I see a conservative game plan from Cassel against Pittsburgh

[tombonneau]

The good news is that the Steelers O-line is one of the worst in the NFL. The Pats do seem to get to QBs who play behind terrible lines. Ben will throw picks when pressured.

I'm really confident we can win this game. In fact, I'm not scared at all.

If we can't beat an overrated Pittsburgh team, at home, then we don't deserve to be in the playoffs.

Exactly. I'm aware how bad that Steelers OL is, so if the Pats can't get pressure on Ben, they are REALLY in trouble. It's not a mistake that Pitt's three losses came against the hellified pass rushes of Philly, Pitt & Indy.

 

[Deus Irae]

The weakest link in the Pittsburgh defense is the pass defense of the secondary. The Patriots may start throwing before they even leave the locker room.

 

[fgssand]

The weakest link in the Pittsburgh defense is the pass defense of the secondary. The Patriots may start throwing before they even leave the locker room.

I agree 100%, weather permitting, throw early and often. Spread them out to help render rush ineffective.

Throw short, throw screens, throw underneath, over the middle and long - just freaking throw it all day.

Get up on them early and let's see if can they keep up.

 

[PatsFan2]

Agree 100%. The Pats need to play to their strengths, not mute them. I'm less worried about the NE offense putting up the 20+ needed to win and more worried about the secondary getting burned by Holmes, Ward & Washington.

If the Pats can't generate pressure on Big Ben vs. that line, they will be in huge trouble.

Thats an excellent point...if Big Ben picks our D apart we have no business talking about Playoffs. You forgot their TE Heath Miller who is no slouch either. This D has had problems with TE's that can move.

 

[ctpatsfan77]

The weakest link in the Pittsburgh defense is the pass defense of the secondary. The Patriots may start throwing before they even leave the locker room.

How funny would it be if Matt Cassel made Anthony Smith his personal ***** the way Tom Brady did?

 

[tombonneau]

Thats an excellent point...if Big Ben picks our D apart we have no business talking about Playoffs. You forgot their TE Heath Miller who is no slouch either. This D has had problems with TE's that can move.

Didn't include Miller as I know he has been hurt ... has he come back yet? If he is healthy, then yes, he obviously is another huge issue.

 

[SVN]

BB said on the pregrame show to SB 40 pitt vs seahawks "the steelers will stop the run if they want to. Seattle has to throw the ball to win"
So that says pretty much about the gameplan. i expect jordan to be OUT again because this isnt the game for him.
If pats o line and cassel can pick up the blitz, they can move the ball in the air.

 

[Brady-To-Branch]

Didn't include Miller as I know he has been hurt ... has he come back yet? If he is healthy, then yes, he obviously is another huge issue.

Miller is having a bad year, I know. He's on my fantasy team.

 

[patsox23]

Of course he won't throw for 400 but the Patriots tend to come out aggressively against Pittsburgh and there's no reason to think they won't this time. They like to spread them out and make it difficult to send all the blitzers while trying to cover 4-5 WR. Tightening up the offense, running and throwing short actually plays into Pittsburgh's hands.

I agree. This thread begs the question, "Exactly what have YOU been watching the last 6 quarters?" Seems to me that Belichick decided to start trusting Cassel enough to take some chances and go with an offensive gameplan a bit more in line with what we saw last year.

In the case of the 2nd half in the jets game, it was out of necessity. Given its success (minus losing in OT), it only made sense that we would trot it out and embrace the "spread 'em and throw" philosophy against Miami. I don't see any reason that the Patriots would give up on this approach, especially in light of how productive (and error-free-ish - a flukey INT and a rare Morris fumble) the offense has shown itself capable of being. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. We will spread out the Steelers and win by at least double-digits.

If healthy come playoff time, no one wants to face us.

 

[patsox23]

I think people tend to under estimate how good a QB Chad Pennington is. Chad may have a weak arm, he is smart and accurate with his passes.

Totally agree. Chad is, in fact, one of the TOUGHEST QBs for the Pats to face. He's canny, mobile, and doesn't often try to take chances and do too much. I'm glad to have him out of the way.

 

[unoriginal]

This is Matt Cassel's first game against **** LeBeau. I wouldn't be too shocked if he looks confused out there.

 

[LeonPowe]

Pittsburgh always fails against the Patriots. Should be a relatively easy win, move on to next week.

 

[mb6592]

The Patriots seem to think the best way to protect the QB against Pittsburgh is to go 4-5 wide and force them to keep more players in coverage rather than blitzing. It seems to work in general, I hope we have Light for the game. Faulk is also a key, I don't know what his history is against Pittsburgh but screens work great against blitzing defenses.

