Re: Pittsburgh Steelers County - Vol. 2

[pandu86]

analisi spettacolare
certo che per una difesa che ha passato tutto il pomeriggio in campo, vedersi entrare un cristiano così quando pensi che l'agonia stia per finire...sai le bestemmie!!!

la domanda è: potrà Kemo sostituire Big Red in maniera dignitosa l'anno prossimo?

[pandu86]

un po' di rankings dopo 3 partite:


1st in Rushing Attack

2nd in Overall Defense

1st in Offensive 3rd Down Conversions

1st in 1st Downs Allowed On Defense

2nd in Sacks

3rd in Sacks Allowed

[Whatarush]

la domanda è: potrà Kemo sostituire Big Red in maniera dignitosa l'anno prossimo?

Non so...però c'è un draft di mezzo e dire già adesso che la prima scelta andrà sulla Oline non è certo un azzardo. 

[pitt]

ciao ragazzi finalmente dopo essere stato un mese senza internet sono riuscito di nuovo a collegarmi.
per prima cosa sono andato a rivedermi gli highlights delle prime 3 partite e o visto una difesa davvero devastante, un ottimo Big Ben che non lancia piu int a valanga come lo scorso anno grazie anche ad una o-line decisamente migliore rispetto a quella dello scorso anno.

volevo chiedervi secondo voi era meglio prendere Posluszny al draft al posto di Timmons ve lo chiedo perche siccome io non sono un grande esperto doi football mi baso su quello che leggo in giro e molte volte o letto che Posluszny e meglio di Timmons e che sarebbe stato piu utile agli Steelers.
e quindi volevo sapere da voi che ne pensate visto che ne capite molto piu di me.
grazie e mi scuso la mia ignoranza.

[Whatarush]

volevo chiedervi secondo voi era meglio prendere Posluszny al draft al posto di Timmons ve lo chiedo perche siccome io non sono un grande esperto doi football mi baso su quello che leggo in giro e molte volte o letto che Posluszny e meglio di Timmons e che sarebbe stato piu utile agli Steelers.
e quindi volevo sapere da voi che ne pensate visto che ne capite molto piu di me.
grazie e mi scuso la mia ignoranza.

Intanto in bocca al lupo a Poz, che s'è rotto un braccio e starà fuori per la stagione...la maledizione dei Bills continua 

Sul confronto Poz/Timmons...due cose:
1) il neo Bill gioca in un sistema difensivo che è abbastanza simile a quello che utilizzano a Penn State...non ha dovuto studiare molto, è entrato in campo e si è sentito a casa; Lawrence è stato scelto da una squadra che gioca una delle difese - a detta degli addetti ai lavori - più complesse della Lega...in più l'infortunio capitatogli al training camp non ha favorito una partenza lanciata
2) quando i rookies giocano da titolari sin dalla Week 1 significa che la franchigia che li ha scelti aveva grossi buchi da colmare; noi, per fortuna, non abbiamo questa necessità...Timmons per ora sta giocando tanto special team, con buoni risultati: sul ritorno di Allen Rossum c'era anche lui a spianargli la strada.

Ci vuole molto più che tre settimane di football per un giudizio definitivo.

PS: bentornato 

[pandu86]

Timmons è un potenziale mostro.
l'unico vero mostro al draft era il signor Patrick Willis, ma è stato preso da quelli che vendono gli occhiali

[mvp18]

Che buffone Pandu

[pandu86]

una nota sulla partita che ci aspetta:
28 partite fa Edgerrin James fu l'ultimo RB a correre 100+ yards contro la nostra difesa...io credo che se non riusciremo a mettere sotto costante pressione Leinart o Warner, ci concentreremo di più a contenere Boldin e Fitzgerald e The Edge potrà mettere fine alla "striscia"

[pandu86]

Inside Slant

Pittsburgh has dominated three straight opponents to the tune of 97-26 and has not allowed a touchdown in the first half. The Steelers have the No. 2 overall defense in the NFL — No. 7 against the run and No. 6 against the pass.
Yet they have not gone against the kind of receivers — and maybe quarterback — they will see in Arizona on Sunday. Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin will seriously test a secondary that seems to have improved over last season even though the starters are the same.

And coach Mike Tomlin knows it.

"They have two very good receivers, if not great receivers in Anquan Boldin and Fitzgerald," Tomlin said. "They have a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback (Matt Leinart) backed up by a former league MVP (Kurt Warner). They have some weapons offensively. They have a first-round draft pick in Levi Brown at offensive tackle. We are going to have our hands full defensively going up against their crew."

Toward that end, Tomlin challenged his cornerbacks, starters Deshea Townsend and Ike Taylor and No. 3 man Bryant McFadden.

"It is going to be a big week for our corners in that respect," Tomlin said. "We challenged them last week in terms of being contributors in the run game and getting after Frank Gore. I thought they did that. We'll call on them again this week to rise up in a different way with a different challenge."

The Steelers have not had a shutdown cornerback since Rod Woodson left after the 1996 season. He made his seventh Pro Bowl that year, the last one by a Steelers cornerback.

