PHYSICALLITY.  This will be, in my opinion, the determining factor for Pittsburgh on Sunday.  Not containing any offensive weapons, not establishing the run, or protecting Ben.  It will be out hitting the Cardinals like we did against the Ravens.  It will be pushing around the Cardinals like we did against the Chargers.  That is our key...because that is our style of football.

We are not a finesse team.  We are no longer a "trick play" team.  We are a physical, violent, impossing team on BOTH sides of the ball.

Fitzgerald, Boldin, Breaston...all will pose a problem for any secondary.  However, lets see how effective Fitz is after Lawerence Timmons blows him up on a crossing route over the middle.  Or how well Boldin will play after Ryan Clark cracks him right between the numbers.  How comfortable Warner is in the pocket after Woodley and Deebo get their hands on him.  Or how well DRC plays in man coverage after Hines Ward (bum knee and all) blindsides him downfield.

Against the Ravens, we set the tone early....very early...as in, on the opening kickoff.  Carey Davis destroyed the Ravens gunner on the opening kickoff (can't find any video footage), and the guy had to be helped off the field.  That let the Ravens know RIGHT AWAY, that they could not and would not out-physical, or be more violent than the Steelers.  And that tone rang loud all day long....(see Limas Sweed and Ryan Clark).  This is exactly what we need to do to the Cardinals.  Right now, the Cardinals are flying high, with all the momentum and motivation in the world.  The best way to bring them down to Earth, is to drop the hammer early and often.  There's no better way to take a player out of his game than to be more physical than him.  And no one does it better than the Black n Gold.

Now, of course, I'm not saying that we should injure someone or play dirty, but we need to be the enforcers on the field.  We need to set the standard.  As they say in boxing and MMA: "Everyone has a game plan til they get hit in the mouth."  The Cardinals are going to come out on Sunday thinking the world is against them (when actually, its quite the opposite), thinking they can play with the Steelers, that they belong in the same league as the Steelers.  One solid crack in the mouth, and their gameplan will turn from aggressive to timid in a heartbeat, which will, in turn, throw their gameplan right out the window.

In my eyes, its this simple:  Physicallity will allow us to contain Warner/Fitz/Boldin/James.  Physicallity will allow us to run the football effectively.  And, physicallity will provide protection for Ben which will allow us to open up the field.

Hit 'em early, hit 'em hard, and hit 'em often.