Steelers to have ‘Killer B’s’ at their disposal
MEMORABLE SERIES MOMENT
Steelers 34, Browns 7
Sept. 9, 2007, at Cleveland Browns Stadium
The Steelers have opened up against their turnpike rival six times. The earliest was 1959 and the most recent was 2014. The Steelers are 4-2 in these games and 2-1 on the road. Mike Tomlin无毛视频檚 first game as Steelers coach was in Cleveland. The tone was set early with all three units when Aaron Smith无毛视频檚 sack forced a three-and-out and the Browns committed four penalties on the ensuing punt. The short 22-yard scoring drive by the Steelers culminated with Ben Roethlisberger无毛视频檚 5-yard touchdown pass to Hines Ward. The Steelers were off and running as Willie Parker ran for 109 yards and Roethlisberger threw touchdown passes to four different receivers. The Browns rebounded to match the Steelers无毛视频� 10-6 record, but two head-to-head wins by the Steelers gave them the division title.
TALE OF THE TAPE
无毛视频淲hen you look at their quarterback, DeShone Kizer, the first thing that jumps out at you is his arm. He has a cannon. I had a chance to see probably all of his preseason throws and when they无毛视频檙e spreading it out and he无毛视频檚 just playing that West Coast offense, three-step drop, back step hits, when he无毛视频檚 in rhythm, he无毛视频檚 pretty good. One of his faults is that he tends to stare down his receivers and he turns his shoulders so you know what side of the field he无毛视频檚 throwing to. But he无毛视频檒l get that ball there in a hurry. He can throw that 12-yard out on a frozen rope. The thing about that rhythm offense, though, it doesn无毛视频檛 take defensive backs too long to figure out the rhythm as well, and I无毛视频檒l bet Joe Haden, being that he faced Kizer in practice all those weeks during training camp, has a real feel for his rhythm. But you can无毛视频檛 be too anxious because they无毛视频檒l run a lot of hitches, and then run a hitch-and-go, so you don无毛视频檛 want to get into nose trouble.无毛视频� 无毛视频� Steelers Radio analyst Tunch Ilkin.
TOP QUESTION
Can the Steelers defend the deep ball?
It无毛视频檚 not just that Haden无毛视频檚 alleged loss of speed is the reason the Browns cut him, but he, Mike Mitchell and reserve safety J.J. Wilcox only got on the practice field this week. Throw brand new slot corner Mike Hilton in with second-year players Artie Burns and Sean Davis and there无毛视频檚 potential for communication issues and blown coverages. At the least, the Steelers must be wary of Kizer无毛视频檚 arm, the speed of Corey Coleman and the big, deep target of Kenny Britt. As Ilkin added of Kizer, 无毛视频淲hen he avoids the sack and keeps himself alive scrambling, he has the arm strength to get the ball over all the coverage. 无毛视频� If you无毛视频檙e playing for him as a wide receiver, and he无毛视频檚 scrambling, you take off long and you know he can get the ball to you. He无毛视频檒l just lay it up there and let you run under it.无毛视频�
THREE QUESTIONS: With LG RAMON FOSTER
Q: Their best pass-rusher, Myles Garrett, is out. Are you disappointed?
RF: 无毛视频淚无毛视频檝e been seeing that but you can never trust those things until you actually see somebody else in his spot.无毛视频�
Q: You said there无毛视频檚 been a lot of talking out of Cleveland. Wasn无毛视频檛 he the guy who said he无毛视频檚 going to get Roethlisberger?
RF: 无毛视频淗e was doing some yapping. He needs a little humbling if that is the case for him.无毛视频�
Q: Or maybe he无毛视频檚 really, really good?
RF: 无毛视频淎hhh. We无毛视频檒l see. That无毛视频檚 the thing about this league: You无毛视频檝e got to pay the toll sometime. We无毛视频檒l see.无毛视频�
GAME BREAKDOWN
What to look for from the Steelers at 1 p.m. today at FirstEnergy Stadium:
ON OFFENSE:
The Steelers have the Killer B无毛视频檚 going for them today. The last time Roethlisberger, Le无毛视频橵eon Bell, Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant played together was 2014. They played the final 10 games of that season and went 8-2 and averaged 31.2 points per game together. With at least one of them missing in the last three seasons, the Steelers are 24-14 (.632) and average 24.9 points per game. When all are playing, Roethlisberger has a passer rating of 109.0 compared to 94.6 the rest of the games in that three-year span. Injuries to key members of the Browns无毛视频� defense 无毛视频� rookie pass-rusher Garrett and possibly nose tackle Danny Shelton (questionable) 无毛视频� could make it easier for the Steelers无毛视频� healthy offense.
ON DEFENSE:
The Steelers might be without their best pass-rusher, too, although Bud Dupree (shoulder) said on Thursday that he will play. If not, Anthony Chickillo would replace him and give the Steelers six new starters in their primary (nickel) defense than what started in the AFC Championship Game last season. They无毛视频檒l be tested by a Cleveland run game that无毛视频檚 led by a solid offensive line highlighted by Joe Thomas at left tackle and guards Joel Bitonio and Kevin Zeitler. Running backs Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson are effective inside and outside runners, respectively. Kizer and his aforementioned receivers are the wild cards for Cleveland.