They thought they might have one in Ike Taylor after the 2005 season. Coaches assigned him to the other team's best receiver and he often shut them down, topping the year off with an interception in the Super Bowl. They signed him to a big contract 13 months ago. However, former coach Bill Cowher benched Taylor last November for ineffective play.

Tomlin reinstated Taylor and he's played well so far. He's second on the team with 17 tackles, has a sack, a quarterback hurry, an interception and two passes defensed. But Taylor and the other cornerbacks have not seen the likes of Boldin and Fitzgerald.

Also helping the secondary has been a stepped-up pass rush. The Steelers have 12 sacks after getting just 39 all of last season. They have 33 quarterback hurries or pressures, nearly one third of their total of 105 last season.

Getting to the quarterback — whether it's Leinart or Warner — will be a key to controlling the receivers in Arizona Sunday.

"That would answer everything," linebacker Larry Foote said, "hitting the quarterback and making the ball come out a little bit too low or too high."

Nine different players share the Steelers' 12 sacks and three are tied for the lead with two apiece — James Farrior, Clark Haggans and rookie LaMarr Woodley, who enters games on occasion on passing downs.

SERIES HISTORY: 58th meeting. The Steelers lead the series, 32-22-3, that began in 1933, including a win in their last meeting, 28-15 in Pittsburgh in 2003. They also won on their last visit to Arizona in overtime in 1997. The two franchises joined forces for one season in 1944 to play as Card-Pitt during World War II. They went 0-10, the only season the Steelers never had a victory.

NOTES, QUOTES


—Allen Rossum became the first player in NFL history to have a kickoff return for a touchdown with four different teams when he ran one back Sunday 98 yards against San Francisco. He also scored on kickoff returns for Philadelphia, Green Bay and Atlanta.

—Edgerrin James is the last back to rush for 100 yards against the Steelers. They've gone 28 straight games since that Nov. 28, 2005 game in Indianapolis. James carried 29 times for 124 yards that day, the only runner in the past 53 games to top 100 against Pittsburgh, including playoffs.

Linebacker Larry Foote remembers it well.

"It wasn't our true defense," Foote said. "We were running a lot of zones and it was a cheap 100. But he got it. He's one of the best backs. He broke a lot of tackles that game. We definitely have our eye on him because we know what he can do."

—Why the fast 3-0 start for a team that notoriously opened slowly in past years, including 2-6 a year ago?

"Coming back, a lot of players are hungry," Hines Ward said. "We're playing with something to prove. A lot of people counted us out, a lot of publications didn't have us listed as one of the teams. We kind of flew under the radar."

—QB Ben Roethlisberger has taken some small pokes at last year's offense under Ken Whisenhunt, and said how much more comfortable he is under Bruce Arians' offense this year. With the Steelers ready to play Whisenhunt's Cardinals this week, Big Ben is keeping it small.

"I am happy in the system we are in now," he said Wednesday. "I am not going to bash anything about the last year or any of the years. We won a Super Bowl and were very successful. Of course I am going to be happy with the system I am in now."

—Hines Ward believes Whisenhunt and his line coach Russ Grimm have an advantage because they coached for the Steelers.

"I know Whis and Russ, they want this game more than anything. For us, we're trying to get to 4-0. They know our personnel very well, they kind of know our tendencies and what we like to do, what plays we like and what plays we don't."

BY THE NUMBERS: .744 — Roethlisberger's regular-season winning percentage as a starting quarterback (32-11), second in the NFL only to Tom Brady's .753.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "I have fun every day. Believe it or not, you guys probably wouldn't believe me, but I would be having fun if we were 0-3." — Coach Mike Tomlin.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

PLAYER PERSONNEL NOTES

—G Kendall Simmons has been practicing some at center this week in case Sean Mahan cannot play. Simmons never played the position until this preseason, when he took a few snaps there.

—LB James Harrison has not slowed down on special teams just because he starts. He's tied for second on special teams with four tackles, even though he missed half of the second game with a neck injury. Harrison also has 1.5 sacks.

—WR Nate Washington will get his second NFL start if Hines Ward's knee injury prevents him from playing Sunday. Washington, normally the slot receiver, backs up Ward at flanker.

—DE Brett Keisel is still looking for his first sack but he's far and away the leader on the team with nine quarterback pressures, three more than anyone else.

—FB Carey Davis still has not been used much other than as a blocker. He has four carries and four receptions in three games.

GAME PLAN: On offense, the Steelers won't change what they do. They want to mix things up between the run and the pass — they have 29 first downs rushing and 29 passing through three games. On defense, they stop the run first, and Edgerrin James was the last player to get 100 yards rushing on them when he was with Indianapolis in 2005. Mike Tomlin has challenged his cornerbacks, though, to stop Arizona receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH: Steelers CBs Deshea Townsend and Ike Taylor vs. Cardinals wideouts Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. The Steelers secondary has played well, but not seen Grade A receivers yet.

Steelers No. 7 rush defense vs. Cardinals RB Edgerrin James.

RB Willie Parker and Steelers' No. 1 rush offense vs. Cardinals under tackle Darnell Dockett and Cardinals No. 15 rush defense.

