Steelers Defense vs. Giants Offense: Violent Hitting vs. Violent Running

by TheMostViolentTeam on Oct 21, 2008 4:44 PM EDT

If you are like me and love defense-oriented, smashmouth football, this weeks matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants should be a treat in an otherwise no-contact allowed, score-as-many-points-as-you-can, offense driven league. The Giants feature a highly efficient, balanced offense led by the running of Brandon Jacobs, and the passing of Eli Manning. How the Steelers so-far dominant defense matchups against the excellent NYG offensive line, and their play-action ability, is a huge key in the game. Let's take a look at how the three Steelers defensive units might play against the reigning champs individually, and how that each one fits into our collective, overall defensive strategy:

The Defensive Line - Hot off the press is the most welcomed news that we will have our first healthy D-Line in weeks. Let us all rejoice. While Chris Hoke, Travis Kirschke et al. have played incredibly the past few weeks, a healthy Casey Hampton and Brett Keisel, along with the magnificent Aaron Smith, will be a huge boost against a superb Giants line. Look for our line to be up to their usual tricks. Each member soundly attacking the correct gaps, and (particularly Hampton and Smith), taking on double teams so our linebackers can go after the big, violent Jacobs with a clear path to the ball. Especially important is that Hampton is playing near his A game now that he's had almost a month to nurse his injury. Don't be surprised if the Giants double-team Smith early in the game, until Hampton proves he is truly "back." If Hampton can take advantage of single blocks early in the game and generate a big push into the backfield, that will go a long way towards shutting down the run of the Giants early, and forcing Eli to try and take over the game (something we WANT to see).

Big Snack is BAAACK! That's a good thing for our chances Sunday.

Basically, if the Giants O-Line has to worry about doubling BOTH Hampton and Smith on any given running play, we should have no problem limiting the effectiveness of Jacobs and Bradshaw. Lastly with regards to pass-rushing, as this season goes on, on obvious passing downs, teams are increasingly double-teaming BOTH James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley, which leaves the onus on the D-linemen and ILBs to get to the QB. Look for Keisel and A. Smith to be a bit more active in this area.

Click through for the remainder of the breakdown.

The Linebackers - The most important unit for this game in many ways. It's pretty safe to assume that the D-Line will do their job occupying blockers. They've done so successfully for years, why would that change this week? The linebackers, and especially the inside linebacking trio of James Farrior, Larry Foote, and Lawrence Timmons, will then be expected to do what they've done well - excel in limiting yards after contact and mopping up the dirty work done by our D-Line - against the best running game we've yet faced in 2008. When our ILBs get Jacobs one-on-one up the middle, they must (continue) to tackle with good form and not let him get yards after contact. While all of our defense and our LBs in particular are excellent tacklers, they have yet to face anyone like Brandon Jacobs. I expect them to do a good job in this area, Jacobs will have an OK day, but we should limit him to under 70 yards, on approx. 14-18 carries if we want to win this game.

As for the OLBs, Harrison and Woodley will also have alot of responsibility in this game. Of course, in passing situations they need to get to Eli, who has only been sacked SIX times this year! Any NFL QB would put up good numbers with that kind of time. We need to get to him a few times. More importantly, the Giants are likely to use the speed of Bradshaw to try and combat the fierce and relentless outside pass rush of the Steelers. Woodley & Harrison up to this point have done a good job of not becoming overzealous in the pass-rush and maintaining "containment" on outside runs and swing/screen passes. The Giants will be sure to test this, but I believe our guys will be more than up to the task. Bradshaw will be held in check, and then some. Brian Westbrook and MJD, who are similarly shifty and fast, certainly had their struggles against us, though I guess they didn't have a full game to be productive after being sidelined with injuries early on.

Any chance Harrison will get the chance to administer something similar to Plax?

Lastly, I expect Timmons to be very helpful in this game. As I mentioned in the D-line paragraph, teams are doubling Woodley & Harrison more and more. This means that the middle pass rush (usually coming from Timmons) HAS to be successful in order to make teams pay. This will be an area I watch closely during this game. Timmons also needs to continue to excel in pass coverage, as Giants TE Kevin Boss is very solid. Athletically, Timmons is far superior, but he needs to stay focused as Boss runs very crisp routes.

