What to take from preseason game #2?
August 19th 2011 12:43
If this was a regular season game, the hue and cry today about Philly's "dream team" would be splattered on the internet like mud on a white shirt. But since it's the preseason, that mud has only reached the pants. It still sucks...but it doesn't suck quite as much. But in reality, the preseason is where you want to suck. And Philly has a chance to do next week what Pittsburgh did to Philly last night.
OK, so the bad. Mike Vick was bad. Philly's offensive line didn't look too good. Their defense for all the ballyhoo about those cornerbacks couldn't stop the run, and then on the Steeler's first TD someone bit badly on play-action and left Antonio Brown so open that horrible-night-Vick could have hit him. I have this thought, though, regarding games like this. I think that when a game gets out of hand for a team, you have to write off the entire performance. Last night, it just got out of hand for Philly. Vick isn't that bad - he wasn't even that bad in Atlanta. The Eagles defense isn't that bad. They got hit by bad circumstances, and so I think that they'll be okay in the end. And maybe they needed this, a wake-up call.
The good. Pretty much everything Pittsburgh. Again, I will not draw any glorious conclusions from a preseason game. What I liked best about the game was the bounce back. After their opening game stinker, where everyone seemed to be mentally checked out, in this one they were ready to go. They were fast and playing hard. The running game looked good. The offensive line was acceptable. Ben looked good. His receivers looked good. On Ward's TD, they broke off the play as if they've been doing it for years. Oh wait...they have. Good stuff all told.
The ugly. Damned injuries. Hopefully the two knee injuries suffered by the Steelers offensive tackles are minor. The last thing the Steeler's arguably weakest unit needs is devastating knee injuries. Flozell Adams anyone?
All told, I'm not predicting much of anything different for either team. I do see why some people are taking off the rose-colored glasses when considering Philly, but that's not to say they a mediocre team. That offense may end up being the most dynamic in the NFL with Vick at the helm, Jackson and Maclin on the outside, and a wicked speed and power running back combo in McCoy and Brown. Of course, Philly's offense may need to be the best in the NFL if their defense can't get the front seven shored up. As for Pittsburgh, they are again powers in the AFC, where they've been for several of the past years. Will they make the Super Bowl again? Hell, they could. But then again, they might not. Their biggest weakness comes from being spread out. The Packers did it in the Super Bowl. You can bet the Patriots and other teams will do it this year. How will the Steelers respond? We have 16 games to find out.
OK, so the bad. Mike Vick was bad. Philly's offensive line didn't look too good. Their defense for all the ballyhoo about those cornerbacks couldn't stop the run, and then on the Steeler's first TD someone bit badly on play-action and left Antonio Brown so open that horrible-night-Vick could have hit him. I have this thought, though, regarding games like this. I think that when a game gets out of hand for a team, you have to write off the entire performance. Last night, it just got out of hand for Philly. Vick isn't that bad - he wasn't even that bad in Atlanta. The Eagles defense isn't that bad. They got hit by bad circumstances, and so I think that they'll be okay in the end. And maybe they needed this, a wake-up call.
The good. Pretty much everything Pittsburgh. Again, I will not draw any glorious conclusions from a preseason game. What I liked best about the game was the bounce back. After their opening game stinker, where everyone seemed to be mentally checked out, in this one they were ready to go. They were fast and playing hard. The running game looked good. The offensive line was acceptable. Ben looked good. His receivers looked good. On Ward's TD, they broke off the play as if they've been doing it for years. Oh wait...they have. Good stuff all told.
The ugly. Damned injuries. Hopefully the two knee injuries suffered by the Steelers offensive tackles are minor. The last thing the Steeler's arguably weakest unit needs is devastating knee injuries. Flozell Adams anyone?
All told, I'm not predicting much of anything different for either team. I do see why some people are taking off the rose-colored glasses when considering Philly, but that's not to say they a mediocre team. That offense may end up being the most dynamic in the NFL with Vick at the helm, Jackson and Maclin on the outside, and a wicked speed and power running back combo in McCoy and Brown. Of course, Philly's offense may need to be the best in the NFL if their defense can't get the front seven shored up. As for Pittsburgh, they are again powers in the AFC, where they've been for several of the past years. Will they make the Super Bowl again? Hell, they could. But then again, they might not. Their biggest weakness comes from being spread out. The Packers did it in the Super Bowl. You can bet the Patriots and other teams will do it this year. How will the Steelers respond? We have 16 games to find out.
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