It's CLE Week...

[NorthCoast]

and not much chatter on this board about the game...

Anyway, couple of things:

• CLE defense is 12th worst in giving up big passing plays; but they are #1 in big runs against. Overall CLE defense is #8 in run success against and #6 in pass success against. (sidenote; CIN has an overall better defense and the Steelers managed only 10 pts against them).
• Teams are passing 61% of the time against CLE and averaging better than 7 yds/att; running against CLE opponents are averaging 3.5 yds/att (for PIT defense the numbers are 7.4 yds/att and 4.3 yds/att)
• CLE offense uses a near equal combination of 11 and 13 personnel most often but 12 personnel is often sprinkled in. They are not one dimensional and seem to vary it week to week. Last week with Case in they favored 11 personnel.
• PIT offense has heavily skewed to 11 personnel but the last two weeks 12 personnel has popped up a lot more frequently. This is possibly due to replacing Juju's snaps with TEs. I really like this because it gets two TEs on the field, forcing defenses to worry about Harris, Muth, and Ebron as targets.

As everyone knows most games come down to matchups. I don't like the Steelers defense against the CLE run game. I think their OL and RB have the talent to wear out the PIT defense. The Steelers need to score to force CLE to keep up. Steelers defense against CLE passing is a matchup that favors PIT. Won't matter whether Keenum or Mayfield is playing I think they can make the QB very uncomfortable and force mistakes. Mayfield had a horrid game in the first game last season but that was with no Chubb. He also redeemed himself in the playoff game against PIT.

On the Steelers offense, I'm not seeing a big matchup advantage against the CLE D. CLE defense knows how to defend the run (after all, they practice against Chubb). On the other hand the CLE pass defense is pretty good as well. I think the Steelers need to boost Muth's touches in this game as well as getting Harris passes in space.

I know it sounds cliche but this game could really turn on turnovers. TOs could end up being a huge momentum driver for the lucky team on the receiving side of them. Roethlisberger needs to avoid bad passes putting the defense on short fields.

[Steel Maniac]

If your talking turnovers, then we have to start with telling Ben to throw the ball away instead of forcing anything. No picks.

[feltdizz]

Its not official until someone post the c#ckface photo..lol

Steelers 27
Stains 13

[hawaiiansteel]

we definitely can't afford to give them free TDs from turnovers or have Ben throw 4 picks again.

[NorthCoast]

Oh, one other thing:

Tomlin after a bye; 10 - 4 including a 4 game win streak

[papillon]

Browns: 28
Steelers: 18

Offense continues to struggle to use the entire field, little to no efficiency in the passing game (YPA < 6), the line continues to gel, but Ben is limited. Man, I hope Ben can muster up something that it doesn't appear is possible right now.

Pappy

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

I think that this game rests on the Steelers ability to get the offense rolling early. They have had an extra week to possibly get Banner back in, help school the rooks a bit more, install a couple of wrinkles etc. Can they add in a few plays that Clev is not expecting?

I think that the Cleveland D has been prone to giving up large chunks of yards and points. I think that the Steelers O has been prone to not scoring those points. If the offense can take the Browns out of thinking that all they need to do is run up and down the field, and make them put the ball up, that's where the advantage tips back to the good guys.

[Buzz]

If the Steelers can do a decent job of stopping the run (big if), they have a chance against this crippled Stains team.

I'll be optimistic. Steelers 17, Stains 13.

[crushedspirit]

They'll be getting Chubb and Conklin back, so their O will look to pound it relentlessly. On D, Steelers will have to account for Garrett, and hope Clowney sits again. That secondary is beatable, but have to contain that DL to take advantage.

[Northern_Blitz]

Score early, stop the run, don't turn it over.

I don't like it when this is the clear game plan because I've seen us fail so spectacularly in important games when this is the way to proceed.

Hopefully we can do at least 2 of the things above (and one of them is don't turn it over more than once).

Steelers 20 <-- pushing the limits of our offensive output!
Browns 17 <-- hoping that we can tackle much better than we did last game!

[flippy]

Steelers 77
Browns 7

7 finds the fountain of youth and leads to turnaround no one sees coming.

Best way to run the ball is to use your TE more in the passing game and pulling LBs and Ss out of the box. Pat needs to start getting passes 10-20 yards down the middle and he an Najee will work together like peanut butter and jelly.

The best way to stop the run is to score points on O and put your opponent in a position to have to pass to keep up.

The Steelers are built to win now. We just need a QB that can lead early scoring drives and keep the pedal to the metal and keep adding points on the board.

If only 7 could find some of his magic that seems to disappear. We can win now.

[NorthCoast]

The more I look at this game the more I get down about the Steelers D matching up poorly with the CLE run game. Imagine one of the best OLs, add three TEs in 13 personnel, then let Chubb do his thing all afternoon against Heyward and a collection of meh on the DL. Steelers drop a safety into the box to help out, then Mayfield launches one to Higgins or Landry downfield for the easy score. SEA put the blueprint out there and were successful with a no-name RB and a Wilsonless offense. Wherever Heyward was, they ran the other way and it worked. It took a Herculean effort by Watt at the end to seal it.
Maybe intentional but Tomlin called out a few on the DL yesterday including Davis and Buggs needing to step up their game. And don't get me started on the ILBs against the run.

[Northern_Blitz]

The more I look at this game the more I get down about the Steelers D matching up poorly with the CLE run game. Imagine one of the best OLs, add three TEs in 13 personnel, then let Chubb do his thing all afternoon against Heyward and a collection of meh on the DL. Steelers drop a safety into the box to help out, then Mayfield launches one to Higgins or Landry downfield for the easy score. SEA put the blueprint out there and were successful with a no-name RB and a Wilsonless offense. Wherever Heyward was, they ran the other way and it worked. It took a Herculean effort by Watt at the end to seal it.
Maybe intentional but Tomlin called out a few on the DL yesterday including Davis and Buggs needing to step up their game. And don't get me started on the ILBs against the run.

I wish we had Tuitt back for this game.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

Both Banner and McFarland full participants in practice today.

[Chucktownsteeler]

[QUOTE=feltdizz;850601]Its not official until someone post the c#ckface photo..lol

Good one!

Steelers 24
Stains 21