Can Steelers Win SuperBowl?

[flippy]

Of course the answer is yes and I hope so. But there's a lot of question marks for this team. The good thing is there's just as many question marks for everyone else in the field.

I think we'll go as far as Ben and the Defense can take us once again. And I have about 50% confidence in each right now.

Currently Ben is playing subpar. I think we all have to pray that he's got it out of his system and good Ben will show up for the next 4 games. It's not going to be easy without DW. No one is going to respect the running game. And Baltimore pretty much laid out the blueprint of how to stop our offense. Cincy, Denver, NE, and KC will all be challenging for us to to beat given our 1 dimensional nature. I expect that NE is the only one that will really adjust their game plan to Ben and cause us the most problems even though they don't have the best D.

On the D side of the ball, we need to get pressure and the only way it happens if we scheme to get it. We can't dominate the LOS rushing 3-4, so we have to take chances and be opportunistic. I already have visions of a very comfortable AJ in the pocket this Saturday going after Blake mercilessly. The only positive I see is AJ has no experience, Peyton struggles against a 3-4, and Brady, well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. The only way to rattle Brady is pressure up the middle so he can't step into his throws. And I dont know how we do that with our personnel.

Lots of questions for this team going into Saturday. If Ben can get his groove back, there's no reason we can't beat anyone. Let's hope it happens. Or we risk losing to anyone. Even the Bengals.

[Starlifter]

if we have to rely on the defense to win the game - likely not. unfortunately we haven't been able to rely on the offense the last few weeks.

the answer is yes obviously - the steelers have a good team. the unanswered question is will one unit or the other (hopefully both) stand tall for a 4 game run? I think the odds favor the offense to do that, and if so - a run can indeed be made. sadly for our defense, as denny would say 'they are who we thought they were'. if the offense struggles they need to be something unseen so far this year. be dominant. that seems unlikely.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Mon Jan. 4, 2016



Nobody Wants to Face the Steelers


An explosive downfield passing game and a creative defense make Pittsburgh the most dangerous team in the AFC bracket


by Andy Benoit

A little after 7:30 ET Sunday night, the AFC playoff picture took shape. Peyton Manning had come off the bench to replace Brock Osweiler and lead the Broncos to a hard-fought victory over the Chargers. Earlier the Dolphins had upset the Patriots, so Manning’s victory meant the AFC’s road to Super Bowl 50 goes through Denver. It also meant the 12-4 Bengals find themselves playing in the same Wild-Card round that they’ve failed to get out of each of the past four years.


Exciting as the jostling for playoff seeding was, we’ll look back on it later this month and see it as academic. Because the most dangerous team entering this year’s AFC postseason is the one that squeaked into the sixth seed earlier in the day thanks to a win over the lowly Browns and the Bills’ upset of the Jets.


The 10-6 Steelers are this year’s Team That Nobody Wants to Face. Start with their offense, which possesses more aerial firepower than any other in the league, save for maybe Arizona’s. Ben Roethlisberger is the game’s most improved pocket quarterback over the last five years. He’s also a 12th-year veteran with 15 playoff starts on his résumé, including three Super Bowls (2-1 record there, 10-5 overall).


In Roethlisberger’s first Super Bowl (’05 vs. Seattle) he was essentially a caretaker for a power-running team. In his second (’08 vs. Arizona) he was a more balanced signal-caller capable of getting hot for certain stretches. In his third (’10 vs. Green Bay) he was a subtly ascending dropback passer who still made his living on unparalleled impromptu playmaking. Entering what could very well be a fourth AFC title run, Roethlisberger remains all of these things but has also become a cerebral point guard for a dynamic spread passing attack. It’s a passing attack that features lethal speed and quickness at all four wide receiver spots, plus a stalwart possession tight end (Heath Miller) who remains adept between the field numbers.


What Roethlisberger does now that he didn’t use to do is dissect defenses with three-step timing throws. This only happens with a QB capable of reading a defense before the snap. Whether Roethlisberger diagnoses man-to-man or zone only determines in what way he and the receivers hurt you. Antonio Brown has carved up man coverage (see Week 15 against Denver or Week 17 against Cleveland), and his quickness in and out of routes creates greater voids in zone coverage as defenders are compelled to play with added cushion. Double-teams from any coverage present little to no trouble for Brown.


The only notable negative with Roethlisberger is that he sometimes succumbs to the temptation of focusing too much on Brown. While this has benefits much of the time, it can be a dangerous two-way street leading to turnovers. We saw this on Roethlisberger’s second interception Sunday when, staring down Brown’s in-breaking route, he guided underneath linebacker Craig Robertson to an easy pick.


