If I’m guessing right, I’m not the only Steeler fan who loses sleep over playoff games. I understand this is childish, sad, and will probably ruin a marriage someday, but it’s a charge I can’t deny. Reading opinion after opinion about the game doesn’t make it any easier on us fans, so Blitzburgh Blog decided to fix things by…throwing in our own two cents. We made a list of things worth worrying about and things that aren’t going to be a factor in Sunday’s showdown with the Bolts – cause if you’re gonna lose sleep, might as well make it worth your while.
Don’t worry about LT.
This is the biggest non issue of the entire game that people insist on talking about. Nobody wants to say it, but LT is done…history. He’s already getting old in running back years and has never been impressive against the Steelers. LT’s games against Pittsburgh look like this in terms of rushing yards: 57, 36, 62, 91. At this point, I’m infinitely more afraid of Le’Ron McCalin than Tomlinson. He’s just not that effective against the Steelers, even when healthy. If he wants to go out there and try to shred the best Steelers defense since Blitzburgh on one leg, James Farrior and Co. will gladly welcome him.
Worry about Antonio Cromartie.
Rodney Harrison. Rashean Mathis. Ben has thrown some devasting interceptions in the playoffs that have been hard to shake. Only the Seattle Seahawks give up more passing yardage than the Bolts and Ben shredded them during the team’s earlier meeting, but in a close game all it takes is one misplaced throw and a guy like Cromartie can score 6 points. If Ben plays a smart game, he could have a field day though.
Don’t worry about Norv Turner.
He helped lead the team on a nice run last year, but outside of that season there is nothing to make somebody believe he’s a better coach than Mike Tomlin. More experienced? Yes, but on a football IQ level the pair is neck and neck. Tomlin is no match right now for a coach like Jeff Fisher, but seeing Turner on the opposing sideline isn’t nearly as uneven.
Worry about Darren Sproles..but not THAT much.
If you have become hard of hearing the past week, it’s probably from all of the noise made by the media slobbering on Darren Sproles. Look, he’s a nice player…no denying that…but before we bow down to the next Gale Sayers, let’s take a deep breath and think of a few key points.
1. The Steelers defense hasn’t allowed 100 yard rusher all year long.
2. Indianapolis plays soft defense and could make Sean McHugh look like a Hall of Famer.
3. IT WAS ONLY ONE FREAKING GAME!! One hit wonders…Sproles is probably wearing a tech vest and listening to Lou Bega right now.
Sproles played an amazing game in a wild card game against the Indianapolis Colts. Let’s not make this into something more than it really is and give the kid more credit than he has earned. Consistency is everything in the NFL and if Chargers fans think Aaron Smith or Brett Keisel suck playing the run as much as Dwight Freeney, then they are in for a rude awakening.
Don’t worry about the weather.
Some yinzers think the biggest factor in the game is Mother Nature. Even if it was 75 degrees and sunny, oddsmakers would like the Steelers. There’s a reason that the Chargers are 8-8 and the Broncos had to lay down like a porn star for San Diego to make the playoffs. There’s also a reason the Steelers are 12-4 despite the hard schedule. Don’t forget about these things.
Worry about Phil Rivers.
We like to make fun of Rivers more than most people for his temper tantrums, but there’s nothing funny about his numbers this year. We’re as rampant Big Ben lovers that exist online, but would trade QB’s for this game if we could. Be it the offensive line or not, Rivers has been money this season and Big Ben has been shaky. (But Big Ben does have a ring, something Rivers can only dream about.) If Mike Bennett and Sproles are shut down – which seems fairly likely – Rivers will take aim at the NFL’s stingiest pass defense. Few QB’s have had success against the Stees defensive backs, including Rivers this season – but there are only a handful of QB’s in the NFL who are capable of playing well against Pittsburgh’s defense and Philip is definitely one. Antonio Gates is hobbled and Larry Timmons & Troy Polamalu are both athletic enough to cover him, but a hobbled Gates is still a valuable target for Rivers. Much to our dismay, DUI Jackson is probably going to play too. The secondary has a tall task on Sunday…hopefully they can keep up the excellent play for one more game at least.
Don’t worry about Mike Scifres.
Scifres is a man-beast of a punter and had a performance for the ages last week. But this week he’s at Heinz Field and we all know how kind the north shore has been to kickers. If you take one thing away from this blog, let it be that a punter will not determine the outcome of the game on Sunday. Let’s say Scifres pins the Steelers back an extra 15 yards than a non man-beast punter would. While it may seem big at the time, it’s only one extra first down a drive. Good football teams are able to overcome things like that and are able to move the ball against a Charger defense that is definitely not elite, even good. If the game turns into a low scoring affair and San Diego wins the game based on field position, the real failure to us isn’t that Scifres outpunted Berger…it’s that the Pittsburgh Steelers couldn’t move the ball an extra 10 or 20 yards against a mediocre defense in the biggest game of the year. People find excuses in too many places for poor play and punting is generally just another one to pull out of the hat. If your offense isn’t good enough to overcome a solid punter, than you don’t deserve to win a playoff game.
More coverage on the San Diego game, including a prediction, coming later this week. If you’re curious, check out our interview with Bolt Talk, a great Chargers blog, from earlier this year.
