hawaiiansteel
09-19-2011, 02:47 AM
Ed: Can't Win Super Bowl in September
SUNDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER 2011
WRITTEN BY ED BOUCHETTE
Steelers fans should feel a whole lot better seven days later after those crushing the grapes a week earlier were drinking the wine in Heinz Field Sunday.
Yes, the Seattle Seahawks, who won their division despite a 7-9 record last season, look as though they will have a long season. Nevertheless, the Steelers have lost to such opponents in the recent past (check out 2009, if you don't remember).
The good news is they did not look old nor slow nor done on defense and Ben Roethlisberger did not commit a turnover and those young receivers look more and more like big money every game. And, they are tied with Baltimore at 1-1.
"You can't win the Super Bowl in September,'' linebacker James Harrison said.
Mike Wallace now has five straight 100-yard games in the regular season and Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown are game-breakers. Even old Hines Ward did his tap-dancing Santonio Holmes impersonation along the sideline, coincidentally as one of his Dancing With the Stars competitors, Chelsea Kane, sat in the box he owns at Heinz Field.
"First step, first week, we got a long way to go," said defensive captain James Farrior, who did not come off the field nearly as much as he did in the first game.
It was 24-0 and not as close as the score might indicate.
"We needed to respond,'' defensive end Brett Keisel said. "We did. Anytime you're in a fight and you get beat like we did, you want to respond.''
Here are some observations from Sunday's game:
-- Mike Tomlin will not let them forget the opener, and will remind them more about that than he will about Sunday's victory.
"I just told my team in there that we are the same team that got blasted in Baltimore last week,'' coach Mike Tomlin said. "I am still chewing on last week, I am sure we all are. That's just the nature of this thing. It's not going to take one performance to take that stench off of us.''
-- Ben Roethlisberger's right knee is "fine" after it looked bad initially when he was hit low and late by defensive end Raheem Brock. I saw Ryan Tollner, BR's agent, right after the game and he had a look of relief. He said it looked as though the QB turned his knee just before the moment of impact or it good have been a season-ender.
-- DE Brett Keisel also may be fine in what Mike Tomlin labeled a potential first-degree PCl sprain. He may not miss the game next Sunday in Indy.
-- Shaun Suisham comes up with a few scary misss every once in awhile that should keep people on the edge of their seats. His 41-yard miss Sunday was the kind that helped move Jeff Reed out of town.
-- The Steelers offensive line did not look good in that 24-0 victory. Roethlisberger was sacked twice, scrambled five other times for positive yards and the running game was inconsistent because of them. They have yet to knock anyone off the ball at the goalline. The Steeles averaged only 3.5 yards per rush Sunday and are 3.7 after two games, sub par.
-- Looks like Emmanuel Sanders has taken over the Antwaan Randle El role as the designated QB among receivers. He rifled a good pass to Hines Ward that carried 15 yards for a first down.
-- Isaac Redman looks better every time he gets his hands on the football. He averaged 4.9 yards on 10 carries, including that 20-yard touchdown on a draw.
-- Daniel Sepulveda's latest surgery on his right plant leg to repair the torn ACL from last Dec. 5 was done differently. I'll have more on that this week but he's punting better than ever -- 55.1 yards on seven punts and a healthy 46.6 net.
--- Mike Tomlin pulled one of his worst challenge decisions when he threw the flag on Rashard Mendenhall's final carry of the first series, at the Seattle one. It was obvious he did not get in, yet Tomlin challenged it anyway.
-- Pete Carroll threw up the white flag when he failed to challenge the Hines Ward catch on that tip-toe along the sideline. What was he saving it for?
-- Are Seahawks fans complaining that referree Bill Leavy cost them this one?
http://burgh.us/7uh
SUNDAY, 18 SEPTEMBER 2011
WRITTEN BY ED BOUCHETTE
Steelers fans should feel a whole lot better seven days later after those crushing the grapes a week earlier were drinking the wine in Heinz Field Sunday.
Yes, the Seattle Seahawks, who won their division despite a 7-9 record last season, look as though they will have a long season. Nevertheless, the Steelers have lost to such opponents in the recent past (check out 2009, if you don't remember).
The good news is they did not look old nor slow nor done on defense and Ben Roethlisberger did not commit a turnover and those young receivers look more and more like big money every game. And, they are tied with Baltimore at 1-1.
"You can't win the Super Bowl in September,'' linebacker James Harrison said.
Mike Wallace now has five straight 100-yard games in the regular season and Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown are game-breakers. Even old Hines Ward did his tap-dancing Santonio Holmes impersonation along the sideline, coincidentally as one of his Dancing With the Stars competitors, Chelsea Kane, sat in the box he owns at Heinz Field.
"First step, first week, we got a long way to go," said defensive captain James Farrior, who did not come off the field nearly as much as he did in the first game.
It was 24-0 and not as close as the score might indicate.
"We needed to respond,'' defensive end Brett Keisel said. "We did. Anytime you're in a fight and you get beat like we did, you want to respond.''
Here are some observations from Sunday's game:
-- Mike Tomlin will not let them forget the opener, and will remind them more about that than he will about Sunday's victory.
"I just told my team in there that we are the same team that got blasted in Baltimore last week,'' coach Mike Tomlin said. "I am still chewing on last week, I am sure we all are. That's just the nature of this thing. It's not going to take one performance to take that stench off of us.''
-- Ben Roethlisberger's right knee is "fine" after it looked bad initially when he was hit low and late by defensive end Raheem Brock. I saw Ryan Tollner, BR's agent, right after the game and he had a look of relief. He said it looked as though the QB turned his knee just before the moment of impact or it good have been a season-ender.
-- DE Brett Keisel also may be fine in what Mike Tomlin labeled a potential first-degree PCl sprain. He may not miss the game next Sunday in Indy.
-- Shaun Suisham comes up with a few scary misss every once in awhile that should keep people on the edge of their seats. His 41-yard miss Sunday was the kind that helped move Jeff Reed out of town.
-- The Steelers offensive line did not look good in that 24-0 victory. Roethlisberger was sacked twice, scrambled five other times for positive yards and the running game was inconsistent because of them. They have yet to knock anyone off the ball at the goalline. The Steeles averaged only 3.5 yards per rush Sunday and are 3.7 after two games, sub par.
-- Looks like Emmanuel Sanders has taken over the Antwaan Randle El role as the designated QB among receivers. He rifled a good pass to Hines Ward that carried 15 yards for a first down.
-- Isaac Redman looks better every time he gets his hands on the football. He averaged 4.9 yards on 10 carries, including that 20-yard touchdown on a draw.
-- Daniel Sepulveda's latest surgery on his right plant leg to repair the torn ACL from last Dec. 5 was done differently. I'll have more on that this week but he's punting better than ever -- 55.1 yards on seven punts and a healthy 46.6 net.
--- Mike Tomlin pulled one of his worst challenge decisions when he threw the flag on Rashard Mendenhall's final carry of the first series, at the Seattle one. It was obvious he did not get in, yet Tomlin challenged it anyway.
-- Pete Carroll threw up the white flag when he failed to challenge the Hines Ward catch on that tip-toe along the sideline. What was he saving it for?
-- Are Seahawks fans complaining that referree Bill Leavy cost them this one?
http://burgh.us/7uh