PREDICTION
This is the Super Bowl for the Browns, but the Steelers are aware. It无毛视频檚 a big game for them, too, of course, since the Steelers understand the importance of divisional games and are hoping to put one from the road in the win column. When the Steelers无毛视频� four star offensive skill players are on the field, the average score is 无毛视频� Steelers, 31-23.
BY THE NUMBERS
5: Dropped passes in one mid-week practice by new Steelers tight end Vance McDonald.
12: Consecutive opening-day losses by the Browns.
20: Career wins for the Steelers against the Browns with Roethlisberger (20-2) at quarterback.
24: New players on the Browns无毛视频� 53-man roster, as well as the average age (24 years, 305 days) of each rostered player. The Steelers have 16 new players.
143: Miles between Heinz Field and FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland. The Steelers will log 6,694 miles this season, the fewest scheduled of any NFL team.
DOWNLOADS
n The Steelers finally got one big deal done this offseason. They extended DL Stephon Tuitt for five years at a total cost of $61 million. Tuitt, who won无毛视频檛 turn 25 until next May, is now signed through the 2022 season.
n 无毛视频淭uuuu-itt! Tuuuu-itt!无毛视频� is a call-and-response routine Ramon Foster goes through with teammates during stretch. He无毛视频檚 been doing it since Tuitt无毛视频檚 rookie year 无毛视频淏ecause Tuitt无毛视频檚 a player on the rise,无毛视频� Foster said. 无毛视频淲e give him a little extra shoutout there. As much as Cam (Heyward) is the old bull, Tuitt is the new guy. It无毛视频檚 kind of funny. I did it and then Joey (Porter) started making him doing pushups after I do the shout-out. It无毛视频檚 like 无毛视频榊ou haven无毛视频檛 arrived yet.无毛视频� But this will be a great year for him. We无毛视频檝e seen it. I无毛视频檓 excited for him. Him and Cam, they can wreak havoc. Tuitt has talent, he can run like a linebacker, and he无毛视频檚 still a kid.无毛视频�
n Number 40 appears to be headed for mothballs again after Hilton swapped it for the departed Ross Cockrell无毛视频檚 number 31 this week. The only starter ever to wear 40 for the Steelers was Myron 无毛视频淏oo无毛视频� Bell, who started 21 games between 1995-97 at strong safety when Carnell Lake was moved to cornerback. The only other Steelers to wear 40 for more than one season were reserves Dan Reeder (1986-87) and Rudy Tesser (1934-35). Number 31, of course, was made famous by strong safety Donnie Shell from 1974-87.
n Rookie T.J. Watt will start the opener for the Steelers at right outside linebacker. A Wisconsin native, Watt was selected by the Steelers one pick after the Green Bay Packers, who had lost two OLBs in free agency, traded their first-round spot to the Browns. The Browns took tight end David Njoku while the Packers drafted CB Kevin King and Watt无毛视频檚 bookend at Wisconsin, OLB Vince Biegel, with the picks they received. Watt said it didn无毛视频檛 bother him to be snubbed by the hometown Packers. 无毛视频淚 really didn无毛视频檛 have a favorite team growing up because my brothers were somewhere else,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淥n draft night I just wanted to be selected by a team that really wanted me, a team that believed I could be a really good player. When they traded their pick away, I was 无毛视频楢ll right, on to the next one. Let无毛视频檚 see who wants to take me.无毛视频� There are no hard feelings or anything like that. This is all a business and I无毛视频檓 just happy to be here in Pittsburgh doing what I love.无毛视频�
n In the locker room, Watt dresses to the immediate left of Roethlisberger, who无毛视频檚 in one corner. Two lockers to Roethlisberger无毛视频檚 right is James Conner, and to the right of Conner is a third rookie, wide receiver JuJu Smith Schuster. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 kind of two-fold,无毛视频� explained Roethlisberger. 无毛视频淥ne, I wanted the young guys around so I could pass on some things that were passed on along to me. And (second) they无毛视频檙e rookies, so I never anticipate them being at their locker very much and I get more room.无毛视频� Roethlisberger said Jerome Bettis was the veteran who helped him the most as a rookie.
PARTING SHOT
无毛视频淥h, man, this is the game that they look forward to all the time. In our seven years, everybody, the fans, the players, the staff, they strive to have their organization like this. They want to maintain a winning organization, be able to make it to the playoffs, and this team makes it out of our division damn near every year. So they get up for Pittsburgh. They无毛视频檙e going to go out of their way to try to get the W. They haven无毛视频檛 won their season opener in 11, 12 years, so they无毛视频檙e just going to be hyped for that. I know, just being in that locker room and how they无毛视频檙e getting ready and prepared, this is like the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season: a divisional opponent, trying to get ahead, trying to get the season off right because if it gets bad a little early than it kind of shuts down. They无毛视频檙e coming out ready to go.无毛视频� 无毛视频� Joe Haden on his former team.