That was true w/ Brady, but I expect Pitt to make Cassel prove to them that he can mimic Brady's coolness against ferocious pressure. He can run, so that will help.

 

[ausbacker]

If the 3 headed monster in Faulk, Moss, Welker play well we win.

All I would like from the Defense is to pressure Big Ben somewhat as he is proven he is a poor decision maker under pressure and throws out lollypops. Whether or not we can force turnovers from there rests soley on the defensive backs.

 

[PatsFan2]

Miller is having a bad year, I know. He's on my fantasy team.

I wouldn't bench him against the Patriots D that has no clue on how to cover TE's.

 

[102 Pat]

After Moss's performance against the Dolphins yesterday, I could see the Steelers double covering him for most of the game, leaving more opportunities for Welker, Faulk, etc

 

[Patsfanin Philly]

I see the patriots finally being able to get to the qb consistantly against pit

Borrow Jim Johnson's game plan from when the Eagles beat Pitt 15-6. 9 sacks, one int and less than 200 total offense. They blitzed and blitzed and confused Big Ben with formations he had not seen before..Sound familiar???

 

[Triggerfish]

Borrow Jim Johnson's game plan from when the Eagles beat Pitt 15-6. 9 sacks, one int and less than 200 total offense. They blitzed and blitzed and confused Big Ben with formations he had not seen before..Sound familiar???

Well, that COULD work, but the Pats don't have nearly the pass rush the Eagles have. The key to this game for the Pats would be to stop the RUN! When the Steelers running game doesn't get going, it affects their whole offensive scheme.

This really should be an interesting game. Even though I'm a Steelers fan, I agree that this team is not as good as their record suggests. The Defense has been carrying them all season, as the offense has been mediocre at best. The O-line plays a significant part in that of course, but if you watch many Steelers games, you'll have to agree that Ben makes his O-line look worse than it actually is. He holds the ball to long, and always looks for the BIG play, rather than focusing in just moving the chains. Ben knows it, Tomlin knows it, and all the fans know it, but that's his game. Love it or hate it, not much that anyone can do about it.

Historically the Pats have always been a very tough opponent, and I don't see that changing this year, even without Brady. HOWEVER, as someone mentioned above, this will be a great test for your young QB. Cassel has faced some good defenses, and so far has been able to stay pretty calm and focused, BUT he HASN'T faced a D like the Burgh yet. The Steelers have a knack for confusing young/inexperienced QBs, and LeBeau will be cookin up some crazy blitz packages for just such an occassion. If he can keep his composure against THIS defense, you all should feel pretty good going into a possible playoff run. Really lookin forward to the game this week! Good luck and let's hope everyone stays healthy! :rocker:

 

[tombonneau]

Well, that COULD work, but the Pats don't have nearly the pass rush the Eagles have. The key to this game for the Pats would be to stop the RUN! When the Steelers running game doesn't get going, it affects their whole offensive scheme.

This really should be an interesting game. Even though I'm a Steelers fan, I agree that this team is not as good as their record suggests. The Defense has been carrying them all season, as the offense has been mediocre at best. The O-line plays a significant part in that of course, but if you watch many Steelers games, you'll have to agree that Ben makes his O-line look worse than it actually is. He holds the ball to long, and always looks for the BIG play, rather than focusing in just moving the chains. Ben knows it, Tomlin knows it, and all the fans know it, but that's his game. Love it or hate it, not much that anyone can do about it.

Historically the Pats have always been a very tough opponent, and I don't see that changing this year, even without Brady. HOWEVER, as someone mentioned above, this will be a great test for your young QB. Cassel has faced some good defenses, and so far has been able to stay pretty calm and focused, BUT he HASN'T faced a D like the Burgh yet. The Steelers have a knack for confusing young/inexperienced QBs, and LeBeau will be cookin up some crazy blitz packages for just such an occassion. If he can keep his composure against THIS defense, you all should feel pretty good going into a possible playoff run. Really lookin forward to the game this week! Good luck and let's hope everyone stays healthy! :rocker:

Thanks for the level-headed post. Hopefully it's returned in kind.

 

[PittPatriot]

The Patriots seem to think the best way to protect the QB against Pittsburgh is to go 4-5 wide and force them to keep more players in coverage rather than blitzing. It seems to work in general, I hope we have Light for the game. Faulk is also a key, I don't know what his history is against Pittsburgh but screens work great against blitzing defenses.

I think BB should dust off the game plan from the Monday Night opener of the 2002 season. Didn't we run like 20 straight pass plays by spreading them out and going no huddle? It neutralized their LB (they wanted payback from the AFCCG) and blitzers because Brady held the ball for like 1.5secs per snap.