 |
 | Dig This Site?
to Your Favs! |
Speaking of Ugly
Bill Cowher won't win many beauty pageants... but at least he isn't sporting a Jeff Fisher MULLET.
|
This could be ugly!
Season opener could be a FG fest
Article by JPeezy
The Overview:
The Titans are a team that has had sweeping changes in the past two seasons. After a solid run and a few playoff appearances they have been in salary cap hell and had to release top players such as WR Derrick Mason and CB Samari Rolle among others.
The Steelers on the other had will return every defensive starter from the end of last season, and on offense will be replacing only 3 starters. Pittsburgh comes off of an AFC best ever 15-1 regular season while the Titans are in re-building mode after a 5 2004 campaign. The Titans look to build for the future while the Steelers are looking to make a run at a Super Bowl.
The Coaches: We are looking at two of the longest tenured coaches in the NFL. Bill Cowher is going into his 14th season with Pittsburgh, while this will be Jeff Fisher's 11th season with the Titans. Fischer's Titans have had Cowher's Steelers number more so than any other team, except maybe Billichick's Patriots come playoff time.
Assistants: Key Match-up - Norm Chow former USC offensive coordinator will match up with Dick Lebeau's 3-4 alignment. Chow was an offensive genius on the collegiate level, but as we saw with Spurrier that doesn't always translate to the NFL. The 3-4 gave the Titans fits in the pre-season, and nobody runs it better than Pittsburgh.
The History:
Pittsburgh leads the overall series 40-29, (including the Oilers days) but these teams haven't met since the 2003 season, when the Titans won 30-13 in Pittsburgh. Before leaving the division the Titans won 10 of the last 12 games in this series.
The Rosters:
Titans
QB Steve McNair - Big tough QB that manages an offense as good as anyone. Steve looked as though he was finished last year after a career's worth of hits finally caught up with him. McNair can still be dangerous, and the 1st week of the season is probably the worst time to play him. It will be interesting to see how much he has left in the tank. If injured Billy Volek provides a very quality back-up QB option.
RB - Chris Brown showed last season he is the real deal, when healthy. Brown has speed and power that makes him a dangerous back. The depth behind him is pretty mediocre. If the Steelers stop Brown, the Titans offense figures to sputter. If Brown gets going it could really open up the Titans passing attack.
WR - Drew Bennet is developing into an excellent NFL WR. He played QB in college and many compared Matt Jones from the draft this year to Bennet. He has good size and speed and coupled with Tyrone Calico they form a solid WR group. The depth behind them is pretty inexperienced. Brandon Jacobs can fly, but isn’t polished yet. TE Ben Troupe is a gifted athlete and could be a big factor in the passing game. They recently added depth by bringing in Troy Edwards (remember him). After losing an excellent possession WR in Mason, they may have some balance issues as the two starters are more downfield WR's than possession guys.
OL - The Titans have a decent O-line, but nothing spectacular. Rookie Michael Roos figures to start at one Tackle spot and another rookie David Stewart will play RT. It's never good to have two rookies starting at your tackles, especially when they were 3rd round picks or later. The middle of the O line is solid with (Olsen Pillar and Hartwig) rounding out the interior. Haggans, Von Olhoffen, Porter, and Smith could wreak havoc on this group.
DL - The middle of the Titans D-Line is solid anchored by Albert Haynesworth who is a top DT in the league. The middle of the D-line is rounded out by a very solid Randy Starks and back-up Rien Long. The DE's are solid but nothing special. Kyle Vanderbosch and Antwan Odom don’t exactly strike fear into anyone's heart, but they are decent players.
LB - Keith Bullock is a stud. He damn near crippled Tommy Maddox in the last encounter and the Steelers need to keep an eye on him at all times. After him the Titans are average at LB with Rocky Boiman and Peter Sirmon the only recognizable names among the Titans LB core.
Secondary - Young young young!!! This secondary is full of youth and inexperience. Pac Man Jones has been arrested more this off-season than he has been on a football field. Missing most of camp figures to hurt the Titans top draft pick. Andre Wolfork is a 3rd year player and the most experienced CB on the Titans roster. The CB's are very young and inexperienced and could be a liability until they get more playing time together. SS Tank Williams is very good and a hard hitter. He figures to be the strength of a very unproven Titans secondary. Losing veteran Samari Rolle should be a big factor for the Titans until Pac Man Jones gets up to speed. I might go out on a limb and say this is the worst secondary the Steelers will face all year.. Yup, I said it so it's now a fact!
