Much like last week, there really isn't much I need to say that the Bills didn't help me say yesterday. Another big day for the reigning NFL Coach of the Week - Mike Tomlin, as well as Big Ben, Willie Parker and above all, Steelers Defense! 26-3 is a pretty big bloodbath, and this was 26 points that delivered blow after blow. So I'd say all in all we ought to be pretty happy with the way things shaped up.
But despite the fact that Buffalo looked about as solid as their NCAA counterparts did against Penn State on Saturday, there were naturally key stats for us that I thought were major pluses.
Check it out:
Turnovers - 1 -- should be 0, but 1 is better than 3 or 4...2006 ahem ahem
Punts/Yards - 1/41 -- This is obviously significant because we only had to punt ONCE all game. Anytime you have the ball for 35+ minutes out of 60 and only punt one time, I'd call that a positive. Oh, and by the way, 11/16 on 3rd down (almost 70% efficiency).
3 Catches, 60 Yards -- Nate Washington, leading Steelers receiver on Sunday. The man found his hands and came up with some big plays for us. Not bad for a 4th option WR.
2 Catches, 10 Yards, 1 TD -- Matt Spaeth, who enjoyed his second TD in as many games. Starting to make us realize why we took a TE so "early" this past April. I'll admit I hated this pick. No matter how celebrated a TE he was, we had just taken Heath Miller two years ago and Tuman's no slouch. So I guess I didn't see it. That all has changed.
3 Receivers with 50+ Yards -- You want an explanation?
Now, of course, the one negative point was the injury to James Harrison. I think we all probably gasped together when we saw Harrison getting boarded and carted off with his neck braced, and then were much relieved to learn he was relatively ok when he came back under his own power - walking the sidelines during the 3rd Quarter. I'm still unclear when Harrison will return to starting...perhaps even Sunday. The good news is (if there is any bright side to the injury) Woodley did a fantastic job as usual, coming in and contributing 4 solo tackles and a sack.
Also a bonus for us this week -- CLEVELAND BEAT CINCY!! Yeah, I couldn't believe my eyes either. Jamal Lewis? Braylon Edwards? Joe Jurevicius? DEREK ANDERSON??? Looks to me like playing the Bengals should be an offensive melee. But besides that, the AFC North belongs for the time being, to the Steelers. Ok, yes, it's only 2 games into the season. However, I can't help but feel pretty good about the way things are shaping up.
With that, I will say no more on the subject. If anyone else has anything to add, as usual, I'd love to hear it.
Buffalo v. Pittsburgh Boxscore [ESPN]
September 17, 2007
Steelers Continue to Dominate I-AA Teams...
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3 comments:
our schedule for the next few weeks should be cake...lets hope the steelers continue their roll and the rest of our division continues to lose, so that towards the end of the year we can afford a few losses...big ben god send
by the way....EAAAGGGLLLEESSS!!!!
Great joob on the blog, as usual. Only issue i have is this:
"perogative" should be "prerogative". Otherwise you are grammatically correct suh!
The offense looks enegetic, confident and capable. Ben seems comfortable and Willie is as strong inside as outside. I'me very happy with the play calling. Defense is AWESOME! Only 10 points in 2 games is a good job against any NFL opponents.
WTF is up in Cleveland?! Good for them! Except, we'll always own them. But otherwise yay.
I wouldn't be surprised if Woodley starts soon. And where the hell is Timmons? Do i smell a bust there?
Just read a short piece by Kirwan on the NFL site. He made a good point about simplifying the offensive and defensive playbooks. I agree: keep the calls to a minimum and let these athletes play!
As an aside:
D. Mcnabb needs to quit crying "race" every time he sucks eggs. We don't hear the unfairly disregarded white guys at wideout, running back, cornerback or otherwise doing it. Why should he?
Race should never be a factor in any decision or statement regarding football play. Period. This is America, where EVERYBODY can be a winner if they put in the work and keep focused. Dammit.
Just my .02 cents.
Keep on blogging, my Black-nGold bro!!
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