Last Weeks Result

• Pittsburgh 37, San Francisco 16
• Record: 3-0
• Standings: Sole possession of 1st in AFC North

Last Weeks Game Recap

Sorry about the delay in getting anything up this week. I was lucky enough to attend the match up between the 49ers and Steelers this week and it has been hard to get a review written up. I love visiting the Steel city and taking in a Steelers game live is something every Steelers fan should try to do.

And now for the game. This was another game that was probably closer than the final score showed. In fact, this game marked the first time this season that the Steelers have trailed this season. San Francisco drove the opening kickoff deep into Steeler territory before stalling and settling for a field goal. The ensuing kick off was returned by a touchdown by Allan Rossum and the rout was on… Well, not quite. The first half of this game was as competitive as any the Steelers have been in. It really wasn’t until the interception returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter that this game seemed out of reach for the 49ers. > more <

Game Result
Week #3 (September 23, 2007)
Carolina 27
Atlanta 20

Game Analysis
Even though the Falcons lost this game, I was very impressed with the effort on both sides of the ball. The offensive line only gave up 1 sack and the wide receivers made some big plays. It goes to show that no matter who is under center, if you give an NFL quarterback enough time to throw the ball, they can complete passes and move the ball down the field. Joey had 361 yards with 2 touchdown passes and most important, no interceptions. He distributed the ball very well passing to eight different receivers and six of them having multiple catches and Harrington had a 70% completion percentage. Joey Harrington proved that even with all the criticism surrounding him the past week and with the Falcons bringing in Leftwich that he is and deserves to be the starter for this team and he should thank his offensive line for that. The offensive line really stepped up their pass protection in this game. Julius Peppers who usually is a Falcon sack master, did not get one sack and only had one pass block. The down side of the offense this game was the fumble by Warrick Dunn and the missed field goal attempt do to a bad snap and hold. With that being said, it was nice to see the football go through the yellow posts. Morten Anderson was perfect today on field goal attempts and extra points. The Falcons still had costly penatilies on kick returns and still need to finish off drives with touchdowns instead of field goals. Norwood had a couple of impressive kickoff returns. I only wish he could do punt returns also. Is it too late to get Rossum back? > more <

Last Weeks Result

• Pittsburgh 26, Buffalo 3
• Record: 2-0
• Standings: Sole possession of 1st in AFC North

Last Weeks Game Recap

While this game was really not as close as the final score (believe it or not), the first half had me a little anxious. The Steelers were able to drive the field 4 times in the first half and only come away with field goals each time. They had scoring drives in the first half of 58 yards, 73 yards, 56 yard and 57 yards, yet were only up by 12 points at half time. Then the Steelers allowed a long kick off return to start the second half to put the Bills in scoring range, as they started their first drive at the 32 of the Steelers. After giving up a few running plays, the defense finally held and the Bills settled for a short field goal from the 5 yard line. Suddenly the score was 12-3 and after dominating on both sides of the ball, the Bills found themselves clawing their way back into the ball game. > more <

Game Result
Jacksonville 13
Atlanta 7

Game Analysis
If the NFL only played 3 periods like the NHL, and neither team could kick field goals for points, the Falcons win this game. Once again, the story for this week is the passing game and kicking field goals. The Falcons offensive line is really struggling against teams pass rushing and blitzing. Defenses are stopping the run and the Falcons are finding themselves in a lot of third and longs and teams are just having a field day blitzing and adding to their sack totals. The Falcons gave up 7 sacks this week and gave up 6 sacks last week. Harrington has no time to throw the ball once they get into passing situations. Even when Joey has time to throw, he holds onto the ball too long. I don’t know if it is that the receivers are not getting separation from the defender or if Joey is having a hard time seeing the field. Either way you look at it, the results are the same — another sack. > more <

Last Weeks Result

• Pittsburgh 34, Cleveland 7
• Record: 1-0
• Standings: Tied for 1st in AFC North

Last Weeks Game Recap

While most people thought the Steelers would be able to handle the Browns, no one predicted that this game would be as one sided as it was. Was this a function of the Steelers dominating in this game, or more the Browns struggling? While I feel that it was some of both, I think the Browns looked absolutely dreadful. The Browns made too many mistakes to ever have a chance in this game. When they weren’t making mistakes, they just weren’t playing that well.

When the Steelers were on defense, they played just like I thought they would. There were no running lanes for Jamal Lewis. The running game was taken away from the Browns early on because they were behind so quickly, but Lewis only managed 35 yards on 11 carries. The secondary played well, but did let up the most yards to the tight end as I had feared. There seems to be a gap in the Steelers defense that can be exploited by a good tight end and Kellen Winslow is one of the best. The Steelers allowed 6 out of 14 third down conversions, which is probably a bit better than they have done in the past.

