Pittsburgh Steelers Week One Recap: Tennessee Titans

The NFL and its fans had to love the kickoff to the 2009 season.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans created some violent ballet for five quarters that had most of the nation buzzing till the wee hours of the morning.

There were so many storylines for writers to grab hold of and run with, but two things became clear after the game: Ben Roethlisberger is a big-game quarterback of the nth degree, and the Titans’ D-line won’t miss a beat without Albert Haynesworth.

It was basic, hard-nosed football at its best.

Despite this warm, fuzzy feeling of victory, the Steeler Nation does have some cause for concern. So here it is, the good and the bad in week one for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

 

The Good

1. Big Ben Does It Again

Roethlisberger recorded his 20th fourth quarter or overtime comeback by going 5-for-7 for 60 yards down the stretch.

He was cool and poised in the pocket, and when he had to run for his life, he usually found an open man. For the game, Big Ben was 33-for-43 for 363 yards and a touchdown.

 

2. The Receivers

The trio of Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, and Mike Wallace, who has apparently wrested the No. 3 receiver role from Limas Sweed, combined for 20 receptions for 257 yards and a score.

Yes, Hines made a crucial fumble inside the five, but all in all, the receivers are clearly the bright spot of the offense. Throw in TE Heath Miller, and Roethlisberger has a ton of weapons in his pass receiving arsenal.

 

3. Special Teams

One of the things Steelers coach Mike Tomlin wanted to see a marked improvement in from a year ago was special teams. If last night is any indication of what will happen the whole season, he got his wish.

Punter Daniel Sepulveda averaged 42.7 yards on seven punts that routinely put Tennessee in terrible field position. The Titans’ average start was their own 15.

On the other end of the spectrum, Stefan Logan gave the Steelers great field position for most of the game. The former CFL star averaged 29.0 yards on kickoff returns and 11.0 yards on punt returns.

In addition, James Farrior came up with a huge block of a Rob Bironas field goal attempt in the second quarter.

It was an A-plus night for the special teams unit.

 

4. The Steelers Defense

This franchise was built on the backs of great defenses, and the 2009 edition will be tough to score on once again.

Titans backs LenDale White and Chris Johnson were limited to 85 yards on the ground, and while QB Kerry Collins did have some success with the Pittsburgh secondary, Tennessee could muster only 10 points.

 

The Bad

1. The Steelers Offensive Line

Here we go again. Last season the line gave up too many sacks, was terrible in short yardage, and couldn’t run-block if their life depended on it.

After week one, nothing has changed in 2009.

Big Ben was planted to the ground four times, the short yardage situations were a disaster, and the Steelers ground attack was anemic. One bright spot: Roethlisberger was sacked only once in the second half.

Still, this unit must improve if Pittsburgh wants a return trip to the Super Bowl. Throwing 43 times and rushing 23 is not a well-balanced effort.

Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians completely abandoned the run game in the second half, and that’s not good. Eventually a lack of balance comes back to bite you hard.

 

2. The Running Backs

While the offensive line deserves a share of the blame, so do the running backs.

Willie Parker was anything but fast. He hit the few holes that were open like he had all night to run. You don’t have all night in this league. You have micro-seconds.

Ditto for Rashard Mendenhall. This was a chance for him to shine, and he dropped the ball. He ran with little effort or intensity last night.

The duo combined for 25 yards on 17 carries. Arians was so unhappy he stuck with Mewelde Moore the entire fourth quarter. Moore made the most of his playing time with four receptions for 28 yards.

The total stats for all the backs: 23 carries for 36 yards. Ouch.

 

3. Troy Polamalu Injured

Polamalu is the best free safety in the game and was proving that last night until disaster struck.

After being caught in an awkward position, Polamalu suffered a sprained MCL that will keep him out for three to six weeks or even longer, depending on the severity of the injury.

The team put on a good front, but there is definite concern he could be gone for a much longer period of time.

The secondary struggled when he left, especially CB William Gay on the outside trying to defend WR Justin Gage.

