pittsburgh steelers

It’s hard to believe but there are actually fans of other teams out there that blog as passionately about their team as us Patriots fans do. SteelerGurl is one of my favorite bloggers/tweeps out there. She’s passionate and knowledgeable about her team in a way that almost makes you forgive her for liking the Steelers.

If you don’t follow her on twitter (@SteelerGurl) or haven’t checked out her blog (click here) I highly recommend you do so and click some of her ads. Consider it good karma to the Football Gods who will hopefully repay us Pats fans with a victory.

SteelerGurl and I emailed a bit this week discussing our two teams and providing the kind of insight that only two passionate bloggers like ourselves could. The results are below…

Mike D.: So Steelergurl, to kick it off, the Patriots and Steelers had quite the decade against each other, but this time, despite sharing 6-2 records, the Steelers are the veteran team with a recent Super Bowl title, while the Pats have a young, inexperienced defense that ranks dead last in the NFL on third down, and while their offense does have some proven vets, there are a lot of young pieces there as well. So, do you think there’s really any chance your guys don’t whoop New England like they did in 2008 (33-10)? Do we make you nervous at all? Please say yes…

SteelerGurl: Playing that Pats, no matter what, scares me.  Brady is a great QB, despite the hair and the supermodel holding his cajones.  He has ALL DAY in the pocket.  The Pats offensive line deserves big hugs on a daily basis from Brady because I am not sure how good he would be on any other team.  Meaning, would he just be Jason Campbell at the Redskins last year w/o that line?

Mike D.: That’s pretty harsh, but you’re right that when Brady’s not getting protection it’s going to be a long day. I think the key to beating the Steelers is to dictate the play to them. There isn’t a better team in the NFL when they’re playing with the lead. So from my Pats perspective I think we’ll have to come out and play well from the start. If you look at the last six times the Pats-Steelers have met up (going back to the 2001 AFCCG) the team that scored the first touchdown won 5 out of 6 times. How do you expect the Steelers to attack the Patriots?

SteelerGurl: To beat the Pats, you have to pressure Brady.  He’s not as good outside the pocket and with an injury, he’s going to be a little weary of hits – kind of like last year when he had come back from knee surgery.  It’s part of the game and you have to add that to your overall strategy. Forcing him out of the pocket will make him nervous and he doesn’t have Moss to throw to deep. 

Mike D.: One thing I also think the Steelers can expect is a lot of screens, misdirection and trickeration from the Patriots. I recall a lot of end arounds, reverses, and even that Brady to Moss to Brady to Gaffney play of 2007, from the prior game plans. It seems to be a good way to counter an attacking defense. Has your defense been vulnerable to anything this year? Anything at all? Aside from fines for attempted decapitation?

SteelerGurl: Let’s be clear, running the ball is going to be tough.  Despite 4th quarter meltdowns, the Steelers are tough against the run…it’s the passing defense that’s sometimes questionable.  But the good news here for the Pats is that the key to beating the Steelers isn’t actually the deep ball, it’s screen plays, especially on a blitz.  And they will blitz to put pressure on Brady.  I expect to see Hernandez get the ball a lot.  And watch, the Pats will keep moving the chains and they will eat up clock and score.   In addition, after getting their butts whooped by the Browns the Pats will come out with something to prove.

Mike D.: Any young talented players you’re excited about that Pats fans might not know yet and should watch/boo? You mentioned Aaron Hernandez and he is one guy on the Patriots who we are all excited about. Tedy Bruschi even named him his Non-Brady MVP of the first half of the season. He’s versatile and has great cutback ability in the open field. He also has great sleeve tattoos which are fun.

SteelerGurl: Special teams is special in a good way this year and I can’t wait to see Emmanuel Sanders break one.  He’s getting close and it’s coming, could happen this week.  In other news, everyone thought the Steelers were crazy for giving up Santonio Holmes so easily, but my 14-year-old son (who also wears #17 and is a WR) said at training camp last year that Mike Wallace was going to be the man.  And I think he’s made some Holmes-esque catches in the season and a half he has played.  He’s evolving probably more quickly than Tone and look for him to be great.  

Mike D.: If you were the Patriots what is the key to shutting down the Pittsburgh offense? From my end I think you guys will have to take Welker and Hernandez out of the game and force Brady to rely on their up-and-down running game, or Deion Branch (who has yet to have a second good game with the Pats). This is what Cleveland did, granted we helped them out with a lot of sloppy play as well which I expect will not happen against you guys.

SteelerGurl: The one thing that I really want to see from the Steelers is a little less predictable offense.  Since Ben’s been back the playcalling has been B O R I N G. Does it get the job done, sure…but there’s no reason we shouldn’t be mixing it up a little and moving chains more consistently as well.  With the Pats young defense, I expect Rashard to have a big day and touch the ball a little more.  

If the Steelers approach the Pats defense with the same kind of strategy the Browns had, I think they will be successful in moving the ball.  However, some of those gaps and errors will have been addressed and hopefully corrected this week in practice, so it’s not going to be as easy a time as the Browns had.  I hope that Tomlin has those guys watching film not just from the Browns game, but also the Ravens game.  This is not an easy game and it’s not guaranteed.  Preparation is key.  We will see just how prepared they are when they step on the field Sunday night.

Mike D.: Yes we will indeed! I’d like to thank SteelerGurl for sharing her insight with us and here’s to a good game with no injuries for either team!