ST - Craig Hentrich is a solid veteran Punter. Rob Bironas won the kicking job, remember him? He was in Steelers camp last year and has a huge leg. Literally, his right leg is 8" longer than his left. Actually I meant that figuratively but just wanted to see who was paying attention. But seriously he routinely puts kickoffs deep in the end zone, something Jeff Reed never does. Pac Man Jones is a dangerous return man, but it remains to be seen if he will be returning the kicks and punts or not after missing much of the pre-season.
Steelers
QB - Ben Roethlisberger - exceptional rookie season, mediocre post season, poor pre-season. Which Ben will show up for the regular season? That question will likely be answered by the play of the O-line, running game, and WR's. If they do their job Ben should settle in and get back in his groove. If not it could be a long season.
RB - With Bettis out and Staley likely out, Willie Parker will carry the load. Parker has a ton of speed and his style of north/south running fits the Steelers scheme just fine despite his lack of a Bettis belly. If he gets any decent holes he could have a huge day. Verron Haynes will provide a solid back-up and 3rd down player. Verron is a much better pass blocker than Parker or Bettis so I would expect to see him in on a lot of passing situations to pick up the blitz this whole season. From what I’m hearing Duce has felt pretty good this week so it isn’t entirely impossible for him to be a factor in this game, but Parker will definitely be the main man.
WR - With Burress gone look for Randle El and Cedric Wilson to try and pick up the slack. Neither had a very impressive pre-season, but the Steelers never attempted one deep ball. The Titans inexperienced secondary could be just what the doctor ordered for the ailing Pittsburgh passing attack. Figure Washington and Morgan not to see much action, if any, in this game. They may work their way in later in the year.
OL - Smith, Faneca, Hartings are 3 returning Pro Bowlers. Max Starks, a second year player, takes over for Oliver Ross. Keydrick Vincent has departed so former 1st round pick Kendall Simmons gets his job back after battling diabetes and a knee injury. The right side of this OL could prove to be the Steelers downfall, or it could pick up where things left off last year. How fast Starks picks things up and how well Simmons performs will be the keys to the entire offense for this game and this season.
DL - Casey Hampton returns to a dominant front 3 with Smith and Von Olhoffen. If these guys can stuff the run, it could force the Titans to have to pass and expose McNair to Coach Lebeau's blitz schemes. The DL is outstanding overall and has good depth with Hoke, Keisel, and Kirschke behind the starters. Look for the BIG 3 to pick up where last year left off, especially going against the Titans rookie tackles.
LB - Joey Porter is likely to return and Farrior, Haggans, and Foote round out an exceptional LB core. James Harrison provides quality depth and will start at ROLB if Porter can't go. They will need to pressure McNair and stuff the run up the middle for the Steelers to win this game.
CB - Deshea Townsend is a very solid cover CB. Willie Williams is an aging veteran who was routinely picked on in preseason games. He could be a big liability, especially lined up against Calico and Bennet. Colclough, McFadden, and Taylor are three young athletic guys that will be in on dime packages. The Steelers CB's will have trouble matching up with the size and speed of Bennet (6'5 210) and Calico (6'4 225). Safety's Polamalu and Hope will have to provide over the top protection against these tall speedy WR's.
ST - Reed and Gardocki are solid veterans. Reed had a few misses in preseason but was spectacular last year. Randle El is a dangerous punt return man and Colclough and Taylor will return kicks. Each of those guys had returns for TD's in preseason. Field possession off of kicks and punts could factor big in this game.
The Five Keys to the game:
Turnovers --- Cliché Police are going to get me for this one, but in a defensive game mistakes will likely decide the winner
Lebeau vs Chow --- Defensive guru vs college offensive genius.
Titans OT's vs Steelers OLB's. Haggans and Porter/Harrison could dominate and change the course of the game if they get heat on McNair and his sternum.
Titans WR's vs Steelers CB
Tall speedy WR's could give the Steelers CB's fits
Steelers QB vs Titans secondary
Ben is struggling, but Titans DB's lack experience. This Titans defense did little to improve upon a unit that allowed 439 points last season. (3rd worst in the NFL) Just might be the medicine to fix the Steelers ailing passing attack.
The Prediction:
The Steelers under Bill Cowher have a bad habit of coming out flat in the season opener. Last year it took a last second field goal to beat the lowly Raiders. The underdog Titans are especially dangerous as they seem to have the Steelers number and are big underdogs. With the Steelers struggling in pre-season it figures to be a very ugly physical game. This game will come down to field possession and turnovers. Special teams will decide an ugly field goal fest with the Steelers winning 16-13, but Tennessee will cover that 7.5 point spread for all of you gamblers out there. Don't be surprised if Rob Bironas factors late in the outcome of the game.
~J Peezy....................
Mac & Wife is Hosted and Sponsored by Pittsburgh's Finest!
|
|
|
|
Fan Smak & Analysis
| |
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.
|
|
|
