Gospel 13- Flirting With Diaster

Before getting into this week’s matchup I guess will quickly cover the Raiders abortion from last week. Bruce Gradkowski did his best Steve Young impersonation and the Raiders offense stung the Steelers defense for twenty one 4^th quarter points…Unbelievable. As a fan base Steeler fans place blame better than any fan base in professional sports. I say it’s a 50-50 split between players and coaches. I won’t waste my time or your time calling out particular coaches or players…As Hardnose stated a few weeks ago…All the negatives in the world won’t make a difference…I will wait until the season is over before I call for players and coaches heads.

 

Can the Steelers season be salvaged? In my humble opinion absolutely…Brett Kiesel said it best…We can’t worry about the playoffs we have to worry about winning one game. That one game is the Cleveland Stains…If the Steelers lose this game…I will go ape shit…I admit I was close after the Chiefs and Raiders losses…Losing to the 1 AA Cleveland Browns will drive me over the edge.

 

The Pittsburgh Steelers are choking SOBS following Super Bowl wins this decade?

 

The Browns have zero luck…Lets hope that doesn’t change this week. The Browns offense is pathetic…The Cold blustery conditions will limit the Browns ability to throw the ball. Jamal Lewis is out for the season that leaves speed back Jerome Harrison as the Browns best weapon on offense…To be honest Harrison has never impressed me…He is not an NFL quality back. Fullback Lawrence Vickers is expected to miss this game with a hamstring injury that’s actually great news…Vickers had some success against the Steelers in past matchups. The Browns have zero threats in the receiving core. The Browns offense would struggle to score against the Woodland Hills Wolverines defense…If they light up the Steelers defense…I maybe done posting and writing for the season…Yes they will push me towards a sabbatical.

 

I will start this by saying I see no way Willie Gay plays this week…The NFL rules on concussions are clear…No way the Steelers play him. I also expect Ike Taylor to start and play the entire game barring injury or blow out at right cornerback. I believe Burnett and Keenan Lewis alternate series at left cornerback. I was a big fan of both Burnett and Lewis in this years draft…I believe Lewis is the better fit for a starting job…I believe Burnett is a perfect fit as a nickel or dime corner. Browns starting wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi will draw the combo of Lewis and Burnett… Massaquoi is a big physical wide receiver with decent athletic ability… Massaquoi runs poor routes his hands are questionable at best this is a favorable matchup for two rookie corners seeing their first big time action in the NFL. Ike Taylor will draw super returner Jonathan Cribbs. Taylor’s issues are mostly mental…Ike hasn’t lost a step…He can still jump out of the stadium…He is not playing scared…Ike’s errors can be easily fixed. Ike first has to play his keys and technique properly…He must understand the coverage and where the support in coverage is…Ike then must locate the ball and make a play on it. Ike should have zero issues covering Cribbs…Ike needs to make plays…After he does good things are bound to snowball…Ike played the past 2 seasons at a pro bowl level…He didn’t turn into a turd over night. Tyrone Carter and Ryan Clark maybe the slowest starting safety combo in the NFL over the past 25 years…Dick LeBeau is doing everything he can to cover up Carter and Clarks deficiencies…He is stuck in no mans land...The Browns don’t have a player who can threaten the middle of the Steelers defense…Tight ends Robert Royal and Greg Estandia are blockers not pass threats…Slot wide receiver Chansi Stuckey is more of a possession receiver than a burner…The Steelers defensive backs should not feel threatened this week Quinn has a pop gun arm and the Browns lack playmakers outside.

 

Most Steeler fans bitch and complain about James Farrior in coverage…They would be right…Farrior has lost a step and he struggles to cover backs…What most Steeler fans overlook is Lawrence Timmons in coverage…He also has really struggled this season…Timmons was abused in coverage the past few weeks…I don’t want to hear about no ankle injury…Timmons looks very explosive coming up field to attack plays. Timmons is one of the biggest disappointments on this team…He has yet to take a big step forward…Timmons is the same player the Steelers drafted out of Florida State. Woodley and Harrison both have struggled in coverage this season….That really doesn’t bother me…Both players are paid to attack the quarterback. The Steelers backers must eliminate the Browns backs and tight ends in the passing game…Quinn can not push the ball down field…The only chance the Browns have of making plays in the passing game is short controlled passing…Steeler defenders must staple themselves to the Browns receivers and make plays on the god damn football!!!

 

The Browns offensive line sucks…I have never been a fan of Joe Thomas. Brett Kiesel should own and control Thomas in the run game…Kiesel has destroyed Thomas in the run game the past 4 matchups. Kiesel is one of the few players in the NFL who is quicker and just as strong as Thomas at the point of attack…Kiesel will play the game in the Browns backfield eliminating cut back lanes. Joe Thomas has had some success against James Harrison in pass pro…I’m of the opinion referees get tired of throwing flags against left tackles for holding James Harrison…Harrison was held 9 times in the 4^th quarter of the Raiders game…I don’t mean questionable holds…I’m saying Harrison was sodomized…If the Ref’s allow Thomas to hold Harrison…Harrison will have a quiet evening…If the Ref’s call the game down the middle…Harrison will draw 5 holding penalties or he will record 5 sacks…Harrison is the most dominant linebacker in the game…That includes Patrick Willis and Demarcus Ware…Harrison makes plays all over the field…Teams can’t legally block Harrison. Stains guards Eric Steinbach and Rex Hadnot will be forced to help rookie bum center Alex Mack with Casey Hampton in the run game. Hampton won’t make a ton of plays that will show up on the stats sheet…He will keep the Browns guards from getting to the second level to block Farrior or Timmons…If the Browns guards leave the play side double team early…Hampton will bury Mack into the running back or Hampton will just bury the running back. Steinbach has Kiesel’s number in pass pro…I expect that to continue this week. Rex Hadnot will be tested this week…Nick Eason plays every down hard…Eason will play a majority of the run downs…I expect Ziggy Hood to see most of the passing downs. Hood must get his big butt off the ball and he must stop playing patty cake with interior linemen…Hood must use his explosive first step to get guards on their heels. John St Clair has no chance of consistently blocking Nick Eason in the run game…Eason is far to quick and non stop effort and energy for St Clair to block…Eason has been a steal for this team. Lamar Woodley is licking his lips this week…St Clair is awful in pass pro…Woodley has been heating up rushing the passer 6 sacks in his past 4 games…I expect that trend to continue this week. St Clair did a nice job in the first meeting against Woodley…I expect some pay back from Wood this week.

