I see a conservative game plan from Cassel against Pittsburgh

[PittPatriot]

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.

his weakness is actually a strength vs. the Pats....he throws the deep seam route with great touch and lacks the arm strength to hit the short/deep outs. The Pats are weak up the middle of the field.

 

[karran_s]

I think we'll win ultimately against the Steelers.. It will be a tough, hard game but we will prevail. The Steelers offense relies heavily on the run and I think our defense is good enough to stop them from having a good running game. The pass rush is another thing and while it is worrying that we don't have a good pass rush now (with some of our best players being injured et al), Big Ben may have a better shot at passing. But I think Cassel can outscore them in the end, which would be the difference.

Shotgun all the way to prevent the Steelers from trying to get to him .. with Welker, Moss and Gaffney (hope he doesn't drop the ball), we can definitely outscore them. If they double cover Moss and try to cover the others too much, I see Matt running down open lanes to get yards...

 

[Triggerfish]

I think we'll win ultimately against the Steelers.. It will be a tough, hard game but we will prevail. The Steelers offense relies heavily on the run and I think our defense is good enough to stop them from having a good running game. The pass rush is another thing and while it is worrying that we don't have a good pass rush now (with some of our best players being injured et al), Big Ben may have a better shot at passing. But I think Cassel can outscore them in the end, which would be the difference.

Shotgun all the way to prevent the Steelers from trying to get to him .. with Welker, Moss and Gaffney (hope he doesn't drop the ball), we can definitely outscore them. If they double cover Moss and try to cover the others too much, I see Matt running down open lanes to get yards...

If the Pats D can step up and hold the Steeler O in check, you might be able to outscore us. BUT I certainly wouldn't anticipate big numbers on the scoreboard against this Defense. I definitely don't see this game being a "shootout".

 

[PittPatriot]

I hope our guys don't take their eyes off 86...we don't Mayo going the way of Keith Rivers.

 

[PittPatriot]

If the Pats D can step up and hold the Steeler O in check, you might be able to outscore us. BUT I certainly wouldn't anticipate big numbers on the scoreboard against this Defense. I definitely don't see this game being a "shootout".

Matt needs to be opportunistic against this D. He will definitely get some chances to tuck it and run...and an over aggressive D might give up some 15yd runs to the QB. On the 4-5 wide (Faulk lining up at WR), there is definitely potential for moving the ball/some gadgets.

I actually am expecting a shootout. This will not be the Bledsoe vs. O'Donell games!

 

[karran_s]

If the Pats D can step up and hold the Steeler O in check, you might be able to outscore us. BUT I certainly wouldn't anticipate big numbers on the scoreboard against this Defense. I definitely don't see this game being a "shootout".

Well, let's wait and see.. The first quarter, especially, will be critical. If we can grab an early lead and you guys play catch up, it could be down to a passing showdown between Matt and Ben.

 

[Triggerfish]

It's a possibility, but I wouldn't put money on it. One thing I will say about Bellicheck, he isn't dumb enough to try to run right at this Defense. He'll spread 'em out and roll the dice with Cassel winning this game for you. Let's face it....none of your RBs scare anyone on our Defense, and BB knows it. He's not the kind of coach that gets into that silly "we're gonna impose our will on them" crap. He'll use what gives your team the best chance of winning, and that's the pass. Light's possible mini-vacation could be crucial for this game, as without him, the Steelers could quite possibly get enough pressure without sacrificing in coverage of your WRs. Now....I really hope LeBeau and Tomlin prepare for this and react quickly enough if Cassel goes into dink and dunk mode. Our D has a tendency to give too much of a cushion off the line, allowing teams to short-pass right down the field. Like I said...should be a great game. Should be an interesting chess match between these two coaches.

 

[SVN]

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:

people have criticized Ben a lot but i saw him same some unbelievable throws in the indy game with defenders draped all over him. he made some bad ones as well but he gives them a chance to win by moving around and not going down and completing a pass.Pats need to bring him down quickly if they get to him.

 

[Fencer]

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

Let's not be quite so ****y. The Pats have a ghastly history of season-ending injuries vs. Pitt as well.

 

[Fencer]

Here's one for the bank -- Kevin Faulk gets a LOT of reps.

His pass blocking will be needed, he fits the spread offense, and nobody else except Law Firm seems healthy anyway.

 

[Triggerfish]

people have criticized Ben a lot but i saw him same some unbelievable throws in the indy game with defenders draped all over him. he made some bad ones as well but he gives them a chance to win by moving around and not going down and completing a pass.Pats need to bring him down quickly if they get to him.

Like I said....that's his game. A lot of people bash him for it, but at the same time I think everyone knows he does give the Steelers their best chance of winning. My other point was that although the O-line's been getting a lot heat this season, Ben actually makes their stats look worse than their performance warrants. As long as they're winning games, I would think the line could care less about thier "stats". And as you eluded to....even if the Pats can GET to Ben, doesn't mean he'll be easy to bring down.

 

[bakes781]

I agree that the gameplan will be short passes, but I don't think they'll abandon the spread formation. The difference from last week to this is there will be a pass rush so the timing of the patterns will be important. I think you'll see a lot of screen plays as well.