Thursday Steeler Science

Yinzers,

First off, hat's off to Pittsburgh's own Jackie Evancho. If you have not heard of this girl (which I hadn't until America's Got Talent was the only show on the only channel I got), she is one of the last five acts on America's Got Talent. This young lady is 11 years old and sings opera...literally. Below is a youtube video of her. If this little girl does not win this competition, I will give up what little hope in the world that the new Snuggie Mocarena commercial hasn't knocked out of me. Last night on the show, when Jackie was asked to say a few words after moving on to the next round, she replied with "I want to thank Pittsburgh. It's where I'm from and it's the best." So, if you have never watched the show, just tune in for this girl. She is the best.



Now that the NFL season is upon us and the Raider that is the Autumn wind is right around the corner, Thursdays will be the "scientific" look at the upcoming Steeler game. I will do my best to present the evidence for the teams so you can be the judge of how the game will proceed (not to say that Nix can't do that...but he can't do that). I will do my best to filter my black and gold blood to give you a full preview. Let's take a look at tonight's game, shall we?

Tonight, the Carolina Panthers make the trek to Heinz Field for the third preseason game for our Steelers. Coming into this game, the Steelers are 2-1 in the preseason with two convincing games played and Sunday night's debacle. Let's look at what has happened so far. In the first two games, the Steelers showed great poise in both the running game and passing game along with stingy defense. So, what happened Sunday? A lack of focus happened, that's all. Dennis Dixon got his shot to prove he is in the race to start week one and he panicked. There was also a problem with penalties on Sunday with the Steelers giving up 93 total yards in penalties. There was just an overall lack of focus by the entire team. This week, I would look for that to be cut back, except maybe from Flozel Adams because he's good for at least 3 false starts per game. The first team will play the entire first half and maybe into the third quarter. Chemistry is the biggest thing that is lacking with the Steelers right now. I hate to say it, but Ben Roethlisberger does hold the team together like glue in spite of what happens in bar restrooms. The more the first team plays together in this game, the better the first few weeks without Ben will be. As for the penalties, I'm sure Mike Tomlin gave an all-inclusive lecture this week at camp. The other point I noticed in the loss to Denver was that Bruce Ariens has not changed a thing. I saw a high level of "iso-iso-screen-punt" series. Yes, there is a point when you can nickel and dime a team to death and there is a point when you realize that you have to take some shots to take the defense out of the box. Hopefully, he uses more of the bunch formation and some down-field routes.

As for the Carolina Panthers, they will be coming back to Heinz Field on December 23 so they will be taking notes. The Panthers are "in rebuilding" you could say with getting rid of Jake Delhomme and putting all their eggs in the "overhype" basket on Jimmy Clausen who has a QB rating under 60.0 for the preseason. How did that Charlie Weiss pro-style offense prepare you? That's great, Jimmy. In three preseason games, Carolina has not scored an offensive touchdown. In fact, they have only scored two total touchdowns in three games and they were on a defensive fumble recovery and a kick-off return. Considering Deangelo Williams is one of the more potent rushers in the National Football League, this is hard to believe. But, without a real dangerous wideout and a below average group of quarterbacks, the Panthers are struggling to find their identity. In spite of all the offensive woes, the Panthers defense has been playing very well. They were 4th in the league against the pass last year and continue to play a very good defensive secondary. They have held their opponent under 10 points in two of the three preseason games which includes keeping Chris Johnson and the Titans in check and keeping Shone Green, Ladanian Tomlinson and the Jets under wraps. So you can't write off a team that can play defense.

In general, look for both teams to perhaps start out wide open and then play conservative. A few shots downfield in the first half followed by two-tight sets for the rest of the game. If you like the ground game and gritty defense, tonight will be the game for you to watch this preseason.

Here we go,
B Brog