 

The Steelers will pound the run at the undersized Browns front seven.

 

I will now address another point of contention I have…The Steelers empty formations. The empty formation for the Steelers offense is simply freaking moronic. I know what the Steelers hope to do…or what they expect to happen…I’m here to tell you about the actual results. By going empty you allow defensive linemen and blitzers to tee off rushing the quarterback…A quarterback who doesn’t make the quickest decisions with the ball…A quarterback who reads defenses deep to short…A quarterback who is at his best improvising running around making something out of nothing. By going empty you put more pressure on an athletically limited offensive line…Your forcing a group of sloth’s to be quick and agile…Lastly three out five players in the empty formations can’t beat coverage…This isn’t the Chan Gailey five wide offense…If the Steelers don’t make the playoffs decisions like empty formations will cost Arians his job.

Once again I will be guessing at some matchups…Browns corner Eric “The Rapist” Wright is fighting a hamstring injury if he can’t go Brandon McDonald is expected to get the start. The Browns do not have a cornerback who can cover Santonio Holmes….I expect the Steelers run the ball a ton this week…I do expect some vertical play action passing…Holmes is the likely target with no Hines Ward this week. Mike Adams will draw Limas Sweed in coverage…I have to be honest I hope and pray to the football gods that Limas Sweed has a huge game…Sweed is my guy…I don’t expect much from Sweed this week….The Steelers will be busy pounding the run at the Browns. Mike Wallace will draw Coye Francies in coverage…Major mismatch for the Steelers…Wallace showed me something last week…2 beautiful peel back blocks…The kid’s balls finally dropped…Wallace has the potential to be a franchise player…He is still learning the game. The Browns starting safeties are a joke…Hammering Hank Poteat and Abram Elam are expected to get the start…Heath Miller is pretty much useless same can be said for Matt Spaeth…The Browns safeties are so bad both players may have the chance to make plays this week.

 

One of they keys to this game will be Heath Miller and Matt Spaeth’s ability to block Stains outside backers Jason Trusnick and Kameron Wimbley in the run game…I would not be surprised if one the changes you see is David Johnson at tight end…Johnson is far and away the Steelers best edge blocker…The only question is who does Johnson replace? Spaeth has done a far better job in the run game then Miller…I truly hope Johnson replaces Heath Miller. Some posters will say I have an agenda against Miller…They would be correct…Miller has sucked since his rookie season.

 

Games are won and lost in the trenches…That’s the FC motto. The Steelers offensive line has been very good for the most part this season…So Fc’s motto does not apply to the 2009 Steelers…The 2009 Steelers are an enigma wrapped in a conundrum boxed in a beautiful freaking riddle with a pretty pink bow on top.

 

Max Starks and Robaire Smith will be a war in the run game…I expect a ton of stalemates which equates to wins for Starks in the run game…I know most fans want Starks to play a nastier game…When Starks plays nasty he tends to take dumb penalties…Starks needs to play his game…It was good enough to win this team two super bowls. The Browns got a steal in Jason Trusnick…I believe Trusnick is best suited inside in a 34 injuries have forced him to play outside where he doesn’t have the explosiveness or strength to beat tackles rushing the passer…Trusnick plays every down hard…If Starks gets lazy in pass pro Trusnick will beat him to the edge. I expect the Steelers run game to have huge success this week…The reason….Justin Hartwig will not need much help with Browns nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin which will allow the Steelers guards to quickly release to the 2^nd level to pick off under sized Browns inside linebacker Kaluka Maiava and the ancient David Bowens. Kemo will draw Corey Williams in pass pro…Williams is a one step power rusher meaning if Williams doesn’t beat Kemo off the snap he won’t beat him. Steelers right guard Trai Essex will draw Brian Schafering…Schafering is a poor mans Travis Hall formerly of the Falcons…Schafering is a pure finesse player with a wide assortment of rush moves. Kenyon Coleman is not expected to play this week for the Browns…That must be a relief to Willie Colon…Coleman took Colon to the woodshed in the first meeting of the season…I expect the Browns to play several players at defensive end…Mostly Williams and Schafering…Colon should be able to dominate both players in the run game. Kameron Wimbley is finally showing signs of life for the Browns defense…Wimbley is the type of a player who give Colon fits…I expect DJ Johnson to take some of Wimbley’s legs in the run game which should really help Colon in pass pro.

 

Both teams are the walking wounded….The Steelers have too much talent for the Browns.

 

 

Daniel Speduvala is the only member of the Steelers special team units that should have a job after the season…If the Steelers eliminate the Browns return game…I doubt the Browns score a point this week.

 

Steelers 2

Browns 0