This unit needs to regroup and cut down on the mental errors. Make no mistake, losing Polamalu hurts, but Tyrone Carter is an experienced vet, and the Pittsburgh secondary should play well in his absence.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

NFL Overtime: Win the Coin Toss, Win the Game

As I watched last night’s game between the Tennessee Titans and the Pittsburgh Steelers with some friends at a local bar, I came to realize two things: I love NFL football so much, and I hate the overtime rules.

 

I hate the rules as much as I love the game and not because my beloved Titans were the victims. The rules just don’t seem fair or commensurate with the ideals of a struggle so fierce that four quarters and 60 minutes couldn’t solve it.

 

Everything else in the NFL is so complex, why is this so simple (and wrong)? For the record, it’s not wrong because my team lost. This has been a point of contention for many years for many a fan.

 

I’ve despised the overtime rules for as long as I can remember, but on opening night, it really hit home for me when one of my friends (a die-hard Steelers fan) turned to me after Pittsburgh won the coin toss and said, “Well, we can go home now right? They won the coin toss, that’s it.”

 

Begrudgingly, I knew he was probably right. And yet again, after 60 minutes of smash-mouth, exciting football, Pittsburgh took the kickoff, marched down the field, and kicked a 33-yard field goal to win it just four minutes into overtime. The Titans never saw the ball.

 

Now maybe the Steelers should have won the game anyway, as they were unfortunate to lose a fumble in the last minute of regulation. Nevertheless, the point is there about the NFL’s ridiculous OT rules.

 

 

My Proposed Solution

 

Use the coin toss for choice of possession or side of the field (this remains the same, but with the new rules, comes a little more strategic planning).

 

The team that gets the ball first can win the game with a touchdown, without the other team ever seeing the ball.

 

If the team who has possession first scores a field goal, the other team has their opportunity to score either a touchdown (to win), or a field goal to tie (at which point the game continues under sudden death rules).

 

If the first team to have possession fails to score, the other team can win with a touchdown or a field goal.

 

I believe this type of setup would not only be fair, but also more exciting than the typical overtime which often seems anti-climactic. It may take longer, but who doesn’t want more football?

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Troy Polamalu, Meet the Madden Curse

Every year, some ultra-competitive, non-superstitious athlete signs up to be on the cover of the Madden NFL football video game.

Every year, an unfortunate happenstance befalls that athlete.

This year, it just happens to work out for the Ravens’ benefit, as Troy Polamalu went down in last night’s season opener with what is now being called an MCL sprain.

Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro safety Troy Polamalu sprained the medial collateral ligament in his left knee late in the first half of their 13-10 overtime victory against Tennessee on Thursday night. Coach Mike Tomlin said the injury usually sidelines a player from three to six weeks.

I feel bad for Polamalu because he’s a tremendous player, has funny commercials, and seems pretty likeable. But you can’t root for the Ravens and not take heart in the Steeler’s losing one of their best players, even if just for a few weeks. Polamalu out of the lineup could mean a win or a loss that could be the difference in if the Ravens with the AFC North.

Technorati Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Troy Polamalu

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

NFL Game of the Week: New England Patriots Vs. Buffalo Bills

Buffalo, the silent town that was once hardworking, is now becoming slowly rundown as the citizens leave for a nicer area. Little is still left to the city, for many, all they think about, when it comes to sports, is the Buffalo Sabres.

Now, one man has brought the world’s attention into Bills’ territory. His name is Terrell Owens, and he’s a show in himself.

With the addition of T.O., the Bills have a legitimate offense, with two 1,000-yard receivers (Owens, Lee Evans), and Trent Edwards preparing for what might be his best year yet; the passing game will definitely be one to watch. The 5’10” Josh Reed is their version of a Santana Moss, and has the speed to cut for the game.

Meanwhile Marshawn Lynch, at 23-years-old, is one of the most impressive young players. Lynch averaged 4.1 yards-per-carry last year and got just over 1,000 rushing yards. His eight touchdowns show he is a punch in the red zone, even though he is just 5’11” and 215 pounds. Last year the rookie lost just one fumble, a very impressive stat for the player out of California.

