Mid-season assessment

Here we sit at 6-2, which is quite satisfactory for the majority of us. It is right where I predicted they would be. But there have been a few surprises, both good and bad. Here is how I see it.

1. Ben has been a little worse than we are used to. But is that really the case in reality, or is it more of a perception, but no necessarily that true? I feel his horrific performance vs. Jax had soured our perception perhaps more than he has really played. Believe it or not, Ben has the 3rd-most passing yards in the entire NFL. I was somewhat surprised by that stat. He is also on course for a 4,000 plus yard season - which is always considered a good season for a QB.

His total stat line reads: 10 TDs, 9 ints, 2062 yds, and a 82.7 QB rating.

The int # is greatly inflated by the one Jags games. As Collinsworth and Michaels commented last night, that game is an anomaly and not really representative of Ben. I feel he hasn't been MVP good, but he is not nearly as poor as some assert. And I have seen more than a few balls hit receivers in the mits just to be dropped. Rogers chunked a TD last night.

Has been diminished some compared to a few years ago? Possibly. Is he now a dumpster fire? No. He is still a top 10 QB if not top 5. And let's not forget: Bell was not in football shape for the first month, and every QB is much better with a legit rushing threat. Now that he has that back, we can expect his play to become better, and it has and will continue to. Someone posted we now have to win in spite of Ben, with defense since Ben is washed up. That is an exaggeration. I can find maybe 5 QBs who are better right now, but that is it.

2. Bell is back. He certainly was not himself to start the season but is now all the way back. 'Nuff said.

3. AB is still AB. Not a fan of his diva tantrums, but he is the best WR in the NFL. He has mostly maintained his level.

4. OL started a little slow, and they are sans Gilbert, but they are starting to play better.

5. Bryant has disappointed. He has not deserved #2 WR time. Haley tried to make him more than a one trick pony, but unfortunately, that is all he really is. All he can do is go routes. He sucks at everything else. He is too gangly. If he doesn't beat you deep, he will fail. Ju Ju has already proven a better overall WR and deserves more playing time because of it.

6. D is really coming on. They still have moments of crap, but they usually make up for it, as long as they are not put on the field for too long (like Bears' game). Dupree has been a disappointment, Shazier has been solid (and not hurt), DL will be beastly when Tuitt comes back, Davis has started to show up again, Burns isn't bad, I love what T.J. brings.

All in all, I will take 6-2 at midseason and like our chances moving forward, although still not confident we can overcome Pats but we will see.

 

Good observations!!!! NE still is the beast of the AFC and only way I see us having any chance to get around them is to have home field advantage or have somebody else knock them off. I will not read to much into the regular season game we play against them in the Burgh, win or lose.

 

I think the offense isn't as good as we thought it be, at least in producing points.
I think defense is better than we expected in all around areas.

6-2 is where I thought they be by the bye week. Didn't think losses would be to Jags and Bears, but we beat two I thought we lose to Ravens and Chiefs.

 

Arrows pointing up, bury the Colts keep it going! One week at a time.

 

My personal thoughts on the season thus far. Just some thoughts I had.


- T.J. Watt... what can he not do? Rushes the passer. Defends the run. Defends the pass. Relentless and talented, this truly is the beginning of the future. With him and Bud Dupree, our pass rush is getting back to the days of old.



- Lack of tight end usage has been intriguing to say the least. Then again, Vance just came on then got injured and Jesse James has not been thay productive up until last night. That has to change to increase the firepower on the team.


- Many of us have been hard on Chris Hubbard; me no different. Seems Mike Tomlin knows what he is doing far better than what I am seeing. While he is still no Marcus Gilbert, I believe that, all things considered, he has done well; his own signature win occuring last night. Should Marcus Gilbert still be out for a little bit more, I have no issue rolling onward with "Mother Hubbard".



- JuJu was my second favorite pick from the draft (10th overall for me league wide). Now, he is top five for me in the NFL among rookies. Not only is he a physcial monster upon catching the ball, his subtle but aggressive nature upon contesting catches is also something that many of SteelersNation had long awaited for since Hines Ward. That being said, I also believe that Martavis still has a place here. He has to earn his keeps.



- Le'Veon Bell is simply amazing. Within the same vein though, would like to see more of James Conner. I do believe Conner will get better as time goes on but only if given the reps needed. Besides, the more rested Bell is for the playoffs, the better our chances.



