under new head coach Norv Turner who, as the former offensive coordinator during the Cowboys' dynasty of the '90s, is certainly no stranger to winning in the NFL. The Raiders also acquired OT Robert Gallery in the draft, a mountain of a man who, as far as I can tell, has no discernable neck. And although he's a rookie, he was all over the field in pre-season. I think he's going to be a tremendous presence for the Raiders.
Speaking of offensive linemen, ours were finally able to get healthy during the off-season. Most of them (with the exception of OG Kendall Simmons, who ended up on I.R.) managed to stay that way through the pre-season. And if the pre-season was any indication of things to come, I think we're going to see far better execution from the O-line this year. They are going to be able to give Maddox more time in the pocket and he'll be able to complete more passes.
And look for stellar effort from our receiving corps. Both Plex and Hines are playing for money (Plex more so than Hines). And Plex especially will benefit from the more strict enforcement of the rules that prohibit touching receivers beyond 5 yards, since he's constantly getting mugged. I also think Randle-El has brought it up a notch this year. He's always been a good player, but this pre-season, I noticed a little something extra in him. The fact that El is also now our third string quarterback should add another spark.
With Dick LeBeau back in the saddle as defensive coordinator, I expect to see a very quick return to trademark "Blitzburgh" football. I think Tim Lewis was so afraid of losing his job that he didn't/couldn't do his job. With our young, inexperienced secondary, we're going to need a lot of pressure on the QB. It's imperative that we get to old man Gannon and throw him down on the turf a few times early. The question is, will we be able to do it?
My biggest defensive question, though, is how is it possible that Alonzo Jackson did not get cut? I simply don't understand it. I also expect a lot more out of Joey Porter this year. He knows he wasn't productive last year after his accident and I think he'll be looking to prove himself again. I also think that Troy Polamalu is going to be a monster on defense this year. During the pre-season, he seemed to always gravitate toward the ball and was flying around out there with reckless abandon. I like that. He shows he's more comfortable with the defense and he knows what he's doing.
Here in Vegas, the odds makers have us giving the Raiders 3 ½ points with the over and under being 41. I think we're going to beat the Raiders by 10. With healthy a healthy O-line, more time in the pocket for Tommy and an opponent who likes to gun the ball downfield, look for a high scoring game. One thing seems certain: neither side will be shy about throwing for the end zone.
See you after the game, guys! Be sure to post your comments on the message board!
Johna Klym
Mac & Wife is Hosted and Sponsored by Pittsburgh's Finest!
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Fan Smak & Analysis
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Leave YOUR Writing on the Wall! Sound off on our message board with your postgame critiques, analysis, ranting and raving about the last game as well as your predictions, smak, & insults about our upcoming opponent. Whether your message is a simple "Go Steelers" or detailed, in-depth analysis, tell us what you think! Note: Your comments will not show up on this page immediately.
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Author: BLEEDBLACKNGOLD
Comment: Thumbs up!
Excellent read! A+ I love the optimism.
GO STEELERS!!!!
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Author: Bill from Hanover
Comment: WOW - EXCELLENT ~ Simply Excellent!
What an AWESOME JOB... You're going to be a very tough act to follow.
Steelers 24 Raiders 21
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Author: tommy g
Comment: thanks hootie thats way more postive thinking
than this junk i just looked up. TV: CBS
"Sporting News' Why To Watch: Both teams say they are playoff contenders, but chances are one of them is a pretender. This game will go a long way toward sorting out fiction from fact."
"New Raiders coach Norv Turner is trying to convince everyone, including his players, that he is in charge and is not just Al Davis' puppet."
"This game will reveal the truth. Who's the coach? Who's the QB? Who's the running back? Who's the left guard? What's the offensive system?"
"The Steelers have little margin of error when it pertains to making the playoffs. The AFC North is tough, and the team is unlikely to have a .500 record inside the division. Every game is critical."
500 RECORD DOES THIS IDIOT THINK IM GOING TO SPORTSBARS TO SEE SOME 500 TEAM??? IM THINKING BOMBS AND FIREWORKS GALORE AND THIS GUY HAS ME GOING TO SEE SOME SNAKE FIRECRACKERS OR A CAP GUN.
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Author: McMillen and Wife
Comment: Great job, Hootie
Great job, Johna, and thank you so much for sharing your talent.