Meanwhile, the Patriots’ defense is hurting. With Tedy Bruschi retired, Richard Seymour traded, and Mike Vrabel in Kansas City, it seems the championship defense is fully gone. Though the line still holds big names such as Larry Izzo and Vince Wilfork, the linebacker corps is thin and Jerod Mayo will have to play a huge part for the team.

After losing Asante Samuel last year, they lost Ellis Hobbs this year in the secondary front. The coverage on two 1,000 yard receivers will not be pretty, and the Pats will have some points counted up against them.

Yet again, who cares when you have a New England offense?

Ladies and gentleman, who cares about the name Matt Cassel? Welcome back Mr. Tom Brady, an NFL MVP and three-time Super Bowl winner. If Brady avoids any further injury, it will be like 2007 all over again.

Randy Moss and Brady clicked once again in preseason, and with Wes Welker cutting into the middle for the Pats, that duo is right back to greatness as well. With BenJarvus Geen-Ellis, Fred Taylor, and Laurence Maroney all splitting time at the back position, the running game could also be very interesting.

Kevin Faulk will be a presence too, if he restrains the injuries that can plague older players. Not to mention Joey Galloway will be an interesting third option for the passing game; the former Buccaneer will hopefully thicken the spread for the Pats to get more 1-1 coverages for Randy Moss.

The 4-3 defense in Buffalo has no way to matchup with these receivers, therefore, I see the New England Patriots being able to take this game in a relatively high scoring fashion.

Prediction: New England: 31    Buffalo: 21

 

Other Scores

Miami: 21               Atlanta: 27

Kansas City: 10      Baltimore: 23

Philadelphia: 20       Carolina: 24

Denver:  27            Cincinnati: 16

Minnesota:  27        Cleveland: 10

New York Jets: 21      Houston: 28

Jacksonville: 21        Indianapolis: 23

Detroit: 14               New Orleans: 35

Dallas: 30                 Tampa Bay: 13

San Francisco: 28        Arizona: 34

New York Giants: 24    Washington: 17

St. Louis: 17              Seattle: 28

Chicago: 27                Green Bay: 24

San Diego:  28            Oakland: 14

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

The Fall of Troy: With Polamalu’s Injury, Do You Believe in Madden Curse Now?

Every year, video gamers of all ages eagerly await the launch of the latest John Madden football game. The game has amazingly evolved over the years, always taking advantage of cutting-edge technology.

When first developed, the game was known as John Madden Football, with the big guy himself gracing the cover of the packaging. In 2001, the box art began featuring an action shot of a current NFL player.

The Madden Curse refers to the injury or poor performance that usually happens to said player. Do you think I am crazy? Let’s take a look…

Begin Slideshow

Now It’s “We” Time in the NFL

National Football Post

The National Football Post is a unique and premier online source of quality and credible news, information and insight about all sides of football featuring professionals with experience in all facets of the NFL.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Justin Gage: Was Week One His Coming out Party?

Justin Gage was a receiver who had little respect heading into the 2009 season. His current ADP is 129.98, meaning in many leagues he wasn’t selected at all. 

However, Gage plays for a team with no real standout threat at WR, so that statistic may have proven to be a miscalculation by many fantasy owners.

Who exactly were the team’s other options?

• Nate Washington: He set his career high last season with 40 catches and 631 yards. In 49 career games, he has just 104 catches. I know he was behind Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ depth chart, but you still would have liked to have seen a little bit more.
• Kenny Britt: The first round draft choice has a huge upside, but exactly what are they going to get from him? It’s likely going to take some time for him to settle into the professional game and make a consistent impact (of course, he had a huge play in what appeared to be broken coverage at the end of the first half). He has the potential to be the best of the group by the end of the season, but it should take time to get there.
• Lavelle Hawkins: With seven career catches in 13 games, is there much hope for him to make a major impact?
• Dominique Edison: A sixth round draft choice, not much should be expected from him.

Then there is Gage, who is starting for the Titans and appeared to be a constant target for Kerry Collins. Given the state of the receiving corps, he easily could continue to be so.

