5 Things to Watch as Steelers Face the Seahawks

Have the She-hawk fans stopped whining about Super Bowl XL yet?

Here are some quick hitters before you watch today's game. 

1) Who starts at CB?--Bryant McFadden has been hobbled by a hamstring this week.  It will be interesting to see if he or William Gay starts (or if McFadden is able to play the entire game or at all).

2) Marcus Gilbert--In his first start at right tackle, can he establish himself as the answer?  The Steeler offensive line was thoroughly dominated last week vs the Ravens.  Can they get a rhythm going and impose their will on the defense?  There are times when a boy becomes a man--think of today as Marcus Gilbert's Bar Mitzvah.

3) Can the offensive line establish the run and give Ben enough time to get rid of the ball?--Mendenhall had a few decent runs last week (I wish they would work Redman into the lineup more often when the O-line struggles) but overall, the Steelers never established the run game.  Everyone knows that there are times when Ben holds the ball too long.  Last week, there were times when Ben barely had the snap and a defender was in his face.

4) Will Ben protect the ball?--Ben floated a few passes into the Ravens secondary last week, 2 landing in the hands of Ed Reed.  Throwing the ball away is better than lofting passes into the secondary or taking a sack.  I'm just sayin'.

5) Will the Steeler defense look old or youthful today?--There were tons of pundits and fans claiming that the Steeler defense looked old and slow last week.  I can not deny that statement, but Ray Rice has a knack for doing that to opposing defenses.  Marshawn Lynch is more of a punishing runner, not a speedster.  Expect the Steeler D to shut down the running game and force Tarvaris Jackson to win it through the air.


photo courtesy of examiner.com

Much Ado About Nothing?

Tony Hills was a casualty of the final 5 cuts made by the Steelers on Saturday afternoon. (Photo courtesy of Bleacherreport.com)

I have been silent (some might say strangely silent) during the Steeler preseason this year.  The reason?  There ain't much happening.  The Steelers have chosen to take nearly the same roster into 2011 as they had in 2010.  At this time, the biggest story is how the 2008 draft can be analyzed.  Just three years after drafting a class that looked very promising, only three names remain: Rashard Mendenhall; Dennis Dixon; and Ryan Mundy.  And those who have been shown the door: Limas Sweed; Bruce Davis; Tony Hills; and Mike Humpal. 

There is no doubt that Mendenhall was worth a first round pick.  He is a strong and powerful weapon in the Steeler offense.  Dennis Dixon was a 5th round pick and he has had his highlights and lowlights--but that is what you expect from a 5th round pick.  Ryan Mundy was selected in the 6th round and he has been used sparingly--pretty much what you expect from a 6th round pick.

Now, the trainwrecks.  Limas Sweed seemed to be a steal in the 2nd round of the 2008 draft.  But a faked injury and several dropped passes later and he has been moved to an undisclosed location.  Bruce Davis was chosen in the 3rd round, and again, he was looked at as a steal.  He was a playmaker in college and the son of a former NFL player.  It soon appeared that the apple fell far from the tree.  The most recent FAIL was sent packing yesterday afternoon.  In fact, it took so long to cut Tony Hills that it worries me what we have left on our offensive line.  Hills was a tackle at the University of Texas and the Steelers picked him in the 4th round.  Now 4th round offensive line selections tend to be guys who need some work.  Maybe their weight is an issue or they have bad footwork or maybe they just need to learn how to be a mean SOB that protects the quarterback's blindside.  It seems that the Steelers gave Hills every chance to be a contributor for three years.  Unfortunately, he didn't develop into the kind of player they needed. 

What worries me about the Hills cut is that, as of two weeks ago, he was competing for the starting right guard position.  If he went from a possible starting right guard to being cut, what does that say about our offensive line?  Does this mean that the guys who made the team are really close to being on the street as well?  Right now, Doug Legursky is going to start at right guard.  This makes sense because it seems whenever we have a breakdown at center or guard, someone hits the "EASY" button and Legursky trots onto the field.  The problem with making Legursky a starter is that if there are any problems/injuries to Maurkice Pouncey or Chris Kemoeatu, we might have to shuffle two offensive line positions to have the best lineup.  I don't recall a time where the offensive line has been this unstable.  Maybe I am overreacting and the announcement that Hills was a possible week 1 starter at right guard was a way to motivate him to seal the deal.  If that was the case, then it didn't work.  If it was legitimate, and in two weeks he went from possible starter to driving a cab, I can't feel real confident about it.  I trust that Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin know what they are doing.  I just hope that the offensive line looks better than it did during the preseason. 

Move it along people, Nothing to see here

William Gay would have trouble covering this woman right now

For those who prefer to live their life immersed in drama, you might want to stop reading now.  The Steelers lost their initial pre-season game (oh the humanity!) to the Washington Redskins on Friday night.  For some, it is the end of the Steeler empire.  For those of us living in reality, it was a pre-season game. 

There were a few things that I thought were interesting.  Yes, Big Ben overthrew Mike Wallace and Byron Leftwich overthrew Antonio Brown (who is looking better every day).  This is what happens when guys haven't played together for 6 months.  This was a recurring theme throughout the game.  There were episodes where the timing was off and that affected the defense, blocking schemes and pass patterns.  Am I concerned?  Only about injuries.  The pre-season is conducted to work out the kinks so that the regular season showcases the true abilities of the NFL's athletes.  Practice heals most wounds, especially with a veteran team where they know the playbook but just need to fine-tune the timing.  There were some other observations and here they are:

I said last year that Rashard Mendenhall had more spin moves than The Four Tops.  It appears that Isaac Redman is following in his (spinning) footsteps.  Add Hines Ward (and his DWTS moves) to the mix and we are a lead singer away from having the best 60's R&B group in the league.

Speaking of Isaac Redman, if you are going to try to tackle him, you better bring your crew because he sees the first tackler as a mild nuisance.

The more I watch William Gay in coverage, the more I need to drink while watching the game.  Right now, he couldn't cover the woman in the picture.  It just seems like WR's are always open when the ball is thrown in his direction.

In the long run (the 2011 season), I think the lockout will benefit the Steelers due to our advanced age on defense.  In the last 3 years, this veteran team has played more games than any other team in the league.  Our guys needed rest this spring, not more minicamp or OTA reps.  Be patient Steeler fans and don't panic unless we don't see any progress by the end of the 3rd preseason game.