3. The Secondary - I for one don't think losing McFadden is a big blow, at least in regards to this game. DeShea Townsend will now draw Amani Toomer, who like Townsend, is suffering from the natural decline in physical ability that accompanies athletes in their 30s. Toomer continues to excel based on saavy and knowledge of the game. That matchup will be a wash at best for the Giants. The big matchup is on the other side, where Ike Taylor will face off with Plaxico Burress. I expect the Giants to use play-action early in this game, as they expect Pittsburgh's corners to be aggressive in run support early in the game. Taylor especially needs to be smart early in the game, not getting caught looking into the backfield (like 05 Colts regular season game) and letting Burress score an easy deep touchdown. Taylor has the physicality and strong jam that can give Burress problems, and he usually steps up against big-time receivers, so I like Ike to do well in this game. As long as our DBs have faith that the front 7 can stop the run on their own (which they can), we'll be in good shape when the Giants are then forced into passing situations.

The Giants have a decent receiving corps all-around, but it's not as deep as say, the Pats of '07, or the Bengals of '05. Plaxico should be amped up to show up his former team, but our guys, with a healthy Ryan Clark and Troy Polamalu, should be able to handle them for the most part. It's amazing I've gone this far without mentioning Polamalu, but don't let that fool you, he will be a huge factor in this game along with our ILBs, who all have the task of taking on the Giants running game. Polamalu will need to bring his A-game in run support. If the Giants throw a lot of screens against our pass-rush, he needs to react quickly and be that (along with Timmons) that torpedo that upends the ball-carrier in the flat. It'll be interesting to see early on if his reactions are affected at all by getting his bell rung last week. If they are, we'll need to get Timmons in the game more. Expect Ryan Clark to be sitting deep alot helping one or the other corners in the event of play-action deep attempts by the Giants.

Overall strategy: Really when you look at it, the Giants offense is very similar to the Steelers of '04 or '05. Big, power running back, a speed back complement, a QB asked to sell play-action and hit on the deep throws. That is a tough, balanced offense. On the other hand, the Steelers have the best defense I've seen in 15 years. No joke. I don't think the Giants O is as good as Philadelphia's is, and we held them to 10 points. (5 of their 15 total points were directly attributable to the offense's ineptitude that day). I expect LeBeau to show a bit more of our exotic blitzes in this game. Early in the year we got pressure just by beating guys one on one with our OLBs. Well, now that teams are doubling both of them more and more, you'll see us start to use our famed "inside X" blitz. It's the perfect time too, as the offense will be looking for the OLBs to rush, then when they feign the rush and drop back, the ILBs come charging up the middle. We used this blitz a lot last year, but it wasn't as effective because teams weren't afraid of the outside pass rush so they could slide inside quicker. Different story this year.

Eli's command of New York's offense is much improved from even a year ago at this time, but figuring out what Dick LeBeau has in store for him...at Heinz Field...is another story. A classic match-up of 'what gives'?

Look for Timmons and Farrior to be in Eli's face early on in this game. Also look to see Polamalu deployed closer to the line of scrimmage early on, not only in run support, but to try and confuse Eli and the offensive line in their protection schemes. All in all, while the Giants are very efficient and will prob put together a couple of good drives, I expect our defense to win this matchup. They want to run the ball and go big with play-action, we stop the run very well AND defend play-action well because of our excellent pass-rush. I know it sounds a bit homerish, but this defense has played so well without any misdirection early in the year that the game is truly opened up for them. Trying to game plan to beat our defense would give me nightmares, that is for sure.

We attack, and we attack with violence. That's the way football should be played. I truly can't wait to see our big, nasty D against that physical line of the Giants.

Anyone else have thoughts, comments on our defensive strategy....or are any of you just as generally excited to watch a violent, nasty football game like I am?

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Who Will Be The More Violent Team on Sunday?