The line from your article that really stands out in my mind as crucial to our success Sunday (and for that matter, the entire season) is this: "It's imperative that we get to old man Gannon and throw him down on the turf a few times..."
Abso-friggin'-lutely. As you said, our O-line has improved, our RB situation has improved, even our receivers have improved by virtue of the rule enhancements... but if we can't pressure the quarterback, we can't win. It's really that simple in my mind.
I got to see every pre-season game, and unfortunately, we were unable to pressure the QB with any consistency. As a result, our new but (so far) UNimproved secondary was beaten like a red-headed stepchild.
Even when we did generate pressure, our DBs were often confused and/or badly out of position. Chad Scott, the supposed "veteran" of the group, was unspeakably (is that a word?) bad at times. If I were an opposing QB, I'd be singling out Scott on every play and throwing his way.
BTW, Chad Scott can spew all the crap he wants about fans not understanding the game, but let me tell you... I "get it" enough to know that Chad's butt got torched more often than Jeff Garcia's center. 
I must admit, I'm uncharacteristically pessimistic about the season, even though the team has improved in some areas. Anything better than 8-8 would be a dream come true. Dick LeBeau is not the savior that many folks seem to think he is (though I like him and am glad he's back). Be very glad we picked up Duce Staley, and pray for stability in the running game, because keeping our defense off the field has got to be our number one priority.
In short, we'd better be able to control the ball and finish drives with TDs, not FGs.
P.S. -- In spite of the team's shortcomings, I still think we'll beat the Raiders.
Steelers 23, Raiders 21
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Author: Tommy
Comment: Re: Raiders Pregame
Tsk Tsk Tsk...
Nice to see everyone spotting Raidirt all those points!
But Tommy we just have feeeliiings... Just being Realistic
As for me...
Steelers 45
Raidirt 0
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Author: Bill from Hanover
Comment: On The Money........
Look at my previous post, did I not get lucky or what, called the final score.........
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Author: baday12345
Comment: hoot
until further notice....nice job hoot.
do you also give fantasy football advice? i got blasted by the mcnabb/owens connection.
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Author: Hootie
Comment: fantasy football
Sorry, Brooke. Fantasy football is not my forte, however I think you should take a look at Chad Pennington and his receivers. They had some very impressive throws/catches over the weekend. Plus let's not discount the Maddox/Ward connection. I know we're committed to the run this season, but Ward still had almost 100 receiving yards. Just some food for thought.
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Author: tommy g
Comment: bill we need to put our minds together
until further notice....nice job hoot.
i called the 38-3 texans win and you got on the money last sunday how bout you give me your 3 numbers for the tx lottery and ill pick the other 3...its 1-50....
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Author: stilltrivia
Comment: Not sure about the run game
Plus let's not discount the Maddox/Ward connection. I know we're committed to the run this season, but Ward still had almost 100 receiving yards.
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What worries me more is we had the perfect opportunity to establish the running game. Duce was great but didn't crack 100 yds. Most NFL RBs will tell the a successful season is 1,500+ now, not 1,000 yds.
To put it in perspective, the Steelers' 2nd leading rusher was Maddox.
I don't really consider that establishing the run, plus the line was playing and blocking well.
What worries me even more about this season is Plax. I'm a Plax fan and less so a fan of Maddox. I think Plax is not being utilized, like last year. Plax is deadly in the end zone fade and creates mismatches. Perhaps the chemistry is not there between Plax and Tommy or Plax and Cowher. Plax, not in the game is bad. He had one reception and one beheading. Plax can contribute more; I just don't think he is being allowed to. Our TEs had more looks than Plax.
I'll agree with Tim, that pre-season defense pressure was vanilla. This is typically because the staff wants to grade one on one match ups and stunts and blitz packages alter that. It does affect the secondary. Pressure on the QB takes a great load off the secondary and they may not be used to that yet. The secondary is young I'm still wondering if they can produce this season against a Tier 1 team. Gannon has been the master of the dink and dump, which can reek havoc on LBs but doesn't necessarily test the secondary.
I see us going 3-0 right now and then things will get tough.
Balt is pissed and will give us a game. Miami is in shambles but always play good at home.
Remember, we were a weird wind current away from going into OT against the hapless Raiders.
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