will the Steelers be better or worse this year? [POLL]

TTF can you set up a poll? we were 12-4 last season... will we finish with a better or worse record... (or same) or another poll will we go deeper than one game in the playoffs... or i guess a poll... will the steelers 1 make the playoffs.. 2 make and lose first round.. 3 make and lose second round.. 4 lose third round.. 5 win the AFC.. 6 win the SB? something like that (you're much better at that than me towel)
i think everyone was so pumped with the new OL.. then DD goes down... but really to me if you look .. how are we better? we lost hines, aaron smith, farrior... 3 of our vocal team leaders all at once..
then we start with DD out probably 8 weeks or longer.. harrison and casey hurt... mendy hurt.. so 3 starters hurt.. lost 3 more to retirement... thats 6 starters gone...
DD is gone so thats no help.. who do we have as a plus... mike adams... ok.... rainey? ok... do those guys replace the 6 we lost? not even close... and no leadership has been replaced... even with DD ... the run game may have improved but not the D... i just dont see where we have a better record or go deeper in the playoffs this year? i think a lot of us (including me) were really pumped about the new Ol... now thats gone... the best thing that happened is we got colon back.. that was huge especially after losing DD...

HINES

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

Would be a good poll if set up right. Right now I have a lot of questions in my mind. I don't know if we win the division. IMHO it's going to be tough. I do think the offense will be better if the OL can come together. I saw some distrubing things with the Ol during the Bills game. I saw Colon and Foster get pushed back during that game and Ben got sacked. Marcel Dariues Crushed DeCastro and caused the injury with the help of Gilbert when DeCastro fell over him. Infact, Gilbert did nothing in the game but run around and look lost. He didn't block many people. In the first quarter and most of the second, the Bills D-line dominated our O-line. I was not impressed with starks either. They got to get their selves together or we are looking at a long season with the pretection of Ben.

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

I think the Steelers will have the same or worse record than last year, but I think we'll be a better team overall. We had such an easy schedule last year and faced mostly garbage QB's. That won't be the case this year.

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

true about the difference in schedules, but any of them are beatable. i went with 13-3 this year. we need the youth to play alot during the season and have fresher vets down the stretch into the playoffs. the injury bug has so much to do with the success. we won't get beat by baltimore two times this year.

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

Our Oline is still looking weak and our defence still makes me nervous. Lebeau's bend but don't break system is fine if we can get constant pressure, but I'm just not convinced we'll be able to this year, and our DB's aren't good enough to get the job done if we aren't getting pressure.

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

I'm going to say 11-5,

The Defense to me looks better this year than last and Harrison hasn't even been playing yet. If they can force the turnovers better than last year, it will go a long way.

I think the passing game will be great, running game the jury is still out.

I think 11-5 is my guess. So that's one game worse than last year. But so what we were 12-4 and had to end up playing on the road any way and lost to 9-7 team. Just get in the playoffs and catch fire. That wins you Superbowl's. See 2005 Steelers, 2007 Gaints, 2010 Packers, 2011 Gaints.

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

i think the new d-line is gelling. they are going to be better this year. it all starts there. with the backups also playing pretty well we should be able to keep a nice rotation going up front. that makes this defense a whole lot better. O-line is troublesome right now but adams looked alot better last game. so did the backups at guard. great maybe not but improving every week. i'm sure the whole team will get better as they go. injuries will be the key again.

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

I'm not liking the run D and I think Troy is not playing his best, even though he had an easy pick. I think we win 9 or 10 games.

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

I'm cautiously optimistic, but my gut says we'll be worse. The schedule is significantly tougher this year and we've gone through some major changes. Those two things coupled with the injuries we've already suffered point to a rough season. With that being said, please prove me wrong.

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

TTF whatever you think.. be an interestign poll.. but you are the wordsmith.. im just a busted down ex receiver that had too many concussions.. whatever you want im good with...

HEADACHE HINES

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

I'll say we'll be worst. But I hope I'm wrong. I say 10-6.

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

With the possible exception of Rainey and the play calling of Haley, I don't see any improvements in our team over last year. With the losses of A.Smith, Farrior, Hines, DeCastro, and the overall look of our OL, I've gone from my earliest projection of a 19-0 super bowl winning season down to a more realistic 10 - 6 and just miss the playoffs.

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

I think one of our plus' is one of our negatives in that we always play to the level of our competition. We don't often get blown out or blow other teams out. With recent history in mind, lots of our losses are to teams we should have beaten soundly.