Pittsburgh

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New York

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Comments

Great Post TMVT

My mouth is watering at the prospect of this game. Totally agree with you about our D. Its been a long time since we had so many play makers on that side of the ball. Its also an interesting mix of young guys on the rise, pros in their absolute prime and wiley vets who may be declining a bit physically but are mentally brilliant and have so much left to give.

And of course it doesn’t hurt that they play for the maestro.

by SteelerBuddha on Oct 21, 2008 5:16 PM EDT reply actions

very true

not something I specifically mentioned in this piece,but LeBeau is using all his pieces together very fluidly to complement one another and make the defense even more dangerous.

by TheMostViolentTeam on Oct 21, 2008 5:23 PM EDT up reply actions

one thing ive been meaning to write about

This very well could be LeBeau’s last yaer. Its his 50th year in the league. I dont think he’ll quit. He’s too healthy and he has too many new toys to play with that are young, but its nevertheless a possibility. We need to enjoy him while hes still here.

by Michael Bean on Oct 21, 2008 5:25 PM EDT up reply actions

I wonder if lebeau has any proteges he can suggest…

It’s hard to believe that Dick hasn’t even been with the steelers for very long compared to our head coaches, but the substantial impact he has had when he has been around.

1992-1996: 5 years, 4 divisional championships
2004-2007: 3 years, 2 divisional championships, 1 SB championship

The dude is badass. I wish we could claim he had been with us the whole time, but he was not and the steelers lived without him. I’m sure we will do so going forward, but if he has any tips to give tomlin on a replacement whenever he does retire, I hope tomlin listens.

by steelguy99 on Oct 21, 2008 5:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Let's stop talking about the elephant in the room

When we lose LeBeau it will be a very sad day in Steeler Nation.

by BallsofSteel on Oct 21, 2008 5:44 PM EDT up reply actions

lol, sorry

call me debby d downer.

anyway, i dont think hes going anywhere. read recently that his mom is like 95 and still very healthy and mentally sharp. what the hell would Lebeau do for the next 25 years? Plenty of time for retirement, he’s got at least 5 good years left :)

by Michael Bean on Oct 21, 2008 5:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Possible Replacement

On the radio the other week, one of the callers asked that question. It was either Tunch or Joe Bendel who said to watch for d-line/assistant head coach John Mitchell to be the heir apparent.

by Hines Ward on Oct 21, 2008 5:54 PM EDT up reply actions

Not a Bad Choice

60 minute men

by I.W.H.F.M.D.95 on Oct 22, 2008 1:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Thoughts

Holy crap: the Giants have the FO best offense? Wow. Their running game is ridiculous. I’m still concerned about it. Their whole OL is made of good run blockers, so it should be quite a battle in there. Having McFadden would have let us run more man-to-man or cover-3 defense to stop the run if need be, so there could be some holes if they have success on the ground early.

As far as Timmons: nothing like a speed demon to revitalize the stale criss-cross ILB blitz. I think he’ll be good off the edge against their tackles, too, if that’s his assignment.

charity standing orders

by BadMaafala on Oct 21, 2008 6:28 PM EDT reply actions

like i said

the X blitz isn’t stale, it was ineffective last year because when opposings O’s saw the two OLBs line up they weren’t worried about one, they knew they could take an extra second to look to the middle for the blitz. now when we line up in that formation they have to be worried the OLBs are coming because if they are, they need to get their to help right away. also yes, Timmons speed further compounds the problems opposing offenses will have with this blitz.

by TheMostViolentTeam on Oct 21, 2008 7:15 PM EDT up reply actions

Re;

Thanks TMVT. Like you I can’t wait for this game. I love a blood bath!
I agree with you that this is the best Steelers defense since Blitzburgh.
John Mitchell is Assistant Head Coach and would probably be tapped as D coordinator if LeBeau retires sometme soon. That is of course if Tomlin wants to continue on in the 3/4. If not all bets are off.