After being buried on the Bears bench from 2003-2006, Gage joined the Titans in 2007 and quickly proved that he could be valuable. He caught 55 catches for 750 yards that season, though he did score just two TDs.

Last season, he was limited to just 12 games, catching 34 balls. He averaged 19.1 yards per catch, amassing 651 yards for the season. He also caught six TDs, showing just how explosive he could be.

In the first half of last night’s game against the Steelers, he had three catches for 27 yards and one TD, putting him second on the team in catches (Bo Scaife had three). He kept things rolling in the second half, picking up another four catches and 51 yards, leading the team for the day in catches (seven) and finishing second in yards (78).

He was the target for Collins 11 times, nearly double that of any other receiver (Britt and Scaife were thrown to six times each). That shows you, at least early on, that he is a target that is going to be the center of attention for the Titans.

Will he be able to continue at this type of pace? That remains to be seen, but at this point he has to be seen as a low-end, viable option in all fantasy formats.

While he may not be worth the gamble of starting, he’s definitely worth having on your bench to be used as a bye week fill-in or injury replacement.

I was able to go to the waiver wire and scoop him up last night and I’d recommend you doing the same.

Every season, there are a few receivers who make that next big step and emerge as a tremendous option in all formats. Why couldn’t it be Gage this season?  He clearly is going to get the opportunity to excel.

It’s way too early to call allowing him to go undrafted a miscalculation, but he certainly is going to garner some attention after last night’s performance. Don’t miss out on the opportunity, especially if you have a fringe receiver buried on your bench.

What are your thoughts on Gage? Will he continue to build off of last night’s solid performance? Is he just a Week One flash in the pan?

This article is also featured on www.rotoprofessor.com/football

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

NFL Team Previews: San Diego Chargers

Pigskin Heaven‘s Sascha Bartels is breaking down every single team in the NFL prior to the season. Here is his analysis and forecast for the San Diego Chargers. Click on a team to read its preview.

AFC East: BUF | MIA | NE | NYJ

AFC North: BAL | CIN | CLE | PIT

AFC South: IND | HOU | JAX | TEN

AFC West: DEN | KAN | OAK | SDG

NFC East: DAL | NYG | PHI | WAS

NFC North: CHI | DET | GBA | MIN

NFC South: ATL | CAR | NOL | TBA

NFC West: ARI | STL | SFO | SEA

 

What’s New?

Not a lot of happenings in San Diego this offseason. Some departures, like Igor Olshansky, and some arrivals, like Kevin Burnett.

For San Diego, the team is more worried about having their key players healthy this season. LaDainian Tomlinson was hobbled at times last season, and Shawne Merriman was sidelined for the year.  Both are back and looking good. That is, until Merriman’s arrest last week.

The draft brought another linebacker, Larry English from Northern Illinois.  The rest of the draft brought depth, but nothing flashy.  Offensive linemen Louis Vazquez and Tyronn Greene, defensive lineman Vaughn Martin, and a couple of skill players.

Three Burning Questions

Is Tomlinson healthy and ready to assume his position as best player in football?

According to coaches and teammates and coaches, Tomlinson has looked as good as ever this preseason, and he’ll likely play with a chip on his shoulder.

Hampered last year with toe and groin injuries, he was limited to his worst season of his career, one that still produced 12 TDs by the way.  He looks healthy, motivated, and the Chargers are better for it.

 

With Merriman back, will Chargers defense return to 2007 form?

In 2008, the Chargers ranked 24th in the league in defense, and 15th in scoring defense.  The 2007 Charger defense ranked 14th and fifth in those respective standings.

This team is certainly built to be better than it was last year, better even than the version from two years ago.

With Merriman and English joined at linebacker by the likes of Shaun Phillips and Stephen Cooper, a secondary that features Quentin Jammer, Antonio Cromartie and Antoine Cason, and a line that features Luis Castillo and Jamal Williams, this defense should be a consistent top five unit.

Let’s see if they can put that together this year.

 

Should Norv Turner be on the hot seat?

Last year the Chargers went 8-8, inexcusable considering their talent level, no matter how banged up they were.

