He’s back. Steeler fans have to be breathing a little easier today knowing that come 1pm Sunday their franchise QB will be back under center for a team that played very well in his absence.
In years past, Ben Roethlisberger has actually struggled in games where he has come back from injury in the past, but had two very good weeks of practice, so he and the defense should have no issues with the Browns. Or will they?
1. Deep Breaths early – The emotion of Ben’s return along with the fact the team is a two TD favorite makes for what should be an easy win. But with that comes the concern of the team playing a little TOO emotional early, and forgetting the little things that got them to 3-1. The Browns talent wise cannot match the Steelers, and while that will show up often on Sunday, playing within themselves should be key early for the black and gold.
2. Contain Cribbs – Josh Cribbs has had success against the Steelers in past seasons, from running in the wildcat in the teams 13-6 win over the Steelers last year, to a huge kickoff return for a score against them in the 2007 season. This year Cribbs has been pretty much quiet, but if the Browns are going to even stay in this game, they will turn to him, meaning the Steelers need to make sure to gang tackle and contain him every time he is around the ball.
3. Keep doing what you have been doing – The Steelers are 3-1, and to me, there’s no reason to start changing game plans or going outside the box to beat a team that is 1-4 and hasn’t proven to anyone that they are all that much better than last year when they were 5-11. The Steelers should rely on the run game, play sound special teams, and unleash the D on Colt McCoy and the lackluster Browns offense. That should be more than enough to get a win.
Prediction – I said in my picks 35-3, and I will stick to it. Trust me when I say the Steelers D would love nothing better than to lay a shutout on the awful Browns, but I think the Browns do just enough to get a field goal and walk out of Heinz Field 32-point losers as compared to 35. If the Browns even hang around in this game I will be stunned, and I think with everything going their way, the Steelers should have no issues going to 4-1. Pittsburgh 35 Cleveland 3
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Michael P. Schaffer
October 15, 2010 at 11:35 am
You are just being nice…I remember x-mas eve Dawg Pound Steelers 41-0 I’ll go with that…Oh Colt gets hit by a Silverback loses his head…Stay home browns fan take kids to a movie…
Lone Wolf
October 16, 2010 at 9:01 am
The offense is not good enough to win this game that way. Clevelan will have to help a lot with turnovers. The Steelers are 32nd in passing and it ain’t all because Ben has not been playing. Losing Santonio Holmes hurts a lot.
I predict a 20-13 victory. This will cause all sorts of concern after the game. The truth is you should be concerned right now with the passing offense. It is pretty easy to defend when you only have one receiver to be concerned about.
The Tony
October 16, 2010 at 10:52 am
Ben threw for over 4300 yards last season while missing a game. So don’t say we don’t have a passing game. Granted losing Holmes hurts, however the Steelers have an incredible young talent in Mike Wallace (think DeSean Jackson). We still have Hines Ward who remains a threat, we have Heath Miller who has some of the surest hands in the game. And now we have two exciting rookies in Antonio Brown, who we have already seen return a kickoff for a touchdown and Emmanuel Sanders who has yet to be seen, but thats likely to change upon Ben’s arrival under center. The Steelers running game is going to vastly improve because now opposing defenses will not be able to stack the box because of Ben’s ability to throw the deep ball. I fully expect Mendenhall’s numbers to explode now that we have Ben back. Lastly, Ben is able to manage the game, which is going to be great for our already stellar defense by giving them more rest on the sidelines. Barring any major injuries, I am fully confident that the Steelers have the potential to make it and win the Super Bowl!
George H
October 16, 2010 at 8:36 pm
Took the words right out of my mouth… I would also expect to see some gadget plays with Randle El now that Ben is back. You have to respect the pass now that Ben is back and before it would of been predictable if we tried a gadget with Batch under center