When You Run The Ball Good Things Happen

by 5020 on Oct 21, 2008 6:28 PM EDT reply actions

Hampton, Hoke

Nice work TMVT. I’m excited that we’re getting the Big Snack back. I’ll be watching our NT play closely, regardless of who is in. Manning is not a big scrambler/evader like Ben. Except for his SuperBowl escape, he is more known to move up or dance in the pocket a little. With our outside rush what it is, I hope Casey is healthy enough to blow that pocket up from the middle and make it even harder on Eli. Plus, if we do this early, that is less attention that the line will be able to give to our ILBs for either the X-blitz (yinz are soooo right about Timmons’ contribution!) or swing-pass/screen coverage.

by HarryBTs on Oct 21, 2008 7:48 PM EDT reply actions

Run Stopping

As much as I want the Steelers D to stop the NYG run game to 70yds, I see that being a BIG challenge with their O-line and RB’s. I’ll be rooting for it, but see myself chewing on the Terrible Towel and looking at a “bend-but-don’t-break” day for our Run D. If we are successful on early downs against the run, i see good things happening. That’s why I really hope our 2ndary holds up and we can neutralize the pass game with decent coverage and QB pressure/sacks. Let’s make Eli look like he did against the Brownies!

by HarryBTs on Oct 21, 2008 8:06 PM EDT reply actions

70 yds

to Jacob, on 20 carries. Giants will prob end with 90 or so as a team is my guess.

by TheMostViolentTeam on Oct 21, 2008 8:11 PM EDT reply actions

hehe

I ammended your number of carries prediction TMVT. I dont see Jacobs getting 20 carries. As you can see here in his game logs, he’s only had 20+ carries once this year, against WAS in Week 1.

Furthermore, not one RB has carried it 20 times against us this year. Jamal Lewis came the closest with 19 rushes. Teams just give up trying to establish the run. We might see 30 combined rushes from NY, but I cant see Jacobs getting more than 15 of them, with the remaining 15 divided up between Derek Ward and that Bradshaw kid.

by Michael Bean on Oct 21, 2008 8:57 PM EDT up reply actions

what happened

to freedom of the press?!?! Commie! Haha, just kidding, well after looking at those logs it’s hard to argue with you. 30 combined rushes sounds right, 90 yards total rushing still sounds right.

by TheMostViolentTeam on Oct 21, 2008 9:16 PM EDT up reply actions

hehe

I like to think dictatorship more than communist :)

I tried to keep the TMVT blue collar vibe while infusing some of namby pamby grammar snobness. hehe.

But yeah, anyway, no way Jacobs gets it 20 times. we’re fucked if he does.

by Michael Bean on Oct 21, 2008 10:34 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m predicting we shut down one of the runners (I think we’ll focus on Jacobs) while letting another have a pretty good day. My prediction is:

Jacobs 16 for 52
Ward 12 for 60
Bradshaw 2 for 6

I’m also really worried about this game from an injury perspective.

charity standing orders

by BadMaafala on Oct 22, 2008 7:39 AM EDT up reply actions

yea

we can’t really afford to get banged up much more this year. we’ve had our fair share already and we’ve still got over 2.5 months left.

i like those numbers, btw. Sound about right, maybe a tad high for me both in terms of yards and number of carries. I think they might try to do lots of what Cincy did on their one successful drive, and just bank on Manning being a lot better than Fitzpatrcik was at making some of the tougher throws that continually stalled their drives all game.

by Michael Bean on Oct 22, 2008 7:55 AM EDT up reply actions

"I'm feelin' kinda Sunday"

This game is going to be awesome. I can’t wait to see how our defense stacks up against the best O line. I really hope that if Troy plays he is 100%. No need chancing him to another concussion if he’s not. If we can get past this one without injuries and a W…. well I won’t even start to fathom the possibilities.

by SoCalSteelerFan on Oct 21, 2008 9:37 PM EDT reply actions

I'll be taking a 6 am flight

to get to this game. I’m pretty excited. I’ll be bringing my camera and hopefully can share some pictures of the game and a few games past.

by TheCincinnatiConqueror on Oct 21, 2008 10:16 PM EDT reply actions

I;m kind of worried about the pass catching abilities of their backup RBs (Ward and Bradshaw)

Ward is 4th on the team in catches and I know Bradshaw has the ability. We typically struggle with backs catching out in the flats and such and this team does it well (though Jacobs has hands of stone).

by shleeve on Oct 21, 2008 10:29 PM EDT reply actions

ward

I’ll be posting about this dude soon. He’s playing great. 7+ YPC I believe.

by Michael Bean on Oct 21, 2008 10:33 PM EDT up reply actions

yea, he truly scares me. 7.2 YPC and a 8.9 YPR out of the backfield.