They did luck into the playoffs and won a game.  Here’s the thing.  It seems that Charger fans are satisfied with the team making the playoffs on a regular basis, and maybe winning a game and losing a close one.  That’s all fine and dandy.

But to me, the Chargers are a team that should have visited the Super Bowl at least once over the last five years, and well, they haven’t.  I know it may be an unpopular decision to fire a coach who leads his team to the playoffs, but Charger fans should be able to expect more from this team.

 

Fantasy Forecast

Good Play:  The Chargers feature one of the five best running backs in Tomlinson, one of the five best quarterbacks in Rivers, and one of the five best tight ends in Gates.  Vincent Jackson is also a starter in any league.

Avoid:  I wouldn’t put too much incentive in Darren Sproles.  He’s certainly worth a late pick, and if Tomlinson gets hurt then Sproles’ value rises dramatically, but until then, he’s not worth much.

Sleeper:  Whoever steps up and becomes the third receiver behind Jackson and Chambers should see fairly decent numbers.  My money is on Malcolm Floyd.  He’s not worth a draft pick, but look for him on the waiver wire if he starts putting up numbers.

 

Prognosis

For the prognosis and final record, read the originally posted article here.

This is an original article by Pigskin Heaven Staffer, Sascha Bartels. You can read it, more of Sascha’s articles, and more from the Pigskin Heaven staff here.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Troy Polamalu Out 3-6 Weeks With MCL Sprain

The Pittsburgh Steelers successfully began their defense of the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl last night against Tennessee, winning 13-10 in overtime.

The victory was not without its downsides, however.

Troy Polamalu, the Steelers’ defensive backfield dynamo, sprained his MCL when a Titans player fell on his leg during the scrum that occurred after Steelers’ DE Aaron Smith blocked a Rob Bironas field goal attempt.

Prior to the injury, Polamalu had already registered six first half tackles and an interception.

Pro Football Talk reports that Mike Tomlin speculated during his post game press conference that Polamalu will likely have to miss 3-6 weeks. Tomlin was not certain, and we should know more today after Polamalu has been more fully examined; but 3-6 weeks is the typical recovery time for MCL sprains.

I will update this post if we learn anything new later this afternoon.

Follow the links to StubHub for great deals on Pittsburgh Steelers tickets and all 2009 NFL tickets.

For the Steelers, any extended time lost for Polamalu would obviously be troublesome.

While Pittsburgh seems to be able to replace linebackers with relative ease from one season to the next, Polamalu is the one truly irreplaceable player on their defense because of his peerless instincts and superb athleticism. He is one of a handful of defensive players in the NFL who is truly capable of making a game-changing play on every snap.

If you have the Steelers’ D in fantasy, losing Polamalu clearly hurts their value from the standpoint of being a weekly TD threat. Still, the Steelers have Dick LeBeau and enough other solid veteran players to remain a top-3 defense with or without Polamalu.

In leagues that use individual defensive players, Polamalu owners will have to adjust for what looks like at least a month. Typically, IDP’s are relatively interchangeable, but Polamalu is one of the few guys I’d actually consider stashing on my bench if I could afford to do so. Luckily, there are no byes to deal with over the next three weeks.

If you can find a way to keep Polamalu and still field a full, healthy roster of players, do it. Obviously if you need a QB, RB, or WR to complete your lineup, Polamalu might have to to go. Hopefully he’ll slip through the cracks for you and can be re-claimed down the line.

* – Troy Polamalu photo credit: Sportsocracy.org

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Diner Morning News: Opening Night Review – by Mike Lombardi

National Football Post

The National Football Post is a unique and premier online source of quality and credible news, information and insight about all sides of football featuring professionals with experience in all facets of the NFL.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

« Previous Page — Next Page »

NFL Sport Channel Latest

• Just How Far Would You Go?
• Sorry Rex, But It Isn’t Happening
• Super Bowl Predictions: Five Stat-Free Reasons Why the Eagles Will Reach The Super Bowl
• Seahawks Attempt to Turn Corner With Heavy Pursuit of Pete Carroll
• Bill Cowher Unlikely to Coach in 2010