Five Steelers Who Made A Quiet Impression: Week 6 Edition

Well, well, well. That week went by quickly, did it not? Seems like yesterday that we were wondering if James Harrison would be fined. Then between the days of Tuesday and Thursday night, all of you jump in with a diverse range of interesting, passionate, and thought-provoking commentaries on the subject and, what do you know, it's suddenly Friday. I like, and I'd wager that you too enjoyed the alacrity with which this work week went by.

I mostly opted to just step back and get out of the way while you all churned out relevant and noteworthy thoughts, but before anymore time passes, I want to get a few more things down, including one last post about the Pittsburgh Steelers' Week 6 win over the Cleveland Browns. Though I have previously elaborated on my selections in longish paragraphs, a whirlwind tour this week of my five players who made a quiet impression during last Sunday's 28-10 win over the Browns.

They are...

1. Emmanuel Sanders - As maryrose alluded to in his earlier post, Sanders provided the perfect complimentary production from the No. 3 WR position. Two catches, both for first downs. If you're so inclined, you can check my comment in that same post linked above to get my take on the whole WR situation after Hines Ward and Mike Wallace.

2. Daniel Sepulveda - some thought I was being overly critical and wasting my time commenting on Sepulveda's less than stellar game against the Titans. Well, that's what we do here. Talk about everything, not just the obvious. But I also just knew that Sepulveda could be better. Last Sunday he sure was - 6 punts, a 42.8 average, a long of 60 and four downed inside the 20. Amazing afternoon for Robo-punter.

3. Isaac Redman - 6 carries, 31 yards. More importantly, four of his six carries went for first downs. His final two carries in the second half did not, but were both positive pick ups of 4 and 3 yards. Redman's doing everything asked of him through 6 weeks. I'd sure like to see him get even more involved in the offense moving forward - both to spell Rashard Mendenhall, and as a reward for Redman proving he's capable of being productive and protecting the football.

4. LaMarr Woodley - once again, Lawrence Timmons and James Harrison racked up the stats, but I thought Woodley had an impact on the game more than his 2 tackle and 1 sack performance suggested. I don't want to sound like I don't appreciate Woodley's talents and contributions, but it doesn't at all surprise me he's getting outplayed by Deebo and Timmons most every week this year. I've not at all been in the vocal camp that thinks we need to re-sign Woodley at a high price tag this coming offseason. I just don't, but that's a story for another day. It basically though stems from the fact that I don't think he's going to age nearly as well as Timmons or Harrison. That's been my story all along and I'm sticking with it. That said, I sure as hell am glad he's on our side for the time being.Nice outing for him against the Brownies, and I think he's got even better games ahead on this year's schedule.

5. Bruce Arians - somebody along the offensive line probably deserves a shout out here. Heck, Ben Roethlisberger wasn't sacked once. But we're so late in the week that my memory is fuzzy as to exactly what transpired in the trenches. A shout out to the big eaters up front nonetheless. For now though, I'll take a quicker and easier route and heap a little praise on Bruce Arians for his well-balanced game plan against the Browns. 35 rushes, 27 passes. An outstanding formula for success for this particular Steelers offensive squad if you ask me. We'll see if Mr. Arians can stay disciplined when the going likely gets tougher in the upcoming weeks away from Heinz Field. Specifically, what happens when we actually fall behind in a game for the first time. Do we still pound the ball an appropriate number of times, or do we get pass-happy too early and often? We'll see. For now, good work Brucey Bruce!