By the way, we have Hines so we are defiantly the more violent team, lol.

by shleeve on Oct 21, 2008 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions

correction

the MOST violent team.

by TheMostViolentTeam on Oct 21, 2008 11:06 PM EDT up reply actions

also

our defense has done a very good job on RBs catching the ball out of the backfield. a healthy Troy Polamalu has been the big difference in that and last year, along with Lawrence Timmons getting more playing time.

by TheMostViolentTeam on Oct 21, 2008 11:14 PM EDT up reply actions

meh

We’re pretty lousy against RB’s out of the backfield. MJD and Westbrook were injured against us, and even Buckhalter had a pretty good day catching the ball. Jerome Harrison and Lewis had a few nice plays with the Browns. McGahee and McClain had some good plays as well. We did limit Green and Slaton in the Texans’ game, though. We haven’t played against a team that has a dynamic passing threat at RB other than the Westbrookless Eagles. I think were at best average against RB’s out of the backfield.

I agree, though, that Timmons is the key to stopping these plays. Timmons has to be on the field, though, as there’s no rule against passing on first down. Troy has been too invaluable downfield this year to have him focus on underneath routes, but he’s still helped out by blowning up a dumpoff or two.

charity standing orders

by BadMaafala on Oct 22, 2008 7:58 AM EDT up reply actions

i think

you’re remembering a few nice plays for each of those guys or tandems, and not remembering how many blown up plays there were. every team is going to get in a couple nice plays of any kind. they are also NFL players. i’ll keep a tally of it in this game.

by TheMostViolentTeam on Oct 22, 2008 8:53 AM EDT up reply actions

on this subject coming very soon.

by TheMostViolentTeam on Oct 22, 2008 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions

hmm

I’ve been looking around at the stats, and I don’t think we’re great at covering them, but I couldn’t find any other team that was great at it either. Backs have had success against Tennessee, Baltimore, and Tampa, in this area as well. I guess it’s a testament to how effective the strategy can be. FO might have more useful stats on it, since teams can pass for 7 yards on 3rd and 14, which is basically useless.

Here’s what I got, though: In 6 games, we’ve given up 41 completions to FB/RB’s for 238 yards, and 5.8 yards per catch. I’m assuming there aren’t many times the RB’s were targeted without getting a completion. The best 2 teams at getting the ball to their RB’s that we’ve faced (Eagles and Jags) both had injuries to their main pass catching RB against us.

It also seems like most of the yardage comes in chunks, which would explain my different perceptions from TMVT. If you add up receptions that are over 10 yards, you have 8 receptions that account for well over half the yards (132). We have stuffed a lot of these plays, as well. If our LB’s make it to the RB in time, the plays are basically useless. If they don’t, there isn’t anyone else to make the tackle for a while (Buckhalter’s TD).

Anyway, this is why we need to get Timmons in there. If we give up an extra yard or two on the ground here and there, we’ll make up for it by limiting these big and back-breaking plays.

charity standing orders

by BadMaafala on Oct 22, 2008 11:19 AM EDT up reply actions

haha

I just did an article that will be posted later on BTSC, comes to the same conclusion, we stop alot of them, but give up a few big ones here and there. I think some of it is definitely due to down & distance. Just thinking logically; not looking at game logs, how often it seems in my memory we allow a 10+ yard RB reception when they are in 3rd and 20 or something like that (just like you mentioned). For all teams. I think the strategy is effective in limited uses, like most teams use it. However we’ve never really seen an offense use RBs catching the ball a ton so who knows. Then again, the Rams did this with Marshall Faulk and the Eagles do it with Westbrook and have some of the best offenses, maybe we are catching on to something those OCs already realized; that RBs need to be utilized even more potentially……but regardless, I’m in agreement with you.

