Record: 2-2, next four opponents: @Jacksonville, @Cleveland, Houston, Indianapolis
Many coaches in the National Football League divide the 16-game regular season into quarters. They want their respective teams to focus on these four-game stretches with the goal of course being to come through these stretches 2-2 or better depending upon the competition.
With that in mind, I’m focusing on the Steelers every four games as well and here’s my take after the first four games.
Offense
-QB Ben Roethlisberger is on pace for another 4,000 yard passing season. He is completing 68% of his passes and has thrown six touchdown passes and two interceptions. He’s been sacked 11 times though and only Chad Henne and Alex Smith have been sacked more.
-Antonio Brown has five TD receptions and is averaging over 100 yards receiving per game.
-Le’Veon Bell is second in the league in rushing and is averaging 5.3 yards per carry which is the key stat in my opinion.
Team Rankings: Total Offense 5th, Passing 8th, Rushing 4th.
Analysis: It’s very hard to argue with the current state of Todd Haley’s offense as far as the numbers go especially when you consider they went six quarters without a touchdown. While I can’t expect to agree with every play-call of any given OC, I still question why Haley continues to deploy Will Johnson and Matt Spaeth as often as he does.
Defense
-The Steelers played their first game without Ike Taylor, Jarvis Jones and Ryan Shazier. As expected, the loss of Taylor appeared to be the biggest factor. Despite his struggles in recent years, at the very least he is still the best corner on the team. James Harrison saw 29 snaps filling in for Jones but recorded nothing on the stat line. He was very solid against the run though.
-Lawrence Timmons is the Steelers’ leader in tackles with 34. That ranks him 14th in the NFL. The bad news is that he has no sacks, no interceptions, no forced fumbles and no fumble recoveries.
-The Steelers have seven sacks on the season which ranks them 18th in the NFL.
-The Pittsburgh defense has recorded one interception and two fumble recoveries.
Team Rankings: Total Defense 17th, Passing 20th, Rushing 16th
Analysis: Dick LeBeau’s defense has shown improvement against the run over the last two weeks which is promising. The bigger problem however is the lack of pass rush which is resulting in bigger plays downfield and less turnovers. While I realize that LeBeau can only play with the hand he is dealt, I’m disappointed in the lack of creativity and his unwillingness to change. With the corners being a significant liability, LeBeau hasn’t shown much in the way of taking risks. I’d rather go down fighting than leaning against the ropes and getting beaten.
Burning Questions
1. If Lance Moore isn’t playing much because of his lack of blocking then why was he signed? Wouldn’t that have been taken into account when the team vetted him?
2. Can Mike Tomlin fix the discipline problems that have resulted in lots of penalties and dumb choices?
3. Will the Steelers make a move at the trade deadline? (Rhetorical question I know…)
4. Can the offensive line protect Ben Roethlisberger better?
5. For the readers; If you could make one change on the field or off, what would it be?
Marc Uhlmann writes for and co-owns www.steelcityblitz.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteelDad and the website @SCBlitz. Check us out on Facebook at facebook.com/steelcityblitz and on Fancred.com. You can hear him weekly during the season on Trib-Live Radio Steelers Pre-Game
photo courtesy vnews.com
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