Because of the Bye Week, this is technically the 3/4 season report.
What has gone right?
It has been a very strange but exciting beginning to the season. The Steelers sit a half game out of first place and have started to turn up the offense (5th in the league) and have improved on defense.
Le’Veon Bell is better than advertised and does everything extremely well. He can catch, run and block. He has been a huge addition and a key to the Steelers record.
As in past seasons the Steelers Wide Receivers are plain awesome and despite losing Manny Sanders, have actually gotten better. Antonio Brown can make a case that he is the best receiver in football. Markus Wheaton has really stepped up and despite some lapses has been everything that one could ask for. Martavis Bryant is scary good and he has not yet scratched his potential. All the veterans have contributed.
Speaking of veterans, Heath Miller, James Harrison and Brett Keisel have all had turn back the clock for some years. Miller has been great and nothing short of it. Harrison and Keisel both have contributed and helped keep the defense in games. It is fun watching these guys.
What has gone wrong?
Injuries have been awful again, losing Jarvis Jones, Ryan Shazier, Ike Taylor and Troy Polamalu all have missed time. The pass rush has been nonexistent and the defense is a long way from the days of Blitzburgh!
The Steelers continued their trend losing to the dreck of football. They almost were upset by Jacksonville and Tenn. but pulled both games out. For those who are scoring at home the Steelers lost two games to teams who are now 4-18. All we need to do is lose to the Raiders for the Crappola Trifecta.
Reasons for Concern: The defense needs to find a pass rush. The Steelers can beat ANYONE…and proved they can lose to anyone. So that scares me. The offensive line needs to hold up and the young guys need to stay on the field and bring this thing home!
Offensive Game Beer: Has to be Antonio Brown again, he has 1100+ yards receiving and 88 catches. He narrowly beats out Ben Roethlisberger who would have been the game beer winner, if not for the Jets game. Le’Veon Bell who does everything well.
Defensive Game Beer: James “Silverback” Harrison who came off the couch to lead the team in sacks. While the defense has been mediocre at best, Silverback has stepped it up.
Disappointment of the first half: Losing to the F-ing Bucs on my Birthday and the loser Jets in NY. The Bucs had a spirited game and worked hard for the win, they kind of caught the Steelers flat footed. The Jets was inexcusable. They played flat all day and again if they won either of those games they are in first place. If they won both they would be in first place and tied for the best record in the NFL. It amazes me how the Steelers could lose to either team considering how lousy both are.
Most Improved: I am going with Markus Wheaton. He looks like he can be a huge factor and a key to the pass happy offense.
GRADES:
QB: A-, Big Ben has played extremely well except for the Jets game. He gives the Steelers a chance to win every week.
RB: A-, This could have been an A+ if Blount didn’t get himself kicked off the team this week. Le’Veon Bell has performed beyond expectations. Unfortunately, right now he is a party of one. Will Johnson has done his usual good job.
WR: A+, This crew is plain great, They have a Superstar Antonio Brown, They have two young stars on the way up Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant, two cagey veterans in Darrius Heyward-Bey and Lance Moore and a middle of the road rookie in Justin Brown.
TE: B-, Heath Miller has played extremely well. Matt Spaeth has filled his roll well. Michael Palmer has made a few appearances.
OL: C+, The line has played fairly well. They too are getting better and need to show improvement. Marcus Gilbert should get comeback player of the year, after being humiliated on Thursday Night Football he stepped up big time.
DL: C-, Have played okay, looked great in some games, looked terrible in other games. This is the same note as last year, Brett Keisel has played well in spot duty. I am looking forward to the combination of Stephon Tuitt, Mount McCullers and Steelhead Heyward. That should be the varsity with Keisel, Thomas and McClendon working their way into the rotation.
LB: C+, Jason Worilds has all but disappeared on defense. He has four sacks but doesn’t seem to be much of a factor. James Harrison has done great and seems to be getting better but is also 36. Arthur Moats, Sean Spence and Vince Williams have done nicely in spot duty but all lack consistency. Lawrence Timmons has played consistent and is an unsung hero. Ryan Shazier is exciting but has been injured most of the Season. Jarvis Jones has been sidelined with injuries.
DBs: C-, The “new” look secondary has performed fairly well. Antwon Blake and Brice McCain with William Gay have been doing okay. Mike Mitchell has not been the addition we have hoped. Troy Polamalu is still a factor but has been out for two plus weeks. Will Allen has done an okay job filling in but the team is different with Troy on the field. Cortez Allen has been a complete disaster and looks lost. Ike Taylor has been gone almost the whole season. He can still be a factor.
Coaching: C-, The coaches are doing C work right now. The record and where they are in the standings is passable. Losing to the Bucs and Jets is just inexcusable and downright embarrassing. The Steelers also have had strange wins like the Texans and the Titans. They need to put the petal to the ground here for the next five games.
What does part two look like: The Steelers have both the division and a first round bye within reach. They need to keep Ben vertical, and they need to continue to work on their offense and find the right combination on defense. Logic dictates the Steelers will split with Bengals beat the Falcons and Saints and drop the game to the Chiefs. I figured on 10-6 at the beginning of the season with a possible 11-5 with some luck and 9-7 if we stink up the place. Of course I figured a much different W-L total to get us there but somehow we are there.
BEER WE GO STEELERS! BEER WE GO!