by TheMostViolentTeam on Oct 22, 2008 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions

nice

glad to see some giants fans catch whiff of this post and show some support!

by Michael Bean on Oct 21, 2008 10:37 PM EDT reply actions

The hunters becoming the hunted

I was reading Ed Bouchette’s weekly chat conference today and he referenced a chat on the Jacksonville Jaguars official website. One of the Jaguars fans questioned the reporter about the hit Hines Ward put on Keith Rivers. His comment was very interesting and should put the NY Giants Defense on notice:

http://jaguars.com/news/article.aspx?id=7357

by Steev1705 on Oct 21, 2008 11:08 PM EDT reply actions

Great article

That article was great. Hines is badass…So badass supposedly Terrel “Thug” Suggs proclaimed on public radio that the Ravens have a bounty out on Ward. I am glad to see Ward’s toughness transferring to Holmes as well.

by Silverback92 on Oct 21, 2008 11:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Rated R for violence and strong language....

This game has it all. These are the two consensus favorites to win the SB, with all due respect to Tennessee.

Pittsburgh’s strengths lie in their ability to neutralize an opponents running game and the NYG have the best in the biz. Aaron Smith and Big Snack are the keys to Pittsburgh’s success in this regard. If they succeed Eli will be running for his life.

Conversely, the Giants D gets after the qb and (the Steelers) are trying to improve their protections, which they’ve done in recent games. FWP should be ready to go, but even if he can’t Mewelde has filled nicely. I’m looking for the Steelers to employ the no-huddle once again and balance it with the running game. Nate Washington has emerged as another deep threat, so look for Ben to go deep once the running game gets going.

This is going to be an all out war so buckle down and enjoy the show!!

Steelers- 31 Giants- 23

by UNCsteeler on Oct 21, 2008 11:55 PM EDT reply actions

good stuff UNC

I agree with the final outcome, but not the score. See something more like 20-13 Steelers or something like that. Game winning Roethlisberger drive at the end.

by TheMostViolentTeam on Oct 21, 2008 11:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Good Article

As a Giants Fan, I had to post this. First, I’m very impressed with the article and the posts. Usually in these forums it’s just a bunch of bashing the opponent. not here. The article is very well written and objective. The good and bad are expressed.
I’m really looking forward to this game. The Giants really haven’t played anyone up to this point. They haven’t been tested by a winning team. I see a lot of bruises after this game….on both sides!!!

As for the Gints O vs. the Pitt D…Pittsburgh will have to stop the run early. Conversely, the Gints need to establish the running game and maintain it. If the Giants are having success running the ball, look for Jacobs to get 20+ carries. He’s learning to follow that awesome O-line more and stay with his blockers. If he can get through the D-line, watch out. He’s a handful once he hits the secondary. As for Bradshaw and Ward, they’re trouble on the outside. Quick. The Pitt OLBs will have to stay at home to get them. While Burress is the big deep threat, Pitt can’t ignore Smith. He’s the fastest the Giants have and Toomer is football saavy.

Giants D vs. Pitt O….Simple Giants football: get Ben. The D-line is just as good as any in the league right now. They get a good push and don’t give QBs a lot of time. I hope we have Pierce back at LB. He’s the D leader. I don’t know about about Ben going long. The pressure from the Gints D-line and DEs doesn’t leave a lot of time for receivers to get down field. The Giants corners should be respected, remember Ross is only in his second year. Throwing underneath is the D weak spot. They’ve been getting chewed up there.

As for the outcome, you know I have to go with the Giants!! I don’t see a lot of points. Again, the Giants have to establish the run and eat up the clock. If they do that, they win

Unfortunately because of the circumstances I can’t wish you guys luck. But, I do wish you well.

by superda64 on Oct 22, 2008 3:35 AM EDT reply actions

Thanks for the cross talk

This is probably the biggest game so far this year for both our teams. You guys beat the ‘skins, but they didn’t have everything together yet. It should be a hard fought game, and hopefully both teams won’t have many injuries.