- Defense will get even better when Tuitt comes back; Sutton the same albeit not as impactful from a production standpoint.


- Interesting that Butler only rushed three against Stafford. Is this going to be a strategy against Brady? I hope not. More than likely though, this may be just a rare occurrence due to Stafford's arm talent.


- Secondary definitely got exposed but in not the way some might be thinking. Defensive backs simply need to wrap up the ball carrier. Stop going for the big hit. Go for a higher percentage play to stall and subsequently stop drives.



- Speaking of secondary, Sean Davis is seriously coming on. Artie still is learning but that is okay for me. Artie was a lot more in run support this time around in comparison to weeks past. He has to continue to do so though if Pittsburgh wants to limit those big plays on stetch runs.



- Not worried but Vince's lack of athleticism will show up at some point. Still has had a great first half of the season but opposing coaches will take advantage of his lack of lateral agility and range.


- Cris Boswell seriously needs some Honolulu love. One of the best in the game and constantly bails out the team. Thankfully he did not have to yesterday but there will come a time in which he will be needed again.



Have a lot more, such as Jordan Berry's up and down season and the resurgence of defensive line depth but these points have popped up more to me within the 8 games played.

 

I like everything I see so far this season besides Harrison riding the bench more than I think he should. 6-2 is nothing to complain about. Hated the losses that we did have though but we did beat some quality teams as well. I think Ben got more lazy in the off season than he usually is and that is showing itself. I do believe this is really his last season so we better have a plan in place for 2018 in getting a solid player to work this offense going forward. The Bryant fiasco is a bit concerning but there really are no options other than to throw him out there and feed him the ball. That's not really a bad problem to have but his maturity is definitely lacking. I can also put Bell in that category but he's producing finally. Not sure what can be done about Martavis besides having coaches really each out to him. Ju Ju is just the opposite and is the real deal. I take back everything I said about picking a WR in the second round this year.

My biggest concern is Haley. Way too vanilla this far into the season.

Going forward this team cannot look past any opponent. Have to get the #1 seed that is there for the taking.

 

Offense:

Qb----- big Ben's time is clearly coming to a close.. his passes are sailing on him, and consistency is an issue.... he's still the best option we have of winning it all, but we have to start looking at the future........ C+

Rb------ leveon bell is clearly back after his slow start and the offense is running (pun definitely intended) through him..... still isn't worth 17 mil..
B+

Wr-------- Antonio brown is still the league's best and it ain't close.........A

Martavis bryant ------- is it the yr off, or something else..... whatever it is, he certainly isn't the same wr, and his play doesn't justify his running off at the mouth..... his antics have allowed him to be surpassed by a 20 yr old rookie............ F

Juju Smith Schuster------ wasn't a huge fan of the pick, but his play has totally changed my attitude.
His play has also placed him in the #2 role opposite AB... sky's the limit......... A

Eli Rogers------ from one WR that's playing his way into a larger role, to another WR that's quickly playing his way off the field. Eli isn't doing himself any favors, from poor ball security to dropping perfectly thrown td passes... he may find himself on another team next season if he can't get his head out of his rear........F

Darius heyward-bey------ still a special teams ace, but doesn't offer much as a wr...... c-

TE:
Jesse James------ finding open seams and providing decent blocking..... won't change the way defenses approach us, but is a chain mover
B

Vance mcdonald------ blocks like Matt Spaeth, runs like a young heath miller....... catches like heyward bey... that just ain't right........ C-

O-line:

Alejandra Villanueva----- Ben's blind side protector, has done an admirable job, and allows Ben to stay comfortable in the pocket....... B+

Ramon foster------ quietly becoming one of the best pass protectors in the league ..... A

Muarkice pouncey------ simply the best c in the league... period........A

Dave decastro----- placing himself in the elite discussion....... A

Markus gilbert------ among the best rt's in the game when healthy... can't wait to get him back
B+

Bj finney----- o-line doesn't miss a beat when he's in......... A

Chris Hubbard------ doing a great job in place of gilbert.......A

Pk:

Chris boswell------- might be our best offensive weapon.........A


Defense:

Can heyward------ let's see the league keep him out of the pro bowl now........ A

Javon Hargrave----- gravedigger has been doing just that.......... A

Stephen tuitt------ quite possibly our best lineman when healthy........A

Tyson alualu------ our 2nd most important fa signing.........B

Lt walton------- strong rotational back-up That's still developing........ B-


Lbers:

T.J. watt------ clearly living up to the last name... A-

Bud dupree----- at times unstoppable, and at other times invisible------- B-

Anthony chickillo------ developing nicely into a very dangerous back-up........ B

James harrison------- produces when called upon, which begs the question..... why isn't he getting called upon.........A

Ryan shazier------ quickly establishing himself as a dynamic playmaker that you have to game plan for.........A-

Vince williams------- enforcer in the middle...... B

Tyler matakevich------ special teams demon, and solid back-up...... c+

Db's:

Artie burns------ turning into a top cover man, but still has a way to go.... must improve tackling
B

Joe haden----- our best and most important fa signing....may just get Colbert exec. Of the yr..
A-

Mike hilton ------ camp and preseason star, and has carried it into the regular season...... great find who has proven to be more valuable than his former 2nd rd. College teammate...... B+

Coty sensabaugh----- good pick up that has provided quality min. On the field........ C+

Willie gay------ in his much more suitable role, and making the most of what I believe to be his last season in black and gold........ B

Mike mitchell------ providing good coverage in the middle...... would like to see him wrap up and tackle more rather than just looking to make the big hit... would also like to see him get his hands on the ball more........ B-

Sean davis------ will be an all pro by yr 4.......B

JJ wilcox------ hard hitter, but a little undisciplined........ C

P:

Jordan berry------ inconsistent yr. so far, but still playing well enough to keep the field position battle in our favor......... C

 

F'n top shelf analysis

 

I like Ben but he simply is not getting it done this year. Leaving too many plays/points on he field. Either he lost it or eventually need to play better. Personally I think he lost it because he simply can't do what he does best anymore ...extend plays to make a big play. And he's not accurate enough in the pocket anymore...

 

Offense. Disappointing Redzone offense terrible.

defense. Need to play better. Must supply pressure to QB at all times to be effective.

 

I've been dogging on Ben, but you make some really good points. He really isn't doing as poorly as it seems.

 

He's 4th in the league in passing yards and on pace to toss for more than 4,000 yard. I have been as ticked off as ANYONE at him at times (Jags game I was screaming out loud) and he has had his horrid moments, but he is not playing as bad as most Steeler fans seem to think. He is not our largest weakness. There are only about 5 QBs I'd take over him at this point. FIVE. Out of 32. That sure doesn't seem like the worst unit of the team. Anyone, go ahead and list all of the QBs playing better than Ben. Rogers is done for the season so you can't say him.

Brady, Smith, Wentz, Wilson, Brees. That's about it. AND, I have seen a good deal of drops of Ben's passes too. Now that we don't have an "empty" player (Bryant) on the field as much, I suspect Ben's #'s will keep climbing. Ju Ju will pump up his production.

 

I was going to mention this as well. Left on his own, Todd is a pretty awful play caller. Actually, the play calling for the Det. game was much better, if I am being fair. Maybe because Bryant wasn't available to throw losing bubble screens to (I feel MB is really not built/wired for those plays, they are a waste of downs. He is too gangly for those short passes, he is built to go deep and that is pretty much it).

 

I think the main problem is that we haven't had consistent starters on the offense.

It seems we start a different TE each week. We thought Eli was going to be the slot receiver, but JuJu gets worked in. When Bryant is out they work in multiple receivers between Bey or Hunter.

Basically, I think they need to stick with their starters and let Ben click with them.


It stinks Jesse James is such a bad blocker... I'd take his hands of over McDonalds any day.

 

He started out poorly and has gotten better.

 

Consistency is what we need.

 

If this team can continue being a team on the rise which usually plays its best ball down the stretch we have a lot to look forward to. They gotta come off the bye and start ramping it up...
Interesting tid bit......Joe Haden played his first Sunday night game last week....wow Cleveland is that bad.

 

Brady is still a beast, their defense is bad and o line not much better. But they have Bellicheat

 

we are the best overall defense stats wise #2 ppg and #4 overall ppg. Add both up and they equal out to being the best, even over jax.

However eye tests show jax is better, way better pass rush and takeaways.

so in reality Jax is the best defense and we will be top 5 at years end. Offense got to step up or we won't get a trophy.

 

Why are multiple people saying Bell is back? He's not nearly the explosive runner he has been the past few years. He's averaging 3.9 YPC which is fairly pedestrian. Same can be said for receiving. Just like Ben and the majority of the offense...pretty average.

 

Teams stacking the box like crazy lol and we really miss gilbert