Besides a greater risk of turnover, Roethlisberger must avoid honing too far in on his superstar wideout because, in Martavis Bryant and Markus Wheaton, he has two explosive downfield weapons worthy of five-plus touches per game. Bryant is Mike Wallace with flexibility, which is to say a terrifying deep threat. That flexibility allows him to turn the corner on short-area touches, giving dimension to Pittsburgh’s spread game through wide receiver screens and end-arounds. Wheaton has become deft down the seams and at the deep-intermediate levels. Because of the monsters lining up alongside him, he sees a lot of favorable one-on-one matchups. Same goes for Darrius Heyward-Bey and his unreliable hands but turbo feet, which the Steelers try to exploit with two or three deep shots a game.


Lost in all the oohing and ahhing about this passing game is an offensive line that allows it to function. Assistant coach Mike Munchak has done a superb job orchestrating a group that has overcome losses at the two most important positions, left tackle (Kelvin Beachum) and center (Maurkice Pouncey). To help the line, offensive coordinator Todd Haley has also wisely mixed extra tight ends and fullbacks into his formations, supplementing the protection with added bodies for downfield shots when it’s not a spread formation, and also creating more gaps in a running game that, thanks to mobile Pro Bowl right guard David DeCastro and sagacious running back DeAngelo Williams, ranked sixth in yards per attempt this year. Enthralling as the Steelers are through the air, they’re willing and able to pound the ball down your throat if you keep both safeties back deep.


The over/under for Pittsburgh’s offense on any outing should be 30 points. (On the season, the Steelers averaged 26.4, fourth most in the league. When Roethlisberger started, it was just over 28.) That’s encouraging when you consider that in seven games against playoff teams this year, the Steelers defense allowed a respectable 23.7 points an outing. (The Steelers won three of these games.) In their five games against AFC playoff clubs, it was 22.8 points an outing (record: 2-3, with both wins coming on the back end of this five-game block.)


It’s a defense that’s much better than the one we saw in a 28-21 loss at New England in Week 1, or even in a 33-20 win over their Wild-Card opponent Bengals in Week 14. First-year coordinator Keith Butler has been aggressive with pressure packages and disguises, particularly on third down. That sort of approach can take players time to get comfortable with. The Steelers have looked better in attack mode in the last month of the season.


Blitzing and disguising require three key elements from a defense. One is an ability to stop the run in order to create third-and-long situations to begin with. With defensive ends Cameron Hayward and Stephon Tuitt emerging as block-shedding penetrators who can also control multiple gaps in the base scheme, and with speedy inside linebackers like Lawrence Timmons and Ryan Shazier, the Steelers are equipped to win on first and second down.


The second element is corners you can trust in one-on-one coverage. The Steelers are not great at this position, but with their coverage concepts—blitzes included—so often centered on matchup zones as opposed to straight man-to-man, they don’t need great players here, just smart ones. They’ve been happy with the development of 24-year-old Ross Cockrell, who shares times with Antwon Blake and the recently discovered slot man Brandon Boykin. And on the other side (or in the slot, if Boykin is out), veteran William Gay has become more of a playmaker as he nears tenure in this system. All four of these corners can, in theory, be attacked, but Butler’s disguises and pressure packages can also hide them.


The third element is speed. The more speed you have in your blitz packages, the more aggressive you can be with your disguises. Fast players cover more ground and can therefore line up farther from the ball.


Since installing their vaunted 3-4 in the early ’90s, the Steelers have always been about fire-zone pressures, which very often involve inside linebackers either rushing or faking rush and dropping into coverage with other fake rushers. (Against the Browns on Sunday, for example, James Harrison was a critical piece in the coverage concepts in the flat and against tight end Gary Barnidge.)


The Steelers have kept their fire-zone blitzes under Butler, which makes the speed of Timmons and Shazier all the more important. But taking the idea a step further, Butler more than any other AFC defensive coach this season has effectively featured third-level blitzers (i.e. corners and safeties). Strong safety Will Allen has become particularly effective as a disguised rusher (his efforts in this regard destroyed multiple Browns drives on Sunday). And cornerback blitzes from the boundary (i.e. the short side of the field when the ball is on the hash) have forced multiple turnovers for Pittsburgh. Quarterbacks either don’t see and expect these blitzes, or if, they do, are inclined to throw the ball toward the spot where the blitz is coming from. Butler understands this and has brilliantly designed trap coverages that rotate to those vacated areas.