I think Tuck is the guy that worries me most on defense because he’ll be lined up against our weakest OL, Colon. Also, our new interior OL has looked good the past few weeks against poor competetion, so it will be interesting to see how it does against Robbins and co. For us, the short passing game and getting some sort of running game established will be key. We’ll only be able to throw deep if we have the DL worried about the play action. On defense, stopping the run is key. We’re down a CB, so keeping all non-former Steeler WR’s in check will be a challenge.

I can wish you guys luck, cause you’ll need it :)

charity standing orders

by BadMaafala on Oct 22, 2008 8:18 AM EDT up reply actions

thanks

for the compliments superda64. we strive to be objective at ‘the Curtain, and not TOO biased. always looking to draw in outside fans for more perspective. this game is going to be great because it’s strength vs strength, in terms of our defense versus your offense. our offense will need to show improvement along the O-line for us to score enough points to win. one side note about the Giants, they’ve struggled against the AFC North bottom feeders so far….beating Cincy in OT, and getting blasted by the Browns. Not sure if there is a connection or just the Giants not focusing as much on non-divisional opponents, but might bode well for the Steelers.

My prediction; first team over 15 points wins.

by TheMostViolentTeam on Oct 22, 2008 8:58 AM EDT up reply actions

I’m not too worried about our D. The giants offense will get something going for sure, but like you said, it is strength vs. strength. It’s going to be a tough battle when Eli is driving down the field for sure, should be a treat to watch.

On the other side of the ball though it’s strength vs. weakness. Best D-line vs. Shaky O-line. The way around that as we have discussed is a run game and the short stuff. The problem is that our short stuff is still in its infancy. We’ve thankfully gotten to see it lately, but it’s not exactly our forte. At the very least though, the giants D is not nearly as stalwart as ours, so we should be able to move the ball.

by steelguy99 on Oct 22, 2008 10:58 AM EDT up reply actions

agreed

as you said the short stuff is new for us, but we’ve run it very well, and it suits our personnel just fine also. i think thats why you saw it last week, even though it may not have been necessary against a weak pass rush like the Bengals, just to get rhythm and comfortable even more with it.

by TheMostViolentTeam on Oct 22, 2008 11:00 AM EDT up reply actions

Cleveland game

Its odd to be the resident defender of the Browns (where the hell is Kwoog?!?) but while the Giants are a better team than the Browns, I think people have continuously misunderestimated the Browns this year. They are a troubled football team, but not a bad football team. They played the Steelers close. They played Washington well. They beat the Giants.

I am not saying that they are great, but I do think that we have seen over and over in this league what a difference a week can make for a team (see Dallas Cowboys).

by SteelerBuddha on Oct 22, 2008 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions

I completely agree

The Browns have a lot of talent, and I think they matched up very well against the Giants, and thus beat them soundly. They have a lot of problems, but they can be frightening at times.

charity standing orders

by BadMaafala on Oct 22, 2008 11:23 AM EDT up reply actions

Steelers/Giants

I’ve been waiting for this game all season! The Steelers haven’t beaten a team with a winning record yet, so this will be a great test to see just how good they are. I also see a defensive game, with the Steelers pulling it out in a squeaker, 23-20. I hope to see more of Timmons…he should be starting now, over Foote. He had a super game against the Bengals even though not starting. I don’t want to see a repeat of the Eagles game where the Steelers offensive line got blown away. Go Steelers!!

by steveco52 on Oct 22, 2008 10:35 AM EDT reply actions

fanzak

Steelers fans rank in top 5 in professional sports

http://fanzak.com/fzrants/Best_Fans_Ever

by Fanzak on Oct 22, 2008 11:18 AM EDT reply actions

Excellent post

As a Giants fan it is a pleasant surprise to see a balanced blog post on that week’s rivals site.

