2007 Steelers - Week #6 Bye Week

Last Weeks Result

• Pittsburgh 21, Seattle 0
• Record: 4-1
• Standings: Sole possession of 1st in AFC North

Last Weeks Game Recap

While I expected a win against Seattle, I was not expecting a shut out against one of the better offenses in the NFL. The Steeler defense exposed some fundamental weaknesses in the Seattle offense. The Seahawks don’t seem to have much of an interior running game and Alexander was really a non-factor in this game. The wrist may have been bothering him, but to be honest Shaun has not been the same back for several years. In addition, the Steelers went with no blitzing and a cover 2 scheme that completely confused Matt Hasselbeck. From the Seahawks perspective, I am sure that they will look into adjustments to prevent them from being shut out again. However, what this shows me from the Steelers side is that they were able to successfully break down film on an opponent and come up with a game plan to put their players in a position to win.

This game was full of injuries on both sides. Both teams were without their #1 and #2 receivers for the majority of the game. I was thrilled that the Steelers players stepped up to the challenge. The first half of this game was a struggle for both offenses. This struggle was as much (and probably more) to do with some excellent defensive play from both teams. In the end, the Steelers offense broke through first and after the 10+ minute drive in the third quarter, the Seattle defense was tired and demoralized. Ben has been very impressive this year. I really don’t think that his game was all that much different this week than the loss last week. The biggest difference this week was that the receivers stepped up. Particularly Cedrick Wilson. He was the goat of the game last week (IMO) and yet this week he is the hero. His numbers aren’t particularly daunting, but he made catches, was able to get open and basically gave Ben a reason to have confidence in him. In addition, he didn’t even know he was starting until kick-off.

On the defensive side for the Steelers, very little went wrong. The only significant drive that Seattle put together ended with an Ike Taylor interception in the endzone. The only reason that drive was successful is that the Steelers forgot that the Seahawks actually picked up a tight end that can catch a ball and left him wide open on several plays. Seriously though, the defense was the best I have seen from the Steelers this year. A lot of the credit has to go to Lebeau, who put his players in position to win. Everybody on the defensive side of the ball was outstanding, especially since the starting nose tackle(Casey Hampton) and strong safety(Troy Polamalu) were out. James Farrior, Aaron Smith, Deshea Townsend among others were standouts, but Ike Taylor had an absolute monster game. More than anyone else, he broke the spirit of the Seattle offense. The interception was huge, but he did much more than that. Statistics don’t track a lot of things that aren’t flashy, but looking through the box score, I counted 9 passes that went to Taylors man. Of those, only 5 were completed for a total of 26 yards (3, 7, 7, 8 and 1). In other words, Taylor was not beaten deep.

The special teams was not spectacular, but they got the job done. There were no turnovers on kick returns, however for the first time this season I was not as confident in Rossum as I have been in the past. He just never seemed to get a good hold on the ball. He fumbled twice, one out of bounds and one recovered by the Steelers. This has got to be fixed. The Steelers proved last year, that the quickest way to go from a good team to a mediocre team is to have weak special teams play. The coverage teams did their job well at least.

Game MVP

Cedrick Wilson - Offense. When your quarteback is 18-22 while spreading the ball around it may seem weird to select a receiver. However, I think Ben’s performance this week really wasn’t that different from last week. Ben did his job well both times in my opinion. The difference was that he had receivers — mainly Wilson — step up and makes plays.

Ike Taylor - Defense. Ike Taylor has gone from a hero in the superbowl year, to being benched last year, to being a shut down corner this year. He has always had talent, I think the biggest difference is that he needs to be put in a position to use that talent properly.

Game Grades

• Offense: B+ - This was another slow start for this offense. Without Ward, teams are stacking against the run and daring the wide receivers to make plays. Last week the receivers couldn’t respond, this week they did.
• Defense: A - When you don’t give up any points, there really is no other grade to give. This was an absolutely dominating performance.
• Special Teams: C - The coverage teams were sufficient, but the fumbles absolutely need to be stopped. This week it did not hurt us, but it will if this persists.
• Coaching Staff: A - Nice job in bouncing back from a loss. Also, the defensive game plan was shocking to everyone and showed some real innovation. I have no idea how much input Tomlin has on this, but playing a cover 2 eliminated anything that the Seahawks wanted to do.
• Overall: - B+

Season (Composite) Grades

• Offense: - B-
• Defense: - B+
• Special Teams: - B-
  
• Coaching Staff: - B
  
• Overall: - B
  

Next Up: Bye Week

Good time to get Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Troy Polamalu, and Casey Hampton healthy. The schedule starts getting pretty brutal after this bye week.