My picks for the week. I'm still struggling in the standings, so hopefully I'll start doing better! Not likely though :) Sunday
CAR @ TB (-1.5)   STL @ WAS (-13)   CIN @ NYJ (-6)   OAK @ NO (-7.5)   MIA @ HOU (-3)   CHI (-2.5) @ ATL   DET @ MIN (-13)   BAL @ IND (-4)   JAX @ DEN (-3.5)   PHI (-4.5) @ SF   DAL (-5) @ ARZ   GB @ SEA (-2)   NE @ SD (-5.5)  
Monday
NYG (-8) @ CLE (24-23 NYG)

We all know the Steelers aren't playing, but here's a look at some of the other interesting matchups from around Week 6 in the NFL. Also, don't forget to get your picks in for the BTSC Pick Em League, even though the Steelers aren't on the slate this week.

Carolina at Tampa Bay - Not that any of us really care about this once, but first place in the NFC South is at stake between two teams that figure to be in the hunt for either that divisional crown or a Wild Card berth. Brian Griese has thrown a boatload of picks despite his perfect record as a starter.

Baltimore at Indianapolis - Indy's been tough to figure out this year. They've played terrible football for the most part, yet find themselves at 2-2 and lurking in 2nd in the AFC South. Baltimore better get it's ground game back in gear this week. The Colts surrender plenty on the ground, and it's never a bad idea to keep Peyton Manning on the sidelines as much as possible, particulary when he's at home. Remember, Peyton didn't take a single snap in preseason, so now that four games are behind them, it's basically like he's been to camp and should be ready to go.

Jacksonville at Denver - Huge game for both squads. At 2-3, Jacksonville can no longer continue saying 'we're close'. Not in the AFC. 2-4 doesn't put them down and out, but it certainly makes things tough. You figure they'll have to get at least ten wins to be in the hunt for a Wild Card, so they'd have to finish at 8-2 in their last ten most likely. As for Denver, a home win here would put them at 5-1, and would go a long way towards silencing their critics, myself included, who thought their defense would do them in sooner rather than later.

Dallas at Arizona - We'll see how Big D responds after being physically beat up two weeks ago by the Washington Redskins, and only squeaking by a sad Bengals team at home last week. The Cards are a different team at home. Two weeks ago, they laid an egg in the Meadowlands, giving up 6 Brett Favre TDs. Last week at home, they dealt the Bills their first loss of the year. I think I like Arizona here, but it would sure help if they had Adrian Wilson and Anquan Boldin in the lineup.

Any games interest you? Any developments you forsee happening?

TV Maps:

CBS Early Game Map

Fox Early Game Map

Fox Late Game Map

 

Let's continue our review of each and every Steelers player through five games with a breakdown of our running backs.

WILLIE PARKER

For Willie Parker, the start of 2008 was much like the beginning of last year. For two years running now, Parker has gotten off to a torrid start, earning AFC Player of the Week honors after his 138 yard 3 TD performance against Houston in Week 1. He followed that up with another 100+ yard game against Cleveland before being stuffed and ultimately injured against Philadelphia in Week 3. Parker should be back when the Steelers return to action against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 7. With Mewelde Moore garnering more attention as an intriguing offensive weapon for this offense, it should be very interesting to see how Bruce Arians uses both him and Parker moving forward. Obviously Parker will get the lion's share of the carries, but if Arians were wise, he might deploy Moore on 1st and 2nd down on occassion, not simply use him as a 3rd down back. One thing we all probably agree on is the need for this offense to continue to evolve and try new things moving forward. I, personally, am very interested to see first if that will happen, and secondly, if so, how will Parker fit in to said changes.

RASHARD MENDENHALL

Poor guy. Just as soon as he gets his opportunity to make something happen, Ray Lewis deals him a crushing blow to the shoulder and breaks one of his bones. If you had forgotten, Rashard had made a couple of nice runs in that Baltimore game before going down. A very unfortunate break for the rookie, but if nothing else, it should make him hungry as imaginable to prove he was worthy of his high draft status next year.

MEWELDE MOORE

Outside of Ben Roethlisberger, Mewelde Moore would have to be considered the team's offensive MVP the past two weeks. In consecutive games, Moore came through with the goods on the final dive of the game. Against Baltimore, it was his pass catching primarily that set up the game-winning Jeff Reed FG. Against Jacksonville, he did it with both his hands and feet. He finished 1 yard shy of the century mark, and caught several cruical passes in both halves of the game. One man's trash is another man's treasure, baby. Moore has a deceptive elusiveness to him, and good insticts to go along with it. He's been as successful as Parker and Mendenhall were picking up those uninpsiring 2-3 yards up the middle, yet he's shown a nice aptitude for finding a crease when running outside the tackle, then either falling forward for another couple of extra yards or flashing nifty footwork and staying in bounds, as was the case on his long 25+ yard scamper against Jacksonville on our final drive of the game. Moore may just be the exact type of guy we need this year on an offense that may have problems establishing any sort of consistent rhtythm on offense. He should be catching 3-5 passes a game, and it might be wise to mix in some draws to him as well on 3rd downs when defenses try to tee off against our line. This is off the top of my head, but it seems as if we are in plenty of 3rd and 5-8 yard situations where Moore might be able to race by a blitzing defense for positive yardage.