This game should be very good. I hope the Giants have learned from the MNF fiasco, and you are the best opponent we have had to face in 08.

What I especially like about this blog post is there are things that the Steelers can do to win and that if the Giants can do the oppossite they should win. Not one sided like most usually are.

I think this weekend will say alot about both teams when it is all said and done.

by Woogie526 on Oct 22, 2008 11:38 AM EDT reply actions

Getting along

It is excellent to see folks my site, Big Blue View, over here getting along with the Steeler faithful. Same with the Steeler fans who have ventured over to BBV. Nice to find folks who can root for their teams — and make their cases — without the hatred we see in too many other places.

by Ed Valentine on Oct 22, 2008 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions

What you need to understand is that behind the steelers we worship your team as gods for last years superbowl. Seriously, thanks.

by steelguy99 on Oct 22, 2008 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions

amen

I’ve never particularly liked the Giants or Eli, but watching the Giants not only batter Brady but finish the job was easily in my top 5-10 moments in sports history. I can only imagine what it was like for you guys.

charity standing orders

by BadMaafala on Oct 22, 2008 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions

lol

worship? speak for yourself. I watched the SB, and enjoyed it, it was a great game. Towards the end I found myself rooting for the Giants, but not because I hate the Pats like alot of other fans, just cause it’s always fun to root for a massive underdog. One of the biggest upsets in sports history, and I’m a sports junkie so I loved the moment and give tons of props to the Giants for pulling it off.

by TheMostViolentTeam on Oct 22, 2008 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Definitely

Tell the Pats to video tape that!!!!!!!!!

60 minute men

by I.W.H.F.M.D.95 on Oct 22, 2008 1:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Don't know if I'd say worship

But, I was nearly as glad as any Giants fan to see them knock off the Pats*. And, besides, we all hate the Cowboys, too, right?!?!?

by WolfpackSteelersFan on Oct 22, 2008 4:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Personally I started liking the Giants for kicking Dallas’ ass in the playoffs.

by archon095 on Oct 22, 2008 4:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Likewise

Toughest opponent we’ve faced in 08, so it’s a great measuring stick for both teams. Truly the home-field will be a big factor for the Steelers. In another example of strength vs. strength, Steelers have one regular season loss at home since Mike Tomlin, Giants have one road loss in I forgot how many games, 8 or so I believe.

by TheMostViolentTeam on Oct 22, 2008 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions

Scary Monsters

This is the time of year for monsters to come out, and thats what the Steelers D has got in Harrison, Woodley, and Timmons— Big, Scary,HUNGRY Monsters lookin’ to tear S*#T up!! Can’t wait till Sunday- GO STEELERS!

Let's Go!

by jacksteel on Oct 23, 2008 4:25 PM EDT reply actions

Good Post

“If you are like me and love defense-oriented, smashmouth football, this weeks matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants should be a treat in an otherwise no-contact allowed, score-as-many-points-as-you-can, offense driven league.” ………Couldn’t agree more
I’ve been coming over and reading the posts over her in “enemy territory” this week and have found most of you to be pretty realistic about this weeks game. No doubt if the Steelers commit to stopping the run they, will but if your hoping to put the onus on Manning , be careful what you wish for. If he gets hot early and the Giants successfully attack with short outside passes to set up the long ball it could be a long day for your team. At least that would be my plan assuming they will load the box, once again I would why not?…….Good luck , just not tommorow.

We're only gonna score 17 points?

by big blue wrecking crew on Oct 25, 2008 7:56 AM EDT reply actions

thanks

for coming over. you make good points, but it’s unlikely we “load the box”. We don’t ever really do this. We play the run with our 7 players. Often we will make it appear we are “loading the box” with Polamalu doing his crazy dances around the line of scrimmage, however most the time we use 7 against the run, we just use misdirection to make it appear more or less players are going to jump in on the play….you are right if Eli is hot then it’ll be a tough day for us, but that’d be true of any QB really.

by TheMostViolentTeam on Oct 25, 2008 7:42 PM EDT up reply actions