> more <

Game Result
Minnesota 24
Atlanta 3

Game Analysis:
It is 8:30 in the morning, my alarm goes off. It is finally here; the first day of the NFL season for the Atlanta Falcons. I am so excited! I got my permission slip in hand from my wife and my two daughters to go up to my dad’s house and watch the game. My dad has the NFL ticket, so I go up to his house every Sunday so I can watch the Falcons play. I was really looking forward to this game because Joey Harrington and the wide receivers looked fairly impressive in the third pre-season game against the Bengals. During the off-season and pre-season all I heard about is how that now Mike Vick is no longer the starting quarterback, the Falcons have no chance. I even read one sports site were they predicted the Falcons at 3-13. I had convinced myself if a RB/QB like Vick could win 7 games, I thought the Falcons could at least win 6 games and maybe more. I even made a bet with a guy at work that the Falcons would win the Minnesota game. I was pumped up today, hoping that Petrino and the Falcons would proved everyone wrong. The only thing they proved to me today, is that I was blind.
> more <

Game Preview

This is a category 2 game according to my rankings. The Steelers have more talent on both sides of the ball than the Browns. However, this game is in Cleveland and is their home opener. The Steelers have dominated this series really and as of late this has not been a rivalry; it has been a one sided ass-whooping.

However, the biggest mistake that the Steelers can do is to take this game lightly. The Steelers start with a new coach, a new offensive system and a lot of unknowns to be honest. On offense, the Browns will not be able to effectively establish a running game against the Steelers. This puts the game in Charlie Frye’s hands, which is a bit risky. If Charlie can deliver the ball to the tight end effectively, they will be able to move the ball. Historically, the tight ends have killed the Steeler defense.

On the other side of the ball, if the Steelers can establish a running game, the Browns defense will struggle. For all the talk of 4-wides and a wide open offense, I think that the Steelers offense will try to pound the ball in this game and tire out the defense. Also, an effective running game is going to open up things down the field for Big Ben.

I think this is a good opener for Pittsburgh. It is a level 2 game in my rankings and a win here will inspire confidence as well as put the Steelers on the right path for play-off hopes.

GO STEELERS!

Every single team in the NFL has a chance to win the superbowl this year. Some teams may be favored more to do it, while for other teams it may just seem like hope. However, year in and year out in the NFL, there is a team that rises from no where to be a serious contender. The 2006 New Orleans Saints are a perfect example.

At the beginning of the season, it is always interesting to sit down with the schedule and mark up the wins and losses that you project for your team. I am going to try a bit of a different theory in breaking down the 2007 Pittsburgh Steelers. Instead of giving a win-loss projection, I am going to split the games into one of four categories. As the season progresses, it will be easy to see whether the Steelers are going to exceed expectations or fall below them. Bear with me, as I explain below.

> more <

I originally had planned on not getting too specific with my favorite team. However, I will be keeping the closest eye on this team. Therefore, I will be doing weekly capsules of the 2007 Pittsburgh Steelers. To get things started, here is an overview.
Last Year Summary:
A year after winning the Super Bowl after the 2005 season, seemingly nothing went right for the Steelers in 2006. Starting, with the most famous motorcycle crash of all time in the pre-season (did you know that Ben wasn’t wearing a helmet?) and continuing on throughout the season. Besides Ben’s noggin busting up the windshield of an elderly ladies Chrysler, there was Ben’s appendicitis, Hines Ward’s hamstring and the cloud of indecision over Bill Cowher’s future with the team.

> more <

After ranking the divisions, I will now briefly offer up my play-off predictions.

NFC Playoff Teams 

1. Chicago Bears - wins a weak division and racks up easy wins doing it.
2. New Orleans Saints - another beneficiary of an easy division.
3. Philadelphia Eagles - Winners of a brutal challenge in the NFC East
4. St. Louis Rams - Surprise winner in the NFC West.
5. Dallas Cowboys - A very good team in a very tough division.
6. Seattle Seahawks - A good team and will be a challenge in the playoffs.

NFC Play-offs Round 1

• Eagles vs. Seahawks - Eagles take the victory in a good game
• Rams vs. Cowboys - Cowboys upset the Rams at home

NFC Play-offs Round 2

• Bear vs. Cowboys - Bears win despite Rex Grossman
• Saints vs. Eagles - The Eagles get revenge in this play-off rematch and win easily.

NFC Championship Game

•  Bears vs. Eagles - Eagles continue their impressive run through the NFC and win a trip to the Superbowl

AFC Play-off Teams

1. Indianapolis Colts - Very good team in a somewhat suspect division
2. New England Patriots - Ditto
3. San Diego Chargers - Hardened by just getting the division win.
4. Baltimore Ravens - May be a closer battle here than projected, but the Ravens just win the North.
5. Denver Broncos - A division winner if San Diego was not there.
6. Cincinnati Bengals -  This could easily be the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it doesn’t matter as neither team will win the Superbowl.

AFC Play-offs Round 1

• San Diego vs. Cincinnati - San Diego chalks up an easy victory.
• Baltimore vs. Denver - Denver gets a tough win in Baltimore.

AFC Play-offs Round 2 

• Indianapolis vs. Denver - Denver is outplayed in every aspect by the Colts
• New England vs. San Diego - In the best game of the play-offs, San Diego finds a way to win.

AFC Championship Game 

• Indianapolis vs. San Diego - Indianapolis can’t match the aggressive play of the Chargers.

SUPERBOWL

San Diego vs. Philadelphia

The Eagles make it interesting, but in the end, this will be remembered as yet another AFC domination of the NFC.