INJURY IMPACT: Ward did not practice on Wednesday and remains doubtful for Sunday's game in Arizona with a sprained right knee.

While C Sean Mahan also did not practice because of a sprained knee, he is expected to play on Sunday.

Rookie TE Matt Spaeth, who missed last week's game with a bruised thigh, did not practice Wednesday. He likely must practice by Thursday or he won't play Sunday.

[pitt]

grazie per la spiegazione su Timmons .

intanto il nostro ex centro Okobi a rilasciato questa itervista

Okobi: 'Ridiculous' he got cut
Arizona center believes he should still be Steeler
TEMPE, Ariz. -- Former center Chukky Okobi said it is "ridiculous" he wasn't included on the Steelers' 53-man roster and that he would have made the team if Bill Cowher were still the head coach.

Okobi also said he didn't think there was a fair competition for the starting center position, saying it was predetermined Sean Mahan would replace retired Jeff Hartings when Mahan was signed in free agency.

Nonetheless, he said he has no animosity toward his former team or coach Mike Tomlin and understands why the decision was made to cut him after six years.

"To think I wasn't good enough to be on that team is ridiculous," said Okobi, a backup center with the Arizona Cardinals, where he has been reunited with head coach Ken Whisenhunt and offensive line coach Russ Grimm. "But I know how this business works. I've been in this league a long time. Part of it is money, and they're doing what they feel they need to do. It's their team now. It's not Bill Cowher's team."

Okobi was signed by the Cardinals when starting center Al Johnson injured his knee in the season-opening loss in San Francisco. Johnson, though, participated in a full practice yesterday and likely will start against the Steelers.
Arizona probably will be without rookie right tackle Levi Brown (ankle), their No. 1 draft choice from Penn State. Brown practiced on only a limited basis yesterday.
Okobi, a fifth-round choice in 2001, had three years remaining on a contract that was scheduled to pay him $2 million annually. But he and second-year center Marvin Phillip were cut in favor of rookie free agent Darnell Stapleton, even though Okobi came to training camp as the starter.

"I really don't feel it was a competition; I feel it was predetermined," Okobi said. "Sean is more than capable. I got nothing against him. It's that he doesn't deserve to be the starter. It just is what it is.

"If Bill was still there, I'd still be there. I will say this, if Bill Cowher, in the 15 years he's been in league, believed I was the guy, that has to count for something because he obviously knew what he was doing."

voi che ne pensate, secondo me e' stato giusto rilasciarlo visto che prendeva troppi soldi per essere una riserva,anche se e' vero che ora per il ruolo di centro abbiamo solo Mahan io un FA in quel ruolo l'avrei preso.

[Whatarush]

grazie per la spiegazione su Timmons .

intanto il nostro ex centro Okobi a rilasciato questa itervistavoi che ne pensate, secondo me e' stato giusto rilasciarlo visto che prendeva troppi soldi per essere una riserva,anche se e' vero che ora per il ruolo di centro abbiamo solo Mahan io un FA in quel ruolo l'avrei preso.

Okobi però dimentica di dire che lui era già a Pittsburgh da 6 anni; se in quel lasso di tempo avesse dimostrato di valere qualcosa non saremmo mai andati su un FA - con un investimento non del tutto usuale per gli Steelers.
Al training camp Okobi s'è fatto battere da uno che di mestiere farebbe la guardia...semplicemente Sean Mahan s'è dimostrato un giocatore migliore. A quel punto tenerlo ancora in panca a quelle cifre era stupido.

Per il resto speriamo che Sean resti sano 

[Rocky]

Le ultime su Ward:

Despite being labeled as "doubtful" by coach Mike Tomlin early in the week, the Steelers consider Hines Ward (leg) a game-time decision for Week 4.
Ward has an excellent matchup against a shaky Cardinals secondary, so if he's active he's worth a start in fantasy leagues. "If he tells me Sunday morning, 'I can go,' he can go, because he'll know the game plan," offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said. Ward practicing Friday would be a good sign.

...io dico che ci sarà! 

[Pablets]

Le ultime su Ward:

Despite being labeled as "doubtful" by coach Mike Tomlin early in the week, the Steelers consider Hines Ward (leg) a game-time decision for Week 4.
Ward has an excellent matchup against a shaky Cardinals secondary, so if he's active he's worth a start in fantasy leagues. "If he tells me Sunday morning, 'I can go,' he can go, because he'll know the game plan," offensive coordinator Bruce Arians said. Ward practicing Friday would be a good sign.

...io dico che ci sarà! 

lo dico anch'io

[Whatarush]

Hines è ufficialmente out per domenica...però anche loro hanno Boldin a rischio.

[Rocky]

Stavo proprio postando io la brutta notizia, tornerà comunque per la Week 5 contro Seattle.

Hines Ward (knee) has been ruled out for Week 4. Nate Washington will start for the Steelers when they face Arizona on Sunday.
Washington has proven to be a skilled deep threat but is inconsistent. He has good potential in a matchup with the Cardinals, whose starting CBs Roderick Hood and Eric Green are far from anything special. Cedrick Wilson takes over as Pittsburgh's third receiver. Ward should be back in Week 5.

Peccato.