CAREY DAVIS

Davis has done everything that has been asked of him in 2008. He's done a little blocking, some pass catching, and some ball carrying when we suddenly found ourselves without our top 2 guys. Davis himself went down with an injury in the Baltimore game and its unclear what his future with the team might be. For the year he has 10 carries for 18 yards and 2 catches for 9 yards. If the team opts to keep Gary Russell around and Najeh Davenport, is there a need to keep five guys at RB, particularly with Sean McHugh showing solid acumen as a lead blocker? I don't think there is. So in my mind, either Davis, Russell or Davenport has to be the odd man out. We've aleady seen that Moore is more than capable of filling in in a pinch, even as a #1 type guy, so why keep 3 guys (Dookie, Carey, Gary) who cumulatively might only be vying for a few carries per game? We'll see. Davis has been good on special teams too, so that's something to consider.

NAJEH DAVENPORT

Najeh returned a few kicks and rushed the ball once in his return to the Steelers against the Jags. We'll see what his future holds when roster decisions are made public next week in preparation for the Bengals game. What do you guys think? Will he be dismissed or do you think we'll keep him around in place of Russell or Davis?

GARY RUSSELL

Russell continues to fight the uphill battle towards getting an opportunity to carry the ball in this league. He got a few calls last week and did just fine, but for whatever reason, he continues to find himself the odd man out when injurys are no longer a concern. We'll see if he catches a break this time around any day now.

 

 

Skip ahead to the 27:30 mark of the podcast to enjoy some Bryant McFadden commentary on his contract situation, taking down the Jacksonville Jaguars, as well as how Mike Tomlin has toned down his practice schedule in year two as the Steelers head coach.  An interview with Ed Bouchette preceeds McFadden's interview, for those who may be interested.

Listen Here To Bryant McFadden on 1250 ESPN Pittsburgh

It's been awhile since I've shared some YouTube goodness. You'd be hard pressed to find anything much better than this gem. Enjoy y'all, and remember, through thick and thin, it sure feels good to love the Pittsburgh Steelers.  It may not be this year (though I really wouldn't bet against this defense if everyone's healthy), but my senses tell me this group of Steelers is on the right path towards adding their own chapter to the franchises' illustrious history.

 

If video loads slowly, just pause it and step away and let it get a head start downloading so you can watch it without any hiccups. It loaded slowly for me. Oh, and turn the sound on if you can. It's not disruptive for work environments. Seriously though, be patient. It's worth it, but not if watched in choppy bits and pieces. Cheers.

We've got two weeks until the Steelers next take the field against the Cincinnati Bengals. When they do, there will be no more weeks off until (hopefully) late January. So what better time than now to recap how each and everyone of our guys has played thus far through 5 weeks. Let's break it down by position, starting with the quarterbacks. Starting there makes sense for logical reasons, but I also think it's appropriate that we shower Ben with praise after his gutty performances the last two weeks. After all, much of our attention has been directed towards the offensive line, Bruce Arians, the surprising Mewelde Moore, and the animalistic tendencies of LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison.

Your turn in the spotlight Ben.

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I think it's quite clear after we found a way to beat both Baltimore and Jacknsonville in a 6 day span that we're capable of hanging with anybody in the league. We'll the deciders of our fate for the most part I feel, meaning that if we're playing up to our ability, there's a great chance we'll win any given week. And vice versa. That said, let's still take a look at who awaits us on the schedule the month folllowing the BYE.

Week 7 @ Cincinnati Bengals (0-5)

While talking to a friend earlier I said that 'if the Bengals had any spine at all, they'll be treating our game against them in two weeks like their Super Bowl'. His response? 'They've shown they have no spine time and time again.' Good point. Still, I think this game is a potential trap game for us, our first true one of the season. Much like the Jets game last year, actually.  Last year, we weren't ready to handle business on the road against teams that were inferior on paper. This year? I think we're more focused and that starts with our head coach. The Bengals are a few plays from having a couple of victories, so I wouldn't be surprised if they at least keep the game competitive through 3 quarters. In the end though, I think our pass rush will be too much. And, oh yeah, Willie Parker should be back and he tends to have his way with the Bengals rush defense.  Still, color me concerned about any divisional road game against a team that is still looking to get off the snide.

