PIT 25 NE 17
October 31st 2011 00:41
How easy is it to say that "I was going to write about how the Steelers were going to win?" And yeah, my point was that the same old crap about Brady torching the Steelers has a basis in reality, but that each game is different. Lo and behold, for the first time since Brady joined the league, the Steelers played man-to-man against his offense. It's the only antidote to the Brady offense, and not many teams have the ability to do it. For years I said that the Steelers didn't, but I guess the coaching brain trust decided they had seen enough Brady nightmares and went after him the only way that has worked in the past.
Look, it's not brain science. Brady is easily one of the most accurate and brilliant QBs to ever play the position. Where Manning mesmerizes, Brady assassinates. He's so smart and gifted at reading defenses and knowing where the open man will be. The problem is that Brady does his best work when facing zone coverages. When he faces man-to-man defenses, he's not quite as effective. The key here is the QB pressure. Usually, when a team goes man-to-man against Brady's offense, they can exert QB pressure *up the middle.* That's what Pittsburgh did, and it made him uncomfortable. First, he clearly didn't expect it. Second, the Steelers played good defense, which made it tough on him.
As for the Steelers in this game, if anyone really wants to continue leaving Ben Roethlisberger out of the game's best 5 QBs, then you are blind, stupid or negligently homer. You don't win 2 super bowls in 3 tries without a great team. But you don't have a game like that without supreme talent. He has it, and he's in his prime. Even as a Steeler fan I'm *not* homer enough to rank him first over the likes of Brady, a healthy Manning, Brees and Rodgers. But 5th? Sure. Easily.
It's a good regular season win for Pittsburgh, but the truth of the matter is that the Steelers are already into the mindset of "Ravens" week. When the initial comments from the locker room allude to it...well. A week of hype before we go at it again.
Look, it's not brain science. Brady is easily one of the most accurate and brilliant QBs to ever play the position. Where Manning mesmerizes, Brady assassinates. He's so smart and gifted at reading defenses and knowing where the open man will be. The problem is that Brady does his best work when facing zone coverages. When he faces man-to-man defenses, he's not quite as effective. The key here is the QB pressure. Usually, when a team goes man-to-man against Brady's offense, they can exert QB pressure *up the middle.* That's what Pittsburgh did, and it made him uncomfortable. First, he clearly didn't expect it. Second, the Steelers played good defense, which made it tough on him.
As for the Steelers in this game, if anyone really wants to continue leaving Ben Roethlisberger out of the game's best 5 QBs, then you are blind, stupid or negligently homer. You don't win 2 super bowls in 3 tries without a great team. But you don't have a game like that without supreme talent. He has it, and he's in his prime. Even as a Steeler fan I'm *not* homer enough to rank him first over the likes of Brady, a healthy Manning, Brees and Rodgers. But 5th? Sure. Easily.
It's a good regular season win for Pittsburgh, but the truth of the matter is that the Steelers are already into the mindset of "Ravens" week. When the initial comments from the locker room allude to it...well. A week of hype before we go at it again.
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Comment by Joe Soriano
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