WEEK 2: SEATTLE

Potentially the Steelers could not have asked for an easier home opener. Seattle was 7-9 last season, being the first team to make the playoffs with a losing record, and they even managed to defeat the Saints in Game 1 of the playoffs. However, they won in a division that could arguably have been the worst in NFL history last season (the four teams won a TOTAL of 25 games between them). 


THEN the Seahawks cast off their formerly All-Pro QB, in favor of the NOT All-Pro QB Tarvaris Jackson, AND traded their best linebacker. What is going on in the wet northwest? Foggy thinking? 


Last week they gave up two returns for TDs to a player the Dolphins bailed on. 


Further, they have to travel for a 1 PM ET game which is 10 AM PT. West coast teams have not done well historically travelling to the east coast for an early game. Plus the Steelers were totally embarrassed by the Ravens last week and that is probably NOT going to happen again.

PREDICTION: STEELERS 34 - SEAHAWKS10

Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all time thing. You don't win once in a while, you don't do things right once in a while, you do them right all the time. Winning is habit. Unfortunately, so is losing. -- Vince Lombardi 

WEEK 1 "AGREE TO DISAGREE"

My answers to the questions posed in this week's "Agree to Disagree."


1. Are the Steelers too old and too slow?  Yes, too old; too slow, maybe. Just remember what happened when Chuck Noll hung on to players too long.

2. Should a rookie or vet replace Willie Colon at RT?  The Steelers need to develop new O-Line talent so I'm going along with the choice of Marcus Gilbert.

3. Should changes be made other than that required by the Colon injury?  I can't think of any that would result in instant improvement. So, no.

4. Is it imperative to beat Seattle soundly?  Not "imperative" but it would be nice to see so we, the fans, can regain some confidence in this group. Mine took a REAL bad hit last week so I also needed to include this photo as a morale booster.

LET'S PLAY "WHO'S NEXT"?

So far:

Baron Batch--I appeared that the Steelers were going to be able to add a shifty, fast, good-hands receiving back to their offense until batch went down the first week of practice. What will HIS status be next year?

Brian Leftwitch--The Number 3 QB goes down n the next-to-last preseason game. Will he return next season of will the team consider him to fragile? At lest it's not his trowing arm.

Willie Colon--After missing last season with a torn Achilles can he be relied upon to return to form next season?

So far all the problems are on offense. Who's next?

Jame Harrison--He's definitely not in game shape. Will he be before getting injured?

Troy Polamalu--Will he hold up at 100% for the entire season or is he even at 100% now.

Aaron Smith: Can he last out the season for the first time in three years?

Or perhaps another offense lineman, Maurkice Pouncey--He re-injured his ankle in the second pre-season game. Will THAT hold up for the remainder of the season?

BLACK SUNDAY

"You gotta take your hat off and hand it to them," As Hines Ward has been prone to say. This time the Ravens took the Steelers' heads off and handed them to THEM.


Overconfidence? Why wouldn't there have been? Going into the game EVERYONE talked of the Ravens starting line ups as if they were a hodge-podge of walking wounded and who-dats? 


What didn't help was the Steelers brought more turnovers with them than the neighborhood bakery. They tackled like the opening day of training camp--probably worse. The only guy to run for more than 100 yards against their defense in the past three or four years did it again; with ease. And could have had more.


This time there were no blitzes by Troy Polamalu  resulting in stripped balls from Joe Flacco. There were no knock-out hits by Ryan Clark. There were no passes through into the ground at  the feet of wide open tight ends when a completion could be a tie at the end of a closely-contested game. There were no second half collapses by Baltimore after taking a 21-7 lead into halftime. There were no Ben Roethlisberger comebacks in the offing. There were no big stops on short yardage situations--OK there was one. 


The Ravens pretty much handled the Steelers in every way except winning the opening coin toss. Their coach even did a "raise-the-roof" to the Baltimore crowd.


Take a photo from yesterday's game and frame it a a good old butt-whippping that everyone except the Ravens thought would have been the other way around.