Now with that being said, and some preseason of work behind us I think it's safe to say that we will be in the same boat as last year. Near the top, but not outstanding. My gut tells me that Wallace was a distraction to some extent and the injuries and veteran cuts played a part in a loss of emotional fire in the ranks. I am not seeing the same brand of optimism from the players in interviews up to this point. And the fans, well, were always hard to please.

I think this team builds momentum after the half way mark, flies under the radar as usual, makes the playoffs one way or the other and has mild success there again and we pick in the bottom 3rd of the draft as usual. Then we get to have excitement all over again because the offense will have one season of the new system under it's belt, Ben is still in mid career, and we get to pick DB's and LB's in our first few draft rounds.

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

I actually agree with you 100%

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

I think the same as last year but this year we are the 2 seed in the playoffs not the 5th seed. I think the Pats are the number one seed, unless Marsha ends up with a season ending hangnail. The Ravens I think fall off sooner rather than later. That secondary is not any better this year and Lewis & Reed are a year older. I think they start to show their age and the Bengals get them at least once and maybe even the Browns. Ravens I think will be a 11-5 or a 10-6 team with the Steelers winning at least one matchup.

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

Colon is an addition in my book and a massive upgrade over Kemo/Legursky. He did have some rough plays against a good Bills DL, but he has also looked incredibly dominant at times. Will Johnson will be a huge upgrade over David Johnson, and that could be very important.

Then you have a number of players that were here last year that -- even if they've had a rough start to preseason -- logic predicts will be better this year: Foster, Gilbert, McLendon, Ziggy, Heyward, C. Allen.

Then you have some wild cards that might be more of the same, but could also be better: Dwyer, Carter, Timmons back inside, Worilds and Sanders if they can stay healthy, the LT situation (Starks looks good and Adams could come on -- that's a hell of a lot better than Scott/Essex followed by Starks with Scott as the backup). Oh, and Ben, who was great at times last year, but also stunk up the place at times (largely due to injury). He's healthy now, so there's that.

There are some things to feel good about :-D

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

[/quote]
Our Oline is still looking weak and our defence still makes me nervous. Lebeau's bend but don't break system is fine if we can get constant pressure, but I'm just not convinced we'll be able to this year, and our DB's aren't good enough to get the job done if we aren't getting pressure.[/quote]

Exactly.

I know we ve all talked about this but the changes in the rules on tackling and the fines have put a kink in the steeler system. For decades the steelers had a way of playing and now they cant play that way. I

I say we go 13-3 if the injuries dont get us and they just play like they are suppose to.

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

19-0

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

They went 12-4 last year, If they go 12-4 this year, it will be hard to be dissatisfied with that.
There are a lot of question marks now, OL, RB, injuries and age on D.

This is still a playoff team I think, the Ravens are older too. 10-6 could very well win the Division. I would not be surprised if the Steelers are worse than 12-4, but go a round or two further in the playoffs.

On the other hand, this team missed the playoffs in 2000, 2003, 2006 and 2009. 2012 is in the progression.

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

12-4 is hard to repeat - but I really don't see a game on the schedule that they can't win. That doesn't mean they'll win all of them. The Steelers ALWAYS lay an egg here and there. I'm thinking the same or better - with a deeper run in the playoffs or even Super Bowl. This team has a bad taste in its mouth from how last year ended and feels it has something to prove. A Steelers team with that attitude is always scary.

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

I'd go with these:
more than 12 wins
12 wins
less than 12 wins

My vote more than 12 wins but I could see a lot of the pessimists going for less than 12 wins

A good second poll would be where they fare in the AFC North, 1st, 2nd, or 3rd (let's be real, we don't need a 4th, the stains have that locked up)

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

the new oc scares me i will go with 9-7

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

Speed kills and we have a lot on both sides of the ball. The technique is where the question sits. Will the young guys on our d line play up to their technique needed for a 3-4? Will the o line stay healthy? I think there is much more weight in the o line when it comes to continuity then skill. Will wallace preform? Will AB live up to te paycheck/ hype? Lewis is an upgrade, skill wise, over gay. But, does he have the mental and technical ability of dick's D.

Youth is an asset on this team right now. The only difference in the NFL is technique and execution. Can these young guys execute what our great coaches have set infront of them.

I think they will.
12-4. Winning the arc north and 2nd seed.

 

Re: will the Steelers be better or worse this year?

I think we'll go 12-4. Overall, we're really no better or worse than last season.