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Looks like a pretty bad time for the Seahawks to come to Heinz Field
By Scott Brown, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
[url="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_756455.html"]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 56455.html[/url]
Las Vegas oddsmakers are often maddeningly close when it comes to predicting the outcome of games.
And they've established the Steelers as 14-point favorites Sunday, a whopping number considering this is the NFL and that the Steelers played their worst game of the Mike Tomlin era in losing 35-7 to the Ravens.
But Vegas recognizes, along with a lot of other people, that the Seattle Seahawks could not be visiting Pittsburgh at a worse time.
The Seahawks couldn't manage any points the last time they played the Steelers at Heinz Field, a 21-0 loss in October of 2007. Imagine how hard it will be for them Sunday.
Seattle has to try and move the ball against a proud, wounded defense. And they have to do so behind an unproven quarterback making his 22nd career start and a running back that averaged 2.5 yards per carry in a 33-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Good luck with that, Tarvaris Jackson and Marshawn Lynch.
That sort of thinking, of course, is what coach Mike Tomlin will be trying to discourage this week at Steelers headquarters.
The Steelers showed up Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium, but they didn't match the sense of urgency or intensity with which the Ravens played.
Maybe that was inevitable considering the Ravens have been stewing over their second-half implosion in a playoff loss to the Steelers for almost nine months.
But if Tomlin wants to make sure the 28-point loss to the Ravens holds the attention of his players, he need look no further than starting free safety Ryan Clark.
While still fully clad in uniform late Sunday afternoon in the Steelers' locker room, Clark talked about the team needing to shed its "been there" attitude.
"We need to focus on where we are this year," Clark said. "Somebody posed the question of 'How do you get better when you know you are better than this?' How do we know? This is the 2011 version of the Steelers so far. We're 0-1, and what we did last year doesn't count."
Like many of his teammates, Clark said he didn't think the loss to the Ravens would leave any scar tissue. But he was as blunt as anyone in saying what mindset the Steelers have to adopt moving forward.
"Right now, we're a winless football team," Clark said, "no better than 15 other teams in the league."
Read more: Looks like a pretty bad time for the Seahawks to come to Heinz Field - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review [url="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_756455.html#ixzz1Xo4ySnRG"]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... z1Xo4ySnRG[/url]
By Scott Brown, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
[url="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_756455.html"]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... 56455.html[/url]
Las Vegas oddsmakers are often maddeningly close when it comes to predicting the outcome of games.
And they've established the Steelers as 14-point favorites Sunday, a whopping number considering this is the NFL and that the Steelers played their worst game of the Mike Tomlin era in losing 35-7 to the Ravens.
But Vegas recognizes, along with a lot of other people, that the Seattle Seahawks could not be visiting Pittsburgh at a worse time.
The Seahawks couldn't manage any points the last time they played the Steelers at Heinz Field, a 21-0 loss in October of 2007. Imagine how hard it will be for them Sunday.
Seattle has to try and move the ball against a proud, wounded defense. And they have to do so behind an unproven quarterback making his 22nd career start and a running back that averaged 2.5 yards per carry in a 33-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Good luck with that, Tarvaris Jackson and Marshawn Lynch.
That sort of thinking, of course, is what coach Mike Tomlin will be trying to discourage this week at Steelers headquarters.
The Steelers showed up Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium, but they didn't match the sense of urgency or intensity with which the Ravens played.
Maybe that was inevitable considering the Ravens have been stewing over their second-half implosion in a playoff loss to the Steelers for almost nine months.
But if Tomlin wants to make sure the 28-point loss to the Ravens holds the attention of his players, he need look no further than starting free safety Ryan Clark.
While still fully clad in uniform late Sunday afternoon in the Steelers' locker room, Clark talked about the team needing to shed its "been there" attitude.
"We need to focus on where we are this year," Clark said. "Somebody posed the question of 'How do you get better when you know you are better than this?' How do we know? This is the 2011 version of the Steelers so far. We're 0-1, and what we did last year doesn't count."
Like many of his teammates, Clark said he didn't think the loss to the Ravens would leave any scar tissue. But he was as blunt as anyone in saying what mindset the Steelers have to adopt moving forward.
"Right now, we're a winless football team," Clark said, "no better than 15 other teams in the league."
Read more: Looks like a pretty bad time for the Seahawks to come to Heinz Field - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review [url="http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_756455.html#ixzz1Xo4ySnRG"]http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... z1Xo4ySnRG[/url]
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