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Yeah, I think there will be plenty of hype over the next month for the mid-Dec game, but the way the AFC currently looks, they may be destined for a rematch in January.Looking forward to the matchup and seeing how much Pitt uses man/hybrid with frequent blitzes. Hopefully if the score turns out the wrong way they give BB/JM plenty of film on what needs to be corrected for the theoretical playoff matchup.
Even if Tomlin has his troops ready for the first game, which I think is totally possible, it’s highly doubtful that they’re beating NE in both games. Look, I hate Pittsburgh more than any other team in the NFL. I hate their fan base, their coach, their loudmouth arrogant players, everything about them. I’m not wishing to necessarily play the role of forum contrarian as it pertains to this game. I think the odds should be 60/40 NE, even with the scheduling differences. I just think the argument of “we own them” is a bit played out, that’s all. That said and as you pointed out—our record has been quite successful and that is a check in the “positive” column, at least to some degree.
You bring up the offense versus their defense, but I’m thinking the other matchup may be more important. I think my concern is in 2 areas: 1) what I deem as a potential area of exploitation in Bell versus our front seven, and 2) the inconsistent play of Malcolm Butler, particularly versus speedier, shiftier WRs, and one way or another he’s facing one in Brown, Smith-Schuster (who has really come on lately), or Bryant. How will the defense adjust to try and slow down Bell while also staying with those 3 speedy threats, and where does a guy like Stephon Gilmore fit in this gameplan? It should be noted that he’s still having some communication issues in terms of who takes who, as seen in the DEN game on the Demarius Thomas TD with his lengthy on field discussion with Harmon. If we are going to play more zone than usual which is what Im expecting, it’s something to keep an eye on.
People also keep pointing to the “struggles” of their offense, but they fail to account for their differences on the road vs. at Heinz field, where’s there’s always been a fairly large gap. Aside from the game vs. JAX (terrific defense), they’ve put up 26, 29, and 40 at home this year, which is consistent with Roethlisberger’s career stats.