Week 8 vs. New York Giants (4-0)

This is where the fun really begins, though Ben Roethlisberger's banged up frame might be less inclined to agree. He'll be up for the challenge though, even if the Giants' pass rush is enough to give any Steelers fan nightmares. Ben vs. Eli, with both teams likely entering the contest with records at or near the of their respective conferences. My gut tells me we matchup well with them and that we might be able to have some success against their improved, but still young, secondary. As for Eli Manning? Well, he sure has silenced any critics who were trying to label him a one-hit-wonder before the season. He's completing 63% of his passes and has a health 6:1 TD to INT ratio. Still, it's worth noting that the only thing resembling a defense that he's faced was against Washington in Week 1, when they didn't quite have things in motion. Let's see how he does at Heinz Field against a confusing and physically imposing Steelers defense.

Week 9 @ Washington Redskins (4-1)

Our next appearance on Monday Night Football comes at Fed Ex Field in Landover, Maryland, where a resurgent Skins team will await. The Skins are the toast of the league right now, having just dusted the Cowboys and the Eagles on the road in consecutive weeks. THAT'S impressive. The Redskins still do not have an offensive turnover and for those who thought that new coach Jim Zorn would be bringing a pass happy West Coast offense to the nation's capital, think again. The Skins are pounding the ball on the ground and are having tremendous success closing games out behind the strong running of Clinton Portis. Portis racked up 150+ yards against an Eagles defense that had previously been impregnable against the run, and he now only trails Michael Turner of the Falcons by 29 yards for the NFL rushing lead. I've seen the Skins plenty the last couple of years and I'm not quite ready to pencil them in as the team that the media would like you to believe after the past two games. What happens when teams find a way to shut down the run? Can Campbell take over late? He did once against New Orleans, but that's a suspect defense. Since I will be at this game (woot!), I'm expecting a scintillating, down-to-the-wire affair.

Week 10 vs. San Diego Chargers (2-3)

Another tricky spot for our Steelers. This two week stretch will be the second time we'll have to play two solid teams in 6 days. Who knows what to make of San Diego, so I won't even try. I think we can dominate them physically and take LT out of the football game, but their run defense ain't so shabby either. This is a game where our special teams will have to be up to the challenge. Return man Darren Sproles is as good as anyone in the business. Beware a potential shoot out here, with both QBs throwing 35+ times for 300+ yards.

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That's just a taste of what we have ahead of us. Looming still would be the Colts, Patriots, Dallas, and still unbeaten Tennessee. As BTSC stalwart Bad Maafala said recently, this is going to be a fun season, regardless of how things break.

Poll

What will the Steelers record be in these four games?

• 4-0
• 3-1
• 2-2
• 1-3
• 0-4
• Won't predict but Bengals game scares me the most.
• Won't predict but Giants game scares me the most
• Won't predict but Redskins game scares me the most
• Won't predict but Chargers game scares me the most

  484 votes | Results

Tell us about your adopted player if you have the time to do so.

Guys I'm interested in hearing about are D Stapleton, Justin Hartwig, Nate Washington, James Farrior, Deshea, and a few others that aren't coming to mind this second.

Jump on in with reports on any if you don't see people filling in the blanks.

A few more thoughts about our impressive W over the Jaguars and Coach Mike Tomlin and what he's brought to this particular group of players.

* Who loves Mewelde Moore? Raise your hand or wave your towel if so. What a warrior. Going up against a Jaguars defense that maybe isn't as good as in years past, but was still eager to compete and hit, Moore managed to squeeze out 99 tough yards on 17 carries, punctuated by a 27 yard scamper on our game-winning TD march. Nobody loved seeing Moore succeed more than Fast Willie Parker, who jubilatnly applauded Moore's big plays in street clothes from the sideline. Moore didn't find much success running up the gut, but who does on our team? Nevertheless, except for one catch, where Moore misread would-be tacklers and failed to dive forward for first down yardage, he played fantastically. The most impressive stat of the night, at least for me, was the zero fumbles by Moore. He had the ball in his hands throughout the game and protected it consistently, despite being the smallest guy on the field for much of the contest. Don't forget Steelers Nation, this was a Mike Tomlin 'recruit'. He knew what Moore could do based on what he saw in Minnesota. Very wise to get that kind of gamer on your team. Congratulations to Moore, and let the debate begin on how to keep him involved with the game plan each week when FWP returns after the BYE.

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If we're going to bang on players of our favorite sports franchise when they have shortcomings, we must lift them up with cheers of admiration and praise when they come to compete and perform at a high level. This is still a work in progress, no doubt, but after improving demonstrably last week against Baltimore, the Steelers' offensive line turned in their best performance since Week 1 against Houston.

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