Run Stuffed Steelers Survive Titans in NFL Opener

September 13, 2009, Posted by Christopher at 6:36 am

NFL Games Recap Week 1
I’m a Football fan. NFL. It’s the only sport I really watch. So I am going to try something new on the blog here and give my take on the weekly games this year. We’ll see how it goes. This column may go through many changes during the year. If you must know, I’m a big Pittsburgh Steelers fan and have been following them since the early 1980’s. Many of my reports may focus on the team.

Most of you should already know that the Pittsburgh Steelers squeaked by the Tennessee Titans, 13 to 10, on Thursday night during the NFL season opener. It turned out … as many people predicted … to be a knock-’em-down drag-’em-out defensive battle. An interesting game but not overly exciting until the end. Here is what I took away from the game.

Interesting Thoughts

Ten. – 59% pass plays.
Pit. – 67% pass plays.

Time Of Possession – 8:00 advantage Pit.

Both teams can be considered a run-first offense. To me both veered from their paths with the Steelers definitely committing to the pass, yet they still were able to win the time of possession battle. Obviously it helps that Big Ben completed nearly 77% of his passes which keeps the game clock running, but Collins completed a respectable 63%.

The TOP is rather surprising and something to watch in the near future. Due to the problems in the run game the Steelers may need to rely on Big Ben’s arm a little more this year. If they are forced to do that and are still able to respectably win the time of possession battle, then the lower run totals may not be a death sentence.

What happened to the Steelers Run Attack

23, 36, 1.6. It’s not a math problem, but it IS a problem. Those are the Steelers rushing totals … 23 attempts for 36 yards. A 1.6 yard per rush average. For those of you not keeping score, those are not good numbers. Those are horrid numbers for a run first offense like Pittsburgh.

Now, I know that the Titans have a dang good defense. A top 10 or top 5 run defense can make a lot of teams look bad, but I saw a little more then just defense. I saw the Steelers hurting themselves.

The Steelers Offensive Line is a mess. Run blocking was definitely poor in addition to hole creation and even gap protection. The Titans are a very good defense and that had an effect, but you can tell that that was not the end of the story. This line MAY gel and get better as the year progresses, but I wouldn’t count on a big improvement.
Running back indecision. My eyes saw an almost confused Willie Parker. I saw a lot of indecision on where to run. When there are no gaps running becomes difficult, but there was no adjustment on Parker’s part. There was a lack of pure cutting and more of a nervous shiftiness in his feet.
Where’s the Torque ? I saw all of the Steelers running backs go down way too easily. The Titans are a good tackling team … no doubt … but what I saw was more. I don’t want to say that the Steelers running backs gave-up when the defenders closed in, but I really did not see much of a desire to “push forward” either. It looks to me almost like Parker has it in his mind that there is no sense to run if there is no hole to shoot through and Mendenhall, well, maybe still doesn’t know what his role is on the team.

Around the Internet, especially on the Steelers message board, many people are calling for a benching of both Parker and Mendenhall. I think it is still too early for that. Give them one or two more games to get their wheels moving.

If things don’t change quickly I think there will need to be a change at running back. With the Steelers poor line play they cannot afford an indecisive or unwilling running back. Parker’s current running style DOES NOT fit with the Steelers offensive line. If the line is not going to open holes or Parker is not going to change his mindset, then he needs to sit. At the very least, with the Steelers line you need a decisive, authoratative back … strong cuts are great but nervous, shifty feet waste power and the line’s time.

Injury Notes:

Troy Polamalu came up gimpy with a sprained MCL in his left knee. Initial reports have him out 3 to 6 weeks. I saw the injury happen (not very pretty) but I also did NOT notice troy limping excessively afterward. Hopefully this is only a sprain. I could see Troy not returning until after the week 8 bye. Take that extra week to heal and possibly return for the Denver game. I could even see the coaches holding him out one more game for a return at Cinncy the following week. A healthy Troy can make all the difference in the World for the second of the season divisional games. Of course it will all depend upon what the Steelers standing is around the bye week.

The Steelers defense is a different beast without Polamalu. Without Troy on the field opposing quarterbacks have a little more freedom. Quick release, strong-armed quarterbacks may be able to fend off a pass rush easier with out “the wildman” on the field. The secondary will not only need to step-up play but may also need to learn a different game speed.

Fantasy Studs:

Ben Roethlisberger (Pit): 363 Yards, 1 TD, 2 Int., 3 yards rushing, 4 sacks.
J. Gage (Ten): 7 rec., 78 Yards, 1 TD
S. Holmes (Pit): 9 rec., 131 Yards, 1 TD

Anyone starting anyone from these 2 teams ? I have Holmes as a WR in Yahoo Salary Cap and am VERY happy with those numbers to start the season. I also have Nate Washington (Ten) on my NFL.com fantasy team but didn’t play him because of the injury. Any one have a Steelers running back on their fantasy team? Are you thinking about sitting them for the Chicago game … or do you take the chance ?

Comments ( leave a comment here ) and thoughts ALWAYS welcome !