The Steelers, on both sides of the ball, give an opponent a lot to prepare for. That alone is dangerous. Factor in that the Steelers in many places, including everywhere on offense, are more talented than those opponents and what you have is the scariest team entering the AFC postseason.

[URL]http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/01/04/pittsburgh-steelers-ben-roethlisberger-nfl-playoffs[/URL]

[Eich]

Currently Ben is playing subpar.

And Baltimore pretty much laid out the blueprint of how to stop our offense.

Is Ben playing subpar or did the Rats and Clowns play him differently, in a way that exposed a weakness? Ben shredded the number one defense in the NFL against the Broncos. Is he having two subpar games against the Rats and Clowns or does he just need to figure out a new strategy that was implemented against our offense?

[Oviedo]

Anything is possible, but it is unlikely given the yo yo performance of our secondary.

Every team in the run up to the Super Bowl has a competent offense and we have seen we can be exploited badly by even average passing attacks.

I think we make it if our offense scores like maniacs and we win shoot outs. Hopefully the front seven can get sacks and we get, rather than give, turnovers

[feltdizz]

Is Ben playing subpar or did the Rats and Clowns play him differently, in a way that exposed a weakness? Ben shredded the number one defense in the NFL against the Broncos. Is he having two subpar games against the Rats and Clowns or does he just need to figure out a new strategy that was implemented against our offense?

people forget how familiar division goes are with our offense and defense.

Bills beat a Jets teams and damn near everyone on here predicted a Bills loss.

AZ was abused by a 6 loss Seattle team

Pats lost 2 in a row and Brady was under pressure by the phone all day

Denver needed OT to beat a bad SD team

Minnesota beat GB in Lambeau

Once we get by Cinci I like our chances because most of these teams aren't familiar with our offense and KC played against Landry. Pats are the only problem IMO.

[Steelwolf]

^^ this! Nicely stated sir

[Oviedo]

people forget how familiar division goes are with our offense and defense.

Bills beat a Jets teams and damn near everyone on here predicted a Bills loss.

AZ was abused by a 6 loss Seattle team

Pats lost 2 in a row and Brady was under pressure by the phone all day

Denver needed OT to beat a bad SD team

Minnesota beat GB in Lambeau

Once we get by Cinci I like our chances because most of these teams aren't familiar with our offense and KC played against Landry. Pats are the only problem IMO.

I like your thinking, but too many mental images of our secondary getting abused like a high school JV team. Unfortunately that film is out there for every team we will play to see.

I still think we have to win by way of shoot outs or we will be leaving the play offs...defense won't get it done.

[Eich]

Unleash the hurry-up/no-huddle EARLY!!

[feltdizz]

I like your thinking, but too many mental images of our secondary getting abused like a high school JV team. Unfortunately that film is out there for every team we will play to see.

I still think we have to win by way of shoot outs or we will be leaving the play offs...defense won't get it done.

nah, I still think outside of NE we can hang with anyone else in the AFC.

[pittpete]

Im having nightmares of Blake playing 15 yards off of AJ Green.
Green might have 10 catches by halftime.

[Steelhere10]

Blake + Will A = loss
Or
Great Ben + Blake +Will A = win
It's that simple.

[NorthCoast]

Im having nightmares of Blake playing 15 yards off of AJ Green.
Green might have 10 catches by halftime.

Won't put it all on Blake but AJ Green 17 rec for 250 yds and 2 TDs against the Steelers D this season.

that's something that should keep the DC awake at night...

[Cinnjerm3000]

people forget how familiar division goes are with our offense and defense.

Bills beat a Jets teams and damn near everyone on here predicted a Bills loss.

AZ was abused by a 6 loss Seattle team

Pats lost 2 in a row and Brady was under pressure by the phone all day

Denver needed OT to beat a bad SD team

Minnesota beat GB in Lambeau

Once we get by Cinci I like our chances because most of these teams aren't familiar with our offense and KC played against Landry. Pats are the only problem IMO.

Took the words right out of my mouth. These last two poor showings have everything to do with familiarity (well, that, and I legitimately think that Ben didn't respect either team's defense).

[Captain Lemming]

At our best, we can play with any AFC team because THEY ALL have issues too.
AFC will get crushed in the SB.......regardless of who goes because the Seahawks, Panthers, and Cards are WAY more complete teams. We caught the Cards on an off day.